It's been 10 years since I last ran races hard. I was competitve from 1972 to 1995. I ran hundreds of races and thousands of miles. Maybe 80,000 of them. Maybe more.
I won my age group in my last two races in 1995 at age 50 and then decided to throw in the towel.
Retire. Just run for fun.
I wouldn't stop running. I have running since 1968. This was 4 years before the running boom. I didn't know there were races until 1971 and it took another year for me to finally run my first race. Maybe you have heard of it. Bay to Breakers. Kenny Moore (Olympic marathoner in 1968 and 1972) won it that year. I was 274th out of about 2,000 runners. It didn't make me happy. I ran 7.8 miles (the course was longer back then) in 48.11. I thought I was faster. That began it all. Later on when the course had been shortened to 7.63 miles, this was 1981, I ran 41:15. I was much faster but the field was very deep and I was lucky to make the top 100. I had to sprint to beat the top women. All were Olympic Trials calibre runners. One of them ran in the Olympics 4-5 times.
That year the field was over 100,000 runners, not all of them official. I was in the seeded runners group. Surrounded by guys like world class runners like Craig Virgin, another Olympian.
I was 88th that year.
Now I am 60 and I have been lured back in to competition. I didn't expect it. the game has changed. Yes, the fastest still win but getting points in the Pacific Association is more of a being there game. I ran in only two races last year. Both as tempo runs. I finished 27th out of 61 scoring runners for the year.
Two races. Seems impossible.
Ok, that lured me back in. So I am training again.
I ran the Christmas relays at Lake Merced just south of San Francisco. Our 60 plus team had finished second two years in a row. I ran the first leg of four. The course is not flat. It rolls with some very gradual hills and a bit of climb at the end. I ran 31.08 for 4.46 miles. At 6:58 pace. An easy recovery day effort in 1981. A moderate effort ten years ago.
Times have changed.
Our team won our age group. I was slow but no one cared. We had won.
SUPER-SENIORS MEN
1
West Valley Joggers & Striders
2:01:34
20 Points ($50)
Richard Stiller, 60
Dick Chimenti, 62
JOE HURTADO, 64
Robert Schmitt, 64
2
Tamalpa Runners
2:02:14
18 Points
Frank Bozanich, 61
ROBERT GORMLEY, 64
Russ Kiernan, 67
Hans Schmid, 65
3
Buffalo Chips
2:17:48
16 Points
Roger Fong, 71
James Fischer, 65
Doug Braasch, 66
Joel Contreras, 62
4
Tamalpa Runners 'B' Team
2:48:01
0 Points
Darryl Beardall, 69
W Kambur, 72
Richard Couvillion, 77
Dennis Hassler, 72
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