Monday, March 26, 2012

From Coach Jerry:

The past weekend was the calm before the storm, as the vast majority of our athletes were resting up for their major competitions this coming weekend. But we did have a solid presence at the Scope It Out 5k in DC, highlighted by Lauren Woodall’s successful GRC debut. Lauren was second in a PR of 18:46. After one workout, Lauren is already showing she belongs in the big leagues. That, my friends, is coaching genius at work! Also for the women, Elizabeth ran well, finishing fourth. For the men, Dave Wertz was third. What stands out about Dave’s performance is that he went out with the leaders, and took a shot at the win. While he could not hang on past mile 2, the fact that a guy who hadn’t broken 17 minutes 18 months ago had the confidence to run with the mercenaries is a testament to how far he’s come. Well done to all!



By now you’ve seen GRC elder/wise man/bon-vivant Jake Klim’s post about Cherry Blossom logistics. The GRC team challenge should be fun for everyone, and hopefully will spur all of you to big PRs. And there’s more than just pride at stake. In conjunction with GRC Party Planning Committee Chair Beth Young, I’m hosting a season-ending celebration on May 26 (mark your calenders now, and we’ll send details soon. My hope is that having Beth involved will produce a good turnout among the women’s team, who other than Beth and Michelle were missing in action at Wiggy-stock. I hasten to add that I can’t say I blame any of you for skipping it–seeing Wiggy with a spray-on tan and a pair of diamond stud earrings was deeply unsettling for us all. I think Charlie has PTSD as a result) and I now pledge that all members of the winning team will earn a couple of rounds of diets sodas on me at the party. If the prospect of a few free drinks in some sleazy bar in two months doesn’t motivate you to run until you collapse, you need to find another sport!

In addition to our large contingent at Cherry Blossom, our track group will be in action this weekend, at Raleigh Relays on Friday and the Maryland Invitational on Saturday. The track crowd will do their workout TUESDAY at BCC, starting at 7:15. The workout on Tuesday will be 4 x 800 with a 3:00 recovery. The A group men will go 2:18, 2:16, 2:14, 2:12. The B group men will go 2:22, 2:20, 2:18, 2:16. We’ll coordinate so that the B guys do the first 2 reps by themselves, then we’ll run the next 2 reps together, and the A group guys will then finish up. The women on Tuesday will go 2:44, 2:42, 2:40, 2:38. Anyone who is not racing on the track this weekend, but who would like to get the work out in on Tuesday, is welcome to come out.

The Cherry Blossom crowd will go on Wednesday as normal. The primary workout for the men will be 6 x 800 with a 2:30 recovery, 2 @ 2:30, 2 @ 2:26, 2 @ 2:22. We can adjust that workout as needed, but it should work for most of you. I expect that we’ll have a C group, and they will slow those reps down a bit.

I’ll send the women’s workout separately.

If for some bizarre reason I’m too flustered at the track on Wednesday to chat with you about your Cherry Blossom race plan (like, I don’t know, a crazed 9 year-old wants to skateboard down a 90 degree hill into a retaining wall) I will be available for consults the rest of the week. You’re all ready to run, and I know you’re going to bring honor to us all through your efforts. Send ‘em!

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