Running Around New Zealand

However, it doesn’t seem like running is a very serious sport over here. Whenever we tell the people in our hall that we’re going running, they usually ask why or where to? We see some other people running when we go out for our runs, but not nearly as many as you would think. We’ve noticed though that barefoot running is more normal over here. It’s perfectly acceptable not to wear shoes pretty much everywhere including while running and we’ve embraced that fully. Many of our runs around campus are done barefoot which is great minus the thorns. There are so many beautiful places to run around campus, it’s basically a giant park. But beyond the school it’s a lot like Annville, with pastures and tons of cows. The layout of the town is pretty confusing though and not friendly to new foreign runners. We’ve gotten ourselves lost several times but luckily the people are extremely friendly and more than happy to point us in the right direction. 

So far we’ve been to the Raglan beach, which was beautiful. We also traveled to Tauranga, New Zealand and climbed Mount Maunganui. We’ve hiked to the top of Wairere Falls, and went black water rafting in glow worm caves. So we’ve been running around campus during the week, and then going on physically challenging adventures on the weekends. New Zealand is definitely not a place for complacent people. We’re about to set off on a two week adventure to the South Island and we’re sure we’ll have a lot to share when we get back!

My Traveling Experiences and More Thoughts on Berlin

"Now having been in Europe for 2 months I have had the chance to do a little bit of traveling and see what else this continent has to offer. My first trip was to Stockholm, Sweden. I spent 3 days in Stockholm and it was a great experience. The Swedes are some of the nicest people you are likely to meet. They just about all speak English (thank goodness because Swedish is insane). They are very friendly and always willing to help. We found that out when we asked for simple directions and ended up with a 5 minute detailed description about every step needed to get to our destination. I also had the chance to go on a short cruise in Stockholm, which was absolutely amazing. My only regret about the trip was that I did not take my running clothes. I assumed I wouldn’t have enough time and decided not to bring them. However, Stockholm is apparently some kind of running hot bed because in my 3 days there I must have saw at least, no joke, 50 or 60 runners. On Sunday morning I saw a group of about 30 people all running together; it was unbelievable.

This past week I just finished a week long trip through southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. This trip was also amazing and I saw so much. I started in a small city called Rothenburg. Believe it or not the people in Rothenburg are even friendlier than the people in Sweden, if that is possible. The atmosphere there was awesome because it is such a small, old, and stereotypically German city. After Rothenburg the next highlight of the trip came in Basel, Switzerland. Basel was in the midst of celebrating Fastnacht while we were there so everyone was absolutely insane. We watched a parade while we were there and the people in the parade where wearing all sorts of ridiculous masks and throwing just about anything you can imagine from the floats. They threw Garlic, Bananas, Flowers, Confetti (of course), clothing, onions and the item of choice, which were oranges. I saw a number of people get nailed right on the head with and orange or two. Finally, the last highlight of the trip was seeing the Alps. The Alps are so beautiful and awe inspiring. While I was at the Alps I visited the famous castle Neuschwanstein, which is the castle Walt Disney modeled off of to make Disney World. The whole time, while in the Alps I couldn’t stop thinking about how much a run up one of the trails would hurt, ouch!!

Right now I am back in Berlin and trying to keep up with my running as much as possible. I get tired of doing the same out and back runs some times but I really have no choice here. The one thing I have noticed while running here in Berlin is that everyone looks at me funny because I am wearing shorts. I will admit that I do wear less clothes in the cold than even most Americans, and the last time I posted my blog it was mind numbingly cold; but Europeans are absolutely ridiculous with the amount of clothes they wear. For example yesterday it was about 40 degrees and I saw two guys running in pants, windbreakers, turtlenecks, hats and just about everything else you can imagine. I don’t know how they didn’t pass out from dehydration. Another thing I have noticed while running in Berlin is that Germans diets are very runner friendly. Lots of carbs!!  I have never eaten as much bread as I have in the past few months, but I really enjoy all of this carbo-loading. Anyway, now that the weather is warmed up and the ice has melted I hope to be able to put in a bigger number of miles. It feels absolutely amazing to run on concrete rather than ice."

Cobblestone streets in Rothenburg and Brad on a cruise in Basel

The 2010 cross country training week trip is set and the teams will be travelling to Terra Alta, West Virginia for a 3 night stay coming off of a successful 2009 trip to Ohiopyle, PA.  Two homes in the Alpine Lake community will serve as a home base where the athletes will be able to access 4 state parks within a 15 mile radius for some great training prior to beginning their academic semester at LVC.  This will be a great chance for returning runners to meet their new teammates, and for everyone to prepare for the season ahead.  Below are some photos of the houses as well as Alpine Lake.   

Getting Adjusted to Spain 

 Jenn & LVC Soccer player Jordan Nendza in front of Alcazar Castle, most famously known for housing Isabel of Castilla and Ferdinand of Aragon

"So I have been in Spain for three weeks already and I am really enjoying it. Time has flown by so far. At times I am still amazed that I am here, but it’s been fun so far. My first week here was really rough, just dealing with jet lag, the language difference and the difference in food. But I think that I am starting to get the hang of things. My host mom is crazy, she is really nice, but a bit out there and my host dad is really quiet and nice. I have a fifteen minute walk to school everyday, which really isn’t that bad, except for the times when the weather hasn’t been great. But I shouldn’t complain because I am getting much better weather than Brad! It has only snowed here once and all of the Spanish people freaked out because they are not used to the snow. I found it to be quite comical. It has rained here a few days (yes, I actually did run in the rain, go figure) and it is really windy here, but lately it has been really nice out so I am hoping that it stays this way.  We walk everywhere here, there are buses to take, but walking is pretty much how all the students get around. At a minimum I walk an hour everyday and other days I have walked up to four or five hours. By the end of the four months I am convinced that I will have walked more than ever before, but it’s a good way to burn off the calories from all the food I have been eating!

The food here for me has been the hardest thing to get used to. It has really effected my running as well. I eat a small breakfast everyday at like 7:45, much smaller than in the United States and then I don’t eat again until 2:30, which is just brutal. I am a big snacker so the huge break in between meals has been killing me. Lunch at 2:30 is huge. I tried running one day after eating lunch, which was such a terrible idea. I felt like I was walking just because I was so full. So as soon I am done with class at like 1:30 I try to go out for my run unless I am skyping with someone at home. So I normally try to get out for my run between 1:30 and 2:30 and then I eat lunch after that. Some days I don’t eat lunch until 4, which is really funny because sometimes at school I would go to dinner at like 4:45. Something else that I found extremely interesting when I got here was the fact that all businesses are closed between 2 and 5 every day for siesta, so unlike the United States. And everything except for the bars (which are everywhere) and the churches are closed on Sundays. (No joke!)  I have come to realize that I am not a huge fan of the Spanish lifestyle but its part of the experience. 

Overall though I am really happy with how my running is going here. There are parks right next to the river, so it is a great place to run. There are always other people running and walking their dogs. The first week I was here I ran 32 miles, the second week I ran 40 and this past week I ran 46, so it’s been really good thus far. I know once I start traveling a little bit more, I won’t be able to run as much, so I try to get out as much as I can now. I met a girl from Wisconsin-Lacrosse who went to XC nationals two years ago, but unfortunately our schedules don’t really match up so we have only run once together so far. But Jordan Nendza,who is a soccer player from LVC, has been running with me for part of my runs like two or three times a week, so it’s been really nice to have someone for a few runs. The two of us also joined a gym, close to her apartment. We have been going to body flow twice a week and some other fitness classes and I get to lift as well, so I really can’t complain!" 

The river and park where Jenn does the majority of her running close to her house

Fastest Performances

Fastest Women’s 4K time of the year – 14:51 (5:58 per mile) by junior Jenn Cronin

Fastest Men’s 4K time of the year – 13:09 (5:17 per mile) by freshman Matt Nesmith

Fastest Women’s 6K time of the year – 21:39 (5:49 per mile) by junior Jenn Cronin.

Fastest Men’s 8K time of the year – 26:45 (5:22 per mile) by junior Brad Sweigart.

Individual Awards

MAC Championships

Freshman Matt Nesmith, 16^th place finish, 2^nd Team All-MAC, MAC Rookie of the Year Award

Junior Brad Sweigart, 15^th place finish, 2^nd Team All-MAC

Senior Amy Willow, 14^th place finish, 2^nd Team All-MAC

Senior Megan Long, 9^th place finish, 1^st Team All-MAC

Junior Jenn Cronin, Bronze Medal, 1^st Team All-MAC

NCAA Mideast Regional Championships

Freshman Matt Nesmith, Regional All-Freshman Team

Junior Jenn Cronin, Mideast Regional Champion, USTFCCCA Mideast Regional Runner of the Year

NCAA National Championships

Junior Jenn Cronin, 56^th place out of 280 competitors

 A Season of Many Benchmarks

Jenn Cronin is the first female in LVC cross country history to qualify and compete in the NCAA Championships.  The women's 4th place finish out of 15 teams at the MAC Championships is the best in school history.  Megan Long and Amy Willow, competed in their very first season of cross country (competing in just track & field in years prior).  Amy earned her All-MAC award in just the second race of her life.  For the men, Matt Nesmith is the first LVC freshman to break 27 minutes in the 8K since Elia Ahadi ran a 26:37 on Salisbury's course back in 2002.  This is also the first time since 2002 that the LVC men will return 2 sub 27 minute performers, with junior Brad Sweigart joining Matt in that distinction.

Full team awards for the 2009 season can be found here: http://godutchmen.com/news/2009/12/9/MXC_1209093909.aspx

Jenn Cronin standing near the huge NCAA Logo adjacent to the starting blocks  

  Coach and I were able to get to onto the course on Thursday afternoon after about a five and a half hour drive. It was getting dark when we got to the course and I really expected to see more people there, but it was pretty quiet. It rained a lot yesterday so the course was really muddy. By the end of the run I was covered in mud. Coach O’Brien and I ran what we thought was the girl’s course, but we weren’t positive because the course was not very well marked. We just figured that they didn’t want to mark the course until the rain had stopped, so we assumed that we would be able to figure out everything once we got on the course this morning. The hotel we are staying in is really awesome. I have two beds, two TVs and a mini kitchen all to myself!

  We got onto the course today around 11 or so. We thought that the course might be in better condition, but unfortunately it really wasn’t. Coach and I once again thought that we were running on the girl’s course but it turns out that we weren’t again. So I now know the boys course like the back of my hand. We had to stop numerous times and every time we stopped we saw other confused athletes and coaches. The course wasn’t marked once. So we finished up our twenty minute run and had to go back and walk the whole girl’s course looking at the map continuously. The course is pretty nice, it has three decent sized hills. At some points the course has great footing and then at others, it is absolutely terrible. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens at those points tomorrow. After our run we went and got my racing packet. I have so many numbers to wear. I have a bib to wear on the front of my uniform, the back, two hip numbers and two chips. It is pretty crazy. 

  Afterwards we grabbed some lunch and headed back to the hotel. I had a few hours to relax and then I got ready to go to the banquet. The banquet was at 6:30 and Coach O’Brien and I believed that the banquet was at a hotel close to the course because that was what we had been told previously. Well the NCAA decided to change it on us and the banquet was moved to a catering place, literally 200 meters if that from our hotel. So we drove about thirty minutes out of our way round trip. I was not a very happy camper. The funny part about it, is that the night before we had joked around about what the building next to our hotel was. The catering hall was really beautiful and the banquet was a lot of fun. We sat with some people from California. One of the girls sitting with us was actually the West Regional Runner of the Year. The food was really delicious and my award for Mideast Regional Runner of the Year is really sweet. Overall it was a great experience and I am looking forward to getting onto the course tomorrow.     

Jenn and Coach O'Brien after receiving UTSFCCA Mideast Athlete of the Year honors

Photos by Rodney Nesmith

Freshman Matt Nesmith was named the 2009 Rookie of the Year at the MAC Championships on October 31st with his 16th place, Second Team All-MAC finish.  Matt comes from Mechanicsburg High School where he individually qualified for the PIAA State Championships in Cross Country and also competed in Track & Field, posting times of 9:45.34 for 3200 meters, 4:36.03 for 1600 meters, and 1:57.6 for an 800 meter relay split.  Matt has stepped into the collegiate racing scence with a vengeance and looks to leave his mark as an LVC distance runner over the course of the next three and a half years.

 

Describe the race.  What were your expectations going into it and how did they line up with the results?

The course was not in too bad of shape for the first few miles but it got pretty nasty on the hills in the woods and in the last half mile. Despite the mud I really felt like I was running pretty good and I just wanted to hang with Brad and work with him and possibly catch a few guys as well as hold off anyone. I was pleasantly surprised to receive my award and could not have run so well without the support of my teammates and coach O'Brien and coach Bauer. It was fun running in such an important meet with a great team.  

The NCAA Mid-East Regional meet, held on November 14th at Lehigh University, is on a much flatter and faster course. Assuming good weather, what are your individual and team goals?

I did not have a particularly strong race our first visit there and I’m hoping to come out and have a substantial PR. The course flys by and hardly has any hills and with great competition, everyone should have a great race.  

What made you come to Lebanon Valley College?  Where did you come from and how did you hear about our institution?

I came to LVC because of the great science program and great academic facilities. It was such a bonus to also be able to become a part of a tremendous team with a great coaching staff too. My Mom attended LVC so I knew a little about the school but I had not really been here until I attended a high school indoor track meet here a few years ago. As soon I stepped on campus for my official visit last winter, I felt at home with the team and campus.

Since rising to the top of the freshman class in the MAC, what are some of your long term goals in both cross country and track?  Where do you see yourself and the team in the next couple of years?

With looking at who is returning next year in the MAC and who our team has joining us next year, I think a second place finish is definitely attainable. Hopefully everyone can put in a good summer and stay healthy so we can really move up. I hope to finish in the top ten next year and I have a lot of confidence that we can put four or five guys in the top twenty. In track, everyone is really looking forward to a great team finish in the DMR and hopefully get a record with that too.

Coming from high school with some great times, how do you feel you have adjusted to running in college and what do you find to be the major differences?

Initially, I thought I would dislike the longer races but I have come to love the 8k having only run it three times. Preseason was a little tough but after a few weeks my stamina really grew and I began to feel great on pretty much all the runs and workouts. It may have beeen a little difficult in the beginning but I have really come to enjoy running in college. It is also such a relief to only have at the most one meet a week. In high school, I was completely beat at the end of a season. Now I feel like our season is just really kicking into gear. 

What is your favorite part about being a member of the LVC cross country program?

We have an unbelievable amount of fun all the time. We all hang out together and always find things to do as a team. Whether it is screaming at field hockey games or playing hall ball in Marquette. These guys are some of my new best friends. But we always seem to know when to get serious and buckle down in a workout or race.  

What is your favorite type of workout? Is there any one particular workout that you can remember that was challenging but made you a better runner or it?

I honestly don't really dislike any workouts. My favorites are intervals on the track and fartleks with 3 minutes hard and 2 minutes regular pace. Long runs are also fun because weall just talk and joke around for 85 miuntes.

What hobbies, sports, or other leisure time activities do you enjoy most?

Playing any sports with the team is always a good time. Basketball and football are two of my favorites.I also enjoy hunting and fishing with my family. 

Anything else we should know?

Participating in a sport has enhanced my college experience tremendously. I have made so many friends and have had so much fun. It’s an honor to be on such a talented and spirited team. I know everyone is really looking forward to Regionals and a great season next year!

  Not every day is a great day to be a distance runner.  This past Saturday the men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to the track at Annville-Cleona HS to complete their annual 2 Mile – 1 Mile Indicator Workout.  Cold rain preceded this workout for 2 days and followed it for one.  On this particular morning the temperature reached a brisk 37 and was accompanied with a cold rain and wind that never seemed to be at your back.  The exact workout is a 2 mile race on the track, followed by 10 minutes of rest, and a 1 mile race on the track.  We then combine times to establish a rank order.  It is a good judge to see how well an individual can push themselves for a two mile and then return only a short while later to run at a faster pace.  The thing about cross country is that we compete in all types of weather over all types of terrain.  Today was a good day to prepare for what it can look like at its worst. 

   On the men’s side, youth picked up the individual wins but experience came away with the larger victories.  Freshman Matt Nesmith was able to gap junior Brad Sweigart by one second over the course of the final lap to pick up the win in 10:23, an incredible time under such conditions.  Brad finished in 10:24 along with Nick D’Angelo in 10:28.  Freshman Alex Talarico and sophomore Adam Abruzzo also went under the 11 minute barrier, hitting 10:49 and 10:57 respectively.  In the mile, Alex picked up the win by blowing things open in the 3^rd lap to split a 4:51.  Alex and the other top runners only hit the 800 split in 2:30 so he really closed hard.  It was tough for the athletes to stay warm during the 10 minute duration which led to slightly slower mile times and a conservative first two laps as they loosened up their tight muscles.  Nick snagged second place with a 4:54 and Sweigart closed in 4:56.  Matt dropped back a bit to finish in 5:09 as his back tightened up over the final lap.  Despite not winning either event, Brad and Nick finished first and second in the combined time competition, using their experience to their advantage to put together two solid races.  Their combined times were 15:20 and 15:22.  Matt and Alex finished in 15:32 and 15:40 respectively.

   On the women’s side, junior Jenn Cronin picked up both individual victories, while senior Megan Long finished second and senior Amy Willow finished third in each event.  Jenn recorded an 11:53 and a 5:42 for a combined time of 17:35, while Megan went 12:23 and 5:53 and Amy went 12:59 and 6:08.  All three looked very strong considering they have all been sick within the past week or two. Sophomore Tiffany Frederick, who suffers from asthma, really excelled in these tough conditions to run very strong in each event, covering the two mile in 14:02 and the mile in 6:31. Victoria Broderick ran a fantastic 2 mile in 13:58 and hung tough to run the mile in 6:58.  Lauren Johnson and Brianna Eroh put together solid workouts as well, covering the two mile in 15:00 and 15:10 and the one mile in 6:48 and 7:15 respectively.  The races, on the women’s side, were a little less exciting as they spread out rather quickly.  However, during the last lap of the two mile Frederick engaged her track speed to close the gap on Broderick which was quite exciting to watch.    

   After the workout the hot tub was packed to the brim with cold runners trying to raise their core temperatures back to normal.  Typically we’d rearrange to suit the weather on days that are beyond the scope of what would be considered acceptable conditions.  This practice worked on achieving mental toughness and working hard when it isn't neccessarily pleasant to do so.  This was our last challenging workout leading up to the MAC Championships on the 31^st.      

2009 2 Mile - 1 Mile Workout.doc (24.50 kb)

   As LVC Cross Country nears the middle of the season, where the races begin to become increasingly more important as we draw closer and closer to the MAC Championships, we wanted to give you a little background on the opening stages of the year for us.  We began our season by trekking across the large majority of PA to arrive at our training week campsite located in Ohiopyle State Park.  Living rugged for a few days in cabins and walled tents, the LVC distance runners were able to spend the majority of their day either training on the various challenging trails located in the park or getting to know their teammates a little bit better. 

  The days were filled with two structured training sessions; the first bright and early at 8 AM which consisted of the main run for the day, the second at 3 PM which was a shakeout run followed by either plyometric drills or core workouts.  It was an excellent opportunity to get on some scenic trails and explore the park on foot.  The hills were tall, the footing rough, the runs long but the athletes would agree that the experience helped to mold the team right from the outset of the season.

  The afternoons were spent doing team activities which ranged from playing team volleyball and ‘extreme’ bocce ball at a local park to travelling to the Cucumber Falls and the Meadow Run natural waterslides.  Although the natural waterslides were not as smooth as advertised, the athletes still had a great time and it was more than amusing to watch them slip and slide down the stream as you can see for yourself in the pictures. 

   On a sour note our first team workout of the year was marred by a huge inconvenience when the parks cleanup crew assumed that our large collection of t-shirts, running gear, shoes and water bottles were garbage one morning while we were out on a tempo run.  The gear had collected on a large rock right next to our LVC vans so you’d think it would be quite obvious that we were coming back for them.  Apparently not.   Once we figured out that the items were not actually stolen, we had to wait roughly an hour and a half for their respective return.  Something to laugh about in retrospect but not at the time!  The team made the best of it by using the Yough river, adjacent to the rail trail, as an impromptu ice bath session and we were on our way soon enough. 

   Almost all returned uneaten by bears….I mean….all of the runners returned to LVC’s campus uneaten by bears, in better fitness, and ready to get the season underway.  The LVC XC team has come a long way since those first few days.  As the temperature continues to plunge and becomes the brisk autumn air that precedes the championship racing season, all will remember the warmth of the campfire in Ohiopyle and the great experiences that came along with it.

    Senior Megan Long is not your typical cross country runner. In fact, up until September 12th Megan had never even run a single cross country race in her entire life! So far in 2009 she has made a huge impact on the women’s program by finishing 3rd overall (out of 65) at the LVC XC Home Invitational and 8^th overall (out of 173) at the Dickinson Long-Short Course Invitational.  Both performances would be significant for a runner of any level but are especially impressive coming from someone running only the first and second cross country races of their life.  

    In high school Megan competed for the Annville-Cleona Dutchmen in Field Hockey and Track & Field.  Megan focused more on the middle distance and sprinting events during track and even qualified for states in the 1600 by running the fast time of 5:16, an impressive feat considering the fact that she competed for such a small school. Upon graduation from Annville-Cleona, she decided to take advantage of the 2 year transfer program offered between Harrisburg Area Community College and LVC,  where you graduate with an LVC degree and are offered some great financial packages should you meet the qualifications.  During that time she managed to stay in general running shape but took a two year hiatus from competitive running only broken by a short foray into training for a half marathon.  Megan joined the LVC track team for the 2009 season and hasn’t looked back since.

    “I had A LOT to learn,” comments Megan on her transition to training for LVC’s distance program.  “It was great to get back into track workouts, however, I was scared to death when I had to start practicing with the team.  I wasn't sure if I would be in good enough shape or if I could keep up.”  She had to slowly acclimate to a higher level of training which included morning and tempo runs, both of which were foreign to her coming from high school.   

    “I remember Coach O'Brien just telling me to be positive and things will work out, which for the most part they have.”  Megan was an integral part of LVC winning the distance medley relay at the Indoor MAC Championships, which marked the first time in program history that LVC has picked up the win in that event.  By the end of outdoor track she had become of the top four distance runners in women’s track and field history, only behind Cindy Sladek, Kelly Stewart and Jenn Cronin. 

    Track success does not always equal cross country success, especially coming from the middle distances as she used to think of herself as primarily an 800 meter runner.  Some middle distance runners are never quite able to make the transition to handling the longer distances and course variation associated with cross country.  Megan has made the transition so well that she should be a contender for a top placing at the MAC Championships on October 31^st. 

In the past year Megan Long earned the following spots on our Track & Field Top 10 Lists:

Indoor Track

800 meters - 4^th Place - 2:26.07

Mile run - 2^nd place – 5:34.40

Member of Distance Medley Relay school record – 1200 leg in 3:52

Member of 4x800 school record – 800 leg in 2:35

Outdoor Track

800 meters - 3^rd place - 2:21.82

1500 meters - 2^nd place - 4:49.56

3000 meters - 4^th place - 11:05.66

Member of 4x800 school record – 800 leg in 2:22

In the past year Megan Long earned the following awards:

Indoor Track

Champion – MAC Distance Medley Relay

5^th Place Finish – MAC 800 Run

4^th Place Finish – MAC 4x800 Relay

8^th Place Medal – ECAC Distance Medley Relay

Outdoor Track

5^th Place Finish – MAC 800 Run

6^th Place Finish – MAC 1500 Run

5^th Place Finish – MAC 4x400 Relay

    The LVC distance runners had no meet this past weekend and instead completed a high end aerobic effort in the form of a tempo run on Friday afternoon.  Our program is really big on improving aerobic capacity and this is a good example of an early to mid season workout that we might do.  The exact workout was as follows; Men - 4 mile anaerobic threshold run directly into 1 mile uptempo on the track, Women - 3 mile anaerobic threshold run directly into 1 mile uptempo on the track. Below is the 3 mile loop around the town of Annville that we ran the tempo portion of our workout on.  Most of the loop was on the roads and the section towards the end veers off onto the sidewalk around the field hockey fields and ends directly next to our outdoor track and field facility. 

    The team, on the whole, performed really well but Junior Brad Sweigart stole the show by running his tempo segment in 22:51 (5:42 per mile) and dropping a smooth 4:59 mile running around traffic in lane two on the track to finish the workout in 27:50 (5:34 per mile).  Brad is rounding into form quite nicely and is looking to lower his lifetime best next Friday at the Brooks Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University.  If he runs a smart race this workout indicates that he is ready to take some time off of his 27:13 at this meet last season.  Junior Jenn Cronin was the top women's finisher, running her three mile tempo in 18:34 (6:11 per mile) and her  mile segment in 5:54 for a total of 24:28 (6:08 per mile).  Jenn will lead a strong women's contingency at the Paul Short meet as well in their first real fitness test of the year.  Nick DÁngelo, Alex Talarico, Patrick Tierney, Megan Long, Emily Devivo, Tiffany Frederick & Victoria Broderick all had tremendous workouts as well and will provide the depth we need going into our next few meets.  

    The main purpose of this workout was to get the athletes used to running strong but comfortably during the anaerobic threshold run of 3-4 miles.  This is roughly an 85-88% effort and should have the runners feeling pleasantly tired by the time they complete that section.  The last mile on the track was supposed to be a noticeable shift in pace but not an all out effort by any means.  If done correctly a workout like this should be a huge confidence booster for our athletes as they learn that they can pop a good pace after they are already sufficiently tired.  Full results from workout can be found below.

Full Results: 9-25 Tempo.doc (31.00 kb)

    Welcome to the official launching of the GoDutchmen.com Cross Country blog, the first team-oriented blog on our athletics website! We're excited to give you a behind the scenes look into what it is like to be a distance runner at Lebanon Valley College.  We'll be covering some of our harder workouts, team activities, meet highlights, community service events and much more throughout the course of the cross country season.  In the meantime, please "get to know" our captains by perusing their profiles located in the Captain's Corner off to the right.