Back to the 1990s ... Internet free in the Adirondacks

Programming note: I am up for our annual family vacation at Lake George. Since I still do not own a Smart Phone, and the Internet here is extremely spotty, posts may be scarce until the week of July 8. With Junior Nationals recently completed, this effectively ends the 2012-2013 journey, with the long 2013-2014 journey awaiting on the other side of the family holiday. So for now, I will get used to reading the New York Times in print for a week or so, read my books, and try to stay dry as the forecast calls for chance of rain every single day. No worries. We will make the best of it. If I get a chance to post from up here, I will. If not, see you on the other side of July 1, as we get ready for yet another new beginning.

Exploring baseball's history: A visit to the Bob Feller Museum

Thanks to the suggestion of the Moss Family, we made a half-hour journey out of Des Moines today to visit the hometown and museum of Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Bob Feller. "Rapid Robert." "The Heater from Van Meter." "Bullet Bob." Feller was among the greatest righthanded pitchers of all-time, not to mention a WWII hero. A truly unique and great American, who lived a good long life before passing away a few years ago at the age of 92. The museum was small but packed with awesome artifacts from Feller's baseball career and military career. And, just so you know: Van Meter, Iowa, is a really small town. I'd say it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's close enough to Des Moines so as not to classify as that. Thanks to our athletes for riding along out to Van Meter with me and putting up with my love of baseball history.

Marist Running goes Grand ... Canyon, that is!

Rising sophomores Mariella Bilello, Nicki Nesi, Brie Vess and Annie Gould -- front and back -- at the Grand Canyon. Brie is spending the summer in Flagstaff with her brother, Vess, and her friends are visiting and training in the thin air for a week. Nice photos!

The 2013 Tour: Deedy and Tino go nationwide

 Team members Mark Valentino and Pat Deedy are taking the USA by storm over the next three weeks. Deedy is traveling with Tino and his family on an epic vacation that will take them to the following places:

• Mount Rushmore
• Yellowstone
• Grand Teton National Park
• Bryce Canyon in Utah
• The Grand Canyon (more on that in the next post)
•  St. Louis
•  And, eventually, back home to Long Island. 

The photo below is of Deedy and Tino after a 6-mile run in Perrysburg, Ohio. After several hours' drive to Chicago, our boys went to a Cubs' game at venerable Wrigley Field, which Tino aptly described as "Baseball Heaven."

USATF Junior Championships: Colabella and Lee in the 10km

It was a tough night at the track for our 10km boys at USA Juniors. Even though it was 9 p.m. local time, the temperature was still 91 sticky degrees. Hardly optimal conditions for a 25-lap race. In fact, such heat can be downright dangerous. Put it in perspective: The race winner had a PR of 29:37; on Friday night, he ran 31:14. And it was a darn good race! So yeah. Pretty tough out there.

The results: Ryan Colabella was 14th out of 26 runners in the field in a time of 33:48.10. Johnny Lee was a DNF, but a most bizarre one at that. Johnny completed 24 laps. Through delirium with the heat, confusion on his part and the fact that he thought an official told him he was done, he stopped a lap short of the finish. So he is a DNF. He was a bit behind Ryan, but he was ahead of a few runners in the field. We’ve had several DNFs in this meet through the years; this one, by far, is the most unusual.

The splits are ugly and you can see how the heat took its toll on the entire field, our runners included. Here you go …

Ryan Colabella, 33:48.10

77, 2:33 (76), 3:50 (77), 5:07 (77)

6:05 (78), 7:44 (79), 9:03 (79), 10:19 (76)

11:35 (76), 12:52 (77), 14:12 (80), 15:32 (80)

16:55 (83), 18:18 (83), 19:39 (81), 21:03 (84)

22:29 (86), 33:54 (85), 25:21 (87), 26:47 (86)

28:13 (86), 29:39 (86), 31:06 (87), 32:32 (86)

33:48.10 (76.10)

Johnny Lee, DNF

78, 2:33 (75), 3:50 (77), 5:07 (77)

6:25 (78), 7:44 (79), 9:04 (80), 10:24 (80)

11:42 (78), 13:05 (83), 14:28 (83), 15:54 (86)

17:21 (87), 18:49 (88), 20:19 (90), 21:47 (88)

23:17 (90), 24:47 (90), 26:14 (87), 27:44 (90)

29:13 (89), 30:40 (87), 32:09 (89), 33:37 (88)

--- (DNF)

USATF Junior Championships: Kristen Traub in the 1,500-meter run

As so often happens at these meets, tactical racing proved to work against Kristen Traub in the 1,500-meter run at the USATF Junior Championships this afternoon here in Des Moines. Kristen ran in the second section of the trials. The first section was fast but still tactical. The second section was ridiculously slow and very very very tactical, as entrants knew what they had to do to advance and chose to exert as little energy as possible in the early stages. Once Kristen went through the first lap in a pedestrian 86 seconds, I knew a personal-best time was out of the question and it was just a matter of when and not if the gears would shift. Kristen did her best at the gear-shifting, but it was not good enough to advance to the finals (top 12 move on). Here are the numbers:

Overall place: 14th

Overall time: 4:49.72

Splits

400m: 86.0
800m: 2:44.3 (78.3)
1200m: 3:54.5 (70.2)
1500m: 4:49.72 (last 400 in 72 seconds, she went through 1100m at 3:37ish)
More numbers:

Extrapolate her time out to a full mile and it is 5:10.77.

This would make her first half/second half splits look like this: 2:44.3/2:26.47.

That, my friends, is insane! But again, it is the nature of the beast in these events. Kristen’s PR and SR in the event would have placed her second overall in the preliminary round. But of course, things don’t work out that way. It is disappointing that Kristen did not advance, as we know she could have held her own in this field. This experience will serve her well. We have always felt that Kristen closes races very well, and we feel she has an above-average ability at shifting gears. Her best was simply not good enough today.

Before the race, the meet was suspended for a short time due to severe weather – thunder, lightning, heavy rain – in the area. Kristen’s race still went off on time, because they were able to condense the 200 dash trials that were before the 1,500. As we drove back to the hotel, we hit another heavy rainstorm, so it is quite possible that the men’s 10,000-meter run scheduled for 9 p.m. local time may get pushed back. We will keep you posted on it. Check back later for results, race details and eventually split times. If you want to watch the race, the entire meet is being streamed online.

Random notes from Des Moines

A few random thoughts as we anticipate our athletes' races later today in the searing Midwest heat ...

--The NBA Finals Game 7 last night was truly epic. The whole series was, but given the late start times I rarely watch it. With the slight time difference out here, coupled with the fact that we were at Drake Stadium watching the Senior 10km races into the evening, I was able to watch the completion of the game. This final series truly brought out everything good in sports. It was good, clean competition with no thuggery or bad sportsmanship, which are so prevalent in big-time team sports these days. Both teams truly respected each other, and you could see that with the outpouring of emotion after the game. I'm not a basketball guy, at all, so if this analysis isn't great please forgive me: When you have two evenly matched teams like the Heat and the Spurs, it seems that randomness and chance play as much a part in the outcome as anything else. That finger-roll layup that Tim Duncan missed in the final minute, the one that would have tied the game? He's probably made that same shot thousands of times. This time, the ball bounced away. If that shot, or his tip-in attempt that he has probably made hundreds of time, falls, maybe the outcome is different. There are an infinite number of little moments like that, all of which can turn the game and the series on a dime. For great reads on this topic, and where I got the idea for this analysis, check out this link and this link.
--Des Moines is a lot better this time around. Three years ago, when we were out here for USA Juniors, I ranted quite a bit about this place. Perhaps all we needed was a change of venue. It's rare that an airport hotel will do that. But this area around the airport has everything we need -- stores and restaurants, and a great park to run. Turns out, Des Moines has miles of wonderful trails. I went for a long run/walk from Gray's Lake Park early this morning and it was far better than any of the jogging I did out here three years ago. Live and learn. We would gladly come back to Des Moines if given the opportunity for future championship meets.
--The aforementioned 10km men's race last night was a study in tactics. The whole field bunched up through 5km, going through anywhere from 14:57 to 15:00. Then, things got real interesting. Galen Rupp and friends starting cranking big-time over the last 3km. Rupp closed his last 1,600 meters in an eye-popping 4:10! It was great and inspiring to see the pros do their thing out there.

Today's schedule ...
Women's 1,500-meter: Kristen Traub, at 1:10 local time (2:10 in the East)
Men's 10,000-meter: Johnny Lee and Ryan Colabella, at 9:00 local time (10:00 in the East)

USA Junior Championships: Greetings from Des Moines after a smooth trip

We are here in Iowa for the USATF Championships, having arrived about an hour ago. We have three athletes who have qualified and who will compete here at Drake University later in the week on Friday: Kristen Traub in the 1,500-meter run; Johnny Lee in the 10,000-meter run; Ryan Colabella in the 10,000-meter run. The last time we were in Des Moines was three years ago. At that time, we also had a women’s 1,500-meter runner (Jackie Gamboli) and two men’s 10,000-meter runners (Arquimedes DelaCruz and Mike Nicoletti). Pretty odd coincidence, huh? Well … Quimes also ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase … but why let the facts get in the way of a good story.

The number of athletes and the events they are in are quite similar. But the similarities in our getting to Des Moines end there. Loyal blog followers will recall our travel odyssey from 2010, when our flight from Newark was canceled, we took an early morning flight to Minneapolis, and sped cannonball-run style from Minnesota to Iowa, barely in time for Quimes to run in the steeplechase. This year, we had no such travel woes. We arrived at LaGuardia with plenty of time to spare. No thunderstorms in sight. We even ran into our old friend Joe Lipari (Tommy’s dad), who ironically enough happened to be on the same flight as us – he is traveling out here to see Emily run in the Senior 1,500-meter race. Our direct flight from LGA to Des Moines departed on time and arrived in Iowa about a half hour early. Early! When does that ever happen? The rental car line was short, and our trip to the hotel was even shorter … about two minutes. The weather forecast out here calls for hot, hotter and hotter. So far, so good. We’ll keep you posted on the developments.

Father's Day gift: Racing with daughter and personal best

Nice photo here from team member Lizzie Peper and her dad, who started his Father's Day with a 5K race, a 1:30 PR for dad (25:26.8) and an age-group winning time for Lizzie (21:54.4) at the GBMC Father's Day 5K in Maryland. Nicely done to both!

Posch and Omar on the bridge: Awesome photo!

Thanks to my good pal from the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club, Bob Kopac, who shared this photo from Saturday's race. That's Billy Posch and Omar Perez going stride for stride, with the Mid-Hudson Bridge in the background. How many hundreds of times have these guys run on the Walkway in training? Nice to see them out there racing. Official times: Posch, 15:41; Omar, 15:58. Probably a race record for Posch; definitely a big PR for Omar. Omar's parents did great, too: Martha ran 27:05; Epi ran 27:15. Very strong for first 5Ks! Kelley Gould ran 20:34.

Happy Father's Day on the bridge

At this morning's Treetops to Rooftops 5K at the Walkway on the Hudson, Marist rising sophomore Omar Perez took second place. His teammate, Billy Posch, won the race! Official times have not been posted, but Billy ran around 15:38 and Omar just broke 16:00 and outkicked local Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club top runner Mike Chow. Here is a picture of Omar, with his proud parents Martha and Epi, who both finished their first 5K races. We had to twist Epi's arm a little as he was reluctant to do it, but Omar reports he is hooked now. A great day for a great family, and a wonderful early Father's Day gift for Epi, a good man and a longtime Marist employee. In the women's race, our own Kelley Gould was third place overall. Nicely done to one and all! Complete results will be posted eventually at www.mhrrc.org.

Happy Flag Day

The following photos were taken at the Violet Avenue Twosome race on Friday night, Flag Day! Above, our son Joey and his teammate and friend Nick celebrated Flag Day in style, taking third place overall. Each runner did 1.5 miles. Their combined time was a little faster than 18:30 (exact results not posted yet). They ran under the team name of USA (Ultimate Student Athletes) and clearly got into the Flag Day theme. On the left, is our son James, who used a great kick to win the Kids Fun Run. Below is our daughter Natalie, who teamed with cheer partner Aiyla and got second in her age group. Happy belated Flag Day to one and all.

Birth of a half marathoner: Bree Crowe wins her age group!

Congrats to Marist Running Alum Briana Crowe (above, sporting the Marist Alumni Racing Team jersey and her excellent running form, and left, with her finisher's medal, enjoying a post-race refreshment) on her excellent half marathon debut at the ODDyssey Half Marathon in Philadelphia, where she is in graduate school.

Bree finished strong in 1:36:14, an average of 7:20 per mile. She was seventh overall in the women's field and FIRST in the women's 20-29 age group.

Not a bad way to debut at 13.1 miles, especially after spending her Marist career as a record-setting middle distance and relay specialist in track.

Nicely done, Bree!

Lake Placid: Runner Girl and the birth of a marathon runner

The old and the new marathoner: Coach Pete and Belle Hettie, post-race at Lake Placid.

Anyone that spends any amount of time around the Marist College campus has seen her. Of this, there is no doubt. She is known by many simply as “Runner Girl.” I am not on Twitter or Instagram or any of those things, but apparently, “Runner Girl” has a sort of cult following among Marist students. They see her pounding out her lonely miles, doing endless loops around campus. And they Tweet about it. Runner Girl sighting near Fontaine! Just saw her passing Foy! There she is, back behind McCann!

Well, I’m here to tell you that Runner Girl has an actual name (Belle Hettie) and she’s got game in our runners’ world. I saw it first-hand up at Lake Placid on Sunday. I got the sense, during this past year, that Runner Girl became a sort of punch line among some students on campus. Oh her. She just runs and runs. And she’s not even that fast! Not me. I know better. I took notice of Runner Girl, mostly because I noted that her runs were exceedingly LONG. I’d come puttering onto campus in my rickety old car, coffee in hand. And I’d see Runner Girl heading behind McCann. Slow, methodical strides. A few hours later, maybe I’d go out to gas up the van in preparation for 11 a.m. practice, and get coffee #2 for the day. Oh! There’s Runner Girl. Still running. Looking strong.

To me, she was no punch line. Sure, her pace was not fast. But it was steady. And long. To me, from a distance, she seemed like a legitimate long-distance runner. Eventually, I met Runner Girl. Belle. A freshman at Marist. A quiet, studious, unassuming young lady, training for her first marathon. At Lake Placid. She had a lot of questions. First-time marathon questions. They were smart, well-informed questions. She knew her stuff. She did her research. She got good advice from others in the running community where she lives. She trained long. She trained hard. She was ready.

Because of the out-and-back nature of several sections of the Placid course, I saw Belle several times during the race. She was ahead of me, as I suspected she would be. She looked confident. She looked steady. She looked strong. Just like she does when she cruises around those endless campus loops, as others perhaps are poking fun of her on social media. Belle finished strong in 3:57:02, a 9:03 pace, a sub-4:00 marathon in her first attempt, on as challenging a road marathon course as you will find, at age 18. She’s got a bright future in our sport. Runner Girl’s got a name. Runner Girl’s got game. Belle is a marathon finisher, and she should be proud of her excellent effort.

Lake Placid: The old man and the marathon

Most marathon runners have a bit more of a high-tech approach to pre-race nutrition than this: I am walking out of the Stewart's Shop on Main Street in Lake Placid, about 15 minutes prior to the race, with my standard beverage: Black coffee from Stewart's.

Vess, that noted humanitarian, took to calling me "Old Man" several years ago when he was still calling Poughkeepsie home. Of course, I am not "that old," but I think I know where the moniker stems from: He was at the finish line of the Hartford Marathon a few years' back, watching me stumble in with a PW (Personal Worst), looking very old indeed. Well, four years later, this old man is still stumbling across marathon finish lines. Sunday, it was up in Lake Placid again. I will not bore you with race play-by-play. Just a few numbers, details and stats.

First half: 2:08:59

Second half: 2:02:33

2013 finish time: 4:11:32 (9:36 pace)

2012 finish time: 4:12:36 (9:39 pace)

Marathons completed: 50

Consecutive years with at least one marathon completed (my only remaining streak): 27

Where's my Mule? In Danbury!

A few nights ago, I went to see my favorite band in concert -- Gov't Mule, at the Ives Music Park in nearby Danbury, CT. This was a rare treat -- Mule, close to home, and an early start time of 7:15 p.m. I have seen Mule about a half-dozen times and never have seen the end of their shows. Usually, Warren Haynes and the boys start late (9 pm or later) and play really, really late (into the wee hours) -- way past this old coach's bedtime. So, even though the Mule played their usual 3.5-hour, two-set plus encore jam, I was able to hang in there till the finish.

This was a fantastic show, one of the more unique Mule concerts I have been to. In a departure from their usual hard-rockin' ways, Haynes and company did some really cool experimental stuff -- in honor of musical innovator Charles Ives, after whom the park was named -- that centered around a jazz-fusion theme. It was a perfect, mellow Sunday night vibe. Check out info, set lists and a few videos courtesy of the JamBase Web site here. As an added treat, I was joined by Marist Running Alum Will Griffin and rising senior Doug Ainscow, both new or converted Mule fans. Rock on.

Save the date: Red Fox Trot 5K, Saturday, September 7

An alert blog follower emailed me, wondering when the annual Red Fox Trot 5K race will be. Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 7. Course will remain the same as last year -- out-and-back, with some good climbing in the first half. I will be sure to promote the race vigorously on the Marist Alumni Racing Team Facebook page as well. Hope to see many of you there.

Joel and mom at 5K upstate

Joel Moss gets a rare back-to-back blog post, but both are and were well-deserved. This photo is of Joel and his mom from a 5K race on Saturday. Joel won the race (of course) and his mom completed her first 5K.

Mrs. Moss had been telling us of a beginners' running class up in the Baldwinsville area that she was taking. She graduated with flying colors, from all reports that I received from my northern bureau reporter (she knows who she is). Great job, Mrs. Moss! We look forward to having her back down in Poughkeepsie in September for the Red Fox Trot 5K (yes, the course is tough, but you will do fine!), and possibly adding Mr. Moss to the ranks of 5K finishers as well by that time.

Note to Joel (and other recent alums): New Marist Alumni Racing Team singlets were ordered and will hopefully be available for distribution at our midsummer team BBQ in July. New this year: We ordered women's cut Alumni Racing Team singlets. All singlets are on us, no payment needed. All we ask is that you wear them with pride -- as you did for your four years here.