Friday, July 29, 2011

Hills on a track!

Thanks to alert blog followers Dan Jordy and incoming freshman Mohamed Eid, who sent me this link (or a variation thereof) of an actual track with a hill in it!

Listen: Here at Marist, we'll take ANY kind of track! It can have a hill, it can have hay bales on it as a European-style cross country obstacle course ... whatever. We'll take it!

Seriously, thanks a lot for this, guys. Pretty cool.

Old friends and teammates of mine from Section 3 (Syracuse area of NYS) used to "fondly" recall a less-than-adequate track at Fowler High School in the Cuse. That track, they swore, had an actual hill in it. I will take their word for it ...

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Long Island race photos



Earlier this week, Marist runners past and present Quimes DelaCruz, Conor Shelley and Matt Walsh partipicated in the Marcum Workplace Challenge race, a 3.5-miler on Long Island. Although I could not find official results, Quimes and Conor went 1-2 and Walsh placed sixth.

Here is a link to a race video that has a little footage of Quimes and Conor at the front of the pack.

We’ll still be on the trails

One of my core beliefs in coaching is something called “specificity.” It means you train specific to your racing conditions. It’s a pretty straightforward concept. I do not follow it 100 percent … but pretty close.

As a result, the most recent post about the NY Times article questioning the efficacy of softer surfaces was interesting but not entirely relevant to what we do and what we will be doing in the coming months. During the cross country season, we train off-road as much as possible.

While it could be said that the softer surfaces are better at having our athletes avoid injuries, the more practical purpose from my perspective is this: In XC season, we race off-road; it makes sense to train off-road.

What better way to prepare for the Bowdoin Park hills then to actually train on the Bowdoin Park hills? The Vassar Farm road, not quite a fan favorite among team members, is excellent terrain-specific training for Van Cortlandt Park (although it could use a few more hills).

Again, we follow this philosophy almost all the time. There are a few exceptions. On occasion (very rarely), we will do a track workout in the fall. And at times during track season, we will be doing hill repeats. But not often. Why? Show me a track with hills on it …

Monday, July 25, 2011

Whither Pre's Trail?

Thanks to loyal alum and throwing school record holder Peter VanAken for sending me a link to this very thought-provoking article from the New York Times about running surfaces and injuries. This article casts doubt on the seemingly hard-and-fast theory that softer surfaces = fewer running injuries.

Huh? Roads are better than trails?

For most, it’s a matter of preference.

The main thing to take out of this article: Risk increases on softer surfaces because of the unevenness of the terrain. Even terrain that is more smooth – like Pre’s Trail or on our campus, the grassy North Field – have potential pitfalls for those who normally do all their miles on pavement, because you are using different muscles on the softer surfaces.

As the article states, if you abruptly change your training terrain from all-hard to all-soft or vice versa, be careful. Such a change is akin to abruptly increasing your training volume. Do it with care.

My running pal Fast Tony summed it up when he said: “Variety is what matters. Vary the terrain, and you won’t get hurt.” Simple, and probably true. Tony runs probably 60-70 percent of the time on roads, but does get off-road at least once per week – especially for his long run. He is never injured, always fresh and ready to hammer me on any given morning.

What I love about this article is that it questions conventional wisdom and something that you would assume to be sacrosanct – that trails are better than roads.

Earlier this year, I read the book “Freakanomics” and the follow-up book “Super Freakanomics.” Neither is a sports nor running book. Despite this, both books are keepers because they are thought-provoking exercises in questioning conventional wisdom and looking at things from a different perspective.

I remember early in my coaching career, Phil Kelly and I would pore through his old and new copies of Running Research News and talk about the innovative ideas contained in those articles. There were some far-out concepts in there, but it was always interesting to expand your thought horizons.

Personally, I tend to follow a pretty conservative thought pattern when it comes to training and coaching. Remember (much to Flint's displeasure) we always do the same Ogden Mills workout to start the preseason, and we have for more than 20 years! But it’s always good to think outside the box every once in a while.

So. Does this mean we’re done with trails in the fall and we’ll be doing MidRise Hills every day? I don’t think so. But maybe, we’ll be extra careful when it comes to monitoring the safety of the terrain we once thought to be perfectly safe.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Team barbecue today

Today’s team barbecue at the Hudson Riverfront was a steamy success. I believe we had a record turnout of close to 75 people. That's my best guess.

Yes, it was hot. It was very hot. But it was not as hot as Friday’s record heat, and for that we are grateful. We had a nice warm breeze off the Hudson, and we had two huge fans that were provided by the athletic department. These fans were lifesavers.

I proved to be in midseason form when, while standing in front of one of the big blowers cooling off, I noted to a table of men that the fine cooling device was “my biggest fan.” This met with the usual groans of disbelief that I could tell such stupid jokes.

The big surprise of the day was the special guest appearance of Marist Alum (from way back in 1995) Mr. Bucket. Some know Mr. Bucket, a local high school track coach of some renown, as “David Swift.” Anyway, Mr. B provided us coaches with some much-needed grilling assistance. It also should be noted that Bucket was Billy Hild’s coach at Spackenkill, not to mention Vess’ uncle, so he still has close ties to the current generation of Running Red Foxes.

For his efforts, Mr. Bucket was rewarded with a Marist Alumni Racing Team singlet, size medium. We hope he will use it well as he enters the masters track racing ranks next year. Wow. One of my alums (athletes that I coached) will be racing as a master. That makes me officially old.

It was especially gratifying today to see so many freshmen, and so many families of freshmen, make the trip to Poughkeepsie for the team BBQ. They are part of the family, and they see how much fun we have in each other’s company. Thank you all for coming.

Special thanks to the team captains and upperclassmen (you know who you are) who helped so much with getting food and helping with set up and break down. Chuck and I truly appreciate it.

Great to see everyone.

Cooler weather is coming. As always … Run, Rehydrate, Run Some More.

Friday, July 22, 2011

OK. It's REALLY hot

Turns out this heat really is big news. With the heat index approaching 110 degrees, this is South Carolina in the summer heat and it is truly dangerous stuff.

So I feel a bit hypocritical when I say that we as a family will probably take a pass on tonight's Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club Summer Track Series. Mostly, I'm concerned about the safety of my children. There is not a lot of shade out there at Spackenkill.

FYI, for those planning on coming to the barbecue on the Hudson River on Saturday: It will be insanely hot and there is little shade. Plan accordingly.

On Saturday, it could be the one day of the year in which you will find me wishing it were cooler.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Newsflash: It's hot

Kudos to my pal and former Poughkeepsie Journal colleague Sean T. McMann for writing his usually witty column in Saturday's edition of Dutchess County's Finest Daily Newspaper. Check the link to the column here ...

Although Sean was going for yucks as usual as he poked fun at Al Roker, weathermen in general and weather geeks like me, his point is a valid one: Since when did pretty much ordinarily extreme weather become BIG NEWS?

As in ... this week, it's going to be hot. Really hot.

OK. Let's see. Let me check. Yup. We're in the third week of July. HELLO? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT!!! It's not like we live in Barrow, Alaska, for heaven sake. It gets hot, really hot, here in the mid-Hudson Valley.

OK. Want a little history? Here's some: 16 years ago, on July 14, 1995, and then on July 15, 1995, it was really, really, really hot in Poughkeepsie. How hot? On July 14, it was 101 degrees at about 5 p.m., in the Marist Chapel. The next day, the temperature peaked at 106 degrees.

How do I know this? July 14, 1995, is the day Heidi and I got married. In the Marist Chapel. With the air conditioning turned OFF, because my soft-talking brother was not loud enough during the first reading (someone turned the AC off, and failed to turn it back on!). When Father Brinn instructed me to "kiss the bride" he may as well have said "kiss the wet sponge." Ah, memories.

On July 15, we had an informal BBQ in the backyard of the house Heidi grew up in. Yes. It was 106 degrees and hydration was key.

Later this week, specifically Thursday and Friday, it will get dangerously hot. Scary hot. Be careful running out there. Cut back as needed. Avoid the heat of the day. Hydrate. You know. The usual. It is serious. Heat-related stuff with long-distance running is serious. I take it seriously.

And the Midwest's heat wave is truly nasty and not to be taken lightly.

But temperatures in the 90s in Poughkeepsie in July? Hardly earth-shattering news.

Run. Rehydrate. Run Some More!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Teammates in the park

A hearty “nicely done” to Marist Running Alums Girma Segni and Conor Shelley for their back-to-back finish at Saturday’s NYRR race in Central Park. Girma ran 20:19 for the 4-miler and Conor was right behind in 20:20. They finished 17th and 18th overall.

Girma runs for West Side and Conor is now affiliated with NYAC. The link to the results can be found here.

This bride is a hill maven!

Shortly before getting married at the aforementioned lovely ceremony in Kennebunkport, Marist Running Alum Liza Grudzinski had a tremendous, national-caliber effort at the USA Mountain Running Championships in North Conway, NH.

Liza showed her hill-running prowess by placing 10th in the race – that’s right, Liza was 10th at a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, a few weeks ago. Liza has had a lot of injury issues but she battled through them, trained hard for this race and did a great job.

Liza runs for the excellent Riadha team. The link to the results can be found here.

More thoughts on Maine

OK! Just got back from more than 600 miles of minivan driving with my entire family. “My entire family” includes a very antsy and very active 5-year-old son James, who made the trip “entertaining” to say the least.

Please note well: Our van is NOT equipped with a DVD player. Several attempts were made to borrow one from other families. All unsuccessful. This made for a very interesting and noisy trip.

Some highlights:

--Are we there yet?
--I gotta go to the bathroom!
--Are we there yet?
--Can I listen to the iPod?
--Are we there yet?
--Can I have the Nintendo DS?
--Are we there yet?
--I miss the bunnies! (we have pet rabbits …)
--Are we there yet?
--Why do we have to go to the wedding?
--Are we there yet?

So, if you think my nerves are a little jangled from such a trip … well, you would be accurate in that assessment.

Having said that … it was a wonderful trip to a beautiful and memorable wedding in Kennebunkport.

We stayed in Kittery, which is just over the border from Portsmouth, NH. We had a great time in York Beach, which has a fantastic zoo and a quaint New England-y village. We are not “beach people” (rather, we are “lake people”) but we made the most and the best of this mini-vacation.

It was great to see all the alums at this wedding. James made a new best friend in Hopkins, who gave James the full “Conor/Vess treatment” – that is, roughhousing, punching, flipping him upside-down, etc., on the dance floor. James reciprocated by inadvertently (we think?) punching Hopkins in the jaw.

Speaking of Hopkins and punching … our guy finally came through with his marathon bet “payment” with Camp at the wedding. I was there to witness it. Nicely done.

From what I heard about the proceedings, there were many other highlights among the alumni men -- most of which are not entirely appropriate for the family blog. Editor’s note: Schab was there. Nuff said.

Again, all joking aside: I was (and am) so proud to see my boys, now men making a difference in the world, having grown up. They can still be boys when they are together, thank goodness. It was a weekend we won’t soon forget ...

The MAINE event

We are wrapping up an excellent family weekend in southern Maine, where Marist Running Alums Kirk Dornton and Liza Grudzinski got married last night in a stunning setting at Kennebunkport. President and Mrs. Bush were invited, but they declined the short walk down the road from their estate to attend.

However, legions of Marist Running Alums were there. To say it was wonderful to see them all would be an understatement.

Matt “Walsh” Walsh insisted that I include the fact that he won the inaugural (and only) Kirk’s Morning of His Wedding Sort of 5K in Kennebunkport, which finished just outside the Bush Compound. I was not there, but all were impressed by Walsh’s prowess in the race, which he completed in 17:something.

Results and photos to follow if they are provided. If not … not. Nicely done, Walsh.

We wish Liza and Kirk all the happiness in their upcoming travels and in their life of married bliss together. We love them both, and we love all of our boys that were in attendance.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Another blog worth following

We are very proud of 2011 graduate Jillian Corley, who embarks on a 2-year journey with the Peace Corps in South Africa. While we will miss Jill’s presence on the team, we are humbled with awe at her noble undertaking.

If you are interested in following her progress and her journey in South Africa, please follow this link to her blog. She admits to not knowing how frequently she will be able to post, but we look forward to seeing how it goes.

If you are reading this, Jillian, please know that we are all very proud of you.

Once gain, here’s the link …

Barbecue details, July 23

There seems to be a lot of interest in our midsummer team barbecue on Saturday, July 23. Great news!

All are welcome. And I do mean all: Team members, team family members, friends, alumni, etc.

Note to all team members, especially new ones: This is a low-key outing and is by no means mandatory. It will be great to see everyone, but if you cannot make it, no biggie.

For planning purposes … we will be starting things at about 3 p.m. down at the Marist Riverfront.

Very important, for planning purposes: Please e-mail or text me to let me know if you will be attending, so we can get a better idea of an official head count. We will be asking team captains/upperclassmen to help coordinate food, snacks and drinks with Coach Chuck and me. Any leftover food will be given to the two West Cedar off-campus houses, where I am sure it will not go to waste this summer.

A few other quick notes:

--We will be asking each person to chip in a few bucks to cover the cost of food, barbecue materials, etc. It will depend on how many folks show up and how much food we get, probably in the $3 to $5 range per person. Thank you.
--Alumni/other of-age adults: Please note that NO ALCOHOL is allowed down at the Marist Riverfront. Don't try it or think about it.
--Everyone (and this is serious): NO SWIMMING IN THE HUDSON RIVER. Aside from being an environmental hazard – they aren’t dredging the darn thing just for giggles – it is against Marist Security Policy. You will be kicked off campus and subject to security write-ups … we don’t need that nonsense in the summertime! (or anytime for that matter …)
--An addendum: When I say “No swimming in the Hudson River,’’ this also includes jumping in, throwing your friends in, etc. DON’T DO IT.
--Reminder again: Email or text me or Chuck to let us know if you are coming.

Should be fun and we are looking forward to it …

Monday, July 11, 2011

Marist at the Boilermaker


Marist Running was well represented at Sunday’s Boilermaker 15-kilometer race in Utica. This world-famous 9.3-miler attracts thousands of runners to Central New York each summer.

Most recent Marist Running alum Brittany Burns tore it up at the Boilermaker! Britt was 20th woman overall, sixth out of 727 in the 20-24 age group, in 58:42, an average of 6:18 pace and much faster than she ran in 2010. Nice going, Britt!

Marist junior Joel Moss of Baldwinsville ran a Boilermaker PR of 52:52 (5:41 pace), a solid effort in the middle of his heavy summer mileage training.

Thanks to Britt for sending this picture last night.

Firecracker 4 in Saratoga



While on vacation last week, my son Joey and I ran in the Firecracker 4-mile race in Saratoga Springs. It was an excellent event, with well over 2,000 runners participating.

The course was great, the support was tremendous and this was a first-class operation from start to finish. I would highly recommend this race.

Thanks to Marist Running (and Rowing) Alum Lisa D’Aniello, who was a race volunteer, for sending along this race photo from a little past the 1-mile mark. You’ll note a somewhat bewildered Joey wondering why someone was yelling his name and an ever goofy Coach Pete (yes, it says that on my bib) with tube socks pulled up way high on the warm morning. You’ll also note Marist Track alum Catie Fargione, who ran with us for part of the race as well. And then there’s the guy in the blue shirt, clearly startled by the whole scene.

I ran with Joey the entire way, and he did his old man proud. His finishing time was 33:59 (8:30 pace). And yes, he ran negative splits. Nicely done.

Way up at the front of the pack was our very own Justin Harris, who blasted through the course in 20:20, good for fifth place overall. Jut’s in the middle of his peak triathlon season and this was an excellent, hard workout for him. It was a pleasant surprise to see him there. And it was great catching up with Lisa and Catie as well.

Alumni singlets are in!

The fresh batch of Marist Alumni Racing Team singlets has arrived. If you have requested one, please e-mail me your request again (sorry), specifying size and most importantly MAILING ADDRESS. Please email this to me and do not text it to me, as I may not save the text long enough to get the shirt in the mail.

There is a very limited supply. As a result, first priority goes to most recent alums who have never received a MART singlet. Also, please note that I only issue MART singlets to actual alums … you have to have completed all degree requirements. Sorry, but I am a stickler when it comes to that.

More singlets will be ordered down the road as need dictates, with donations appreciated.

Any questions, let me know. Look forward to having these really nice Nike singlets out on the roads in the coming weeks, months and years …

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Back from the lake

Hello again! Back from 10 days of vacation in the Lake George region, where I was pretty much unplugged from the Internet. My cell phone was really only a text phone, as service was quite spotty.

There was a brief period of "WiFi" (and I use that term in quotations for a reason) in which my laptop got a weak connection from our compound's headquarters for about 2 hours. I was able to check email at a pace that harkens us back to the "dial-up modem" days. Which is to say I got little done other than to be frustrated.

One cool thing about this situation, much like last summer, was rediscovering the joy of actually reading a printed newspaper -- specifically the New York Times. Sure, it costs a few bucks. But the way I look at it, it was a small investment in the most likely doomed future of my former profession of journalism.

Anyway ... give me a few days to get back on my feet. I have a lot of things about which to post.

Just a forewarning that I am back in civilization and that if you call me, I might actually be able to answer. It's nice to be back ...