|
One of the best female masters runners of all time. (F55)
Tatyana Pozdnyakova
F55
April 20, 2010
At first I would like to ask people:
Do you love to run? Do you want to run for life? Do you want to improve your performance?
If your answer for these questions is yes, no experience needed for fast or slow; for beginners or old runners. Running is the perfect exercise for anybody. From beginners to professional runners, training programs are built ot get everybody across the finish line. So make running part of your daily schedule and pick a regular running time that works best for you.
Your endurance will improve but you have to train it. We can't train our endurance by by sitting on the couch and watch a sport channel. So we need to run. It's hard but if you lace your shoes and open the door you will go to run. It's easy.
I have a couple of suggestions from me and my husband who is a coach. These apply from beginners to veterans:
1. COACH. Without a coach you never train properly.
2. TRAINING PARTNER(s). This will help you push yourself in your training program.
3. REGULAR TRAINING. Run long and hard. Run on trails, grass and other soft surfaces.
4. RECOVERY. Between long and hard runs, run slowly on your easy days. Sleep more and you can also do a massage and use a sauna. If training, then train. If resting, rest. Don't mix these.
5. AVOID INJURY. If something is bothering you don't be greedy. Take a day or two off from training. Tend to any injury immediately. Take time off to heal and then resume training.
6. Eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water both during workouts and between them.
7. Emphasize a mix of family, daily exercise and happiness. Be sure to smile. And remember running improves physical fitness, strengthens the heart, lungs and major muscles but running also reduces our stress.
I wish to bring some passion for your running, fitness and exercise! My goal: Running is the best way to stay young! I am running from 18 years old till now, almost 36 years and I love to run. Running is my life. It doesn't matter how old are you. So go for a run and you'll see how possible it is.
ED. Tatyana and her husband Alex Zagoruyko moved to the US in 1997. They have lived and trained in Gainsville, FL and currently reside in Eugene, OR. For many years, Tatyana came and ran in our 1/2 marathon often bringing several other excellent runners with her. We have known her for many years and respect her as a worldclass runner but also as a wonderful person and true ambassador for the sport.
Final note. Some thought was given whether to Americanize the English and we opted for the "true version" as it was kindly sent to us. Thank you Tatyana for your contributions to the web site.
------
Health issues come with growing older but they need not stop serious running. (M67)
Jim Derham
M67
Dec. 28, 2009
Over the past five years, because of medical challenges I have had four extended periods of not being able to run. It would have been easy to have retired from running after any one of these. I chose not to and am convinced that I recovered quicker than my contemporaries would have because of my running and desire to be competitive again. Each time has required a greater adjustment as I have found myself starting out slower and running at double the pace I use to complete marathons in and the people further down the field look a lot different from the runners up front. However, each time I regard the initial build up period as temporary and know that I will eventually become competitive again.
In my younger years I was a useful runner, 1957 to 1966 achieving 1:58 for 800 m to 2 Hrs. 25 Min. for the marathon.
I got tied up in my career, quit running and smoked as many as four packs per day. I had to have ear surgery when I was 40, quit smoking so the skin graft over my ear would heal. I quickly ballooned in size and weight and took up running again to reduce weight. Naturally, once I was running again, I had to race. I entered a 10k and did not believe the splits that were called out to me. Having told my wife what I expected to run the 10k in, she thought something terrible had happened to me as I didn’t show up for a long time!
From this initial restart of running, I worked at it and became competitive again. For the next 22 years I was an accomplished racer while managing a stressful career.
At the end of ’04 when I was 62, I had my first episode with my heart. In early December I did a 5k race and started to really struggle after the first mile and finished very slowly. I thought I had the flu so did not worry too much. I had my annual physical the following Monday and as I had some slightly irregular heartbeat, had an EKG as part of the physical. My doctor got really excited and told me to stop running until I could have an echo cardiogram. This subsequently showed an electrical problem which caused my heart chambers not to function properly. Hence my struggle to run. Before I could keep an appointment with the cardiologist I started to get grabbing chest pains which got progressively worse. I conceded that I had a problem and my wife took me to the ER even though she wanted to call EMS. I was admitted to the hospital. After a cardio-catheter examination for blockage which was normal for my age, I had an ablation to correct the electrical problem. Afterwards I was not allowed to run for three months. When I finally got the “all clear” I started back running wearing a heart monitor. It was several months before I felt I could go fast enough to raise my heart rate over 150.
I completed a 260 mile hike in England that May and progressed over the rest of the year, winning my age group in the 2005 Jacksonville Half Marathon and the 2006 Gasparilla Half Marathon. I then completed a 220 mile walk across Scotland.
In March 2007 I was diagnosed with aggressive prostrate cancer. I had it surgically removed in April. I was not allowed to run again until July. I wanted to prove something to myself, so I competed in the Tour de Pain in early August (three races in 24 hours) and finished third in my age group. At the end of August I completed 100 miles of hiking around Lake Tahoe. In October, while running a 5k race I felt awful but was in denial. I subsequently had to admit I had a problem and saw my cardiologist who with an EKG confirmed I had heart flutter again. He stopped me running and put me on Coumadin to stabilize my blood before they could do any procedures. After finally getting my blood stable, I had a cardio-vent in January 2008 and a second ablation in February. I was allowed to run again in March and decided to give shorter track events a try. I qualified for the 2008 Florida Senior Games and in December won the 1500 meters and finished second in the 800 meters. I followed this up with some longer training runs and won my age group in the 2009 Marco Island 10 miler and finished second in my age group in the Hooter’s Half Marathon in March. In May I completed a 260 mile hike in 13 days.
In July 2009 I had some follow-up prostrate surgery and was off running until the end of August. I started to come back in September and have progressed well enough to win my age group in the Senior Games 10k and recently finished third in my age group at the Jacksonville Half Marathon.
In my older years I’m dedicated (as you can see) but not a completely dedicated racer. I do enjoy a martini and fine wine. Running is an important part of my life for health and sanity reasons. Competing is a critical part of my running as a means of comparative measuring and keeping score and a motivating reason for training effort and training goals. I am now setting my sights on catching Larry again!!!! (ed.: not completely dedicated you say?)
--------
Why do I run? (M70)
Larry Eaton
M70
October 1, 2008
It’s not uncommon when people find out I am a runner that they ask me why I do it. The answer is not so simple but I’ll try to explain.
Let me begin this way, however. Several years ago while standing in the starting line of one of my favorite races the Twin Cities 10 mile, I asked another old-timer next to me if he could explain to someone why we do this to our bodies? His answer: “If you have to, you can’t”.
Well then, just why do I do this? The answer quite simply is: I run to race.
But like many, possibly most serious runners I have a love-hate relationship with racing. Mostly I enjoy the hard work required to properly train for races. And interestingly I enjoy the bio-engineering aspects of racing: mechanical, chemical, heat transfer, oxygen transport, energy efficiency, etc. However, a day or two before major races I often wonder, why am I doing this? After all, soon I will be asking my aging body to perform to its very limits, sometimes even exceeding them. In fact, in the few minutes before most races I look to the sky and repeat these words: “Lord, forgive me for what I’m about to do to my body”.
As the race begins a surge of adrenalin pumps my blood and drives me onto the early parts of the course. Soon reality sets in. How do I feel during a race? I hate it. I want to quit over and over. But, I keep going. The challenge of battling my age group peers and trying to reach as close as possible to my full potential keeps me picking up one foot after another, trying to forget the growing stress by mostly thinking of nothing mile after mile until that finish line finally comes into sight.
When I finally do cross that finish line unfortunately I’m almost always greeted with a violent reaction from my stomach. Invariably, I throw up. Hopefully, it’s just the dry heaves but sometimes it’s not. Soon however, I look back at the discomfort that I have just experienced as a mere fleeting moment. Instead of dwelling on how much stress and pain I have just gone through I have the feeling of accomplishment. I’m motivated and inspired to train and race once again.
Before I’ve recovered and before I can start the process all over again, something happens I find totally disgusting: those race photos arrive! I’m not good looking…I’m an old man. I race hard…I look it. I can hardly pick up my feet…you can see that, too. And worse, those finish line shots show me about to throw-up…that is all too evident, too. To all race directors: please take photos of only good looking women and young elites. At the very least, please forget shots of all us old men.
I’ve had many people tell me they will run when they see runners smile. They’ll never see me smile. Why should I when I feel so bad? Likewise, I run with people who talk and talk and talk. Not me. There’s no excess air to waste on idle chat. My muscles need every milliliter I can bring to them.
To better understand these people even when they can’t explain themselves, this little story may be helpful.
At another starting line I was telling yet another “old-timer” my story of throwing up after every race. His simple response: “small price to pay!” Well, so it is: a small price.
My running career began in high school and college. That was followed by 42 years of mostly work until a “rebirth” in 2002. In rather significant ways I owe my education, my marriage and the start of my job/ career to having run in college. All of these have worked exceeding well for me and our family. Yes, so it is and so it has been: a small price.
October 1, 2008
The general idea of a love/ hate relationship with racing comes from the book: “The Competitive Runner’s Handbook” authored by Bob and Shelly-lynn Glover. It has been significantly modified to better describe my own case and experiences but to give credit where credit is due, the original idea comes from the book. By the way, for serious runners it’s a great resource.
------
Can I reach 1000?
Joe Connolly
M85
March 29, 2010
I am 85 years young with lots of passions. Like every other runner I know, I have an ego that needs to be fed (constantly). I never saw Mother Teresa's name on entry forms. She spent a lifetime helping others. Meanwhile we runners think of ourselves, which ain't all bad.
As of last Saturday March 27, 2010 I have completed 960 races from marathons to 5 Ks. I have saved most of my bibs and you can look me up on Facebook to see them scattered all over the den floor. From 1971 to last Saturday, there was an experience every week forever etched in my mind.
As I have said, I have a lot of passions and playing piano is another. Every Monday I play at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and I play professionally the rest of the week.
Monday's are busy. I get up early and go to CSX gym, my employer of 40 years. I come home and arrange a program of songs I'll be playing later in the day at Mayo Clinic. After I go across the street and play for an hour at an up-scale retirement home; have dinner and play for another retirement home later that night.
With regards to running, it's now a walk-run situation having blacked out at the 2005 River Run. I wear two stints and my cardiologist doesn't want my heart rate to go over 130.
I've got more to say, but tomorrow I'm up early playing golf with friends. Tonight, I'm going to hug my pillow early.
Oh yes, by the way, another year from now I will have done my 1000th race. And that is my goal.
------
Short Stories
Story #1. At the Gasparilla (Tampa) 15K spring 2009, I was fortunate to receive a starting position up front with the elites. Just a few minutes before the start a guy probably in his late 20s or early 30s was obviously getting his game face on. He looked to the sky and yelled "Bring on the pain!". I don't suppose this guy ever smiles too much, at least not during races.
Story #2. A few years ago one of my running buddies called to ask if I was going to run the next morning and how far I was going to go. I told him 10 miles. He showed up with one of those new fangled GPS watches. We had a good run and I stopped in front of our condos as usual. He screamed at me "What are you stopping for, we've only done 9.8 miles?". Oh yes, he was serious.
Story #3. As reported by the local radio and press, at the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon, an 81 year old guy took over 5 hours to run the race when the previous year he took about 4 hours and set a US record for the distance. What happened? Well it seems he had to pee at he 23 mile mark but couldn't go due to a urinary track blockage. At the medical area he's telling of his predicament when a bystander over hears the discussion. The bystander says, "I have a catheter in my car" whereupon he goes and gets it; the runner performs the task at hand and then goes on to finish the race. Oh yes, he finished first in his age class. Later, the question was asked did he get outside help as defined by the US Track and Field? He didn't.
Story #4. Cross Country is a team sport, possibly the ultimate team sport. Five places count for each team and seven from each team can displace runners on the other teams. In many other sports one or two superb athletes can make or break the entire team. This is not so in cross country where every team member counts and runners 3, 4, 5 (and 6 and 7) can be more important than the top runners on the team. Every place counts one point regardless whether it's 1st or 2nd or 21st, 22nd or worse. At the Collier County 2009 Championship two teams tied with 45 points each. The winner was decided by runners number 6 where by sprinting home a runner from Naples won by 7 seconds. Nobody ever said only the elites are real runners. It's all about doing the best you can do in preparation and on race day.
Story #5. Well, this is not really a short story but it is a great read. "What I talk about when I talk about running" by Haruki Murakami. It is an easy read and one runners can relate to. Serious runners will enjoy his perspectives very much.
Story #6. Secretariat set the record for the Kentucky Derby in 1973. It remains the record. I, for one, have wondered why no horse has broken his record given what should be improved breeding, training, etc. There's a simple answer according to a NY Times article: he ran each quarter mile progressively faster while most horses run fastest at the beginning and gradually slow as they tire. You see, for horses and for runners negative splits will lead to the best results.
Story #7. Two recent newspaper articles on the subject of obesity:
Families don't eat together anymore. They don't sit around the table sharing the day's stories of successes and failures, learning from each other. According to the author, some homes don't even have a table. Yet almost all had a large flat panel TV..... with a screen big enough if it could be turned on its side, would make an excellent table! They had to eat so we can guess where and what they ate.
Inflation adjusted prices covering 30 years showed sugared corbonated drinks cost less today, while fresh fruits and vegetables cost more. Again, this is in inflation adjused terms. The suggestion was to tax the drinks and apply the income to reduce the cost of healthy fresh food.
|
