Colin Abert Journal #1

Colin Abert

Journal #1- Summer Training: Prep for XC

Colin Abert is one of the top juniors in PA who runs for Easton High School (AAA) out of D11. He has PR’s of 4:20 for 1600 along with a 12^th place finish at last year’s state meet. He has been kind enough to write journals about his XC and Track experiences for us this season.

1. Talk a little bit about your outdoor track season. Did you feel it was successful? And what did you take out of it?

Last track season was probably one of the hardest seasons that I have had. Starting off the season running a mile with a 4:25 I thought that things were going pretty well until I found out I got shin splints, which limited my training. I did manage to bring my mile time down to a 4:20, but my goal time was a little lower than that. That season really helped me understand what type of training my body can withstand. 

2. How has your summer been going in terms of running? Has training been steady? What was the most memorable or fun run you had this summer?

This summer has been going pretty well. I have managed to bump up my pace and mileage from the previous summer. I feel as though my body is getting stronger with every workout that I complete. I would have to say my favorite run this summer would have to be a 5k that I raced at Lehigh Parkways course. This was the first time I ran under 17 minutes in a 5k this summer, which I never did last summer. I also got to run against someone that I used to race freshman year.

 

 3. What XC races did you learn the most from last season? And how have they impacted your training or racing?  

Some very big races that I learned a lot from would include the Paul Short Invitational, the State Meet, and the Northeast Regional Footlocker race. These races taught me just how much competition there is from other states as well as Pennsylvania. I learned that most of the big races have hills in them so that is something I focused on this year for summer training. Each of those races I competed in helped me to select the types of trails that I chose to run on.

4. You placed 12th last season at States, the top sophomore in your class, where do you go from there? What goals do you have? And what races are you looking forward to most this season?

 Being the top sophomore to finish last year at States was one of my favorite memories from my sophomore year. I am definitely going to try to be in the first team all-state, since last year I was second team. Some races I'm really looking forward to this year would include the Kutztown Invitational because there will be a lot of competition there early in the season. I also look forward to Paul Short, States, and the Northeast Regional Footlocker race. These races are big ones with lots of competition, so it’s nice to have to really run fast if you want to do well.

 5. What are the expectations for your team this upcoming season?  

Easton's team this year is going be pretty strong. We did not really graduate any of the top seven so we will do pretty well at districts. I think we have a good chance of winning districts as a team, so we could all go to states. Also we got additions to our team with a good freshman stepping up. We also have some good seniors coming back this year for their final season in high school and they have really put in good work over the summer. You also can't forget the guys on our team that are going be sophomores either, because some of them are the better runners in the district.

 6. After breaking out on the PA scene last XC season how has your mindset changed?

Well I liked being an underdog last year. It is nice coming out of nowhere, since freshman year I came in 125th. I don't think anyone expected me to drop all the way down to 12th in just one year. It is also nice though because you get to meet the top runners in the state, which is always a plus.

XC Talks: State College

I now have created a facebook page called: PADontPlay
Here is the Link: https://www.facebook.com/padontplay

Once I figure out how Twitter works I'll make one of those as well (sorry guys, I don't have a smart phone!). But I'll be tweeting and posting updates, ect on Facebook. The contests for prizes will be going through Facebook as well, so that's how I'll be able to send the prizes out. The contest's will be posted here and on Facebook, but the responses will only count on Facebook, unless you post your name.

XC Talks: State College

Last Season: 3^rd in District 6 (missed states)

Key Returners:

            William Cather (Sr) 4:22 – 1600, 1:55.53 – 800, 68^th at States

                Kyle Adams (Sr) 1:57 – 800, 89^th at States, 17:02 5k

                Matt Beyerle (Jr) 10:03 – 3200

    Chris Golembeski (Sr) 17:02 5k, 2:00 – 800

Season Preview:

Last season State College went though heart break after heartbreak as the seasons went on. Guys got injured at the end of spring ending their 4x8’s state medal dreams and they just missed going to states in XC by just 9 points in a very close District 6 race. William Cather didn’t run very well either at the state meet. This team could very well be the definition of hungry this upcoming season, and they got the pieces to be successful.

William Cather took some major strides last year as one of PA’s top guys adding 4:22 and 1:55 to his PR’s along with a state medal indoors (7^th in the 800). He’s the top returner in D6 and will be looking to jump into the top 35 at the state meet after a slightly disappointing state meet for him last season. He didn’t get to show what he had at states in spring either after an injury to both him and teammate Kyle Adams. He’ll be ready to roll this XC season.

Kyle Adams (Sr) and Chris Golembeski (Sr) rolled together last season at districts with 17:02 finishes. Adams outleaned his teammate at the line and consequently got the last spot to the state meet. He went on to run 1:57 in spring. Golembeski got the short straw of the deal and will be looking for redemption this season to ensure he gets to race at states. These two are strength 800 runners which does translate quite well to XC. Pushing each other I’m excited to see this 2-3 combo.

Both Adams and Golembeski will be joined with upcoming Junior, Matt Beyerle. Beyerle ran a very solid 10:03 for 3200 this season which is a promising time for sophomores. I think he makes the jump this next season to make it a very close spread 2-4 for State College. 

Filling out this group should be Kevin Drago (Sr) who is an XC only guy for SC. He was just slightly behind Beyerle last season with a 17:33 at districts (9 seconds behind). This 31 second spread 2-5 will be a key to State Colleges success this XC season along with Cather’s ability to be a strong front runner. Drago will need to come to play if SC is going to make it out of a competitive district 6 race and onto states.

Key Pick-ups: Alex Milligan (So) ran 10:07 for 3200 along with 4:44 for 1600 as just a freshman last track season. I've heard news that he will be running XC this upcoming season which could be huge for SC to push them into the elite teams of PA. If Milligan can continue his success from track and translate it out on the XC course he could very well be their #2 guy this season if he has a break out year. Look for him as the season processes.

Overall: State College has a solid front runner in Will Cather along with a great 2-5 spread. One thing I really like about this squad right now is they have a very defined top 6 which most teams in the state don’t have along with a very solid sophomore in Milligan. I think they squeak out of district 6, as Altoona is a solid squad as well, and go onto place 7^th at the state meet. 

That's all for now Folks!

--ForrestCRN

P.S. I have a couple of guys writing journals for me now but still waiting on others to respond. I'll keep all of you updated in days to come along with the top 10 meets of the season. I'm excited to get rolling with everything.

XC Talks: Downingtown West

XC Talks: Downingtown West – The Team of Juniors

2012 States Place: 9^th

7 returners under 17:25 for 5k at Lehigh with 59 second spread (1-7). 4 of them are going to be Jr and 1 will be a So. This sounds like a breakout team if you ask me. They don’t have any big “Key” Returners or front runners, but join me as we run through their potential top 7. 

Ryan Mucha (Sr) had a very solid XC and track season running 16:26 5k, 4:29 1600, and 1:59 800. He is a strong runner throughout last year and will need to step up into two big roles this season: Replacing the lost seniors as a leader on and off the XC course. This young team will need guidance from one of the few seniors on the team. Mucha is the top returning XC runner for their team and he’s got the track PR’s to go with it. If he can get this team motivated to roll this season they’ve got a great change to improve their 9^th place showing from states last season. He didn’t run very well when it came to the state hills last season, but that experience should be very beneficial for him.

Tyler Alansky (Jr) seems to be an XC specialist for DTW. He won the JV race in 16:48 and ran a decent states race and scored for them last year, that’s a big jump for a sophomore and he handled the pressure well. Indoors he ran in the first race of the season with a 9:46 3k which is a good start, but didn’t run again until the first race of outdoors where he did not race well at all and didn’t run again after that. I’m hoping he wasn’t badly injured, but if he’s ready to roll this XC season he could very well be their top guy or at least get up with Mucha for a decent 1-2 punch. If not it could really hurt this team, even with their depth.

Will Pelcin (Jr) continues Alansky’s trend as a pure XC runner for DTW. Breaking 17 at districts and was their 7^th man at states last season Pelcin didn’t do so hot during track only running 10:32 for 3200. I think once he hits the grass again he’ll be hungry to show his worth to this team. 

Matt Farrell (Jr) ran 17:08 at districts last season and hit 4:49 for 1600 this past track season. With a very competitive pack right behind him he’ll be working hard every day in practice and constantly being pushed. This competitive edge for DTW in practice should be the key to their success this season and should lead to a couple breakout stars, along with leading everyone to their highest potential. Look for Farrell to be one of those guys. 

Jason White (Jr) finished his XC season with a 17:11 at Districts, but continued to stay hungry, running 4:40 for 1600 and 10:03 for 3200 in the spring. Moving into his junior year with more strength and maturity, White is just another piece in this puzzle for DTW that adds to their depth. 

Henry Sappey (So) ran a very solid 17:15 5k at Districts last season and followed it up with PBs of 4:40 1600 and 2:02 800. This strength on the track from a younger is very promising going into this XC season. He’s got future star potential and will be a key piece for DTWs future.

Sam Jaffee (Sr) will be adding to the depth of DTW with his 17:28 5k and 10:13 3200. As one of the few seniors he’ll be looking to go out with a bang and make his way onto the top 7. This can only help push the guys in front of him to improve themselves in fear of losing a varsity spot. This is one of the great things about having the depth DTW has. 

Overall: This team is young and was 5^th out of District 1 last season, just barely grabbing that last states spot. They ran pretty solid as a team and placed 9^th, but I’m sure this team is still hungry for more. They do lose 4 of their top 5 though which could cause some major issues. They come from a very competitive Ches-Mont league with state hopeful like GV and WCE along with state leaders WCH. With constant competition on the horizon this team should stay hungry all season. I think they place 4^th at districts and 9^th again at the state meet.

XC Talks: Tunkhannock

I now have created a facebook page called: PADontPlay
Here is the Link: https://www.facebook.com/padontplay

Once I figure out how Twitter works I'll make one of those as well (sorry guys, I don't have a smart phone!). But I'll be tweeting and posting updates, ect on Facebook. The contests for prizes will be going through Facebook as well, so that's how I'll be able to send the prizes out. The contest's will be posted here and on Facebook, but the responses will only count on Facebook, unless you post your name.

XC Talks: Tunkhannock

I may be up a bit too much on this AA team, but they’ve got their top 4 guys returning along with Jacob Toczko (So) who took major strides this past track season. I feel as though these guys are the class of the AA field. 1-4 last season they had a 30 second pack and Toczko should be right in the middle of that this season, if not leading it.

2012 State Finish: 4^th (AA)

Key Returners

Jack Tidball (Jr) – 4:36.03 – 1600, 9:45.30 – 3200 1^st on the team (17:17 @ States)

Ben Siegel (Sr) – 2^nd on the team (17:25 @ States)

Carson Ayers (Sr) – 4:37.40 – 1600 4^th on the team (17:47 @ States)

Jacob Toczko (So) – 4:51.34 – 1600 (although he must have run faster), 9:50.27 – 3200

Season Preview:

The Lock Haven recruit Alex Nole stole the show this past spring for Tunkhannock running 1:54, but what many people don’t realize is that he was only their 5^th man at the state meet during XC and just one of two seniors on the top 7. Despite Alex’s mid-distance success it seems as though the Tunkhannock squad is mostly distance runners, many of which only run XC. 

In a team returning 5 of 7 and a 1-30 second spread 1-4 there is no true front runner who has emerged yet. Jack Tidball (Jr) lead the group last season at states and made some solid improvements during the track season adding a 4:36 1600 and 9:45 3200 to his PR’s. As a rising junior he has a lot of upside, especially for a breakout season.  

Carson Ayers (Sr)took major strides towards his new leadership role during the track season as he stayed in contact with Tidball running 4:37 for 1600. He looks to take this into the XC season and close the gap on the pack as he was 30 seconds behind Tidball at the state meet last season. If he can close the gap with XC specialist John Loomis (Sr) they could protentially set up an incredible 20 second spread, putting this team in prime position for the AA title.

Jacob Toczko (So) is one of the guys to watch this season. He isn’t like Brophy with a 9:32 3200 as a Fr, but I doubt he was running much before his freshman year. I think he takes a big leap this XC season. At a minimum I see him running right in the thick of things with this tight Tunkhannock pack. There is even potential enough for him to become a front runner for this team, pushing the whole pack up with him. This dangerous upside potential with Toczko is what puts Tunkhannock top of their class in AA.

What to Watch For:

A tight pack. This will be the key to Tunkhannock’s success in 2013. Toczko could be a huge breakout star for them, as running 9:50 for a freshman is quite exceptional. If they can keep it within 30 seconds 1-5 or 2-5 with a front runner breaking out, then they have a chance to score under 70 points at this year’s AA state meet. I’m excited to see how they fair in the combined results.

That's all for now Folks!

--ForrestCRN

XC Talks- Lower Dauphin

I should have at least 1 of these going up everyday. The team's won't be in order and I may not even do a preview for some of the top 10.

Also I now have created a facebook page called: PADontPlay
Here is the Link: https://www.facebook.com/padontplay

Once I figure out how Twitter works I'll make one of those as well (sorry guys, I don't have a smart phone!). But I'll be tweeting and posting updates, ect on Facebook. The contests for prizes will be going through Facebook as well, so that's how I'll be able to send the prizes out. The contest's will be posted here and on Facebook, but the responses will only count on Facebook, unless you post your name.

I made this post through Microsoft Word, so hopefully I didn't spell too many things incorrectly. I'm a History Major... Grammar and Spelling isn't really my thing.

XC Talks: Lower Dauphin

The top teams in the state all seem to be getting the credit they deserve on the blog. I know many guys are tired of hearing about Henderson, but hey, when you’ve got the 2^nd ranked team in the nation in your state, it’s hard not to talk about them. O’Hara has been big for the past 3 years, and then you’ve got staple programs such as NA and CRN getting love, along with Ches-Mont’s being the top league in the state with many blog viewers. It seems as though LD has slipped through the cracks, so I’ll start with them.

2012 State Finish: 10^th

Key Returners

Jeff Groh (Sr)--  4:16.90- 1600, 9:23.08 – 3200, District 3 Champion in 2011

Cole Nissley (Sr) – 4:21.41 – 1600, 9:22.50 – 3200, 33^rd Last XC season

Josh Santisanio (Sr) – 4:31 – 1600, 9:46.07 – 3200

Sean Weidner (Jr) – 4:41.20 - 1600, 9:46.66 – 3200

This season PA seems to be a state full of 1-2 punches and on paper LD has one of the best. Jeff Groh broke onto the PA field as a youngster placing 11^th in D3 for XC and later in track running 4:23 and 9:30 as just a freshman. He upped the ante as a sophomore by winning districts during XC, but again struggled during the state meet. He struggled through XC his junior year and often times had trouble finishing races, but looked to be in his old form during track running a big PR of 4:16.07. Groh will need to reclaim his old XC glory at districts and step up during the state meet for this team to finish top 5. Groh in many ways represents LD’s team as a whole: A team with tons of upside, but could come crashing down. 

Groh’s tandem partner, Cole Nissley, has been quite the opposite. Nissley has slowly built a great foundation and career on consistency. Nissley placed 33^rd at last year’s state meet and came up with some great PR’s during the track season. He’ll look to build on and improve this XC season as he is in prime position to grab his first ever state medal. If he can help Groh stay health and consistent this team could be very dangerous with two medalists.

In the 3-4 slots we’ve got Santisanio and Weidner who pushed each other to very solid 3200 times of 9:46 this past spring. Having two guys in the same area will be very beneficial during training for the LD team. The 9:46’s are over 25 second improvements for both runners, so it seems that they are headed in the right direction. With the momentum from track season look for both of these guys to be in the top 80 during the state meet. 

To back up this solid returning top 4 are the 6-7 runners from last season’s team, putting 6 of the 7 returning from last year’s state meet. Neither Jack Milligan (Sr) or Caleb Walters (Jr) had particularly impressive state meets last season, but Milligan’s 10:15 PR was a big improvement during track, while Walters looks to have a big breakout junior year. Either way this team has depth which is key going into the state meet.

What to Watch For:

LD is a District 3 team which makes their job of placing well at the state meet much more difficult. Why is this you might ask? Well. . . The District 3 meet is held at Hershey, the same Hershey course that is run during the state championships, which means two weeks in a row of tough, hard, and usually muddy, hill running. This takes its toll on many runners, but it can be done. Vinny Todaro last season was the D3 champion who went on to win the state meet in AA over some very, very strong competition, including FL finalist Brendan Shearn.  

Overall: LD has a very quality 1-2 punch with a solid 3-4 behind them, along with 2 more returners who has state meet experience. This combined makes them and extremely dangerous team with high ambitions. I think they can take 4^th at the state meet. 

That's all for now Folks,

--ForrestCRN

New Idea's/Thoughts

I just wanted to say LET XC BEGIN!!! I know many of you have just started your first week of XC camp which was always extremely exciting for me... even though it often lead me to a pain pill addiction for two weeks and often left me unable to walk... The comrodery and friendship gained from XC camp weeks are often ones you will carry for the rest of your lives. Enjoy it and really get after these runs! "August miles make October Smiles" is what my coach always said.

Here is a list of my recent idea's for the blog and posts that will begin soon.

1. Top 10 meets of the year preview. I will discuss why they are important, and I will be writing a report on each one of the meets course's before they happen to help put times in perspective.

2. Viking has changed it's course to Richboro, PA (the town I live in). I will be contacting the Archbishop Wood coach to see if I can get the course lay-out sent to me so I can run the new course and write up a preview for that meet as well (if it's not on the top 10).

3. I would like to have some seniors contact me about writing journals or doing interviews. I'd be looking to have journals every 3 weeks to a month or interviews every month-ish. I'd prefer to have seniors, but if you are an upper classman that works as well. I will discuss with you what questions I'd like answered, and I would make sure not too much is revealed in terms of training, ect. I'd like to have people from different districts as well. Please add me on facebook or send me an e-mail at fk246898@muhlenberg.edu if you are interested in doing this. I think it would spice up the blog a little bit. I'm not looking for just medal contenders, I think it's good to hear from you guys in general, so don't feel as though a specific skill level is involved.

4. Prediction Contests: If you guys don't know this already, I'm obsessed with Flotrack.org. I think there website is fantastic and gets a lot of things right. They often do prediction contests and I'd like to have a couple on here. If you post your name and get it correct I will do my best to send you a small prize :)

That being said the first prediction contest:
-Henderson's Top 7 @ States and the Order that they come in. Here is my list (you don't need their place in the race, just their place on the team).
1. Tony Russell
2. Reiny Barchet
3. Seamus Collins
4. Eric Stratman
5. Alex Knapp
6. Gordy Barchet
7. Ricky Watlz

(heard Haugh is done running)

That's all for Now Folks!

--ForrestCRN

AAU Nationals

I've never really payded much attention to these results, but just going to throw some stats out there.

Matt Kravitz is a guy from North Pocono that I had never heard of. He's a rising sophomore and just ran 4:11 for 1500. He ran 2:00 at districts as a freshmen. He could be a name to look for in the future for mid-distance results.

Rob Simmons from Council Rock North ran from the slow heat and lead the whole way for a 4:14 1500m time. He then ran in the 2k steeple chase with a very solid mark of 6:27 for second place. He also apparently ran sub 29 for 8k and has been focusing on distance strength. It will be interesting to see how this training translates to XC, since he is one of the few AAU guys who runs seriously in the PA scene and will be looking to step it up for CRN during XC.

Sean Stovall also ran the 1500 and 2k steeple, hitting 4:22 and 6:35 respectively. He'll be a junior next year, but again is almost strickly an AAU runner.

John Lewis from Cheltenham has run some really solid times this summer, hitting 1:54 two times, but then falling short at AAU Nat's running 1:57 in finals after hitting 1:56 in the trials. He also ran the 400 in 49 low. To me, this makes sense for him, since XC isn't going to be a focus for him at all as a pure mid-distance guy. This will give him extra strength for the track season.

Now here is a name that may just be an AAU guy, but Robert Downs Jr just ran 1:51.65 for 800m!!! He went to Frankford high school (Philly Public League) and ran 4:04 for 1500 last year as well. Not sure where he's off to college, but good for him and I wish him continued success in the future. Sad to see that he didn't run against the PA guys in high school that often.

That's all for Now Folks!

--ForrestCRN