Overall, it was a great day for our program at Friday's MAAC Meet at Van Cortlandt Park. For the first time in many years, the men and the women finished 2nd at the meet.
For the men, it was seventh time in program history (and fifth in a row) that we have finished second to nationally-ranked Iona College. This is a badge of honor for our team, and you guys (past, present, future) should be proud of this accomplishment. Here is a breakdown of our 2nd-place finishes to Iona through the years:
1998: 70 points
2003: 60 points
2005: 73 points
2006: 52 points
2007: 61 points
2008: 55 points
2009: 57 points
For the women, our relatively young squad really stepped up -- running with toughness, maturity and depth -- to get the job done. Our top three runners (Addie DiFrancesco, Brittany Burns and Kathryn Sheehan) placed 2nd, 8th and 9th. Fantastic. What made the meet complete were our Fab Freshmen -- Jackie Gamboli and Erin O'Reilly. When their classmate, Katie Messina, went down with an untimely ankle injury, they stepped up and closed strongly, enabling us to outrun Canisius for 2nd place (56 points to 66 points). It was awesome.
By the way, Katie really tried her best to tough it out with the turned ankle, but she had to stop before the back hills as the discomfort was too much. Her tenacity and courage were very much admired and appreciated. The great thing about a team is that teammates will pick you up, and that's what happened on this day.
On the men's side, we had 5 All-MAAC performers (Adam Vess, Will Griffin, Matt Flint, Quimes DelaCruz and Conor Shelley) for the first time in school history. Overall, it was not a great meet for us top to bottom, but we got the job done.
A note on the finishing times, for alumni and those interested in history: They are essentially meaningless.
In the women's meet, the 6km course was about 109 meters long. However, at least the course was the same as previous 6km course at VCP. It was long simply due to the massive construction project at the park.
The men's course bears no resemblance to the traditional 5-mile VCP layout that we have run for generations. Too bad. It was long, windy, tougher and much slower. The course measured at least one-tenth longer than 5 miles, from what I could gather.
In addition, the hills were compressed, with the Back Hills and Cemetery separated by just about 1000 meters. So yes, the times were really slow. Too bad, it would have been nice to see where this team stacks up in the history of the program at VCP. Oh well, that's life.
Strategically, many of our guys went out too hard for the first flat 2 miles. And they paid, big time, in the back hills. This is uncharacteristic of our team. Live and learn. We will be MUCH smarter at IC4As in a few weeks.
Again, great day for the program. I am proud to represent both the women's and men's teams, and we did an excellent job on this day.
I will follow up with complete results and additional commentary when possible.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Here's hoping no one looks like THIS on Friday ...
Since I'm not on Facebook, I asked Quinn to send me his vintage MAAC Moustache photo, this from the MAAC Championship 4x400 team of yesteryear.
Truly a hideous MAAC 'Stache. Nicely done!
Again, hope to see some of you on Friday at VCP.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Weather report
Nasty day today. A little preview of indoor track, as it was a straight distance day (no workout). Thus, many men and women did laps around the McCann Track. Others ran on the treadmill. Still others did a combination of McCann Laps and campus mile.
Wet. Cold. Nasty. I'm glad we were not working out today.
Fortunately, Friday's weather for VCP and the East looks good. Sunny/partly cloudy, mild but not too warm, high around 60. Sounds good to me!
Again, as a reminder to alums, family and friends: Women at 2 p.m.; Men at 2:45 p.m. Hope to see you all there.
Wet. Cold. Nasty. I'm glad we were not working out today.
Fortunately, Friday's weather for VCP and the East looks good. Sunny/partly cloudy, mild but not too warm, high around 60. Sounds good to me!
Again, as a reminder to alums, family and friends: Women at 2 p.m.; Men at 2:45 p.m. Hope to see you all there.
Monday, October 26, 2009
MAAC moustache
It happens like clockwork three times a year.
At practice, the men's runners start looking a little scraggly in the face. In some cases it's quite humorous watching these uneven, ungainly patches of seemingly random facial hair. I begin to wonder what the deal is and then I remember:
MAAC moustache time!
In the days and weeks leading up to whatever MAAC Championship is in season (cross country, indoor track, outdoor track), the boys try (usually in vain) to grow their MAAC moustaches -- I guess in an effort of solidarity, team spirit or whatever. Kind of like NHL players who grow their "playoff beards." Right, Phil?
And while it's technically called "MAAC moustache," several of the boys try to grow full beards, goatees ... or, if I remember correctly, one year Hopkins got a killer, circa-mid-1980s mullet for a MAAC Championship in the past. Or maybe it was ICs?
Anyway, when did this MAAC moustache tradition start? I do not remember. I do remember Quinn having some of the more creative fu manchu style moustaches ready to rip for whatever MAAC meet was upcoming.
So parents, alums, friends, beware. That's not the New York Islanders getting off the bus at VCP on Friday, but rather your favorite, scraggly Running Red Foxes.
Programming note, for those interested: The MAAC meet is Friday at VCP. Women at 2; men at 2:45. Weather is looking pretty good. The park is a mess with construction, and parking could be tough as the Heps (Ivy League Championships) are going to be there as well, before our fancy races.
Plan accordingly, and hope to see you there. Feel free to sport a MAAC moustache of your own. Me? I just shaved this morning, but I'll have some growth ready for Friday.
At practice, the men's runners start looking a little scraggly in the face. In some cases it's quite humorous watching these uneven, ungainly patches of seemingly random facial hair. I begin to wonder what the deal is and then I remember:
MAAC moustache time!
In the days and weeks leading up to whatever MAAC Championship is in season (cross country, indoor track, outdoor track), the boys try (usually in vain) to grow their MAAC moustaches -- I guess in an effort of solidarity, team spirit or whatever. Kind of like NHL players who grow their "playoff beards." Right, Phil?
And while it's technically called "MAAC moustache," several of the boys try to grow full beards, goatees ... or, if I remember correctly, one year Hopkins got a killer, circa-mid-1980s mullet for a MAAC Championship in the past. Or maybe it was ICs?
Anyway, when did this MAAC moustache tradition start? I do not remember. I do remember Quinn having some of the more creative fu manchu style moustaches ready to rip for whatever MAAC meet was upcoming.
So parents, alums, friends, beware. That's not the New York Islanders getting off the bus at VCP on Friday, but rather your favorite, scraggly Running Red Foxes.
Programming note, for those interested: The MAAC meet is Friday at VCP. Women at 2; men at 2:45. Weather is looking pretty good. The park is a mess with construction, and parking could be tough as the Heps (Ivy League Championships) are going to be there as well, before our fancy races.
Plan accordingly, and hope to see you there. Feel free to sport a MAAC moustache of your own. Me? I just shaved this morning, but I'll have some growth ready for Friday.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Toenail talk
OK. More than one blog follower sent me this link to a New York Times article about ultramarathon runners getting their toenails permanently removed. So I figured I'd do a short post on it.
Pretty disgusting idea, wouldn't you say? In case you are too lazy to read it, some hardcore ultramarathon types have their toenails permanently removed by having "acid poured onto a nail bed for permanent removal." Lovely. Sounds like fun, huh!
The folks that sent me the link know that I dabbled in ultras for a few years -- a handful of 50Ks, a couple 12-hour runs, a 40-miler on my 40th birthday. But I am/was nowhere near hardcore enough to do this.
For a long-distance runner, toenails can be a bit of a nuisance. My good buddy and longtime coaching compatriot (and now blog follower!) Phil has some of the ugliest toenails I've ever seen. Sorry, pal. It's true! Me? I have a pesky, right big toenail that keeps getting black-and-blue, then falls off, then regrows. My wife is grossed out by it, and with good reason. It's pretty gruesome looking.
Yucky toenail syndrome is seldom a problem for collegiate distance runners. If and when it is, however, I would certainly NOT recommend the acid treatment. I think our men and women agree on this: If they were to spend additional money on mangling their bodies, they'd much rather get tattoos.
Memo to men's team members: We need CARS for practice today! We only have one van. Thanks, and see you then.
Pretty disgusting idea, wouldn't you say? In case you are too lazy to read it, some hardcore ultramarathon types have their toenails permanently removed by having "acid poured onto a nail bed for permanent removal." Lovely. Sounds like fun, huh!
The folks that sent me the link know that I dabbled in ultras for a few years -- a handful of 50Ks, a couple 12-hour runs, a 40-miler on my 40th birthday. But I am/was nowhere near hardcore enough to do this.
For a long-distance runner, toenails can be a bit of a nuisance. My good buddy and longtime coaching compatriot (and now blog follower!) Phil has some of the ugliest toenails I've ever seen. Sorry, pal. It's true! Me? I have a pesky, right big toenail that keeps getting black-and-blue, then falls off, then regrows. My wife is grossed out by it, and with good reason. It's pretty gruesome looking.
Yucky toenail syndrome is seldom a problem for collegiate distance runners. If and when it is, however, I would certainly NOT recommend the acid treatment. I think our men and women agree on this: If they were to spend additional money on mangling their bodies, they'd much rather get tattoos.
Memo to men's team members: We need CARS for practice today! We only have one van. Thanks, and see you then.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sponge Pete answers ...
Thanks to Harris and Prinz for chiming in on the Big Sponge Theory. Good to hear from you both. As always.
Prinz posed the following, interesting question:
Why is 4x400 with 1 minute rest a bad workout? Why is a good workout?
It is a tough question to answer in a vacuum, but in the spirit of discourse here is my take on it for Prinz.
Why is it a bad workout? Probably because the runner (most likely a highly-trained male) will salivate over the low volume of the workout and drill it way too fast (sub-60?), given the insanely short rest break. So, in DanielsSpeak, that guy will be doing rep work with thresh recovery. THIS IS A BAD COMBINATION! Terrible.
Why is it a good workout? Done correctly, this workout could give a highly trained miler type the confidence to run race pace while tired and not fully recovered. It can also teach said miler the restraint to run the first 400 of the workout (and thus the race) at close to goal race pace, which will feel relatively comfortable.
As with most workouts, if the coach puts good thought into it and then the athlete executes it properly, it will have some training benefit. However, here in the real world, coaches are not always perfect in their judgment and athletes certainly are not perfect in their execution.
It's all part of the fun, isn't it?
Thanks again, guys, for thought-provoking stuff.
Prinz posed the following, interesting question:
Why is 4x400 with 1 minute rest a bad workout? Why is a good workout?
It is a tough question to answer in a vacuum, but in the spirit of discourse here is my take on it for Prinz.
Why is it a bad workout? Probably because the runner (most likely a highly-trained male) will salivate over the low volume of the workout and drill it way too fast (sub-60?), given the insanely short rest break. So, in DanielsSpeak, that guy will be doing rep work with thresh recovery. THIS IS A BAD COMBINATION! Terrible.
Why is it a good workout? Done correctly, this workout could give a highly trained miler type the confidence to run race pace while tired and not fully recovered. It can also teach said miler the restraint to run the first 400 of the workout (and thus the race) at close to goal race pace, which will feel relatively comfortable.
As with most workouts, if the coach puts good thought into it and then the athlete executes it properly, it will have some training benefit. However, here in the real world, coaches are not always perfect in their judgment and athletes certainly are not perfect in their execution.
It's all part of the fun, isn't it?
Thanks again, guys, for thought-provoking stuff.
Flu shots will be available
Hello Team: I received the following email regarding flu shots ...
For those athletes that reserved a flu shot in September: The flu shot clinic will be held on Wednesday, October 28th in McCann from 5-7 p.m. I will let you know the specific location in McCann as I am notified.
As a reminder: Athletes that did not reserve but now want a shot can go to the open flu shot session on the same day from noon to 4 p.m. in Room 348A of the Student Center to receive a shot. They will be required to pay the fee (approximately $15) but should obtain a receipt for future reimbursement.
Any questions about this, call, text, email or see me at practice.
For those athletes that reserved a flu shot in September: The flu shot clinic will be held on Wednesday, October 28th in McCann from 5-7 p.m. I will let you know the specific location in McCann as I am notified.
As a reminder: Athletes that did not reserve but now want a shot can go to the open flu shot session on the same day from noon to 4 p.m. in Room 348A of the Student Center to receive a shot. They will be required to pay the fee (approximately $15) but should obtain a receipt for future reimbursement.
Any questions about this, call, text, email or see me at practice.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Big Sponge Theory
As many of you know, for the past three fall semesters I have taught a special-topics physical education/science class here at Marist College called “Track and Field Coaching.”
Now, before you snicker and make jokes: This is a 2-credit, academic-based class. A few blog readers and followers are “alums” of this class (or maybe are in this class right now! … future alums of the fancy class), and they can attest to the fact that I try to challenge the students with a lot of work.
To wit: Along with perfect attendance, requirements include 10 1-page papers, a 5-page midterm research paper and a final project in which students must map out and detail a training program for a team for an entire season or training cycle. The goal is to make the students ready to coach a track team if needed.
I’m happy to report that Marist alum DJ Paulson, who was in my first class back in 2007, will be coaching locally at Beacon High School, where he teaches. He said he will be using our class textbook as a reference to help him. This is great! Good luck, DJ!
Anyway, I’ve been trying to do some new and creative things with the class this year. We have weekly fun “quizzes” as a way to get through the material. And I’m trying to incorporate everyone in the discussions, branching out and away from the text a bit, as we have a few non-track folks in the class.
We just completed a short block on distance running. Some of the class discussions were wide-ranging and interesting. One topic that came up was the subject of overtraining as it relates to college athletes. It’s a relevant topic and one that generated a fair amount of healthy discussion.
This led me to trot out my “Big Sponge Theory" on collegiate distance runners’ training. I’ve tried to impart my “Big Sponge Theory” on previous teams and eras of Marist Distance Running. Mostly, the theory was met with apathy at best, ridicule at worst. But I am undaunted, and I keep hammering home the same ideas year after year in hopes someone will get something out of what is said. And in fairness, several current team members seemed to grasp the concepts espoused in the “Big Sponge Theory.”
Of course, being the buffoon I am, I had the whole class giggling, laughing and generally making fun of me by starting my theory with a reference to a “big-ass sponge.” Not smart on my part! Giggle-giggle. Chortle-chortle. Laugh-laugh.
OK. Now that the “b-a sponge” line is out of the way, and perhaps the longest intro in history of blogging is done, I would like to share the Big Sponge Theory with my friends in the blogosphere. Here goes:
Imagine your body, a distance runner’s legs and body, is a Big Sponge. A Big Sponge. OK. Got that? Now, each time you go on a training run, imagine that the training load is represented by water being poured onto the Big Sponge that is you.
An easy distance run is a slow and steady drip of water onto the sponge. It gets ABSORBED (key word) relatively easily. During base training, which consists primarily of easy distance runs, that slow and steady drip onto the sponge keeps the sponge nice and moist. A nice and moist sponge is GOOD. A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
Now, any Quality Days mean that a large volume of water is being poured onto your sponge. A long run? A lot of water. Note that even if the long run is at an easy pace, it is still a Quality Day and still represents a lot of water. A hard, hammering distance run? A lot of water. Hill repeats? Tempo? Fartlek? Intervals? Buckets and buckets and buckets.
So here’s the Big Sponge Theory: Those quality days (or Bucket Days) need to be spread out, or else your sponge will be oversaturated, your legs and your body overtrained. If, after a quality day of any sort, you follow that up with a few easy days (slow drips), that allows the Big Sponge to ABSORB the water. And this is what keeps the sponge (and you) healthy, strong. This is where the advances in training, fitness and ability come; in letting that sponge ABSORB those bucket days and stay nice and moist. And remember: A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
If you over-saturate the sponge, it will be soaked. It will not be effective. It will be useless. Much like an overtrained body.
The message, then, to the overzealous (usually hot-shot freshmen trying to prove themselves) collegiate distance runner is this: Don’t oversoak your sponge. Don’t hammer every day. Let your body recover between hard efforts. If you hammer your recovery days, you are pouring more water than needed onto that Big Sponge. Then, the next day when we are doing some sort of Quality Day, the downpour continues. Eventually, the sponge, and you, become ineffective. Feckless. It can take days and sometimes weeks for that Big Sponge (you!) to dry out and return to the coveted nice and moist stage.
And remember: A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
Does this make sense? Is this long-winded? Did I just waste your time and my blog space? I hope not. It makes sense to me, and I hope you can take a little something out of this.
Just call me: SpongePete, SquareCoach.
Run. Rehydrate. Run Some More!
Now, before you snicker and make jokes: This is a 2-credit, academic-based class. A few blog readers and followers are “alums” of this class (or maybe are in this class right now! … future alums of the fancy class), and they can attest to the fact that I try to challenge the students with a lot of work.
To wit: Along with perfect attendance, requirements include 10 1-page papers, a 5-page midterm research paper and a final project in which students must map out and detail a training program for a team for an entire season or training cycle. The goal is to make the students ready to coach a track team if needed.
I’m happy to report that Marist alum DJ Paulson, who was in my first class back in 2007, will be coaching locally at Beacon High School, where he teaches. He said he will be using our class textbook as a reference to help him. This is great! Good luck, DJ!
Anyway, I’ve been trying to do some new and creative things with the class this year. We have weekly fun “quizzes” as a way to get through the material. And I’m trying to incorporate everyone in the discussions, branching out and away from the text a bit, as we have a few non-track folks in the class.
We just completed a short block on distance running. Some of the class discussions were wide-ranging and interesting. One topic that came up was the subject of overtraining as it relates to college athletes. It’s a relevant topic and one that generated a fair amount of healthy discussion.
This led me to trot out my “Big Sponge Theory" on collegiate distance runners’ training. I’ve tried to impart my “Big Sponge Theory” on previous teams and eras of Marist Distance Running. Mostly, the theory was met with apathy at best, ridicule at worst. But I am undaunted, and I keep hammering home the same ideas year after year in hopes someone will get something out of what is said. And in fairness, several current team members seemed to grasp the concepts espoused in the “Big Sponge Theory.”
Of course, being the buffoon I am, I had the whole class giggling, laughing and generally making fun of me by starting my theory with a reference to a “big-ass sponge.” Not smart on my part! Giggle-giggle. Chortle-chortle. Laugh-laugh.
OK. Now that the “b-a sponge” line is out of the way, and perhaps the longest intro in history of blogging is done, I would like to share the Big Sponge Theory with my friends in the blogosphere. Here goes:
Imagine your body, a distance runner’s legs and body, is a Big Sponge. A Big Sponge. OK. Got that? Now, each time you go on a training run, imagine that the training load is represented by water being poured onto the Big Sponge that is you.
An easy distance run is a slow and steady drip of water onto the sponge. It gets ABSORBED (key word) relatively easily. During base training, which consists primarily of easy distance runs, that slow and steady drip onto the sponge keeps the sponge nice and moist. A nice and moist sponge is GOOD. A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
Now, any Quality Days mean that a large volume of water is being poured onto your sponge. A long run? A lot of water. Note that even if the long run is at an easy pace, it is still a Quality Day and still represents a lot of water. A hard, hammering distance run? A lot of water. Hill repeats? Tempo? Fartlek? Intervals? Buckets and buckets and buckets.
So here’s the Big Sponge Theory: Those quality days (or Bucket Days) need to be spread out, or else your sponge will be oversaturated, your legs and your body overtrained. If, after a quality day of any sort, you follow that up with a few easy days (slow drips), that allows the Big Sponge to ABSORB the water. And this is what keeps the sponge (and you) healthy, strong. This is where the advances in training, fitness and ability come; in letting that sponge ABSORB those bucket days and stay nice and moist. And remember: A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
If you over-saturate the sponge, it will be soaked. It will not be effective. It will be useless. Much like an overtrained body.
The message, then, to the overzealous (usually hot-shot freshmen trying to prove themselves) collegiate distance runner is this: Don’t oversoak your sponge. Don’t hammer every day. Let your body recover between hard efforts. If you hammer your recovery days, you are pouring more water than needed onto that Big Sponge. Then, the next day when we are doing some sort of Quality Day, the downpour continues. Eventually, the sponge, and you, become ineffective. Feckless. It can take days and sometimes weeks for that Big Sponge (you!) to dry out and return to the coveted nice and moist stage.
And remember: A nice and moist sponge is the GOAL.
Does this make sense? Is this long-winded? Did I just waste your time and my blog space? I hope not. It makes sense to me, and I hope you can take a little something out of this.
Just call me: SpongePete, SquareCoach.
Run. Rehydrate. Run Some More!
Wonder women at Spackenkill
Talk about surreal! Just a few days after delving into winter for a day out at Penn State, today I was out at the Spackenkill High School track for a delightfully sunny and warm day with the women's team.
Coach Chuck was under the weather and could not make it to practice. I dispatched the men's team off to Vassar Farm for some light threshold (thanks to Captain Vess for organizing and orchestrating the workout without their Old Man Coach), and went over to the Spack Track for Chuck's prescribed torture: 3x1600, 1x800.
As many of you know, I'm not a big fan of track workouts during the cross country season. This is mostly because the idea of bringing men over to the track gets me nervous. "Restraint" is not in their vocabulary. The women generally do as they are told when it comes to workouts; as a result, going to the track is not as potentially harmful for them.
Well today, the ladies were lights-out great on a warmer-than-normal day. I was extremely impressed. I told several of them after the workout that this could prove to be the greatest assemblage of women's distance runners we have ever had; and trust me, we have had some great ones in the past.
But that's a subject for another day, perhaps. For now, it's great to see the hard work and progress our women's team has made. From the beginning of the season to now. And for the returning women, from last year to this year.
Nicely done, ladies. Let's close out the championship portion of our season in strong fashion.
Coach Chuck was under the weather and could not make it to practice. I dispatched the men's team off to Vassar Farm for some light threshold (thanks to Captain Vess for organizing and orchestrating the workout without their Old Man Coach), and went over to the Spack Track for Chuck's prescribed torture: 3x1600, 1x800.
As many of you know, I'm not a big fan of track workouts during the cross country season. This is mostly because the idea of bringing men over to the track gets me nervous. "Restraint" is not in their vocabulary. The women generally do as they are told when it comes to workouts; as a result, going to the track is not as potentially harmful for them.
Well today, the ladies were lights-out great on a warmer-than-normal day. I was extremely impressed. I told several of them after the workout that this could prove to be the greatest assemblage of women's distance runners we have ever had; and trust me, we have had some great ones in the past.
But that's a subject for another day, perhaps. For now, it's great to see the hard work and progress our women's team has made. From the beginning of the season to now. And for the returning women, from last year to this year.
Nicely done, ladies. Let's close out the championship portion of our season in strong fashion.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Men's splits from Albany
Hello men! Below are the 2-mile splits from Albany, as best as I could get them. Good news/bad news about the splits. Good news: There were no injured runners to help me take the splits down. Bad news: There were no injured runners to help me take the splits down.
That's more good news than bad. But given the chilly temps and my frozen digits, I did the best I could. Here are the splits (in parenthesis after the results), with some short commentary as well as warranted.
Men's varsity results
2. Conor Shelley 24:39.8 (9:48). Nice PR, dude!
4. Will Griffin 24:53 (9:55). Excellent neg split effort on tired legs.
9. Quimes DelaCruz 25:20.3 (10:08). You continue to impress. Nicely done.
14. Tim Keegan 25:27.8 (9:55). Considering your recent illness woes, this was a strong and positive effort.
18. Nick Webster 25:36.4 (10:08). A little sluggish, still good.
41. Sam McMullen 25:54.2 (10:20). Strong breakthrough effort. You looked great!
60. Tom Lipari 26:08.1 ((10:30). Nice bounce-back race. You will peak at the right time this year.
82. Matt Janczyk 26:24.6 (10:25). Let down after breakthrough at Paul Short. Negative energy.
122. Zak Smetana 27:04.3 (10:30). The Albany jinx continues.
Men's Purple Race Results
2. Sean Nestor 26:14.0 (10:22). Great bounce back from your injury.
4. Mike Nicoletti 26:27.1 (10:35). Great job considering you were less than 100 percent.
6. Pat Duggan 26:31.3 (10:30). Solid effort but not as good as previous two.
8. Brian Townsend 26:49.7 (missed it?). Really excellent progression. Nice job.
9. Matt Panebianco 26:50.8 (10:40). Another strong effort.
11. Billy Posch 26:55.6 (10:42). Flat. Can be better. Will be better.
13. Colin Johnson 26:57.2 (10:44). Breakthrough. Perfect race.
14. Mike Keegan 27:01.2 (10:44). Breakthrough. Perfect race.
19. Ryan Brown 27:11.3 (10:57). Strong effort.
29. Ryan Fitzsimons 27:23.0 (11:02). Perfectly executed.
34. Joel Moss 27:38.7 (10:56). Solid effort.
61. Will Schanz 28:21.5 (11:01). All things considered, pretty strong.
63. Greg Masto 28:24.7 (11:02). Went out too fast! Otherwise pretty good.
72. Brendan Green 28:51.2 (11:15). Wow. Wow. Wow!
101. Luke Shane 30:38.7 (12:01). Strong PR.
Note for women's team followers: I'm pretty sure Chuck got the splits as he darted into the woods for the mile and got to the 2-mile mark as well. As a team on the women's side, I thought we showed a lot of depth and for the most part, everyone ran very aggressively early (getting out fast) and strong late. A good meet on which to build.
That's more good news than bad. But given the chilly temps and my frozen digits, I did the best I could. Here are the splits (in parenthesis after the results), with some short commentary as well as warranted.
Men's varsity results
2. Conor Shelley 24:39.8 (9:48). Nice PR, dude!
4. Will Griffin 24:53 (9:55). Excellent neg split effort on tired legs.
9. Quimes DelaCruz 25:20.3 (10:08). You continue to impress. Nicely done.
14. Tim Keegan 25:27.8 (9:55). Considering your recent illness woes, this was a strong and positive effort.
18. Nick Webster 25:36.4 (10:08). A little sluggish, still good.
41. Sam McMullen 25:54.2 (10:20). Strong breakthrough effort. You looked great!
60. Tom Lipari 26:08.1 ((10:30). Nice bounce-back race. You will peak at the right time this year.
82. Matt Janczyk 26:24.6 (10:25). Let down after breakthrough at Paul Short. Negative energy.
122. Zak Smetana 27:04.3 (10:30). The Albany jinx continues.
Men's Purple Race Results
2. Sean Nestor 26:14.0 (10:22). Great bounce back from your injury.
4. Mike Nicoletti 26:27.1 (10:35). Great job considering you were less than 100 percent.
6. Pat Duggan 26:31.3 (10:30). Solid effort but not as good as previous two.
8. Brian Townsend 26:49.7 (missed it?). Really excellent progression. Nice job.
9. Matt Panebianco 26:50.8 (10:40). Another strong effort.
11. Billy Posch 26:55.6 (10:42). Flat. Can be better. Will be better.
13. Colin Johnson 26:57.2 (10:44). Breakthrough. Perfect race.
14. Mike Keegan 27:01.2 (10:44). Breakthrough. Perfect race.
19. Ryan Brown 27:11.3 (10:57). Strong effort.
29. Ryan Fitzsimons 27:23.0 (11:02). Perfectly executed.
34. Joel Moss 27:38.7 (10:56). Solid effort.
61. Will Schanz 28:21.5 (11:01). All things considered, pretty strong.
63. Greg Masto 28:24.7 (11:02). Went out too fast! Otherwise pretty good.
72. Brendan Green 28:51.2 (11:15). Wow. Wow. Wow!
101. Luke Shane 30:38.7 (12:01). Strong PR.
Note for women's team followers: I'm pretty sure Chuck got the splits as he darted into the woods for the mile and got to the 2-mile mark as well. As a team on the women's side, I thought we showed a lot of depth and for the most part, everyone ran very aggressively early (getting out fast) and strong late. A good meet on which to build.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Solid day at Albany
Our women's team placed 2nd at the UAlbany meet on Saturday and the men won for the second consecutive year. The weather turned out better than we could have hoped. It was cold, but sunny/partly cloudy and dry. A far cry from what a few of us experienced at Penn State the day before!
Click here for complete results.
On the women's side, we had a tight pack behind our lead runner, Addie DiFrancesco. In addition, we had seven women under 19:00 and 15 women under 20:00. All noteworthy.
On the men's side, we patchworked some varsity guys who were going to run at Penn State along with the guys who were scheduled to run at UAlbany. Conor Shelley had a strong PR up front, Will Griffin ran a strong race. Freshman Quimes DelaCruz continued to impress with his 25:20. Sam McMullen dipped under 26:00 for the first time.
Way down on the list, but no less impressive, Brendan Green lopped two (2!) minutes off his previous 8km PR and broke 30:00 for the first time. In fact, he broke 29 en route!!! (28:51.2).
There were many more highlights and I'll try to get more details in the coming days.
This was a good meet as we head into our championship season.
Women's results
6. Addie DiFrancesco - 17:56.9 - 2nd fastest time in school history for 5k XC
17. Kathryn Sheehan - 18:21.0
23. Brittany Burns - 18:25.0
29. Katie Messina - 18:35.8
34. Erin O'Reilly - 18:41.7
46. Julie Hudak - 18:50.5
47. Jackie Gamboli - 18:50.9
77. Jillian Corley - 19:17.3
82. Sarah Keating - 19:21.6
Women's Gold Race Results
Laura Lindsley - 19:22.6
Sarah Parsloe - 19:38.1
Dayna McLaughlin - 19:44.8
Kara Lightowler - 19:48.5
Allyson O'Brien - 19:49.8
Briana Crowe - 19:56.5
Rebecca Denise - 20:12.6
Kelley Hanifin - 20:32.2
Colleen Smith - 20:44.8
Lauren Pica - 20:54.0
Katie Topalian - 20:56.9
Kelley Gould - 21:03.9
Shannon Farrell - 21:09.6
Rachel Lichtenwalner - 21:25.6
Dana Boscarino - 21:29.3
Rachel Bremer - 21:39.3
Elizabeth O'Brien - 21:47.2
Meaghan Lass - 22:32.4
Erin Quadros - 23:11.2
Daria Kowalik - 23:39.3
Men's results
2. Conor Shelley 24:39.8
4. Will Griffin 24:53
9. Quimes DelaCruz 25:20.3
14. Tim Keegan 25:27.8
18. Nick Webster 25:36.4
41. Sam McMullen 25:54.2
60. Tom Lipari 26:08.1
82. Matt Janczyk 26:24.6
122. Zak Smetana 27:04.3
Men's Purple Race Results
2. Sean Nestor 26:14.0
4. Mike Nicoletti 26:27.1
6. Pat Duggan 26:31.3
8. Brian Townsend 26:49.7
9. Matt Panebianco 26:50.8
11. Billy Posch 26:55.6
13. Colin Johnson 26:57.2
14. Mike Keegan 27:01.2
19. Ryan Brown 27:11.3
29. Ryan Fitzsimons 27:23.0
34. Joel Moss 27:38.7
61. Will Schanz 28:21.5
63. Greg Masto 28:24.7
72. Brendan Green 28:51.2
101. Luke Shane 30:38.7
Click here for complete results.
On the women's side, we had a tight pack behind our lead runner, Addie DiFrancesco. In addition, we had seven women under 19:00 and 15 women under 20:00. All noteworthy.
On the men's side, we patchworked some varsity guys who were going to run at Penn State along with the guys who were scheduled to run at UAlbany. Conor Shelley had a strong PR up front, Will Griffin ran a strong race. Freshman Quimes DelaCruz continued to impress with his 25:20. Sam McMullen dipped under 26:00 for the first time.
Way down on the list, but no less impressive, Brendan Green lopped two (2!) minutes off his previous 8km PR and broke 30:00 for the first time. In fact, he broke 29 en route!!! (28:51.2).
There were many more highlights and I'll try to get more details in the coming days.
This was a good meet as we head into our championship season.
Women's results
6. Addie DiFrancesco - 17:56.9 - 2nd fastest time in school history for 5k XC
17. Kathryn Sheehan - 18:21.0
23. Brittany Burns - 18:25.0
29. Katie Messina - 18:35.8
34. Erin O'Reilly - 18:41.7
46. Julie Hudak - 18:50.5
47. Jackie Gamboli - 18:50.9
77. Jillian Corley - 19:17.3
82. Sarah Keating - 19:21.6
Women's Gold Race Results
Laura Lindsley - 19:22.6
Sarah Parsloe - 19:38.1
Dayna McLaughlin - 19:44.8
Kara Lightowler - 19:48.5
Allyson O'Brien - 19:49.8
Briana Crowe - 19:56.5
Rebecca Denise - 20:12.6
Kelley Hanifin - 20:32.2
Colleen Smith - 20:44.8
Lauren Pica - 20:54.0
Katie Topalian - 20:56.9
Kelley Gould - 21:03.9
Shannon Farrell - 21:09.6
Rachel Lichtenwalner - 21:25.6
Dana Boscarino - 21:29.3
Rachel Bremer - 21:39.3
Elizabeth O'Brien - 21:47.2
Meaghan Lass - 22:32.4
Erin Quadros - 23:11.2
Daria Kowalik - 23:39.3
Men's results
2. Conor Shelley 24:39.8
4. Will Griffin 24:53
9. Quimes DelaCruz 25:20.3
14. Tim Keegan 25:27.8
18. Nick Webster 25:36.4
41. Sam McMullen 25:54.2
60. Tom Lipari 26:08.1
82. Matt Janczyk 26:24.6
122. Zak Smetana 27:04.3
Men's Purple Race Results
2. Sean Nestor 26:14.0
4. Mike Nicoletti 26:27.1
6. Pat Duggan 26:31.3
8. Brian Townsend 26:49.7
9. Matt Panebianco 26:50.8
11. Billy Posch 26:55.6
13. Colin Johnson 26:57.2
14. Mike Keegan 27:01.2
19. Ryan Brown 27:11.3
29. Ryan Fitzsimons 27:23.0
34. Joel Moss 27:38.7
61. Will Schanz 28:21.5
63. Greg Masto 28:24.7
72. Brendan Green 28:51.2
101. Luke Shane 30:38.7
Friday, October 16, 2009
Bridge May Be Icy
I saw this sign way too many times in the past 30 hours, as we futilely drove to and from Penn State for a meet that was canceled due to a freak October snowstorm.
Trust me, it snowed. A lot. The course was covered in about 3-4 inches this morning. The big issue were downed trees all over the course. They were snapping as we stood there. So that would not have been a good idea to run, with limbs coming down on hordes of runners. The decision was a no-brainer. It was a tough situation for the Penn State meet folks and they handled it quite well.
The plan now is for some (but not all) of the varsity guys from Penn State to run at UAlbany in the morning at that Invy. We will sort out the details in the next few hours.
Suffice it to say I am tired. I just got done with a roughly 10-hour van roundtrip with a group of, shall we say, energized young men. It was a fun and memorable trip, but a bit stressful plying the hills of Central PA through heavy snow, sleet and rain. I have a newfound respect for truckers, because I felt like one these past two days.
Look for a full race report after the UAlbany Invy -- either Saturday afternoon, evening or Sunday.
Dress warmly, boys and girls. It's gonna be COLD. But at least, no measurable snow, from what I can gather.
Trust me, it snowed. A lot. The course was covered in about 3-4 inches this morning. The big issue were downed trees all over the course. They were snapping as we stood there. So that would not have been a good idea to run, with limbs coming down on hordes of runners. The decision was a no-brainer. It was a tough situation for the Penn State meet folks and they handled it quite well.
The plan now is for some (but not all) of the varsity guys from Penn State to run at UAlbany in the morning at that Invy. We will sort out the details in the next few hours.
Suffice it to say I am tired. I just got done with a roughly 10-hour van roundtrip with a group of, shall we say, energized young men. It was a fun and memorable trip, but a bit stressful plying the hills of Central PA through heavy snow, sleet and rain. I have a newfound respect for truckers, because I felt like one these past two days.
Look for a full race report after the UAlbany Invy -- either Saturday afternoon, evening or Sunday.
Dress warmly, boys and girls. It's gonna be COLD. But at least, no measurable snow, from what I can gather.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Cool down, schmool down?
Holy smokes!
My good buddy, old Marist alum (from the 1970s!) Marty McGowan sent along the following New York Times article that basically says COOLING DOWN IS A WASTE OF TIME.
How can this be?
This flies in the face of everything I have thought and believed about cooling down!
Of course, being an avid "non-stretcher" it does make sense to me personally. But I'm still not certain it is sound advice.
However, one part of the article was particularly disturbing. It said that after hard exercise, when your muscles produce lactic acid, that lactic acid is then turned into glycogen for your muscles. This is good, right? However, IF YOU COOL DOWN, the beneficial process is LOST because that energy is needed for your cool down. Crazy? You bet!
What do you all think of this? Should we stop cooling down? I think not, but it is certainly food for thought.
My goodness.
My good buddy, old Marist alum (from the 1970s!) Marty McGowan sent along the following New York Times article that basically says COOLING DOWN IS A WASTE OF TIME.
How can this be?
This flies in the face of everything I have thought and believed about cooling down!
Of course, being an avid "non-stretcher" it does make sense to me personally. But I'm still not certain it is sound advice.
However, one part of the article was particularly disturbing. It said that after hard exercise, when your muscles produce lactic acid, that lactic acid is then turned into glycogen for your muscles. This is good, right? However, IF YOU COOL DOWN, the beneficial process is LOST because that energy is needed for your cool down. Crazy? You bet!
What do you all think of this? Should we stop cooling down? I think not, but it is certainly food for thought.
My goodness.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Hicks PRs at Albany
Marist alum and current medical school student Steve Hicks had a strong, personal-best run at the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon in Albany on Sunday.
Steve placed fifth overall in 2:33:45, an average of 5:53 per mile. He placed fifth overall in perhaps one of the most competitive marathon fields there in recent history. Last year, Steve was second overall in 2:37:13. So Steve PRed by about 3.5 minutes! That's great. He was hoping for a sub-2:30, but I'm still proud of this strong new PR time.
According to the race results, Steve went through the first 13.1 miles in 1:14:20. That's quite peppy, but again he was in a race with some fast runners and he was aiming for sub-2:30. He slowed in the second half of the race to 1:19:26 -- still a strong effort.
Steve is now a teammate of Mike Melfi (class of 99) with the Syracuse Track Club, and they will be running fall cross country races together. Pretty cool: Two Marist running alums from different eras now joining forces on the same team.
Nice job, Steve. Recover quickly and keep running strong.
Steve placed fifth overall in 2:33:45, an average of 5:53 per mile. He placed fifth overall in perhaps one of the most competitive marathon fields there in recent history. Last year, Steve was second overall in 2:37:13. So Steve PRed by about 3.5 minutes! That's great. He was hoping for a sub-2:30, but I'm still proud of this strong new PR time.
According to the race results, Steve went through the first 13.1 miles in 1:14:20. That's quite peppy, but again he was in a race with some fast runners and he was aiming for sub-2:30. He slowed in the second half of the race to 1:19:26 -- still a strong effort.
Steve is now a teammate of Mike Melfi (class of 99) with the Syracuse Track Club, and they will be running fall cross country races together. Pretty cool: Two Marist running alums from different eras now joining forces on the same team.
Nice job, Steve. Recover quickly and keep running strong.
Parenti's impressive half-marathon debut
Got a text from Marist alum Nate Parenti, who informed me of his extremely impressive half-marathon debut Sunday at the Staten Island Half Marathon. Nate placed 17th overall out of more than 3,000 finishers in 1:17:34.
Check out the official race result line here:
PARENTI NATE M27 307 MAAL BROOKLYN NY 17 17 7 1:17:34 5:55 1:17:34 35 76.3 %
Notice the MAAL? That stands for: Marist Alumni Racing Team!
Thanks, Nate, for noticing that pull-down on all New York Road Runners (NYRR) races. And note to other alums in NYRR races: Use that pull-down so that you are proudly representing the MART. Or MAAL, as the New York Road Runners calls us.
A short note on Parenti: As many of you know, Nate and I rarely saw eye-to-eye during his time at Marist. Once he left Marist, he constantly lobbied for me to give him a MART singlet. I declined his requests, until he completed his degree.
Once he completed his degree, I gave him the MART singlet, with a stern warning: Wear it with pride and show up to races ready to race. He has more than heeded this advice.
Yo, Parenti: I'm proud of you, buddy. Nicely done! I hope you stick with it, and I hope you keep getting faster.
Check out the official race result line here:
PARENTI NATE M27 307 MAAL BROOKLYN NY 17 17 7 1:17:34 5:55 1:17:34 35 76.3 %
Notice the MAAL? That stands for: Marist Alumni Racing Team!
Thanks, Nate, for noticing that pull-down on all New York Road Runners (NYRR) races. And note to other alums in NYRR races: Use that pull-down so that you are proudly representing the MART. Or MAAL, as the New York Road Runners calls us.
A short note on Parenti: As many of you know, Nate and I rarely saw eye-to-eye during his time at Marist. Once he left Marist, he constantly lobbied for me to give him a MART singlet. I declined his requests, until he completed his degree.
Once he completed his degree, I gave him the MART singlet, with a stern warning: Wear it with pride and show up to races ready to race. He has more than heeded this advice.
Yo, Parenti: I'm proud of you, buddy. Nicely done! I hope you stick with it, and I hope you keep getting faster.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Joe T. PRs at Hartford
From yesterday:
Joe Tarantello (class of 08) ran a PR in the marathon at the Hartford Marathon. Joey Tat placed 27th overall in 2:56:24 (6:44 pace) on a less-than-perfect marathon day.
It was a bit warm and humid early on, and then the wind was whipping around later in the day. Joe was hoping for close to 2:50 on this day, but given the conditions he did a tremendous job and I'm proud of him.
Joe Tarantello (class of 08) ran a PR in the marathon at the Hartford Marathon. Joey Tat placed 27th overall in 2:56:24 (6:44 pace) on a less-than-perfect marathon day.
It was a bit warm and humid early on, and then the wind was whipping around later in the day. Joe was hoping for close to 2:50 on this day, but given the conditions he did a tremendous job and I'm proud of him.
Rolek rocks in half marathon
This post is a few weeks' overdue. Our boy Mike Rolek (class of 08, former 10km school record holder) ran a sizzling 13.1 at the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City, NJ, a few weekends ago.
Mike was using this as a hard training run, but it turned into much more than that. On a wet course with a lot of turns, Mike ran 1:10:23 (5:22 pace) and got third overall. This comes on the heels of a very strong 20km in New Haven a few weeks prior.
Mike is training hard for the Philly Half Marathon later in the fall. His goal is to break 1:10 at Philly. He's almost there.
Mike was using this as a hard training run, but it turned into much more than that. On a wet course with a lot of turns, Mike ran 1:10:23 (5:22 pace) and got third overall. This comes on the heels of a very strong 20km in New Haven a few weeks prior.
Mike is training hard for the Philly Half Marathon later in the fall. His goal is to break 1:10 at Philly. He's almost there.
Weather watch
Hello men:
Another beautiful day has dawned in the mid-Hudson Valley. However, as the calendar marches through October and hurries its way toward November, keep in mind that the Weather Gods may not be as kind as they are now. To wit:
-- Friday's forecast for State College, PA (Penn State) is calling for damp and cool conditions, with highs only in the mid-40s.
-- Saturday's forecast for Albany, NY (UAlbany) is calling for similar conditions.
Keep this in mind as we proceed through the week. The heat and humidity are, for the most part, a thing of the past. It's going to be chilly and probably stay chilly, for a while.
Another beautiful day has dawned in the mid-Hudson Valley. However, as the calendar marches through October and hurries its way toward November, keep in mind that the Weather Gods may not be as kind as they are now. To wit:
-- Friday's forecast for State College, PA (Penn State) is calling for damp and cool conditions, with highs only in the mid-40s.
-- Saturday's forecast for Albany, NY (UAlbany) is calling for similar conditions.
Keep this in mind as we proceed through the week. The heat and humidity are, for the most part, a thing of the past. It's going to be chilly and probably stay chilly, for a while.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Mile repeats by the watch
Nice job in the mile repeats at Bowdoin Park today. It was actually a bit humid and the rain stopped for us.
Coach Chuck ran a few of them with Group 3 and did a great job with it. Interestingly, he noted with his fancy Garmin watch that the thing beeped about 5 seconds before he reached my end-of-mile cones.
This indicates that wheeled measurement is not 100 percent accurate -- especially if the dorky coach (me!) does not walk the tangents as you run them.
Given all this, keep in mind that most of you all ran a pretty strong workout today.
As noted today, those of you that drilled the 3x7 min tempo a bit too hard on Tuesday perhaps paid the price a little today. It's OK. It happens.
Those of you that are going or went home ... have a great weekend. We shall reconvene on Monday.
Coach Chuck ran a few of them with Group 3 and did a great job with it. Interestingly, he noted with his fancy Garmin watch that the thing beeped about 5 seconds before he reached my end-of-mile cones.
This indicates that wheeled measurement is not 100 percent accurate -- especially if the dorky coach (me!) does not walk the tangents as you run them.
Given all this, keep in mind that most of you all ran a pretty strong workout today.
As noted today, those of you that drilled the 3x7 min tempo a bit too hard on Tuesday perhaps paid the price a little today. It's OK. It happens.
Those of you that are going or went home ... have a great weekend. We shall reconvene on Monday.
Unusual, off-beat personalities ...
As if on cue, shortly after my Prinz post yesterday, Wantagh's own Quimes DelaCruz showed up at practice in an old Marist sprinter speed suit! He proceeded to run the 8-mile bridge run. In a speed suit.
That's got to be a first, to my recollection.
Perhaps the Q-Man thought he was at wrestling practice (he was a good wrestler at Wantagh).
Anyway, to each his own.
As long as his running shoes are not worn and he is working hard, he can wear whatever he wants (within reason) to practice.
Mile repeats in the rain later today, at Bowdoin. Women's team did a nice job on the hill workout yesterday at Bowdoin.
That's got to be a first, to my recollection.
Perhaps the Q-Man thought he was at wrestling practice (he was a good wrestler at Wantagh).
Anyway, to each his own.
As long as his running shoes are not worn and he is working hard, he can wear whatever he wants (within reason) to practice.
Mile repeats in the rain later today, at Bowdoin. Women's team did a nice job on the hill workout yesterday at Bowdoin.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A new altitude for Prinz
As promised, a Marist Running post/update on Marist Alum Sean Prinz.
Like Walsh, Prinz is a proud Wantagh man. Our current freshman Quimes DelaCruz is continuing the quirky Wantagh-Marist connection/tradition. And that is: Unusual, off-beat personalities who are serious, hard-working runners.
I don't think I am hurting anyone's feelings or taking too many liberties by labeling Prinz, Walsh and now Quimes as "unusual, off-beat personalities who are serious, hard-working runners."
Anyway, when I was talking with CT a couple weeks ago, he mentioned to me that Prinz was in Columbia. At least that's how I heard it. My first thought was: "What's this? My counter-culture boy has gone Ivy League? How can this be?"
Of course, being the idiot that I am, I was wrong.
Not Columbia. Colombia.
Yes. The country. In South America.
At altitude. Serious altitude.
Prinz has relocated there with his Significant Other. During the past year, he has taken on a renewed seriousness to his training and racing. Moving to the serious mountains of South America will enable him to enhance this.
Without further ado, here is some of what Prinz told me via email. From Colombia:
I'm living in Armenia, Colombia, which sits about 5500 feet and on my run east I get up to 9000 feet in about 40 minutes. I was at 9000 feet in the Bogota and did some hills that got me above 10,000 and those runs hurt. I was sucking wind at 8 minute pace (Editor's note: I suck wind at 8-minute pace on the flat roads of Poughkeepsie!). I have access to the Internet and I'm keeping my logbook on gmail documents. Rolek, Walsh, and most importantly quasi-coach Hopkins have viewing privileges. Let me know if you want access to see it as well to follow along and chime in from time to time (Editor's note: Yes Sean, that would be cool).
I'd be more than happy to have a cover story on the Marist Blog (Editor's note: Here it is!). I saved up for about six months and my girlfriend saved her wads and wads of cash from bartending weekends during school that we have a nice nut we don't mind cracking traveling the world for 6 months. We are currently based out of Colombia and leaving in mid-October to head to Ecuador, then Peru, then Chile all the way down the Pacific. Plan is to head back north along the Atlantic.
The goal is to build one hell of an aerobic base while I'm away and see if I can ever break 15 for 5k before I'm 30 or in this lifetime.
I'm off for a run...I'd like to say an easy 10, but no runs feel easy these days.
Awesome. Thanks, Prinz.
Safe travels, and keep running strong in your pursuit for the sub-15:00. I think you can do it!
Like Walsh, Prinz is a proud Wantagh man. Our current freshman Quimes DelaCruz is continuing the quirky Wantagh-Marist connection/tradition. And that is: Unusual, off-beat personalities who are serious, hard-working runners.
I don't think I am hurting anyone's feelings or taking too many liberties by labeling Prinz, Walsh and now Quimes as "unusual, off-beat personalities who are serious, hard-working runners."
Anyway, when I was talking with CT a couple weeks ago, he mentioned to me that Prinz was in Columbia. At least that's how I heard it. My first thought was: "What's this? My counter-culture boy has gone Ivy League? How can this be?"
Of course, being the idiot that I am, I was wrong.
Not Columbia. Colombia.
Yes. The country. In South America.
At altitude. Serious altitude.
Prinz has relocated there with his Significant Other. During the past year, he has taken on a renewed seriousness to his training and racing. Moving to the serious mountains of South America will enable him to enhance this.
Without further ado, here is some of what Prinz told me via email. From Colombia:
I'm living in Armenia, Colombia, which sits about 5500 feet and on my run east I get up to 9000 feet in about 40 minutes. I was at 9000 feet in the Bogota and did some hills that got me above 10,000 and those runs hurt. I was sucking wind at 8 minute pace (Editor's note: I suck wind at 8-minute pace on the flat roads of Poughkeepsie!). I have access to the Internet and I'm keeping my logbook on gmail documents. Rolek, Walsh, and most importantly quasi-coach Hopkins have viewing privileges. Let me know if you want access to see it as well to follow along and chime in from time to time (Editor's note: Yes Sean, that would be cool).
I'd be more than happy to have a cover story on the Marist Blog (Editor's note: Here it is!). I saved up for about six months and my girlfriend saved her wads and wads of cash from bartending weekends during school that we have a nice nut we don't mind cracking traveling the world for 6 months. We are currently based out of Colombia and leaving in mid-October to head to Ecuador, then Peru, then Chile all the way down the Pacific. Plan is to head back north along the Atlantic.
The goal is to build one hell of an aerobic base while I'm away and see if I can ever break 15 for 5k before I'm 30 or in this lifetime.
I'm off for a run...I'd like to say an easy 10, but no runs feel easy these days.
Awesome. Thanks, Prinz.
Safe travels, and keep running strong in your pursuit for the sub-15:00. I think you can do it!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
More Paul Short numbers, thoughts
Several team members were wondering about their splits from Paul Short. Thanks to freshman Will Schanz, who was recovering from injury and did not run, we have a lot of splits from the meet. It was very difficult and hectic, so we couldn't get them all, but Will (and Lipari) did a great job with them.
Here's what we've got ...
Varsity race, 5km splits
Conor Shelley: 15:35
Tim Keegan: 15:41. Yup. Out too fast.
Will Griffin and Matt Flint: 15:44
Curtis Jensen: 15:49 (guess)
Nick Webster: 15:53
Quimes DelaCruz: 16:00
Zak Smetana: 16:13
Sam McMullen and Pat Duggan: 16:20
JV race, Mile and 5km splits where available
Sean Nestor: 5:12, 16:27. Still too fast but getting better.
Matt Janczyk: 5:18, 16:30. Perfect. Absolutely perfect!
Mike Nicoletti: 5:18, 16:36. Nice, strong race.
Billy Posch: 5:18, 16:36. Ditto.
Brian Townsend: 5:18, 16:40 (not sure of that). Very solid effort on your road to recovery.
Matt Panebianco: 5:18, 16:53. Excellent.
Kyle Havard: 5:18, 17:06. Decent, solid effort.
Joel Moss: 5:26, 17:06. Tremendous. Nicely done.
Greg Masto: 5:26, did not get 5km. Best xc race in a long while.
Ryan Fitzsimons: 5:35, 17:21. Breakthrough effort.
Ryan Brown: 5:27, 17:21. Strong and solid.
Colin Johnson: did not get mile, 17:00. Very good!
Mike Keegan: Missed them both, but you still ran great!
Brendan Green: 5:32, missed 5km. Great job.
Mike Holinko: 5:32, missed 5km. Decent effort and time.
WOMEN'S ANALYSIS
Chuck and I just exchanged some emails this morning and a lightbulb went on in my head. This year's women's team is very reminscent to the 1998 men's team. I know this doesn't mean much to most younger readers of this blog.
That team was the best in school history up to that point, in large part due to three fantastic lead runners in Mike Melfi, Ben Hefferon and Greg Salamone. After that, we had a big gap to our 4th and 5th. Same is the case with the women. The goal with this women's team is the same as it was with that men's team back 11 years ago: Close that gap!
We believe this can be achieved. We had a strong pool of "pack" runners who are definitely capable of closing that gap. That will be the goal at our next two meets, UAlbany and MAACs.
Our remaining schedule, for those keeping score at home:
Friday, 10.16: Penn State National (varsity men only)
Saturday, 10.17: UAlbany Invitational (rest of men's squad, full women's team)
Friday, 10.30: MAAC Championships, VCP
Saturday, 11.14: NCAA Regional, Franklin Park, Boston
Saturday, 11.21: IC4A/ECACs, VCP
Hope to see some alums and many parents/family/friends at some of these events.
Here's what we've got ...
Varsity race, 5km splits
Conor Shelley: 15:35
Tim Keegan: 15:41. Yup. Out too fast.
Will Griffin and Matt Flint: 15:44
Curtis Jensen: 15:49 (guess)
Nick Webster: 15:53
Quimes DelaCruz: 16:00
Zak Smetana: 16:13
Sam McMullen and Pat Duggan: 16:20
JV race, Mile and 5km splits where available
Sean Nestor: 5:12, 16:27. Still too fast but getting better.
Matt Janczyk: 5:18, 16:30. Perfect. Absolutely perfect!
Mike Nicoletti: 5:18, 16:36. Nice, strong race.
Billy Posch: 5:18, 16:36. Ditto.
Brian Townsend: 5:18, 16:40 (not sure of that). Very solid effort on your road to recovery.
Matt Panebianco: 5:18, 16:53. Excellent.
Kyle Havard: 5:18, 17:06. Decent, solid effort.
Joel Moss: 5:26, 17:06. Tremendous. Nicely done.
Greg Masto: 5:26, did not get 5km. Best xc race in a long while.
Ryan Fitzsimons: 5:35, 17:21. Breakthrough effort.
Ryan Brown: 5:27, 17:21. Strong and solid.
Colin Johnson: did not get mile, 17:00. Very good!
Mike Keegan: Missed them both, but you still ran great!
Brendan Green: 5:32, missed 5km. Great job.
Mike Holinko: 5:32, missed 5km. Decent effort and time.
WOMEN'S ANALYSIS
Chuck and I just exchanged some emails this morning and a lightbulb went on in my head. This year's women's team is very reminscent to the 1998 men's team. I know this doesn't mean much to most younger readers of this blog.
That team was the best in school history up to that point, in large part due to three fantastic lead runners in Mike Melfi, Ben Hefferon and Greg Salamone. After that, we had a big gap to our 4th and 5th. Same is the case with the women. The goal with this women's team is the same as it was with that men's team back 11 years ago: Close that gap!
We believe this can be achieved. We had a strong pool of "pack" runners who are definitely capable of closing that gap. That will be the goal at our next two meets, UAlbany and MAACs.
Our remaining schedule, for those keeping score at home:
Friday, 10.16: Penn State National (varsity men only)
Saturday, 10.17: UAlbany Invitational (rest of men's squad, full women's team)
Friday, 10.30: MAAC Championships, VCP
Saturday, 11.14: NCAA Regional, Franklin Park, Boston
Saturday, 11.21: IC4A/ECACs, VCP
Hope to see some alums and many parents/family/friends at some of these events.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Paul Short analysis, men's results
While watching the meet on Friday and thinking about it afterwards, my first thoughts were: "Geez, we got our butts handed to us out there; but I think we still ran OK?" It was weird. Times were fast. Places were not great, in the varsity race.
It took Hopkins to put it in perspective best in a text he sent me over the weekend:
"So all things considered, no Girma, Raucci or Vess, this year's team placed 5 spots higher against stiffer competition."
All true. And all makes me feel a lot better about things.
Now look: You can only judge the team that is out there. The reality of the matter is Girma/Raucci are done for xc, and it was our decision not to race Vess. You can "what-if" results till the cows come home (Well, if we had Vess, we would have ... ) but that can sometimes be unproductive and frustrating.
I'm proud of the team we trotted out there. And as Hopkins pointed out, we did a pretty darn good job overall -- much better than last year. And last year's team was pretty good!
Justin Harris, who was there coaching his SUNY New Paltz team, also made a valid point. Our (Marist) style of racing is not very conducive to a track-meet style of meet like Paul Short. At PS, you gotta get out and stay out. If you try to run even-paced or smart pacing, you are stuck way behind. While you can make it up somewhat, on a relatively fast course with no chump runners, you aren't gonna be gobbling up a lot of places over the final 3km.
So, the quick analysis goes like this.
In the varsity race, the following guys ran really well: Curtis, Quimes, Zak, Sam, Duggan. Web had a nice bounce-back race after a little detour with a hip injury. The rest of the varsity guys ran well, solid, decent. Not great. Not awful. Left us yearning for more.
In the JV race, I would say top to bottom everyone ran really well. Some more than others. But in general, extremely strong. I was very, very pumped after this race!
Good heavens. Practically the entire team PRed and I am still picking things apart. I guess that's a good thing.
We have a lot of season to go, fellas, and a lot of goals to hit.
Stay healthy. Stay strong.
Run. Rehydrate. Run some more.
Gold Race (Varsity) results
Conor Shelley 24:47 (personal best)
William Griffin 24:49 (personal best)
Matthew Flint 24:52 (personal best)
Curtis Jensen 25:05 (personal best)
Nick Webster 25:25 (personal best)
Tim Keegan 25:28 (personal best)
Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:29 (personal best)
Zak Smetana 25:57 (personal best)
Sam McMullen 26:17 (personal best)
Patrick Duggan 26:19 (personal best)
Open Race Results
Matt Janczyk 26:00 (personal best)
Sean Nestor 26:18 (personal best)
Billy Posch 26:21 (personal best)
Mike Nicoletti 26:39 (personal best)
Matt Panebianco 26:56 (personal best)
Brian Townsend 27:07
Kyle Havard 27:19 (personal best)
Joel Moss 27:20 (personal best)
Michael Keegan 27:23 (personal best)
Ryan Brown 27:24 (personal best)
Colin Johnson 27:29 (personal best)
Ryan Fitzsimons 27:41 (personal best)
Greg Masto 28:02
Mike Holinko 29:30
Brendan Green 30:55 (personal best)
It took Hopkins to put it in perspective best in a text he sent me over the weekend:
"So all things considered, no Girma, Raucci or Vess, this year's team placed 5 spots higher against stiffer competition."
All true. And all makes me feel a lot better about things.
Now look: You can only judge the team that is out there. The reality of the matter is Girma/Raucci are done for xc, and it was our decision not to race Vess. You can "what-if" results till the cows come home (Well, if we had Vess, we would have ... ) but that can sometimes be unproductive and frustrating.
I'm proud of the team we trotted out there. And as Hopkins pointed out, we did a pretty darn good job overall -- much better than last year. And last year's team was pretty good!
Justin Harris, who was there coaching his SUNY New Paltz team, also made a valid point. Our (Marist) style of racing is not very conducive to a track-meet style of meet like Paul Short. At PS, you gotta get out and stay out. If you try to run even-paced or smart pacing, you are stuck way behind. While you can make it up somewhat, on a relatively fast course with no chump runners, you aren't gonna be gobbling up a lot of places over the final 3km.
So, the quick analysis goes like this.
In the varsity race, the following guys ran really well: Curtis, Quimes, Zak, Sam, Duggan. Web had a nice bounce-back race after a little detour with a hip injury. The rest of the varsity guys ran well, solid, decent. Not great. Not awful. Left us yearning for more.
In the JV race, I would say top to bottom everyone ran really well. Some more than others. But in general, extremely strong. I was very, very pumped after this race!
Good heavens. Practically the entire team PRed and I am still picking things apart. I guess that's a good thing.
We have a lot of season to go, fellas, and a lot of goals to hit.
Stay healthy. Stay strong.
Run. Rehydrate. Run some more.
Gold Race (Varsity) results
Conor Shelley 24:47 (personal best)
William Griffin 24:49 (personal best)
Matthew Flint 24:52 (personal best)
Curtis Jensen 25:05 (personal best)
Nick Webster 25:25 (personal best)
Tim Keegan 25:28 (personal best)
Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:29 (personal best)
Zak Smetana 25:57 (personal best)
Sam McMullen 26:17 (personal best)
Patrick Duggan 26:19 (personal best)
Open Race Results
Matt Janczyk 26:00 (personal best)
Sean Nestor 26:18 (personal best)
Billy Posch 26:21 (personal best)
Mike Nicoletti 26:39 (personal best)
Matt Panebianco 26:56 (personal best)
Brian Townsend 27:07
Kyle Havard 27:19 (personal best)
Joel Moss 27:20 (personal best)
Michael Keegan 27:23 (personal best)
Ryan Brown 27:24 (personal best)
Colin Johnson 27:29 (personal best)
Ryan Fitzsimons 27:41 (personal best)
Greg Masto 28:02
Mike Holinko 29:30
Brendan Green 30:55 (personal best)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Walsh leads his new team to victory
Wow! Check out this link for the very latest news on Marist alum Matt Walsh, who is now tearing it up as a grad student runner at Molloy College. Walsh led his team to victory and won the overall race at the Mount Saint Mary Invitational down in nearby Newburgh.
This is phenomenal!
As many of you know, Walsh and I did not often see eye-to-eye on things through the years -- both at Marist and beyond. But I wish him nothing but the best in his current and future running and non-running pursuits. By all accounts, he has taken a renewed seriousness to the sport, and that is great to see. I am rooting for him all the way.
Once a Marist runner, always a Marist runner in my book. Great to see him completing his collegiate eligibility in a strong fashion at Molloy.
And oh, by the way: Current team freshman Quimes DelaCruz (a Wantagh alum like Walsh and Prinz) was on hand to cheer on his former coach, as well as other high school running friends.
By the way: The new Walkway bridge is really cool. Coach Chuck placed 5th overall in the Treetops to Rooftops race there this morning. More than 700 runners/walkers participated.
Back with more when I can ...
This is phenomenal!
As many of you know, Walsh and I did not often see eye-to-eye on things through the years -- both at Marist and beyond. But I wish him nothing but the best in his current and future running and non-running pursuits. By all accounts, he has taken a renewed seriousness to the sport, and that is great to see. I am rooting for him all the way.
Once a Marist runner, always a Marist runner in my book. Great to see him completing his collegiate eligibility in a strong fashion at Molloy.
And oh, by the way: Current team freshman Quimes DelaCruz (a Wantagh alum like Walsh and Prinz) was on hand to cheer on his former coach, as well as other high school running friends.
By the way: The new Walkway bridge is really cool. Coach Chuck placed 5th overall in the Treetops to Rooftops race there this morning. More than 700 runners/walkers participated.
Back with more when I can ...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Paul Short today
Dear blog followers:
This is going to be a very busy weekend for me personally. My brother-in-law is coming into town from Florida. He has not been back since he moved down there 5 years ago. He is one of my best friends. So the blog may not be updated with the frequency and depth that you may like. I apologize in advance.
A few notes ...
1. Paul Short at Lehigh went well today. Check here for complete results. Among the highlights:
-- Despite lead runner Adam Vess not running (he tweaked his ankle last week in practice, but in truth this was a planned off meet for him; if needed, he could have run at less than 100 percent), the varsity men (top-5) averaged 24:59.6. Pretty amazing stuff. I had talked about tightening up our pack. How about this for tightening? Runners 1-4 were a mere 18 seconds apart (24:47, 24:49, 24:52, 25:05). The spread from 1-5 (5th man, 25:25) was a still-tight 38 seconds. Mission accomplished. However, in a big-meet scenario, not having a true lead runner (low number) can be costly. Such was the case for us today. So it goes.
-- Brittany Burns ran an all-time best (21:30) for 6km. School record. Nicely done, Brit! Most of the ladies ran 6km PRs and/or a lot faster than last year at the same meet. An excellent day. Our top three women ran great. We had a big gap after that, but many other women ran PR times and certainly supreme efforts today.
2. I know I have a few promised blog post updates coming your way: On Rolek, Prinz and Walsh. I'll get to them eventually.
And I will try to get the team results and some commentary (no promises) up here as soon as possible too.
Hang in there.
If you are in the area this weekend, you might also be aware of this bridge thing. It's a pretty big deal.
Take care and blog at you when I can,
Pete
This is going to be a very busy weekend for me personally. My brother-in-law is coming into town from Florida. He has not been back since he moved down there 5 years ago. He is one of my best friends. So the blog may not be updated with the frequency and depth that you may like. I apologize in advance.
A few notes ...
1. Paul Short at Lehigh went well today. Check here for complete results. Among the highlights:
-- Despite lead runner Adam Vess not running (he tweaked his ankle last week in practice, but in truth this was a planned off meet for him; if needed, he could have run at less than 100 percent), the varsity men (top-5) averaged 24:59.6. Pretty amazing stuff. I had talked about tightening up our pack. How about this for tightening? Runners 1-4 were a mere 18 seconds apart (24:47, 24:49, 24:52, 25:05). The spread from 1-5 (5th man, 25:25) was a still-tight 38 seconds. Mission accomplished. However, in a big-meet scenario, not having a true lead runner (low number) can be costly. Such was the case for us today. So it goes.
-- Brittany Burns ran an all-time best (21:30) for 6km. School record. Nicely done, Brit! Most of the ladies ran 6km PRs and/or a lot faster than last year at the same meet. An excellent day. Our top three women ran great. We had a big gap after that, but many other women ran PR times and certainly supreme efforts today.
2. I know I have a few promised blog post updates coming your way: On Rolek, Prinz and Walsh. I'll get to them eventually.
And I will try to get the team results and some commentary (no promises) up here as soon as possible too.
Hang in there.
If you are in the area this weekend, you might also be aware of this bridge thing. It's a pretty big deal.
Take care and blog at you when I can,
Pete
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