At Footlocker Regionals

I drove down to New York City Saturday morning to watch the Footlocker Northeast Regionals at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx.

It was a beautiful day for running and, other than a little mud on the field, the course was in great shape. I was at the course early enough to run the 5K loop a couple of times before the first race of the day. It is a tough course that begins with a fast, flat loop around the field (about 1200 meters) before entering the woods and climbing "Freshman hill." The course then crosses a bridge over a highway at about the 1.2 mile mark and enters the back hills portion of the course. From the bridge, there are three sharp hills before the runners finally reach the high point of the course at about 3K. The next 1000 meters has two very steep descents, with fairly sharp turns. After a brief flat section, the runners cross the bridge again at about 2.4 miles and run down another steep hill to get back to the field. Once they hit the field, it is about 600-700 meters to the finish.

Very few people run 5K PRs on the Van Cortland Park course, but Jess Barton has done it twice. On Saturday, she ran 18:40.3 to set a two-second PR and finish 21st overall, the second-fastest girl from Massachusetts. She started fast, but still found herself in about 25th place going into the back hills. She managed to hold her position and actually move up three spots through the toughest part of the course. She thenoutkicked Triton's Keely Maguire in the home stretch. Although I'm sure Jess would have liked to be closer to the top ten (and a qualifying spot for the finals in San Diego), she ran a fine race -- probably her best effort of the year, and capped off a tremendous high school XC career.

Before the start of the race, I had a few moments to talk to Weymouth's Nicole Pearce and her dad. Nicole has had a great season, but entirely satisfied with her race at the All-State meet in Northfield. She was hoping to run better at the Footlocker meet. I didn't see her after the race, but from her finishing time, I'm sure it wasn't the race she wanted. As I mentioned earlier, it is a tough course, and the
fact that the race goes out so fast makes it very difficult to avoid difficulties in the back hills. Quite a few MA runners ran slower here than they did at Northfield. That should give you an idea of how tough it is to PR on this course -- especially if you have never run it before.

The best performance of the day from a MA girl was from DII All-State champion Emily Jones, who ran an outstanding time of 18:03 to place 9th and qualify for the National finals. As mentioned earlier, Keeley Maguire ran 18:40.9 to finish just behind Jess. Eliza Ives, Jones' teammate at Bromfield High, ran 18:51. Jenny Davidner, a freshman from Oliver Ames WON the freshman race in 18:53. Very impressive!

Here is a list of all the Mass. finishers from the seeded race:

            9 Jones, Emily                  10 Harvard              MA 18:03.9 
           21 Barton, Jessica               12 NEWTON               MA 18:40.3 
           22 Maguire, Keely                11 GEORGETOWN           MA 18:40.9 
           34 Ivs, Eliza                    12 HARVARD              MA 18:51.6 
           45 Lanois, Emily                 10 HAMILTON             MA 19:03.2 
           68 MacKay, Rebekah               12 WHITINSVILLE         MA 19:21.2 
           84 Jamieson, Dana                11 BOSTON               MA 19:36.5 
           85 Downing, Jennifer             11 Stow                 MA 19:36.9 
           92 Thomas, Keara                 12 HAVERHILL            MA 19:43.5 
          122 Stocker, Lauren               12 WESTFIELD            MA 20:12.8 
          127 Kerr, Grace                   12 SOUTH HAMILTON       MA 20:15.8 
          139 Moniz, Kellyann               12 SOUTH HAMILTON       MA 20:40.6 
          146 Ferrarini, Maura              11 Springfield          MA 20:46.4 
          151 Lewis, Brett                  10 Scituate             MA 20:52.0 
          152 Pearce, Nicole                12 SOUTH WEYMOUTH       MA 20:55.2 
          156 Horgan, Erin                  11 Southboro            MA 21:02.6 
          158 Wadlow, Lauryn                12 CARVER               MA 21:21.3 
          163 Kasala Hallinan, Caitlin      12 WORCESTER            MA 21:49.2 
          173 Doyle, Sarah                  12 WORCESTER            MA 23:01.5 

There were also quite a few runners who ran in the other "class" races. For full results, see the following link:

Complete Footlocker Northeast Results

In the boys seeded race, Ryan Collins did it again. Somehow he managed to stay under control through the first mile (it helped that the race was tactical, with the leaders running only 4:56), move himself into the top 15 on the uphills, and then move all the way to 8th coming onto to the field. He lost two places in the last 600 meters, but his time of 15:33 was good enough for tenth place and the coveted ticket to San Diego. He also ran a 5K PR by two seconds!

I almost forgot Cushing Academy's Sintayehu Taye, who finished 2nd for the second year in a row.

Xaverian's Mark Amirault, the EMass Div I champ, ran 15:47 and finished 15th, no doubt hampered by his lack of training due to a knee injury suffered earlier in the year. Emass Div I and All-State runner-up Kevin Gill ran 16:05 to place 36th. Twenty-nine boys broke 16 minutes, making it one of the deepest HS races ever at VCP.

Here are the MA finishers from the boys seeded race:

            2 Taye, Sintayehu               11 Ashburnham           MA 15:18.5 
           10 Collins, Ryan                 12 Mansfield            MA 15:33.2 
           15 Amirault, Mark                12 WALPOLE              MA 15:47.0 
           36 Gill, Kevin                   12 BROCKTON             MA 16:05.7 
           45 Pacione, Gabe                 11 WENHAM               MA 16:13.7 
           63 Hausherr, David               11 TOWNSEND             MA 16:27.0 
           67 Johnson, Kevin                12 Ludlow               MA 16:29.1 
           81 Galebach, Phil                10 MEDFORD              MA 16:36.0 
          100 McDonald, Eric                11 Groveland            MA 16:45.3 
          102 Gordon, Zach                  12 Pittsfield           MA 16:47.1 
          112 Wang, Daniel                  12 Haverhill            MA 16:53.2 
          116 Duncan, Sean                  12 Gardner              MA 16:55.0 
          118 Sylvestre, Zachary            11 GARDNER              MA 16:55.9 
          130 Fuller, Brian                 12 Ludlow               MA 17:02.5 
          135 Johnson, David                12 Ludlow               MA 17:03.9 
          143 Deascentis, John              12 FALL RIVER           MA 17:09.2 
          152 Funch, Christopher            12 GROTON               MA 17:11.4 
          157 Brunell, Matthew              11 OAKHAM               MA 17:12.8 
          162 Vomero, Peter                 12 Ludlow               MA 17:14.6 
          173 Spano, Matthew                12 GARDNER              MA 17:22.1 
          174 Fogel, Nicholas               11 WILLIAMSTOWN         MA 17:22.7 
          181 Dubeau Iii, James             11 BROCKTON             MA 17:28.5 
          183 Lee, Colin                    11 SOUTH HADLEY         MA 17:29.8 
          188 Ferro, Steven                 12 Cheshire             MA 17:32.7 
          189 Hegarty, Matthew              12 Springfield          MA 17:34.0 
          193 Ogilvie, Colin                11 HOPEDALE             MA 17:38.7 
          202 Jermain, Colin                12 ESSEX                MA 17:44.9 
          211 Howards, Casey                11 Sharon               MA 17:52.6 
          218 Shoemaker, Jacob              11 Sudbury              MA 17:59.3 
          219 Rice, Joshua                  11 SOUTH HAMILTON       MA 18:01.6 
          233 Haidu, Matt                   12 HANOVER              MA 18:30.0 
          241 Lajoie, Stephen               11 GARDNER              MA 18:48.9 
          253 Avitabile, John               11 HANOVER              MA 20:22.8 

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone

I hope everyone of my readers enjoys a happy thanksgiving with family or friends.

I will be out of town for several days, and don't expect to post before Sunday, Nov 26.

Who's Running at Footlocker Northeast Regionals?

For a few individuals, the XC season lasts one more week, with the running of the Footlocker Northeast Regional Meet at Van Cortland Park on Saturday, Nov. 25th.

The meet is "out-of-season," which means that it isn't an official Massachusetts team competition. Indeed, Mass. runners are supposed to enter as individuals, and are not supposed to wear team uniforms.

The highlights are the two seeded races, which serve as qualifiers for the Footlocker National Championships to be held Dec. 9 in San Diego. The top ten boys and top ten girls from the seeded races qualify. The Northeast Region includes all of New England plus New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. As you can imagine, it is very, very competitive. There are also races for freshmen, sophomore, juniors, and seniors.

So who from Massachusetts is running?

From the Bay State League, league champion Robert Gibson is entered (not sure if he will run), as is Jess Barton. Jess finished a very impressive 27th last year in what was probably her best race of the season. From Weymouth, Nicole Pearce is entered, but Kristen Mahoney is not. I haven't been able to find any other Bay Staters among the competitors, although there could be others.

List of Competitors

Statewide, other top boys include Mark Amirault, Kevin Gill, and newly-crowned state champ Ryan Collins. Carlos Montrond is NOT running, but Div II champ Gabe Pacione and runner-up Jeff Hill are.

Other than Barton and Pearce, Mass. girls include Div champ Emily Jones, runner-up Keely Maguire, and a host of Lincoln-Sudbury girls. Dana Jamieson is NOT entered, however, although many of her teammates are. It also looks like most of the Newton South girls varsity is running.

If you are thinking of driving down to New York to watch the race, you can find info at the meet's web site:

Footlocker Homepage

Motorists: Think before you ask...

It was about 7:15 --- later than I like to run, and it was very dark. I had just crossed Walnut Street, and was heading into Newtonville at a pretty good clip. I had already run pretty hard for six miles and I was looking forward to getting home and having dinner. Stopping was the last thing on my mind.

That's when the woman stepped out of the taxi and said "Excuse me!" and as I slowed, I knew she wanted directions. "Do you know where Highland Street is?" she asked, and I stopped there on the sidewalk and tried to think...

..."Yes," I said, "sure," but I wasn't thinking very clearly. I started to give directions, "Go to the next light, turn right on Otis, then right again..." Wait a minute, is that right? For a moment, I couldn't remember whether there was a light at the corner of Otis and Lowell. "...turn right on Lowell..." I'd better start again. "Turn right at the lights onto Otis, then right at the next set of lights onto Lowell, then take your next Left. That's Highland Street." She thanked me and got back into her car.

I resumed my run.

About two minutes later, I realized I had given her directions to Highland Avenue. Amazing, considering that my father grew up on Highland Avenue, and that I do all my hill workouts on Highland Street. I would never, ever confuse the two... unless of course someone asked me for directions at the end of a run, when the amount of oxygen coursing through my brain was insufficient for even rudimentary navigation.

Motorists, please! Remember that the runner you ask for directions is in a severaly impaired mental state. Never trust what they say to you. They might look harmless, jogging through the streets without a care in the world, but they are fonts of inaccurate information. Next time, think twice before you decide to seek their counsel.

Reflections on the State Meet

Before finally closing the book on the 2006 cross-country season, here are a few last thoughts about Saturday's State Meet and other races we were privileged to see this year.

It was wonderful to see Jess manage the Northfield course so well. I think she was able to apply her effort evenly over the entire course. That is, she didn't win by running a very fast opening mile and then hanging on, nor did she run too easily at the beginning and then demolish everyone with a powerful surge. She ran a strong, but controlled first mile, pursued the leader aggressively through the downhill second mile, and then continued to apply pressure in the last mile, pulling away decisively. It was a beautifully run race, in the biggest race of the year. Congratulations to the Division I Girls Runner of the Year! And good luck to Jess next Saturday at the Footlocker Northeast Regional!!

Natick's Becca White ran another strong race to place 5th overall in 19:51. Her season has been astounding for the number of quality races she has run. Remember she started the season by running a course record at Brookline, won the Franklin Park Invitational at the end of September, finished third to Barton and Jamieson at the Bay State Invite Oct. 14, was second to Barton in the Bay State league meet, won the Div II Emass meet, and then improved her time at Northfield to finish as the top sophomore in Div I. Her durability and mental toughness have been quite amazing. Natick's #2 runner Anya Price seemed to track her teammate all year, and had a very good run at the State meet to finish 23rd overall (20:32, 10 seconds faster than she ran here in October). Both girls return next year, and that team is going to be very, very good.

The Weymouth girls ran quite well to a 7th-place finish, ahead of Newton South and Chelmsford. Kriten Mahoney ran especially well, finishing 10th overall in 20:05. It was the final XC race for the stalwart Nicole Pearce and Sam Sachetti. I will miss seeing Pearce attacking races right from the start, but with two good sophomores (Connolly and McCarthey) returning, Weymouth will also be strong next year.

Another individual from the Bay State was Needham junior Emily Lipman, who was one second behind Pearce, finishing 33rd in 20:44.

About Lincoln-Sudbury -- some people might think they ran poorly at Northfield, but this is wrong. In fact, I was wrong about them because I felt sure they were over-raced and would now do well in their second race at the mountain. They proved me wrong; all but one of their runners improved from the Bay State meet. Dana Jamieson recovered nicely from a sub-par effort at EMass to run 19:32 in the State meet and take 3rd. Until Colleen Weatherbee returned to the Dennis-Yarmouth team, L-S was the best team in the state, and they proved that again on Saturday. One startling footnote is that L-S replaced three of the runners who ran for their varsity on Oct. 14, and STILL improved their average time from 20:45 in October to 20:28 in November. It's shocking to think how well their JV team could have done in this meet.

In the Div II girls race, Bromfield won, as expected, and the times at the front were remarkable, with five girls running under the Jess's winning time from Div I. Wellesley seemed to run better than they did at EMass (it helped to have Richardson running closer to her old self), but the results show only six finishers for them. I wonder if one of their runners dropped out, or whether they only ran with six. Top finisher from the Bay State league was Walpole's Olivia Perry (22nd, in 20:27).

---

The Boys Div I race was really terrific to watch. Ryan Collins made me look smart by winning the boys race, dropping Mark Amirault on the downhill second mile, and breaking away from Kevin Gill with 800m to go. Neither I nor anyone else predicted he would break Victor Gras' course record, though.

Brockton looked like they had waited all year to run this one race, and the performances of Carlos Montrond (4th), Geovanni Timberlake (21st), and James DuBeau (33rd) more than made up for a gap to their fifth man. Their total of 100 points was good enough to beat two very, very good teams in Brookline and St. John's Shrewsbury.

Anyone who thinks Brookline didn't run well wasn't paying attention. As a team, Brookline actually ran an outstanding race, improving quite significantly from their Bay State-winning performance in October. Here's how their top five improved in a month:

                 Oct 14         Nov 18
                 -----          -----
Gibson           16:22          16:26
Burnstein        17:13          16:44
Lehane           17:35          16:52
Mercurio         17:47          17:07
Eisenberg-Guyot  17:36          17:45
---------------  -----          -----
Avg.             17:18          16:58

True, Robert and Jerzy didn't have great races, but they weren't bad races. And the performances of Burnstein, Lehane, and Mercurio were outstanding. (Has anyone else noticed how quickly Mercurio has ascended to elite status?). Brookline finished third because Brockton ran out of their minds. Here is how Brockton's top four ran in Oct. and Nov. (their #5 on Saturday didn't run at Bay State):

                 Oct 14         Nov 18
                 -----          -----
Gill             16:20          15:59
Montrond         17:00          16:19
Timberlake       17:29          16:50
Dubeau           17:23          17:02
                 -----          -----
Avg.             17:03          16:32

Congratulations are due to Brookline on an outstanding season, and a very gutsy performance in the State meet.

In Div II, Wellesley followed up on their EMass win with a solid performance to finish third in the team standings at Northfield. Tom Mayell ran 17:26 to lead the team, and the gap from Mayell to Andrew Wagner was only 34 seconds.

All-in-all, a great day of racing.

Barton Wins State Championship!

Link to Full Results

At the top of the hill, Jess Barton trailed Boston Latin's Caroline O'Loughlin by 8-10 seconds. There was mud on the course and the footing didn't look great. Would Jess be able to make up that gap on a soft course?

At 3K, she still trailed by six seconds as the two runners raced well ahead of Lincoln-Sudbury's Dana Jamieson. That's when Jess showed she had saved something for the final mile, closing the gap with shocking efficiency and catching O'Loughlin as the two crossed the road with about 1200 meters to go. In another 600 meters, Jess had broken away and was on her way to her second State XC Championship. Her time of 19:14 was 35 second faster than she had run winning the Bay State Invitational over a month ago.

In the Girls Div I team race, Dennis Yarmouth won the championship with 56 points. Lincoln-Sudbury finished second with 79.

In the Boys Div I race, Mansfield's Ryan Collins set a punishing pace on the uphills and positively flew on the downhills to shed first Xaverian's Mark Amirault (at 1.5 miles), and then Brockton's Kevin Gill (with 600 to go). His time of 15:49 is believed to be a course record, breaking Victor Gras' time of 15:52.4 from 2003.

In the team race, Brockton placed four in the top 35 and survived a gap to their 5th to take their second straight Div I state championship. In doing so, they repeated the St. John's Prep 's trick of finishing out of the top three in EMass and then recovering to win at Northfield. The team victory eased the pain for Gill, who finished in the runner-up position once again.

In Div II girls, sophomore Emily Jones led Bromfield to the championship with a tremendous time of 18:39. Triton's Keely Maguire was 2nd in 18:47. Hamilton-Wenham finished second to Bromfield in the team race.

In Div II boys, Hamilton-Wenham's Gabe Pacione won the individual title (16:29), and Swampscott overcame defending champ Hopedale to win the team title.

70 Degrees in mid-November

If you didn't go running yesterday, I feel sorry for you.

I ran in the evening with a friend along the Esplanade in Boston, and the paths were crowded with runners in t-shirts. At first the wind was in our faces, then it crossed our route, then after we ran under the BU bridge it was behind us and we flew "like leaves before the wild hurricane."

Ultimately, weather like this makes me nervous. A deep Puritan aversion to having it too easy makes me suspicious of unseasonably mild weather. I can't help but wonder what Winter has in store for us.

But for a few days, it has been just delightful weather for running. For a few days, anyway, the confines of 200m tracks seem far, far away.

Will Ryan Collins Win the State Championship?

Saturday's State XC championship at Northfield has plenty of intriguing stories and sub-plots. To name a few:

• Brookline's quest for the Div I team championship - will Robert Gibson (who, according to Brookline's coach, suffered a concussion earlier this week) be able to run? Will the team be able to win without him?
  
• Will Brockton find a 5th man at the last moment and pull off an upset in Div I?
  
• What about Ludlow? At one point they were ranked #1 in the State, and were running very well in September. What shape are they in now?
  
• What about St. John's Shrewsbury, which dominated the CMass meet?
  
• In girls Div I, Lincoln-Sudbury looked unbeatable earlier this season, but a sub-par performance (although good enough to win) at EMass has raised questions about whether they are vulnerable at Northfield.
• Is Dennis-Yarmouth the team to beat? After winning the Amherst Invitational, the State's best middle distance runner Colleen Wetherbee had surgery for Compartment Syndrome. She returned for the EMass meet and finished 9th in Div II after only a week of running. She'll be twice as prepared for Northfield, and D-Y looks very, very dangerous.
  
• What about Amherst? They have been improving steadily throughout the year, and won the WMass meet easily. They also are very familiar with the Northfield course and usually run very well at the State meet.
• In Div II boys, there doesn't seem to be an overwhleming favorite, although Hopedale looked very good in winning CMass and are certainly a threat to defend their 2005 title. Wellesley and Swampscott will be up there, and WMass champs Mt. Greylock should also contend.
• In Div II girls, Bromfield is the clear favorite, although Hamilton-Wenham ran very well at EMass and might get close to the Killer "B's".

And then there are the individual races. In Division I Girls, Jess Barton looks to reclaim the State Title she won as a sophomore in 2004. Undefeated this year, Barton is the clear favorite, but will face stiff challenges from Natick's Becca White, Boston Latin's Caroline O'Laughlin, among others.

In Division II girls, Emily Jones will win by plenty. Any other result would be a huge shock.

In Div II boys, Jeff Hill of Blackstone-Millville is the favorite, with Marian's Pat McAllister and Hamilton-Wenham's Gabe Pacione likely to be strong challengers.

And then there is Div I. The individual race for the Div I title has been the subject of intense debate since the beginning of the season, with many believing that it would be a two-man race between defending XC champ and 2005 State 2-Mile champ Mark Amirault (Xaverian), and defending runner-up and 2005 State 1-mile champ Kevin Gill (Brockton). At EMass, it was Gill leading Amirault until about 200m to go, when Amirault (15:47) went to another gear and put six seconds on his rival. It was a dominating performance, made even more impressive because Amirault has had only limited training in the last month due to a knee injury.

But more impressive still, in EMass Div II Mansfield's Ryan Collins outdid both Gill and Amirault, running alone after the halfway mark to a PR 15:36 -- the fastest HS time at Franklin Park this year. Can Collins beat Amirault at Northfield? For that matter, can Gill beat them both? I have not forgotten 2003, when Chris Barnicle beat Keith Gill at EMass with a big kick and then faltered at Northfield, losing to the elder Gill by a second.

And then again, there is Pittsfield's Zack Gordon who is very capable of running with the big boys.

I like Collins for the win. I think he is just an unbelievably tough and smart runner who won't wait around for it to come down to a final kick. I think he will be in the lead after a mile, and won't relinquish it. If Amirault can stay with Collins to the end, that's a truly amazing performance from a guy who hasn't been able to prepare the way he would like. And if Gill can beat them both, it will be a testament to his determination to never settle for second behind Amirault or anyone else.

Some predictions for Div I boys race:

Winning time: 16:05
# of runners under 17 minutes: 15
Winning team score: 108
Winning team: Brookline (if Gibson runs) or Ludlow (if Gibson is out)

How to Run Northfield

Dear Weymouth (girls) and Wellesley (boys and girls),

(I'm not addressing the Brookline Boys since they've already run and WON at Northfield, so they know all about how its done...)

Congratulations on having your teams qualify for the state meet! For Weymouth, I know it is something you have been working towards for several years, and it's a great accomplishment to have done it. But, if you don't mind my saying so, don't be satisfied to be there. It's a wide-open race on a unique course and anything can happen. Be ready.

No doubt you will hear a lot about the Northfield course this week. You will hear that it is 30-40 seconds slower than Franklin Park. You will hear that it favors this kind of runner or that kind of runner. You will hear that it beats you up. Basically, you will hear a lot of scary stories.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about Northfield. I have raced the course myself when it was a two-loop 10K course used for the NE XC Championship. I have trained there, and I have also watched our teams race there. I admit that for a long time, I was at a loss to offer any useful advice about how to run the course. I *liked* it, and did well there, but I had a hard time explaining why. As you know it climbs quite a bit in the first 1000 meters. I wasn't sure whether our runners should be aggressive at the start or conservative. Peter Martin, who has a lot more experience than me, has seen teams win the state championship using completely opposite tactics on the first hill.

This year it finally dawned on me that there really is no secret to racing at Northfield. Or if there is a secret, it is to run with confidence in your usual plan. If you tend to go out aggressively, go out aggressively. If you are more conservative at the start but love to pick people off in the latter stages of the race, then do that. In other words, don't go away from what has worked for you in the past. If you are fit, if you have run a lot of miles over the summer, you'll be just fine.

But... be prepared to feel fatigue a little earlier in the race. Because the big hill comes so early, you have to be managing your emotions early. Remember that no one will be feeling particularly good at the mile mark, so don't worry if you aren't feeling wonderful and ignore the mile time. This is not a race to worry about splits.

Remember that this course has a way of encouraging upsets. Having a good attitude and a good team can go a long way. That attitude starts with refusing to be intimidated by the meet, by the competition, and by the course. Run loose and have fun.

EMass Championship Results...

Full Results on CoolRunning

Congratulations to the Brookline boys (winners of D1) and Wellesley boys (winners of D3)! Robert Gibson 3rd, Mike Burnstein 6th. Very impressive!

In Girls D1, the Newton North girls had a rough day and finished 6th, one spot out of qualifying. It is disappointing to see such a good team left out of the State Meet, but it goes to show how strong the other five teams are. Congratulations to Jess Barton, who defended her D1 title, winning in 18:49.

Huge congratulations to the Weymouth girls who finished 5th to qaulify for the State Meet for the first time!! The blanket finish of teams 2-5 was astounding, and Weymouth was only about 10 points from second place! Nicole Pearce (5th) and Kristen Mahoney (7th) ran superbly and were both in the top ten.

Also, congratulations to the Wellesley girls, who survived a rough day for Faith Richardson to place fifth and qualify in Division III.


Newton North girls:

  1 Jessica Barton           18:49
 28. Haeligh Smith           20:23
 30. Nora Barnicle           20:24
 42. Carolyn Ranti           20:40
 55. Franca Godenzi          21:16
 72. Adina Hemley-Bronstein  22:01
135. Tess Johnson            23:35

6th of 26 teams

Newton North boys:

 58 Seb Putzeys        17:35
 84 Peter Sun          17:55
 89 Dan Hamilton       17:57
112 Jared Foreman      18:18
146 Alex Ribner        18:50 
156 Charles Krasnow    19:03 

17th of 34 teams

NNHS Alumni Results - 11/11/06

Saturday was the day for NCAA Div I and Div III Regional meets (qualifiers for the National Championships). The following NNHS Alumni were in action:

David Polgar ran 34:49 to place 119th (fifth man for BU) at the Div I Northeast Regional at Van Cortland Park.

Div I Northeast Regional Men's 10K Results

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Liz Gleason ran 22:26 for 6K to finish 13th overall (2nd for Williams) at the Div III New England regional. Williams finished third, and has received an at-large invitation to the championship meet.

Link to Women's 6K Results

At the same meet, Doug Brecher ran 27:21 to finish 69th (3rd for Bates College) in the Men's 8K. After a slow start this season, Brecher steadily improved to move up to the 3rd man on his team for the first time.

Link to Men's 8K Results

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Dan Chebot finished 105th (6th for Univ. o f Rochester) in 28:13 at the Div III Atlantic Regional hosted by SUNY Geneseo.

Link to Men's 8K Results

EMass Schedule of Events

Sat., Nov 11, 2006 at Franklin Park:

9:30 a.m. Girls’ Division II
9:55 a.m. Girls’ Division III
10:15 a.m. Boys’ Division II
10:40 a.m. Boys’ Division III
11:00 a.m. Girls’ Division IV
11:25 a.m. Girls’ Division I
11:45 a.m. Boys’ Division IV
12:10 p.m. Boys’ Division I

EMass Championships Preview - Boys

So you want your Div I team to finish in the top five at EMass and qualify for the All-State meet? Here are two numbers to remember: 200 and 70.

Over the past eight years, at least, no team scoring under 200 points has failed to qualify for All-States. Teams have scored 202 points and failed to make it, and have scored as high as 268 and still qualified, but the fact remains: if a team has been under 200, it has made the cut.

As for the number 70, it turns out that 70 is a similar (although not as ironclad) threshold for the position of a team's 5th runner. Over the last eight years, 90% of the teams whose fifth runner finished 70th or better have qualified for the state meet. Only four teams in eight years have had a fifth man finish worse than 70th and still qualify.* If you want to go to Northfield, make sure your fifth runner doesn't slip into the "dead zone" above 70th place.

* edited: Nov-10-06

Division I

Brookline enters the EMass meet as the number #1 ranked team in the state and the deserved favorite after dominating the Bay State League and running well at several invitationals (Manchester, Brown). Unlike their chief rivals, they have at least six strong runners capable of running sub 17:00. They are led by BSC champion Robert Gibson, who (I believe) is ready to join the elite of the state on Saturday. I expect him to be no worse than top five, and possibly top three.

The mystery team in Div I is Brockton, whom many picked to repeat as state champions this year. Brockton has the returning All-State runner-up and 2006 outdoor mile champion Kevin Gill leading them, and at least three other very good runners, but so far this year they have been unable to find a fifth man. It is not inconceivable that they have one waiting in the wings, to be unveiled on Saturday, in which case we'll all say: "how could we have underestimated Brockton?" If they don't have that guy, Gill might win, but they won't have much of a chance against a team as deep as Brookline.

Other potential qualifiers include Xaverian, led by 2005 State champion Mark Amirault. Xaverian has been hampered by injuries to their two best runners, Amirault and Dan Higgins, but have a strong team even with them running at 80%. Three teams from the Merrimack Valley Conference will contend for the top five: Methuen, Haverhill, and Chelmsford. Haverhill has title contender Pat Fullerton, but has a big gap back to their 4th and 5th. Methuen seemed out of it at the beginning of the year but has grown stronger with each passing week, and two weeks ago won the MVC league championship, which is an excellent sign they are ready for EMass. Chelmsford is very solid also, although perhaps not as fast up fron as in previous years.

Other teams who can't be ignored include the sophomore-laden Newton South team (DCL champions WITHOUT their senior captain Sam Donovan), Peabody, St. John's Prep (slowly rebuilding after years of dominance followed by two down years), Lincoln-Sudbury, and perhaps even BSC teams Weymouth and Newton North.

Not just because of my hometown bias, I think Newton North is an intriguing team for this kind of meet. With Seb Putzys finally healthy, they have at least one runner who should be in the top 25, followed by a very tight pack from 2-5. If that pack could all be under 17:30, the team would score very, very well. Would it be enough to qualify for states? That's very unlikely, but not impossible. The main thing is to get experience running in a big meet, keeping the pack close together, and realize that almost five of the top seven are coming back next year.

Div I Predictions:

Winning time: 15:35
# of runners under 16:00: 4
# of runners under 17:00: 33
70th place time: 17:22
Winning team score: 75

Division II

Div II is definitely not an afterthought this year, as there are at least three very strong teams and several very good individuals. The top teams are Mansfield (led by last year's fifth finisher at All-States Ryan Collins), Gloucester, and Whitman-Hanson. Others to watch include Concord-Carlisle and BSC runner-up Needham.

Needham's Sam Miller finally gets a chance to show what he can do in a big meet, and the Needham team should enjoy the chance to step outside the narrow world of the BSC. Like everyone else, their fortunes will rise or fall on the fate of their 4th and 5th men. Good luck to them!

(Besides Needham, the other BSC teams in Div II is Natick.)

Collins is the favorite to win the race and will be one of the top runners in the state again this year. Other individuals to watch include Gloucester's Peter Asaro and Liam Murphy (he of the fantastic finishing kick), and L-S's Jimmy Tyrell.

Division III

Last year's Div III champion team was Wellesley, and they will try to defend the title against the likes of Bishop Feehan, Duxbury, Hopkinton, and Pentucket. I don't know much about any of these teams, although the MSTCA ranks Pentucket as the top Div III team in Emass.

In case you want to root for other BSC teams in Div III, Milton, Norwood, and Walpole are also in this division.

Division IV

As in the girls Div IV race, the favorite in the boys race is Hamilton-Wenham, led by Gabe Pacione (16:12 for 5K to win his league championship).

Other teams to watch inlcude Hopedale, Marblehead.

The only BSC team in Div IV is Dedham.

EMass Championships Preview - Girls

On Saturday, Franklin Park hosts the EMass Cross-Country Divisional Championships, also known as the Class Meet (from the time when Divisions I-IV were known as Classes A-D). The EMass meet is the qualifier for the All-State Championships, to be held at Northfield on November 18. Five seven-person teams from each division qualify, along with the top ten placing 10 individuals who are not on a qualifying team.

Newton North is in Div. I, along with the following other Bay State schools: Braintree, Brookline, Framingham, and Weymouth.

Th weather forecast is very good for Saturday, with temperatures expected to be around 60 and no rain. I expect times on the Franklin Park course to be very fast.

As for team competition, the favorite for the Girls Div I race is Lincoln-Sudbury. They are undefeated in competition against Mass. teams this year, having won the Amherst Invite, the Franklin Park Invite, the Bay State Invite (at Northfield), and the Dual-County League Championship. They have a very talented front runner in Dana Jamieson (18:42 at the Brown Invitational) and their team is incredibly deep, with over a dozen runners under 21 minutes for 5K.

After Lincoln-Sudbury, things get very interesting. Haverhill looked very impressive recently winning the Merrimack Valley League meet with five girls under 20:46. That's without their top runner, Colleen McNaughton, who has had knee problems this year and might not compete. If she does and is able to run to form, Haverhill is the favorite for the runner-up spot; if not, they are still a very good bet to be in the top three. Newton North has defending EMass Div I champion Jess Barton, and a strong pack of five other runners who should be under 21:00. That depth puts them in good shape in their first big meet of the season.

Assuming those thre teams qualify (never a sure thing at a meet like this), there are thre other strong teams vying for the two remaining tickets to the All-State meet. Weymouth has two outstanding runners (Kristen Mahoney and Nicole Pearce) who should be in the top ten, and a strong 3-4 in Sam Sachetti and Carolyn Connolly. MVC runner-up Chelmsford has no front-of-the-pack runner, but does have four girls in the mid 20:00's. DCL runner-up Newton South has front-runner Kelsey Karys and is always dangerous in big meets. With each of these three teams, the question will be how does their fifth runner perform? In a big meet, the fifth runner is the most important, and these teams will be looking to have their fifth runners as close to 21 minutes as possible to avoid being stuck behind the hoardes of mid-pack runners.

Other individuals of note: In addition to Jamieson and Barton, Boston Latin senior Caroline O'Laughlin is one of the favorites, having run second to Barton in last year's EMass meet (18:57), and having recently finished second to Jamieson at the DCL Championships. Billerica's Sydney Fitzpatrick won the MVC meet and should be among the leaders. Newton South's Karys deserves consideration, although she has not been quite up to the form of last year when she finished third in EMass (19:04) and fourth in the state (19:01) as a freshman.

Others who are definitely candidates for the top fifteen, if not higher include Weymouth's Mahoney and Pearce, Newton North's Carolyn Ranti and Haleigh Smith, Newton South's Nina Slote, Lincoln-Sudbury's Barbara MacNeill, Rachel Potter, and hannah Ziobrowsky, Barnstable's Jill Lyon, Brookline's Emily Groopman and Sabrina Parise, Lowell's Amanda Leahy, Andover's Maggie Cosgrove, and probably others that I've neglected or forgotten.

Results over the past decade suggest that it's rare for more than 15 girls to be under 20:00 minutes at Franklin Park in the Div I race, but this year could be an exception, as it seems that the field will be exceptionally deep.

Div I Predictions

Winning time: 18:28
# of girls uner 20:00: 16
# of girls under 21:00: 48
Winning team: Lincoln-Sudbury
Winning score: 85 points

Other Divisions (poorly researched)

In Div. II, Marshfield and Dennis Yarmouth should battle for the top spot. If Colleen Weatherbee runs, which seems doubtful due to recent surgery, D-Y wins convincingly. Even without her, they are formidable. D-Y's "other" top runner Brooke Fallon should contend for the title, along with Natick's Becca White.

Other teams to watch include Concord Carlisle, Franklin, Natick, Westford Academy, and Whitman-Hanson.

In Div III, top individual looks to be Triton's Keely McGuire. Top teams include Oliver Ames, Bishop Feehan, Wellesley, and Hopkinton. It will be interesting to see how the Wellesley girls do after a strong dual meet season.

In Div IV, Hamilton-Wenham, led by 2006 Bay State champ Emily Lanois, should dominate.

Tips for a new marathoner

(This will be the last post in this blog that mentions Lance Armstrong, I promise...)

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"I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would be easier [...] it's the hardest physical thing I have ever done [...] I don't know how these guys do it."

Dear Lance,

I'm sure you hear this from everyone, but count me as another of your fans who has tremendous admiration for your accomplishments on and off the bike, and for the spirit of persistence and determination that helped you fight cancer, and return to professional cycling. I'm sure it was that same spirit that helped you finish your first marathon in under three hours. I think it's great that you are still looking for challenges like these.

I know that you said after the race that you weren't planning on running another marathon, but I want you to know that if you do, I'd be happy to help with a few training tips. I know that sounds kind of strange -- I mean you're surrounded by the best sports scientists in the world, not to mention Salazar, Samuelson, and El Gerrouj -- I guess you have access to pretty good information as it is! On the other hand, I think any one of the guys in my running club would have been able to tell you that the last six miles of a marathon can be pretty rough, even for a seven-time winner of the Tour.

Some people say that at 35, you're too old to run a competitive marathon. Don't believe them! I was almost exactly your age when I ran Boston in 1994. In fact, maybe it would help if I shared a little of my training leading up to that race. I mean, I wasn't any Alberto Salazar -- just a 35-year-old nobody with two kids and a full-time job and a nutty desire to run 26.2 miles -- but who knows, maybe there's something you can use if you decide to try the distance again.

First of all -- you gotta do more long runs. As I go back through my training log, I see that I started doing long runs a full three months before the 1994 race. After many months of averaging 50-55 miles per week, in January I started adding a long run almost every weekend. On January 22nd (my birthday!) I did my first long run of 15 miles. Actually, I had planned to do more, but the ice and snow made the footing pretty treacherous. I guess you don't have much ice and snow in Texas.

The next several weekends I ran 18, 18, and 20 miles. On Tuesdays, I was heading over to the indoor track at Harvard and running long interval workouts. I see that on January 25th, I ran 2 x 800, 2 x 1000, 2 x 1200 all at about 4:55 mile pace. You need these long intervals, even for marathon running, to help boost your VO2 max -- but I'm sure you know all about V02 Max from cycling. Anyway, long runs on the weekends, track workouts on Tuesday, oh and long hill repeats on Thursdays. You need those hill workouts if you're gonna run Boston. The rest of the week, you can do whatever you want as long as you have 60-70 miles at the end of the week.

(I know some people do a lot more, but remember, I had a job that required about 45-50 hours a week every week. You probably have the same problem, with all your obligations and work on behalf of the Livestrong foundation. The truth is, you don't need mega-mileage, but you need the key workouts.)

Well, in February I had a setback. I got sick, as I always do when I undertake this kind of training with two young kids around. I missed a couple of days, and I cut short my long run that weekend, only getting in 14 miles. Actually, I might have cut it short anyway because we were having a big storm, and there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. My wife thought I was insane.

Now here is the most important part -- in March I started racing. I think you need races to get your body used to performing at a higher level for an extended period of time. You just can't get that with long slow distance, no matter how much you do. I think I might have overdone it a little because I raced a 30K on March 6th, then did a 22-mile long run six days later, and then raced a half-marathon on March 20th (1:11:52). But I'm telling you, if you don't get injured, this really helps you develop the ability to hold a pretty hot pace for a pretty long time. If I were doing it all again, I think I might have skipped the 30K in favor of something shorter, but hey -- I was young, only 36 at the time. I would never try that stuff now.

Ok, into the final stretch, here are the key workouts:

March 24   Ten mile run with middle six @ 5:50 pace
...
March 26   21 mile long run @2:27 (7:00 pace)
...
March 29   2 x 2M @10:10 (5 min rest in between)
...
April 2    2M warmup, 10M tempo run at 56:30, 2M cooldown
...
April 5    3 x 1.5M alternating 74/84s per lap
...
April 10   10K race

Then an easy week of 4-6 mile runs, culminating in...

April 17   26.2M in 2:31:45

To be fair, in the race itself, I had it easy compared to you. I didn't have a camera in my face the entire way, and I wasn't being distracted by Alberto, Joan, and Hicham -- I'm sure that didn't help. No, I was able to run with no pressure in perfect anonymity, and focus on the race itself. Plus it was a very good day for running, with a nice tailwind for much of the race. That 2:31 basically ran itself.

So to sum it all up: do plenty of long runs (2 hours or more), weekly track workouts of long intervals, hill repeats, tempo runs, and races. Also, try to limit your travel and media obligations. And no celebrities along for the ride. That's the key.

If you do decide to run another marathon, give me a call.

- Your fan, Jon

A Day Off Now and Then

Is it time for a day off?

I did race yesterday but I don't like taking days off after races. For one thing, I think my body needs gentle running after a hard effort more than it needs complete rest. For another, my attitude after a race is usually much more relaxed, much less anxious than in the days leading up to the event. After all the worry that goes into preparations for a big race, it's nice to go out with no expectations and just enjoy running for its own sake.

It never ceases to amaze me how I turn into a complete hypochondriac in the days leading up to an important race. Yesterday was the New England Cross-Country Championships, and during an easy run on Saturday every minor ache and pain became magnified and I began to doubt whether I would even make it to the starting line. All those aches and pains are still with me Monday morning, but seem laughably inconsequential now that the race is over. Why would I need a day off now?

Still, I guess I support the idea of a day off now and then for the runners under my care -- I don't want to traumatize the poor dears by asking them to run every day without hope of a break -- but in my own training, I much prefer to engineer my rest days to involve at least a little running. This is kind of a survival strategy that has three parts: 1) Avoid stupid killer workouts that leave you unable to run the next day, 2) Plan an easy, refreshing run every week and stick to the plan, 3) Eliminate as much thinking/mental anxiety as possible from your daily plan. this last has been the key for me; once I figure out a level of training I can keep up indefinitely, sticking to it is a lot easier than playing around with days off. If I need to run a little easier some days, I'll do that, but not running at all? That introduces fear, uncertainty, and doubt into my training and I don't like it.

But what about burnout? What about staleness? What about injury prevention?

Well, yes, I agree if a day off helps dispel the clouds and helps avoid staleness, then it's a good idea to take a day off. I actually think it's fairly logical to take a day off from running once a week. Some college programs use pool running, rather than complete inactivity, as their day-off methodology. I've always found that running with someone a lot slower than you is a great way to take a day off both physically and mentally. Actually, if we're talking about mental breaks, the best day off in the world is sometimes doing something different -- running in a different place, with different people. For me personally, what I would really like is a day off from work so that I can do my run without the time pressure of squeezing it in to a too-busy day. That goes for injuries, too. For me, injuries are almost always a direct consequnce of running when I am either a) sleep-deprived, or b) improperly warmed up because I'm rushing to fit it into a day that is already too crowded.

I could use a day off from work, but work, too, is a routine and in general I hate to mess with routines. In my job, taking a day off doesn't change the amount of work to do, it just means that the day after the day off there is twice as much to do. Who needs that? I think the same principle might apply to training. In other words, it is a mistake to take a day off if you only turn around and try to "make up for it" the next day. When it is most effective, training is a gradual accommodation to a routine, and not a random series of heroically hard efforts interspersed with downtime.

Actaully, if rest is truly what I need, then I'd prefer to take complete rest for an extended period of time rather than a day off. Taking a season off makes more sense to me than taking a day.

As for advising others, it still strikes me as being one of the most difficult tasks of coaching to know when a day off is the right thing for an athlete. It's one of many areas where it might be dangerous to generalize from personal experience.

NNHS Results from State Coaches Meet

Div I Freshman Girls (fixed incorrect data in results)

 14 Gleason, Susannah        FR Newton North            13:32.7
 89 Lasell, Katherine        FR Newton North            15:24.9
113 Kruskal, Shoshana        FR Newton North            15:55.2
121 Tripathi, Jaya           FR Newton North            16:03.2
144 Deng, Sherrie            FR Newton North            16:57.0
173 Gately, Bethany          FR Newton North            18:18.3
174 Bleicher, Shira          FR Newton North            18:23.5
183 Holm, Cecelie            FR Newton North            19:58.7

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Div I Freshman Boys

 49 Rolfe, Sam                FR Newton North            12:05.3
101 Goldenberg, Mike          FR Newton North            12:47.1
105 Wells, Parker             FR Newton North            12:49.2
143 Weinfeld, Mike            FR Newton North            13:17.7
190 Keefe, Chris              FR Newton North            13:53.2

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Div I Sophomore Girls

 52 Banjeree, Maalika         SO Newton North            22:24.6
103 Altieri, Elizabeth        SO Newton North            23:55.6

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Div I Sophomore Boys

 11 Hamilton, Dan             SO Newton North            17:28.1
 23 Foreman, Jared            SO Newton North            17:48.1
144 Cohen, Doug               SO Newton North            20:16.5
163 Ackerman, Dan             SO Newton North            20:44.6
182 Lee, Jon                  SO Newton North            21:23.6
213 Hollenberg, Adam          SO Newton North            22:54.4

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Div I Junior/Senior Girls

 76 Zuar, Sally               SR Newton North            22:01.4
177 Edelstein, Alizia         SR Newton North            24:26.3

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Div I Junior/Senior Boys

 13 Putzeys, Seb              JR Newton North            16:55.5
 27 Chebot, Ben               JR Newton North            17:20.1
 54 Sun, Peter                SR Newton North            17:40.8
 90 Krasnow, Charles          JR Newton North            18:11.3
100 Ribner, Alexander         SR Newton North            18:19.8
122 Dorfman, Mike             JR Newton North            18:40.9
129 Harris, Lucas             JR Newton North            18:44.2
202 Gornstein, Matt           JR Newton North            19:48.6

NYC Marathon this weekend

There was a time when I would eagerly anticipate TV coverage of the major marathons (Boston, New York, Chicago), and would sit rapt for two and a half hours watching the treacly network coverage. I still have videotapes from many marathons from the late 80's through the 90's, when my interest began to wane.

I'm not sure exactly what happened. I guess I wasn't running marathons anymore, and somehow I had simultaneously lost interest in the runners at the front, of whom I knew little, and the predictable human interest stories in the middle and back of the pack.

But if any recent event has the potential to draw me back into the viewing audience, it's Sunday's New York City Marathon.

First of all, we have the #1 U.S. male and #1 U.S. female marathoners, and if you don't know who they are, shame on you! I'm referring, of course, to Meb Keflezighi, the men's 2004 Olympics silver medalist, and Waltham native Deena Kastor, the women's 2004 Olympics bronze medalist.

Meb ran Boston this year; his third-place finish led a remarkable U.S. showing. He was also third in New York last year, but is certainly capable of winning, although he dropped out of a recent race with leg cramps. If he is to emerge victorious, Keflezighi will have to overcome the challenge of Paul Tergat (world record holder at 2:04:55, and 2005 NYC winner) and Hendrick Ramaala (PR 2:06:55), who finished second last year, and a half dozen others who have run under 2:09. Perhaps more interesting to many is the presence in the race of two other Americans who aren't expected to contend for the win. Former NCAA XC champion and 2004 Olympian Dathan Ritzenheim is running his debut marathon and hopes to show that he can compete with the very best in that event. No American man has ever run faster than 2:09 in his first marathon; can Ritz do it? Farther back in the pack, retired cyclist Lance Armstrong will not be competing for the podium, but will garner enormous attention. He will also probably run pretty fast for an amateur (there is rampant speculation about how fast: I expect him to run in the 2:28-2:35 range). And I shouldn't forget to mention Alan Culpepper, who represented the U.S. in the 2004 Olympics, and finished just behind Meb in the 2006 Boston Marathon.

In the women's race, Kastor, the American record-holder and only American to run sub 2:20 for the marathon, will have her hands full. The field includes 2006 Boston Marathon champion Rita Jeptoo, four-time Boston Marathon champion and 2nd-fastest woman ever, Catherine Ndereba, and a host of others with scintillating credentials. The race also features the debut race for U.S. 10K champion Katie McGregor.

The field is tremendous. The weather forecast is good. And seriously, what else will you be doing Sunday morning (after your long run, I mean)?

State Coaches Meet

This Saturday is the State Coaches Meet in Wrentham. For all except varsity runners, this is the final meet of the season -- a chance to have one last good race before the winter.

It is also a chance to run against other runners in your school year. There are twelve separate races at the meet: there are Div I and Div II freshman races (3K), sophomore races (5K), and junior/senior races (5K) for boys and girls. Newton North runs in Div I, and should have runners in most, if not all of the races.

State Coaches Meet Order of Events:

9:30 a.m. 10th Grade B Div II 5k
9:50 a.m. 10th Grade G Div II 5k
10:15 a.m. 9th Grade B Div II 3k
10:35 a.m. 9th Grade G Div II 3k
10:55 a.m. 11-12th Grade B Div II 5k
11:25 a.m. 11-12th Grade G Div II 5k

12:15 p.m. 10th Grade B Div I 5k
12:40 p.m. 10th Grade G Div I 5k
1:10 p.m. 9th Grade B Div I 3k
1:30 p.m. 9th Grade G Div I 3k
1:45 p.m. 11-12th Grade B Div I 5k
2:10 p.m. 11-12th Grade G Div I 5k


The Wrentham course is relatively flat, but not necessarily fast since much of it is run through fields that typically have fairly thick grass. Last year's times seemed to be a little faster than Franklin Park.

The weather forecast looks a lot better than last weekend! Although it will be quite chilly, there is no rain in the forecast, and temperatures should be up to the low 40's by the middle of the day when the Div I races are scheduled.

For more information about the meet, directions, and a schedule of the races, see the following document:

State Coaches Meet Info on MSTCA site (PDF)

Harvest Time

"Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." - King Lear


At this point in the season, there's not much more you can do to increase your fitness. If you didn't do the work over the last ten weeks, it's too late to do anything about it. At this point, there's only trying to stay healthy, stay sharp, and make sure you are getting enough rest to keep the batteries charged.

It sounds simple, but it's hard to put into practice. The art of leaving well enough alone is difficult to practice if there is any doubt that things are, indeed, well. Any lingering doubts or fears become magnified during this "quiet" time in the training calendar. As a result, there's always a powerful temptation to keep ploughing the field, instead of harvesting what has been growing steadily for months.

Well, don't do it. Now is not the time for innovations or killer workouts. Now is the time for consolidation and sharpeners. As the stakes get higher, keep the emotional thermostat lower. Trust the training you have done.

Any budding novelists out there?

And now for something completely different. Did you know that today, November 1st, marks the start of National Novel Wrirting Month (NaNoWriMo)?

It's true! NaNoWriMo is a creative writing project in which each participant attempts to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in a single month. To "win," participants need to write an average of 1,666 and 2/3 words per day (typically rounded up to 1667), which is about three pages, single-spaced, in a 12 pt font. This pace allows little time for revision or editing. This "quantity over quality" philosophy is summarized by the site's slogan: "No Plot? No Problem!"

The description above is taken virtually verbatim from WikiPedia. You can read more at the WikiPedia entry for National Novel Writing Month, or better yet, check out the NaNoWriMo web site.

Why do I mention this? I don't know, maybe because the affinities between the compulsive writer and the compulsive runner strike me close to home.