2011 8k XC Champs: GSTC Sweeps
The attached pictures indicate two things: one, the GSTC swept both 8k championship races; two, it wasn't pretty-- at all. Primarily, this was due to the original race being snowed out and moved to a VERY inconvenient time and day. In all their wisdom, the USATF-NJ moved it to the Saturday before the Philly Marathon, knocking out many top runners from all clubs.
The GSTC men's side was hit the hardest. Top man Jeff Perrella was running the Philly half. Mike Dixon was doing the full. Adin Mickle got called into work. Chris Heibell was petting his kittens that day, and Mark Del Monaco was busy updating his blog, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace accounts.
Not to worry, as the rag-tag group of Mike Anis, Tim Morgano, Tony Harris, Ashwin Anantharaman, and Chuck Schneekloth pulled through for the win, the $500 team stipend, and kept the club's winning streak alive. Harris ended up placing second overall and top GSTC runner, despite Anis' efforts to have them all finish behind him to assist in his quest for Grand Prix points. Some serious tension between Morgan and Anis erupted from hat one...remember???
On the women's side, Lindsey Michaliszyn, Claire Tafelski, Nicole Corre, Cheyenne Ogletree, and Cathy Stutzman were ready to rumble until 90 minutes before the race--when Corre pulled out of the race via email. Scrambling, Mike Anis' girlfriend at the time, Trudy McGowan, signed up for the USATF, signed up for the GSTC, signed up for the race, and threw on a uniform--all within a ten minute window. Such heroic antics saved the day, as a once incomplete four-women team ended up taking the team title!
2012 Women Preview: The Final Step
It's a been a long year for the upstart women's team, and this weekend's final USATF-NJ Championship race will clinch their first ever USATF-NJ Open Women's Team Title. Unfortunately, you would never know it, as it's not like the USATF-NJ will give out the team trophy afterward. Rather, they'll happily present us the team plaque at a December banquet that charges $75/person. Also, the USATF-NJ hasn't updated their team standings since May 12, but don't worry....we've been been keeping score.
After the spring season ended, the Women in Gold (WIG) nursed a two-point lead over long-dominant RVRR. However, after a strong summer of team bonding and hard training, the ladies have been on a real roll--ripping off team wins at the 5k XC race and at the half marathon. Now up by six, a win this weekend will end the season with a dominating eight point lead--quite a turn around for a team that, just one year ago, was literally scrambling for a fifth runner to complete a full scoring team. Wow.
Check out the WIG lineups for the 8k race that starts at 10am at Deer Path Park (120 West Woodschurch Rd, Flemington NJ 08822).
Gold Cheyenne Ogletree, Karen Auteri, Alyssa Douma, Meghan DeCarlo, Chelsea Callan, Erika Huling, Lindsey Lambert
Black Jamie Liberti, Courtney Stanton, Erin Higgins, Liz Bissell, Danielle Stanton, Sandi Kaspszyk, Brandi Donnelly, Cathy Stutzman
White Sara Douma, Courtney Connelly, Bri Teichmann, Nicole Callaghan, Amanda Rolph, Prudence Jones
2012 Men's Preview: The Best Lineup in GSTC History
Next Sunday, the MIG will flash a total of eight teams, easily the strongest contingent ever to lineup on the same starting line.
What perhaps best epitomizes the strength of this group is the Rutgers Black team- lead by RU junior captain Dan Teichmann. With some club veterans (Mike Obsuth, Mark Parisen, Tyler Foss) and some newcomers (Kevin Ivanov, David Fett), this group will challenge 2010 champ RVRR to the wire, and quite honestly, look for them to unseat them and every other USATF club team except their teammates in black and gold.
It will be a toss up between the gold and black teams, as both are seriously stacked. We won't even make a prediction. We'll just say this: it'll be close. It will also be interesting, as athletes will be jockeying for spots on the A and B Teams heading to Kentucky in early December for the national cross country championships.
Also look for the masters' team to challenge for the M-40 team title. Indeed, they would have won the M-40 5k XC team title, but Eric Davis called out sick the night before, leaving them with an incomplete four-man squad.
Gold Chris Heibell, Anthony Harris, Steve Mennitt, Andrew Capizzi, Adin Mickle, Tim Morgan, James Lothian
Black Ken Goglas, Tom Poland, Mike Anis, Kyle Price, David dos Santos, Charlie Koontz
White Rob Nihen, Peter Bolgert, Shawn D'Andrea, Craig Donnelly, Ashwin Anantharaman, Chuck Schneekloth
Blold Brandon Smith, Jon Karlsson, Zak Martins, Jaris Rousseau, Ricardo Garcia, Franco Guevere, Edsel Flores, Jason Gulya, Scott Miglore
Rutgers Red Wil Benitez, Kyle Flyer, Zach Spiegel, Sean Cust, Ahkil Sankar, Mo Bahri, Keith Anacker, Kenny Surrell
Rutgers Black Dan Teichmann, Kevin Ivanov, David Fett, Tyler Foss, Mike Obsuth, Robert Klink, Mark Parisen
Golden Wismith Francois, Matt Scarpardine, David Huburt, Jason Chee, Nick Waclawski, Corey Smith, Woody Kongsamut, Norbert Kuter, Peter Klapsogeorge, Kapil Sathyakumar
Mighty Masters: Eric Davis, Kenny Huryk, Marty Doherty, Jeremy Stratton, Peter Auteri, Fran Beideman, Drew Davis, Don Weise
Tim Morgan Award
First TMA goes to our club's embattled friend, Christian Hesch. The California Native, who "won" the first annual College Ave Mile last June, was turned in by one of his teammates for using EPO. Such blood doping may result in a long ban from the sport, perhaps a lifetime ban, and it certainly tarnishes every accomplishment the eccentric runner has in the sport. While the editor here has been friends with him for over a decade, this no doubt gets a TMA as "the math just doesn't add up," to steal a familiar line. Cheating is sports is never worth it, and now, we must strip your biggest, most prestigious title from you: the College Ave Mile Title.
The second TMA nomination goes to some running club I saw training in Montreal. Kid you not...on Mont Royal, an ADULT running club was doing a single file "Indian Run" (for lack of a better term...when person at end of the line sprints to the front). No, they weren't being ironic or nostalgic...they were taking this workout VERY seriously. Hmmm....and they wonder why they don'y win any Olympic medals in running.
A third was a GSTC teacher who taught three periods with his/her sweater inside out and zipper half way down....until a 12 year old student pointed out both flaws.
Perrella Deemed College Ave Mile Champ
The guy who beat him, on a LEAN, was on drugs. So congrats to our homeboy Jeff Perrella, who was only found to be on creatine after the race (explaining those massive pecs and bulging triceps), as the 2012 College Ave Mile Champion!
Team Meeting...VERY Soon
Hey, we need to have one. Soon. To decide club nationals lineups, strategize on next year, plan Road Relays, plan team awards/banquet/fund raiser. Can we start and have a FB discussion on when is a good time to have this? Perhaps a discussion more focused and result-oriented than the hoodie/pullover debate???
Team Runs
Rutgers/Central Jersey Runs
Monday- 5:30, Rutgers Student Center- easy run
Tuesday- 6:00, Rutgers Student Center--workout at HP track @ 6:20
Wednesday- 5:30, Rutgers Student Center- easy run
Thursday- 5:30, Rutgers Student Center- easy run
Friday- 4:00, Rutgers Student Center- light workout
Women's Team Workout
Wednesday- Ridgewood 6:00pm track workout
Couch to 5k/ Beginner Group Team Run
Thursday- 5:30 @ Rutgers Student Center
Sprinters/Half Milers
Monday--5:30 @ Highland Park HS
Saturday--10:00am @ Highland Park HS
This Week in Training
Monday - comfortable distance, 8x80m strides or 8x8-10s hill sprints
Tuesday - 8x1k at 5k pace with equal rest, followed by 2x400 HARD with full rest. You want the 1ks to be between 3:00 and 4:00 - run 800s if the 1ks will be longer than 4:00 each.
Wednesday - moderate run 75% long run duration
Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins
Friday - fartlek run - same distance as a Monday/Saturday run, but get in 8-10 pickups at Sunday's race pace - pickups should last 1-2 mins each with lots of recovery time in between - groove on that goal pace!
Saturday - shakeout
Sunday - RACE!
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