Thursday Track Report: F This!
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 28, 2011
The wind was coming from every direction as Tom Cali, Jim Moore, Judd Michael, George Lesieutre, Greg Luna, Jon Oatley, Costas Maranas, Andy Maguire, John Sheakoski, Kevin Becker, Ashley Hill, Lee Culver, Ron Cunfer, Rich Harter, Michael Goldfine, and Marty Mazur headed for the track. Michael Goldfine was wearing his mOUnTaiNBACK team singlet from a past race, "F5". Appropriate, considering the recent horrific storminess down South.
As Bwana gathered the Crew, Tom Cali noted that it was Martha Nelson's birthday and suggested we do a Martha Memorial Track Workout. Bwana hadn't heard of her passing, but was assured it was only the passing of her 20s. So Martha is 30. As Martha might say when confronted with something unfun, "F This!" In her honor, Bwana gave the terrible 3's: 3X3X300, and tried to orient the horseshoe so that the resting 100 took the brunt of the wind, a hard thing to do when the wind is coming from every direction.
Turnout has been light since the recent marathons, but that doesn't explain all absences. mOUnTaiNBACK F-Trooper Tom Hilands seems to have been blown free of the running community and is stuck in a tree in his underwear with a dazed look on his face. Jim Myers would probably have needed to be tethered lest he be blown from the track, but the same can't be said of Steve Olson, who was last seen hugging a tree on the golf course. And Lance Bland, Esther Prinz, Bree Stdenka, and Marv Hall were probably hunkered in a bunker, drinking Hurricanes!
Thursday Track Report: Old Guys Watching TV
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 21, 2011
A light showing today! It must have been the depressing bluster. That mixed with the fact that half the crew have run a marathon in the last couple of weeks. John Domico, Tom Cali, Ken Davis, John Sheakoski, Lee Culver, Jon Thurley, Kevin Becker, Jon Oatley, Ron Cunfer, Mark Lee, John Wilcock, Bree Studenka, and Marty Mazur all showed up.
Bwana gave the "Mini-Old Guy's Workout" (1 mile, 1X800, 2X400), a shortened version of one of Old Guy Domico's favorites (1 mile, 2X800, 4X400). The breeze on the backstretch thankfully switched directions during the workout and became less of a headwind.
Cali's presence accounted for only half the usual track contingent of mini old guys. Michael Goldfine was still daydreaming about his Wellesley experiences. And those bigger old guys who ran Boston, Bob Cornwall, Dave DeGroote, Costas Maranas, Jim Moore, George Lesieutre, and Marty Klancher, they were all watching Greg Luna's YouTube video of the Wellesley Gauntlet and figuring they'd all run a bit slower next year.
Thursday Track Report: Nether Here Nor There.
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 7, 2011
Well, our see-saw ride toward summer hit a kind of high again today. The weather was drab and a bit cold, but good enough for Jim Myers, Erick DeWolf, John Domico, Jim Moore, Bob Cornwall, Lance Bland, Randy Jepson, Tom Cali, Martha Nelson, John Sheakoski, Andrew Webb, Greg Luna, Jon Thurley, Mike Weyandt, Andy Maguire, Jon Oatley, Dana Todd, Kirk Rager, Bree Studenka, Ashley Hill, Joel Niemann, Rob Peterson, Steve Olson, and Marty Mazur to head to the outdoor track. That's pretty good attendance!
A big portion of the Crew was there for their good-luck send-off to the Charlottesville Marathon. And a few more who are running Boston in 11 days were not going to do much of a workout. The rest of us did 6X400, which might help in a Spring 5K situation.
We had quite a few visitors today. Martha Nelson will be heading for Charlottesville but decided to take the "long cut" to visit us and show up at the track. Erick DeWolf, a sometime participant of several years ago, is visiting from Kansas and picked Thursday Track of all the things he could have been doing. And from the Nether reaches of the USA to the Netherlands of Europe, Andrew Webb paid us a visit. He too is heading for Charlottesville to run with his favorite transpondian running buddies.
Some of Bwana's locals, who live or work but a hop, skip, and a jump from the track, were ne'ther there nor anywhere else sweatworthy. Let's at least hope they can pick up a pen or click a mouse to go and make a donation to the CVIM Marathoners for Medicine!
Thursday Track Report: Welcome Back, Now Shove Off!
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 14, 2011
Today would normally mark the Boston Sendoff Day at the track, and indeed it was, though only a few Boston runners were there today. As much as that, it was a day to welcome the conquering heros of the NVRC who dominated the Charlottesville Marathon last weekend. John Domico, Tom Cali (1st Place, Men's 50-59), Jon Thurley, and John Sheakoski were four of the team of NVRC Marathoners for Medicine that laid waste to the tough Charlottesville course. Among those who couldn't be at the track to celebrate today were Men's 3rd Place Andrew Webb, Women's Winner Martha Nelson, and Women's 2nd Place Meira Minard, and several other age group award winners. Those going to Boston this weekend that also came to the track were Jim Moore, Costas Maranas, and Michael Goldfine. The rest of today's crew were Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Esther Prins, Mark Fedkin, Jon Oatley, Kevin Becker, Mike Renz, Adam Smith, Andy Maguire, Rich Harter, Bree Studenka, Rob Peterson, and Marty Mazur
On such a welcome, beautiful Spring day, and in the presence of such superior athletes, Bwana decided to give "Supersets Lite". That is, 4X600, without all those stipulations about how and how fast you should run your 600s that make them such torture.
So, next week we'll welcome the Boston crew back, and soon thereafter get ready to send the last group off to the Pittsburgh Marathon. Speaking of that marathon, Pittsburg Fixture Marty Klanchar is nowhere near taper time for that race, but still didn't have the energy for today's track workout! So he peeled off and did some little 6 mile jog. Well, I hope he's got something in the tank at the end of the race!
Thursday Track Report: Inside, Once More, WIth Enthusiasm!
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
March 31, 2011
The Track Crew is getting too used to the Multi-Sport Facility. We keep having to move back in after Spring keeps breaking its promises. The outdoor track wasn't covered in the late snow that covered the campus lawns, but temperatures were still on the cold side for an outdoor workout. So John Domico, Greg Luna, Costas Maranas, Ken Davis, Mark Fedkin, Kirk Rager, Dana Todd, Mark Traband, Jon Thurley, Michael Goldfine, John Wilcock, Esther Prins, Bree Studenka and her friend, Ashley Hill, Jerry Steffy, Ron Cunfer, Lee Culver, Joel Niemann, Rob Peterson, and Marty Mazur stayed inside and played.
Bwana, hoping to seal the deal for next week, gave the workout he traditionally gives at the beginning and end of the indoor season: NX3X300. It's a good workout for those who are going to participate in some of the thousands of Spring 5Ks coming up. A few of the marathon crew did longer repeats instead.
John Sheakoski brought his son Zack in and introduced him to the crew. Zack is taking a college class for which he had an assignment to do some on-camera interviews. For some reason, he chose us. The Track Crew is used to the media spotlight, and so we eagerly obliged. Bwana took the opportunity to excoriate for posterity several of his flock who have been slacking. That left Zack scratching his head wondering what Bwana was babbling about when he mentioned blind wookies. Well, he can edit.