Please note that Blog Central will be shut down due to family vacation. I probably will not have reliable (or any) Internet access as we head up to the Land of Luke (Lake George) for about 10 days.
If anyone needs to reach me, cell/text is the best way to go. Up in the Land of Luke, cell service is spotty at best. But oddly, texts seem to be transmitted rather easily. In the Land of Luke, this makes perfect sense!
Anyway:
1. If you have been kind enough to send me your training updates via e-mail, please continue to do so. I will check them when I get back.
2. Do not forget the team BBQ, still slated for Saturday, July 17, at the riverfront by Marist. If you can make it, great!
3. While in the "save the date" mode, remember the Red Fox Trot 5k on Saturday, Sept. 11. Hope to see alumni and friends back for that one.
4. Fundraising news and information will be my first priority upon returning. Be ready to fundraise. If you are an alum, be ready to be solicited by me. Donations are appreciated but not required from alums. From current team members, they are appreciated AND required.
5. Kudos to Geist for the phenomenal "Pete Peeve" mention in the comments section recently. Nicely done, bro!
That's it. For now. I think I got about 150 posts for the first half of the year. Not too shabby. We'll aim for a similar amount as we round the bend into the Fiscal New Year, and a New Year of Marist Running ... 2010-2011.
Can't wait.
Remember! Run. Rehydrate. Run Some More.
For now, I'm blogging off ...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Putting a wrap on Des Moines
Wouldn't you know? Chuck and Jackie's flight from Des Moines was CANCELED on Sunday morning. The airline graciously decided to put them on their next flight out of town -- on Monday night!
Yeah, right. Chuck would have none of that nonsense. He booked a direct flight from Omaha to Newark, grabbed a rental car and drove the 100 miles to Omaha, and then landed in Newark last night around 9 p.m.
The long, strange trip to Junior Nationals 2010 was complete. Thank goodness for school credit cards.
Drake was an interesting host stadium. The place was half-empty most of the time, which wasn't cool. But it was HOT for the entire meet, and there was a big Arts Festival in downtown Des Moines.
And, probably most importantly, this was the rare non-Olympic/non-Worlds year for the Senior USATF meet -- happens only once every four years. So while there were some pretty decent highlights, the bottom line is, this meet just didn't have the juice that it normally has -- again, totally understandable.
Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to have some more qualifiers for 2011 -- wherever it might be.
Yeah, right. Chuck would have none of that nonsense. He booked a direct flight from Omaha to Newark, grabbed a rental car and drove the 100 miles to Omaha, and then landed in Newark last night around 9 p.m.
The long, strange trip to Junior Nationals 2010 was complete. Thank goodness for school credit cards.
Drake was an interesting host stadium. The place was half-empty most of the time, which wasn't cool. But it was HOT for the entire meet, and there was a big Arts Festival in downtown Des Moines.
And, probably most importantly, this was the rare non-Olympic/non-Worlds year for the Senior USATF meet -- happens only once every four years. So while there were some pretty decent highlights, the bottom line is, this meet just didn't have the juice that it normally has -- again, totally understandable.
Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to have some more qualifiers for 2011 -- wherever it might be.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Greetings from Gate B-5
Yeah. So much for that smooth trip home. Our connecting flight out of Chicago was -- surprise, surprise!! -- delayed by several hours. So we are sitting here in O'Hare, with Quimes and Nicoletti looking over my shoulder while I'm on the Internet.
These guys have learned two pet peeves of mine on this trip:
1. Malls. I do not like malls. We went to a mall in New Jersey on Wednesday night, and I was very uncomfortable. I wanted out. Perhaps it stems from years of chasing kids around malls and trying to prevent them from ripping clothes off the hangers.
2. Looking over my shoulder when I am on a computer. Oh! That's a biggie. I cannot STAND that.
So, I shooed them away in order to do this post. I am going to try to upload some pix from Quimes' camera for this post. I hope it works.
In the meantime, birthday wishes, in no particular order, go out to:
1. Derek Jeter, who turns 36 today. Did you know? Only two players in MLB history have more hits than Jeter upon reaching 36: Hank Aaron and Robin Yount. Both in the Hall of Fame.
2. Justin Harris. SR holder in the steeple celebrates his birthday on Sunday.
3. Adam Vess. Team captain turns 21 on Sunday. Nicely done.
Steppin' lightly
Thanks in large part to the well-timed text from Joel Moss, I have a new appreciation for Des Moines. It is not nearly as bad or desolate as we had thought the other night – in our sleep-deprived and hunger-depraved state, desperately looking for food.
-- The downtown is small but vibrant. The same cannot be said for Indy, where Keenan and I went four years ago. I had initially equated Des Moines with Indy. Not a fair comparison. Indy is bigger but not necessarily better.
-- After the 10km last night, we went down to the Court Avenue District, which had a hopping night scene. We grabbed a late dinner and walked around. It finally felt like we were in a city.
-- This morning, I went jogging over in east downtown, past the really cool capitol building. I crossed over the Des Moines River (the words “majestic” and “mighty” do not come to mind, FYI) a few times. It is a small river, but this city seems to have an obsession about crossing it – as there are about a half-dozen bridges within eyesight from where I was jogging.
-- There is a really neat looking farmer’s market going on. We are going to go check it out for a late breakfast/early lunch.
-- Finally, Drake Stadium is a fine track venue. NCAA Outdoors will be here in 2011. It sure would be nice to be here for that! Considering we have NEVER had an NCAA qualifier, the safe money is that we won't be back. But you never know: Quimes said he’ll qualify in the steeple and the 10km, just like he did for this meet. Sure, sure, Q. Dream big! I like it.
For now, clutch that hard-earned medal of yours.
These Junior National trips are more about the experience and getting the Marist name out than performances. But this year, Quimes had a meet for the ages. He was our only athlete in school history to double at this meet. And what does he do? He places higher than anyone else in school history. Pretty sweet.
That’s probably it for my Des Moines posts. Hopefully, our return trip east will be far less eventful than the trip out here. Thanks for reading.
-- The downtown is small but vibrant. The same cannot be said for Indy, where Keenan and I went four years ago. I had initially equated Des Moines with Indy. Not a fair comparison. Indy is bigger but not necessarily better.
-- After the 10km last night, we went down to the Court Avenue District, which had a hopping night scene. We grabbed a late dinner and walked around. It finally felt like we were in a city.
-- This morning, I went jogging over in east downtown, past the really cool capitol building. I crossed over the Des Moines River (the words “majestic” and “mighty” do not come to mind, FYI) a few times. It is a small river, but this city seems to have an obsession about crossing it – as there are about a half-dozen bridges within eyesight from where I was jogging.
-- There is a really neat looking farmer’s market going on. We are going to go check it out for a late breakfast/early lunch.
-- Finally, Drake Stadium is a fine track venue. NCAA Outdoors will be here in 2011. It sure would be nice to be here for that! Considering we have NEVER had an NCAA qualifier, the safe money is that we won't be back. But you never know: Quimes said he’ll qualify in the steeple and the 10km, just like he did for this meet. Sure, sure, Q. Dream big! I like it.
For now, clutch that hard-earned medal of yours.
These Junior National trips are more about the experience and getting the Marist name out than performances. But this year, Quimes had a meet for the ages. He was our only athlete in school history to double at this meet. And what does he do? He places higher than anyone else in school history. Pretty sweet.
That’s probably it for my Des Moines posts. Hopefully, our return trip east will be far less eventful than the trip out here. Thanks for reading.
Arquimedes DelaCruz medals at Juniors Nationals!
Tonight in the 10,000-meter run, Quimes DelaCruz got fifth place out of 25 starters in a great race and superb effort. Medals go to the top 6 finishers in the race, so his finish was great and historic -- being the highest finish in school history by anyone in the 10,000.
Quimes ran 32:25.22, a personal-best time by almost 3 minutes! He ran 35:10 when he got the bronze medal at Empire State Games as a high school junior.
And keep in mind, Quimes was the only runner in the field who ran an event the day before (the steeple).
Mike Nicoletti ran tough for as long as he could on his bad knee and was one of seven runners who DNFed on a brutal night for a 10k on the track. I'm very proud that Mike qualified and made this trip. He earned it and it's just too bad he was hurt and could not give it a go to the finish line.
Anyway, tonight belonged to Quimes, who has been clutching his precious medal for the past few hours since the race finished.
Here are his race splits:
73, 2:28 (75), 3:42 (74), 4:57 (75)
6:11 (74), 7:27 (76), 8:44 (77), 10:02 (78)
11:17 (75), 12:34 (77), 13:54 (80), 15:13 (79)
16:34 (81), 17:52 (78), 19:13 (79), 20:32 (79)
21:55 (83), 23:17 (82), 24:38 (81), 25:56 (78)
27:17 (81), 28:38 (81), 29:57 (79), 31:15 (78)
32:25.22 (70.22)
First 5km: 15:53
Second 5km: 16:32.22
Note: If you look at the splits, you might think that Quimes really faded badly. He did not. The field faded worse. He did go out harder than I would have liked. He was leading or in second place for the first two miles, which thrilled him since the announcer said his name a lot -- Quimes likes that stuff!
He likes earning medals even more. As he struggled in the second half of the race, what kept him going was the dangling carrot of getting that medal. He got it. Good for him.
The previous best finish in this event for a Marist runner was Tim Keegan two years ago in Columbus (seventh place). The only one who finished higher was Adam Vess in the 5,000 at Columbus two years ago.
Great job, Q!
Last note: Thanks to team member Joel Moss for the huge assist via text. His aunt lives in the Des Moines area, and Joel shared with us some great tips on places to eat. It paid dividends tonight after the meet.
Complete results from tonight:
1 Parker Stinson Rogue Running 30:56.10
2 Graham Bazell unattached 31:33.76
3 Robert Molke Syracuse 31:58.49
4 Benjamin Furcht Georgetown 32:13.22
5 Arquimedes DelaCruz Marist College 32:25.22
6 Michael Lilley Appalachian State 32:30.42
7 Chris York Richmond 32:41.43
8 Connor Callahan Marquette 33:00.98
9 Erik Anderson San Diego 33:06.18
10 Burk Staub Appalachian State 33:06.87
11 Ross Roberson Charlotte 33:30.65
12 Tyler Noble Saginaw Vall 33:33.01
13 Antonio Schafer Oakland 33:39.78
14 Oliver Bear Don't Walk Harrier TC 34:04.88
15 Brehanu Dagnachew Charlotte 34:15.12
16 Jonathan Krell Central Conn 34:32.12
17 Scott Ryan Washington & 34:56.61
18 Kevin Randle Saint Ambrose 35:01.15
-- Christopher Connelly Sacred Heart DNF
-- Tyson Christensen unattached DNF
-- Brendan Devlin unattached DNF
-- Jeffery Arnier unattached DNF
-- Craig Lutz Lake Cities TC DNF
-- Michael Nicoletti Marist College DNF
-- Andrew Coelho Adelphi DNF
Quimes ran 32:25.22, a personal-best time by almost 3 minutes! He ran 35:10 when he got the bronze medal at Empire State Games as a high school junior.
And keep in mind, Quimes was the only runner in the field who ran an event the day before (the steeple).
Mike Nicoletti ran tough for as long as he could on his bad knee and was one of seven runners who DNFed on a brutal night for a 10k on the track. I'm very proud that Mike qualified and made this trip. He earned it and it's just too bad he was hurt and could not give it a go to the finish line.
Anyway, tonight belonged to Quimes, who has been clutching his precious medal for the past few hours since the race finished.
Here are his race splits:
73, 2:28 (75), 3:42 (74), 4:57 (75)
6:11 (74), 7:27 (76), 8:44 (77), 10:02 (78)
11:17 (75), 12:34 (77), 13:54 (80), 15:13 (79)
16:34 (81), 17:52 (78), 19:13 (79), 20:32 (79)
21:55 (83), 23:17 (82), 24:38 (81), 25:56 (78)
27:17 (81), 28:38 (81), 29:57 (79), 31:15 (78)
32:25.22 (70.22)
First 5km: 15:53
Second 5km: 16:32.22
Note: If you look at the splits, you might think that Quimes really faded badly. He did not. The field faded worse. He did go out harder than I would have liked. He was leading or in second place for the first two miles, which thrilled him since the announcer said his name a lot -- Quimes likes that stuff!
He likes earning medals even more. As he struggled in the second half of the race, what kept him going was the dangling carrot of getting that medal. He got it. Good for him.
The previous best finish in this event for a Marist runner was Tim Keegan two years ago in Columbus (seventh place). The only one who finished higher was Adam Vess in the 5,000 at Columbus two years ago.
Great job, Q!
Last note: Thanks to team member Joel Moss for the huge assist via text. His aunt lives in the Des Moines area, and Joel shared with us some great tips on places to eat. It paid dividends tonight after the meet.
Complete results from tonight:
1 Parker Stinson Rogue Running 30:56.10
2 Graham Bazell unattached 31:33.76
3 Robert Molke Syracuse 31:58.49
4 Benjamin Furcht Georgetown 32:13.22
5 Arquimedes DelaCruz Marist College 32:25.22
6 Michael Lilley Appalachian State 32:30.42
7 Chris York Richmond 32:41.43
8 Connor Callahan Marquette 33:00.98
9 Erik Anderson San Diego 33:06.18
10 Burk Staub Appalachian State 33:06.87
11 Ross Roberson Charlotte 33:30.65
12 Tyler Noble Saginaw Vall 33:33.01
13 Antonio Schafer Oakland 33:39.78
14 Oliver Bear Don't Walk Harrier TC 34:04.88
15 Brehanu Dagnachew Charlotte 34:15.12
16 Jonathan Krell Central Conn 34:32.12
17 Scott Ryan Washington & 34:56.61
18 Kevin Randle Saint Ambrose 35:01.15
-- Christopher Connelly Sacred Heart DNF
-- Tyson Christensen unattached DNF
-- Brendan Devlin unattached DNF
-- Jeffery Arnier unattached DNF
-- Craig Lutz Lake Cities TC DNF
-- Michael Nicoletti Marist College DNF
-- Andrew Coelho Adelphi DNF
Friday, June 25, 2010
Early Friday results from Des Moines
It was not a great racing day for Jackie Gamboli. Running in the second of two qualifying heats of the 1,500-meter event, she actually led the first lap of a very tactical race before falling back on the second lap and never recovering.
Her time of 5:03.49 was very disappointing. She has run much faster than this in the past few weeks in practice, at a few of the time trials Coach Chuck had set up at the Vassar Track. Yes, the race was tactical -- as many trials races tend to be -- but the gears did not shift that fast in the field and Jackie knows she should have reacted better than she did.
It was a bad day and we'll chalk it up to that. Jackie was very disappointed and upset over it, but she is in great shape and hopefully this will catapult her into great summer training for what should be a fantastic sophomore year.
Her splits: 78, 2:37 (79), 4:00 (83), 5:03.49 (84.49 last 400m).
This one's for Pete: Avid blog follower, Marist record holder and good friend of Marist Track Peter Van Aken would be interested to note that the junior men's hammer winner from Princeton broke the former US Junior record in that event THREE TIMES en route to his victory of 78.28 meters (256 feet, 10 inches). Of course, Pete probably already knows this. But since I am here and sort of witnessed it from a distance, I figured I'd "throw" that big bit of information in here.
We are now chillin in the hotel, watching the World Cup (well, I'm not watching it!) and staying out of the sun until the 10,000 later tonight. I will update with results and splits either late tonight or first thing Saturday morning.
Her time of 5:03.49 was very disappointing. She has run much faster than this in the past few weeks in practice, at a few of the time trials Coach Chuck had set up at the Vassar Track. Yes, the race was tactical -- as many trials races tend to be -- but the gears did not shift that fast in the field and Jackie knows she should have reacted better than she did.
It was a bad day and we'll chalk it up to that. Jackie was very disappointed and upset over it, but she is in great shape and hopefully this will catapult her into great summer training for what should be a fantastic sophomore year.
Her splits: 78, 2:37 (79), 4:00 (83), 5:03.49 (84.49 last 400m).
This one's for Pete: Avid blog follower, Marist record holder and good friend of Marist Track Peter Van Aken would be interested to note that the junior men's hammer winner from Princeton broke the former US Junior record in that event THREE TIMES en route to his victory of 78.28 meters (256 feet, 10 inches). Of course, Pete probably already knows this. But since I am here and sort of witnessed it from a distance, I figured I'd "throw" that big bit of information in here.
We are now chillin in the hotel, watching the World Cup (well, I'm not watching it!) and staying out of the sun until the 10,000 later tonight. I will update with results and splits either late tonight or first thing Saturday morning.
A new view on Des Moines
OK. Admittedly I was a little harsh on this fine Midwest city in yesterday's post.
This morning, as I headed out for my morning jog, I discovered a nicer Des Moines. Going out on foot will do that. I found a nice macadam/cement path called "Riverwalk" along the Des Moines River and had a nice, 52-minute jog. It's a nice looking town from this view, and there was a lot of activity and bustle this morning out there.
OK. Time to shower and head off to Drake Stadium. A total of 12 women advance in the 1,500 out of a field of two sections of 10. Here's hoping Jackie Gamboli is one of the athletes that advance.
This morning, as I headed out for my morning jog, I discovered a nicer Des Moines. Going out on foot will do that. I found a nice macadam/cement path called "Riverwalk" along the Des Moines River and had a nice, 52-minute jog. It's a nice looking town from this view, and there was a lot of activity and bustle this morning out there.
OK. Time to shower and head off to Drake Stadium. A total of 12 women advance in the 1,500 out of a field of two sections of 10. Here's hoping Jackie Gamboli is one of the athletes that advance.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Quimes' steeple race
Here are the splits from Quimes' race today. Note that it was a "traditional" steeple that started over near the 3k/5k flat start, was about 7.5 laps, with the water jump on the "inside" of the track. It was not the "international" style steeple -- a la Yale and Rider.
Splits: 74, 2:25 (71), 3:38 (73), 4:52 (74), 6:08 (76), 7:29 (79), 8:47 (80), 9:28.78 (41.78)
Notes:
-- In the previous post, I said it was the best finish in school history. To clarify: It was the best STEEPLE finish at USA Juniors in school history. After a little bit of research, our other two steeplers at Junior Nats placed an identical 16th (John Keenan, 2006, Indianapolis and Nick Webster, 2008, Ohio State).
-- His time was the fastest steeple performance at USA Juniors in school history, besting Web's time of 9:45.88 from 08.
-- The race went off at around 2 pm, and the sun was blazing hot. But it was not terribly humid. You get what you get.
-- At a little more than 1,000 meters to go, Quimes misstepped on the rail and appeared to turn his ankle. It was a scary moment. I thought he was gonna drop. But he hung in there and gutted it out. The ankle is OK, but I think the misstep cost him.
-- Q's form was terrible. He was stuttering going into most of the barriers. Such is life. Again, he did the best he could under the circumstances.
-- Quimes is never one to make excuses, but he did note that the tough travel day took a little bit of his energy. Not surprising.
What's next on Friday:
1. Jackie Gamboli runs in the first round of the women's junior 1,500, at 11:55 a.m.
2. Quimes and Mike Nicoletti run in the men's junior 10,000, at 9 p.m.
More travel notes:
-- Coach Chuck is en route, but (surprise, surprise) he has hit some delays. He should be touching down in Des Moines around midnight tonight. Let's hope.
-- We are staying in the Hotel Fort Des Moines in downtown Des Moines. Much like when Keenan and I stayed in downtown Indy four years ago, downtown Des Moines is seemingly devoid of people or activities. It is a nice downtown -- kind of reminiscent of Hartford, for a Northeast frame of reference -- but there is not a lot going on. However, we did just find a nice pasta place downtown, and that made everyone happy.
-- Before we found that pasta place, however, we had a long and comical journey through much of Des Moines -- looking for ANY PLACE to eat. We must have gone to all the wrong places because we could find nothing -- except for lots of Asian food places. And churches. Wow! There are A LOT of churches in Des Moines.
Look. I'm trying hard not to have a Northeast bias here. Drake Stadium and the university are great venues for this meet, as was IUPUI back in 2006. But otherwise, there are definitely challenges to deal with along the way.
OK, gonna get a little rest before an airport run to pick up Chuck in a few hours. I'll check in on Friday afternoon with Jackie's results and other information as warranted.
Splits: 74, 2:25 (71), 3:38 (73), 4:52 (74), 6:08 (76), 7:29 (79), 8:47 (80), 9:28.78 (41.78)
Notes:
-- In the previous post, I said it was the best finish in school history. To clarify: It was the best STEEPLE finish at USA Juniors in school history. After a little bit of research, our other two steeplers at Junior Nats placed an identical 16th (John Keenan, 2006, Indianapolis and Nick Webster, 2008, Ohio State).
-- His time was the fastest steeple performance at USA Juniors in school history, besting Web's time of 9:45.88 from 08.
-- The race went off at around 2 pm, and the sun was blazing hot. But it was not terribly humid. You get what you get.
-- At a little more than 1,000 meters to go, Quimes misstepped on the rail and appeared to turn his ankle. It was a scary moment. I thought he was gonna drop. But he hung in there and gutted it out. The ankle is OK, but I think the misstep cost him.
-- Q's form was terrible. He was stuttering going into most of the barriers. Such is life. Again, he did the best he could under the circumstances.
-- Quimes is never one to make excuses, but he did note that the tough travel day took a little bit of his energy. Not surprising.
What's next on Friday:
1. Jackie Gamboli runs in the first round of the women's junior 1,500, at 11:55 a.m.
2. Quimes and Mike Nicoletti run in the men's junior 10,000, at 9 p.m.
More travel notes:
-- Coach Chuck is en route, but (surprise, surprise) he has hit some delays. He should be touching down in Des Moines around midnight tonight. Let's hope.
-- We are staying in the Hotel Fort Des Moines in downtown Des Moines. Much like when Keenan and I stayed in downtown Indy four years ago, downtown Des Moines is seemingly devoid of people or activities. It is a nice downtown -- kind of reminiscent of Hartford, for a Northeast frame of reference -- but there is not a lot going on. However, we did just find a nice pasta place downtown, and that made everyone happy.
-- Before we found that pasta place, however, we had a long and comical journey through much of Des Moines -- looking for ANY PLACE to eat. We must have gone to all the wrong places because we could find nothing -- except for lots of Asian food places. And churches. Wow! There are A LOT of churches in Des Moines.
Look. I'm trying hard not to have a Northeast bias here. Drake Stadium and the university are great venues for this meet, as was IUPUI back in 2006. But otherwise, there are definitely challenges to deal with along the way.
OK, gonna get a little rest before an airport run to pick up Chuck in a few hours. I'll check in on Friday afternoon with Jackie's results and other information as warranted.
We made it! Quimes ran well
You know, it feels as though we have been up for two days straight. Oh wait. We pretty much have been up for two days' straight.
Rather than bury the lead, let me tell you right off the bat: We made it to Des Moines. Quimes DelaCruz ran well in the steeple. He was 10th out of 26 finishers -- our highest finish in school history -- in 9:28.78. It was not a personal-best time, but considering the circumstances, our boy Q ran really well. More on the actual race in a later post. Here is a play-by-play of how we got there.
3:30 a.m.: Wake up at the hotel in Summit, N.J., for a 10-minute jog to shake off the cobwebs. Notice that dome light in my lovely car has been on all night. Fortunately, battery is not dead.
4:00 a.m.: Leave hotel with groggy athletes.
4:07 a.m.: Who the hell is Quimes texting at 4:07 a.m.? "It's my boy Luke," the Q-Man said. That would not be Luke Shane, for those keeping score at home. Methinks the Luke he was texting was not getting an early start on the day but rather a late finish to his night. Just a hunch.
4:30 a.m.: Arrive at Newark Airport, where we surmised the lines would not be long. We surmised incorrectly.
5:30 a.m.: We finally got through security and wait patiently for our flight to ... Minneapolis. That's Minnesota. Not Iowa.
6:00 a.m.: Board the Delta flight. We just missed First Class by one row but had decent leg room.
6:15 a.m.: Why are we not going anywhere? Some luggage snafu. Not good! We need to get to the Central time zone, already!
8:00 a.m. (Central): The uneventful flight lands in Minneapolis. Two members of our travel party (I will not embarrass them) wonder if it is cold out ... you know, because we are in Minnesota and all. Never mind that it is June 24.
8:15 a.m.: Coach Pete gives Quimes his laptop bag to carry, pulling "Old Man" status so that he can walk faster to the Hertz rental car counter.
9:00 a.m.: With 250 miles in front of us and not a lot of time to get there (cue up the "Smokey and the Bandit" theme, will ya?), our Nissan Altima Hybrid rental hits the open road ... only to get stuck in rush-hour traffic in Minneapolis. Nicoletti wonders aloud why there is rush hour traffic in Minnesota since "no one actually lives here, do they?" Ah. Gotta love that New York bias.
9:25 a.m.: We finally get cleared of traffic/civilization and get to a 70 mph stretch of I35 South. Quimes, riding shotgun, urges me to "go faster" and do "power moves." I straddle 80 mph for as long as I can. The cannonball run begins in earnest.
Sometime in the morning: We cross into northern Iowa. People are scarce. Wind turbines are not. I push the accelerator to 90 on flat stretches of highway. Everyone else is asleep.
Late morning: We stop for snacks, drinks, bathroom break somewhere in Iowa. Nicoletti is equally appalled and amused by the convenience store chain out here called "Kum and Go." Have fun with that one, fellas. Pictures to follow.
Later morning: I'm doing the math. We can make it Des Moines with just enough time if I really push it. I really push it.
12:30 p.m.: We make it! Quimes, Jackie and Nicoletti hop out and get their credentials. Quimes checks in, the last one to do so. He warms up. He races. All things considered, he races very well.
Driving stats: 255 miles in a little more than 3 hours. Not recommended.
For today, it worked.
More race statistics and other details to come ... thanks for reading.
Rather than bury the lead, let me tell you right off the bat: We made it to Des Moines. Quimes DelaCruz ran well in the steeple. He was 10th out of 26 finishers -- our highest finish in school history -- in 9:28.78. It was not a personal-best time, but considering the circumstances, our boy Q ran really well. More on the actual race in a later post. Here is a play-by-play of how we got there.
3:30 a.m.: Wake up at the hotel in Summit, N.J., for a 10-minute jog to shake off the cobwebs. Notice that dome light in my lovely car has been on all night. Fortunately, battery is not dead.
4:00 a.m.: Leave hotel with groggy athletes.
4:07 a.m.: Who the hell is Quimes texting at 4:07 a.m.? "It's my boy Luke," the Q-Man said. That would not be Luke Shane, for those keeping score at home. Methinks the Luke he was texting was not getting an early start on the day but rather a late finish to his night. Just a hunch.
4:30 a.m.: Arrive at Newark Airport, where we surmised the lines would not be long. We surmised incorrectly.
5:30 a.m.: We finally got through security and wait patiently for our flight to ... Minneapolis. That's Minnesota. Not Iowa.
6:00 a.m.: Board the Delta flight. We just missed First Class by one row but had decent leg room.
6:15 a.m.: Why are we not going anywhere? Some luggage snafu. Not good! We need to get to the Central time zone, already!
8:00 a.m. (Central): The uneventful flight lands in Minneapolis. Two members of our travel party (I will not embarrass them) wonder if it is cold out ... you know, because we are in Minnesota and all. Never mind that it is June 24.
8:15 a.m.: Coach Pete gives Quimes his laptop bag to carry, pulling "Old Man" status so that he can walk faster to the Hertz rental car counter.
9:00 a.m.: With 250 miles in front of us and not a lot of time to get there (cue up the "Smokey and the Bandit" theme, will ya?), our Nissan Altima Hybrid rental hits the open road ... only to get stuck in rush-hour traffic in Minneapolis. Nicoletti wonders aloud why there is rush hour traffic in Minnesota since "no one actually lives here, do they?" Ah. Gotta love that New York bias.
9:25 a.m.: We finally get cleared of traffic/civilization and get to a 70 mph stretch of I35 South. Quimes, riding shotgun, urges me to "go faster" and do "power moves." I straddle 80 mph for as long as I can. The cannonball run begins in earnest.
Sometime in the morning: We cross into northern Iowa. People are scarce. Wind turbines are not. I push the accelerator to 90 on flat stretches of highway. Everyone else is asleep.
Late morning: We stop for snacks, drinks, bathroom break somewhere in Iowa. Nicoletti is equally appalled and amused by the convenience store chain out here called "Kum and Go." Have fun with that one, fellas. Pictures to follow.
Later morning: I'm doing the math. We can make it Des Moines with just enough time if I really push it. I really push it.
12:30 p.m.: We make it! Quimes, Jackie and Nicoletti hop out and get their credentials. Quimes checks in, the last one to do so. He warms up. He races. All things considered, he races very well.
Driving stats: 255 miles in a little more than 3 hours. Not recommended.
For today, it worked.
More race statistics and other details to come ... thanks for reading.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Garden State
I was born in New Jersey. Although I consider the mid-Hudson Valley my home, a place I have lived for the better part of 30 years, I'll always be a Jersey Guy. It's where I'm from. It's where I am.
Wait! WHY AM I IN NEW JERSEY!!!!!!
Oh man. That's a long, long story. I'm supposed to be in Des Moines right now. Or really close to Des Moines. I am not. I am still in Jersey. Home. But I don't feel at home here in the Grand Summit Hotel, in the Land of Rolek.
The day started off easily enough, with Jackie and I leaving Marist in my old Subaru, bound for Newark Airport and our trip to USA Juniors. Jackie tolerated the mess that is my car. I was worried that the thing was going to overheat -- it has been running hot lately, especially while idling. Keep that little nugget in mind for later ...
She texted Quimes -- he LOVES getting texts from members of the women's team! -- to remind him and Nicoletti to bring their driver's licenses. Quimes texted back that his buddy Drew from Adelphi had his flight to Des Moines canceled. Poor guy, I though. Yeah. Poor guy.
We arrived at the United terminal to find that ... OUR flight to Chicago had been canceled. Lovely. The fine folks at United booked us on an American Airlines flight ... which was subsequently canceled. Apparently, Chicago was having some seriously gnarly weather.
After burning up the cell phone lines with our travel agent and standing on endless ticketing lines, we kept hitting dead-ends. No luck finding flights to Chicago. To Des Moines. To Omaha. Heck, just get me in the central time zone already!
Finally, we were booked on a flight that leaves Newark at 6 am Thursday, goes to Minneapolis and finally to Omaha ... which is still 2 hours away from Des Moines. And Quimes is supposed to be running the steeple at 1:45 p.m. It's a less-than-average bet we'll be making it to the starting line. But we'll try. We may drive from Minneapolis. We may drive from Omaha. Who knows? We may not even get off the ground!
But for today, for now it was time to find a hotel room in New Jersey. The Marriott at the Airport was asking a cool $300 per room. Ix-Nay to that. So we drove into the wilds of northern New Jersey. Of course, we hit construction traffic on I-78 near Maplewood (ROLEK COUNTRY!). Of course, it was 93-friggin-degrees. Of course, my car started overheating!
But, having driven old beaters for much of my life, allow me to teach you a trick to prevent overheating in the fast lane in suburban New Jersey -- thus becoming the start of the traffic report on WDHA (disabled vehicle in the left lane of Route 78, backups to Hillside ...). Here's what you do. You roll down the windows, and you CRANK THE HEAT. That's right. THE HEAT. Turning on the heat somehow cools down your engine enough so that it does not fry like an egg right there on Route 78.
So, with scalding legs and sweaty palms, we made it to this hotel, where we will get a little sleep, and we'll try to get to Des Moines in time for Quimes to jump over the barriers. If we don't make it, at least he's got the 10k on Friday, and with any luck we SHOULD be there in time for Jackie's 1500 on Friday morning. And Nic is running the 10k Friday night too. If we get there.
After today, nothing is for certain. Stay tuned ...
Wait! WHY AM I IN NEW JERSEY!!!!!!
Oh man. That's a long, long story. I'm supposed to be in Des Moines right now. Or really close to Des Moines. I am not. I am still in Jersey. Home. But I don't feel at home here in the Grand Summit Hotel, in the Land of Rolek.
The day started off easily enough, with Jackie and I leaving Marist in my old Subaru, bound for Newark Airport and our trip to USA Juniors. Jackie tolerated the mess that is my car. I was worried that the thing was going to overheat -- it has been running hot lately, especially while idling. Keep that little nugget in mind for later ...
She texted Quimes -- he LOVES getting texts from members of the women's team! -- to remind him and Nicoletti to bring their driver's licenses. Quimes texted back that his buddy Drew from Adelphi had his flight to Des Moines canceled. Poor guy, I though. Yeah. Poor guy.
We arrived at the United terminal to find that ... OUR flight to Chicago had been canceled. Lovely. The fine folks at United booked us on an American Airlines flight ... which was subsequently canceled. Apparently, Chicago was having some seriously gnarly weather.
After burning up the cell phone lines with our travel agent and standing on endless ticketing lines, we kept hitting dead-ends. No luck finding flights to Chicago. To Des Moines. To Omaha. Heck, just get me in the central time zone already!
Finally, we were booked on a flight that leaves Newark at 6 am Thursday, goes to Minneapolis and finally to Omaha ... which is still 2 hours away from Des Moines. And Quimes is supposed to be running the steeple at 1:45 p.m. It's a less-than-average bet we'll be making it to the starting line. But we'll try. We may drive from Minneapolis. We may drive from Omaha. Who knows? We may not even get off the ground!
But for today, for now it was time to find a hotel room in New Jersey. The Marriott at the Airport was asking a cool $300 per room. Ix-Nay to that. So we drove into the wilds of northern New Jersey. Of course, we hit construction traffic on I-78 near Maplewood (ROLEK COUNTRY!). Of course, it was 93-friggin-degrees. Of course, my car started overheating!
But, having driven old beaters for much of my life, allow me to teach you a trick to prevent overheating in the fast lane in suburban New Jersey -- thus becoming the start of the traffic report on WDHA (disabled vehicle in the left lane of Route 78, backups to Hillside ...). Here's what you do. You roll down the windows, and you CRANK THE HEAT. That's right. THE HEAT. Turning on the heat somehow cools down your engine enough so that it does not fry like an egg right there on Route 78.
So, with scalding legs and sweaty palms, we made it to this hotel, where we will get a little sleep, and we'll try to get to Des Moines in time for Quimes to jump over the barriers. If we don't make it, at least he's got the 10k on Friday, and with any luck we SHOULD be there in time for Jackie's 1500 on Friday morning. And Nic is running the 10k Friday night too. If we get there.
After today, nothing is for certain. Stay tuned ...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Update on World Cup viewing
OK. I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. Not that I was totally wrong.
On Sunday, I was down in New Jersey visiting family for Father's Day. One of my nephews is a 20-year-old college student and college xc/track runner, a good kid. A "bro," if you will. He would fit in on our team. He could, dare I say it, "bro out" with you guys ... while watching the World Cup.
The World Cup! What is the attraction of this event with the 18-24 demographic? Is ESPN that good of a marketing machine? Why do so many young adult males get into soccer?
Anyway. I had no choice. He wanted to watch Brazil-Ivory Coast. So we switched from Yankees-Mets -- oh, the blasphemy! -- to watch the World Cup.
Maybe I was in a conciliatory mood, but:
1. The vuvuzela sound is really not that annoying. I'm the king of annoying sounds -- especially around the house -- so I should be the last to complain.
2. The action of the game is pretty good.
3. The biggie: When they show replays and/or zone in on the action with close-up shots ... that, I really like. Then, you can tell how really intense the game is. The wide-angle shots do not give the game justice.
So, other than Derek Jeter at-bats -- I never switch the channel when The Captain is up -- we watched much of the game.
My lukewarm endorsement? It doesn't suck. That's the best you are getting out of me. If I am in soccer-minded company and the game is on, I will watch it. Otherwise, I'm watching baseball or reading a book. Or both.
Of course, with the impending Junior Nationals travel in a few days, the World Cup coverage will be inescapable. I will watch if captive. And I might even like it. A little.
On Sunday, I was down in New Jersey visiting family for Father's Day. One of my nephews is a 20-year-old college student and college xc/track runner, a good kid. A "bro," if you will. He would fit in on our team. He could, dare I say it, "bro out" with you guys ... while watching the World Cup.
The World Cup! What is the attraction of this event with the 18-24 demographic? Is ESPN that good of a marketing machine? Why do so many young adult males get into soccer?
Anyway. I had no choice. He wanted to watch Brazil-Ivory Coast. So we switched from Yankees-Mets -- oh, the blasphemy! -- to watch the World Cup.
Maybe I was in a conciliatory mood, but:
1. The vuvuzela sound is really not that annoying. I'm the king of annoying sounds -- especially around the house -- so I should be the last to complain.
2. The action of the game is pretty good.
3. The biggie: When they show replays and/or zone in on the action with close-up shots ... that, I really like. Then, you can tell how really intense the game is. The wide-angle shots do not give the game justice.
So, other than Derek Jeter at-bats -- I never switch the channel when The Captain is up -- we watched much of the game.
My lukewarm endorsement? It doesn't suck. That's the best you are getting out of me. If I am in soccer-minded company and the game is on, I will watch it. Otherwise, I'm watching baseball or reading a book. Or both.
Of course, with the impending Junior Nationals travel in a few days, the World Cup coverage will be inescapable. I will watch if captive. And I might even like it. A little.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Update on Junior Nationals
It is coming up next week. We leave on Wednesday for Des Moines.
Quimes DelaCruz races the steeple on Thursday.
On Friday, Jackie Gamboli races the 1500 trials. The field is stacked. While we hope she can qualify for Saturday's finals, it will take a huge effort on her part. Regardless, Chuck has been training with her and she is in great shape, hopefully ready for a PR.
The men's 10,000 is also on Friday. Quimes is entered in it using his 5km qualifier. This year, an appeal is needed to use a 5km mark for 10km entrance. We have not heard yet. We are hopeful he will be able to race. Also, Mike Nicoletti is entered in the 10km. He has been battling a knee issue, but he will give it his best shot.
We are looking forward to the trip. I will bring my laptop and try to keep everybody updated via blog posts throughout the trip.
In the meantime, keep watching that World Cup!
Quimes DelaCruz races the steeple on Thursday.
On Friday, Jackie Gamboli races the 1500 trials. The field is stacked. While we hope she can qualify for Saturday's finals, it will take a huge effort on her part. Regardless, Chuck has been training with her and she is in great shape, hopefully ready for a PR.
The men's 10,000 is also on Friday. Quimes is entered in it using his 5km qualifier. This year, an appeal is needed to use a 5km mark for 10km entrance. We have not heard yet. We are hopeful he will be able to race. Also, Mike Nicoletti is entered in the 10km. He has been battling a knee issue, but he will give it his best shot.
We are looking forward to the trip. I will bring my laptop and try to keep everybody updated via blog posts throughout the trip.
In the meantime, keep watching that World Cup!
Monday, June 14, 2010
New indoor track on SI
Loyal blog follower and even more loyal program supporter Marty McGowan (Marist, Class of 1973?; sorry, Marty, I always forget the year ...) emailed me about a new indoor track facility that will be breaking ground soon in his beloved borough of Staten Island.
Marty sent me the SI Advance article and this facility sounds like it's gonna be top notch. There is so much good running in NYC -- high school, college, club, post-collegiate, professional -- that another great track facility certainly will be a boon to us all.
Thanks for letting me know, Marty. If you are a fan of the sport, keep tabs on this project. It could benefit us all in the long run.
Marty sent me the SI Advance article and this facility sounds like it's gonna be top notch. There is so much good running in NYC -- high school, college, club, post-collegiate, professional -- that another great track facility certainly will be a boon to us all.
Thanks for letting me know, Marty. If you are a fan of the sport, keep tabs on this project. It could benefit us all in the long run.
Sorry. Can't get into the World Cup
I know many of you reading this are into the FIFA World Cup. Please. Don't ask me if I watched the game. Whatever game it is. I didn't. And I probably won't (unless the US makes the final game, and that's probably not happening, right?).
Sorry, Web. You just spent the spring semester in Fiorenza and went to a few futbol games over there. Good stuff, right? I'm sure it is. I'm sure you enjoyed it.
Me? I'd rather watch 20 innings of scoreless baseball than 2 hours of scoreless soccer. Nil-Nil? No thanks.
Hey, you don't like it, you can red card me or whatever.
Oh! While I've got your attention ... please send in training logs to me on a weekly basis so I know how you are doing. Many of you are good about this; others are not. I gots to know!
And a reminder: We are all set for the Team Barbecue on Saturday, July 17. Marist Riverfront. Hope you can make it.
Now, go back to your ESPN soccer coverage already...
Sorry, Web. You just spent the spring semester in Fiorenza and went to a few futbol games over there. Good stuff, right? I'm sure it is. I'm sure you enjoyed it.
Me? I'd rather watch 20 innings of scoreless baseball than 2 hours of scoreless soccer. Nil-Nil? No thanks.
Hey, you don't like it, you can red card me or whatever.
Oh! While I've got your attention ... please send in training logs to me on a weekly basis so I know how you are doing. Many of you are good about this; others are not. I gots to know!
And a reminder: We are all set for the Team Barbecue on Saturday, July 17. Marist Riverfront. Hope you can make it.
Now, go back to your ESPN soccer coverage already...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Hammer time
For those current men's team members, please check your e-mail inbox for a relatively long but I think relatively useful summer training guide. It covers everything we discussed in our end-of-year meetings in my office in May, and reviews the other stuff that you already know.
If you did not receive it, email or text me and I'll get a copy to you. Although it is long, please read it and save it. It is what is expected of you all this summer. In addition, if you would like more specific, day-to-day training schedules from me, just text or email me on a weekly basis and it is a done deal. Not a problem.
Last point: If you are a former runner, alumni, friend, parent or general interested party and would like a copy of this document, e-mail me at runhed246@hotmail.com and I'll send it to you. I'm not exactly splitting the atom or describing brain surgery here with this stuff, and I'm happy to share.
Now. I would like to expand upon one element of the training plan that is new for this summer: The "planned hard run" or the "hammer day." Again, the following disclaimer: Do not let it get out of control. Don't hammer every day. Unless you want to peak for the Minnewaska 11-mile training run during preseason. But the planned hard-distance day is a nice element to your strength-building cycle that is summer training.
Yesterday, I ran into Brownie (Ryan Brown), who is one of several team members on campus for the rest of the week as Orientation Team Leaders. He was playing basketball (OH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!). Well, OK: He was shooting around and played one game of knockout. I still do not approve, but whatever. Anyway, Brownie had some really good questions regarding the Hammer Day.
As a public service to him and to everyone else, here are a few more details on it:
1. It is obvious and was stated in the training plan, but NEVER hammer the long run.
2. The hard run can be done as part of a double, but should never be the shorter (double) run. It should always be the main run of the day. In other words, if you are doing a double day of 13 miles (5 miles and 8 miles), the hammer run should be the 8-miler and not the 5-miler.
3. Perhaps most important: The hard (hammer) run can and should be planned … BUT: If it happens naturally in the course of a week (in other words, on a day you feel great and you just roll with it), then that becomes your hard (hammer) day. You can then schedule the rest of the week around this and it becomes one of the quality days in your training cycle.
I know this last one seems contradictory and confusing. I hope it makes sense. Basically, you want to do this type of run sparingly, like once a week, and make it one of your two "quality" days. And remember, your "quality" days during the strength-based summer build-up are not what we would consider traditional "speed."
Rolek, if you are reading this, a lot of this was inspired by you and the way you trained in the past and the way you train now. We have learned a lot along the way, and the goal as always is to train as hard as possible while being as smart as possible. Never an easy combination, but that is the elusive goal.
OK, men: Run, Rehydrate, Run Some More.
If you did not receive it, email or text me and I'll get a copy to you. Although it is long, please read it and save it. It is what is expected of you all this summer. In addition, if you would like more specific, day-to-day training schedules from me, just text or email me on a weekly basis and it is a done deal. Not a problem.
Last point: If you are a former runner, alumni, friend, parent or general interested party and would like a copy of this document, e-mail me at runhed246@hotmail.com and I'll send it to you. I'm not exactly splitting the atom or describing brain surgery here with this stuff, and I'm happy to share.
Now. I would like to expand upon one element of the training plan that is new for this summer: The "planned hard run" or the "hammer day." Again, the following disclaimer: Do not let it get out of control. Don't hammer every day. Unless you want to peak for the Minnewaska 11-mile training run during preseason. But the planned hard-distance day is a nice element to your strength-building cycle that is summer training.
Yesterday, I ran into Brownie (Ryan Brown), who is one of several team members on campus for the rest of the week as Orientation Team Leaders. He was playing basketball (OH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!). Well, OK: He was shooting around and played one game of knockout. I still do not approve, but whatever. Anyway, Brownie had some really good questions regarding the Hammer Day.
As a public service to him and to everyone else, here are a few more details on it:
1. It is obvious and was stated in the training plan, but NEVER hammer the long run.
2. The hard run can be done as part of a double, but should never be the shorter (double) run. It should always be the main run of the day. In other words, if you are doing a double day of 13 miles (5 miles and 8 miles), the hammer run should be the 8-miler and not the 5-miler.
3. Perhaps most important: The hard (hammer) run can and should be planned … BUT: If it happens naturally in the course of a week (in other words, on a day you feel great and you just roll with it), then that becomes your hard (hammer) day. You can then schedule the rest of the week around this and it becomes one of the quality days in your training cycle.
I know this last one seems contradictory and confusing. I hope it makes sense. Basically, you want to do this type of run sparingly, like once a week, and make it one of your two "quality" days. And remember, your "quality" days during the strength-based summer build-up are not what we would consider traditional "speed."
Rolek, if you are reading this, a lot of this was inspired by you and the way you trained in the past and the way you train now. We have learned a lot along the way, and the goal as always is to train as hard as possible while being as smart as possible. Never an easy combination, but that is the elusive goal.
OK, men: Run, Rehydrate, Run Some More.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Fool in the pool
It all started back on May 1, the date of my daughter’s First Holy Communion.
This rapidly graying and rapidly expanding middle-aged man had to put on his suit for the occasion. As you might suspect about me, I only own one suit, and it is an all-purpose gray wool model – fittingly formal for weddings, awards banquets, and fittingly somber for funerals, memorial services and the like. I knew what was coming. Really. I might be goofy, but I’m no idiot. I knew how my jeans were getting increasingly tight – and I’m not talking about stylishly snug either, you know?
In fact, my loving and supportive wife even mentioned to me a few days before the Communion, something to the effect of, “you know, you should try that suit on.” It fit. Barely. It was snug. Baby, was it snug. I looked in the mirror. I saw a fat guy.
Oh sure. Not fat like “Biggest Loser” fat. But a skinny-armed, formerly lithe distance-runner’s build covered with layers of soft fat in and around what is everyone’s hot fitness topic these days: The core. My core has expanded. Greatly. My core is now my chore.
Again. I knew it was coming. A calf/Achilles injury curtailed my already pathetic running mileage greatly throughout the winter. No excuses. It happens.
When I stepped on the scale, I was astounded at what I saw. I was the heaviest I had ever been, by about 15 pounds. And I had been relatively heavy before. I immediately grew morose and depressed. This is it, I’m done. My former body will never be rediscovered. I’m too far gone.
This sort of self-pity is mostly useless. I only have myself to blame, and it happens every year, between January and May. During those four-plus months, we are on the road for track meets nearly every week. It’s also hard-core recruiting time. Busy. Busy. Busy. On the road. On the road. On the road. What does this mean? A lot of 20-ounce Dr Peppers. A lot of French fries. A lot of pizza. A lot of bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches.
And now, a lot of weight.
I need to exercise better self-control on the road. I've known this for years, but never seem to pull it off. If I have ever mooched a French fry or three off you, you know what I am talking about.
Now, it’s June. Summer time. Still busy – with Little League, youth soccer, recruiting, freelance writing gigs – but not nearly as much as January through May. So, I’m doing something about it. I’m going in the pool.
These past few weeks, I have rediscovered the joys of AquaJogging. Deep-water running. Or as my favorite lifeguard/swim team pal Patrick likes to call it: Water Walking. Thanks, buddy.
Back in the day, I used to AquaJog all the time. But alas, life got busy. And also, the Health Department rule at Marist is that we need two lifeguards on the deck in order to use the deep end. That does not happen during the school year, meaning the deep end is off limits – except late at night, when I am in bed. But during the summer, there are two guards on deck all day. I can AquaJog to my heart’s content!
I’m hoping that the water work (yeah, Pat, the Water Walking), combined with a few less French fries, slices of pizza and Dr Peppers, will mean I can lose the “Man Boobs” that some less-than-sensitive folks at a spring track meet described as the remains of my core.
So if you call or text me and I don’t pick up or reply immediately, chances are I am in the pool, trying to peel back the layers of what once was an acceptable body.
This rapidly graying and rapidly expanding middle-aged man had to put on his suit for the occasion. As you might suspect about me, I only own one suit, and it is an all-purpose gray wool model – fittingly formal for weddings, awards banquets, and fittingly somber for funerals, memorial services and the like. I knew what was coming. Really. I might be goofy, but I’m no idiot. I knew how my jeans were getting increasingly tight – and I’m not talking about stylishly snug either, you know?
In fact, my loving and supportive wife even mentioned to me a few days before the Communion, something to the effect of, “you know, you should try that suit on.” It fit. Barely. It was snug. Baby, was it snug. I looked in the mirror. I saw a fat guy.
Oh sure. Not fat like “Biggest Loser” fat. But a skinny-armed, formerly lithe distance-runner’s build covered with layers of soft fat in and around what is everyone’s hot fitness topic these days: The core. My core has expanded. Greatly. My core is now my chore.
Again. I knew it was coming. A calf/Achilles injury curtailed my already pathetic running mileage greatly throughout the winter. No excuses. It happens.
When I stepped on the scale, I was astounded at what I saw. I was the heaviest I had ever been, by about 15 pounds. And I had been relatively heavy before. I immediately grew morose and depressed. This is it, I’m done. My former body will never be rediscovered. I’m too far gone.
This sort of self-pity is mostly useless. I only have myself to blame, and it happens every year, between January and May. During those four-plus months, we are on the road for track meets nearly every week. It’s also hard-core recruiting time. Busy. Busy. Busy. On the road. On the road. On the road. What does this mean? A lot of 20-ounce Dr Peppers. A lot of French fries. A lot of pizza. A lot of bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches.
And now, a lot of weight.
I need to exercise better self-control on the road. I've known this for years, but never seem to pull it off. If I have ever mooched a French fry or three off you, you know what I am talking about.
Now, it’s June. Summer time. Still busy – with Little League, youth soccer, recruiting, freelance writing gigs – but not nearly as much as January through May. So, I’m doing something about it. I’m going in the pool.
These past few weeks, I have rediscovered the joys of AquaJogging. Deep-water running. Or as my favorite lifeguard/swim team pal Patrick likes to call it: Water Walking. Thanks, buddy.
Back in the day, I used to AquaJog all the time. But alas, life got busy. And also, the Health Department rule at Marist is that we need two lifeguards on the deck in order to use the deep end. That does not happen during the school year, meaning the deep end is off limits – except late at night, when I am in bed. But during the summer, there are two guards on deck all day. I can AquaJog to my heart’s content!
I’m hoping that the water work (yeah, Pat, the Water Walking), combined with a few less French fries, slices of pizza and Dr Peppers, will mean I can lose the “Man Boobs” that some less-than-sensitive folks at a spring track meet described as the remains of my core.
So if you call or text me and I don’t pick up or reply immediately, chances are I am in the pool, trying to peel back the layers of what once was an acceptable body.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pawling Triathlon results
Justin Harris smoked the field at the local Pawling Triathlon on Saturday!
Our man won the race by more than five minutes. His time of 54:04 easily outdistanced the second-place finisher, who completed the course in 59:25.
The course consisted of a third-mile swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run. I do not know Jut's splits, but he obviously did a nice job there.
In addition ...
-- Chris McCloskey, the former SR holder in the 1,500 and a professed hater of cross country, has apparently taken a liking to longer distance events. Chomps finished second in the 25-29 division in an excellent time of 1:03:30.
-- Adam Ritter, who ran briefly for our track team and remains a good friend of the program, was third in the 25-29 in 1:07:52.
Congrats to these fine Marist Running alums for doing well in this sprint triathlon.
Nicely done.
Our man won the race by more than five minutes. His time of 54:04 easily outdistanced the second-place finisher, who completed the course in 59:25.
The course consisted of a third-mile swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run. I do not know Jut's splits, but he obviously did a nice job there.
In addition ...
-- Chris McCloskey, the former SR holder in the 1,500 and a professed hater of cross country, has apparently taken a liking to longer distance events. Chomps finished second in the 25-29 division in an excellent time of 1:03:30.
-- Adam Ritter, who ran briefly for our track team and remains a good friend of the program, was third in the 25-29 in 1:07:52.
Congrats to these fine Marist Running alums for doing well in this sprint triathlon.
Nicely done.
I'll be calling in 2027
Congrats to Marist Running Alum Mike Melfi (Class of 1999) and his wife Keri on the birth of their second child. Gianna burst onto the scene in Syracuse a couple of weeks early, providing an early Father's Day gift for Mike, Keri and proud older brother Dante.
If I'm still alive and coaching in 17 years, you can bet the first recruiting call of the 2027-2028 cycle will be to the Melfi household!
Congrats to the growing family of current and future marathoners!
If I'm still alive and coaching in 17 years, you can bet the first recruiting call of the 2027-2028 cycle will be to the Melfi household!
Congrats to the growing family of current and future marathoners!
On the road again ...
For the past few weeks this spring, I have been getting out on the road to do some recruiting -- the first time I have been able to do this, thanks to the position being elevated to full-time last summer! It has been enjoyable.
Now, when you hear "coach" and "recruiting trips," usually you think of flying to tournaments, weeks away from home, major expense reports, etc. Uh-uh. Not here. My trips are short and sweet, nice little day trips.
It's a bit odd going to meets with no real vested interest. At this time of year, we cannot even talk to prospects or coaches about the prospects, so you basically go as a fan of the sport and check out the future talent (at this point, all the graduating seniors have been accounted for).
Perhaps my favorite part of the regional recruiting is connecting with my alumni men who are now coaches. This is a topic that has been addressed more than once on the blog, I know.
But yesterday, at the Connecticut State Open meet, it was great to see Joey Tat (Cheshire) and Maynes (Coventry) among the coaching ranks. I hung out with them, and they pointed out some of the many excellent athletes that come out of the small New England state. It was well worth the trip.
By the way, Joe T. told me he is running a marathon in Australia on the Fourth of July. Could this be the furthest the Alumni Racing Team singlet has traveled for a marathon? We were wondering this. It has to be. Correct us if we are wrong ...
Now, when you hear "coach" and "recruiting trips," usually you think of flying to tournaments, weeks away from home, major expense reports, etc. Uh-uh. Not here. My trips are short and sweet, nice little day trips.
It's a bit odd going to meets with no real vested interest. At this time of year, we cannot even talk to prospects or coaches about the prospects, so you basically go as a fan of the sport and check out the future talent (at this point, all the graduating seniors have been accounted for).
Perhaps my favorite part of the regional recruiting is connecting with my alumni men who are now coaches. This is a topic that has been addressed more than once on the blog, I know.
But yesterday, at the Connecticut State Open meet, it was great to see Joey Tat (Cheshire) and Maynes (Coventry) among the coaching ranks. I hung out with them, and they pointed out some of the many excellent athletes that come out of the small New England state. It was well worth the trip.
By the way, Joe T. told me he is running a marathon in Australia on the Fourth of July. Could this be the furthest the Alumni Racing Team singlet has traveled for a marathon? We were wondering this. It has to be. Correct us if we are wrong ...
Friday, June 4, 2010
Update on Justin Harris
Hi: I received this email letter below from Marist Running alumni Justin Harris. Jut is the steeplechase school record holder, a former captain and now an excellent triathlete/multi sport specialist.
What’s more, in working at the Shawangunk Running Company in New Paltz and now back at Bikeway in Wappingers Falls, Jut has promoted and taught endurance sports for the past few years. Without fail, friends and acquaintances of mine in the local running community rave about Jut’s humility and caring personality. They all like Jut.
As much or more than his successes in the sport (as you’ll see below and hopefully we’ll chronicle in the coming weeks), this means a lot to me. Here at Marist Running Central, we are trying to crank out great runners but also great people. Jut fits the bill in both.
Here is the email I received from Jut, and he graciously gave me permission to share it with all of you in the Marist Running Blogosphere. Best of luck to Jut in the coming races.
Hello everyone,
First, I want to thank every one of you that helped me get to the start line of the 2010 Columbia Olympic Distance Triathlon. I had 15 people donate to Team FIGHT, some friends and family, some complete strangers (not any more). Again, thanks for supporting a fantastic cause and for assisting me. Also, I'd like to thank my sponsors who all helped me during this tough time of being injured and to the Schofields for making me feel right at home.
I left Friday morning so I could get down there, set-up shop with my homestay (The Schofields), and just relax till race-day on Sunday. My Mom switched cars with me, giving me her new car. Without that switch my whole experience would have been much more stressful with my brother's beater truck that he's been so gracious in letting me use. Thanks Mom! I arrived at the Schofield's and right away Katie (one of the daughters) took me to packet pick-up. It went smooth until we got back home and I realized I had left my phone on the check-in table. Good thing I have a keen sense of direction as I was able to drive back on my own. Later in the day I met the rest of the family, Rick (father) Anne (mother), Kelly and Brian. Rick, Anne, Brian and I settled down for some pizza and went to bed.
Saturday I woke up, met up with Bec and Laurel (Editor’s note: The Wassner twins, seriously great triathletes!) to pre-ride the tougher section of the course. The course was much hillier than I thought but, since we climb up hills so much here in New Paltz, it made me smile. Toward the end of the loop I went to do a 3 min hard push and missed a turn. Bec and Laurel were apparently yelling at me to make a turn but with the aero helmet and rear disc wheel I never heard them. Whoops!
Again, went back to the Schofield's relaxed and enjoyed dinner and maybe a new pre-race ritual -- cheese cake with blueberries and raspberries. The big talk was about whether or not it was going to rain and waking up at 5am Sunday morning to it answered that question--- it was going to be a wet and wild kind of day. I thrive when race conditions are tough so I was a bit happy because of it (Editor’s note: Jut was always extremely mentally tough when it came to racing in tough conditions in college; no surprise here).
I arrived at transition, set up my things and began to focus on the task ahead; swim, bike and run as fast as I possibly can. My swim training has been going well thanks to Mike Trunkes (Editor’s note: Mike is the head cross country coach at SUNY New Paltz and a very fast masters runner!). We've been doing a lot of technique work and it showed as I shaved 2-3 minutes off of my 1500m time. The bike went really well except for a 2 min positioning penalty that put me out of qualifying for my Elite/Pro card. However, without that penalty, I out biked all the pro Men except for Andrew Yoder who ended up winning the race. My run went by without any pain thanks to Rob Sobel's racing orthotics that I have been testing. Overall I placed 15th and was 4th in the Elite Amateurs.
Although I just missed getting my Pro card, which happens to be my goal for this year, I left the race on a very high note. The fact that I was able to perform so well off doing so little because of my injury gave me a lot of confidence that I'm not that far off of that goal. Not to mention watching Laurel win the Pro Women's race was freaking awesome!
Again, thank you everyone for the support and your unrelenting belief in me.
Next races are two local ones: The Pawling Triathlon on June 5th and The Mt. Beacon Duathlon ($1,000 winning prize!) on June 19th. The next big one is The NYC Triathlon on July 18th, which will be the next chance I have to qualify for my Pro card.
Thanks,
Justin
What’s more, in working at the Shawangunk Running Company in New Paltz and now back at Bikeway in Wappingers Falls, Jut has promoted and taught endurance sports for the past few years. Without fail, friends and acquaintances of mine in the local running community rave about Jut’s humility and caring personality. They all like Jut.
As much or more than his successes in the sport (as you’ll see below and hopefully we’ll chronicle in the coming weeks), this means a lot to me. Here at Marist Running Central, we are trying to crank out great runners but also great people. Jut fits the bill in both.
Here is the email I received from Jut, and he graciously gave me permission to share it with all of you in the Marist Running Blogosphere. Best of luck to Jut in the coming races.
Hello everyone,
First, I want to thank every one of you that helped me get to the start line of the 2010 Columbia Olympic Distance Triathlon. I had 15 people donate to Team FIGHT, some friends and family, some complete strangers (not any more). Again, thanks for supporting a fantastic cause and for assisting me. Also, I'd like to thank my sponsors who all helped me during this tough time of being injured and to the Schofields for making me feel right at home.
I left Friday morning so I could get down there, set-up shop with my homestay (The Schofields), and just relax till race-day on Sunday. My Mom switched cars with me, giving me her new car. Without that switch my whole experience would have been much more stressful with my brother's beater truck that he's been so gracious in letting me use. Thanks Mom! I arrived at the Schofield's and right away Katie (one of the daughters) took me to packet pick-up. It went smooth until we got back home and I realized I had left my phone on the check-in table. Good thing I have a keen sense of direction as I was able to drive back on my own. Later in the day I met the rest of the family, Rick (father) Anne (mother), Kelly and Brian. Rick, Anne, Brian and I settled down for some pizza and went to bed.
Saturday I woke up, met up with Bec and Laurel (Editor’s note: The Wassner twins, seriously great triathletes!) to pre-ride the tougher section of the course. The course was much hillier than I thought but, since we climb up hills so much here in New Paltz, it made me smile. Toward the end of the loop I went to do a 3 min hard push and missed a turn. Bec and Laurel were apparently yelling at me to make a turn but with the aero helmet and rear disc wheel I never heard them. Whoops!
Again, went back to the Schofield's relaxed and enjoyed dinner and maybe a new pre-race ritual -- cheese cake with blueberries and raspberries. The big talk was about whether or not it was going to rain and waking up at 5am Sunday morning to it answered that question--- it was going to be a wet and wild kind of day. I thrive when race conditions are tough so I was a bit happy because of it (Editor’s note: Jut was always extremely mentally tough when it came to racing in tough conditions in college; no surprise here).
I arrived at transition, set up my things and began to focus on the task ahead; swim, bike and run as fast as I possibly can. My swim training has been going well thanks to Mike Trunkes (Editor’s note: Mike is the head cross country coach at SUNY New Paltz and a very fast masters runner!). We've been doing a lot of technique work and it showed as I shaved 2-3 minutes off of my 1500m time. The bike went really well except for a 2 min positioning penalty that put me out of qualifying for my Elite/Pro card. However, without that penalty, I out biked all the pro Men except for Andrew Yoder who ended up winning the race. My run went by without any pain thanks to Rob Sobel's racing orthotics that I have been testing. Overall I placed 15th and was 4th in the Elite Amateurs.
Although I just missed getting my Pro card, which happens to be my goal for this year, I left the race on a very high note. The fact that I was able to perform so well off doing so little because of my injury gave me a lot of confidence that I'm not that far off of that goal. Not to mention watching Laurel win the Pro Women's race was freaking awesome!
Again, thank you everyone for the support and your unrelenting belief in me.
Next races are two local ones: The Pawling Triathlon on June 5th and The Mt. Beacon Duathlon ($1,000 winning prize!) on June 19th. The next big one is The NYC Triathlon on July 18th, which will be the next chance I have to qualify for my Pro card.
Thanks,
Justin
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Team barbecue date set
Please keep Saturday, July 17 free if you can. That will be the date of our team barbecue. If you remember, last year's team barbecue was at my house in Historic Hyde Park.
Because of the size of our team, and because I want this to be a men's AND women's gathering, we have secured the Marist riverfront and one of the Marist boathouses (in case of bad weather) as the site of this year's fun midsummer team reunion. The athletic department will let us use the big barbecue pit as well as some tables and chairs.
We will have to coordinate the food and drink, like last year, but that should not be a big issue.
Serious note to alumni and friends who might be interested: This is a strictly ALCOHOL FREE event. Don't even THINK about it, unless you like the idea of my job being in jeopardy.
So anyway, keep Saturday, July 17 and that weekend free, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Because of the size of our team, and because I want this to be a men's AND women's gathering, we have secured the Marist riverfront and one of the Marist boathouses (in case of bad weather) as the site of this year's fun midsummer team reunion. The athletic department will let us use the big barbecue pit as well as some tables and chairs.
We will have to coordinate the food and drink, like last year, but that should not be a big issue.
Serious note to alumni and friends who might be interested: This is a strictly ALCOHOL FREE event. Don't even THINK about it, unless you like the idea of my job being in jeopardy.
So anyway, keep Saturday, July 17 and that weekend free, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Vermont Marathon: Luke's cool PR
Kudos to our boy Luke Shane, who ran an 11-minute PR at the Vermont City Marathon on Sunday!
When he called to tell me, I was pulling into the Home Depot parking lot with the family. I nearly veered into a pile of shopping carts, I was so pumped!
Luke ran 2:57:42. He placed 53rd overall and 15th out of 133 in the 16-24 age division. His splits: 1:28:14 for the first half, 1:29:28 for the second half -- just 1:14 slower in the second 13.1 miles! Nicely done!
I had no doubt Luke could post such a solid time. However, his training was curtailed about 6 weeks before the race by a severely sprained ankle. I kept badgering him, accusing him of hurting his ankle while playing the demon sport of basketball. I knew better; Luke just misstepped at the end of a hard workout on the roads. I knew in my heart he did not play the evil hoops, but I was bummed out about his untimely injury just the same.
His recovery from the ankle injury was slow; Luke was considering not running Vermont. I'm glad he decided to do it. It's a good lesson about how months of solid mileage stays "in the bank" for a while. Luke should be proud of his effort and his result; I know I am.
Also at Vermont:
-- Marist alum (2004) Charlie Williams ran 3:22:23 in his first marathon. Our favorite Yankee and rollercoaster fan (not to mention WWE, Bruce Springsteen and other Charlie favorites!) texted and said he went out too hard and paid the price. But he still met his pre-race goal of between 3:20 and 3:30.
-- Marist alum (2008) Lisa D'Aniello ran 1:43:34 in the half marathon as part of the relay team known as Imperial/D'Aniello Domination. Her time exceeded her pre-race goal and now has her pumped up for her first marathon, upcoming in five months at NYC! Nicely done, Lisa.
-- Lastly, I love statistical anomolies and this is a great one. My old pal (and blog follower) Phil Kelly ran one of the most inspirational races at Vermont back in 2006. Less than a year after getting his chest split open for heart surgery in the summer of 2005, Phil got 3rd in his age group in Vermont 2006 in 3:49:59. Four years later, same race: His son-in-law, Chris Latuso, runs THE EXACT SAME TIME! How cool is THAT? 3:49:59. Again. If you tried to plan it that way, you probably could not.
When he called to tell me, I was pulling into the Home Depot parking lot with the family. I nearly veered into a pile of shopping carts, I was so pumped!
Luke ran 2:57:42. He placed 53rd overall and 15th out of 133 in the 16-24 age division. His splits: 1:28:14 for the first half, 1:29:28 for the second half -- just 1:14 slower in the second 13.1 miles! Nicely done!
I had no doubt Luke could post such a solid time. However, his training was curtailed about 6 weeks before the race by a severely sprained ankle. I kept badgering him, accusing him of hurting his ankle while playing the demon sport of basketball. I knew better; Luke just misstepped at the end of a hard workout on the roads. I knew in my heart he did not play the evil hoops, but I was bummed out about his untimely injury just the same.
His recovery from the ankle injury was slow; Luke was considering not running Vermont. I'm glad he decided to do it. It's a good lesson about how months of solid mileage stays "in the bank" for a while. Luke should be proud of his effort and his result; I know I am.
Also at Vermont:
-- Marist alum (2004) Charlie Williams ran 3:22:23 in his first marathon. Our favorite Yankee and rollercoaster fan (not to mention WWE, Bruce Springsteen and other Charlie favorites!) texted and said he went out too hard and paid the price. But he still met his pre-race goal of between 3:20 and 3:30.
-- Marist alum (2008) Lisa D'Aniello ran 1:43:34 in the half marathon as part of the relay team known as Imperial/D'Aniello Domination. Her time exceeded her pre-race goal and now has her pumped up for her first marathon, upcoming in five months at NYC! Nicely done, Lisa.
-- Lastly, I love statistical anomolies and this is a great one. My old pal (and blog follower) Phil Kelly ran one of the most inspirational races at Vermont back in 2006. Less than a year after getting his chest split open for heart surgery in the summer of 2005, Phil got 3rd in his age group in Vermont 2006 in 3:49:59. Four years later, same race: His son-in-law, Chris Latuso, runs THE EXACT SAME TIME! How cool is THAT? 3:49:59. Again. If you tried to plan it that way, you probably could not.
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