Atlanta Track Club (ATC) is a running and training organization based in Atlanta. Of their 24,000 or so members, they support, at varying levels, about 50 elite athletes who train and participate competitively. I'm lucky enough to be one of their elite athletes. In addition to comaraderie at meets and the sharing of training tips, we are sponsored by Mizuno for gear and shoes. See below a shout-out by ATC for my third championship win. Thanks, ATC!
Founded as a mid- and long-distance running organization, ATC staff has recently focused a bit more on masters track and field including participating in this summer's USATF Masters National Championships. It was great to share this experience with the team and winning the championship was a bonus, too!
0 Comments
A number of my masters track colleagues ran the 5th Avenue Mile last week. When the pictures were posted, they reflected the stress and strain of competition. One athlete was quoted as saying, "Sometimes running isn't pretty," about her photo. That's so true with masters track. We don't look like the images you see in the magazines. No young twenty-four year old bounding through the fields with perfectly finished hair, covered in fake sweat, revealing perfect abs and sporting an appropriate level of pink in the face. No, we look like we are working hard, training hard and worried about an injury or two. We look like we're straining and sweating, because, frankly, we are. And in my opinion, that's a beautiful thing. When I was a model, a long time ago, I remember having years where I stopped buying magazines (unless I was in them and wanted a tear sheet for my portfolio). I stopped buying them because I knew what went into a photo -- clips at your back pulling fabric tight, perfect lighting, an hour or so of makeup on your face and impressively neat hair created by a professional makeup artist. Though I earned a living from it, I was pretty conflicted about the fact that people were comparing themselves to what was being created in a studio by a team of artists, with a lot of effort. I really enjoyed modeling and had some great experiences and wonderful adventures, but I learned a good lesson. Don't believe everything you see on paper. It's the same now with the amazing tools we have for altering photos on the web and social media. I'll put it out there that I am just as guilty. If lightening a photo can reduce my frown lines just a little bit, I am not above tweaking that "exposure button." But, I stop at removing wrinkles, sagging skin or a bulge or two, because I've been so impressed with what the older body can do. Shocked in fact. A few wrinkles and sagging skin does not stop masters track women and men from pushing themselves beyond what pop culture has told us our limits are. Can you imagine what it looks like to see a 70-year old man explode from the blocks and run 100-meters in under 14 seconds? How about seeing a 57-year old woman with a few extra pounds jump five feet up in the air backwards and land (without hurting herself). It happens. Under those imperfections are muscles, speed, and incredible strength. So, in support of, "It's not always pretty," below find a slideshow of pictures from the NCCWMA's in Toronto, furrowed brow, straining bodies and squints from the sun. Many thanks to photographer Mark Connolly for capturing the hard work. This past weekend, on a bit of a whim, I decided to jet up to Toronto, Canada, for the North, Central and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships (NCCWMA), hosted by Canadian Masters Athletics Association. Well, I jetted on as much of a whim as a mom of two young boys and a husband who travels can. After we got the moving parts squared away (can you say, first week of school?) I packed my bags and headed North. I was happy to have squeezed this meet into my schedule. The facilities at York University in Toronto were wonderful and (except for a Canadian official talking and coaching competitors during our women's high jump event - angry face) it was a wonderful meet. There was a magnified level of camaraderie between athletes at this end of season meet. Masters athletes are so excited to be out in the fresh air, feeling healthy and doing things they love. Some of us, many of us, are doing something we NEVER thought we'd do. I really enjoyed hanging with the other inspiring competitors and seeing friends, old, and new. I tied for gold in the W55 high jump with a great Canadian athlete and was pleased to only miss out on a bronze medal in my new event, long jump, by 1 cm! Next time! For this international meet, USATF provided the masters TEAM USA with a full 2016 Rio Olympics uniform. Pants, tops, jerseys, etc. We were all "kitted out" and it felt great to represent our country in true Olympic gear. (Never thought that'd happen either!) See us all giddy in our uniforms below. Here ends my 2017 outdoor season. I've accomplished what I set out to do this year. Continue undefeated in the U.S.A. (for third year), maintain my #1 ranking in the U.S.A. (for the third year) and compete (and win) in four major meets, traveling to the USA Games in San Diego, CA; the National Senior Games, in Birmingham, Alabama; the USATF Masters Nationals in Baton Rouge, LA and the NCCWMA's in Toronto. These, plus other regional meets this year, have provided me with great opportunities to jump, learn and set some new goals for next year. But, there's another winning component in these results. As my (very supportive) husband pointed out today, I am injury free after such a robust season! There's no hamstring tear, no foot injury and no worrisome ankle tweak. I can attribute some of that to healthy eating (a plant-based diet), a commitment to training on my part and an incredibly supportive family. But, a lot of the credit goes to my strength coach, Nyles Stuart. As readers know, my track coach Ian Dube died of pancreatic cancer in October 2016. That really threw me. It was hard to find the joy in training again. After a few months of searching, I circled back to a suggestion Ian made long ago, Nyles Stuart. When I starting with Nyles in January of this year, he got me on a program that focused more on weight training and less on working my body and muscles to the point of exhaustion -- I was nervous to not have Ian at my side before this and I think I was over training. Under Nyles tutelage, I've gotten strong and solid, allowing me to take on all these meets without injury. (Plus, I swear, I feel like I could lift a bus now.) The fun and excitement is back and there are great possibilities. Thanks, Nyles. I'll keep posting about my journey, training and masters athletics. Thanks for following the journey and let's get ready for 2018! I did it! I won my third national outdoor title for W55 high jump! This means I've won both indoor and outdoor national championships for three years running.
The recent 2017 USATF National Masters Championships was held in Baton Rouge and it was hot! Many middle and long distance athletes were smartly preparing months in advance for the hot weather. I figured that living in Atlanta I'd be fine, but in fact, the competition was very difficult and I had to overcome the dreadful heat and humidity -- and my event was at eight o'clock in the morning! My competition time slot included all women high jumpers ages 30 - 59. On this day, I watched many jump below their usual best because of the conditions, including me. The showers over four days of competition had made the surface moist and slippery. At 1.29m I slipped on the pavement and slammed hard into the bar. I looked over at my husband, who was watching from afar (no one but competitors are allowed inside the oval) and could see him give me a concerned raised eyebrow look. Heck, my eyebrows were raised, too! I usually don't miss till higher heights. High jumpers get three attempts at each height. In case of a tie, medal placing is based on the number of attempts you make to clear a height, so you want to get the job done in as few jumps as possible. It can be mentally, as well as physically, fatiguing to take more than one jump to clear the bar. Like a tennis player down four sets, when you miss, you have to return to your base line, eyeball the bar again, and force yourself to focus on what is possible, not the fact you just missed. Mentally, you must keep this laser-focus of positivity for at least 90 minutes. On this day, I watched jumpers struggle at 1.29m, and like me, walk away shaking their heads. In the end, I made 1.29m and then the next height of 1.34m (we were jumping in 5cm increments). Then, I watched as others, some younger than me by 20 years, failed in their attempts at 1.34m. At the end, all were out except a W40 and a W50, making me the gold medalist for W55. I was thrilled, because not only had I won my age group, but because on this day, I had out jumped younger athletes as well. As many of you know, I spend a lot of time giggling about my success in high jumping, but it does beg a few questions. How can a 57-year old, who took a 35-year break from the sport, be flipping backwards in the air at this age? What's the secret? I may never figure this one out, but, four years in, I believe it's a lucky combination of genetics, family support, and training, lots of training. We masters athletes win medals as a result of months of training, the sacrifices we make, and our families make, and yes, plain old genetics. And, I don't think I've met a masters athlete who doesn't have a good sense of humor. Along with the above, I think it's a little bit of crazy, too! Next up is representing my country as a member of the Team USA masters athletes competing at the North, Central and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships (NCCWMA's) in Toronto, August 10-12. A number of W55 high jumping Canadians will be nipping at my heels. Focusing on the positive, I am thinking that may push me to jump a little higher to end my season. Wish me luck! There's nothing like a USATF Masters Outdoor National Championship. I've been privileged to attend three of these now and have won two. The best masters track and field competitors in the USA are there, and it's a beautiful thing to watch the fit, healthy masters bodies in motion. There's a sparkle in the eyes of these people and it's inspiring to watch and an honor to be in the mix.
I did my final track workout on Sunday and am having an easy gym week to give the muscles and bones time to rest before competition. Some drills, box jumps and fast lifting will get me ready to be popping over the bar on Saturday. Wish me luck as I attempt to gain a third national title for W55 high jump! I had a wonderful experience at the USA Masters Games this past weekend in San Diego, California and won a gold medal in high jump and a silver in long jump. I spent most of my 20's and 30's traveling around the world on my own but, since having kids, I come as a package deal and rarely travel alone anymore. I went on my own to this meet -- a decision influenced partially by this year's 2017 Indoor Nationals experience. Remember? In Albuquerque? The 12-year old throwing up in the middle of the night deal? We've had a lot of laughs about that since, but getting a good night's sleep is super important for a mom who needs to compete the next day. But, making this trip on my own, I felt a bit like a fish out of water! No one to keep me company on the flight. No one to show the California mountains to! No one giggle with about the quirky 50's resort hotel I found myself booked into. I ended up Face-timing with the boys more than expected just to see their cute faces. The meet was a great experience. California has a deep bench of talent when it comes to masters track and field athletes. I was honored to jump with W75 world champion Kathy Bergen in the high jump and get to meet, and be given tips by, American Record holder Peter Hlavin. I also met a "famous" (to me!) masters track and field journalist, Ken Stone. He's been blogging for years about masters track, and his was the site I excitedly stumbled onto the day I googled, "track and field for grown-ups?" He indirectly started my track and field journey! Thanks, Ken! I broke the USA Masters Games meet record for W55 high jump, which was actually my own record that I set last year at the inaugural games. The meet has gotten me fired up for the USATF Masters Outdoor Nationals next month in Baton Rouge, LA. I am feeling strong, jumping well, and ready to chase down another national championship! It was a great day at the 2017 National Senior Games at Birmingham, Alabama's Samford University. These games are held every two years and I was lucky enough to win my second consecutive gold medal. Just like in 2015, the competition was of a high standard and the competitors friendly. This is the second of the four big national meets I have this year. And my second gold. Two for two. Let's keep the momentum going!
Thanks, 2017 USA Masters Games for this awesome profile. I look forward to the Games in San Diego, California next week! Here's to inspiring others to have the "long view" of lifetime fitness!
The 2017 masters track season has begun! I had a blast jumping, albeit in the rain, this past Saturday at the USATF GA Open and Masters meet. I cleared a 2017 personal best. On to the National Senior Games this weekend. This bi-yearly event requires you qualify at a certain height, or place in a state meet. Check. Done. Really excited to try and bring home another NSGA gold medal in Birmingham, AL. Wish me luck!
|
AuthorJulia Curran-Villarreal is a three-time USA W55 national masters high jump champion. After a 35-year break from her favorite high school sport of track & field, Julia returned to competition in 2013 at the age of 53. Follow her journey on @juliajumping on Instagram and @juliacurran on Twitter. Archives
August 2019
Categories |