Friday was a long day logistically for a variety of reasons, and we did not arrive back on campus until 10:30 p.m. That, coupled with the fact that I will have limited to no computer and Internet access today, will mean I won't be able to post complete MAAC results, comments, etc., for a bit.
Here's a quick summary.
The men's team ran tremendously strong and got a dominant 2nd place for the sixth year in a row. Very proud of the effort, top to bottom.
The women's team ran as hard as they could and finished a somewhat disappointing 4th place. I will say this: The teams ahead of us showed up and ran EXTREMELY well, so it may be more of a case of their running great as opposed to our running not-so-great. From my perspective, the effort was there.
Individually, our top finisher was freshman phenom Kiersten Anderson in the women's race (fifth overall). Nicely done!
On the men's side, we had three All-MAAC performances (Matt Flint, Will Griffin, Quimes DelaCruz) while freshman Kenny Walshak missed all-MAAC by two-tenths of a second in another phenomenal performance by him.
Here's a cool stat: Kiersten and Kenny were the top freshman finishers in their respective races!
Again, there is much more and I'll get to it when I can. Overall, a good and fun day.
Thanks to the overwhelming parental and family support. It means a lot.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
An old-school birthday "celebration"
Thanks, as always, to Loyal Marist Running Alum and blog follower Marty McGowan for e-mailing me his comments.
Here is what he wrote about Conor Shelley's 23 miles on his 23rd birthday stunt from Tuesday ...
"23 miles for a 23rd birthday. Wow! Yes, I did a "birthday workout" once, too, back in the dark ages -- March 29, 1975, I turned 24. I was working for a research firm in downtown Manhattan at the time, and still lived at home. I remember leaving work, coming home and heading for the track at Staten Island Community College, about a mile and a half warm up away. The goal was to do 24 quarters in 75 with a 220 jog between each one. By myself. I came home happy, exhausted and put away some major lazagna and beer that night. Congratulations to Conor!"
In response to Peter's comment question: Not sure, but it is a safe bet that several team members ran 10 miles on 10.10.10. I was a little busy myself that day, jogging a lot more than 10 miles on 10.10.10.
Here is what he wrote about Conor Shelley's 23 miles on his 23rd birthday stunt from Tuesday ...
"23 miles for a 23rd birthday. Wow! Yes, I did a "birthday workout" once, too, back in the dark ages -- March 29, 1975, I turned 24. I was working for a research firm in downtown Manhattan at the time, and still lived at home. I remember leaving work, coming home and heading for the track at Staten Island Community College, about a mile and a half warm up away. The goal was to do 24 quarters in 75 with a 220 jog between each one. By myself. I came home happy, exhausted and put away some major lazagna and beer that night. Congratulations to Conor!"
In response to Peter's comment question: Not sure, but it is a safe bet that several team members ran 10 miles on 10.10.10. I was a little busy myself that day, jogging a lot more than 10 miles on 10.10.10.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Birthday running = 23
Fifth-year senior Conor Shelley turned 23 on Tuesday. Happy birthday to Conor!
To celebrate his birthday, Conor decided to run 23 miles to mark his 23 years on this earth. He probably mentioned that he was planning on doing this to me, and of course I forgot. Had Conor still been "in season" with cross country eligibility, such a stunt definitely would not have been approved by me, although I do have a history in this area (Side note: Back in 2004, I ran the Forest Park 40-mile ultramarathon race in Queens a few days prior to my 40th birthday; it was also my 40th marathon/ultra, making that crazy stunt a 40-40-40)
But since Conor is in hard base training for his track seasons, in which he DOES have eligibility, running 23 miles on his 23rd birthday -- while not the smartest thing in the world -- also served to pose little or no harm.
With a little help from his friends -- mostly notably Shane-o Reilly -- Conor hit his mileage goal after his third run of the day. I received the following text message at 8:58 p.m.:
DONE!!!!!!!
Conor is often the punch line for many jokes, and he has certainly caused me a bit of consternation through the years here. But make no mistake: When he puts his mind to it, Conor is a GREAT runner and his legacy of success here (to date, hopefully more to come!) is something that we can all be proud of.
Conor's completion of 23 miles on Tuesday is also noteworthy in that:
1. He completed the hard track workout in the wind at Vassar last Friday.
2. He ran the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club race at Bowdoin Park -- and won it! -- on Sunday, despite legs that were totally fried from the workout.
Talk about a hard-easy schedule ...
Well, now Conor can chill for a few days, get his legs back, and resume training for what will hopefully be a record-breaking final two seasons of track.
Happy Birthday, BRO.
To celebrate his birthday, Conor decided to run 23 miles to mark his 23 years on this earth. He probably mentioned that he was planning on doing this to me, and of course I forgot. Had Conor still been "in season" with cross country eligibility, such a stunt definitely would not have been approved by me, although I do have a history in this area (Side note: Back in 2004, I ran the Forest Park 40-mile ultramarathon race in Queens a few days prior to my 40th birthday; it was also my 40th marathon/ultra, making that crazy stunt a 40-40-40)
But since Conor is in hard base training for his track seasons, in which he DOES have eligibility, running 23 miles on his 23rd birthday -- while not the smartest thing in the world -- also served to pose little or no harm.
With a little help from his friends -- mostly notably Shane-o Reilly -- Conor hit his mileage goal after his third run of the day. I received the following text message at 8:58 p.m.:
DONE!!!!!!!
Conor is often the punch line for many jokes, and he has certainly caused me a bit of consternation through the years here. But make no mistake: When he puts his mind to it, Conor is a GREAT runner and his legacy of success here (to date, hopefully more to come!) is something that we can all be proud of.
Conor's completion of 23 miles on Tuesday is also noteworthy in that:
1. He completed the hard track workout in the wind at Vassar last Friday.
2. He ran the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club race at Bowdoin Park -- and won it! -- on Sunday, despite legs that were totally fried from the workout.
Talk about a hard-easy schedule ...
Well, now Conor can chill for a few days, get his legs back, and resume training for what will hopefully be a record-breaking final two seasons of track.
Happy Birthday, BRO.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Mayor's Cup in Boston
Congrats to Marist Running and Wantagh alum Matt Walsh for his strong showing at the Mayor's Cup Cross Country Race at Franklin Park in Boston. Walsh, running for the Bellmore Striders, was 52nd overall in 25:54 (5:15 pace) on the Franklin Park 8km course.
Marist Running Alum Mike Guarascio (Mike G) ran for Greater Boston Track Club and finished in 29:22.
Nicely done, men!
Marist Running Alum Mike Guarascio (Mike G) ran for Greater Boston Track Club and finished in 29:22.
Nicely done, men!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Photos from Albany Invy
Many thanks to Kathy Gould (Kelley's mom) for providing me with many images from the Albany Invitational.
From the top:
1. Freshman Kiersten Anderson leading the pack.
2. Sophomore Kelley Gould (toward the left) running strong.
3. Senior Tim Keegan running strong in men's varsity.
4. Freshman Ben Windisch with a breakout performance in the Purple Race.
Photo submissions are ALWAYS appreciated. In this case, it was extra special to see them since I was not there, so I was able to get a little bit of a feel for what it was like.
Also, Kathy said her Carmel 5K a few weeks ago raised more than $2,000 for the cause, which is great news!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Practice in pictures
A few more images from Friday's chilly practice ...
1. The team running in a pack during an obviously early and not too hard interval. Townsend and Duggan are clearly enjoying themselves -- for now. And we catch Schanz in a rare moment of silent running. Isaiah is smiling, but wishing it were 30 degrees warmer. Salek is pondering the fate of his poor Phillies.
2. Hughes bumpin' it in the van AFTER the workout. It is not clear whether this photo was taken before or after he took the red pre-wrap tape and mummified my wallet with it. Again, maturity is optional with these guys.
3. When nature calls, you take whatever bathroom is available.
Why AJ matters
Great workout for the women's and men's xc and track teams at a windswept Vassar College track on Friday afternoon. (Side note to Vassar coach James Macowan: THANK YOU for letting us use your fine facility!)
The men's xc guys did a continuous interval workout that totalled 8,000 meters. Despite the wind, there was great effort and camaraderie out there. Doing a continuous jog recovery was a new twist and a variation of a workout that was brought to me by several veteran team members. I adapted it to the conditions and the needs of the entire team, and I think it worked out OK.
The women's xc ladies did mile repeats (some did 1ks) and some really fast 200s to finish up. When Chuck and the women were blasting through the 200s, the strong wind seemed to ratchet up about 10 mph more! Undaunted, they all ran great.
What made this workout memorable for me was the impromptu support crew:
--My pal Krys Wasielewski took a few minutes from his busy schedule to provide much-needed coffee, and then he rushing was off to his own XC practice at Dutchess Day School.
--Coach Emeritus Phil Kelly stopped by from the neighborhood and hung out for the balance of the workout, even helping to time one of the many guys' groups.
--Marist Alumni Marathon Record Holder Mike Rolek popped in and provided support and encouragement. Rolek will be a regular guest at practices over the coming weeks and months, and his presence is welcome any day of the week.
--And then there's AJ. Freshman Andrew James is nursing a bad Achilles. His season is done. His specialty is middle distance track events, so trying to blast through his Achilles injury for a few more weeks makes no sense at this point. Damn shame, as he was rounding into good xc shape.
Here's the thing: A few days ago, AJ asked if he could come to the workout on Friday. He wanted to help in any way possible. And he did! That kind of Team Spirit is priceless. Thanks, BRO.
Above is a picture of AJ goofing on his old and freezing coach. Nicely done.
And to the runners who completed the workout, a hearty, two-thumbs-up nicely done to you all!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Schab strong in Baltimore
More Marist Alumni racing news from this weekend ...
Mike Schab (Class of 2006) completed the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday in 2:53:44, good for 43rd place overall out of more than 3,300 finishers.
Schabby, who remains a great friend to the program and somehow knows the names of pretty much the entire team despite the fact that he is long since removed from Marist, said he has been working a lot of hours and was not expecting much out of this race. He said he was simply hoping for a sub-3:00 performance and he got just that.
Unfortunately for him, Schab tried to sign up for the 2011 Boston Marathon, only to be denied entry when the Boston field filled up in eight hours! He said he tried in vain several times online to get in.
Geez, getting a bib number at Boston is harder than getting Bruce Springsteen tickets at Madison Square Garden!
That's OK. Schabby will find some fun marathon adventure for the spring. And look for faster times too, as his work schedule subsides a bit during the winter months, which means he'll have more time for training -- not to mention unannounced visits to the Marist campus.
Nicely done, Schab.
Mike Schab (Class of 2006) completed the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday in 2:53:44, good for 43rd place overall out of more than 3,300 finishers.
Schabby, who remains a great friend to the program and somehow knows the names of pretty much the entire team despite the fact that he is long since removed from Marist, said he has been working a lot of hours and was not expecting much out of this race. He said he was simply hoping for a sub-3:00 performance and he got just that.
Unfortunately for him, Schab tried to sign up for the 2011 Boston Marathon, only to be denied entry when the Boston field filled up in eight hours! He said he tried in vain several times online to get in.
Geez, getting a bib number at Boston is harder than getting Bruce Springsteen tickets at Madison Square Garden!
That's OK. Schabby will find some fun marathon adventure for the spring. And look for faster times too, as his work schedule subsides a bit during the winter months, which means he'll have more time for training -- not to mention unannounced visits to the Marist campus.
Nicely done, Schab.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Raucci wins Atlantic City Marathon
David Raucci (Class of 2010) is now 2-for-2 in marathons.
David won the Atlantic City Marathon Sunday in 2:24:04, a 5-minute improvement over his debut win at Rochester one month ago. David won $2,500 with the victory, and continues to be a fast learner at this distance.
Here is a link to the newspaper article in Atlantic City on David.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Men at UAlbany
Below are results from today's men's meet at UAlbany. Like the women's race, it seems the men's course ran a bit slower than 2009. Having said that, there were several notable performances.
In particular, the freshmen men in the Purple Race absolutely ROCKED IT. Wow, wow, wow! Nicely done, top to bottom!!!!! I am almost 100 percent certain that every freshman guy ran an 8km PR in this event. Most importantly, you competed and competed hard. I am proud of this.
And a big shout-out to our upperclassmen guys in the Purple Race: In particular, Brownie, Meegan and Kyle Havard had standout efforts. Great to see!
In the varsity race, our top 6 ran well. Nick Hughes (the only freshman in there) ran a big PR for 8km. We welcomed Sam McMullen back from injury, and Joel Moss had a strong PR as our fifth man. Nicely done, Joel!! Brian Townsend checked in with some whacky splits but overall a very strong effort.
In all, a solid day for us here.
Men’s Championship Race
Team standings: 1-U Albany 25, 2-Brandeis 91, 3-Middlebury 129, 4-Binghamton 169, 5-Colgate 194, 6-Marist 202, 7-Adelphi 219, 8-St. Rose 268, 9-Sacred Heart 280, 10-Wagner 283, 11-Vassar 292, 12-Niagara 314, 13-Canisius 334, 14-Delhi 334, 15-Springfield 367, 16-St. Francis 435, 17-Molloy 452, 18-SUNY New Paltz 477, 19-Roger Williams 481, 20-Siena 523, 21-St. Thomas Aquinas 608, 22-St. Bonaventure 649, 23-Keystone 650, 24-Nyack 725, 25-LIU 748
Individual Results
8,000-meter race
18-Tim Keegan 25:45.6 (5:11 pace)
31-Nick Hughes 26:11.6 (5:17 pace)
45-Pat Duggan 26:30.0 (5:20 pace)
52-Sam McMullen 26:38.2 (5:22 pace)
58-Joel Moss 26:45.7 (5:24 pace)
68-Brian Townsend 26:59.9 (5:26 pace)
87-Billy Posch 27:19.1 (5:30 pace)
106-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:37.9 (5:34 pace)
115-Zak Smetana 27:55.2 (5:37 pace)
Men’s Purple Race (No Team Standings)
Individual Results
8,000-meter race
2-Ben Windisch 26:39.0 (5:22 pace)
4-Ryan Scrudato 26:51.1 (5:25 pace)
7-Ryan Brown 26:58.3 (5:26 pace)
8-Chris Reynolds 27:01.4 (5:27 pace)
9-Isaiah Miller 27:04.5 (5:27 pace)
15-Mike Keegan 27:17.4 (5:30 pace)
17-Kyle Havard 27:27.5 (5:32 pace)
20-Nick Salek 27:37.4 (5:34 pace)
24-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:47.1 (5:36 pace)
25-Will Schanz 27:48.8 (5:36 pace)
30-Danny Mendoza 27:59.0 (5:38 pace)
32-Matt Panebianco 28:00.6 (5:39 pace)
33-Mike Clausen 28:05.4 (5:40 pace)
36-Doug Ainscow 28:09.2 (5:40 pace)
41-Mike Nicoletti 28:29.1 (5:44 pace)
46-Billy Hild 28:34.5 (5:45 pace)
69-Luke Shane 29:17.7 (5:54 pace)
89-Brendan Green 30:11.9 (6:05 pace)
Composite team results by time
Tim Keegan 25:45.6 (5:11 pace)
Nick Hughes 26:11.6 (5:17 pace)
Pat Duggan 26:30.0 (5:20 pace)
Sam McMullen 26:38.2 (5:22 pace)
Ben Windisch 26:39.0 (5:22 pace)
Joel Moss 26:45.7 (5:24 pace)
Ryan Scrudato 26:51.1 (5:25 pace)
Ryan Brown 26:58.3 (5:26 pace)
Brian Townsend 26:59.9 (5:26 pace)
Chris Reynolds 27:01.4 (5:27 pace)
Isaiah Miller 27:04.5 (5:27 pace)
Mike Keegan 27:17.4 (5:30 pace)
Billy Posch 27:19.1 (5:30 pace)
Kyle Havard 27:27.5 (5:32 pace)
Nick Salek 27:37.4 (5:34 pace)
Kevin O’Sullivan 27:37.9 (5:34 pace)
Ryan Fitzsimons 27:47.1 (5:36 pace)
Will Schanz 27:48.8 (5:36 pace)
Zak Smetana 27:55.2 (5:37 pace)
Danny Mendoza 27:59.0 (5:38 pace)
Matt Panebianco 28:00.6 (5:39 pace)
Mike Clausen 28:05.4 (5:40 pace)
Doug Ainscow 28:09.2 (5:40 pace)
Mike Nicoletti 28:29.1 (5:44 pace)
Billy Hild 28:34.5 (5:45 pace)
Luke Shane 29:17.7 (5:54 pace)
Brendan Green 30:11.9 (6:05 pace)
In particular, the freshmen men in the Purple Race absolutely ROCKED IT. Wow, wow, wow! Nicely done, top to bottom!!!!! I am almost 100 percent certain that every freshman guy ran an 8km PR in this event. Most importantly, you competed and competed hard. I am proud of this.
And a big shout-out to our upperclassmen guys in the Purple Race: In particular, Brownie, Meegan and Kyle Havard had standout efforts. Great to see!
In the varsity race, our top 6 ran well. Nick Hughes (the only freshman in there) ran a big PR for 8km. We welcomed Sam McMullen back from injury, and Joel Moss had a strong PR as our fifth man. Nicely done, Joel!! Brian Townsend checked in with some whacky splits but overall a very strong effort.
In all, a solid day for us here.
Men’s Championship Race
Team standings: 1-U Albany 25, 2-Brandeis 91, 3-Middlebury 129, 4-Binghamton 169, 5-Colgate 194, 6-Marist 202, 7-Adelphi 219, 8-St. Rose 268, 9-Sacred Heart 280, 10-Wagner 283, 11-Vassar 292, 12-Niagara 314, 13-Canisius 334, 14-Delhi 334, 15-Springfield 367, 16-St. Francis 435, 17-Molloy 452, 18-SUNY New Paltz 477, 19-Roger Williams 481, 20-Siena 523, 21-St. Thomas Aquinas 608, 22-St. Bonaventure 649, 23-Keystone 650, 24-Nyack 725, 25-LIU 748
Individual Results
8,000-meter race
18-Tim Keegan 25:45.6 (5:11 pace)
31-Nick Hughes 26:11.6 (5:17 pace)
45-Pat Duggan 26:30.0 (5:20 pace)
52-Sam McMullen 26:38.2 (5:22 pace)
58-Joel Moss 26:45.7 (5:24 pace)
68-Brian Townsend 26:59.9 (5:26 pace)
87-Billy Posch 27:19.1 (5:30 pace)
106-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:37.9 (5:34 pace)
115-Zak Smetana 27:55.2 (5:37 pace)
Men’s Purple Race (No Team Standings)
Individual Results
8,000-meter race
2-Ben Windisch 26:39.0 (5:22 pace)
4-Ryan Scrudato 26:51.1 (5:25 pace)
7-Ryan Brown 26:58.3 (5:26 pace)
8-Chris Reynolds 27:01.4 (5:27 pace)
9-Isaiah Miller 27:04.5 (5:27 pace)
15-Mike Keegan 27:17.4 (5:30 pace)
17-Kyle Havard 27:27.5 (5:32 pace)
20-Nick Salek 27:37.4 (5:34 pace)
24-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:47.1 (5:36 pace)
25-Will Schanz 27:48.8 (5:36 pace)
30-Danny Mendoza 27:59.0 (5:38 pace)
32-Matt Panebianco 28:00.6 (5:39 pace)
33-Mike Clausen 28:05.4 (5:40 pace)
36-Doug Ainscow 28:09.2 (5:40 pace)
41-Mike Nicoletti 28:29.1 (5:44 pace)
46-Billy Hild 28:34.5 (5:45 pace)
69-Luke Shane 29:17.7 (5:54 pace)
89-Brendan Green 30:11.9 (6:05 pace)
Composite team results by time
Tim Keegan 25:45.6 (5:11 pace)
Nick Hughes 26:11.6 (5:17 pace)
Pat Duggan 26:30.0 (5:20 pace)
Sam McMullen 26:38.2 (5:22 pace)
Ben Windisch 26:39.0 (5:22 pace)
Joel Moss 26:45.7 (5:24 pace)
Ryan Scrudato 26:51.1 (5:25 pace)
Ryan Brown 26:58.3 (5:26 pace)
Brian Townsend 26:59.9 (5:26 pace)
Chris Reynolds 27:01.4 (5:27 pace)
Isaiah Miller 27:04.5 (5:27 pace)
Mike Keegan 27:17.4 (5:30 pace)
Billy Posch 27:19.1 (5:30 pace)
Kyle Havard 27:27.5 (5:32 pace)
Nick Salek 27:37.4 (5:34 pace)
Kevin O’Sullivan 27:37.9 (5:34 pace)
Ryan Fitzsimons 27:47.1 (5:36 pace)
Will Schanz 27:48.8 (5:36 pace)
Zak Smetana 27:55.2 (5:37 pace)
Danny Mendoza 27:59.0 (5:38 pace)
Matt Panebianco 28:00.6 (5:39 pace)
Mike Clausen 28:05.4 (5:40 pace)
Doug Ainscow 28:09.2 (5:40 pace)
Mike Nicoletti 28:29.1 (5:44 pace)
Billy Hild 28:34.5 (5:45 pace)
Luke Shane 29:17.7 (5:54 pace)
Brendan Green 30:11.9 (6:05 pace)
Women at UAlbany
Below are the results from today's women's meet at Albany. Coach Chuck thought the times were slower across the board, which makes sense given the windy conditions.
While we are not pleased with the team placement, we definitely have some physical issues to attend to and get right by the time of MAACs in two weeks. I have faith that our ladies will step up and do their ABSOLUTE BEST in our league meet.
44th Annual UAlbany Invitational
Women’s Championship Race
Team standings: 1-New Hampshire 29, 2-Middlebury 85, 3-UAlbany 88, 4-Canisius 124, 5-Binghamton 149, 6-Marist 163, 7-Brandeis 173, 8-Sacred Heart 191, 9-St. Rose 317, 10-Niagara 337, 11-SUNY New Paltz 345, 12-Springfield 369, 13-Wagner 381, 14-Siena 439, 15-Roger Williams 453, 16-Adelphi 463, 17-St. Thomas Aquinas 507, 18-St. Francis 519, 19-Molloy 551, 20-Nyack 560, 21-LIU 598, 22-St. Bonaventure 663
Individual Results
5,000-meter race
11-Kiersten Anderson 18:18.5 (5:55 pace)
35-Katie Messina 18:56.4 (6:05 pace)
36-Erin O’Reilly 18:57.5 (6:06 pace)
42-Jillian Corley 19:03.9 (6:07 pace)
45-Briana Crowe 19:12.4 (6:10 pace)
61-Kathryn Sheehan 19:37.1 (6:16 pace)
79-Julie Hudak 20:01.2 (6:23 pace)
90-Kara Lightowler 20:16.0 (6:27 pace)
96-Kelley Gould 20:22.0 (6:28 pace)
Women’s Gold Race (No Team Standings)
Individual Results
5,000-meter race
19-Dayna McLaughlin 19:57.1 (6:26 pace)
14-Allyson O’Brien 20:04.6 (6:28 pace)
19-Kelley Hanifin 20:19.3 (6:33 pace)
21-Elizabeth O’Brien 20:24.1 (6:34 pace)
22-Tara Nuccitelli 20:26.9 (6:35 pace)
30-Miy Mahran 20:40.2 (6:40 pace)
34-Colleen Smith 20:50.3 (6:43 pace)
38-Kim Bartlett 20:57.5 (6:45 pace)
46-Laura Lindsley 21:20.7 (6:53 pace)
60-Ashley Jensen 21:58.9 (7:05 pace)
63-Natalie Rowland 22:08.7 (7:08 pace)
66-Rachel Lichtenwalner 22:22.2 (7:12 pace)
While we are not pleased with the team placement, we definitely have some physical issues to attend to and get right by the time of MAACs in two weeks. I have faith that our ladies will step up and do their ABSOLUTE BEST in our league meet.
44th Annual UAlbany Invitational
Women’s Championship Race
Team standings: 1-New Hampshire 29, 2-Middlebury 85, 3-UAlbany 88, 4-Canisius 124, 5-Binghamton 149, 6-Marist 163, 7-Brandeis 173, 8-Sacred Heart 191, 9-St. Rose 317, 10-Niagara 337, 11-SUNY New Paltz 345, 12-Springfield 369, 13-Wagner 381, 14-Siena 439, 15-Roger Williams 453, 16-Adelphi 463, 17-St. Thomas Aquinas 507, 18-St. Francis 519, 19-Molloy 551, 20-Nyack 560, 21-LIU 598, 22-St. Bonaventure 663
Individual Results
5,000-meter race
11-Kiersten Anderson 18:18.5 (5:55 pace)
35-Katie Messina 18:56.4 (6:05 pace)
36-Erin O’Reilly 18:57.5 (6:06 pace)
42-Jillian Corley 19:03.9 (6:07 pace)
45-Briana Crowe 19:12.4 (6:10 pace)
61-Kathryn Sheehan 19:37.1 (6:16 pace)
79-Julie Hudak 20:01.2 (6:23 pace)
90-Kara Lightowler 20:16.0 (6:27 pace)
96-Kelley Gould 20:22.0 (6:28 pace)
Women’s Gold Race (No Team Standings)
Individual Results
5,000-meter race
19-Dayna McLaughlin 19:57.1 (6:26 pace)
14-Allyson O’Brien 20:04.6 (6:28 pace)
19-Kelley Hanifin 20:19.3 (6:33 pace)
21-Elizabeth O’Brien 20:24.1 (6:34 pace)
22-Tara Nuccitelli 20:26.9 (6:35 pace)
30-Miy Mahran 20:40.2 (6:40 pace)
34-Colleen Smith 20:50.3 (6:43 pace)
38-Kim Bartlett 20:57.5 (6:45 pace)
46-Laura Lindsley 21:20.7 (6:53 pace)
60-Ashley Jensen 21:58.9 (7:05 pace)
63-Natalie Rowland 22:08.7 (7:08 pace)
66-Rachel Lichtenwalner 22:22.2 (7:12 pace)
Men at Penn State
Below are results from today's long but productive trip out to Penn State. While I believe we can do better individually and as a team, finishing in the top half of a strong field with the word "national" in it is a decent accomplishment. A few notes:
1-Our 1 through 5 spread of 32 seconds was commendable and excellent. That's one way to look at it.
2-The other way to look at it? We need a strong lead runner to emerge. Or we need our incredibly strong top-3 to move up. Or some combination thereof. Am I asking a lot? Of course! But these men can handle such expectations.
3-Quimes had a nice bounce-back race and Walshak continues to be a rock-solid freshman.
4-Web had a strong race but needs more zip. Lipari dealt with some physical issues, but I have not lost faith in him one bit.
5-Damn. It was REALLY HARD not being at Albany to see our men and women run up there. We'll get to those results in the next posts ...
Penn State National
October 16, 2010
Team standings: 1-Syracuse 61, 2-Penn State 91, 3-Villanova 95, 4-Grand Valley State 139, 5-Cornell 178, 6-Eastern Michigan 182, 7-Lock Haven 220, 8-Yale 239, 9-Penn 255, 10-George Mason 262, 11-Duquesne 310, 12-Marist 344, 13-Akron 345, 14-Maryland 401, 15-Dickinson 426, 16-Temple 431, 17-Lehigh 485, 18-Buffalo 503, 19-Detroit Mercy and Rider 575, 21-Slippery Rock 635, 22-PSU Alumni Team 659, 23-Pittsburgh 691, 24-Loyola 739, 25-South Florida 756, 26-Indiana (Pa.) 769, 27-Robert Morris 789
Individual results
5.2-mile course
54-Matt Flint 26:24 (5:05 pace)
65-Will Griffin 26:35 (5:07 pace)
67-Adam Vess 26:38 (5:07 pace)
78-Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:44 (5:08 pace)
95-Ken Walshak 26:56 (5:11 pace)
143-Nick Webster 27:27 (5:17 pace)
184-Tommy Lipari 27:54 (5:22 pace)
1-Our 1 through 5 spread of 32 seconds was commendable and excellent. That's one way to look at it.
2-The other way to look at it? We need a strong lead runner to emerge. Or we need our incredibly strong top-3 to move up. Or some combination thereof. Am I asking a lot? Of course! But these men can handle such expectations.
3-Quimes had a nice bounce-back race and Walshak continues to be a rock-solid freshman.
4-Web had a strong race but needs more zip. Lipari dealt with some physical issues, but I have not lost faith in him one bit.
5-Damn. It was REALLY HARD not being at Albany to see our men and women run up there. We'll get to those results in the next posts ...
Penn State National
October 16, 2010
Team standings: 1-Syracuse 61, 2-Penn State 91, 3-Villanova 95, 4-Grand Valley State 139, 5-Cornell 178, 6-Eastern Michigan 182, 7-Lock Haven 220, 8-Yale 239, 9-Penn 255, 10-George Mason 262, 11-Duquesne 310, 12-Marist 344, 13-Akron 345, 14-Maryland 401, 15-Dickinson 426, 16-Temple 431, 17-Lehigh 485, 18-Buffalo 503, 19-Detroit Mercy and Rider 575, 21-Slippery Rock 635, 22-PSU Alumni Team 659, 23-Pittsburgh 691, 24-Loyola 739, 25-South Florida 756, 26-Indiana (Pa.) 769, 27-Robert Morris 789
Individual results
5.2-mile course
54-Matt Flint 26:24 (5:05 pace)
65-Will Griffin 26:35 (5:07 pace)
67-Adam Vess 26:38 (5:07 pace)
78-Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:44 (5:08 pace)
95-Ken Walshak 26:56 (5:11 pace)
143-Nick Webster 27:27 (5:17 pace)
184-Tommy Lipari 27:54 (5:22 pace)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Notes from the steam room
Perhaps I have mentioned this in a previous post, and for those that know me well this may not surprise you: When traveling overnight for our sport, I usually CRANK the heat in the hotel rooms. Phil remembers the sauna-like qualities of our away-from-home quarters.
So here I sit in shorts and T-shirt, with the heat set at a very comfortable 78 degrees (down from 82 from earlier!). A few random notes ...
-- I've been texting like my teenage niece this afternoon/evening, wishing the men and women racing at UAlbany in the morning the best of success. If you are reading this, RUN TOUGH ladies and gentlemen! Also, if you are reading this the night before the race ... GET TO BED SOON, ALREADY! The weather looks better than originally expected. Wish I could be there.
-- This Yankee game is stressing me out. As I type this, CC is getting shelled to the tune of 5-0 after 4 innings. Not exactly how we had it drawn up, especially with Cliff Lee looming for Game 3. Wonder if Joe Girardi will reconsider AJ Burnett as the Game 4 starter?
-- Great to see Marist alum Sean Hopkins here today at Penn State. He travels with the West Virginia team.
-- Check back either later Saturday, Sunday or Monday for results from both Penn State and UAlbany ...
So here I sit in shorts and T-shirt, with the heat set at a very comfortable 78 degrees (down from 82 from earlier!). A few random notes ...
-- I've been texting like my teenage niece this afternoon/evening, wishing the men and women racing at UAlbany in the morning the best of success. If you are reading this, RUN TOUGH ladies and gentlemen! Also, if you are reading this the night before the race ... GET TO BED SOON, ALREADY! The weather looks better than originally expected. Wish I could be there.
-- This Yankee game is stressing me out. As I type this, CC is getting shelled to the tune of 5-0 after 4 innings. Not exactly how we had it drawn up, especially with Cliff Lee looming for Game 3. Wonder if Joe Girardi will reconsider AJ Burnett as the Game 4 starter?
-- Great to see Marist alum Sean Hopkins here today at Penn State. He travels with the West Virginia team.
-- Check back either later Saturday, Sunday or Monday for results from both Penn State and UAlbany ...
Bumpin' it
Greetings from Room 236 of the Hampton Inn in State College, Pa. -- where, oddly, there is no snow! Being the idiot that I am, I have already locked myself out of this room once.
We survived the long van ride through PA with minimal emotional damage. Quimes insisted on plugging in his iPod to the front stereo system, so we were "BUMPIN' IT" on the interstate for several hours. Thankfully, we had a little Quiet Time during the last hour of the trip.
The men just got done previewing the Penn State course. It is a grass golf course and should be fun. Several MAAC schools are here, as well as a lot of other strong programs from all over the East.
We are heading out to dinner at Damons soon, followed by a little Yankee Playoff Baseball in the hotel. Race time is 10 a.m.
I will miss my men and women who will be racing later in the morning at UAlbany. I know the Foxes and Foxettes will rep us well. My heart and soul is with you guys!
We survived the long van ride through PA with minimal emotional damage. Quimes insisted on plugging in his iPod to the front stereo system, so we were "BUMPIN' IT" on the interstate for several hours. Thankfully, we had a little Quiet Time during the last hour of the trip.
The men just got done previewing the Penn State course. It is a grass golf course and should be fun. Several MAAC schools are here, as well as a lot of other strong programs from all over the East.
We are heading out to dinner at Damons soon, followed by a little Yankee Playoff Baseball in the hotel. Race time is 10 a.m.
I will miss my men and women who will be racing later in the morning at UAlbany. I know the Foxes and Foxettes will rep us well. My heart and soul is with you guys!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Kiersten Anderson wins MAAC award ... again!
Check out the following link to the press release announcing freshman Kiersten Anderson as the MAAC Female Runner of the Week. It's the second time Kiersten has won the award.
Nicely done!
Nicely done!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Rolek steamrolls Scranton marathon
In perhaps the most remarkable Marist Alumni Running performance ever, Mike Rolek (class of 2008) finished second at Sunday's Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pa., in an eye-popping time of 2:23:07. This was Mike's first try at the marathon, and he really nailed it!
What makes Mike's second-place finish all the more remarkable is that just a few months ago (mid-May, to be exact), he was on crutches with a foot injury. He trained hard over the summer to get himself in this condition, but I must admit that this blows me away. I had figured a sub-2:30 for the first time would have been nice. Amazing job, BRO!
Marist Running alum Mike Melfi (class of 1999) finished fourth at Steamtown in 2:33:05. It was a disappointing run for Melfi, who felt he was in sub-2:30 shape. An ill-timed upper respiratory infection slowed him down. That's the thing about the marathon; you can train hard for it, but there is much luck involved, too.
But again, it's a lot more than luck that gets you to the finish line of a 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 7 seconds. Mike Rolek earned every step of it, and he has started a new chapter of his running career in grand style. NICELY DONE!!!!
What makes Mike's second-place finish all the more remarkable is that just a few months ago (mid-May, to be exact), he was on crutches with a foot injury. He trained hard over the summer to get himself in this condition, but I must admit that this blows me away. I had figured a sub-2:30 for the first time would have been nice. Amazing job, BRO!
Marist Running alum Mike Melfi (class of 1999) finished fourth at Steamtown in 2:33:05. It was a disappointing run for Melfi, who felt he was in sub-2:30 shape. An ill-timed upper respiratory infection slowed him down. That's the thing about the marathon; you can train hard for it, but there is much luck involved, too.
But again, it's a lot more than luck that gets you to the finish line of a 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 7 seconds. Mike Rolek earned every step of it, and he has started a new chapter of his running career in grand style. NICELY DONE!!!!
Lisa D'Aniello sizzles at Albany half
One of the first things I did after finishing Sunday's marathon was to stagger over to the results area to check on the half-marathon finishers. I was so thrilled to see our very own Marist Running alum Lisa D'Aniello had won her age group (20-24). Lisa blitzed the 13.1-miler in 1:32:40, winning her division by more than 13 minutes!
Lisa even took the time to jog a few steps with me at the end of the marathon. Even though I was feeling a little wobbly after my long run, her strong half-marathon finish certainly made my day and made me feel a whole lot better!
Lisa is setting her sights on the New York City Marathon in a few weeks, her first foray at 26.2 miles. I think she will do great!
Lisa even took the time to jog a few steps with me at the end of the marathon. Even though I was feeling a little wobbly after my long run, her strong half-marathon finish certainly made my day and made me feel a whole lot better!
Lisa is setting her sights on the New York City Marathon in a few weeks, her first foray at 26.2 miles. I think she will do great!
Negative split/positive result
This old coach ran yet another marathon to add to my growing list of 26.2-mile finishes. Sunday, it was the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon, one of my favorites. I've completed this race many times.
On Sunday, it was a perfect weather day. I ran a negative-split effort of 4:16:49 (2:12:38, first half; 2:04:55, second half). It was hard work, every step of the way. I'm much slower than I once was, but I ran it as hard as I could.
Huge thanks to Zak Smetana's mom, Kim, and Zak's sister, who took care of me after the race and drove me back to my car at the starting line. They even fetched me a much-needed, post-race Dr Pepper! Seriously, they were a huge help.
This marathon finish helps me continue a streak of at least one marathon finish every year since 1987. They get harder and slower, but we're still getting there.
On Sunday, it was a perfect weather day. I ran a negative-split effort of 4:16:49 (2:12:38, first half; 2:04:55, second half). It was hard work, every step of the way. I'm much slower than I once was, but I ran it as hard as I could.
Huge thanks to Zak Smetana's mom, Kim, and Zak's sister, who took care of me after the race and drove me back to my car at the starting line. They even fetched me a much-needed, post-race Dr Pepper! Seriously, they were a huge help.
This marathon finish helps me continue a streak of at least one marathon finish every year since 1987. They get harder and slower, but we're still getting there.
Carmel race results
All reports indicated that yesterday's inaugural Carmel Running Club 5K for Jimmy B and LIFSHD (see previous posts on this) was a success. There were nearly 100 runners. Hopefully, the race raised money and awareness for the cause. Kelley Gould's mom, Kathy (a Marist alum herself), was the race director.
Our own Conor Shelley won the race in 17:38.0, finishing close to 2 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. Conor, who has track eligibility remaining, continues to train hard and strong for those seasons.
Sophomore Jackie Gamboli, who is redshirting this cross country season, was the women's winner in 22:25.1, good for 12th place overall. Right alongside her was women's coach Chuck Williams in 22:25.4. Coach Chuck won his age group!
Hope it was a good day for all involved.
Our own Conor Shelley won the race in 17:38.0, finishing close to 2 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. Conor, who has track eligibility remaining, continues to train hard and strong for those seasons.
Sophomore Jackie Gamboli, who is redshirting this cross country season, was the women's winner in 22:25.1, good for 12th place overall. Right alongside her was women's coach Chuck Williams in 22:25.4. Coach Chuck won his age group!
Hope it was a good day for all involved.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Post Mets photo and thoughts
Above is a cool picture from the Van Cortlandt Park Tortoise and Hare statue by the finish line of our Mets Men’s Team from yesterday (minus two guys who left early for home to beat the traffic). It’s a cool photo, a rare decent shot taken by this old coach.
For those keeping score at home, here are the fine team members photographed, starting from lower left and moving around:
Freshman Doug (Silent Speedstar) Ainscow
Sophomore Brendan (Man, This Beard Is Itchy) Green
Freshman Isaiah (From Beam Team to Dream Team) Miller
Freshman Patrick (Yo, Can We Get to Dunkin’ Donuts Already, Coach?) Deedy
Sophomore Will (The Mayor of Shaker and All of Section Two) Schanz
Freshman Billy (The Fresh Prince of Leo Hall) Hild
Missing from photo, but not from a fine day at Vanny, were:
Freshman Nick (The Phillies Are The Best Team of All Time) Salek
Sophomore Mike (Feelin’ Fast With a Fresh Q-Cut) Keegan (aka Meegan)
Onto Friday’s meet analysis. First off, after Coach Horton (thanks for driving down, Terry!) and I somehow easily found parking off 251st Street (what the heck, we DID get there quite early), one of the ladies pointed out how “weird” it was to have so few athletes traveling and competing. It was a bit unusual, but it had me recalling the “old days” when Phil and I started coaching, when we would routinely each drive our own vans with only 8, 9 or 10 athletes in the back.
It is a testament to how large this program has grown that the athletes listed below who ran represent just a small fraction of our entire squad. And if the NCAA has its way, such tiny, van-like squads may become the norm of the future. More on that in a later post, perhaps …
OK, here is my two-bit analysis of each individual race …
Kiersten Anderson 18:49. Crushed the back hills after a slower-than-normal start in which you were clogged up in race traffic. Good hills, good effort.
Kathryn Sheehan 19:53. The back hills were a different story for you, but altogether another huge step in the right direction. You looked and raced much better than two weeks ago at Fairfield, and that is awesome.
Jillian Corley 20:24. Eh, not great and not terrible. Just kind of there. You looked solid finishing, but overall a so-so performance.
Allyson O’Brien 20:29. Definitely a decent performance all around, though you were not pleased with it entirely.
Elizabeth O’Brien 21:25. Ditto Allyson, although it is not lost on me how much improvement you have had since a rough freshman year!
Tara Nuccitelli 21:36. Not that great after what seemed to be a strong start. Back hills seemed a bit rough. Let’s build on it and move on.
Men’s results
Isaiah Miller 28:01. Seemed like that 5:01 opening mile was blazing fast, but you pointed out it was not. Perhaps you overcompensated on the second mile (or perhaps the mile markers are not accurate?), but overall I feel you can do much better than this.
Patrick Deedy 28:13. Considering your Achilles was barking BEFORE the race, I thought this effort was splendid. We’re just going to have to manage the rest of the season and get you through it. Nice job.
Will Schanz 28:25. Solid effort from start to finish. In typical Schanz fashion, you of course down-played this and feel you could have (and will) do much better. I like the attitude.
Nick Salek 28:31. Very solid effort. You said you overcompensated for opening fast mile by a slower 2nd mile, but overall a good effort and strong finish.
Mike Keegan 28:35. Your race was similar to Kathryn … you can do better, but a huge step in the right direction. The new haircut should help, too! Seriously, good to see you back closer to form.
Doug Ainscow 28:48. An overall solid race. Can it be better? Yes. But it was a good start at the 8km distance.
Billy Hild 30:18. Well, this was way off what we were hoping for, and frankly, the shape you are in. Perhaps it was the heat, but I will not make excuses for it. Just needs to be better.
Brendan Green 31:11. Come on, man! You were faster in tempo at Vassar Farms, for heaven’s sake. Similar to Billy, way off your fitness level. Must be fixed at Albany, and should be.
OK. Time to pack the backpack for what promises to be a slow and painful 26.2 in the morning.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Met results from today
A fun day in the glorious sun today. Some great performances on both sides -- Kiersten with a top-10 finish and our youthful men's squad (6 freshmen, 2 sophomores) packed 'em in with a 34-second spread from 1 through 5. More analysis and thoughts later ...
Metropolitan Conference Championship
Friday, October 8, 2010
Van Cortlandt Park
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Columbia 41, 2-Rutgers 46, 3-NYU 107, 4-Iona 130, 5-Fordham 142, 6-Marist 185, 7-Manhattan 191, 8-St. John’s 200, 9-Hofstra 257, 10-Wagner 296, 11-St. Peter’s 310, 12-St. Francis 321, 13-FDU 364, 14-Seton Hall 372, 15-LIU 407
Marist individual results, 5,000-meter course
8-Kiersten Anderson 18:49
37-Kathryn Sheehan 19:53
48-Jillian Corley 20:24
50-Allyson O’Brien 20:29
80-Elizabeth O’Brien 21:25
86-Tara Nuccitelli 21:36
Men’s results
Team standings: 1-Columbia 17, 2-NYU 70, 3-Fordham 101, 4-Rutgers 110, 5-Iona 120, 6-Manhattan 206, 7-Hofstra and Wagner 222, 9-St. Francis 237, 10-Marist 257, 11-Seton Hall 291, 12-St. Peter’s 334, 13-FDU 347, 14-LIU 395
Marist individual results, 5-mile course
55-Isaiah Miller 28:01
65-Patrick Deedy 28:13
72-Will Schanz 28:25
76-Nick Salek 28:31
80-Mike Keegan 28:35
86-Doug Ainscow 28:48
109-Billy Hild 30:18
123-Brendan Green 31:11
Metropolitan Conference Championship
Friday, October 8, 2010
Van Cortlandt Park
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Columbia 41, 2-Rutgers 46, 3-NYU 107, 4-Iona 130, 5-Fordham 142, 6-Marist 185, 7-Manhattan 191, 8-St. John’s 200, 9-Hofstra 257, 10-Wagner 296, 11-St. Peter’s 310, 12-St. Francis 321, 13-FDU 364, 14-Seton Hall 372, 15-LIU 407
Marist individual results, 5,000-meter course
8-Kiersten Anderson 18:49
37-Kathryn Sheehan 19:53
48-Jillian Corley 20:24
50-Allyson O’Brien 20:29
80-Elizabeth O’Brien 21:25
86-Tara Nuccitelli 21:36
Men’s results
Team standings: 1-Columbia 17, 2-NYU 70, 3-Fordham 101, 4-Rutgers 110, 5-Iona 120, 6-Manhattan 206, 7-Hofstra and Wagner 222, 9-St. Francis 237, 10-Marist 257, 11-Seton Hall 291, 12-St. Peter’s 334, 13-FDU 347, 14-LIU 395
Marist individual results, 5-mile course
55-Isaiah Miller 28:01
65-Patrick Deedy 28:13
72-Will Schanz 28:25
76-Nick Salek 28:31
80-Mike Keegan 28:35
86-Doug Ainscow 28:48
109-Billy Hild 30:18
123-Brendan Green 31:11
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A deflating experience
Thanks to avid blog follower and loyal Marist Running alum Marty McGowan of Staten Island for sharing this truly classic story from his time as a team captain back in the early 1970s. He responded to me via e-mail about my maturity-challenged post of yesterday ...
This is good stuff, from Marty:
Flashback. Late August, early September 1972. New Cross Country Coach Rich Stevens give out notebooks to all of us. Inside the notebooks are mimeographed pages of all the workouts we'll be doing during X-C season.
First phase, over distance (nothing has changed that much, right?). The second or third workout was running up Route 9 to Vanderbilt's place and back, about 10 miles.
Back then you could do this kind of workout running on Route 9's shoulder and not get clobbered.
Anyway, off we go up Route 9. About 4 miles in, somewhere near the drive in, Rich is parked by the side of the road making sure we're doing the workout. Lots of grumbling on our part. I remind everyone that he's still thinking like a high school coach. We pass him and off he goes in the car back to campus.
Now, I'm a college senior and I'm co-captain. After we returned to campus, I noticed Rich's car parked outside the old gym. I let the air out of all four of his cars tires. Anyway, he never checked on us on an off campus distance workout again. Real mature on my part.
Note: I checked with Marty on including this on the blog, and he was OK with it, reasoning that the statute of limitations on such behavior has probably expired. I would agree.
This is good stuff, from Marty:
Flashback. Late August, early September 1972. New Cross Country Coach Rich Stevens give out notebooks to all of us. Inside the notebooks are mimeographed pages of all the workouts we'll be doing during X-C season.
First phase, over distance (nothing has changed that much, right?). The second or third workout was running up Route 9 to Vanderbilt's place and back, about 10 miles.
Back then you could do this kind of workout running on Route 9's shoulder and not get clobbered.
Anyway, off we go up Route 9. About 4 miles in, somewhere near the drive in, Rich is parked by the side of the road making sure we're doing the workout. Lots of grumbling on our part. I remind everyone that he's still thinking like a high school coach. We pass him and off he goes in the car back to campus.
Now, I'm a college senior and I'm co-captain. After we returned to campus, I noticed Rich's car parked outside the old gym. I let the air out of all four of his cars tires. Anyway, he never checked on us on an off campus distance workout again. Real mature on my part.
Note: I checked with Marty on including this on the blog, and he was OK with it, reasoning that the statute of limitations on such behavior has probably expired. I would agree.
Women's alumni racing news
Marist Running alum Steve Hicks checked in with an e-mail about his wife and fellow Marist Running alum Christine Hicks. Steve and Christine are living up in the Syracuse area, where Steve is in medical school and Christine is teaching.
Christine had a strong run at the Festival of Races 5K in Syracuse on Sunday, running a 19:52. Steve reported that she is training pretty hard this fall, and the results are showing just that.
And then there was this from Steve:
"On another note, I gave a presentation to my psychiatry clerkship today on the debate surrounding electroshock therapy (for depression). I told the class it was a pretty "charged" topic! Thought you'd appreciate that one."
Imagine that! My penchant for puns while coaching Steve has spilled over to his real-world studies in med school. Nicely done!
Christine had a strong run at the Festival of Races 5K in Syracuse on Sunday, running a 19:52. Steve reported that she is training pretty hard this fall, and the results are showing just that.
And then there was this from Steve:
"On another note, I gave a presentation to my psychiatry clerkship today on the debate surrounding electroshock therapy (for depression). I told the class it was a pretty "charged" topic! Thought you'd appreciate that one."
Imagine that! My penchant for puns while coaching Steve has spilled over to his real-world studies in med school. Nicely done!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Maturity optional
As is always the case in cross country season, we spend a lot of time -- daily -- in vans traveling to and from practice. The freshmen guys (there are a lot of them, admittedly) seem to enjoy flocking to ride in the van -- if only to torment me with their poor choice in music.
Or in the case of Billy Fresh today, riding shotgun and providing erroneous information about pretty much every subject that came up. Not nicely done!
One freshman who will remain nameless (hint: he wears bandannas every day to run) likes to leave little "surprises" for me in the driver's seat before I get there. One day, he buckles the seatbelt, without my being in there. The next, he moves the seat all the way forward, so when I get in my knees bang into the steering wheel. Today, he takes empty paper cups and hangs them on the gear shifter, directional, light switches, etc. Really creative stuff like that.
Fun times!
It's instructive to remember that these guys are mostly 18 years old -- not far removed from CHILDHOOD. And so, often, they act like CHILDREN. Boys.
Here's the thing: These boys, these CHILDREN, can sure run. They whipped through a nice timed fartlek at Vassar Farms today in the rain and mist, mostly in very good form. We are starting to work on SPEED now, slowly cashing in those strength chips they have carefully built over weeks and months.
So yeah, maturity is an optional trait. As long as they run a lot and run fast, I can deal with this.
Or in the case of Billy Fresh today, riding shotgun and providing erroneous information about pretty much every subject that came up. Not nicely done!
One freshman who will remain nameless (hint: he wears bandannas every day to run) likes to leave little "surprises" for me in the driver's seat before I get there. One day, he buckles the seatbelt, without my being in there. The next, he moves the seat all the way forward, so when I get in my knees bang into the steering wheel. Today, he takes empty paper cups and hangs them on the gear shifter, directional, light switches, etc. Really creative stuff like that.
Fun times!
It's instructive to remember that these guys are mostly 18 years old -- not far removed from CHILDHOOD. And so, often, they act like CHILDREN. Boys.
Here's the thing: These boys, these CHILDREN, can sure run. They whipped through a nice timed fartlek at Vassar Farms today in the rain and mist, mostly in very good form. We are starting to work on SPEED now, slowly cashing in those strength chips they have carefully built over weeks and months.
So yeah, maturity is an optional trait. As long as they run a lot and run fast, I can deal with this.
What's your address?
I cannot remember if I have posted on this in the past, and I am too lazy to look back on it.
Not to sound like an old fart, but this younger generation apparently does not utilize the U.S. Mail too much.
-- I just hung up the phone with a recruit. Nice kid. Fast runner. Interested. Great, I say. Can I have your address, so I can mail you some stuff? Sure, he says: 84 Grand Avenue (made up address). OK, I say. Silence on the other end. No city. No state. No zip. 84 Grand Avenue. Allllllllllllll righty then! It's not getting to you THAT WAY, my friend!
-- Similarly, when getting back recruiting questionnaires, all I get is a street address. 151 East Main Street. Something like that. Gee whiz. Thanks. I'll address the envelope and let the postal service GUESS where it should go, huh? No wonder they "go postal?"
Anyway, it dawns on me that they probably don't get or receive a lot of snail mail. Heck, many rarely check e-mail anymore. But, for the 20-and-under set nowadays, if I "poke" them on Facebook (NOT HAPPENING, I DON'T DO FACEBOOK) or text them (NOT ALLOWED IN RECRUITING!), an instant response back is highly likely.
More on this in a future post ...
Not to sound like an old fart, but this younger generation apparently does not utilize the U.S. Mail too much.
-- I just hung up the phone with a recruit. Nice kid. Fast runner. Interested. Great, I say. Can I have your address, so I can mail you some stuff? Sure, he says: 84 Grand Avenue (made up address). OK, I say. Silence on the other end. No city. No state. No zip. 84 Grand Avenue. Allllllllllllll righty then! It's not getting to you THAT WAY, my friend!
-- Similarly, when getting back recruiting questionnaires, all I get is a street address. 151 East Main Street. Something like that. Gee whiz. Thanks. I'll address the envelope and let the postal service GUESS where it should go, huh? No wonder they "go postal?"
Anyway, it dawns on me that they probably don't get or receive a lot of snail mail. Heck, many rarely check e-mail anymore. But, for the 20-and-under set nowadays, if I "poke" them on Facebook (NOT HAPPENING, I DON'T DO FACEBOOK) or text them (NOT ALLOWED IN RECRUITING!), an instant response back is highly likely.
More on this in a future post ...
Upcoming race times
For those interested in attending cross country meets the next few weeks ...
Metropolitan Championships, Friday, Van Cortlandt Park
Men's race: 1:30 p.m.; women's race: 2:15 p.m.
UAlbany Invitational, Saturday, October 16
Women's Gold 5K race: 10:30 a.m.
Men's Purple 8K race: 11:05 a.m.
Women's Championship 5K race: 11:35 a.m.
Men's Championship 8K race: 12:10 p.m.
Penn State National Meet, Saturday, October 16
Men's race: 10 a.m.
MAAC Championships, Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison, CT
Men's race: Noon
Women's race: 1 p.m.
Metropolitan Championships, Friday, Van Cortlandt Park
Men's race: 1:30 p.m.; women's race: 2:15 p.m.
UAlbany Invitational, Saturday, October 16
Women's Gold 5K race: 10:30 a.m.
Men's Purple 8K race: 11:05 a.m.
Women's Championship 5K race: 11:35 a.m.
Men's Championship 8K race: 12:10 p.m.
Penn State National Meet, Saturday, October 16
Men's race: 10 a.m.
MAAC Championships, Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison, CT
Men's race: Noon
Women's race: 1 p.m.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Frank talk
Today is the Feast Day for St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Friars. As many of us know, St. Anthony's High School on Long Island is a Franciscan school -- thus the nickname the Friars. And as many of us know, A LOT of St. Anthony's Friars have run (and currently DO run) for the Marist College Running Red Foxes through the years.
Anyway, this is fresh in my mind because the visiting priest at our church yesterday, a Franciscan, talked about his patron saint. He told a funny sermon about how he lost his temper one time in a parking lot, got into an argument with someone and cursed out the guy in Italian -- his logic being, the Good Lord would only punish him for his swears and sins spoken in English! That even got a laugh out of my young kids.
This old Franciscan is a great priest and a great storyteller, and he recounted to us the deep meaning behind the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which I share with you below.
It is not (nor has ever been) my intention to make this a "religious" blog of any sort. But Marist does have a "Judeo-Christian heritage," so I feel I can get away with it every once in a while. And frankly (get it?), how can you find fault in the sentiment of this wonderful prayer?
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Anyway, this is fresh in my mind because the visiting priest at our church yesterday, a Franciscan, talked about his patron saint. He told a funny sermon about how he lost his temper one time in a parking lot, got into an argument with someone and cursed out the guy in Italian -- his logic being, the Good Lord would only punish him for his swears and sins spoken in English! That even got a laugh out of my young kids.
This old Franciscan is a great priest and a great storyteller, and he recounted to us the deep meaning behind the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which I share with you below.
It is not (nor has ever been) my intention to make this a "religious" blog of any sort. But Marist does have a "Judeo-Christian heritage," so I feel I can get away with it every once in a while. And frankly (get it?), how can you find fault in the sentiment of this wonderful prayer?
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Reminder of Carmel race on Sunday
I did a post on this a few weeks ago, here is a reminder of what I put up here regarding the Carmel Running Club inaugural event for a very good cause. Several Marist athletes will be there to support the event:
The inaugural 5K in Support of Jimmy B & LIFSHD will be held on Oct. 10 (10.10.10!) at Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park in Carmel. It is a cross-country style race, with "some uneven grounds with some rocky terrain," according to the application. There is also a walk and a kids' fun run. It will be chip-timed and it extremely well organized by the Carmel Running Club. Sounds great!
The proceeds of the race will benefit a good friend of the (Kelley) Goulds' 19-year-old son, who is battling a genetic form of muscular dystrophy called FSHD. Jimmy B's parents are both Marist alums, as are the Goulds!
While our athletes cannot compete in this race as per NCAA rules, it is my hope that many of us will get out to Carmel to support this effort.
You can register for the event online at getmeregistered.com. If you want a copy of the race application, you can email me at runhed246@hotmail.com and I'll forward it to you.
The inaugural 5K in Support of Jimmy B & LIFSHD will be held on Oct. 10 (10.10.10!) at Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park in Carmel. It is a cross-country style race, with "some uneven grounds with some rocky terrain," according to the application. There is also a walk and a kids' fun run. It will be chip-timed and it extremely well organized by the Carmel Running Club. Sounds great!
The proceeds of the race will benefit a good friend of the (Kelley) Goulds' 19-year-old son, who is battling a genetic form of muscular dystrophy called FSHD. Jimmy B's parents are both Marist alums, as are the Goulds!
While our athletes cannot compete in this race as per NCAA rules, it is my hope that many of us will get out to Carmel to support this effort.
You can register for the event online at getmeregistered.com. If you want a copy of the race application, you can email me at runhed246@hotmail.com and I'll forward it to you.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Paul Short post-meet analysis
Men’s team standings:
1-Virginia 132, 2-Georgetown 149, 3-William and Mary 170, 4-Dartmouth 179, 5-Guelph 206, 6-Richmond 224, 7-Columbia 227, 8-Liberty 308, 9-Cornell 321, 10-Binghamton 335, 11-Navy 356, 12-Lock Haven 413, 13-Tennessee 436, 14-High Point 461, 15-Penn 464, 16-New Mexico State 485, 17-La Salle 486, 18-Appalachian State 510, 19-Duquesne 542, 20-Maryland 559, 21-Allegheny 615, 22-St. Lawrence 619, 23-Brown 640, 24-Haverford 655, 25 (tie)-Marist and Kent State, 27-Delaware 709, 28-Stonehill 758, 29-Iona 765, 30-U Mass 800, 31-St. Joseph’s 801, 32-Lehigh 802, 33-Army 846, 34-Temple 886, 35-UMBC 920, 36-VCU 966, 37-Plattsburgh 1048, 38-Rochester 1053, 39-Stony Brook 1063, 40-Bucknell 1071, 41-Pittsburgh 1078, 42-Rider 1081
Commentary on men’s team standings:
It’s really easy to play the “what-if” game of how Matt Flint would have done, had other potentially varsity runners having run faster, etc. I used to do that all the time, and all it does is add gray hairs to the increasing collection on my skull. OK, well, I sometimes still do it in my head. But not here, and not now.
Looking at this field, I think it’s safe to say this may be the strongest and deepest Paul Short Run field in all the years we have been attending. We did pretty well against schools in the Northeast Region. But I will not read too much into this – positive or negative.
OK, on with the quick individual comments …
Will Griffin 25:05: Excellent debut and validation for all the hard work you have been doing. Can be better with aggressive race strategy from the start. But for a start, this was good stuff.
Adam Vess 25:06: Out hard, face-planting in the middle, struggling at the end. Yup, that kind of day. Time to start cashing those training chips and getting faster.
Ken Walshak 25:25: Performance of the day. A minute improvement from one 8km to the next. Keep doing that and you'll be faster than the bus. Solid effort start to finish.
Tim Keegan 25:48: Tremendous bounce-back effort. Great to have you back in the mix!
Nick Webster 25:57: Excellent step in the right direction. Your presence in the scoring pack is crucial.
Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:01: A total off day after a struggling few weeks of training. Time to get back on board with hard work. Your base is great; you will soon be great again as well.
Tommy Lipari 26:07: Out way too hard. With reduced volume, you will be able to handle fast early pace. Again, reduction in volume will do you wonders.
Nick Hughes 26:43: Still trying to figure out this 8km thing. Not great, but your training is excellent and results should soon follow.
Pat Duggan 26:47: Another solid and strong effort. Goal now is to close gap on the scoring pack. You do it in training. Time to reel em in in races.
Kevin O’Sullivan 26:59: Great effort and best race of the year to date. Look for big improvement at Albany.
Mike Nicoletti 27:00: Ditto Kevin. You looked strong throughout and really tough at the end.
Joel Moss 27:07: Great PR under terrible conditions all around. Definitely a big step in the right direction.
Brian Townsend 27:17: Really tough and strong effort, indicative of the excellent shape you are in and hard work you have put in.
Billy Posch 27:22: Another clunker of an effort; however, my faith in your ability to race fast remains strong. We will fix this!
Ryan Scrudato 27:27: All things considered, a solid effort, something to build upon. But it can get much better.
Ryan Brown 27:30: Ditto Scrudato. Solid. Strong. Can be better.
Zak Smetana 27:57: You were caught off-guard by the last-minute nature of the meet more than most. You didn’t even have a uniform! Look at this as a workout and nothing more.
Matt Panebianco 28:07: Nowhere near what we are hoping for or where you are. Turnover and reduced volume will wake you up.
Ryan Fitzsimons 28:22: You symbolically got to the finish line with your hospital bracelet from 6 days ago still on your wrist. I’m proud of your bounce-back ability and effort. While the time was disappointing, the effort was as far from that word as you can get.
Mike Clausen 28:37: Better than Fairfield, but still flat and blah. You are in fine shape and it will show in the next few weeks.
Kyle Havard 28:45: Finishing without any injuries is a great thing. It’s a victory in and of itself.
DNFs (too many for my liking, but it happens ...)
Matt Flint: An unfortunate turn with breathing, illness and stomach issues, all of which need to get addressed and should improve with time.
Chris Reynolds, AJ James, Ben Windisch, Danny Mendoza: A forgettable day that must be put behind us; lick your wounds and get ready for strong efforts at Albany.
General analysis:
It is interesting to note that most (but not all) runners who ran Iona MOC two weeks prior had very positive performances. I find that fascinating. The guys who doubled back from Fairfield all dealt with the suddenness of no warmup and an emergency trip to the starting line, so I cannot accurately judge those efforts. Most made the best of unfortunate circumstances.
What’s next, training: Training takes a turn around a new bend. Much like the weather is changing to fall and the leaves will soon be changing, so too will the men’s XC training paradigm as we head into Phase 2, which features slightly reduced volume and increased intensity (speed) in workouts. It's not rocket science, boys. You have built a great base, now it's time to get fast.
What’s next, racing: We have a small but spirited (and YOUNG!) squad headed down to the Met Championships at VCP on Friday (men’s race, 1:30 p.m., for those keeping score at home). Then, on Saturday, Oct. 16, we split the squad with 7 men heading to Penn State for the National Meet there, with the rest of the men (a fine assemblage, to be sure!) taking aim at high team placement at the Albany Invy.
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Georgetown 34, 2-Virginia 98, 3-James Madison 169, 4-Cornell 198, 5-Columbia 205, 6-Guelph 207, 7-Richmond 222, 8-La Salle 315, 9-New Hampshire 352, 10-Colgate 377, 11-William and Mary 381, 12-Brown 389, 13-Liberty 411, 14-Bucknell 451, 15-Penn 493, 16-Dartmouth 497, 17-Appalachian State 501, 18-Maryland 504, 19-New Mexico State 505, 20-(tie) Iona and Vermont 596, 22-Towson 597, 23-St. Joseph’s 628, 24-Lehigh 652, 25-Quinnipiac 668, 26-Kent State 680, 27-St. Lawrence 700, 28-Army 719, 29-Binghamton 749, 30-High Point 792, 31-Duquesne 804, 32-U Mass 814, 33-Marist 857, 34-South Carolina 993, 35-UMBC 1003, 36-Queen’s 1045, 37-VCU 1109, 38-Tennessee 1127, 39-Villanova 1143, 40-Delaware 1190, 41-Mount St. Mary’s 1216
Commentary on women’s team standings:
We held our own in a highly competitive field. We would have liked to have been in the “Brown” race, and we tried to get switched to it. But we were told we were a “bubble” team and our original race declaration was the Gold race (my bad, I did that in the summer). Again, we made the best of it, got our work in, and did a nice job with it, top to bottom.
I think our women who were to have run in the 10 a.m. Open Race that we missed, as I fretted and paced on the traffic-snarled bus on Exit 67, suffered most from having to race in this buzzsaw atmosphere. Again, all things considered, a solid effort top to bottom.
Coach Pete comments on individual races:
As always, I defer to Chuck to give detailed one-on-one analysis with our women’s team. Here are a few things from this old coach’s perspective …
Kiersten and Addie have been battling various physical ailments and ran very tough races. ... Katie had a strong bounce-back effort and seemed strong after the race as well. ... Erin and Bree and Jill had their usual solid scoring effort. ... Kathryn is off where she should be, but this was a much more positive effort than Fairfield. ... Strong efforts from Kara and Kelley G. ... Julie was doing great but faded toward the end, great effort though! ... Becca bounced back from a tough week physically and had a solid race. ...
And lastly, I would like to apologize for my usual, bumbling goofiness in cheering on the ladies. With the race field so big, I often could not find our Foxettes out there, and mistakenly thought we had some DNFs. A few frantic texts to Chuck midrace were wildly inaccurate.
Again, all things considered, as a program we handled less-than-ideal scenarios as well as can be expected.
Individual results, 6,000-meter course
Kiersten Anderson 22:11
Addie DiFrancesco 22:49
Katie Messina 22:57
Erin O’Reilly 23:06
Briana Crowe 23:14
Jillian Corley 23:27
Kathryn Sheehan 23:43
Kara Lightowler 24:12
Julie Hudak 24:20
Kelley Gould 24:28
Dayna McLaughlin 24:33
Rebecca Denise 24:38
Allyson O’Brien 24:42
Tara Nuccitelli 25:18
Elizabeth O’Brien 25:25
Kim Bartlett 25:38
Colleen Smith 26:01
Laura Lindsley 26:02
Rachel Lichtenwalner 27:20
1-Virginia 132, 2-Georgetown 149, 3-William and Mary 170, 4-Dartmouth 179, 5-Guelph 206, 6-Richmond 224, 7-Columbia 227, 8-Liberty 308, 9-Cornell 321, 10-Binghamton 335, 11-Navy 356, 12-Lock Haven 413, 13-Tennessee 436, 14-High Point 461, 15-Penn 464, 16-New Mexico State 485, 17-La Salle 486, 18-Appalachian State 510, 19-Duquesne 542, 20-Maryland 559, 21-Allegheny 615, 22-St. Lawrence 619, 23-Brown 640, 24-Haverford 655, 25 (tie)-Marist and Kent State, 27-Delaware 709, 28-Stonehill 758, 29-Iona 765, 30-U Mass 800, 31-St. Joseph’s 801, 32-Lehigh 802, 33-Army 846, 34-Temple 886, 35-UMBC 920, 36-VCU 966, 37-Plattsburgh 1048, 38-Rochester 1053, 39-Stony Brook 1063, 40-Bucknell 1071, 41-Pittsburgh 1078, 42-Rider 1081
Commentary on men’s team standings:
It’s really easy to play the “what-if” game of how Matt Flint would have done, had other potentially varsity runners having run faster, etc. I used to do that all the time, and all it does is add gray hairs to the increasing collection on my skull. OK, well, I sometimes still do it in my head. But not here, and not now.
Looking at this field, I think it’s safe to say this may be the strongest and deepest Paul Short Run field in all the years we have been attending. We did pretty well against schools in the Northeast Region. But I will not read too much into this – positive or negative.
OK, on with the quick individual comments …
Will Griffin 25:05: Excellent debut and validation for all the hard work you have been doing. Can be better with aggressive race strategy from the start. But for a start, this was good stuff.
Adam Vess 25:06: Out hard, face-planting in the middle, struggling at the end. Yup, that kind of day. Time to start cashing those training chips and getting faster.
Ken Walshak 25:25: Performance of the day. A minute improvement from one 8km to the next. Keep doing that and you'll be faster than the bus. Solid effort start to finish.
Tim Keegan 25:48: Tremendous bounce-back effort. Great to have you back in the mix!
Nick Webster 25:57: Excellent step in the right direction. Your presence in the scoring pack is crucial.
Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:01: A total off day after a struggling few weeks of training. Time to get back on board with hard work. Your base is great; you will soon be great again as well.
Tommy Lipari 26:07: Out way too hard. With reduced volume, you will be able to handle fast early pace. Again, reduction in volume will do you wonders.
Nick Hughes 26:43: Still trying to figure out this 8km thing. Not great, but your training is excellent and results should soon follow.
Pat Duggan 26:47: Another solid and strong effort. Goal now is to close gap on the scoring pack. You do it in training. Time to reel em in in races.
Kevin O’Sullivan 26:59: Great effort and best race of the year to date. Look for big improvement at Albany.
Mike Nicoletti 27:00: Ditto Kevin. You looked strong throughout and really tough at the end.
Joel Moss 27:07: Great PR under terrible conditions all around. Definitely a big step in the right direction.
Brian Townsend 27:17: Really tough and strong effort, indicative of the excellent shape you are in and hard work you have put in.
Billy Posch 27:22: Another clunker of an effort; however, my faith in your ability to race fast remains strong. We will fix this!
Ryan Scrudato 27:27: All things considered, a solid effort, something to build upon. But it can get much better.
Ryan Brown 27:30: Ditto Scrudato. Solid. Strong. Can be better.
Zak Smetana 27:57: You were caught off-guard by the last-minute nature of the meet more than most. You didn’t even have a uniform! Look at this as a workout and nothing more.
Matt Panebianco 28:07: Nowhere near what we are hoping for or where you are. Turnover and reduced volume will wake you up.
Ryan Fitzsimons 28:22: You symbolically got to the finish line with your hospital bracelet from 6 days ago still on your wrist. I’m proud of your bounce-back ability and effort. While the time was disappointing, the effort was as far from that word as you can get.
Mike Clausen 28:37: Better than Fairfield, but still flat and blah. You are in fine shape and it will show in the next few weeks.
Kyle Havard 28:45: Finishing without any injuries is a great thing. It’s a victory in and of itself.
DNFs (too many for my liking, but it happens ...)
Matt Flint: An unfortunate turn with breathing, illness and stomach issues, all of which need to get addressed and should improve with time.
Chris Reynolds, AJ James, Ben Windisch, Danny Mendoza: A forgettable day that must be put behind us; lick your wounds and get ready for strong efforts at Albany.
General analysis:
It is interesting to note that most (but not all) runners who ran Iona MOC two weeks prior had very positive performances. I find that fascinating. The guys who doubled back from Fairfield all dealt with the suddenness of no warmup and an emergency trip to the starting line, so I cannot accurately judge those efforts. Most made the best of unfortunate circumstances.
What’s next, training: Training takes a turn around a new bend. Much like the weather is changing to fall and the leaves will soon be changing, so too will the men’s XC training paradigm as we head into Phase 2, which features slightly reduced volume and increased intensity (speed) in workouts. It's not rocket science, boys. You have built a great base, now it's time to get fast.
What’s next, racing: We have a small but spirited (and YOUNG!) squad headed down to the Met Championships at VCP on Friday (men’s race, 1:30 p.m., for those keeping score at home). Then, on Saturday, Oct. 16, we split the squad with 7 men heading to Penn State for the National Meet there, with the rest of the men (a fine assemblage, to be sure!) taking aim at high team placement at the Albany Invy.
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Georgetown 34, 2-Virginia 98, 3-James Madison 169, 4-Cornell 198, 5-Columbia 205, 6-Guelph 207, 7-Richmond 222, 8-La Salle 315, 9-New Hampshire 352, 10-Colgate 377, 11-William and Mary 381, 12-Brown 389, 13-Liberty 411, 14-Bucknell 451, 15-Penn 493, 16-Dartmouth 497, 17-Appalachian State 501, 18-Maryland 504, 19-New Mexico State 505, 20-(tie) Iona and Vermont 596, 22-Towson 597, 23-St. Joseph’s 628, 24-Lehigh 652, 25-Quinnipiac 668, 26-Kent State 680, 27-St. Lawrence 700, 28-Army 719, 29-Binghamton 749, 30-High Point 792, 31-Duquesne 804, 32-U Mass 814, 33-Marist 857, 34-South Carolina 993, 35-UMBC 1003, 36-Queen’s 1045, 37-VCU 1109, 38-Tennessee 1127, 39-Villanova 1143, 40-Delaware 1190, 41-Mount St. Mary’s 1216
Commentary on women’s team standings:
We held our own in a highly competitive field. We would have liked to have been in the “Brown” race, and we tried to get switched to it. But we were told we were a “bubble” team and our original race declaration was the Gold race (my bad, I did that in the summer). Again, we made the best of it, got our work in, and did a nice job with it, top to bottom.
I think our women who were to have run in the 10 a.m. Open Race that we missed, as I fretted and paced on the traffic-snarled bus on Exit 67, suffered most from having to race in this buzzsaw atmosphere. Again, all things considered, a solid effort top to bottom.
Coach Pete comments on individual races:
As always, I defer to Chuck to give detailed one-on-one analysis with our women’s team. Here are a few things from this old coach’s perspective …
Kiersten and Addie have been battling various physical ailments and ran very tough races. ... Katie had a strong bounce-back effort and seemed strong after the race as well. ... Erin and Bree and Jill had their usual solid scoring effort. ... Kathryn is off where she should be, but this was a much more positive effort than Fairfield. ... Strong efforts from Kara and Kelley G. ... Julie was doing great but faded toward the end, great effort though! ... Becca bounced back from a tough week physically and had a solid race. ...
And lastly, I would like to apologize for my usual, bumbling goofiness in cheering on the ladies. With the race field so big, I often could not find our Foxettes out there, and mistakenly thought we had some DNFs. A few frantic texts to Chuck midrace were wildly inaccurate.
Again, all things considered, as a program we handled less-than-ideal scenarios as well as can be expected.
Individual results, 6,000-meter course
Kiersten Anderson 22:11
Addie DiFrancesco 22:49
Katie Messina 22:57
Erin O’Reilly 23:06
Briana Crowe 23:14
Jillian Corley 23:27
Kathryn Sheehan 23:43
Kara Lightowler 24:12
Julie Hudak 24:20
Kelley Gould 24:28
Dayna McLaughlin 24:33
Rebecca Denise 24:38
Allyson O’Brien 24:42
Tara Nuccitelli 25:18
Elizabeth O’Brien 25:25
Kim Bartlett 25:38
Colleen Smith 26:01
Laura Lindsley 26:02
Rachel Lichtenwalner 27:20
Friday, October 1, 2010
Mr. Nicoletti is the man!
Look. Our familial support for meets is nothing short of phenomenal. As coaches, we never cease to appreciate this.
Sophomore Mike Nicoletti's dad, Bill, went above and beyond today, and for that we are grateful.
Mr. Nicoletti called to give me expert advice on traffic in and around the course. Leaving his Long Island home before dawn, he navigated successfully through what we had to deal with, and his advice pretty much enabled us to get to Lehigh on time.
And, his on-site assistance helped us get to the starting line on time!
Since he was there (and we were not), I called Bill and asked him to pick up our meet packet. And I had him buy some extra spikes for the guys that didn't have theirs. When we arrived on site, he met us with the packet and the valuable quarter-inch pins, saving us the extra few minutes and enabling us to pull off getting to the race on time. Barely.
It was, and is, much appreciated.
If a middle-aged dad can earn "bro" status, I vote for Mr. Nicoletti as a Marist Running Dad Bro.
Nicely done!
Sophomore Mike Nicoletti's dad, Bill, went above and beyond today, and for that we are grateful.
Mr. Nicoletti called to give me expert advice on traffic in and around the course. Leaving his Long Island home before dawn, he navigated successfully through what we had to deal with, and his advice pretty much enabled us to get to Lehigh on time.
And, his on-site assistance helped us get to the starting line on time!
Since he was there (and we were not), I called Bill and asked him to pick up our meet packet. And I had him buy some extra spikes for the guys that didn't have theirs. When we arrived on site, he met us with the packet and the valuable quarter-inch pins, saving us the extra few minutes and enabling us to pull off getting to the race on time. Barely.
It was, and is, much appreciated.
If a middle-aged dad can earn "bro" status, I vote for Mr. Nicoletti as a Marist Running Dad Bro.
Nicely done!
Getting there
Our journey to the starting line at Paul Short was nothing short of epic, in terms of nail-biting stress. Let us count the ways:
1. Bus departure time of 5:15 a.m. Except for me, Schab and a few other crazies, this is an ungodly hour. Mix in wind-driven heavy rain that soaked us all to the bone, and it made for quite a wake-up call.
2. A 90-minute accident/traffic jam on Interstate 78 in New Jersey. What started out as a nuisance turned into a teeth-gnashing experience as we all wondered if we would make it to the starting line.
3. After the delay cleared, it was smooth sailing to Lehigh -- or so we thought. Just as we got to the exit, THAT was backed up for about a half-hour due to a flooded road.
4. The open men's and women's races at 10 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. were blown. Now, it was a matter of minutes if we would make the men's varsity race at 11 a.m. That's right. Do the math. We were on that bus for more than 5 hours! After navigating our detour to the course, it was determined that the varsity men would have to jump out and make a run for the meet.
5. Upon arrival at the meet, the first order of business was getting the men's varsity situated, and seeing what the deal was with the open/JV runners.
6. The JV men were notified with about 10 minutes to spare that they could race with the varsity at 11 a.m. A tough deal and they made the best of it.
7. All the women raced together at 11:45 a.m., and they had adequate time to get ready for their race. So that was a good thing!
The word that comes to mind for today was "resilience." It was great to see the team be so resilient and deal with these issues. Sure, there were some injury and illness issues that caused problems, and some runners just didn't have great days considering all that occurred.
But everyone did their best and made the best of a crazy situation.
1. Bus departure time of 5:15 a.m. Except for me, Schab and a few other crazies, this is an ungodly hour. Mix in wind-driven heavy rain that soaked us all to the bone, and it made for quite a wake-up call.
2. A 90-minute accident/traffic jam on Interstate 78 in New Jersey. What started out as a nuisance turned into a teeth-gnashing experience as we all wondered if we would make it to the starting line.
3. After the delay cleared, it was smooth sailing to Lehigh -- or so we thought. Just as we got to the exit, THAT was backed up for about a half-hour due to a flooded road.
4. The open men's and women's races at 10 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. were blown. Now, it was a matter of minutes if we would make the men's varsity race at 11 a.m. That's right. Do the math. We were on that bus for more than 5 hours! After navigating our detour to the course, it was determined that the varsity men would have to jump out and make a run for the meet.
5. Upon arrival at the meet, the first order of business was getting the men's varsity situated, and seeing what the deal was with the open/JV runners.
6. The JV men were notified with about 10 minutes to spare that they could race with the varsity at 11 a.m. A tough deal and they made the best of it.
7. All the women raced together at 11:45 a.m., and they had adequate time to get ready for their race. So that was a good thing!
The word that comes to mind for today was "resilience." It was great to see the team be so resilient and deal with these issues. Sure, there were some injury and illness issues that caused problems, and some runners just didn't have great days considering all that occurred.
But everyone did their best and made the best of a crazy situation.
Paul Short today
Just got back from a long and stressful day at Paul Short. Will post details later.
Despite our insanely early departure in the downpour and wind, we nearly missed the start due to traffic accidents and a road closure due to flooding. Varsity men had to literally jump off the bus two miles from Lehigh to begin their warm-up.
Craziness. All things considered, an OK day. There were a lot of falls in the mud and some DNFs to discuss.
Just wanted to get these up quickly, full results at the Paul Short Web site as well ...
Paul Short Run, Lehigh University
Men’s results
Team standings:
1-Virginia 132, 2-Georgetown 149, 3-William and Mary 170, 4-Dartmouth 179, 5-Guelph 206, 6-Richmond 224, 7-Columbia 227, 8-Liberty 308, 9-Cornell 321, 10-Binghamton 335, 11-Navy 356, 12-Lock Haven 413, 13-Tennessee 436, 14-High Point 461, 15-Penn 464, 16-New Mexico State 485, 17-La Salle 486, 18-Appalachian State 510, 19-Duquesne 542, 20-Maryland 559, 21-Allegheny 615, 22-St. Lawrence 619, 23-Brown 640, 24-Haverford 655, 25 (tie)-Marist and Kent State 677, 27-Delaware 709, 28-Stonehill 758, 29-Iona 765, 30-U Mass 800, 31-St. Joseph’s 801, 32-Lehigh 802, 33-Army 846, 34-Temple 886, 35-UMBC 920, 36-VCU 966, 37-Plattsburgh 1048, 38-Rochester 1053, 39-Stony Brook 1063, 40-Bucknell 1071, 41-Pittsburgh 1078, 42-Rider 1081
Individual results, 8,000-meter course
77-Will Griffin 25:05
79-Adam Vess 25:06
141-Ken Walshak 25:25
194-Tim Keegan 25:48
210-Nick Webster 25:57
226-Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:01
243-Tommy Lipari 26:07
313-Nick Hughes 26:43
318-Pat Duggan 26:47
333-Kevin O’Sullivan 26:59
334-Mike Nicoletti 27:00
343-Joel Moss 27:07
350-Brian Townsend 27:17
352-Billy Posch 27:22
357-Ryan Scrudato 27:27
359-Ryan Brown 27:30
368-Zak Smetana 27:57
373-Matt Panebianco 28:07
379-Ryan Fitzsimons 28:22
384-Mike Clausen 28:37
386-Kyle Havard 28:45
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Georgetown 34, 2-Virginia 98, 3-James Madison 169, 4-Cornell 198, 5-Columbia 205, 6-Guelph 207, 7-Richmond 222, 8-La Salle 315, 9-New Hampshire 352, 10-Colgate 377, 11-William and Mary 381, 12-Brown 389, 13-Liberty 411, 14-Bucknell 451, 15-Penn 493, 16-Dartmouth 497, 17-Appalachian State 501, 18-Maryland 504, 19-New Mexico State 505, 20-(tie) Iona and Vermont 596, 22-Towson 597, 23-St. Joseph’s 628, 24-Lehigh 652, 25-Quinnipiac 668, 26-Kent State 680, 27-St. Lawrence 700, 28-Army 719, 29-Binghamton 749, 30-High Point 792, 31-Duquesne 804, 32-U Mass 814, 33-Marist 857, 34-South Carolina 993, 35-UMBC 1003, 36-Queen’s 1045, 37-VCU 1109, 38-Tennessee 1127, 39-Villanova 1143, 40-Delaware 1190, 41-Mount St. Mary’s 1216
Individual results, 6,000-meter course
106-Kiersten Anderson 22:11
181-Addie DiFrancesco 22:49
199-Katie Messina 22:57
211-Erin O’Reilly 23:06
228-Briana Crowe 23:14
254-Jillian Corley 23:27
282-Kathryn Sheehan 23:43
315-Kara Lightowler 24:12
322-Julie Hudak 24:20
329-Kelley Gould 24:28
331-Dayna McLaughlin 24:33
334-Rebecca Denise 24:38
340-Allyson O’Brien 24:42
349-Tara Nuccitelli 25:18
355-Elizabeth O’Brien 25:25
357-Kim Bartlett 25:38
360-Colleen Smith 26:01
361-Laura Lindsley 26:02
365-Rachel Lichtenwalner 27:20
Despite our insanely early departure in the downpour and wind, we nearly missed the start due to traffic accidents and a road closure due to flooding. Varsity men had to literally jump off the bus two miles from Lehigh to begin their warm-up.
Craziness. All things considered, an OK day. There were a lot of falls in the mud and some DNFs to discuss.
Just wanted to get these up quickly, full results at the Paul Short Web site as well ...
Paul Short Run, Lehigh University
Men’s results
Team standings:
1-Virginia 132, 2-Georgetown 149, 3-William and Mary 170, 4-Dartmouth 179, 5-Guelph 206, 6-Richmond 224, 7-Columbia 227, 8-Liberty 308, 9-Cornell 321, 10-Binghamton 335, 11-Navy 356, 12-Lock Haven 413, 13-Tennessee 436, 14-High Point 461, 15-Penn 464, 16-New Mexico State 485, 17-La Salle 486, 18-Appalachian State 510, 19-Duquesne 542, 20-Maryland 559, 21-Allegheny 615, 22-St. Lawrence 619, 23-Brown 640, 24-Haverford 655, 25 (tie)-Marist and Kent State 677, 27-Delaware 709, 28-Stonehill 758, 29-Iona 765, 30-U Mass 800, 31-St. Joseph’s 801, 32-Lehigh 802, 33-Army 846, 34-Temple 886, 35-UMBC 920, 36-VCU 966, 37-Plattsburgh 1048, 38-Rochester 1053, 39-Stony Brook 1063, 40-Bucknell 1071, 41-Pittsburgh 1078, 42-Rider 1081
Individual results, 8,000-meter course
77-Will Griffin 25:05
79-Adam Vess 25:06
141-Ken Walshak 25:25
194-Tim Keegan 25:48
210-Nick Webster 25:57
226-Arquimedes DelaCruz 26:01
243-Tommy Lipari 26:07
313-Nick Hughes 26:43
318-Pat Duggan 26:47
333-Kevin O’Sullivan 26:59
334-Mike Nicoletti 27:00
343-Joel Moss 27:07
350-Brian Townsend 27:17
352-Billy Posch 27:22
357-Ryan Scrudato 27:27
359-Ryan Brown 27:30
368-Zak Smetana 27:57
373-Matt Panebianco 28:07
379-Ryan Fitzsimons 28:22
384-Mike Clausen 28:37
386-Kyle Havard 28:45
Women’s results
Team standings: 1-Georgetown 34, 2-Virginia 98, 3-James Madison 169, 4-Cornell 198, 5-Columbia 205, 6-Guelph 207, 7-Richmond 222, 8-La Salle 315, 9-New Hampshire 352, 10-Colgate 377, 11-William and Mary 381, 12-Brown 389, 13-Liberty 411, 14-Bucknell 451, 15-Penn 493, 16-Dartmouth 497, 17-Appalachian State 501, 18-Maryland 504, 19-New Mexico State 505, 20-(tie) Iona and Vermont 596, 22-Towson 597, 23-St. Joseph’s 628, 24-Lehigh 652, 25-Quinnipiac 668, 26-Kent State 680, 27-St. Lawrence 700, 28-Army 719, 29-Binghamton 749, 30-High Point 792, 31-Duquesne 804, 32-U Mass 814, 33-Marist 857, 34-South Carolina 993, 35-UMBC 1003, 36-Queen’s 1045, 37-VCU 1109, 38-Tennessee 1127, 39-Villanova 1143, 40-Delaware 1190, 41-Mount St. Mary’s 1216
Individual results, 6,000-meter course
106-Kiersten Anderson 22:11
181-Addie DiFrancesco 22:49
199-Katie Messina 22:57
211-Erin O’Reilly 23:06
228-Briana Crowe 23:14
254-Jillian Corley 23:27
282-Kathryn Sheehan 23:43
315-Kara Lightowler 24:12
322-Julie Hudak 24:20
329-Kelley Gould 24:28
331-Dayna McLaughlin 24:33
334-Rebecca Denise 24:38
340-Allyson O’Brien 24:42
349-Tara Nuccitelli 25:18
355-Elizabeth O’Brien 25:25
357-Kim Bartlett 25:38
360-Colleen Smith 26:01
361-Laura Lindsley 26:02
365-Rachel Lichtenwalner 27:20
She's nasty, all right
About to board our early-morning bus to Lehigh for what promises to be a wet and messy Paul Short Run.
As often happens, the weather pattern and forecast has changed, and it looks like it could be wetter and messier than originally anticipated. Nicole turned out to be one whopper of a storm, and she ain't finished yet.
Let's just hope we make it down there safely, and we'll go from there.
More later today ...
As often happens, the weather pattern and forecast has changed, and it looks like it could be wetter and messier than originally anticipated. Nicole turned out to be one whopper of a storm, and she ain't finished yet.
Let's just hope we make it down there safely, and we'll go from there.
More later today ...
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