Thursday Track Report: Hack Writer
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 24, 2013
The air was cold and clear as Lance Bland, Ken Davis, Mark Fedkin, John Wilcock, Mike Casper, Dana Todd, Lee Culver, Sara Noss, Ron Cunfer, Jaimie Wright, Kim Nelson, Kevin Becker, Jeff Welsh, Christine Nairn, David Lloyd, Joel Niemann, Rob Peterson, Mike Renz, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. Bwana has been coughing out these track reports for nearly 20 years now, but the dry air at the MSF is lending a new meaning to the term "hack writer".
Bwana took a moment to congratulate Christine Nairn, a recent PSU soccer standout, who will soon be heading to the Pacific northwest to play for the Seattle Rain. We sure could use a little moisture here, at least in the air. The cold temperatures outside mean that the air inside is as dry as paper and feels like it on your bronchial tubes during a hard workout. Bwana had the Crew hack through a workout that is good for a 5K or a mile race. (The last two meets of the Indoor Mile Series are on Friday and next week Saturday.) A downward ladder, 5-4-3-2 laps with 2 lap rests, and each rep with faster lap speeds. Start at a 5K race pace for the nearly 3/4-mile 5-lapper, and end up at your "kick" pace for the mile on the 400+ meter 2-lapper. If that sounds like it might be too harsh on your throat if you're running the mile the next day, just run the 4 and 3 lap reps at your mile pace. But Jaimie Wright is running the mile on Friday and ran the whole workout!
We're looking forward to the weather warming up so we can do our track workouts outside. But this is turning out to be more like a "normal" winter, so that might not happen for another 7 or 8 weeks! Until then, get your speed workout unencumbered by layers of clothes at the MSF on Thursdays. Those Spring 5Ks are sooner than you think!
Thursday Track Report: And Them Good 'Ol Boys Were Drinkin' Whiskey And Rye
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 17, 2013
It was still, with a bit of a nip in the air, and the outdoor track was covered in white, so Lance Bland, Ken Davis, Michael Goldfine, Lee Culver, Mike Casper, Marty Klanchar, John Wilcock, Andy Arndt, Kim Nelson, Ron Cunfer, Jeff Welsh, Mark Fedkin, Dana Todd, Jake Clements, David Lloyd, Sara Noss, and Marty Mazur headed indoors.
After the warm-up, Bwana had a few spirited words with Michael Goldfine. Distilling it down to its essence, the wry discussion centered on the finer distinctions between rye and bourbon. Not to get to corny here (although bourbon must be at least 51% corn), but there can be only fine-grained distinctions between some bourbons and ryes. (Bourbon and rye both contain corn and rye - and other grains. Bourbon must be 51% corn and rye 51% rye, so they can be pretty close depending on the mix.) Bwana didn't want to make a mash of things, so he cut the discussion short to give the workout: NX600 at mile race pace. That's about 2.7 laps per rep in Lane 5 and about 40% of a mile. A good workout to refine your mile pace.
Some of the erstwhile regulars will by crying on Bwana's shoulder when Spring 5K season opens. But if you want a neat 5K, you've gotta take your track straight, no chaser. Otherwise you won't be able to shake what's on your tail!
Thursday Track Report: Bwana Nose
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 3, 2013
The streak of 22 months without winter weather finally ended the day after Christmas, and today we were awakened, if not by our morning coffee, then by the sharp pain of brittle nose hairs snapping on the first breath of frosty, 10 degree air. By noon, it was sunny, but still well below freezing as Jim Myers, Lance Bland, Ken Davis, John Sheakoski, George Lesieutre, Michael Goldfine, John Wilcock, Andy Arndt, Mike Casper, Dana Todd, Esther Prins, Allison Machnicki, Jake Clements, and Marty Mazur headed for the track.
Time to get our noses out of the Christmas pudding and back onto the grindstone. Bwana called the traditional first indoor workout of the season: NX3X300. The 300s are run fast, say at close to your 5K “kick” pace, or your Indoor Mile pace, and there is a short 100 meter rest between each in a set of 3. Do as many sets as you are able, with a longer rest between sets. It’s an appropriate workout for those who will be doing the Indoor Miles, including among today’s Crew Lance, Michael G, Bwana, and maybe more.
Bwana doesn’t want to be too nosy, but what was your New Year’s Resolution? Did it include a running goal? Maybe a few more trips to the track? Have you broken it already? It’s OK. You can tell me. Yes, my daughter. Bwana forgives you. Come back, prodigal son. As your penance, do 3 Thursday Track workouts before March and go and sin no more.
Thursday Track Report: Winter Break?
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Thursday Track Report: It's A Wonderful Thing!
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
December 20, 2012
One more day left till the End of the World (or at least the end of the final work week of the year at Penn State), but John Domico, Jim Myers, Lance Bland, George Lesieutre, John Sheakoski, Beth Herndon, Greg Larsen, Mark Fedkin, Andy Maguire, Esther Prins, Jake Clements, David Lloyd, Marty Klanchar, John Wilcock, Mike Renz, and Marty Mazur still found time to do their Jingle Bell Thing.
The thing with the Thing is that you can do your own thing. Beth and Greg had come to the track do an actual workout, and so skipped the rest of the Things of the Thing, but still managed to do the Look Back / Look Forward Thing. John Sheakoski had a meeting thing right at 1 so didn't even join us except for the meet-up at Rec Hall. And we had people join and depart all along the way. The Usual Thing includes a run across campus, the aforementioned Forward/Backward Thing, a run through town with a trip up and down the Big Steps of South Halls (Meira's thing), a stop at Rapid Transit, and another at Kitchen Kaboodle (Jeannie Klanchar does her thing there). Then we head to the parking garage on Beaver and Fraser and up the ramps to the top. David Lloyd, a recent regular, had been keeping up with a pretty fast cohort through town up until this point, but didn't realize a Hill Workout was part of the Thing! All the way to the top without Sherpa guides! David made it and into one of the pictures at the top. Then back to Rec Hall.
This year's thing was a little thin. Meira had something else to attend to. Tom Cali had to have a "thing" done. Michael Goldfine was taking a break from Things Goyim. Kasha Nostra (that's Italian for "Our Thang") emailed that she'd be there, but some "thing" must have come up. All of us who were there wish the rest of you a Merry Christmas, and the best of health and happiness (and running!) in the New Year!
PS: No Track workout for the next two weeks. But that doesn't give you much time to train! The Indoor Mile Series is coming starting on January 5!
Doing the Thing at the Track