RACES
It was a banner weekend for GRC on the track at Penn and on the roads at Pikes Peak. The headline, as you all know by now, is Mike's victory in the 10,000 meters at Penn Relays. Mike ran a perfect tactical race, and there was never a moment of doubt in my mind that he would win. It would be difficult to overstate the gravity of Mike's victory, but rather than prattle on about it, suffice to say that this is the first, but surely not the last, major championship won by a GRC athlete. What makes Mike's victory even more special is that he had several factors working against him, including a demanding work schedule that required him to work a half day on Thursday, and deliver a presentation on Friday morning. Mike drove up to Philly on his own on Thursday, arriving at 5 pm. His race started at 11 pm, and after a short awards ceremony and warmdown, he grabbed a couple of hours of sleep on his brother's couch, then drove back to work in time to arrive at 8 am, and give his presentation at 10 am. Post-graduate running has a set of challenges that college athletes do not face, but in his first year out of school, Mike has proven that he can thrive as a runner despite these challenges. We'll surely see Mike continue to improve in the months and years ahead.
Luke and Tina also ran very well at Penn. In his first race on the track in 3 years, Luke ran step for step with Mike for the first 8,000 meters, and although he could not find the extra gear to go with the leaders when the pace quickened, Luke held on for an excellent 29:45. Tina ran a PR of 17:46, and while she paid for the aggressive early pace in the last mile, Tina proved that she has made a successful transition to the longer distances on the track.
At Pikes Peak, Lindsay carried the flag for the women with an excellent 34:57, good for second place. Lindsay is in great shape and will look to rebound quickly and shoot for a PR at Broad Street on Sunday. Outlaw lead the way for the men in 30:46, and he is well on his way back to PR shape. Speaking of PRs, we had huge ones from Paul Balmer in 31:09, Dave Wertz in 31:30, Dave O in 32:18, and Jonny in 32:22. Tex Paul did not PR, but ran a very solid 31:11. Among these excellent performances, the one that stands out for me is Dave O, who continues to make huge improvements despite his advanced age and the minor distraction of having a newborn at home. Last year at Pikes Peak, Dave was thrilled to break 33 for the first time. He's now knocking on the door of sub 32, which is a testament to his determination to excel no matter how many reasons there might be for him to slow down.
ADMINISTRATIVE
If you're around on Friday night, come out to the Maryland Twilight meet at College Park. There will be several races featuring GRC's finest, starting with Cecilia's shot at a USATF A qualifier in the 800 at 6:30. The 1500 is at 7:20, and that's another race you won't want to miss, so come on out to show your support for GRC on Friday night!
WORKOUT
It's a safe bet that we will be able to practice at BCC tomorrow. The games scheduled for tonight have been cancelled, and it's only supposed to get worse tomorrow, so it's extremely unlikely there will be a lacrosse game getting in our way tomorrow. Unless you hear from me otherwise, plan to meet at BCC at 6:30 for the warmup, and we'll roll at 7:15. The backup plan is American University. BCC on a rainy night is certainly preferable to AU, as that run back to the metro from AU in wet clothes would be less than pleasant, so with any luck, we'll be able to use BCC.
Wherever we practice, it's going to be a small turnout, as the Maryland crew will do their workout tonight, and some of the Pikes Peak crew will need to take the night off to recover. Thus, rather than publish a workout, I'd like to get a headcount of who plans to show up, and we can then customize the plan for those of you who will be there.
Jerry
It was a banner weekend for GRC on the track at Penn and on the roads at Pikes Peak. The headline, as you all know by now, is Mike's victory in the 10,000 meters at Penn Relays. Mike ran a perfect tactical race, and there was never a moment of doubt in my mind that he would win. It would be difficult to overstate the gravity of Mike's victory, but rather than prattle on about it, suffice to say that this is the first, but surely not the last, major championship won by a GRC athlete. What makes Mike's victory even more special is that he had several factors working against him, including a demanding work schedule that required him to work a half day on Thursday, and deliver a presentation on Friday morning. Mike drove up to Philly on his own on Thursday, arriving at 5 pm. His race started at 11 pm, and after a short awards ceremony and warmdown, he grabbed a couple of hours of sleep on his brother's couch, then drove back to work in time to arrive at 8 am, and give his presentation at 10 am. Post-graduate running has a set of challenges that college athletes do not face, but in his first year out of school, Mike has proven that he can thrive as a runner despite these challenges. We'll surely see Mike continue to improve in the months and years ahead.
Luke and Tina also ran very well at Penn. In his first race on the track in 3 years, Luke ran step for step with Mike for the first 8,000 meters, and although he could not find the extra gear to go with the leaders when the pace quickened, Luke held on for an excellent 29:45. Tina ran a PR of 17:46, and while she paid for the aggressive early pace in the last mile, Tina proved that she has made a successful transition to the longer distances on the track.
At Pikes Peak, Lindsay carried the flag for the women with an excellent 34:57, good for second place. Lindsay is in great shape and will look to rebound quickly and shoot for a PR at Broad Street on Sunday. Outlaw lead the way for the men in 30:46, and he is well on his way back to PR shape. Speaking of PRs, we had huge ones from Paul Balmer in 31:09, Dave Wertz in 31:30, Dave O in 32:18, and Jonny in 32:22. Tex Paul did not PR, but ran a very solid 31:11. Among these excellent performances, the one that stands out for me is Dave O, who continues to make huge improvements despite his advanced age and the minor distraction of having a newborn at home. Last year at Pikes Peak, Dave was thrilled to break 33 for the first time. He's now knocking on the door of sub 32, which is a testament to his determination to excel no matter how many reasons there might be for him to slow down.
ADMINISTRATIVE
If you're around on Friday night, come out to the Maryland Twilight meet at College Park. There will be several races featuring GRC's finest, starting with Cecilia's shot at a USATF A qualifier in the 800 at 6:30. The 1500 is at 7:20, and that's another race you won't want to miss, so come on out to show your support for GRC on Friday night!
WORKOUT
It's a safe bet that we will be able to practice at BCC tomorrow. The games scheduled for tonight have been cancelled, and it's only supposed to get worse tomorrow, so it's extremely unlikely there will be a lacrosse game getting in our way tomorrow. Unless you hear from me otherwise, plan to meet at BCC at 6:30 for the warmup, and we'll roll at 7:15. The backup plan is American University. BCC on a rainy night is certainly preferable to AU, as that run back to the metro from AU in wet clothes would be less than pleasant, so with any luck, we'll be able to use BCC.
Wherever we practice, it's going to be a small turnout, as the Maryland crew will do their workout tonight, and some of the Pikes Peak crew will need to take the night off to recover. Thus, rather than publish a workout, I'd like to get a headcount of who plans to show up, and we can then customize the plan for those of you who will be there.
Jerry
