Unfortunately, Mo threw at nationals during a super busy week for the adidas Garden State Track Club. A week later, we were able to catch up with her a bit after her 12th place finish. Check out our interview below, listen to her being introduced here (this is worth it….VERY cool….at ten second mark), and check out her throw here!
The Weekly Email (TWE): Mo! Congratulations on qualifying and competing at the USATF National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We are so excited here at GSTC Headquarters to have our first athlete at a national championship. For starters, how did you do?
Monique Riddick (MR): I did well for myself. I do feel as if I had more in the tank and another three throws would have shown it, but overall I did pretty well myself.
TWE: Tell us about the experience of competing alongside some of the best shot putters in the world. How did it feel to be so close with them, to warm up with them, to talk with them, etc.?
MR: Some of the girls that threw this past weekend, I had thrown against in college minus a few. But I didn't really talk to many of the girls. Only the ones I knew. As far was warming up and competing, many throwers tend to stay in their own worlds; personally I try to make light of things and keep it fun.
TWE: There were two big controversies out in New Mexico, with two DQs in the 3,000m. What is the throwing culture like: are throwers talking about the track or the jumping events, or is the only focus throwing?
MR: I heard about one of the DQs, but many of us throwers tend to just talk about throwing unless you know someone in another event then you'll cheer and see if they are doing well.
TWE: What was the most memorable part of your experience in New Mexico?
MR: One of the most memorable things at the meet is when I was being announced; they had my entire throwing and school history as they were introducing me. It really made me feel like I had "made it."
TWE: There are numerous GSTC athletes who are very close to qualifying for this meet. What advice would you pass along to them after this experience?
MO: One thing I will say is that, I'm pretty stubborn person, and I will almost never back down. If you want to get to the "Big Show,” set yourself to be in that position. What I mean by that is put in the working during training. Have quality practices where you work on one or two problems and really try to fix them. Not only do you need confidence, believe in yourself and that what you're doing is the best thing for you.
TWE: What are your goals for the outdoor season?
MO: For my outdoor season, I'd like to throw 17m (55ft 9in) or just break my personal record of 16.66m (54ft 8in) and I'd like to make it to Outdoor Nationals and while there make the finals to get another 3 throws.
TWE: How do you celebrate an accomplishment like this? Please remember there are small children and very old people who read this weekly email.
MO: I celebrate this accomplishment with a week of rest, hanging out with friends when I'd normally have practice, eating copious amounts of Chipotle-I do that on a normal basis anyway-and gearing up for the outdoor season.
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TWE: Finally, tell us this: in a hypothetical situation, the adidas Garden State Track Club women's co-captain calls you. We are one woman short in the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships. We need a fifth runner to fill out a team. What do you do when you get this phone call?
MO: If someone called me up to be a runner in a half marathon, my first thought would to be "Do they know I don't do more than a 400?" I would probably have to delightfully decline for one big reason: I don't like losing. And if I'm on the team we probably wouldn't win as I am not a seasoned runner.
TWE: Thanks, Mo. Looking forward for an exciting spring!
Results: E. Murray Todd Half Marathon
Ken Walsh ran a 19 second personal best today in the half marathon, finishing 7th in 78:39.4. He averaged 6:03/mile for his opening 5 miles, then 6:14 pace for his middle five miles, then 5:36 for his final 5k.
Jeremy Klapper was one place ahead of Walsh, finishing in 77:49. Michael Stomiany ran 85:40, Zachary Dietrick from the Beach Enclave ran 86:17, and Chris Whitehead ran 89:10. Nicole Corre was the lone GSTC lady in the race, finishing 2nd in her AG with a 1:38:37
Glass Slipper Challenge
Last weekend, Amy Denholtz completed the Glass Slipper Challenge, running the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday and after the Saturday Enchanted 10k, in humid Florida. Amy finished the Half Marathon in the top third of all women finishers, and broke the top quarter for all 10k female finishers.
New Jersey Marathon Baggage is Back!
As many know, the adidas GSTC has a close relationship with the Novo Nordisk NJ Marathon. Every year, we are in charge of 10,000 pieces of luggage, and in return…they make a nice donation to the club. In turn, we take this donation and subsidize a race, or two, for you. If you’re interested, please email us ASAP. There are limited slots, and like last year, it’s on a first-come, first-serve basis.
GSTC Racing Schedule: Spring 2014
USATF-NJ Grand Prix
3/23 Miles for Music 20k Championships (all divisions)
4/6 Cherry Blossom 10k (masters women)
4/26 Clinton Country 15k (all divisions)
5/3 Newport 10,0000 (open men and women)
6/1 Stomp the Monster (open women)
6/7 College Ave Mile (all divisions)
6/16 President’s Cup (open men)
6/22 Lager Run (masters men)
6/26 Sunset Classic (open, masters women)
To race in the Grand Prix for the adidas GSTC, you must be a USATF member! Be sure to indicate your affiliation with us, team #385!
Track and Field
3/29 Monmouth Opener (Monmouth)
4/5 Ramapo Invitational (Ramapo)
4/19 Larry Ellis Invite (Princeton)
4/25 Penn Relays (UPenn)
4/26 Lion Invitational (TCNJ)
5/12 Tuppeny Twilight (Swarthmore)
6/14 adidas Grand Prix (Icahn Stadium, NYC)
6/21 USATF East Region Championships (date?)
Team Runs
Monday: (track and field) Team workout 5:30 at Highland Park HS
Monday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 @ RSC
Tuesday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 group run @ Rutgers Student Center (RSC)
Wednesday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 group run @ RSC
Wednesday: (Morristown Enclave) 6:15 group run @ Morristown Running Company
Wednesday: (South Enclave) 9:30pm Stockton
Thursday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 group run @ RSC
Friday: (Central Enclave): 4:15 at RSC
Friday: (South Jersey): 4:30 at Delsea
Saturday: (Morristown) 9:00 group run @ Morristown Running Company
Saturday: (Central Enclave) 10:00am track workout at HPHS
Sunday: ROWAN UNIVERSITY, 10AM AT THE TRACK!!
Quotes of the Week
“Yes, I beat the banana!” -Karen Auteri, when discussing Road Relays costume runner (we think this was her reference)
“Pshh, who would spend their Saturday night in the gym? Oh, wait…” -Alina Duran, FB post
“It’s too cold for books!” -Kyle Price, to fellow miler Dennie Waite, prior to their Friday workout. Indeed, the context is irrelevant.
“If I don’t find a track team here, pray they send me back to Jersey so I can be in the right spot for everything and I can run for the great GSTC.” -Antonio Gaines, GSTC sprinter via Facebook, who is currently stationed in Clarksville, Tennessee for the Air Force
“Can’t stop the progress train.” -Josh Neyhart, via FB in Thailand, as he gets in his runs while on vacation
Totally Misunderstood Award…TMA
Anytime you walk into a Starbucks and a club member is walking in flip flops….while holding his running shoes with myriad holes in them….while it’s 25 degrees outside, it’s not even a question who gets the nod this week. Mohamed El Hedi Bahri….c'mon man. The ladies really aren't a big fan of the homeless look.
COACHING PAGE
It's taken a little while, and there are a few imperfections, but check out the new adidas GSTC coaching staff page here. To gain access to them all, ya just gotta pay your 2014 dues!
GSTC TRIVIA
As previously established last week, South Jersey is, let’s be honest, a wasteland of trailer parks and Jerry Springer-watching hillbillies deep in the Pine Barrens who, on a weekly basis, will think about issues of personal hygiene, such as flossing, and do things like bowl in smoky bowling allies with the local yokals. However, we love them dearly.
Along those lines, this week’s question is as follows: Who from the South Enclave is in a bowling league with the team name “Bowl Movements”? You just can't make this stuff up.
1- Brittany McCann
2- Eric DuBois
3- Angela Dunn
4- Adin Mickle
5- Robyn Evangelist
6- Paul Matuszak
Gold Star
By Ashwin Anantharaman
Miggy Jones
Miggy joined GSTC after the new year. He wanted to see what kind times he could run ten years after his last race and meet new people. He likes to run the mile, 800 and 5k cross races with PRs of 4:10 in the mile and 1.51.5 in the 800. He run during lunch at work so he doesn't have much of a routine. He likes to relax and watch movies before races. Outside of running he travels a lot as he has friends all over the globe and likes to see them often.He has been on over 30 trips (plane rides)
in the past two years!
Octavious Wesley
Octavious joined GSTC because it was the right move for him and the club. He likes the family atmosphere that Matt Baker and Chuck presented him since he was looking for a team since his post-collegiate career. His PRs are 6.88 in the 60m, 10.65 in the 100m, 21.25 in the 200 outdoors and 21.33 indoors. His goal is to break his country (Liberia) national record in the 100m, 60 and 200m. He currently has the 200m record indoors. He is also looking to make the African championship in 2015 and the Rio games in 2016. He really doesn't have a pre-race routine but before a meet he always finds myself doing laundry. He gets very nervous so he can barely eat before he runs. He has fruits instead and some gummy bears or sour patch kids. Hobbies outside of track are hanging with his nephews and nieces and just enjoying his friends and family.
Steady Striders
By Amy Denholtz
This past weekend the steady striders welcomed a special guest Boston Marathon, Alicia Straus. She attempted Boston last year but didn't finish before the devastating explosions kept her from finishing the final miles of the course. This year she will be running to benefit the We Are College Bound charity, and she is a great example of steady striders everywhere making a difference and accomplishing impressive running goals. We wish you good luck at Boston, Alicia!
Our upcoming steady strider group run will be on Saturday, March 8th, 2014 at 9am at Donaldson Park, in Highland Park, 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.
TEAM STUFF
Sunday Morning, 2/23: Road Relays www.roadrelays.org
Yearly dues----à https://runsignup.com/Club/NJ/NewBrunswick/GardenStateTrackClub
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
This Week in Training
By Chris Tafelski (cjtafelski@yahoo.com)
Monday - comfortable run + 8x8-10sec hill sprints. Skip the sprints if you're feeling sore from the race.
Tuesday - 2x12 mins at T pace with 2 minutes recovery, followed by 2x800 at 5k pace, followed by 2x400 at 3k pace. Take 2:00 recovery between everything.
Wednesday - medium run of 15-20% of week's mileage
Thursday - super easy 40-60mins OR off
Friday - 4-6x mile reps with 1:00 rest. Start at T pace + 20s, then cut down 10s each rep. If your miles take more than 7:00, do fewer reps, or run 1200s instead. Finish with 2x200 at mile pace, and 2x200 on 800 pace on full recovery.
Saturday - same as Monday.
Sunday - long run
What is this email?
TRIVIA ANSWER
Answer- BRITTANY MCCANN.
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