NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

mgoblue.com

The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place Wednesday-Saturday at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Oregon Ducks men's track and field team won another championship at home. The Ducks won the meet with 88 points over the Florida Gators with 70 points. Coming in third was Texas A&M Aggies with 41.5, USC Trojans and LSU Tigers tied for fourth with 29 points.

The Texas A&M Aggies women's team won its eight national championship. The Aggies finished with 75 points over the runner-up Texas Longhorns with 66 points. Oregon Ducks were third (59), Florida Gators fourth (55) and Georgia Bulldogs fifth (35).

The Register-Guard/Chris Pietseh

Some of the athletes that I like had good races at the championships. Edward Cheserek of Oregon was the winner of the men's 10,000m in 28:30.18. Shadrack Kipchirchir from Oklahoma State was second in 28:32.31 and Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed placed third in 28:43.82. Michigan's Morsi Rayyan finished 18th in 30:17.87. Michigan Wolverines freshman Erin Finn finished her season with a sixth place in the 10,000m run with a time of 32:50.14. Finn was Michigan's first 10,000m First Team All-American since 1998. The 10,000m was won by Boise Stat's Emma Bates in 32:32.35.

Diamond Emerald/Andrew Seng

Laura Roesler of Oregon was able to pull away from the field and win the women's 800m in 2:01.22. Claudia Saunders of Stanford was second (2:02.92) and Ejiroghene Okoro of Iowa State was third (2:03.37). Another race with a runaway finish was Leah O'Connor from Michigan State winning the 3000m steeplechase in 9:36.43. Boise State's Marisa Howard was second in 9:43.82 and Baylor's Rachel Johnson third in 9:44.47.

Diamond Emerald/Michael Shaw

Diamond Emerald/Andrew Seng

In the men's 5000m, it was a tight battle between Lawi Lalang of Arizona and Edward Cheserek of Oregon. On the last lap, Cheserek pulled ahead of Lalang with 200 meters to go. In the final 100 meters, Lalang was able to pull beside Cheserek and pass him. Lalang won the race in 13:18.36 and Cheserek was second in 13:18.71.

Diamond Emerald/Ryan Kang

Mac Fleet of Oregon defated Lawi Lalang of Arizona in a close finish in the men's 1500m. Fleet won in 3:39.09 over Lalang who finished in 3:39.13. Sam Penzenstadler of Loyola was third in 3:39.77. The women's 1500m was won by Arizona State's Shelby Houlihan in 4:18.10. One of my favorite runners, Cory McGee from Florida came in second in 4:19.19. Michigan's Brook Handler placed sixth in 4:20.45.

The men's 3000m steeplechase was won by UTEP's Anthony Rotich in 8:32.21. Stanley Kebenei of Arkanasas was the runner-up in 8:35.27 and Ole Hesselbejerg of Eastern Kentucky was third in 8:38.75. Michigan's Mason Ferlic ended up fourth in 8:39.84.

Marielle Hall of Texas in 15:34.11 and Aisling Cuffe of Stanford in 15:37.74 beat Abbey D'Agostino from Dartmouth in the 5000m. D'Agostino was third in 15:43.54.

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
 
Currently Reading: Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews

Belmont Stakes

USA Today Sports/Anthony Gruppuso

The 146th Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York took place Saturday.

Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome was going for the Triple Crown win. History wasn't on California Chrome's side Saturday. Tonalist passed Commissioner in the last strides to win by a head.  Medal Count finished third and California Chrome and Wicked Strong tied for fourth. During the race, California Chrome suffered a gash to his right foot.

USA Today Sports/Robert Deutsch

The top two horses didn't race in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes. Only third place finisher Medal Count raced at Kentucky and California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn didn't like that. Coburn expressed his frustration to NBC Sports after the race saying that those horses that skipped both races took, "the coward's way out." Coburn went on to say, "It says Triple Crown. You nominate your hourse for the Triple Crown. That means three. Even ... the Triple Crown trophy has three points on it ... Those 20 hourses that start in the Kentucky Derby should be the only 20 allowed to run in the Preakness and the Belmont for the Triple Crown." I'm not a horse racing aficionado, but I agree with him. If your racing for the Triple Crown, your horse should have to run all three. To make it fair.

iRun for Kassie Wingerd 10K

I ran the iRun for Kassie Wingerd 10K Saturday.

It was a sunny morning and not too warm. The race was an out-and-back. It started on a high school track and ended up on country road that featured rolling hills and dirt. In the beginning, I was behind a handful of people. Before approaching the mile mark, I did pass a couple of girls running the 5K. I looked at my watch when crossing the mile mark. It read 7:49. At least I know I still have some speed. The rest of the course wasn't marked until 5 miles.

When I ran past the 5K turn around, I was in front of a male runner. He ended up passing me and running away. The best thing about this course is the turnaround. With the turnaround, you can see who is in front of you and who is behind you. Especially how close. I knew that three guys were in front of me and I didn't know how many or how close.

When I reached the turnaround, I grabbed a cup of water and got going. I saw that a male was behind me. Close, but not too close. As I was running, I passed the woman chasing me. I knew if I kept going the pace I was that she wouldn't catch me.

The last aid station was with 1.5 miles to go. The volunteer was holding the cup and I tried to grab it. When I did grab it, all of the water went all over and I didn't get anything to drink. I also looked at my watch, it read 44:xx. The school where the run was held at was hosting regional baseball and softball games. Running toward the finish at the track, I had to run by a driveway that had many vehicles turning in and out. A woman driving a Cadillac almost turned into me. I had a few choice words for her. I was surprised that no volunteers were standing there to help direct.

Making the right hand turn onto the track, we had 300 meters to run to the finish line. I was able to chase down a few women from the 5K and pass them. I finished the race in 55:33.15. I was women's winner and 4th overall. This is my second time running it and I do like the course. It is simple, but with a couple of rolling hills.

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos

Currently Reading: Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews

NCAA Track and Field Preliminaries

Kirby Lee

The NCAA Track and Field Preliminaries for the East and West took place over the weekend. The East Preliminary Round was held at University of North Florida and the West Preliminary was at University of Arkansas. The top 12 athletes from each preliminary advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 11-14 at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

PhotoRun/Victor Sailer

Several of my favorite runners are heading to nationals: Michigan freshman Erin Finn is the #1 seed in the women's 10,000m with a time of 33:13.46. Seeded fourth in the 5000m is Abbey D'Agostino from Dartmouth. Cory McGee from Florida is seeded seventh in the 1500m. Laura Roesler from Oregon is seeded second in the women's 800m.

Other Michigan women track athletes participating in nationals is Brook Handler in the 1500m, Alex Leptich in the 3000m steeplechase and Cindy Ofili in the 100m hurdles.

On the men's side, races I'm looking forward to are Lawi Lalang from Arizona in the 1500m. The battle between Kennedy Kithuka from Texas Tech, Lalang from Arizona and Oregon freshmen Edward Cheserek in the 5000m. Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed will also be in that race. Kithuka and Cheserek are slated to battle again as the top two seeds in the 10,000m. Also in the race is seventh seed Ahmed and Michigan's Morsi Rayyan. Michigan's Mason Ferlic is the top rated seed in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:38.74.

American Goldfinch (male) - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton

Currently Reading: All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos

DX-A2 Half Marathon

I ran the DX-A2 (Dexter-Ann Arbor) Half Marathon Sunday. The half starts in Dexter and finishes in Ann Arbor. To reach the starting line, all of the runners are bused out to the start line in Ann Arbor Public School buses.

The day was sunny and warm. I was glad there was a slight breeze. I thought I was doing pretty well on the first half of the course. My mile times were consistent through seven miles. It started going downhill during mile 8. This mile featured a gigantic hill. It was a pretty tough climb. While running up this hill, a runner was down on the side of the road. She had three to four people around her helping. Upon cresting the hill, my legs were dead. I shuffled for a bit, then they seemed to feel better.

Coming up to the next aid station, I was behind a few runners. I ran to the right side of the road to get a cup of water. The people in front of me, grabbed a glass and came to a complete stop. I had to stop because if I didn't, I would have run into the back of them. I couldn't believe that exact scenario happened at the next two aid stations.

I knew that two more hills were still ahead. Just before the start of mile 12, the course lead us up a big, winding hill. I ran up the entire hill. A bunch of people were walking up the hill. I really wanted to walk as well, but if I did, I knew how difficult it was going to be to start running again. That hill took everything out of my legs. There was no bouncing back this time, my legs were toast. I went as fast as I could because I just wanted to finish. The final hill is a nice long incline leading to the finish. I shuffled up that hill and got passed by everyone. Or at least that is what it felt like.

I finished the DX-A2 Half Marathon in 2:11:32. I'm disappointed in my time, but I'm thankful to have finished. On the back half of the course, so many runners were down on the road or grass. An ambulance passed me in route to the hospital with a runner and a Gator (four-wheeler) ambulance passed me with another runner on board. With the sun beating down on the road, it was really warm. Many areas of the course were in direct sunlight and sometimes the wind was blocked by trees. I hope that everyone that received aid today will be OK.

Any day I can finish a race, is a good day. So onward to the next race.