(4/1-4/6): After Three Years, GSTC Shifts Team Name, Focus, Mission

GSTC Changes Name, Focus, Mission

Team Leadership Decides: Running Is Just Too Damn Hard, Anyway

After three years of operating under the guise of a 501c3 non-profit running club organization through the RRCA, the GSTC Senior Leadership voted last night, during a behind-doors closed board meeting,  to make some fundamental shifts to the club.  The first is to change the acronym of the team to the Garden State Twinkie Club, a reflection of the new direction of the group.

"Let's face the facts here people.  If we want to be a financially solvent organization, more people are interested in the famous Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling than exercising every day.  And, quite honestly, so am I," noted Jeff Perrella, one of the early advocates for the change who, during his long injury, has found a new interest in his free time.

Erin LaCosta, a Rutgers freshman who is a member of the GSTC women's 4x400 team, stated, "Most of my friends just sit around and eat Twinkies anyway.  It's starting to get a little awkward.  'Why exercise when you can just hang around the dorm and eat Twinkies?' they ask me.  I see what they're saying.  Going to practice requires so much time to drive there, drive back, uhhhhhh.  I'm so over it, OMG."

From his lab in Princeton, PhD candidate Peter Bolgert spoke quite highly of the Twinkie.  "Many believe the Twinkie has an infinite shelf life.  I can assure you that, based on my research here in my shiny Ivy Tower, this is merely just an urban myth.  We have studied the chemical composition of the Twinkie, and while they can last a relatively long time thanks to their lack of unstabilized dairy products and thus spoil very slowly--they can, indeed, spoil.  25 days is the commonly accepted maximum shelf life of the Twinkie.  But usually, those suckers are eaten between 7-10 days....accordingly to Wikipedia, anyway."     

While most club members will see a dramatic shift in their day to day life, some won't at all, such as thrower Roland Cote.  "Wait, you're telling me that I originally did NOT join the Garden State Twinkie Club?  Well, then, what did I join--a club I had to exert myself?  I'm glad to hear they changed, regardless."  

Amy Denholtz, the current GSTC Couch to 5k organizer, has already made a few simple changes on the MeetUp page, adjusting one word in the group name to "Couch to Couch" Program.  

Jones Flips Reading Interest

Dr. Prudence Jones, a GSTC member and Professor of the Classics at Monclair State University, decided last week that she met her reading threshold on Cleopatra and the Peloponnesian 

War.  As of Saturday afternoon, Dr. Jones announced via a Facebook post, that she would now be indulging in contemporary literature only, including Life of Pi, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Fifty Shades Darker.

Heibell Applies for Job

Despite a long-standing streak of never applying for a job, miler Chris Heibell applied for a job last night.  The opportunity, becoming the Superintendent of Schools of the Princeton Unified School District, pays $146,000 a year.  Allegedly, his application stated in the experience section, "I attended an elementary school,  a middle school, and a high school.  Think about it: that's a lot of experience."  

Ogletree Buys Three Dogs

Despite her incessant Facebook posts about cats and kittens, GSTC superstar Cheyenne Ogletree has purchased three pit bulls over the weekend.  "I'm really inspired by the musician Pit Bull, so I decided to by a few.  Plus ten points!" she told the GSTC paparazzi early yesterday morning.

 

Morgan Gets Sarcastic Joke

During yesterday's long run, Jay Margolis made a sarcastic joke. Tim understood it.

Morris County Striders Change Team Name

Much like the GSTC, the MCS have undergone some roadwork, and have now emerged with a new team name: the "USATF-NJ Striders."  The idea first came during the 2012 USATF-NJ Banquet, when many members realized it was mostly just their club in attendance.  Then, when MCS member and acting USATF-NJ director Pam Fales awarded the President's Award to fellow team member Madeline Bost, much to the delight of the many MCS members in attendance, some MCS members saw the potential the idea just might have.  See the inner-team celebration of this award on their website: http://www.morriscountystriders.com/.  Conversely, the USATF-NJ Grand Prix is considering changing the name of this racing series to "The Morris County Striders Grand Prix."  This final change will be voted on during the next club board meeting at the fourth Wednesday or every month.  

    

Okay...enough of the April Fools Edition.....let's be for real for a hot minute

Team Runs

Monday         5:30 run at Rutgers Student Center (New Brunswick)

                       5:30 track workout at Highland Park HS (Highland Park)

Tuesday       5:30 run at RSC (NB)

                       6:00 run a Holmdel Park (Holmdel-Kenneth.m.walsh@gmail.com for more info )

Wednesday  3:30 run at RSC (NB)

                        5:30 track workout Highland Park HS (Highland Park)

                        6:00pm track workout Antrim Elementary School (Pt Pleasant Beach- email Ken Walsh)

                        6:15 run at Morristown Running Company (jamesmlothian@gmail.com for more info)

Thursday       5:30 run at RSC (NB)

Friday             4:30 run at RSC (NB)

Saturday        10:00 track workout (Highland Park)

Sunday           9:00am Indian Trails Race- 15k team championship

Gold Star: Celebrating Our Awesomeness

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 Andrew Stewart 

A graduate from Cinnaminson High School, Andrew made a New Year's Resolution to join the best looking and fastest team in the state of New Jersey hence he joined the Garden State Track Club in the month of January. Andrew holds very fast personal bests of 158 in the 800 and 430 in the mile. His goal joining Garden State Track Club is to set some new personal bests which is certain to happen with the amazing training groups we have on this team. Before races Andrew eats a banana or a powerbar to get energized for the big day. To this date he has no pre race routine but I am sure he will work on it. Outside of running Andrew is an engineering major at Rutgers University and loves to ski. 

Brianna Florovito 

Brianna is a graduate from Valley View High School in Pennsylvania and is currently attending Rutgers University. She got into running her sophomore year in order to get into better shape. She is a sprinter who ranges from running 100m to 400m. Perhaps the biggest race in her high school career happened in her opening meet of the season called Icebreakers where she was on the 2nd place team for the 4 by 1, 3rd place team in the 4 by 4, and capped it off running an incredible 61 for the open 400. She loves to do some strides an jumps in order to get a feel on how she will do. Outside of running she is a big nature girl and loves archery which is obvious as she recently got a bow and arrow tattoo on her foot(the most painful spot to get a tattoo). She also cheered till she was 12 years old and played tennis. Lucky for us she left both of those sports to become a star runner. 

Couch to 5k Group by Amy Denholtz

Saturday was a beautiful day for the steady striders, who ran 3 miles in Colonial Park in Franklin (Somerset County).  This week, the steady striders and couch to 5k runners will meet to run along the D&R Canal towpath on Sunday, April 7th at 9:30 am, beginning from Grove 5 of Johnson Park in Highland Park/Piscataway and across from the Rutgers football stadium.  Off of Landing Lane, the Grove 5 parking lot is the first parking lot on the left and has a picnic area with bathrooms (for directions and park map, see: www.co.middlesex.nj.us/parksrecreation/johnson.asp).  Email Amy, at adenholtz@gmail.com, with any questions or to RSVP.

The GSTC is looking for volunteers to be at the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon and 8k Expo on Saturday, April 20th.  The Expo is from 9am - 4pm (setup begins at 8:30am) and our table will be recruiting for the team and promoting the College Ave Mile and the RRCA-NJ Grand Prix races.  Can you volunteer for an hour or two?  Please fill out the survey and let us know when you are available, at http://doodle.com/2bivr6nsncrzvrai.  Email Amy at adenholtz@gmail.com with any questions.

The GSTC is now on meetup.com, at http://www.meetup.com/Garden-State-Track-Club/!  The black and gold is actively recruiting runners throughout the Garden State and one initiative is to reach out to the running community by getting people offline and onto the track, roads, and trails.  If you or someone you know is on meetup, please get active and join the GSTC meetup community at http://www.meetup.com/Garden-State-Track-Club/!

Douma, Anis, Fonder, Heibell Qualify for Nationals

Four GSTC athletes, Chris Heibell, Mike Anis, Mike Fonder, and Chris Heibell, qualified for the 2013 USATF Club National Championships this weekend.

At the Ramapo Northeast Challenge, Alyssa Douma not only qualified for nationals, but she also won the race and set a GSTC record, hitting the tape in 4:47.76.  Steeplechaser Mike Anis similarly lead from wire to wire in the 3k steeple, until the final 100 meters when overtaken by Ramapo's Billy Howell.  Anis ran a 13 second PR, finishing in 9:54.76 for second.  While not a nationals qualifier, Zak Martins ran an all-time best of 9:19.84 in the 3,000 meters finishing him 12th of 27 athletes.  

At the Monmouth University Invitational, Fonder finished 3rd in 32:15, making his his final workout before the Boston Marathon.

Finally, down in North Carolina, while Heibell's 3:57.88 is far from a personal best, it still qualified him for the club national championships as well.

15k Team Championships

The second grand prix team championship is this weekend at the Indian Trails 15k.  Below are the GSTC members racing it.  Want in?  Shoot us an email!

Men: Ken Goglas, Steve Mennitt, Mike Belgiovine, Edsel Flores, TJ Zablocki, Marty Doherty, Fran Beideman, Peter Auteri

Women: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Prudence Jones, Christine Mockenhaupt, Cathy Stutzman, Robyn Evangelist, Greta Sieve, Michelle Tuchol, Danielle Stanton

Register here: http://indiantrailsroadrace.com/  Prize money is $300, $200, and $100!

This Week in Training

Monday - comfortable run and 6-8x 8-10sec hill sprint
Tuesday - 4x1600 at 10k pace with 3:00 rest. Take a 6 min jog, then go 3x300 hard on full recovery.
Wednesday - progression run of 75% long run duration, start out nice and easy and get your last mile down to about 10k pace
Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins, followed by 6x80m strides
Friday - get a full warmup, then go 20x 400 in 60 on 2:30 cycle. Take a lap jog, then go 20x400 in 60 on 2:30 cycle. Take a lap jog, and go 20x400 in 60 on 2:30 cycle. Run home for a cool down.
Saturday - same as Monday.
Sunday - long run