The Life and Times of Sam Luna

  Race day at the World Masters Indoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida , was electric. There’s something special about lining up with the best Masters runners in the world—athletes with grit, experience, and no shortage of speed. The 1500m – Strategy & Execution Going in, I knew most of the field had seed times faster than mine . But that didn’t intimidate me—it motivated me. My plan was simple: Go out with the pack. Hold on. Respect the calf. Once the gun went off, I settled in at the back of the lead group . Right away, we were rolling— sub-5 minute mile pace from the jump. I recognized a few of the names around me, and after a couple of laps, a gap started to form between the front group and the rest of us. Another runner and I worked together to bridge the gap—we traded positions briefly, and I managed to hang on for a few more laps. Eventually, I found myself in that familiar place: no man’s land . Now it was just about survival . Don’t get caught. Stay composed. ...

It’s easy to write about a race when everything clicks—but this year’s road to the World Masters Indoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida , came with a few potholes. Back in February, I ran a strong indoor mile at UH, clocking a Masters PR of 5:01 —a full 2.5 seconds faster than the year before. I was feeling confident and fired up. But the very next week, things took a turn. I strained my calf , and in classic runner fashion, I pushed too quickly to get back to training . That decision backfired—what started as a minor strain became a deeper setback, and I knew I had to hit the brakes. I started seeing Dr. Jaime Aparicio   for physical therapy and rehab . Over the next four weeks , I traded intervals and long runs for: Aqua jogging sessions (yes, it’s humbling but it works), PT weight training , and A renewed focus on mobility and mechanics . During that time, I shifted my mindset. Instead of panicking about lost fitness, I leaned into the process: Ran data analys...