PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK

     This post is a result of some repartee between Todd and Jason regarding my palmares.  I have previously posted my racing history, but because of their banter, will repeat it here, with one addition.  If stats bore you, skip to the end paragraph.

     I will point out that I'm fully aware that I'm a big fish in a small pond.  A very small pond.  But that is what Senior Games and age-group racing is all about.  While we are competitive, it is more about the racing than the placement.  We pretty much know the results once we see who showed up to race.  That doesn't keep us from giving our best shot.  Here are my stats dating back to 2004 when I first started racing.

     I've entered 159 races, some of which were ten-year age groups, thus relegating me off the podium.  Of those races I've taken gold 47, silver 46, and bronze 30. 36 times I missed the podium.  I don't keep track of the number of times I finished last.  That's 77% podium finishes.

     Of the 159 races, 109 were time trials.  Gold 40, silver 36, bronze 19.  That's 87% podium finishes.  Road races were 46 and gold was 7, silver 10, bronze 11, and other 18.  That brings podium finishes down to 61%.  The last 4 were criteriums.  I don't count playing at the Driveway because while all the other guys were racing, I was just giving myself a good workout.  I eschew criteriums and only enter if they are part of something else.  Like USAC Nationals.  I managed to snag a bronze in 2018.

     From 2009 thru 2018 I was a State Champion except for 2012 and 2013 where I was silver medalist.  In 2017 I was silver medalist at Nationals.  So I do okay when the pond gets a bit bigger.

     One other thing about age-group racing: the older you get, the more important it is to be the youngest in your age group.  Most of my golds came in the first two years and the off-podium in the last two.  Which is why I'm looking ahead to next year, when once again I'm youngest in my category.

     So, Todd and Jason, I have 14 1/2 pound of medals.  I only have 115 medals, and have no idea about the discrepancy.  It wasn't feasible to remove the medals from the frame, so I could not do a plank with them, and declined to do a plank with the others.  As for the plank itself, I just started back up doing them, so can hold it for 90 seconds.  A couple years ago I was up to three minutes.