Christian Zavisca

Communiversity Day at Valparaiso University

A good time was had by the thousands of folks who came out for Valpo's inaugural Commmuniversity Day.

Race recap: Hilltop Hustle, Valparaiso, Ind.

The Hilltop Hustle 5K/10K recap you've been waiting for is here.

My pal Andy placed 11th overall in the 5K at 27:34 (96 finishers). Congrats to Andy!

My pal Tom place sixth overall in the 10K at 46:29 (and first in his age group). Congrats to Tom!

I placed 11th overall in the 10K with a time of 48.25, and second in my age group behind good ol' Tom.

Regular readers will recall the by-gum wager that Tom and I had.

My task was to finish within seven minutes of Tom. Obviously, it's mission accomplished for yours truly. Lunch is on Tom.

It was a bit warm on race morning. The course was two loops west-to-east around the Valparaiso University campus (one loop for the 5K). It got hot by the end. I started out a little too fast, trying to keep Tom in my sights (which didn't last long). I more or less hugged the 7:45 mile pace the entire way, getting a bit faster for the final half-mile or so. Overall, it was a big improvement from the 50-plus-minute 10K I turned in at the Sunburst a couple of weeks ago.

Back to training.

10K challenge in Valparaiso!

I'm running in the Hilltop Hustle 10K this weekend.

If that isn't fun enough, I've got a bet going with my pal Tom. His last 10K was in the 43-minute range, and mine was 50:17. So we decided that I get a seven-minute head start. Whoever loses buys lunch for the winner. I've been plotting my strategy in my brain. I figure if I can shave off a little more than a minute, I should be able to prevail. So I'm going to shoot for the low 49s and hope that Tom doesn't have too awesome of a day.

My mile splits for my last 10K a few weeks back were 9:02, 8:39, 8:38, 8:22, 8:05, 7:18. I figure that I left a lot of time on the table in that first mile. And since I ran a 7:05 last mile in a recent 6-mile progression run, I'm hoping to still finish strong even if I crank up the pace a bit early.

Our mutual pal Andy is also running, but in the 5K. Next time we'll make it a triangular wager with some multiplication figured in.

Running in Northwest Indiana, Part One

Two summers ago, when I lived in Knoxville, Tenn., I messed up my achilles pretty good. Only now is it feeling back to normal.

Last week, I reached 40 accumulated miles in a week for the first time since my injury.

The number 40 doesn't carry a great deal of significance for me, and my times (between 9:45 and 10:30 per mile for the most part) aren't anything special. What's more important to me is how I feel: Healthy. Fitter. More like a runner than I have in years.

The passage of time causes us to forget. I forgot a couple of things. One is that, when healthy, I'm entirely capable of covering 40-plus miles in a week, and turning in some decent (to me) race times, which is what I'm hoping to do later this summer.

Another thing I forgot is how much thinking I used to get done while running. Now that I'm spending a fair amount of time on the roads, I remember how much I missed that extended time to think.

At the start of the year, I set a goal of running 1,000 miles in 2010. I've run a little more than 258 miles so far, the weather's heating up (finally) here in Valparaiso, Ind., and I'm feeling good. That thousand miles looks a lot closer than it did on Jan. 1.

Valparaiso University president for a day

Today, a Valparaiso University student switches places with President Heckler. We're streaming it live here via ustream. Since the student, Nathan Kellams, is a physics major, while attending Nathan's classes the president will get to brush up on quantum mechanics and nuclear physics. Nathan will navigate a presidential-style meeting schedule.

Let it snow

I forgot about the snow. I know it sounds dumb, but, living for the last several years in Knoxville, Tenn., I forgot how much it snows up here in Chicagoland.

Inches upon inches, but usually not quite as much as predicted, which is what's happened in this latest round, although my folks, an hour east of me in South Bend, Ind., have gotten a couple of feet.

I forgot about the huge piles of snow that plows leave in corners of parking lots, piles that can last all winter. I forgot about needing a brush as well as a scraper for your car, and how irksome it is when the car ahead of you on the road hasn't been brushed off, and the resulting deluge of snow left in its wake when it picks up speed.

The footing is bad when it's warm enough to run. You need to clomp off the snow from your boots when entering a building. You have to watch your step on icy outside stairs and steps. I kind of forgot about all of this stuff.

On the other hand, I also kind of forgot how nice the snow can be to look at.

Valparaiso University homecoming 2009

For the first time in, I don't know, forever, I took advantage of the chance on Saturday to take part in Valpo's homecoming festivities.

The Phi Psis hosted an event for alumni and current members. A good time was had by all, and it was a great chance to catch up with some of my fellow old-timers and meet some new folks.

The best thing about the weekend was the serendipity: catching up with friends who you hadn't even realized you missed. Quite nice.

More homecoming photos via Flickr.

Parental units pay a visit

Dad and Rose (stepmom) dropped by for dinner the other day, which was cool. I gave them a brief tour of the Harre Union, where I work. A fuller Valparaiso University campus tour will have to wait for another day.

I've also gotten a chance to drop by for lunch with my mom a couple of times over in South Bend. The advantages of living an hour from your hometown.

Dad and Rose presented me with cookies and a gift card from Target. Mighty nice of 'em. Good old Target. I'm usually not one to plug retailers, but Target does offer a nice customer experience, I think. Plus, I also spend money at Target's main competitor — this place whose name ends in "art" — so I don't feel so bad.

Stuff you learn as a freelance sports reporter

I moved back to northern Indiana recently after spending several years down South. Now, I went to school here in Valparaiso, at Valparaiso University, and I grew up an hour east in South Bend, but I hadn't spent much time in the region in quite a while. So freelancing for the Post-Tribune and scout.com (covering Notre Dame) has been fun, and educational. I've learned:

1. Some local geography I would not otherwise have gotten to know. I had no idea that I lived so close to Portage and Wheeler high schools.

2. That you need to remember which organization you work for. I've been telling people that I work for the Knoxville News Sentinel for the past four-plus years. These days when I introduce myself, "News Sentinel" is still on the tip of my tongue. I haven't actually blurted it out yet, but I'm sure I will.

3. That I don't yet know the little tricks that can help a sportswriter make deadline. I parked in what I thought was a good spot at Portage High School for the Portage-Chesterton football game last week, but I still got stuck in some horrendous postgame parking-lot traffic. I know next time to park way, way out, near the only exit that's not blocked off after the event.

4. GPS can be a lifesaver. MapQuest, I love ya, but in this instance, not so much. Driving from Valpo to Notre Dame-at-Purdue football last weekend, I was led by the driving-direction site to a dead end (unless I followed the directions wrong, which is entirely possible). And then I remembered that my handy-dandy new iPhone has GPS, I turned it on, and the phone showed that I was only about a mile and two left turns away from Ross-Ade Stadium. Plus, I stumbled upon a free (nights and weekends) parking garage. Still stunned by that on a football gameday.

5. Sometimes, on a weeknight, when you're covering a local sporting event, all kinds of crazy national news breaks.

'Round here

I took a run around my neighborhood last night at dusk and took my camera with me. I live near this golf course. I'm not a golfer, but my dad is. I'm sure he'll get some use out of it. Looks like a nice course.

Full photo set via Flickr.