BU Terrier in pictures (thanks, Hayley's mom!)

Thanks to Dawn Collins (Hayley's mom) for sharing lots of pictures from Friday night at BU. Here is a sampling of them.

Coach Chuck with some sage advice for Hayley Collins

Debbie Boerke running smoothly in the 4x800 relay

Denise Grohn focusing intently during the 4x800

Gianna T and Hayley working together in the early stages of the 5km

Gianna M running strong in the 4x800

SheaBo going after it in the 4x800

Talia Cutrone in her first-ever track 5km!

Why vs. how

During visits with recruits and their parents, I am often asked a series of “why” questions that sometimes internally raise my blood pressure. Why don’t you have a track on campus? Why have you never had a track on campus? Why are there no plans for a track in the future? Along with my internal teeth gnashing, I have to employ an internal filter to avoid blurting out things that I should not. Like … how the HECK am I supposed to know! I’m the track coach! Of course I want a track on campus! Yeah. Well. Keeping my inner immature, adolescent teenage attitude at bay is most certainly the prudent course of action.

But hey, they are legitimate questions posed by genuinely earnest and interested prospective student-athletes and their parents, so I cannot nor should not be glib or dismissive in reply. The tack I have taken recently has been to give a mildly philosophical answer: My job is not to ask why, but rather to ask how. In other words, I could bang my head against the wall in frustration over the lack of facilities and other shortcomings with which we (and most track programs) must deal on a daily basis. However, as I like to tell my athletes, self-pity and its cousin, anger, are generally unproductive emotions. By switching the “why” to the “how” … we can be more proactive, positive, productive and eventually as successful as we can be.

Why don’t we have a track on campus? Answer a question with other questions: How do we work around this? How do we adapt? How, instead, do we focus on our strengths?

This why-versus-how concept can be an effective tool in other areas of our lives. We all have dealt with sudden, unexpected or devastating losses of various kinds – deaths, loss of job, loss of health, etc. We all have had to cope with accidents, mishaps, disappointments large and small; it’s called life. Inevitably, we ask why. Why did this happen to us, or to those we love? Sometimes we even ask God the “why” questions. It’s human nature; we’ve all done it. But again, if we can have the strength and mental fortitude to ask pertinent “how” questions, we can turn life’s potholes on its collective head. How do we honor the memories of those we have lost? How do we remain thankful for what we have rather than what we don’t? How do we make the best of our new realities? How can we strengthen our faith?

During the winter weeks and months around here, it’s a challenge to keep the “whys” at bay and switch them to “hows.” Among other things, weather conditions are our constant fixation. My phone just buzzed with a notification of snow squalls and dangerously cold temperatures later in the week. Why do we have to deal with this? Uh-uh. How are we going to deal with this? Sometimes, a simple and subtle change of words can make a simple and subtle change of attitude. And, in my opinion, that’s how we should attempt to roll on a daily basis.

From one wristband to another

It was a quick turnaround this past weekend, from one wristband to another. Up at Boston University, athletes and coaches are permitted in the building with a wristband. All others have to pay for admittance, which met with howls of disapproval from some family and friends. But hey, other collegiate sporting events charge for admission, why shouldn’t track? Easy for me to say … I don’t have to pay! Anyway, after a late-night arrival back home on Saturday, it was an early wakeup call on Sunday to take my daughter Natalie to a club swim meet at Valley Central High School in Orange County. This time, I had to pay for admission, as well as for the honor of wearing yet another wristband – this one blue, as opposed to the green ones up at BU. Swim Sunday started with a 6:45 a.m. departure, and ended with arrival home at 10 p.m. – makes those BU days seem like dual meets! From track to swim, from one wristband to another, just another winter weekend here.

Turn off the TV

My mother resides in an assisted living facility. She’s 86 years old, mostly blind do to macular degeneration and she uses a walker to get around. Mostly, she’s doing well and the assisted living place keeps her plenty busy and social – important since she cannot live independently and since she lost her lifelong companion, my father, nearly three years ago. She called the other day to let me know that the place is under quarantine due to various illnesses – stomach bugs, upper respiratory infections, the flu, etc.

For most of the population, any of those ailments would prove to be nuisances of varying degrees – a few days away from work, school, feeling a bit lousy for a week or two, etc. The flu can knock us off our feet for longer, but it’s almost always a temporary malady. For elderly folks like my mother and her assisted living brethren, there’s nothing minor about any of those illnesses. They often lead to catastrophic outcomes. And so the quarantine, while annoying, becomes necessary.

My mother is relegated to life in her small room, the equivalent of a studio apartment. Her meals are brought to her. If she wants to wander the hallways, she would be required to wear a mask and stay close to her room; “I don’t want to be bothered with that mask,” she says. The usual social activities in the morning and the afternoon have been canceled. She’s basically a shut-in. Oh sure, she has the Smart Speaker that her hotshot grandson out in California, the one who works for Amazon, set up for her. So she can say, “Alexa, play 1950s music” or “Alexa, play Three Coins in a Fountain (her wedding song).” But after a while, that easy listening sound can get monotonous too. So she turns on the TV – not the best medium for a mostly blind old lady. Hell, not the best medium for any of us!

At the risk of sounding arrogant: I don’t really watch TV. Like, barely at all. When I checked in to my hotel room in Boston last Friday night, for some reason, the TV was on. I scurried for the remote to turn it off quickly, like trying to eradicate an invasive species. I wasn’t always like this; I watched my fair share of sitcoms and game shows growing up; I used to love my sports. I used to be glued to the Weather Channel, but now an app on my phone tells me everything I need to know. During the baseball season the TV will be on (oh yes, last Monday I was riveted to the MLB Network for the Hall of Fame announcement, so yeah, I do watch a little TV). I suppose I’ll watch the Super Bowl. Other than that, it’s off. A conversation with my mother confirmed why that should be.

Before the quarantine, my mother rarely turned on the TV. She keeps busy, and then when she gets in her room she has Alexa make some phone calls to family members and old friends, and then it’s time for bed. Again, TV isn’t a huge draw for a visually impaired old lady. Now, during one of the quarantine calls, she updated me on everything she’s “watching.” She ranted about Trump and the wall and the government shutdown and Schumer and Pelosi and all that other political garbage. She updated me about all the gloom-and-doom news out of New Jersey. “Did you hear what happened in Paterson?” Something’s always happening in Paterson, she says. She told me about drug addicts crashing cars into foundations of houses. A bus crash on Route 80. Various other terrible news centered in northern New Jersey. So there you have it. Bad news. Calamities. Criminals. Drugs. Endless politics, screaming from both sides. Ma. Grab the remote. Turn it off. Make some phone calls. Go to bed early. You’ll be better off for it.  

BU Terrier: Men's results and splits

Lots of great moments from the men’s meet at BU Terrier on Saturday afternoon/evening, highlighted by IC4A individual qualifier Drew Burns in the 1,000-meter run (2:27.52), and then at the end of the night in the 4x800 meter relay, which notched a ticket to the IC4A meet with a 7:48.00 – featuring monster middle legs from Drew and Hawker. There were several other personal-best times on the day:  

--Freshman Jeremy Mooney, 200 dash, personal-best time of 23.25

--Freshman Brendan Zeng, 800 run, personal-best time of 1:58.44

--Sophomore Christopher Tibbetts, 1,000 run, personal-best time of 2:29.43

--Sophomore James Moehringer, mile run, personal-best time of 4:18.20

--Senior Dan Hillman (8:52.65) and senior Eamonn Beers (8:54.48), personal-best times in the 3,000-meter run

--Sophomore Graham Strzelecki, 5,000-meter run, personal-best time of 15:25.35.

We look forward to what the rest of the season will bring.

John Thomas Terrier Invitational

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Men’s results and splits

60-meter dash

30. Jeremy Mooney 7.46

200-meter dash

95. Jeremy Mooney 23.25

116. Santosh Krishnan 23.85

129. Jon Green 24.19

400-meter dash

116. Pat Beglane 53.23

129. Andrew Lafferty 55.66

800-meter run

74. Brendan Zeng 1:58.44

28, 58 (30), 1:27 (29), 1:58.44 (31.44)

84. Tanner Senius 1:59.48

28, 58 (30), 1:28 (30), 1:59.48 (31.48)

112. Brad Rynkowski 2:02.67

27.6, 57.5 (29.9), 1:28.8 (31.3), 2:02.67 (33.87)

1,000-meter run

15. Drew Burns 2:27.52 *IC4A qualifier

28, 58 (30), 1:28 (30), 1:58 (30), 2:27.52 (29.52)

22. Christopher Tibbetts 2:29.43

27, 57 (30), 1:27 (30), 1:59 (32), 2:29.43 (30.43)

25. Brian Henderson 2:30.48

27, 56 (29), 1:26 (30), 1:58 (32), 2:30.48 (32.48)

27. Cole Ziskind 2:43.09

30, 61 (31), 1:33 (32), 2:09 (36), 2:43.09 (34.09)

Mile run

54. James Moehringer 4:18.20

31.5, 63.6 (32.1), 1:36.7 (33.1), 2:09.0 (32.3), 2:41.6 (32.6), 3:13.8 (32.2), 3:45.5 (31.7), 4:18.20 (32.70)

3,000-meter run

81. Dan Hillman 8:52.65

35, 71 (36), 1:47 (36), 2:22 (35), 2:56 (34)

3:31 (35), 4:05 (34), 4:40 (35), 5:16 (36), 5:52 (36)

6:27 (35), 7:03 (36), 7:41 (38), 8:19 (38), 8:52.65 (33.65)

Kilometer splits: 2:56, 2:56, 3:00.65

87. Eamonn Beers 8:54.48

34, 71 (37), 1:49 (38), 2:25 (36), 3:01 (36)

3:35 (34), 4:11 (36), 4:47 (36), 5:22 (35), 5:57 (35)

6:32 (35), 7:09 (37), 7:45 (36), 8:20 (35), 8:54.48 (34.48)

Kilometer splits: 3:01, 2:56, 2:57.48

99. Conor Stack 9:05.87

34, 69 (35), 1:44 (35), 2:20 (36), 2:54 (34)

3:30 (36), 4:06 (36), 4:42 (36), 5:19 (37), 5:57 (38)

6:35 (38), 7:14 (39), 7:53 (39), 8:31 (38), 9:05.87 (34.87)

Kilometer splits: 2:54, 3:03, 3:07.87

101. Elias Platanias 9:07.60

34, 71 (37), 1:48 (37), 2:25 (37), 3:00 (35)

3:35 (35), 4:10 (35), 4:47 (37), 5:22 (35), 5:59 (37)

6:36 (37), 7:15 (39), 7:53 (38), 8:30 (37), 9:07.60 (37.60)

Kilometer splits: 3:00, 2:59, 3:08.60

103. Connor Levins 9:15.43

35, 72 (37), 1:49 (37), 2:26 (37), 3:02 (36)

3:37 (35), 4:13 (36), 4:50 (37), 5:26 (36), 6:04 (38)

6:42 (38), 7:21 (39), 8:01 (40), 8:39 (38), 9:15.43 (36.43)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 3:02, 3:11.43

5,000-meter run

36. Michael Kennedy 15:10.76

36, 74 (38), 1:49 (35), 2:24 (35), 3:00 (36)

3:35 (35), 4:10 (35), 4:45 (35), 5:21 (36), 5:56 (35)

6:32 (36), 7:08 (36), 7:44 (36), 8:21 (37), 8:58 (37)

9:34 (36), 10:10 (36), 10:46 (36), 11:23 (37), 12:00 (37)

12:38 (38), 13:16 (38), 13:54 (38), 14:33 (39), 15:10.76 (37.76)

Kilometer splits: 3:00, 2:56, 3:02, 3:02, 3:10.76

43. Christopher Rivas 15:21.23

35, 72 (37), 1:48 (36), 2:25 (37), 3:02 (37)

3:38 (36), 4:14 (36), 4:50 (36), 5:25 (35), 6:02 (37)

6:39 (37), 7:16 (37), 7:53 (37), 8:30 (37), 9:07 (37)

9:44 (37), 10:22 (38), 10:59 (37), 11:37 (38), 12:15 (38)

12:52 (37), 13:31 (39), 14:08 (37), 14:46 (38), 15:21.23 (35.23)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 3:00, 3:05, 3:05, 3:06.23

44. Palmer Weimann 15:21.25

35, 71 (36), 1:48 (37), 2:25 (37), 3:02 (37)

3:38 (36), 4:14 (36), 4:50 (36), 5:25 (35), 6:02 (37)

6:39 (37), 7:16 (37), 7:53 (37), 8:30 (37), 9:07 (37)

9:44 (37), 10:22 (38), 10:59 (37), 11:37 (38), 12:16 (39)

12:54 (38), 13:32 (38), 14:10 (38), 14:47 (37), 15:21.25 (34.25)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 3:00, 3:05, 3:09, 3:05.25

46. Graham Strzelecki 15:25.35

36, 74 (38), 1:50 (36), 2:27 (37), 3:03 (36)

3:39 (36), 4:16 (37), 4:52 (36), 5:28 (36), 6:05 (37)

6:42 (37), 7:19 (37), 7:57 (38), 8:34 (37), 9:11 (37)

9:49 (38), 10:27 (38), 11:05 (38), 11:43 (38), 12:21 (38)

13:00 (39), 13:37 (37), 14:15 (38), 14:52 (37), 15:25.35 (33.35)

Kilometer splits: 3:03, 3:02, 3:06, 3:10, 3:04.35

54. James Draney 15:32.07

35, 71 (36), 1:48 (37), 2:25 (37), 3:02 (37)

3:37 (35), 4:13 (36), 4:49 (36), 5:25 (36), 6:02 (37)

6:39 (37), 7:16 (37), 7:53 (37), 8:31 (38), 9:08 (37)

9:46 (38), 10:24 (38), 11:02 (38), 11:40 (38), 12:20 (40)

12:58 (38), 13:36 (38), 14:15 (39), 14:54 (39), 15:32.07 (38.07)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 3:00, 3:06, 3:12, 3:12.07

1,600-meter relay

Marist A (Santosh Krishnan 52.9, Pat Beglane 53.5, Josh Hindle 52.7, Jon Green 52.4) 3:31.70

Marist B (Tanner Senius 51.9, Brendan Zeng 53.0, Brad Rynkowski 55.9, Cole Ziskind 56.1) 3:37.18

3,200-meter relay

3-Marist (Brian Henderson 1:59.1, Drew Burns 1:55.9, Matthew Hawker 1:56.3, Christopher Tibbetts 1:56.4) 7:48.00 *IC4A qualifier

Brian Henderson 28, 58 (30), 1:29 (31), 1:59.1 (30.1)

Drew Burns 26, 55 (29), 1:25 (30), 1:55.9 (30.9)

Matthew Hawker 26, 56 (30), 1:24 (28), 1:56.3 (32.3)

Christopher Tibbetts 27, 56 (29), 1:26 (30), 1:56.4 (30.4)

BU Terrier: Women's results and splits

The Magic Carpet strikes again as our leading ladies had another great night at Boston University. We are beginning to fill up the bus for ECACs …

--Denise Grohn joined Shea Bohan as ECAC mile qualifiers with an outstanding effort in 4:57.51. Shea ran 4:58.24 and Maria Smith just missed with a still stellar 5:00.17.

--Gianna Tedeschi and Hayley Collins both got ECAC marks in the 5,000, with Gianna notching a personal-best time of 17:14.81 and Hayley a few strides behind in 17:22.00. This is the second consecutive year the sophomores have gotten ECAC marks. Neat!

--The night concluded with our 4x800 team of Debbie Boerke (yes, sprinter/hurdler Debbie in the 800!), Shea Bohan, Gianna Mastromatteo and Denise Grohn getting an ECAC qualifier and second place in 9:15.53. All our athletes were doubling back – Shea and Denise from the mile, Gianna from the 1,000 (personal-best time of 2:56.33, missing ECACs by a narrow 0.09!) and Debbie from student teaching all day back in Hyde Park (yes, that’s a “double” in our mind!). And kudos to Debbie for agreeing to run her first 800 since high school. For her next trick, she’ll enter the 3km – JUST KIDDING!

--In the 3km, Ali Bartolotta and Boushra Belkhir (PR!) both had strong races as well. So yes, a great night for the Running Red Foxes and we are hoping for more from the men on Saturday afternoon and evening.

John Thomas Terrier Invitational

Friday, January 25, 2019

Women’s results and splits

200-meter dash

97. Camille McHenry 26.89

123. Grace Cepeda 27.49

147. Ericka Stewart 29.21

800-meter run

78. Rebecca Walters 2:25.10

32.4, 70.4 (38.0), 1:47.7 (37.3), 2:25.10 (37.40)

98. Jess Howe 2:30.03

34.8, 72.4 (37.8), 1:51.2 (38.8), 2:30.03 (38.83)

102. Samantha DeStefani 2:32.26

35, 72 (37), 1:50 (38), 2:32.26 (42.26)

110. Erin Flynn 2:39.04

36, 75 (39), 1:56 (41), 2:39.04 (43.04)

1,000-meter run

15. Gianna Mastromatteo 2:56.33

32.2, 67.4 (35.2), 1:43.3 (35.9), 2:19.7 (36.4), 2:56.33 (36.66)

Mile run

14. Denise Grohn 4:57.51 *ECAC qualifier

38, 75 (37), 1:52 (37), 2:30 (38), 3:07 (37), 3:44 (37), 4:21 (37), 4:57.51 (36.51)

17. Shea Bohan 4:58.24 *ECAC qualifier

37.4, 73.6 (36.2), 1:49.3 (35.7), 2:26.3 (37.0), 3:03.9 (37.6), 3:41.8 (37.9), 4:19.8 (38.0), 4:58.44 (38.44)

19. Maria Smith 5:00.17

37, 74 (37), 1:52 (38), 2:29 (37), 3:07 (38), 3:45 (37), 4:23 (38), 5:00.17 (37.17)

93. Kayla Sexton 5:31.92

40, 79 (39), 2:00 (41), 2:41 (41), 3:24 (43), 4:08 (44), 4:52 (44), 5:31.92 (39.92)

3,000-meter run

40. Ali Bartolotta 10:13.09

38.3, 78.8 (40.5), 2:00.0 (41.2), 2:39.7 (39.7), 3:20.2 (40.5)

4:01.3 (41.1), 4:43.2 (41.9), 5:24.7 (41.5), 6:05.9 (41.2), 6:47.4 (41.5)

7:30.1 (42.7), 8:12.3 (42.2), 8:54.6 (42.3), 9:35.2 (40.6), 10:13.09 (37.89)

Kilometer splits: 3:20.2, 3:27.2, 3:25.69

55. Boushra Belkhir 10:28.50

38.3, 80.3 (42.0), 2:01.1 (40.8), 2:42.4 (41.3), 3:24.2 (42.8)

4:07.2 (42.0), 4:49.9 (42.7), 5:32.3 (42.4), 6:15.1 (42.8), 6:58.3 (43.2)

7:41.2 (42.9), 8:24.0 (42.8), 9:06.8 (42.8), 9:49.0 (42.0), 10:28.50 (39.50)

Kilometer splits: 3:24.2, 3:34.1, 3:30.2

5,000-meter run

11. Gianna Tedeschi 17:14.81 *ECAC qualifier

39, 79 (40), 2:00 (41), 2:40 (40) 3:21 (41)

4:02 (41), 4:43 (41), 5:24 (41), 6:05 (41), 6:47 (42)

7:28 (41), 8:10 (42), 8:52 (42), 9:34 (42), 10:15 (41)

10:57 (42), 11:40 (43), 12:22 (42), 13:04 (42), 13:47 (43)

14:30 (43), 15:11 (41), 15:54 (43), 16:35 (41), 17:14.81 (39.81)

Kilometer splits: 3:21, 3:27, 3:28, 3:32, 3:27.81  

16. Hayley Collins 17:22.0 *ECAC qualifier

40, 80 (40), 2:01 (41), 2:41 (41), 3:22 (41)

4:03 (41), 4:44 (41), 5:24 (40), 6:05 (41), 6:47 (42)

7:28 (41), 8:10 (42), 8:52 (42), 9:34 (42), 10:16 (42)

10:58 (42), 11:41 (43), 12:24 (43), 13:06 (42), 13:49 (43)

14:32 (43), 15:15 (43), 15:58 (43), 16:40 (43), 17:22.00 (42.00)

Kilometer splits: 3:22, 3:25, 3:29, 3:33, 3:33

48. Talia Cutrone 19:32.38

43, 87 (44), 2:12 (45), 2:57 (45), 3:42 (45)

4:28 (46), 5:14 (46), 6:00 (46), 6:45 (45), 7:31 (46)

8:18 (47), 9:04 (46), 9:51 (47), 10:39 (48), 11:26 (47)

12:15 (49), 13:03 (48), 13:52 (49), 14:41 (49), 15:30 (49)

16:19 (49), 17:08 (49), 17:57 (49), 18:45 (48), 19:32.38 (47.38)

Kilometer splits: 3:42, 3:49, 3:55, 4:04, 4:02.38

1,600-meter relay

38. Marist (Grace Cepeda 62.2, Camille McHenry 64.5, Rebecca Walters 65.5, Maria Smith 65.1) 4:17.75

3,200-meter relay

2. Marist (Debbie Boerke 2:18.7, Shea Bohan 2:18.1, Gianna Mastromatteo 2:19.0, Denise Grohn 2:19.4) 9:15.53 *ECAC qualifier

Debbie Boerke: 34, 69 (35), 1:43 (34), 2:18.7 (35.7)

Shea Bohan 31, 66 (35), 1:42 (36), 2:18.1 (36.1)

Gianna Mastromatteo 33, 66 (33), 1:42 (36), 2:19.0 (37.0)

Denise Grohn 34, 69 (35), 1:45 (36), 2:19.4 (36.4)

BU Terrier: Time schedule

Here is the final order of events and time schedule for this weekend's John Thomas Terrier Invitational at Boston University. We look forward to returning to BU and hope to see a few alumni there along the way.

John Thomas Terrier Invitational

Boston University

Time schedule and order of events

Friday, January 25

1:00pm Women’s 60H

1:05pm Women’s 60H Invitational Trials (Top 27 verifiable entries)

1:12pm Women’s 800m

2:00pm Women’s 60m

2:05pm Women’s 60m Invitational Trials (Top 27 verifiable entries)

2:10pm Women’s 400m

3:00pm Women’s 60H Invitational Finals

3:02pm Women’s 60m Invitational Finals

3:04pm Women’s 500m

3:30pm Women’s 1000m

3:55pm Women’s 200m

4:47pm Women’s 1mile (Entry Standard of 5:40)

5:50pm Women’s 4x400m

6:35pm Women’s 3000m (Entry Standard of 11:15)

7:55pm Women’s 5000m (Entry Standard of 19:20)

8:55pm Men’s Distance Medley Relay

9:12pm Women’s 4x800m Relay

Saturday, January 26

11:00am Women’s Distance Medley Relay

11:15am Men’s 60H

11:17am Men’s 60H Invitational Trials (Top 27 verifiable entries)

11:22am Men’s 800m

12:15pm Men’s 60m

12:22pm Men’s 60m Invitational Trials (Top 27 verifiable entries)

12:27pm Men’s 400m

1:25pm Men’s 60H Invitational Finals

1:27pm Men’s 60m Invitational Finals

1:30pm Men’s 500m

1:50pm Men’s 1000m

2:25pm Men’s 200m

3:00pm Men’s 1mile (Entry Standard of: 4:40)

4:15pm Men’s 4x400m

5:05pm Men’s 3000m (Entry Standard of: 9:00)

6:15pm Men’s 5000m (Entry Standard of: 16:10)

7:40pm Men’s 4x800m Relay

Mid-winter view

With most of the team relegated to the treadmills at South Field Fitness (aka, The Tent), a handful of runners wanted to venture outside instead for their Tuesday workout. After scouting around for non-icy roads, I defaulted to Oakes Road in Highland, which runs parallel to the Hudson River at and near Highland Landing. The road is flat and mostly untraveled, and it was mostly dry except for a few slushy spots -- ideal for an effort-based workout. The Hudson Valley Rail Trail in Highland was still covered in a thin sheet of ice and snow, and forget about the Vassar Track. This was the view from Highland Landing, as the river is definitely in mid-winter mode. You can see the "Marist skyline" across the way.

Spencer sizzles in half marathon

Congrats to Marist Running Alum Spencer Johnson, who got sixth place overall in 1:09:51 (5:19 pace) at the Carlsbad Half Marathon on Sunday in California. Here’s his race report and splits:

Felt great the whole time but didn't want to push myself too hard because I have the Surf City USA Marathon in two weeks. Course was also fairly hilly which you can tell in the splits.
Mile 1: 5:22
Mile 2: 5:11
Mile 3: 5:26
Mile 4: 5:16
Mile 5: 5:27
Mile 6: 5:18
Mile 7: 5:27
Mile 8: 5:13
Mile 9: 5:13
Mile 10: 5:12
Mile 11: 5:15
Mile 12: 5:15
Mile 13: 5:06
.2: 1:03.95 (my watch had it at 13.2 not 13.1)

NYC Gotham Cup: Women's results and splits (ECAC qualifier in the DMR!)

Our small women’s squad had an extremely productive night, highlighted by the DMR team of Maria Smith, Debbie Boerke, Shea Bohan and Denise Grohn qualifying for the IC4A Championships. Very cool to get this qualifier out of the way so early. Earlier in the meet, sophomore Gianna Mastromatteo had a very impressive personal-best in the mile, getting third in 5:05.34. She was the first collegian to finish, as the top two in the race were from CPTC. In the 3,000-meter run, junior Boushra Belkhir went wire-to-wire and won in a PR time of 10:37.11. Next up is a trip to the Magic Carpet on Friday afternoon for the Terrier meet.

NYC Gotham Cup

Friday, January 18, 2019

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Women’s results and splits

200-meter dash

16. Camille McHenry 26.60

400-meter dash

69. Grace Cepeda 1:03.56

800-meter run

51. Jess Howe 2:38.63

36.0, 75.1 (39.1), 1:56.5 (41.4), 2:38.63 (42.63)

61. Erin Flynn 2:42.67

37.5, 76.4 (38.9), 1:58.0 (41.6), 2:42.67 (44.67)

Mile run

3. Gianna Mastromatteo 5:05.34

38.6, 75.6 (37.2), 1:54.2 (38.4), 2:31.9 (37.7), 3:10.2 (38.3), 3:48.4 (38.2), 4:27.5 (39.1), 5:05.34 (37.84)

27. Kayla Sexton 5:29.56

40, 80 (40), 2:42 (42), 3:24 (42), 4:07 (43), 4:50 (43), 5:29.56 (39.56)

43. Samantha DeStefani 5:51.44

40.8, 83.2 (42.4), 2:06.0 (42.8), 2:49.6 (43.6), 3:35.6 (46.0), 4:21.9 (46.3), 5:07.7 (45.8), 5:51.44 (36.74)

3,000-meter run

1-Boushra Belkhir 10:37.11

41.4, 83.2 (41.8), 2:03.9 (40.8), 2:45.4 (41.3), 3:26.9 (41.7)

4:08.6 (41.7), 4:50.1 (41.5), 5:31.8 (41.7), 6:13.6 (41.8), 6:56.0 (42.4)

7:39.2 (43.2), 8:23.3 (44.1), 9:08.4 (45.1), 9:54.0 (45.6), 10:37.11 (43.11)

Kilometer: 3:26.9, 3:29.1, 3:41.11

Distance medley relay

1-Marist (Maria Smith 3:44.4, Debbie Boerke 57.86, Shea Bohan 2:18.8, Denise Grohn 5:01.7) 12:03.16 *ECAC qualifier

Maria Smith: 34, 70 (36), 1:48 (38), 2:27 (39), 3:06 (39), 3:44.4 (38.4)

Debbie Boerke: 26, 57.86

Shea Bohan: 34, 67 (33), 1:42 (35), 2:18.8 (36.8)

Denise Grohn: 35, 72 (37), 1:50 (38), 2:28 (38), 3:06 (38), 3:44 (38), 4:23 (39), 5:01.7 (38.7)

NYC Gotham Cup: Men's results and splits

A solid bounce-back meet for the men, with some decent performances. The 800-meter race was a highlight, with our athletes taking three of the top five spots – highlighted by Drew Burns’ first-place finish. Freshman sprinter Jeremy Mooney continues his on-the-track training (he never ran track in high school) with some more solid times. Our all-freshman 4x800 relay had some fun and posted some decent splits (especially Zeng and Sweeney). And now, we prepare for the winter storm, followed by training for our first trip to the Magic Carpet (Boston University) for the Terrier meet next weekend.

NYC Gotham Cup

Friday, January 18, 2019

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Men’s results and splits

60-meter dash

43. Jeremy Mooney 7.34

200-meter dash

50. Jeremy Mooney 23.63

57. Jon Green 23.80

400-meter dash

64. Pat Beglane 53.86

71. Josh Hindle 54.13

80. Santosh Krishnan 54.67

91. Andrew Lafferty 55.66

800-meter run

1-Drew Burns 1:55.70

27, 56 (29), 1:26 (30), 1:55.70 (29.70)

3. Brian Henderson 1:57.26

28, 57 (29), 1:27 (30), 1:57.26 (30.26)

5. Christopher Tibbetts 1:57.55

28, 57 (29), 1:27 (30), 1:57.55 (30.55)

21. Matthew Hawker 2:01.28

28.1, 58.4 (30.3), 1:29.5 (31.1), 2:01.28 (31.78)

Mile run

16. Brendan Zeng 4:32.14

32, 67 (35), 1:42 (35), 2:17 (35), 2:51 (34), 3:26 (35), 4:01 (35), 4:32.14 (31.14)

37. Sam Goldzweig 4:41.70

36.7, 71.6 (34.9), 1:46.0 (34.4), 2:21.0 (35.0), 2:56.3 (35.3), 3:32.0 (35.7), 4:07.4 (35.4), 4:41.70 (34.30)

40. Conor Stack 4:43.78

34, 68 (34), 1;43 (35), 2:19 (36), 2:54 (35), 3:31 (37), 4:08 (37), 4:43.78 (35.78)

3,000-meter run

21. James Moehringer 9:06.89

34.8, 72.3 (37.5), 1:48.6 (36.3), 2:23.8 (35.2), 2:57.6 (33.8)

3:32.8 (35.2), 4:08.6 (35.8), 4:44.4 (35.8), 5:20.4 (36.0), 5:57.6 (37.2)

6:34.9 (37.3), 7:12.1 (37.2), 7:50.2 (38.1), 8:28.9 (38.7), 9:06.89 (37.99)

Kilometer splits: 2:57.6, 3:00.0, 3:09.29

26. Matthew Ronan 9:14.88

34.7, 71.4 (36.7), 1:48.1 (36.7), 2:24.2 (36.1), 3:00.3 (36.1)

3:36.5 (36.2), 4:13.3 (36.8), 4:50.1 (36.8), 5:27.3 (37.2), 6:05.2 (37.9)

6:44.1 (38.9), 7:22.9 (38.8), 8:01.8 (38.9), 8:39.9 (38.1), 9:14.88 (34.98)

Kilometer splits: 3:00.3, 3:04.9, 3:11.66

1,600-meter relay

11. Marist (Santosh Krishnan 53.87, Pat Beglane 53.78, Josh Hindle 52.85, Jon Green 52.98) 3:33.76

3,200-meter relay

5. Marist (Aidan Sweeney 2:01.5, Brad Rynkowski 2:03.8, Sam Goldzweig 2:11.1, Brendan Zeng 2:00.8) 8:17.38

Aidan Sweeney 28, 59, 1:31, 2:01.5

Brad Rynkowski 29, 60, 1:31, 2:03.8

Sam Goldzweig 29, 61, 1:36, 2:11.1

Brendan Zeng 28, 60, 1:31, 2:00.8

NYC Gotham Cup: Time schedule

Below is the time schedule for tomorrow afternoon/evening’s meet. Our pal Nick McDonough is the meet director and he hopes to stay on schedule or even get slightly ahead of schedule. His meets are very well run so that will be the expectation. It’ll be a late night, but worth it for a good, early-season meet.

NYC Gotham Cup

Friday, January 18, 2019

Ocean Breeze

Time schedule and order of events

Women then men, unless indicated

2:00 p.m.: 60 hurdle trials

2:30 p.m.: 5,000 run (men)

3:00 p.m.: 60 hurdle finals

3:10 p.m.: 5,000 run (women)

3:30 p.m.: 60 dash

4:15 p.m.: Invitational 300 dash

4:30 p.m.: 400 dash

5:30 p.m.: Mile run

6:15 p.m.: 1,000 run

6:45 p.m.: 800 run

7:30 p.m.: 200 dash

8:10 p.m.: 3,000 run

9:10 p.m.: 4x800 relay

9:30 p.m.: DMR

9:50 p.m.: 4x400 relay

Katie Miale wins racewalk at Dartmouth

Congrats to senior racewalker Katie Miale, who won the 1-mile racewalk at the Dartmouth Relays this past weekend in a personal-best time of 7:26.50. The time qualifies her for the USATF Indoor Championships (3km racewalk) in February at Ocean Breeze and also qualifies her for the mile racewalk championship at the Millrose Games at the Armory on February 9.

Event 53  Women 1 Mile Race Walk

=======================================================================   

    Name                    Year Team                    Finals  Points   

=======================================================================   

Finals                                                                    

  1 Miale, Katie                 Marist College         7:26.50   10      

  2 Allen, Maegan                New England Walkers    7:36.18           

  3 Meacham, Stefanie            Gorham HS              8:39.27           

  4 Thurber-Wells, Maizie        Unattached             8:49.61           

  5 Valentine, Lydia             Unattached             9:37.32           

  6 Czech, Gabriella             Lancaster RW           9:57.21           

  7 Sieredzinski, Mary           Lone Pine TC           9:57.36           

 -- Lawson, Miranda              Lone Pine TC                DQ   bent knee

 -- Sprout, Katy                 Lone Pine TC                DQ   bent knee

===========================================================================

                Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 53 (1 Events Scored)

===========================================================================

    1) Marist College              10                                      

Jenna at Disney

Congrats to Marist Running Alum Jenna Robinson for her awesome marathon debut at a steamy Disney Marathon on Sunday in Florida. A record-setting middle distance runner just months ago, Jenna battled the heat and humidity and finished the marathon in 3:47:19, good for 13^th in her age group. Here’s what she texted me this morning (along with these great pictures): Honestly, it was much harder (mentally) than I was expecting. There was a heat/humidity advisory that went out for the morning of the race. When the sun was down I was having a blast, but as soon as the sun rose, so did the temperature and my (split) times started to drop. My main goal was to break 4 hours and my reach goal was to Boston qualify. At about mile 16, the temperature broke 70 degrees and then at mile 19 I started having excruciating quad cramping that really took a toll on me (the unraveling splits told the story!). Overall, I am satisfied with my first marathon, I had fun and I look forward to doing colder marathons in the future!! Nicely done, Jenna, we are very proud of you.

Laps at Norrie Point: Omar finishes!

After a one-year hiatus due to a winter weather cancellation last January, our annual Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club “Fat Ass 50” race was held at Norrie Point. My old friend Charlie Sprauer and I (two old guys, below) have been organizing this race since 1996 (with only two weather cancellations, 2003 and 2018). We had a great turnout of runners (close to 100) with the usual small crew of 10-lap finishers. Notably, our own Omar Perez churned out all 10 laps in a very methodical fashion. I cautioned Omar against doing the whole thing, but darn it, now that he has done it I gotta say I’m really proud of him. Nicely done, Bro! Below are the complete race results.

Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club

Recover From the Holidays (Fat Ass) 50km run

Norrie Point, Staatsburg, NY

10 repeats of hilly, out-and-back road 5km loop

1-Justin Kouski (Westport, CT, 38) 4:11:50

2-Byron Lane (Stony Brook, NY, 51) 4:27:04

3-John Coughlin (Greenlawn, NY, 41) 4:32:45

4-Omar Perez (Poughkeepsie, NY, 24) 4:46:29 (9:13.3 pace)

5-Jeanine Armbrust (Staatsburg, NY, 53) 5:21:54

6-David Walker (Salt Point, NY, 50) 5:24:25

7-Jacque Schiffer (Olivebridge, NY, 54) 5:29:42

8-Stephanie Marden (Hyde Park, NY, 41) 5:31:38

9-Allison Lassoe (Sheffield, MA, 56) 5:57:06

10-Stacey Victor (Poughkeepsie, NY, 35) 6:22:31

Big Blue Doughnut

We had our first visit to the SUNY New Paltz indoor track with our sprinting crew on Monday afternoon. The Big Blue Doughnut is our home during the winter months. We’re hoping for a snowless winter and very little time inside. Other than the freak mid-November storm? So far, so good. Let’s keep that snow to the south of us!

Great way to start preseason

Catching up on some past news/photos with a few posts: Thanks to several members of our men’s track team for taking time out of their first night back on campus by volunteering last Thursday night at the Dutchess Outreach Lunchbox during dinnertime. Marist Athletics has committed to helping out at Dutchess Outreach each Thursday during the spring semester, and our men got the semester off to a great start. Neat!

Spartan Invitational: Shea Bohan, ECAC qualifier!

Well. Apparently the old coach running this blog is a bit rusty at the start of 2019. Apologies to senior captain Shea Bohan for the oversight in the results, as SheaBo's mile victory last night was an ECAC qualifier! For some reason, I thought the ECAC qualifying mark was 4:56.04 but it's actually 4:59.04 and Shea's time of 4:58.80 squeaked under that. So that's a great way to start the season! Sorry to one and all for this lapse and oversight and let's start filling up that bus for ECAC/IC4As!

Mile run

1-Shea Bohan 4:58.80 *ECAC qualifier!

39, 76 (37), 1:52 (36), 2:29 (37), 3:06 (37), 3:43 (37), 4:21 (38), 4:58.80 (37.80)

Spartan Invitational: Women's results and splits

We normally don’t pay a ton of attention to team standings, but here’s a cool factoid: Our women were third out of 22 teams with 59 points in this meet! Of course, taking the top four spots (!!) in the mile and three of the top five spots in the 3km (!) will DO that. So yeah, a good start to what we hope will be a great winter for our ladies. Kudos to our individual event winners (Shea Bohan in the mile and Gianna Tedeschi in the 3km).

Spartan Invitational

Hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC)

Friday, January 11, 2019

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Women’s results

200-meter dash

14. Debbie Boerke 26.68

28. Camille McHenry 27.23

53. Grace Cepeda 28.50

400-meter dash

3-Debbie Boerke 58.91

28. Camille McHenry 1:05.64

800-meter run

4. Gianna Mastromatteo 2:20.98

36. Erin Flynn 2:42.38

Mile run

1-Shea Bohan 4:58.80 *ECAC qualifier!

39, 76 (37), 1:52 (36), 2:29 (37), 3:06 (37), 3:43 (37), 4:21 (38), 4:58.80 (37.80)

2-Denise Grohn 5:02.79

39, 76 (37), 1:53 (37), 2:31 (38), 3:08 (37), 3:46 (38), 4:25 (39), 5:02.79 (37.79)

3-Maria Smith 5:05.84

39, 76 (37), 1:53 (37), 2:32 (39), 3:09 (37), 3:47 (38), 4:26 (39), 5:05.84 (39.84)

4-Boushra Belkhir 5:23.31

40, 78 (38), 1:58 (40), 2:38 (40), 3:19 (41), 4:00 (41), 4:42 (42), 5:23.31 (41.31)

3,000-meter run

1-Gianna Tedeschi 10:08.33

38, 79 (41), 2:00 (41), 2:41 (41), 3:21 (40)

4:01 (40), 4:43 (42), 5:24 (41), 6:05 (41), 6:47 (42)

7:28 (41), 8:09 (41), 8:50 (41), 9:29 (39), 10:08.33 (39.33)

Kilometer splits: 3:21, 3:26, 3:21.33

4-Hayley Collins 10:17.48

39, 80 (41), 2:01 (41), 2:42 (41), 3:22 (40)

4:02 (40), 4:44 (42), 5:24 (40), 6:06 (42), 6:48 (42)

7:30 (42), 8:12 (42), 8:54 (42), 9:36 (42), 10:17.48 (41.48)

Kilometer splits: 3:22, 3:26, 3:29.48

5-Alexandra Bartolotta 10:37.38

39, 80 (41), 2:01 (41), 2:43 (42), 3:24 (41)

4:05 (41), 4:47 (42), 5:30 (43), 6:13 (43), 6:57 (44)

7:41 (44), 8:25 (44), 9:11 (46), 9:55 (44), 10:37.38 (42.38)

Kilometer splits: 3:24, 3:33, 3:40.38

10-Talia Cutrone 10:58.79

40, 82 (42), 2:03 (41), 2:46 (43), 3:29 (43)

4:13 (44), 4:58 (45), 5:43 (35), 6:30 (47), 7:15 (45)

8:01 (46), 8:48 (47), 9:32 (48), 10:17 (45), 10:58.79 (41.79)

Kilometer splits: 3:29, 3:36, 3:43.79

Spartan Invitational: Men's results and splits

The story of the meet for the men is as much as what does NOT appear below as what does. Senior sprint captain Josh Hindle endured a gash in his chin – he literally took one on the chin! – while stretching out freshman sprinter Jeremy Mooney … who happened to be all spiked up and ready to race in the 60-meter dash (where, by the way, he sprinted to a personal-best). Hindle had to go the ER for some stitches; he was fine, but we opted to sit him out of his scheduled events as a precaution. Let’s see, who else ISN’T in the results – Hogue (hip injury) and the 4x400 (Cole Z pulled hamstring on the anchor leg) and the DMR (birthday boy Sam Goldzweig DQed at the finish line for being a bit too aggressive with his elbows in trying to get that extra spot). Ah, such is the rust buster nature of the first meet back after break. There were a few solid performances, but mostly this is a launching pad for the rest of the season – which we hope will feature more strong finishes and fewer trips to the ER!

Spartan Invitational

Hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC)

Friday, January 11, 2019

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Men’s results

60-meter dash

25. Jeremy Mooney 7.34

200-meter dash

32. Jeremy Mooney 23.74

40. Jon Green 24.21

400-meter dash

29. Pat Beglane 54.46

800-meter run

2. Brian Henderson 1:58.67

3. Matt Hawker 1:59.46

7. Christopher Tibbetts 2:00.11

19. Cole Ziskind 2:04.84

Mile run

4. Drew Burns 4:25.39

33, 66 (33), 1:40 (34), 2:13 (33), 2:46 (33), 3:20 (34), 3:53 (33), 4:25.39 (32.39)

7. James Moehringer 4:29.37

33, 67 (34), 1:40 (33), 2:14 (34), 2:47 (33), 3:21 (34), 3:55 (34), 4:29.37 (34.37)

12. Brendan Zeng 4:36.31

35, 68 (33), 1:42 (34), 2:17 (35), 2:52 (35), 3:28 (36), 4:03 (35), 4:36.31 (33.31)

19. Connor Levins 4:39.66

35, 69 (34), 1:43 (34), 2:18 (35), 2:53 (35), 3:29 (36), 4:06 (37), 4:39.66 (33.66)

3,000-meter run

4. Conor Stack 8:59.10

34, 71 (37), 1:47 (36), 2:22 (35), 2:57 (35)

3:34 (37), 4:08 (34), 4:46 (38), 5:23 (37), 5:59 (36)

6:36 (37), 7:14 (38), 7:51 (37), 8:27 (36), 8:59.10 (32.10)

Kilometer splits: 2:57, 3:02, 3:00.10

5. James Draney 8:59.55

34, 71 (37), 1:47 (36), 2:22 (35), 2:57 (35)

3:53 (36), 4:08 (35), 4:45 (37), 5:22 (37), 5:58 (36)

6:35 (37), 7:12 (37), 7:49 (37), 8:26 (37), 8:59.55 (33.55)

Kilometer splits: 2:57, 3:01, 3:01.55

11. Eamonn Beers 9:09.15

36, 73 (37), 1:49 (36), 2:26 (37), 3:02 (36)

3:40 (38), 4:18 (38), 4:55 (37), 5:32 (37), 6:08 (36)

6:45 (37), 7:22 (37), 7:58 (36), 8:34 (36), 9:09.15 (35.15)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 3:06, 3:01.15

23. Matthew Ronan 9:34.90

34, 69 (35), 1:45 (36), 2:22 (37), 3:00 (38)

3:37 (37), 4:16 (39), 4:54 (38), 5:34 (40), 6:14 (40)

6:55 (41), 7:37 (42), 8:19 (42), 9:00 (41), 9:34.90 (34.90)

Kilometer splits: 3:00, 3:14, 3:20.90

24. Connor Fitzpatrick 9:35.27

34, 71 (37), 1:48 (37), 2:27 (39), 3:04 (37)

3:42 (38), 4:21 (39), 4:59 (38), 5:39 (40), 6:18 (39)

6:59 (41), 7:39 (40), 8:20 (41), 9:00 (40), 9:35.27 (35.27)

Kilometer splits: 3:04, 3:14, 3:13.27

30. Patrick Kutch 9:50.57

35, 72 (37), 1:51 (39), 2:29 (38), 3:08 (39)

3:45 (37), 4:25 (40), 5:05 (40), 5:45 (40), 6:25 (40)

7:06 (41), 7:48 (42), 8:29 (42), 9:11 (42), 9:50.57 (39.57)

Kilometer splits: 3:08, 3:17, 3:25.57

Spartan Invitational: Live streaming

We are currently on a bus/sitting in traffic on Route 17 in New Jersey, en route to Ocean Breeze for the Spartan Invitational, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC). The meet will be streamed live at this link, so check it out.

What’s next: First meet of 2019!

Our track team returns from the month-long holiday break this week, with our first meet on Friday afternoon/evening at Ocean Breeze. This intersession period is longer than normal, with the first day of classes not until Tuesday, January 22, so we’ll have two Ocean Breeze meets before classes begin. The first one, on Friday, is called the Spartan Regional Preview, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College. Next week, it’s back to Ocean Breeze for the NYC Gotham Cup on Friday, January 18. It’ll be great to have some of our athletes back on the track this week and back at practice after that.

Spartan Regional Preview

Ocean Breeze

January 11, 2019

Order of events
Updated on 1/9/19 ... start time is pushed back slightly, please NOTE

11:30 a.m.: Facility opens for warm-ups

12:45 p.m.: National Anthem

1 p.m., rolling schedule (men, then women)

60-meter hurdle trials

60-meter dash final on time

60-meter hurdle finals

4x800 relay

4x200 relay

Mile run

500 dash

400 dash

800 run

1000 run

200 dash

3,000 run

DMR

4x400 relay

Zoom! Ya! Ya!

Completing an indoor marathon was not on my bucket list. But if it were, I can now say that it is crossed off! On Sunday, I participated in one of the coolest and neatest running events I’ve ever done, the Zoom! Ya! Ya! Indoor Marathon in Northfield, Minnesota. Indoor marathon. Really? Assuming you haven’t nodded off yet, perhaps you have a few questions about a. why I would do something like this and b. why I would travel all the way to Minnesota to run 150 laps of a 282-meter indoor track and c. what’s with that NAME anyway?

The race was held at St. Olaf College, a beautiful D3 school about 35 miles south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Our former assistant coach and great friend to our program, Erica Maker, is now the head women’s XC/assistant women’s track coach at St. Olaf, her alma mater. Soon after getting the job at her old school, she texted me about this race, figuring it would be right up my alley given my curious penchant for loop races (alert blog followers may remember that each summer I participate in an 8-hour ultramarathon on a 0.35-mile dirt track in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, pretty much the only “race” I do each year). All of us in our program certainly miss Erica, and it was great to see her husband Mike and wonderful son Jack – the Makers are great and dear friends to us. Erica is doing good things out there with the Oles and we are happy for her as she continues her coaching career.

As for the race name? Well, this will take some explaining. Apparently, the traditional cheer for all St. Olaf athletic teams is “Um Ya Ya” (sounds like OOM Ya Ya ... don’t ask me why or what that means). Race director Dick Daymont, an awesome guy who is the husband the now-retired St. Olaf women's XC/track coach Chris Daymont, explained that his co-race founder wanted to complete a race that started with the letter Z – so they came up with “Zoom! Ya! Ya!” Works for me!

Dick puts on a great event. He’s so enthusiastic about it; it’s his “baby” – an event he created and puts lots of energy into for the months leading up to the race and certainly on the weekend of the event. Members of Erica’s team act as lap counters – each runner gets their own official lap counter, and my finisher’s certificate (see above) includes each lap split. For a numbers geek like me, this of course is pure heaven. My individual lap counter, a senior named Katie, was so enthusiastic and awesome throughout the long morning. She cheered for me every single lap and provided me updates on which lap I was on whenever I asked.

I worked out a jog/walk formula that I tweaked throughout the morning. Because my “training” consists of only three runs a week in the 6-mile range and easy walking the rest of the time, I need to take great caution with an event like this, conserving my energy early on to avoid the very real possibility of bonking later. While my time was uncompetitive and relatively slow, I was proud to run “negative splits” – second half faster than my first half – and get through a marathon relatively unscathed on essentially no marathon specific training.

But mostly, it was great to do another loop race, support Erica’s team and see the Makers. And during my short stay in Minnesota, it was remarkably NOT cold! Again, assuming you haven’t nodded off or completely lost interest, below are my every 10-lap splits (I figured it would be brutally boring to post every lap split, but you can see them above if interested?!).

10 laps = 17:32 (17:32)

20 laps = 36:42 (19:10)

30 laps = 55:32 (18:50)

40 laps = 1:14:41 (19:09)

50 laps = 1:35:38 (18:57)

60 laps = 1:54:11 (18:33)

70 laps = 2:14:49 (20:38)

75 laps = 2:24:13 (half marathon)

80 laps = 2:33:47 (18:58)

90 laps = 2:51:54 (18:07)

100 laps = 3:09:59 (18:05)

110 laps = 3:27:14 (17:15)

120 laps = 3:45:22 (18:08)

130 laps = 4:02:46 (17:24)

140 laps = 4:19:50 (17:04)

150 laps = 4:36:05 (16:15)

First 13.1 miles = 2:24:13

Second 13.1 miles = 2:11:52

Welcome, 2019

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are past us, thankfully. While we had a great holiday season, and I trust you all did as well, the end of it with the New Year’s celebrations are a bit weary for me (for those keeping score at home, I was in bed by 9:15 p.m. on Monday night). I consider it somewhat of a fraud of a “holiday” as it is simply turning the page on the calendar. Oh sure, it’s not like your typical new month, a new year is definitely more special than that. But as I wrote to our men’s team in my weekly training email, New Year’s is a time to restock and retool mentally for many of us, but it’s also business as usual for us in the track/running world. “Resolution” is just a fancy word for “goals” and that's what keeps us living and breathing every single day. Be Better is a resolution that we should strive for every single day of the year -- 2019 is no different. I urge all of our athletes (and all of us, really) to Be Better in 2019, so that we can lift our program (and ourselves) to new heights in this new year. So yeah. Happy New Year.

Capital punishment

Those of you whom I regularly text know that for years I will sometimes randomly lapse into ALL CAPS for no particular reason. Again, no particular reason, other than a stubborn case of immaturity and refusal to Act Like and Adult. Speaking of which? Our current leader, President Trump, our Tweeter in Chief, has made Random Capitalizations mainstream in his torrent of Tweets. (Note: This is not a Political Statement or a Political Post … so don’t start sending me Angry Texts!) And yes, for effect, he’ll go into ALL CAPS mode like me. But it’s the Random Capitalizations that drive wonky and nerdy journalism teachers (yeah, Those people) crazy. But now, in the “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em’’ spirit, I have begun to Randomly Capitalize words in my texts (and For Effect in this Annoying Blog Post as well?). Hey. Look. I get texts from Highly Educated and Well Respected students with “words” like “prolly” and “Imma” and “tryna” … so the Generalized Breakdown of proper grammar has reached epidemic proportions in our world now, hasn’t it? And, here’s the thing! No one much Cares about this anymore, do We? Even the good gray New York Times has given up; rather than Correct our president’s Tweets, they just quote them verbatim. Again. Who Cares. Right? OK. Enough. I’ll try to avoid such churlish behavior here in this Fancy Blog for 2019. We’ll see how that goes …