Thursday Track Report: Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
May 21, 2015
It didn’t feel like we were on the threshold of the semi-official first weekend of Summer, with cloudy skies and temperatures barely out of the 40s. But going from a heat wave to frosty mornings is the nature Spring in Central Pennsylvania. Jim Myers, Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Marty Klanchar, Ken Davis, Andy Maguire, Mike Martin, Mike Zimmerman, Charlie Vassey, Alex Wouden, Tony Kwasnica, Seth Senior, Adam Ilgen, Rich Harter, David Lloyd, Aaron Henrichson, and Marty Mazur decided to make the most of a day ideally suited to hard running.
Bwana gave a Track Crew favorite for the workout: the Mini-Frontloader. That’s N sets of 800-(3X200) where the 800 is run at a bit faster than 5K race pace and the 200s are run in quick succession, with a minimal 100m rest after the 800 and each succeeding 200. The 200s should be run not at a sprint, but as hard as you can after the frontloading and low recovery. Take a longer rest between sets to completely recover. With N=1 or 2 it’s a good pre-race tune-up for those doing one of the Memorial Day weekend races. For N=3 or more, it’s a good high-volume run that will also stretch your V02 max.
Zimmerman, Martin, and Wouden were all fresh from a great run at the Pocono Marathon. Spring Marathon season is just about over. Now it’s time to do some of those summertime pre-barbecue races like Black Mo’, Boalsburg, 4th Fest, and Arts Fest. Sweat through it and do your best because you know there’s a cold beer waiting. Good luck to all those running this weekend!
Thursday Track Report: Fortified
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
May 14, 2015
It was sunny, mild, and breezy as Bob Cornwall, Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Tom Cali, Costas Maranas, Marty Klanchar, Andy Maguire, Mike Renz, Mike Martin, Mike Zimmerman, newcomer Aaron Henrichson, Dana Todd, Alex Wouden, Rich Harter, David Lloyd, Kevin Becker, Rob Peterson, Tony Kwasnica, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. A nice return to Spring after the hot weather of the last week. As usual, Bwana got to the track early. First thing he noticed was a young woman running what Bwana thought was a 200 or maybe a 400. She was moving! But she kept going, and going. Bwana figured she was doing a timed mile. Unlike people who just show up at the track to blow off some steam, and who start a mile run at a 200m pace only to crawl the rest of the way, this girl knew what she was doing. Steady, very fast pace all the way. She finished that, and a training partner showed up and together they did a couple more. Bwana decided to get an idea of their pace and quickly estimated, based on a couple of 200m sections, that they were putting down steady 5:20-5:30 miles. When the rest of the Crew got to the track, Bwana was describing the workout the two youngsters were doing and, as the girl ran by the group, Tom Cali said “Hi, Tessa”. OK, so everybody knows that Cali knows everybody, but who was this kid? It was Tessa Barrett, former National High School record holder in the 5K. She’s a Pennsylvania girl, a 4-year letter winner at Abbington Heights, near Scranton, and cross-country state champion and course record holder. In 2014, she ran 16:11.85 at the New Balance Indoor National Meet. And now she runs for Penn State. Tessa red-shirted her first year and was battling an injury, but judging from her workout, she looks ready to start hammering the competition!
After witnessing all that impressiveness, the Crew wanted to know what Bwana had in store. “Well, how about 3 X 1 Mile at 5:30 pace?” Er, no. But we were still inspired to do something requiring a little fortitude. So the Fortitude Workout it was: 4X(400-200) with each 400 run at a 5K+ race pace, followed by a short 100m rest and then a 200m at mile race pace or better. Take a 500m rest between reps to get back to the start. It’s one of the Crew’s favorite workouts, and not because it isn’t challenging!
David Lloyd, who has become one of the most regular Thursday Trackers in the last few years, has decided to become one of the Old Guys. David turns 45 on Friday, just in time to inhabit the age group that the likes of Pat Singletary are just vacating. Time to bring home some medals! David was trying to dream up a birthday-themed workout for Friday (Bwana suggested 4.5 miles), but after today’s run he may end up taking a birthday themed sitz-bath: 4-5 minutes sitting in 6 inches of cool bathwater in which you’ve dumped a few trays of ice!
Thursday Track Report: Spring Cleaning
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 30, 2015
A drab but warm day, so much better than last month’s swan song. Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Mike Casper, Michael Goldfine, Charlie Vassey, Michael Zimmerman, Kevin Becker, Jeff Welsh, Alex Wouden, Rich Harter, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed to the track for the last workout before the start of the Best Month of the Year.
Yes, it’s hard to beat April, and some of the Fall months aren’t too bad. But May…Is…Great! Not only is the running weather wonderful, but the trees and flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, college girls are walking around without their Ugg boots and North Face jackets over flannel pajama bottoms, and the fun holiday race season is about to hit. Oh, and pretty soon we get the town back! What’s not to like? Well, maybe Spring Gobbler season, if you’re not a hunter. Makes the woods a little dicey. Maybe cleaning the gutters. (Who likes to get up on a ladder?) And maybe Thursday Track. But speaking of ladders, Bwana decided to egg May forward by giving a nice, relatively easy workout: The Whitman’s Sampler, a downward ladder of 1K-800-600-400-200. Start at 5K race pace on the 1K. Maybe a little faster. Give yourself a lap’s rest between reps (except after the 400: cut that in half). Then do the next rep at a better pace if you can manage it. The 1K is as hard as you make it, but the 800 may be the hardest rep on the ladder. You’re still pretty high up, but that 1K you’re still recovering from is making you a little dizzy! By the 600, you’re at that “Even if I fall from here, I’m still OK” height, and the rest just gets easier.
Speaking of cleaning the gutters, Bwana promised that he’d mention Mike Weyandt, the jerk, in his third paragraph. There. That’s what you get for using the list serve to publicly recruit people away from Thursday Track…Just like Meira used to do, back when she used to be a jerk.
Thursday Track Report: Sets After 60
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
May 7, 2015
It was warm, sunny, and a little humid, with enough pollen in the air to make your eyeballs itch as Jim Myers, John Domico, Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Costas Maranas, Mike Renz, Mike Martin, Mike Zimmerman, Charlie Vassey, Kevin Becker, Rob Peterson, Jeff Welsh, Rich Harter, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, Dana Todd, Amy Blake, and Marty Mazur headed for the track.
Bwana was having a hard time dreaming up a workout until Lance mentioned how sore he was from doing a special birthday workout the previous day with Jim Myers. (Bwana thought he was the only person who did birthday themed workouts.) The workout was special indeed: sets of 60 sit-ups, 60 push-up, 60 pull-ups, 60 lunges, and probably 60 of two or three other things…you get the idea, and you can probably guess Jim’s age. Jim is one of the Original Thursday Trackers, and through the ups and downs of injuries, he’s been doing the Thursday workouts for well over 20 years. Bwana decided to continue the theme and gave 4X600 at 5K+ pace with 400 meter rest (Bwana should have made it 6X600!). Jim, ageless as ever, proceeded to do the workout the way he always does Bwana’s workouts (though maybe not as fast as 20 years ago): by cutting the prescribed rest in half. Bwana followed Jim (as usual) as well as he could, all the time thinking that we were doing the 600s in not a whole lot less time than we used to do sets of 800s!
Well, that makes two people in the Thursday regulars who are now in the 60+ Club. In a few years, we’ll have enough to form an Old Men of the Mountains JV Squad. (The varsity OMMs have a minimum age criterion of 65, and their average age is well over 70!) We hope to keep bringing in youngsters to keep this operation moving long after us geezers are watching from lawn chairs.
Thursday Track Report: Everyone Knew Them As Nancy
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 23, 2015
March weather made a brief return to Central Pennsylvania this week. After a warm start for the week, things got ugly with a hail storm, then high winds and cooling temperatures. By Thursday, though the afternoon temperature was in the mid-30s, a mix of sleet and snow occasionally peppered the area. Time to earn your “I Come To The Track Even In Crappy Weather” Merit Badge. So, Tom Cali, Mike Casper, Andy Maguire, Mike Martin, Dana Todd, Jim Laudermilch, Charlie Vassey, Jeff Welsh, Dan Mangieri, Seth Senior, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed for the track under cloudy skies and against stiff breezes.
Bwana gave the kind of workout appropriate for the cool weather: 3X1K at 5K race pace with 400 m rest between reps. Try to increase your pace a bit with each rep, finishing the last one hard. This is a great workout to do in the Fall (adjusting the volume up to 5 or 6 reps), when runners are preparing for the mOUnTaiNBACK, Fall marathons, and the Nittany Half. Not such a good workout in the heat of summer. But with warm weather seemingly on permanent delay, it was a good workout for the day.
As we jogged a rest lap, Mike Casper remarked that Bwana no longer reserves the third paragraph of his report for insulting the non-attendees. Mike recalled it as the most entertaining part of the report, and Bwana averred that some Trackers would purposely NOT show up just to see if and how they’d be dragged through the mud. It was a rite of passage to become noticed when you were missing, though some Trackers (e.g. Cornwall) displayed blithe insouciance at their frequent inclusion in paragraph three. Bwana has become soft in his middle age, and paragraph three has become more of a pep talk. Shall we bring the old Bwana back? Whom should he insult? Why pick on anyone in particular? It could be kind of confusing. All the Sluggo’s were at the track. The people who were missing were all named Nancy. Some had good excuses, like Nancy Minard and Nancy Dudukovich, who are recovering from the Hyner Challenge. But what about the Nancy boys? What excuses do they have? Too cold?