(7/7-7/13): Mid-Year in Review; July 4th Racing

THE WEEKLY EMAIL Hello.   On October 25, 1985, the first Blockbuster Video opened in Dallas, Texas.  Five years later, there were 1,300 stores across America.  However, during their annual meeting in 1993, many stakeholders warned CEO Wayne Huizenga and his board that pay-per-view and video-on-demand systems would soon topple the home video industry.   They didn't listen, resulting in Netflix thriving and thousands of vacant video rental stores by 2010, when Blockbuster Video finally went out of business. So, we don't want to be Blockbuster Video!  We want to hear from our members, we want to change things that need to be changed, and we want to support every single team member the best that we can.  While we love our team, we are sure there are things that can improve.   If you get a moment, please fill out this short survey here.  Our Leadership Team is meeting on July 25th, and your input will shape our thinking and decisions as we discuss how to make our team a 10 on the Awesome Scale.   The aGSTC Fall Training Plan.  by Ken Goglas and Mike Fonder   Week 2: July 7-13 Mileage should be 60-70% of what you plan to build towards Monday: 35-55 min run, 4x8 second hill sprint Tuesday: 35-55 min run, 6x100 strides Wednesday: 45-65 min run Thursday: 35-55 min run or cross train or off Friday: 35-55 min run, 8x100 strides Saturday: 40-60 min run Sunday: 60-80 min long run       The Entire Fall Plan Peep it all here.     If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, contact either Ken Goglas (ken_goglas@hotmail.com) or Mike Fonder (michael.fonder@gmail.com).         CLUB RACE RESULTS July 4th Traditions Continue for Many Club MemberS     As the club slowly builds into its offseason training plan, racing is obviously not an ingredient in  the recipe.  However, for many of us, racing on July 4th is just as American as hot dogs, fireworks, and family cookouts.    Victoria Pontecorvo, with a sweet pre-race write-up here, won her five miler in 32:11.  Mike Anis won, yet perhaps tied, the Cranford Firecracker Four Miler, coming across the finish line just hundredths before Elias Howard in 21:09.  Angela Dunn finished 2nd in the Pitman 4.3 mile race in 27:15, thus setting a new club record for that distance that will probability stand for eternity.  More on her being the Fastest Pitman Finisher below in the TMA.  In the Knights of Columbus 5k at Millrown, perhaps the largest event in the town every year (we are only guessing), Tony Harris out-dueled Kyle Price for the title and a nice collection of winnings, seen to the right.  Finally, Ted Doyle won the Run Through Maplewood 5k in 16:21, with teammates Henley Hage (17:36, PR) and TJ Zablocki (18:15, SB) just behind him all in the top ten.      aGSTC's 2014: Mid-Year Review   The Rise of the 4x100 Relay       These guys did a lot of picture posing this spring...and for good reason.  After finishing 2nd at Princeton's prestigious Larry Ellis Invite (picture above) and third in the Penn Relays Olympic Development race, they blasted a season-best 40.83 to dominate the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational.  This time was the second fastest club 4x100 relay in America, as it marked the first year the aGSTC finished with a faster time than that of cross-river rival, Central Park TC.     New Captains, New Runners Lead Women       In their first season as tri-captains, Angela Dunn, Erika Meling, and Cheyenne Ogletree had a unique transition to navigate.  To make it even trickier, two of the team's best runners, Alyssa Douma and Sarah Schillaci, were out due to illness and injury, respectively.   They ladies pulled together, however, and lengthened the open women's winning streak on the Grand Prix from 12 to 17.  The women won the 20k, 15k, 5k, 1 mile, and 5 mile USATF-NJ Championship, including a 1-2-4 team finish at the 5k Championships, and a 1-2-3-4 team finish at the road mile.   Along with having strong spring seasons themselves, the three captains pioneered an influx of new members who filled in very well.  At the beginning of the season, Victoria Pontecorvo and Nora Norvell made their team debuts, while the end of the season brought along Maria Danna and the return of Greta Sieve.   A Big Season for the Field Events        The entire record book was re-written this year in the field, as both the jumpers and throwers saw a profound spike in performance in 2014.  In the throws, the group was lead by the all-mighty Mo Riddick, who both qualified and competed in the 2014 Indoor USA Championships in the shot put.  Throughout the spring, both her and teammate Alina Duran (weight throw, hammer) won nearby every gold medal they possible could.         In the jumps, Herman Kirkland and Nafee Harris also won gold every meet the jumped in, as the two 25 footers were easily the best 1-2 jumps punch on the East Coast.  The only question was who would beat who?  At the Penn Relays Olympic Development event, it was Kirkland over Harris; at the Swarthmore Last Chance, it was Harris over Kirkland.   While both disappointed in not qualifying for the USa Championships, both are eying the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.     Not to be outdone by the men, Shene Davis, Lily Anderson, Kelsey Lewis, and Micah Leonard all have great seasons.  Davis (LJ, TJ) and Lewis (HJ) all set new club records in their respective events.     Top 8 Team CAM Spots Highlight Men Season   The open men have once again set new USATF-NJ association records, building a lead so big Kyle Price, above, likes to talk about it while racing a road mile. Capturing the 20k, 15k, 10k, 1 mile, and 5k team titles, the men extend their USATF-NJ Grand Prix winning streak to 26 straight races.  Beginning in September of 2011, their Era of Excellence has lasted almost three years.  Before this streak, no men's open champion ever won every race in a year...let alone three of them.    Thanks to the thoughtful lineup planning by co-captains Ken Goglas and Mike Fonder, the group is known to spread out their talent among as many scoring teams as possible, making every single runner a contributing member of the team score.  In the College Ave Mile, the men swept an unprecedented top eight team spots, while at the President's Cup, they swept the top four.  Not only does this require a deep depth of talent, it involves a deep commitment to the team mission and to team racing.   Fonder won the 20k title, newcomer Atilla Sabahoglu won the 15k crown, and Chris Johnson won both the 1 mile and 5k championships.       Masters: Ahead from 2013     At this time last year, the men's masters team contributed six points to the overall Grand Prix score.  This year, the group is at thirty points, and as captain Matt Baker would say, "In my book, that looks like a 400 percent increase."  This bump can be attributed to the very strong core of dedicated racers, along with newcomers Chris Sallade, Duane Reed, Hernan Rozemberg, Julius Pontecorvo, and Steve Herring.  Sallade (mile) and Rozemberg (5k) both ran incredible races at year's end, giving the group lots of optimism for the fall season just around the corner.           The women's masters team had equally a strong year, as Michele Brangan, Sandi Kaspszyk, and Sarah Hersey are perhaps the best women's 40s team in the USATF-NJ.  The only challenge is their collective schedules allowing them to all be at the starting line at the same time.  Throw in Sheera Siegel and this group wins every women's 40s race out there.  Meanwhile, captain Prudence Jones has seen a slow growth within her group, including Erin Varga, Stephanie Edwards, and Alicia Vilas.     1500m Focus, 5k Record During "Great Freeze"       It wasn't always this warm outside.  In fact, the multitude of snowstorms forced the track group to shovel the track ten times ...yes, ten times.  This not only made it hard to get in quality training, but running fast just wasn't an option.  So, with 2014 being a down year with the USATF Club Nationals being on the West Coast, many of the mid-distance tracksters focused on either the 1500m or the 5k.  And the results were astounding, setting up a banner year in 2015 as the men and women take a run at winning the club national title at NYC's Icahn Stadium.         Nearly every half miler set a PR in the 1500m, many of them shaving off 6-8 seconds. This included the likes of Ricky Garcia, Mark Parisen, Jarret Kunze, Jaris Rousseau, and Norbert Kuter.  Meanwhile, in the 5k on the track, three men shattered the former club record of 14:40 in the Penn Relays Olympic Development race: Chris Warren (14:43), Mike Fonder (14:36), and Eric DuBois (14:38).  Here, Warren and Fonder are shown leading their heat at the Larry Ellis Invitational 5k at Princeton University.     The Rise of the 4x400 Relay     While overshadowed by the flexing pictures of the 4x100 relay all year, one cannot forget about the trophy case built by the 4x400 relay.  After getting edged out by Big East champ Rutgers in the January season opener, Tyrone Ross anchored the squad to thrilling come-from-behind victories at the Princeton Invitational and Monmouth Invitational.   Here, Ross hands off to Tim Howard, errr, we mean Kevin Perrson, as the aGSTC duel Rutgers in "The Bubble."           Come outdoor season, the crew had a big win at the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational, where it ran the club's second fastest time of 3:15--thanks to a 46.8 split by anchor Isaiah Gill.  Weeks later, Gill teamed up with Jamal Roberts, Logan Sharpe, and Jared Hanko to run 3:12.18, breaking the club record set in 2013 when Selasi Lumax brought home the gold medal in the club national championships 4x400 relay at Icahn Stadium.  This finished third overall, and second in the hot heat, at the adidas Grand Prix.             The women 4x400 relay took two huge steps forward, as the Vietnamese National 4x400 team (remember them?) won with a meet and club record of 3:41 at the Swarthmore Last Chance.  The next month, the quartet of Robyn Evangelist, Jamesha Richard, Jennifer Edobi, and Haisha Bisiolu finished second at the adidas Grand Prix in 3:48.91--the fastest time and finish of the women's relay team in that meet.              Gold Star: Pierre Checo       Pierre joined GSTC last week in order to get back into competitive running.His goals are to run sub 50 in the 400 and PR in the 800. WIth PRs of 50.7 in the 400 and 1:58 in the 800 there is no doubt he will be able to achieve those goals. His pre race rituals include listening to some pump up music and stretching religiously. Outside of running he likes to hang out with his friends and spend time relaxing.      TMA: Totally Misunderstood Award   Sometimes when you can't find something, you simply keep looking, right?  After all, you know you put those darned car keys somewhere.   Well, Steve Mennit rejoins the team this summer both as a finally-healthy runner and in the TMA section, as our favorite Son of Edison (along with Dr. M. Anis, Esq.), upon not finding his car immediately, did what any other rational human would do: call the police as a stolen vehicle.  Sure enough, just moments later, he found the car parked just two blocks away from where he normally parks it.  He called the EPD back immediately, canceling the police dispatch, but alas...another TMA for you, good sir.   We also feel an urge to give one to the Pittman 5k race directors, as it seems like Angela Dunn has ran--and won--the race several years now, yet this year they gave her "First Place Pittman Award" to a non-Pittman resident who....accepted the trophy.  Lots of funny stuff going on in this one, but hey--it is South Jersey, we suppose, where they name their roads after Adin Mickle, so nothing should really surprise anyone.     Summer Enclave Team Runs   North Enclave Monday 5:45p @Pompton Lakes Wednesday 5:45p @ Pompton Lakes Thursday 6:15p @ Montclair Fleet Feet Saturday 8:00a @ Pompton Lakes   Central Enclave Monday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo) Thursday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo)   Morristown Enclave Wednesday 6:15p @ Morristown Running Company Saturday 9:00a @ Morristown Running Company   Jersey City Enclave Saturday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken  Sunday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken   South Enclave Monday 5:30pm @ Elk Township Trail Wednesday 7:15 @ Gloucester County College Wednesday 6:30 @ Haddonfield Running Company Saturday 9:00am @ TDA w/ Beach Enclave   Summit Enclave Saturday 8am @ Summit Running Company   SUNDAY RUN: TBA VIA FACEBOOK   More to come from the Beach Enclave and the Princeton Enclave What is this email? 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!     STAY CONNECTED

Forward this email This email was sent to jeff.perrella.gstc@blogger.com by gardenstatetrackclub@gmail.com |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. adidas Garden State Track Club | 944 Herman Road | North Brunswick | NJ | 08902

(6/23-6/29): Women Win Finale; aGSTC Fall Training Plan Released

THE WEEKLY EMAIL The aGSTC Fall Training Plan.   Let's roll.   by Ken Goglas and Mike Fonder   This is meant to be a comprehensive training document that focuses on preparation for all team races with a planned peak between Thanksgiving and Dec 13th. The plan is meant for use by any aGSTC team member.   Overview The season will be broken up in two halves, with the halfway point being the Half Marathon championship on September 21st.  The first part of the first half will be focused on building weekly mileage, building up the long run, and maintaining speed through strides and hill sprints.  We will hold that mileage for a while, so your target mileage should be something you can comfortably hold for 12-16 weeks.  We will then transition into shorter intervals to build the speed back in your legs and doing work at threshold pace to continue to develop your aerobic base.   Goal Races After the half marathon, the women's team will move towards 6k pace work as a goal and the men will move towards 10k pace in order to prepare them for their respective national championships.  As was the case before the half marathon, we will attack the training from both ends, but the shorter side gets longer and the longer side gets shorter, at the end of the season this will meet in the middle at race pace.    The women who will not be competing at the national cross country meet will be aiming towards a 5k on Thanksgiving or the Big Chill 5k in December.  The men who are not competing at club nationals will be aiming towards the Ashenfelter 8k on Thanksgiving.   Training Paces It is imperative that you do workouts at your current fitness--not to be confused with goal fitness (where you want to be at the end of the season). The reasoning behind this is as follows: If you run slower than your goal pace for a workout, the lack of effort will not solicit the necessary stimulus your body needs to cause the physiological gains one requires to become a faster and stronger runner. However, running a workout too fast, above and beyond the prescribed pace, will most likely leave you feeling overly fatigued for your next session of hard running and will eventually leave your body vulnerable to injury. Of course, running a workout a little too fast or too slow on occasion will not hurt you as it does happen, providing you don't make a habit of it!   Threshold Pace This is something that you will see many times in this document and is an extremely important pace to figure out in training.  There are a couple of ways to describe threshold pace.  Theoretically it is the pace you can hold for a 50-60 minute race (consider a recent 20k, 15k, or ten miler race).  It can also be described as "comfortably hard" and if you went any faster it would cease to be comfortable.  Most workouts done at threshold pace for 20-30 minutes will have you somewhat tired, but by the time you finish the workout, you still feel ok. Conversely, if you have to lie down or are gasping for air after the workout, you went too fast.  Threshold pace is best when you understand how it feels; it is important to not be a slave to the numbers on your GPS watch.  There are resources that can help you ballpark what your threshold pace is, as it is best to use a recent race to estimate what your training paces.   Week One: June 30 - July 6 Goal: Get legs used to running again.  Start mileage at 50%-60% of your goal weekly mileage.   Monday:  30-50 minute run Tuesday:  30-50 minute run, 4x100 stride Wednesday: 40-60 monte run; or cross train; or off Thursday: 35-55 minute run Friday:  35-55 minute run, 6x100 stride  Saturday: 40-60 minute run; or off Sunday: 50-70 minute long run   The Entire Fall Plan Peep it all here.  Yes, it's all here.     If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, contact either Ken Goglas (ken_goglas@hotmail.com) or Mike Fonder (michael.fonder@gmail.com).      [President's Note: Our members are always welcome to approach their running in any way they wish.  However, I encourage you all to give this plan a shot.  Fast or slow, big or small, beginner or veteran, athletes who follow a thoughtfully designed plan always run better than than those who race sporadically, build up their mileage too quickly, and/or run workouts they remember from their high school team.  Indeed, training the body is a science, not a guessing game, and we are excited and thankful for the efforts of Mr. Goglas and Mr. Fonder for their collaborative efforts to bring our club an outstanding plan that molds itself to our fall racing schedule.  So let's get out there, be patient, be passionate, and have fun! ]           CLUB RACE RESULTS Women Win 17th Straight USATF-NJ Grand Prix Race  Bloomfield- The adidas Garden State Track Club women won their 17th straight Grand Prix race on Thursday night, running away with the USATF-NJ 5 Mile Championship at the Sunset Classic 5 Miler.  Averaging 31:19 for their top five scoring women, they finished fifteen minutes and forty-eight seconds ahead of the second place team.     The aGSTC women's streak now extends for over two years, dating to May 6, 2012.  The men have won 26 straight races, dating back to September of 2011.  Both streaks are USATF-NJ association records.     Maria Danna, in her third team race, finished as the team's #1 runner,coming in as the #3 overall finisher and 11th overall in 30:11.  This breaks the old club record set in May of last year, as Erika Meling ran 30:53 in the Spring Lake Five Miler.  Cheyenne Ogletree was just steps behind, hitting the tape at 30:18.  From there, teammates Robyn Evangelist (26th/31:22), Katie Chaput (30th/32:01), Karen Auteri (41st/32:45), Chelsea Callan (50th/33:34), and Diana Stavrou (328th/44:36) rolled in to clinch the win for the Gold.   The 40s masters team of Stephanie Edwards (45:55), Prudence Jones (56:04), and Alicia Vilas (63:36) finished 10th in the Masters 40s category.   A few men competed, including Atilla Sabahoglu, who finished 2nd in 26:49, and Henley Hage, who averaged 6:12 to finish in 31:04.   Results can be found here.  See the start here, filmed by the talented half miler Mark Parisen.     aGSTC Big List: Women's 5 Miles 30:11      Maria Danna              Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014 30:18      Cheyenne Ogletree    Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014 30:53      Erika Meling              Spring Lake Five Miler             May 25, 2013 31:22      Robyn Evangelist      Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014    32:01      Katie Chaput             Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014 32:45      Karen Auteri              Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014 32:49      Kristin Cupido            Our House 5 Miler                    May 6, 2012 33:34      Chelsea Callan           Sunset Classic                        June 26, 2014   aGSTC Big List: Men's 5 Miles 25:02        Jeff Perrella              Spring Lake 5 Miler             May 26, 2012 26:38        Andrew Capizzi         Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012 26:41        Chris Croff                Our House 5 Miler               May 4, 2014 26:49        Atilla Sabahoglu        Sunset Classic                    June 26, 2014 27:08        Ken Goglas               Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012 27:34        Ash. Anantharaman   Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012          27:49        Mike Anis                 Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012 27:51        Chuck Schneekloth    Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012 29:39        Edsel Flores              Our House 5 Miler               May 6, 2012   Hep for LaCosta, Lewis; Licorish Wins 5k  Lenape- Erin LaCosta and Kelsey Lewis finished 2nd and 4th, respectively, out of ten competitors in their first ever heptathlon at Lenape HS this weekend.   LaCosta racked up 3363 points in seven events, while Lewis accumulated 3371 points.  LaCosta's efforts broke the club record of...no one, as she was the first to compete in the event.   Miler Dennie Waite participated in the decathlon.  Our favorite result was his pole vault clearance of 2.20 meters, just shy of the club high jump record of 2.22m.   Shawnee High School- Liz Licorish won the Independence Day 5k in 21:29.  Not only was she the first woman, she was 11th overall out of 464 finishers as she PRed in the south jersey race.   Send us your race results! Well, you won't have any for a while, but when you do, email them to us....and we will happily put them in the weekly email.  Then again, most of us will be running the same races come September anyways.  Regardless, keep us informed...we want to make you famous!     This Week in Club History June 29-30, 2013: GSTC Men Win National Title   New York City- After two days of racking up points in the sprints, jumps, throws, and distance events, the GSTC shocked the club world with its first national championship.  But they didn't just win a national title- they dominated the meet, breaking the USATF record for most points scored in the event: 277.  Central Park was a distant second with 150 points.  The score was so lopsided that, during a routine team score update, the announcer actually stated, much to the surprise of everyone who heard it, "And still in first, with 190 points, making a mockery of the competition, is the Garden State Track Club."     During the javelin, just three hours after the meet's start, the Gold ripped open a huge lead that only grew over time.  Coach James Lugisland watched his athletes put an incredible five athletes in the scoring eight, including a 1-2 finish with Matt Tholis and Brian Florek. By 7:00, the GSTC's triple jumpers did something no other club had ever done in a club national championship event: swept the top four spots.        Despite these historic team efforts, including twenty club national champions, the heroics of the relay events was incontrovertibly the most unbelievable part of the meet.  In the final four relay events, anchors Chris Heibell (distance medley), Tony Harris (4x800), Jared Hanko (sprint medley), and Selasi Lumax (4x400) prevailed in come-from-behind victories, as the Gold won all four races by a total time of 1.02 seconds.   Wanna see?  Check out the 2013 Highlight Video below--you'll see many of the highlights, including those four relays.  Or, you can peep the results here.     Clips from the the aGSTC winning the national title can be found in the last few minutes of the 2013 aGSTC Highlight Video.   Gold Star: Taryn Webber Taryn joined GSTC because  she wants to be become a better runner. Her goal is to train for and run in the Philadelphia marathon. She is hoping by the time November rolls around her fitness will allow her to go under 4 hours 20 minutes. She realizes that it might be a tough goal but she is really is focused.She has been working on building my base up to 4 miles per run 4 times a week. Outside of running,  she does T25 workouts with Shaun T and is a swimmer. Her other hobbies include reading, gardening and watching TV.   TMA: Totally Misunderstood Award Another week with no submissions.  C'mon folks.  Surely someone did something silly over the past week....let us know!       Summer Enclave Team Runs North Enclave Monday 5:45p @Pompton Lakes Wednesday 5:45p @ Pompton Lakes Thursday 6:15p @ Montclair Fleet Feet Saturday 8:00a @ Pompton Lakes   Central Enclave Monday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo) Thursday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo)   Morristown Enclave Wednesday 6:15p @ Morristown Running Company Saturday 9:00a @ Morristown Running Company   Jersey City Enclave Saturday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken  Sunday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken   More group runs next week from the Princeton, Summit, Beach, and South Enclaves.   Quotes of the Week "There's nothing better than shaking someone's hand, wishing them good luck, and knowing deep down inside...you were about to crush them in this race."  -Tom Fleming, two-time NYC marathoner winner, when talking to to the GSTC at the Sunset 5 Miler     "Running races and winning prizes is a great way to pretend I'm a kid again. Then I get to go home and pay all my bills!"  -Liz Licorish, via FB   "15:50 "5k."  If it were an actual 5k I would have ran 17:15.  Placed 2nd overall."  -Tom Visicaro, via FB           What is this email? 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!     STAY CONNECTED

Forward this email This email was sent to jeff.perrella.gstc@blogger.com by gardenstatetrackclub@gmail.com |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. adidas Garden State Track Club | 944 Herman Road | North Brunswick | NJ | 08902