Wednesday workout, September 30, ON THE MALL

RACES

The highly coveted and rarely awarded GRC Athlete of the Week goes to Kieran for his outstanding performance at Clarendon Day. In the 5k, Kieran ran 14:35, which is a new club record and a gigantic PR, and he came back a few minutes later to win the 10k in 31:42. Kieran is in the midst of training for the Philly RNR half, and that he was able to break the club record at a distance that is well outside of his wheelhouse without having done any speedwork is proof positive that he has an excellent shot at qualifying for the Olympic Trials in Philly. Well done, young fella!

There were many other fine performances at Clarendon Day. Katie won the women's race in 17:21, which was her fastest 5k since the Clinton administration, and puts her third on the GRC all-time list. Susan ran a very solid 18:08 in her season debut. For the men, former club record holder Witty made a promising season debut in 14:48, and considering that Ryan has only been running workouts for a few weeks, he will have an excellent chance of reclaiming the club record later this fall. Also of note in the 5k, Tom ran a big PR of 15:29. In the 10k, Mike made his season debut in 32:17, and we'll certainly see much faster times from him as the season progresses, and Kerry continued her comeback from injury with a solid 39:40.

Clarendon marked the GRC debut of three members of the GRC class of 2015, Kyle Wagener, Lukasz Olenginski, and Greg Olenginski. Kyle, who ran 15:39, is a recent graduate of St. Olaf, and he will be looking to make his mark in the 5000 and 10,000 on the track. Luk and Greg, who both recently graduated from Franklin and Marshall, were standouts at 800 and 1500 meters in college, and they will be looking to improve at 1500 while transitioning to the 3000 and 5000. Welcome aboard!

Last but not least, Maura ran a PR of 36:13 at the Great Race in Pittsburgh. Maura is in excellent shape, and we're going to see more PRs from her in the weeks and months ahead.

WORKOUT

We're ON THE MALL on Wednesday. Meet for the warmup at 6:30, and we'll get started as promptly at 7:15. I'll be out there by 6:30 to watch your stuff. As always, we will use the interior loop between 4th and 7th Streets, and we will muster on the 7th street side, on the north corner of the loop. If you're driving, there is ample parking on the roads around the mall. If you're taking metro, the Smithsonian stop is a few blocks to the west (exit on the mall and walk towards the Capital, cross 7th street, and the meeting spot is on the north side of the loop). If you're taking the red line, go to Gallery Place, exit at 7th street, and proceed south towards the mall. I'll send the women's workout separately.

I'll see you on the mall on Wednesday.

Jerry