Sussex Masters League - race report. LEWES TRACK 22/05/2023

[RunBrianRun]

It was a beautiful evening for running and the wind was not being unkind to me as in my previous races. I felt good and hoped to go for a sub 27 or at least a PB in the 200m. Last time I ran here I tripped up and tumbled down the track. I still bear the scars. I put that thought to the back of mind as I prepared for the start with some deep breathing and meditation.

There were, I think, 8 clubs represented at the league this year and it certainly helped bolster the numbers in the younger age groups and middle distance events. Sadly in the 60+ group there were only 3 of us going in the 200m. The previous 200 races were all full and I was hopeful they would put a few of the 50+ athletes in with us, but they didn’t in the end. This meant I was basically running against the clock which is really hard as I love having faster athletes ahead of me to catch.

I got off to an almost perfect start, in fact I thought it may even have been a false start but examination of the video showed otherwise. In no time I was out in my own and felt great coming off the bend into the straight where you get this lasso effect, that is weird, but great fun, and chucks you into the straight. I tried really hard to stay relaxed and focused on keeping my form and knee drive. I dug really deep in the last 20 metres and even shouted out “Come on Brian!” as the line approached. I think I was really close to a PB but I am still waiting for the results to be published as I write this. So fingers crossed 🤞

I was recruited into the mixed 4 x 200m relay at the end of the meet and took the first leg. I felt superb running it and handed over with a pretty impressive lead, if I say so myself 😅 Well we hung on and won the race but there were other races and I’m not sure how they were scored, so no idea where we placed overall.

I truly love the atmosphere at these events. It is a tight knit family of athletes who all are so supportive of each other. I have made many friends and been invited to join other club training sessions in the area too.

Anyway, I’m now feeling very sorry for myself as I tested positive for covid this morning and that has scuppered my training plans. I feel quite weak and achy and sleepy. Hopefully no lasting effects. I think I caught it last weekend at the Sussex champs as one of the other athletes was complaining of a sore throat - I shared the rostrum with him. 😔

[ForbiddenPlanet Half Marathon]

Nice photo - looks a beautiful occasion. 👍Best wishes for that PB.💪 Sorry to hear about covid, you are obviously super fit so hopefully that will help. 🤞

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to ForbiddenPlanet]

It was perfect running conditions. I hope I don’t get too Ill. I’ve been snoozing a lot today.

[Week7 Half Marathon]

Congratulations on the great races.Sorry to hear you have covid. Time to rest . I hope your recovery is a speedy one.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Week7]

Thank you Week7 . Definitely going to rest up. I feel quite Ill now but hopefully strong enough to kick coronie’s ass!

[SueAppleRun 10 Miles]

Awesome run, that photo is amazing. Sorry to hear you've succumbed to COVID, hope you've got everything you need, pain pills etc. Rest well and heal quickly.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to SueAppleRun]

Thank you Sola. It’s hard to believe that was just 48 hours ago 😞 I honestly can’t get up the stairs at the moment.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Oh wow that sounded epic Brian. You really came into your own. 💥💥💥 Hopefully the 60+ age category will become more popular, then you can beat them all too!

But Covid? I’m sorry, that’s not allowed. How dare it scupper your training. We’ve had enough and it’s time for it to sling its hook once and for all. ☹️ Here’s hoping yours is a mild dose and you can carry on where you left off. Winning! 🥰

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Bloomin bugs! I thought I’d got away it. I m feeling a a little worse for wear at the moment but hopefully my immune system is up to it. I don’t think it’ll get much worse as I’ve read it’s quite a mild variant.

I do hope more 60+ runners come forward. They usually do for the bigger events so I’m hopeful.

[Cmoi Marathon]

Great running and great report RunBrianRun , and grr- at covid! Hope you recover soon.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you Cmoi I’m hopeful I’ll be out of it soon.

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Heal well and take your time... HUGE well done on that pre Covid run though!!! WOW!

Let it take its course and rest whenever you feel the need!

This may be of interest to you ...or not... but feel better soon x

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Thank you OF. Lots of useful information there. My biggest worry is for my mum who I visited yesterday before I fell Ill. I was fine until the journey back to Brighton and I was coughing and sneezing and my eyes were so itchy. I thought it must be the cats as I’m allergic to them but this felt different so I tested. I’m praying she’ll be ok.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to RunBrianRun]

Try not to worry...how old is your Mum?

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

She’s 89

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to RunBrianRun]

Right...has she had her Spring booster. She'll most likely be okay... just stay positive. . Xxx

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

She’s had all the jabs 😀 She’s made of strong stuff. Typical Italian mama. 😂

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to RunBrianRun]

She will be..! You just rest up...xxx

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

Brian, I passed on Covid to my 89 year old mum last year and she had less severe symptoms than me! I had to go to bed for a day and she carried on as usual 😂

Of course it’s a worry but our older parents grew up with a stronger immune system than us.

[Dexy5 10 Miles]

hoorah for your fantastic running  RunBrianRun , the warmer weather must be better for your muscles on the track.

Boo to the Covid. Take it easy and just let it run its course for a while.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

There’s not much else I can do atm. I’m already really fed up and bored. Trying to stop myself buying running stuff is taking a lot of effort 😂

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon]

Provisional time has come in as 27.4 which I’m sure is wrong. I have a video of the race and I timed it multiple times and I never got worse than 27.2

I’ll post it here and maybe a few VRBs can have a go at timing it and let’s see what the consensus is.

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

Oh wow! Double and treble wow! I found this so moving to watch! Tears rolling down my cheeks! To see someone at my sort of age (I'm 66) striding out like that was thrilling!!!! I have been beset with injuries and the idea of increased pace putting extra impact through my bones and muscles is sadly something that I have to leave to you and others. Thank you so much for posting the video. I was going to reply sooner, I'm so pleased that I didn't as I may have missed the video. My time for you was 27.17seconds. Brilliant!

I am sorry that you have caught Covid. One of my brothers who had it in November said his sore throat was horrendous. I do hope all your symptoms are fading already and you will be able quickly return to full fitness.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Wow! That’s incredibly sweet of you to say. I’m so glad I posted it now. There’s a lovely video of the recent 2023 200m indoor world championships in the 90+ category that had the same effect on me. I’ll try and find it as it was a remarkable race.

Injuries just seem to appear out of nowhere and with scary frequency. I see running as something I do in between injuries. 😂

Very interesting to hear about your brother. This has to be the worst sore throat I’ve ever had., It’s truly painful to swallow. How long did his sore throat last and how long for him to recover?

Thank you for your post, it has really cheered me up.

I meant to add, thank you so much for timing it for me. 27.17 would be a PB. Oh well. Sub 27 is still in my sights.

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

Oh I would really like to see the 90+years athletes!

My brother lives in California. I have just read back what he wrote at the time. It took 9 days before he tested negative, he saw a doctor on day 4 and his Sats were at 94. He had had 4 doses of Covid injections so didn't expect to be so poorly. He is not one to complain but said it was the worst illness that he can remember having. He doesn't have your super fitness levels. There have been so many different variants and massively different reactions. His wife had a mild dose of covid at the same time, but he had shakes, sweats, aches, fever, headaches, and weakness as well as the horrendous sore throat. Here's hoping that you are already over the worst and the soreness in your throat has begun to subside.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Oh my goodness. That does sound awful. I’m on day 4 I think. 9 days! I don’t think I could stand that. I have an oximeter and it’s showing 99% at the moment. I feel weak and sleepy but otherwise no fever or chills.

Here’s a link to the 90+ 400m final. I hope you enjoy it. It’s super inspirational stuff.

youtu.be/AYAEbeYm6wY?list=P...(Not working as expected?)

Mmm, that link doesn’t work here it seems. The video is long, but the race start 2 hrs 56 minutes in. You will need to scroll 😅

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon]

youtu.be/xEHMaA-tnIs(Not working as expected?)

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

Great run Brian!👏👏👏👏🙂

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you Sandra ☺️

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Well done Brian - another great event for you! Sorry to hear you now have Covid - hope you recover soon and can get back to being speedy again! 🙂

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you Sandraj39 I hope it won’t take long.

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

What a fab sounding experience Brian! It sounds as if you were on fire! Love that photo too, a real action shot 😍

Big boos to the positive test though. As a fit runner you should recover quicker than most.

Sending you healing vibes and wishes for a good return x

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

☺️ Thank you IP, I slept like a log last night and feel much less achy this morning. My throat however feels like it has a cactus stuck in it.

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

☹️

[misswobble Marathon]

Yay, great stuff 💪😀🏅. Sounds brilliant fun 🏃‍♂️ Letting off steam is GOOD

Well done 👏. I hope you’re body is recovering well. Your super fit lungs will see you right 🤒

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

I think I’m in the middle of the worst of it right now. I’ll be fine and, as you say, hopefully my fitness will help. 💪

[misswobble Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

I’m sure it will 🙂👍

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

Great running as ever Brian. My system saw Covid-19 off in 7/8 days at the end of April and I was running again on the 7th day; just a careful 5k or so, but then I skipped straight back into my HM Plan. The first night seems to be Armageddon, then the goodies win and see off the remnants pdq. Hope you mum is ok; they did make them tough in those days 👍

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

That’s very encouraging to read BC. I’m much less achy today but it’s still hanging on for now. I’m hoping to clear it out in a few more days.

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

How nobly your covid was caught 😍 Sorry, not something to laugh about. Hope you're now on the home straight and moving out of your covid experience. You get some fab photos feom these events.

As ever, I'm in awe of your running!!!

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Love that Linda 😂👍 It hurts when I laugh though so please, no more 😅