MCM: Barrett (13th) and Kolata (14th)!

Finishing in 2:35:03 and 2:35:10 in unfavorable and breezy conditions.

Woodall Continues PR Streak, Wins 5k in Towson

Lauren Woodall won the Towson Downtown 5k Run this morning in...you guessed it, downtown Towson. Her time, 17:52, was a 30-second personal best.

"Lauren continued her remarkable string of PRs, and there are more to come this season," noted GRC Coach Jerry Alexander. "Her progress in only a few months of training with GRC has been truly extraordinary."

Catherine Campbell also turned in a sub-18 minute effort and finished second with a time of 17:56.

Susan Hendrick and Maura Carroll finished just ten seconds behind Woodall demonstrating fine pack-running abilities in the lead up to the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington, Kentucky in December. Coach Alexander added "(pack running) is going to serve us extremely well in Lexington."

Fifteen year old Meghan Lockhett, who works out with GRC, ran 18:15.

Sunday Run & Emily Send Off

I am meeting a couple people tomorrow at Edwards Ferry at 9:00am for a long run. I'll do one of the 10-mile "Duel Ferries" loops then add on the shorter "Large Animal" loop top get in about 15-16 miles. 

Comment if you're interested in joining.

As most of you know by now, Emily left her job as manager of the CCRC. She is moving to LA to pursue a job as an apparel buyer for a big shoe/apparel company. So, we are having a little send-off for her tomorrow at 5:00pm at Hank's in Rockville. 

[Note - it was Emily, NOT me who suggested we go to "Hank's" AKA (Hank) Dietle's Tavern]

"Hank's" is a dive bar with a pool table, photo hunt, frosty pitcher, Golden Tee and area alcoholics. 

The Skins game starts at 1pm, so *most* of the football crowd will be dispersed by then.

Feel free to forward/invite others.

Hope to see some of you there at 5pm.

Dietle's Tavern

• 11010 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD

It's also a ten minute walk north along Rockville Pike from Grosvenor Metro Station. 

Saturday - The Line @ 9am

Before Frankenstorm kills us all and destroys everything we know and love, Sam and I plan to meet at The Line for one last run. "Comment" if you care to join.

Learn something, for a change

At 7 tonight at the MLK Library. Teal will be discussing the effect exercise has on the brain as part of a monthly Hot Topics in Health Science series.

Sexual assault on the CCT Sunday night

Here's the raw report from the Montgomery County Police:

INCIDENT REPORT

Attempted Rape / Sex Assault / Assault

10/21/2012 1915 hrs

Capital Crescent Trail near the 6.5 mile mark

Suspect:  w/m; 20 years; 6/0 feet; skinny; dark hair; wearing dark jeans and a dark shirt

The victim was jogging on the Trail near the above mile mark when she was attacked by the above suspect.  She was dragged into the woods and assaulted.  After the attack she made her way back onto the trail where a citizen assisted her and 911 called.  The victim was transported to the hospital.  Another citizen may have seen a possible suspect fleeing on a bicycle.

Anyone with any information about this event or similar events please call the Montgomery County Police Homicide and Sex Investigative Section 240 773-5070.

Always immediately report suspicious activity to 301 279-8000 or 911 in an emergency

Luff, Garvue Lead GRC at Army

Sam Luff lead the GRC at yesterday's Army Ten Miler with a time of 50:51. David Burnham and Jake Klim followed over a minute later with times of 51:57 and 51:58. Luff finished 18th in a very competitive year.

Drea Garvue and Beth Young finished 13th and 15th with times of 59:37 and 60:00, respectively.

Others competing for GRC:

Lavar Curley - 55:51
Chris Bain - 56:46
Andrew Sovonick - 57:12
Robert Jarrin - 59:33
Scott Koonce - 60:11

Laura O'Hara - 61:56
Teal Connor 62:20

GPS watches indicate the race course was approximately a tenth of a mile long, making some performances even more impressive.

Meanwhile, Charlie Ban won the Charlottesville Fall Classic Half Marathon by over ten minutes with a time of 1:12:44

In Charm City, Catherine Campbell won the Baltimore Race for the Cure 5k with a time of 18:04.

Trading GRC Blue for a Good Cause

There's very little that would prevent me from wearing my GRC blue in a race, but one of those things is an excellent cause. In tomorrow's Army 10 Miler, I will be running for a team sponsored by the Operation Renewed Hope Foundation. This charity raises money to help homeless veterans. As the daughter of a veteran and in running my 4th Army 10 Miler race, I am proud to support an organization that looks after those who sacrificed so much for our country.

There will be quite the large team out there, so look for me and cheer loud for the rest of the team in purple and gold:

And I look forward to seeing fellow GRCers on the course and on the sidelines!

-LTO

Army Ten Miler Spectators' Run

As I'm sure a forthcoming post will describe in greater detail, we have a large crew running this weekend at the Army Ten Miler. If anyone wants to get in some easy miles on Sunday and cheer on our teammates, let's plan to meet on the DC side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge (near mile 2) at 8:00 a.m. We can head from there to the fifth mile by Lincoln or the eighth mile in East Potomac Park and you can add on extra miles on Haines Point or the RCP if that's what you're in to. Post up or just show up if you're interested. Many of our runners are gunning for PRs this weekend. So send 'em, maybe?

BREAKING: ARMY TEN MILER ELITE FIELD ANNOUNCED...HERE

Wednesday Workout

FROM COACH JERRY:

RACES

We had some excellent results this weekend at the Bull Run cross country meet. Our women ran as a pack throughout, and even when the real racing started on the third mile, there was very little separation, as we had six women within 22 seconds of each other. I was extremely pleased with the way all six of our women ran. Lindsay looked very strong in her first xc race in five years, and now that she’s shaken off the rust, she will be much more aggressive the next time out; Maura hung tough and finished very hard in the last 400, as she always does; Drea had a hard tune up for Army 10, where she's truly going to shine; Hilary ran very close to her 5k PR on any surface, and had enough gas in the tank after the race to emphatically call out the guy who elbowed her on a tight turn; Susan hung on very tough and ran her best race of the fall so far; and LTO fought through some allergy problems to finish strong. The men also ran well, led by Witty, who, running incognito so as to confuse his rivals, controlled the race from the gun. Tex Paul ran well for third, followed by very solid runs by Jason, Dave O, Murph, and Dickson. I was particularly pleased with Dave O, who made his long-awaited return to GRC, and is showing that he will be a major contributor in the months and years ahead. On the roads, the ageless Dave Wertz ran a solo 26:08 for 8k, which is within shouting distance of his PR. Well done to all!

ADMINISTRATIVE

1. We've got the all-clear at BCC this week and next. We’ll start at the normal time, 7:15, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

2. For those of you not running Army 10, we will have practice on Saturday at the cell tower field. 

3. If you’re not running Army 10, consider doing your Sunday run on the course, so that you can cheer on our contingent.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS REQUIRE ACTION, SO PLEASE READY CLOSELY

4. We have the bus reserved for Clubs, along with a block of hotel rooms. At this point, I want to get a headcount to make sure my understanding of who is going matches with reality. If you plan to run, please tell me that. If you are not able to run, but plan to make the trip, I need to know that as well. I understand that plans can change, and I’m not expecting an ironclad commitment, but as of right now, if you plan to be on the bus on Friday morning, December 7, I need to know that.

5. I also need a head count for Veterans Day.

6. A number of you are interested in running either the half or full marathon in Phoenix on January 20. If you want in, please let me know.

WORKOUT

See you at BCC for a 7:15 start.

Witty Wins at XC 5k

Ryan Witters took the lead over Jason Leonard around the mile mark in Saturday's Glory Days Grill 5k cross country race and never looked back. Witty went on to win with a time of 15:22. "Texas" Paul Guevara finished third in 15:49.

The GRC women mostly ran together in a tight pack for much of the race, but couldn't catch Kristin Anderson who won with a time of 17:50. Lindsay Donaldson O'Brien, Maura Carroll, Andrea Garvue, Hilary May, Susan Hendrick and Laura O'Hara finished 2 through 7, a spread of 22 seconds.

Official results below:

1    Ryan Witters    Washington  DC       3445    24   M       1 Top Fin               15:22       15:22      4:57/M

2    Jason Leonard                     Germantown  MD       3459    23   M       2 Top Fin               15:40       15:40      5:03/M

3    Paul Guevara                      Alexandria  VA       3446    26   M       3 Top Fin               15:49       15:49      5:06/M

4    Garrett Cichowitz                 Oakton, VA  VA       3454    23   M       1 20-24                 16:00       16:00      5:10/M

5    Brian Carnes                      Leesburg  VA         3456    27   M       1 25-29                 16:02       16:02      5:10/M

6    Ray Pugsley                       Potomac Falls  VA    3455    43   M       1 40-44                 16:11       16:11      5:13/M

7    Jesse Contario                    Washington  DC       3458    29   M       2 25-29                 16:20       16:20      5:16/M

8    Jason Myers                       Arlington  VA        3414    27   M       3 25-29                 16:21       16:21      5:16/M

9    David O'Hara                      Alexandria  VA       3415    36   M       1 35-39                 16:31       16:31      5:20/M

10    HUGH TOLAND                       Fairfax  VA          3430    31   M       1 30-34                 16:36       16:36      5:21/M

11    Patrick Murphy                    Washington  DC       3478    28   M       4 25-29                 16:46       16:46      5:25/M

12    Ali Najjar                        Springfield  VA      3474    31   M       2 30-34                 16:48       16:48      5:25/M

13    Pat DeRocco                       Ashburn  VA          3449    29   M       5 25-29                 16:52       16:52      5:26/M

14    Vinnie DeRocco                                         3625    33   M       3 30-34                 16:55       16:55      5:27/M

15    Dickson Mercer                    Washington  DI       3444    31   M       4 30-34                 17:04       17:04      5:30/M

1 Kristin Anderson Arlington VA 3461 29 F 1 Top Fin 17:50 17:50 5:45/M
 2 Lindsay Donaldson Washington DI 3530 27 F 2 Top Fin 18:16 18:16 5:54/M
 3 Maura Carroll Washington DC 3574 23 F 3 Top Fin 18:19 18:19 5:55/M
 4 Andrea Garvue Washington DC 3562 28 F 1 25-29 18:20 18:20 5:55/M
 5 Hilary May Washington DC 3575 23 F 1 20-24 18:25 18:25 5:56/M
 6 Susan Hendrick WASHINGTON DI 3561 27 F 2 25-29 18:30 18:30 5:58/M
 7 Laura O'Hara Alexandria VA 3560 32 F 1 30-34 18:38 18:38 6:01/M
 8 Perry Shoemaker Vienna VA 3551 41 F 1 40-44 18:59 18:59 6:07/M
 9 Shelly Cunningham Centreville VA 3576 37 F 1 35-39 19:47 19:47 6:23/M
 10 Boriana Bakaltcheva McLean VA 3542 27 F 3 25-29 19:50 19:50 6:24/M

Sunday Run

This likely won't appeal to many of you, but Sam and I are meeting at the corner of West Basin Drive and Ohio Drive (on Hains Point) tomorrow at 9:00am for a longer-ish run. We'll run the first few miles of the Army Ten Miler course, but then we're looping back to HP to run 3 miles hard (15:00). We'll cool down after that.

Comment is you're interested.

GRC to Spike it Up in Virginia

Tomorrow, for the first time this season, the GRC Race Team will hit the grass and mud, instead of the asphalt, at the Glory Days Grill Cross Country Invitational in Centreville, Virginia. The low-key cross country race will help prepare the team for the USATF National Club Cross County Championships on December 8 in Lexington, Kentucky. 

The women will be led by Lindsay O'Brien, who will be making her long awaited return to cross country.  Lindsay had a truly outstanding career as a harrier at Yale, where she was a three time cross country All-American (as well as a three All-American in track).  In Lindsay's junior year, she placed third at the NCAA cross country championship.  While Lindsay has not run a cross country race in almost five years, she is poised to make a strong showing on Saturday.  "Lindsay is rapidly returning to form," said GRC coach Jerry Alexander.  "As well as she's been training, I would not be surprised to see her begin to approach her collegiate times by the end of cross country season."  Lindsay will have ample support from fellow collegiate standouts Laura O'Hara, who ran in two NCAA cross country championships during her stellar career at Stanford, Catherine Campbell, a four-time NCAA D-III qualifier at Dickinson, and former Heps scorers Maura Carroll (Cornell), Susan Hendrick (Columbia), and Hilary May (Harvard). 

Leading the men's squad will be Ryan Witters, fresh off a personal best in the 8k. "Witty" ran a track season any post-collegiate runner would be happy with and, after a light summer, is ready to continue his fine racing streak. Coach Alexander noted: "Witty looks great right now, and because the race is only 5k, he will be able to make his seasonal cross country debut at a distance that he is comfortable with."  

Joining Witters will be "Texas" Paul Guevara, Dickson Mercer, Jason Myers and Patrick Murphy, whose been laying low this past summer and fall due to a rigorous school and work schedule. "Paul has been training very well, and he is ready to stake his claim to a top 5 position on our team at Clubs," said Alexander. This race also marks the long-awaited return of Dave O'Hara. "Dave O has been extremely impressive in workouts, and I'm excited to have him back in the GRC fold."

- GRC WIRE SERVICE

Week Wrap & Workout Wednesday

RACES

We had several strong performances this weekend, at the Wilson Bridge half marathon, and several other races in various locales, but the clear highlight of the weekend was the guide duty performed at the National Industries for the Blind Visually Impaired National Half Marathon Championship by six of our runners, Dickson, Andy, Scott, Chuck, Kirby, and Christina.  Not only was this a great way for the team to perform a service for the running community, it was a wonderful experience for each of our guides.  Our athletes who raced Wilson Bridge also distinguished themselves, led by Michelle, who was fifth in 1:19:57.  Michelle was bothered by a very tight calf, but she hung tough and ran a strong final 5k, despite knowing that she would not meet her goal for the day.  It's that kind of toughness that will propel Michelle to a major breakthrough in the shorter distances later this season, and on to a huge 2013.  Outlaw continued his comeback from injury with a solid 1:12:02.  In other races, Charlie easily won a 15k in Virginia, Jake easily won a 5 miler in New Hampshire, and Jason ran 15:48 for 5k in Virginia Beach.  Locally, Alex, Catherine, and Susan ran well in a hillier-than-expected 5k.  Well done to all!

ADMINISTRATIVE

1)  Those of you who told me you plan to run the Bull Run xc meet on Saturday must register with the comp code by TOMORROW.  If you want to run, but did not receive the message regarding the registration code, give me a shout right away. 

2)  Because of the xc race, there is no practice Saturday.  If you aren't racing, and want to do a workout Sunday, let me know.

3)  If you can't make it to the workout on the mall Wednesday (more on that below), you are welcome at the NOVA practice on Tuesday, which will be at TC Williams, at 6:15.

WORKOUT

 

We will be on the mall, for a 7:15 start.  The loop is adjacent to the Smithsonian metro stop, and an easy jog from metro center. We'll meet at the southeast corner of the loop (see map below) for the warmup at 6:30.  I will be there to stand sentry over your stuff.  The loop is darn close to 800 meters.  Wear GRC warm up gear, so we can let the locals know who we are.

 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5145493

For those of you who are driving, LTO, our mall sherpa, reports that you can park in parking lot north of the Capitol Reflecting Pond, which is about a one mile jog from the loop. It's essentially the far end of PA Ave., closest to the Capitol.

 

See you at 6:30 on the mall on Wednesday.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/olympics/ci_21698945/danville-native-ready-rock-n-roll-san-jose GRC ex-pat Patrick Reaves quoted in news article posted on LRC. In other news reaves is still a young man. Unreal. Jack Manner

Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon Results

A contingent of GRC runners raced the Wilson Bridge HM this morning, some seeking personal triumphs and others aiding visually impaired runners in the National Industries for the Blind Visually Impaired National Half Marathon Championship.

Michelle Miller: 1:19:57  5th place female, 3rd American, 1st local
Jerry "Outlaw" Greenlaw: 1:12:02  10th place overall, 5th American
Lavar Curley:  1:15:53  20th place overall
Brian "Breezy" Young: 1:19:46  31st place overall

The race marked the stellar returns of both GRC veterans Michelle Miller and Jerry Outlaw, each coming back from lengthy recoveries from injury to place in the top 5 Americans in the race.

Coach Jerry volunteered "Jerry is finally getting over the injuries that limited him in the spring and summer, and this was a good opportunity for him to test his fitness in a very competitive environment."Miller finished just 15 seconds off her excellent WWBHM debut last year. Jerry commented "her training has been fantastic, and she's ready to run considerably faster this year then she did last year." Each of them took home prize money too, and they've gotta be happy with that.

Teammates Dickson Mercer, Andy Sovonick, Chuck Kacsur, Samantha Kirby, and Scott Koonce each teamed with a talented visually impaired runner to guide them safely to the finish.  Coach Jerry noted  "I'm excited to have so many of our athletes serving as guides for visually impaired runners.  It's an opportunity for the team to give back to the running community, and we have the unique capability to supply guides that can run at any pace the visually impaired athletes request, so we're able to provide a wonderful service that will be most appreciated by the beneficiaries."

Oct. 6-7 results

Great Pumpkin 5k, Reston, Cheryl Young's photos below
5. Alex Benway, the Viking 15:30

4. Chatty Cathy Campbell 18:12

5. Susan Shendrick 18:42

Great Allegany 15k,Cumberland
1. Charlie "Burger Time" Ban 49:01

While most of you were sleeping, Jake "Red Fox" Klim was headed to New Hampshire where he ran away with a victory over a mountainous 5.1 mile course, coming home in 4:48 and winning by over three minutes.

Great Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon

5. The Butcher of Damascus 1:19:57

10.Outlaw 1:12:02

20. Lavar 1:15:53

31. Breezy 1:19:46

Saturday 10/6 Workout

From Coach Jerry:

As you all know by now, becuase the MCRRC x-c race was postponed to October 28, we'll have practice on Saturday at the cell tower field.  We'll start at 9, so plan to meet for the warm up at 8:15.
 

A few administrative matters:

1)  If you plan to run the Bull Run xc meet on October 13, please email me right away.  We have the possibility of comps, so I need as precise a head count as possible.  The race info is here.  http://www.prraces.com/glorydays/  If you are going to need a ride, also let me know that.

2)  If you can't make the Bull Run meet and want to race this weekend, let me know, as we'll have a contingent at a local 5k.
 

3)  I'm hoping the weather will permit us to do the workout this Wednesday, Oct 10, on the Mall.  I'll have a better idea of the forecast by Monday, and we'll firm up our plans.  BCC is not available, and if the Mall is out due to the threat of rain, we'll have to get creative.  One way or the other, though, we'll figure it out.

4)  If the plan for Wednesday is not feasible for you, you are always welcome at the NOVA practice on Tuesday.  We had a strong GRC presence this past week, and I think everyone agreed it was time well spent.

5)  For those of you who are serving as guides for the visually impaired at Wilson Bridge on Sunday, you should be all set with logistics.  If you haven't heard back from the race folks, let me know right away. 

 

As for the workout on Saturday, the men will do 3 x 9 minutes on, 4 minutes off.  After number 3, you'll take a 6 minute rest, and then do 5 x 45 second strides, with 1:30 rest. 

The women will do 3 x 7 minutes on, 3:30 off.  After number 3, you'll take a 5 minute rest, and then do 5 x 30 second strides, with 1:30 rest. 

If you can't make it Saturday, there will be an option to do some work Sunday at BCC, so give me a shout for the scoop on that.

Good luck to those of you who are racing this weekend.  Send 'em!

FLASH: Roosevelt takes first at Nationals Park 1k

After over 500 consecutive losses,Washington Nationals mascot Teddy Roosevelt, seen here breaking the tape, outsprinted rivals Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson to win his first race at Nationals Park.  "Teddy had some excellent workouts on the track this summer," said Coach Jerry Alexander.  "And his race today was tactically brilliant: Teddy exploited the gap created when the Philly mascot stormed onto the course to bludgeon the other competitors. Teddy's breakthrough performance was long overdue and richly deserved."  According to the Washington Running Report, Roosevelt plans to continue racing into late October to stay fit for Club Cross Country Nationals, which will be held this December in Lexington, Kentucky.

DEVELOPING....

Wednesday 10/5 Workout

From Coach Jerry:

RACES

We had some major PRs this weekend at 10k from Charlie, Maura, and Lauren.  Charlie’s 31:43 and Maura’s 36:15, both at the Great Race in Pittsburgh, were 44 second and 50 second PRs, respectively.  While Charlie’s race was a huge breakthrough, it’s fair to say that he’s just getting started, as his training was modest throughout the summer, and has only kicked into gear in the last month.  Maura’s huge PR is indicative of the strength training she did over the summer, and bodes extremely well for the rest of the fall, when her focus will be on the shorter races that are her speciaility.  Lauren ran 37:16 on a hilly course in Reston, for a 12 second PR, and an easy victory in the Perfect 10 10k.  Lauren will continue to rewrite her PRs later this fall, after she returns from her wedding.  The lone exception to our parade of PRs on Sunday was Sam’s 30:59, which placed him second at the Great Race.  I know you’re all tired of Sam underachieving compared to his more accomplished teammates, and I can assure that I’m only going to give that guy one more chance to get his act together.  Well done to all!

ADMINISTRATIVE

1) The change in the date of the MCRRC cross country race may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  The new plan will be for everyone that is focused on cross country, and who does not have a schedule conflict, is to run the Bull Run cross country 5k on October 13, and the rescheduled MCRRC 5k on October 28.  This will mean that rather than running the Klimvitational, which would have been essentially a scrimmage, we will have two races on well-established cross country courses, two weeks apart.  The Bull Run course is not easy, but it’s fair, and will be an excellent re-introduction to cross for all of us. Hold off on registering until you hear back from me.  The race info is here:  http://www.prraces.com/glorydays/

2)  Because of the change in race plans, we will have a workout on Saturday October 6 at the cell tower field.  I will send out further information later in the week.

3)  The workout this Wednesday will be at American.  We must start no later than 6:30 due to limited light.  If you’re driving, plan to meet at the track at 5:45 for the warmup.  If you’re taking the metro, be sure to arrive at Charlie/Sam/Witty’s house no later than 5:40 for the run over to the track.

4)  A few of you have indicated that you want to work out tomorrow in conjunction with the NOVA practice.  Please be ready to roll at 6:30 at WAKEFIELD HIGH, as light is an issue on that track as well.

5)  Because we’ll be racing on October 13, the plan to move practice next week to Thursday to allow us to use BCC is not going to work.  My current thinking is that, weather permitting, we will hit the mall.  If, however, the forecast is not favorable, we will have to reconsider that plan, so stay tuned for updates on next week’s practice.

WORKOUT

There will be two options for the men.  The distance oriented workout will be 4 x mile w/ a 2:00 rest.  The cross country oriented will be 3 x 1200, 4 x 400, with a 3:00 rest after the 12s and 2:00 after the 4s.

If you have questions about any of this, give me a shout.

I’ll see you at AU on Wednesday for a 6:30 start.