Just the other week I described my fall and comeback from 2016. And was actually going to follow up with some detail of the masters dream seasons of 2018 and 2019. However, here I am drifting among the flotsam and jetsam of 2019, which ended abruptly the other week in Tulsa, OK.
Tulsa was the springboard that launched this journey onto the national masters circuit. So this is a story of bookends.
2017 Breakout
Although I had done the USATF Club Cross Country championships a few times, Tulsa 2017 was my first USATF masters road race championship. Still running as an independent for Boulder Track Club, I traveled with my new mates on the Boulder Road Runners 60+ team. We had a blast, despite some issues with jerseys.
Funny in hindsight. A cardinal rule on the USATF masters circuit is that team members must have the same singlet/jersey. No exceptions.
The team had just switched its uniforms but one of the guys didn’t get his in time, so we spent the afternoon chasing down appropriate race attire so the team could remain eligible. After much debate and some running around the city, the team ended up wearing red Route 66 Marathon singlets, with BRR penned on the front and back. Everyone held their breath as the officious USATF official, who had scolded us all the afternoon before, checked the makeshift uniforms, and gave them the okay.
In the race I was still in the 55-59 age group, but only a few months shy of 60–not where you want to be in a championship race. Plus the field was intimidatingly deep. On a cold blustery morning I started evenly and wound my way through the pack and locked into an age group 3rd place by about 5K, with one guy just ahead, and one only a few seconds back. Even though my legs went numb from the cold and wind, I held on for 55:29 finish, and age grade of 89.5% to finish 3rd in the overall age grading and 3rd in the age group. These were my first podium finishes at the national masters level. Despite one bad injury on the BRR team, they dominated to win the team race and clinched their claim on the 2017 national title. 
BRR claims USATF age group title at 2017 team champs on a chilly morning
Riding the Wave in 2018 and 2019
That event set me up well for the breakout years of 2018 and 2019, where I went on to win a string of consecutive USATF age group national titles on the roads and some world masters championship medals.
We returned as a team in 2018 and dominated the day, and I won the individual title as well to close out the year with a sweep of USATF masters championship road races. I had added two more in 2019, on top of two runner-up spots in cross country, and came into Tulsa with 390 points on the grand prix. All I’d need was a 4th place finish to win the title.
August through late October had gone well, and even a bit dialed back on training and racing load compared 2018 because I had wanted to be more fresh this time. I was confident that I could still round the hilly circuit in under 56 minutes and break into the 90% age grade range to win that overall title (I had been 2nd twice).
Tulsa 2019
All was good the other week, and I had no issues in the training block, running between 59 and 69 miles over the 8 week period, I felt healthy and strong, planning on 6:00 minute pace for the race. I cut back on my long run on the Saturday before and did a final tune up on Tuesday, just a few reps of 2-3 minutes at goal pace and a couple pick ups. Jogged back, felt solid.
Wednesday I ended up running on the treadmill because an early snowstorm had a arrived. Plan was an easy hour give or take. 30 minutes in, my lower back and glute got a little tight, but I thought nothing of it but slowed down to 8:10 pace. At 40 minutes I noticed it wasn’t going way, and I slowed a bit more, an cut the workout short at 45 minutes. When I got home it definitely hurt. And I hopped into a hot bath and took some ibuprofen.
I reconsidered overnight, but decided to make a go of it. And while the results were a disaster, it’s a good thing that made the trip.
I did not run a step until Saturday morning but all I could to get ready. Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours, lidocaine patches as needed, hot baths–including right before the race (those seemed to help the most).
I warmed up with an easy mile and 2 minute surge approaching race pace. It felt tight. But I felt I could run at least 6 or 8 miles, enough to carry me in with a good lead for the stretch. My main competitor has been running 18:20 or 18:30 for 5K, which is my 15K pace, so I felt I could hold him off, and if not still run under 60 minutes and ahead of everyone else.
At 8:50 we were off! 100 master runners for the 2019 finale! I was not uncomfortable but surprised at the fast pace of some starters–some going out well under 6:00 pace even though you’d expect them to finish in the 65 minute range (closer to 7s). I hit 2 miles in 12:08, just a couple ticks off of last year’s pace and felt that I could sustain this effort, if not a low 6s pace, for the duration. However, just after that I heard rapid footsteps, and the women’s leader Fiona Baily was soon on my heels. We had a number of turns and some rolling hills and I just ran by feel. But that 3rd mile (which I missed) was a 6:24. She pulled way, wearing the most talked about shoe ever, the Next%s and I got to thinking that indeed there must be something to those. And in the 4th mile another guy passed me back, also wearing Next%s.
Those two pulled away and I was running alone, with splits of 6:03 (some downhill) and 6:24 (rolling), and that 5th mile I was starting to feel actual (rather than tightness) pain in my lower back and glutes. It was taking a lot of concentration just to keep going. I was slowing. On the long downhill toward the river the 2nd woman Melissa Gasek caught me, and she said she’d buy me a beer if I helped her catch her competitor Bailey, who was a block or so ahead. I picked up the effort, feeling like I was on sub 6 pace, but each stride was stabbing. And after a few minutes, just had to drop back. My 6th mile was a 6:40 on a stretch that I covered in 5:50 last year.
My race was in trouble. Somewhere around 6.7 to 7 miles, by then only running a 7:30s pace, the first competitor in my age group passed by. I stopped just before the long bridge that spans the Arkansas River, thinking of just dropping out. A pack with two more more age group competitors ran past, asking if I was okay.
Not.
So my was my own title going down the drain, but the team’s 2nd place was also in jeopardy. If I did not finish, we would lose our grand prix podium standing. So I decided to go the extra mile on the out and back portion over the bridge. And resumed running at 9 to 10 minute pace. At about 8 miles I had to walk for a half mile, but somehow I as able to resume a very slow jog to the finish.
68 minutes with final 5K of 29 minutes. That was brutal. But by finishing the race, we held onto 2nd place on the day and for the grand prix. I do feel the effort was worth it. Even though I lost the individual title that day, in a worst case runners scenario, by finishing the course I also held onto a 2nd place. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but had a great three year run leading up to this race. And it masters running, being at the top usually means you are going to crash down from time time. 
Limping in at the finish in 2019
I could barely walk for the next two days and it has taken two weeks and some realignment therapy to even start feeling normal again. Onto more rehab, cross training, and plotting for 2020. Don’t get mad. Get even!
rrunnin234 