TUESDAY workout, April 30

-->RACES

Congratulations to Beth for her truly outstanding performance in the Eugene marathon, where she ran 2:49:30, for an astounding 20 minute PR, coming in second, and earning her the coveted GRC Athlete of the Week award.  In the last four years, Beth has transformed herself from a complete beginner into a legitimate Olympic Trials candidate through hard work, perseverance in the face of hardship, and the unrelenting belief that anything is possible.  Since joining GRC in 2010, Beth has had a series of major breakthroughs at distances from 5k to the half-marathon, but she has had a string of rotten luck with the marathon, which included several serious injuries and multiple surgeries.  Beth's persistence paid off in a huge way in Eugene, and her massive PR was well-earned, to say the least.  I could not be more proud of Beth, and I'm certain that her best performances are yet to come.  Well done!

Kerry ran 2:59:24 in Eugene, and while she was disappointed not to PR, I am extremely pleased with her effort.  Kerry was ready for a big PR in Boston, but she had the misfortune of getting sick shortly before the race.  She wisely cut her losses in Boston and regrouped for Eugene.  It's extremely difficult to switch to plan B in the marathon, and the fact that Kerry was able to run a more-than-respectable race under the circumstances bodes well for her future in the event.

We also had some excellent performances on the track.  Big City lowered his own club record in the 800, running 1:53.85 at Shippensburg.  With at least two more races left on his schedule, look for the club record to improve this season.  Catherine and Witty ran the 5000 at Penn Relays, and both of them ran extremely aggressively early, and paid for it late.  But they both showed that they are not afraid to compete at the highest level, and I expect them both to build on their performances at Penn by PR'ing at Swarthmore.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Practice in on TUESDAY at BCC.  We'll roll at 7:15, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

The plan for practice next week is unsettled, so stay tuned for details.

Be sure to mark your calender for the team meeting/party for Drea on May 18.

WORKOUT

The men who are racing at Maryland will do some variation on sets of 3 x 300.  Most of you will do 3 sets, with the idea that you will stay relaxed on the first two sets, and roll on the third set.  I'll go over with each of you what I want you to do.

I'll send the women's workout separately.

See you Tuesday at BCC.

Jerry