Open masters/veterans track meets?

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CharlieP Jul 2016 10:40am, 8 Jul 2016 192 posts	0 CharlieP Purely by chance I went to my first ever track meet on Wednesday night, after a Facebook acquaintance from a parkrun group sent me an invitation to a masters/veterans (not sure which sounds more esteemed!) event. They didn't seem to have a problem with me not being affiliated to any club (although I turned out to be the only one), and I paid my money and tried my hand at 800m, 1500m and 3000m. Having both put a marker down and got a bit of a taste for it, I'd like to have another crack, but trawling through the Race Finder for "Track" events I can't seem to find anything that isn't for the slightly more elite, more young or more club member. Are there many "open" events out there, or do I realistically need to find a club to join?
Sharkie Jul 2016 10:52am, 8 Jul 2016 9,438 posts	0 Sharkie It IS easier if you join a club as there are various Vets Leagues and Champs through the year, including indoors in winter. But if an open event signals that it's graded then you will often find other vets there and the races - like 800ms will be seeded so you run with peeps of similar ability no matter what their age. I'm a reasonable sprinter - but I'm 63 so at graded opens I might well find myself in with the U13s and the M70s ... Oh the ignominy!
CharlieP Jul 2016 11:20am, 8 Jul 2016 194 posts	0 CharlieP Thanks Sharkie. So my question is really, until such time as I find a club, how do I actually find these events? I've looked here and on RBR/Po10 with very little success (although that may be down to me just not understanding descriptions and shorthand).
Sharkie Jul 2016 11:47am, 8 Jul 2016 9,439 posts	0 Sharkie This is a good site for finding open meets. openmeetings.co.uk
Sharkie Jul 2016 11:52am, 8 Jul 2016 9,440 posts	0 Sharkie Being chiefly a results resource Po10 is a bit useless for anything more than a few days in the future. I looked at your race times - have you ever run an 800 before? That's a respectable time for a 40 something. Are you SURE you don't want to join an athletics club?
CharlieP Jul 2016 12:09pm, 8 Jul 2016 195 posts	0 CharlieP Not since I was 13, and I wasn't much into athletics back then! I specifically wanted to try that distance as my Age Grade scores fall with distance from HM to mile - I set off on the heels of the leaders, started feeling light-headed after the first lap, and died in the final straight and went from second to last! 3000 and 1500 followed straight afterwards, and paradoxically I had the quickest sprint finish on display after bringing up the rear! Thanks for the link - checking now.
Sharkie Jul 2016 12:19pm, 8 Jul 2016 9,441 posts	0 Sharkie Well, just think how your WAVA scores would improve if you TRAINED for MD events! It's how I discovered I was a sprinter not a distance runner - my first 100m ever (didn't run at school) in flats, with no training - produced a WAVA score 10% higher than any of the 5ks or 10ks I'd trained for over three years. Play to your strengths I say!
CharlieP Jul 2016 12:45pm, 8 Jul 2016 196 posts	0 CharlieP I was always a sprinter not a runner in my yoof - I spent 25 years playing rugby on the wing and considered cross-country the epitome of torture. However, by the time I was 35 I would be left standing by the bulky but young forwards whenever we did sprint drills from a standing start, as all my fast twitch has gone!
Sharkie Jul 2016 12:53pm, 8 Jul 2016 9,442 posts	0 Sharkie Nah, it won't have gone .... just hiding!
CharlieP Jul 2016 2:47pm, 29 Jul 2016 278 posts	0 CharlieP Bit the bullet and joined a local club (which seems to be more into fell and cross-country, but that's by-the-by), so have signed up for a couple of meets through that site you mentioned. Thanks again Sharkie.