The Payback Chronicles – Blog #2 “Plus Ones” & “Teflon”

So this is a little different, let me tell you about my plus ones or more accurately plus two. What I mean by that is I got a couple of buddies and friends that are traveling to compete as well. The first is my long time college buddy, roommate and best friend Andre F.  I was able to talk Andre into competing at last year’s us Nationals in the 60 meters and he did well. This year he’s back and two adages come to mind; “be careful what you wish for” and “why bring sand to the beach?” Why? because this guy is going to be competitive. All throughout college (San Diego State) we ran neck and neck in our sprint races. Why in my right mind would I want to relive that now? Well, because I love this guy and I love competition and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now my second plus one I think is a great story he’s actually a client of mine Tony J. I train his two kids. We somehow got on the topic of Master’s track and he had an interest. He started training under my tutlelidge and now he’s here. He’s not only here as a newbie, in my opinion he’s here as a contender, luckily for me he’s in an age group 10 years younger than me so I didn’t shoot my myself in the foot in that instance.

Call it what you like, luck, good fortune, a charmed existence, the track gods favor. I’ve done ok for the most part. However, since turning sixty, I’m starting to notice that what I call my “Teflon aura” that’s held up pretty good is starting to show some wear. I think “father time” has taken over my contract from “Mr Good Fortune”. Exhibit one, torn rotator cuff last season. Exhibit two I’ve flown for fifty plus years and  missed a flight by messing up the time (see Comeback chronicles). Three, not once have I sat next to an airsick passenger, we’ll a guy plops down heavily next to me and immediately grabs the barf bag sweating and heaving. Never to late in life to have some firsts.

We ran that evening (6pm) so most of the day is uneventful,  you spend it in the hotel eating, watching TV, stretching.  I feel fine no ill effects from travel, just tired of all the hydrating. Due to my CKD I have to undergo a ten day hydration and nutrient protocol to stave off sever muscle cramping. Being at altitude complicates the preparation even further. Fingers crossed.

As it gets close to race time we head over to the facility. Warmups….check, drills…check….I do my mandatory long sprint and whoa……im sucking air like a gold fish out of its bowl…..why hello there Altitude!! Well I ain’t doing another one of those.

Due to the rotator surgery I couldn’t practice block starts until two weeks prior because you have to put your body weight on your finger tips..picture a finger tip pushup. As a result, I had to modify my setting to take pressure off the shoulder. In essence, I elongated my start to be more comfortable and stable, less compact and less explosive, the only way to do that is to place the starting blocks farther away from the starting line. So now I’m not running 60m but 60m and one foot! I’m not too worried about it..I got the skills.

We’re called to the track. I’m lane 1, heat 1. Not the best lane on the track, the favored lanes are the center lanes, but my philosophy is their all 60m in length so fuck it.

We lineup at the start, (ala Charge of the Light Brigade. Alfred Llyod Tennyson)competitors to the right of me!….competitors to the left of me!…no wait…I’m in lane one…there’s no one to my left. Runners on you marks….set….bang!!! We’re off..well sorta…their off..I’m a little rusty…I haven’t done a gun start let alone race since last April at Worlds. I reacted more off the guys movements to my right…oh yeah, move your ass Aaron. So I’ve given a meter and now they jump me (beat me out the blocks) I’m cool, just do your thing,  when you race, its not easy but you use peripheral vision to check how your doing, see where your competitors are at, when your behind well lets just say its easier.

I’m trailing a couple guys…my mantra…be cool…10m trailing….20m trailing…30m still trailing….40m getting on top of my run and coming at 50m, “Au contraire, mon frère”, not today fellas. I ease ahead and moving well at the tape… 60m I’ve won 7.74 to 7.81. By the way, my main competition won his race in 7.70, uh-oh he’s here to do some damage as was to be expected. Solid race amigo, much respect.

Now indoor tracks are short and after the finish line you have approx 20m to stop before you hit the padded crash wall. That’s not much room to stop when running from full speed. So I’m breaking, trying to slow down, run up the ramp to the wall and in the process feel a little tweak/cramp in the left hamstring….here we go again, Teflon dulling?