Weekend Recap from Coach Jerry

While we had many fine performances this weekend, the clear winner of the coveted GRC Athlete of the Week is Jason, who ran 25:17 for 8k at Richmond, which was an astounding PR of 1:05. That was, by far, the best race of Jason's life, and the breakthrough was well-earned. Jason has been training with me for more than 3 years, and during that period he has experienced some tough times, including a serious injury in the summer of 2011, but throughout it all, he has worked hard and maintained confidence in his ability. It's extremely gratifying for me to see his hard work and dedication pay off in such a major way.

There were several other notable performances this weekend, including:

Dave O'Hara's PR of 32:59 at the Veterans Day 10k. Dave told me that he's been trying to break 33 minutes for 16 years, so it was a huge achievement for him. This will be the first of many PRs for Dave with GRC.

Jerry Outlaw made a long-awaited return to high level racing, leading the way for our men's team at Vets Day in 31:45. Outlaw has been dealing with nagging injuries for months, and his return to race fitness will give our A team a huge lift at Clubs.

Alex and Matt both ran solid PRs of 32:09 and 32:11 respectively. And new man Colin proved he's going to be a strong addition, running a very nice PR of 32:27.

On the women's side, Lauren continued her streak of PRs, knocking 40 seconds off her previous best to finish in 36:35. Teal also ran a solid PR of 38:05.

Our women's pack stayed together for most of the race, resulting in solid performances from Beth, Maura, Catherine, and Susan. Lindsay tweaked her hamstring, and had to back off on Sunday, but she will be ready to lead the charge for us at Clubs.

And last but not least, Murph won the MMRF 5k for the 4th consecutive year.