What began as a casual 400m training exercise somehow turned into a 300m personal best. And, as it turns out, a UK all-time record for my age group (64 years young!). I mean, who goes out for a bit of light training and accidentally breaks records? Apparently, I do. 🤷♂️
The plan for the evening was simple: I was only going to run the 200m at the last North East Masters League meeting. After all, it’s not often you get a beautiful night at these events as usually, we’re dodging rain, wind, or both. But the 200m felt surprisingly easy, and with the weather being unusually cooperative, I thought, why not go for the 300m as a training run for the 400m?
Famous last words.
Next thing I know, I’m crossing the line with what felt like a decent time, only to find out it was not only a PB but an all-time UK record for my age group. Two things I’ll take away from this experience: First, my form is clearly improving (which is always a nice surprise), and second, when you run relaxed, you run faster, something we all know but rarely manage to do.
So, lesson learned: sometimes the best performances come when you’re not trying too hard… or expecting to break records! 😉
Stuart Lynn - Masters Athlete 