(7/16-7/22): The Official 2012 Get the Gorilla 5k Edition!

2012 GET THE GORILLA 5K EDITION

 

1.0  Sunday, October 7th: The Schedule

9:30-    Get the Gorilla 5k Open Race

10:30-  #15 GSTC vs #10 CPTC Elite Dual Meet (Women 5k/ Men 8k)*

11:15-  Costume Parade

11:30-  Awards Ceremony

 

*For the first time, other nationally ranked elite teams will be invited: #4 New York Athletic Club, #27 Greater Boston Track Club, #5 Boston Athletic Association, NJ/NY Track Club, Greater Philly TC, #16 Georgetown Running Company, #20 Manhattan Track Club, and #23 New Balance Boston.  Above rankings are based on last year's team results from USATF Club Nationals XC Championships in Seattle, WA.

 

All info is here: www.gorilla5k.org

 

 

2.0  GtG Prize Money

Elite Men and Women: $200 (1st), $150 (2nd), $100 (3rd)

Costume Contest*: $200 (1st), $150 (2nd), $100 (3rd)

Centipede Contest*: $200 (1st), $150 (2nd), $100 (3rd)

 

*Judges decide on winners during costume contest, then announce winners at Awards Ceremony.  Both are NOT decided by time!

Rules and 2011 Winners: http://www.gorilla5k.org/costume_contest.html

 

 

3.  GSTC Members: How You Can Help

How you can help us promote our big yeary fall event?

 

1.  Please add people to the Get the Gorilla Facebook Group.  Then, invite them to the event!  Word of mouth is powerful!

2.  Post things on GtG FB Group.

3.  Help us FLYER cars at two events: Westfield Pizza 5k (7/25) and Jimmy D 5k (9/2).  Holla at me if you can!

4.  Post website (www.gorilla5k.org) on FB and encourage friends to come run it!!

5.  Of course.....sign up and run yourself! GSTC members with the big discount: https://www.compuscorereg.com/register/?event=13581

 

 

4.0  CPTC vs GSTC: Elite Dual Meet

Central Park Track Club has won back-to-back club national championships in track and field, and they ran the table last year against Garden State Track Club's elite men and women in the 2011 GtG Elite Dual Meet.

 

However, 2012 is a new year, and things should be VERY close this year.  In an old-school dual meet, NY's best club will go head-to-head with NJ's best club where time means nothing--it's all about place.  The top five runners place, and the top seven runners displace; add up the places of each team's top 5 finishers, and the lowest score wins.

 

Not only will the WIG and MIG challenge hard for the team trophies, but two other changes are in store for America's only elite dual meet.  First, it will be held AFTER the conclusion of the open race---enabling spectators and open 5k participants to enjoy the race from start to finish.  Second, myriad other elite East Coast clubs have been invited, making the elite race that much more exciting!

 

 

This Week's Race Results

No one is really throwing it down right now, but we got wind of two exciting results: Wilfredo Benitiz, a Rutgers-GSTC member, cracked 18:00 for the first time ever (17:58) today.......and former Rowan standout Steve Mennit, who's been fighting injury for months, just cranked 8.5 miles at 5:45 pace during a relay this weekend.  Solid results, gentlemen....let's keep it rolling through the summer!

 

 

Tim Morgan Award

1.  We talked to Mike Anis last night about making sure Tim Morgan wasn't late to today's team long run.  What does Anis do?  Rolled up twelve minutes late, while 25 of us are waiting to get started.  (Editor's note: Morgan was 15 minutes early)

2.  On the highway to today's run, Tim Morgan blows past us on the Parkway....in the left lane.  He swerves to middle lane, then moments later, swerves back to the left lane.  Upon the third lane change, a state trooper begins tailing him.  For a solid three minutes, the GSTC van thought for SURE he was getting pulled over, as he had no idea the cop was behind him.  Classic.

 

Quotes of the Week

"I want to be the president of the cup."  -Jeff Perrella, 2011 and 2012 President's Cup Champion, talking about his plans to dominate NJ's premier road race every June

 

"I don't understand them.  Before I joined GSTC, I asked them often about joining their club.  They'd respond by talking about how to join other clubs.  It was like trying to join the Masons or something."  -Adin Mickle, GSTC's #3 man at nationals last year, talking about a southern Jersey club.  Little known fact: Adin only drinks MILK when he goes out to bars, his "Milkman" nickname.

 

"Good run at Holmdel- our team kicks ass!" -Mike Anis, post on GSTC Facebook page

 

"I love our team!!" -Alyssa Douma in response to Anis' post

 

"Violet!  Wait.................no........dark!"  -Chris Scheider, in response to the question, "What shade of red also means to abandon or isolate with little hope of rescue?"   (Editor's note: answer is maroon.  Also Editor's note: DARK?)

"CU soon hopin to get down under 18 5k...eager to be trained and be pushed."  -masters runner Eric Davis, via text, regarding his new GSTC membership

 

"Two of America's top athletes have come to terms and have a contractual agreement to team up for Road Relays III." -Tony Polite, via email, who has seemingly broken up with Jeff Perrella to team up with Chris Heibell for GSTC's February event, Road Relays.  Last year, Perrella was hurt and unable to perform his agreement with Mr. Polite. 

 

"Hey Chuck, it's Tuesday and still no email.  What am I supposed to read while at work?"  -Mike Obsuth, in a text message, who somehow had the team email in his junk folder.  Good to see the GSTC's weekly email is helping the American economy by inspiring employees to....not work. 

 

"Wow, this is a big group for a Sunday run. This club is really doing an awesome job.  Great to see."  -Rich Kenah, at Holmdel Park today, to the group.  For those that don't know, Kenah ran 1:43.38 for the bronze at the 1997 World Championships in Athens....in the same race Wilson Kipketer set the 800m world record of 1:41.07. 

 

"I have put in enough miles in Jockey Hollow to circle the globe about 1.5 times.  36k.  For real."  -Ryan Grote, text message, when asked if he knew where Jockey Hollow trail was.  He explained his rationale, and sure enough....he is being for real.  Wow.

 

 

Broken Record

We just found out that not one, but TWO GSTC'ers- Kristin Cupido and Pat Lestrange- have broken toes.  We hope the toe gods leave this dear club alone, for goodness sake.

 

 

GSTC Record Run

32 people came to the Holmdel run this morning....see attached picture....an all-time club record!  Heibell came for the Great Adventure...Goglas has ruled this as NOT counting.  Sorry Heibell. 

 

 

This Week'sTeam Runs

Monday:  5:30 @ Philadelphia's Wissahickon Trail (660 West Rittenhouse St., Philadelphia, PA 19144) w/ Adin, Chuck, Peter, and Shawn.  Hit up Chuck or Adin if you want in!

Tuesday: 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park (New Brunswick)- meet at big gazebo near big parking lot! 

Wednesday: 6:15 @ Morristown Running Company (park in Wells Fargo parking lot- free after 5:00)

Wednesday: 7:00 track workout @Ben Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood

Thursday: 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park (New Brunswick)- meet at big gazebo near big parking lot!

Sunday:  8:30am LONG RUN @ Jockey Hollow.  Hit up Decarlo @ robbob13@hotmail.com for more info

Jockey Hollow ----- GPS= N40degrees45.722ft.W074degrees32.559ft

From Interstate 287 South or North:
-Take Exit 30B (Bernardsville)
-At the traffic light, turn right onto Route 202 North
-Turn left at light for Tempe Wick Road (Route 646).
(Note that road has a different name on the right side, don't let this confuse you.)
-Continue on Tempe Wick Road for about another 1 ½ miles. The entrance to the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park will be on your right.

This Week in Training

Sprinters - Check Facebook Sprint Squad Group page....it's all there!

 

Distance

The build is on.  Hopefully each of you has a progression plan in mind.  Add mileage sensibly and in consideration of how you handled the mileage this past week.  If it was really tough, you may want to consider repeating last week's mileage or ever cutting it down a bit.  If it was really easy, you can add 8-10 miles.  It all depends.  It's only week 2, so you should be feeling pretty good.  There will be plenty of time for really hard work later, so this should largely be an investment of your time rather than your energy.  It's OK to open it up and roll a bit on the days where you're feeling good, but you shouldn't be hammering any of your runs.  You want quality aerobic effort.  You should feel pleasantly tired at the end.

 

So I'll repeat the sample weeks I posted last week.  Keep it flexible, but aim for a medium-length run of about 75-80% long run duration in the middle of the week, and of course the weekend long run.  I like to plan the medium run based on which day in the middle of the week has the best weather - doesn't matter if it's Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but you don't want the medium run and the long run to be too close together.  Wednesday or Thursday is the ideal.

 

You also want to be doing strides and hill sprints, if possible.  Ideally, you would do hill sprints on Tuesday and Friday, and strides on Monday and Thursday.  The hill sprints should be 8-10 seconds long, all out, on the steepest hill you can find.  Recovery must be complete in order to make these completely alactic.  The purpose of these is to train your top end by recruiting as many muscle fibers as possible.  If you keep them short in duration and the recovery intervals long, you will not generate any lactate at all.  Start with 3 or 4 your first time doing them and build to 8 or 10. 

Any questions, shoot me an e-mail - cjtafelski@yahoo.com

 

25mpw:

M - 4 + 6x80m strides

T - 3 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

W - 4

Th - 4 + 6x80m strides

F - off

Sat - 4 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

Sun - 5

 

35 mpw:

M -5 + 6x80m strides

T -4 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

W - 7

Th -5 + 6x80m strides

F - off

Sat - 6 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

Sun -8

 

40 mpw:

M - 6 + 6x80m strides

T - 5 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

W - 7

Th - 6 + 6x80m strides

F - off

Sat -  6 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

Sun - 10

50 mpw:

M - 7 + 6x80m strides

T - 8 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

W - 9

Th - 8 + 6x80m strides

F - off

Sat 7 + 4x8-10s hill sprints

Sun - 11

 

(July 9-July 15): The Official 2012 GSTC Fall Race Preview

2012 GSTC Racing Schedule

All GSTC members, slow or fast, big or small, and everyone in the middle, are encouraged to hop in the following race: 

9/8        USATF-NJ 5k Cross Country Championships (Saturday)

9/23      Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon: USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships (Sunday)

10/7      *Get the Gorilla 5k (Sunday)

10/28    **USATF-NJ 8k Cross Country Championships (Sunday)

12/8       USATF Club Cross Country 10k National Championships (Saturday)

 

*see nearly completed website of our club's fall event here: www.gorilla5k.org

**winning team gets $500 for club nationals

 

Women's Fall XC Preview

GSTC Ladies Eye CPTC, a USATF-NJ Title, and the National XC Championships

During last year's dual meet with Central Park Track Club, the NYC orange and blue ran the table, sweeping the top six spots and blanking the Gold, 15-45. 

 

Oh, what a difference one year makes.

 

Former Rutgers standout Cheyenne Ogletree continues to be the ace, and finally, she has an incredibly talented group of teammates to fly along with her.  Taking a quick look at how the GSTC's top four stack up against Central Park TC, the WIG fall just short, 14-22.  Here is the dope sheet (results from 2011 GTG 5k; 2012 Rachel 5k):

 

1. 17:33  CPTC   Cat Beck

2. 18:29  CPTC   Christina Argueta

3. 18:30  GSTC   Cheyenne Ogletree

4. 18:37  GSTC   Alyssa Douma

5. 18:41  CPTC   Stephanie Herrick

6. 18:43  CPTC   Bevin Peters

7. 18:48  GSTC   Jamie Liberti

8. 19:34  GSTC   Kristin Cupido

 

However, enter new addition Lindsey Lambert.  A close friend and former teammate at LHU with Douma, her 5k best of 17:18 is a total game changer, swinging the score to an even tie, 18-18.  That said, the CPTC race is a classic dual meet that scores the top five, not the top four like USATF-NJ races.  Luckily, there are a few others who will help out Ogletree, Douma, Liberti, Lambert, and Cupido on October 7th.  These include Nicole Corre, Meghan Decarlo, Courtney Stanton, Danielle Stanton, Erin Higgins, Karen Auteri--to name a few.

 

Locking horns with the cross-river rival isn't the only entry on the menu, as the ladies are just two points ahead in the USATF-NJ Grand Prix Open Women's Team Championship.  This will be a tight team race, as defending champion RVRR is just two points behind; RVRR has won the open women's race four times over the past five years: 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2007.

 

For the first time in club history, the ladies will also bring a complete team of seven to the club cross country national championsips on December 8th in Lexington, Kentucky, which isa 6k race for women.

 

 

 

Can GSTC Men Beat CPTC and Crack Top 5 at Nationals?     

 Perrella, Poland, & Heibell Lead One of America's Deepest Club Teams This Fall

 

Three men will lead the Men in Gold this fall: Jeff Perrella (14:22), Tom Poland (14:27), and Chris Heibell (14:42).  All three are coming off outstanding spring seasons, and all three will play a huge role in the MIG's push to crack the elite top 5 at club nationals this fall.  From there, the team's depth makes it impossible to predict who else might be taking the trip to Kentucky.  And, if it's too hard to figure out, the GSTC may even bring field TWO teams to club nationals.

 

One would assume UCONN steepler and 2:29 marathoner Ken Goglas is deeply in the mix, especially after a vey solid spring.  Adin Mickle and Mike Anis, the returning #3 and #5 men, respectively, from the 2011 team that placed 15th in Seattle, return with good fitness.  Team hero, mascot, and professional Facebook poster Tim Morgan, owning a swift 14:40 PR, should be in the hunt, along with 2:32 marathoner Shawn Deandrea.      

 

But wait- there is more- much more.  A major question mark is half miler Tony Harris, who ran both 1:52.69 for 800m and 69:08 (5:33 pace) for 20k in the spring season.  How fast can he run a 10k?  Andrew Capizzi, a steeplechase standout from Ramapo, is also very fit and ready fot fall racing.  Brandon Smith, who ran 71:59 and 15:32 in a two week span, will be a major contender, as will miler Chris Behre (4:09), California transfer John Welsh (sub-15), and Rowan standout Stephen Mennitt (15:07).  The man with the hottest hand last fall, Ashwin Anantharaman, will be back, along with TCNJ star Rob Nihen (14:47) and 2:44 marathoner Steven Geiger

 

Current Princeton graduate student Peter Bolgert, who has run 3:49 and 24:41 over an 8k xc course, is so good he gets his own paragraph!

 

If healthy and available, James Grimes, Nicolai Naranjo, Robert Dennis, Brian Kopnicki, Taylor Burmeister, Ross Baldwin, and Colby Pines will all be major players.

 

We wish there was enough room to mention everyone else, including Rutgers students like Wilfredo Benitiz, old man runners like Alex Fowlie, half milers like Tyler Foss, and young pups like Edsel Flores, but alas- we are running out of room!  There are, however, there are several plots.

 

 

Fall Subplot #1: GSTC Masters' Team
The GSTC men will, most certainly, finally field a men's masters team this fall.  They need five, and currently they have three very solid guys: Jeremy Stratton, Ken Huryk, and William Herring.  There are several on the verge of joining, and once they do...and, the women are just two runners away, as well.  Let's make this happen!

 

 

Fall Subplot #2: Mid-Pack Smack Talk

Tensions are respectfully yet visibly rising on Facebook between three GSTC gentlemen: Steve Bonica, Ken Huryk, and Rob Decarlo.  At first it was just a two-man war between Bonica snd Decarlo, but after Huryk's fine race on July 4, he has entered into the fray.  Season-best 5ks this year are Decarlo's 18:32, Bonica's 18:43, and Huryk's 18:54.  We fully expect an all-out cage-match by year's end, although FB rumor has it they may be entering as a centipede in the GTG 5k. 

 

Fall Subplot #3: CPTC vs GSTC

Central Park Track Club just won their second consecutive club national championship in track and field this weekend.  Last year, they swept the men's and women's competition in the elite dual meet versus the GSTC at the Get the Gorilla 5k.  However, both men's and women's teams have muscled up greatly, which should lead to an exciting race on October 7. 

 

Fall Subplot #4: Can the GSTC Ladies Hold On?

As discussed last week, the WIG are just two points- or one win- in the lead in the open women's USATF-NJ Grand Prix Championships.  They have never won this title before, and they got three races to hold on: the xc 5k, half marathon, and xc 8k.  With defending champions RVRR close on their heels, it should be an exciting team race to follow.

 

July 4 Racing Results: Capizzi Sets CR, Huryk PRs

GSTC stud Andrew Capizzi had fun on July 1, setting a course record at the Fighting Fires 5k, winning by over a minute in 16:32.  Pretty sweet article (and you can make out his gold un in the far left of the picture), but we sure hope you can topple guys from towns like "Sugarload" and "Smallwood." 

Article here: http://www.sc-democrat.com/sports/2012July/06/sports.htm

 

Props to 46 year old Ken Huryk for an all-time PR of 18:54, finishing as the top master at the Milltown Firecracker 5k.  Nick Waclawski finished 10th in his age group, hitting the tape at 21:10.  REsults: http://www.bestrace.com/results/12/120704FC5.HTM

 

 

Team Runs: LR @ Holmdel + Great Adventure!

Tuesday  6:15 @ Buccleuch Park (parking lot near bathrooms)

Wednesday  6:15 @ Morristown Running Company

Wednesday  Womens pm workout @ Franklin Middle School/Ridgewood (email robbob13@hotmail.com for details)

Thursday 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park (parking lot near bathrooms)

Thursday 6:00 @ Holmdel Park's gazebo/main building (email Kenneth.m.walsh@gmail.com)

Friday Women's workout @ Mahwah (robbob13@hotmail.com)

Sunday:  LONG RUN AT HOLMDEL @ 9:00 AT MAIN BUILDING.  Van leaves NB @ 8:15.

    For those interested, a group is going to Great Adventure afterward!!! (email atharris@live.com for details)

 

 

This Week in Training: Time to Get Back at 'Em

Sprinters/Half Milers

Central Park TC just finished their spring season this weekend, and we are well rested and starting our 2012-2013 season this week.  By now, you should be boiling up inside, anxious to train, run, lift- anything!  Just remember- it is a looooooong season, so keep the big picture in mind.  The half milers will follow Tafelski's plan below at 35 miles per week. Sprinters, this week you should do six workouts: three in the weight room and three on the roads.  The lifting is just general fitness work: three sets, 12-15 reps per set of most olympic lifts.  Running-wise, let's get out for three easy ten minutes runs with 2-4 easy strides afterward.  Keep everything fun and low-intensity.

 

Distance

It's time to build again.  We're going to build base mileage for a number of weeks.  What follows is the basic format that our training weeks will follow during this basebuilding phase.  The big questions: How much to run?  At what pace?  So here goes...

 

How much to run?  Only you can say.  In order to figure this out, you need to sit down and think over the exact volume of running you were doing at your highest point in the last training cycle or two.  Whatever that is, add 8-10 miles, and that should be your goal peak mileage.  So if the most you ran in the last year was 50mpw, then it is reasonable to aim for 60.  Whatever it is, this is a soft goal.  By that, I mean that you may or may not reach it, depending on how your basebuilding progresses.  You may exceed your goal if you find that you're tolerating your goal mileage really well.  So it's important to not be too prescriptive here and map out every single day of the next two months of training. 

 

The most important thing is that you be consistent in your running and build intelligently toward your goal over the next 3-4 weeks.  I would say don't add more than 10 miles from one week to the next.  So if your goal is 60, you can aim to progress by running 35, 44, 52, 60.  If your goal is higher than that, you can build over 5-6 weeks rather than 4 weeks, or you can start at a higher mileage during week 1.  All of these variables are up to you to control based on how you feel while training.  The most important information to consider when building is how you feel during and after your runs.  If you start at 30 mpw and it's cake, then jump to 40 the next week.  If 30 is tough, then you can repeat the 30 mile week and increase later, or jump up to 35.  If you go from 30 miles one week to 35 the next and it feels easy, then go to 45 the following week. 

 

How fast to run?  Again, pay attention to how you're feeling.  It's hot right now, so you have to consider that.  I would use a Daniels table (or use the VDOT calculator at McMillan's website or runbayou.com) - enter your best race performance from the spring, then reduce the VDOT by 3 or 4 because you're detrained a bit during your break.  You want to train between the E and M paces on most of your runs (stay away from T pace for now).  For most of you that is a 50-60 second range per mile.  That is a huge window in which to train.  I prefer that you start out each run slowly and work into it naturally as you get loose.  How slow is slow?  Again, only you can say.  It may vary significantly based on running surface, terrain, diet, sleep, and temperature/humidity.  That's why it's important to just go on feel. 

 

Beware basing your training off of data rather than information.  I see this a lot with Garmin owners, or with folks who know every half mile mark on every run.  They're constantly checking their watch to see if their running the arbitrary pace they selected prior to the run.  So if someone sets out to run their mileage at 7:00 pace, they're slavishly checking their watches all the time to see if they're meeting it.  The fallacy of this is that the conditions of a run can vary tremendously from day to day, so not all 7:00 miles are created equal.  You're not going to see Kenyans in Iten checking their Garmins.  Sometimes their runs are very very easy, and sometimes they run extremely hard.  It should always be about running a quality aerobic effort. 

 

So here's the basic plan - I'll give you a few sample training weeks.  All of these runs are quality aerobic efforts - that doesn't necessarily mean hard.  Faster is not always better.  Your job before you begin running is to sit down with pen and paper, choose a goal mileage to hit in the next 4-6 weeks, and map out your next week or two of running and what your ideal mileage progression toward your goal might look like.  If you have any questions or you'd like some input, e-mail me at cjtafelski@yahoo.com.  Several of you have done this already.  Let's get building!  Get excited!

 

25mpw:

M - 4

T - 3

W - 4

Th - 4

F - off

Sat - 4

Sun - 5

 

35 mpw:

M -5

T -4

W - 7

Th -5

F - off

Sat - 6

Sun -8

 

40 mpw:

M - 6

T - 5

W - 7

Th - 6

F - off

Sat -  6

Sun - 10

 

(July 2-July 8): Summer Begins; The Official GSTC Spring Season Summary

Summer Is Here!

While the sprinters, half milers, and distance runners alike rest, rejuvenate, and marinate during the early summer,  what better time is there to recap a very exciting spring for the club?  But before we look back at the season that was, let's not overlook the lone result of the week:

 

 

Heibell Wins Three-Way Tie With a Scissors

Gurzo, Lothian Throw "Regretful" Paper on Wednesday Night Oly Trials Grand Prix Finale

 

New Brunswick: On Wednesday evening, twenty GSTC'ers congregated at Mike's Courtside to watch the Olympic Trials, along with playing the $1 buy-in Grand Prix.  The GP, a list of eight questions asking contestants to predict the place and time of the various events contested that evening, resulted in a three-way tie for first, as James Lothian, Mike Gurzo, and Chris Heibell all had 50 points by night's end.  Upon a lengthy team debate, it was decided the trio would decide the $18 jack-pot winner as gentlemen, using an approach that started during the great Han Dynasty (206bc), and continues to be supported throughout the world, including by American federal judge in Florida Gregory Presnell in a court ruling from 2006: rock-scissors-paper.

 

Indeed, the stakes were high.  For Gurzo and Lothian, both engineers, they find this kind of money under their pillow at night; however, they are both building a reputation and relationships as new members.  For Heibell, a GSTC veteran And recent college graduate, this was a paycheck, a jackpot, the lottery.  After all, he's been admiring a new plaid shirt at Anthropology, but he only gets allowance from his parents at month's end, so...all were excited at the opportunities that awaited.  Judge Jeff Perrella made the rules clear: play until there is one winner.

 

The first throw was anti-climatic, as each threw a different sign- resulting in a stalemate.  But the second throw was fascinating, as all three threw the statistically-least common (30%) throw: paper.  This built suspense for the third and final round of good ol'  "handy-fisty-shake", as both Lothian and Gurzo used faulty reverse psychology and threw down another paper.  Heibell, known for his crafty guile and matching outfits, threw down a scissors, and man...we have never seen a double-first-pump celebation like that one before, outside of maybe Jenk's boardwalk at 3am.  There were grumblings that this was his biggest win of the season, and we must say--we do agree.  Great job, Heibell.

 

For those that believe in foreshadowing, please note that Decarlo defeteated Bonica, and Heibell defeated Tony Polite and Perrella.  Just sayin'.

 

FINAL RESULTS OF GSTC GRAND PRIX:  1. Heibell (50 points), 2.  Gurzo, Lothian (50), 4.  Matt, Decarlo, Perrella (40), 7.  Leanne, Bonica, Harris (30), 10.  Corre, Sharon, Fowlie, Welsh, Chuck, Z-Mart (20), 16. O'Toole, Sarah, Piekarski (10).  DNS- Morgan ("You don't want me playing that game"), Foss (late).  Via email:  Walsh (30), Capizzi (30), Behre (20), Geiger (20).

 

11 Rock-Scissors-Paper Secrets here:  http://www.11points.com/Games/11_Secrets_For_Winning_At_Rock_Paper_Scissors

 

 

Get the Gorilla 5k....October 7th!

The GSTC's fall race has it all: costume contest, elite race, centipedes, gorillas, bananas, kids' race....this is all you need to know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCNaxBAn8IA&feature=plcp

 

TEAM RUNS THIS WEEK

TUESDAY - 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park's gazebo (beside parking lot/bathrooms)

WEDNESDAY - 6:15 @ Morristown Running Company

THURSDAY - 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park's gazebo

SUNDAY - 9:00am @ River Road

 

 

SPRING SEASON REVIEW

This will be updated soon, but a fun look at some highlights from parts of this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC-XK_NQA0k&feature=youtube_gdata 

 

Women's Distance: In a Tale of Two Seasons, the WIG Lead by Two Points

It took a while for the train to gather steam, but once it did...the GSTC ladies totally steamrolled over the USATF-NJ Grand Prix, yet now sit just two slim points ahead of RVRR for first place in the open women's division.

 

At the 20k and 5 Mile championships, opportunities were lost and the ladies settled for second at both races.  Carrying the team load these races were Kristin Cupido, Cheyenne Ogletree, Cathy Stutzman, and Meghan Decarlo; in both races, they were winning after the top three runners, but alas...the top four are scored.  The GSTC women were in a tough bind: they needed a #4 runner, and they needed it badly.

 

Karen Auteri, a former runner for TCNJ, stepped up big time in the razor close victory at the USATF-NJ 10k championships; Erin Higgins made the big difference in the 15k champs, running the best race she's ever run in gold and black to help lock down the team win there.

 

However, in the rubber match and final championship of the season, the USATF-NJ 5k championship at Run for Rachel 5k, was the first time the WIG were in full force, and...it was total domination.  Jamie Liberti and Alyssa Douma, both in their GSTC debut, ran fabulously (18:48 and 18:37, respectively), resulting in a win by 3:30--or about 50 seconds per woman--impressive when considering the distance was just 5k. 

 

Despite the incredible finish, four races remain and many questions linger as the ladies cling to their delicate two-point lead.  What are those races and questions, you wonder?  Have patience...next week is the "Fall Preview."

Open Women's Standings (5 of 9 races completed)

46 points- Garden State Track Team "A"

44 points- Raritan Valley Road Runners "A"

30 points- Garmin Runners "A"

17 points- North Jersey Masters

15 points- Sneaker Factory "A"

 

 

Men's Sprints: 4x400 Quartet Steals Spring Show as PRs Abound

Things got off to a great start in the opener, as the 4x400 relay of Ricky Garcia, Mike Brito, Duval Sewer, and Tony Harris outmuscled Manhattan College on December 9, winning in 3:26.25.  This set the tone for a season of golds for the foursome, including big wins at Madison Square Garden and Penn Relays, although the club record came at the Swarthmore Last Chance with a 3:17.48 silver medal.  Thanks to such successes, the crew was invited- and raced- at one of the world's best meets: the adidas Diamond League Grand Prix in NYC, where the group finished 6th of 9 teams.

 

All four ran lifetime PRs by season's end: Garcia (48.5), Brito (48.8/52.97IH), Sewer (49.3), and Harris (48.7/1:52.69). 

 

The half-mile crew, after breaking the club record in the 4x800, went on to also set a plethora of lifetime bests: Zak Martins (2:00), Reggie James (1:59), Mark Parisen (2:00/54.52IH), Sewer (1:58i), Tyler Foss (1:58i), and Garcia (1:59i).

 

The sprint side saw equal success, as most of the most committed athletes saw huge PR breakthroughs: Alan Broussard (14.65/110HH), Ish Robbins (10.87), Arvid Pansanjan (22.58), and Daniel Brathwaite (50.76/22.74). 

 

The season ended on a huge team win, as the GSTC defeated the Shore AC to win the USATF-NJ Open Team Championship.  In addition, the men's fastest 4x400 time was the 5th best by any club in America.

 

 

Women's Sprints: Washington Qualifies for Olympic Trials

Asia Washington had a banner year, lowering her previous 400IH best from 56.90 to 56.78, qualifying her for the 2012 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

 

Throughout the season, she set three club records in addition to the 400IH: the 100 (11.95), 200 (24.18), and 400 (54.71).  She also played an instrumental role in both the sprint medley and 4x200 relays at the Millrose Games.

 

Unfortunately, several of the other women sprinters battled injury most of the year.  Things did end on a good note, however, as Shay Warren, Haleigh Simon, Quanisha Booker, and Alexis Mbakwe teamed up to break the 4x400 club record at the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational in mid-May.

 

Men's Distance: America's Deepest Club Team Close to 1-2 Finish

The men's distance team had a near flawless spring, racking up wins in all five USATF-NJ Grand Prix Championship races.  In fact, they went 1-2 in the first three races (20k, 15k, and 5k), but due to injuries and   track races, were unable to field "B" teams in the final two contests.  This sets the table for an interesting fall, as the B team will claw back from a six point deficit to bring the GSTC to an unprecedented 1-2 team sweep atop the state leader board. 

The mighty Tom Poland set the state on fire in the first two races, finishing 2nd at the 20k and winning the hilly, grueling Indian Trails15k in a course-record time.  Flanked by Adin Mickle, Ken Goglas, Shawn Deandrea, and Mark Del Monaco, the Men In Gold ran wild on the circuit, often filling the top ten spots with 7-8 guys.

Perhaps the greatest display of depth came in the USATF-NJ 5k Championships, wheres the GSTC finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th--just missing out on the clean sweep of the team podium.  Hard to believe, but true: http://www.fasttrackcoaching.net/timing/Results/2012-STOMP-THE-MONSTER-5K-TEAM.txt.  This was the first race of team captain Jeff Perrella, who then went on with Tim Morgan, Edsel Flores, Goglas, Mike Anis, and Dan Teichmann to capture the final team title, the USATF-NJ 10k race, averaging 33:21/man in sweltering conditions.  Two weeks prior, the MIG flashed yet another different look, with Andrew Capizzi, Goglas, Ashwin Anantharaman, Anis, and Chuck Schneekloth finishing 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th to lock down the dubya at the Our House USATF-NJ 5 Mile Championship.

 

Throughout the season, the Gold have picked up some of the best male runners in the tri-state area, all of whom have yet to race in a USATF championshp yet.  Who are they?  All in due time...just wait for next weekend's fall preview.

 

Open Men's Standings (5 of 9 races completed)

50- Garden State Track Club "A"

30- Sneaker Factory "A"

27- Raritan Valley Road Runners "A"

24- Garden State Track Club "B"

15- Clifton RR "A"

 

THIS WEEK IN  TRAINING

Distance

(we are on week three of three-week break): Take 3 weeks of downtime to recharge the batteries.  In those 3 weeks you should stay active, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to run - walk, hike, ride a bike, swim, play other sports.  Each week, get out for 2-3 easy runs of 2-3 miles.  The purpose of these runs is to keep your muscles, tendons etc in good working order and prevent atrophy of inactivity during your break time.  That way, when the time comes to get it going again, you are met with much less muscle soreness and you can resume normal training and build mileage faster.  Enjoy the downtime, forget about training for awhile so you can come back to training in mid-July hungry and fresh!

 

Sprints

This is your last full week off without running, but doing cross training like biking, swimming, etc. is great!  However, be smart.  It sounds like Christian broke some bones playing football; that is what NOT to do during your time-off.  Sure, play hoops- but not all-out, full-court press hoops.  Exercise and have fun, but remember: one sprain and you're starting off 2012-2013 in a bad way.  Be smart, relax, enjoy, and read a book!  Next week, we start slowly grinding the axe, and with club nationals being at Icahn in 2013.....we race until early July next year...that's a LONG season, my friends.  Enjoy the mental and physical break while you can. 

GSTC's First Annual Olympic Trials Grand Prix

Hi everyone,

 

Here's the deal.

 

Tonight, numerous members of the GSTC will be gathering at Mike's Courtside in New Brunswick (1 Elm Row) to watch the trials on the big screen in the reserved private room from 9-11.  We are still having our group run at 6:15 at Buccleuch Park (under big gazebo).

 

Starting at 9pm, we will be playing the first annual GSTC Olympic Trials Grand Prix: a contest where we all complete the enclosed document and accumulate points through answering questions correctly.

 

You may fill one out at Mike's, print one out and bring it to Mike's, or fill one out and email it to us by 9:00pm this evening.

 

This is all done, of course, on the honor system: no cheating!

 

Results will be published in Sunday's weekly team email.

 

You've got four hours....we will be at Mike's by 8:00 for those interested.

(June 25-July 1): Perrella, Heibell End GSTC Season with Fireworks; GoglasFest 2012 a Hit

The Legend Lives: Perrella Wins President's Cup

Millburn- Since the inception of the Garden Sate Track Club in 2010, elite men's captain Jeff Perrella has been both an enigma and an inspiration.  On the stage, he has won myriad titles, including the 2011 President's Cup, Penn Relays Distance Classic 5k, GSTC vs CPTC Elite 8k, USATF National Club track 10k, USATF-NJ track 10k, USATF-NJ Half Marathon, and USATF-NJ cross country 5k.  In 2012, he won the Spring Lake Five Miler, and came in close second at the USATF-NJ 5k and College Ave Mile races.

 

Behind the curtain, however, he's been fighting numerous injuries, ranging from hip, calf, and shin pain.  Many of his races, including his club record 68:12 half marathon (5:12/mile), and Monday's double-loop President's Cup  race, were done under-trained. Days ago, due to nagging calf pain and a heavy workload, Perrella toed the line runnng just four times in two weeks.

 

But, as club VP Steve Bonica says, there isn't much quiet in The Quiet Storm.

 

After lap one, Perrella ran in a small chase pack with Charlie Murphy and Tyler Udland, three seconds behind Morris Plain's Youssef Rochdi.  On the backstretch of lap two, Perrella still lagged steps behind, yet had opened up a sizable gap on the chase pack and was now running solo.  With hundreds cheering and lining the final stretch along downtown Millburn, the Saucony-sponsored Perrella finally pulled away with 800m to go, winning his back-to-back title 15:02.25 (see attached).  Averaging 4:50/mile, he hit the tape ten seconds before second place Rochdi came in.

 

Several other MIG's closed their season well, including PR performances from Edsel Flores (16:54.43), James Lothian (17:04.28), and Nick Waclawski (19:44.53)   The Year of Tim Morgan continues, as he finished his spring season with an 6th place, 15:33.66 effort, winning $25 in prize money.  This was seven seconds faster than his 15:40 race last year. 

 

The Living Legend Jeremy Stratton, 51 years young, came through in 18:32.16, a GSTC master 50s 5k club record.  Since not a grand prix race in 2012, only a handful of members elected to race the always-popular Monday evening race.

 

 

Heibell Wins Immaculata Race for Freedom 5k

Somerville- After a long track racing season, which yielded club records in the 1500m (3:50) and 3,000m (8:26), and 5,000m (14:42), Chris Heibell finished the season with a gold medal at the low-key Immaculata Race for Freedom 5k.  Crossing the finish line in 15:21, Heibell won his high school sponsored-race for the seventh time in a row.  Due to his win and love for contemporary boy bands, Heibell has been selected as the Athlete of the Week (see below).

 

 

Cupido Finishes 2nd at Lavallette 8k

Lavallette--Kristin Cupido, one of the major reasons for the GSTC's two-point lead in the open women's USATF-NJ grand prix this spring, finished second at the Lavallette 8k this Saturday.  Running 6:37 a mile, she finished in 32:54...a solid two minutes faster than her time last year.  However, sadly she was hit head-on by a wreckless driver (who swerved into her lane) the very next day, resulting in a broken hand and foot.  She's okay otherwise, and we all wish her a speedy recovery, as Kristin is AWESOME and one of our favorites.  If you'd like to wish her well, her email is: kcupi963@gmail.com.

 

 

MDM Competes at USATF Half Marathon Championships

Duluth, MN- Mark Del Monaco, the GSTC #6 man at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships last December in Seattle, finished 80th in 71:16 at the USATF Half Marathon National Championships in Duluth, Minnesota two weeks ago.  That said, it may be his last team race for a while, as he has landed a job in Colorado, and will stay there for a while to train.  Great job in Minnesota, Mark, thanks for all the great races over the years, best of luck in Boulder, and we'll see you soon....!

 

 

Team Bayside HS Wins at Pine Beach 5k

Pine Beach- Every year, our homeboy Steve Geiger enters a three-person team, racing under Saved by the Bell characters called "Bayside HS" of course, with hopes to win the team title.  Geiger ran 16:40 as Samual Powers, Rob Decarlo ran 18:32 as Zack Morris, and Meghan Decarlo ran 20:37 as Kelly Kapowski.  For some reason, they didn't add up team scores, but by our math, team Bayside HS narrowly edged out Ocean Running Club by 15 seconds: 55:49 to 56:04. 

 

Just in case you think we're lying: http://www.piranha-sports.com/Results/ResultsAll.aspx?RaceID=617

 

 

Team Runs This Week

TUESDAY - 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park's gazebo 

WEDNESDAY - 6:15 @ Morristown Running Company

THURSDAY - 6:15 @ Buccleuch Park's gazebo

SUNDAY - 9:00am @ Holmdel Park's gazebo

 

 

Walsh Dances w/ "The Big 5" at GSTC Beach Gathering

Brigantine- Dozens of club members gathered down at Brigantine beach this weekend to celebrate the conclusion of the spring racing seasons, and there was nearly as much excitement this weekend as there was all of the spring season combined.

 

Members came down Thursday through Sunday, with the weekend highlight coming Saturday night in Atlantic City.  The GSTC ladies were dressed to impress, yet the big winner of he evening was Ken Walsh.  You just can't make this stuff up; he had five large women, approximately 1.25 "tons of fun", impulsively start grinding up against him in The Blue Martini Bar at Bally's Wild West.  Walsh, who doesn't even know five girls let alone ever danced with five at the same time, was flustered both with excitement and a genuine concern for death via asphyxiation.    

 

A warm thanks to Ken Goglas and his family for hosting us in their house with countless bedrooms and pull-out cots.  Between the slip-n-slide, barbecue, beach-side runs, bike rides, beach visits, Atlantic City dance-a-thons, pub visits to watch the trials, and air-conditioned rooms....we all had a great time.  For more on the weekend, see the quotes of the week, or the pictures on the GSTC FB page.    

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

"I run a 5 minute mile.  Everyone is my rival."  -Rob Decarlo, explaining why a 45 year old is a major rival of his- along with Steve Bonica

 

"Plaid shirt and plaid shorts?  You are NOT going out like that.  Change now."  -Alyssa Douma to a wardrobe-challenged Chris Heibell before going out to AC

 

"How about playing a song that came out when I was alive?"  --a younger Chris Heibell requesting a music change from 30 year old Karen Auteri

 

"Not only have we met, we had a 15 minute conversation after the College Ave Mile.  I guess I was memorable."  -Ken Walsh to Karen Auteri after she introduced herself to him

 

"Why Ken?  He would be the last person they should all go up to!  Ooops, I mean...."  -Alyssa Douma, ragging on Ken Walsh the morning after his escapdes in AC

 

"This week's email is gonna be rough.  I just have to accept that."  -Tim Morgan, after another week of follies that will earn him his own award...again

 

"You know you're out of shape when you get tired body surfing."  -Rob Decarlo.  Enough said.

 

"Hypothetical question for you: suppose a fat man, with a fondness for donuts, has decided to get his fat-ass back in shape. Furthermore, his fat ass is residing in Jersey for the summer...What would you advise this creature to do? When and where do you run? Is there room for one more?" -Chris Piekarski, Chuck's brother's old HS friend, in a FB email

 

"You don't have to run all the grand prix races, but if you don't, be prepared to get made fun of in the weekly email."  -Ken Walsh while recruiting Alyssa's friend to join

 

"Is this what you're NOT going to cook us this morning?"  -Ken Goglas to Karen Auteri as she described the french toast recipe she had previously planned to use for everyone

 

"All of a sudden you were sleeping next to me, and you kept creeping closer and closer."  -Chris Heibell to Tim Morgan, the morning after he stumbled mistakenly into the wrong bed (see attached)

 

Tim Morgan Award:  TIM MORGAN!

For a while, half miler Zak Martins was making a strong ush to claim the yearly award.  However, in the year of Tim Morgan, Mr. Morgan is slowly making a comeback, as evidenced by this weekend's behavior.  First, the guy comes 24 hours late because he was writing a blog article that hadn't a deadline, but he ended up waking up a 1:00pm, and yeah- same ol' story.  But then, somehow, he joins an elite class with Mike Anis to forget his ID on a major team outing (Anis forgot his ID during nationals trip to Seattle in 2011).  So, he spends the entire evening using Chuck's long-expired California license, resulting in him paying a cover and buying a drink before anyone else even got in, all for naught because we ended up not even entering due to the high cover.  After urinating on the top floor of a parking deck by night's end, two cars rock-scissors-paper fought over who to NOT have him in the car.  He ends up sleep walking later that night, ending up in Chris Heibell's bed as the big spoon.  And your winer of the TM Award is......drum roll.....Tim Morgan.   

 

Athlete of the Week: Chris Heibell

How many people do you know who run 4:08 for a mile, STILL wears silly bandz (fat duck and a rabbit, to be specific), loves songs like "Call me Maybe", shares a bed with Tim Morgan, enjoys shows such as "Gossip Girl", "Big Bang Theory", "OC", and "One Treet Hill", and only eats Eggo Waffles because "I only know how to use a toaster in the kitchen"?  For all of this, an overall great spring season, and a spring-ending dubya on Saturday at the Immaculata Run for Freedom 5k, Chris Heibell is today's Athlete of the Week. 

 

A standout at Loyola and then Kentucky, where he ran his all-time PR of 3:49 for 1500m, Heibell has flirted with a run at a sub-4:00 mile now for three years.  He is taking things to a new level this year, as he is changing jobs, upping mileage, and starting a new group within the GSTC called "East Coast Milers."  The GSTC's top man at the national club cross country championships in Seattle last fall, Heibell is not just a three-event club record holder for the club- he is also a threat in the fall. Look for him to once again lead the GSTC charge to club nats this coming December, as the MIG look to crack the top five in Kentucky.

 

 

Get the Gorilla 5k....October 7th!

The GSTC's fall race has it all: costume contest, elite race, centipedes, gorillas, bananas, kids' race....this is all you need to know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCNaxBAn8IA&feature=plcp

 

New Uniforms Are A' Comin'

Thanks to our evolving partnership with Brooks, we will be ordering new uniforms this summer.  Be ready to help us decide on what to get- this will be a decision by concensus, and we wanna know what YOU want to wear!

 

 

Next Two Weeks: Spring Summary & Fall Preview

The next two weekly emails will have, in order, the rundown of the spring action....and a preview of races, etc. coming around the corner for the fall.  We've received numerous texts, calls, emails, etc. about how the fall schedule will look, and we appreciate the passionate enthusiasm.  And in due time....yu'll be well-informed!

 

 

This Week in Training

Distance

(we are on week two of three-week break): Take 3 weeks of downtime to recharge the batteries. In those 3 weeks you should stay active, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to run - walk, hike, ride a bike, swim, play other sports. Each week, get out for 2-3 easy runs of 2-3 miles. The purpose of these runs is to keep your muscles, tendons etc in good working order and prevent atrophy of inactivity during your break time. That way, when the time comes to get it going again, you are met with much less muscle soreness and you can resume normal training and build mileage faster. Enjoy the downtime, forget about training for awhile so you can come back to training in mid-July hungry and fresh!

Sprints

Take this week completely off. Nothing. Do whatever you want. Pretend running doesn't exist, because soon enough we'll be grinding the axe again.....enjoy a well-deserved break.  I know you all miss god ol' Chuck and my text-bombing three times a week.  Ahhh, in due time, you'll have me back in your life.  I promise. 

 

 

Great Olympic Trials Quotes   

"You have to go from the gun to the finish line. I've lost thousands of dollars in prize money by a tenth of a second." -Lashawn Merritt

 

"When you do it the right way and you do it every single day, the hard work pays off time and time again."   -Adam Nelson