Sunday Runday

As Mark Twain once said, "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." As such, I'll be meeting Jake "The Bird Breeder" Klim, and Jerry "Outlaw" Greenlog at Old Anglers Inn at 9:30 for what promises to be a slippery, sloppery affair. Post if you want to join in on the "fun."

Weekend Results

Raleigh Relays
5K
Tina M. - 17:50
Susan H. - 18:00
Matt H. - 15:42
Tex Paul - 15:09

Heather - 4:44
Beth - 17:36

Maryland Invite

Mike F - 14:28 for the win

Hillary M - 4:43 for 2nd

Van Metre 5 Miler

5. Jerry Greenlaw(log) 25:42
6. Jake Klim 26:17

3. Lindsay O'Brien 30:04

Shop Run Saturday: 9 a.m.

Dickson and I are taking it back to the old school on Saturday at 9 a.m. with a traditional shop run. No big deal -- ten miles or so. Remember that because of remodeling the Georgetown store is operating from a temporary location about 20 feet from the usual spot (3401 M) (at the foot of the Key Bridge, seen here). Post up or email if you're interested.

Weekend Preview: Opening Day Edition

April is almost upon us, which means its time for baseball (The National Pastime) and outdoor track (The Other-Other-Other-...Other National Pastime)! For the women and men of GRC's track squad, that means its off to either NC State's Raleigh Relays or UMD's Maryland Invitational, where spring weather and springier legs should lead to some fast early-season times. In addition, a small crew will take to the roads of the Commonwealth at Richmond's Monument Ave. 10k and Ashburn's Van Metre Five Miler.

The action begins bright and early Friday morning in Raleigh with Susan, Tina, Matt "Fridge" Hasset and Texas Paul in the 5k. Then, after an afternoon seventh-inning stretch, Heather takes on a crowded field in the 1500 and Beth makes her yearly pilgrimage to the track for another fast 5k under the lights. After a string of exciting performances on the roads, Coach Jerry is excited for Beth to work on some speed and thinks "she's ready to make a major breakthrough at 5000."

Back in my beloved Old Line State on Saturday, a slew of GRC harriers will line up at UMD's Kehoe Track for the Maryland Invite. Though normally a low-key affair, this year's event showcases a few of GRC's best and brightest in their return to the outdoor oval. Coming off an 11 month injury hiatus, Hilary May is back on the track in a 1500 for the first time since her spree of club records in 2012-13. Coach Jerry is excited for the future, noting that "Hilary rewrote the GRC record book on the track last year, and after a long battle with injuries, she is ready to race her way back into shape." Avril joins her teammate in the metric-mile, making the event a must-see for GRC middle distance fans. 

On the men's side, Mike F, Witty and JR will get things started in the 5k, before Chuck "Big City" Kacsur toes the line for a two-lap race to be named later. The 5k marks Witty's first 12.5-lapper since his sensational PR at last year's Swarthmore Invite, and the outdoor opener for 3k club-record holder Mike Franklin. Jerry adds that "Mike is starting with a low key meet before he steps up the level of competition in the coming weeks.  After setting the club record in the 3000 indoors, he's going to have a great shot at the 5000 and 10,000 records in the coming weeks." 



Not to be forgotten is the weekend's road action down in old Virginy. Coming off of his PR at the National Half, Charlie B is excited to better his 10k-best on the familiar streets of Richmond. At the GRC-favorite Van Matre Five Miler, LDO and Outlaw will take on the unforgiving course as another early test of road fitness as they gear up for the spring season.

Keep it locked to WGRC for up-to-the-minute(well probably hour) updates on the weekend's running exploits. 

Play Ball and Send 'Em.

Sunday Run - Manassas Battlefield

I'm meeting Texas Paul and Karl at Manassas tomorrow at 9:15am for some easy miles on trails. I'll likely run 15-16. Karl will be closer to 8. Come one, come all.

The address is: 6511 Sudley Road Manassas, VA 20109 

FLASH - Allen Second at RnR DC!

Kerry runs out of the frame and on to 2nd overall!

Kerry Allen posted the undisputed GRC performance of the day, running a huge personal best  and snagging second place at this morning's Rock and Roll DC Half Marathon. Her time of 1:19:46 on the District's challenging course lopped over a minute over her previous PR. Kerry was joined on the podium by Teal Burrell, third in 1:21:40, who is prepping for the Boston Marathon in April.

GRC Rookie Matt Rand led the way for the men, with a third-place finish. His time of 1:09:24 also bodes well for his own Boston training. Strong Champion Charlie Ban ran a great race to finish in 1:11:16 for sixth, followed closely by Evan Jurkovich in 1:11:21 for seventh.

RnR Half
2. Kerry Allen 1:19:48
3. Teal Burrell 1:21:40
Julie Tarallo 1:27:27

3. Matt Rand 1:09:24
6. Charlie Ban 1:11:17
7. Evan Jurkovich 1:11:22
10. Paul Balmer 1:11:50
Dickson Mercer 1:14:40
Patrick Murhpy 1:15:53

West of the river, David Roche returned from injury to pace the GRC men in the Four Courts Four Miler. His time of 20:37 earned him a 4th place finish. Maura led the GRC women, also in fourth, with a time of 24:32.

Four Courts Four Miler
4. David Roche 20:37
5. Jake Klim 21:00
6. Jerry Outlaw 21:29
7. Justin Snair 21:48

10. Jonathan Echevers 22:33

4. Maura Carroll 24:32
5. Lindsay O'Brien 24:37

Weekend Preview: So You'd Like to Run Hills?

St. Paddy's Day Weekend is here again, which means its time for GRC's finest road warriors to take on a few of the DC area's favorite climbs. On Saturday morning, much of our Boston crew will take on the Calvert Street hill during the middle miles of the Rock and Roll National Half Marathon. Across the river in the Commonwealth, a few brave souls will try their luck (I promise that's the only pun in here) on the two-miles-down two-miles-up course at the Four Courts Four Miler. Though the uphill splits may be slow, both of these races will provide some welcome mid-season strength for the bigger races to come. 

The RnR half will serve as an important measuring stick for several GRC harriers aiming for glory on the Newton Hills in 5 weeks time. Kerry, Julie and Teal lead the way for the women and could provide some exciting performances. Kerry especially is in excellent shape and is aiming to improve her half-PR in preparation for Boston. For the men, recent addition Matt Rand makes his bibbed-debut for GRC tomorrow. A three-time All-American at Tufts, Matt looks poised for a great GRC career in the longer distances. Though he's not running Boston, 2013 Best Newcomer Oregon Paul will race his first ever half-marathon as his 2014 campaign begins in earnest.


"Abandon hope of even splits, all ye who run the Four Courts Four Miler"
A solid group of shorter-distance oriented GRCers will surely take these words to heart Saturday morning in Arlington. Showing his respect for the course's rapid change in grade, David Roche feels  that the race is "possibly right up my alley, or will possibly cause me to throw up in the alley." Saturday marks Roche's return to racing after a long lay-off this winter spent maniacally rehabbing a torn hip labrum, but the former USATF 10k trail champ looks fit and ready to roll. 
  
For those interested in spectating the Half, Sam "El Presidente" Luff and I will be hootin' and hollerin' near the Calvert Street Bridge, so let us know if you want to join. Or, you can cheer from a spot of your choosing located somwhere along this course map: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa/course .

It should be a great weekend for the whole crop of GRC roadies, so keep it tuned to the blog or tweeter for all the updates you can handle. 

Wednesday workout, March 12

RACES

Give a big GRC mazel tov to Mike and Witty for their club records at the Columbia Final Qualifier on Saturday night.  Unless you've been hiding in a cave ithe last few days, you've been inundated with the non-stop media coverage of Mike's 8:17.01 3,000 and Witty's 4:12.4 mile.  They're back in town after the ticker tape parade and morning talk show appearances, and if their publicist can clear their schedules, they'll be back at it this week getting ready for outdoors.  Their excellent performances are all the more noteworthy because their training was compromised by the lack of track availability this winter, and once these two young fellas sharpen up with a few fast workouts, we're sure to see more club records this spring.  Well done!

No doubt inspired by the record-breaking performances Saturday night, our crew at the St Paddy's Day 8k ran very well on Sunday morning despite extremely windy conditions.  The men were led by Jerry Outlaw in 25:53, followed by Dave Wertz in 25:57, JR in a PR of 25:59, Fridge in 26:06, Sean in 26:36, and Breezy in 29:02.  I was particularly pleased with the performances of Outlaw, who demonstrated that he is very close to full fitness after another bout with injury, and JR, who continues to make excellent progress.  On the women's side, Beth ran 29:26, which was a solid workout, followed closely by Maura in 29:36.  Maura is continuing her transition to longer distances on the roads, and her strong performance this early in the season bodes very well for some big PRs this spring.

ADMINISTRATIVE

If you plan to run the 4 Courts 4 Miler on Saturday, be sure to register today. 

I willl hold practice for the track crew (and anyone else who wants to join in) on Saturday morning at BCC at a time to be determined.  With outdoor season about to start, we'll be out there every weekend that we're not racing.

Speaking of BCC, remember that there will be some conflicts with spring sports games, so be sure to check the emails carefully regarding the time and place of workouts. 

In addition, now that we've set the clocks ahead and the winter weather appears to be behind us, we can expect a growing number of community members, aka joggers, to be on the track during our practices.  It's imperative that we all bear in mind that we have no special privileges at BCC, and that the other folks on the track have as much right to be out there as we do, so please go out of your way to be courteous to the locals.

WORKOUT

We'll be at BCC for our normal 7:15 start, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

Most of the men who are not running National Half will do 3 x mile, 4 x 800, all with a 3:00 recovery.  As always, we can modify as needed.  The National Half crew will have several options, so be sure to give me a holler before Wednesday and we'll figure out what works best for you.

I'll send the women's workout separately.

See you out there Wednesday.

Jerry

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St. Paddy's Day Results

Cool temperatures and formidable winds slowed times for the contingent of GRC runners who took to the streets of downtown DC today for the St. Patrick's Day 8k.

8.  Outlaw 25:53
9.  Dave Wertz 25:57
10.  J.R. Roberts 25:59
11.  Fridge Hassett 26:06
12.  Sean Barrett 26:36
34.  Young Breezy 29:02

4.  Elizabeth Young 29:26
5.  Maura Carroll 29:36

Although PRs were spared today, the bagels were given no quarter. The Team extends many thanks to Pacers Events for putting on a first class race.

FLASH: Men's 3k and Mile Records Broken in NYC!

Hours ago, in New York City, Mike Franklin smashed the GRC record in the 3,000m run with a time of 8:17.01. Franklin's time was 6-seconds faster than the old record of 8:23 set by Ryan Hanson. Franklin won the race.

Meanwhile, in the mile run, Ryan Witters also set a club record. His time of 4:12.4 breaks Joe Wiegner's old club record by three tenths of a second. Witty also won his heat.

"Mike is going to rewrite the club records in the distance events this spring," said Coach Jerry Alexander. "His training has been strength focused all winter, and the fact that he could run that fast for 3k with essentially no speed work or race sharpness bodes extremely well for outdoors." 

Alexander noted how the terrible Washington, DC winter has really hampered training this season. "(Ryan) has done almost no speed work," said Alexander, "but with some sharpening, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with from 800 up to 5000 outdoors later this spring."

DEVELOPING...

Sunday Long Run

Dix, Tex (and Dusen?) and I are meeting at Sycamore Landing Road in Poolesville for some distance at 10am (it will "feel like" 9am per the time change). 

Once again, let me know if you're interested and/or want to carpool from the usual spot on River Road.

GRC 3k Record in Jeopardy?

Ryan Hanson (GRC File Photo) 

Track historians recall that a generation of sprinters regarded the 200 meter world record of 19.72 set by Pietro Mennea in 1979 as soft. Yet despite the efforts of Carl Lewis and other world beaters, the record stood until 1996, when it was finally broken by the legendary Michael Johnson. 

The GRC 3,000 meter record of 8:23, set in 2011 by Ryan Hanson, has also been dismissed as soft by many GRC greats, particularly because Ryan famously started his cooldown with 300 meters to go. But, like the 200 meter record, Ryan's mark has withstood multiple challenges from the best GRC has to offer. On Saturday, on the banked track at the Armory in New York, the record will be under siege once again, this time by the most highly touted GRC runner of all time, Michael Franklin. Will he, like Michael Johnson before him, make history? If we had bothered to ask the loquacious and brash Franklin for comment, he might well have said, "I guarantee that I will not only break the record, I will crush it." Will Mike back up the boastful words he might said if we had given him the chance? 

Check back on Saturday for the results...

FLASH: O'Hara baby born

Greta Colleen O'Hara has not yet appreciated the compulsion to rush to the finish line that her parents have honed, but she proved she was worth the wait by showing up a healthy 7 pounds and 9 ounces and 20 inches long last night.

Congratulations to Laura, Dave, Ferguson and Prince!