Thursday Track Report: Blood Mobile
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
February 9, 2012
The wintry weather was on its way, but not quite there yet. Soon white platelets would be falling from the sky. So red-blooded runners Jim Myers, John Domico, Tom Cali, Randy Jepson, Lance Bland, Mike Casper, Ken Davis, Michael Goldfine, John Wilcock, Andy Maguire, Dana Todd, Kirk Rager, Jim Laudermilch, Rich Harter, Tony Huang, newcomer Constantin Schreiber, and Marty Mazur decided on an indoor workout. It was a good mix of the right types of people, with Thursday Track Charter Members Jim Myers and Marty Mazur, some from nearly that far back, and a few relative youngbloods including Constantin Schreiber, still wet behind the ears. Or was he still wet from all the Gatorade dumped on him after his great showing in the Indoor Mile Series? The only thing missing from the mix was the leavening of the ladies. Monika Houston took her first Thursday off since joining the Crew. The attendance of rest of the ladies was anemic as usual.
Bwana took the suggestion that we do some relays. It was 2-person 6X2 lap relays. Bwana thought he was paired up with Mike Casper, but as he rounded the final turn, Casper was gasping just from the warm-up. He had just given blood for the Ed Thompson Memorial collection, and had very low energy. So Bwana made Myers and Goldfine's team a trio. He tried to match Myers stride for stride on each 2 lapper, usually lasting a lap or less before falling behind. Bwana thought like he must have given blood the way he felt!
Bwana's not too sanguine about the Spring running prospects of some of our slackers. Mike Weyandt, Mike Renz, and Tom Hilands are are waiting for outdoor track season to try to inject some speed into their legs. Actually, Hilands misplaced his bottle of Geritol. The Crew could use an infusion, or maybe a transfusion. The trick is to to convince some of the more pallid ones to take a tourniquet around the track!
Thursday Track Report: Roadkill Practice
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
February 2, 2012
It was decidedly unwinterlike, but not very springlike either as John Domico, Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Mike Casper, George Lesieutre, Ken Davis, John Ake, Kevin Becker, Kirk Rager, Dana Todd, Monika Houston, Tony Huang, Rob Peterson, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. Though the sun wasn't very strong, the runners didn't want to risk seeing their shadows, so they went inside the Multi-Sport Facility. There, Jerry Steffy was just leaving after having warmed up the track.
Bwana couldn't decide whether he should call out a workout for the last winter Indoor Mile, or to start people working on their spring 5Ks. He split the difference and had them to a flat-topped pyramid: 3-4-4-3 laps at close to mile race pace. Bwana himself was undecided about how hard to run this workout, since he's running Saturday's mile race. So he ran half of it pretty hard and the other half not at all.
Quite a few of our erstwhile regulars seem to be holed up with Punxsy Phil these days. Bwana can't decide what to do about this. Maybe just leave a warning: You know all groundhogs you see on the roads with tire treads on them? They're the ones who didn't do track workouts over the winter!
Thursday Track Report: Into Each Life Some Pain Must Fall
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 19, 2012
Winter, such as it is this year, seems to have finally settled in to the area. The rain we've had since last summer is finally turning to snow. It was cloudy, windy, and cold, with the threat of coming snow as Jim Myers, Lance Bland, Blake Cohen, Travis, Frank Rodenbaugh, Esther Prins, Kelson and Michael Goldfine, Bree Studenka, Marty Klanchar, Andy Maguire, Mike Renz, Bob Cornwall, Some Guy, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. Meira Minard, Jim Moore, and Dean Capone accompanied the group but steered clear of the track workout to put in some road miles.
Bwana called out an indoor favorite, the fast and furious NX3X300 with short (100 m) rests between each 300 in a set, running these at or slightly faster than mile race pace. Most of the crew figured N=3 was enough pain for the day. The fast pace and the short rests is good training for the Indoor Miles, and should also help you gut out your final charge in a Spring 5K. Bwana averaged 67 for his 9 300s. That translates to a 5:59 mile pace, so he definitely ran them faster than his current race capability. He may have to find out just what that capability is at next Friday's Indoor Mile!
Turnout has been OK but not stunning lately. Bwana would like to see 25 or more at the track every week, rather than the 15-20 he's been seeing of late. That means those of you who still have not extracted yourselves from the Barcalounger since Christmas need to start showing up! C'mon! It only hurts the first time!
Thursday Track Report: Somber Soddenness
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 26, 2012
It was dark, drab, and rainy as John Domico, Lance Bland, Judd Michael, Ken Davis, George Lesieutre, Dana Todd, Jim Laudermilch, newcomer Monica Houston, Michael Goldfine, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. They had to ply their way between cars and walkers headed to the Bryce Jordan Center for the JoePa Memorial. There was some question as to whether the MSF would be open, but the trackers were prepared to run on the outdoor track if it wasn't. Well, Tom Cali, Bob Cornwall, Jon Thurley, Dean Capone, Meira Minard and Esther Prins weren't prepared. They did something or other at Rec Hall. Do they have a maypole court set up there?
The MSF was open. There was a reception going on in the upper lobby for the Penn State Lettermen and their families. But the Trackers made their way unobtrusively in through the lower doors. Some of the Lettermen even watched as we did a light workout. Light because a few of the runners were planning on doing Friday's Indoor Mile. Bwana did a few 2 lappers.
Over the years, we've done several JoePa related track workouts. I distinctly recall the workout we did when JoePa won his 324th game to pass Bear Bryant among major college coaches. Joe and Sue Paterno were generous supporters of the NVRC Marathon Teams for Centre Volunteers in Medicine. Regular runners would often happen upon Joe on one of his long walks, which became shorter and less frequent in recent years. And, of course, the Rec Hall crew passed JoePa's house every Monday on their regular Toftrees run. As the Track Crew headed back to Rec Hall, there were even more people converging on the BJC. Bwana watched the tribute to JoePa on BTN.com. Very nicely done.
Thursday Track Report: Who Are You Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lyin' Eyes?
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
January 12, 2012
It was probably warm and calm enough outside to do an outdoor workout. It was drab and calm with temperatures in the low 40s as John Domico, Lance Bland, Ken Davis, Andy Maguire, Michael Goldfine, Blake Cohen, Frank Rodenbaugh, Jaimie Wright, Misty Formie, Jim Laudermilch, Dana Todd, Kirk Rager, Rich Harter, newcomer Trevor, Rob Peterson, and Marty Mazur. But true to his word, Bwana brought the Crew indoors, in part to get the Indoor Milers ready for Saturday's meet.
Tom Cali and Dean Capone found some reason why they didn't need to continue with the Crew, and headed out as soon as they saw the newly painted lines on the track. But the rest of the Crew did a flat-topped pyramid: 3-4-4-3 laps in lane 5 at just slower than mile pace. The rest between reps was just long enough to allow runners to be able to do the next rep, but short enough to make it a gasping challenge.
Bwana was surprised at the relatively light turnout. He kept poking his head out the back door of the MSF to see who might be outside. There were a couple of runners he didn't recognize from afar. They could have been anyone, so those of you who didn't make it today can tell Bwana that you were one of those two and he'd be none the wiser (though Meira would have to gain a few inches to be convincing). At least until Spring, maybe that's the plan for those who want to slack and shirk: hope there's someone at the outdoor track and rely on Bwana's lyin' eyes.