(1/28-2/3): Club Records Break in Beantown!

Team Awards & Fundraiser

Saturday, February 9--less than two weeks away--from 6:30-8:30 at Road Runner Sports in North Brunswick!!!!!!  Your invitation is coming soon!

Remember, we need to pack the house with members and buy merchandise for that $2,000 check...and to keep you entertained, there will be pizza and an ongoing team awards night, including BEST DRESSED THAT NIGHT that we will vote on half-way through.

Oh, and don't forget to renew your dues or join the team here.

 

Road Relays 

Just one month away!!!  Grab your partner and sign up here!  Need a partner?  Email us and we'll help!

Couch to 5k/Beginner's Group

Beginner?  Little to no experience running?  Email Amy about our Couch to 5k/Beginner's Group at adenholtz@gmail.com.  This week, the group will meet at 9:00am at Grove 5 in Piscataway's Johnson Park.  They are training to particopate in some of the RRCA "Restore the Shore" Grand Prix events!

Club Records Break in Beantown

4x400 Ends in a CR and Three Wins for the Black and Gold

Boston, MA:  Despite the coldest week in years, the Girls in Gold and Boys in Black had plenty of heat this weekend as they competed in the Terrier Invitation at Boston University.  Twenty-two athletes competed as six club records and myriad personal bests shattered on the BU banked track, known as one of the fastest in the country.

Chelsea Callan set CR #1 on Friday evening, hitting the tape at 10:19.44 for 3,000m.  On Saturday, the ageless wonder and 400 hurdler Mike Brito set an indoor PR and the 400m CR in 50.43 despite a near fall at the 250m point, and his training partner Amr Gharseldin broke the club 200m CR in 22.45.  In the distance events, Tony Harris lowered his own club record in the mile to 4:19.64, while Chris Heibell set a new GSTC standard in the 1000m, as he finished in 2:28.87.    

The final club record broken was the men's 4x400 of Mike Brito (49.9), Ricky Garcia (49.6/indoor PR), Joe Lafleur (49.9/PR), and Tony Harris (50.2).  Their time of 3:20.36 chopped off two seconds from the old record set last year when defeating Zenith Velocity at the Thursday Night at the Races in the Armory.  Check out the record-setting relay and the GSTC props on Flotrack's coverage here.

It was an exciting day for the club's 4x400s, as the other three teams won their respective heats: B Team (Mark Parisen, Kevin Parker, Julius Samuel, Kaseem Jackson) in 3:27.36, C Team (Gharseldin, Tyler Foss, Jason Romsak, Jaris Rousseau) in 3:27.66, and the D Team (Ira Ford, Norbert Kuter, Zak Martins, Jibril Beamon) in 3:33.74.  Romsak had a huge day, running two life time PRs in the open 200m (22.93) and the 4x400 (50.9).

It ain't easy breaking club records--and it's also not easy running the fastest time of your LIFE, either.  Parisen lead a large group of those setting personal bests, as he PR'ed in the 800m by three seconds with his 1:57.57, while Erin LaCosta had a huge drop for the women, shaving two seconds off her 400m time in the 4x400 on Friday.  For their efforts, both have been named GSTC Athlete of the Week (see below).

Full results here.

Tim Morgan Award: A Big Week!

Look, once you meet this group you'll know what we mean: anytime you get the GSTC sprinters together for a weekend, some dumb-a@# **** is gonna happen.  And needless to say, they lived up to the hype this weekend.

EPISODE ONE

But first, an event the GSTC paparazzi forgot two weeks ago.  About a dozen GSTC'ers went out for a fundraiser dinner to support Chelsea Callan's Cardinal McCarrick track and field team.  Anyway, everyone around the table orders, an ordeal that took about ten solid minutes.  About fifteen minutes later, while we are awaiting our dinner, someone realizes.....s/he FORGOT TO ORDER.  Really?  That's like going into a bathroom, walking around it for a while, and forgetting to actually GO.  Who was it, do you ask?  Our homeboy and perennial TMA contender, Zak Martins.   

EPISODE TWO: Friday afternoon

Sprinter Jean Leblanc was kind enough to drive up our women's 4x400 Friday morning to Boston (men competed Saturday and thus left later Friday afternoon).  After maybe 400 emails and texts about race information this past week, he calls upon arrival to the track.  "Hey coach, where is everyone- are you sure the track meet is today?  All I see are people playing tennis in here!" This fool drove to the only other indoor track facility in Boston!

    

EPISODE THREE: Saturday afternoon

GSTC 4x400 record holder Ricardo Garcia hit the streets of Boston to warm up for his 500m race.  However, he never came back ten minutes later like he was supposed to, or twnety minutes later....in fact, he came back THIRTY MINUTES later, nearly missed his check-in, had very little time to do drills and strides.....yeah, the fool got lost in his warm up, and couldn't find his way back to Boston University.

EPISODE FOUR: Saturday night

At the conclusion of the track meet, around 7pm, sprinters Ira Ford and Kevin Parker stated, "We didn't get the memo about removing our bags from the hotel room.  Our stuff is still in there."  Evidently they have stayed in hotels before where check-out is at 8pm, not noon?  So much for jetting home to Jersey right after the meet! 

Team Runs: Come Out and Play!

Monday: 5:30 @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: 5:30 @ RSC

Wednesday: 5:30 @ Highland Park HS: track workout

Thursday: 5:30 @ RSC

Friday: 4:00 @ RSC

Saturday: 10:00am @ Highland Park HS: track workout

Sunday: TEAM RUN + TEAM BRUNCH.  Long Branch's Columbia Trail (soft and flat!):  Parking lot address: 24 Schooleys Mountain Road, Long Valey 07853.

Athletes of the Week

Men: Mark Parisen

Parisen joined the GSTC in 2011 with some average PRs after running for South Amboy HS and Middlesex County College.  Two years later, after dropping seven seconds off his 2011 800m personal best, he now has punched his ticket to the USATF Club National Track and Field Championships held this year at NYC's Icahn Stadium.  And....he's got five more months to go in 2013.

A senior exercise science major at Rutgers University, he currently works as a personal trainer for both the South Amboy YMCA and Retro Fitness.  His pre-race routine is three cups of coffee (just a few short of teammate Steve Mennitt) and a bagel with cream cheese, while his favorite food is: PB&J (yes, you read that right....that is his favorite food) and his favorite book is the Hunger Games.       

Women: Erin LaCosta

Erin joined the GSTC in the fall of 2012 because, interestingly enough, she sent in her application to Shore AC but....never heard back from them.  We're glad that happened, as the Rutgers freshmen majoring in biochemistry has improved tremendously since joining the GSTC.  The 2012 Somerville HS graduate split 65.5 on the GSTC women's 4x400 on Friday afternoon, shaving off two full seconds from her previous PR from the West Point meet three weeks prior.

LaCosta's improvements are impressive for someone who focused on the high jump (Group 3 Section Champ at 5'2" in 202), long jump, and high hurdles.  A huge Harry Potter fan,  her pre-race routine is to eat carbs ("and avoid chocolate") before competing.  Wen not studying, running, jumping, or hurdling, she enjoys playing with her dogs and listening to music.

This Week in Training

Monday - comfortable run* and 6-8 x 8-10sec hill sprints
Tuesday - 6x1000 at 10sec/mile faster than T pace with 3:00 of recovery running at 20sec/mile slower than T pace - I recommend you do this off of a track.  Basically you want to alternate time above and below threshold, and the pace should work out to averaging right around your T pace.  Remember to modify the paces based on weather and course conditions.  Even having extra layers will slow you down.  It's the effort you're going for.
Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% long run duration.
Thursday - super easy 40-60 minutes, 8x80m strides
Friday - 3x2k@ 10k race pace with 3:00 jog.  Take a full recovery, then go 4x200 at mile pace
Saturday - same as Monday
Sunday - long run!

(1/21-1/27): Lots of Team Events on the Horizon!

Awards Night/Fundraiser: Sat, Feb. 9

Every year, the GSTC gathers at North Brunswick's Road Runner Sports to do a few things: buy some running gear, raise some money for the club, and recognize the dozens and dozens of members who have made various contributions to the team.  In 2013, this will be happening on Saturday, February 9th from 6:30pm-9:00pm.

For the new members, here's how it works: we get a $2,000 check if we bring one hundred people into the store AND if we buy a certain amount of product.  That number fluctuates yearly based on the yearly average of other similar fundraisers hosted by the nation-wide store, and we'll find out that number sometime soon.  Bottom line: we go, we eat, we buy, we celebrate, and then we usually go to some bar in downtown, nearby New Brunswick and talk trash about the awards we SHOULD have won.

A formal invitation will come soon which will include a thorough itinerary with an award list, the members to present the award, and the club members up for each award.

Road Relays III: Sun, Feb. 24

Partners, Batons, Costumes, and Loops in Just Five Weeks!

The Road Relays was once just an event at a park.  

Now...it is a tradition, a source of year-long partner speculation and bragging rights, a topic of controversy, a huge fund raiser for the club, and of course, a rare time when the entire club--sprinters and distance runners alike- congregate to host one of New Jersey's most unique running events of the year.

So what is it, exactly?

It's a 10k relay where each team, of two, runs 5k total.  But here's the twist: each member only runs 2.5k at a time before handing off the baton to his/her partner.

The draw is that there are twelve categories with men, women, and co-ed medal divisions going three  teams deep in them all.  These categories are open, college, youth, greek, parent/child, sibling, costume, Rutgers alumni, masters 40s, masters 50s, masters 60s, and masters 70s. 

The final twist is that, as this professional race map shows, each 2.5k leg is two loops: a longer loop ("Black Loop") and a shorter loop ("Gold Loop").  This inevitably creates teams lapping other teams, and, of course, a little bit of chaos at the exchange zone.  

So for all sprinters: be prepared for another morning of volunteering.  For you distance runners, you got a few things to do ASAP:

1- find a partner.  if you need help locating one and wanna run with a club member, email us!

2- sign up here

3- call a friend and get them to come.  every year this event doubles in size....let's make it 600 people for 2013!

Tracksters Prep for Boston

For the first time in club history, the GSTC will bring a complete team to one of the best indoor track meets in the country: Boston University's Terrier Classic.  

Along with crew in the sprint events (200, 400, 500, 800), Anthony Harris looks to improve his club record in the open mile, Chris Heibell hopes to break the club record in the 1000m, Mike Belgiovine will chase Heibell's 8:25.05 3k club record, and Chelsea Callan will make a run at the 3k club record.

Email Goglas!

He is quite lonely these days.  Oh wait, also, he is compiling two things:

1.  5k personal bests of all club members since being on club.

2.  Members interested in club outing to Devils game- 1/2 OFF BABY- March 23 7pm game

 

Dates to Remember

1.  January 21, 2013.  Today!  Pay your 2013 dues please!

2.  February 9, 2013.  Saturday 6:30 @ RR Sports.  TEAM AWARDS and FUNDRAISER.

3.  February 24, 2013.  Sunday 11:00am @ Buccleuch Park.  ROAD RELAYS.

4.  March 10, 2013.  Sunday.  20k Grand Prix ALL DIVISIONS Championships.  

5.  April 7, 2013.  Sunday.  15k Grand Prix OPEN Championships. 

6.  April 27, 2013.  Sunday.  15k Grand Prix MASTER Championships.

7.  May 11, 2013.  Saturday.  10k Grand Prix OPEN Championships.

8.  May 27, 2013.  Sunday.  10k Grand Prix MASTER Championships.

9.  June 8, 2013.  Saturday Night.  COLLEGE AVE MILE.  GSTC Event!

10.  June 17th, 2013.  Monday night.  5k Grand Prix Open MEN Championships.

11.  June 23rd, 2013.  Sunday.  5k Grand Prix MASTER Championships.

Results from the Armory

Three athletes competed at The Armory's Thursday Night at the Races.  Alyssa Douma ran 2:19.8, an indoor club record, and won the women's half mile, leading wire to wire.  Not to be outdone, Kyle Price won the men's 800m in 1:57.4.  Earlier in the evening, Mike Anis finished 7th in the 5,000m in 15:50.2.  We wish we had some media of these awesome performances!

Team Meetings This Week

Monday- 5:30 @ Highland Park HS- track workout

Tuesday- 5:30 @ Rutgers Student Center (RSC) - team run/workout

Wednesday- 5:30 @ Highland Park HS- track workout

Wednesday- 5:30 @ RSC- team run

Thursday- 5:30 @ RSC- team run

Friday- 4:00 @ RSC- team run

Sunday- TEAM LONG RUN AT BUCCLEUCH PARK 9:00 @ PARKING LOT NEAR BATHROOMS

Quotes of the Week

"I don't know if running changed my life or if I changed my life for running, but who cares really? My feet keep moving, my arms keep pumping, and my mantra keeps rolling, 'Be patient. You got this.'" -Tony Harris, FB post

"I'm certain someone put magnets in my bed last night as moving from it this morning was a definite struggle, but it's been a while since I've done the post workout fall out of bed routine, nice to know I'm back to doing something right."  -Alexandra Jacob, 4x400 Ramapo record holder, via email after her first GSTC sprint workout

"Let me know if there is anything you want to see put into this since I want to make it nicey nicey."  -Mike Obsuth, via email, who is compiling a GSTC result spreadsheet with Goglas 

"I ran both track and cross country all throughout high school and have been continuing to run in college on my own. In high school I ran the 800 and the 3200. I live on Livingston and I also have classes on Busch and Cook. Thanks for the email!"  -Joe Sabol, RU student, via email.  Sounds like he's found the right team!

"Count me in for the 4x4. I hope they're not expecting a spectacular split though, I haven't run a 400 in over a year!"  -Justine Ameye, new sprinter from Sacred Heart.  We like her attitude- let's go for it and see what happens!

"For all its virtues, the internet provides a haven for even the most outrageous and unsupportable claims."  -Tim Morgan, via Facebook, taking a stand on his favorite topic: the Internet 

TMA: A Slow Week

Kyle Price was the last man on the team van for yesterday's long run, eight minutes late....eight minutes behind a sprinting Mike Anis who was seen sprinting down the street after parking his car to make the 8:45 departure.  

This Week in Training

Last week of pure fundamentals!  It's going to be cold this week so make adjustments to your pace to allow for the cold weather - wearing extra clothes etc will slow you down - as long as the effort is there, you're good.

Monday - comfortable run + 8x8-10s hill sprints
Tuesday - fartlek run - use the first and last 10 minutes as warmup and cooldown, then go for 6-10 cycles of 2:00 on, 2:00 off.  Keep the recovery intervals honest!
Wednesday - moderate run of 75% long run duration
Thursday - super easy 40-60 minutes
Friday after full warmup, go 3-5 miles @ T pace.  You want to be running between 22 and 28 minutes.
Saturday - same as Monday
Sunday - long run

(1/14-1/20): Awards Night, New Member Spotlight, Disney Marathon!

Big Team Dates....Mark 'em Down

Monday, Jan 14 (all day)- Cardinal McCarrack HS, the team Chelsea Callan coaches, is having a fundraiser at South Amboy's Sciotinos.  15% of your order goes to their team!  Come in for lunch or dinner!

Wednesday, Jan 16- The final day to submit your 2013 dues before we send Tim Morgan to your front door.  

Saturday, Feb 9- GSTC Award Night/ Fund Raiser @ Road Runner Sports in North Brunswick.  Starting at 7:00pm--Eat pizza, buy shoes/gear, prepare for some zany acceptance speeches-- 24 awards are up for grabs.  A great time to meet club members, help us raise some bucks, and....yeah, a night not to miss!

Sunday, Feb 24- GSTC's Road Relays.  Third year rolling, and it keeps growing....get a partner and let's go ave some FUN!

Sunday, March 10- 20k Championships- first grand prix team race!  Email us if interested!

Reminders....

1- Send Kenny your best 5k time since running with GSTC, 

2- Jump into our MeetUp page--Amy Denholtz had a run of five thanks to it yesterday- just takes a second!

3- Do ya like our FB page yet???  We're at 777 likes....help us get to 800!

This Week's Results

We congratulate our trio down who ran the Disney Marathon: Karen Auteri, Peter Auteri, and Fran Beideman (see attached picture).  Respectively, they ran 3:14:24, 4:31:10, and 4:12:4.  Sounded like the Florida heat got the best of our two gentlemen, but Karen ran a 7:30 PR, was 13th female overall, and 5th in her age group!  

On a sadder, yet maybe just as interesting note, Nicole Callaghan had a rough race today.  We aren't quite sure of all details, including what race it was, but we got a text saying that her race today was both poorly managed and inaccurately measured, along with its efforts to pull her husband, Mark, into the fray as a water-station volunteer.  Then, she was beaten to the line by a "male flightless bird wearing a mid-drift top and running shorts that said 'Wild Man' and he had hair like Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future."  Yikes....maybe yet another reason to train through these winter months and hold off on the racing?   

New Member Spotlight

Although we'd love to introduce everyone, we just haven't the time.  Regardless, please meet just a few of the new names who have joined your team....some interesting stories here from some very diverse people!

Valerie Boothby

A graduate of Voorhees HS, Valerie ran at East Tennessee State University and got down to 2:15 (800m) and 5:04 (mile) while running cross country and track for the Buccanneers.  After returning to her beloved home state of New Jersey after college, she's taken on a variety of jobs in the restaurant business, and now she's a full-time bartender at Hat Tavern in Summit--colleagues with David dos Santos.  An anthropology major, she hopes to one day open her own coffee shop in the near future.    

Jo Ann Coffee

Joe Ann is a 64 year old Somerset resident who is a seventeen year breast cancer survivor.  How did she get into running?  Well, she got bored sitting around the house during her recovery years, and starting doing a lot of walking.  Walking turned into a little running.  And then a two mile run.  And then a 5k in Johnson Park, whereas afterward, "I got the running bug."  A 58, she ran 3:58 at the Philly Marathon and qualified, and ran, at Boston.  How did she join the club?  A friend of Eric Davis, a GSTC master runner, he recommended the club (thank, Eric!).  She's on the comeback trail after tearing her meniscus last year rollerblading; not to worry, as she's back and ready to go! 

Michael Fonder

The Director of Physical Education at The Lewis School of Princeton, Mike ran four years of cross country and track at River Dell HS in Oradell and competed for The College of New Jersey as a health and exercise science major.  When no coaching seemingly every sport on earth (track, aquatics, tennis, basketball), he runs just a little bit.  His times in 2012?  He ran 4:24 (mile), 15:25 (5k), 32:26 (his first 10k of his half marathon), 69:01 (half marathon), and 2:27:32 (marathon....that's 5:37 a mile....26 times, BTW!).   When not following his favorite NYC teams, he's watching The Office and Burn Notice!

Joseph LaFleur

Joe is a new addition to the sprint squad this year.  A graduate of Abraham Clark in Roselle, he ran for Essex CC (Newark) for two years, allowing him to train with three future Olympians: Moussa Dembele (110HH-Senegal), Riker Hylton (400/Jamaica), and Kanicka Beckles (400/Grenada).  He's now a substitute teacher at Franklin and Roselle as he looks for a teaching position.  He came into the GSTC with a modest 400m PR of 53.14, which he broke in his first meet this past December (52.4 at Monmouth Invite).  Four weeks later at West Point, he PR'ed again (51.70), and then ran an incredible 50.6 split on the 4x400 a few hours later.    

Alexis Mbakwe

A junior at Rutgers, Alexis is a part of the Igbo Tribe, as her family's village is located in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.  In her village, running water and electricity are not staples of every home, and being in America has inspired her to work even harder at school--where she is currently an exercise science major who attends GSTC sprinter practice three times a week.  A graduate of Kingsway Regional High School, she hopes to attend medical school in two years--and she just visited her relatives in Nigeria two weeks ago.  She runs the 100, 200, and 400 for the Black and Gold and is roommates with two ladies on the RU track team.

 

Julius Samuel

A resident of Sayreville, this fist-year GSTC member is from St. Vincent, a volcanic island in the Caribbean where he grew up in a small town called Barrouallie.  Although he's been running since early childhood, he never really was god at it--until high school, where he was always asked, "How do you run so fast, but walk so slow?" (editor's note: this still holds true).  He is currently working at Robert Wood Johnson as a nurse technician, living with his brother, and attending Middlesex Community College.   He has raced both track meets for the B&G, and he is in contention to be on the 4x200 team at Millrose Games.

Sarah Schillaci

Sarah is currently teaching English at Glen Ridge High School after, and we quote, "working in the booming newspaper industry as a reporter."  After writing one too many obituaries, she decided to pursue a degree in English education!  Crazy enough, she never ran in high school, and played ultimate frisbee at Carleton College in Minnesota...until trying out running her senior year.  She did pretty well, and....the rest is history!  Last year, she ran 18:41 (5k), 38:38 (10k), and 31:01 (5 miles)...looks like she made a pretty good decision about trying out running!  Oh, and she's also a HUGE Arrested Development fan.  Makes her even awesome-er.  

Team Runs/Meetings

Monday- 5:30 @ Highland Park HS track

Wednesday- 5:30 @ Highland Park HS track

Saturday- 10:00am @ Highland Park HS track

Sunday- TEAM RUN at Manasquan Reservoir 9:30am (address:  311 Windeler Road, Howell NJ.  Visitor Center- HUGE parking lot- we park on the left side)  Loop=5.1 miles!

Quotes of the Week: Bolgert is Back

"So, does the club have any spare females willing to be my Road Relays partner?"  -Peter Bolgert during the ride home.  Hmmm- we learn more about Wisconsin culture every day with this guy around.

"Ran it in pajamas with a sleeping bag, pillow, and blanket in tow. Napped at the finish line. 2nd place in age group fo' sho."  -Mike Obsuth, via email, about his outfit he wore when running his hometown 5k on New Year's Day.  Last year, he wore his Boy Scout uniform....and carried a huge Boy Scout flag.

"Bad navigational choice, might be 5 Mins late."  -Mike Anis, via text.  (read: I'm running late....again)

"Sup man! Been too long. I am looking to get back to running but have not done any sort of consistent running since the last time you saw me at presidents cup haha. I am working with Danielle stanton and she has been dragging my a** out on runs!"  -Brian Kopnicki, via email, regarding 2013.  Keep dragging his butt out, Danielle Stanton...he's too good to NOT be running!! 

"The Clifton Roadrunners Club would like to congratulation (sic) GSTC on their remarkable performance not only in building up your teams but in your spectacular achievements...We look forward to seeing you celebrate at the USATF-NJ banquet."  -Email from CRRC President on Friday.  Maybe if it didn't cost $65 per person, and maybe if the USATF-NJ showed any interest in changing their archaic rules....maybe we'd think about it.  

"This hill makes my heart sad."  -Sarah Schillaci, during rocky, hilly long run today at Watchung Reservation.  

"I'm glad to be back, and don't worry, I paid my dues last night.  I wasn't about to show my face at a team run and have you hounding me about it all day."  -Peter Bolgert, entering the GSTC van for the first time in 2013

"I'm glad I joined and am looking forward to getting into better shape and racing more."  -new member Dan Greer, via email, about 2013

"I will come to the long run on sunday.  i gotta get back into the GSTC groove."  -Peter Bolgert, via email on Friday.  Why did he fall OUT of the GSTC groove, you wonder, last fall?  Ehh, that's a what a Princeton PhD program in plasma physics will do to you.  For real.

This Week in Training

Another decision this week!  If you're ready to jump to full volume this week, go for it.  If not, hold last week's volume.  If you held your volume last week, more up to 90% of goal volume for this week.  Goal mileage can be a bit of a moving target - just because you set out to get it doesn't mean you necessarily should.  Remember that the goal is to race faster so if your goal mileage feels like it's a bit ambitious, it makes sense to dial it back for a season and push for it the next time around.

Let's build in a little more structure this week - the priority is volume over intensity.
Monday - comfortable run and 6-8 x 8sec hill sprints
Tuesday - fartlek run - warmup and cooldown the first and last 10 mins.  Use the middle to work some light pickups - don't go too crazy.  Keep the recovery intervals honest, and make them longer than the pickups.
Wednesday - moderate medium run
Thursday - super easy day, 60 mins max, 8x80m strides
Friday - comfortable distance run with 3-4 miles tempo in the middle - don't exceed 30 mins of tempo.
Saturday - comfortable run and 6-8 x 8sec hill sprints
Sunday - long run!

Three Quick Things!

1.  Sunday's long run will be at the Watchung Reservation--a wonderful location with scenic trails.  We are starting a 9:30am from the main parking lot.  ADDRESS: 1 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights NJ.  The large circular parking lot (with playground) is a half mile down from this address...thanks to Zak Martins for the guidance here.  Next weekend: Manasquan Reservoir!   Team van leaves 10 Dennis in NB @ 8:45AM sharp.  Email back for a seat.

2.  We are compiling an all-time club 5k list.  Thank you Ken Goglas for building this; can you all please email him (ken_goglas@hotmail.com) with the fastest 5k time you have run since joining the GSTC?

3.  Large team track workout tomorrow at 10:00am at Highland Park HS.  GSTC sprinters and half milers will be there--you are welcome, too, if you are thinking about doing a track workout, yourself!

(1/7-1/13): Early Year Fireworks: A Track Meet, a 10k, and a Half Marathon!

2013: A New Year...Same Old Results

Tracksters Dominate Crowell Invite at West Point to Open Season

West Point, NY- The GSTC track squad made a New Year's Resolution for 2013: be the most dominant track club on the East Coast.

After the year's first week closed this weekend....so far so good.

Yesterday, Aaron Lucas highlighted the meet for the Gold and Black, winning the long jump (6.73m) and finishing third in the high jump (1.94m)- amid some very strong competition with athletes from twenty college and club teams.  Lucas, the club-record holder in both events, was joined by fellow jumper Jason Staggers for a 7th place finish in the triple jump.

Ricardo Garcia won the 800m gold in an indoor PR of 1:59.64, defeating a field of 23 for his second individual gold in two meets (he won the 600m at Monmouth last month).  In that same race, teammate and training partner Mark Parisen ran the race of his life, literally, as he grabbed third in an all-time PR of 2:00.45.  

In relay action, the women's 4x800 of Alyssa Douma, Chelsea Callan, Cheyenne Ogletree, and Lauren Hayes dominated, lapping every team in the field en route to 9:51.32 win and club record.  In the men's 4x400, the group finished third overall in 3:23.68, a full second faster than last year.  In one of the most exciting races of the day, Mike Brito (50.9) handed off with the leaders, but Garcia (51.8) fought hard in his middle 200m and, consequently, faded in the final stretch.  Joe Lafleur then ran an all-time best (50.6) to bring the Gold within striking distance, and Tony Harris (49.8) stormed into the lead pack with Zenith and Army, only to be outmuscled by a few steps in the final 50m.  Seriously- if you're needing an exciting race- check THIS out.

Speaking of club records and Tony Polite, he set one in the men's mile, dropping a 29 final 200m to finish second overall in 4:20.65.  Mike Belgiovine, making his club debut, ran a very tough 4:21.79 race for fourth, as he was in second until tying up in the final turn.

The women's distance group made some noise, as Ogletree finished 3rd in the 5,000m (17:48.06), with teammate Meghan DeCarlo a few places behind in 19:09.38.  In the 3k, Callan and Douma went 4-6, running 10:26.16 and 10:39.70, respectively.

Results can be found here.  

Norwalk 10k: The Zablocki's Both PR

Norwalk, CT--Well, after huge marathon drops in November, it only makes sense that both Jill and TJ Zablicki would continue driving down Personal Record Road into 2013.  And this, indeed, is exactly what they did, as they both PR'ed in the 10k as they begin their slow build-up toward the Boston Marathon this spring.  Dr. Jill ran 46:00, and her husband ran 38:23.  Awesome!

Cupido Wins Mississippi Half Marathon  

Somewhere in Mississippi- Kristin Cupido, the GSTC's #5 runner at club nationals in 2012, went down to visit her sister.  While she was at it, she busted a new PR and gold medal in the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon.  Not a bad trip, we would say.

Along with joining an elite GSTC crowd of major race winners, she also becomes the first club member to rep the gold in Mississippi.  She may not be the last when folks find out--yeah, get this--there was a harmonica in the race packet.  

She ran 1:27:54, nearly two full minutes faster than her previous PR at Disney last year, and passed the women's leader at mile eight.  

Team Updates

1- Team Award Night/Fundraiser at Road Runner Sports must be moved a week earlier or later.  Long story!  Walsh, please start a Facebook thread!  We need to decide ASAP.

2- Club dues.  Thanks for your love!  

3-  Have you signed up for Road Relays yet?  A BIG team fundraiser in February- grab a partner!

4- Please sign up for our MeetUp Group here.  It just takes a second, and it's a great recruiting tool for our club.  Within 24 hours, Amy has ten new members!  Please- it will be fast, we promise!!!

Quotes of the Week

"That's a thick sausage you got there."  -Tim Morgan (surprise, surprise), to Ken Walsh during breakfast after the team long run today

"God **** you Chelsea.  I can't move."  -Cheyenne Ogletree, in text to Chelsea Callan, morning after West Point track meet

"Of course I can do that.  I'm not just another pretty face, coach."  -jumper Jason Staggers, at West Point meet, when asked to help get Sara Douma's triple jump steps

"Hello, I am from the Bedminster Open Space Committee, and I'm wondering why you run here.  Why not run on the path over on the other side of town"  -Some odd fellow, after today's run, pitching his running trail to us

"Us guys who run in high school and college get to the next stage in running and THIS is the next step?  It's like walking into the twilight zone."  -Mike Anis, Friday night, discussing the sad state of the USATF-NJ Grand Prix

"Jeff, you're an embarrassment."  -Ken Goglas, to Jeff Perrella before the long run, as he wore a SCARF as part of his running garb.

"Sara, the GSTC doesn;t exist to help finance your automotive hardships."  -Mike Anis, talking to Sara about her controversial TMA last week, at GSTC New Year's Eve Party, as Sara continued to discuss the many 

"I know how to operate a toaster.  I did mess up oatmeal yesterday--it was too dry.  And yeah, I haven't been on an interview my entire life.  I just like to inherit jobs, or let them come to me."  -Chris Heibell, while at a bar watching football.  We aren't making this up.  No really- he actually said these things.

"This weekly email is just turning into a tabloid."  -Mike Anis, Tuesday afternoon, when learning about his many TMA nominations this week

And Leading off in the 2013 TMA Is....

Ashwin Anantharaman, who didn't seem that upset or worried about his car "not starting" this morning for the long run.  Hmmm....

Tim Morgan once again fails to arrive anywhere, to anything, on time....as we waited nine minutes for him in today's long run.

And, the long run group today, also doubling as the TMA Rules Committee, decided that Liz Bissell gets her first nod of her career for not showing up to the race yesterday, but hours later....posting on Facebook at a bar?  We haven't heard all he details, as calls and texts went unreturned....

But the big wiener, we mean winner, of TMA: 2013 is Michael Xavier Lamar Anis III.  First, the guy arrives two hours late to an engagement on Monday.  Two days later, he asks us to sign him up for the West Point meet Saturday, only to inform us days later, "I'm working Saturday- sorry- I didn;t read my schedule carefully."  Then, despite living just two miles away, the young bearded man arrives five minutes late- again- to the long run team departure.  This one's for you, Mikey!

This Week in Training

There's a choice to make this week:  to bump up or not to bump up.  If you're feeling fresh and ready for another bump, go up to 90% of your goal volume.  If you're feeling like that may be too much too soon, repeat last week's work.  I would err on the side of caution, especially if you've got some aches and pains from the work.  Over the next three weeks, the difference in progression between a cautious build and an aggressive one may be a total of 15-40 miles, depending on how much you're doing.  Compare that to having to take days/weeks off due to injury.  Think risk/reward and be smart.  Go on how you feel.

Keep up with the strides and hill sprints (Super important), as well as the moderate/steady-state mid-week medium run.  You can also build in some light fartlek stuff to kick in some variety.  Enjoy the lower intensity of these fundamental weeks.  Don't make them tougher than they need to be - there's plenty of time for that later on!