Still alive

Yes, we are all still alive and well. It has been a long time since the last update, so there is a lot to get caught up on, but I will be brief. Since the last update, Cameron has competed in the USATF Oklahoma Association Championship in Oklahoma City, the AAU Area 11 National Qualifier in Joplin, Missouri, and the USATF Region 9 Championship in Wichita, Kansas. He also ran two more of the Thursday night Tulsa Runner Summer Track Series meets.

At the USATF Oklahoma Association Championship, Cameron ran the 400 in 1:27.61, and the 800 in 3:18.00. He placed 6th out of 14 in the Sub-Bantam age group in the 400, and 2nd out of 4 in the 800. At the AAU meet, Cameron ran the 200 in 41.70 seconds, the 400 in 1:29.35, and the 800 in 3:16.62. He placed 24th out of 34 in the Primary age group in the 200, 13th out of 19 in the 400, and 9th out of 12 in the 800. At the USATF Region 9 Championship, Cameron ran the 400 in 1:25.12, and the 800 in 3:08.83. He also threw the Mini-Javelin 10.36 meters. He placed 6th out of 7 in the Sub-Bantam age group in the 400, 2nd out of 5 in the 800, and 2nd out of 3 in the Mini-Javelin. Cameron did not qualify for the AAU Junior Olympics, and he was not eligible to qualify for the USATF Junior Olympics, because Sub-Bantams can only advance as far as Regionals in the USATF series. Cameron's brother Brandon did qualify for the AAU Junior Olympics in the 1500 meters as a Sub-Bantam, finishing 4th at the National Qualifier with a time of 6:55.04.

At the Tulsa Runner Summer Track Series meets, Cameron ran a 200 in a new PR of 38.8 seconds, an 800 in 3:12, a 100 in 18.8 seconds, a 400 in a new PR of 1:23.84, and a 1600 in 7:05. He also ran a leg of a 4x100 meter relay at one of the meets.

We are heading out on vacation for the next couple weeks, culminating in a stop in Des Moines for the AAU Junior Olympics, where Brandon will be running in the 1500 on the morning of August 4th.

Here are Cameron's mileage totals since the last update:

Saturday, June 20th...2.5 miles
Monday, June 22nd...3.6 miles
Tuesday, June 23rd...3.0 miles
Wednesday, June 24th...2.5 miles
Saturday, June 27th...1.2 miles
Sunday, June 28th...4.0 miles
Monday, June 29th...2.2 miles
Tuesday, June 30th...3.2 miles
Wednesday, July 1st...2.5 miles
Thursday, July 2nd...1.7 miles
Saturday, July 4th...1.4 miles
Sunday, July 5th...1.0 miles
Monday, July 6th...5.4 miles
Tuesday, July 7th...2,9 miles
Wednesday, July 8th...3.7 miles
Thursday, July 9th...1.8 miles
Saturday, July 11th...1.0 miles
Sunday, July 12th...1.2 miles
Tuesday, July 14th...2.8 miles
Wednesday, July 15th...3.2 miles
Thursday, July 16th...2.9 miles
Sunday, July 19th...3.1 miles
Wednesday, July 22nd...3.1 miles

Cameron's monthly total for June ended up at 66.1 miles, and his total for July so far is 37.7 miles. His yearly total now stands at 341.2 miles.

Recent runs including some new PR's

Instead of going into detail about all of Cameron's runs, I've decided to only cover the highlights here. Last Thursday evening, Cameron ran the 100, 1000, and 5000 at the Tulsa Runner Summer Track Series held at the TU track. He ran the 100 meters in 18.84 seconds, the 1000 meters in 4:02, and the 5000 meters in 24:40. The 4:02 in the 1000 was a new PR for Cameron, and in the 5000, he was headed for a big PR, but got sick with about 200 meters to go, which cost him about a minute in time and left him 14 seconds shy of his PR.

On Saturday, Cameron competed in the Oklahoma Jaguars "Pick'em Up and Put'em Down Classic" held at East Central High School. He ran the 400, 800, and 1500, and his times were 1:27 for the 400 meters, 3:08 for the 800 meters, and 6:18 for the 1500 meters. All 3 times were new PR's for Cameron, with his more precise time in the 400 being 1:26.98, which beat his 1:27.11 from the week before. He placed 3rd in the Sub-Bantam age group (8/under) in the 400, and 4th in the same age group in the 800. In the 1500, he placed 3rd in the Bantam (10/under) age group.

Last evening at PBA practice, Cameron ran an 8:32 2K in the middle of his workout, which was a 46 second PR for him at the 2K distance.

Here are Cameron's recent mileage totals:

Tuesday, June 9th...2.9 miles
Wednesday, June 10th...3.3 miles
Thursday, June 11th...4.4 miles
Saturday, June 13th...2.2 miles
Monday, June 15th...2.4 miles
Tuesday, June 16th...1.8 miles, but a pretty tough hill workout
Wednesday, June 17th...3.0 miles

Cameron's monthly total is now 43.9 miles, and his yearly total is 281.3 miles.

Green Country Open and Tatur Estim8ur

Saturday afternoon, Cameron competed in the Green Country Open track meet held at East Central High School in Tulsa. Cameron ran the 400 and 800 in the Sub-Bantam age group (8/under), and he ran the 1500 in the Bantam age group (10/under for the 1500). His time for the 400 meters was 1:27, which placed him 2nd out of 6 runners. His 800 meter time was 3:12, which placed him 2nd out of 4 runners, and his 1500 meter time was 6:37, which placed him 3rd out of 5 runners. He established a new PR in all 3 events, in spite of the strong south winds, so it was a very successful day. Cameron ran an 800 meter warmup before his events, so his total distance run was 2.2 miles. This brought his monthly total to 15.9 miles, and his yearly total to 253.3 miles.

Sunday morning, we ran the Tatur Estm8ur at Chandler Park in west Tulsa. This is an 8 mile run where you predict the time you are going to run beforehand, and the winner is the person who comes closest to their predicted time. Of course, timing devices are not allowed to be worn during the run, and we did not know the course until the morning of the run. Cameron predicted a time of 1:13:12, and he actually ran the 8 miles in 1:15:29, for a difference of 2:17. This placed him 15th out of 62 runners in the 8 mile event. There was also a 4 mile option this year, which had 67 runners in it. Cameron's total distance run was 8 miles, bringing his monthly total to 23.9 miles, and his yearly total to 261.3 miles.

This week

Monday evening, we made our way to the ORU Aerobics Center for PB practice. After a 1500 meter warmup and stretching, Cameron ran 750 meters in 3:14. After a 10 minute rest, he then ran 2 sets of 4x200 meters, with about a 30 second rest between each repeat, and a 5 minute rest between sets. His times for the first set were 48, 48, 47, and 48 seconds, and for the 2nd set, they were 46, 46, 44, and 44 seconds. A 1750 meter cooldown brought Cameron's daily and monthly mileage to 3.5 miles, and his yearly total to 240.9 miles.

It was back to the ORU Aerobics Center for PB practice on Tuesday evening as well. After a 1500 meter warmup and some stretching, Cameron ran 3 sets of 3x500 meters, with a 90 second rest between each repeat, and a 5 minute rest between sets. His times for the 1st set were 2:12, 2:09, and 2:08, for the 2nd set, they were 2:07, 2:06, and 2:05, and for the 3rd set, they were 2:04, 2:02, and 1:57. The 1:57 was a 500 meter PR for Cameron by 3 seconds. A 1250 meter cooldown brought Cameron's daily mileage to 4.5 miles. This brought his monthly total to 8 miles, and his yearly total to 245.4 miles.

Wednesday morning, we met PB coach Hudgens at the ORU Aerobics Center for a workout. Cameron ran a total of 5K, alternating between slow and fast each 1250 meters, in a fartlek type workout. His total time for the 5K was 26:14. After a short rest, he ran 3x40 yards in 7.0, 6.7, and 6.4 seconds. Cameron's total distance run was 3.2 miles, bringing his monthly total to 11.2 miles, and his yearly total to 248.6 miles.

Thursday morning, we headed out to the Jenks High School track to run a workout that PB coach Hudgens gave us. After a 1/2 mile warmup, Cameron ran 4x400 meters, with a 90 second rest between each repeat. His times were 1:36, 1:38, 1:38, and 1:37. After a 7 minute rest, Cameron then ran 4x200 meters, again with a 90 second rest between each repeat. His times were 44, 44, 45, and 43 seconds. A 1/2 mile cooldown brought Cameron's daily mileage to 2.5 miles. This brings his monthly total to 13.7 miles, and his yearly total to 251.1 miles.

Tulsa Runner Summer Track Series/Kidney Klassic 5K/AAU District Qualifier

Thursday evening, we headed to the Tulsa University track for the Tulsa Runner Summer Track Series events for the week. Each Thursday evening from mid May through mid July, a mini track meet is held, with varying events each week. Cameron ran the 200, 800, and 3000, and also ran the first leg in a 4x100 meter relay. His times were 41 seconds for the 200 meters, 3:14 for the 800 meters, 13:56 for the 3000 meters, and about 19 seconds for his 100 meter leg of the relay. The 800 and 3000 meter times were both PR's for Cameron. Cameron ran an 800 meter warmup before the meet, so his total distance run was 3 miles. This brought his monthly total to 44.9 miles, and his yearly total to 232.3 miles.

Friday evening, Cameron, Brandon, and I all ran the Kidney Klassic 5K race in Tulsa. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 70s at race time, with relatively low dewpoints and light winds, so the conditions were pretty good for this time of year. The course was a flat out and back on Riverside Drive. Cameron's time was 24:29, which placed 1st out of 5 in the 8/under age group, 52nd out of 168 males, and 59th out of 300 overall. Brandon's time of 27:28 was good enough for 2nd out of 9 in the 9-12 age group, and was just 2 seconds off his 5K PR, which was pretty impressive for his first 5K race in over 17 months. We jogged a 1K warmup prior to the race, so Cameron's total distance run was 3.7 miles, bringing his monthly total to 48.6 miles, and his yearly total to 236 miles.

Saturday found us in Norman for an AAU District Qualifier track meet. Cameron ran the 400, 200, and 800 in the Primary age group (8/under). Cameron's time for the 400 meters was 1:29.12, which placed him 4th out of 7 runners. His 200 meter time was 39.24 seconds, which placed him 6th out of 11 runners, and his 800 meter time was 3:16.15, which placed him 1st out of 4 runners. The 39.24 seconds in the 200 was a new PR for Cameron, and was the first time he had broken 40 seconds. Cameron ran an 800 meter warmup before his events, so his total distance run was 1.4 miles. This brought his monthly total to 50 miles, and his yearly total to 237.4 miles.

USATF State Age Group Championships/Maple Ridge 5K and more

Cameron competed in the USATF State Age Group Championships in Jenks this past Saturday, running the 800, 400, and 1500 in the Bantam age group (10/under). Cameron's time for the 800 meters was 3:16.17, which placed him 10th out of 18 runners. His 400 meter time was 1:32.52, which placed him 19th out of 26 runners, and his 1500 meter time was 6:42.92, which placed him 7th out of 11 runners. The 6:42.92 in the 1500 was a new PR for Cameron, eclipsing the 6:49 he ran last year. Cameron ran a 1200 meter warmup before his events, so his total distance run was 2.4 miles. This brought his monthly total to 30.3 miles, and his yearly total to 217.7 miles.

Monday morning, we ran the Maple Ridge 5K race in Tulsa. It was a warm and humid morning, and the course for this race is a rather hilly double loop through the Maple Ridge neighborhood. Cameron finished with a chip time of 24:59, placing 1st out of 2 in the 8/under age group, 71st out of 188 males, and 88th out of 340 overall. We jogged a 1K warmup prior to the race, so Cameron's total distance run was 3.7 miles, bringing his monthly total to 34 miles, and his yearly total to 221.4 miles.

Tuesday evening, we made our way to the ORU Aerobics Center for PB practice. After a 1500 meter warmup and some stretching, Cameron ran 3x250 meters/500 meters, with a 90 second rest between each. His times for the 250's were 60, 54, and 59 seconds, and for the 500's, they were 2:07, 2:06, and 2:01. After a few minutes rest, he ran a 1000 meter cooldown, followed by 3 laps around the track where he walked the curves and sprinted the straightaways, which were about 50 meters each in length. Cameron's total distance run was 3.1 miles, bringing his monthly total to 37.1 miles, and his yearly total to 224.5 miles.

Wednesday evening, it was back to the ORU Aerobics Center for another PB practice. After a 1500 meter warmup and stretching, Cameron ran 3x500 meters/1000 meters, with a 2:30 rest between each. His times for the 500's were 2:08, 2:12, and 2:03, and for the 1000's, they were 4:36, 4:32, and 4:20. A 1750 meter cooldown brought Cameron's daily mileage to 4.8 miles. This brings his monthly total to 41.9 miles, and his yearly total to 229.3 miles.

Catching up

It's been awhile since the last post, mainly because we were out of town for nearly a week due to the death of my wife's grandmother, so it is time to get caught up on Cameron's recent runs. Late Monday afternoon, May 11th, we were at the Jenks High School track for PB practice, since the ORU Aerobics Center was closed for the week due to ongoing renovations. After a 1 mile warmup and stretching, Cameron ran 2 sets of 300 meters/200 meters/300 meters, with a recovery walk to the next start line between each, and about a 5 minute rest between the sets. His times for the 300's were 1:09, 1:08, 1:03, and 1:09, and for the 200's, they were 45 and 46 seconds. A 600 meter cooldown brought Cameron's daily mileage to 2.4 miles. This brought his monthly total to 22.7 miles, and his yearly total to 210.1 miles.

After a week off for our emergency trip, we returned to the ORU Aerobics Center this past Monday evening for PB practice. After a 1500 meter warmup and some stretching, Cameron ran 4x200 meters/400 meters, with a 60-90 second rest between each. His times for the 200's were 47, 48, 44, and 48 seconds, and for the 400's, they were 1:40, 1:40, 1:41, and 1:31. After a few minutes rest, Cameron did 5 laps around the track where he walked the curves and sprinted the straightaways, which were about 50 meters each in length. A 750 meter cooldown brought Cameron's daily mileage to 3.2 miles. This brought his monthly total to 25.9 miles, and his yearly total to 213.3 miles.

Tuesday evening, it was back to the ORU Aerobics Center for another PB practice. After a 750 meter warmup and stretching, Cameron ran a 400 meter time trial in 1:30. After a few minutes rest, he ran for 10 minutes, with a target running pace of 1:15-1:20 per 250 meter lap. He easily beat this pace, as he averaged 1:10 per lap. Cameron's total distance run was 2 miles, bringing his monthly total to 27.9 miles, and his yearly total to 215.3 miles.