We live in a region with unparalleled support for almost every kind of running, from middle school cross-country to recreational road racing to geriatric track events. every weekend in the fall, the calendar sags with the weight of all the competitive events scheduled in and around Boston. And when I say "competitive" I mean that the depth of talent is unlike anywhere else in the country. As one small example, a week ago I ran in a race in which a masters (40-49) runner ran 33:45 for 10K (5:28 pace) and finished 10th in his age group.
But the undisputed king of the weekend events is the local 5K. With entry fees at $20-30 and a seemingly endless supply of runners eager to improve their PRs and earn another t-shirt, 5Ks are immensely popular as civic events and fundraisers.
For fun, I scanned the race results on Cool Running for the past weekend and identified no fewer than 26 5K races in Massachusetts held either 9/26 or 9/27, and plenty more in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. And that doesn't even count the cross-country events raced at 5K. Anyway, here's the list:
Saturday, 9/26:
Bedford
Boston (x2)
Canton
Dighton
Dorchester
Lancaster
Medfield
Northboro
Shrewsbury
South Boston
Tewksbury
Woburn
Sunday, 9/27:
Billerica
Boston
Braintree
Danvers
Hingham
Littleton
Lowell
Lynnfield
Milton
Northampton
Plymouth
West Newton (my home town!)
Wilmington
By the way, I spotted two NNHS alumni results amid all these 5Ks. Tim Killilea ran 19:19 in the Newton Boys and Girls Club 5K. Meanwhile, Tom Davis traveled out of state to Rhode Island and ran 15:17 at the Smithfield Lions 5K race to place second to Eric Lonergan, who was given the same time.
September 28, 2009
September 27, 2009
NNHS Alumni Results and Gossip - 9/26/09
I wandered down to Franklin park yesterday, where several college and club teams competed in the annual Codfish Bowl XC meet. In the 8K men's race, NNHS alum and Bates senior captain Doug Brecher ran with the lead pack through the first mile, and finished 16th overall in 26:07. Although that is a Franklin Park PR for Doug, he wasn't overly impressed with his performance, and admitted to being tired from a month of 80-mile weeks.
I also chatted briefly with Seb Putzeys (Northeastern) and Jared Forman (MIT). Northeastern wasn't running, but Seb was taking in the action after a long run. MIT was competing, but Jared has been sidelined with shin splints during the early season. He hopes to be back in action within a couple of weeks.
South and West, Johns Hopkins senior Noah Jampol ran 28:41 at the York Invitational (York, PA), finishing 29th overall.
Still waiting to see results for University of Rochester from the Harry Anderson Men’s Cross Country Invitational, assuming Dan Hamilton ran for the Yellowjackets.
I also chatted briefly with Seb Putzeys (Northeastern) and Jared Forman (MIT). Northeastern wasn't running, but Seb was taking in the action after a long run. MIT was competing, but Jared has been sidelined with shin splints during the early season. He hopes to be back in action within a couple of weeks.
South and West, Johns Hopkins senior Noah Jampol ran 28:41 at the York Invitational (York, PA), finishing 29th overall.
Still waiting to see results for University of Rochester from the Harry Anderson Men’s Cross Country Invitational, assuming Dan Hamilton ran for the Yellowjackets.
September 25, 2009
NN Girls, Boys Sweep in Make-Up Meet
Margo Gillis won her third straight dual meet, and the Newton North girls earned their first two victories of the season, beating Dedham 15-50 and Framingham 23-36 at Cold Spring Park yesterday. The girls' record now stands at 2-3 heading into a tough home meet against Wellesley next Tuesday.
According to the Daily News Tribune, Gillis' winning time was 19:42. Framingham's Maria Grandoni and Sarah Bowhill took 2nd and 3rd, followed by North's Susannah Gleason (4th in 21:22), Jaya Tripathi (5th in 21:47), and Davika Banerjee (6th in 22:58).
The boys romped, taking the top four places in a mass finish, with Mike Goldenberg, Dan Ranti, Justin Keefe, and Ezra Lichtman all clocked at 17:18. Mike Weinfeld finished 6th in 18:15 to round out the top five.
The Tigers' record now stands at 5-0
Boys results (courtesy of Jim Blackburn via athletic.net)
According to the Daily News Tribune, Gillis' winning time was 19:42. Framingham's Maria Grandoni and Sarah Bowhill took 2nd and 3rd, followed by North's Susannah Gleason (4th in 21:22), Jaya Tripathi (5th in 21:47), and Davika Banerjee (6th in 22:58).
The boys romped, taking the top four places in a mass finish, with Mike Goldenberg, Dan Ranti, Justin Keefe, and Ezra Lichtman all clocked at 17:18. Mike Weinfeld finished 6th in 18:15 to round out the top five.
The Tigers' record now stands at 5-0
Boys results (courtesy of Jim Blackburn via athletic.net)
1 Mike Goldenberg 17:18 NNHS 12
2 Dan Ranti 17:18 NNHS 11
3 Justin Keefe 17:18 NNHS 10
4 Ezra Lichtman 17:18 NNHS 11
6 Mike Weinfeld 18:15 NNHS 12
7 Sam Fogel 18:23 NNHS 12
8 Nolan Whitehead 18:37 NNHS 12
9 John Sangiolo 18:38 NNHS 12
15 Chris Keefe 19:41 NNHS 12
17 Nathan Harris 19:48 NNHS 12
19 Parker Wells 20:08 NNHS 12
20 Jon Bressler 20:15 NNHS 12
22 Jeremy Markson 20:30 NNHS 11
24 David Buzby 20:39 NNHS 10
27 Mike Saminsky 20:54 NNHS 12
28 Ned Weitzman 21:03 NNHS 9
29 Isaac Feinhaus 21:11 NNHS 10
31 David Demerest 21:23 NNHS 9
32 Alex Petitti 21:28 NNHS 11
37 Bernard McSally 21:44 NNHS 10
41 Eli Landman 22:08 NNHS 10
42 Chris Strakus 22:08 NNHS 11
46 Andrew Frank 22:37 NNHS 9
47 Gabriel Kaplan 22:46 NNHS 9
49 Thomas Bishop 23:00 NNHS 9
50 Austin Dadmun 23:24 NNHS 10
54 Ben Duvall 24:00 NNHS 10
55 Ian Lund 24:12 NNHS 9
61 Andrew Xue 24:35 NNHS 9
62 Jacob Maman 24:44 NNHS 11
September 24, 2009
On Running Hard in Dual Meets
Recently, there was a big discussion on DyeStat's Bay State league thread about running hard in dual meets. The discussion flared when posters speculated on how hard one team was running at a specific meet, which led to a series of posts on the value (physical and moral) of running "all-out" in dual meets, and whether doing anything less was disrespecting one's opponents.
This is an age-old question and I'm not going to offer any grand judgment on it.
But one thing that was never mentioned was the unspoken assumption that high school kids with limited racing experience always know when they are going all out. Maybe I've been away from the highly competitive BSL too long, but most of the kids I coach don't KNOW how to go all-out. One of the reasons we run meets is to learn HOW to run all-out.
We had our first meet of the season yesterday, and I can say with certainty that barring injury, every kid on the team will improve A LOT in the next six weeks. Some of that improvement will come from physical training, but a significant amount will come from being able to take better advantage of capabilities they already have. When you aren't used to racing 5K, the physical sensation of fatigue is unfamiliar and daunting. You don't know how to relax when going fast. You think you're going to die if you go faster. But after several races, you learn how to manage the discomfort and run closer to your potential.
As a coach, when I see someone suddenly slice a minute off their best time, one explanation is that they were slacking off in earlier races; another is that they suddenly got a lot fitter; but I think a very likely reason is that something clicked in that mysterious mind-body connection and they figured out how to be in the physical and mental state that enabled them to maintain a sustained effort for much longer. They figured out how to go all-out.
In every race, if you take it seriously, you learn something. With luck, you learn how to rewire your brain to reach the emotional/mental state that allows you to do your best. And if you run a race and DON'T take it seriously, well, it seems to me that you've passed up the opportunity to learn something.
Maybe when you're an experienced runner with several seasons of highly competitive racing behind you, you can "race" at 80% and not have it affect your head for the important races. In my opinion, most of the runners I coach aren't at the point where I trust that running races as workouts is a good thing. And as for myself, I've tried doing races as workouts, and I don't like it. It messes up my mental routine for races I really do care about.
I guess what it comes down to -- for me -- is that I believe that workouts are workouts (and not races), and races are races (and not workouts). Learning to keep these two straight is a lesson worth learning.
This is an age-old question and I'm not going to offer any grand judgment on it.
But one thing that was never mentioned was the unspoken assumption that high school kids with limited racing experience always know when they are going all out. Maybe I've been away from the highly competitive BSL too long, but most of the kids I coach don't KNOW how to go all-out. One of the reasons we run meets is to learn HOW to run all-out.
We had our first meet of the season yesterday, and I can say with certainty that barring injury, every kid on the team will improve A LOT in the next six weeks. Some of that improvement will come from physical training, but a significant amount will come from being able to take better advantage of capabilities they already have. When you aren't used to racing 5K, the physical sensation of fatigue is unfamiliar and daunting. You don't know how to relax when going fast. You think you're going to die if you go faster. But after several races, you learn how to manage the discomfort and run closer to your potential.
As a coach, when I see someone suddenly slice a minute off their best time, one explanation is that they were slacking off in earlier races; another is that they suddenly got a lot fitter; but I think a very likely reason is that something clicked in that mysterious mind-body connection and they figured out how to be in the physical and mental state that enabled them to maintain a sustained effort for much longer. They figured out how to go all-out.
In every race, if you take it seriously, you learn something. With luck, you learn how to rewire your brain to reach the emotional/mental state that allows you to do your best. And if you run a race and DON'T take it seriously, well, it seems to me that you've passed up the opportunity to learn something.
Maybe when you're an experienced runner with several seasons of highly competitive racing behind you, you can "race" at 80% and not have it affect your head for the important races. In my opinion, most of the runners I coach aren't at the point where I trust that running races as workouts is a good thing. And as for myself, I've tried doing races as workouts, and I don't like it. It messes up my mental routine for races I really do care about.
I guess what it comes down to -- for me -- is that I believe that workouts are workouts (and not races), and races are races (and not workouts). Learning to keep these two straight is a lesson worth learning.
September 23, 2009
NN Boys Beat Weymouth; Girls Fall Again
The Newton North boys tightened up their pack (33 seconds separating their top 5) and took the measure of Weymouth on Tuesday to stay undefeated at 3-0. Meanwhile, the girls ran well but suffered their third loss of the season, dropping their dual meet against Weymouth despite strong performances up front.
Boys 25-33
In the boys meet, Weymouth's Steve Sollowin blitzed the 2.8M course in 14:29, more than half a minute ahead of North's Dan Ranti (15:00) and Ezra Lichtman (15:03). Jake Gleason (15:12) ran a great race to take 5th overall, while Mike Goldenberg (15:15) finished 7th and Justin Keefe (15:33) took 8th.
The boys are back in action on Thursday at home against Dedham and Framingham.
Boys results (courtesy of Jim Blackburn):
Girls 30-25
Once again, Margo Gillis was way out front, winning the 2.8M race in a nifty 17:12, 36 seconds ahead of Weymouth's Bridget Jaklitsch. Susannah Gleason (18:15) had a great race for the Tigers to take 3rd, but Weymouth took the next three spots. Jaya Tripathi (19:06) took 7th for the Tigers, while Devicka Banerjee (19:35) and Becca Traynor (19:37) were 9th and 10th to round out the top five.
Girls Results (courtesy of Mike Miller):
Boys 25-33
In the boys meet, Weymouth's Steve Sollowin blitzed the 2.8M course in 14:29, more than half a minute ahead of North's Dan Ranti (15:00) and Ezra Lichtman (15:03). Jake Gleason (15:12) ran a great race to take 5th overall, while Mike Goldenberg (15:15) finished 7th and Justin Keefe (15:33) took 8th.
The boys are back in action on Thursday at home against Dedham and Framingham.
Boys results (courtesy of Jim Blackburn):
1. Sollowin-14:29
2. Ranti-NN-15:00
3. Lichtman-NN-15:03
4. Crawford-W-15:08
5. Gleason-NN-15:12
6. Connolly-W-15:15
7. Goldenberg-NN-15:15
8. Keefe,J-NN-15:33
9. Weinfeld-NN-15:52
10. Mahoney-W-15:58
11. Fogel-NN-16:10
12. Whitehead-NN-16:18
13. McLaughlin-W-16:18
14. Sangiolo-NN-16:26
15. Dickson-W-17:04
16. LaFleche-NN-17:04
17. Hermitage-W-17:10
18. Franco-W-17:33
19. Keefe,C._NN-17:54
20. Wells-NN-18:11
Girls 30-25
Once again, Margo Gillis was way out front, winning the 2.8M race in a nifty 17:12, 36 seconds ahead of Weymouth's Bridget Jaklitsch. Susannah Gleason (18:15) had a great race for the Tigers to take 3rd, but Weymouth took the next three spots. Jaya Tripathi (19:06) took 7th for the Tigers, while Devicka Banerjee (19:35) and Becca Traynor (19:37) were 9th and 10th to round out the top five.
Girls Results (courtesy of Mike Miller):
1. Gillis NN - 17:12
2. Jaklitsch WEY - 17:48
3. Gleason NN - 18:15
4. Barker WEY - 18:32
5. Hicks WEY - 18:34
6. Tevenan WEY - 18:44
7. Tripathi NN - 19:06
8. Albanese WEY - 19:19
9. Banerjee NN - 19:35
10. Trayner NN - 19:37
September 21, 2009
Exercise and the Brain
Do you really want to do well on the SATs?
Maybe instead of sitting in test prep classes, you should use those tedious hours to go for a run.
According to a number of studies cited by the New York Times (What Sort of Exercise Can Make You Smarter?), there is strong evidence that aerobic exercise stimulates the creation of new brain cells, enabling mice -- and people -- to perform better on all sorts of mental tests.
Light aerobic activity seems to help, but strenuous aerobic activity seems to help more, triggering a dramatic change in blood flow in the brain, which in turn helps create more neurons and connections. However, anaerobic exercises -- like weight training -- seem to have a major effect on muscles, but not so much on the brain.
"Why should exercise need to be aerobic to affect the brain? “It appears that various growth factors must be carried from the periphery of the body into the brain to start a molecular cascade there,” creating new neurons and brain connections, says Henriette van Praag, an investigator in the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. For that to happen, “you need a fairly dramatic change in blood flow,” like the one that occurs when you run or cycle or swim. Weight lifting, on the other hand, stimulates the production of “growth factors in the muscles that stay in the muscles and aren’t transported to the brain,” van Praag says."
Maybe instead of sitting in test prep classes, you should use those tedious hours to go for a run.
According to a number of studies cited by the New York Times (What Sort of Exercise Can Make You Smarter?), there is strong evidence that aerobic exercise stimulates the creation of new brain cells, enabling mice -- and people -- to perform better on all sorts of mental tests.
Light aerobic activity seems to help, but strenuous aerobic activity seems to help more, triggering a dramatic change in blood flow in the brain, which in turn helps create more neurons and connections. However, anaerobic exercises -- like weight training -- seem to have a major effect on muscles, but not so much on the brain.
"Why should exercise need to be aerobic to affect the brain? “It appears that various growth factors must be carried from the periphery of the body into the brain to start a molecular cascade there,” creating new neurons and brain connections, says Henriette van Praag, an investigator in the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. For that to happen, “you need a fairly dramatic change in blood flow,” like the one that occurs when you run or cycle or swim. Weight lifting, on the other hand, stimulates the production of “growth factors in the muscles that stay in the muscles and aren’t transported to the brain,” van Praag says."
NNHS Alumni Results - 9/19-9/20, 2009
I apologize for being off the grid for the last week. The combination of full-time work, part-time coaching, family-related travel, and racing two USATF-NE championship races brought my writing to a standstill. However, I have begun to breathe again and hope to have a few more cycles for keeping the blog up to date.
It's still early days in the collegiate XC campaign, but nevertheless, some interesting results to report:
For the second week in a row, Doug Brecher was the winner in a cross-country meet, as he took first in a dual meet against Bowdoin on Saturday, running the 5M course at Pineland Farms in 26:21. Doug worked hard this summer, and the good results so far are well-earned.
Daniel Hamilton (NNHS '09) placed 43rd at the Univ of Buffalo Stampede on Saturday, running 27:32 for the 5M course.
Boston University was in action on Sunday, hosting the BU Invitational at Franklin Park. Competing in his first race of the year, David Polgar finished 35th in 26:26 over Franklin Park's more or less 8K course.
UMass-Dartmouth hosted the UMass Dartmouth Shriners Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, with several friends of NSRP doing well. Paul Norton (Brandeis) finished 3rd overall in an impressive 24:43. Teammate Sam Donovan ran 26:07 to place 48th overall in the competitive field. James Vance (Johnson & Wales), who was last seen training in Vibram's "five fingers" minimalist footwear, finished 61st in 26:17. Will Cha (Trinity) was 97th in 27:03. Igal Bubar (UMass-Boston) ran 28:56. Did I miss anyone?
It's still early days in the collegiate XC campaign, but nevertheless, some interesting results to report:
For the second week in a row, Doug Brecher was the winner in a cross-country meet, as he took first in a dual meet against Bowdoin on Saturday, running the 5M course at Pineland Farms in 26:21. Doug worked hard this summer, and the good results so far are well-earned.
Daniel Hamilton (NNHS '09) placed 43rd at the Univ of Buffalo Stampede on Saturday, running 27:32 for the 5M course.
Boston University was in action on Sunday, hosting the BU Invitational at Franklin Park. Competing in his first race of the year, David Polgar finished 35th in 26:26 over Franklin Park's more or less 8K course.
UMass-Dartmouth hosted the UMass Dartmouth Shriners Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, with several friends of NSRP doing well. Paul Norton (Brandeis) finished 3rd overall in an impressive 24:43. Teammate Sam Donovan ran 26:07 to place 48th overall in the competitive field. James Vance (Johnson & Wales), who was last seen training in Vibram's "five fingers" minimalist footwear, finished 61st in 26:17. Will Cha (Trinity) was 97th in 27:03. Igal Bubar (UMass-Boston) ran 28:56. Did I miss anyone?
NN Boys 6th, Gillis 2nd @ McIntyre Invitational
You couldn't ask for better weather as local high school teams descended on Franklin Park, Saturday, for the Bob McIntyre Bay State Invitational Meet.
Ranti, Lichtman Lead Boys
Newton North's boys team showed their mettle, placing sixth in a very competitive field -- ahead of last year's D1 champions, Mansfield.
Juniors Dan Ranti and Ezra Lichtman led the Tigers, placing 17th and 20th, respectively, with Dan breaking 17 minutes for the first time.
In the boys JV race, John Sangiolo had North's best time:
North has two entries in the boys freshman race:
Gillis 2nd to Davidner
Margo Gillis ran in the Girls D1 varsity race without the rest of her team in the wake of Coach Peter Martin's decision to hold Newton North out of the meet, which conflicted with observance of Rosh Hashana.
Gillis couldn't stick with Jenna Davidner (18:32, the fastest girls time of the day), but did manage a strong 2nd place in 19:12 in her second ever cross-country race.
Ranti, Lichtman Lead Boys
Newton North's boys team showed their mettle, placing sixth in a very competitive field -- ahead of last year's D1 champions, Mansfield.
Juniors Dan Ranti and Ezra Lichtman led the Tigers, placing 17th and 20th, respectively, with Dan breaking 17 minutes for the first time.
17. Dan Ranti 11 Newton North 16:58.9 15
20. Ezra Lichtman 11 Newton North 17:02.0 18
45. Jake Gleason 12 Newton North 17:32.4 43
59. Michael Goldenberg 12 Newton North 17:45.3 57
89. Justin Keefe 10 Newton North 18:08.0 87
103. Sam Fogel 12 Newton North 18:18.9 101
151. Nolan Whitehead 12 Newton North 18:50.3 146
In the boys JV race, John Sangiolo had North's best time:
50. John Sangiolo 12 Newton North 19:25.3 49
74. Steven Michael 10 Newton North 19:51.7 71
160. Chris Keefe 12 Newton North 20:52.7 131
163. Adam LaFleche 12 Newton North 20:54.4 132
180. Parker Wells 12 Newton North 21:07.4 146
North has two entries in the boys freshman race:
47. David Demerest 09 Newton North 12:03.0
69. Thomas Bishop 09 Newton North 12:30.5
Gillis 2nd to Davidner
Margo Gillis ran in the Girls D1 varsity race without the rest of her team in the wake of Coach Peter Martin's decision to hold Newton North out of the meet, which conflicted with observance of Rosh Hashana.
Gillis couldn't stick with Jenna Davidner (18:32, the fastest girls time of the day), but did manage a strong 2nd place in 19:12 in her second ever cross-country race.
September 13, 2009
NNHS Alumni, etc. Results - 9/12/09
On Saturday, Bates College XC competed against Colby and UMaine-Farmington in an early-season cross-country tune-up. Bates senior captain Doug Brecher (NNHS '06) led all finishers, winning the junior/senior 5K race with a time of 16:12. Congratulations, Doug! Sophomore Ben Chebot (NNHS '08) finished 8th in the freshman/sophomore race, running 17:03, as Bates swept the team competitions.
Johns Hopkins competed in the 2009 Salty Dog Invitational at Navy on Saturday, finishing fourth. Freshman Alex Long (Newton South '09) finished 61st, running 27:57. Senior Noah Jampol (NNHS '06) finished 70th, running 28:41.
Northeastern University travelled South to the JMU Invitational in Newmarket, VA, Saturday. NU Sophomore Seb Putzeys (NNHS '07) finished 45th in the 8K race, running 26:46.
Carnegie-Mellon was in action at the Waynesburg Invitational (Waynesburg, PA) on Saturday. Unfortunately complete results aren't posted yet, but we are hoping to hear news from Ben Finch (NSHS '09) and Billy Littlefield (Wellesley HS '09).
Speaking of Newton South grads, Boston College freshman Bridget Dahlberg (NSHS '09) ran her first collegiate race, finishing 9th in a triangular meet with Dartmouth College and Quinnipiac University in Hanover, NH, Saturday. Dahlberg ran 20:49 for the roughly 3.3 mile course.
Meanwhile, at a meet hosted by Trinity college, Trinity freshman and South grad Will Cha ran 17:34 on the 5K Wickham Park course to finish 42nd.
Johns Hopkins competed in the 2009 Salty Dog Invitational at Navy on Saturday, finishing fourth. Freshman Alex Long (Newton South '09) finished 61st, running 27:57. Senior Noah Jampol (NNHS '06) finished 70th, running 28:41.
Northeastern University travelled South to the JMU Invitational in Newmarket, VA, Saturday. NU Sophomore Seb Putzeys (NNHS '07) finished 45th in the 8K race, running 26:46.
Carnegie-Mellon was in action at the Waynesburg Invitational (Waynesburg, PA) on Saturday. Unfortunately complete results aren't posted yet, but we are hoping to hear news from Ben Finch (NSHS '09) and Billy Littlefield (Wellesley HS '09).
Speaking of Newton South grads, Boston College freshman Bridget Dahlberg (NSHS '09) ran her first collegiate race, finishing 9th in a triangular meet with Dartmouth College and Quinnipiac University in Hanover, NH, Saturday. Dahlberg ran 20:49 for the roughly 3.3 mile course.
Meanwhile, at a meet hosted by Trinity college, Trinity freshman and South grad Will Cha ran 17:34 on the 5K Wickham Park course to finish 42nd.
September 10, 2009
NN Boys Sweep; NN Girls Suffer Rare Double Loss
Newton North's Boys XC team won a pair of dual meets yesterday, defeating Needham 17-43 and Walpole 18-39 on Needham's Cutler park course.
The Tigers took the top three places, with Junior Dan Ranti leading the way in 16:44, followed by Mike Goldenberg (16:58) and Ezra Lichtman (17:15). Justin Keefe (17:22) and Jake Gleason (17:44) completed NN's top five.
Boys varsity 5K:
1. Dan Ranti 16:44 11
2. Michael Goldenberg 16:58 12
3. Ezra Lichtman 17:15 11
6. Justin Keefe 17:22 10
8. Jake Gleason 17:44 12
11. Mike Weinfeld 17:59 12
16. Sam Fogel 18:30 12
17. Nolan Whitehead 18:36 12
25. John Sangiolo 19:42 12
28. Jeremy Markson 20:02 11
29. Adam Lafleche 20:04 12
35. Nathan Harris 20:39 12
31. Jonathan Bressler 22:17 12
The Newton North girls suffered a rare double loss, falling to Needham 30-23, and losing to a strong Walpole team 32-25.
In her first HS cross-country race, junior Margo Gillis ran 19:12 to win. Senior Susannah Gleason was second for the Tigers, finishing sixth overall in 21:24, with senior Jaya Tripathi ninth in 22:09, junior Devika Banerjee 15th in 23:19, and senior Shoshannah Kruskal 16th in 23:22.
The Tigers took the top three places, with Junior Dan Ranti leading the way in 16:44, followed by Mike Goldenberg (16:58) and Ezra Lichtman (17:15). Justin Keefe (17:22) and Jake Gleason (17:44) completed NN's top five.
Boys varsity 5K:
1. Dan Ranti 16:44 11
2. Michael Goldenberg 16:58 12
3. Ezra Lichtman 17:15 11
6. Justin Keefe 17:22 10
8. Jake Gleason 17:44 12
11. Mike Weinfeld 17:59 12
16. Sam Fogel 18:30 12
17. Nolan Whitehead 18:36 12
25. John Sangiolo 19:42 12
28. Jeremy Markson 20:02 11
29. Adam Lafleche 20:04 12
35. Nathan Harris 20:39 12
31. Jonathan Bressler 22:17 12
The Newton North girls suffered a rare double loss, falling to Needham 30-23, and losing to a strong Walpole team 32-25.
In her first HS cross-country race, junior Margo Gillis ran 19:12 to win. Senior Susannah Gleason was second for the Tigers, finishing sixth overall in 21:24, with senior Jaya Tripathi ninth in 22:09, junior Devika Banerjee 15th in 23:19, and senior Shoshannah Kruskal 16th in 23:22.
September 09, 2009
Fall Season Begins Today
The Bay State League cross-country season kicks off today, so let me first wish good luck to all teams and all runners.
Newton North travels to Needham this afternoon. I assume Needham still runs at Cutler Park, right? After two weeks with not a drop of rain, the two-lap course will be dry and very fast. No mudfest this time.
I won't surprised (impressed, yes; surprised, no) to see multiple runners under or flirting with 17:00 in the boys race, and at least one under 20:00 in the girls race.
Wish I could be there, but CA has its first time trial today, too. It's sure exciting to see people racing after a long summer of training.
Newton North travels to Needham this afternoon. I assume Needham still runs at Cutler Park, right? After two weeks with not a drop of rain, the two-lap course will be dry and very fast. No mudfest this time.
I won't surprised (impressed, yes; surprised, no) to see multiple runners under or flirting with 17:00 in the boys race, and at least one under 20:00 in the girls race.
Wish I could be there, but CA has its first time trial today, too. It's sure exciting to see people racing after a long summer of training.
September 06, 2009
NNHS Alumni & NSRP Results - 9/5/09
Results are trickling in from early-season college meets as summer's runners begin tuning up for the fall racing to come.
I knew that Johns Hopkins always competes in the Baltimore Metro Invitational, and it was good to see Noah Jampol in the results, running 16:40 for 5K to finish 9th. Newton South and NSRP alum (and JHU freshman) Sasha Long was not far back, running 16:56.
Northeastern University opened its XC season on Friday at the Bryant XC Invitational hosted by Bryant University. In what I assume was a training effort, Seb Putzeys ran 17:33 for 5K in the men's race.
Ben Finch, late of Waban and Newton South and now a freshman at Carnegie Mellon, ran his first collegiate XC race on Saturday. CM competed at the "Duquesne Duals," an 8K race where results are calculated based on dual meet scores between each pair of teams. Ben ran a solid 28:23, which placed him third for his team.
Mike Burnstein has transferred to Washington University of St. Louis this year, and ran his first race for the Bears, finishing 6th at the Big River Running Early Bird meet, running 19:55 for 6K (5:21 pace).
Still waiting on the much-anticipated results from Bates College alumni meet...
I knew that Johns Hopkins always competes in the Baltimore Metro Invitational, and it was good to see Noah Jampol in the results, running 16:40 for 5K to finish 9th. Newton South and NSRP alum (and JHU freshman) Sasha Long was not far back, running 16:56.
Northeastern University opened its XC season on Friday at the Bryant XC Invitational hosted by Bryant University. In what I assume was a training effort, Seb Putzeys ran 17:33 for 5K in the men's race.
Ben Finch, late of Waban and Newton South and now a freshman at Carnegie Mellon, ran his first collegiate XC race on Saturday. CM competed at the "Duquesne Duals," an 8K race where results are calculated based on dual meet scores between each pair of teams. Ben ran a solid 28:23, which placed him third for his team.
Mike Burnstein has transferred to Washington University of St. Louis this year, and ran his first race for the Bears, finishing 6th at the Big River Running Early Bird meet, running 19:55 for 6K (5:21 pace).
Still waiting on the much-anticipated results from Bates College alumni meet...
September 04, 2009
Bolt v. Bekele? That's a TERRIBLE Idea!
Would the two most celebrated track athletes from the World Championships agree to race each other at a neutral distance? According to USA Today, there is talk of staging a match race between Usain Bolt and Keninisa Bekele at a distance between 600m and 800m:
Bolt might run exhibition race against 5k, 10k champ Bekele
As a betting proposition and outright spectacle, the idea must have a lot of appeal. Usain Bolt has achieved a level of celebrity rarely seen for a track athlete. Bekele, though less flamboyant and less well-known, is perhaps the greatest distance runner of all time.
And debates about how a sprinter would fare against a distance runner probably date back to the first time homo sapiens drew a line on the ground with a stick and said "race you to the tree across the field..."
But as much fun as it is to think about, wouldn't this actually be a terrible race? Wouldn't both runners looks somewhat... well, HUMAN... racing over a distance that favors neither? Why would we want to see Bolt run through 600m and then start struggling? Why would we want to see Bekele fall 20m behind at the start? Wouldn't such a race diminish the stature of both runners?
Oh, I get it... this is a plot by the distance runner to grab some of the fame from the sprinter. This is also the way it always is -- the sprinter is "the world's fastest man" and gets all the glory and really high-profile endorsement opportunities; the distance runner feels resentment so he points out to everyone that if the sprinter were forced to run a lap or two longer, well, all that speed wouldn't do him any good against the transcendent aerobic fitness of the 5K/10K guy.
It's a trap, Usain, it's a trap! Don't take the bait, no matter how much they offer you. if you decide to run the 400, that's great. Train for it and set a WR there, too, but don't get suckered into a middle distance race against Bekele. Even if you win, it won't be pretty. Even if you manage to hold off the hard charging Ethiopian, that aura of invincibility will be gone, the perfect stride breaking down and dissolving in a flood of lactic acid.
Bolt might run exhibition race against 5k, 10k champ Bekele
As a betting proposition and outright spectacle, the idea must have a lot of appeal. Usain Bolt has achieved a level of celebrity rarely seen for a track athlete. Bekele, though less flamboyant and less well-known, is perhaps the greatest distance runner of all time.
And debates about how a sprinter would fare against a distance runner probably date back to the first time homo sapiens drew a line on the ground with a stick and said "race you to the tree across the field..."
But as much fun as it is to think about, wouldn't this actually be a terrible race? Wouldn't both runners looks somewhat... well, HUMAN... racing over a distance that favors neither? Why would we want to see Bolt run through 600m and then start struggling? Why would we want to see Bekele fall 20m behind at the start? Wouldn't such a race diminish the stature of both runners?
Oh, I get it... this is a plot by the distance runner to grab some of the fame from the sprinter. This is also the way it always is -- the sprinter is "the world's fastest man" and gets all the glory and really high-profile endorsement opportunities; the distance runner feels resentment so he points out to everyone that if the sprinter were forced to run a lap or two longer, well, all that speed wouldn't do him any good against the transcendent aerobic fitness of the 5K/10K guy.
It's a trap, Usain, it's a trap! Don't take the bait, no matter how much they offer you. if you decide to run the 400, that's great. Train for it and set a WR there, too, but don't get suckered into a middle distance race against Bekele. Even if you win, it won't be pretty. Even if you manage to hold off the hard charging Ethiopian, that aura of invincibility will be gone, the perfect stride breaking down and dissolving in a flood of lactic acid.
September 02, 2009
Just Say 'No' to ... Ibuprofen?
About five years ago, I was talking to a sprinter at Newton North and asking about her recovery from an injury that had happened many weeks earlier. To my surprise and consternation, she said she had been taking ibuprofen -- six tablets a day, every day -- since the injury. I don't remember exactly what I said. I'm not a doctor and I'm always careful not to give medical advice, but in this case I did tell her that taking so much ibuprofen seemed wrong to me, and she should talk to a doctor.
I have always had a distrust of pain-killers in general, and NSAIDs (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen in particular. I figure that knowing what hurts and regulating your training accordingly is just common sense. However, I have never had any solid scientific reason for my prejudice.
So I was fascinated to read a story in the New York Times summarizing several studies of ibuprofen use during races, and as a regular "supplement" during training. The results strongly suggest, as the article says, that NSAIDs are justified in reducing inflammation after an acute injury, but should NOT be used prophylactically.
Here's a link to the article. I'd love to hear from some of the medical professionals who read this blog what they think.
Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?
I have always had a distrust of pain-killers in general, and NSAIDs (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen in particular. I figure that knowing what hurts and regulating your training accordingly is just common sense. However, I have never had any solid scientific reason for my prejudice.
So I was fascinated to read a story in the New York Times summarizing several studies of ibuprofen use during races, and as a regular "supplement" during training. The results strongly suggest, as the article says, that NSAIDs are justified in reducing inflammation after an acute injury, but should NOT be used prophylactically.
Here's a link to the article. I'd love to hear from some of the medical professionals who read this blog what they think.
Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?
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