Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Check it out
Revamped website. A beautiful update: http://www.gardenstatetc.org/outreach/community.html
Monday, July 25, 2011
GSTC's First Gold of the Fall Season Goes to....
Welcome
We welcome two fantastic people to our list this week: Meghan O'Toole
and Mark Del Monaco. Meghan is the Garfield head coach of xc, indoor,
and outdoor track, a former Rutgers running star, and a mainstay on
the NJ road racing circuit for years. Mark, fresh out of LaSalle
University, has PRs of 32:17 (10), 52:57 (10 miles), and 1:09:47 (half
marathon); he is currently training to qualify for the Olympic Trials
in the marathon.
We welcome two fantastic people to our list this week: Meghan O'Toole
and Mark Del Monaco. Meghan is the Garfield head coach of xc, indoor,
and outdoor track, a former Rutgers running star, and a mainstay on
the NJ road racing circuit for years. Mark, fresh out of LaSalle
University, has PRs of 32:17 (10), 52:57 (10 miles), and 1:09:47 (half
marathon); he is currently training to qualify for the Olympic Trials
in the marathon.
Props
In the race heard 'round the state, the first victory of the
post-spring season was won by an unexpected team member. He now joins
the ranks of very select GSTC runners to win a race with the black and
gold, including Danny Johnson, Brian Kopnicki, Jeff Perrella, Kyle
Flyer, Chris Tafelski, Gil Rozensher, Mike Obsuth, Duval Sewer, Tyrone
Ross, and Hakeem Miller.
Indeed, this race should remind everyone that, if old man Chuck can
win a race, shoot, you can too. And don't ask about the times or the
competition or any other details. Such facts just can't be discussed
when you're old and slow, it's 100 degrees, and over a half-mile of
the 5k is on sand. This race was such a big deal that, three days
later, they still haven't posted results on line. So, watch out
Perrella, Burmeister, Morgan, et al....step up your game!
http://www.youtube.com/user/cschneek#p/a/u/0/oiZ6WsTIq6o
Team Runs This Week
Monday: 6:00 @ 106 Bayard (New Brunswick)
Tuesday: 6:15 @ Six Mile Reservoir Run (Rt 27 entrance)- leave
106 Bayard @ 6:00
Wednesday: 6:15 @ Six Mile Reservoir Run (Rt 27 entrance)- leave 106
Bayard @ 6:00
Sunday: 9:00 @ Six Mile Reservoir Run (Canal Road entrance)-
let's have a big turnout for the long run!
Week of Training: Distance
Since last week was timed runs without any structured distances/paces,
we're going to step the volume up and work in some speedwork.
Speedwork in the base phase, you read that right. Most of the running
is comfortable, which means go on feel. If you feel crappy, go slow,
If you feel good, open it up and let it roll, but let's try to stay
away from the threshold for now. Here's the plan:
--Take whatever your average run was last week and add 8 minutes. I'm
going to call that a standard run, and base the other runs of the week
on that. I'll use an average run of 40 minutes as an example:
--Monday - 48 minutes comfortable + 6x100 strides on grass
--Tuesday - 48 minutes comfortable
--Wednesday - 60 minutes progression run - start out very easy and
work your way down. You shouldn't feel any burn at the end, but try
to get down to about 5k pace for the last half mile or so.
--Thursday - 40 minutes super easy
--Friday - 48 minutes comfortable run + 4x 8-10sec ALL OUT hill
sprints on the steepest hill you can find. Grass is preferable but do
what you have to do. Recovery is complete. By complete, I mean at
least 3 minutes. Yes, 3 minutes recovery for 10 seconds of running.
These hill sprints are as hard as you possibly can, and they should be
completely alactic - no burn at all. If you feel a little something
coming on during the 3rd and 4th, you're not taking enough recovery
time between them. We're going to work up to doing sets of 10 of
these, but I just want you to do 4 this time.
--Saturday - 48 minutes comfortable + 6x100m grass strides
--Sunday - 80-100 minutes long run
Of course, you don't have to do your runs to the exact minute, I'm
just giving an example. A good night's rest between days: eat
properly, hydrate all the time, and sleep!
Fall Racing Schedule
September 25 - Liberty Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, Jersey City
October 23 - USATF-NJ 5k XC - Deer Path Park, Readington
October 30 - USATF-NJ 8k XC - Deer Path Park, Readington - winning
team gets $500 travel stipend for Club Nats
November 24 (Thanksgiving Day) - Ashenfelter 8k - Glen Rock
December 11 - USATF-NJ 10M
December 11 - USATF Club XC Championship - Jefferson Park, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Social Butterflies
Thanks to the painstaking work of behind the scenes man, Quiet Storm, the GSTC is now on twitter and google plus in addition to the blog and facebook. Become fans, friends, and followers of the club and keep up to date on our new google calendar. The times, they are a changin'.
-Q.Storm
-Q.Storm
Monday, July 11, 2011
GSTC Finishes 8th at Club Nationals; Perrella Wins 10k Gold
Welcome
We welcome five to the GSTC email list this week: Jeanell Boomer, Kristen Prazenica, Tony Perez, Justin Koodish, and Ricardo Garcia. Jeanell is a mother of three, from Franklin, whose first email to us had the BEST subject line: "I want to run!" Kristen, on the other hand, is an undergrad from Penn State, a member of a running club at PSU, and is stranded in NJ thanks to an internship. Tony is a soon-to-be masters runner from Elizabeth interested in marathons and halfs, as he ran one full in his homeland, El Salvador. Justin is a former Monmouth trackster with a range from 400m- 8k xc who earned All-American Second Team Honors for Middlesex CC in the 4x800. Finally, Ricardo, a friend and former colliate teammate of GSTC standout Ashwin Anantharaman, was a standout for Kean until they dropped their men's program; last year, as a freshmen, he placed fourth in the NJAC Championships with a 54.99 in the 400IH. Welcome!
This Week in Training
Sprinters
Tuesday & Thursday- 6:30 @ MHS
Sunday- 10:00am 200m TIME TRIAL at MHS
Distance
Active rest- see email two weeks ago
Club Nationals Summary: Perrella Wins 10k Gold, Team Takes 8th
It was a meet of extremes: Friday night was pouring rain, and Saturday was pouring heat. The one constant, throughout, was the season-best performances from the GSTC. Thanks to several big peformances, the gold and black finished 8th place out of 52 teams with 34 total points, edging out four USATF Elite Teams: Greater Boston Track Club, Syracuse Chargers, Club Northwest, and Westchester Track Club.
However, the GSTC would have most likely finished 6th had the 10k not been canceled Friday night and moved to Saturday morning, just before the 5k, preventing distance aces Jeff Perrella and James Grimes from running both.
That said, I realized this evening that they inadvertently scored "b team" relays, which not only will put the GSTC up to 7th passed New Horizon TC, but it will also mean that CPTC, the champions as announced Saturday, will lose by .5 points to Shore AC. This is due to the fact Shore AC's b-team 4x800 were erroneously given 4 points. We will send out this email tomorrow to the USATF.
Scoring the first GSTC points at a club national championship was Mike Anis, picture attached, who finished 6th in a PR of 10:07.63. Moments later, mid-distance stud Chris Heibell moved from 6th to 2nd in the final 200m of the 1500, bringing the Icahn Stadium crowd to its feet as he closed hard on NYAC's Aiden Walsh. He was ultimately outleaned (see photo attached), settling for third, in 3:52.79.
The next day, Perrella started off the meet with a 10k gold, nearing lapping the entire field en route to his triumph (see picture). In the next race, the distance trio of Grimes (4th), Tim Morgan (8th), and Taylor Burmeister (10th) scored big points
Alan Brussard followed this up with a huge 400IH PR of 53.33, placing 8th despite seeded at 12th. He came back an hour later in the high hurdles and snagged 7th, for two points.
The relays were the most competitive they've been in meet history. The 4x800 of Kyle Flyer, Ashwin Anantharaman, Morgan, and Burmeister were 6th, and the distance medley of Perrella, Stefan Symbleme, Chris Schneider, and Heibell (4:14.8 anchor) were fourth in 10:30.10.
The 4x400 of Brussard, Harris, Hakeem Miller, and Duval Sewer ended the day in style, clocking 3:22.63. This was 9th overall and broke the GSTC record of 3:24.20.
The girls 4x100 of Ataysia Ingram, Quanisha Booker, Lauryn Strebeck, and Yanique Folkes placed 8th, scoring the lone point on the ladies side.
Heibell Gets 3rd in 1500m http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98ugHOJFAA
Alan Runs 53.33 400IH PR, Places 8th http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbrjWnF5XKI
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
[July 8-9]: A Preview of Club Nationals
Hi all,
In just a few days, a small part of our big team will be competing in the 2011 USATF National Club Championships at Icahn Stadium. If you're looking for a fun time, come on out to Randall's Island in NYC and see your teammates take on some of the best track and field athletes in the country! Not only will the times be fast, jumps be high, and throws be far...the GSTC will be in the hunt for some medals. See below for details!
Distance Races (10k-1500m)
GSTC superstar Jeff Perrella has the #1 seed in Friday's 10,000m at 30:04.20. He is undefeated in the gold and black, as he has handedly won gold medals at the Penn Relays Distance Classic, the USATF East Region Championships, Yale Invitational, and President's Cup 5k this spring. Look for Team Nebraska's Eric Rasmussen to challenge as the #2 overall seed, along with NYAC's Daniel Daly, the #3 seed. Teammate James Grimes, fresh off his final season at Georgetown this spring, comes in at the #4 seed in 31:08. He will battle a duo from Kansas City, Anthony Schultz and Aaron Davidson. With a hard collective effort and some luck, GSTC could put two in the top eight.
The 5,000m will be interesting Saturday duel, as Perrella and Grimes are the 3rd and 4th seeds, respectively. Top seed Oscar Ogwaro, from Team USA Georgia, has a seed of 14:18- but this is from Mt Sac in mid-April. According to tffrrs.com, his last three 5ks (in May) have been 14:45, 14:50, and 15:03. The #2 seed, Central Park Track Club's (CPTC) Christopher Spooner, will be racing the 1500m the day before, so this may come down to a battle of fatigued legs. With a pair of CPTC athletes seeded 5th and 6th, GSTC Taylor Burmeister comes in at #7.
In the 1500m, Chris Heibell's PR 3:49.92 will most likely fight for the gold medal between two others: Carlos Jamieson (CPTC- 3:48.33) and Chris Spooner (CPTC- 3:49.62). However, Spooner is also entered in the 5k later that weekend, so his approach to the double will be interesting to see. That said, although Jaimieson's last 1500m (4/15- 4:05) was soft, his 1:53.77 at the NJ Invite suggests he is race sharp and will give Heibell his biggest challenge,
Sprints (800m-100m)
Yanique Folkes (100m & 200m) and Ataysia Ingram (400m) will suit up on the ladies' side, while Kaseem Jackson (100m), Earl James (200m), Tony Harris (400m), Hakeem Miller (400m), and Duval Sewer (800m) have all qualified and will compete for the men's team. Out of this group, the one with the greatest chance of making the final is Miller, who lead-off last Tuesday in 49.20. With two solid weeks of training afterward, he has the tools to run 48low- which has a good chance to make the final. That said, the sprints in a very competitive field, so it will be a tough road for any of them to crack the top eight.
Hurdles
Lauryn Strebeck (100HH) and Alan Brussard (110HH, 400IH) will both compete in the hurdle events. While the highs is a secondary event to Strebeck's jumps (see below), Brussard 's specialties are the hurdling events. With PRs of 14.20 and 54.15, he should be a strong contender to make the finals for both events.
Relays
The distance medley relay of Taylor Burmeister (1200), Stefan Symbleme (400), Chris Schneider (800), and Chris Heibell (1600) has an excellent chance to capture the club national championship. Despite ranking fourth behind Team Nebraska Brooks, CPTC, and Kansas City Smoke, the GSTC will have three fresh legs- including their biggest weapon, Heibell, on the anchor leg. While all other teams will be running on tired legs, only Burmeister (5k) will have a race in his legs that day, so this may be a very close race, coming down to the strongest miler's kick.
The sprint medley of Earl James, Andre Sylvester, Gil Rozensher, and Duval Sewer are currently ranked 6th overall, and just two seconds seperate them from CPTC and ConnQuest's seed times. This entire unit will be fresh, so the chance to squeeze into a scoring, medal-earning top eight spot is very, very good.
The 4x800 relay is in similar contention to both score and medal, as they are currently the #4 seed. If Wismith Francois (2:01), Hedolis Jaquez (2:03), Kyle Flyer (1:59), and Ashwin Anantharaman (2:06) can all muster PRs, they could break 8:10 and challenge for a top-three spot.
The 4x400 relay, fresh off a dominating victory in NYC last Tuesday, will be on the scoring bubble. On paper, they are a 3:19 relay that could easily score, but the field is loaded, including Zenith Velocity (3:10), Shore AC (3:10), and New Horizon TC (3:11). If the group of Miller, Brussard, Jackson, and Harris runs well, look for a sub-3:20 effort and a place at the medal stand.
In the 4x100, Quanisha Booker, Yanique Folkes, Lauryn Strebeck, and Ataysia Ingram will fight for a spot in the top eight, as will Jose Baxter, Gleb Kalmykov, Ky Ross, and Christian Sylvester.
Jumps
Due to injuries, Strebeck will be the lone GSTC representative in the jumps. She is currently ranked #10 in the triple jump at 11.15m, and 16th in the long jump.
Throws
On Friday, Adam Dickert will make his GSTC and USATF debut both in the shot put and javelin. Similarly, Victor Batagliotti will make his first black and gold appearance in the discus on Saturday.
Some Fun Links
Status of Club Nationals Entries
Who Ya Got? A Tired Perrella vs a Non-Warmed Up Ross in the 400m!
Handoffs, July 2
More Handoffs, July 2
Post-Practice Chanting, July 5
July 2 Intervals
Friday, July 1, 2011
[July 4-July 10]: Heibell, 4x400 Shatter Club Records in NYC
Saturday Morning: Tomorrow @ MHS
We have a fantastic number of folks converging upon the Metuchen HS track tomorrow morning at 10am....come by and join the fun!
Welcome
This week, we welcome a diverse group of folks onto the GSTC email list: David Grau, Lauryn Strebeck, Julian Festerheim, Carey Palmer, and Sidharth Rishi Mehta. David, a recent graduate of North Brunswick HS, did his first GSTC workout yesterday, and boasts impressive PRs of 1:59.3 52.5, 17:11, and 58.0. Lauryn, who will make her debut tomorrow, is a versatile jumper and sprinter from Rider who has jumped 36-8 (TJ), 16-6 (LJ), and ran 15.4 in the high hurdles.
Julian is a sophomore at Rutgers, and holds the Metuchen school record for the indoor mile (4:22). Carey Palmer is also a former Bulldog and is currently training for the Atlantic City Marathon, while Rishi, friend of GSTC member Puneet Butter (by far the team's coolest name!), is a medical student at UNDMJ who has never formally participated on a track team before, but blended in just well yesterday. Welcome to you all.
Props
First, props to board member Amy Porpora for fighting through walking pnemonia (please don't try this at home) at the Fairfield 5k last weekend in Connecticut. She finished 362 out of 1047 finishers with a 27:41 final time. While frustrated that she ran slower than last year's 24:54, props (we think) for battling the illness and lacing up the shoes!
Next, Jeff Perrella and his President's Cup Champion teammates (Taylor Burmeister, Tim Morgan, Mike Anis, Ashwin Anantharaman, Hedolis Jaquez) get props for their efforts on June 20th:
Next, it was a great day Tuesday night for select GSTC tracksters prepping for next weekend's Club National Championships. To start, props to Chris Heibell who broke a club record and set an all-time PR of 1:54.15. Patiently rolling through the opening lap in 56, he showed great strength in his final circuit, blowing past two Central Park Track Club Elite athletes on the final stretch to place third overall.
In the unseeded heat, half-milers Duval Sewer and Wismith Francois placed 1-2, respectively, running 2:03 and 2:04. They navigated a large section of 19 runners very well, moving up slowly and eventually taking over with 150m to go. Kyle Flyer (2:06), Mike Anis (2:10), and Edsel Flores (2:15) also raced well in this heat.
Mike Anis came back 15 minutes later and placed second in the unseeded 1500m heat, putting on a strong fight in the final 200m.
Finally, the quartet of Hakeem Miller (49.2), Kaseem Jackson (51.6), Alan Brussard (51.8), and Tony Harris (50.3) ran a sizzling 3:24.26 to win the final event of the evening, the 4x400 relay. Not only was this a club record, this was done all alone- an indicator that a much faster time is on the near horizon next weekend at Club Nationals.
The B and C teams ran exceptionally well, fighting off a late-charging Central Park Track Club and Zenith Velocity to keep a 1-2-3 sweep. Stefan Symbleme (53.4), Wismith Francois (52.8), Duval Sewer (52.3), and Kyle Flyer (52.6) locked down second in 3:31.85, while Earle James (52.6), Ky Ross (54.3), Christian Sylvester (52.9), and Andre Sylvester (51.5) finishing just a step behind the B team in 3:32.12.
The co-ed team of Edsel Flores (57.4), Mike Anis (61.3 on a triple), Yanique Folkes (64.9), and Ataysia Ingram (64.7) placed 4th of 11 teams in the unseeded heat- nice job!
Complete Meet Results
Final Weeks of Training
7/1 TODAY 5:15 @ 106 Bayard (we will drive to Six Mile's trails)
7/2 Saturday 10:00 @ MHS (workout)
7/3 Sunday --- on own or OFF
7/4 Monday 4:30 @ 106 Bayard (mid-distance/ distance)
7/5 Tuesday 6:30 @ MHS (workout)
7/6 Wednesday 4:30 @ 106 Bayard (mid-distance/ distance)
7/7 Thursday 6:30 @ MHS: handoffs, shake-out strides, etc.
7/8 Friday Club Nationals @ Icahn Stadium
7/9 Saturday Club Nationals @ Icahn Stadium
7/12 Tuesday 6:30 @ MHS sprinters workout
CLUB NATIONALS FINAL LINE-UP
FRIDAY
4:00 Javelin Adam Dickert
4:00 Javelin Adam Dickert
4:00 TJ Lauryn Strebeck
4:45 100HH Lauryn Strebeck
4:55 110HH Alan Brussard
5:05 100m Yanique Folkes
5:15 100m Kaseem Jackson
5:45 800m Duval Sewer
4:55 110HH Alan Brussard
5:05 100m Yanique Folkes
5:15 100m Kaseem Jackson
5:45 800m Duval Sewer
6:00 Shot Put Adam Dickert
6:25 3k stple Mike Anis
6:40 400m Ataysia Ingram
6:55 400m Tony Harris, Hakeem Miller
7:45 1500m Chris Heibell
6:25 3k stple Mike Anis
6:40 400m Ataysia Ingram
6:55 400m Tony Harris, Hakeem Miller
7:45 1500m Chris Heibell
8:00 200m Yanique Folkes
8:20 200m Earle James
9:20 10k Jeff Perrella, James Grimes
SATURDAY
9:45 5k Tim Morgan, Taylor Burmeister, Jeff Perrella, James Grimes
11:00 LJ Lauryn Strebeck
SATURDAY
9:45 5k Tim Morgan, Taylor Burmeister, Jeff Perrella, James Grimes
11:00 LJ Lauryn Strebeck
12:40 400IH Alan Brussard
1:00 Discus Victor Batagliotti
2:45 4x800 Kyle Flyer, Ashwin Anantharaman, Hedolis Jaquez, Wismith Francois (Tim Morgan)
3:15 4x100 Quanisha Booker, Lauryn Strebeck, Ataysia Ingram, Yanique Folkes
1:00 Discus Victor Batagliotti
2:45 4x800 Kyle Flyer, Ashwin Anantharaman, Hedolis Jaquez, Wismith Francois (Tim Morgan)
3:15 4x100 Quanisha Booker, Lauryn Strebeck, Ataysia Ingram, Yanique Folkes
3:25 4x100 Jose Baxter, Gleb Kalmykov, Ky Ross, Christian Sylvester
3:50 SMR Earle James (200), Andre Sylvester (200), Gil Rozensher (400), Duval Sewer (800)
4:25 DMR Chris Heibell (1200), Stefan Symbleme (400), Chris Schneider (800); Taylor Burmeister (1600)
5:00 4x400 Tony Harris, Hakeem Miller, Kaseem Jackson, Alan Brussard
4:25 DMR Chris Heibell (1200), Stefan Symbleme (400), Chris Schneider (800); Taylor Burmeister (1600)
5:00 4x400 Tony Harris, Hakeem Miller, Kaseem Jackson, Alan Brussard
GSTC Board Meeting
The GSTC Board of Directors will next meet in late July; board members- please email gardenstatetrackclub@gmail.com for your availability. We will be applying for several grants, including USATF Elite Club status and USATF Distance Project status. Due to the urgency of these grants and applications, the summer high school cross country camp may be canceled.
Upon decision of the date, we will publish the meeting place, time, and day. Indeed, we encourage all members to attend and provide input for all GSTC decisions.
GSTC Blog & Facebook Page
Check out our blog (thanks to the Quiet Storm) and our Facebook page below and become a fan! Believe it or not, several Olympians are fans...now if only they'd sign up and put on our uniform! It has pictures and videos from meets and practices, like the attached pictures from Tuesday's track session.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)