2012.01.29 – A small contingent of the Fairport Red Raiders distance crew, along with Coach Rappleyea and parents, descended upon Amherst, NY. Four boys and four girls made the trek: Sr. Adam Staveski, Jr. Andy Penner, Jr. Jack Scott, Jr. Josh Wolf, Sr. Ashton Hughes, Sr. Megahan McElligott, Sr. Jane Rosenthal, and Fr. Katie Swider. The eight athletes would forego their final track meet before sectionals at New York Chiropractic College as all have achieved automatic or provisional times for sectionals. The eight instead participated in the 18th Annual Penguin Run 5k in search of good competition and fast times. In the end mother nature had different plans in store.
“The combination of weather and road conditions were the worst that I have ever seen for a road race” stated Coach Rappleyea. “I could hardly get any traction, let alone see!” Coach Van Laeken agreed saying, “Those conditions are good for at minimum 60 seconds on your finish time.”
Despite these obstacles the Read Raiders proved their mental toughness in taking almost all of the age group awards in their respective divisions. The boys took two of the three awards in the 15-19 age group while the girls capture first in the 14 and under age group as well as a clean sweep of first, second, and third in the 15-19 age group.
Leading the charge for the boys was Jr. Jack Scott who finished fourth place overall and first in the 15-19 age group with a time of 18:06. Josh Wolf was next with a sixth place finish overall and third in the 15-19 age group with a time of 18:20. Adam Staveski and Andy Penner finished with times of 19:04 and 19:43 respectively.
The girls were headed by Sr. Captain Ashton Hughes who finished as the fifth female with a twenty-seventh place overall. Her time of 20:54 also placed her first in the 15-19 age group. Also having strong races were Meghan McElligott and Jane Rosenthal finishing with times of 21:52 and 22:00 for second and third in the 15-19 age group. Rounding on the girls was Katie Swider who won the 14 and under age group with her 22:37 performance.
By Jason Karp, Ph.D.
From the June 2010 issue of Runner’s World
Generally speaking, runners like structure. They like knowing where they’re going and how fast they have to go. But occasionally throwing a rigid routine to the winds can be a boon not only for your fitness, but for your mental state as well. One of the most effective workouts for getting fit while having fun is the classic fartlek (go ahead, snicker). From the Swedish word for “speed play,” these runs let you pick up the pace whenever you feel like it, run as fast as you wish, and recover for as long as you want. “You’re not doing the same thing over and over, but mixing it up by distance, pace, terrain, and recovery period,” says Tony Coffey, head coach of the Impala Racing Team in San Francisco. “Fartleks get us back to running like we did as kids, treating it as play and not as work.” Fartleks also boost your fitness, whether you’re a beginner or a veteran racer. They engage many of the same energy systems as interval workouts—depending on how long and hard the efforts are, all runners can use them to build stamina for sustained efforts. Here’s how to work a little play into your schedule.
SPEEDWORK NEWBIES
When it comes to getting faster, “the main problem holding beginners back is the fear they have when their heart rates rise,” says Paul Greer, coach of the San Diego Track Club and associate professor of health and exercise science at San Diego City College. Fartleks are a nonthreatening way to introduce yourself to faster paced running; you alone—not a clock, plan, or coach—choose how far and how fast you want to run. Whether it’s as far as the next mailbox or as short as a five-second, all-out dash. FAST FUN ”Beginners don’t need to worry about total distance or pace since it’s more important to learn to run faster than normal,” says Coffey. “Just listen to your body and run accordingly. Over time, fitness and running-specific strength will improve.” Start by randomly throwing in five or six efforts of varying lengths and intensities during a 30-minute run. Each week, add one or two such pickups or extend the length of each one. After three or four weeks, progress to running one minute hard and two minutes easy for a total of 21 minutes. Add one hard/easy combo every week until you’re speedplaying for a total of 30 minutes per week.
Instantly boost your vertical jump 5.5 percent by performing a heavy squat 5 minutes before jumping!
To soar higher, head to the gym early. Warming up with high-intensity squats increases your vertical jump, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. When you use heavier weights, you activate your leg muscles and are then able to jump higher, says study author Kent Adams, Ph.D. Think of it as switching on your leaping muscles. For a weight-free alternative, squat with your back against a wall and hold the down position for 5 seconds, pressing back firmly. Then do a full squat and explode into the air by jumping as high as you can, Adams suggests. Repeat twice and you’re ready to play. ~ Men’s Health Magazine
We’ve known for some time that Fairport’s students are among the smartest and brightest in New York. We’ve also known that Fairport has some of the finest Track & Field coaches in Western NY. So…it should follow that with the best school and the best coaching staff, we’d produce some of the smartest and best athletes, right? Absolutely!
Every one of us hopes to win every event or race we enter. However, there’s usually someone, somewhere that can possibly run, jump, or throw farther than another. But it’s not always the fastest or strongest athlete that wins, and in many cases, it’s the smarter athlete that crosses the line first. For example, the results below from today’s track meet at RIT is a perfect example of one of Fairport’s brightest and smartest winning an event. Today, a mistake was made by a track official (don’t be too hard on the officials, we make mistakes too ya know) who rang the final bell a lap too early. You see, a 1,500 meter race run indoors is 7.5 laps. A few athletes who relied on the lap counter at the finish line ended their race one lap short.
Ashton is one of those athletes who doesn’t rely on others to control the outcome of her races; she counts her own laps…and for good reason, so when the other runners ended the race a wee bit too early, she kept going, and going, and going. Ignoring the bell, ignoring the confused looks from her cheering teammates about why she kept on running when others were stopping, and sticking to her own strategy for winning, Ashton ran the fastest 1,500 race of her life. Yes, she set a personal record today.
The final lap? It was just victory lap. And that’s why she’s at the top!
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 10:17 pm. Add a comment
Since I myself will be doing 2-4+ weeks (until my injury is fully healed) of deep pool running aka “aqua jogging” I decided to do a little more research on the subject. As you all know Fairport athletes have a great resource in Marci Callan and the pool. Coach Guido has been a strong proponent of every athlete getting in the pool, even when healthy. For injured athletes who cannot run or do other weight baring activities I feel that nothing compares to the pool. There is no better substitute for the work that you can get in without putting added stress on ailing areas. If you are aggressive enough in your watery endeavors you can easily maintain fitness or even come out at a higher fitness level than when you went in. From the research I have done the key seems to be a large number of hard effort or interval sessions in a given week. The heart does not have to work as hard in the water, thus getting your heart rate to land levels is difficult. This calls for a greater number of quality sessions in a given week than you normally would do when on land during weight baring activities. Below are some articles of interest on the matter, including a 9 week program that I myself will be using as a model for my own. Please remember to consult with your event coach(es) before attempting to begin such a program.
Since it is a new year it seems only fitting to reflect on the past year of my running. In doing so I have realized that, especially looking back to two years, it has been a roller coaster of highs and lows.
After winning the Rochester Marathon at the end for 2008 I had a series of nagging injuries for the better past of a year, had inconsistent training, and was running sub-par times. I would have glimpses of regaining my previous fitness level, only to be frustrated by another minor injury or poor performance. After running nearly 5 minutes slower in my second half marathon than my debut enough was enough. I was recommended to a massage therapist through one of my friends and a chiropractor through the massage therapist, both of whom I had sessions with throughout June-October of 2010. My coach who I took on in December of 2009 (before then I was self-coached) continually stressed the importance of recovery days (I tend to push easy days) and patience. Before I had known it I had strung together a series of consistent training months, won a couple of races, finished second at the Empire State Games Road Race, was beating people I had no business beating, and had a 5k PR to my name.
Faced with another injury to start 2011 (I normally am not very injury prone) the lesson that I wish to pass along to all athletes is stay focused and be patient. Whether you are recovering from an injury/sickness or frustrated with performances that are not personally satisfying, not letting it get you down is key to future success. Trusting in your coaches and your training will payoff in the long run. This is the hardest thing for a competitive athlete (even myself) to accept. There are no shortcuts, no special workouts, and no substitute for consistent, smart training over time. One bad race, or series of bad races, does not mean that there is not light just around the corner at the end of the tunnel. Just don’t let it get to you.
-Coach Rappleyea-
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 1:50 pm. Add a comment
After 3 meets, it should be fairly obvious that indoor track meets are both very long and very tiring. You’ve also discovered that there are usually large numbers of athletes in the ‘field’ events. The large numbers of competitors will remain until the Sectional Championships when the field is narrowed down to the top 16 in each event. To ensure you’re one of those top 16, here’s a few tips you might find helpful during your qualifying rounds.
LONG/TRIPLE JUMPERS –> Don’t stand in line. There are usually over 50 long & triple jumpers waiting to take turns. UPON ARRIVAL, get a quick warm-up, then head straight to the jumping pit and get your mark EARLY and tape it down with a unique identifier. Ensure the official has you checked in properly and what board you’re jumping from, then spend your time resting, competing in another event if necessary, etc. When you stand in that line, especially after having been on your feet for several hours, your muscles grow cold and tired. The warm-up you had an hour ago is no longer beneficial. You stand in that line for 15-20 minutes, grow cold, then expect to jump a record attempt. It won’t happen.
INSTEAD – sit, lie down, stretch, relax, meditate….whatever, just get off your feet. Since the pit is an ‘open pit’ format, wait until there’s about 5 jumpers left, then, get up, get active, warm-up, do a few sprints to get those legs nice and hot….then you can step in and jump. You’ll have the added benefit of being able to put your 3-4 jumps together relatively close together instead of 1 every 20 minutes.
HIGH JUMPERS –> Don’t sit around….too long. First, ensure the official knows what ’5 alive’ means and is using that rotation format. Pay attention and know what order in which you will jump. Keep track of who’s in and who just missed and is out. High jumpers have a tendency to sit around until the official calls their name, then they do a quick ‘bridge’ stretch and expect to get vertical to record heights in a matter of seconds. Your legs need to be ‘hot’ if you expect to power over that bar. Get up early, do a quick sprint, stretch, and set those legs on fire before you expect to set a new record; jumping on cold legs won’t be enough.
THROWERS –> Same as above….sorta. Look skyward when you throw; the pecs are much stronger than your shoulders. EXPLODE off the ring. Your legs are just as important in the throw as your arms, get ‘em in sync. Same as for the high jumpers, get the blood flowing, do a quick sprint, drop and do a few push-ups before you throw. Your entire body needs to be warm; legs, glutes, arms, chest, and core. You represent the STRENGTH and POWER of the entire team. Know the throwers in the rotation and who you follow, get up and get ‘hot’ when there are about 5 throwers before you. Step to the circle, and blast that shot into the sky!
RUNNERS –> force outside. Warm up, stretch, bla bla bla; you all understand this part and do it well. However, when approaching the end of the straight-away many runners just don’t understand how to run ‘smart’. Here’s a little tip: FIRST, when approaching the curve, and if you have a runner who is faster or equal to you, GO INSIDE, and force them to run wide. Then, run a ‘wider’ turn in your lane. No, you can’t push them across multiple lanes, but you can start on the inside of the lane and then run slightly wide in that lane to ensure they continue to run farther ‘around’ you. SECOND, when overtaking a slower runner on a straight-away, get around them BEFORE you enter the turn. Speed up if you have to and get around them to ensure you’re not the one being forced outside and running further. If they’re running wide in the lane, and IF THERE’S ROOM, GO INSIDE before the turn and force them outside.
RUNNERS –> Look up! Unfortunately, indoor track doesn’t have barriers to keep other human obstacles, not in the race, off the track. You might just save your self a few steps if you anticipate adjusting your stride and path when you have to go around them. So….look up and watch where you’re going. And, they can be disqualified from the meet for interference if you can identify them later.
That’s it for now. I hope you find these helpful. Enjoy the rest of the season and good luck!
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 10:20 am. Add a comment
The University of Rochester’s Goergen Athletic Center boasts one of the most…unique…tracks I have ever run on. The first time athlete will find a 207m (or 208m) long track, with fourish lanes (half of lane 1 disappears into the wall, yes there is a tunnel covering half of the track…watch your head!), and four tight turns rather than the standard two. Needless to say sprinters and the mid-distance types are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to running quick times.
When I was not regulating traffic flow between the jumping pit and the locker room area, the event of the day to watch for me was absolutely the 1,000m. With 41 athletes entered, ~50% of the team, how could it not be?
Fairport did not disappoint, dominating the girls race with Jr. Ashton Hughes (3:16.37), Sr. Rachel Malone (3:21.35), Fr. Erin Sedita (3:21.41), and So. Lauren Star (3:25.40) finishing 1st-4th respectively. Three of the four hit the auto standard for sectionals, while the fourth ran a strong provisional qualifying time. Breaking away with 600m to go, Hughes had an outstanding individual effort running nearly a five second PR.
Jr. Cameron Johnson and Sr. Ian Steltmann followed up in the boys 1,000m finishing a strong 2nd and 3rd. Johnson, who ran an impressive 1,600m debut last weekend at RIT, finished with another impressive race. Johnson and Steltmann covered the 1,000m distance in times of 2:43.41 and 2:47.19 respectively, both automatically qualifying for the sectional meet.
- Coach Rappleyea
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 12:21 pm. Add a comment
Since I am on break and nursing a minor ankle injury my usual 12-16 mile Sunday long run was out of the question for today. As this is the case I made it my mission to clear at least one lane of the track of all snow and ice so we can get some workouts in this week. Blistered hands and 3+ hours later, mission accomplished!
I can honestly say that this feat came very close to meeting or exceeding the psychical exhaustion one experiences with any long run.
- Coach Rappleyea
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 4:07 pm. Add a comment
