Success and failure......

Where I was today - but not in the Long Jump (Click to enlarge)

      In spite of being shaken by a heavy fall on our very first run in Menorca I later came to the conclusion I was running rather well and began to wish I'd entered the Yorkshire Veterans Track & Field Championships, scheduled to take place at Spenborough on September 28th. I'd missed the closing date for entries but wondered if I could run as a guest. I wasn't the least bothered about medals. All I wanted to know was where my times would feature in the British M80 rankings. Championship events have electronic timing, so all are perfectly legitimate. Not having raced for 15 months, and never having been anywhere near a track for over 2 years, I figured I'd be pretty low down the list.

      Running through the list of contacts on my iPad I came across the name of one of the main organisers of

Eric was there - supporting dad in the Hammer and mum in the 800m

the Championships, Tim Cock, and sent him an email from Menorca asking if I could enter as a guest on the day. "You're in luck" he replied, "we've had to postpone it until October 12th so I'll enter you in the Championship if you tell me which races you want to run. You can pay on the day". I replied asking him to enter me in the 200m, 400m and 800m, which he did. Later, and at my time of life I really should have known better, I decided to include the 1500m. Big, big mistake. I hate to admit that after the second race I was in no fit state to attempt the other two. My ego took a real bashing and could take some time to recover.

There were a few Internationals too....

      The problem was (excuses, excuses!) after running a reasonably good 400m in 90.57 I was called to the start of the 800m race just 10 minutes later which was insufficient time to get my breathing back under control. It was one race in which I was particularly anxious to clock a good time. Along with the marathon, 800m was always one of my specialities and I can't recall ever being beaten over that distance. So I was prepared to give it everything I'd got. I'd done my homework and noted that a Sevenoaks runner, Richard Pitcairn-Knowles, was top of the British rankings with his time of 3.53.57 - which I thought I could beat. R-P-K became my mantra as I set off round the first lap at a metronomic pace. At the bell the timekeeper shouted 1.47 which I calculated was nearly 10 seconds up on Richard's pace, but could I keep it going? The answer, I'm glad to say, was 'Yes' and I crossed the line in 3.34.39 to go top of the rankings. Richard will not be pleased!

A couple of 'Golds' for my efforts.....

  In truth, the reason I'd entered the 1500m was to displace Richard from the head of the rankings over that distance too. I'd reckoned on a good day his 7.56.9 should be well within my capabilities. I've recently been running miles faster than that, but I'm afraid after two hard races in quick succession I was in no fit state to attempt it, or the 200m, and decided to call it a day. As I've said, my ego got severely dented, though I'd a pleasant surprise when I got home and checked the M80 400m rankings. From nowhere at all I've jumped into 2nd place behind John Seymour of Southern Counties Vets who's a little under 3 seconds ahead of me with his time of 87.63. So that was a nice little bonus. I reckon those two results deserve a celebratory dram - each! But I'll need a couple of commiseratory drams too for my miserable failures. God, that's going to take some living down.....