A very fast 5k

American Bernard Lagat is looking to set a world record in the 5k in Berlin next week. THis quote is from a recent interview with the IAAF:

“What makes Rieti so special for middle distance runners is that we have no big meeting feeling,” confirmed Lagat. “I do not feel pressure and I compete very relaxed. I ran badly in Zürich because I felt sick there. But after winning the 3000 metres in Birmingham I began thinking that I could run 3:29 in Rieti. I expect many things in the coming meetings. I will run the 5000 metres in Berlin next week where I face Kenenisa Bekele. I know that he can run under 12:50. If I ran 12:50, I would be very happy."

Bekele typically runs his last quarter in 51. Those are some fast boys.

Dinner tonight

Tonight's spahgetti dinner for the men is at the Erickson's.
The ladies are apparently going to a restaurant somewhere.
The tables will be outside so dress accordingly.
The house is three blocks from the HS; corner of Newton and Oakland.

The food will be ready at 5:00.

First race

The first race is this Saturday in West Bend. I believe it takes about an hour to get there legally. There is a map on the schedule page but the key exit you want to look for off of 45 is Paradise drive.

This is a "grade level" challenge which means that there will be 8 races. They are bookended by the freshman and the order looks like this:

8:30 Freshman Girls
9:00 Sophmore Boys
9:30 Sophmore girls
10:00 Junior Boys
10:30 Junior girls
11:00 Senior Boys
11:30 Senior Girls
12:00 Freshman Boys

The bus will be leaving the High School at 6:30 am according to Sarah which allows the freshman girls enough time to warm up. Parents can get at least another hour of sleep.

There will be medals for the top 15 in each race.

The course is considered to be very slow, but the competition is usually very good.

A "new parent" primer

This post is for parents who are new to the sport and is intended to answer the "dumb" questions that everyone has but no one asks.

1. Get there early. The pre-race environment can be chaotic, so you should leave some margin to be "flexible" if something happens.

2. There are no bleachers at a CC meet. If you don't want to stand the whole time bring a chair or a blanket to put on the ground.

3. Races cover 2-3 miles; most of which are out of sight of the finish line. If you want to see the race you will have to move around. This requires the proper shoes. I have run in wingtips before and I don't recommend it.

4.The scoring is like golf: Low score wins. The places for the top five runners from the team in each race are added up to arrive at the score. ( i.e. If Dennis is first in the race he gets 1 point, If David is 8th he gets 8 points etc... a perfect score is 15). The sixth and seventh runners do not count towards the score but they do displace other runners which can make a difference ( just ask the girls about last year's conference race).

5. Bring a pair of sunglasses or a baseball cap. The sun can be a real hassle, especially at the Arrowhead meet.

6. Bring a stop watch. It's nice to know what times people are running and to help out with splits.

7. Bring a range of clothing. The temperature can and does swing dramatically at some of these events.

8. Bring your wallet. The admission is free( except at State), but there are always shirts and snacks for sale.

9. Bring your camera and help me take pictures.

Parent's Meeting

The official pre-season "parent's meeting" is tomorrow night tuesday Aug 22nd. The event will take place at the middle school. The SIS commons is the lunch area just inside the main door.

Dom and Sarah will cover the basics and answer questions.

There will also be sign up sheets for the spahgetti dinners and other fund raisers.

This is a great event for parents who are new to the sport.

The meeting will start right at 7:00 pm and can last as long as an hour if there are questions.

What's a really good 5k time?

The oregonian filed this report on UW's Matt Tegenkamp last week:
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Tegenkamp came into the meet with the best U.S. mark this season in the 5,000: 13 minutes, 4.90 seconds two weeks ago in Stockholm, Sweden. He came to Hayward looking for some speedwork, and everything went as planned.
Pacesetter Jason Lunn, who had promised to take the field through the first 800 of the 1,500 in 1:54, delivered.
"He was dead-on at every split," said Tegenkamp, who competed for Wisconsin. "It was just easy to get in there, tuck in and follow."
Once Lunn dropped out, the race was Tegenkamp's. He took it, winning in a personal best of 3:36.07. Said Ahmed was second in 3:38.31.

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Update: He just posted a 7:34 3k in Zurich ( that = an 8:11 two mile ).

He gives a first hand account of the race here : http://www.kimbia.net/newsarticle000113.html

It is a must read !

Alumni in the news

I'm going to attempt a new "where are they now" type series to try and highlight past Shorewood runners that are still running and running well. First up: I found this recent clipping featuring Ben Schmeckpepper. I believe that I have the right Ben.

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June 5 2006

After several years of sweltering conditions, race day at the 2006 Rhody 5K produced quality racing conditions of low 60's and overcast The race squeezed in between weekend rains, which kept the overall numbers down but saw the largest number of teams scoring in the race. Among those teams, the Boston Athletic Association again led the fields. Construction on the Lincoln Park parking and access roads led to a new course that did not finish on a dog track.

In the men's race, run first, Ben Schmeckpepper (BAA) came from behind in the final tenth of a mile to over take Brian McGovern of Florida for his first New England Championship victory in a respectable 14:49.
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yeah, that's respectable.

Ben also had a respectable career at MIT, making it to nationals as an individual all four years. ( The men run 5 miles in college).

2001 157th 26:22
2002 32nd 25:47
2003 38th 25:55
2004 8th 24:49 - "All American"

If anyone else has any Alumni results please email me and I will get them up. Shorewood has a great tradition and we need to promote it.

Want a banana?

Okay, everybody knows that runners eat bananas because they have a lot of potassium, but why do runners need potassium?

Potassium and sodium ( salt) are the two main chemicals responsible for regulating the flow of water in and out of cells. Say what? Potassium keeps you from cramping up and feeling fatigued during and after a run.

Runners World has an excellent article on it here:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-53-84-0-8955-1-1X2X3-4,00.html

Remember Alan Webb?

Webb is of course the skinny kid from Reston Virginia who pegged the US high school mile record at 3:48 a few years ago. He will be running a mile in Scotland tonight and had this to say to a reporter yesterday:
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"I tweaked my hamstring just after that 27:34 at Stanford, which is a fast 10k for a miler. A couple of days later I ran 20 x 400 with a minute interval. I started with 61-62s and finished at 57 seconds, so I knew I was fit, but then I found I was iron-deficient. So I've rested, and now I am not at my sharpest. I was only third in the 800 metres at the Scottish Championships, so I'm not in 3:48 shape, but I should still be able to go below four minutes on Thursday.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/68054.html
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What caught my eye wasn't just the 20 quarters but the part about being iron deficient. It is really important to pay attention to what you are eating and how much you are sleeping when you run high mileage. You must listen to your body.

The keys to running your best are :

1. 8-10 hours of regular sleep every night. Get on a schedule and be consistant.
2. Hydration. Drink water all day long and then drink some more.
3. Nutrition. A good multi vitamin every day can cover a lot of bad habits
4. Bananas every day are the best way to keep your potassium supply stocked

Every world class runner when asked about their routine always starts by talking about how much sleep they get and then they talk about what they eat, and then they lie about how many miles they run.

Are you getting enough sleep?

Is track a fall sport?

well, no but there are some really cool meets going on right now as people are trying to sort out who will be running in the next olympics. last week was the "road to Eugene" meet where uw's very own Tegenkamp took the 1500 from a stacked field.

The recap in the Oregon Duck is pretty well written:

Men's 1500m: Jason Lunn goes directly to the lead, goes through 300m in 42.5. The runners are already in a long line. Lunn 56.3 at 400 meters. Andrew Bumbalough,Matt Tegenkamp, Said Ahmed and Anthony Famiglietti follow Lunn . AJ Acosta is 3rd from the back. 1:40 with 2 laps to go for the lead pack of 6. 800 meters in 1:54.5 for Lunn. The pack is now 4; Lunn, Tegenkamp, Ahmed, and Bumbalough. Acosta is now 4th from the last. Bumbalough drops out with 500 meters to go. Lunn drops out at the bell. Tegenkamp takes over and Ahmed follows through 1200 meters in 2:53.7. Gabe Jennings is moving well down the backstraight, trying to catch Anthony Famiglietti, who is 3rd, with 200 meters to go. Tegenkamp pulls away from Ahmed down the homestraight to win in 3:36.06. Ahmed, looking over his shoulder, holds on for 2nd in 3:38.31 over a hard-charging Famiglietti (3rd, 3:38.61) with Jennings 4th in 3:38.96. Acosta is 10th of 11 finishers in 3:47.48.

Those are some fast boys.

On a related note, these guys do run in local races and you can step up and run with them sort of.
Andrew ran in the "full moon 5k in madison" last night. The race was won by Chris Solinsky in 14:58. That's a little out of range, but a fair number of people ran the first mile with him (4:50). It's a good way to reset your mental pace and maybe move up a notch. A lot of running is mental, and a lot of that is just believing that you belong up front.

My bad

The Hank Aaron race I have been promoting conflicts directly with the new alumni run. My bad.

Of course everyone should go to the alumni run at Kern park. This is the first ever and it is important to start it off on the right foot. It is also an excellent way to show your support for the team.

So knock that mud off of your spikes and set your alarm for saturday morning. The weather is guaranteed to be perfect and "big bertha" will be happy to see you.

Race Tonight

There are a ton of good races this time of year. You should be in a couple before the season starts.

Tonight is the "full Moon" run in madison. It starts at 9:00 pm for those of you who work during the day. Details are here : http://www.movinshoesmadison.com/full_moon.htm .

Remember, the first official race of the season is now less than three weeks away.
What are you waiting for?

Looking for a good time?

There is a very decent race coming up this weekend over at Miller park. You can actually bike there on the new bike trails if you can't find a ride. We will unfortunately be in the twin cities at another event but I am sure Dom can put together a carpool if there is enough interest.

The run is at Miller park on the 12th, located by the suasage house in the south east parking lot. It is officially The Hank Aaron state trail 5k. It is all asphalt and tends to be pretty (very) fast. The last mile is all down hill. It is a small race but they hand out some pretty decent munchies and door prizes afterwards. The info is here.
http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/Fun%20Run%20and%20Walk%201.html

The run is in the morning (8:30) so you have to actually get up, the bonus for parents is that the last two years they had free bakery and coffee from Alterra in unlimited quanities prior to the run.

Sam D. ran last year (20:07); Andrew ran 17:19; Zach McFall ran 17:10

Learn from the best

Haile Gebrselassie is arguably the greatest living distance runner and maybe the best pure distance runner ever. In a recent BBC sport interview he offered a few tips.

What has been the best advice you have had in your career of athletics?

Actually, there are two important pieces that helped me a lot:

1. Work hard! This is what my father has always told me. Nothing comes for free, so if you want to achieve something you will have to work hard.

2. Take your time! This was the first advice of my manager Jos Hermens. He explained to me that if you work hard and make the right choices, things will come your way.
In the beginning of my career I thought I could run a race every week. I felt great and wanted to show people how fast I could run.
Jos taught me not to run too many races and to train and rest well. When I started to do this, my performances got even better!

What do you do to help you recover from your hardest training sessions? How much sleep do you have each day?

I go to bed early (9.30 pm), but also wake up early (6 am). During the daytime I try to sleep, but this is difficult as my daughters try to keep me awake.
For me it is not so important to sleep, as long as I can take a rest. In the afternoon, I try to rest for two hours.
Next to sleeping a lot, massage also helps to recover well from training. When I train really hard, I make sure that I have daily massages.

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Work hard and get regular sleep ... that probably sounds like your parents but it's the truth..

The Schedule 2006

The schedule now has it's own page to keep it from getting buried on the post page.
It is the second link over on the right. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You can of course bookmark it under favorites if you are using windows so you can get at it even easier. I will try to link driving directions and maps to each entry. I have most of them up already.

The season starts in less than a week and we actually have two meets before school even starts. Considering that there are only six meets before conference and sectionals that means that a third of the season will be in the books before the boys even get their books.

heh

Sparse

The summer classic at parkside was last night. Shorewood fielded three runners and a soccer player. Yes a soccer player. Come on people, that's pathetic.

It was a little hot and muggy but everyone who came had a good time.

Andrew ran slow but was still in the top 20.
Sam G. arrived after the start but jumped in anyway, no time but definite points for effort.

Heidi represented the girl's and averaged around 9 min a mile.

And Jordan W. ( sprinter/soccer) flashed his "legendary" kick at the finish.

The event ended with a picnic and prizes.
There was also a truck full of stuff from Pond's ( the premiere shoe store in Illinois). Emily bought a pair of very nice spikes for $10. That was worth the drive all by itself.

Plan to be there next year. This is a great event.

Results are up over at Wisconsin Runner ( link is on the right ->)

Amber Alert !!

Officials are still looking for a white van, reportedly full of distance runners from Shorewood High School. Alledgedly driven by one Dom Newman. The van never arrived at the Parkside summer classic last night. Any one with information on either the missing runners or the wayward coach are asked to contact the Shorewood athletic department.

The new lounge

Ben and others have asked for a "chat room". I have been a little hesitant to explore this because I don't want to police it and I don't have the time or expertise to build one.

I have been persuaded to try a limited version on a trial basis. You will notice a new link on the right cleverly titled: "The Lounge". This link is to a dummy blog that I set up just for comments. You won't be able to start any threads but you can comment on and join any that are there. I'll keep this up under two conditions:

1. People actually use it.

2. That it doesn't get abused ( by which I mean no excessive swearing, no unduly scatalogical syntax, and no personal attacks on people on or off the team.

I will be just slightly more restrictive than dyestat.

If this proves popular it can be expanded.

-The management

Next race : Parkside Aug 5th

I don't know how many of you are running and or racing this summer, but sometimes it helps to run some of the courses that you will see during the season in a more relaxed low stress setting.

Last year Andrew ran in the Parkside CC Classic at the beginning of August. The meet is run on the parkside course which we will race on twice. There were a lot of good high school runners there as well as some people who were lucky to finish. It was a lot of fun and includes a free cook out afterwards ( hot dogs and chips etc..). The cost is $8 in advance and $10 at the gate. I think it would be great if we could get a dozen guys and girls to go down and compete. I would be happy to take a van full if anyone needs a ride. The race is on AUGUST 5TH

The link for the info and the sign up sheet is here.

http://www.wisconsinrunner.com/wccca/UWP_CC_Classic.pdf

This is of course still pre season and totally on your own.
Remember you can't wear your school uniform at any of these events.
Last years results are here if anyone is curious.


Also there is a race on August 12th

There is a decent run at Miller park on the 12th. The Hank Aaron state trail 5k. It is all asphalt and tends to be pretty fast. It is a small race but they hand out some pretty decent munchies and door prizes afterwards.

The info is here.
http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/Fun%20Run%20and%20Walk%201.html

You can't enter these once the season starts on the 14th so this is pretty much the last legal warm up.

Mark Your Calendars now.

The Schedule for 2006

Monday, August 14  Season begins
 
Saturday, August 26 West Bend Grade Level Challenge 8:30 am
 
Saturday, September 2  Rebel Invite- UW Parkside  9:30am
 
Thursday, September 7  Arrowhead Invite 4:15
 
Friday, September 15  Marquette Invite 4:00pm New course and a new date!
 
Saturday, September 23  Griak Invite, only the top 10 guys will go.
 
Saturday, September 30  Eagle Invite- UW Parkside
 
Saturday, October 7  Shorewood Invite, we will need help from the parents with meet management
 
Friday, October 13  Conference Meet @ Sheridan Park 2:30pm
 
Saturday, October 21  WIAA Sectionals  Only the top 7 will run.  New sectionals.
 
Saturday, October 28 WIAA State Meet, Only if the team places in the top 2 the week before.