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!