NNHS Alumni Results - 9/30

Tom Davis ran 25:29 for 8K to place 20th overall in the Iona Meet of Champions at Van Cortland Park on Saturday. Congratulations, Tom!!

Iona Meet of Champions - Men's 8K

Dan Chebot placed 35th at the Geneseo Invitational, running 26:58 for 8K. Dan was 4th man for his team, which finished 5th out of 18 schools.

GENESEO INVITATIONAL - Men's 8K

Jesse Chebot placed 42nd at the Vermont State Meet in a time of 28:57. That's faster for 8K than he ever ran for 5K in HS.

Vermont Intercollegiate XC Championships - Men's 8K

Bay State Invite Tomorrow

(Edit: 9/30 -- Oops, Newton North boys did not compete at the Boston Invite. Sorry for the false alarm. Did anyone watch the meet?)

---

This Saturday, the Newton North Boys are scheduled to run at the Boston Invite at Franklin Park. This will be the first big meet experience for several of North's varsity runners, and will give the team a chance to see how it stacks up against the very best in Massachusetts. The Newton North girls will NOT be competing.

The meet is set up as two meets, with Div I teams (including North) running in the morning, and smaller schools running in the afternoon. The schedule of events for the morning session is:

9:00 JV Boys Div. I 5k
9:20 JV Girls Div I 5k
9:45 Frosh Boys Div I
10:00 Frosh Girls Div I
10:15 Varsity Boys Div I 5k
10:40 Varsity Girls Div I 5k

Bay State Invite Meet Schedule and Information (pdf)

There is a lot of buzz about the Boys Div I varsity race, as defending state XC champion Mark Amirault (Xaverian) races defending state runner-up Kevin Gill (Brockton). Amirault won the Manchester Invitational elite race last Saturday and would love to post a fast time at Franklin Park. Gill and the Brockton boys have been very quiet so far this fall. What kind of shape are they in? Another runner who could make it a three-person race is Mansfield senior Ryan Collins, who ran second to Amirault at Manchester in a tremendous time of 15:55. Those three figure to be the top individual runners.

The team race is absolutely stacked with the best in the State. According to the latest MSTCA rankings, the top teams in Division I (Boys) are:

1. Brockton
2. Ludlow
3. Brookline
4. St. John's (Shrewsbury)
5. Xaverian
6. Mansfield
7. Amherst
8. Chelmsford
9. Gloucester
10. Cambridge 

Seven of these ten teams will be competing on Saturday, with only Ludlow, Amherst, and Gloucester sitting it out. One team of special interest is North's Bay State rival and state #3-ranked Brookline. Robert Gibson is one of the elite runners in the state and could crack 16 minutes at Franklin park. Fellow juniors Mike Burnstein and Eliot Lehane are both capable of running 16:30 for 5K. After that, it's not clear who will step up to fill the #4 and #5 roles, although senior Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot is probably the team's #4 right now.

Here are the MSTCA rankings for girls Div I teams:

1. Lincoln-Sudbury
2. Dennis Yearmouth
3. Amherst
4. Newton South
5. Newton North
6. Haverhill
7. Marshfield
8. Franklin
9. Westford
10. Wachusett 

Dennis-Yarmouth and Amherst are skipping the meet, as is Central Mass power Wachusett, but all the rest will be there. Lincoln-Sudbury has been dominating in early meets, easily crushing Newton South in a duel meet, and finishing a strong fourth in the Manchester Invitational to nationally-ranked Burnt Hills. Will the L-S train continue to roll? Another team to watch for North is Bay State rival Weymouth, who are hoping to qualify for the State meet for the first time ever this year.

While I haven't mentioned the Div II races in the afternoon, one of the highlights of that part of the meet will be watching the Bromfield girls team, the consensus pick to win the Div II State Championship.

Races Within Races

Someone -- maybe it was my dad -- used to tell me that the great thing about baseball was that every time you watched a game you would see something that you had never seen before. For instance, I took my kids to a game this summer and we saw a batter hit a line drive up the middle that struck the second-base bag and bounced straight up into the air. In all the hundreds of games I've watched, I have never seen that happen before!

Baseball dazzles us with complexity; basketball and football with specialized feats of strength and speed; golf, tennis with unmatched skill. But distance running doesn't really dazzle us at all. At least, it seems to me that "dazzle" isn't the right word to describe an impressive run. "Awesome" comes closer.

Anyway, at the Norwood meet, I thought about the pleasures of watching cross-country races, and one of the things that struck me -- maybe a faint echo of the richness of watching a baseball game -- is that every race is actually many races happening in the same space and more or less the same time. Every runner in the race adds texture and drama to the whole, and if you don't watch carefully, you'll miss the races within the race.

For example, on Tuesday, the girls race was "over" almost as soon as it started -- that is, if by "over" we mean that we knew who was going to win and by how much. At the front of the race, the top Newton girls did what their training and fitness allowed them to do: they ran at a fairly easy pace and finished well in front of the first Norwood girl. They were, as the Norwood Coach admitted later, "in another class." But back in the pack, extraordinary things were happening. To name only a few, several runners (on both teams) ran faster for 5K than they had ever run in their lives; one Newton girl ran three minutes faster than she had ever run before (three minutes at that pace is a third of a mile!); another girl accelerated in the middle of the race and caught numerous runners in front of her, finishing with a long sprint to catch one more right at the finish line. Overall, some runners improved, some did not. Some ran to their limits, others ran conservatively. Some ran in groups, drawing strength from companionship, others set off bravely on their own with varying degrees of success. Two runners finished their first full races of the year. Two others were forced to be on the sidelines with injuries, but cheered both Newton and Norwood runners with great enthusiasm.

In every race, it seems, there are opportunities to show courage, commitment, sportsmanship, or to let those opportunities pass by. Regardless of the final time and final score, there are victories to be earned all over the place.

I don't mean to sound too sappy about this. I always hate it when I hear people say "every one who finishes is a winner." That's not how I see it. True, sometimes it takes everything you have to finish a race, but most of the time the point is not just to finish, but to compete to the utmost of your ability. It's all-too-common to finish a race without having done that. It's nothing to celebrate about.

Here's another thought: sometimes the hardest thing is to start the race. Sometimes it takes all your courage just to get to the line because you're hurt or sick or scared, or you know that the other runner or the other team is better and you are going to lose.

Ron Clarke, the great Australian distance runner and holder of numerous world records was asked whether he was disappointed never to have won an Olympic medal of any kind. He replied that not winning a medal was not a tragedy. A true tragedy was when a young runner was led to believe that winning was the only thing that mattered, and gave up the sport when it became clear that winning wasn't guaranteed.

Running. Risking. Learning. Improving. It happens every race, often out of sight of the finish line. The race of the day might belong to the slowest runner, or the fastest, or someone in the middle of the pack. All I know is that when runners gather and compete, no race is ever boring.

Bay State League Standings - 9/27

Almost half-way through the season, Brookline & Wellesley boys look very strong atop their divisions. Newton North faces three tough meets in the weeks ahead (Wellesley, Weymouth, Brookline). In an upset, Weymouth boys won a close meet against Needham yesterday, 27-30.

Newton and Wellesley girls teams are headed for a showdown on Oct. 4th at Wellesley. Weymouth lurks, intent on repeating their win over Newton in 2005. Brookline girls continue to do well.

Carey Division - Boys

Brookline    5-0
Newton North 4-1
Weymouth     4-1
Needham      3-2
Framingham   1-3
Braintree    0-5

Herget Division - Boys

Wellesley    5-0
Natick       3-2
Norwood      2-3
Walpole      2-3
Dedham       0-4
Milton       0-5

Carey Division - Girls

Newton North 5-0
Brookline    4-1
Weymouth     4-1
Needham      2-3
Framingham   0-4
Braintree    0-5

Herget Division - Girls

Wellesley    5-0
Natick       4-1
Milton       2-3
Walpole      2-3
Norwood      1-4
Dedham       0-4

Norwood Today

The NNHS team takes on Norwood today at Norwood.

IMPORTANT: The meet is NOT at the High School, but instead at Philip O. Coakley Middle School, 1315 Washington Street in Norwood. To get to the meet from Newton, take 128 South, Rt-1 South (about 4.5 miles), take a right on Dean Street, and a left on Washington Street. The middle school is on your right.

Descriptions of the new course look promising. Norwood's course used to be 95% on roads, but now is almost entirely on grass and trails.

The Norwood boys team is not as weak as it has been some years. They suffered a narrow loss to Walpole (26-30) in their last meet, but have an energetic coach and could improve. All signs are that North shuld be able to handle them. The Norwood girls team is likely no match for Newton North.

Around the Bay State Conference, the most competitive meet of the day is Needham vs. Weymouth. While the Weymouth girls should win easily, the boys teams are very evenly matched, and the meet should be decided by only a few points.

After today, the next meet for Newton North is October 4th against Wellesley and Walpole at Elm Bank Park in Wellesley. Wellesley swept Newton North last year, and the Tigers would love to exact revenge on the Red Raiders. The girls meet promises to be very competitive.

Almanac

Equinox - n. (Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French equinocce, from Medieval Latin equinoxium, alteration of Latin aequinoctium, from aequi- equi-, equal + noct-, nox night) 1. either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic; 2) either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length


Early Saturday morning -- just after midnight according to the almanac -- autumn began in New England. The autumnal equinox also marked the end of the first third of the cross-country season. The early meets are over and the first invitationals have been held. Much has been learned about which teams are strong and which are not, and much is left to be revealed (Who will step up to become the fifth runner on a contending team? Who will be healthy when it matters? Who will run well in the cold, in the rain, in the mud?).

For me, the beginning of autumn means more runs in twilight at the end of day, and more mornings when I wake up in the dark. Because I do most of my runs at the boundaries of night and day, I spend a lot of time poring over the times of sunrise and sunset, obsessing over the loss of daylight hours, feeling the rush of the seasons as we head towards inevitable winter. I mourn the loss of summer, and the pleasure of getting up before the heat of the day when the streets are mostly deserted. I miss leaving work in the afternoon and having hours of lingering day to run on trails. In June and July, it's an easy bargain that I make between the need to work and the desire to play. Those eight hours in the middle of the day that are sacrificed to gainful employment are surrounded by a nearly equal amount of daylight for exercise. All the good things in life seem inexhaustible.

But not in the fall; not at this time of year. Now my morning run is under the stars and my afternoon run takes place in the shadows of gathering dusk. Running becomes a nocturnal activity, s it almost was yesterday... when chores and errands delayed my run until late in the afternoon.

It was Sunday, and as long as there isn't snow on the ground, Sunday is a day for running on the trails. I had not run earlier because of other commitments, but I was unwilling to give up this pleasure, so I drove out to Lincoln as the sun was going down, and began my run in the woods knowing that by the time I finished, it would be hard to see the trail in front of me in the gloom.

It was a memorable run. I felt extraordinarily alert, my senses made keener by the lateness and strangeness of the hour, which added an aura of danger to every step. I knew there I had only a few minutes before the disc of the sun dropped below the horizon. The trail ahead of me was already losing its clarity - was that a rock or a leaf? -- as I went into and out of the thicker parts of the woods.

In fading light, one has the illusion of flying through a run, regardless of whether you are actually running fast. That's how I felt as I negotiated turns in the woods, thinking about all the falls I have ever had from small mis-steps or when a root was in exactly the wrong place. At the same time, I felt pleasure in running in a familiar place, where the fading light had transformed my route. After twenty minutes, the sun went down. As I continued through the darker parts of the woods, I felt my eyes adjusting. When I emerged into a clearing, the light of the evening sky seemed surprisingly sufficient. Back into the woods a moment later, and for a few moments I had to strain to see the ground in front of me.

I finished my run in the parking lot of the Lincoln train station. My legs were a little tired, but I was excited, energized. I could see cars on the nearby road with their headlights on. A good run, I thought. It's good for it not to be too easy.

NNHS Alumni Results - 9/23

Liz Gleason ran 23:08 for 6K to take 4th overall at the Purple Valley Classic, held in Williamstown, Sept 23rd. Williams finished 2nd to Div I Dartmouth.

At the Wesleyan Invitational (Wesleyan, Mt. Holyoke, Conn. College), Anna Schindler placed 6th (out of 43) in a time of 20:45 for 5K.

Bates College freshman Doug Brecher ran 28:28 for 31st place in the men's 8K race at the Tufts Jumbo Cross Country Invitational at the Farm Course in Grafton, MA, on Saturday.

Tufts Jumbo Invitational - Men's Results

Events this weekend

The NNHS teams are not in action this weekend, but there's a lot of racing going on in both the high school and college ranks.

On the H.S. scene, one of the biggest regional events is the Manchester Invitational, which will be held Saturday, 9/23, at Derryfield Park in Manchester, N.H. The course is legendary, and the competition is intense. A number of highly-ranked Mass. boys teams are making the trip, including Ludlow (ranked #2 in Div I by the MSTCA), Brookline (ranked #3), Mansfield (ranked #6) and Xaverian (ranked #8). On the girls side, top-ranked Lincoln-Sudbury will be competing, which should give the rest of the state a chance to see how the fast girls from L-S handle big hills.

Manchester Invite Meet Info, including Team Entries

Nationally, the big meet this weekend is the Great American XC Festival, to be held Saturday in Hoover, Alabama. The meet includes races for HS teams, individuals, as well as college events. Perennial Wester Mass. power Amherst H.S. is sending a boys team this year.

Great American Info on Dyestat

This will be a fun weekend for following NNHS alumni. On Friday, Dan Chebot is expected to run in the Div III Pre-National Meet. Wesleyan hosts the Wesleyan Invite, and we are hoping to have results for Anna Schindler, Brittany Morse, and possibly Scott Cole. William hosts the Purple Valley Invite in Williamstown, so we'll be watching for results from Liz Gleason. Doug Brecher shuld be competing at the Tufts Invitational in Grafton, and Noah Jampol should be competing at the Wilington Invitational for Johns Hopkins.

Oh, and if you have any interest in road racing, Sunday is the Berlin Marathon, where one of the greatest runers of all time, Haile Gebrselassie, is expected to take a shot at the marathon world record.

You Always Remember the Hills

When runners gather around the campfire to tell stories, they scare each other with tales of the hills they have had to climb.

While the other details of a course fade in memory, there's something about a hill that lingers in the brain like a trauma. I remember like it was yesterday how I felt going up the hill along the power lines on the old Turners Falls course In Western Massachusetts in 1975. Like it was yesterday! I also remember well the gradual rise up from the ball field at the start of the old Franklin Park course; the long rugged trail up and over Mt. Sugarloaf in Deerfield; the scramble up the steep embankment at Noble & Greenough in Dedham; and dozens of other climbs on courses around the state. Who has run the 8K at Van Cortland Park without having Cemetery Hill permanently etched into their psyche? Who has run Derryfield Park in Manchester without recalling every detail of the ski slope?

Each course offers something different, from the Himilayan ascent of Northfield, to the subtle undulations of Franklin Park. Each course demands something different, an approach to pacing and rhythm that will, when all the sticks are counted, separate the winners from the losers. A good course demands that runners take its particular challenges seriously or risk being humbled. Underestimate a hill and you pay dearly in the end. Overestimate a hill and you will be mired in mediocrity, a victim of "altitude anxiety" and a too-active imagination.

I think most runners who take to the trails feel that hills are at the heart of cross-country, the very essence of a sport that might favor the speedy but is ruled by the strong. There's nothing quite as satisfying as beating someone in a cross-country race who you both know could run you off your feet if the race were contested on a flat track. Needless to say, with my all-too-modest track speed, I loved cross-country.

That's why I love it when the All-State meet is held in Northfield, as it will be this year. That fact has been looming in the training plans of coaches around the Commonwealth. Teams are scouting their towns for hills that might simulate in training the challenge of climbing up the side of the mountain for the first 1000 meters. In addition to training the muscles, teams know they must train themselves to think of the hills in a positive way, as an advantage against the competition. Ironically, hills are the great leveler, allowing a team with less than top talent to come out on top after all. At the 2003 State Meet (also held in Northfield), the winner of the Boys team race, St. John's Prep, had finished only 4th in the EMass Meet the week before, and was arguably less talented than at least five other teams at the State Meet. Hills leveled the field, and St. John's Prep had the preparation and mental fortutude to take advantage.



Yes, hills haunt the memories of some, and brighten the memories of others.

I'll bet when the boys from Danvers are old and gray and sipping their brandy, and smoking their cigars at the club... when conversation turns to the good old days of High School Athletics, they reminisce together about Northfield Mountain and how even though it hurt so bad, it was very, very good to them.

Mind the Gap

It was steamy at Cold Springs park yesterday. With temperatures in the 80's and high humidity, a lot of runners struggled, and times were generally slower than at Needham a week ago.

Characteristically, Natick's runners attacked the 5K course aggressively, going out fast and trying to establish a pack at the front of each race. The strategy didn't pan out, as Natick's early lead in both races wilted. In the boys race, Dan Hamilton ran a career best 17:54 for 5K, abroke 18:00 for the first time at Cold Springs to win his first varsity race. Behind Hanilton, Charlie Krasnow, Ben Chebot, and Peter Sun did a great job of pack running to take places 3-5 and seal the victory.

In the girls race, Jess Barton absolutely dominated the race, going out fast and building a 30-second lead halfway into the contest against Natick's two stars Becca White and Anya Price. Barton's halfway time put her on pace to run low 18:00's, but a side stitch slowed her in the second half, and she finished in 19:02. After the two natick runners, Newton's pack executed the race plan perfectly (well - except for Haleigh Smith's fall, which was not in the plan), moving up through the tiring Natick pack to take places 4-7.

Natick's problem going into the race was the gap. Every XC coach pays attention to the gap (the time separation among the top seven runners) because in big meets, having a small gap is better than having the fastest runner. Natick had two very fast runners, but a two-minute gap to their third and another 38 seconds to their 5th, and that was fatal for them. Newton, by contrast, had a gap of 1:27 seconds from second runner Haleigh Smith to 5th runner Franca Godenzi. You can be sure that Coach Peter Martin is already scheming ways to bring that gap down further.

Although I'm probably repeating myself, I'll say again that the Newton boys are much better than I expected them to be at this point. Even without their best runner, they completely overwhelmed Natick. And as for the gap, the separation from Hamilton to fifth runner Alex Ribner was under a minute, I believe. If that entire pack improves over the course of the season and keeps the gap small, they will do very well against the league's elite teams Wellesley and Weymouth. (Brookline is at another level right now because they are very fast AND they have a small gap -- a winning combination for sure).

The First Test

Today is the first big test for the Newton North Girls, as they take on Natick at Cold Springs Park. The meet matches the #1 returner in the Bay State League (Jess Barton) versus the #2 returner (Natick's Rebecca White), and both are very fit. Barton has been biding her time in the first two meets, running well within herself. White has been more agressive with her early races, setting a course record at Brookline, and winning handily on her home course last Friday. The Cold Spring's course record (18:23 - Alexandra Krieg, Wellesley) could be in jeopardy today.

Behind White, Natick has Anya Price, who trailed her teammate by 15 seconds at Brookline, and is a defending Bay State all-star. Newton counters with Haleigh Smith, who finished one second ahead of Price at the league meet last year, and its phalanx of talented sophomores, including Carolyn Ranti, who beat also Price in the league meet.

Behind White and Price, Natick loses ground to the North, as the Tigers have more depth in places 3-6 then Natick, at least on paper. The meet definitely provides the first real indication of whether the Tigers deserve their early season ranking as the 7th best team in Mass. The girls race goes off around 4:15 at Cold Spring Park.

But before that happens, the boys will contest what promises to be a close meet. The Tigers will not have Seb Putzys, who is suffering from mono. The Tigers will instead have to rely on Charlie Krasnow and Ben Chebot to lead the way, with Peter Sun, Alex Ribner, and Dan Hamilton also in the mix. Natick has no superstars, but if their early results are any indication, they have a decent pack. It's likely the meet will come down to the 4h and 5th man on each team, where it appears North has the edge.

The boys race is expected to start at approximately 3:45.

Correction: Pat Pierce Was a Winner

On Sept. 16, I wrote that only one Newton North runner other than Barnicle and Polgar had won a cross-country meet since 2000.

I was mistaken. In October 2003, Barnicle sat out two meets with a calf injury and then-senior Pat Pierce won both meets. In the first meet, Pierce won at Natick, leading the Tigers to a 21-40 victory in what was expected to be a close meet. The next week, Pierce beat Dedham's Rex Radloff (16:49 to 16:52) in a thrilling duel at Cold Springs Park. I can't think why I didn't remember these two races when I was making the point that one should always be prepared to win a race. In fact, these races illustrate the same point. In the Natick meet, Barnicle didn't withdraw from the race until a few minutes before it started, clearing the way for Pierce's first varsity win. When he woke up that morning, Pat probably didn't think he had any chance for victory, but he seized the opportunity when it was presented to him.

Surfing the Training Wave

This topic deserves several books instead of several paragraphs, but I was thinking about it all weekend so I might as well share a few random thoughts on the matter...

Training well is a careful balance of stress and recovery. The stress of training sets in motion physiological processes of adaptation, and the rest allows that adaptation to occur. Not enough stress and too much recovery and the adaptation is feeble. Too much stress and not enough recovery and the body breaks down in injury or illness before adaptation can occur. Getting it right -- getting the right amount of training and the right amount of rest and recovery -- is a lifelong challenge.

I often think of training as a kind of surfing: the physiological processes of adaptation are the wave, and you try to keep the force of that wave just behind you, pushing you forward. Do too much or too little and the wave crashes on top of you or leaves you behind.

Arthur Lydiard stated a simple principle for determining the proper amount of stress to take on in training. He said, "run today in such a way that you are energized for running tomorrow." This captures the idea that training is not a disconnected series of sporadic bouts of hard work; rather, it is a continuous application of moderate stresses so as to raise the runner's average workload. Yes, there are hard workouts in that series, and yes, those workouts require more recovery than easy runs, but the idea is never to get too far ahead of yourself.

Other factors affect how much stress and how much recovery are good for the individual. I always say that sleep is the most underrated component of training, and I believe that without adequate sleep, one's potential for benefiting from the stress of training is greatly decreased. Another factor is diet, and in particular, an adequate intake of iron. Those mysterious processes that make us fitter depend on iron. If you lack iron, you will train harder and get slower. In fact, one of the most indicative signs of anemia is the characteristic decreasing enthusiasm from day-to-day for the daily run.

After more than thirty years of training and competing, I'm still trying to learn to ride the training wave. I make mistakes all the time. For instance, I'll do my hard runs too hard, I'll do a workout when I should be taking a recovery day, I'll run "junk" miles when I should be taking a day off. Like everyone else, I sometimes cheat myself on sleep or good food, and expect to be able to train at the same level. No, I haven't mastered the balance of stress and recoverey yet, but that's also part of the challenge and part of the fun. Because after all these years, I still feel like I've got things to learn about training.

For those of you in the midst of your own competitive seasons, I know you've heard me say it before: try to keep your balance as you feel the awesome power of training carry you along. Don't get greedy and don't forget to sleep. At the same time, don't expect to peak too soon. There's two months left in the season. Ride the wave.

NNHS Alumni Race Results - 9/16

Some brief race results for Newton North alumni in action this weekend:

Tom Davis, running unattached, finished fourth overall at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational in an outstanding time of 25:23.

UMass Dartmouth - Men's 8K - 9/16/06

Noah Jampol finished 2nd for Johns Hopkins and 14th overall (out of 294) at the NYU Invitational at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx on Saturday. Jampol's time of 27:46 was a 47-second PR and helped his team to a second-place finish among 35 teams. Not bad for an 800 runner!

NYU Invite - Men's Results

David Polgar finished 6th for BU, 10th overall at the Ted Owens Invite in Fairfield Connecticut Saturday. Polgar's time was 28:14 for 8K.

Ted Owens Invite - Men's 8K

Doug Brecher (Bates College) ran 29:20 in his first collegiate race to finish 9th for his team and 32nd overall at the Bates College Invitational, held in Cumberland, Maine.

Bates College Invitational - Men's Results

Liz Gleason led the Williams cross-country team to victory at the 2006 McGill Open race in Montreal on Saturday. Gleason finished 5th overall in 15:03 for the rarely run 4K distance. In the men's 6K race at the same meet, Jesse Chebot ran 23:10 to place 108th in his first collegiate race for Vermont.

2006 McGill Invite - Women's 4K Results

2006 McGill Invite - Men's 6K Results

Be Prepared

I talked to Charlie Krasnow this morning. Charlie had a great race yesterday at Milton, finishing second overall and first for Newton North. In the early stages of the race he was hanging around in the top pack behind his teammate and race favorite Seb Putzys and a runner from Milton. But Seb was having physical problems and had to slow in the middle of the race. With a mile left, Charlie found himself taking the lead.

Nothing in his previous races for Newton North had prepared him for this. He was a solid seventh man for the Tigers last year, but with the likes of Dave Polgar and Doug Brecher patrolling the front of the race, Charlie never had to worry about leading. Yesterday this lack of experience led to doubts. What if the pace was too fast? What if he couldn't finish? He decided be'd better slow down.

With 400 meters to go, Charlie still had the lead, but the Milton runner was bearing down on him. Charlie ran as hard as he could, but was overtaken in the final 100 meters and settled for second. Now he wonders -- what if he had pushed the pace when he had taken the lead? What if he had rolled the dice and tried to open a big gap. Would he have gotten away scot-free, or blown up and faded back into the pack? It's impossible to say for sure what would have happened, but I think that a lot of us who race face this choice at some point in our careers. At such moments, it's good to remember the 2004 Boston Red Sox who asked themselves: Why not us? Why shouldn't we be the ones to do what no one has done before?

Hard as it is for us to believe, improbable things can happen in a race.

Since the year 2000, there have been only three Newton North runners to win dual meets. The two that everyone remembers were Chris Barnicle and David Polgar. The one you probably don't remember was Alex Kaufman. Although he was probably only the 7th or 8th man on the team at the time, Alex was running in 6th place for the Togers when they raced Norwood in October 2002. The lead pack of five (which included Barnicle and Polgar) were far ahead. Unfortunately for them, they missed a turn and went off-course. Without knowing it himself, Alex was suddenly in the lead. Although the wayward leaders eventually got back on the course and gave chase, Alex seized his opportunity, and continuing to run hard, he won, holding off the furious finish of Barnicle, a mere five seconds behind.

NNHS v Norwood - 10/9/02

Barnicle would go on to win the League and EMass Div I championship. Kaufman finished 9th at the League Meet and became a Bay State all-star. But he also became the only Newton North runner in cross-country or track ever to beat Barnicle in a race over a mile long.

The moral of the story: always be prepared to win!

Bay State League Standings - 9/16

Biggest surprises so far: Brookline girls, with fast freshman Emily Groopman, knocked off Needham and are 2-1. Norwood boys are somehow 2-1, although they have not gone against a really strong team yet.

Carey Division - Boys

Brookline    3-0
Needham      2-1
Newton North 2-1
Weymouth     2-1
Framingham   0-2
Braintree    0-3

Herget Division - Boys

Wellesley    3-0
Natick       2-1
Norwood      2-1
Walpole      1-2
Dedham       0-2
Milton       0-3

Carey Division - Girls

Newton North 3-0
Brookline    2-1
Weymouth     2-1
Needham      1-2
Framingham   0-2
Braintree    0-3

Herget Division - Girls

Wellesley    3-0
Natick       3-0
Milton       1-2
Norwood      1-2
Walpole      1-2
Dedham       0-2

Beautiful Rain

The NNHS teams travel to Milton today for their second meet in four days. I always enjoy trips to Milton and Houghton's Pond. I remember seeing one of my first NNHS cross-country meets there in 2000, when my daughter was just getting started running for Peter Martin's team.

Although I have never competed in a running race at Houghton's Pond, I have competed in several orienteering meets there, including one in which I navigated through the woods for over three hours in an icy rain. On that day, I was competing with another runner and I truly thought I would have to pull him out of the woods when he started shaking from hypothermia. The lesson: when it's really cold, don't stop moving.

Yesterday's rain was nothing like that hard rain of so many years ago. Yesterday was a day to enjoy the rain, to frolic in it. At practice, everyone grumbled a little at first, and then went trudging out to do their modest pre-meet runs. Almost everyone came back grinning with the goofiness of it. I just stood around with the other coaches as the water ran down my neck and inside my clothes. Meanwhile, the kids stripped off their heavy long-sleeve shirts and exposed bare flesh to the heavens. At one point, the entire boys team came splashing back to the track, half-naked and silly with the pleasure of movement.

When practice was over, I went home and changed my grown-up clothes for running clothes, and went out myself to meet a friend for some hill running. At first, I shied away from the puddles and shivered a little at the rain that continued to fall. But after ten minutes, as my body heat warmed the moisture on my skin, I relaxed. We had a great time running up and down heartbreak hill in Newton, falling into a simple, careless rhythm, oblivious to the evening commuters coming home on Comm. Ave next to us.

I like sunny days, too, but the rain reminds us that running is also a form of play. Yesterday was a good day to go out and play in the rain.

How Good is Natick?

Although there is a meet Friday against Milton, the meet next Tuesday against Natick looms as much more important for the fortunes of both the boys and girls teams. For one thing, the Natick meet will be the first (of only two) on Newton's home course this year. For another, both the boys and girls races against Natick will be competitive, which will not be the case at Milton. Finally, we'll get to see Natick's dynamic duo of Rebecca White and Anya Price, who ran very fast times against Brookline on Tuesday and will push Jess Barton in what should be one of the best match-ups of the season.

So how good is Natick?

In the Tuesday meet at Brookline, White, a sophomore, set a girls course record, finishing the mountainous 2.76-mile course in 18:11, breaking the record held by Brielle Chabot of Wellesley. Chabot, you might remember, finished second in the Bay State meet to Barton last year by only a few seconds. In the Spring she won the New England 2-mile championship. Her record at Larz Anderson was not soft! Finishing second at Brookline was Natick junior Anya Price in 18:28. Both Natick runners were over a minute ahead of two very solid Brookline girls. Wow!

But after the top two, the rest of the Natick pack was well back. Here are Natick's top five from the meet:

1. White      N   18:11
2. Price      N   18:28
5. Panek      N   20:25
7. Shaffer    N   21:12
8. Seymour    N   21:14

That's a two-minute gap to their #3, and a three-minuute gap to their #4-5! Gaps like that are a big problem in cross-country, and present an opportunity for a team like Newton to make hay, regardless of what happens at the front of the race.

A plausible scenario for the meet is that Barton wins, White and Price finish 2nd and 3rd, and Haleigh Smith finishes 4th (I personally think she can beat Price, but I'll be conservative here). That would leave the teams equal after the top four finishers. Can Newton place Barnicle, Ranti, Hemley-Bronstein, and Godenzi in front of Natick's third runner? It's hard to tell based on the times from Larz Anderson. In the last five years, I can't remember a meet there where the Newton grils ran anything close to all-out, so it's difficult to compare times. Looking at boys times for that course, it seems that converting from Larz Anderson times to Cold Springs times you add about 30-50 seconds. If that's true, then Natick's #3 runner ran the equivalent of 21 minutes at Cold Springs. That will be fast enough to put the pressure on Newton's pack!

For the boys, the Natick team isn't nearly as impressive. Their top runner ran just under 17 minutes at Larz Anderson after "going out too fast" in the words of a Brookline runner. Seb should be able to ran better than that, so has to be considered the favorite to win. After their first, there is a 90-second gap back to their 5th, and Newton's newfound depth in spots 2-6 should carry the day against the Natick squad. With the added advantage of running on their home course, I expect the boys to pick up a nice win against a decent team.

One factor that might affect times is the weather, which is expected to be quite warm over the weekend and into next week. It will be a shame if heat affects what otherwise could be a record-setting day for the girls.

Photos from Tuesday's Meet

Girls winner Jess Barton relaxing at 6:10 per mile.

North's first finisher, junior Seb Putzeys, finishing the first lap.

The Circle of Life

As the buses pulled away, and Cutler Park was left to a few joggers, dog-walkers, and yours truly, who still had to get in his workout, I felt surprisingly calm and optimistic about the future of Newton North Cross-Country.

Yes, the Needham boys beat Newton North for the first time this century (winning 22-34 and taking the first three places). But Needham won for the most basic of reasons; they were good and they were in better shape. I thought to myself: it's the Circle of Life in running: a few runners with a passion train together for a couple of years, bringing other people on board, and suddenly a team that was the doormat for the league three years ago is looking like a potential runner-up to Brookline.

Meanwhile, I find myself impressed at the performance of Newton's junior class. Seb, Ben, Charlie, along with senior Alex Ribner, ran extremely well and will only get better. (Don't underestimate Alex! He ran in the mid 18:00's for 5K in his first ever cross-country race. He will be a solid member of the varsity this year.) Add to that core, Peter Sun and sophomore Dan Hamilton (an impressive debut race of 18:16), and the team looks very, very solid. I think Chebot will improve a lot as his fitness catches up to his ability. I think Seb will get much better as he learns how to pace himself better, and I think Dan will improve steadily. I see a full team of guys who can run under 17:30 for 5K, with all but one of them returning next year. Just keep running, boys, your time will come. That's what the Circle of Life is all about.

And for you alumni out there who are tempted to mourn the dominance of past years, mourn no more: these kids are alright, and they'll do just fine this year and even better next year.

As for the girls, last year they suffered the first loss to a Carey Division opponent in thirty years. Yesterday their top six looked virtually unbeatable, provided everyone stays healthy. Jess looked as strong as ever, winning easily and continuing on to do a workout after the race. Haleigh Smith is in great shape and almost broke 20 minutes, despite not going all out. The four sophomores -- Nora, Carolyn, Adina, and Franca -- demolished the Needham pack, and there were some very promising performances from Becca Park, Tess Johnson, Sally Zuar, and others.

It looks like next week's Tuesday showdown with Natick at Cold Springs Parks will be a barn-burner. Natick's Rebecca White set a course record at Larz Anderson Park yesterday, with Anya Price not far behind. See Jess run against those two, with Haleigh in the mix as well will be a great race.

In other league news, Weymouth girls easily defeated two weak teams, Dedham and Braintree. Weymouth figured to be one of the better teams in the league, but Natick might have made it's case as the second-best team (behind Newton North). I haven't seen the Wellesley results yet, but they will be strong as well.

Back to the boys -- at the beginning of the season I thought North would have trouble beating Weymouth; now I think they can do it. They have a good pack, and I think Seb can win against Weymouth's best. The meet isn't for another five weeks, but I can hardly wait!

USATF New England 5M Championships

On Saturday, I ran in the USATF-NE 5M road race championship, held in South Boston. NNHS alum John Blouin also ran, representing the Greater Boston TC.

The race used to be held the first week of October, but was moved earlier in the calendar to avoid a conflict with other events happening near the waterfront. Unfortunately, the weather was very hot, so times were a bit slow overall. The course itself was fairly flat -- there used to be a steep hill at 2.5 miles, but the course was changed this year to eliminate the hill and add a loop along the water.

The winning time was 24:04.

I ran 27:44 and that only got me 70th place (14th master)! It felt very slow compared to last year (26:58), but I blame that partly on the weather, as everyone seemed to wilt in the heat and finish 20-30 seconds behind what they had run the year before. John Blouin finished just behind me in 27:56.

At least I was faster than Polgar, who ran a shorter course at Franklin Park!

Ollie Road Race/New England 5M Championship - 9/9/2006

Season Opener at Needham

The NNHS season opens today with a tri-meet against Needham and Framingham on Needham's 5K course at Cutler Park. While there are always surprises, the Newton North girls are heavily favored to win both meets. The Needham girls are fairly strong this year, and will put up a fight. Expect to see Needham's Emily Lipman and Christine Wheeler near the front early, and in the top five at the end. After that, Newton North's depth should carry the day. Framingham is not likely to have the runners to challenge either Newton or Needham.

The boys race between Needham and Newton is the race of the day and an interesting match-up. It has been a long time since Needham knowcked off the Tigers in a dual meet, but they are very, very solid this year with juniors Sam Miller and Kevin Pottertown leading the way. The Tigers will counter with Seb Putzys, followed by a large pack, including Peter Sun, Ben Chebot, Charlie Krasnow, Dan Hamilton, and Alex Ribner. I think Needham has the edge, and has one meet under their belts already. But we shall see.

The races begin approx. 3:45, starting with the Boys Varsity, followed by Girls varsity and Boys JV.

Directions:

Take Rte. 128 to Exit 19B (Highland Ave.). Left at lights onto Hunting Rd. Follow to next set of lights and take a left onto Kendrick St., crossing 128. Just past the next set of lights there is a small parking lot on the right and sign for Cutler Park. This is the dropoff/start point.

Brookline Sweeps Needham; Polgar Debuts for BU

The Brookline girls earned a surprising 1-point win (27-28) over Needham on Friday(so much for my predictions!), while the Brookline boys easily handled the Rockets (22-33) in the first Bay State XC meet of the season. The girls race was won by Emily Lippman of Needham, while the boys race was won by Brookline's Robert Gibson. Brokline's Elliot Lehane took second, while Needham's Sam Miller was third.

In early collegiate action, David Polgar competed in his first XC race for BU, finishing 16th overall and 6th for his team at the BU Invitational at Franklin Park Friday. Polgar ran 28:02 for 8K race.

First BSC meet today - Needham/Brookline

The BSC cross-country season kicks off today with a meet at Brookline's Larz Anderson Park. Brookline, the defending BSC boys champs, take on Needham. Some predict a close meet. I predict that Needham's Sam Miller will run well, but that Brookline will win with ease. Remember last year when Wellesley ran at Larz Anderson? Most observers expected the meet to be extremely close. Instead, Brookline took the top five spots and routed the Raiders.

I've said it before, Larz Anderson is a huge home-course advantage.

In the girls race, Needham should prevail, but it will be interesting to see how Brookline's Sabrina Parise fares against Needham's Christina Kelley. Brookline doesn't have the depth, though, to keep up with Needham's pack.

Most other teams begin the season next Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Following NNHS Alumni

This fall, in addition to writing about the exploits of Newton North's current teams, I'll be reporting on the running adventures of several Newton North graduates either competing for their college XC teams or racing independently. Here's a partial list of runners I'll be following:

Jason Abbott-Dallamora - unattached (New Haven)
Chris Barnicle - Arkansas
John Blouin - Greater Boston TC
Doug Brecher - Bates
Dave Cahill - Greater Boston TC
Dan Chebot - Rochester
Jesse Chebot - Vermont
Scott Cole - Wesleyan
Tom Davis - unattached (Cornell)
Liz Gleason - Williams
Noah Jampol - Johns Hopkins
Clayton Lloyd - unattached (Brandeis)
Chris Messinger - unattached
Brittany Morse - Wesleyan
Caroline Occean - Greater Boston TC
Pat Pierce - Bowdoin
David Polgar - BU
Ankit Prakash - unattached (Illinois)
Anna Schindler - Wesleyan
Josh Seeherman - Greater Boston TC

If you know of other NNHS currently competing, please let me know so I can add them to the list!

2006 Bay State Preview - Boys

In 2006, the Bay State league has one powerhouse team -- Brookline -- and four solid teams competing for second place. In general, however, the league seems weaker this year. At the top, Brookline has the first three returning runners, including likely league champ Robert Gibson. They also have by far the deepest pack. No one will touch them this year unless their quirky coach decides to rest his top seven at some unimportant dual meet (it has happened before).

It looks like Needham, Weymouth, Newton North, and Wellesley will make up the second pack, with the edge going to Needham for second and Weymouth for third. Wellesley and Newton North were both hit hard by graduation. Wellesley lost its 1-3-4-5 runners and will struggle to duplicate their 2005 success (10-1 record). North graduated their top three (league champ David Polgar, league runner-up Doug Brecher, and league all-star Noah Jampol). Ouch! It's asking a lot for North's underclassmen to fill the void completely. Weymouth also lost their 1-2 runners, but return a good group of underclassmen. Needham continues to improve, as returning all-star Sam Miller leads a pack of good young talent.

Among individuals, Robert Gibson should win the league championship, breaking the Newton North stranglehold on the top position. My pick for second is Gibson's teammate Eliot Lehane, who should come into his own this year and surpass his teammate Burnstein for third. Needham's Miller should be in the top five, and Seb Putzys should be up there as well.

TEAM-BY-TEAM CAPSULES

1. Brookline - Head and shoulders better than the rest of the league and picked by some to win the State Championship. Brookline has the top three returners in the league, plus steadily improving Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (14th last year), JV race winner Matt Stewart, and rising sophomore Ryan Hardiman. All six are legitimate threats to be in the top 12.

2. Needham - Needham has the league's 4th faster returner in junior Sam Miller, and they are hungry. In a weak year, their pack of Kevin Potterton, Jacob Newfield, and Eric Morse might be good enough to take a distant 2nd behind Brookline.

3. Weymouth - They lost their 1-2 from last year, but return several underclassmen with varsity experience. They have no stars, but solid team depth. They should be led by Mark Jordan, Dan Pope, and Ben Chasen, who will surprise many this year.

4. Newton North - Junior Seb Putzys steps into the limelight as North's ace this year, and will be supported by Ben Chebot, Peter Sun (if he shows up!), Tim Abbot (likewise!), and Charlie Krasnow. I also expect Dan Hamilton and Alex Ribner to contribute. It's too soon to tell whether any of the incoming freshman will challenge for varsity spots. North should be good enough to beat Wellesley this year, avenging the infamous tie from 2005.

5. Wellesley - Seriously hurt by graduation, but still dangerous. Will Senior Tom Mayell regain the form he had as a sophomore? Will they find replacements for the loss of four of their top seven? A team full of questions...

6. Framingham - Framingham returns 5 of their top 7, including Alex Chmielinski (33rd last year), who improved a lot in indoor/outdoor track. I have a hunch they will be good enough to break into the top half of the league this year.

7. Natick - Lost 4 of tehir top 7 but might be able to re-load more effectively from an enthusiastic group of underclassmen. It was hard not to pick them ahead of Framingham, and they often improve a lot through summer training... they could make me look foolish if they do well.

8. Norwood - Returns 5 of 7 and should have enough talent to move up a place from last year. If only they didn't let all those hockey players run -- I swear, they slow the rest of the team down.

9. Walpole - Walpole graduated 6 of 7 from the 2005 team, which finished 6th in the Bay State league meet. I don't see reinforcements arriving any time soon, but you never know.

10. Braintree - Braintree clawed its way up to 8th in the league last year on the backs of five seniors. They fall back into the basement this year unless they can find some underclass magic.

11. Milton - A few returners, and home course advantage gives them the edge over Dedham. Actually, they might easily be better than Braintree and Walpole, but definitely a bottom third team.

12. Dedham - Dedham continues to sing the small school blues, struggling to find enough runners to field an effective team. They did not field a varsity team at the league meet last year. Calling Rex Radloff, where are you?

2006 Bay State Preview - Girls

Of the top 30 girls in last year's Bay State league meet, 23 return, suggesting that 2006 will be a very deep year with competition fierce among the top teams.

The top three teams from last year -- Wellesley, Newton North, and Weymouth -- should remain at the top, although the order might be shuffled. Newton North and Weymouth will battle at the top of the Carey division, while Natick will take a run at Wellesley for supremacy in the Herget conference.

Needham and Brookline look like good teams, although neither one appears to have the depth to break into the league top three.

Among individuals, Jess Barton is the overwhelming favorite to defend her 2005 league title. Rebecca White (Natick) and Sabrina Parise (Brookline) are definite threats for the top three, although any one of a crowd of returning all-stars could emerge as one of the top runners, including Newton North's Carolyn Ranti (7th in 2005) and Haleigh Smith (9th); Wellesley's Krysten Hartman (5th) and Marlis Gnirke (8th), and Natick's Anya Price (10th). Although I haven't mentioned the names of any Weymouth runners, they have a formidable pack, led by rising junior Kristen Mahoney, who placed 13th last year.

TEAM-BY-TEAM CAPSULES

1. Newton North - The Tigers are my unbiased pre-season pick to win the league, as they return three of the leagues top ten runners in Barton, Smith, and Ranti, supported by an outstanding sophomore class, which includes highly-placed returnees Liz Altieri, Maalika Banerjee, Nora Barnicle, Franca Gadenzi, Adina Hemley-Bronstein, and Becca Park. This year's freshman class also looks strong, and several new runners will be threatening to break into the top 7 over the course of the season.

2. Weymouth - Weymouth returns their 2-7 runners from a team that defeated Newton North in a dual meet last Fall, and narrowly lost to the Tigers at the league and Class A meets. With the graduation of five-time XC all-star Becca MacDonald, Weymouth no longer has a star, but they are very deep. Junior Kristen Mahoney and Senior Nicole Pearce are the top runners, and Mahoney shoiuld be among the league's top 8-10 runners.

3. Wellesley - Wellesley graduated 3 of their top 7 runners from 2005, including New-England two-mile champion and Bay State XC runner-up Brielle Chabot. They do return two all-stars (Hartman, Gnirke) and have several strong underclassmen. Injuries were a problem last year, but if Wellesley stays healthy, they are definitely a threat to win the league.

4. Natick - Sophomore Rebecca White and Junior Anya Price lead Natick, which returns all 7 of its runners from a team that finished a strong 4th in the league meet. However, in that meet, there was a minute and a half between Price and Natick's 3rd runner, junior Kim McGill. That gap has to close for Natick to break into the top three teams.

5. Milton - Milton graduated their top runner from 2005, Mary Morris, but return 2-7 from a team that finished 6th in the league last year. Their top returnee is Stephanie Marchetta-Wood (24th in 2005), and they also have a number of JV runners who could move up. They won't challenge the top four teams, but should be the best of the rest.

6. Brookline - It is a mystery why Brookline's boys teams are always so good, and their girls teams are merely average. Brookline has one legitimate star in senior Sabrina Parise (6th in 2005), but their second runner was almost two minutes behind at the league meet. Their chronic lack of depth will hurt them again in 2006.

7. Needham - The resurgence of Needham's boys cross-country team over the last two years has been great to see. This year the girls should also begin to show improvement, but they appear to lack depth. There is a rumor that they have picked up one or two good runners from soccer, so they might surprise some teams, but it's hard to see them moving up much from last year's 8th place league finish.

8. Walpole - Walpole loses two good seniors, but maybe they can reload. They were 5th in the league last year and it's a bit hard to pick them this low. Depth is a problem for them, and other teams seem to be improving. They might make me eat my words, though.

9. Framingham - Don't look now, but Framingham returns 6 of 7 from their varsity, including top runner Olga Bolkhovsky (16th in 2005). If they develop a good group from their young runners, they might be the biggest surprise in 2006.

10. Braintree - Top returner is Liz Bellafatto (49th), whose brother excelled in the jumps and sprints in track.

11. Norwood - All 7 varsity runners return, but have they improved from last year's last-place showing? A few years ago, Norwood's Lisa Davenport won the league title. Since then, the landscape has been bleak.

12. Dedham - Graduated their top runner, and lack enough bodies to challenge the bigger schools. Rex Radloff's sister Candice might be their best this year.

Noah Jampol debuts in 28:31

Running in his first college race for Johns Hopkins, Newton North alum Noah Jampol finished sixth in the Baltimore Metro Invitational with a time of 28:31 for 8k. After a solid summer of distance training, Jampol, an 800m and mile specialist, showed that he is not afraid of the longer distances. Jampol was 4th man for the Blue Jays, who won the meet, placing runners 1-3-4-6-7.

Link to story