The Weekly Log #1
February 22-28, 2010
As father and son we share a common love and passion for the sport of running, so we thought it might be fun to bring you the latest news from our local running world…a weekly running log of sorts. Enjoy!
Mark (on the run since 1973) and Alec Lorenzoni (running since 1999).
In the Starting Blocks…
This weekend will feature some great high school track action with both the Group AA & AAA State Meets on tap. Group AA will feature many of our local area high schools, including a Western Albemarle squad which swept the boys and girls Jefferson District and Region II titles this year in impressive fashion. Look for both teams to have a shot at finishing on the podium (top 3) this weekend, with the girls squad probably having the best shot at a team title, although they must upset heavily favored and defending champion Blacksburg to do so. Both teams will rely heavily on their middle distance/distance runners and their pole vaulters to get the job done. The Louisa girls team will also be in the hunt for the podium, led by the state’s best triple jumper Javanique Burruss (only a freshman) and senior distance runner Hannah Best. The meet will take place on Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg. More info here.
In Group AAA action, Albemarle will travel to Hampton to compete with the state’s best as the boy’s team tries to defend their 2009 State Indoor Track title. Despite heavy graduation losses, including three members of the national record setting 4x800 relay team, the Patriots still have a shot at another title thanks to seniors Anthony Kostelac and Jordan Hill. Kostelac will take care of the middle distance duties with his 1600/1000/4x800 relay triple and Hill will one-up his teammate by competing in five events (long jump, triple jump, high jump, 300 meters, 4x400 relay). Last year, Kostelac was the state champion in both the 1000 and the 4x800 relay and Hill was runner-up in all three jumping events. The two day meet starts Friday at Hampton’s Boo Williams facility. More info here.
What’s a foot in the world of not-for-profit community footraces…
The Amnesty International Couples Valentines 5K looks like a go for this coming Saturday (2/27). Thanks to the recent heavy snows, volunteer co-race directors Carol Finch and Bruce Carveth had to not only postpone the race (from its original date of February 13th to February 27) but they also plan to adjust their normal race course. Because the Old Trails course takes the runners off road onto a mile long dirt path (which is still under several inches of snow), Finch and Carveth have come up with an alternate plan that will re-route the runners, so they never leave the security of the dry and smooth blacktop road that meanders through this mammoth Western Albemarle neighborhood (if somehow the trails miraculously clear and dry up, then the race may be held along its normal course). As usual, thanks to the volunteer nature of this popular Charlottesville Track Club footrace, all of the proceeds will be passed along to help benefit the noble efforts of our area chapter of Amnesty International. The starting time for the race will be 8:00am and race day registration WILL be accepted.
Some race tidbits: The race field size is normally in the 250-275 range.
Course records: Open: Tristan Colangelo- 15:37 & Nicola Ratcliffe- 19:24
40-49: Hernan Garbini- 18:11 & Nicola Ratcliffe- 19:24
50-59: Clark Jackson- 19:52 & Mary Clare Smith- 25:39
60-69: Chuck Lascano- 24:34 & Connie Friend- 29:26
70+: Don Simroth- 29:36
Click Here for a comprehensive list of Upcoming Area Races
Blue Ribbons To…
It had been 28 years since the last time an area runner clocked a sub-four minute mile (former UVA great Vince Draddy was the first to break the four minute mile with a 3:58.1 in 1982), so when Ragged Mountain Racing Team member Andrew Jesien broke track’s most revered barrier in Seattle last Saturday, many of us in the Charlottesville running community let out a collective “WOW!” Jesien, who recently graduated from UVa and is now competing for our area’s first ever Olympic Development team (RMR), had been hoping to get into a competitive heat, one that would help him to a goal he’s had for close to a decade. Well, Jesien got exactly what he wished for, as ten (you heard right…10) guys broke track’s ultimate barrier in his heat. Jesien’s 3:58.91 represented an incredible four second improvement over his previous best. The modest but ultra fast speedster will be back on the starting line again this coming weekend at the USATF National Indoor Track Championships in New Mexico (ESPN will be covering the meet on Sunday afternoon).
And speaking of speedsters, former Western Albemarle standout Tyler Stutzman competed in another heat in the same event as Jesien at the Husky Classic and he too came away with an impressive PR as the Stanford freshman clocked an awesome 4:05. And, at the same meet, UVa distance sensation Ryan Collins broke Kris Herdt’s 1989 school record in the Indoor 5,000 by over 15 seconds as the fabulous 3.1 distance specialist clocked an amazing 13:46! And while we’re talking UVa, how about former Albemarle great Zach Vrhovac’s 4:08 indoor mile last week? Not bad for the freshman Cavalier runner who spent most of his high school athletic career playing both sides of the football on Friday nights for the Patriots!
The Western Albemarle boys and girls indoor track teams, who captured both the Jefferson District AND the Region II crowns this past week. Due to the winter weather, the district meet was postponed repeatedly and almost cancelled, but eventually the meet was held a scant two days before the regional meet, making this double sweep even more impressive. The Warriors were led by regional individual champions Kristin Del Rosso (high jump), Nicole Harding (pole vault), Kelsey McClary (55 hurdles), and Claire Johnson (1600 meters & 1000 meters). Their 4x400 (Jordan Haws, Katie Farina, Peri Bowser, Kelsey McClary) and 4x800 (Jordan Haws, Katie Farina, Peri Bowser, Claire Johnson) relay teams were also victorious. On the boys side, Alex Nolet (high jump), Zach Lawson (pole vault), Derek Armstrong (1600 meters), and the 4x800 team of Henry Giles, Jimmy Taylor, Derek Armstrong and Andrew Jennings took home regional titles.
The Albemarle boys indoor track team, who captured a third regional crown for the area with their narrow victory over district rival Stafford. The Patriots were also affected by the winter weather as their district meet was cancelled outright, leaving the team with no competitions since the middle of January. Nevertheless, the 2009 Northwest Region champions added another regional title on the backs of seniors Anthony Kostelac and Jordan Hill, who combined to score 60 of the Patriots 81 points. Kostelac won both the 1600 and 1000 meter races with relative ease and highlighted his day with a 1:53 anchor carry on the 4x800 relay, bringing his team from 6th to 2nd on the final leg to finish in a season best time of 8:09. Hill swept all three jumping events on a less than 100% ankle, and then added a few more points with his 4th place finish in the 300 and an 8th place in the 55 dash. His 37 point total would have placed him 7th in the team standings and is even more impressive considering he hasn’t competed since December due to an ankle injury! Rounding out a great day for the Patriots was the 4x400 team of Tori Key, Evan Karweik, Rowen Perry, and Jervon Speller who brought home a relay gold in a time of 3:36. Also advancing to the state meet will be Mark Baucom in the 500, Vincent Ly in the pole vault, and both Summer Shepherd (regional champion) and Casey Russell in the girls pole vault.
CTC member and longtime Ragged Mountain friend Rick Kwiatkowski recently competed in his first 100 miler and he came away with some impressive results as he finished 20th overall (out of 350) in 18 hours and 45 minutes at The Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler in Huntsville, Texas. Kwiatkowski was pleased with his performance but said the last several miles dragged as his pace slowed. “I simply ran out of gas over the last 20 miles and I definitely learned a lot about improper fueling…I will do a better job of eating the next time”. A “next time”?...good for you, Rick!
And a big blue ribbon to Cindy Payne, Barbara Rickards and Wendy Passerell, who completed their first 8 mile run last Saturday! The sisters, who are participating in the Ten Miler Training Program in preparation for the granddaddy of them all, said they “felt great” after completing the longest run of their lives. 80% of the way there…way to go, you three! Look for Cindy, Barbara and Wendy at the finish line of our area’s oldest footrace on April 3rd, and then come support them (and their two other sisters) at The Jennifer Wells Moonlight Mother’s Day Run for Meningitis on May 8th. This very special community event is run in memory of Cindy’s daughter, a Monticello High grad and UVa student, who at 21 was suddenly and tragically struck down by meningitis.
The Largest Area Footraces of 2009
1. The Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler- 3,300 participants (the race also raised a record $325,000 for our friends at UVa’s Breast Care Center)
2. The Charlottesville Ten Miler- 2,700 participants
3. The Albemarle Invitational (Cross Country races) ~2,000
4. The Charlottesville Marathon and Half Marathon ~1,500
5. The Boars Head Turkey Trot 5K- 1,350
6. The Dogwood Track Classic- 1,000
7. The FUMA and Woodberry Forest Cross Country Invitational events- ~800
8. The MJ8K- 775
9. The Zeta Run for Life 5K- 600
10. The Discovery Dash for Kids- 515
11. The Run for Autism 5K- 490
12. The Pepsi 10K- 485
13. The Ragged Mountain Cup - 425
14. The CTC’s New Years Day 5K- 375
15. The Carl Tribastone 5K – 350
16. The 4th of July 5K- 325
Local news of interest…
The University of Virginia last week did something it has been threatening to do for many years, and that’s close the track at Lannigan Field to the public. Now, before you get yourselves all worked up, here are a few facts: First off, the track will actually NOT be closed to the public ALL the time. In fact, what UVa did in closing their facility for normal varsity practice hours from 1:30-6:00pm (Monday-Friday) and 8:00-Noon (Saturday) is totally understandable because their coaches and team members (both runners and field event folks, like discus, javelin and shot put) need to practice in an environment free of distractions!
The amazing thing is that a small but vocal group of folks had been criticizing the University over the past few years for not allowing them to use the inside lanes of the track during practice times. Inside lanes? They were lucky they were able to even be inside the facility let alone running on the track during practice time! Can any of us imagine heading up to the baseball field at Davenport any time of day, let alone during varsity practice time for a game of catch with one of our kids? Or how about asking Coach Bennett or Coach Ryan to have their players move to the other end of the court so we can play a game of pick-up basketball on the John Paul Jones hardwood floor?? How about a game of touch football at Scott Stadium? Of course not…so the same reverence and support should be paid to the hardworking UVA track and field athletes and their coaches!
Our running community is so fortunate to have had almost unlimited access to this fine facility and we are lucky to have utilized it for the past several decades as a place for our community speed workouts, for CTC track meets, for training programs and for kid’s running events. Let’s all do our best to respect the University for this appropriate move and at the same time be grateful that they didn’t decide to simply close the facility 24/7!
And by the way, Lannigan Field was dedicated in 1954 (the same year Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile) in memory of the legendary Henry “Pop” Lannigan, who served the University as a coach and trainer from 1905-1929.
The longest standing UVA outdoor track records are held by Margaret Groos, who ran 9:07 for 3,000 meters in 1979 and 15:51 for 5,000 meters in 1980, Mike Cotton, who ran 28:55 for 10,000 meters in 1981 and Karl Williams, who ran 50.34 for the 400 meter hurdles in 1981. Groos, by the way, made history way back in 1977 when she became the first female to accept an athletic scholarship (for any sport) to UVA. She set many school and national records before going on to win the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 1988!
Quick footed Tip of the Week
Shorten your stride length! The goal is to hit one foot (I count my right foot) 30 times for every 20 seconds (or 90 hits/foot/minute). The best way to accomplish this more efficient form of running is to come off your heels and to hit more in the middle of your foot. Your shoes will last longer as will your knees and, over the long haul, you’ll actually run faster and be less tired. Wow…doesn’t that ever sound good?! Try taking the 20 second quiz the next time you’re out for a run. It just might be one of the best things you can do to improve your overall running efficiency…it sure has helped me! The first time I took the quiz (four years ago) I was hitting 23 times/30 seconds, which meant that my stride was way too long! Now, after years of practicing, I’m totally comfortable at 29 hits/20 seconds and my knees feel better at 54 than they did at 30 years old!
Weekly Speed Workouts for the public
And speaking of the track, if you’re interested in improving your times for any distance from 5K to a marathon, come join us any Wednesday morning at 5:30am at the UVA track. A pile of folks hit the oval (or the hills around the JPJ/University Hall/Klockner complex) each Wednesday for some quality speed and strengthening sessions with a coach (yours truly) on hand. All abilities are welcome to join us!
“So, what am I capable of” chart
If you’re interested in what your ten mile or marathon race potential might be go ahead and head out to the track for a quick two mile time trial. After eight laps you should be able to tell (with some proper training, good race day weather and a solid race day game plan) what you can expect to hit for these longer race distances. Simply use this handy dandy chart. Questions? Give us (Alec or Mark) a call (434-293-3367) or e-mail us at mailto:alec@raggedmountainrunning.com
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