TIME TO HEAD INSIDE It's that time of year. No, not tax return time. It's time to head indoors for track and field competition. This weekend the country's track stars will be in Boston for the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the second event of the 2008 Indoor Visa Championship Series. The meet was held last night (Saturday) at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. ESPN2 will have two hours of coverage beginning at 3:00 this afternoon. Next week, closer to home, the Millrose Games is taking place on Friday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Some Morris County and other New Jersey high school athletes will be competing along with the elite stars. Well, not quite along with the stars, most of the high school events are run early, and truth be told, they may be more exciting than the elites. But don't tell ESPN2 that I said it. ESPN2 will cover the elite races with coverage Friday evening from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. They obviously will miss several events but not to fear. NBC will show some of the earlier events the next day between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm and will pick up events that will not have been completed by the time the ESPN2 program goes off the air on Friday. |
With those two meets whetting your road runner whistle, it is time to think of doing a little oval running yourself. After two years at the Jersey City Armory the USATF-NJ Open and Masters meet is being held at John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Sunday, February 24th beginning at noon.
Most road runners avoid racing at track and long time readers know that each year I urge them to be brave and give it a try. Indoor tracks measure 200 meters around as opposed to the quarter mile, or 400 meter outdoor tracks. Outdoors, one circuit can seem interminable, but indoors, you have the sensation of traveling faster and of course you are completing one circuit in half the time.
Road racers can feel comfortable entering the mile which is eight laps, or 1500 meter that is half a lap shorter, or the 3,000 meters, which is 15 laps of the track. The racers are split by age division and gender when possible, and generally each heat is fairly small with no more than 16 runners in the mile or 1500 meters, and no more than 18 in the 3,000 meters.
Checking out the results from the 2007 meet I spotted some familiar road racers at the meet including Charlie Castiglioni of Lake Hopatcong who ran in the 400 and 800 meter races, and Angelo Harasts of Pine Brook who did the 1500 and 3000 meter. Kirk Pierret of Morristown ran in the 1500 as did Tom Metz of Rockaway. So pencil in the 24th of February and get training for a real treat in racing.
RUNNING WITH A CLUB
In last week's column Rich Burke noted that he had never run for a team in his many years of racing until 2007 when he affiliated with the Sneaker Factory.
"I've been running in road races since my early twenties but I've never run for a team," Burke said. "It's fun. It's a dimension that I really like."
Camaraderie, emotional support, training, and social fun are just some of the reasons to join a running club. A common misconception is that one needs to be a fast runner to join a club, but speed or even a desire to race is not a requirement for any but the most elite of clubs and none of the local clubs have such a requirement.
In addition to the Sneaker Factory, three other clubs call Morris County home: Rose City, Amazing Feet and the largest club, the Morris County Striders. In the coming weeks we will take an in depth look at each of these clubs.
Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey on Sunday, January17, 2008
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2008
