Sunday, August 31, 2014

Mid-life crisis. In three parts.

Start of 12-hour run. If it looks like I am going slow ... I am.
This morning, I officially turn 50 years old. The big 5-0. Eligible for AARP. The Back Nine. Over the Hill. Old Man. Ripe for a mid-life crisis. Yeah. All of that.

Oh. About that mid-life crisis. A lot of guys I know have turned 50 over the past few months and years. Here is a summary of some of their mid-life crisis checkpoints upon approaching or hitting the half-century mark:
--Purchase a muscle-car or a sports car. You know. An old-school Corvette, Camaro, Mustang. Maybe a small BMW or Mercedes. Something like that. This task takes first place in my unscientific research on male, mid-life crises.
--Purchase a motorcycle. A close second. Was an intriguing idea for me, until Heidi rightfully squashed it.
--Purchase a boat. A pretty close third.
--Make other radical changes to their lives, usually having rather destructive effects on their marriages or other family relationships. Fortunately, this comes in last, but it does happen.

Well. Not being a mainstream sort of guy, I have chosen none of these paths during this rather torturous run-up to my 50th birthday. (Side note: The outpouring of support, excitement and party planning that have surrounded this birthday has been greatly appreciated and it has made this otherwise introspective milestone a lot of fun, and I look forward to celebrating this big number with many of you in the coming hours and days). Rather than the traditional, checking account draining activities that usually accompany a man turning 50 or otherwise pondering mortality around this age, I have chosen a different – and literally very well-worn, as you will see shortly – path. This summer, I have returned to participating in (note that I did not say “running” for fear of annoying the purists out there) ultra marathons. But rather than doing the lung-searing and extremely challenging 50- or 100-mile trail races at altitude (like my friend Bob Sweeney did so well a few weeks ago out at Leadville), or any of the other extreme type events like the Spartan Death Race or Tough Mudder or stuff like that, my ultra experiences of late are limited to timed ultras on fixed/closed loops. If it sounds a bit repetitious and mind-numbing, well yes, it is.

Somehow, some way, I have forged a niche on these endless loops and amazingly I have become somewhat competitive (relatively speaking) in these races. I like routine. I like repetition. I have a gift for going really slow but not slowing down and never, ever stopping (except for short bathroom breaks). Hey. Don’t worry. I’m not going to give you play-by-play of my run/walk/run/walk endless laps. It’s like NASCAR -- only a lot slower, a lot older, and much less noisy. But, for those keeping score at home, I will tell you that I ran three ultras in three months this summer:

1-The Broadway Ultra Society Joe Kleinerman 12-hour run in Bayside, Queens, on June 7, held on a loop that was just shy of 1 mile (0.9704 of a mile). My goal was to cover at least 50 miles to celebrate 50 years. I was able to reach that goal in about 10 hours and 30 minutes, and I staggered to a final mileage total of 51.43 miles, earning a small plaque that was given to all finishers completing at least 45 miles.
2-The Broadway Ultra Society Pajama Romp 6-hour run in Astoria, Queens, on July 26, held on a hilly loop that was 1.2762 miles. I covered just less than 26 laps, 33.1 miles, and got a nice trophy for placing in the top-10 overall. This race ended at 11 p.m., so the biggest challenge was not so much slowing down as it was staying awake out there.
3-The Sweltering Summer Ultra 8-hour run in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on August 9, held on a dirt track measuring exactly .3553746428 of a mile. This event (note that I don’t call them “races”) was my primary focus all along, having done the 6-hour version of this event in 2013, really enjoying it immensely, and lighting that long-dormant ultra spark in me. This year, I was fortunate to cover 125
laps (44.42183035 miles) and earn a nice trophy clock (pictured here) for being the top master’s finisher.

So. Yeah. That’s a lot of laps and a lot of miles, a lot of tedium, and a fair amount of fatigue and certainly some ugly toenails. Many runners embrace entering a new age group so they can get a rejuvenated competitiveness by being the young person in the group. That ship has long since sailed for me, a slow guy in races of mainstream distances; I’m just not all that good anymore.

But sometimes, slow and steady and never stopping has its benefits. Keep moving forward. Stop only when necessary. Keep moving forward. Stop when necessary. Keep moving forward. These are pretty good lessons to learn around your 50th birthday.   

Saturday, August 30, 2014

50

This photo was posted on Instagram, which of course I am not on. Thanks to Kathy Gould for being the mastermind of this cake, the tailgate and all that is good about our program. I am not a big cake eater, but this was a phenomenal cake. Thank you, one and all.

Home meet: Women's results

Here are the women's meet results from today, a very strong start from a group of hard-working ladies that have much potential for greatness this fall.

Marist Season Opener
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Vassar Farm, Poughkeepsie
Women’s team standings
1-Marist 22, 2-Iona 44, 3-Central Connecticut 83, 4-Vassar 98
Women’s individual results, 5-kilometer course (Marist runners in BOLD)
1-Kristen Traub (Marist) 18:24.34
2-Brittany Mendelson (Central Connecticut) 18:41.94
3-Michelle Gaye (Marist) 18:51.63
4-Mara Schiffhauer (Marist) 18:59.22
5-Christine Coughlin (Marist) 19:13.01
6-Marlene Delices (Iona) 19:15.81
7-Natalie Holder (Iona) 19:18.01
8-Jessica Scheriff (Iona) 19:19.29
9-Janelle Solviletti (Marist) 19:29.98
10-Shannon O’Hehir (Iona) 19:34.72
11-Jenna Robinson (Marist) 19:43.12
12-Nicki Nesi (Marist) 19:45.30
13-Mariah Christian (Marist) 19:51.32
14-Kimberly Schwartz (Marist) 19:55.28
15-Danika Jensen (Iona) 19:56.87
16-Bryn Gorberg (Marist) 19:58.32
17-Shannon McBride (Central Connecticut) 19:59.98
18-Zoe Wojtech (Iona) 20:02.66
19-Annie Gould (Marist) 20:04.38
20-Brianne Vess (Marist) 20:05.15
21-Olivia Lappas (Marist) 20:18.29
22-Roxy Novo (Marist) 20:18.29
23-Marissa Porter (Marist) 20:36.38
24-Meghan Willcoxon (Vassar) 20:39.47
25-Brianna Freestone (Marist) 20:44.71
26-Kara McKenna (Iona) 20:46.69
27-Victoria Cronin (Central Connecticut) 20:51.10
28-Lucy Balcezak (Vassar) 20:51.64
29-Maddie Pieper (Vassar) 20:52.79
30-Bianca Luparello (Marist) 20:56.53
31-Laura MacDonald (Vassar) 20:57.16
32-Olivia Martin (Vassar) 20:59.01
33-Jazmin Booker (Central Connecticut) 20:59.81
34-Jaime Durso (Marist) 21:02.70
35-Mariella Bilello (Marist) 21:08.65
36-Taylor Quinn (Vassar) 21:11.53
37-Jemma Howlett (Vassar) 21:16.15
38-Harper Cleves (Vassar) 21:11.53
39-Jackie Bunce (Marist) 21:29.61
40-Kathleen Wysocki (Central Connecticut) 21:32.50
41-Erin Thompson (unattached/Marist) 21:35.34
42-Lizzy Peper (Marist) 21:36.37
43-Eliana Tyler (Vassar) 21:40.65
44-Taylor Lepage (Central Connecticut) 21:58.12
45-Christine Gambell (Marist) 22:06.39
46-Kerri-Anne Flynn (Marist) 22:11.17
47-Catherine Ferreri (Marist) 22:34.25
48-Shannon Gildea (Marist) 22:36.31
49-Allie Dellicarri (Marist) 22:44.41
50-Paxton McNierney (Central Connecticut) 22:54.15
51-Kristi Licursi (Marist) 23:03.78
52-Cara Bennet (Vassar) 23:50.26

Home meet: Men's results

Here are results from today, a solid start for our hard-working men. Ties are not broken in college cross country, so first place was shared today. We enjoyed hosting at Vassar Farm, and we hope to make it a regular occurrence.

Marist Season Opener
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Vassar Farm, Poughkeepsie
Men’s team standings
1-Marist and Iona 30, 3-Central Connecticut 79, 4-Vassar 98
Men’s individual results, 6-kilometer course (Marist runners in BOLD)
1-Nickolaus Lachman (Iona) 18:54.06
2-Andy Adamovics (Iona) 18:54.64
3-Andrew Tario (Iona) 18:55.49
4-Ken Walshak (Marist) 18:56.33
5-Steven Morrison (Marist) 19:20.11
6-Johnny Lee (Marist) 19:27.71
7-Mark Valentino (Marist) 19:36.76
8-Steven Rizzo (Marist) 19:42.72
9-Daniel Galford (Iona) 19:45.10
10-Thomas Lupoli (Central Connecticut) 19:46.80
11-Ryan Hertzog (Central Connecticut) 19:48.34
12-Ryan Colabella (Marist) 19:54.34
13-Saad Baig (Marist) 19:55.24
14-Tyler Raymond (Central Connecticut) 19:55.74
15-Patrick Hickey (Marist) 20:01.82
16-Spencer Johnson (Marist) 20:20.53
17-Bryan Buttigieg (Marist) 20:21.37
18-Ross Wightman (Iona) 20:22.82
19-Omar Perez (Marist) 20:26.50
20-Joseph Miller (Marist) 20:27.16
21-Dietrich Mosel (Marist) 20:27.62
22-Alex Shodai (Iona) 20:30.19
23-Patrick Ginty (Marist) 20:33.31
24-Jake Hensler (Marist) 20:44.50
25-Eliot Gerson (Vassar) 20:45.86
26-Andrew Terenzi (Vassar) 20:50.88
27-Mark Vuono (Marist) 20:52.07
28-Charles Ropes (Marist) 20:52.39
29-Pat Rynkowski (Marist) 20:52.68
30-Malcolm Connor (Central Connecticut) 20:53.87
31-Jack Yaworksy (Vassar) 20:57.61
32-Zach Toner (Marist) 20:57.61
33-Brian Edsall (Marist) 21:01.81
34-Sean Majer (Vassar) 21:03.94
35-Noah Trueblood (Vassar) 21:16.34
36-Philip Brown (Vassar) 21:17.22
37-Jesse Schatz (Vassar) 21:20.01
38-Eddie White (Marist) 21:21.65
39-Eric Davidson (Central Connecticut) 21:29.06
40-Justin Tampellini (Marist) 21:30.47
41-Micheal Scarlett (Vassar) 21:31.29
42-Gabe Fishman (Vassar) 21:32.70
43-Sami Ellougani (Marist) 21:36.61
44-Jamil Ferguson (Central Connecticut) 21:41.52
45-Ian Dorset (Marist) 21:46.14
46-Will Duggan (Marist) 21:46.80
47-Stefan Morton (Marist) 21:47.07
48-Ricky Willi (Marist) 21:50.91
49-Gabriel Da Silva (Iona) 22:50.52
50-Jay Kepes (Vassar) 23:08.25
51-Kyle Dannenberg (Vassar) 24:03.33

The Marist Running brand

Last week, our men’s and women’s cross country team sat through a very worthwhile presentation on the benefits and pitfalls of social media. Associate Athletic Director Travis Tellitocci did the excellent and important session. Our young adults need to be made aware of the broad scope and potential consequences – positive and negative -- of their activity on social media.

One topic that Travis discussed was “branding” as it applies to social media usage. Travis, a Marist alum, has done much to promote and advance the “Marist brand.” Several years ago, he spearheaded the transition to our new logo marks, and he did a great service to our athletic department and our school in general by truly trademarking that brand. Prior to his work in this area, Marist athletic team uniforms and other apparel had all sorts of logos and looks, and it was quite chaotic. Now, Marist has a “look” or a “brand,” athletically and otherwise, and Travis played a large role in that.

Anyway, as it pertained to his social media presentation, Travis told our student-athletes that whatever they do on social media – posts, photos, Tweets, re-Tweets, etc. – advances and establishes their “brand”, for better or for worse. It was a powerful message that I hope was received. This got me thinking about our program and what our “brand” is. I’ll be honest when I say that this is not something I have thought through too much.

But on Saturday, at our home meet at Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, I think we saw the “Marist Track/XC Brand” in full force. We are close-knit family – men, women, distance, sprints. It was especially gratifying to see our track-only athletes out to support our distance men and women today. And of course, the family support, tailgating, etc., never ceases to amaze me and I am always humbled with gratitude by the outpouring of fellowship and love and alumni support. Of course, our primary mission athletically is to field as competitive a team as we can in all our seasons. But our calling card, our brand, has been that family atmosphere. It’s something that began way back in the fall of 1991 when Phil Kelly and I started this generation of the program, it continues today, and we hope it will endure for many more cycles of Marist cross country and track athletes.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Vassar Farm: How to get there, part 2

Coach Chuck just texted me, from the darkened Vassar Farm, and instructed me to spread the word to all to use the following address: Vassar Farm Lane, Poughkeepsie, NY. If that doesn't get you there, throw your GPS in the trash, or blame me, or both! Vassar Farm Lane. See you soon.

Vassar Farm: How to get there

It has come to my attention that the GPS address that I posted earlier for Vassar Farm may not be entirely accurate. Feel free to blame the old man (me); however, I did what any modern, tech-savvy dude (well, that doesn't describe me, but still ...) would do: I googled it, and the address that it spit out was 124 Raymond Avenue. Apparently, this may not be accurate.

Here's the deal: Vassar Farm is at the intersection of Raymond Avenue and state Route 376. It is clearly marked. If you are driving south on Raymond Avenue, in front of Vassar College, take it to the end, and then cross Route 376 and you are there. If in doubt or if you get lost, call or text me at 845 309 3640 and I will do my best to navigate you there. If I do not respond right away, try again. I might be a little busy. Hope to see you there, bright and early.

Down on the Farm

Here we go. XC season is about to begin. Here is a quick glimpse at the course at Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve in Poughkeepsie. Our good pal James McCowan, the young and talented Vassar coach, has the course all marked and ready to go. We look forward to hosting here for the first time. We are hoping for a good day and good logistics. Given that this is our first time at this venue, there is some level of concern about the unknown. But hopefully, everything will go well. See you there.

Driving with Kleeker

With preseason XC camp drawing to a close, and with all the little things involved in preparing to host an XC meet, Friday was a day of running around here and there. A lot of running around. A lot of here and there. Several trips to the Hyde Park Stop & Shop were made. On my last trip to the grocery store tonight, who was waiting out by my van but that local legend himself, The Kleeker. He is Hyde Park's own; he's the cart guy at Stop & Shop, and all of us in town collectively take care of him. He does not drive, but he is never lacking for rides. I am one of his regular shuttle guys. To work. From work. To the Marist basketball game. From the Marist basketball game. Hey. Coach. Can you get me a coffee at Dunkin' Donuts? Sure, Kleek, sure thing. Tonight, he had a cart full of groceries, and he patiently waited for the ride he knew he would get from the old coach. He's our biggest fan, and we were happy to oblige.

Captain x 2

He's a school record holder several times over. He's a team captain in track and field. But perhaps some of you in the blogosphere are not aware that senior David Marthy is also a leader in another aspect of campus -- ROTC. Despite his relative youth, David has long and distinguished service in both the National Guard and the US Army. Earlier in the week, he was cruising around the McCann Center in his other uniform (sorry for the fuzzy photo, taken from my phone), looking for a place to execute some PT (physical training) testing with ROTC. As luck would have it, our trusty racquetball court in the back of the McCann Center was vacant, and that's what he used. It's the same racquetball court that doubles as our Team Room during most of the year. Trust me when I say that our guy is an ace in the area of PT. All you have to do is see him tearing around the track during the winter and spring to know what I mean. Nicely done.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Red Fox Trot 5K: Let's GO!

Just got out of a meeting for the Red Fox Trot 5K, which is on Saturday, September 6. The race committee is concerned about the low entry numbers at this point. I assured them that our alumni runners will be coming out in full force to support the race. If you have not yet registered for the race, please do so NOW, either online or by sending in your paper application. Please do not wait till race day to sign up. If you do, you will have to pay full price, and I cannot get you a reduced entry fee. This race is put on by the Red Fox Club, not by me or by our program, so we cannot bend the rules for our brothers and sisters in the Marist Running family. We know there will be a great -- hopefully record -- turnout, so please register now for the race. Thank you.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Been a long time ...

Leftover memory from Sunday's race at Baird Park ... As I was working the turnaround area with Pat Rynkowski, a gentleman in the race huffed and puffed and announced that he was a proud graduate of Marist and the football team, from 1996. A long time ago, he said. He looked at me and commented that he remembered me as the track coach back then. "You been there a long time!" was his next comment. As I enter my 24th year as coach here, as the second longest tenured head coach in the building behind LVW in the pool, it was a funny way to be reminded that it's been a long time for me here.

Foxy Foxes

Here is a photo from Sunday afternoon's annual women's team bonding party at the Gould residence in nearby Stormville. All team members are fancily flashing the "Foxes" hand gestures. Nicely done.

Home meet info, Part 2

As always, we will be doing a Team Tailgate at many of our XC meets this year. Our home meet on Saturday is no different. Because we do not have the pavilion setups that we are accustomed to at Bowdoin Park, we will be utilizing our Marist Track/XC Team Tent for our spread. Kathy Gould has asked that any parents who want to contribute to the tailgate send her an email at kathygould@optonline.net to coordinate the festivities. I will be providing some basics for the XC runners -- water, fruit, etc. We will try to secure a few tables as well from the Marist Athletics department. We appreciate all contributions. The food will never go to waste with our ever hungry athletes.

Home meet info, Part 1

Our home XC meet is at Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve on Saturday. It is the first time we are hosting a meet there, instead of Bowdoin Park. We look forward to partnering with our friends at Vassar. For those traveling from out of the area who are not familiar with the farm, the address is 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604. It is located at the intersection of Raymond Avenue, Hooker Avenue and Route 376. The Farm is quite busy on Saturday morning due to the community farm project, so you may be asked to park in the gravel lots closer to Route 376, and then walk over to the rugby field area where the meet will be starting and finishing.

Women's race, 5km: 9 a.m.
Men's race, 6km: 9:45 a.m.
Teams competing: Marist, Iona, Central Connecticut, Vassar

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Preseason update: A Home Run of a race

On Sunday, we traveled out to James Baird State Park in LaGrange to support and cheer on runners in the inaugural Run For Home 5K race, put on by the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie. The Children’s Home is where loyal alum Alex Cuesta is employed, and he was part of the planning team for this first-time race. Cuesta ran the race and got fourth overall (21:10), basking in the support and sarcasm from his former team as we lined the course and controlled traffic on the road. Our women completed their long run out at Baird and in the vicinity after the race. We hope this becomes an annual preseason tradition.

Preseason update: Split squad practices

In spring training baseball, teams often will play two games in one day at two different venues. They call it “split squad.” Oftentimes in preseason, we are a “split squad,” with the men and women going their separate ways for different practices at the same time. On Saturday, our women were down at Bowdoin Park for the first interval workout of the year – 1,000-meter repeats. Our men did a long run/workout from campus, to Vassar Farm, and back. We reconvened in the awesome, incredible, delicious Dining Hall for a well-earned lunch after many calories burned.

Preseason update: Chillin' at Minnewaska

On Friday, we took our annual preseason trip to run at Minnewaska. Our most common memories of Minnewaska are sunny and warm morning runs, followed by a refreshing dip in the glacial lake. We refer to it as the “natural ice bath.” This year, there was no sun and there was no warmth. In other words, it was quite possibly perfect running conditions. It was drizzly and cool.


And, there was no refreshing dip in the lake, because the damp and cool morning was refreshing enough. Even if it were nice lake weather, there were warning signs of leeches (leeches!) in the lake. Yikes. No thanks. We can ice bath back in Poughkeepsie.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Tradition continues

The men's XC team had its first practice at the Mills Mansion in Staatsburg this afternoon, and we did the hill workout that has come to define the first day of practice each and every year. Up and at 'em.

Preseason polls

For the first time, the MAAC has done preseason polls in cross country. Our women's team was tabbed as third out of 11 and our men's team was tabbed as fifth out of 11, in a vote of head coaches in the MAAC. You can see the complete list and the story here. Our best finish on the women's side in school history is first place (four times) and our best finish on the men's side in school history is second place (10 times). So, clearly, we have work to do to get back to where we want to be. We look forward to the challenges and the work that lies ahead.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Preseason begins

Our XC teams reported to campus today on a day where it finally felt like summer in Poughkeepsie. It has been a cooler than normal August lately. Thanks to the Wonders of Social Media, the first day of preseason is not nearly as daunting for our new team members. The new crop of freshmen have been communicating all summer long and they have already formed bonds. We all had a good laugh when two of our freshmen men (who will remain unnamed) already got themselves locked out of their temporary dorm room in Champagnat. They were a little late to dinner, but they got there.

While we're on the subject of dinner ... this old coach had his first meal in the Dining Hall. And, despite the howling protests of past team members and loyal blog followers who may think otherwise, I am here to tell you that the cafeteria is wonderful! Great food, nice spread, fresh coffee, all you can eat ... are you kidding me? This is like a dream! Can't wait for our next meal in there, lunch on Thursday.

Speaking of Thursday ... our men's team will travel to Mills Mansion for our annual hill workout to start to the season. Summer is over; time to get to work as a unit.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Leadville Trail 100

Congratulations to my good friend Bob Sweeney for completing the Leadville Trail 100 mile race in Colorado this weekend. I have not heard from Bob via e-mail or text yet, so I am just reporting what I see on the race Web site:

Finish time: 20:51:12
Overall place: 18th of 358
Gender place: 16th of 306
M40-49 place: 4th of 105

Covering 100 miles anywhere is difficult. Doing it at high altitude adds a mammoth challenge. Bob lives out there, so the altitude is not a huge surprise to his body. But still ... this is a remarkable accomplishment from a guy whose running career is filled with them. If I get photos or more details, I will pass them along at some point. Wear that buckle with pride ...

Gearing up

Preseason starts soon. Our athletes return to campus on Wednesday. We are getting geared up for another long journey of three seasons. Summer mode is slowly starting to fade into the time when we will be around our athletes on a daily basis for the better part of the next 9 months. We look forward to that. We will be posting throughout the preseason period, which is longer this year due to a quirk of the calendar.

One programming note, in case I forgot to mention it: Our home meet this year will NOT be at Bowdoin Park. Rather, it will be at Vassar Farm. Date is Saturday, August 30. Women's 5k is at 9 a.m. Men's 6k is at 9:45 a.m. This change of venue should be excellent for all involved.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Dry season

I was met with this jarring sight on Monday afternoon: An empty pool at the McCann Center! Every few years, the pool has to undergo much-needed cleaning and maintenance. This is the first time the pool has been drained in four years. The pool will be unavailable for about three weeks. Yes, that means no pool for preseason. It's a bummer, but there is nothing we can do about it. My aquajogging belt is lonely sitting in the locker room. We miss the pool already.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Club championships in NYC

Marist Running Alums Conor Shelley and Girma Segni continued to represent their current racing teams very well. At last Saturday’s New York Road Runners Club Championships 5-mile race in Central Park, Girma was sixth man on the runner-up West Side Runners (WSX) team and Conor was 12th man on the very deep championship team from New York Athletic Club (NYAC). Girma was 16th overall and fifth in his age group in 25:06; Conor was 31st overall in 26:11. The top 10 runners from each team score. NYAC’s composite time was 4:07:55 to WSX’s 4:10:54. Imagine that 26:11 is 12th man on a team. We can only hope for such depth in the coming weeks and months …

Hashtag MaristPreseason (#MaristPreseason)

For those on Twitter, for those who follow Twitter, for those who Tweet, for those who are on Instagram ... and any other types of Social Media that I probably no little about: Use the hashtag MaristPreseason (#MaristPreseason) to follow goings-on in our athletic department over the next several weeks, as fall sports teams begin to report to campus. Football arrived today; cross country is the final team to arrive, two weeks from today, on August 20. Summer's nearing an end, my friends ...

Remembering a captain


I was Roy White. That much I remember. Growing up in suburban New Jersey in the 1970s, baseball was the sport of summer in our neighborhood, and we played it endlessly. Like most kids of that era, we modeled our game after the heroes we watched on TV every night. And, since the Mets were basically irrelevant during those years, mostly the players we emulated were Yankees. Late 1970s-era Yankees: Reggie Jackson. Mickey Rivers. Sparky Lyle. Ron Guidry. Goose Gossage. Willie Randolph. Graig Nettles. Roy White. Bobby Murcer. Catfish Hunter. Thurman Munson. Ah yes, Munson. The undisputed leader of the team. The Yankee catcher, each and every day, guiding the team from their lethargy of the late 1960s/early 1970s to their return to greatness in the mid to late 1970s.

Looking back at that time, and that era, and those players stand still, frozen in time – much like childhood memories do the same. It is jarring to me when I see them return for Old Timer’s Day as, well, old men. I still remember Rivers as the guy who limped up to the plate, looking like an old man, but then was the lightning-fast leadoff hitter. Now, he just limps all the time, as an old man. Giudry, the skinny lefthander with the whip of an arm; 25-3, 1.78 ERA in 1978. Numbers forever etched in our memory.  Lyle, with the walrus mustache, big chaw of tobacco in his cheek and the nastiest slider you ever saw. Goose, with his handlebar mustache and menacing scowl. Murcer, with the Okie drawl and sweet lefty Stadium swing. Roy White, with the awkward, unorthodox lefty batting stance; I liked White because he played the game with values that I grew up to try to emulate: steady consistency, humility, hard work, lack of flamboyance. Linking them all together was Munson, the guy who never gets to return for Old Timer’s Day, the guy who didn’t get the chance to live the many more chapters of his life, the guy who was killed in a plane crash, in his prime, 35 years ago on August 2.

Billy Hild sent me a link to a now-old but not outdated article that was written to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death, in 1999. A wonderful, poetic and haunting piece – about Munson, about childhood memories, about growing old. Since that article, Catfish Hunter succumbed at a too-early age to ALS; Murcer the same to brain cancer. Little bits and pieces of our childhood taken away. But we always remember Munson, because he was taken away when we least expected it. We all cried back then … kids, grown men, all of us. Munson, more than them all, remains frozen in time – a captain and a Yankee for the ages. He has been dead longer than he lived on this earth, but he still remains a larger than life figure, 35 years later.

Frozen pizza

My mother loves to cook. Maybe it’s a cliché of an Italian-American home, where I grew up as the youngest of four children, but we were always surrounded by food. Sunday afternoon, post-church, was always the biggest feast of the week. My mother’s homemade pizza was always the show-stopper. In our family, among our extended family and in our neighborhood, it was a known commodity.

My parents are old; my father is 86, my mother is 82. Like many men and women in their 80s, their health is failing to varying degrees. But, they still have each other, and we would most definitely sign up for a lifespan that stretches into the 80s. A few weeks ago, we had a small gathering to celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary. A pretty good run, if you ask me. My mother often tells me, in person and over the phone, in her Italian accent: “Peter, you know. Your father and me, we getting old.” To which I always reply: “Ma. There’s no ‘getting’ anymore. You have arrived at your destination. You ARE old!” We get a laugh out of that. But it’s true. There is no denying it is true.

My mother has macular degeneration. She is losing her vision, a lot more rapidly than we would all like. Her kitchen is no longer as active as it once was. Perils lie at every corner. When you cannot see well, you cannot cook well. Combine this with the fact that she had a major fall a few years ago that has greatly limited her mobility, and the days of the vintage homemade pizza are numbered. Perhaps, sadly, they are over for good.

When I traveled down there to northern New Jersey last week for a quick visit and to help with transportation to doctor appointments, she announced that there was Ellio’s Pizza in the freezer, if I wanted it for lunch. She was apologetic. No homemade pizza. She urged me to have the Ellio’s. It was lunchtime. I had some Ellio’s Pizza. Did I like it, she wanted to know? Sure, Ma, it was great. Good, good, as long as you like it, as long as you are full, she said. Of course it’s not as good and not as satisfying as the homemade pizza; I wasn’t going to say that, and make her feel any worse. But for now, frozen pizza in their house is just as good, as long as they are around for a while longer to share it with us.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Melfi strides to victory

It's always great to get in a race while on vacation. It's even nicer to WIN. Marist Running Alum Mike Melfi (Class of 1998) proved he still has winner's wheels as he won the Wildwood Crest Beach Race 5K last weekend down in the Jersey Shore. Melfi is sporting the colors of the Syracuse Track Club, and he edged out a hotshot college runner for first place. Not bad for a young man who is a lot closer to his 40th birthday than he would care to admit. Mike has been training hard and consistent, and he remains on top of his game. And that old Melfi stride is still looking as strong as ever!

Runners with an Edge

Love this photo, taken from the Marcum Workplace Challenge 3.5-mile race last week on Long Island. Several Marist runners near and dear to us were in the race and in this picture. Kat Sheehan was second overall in the women's race. Conor Shelley is in his very natural pose in front of the group with Adult Beverage in hand. Thanks to loyal friends and alums, I have a fair amount of Runner's Edge gear, and I sport it often. More is always welcome, especially RE hats (hint, hint?). Good work to one and all on the Island.

Maynes soars in 10-miler

Marist Running Alum Matt Maynes (competing for Manchester Running Company, as you can see!) continues to show his great range, with a strong finish at the Sound Runner Sea Legs Shuffle 10-mile event in Guilford, CT, on Sunday. You might remember Maynes from his crazy fast downhill mile race earlier this summer. Maynes finished 16th overall in 59:27, and sported these fancy negative splits: 29:48 for first 5 miles; 29:39 for second 5 miles. Nicely done, Maynes!


Vess in Tracktown USA

Marist Running Alum Adam Vess, now running for Team Flagstaff, was in Eugene last week for the half marathon race there. I am not on Twitter, but his post-race Tweet somehow landed on Facebook, and it read: "If the half marathon was an 8 mile race, I would have been very competitive." His race splits bear this out:
5km in 15:39 (5:03 pace)
10km in 31:08 (5:01 pace)
Half marathon finish time in 1:08:49 (5:15 pace).

So yeah. Our star was running a bit out of event. But it was a great experience for him, and his fitness level remains strong. He was 10th overall and 5th in his age group. I've said it before, I'll say it again: If Vess stays healthy, he can and will do great things.