Why This Blog

I began this blog December 9, 2013.
In January of 2014, I wrote "May I Introduce My Book".
A blog?  A book?
In the past few months, I've happily acquired some new (& loyal!) readers!
Welcome all!!
But maybe they haven't dug into my Archives, where all 385 posts reside!
So I'm using this forum to tell you what my book and blog are, and WHY they exist!!

I started running track in 1962, and became an instant stat nut through my reading of Track and Field News!
I searched around (No internet then!), but couldn't find ONE book that had ALL the different types of Records & Marks I needed to begin my OWN Record Book!
So, using all the different books (NCAA Guide, HS Track, to name 2), and T&FN (which then had LOADS more lists & stats than they do now!!), I created what I now call "Aaron K's T&F Record Book!
Which is NOT  a book, per se!
It's not bound, or published.
In fact, it's an ever-messy collection of 8X10.5 inch college rule lined notebook pages---over 600 pages!!---collected into 28 manila folders!

Divided as follows---
4 main groups (INdoor Men, INdoor Women, OUTdoor Men, OUTdoor Women)
7 categories (Miscellaneous, Age Records, Meet Records, National Records, DDD for HS, DDD for Collegiate, and in one folder, DDD's for US & the World)

Miscellaneous
The largest of these is the Men's OUTdoors!
In that folder, I have numbers on my Book (for my own use!), Combined Events lists for the World, and just begun, the same for US athletes only, Place Records, generic list of World, Collegiate & HS Records, then Class Records (for HS & Collegiate).
The only thing missing from my Women's OUTdoor Misc are those "private" numbers!
INdoor Misc does NOT have Combined Events lists or Place Records, as I feel there's not enough data to warrant them!

Age Records
These are for Individual Year Ages---meaning they're based on actual birthdates, not just year of birth, as "Junior", Youth", and "Masters" records are!!
They go from 17 to 40, with the ends designated as "0-17" (Any age up to & including 17!) and "40 & over" (Any age beginning at 40, but could be ANY age thereafter!).
Thus, someone born July 1st could set one Age Record on June 30th, and another on July 1st!

Meet Records
Self-explanatory, but I don't have all the meets, nor all the records from a particular meet!
Just the ones that make my lists, or come close to doing so!

National Records
Same as with Meet Records, not every nation is included, nor all of a nation's bests!
The USA is grouped in here with the other nations!

DDD's
The initials stand for Double Dandy Dozen!
I began with lists 30 deep, then shortened them to 25, then again to 24.
Two dozen equals 24---Voila!
Since beginning this blog, I've added some events, such as the INdoor 300 & 600, and some Relays!
These are the Top 24 All-Time Performers in one of my 4 core groups (World, US, Collegiate, HS).
As noted, there are separate lists for INdoors and OUTdoors, and for the two genders!

But WHY this blog??
You may have read comments & articles about World Records becoming rarer and rarer.
In fact, there are moves afoot to REWRITE the WR lists!!
(I totally DISagree!!!)
But as my Book aged---especially in the 90's, I realized there's an answer to the "problem" of WR's coming less often!
Bad for the fans---and the media---they cried!!
But why center on just World Records?
Aren't OTHER Records worth a mention---and coverage??
I sure as heck believed so!
Thus this Book and this blog!!
If we waited for a WR to go down to post, we'd be waiting a long time between posts!
But what about all those Collegiate, HS, Class, Place, National, Meet, Individual Year Age, and even Combined Events Records??
What if we had a Record Book AND a blog DEDICATED to the honoring & reporting of ALL the Records getting broken---a whole lot more often than World Records are??
Well, folks, here it is!!
I honor & respect---AND report EVERY Record & Top 24 A-T Mark!!
THAT is the WHY of it!!

I use my Record Book---which is updated immediately as new marks come in!---as my main source for this blog!
Other key sources include--
HS Track, Athletics Annual, FAST Annual, World's Greatest in Athletics & other important historical statistical books!
Track & Field News magazine, as well as their eTN.
Tilastopaia Oy, the best FREE site for current Top 20 lists!!
(Marks new to their lists are highlighted in green!!)
Birthdates, as well as LOTS of other key info is given---such as if a mark is a National Record, the date & venue, etc!

But this blog has "rules"---self-created to be sure, but rules nonetheless.
They are---

For HS lists, NO 1600 or 3200 times are included, nor marks converted from them!!
Thus, my One MILE and Two MILE lists are exactly that--for the English distances, not the aberrations created when tracks changed from 440 yards to 400 meters (or INdoors from 220 yards to 200 meters)!!
Thus, you will NOT find such marks as Kim Mortensen's 9:48.59 for 3200 on my HS Women's 2 MILE list!!

No Oversize Track marks for my INdoor lists!
Thus, Alexa Efraimson's 9:00.16 run in Seattle does NOT appear on my 3000 list!

No "absolute" marks!
T&FN has what they call "absolute" lists, meaning it's the best mark by an athlete for that year---whether made INdoors or OUTdoors.
Thus, if Athlete X runs a Mile in 3:50.00 INdoors--then runs a Mile in 3:50.01 OUTdoors---all you'll see will be his INdoor mark---whether it's February, April, July, or November!!

I keep totally separate lists (& sets of records) for the TWO DISTINCT Seasons!!!

Now we come to the "controversial" stuff!
(And in fact, the main reason I thought to write this post!!)
You've no doubt heard that USATF will NOT ratify Ajee Wilson's INdoor AR of 1:58.27, due to a USADA finding of "tainted beef" in the test she took following that run!
They didn't ban her, but took away her record!
(And since Charlene Lipsey wasn't tested (She also broke the old mark!!), the AR reverts back to Nicole Teter's 1:58.71.)

NOT in MY Book---or blog!!
Just as I did with Emma Coburn's then AR of 9:11.42 (She didn't get tested, so USATF didn't ratify that AR!), and Gwen Berry's then- HT AR of 250-4 (She was banned for 3 months, and her record was removed, due to a medication she took for her asthma!), I REFUSE to follow the rulings of USATF, or for that matter, USADA!!

Does this make me a supporter of drugs in sport!
Hell, NO!!!!
But I AM a supporter of HONESTY & TRUTH in sport!!
And in no way, shape, or form do I believe for one second that any of the 3-above named examples should have lost, or should lose the Records they worked so hard, long, and CLEANLY for!!

Thus, MY Record Book and blog listed Coburn's mark as the AR (which she later broke!), and Berry's mark as the AR (She recently broke her OWN mark!!), as well as Wilson's INdoor mark (She IS the INdoor AR holder, the "suits" be damned!!).

Also, you might have noticed I almost totally IGNORE anything Caster Semenya, Margaret Wambui, and Francine Niyonsaba do!
I say something like---3 unknowns ran a bit faster----or there were 3 unnamed rabbits---!!!
I do NOT believe those 3 belong in all-WOMEN's races!!
Call me any name you like---that is my opinion---and this blog will follow my beliefs!!
They are NOT in my lists of records or marks!!


Three more items!

NBC recently offered their "Gold" package of livestreams of DL & other major meets---cost of about $70!
Flotrack, Runner Space, and Mile Split all offer similar livestream services for various prices!

But you see, they're really LOUSY livestreamers!
Jumpy bumpy videos.
Uninformed announcing!

I pay $40 per month for Xfinity/Comcast---which includes high speed internet AND access to most TV channels, and many old (or current) TV shows and movies!
I've gotten livestreams of NBCSN's presentations---basically for FREE (part of my basic bill).
Why pay extra??

Two recent books & 2 recent movies I highly recommend---

Run Fast Eat Slow, by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky.
It's a cookbook, but focused on recipes athletes---especially runners--can use!
It includes many recipes that have meat---so veggies beware!
It's beautifully presented, with loads of great color photos---including a few of the 2 authors!

18 Months Raising the Bar, by the Texas Mile Split people!
I have NOT read, bought, or even seen this book----yet!
That's because they promised me an autographed copy!
But I'll be buying it soon!!
It's an account of the 18 months (sic!) when the Women's Collegiate PV scene was torn asunder by the incredible seasons (INdoors & OUTdoors) of Demi Payne and Sandi Morris---when they seemingly traded the CR every week or 2!!
They say it has photos, is paperback, and has 192 pages!
Can't wait!

The movies are actually very similar in tone & theme!
One is a French-Canadian flick called "Sarah Prefers to Run".
It's about an 800 runner who attends McGill University in Toronto, but chooses to marry her roommate so as to save money!!
The running scenes are excellent!
It's nice, funny, and sweet!

So is Tracktown, starring Alexi Pappas (with MANY cameos of elite athletes!!).
Same basic theme, except she doesn't get married, but DOES have a little romantic action!
Both movies worth your time!

I'll close with a short list of some old posts of mine---which I believe are STILL as important and relevant as when I wrote them!
They are---

Should HS boys throw the 16 pound SP from Day One?  (December 14, 2013)
Open Letter to Alberto Salazar  (February 23, 2014)
The Future of Track and Field  (April 4, 2014)
Morality of T&F Message Boards  (December 25, 2014)
The Legacy of Ron Clarke  (June 19, 2015)
Opinions on T&F History & Culture, Parts 1 & 2  (both July 12, 2015)
Why I (Mostly) Ignore XC  (October 8, 2015)
The Mile in a Metric World  (December 19, 2015)
Olympic Trials Marathon Preview (February 12, 2016)
(The above gives a good history of the last 40+ years of OT Marathons!!)
Dramatic close to LA 26.2's  (February 13, 2016)
(My race results coverage---but maybe my best---if I do say so myself!!  LOL)
Historic 10K Rewrites Record Book  (August 13, 2016)
(Same here!  Full details on Almaz Ayana's sensational run!!)
2017 THE Retirement Year?  (January 4, 2017)
(A tribute to the Eatons!!)
Relays (Records, Trivia, Oddballs)  May 9, 2017)

Of course, ALL of my posts are available for your perusal---and they're all FREE!
Read about ANY meet you want, or ANY Record!!

My USATF meet Previews will be posted later today or VERY early tomorrow!!