Pre-Race Jitters George Kochman Sep 19, 2011

George Kochman III joins NJRunners.com as a Contributing Editor. George will be checking in from time to time with his views and opinions on our sport.

See what is on George's mind today

GOING TO PENN George Kochman Apr 26, 2007

\"\"You smell it first.  In little ways.  The freshness of spring after a cold rain.  The grass, growing new again before its first cut.  A passing whiff of a flower you never had the time to learn the name of but grew in your neighborhood somewhere. 

Then it comes on stronger.  A trip up the Parkway to run in a meet in an old town with a distinctive smell.  Places where your grandparents once lived after moving from the City, before your parents decided they wanted to raise kids in a place with a larger yard.   Kearny, Elizabeth, Ridgewood, Westfield.    Those early season meets with soaked warm-ups, ruined spikes. 

It gets worse as you make the trip down the Turnpike towards Mecca.  That not so pleasant odor of the Schuylkill.  The soft pretzels, the onioned meat on the grill waiting to be jammed into a sub roll with green peppers and provolone, the incense intertwined with Caribbean spices that make it all taste so good. 

 

By: George Kochman III 

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