January 26, 2009

Stunning Mile "WJR" for German Fernandez

There are debuts and then there are debuts.

Running is his first ever indoor race, 18-year-old Oklahoma State freshman German Fernandez ran 3:56.50 to win the mile at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville. The time is an unofficial indoor world junior record. (OSU web site story)

Fernandez stunned us all last spring when on May 31, 2008 he ran the greatest HS distance double in history -- 4:00.29 for 1600 meters and 8:34.23 for 3200 meters, within 2+ hours of each other. At the Nike Outdoor Nationals 3 weeks later, he broke the national H.S. 2M record, running 8:34.40.

Then in November, after an outstanding XC season, he was running in the chase pack at the NCAA Div I championships with 2K to go when he collapsed and DNF'ed with an injured Achilles tendon. There was speculation that his recovery might be long, but later reports were more optimistic -- it wasn't as serious as initially feared.

That was 8 weeks ago. One assumes the training has been light since then.

So how fast is 3:56.50? It is 3s faster than Alan Webb ran indoors at the same age. It is faster than anyone has ever run the mile indoors at that age. It is game-changing, paradigm-shifting fast.

And here's what he had to say about it:

"We just went out there to have fun... That was my first indoor meet ever, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I feel pretty good. I just wanted to go out and run a good time and run conservatively and run smart and it went my way."

Run CONSERVATIVELY?!! Incredible!

January 24, 2009

NNHS Alumni Results - 1/23-24/09

The Boston University Terrier Classic took place this weekend, and as usual produced some outstanding performances.

In the 55 dash, Cailean Robinson (Wheaton College) blazed a personal best 6.50 in his qualifying heat, and then ran 6.59 to finish 7th in the finals. NNHS alum and historian extraordinaire Josh Seeherman (GBTC) ran 2:01.75 in the 800. Teammate Dave Cahill ran 51.05 in the 400, a time that might have won the event at the BU mini-meet, but placed him 38th here.

In the throws, David Smith put the shot 13.52m (44-04.25) , and threw the weight 14.18m (46-06.25), which is (I think) a personal best in that event.

On Saturday, Brandeis hosted the 2009 Reggie Poyau Invitational in Waltham, and in the 3000m, Doug Brecher ran a season's best 8:58.12 to finish 7th. He then doubled back to anchor (yes, anchor!) the Bates 4x800 team, which ran 8:33.52. In that same meet Newton South alum Sam Donovan had quite a day, winning the mile in a PR 4:22.49 with a dramatic kick, and then anchoring the winning 4x800 team.

At the St. Lawrence Invitational Saturday, Dan Chebot dropped down from his usual 3k/5k races to run the 1000, finishing 7th in 2:42.39. Dan also ran the 1600 for Rochester in the DMR (11:02).

At Wesleyan's Cardinal Invitational (I) this weekend, Scott Cole ran the mile, finishing in 4:41.78.

Seb Putzeys ran 1:59.91 for the 800 on Friday, as Northeastern competed in the Great Dane Classic at the NYC Armory.

January 23, 2009

Weymouth Girls Defend Carey Title 49-37

Newton North got monster performances, PRs, and wins from Margo Gillis (1000), Carolyn Ranti (600), Emily Hutchinson (HJ), and Michelle Kaufman (55H and 55 dash), but it wasn't enough against a Weymouth team that was very deep, very talented, and very determined to defend its Carey Division championship.

From the first event, Weymouth established the fact that the Tigers would have to battle for every point. In the mile, Jill Corcoran blasted through the first 400 meters in 74s, leaving Nora Barnicle at least 15 meters back with Weymouth freshman Bridget Jaklitsch stalking her. Corcoran ran solo for the win, and Jaklitsch waited until the last 400m and then moved decisively to settle the issue of second place.

Facing an 8-1 deficit, the Tigers turned to Margo Gillis in the 1000. Running the event for only the second time, Gillis set the track on fire, running the first 200m in a jaw-dropping 32s, the same split that Ezra Lichtman ran while leading the boys 1000! Weymouth's Carolyn Connolly could only hope that Gillis would blow up, but she held her form, if not the pace, hitting splits of 68, 1:45, and 2:23, before bringing it home in 3:01.15.

It would be hard for anyone to top that performance, but Carolyn Ranti equaled it, coming from behind to win the 600 in a personal best 1:39.75 (third fastest in the state this year). At first, it seemed that Ranti was hopelessly out of position, the victim of a quick starting gun and a bad start. Running in fourth place through the first lap, Ranti split a fast but reasonable 32s (2s behind Sam Bennett 30-flat!). Ranti kept her cool, passing teammate Sam Gluck at the 300m mark, and drawing even with Weymouth's Melissa Kimball at the bell. Throughout the final 200m, Ranti inched closer to Bennett, who was still running strong, although feeling the fast early pace. Into the home stretch, Bennett still led, but Ranti had a little bit more left and caught the Weymouth runner 15 meters from the line and won by a step and a half.

With Newton sophomore Emily Hutchinson on her way to a marvelous 5-4 in the high jump (and Amy Ren 2nd at 5-0), this was the high point of the meet for the Tigers. But the see-saw of the meet continued. Within a few minutes, Weymouth had a swept the 300, and taken 1-3 in the shot put for what would prove to be an insurmountable lead.

Michelle Kaufman would later win the 55 hurdles (8.65) and 55 dash (7.61) in the fastest times of the night, but with Jen Bell taking 2nd in each race for Weymouth, Kaufman's points would not be enough. Weymouth's Andrea Hicks won the 2-mile, and a third place in that event for Weymouth gave them 44 points and the meet.

The 4x400, while no longer decisive, was well-contested, with Weymouth winning in a season's best 4:08.93 to North's 4:16.29.

Congratulations to Weymouth for defending their title, and to both teams for a tremendous meet!

Event Results - Bay State Meet #5

No Regime Change; Newton Boys Overtake Weymouth, 49-37

After three events on the track, Newton North found itself down to Weymouth 22-5.

In the mile, Robert Keegan and Sean Galligan had been too strong for Greg Cohan and Dan Ranti, as the Weymouth pair finished together in 4:47.29 and 4:47.31, respectively, earning the first 8 points of the meet.

Then Steve Sallowin ran the fastest 1000 of the night (2:39.41), kicking well away from Ezra Lichtman (2:43.75), with Weymouth's Kody Crawford hanging on for third place.

Next, what seemed like a disaster, as Niel Fulwiler exhausted himself with mid-race surges trying to wrest the lead from Weymouth's Chris Dooley, and ended up running out of gas in the final 50m, as Zak Stuart came on to take 2nd.

It looked bad, but fortunately, Ben Kiley was about to put things right. In the last two weeks, the Newton junior (I mistakenly wrote earlier that he was a soph) has emerged as one of the key cogs in the Newton North machine, as well as a tremendous competitor.

As Sam Arsenault won the high jump with a single clearance at 5-10, Kiley secured 2nd by clearing 5-8 on his first try. He then barely brushed the bar with his arm while attempting 6-0. Moving to the 300, Kiley ran a brilliant race, seizing the lead and the inside lane in the first 300, and holding off David Bean in the straight to win in a PR 36.88 (fastest time of the night, fastest time in a league meet this year, and 9th fastest in the state this year).

Still trailing by 7, the Tigers tied the meet in the 55 hurdles, as Sam Arsenault won in 8.11, and Tony Chen came up huge to take 2nd in 8.14, ahead of Weymouth's Malcolm Gurley.

In the 55 dash, it was Kiley again, flashing across the line a personal best 6.84, just 0.04 ahead of Bean. With Tony Chen taking 3rd, the Tigers had the lead for the first time. Weymouth answered by taking 1-3 in the shot put, with Shawn Finn throwing 41-10 for the win.

Weymouth had used its best distance runners in the shorter events, and North's best distance runner, Dan Hamilton, was a lock to win the 2-Mile. The battle was for 2nd, and Newton's Mike Weinfeld won the battle, running an indoor best 10:54 to edge out Weymouth's Michael Mahoney by less than three seconds. Knowing that Michael has trained about a 1000 miles since the beginning of summer, I was really happy that it all paid off in winning those three points that tipped the meet finally and inexorably in Newton North's favor.

As in the girls' meet, the relay would not decide the outcome. Nevertheless, there was no lack of excitement. Newton North won, with Weymouth three seconds back. It was a fitting final contest in a meet full of great competitions. Weymouth came close, very close indeed, to bringing regime change to the Bay State League. But for at least one more year, the Tigers will take home the Carey crown.

Event Results - Bay State Meet #5

January 21, 2009

95 laps, 381 Turns

With roads narrowed by high snowbanks, and the thermometer stuck in the teens, many runners are exercising the better part of valor and moving indoors -- and not just for track workouts, but for recovery days, long runs, and more.

Sam Donovan describes a 12-mile run on the 8-lap-to-a-mile Brandeis indoor track. Tyler told me about doing a six-mile run on the 12-lap-to-a-mile "gym" running track at Dartmouth, where they have "clockwise days" and "counter-clockwise days."

But all of that pales when compared to the running of the first "InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon" at the Pettit National Ice Center in West Allis, Wisconsin. The race was run last Saturday on an over-sized (> 400m) indoor running track built around an ice-skating rink which kept race-day temperatures to 55 degrees.

Runners race in circles to finish indoor marathon

January 20, 2009

NN vs. Weymouth Thursday for the Carey Title(s)

Two very good girls team will compete for the Bay State Carey Division crown on Thursday.

In this corner, Newton North, well-balanced and without an obvious weakness. The Tigers are led by a handful of upperclasswomen, but buoyed by a rising tide of talented freshmen and sophomores.

And in the opposite corner, Weymouth, a well-balanced team without an obvious weakness. The Wildcats are led by a handful of upperclasswomen, but buoyed by... um... wait a minute...

Yes, like an old married couple, Newton North and Weymouth have come to resemble each other more and more over the past few years. They're not identical, of course, Weymouth holds an edge in the long sprints (and 4x400), while Newton gets the nod in the hurdles and high jump. Otherwise, there's an eerie balance between the two teams that should make for an exciting meet in which the outcome depends on hard-earned third places, as well as epoch battles for wins.

Brookline coach Mike Glennon has already written a thorough preview of the meet, but I can't resist adding a few observations:

Last year's meet was expected to be close, but Weymouth turned it into a rout by winning just about every close race and dominating the sprints. Perhaps the low point of that meet for Newton North was the 300, in which the Tigers used their two best runners (Carolyn Ranti and Michelle Kaufmann) and scored 1 point. That won't happen again, I think.

As I try to handicap the races, I find myself starting from the end and working backward. I'd be willing to bet my Reggie Lewis Center photo ID that Weymouth will win the relay. The Weymouthites are too strong in the 300-600 events, and I don't see how Newton can afford to save Ranti for that race. On the straightaway, Kaufman is the favorite to win both the 55 and 55 hurdles, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say Newton takes 2nd in the hurdles as well. In the high jump, I'm projecting Newton goes 1-2. In the shot put, Weymouth goes 1-3.

If those predictions are right, then Newton outscores Weymouth 24-17 at the back end of the meet. What will happen on the oval in the 1M, 2M, 1000, 600, and 300?

The mile should be a great race with Ranti and Corcoran battling it out for the win, and third place up for grabs. Let's say 5-4 Weymouth. The 1000 goes to Weymouth's Carolyn Connolly, but Newton takes 2nd and 3rd; 5-4 Weymouth.

Weymouth dominates the 600, with Sam Bennett and Melissa Kimball taking 1st and 2nd over Emma Kornetsky for an 8-1 advantage. In the 300, Ranti doubles back but has her hands full with Jenn Bell and Kayla Sullivan, score it 8-1, Weymouth.

Now if everything I've said so far happens exactly this way -- which is, of course, highly unlikely -- Weymouth will have earned 43 points, minus any points from the 2M. that means Newton would have to sweep the 2M to tie. If Margo Gillis runs, she should win easily, but the other places are not so secure.

On the other hand, if the Tigers can get a 2nd place in either the 600 or 300, well everything's different then.

Anyway, it's all just speculation. It should be a fun meet, and the competition should bring out many season's best performances. Good luck to both teams!

And What About the Boys?

The boys meet will also be very close, as Weymouth is a complete team with some legitimate stars. Coach Glennon is picking Weymouth to win and end NN's decade-long streak of dual meet victories.

I'm not so sure... here's how it looks to me:

1M - Weymouth has the advantage with Sean Galligan, but it's a mighty thin advantage, and North's milers haven't run their best yet. I'll say 6-3, Newton, and watch out for Greg Cohan.

1000 - Sallowin wins easily, 5-4 Weymouth.

600- Dooley wins, with Fulwiler 2nd, 6-3 Weymouth.

300 - Bean wins in a photo finish! Kiley 2nd, Isaiah Penn 3rd, 5-4 Weymouth.

2M - Dan Hamilton wins, 6-3 Newton.

55H - Arsenault, with Tony Chen a very close 3rd behind Gurney, 6-3 Newton

55 - Weymouth's David Bean wins, with Newton taking 2nd and 3rd, 5-4 Weymouth.

HJ - Arsenault and Kiley go 1-2, killing Weymouth's chances. 8-1 Newton.

SP - I have no idea who it will be this week, but Newton the Tigers will take 1st and 3rd, 6-3 Newton.

If it all happens thus, the relay would be moot. We can't have that! So maybe Weymouth will find more points in the HJ and shot put, or nab a 3rd in the 1000 or 300... Well, I hope they do. In fact, I hope both teams raise their games to the highest level of the season. I've been picking Weymouth as the top contender all season, and it should be a great competition.

Good luck to both teams!

A Sprinter in the White House

January 20, 2009 -- Inauguration Day -- and a day with true historic significance amid all the hope, hype, and hyperbole. Regardless of where we all fall on the political spectrum, I'm guessing most of us are hoping the new president succeeds at creating a unity of purpose and action that moves us forward from our recent polarized past.

I've written (tongue-in-cheek!) about distance runners in the White House, and about how the Republicans always seemed to have the better marathoners. Well, change is coming. Our new president is a basketball guy, and his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, is a sprinter.

Yes, that's right. According to the Illinois Senior Olympics Organization, Michelle's mom, who will move in to the White House along with the first couple and their children, competed as a 61-year-old in the 1998 Illinois Senior Games, running and finishing second in both the 50m and 100m dashes. Her time in the 50 was 9.33; her time in the 100 was 19.09. An injury ended her senior track career, but it makes one wonder what her times were like when she was younger, or did she even compete? Was track a late love, or a lifetime passion?

In any case, this is the kind of diversity the country needs. For too long, the residents of the White House have been joggers and mountain bikers. I say the country is ready to welcome athletes who know their way around starting blocks.

Who knows, maybe in our time we will overcome the deep divisions in our collective past and even see a thrower elected to the highest office in the land. Eisenhower installed a putting green on the White House grounds, can we ever imagine a shot put circle there? Yes we can!

January 19, 2009

NNHS Alumni Results - Jan 17/18, 2009

Yale competed against Dartmouth and Columbia on Sunday, and David Smith (NNHS '07, Yale ) had a big day in the throws. Smith tossed the weight 13.79 meters, and threw the shot 15.13 (49-7.5) for second place. I believe those are both collegiate personal bests.

By the way, Brookline's Matt Stewart ran 2:29.39 for 1000m at the Yale meet, which is, I believe the first time he has been under 2:30.00 for that distance.

Another former NNHS shot putter was in action on Sunday, as Steve Long (NNHS '08, Bentley '12) threw the shot 12.13 at the Greater Boston Meet at Harvard's Gordon Track. Also at the GBTC meet, John Blouin ran 9:16.39 for 3K.

On Saturday, Doug Brecher (Bates '10) competed in a tri-meet among Bates, Colby, and MIT in Lewiston, ME. Doug ran 9:09.42 for 3K and 4:35.49 for 1 mile. Solid times for a flat track.

Wesleyan University was in in action on Saturday, and Scott Cole ran 2:45.78 for 1000m to place 7th in that race.

Dan Chebot (Rochester '09) competed at the RIT Invitational, doing a speed double. Dan ran 2:48.42 for the 1000 (everyone doing the 1000 all of a sudden), and 4:41.90 for the mile.

On Thursday night, David Polgar (BU '10) competed in a meet against Sacred Heart at BU, running 4:28.46 for the mile.

January 18, 2009

NN Girls Take 2nd, Boys 6th at Div I State Relays

The Newton North girls won two events (sprint medley and hurdle relay), and finished second in two others by a combined total of less than five inches, to earn the runner-up trophy at the Div I State Relays Saturday. Newton South finished first in three events (distance medley, 50m dash relay, and shot put relay) to win the title with 44 points, while Newton North scored 40.

North figured to be strong in the jumps and hurdles, and that's the way it turned out. The Tigers were far and away the best hurdle team, winning in 30.08 -- nearly a second and a half better than Attleboro.

In the high jump relay, the Tigers (Emily Hutchinson, Amy Ren, and Lucia Grigoli) cleared a combined height of 14-9 to take 2nd, two inches (one clearance) behind Lexington (14-11). In the long jump relay, the Michelle Kaufman, Amy Ren, and Emma Kornetsky averaged 15-9 for a total distance of 47-01.75. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Bridgewater-Raynham jumped 2.5 inches more to win the event in a new Div I meet record of 47-4..25.

While the strong performance in the jumps was, perhaps, expected, the win in the sprint medley was huge, as the Tigers (4:17.07) finished more than a second ahead of Andover, and third-place Weymouth. The Tigers also got four points in the distance medley, running 12:43.87 for fourth, just behind Weymouth (12:41.32) and Lincoln-Sudbury (12:40.83).

The girls now have to prepare for next week's clash against undefeated Weymouth, a formidable team that chalked up three third places, a fifth and a sixth at this meet.

Div I State Relays - Girls Results

NN Boys 6th

The Newton North boys scored in five separate events on Saturday, taking a 2nd, a 3rd, a 4th, a 5th, and a 6th, to end up with 21 points. The Tigers also hoped to score in the 4x200, but were DQ'ed.

NN's best event was the HJ relay where the Tigers (Sam Arsenault, Ben Kiley, and Tony Chen (?)) combined to clear an aggregate 17-7. The Tigers' runner-up finish was over-shadowed by BC High's Corey Thomas jumping 6-11 to lead his team to the victory with an all-class record 18-4.75. Thomas is one inch away from being the first Mass H.S. 7-footer since... well, I'm not sure who the last one was. Very exciting.

The Tigers got a third place in the hurdle relay (27.09), also won by BC Hgh, and a fourth in the 4x400 in a season's best 3:32.07. The shuttle dash team took fifth (23.10), only five hundredths of a second out of third, and the on the other end of the distance spectrum, the distance medley team got a well-earned and unexpected 6th place running 11:17.

Div I State Relays - Boys Results

January 16, 2009

Some Cold Runs

Anyone feel like a little group therapy, sharing your stories of really cold runs? This cold snap makes me think of some memorable winter runs from the distant and not-so-distant past...

People often ask "do you run in this weather?" and wonder whether the really cold air freezes your lungs. I don't know at what point that becomes likely, but I've never felt even close to that point. The coldest actual air temperature I've ever run in was -3 F. I didn't know it was that cold until I got home. that was a long time ago, but I remember that it didn't feel that bad -- except that my hat froze from the moisture making its way to the hat's surface from my head. I think I also had icicles on my eyebrows.

One of the coldest runs I ever did was barely a year ago. I think the temperature was about 10 F, and I had a pair of gloves that looked warm but didn't really work well at all, and I was running home from Cleveland Circle right into the teeth of a Northwest wind. After a mile, I couldn't feel my hands. Normally when that happens, it only takes another few minutes to start generating enough heat to bring the feeling back and then my hands ache a little bit and then everything is fine. But not this time. This time, my hands stayed completely numb. No feeling at all. I couldn't even tell whether I was wearing gloves or not. I ended up stopping at Newton City Hall for 15 minutes until the feeling came back -- the first and only time I've had to stop a run because of the cold.

One memorable cold run -- really stupid in retrospect -- was a 14-mile long run that I did from downtown Boston. It was probably 15 or more years ago, and Ann and I had taken our kids downtown on a Sunday morning in January to see technicians bring down an office building by imploding it. It was about 20 degrees out, and we stood in the cold with a crowd of other people for about an hour to witness 15 seconds of destruction. I had dressed for running, plus an extra jacket, so that I could leave the car with Ann and run home. After an hour in the cold, I started that run already very chilled. I finished the run with a sense of profound fatigue. I think I slept all afternoon, and then got sick with bronchitis or something.

The longest, coldest I ever felt on a run was also the result of really poor planning. My club was doing a training run on the Boston Marathon course. A bunch of cars drove out to Hopkinton, and then a bunch of runners ran back to Newton -- about 18 miles. It happened that we didn't have enough drivers, so I decided to drive out, and then carry my keys with me. My idea was that I would run halfway with everyone else and then turn around and run back to my car.

It was about 20-25 degrees when we started from Hopkinton, but it actually felt really pleasant because there was a "Montreal Express" wind at our backs, blowing about 15-20 mph. After several miles, we were toasty enough to unzip our windbreakers and feel the sweat in our gloves and hats.

At 9 miles, I turned around.

The next hour was 60 minutes of steadily increasing misery. The wind bit into the exposed skin of my face. The sweat that I had worked up running with the wind made the cold feel much worse. And I felt like I had to work twice as hard against the wind to cover each mile back towards my car. Plus, I had no company. It was just awful.

As most people know, the marathon course begins with a long downhill from Hopkinton town green. As I climbed back up the hill, I cursed the town fathers of Hopkinton for building their houses on top of a mountain. Likewise, I cursed the BAA for moving the start up the hill, and for having the idea of the marathon in the first place. Most of all, I cursed myself for my inexperience in starting a winter run with the wind at my back. I don't make that mistake anymore.

So what are the coldest runs you've done?

Kiley in Kommand as NN Routs Brookline

Tiger Boys Win 60-26

Sam Arsenault is NN's top track athlete, but Ben Kiley scored more points on Thursday night as the talented sophomore won two events and finished second in another, setting the tone for North's dominating 60-26 victory over Brookline. The Tigers won all but one individual events, and had the fastest time of the season for any Bay State team in the 4x400 relay.

Kiley won the 300 with a PR 37.54, won the 55 dash in 6.87, and cleared 5-7 in the high to take second behind Arsenault. In addition to winning the high jump, Arsenault edged Brookline's Joel Parent in a terrific race to win the 55 hurdles, and anchored the winning relay.

The meets started out well for the Warriors as freshman Chernet Sisay (4:49.65) won a scintillating mile, just ahead of North's Dan Ranti (4:49.98), with Greg Cohan a few steps back (4:52.91). Brookline's lead was short-lived, however, as Ezra Lichtmann won the 1000 by nearly a straightaway in a PR 2:43.61 (Justin Keefe ran a PR 2:53.13 to narrowly miss 3rd).

After that, everything seemed to go the Tigers' way. Niel Fulwiler (1:28.72) won the 600 over Ryan Hardiman, with Alon Soran (1:32.62) third. Kiley got his win in the 300 with Isaiah Penn (38.67) third, and Dan Hamilton won the 2-mile in 10:04, the fastest time of the night. In the field events, North went 1-2 in the high jump and swept the shot put, as the Mike Bower Athletic Club had three throwers over 40 feet in the same meet for the first time this season, led by freshman Charles Pappas (41-00.5).

Tiger Girls Cruise 68-18

Michele Kaufman continued to pile up victories, winning the 55 hurdles (9.03), 55 dash (7.81), and shot put (27-00.25!) in the Tigers easy victory over Brookline Thursday. Kaufman also had a leap of 15-11.5 in the (non-scoring) long jump.

Sophomores Amy Ren and Emily Hutchinson tied for first in the high jump, as each equaled their seasons-best jumps of 5-1. With freshman Lucia Grigoli clearing 4-9, the Tigers have a very respectable team in place for the State Relays.

Nora Barnicle ran a season's best 5:39.68 to win the mile, with Elena Hemler (5:57.92) taking second. Margo Gillis dropped down from the 2-mile to the 1000 and ran an outstanding time of 3:06.24 for the win. Carolyn Ranti ran a PR 1:42.28, and had the fastest time of the night while leading North to a sweep in that event.

North also swept the 300 with a trio of underclassmen. Sophomore Evelyn Hurvitz (46.59) won, followed by fellow soph Meaghan Pursley (46.68), and freshman Steph Brown (47.59).

Franca Godenzi took 2nd in the 2-mile (13:06), and North swept both sprints and the relay.

Both the boys and the girls will face their toughest tests next week as North takes on Weymouth.

Bay State Meet #4 Results

January 15, 2009

Dress for Duress

Yesterday, with temperatures low and heading lower, I prepared for my run by pulling on my extra-long, extra-warm polypro under-layer (with turtleneck), then another polypro layer that has a tight weave for cutting the wind, and finally a third outside shell. I didn't use my warmest leggings, but instead trusted that my SportHill tights would be warm enough for 20 degrees. I used long socks (so as not to expose the ankles), my warmer gloves (still not warm enough -- I should have used two pairs), and a good warm hat.

Of course, I used lip blam and vaseline to protect my face.

Running from Concord Academy, I returned at about the same time as the winter running class was heading out for their run. I saw kids with long-sleeve t-shirts (only), bare legs, no hats, not glove or mittens...and I wondered...

What is it about high school that makes kids unable to dress for the weather? As soon as they graduate...boom!... they suddenly start pulling on the layers, the hats, the gloves... but until they graduate they will go out in any weather with little thought about their choice of gear.

I used to think that high schools kids didn't feel the cold, but I don't think that's true. I think they feel the cold, but somehow don't connect it with their clothing. For reasons that remain mysterious, that connection only happens when they receive a diploma.

I used to try to be the surrogate parent, telling kids to dress warmly, but I was always ignored. I also used to routinely keep a half dozen hats and pairs of gloves in my bag when I came to practice, and would loan them out if any of the kids started complaining, or even if they didn't.

"Here, wear this!" I would say, handing over a hat to a sophomore in a t-shirt and shorts. "Take these gloves," I would say to a junior shivering at the door on his way out for a five-miler.

Often, the recipient would look skeptically at the article of clothing, and accept it reluctantly and only after further prodding.

But a few months out of high school, every single runner suddenly acquired the tights, vests, windbreakers, hats, gloves, and savvy to handle nasty weather. I don't get it.

Well, the next few days will test this theory, and might accelerate the learning process for our current high school athletes.

January 13, 2009

Annual NN vs. Brookline Preview

Newton North competes against Brookline on Thursday, and I can't help thinking about last year's thrilling meet between the two schools. On the boys side, it was one of the best dual meets I've ever seen, where every event was important and contested, and it all came down to the relay. If anyone else is feeling nostalgic, here are links to the results from that meet, and my post after it was all over:

Bay State Meet Results - Jan 17, 2008

Tigers Edge Warriors 44-42 in Epic Meet

So much has changed in a year, with the graduation of many of the key athletes from that meet, and the emergence of a new generation of point-scorers. Unlike last year, when Brookline seemed to have the edge going in to the meet, this year Newton North looks better on paper, but that means very little when the meet gets underway.

Here's an event-by-event preview, comparing the two teams:

1M - Who will run the mile? I gotta believe that Dan Hamilton will run the 2M, his specialty, and that Newton will be represented by Dan Ranti here. Brookline could run a number of folks, perhaps freshman Chernet Sisay? I think they'll keep Hardiman in the 1000 and Grove in the 2M. Sampson? Sam Pratt-Otto? I'll score this 5-4, Newton, because basically I have no idea how it will turn out.

1000 - Ezra Lichtmann continues to improve with every race, but then, so does Brookline senior Ryan Hardiman. I'll give the edge to Brookline here, and guess that they have another runner who can grab 3rd ahead of Justin Keefe. 6-3, Brookline.

600 - Sandler vs. Fulwiler should be a great race, but I'll give the edge to the Brookline senior. 5-4, Brookline.

300 - Miller has run 37.96, Ben Kiley 38.11. This race could go either way, but I expect Newton to pick up 3rd place. Score it 5-4, Brookline.

2M - It's gotta be Hamilton vs. Grove here, and although I would love to see Dan win, I think Grove -- who ran the second-most-impressive one-shoe effort I've ever seen in the 2008 XC All-State meet, will prevail. Brookline will take third (Lang Pratt-Otto?) Score it 6-3, Brookline.

55 hurdles - Parent will step up, but Arsenault and Chen are much better than last year. 8-1, Newton.

55 dash - Ben Kiley gets the win here, with Parent 2nd, and Troy Peterson 3rd. 6-3, Newton.

HJ - There will be no repeat of last year's bizarre series of events in which the official adjusted the standards between Alex Lippincott's 2nd and 3rd jumps at 6-4. Arsenault wins, with Kiley 3rd. 6-3, Newton.

SP - Even without a 50-footer, Newton has depth here, and unless Joel Parent can "pull a Bennett" and PR by several feet, Newton will sweep, 9-0.

4x400 - I never bet against Newton in a relay, and besides, they have the fastest time in the league this year. 5-0, Newton.

So there you have it. Totaling the projected scores it's 55-33, Newton, and somehow I think Brookline will find ways to make it closer. Could they turn the tables? Oh yes, yes indeed. We'll have to wait for the meet to see...

Good luck to both teams!

January 11, 2009

NN Girls at Dartmouth Relays

Newton North's girls indoor track team made the trip up to Hanover to compete in the Dartmouth Relays, Saturday.

Ari Sanchez (8.13), Latifah Smalls (8.19), and Steph Brown (8.36) competed in the 55 dash heats, but didn't advance to the next round.

In the 400, Emma Kornetsky (63.84, 12th overall) and Jaya Tripathi (66.84) both won their heats. Jen Liu (69.38) was 3rd in hers.

Carolyn Ranti placed 11th in the 800 (2:25.42), with Nora Barnicle (2:36.59) and Miller Tuohy (2:39.91) also competing. Caeden Brynie ran the 1000 (3:34.15).

Susannah Gleason was NN's top finisher in the mile, running a season's best 5:49.54 (5:45.24 is the qualifying time for the MIAA Div I championship meet). Elena Hemler (6:09.99) and Sophie Duncan (6:22.52) also ran.

Freshman Sarah Perlo finished 12th in the morning section of the 2-mile, running 12:44.96. Franca Godenzi ran 13:22.74. In the championship section, Margo Gillis shows up as a DNF in the results. I don't know the story there.

Michelle Kaufman had the fourth fastest time in the heats of the 55 hurdles (8.99), but struggled in the semi-finals (9.19) and failed to advance. Amy Ren (9.38) and Emily Denn (9.56) also ran in the heats. Ren had her best performance in the high jump, where she cleared a PR 5-2 on her final attempt to finish 10th. Emily Hutchinson jumped 4-10.

In the long jump, Kaufman had a leap of 16-3.75 to finish 6th (NN's lone point of the day), while Ren jumped 15-3, and Emma Kornetsky jumped 14-11.25.

Dartmouth Relays - Girls H.S. Results

Arsenault Wins LJ at Dartmouth Relays

The top two indoor track & field athletes in Massachusetts were in New Hampshire Saturday, competing in the high school division at the Dartmouth Relays. BC High's Corey Thomas had a great day, winning the 55 hurdles (7.51) and high jump (6-8). Newton North's Sam Arsenault just about matched that, winning the long jump (22-1), finishing second in the high jump (6-6), and placing 5th in the hurdles (7.79 - a NN Indoor record!).

Both Thomas and Arsenault earned 20 points, meaning that their one-man teams finished tied for 8th, and ahead of 45 of the 56 teams competing at the meet.

Arsenault's leap in the long jump is also the top Mass. H.S. performance of the season, so far.

Dartmouth Relays - Boys H.S. Results

Winterfest Results

Newton North boys were in action Saturday at the MSTCA's Winterfest meet at Reggie.

The performance of the day for the Tigers was turned in by Tony Chen in the 55 hurdles. Tony ran a strong 8.24 in the heats, and then a PR 8.05 in the finals to finish 2nd. Congrats, TC!

In the 1000, Ezra Lichtmann ran a PR (2:45.22) to finish 9th with a time that qualifies him for the Div I championships. Greg Cohan did a nice job in the mile, running 4:53.75 (also a PR?), while Dan Ranti ran 4:59.99. That is SO much better than running 5:00.00.

In the 600, Niel Fulwiler broke 1:30 for the first time, running 1:28.99 in the 600m to finish 12th. In the 300, freshman Young Guang ran 41.18.

Dan Hamilton finished 7th in the 2-mile, running 10:07.55. Mike Weinfeld broke 11:00 for the first time indoors, running 10:57.55, and Sam Fogel was not far behind in 11:09.07.

In the shot, sophomore Ryan Donovan was 13th with a throw of 40-05 to lead the NN throwers.

Winterfest Results

January 10, 2009

Twice a Runner

John L. Parker's "Once A Runner" is the kind of book that serves as a kind of passport into the strange and fascinating world of the committed distance runner. High school and college runners read it and are ecstatic to find that someone has captured the in such riveting and particular detail the various states of body that are familiar only to those who have chosen to embark on the vision quest that the author calls the "Miles of Trials - Trials of Miles."

If you are a distance runner, you "get" Once a Runner, and even if you are a 30-mile-a-week athlete in your second year of competitive running, you can identify with Quentin Cassidy, the protagonist, and his struggle to overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of a full and complete commitment to his chosen task. On the other hand, if you aren't a distance runner, you don't get it; the story just seems like an odd series of vignettes tied together by a somewhat simple-minded plot that occasionally goes off on quirky side trips.

It hasn't hurt the reputation of OAR that it has been out of print and hard to come by. It's the kind of book that should be passed around like Samizdat, creating buzz by challenging the established order and the political orthodoxy, and creating a bond among its readers. For any runner who has harbored secret resentment towards a culture that worships football, and, if it thinks of distance runners at all, considers them to be scrawny jokes, OAR has a message for you: there is world in which you are the hero and the football players are the joke, where hard-won cardiovascular capacity trumps the accidental gift of natural speed, and where humorless authority holds no sway.

"Gaunt is Beautiful" reads Cassidy's t-shirt, and we members of the cult agree.

Now Once a Runner is going back into print. I learned this not from Letsrun.com or any running-related forum, but from, of all places, Slate.com in a review by Marc Tracy:

Speed Reading: Once a Runner, the best novel ever about distance running

Even more surprising than finding a review of this obscure running book on a political Webzine, was find out that Tracy skillfully manages to describe the qualities that have made the book a favorite among the few, and a mystery among the larger population:

"The paradoxical nature of the novel's popularity—it was the most-wanted book that not enough people wanted anymore—suggests an intense but narrow appeal. There's a reason Once a Runner has never managed to find a mainstream audience. It aggrandizes the insular world of running in a way that, with due respect to its new publisher, no nonrunner could possibly relate to. It is written for runners—and to keep nonrunners out. But it also nails the running life like no other novel ever has."


Now Scribner will be publishing the book -- in April -- and you'll be able to buy new copies of OAR on Amazon or, god forbid, off the shelves at Barnes and Noble.

Although Tracy feels conflicted about this, I think it's great, but it does remind me of one of my greatest regrets about OAR, and that is that John L. Parker wasn't able to write the sequel that OAR deserved. There is a sequel, it's called "Again to Carthage," and it describes Quentin Cassidy ten years later, returning to training as he copes with personal losses and intimations of mortality, and, improbably decides to try to make the Olympic team in the marathon.

Authors shouldn't have to live up to the expectations of their readers, and I have no problem with Parker basically writing whatever book he wants to, but the problem with Again to Carthage, is that he's basically written the same book again, only it's somewhat sadder and less fun.

We're encouraged to think that Cassidy has grown-up, but I actually got the opposite feeling. It was natural and welcome that Cassidy was in a world of his own in OAR, that he persevered in the face of a world that cared little for his days and ways. But in Carthage, there's no reconciliation. He still hasn't learned to live in the world, still holds the world responsible for its monumental stupidity and mean-spiritedness.

One of the early fun parts of the sequel, a scene that has major plot implications for the ending, is Cassidy racing alone against a 4x400 relay team of his co-workers. We get it, and we smile! Non-runners don't understand the nature of running fitness, and when they venture into the runner's domain, they look incredibly unprepared for its challenges.

But we've been down that road. When we're older, we realize that we cared way too much about our unique talents and abilities. Being able to run all day is a wonderful ability, deserving of praise, but it isn't all there is. It isn't even a very big part of what we should aspire to in our maturity. Being kind, sharing what we've learned -- these things become more important as the glorious strength of our 20's and 30's fades.

The Cassidy of Carthage doesn't get this. He's still on his vision quest, and in the marathon he has his vision -- it's a vision from his earlier days.

I don't know, I hate to sound like a wet blanket, but I'd like to read the third book -- the one where Cassidy in his 50's learns something new while he's out there running even though he knows he'll never make an Olympic team again.

January 09, 2009

NNHS Sweeps Bay State Meet #3

I don't know if it was this way when everyone got back to school, but at my office everyone came back to work on Monday, Jan 5, looking happy and energetic and rested and ready to go. By Tuesday, the energy was still there but people didn't look as happy. Wednesday the weather was bad, and by Thursday, it was as if we'd never been away and we were right back into being stressed and over-committed and snapping at each other.

Nah, I'm sure it wasn't that way in school. Anyway, after a long break from the regular league meets, the Bay State returned to Reggie last night for meet #3, and both Newton North teams recorded fairly easy wins over Framingham.

Sam Arsenault continues to pile impressive performance on impressive performance. The senior won the (non-scoring) long jump with a leap of 21-11.75, won the hurdles in 7.89 (!), and jumped once at 5-8 to win the high jump. He then anchored the Tigers' 4x400 win (3:37.02).

It was good to see Dan Hamilton step out of the 2M for once, running a PR 4:42.13. Dan Ranti moved up from the mile to the deuce and won there in 10:35.32. Ezra Lichtman ran 2:46.02 to win the 1000, and inch closer to the Class Meet qualifying mark of 2:44.74. Niel Fulwieler ran 1:30.04 to win the 600, and also ran on the winning relay. Ben Kiley edged out two Framingham runners at the line to win the 300 in 38.11, and then won the 55 in 6.90. Junior Ryan Donovan (39-10) won the shot put to make it a clean sweep for the North boys.

The girls meet was marginally closer, but Newton won seven events and swept five for a comfortable victory. Carolyn Ranti won the mile (5:22), took second in a photo-finish in the 300 (45.93), and 3rd with a PR in the shot put (26-2.5). Nora Barnicle won the 1000 in a season's best 3:17. Margo Gillis won the 2-mile in 11:37 (with Susannah Gleason second in a season's best 12:43). Michelle Kaufman had the fastest time of the night in both the hurdles (8.93) and 55 dash (7.78).

By the way, North looks very good for the shuttle hurdles, with four girls at 9.81 or better.

Emily Hutchinson won the high jump at 5-0 (with Lucia Grigoli 2nd in 4-10).

...

Severe tests are ahead: Newton competes against Brookline January 15, and against Weymouth January 22. In between (Jan 17) are the state relays. Meanwhile, many of the boys will be competing at Winterfest this weekend. It will be a busy next couple of weeks!

Results on Cool Running

Story in the Daily News Tribune

January 07, 2009

Running Injuries That Aren't Running Injuries

I guarantee you that the most frustrating thing for any athlete or any coach is the injury suffered not in training, but in day-to-day existing.

As a coach, I dreaded interactions like these:

"Coach... my knee is really sore today. What should I do?"

"I don't know. When did you first notice the pain?"

"Right before practice, after I banged my knee on the bleachers wrestling with Joey."

Every coach out there has had a conversation like this, and it's just so frustrating. You try to use such good judgment in balancing hard training days with recovery days. You monitor overall mileage, speed work, weight room work by the week, by the month, by the season, by the year. You watch over your athletes like my grandmother used to watch over her vegetable garden, tending the young tomato plants and talking to the green peppers...

But life goes on out there, and athletes do stuff... regular stuff, like wrestle with their friends, skateboard, shoot hoops, go skiing, dare each other to jump over trash cans...or just walk calmly across the living room carpet... and they get hurt.

Somehow, it just doesn't seem fair. If you engage in a physically demanding activity like track and field, at least your injuries should bear some relationship to that activity. It's more honorable to be wounded in battle. But many wounds are inflicted by just going about your business.

I was thinking about this the other day as I considered the fact that Dan just broke his collar bone (downhill skiing), Tyler hurt his calf (xc skiing), David hurt his toe (snow-shoeing?), and Anna stepped on a toothpick. Meanwhile, one friend pulled a rib muscle shoveling snow, another banged his knee after slipping on the ice, and a third smashed his toe into a table leg.

Back in the day, Ankit got a splinter in his knee while riding his bike, Clay ruptured his spleen playing whiffle ball, David banged his knee while bouncing a volleyball on his head, and Sam ran into a fire hydrant while on a training run.

After a while you wonder if the safest place to be is to be churning out the intervals on an indoor track, and taking a chance with the shin splints.

But what are you going to do? You can't live life wrapped in cotton wool, as Bannister famously remarked.

(Speaking of Bannister, John Landy stepped on a flash bulb and cut his foot a couple of days before his "Mile of the Century" with Bannister. He ran anyway... and broke four minutes. I guess the lesson is to deal with what happens to you, even if it seems like God is playing a practical joke at your expense.)

Watch Bannister (who caught a cold) race Landy (who cut his foot):

Vancouver - "Mile of the Century"

In these winter months when hazards are everywhere, just be careful out there... ok? Just be careful.

Exercising to Stay Alive

There's a fascinating article in yesterday's New York Times Health Section exploring the strange connection between serious, even terminal illness, and the motivation to train -- sometimes for the most grueling endurance events.

Disease Invades a Body, and Endorphins Kick In

"Faced with a chronic condition or a terminal diagnosis, some individuals start training regimens that even the healthiest of us would find taxing. And the result is a fascinating if somewhat incongruous equation: people fighting sickness or disease who are, at the same time, in the best shape of their lives."

For some, the motivation and the fitness are an abrupt about-face from a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle, a chance to reclaim vitality as a kind of last resort. For others, the desire to train grows in spite of a terminal diagnosis, an inspirational swim against the current of the disease that provides at least a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

Some of the people mentioned in the article admit that they might be running away from their diagnoses, but for me that begs the question, by devoting ourselves to fitness aren't we all -- young and old, healthy and sick -- trying to escape the knowledge that we are mortal and ultimately on our way to that final "scratch" list?

Are runners, triathletes, cyclists, and their kind always a little bit closer to that sense of mortality?

I find is amazing, really, that running or biking or swimming for long distances -- activities that can seem so purposeless when one is healthy enough to do anything -- can become the essence of purpose when one is fighting for life.

January 04, 2009

NNHS Runs at Auerbach Meet Today

Newton North freshman and sophomores will be competing at the Large Schools Division of the Auerbach Freshman-Sophomore meet today at the Reggie Lewis track.

Competitors are posted on the MSTCA web site:

25th Annual Red Auerbach / MSTCA Freshman-Sophomore Championship-Large Schools

Newton North athletes to watch include Amy Ren (seeded first in the 55 hurdles at 9.47), Miller Tuohy in the 1000, Sarah Perlo in the mile, and Margo Gillis in the 2-mile. Gillis is the top seed by almost half a minute and could approach Natasha's Roetter's meet record of 11:12, set back in 1999. In the field events, Ren is top seed in the long jump (16'), while Emily Hutchinson is fourth seed in the high jump (4-11).

For the boys, Ezra Lichtmann should be in the seeded heat of the 1000, taking on top seed, Weymouths Steve Sollowin. In the mile, Dan Ranti might make the fastest heat, as he's seeded 14th at 4:55. Freshman Justin Keefe is seeded at 5:05. Young Guang will be running the 300, and Ryan Donovan is the fourth seed in the shot put.

January 03, 2009

More Tales from BU Mini-Meet #3

The third and final BU mini-meet of the winter was also the most popular, with large fields for most of the events (170 entrants in the mile!). These meets are also great for inter-generational bonding, with youth, high school, college, open, and age group runners thrown together, linked only by their seed times and there interest in running a little faster this week than last.

I had plenty of time to chat, standing in the line to register for 90 minutes. Everything else about these meets is great -- the facility, the ambience, the racing -- but the registration/seeding process is stupid, and what's worse, it's the opposite or meritoctratic, punishing those who come early to register and rewarding those who come late by allowing them to cut the line if their event occurs sooner in the program sooner.

Look, BU, don't tell yourselves that we should all be grateful for the chance to run on your fast and fancy track and put up with this next year. Fix the registration process because it's the right thing to do and will substantially reduce the amount of misery in the world, or at least your small corner of Comm Ave. It will be easy -- have a table in the lobby with simple entry slips. Have everyone fill out their own entry slip: name, event(s), seed time(s). Then have them go up to the office; take their money, and hand the slips to two data entry people. That's it. Problem solved.

But on the bright side, I had the chance to chat with former Dedham high (current UML) standout Rex Radloff while we were both in line. Rex ran 4:20 in the mile, a fine time although considerably slower than his seed time of 3:59. Oh now, that wasn't Rex, that was Keith Gill -- who cut ahead of me so that he could register for, and rabbit the seeded heat of the mile. The former Brockton star, and Stonehill grad did a great job, and the fast early pace produced a great finish, with Boston's Omar Abdi inching ahead of Nate Jenkins in the final 40 meters to eke out the win. Abdi's time of 4:14.12 is one of the fastest H.S. times in the country so far this season.

There were at four Newton North alumni competing, and all of them ran the mile.

Josh Seeherman was the fastest NNHS miler of the day, running a PR 4:42.29 and celebrating by doubling in the 800 with a 2:08.77.

Scott Cole looked in good early season shape, running 4:46.83. I should know that he looked good, because I had an excellent view of his kick, which was considerably stronger than my last-lap impersonation of the robot from Lost in Space. "Danger, danger!" Also in our section was John Blouin, who earlier had run an outstanding 9:17.30 in the 3000m. That must have taken a lot out of him because he came back in 4:54.60 (ouch -- the second race hurts sometimes).

Finally, the NNHS star of the day was Jesse Chebot, who with no training to speak of except endless miles on his bike, opened a can of whup-ass on the other runners in Section 10, and ran away with the victory in a PR 5:22.96.

January 01, 2009

Are Training Resolutions Hard to Keep?

The last few days, it seems like I've seen half a dozen stories about how hard it is to keep New Year's resolutions. The most recent, appeared in today's Boston Globe under the title "Why is Change So Hard?" It's hard to argue with the general conclusions of this and the other articles, "change can happen only if people don't set their expectations too high or try to tackle too many changes at once...People are better able to make changes in their lives with the help of others..." etc.

Why is Change So Hard?

I had been thinking about writing about new training habits for the new year, and these articles got me thinking about the whole new year's resolution binge that so many people go through. It seemed to me that there were some obvious things that these articles missed. So at the risk of just adding one more stupid essay to the pile, here are a few observations for the new year.

#1 - Habits are habit-forming

It's really amazing how much of what we do day-to-day falls is the result of our habits and the patterns of behavior we have established over a long period of time. However, I don't happen to believe it is that hard to change one habit for another. I think we do this more often than we think, for example, changing what time we wake up, what route we take to work, what section of the newspaper we read first, and so on. These habits are fairly easy to change because they don't involve a lot of pleasure or pain one way or the other.

But changing a habit like this does take time. If I decide, for example, that I want to get to bed earlier and wake up earlier so I can beat the morning rush hour, it usually takes me at least a week or two to get into the new routine. If I make it through that adjustment period, I'm all set. If not, I'm right back into the old routine before I know it.

I think with training, if one wants to train more effectively, it's saner and more beneficial to target some of our simple habits, rather than resolve to run 100 miles a week or do 1000 crunches a day. Here are some modest suggestions:

- Get 30-60 minutes more sleep each night (try getting off the computer 30-60 minutes earlier in the evening)

- Three times a week, do 10-15 minutes of body-weight exercises involving core muscles (push-ups, crunches, one-legged squats, planks, etc.) after your normal run

- Find at least one new person to run with, and ask them about their training and their goals.


#2 - Decide to Decide

Some changes are hard, but many changes are not so hard. For example, changing one's habits to go bed at 11 p.m., or run every day are not really that hard to accomplish. All it really takes is making a decision. Ah, but deciding to do it and accepting the consequences of that decision -- THAT'S hard.

The way it usually works is that we make a conditional decision, without really realizing it, I might add. So we say to ourselves, "I'll run every day UNLESS I feel tired, or have a sore throat, or have a social engagement, or it's too cold, or it's too hot, or my shoes are muddy..." There are always many, many good reasons not to run. Believe me, as someone who is definitely not addicted to running, I find it very easy to miss days, and when I do, it is almost always because I've decided, CHOSEN to let something else be more important.

I think that it's important to view our behaviors -- what we actually do -- as the result of our choices. So the question is, what do we really want to do? When we answer that question honestly, and then decide to act on our answer, then I think we can change our behavior.


#3 - Give Yourself Credit for Small Victories

When something makes us feel good, we tend to want more of it. So to reinforce desirable training behaviors, we should give ourselves credit when we do the right thing.

How do we do that? Well, to some extent, the trick is to always have a good mix of goals -- some big and far away, and many small and more easily attainable.

I'm a big believer in having daily goals. I think it's useful from a training perspective to know the purpose of any given run, and to get in the habit of setting and meeting a goal for that run. I think the key is to make that goal realistic and appropriate. Some days, the goal is to do a tough track workout and complete it at goal pace. But some days, the goal is just to get out the door and get in a recovery run.

I also believe that if you aren't meeting your daily goals most of the time, there is something wrong with the way you are setting goals. Training should be satisfying - ideally it should leave you satisfied just long enough so that the next day you want to get that satisfaction again. There are some athletes -- and I admire them greatly -- who have such desire that only very hard workouts on a daily basis will satisfy them. However, I am not that way. I need a hard workout about once or twice a week, and a lot of moderate runs in between. One of your goals has to be to get to know yourself better, and determine for yourself what satisfies you.

Once you know that, then you can create a training routine that you can follow and that provides the positive feedback that will lead you to better habits, and ultimately to better performances.