Ellipticarty

Because of the Freshmen El Camino retreat, we were on an odd practice schedule this weekend. We went Friday at 1:30. It was awesome. We had the whole place to ourselves. Not a ball in sight. The guys headed out for a nice early afternoon Spoede and finished up with some strides.


Saturday
This day is dedicated to those of us who are a little dinked up.

Three guys on the team spent all or at least the majority of their time in the weight room on the elliptical or bike. It was Seiler, O’Connor, and Abernathy. Usually the having to be on the elliptical is no fun, but today was different. We had an Ellipticarty. It was awesome. I ellipticized for 65 minutes. Jacob spilt his hour between the elliptical and bike and Matt did the same for his 40 minutes. We had the place pretty much to ourselves. This meant there was nothing to watch, but we could set the radio (Y98 then JoyFM) and talk without the slamming of weights. We had fun while going absolutely no where. Hussman who also falls into this category came in to hang out with us for a bit.

Matt and Jacob were just using this day a chance to give their bodies a break for the pounding of running. Both have had a little something bothering them, but it’s of no concern.

On the other hand, my situation is a little different. If you haven’t caught on, I have yet to participate in the running part of practice this year. I have been ellipticizing all week and haven’t actually ran for a couple weeks now. This started when I felt some minor pain in my leg. Coach and I decided to play it very cautious because it matters that I can run later in the season. We didn’t want it to get worse before it got better. I had it checked out with the doctor on Thursday and found out I have tibialis posterior tendinopathy It’s tendinitis which was good news. I will be back next Monday after some therapy sessions to strengthen that tendon this week. By that time, I will also have some rocking custom orthotics to help my flat feet and over pronation which are part of the reason I got tendinitis.

I’ve missed running. But I missed being with you guys even more. I can’t wait to get back out there. I’m feeling strong and ready to go.

Quote of the Day: “I don’t know why I thought I could balance both of the weights there.”- Jacob commenting on when he dropped the ten pound dumbbells off the stationary bike. Before that he was getting in a quality double workout—riding the bike and curling!

Best Dressed: Justin Potter. Sometimes looking good means knowing what to wear when. That’s exactly what Justin did. He was well aware of what was going on at DeSmet this weekend and dressed for the occasion. He wore his green (the unofficial color of 2010 DeSmet) El Camino shirt from last year.

Sprinter like Me

Finally track season is here. After three months of training, it is time to get back to practice every day.

This year however, I won't be practicing with the distance team on a daily basis. After the over whelming questioning feedback on Facebook Monday night by recent alums, I'll break it down. The coaches think it will be best for me to train with the sprinters. In years past, we have had one guy who had primarily trained with the distance team make the switch to all sprints during their Senior track season to primarily run the 400. But those guys' main event was not the 800, so I still have so distance blood in me, and will be doing longer workouts than they did.

On Monday when the team was split into groups, and I stayed, I got a lot of surprised looks and questions from the sprinters. I thought it was funny. Tim Pickel asked if I was a sprinter or a hybrid. I'm a hybrid for sure.

It turns out sprinters run fake ins and outs. I got laughed at and congratulated for "winning the warm up" after I ran the entire straight away. I'v been doing ins and outs for a lot of years, and I have never stopped half way like all of them did, and I defiantly don't plan on starting now.

There are a couple other differences. One is I have gotten way more breaks this week then I have before. The other guys were laying on the ground ready to die when we did a ladder today, and I was ready to roll. Also the easy days. In the past I would do a 5 time run and be ready for the workout the next day. This week the sprinters did hurdle mobility drills and then watched youtube videos of the drills we do every day. I think the mobility drills were useful since I'm not very flexible.

I plan on starting to use my old friend the elliptical in the mornings next week. Michael Callahan jokingly asked Thursday if I feel like I can just show up anytime I want to after I walked over while the distance guys were doing core. Yep I do. I'll be around at practice and at Dynasty Club (first Milktable Dynasty Club mention?).

I wish I could still be a "distance guy" but this is what will keep me in one piece for the next 3 months. And in the end I want to do what will keep me healthy and hopefully allow me to go back to State. I feel great after 5 practices and am very, very excited about the team we have this season.

Round Two

The Spartans headed out for day two of the track season to a beautiful pre-Spring day. After getting better acquainted with the new stretching routine the distance team found some relief in the return of skip drills!

All warmed up the group headed out for another fun run in the sun while the rookies stayed back at the stadium to participate in the talent seeking pentathlon offering those new to track a chance to find their true niche.

Upon arriving to the ever loved Malcolm Terrace park it was deemed too muddy for us so after a single exploratory loop we headed back out onto the roads (safely of course) to round out with a Graeser loop.

Back at D World the team took care of some Core action reunited with the wounded before cheering on the freshman, team wide, mile time trial showcasing the future of the sport.

Quote of the day: "I like that group there." - Mr. Vitello gesturing towards Senior Varsity soccer studs and rookie track stars Michael Schwendeman and Andrew Struttmann

Joke of the day: “I was hoping coach would let do the pentathlon again. I got placed in the wrong event last year”- Michael Callahan

-Padre

Let’s Go!

Today’s the day: the start of track.

As always we started off the season with a full team meeting in the cafeteria. Coach Russo stressed the importance of being a team and working hard together. He reiterated that this is the most talented team he’s had in 10 years of coaching. But talent is just the start. So, Let’s Go!

To the shock of the distance squad we started with a two lap warm-up. Hopefully later in the week we will bump it back up to 4 laps like last year. We were on a new stretching routine that might take some time to get used. It had an awful lot of lunges and not enough skipping and we all know how great skipping is.

When the distance team broke away Coach Traughber talked about how we were starting a process of improvement. He also mentioned that everyone has to take some more responsibility this year since he is the only distance coach.

The top group lead by seniors Goetz, Scherping, and Seiler, all beginning their final season as a Spartans, had a Spoede. They picked up as if there wasn’t an offseason. Jacob won a close battle of GTTG (Guess the Temperature Game). They also had a little run in with some Chaminade runners. I was on the track with Little OC for a couple miles. Like any distance runners, we spent the first day of track talking about cross country—last year and the upcoming season.

There was a great atmosphere today. Everyone seemed pumped and really excited for the season. It was so great to have everyone together again. A nice, fun day that should be the slightest glimpse of what’s to come.

A shout out to Coach Traughber who ran a marathon in Ohio yesterday. He ran a PR of 3:16:15. Way to go T-bone!
On the Milk Table side of things, Welcome back! We're so glad to be blogging again after a long offseason. Be sure to scroll down and check out what was posted over the winter. Cross country was awesome and we hope to keep it going through the track season. Thanks again to everyone for all of your support!
Remember: Run Read Comment Repeat.

Quote of the Day: “We’re too good to screw this up.”- Coach Russo during the team meeting.

Joke of the Day: “Our gym is bigger than their whole school.”- Martini talking about L’École Culinaire. That came up because we were talking about weird schools to run college cross country at. This one of a few really good ones from Nick; he brought his A game for opening day.

Best Dressed: The first title of best dressed this season falls to a seasoned veteran of the award Mr. Kevin "Freaking" Abernathy sporting the bright green Big River Running Company Winter Distance Camp shirt with complementary new running shoes. It could also be noted that his blue leg sleeve matched his shorts blue stripe. Excellent all-around coordination. Stay Classy Kabes.

Celebrating Success

With the track season nearly upon us, there was a last recognition of the past cross country season. Saturday marked the Annual St. Louis Track Club Banquet. For the 18th year, the Track Club honored the All-Metro High School Cross Country Teams. I attended the banquet with my parents and Coach Traughber.

Banquet consisted of a good dinner followed by awards and a guest speaker. SLTC gave out its Volunteer of the Year (Jackie Corn) and Lifetime Achievement Awards (Jerry Kokesh). Jerry was part of the beginning of the St. Louis Track Club and then spent six years as the President of the Road Runners Club of America. He now balances his running with biathlons (yes, the sport that combines cross country skiing and rifle shooting) and is a manager of the US Biathlon Association. Jerry could not make the banquet because he was in some European country. He seems like a cool guy that really loves running.

Next Ben from Big River talked about each of the high school runners that made the All-Metro team as we came up to receive our awards. In a typical fashion, I was first; this time not for my last name but because I was the only Honorable Mention boy. Also there, were rivals Cushing, Mazar, Lambert, and Holmes. My SLUH counterpart, Tim Rackers, was not there to receive his top runner award because he was skiing. The rest of the boys All-Metro team was up of guys from Class 3 and Illinois.

The girls’ side was headlined by FSU bound Nerix Hall standout, Colleen Quigley. Also on the Girls First Team was friend of the Milk Table, Krista Menghini. For those of you who don’t remember, Krista is the cross country/ volleyball star from St. Joseph’s Academy. It was her second time on the All-Metro team, but the first time she was able to attend the banquet in full. She is headed to SIU to play volleyball and hopefully run track. Elise Vioxx, Cor Jesu’s top runner and a friend from Big River’s Winter Distance Camp, made the 2nd team despite getting injured during the season.Krista & Kabes
Rae Morhmann was the guest speaker. She’s ran a marathon in all 50 states. That’s probably the only thing that can top collecting all 50 state quarters while selling chocolate milk. Her story and speech were great. The part I remember the best is that when she was going through a hard time see started to run. She said, “It was empowering!” That’s what running does.

I had chance to talk with different people when the night ended. The runners mentioned above as well as Ben and Coach Porter from SLUH. The whole night was a really cool event and a lot. A nice opportunity to hang out with other top runners and get honored for our hard work.

Here comes Track!

Bitter Sweet

To the DeSmet Cross Country/Track boys:

As most of you know by now, I will unfortunately be leaving the DeSmet family to embark on a journey to Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye country--my apologies to Madey) where I will be pursuing a career with Nike Running. As you can imagine, the experience has been bittersweet and emotions have been mixed. I am excited for the new adventure but sad to leave so many good things behind. DeSmet Cross Country and Track certainly falls into that category. It has been you boys that have made my time here so memorable. Coaching you has been a humbling experience and a reminder to always stay young and goofy. As I have said so many times, I have been very lucky to re-live my high school experience through all of the team road trips and day-to-day shenanigans that went on throughout the season.

But have no fear. Remember, I did not move to Tibet. I am only six to seven hours away and will return to watch all you studs run when I can. And of course to answer all of the questions Scherping has compiled for me. I could even teach many of you how to effectively master Super Smash Brothers.

To the seniors: what a group of dudes. You were the rock of the Cross Country's amazing run this year. The backbone, the engine--all those cliches. The blend of personalities in this class always kept me laughing. I hope to keep in touch with as many of you as you move on to college.

And the juniors: though your numbers are smaller than the other classes, the opportunity for success is there for the taking. You will be the top dogs and the leaders in a few short months. Take ownership of the DeSmet jersey and the tradition of this program. Take pride in success, work hard, and enjoy the ride.

The Super Sophs: Unlike the juniors, you have the numbers. You also have enthusiasm and a well-established sense of brotherhood within your class. Use this to your advantage. You are a great handful of guys, many of which I have gotten to know well.

And the freshman: I did not get a chance to know many of you very well and I'm not sure how many of you read the Milk Table, but I will keep an eye on all of you.

Keep in touch fellas, and shoot me some e-mails (rjgarwitz@gmail.com) or Facebook messages to let me know how you are doing.

All the best,

Coach G

The Milk Father

The Milk Man is now a father. Coach Leeman, who moved away to Pittsburgh over the summer, and his wife Kim welcomed their first child to the world on Wednesday: Samantha Jane Leeman. Mom and baby are doing great. Congratulations! We are so excited for the Leeman Family.

This is the third new member of the DeSmet XC family in the past five months. Samantha Leeman joins Hannah Traughber and Amelia Williams. The Dynamic Duo is now a Terrific Trio. They will go by their unofficial nickname, the HASty Three.