Thursday Track Report: A Decided Lack Of Seriousness

September 1, 2011

Who does the two-fers, Part II? We have less to go on because the Thursday Track attendance was pretty light. Only Tom Cali, John Domico, Judd Michael, Lance Bland, Andy Maguire, Michael Goldfine, Mike Casper, Rob Shaver, Esther Prins, Mark Fedkin, Miles Smith, Jim Laudermilch, Rich Harter, Rob Peterson, and Marty Mazur came out. And among them, only Cali, Harter, and Mazur headed to the hills by eventide. And Cali was suffering from some kind of Low T ailment, huffin' and a wheezin'.

Bwana realizes that we do a lot of "maintain and sustain" workouts, where we keep some kind of barely sub 5K race pace over a bunch of long reps. How about a little kickin' out the jams, especially for the "fast-twitch challenged", like Rob Peterson? So 8X200 it was. That's a little light on the 200s (Bwana usually asks for at least 12), but Bwana at least thought that more Trackers would double up in the evening. Peterson acquited himself well. He'll have a hard time keeping the title of Sandbagger of the DCR with that kind of effort.

OK, so why were there so few people at the track today. School is in, both Penn State and the little kiddies. Nobody should be on vacation anymore! It's mOUnTaiNBACK training season! Nobody should be slacking! Unless you're among the many mOUnTaiNBACK injured. But even Judd Michael, hobbled mOUnTaiNBACK DCR ex-captain, made it to the track to work that bad hammie! If you're serious, get to work!

Volunteers Needed for Youth XC Club

Nittany Track and Field youth club kicked off the Fall cross country season this week. By now we have an enthusiastic crowd of up to 40 kids of various ages to train with the program!

Currently we are looking for more volunteers to help coaches to run the practices. This will mainly involve looking over small groups (age groups) of kids on an easy run or a workout, help with setting up games, stretches, etc. You do not need any special coaching experience for participation – maybe some patience and readiness to communicate to the youngsters.

Please e-mail me if you would like to help (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). It can be as little as one night per week, but a lot of fun is guaranteed. The NTF Club has practices Monday through Thursday 5:45 to! 7:15 pm near the State College High School (cross country course behind South building). Please feel free to stop by and check us out.

No Adult Summertime All-Comer Track Meets This Year

The Nittany Valley Running Club has hosted All-Comer outdoor summer track meets for adults off and on over the years. There will be no All-Comer meets in 2011. But that doesn't mean the tracks will be empty! Stop by the State College Area High School track on Tuesday evenings and watch the NVRC-sponsored Nittany Track and Field Youth Group work out. They're the future stars of the local running scene. And stick around afterward until dusk for an adult track workout mentored by Bree Studenka and Jayson Jackson. And, as always, the Thursday Track Crew takes over the Penn State Track over the lunch hour.

Check back next year for the All-Comers Meets! 

Girls On The Run Approves Centre County Chapter

Girls on the Run is a volunteer-led program that helps 3rd through 8th grade girls uncover their extraordinary potential, demonstrate courage, and generally embrace being "fantabulous." GOTR weaves training for a 5K run with fun, experience-based lessons that improve self-awareness, build a collection of positive experiences and inspire life-changing confidence through accomplishment. After a year of research, community interviews and preparation the Steering Committee of seven members received news on Monday, August 1 that all their hard work had paid off. You can find out more about the Centre County GOTR chapter, and how you can help, here.

Nittany Track and Field Youth Club Begins Training the First Week of May

Girls and boys, ages 8 to 18, with or without track experience are invited to join the program.The practice starts May 2nd at the State College High School Track. Hours will be 6:15 to 7:45 pm Monday through Thursday (except holidays). Attendance is flexible. The season will run until July 21st. We will hold an Informational meeting on Friday, April 29, 6:30 pm, at the High School track for athletes, coaches, and volunteers.The form and information for athlete registration can be found on our registration page: http://mysite.verizon.net/ntfxc/registration.html

The mission of the NTF’s track program is to provide qualified instruction and a fun environment for kids of virtually all ages to try different track and field events, learn the basics of athletic training, gain fitness and new skills, and develop discipline to pursue personal goals. Learning and training are emphasized above the competition or scores, although track meets are also included as part of learning experience. And of course, fun, game activities, new friends are great bonuses that kids will get by participating in the Club through the summer.

Check out the current updates on the Club website: http://mysite.verizon.net/ntfxc. Please spread this information to anybody who you know may be interested. If you have questions about NTF, contact Mark Fedkin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 814-876-0461

Tuesday Evening Track Workouts Moving To 7 PM

The Tuesday Evening track workout, run by Bree Studenka with help from Jayson Jackson, is moving to 7 PM. They can do it earlier now because the Nittany Track and Field Youth Club, which Bree and Jayson help coach on that track, is done for the summer. It's a good thing, since the sun is setting noticeably earlier these days. Come on out to the State High track for a great evening workout!

NVRC on Facebook

The Nittany Valley Running Club has been on Facebook for a while. Now we have a Fan page. We plan to update the page with the latest race information, group run plans, and other activities. If you go there and "Like" us, our updates will automatically appear in your newsfeed.