Earlier this year, NNHS historian Josh Seeherman spent time in the Boston Public Library researching old Massachusetts scholastic track and field results. Among other finds, he discovered results dating back to the 1930's for two athletes who might still be the top two long jumpers in Newton history: Stanley Johnson and Milton Green.
Stanley Johnson was the 1932 Class A Champion in the long jump for Newton
High (No Newton North and Newton South in those days!), and was part of the 1931 team that won the Class A Championship. Johnson went on to attend MIT, in part supported by a scholarship grant from the Newton Centre Rotary Club.
At MIT, Johnson jumped 24-2, which is STILL the MIT long jump record. This summer, the MIT athletics web site published a story on Johnson, who is alive and well at 94, and on the quest by current MIT athlete Stephen Morgan to break the 72-year-old school record.
72 Years in the Making
Milton Green was a teammate of Stanley Johnson's at Newton High, and went on to Harvard where he jumped 24-11 in 1936. Josh thinks this is probably the Newton native all-comers record. Can anyone think of another athlete who jumped farther?
I should mention that Green was primarily a hurdler, in fact one of the best
Milton Green, who had the world record in the indoor hurdles and was one of
the best hurdlers in the world while at Harvard. He earned a berth in the 1936 Olympic Trials but declined it as a protest of the Nazi regime (Green was Jewish).
According to Josh, Green was born in Lowell, but ran for Newton High, where in 1931, he won the 120 Yard Low Hurdles in the Class A Championships in a meet record 14.4.
December 30, 2008
December 29, 2008
Junk Miles
On Saturday, Tyler doubled at the BU mini-meet, racing a little less than 3 miles total. He also warmed up about 3 miles for both races, and afterwords, cooled down with another 5 easy miles, for 11 more miles total and a 14-mile day.
On Sunday, I scolded him for all those "junk miles," but he challenged me right back by pointing out that I sometimes did laughably easy 3-mile runs in the morning when I was in the habit of doubling. What about those? Were they also junk miles? What exactly is a "junk mile" and how does it differ from a mile of greater value?
Well, having had a day to think about it, here's my answer: I don't know.
If we were talking about junk food, I'd say that what makes a food "junk" is the high proportion of "empty" calories -- fat or sugar without the other nutrients the body needs. A Big Mac has a lot of fat -- way too much fat for the amount of protein it delivers.
I guess the analogy to junk miles would be that a mile run too slowly provides too much impact stress without the intensity to produce useful training adaptation. Hence, the ubiquitous advice to do long runs at about 70-75% of max heart rate. Hence, also, the famous statement that "long slow distance makes long slow runners."
But missing in this perspective is the idea that running slowly might provide some other benefit, some other training stimulus that justifies the time spent trotting along at a leisurely pace.
Yesterday, I would have argued that the main benefit of a really slow run was that it promoted recovery from all the harder runs where the real training took place. But in searching the web for definitions of junk miles, I ran across the following article in Running Times by Matt Fitzgerald, in which he debunks this line of thinking:
Rethinking Junk Miles
Fitzgerald writes:
"It is widely assumed that the purpose of recovery runs [...] is to facilitate recovery from preceding hard training. You hear coaches talk about how recovery runs increase blood flow to the legs, clearing away lactic acid, and so forth. The truth is that lactic acid levels return to normal within an hour after even the most brutal workouts. Nor does lactic acid cause muscle fatigue in the first place. Nor is there any evidence that the sort of light activity that a recovery run entails promotes muscle tissue repair, glycogen replenishment, or any other physiological response that actually is relevant to muscle recovery. In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery."
But instead of dismissing recovery runs, or slow miles in general, as useless, Fitzgerald goes on to argue that such runs promote running economy by providing an opportunity to "practice" running when still in a state of fatigue from previous hard efforts. While more intense workouts are necessary for maximizing aerobic and anaerobic capacity, volume (mileage) is useful for improving economy -- the ability to run farther and faster with the same energy expenditure.
Training is thus the art of finding the right balance between intensity and volume -- between the hard workouts and the recovery runs, between capacity and efficiency -- and, not surprisingly, this balance will be different for every runner.
So, back to our original question, what is a "junk mile?"
Well, in truth, we need to judge a mile on what result it produces. In fact, a junk mile might be slow or fast because it's really just a mile that serves no purpose but to pad the training log. Jack Daniels even talks about "junk speed" -- speedwork done at paces that aren't beneficial to improving specific energy systems.
I would argue that a slow run or slow mile can serve many purposes without being junk: it could get you to work or school, it could renew your connection with the outside world, it could be part of your social life. And yes, for some, slow runs can help make you faster.
I still want Tyler to think about all those miles he ran on Saturday and ask himself whether they were necessary or even useful. And I'll try to tell him that my early morning runs at 8:00 pace were useful -- to me, at least -- because they were correlated with some of my best racing in years.
But I'll also try to keep an open mind, and won't be so quick to call his miles "junk." I'll just suggest that he should judge a mile based on where it takes him.
On Sunday, I scolded him for all those "junk miles," but he challenged me right back by pointing out that I sometimes did laughably easy 3-mile runs in the morning when I was in the habit of doubling. What about those? Were they also junk miles? What exactly is a "junk mile" and how does it differ from a mile of greater value?
Well, having had a day to think about it, here's my answer: I don't know.
If we were talking about junk food, I'd say that what makes a food "junk" is the high proportion of "empty" calories -- fat or sugar without the other nutrients the body needs. A Big Mac has a lot of fat -- way too much fat for the amount of protein it delivers.
I guess the analogy to junk miles would be that a mile run too slowly provides too much impact stress without the intensity to produce useful training adaptation. Hence, the ubiquitous advice to do long runs at about 70-75% of max heart rate. Hence, also, the famous statement that "long slow distance makes long slow runners."
But missing in this perspective is the idea that running slowly might provide some other benefit, some other training stimulus that justifies the time spent trotting along at a leisurely pace.
Yesterday, I would have argued that the main benefit of a really slow run was that it promoted recovery from all the harder runs where the real training took place. But in searching the web for definitions of junk miles, I ran across the following article in Running Times by Matt Fitzgerald, in which he debunks this line of thinking:
Rethinking Junk Miles
Fitzgerald writes:
"It is widely assumed that the purpose of recovery runs [...] is to facilitate recovery from preceding hard training. You hear coaches talk about how recovery runs increase blood flow to the legs, clearing away lactic acid, and so forth. The truth is that lactic acid levels return to normal within an hour after even the most brutal workouts. Nor does lactic acid cause muscle fatigue in the first place. Nor is there any evidence that the sort of light activity that a recovery run entails promotes muscle tissue repair, glycogen replenishment, or any other physiological response that actually is relevant to muscle recovery. In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery."
But instead of dismissing recovery runs, or slow miles in general, as useless, Fitzgerald goes on to argue that such runs promote running economy by providing an opportunity to "practice" running when still in a state of fatigue from previous hard efforts. While more intense workouts are necessary for maximizing aerobic and anaerobic capacity, volume (mileage) is useful for improving economy -- the ability to run farther and faster with the same energy expenditure.
Training is thus the art of finding the right balance between intensity and volume -- between the hard workouts and the recovery runs, between capacity and efficiency -- and, not surprisingly, this balance will be different for every runner.
So, back to our original question, what is a "junk mile?"
Well, in truth, we need to judge a mile on what result it produces. In fact, a junk mile might be slow or fast because it's really just a mile that serves no purpose but to pad the training log. Jack Daniels even talks about "junk speed" -- speedwork done at paces that aren't beneficial to improving specific energy systems.
I would argue that a slow run or slow mile can serve many purposes without being junk: it could get you to work or school, it could renew your connection with the outside world, it could be part of your social life. And yes, for some, slow runs can help make you faster.
I still want Tyler to think about all those miles he ran on Saturday and ask himself whether they were necessary or even useful. And I'll try to tell him that my early morning runs at 8:00 pace were useful -- to me, at least -- because they were correlated with some of my best racing in years.
But I'll also try to keep an open mind, and won't be so quick to call his miles "junk." I'll just suggest that he should judge a mile based on where it takes him.
December 28, 2008
Arsenault: Wins HJ, LJ at MSTCA Holiday Meet
Time will tell whether the MSTCA Invite becomes a fixture on the indoor track calendar.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Day offers a relatively uncluttered week on the Reggie Lewis calendar, but by the same token, many athletes are out of town on family breaks of one sort or another. This year, the MSTCA created a two-day meet for the weekend of 12/27-28, giving runners and jumpers a chance to test themselves or hone their field event skills. I really like the idea of adding non-standard (indoor) track events like the 200, 400, 800, 5000m, while also providing a full slate of track relays (sprint medley, distance medley included). I think the meet will catch on, and next year will see a big increase in numbers.
Although there were small fields this year, there seem to have been some highly competitive events. Newton Noth's Sam Arsenault and BC High's Corey Thomas staged two high-level duels in the high jump and 55 hurdles on Saturday. Arsenault won the high jump (on fewer misses) at 6-5. Thomas won the hurdles in 7.79, but Sam pushed him all the way in the finals, recording a personal best time of 7.88.
Newton North's Ben Kiley also competed in the HJ, clearing 5-11.
On Sunday, Arsenault returned to Reggie and won the long jump with a leap of 21-5.5.
On the girls side, on Saturday Emily Hutchinson (4-11) and Amy Ren (4-9) finished 2nd and 6th in the high jump. Ren returned on Sunday to take 5th in the long jump at 15-3.75, while Michelle Kaufman was 4th in 15-7.75.
Carolyn Ranti placed 6th in the 800m, running 2:25.06.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Day offers a relatively uncluttered week on the Reggie Lewis calendar, but by the same token, many athletes are out of town on family breaks of one sort or another. This year, the MSTCA created a two-day meet for the weekend of 12/27-28, giving runners and jumpers a chance to test themselves or hone their field event skills. I really like the idea of adding non-standard (indoor) track events like the 200, 400, 800, 5000m, while also providing a full slate of track relays (sprint medley, distance medley included). I think the meet will catch on, and next year will see a big increase in numbers.
Although there were small fields this year, there seem to have been some highly competitive events. Newton Noth's Sam Arsenault and BC High's Corey Thomas staged two high-level duels in the high jump and 55 hurdles on Saturday. Arsenault won the high jump (on fewer misses) at 6-5. Thomas won the hurdles in 7.79, but Sam pushed him all the way in the finals, recording a personal best time of 7.88.
Newton North's Ben Kiley also competed in the HJ, clearing 5-11.
On Sunday, Arsenault returned to Reggie and won the long jump with a leap of 21-5.5.
On the girls side, on Saturday Emily Hutchinson (4-11) and Amy Ren (4-9) finished 2nd and 6th in the high jump. Ren returned on Sunday to take 5th in the long jump at 15-3.75, while Michelle Kaufman was 4th in 15-7.75.
Carolyn Ranti placed 6th in the 800m, running 2:25.06.
December 27, 2008
NNHS Alumni at BU Mini-Meet (12/27/08)
More fast times at BU, as NNHS alumni and others shook off their post-Christmas, post-snowstorm blues, and ripped off some solid early season races.
I never seem to give the sprinters enough credit, so let's start with Cailean Robinson, who posted a 22.66 in the 200m, the 7th fastest time overall. Cailean said he thought about entering the 400m... he said his coach at Wheaton wants him to run on the 4x400 relay... but, well, when you're a 55m/60m kind of guy, the 400 always seems like an awfully long way.
Noah Jampol did his annual 3000/1M double, running a controlled 9:45 in his trainers, and coming back to run a controlled 4:40 in his spikes. In the same heat with Noah was Josh Seeherman, who ran 4:44.41.
It was good to see Brookline alum Robert Gibson, who looked very strong and seems to have recovered from a bout of mono he suffered this fall. At BU, he doubled in the 1M/800m, taking 2nd in the 1M in 4:18.11, and 3rd in the 800 in 1:59.16. Not bad for December with no speedwork yet.
It was also great to see Dan Robb (NNHS Class of 2002), who returned recently from two years teaching at a school in Tacna, Peru. Dan was there to watch a former Providence College teammate, but he (Dan) looked fit, and I could imagine him coming down out of the stands, borrowing a pair of spike, and dropping a 2:00 flat, just like old times.
BU Mini-Meet #2 - Complete Results
I never seem to give the sprinters enough credit, so let's start with Cailean Robinson, who posted a 22.66 in the 200m, the 7th fastest time overall. Cailean said he thought about entering the 400m... he said his coach at Wheaton wants him to run on the 4x400 relay... but, well, when you're a 55m/60m kind of guy, the 400 always seems like an awfully long way.
Noah Jampol did his annual 3000/1M double, running a controlled 9:45 in his trainers, and coming back to run a controlled 4:40 in his spikes. In the same heat with Noah was Josh Seeherman, who ran 4:44.41.
It was good to see Brookline alum Robert Gibson, who looked very strong and seems to have recovered from a bout of mono he suffered this fall. At BU, he doubled in the 1M/800m, taking 2nd in the 1M in 4:18.11, and 3rd in the 800 in 1:59.16. Not bad for December with no speedwork yet.
It was also great to see Dan Robb (NNHS Class of 2002), who returned recently from two years teaching at a school in Tacna, Peru. Dan was there to watch a former Providence College teammate, but he (Dan) looked fit, and I could imagine him coming down out of the stands, borrowing a pair of spike, and dropping a 2:00 flat, just like old times.
BU Mini-Meet #2 - Complete Results
December 21, 2008
The Glove
Looking for that last minute gift for the athlete in your life and have $2500 to spend? You could buy them "The Glove," a simple device that cools (or heats) a body with remarkable efficiency and even more remarkable results.
Developed by two Stanford biologists with grants from the U.S. Defense Dept., The Glove works by using the hands as natural radiators for the rest of the body. Instead of trying to lower body temperature at the surface of the body, the glove pulls blood from the body's core to its extremities (the hands) and cools it there. Its properties have been tested on soldiers exercising in the desert, and on athletes performing at maximum intensity.
Here's an article that provides some details:
Cool Invention Helps Tired Players Bounce Back
And here's the company's web site:
http://www.avacore.com/
It kind of makes that pair of woolen mittens seem pretty tame, doesn't it?
Developed by two Stanford biologists with grants from the U.S. Defense Dept., The Glove works by using the hands as natural radiators for the rest of the body. Instead of trying to lower body temperature at the surface of the body, the glove pulls blood from the body's core to its extremities (the hands) and cools it there. Its properties have been tested on soldiers exercising in the desert, and on athletes performing at maximum intensity.
Here's an article that provides some details:
Cool Invention Helps Tired Players Bounce Back
And here's the company's web site:
http://www.avacore.com/
It kind of makes that pair of woolen mittens seem pretty tame, doesn't it?
December 20, 2008
NNHS Alumni at BU Mini-Meet (12/20/08)
As the snow continued to fall from the tail end of Boston's first big snowstorm of the winter, there were some good early season races from NNHS alumni at the first BU mini-meet of the season. Many runners use these meets as fast workouts, running multiple events for strength and tuning.
Dave Cahill had himself a very nice sprint double, winning the 400m outright in 50.80, and coming back to run 23.80 in the 200m.
John Blouin ran the mile, finishing 4th in the 3rd heat with a time of 4:42.20.
I could swear that Josh Seeherman ran the mile, too, although I don't see his name in the results. In any case, he ran the 800, clocking 2:07.90.
Also good to see several NSRP folks, including Mike Burnstein and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot getting some speedwork in by running the 800, and James Vance, who PR'd in the mile, running 4:34.70 in what he said was his first mile race since high school.
Dave Cahill had himself a very nice sprint double, winning the 400m outright in 50.80, and coming back to run 23.80 in the 200m.
John Blouin ran the mile, finishing 4th in the 3rd heat with a time of 4:42.20.
I could swear that Josh Seeherman ran the mile, too, although I don't see his name in the results. In any case, he ran the 800, clocking 2:07.90.
Also good to see several NSRP folks, including Mike Burnstein and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot getting some speedwork in by running the 800, and James Vance, who PR'd in the mile, running 4:34.70 in what he said was his first mile race since high school.
Hope for the Inflexible
According to the Journal of the Strength and Conditioning Research, a study of 8 collegiate distance runners found a strong inverse correlation between sit-and-reach flexibility and running economy. In other words, the more flexible the runner was, the worse their running economy (energy used at a given velocity). Or, as the study puts it...
"...the less flexible distance runners tended to be more economical, possibly as a result of the energy-efficient function of the elastic components in the muscles and tendons during the stretch-shortening cycle."
Link to the abstract
It's a small study, but if larger studies confirm that flexibility negatively impacts running economy, it's another reason not to engage in sessions of pre-workout static stretching.
"...the less flexible distance runners tended to be more economical, possibly as a result of the energy-efficient function of the elastic components in the muscles and tendons during the stretch-shortening cycle."
Link to the abstract
It's a small study, but if larger studies confirm that flexibility negatively impacts running economy, it's another reason not to engage in sessions of pre-workout static stretching.
December 19, 2008
NNHS (and other) Results From Bay State Meet #2
Both NNHS track teams won on Thursday against Braintree in the second Bay State League Meet of the season. The Tiger girls won 59-26, while the boys won by an even more lopsided score of 72-14.
For the girls, Michelle Kaufmann and Carolyn Ranti had strong meets, as Kaufmann won the 55 hurdles (9.08) and 55 dash (7.85), while Ranti won the mile (finishing 2nd overall in 5:18.25) and 300 (46.28). Margo Gillis won the 2-mile in 11:27, lapping the entire field and finishing nearly 50 seconds ahead of second place.
For the boys, the top performers were Ben Kiley, who won the 55 dash and 300, And Sam Arsenault who everything else. No, wait a minute, that's only the way it seems sometimes... Actually Sam won the high jump (6-5), 55 hurdles (8.17), and long jump (20-7.75). I'm going to go out on a speculative limb and guess that he anchored the winning 4x400 relay, which had the fastest time of the day, in 3:39.78.
It's kind of strange to see the Newton North distance runners without a sub-5:00 miler or sub-2:50 1000 runner, but it's early in the season... Meanwhile, Dan Hamilton, who earlier in the week publicly expressed his desire to have more competition in the 2-mile, got it. Weymouth sophomore Steve Sollowin beat Hamilton by two seconds, 10:00 to 10:02, with Needham's Dan Shields 20 seconds back.
Tony Chen had a great race in the hurdles, claiming 2nd in 8.27 (a PR?) and doubled back to finish 2nd in the 55 (7.19) to Kiley.
More Bay State Notes
Framingham senior Phineas McGovern rceorded one of the strangest statistical doubles I have ever seen when he had the fastest time of the day out of the 45 runners who competed in the mile (4:53), and later finished dead last among the 48 competitors in the shot put (21-6). I'm telling you, I've never had a good shot put after running the mile.
Rebecca White blazed a 3:05.12 to win the girls 1000 for Natick and record the fastest time of the day.
Is the high jump harming kids' self-esteem? More than half the field in the boys high jump (16 jumpers) failed to clear the opening height of 5-3. I've always been suspicious of an event in which even the winner fails in the end.... Speaking of the high jump, Wellesley's Michael Blair and Patrick Conklin jumped 6-3 and 6-1, respectively. All they need is one guy who can jump 5-7 and they have a champion team for the Class C Relays.
Milton's Paul Connor ran the league's (and state's?) fastest time in the 600 so far this year, winning in 1:26.95. Nice to see Brookline's Ryan Hardiman back in action. Ryan finished 3rd for Brookline in the 600, running 1:31.73.
If you score NNHS boys vs. Weymouth it would be 43-38 Newton going into the relay.
If you score NNHS girls vs. Weymouth it would be 44-42 Newton AFTER Weymouth won the relay. Food for thought.
Happy Birthday, David Smith!
For the girls, Michelle Kaufmann and Carolyn Ranti had strong meets, as Kaufmann won the 55 hurdles (9.08) and 55 dash (7.85), while Ranti won the mile (finishing 2nd overall in 5:18.25) and 300 (46.28). Margo Gillis won the 2-mile in 11:27, lapping the entire field and finishing nearly 50 seconds ahead of second place.
For the boys, the top performers were Ben Kiley, who won the 55 dash and 300, And Sam Arsenault who everything else. No, wait a minute, that's only the way it seems sometimes... Actually Sam won the high jump (6-5), 55 hurdles (8.17), and long jump (20-7.75). I'm going to go out on a speculative limb and guess that he anchored the winning 4x400 relay, which had the fastest time of the day, in 3:39.78.
It's kind of strange to see the Newton North distance runners without a sub-5:00 miler or sub-2:50 1000 runner, but it's early in the season... Meanwhile, Dan Hamilton, who earlier in the week publicly expressed his desire to have more competition in the 2-mile, got it. Weymouth sophomore Steve Sollowin beat Hamilton by two seconds, 10:00 to 10:02, with Needham's Dan Shields 20 seconds back.
Tony Chen had a great race in the hurdles, claiming 2nd in 8.27 (a PR?) and doubled back to finish 2nd in the 55 (7.19) to Kiley.
More Bay State Notes
Framingham senior Phineas McGovern rceorded one of the strangest statistical doubles I have ever seen when he had the fastest time of the day out of the 45 runners who competed in the mile (4:53), and later finished dead last among the 48 competitors in the shot put (21-6). I'm telling you, I've never had a good shot put after running the mile.
Rebecca White blazed a 3:05.12 to win the girls 1000 for Natick and record the fastest time of the day.
Is the high jump harming kids' self-esteem? More than half the field in the boys high jump (16 jumpers) failed to clear the opening height of 5-3. I've always been suspicious of an event in which even the winner fails in the end.... Speaking of the high jump, Wellesley's Michael Blair and Patrick Conklin jumped 6-3 and 6-1, respectively. All they need is one guy who can jump 5-7 and they have a champion team for the Class C Relays.
Milton's Paul Connor ran the league's (and state's?) fastest time in the 600 so far this year, winning in 1:26.95. Nice to see Brookline's Ryan Hardiman back in action. Ryan finished 3rd for Brookline in the 600, running 1:31.73.
If you score NNHS boys vs. Weymouth it would be 43-38 Newton going into the relay.
If you score NNHS girls vs. Weymouth it would be 44-42 Newton AFTER Weymouth won the relay. Food for thought.
Happy Birthday, David Smith!
December 17, 2008
The Dropout
"'Taking [the] season off' or 'Work' are the new 'excuses' for doing nothing..."
- from a post on the DyeStat New England Forum
By sheer coincidence, I read that comment on DyeStat a couple of weeks ago on the same day that I met with some Concord Academy kids for a run around Walden Pond, passing near the site of Thoreau's cabin in the woods.
Henry David Thoreau wrote "Walden" about his two-year experiment living at arms-length from Concord Society. Many have found profound inspiration from Thoreau's paean to simple living, many have found it to be the self-indulgent work of a classic dropout who shirked his responsibilities and preferred to spend his time on long walks, gardening, and writing.
I thought of this while I considered that comment about "doing nothing," letting it resonate in my mind. I thought about all the dropouts I had known, and what they had learned by going off the beaten path. Mostly, I thought about my own experience as a senior in high school, recalling a time when I heard similar words from a coach....
* * *
Back in the mid 1970's when I was in my final year at Amherst Regional High School, I took a series of detours from the expected path that had been laid out for me.
In my junior year, I had become a successful runner -- a "track star" (you need to say it with infinite disdain, the way Anne Bancroft says it to Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate") -- and by my senior year, I had begun to chafe at that role. I found that, increasingly, when I wanted to explore some new interest or activity, my desire to follow where it led came into conflict with the single-minded dedication expected of me.
In those days, there was no indoor track for Amherst High School. Most of my friends from the cross-country team played basketball in the winter, although some wrestled, and others "did nothing" (meaning no organized sport). In my senior year, I decided to quit basketball and get a job. I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to run Spring track. More alarmingly to my parents, I decided I wasn't going to apply to college.
In November or December of my senior year, I got a phone call from a college coach. His voice on the other end of the line was friendly and persuasive. He had been an assistant at UMass-Amherst, and had followed the fortunes of the ARHS cross-country and track teams. He was calling, he said, to let me (and several of my teammates) know that he was taking a new coaching job at a big university out of state, and he wanted to know my plans for running in college. Would I consider applying at this university and running for them?
I was flattered, obviously. It certainly gave my ego a boost to be recruited. I wasn't a great runner -- I had seen some great runners and I knew they were at another level entirely -- but I was pretty good and I had been serious about the sport since I was in 7th grade. My entire experience with college recruiting to that point had been the half dozen or so letters I had received addressed to "student-athlete." This was the first time anyone had actually called to talk to me in person.
I also knew that the university was a good school, and I knew that two of my teammates were thinking about applying there. It was tempting to do the same.
But even though I wanted to say "yes," what I told him was that I had decided not to apply to college this year, that I would be taking time off from school and running... to work... to read.... I didn't say "to do nothing" but it probably came out about the same was as if I had.
He tried to convince me that I was making a mistake, that I shouldn't take time off. He counseled against throwing away the chance to run in college, and urged me to reconsider my plans. I think we spoke for another 10-15 minutes before he gave up, but not before urging me again to "stick with it."
I didn't take his advice.
The spring of my senior year in H.S. was strange. Having earned enough credits for graduation, and with no requirement to take a minimum number of classes (it was a different era in public education), I was free to read, to work, and to think about the future. After much thought, I decided to run outdoor track my senior year. Without basketball to distract me, I trained alone for about six weeks, just running along the snowy back roads of Amherst. I had a good season, and it was fun. It was also the last season of competitive running I would do for a while.
While my friends opened letters of acceptance or rejection from colleges, I made plans to find an apartment and a job in Boston. Two of my teammates did attend that out-of-state university, perhaps influenced by the assistant coach who tried to recruit me. One of them ran for a single season before quitting the track team. Both got great educations. Another teammate went to UMass, ran a couple of seasons and then stopped running for a couple of decades.
I graduated, moved to Boston, worked for a year, traveled for a few months, and eventually decided to apply to a school with no athletic programs -- no track or cross-country. It would be another five years before I ran a competitive race again.
* * *
These days, when I talk with high school runners, I am struck by how many of them are struggling to define the right place for running in their lives. Running on a team is great, it really is, and it has a lot to offer, but it is not the be-all, end-all of high school life. For seniors especially, the need to think about what comes next after high school can shift the focus of their attention in ways that create mental stress and strain. Some will re-dedicate themselves to having the best senior seasons they possibly can; others will drop out, rather than go through the motions when their heart is no longer in their sport.
As a coach, it can be maddening. We dedicate ourselves every day to helping kids realize the potential that we see in our athletes, and it can drive us crazy when we see immense talent go by the wayside. Every coach can recall with sadness the names of athletes who stopped caring, or never cared, about achieving their best.
But we are wrong when our focus on track and field becomes so single-minded that we fail to see the potential that our athletes have in other areas of their lives, and fail to see their need to explore other interests and activities. I believe it is a coach's responsibility to try to understand why some kids want to drop out, and help them make the best decision, rather than simply dismiss their actions as laziness or lack of commitment to their teams. Do some kids need to learn the value of "sticking with it?" Yes, I have no doubt. But are there other kids for whom sticking with it season after season, year after year is an opportunity missed to grow in other ways?
I feel strongly that the important principle is one of discovery. Running track or not running track, going to college or working at a fast-food restaurant for minimum wage aren't good or bad of themselves, but only in proportion to the process of discovery and lifelong learning that should be our goal for ourselves and those we coach.
I didn't run in college because I urgently needed to discover other things about myself. I returned to running after college, because I found running had much more to teach me.
* * *
So Thoreau spent his two years in a cabin. Then he went back to work. In the end, it wasn't so much the dropping out that we remember and admire, but what he made out of his experience, what he learned, and what he wrote when he was back at his desk trying to make a living.
In his conclusion to Walden, he wrote:
"I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves...."
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. [...] In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
- from a post on the DyeStat New England Forum
By sheer coincidence, I read that comment on DyeStat a couple of weeks ago on the same day that I met with some Concord Academy kids for a run around Walden Pond, passing near the site of Thoreau's cabin in the woods.
Henry David Thoreau wrote "Walden" about his two-year experiment living at arms-length from Concord Society. Many have found profound inspiration from Thoreau's paean to simple living, many have found it to be the self-indulgent work of a classic dropout who shirked his responsibilities and preferred to spend his time on long walks, gardening, and writing.
I thought of this while I considered that comment about "doing nothing," letting it resonate in my mind. I thought about all the dropouts I had known, and what they had learned by going off the beaten path. Mostly, I thought about my own experience as a senior in high school, recalling a time when I heard similar words from a coach....
* * *
Back in the mid 1970's when I was in my final year at Amherst Regional High School, I took a series of detours from the expected path that had been laid out for me.
In my junior year, I had become a successful runner -- a "track star" (you need to say it with infinite disdain, the way Anne Bancroft says it to Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate") -- and by my senior year, I had begun to chafe at that role. I found that, increasingly, when I wanted to explore some new interest or activity, my desire to follow where it led came into conflict with the single-minded dedication expected of me.
In those days, there was no indoor track for Amherst High School. Most of my friends from the cross-country team played basketball in the winter, although some wrestled, and others "did nothing" (meaning no organized sport). In my senior year, I decided to quit basketball and get a job. I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to run Spring track. More alarmingly to my parents, I decided I wasn't going to apply to college.
In November or December of my senior year, I got a phone call from a college coach. His voice on the other end of the line was friendly and persuasive. He had been an assistant at UMass-Amherst, and had followed the fortunes of the ARHS cross-country and track teams. He was calling, he said, to let me (and several of my teammates) know that he was taking a new coaching job at a big university out of state, and he wanted to know my plans for running in college. Would I consider applying at this university and running for them?
I was flattered, obviously. It certainly gave my ego a boost to be recruited. I wasn't a great runner -- I had seen some great runners and I knew they were at another level entirely -- but I was pretty good and I had been serious about the sport since I was in 7th grade. My entire experience with college recruiting to that point had been the half dozen or so letters I had received addressed to "student-athlete." This was the first time anyone had actually called to talk to me in person.
I also knew that the university was a good school, and I knew that two of my teammates were thinking about applying there. It was tempting to do the same.
But even though I wanted to say "yes," what I told him was that I had decided not to apply to college this year, that I would be taking time off from school and running... to work... to read.... I didn't say "to do nothing" but it probably came out about the same was as if I had.
He tried to convince me that I was making a mistake, that I shouldn't take time off. He counseled against throwing away the chance to run in college, and urged me to reconsider my plans. I think we spoke for another 10-15 minutes before he gave up, but not before urging me again to "stick with it."
I didn't take his advice.
The spring of my senior year in H.S. was strange. Having earned enough credits for graduation, and with no requirement to take a minimum number of classes (it was a different era in public education), I was free to read, to work, and to think about the future. After much thought, I decided to run outdoor track my senior year. Without basketball to distract me, I trained alone for about six weeks, just running along the snowy back roads of Amherst. I had a good season, and it was fun. It was also the last season of competitive running I would do for a while.
While my friends opened letters of acceptance or rejection from colleges, I made plans to find an apartment and a job in Boston. Two of my teammates did attend that out-of-state university, perhaps influenced by the assistant coach who tried to recruit me. One of them ran for a single season before quitting the track team. Both got great educations. Another teammate went to UMass, ran a couple of seasons and then stopped running for a couple of decades.
I graduated, moved to Boston, worked for a year, traveled for a few months, and eventually decided to apply to a school with no athletic programs -- no track or cross-country. It would be another five years before I ran a competitive race again.
* * *
These days, when I talk with high school runners, I am struck by how many of them are struggling to define the right place for running in their lives. Running on a team is great, it really is, and it has a lot to offer, but it is not the be-all, end-all of high school life. For seniors especially, the need to think about what comes next after high school can shift the focus of their attention in ways that create mental stress and strain. Some will re-dedicate themselves to having the best senior seasons they possibly can; others will drop out, rather than go through the motions when their heart is no longer in their sport.
As a coach, it can be maddening. We dedicate ourselves every day to helping kids realize the potential that we see in our athletes, and it can drive us crazy when we see immense talent go by the wayside. Every coach can recall with sadness the names of athletes who stopped caring, or never cared, about achieving their best.
But we are wrong when our focus on track and field becomes so single-minded that we fail to see the potential that our athletes have in other areas of their lives, and fail to see their need to explore other interests and activities. I believe it is a coach's responsibility to try to understand why some kids want to drop out, and help them make the best decision, rather than simply dismiss their actions as laziness or lack of commitment to their teams. Do some kids need to learn the value of "sticking with it?" Yes, I have no doubt. But are there other kids for whom sticking with it season after season, year after year is an opportunity missed to grow in other ways?
I feel strongly that the important principle is one of discovery. Running track or not running track, going to college or working at a fast-food restaurant for minimum wage aren't good or bad of themselves, but only in proportion to the process of discovery and lifelong learning that should be our goal for ourselves and those we coach.
I didn't run in college because I urgently needed to discover other things about myself. I returned to running after college, because I found running had much more to teach me.
* * *
So Thoreau spent his two years in a cabin. Then he went back to work. In the end, it wasn't so much the dropping out that we remember and admire, but what he made out of his experience, what he learned, and what he wrote when he was back at his desk trying to make a living.
In his conclusion to Walden, he wrote:
"I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves...."
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. [...] In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
December 15, 2008
Turn Back? Oh, Man!
Runners can be stubborn, sure, but for sheer persistence, orienteers are off the charts.
Orienteering isn't a big sport in the U.S.; it's far more popular in Europe. It involves traversing rugged terrain in search of marked checkpoints using a map and compass. The best orienteers are generally good runners, but the converse is not true; the best runners are frequently awful orienteers, probably because their brains never learned to work as quickly as their legs.
Runners like things to be predictable; they like to know how far they've gone, and how far there is left to go. Runners don't like wrong turns. Runners wear Garmins, and log their weekly mileage to the tenth of a mile.
Orienteers like to go off the grid; they amuse themselves by getting lost and then trying to figure out where they are. They know that it doesn't matter how fast you run if you don't know where you're going. They fear nothing.
Runners and orienteers sometimes train together -- long runs on trails or in forests are a happy common interest. But every once in a while, the difference between the two breeds bubbles to the surface.
So it was on a cold Sunday morning when our usual group met for a run on the Minuteman Trail in Lincoln. Our typical long run involves following the trail for about four miles, cutting through a cemetery and some other roads to get to the Great Meadows Wildlife refuge. We do a two-mile loop around the marshes, and then go back the way we came.
That's the plan, and we get to Great Meadows after 5+ miles of running, and see that the trail is underwater. The recent rains have swollen the river and the marsh, and for at least 75 yards, we can see that the water is at least ankle deep, maybe more. But after that, we see that the trail is dry... at least for a while; after that, it curves off into the distance towards the river. After a brief discussion, the five non-orienteers in the group want to go no further, figuring that if it's wet here, it will be wet all around the marsh trail. The orienteer, Andy, thinks that trail will dry out after this little bit of overflow. More discussion, and the five runners decide that one way or the other, we're not interested in running another 6-7 miles back in soaking wet shoes and socks, so we decide to turn back. Andy plunges ahead... literally... splashing off through the frigid water towards that one spot of dry trail, yelling that he'll meet us around the other side.
So we run back and down to where the trail comes out the other side of the marshes. The trail on that side is also under water... not a good sign. We wait for a while, and there's no Andy. Happily for us, there is an observation tower (for viewing the birds, presumably), so we climb it and scan the horizon for signs of our orienteering friend. After a few minutes we see his navy blue windbreaker making very slow progress through what appears to be knee-deep water.
Remember now, the air temperature is about 25 degrees F.
Finally, Andy emerges from his circuit of the marshes, his tights wet to his waist. He still has a big smile on his face as he says simply, "You were right!"
Orienteering isn't a big sport in the U.S.; it's far more popular in Europe. It involves traversing rugged terrain in search of marked checkpoints using a map and compass. The best orienteers are generally good runners, but the converse is not true; the best runners are frequently awful orienteers, probably because their brains never learned to work as quickly as their legs.
Runners like things to be predictable; they like to know how far they've gone, and how far there is left to go. Runners don't like wrong turns. Runners wear Garmins, and log their weekly mileage to the tenth of a mile.
Orienteers like to go off the grid; they amuse themselves by getting lost and then trying to figure out where they are. They know that it doesn't matter how fast you run if you don't know where you're going. They fear nothing.
Runners and orienteers sometimes train together -- long runs on trails or in forests are a happy common interest. But every once in a while, the difference between the two breeds bubbles to the surface.
So it was on a cold Sunday morning when our usual group met for a run on the Minuteman Trail in Lincoln. Our typical long run involves following the trail for about four miles, cutting through a cemetery and some other roads to get to the Great Meadows Wildlife refuge. We do a two-mile loop around the marshes, and then go back the way we came.
That's the plan, and we get to Great Meadows after 5+ miles of running, and see that the trail is underwater. The recent rains have swollen the river and the marsh, and for at least 75 yards, we can see that the water is at least ankle deep, maybe more. But after that, we see that the trail is dry... at least for a while; after that, it curves off into the distance towards the river. After a brief discussion, the five non-orienteers in the group want to go no further, figuring that if it's wet here, it will be wet all around the marsh trail. The orienteer, Andy, thinks that trail will dry out after this little bit of overflow. More discussion, and the five runners decide that one way or the other, we're not interested in running another 6-7 miles back in soaking wet shoes and socks, so we decide to turn back. Andy plunges ahead... literally... splashing off through the frigid water towards that one spot of dry trail, yelling that he'll meet us around the other side.
So we run back and down to where the trail comes out the other side of the marshes. The trail on that side is also under water... not a good sign. We wait for a while, and there's no Andy. Happily for us, there is an observation tower (for viewing the birds, presumably), so we climb it and scan the horizon for signs of our orienteering friend. After a few minutes we see his navy blue windbreaker making very slow progress through what appears to be knee-deep water.
Remember now, the air temperature is about 25 degrees F.
Finally, Andy emerges from his circuit of the marshes, his tights wet to his waist. He still has a big smile on his face as he says simply, "You were right!"
December 14, 2008
Girls Footlocker Finals: The Final Mile
If like me you tried to watch the Webcast of the Footlocker finals, you probably got choppy video for the both races, and weren't able to really appreciate the fantastic finish in the girls race.
It's worth watching (without the choppiness).
To set the scene, with a mile to go, Allie McLaughlin -- who has led from the 400m mark -- has about a ten-second lead over the chase pack, which includes three defending champions. McLaughlin looks as if she has been sprinting the entire race, but the pack lurks...
Here's a link to a great blow-by-blow account of the race from DyeStat:
Footlocker Girls Champipnship Recap
It's worth watching (without the choppiness).
To set the scene, with a mile to go, Allie McLaughlin -- who has led from the 400m mark -- has about a ten-second lead over the chase pack, which includes three defending champions. McLaughlin looks as if she has been sprinting the entire race, but the pack lurks...
Here's a link to a great blow-by-blow account of the race from DyeStat:
Footlocker Girls Champipnship Recap
December 13, 2008
Footlocker Finals Today
Indoor track may have begun, but cross-country lives for one more day, at least, with the Footlocker Finals today in San Diego.
Massachusetts runners Emily Jones and Kristin Kasper compete in the girls championships, while Mike Moverman and Phil Galebach compete in the boys race.
Jones has an outside chance at a top three finish, but she is facing three former FL champions (the first time three former champions have faced each other in a FL final). Any of the other Mass runners would probably be happy to be in the top twenty at the end of the day.
You can watch a live Webcast here:
Footlocker Finals Live Webcast (after 9 a.m. Pacific Time)
Massachusetts runners Emily Jones and Kristin Kasper compete in the girls championships, while Mike Moverman and Phil Galebach compete in the boys race.
Jones has an outside chance at a top three finish, but she is facing three former FL champions (the first time three former champions have faced each other in a FL final). Any of the other Mass runners would probably be happy to be in the top twenty at the end of the day.
You can watch a live Webcast here:
Footlocker Finals Live Webcast (after 9 a.m. Pacific Time)
December 12, 2008
Tigers Sweep Indoor Season Opener
It's late Thursday night, and I'm thinking to myself "Thank god for the Internet and instant access to H.S. track results!" Unable to attend yesterday's season-opening meet at Reggie, I settle in to feed the fine print that will enable me to write about the annual juggernaut that is Newton North track.
But wait a minute, what's this? Emma Kornetsky running 3:05 in the 1000? That's awfully fast for the first meet of the season, especially from a runner who, as far as I know, has never run a race longer than an 800m relay leg. And wait a minute, here's Emma's name in the 600... running for Milton? I know it is strictly forbidden by BSL rule s to double in the 1000-600 during a Bay State meet, even if you transfer schools in the 20 minutes between races. And, where is Carolyn Ranti's name? Not in the mile. Not in the 600. Oh, here we go, in the 300 and... shot put.
Ok, fine, so the Internet is no substitute for being at the meet, and who knows whether anything that I report actually happened. But for the sake having something to write about, let's accept most of these results and see what we can make of them...
Bay State Meet #1 - Results (?)
The Newton North boys and girls indoor track teams both started their seasons with easy wins over their Needham counterparts. The girls won every event, and swept all but three, amassing 81 points to Needham's 5. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it was Ranti who ran away with the 1000, while Kornetsky won the 600 (1:48). Nora Barnicle and Susannah Gleason (or their stunt doubles) went 1-2 in the mile (5:51 and 5:53).
Sophomore Evelyn Hurwitz won the 300 (47.59) with Meaghan Pursley 3rd and Ranti 4th. Michelle Kaufman won the 55 hurdles in 9.01 (great early season time!) and Emily Den and Amy Ren completed the sweep of that event. Kaufman came back in the 55 dash to win that, too (I thought you couldn't do that anymore, with participation in these meets limited to 1 individual track event, 1 field event, and 1 relay? Obviously I have not been paying attention...do the hurdles count as a field event? If so, the weirdness just keeps growing).
The high jump looks like it might be a good event for North this year, as the trip of Amy Ren (4-10), Emily Hutchinson (4-10), and freshman Lucia Grigoli (4-8) swept the event. In the SP, Bella DiMambro, Kaufman (she's everywhere!), and Ranti swept.
Oh... almost forgot one of the best performances of the meet, as sophomore Margo Gillis ran 11:36 to take 2nd overall behind BSL XC champion Rebecca White (11:28). After White, the next five finishers in the 2M were sophomores. It's a strong class!
The boys fell behind in the first event (1M), as Dan Shields won in 4:51, with Dan Ranti finishing 2nd in 5:06. Needham's advantage didn't last long, however, as Ezra Lichtmann won the 1000 (2:51) with Niel Fulwiler 2nd (2:52).
After taking 2-3 in the 600, NN got a win in the 300 from Ben Kiley, swept the 55 hurdles (Sam Arsenault, 8.20), won the 55 dash (Troy Peterson, 6.94), went 1-2 in the high jump (Arsenault, Kiley - 5-10), and swept the shot put (Charles Ebbs, 40-10).
In the 2-mile, Dan Hamilton was the first overall finisher in 10:22. North's 4x400 relay ran 3:42.49 to beat Needham, but finish 2nd overall to Weymouth. You can be sure that as a result of that narrow defeat, Newton North sprinters will be running a large number of two- and three-lappers in the days to come.
By my count, a dual meet between Weymouth and NN, Weymouth wins the running events, but North comes out on top 46-39 on the strength of the high jump and shot put. The meet against Weymouth is scheduled for 1/22/09, and is the last of the divisional meets. For both the boys and girls, it could very well determine the league champions.
But wait a minute, what's this? Emma Kornetsky running 3:05 in the 1000? That's awfully fast for the first meet of the season, especially from a runner who, as far as I know, has never run a race longer than an 800m relay leg. And wait a minute, here's Emma's name in the 600... running for Milton? I know it is strictly forbidden by BSL rule s to double in the 1000-600 during a Bay State meet, even if you transfer schools in the 20 minutes between races. And, where is Carolyn Ranti's name? Not in the mile. Not in the 600. Oh, here we go, in the 300 and... shot put.
Ok, fine, so the Internet is no substitute for being at the meet, and who knows whether anything that I report actually happened. But for the sake having something to write about, let's accept most of these results and see what we can make of them...
Bay State Meet #1 - Results (?)
The Newton North boys and girls indoor track teams both started their seasons with easy wins over their Needham counterparts. The girls won every event, and swept all but three, amassing 81 points to Needham's 5. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it was Ranti who ran away with the 1000, while Kornetsky won the 600 (1:48). Nora Barnicle and Susannah Gleason (or their stunt doubles) went 1-2 in the mile (5:51 and 5:53).
Sophomore Evelyn Hurwitz won the 300 (47.59) with Meaghan Pursley 3rd and Ranti 4th. Michelle Kaufman won the 55 hurdles in 9.01 (great early season time!) and Emily Den and Amy Ren completed the sweep of that event. Kaufman came back in the 55 dash to win that, too (I thought you couldn't do that anymore, with participation in these meets limited to 1 individual track event, 1 field event, and 1 relay? Obviously I have not been paying attention...do the hurdles count as a field event? If so, the weirdness just keeps growing).
The high jump looks like it might be a good event for North this year, as the trip of Amy Ren (4-10), Emily Hutchinson (4-10), and freshman Lucia Grigoli (4-8) swept the event. In the SP, Bella DiMambro, Kaufman (she's everywhere!), and Ranti swept.
Oh... almost forgot one of the best performances of the meet, as sophomore Margo Gillis ran 11:36 to take 2nd overall behind BSL XC champion Rebecca White (11:28). After White, the next five finishers in the 2M were sophomores. It's a strong class!
The boys fell behind in the first event (1M), as Dan Shields won in 4:51, with Dan Ranti finishing 2nd in 5:06. Needham's advantage didn't last long, however, as Ezra Lichtmann won the 1000 (2:51) with Niel Fulwiler 2nd (2:52).
After taking 2-3 in the 600, NN got a win in the 300 from Ben Kiley, swept the 55 hurdles (Sam Arsenault, 8.20), won the 55 dash (Troy Peterson, 6.94), went 1-2 in the high jump (Arsenault, Kiley - 5-10), and swept the shot put (Charles Ebbs, 40-10).
In the 2-mile, Dan Hamilton was the first overall finisher in 10:22. North's 4x400 relay ran 3:42.49 to beat Needham, but finish 2nd overall to Weymouth. You can be sure that as a result of that narrow defeat, Newton North sprinters will be running a large number of two- and three-lappers in the days to come.
By my count, a dual meet between Weymouth and NN, Weymouth wins the running events, but North comes out on top 46-39 on the strength of the high jump and shot put. The meet against Weymouth is scheduled for 1/22/09, and is the last of the divisional meets. For both the boys and girls, it could very well determine the league champions.
December 11, 2008
Bay State Indoor Meets Begin Today, 12/11
The 2008-2009 indoor track season kicks off today for the Bay State League, with the first league meet at Reggie Lewis. Newton competes against Needham, with the complete slate of meets looking like this:
Dedham vs Norwood
Milton vs Natick
Walpole vs Wellesley
Braintree vs Weymouth
Brookline vs Framingham
Needham vs Newton North
For the distance runners who competed up to and including the state meet (and this is only my opinion, sure to be mocked), it's too early to be jumping into races when a longer period of recovery and "winter base" would be better. But for everyone else -- the sprinters, jumpers, and throwers -- I'm pretty sure the feeling is unbridled excitement about competing again.
It's a shame the BSL still hasn't figured out that they should score the long jump.
Dedham vs Norwood
Milton vs Natick
Walpole vs Wellesley
Braintree vs Weymouth
Brookline vs Framingham
Needham vs Newton North
For the distance runners who competed up to and including the state meet (and this is only my opinion, sure to be mocked), it's too early to be jumping into races when a longer period of recovery and "winter base" would be better. But for everyone else -- the sprinters, jumpers, and throwers -- I'm pretty sure the feeling is unbridled excitement about competing again.
It's a shame the BSL still hasn't figured out that they should score the long jump.
December 08, 2008
NNHS Alumni Results - Husky Winter Carnival
On Saturday, local collegiate and open competition moved indoors with the Husky Winter Carnival at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury. Several generations of NNHS alumni were represented in the results.
Starting with the field events (for once), Bentley freshman Steve Long put the shot 13.11m (43-00.25) to place 14th in his first collegiate meet.
In the mile, Seb Putzeys ran 4:26.05 to place 11th. After a full season of XC running 8Ks, do you think Seb is looking forward to the shorter races indoors?
Dave Cahill (Greater Boston TC) jumped into the 500 and placed 9th in 1:07.30.
In the women's 3000m, Jess Barton placed 3rd in 10:18.21.
But to me, the most significant result of the day was to see that Harvard won the 4x400 relay in 3:19.30, with senior Jon Wofsy running anchor. While at Newton North, Wofsy was one of the most exciting, most reliable anchors the school ever had. At Harvard, he has had to deal with various injuries, including a stress fracture of the femur. It is great to see him running well, and we wish him good health and the best of luck this season.
Husky Winter Carnival Results
Starting with the field events (for once), Bentley freshman Steve Long put the shot 13.11m (43-00.25) to place 14th in his first collegiate meet.
In the mile, Seb Putzeys ran 4:26.05 to place 11th. After a full season of XC running 8Ks, do you think Seb is looking forward to the shorter races indoors?
Dave Cahill (Greater Boston TC) jumped into the 500 and placed 9th in 1:07.30.
In the women's 3000m, Jess Barton placed 3rd in 10:18.21.
But to me, the most significant result of the day was to see that Harvard won the 4x400 relay in 3:19.30, with senior Jon Wofsy running anchor. While at Newton North, Wofsy was one of the most exciting, most reliable anchors the school ever had. At Harvard, he has had to deal with various injuries, including a stress fracture of the femur. It is great to see him running well, and we wish him good health and the best of luck this season.
Husky Winter Carnival Results
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