99th Dipsea Race this Sunday...

The legendary local race is taking place this Sunday, June 14th at 8:30AM. You can find all sorts of information about this race on their official website:
http://www.dipsea.org/

You can also find great coverage of the race in the Marin Independent Journal (Marin IJ) at the following link:
http://www.marinij.com/dipsea

Among the favorites for Sunday's race is Novato HS's Erik Olson. He might challenge for the overall fastest time but will be hard pressed to win the entire race due to the time handicaps which favor the old and very young.

If you would like to read all about the history of the Dipsea race, you can check out the following link for the most comprehensive look at the race by local writer, Barry Spitz:


Anybody out there have had the experience of running in this race?

Considering next year will be the 100th year of this race, getting into that race will be extremely difficult so if you have an interest, check out what it takes to enter in 2010:
http://www.dipsea.org/howtoenter.html

CA State Meet 3200m. reflection with Garrett Rowe...

Today we hear from Mountain View distance runner, Garrett Rowe, who finished in 4th place at the CA state meet 3200m. running 8:55.71. His place was the highest for any Northern CA runner in the most competitive 3200m. in state history. That time is also the 6th fastest 3200m. ever run in CCS history. As you can see by the list, some of the times are converted 2 mile times which became the 3200m in 1980. Garrett's state meet effort followed his CCS race effort the previous week, where he finished in 2nd place just behind Sobrato's Lance Wolfsmith, in a then lifetime best time of 9:08.17. If you take into account his performance at the CA state cross country meet as well, Garrett was able to run two brilliant races in the biggest races of the year.

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the CCS final on Friday to the 3200m. final yesterday?
On Saturday I ran 12 miles at a fast pace, I didn't run Sunday, Monday I did five miles, Tuesday I did an easy workout with 200's and 400's, Wednesday I ran six miles, and both Thurday and Friday I ran three miles with four easy 200's.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Where there runners you were focusing on or where you focused on running certain splits?
I wasn't focused on running any particular splits and I knew the race was going to be crowded, so I decided to stay with the lead pack the whole race.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m.
The first five laps of the race were extremely crowded and everyone was jostled around at some point. My first 1600m was 4:31, and the leaders picked the pace up for the last four laps. We finished with a 4:24 second split, with 2:07 as the last 800m.

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
The toughest part of the race was definitely the first three laps because there were so many runners jammed into the front pack.

5) Was there a point this past season when you thought you had a shot of breaking 9:00 in the 3200?
I realized that I could break 9 minutes about halfway through the season because I wasn't training extremely hard but I was progressing quickly in the 3200.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
As far as I know, I won't be racing this summer because of family vacation plans and cross country training.

Thanks for your time Garrett!

2009 Dublin High School All-Comers Track & Field Meets

Hello Coaches,

I hope all of you had a great conclusion to your track and field seasons and are having a good finish to the school year. We are capping off our last day of school with the first Dublin All-Comers Meet of the summer this Thursday, June 11 at 5:00 PM at Dublin High School. The Dublin All-Comers Meets will happen every Thursday night from June 11 - August 13 at 5:00 PM. Please pass along the attached information to your student athletes and fellow coaches or check out our website at www.dublincrosscountry.com. Thanks and we hope to see you there!

Chris Williams

Dublin High School

Cross Country Head Coach

Track & Field Head Coach

www.dublincrosscountry.com

Where: Dublin High School

8151 Village Parkway

Dublin, CA

Dates: Thursdays

June 11, 18 & 25

July 2, 7, 16, 23 & 30

August 6 & 13

Divisions: Youth, High School, Open & Masters

Track & Timing: 8 lane all-weather track & Fully Automatic Timing (FAT)

Fee: $4 for athletes (unlimited events) - $3 for each athlete of groups of 10 or more from the same club or team (arriving together – must arrange prior to the day of the meet)

$2 for spectators

Results: Available at www.dublincrosscountry.com and www.dyestatcal.com.

Parking: Free parking available on campus as well as the street.

Notes: 3/16 needle spikes required and will be checked at gate. Spikes will be sold at the Snack Bar. USATF rules are in effect. Snacks and refreshments will be available. Meet will be conducted rain or shine. Gates open at 4:00 PM.

Running Events Order (starts at 5:00 PM)

400 meter relay

1600 meter run

100/110 meter high hurdles

400 meter run

100 meter run

800 meter run

300 meter low/intermediate hurdles

200 meter run

3200 meter run

1600 meter relay

This is a rolling schedule. Girls then boys then women then men compete in the running events.

Field Events

5:00 PM – Discus, High Jump & Long Jump

6:00 PM – Shot Put, Pole Vault & Triple Jump

For more information contact meet director Chris Williams at coachchriswilliams@yahoo.com.

CA State Meet 3200m. reflection with Sterling Lockert...

Today we hear from Petaluma distance runner Sterling Lockert who just recently finished in 10th place in the 3200m. at the state meet, running a personal record, 9:01.32. Lockert finished 2nd at the NCS MOC 3200m. behind state leader (at the time) Erik Olson of Novato running a then lifetime best, 9:09.48. He qualified for the state meet in the 3200m. as a sophomore (9:23.55 3rd place), the 1600m. as a junior (4:16.07 4th place finish) and then chose to focus solely on the 3200m. this year.

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the NCS final on Saturday to the 3200m. final yesterday?
This is my best guess at what it was. I don't totally remember.
Monday I did a short 35-40 minute run. Tuesday I did a work out of 2x1000 at tempo pace (about 3:05ish) Then 2x4 at mile pace (62-63). then 4x200 at 800 pace (28-29). Then wednesday a short 30 min run. Thursday a short 25 minute run with 4 200's at 2 mile pace (33-35). Then Friday a short 20 minute run, which i did at about nine in clovis.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Were there runners you were focusing on or were you focused on running certain splits?
I was focused on splits. I wanted to turn about a 4:33 for my first mile. I knew that going out with Olson would be suicide just from looking back at the last two races. I knew I had the leg speed to run a faster second mile so after the first one I just started moving up and picking kids off.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m.
I started really well and then kids started passing me for the entire first 1600. I knew my pacing and I stayed true to it. I really had to trust my training and know that I'd have what it took to turn a second, faster 1600. After I got to the second 1600, I felt very calm and relaxed and started picking kids off exactly how I wanted. (Side note: I wasn't passed at all in the second 1600)

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
Toughest part of the race was after lap 5. Still having three laps to go, I really had to put my head down and get to work. But I managed to hang on to it and get myself motivated.

5) When did you decide during the season to solely focus on the 3200m.? What time were you shooting for?
I decided over winter to focus solely on the 3200. I felt like I made a mistake last year taking the 1600. This year I just happened to be in the most loaded 3200 field ever...not a bad claim to fame. And the time I really would have like was under 9. But I ran the exact race I wanted at State so there's not to much disappointment.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
I'll probably do the Kenwood. But I need to wait and see what the Coaches at Loyola have in store for me.

Thank you very much Sterling.

Classic track photo

Peter Guenther of Gilroy HS before his 110m. final Hurdle race at the CCS Finals.
Guenther swept both hurdle races on his own HS track.

CA State Meet 3200m. reflection with Rachel Mitchell...

Today we chat with American HS runner, Rachel Mitchell, who just completed quite a senior year as she qualified for the state meet in both xc and track and field. Mitchell finished 7th last year at the NCS MOC in the 3200m., running 11:20.06. This year, she improved her time and place to 2nd place and 10:51.15. She then went on to record another personal record at the state meet finishing in 13th place and 10:44.48 just behind her fellow NCS competitors, Jacque Taylor and Colleen Lillig

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the NCS final on Saturday to the 3200m. final yesterday?
Every year, my coach is pretty good about making me peak at the end of the season. However, my coach adjusted my workouts because my legs were a little tired from NCS finals. On Monday we worked on my speed by doing 10 200s at 75% then a 25 minute easy run after. Tuesday was a 6 mile run at a medium pace and Wednesday my coach repeated the workout from Monday. Thursday I ran a 6 mile run at a faster pace then I did on Tuesday and Friday was my recovery day (only 25 min). My legs were feeling better and ready to race by Saturday's finals.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Where there runners you were focusing on or where you focused on running certain splits?
The past races I have been playing catch up. My coach wanted me to run a controlled race and move up. "It's all about the last two laps" like he said. I wanted to be around a 5:25 split mile but there were so many girls going at a fast pace the first mile that I ended up running a 5:20. But I didn't let that discourage me, I just told myself I have to run this fast to pr. I started moving up when there was only 800 meters to go and just went for it. I wanted to break 10:50 going in and ended up running a 10:44 because of how fast of a race it was. I was really excited about my time and thought it was the perfect end to my season.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m.
I thought I got an okay start. It's kinda hard to not get elbowed in the beginning when there is 31 girls in your race. I was in the back for the most part of the first 1600 then on the 5th and 6th lap I passed 3 girls. The last two laps I improved my position to 13th. I am not quite sure how many girls I passed, but this year there was so many fast girls in the race it was hard to dictate where I should be.

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
Before every race, I try not to think too much and just go out and run. My goal was to make it to the state meet and I did. The hardest part of the race was deciding when I should move up but overall I wanted to have fun and pr.

5) During what part of the season did you feel like you had a great shot to make the state meet?
When I ran my pr in the 1600 at Sacramento Meet of Champions (she ran 5:03.42), I realized my times were getting substantially better to put me in position to make the state meet if I stayed healthy and trained hard.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
No, I am going to focus on training for cross country at Sacramento State and the difficulty that comes with running at the next level.

Thank you very much Rachel!

CA State Meet 3200m. reflection with Philip MacQuitty…

Today we hear from Palo Alto runner Philip MacQuitty who just recently finished 18th, at the CA state meet in the 3200m., with a lifetime best time of 9:07.23. Philip had a few break out efforts this past season, including an impressive 1:55.99 in a duel meet 800m. He really started to roll late in the season starting at the CCS semis (as he mentioned below) and continued that momentum by recording a PR to qualify for the state meet, finishing 3rd in a ultra competitive CCS meet.

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the CCS final on Friday to the 3200m. final yesterday?

I ran on average 4 miles a day after CCS. I had one work out on Tuesday and some 200s on Thursday after an easy run.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Where there runners you were focusing on or where you focused on running certain splits?
Going into the race I didn't want to look at the clock. I wanted to run with the pack for the whole race.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m. I felt really good during the first mile and was in the front half of the field for the first 5 laps. As I got ito the second mile, I started falling off a little. Lap 6 and 7 were the laps that made me fall of the pack and the pace i wanted to go (both 71 seconds). I was luckily able to regain some lost time on the last lap (63).

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
The laps 6 and 7 were the toughest for me.

5) What race during the season do you think gave you the confidence to run so well at the end of the season?
CCS semis. I felt really good running 9:11.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
I am going to Golden West, I will be running the mile there. I might do an all comers meet just to run a fast 800 and try to break my pr.

Thank you. I wanted to add that CCS ran very well especially Garrett and Mitch. They both ran an extremely smart race.

Thank you very much Philip.

CA State Meet 3200m. race reflection with Colleen Lillig...

Today we hear from California distance runner, Colleen Lillig. Before her state meet effort this past Saturday in the 3200m., she was recently crowned as the NCS champion in the same event as she rolled to a 10:43.95 victory. At the state meet, Colleen finished in 12th place in 10:43.54, trailing only Jacque Taylor in the race for the top honors for Northern California runners.

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the NCS final on Saturday to the 3200m. final yesterday?

I just ran easy the day after to loosen up. I took Monday off because I had been suffering from a really nasty cold and needed to lay low. I came back teusday and did a few 800s at pace. The rest of the week was just easy runs and strides.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Where there runners you were focusing on or where you focused on running certain splits?
This was my first race at state for track, my coach told me to just go out and run and go for a medal and a PR. We're hoping to use this as experience for a more tactical race next season.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m.
I went out at about 5:17 which is around what I wanted to come through at. I felt good, but on the sixth lap something happened, my legs just gave out and I died for a moment, the whole pack passed me. I got a second wind later, but it wasn't enough to move back into medaling position.

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
The toughest part of the race was watching that whole pack pass me so quickly on that sixth lap. I have the confidence I can run with those girls so I'm pretty mad I couldn't get myself to stay with them when I shut down for a moment.

5) What do you feel like you learned at this state meet that will help you next year?
I've learned to be more patient. I took the risk of leading that big pack through the first mile. I don't regret doing so, but if i had been more patient and sat a little longer I think the second mile would have gone a lot better for me.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
Nothing serious, just some fun local runs. I'm mostly focusing on training for cross country.

CA State Meet 3200m. race reflection with Matt Petersen...

As promised, I will post a couple of short interviews with runners from this past CA state track and field meet. I will start with a few of the competitors in the epic boys' 3200m. The first will be Matt Petersen of Davis HS who ran a lifetime best time of 9:01.45 to finish in 11th place.

1) What did you do training wise (day by day) following the SJS final on Friday to the 3200m. final yesterday?
Bill has always been able to peak us perfectly for our big races. We understood that "the hey was in the barn" and all the real work was done. So this week we scaled it back to make sure we were fresh. Saturday and Sunday did not consist of the usual long run but instead just two easy shake out days of 7 miles on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. On Monday Trev and I did a threshold work out within the run. It was 40 min run with 15 mins of threshold pace. Tuesday was a recovery day (30 min) and Wednesday was our last Vo2 max day. At this point in the season we were running at 94 % of goal pace. So we did one mile on the track at 4:34. Thursday and Friday were both easy recoveries. We usually work out on Thursdays but the week before Masters we changed it to Wednesday because Bill could see we were a bit beat up. I felt super fresh for the masters race so we decided to workout on Wednesday again this week.

2) What was your race plan going into the 3200m. final? Where there runners you were focusing on or were you focused on running certain splits?
So we've tried to play the split game the whole year, trying to negative split and going out in a controlled first mile. That for some reason or another just wasn't getting the times down. So going into the state meet, I knew there was going to be a big pack behind Olsen, the plan was to be in this pack and in the mix and not off the back. I payed very little attention to any of the splits, in fact I didn't see a single one. My main focus was to compete, kind of to turn it into more of a cross country race mentality. I knew if I could compete well, the time would come. I thought that 9:03 or 9:04 would get on the podium, but this race was just too deep. I wish that that time could have gotten a podium spot, and it would have almost any other year, but I thrilled about the fact that I was able to drop 15 seconds, especially in my last race for the Blue Devils.

3) Tell us a little how your race progressed from the beginning and how it unfolded as it got into the second 1600m.
So like I said I tried to be in the mix. I got off to a great start and was comfortable from the beginning. I had a good spot, I wasn't boxed and I wasn't running in lane three either. I constantly stayed in about 9th place or so for the whole first mile. I saw no splits so I was constantly checking the position of the other competitors and maintaining contact. I was feeling like my body could respond to anything I asked it to, so I made a slight little move on 6 to get up a few spots, this was when people really started going though. I pressed on 7 and 8, knowing it was the last shot I had in high school running. I found my 2nd gear coming around the turn, but it just so happened that everyone else had theirs too. I still didn't know what time I ran until a few seconds after I found my teammate Trevor.

4) What was the toughest part of the race?
Well once the gun went off, I was fine. My body responded to almost anything I asked it to. Definitely the hardest part for me was before the race. I was just trying to keep my nerves down. Physically, I really started hurting the back stretch of 8, but that's when you're supposed to really feel it.

5) Was there a point this past season when you thought you had a shot of running as fast as you ran yesterday in the 3200?
My goal the whole year has been to break 9. Until last week though, I thought I might be falling short. Last week at masters I felt really smooth and relaxed and ran my second fastest time to date (at the time). After that I knew I was in 9:05 shape but the 9:01 still came as a bit of a surprise when I saw it on the board.

6) Any races coming up for you this summer?
I'm not sure, maybe a few road races with the guys, but I'll have to see what the training is like.

If you have any questions for any of the competitors, please let me know at albertjcaruana@gmail.com or ask them directly in the comment box below.

The incredible '09 boys' 3200m. race

As I waited for the results to show up on my screen, there was one event that I was really looking forward to and that was the boys' 3200m. Besides the fact that the 3200m. was my best race in high school, this race stood out for me this year in the way so many of the top distance runners chose to solely focus on this distance. While some people use the 3200m. races as the time to get a bathroom break or something to eat before the 1600m. relays, I enjoy watching the 3200m. like Nascar fans enjoy watching cars making constant left turns on a race track.

When the 3200m. results finally showed up, it was like WHAT!?!? PRs galore down the list.

 1 Chris Schwartz               Foothill/ce            8:51.60   10      
2 Collin Jarvis             12 Rnch Buna/sd           8:53.78    8      
3 Heyden Wooff              10 Camarillo/ss           8:55.16    6      
4 Garrett Rowe              11 MountainV/cc           8:55.71    4      
5 Matt McElroy              11 Edison(HB)ss           8:56.44    2      
6 Dan Mitchell              12 Del Campo/sj           8:56.56    1      
7 Erik Olson                11 Novato/nc              8:56.56           
8 Isaac Chavez              12 Barstow/ss             8:57.40           
9 Sam Pons                  10 S Pasadena             9:01.05           
10 Sterling Lockert          12 Petaluma/nc            9:01.32           
11 Matt Petersen             12 Davis /sj              9:01.45           
12 Ammar Moussa              10 Arcadia/ss             9:03.26           
13 Wyatt Landrum             12 Liberty/nc             9:04.06           
14 Adrian Rafiee             12 Ptrck Hnr/sd           9:04.83           
15 Mitch Moriarty            11 Aptos/cc               9:05.78           
16 Western Nelson            12 Burr Bur/ss            9:06.68           
17 Reesey Byers              11 Santa Rsa/nc           9:06.93           
18 Philip Macquitty          11 Palo Alto/cc           9:07.23           
19 Daniel Rosales            11 Apple Vl/ss            9:07.34           
20 Jonathan Sanchez          12 Buchanan/ce            9:12.91           
21 Zack Torres               12 Cres. Vly/ss           9:15.18           
22 Heath Reedy                  Buchanan/ce            9:19.29           
23 Cody Schmidt              12 Redondo /ss            9:19.30           
24 Chris Brewer              10 Rnch Buna/sd           9:20.44           
25 Zack Kaylor               11 Enterpris/no           9:21.17           
26 Trevor Halsted            10 Davis /sj              9:22.86           
27 Mewael Ogbai              12 Oakland/ok             9:23.98           
28 Lance Wolfsmith           12 Sobrato                9:24.47           
29 Noe Ramirez               12 Vis. Murrieta          9:30.58           
30 Javert Solorzano          11 Granada H/La           9:31.22           
31 Pablo Rosales             11 San Pedro/la           9:37.42           
32 Jorge` Mendez             11 Monroe/la              9:48.66

If you want to see this race, here is the video from flotrack.org.


Here is the race covered by dyestatcal:


Looking back at state meet history, there appears to be one race that is comparable to
yesterday's race but is still not as deep.  That would be the 1981 version.  Here are the times
that I could find for that race courtesy of "The California State High School Track and Field
Meet 1915-2006" by Tom Casacky and Bill Peck.

1.  Jon Butler Edison 8:46.78
2.  Jay Marden Mission San Jose 8:51.64
3.  Jesse Torres Independence 8:52.11
4.  Mike Carlton Northview 8:52.80
5.  Harold Kuphaldt Bella Vista 8:54.78
6.  Mike McCollum Palo Alto 8:56.11
7.  Dave Shea Castro Valley 8:58.49
8.  Aubrey Wilson Berkeley 9:00.42
9.  Eric Reynolds Camarillo 9:00.71
10.  Tyrus Deminter Jefferson 9:01.08
16.  Brian Abshire DeAnza 9:08.6

For a historical perspective, the 3200m. race was first held in 1965 at the CA state meet
and at the time, the distance was 2 miles.

I will see if I can get the perspective of the some of the runners from the above race.

In the meantime, here are a few articles that mention the 3200m. (and other events as well).
Prep state track finals: Novato's Olson tires, finishes seventh in 3,200 meters (marin IJ)

Gradiska second in state meet 200, fourth in 100 (Palo Alto online)

Wheeler's leap leads off strong Bay Area showing (SF Chronicle)

Casa's Taylor comes up short in bid for state title (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Taylor boxed in, finishes fourth in 1,600-meters; Lockert, Stone set Empire records

Any thoughts on the race?  Most surprising finish?