(9/30-10/6): It's Finally Fall...and It's Finally Cross Country Season!

Cross Country: Real Fall Running

Road racing and road running is an all-year, all-season, all-weather kind of thing.  However, when the leaves start to change colors, when the air starts to get a little crisper, when pumpkins start sitting on doorsteps, and when random strangers start knocking at your door, in full costume, asking you for a Snickers bar….these are all indicators it is cross country season.  A time to race over grass, trails, and leaves while dashing through the woods, it just doesn't get much better than cross country season.

And, good news: it's cross country season!

 

The next two team races in the USATF-NJ Grand Prix are cross country races.  Both held at Deer Path Park in Flemington, October 20th is the 5k, and October 27 is the 8k team championships.

 

Why should you run the XC races with the GSTC?  Hmmmm…..three major reasons!

 

1.  Scores are weighted by two points!  For example, a 7^th place team that would normally score just four points will score six.  So lots o' points on the table!

 

2.  Every complete scoring team, regardless of time, earns a bonus +2 points. So, everyone and anyone can tangibly help us rack up the points!!!

 

3.  The USATF NATIONAL 5k CHAMPIONSHIPS for masters runners will be held in conjunction with our USATF-NJ 5k Championships.  There will be awesome energy on 10/20, indeed!

 

*****Register Today: Price Goes from $25 to $30 Tomorrow*****

Open:  https://www.usatf.org/Products---Services/Event-Registration-Form.aspx?e=101964

 

Masters:  https://www.usatf.org/Products---Services/Event-Registration-Form.aspx?e=101832

--To sign up, you gotta be a USATF member.  Do that very easily and quickly here.

--To buy some GSTC gear, including uniforms, do it here.

Team Runs: Make a Friend!

Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ check facebook group page

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Monday: North Enclave @6:30pm @ Tryon Track, Rutherford

Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 5pm @ check facebook group page

Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Wednesday: Morristown Enclave 6:15pm @ Morristown Running Company

Wednesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Pt Boro HS with Coach Greer

Wednesday: North Enclave 6:30pm @ Ben Franklin MS track, Ridgewood

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Saturday: GSTC Sprinter/Jumper/Hurdler practice: 9:30 @ Donaldson Park in Highland Park

Saturday: Princeton Enclave @ check facebook page

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  9:00am Team Run at Deer Path Park—site of XC RACES—team BBQ to follow!

FB Event:  https://www.facebook.com/events/195325827316976/

Address: 120 West Woodschurch Road, Flemington, NJ 08822

Results: Oktoberfest 10k; Stutz PRs; Goglas Wins Two

'Twas a rather quiet weekend on the GSTC front, as most members took this week to recover and heal from a huge team performance last weekend at the half marathon team championships.  However, a few GSTC'ers hopped in some random races for fun, and…there were some pretty great results, consequently.

First, Cathy Stutzman had an incredible breakthrough in the 5k, dropping an astounding forty seconds from her previous PR.  With her old best coming from the Big Chill 5k last year, Stutz ran 20:03 at the Sean Hanna Foundation 5k in Duke Island Park.

Next, Ken Goglas picked up 1,000 USATF-NJ Grand Prix points in one morning, as he jogged to victory in both the Steeplechase 10k (34:17) and 5k (16:08), which were about five (5!) minutes apart.  Teammate Eric Davis ran 42:41 to finish 16^th overall.  Ken currently leads the Grand Prix and, if he holds on, will win $500 for his efforts.  Teammate Steve Mennitt is quite close behind him, and they should go 1-2 by year's end.

Danielle Czohla and Rob DeCarlo went 1-2 in the Endorphin "5k" Run in Wild West City on Saturday.  They ran 17:27 and 17:41, respectively, on a hilly, rocky trail course.  Recognizing it was a suspect course and distance, Rob went out the next day and ran a full 5k at the Doug Williams 5,000m in 18:25.  Speaking of 5ks, Masters Captain Jeff Blough ran the Carnegie Center 5k this weekend, finishing in 195^th place in 26:35.61.

Finally, a handful of Gold flexed their muscles in the Superhero Events Oktoberfest 10k on Saturday out in Booton, organized and hosted by our fabulous teammate, Heather McDermott.  In the ladies race, Greta Sieve (37:26) and Allie Dublinski (44:41) went 1-2, whereas three men competed: Chuck Schneekloth (3^rd/35:03), Woody Kongsamut (11^th/39:42), and Brian Harris (19^th/42:42).

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

This week the steady striders will meet to run at 9:30am Saturday, October 5th, at Colonial Park, in Franklin Township (Somerset County) and we will assemble in parking lot D off of Colonial Drive.  The park has a running trail, a nature path, and also hugs the D&R Canal Tow Path.  For more information about Colonial Park, or for a park map, respectively, see http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/parksfacilities/colonial/ColonialPark.html  and http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/maps/ColonialParkMap.pdf.  Please email Amy with any questions or to RSVP, at adenholtz@gmail.com.

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Alyssa Douma

Pssst!  Yoga isn't just for California hippies and new-age palm readers!  It can bring many benefits to runners….many benefits!  Alyssa explains some stuff about yoga for runners this week…check it out here.  http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/2013/09/try-some-yoga.html

 

Email her with questions at GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail.com.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

Shanna Beairsto 

Shanna joined GSTC in April in order to meet other runners to train with and follow a consistent training plan. Before races she uses a foam roller, eats eggs/oatmeal and usually warms up for 10 mins and does some strides/stretches. Her goal is to PR in the 5k which right now is 1949, PR in the half marathon which is 1:36:55 right now, and overall just to improve in all events she runs. Outside of running she hangs out with our family in NY, looking up recipes to make for dinner, or go to the city for all you can eat sushi. 

Massoud Messkoub

Massoud joined the team a few weeks ago after Chuck told him he would be a big help for our masters 60 team as he is 67. Pretty safe to say after the Liberty Half Marathon that he was a huge pick up for GSTC. Before races he likes to eat a good dinner and get plenty of rest. Race morning he usually eats a good breakfast, arrives to the race early(sort of an anti Tim Morgan), warm up, relax and eats a gel 15 minutes before. His prs are 3:33 for the marathon and 1:35 for the half marathon. His goal is to run his 70th marathon on his 70th birthday November 2015. He just ran his 57th marathon which includes all 50 states and DC!!!!!! He has 2 more planned for 2013!!!!! Outside of running he likes to travel,camp and hike.

 

Quotes of the Week

"One year ago, almost to the day, I broke 20 for a 5k.  Today, I broke 40 for a 10k.  Pretty cool."  -Woody Kongsamut, after his Superhero Oktoberfest 10k race.

"Hey, that guy Jeff Perrella is he the Jeff Perrella that was insane when he ran HS in NJ?"  -Josh Neyhart, via text, after being introduced to JP for information on tracks in Newark.  Yes, that's THE Jeff Perrella.

"Didn't get a run in this morning, but Jennifer Smalling invited me out to dinner so I'm going to be THAT runner and run to the restaurant. (Don't worry mom I have mace and a reflective jacket) #yayrunning"  -Tiff Schwartz, FB post

"My roommate wants to go out dancing…a feat I cannot do sober."  -Chris Croff, via text, Saturday night

"Great practice!  Yeah it felt good to actually be in the pack!"  -Kelsey Lewis, via text, after Monday's sprint practice.  She is a former high jumper from Rowan making the painful conversion to….sprinting.

"Yeah I really didn't think I would make the squad, but I'll have to put in for a personal day now."  -Ashwin Anantharaman, via text, regarding club nationals in Oregon this year as he totally ripped a huge half marathon PR last week

"Today I ran the Superhero Oktoberfest 10K in Booton and although I didn't run a personal record time I had a personal best time thanks to all my friends. Thanks to all that volunteered, cheered and ran with me and made this such a fantastic experience!"  -Brian Harris, via FB post

"It doesn't even feel….real."  -Cathy Stutzman, after breaking her 5k PR by forty seconds this weekend.

"Do you want it red or brown?"  -David Fett during brunch after Sunday's run, helping Edsel Flores navigate the rocky waters of ordering a hamburger, when asked "rare, medium, or well.

"So, I show up to my aunt's running group last weekend , the Lipstick Marathoners in NYC, and they're all decked out. Heart rate monitors, fuel belts, powerbars, headphones, special running hats, you name it.  It was weird- I'm used to running with the GSTC, where all people wear are shorts."  -Ezra Chefitz, Rutgers student prepping for NYC Marathon.

"You north jersey guys steal all of our south jersey culture.  You even named a hockey team after our demons.'  -Adin Mickle, during post-Sunday team brunch, with his usual lamenting on north/south jersey issues.

"So, is the Pittman Craft Fair an example of south jersey culture?"  -Peter Bolgert, to south jersey enclave member Angela Dunn, questioning their claims of "South Jersey Culture" during post-run brunch

 

Tim Morgan Award: Welcome to the Team!

In a rare moment of back-to-back TMAs, Josh Neyhart is called upon the carpet for his second week in a row.  Earlier this week, he leveraged his job with an airline to fly to LA and back--for $40--just to get some In-n-Out burgers.  OKay, that's fine, sounds fun--but--when asked, "How was your run during your day off"....crickets.  C'mon man--it's a sure TMA if you're gonna go clowning around across country for a fast food meal, but don't find time to squeeze in a run!

Finally, Danielle Czohla gets her first TMA for pursuing a random race no where near 5k distance with supposedly the world's worst footing.  It appears that all nearby races are not created equal, and this one just sounded...funny.

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Monday - 6-8x 8-10sec hill sprints, then a comfortable run.  Be sure you're well warmed up before doing the sprints!

Tuesday - 4-5x mile reps at 10k pace with 3 mins rest.  If your reps are longer than 6 minutes, do 3/4 mile reps instead.

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% long run duration

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - 4-6 mile tempo run @ T pace - you want to go between 25-35 minutes at T pace.  Take a full recovery, then go 3x300 @ mile pace with full recovery

Saturday - same as Monday

Sunday - long run!

(9/23-9/29): In Historic Fashion, GSTC Opens Up 58 Point Lead

GSTC Opens Up Lead in Historic Day

Going into the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships, RVRR held a slim one point lead over the Garden State Track Club in the Overall Grand Prix Team Championships, 200-199.  However, the Golden Phalanx brought seventy-four runners to battle yesterday, ranging in age from 18-67, resulting in a historic 92 total team points--a USATF-NJ record for most point in one event.  Scoring teams in every division, the GSTC now holds the lead in the Overall Grand Prix for the first time in club history, 291-233.  Want to know more about this Herculean team effort?  See below!

 

Ogletree Wins, Women Score 5 Teams in Best All-Time Team Effort

Jersey City- As she's done since 2011, Cheyenne Ogletree ran a passionate race as the GSTC front-running woman, leading her team to its most dominant performance in club history at the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships early Sunday morning.  Not only did her efforts land her the winning $200 purse, she broke the GSTC club record, hitting the tape in 1:20:45, or 6:09 a mile.

The women swept the top three team places, a club first, and also had teams finish 7^th and 10^th.  Having five teams score was also a club record.

In the race of 2,696 finishers, the Women in Gold put six in the top ten.  Katie Chaput continued her outstanding fall, finishing second in 1:22:53 (GSTC #3), and thus winning $150.  Danielle Czohla averaged 6:24 miles to finish at 1:23:53, ranking her #4 on the all-time club list- and winning $125.  Alyssa Douma, like her three teammates, also PRed and finished 4^th overall, winning $100 and thus moving up into the GSTC #5 all-time spot.  Angela Dunn was the final top-10 finisher, averaging 6:41's for a 1:27:38 finish- good for #8 GSTC all time.

The winning team comprised of Ogletree, Chaput, Douma, and Erin Higgins (1:28:50) averaged 1:24:09; this would have placed 8^th in the open men's race, as only three men's teams (GSTC, RVRR, GR) would have beaten them!  The silver medal team averaged 1:28:20 and was Czohla, Dunn, Ewelina Marut (1:27:49), and Meghan DeCarlo (1:34:03).  The bronze medal team, who averaged 1:31:24, was Chelsea Callan (1:28:47), Erika Meling (1:29:54), Tiff Schwartz (1:32:10), and Courtney Stanton (1:34:44).

 

Croff Wins Big, Men Sweep Top 5 Team Spots

Jersey City- In his GSTC debut, Chris Croff ran a PR and the third fastest half marathon in club history, as he ran away with a 68:58 win in the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Grand Prix Championships.  Winning $200, he became just the third man in gold to dip under 69:00 for 13.1 miles, joining the elite group with Jeff Perrella (68:12) and Tom Poland (68:38).  Not a bad first impression, indeed.

The Men in Gold made USATF-NJ association history, becoming the first team to ever sweep the top five team spots in a road race.  To pull this off, they put seven in the top ten, and an incredible twenty in the top thirty-two.  With the top five finishers on each team counting toward the team total, their top five teams averaged, respectively, 73:45, 74:51, 75:16, 76:16, and 77:34.  Garmin Runners finished 6^th with a 77:59 average while the GSTC "F Team" finished 13^th of 17^th teams.

Steve Mennitt ran a 2:00 PR, as his 5:19 pace finished him 3^rd with a 69:39 finish, good for a $125 pay day.  William Griffin, making his debut in Black and Gold, barely dipped under the 70:00 mark, finishing 4^th in 69:59 to win $100.  Teammate Michael Fonder, despite nursing an inflamed phalange in his foot, snagged 5^th place and the final money spot, earning $50 for his 70:06 finish.

Also in the top ten were Ashwin Anantharaman (70:41/PR/6^th), Ken Goglas (70:51/7^th), Sean Donohue (71:56/PR/8^th), and Mike Anis (72:15/PR/10^th).

There were numerous GSTC debut performances that enabled the historic 1-2-3-4-5 sweep of the top five team spots.  Those included Donohue, Rob Marczydlo (76:28), Matthew Eder (75:32), Joe Zeoli (77:40), Henry Mattingly (80:40), Bryan McDonnell (75:11), Jon Lindenauer (77:01), Keith Gruchacz (78:33), and Tom Visicaro (80:29).

 

Women's Masters: A Point is a Point!

The GSTC Master's Women 40s team finished in 8^th place our of twelve teams, locking up one point for the club in the overall team score.  The team was led by Sarah Hersey, making her Gold Debut, in 1:39:24.  Teammates Joan Darnsteadt (2:00:31), Jennifer Briganti (2:02:18), and Prudence Jones (2:21:51) teamed up with Hersey for the very rare women's masters complete team and point!

Men's Masters: 60s Snag Silver

In one of the biggest surprises of the day, the GSTC Men's 60's team finished second place out of nine teams—good for seven points.  Averaging 1:43:49, this is the highest masters men's finish in club history.  While Francis Beideman (1:40:33) and Peter Auteri (1:41:26) have been consistent team participants, the deciding factor was the addition of the third man to complete the scoring team, Massoud Messkoub.  The 67 year old cranked out a 1:49:28, helping GSTC's first 60s team to its clutch silver medal finish.

In a tragic moment, masters' standout Marty Doherty broke his foot in the opening mile of the race stepping in a pothole.  While this prevented the men's 40s team from having a complete scoring team, most especially the masters group will lose their strongest runner for the remainder of the fall season.  We wish Marty a quick and speedy recovery. 

The men's 50s team, however, did grab six team points thanks to their 1:40:56 average and 5^th place finish.  Brian Harris was the top finisher in 1:35:51, with Jeremy Stratton (1:37:21) right behind him.  Beideman, Auteri, and Messkoub rounded out the team for the GSTC.

See Star Ledger article HERE, with lots of GSTC pictures

See results HERE

North Enclave Wins GSTC Brouhaha

The North Enclave is the new Enclave Champ, dethroning the Princeton Enclave from the top of the Enclave Mountain.  Thank goodness, because we were all tired of hearing Peter Bolgert saying his enclave was the "Winningest Enclave in Brouhaha History."

The scores were as follows:  North 23, Princeton 34, Central 36, Beach 64, and Morristown 70.  The Jersey City and South Enclaves had just three finishers, rendering them both an unfortunate incompletes. 

The Enclave Brouhaha is a contest between regional training groups of the GSTC.  All men and women are assigned a number based on their overall finish within the team.  The top five finishers-male or female- for each enclave are added up, and the enclave with the lowest score wins.

Ogletree, Czohla, Douma, and Marut were the 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, and 6^th finishers for the GSTC women, and McDonnell was the men's #9 finisher.  This adds up to 23 points, giving the North their victory.  Despite Enclave Captain Adin Mickle's claims that the "South is Rising Again," we don't know what the $%^& he's talking about, as they recorded their second INC of the year.

Chaput (2), Fonder (4), Anantharaman (5), Schwartz (10), and Bolgert (13) enabled the defending champs to scrap together a silver medal finish, as the Central grabbed bronze thanks to the finishes of Mennit (2), Goglas (6), Anis (8), Erika Meling (9), and Kyle Price (11).

In the upcoming cross country races, the Enclave Brouhaha will be scored not on the top three, not on the top five, but….on the top seven!

 

1.  North Enclave:  23 points.

Ogletree (1), Czohla (3), Douma (4), Marut (6), McDonell (9), K. Auteri (11), Meghan DeCarlo (12), Courtney Stanton (13), Danielle Stanton (14), Lindenauer (16), Steven Comanto (21), Joan Darnsteadt (25), Rob DeCarlo (32), Jaris Rousseau (33), Brian Harris (35), Beideman (40), P. Auteri (41),  Dave Donza (42),

 

2.  Princeton Enclave:  34 points.

Chaput (2), Fonder (4), Anantharaman (5), Schwartz (10), Bolgert (13), Cathy Stutzman (17), Mattingly (24),

 

3.  Central Enclave:  36 points.

Mennitt (2), Goglas (6), Anis (8), Meling (9), Price (11), Marczydlo (14), Chuck Schneekloth (15), Tim Morgan (18), Keith Gruchacz (20), Steph Donatone (20), Visicaro (22), Edsel Flores (23), Aysha Mirza (23), Jones (28), Dan Teichmann (29), Mark Parisen (31), Danny Siegel (35), Jeremy Stratton (37), Nick Waclowski (38), Sai Medicherla (39), Jonathan Campanaro (45)

 

4.  Beach Enclave:  64 points.

Chelsea Callan (7), Donohue (7), Christina Chafos (15), Erin Blum (16), Dennie Waite (19), Ken Walsh (25), Vanessa Chafos (27),

 

5.  Morristown Enclave:  70 points.

Chris Croff (1), Erin Higgins (8), Hersey (18), Jill Zablocki (21), Heather McDermott (22), Jay Margolis (26), Jennifer Briganti (26), Mark Miniverni (27), Terri Rozyla (29), Dave Dos Santos (30), Andrew Tschesnok (34), George Feese (43), Messkoub (44),

 

INC:  Jersey City Enclave

Griffin (3), Bearisto (19), Darnell Armstrong (28)

 

INC: South Enclave.

Angela Dunn (5), Adin Mickle (10), Joe Zeoli (17)

 

Team Runs: Enclaves at Work!

Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Mercer Co. Park.  Meet by bathrooms at the West Picnic Area.  Follow green arrow here. 

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 5pm @ Turning Basin Park (Princeton/Alexander Rd)

Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Wednesday: Morristown Enclave 6:15pm @ Morristown Running Company

Wednesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Pt Boro HS with Coach Greer

Thursday: North Enclave:  Event/run at Fleet Feet. Contact DeCarlos for more information.

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Saturday: GSTC Sprinter/Jumper/Hurdler practice: 9:30 @ Donaldson Park in Highland Park

Saturday: Princeton Enclave TBA @ Village Park (Lawrenceville)

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  Team Run at Washington's Crossing, 9am

See Facebook Event Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/550689108320292/

 

 

Other Results

Ruscel Kirkland had a busy weekend, running 19:15 at the Mental Health 5k on Sunday and running 5:20 at the 5^th Avenue Mile.  Speaking of the 5^th Ave Mile, three other GSTC'ers did it: Ted Doyle (4:31), Sam Harris (4:48), and Woody Kongsumut (5:24).

Dave Hamilton ran 3:00:30 in the Air Force Marathon on Saturday.  Finishing 33^rd overall of 3,163, he was 16^th of Active Military out of 1,600, and was 5^th in the men's 35-39 age category.

Finally, Liz Licorish won $100 by winning the Runnemede Rotary 5k this weekend!  She ran 22:11 for the dubya…we love it! 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

The Steady Striders will be meeting this Thursday at 6:00pm at the Rutgers Student Center in New Brunswick.  Prudence Jones will be leading the run, so if you want to hop in for some miles at 10-12 minute miles, email her at

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Erika Meling

For running, strengthening the upper body is just as important as working the lower body. Your arms are what propels you forward and helps maintain speed throughout the workout. When you run, your arms counterbalance the motion of your legs, which results in saved energy. Having a strong upper body will also keep you in proper running form when fatigue sets in.

Read the rest here.  

 

Email her with questions at GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail.com.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

Sarah Hersey

Sarah joined GSTC a week ago after Karen Auteri convinced her that we were the coolest people around and she should get to know us. Her pre race/running routine is drink diet coke, a bit of chocolate, a protein bar and water. She just started racing a couple of years ago and has completed 1 10k, 2 5ks and a couple half marathons with her PR being 94:33. Outside of running she also competes in triathlons, loves to travel as she tries to spend 1 day in each state and has only 4 to go. She also likes to volunteer and spend time with family and friends  

 

Andrew Tschesnok 

Andrew joined GSTC 10 days ago after realizing he would be of huge help for our masters team(40 or older). He started running again last year after getting injured in college. His Prs from college are 4:18 for the mile, 2:30 for the 1k and 32 mins for the 10k. He basically got off the couch and trained for a marathon in 4 months. He still ran an impressive 3 hours 35 minutes after a nearly 20 year hiatus. His goals are to be a better masters runner by break 80 minutes in the half and possibly 34 in the 10k. He says the problem is consistent running but joining GSTC is the right step into becoming a more consistent runner. He spends time with his family when he is not running especially his 21 month old and has a pilots license.

 

Quotes of the Week

"Vultures always circle above me for whatever reason."  -Jeff Blough, masters captain, during a Princeton Enclave run

"I've been hanging ot with Jeff Blough all week…there's got to be something."  -Peter Bolgert, via FB chat, when asked if there were any good QOTW from his runs

"It was great to run with the GSTC today!! Such an awesome performance by the team. Thank you to Nick Mercoun Breanne Hollenbach Maryam Haque Ybrahina Cohen Al Alonso and my parents for coming out to cheer me on!! You guys are great!!" –Ewelina Marut, via FB post

"BEAST!!!!!! So proud of you!!!!!!!"  -Karen Auteri, FB post to Danielle Czohla, after her magnificent run

"I just set my Personal Record for a half marathon at 1:56:14.  That's 28 minutes faster than my previous PR set in April!"  -Jonathan Companaro, in new first GSTC race, experiencing the magic of the gold uniform.

"5 Things I learned yesterday.
1. I am not in the shape I was in last year....yet.
2. Our men's 60s team is really good.
3. Never underestimate 18-23 year olds in their first half marathon. 
4. It is more enjoyable at these races when we have more people there. 
5. Will Griffin is the happiest person on this team, maybe the world."  -Ken Goglas, via FB post

"Battled back and forth with this guy for the last three miles of the race but got him in the last quarter mile."  -Sean Donohue, FB captain of finish line picture at race 

"Congrats to everyone who ran in the Half Marathon today! Regarding the brouhaha competition, it looks like we've been beaten by the Central Enclave, and probably the North Enclave as well. Stay tuned for Chuck Schneekloth's error-ridden recap tomorrow!"  -Peter Bolgert, Princeton Enclave weekly post.  As of this week, there is now an editor….so there!  Anyone else want to spend all day Sunday putting this damned email together?

"69th overall out over 3,000 people and PR my time by 3 mins from last year with a time of 1:24:39 average pace was 6:22 per mile."  -Mark Miniverni, via FB post

"I'm having dessert now?  Where is the weekly email?"  -David Dos Santos, via text, asking impatiently Monday night.

"Coming!!!!!!!"  -GSTC weekly email correspondent

"That's what she said."  -DDS

  

Tim Morgan Award: Welcome to the Team!

For some, a TMA is a regular occurrence.  For others, it's the email section they look at first, but dread to see their name. The smart ones just fly under the radar, avoiding any possibility of receiving the GSTC Scarlet Letter.  For most, it is a rite of passage, a welcoming into the team, a tradition that dates back to the ancient times of….2011.  Or, one may argue, the birthday of Tim Morgan, whenever the heck that was.

All that aside, we welcome Josh Neyhart, a 3:48 1500m runner (~4:05 mile), with his first TMA.  He received numerous emails and texts regarding details of the race this weekend, and as the team manager, his duties with pictures, uniforms, watching over team bags, etc. were quite clear, as were the time, location, and other expectations of the services he so happily volunteered with Nicole Callaghan.

At 7:18am, he sent a text asking "Where in Jersey City are we meeting?", and followed this with some Morgan-Esque questions of confusion and chaos.  We are fairly sure he never even made it to the race, despite the week of discussion about it.  While we appreciate the apologetic texts afterward, we welcome you to the few, the proud….the winners of the Tim Morgan Award. 

Next, Jaris Rousseau gets his first call upon the Timmy carpet.  First, he drives twenty miles SOUTH to carpool in the team van with us NORTH (we drive right by Union, where he lives, when going to Jersey City).  Next, he's ten minutes late—not cool.  Then, as he's rushing out of his car, he locks his keys in his car.  THEN, he stops in the middle of his race because he had a huge breakfast to go to the bathroom.  Jaris is a living, breathing testament to the old adage, "Common sense ain't so common."

Finally, the race director of the Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon gets the nod for the overall safety negligence on their half marathon course.  When the headline of the Star Ledger's article emphasizes the many injuries incurred during the race—that's just not good.  At all.  Some are independent of the course, but some were directly correlated—such as our runner breaking his foot in a pot hole.  No one is asking you to repave the entire course, but hell- ride the course and throw up some cones in the danger zones.  Furthermore, having several water spots is another easy fix, requiring someone with a shovel to just get their hands a little dirty.  The GSTC has removed larger water puddles for both Road Relays and the College Ave Mile, and we were disappointed such safety measures were not taken by the race management here.        

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Priority 1 this week is recovery.  A hard HM is a lot to pull together from, so we're going to take it light until late in the week, and even then it's going to be very off-the-clock.  Err on the easy side, with lighter volume if necessary.  Listen to your body.  We had fantastic results, and there's  more to come.  But we can't get to more quality training until we're back to 100%.  We are supposed to have excellent weather this week, so that will help!

Monday - super easy recovery day - 40-60 minutes and some light stretching.

Tuesday - comfortable distance and strides.  Volume is totally up to you.  

Wednesday - medium run of 75% long run duration - pace is up to you.  You may want to start off easy and let it progress naturally just based on feel.

Thursday - another comfortable distance day with strides.

Friday - fartlek run with 8-10 pickups of 1:00-2:00 at 10k pace, with enough recovery time to run the next pickup feeling good.

Saturday - same as Tuesday and Thursday.

Sunday - long run!

(9/16-9/22): One CR, Three Golds, and a Half Marathon!

The GP Team Half Marathon Is Here!

Down by One Point, GSTC Brings the House this Sunday

 

Jersey City-  No team in New Jersey has ever won the Triple Crown: the USATF National Title, the USATF East Region Title, and the USATF-NJ Overall Grand Prix Title.  It takes not just talented runners, but a deep pool of committed team members of all ages to pull off such a feat in the same year. 

After checking off the first two boxes this summer, the GSTC looks to take the lead in the USATF-NJ Overall Grand Prix this weekend, a huge step toward achieving such a feat.  However, it's going to take a legion of runners to do it, and every single one is going to be extremely important over the next several races.  Since teams score ten deep, lots of points are on the table every team race, as every GSTC team has the opportunity to score a few points that will contribute to the overall point total.  The distribution is 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 for the top ten places. 

The GSTC has never lead the overall team competition, and it has never won the overall team title.

A huge shift will be the presence of masters runners wearing gold and black.  In last year's half marathon, the GSTC scored their first master's team. This year, the women will have a 40s team, and the men, for the first time in club history, will have a 40s, 50s, and 60s team. Recent additions of Sarah Hersey, Jennifer Briganti, Massoud Messkoub, Andrew Tschesnok, and David Donna are making such a presence possible.

Team co-captains Cathy Stutzman, Alyssa Douma, and Karen Auteri for the women, and Ken Goglas and Ken Walsh for the men, have designed team lineups that will maximize every single participating runner to contribute to the team.  If you are interested in running with the GSTC, fast or slow, it isn't too late!  Please email and you'll be included!

The Club also will have its "Enclave Brouhaha", a competition between the seven training enclaves.  The top five finishers of each GSTC regional group, male or female, will count in the brouhaha scores.  At the Belmar Chase, the Princeton Enclave won, followed by the Central, North, Jersey City, Beach, and Morristown Enclaves.  The South Enclave was an INC.

All runners will receive an email later today with instructions on signing up, meeting up, uniforms, USATF registration, etc.

 

2013 USATF-NJ Overall Team Scores

200- Raritan Valley Road Runners

199- Garden State Track Club

149- Clifton Road Runners

124- Garmin Runners

124- Do Run Runners

120- Shore AC

112- Sneaker Factory

105- North Jersey Masters

69- Morris County Striders

50- Fleet Feet

30- Rose City Runners

19- Pearl Izumi Mid-Atlantic

1- Highland Hashers

0- Geezers

  

Version 2.0: Women's Half Marathon Lineups

Black: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Katie Chaput, Erin Higgins, Karen Auteri, Vanessa Chafos

Gold: Chelsea Callan, Erika Meling, Tiff Schwartz, Meghan DeCarlo, Heather Gardiner, Michelle Tuchol

White: Danielle Czohla, Angela Dunn, Ewelina Juzwiak, Danielle Stanton, Courtney Stanton, Terri Rozyla

Golden: Sarah Hersey, Jennifer Briganti, Cathy Stutzman, Jill Zablocki, Joan Darnsteadt, Prudence Jones

Blold: Ingrid Garofalo, Shanna Beirsto, Erin Blum, Christina Chafos, Bri Teichmann, Aysha Mirza

Masters 40s: Sarah Hersey, Jennifer Briganti, Prudence Jones

 

Version 2.0: Men's Half Marathon Lineups

Black: Ashwin Anatharaman, Steve Mennitt, Timmy Morgan, Chuck Schneekloth, Ken Walsh, Kyle Price

White: Mike Anis, Ken Goglas, Paul Matuszak, Steve Comanto, Tom Viscaro, Dan Teichman, Dave Dos Santos

Gold: Peter Bolgert, Mike Fonder, Bryan McDonnell, Jon Lindenauer, Dennie Waite, Mark Minervini, Rob DeCarlo

Golden: Sean Donohue, Matt Eder, Edsel Flores, Henry Mattingly, Jay McGeever, Jay Margolis, Rob Marczydllo

Whack: Chris Croff, Adin Mickle, Will Griffin, Timmy Terrific, Joe Zeoli, TJ Zablocki

Blold: Darnell Armstrong, David Donna, Sean Cust, Sai Medicherla, Andrew Tschenock, Nick Waclawski, El Hedi Bari

Masters 40's: Brian Harris, Marty Doherty, David Donna, Jeremy Stratton, Andrew Tschesnok 

Masters 50's: Brian Harris, Marty Doherty, Fran Beideman, Pete Auteri, Jeremy Stratton

Masters 60's:  Fran Beideman, Pete Auteri, Massoud Messkoub

 

 

Team Runs: C'mon On Out!

Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Village Park (Lawrenceville)

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Monday:  GSTC Sprinter/Jumper/Hurdler practice: 5:30 @ Highland Park HS in Highland Park 

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Turning Basin Park (Princeton/Alexander Rd)

Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Wednesday: Morristown Enclave 6:15pm @ Morristown Running Company

Wednesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Pt Boro HS with Coach Greer

Thursday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Saturday: North Enclave 3pm @ DeCarlos House. Shakeout run + pre-half marathon pasta party!

Saturday: GSTC Sprinter/Jumper/Hurdler practice: 9:30 @ Donaldson Park in Highland Park

Saturday: Princeton Enclave TBA @ Village Park (Lawrenceville)

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  Half Marathon Team Championships @ Jersey City

 

Essays 4 Equipment: Exciting Update

Essays 4 Equipment established an exciting new partnership with Perth Amboy High School's running teams this past week. With this new addition, the time has never been better to look through your closet and decide if you have running gear that would better serve a young runner. If you are interested in making a donation contact GSTCoutreach@gmail.com with any questions. Donations can be given to David Fett or any enclave captain at a weekly run.

Essays 4 Equipment is part of the GSTC outreach program that presents donated running gear to NJ HS runners that submit an essay describing their running goals. We collect gently used running shoes, racing spikes, and running clothes for those in need to reuse. More information can be found on http://gardenstatetc.org/outreach/community.html.

 

Results: Three Golds and a CR This Weekend

At the Philly Rock and Roll Half Marathon, Greta Sieve broke the GSTC club record in the half marathon, running 81:24.  Since it is such a competitive race, her speedy time was 32^nd of all 11,024 women finishers, and 206^th overall of the approximate 18,068 finishers.  Teammates Tiff Schwartz ran 1:28:55, good for the 100^th female and 495^th overall, and Kelly Polisin finished in 1:48:33, making her the 1,023^rd women finisher and 3,098^th overall.

There were three GSTC'ers winning 5k races this past weekend as final tune-ups for the half marathon.  First, masters runner Brian Harris won his first ever race, the Valley Middle School 5k in Oakland, hitting the tape in 19:26.  Peter Bolgert also chalked up a dubya for the gold, winning the Butler-Wilson 5k is 16:23, a charity run on the Princeton University campus.  Finally, Ashwin Anantharaman won gold in the Stephanie Beran 5k….or rather, damned near almost 6k, in 18:26.  Opening his first mile in 4:53, course officials pulled him along the wrong route, otherwise known as a Chris Heibell Thanksgiving Day Race.  Despite being the only runner to do the extra 800m-1000m, he still won the race.  There are a few TMAs here, obviously which we'll outline in a moment.

Finally, Jennifer Lucas came in 5^th in her age group in the Atlantic City Triathlon.  Finishing in one hour and thirteen minutes, she was 52^nd overall out of 534 particpants. 

 

Sorry for Delay!

We like finishing and sending the club's weekly email on Sunday evening, but when we get late submissions for the email….we aren't able to produce the goods.  Sorry!  Next time, we hope!

 

Sunday's Leadership Meeting

The GSTC's September Leadership Team meeting will be shortly after the half marathon race in Jersey City on Sunday, 9/22.  All members are invited and welcome to attend, as we appreciate the input of all of our awesome members.  Location and time will be posted on FB, like seemingly everything else in the world.

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

It was a pleasure meeting some newer members this past Sunday for a run on River Road!  This Saturday, September 21st at 8:30am, the steady striders and couch to 5k runners will meet at the North Brunswick Community Park, located on Rt. 130 (heading south, the entrance is shortly after Adams Lane).  The park website is available at at http://www.northbrunswicknj.gov/DPRCS/parks_North_Brunswick_Community_Park.html and a map is also available at http://www.northbrunswicknj.gov/parks_map_2006.pdf (see the largest green block - labeled 17 - for the North Brunswick Community Park).  We will meet in the parking lot across from the baseball fields for a run along the 2.17 mile loop - all paces and distances welcome!  Please email Amy, atadenholtz@gmail.com, with any questions or to RSVP.

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Alyssa Douma

Foam rolling saves lives!  Okay, maybe not seriously, but it really can help.  Alyssa shares some secrets about how using the foam roller will keep you healthy and off the disabled list!

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/2013/09/foam-rolling.html

 

Email her with questions at GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail.com.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 

Susan Goglas

Susan joined GSTC in the beginning of August-right before the Belmar Chase and after her 60th b-day-joined it due to encouragement from her son and GSTC men's captain Ken Goglas.  She thinks he was trying to recruit some master women for the club, also joining a club would give her some structure and improve her knowledge base with regards to working out and staying fit.   She figured she would lend a hand,bring along her workout buddy, Wendy Biel. Her goals are to be fit, as healthy as she can, to improve her time for a 5K, 2 mile, mile, improve her endurance, avoid injuries.  Her pre-run/race routines include no real routines (don't really run too many races), some stretches and about 15 min. jog. Her hobbies outside of running include reading, weekends at the shore (riding bike, walks on beach.) Plans for her hobbies upon retirement-perhaps learn how to golf, fish, and gardening. 

 

Jarret Kunze

Jarret is the most recent member of GSTC joining Sunday after meeting Peter Bolgert at a race. He joined because he loves track and wanted to be part of a team. Before races he does a 15 minute jog, skips, leg swings, and strides.  Outside of running, he likes to play guitar, bike and do other outdoors things.

His PRs and goals for this year goes as follows:

400 relay split: 51.7, 800: 1:57.5 goal:1:55 1000: 2:33 goal 2:30 Mile: 4:26 goal 4:22 5k: 16:21 goal 16:05 8k: 27:10 goal 26:30.

 

Quotes of the Week

"There definitely is an intimidation factor for seeing one of your singlets. Anytime I do, I assume the person wearing it is really fast."  Bob Skorupski, Highland Hashers member, via FB chat (Editor's Note: we appreciate the compliment, but as we all know….we have all ages and abilities rockin' black and gold, even if the uniform is a chilling sight to our adversaries)

"Thanks for participating in the 2013 Belmar Chase.  The Garden State Track Club's participation in our event is most appreciated.  We see the GSTC as not only the fastest growing club in the state, but also one of the most talented and enthusiastic groups in the region."  -Belmar Chase Meet Director and 2000 American Olympian Rich Kenah, via letter to all GSTC participants in the Belmar Chase. 

"The only thing better than winning a race is winning a race for someone else. For my father and for my friend, who I hope somehow someway got to watch and knew I was doing it in memory of him. 

Now I just can't wait to put on that gold jersey."  -new member Jon Lindenauer, FB post on June 16^th

"Since I've managed to sleep away the day, a delayed thank you for including me in today's team run (my first one! finally!)…. it's SO much easier running with the team vs doing it on your own. I was definitely scared coming back after a week off. I'm happy to have met more people on the team and placing faces with the names, as well as having a great time & random conversations at brunch today. So really, THANK YOU ALL for having me!  Looking forward to many more!"  -Aysha Mirza, FB post, after today's long run

"Monday: AM- 4xMcDonalds, PM- KFC, 30 seconds on 2 minutes off for 35-45 minutes. Repeat Tuesday- Saturday. Sunday light jog to maintain blood flow to the vital organs."  -John Wlasuk, GSTC thrower, via FB post in response to weekly sprinter sessions

"My ethical framework I these cases is this: what would happen if everyone did it?  If everyone boarded (a plane) whenever they wanted, there'd be chaos, so it's unethical, even though nothing bad will come of it.  The same logic explains why it's unethical to take shortcuts across grass instead of staying on the sidewalks and walkways."  -Peter Bolgert, via text, philosophizing about living a life of integrity.  We will pretend he hasn't been lobbying for a gerrymandering of enclave lines for months to improve his Princeton Enclave's Chances at another Brouhahah win. 

 

Tim Morgan Award: Not Quite a Darwin Award

First, Mike Anis gets the obvious nod.  For Sunday's long run, he agreed to be one of the carpooling drivers—one of the first times he's ever been able to be a driver due to his work schedule.  Lo and behold, when 7:50 came and went, we called Dr. Anis. Muffling something about "alarm", "underwear", and "twerking", the group of five awaiting him had to go to plan b.

Next is the fiasco at Ashwin Anantharaman's race, but we believe two TMAs are in order.  First, the race director gets one for not ensuring the runners were taken on the right course during mile two.  Second, Ashwin needs to get one as well.  This is his "hometown race that he runs every year," yet somehow he follows the lead car the wrong way?  Cmon brother- you know the course since you've done it for years! If you had the option of following your GPS or Tim Morgan's car, which would you select?

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

We're going to back off a bit late in the week so we can roll on Sunday.  With the great weather, it's possible that you can slack on hydration a bit and still be OK for a day or two.  Any longer than that and it will catch up with you - make sure you keep doing all the little things to keep your training as good as it can be!

Monday - 6-8x 8-10sec hill sprints, followed by a comfortable run. Be sure you're well warmed up before doing the sprints!

Tuesday - 2x2M at HM pace, 1xM at T pace, 1x800 at 5k pace.  Use heart rate as a guide to how long the recovery should be.  Just a crude 6 second measure multiplied by 10 will tell give you a good enough estimate.  Once you're down to 130-140, you're ready to run again!

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% long run duration 

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - fartlek run - same distance as Monday.  Include some pickups of 5-8 minutes at HM goal pace.

Saturday - shakeout!

Sunday - RACE

(9/9-9/15): Down by One Point....The Half Marathon Looms Large in Two Weeks

Grand Prix Half Marathon Looms Large

Down by One Point, GSTC Looks for All Hands on Deck in Two Weeks

Jersey City- The Grand Prix Half Marathon goes down in two weeks, and it goes without saying—the GSTC will need all hands on deck.  Caught in a tight race for the overall USATF-NJ Grand Prix Team Championship, the Gold is down by just one point—and has the opportunity to be the first team to knock off RVRR in GP history.  But it ain't gonna be easy.

In 2013, ten teams now score team points (12,10,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1), so suddenly depth makes more of a difference.  Last week, for example, the GSTC women had their "E" team finish 9^th in the 5k championships, resulting in a valuable two point bump.  Indeed, every single runner will make a difference in a race this tight.

The Gold has been playing catch-up all year, and it's no surprise due to the lack of masters runners and thus inability to leverage the controversial "double dipping" rule.  That said, the club is no stranger to come-from-behind grand prix wins.  In 2011, during its first year of competition, the GSTC did not compete in the first four team races; however, they won four of the next five, pulling off a final victory at the now-defunct 10 Mile Championships (as the "A Team" competed at club nationals in Seattle) to earn the open men's team title---by one point.

If you are interested in hopping in, fast slow or somewhere in between, shoot us an email!  We will happily shuffle teams around and find a place for you, as the below lineups are simply a rough draft that will certainly shift over the next two weeks.

Register herrrrrrrrrrrrre.

Draft One: Women's Half Marathon Lineups

Gold: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Katie Chaput, Erin Higgins, Karen Auteri, Erin Blum, Bri Teichmann 

Black: Chelsea Callan, Erika Meling, Tiff Schwartz, Jess Byrnes, Meghan DeCarlo, Joan Darnsteadt, Aysha Mirza

White: Danielle Czohla, Angela Dunn, Ewelina Marut, Danielle Stanton, Courtney Stanton, Vanessa Chafos

Golden: Ingrid Garofalo, Cathy Stutzman, Jill Zablocki, Shanna Beairsto, Michelle Tuchol, Christina Chafos

 

Draft One: Men's Half Marathon Lineups

Golden: Chris Croff, Ryan Johns, Adin Mickle, Andy Gallagher, Tim Paziora,Sean Donohue

Gold: Ashwin Anantharaman, Steve Mennitt, Tim Morgan, Chuck Schneekloth, Ken Walsh, Kyle Price

Black: Mike Anis, Ken Goglas, Paul Matuszak, Steve Comanto, Tom Visciaro, Dan Teichmann

White:  Peter Bolgert ,Mike Fonder, Bryan McDonnell, Joe Zeoli, Dennie Waite, Mark Minervini

Blold:  TJ Zablocki, David Fett, Edsel Flores, Keith Grunchacz, Adam Grunchacz, Jay Margolis, Rob Marczydlo

Whold:  Darnell Armstrong, Marty Doherty, Sean Cust, Mark Parisen, Nick Waclawski, Mo El Hedi Bari, Rob DeCarlo, Shawn McGeever, Sai Medicherla

Masters: Peter Auteri, Fran Beideman, Eric Davis, Marty Doherty, Brian Harris, Jeremy Stratton

 

Team Runs: Get Yo' Butt Out There!

Monday: Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Practice: 5:30 @ Highland Park HS

Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Rosedale Park (Pennington)

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Turning Basin Park (Princeton/Alexander Rd)

Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Wednesday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Wednesday: South Enclave 6:30pm @ Pitman HS (225 Linden Ave, Pitman)

Wednesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Pt Boro HS with Coach Greer

Thursday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Saturday:  Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Practice: 10am @ Highland Park HS

Saturday: Princeton Enclave TBA @ "Check Facebook Group Page"

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  8:30am TEAM RUN at River Road.  Team brunch to follow!

 

GSTC Gear Update: Phenetix

A few updates from Phenetix CEO, Bryan Swarn, who designs everything that is GSTC.

1- All women who purchased one of the lower cut sports bras will be receiving a FREE second sports bra....cut a bit differently.  They are shipping the first one to Alyssa to try out.

2- They have worked out a new deal with UPS, so shipping prices will soon change.  We will soon have shipping options ("ground", "overnight", etc.)

3- They are working on a black and gold GSTC training shoe.  Hmmmmm......should be interesting.

4- They are purchasing more uniforms from overseas, so wait time will move from 4-6 weeks to 3-4 weeks.

Weekend Results

Most of us are gearing up for the half marathon in a few weeks, but there were two results from this weekend.  First, Ken Walsh finished second in the Brielle Day 10k Hill and Dale Challenge, finishing in 36:35.  This is 2:00 faster than his 10k time in Jersey City in May, and this was a much more challenging course.  He was fourth until the last mile, whereas he passed 3^rd and 4^th.  Also racing this weekend was Rob DeCarlo, who ran 19:01 and finished 3^rd overall at the Garfield 5k this Saturday.  Like Walsh, he trimmed off a heart 1:38 from his June time at President's Cup. 

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz
This upcoming weekend, the steady striders will meet with the full GSTC membership on Sunday, September 15 at 8:30am to run at River Road. The following weekend, the steady striders will meet for a group run on Saturday, September 21st. Email Amy at adenholtz@gmail.com with any questions.

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Jessica Byrnes

If you ever feel tight during a run, race, or workout, maybe it's because you aren't warming up properly.  This week's training tip is on loosening up the hips.  Check it out here!   And as always, if you have a question for the GSTC personal training crew, email them at

GSTC Personal Training

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/2013/09/dynamic-warm-up-leg-swings.html

Giving your body a proper warm-up is often as overlooked as stretching for many runners. By getting yourself into a routine of (at minimum) some dynamic warm-up moves like leg swings, you will activate your hip flexors, hamstrings, and glutes to prepare them for the demands of your workout.

Gold Star: Recognizing Our New Members

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 Renne Brzyski

Renee joined GSTC this summer because she considers track part of her life and knows she can continue to improve. She is a heptathlete so before races she warms up about 45 minutes to an hour because she really needs to get loose and says a prayer before the race goes off. Her goals are to balance a job and still be a competitive heptathlete. She is hoping to hit mid 13s in the 100 hurdles, run 24 lows in the 200 consistently, hit 5000 points in the heptathlon, 6 meters in the long jump, 5'7" in the high jump, and over 33m in the javelin, pr in the 800, go 58 in the 400hurdles, sub 8.6 in the 60m hurdles, and sub 7.9 in the 60m dash. Outside of running she loves to ride her dirt bike. She originally had a dream of being in a motorcross league but her parents told her it was too dangerous so she took up an even more dangerous sport....track. 

 

Bill Banks

Bill joined GSTC this month as a form of motivation to work out. He wants to get into better shape and realized that GSTC was the best club to help him reach his goals. He is a new runner, which we all love to see and will make a great addition to Amy's awesome couch to 5k group. He has no pre race routines yet but has a goal to run in unique or themed 5ks and come within the top half of the results. Outside of running he is a huge gamer who enjoys traveling with his wife and working his job. 

 

Quote of the Week

"So when I showed up at the reservoir today, and saw that kind of group of people, it was a really welcome sight. I really had a blast, and it's really lighting a fire under me to get back into running."  -Zachary Kudlak, via email, talking about his first GSTC run this Sunday

Tim Morgan Award

Hey, please submit stuff to us….this section is only funny when members send in funny stuff!  Now that Zak Martins has left to finish his college career, we have much less content to work with here. 

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Monday - 6-8x 8-10sec hill sprints, followed by a comfortable run. Be sure you're well warmed up before doing the sprints!

Tuesday - 6-8x1k@ T pace with 2:00 rest.  If your reps are longer than 4:00, run 800s instead.

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% long run duration 

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - 4-6 mile tempo run.  Aim to get quicker over the course of the run, starting at T pace + 20 seconds and dropping 8-10s per mile.  Take a full recovery, then go 4x200 at mile pace.

Saturday - same as Monday. 

Sunday - Long run.

 

(9/2-9/8): GSTC Women Flex Muscles at 5k Championships

Women Flex Muscles in 5k Championships

Four Teams Score as Golden Girls Bring GSTC Within 1 Point in Overall GP

 New Brunswick- The GSTC open women put on their greatest display of depth Sunday morning, as twenty-six members comprising five teams participated in the Grand Prix 5k Open Women's Championship.  Out of fifteen scoring teams, the ladies finished 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th, 9^th, and 12^th—racking up thirty total team points. While extending their perfect, unbeaten streak in 2013, they set club records both for number of women, and number of teams, competing in one team event.

In addition, their passionate team effort closed the gap in the USATF-NJ Overall Grand Prix Series.  Down twenty points prior to the race, the GSTC is now down just one point with four open and five masters team championship races remaining: the half marathon (9/22), 5k cross country (10/20), 8k cross country (10/27), Giralda Farms 10k (master's women only, 11/10), and Ashenfelter 8k (11/28). 

The GSTC has never won the overall team title, as it requires a delicate balance of both open and masters runners.  It also just takes a massive number of participants, much like the open women did yesterday, as the top ten teams score points of 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 respectively.  So, every runner on every team counts in such a tight team race.

The club would have taken the lead by six points had it not been for a last-minute injury, fifteen minutes before the race.  The team of Danielle Czohla (18:42- GSTC#9), Erika Meling (18:49- GSTC #10), and Jess Byrnes (19:58) would have finished third overall and completed the 1-2-3 team sweep had they had a fourth and final scoring team member.

Cheyenne Ogletree shattered her club 5k record by twelve seconds, as she won the women's race in 17:27.  Teammates Alyssa Douma (18:36), Angela Dunn (19:06), Robyn Evangelist (19:19) and Meghan DeCarlo (20:44) comprised the winning team, as the top four scoring women averaged 18:37 for the dubya.

Katie Chaput, making her Grand Prix debut, was the GSTC's second finisher in 17:56- creating a three-way tie for the third fastest time in club history.  Joining her was Erin Higgins (19:24), Tiffany Schwartz (20:13), Courtney Stanton (20:45), and Shanna Beairsto (22:27).

The old adage "every second counts" really mattered with the team of Danielle Stanton (20:34), Sandi Kapszyk (21:04), Christina Chafos (21:54), and Kelly Polisin (23:13) who finished an impressive fifth place overall.  Their total team time of 1:26:46 was just two seconds shy of RVRR's A-Team of 1:26:44 team time.  Three more seconds would have been fourth place, not fifth, giving the club a one point lead in the overall standings.

Team co-captain Cathy Stutzman (21:15) was the top finisher for the team that finished 9^th, squeezing in two more team points.  Joining her was Nicole Callaghan (23:42), Brianne Teichmann (25:14), Vanessa Chafos (26:22), and Joan Darnsteadt (26:54).   

The GSTC's final team averaged 29:44 per runner.  They included Christine Mockenhaup (27:49), Prudence Jones (27:55), Ana Garcia (31:18), and Amy Denholtz (31:54).

Several men hopped in, as well.  Steve Mennitt brought home the overall win, averaging 5:06 pace, dominating the field by about  a minute in 15:50.  Other men who ran were Woody Kongsamut (19:30), Kyle Flyer (19:30), Ruscel Kirkland (20:43), and Rob DeCarlo (20:44).

Results can be found here.  

 

Other Weekend Results

Allie Dublinski ran back-to-back races this weekend after coming off a week of back pain.  On Sunday, she averaged 6:40 pace for the first 8.5 miles until the back pain and downpour arrived; thus, she finished an unfortunate 5^th with a 1:40 time, far off her typical performance but won 50 beans.  The next day, however, she averaged 6:10 a mile at the Labor Day Verona 5k to finish 2^nd overall women.  That said, she got engaged after the race…so it was quite a weekend for Allie!

Mark Parisen avoided the competition of the Jimmy D 5k and ran 18:55 in the Woodbridge 5k, while Tim Morgan won his South Plainfield Labor Day 5k for the 78^th straight year in 16:14.  Yeee haw.

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

First, the steady striders welcome new member Courteney!  And secondly, congrats to Prudence, Ana, and Amy, the steady striders who raced the Jimmy D 5k with the team this weekend! The upcoming steady striders group run will be the team run on Sunday, September 8th, at Manasquan Reservoir.  This 5-mile loop is an opportunity for the group to get in a nice longer run along the reservoir or a shorter out and back run.  Email Amy at adenholtz@gmail.com with any questions.

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Mark Parisen

If you enjoyed the plank work a few weeks ago, then you're going to enjoy some of these more advanced aspects of it.  Check it out here.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 

Ezra Chefitz

Ezra joined GSTC in July as he is prepping for the NYC marathon in November. He decided he needed some coaching and there is no one better than Rob DeCarlo when it comes to coaching runners for the marathon. His Prs are 1:48:12 in the half marathon and 21:40 in the 5k, but his ultimate goals are to break 4 hours in the marathon and 20 minutes in the 5k. Before runs/races he eats toast with peanut butter and a banana. He also wets his hair before every run as he likes to run with wet hair as it keeps him cool during the summer(wonder how that will work out in the winter).  When he is not running you can catch Ezra brushing up on some World War II history, playing the drums or watching HBO. 

 

Brittany McCann 

Brittany joined GSTC this past weekend. After hearing about GSTC from current member Angela Dunn, Brittany decided that we were a good match for her running goals. She ran for Delsea High School(class of 02) and Mount Saint Mary's University(class of 06). Her Prs show that she is very versatile in all aspects of distance running, from a 2:19 800m to a 18:00 5k to a 1:40 half marathon.  Her goal right now is to get back into running shape as she had to take time off to rest her hip. She is currently training for the Atlantic City half marathon in October and will be a huge addition to our team once she puts on the gold and black uniform. When she is not training you can catch her helping the young runners of Delsea High School as she is the assistant coach for both their track and xc programs. 

 

Team Runs

Monday   5:30 @ Donaldson Park (Highland Park)---sprint practice #3.  email GSTC for info!

Tuesday   6:00 @ Rutgers Student Center (New Brunswick: Erika: emeling816@gmail.com)

Tuesday   6:00 @ Holmdel Park (Beach Enclave: Ken  Kenneth.m.walsh@gmail.com)

Wednesday 6:00 @ Pt Boro HS: 6pm workout with Coach Greer (Beach Enclave: Ken  Kenneth.m.walsh@gmail.com)

Wednesday  6:15 @ Morristown Running Company (Mo-Town Enclave: Woody  twkongsamut@gmail.com)

Wednesday  6:00 @ Rutgers Student Center (New Brunswick: Erika: emeling816@gmail.com)

Wednesday  6:00 @ Saddle Brook (North Enclave- email Rob DeCarlo at robbob13@hotmail.com)

Wednesday   6:00 @ Tow Path on Alexander Road (Princeton Enclave: Mike michael.fonder@gmail.com)

Thursday  6:00 @ Rutgers Student Center (New Brunswick: Erika: emeling816@gmail.com)

Friday  4:00 @ Rutgers Student Center (New Brunswick: Erika: emeling816@gmail.com)

Saturday 9:00am @ Tow Path on Alexander Road (Princeton Enclave: Mike or Peter)

Saturday  9:00am @ Morristown Running Company (Mo-Town Enclave: Woody  twkongsamut@gmail.com)

SUNDAY TEAM RUN:  8:30 @ Manasquan Reservoir.  Address: 311 Windeler Road Howell 

TMA: It's Back

We got two zingers this week.  First, classic moment with Central Enclave Captain Erika Meling.  She's on a run with seven other guys, and one stops behind the tree.  What is he doing?  Probably not dendrochronology, but rather, peeing.  Sure enough, she turns around to inspect, and sure enough....well, yeah.  You get it.

Second, an unnamed runner showed up to the Jimmy D 5k Monday morning at 8:00am and sent us some frantic FB messages.  Alas....the race was he day before.  D'oh!

Quotes of the Week

"It's so exciting to see everyone.  I love knowing I'm running on a team where there is so much talent!"  -Angela Dunn, via text, after the 5k race

"I guess 'At the strip mall by her house' just wasn't specific enough directions for New Jersey.'" -Peter Bolgert, after showing up at the wrong nearby strip mall for a group run.

"I got three messages. One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you are never too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport, but it's a team."  -Coutney Stanton, via FB post

"I was very honored and proud to run with such a great group of ladies yesterday at the Jimmy D 5k. A great job was done by everyone. Looking forward to the next race."  -Joan Darnsteadt, via FB post

"Great racing today, ladies! Awesome event and I'm glad to finally meet some or you!"  -Jessica Barnes, via FB post

"Ashwin, you snake. quit spying on central's secret missions."  -Steve Mennitt, via FB, after Ashwin trolling on the wrong enclave group page

"Humidity. I hate you I hate you I hate you." -Danielle Czohla, via FB post.  It's been a tough week here in Jersey.

"However things shape up, I remain true to the (GSTC) mission of showing the rest of this nation what a united NJ will do to them on the national stage."  -Mike Anis, via text

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Monday - 6-8x 8-10sec hill sprints, followed by a comfortable run. Be sure you're well warmed up before doing the sprints!

Tuesday - 4-5x mile reps at T pace with 3 minutes recovery.  Run the last one at 8-10 sec faster.  Seek out grass or cinder, if possible.  If your mile reps take longer than 6:30, run 1200s instead

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% long run duration 

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - 10x 800 at 8k pace with 2 mins rest.  Finish with 4x200 at mile pace on full recovery.

Saturday - same as Monday. 

Sunday - long run!