Short winter break - Two weeks with no column

I will be taking a short winter break this month.  The February 12^th column is the last one until March 5^th.

How's that again? A fee to do it yourself?

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, February 12, 2017

HOW’S THAT AGAIN?  A FEE TO DO IT YOURSELF?

Something is askew these days when registering for a race. 

Without naming names or pointing a finger at any one race let’s see what is going on.

The stated fee to pre-register for the No Name 5K is $25.00 and $ 22.00 for NJ USATF members.  It is a very nice perk for members of the organization that has been negotiated by the New Jersey Long Distance Running Committee. 

Register on-line with a credit card and you’re in.   You go online and enter all of your particulars, giving your USATF number if you are a member, or without a number you just move on to next.

All’s well and good.  They have your name, address, age division and gender, birth date and now it is time to get out the credit card.

But wait a minute.  The actual fee is $ 28.25 or $ 25.25 thanks to the $ 3.25 fee that is tacked on when you register online.  Let’s see here.  You did all the data entry that is required to get yourself registered and you are slapped with a penalty fee for having done it.

A lot of irritated runners are signing up the old fashioned way.  Address an envelope, fill out the application, write a check and put a 49 cent Forever stamp on it and drop it in the mail.  You just saved yourself $ 2.76.

If there are two runners in a household, the saving is even better - $ 6.01.  Three runners it is $9.26.

Here’s the kicker.  The race organizers now have to pay someone to do the data entry for those applications.  You would have happily done it for them except for that penalty fee.  

O’REILLY WINS THE PRE-GAME FOUR MILE RACE

Karl O’Reilly of Morristown won the Pre Game four mile race on Super Bowl Sunday in 21:33.  Karen Auteri of Belvidere was the women’s winner.  She finished in 24:37. 

The weather was a little brisk on Sunday and that may have accounted for the low number of runners:  351 men and 409 women for a total of 760 finishers in staying with the pattern of women outnumbering me.  

LONG DISTANCE RUNNING COMMITTEE MEETING ON THE 23^RD

The Long Distance Running general membership meeting is coming up later this month, on the 23^rd.   This is the meeting where rule change proposals that were submitted way back in September are now voted on.   Only two proposals were submitted. 

The easy one is to allow three 700 point races to count in the Mini Three grand prix.  Currently only two 700 point races could be counted out of the maximum five races.  This will encourage more runners to compete in this grand prix mini division in which the shortest distance is now 12K.

The proposed change with more of a challenge is to apply a formula to each race’s winning time to determine the point value for that race in the grand prix.   This is one that will meet opposition for a variety of reasons.  While the intention is to level the playing field the opposing view is that a grand prix by its very existence has many variables.  Using a mathematical formula based on the world’s best time for a race distance to alter the race’s outcome is going to be confusing and unappealing to most.

One can view the agenda for the meeting and the proposed rules changes at www.usatfnj.org on the LDR page. 

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Race Results can often be found at www.compuscore.com or at  www.bestrace.com 

A calendar of USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org or at www.raceforum.com for running and tri and biathlon events.

Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net.

Morris runners run track

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, February 5, 2017

MORRIS AREA RUNNERS RUN TRACK

Problems with finding a perfect date at a New Jersey indoor track and field facility have always plagued the New Jersey USATF association.  Indoor facilities are limited and usually fully booked for high school and college meets.  Having a championship on the last Sunday in January is far from ideal.  A championship, by its very nature should take place at the end of a season, not close to the beginning.

The track and field committee had to accept that which was available for the New Jersey meet and so it was held this past Sunday at the Bennett facility in Toms River.  Several Morris area road runners made the drive down to compete.

The roadies limited themselves to 800 meters or longer with most tackling only one event.  The exception was Gary Leaman, 57, of Hardwick who raced both the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 meters.  The athlete from Hardwick finished first in his division in the 1,500 in 4:53.97 and 10:07.67 in the 3,000.

Peter Kashulines, 53, of Mountain Lakes opted for the 800 meters which he won in his division in 2:13.52.  Robert Skorupski of Rockaway finished first in the M40 division in the 800 meters in 2:18.16.  Susan Stirrat of Rockaway was first W60 in the 1500 meters in 6:57.55.

Gary Rosenberg of Morristown was first M40 in the 3,000 with a time of 10:17.37.  Randy Miller of Montville was second to Leaman in the M55 in the 3,000 meters with a time of 12:05.06.

TWO CHARITY RUNS NEXT WEEKEND

Road runners have two opportunities to run next weekend.  Both races are 5K’s and both are more about fundraising than racing.  The Cupids Chase on Saturday in Morristown is one of several of that name that raises funds for Community Options, inc. an organization that provides assistance to people with disabilities. 

The race uses a certified course that mimics part of the Verizon Corporate Classic, the race that is run each July in Morristown.  Trophies will be given to the top three men and women, and unspecified awards in the usual age divisions up to 70 and older.

On Sunday, the 12^th is another opportunity to run with a group and to raise money for a Morristown family whose daughter Hedda is dealing with an aggressive form of cancer.  Hedda was diagnosed two years ago with medulloblastoma, a tumor of the brain.  She underwent 55 weeks of chemotherapy and this past November was pronounced free of the disease. 

Hedda and her family that includes brother William, sister Elva, and parents Camilla and Per Sivertsson celebrated with a skiing trip in Colorado.  The family was devastated upon their return to learn that the cancer had reappeared.  Hedda, now 14, spent six weeks, including Christmas and New Years in hospital for more treatments.

That’s when neighbor Melissa Pappolla decided to organize a run to raise funds to help the family.  Although insurance is paying most of the medical bills, other costs are involved whenever someone is seriously ill.  In addition the family is originally from Sweden and has no relatives in this country to lean on.  They would like to be able to send for family members to come to visit.

Pappolla’s daughter Grace and the Sivertsson’s daughter Elva are enrolled in Girl’s on the Run and it was a natural for Pappolla to ask for help from the organization.  She is one of the leaders of the local troop.

They choose Central Park Greystone and runners and walkers can choose to do the one and a half mile course at the park, or go for the 5 kilometer course.  This is a no frills event with no t-shirt and no official timing, although a clock will be at the finish line so that participants can see their finish time.  There is no set entry fee and the suggested donation is ten dollars to participate.

The event will start at 3:00 p.m. 

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Race Results can often be found at www.compuscore.com or at  www.bestrace.com 

A calendar of USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org or at www.raceforum.com for running and tri and biathlon events.

Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net.

People love to read about other runners; why they run, what caused them to become runners, or they may have a great story like the one that you read recently about Gary Rosenberg.

You may have a story to tell, or you know someone who has an interesting story. 

Please send me your story tips.  They need to involve Morris area people to be considered for a story in the Daily Record.

You can reach me at madelinebost@verizon.net

or at 973-584-9302

Pre Game Four Miler next Sunday in Morristown

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, January 29, 2017

PRE GAME FOUR MILER NEXT SUNDAY IN MORRISTOWN

Yes, its proper name is the Pre Game Four Miler, but we all know what its real name is.  It’s just that a certain sports organization didn’t like the use of Super Sunday Four Miler and strongly suggested a change.

So OK, it’s the Pre Game Four Miler, and it will take place on, well imagine that!  On Super Bowl Sunday in Morristown.

What is interesting about a race that takes place on the day of one of the most widely watched football game, a game reserved for men to play, that women have predominated in each of the previous five races.

You heard that right!  In 2012 when it was called by its other name, 527 women ran the race and 410 men.  Thomas Poland and Elena Rozhko, both of Morristown, were the winners.  He in 20:59 and she in 23:52.

In 2014 when Chris Croff of Summit set the course record of 19:56, he was one of 443 men, while Allie Dublinski of Morristown was the first of 550 women, finishing in 25:12.

Last year, 2016, the biggest disparity was recorded.  539 women finished the race while 399 men crossed the line.  Michael Jordon of High Bridge won the race in 2016 in the second fastest time of 20:23.  Greta Sieve of Trenton was the women’s winner in a time of 23:42.  Sieve has the women’s record but she did that in 2013 when she won in 23:27; one of 479 women, 63 more than men.

The lowest attendance was in 2015 when Mark Hess of Brooklyn, and Morristown, won the race in 20:34 and Catherine Beck of Newark was the women’s winner in 23:40.  It’s hard to say that 849 finishers is a low turnout, but it was for this race.  At the 11:00 am start the temperature was a not so friendly 30 degrees with a wind chill of 23.4 thanks to wind gusts of 6.9 miles per hour. 

Not to be a wet blanket, but the long range weather forecast for Morristown on Sunday, the 5^th of February is for snow showers and a possible snowfall of three to five inches.  Let’s hope that snow ends up in Connecticut like the nor’easter did last week.

Of course runners are forever optimists.  There is still time to register online or to go to the Morristown Running Company on South Street to register or to pick up your race packet and number.

ROSENBERG GOT HIS 31^ST

Gary Rosenberg of Morristown did it again.  He got his sub five miler, but spectators were treated to a cliff hanger. 

Rosenberg ran in the spanking new Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island on Thursday, January 19^th.  It has a banked track, favored by short distance racers but often a problem for distance runners. 

“I am not used to the bank and almost fell off the track a few times on the turns,” he said with a smile. 

Anyone who has run a mile race knows the drill:  run slower than you want to run in the first quarter, stay with the pace in the second quarter, work hard in the third, which will be your slowest one, and then pick it up and haul like crazy for the last quarter.

Rosenberg said he was ahead of the pace that he was on at the Monmouth meet where he set his 30^th sub five mile in December, but “fell asleep” in the later laps  (200 meters each lap) and had to dig down deep on the last lap to get his coveted time.

Yes, he cut it close with his 4:58.8 but that is still not the end of the story.  Rosenberg is continuing to train with a goal to get closer to 4:45 by the end of the indoor season in March. 

Too ambitious?

“I think I will be able to get close so we will see,” said Rosenberg, who is 46 years old.  “No sense in setting a goal if it is easy to get.”

Side Note:   Rosenberg’s story that was published here last Sunday was picked up by the internet sites Let’s Run, and Bring Back the Mile, garnering more attention for his streak.

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Race Results can often be found at www.compuscore.com or at  www.bestrace.com 

A calendar of USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org or at www.raceforum.com for running and tri and biathlon events.

Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net.

A streak of a different color – sub five miles for 30 years

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, January 22, 2017

A STREAK OF A DIFFERENT COLOR – SUB FIVE MILES FOR 30 YEARS

Oh sure, Steve Spence made it into the news for breaking five minutes for the mile for 41 years straight.  Spence, after all is a former Olympian.  But he had just turned 54 years old so it was no small feat to run 4:54 last May.  How about you?  Do you have a fast time that you have been able to hit for several years in a row?

Gary Rosenberg of Morristown, who has been running since he was a kid, began to wonder if he had a sub five streak like Spence.  He dug into his running logs to see what he might find.

“Now one thing to keep in mind is that 30 years ago I was not thinking ‘Hey, I would like to see how many years I can break five in the mile’ which I assume goes for Steve Spence as well,” said Rosenberg in an email.

Rosenberg admits to taking some liberties, which Spence has done as well.  High School miles are for 1,600 meters so when Rosenberg ran a 4:55 that equates out to a sub five for the full mile.

Rosenberg ran his first one when a sophomore at Morris Hill High School back in 1987.  After graduating from Rutgers where he was on the track team he kept on running and competing.  But his log shows a gap in his freshman year at Rutgers when he didn’t run at all for most of the year.  He thought his research would show his streak had ended after just five years.  But no!  He found a 3,000 meter time trial that he ran towards the end of that year.   Yes!  A streak of 29 years of sub five minute miles.

“I don’t have splits but my total time equated out to 5 minute pace for 3,000 so I think it is fair to assume I ran the first mile in under 5 since I averaged 5,” said Rosenberg.

One year Rosenberg ran only a 1,500 meter race, but his 4:12 is well below five minutes for a mile and would equate to about 4:30.   In that same year he hit 4:59 for a 1,600 meter workout, just a notch over five had it been a mile. 

“My PR is 4:26 from my 20s when I wasn’t even training to run track,” said Rosenberg. “I built up a lot of strength when I got out of college and I had natural speed so I was running very fast track times in my 20s without even training.”

At 46 Rosenberg is rueful about the affect of age on performance and lost opportunity if he had focused on track speed.  He didn’t start doing track type workouts for 800 meters or 3,000 meter races until he had turned thirty.

“ It is depressing now to think about it since I think I could have run much faster PRs if I had trained for it back then,  and now I am barely breaking five,”  he said.

Rosenberg started the year recovering from yet another hamstring pull and having trouble getting back in his fitness back. 

“I was running personal worst’s in most races,” remembers Rosenberg.   “I decided to come out of marathon retirement again and hoped that would jump start my running.  It had been almost ten years since my last marathon.”

Then Rosenberg’s longtime companion, Janice Morra, was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer.

“Running wasn’t very important anymore, “he said.   “But at the same time I needed it to keep me sane.”

Rosenberg threw himself into marathon training, while conscious that he might not even get to the race depending on how Morra was faring.    The only mile race he had planned was the Midland mile road race that was the masters NJ championships.  It should have been a snap to break five minutes but the race was three days after a hard 21 mile marathon training run.  The mile was run in a steady rain.  Rosenberg finished in 5:08.97. 

Just two weeks after the Steamtown marathon in which he finished third masters in 2:47,   Rosenberg entered a Spartan race that he was not prepared for.   He underestimated how hard it would be with steep trails and poor footing.  Rain and 40 degree temperature didn’t help. 

“I ended up getting banged up even worse and couldn’t run much without hip pain for about six weeks,” he said.

Time was running out for running a sub five mile.  In early December he hit the track, running with the high school kids at Morris Hills.  With their help he ran a mile time trial but hit 5:07.99.

“I was running out of time and not feeling too confident,” he said.   “I did a treadmill workout and then a good track workout and I felt I had a good chance.”

At a Monmouth University meet on December 27^th Rosenberg ran in a heat with mostly high school runners.  A slow start had him worried and he worried that his younger self’s phenomenal kick might not be there when he needed it.  It was and he finished in 4:57.  Done.  Thirty years of sub five miles.

Well not quite done.  It’s a new year.  Time for year 31.  Look for next week’s column for the “rest of the story”.

Rosenberg reports that Morra is doing well and hopeful for a good outcome.

The New Jersey championship meet is at the Bennett Center at Tom’s River next Sunday, January 29th.

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A calendar of USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org 

Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net.