Balmer Brings Back Beer Mile

On a chilly Thursday night at an undisclosed track in the national capital region, Chilly Balmer had a major breakthrough in the beer mile, finishing with a PR of 7:30. "I struggled with carbonation issues during the second lap," said Balmer. "But I powered through."  After learning at the final transition that a PR was in reach, Chilly closed in 70. Despite cramping up during the final lap, Mercer unleashed a ferocious kick to come in under ten minutes. Murphy ran strong for three laps but incurred a "penalty" during the final transition and the resulting penalty lap put a PR out of reach. Breezy and Meyer were unable to compete with the big boys and ran the event as a relay.

Koons selected for U.S. team in Scotland

USATF has selected Frances Koons as a member of the women's team representing the United States at the BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country Race in Edinburgh, Scotland on January 10, 2015.  

Koons earned her spot on the national team with an outstanding 8th place finish at the USATF Club Cross Country Championship at Lehigh University on Saturday.

Upon learning the news, GRC Coach Jerry Alexander said, "I am thrilled for Frances to make the team.  There is no greater honor for a runner than to represent her country in international competition, and Frances will run her heart out for the USA in Scotland.  It's also an incredible honor for GRC for one of our athletes to make a national team, and we're extremely proud to call her one of our own."  

THURSDAY workout, December 18

It was an historic weekend for GRC at Clubs, with epic performances on the team and individual level.  The women get top billing for their 10th place finish, which is the best in GRC history, and which came against the highest quality field ever to compete at Clubs.  On the individual level, Frances made one heck of a GRC debut, as her 8th place finish was without a doubt the best performance in a GRC singlet of all time, bar none.  Frances was mixing it up with the best runners in the country right from the gun, and she beat a whole lot of full-time professionals.  As impressive as Frances’s performance was, she’s just getting started, so keep your eyes on that young lady in the weeks and months to come.  While it certainly helped to have Frances leading the charge, our 10th place finish was truly a team effort, and we had excellent runs from the entire crew.  Kristin proved once again that she has developed into a national caliber runner by placing 91st in 21:41, a huge 6k PR.  Kristin is going to take a well-earned break after her amazing (and long) season, and the PR train will get rolling again this winter. Lindsay shrugged off her injury-induced lack of training to finish 93rd in 21:42, and fought all the way to the tape despite becoming woozy in the final mile. Lindsay is a superior cross country runner, and she brought all of her experience and toughness to bear on Saturday.  Sara ran her best race in a GRC jersey by far, finishing 137th in 22:29, and now that she has made the difficult transition to post-collegiate running, we are going to see great results from her on the track.  Tina was 176h in 23:00, and proved once again that she can compete at a very high level at distances that are outside of her comfort zone.  Emily surprised herself with an excellent 23:13, and capped off an outstanding first season with GRC.  Every one of our women came through when it counted, and I am extremely proud of their performance.

The men placed 13th, and while they hoped to get back in the top 10, there is no question that 13th place this year is more impressive than 9th place last year, as the field was loaded, and we were missing two high A team runners who intended to run due to unfortunate circumstances.  Knowing that there was no margin for error, each of the A team men did their part.  Mike led the way, placing 69th in 30:45 on a course the organizers stated was 200 meters long.  This was the best cross country race of Mike’s life, and he will be ready to crush his club records on the track this spring.  Luke was 92nd in 31:09, and while his aggressive early pace came back to bite him later in the race, Luke gave it absolutely everything he had, and fought to the bitter end to help his team.  Kevin was 101st in 31:15, and he executed his go-out-slow early, run-hard late race plan to perfection.  Sam was 105th in 31:16, and he delivered his best race of the year in front of his home town crowd.  Matt Rand was our fifth man, placing 122nd in 31:26 in his best performance in a GRC singlet.  Ryan was 139th in 31:37, running strong the whole race, and unleashing his big kick at the end.  Our second wave was led by Paul in 32:04, followed by Stewart in 32:41, Tom in 32:54, Sean in 32:55, Sebi in 33:18, Dave Wertz in 33:19, Charlie in 33:30, Joe Wiggy in 33:43, Dickson in 33:48, Fridge in 33:55, Dave O in 34:03, and Murph in 35:17.  I was extremely pleased with all of these performances, especially those of Tom and Dave O.  Tom is a miler who had never broken 35 minutes for 10k at the beginning of the fall, and he continued his breakout season with a confident, controlled race.  Dave O gave an inspiring speech on Friday night about his quest for redemption on Lehigh’s course, and backed it up by running like a man with something to prove.

Clubs is a very important race for us, as it is our one opportunity each year to compete as a team against a national-caliber field, and every one of our athletes represented GRC with pride and distinction.  I was extremely pleased with our performance, and I’m confident that we made a statement about the quality and cohesiveness of our team that was heard loud and clear by our fellow competitors.  Well done!

WORKOUT

Most of you are taking a little time off right about now, but for those of you who are still rolling, we’ll have practice at BCC on THURSDAY at 6:45, so meet for the warmup at 6:00.  Let me know if you’ll be there, and we’ll get a plan together.

GRC Women Place 10th, Men Place 13th at Clubs!

PHOTO - Lucas Meyer places 92nd (Evan Jurkovich)

FLASH: The GRC Women, lead by Frances Koons' 8th place finish, placed 10th at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships this afternoon in Bethlehem, PA.

WOMEN'S UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

The GRC Men's A Team placed 13th led by Mike Franklin (69th, 30:45) 

MEN'S UNOFFICIAL RESULTS 

The Men's B Team placed 25th. The Men's C Team placed 42nd.

It was the largest field ever assembled at Clubs.



GRC Men's A Team
69. Franklin - 30:45
92. Meyer - 31:09
102. McNab - 31:15
106. Luff - 31:16
122. Rand - 31:26

DEVELOPING...

GRC Racing Teams Hope to Crack Top 10 at Clubs

PHOTO - GRC's Sam Luff takes a spill in last year's race. Luff got back up on his feet and, with his help, the team placed 9th. (C) John Swenson

 

On December 13, the Georgetown Running Club (GRC) will be racing its best and brightest at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Affectionately known simply as “Clubs,” GRC has competed in the championships since 2007. This year, the team’s goals, according to head coach Jerry Alexander, are to place the men’s and women’s teams in the top 10. Last year, the men’s team placed 9th -- the highest finish ever for any GRC squad. In 2012, the women’s team placed 11th. This year, both squads are capable of improving those results. “There is no doubt in my mind that these are the two best teams we’ve ever sent to Clubs,” boasted Coach Alexander, “and if we run up to our capability we will see some excellent results.”

The men’s team is led by Lucas Meyer, a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier (steeplechase in 2008, marathon in 2012) who excels at cross country. Meyer was an All-American at Yale and placed 7th place at Clubs in 2009. More recently, Meyer placed 10th in the USATF 10 Mile Championships with a GRC club record time of 48:46. Meyer will have company in two other All-Americans: Kevin McNab (Texas A & M), who has had an outstanding fall on the roads, and Michael Franklin (Princeton), who won the 10,000 meters at the 2014 Penn Relays with a GRC club record time of 29:32. Other potential scorers are Lehigh Valley native Sam Luff (29:37 10,000m), Phil Royer (8:59 - steeplechase, 14:07 - 5,000m), Ryan Witters (14:31 - 5,000m), and Matt Rand (30:09 - 10,000m). “I’m excited about both the quality and the depth of this squad,” said Alexander. “Luke, Kevin, and Mike are all capable of finishing in the top 30 if they run well. Sam has been running on this course since high school and knows it like the back of his hand, and he’s ready to put that experience to good use. Ryan is full of confidence after his recent road PRs, and Phil and Matt are excellent cross country runners who are ready to go.” Rounding out the “A” team is 39 year-old David Wertz, who will be running his final open race at Clubs before he moves up to the Master’s division in 2015, where he hopes to contend for a spot on the podium.

The GRC women did not compete at Clubs in 2013, but they’re looking to make their presence felt in 2014. The team will be led by Frances Koons, an 8-time All American at Villanova and two-time Olympic Trials qualifier (1500m in 2008, 5,000m in 2012). Like Sam Luff, Koons has run on the Lehigh course more times than she can remember, and she is in excellent shape, as evidenced by her 15th place finish at the recent USATF 12k championships. “Frances is ready to do something special,” Alexander said. “She’s excited to run in front of a home town crowd on a course she knows extremely well, and we’re looking for her to grab a low stick.” Also in the mix will be Lindsay Donaldson O’Brien, a 6-time All-American at Yale who placed 3rd in the NCAA cross country championships as a junior, and fellow former Bulldog Kristin Johnson, who has run a series of huge personal bests on the roads this fall, including a 2nd place finish in the Raleigh half marathon with a time of 1:19:21. The other scoring positions will be filled by Sara Patterson, a Division III cross country All-American at Dickinson, track specialist Tina Morrison (2:07 – 800m, 4:30 -1500m), and former North Carolina standout Emily Young. Noted Alexander, “Lindsay has been limited by injury this fall, but she is a superior cross country runner who will rise to the occasion while Kristin will be running in her first national championship, and she is eager to show what she can do on this level.”

In addition, GRC will be entering men’s “B” and “C” teams, and Alexander is enthusiastic about their prospects as well. “It’s become very difficult to make our A team, and we’ve got some accomplished athletes running for the B and C teams.” The B team is a mix of youth and experience. 2014 graduates Stewart Reich (3:58 1500) and Sean O’Leary (4:00 1500, 15:00 5,000) are aspiring A team runners who will gain experience in their first Clubs. The veteran contingent is led by Sean Barrett, the 2007 Ivy League 10,000 meter champion while running for Harvard, whose training has been hampered this fall by his status as an active duty Marine. Other veteran GRC harriers looking to score for the B team are Paul Balmer (31:09 road 10k), Charlie Ban (14:57 road 5k), Dickson Mercer (31:38 road 10k), and Tom Kelly (4:00.7 1500). “This meet is a big step up in quality for Stewart and Sean O’Leary, and they are looking to prove themselves against top level competition,” said Alexander. “It’s also a chance for Charlie and Dickson to show that their road prowess translates to the grass, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do. The fact that Sean Barrett is running for our B team proves our depth, and I expect our B team to beat a whole lot of other clubs’ A teams.”

The C team includes top-level athletes who are on the way back to full fitness after returning from layoffs forced by injury or job-related training limitations. The squad is led by Joey Wiegner, a Division II cross country All-American at Lock Haven who placed 61st at Clubs in 2010, and also includes Patrick Murphy (31:41 10,000), Matt Hassett (15:06 5,000), Sebi Devlin-Foltz (15:10 5,000), James Frick (3:58.2 1500), and David O’Hara (32:18 road 10k). Alexander explained, “this is a strong group. Joe Wiggy is an exceptionally talented runner, and he’ll be back in A team shape soon. Sebi, Matt, and James are gearing up for big track seasons, and Dave and Patrick are going to give 100% effort, just as they do at every race.”

TUESDAY workout, December 9

RACES

What a truly, truly phenomenal performance by Teal!!  I've had 24 hours to process her titanic accomplishment, and I'm still at something of a loss for words to describe how incredibly well Teal ran, but this will shed some perspective on the enormity of her achievement--when Teal began this training cycle, her half marathon PR was 1:21:37.  Yesterday she ran two half marathons thirty seconds faster than that, back to back!  Think about that for a moment.  Teal is a very experienced marathoner, and for someone with her level of experience to improve so dramatically in such a short period of time is simply astonishing.  To me, the most amazing part is that Teal believed to her core that she could break 2:43, and she committed herself to going for it by rolling with the 2:43 pace group from the gun despite the ever-present possibility that the aggressive early pace would come back to bite her late in the race.  There's an old saying in the coaching game that the body can't go where the mind hasn't already been, and Teal has been mentally prepared to take on this challenge ever since she joined GRC.  Yesterday, her body caught up to where her mind has been for over two years.  Indeed, Teal was so confident in herself that she hit the gas at mile 24, and left the 2:43 pace group in the rear view mirror to make sure she didn't cut it too close at the tape.  Teal's performance is unquestionably one of the greatest in GRC history, and I am certain that her incredibly courageous run will serve as inspiration for our athletes at Clubs, and beyond.  Well done!

Not to be lost in the excitement over Teal's superb run is that we had excellent performances across the board in Sacramento.  Julie ran 2:51:55, a 55 second PR!  Julie's training was not ideal due to her hectic work schedule, and she started to struggle by mile 13, but she showed her characteristic toughness and grit by fighting through it all the way to the tape.  Julie is going to be back for another go at the distance in 2015, and she's got a Teal-style major breakthrough in her waiting to come out!  Outlaw made a successful marathon debut in 2:31:24.  Outlaw had a great training cycle, and he was on pace to run 2:27 through 22 miles when, as happens so often to marathon debutantes, the bottom fell out.  Despite his screaming quads, Outlaw maintained as best he could and finished with his head held high.  With a valuable lesson learned, Outlaw will be back in 2015, looking to break 2:25, and I wouldn't bet against him.  Finally, Breezy ran a very solid 2:46:30 after a training cycle that was all but ruined by a lengthy trial he completed last week.  For the non-lawyers in the crowd, I can assure you that during trial, a lawyer has little time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep (and not very much), and if you know Breezy, you know that he takes his job as a criminal prosecutor very, very seriously, so the fact that he got on the starting line yesterday is a tribute to his resolve.  That he was able to work with Teal for most of the race and contribute to her incredible performance was going above and beyond the call of duty.  Breezy will be back, better than ever, in 2015.

WORKOUT

We'll be at BCC for our final tune up for Clubs.  We'll get going at as normal, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

TUESDAY workout, December 9

RACES

What a truly, truly phenomenal performance by Teal!! I've had 24 hours to process her titanic accomplishment, and I'm still at something of a loss for words to describe how incredibly well Teal ran, but this will shed some perspective on the enormity of her achievement--when Teal began this training cycle, her half marathon PR was 1:21:37. Yesterday she ran two half marathons thirty seconds faster than that, back to back! Think about that for a moment. Teal is a very experienced marathoner, and for someone with her level of experience to improve so dramatically in such a short period of time is simply astonishing. To me, the most amazing part is that Teal believed to her core that she could break 2:43, and she committed herself to going for it by rolling with the 2:43 pace group from the gun despite the ever-present possibility that the aggressive early pace would come back to bite her late in the race. There's an old saying in the coaching game that the body can't go where the mind hasn't already been, and Teal has been mentally prepared to take on this challenge ever since she joined GRC. Yesterday, her body caught up to where her mind has been for over two years. Indeed, Teal was so confident in herself that she hit the gas at mile 24, and left the 2:43 pace group in the rear view mirror to make sure she didn't cut it too close at the tape. Teal's performance is unquestionably one of the greatest in GRC history, and I am certain that her incredibly courageous run will serve as inspiration for our athletes at Clubs, and beyond. Well done!

Not to be lost in the excitement over Teal's superb run is that we had excellent performances across the board in Sacramento. Julie ran 2:51:55, a 55 second PR! Julie's training was not ideal due to her hectic work schedule, and she started to struggle by mile 13, but she showed her characteristic toughness and grit by fighting through it all the way to the tape. Julie is going to be back for another go at the distance in 2015, and she's got a Teal-style major breakthrough in her waiting to come out! Outlaw made a successful marathon debut in 2:31:24. Outlaw had a great training cycle, and he was on pace to run 2:27 through 22 miles when, as happens so often to marathon debutantes, the bottom fell out. Despite his screaming quads, Outlaw maintained as best he could and finished with his head held high. With a valuable lesson learned, Outlaw will be back in 2015, looking to break 2:25, and I wouldn't bet against him. Finally, Breezy ran a very solid 2:46:30 after a training cycle that was all but ruined by a lengthy trial he completed last week. For the non-lawyers in the crowd, I can assure you that during trial, a lawyer has little time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep (and not very much), and if you know Breezy, you know that he takes his job as a criminal prosecutor very, very seriously, so the fact that he got on the starting line yesterday is a tribute to his resolve. That he was able to work with Teal for most of the race and contribute to her incredible performance was going above and beyond the call of duty. Breezy will be back, better than ever, in 2015.

WORKOUT

We'll be at BCC on TUESDAY for our final tune up for Clubs. We'll get going at 7:15 as normal, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

Jerry

Coach Jerry Responds to Teal Qualifying for Olympic Trials

GRC SPECIAL REPORT

 

(PHOTO - Teal Connor Burrell (left) and Julie Tarallo at the California International Marathon Expo)

Earlier this afternoon, Coach Jerry Alexander was summoned to comment on word that one of his athletes, Teal Connor Burrell, had qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.

 

"In 25 years of coaching I'm not sure I've ever seen an athlete maximize her ability on race day the way Teal did today, said Alexander. "Everything came together in exactly the right way at exactly the right time, and in one race years of hard work paid off in the most spectacular way. I could not be more proud of her."

Alexander added, "There could not have been a more meaningful and appropriate way to honor Lauren than what Teal did today."

Teal's former teammate, Lauren Woodall Roady, passed away two years ago Monday.

GRC athletes wear a "LWR" patch above their hearts on their singlets in memory of their teammate.

One for the Ages

From an athletic standpoint, Teal Burrell's 2:42:16 marathon, which notched a spot in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, speaks for itself. Having run near Teal for 20 miles (and and two hours and four minutes) before she took off, I was most impressed by her amazing level of concentration and courage. The Olympic Trials Standard is cruely precise. The runner must go sub-2:43. A 2:43:01 doesn't cut it -- dropped water bottles, loose shoe laces, weather conditions make no difference. It is a very rare person who has the determination and strength of character to run mile-after-mile and step-after-step at almost exactly the required pace the whole while knowing that, with so much at stake, the whole race will come down to seconds. And those seconds will come into play when your mucles are seizing up and you have nothing left in the tank. This is especially true where that pace is over 20 seconds per mile faster than the runner's best marathon. It is rare to meet a person who can withstand that sort of pressure under those circumstances. Teal's performance today was a huge milestone for herself, her family, and her Club and I was honored to watch part of it. On this of all days we are reminded of how short life can be and Teal lived this day to the fullest.

Teal qualifies for the Olympic marathon trials

Teal Burrell ran 2:42:16 at Cal International today to qualify with time to spare, with a 10-plus-minute PR, running a consistent, though slightly accelerating, pace throughout. It appears Breezy (2:46:35), ran the first 20 miles with her (2:04:18) before she dropped the gloves and went after it. She will likely don some compression socks to recover and get ready for LA in 2016.

Outlaw ran 2:31:24 in his debut

Julie 2:51:55

Sunday Preview: Four GRC marathoners look to fast course in Sacramento

Marathon running in December can only mean one thing: California International Marathon (CIM).

Brian "Breezy" Young, Jerry "Outlaw" Greenlaw, Teal Burrell, and Julie Tarallo, four accomplish veterans on the GRC squad, are making the cross-country trip from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento to toe the line at 7 a.m. Sunday morning for the 21st running of the Marathon.

The four GRC-ers, all veterans of the marathon except for Outlaw making his marathon debut, are looking to capitalize on a CIM course that is known for turning our fast performances and PRs.

As of this posting, Sunday’s forecast is for lows in the low-50s, highs in the mid-60s and low wind.

After a fall of hard training, the four GRC-ers tackling the 26.2 in Sacramento are ready for big things.

With a fall of PRs for Burrell in the 10-mile and half-marathon, she’s looking to add another PR to the books with a breakthrough in the marathon.

Jerry Alexander, head coach of GRC, said that Burrell is “undoubtedly in the best shape of her life and is looking for a major breakthrough in the marathon.”

For Tarallo, CIM is an opportunity to improve on her PR from Boston in 2013. With her continual strong and steady performances, the fast course at CIM will hopefully pay dividends.

Breezy, who set a big PR last year at CIM of 2:42:24, has had a few setbacks due to his exceptional prosecuting skills. This time around, Breezy heads into CIM confident but cautious.

"Look, I know the marathon is about the hard training. That's what we do. I had some great months of hard training but unfortunately some weeks of work travel didn't help the cause," Breezy said.

Breezy's hard training once again included his signature 20-mile at pace effort, a workout that has proved successful and is now emulated to varying degrees by fellow GRC marathoners.

"I think the game plan I've talked with Coach Jerry about it to get out easy and look to negative split," Breezy said. "While I'm not sure the PR will be there, I'm looking to run a solid time and you never know at CIM."

While these three GRC-ers have double-digit marathons between them, Outlaw will be experiencing the post-22 mile sensation(s) for the first time.

“Outlaw’s training has gone exceptionally well this fall,” said Coach Jerry. “While he’ll be in uncharted territory over 25k, he has run numerous marathon-specific workouts that suggest he’s ready to crack the GRC top five all-time.”

With the hard training in the books, it’s clear Coach Jerry is excited to see what this group can do Sunday and knows it will certainly continue to build on the growing success of GRC.

Wednesday Workout, 12/3

RACES

We had lots of action this weekend in far flung locales, and there were too many excellent performances to name them all, but the highlights include:

Ryan's club record for the road 5k of 14:38 on his old stomping grounds in Evansville.  Ryan ran solo from the gun, making his performance that much more impressive.

Kevin's enormous kick to win the Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 mile in 24:32, which puts him 5th on the all-time list.  Kevin knows how to win races, and he went deep into his bag of tricks to beat a very strong field on Thursday morning.

Kieran and Dave Wertz's PRs in Alexandria, in 24:43 and 25:35, respectively.  Kieran led for most of the race, and purposely slowed the pace in the middle miles to give Kevin a tactical advantage, and he definitely has more gas in the tank.  Wertz just keeps getting better with age, and he's going to be a real contender to win multiple Masters national titles when he turns 40 next year.

Victories by A-team stalwarts Mike, Phil, Sam, and Luke in low key settings.  Mike won a 5k turkey trot in New Jersey, Phil won a 10k turkey trot in Louisville, Sam won a 5k turkey trot in the Allentown area, and Luke won the Pacers pre-clubs xc 6k.  All four of them got in hard workouts, and will be ready to roll at Clubs.

On the women's side, Kristin did double-duty, running a PR of 29:18 for 5 miles in Alexandria, and winning the Pacers xc 4k.  Kristin has run PRs virtually every time she's raced this year, and she's not done yet, as she's gearing up for a big effort at Clubs.  Also at Alexandria, Lindsay ran a solid 29:55, and Beth raced for the first time in more than 7 months due to injury, running a very controlled 30:18.  Sara was second in the Pacers xc 4k, and showed that she is rounding into shape at the right time.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of Pacers coach Dustin Sweeney in organizing and staging the xc race.  You all know that Dustin routinely goes out of his way to welcome us at Pacers events, but yesterday he went way, way above and beyond the call of duty, as he had a serious medical emergency over Thanksgiving, but he made sure that the race went off without a hitch.  We all owe Dustin a debt of gratitude for his hard work and support.

WORKOUT  


We'll be at BCC on Wednesday for our normal 7:15 start, so meet for the warmup at 6:30. We're going to get after it on Wednesday in our final hard workout before Clubs.