Sunday, January 6, 2013

(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!

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