Intro
The GSTC Weekly Email is a collaborative effort to bring club membership an accurate and entertaining update on all team events, runs, results, workouts, quotes, and even mishaps every Sunday night. It is also often referred to as "The Email" or, by more prominent members of the running community, "error-fraught spam." If you'd like to submit anything that would contribute to any of these sections, please email us!
2013 GSTC AWARDS BANQUET
It's just two weeks away, and there are still spots left. The deadline to sign up is this Friday, although once it's filled to capacity…it's filled.
Dinner, dessert, and three hours of mingling, awards, guest speakers, and fun…..here's the link!
Oh, and have you voted yet? Here ya go!
2014 GSTC DUES
The Leadership Team, this afternoon, voted on increasing the dues to $40 on February 1. So, please do hop on this soon…here's the link, and here's our yearly top ten list to pay your 2014 GSTC dues.
TOP 10 REASONS TO PAY YOUR DUES
10. Do you really want the guy in the attached picture coming to your home?
9. Great coaching. Lots of options. Want to see how good? Look at the results on our website!
8. An infinite number of Facebook notifications.
7. The best weekly email around….with an infinite amount of typos. Lots of infinities here for $30.
6. If you're fast, slow, or somewhere in between, become teammates with some of the awesomest runners on the East Coast.
5. Running with teammates > running alone. It really is.
4. It's cheap! $30 a year is the monthly gym membership. Or thirty items on the dollar menu. Or one drink in NYC!
3. It keeps the lights on in the metaphorical GSTC Mansion: website upkeep, RRCA and USATF team memberships, $1 million insurance policy….the list goes on.
2. All GSTC dues-paying members get 15% off all SUPERHERO EVENTS!
1- Seriously, you really don't want this guy at your house. He's talk your ear off about his last race, eat your last slice of pizza, and ask your sister out. You are no longer uninformed.
State of the Union Address
by Chuck Schneekloth, President
It is rare that I speak directly to the membership in my own voice. Indeed, 'tis much easier to just find few great quotes off Facebook, report some awesome results, and copy and paste the other sections from our dedicated weekly email contributors. Also, as most people can attest, I rarely have anything interesting to say.
However, there is much to say about 2013. We won five USATF titles, expanded to seven training enclaves, built new bridges with community partners, secured our first race on the USATF-NJ Grand Prix, and expanded our community outreach to low-income youth runners in seven schools.
What's enabled this success is a collective interest to selflessly build a community of disciplined runners. Perhaps there is no better example of such unique, selfless communal GSTC energy than Friday afternoon. At an hour's notice, four distance runners and one throws coach arrived at the Highland Park track, shovels in hand, and labored for two hours to clear two lanes for our sprint group. Scoop by scoop, meter by meter, the track was carefully cleared for our teammates.
Our Leadership Team has worked hard at evolving team structures with our growing club. Along with increasing training enclaves to support more athletes, we voted last month to increase the number of coaching options to support more athletes, too. When you're the best team in New Jersey, and maybe even on the East Coast, it is easy to become complacent and satisfied. However, as Jim Collins would say, good is the enemy of great. It is our genuine hope to be as inclusive and accommodating as possible to all types of runners as we grow both in size and spectrum.
Speaking of leadership, the demands of supporting our beloved team have become profound. While this team was built on a foundation of distributed leadership, we now get fifty, not five, emails a day. The races we host are bigger, our relationships with partner organizations have greater expectations, the inner-team dynamics are more complex, the yearly budget has exploded in size, and the team goals are loftier. We appreciate the patience and evolved expectations that all members have developed over the years for our leadership, a collection of ambitious volunteers who spend both their literal and metaphorical lunches laboring for a better organization.
In a few weeks, you'll receive an email from one of our wonderful leaders about our spring racing schedule. While we know everyone has complicated lives with varying goals and challenges, we hope to see you out at some team races. In the meantime, check out an enclave run and meet some teammates who live nearby!
If you have a question, always email us. We're here to help you become healthier, faster, and happier. Here's to an awesome 2014, GSTC!
Results
While we are all in our base building phase, there have been a few results the past two weeks. In the Super Santa 5k, Taylor Roberts won gold in 16:30; we are so sad he is moving to Syracuse soon! Karen Auteri was the second overall female, and first in her age group, finishing in 19:30. Master Brian Harris won his age group in 19:56, as Sam Harris cracked 18:00, finishing 7th overall (and 2nd AG) in 17:56. Amy Denholtz ran 31:22 to round out the GSTC finishers in the race held by Superhero Racing!
On New Years Day, Erika Meling was the second female finisher in 31:15, winning her age group, in the Hamilton Hangover 5 Miler. Stephanie Donatone ran 35:15, finishing 7th overall, and 2nd in her age group, while masters Captain Jeff Blough ran 44:29.
Mikey Obsuth completed his yearly tour of the 1st Day 5k in Fair Lawn, running 19:49 for 23rd overall and 3rd in his age group. This time, he wore a karate outfit. See QOTW!
Team Runs
Please check Enclave Facebook pages, as enclave captains are still transitioning into the spring season. Sunday we are meeting at River Road at 9:00am. See the Steady Strider section, below, for directions.
Steady Striders
By Amy Denholtz
This weekend the steady striders will meet for a run beginning with the GSTC team, at 9am on Sunday, January 12th at River Road Park in Bedminster, NJ (located at the corner of River Road and Routes 202/206 South). Cathy Stutzman will lead the steady striders this weekend! Detailed directions to River Road Park are available here: http://www.bedminster.us/vertical/sites/%7B950B43CC-2516-4767-87EE-CF91D0F5ECF1%7D/uploads/%7BD2EAD940-EF95-43BF-8477-1C7BE7B23806%7D.DOC
Please email Amy, at adenholtz@gmail.com, with any questions and to RSVP.
TEAM STUFF
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
Quotes of the Week
"Hey, looks like you guys are doing a great job here." -Steve Mennitt, upon arriving to the track THE SECOND we finished after two hours of finishing the job
"Thank you!! You guys are so thoughtful and amazing!! I feel inspired already!" -Angie Latif, via email after receiving emails from team captains
"If you use the track in Highland Park, and live in Highland Park, be a sport and get out there with a shovel. I'll be joining a few GSTC folks to clear a couple lanes. Just imagine, if enough people do some work, we might have all six lanes clear!" -Mike Anis, via FB
"They should plow better, so that I can run better. Do more Stafford." -Alexis Patrick, via FB
"Day 1 2014…was 45 seconds late for start of hangover 5k passed 740 runners to take 3rd in age group. Cam home and ran ½ mile with my youngest son who started training today. What a start to a New Year." -masters runner Kenny Huryk, via FB. Ken spent most of 2013 hurt, and the masters suffered greatly. Healthy Huryk = great news!
"No it's okay….it just gets me psyched for the season!" -hurdler Allyson Guib about her first hurdle cut of the season
"I partied too hard and slept too little, but I still got that 5k hardware…third place in my age group! Ran it in a karate uniform this year..,..nunchuks and all." -Mike Obsuth, Rutgers senior and one of the original ten GSTC members in 2010, describing his January 1 race via text
"Happy New Year!!!!!!!!-youngins from GSTC" -Erin LaCosta, via FB, celebrating with Haleigh Simon, Dan Teichmann, and Zak Martins
"After two separate injuries this year and after logging today's run, I ran a grand total of 1,978.2 miles in 2013! Here's to a healthy, successful, FAST happy happy new year in 2014!" -Robyn Evangelist, via FB
"Happy New Years! Now go run." -new member Mike Galonski, via FB
"2013 was a year of firsts for me. My first paid coaching position, my first school record was broken by one of my athletes….my first Millrose race, my first steeplechase, my first track national title." -Kyle Price, via FB
The _____________Award*
Steve Mennitt knows we start the shoveling at 1:00, but he rolls up in his running gear at 3:00…..and thanks us for doing a great job…..ahhhhh Mennitt!
*We are in the process of renaming this one. Got an idea? Please post in the GSTC Facebook page.
Gold Star
By Ashwin Anantharaman
Andrew Latincsics
Andrew would like to join a club in NJ and find a club that I can run and race with in NJ and from what he can see from the results and the type of runners in GSTC seems like an active and vibrant club. He lives in northwest NJ and for years has raced mostly in upstate NY but would like to start racing more in NJ like he did years ago. His goals are pretty simple, to get and stay healthy so he can run everyday and race to the best of his ability. He has been dealing with Achilles heel issues since his early 40's and it has hampered him greatly! His PR's are from many years ago: 5K: 14:35 on the road, 14:44 on the track, 5 mile: 24:35, 10K: 30:28 on the road, half marathon 1:10:30, marathon 2:35:55. He is about to turn 48 so his PR days are long over according to him so he just wants to be somewhat competitive and help the GSTC masters team. He ran 17:57 this season and just wants to keep improving! He doesn't have that many pre-run/race routines. He needs to stretch a lot more than he used to, particularly his Achilles and likes to get in a good warm up run in before racing or doing speedwork.He has gotten into cycling a couple of years ago to crosstrain which helps his Achilles by giving it a break. Outside of running he coaches his kids in youth soccer and enjoys spending time with his family and watching his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers!!
Nicole Callaghan
Nicole ran for Westwood High School back in the 1990's and Jacksonville University (in Florida) for college. She got burnt out in college and had a lot of injuries so after college she walked away from running feeling disgruntled and wanted nothing to do with the sport anymore. After 11 years of not running she missed it and decided that she wanted to get back into it. She tried on my own but was never consistent and was extremely out of shape. She is friends with Meghan Decarlo(#teamDecCarlo) on FB. They ran against each other in high school. In January of 2012 she decided to commit herself to really putting some effort into running and trying to make a comeback. Once Meghan saw that on FB she tried to recruit her for months. She finally gave in and joined at the end of May 2012.
She is still injury prone and am trying to figure out how not to be, so her long term goals are to hit some of her old high school and college race times again and maybe even PR one day and most of all. Her number 1 goal is to not get injured and run pain free. Another goal is to run a marathon one day, but is thinking maybe when she turn 40 she will go for that one. Her PR's from way back in the day are 18:54 for 5k, 5:24 for 1600m, 11:29 for 3200m and 10:51 for 3000m. When she started with the club in May of 2012 she was heavier, way out of shape and running 25 minute 5k's. By December of 2012 she got down to the 21's. Unfortunately, she spent almost all of 2013 injured... hence why she hasn't been around. Right now she is starting from scratch again but is confident she will get back into shape soon.
Pre race/race routines include eating pasta or chicken the night before a race. On the way to a race if she is driving in her car by alone, she likes to rock out to old school Pearl Jam and Jay-Z. When she gets to the race she likes to run about a 1 mile warm up, stretch a little and do some strides or running drills, sometimes jumping jacks too. Outside of running SHE LOVES TO COOK... a lot. She also likes to lift weights, read, draw or paint. She also plays darts in a dart league one night a week for most of the year.
Pre-Game 4 Miler
On Sunday February 2nd, the 3rd annual Pre-Game 4 Miler (formerly known as the Super Sunday 4 Miler) will be taking place in Morristown.
Superhero Events is offering GSTC members a 15% discount. Just use coupon code GSTC when you sign up online at www.superheroracing.com.
Obviously, early February isn't prime racing season, but the race is a ton of fun and a great opportunity to score lots of USATF grand prix points early in the year. Here are a few more reasons to run:
• Long-sleeved technical shirts to the first 1,500 registrants!
• Prizes for age group and overall winners!
• SPECIAL Polar Bear prize for runner wearing the least amount of clothing! (last year GSTC's Chris Croft was a finalist)
• Post race party at a local bar with great drink specials to warm you up!
If you have any questions, please email Heather at superheroracing@hotmail.com
This Week in Training
By Chris Tafelski
Some coaches call this base-phase, some call it fundamental period. Whatever you call it, there are a few essentials that you need to be doing:
1) Building mileage with mostly comfortable runs. Remember that comfortable doesn't necessarily mean easy. You can go anywhere between E and M pace on a Daniels table.
2) Flexibility and strength work. Go on Youtube and check out Wharton Active Isolated Flexibility. It's great stuff and you can do a basic routine in 10-12 minutes once you learn the movements.
3) Strides after 2 or 3 of your runs, and hill sprints 1-2x/week.
4) Listen to your body! If you need a day off, take it. If you need to go really easy, do it. Don't feel like you have to hit a certain weekly mileage just because you set out to so it. It's important to be flexible. Remember - you're in charge, not the watch, not the GPS, not the training log. That said, it's pretty standard to feel tired from all the running in this phase of training.
So the week's plan is pretty simple. You want to up the mileage from last week. Last week was 50-65% of your last training cycle's peak mileage, so this week you should aim for 65-80%. You should be thinking about what an attainable mileage goal for you would be. Take into account your training history, injury history, time availability, etc. Be realistic but stretch the edge of what you think you can do.
Monday - comfortable run + 3x8-10sec hill sprint. As fast as you can go, on the steepest hill you can find. Take at least 2:30 walk recovery in between.
Tuesday - light fartlek run. You can approach your T pace if you want, but don't exceed pickups of more than 2 minutes in duration. A 1:30/3:30 cycle is good.
Wednesday - medium run of 15-20% of your week's mileage.
Thursday - super easy day + 6x80yd strides OR off.
Friday - same as Monday
Saturday - comfortable run + 6x80yd strides
Sunday - long run of 20-25% of your week's mileage.
Garden State Track Club
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