Summer training camp no easy vacation for M.X-Country

The Penn men's cross country team spent the summer at a local camp, bonding and training. Summer camp -- what a concept. The Penn men's cross country team can tell you there's no better way to relax and bond before school starts than with suntanning, swimming, beach volleyball? and 100 miles of running. Thirteen members of the Quakers squad spent a few summer days training at Camp Briarwood in upper Bucks County where their two daily work-outs typically totaled 14 miles. According to captain Scott Clayton, the morning runs were quicker and more intense, alternating between long distance efforts and timed interval work-outs. Clayton explained that such hard running was scheduled for the a.m. hours because the Quakers usually race early on Saturdays. On one occasion, the team attempted to match a racing scenario by traveling to Lehigh University to practice on the course where they will compete this season. The journey helped the Quakers in more ways than one. "We really got to know each other while traveling in the van to different parks," freshman Adam Wasileski said. "We got a good feel for the team." Clayton said the camp experience set a good tone for the season and that the older Quakers began to display the leadership that should be an asset in the future. "The upperclassmen are very serious this year," Clayton said. "We sort of flipped the switch to a higher intensity and I think the solid core is rubbing off on the younger guys." "We want to win our league," Clayton said. "One night at camp, we had a closed door meeting without our coach and basically said that we have the talent to do it." While at camp, the team also spent their time in meetings to discuss the upcoming season amongst themselves and with Penn coach Charlie Powell. "We hung out by the pool talking," Powell said. "It was a good way to wind down from summer internships and get on the same page." For some of the Quakers, the pool was also a valuable training tool. Freshmen who had trouble adjusting to the increased mileage used an aqua jogger to work out in the water. According to Powell, going to camp was especially valuable for the five freshmen. They will have many adjustments to make this season as college competition will be a shift from five kilometer races to between eight and 10 kilometer contests. But for standouts Matt Gioffre, Mike Lorelli and Wasileski, Powell expects the transition to be a smooth one. He is optimistic that any one of them will be able to contribute in one of the top seven varsity positions. "Camp was tough since I nearly doubled my mileage," Wasileski said, "but it was a great way to get to know the other guys. Having the other freshmen there was a big help because they're going through the same stuff that I am with coming to college." For most of the team, the trip was the finale to a summer-long training program that focused on building strength. Powell explained that the runners' summer goals were mainly to build mileage, with less attention to speed. "There's so much cardiovascular work to be done," he said. "It takes months to do the hard training." According to runner Brian Kovalsky, such "hard training" will come later in the season when the Quakers will do fast paced interval workouts of four and eight hundred meter distances. Kovalsky explained that at camp the Quakers worked instead in longer segments, typically miles, at a 5:30 pace over long distances. Powell said the trip was excellent preparation for the upcoming season when the team will face such tough competitors as Princeton and Navy at Heptagonals and Georgetown, Penn State and Villanova at districts.