After a rough start in the 2006 track season, after sustaining dissapointing losses to Westmont, Chestnut Ridge, and Richland, a season riddled with many injuries to top athletes, Bedford's boys' track team pulled together and pulled out first an amazing LHAC victory over rivals Richland and Wesmont, and then took on the best in District V track to take home a fifth consecutive disctrict title! Among the placewinners were 1st for all three relays (a first in several years); 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 100m dash; 1st in the 200m dash; 4th and 5th in the 400m dash; 2nd in the 3200m run; 2nd and 4th in the shot put; 4th and 6th in the discus; 2nd and 5th in the javelin; 1st and 5th in the triple jump; 1st in the long jump; 5th or 6th in the pole vault; and 1st in the 300m intermediate hurdles. It was an incredible day in NBC, to be sure! :-)

Bedford won!! The guys went up and won the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference meet against Richland, Westmont, and everyone else! Wow, I picked up the paper today to see the article from the finals yesterday in Windber--and too see how the guys had fared, of course--and the headline read “Bisons Capture LHAC Track Title.” I was amazed and very, very excited. :-) The guys have worked so hard all season, and now is when that work starts to pay off. The 3200m relay ran 8:26, only six seconds off the school record, and 21 seconds faster than any other team in the district! After having lost to only Richland and Westmont in the regular season, and tieing Somerset, I can only imagine what the track must have looked like during that last relay. Zack anchored the 1600m relay, and beat Richland's anchor by 0.2 seconds to win the meet. It must have been completely insane! I only wish I could've been there... Today they go up to the County meet, and I hope they can continue their success with a defense of the County title.

Bedford, 96; Penn Cambria, 54
Bedford, ; Central,
Bedford, ; Cambria Heights
Yes, I know, I don't have all the scores up yet; that's becuase I can't remember them at the moment! I do know that we won, against all the teams, and by a pretty good margin, too. We arrived at the track shortly after three o'clock, and the meet was scheduled to begin at four. When we pulled up, I think nearly everyone was asleep: the bus driver parked, and Coach Lightner and Coach Creps picked up their bags and stepped down, and all the guys just sat there...quietly! Then Coach Creps said, “Okay guys, off the bus,” so we moved. Since we had plenty of time, we meandered over to the bleachers to stake out our territory and dropped our various paraphenalia about our claim before sitting down to catch the events we were entered in, and when and where the field events were being held. Finally we started warming up around 3:30--two warm up laps and then our normal stretch and agility routine. I ran with the guys and stretched out as I had done with them at Ridge, and my leg was feeling pretty good, if a little tight. Once we were finished, we still had lots of time, so I went out into the middle of the football/soccer field (ah, good soccer memories there :-) to call Mom (more on that in another post) while I waited for the 3200m relay to commence.
I was still on the phone when I heard the gun, so my attempt to time the race was several seconds off. I said goodbye, and then jumped up to begin my own event: running around the field inside the track to cheer all the guys on during the running events. A quick tangent: at Ridge, I was discussing with some throwers about how one should cheer for a throwing event. Since not all the athletes are competing at the same time in those events, it's not really a time for the jumping up and down and yelling for your teammate to pass the runner from the other team as they fly down the home stretch. After much deliberation, I suggested that to the cheer should go somewhat like this: “ooh ooh ooh ooh” (repeat until the thrower releases the shot put, discus, or javelin), then, “YEAH!!!” *clap clap clap* (at the instant the thrown implement contacts the ground). Anyway, back to Penn Cambria...
Duff ran first leg again, but after a strong first lap, he started to wane until he summoned up a last burst of speed and sprinted by the three other first legs to hand off to Perk. Now, Perk had taken a few days off for some family affairs, and had missed the Ridge meet (another “if” factor of the meet: if he had been there, that could have won the meet), so we weren't sure how he'd do. Like me, he doesn't have the fastest of starts, but he maintains his speed longer than most of the other guys, making him a very effective and strong middle-distance runner. Perk rapidly lengthened the lead that Duff had created, and finished strong with a handoff to Drew. Only a freshman, Drew has been on of the younger guys that has stepped up and performed extremely well. He took off flying, and nearly lapped the Penn Cambria relay team, while putting about 200m between his wake and the other two relays. Once he handed the baton to Henry, it was all over. At the first meet, Henry ran a 2:07 for his leg, an astounding time for the time of season, and while his time was a few seconds slower, he had no need to run faster. We easily won with a comparitively slow time of 8:59; however, considering the strong headwind on the back stretch, and the severe lack of competition, the guys ran well.
Instead of running the high hurdles and 100m dash on the home stretch like most tracks, Penn Cambria had theirs set up to run on the back stretch--and on this occasion, that just happened to be into the wind! Even with that drawback, Lightner ran a 15.9 in the 110s! As of last Saturday, he had never run under 16 seconds in the event until the 110m heats, and then come this past Wednesday, he runs a 15.9 into the wind. He should do great tomorrow at Shippensburg, as well as the end of the year. John Aaron won the 100m dash in 11.4, and Zack ran 11.8 and Josh ran 11.9, giving us at least two places against each team.
TB was our top guy in the mile again, but Isaac gave him a serious challenge at the finish, kicking strongly to cross the line just a second behind him. Because of the wind, it was hard for the guys to get a good start, and everyone ran a slow first lap. After leading for the first 800m, TB started dropping back against a surprise--at least to me--distance guy from Penn Cambria, and in the last lap, a kid from Cambria Heights took off in an incredible finish that took him from fourth place or so at the 300m mark to winning the race in 5:01! I was duly impressed. TB hung on for third place overall--second against Penn Cambria and Cambria Heights, and first against Central--with a 5:13, or thereabouts. Isaac sealed the top three places against the former two, and took second against the latter.
PLo and Henry were our key guys in the 400m dash, and Hess did pretty well in the event also. PLo ran a solid race, but I think the wind was just a little much for him on the back stretch, and he finished third in his heat. That was still good enough for two second places and a first, though. Henry helped complete the top three places, taking two thirds and a second, if I remember correctly.Josh, Lightner, Jer, and Zack teamed up for our 400m relay, and Zack pulled out a close win against Cambria Heights' anchor, clinching our second overall relay victory for the day.
Next up were the 300m hurdles. PC didn't seem to have invested a whole lot in their hurdle fund, so only four lanes were used in all the hurdle events, instead of the standard six. Once again, Lightner pulled out a great win in the fast heat to cap off a triple-win day. This has been a rebuilding year for the hurdle team, as two of our top three hurdlers graduated, so there have been several younger guys trying out the unusual event. Jake has probably caught on the best, in regards to overall performance and technique. He did very well in the 110s against Ridge, cutting about two seconds off his time.
We swept the 800m run. I repeat. We swept the 800m run! As Duff stated, this year it's been our distance guys that have really stepped up and carried the team, in contrast to previous years when we boasted a powerful core of sprinters that picked up big points. Perk, Drew, and Duff took off with good starts in the race, and quickly took control of the pack and the pace. Coming around into the second and final lap, Duff looked like he was starting to die, and Perk overtook Drew for the lead. However, just like in the 4x800m, Duff found an extra burst of energy hiding somewhere, and passed his competition from Penn Cambria to complete the 1-2-3 of Perk, Drew and himself. I was ecstatic! It was incredible to see the guys doing so well! In another little rabbit trail, out of a possible 96 points that could be won in the triple dual meet for distance events, our guys took 84.
The 200m dash was another good race for the guys. Zack had a terrific day there, easily winning his heat in a sub-23 second sprint! Hess and Jer both ran about a 25, which was good enough to place against at least a couple of the teams.
As the meet gradually wound to a close, TB took over the two mile in the second and third laps, gradually building a considerable lead before winning in 11:10 or so. Once again, his time wasn't as good as it had been at the last couple meets (10:50 at the Giant Eagle Invite and 10:58 at Ridge), but considering the prevailing headwind that he had to cope with, he ran very well. Isaac was also a crucial part in the race, finally moving up from third to second overall in the last lap with his incredible kick. If he learns to use that gift about 100m earlier in a race, he's going to bring his time down considerably. As with Drew, though, it is only his first year, and he has plenty of time to learn. Ricky stepped up well and finished a near-two mile sweep, finishing fourth overall (third against two of the three teams) by just a couple of seconds.
The 1600m relay proved to be more of the same, as Perk, Henry, Drew, and PLo easily won to finish off the meet.
I hope to be back in the action next Thursday, as we travel up the mountain to Somerset...taking into consideration the considerable temperature difference between here and there, we may have snow. Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad, but it is always colder up there!

Bedford, 73.5; Chestnut Ridge, 76.5
Bedford, 95; Windber, 55
Ouch. We received our second loss in as many dual meets, and this time it was to Chestnut Ridge, one of our biggest county rivals! It was close the entire meet, and we even won all three relays, but missing some key top jumpers/sprinters/runners really hurt us. Coach Creps felt we really ran well though, considering the guys we were without. A lot of the younger guys stepped up their performances and placed, helping keep the meet as close as it was. TB had an excellent day, as did Drew, Henry, and PLo. TB won the mile in 5:01 and the two mile in 10:58; Drew ran third leg in the 4x800m, placed second in the open 800m, and anchored the 4x400m relay; Henry was the anchor on the 3200m relay, ran the 400m dash, and was second leg in the 4x400m; PLo was in the 400m dash, and third leg in the 4x400m. And I believe that Sill won the shot and the disc... Enough of us though. By far the coolest part of the meet was watching Ben Way high jump 6'7“, breaking the Chestnut Ridge and Bedford County high jump records, previously at 6'6”. After clearing that with room to spare, he went for 6'9"...and he was so close!! On his third attempt, he had it made, but his heel barely clipped the bar, and it came down. Still, it was impressive to watch. Last year as a junior, he placed sixth in the state in the event.
Obviously against Windber the meet went much better, but we were still five points shy of scoring more than 100 against a team. Five meets down, and our scores were still in the double digits. Not so good, especially after last year, when there were only two meets that we didn't score 100 or more in. The places were much the same as against Chestnut Ridge: we won all the relays, the mile, the two mile, and the 300m hurdles. And that was pretty much the meet.
Surprisingly, the coaches weren't all that mad, but I think that after losing to Westmont, the dual-meet season ceased to mean quite as much. Now we need to concentrate on LHACs, Counties, WCCs, and Districts, and make sure we beat Ridge at the latter, if not anywhere else.

Formerly the Chrysler Challenge, but apparently the big bird wanted to get in on the action, so now it's another bland “invitational” and not much of a challenge. Saturday morning dawned cloudy, cold, and rainy. And it stayed that way. For hours. I was unable to compete because of my hamstring, but I needed to be there to help with the meet, so I was out there in the rain with everyone else.
Despite the miserable outlook, I was optimistic that it would get better, and until then, I was going to have fun, move hurdles, and keep warm. The first two weren't so hard; I truly enjoy track meets, even if I'm not running in them. Granted, I would much rather be on the track than inside it, but I'd also rather be there in person than hear about it or read about it after the fact. Since I'm a distance runner, I was part of the hurdle crew for the day, which meant that after the girls' and boys' 3200m relays, I had to help move all the hurdles to their positions for the girls' 100m hurdles, move them back and raise them for the guys' 110m high hurdles, take them off for the 100m dash, and then lower them and put them back on for the girls' 100m finals and the guys' 110m finals, before taking them off again for the 100m dash finals. After the second or third time of adjusting them, my hands were getting a little cold, and the buttons were getting hard to push in to be able to raise or lower the bar. I made it through though. Once we had removed the hurdles after the guys' 110m finals, we had to bring a few sets across the field for the 300m intermediate hurdles. The field was soggy and messy, and my feet were really wet, which didn't help too much with the whole “keeping warm” plan. :-P
The mile races were something to watch. Sarah Strayer from Forest Hills was either the top seed or one of the top seeds in that race, and beforehand, I thought she was going to win easily. However, I was very surprised to see a girl from Tyrone stick right with her the entire race before blowing her away in the last 100m of the race with a blistering kick! Strayer did get some consolation by winning the two mile... On the guys' side, the top six seeds were under five minutes, and the winning time ended up being a 4:35 by Snyder from McConnellsburg. TB ran very well, placing sixth with a personal best of 5:01.something, and in the two mile he took fifth with a 10:50. He's going to give me some solid competition when I get back, which is good, because I do better when I'm being pushed by someone. Lightner also had a good day, edging McCort's top hurdler in the 110m finals, and easily beating the same guy again in the 300m hurdles. Drew placed fifth in the open 800m run, and helped the 3200m relay team to a fourth place finish. Besides that, the day was not the best that Bedford track has had. Even so, with several top athletes injured and unable to compete, we placed third out of 20 teams; that says a lot about our depth--even if we can't pull off an amazing win with our best guys out, the “second string,” so to speak, step up and perform their best.

Bedford, 59.5; Westmont 90.5
Bedford, 97; Central Cambria, 52
That first score is correct, sadly. Last Thursday, Westmont finally broke our winning streak which had stretched to 44 dual meets over a span of four seasons. We could give several excuses for our defeat, things like some of our best sprinters and jumpers were injured and couldn't compete, or our distance team was healing up, so the four distance races didn't have as strong a field as they could. What it really comes down to, however, is that Westmont has two very good athletes, and overall, a pretty well rounded team, and right now, as Coach Creps said, they are better than us. That does not mean that we can't get better, and beat them at WCCs and LHACs.
Before the meet, Coach Lightner predicted that the 3200m relay, the first event of the day, would determine how the meet would go down. As it turns out he was right. Duff was running the first leg in my place, and he had a strong race before tightening up in the last 200-300m and running a 2:15, five seconds off his run-off time on the previous Tuesday. Perk and Drew each ran 2:10 and moved us from third to first before Henry was handed the baton. He ran another great time, blazing a 2:07, but Travis Dean was Westmont's anchor, and he showed his prowess as on of the top distance runners in the state by chasing down both Central Cambria's anchor and Henry in his 800m leg after receiving the baton a good 100m behind the other two teams. Then we got to watch Westmont's other superstar in action, as Brad Kanuch, one of the top five or six sprinters in the state, blew everyone away in the 100m with a 10.9! (That's what he runs on a bad day!) As the meet started moving along (it was an all-boys meet, so it did that pretty quickly), it became clear that Wesmont was the superior team on the track. Even with a couple bright spots, like PLo and Henry's one-two in the 400m dash, we were unable to keep up with Kanuch in the short sprints and jumps, or Dean in the distance events. Central Cambria, even with a couple of hurdle wins, and a strong showing by Sean Simmons, another able distance runner, proved to be less of a challenge for our depth, and we were able to save some face on a dissapointing day on top of the hill.

Yesterday morning I was up bright and early (seven o'clock) to meet the guys to head up to the Igloo. I was scheduled to run the first leg in the 3200 relay, as usual, as well as the 1600 and 3200. The weather was pretty nice in Bedford, but as we drove north, things changed from partly cloudy to overcast, a brisk wind was picking up, and it was contemplating whether or not to open up and douse us. As Drew, Perk, Henry and I warmed up, we were about 50-50 optimistic-pessimistic; Henry felt we had no chance breaking into the top 15, and if we did, that would be good; Perk thought top 10 seemed achieveable, as did Drew; I was of the opinion that if we ran as well as we did on Tuesday, we had a chance to break into the top five. As the first and last call for the boys' 3200 relay was called, we headed to the center of the field to get our instructions from the official. Basically all we were there for was to get our seeding and lane assignment; for the former we were eighth, and for the latter we got the outside of lane four, not a bad spot at all, considering the large number of teams present. I moved to the line and exchanged pleasantries with the other first legs before moving to the line for the start. The starter gave the command, fired the gun, and we were off! Being in lane four meant that there were seven guys to my left, three or four to my left on the inside, and then six or seven at a mini-waterfall start in the outside four lanes about 20m ahead of us. The latter had to stay outside until we came around the turn, then they could move inside. I took off and had a pretty decent start. Just before the outside crowd moved in, I burst ahead to avoid the congestion and drafted off the leader from Altoona. Coming around for the handoff, I ran a 2:08, another personal best.
April Fools! A day late... I wish that's how the race went, but that's not the case. No, instead, just before the outside pack dropped inside, my right hamstring just *popped* and I jerked to a halt. Judging from my instantaneous reaction, the coaches, the other guys, and Mom all thought I had been spiked, but no, I wasn't spiked. I pulled the muscle pretty severely, but thankfully it wasn't torn. I tried to finish that first lap, but it was a hopeless cause and I limped off the track halfway down the home stretch at the insistence of Matt and the other relay guys. Coach Lightner and Coach Creps came down, and I went over to the trainer, who put ice on it and said to stay off it for the day, to which I reluctantly but logically agreed. As it would happen, if I hadn't cramped up, we would've had a viable shot at second place! Second place--Elk County Catholic--ran a 8:52, behind Altoona's winning time of 8:20-something. Sure, 8:42 is way behind an 8:20, but that beats 8:52 by a long shot! Despite the bleakness of the injury, there's still a lot to be thankful for: it wasn't at a meet that counted for the regular season record; it's early in the season; it wasn't one of the other guys; I pulled up soon enough that I didn't tear the muscle; and this is one of the few major injuries I've ever sustained. In over 13 years of athletic competition, the last three including one or two sports with the school, my injury list has been extremely short. Last spring I suffered a minor sprain on my left ankle, but I was back up within a week; I've had other minor sprains and strains through the seasons, but nothing that has seriously hampered me. I am so thankful that God has protected me through all these years. Right now, I may be out for up to one week, which would put me at the Chrysler Challenge here in Bedford next Saturday. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to the trainer to see what I can do for it and get an estimate for when I can get back on it.

Bedford, 80; Bellwood, 70
Yesterday, the Bedford boys' track team extended their unbeaten streak to 44 dual meets with an exciting win over a strong Bellwood Antis team. Coming into our first meet of the year, we knew it would be a tough one, as it always is. Last year, there were only two teams that we didn't score 100 points or more against: Bellwood (86-64, I believe) and Westmont (99-51). Coach Lightner impressed upon us distance guys that a lot of the meet would rest on our shoulders, especially the 4x800m relay team. He felt that if we'd win that first relay, we'd win the meet--it turns out that he was right! Henry was worried that he wouldn't be able to beat the anchor of the Bellwood team, a sophomore this year, who as a freshman ran 1:55 in the open 800. I assured him that he could, provided that Perk, Drew, and I beat our respective legs. Coach put me on the first leg, so I'd have the maximum amount of time to recover for the mile, and when the gun went off, I bolted, with BA's first leg on my heels. My first lap was about a 64, but I wasn't paying close attention to that; my attention was on staying loose, striding out, and keeping those dogged footsteps behind me. As I came around the home stretch and spotted Perk waving for the baton, I kicked with everything I felt I had left and handed off to him in 2:11, another PR. Perk, and then Drew each ran 2:12s, and when Henry received the baton, we had a good 150m. But then Bellwood's anchor also got the baton, and we got to see some speed that you don't find every day. Henry blazed through a 56-second first lap, and Bellwood's guy was still gaining considerable ground! It was crazy, but we got a break when the Bellwood coach told his guy to back off and save it for the other events; even though he may have had a chance of catching Henry, it would've burned him out to the point that he probably wouldn't do so well in the open 800. Even so, Henry ended up running a 2:07, an excellent time for the first meet of the year, and our total time was 8:42, 13 seconds faster than the relay ran against Bellwood last year!
Next came the hurdles, and Lightner blew everyone away in that, but Bellwood came in second and third. Score: Bedford, 10, Bellwood, 4. In the 100m dash, we were deprived of our top sprinter because of a basketball injury, but the guys still took first and second in 11.9 and 12.0, with Bellwood in third. Bedford, 18, Bellwood, 5. Now for the mile. I was hoping for a sub-five, just too see if I could do it this early, but as I soon found out, I wasn't prepared for how much a leg in the 4x800 burns energy. My start was horrendous, as I heard about afterward from Coach Washington! :-P Even so, after trailing the main pack for the first 50m or so, I used a late “start” to pass them on the first turn and the back stretch, moving in behind TB, Duff, and Bellwood's top two. Duff, in a move that seemed stupid at the time, but actually helped in the long run (no pun intended...), was acting as a rabbit and running a blistering pace for the first lap and a half. He ran a 62-second first lap, behind which TB and I ran about a 64. I gradually moved up to catch and pass first TB, and then Duff and his Bellwood shadow. That was lap three. TB stuck with me for a while, and got the gun for the last lap, but that's when the mile becomes my race. I started to pick it up going around the first turn and the back stretch, and once I hit the 200 mark, I went to find fifth gear. Unfortunately, I found that a lot of my usually potent kick had been used in the 800, so my “kick” was basically more of the same. As I sprinted down the home stretch, I sensed footsteps moving up on me, and then next to me, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw TB giving me a race. That's when I really found what was left of my kick, and I edged him at the line; we came in first and second in 5:07. Finally, I had a relatively long break until my next event, the two mile. I was feeling pretty good, abliet nursing a cough and a sore throat, and I was daring to hope for a triple win on the day. I pulled my warmups back on, since it was cool and drizzly, and I proceeded to watch the proceedings. Brit, who had suffered a stress fracture in her left foot, and so was restricted from running for two weeks, had decided to throw the javelin. I went over to watch her to see how she would do. She seems to be the jack-of-all-trades on the girls' team... I had talked to her at the spaghetti dinner the night before, and she said that at practice with the jav, she threw second farthest on the team only to Hech, who is a senior and has been throwing all four years! I wasn't able to stay for all three of her throws, because Goo had given the first call for the 3200m run and I had to go warm up. As it turned out though, she threw 66' 6", which earned her third place! Back at the track, we were trying to figure out who was running the two mile--we had had about 13 guys run the mile, and we had to determine which of those would then run the two. Drew and I were the main contenders, and as we had scratched on the 4x100m relay, automatically giving Bellwood five points, we had to finish one-two in order to seal the win. I was a little late getting my stuff off, because the starter was moving faster than he had for the mile. As I scrambled out of my stuff, Coach Lightner spotted me with relief--he hadn't seen me on the line, and had worried I had forgotten. All was well, though, and my late arrival actually gave my my favorite starting position: the outside of the outside lane! This time, unlike in the mile, I started strongly, pulling in with Drew after the first 100m, and then moving around him to set the pace. Since it was his first distance run on the track--he wasn't in the mile--I was going to help him pace it out. For the first seven laps, we stuck together, rotating the lead every 300-500m so we'd stay as fresh as possible. Finally, going into the gun lap, Drew took over the pace and moved ahead, with me doing my best to stay with him while holding off Bellwood's top guy, who was tailing just off my shoulder. This time, I delayed my kick until the 100m mark, and I nearly caught Drew at the finish, but he scored the win, I was second by .6 seconds, and Bellwood took third in another .4 seconds. Eleven minutes, twenty-eight seconds was my time, which was only seven seconds off my best in track from last year, but one minute off the time I ran at the LHAC cross country meet. That finish clinched the meet in our favor, even though we lost the 4x400m relay with the absence of John Aaron. Although I didn't finish first and earn my first-ever triple, I still came out with a double, which was more than I ever got last year. Also, it was probably for the best that I didn't win, because when I reviewed the times and saw how close we finished, had I passed Drew, I probably would've pulled Bellwood's runner into second with me, making the meet a little too close for comfort. :-P Even so, it was an intense, exciting time at the Bedford track. Next up, myself and 17 other guys head up to Mansion Park at 7:30 tomorrow morning for the Igloo Invitational, and then next Thursday we take on Westmont and Central Cambria, at Westmont, the two teams that along with Bellwood comprise the top three teams in District VI last season. This is where the season lies; next to Bellwood, this will be the toughest meet of the year, and when the proverbial smoke clears from the starting guns, we will see if the Bedford track team will have a third consecutive undefeated season.

Yes, I was given a very fast run for my money when Coach Goo pitted me against Brandy Harris for a sprint during the girls' practice on Wednesday. It would be easier to understand if you knew the family; her two older brothers have made regular appearances at the state track meet in the 100m dash, 110m high hurdles, 300m hurdles, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. Brandi has definitely inherited a comparable proportion of the speed in the family. And this year she's only a freshman, so she'll probably be unbeatable her senior year!

However, yesterday was a little better; I competed in the run-off for the 4x800m relay--much to the surprise and appreciation of Coach Lightner--just to see how I could do; I didn't really want to be on the relay. Coach said he'd blow the whistle for us at a 60-second first-lap pace, so we could get an idea of where we were at. “Runners, take a step back. On your mark. Go!” We took off, and as usual, I found myself drafting with Ricky on the back of the pack. I hung back for the turn, but moved outside once we hit the back stretch. However, the Junior High track team was occupying the outside four lanes, and the girl's team was running on the inside lanes, so it was a tight squeeze, and a couple of the guys had to pull up a little so they wouldn't take anyone out. I ended up going all the way outside to the fourth lane to move around the frontrunners, a hurdle, and a couple girls that were jogging along. I pulled into the lead on the home stretch of the first lap, and then pushed into the second. At the 200m mark, I kicked in what little I had left; I heard spikes hitting the track behind me, and by then, I wanted then win. I kicked as hard as I could, and crossed the line in 2:14, Perk was hard on my heels in 2:15, and Drew and Henry were behind us in 2:16 and 2:17. That time broke my previous PR by 13 seconds, and put the four of us on the 3200m relay for Tuesday's meet against Bellwood.

On March 6th, we began the 2006 BHS track season with a preliminary meeting in the LGIA at the school. After turning in paperwork and going over basic rules and regulations, we headed upstairs for the warmup. Since there were about five times as many guys than there were during winter conditioning, everything--except the timed warmup run--took a lot longer, plus we started about a half hour later than usual. Once we finally got all the sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and distance guys through the routine, we split off into our respective groups: sprinters and jumpers with Coach Marshall, throwers with Coach Creps, and the now-large group of middle-distance/distance runners with Coach Lightner. Our workout wasn't too hard, just four 300m sprints at a 16 sec/100m pace, and then we jogged out to the REA and back for our cooldown, followed by stretching. Tuesday was a harder day, at least for those who hadn't been running. Coach sent us out to Dr. Livengood's, an out-and-back course a little over six miles. He gave us a cutoff time of 22 minutes, so wherever people where at 22 minutes, that's where they turned around and headed back. He wanted at least the top two or three to make it all the way to the turnaround, and we had five! Duff, Ricky, TB, Drew, and I all made it out, and Drew and I finished the whole course in 41:50 and 42:20, respectively. Coach said that it was the first time he had had five guys make it out, and also the first time anyone had run under 43 on the course. Wednesday was another speedwork day. It was pretty nice out, so we did the entire warmup outside on the track. When we were finished, Coach split us up into two groups: everyone who had run distance last year--plus Drew--and everyone else. Our workout was eight 100m starts, 100m strides, and 200m jogs. We were working on getting out at the beginning of a race, and positioning on the line. When Coach blew the whistle, we took off, sprinting all-out for the first 100m around the turn; once we reached a point around the 300m high-hurdles start, we slowed into a “stride” pace (exaggerated running form with longer strides, hence the name) to the 200m dash start, and then jogged back around to the finish. Thursday was rough; we ran four figure-eights, which may not sound like a lot from the quantity, but they were quality, and therefore hard. Figure-eights are about 800m long (approximately a half mile), and run over a course that either goes down (left)-flat (left again)-up (right)-up some more (right)-down (right)- up again (left)-down (finish) or up (hang a right)-down (go left)-up (left again)-down (left)-flat (right again)-up (finish). Basically what that means is, there's lots of ups and downs, and at as fast a pace possible, so two-miles worth of them wasn't too fun. The times were pretty good this year though; Drew and I ran consistently under three minutes, and PLo (one of the sprinters) came from nowhere and cranked out a 2:50, which was two seconds faster than what any of us distance guys ran! Friday was not fun for me. We were scheduled to run a five-minute stress test, and then an indeterminate number of 200m sprints, depending on what Coach felt like making us run. In the stress run, the object was to get as far as possible in the five minute alotted, and I was aiming for a full mile. I am quite sure I would've made it, or at least been close, except my left hamstring cramped up in the first 200m of the first lap! I kept going as best as I could, and still made it just over three and a half laps (one mile or 1600m is four laps). Needless to say, I was out for the sprints, as I went to talk to the trainer about what I should do. Her diagnosis: drink [a lot] more water, eat bananas, and stretch better. I spent pretty much the rest of the practice sitting on the infield, stretching and chatting with Liz (sitting there with ice on her ankle), Mike (who came and complained of a problem similar to mine), Shane (who was back from school on spring break), Johnna (also back from school), Nikki (the trainer), and whoever else was running by. And that was my week on the track. Maybe I'll come back later and expound on tennis practice.

No, I'm not talking about the television program; 60 minutes is my new “record” for longest run. :-) Yesterday was yet another pleasant January day, and since school was out for the Thomas Tournament (wrestling), there wasn't any winter conditioning, so I went for a run on my own. Whenever I go run, I rarely have a preset course in mind, I just go! If I'm feeling good, I might run long or fast, if it's a dreary sort of day, I usually go slower or shorter. Yesterday was a pretty good day, so when I found myself at the bottom of Back Springs Road, I decided to be adventurous and I struck out up the hill. About halfway up, my calves started burning (it was only the third big hill of my run so far...), but I made it to the peak and enjoyed the gentle downward run to Bedford Springs. After that though, I had to make it up yet another hill to the Elks, a fifth hill to get into town, and then of course, it's pretty much uphill the rest of the way home from there, bringing the grand total up to six good hills. :-P I made sure I ran an easy cool down followed by some stretches, because I was already feeling a little sore! Before I went to work, I clocked what I had ran, and it came out to 8.2 miles, give or take a tenth, making it my longest run both by distance (two miles) and time (about 12 minutes). Today's another beautiful day, and if I'm unable to find anyone to play tennis with (which would be sad), I'll probably go for another run before I have to get prettied up for family pictures later this afternoon...

Monday was the first guys' winter conditioning practice, and to say the least it was more difficult than the girls' practice. We started out with a brisk five-minute warmup run, did our stretching and part of our agility routine, and then hit the locker room to learn how to use those big inflatable workout balls. It would've been funny to watch the eight or so guys there trying to stay balanced on the unstable rubber spheres. Finally we finished the “12 minute” workout (which took us about 20), and then moved on to the agility ladder and medicine balls. Since the girls were still on the ladder, we tossed around the medicine balls first, and as we were done with that while the girls were still going through, we opted for the other ladder. Then Coach Lightner told us to hit the road for about a half hour, so Isaac and I went for a solid 4-4.5 mile run in the alotted time before wrapping up and heading home.
Today was more of the same, except instead of going outside to run, as it was on the cold and wet side, we did the stairs-sprint-jog drill, with one minute on each station so the younger/newer kids didn't die. (We'll be working up to a good three minutes before long.) Connrad survived, and so did Laurrel, who was convinced by a conglomerate of Coach Hamilton, Dad, and Mom to at least go to winter conditioning, if not the whole way through track as well. Neither of them were too thrilled about going today, but it's good for them... Next week Coach Lightner will be starting physical therapy for his shoulder, so the guys'll have practice T/Th, which means I could go every day of the week!! Fun fun. :-)
Right after we were done stretching, I gathered my gear, hopped in the car, and headed to ProCare for indoor soccer practice. Surprisingly, Kyle and I were the only members of our team that showed, but Coach Bollman's other U-19 team was there, and a smattering of his U-16 team as well, so we had enough for a solid hour of scrimmaging. I scored one and Kyle scored three, but we got stomped pretty good. It was fun to get out and play more though. Hopefully Sunday, with Kyle back, we'll be able to score a win.

I finally got out to run today, after several weeks of a serious lack of serious exertion. I only ran between three and four miles, at an easy pace. My legs aren't telling me the same thing though. I'm pretty sore, to say the least. :-P Still, I was glad to be able to get myself out to run, and I'm going to try to keep a regular running schedule through the winter months, until I start running with the guys come winter conditioning.

On Wednesday we went through the gap up to Northern Bedford for the final meet of the year for most athletes. We had just four athletes qualify for states (the winner of an event and the first seven in the event if they hit qualifying times): Duff (400m relay, 1600m relay), Shane (100m dash, 200m dash, 400m relay, 1600m relay), John Aaron (triple jump, 400m relay, 1600m relay), and Troy (110m high hurdles, 300m hurdles, 400m relay, 1600m relay). Even though only four guys won their events or hit qualifying times, we placed guys in 16 of the 18 events (I know we didn't get anyone in the mile, and I think the high jump was the other event). For me, it was a pretty bad day in regards to performace; seeded 10th in the mile with 4:55, I placed 11th in 5:10, and seeded second-to-last in the two mile (11:22), I finished last in 12-flat. For some reason, in my last two mile races I just didn't have any push, or, I would push as hard as i ususally do in the first two laps, then feel like I was pushing in the second half when I really wasn't. Ever since WCCs I've ran slower: 5-flat, 5:04, 5:10. The problem is, I have no idea what I did or didn't do at Mansion Park that day, which is really frustrating. When I finished that mile in 4:54, I felt great! I felt like that wasn't as hard as I could've pushed, as fast as I could've run. Yet only a week later, after the same type and amount of training, I was six seconds off, then the next day, I was 10 seconds off, and finally on Wednesday, 16 seconds slower than my best time. Back to Districts though. Before getting off the bus, Coach Creps said that every year, someone comes out of nowhere and performs extremely well; at Districts that guy was Shane. In the prelims of the 100m dash, he ran the fastest time, and his personal best of 11.0. In the 200m dash preliminaries, he was flying again, with a 22.8, easily qualifying for the finals as in the 100m. In the finals of the 100m dash, Shane placed second to a guy from Berlin Brothersvalley named D'Carrion (could that be French for "the dead thing"?), but still hit the qualifying time of 11.22. In the 200m dash, it was another close race with D'Carrion, except Shane was able to edge him at the line in 22.78 seconds! (John Aaron and Duff also placed in the 200m dash, but this was the first time John Aaron had lost the race at Districts in his track career.) In the triple jump, John Aaron hit a personal best and broke the school record yet again with a hop-skip-jump of 44' 7 3/4". Troy placed second in the 110m hurdles, but hit the qualifying time, and he won the 300m hurdles after a close race with Lowery of McConnellsburg. Last but not least, the 400m relay and the 1600m relay each won their event, and the 400m set a new meet record with a 43.81. Even with those victories, we wouldn't have won the meet without all the other guys that ran, jumped, vaulted, and threw the best that they could and placed in 16 events. Overall, this was an extremely good year, demonstrating both top athletes, and others that stepped up when they were needed and provided the depth to win. The only team meet we've lost so far--with only the state meet remaining--was WCCs.

The headline in yesterday's paper said "Chestnut Ridge Ready to Defend County Track Titles." That may have been the case, but they weren't ready enough. Bedford took back the title for the guys, and the girls overthrew a Chestnut Ridge dynasty that was 10 years in the making. Before getting off the bus when we arrived at Ridge, Coach Creps made it very clear that the most embarrassing thing that could happen would be to walk out on the track and expect to win, and instead lose for the second year to the Ridge guys. He wanted us to go out and perform, and perform we did, winning the meet by over 50 points for the second day in a row. The evening was not without its dissapointments: Ridge's 3200m relay team broke the county record set by Bedford 25 years ago by a team that included Coach Lightner, and for the first time this year, our "thrower relay" was beaten, also by Ridge. However, we set a few records of our own, in the 400m relay, the triple jump, and the 1600m relay as well. I ran in the mile, as usual, and also in the two mile, since Josh wasn't up to running, plus I had run the third fastest time of the year. Before the race, Coach Creps and Coach Lightner told me that they wanted me to stay with the front pack as long as I could, and after that, stay up as far in the pack as I could. With my time of 11:33, I was seeded second-to-last, but I finished third-to-last, PRing by 11 seconds and also qualifying for the district meet in the event. I wish I could say I dropped 11 seconds on my mile time, but such was not the case; seeded at ninth or so, with a time of 5:02, I placed well, but my time was lousy: fifth place with 5:04. My last lap was one of the slowest this year: 76 seconds. I think my last lap in the two mile was faster than that! Even so, I performed well in both races, although I hope I can bring my mile time down as dramatically as my two mile next week at districts.