This Day in Running... March 3rd

2002- Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia set a world indoor record in the 800m with a time of 1:55.82.  Jolanda is a Slovenian athlete who has never had great success on a big stage.  Her best finish at a major meeting is 3rd at the Athens Games in 2004.  In 2007 she tested positive for EPO and was banned for two years.

After Bronze in Athens

2001- Maurice Greene, who set his record March 2nd, 1998, tied his World Indoor Record for 60m.

Recap of Last Chance Weekend

Mary Wirth jumped 5'8" in another consistent performance. Mary finished 4th in this meet. It is not a qualifying jump but will lead well into the outdoor season.

Jared Vlastuin jumped 24'2" in the Long Jump.  Another consistent performace

Go Jacks Article- There is less there than here as usual.

Mike Krsnak ran 8:16 to take 8th in a deep 3000m field at Notre Dame.  Mike may have had tired legs after last weekend's Summit League Championships where he raced 4 times.

Jake Schneller won his heat at Notre Dame and set a new PR and School record of 1:49.82!  Congrats Jake.  That time would be a regional qualifier for outdoors.  Schneller sat in the pack through 400 in 53.8 then moved soon after.  He took the lead with around 200 to go and ran strong through the finish.  Jake is ranked just outside the top-50 nationally.

Jake after his previous indoor school record, courtesy of his father

Live Results for Jacks This Weekend

Arkansas Live Results

Mary competed well and jumped a consistent 5-8 in the High Jump.  Jared jumps soon.

Notre Dame Live Results

Mike runs at 11:45 Eastern Time tomorrow in the 3000 and Jake runs at 1:05 Eastern Time.

Live Video for ND

Training Report

I keep track of my monthly mileage and like to compare it from year to year to see how I am doing compared to past years.  This year in January I hit 385 miles.  Last year had been my best at 362.  Similarly, in February, I hit 346 which bettered last year by 54 miles.  My March best is two years ago when I ran 420 miles!  That's an average of about 95 per week.  This week will certainly be lower than 95 but in the next few weeks I hope to increase the volume to just over 100 per week.  I find that I am racing best when I run between 90 and 105 miles.  I think it has something to do with my metabolism.  If I run less, I become sluggish and may gain a pound or two.  When running high mileage I find it impossible to gain weight.  Others, with faster metabolism, may find that running much less mileage is the best training fit for them.  Another factor to consider is intensity.  I find that running a fairly easy pace for a majority of my runs works best.  I can handle high volume very well but when I run too fast on a daily basis I increase my likelihood of injury and mental and physical burnout because I don't allow myself to recover.  I've said it before and I'll say it again... Running requires experimentation.  Every runner is different and every runner reacts differently to different stimuli.  Keep running, having fun and trying new things.  Not only will it help you learn about yourself as a runner, it will keep running fresh and exciting!

This Day In Running... March 2rd

1998- Maurice Greene of the United States runs a world record 6.39 seconds in the 60m dash in Madrid, Spain.  Maurice went on to tie this record March 3rd, 2001.  Maurice was also a world record holder at 100m with a time of 9.79 seconds.  He has won 4 Olympic Medals and won 5 world championships.

Greene after winning Gold in Sydney

Brandon Priebe Honored Again

 Here is what the Summit League had to say about Brandon:

Brandon Priebe, Track & FieldEligibility Year/Hometown: Sr./Chamberlain S.D.
Major: Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy
GPA: 3.46

Brandon Priebe has battled back from injuries to become one of the top hurdlers in The Summit League. At the 2011 Summit League Outdoor Championships, Priebe placed third in the 400-meter hurdles (54.45) and also qualified for the finals in the 110-meter hurdles. Last month at the 2012 Summit League Indoor Championships, Priebe finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.38) and ran the second leg for the Jackrabbits' runner-up 4x400-meter relay team. Priebe has been honored on The Summit League All-Academic Team and the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence and has taken on a leadership position in South Dakota State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Here is what I have to say:

To say that Brandon Priebe battled back from injuries is an understatement.   It took him a full year, first of rest and recovery and then of a gradual building of his atrophied leg then re-learning how to run and finally hurdling.  Doctors were uncertain whether he would be able to run again and told him that he would not be able to hurdle again.  Exactly one year after his injury, Priebe was back on the track.  He ran the 400 meters.  For the average bystander, it was insignificant, even slow but for his teammates and friends it was as good a school record.  Shortly after returning to running, Brandon returned to hurdling with the 400 meter hurdles.  Again, it wasn't a spectacular time but the fact that he had defied the odds in such short time was a miracle.  Many would have given up the sport but Brandon stuck with it and it paid off.

Off the track, Brandon is very active in SAAC events and is probably the best leader on the SDSU track team.  He will be missed next season. 

Summit League Scholar Article

The Future of Summit League Track and Field

I did a lot of thinking both during and after last weekend's Summit League Indoor Conference Track meet.  A lot of the thinking dealt with the loss of Southern Utah to the Big Sky Conference and Oral Roberts to the Southland Conference.  Southern Utah has long been a deep distance running based team with other stellar athletes spread through the other events.  The same pattern has developed at Oral Roberts except their base is in the long sprints, especially the 400 meters.  The result of losing these teams is going to have a negative effect on the Summit League.  The addition of USD this year is a positive one and IUPUI is adding track and field starting this outdoor season but these schools simply are not as good as SUU or ORU.  Nebraska-Omaha is also joining the Summit League- without men's track.  It is hard to visit IPFW's new facility without wondering if they plan to add a men's team soon.  However, I would hold IPFW's school records in the 800, 1500, Mile, 3000, 5000, 10,000 and 3000 Steeplechase without approaching SDSU's Top-10 lists in any of those events.  It is safe to say that IPFW won't be a major factor in the near-future of Summit League Track.

Here are the team scores from the past weekend if you take out SUU and ORU.
Women
1. NDSU 226
2. USD 146
3. SDSU 94
4. UMKC 92
5. WIU 70
6. OU 16
7. IPFW 9

Men
1. NDSU 169
2. USD 148
3. SDSU 134
4. UMKC 120
5. WIU 58
6. OU 21

On both sides it is a Dakota battle with UMKC on the outside, looking it.  Nebraska-Omaha's women will probably be about as good as Western Illinois.  They have some great athletes that will score some points but lack depth.  IUPUI will add more distance runners to the mix but will have little to no effect on the team scoring.  I think the Summit League should look for another school to join and hopefully that school is good at track.  The Summit League track landscape is going to be much different in some events- the men's 400 or 5000 for example.  Those events lose 5 and 6 scorers respectively just to teams leaving the conference.

Jacks Seeking National Qualifiers

Mike Krsnak and Jake Schneller will be racing this Saturday at Notre Dame seeking fast times in order to break school records and possibly qualify for the NCAA Track meet which is just a few weeks away.  Jake Schneller currently sits in the 101st spot in the NCAA Division 1 800.  His time of 1:51.14 is less than 4 seconds away from the automatic qualifier for NCAAs.  Only 4 athletes have qualified so far and I expect the line to be drawn at about 1:48.0.  Other than qualifying for NCAAs, Jake is looking to better his own school record set earlier in the year.  Coach Rod DeHaven's record had stood for 26 years but I don't expect Schneller's record to last long unless he sets the bar even higher.  The level of competition at SDSU has risen since entering the DI era.

Mike Krsnak sits in nearly the same spot as Schneller in the national rankings at 95th.  Krsnak is second all time and will also be seeking the school record held by Brad Lowery of 8:05.04.  The NCAA automatic qualifies is 7:52.30 and it will certainly take that time to get in as 15 men already have it.  Cam Levins of Southern Utah has qualified for the Mile, 3000 and 5000.

Jumpers Jared Vlastuin and Mary Wirth will also be traveling, this time to Arkansas.  They too seek the NCAA qualifying marks.

Jared is the school record holder in the Long Jump, High Jump, and is ranked 4th all time after last weekend's triple jump performance.  Vlastuin seeks qualifiers in the High Jump and Long Jump.  He is tied for 32nd in the national rankings in the High Jump with his 7'1" performance at conference.  The automatic qualifier is 7'4.25".  Vlastuin is ranked 34th in the Long Jump with his school record of 24'9".  The auto qualifier is 8.00m or about 26'3".  Jared would have to jump about 25'5" to make it to nationals.  The Arkansas runway is said to be among the fastest in the nation and many of the top jumps this year are from that facility including the #2 jump by Texan Marquis Goodwin.  Clive Chafausipo of Oral Roberts is ranked 7th nationally in this event.

Vlastuin Over 7'1" at Summit Leagues- Photo By: Rod Schneller

Mary Wirth is ranked 34th nationally in the High Jump with her school record performance of 5'9.75".  The Auto qualifier is over 6' and Mary would need to clear that height to secure a place at nationals.  Mary finished 13th at last spring's NCAA West Region when a top-12 placing was needed to secure a bid.

Best of luck to all Jackrabbits in their bids to set school records and possibly qualify for NCAA Nationals.

This Day in Track History

1991- Noureddine Morceli of Algeria sets a new World Indoor Record in the 1500m of 3:34.16.  Morceli's record stood for 6 years until current world record holder, Hicham El Guerrouj ran 3:31.  Morceli won 4 world championships at 1500 meters and won the Olympic title at the distance in 1996.  He was the dominant force in the 1500 distance from the early 90s until the rise of El G, the current world record holder.  He was coached by his brother who was an Olympian in 1980 and 1984.

Morceli winning Worlds with a smile

This Day In Running- February 27th

This day in running is back after a short hiatus. Not much happened the past few days apparently!

2011- Kirani James of Alabama runs the second fastest indoor 400m by a collegian ever and the fourth fastest ever in the world. The Grenada national went on to win the World Championships in this event and decide to become pro.  James is only 19 years old and has already achieved this much.  Michael Johnson's World Record of 43.18 might be in danger if James keeps improving.

James at World Championships

SD Athletes Compete Well in Brooks PR Invitational

Tony Smoragiewicz of Rapid City Central finishes 5th at the Brooks PR Invitational 2-Mile run with a time of 9:04.  Bismarck Junior, Jake Leingang, ran 8:59.66 to finish 2nd. The state 3200m record is 8:56 by Erik Grumstrup of Rapid City Stevens so Tony will have a very good chance at setting that record in the spring.  Also competing was Alex Waddell of Sioux Falls Washington who finished 12th in the 800 with a time of 1:58.  Alex is the premier middle distance runner in the state with first place finish in the 400m and a runner up at 800m in last years state meet.

Smoragiewicz left and Leingang right

Results Here

South Dakota Runner

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South Dakota Runner Homepage

South Dakota Runner's Journals

I would like to give a shout-out to Jarvis Jelen and South Dakota Runner.  South Dakota Runner is a website dedicated only to SD Running.  Some of the features are; Runner's Journals, Bios, Teams, Native Lists, Race Calenders, and more.  The website is definitely a great resource and wealth of knowledge for SD Runners of all ages.  Recently, I contacted Jarvis about getting an SDSU Runner's Journal up on the site and he was ecstatic.  Look for my weekly updates on South Dakota Runner.  If anybody else is interested in getting their journal on the site, contact Jarvis.