Wednesday workout, July 29

RACES

We had some very nice performances at Crystal City Twilight. Our women's team, led by our Virginia-based mom's club of Shauneen, Katie, and GRC superstar to be Sarah Bishop, prevailed over a field of teams so competitive that it reminded knowledgeable road-side observers of the rigors of a Diamond League meet. Shauneen ran 17:55 for second, Katie ran 18:03 for third, and Sarah ran 18:14 for fifth. The performance of the night on the women's side came from Mary Grace who made her triumphant return to the scene of the crime, and with her knee intact, cruised to a 22:22, which is the first step on her journey back to full fitness. The men's team placed second to our longtime nemesis and gracious host, led by Phil in a comfortable 15:27, followed by Charlie in a very solid 15:38, Stewart in 15:41, Pat K. in 16:11, Tom in 16:23, Chris in 16:34, and Zak in 16:48. I was particularly pleased with Tom's performance, which is another step on his return to fitness after injury ended his track season before it began, and Chris's solid GRC debut. Chris is going to be a solid contributor to our road group, and I'm looking forward to seeing steady improvement from him over the coming months.

WORKOUT

We'll be at BCC on Wednesday night. It's going to be a hot one, and I would suggest that we push the start time back to 7:30, so that we allow the sun to dip behind the tree line before we get rolling. It would also help alleviate some of the crowding on the track. If there's a groundswell of opposition to the later start time, let me know. Otherwise, we'll plan for a 7:30 gun, so meet for the warmup at 6:45.

See you Wednesday at BCC.

Jerry

FLASH - Crystal City Results

The GRC women’s team won the team competition at the Crystal City Twilighter 5k last night. Shauneen took a close second in 17:55 with Katie finishing third in 18:03.

The men’s team claimed second place in the team competition with Phil (4th in 15:27), Charlie (7th in 15:38), and Stewart (8th in 15:41) scoring.

Women

2. Shauneen - 17:55

3. Katie - 18:03

Men

4. Phil - 15:27

7. Charlie - 15:38

8. Stewart- 15:41

11. Pat K. - 16:11

15. Tom - 16:23

19. Chris -16:34
22. Zak - 16:48

Weekend Preview: Crystal City Twilighter

This Saturday night the place to be is on the streets of Crystal City, where a solid contingent of GRCers will race the Crystal City Twilighter 5K. The Pacers race, which boasts a fun team competition, has become one of the highlights of summer racing.

Katie, Shauneen, and Mary Grace are running for the women. Katie is fresh off her very strong GRC debut (last week’s 5:13 mile at the DCRRC mile championship) and ready to run a fast road 5K. Shauneen is also in good shape, and Coach Jerry says Katie and Shauneen will be a strong 1-2 punch. Mary Grace is ready to punch goodbye to injury and is excited to get back to running after recovering from a torn ACL.

The men’s crew includes Phil, Stewart, Tom, Dave O, Breezy, Charlie, Pat K, Zak, and Chris Van Es. Of special note is Chris, who is making his GRC debut. While training for the 2010 New York City Marathon and raising money for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Chris was diagnosed with cancer himself. He ran the race despite the treatment and, following his recovery, has set a steady progression of PRs. Saturday will be just the beginning of an inspirational GRC career.

Send ‘em!

Wednesday workout, July 22

RACES

We had strong performances this weekend at the DCRRC Mile Championship and the Rockville Twilight 8k. The highlight was the excellent GRC debut of Katie Kieran, who ran 5:13 on the track. Katie was an All-American in cross country at Boston College, and after more than 10 years away from the sport, she's back at it, and ready to make her mark on the GRC all-time lists. Also on the track, Tom ran 4:26, and showed that he is on the way back to full fitness. Balmer led the way on a very hot night at Rockville Twilight in 26:39, followed by Pat K in 26:46, and Sean O in 27:38. Pat's performance was particularly impressive, as he went toe to toe with the top masters runners in the area at a distance that is not his specialty. Keep an eye on that young fella in the weeks and months to come.

WORKOUT

We're set for our normal 7:15 start on Wednesday at BCC, so meet for the warmup at 6:30. With Crystal City on Saturday night, this is an opportune time to break up the monotony of long intervals with some shorter work.

I'll see you Wednesday at BCC.

Jerry

Runner's World Feature on Nina

Nelson Rice of Runner's World recently posted an article on the Newswire in memorial of Nina. The piece does a great job of outlining her tremendous impact on the lives of others. Worth a read:

Friends Honor the Memory of Runner, Advocate Who Died at 25