This is part of our August running camps blog series. Athletes at various running camps with New Jersey ties this summer will give us a view into their experiences and training. Some logs will be released day by day and others in longer form or even utilize video. They'll each be putting their own spin on the presentation. A big thank you to the athletes who have offered their time and effort.
The featured camp blog this week is by Abby Loveys of Randolph HS. She is a multi-event and multi-season state Group 4 champion and most recently the spring 1600m Meet of Champions winner. This distance star has a 1600m PR of 4:46.03, 3200m 10:39.57, and a Holmdel Park 5K best of 18:35.
Shore Running Experience Camp Blog
(July 30th-August 3rd)
By: Abby Loveys
The Shore Running Experience is definitely a week worth experiencing. Besides all of the training and activities we do, to me, it is a great week to bond with my teammates and also to meet people I compete with in many meets over the year.
Here are some of this year's highlights from the week:
Monday:
Shore Running Experience Sub-4 Mile Attempt Press Conference
- Campers got to sit in on a press conference held in a building at the Monmouth University Campus. Here, we were familiarized with who we would be watching race the next night, which included Rob Napolitano, Travis Mahoney, Ford Palmer, Colby Alexander, Ben Malone, and Chris Marco. All of the elite athletes ran in New Jersey growing up except for Colby Alexander. There was a lot of excitement heading into the race knowing that a lot of the elite runners were coming back to NJ to run sub-4 on their home soil. The press conference gave us the opportunity to ask the professionals questions about their training, how they mentally prep for big meets, and what they eat the day of a race. We also learned what each of their race strategies were going to be heading into the big race on Tuesday night.
Tuesday:
Run at the Manasquan Reservoir
- This was a great place for all of us to do a long run or easy distance run depending on who you were running with. It was a fairly flat path that looped around the reservoir and offered great scenery for about 5 miles. Afterwards, campers could ride the ElliptiGos supplied by the camp to get in more exercise as a supplement to running.
Elite Mile and Sub-4 Attempt at Shore Regional HS
- Being a miler myself, this had to have been the biggest highlight. Loud music played on the field and the energy drawn from the crowd was electric for all 4 minutes that the runners competed. The event attracted many local people of all ages and levels of running experience to come watch. It was so cool to be apart of the crowd and watch these inspiring former NJ high school runners.
Wednesday:
Yoga at the indoor track / shoes and college prep information session
- The camp broke up into two groups and each took time at both sessions. I found that doing yoga helped me loosen up sore muscles and familiarize myself with muscles that I should be stretching more. Coach DeFilippis of RBC, the director of the camp, put on an informative presentation on the proper shoes to wear for running depending on your foot type. Coach Joe, the head coach and director of track and field and cross country at Monmouth University, gave a good talk on how to decide the college you want to attend and important things to look for if you want to compete at the D1, D2, or D3 level.
Trip to Pier Village Beach - 5 minutes away from Monmouth Campus
Guest Speaker Dr. John O'Connor (Velocity Chiropractic & PT)
- Dr. O'Connor gave great tips on staying healthy and the steps taken when treating an injury. He also demonstrated sports treatment technologies on some athletes including shock wave therapy.
Thursday:
Workout at Holmdel Park
- The Hoka One One runners, Travis Mahoney and Rob Napolitano, ran alongside my group as we did a fartlek workout at Holmdel Park. The two pros talked us through the course by giving us pointers on how to relax at certain points. Valuable conversations and advice like this given by two of the best professionals to come out of NJ, I don't think can be found anywhere else. This made me recognize how personable and accessible the professionals and collegiate athletes are here because they work along side you.
Pizza dinner at Sandy Hook
Friday:
1.5 mile pace run
- The idea of the pace run was to try and guess what time you would run 1.5 miles without the use of a stopwatch. To some, using a mental clock came easily and to others it didn't!
Week in review slide show / Awards for World Cup Teams, Pace Run winners, and Campers of the Week
- Along with these highlights we also did joint mobility exercises and rope stretching led by Travis Mahoney, ran around the Monmouth campus, did pool running, and participated in the Monmouth World Cup as a camp (a series of games every night). There are so many tips you can learn about training and ways to keep yourself healthy simply by being in the presence of the Hoka professionals and college counselors. You leave the Shore Running Experience feeling ready for the cross-country season ahead. Every year the experience at camp is never the exact same- there are new opportunities available to you and new things to be learned to help you become a better runner.
