Paul Grant is July 2021 Athlete of the Month

Paul Grant (Cambridge Sports Union / Carver MA) is the USATF-New England (USATF-NE) Athlete of the Month for July 2021.  Paul earns the award after placing first in the 70-74 year old age group at the Loon Mountain Race on July 11, and following up three weeks later with a triple age group victory at the USATF-NE Track & Field Championships, winning the 400, 800, and 1500 meter events.  Paul is an avid distance runner who has been covering all types of terrain since 1985. 

His first track race was only in 2018, a 1500m as part of the USATF-NE All
Terrain Runner Series. Driven by the desire to win his age group in the
series, Paul soon found himself falling in love with track races as well.
“I loved the whole experience and was hooked after my first race. It's been
many years since I've been able to run at a 6:45 pace in a road race but I
can still feel the excitement of doing that in the 1500m.” Off the track,
Paul has completed 111 races in the Mountain Series, the third most all-
time of any USATF-NE athlete. 

Down the road, Paul is hoping to win his age group in the 2021 All Terrain
Runner series as well as place well in the Mountain Series. Paul keeps his
top notch shape by incorporating strength and mobility exercises into his
training. His running regimen is less about the miles and more about the
time on his feet. “As I've gotten older, I’ve found general fitness and
recovery the most important elements in my training mix. I try to run the
same number of hours I did years ago instead of the same number of miles.” 

Full interview
*****
USATF-NE: Could you tell us a bit about your races over the past few
months? What about your mindset heading into the races? i.e., what you were
hoping to accomplish and were there any goals you had set?
Paul Grant: So far this year I've raced two mountain races, three track events and a 5K road race. Each type of race requires different strengths and I haven’t raced in 18 months, so I wasn’t sure how I would do.
My generalfitness was good, so I told myself just to run at a sustainably hard level of effort, and let the pace and how I placed turn out as they will. I’m
pleased with how I ran in each race. For 2021, I want to do well in the
USATF-NE Mountain Series races and it would be great to win my age group
again in the All Terrain Series.

USATF-NE: How did you initially get into the sport of Track and Field?
PG: I entered my first track event because it was part of the 2018 All
Terrain Series. I loved the whole experience and was hooked after my first
race. It's been many years since I've been able to run at a 6:45 pace in a
road race but I can still feel the excitement of doing that in the 1500m.

USATF-NE: Do you have any long term running goals?
PG: My long term running goal is to maintain my general and cardiovascular
fitness so I can run well for many more years. I believe people can have
many enjoyable years of running post-70 if they modify their training a bit
and prioritize recovering from their workouts.

USATF-NE: Do you have advice for people looking to continue the sport into
their 70s?
PG: As I've gotten older, I’ve found general fitness and recovery the most
important elements in my training mix. I try to run the same number of
hours I did years ago instead of the same number of miles. I run 3 to 4
times a week mostly at a comfortable, conversational pace. Running hilly
routes each week gives me the intensity and leg strength needed to do well
on the track and in other races. I do most of my speed work at races. I
also do strength/resistance work about three times a week. I'm very
concerned with recovering from each workout so I’m ready for the next. To
foster that, I do mobility work (dynamic movement & qi gong), self-
massage/foam rolling and stretching at least once a day. I take days off
and ’down’ weeks. Good sleep and nutrition are crucial.

USATF-NE: What are some of your favorite things to do outside of running?
Occupation, hobby, favorite ice cream flavor or dessert?
PG: I'm a retired computer systems engineer. In addition to running with
friends and working out, I enjoy hiking in the White Mountains, reading,
mountain biking, doing volunteer work, martial arts and traveling.