Tuesday, November 12, 2013

(11/11-11/17): Brangan Leads GSTC Masters Women to Record Day in Giralda 10k

Masters Women Have Record Day

Brangan Leads Gold as 2nd Master's Women Finisher

 Madison- For three years, the Garden State Track Club has been known for blistering fast "open" men and women, between the ages of 18-39.  And to some degree, this reputation was an accurate one.

Not anymore. 

The GSTC fielded eight masters women and three scoring teams, with Michelle Brangan finishing as the second overall masters women this weekend at the Giralda Farms 10k USATF-NJ Championships.  Not only did she run an impressive 39:35, she was the third overall woman finisher—not bad for driving two hours to the race that morning from deep south Jersey, the day after standing on her feet all afternoon, coaching her high school team to their first NJSIAA State Championships bid in thirteen years.

In a loaded field of seventeen teams with all the speedy USATF-NJ masters runners in attendance, Brangan teamed up with Sarah Hersey and Jennifer dos Santos to finish 4th overall in the Women's 40s team contest.  Hersey ran 45:22, good for 5th in her 40-44 age group, as dos Santos finished in 52:13.  Their 4th place finish brought in 5 points to the Overall Grand Prix GSTC tally—the highest finish of any GSTC masters women team.

The 40s B Team finished 13th overall, beating three teams on the windy, hilly course.  Deb Capko ran 49:16, (10th in her 50-54 age group), Stephanie Edwards finished in 55:29 (4th in her 50-54 age group), Sue Goglas ran 56:35 (6th in her 60-64 age group), and Captain Prudence Jones finished in 1:01:27.

Capko, Edwards, and Goglas comprised the GSTC women's 50s team that finished 7th out of 13th teams, good for one point toward the overall grand prix overall tally.  Pretty impressive when you consider two of them are in their 60s!

 See the results here

More Giralda Farms Action

 Croff Leads a 1-2-3 GSTC Podium Sweep in 10k

Madison- When there's green on the line, the gold uniforms will be, as well. 

Chris Croff, clearly ready for a fast nationals race out in Oregon, scorched the hilly Giralda course in 31:25, the GSTC #2 all-time 10k performance.  Just thirteen seconds off Jeff Perrella's club record from the Newport 10,000 in 2012, Croff pocketed the $200 in prize money for his 5:03/mile average.  Steve Mennitt finished 2nd in 32:15, a few ticks off his all-time PR (31:49/Newport 10k), but good enough for the $150 silver medal prize.  Mike Anis grabbed third in 33:14, a 17 second PR, for the $100 prize money for the bronze finish.  Mark Miniverni ran a thirteen second PR, finishing in 38:28, while Allie Dublinksi was 6th women in 40:38, as she begins the recovery journey over mono.

 

 GSTC Sweeps Top 5 in Giralda 5k

Madison- While the black and gold swept the top five spots in the Giralda 5k, the most impressive finish was Woody Kongsamut.  The Morristown Enclave Captain, the Chase Pack Captain, and the head of the GSTC Finance Committee, Kongsamut has steadily shaved seconds off his 5k PR over the past 1.5 years.  That said, this afternoon, despite very non-ideal conditions- including a sizable hill and chilly cross-wind throughout the entire race- he broke 19:00 for the first time, PRing in 18:57.  His improvements are a real testament to what can happen with consistency and hard work.

 The top five overall spots in the 5k were Chuck Schneekloth (16:39), Ricky Garcia (16:52), Jaris Rousseau (17:09), Mike Saparito (17:27), and Wismith Francois (17:38).  Mark Parisen finished seventh in 18:12, while Kristen Prazenica was the 4th overall woman in 20:19.  Sandi Kaspszyk, recovering from her recently broken wrist, finished in 21:35, good for fourth masters.  She teamed up with daughter Abby to finish 2nd of 12 teams in the mother-daughter competition under team "Grizzly Bears."

Check out the 5k results here.

 

Czohla Leads GSTC Sweep of Spots 1-10 in GSP 5k

Paramus- The GSTC ladies had an incredible showing at the Garden State Plaza 5k this morning, as they swept the top ten places chasing the 82% PLP standard for the USATF-NJ travel stipend.
Danielle Czohla won the race in 18:27, averaging 5:57/mile for the W.  Just behind her were teammates Alyssa Douma (18:34), Chelsea Callan (19:04), Robyn Evangelist (19:13), Angela Dunn (19:20), Karen Auteri (19:38), Brittany McCann (19:51), Cathy Stutzman (20:23), Tiff Schwartz (20:56), and Shanna Beairsto (21:55).  As she creeps just days away from becoming a masters runner, Joan Darnsteadt ran 24:29, 1st in her 35-39 age group and 15th overall.  
On the men's side, Princeton Enclave Captain, and also the only known person to own a GSTC hooded sweatshirt, Mike Fonder smoked the course in 15:34, averaging 5:01 pace for the win.  Josh Neyhart was 2nd (16:36), as Ken Walsh (7th, 18:02), Kyle Price (8th, 18:03, Rob DeCarlo (12th,18:35), Ruscel Kirkland (42nd, 21:25)also cracked the top fifty finishers in the 379 person race

Results can be found here. 

 

Cupido Races at Marine Corps

Washington DC- Kristin Cupido ran the Marine Corps Marathon two weeks ago in 3:21:29.  14th in her age group, 108th female finisher, and 878th overall finisher, Kristin's time ranks as #6 in the all-time GSTC list.

  

Ultra Zablockis

How did you spend your Saturday night with your significant other?  If you were Jill and TJ Zablocki,  you competed at the NJ Trail Series race called One Day at the Fair. There were 24, 12, and 6 hour races as well as 50k and marathon. They did the 12 hour race which started at 9pm on Saturday and ended Sunday at 9am. 

Jill finished 1st female and 4th overall with 63 miles completed in 11:52:39. This was a 2 mile PR. TJ finished 2nd male and 2nd overall with 68 miles completed in 11:49:17. This was a 13 mile PR.

 Meanwhile, most of their teammates ate ice cream and watched a movie.  

 

************As always, please email your results to gardenstatetrackclub@gmail.com.  We would love to put you in here, but we need to know what you did first!!******

 

Here We Go: Ashenfelter Lineups!

Are you interested in hopping in?  It ain't too late!  Holla at us….and we shall add you to a team!  It's the last team race of 2013!!!   And it's going down Thanksgiving morning....get your workout in before the big meal!

 

Women Lineups, Version 1.0

Grumpy Cats: Cheyenne Ogletree, Alyssa Douma, Danielle Czhola, Sarah Schillaci, Jennifer Lucas

Pink Panthers: Angela Dunn, Kristin Cupido, Heather Gardiner-McDermott, Karen Auteri, Christina Chafos

Thundercats: Vanessa Chafos, Christine Mockenhaupt, Aysha Mirza, Amy Denholtz, Sakina Namazi, Terri Rozyla, Kat Berka, Diana Angi-Stavrou

 

Men's Lineups: Version 1.0

Team Turkey: Chris Croff, Tony Harris, Ashwin Anatharaman, Tim Paziora, Rob Nihen, Edsel Flores, Sean Cust

Team Sweet Potato: Chris Johnson, Sean Donohue, Ted Doyle, Josh Neyhart, Ken Walsh, Dave Dos Santos

Team Cranberry Sauce: Ken Goglas, Kyle Price, Matt Eder, Chuck Schneekloth, Zak Martins, Mohammed El Hedi Bahri

Team Mashed Potatoes: Eric Dubois, Mike Anis, Andre Goalto, Joe Zeoli, James Lothian, Saikumar Medicherla

Team Stuffing: Steve Mennitt, Paul Matuszak, Keith Gruchacz, Rob Marczydlo, Kyle Flyer, Michael Mudrak

Team Apple Pie: Brian Harris, Norbert Kuter, Mark Parisen, TJ Zablocki, Ryan Degregorio

 

 

WEEK #3: President's Award

This week's President's Award goes to GSTC sprinter Marquis Cole.  In 2012, he was a vital part of the sprint program, earning spots on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay.  However, he did not compete in 2013.  Why?  He was serving our country in Afghanistan, spending seven months in one of the most dangerous parts of the war.

After the 2012 season, he received training in Ft. Lee, Virginia on aerial transportation.  From there, the air force flew him to war, serving as transportation support staff.  He was in charge of getting supplies to coalition forces at war, along with transporting soldiers- both alive and deceased- out of the country and back into the USA.  Designing load plans can evidently be very tricky, as arranging and preparing cargo for flights- such as medical supplies, donated boxes of blood, etc. have myriad regulations that need to be followed.

Upon his return to America, Cole continues to live and work at the McGuire Air Force base—about a two hour, round-trip drive to practice, which he does religiously.  We salute Marquis- not just for his Herculean efforts to attend practice regularly- but for his courageous service to our country. 

GSTC Trivia

Since opening its doors in the late fall of 2010, how many emails have the club received over the past three years?

 

Team Stuff: Odds and Ends

Saturday Night, 1/18: GSTC Banquet @ Rutgers University

Sunday Morning, 2/23: Road Relays  www.roadrelays.org

Buy team gear here------->  http://phenetix.com/lab2/#top

Team website--------------->  www.gardenstatetc.org

Team Facebook Fan Page---->   https://www.facebook.com/groups/159501487397707/

Team Blog---------------> http://gardenstatetc.blogspot.com/

Team YouTube Channel---> http://www.youtube.com/user/GardenStateTC

 

Team Runs: It's Easier With Teammates!

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

Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center

Monday: Princeton Enclave 3pm @ Turning Point Basin

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

Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Sneaker Factory in Pier Village, Long Branch

Tuesday: North Enclave 5:30pm @ Ridgewood Running Company

Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 3pm @ 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

Wednesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Tryon Field, Rutherford track workout!

Thursday: North Enclave 7pm @ Ridgewood Running Company- special event "ASICS Light Show" then food afterward at The Office in Ridgewood

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:  LONG RUN at RIVER ROAD

 

GSTC Steady Striders

By Amy Denholtz

Congrats to the many steady striders who raced this past weekend - Prudence, our co-captain who ran Giralda Farms; Margarita, who ran the 6-mile Hashathon trail race; and Amy who ran the Trenton Double Cross Half Marathon!  A belated congratulations to Sakina and Melissa who finished their first half marathon the previous week, the Princeton Half Marathon!

This weekend the steady striders will meet for a run beginning with the GSTC team, at 9am on Sunday, November 17 at River Road Park in Bedminster, NJ.  Please email Amy, at adenholtz@gmail.com, with any questions, or RSVP to the team run at https://www.facebook.com/events/186930638159507/.  Next Saturday, Nov. 23rd, the group will tackle another leg of the D&R Canal towpath.

 

 

Gold Star

By Ashwin Anantharaman

Greg Petrov

Greg at only 13 years old joined Garden State in September so he could become a better runner. His goals this year are to crack 1:33:30 on a half marathon and to crack 37:30 on the 10k. He hopes to run a 17:30 5k by the end of this year. So far his pr for the half is 1:34:45, and 38:03 for the 10k. His 5k pr is 17:56 but he hasn't run a 5k in a while. His pre race routine is to run a mile at a really slow pace, stretch out, and to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming race. He love to play football, soccer, basketball, ski (during the winter), and hangout with my friends in my free time when not running.

 

Michelle Brangan 

Michele rocked the gold and black for the first time at the Giralda Farms 10k helping the masters 40 ladies take 4th place with an impressive time of 39:34.  Before races she wakes-up and spends the rest of the morning in the bathroom...always have racers stomach. If the race is early, she won't eat...but she drinks as much water as she can.  If late...just a bowl of cereal.  When she gets there, she makes sure to warm-up at least 10-minutes...then stretch then just be nervous until the gun goes off.She just started running races longer than 5k's, and seems to be having a lot of success with them as she is running faster than ever!  Her normal times in college and high school were in the 19:30's...She does remember running an 18:23 at 28 in college, but she is consistently under 19:00 now...having just run an 18:32! Outside of running  she coaches cross-country for Gateway/Woodbury and spends time with her 2 year old.

 

 

GSTC Personal Training Weekly Tip

By Alyssa Douma

Build strength and prevent injury with the mini-band.  Want to lear more?  Check it out here!

http://gstcpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/

Email GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail with questions!

 

Quotes of the Week

"You know you're a runner when.. Instead of setting a timer on the microwave I just used my watch instead. And it will be the exact time"  -Kristin Cupido, FB post

"Hahaha I do read the weekly e-mails... but you're right, that's (reading entire team weekly email) no small feat for a PE teacher!"  -Mike Fonder, in response to last weekend's EN regarding reading, gym teachers, etc.

"When I run on my own, I generally fartlek every five minutes for one minute and I always run at a fast pace...my legs generally don't like to go slow" -Michelle Brangan, via email

"Hoos dis."  -George Erazo, GSTC 400m runner, via text.  Thanks for saving our number from the summer.

"I was running with one of the girls and was gonna ask her for her number, but then she outkicked me and I said eff it."  -Norbert Kuter, at sprint practice last week

"I think it's safe to say picked up. Either reported by the neighbors for it being in front of their house for a year and a half, or the state of NJ deemed it unsafe for the roads."  - Mark Parisen comment, regarding picture of team van getting towed on FB

"At some point in time every single track and field runner asks themselves this infamous question "why am I running?" Waking up early for meets, running in the blistering heat, the freezing cold and feeling like your hearts going to jump out of your chest and let me not mention our most hated enemy good ol "lactic acid" and all the while although "we" complain about it we continue to give up our free time for practice just to beat ourselves up, CRAZY!!!"  -sprinter Quanisha Booker, FB post

"Most dedicated to the team award? Persons who is at all the races, all the runs, always active with the team. That's a pretty important role. If it's a tie, jello wrestle for the title."  -Josh Neyhart, FB post, regarding post on team awards ceremony

"Deal."  -Heather Gardiner, accepting Chris Croff's request to hold hands the entire Giralda Farms race.  It doesn't appear this ended up coming to fruition.

"Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I didn't worry about time and numbers and pace and truly enjoyed my race, dancing and high fiving away, and managed to beat my goal time by half a second without even worrying about it. I ran with my best friend, and I ran with a smile on my face. And I owe part of it to the power of #blackandgold. I couldn't have done it without #GSTC. So thank you."   –Aysha Mirza

"Sometimes you jog as hard as you can, and that's all you can do. Then you eat #pancakes."  Steve Mennitt, via FB

"I told u I was gonna roll."  -Chris Croff, via tex, after an incredible 10k on a very hilly course

  

Tim Morgan Award

For lack of a better story, how about the father at the starting line of the Giralda 5k.  Since it's a downhill start, the starter insisted that young children and slower runners not be at the front, in fear of getting trampled…which has evidently happened before.  During these numerous warnings and suggestions, a father held on to his seven year old son and said, "Don't listen to them, it's okay.  Just be careful when people start to pass us in the beginning.  We'll be okay." 

Finally, another shout out to Josh Neyhart.  We post a very clear survey link on facebook, and instead of actually reading the post he starts to list off a bunch of award suggestions.  Does anyone else see the torch getting passed here?  JH in 2013?

Have a TMA?  As always, send it in!

 

This Week in Training

By Chris Tafelski

Let's keep at it!  Just a few more weeks until Ashenfelter.  

 

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

Tuesday - Chuck's delight plus dessert!  3x2k at T pace on 2 mins rest.  Take a full recovery, and follow it up with a hard mile.

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

Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins

Friday - Progression run of 40-60 minutes.  Start at your regular distance run pace and slowly drop it down so you're hitting T pace for the last 2 miles or so.  Keep dropping it down so you get to 5k pace for the last half mile.

Saturday - same as Monday

Sunday - long run

 

GSTC Trivia Section

24,249 emails received.  About 8,083 a year.  Or, about 22 a day.    

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