Post from Paradise

Special thanks to David Baskwill welcoming me back into the fold, after a long posting haitus on my part. (The title of the post is because I'm in Aruba right now. But it has little-to-nothing to do with the actual post)

Happy Holidays and New Year to all the great Alumni across the country keeping up with the blog.  I have been following XC and Indoor seasons from Vista, CA (can’t believe I didn’t get invited to the formal!  I would have flown back!)  But wanted to say here that seriously I am just so proud of the way all of you guys and ladies ran this XC season. And on the dudes’ side – you should know I was grinning from ear to ear after Big Tens and the Regionals.  I was proud of everyone.  From younger guys like Bobby Hill stepping up and making an impact in the post-season, to the steadfast leadership of Matt Fischer, Wade Endress, Glen Burkhardt, and Robby Creese, everyone brought awe-inspiring grit and determination (no surprise).  Cherish the college XC memories.  Every morning this fall I would rise to read about your new successes and it was adding fuel to my fire. Even from 3000 miles away, all of your hard work does not go unappreciated, because you give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning and start training.  So congratulations again everyone, both guys and ladies, and thank you!  I wear the Alumni singlet on the west coast with a lot of pride! At most road races they refer to me as simply "The Guy from Penn State".

Tyler McCandless and I unexpectedly run into each other at a 5K in Encinitas, CA in late October. Naturally we took the pacing duties.  These west-coast runners are so soft.

 So since October I’ve been working as a Recruiter in San Diego, living with my brother Justin, but I spend my mornings and evenings training in North County’s beautiful desert trails.  I’m running with the Milestone Track Club, and a few of us (including me) are building up to a fast 5K at Mt. Sac in April, with hopes of qualifying for Stanford. In the interim we’ll all do a few road races together including the Encinitas Mile and The Carlsbad 5000. My training partners are just all-around a phenomenal group of guys. And talented. It’s a mix of both milers and marathoners with high ambitions.

·        “Danger” David Edwards - formerly of Rogue AC, 3:44 1500m

·        Paul Wellman - team captain, 66 minute half-marathon

·        Justin Turner – officially races for New Balance Prado Racing Team, Active Duty Navy, 65-minute half marathon

·        Mark Sarno, Sean Brosnan, and the Prado Racing Team also all join us for some training sessions as well

Tom Kloos takes me and David Edwards through a fast opening 800m at the Oceanside Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

Between San Diego TC, Prado Racing Team, and Milestone TC, there are some awesome club rivalries out here. These teams push me every day to get better.  Paul Wellman offered me phenomenal coaching and guidance this fall.  We put the cap on my XC season last weekend when I ran an 8K P.R. at Miramar Lake.  Looking toward the spring I can’t wait to get back to doing some heavy track work with these guys.

 Penn Staters of course are easy to find wherever you go, by the way.  This fall I had the pleasure of running into Tyler McCandless at the Moonlight Beach 5K in Encinitas, and a few weeks later Coach Gondak at Foot Locker Nationals.  A week after that, the Marathon-Man Deep-Dishing Tyler Jones (PSU XC ’12) drove down from San Francisco to celebrate my birthday with me and relive the Penn State memories while checking out San Diego’s local microbrew scene. Tyler works now in the Bay Area as a software engineer and has his eyes set on soon improving upon his 2:19 marathon PR.  From the looks of it, after some awesome runs along San Diego’s canyon trails with Tyler, he is well on his way.

Cooking pizza and "getting pitted" in the waves: Tyler Jones' two hidden talents outside of running and computer hacking.

 If anyone is looking for a fast, competitive road mile in March by the way, join us for the Encinitas Mile.  Mark Sarno, Paul Wellman and I work on the race’s planning committee and we are looking to attract some more local talent. We’re offering more than $1,000 in Prize Money and you have a free place to crash for the weekend if you need it!  www.encinitasmile.com.  That’s all for now.  Enjoy the winter. -Scarp