(10/28-11/3): Chaput, Fonder Lead Gold in 8k XC Team Domination

USATF-NJ Grand Prix Action

GSTC Takes a 43-Point Step Closer Toward First Overall Title

 Flemington- After surging to a 292-215 lead over RVRR for the first time in the Overall Grand Prix after the half marathon championships in mid-September, myriad questions thus surfaced to the millions of USATF-NJ Grand Prix fans.  How would both teams respond in the subsequent cross country championship races?  Would the fifteen-time defending champions rally their troops for a comeback?  Would they maximize their stable of masters runners and the double-dipping rule to stage a big final surge?  Would the new kids on the block mobilize their youth and growing masters contingent and clinch their first ever overall team title?  Would unpredictable teams like Pearl Izumi, Garmin Runners, and Runner's High throw a wild monkey wrench into the entire equation?  Would Aysha Mirza actually take a selfie during the race?

Both clubs came out swinging in last week's 5k, both putting out the most scoring teams of the season- resulting in a 109-57 advantage for the GSTC, widening their lead to 119 points, 401-282. 

In the season's penultimate team race, today's USATF-NJ 8k Cross Country Championships, the G-Club outscored RVRR 108-65, widening their lead 162 points to establish a commanding 509-347 score.

With the RVRR streak of seven straight overall titles seemingly at an end, the only one question remains: can the 2013 Garden State Track Club accumulate the most points in the history of the USATF-NJ Grand Prix?  With just Ashenfelter 8k (all divisions) and Giralda Farms (masters women) remaining, it's going to be interesting, as the Gold will need to score an awkward 69 more points to take the ultimate NJ club bragging rights.  Below is the history of the association's overall team champions.

 

2013- Garden State Track Club  509 (and countin')

2012- RVRR 421 pts

2011- RVRR ?

2010- RVRR 494 pts

2009- RVRR 434 pts

2008- RVRR 426 pts

2007- RVRR 459 pts

2006- RVRR ?

2005- Morris County Striders 577 pts

2004- RVRR 532 pts

2003- RVRR 520 pts

2002- RVRR 520 pts

2001- RVRR ?

2000- RVRR ?

1999- RVRR ?

1998- RVRR ?

1997- RVRR ?

 

Golden Girls Sweep Top Six Places

Teams Go 1,2,7 as Chaput Wins First USATF-NJ Title

Flemington-  While unusual to not have long-time frontrunner Cheyenne Ogletree leading the way, the Golden Girls put on their usual display on dominance this morning.  Taking the first six spots, and putting ten in the top fifteen, the GSTC women ran away with a dominating 1-2-7 team finish to close out their 2013 NJ cross country season.

Winning her first USATF-NJ title in the absence of the sore-back Ogletree was Katie Chaput.  Running the second fastest time in club history (29:41), Chaput won by over a minute to teammate Alyssa Douma, who ran 30:37--24 seconds faster than her 2012 time on the same Deer Path Park course.  Danielle Czohla, Erika Meling, Robyn Evangelist, and Brittany McCann rounded out the 1-2-3-4-5-6 GSTC sweep of the podium.

Props to masters runner Sarah Hersey, who ran an impressive 36:10 to finish as the #4 finisher for the 2^nd place GSTC team.  Also, huge props to Rutgers sophomore Brianna Florovito who agreed, just the night before, to complete the GSTC's "C Team" that ended up finishing 7^th, scoring six valuable points to the final team tally! 

GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB A OPEN WOMEN                 23

 1    2.Alyssa Douma         West Milford,NJ    26 F 315     U  825   30:37.90 *

      3.Danielle Czohla      Lafayette,NJ       23 F 315     U  816   30:51.34 *

      4.Erika Meling         New Brunswick,NJ   24 F 315     U  885   31:39.65 *

      6.Brittany Mccann      Glassboro,NJ       29 F 315     U  882   32:54.42 *

      8.Karen Auteri         Bloomingdale,NJ    32 F 315     U  786   33:19.42 *

  2     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB B OPEN WOMEN         48

      1.Katie Chaput         Lawrenceville,NJ   28 F 316     U  808   29:41.78 *

      5.Robyn Evangelist     Northfield,NJ      24 F 316     U  829   31:46.27 *

     13.Shanna Beairsto      Jersey City,NJ     25 F 316     U  788   36:00.34 *

     14.Sarah Hersey         Morristown,NJ      40 F 316     U  846   36:10.70 *

     15.Catherine Stutzman   Pennington,NJ      34 F 316     U  946   36:45.04 *

  7     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB C OPEN WOMEN        154

     26.Joan Darnsteadt      West Milford,NJ    39 F 317     U  817   42:33.00 *

     28.Aysha Mirza          Sewaren,NJ         32 F 317     U  889   43:59.20 *

     32.Brianna Florovito    Jermyn,PA          19 F 317     U  971   45:53.53 *

     33.Brianne Teichmann    East Windsor,NJ    24 F 317     U  947   45:53.73 *

     35.Amanda Rolph         Morris Plains,NJ   29 F 317     U  972   48:27.31 *

 

USATF-NJ, GSTC Records Fall for Men

Men Sweep Top 6 Team Spots, Fonder Sets CR

Flemington- Just two weeks after running the second fastest half marathon in club history, Princeton Enclave Co-Captain Mike Fonder ripped the USATF-NJ 8k Championship course, grabbing gold in 25:46 after dropping teammate and 5k USATF-NJ Champ Ken Goglas in the third and final loop.  Not only was it the third fastest club time on an 8k XC course, it was the all-time fastest GSTC performance in Deer Path Park.  Rob Nihen held the old course record in 25:46 from 2012.

Along with sweeping the top six individual spots akin to their female teammates, the GSTC set a USATF-NJ association record for sweeping the top six team spots in their dominating team performance in Flemington.  To do this, they put 21 runners in the top 24 spots, evenly distributing their talent over six teams to finish with 78, 84, 90, 94, 97, and 118 points.  Garmin Runners finished 7^th with 134 points.

The top six included Ken Goglas, Mike Anis, Kyle Price, Paul Matuszak, and Adin Mickle.  Making their Black and Gold debuts were Chris Johnson, Taylor Roberts, and Jarret Kunze- all three contributing to the 1-6 team sweep.  The club had a 7^th team that would have scored….but the 5^th member of that team didn't show up, and we are still waiting on the explanation for this. 

  1     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB C OPEN MEN           78

      2.Kenneth Goglas       Randolph,NJ        32 M 17      U  837   25:44.61 *

      9.Matthew Eder         East Brunswick,NJ  20 M 17      U  828   26:59.59 *

     13.Christopher Johnson  New Providence,NJ  22 M 17      U  851   27:16.67 *

     24.Edsel Flores         New Brunswick,NJ   19 M 17      U  832   28:47.24 *

     30.Ken Walsh            Point Pleasant ,NJ 24 M 17      U  954   29:33.22 *

  2     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB A OPEN MEN           84

      3.Michael Anis         Highland Park,NJ   32 M 15      U  782   26:00.15 *

     10.William Appman       Hoboken,NJ         23 M 15      U  783   27:04.34 *

     15.Taylor Roberts       Morristown,NJ      25 M 15      U  920   27:24.34 *

     18.Keith Gruchacz       Bridgewater,NJ     28 M 15      U  838   27:50.78 *

     38.Darnell Armstrong    Jersey City,NJ     24 M 15      U  784   30:47.33 *

     42.Norbert Kuter        Jersey City,NJ     21 M 15      U  860   31:22.35 

  3     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB B OPEN MEN           90

      4.Kyle Price           Milltown,NJ        25 M 16      U  915   26:14.78 *

     11.Theodore Doyle       Maplewood,NJ       24 M 16      U  826   27:11.48 *

     19.Jarrett Kunze        Robbinsville,NJ    22 M 16      U  859   28:16.61 *

     21.Timothy Paziora      Newton,NJ          22 M 16      U  909   28:35.43 *

     35.Mark Parisen         South Amboy,NJ     23 M 16      U  907   30:31.58 *

     45.Woody Kongsamut      Madison,NJ         23 M 16      U  858   32:08.28 

  4     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB E OPEN MEN           94

      5.Paul Matuszak        Philadelphia,PA    27 M 44      U  881   26:25.73 *

      6.Adin Mickle          Somerdale,NJ       26 M 44      U  887   26:28.98 *

     14.Joseph Zeoli         Audubon,NJ         21 M 44      U  963   27:22.07 *

     32.Robert Decarlo       Saddle Brook,NJ    36 M 44      U  819   29:51.06 *

     37.Mark Minervini       Stanhope,NJ        20 M 44         888   30:44.30 *

  5     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB D OPEN MEN           97

      1.Michael Fonder       Tenafly,NJ         27 M 43      U  833   25:27.71 *

     12.Joshua Neyhart       Kutztown,PA        25 M 43      U  898   27:16.38 *

     17.Chuck Schneekloth    New Brunswick,NJ   36 M 43      U  933   27:40.70 *

     28.Wismith Francois     Woodbridge,NJ      21 M 43      U  834   29:10.46 *

     39.Ryan Degregorio      Manalapan,NJ       18 M 43      U  820   31:02.54 *

  6     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB F OPEN MEN          118

      8.Sean Donohue         Keyport,NJ         22 M 46         970   26:59.34 *

     22.Ricardo Garcia       Union City,NJ      24 M 46      U  835   28:39.38 *

     23.Jaris Rousseau       Paterson,NJ        22 M 46      U  925   28:40.92 *

     31.James Lothian        Morristown,NJ      28 M 46      U  876   29:39.76 *

     34.Tahlief Jackson      Paterson,NJ        22 M 46      U  850   30:31.36 *

 

Men's Masters Bag Big Points

The GSTC men's 60s team continued to perform as one of NJ's best, as they finished 3^rd in team scoring with 34 points.  Fran Beideman, Peter Auteri, and Massoud Messkoub rounded out the bronze medal group.  In 50s action, Jeremy Stratton was the 4^th finisher of all 50s runners, leading the GSTC-50s to a 4^th place finish.  Brian Harris, Beideman, Messkoub, and Larry Saparito rounded out the group.

The GSTC-40s had an incomplete team due to the absence of a runner who pre-registered…but just didn't show.    

4     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB A MEN 50            132

      4.Jeremy Stratton      Parlin,NJ          53 M 115 65  U  982   31:11.53 *

     15.Brian Harris         Oakland,NJ         50 M 115 65  U  844   34:01.40 *

     23.Francis Beideman     Pompton Lakes,NJ   63 M 165 115 U  789   35:51.48 *

     41.Massoud Messkoub     Morris Township,NJ 67 M 165 115 U  886   40:19.56 *

     49.Lawrence Saparito    Flemington,NJ      54 M 115 65  U  930   43:20.70 *

 

  3     GARDEN STATE TRACK CLUB A MEN 60             34

      6.Francis Beideman     Pompton Lakes,NJ   63 M 165 115 U  789   35:51.48 *

      9.Peter Auteri         Pompton Lakes,NJ   62 M 165 65  U  787   37:10.82 *

     19.Massoud Messkoub     Morris Township,NJ 67 M 165 115 U  886   40:19.56 *

 

 

Enclave Brouhaha Results

South Rises Once Again, But Central Gets the Dubya

The Central Enclave, thanks to the magical powers of Goglas, Anis, Kyle Price, and Meling, won their first GSTC Enclave Brouhaha battle this morning, finishing with a fine 13 points.  The Princeton Enclave, the bipolar enclave of the club, went from first to last, and now back up to second with 20 points.  Both champions, Fonder and Chaput, helped the PE cause, as did Cathy Stuzman and South Brunswick resident Matt Eder. 

The big story this morning, however, was the South Enclave.  Despite two straight incompletes at Belmar and the Half Marathon, they have slowly climbed the enclave ranks, finishing just two points shy of snagging a silver medal.  The North Enclave, forever fighting a war with the South, sorely missed #1 gal Ogletree, enabling the one point loss.  Indeed, the South appears to be just one or two carpetbaggers short of winning a Brouhaha Title—a notion that was once just an unbelievable sparkle in the eye of enclave co-captains Mickle and Matuszak months ago.

Woody Kongsamut's Morristown Enclave finished with a respectable 45 points, thanks to Sarah Hersey, Ted Doyle, Chris Johnson, and Taylor Roberts.  Another enclave highlight was James Lothian who showed up twenty minutes before the race….and, twenty minutes after the race, was mysteriously in street clothes for no apparent reason.  Evidently he doesn't seem to believe in warm ups or warm downs.

The Jersey City Enclave was 6^th with 78 points, and Da Beach Enclave was a disappointing INC.  Enclave Captain Ken Walsh, who immediately canceled his press conference with the Asbury Park Press after learning of the incompleteness of his enclave, also failed to immediately return phone calls from the press following this published result. 

The Ashenfelter 8k on Thanksgiving morning will be the last chance for Enclaves to get their #$%^ together and grab the 2013 Enclave Brouhaha Crown.  We cannot confirm or deny the similarity this crown may or may not have both in appearance and value to the Burger King Kid's Meal Crown.

 

1.  Central Enclave (2-3-4-4): 13

Goglas (2), Anis (3), Price (4), Meling (4), Eder (8), Neyhart (11), Mirza (12), Florovito (13), Teichmann (14), Schneekloth (15), Gruchacz (16), Garcia (19), Flores (21), Francois (22), Parisen (27), DeGregorio (30), Stratton (31), Waclawski (34), Camapanaro (41)

 

2.  Princeton Enclave (1-1-8-10): 20

 

Fonder (1), Chaput (1), Eder (8), Stutzman (10), Saparito (40)

 

3.  South Enclave (5-5-6-6): 22

 

Matuszak (5), Evangelist (5), Mickle (6), McCann (6), Zeoli (13)

  

4.  North Enclave (2-3-7-11): 23

 

Douma (2), Czohla (3), K. Auteri(7), Darnstaedt(11), Paziora (18), Rousseau(20), DeCarlo(25), Jackson (26), Harris (35), Beideman (36), Auteri (38)

5.  Morristown Enclave (9-10-12-14): 45

 

Hersey (9), Doyle (10), Johnson (12), Roberts (14), Rolph (15), Lothian (24), Minervini (28), Kongsamut(33), Persson (37),Meeskoub (39)

 

6.  Jersey City Enclave (8-9-29-32):  78

 

Bearisto (8), Appman (9), Armstrong (29), Kuter (32)

 

 7.  Beach Enclave (7-17-23): INC

 

Donohue (7), Kunze (17), Walsh (23)

 

 

RACE UPDATE:  Masters Women

The Giralda Farms 10k on November 10 is the USATF-NJ masters women's 10k championship. It would be great for GSTC to have an entry! To have a team, we need at least ?? women age 40 and over. To compete, you need to:

*be a member of GSTC (https://raceforum.com/gstc/renew.html)

*be a member of USATF (https://www.usatf.org/membership/application/index.asp; specify club #385)

*register for the 10k race (http://www.giraldafarmsrun.com/). There is a 5k as well as a 10k; make sure you sign up for the 10k.

Can you help us out? If you can race on Nov. 10, e-mail women's masters team captain Prudence Jones (prudence_jones@yahoo.com). The more runners we have, the better--all paces welcome!

 

NEW SECTION: Headquarter's Award

In this first-time award, the GSTC Headquarters would like to present the First HQ's Award to the South Enclave's Robyn Evangelist.  Seriously, we hear excuses all week long about why people can't come to team practices, races, or team events: homework, exams, jobs, distance, traffic, pets, a bad case of the sniffles, etc.  For years we've wanted to document a book of excuses, as it would just make for great bathroom reading.  Ah, we digress.

We have learned, from people other than Robyn, of two incredible challenges she faced in attending this weekend's 8k XC Team Championships.  First, she had a broken toe.  Yes, a toe was broken, and she still ran and was the GSTC's #5 woman.  Second, she had a four hour round trip drive: one hour to teammate Adin Mickle's place to carpool, then an hour hike up to Deer Path Park.  Yup.  So, please, next time you call the GSTC HQ with an excuse, we will happily ask you if your toes are intact, and if you live within two hours of the team event.  If both answers are yes…we will respectfully ask you to shut up and run. 

 

Team Runs: All Paces Welcome

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

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Central Enclave 5:30pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 3pm AND 5:30pm @ Turning Basin Park (Princeton/Alexander Rd)

Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

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

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

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

Wednesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Thursday: North Enclave 6:30pm @ TBA – track workout

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center                    

Friday: Princeton Enclave 3pm  @ Turning Basin Park (Alexander Road)    

Saturday:  Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Practice: 9:30am @ Highland Park HS

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  10am @ Deer Path Park: USATF-NJ 8K CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

Thank you, Prudence, for leading our last group run!  And congrats to Margarita who just completed her first 5 mile race!  Our next steady striders run is set for this coming Sunday, November 3rd at 8:30am, beginning from Grove 5 of Johnson Park in Highland Park/Piscataway - and please REMEMBER to fall back for DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!  Grove 5 is across from the Rutgers football stadium and 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).  Please email Amy, at adenholtz@gmail.com, with any questions or to RSVP for the group run on Sunday.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 

Ryan DeGregorio 

Ryan joined GSTC because members of the Rutgers GSTC crew talked him into joining. Before races he usually does the regular warmup, plyos, leg swings, stretches, strides, pretty much stuff he learned in school. Prs: Mile-459, 5k-1757, half marathon-90 minutes. His goals are to run sub 1715 in the 5k and sub 440 mile. He is a freshmen at Rutgers majoring in Astrophysics who likes to play golf, baseball,and has played the piano for 13 years and twice in Carnegie Hall.

 

Angela Dunn

Angela who is our new women's captain, joined GSTC in May as she was looking for a serious running club. Props to  Danielle Czohla for telling her about the club as she is a great addition to our elite women's team. She used to be superstitious before races but now she only wears pink compression socks, eat pizza night before. She has an 1820 5k Pr and has the big goal of running low 23s for the 6k at club nationals in Oregon on December 14th. Outside of running she coaches Gloucester Community College XC, weight lifts and is a big fan of cats making her best friends with Cheyenne the other cat lover on our team. 

 

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Mark Parisen

Okay, so lots about stretching, yoga, and core to improve your running the past few months.  This week, Mark Parisen steps it up a notch, writing about the use of plyometrics to support one's running.  Check it out!

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/

Email GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail with questions!

 

Quotes of the Week

"6!  The south had 6 people in attendance!.....You should have seen the south enclave.  We looked massive tonight!"  -Angela Dunn, via text, after Thursday's South Enclave run

"5xmile 1 min rest: 451, 451, 447, 452, 447- 3x150."  -Chris Croff, via text message.  (Editor's note: damn.)

"This is bull.  I woke up this am, got a compliment that I have sweet cheeks.  Now they say I don't?"  -Jon Campanaro, text to Aysha Mirza.  Ken Goglas named mens' seven racing teams as: team sexy, cutie pie, pretty, beauty, gorgeous, sweet cheeks, hottie.  Jon started the day on one team, then….got moved to another.  Sorry, Jon. 

"At Ashenfelter, you will see the real Sean Donohue."  -Sean Donohue, after 8k race, following a rough stretch with his new job.

"Just me and some of south jersey's finest ladies.  You better watch out, the south is rising."  -Adin Mickle, via text, as the lone guy at the six-person South Enclave run.

"I've finally put some quality runs together.  I've given up the marathons and getting back to shorter distances I'm better at.  Will be competing a lot more for the club."  -Jeremy Stratton, via text, the GSTC #1 masters finisher at nationals last weekend.  The man is a legend who holds a 2:23 marathon PR.  We can thank Mark Parisen for this recruit.

"We would like to be known as the 'Original Brouhaha Champs.'" –Peter Bolgert, when learning his beloved Princeton Enclave had fallen from first to last place

"We all know it's hard to run with a Woody."  -Woody Kongsamut, via FB post, regarding an enclave run

"Hey- I want to race this weekend- can I jump in and put on a uniform?" –Taylor Roberts, during a Morristown run.  The answer is yes….we love this kind of attitude!

"Really enjoyed seeing a Team Sweet Cheeks on the list, but any chance we could rename Team Cutie to Team Cutie Pies? It just sounds so much more adorable."  -Paul Matuszak, via email to 8k racing group

"I want my Kenny Bear to win."  -Cheyenne Ogletree, via Fb post.  (Editor's Note: Kenny Bear?)

"I just wanted to congratulate your Club on an incredible year and for dethroning Raritan for the best USATF-NJ Club." –Ben Texiera, USATF-NJ LDR Committee member, via FB message

"Everyone is yellow!"  -the small daughter of a Garmin runner, while walking across the starting line, of today's 8k race

"Yeah I feel like I'm dying a little but time to nut up or shut up.  I got this."  -a sick Danielle Czohla, via text, responding to the question, "Are you able to race tomorrow?"

"Wanted to wish your team luck at the xc championships at DPP on Sunday, not that you really need it.  Just saw the latest GP (EN: Grand Prix)listings, and it looks like your team has it wrapped up.  Nice going!  (And I mean that sincerely.) I have no idea how you acquired so many good runners, but I guess if it were easy, everyone would be doing it."  -Frank Russo, USATF-NJ LDR Committee member

"#fearthegorilla" –Rob DeCarlo, via FB post, regarding upcoming 8k race (alluding to the famous Jorge Lopes comment in March, "The GSTC is an 800 pound gorilla in New Jersey")

"The power of Anis' beard will bring Central Jersey to victory."  -Erika Meling, via FB post

"Does Anis' beard have anti-oxidants?  Blueberries do."  -Adin Mickle, the QOTW mainstay, via FB, convincing us the power of South Jersey blueberries will reign supreme over the Central Jersey beards.

Tim Morgan Award

Last week, due to the influx of nomination, we somehow forgot to mention the infamous Highland Park father.  However, we have thankfully remembered today.  Last Saturday, during sprinter practice at Johnson Park in Highland Park, the group had cones set up both on the grass….and on the road hill exiting the park.  While doing grass reps, three children began tampering with the road cones AND distance wheel used to measure out these cones, and eventually removed them from the hill altogether.  True story: the father was with them, encouraging them to do so.  When approached and asked about this, the father said, "Oh, we weren't stealing them from anyone…we just didn't think they belonged to anyone, since no one was around them."  When furthered pushed, in front of his three children, if it's okay to take something if it is not yours and no one is around it, he replied- in front of his well-dressed children: yes.

Oh, and Adin Mickle pulled a Goglas, leaving his uniform behind.  Good thing other clubs are getting used to this behavior and continue to deliver them back to us!

Tim Morgan gets the week's third nod...as he gave us his word he'd be on the starting line this weekend.

Finally, the GSTC Data Collector uncovered something quite interesting, perhaps worthy of some sort of a TMA-spin off award.  The Morris County Striders, using (abusing?) the double-dipping rule, scored 29 points in the 60s, 70s, and 80s categories using just six women.  While we think it's amazing and wonderful that there are folks in their 70s and 80s still running, these three MCS teams racked up these points…without any competition.  Yeah, 29 points, just six women, without beating anyone.  Looks like it's time for the GSTC to raid some retirement homes! 

  

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

We have a while until we have to roll big again.  Let's recover and get ready for a solid block of training. 

 

Monday - very easy recovery run.

Tuesday - comfortable run with a buildup over the last two miles of whatever you're comfortable with.  Let yourself open it up, but take it on feel.  Finish with 6-8 strides.

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% your usual long run duration.

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins 

Friday - 5xM at 10k pace with 3 mins rest.  If your reps are longer than 6:00, run 1200s instead.

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

Sunday - long run!

(10/21-10/27): The G-Club Builds a 119 Pt Lead; 8k XC Championships This Weekend

G-Club Gear

If you don't have a GSTC uniform, team shirt, polo, compression shorts, arm warmers (men's) , fleece jacket, leg sleeves (men's), or thong (jk)- click the links.  Two months until the holiday season….they make great presents, too!  Here's the entire collection....right HERE!

USATF-NJ 5k Cross Country Championships

2010-2013: Some History

On September 12, 2010, the USATF-NJ hosted their annual 5k cross country championships.  Eight open men's teams scored, as did four open women's teams.   

In that 5k race, RVRR's top man won in 15:48, leading his team to an easy victor as only six others broke 17:00.  Sneaker Factory was 2^nd place, using four masters runners in their top five, with a 5^th man at 19:29.  Shore AC was the third place team, using a team of all masters runners, with a 53-year-old 5^th man running 20:34.

Three masters women swept the three podium spots in the women's race, with times of 19:09, 19:32, and 19:48; all three were unattached.  RVRR took the top two team spots, with scoring 5^th runners of 22:14 and 28:17.  Rose City RR and Clifton RR were the only other two teams, finishing 3^rd and 4^th, respectively.

During that same time, a half dozen other runners were emailing about the details of their own new club, deciding on team colors, a team logo, and a team name.  Once made, the first team run commenced on October 3^rd, 2010 at River Road.  Only three showed up, but they agreed there was much room for growth for a state-wide team catering to younger folks- a team that they, just weeks ago, had agreed to call the Garden State Track Club over the name Jersey Track Club.

KABOOM!  GSTC Men Bring the Heat

Goglas Wins with CR; Nine Teams Flood Results   

Flemington- When Rutgers senior Dan Teichmann asked Ken Goglas for a prediction or race strategy during Friday's shakeout fartlek session in Highland Park's Donaldson Park, his response was Thoreauvian in its simplicity.

Win.

With one mile to go and teammates Will Griffin and Eric DuBois on his shoulder, Goglas did just that, dropping the final mile in 4:41 to run away with his first USATF-NJ 5k Cross Country Individual title, running 15:12 to smash Jeff Perrella's club record of 15:28 set in 2011.  Not only did Griffin (15:16) and DuBois (15:19) break it, Mike Anis – perhaps the race's biggest surprise of the day- tied it.  The Gold swept the top five spots, and had standouts Matuzsak, Price, Fonder, Bolgert, Morgan, Croff, and Johnson been there, the Gold could have easily put ten- not five- in front the 2010 5k XC Champ, who finished a distant 6^th yesterday for RVRR.

Goglas was the first of fifty-two men in gold to stampede across the finish line in the open race—comprising of more teams than the entire association had in the men's race in 2010.  Splitting up the roster into seven equal teams with two additional teams to challenge for tenth place, the G-Club finished 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th 9^th, and 15^th.  For their efforts, they picked up 44 team points for the top ten places, and 16 points for the eight scoring teams.  There was a 9^th team, but more about that on the TMA.

Out of the 55 men who broke 18:00, 33 of them were in Gold.  The 33^rd one was Ryan DeGregario, a Rutgers freshman who ran a huge PR of 17:57, and another being David Fett, whose 16:22 effort was a 31 second all-time PR.

 

GSTC ALL-TIME 5K XC LIST- MEN                

15:12- Ken Goglas (2013), 15:16- Will Griffin (2013), 15:19- Eric DuBois (2013), 15:28- Mike Anis (2013), 15:28- Jeff Perrella (2011), 15:30- Steve Mennitt (2013), 15:31- Chris Heibell (2011), 15:41- Ashwin Anantharaman (2013), 15:46- Rob Nihen (2013), 15:51- Tony Harris (2012), 15:52- Adin Mickle (2013), 15:56- Ted Doyle (2013), 15:59- Will Appman (2013), 16:02- Mike Dixon (2011), 16:06- Sean Donohue (2013), 16:10- Andrew Golato (2013), 16:15- Josh Neyhart (2013), 16:19- Rob Marczydlo (2013), 16:20- Adam Gruchacz (2013), 16:22- David Fett (2013), 16:23- Kyle Price (2012), 16:23- Chuck Schneekloth (2013), 16:23- Charlie Koontz (2012), 16:25- Tim Morgan (2012), 16:43- Keith Gruchacz (2013), 16:44- Joseph Zeoli (2013), 16:49- Mike Saparito (2013), 16:52- Edsel Flores (2013), 16:53- Jaris Rousseau (2013), 17:01- Ricky Garcia (2013)

 

Ladies in Gold Go 1, 2, 5, 8

Ogletree Wins, Sets MR and CR

Flemington- Cheyenne Ogletree won the USATF-NJ 5k Championship, her second in a row, by setting a meet and club record of 17:20.  She lead a swarm of six gold singlets in the top ten, propelling the GSTC Women to a 1-2 sweep, accompanied by a 5^th and 8^th place finishes.  These four teams racked up thirty-one points overall for their performances, and an additional eight points for participation. 

Of the 27 women who broke 21:00, 13 of them were GSTC'ers.

Running well in their GSTC debuts were Kristen Prazenica (19:59), Brittany McCann (19:48), Ayanna Kellar (27:02), and Diana Angi (25:43).  Alyssa Douma also lowered her 5k xc PR time by 35 seconds, Erin Higgins shaved off thirty seconds from last year, and Erika Meling dropped almost an entire minute.

Results here.  

 

GSTC ALL-TIME 5K XC LIST- WOMEN

17:20- Cheyenne Ogletree (2013), 18:03- Chelsea Callan (2012), 18:09- Alyssa Douma (2013), 18:21- Lindsey Lambert (2012), 18:22- Danielle Czohl (2013), 18:45- Erika Meling (2013), 18:48- Sarah Schillaci (2013), 19:23- Angela Dunn (2013), 19:39- Erin Higgins (2013), 19:42- Karen Auteri (2012), 19:47- Meghan DeCarlo (2012), 19:48- Brittany McCann (2013), 19:59- Kristen Przenica (2013), 20:02- Elizabeth Bissell (2012), 20:26- Danielle Stanton (2012), 20:26- Courtney Connolly (2013), 20:50-Stephanie Donatone (2013).

 

Men's Masters: 40s, 50s Score Valuable Points

The men's masters 40s and 50s teams both finished 8^th, picking up valuable points in the overall team scoring.  On the 40s team, Jeremy Stratton (18:23) was the #1 man, followed by Andrew Tschesnok (18:28), Kenny Huryk (19:57), Brian Harris (20:48), and David Donza (21:24).  The top five for the 50s were Stratton, Harris, Fran Beideman (21:26), Peter Auteri (21:41), and Larry Saparito (25:17).

 

Overall Scores: The Gap Continues to Grow

After a record breaking day at the half marathon, whereas the GSTC opened up a 77 point lead, yesterday's race was a bit more modest.  The men outscored RVRR 70-43, and the women a slim 39-24, resulting in a 42 point advantage in the USATF-NJ Overall Team Grand Prix.  This makes the lead 119 points with three races to go: the 8k XC Championship (all divisions), Ashenfelter 8k (all divisions), and Giralda Farms (masters women)   

Overall USATF-NJ Team Grand Prix: BEFORE XC 5k

292- Garden State Track Club

215- Raritan Valley Road Runners

192- Clifton Road Runners

159- Do Run Runners

158- Garmin Runners

153- Shore Athletic Club

148- North Jersey Masters

140- Sneaker Factory

82- Morris County Striders

66- Central Jersey Road Runners

58- Fleet Feet/Essex

38- Rose City Runners

12- Pearl Izumi Mid-Atlantic

1- Highland Hashers

0- Geezers 

GSTC Enclave Brouhaha Results

The South Finally Rises, Princeton Tumbles, and  Da North Squeaks It Out

After a year of repeating the mantra of "The South Will Rise Again," one couldn't help but wonder if South Enclave Co-Captain Adin Mickle was delirious, had recently joined a cult, or perhaps…both.  However, yesterday his chanting finally came to fruition, as the South not only finally had a scoring team, but they snagged the final podium spot, with two solid reserves as #6 and #7 runners. 

The North won their second straight Bruhaha, edging out the always powerful Central Enclave, by just one point.  The difference was the 2013 fall opener of Rob Nihen, who fought off a nasty cold to finish 7^th GSTC male.  Ogletree, Douma, and Czohla finished 1-2-3 for the women, an incredible top three for the North. 

The Morristown, Jersey City, and Beach Enclaves continued to be mired among the bottom half of the seven enclaves, yet the big fall came from the Princeton Enclave.  Once deemed "The Winningest Enclave in Brouhaha History" by co-captain Peter Bolgert after their initial victory at the Belmar Chase 5k, they tumbled to the doormat this weekend, racking up 132 points for the top top finishers.  That said, there is still hope in the upcoming 8k races, as Katie Chaput and Mike Fonder provide a solid 1-2 punch for the fast-crumbling Roman Empire.

 

1.  North: 1-2-3-7-11: 24 POINTS

Ogletree 1, Douma 2, Czohla 3, Nihen 7, K Auteri. 11, Rousseau 22, Jackson 28, Mower 41, Harris 49, Donza 50, Beideman 51, P. Auteri 52, 

 

2.  Central: 1-4-5-5-10: 25 POINTS

K. Goglas 1, Anis 4, Mennitt 5, Meling 5, Prazenica 10, Neyhart 13, Marczydlo 14, C. Chafos 14, Juzwiak 15, Fett 16, Lacosta 16, Schneekloth 17, Mirza 17, K Gruchacz 18, B. Teichmann 20, Flores 21, V. Chafos 21, Kellar 22, R Garcia 23, Francois 25, Denholtz 25, Flyer 26, A Garcia 26, Klink 29, D. Teichmann 30, Parisen 31, DeGregorio 33, Wunnava 36, Stratton 37, Tschenock 38, Siegel 42, Huryk 44, Waclawski 45, Cust 46, Medicherla 47, Lynch 48, Richman 53, Campanaro 55 

 

3.  South: 3-7-8-9-12:  39 POINTS

DuBois 3, Dunn 7, Mickle 8, McCann 9, Golato 12, Connolly 12, Zeoli 19

 

4.  Morristown: 6-8-9-18-23-27-34:  64 POINTS

Schillaci 6, Higgins 8, Doyle 9, Briganti 18, S. Goglas 23, Lothian 27, Minervini 34, Kongsamut 40

 

5.  Jersey City: 2-10-15-19-32: 78 POINTS

Griffin 2, Appman 10, A. Gruchacz 15, Angi 19, Armstrong 32, Kuter 43

 

6.  Beach: 4-11-24-24-35: 98 POINTS

Callan 4, Donohue 11,  Behre 24, Tuchol 24, Alston 35

 

7.  Princeton 6-13-20-39-54: 132 POINTS

Anatharaman 6, Donatone 13, M. Saparito 20, El Hedi Bahri 39, L Saparito, 54, Blough 56

 

 

Other Results

Price, Lindenauer Race in Honor of Capizzi

In honor of his late friend and teammate Andrew Capizzi, Kyle Price won the Paramus 5k Run in 15:39 wearing Andrew's old high school uniform.  In similar fashion, Jon Lindenauer was second in the Paramus 10k, finishing in 34:32.  Tiff Schwartz was the second overall woman, finishing in 20:46.

Also running were Rob DeCarlo (37:38/PR) and Ken Walsh (17:50).

Down in Washington DC, Cathy Stutzman ran a PR in the Army 10 Miler in 1:11:15.  The woman's team co-captain originally booked this race when the 5k XC Championships was scheduled for mid-August.

A great article about Price running for his former GSTC and Ramapo teammate here.

Team Runs

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: Central Enclave 5:30pm @ 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: South Enclave 6:30pm @ Pitman HS (225 Linden Ave, Pitman)

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

Wednesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Thursday: North Enclave 6:30pm @ TBA – track workout

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center               

Saturday:  Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Practice: 9:30am @ Highland Park HS

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

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  10am @ Deer Path Park: USATF-NJ 8K CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz
Congrats to all the steady striders who ran the cross country 5k this past Sunday - Ana, Michelle, and Amy!  This past Saturday, seven steady striders ran the first of many legs of the group's towpath journey, and we welcome newcomers Meg, Sebastian, Margarita, and Laura!  The steady striders will meet to run this coming Saturday, October 26th at 9:30am, beginning from Grove 5 of Johnson Park 

in Highland Park/Piscataway.  Grove 5 is across from the Rutgers football stadium and 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).  Prudence Jones will lead this group run.  Please email Amy with any questions or to RSVP for the group runon Saturday, at adenholtz@gmail.com.

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

Michelle Tuchol

Michelle joined the team in December of 2011. She wanted to meet new people who shared a  passion for running and athleticism. She also wanted to improve on my own form and running times. Before runs  she just makes sure she has all her gear, food and drink included, set out the night before. She had a TMA incident about a year and a half ago (which some of the team remembers) where she forgot my shoes for the Long Branch half, and ever since she always makes sure she has my stuff together. The night before a race, I also like to relax at home and mentally prepare myself for the next morning. She didn't keep track of her PRs.She's been road racing for at least 5 years, with varying distances, and she never write anything down-which is key for her. For the longest time, she's just tried to focus on staying healthy and not getting injured. She has a huge dog, Brutus, who she's so attached to. He takes up a good amount of her time, but she enjoys taking him out to different places. I also run with him a lot and he actually makes me go faster!

She's also into triathlon, which is hard during the spring season because she has to split her time between racing with the team and training for cycling and swimming. It's a constant battle, but she really enjoys the camaraderie of GSTC so she make efforts to do both. 

 

Chris Johnson

Not to be confused with the Tennessee Titans running back who is disappointing fantasy owners everywhere, this Chris Johnson is faster and sure won't disappoint GSTC. He joined Garden State Track Club two days ago after meeting Chuck earlier in the week.  He is trying to get back to the same level of fitness he was at in college and saw the Garden State Track Club and club nationals as a great way to get back into competitive running.  His PRs. 1500: 3:47, 5k: 14:05 10k 29:37, Goals: compete well and help the team at club nats and beat Chris Croff. Before races he does a  20 minute early morning shake out followed by hot shower where he listens to a combination of NAS and Toby Keith to get pumped up and feel patriotic. Outside of running he likes fishing, hiking, and fantasy football.

 

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Steve Mennitt

You know Steve Mennitt did this week's personal training blog thanks to the almost nude model picture he posted to demonstrate his core tip.  Steve forever keeps it classy!  All right here----->http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/

Email GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail with questions!

 

Quotes of the Week

"Wow, never knew vans dressed up for Halloween. Frankenstein, right?"  -Adin Mickle, FB post, regarding the team's new sketchy rental van

"Thanks for clarifying. I'll keep messing up and doing dumb things to show I'm the ultimate Tim Morgan-er." –Josh Neyhart, FB post, regarding his recent string of TMA behavior

"I've never gotten so many emails in my life. Usually just coupons haha"  -Angela Dunn, via email, regarding her new life as a women co-captain.

"Pleased with my time. .accomplished my PR...still room for improvement!!" –Ayanna Kellar, FB post

"Great first race back. I won my race but the time kinda not what I wanted. I guess I need to find more competiton in WA. But excited to race again! Great job today garden state track club!!"  -Lindsey Lambert, post in women's team FB page

"This team's bigger than I expected." – Rob Marczydlo, via FB post

"What is it?  Running on this terrain?"  -Jennifer Brigantine, when realizing a cross country race wasn't on….the road.  Yes, this weekend was her first XC race.

"What an incredible XC race today! I saw some awesome performances by so many of you! The rest of this nation isn't aware of the storm that is brewing here in NJ. Let's keep up the hard work!"  -Mike Anis, FB post

"Under no circumstance should Anis or anyone with a beard drive this van. At least we have Ayanna Kellar to help out..." –Keith Gruchacz, FB post, regarding the creepy new rental van

"Today was just a great day overall. I love the feeling of knowing I'm running with & for a team." –Angela Dunn, FB post

"ANIS!!!"  -Steve Bonica, via text message, upon seeing the results.  Yes, that's all he wrote.

"Holy guacamole! I just ran 15:35 on the same 5k xc course that I ran 16:22 on last yr. Lifetime best for 5k. When your best for 5k xc is better than your best 5k on a road or track, you're doing something right. Go me."  -Mike Anis, FB post, regarding his big breakout this weekend

"It's never too early to take your pants off."  -an undisclosed member of the women's team, talking about final preparations for a race…we think.

"Damn dude, my E team didn't do so well ha."  -Ashwin Anantharaman, via text.  Yeah…that's what happens when people don't show up!

"I've never been this fit going into a build up."  -Chris Croff, via text message.  His 10k PR is 30:28….done when he was 18 years old.

"Let's win stuff."  -Josh Neyhart, via text message.

 

Tim Morgan Award

This week is fraught with nominations, but sadly, it is getting very late.  Let's do this!

The top pick goes to James Lothian.  You had to hear the story in person, but basically, he was bitching on the Wednesday run about signing up for the USATF before signing up for the 5k cross country race.  He kept repeating the sentence, "The 2012 number kept saying 'This number no longer works'", so he decides to buy a new 2013 membership.  That makes sense, indeed, but some of us remember his team participation in the 20k and 5k championships in the spring.  It was then we all realized: he forgot he already bought a 2013 membership.  After explaining this to him several times, his eyes widened, followed by a long "Oooooooooooooooooo" when he realized, yes, there is truly no reason to hold two 2013 USATF memberships. 

A nod must also go to our fast guys who let Mike Anis beat them.  You know who you are.

Finally, WTF.  Both Dennie Waite and Kevin Perrson sign up for the 5k, send in all appropriate documents, and, without notifying anyone all day Sunday….just don't show up to Deer Path Park.  Evidently Kevin thought it was next week, despite the three emails he received the week prior making it quite clear when the damned race was.  Evidently Dennie overslept, yet this still doesn't rationalize the lack of consequent communication explaining things.  Either way, Kevin was on a five-man team, hence the club lost 2 points as the group no longer had a complete team, and Dennie's team lost two points as his absence meant the #6 man became the #5 man, meaning Dan Siegel's 19:30 now counted…resulting in Garmin defeating Ashwin's team, costing the club another two points.  Raaar.

Oh, and Goglas forgot his uniform at the race, but whatever….Mennitt does this about four times a week.  This feels like a mere parking ticket compared to the above felonies.

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Now that was a race!  We have another this weekend.  Two priorities this week: recovery, and race big again.  This is tough to do in 8 days.  So concentrate less on volume this week, and maximize your recovery by doing everything right away from your running - sleep, diet, hydration, etc will all play a role in how ready you are.

 

Monday - very easy recovery run.

Tuesday - comfortable run with a buildup over the last two miles of whatever you're comfortable with.  Let yourself open it up, but take it on feel.  Finish with 6-8 strides.

Wednesday - steady-state run of 75% your usual long run duration.

Thursday - 2M at T pace, followed by 2xM at 10k pace, followed by 2x800 at 5k pace.  Since recovery may still be an issue, use HR as a guide for the recovery intervals.  Onc eyou're down to 130, you're ready to go again.  

Friday - Same as Tuesday.

Saturday - shakeout runs and strides.

Sunday - race!

(10/14-10/20): 5k XC Championships on Sunday; PRs in NJ, NY, IL, CT

Sunday: USATF-NJ XC 5k Championships

Weekend Forecast: 100% Chance of Black Clouds and Gold Lightning

Flemington- This Sunday morning, the 2013 USATF-NJ Cross Country Championships will begin with the 5k, then followed by the 8k the following weekend.  Held in conjunction with the USATF National Masters Cross Country 5k Championships, Sunday's national race will bring together some of America's best clubs, including the Atlanta Track Club, the Baltimore Washington Running Club, Central Park Track Club, the Hartford Track Club, and the Genesee Valley Harriers.

The Garden State Track Club will look to continue its perfect season with the open men and open women, as both groups have won team gold medals in all six team events thus far.  In the overall team title competition, the Gold hopes to extend its fifty-eight point lead over the ten-time defending champion, RVRR. 

The men will bring twelve teams, nine open and three masters, with several new members making their club debut.  These will include Eric DuBois (14:23-5k), Josh Neyhart (3:48-1500m), Jayyant Wunnava (2:00- 800m), Andrew Golato (1:51- 800m), Adam Gruchasz (32:37- 10k), Ted Doyle (31:28- 10k), Mike Soskind (10:03- 3200m), William Appman (14:59-5k), Zack Mower, Justin Richman, Mike Mudrak, Ripon Rai, Jon Camponaro, and Jim Cecchi.  Jeff Perrella's 5k cross country club record of 15:28 will most certainly be under assault by DuBois, Ken Goglas, Steve Mennitt, and Sean Donohue.

The women will field five open teams, with a combination of veterans, sprinters, and newcomers to the team.  Those making their GSTC debut include Kristen Prazenica,  Monika Juzwiak, Diana Angi, Renee Leventon, Allie Levy, and Brittany McCann.  While the only one capable of breaking Cheyenne Ogletree's CR of 17:34 is Cheyenne herself, there is a good chance the club 5k record book will be completely rewritten.  Currently, the top ten list has six times north of 19:00, yet there are eleven women signed up who have broken 19:00 recently.   

It is still not too late to hop in and join the GSTC this weekend at Deer Path Park.  You can register here, but please be sure to let us know via email so we can add you to a team!

 GSTC ALL-TIME 5K XC LIST- MEN                

15:28- Jeff Perrella

15:31- Chris Heibell

15:51- Tony Harris

15:53- Adin Mickle

16:02- Mike Dixon

16:23- Kyle Price

16:23- Mike Anis

16:25- Tim Morgan

16:30- Chuck Schneekloth

16:23- Charlie Koontz

 

GSTC ALL-TIME 5K XC LIST- WOMEN

17:34- Cheyenne Ogletree

18:03- Chelsea Callan

18:21- Lindsey Lambert

18:49- Alyssa Douma

19:42- Karen Auteri

19:47- Meghan DeCarlo

19:52- Erika Meling

20:02- Elizabeth Bissell

20:14- Erin Higgins

20:26- Danielle Stanton

 

 

 

Version 2.0: Men's 5k Cross Country USATF-NJ Championship Lineup

Gold:  *Chris Behre, *Will Alston, *Keith Gruchacz, *Andrew Golato, *Steve Mennitt, *Jayyant Wunnava

Golden: *Will Griffin, *Mike Anis, Dennie Waite, *Dave Dos Santos, *Sean Cust, *Sean Donohue, Shaun McGeever 

Golden Grahams:  *Will Appmann, Kevin Persson, *Adam Gruchacz, *Ashwin Anatharaman, *Chuck Schneekloth,  Jaris Rousseau

Golden Nuggets : *Ricky Garcia, *Mark Minervini, Josh Neyhart,  *Mark Parisen, *Ken Goglas, *Rob Marczydlo, Griffin Lynch

Golden Retrievers: *Adin Mickle, *Ted Doyle, *David Fett, *Rob Klink, *Joe Zeoli, Mike Soskind

Golden Earrings: *Rob Nihen *Dan Teichmann, *Kyle Flyer, *Zack Mower, *Edsel Flores, *Mike Saparito

Golden Ticket: Eric DuBois, Sai Medicherla, *Norbert Kuter, Ripon Rai, Jon Camponaro, James Lothian, *Woody Kongsamut, *Darnell Armstrong

Golden Eggs: Jim Cecchi, Eric Davis, *Sam Harris, Dave Donza, *Ken Huryk, *Justin Richman, Danny Siegel

Golden Opportunity: Michael Mudrak, Mohammed El Hedi-Bahri, Kevin Ivanov, *Nick Waclawski, *Andrew Tschenock, 

40's A: Jim Cecchi, Jeremy Stratton, Eric Davis, Ken Huryk, Andrew Tschesnok

40's B: Pete Auteri, Fran Beideman, Dave Donza, Jeff Blough, Larry Saparito

50's A: Brian Harris, Jeremy Stratton, Fran Beideman, Pete Auteri, Larry Saparito

 

 

Version 2.0: Women's 5k Cross Country USATF-NJ Championship Lineup

Gold: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Erin Higgins, Danielle Czohla, Kristen Prazenica, Monika Juzwiak

Golden:   Erika Meling, Chelsea Callan, Angela Dunn, Sarah Schillaci, Liz Licorish, Diana Angi

Black: Karen Auteri, Christina Chafos, Stephanie Donatone, Renee Leventon, Courtney Connolly, Bri Teichmann

White: Allie Levy, Brittany McCann, Erin LaCosta, Aysha Mirza, Bri Florito, Terri Rozyla

Pink: Amy Denholtz, Ayanna Kellar, Ana Garcia, Alexis Mbakwe, Sue Goglas

 

 

Team Runs: Holla at Us

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: Central Enclave 5:30pm @ 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: South Enclave 6:30pm @ Pitman HS (225 Linden Ave, Pitman)

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

Wednesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Thursday: North Enclave 6:30pm @ TBA – track workout

Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center               

Friday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook + Diner

Saturday:  Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Practice: 9:30am @ Highland Park HS

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

Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company

Sunday:  10:00AM RACE AT DEER PATH PARK

****Leadership Team Meeting to Follow Team XC Championships****

 

Weekend Results

Fonder Runs GSTC #2 in HM

Hartford, CT- After running 70:06 at the Half Marathon Team Championships, Mike Fonder came back weeks later and dropped a 68:35, averaging 5:14 a mile to place 6^th overall in the ING Hartford Half Marathon.  This falls just short of Jeff Perrella's CR of 68:12, but slips past Tom Poland's 68:38 in April of 2012.  Teammate Paul Matuszak ran 70:39, for 13^th overall, placing him 9^th on the GSTC All-Time List.

GSTC All-Time HM List

1- Jeff Perrella 68:12, 2- Fonder 68:35, 3- Poland 68:38, 4- Chris Croff 68:58, 5- Ken Goglas 69:11, 6- Mark DelMonaco 69:24, 7- Steve Mennitt 69:39, 8- William Griffin 69:59, 9- Matuszak 70:39, 10- Ashwin Anantharaman 70:41

Stantons, Schwartz PR in Chicago

Chicago, IL- Courtney Stanton ran a huge PR yesterday at the Chicago Marathon, finishing in 3:24:17 to put her 5^th on the GSTC All-Time Performance List.  It was- get this- a 25 minute PR.  Incredible!  Her sister, Danielle, fought off Achilles pain throughout the entire final half of the race, finishing with a 5:00 PR of 3:41:41.

Tiff Schwartz joined the PR Party as well, shaving off twenty minutes off her previous PR, as she finished in 3:24:38- just a few steps behind Courtney.  Her effort was good for #6 on the GSTC record books. 

GSTC All-Time Marathon List

1- Erika Meling 3:06:16, 2- Karen Auteri 3:09:04, 3- Meghan DeCarlo 3:13:24, 4- Inrid Stein Garofalo 3:20:17, 5- C. Stanton 3:24:17, 6- Tiff Schwartz 3:24:38, 7- Jill Zablocki 3:25:32, 8- Jessica Byrnes 3:27:48, 9- D. Stanton 4:41:31, 10- Nicole Corre 4:21:26

Lucas Wins Atlantic City 10k

Jennifer Lucas won the AC 10k this weekend with a 42:54 final time.  As she said on Facebook, "The winner of the AC 10k is…..ME!"

Other Results

Brittany McCann ran a huge PR in the AC Half Marathon, fighting off some tough wind for a 1:33:18 effort.  Sandi Kaspszyki made her triumphant comeback after suffering some broken bones weeks ago, winning her age group and finishing 15^th overall in the Devil's Run (6.66 miles) in 51:17:04.  Wow….all that with a nose strip and a cast! 

Christine Mockenhaupt ran 56:46 in the Rock-n-Roll 10k in Brooklyn, while two ladies ran the Shades of Death Half Marathon: Ingrid Garofalo (1:41:13, 1^st in AG, 7^th overall) and Jennifer Briganti (1:55:23, 7^th in AG).

Brian Harris finally broke the elusive 42:00 barrier for 10k, finishing the Mahwah 10k in 41:52, winning his age group and finishing 6^th overall.  Finally, Kati Petrikonis ran the LBI 18-miler in 3:07, while Amy Denholtz ran the Perfect 10 race in 1:51:53….despite attending a wedding the day prior!

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz
This weekend, the steady striders and couch to 5k runners will begin the towpath journey, starting with our first run of many along the D&R Canal towpath on Saturday, October 19th at 9am, beginning from Grove 5 of Johnson Park in Highland Park/Piscataway.  Grove 5 is across from the Rutgers football stadium and off of Landing Lane.  The Grove5 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).  We will run from the park to the start of the D&R Canal Tow path and run over 4 miles, ending just beyond the ramp to 287.  If you would like to take part in this run, we need your RSVP so we can have the appropriate number of cars at the end point to bring us back to Grove 5, where the other cars will be.  We hope you will join us in this exciting exploration of the tow path, and please send any questions, and your RSVP, to Amy at adenholtz@gmail.com.  Steady striders will also compete in the race with the team on Sunday, October 20th.  We hope you will come out on Saturday and Sunday!

 

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Jessica Byrnes

Knees.  We all have them.  Sadly, many of us injure them due to the stress we place on them.  Want to know how to keep them strong and healthy?  Jess tells us how to prevent knee pain and injury with several exercises here!  Email GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail with questions!

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/2013/10/knee-exercises-preventative.html

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

 

Ashwin did not give out any gold stars this week.  Allegedly, he was too busy spelling his last name all week to do it.

Quote of the Week

"Why is the weekly email so damn late this week?  What the $%^& is going on?"

 

Tim Morgan Award

No TMA nominations were submitted this week, we are very sad to report. 

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 - 6-8x1k@ 10k 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 - 4-5 sets of 4x400 at goal 5k pace.  Take the reps within each set on a 2:30 cycle, so each one starts every 2:30.  So if you go 85 seconds, you get 65 seconds rest.  If your reps are longer than 90 seconds, do them on a 3:00 cycle instead.  Since we're looking for pace on an XC course, do these on grass, if possible.  

Saturday – shake out run

Sunday – race!

(10/7-10/13): Meling Breaks Club Record; XC Teams Announced

Perfect 10 Expo: Make $100

There are twelve spots for GSTC members, and seven are taken.  If you'd like to work Saturday at the expo at Mercer County Park and grab one of the final spots, please email us ASAP.  All you gotta do is help the Running Company sell stuff…..easy money and a chance to hang out with runners all day! 

 

5k Team Championships: Sunday, October 20

Not Too Late To Join the XC Fun in Two Weeks….Email Us!

Flemington- In just two weeks, the USATF-NJ 5k Cross Country Championships will go down at Deer Path Park, in conjunction with the USATF Master's 5k National Championships.

And in two weeks, the GSTC hopes to extend their lead in the overall team race, as they currently hold a fifty-eight point lead with three races left in the schedule: the 5k XC, 8k XC, and the Ashenfelter 8k.  The masters women also have the Giralda Farms 10k team championships in November.

While the GSTC is the defending open men and open women team champions, the club has never won the overall team title.

To rack up points, the GSTC simply needs to rack up teams.  For whatever reason, clubs tend to struggle with getting scoring teams at cross country races.  Thus, participation is key in the cross country races—regardless of speed, ability, experience, or age.  After all, clubs pick up two points for every scoring team- regardless of how fast they race.

Below is the first draft of the Gold's lineup.  If you want to jump in, it isn't too late- we have two weeks!  Email Ken at ken_goglas@hotmail.com or Cathy at stutzone@gmail.com.  We want as many teams as possible!!!

To register for USATF, go here.

To sign up for the race, go here.

If you are already a USATF member and need to declare your affiliation with the GSTC, send USATFNJ@hotmail.com and gardenstatetrackclub@gmail.com an email declaring your affiliation!

 

Open Men: Draft 1.0

Gold:  *Chris Behre, *Will Alston, Keith Gruchacz, Andrew Golato, *Steve Mennitt, Jayyant Wunnava

Golden: Paul Matuszak, *Mike Anis, Dennie Waite, *Dave Dos Santos, *Sean Cust, Shaun McGeever 

Golden Grahams:  *Will Appmann, Jason Gulya, Adam Gruchacz, *Ashwin Anatharaman, Chuck Schneekloth,  Jaris Rousseau

Golden Nuggets : Ricky Garcia, *Mark Minervini, Josh Neyhart,  *Mark Parisen, *Ken Goglas, *Rob Marczydlo, *Mike Saparito 

Golden Retrievers: *Adin Mickle, *Ted Doyle, *David Fett, *Rob Klink, *Joe Zeoli, Mike Soskind

Golden Earrings: Steven Jackson, *Dan Teichmann, Giuseppe Mineo, *Kyle Flyer, Zack Mower, Edsel Flores

Golden Ticket: Sai Medicherla, Norbert Kuter, Ripon Rai, Jon Camponaro, James Lothian, *Woody Kongsamut

Golden Eggs: Jim Cecchi, Eric Davis, *Sam Harris, Dave Donza, Ken Huryk

Golden Opportunity: Michael Mudrak, Mohammed El Hedi-Bahri, Kevin Ivanov, *Nick Waclawski, *Andrew Tschenock, TJ Zablocki

******NOTE:  *registered  Bold: need to register

 

Open Women: Draft 1.0

Gold: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Erin Higgins, Danielle Czohla, Brittany McCann, Courtney Connelly

Golden:  Katie Chaput, Chelsea Callan, Angela Dunn, Sarah Schillaci, Liz Licorish, Diana Angi

Black:  Monika Juzwiak, Erin LaCosta, Aysha Mirza, Bri Teichmann, Bri Florito, Karen Auteri, Erika Meling

White: Terri Rozyla, Amy Denholtz, Alexis Mbakwe, Ayanna Kellar, Ana Garcia, Sara Douma

 

Masters Men: Draft 1.0

40's A: Jim Cecchi, Jeremy Stratton, Eric Davis, Ken Huryk, Andrew Tschesnok

40's B: Pete Auteri, Fran Beideman, Dave Donza, Jeff Blough, Larry Saparito

50's A: Brian Harris, Jeremy Stratton, Fran Beideman, Pete Auteri, Larry Saparito

Team Runs: Holla at Us!

Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ check facebook group page

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Monday: North Enclave @6:00pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park

Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook

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

Friday: North Enclave morning run: contact Rob if interested

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: DUKE FARMS: 1112 Dukes Pkwy W  Hillsborough Township, NJ 08844  

FB Event:  https://www.facebook.com/events/333574106789094/?ref=4

 

Weekend Results

Meling Shatters GSTC Marathon Record

Corning, NY- In her debut marathon, Erika Meling shattered the club record in the marathon by three minutes.  The Central Enclave captain averaged 7:07 a mile, coming across in 3:06:16—winning her age group and finishing as the 4^th overall woman. 

Executing a perfect race plan, she went out in 1:31:54 for her first half.  For her efforts, she won champagne and $150.

Karen Auteri ran 3:14:07, her second fastest marathon ever, finishing 2^nd in her age group.  Her pops, Peter Auteri,  struggled in the heat, running 4:58:23—sadly, mile 24 was 35 minutes.  That marathon ain't an easy race.  Janet Andrew also ran 4:58 while describing herself as "Erika and Karens cheerleader."

Bolgert Debuts in 2:41 to Finish 12th 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin- Peter Bolgert, a PhD candidate in Plasma Physics at Princeton University, finished his first marathon in 2:41:14.  The first recorded time the GSTC singlet has been worn in Wisconsin, Bolgert averaged 6:09 miles as he finished 12th overall, and 2nd in his 18-24 age group.  Looking at his splits on line, he ran 5:59 for the last four miles, covering the final stretch in 23:57.

Dunn PRs, Wins $200

Woodbury NJ- Angela Dunn had a big breakthrough this weekend, winning the Race Down Broad Street 5k in an all-time best of 18:20.  For her efforts, she won $200 and….a headline in the weekly email!

 

Paul Short XC Invitational

Bethlehem, PA- A handful of GSTC'ers hopped in the Paul Short XC Invite this weekend.  They included Mike "The Glacier" Anis (26:36), Jena Peacock (22:25), Danielle Czohla (22:35), Chelsea Callan (23:19), and Erin Higgins (24:28).

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz
This past weekend the steady striders decided to undertake the goal of running the D&R canal tow path, from New Brunswick to Trenton, by running different parts of the towpath on each weekend run.  We will put together a schedule and map out different runs based on group interest.  Let us know if you want to participate! 
The steady striders and couch to 5k group members will meet to run at Donaldson Park, in Highland Park, on Saturday, Oct. 12th at 9am beginning at the parking lot nearest to Grove 1, the first parking area on the right side as you enter the park (and conveniently located near the restrooms).   A map/directions are available at http://www.co.middlesex.nj.us/parksrecreation/donaldson.asp.  Please email Amy at adenholtz@gmail.com with any questions or to RSVP. 

 

 

GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip

By Jess Byrnes

Plantarflexion…..it sounds pretty complicated, but doing it can really help your running!  Check out what Jess has to share about it!  Or, email her at GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail.com!

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

Bryan McDonnell

Bryan joined GSTC this summer with a little push from Princeton Enclave Captain Mike Fonder(Bonus points for the Princeton Enclave). He was looking for some people to run with and noticed the talent that was on GSTC. His major goal for the season is to break 2:40 in the half marathon. Before races after he consumes only one cup of coffee,  he does a 2 to 3 mile warm up, plyos, and striders. Outside of running he enjoys bonding with his son and is the coach of the Indian Hills Xc team and swim team.

 

Ayanna Kellar

Ayanna is the newest member of GSTC joining October 4th. She was looking for a reputable track club that could help her attain her dream of running competitively while being in a collegial, team atmosphere particularly for open and masters runners. After lots of research, GSTC was the obvious choice!!

Before races she consumes a protein shake, does drills, and listens to some soca music. Her prs are 2:25 in the 8, 29:30 in the 5k and 62:45 in the 10k. Her goal is to get back into running some fast 800s. She wants to run 2 minutes in the 800 and qualify for nationals in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago! Outside of running she does cross fit and other gym exercises but is completely focused on running!

 

Quotes of the Week

"I really appreciate you guys welcoming me!!! I was nervous and excited for my first training, but everyone was supportive and positive. I am really lucky to have found such a great group of athletes and new friends. Looking forward to great things with GSTC!"  -Ayanna Kellar, FB post, after a warm FB welcome.  She is a public defender in the Middlesex County Courthouse.

"welcome ayanna. hopefully you don't have any previous acquaintance with anyone on the team."  -Jeff Blough, in response to hearing about her career.  A legitimate concern, indeed.

"I am one lucky girl to be a part of such a supportive, thoughtful and caring team of friends. Thank you for all you do and for all the awesomeness you bring to my life! I love you guys!"  -Cathy Stutzman, FB post, after receiving flowers after her injury during last week's long run.

"Thanks for adding me to this (FB) group.  You guys are a force out there at the road races."  -Shannon McGinn, FB post.  

"I have to admit, GSTC is a machine, dominant and has about the best SJ representation albeit Adin and Co. on the west side."  -Lee Mooney, via FB chat.

"I feel like I'm floating on air right now  thank you all for the congrats and kind words. Happy to now say I've run a marathon!"  -Erika Meling, FB post

"That's because Dave doesn't wear tights. Those are underpants. Just a friendly service announcement, Dave dos Santos"  -Rob DeCarlo, FB post, regarding the (in)famous training attire of Dave Dos Santos.  (Editor's Note: you've got great legs- just no reason to show everything else off)

"I formulated another moral rule.  If you travel by air, you are obligated to stay semi-thin.  Not everyone can be the big fat guy on the plane."  -Peter Bolgert, reflecting in the airport after a canceled flight

"Just found out that the mascot for Wichita State is the Shockers.  Really?  Worst mascot ever!"  -Tim Morgan, via text message.  We have long asked Tim to start a blog called "Morgan's Musings."  It would save us all a great headache on FB, and wouldn't you be curious abot his thoughts on hot topics like....the worst mascots?  

"It is Autumn. Makes sense that the leaf has started to fall."  -Adin Mickle, taking a cheap shot at the side-mirror-less LEAF car, via FB.  Adin has been known to dominate the QOTW section, and he's been on quite a roll the past two weeks.

"JHGKYGYGGJBMNMBHGH&^%^&%&^%FDRTDTRDGHFVHBKJOIOYUYTTREGFBCVBNM><N?LJ"LKJJHGHDRSFGVNB>NJK."  -Mike Anis, during the entire long run today.

"What a p*********."  -Ken Goglas, during today's team run at Deer Path Park, when hearing about some guy who broke the 100 mile world record....by running it on a 200m indoor track.  

"How do we get our hands on these?!"  -Jessica Byrnes, via FB post, regarding Kyle Price's GSTC Pink "The Breast Is Yet To Come" t-shirts

Tim Morgan Award

No one did anything stupid this week.

Well, that we know of. 

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

We should have better conditions to train in this week.  Two weeks until the XC 5k!  We will do a few 5k race pace workouts this week, but we're still focusing on the long-term goals late in the fall.  As the season goes on and your fitness and conditions improve, your T pace will improve as well.  Make sure you're checking to see if yours has changed, based on race results.  It's not a bad thing to try to up the tempo a bit if your T pace workouts have felt fairly comfortable.  This is tricky, since the goal of T workouts is to run hard but still in control.  You want to finish feeling like you could have done another.

 

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

Tuesday - Go for 2M at T pace, take 5 minutes rest, then go 4-6x800 at 5k pace with equal rest.  Grass surface is best for this!

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

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - Return of Chuck's delight!  3x2k at T pace with 2:00 rest, then 1x1k about 10sec faster.  So if your T pace has you running your 2ks in 8:00, run your 1k in 3:50ish.  After full recovery, go 4x200 at mile pace. 

Saturday - same as Monday

Sunday - long run!