The State of the GRC 2015

As we look into 2015, we are in the fortunate position of starting even higher up the climb to the pantheon of greatness than we were last year at this time. We've developed our athletes, brought in promising recruits ... and had a lot of fun along the way!!!!!

We had six men's team-record-setting performances, wins for both teams at Cherry Blossom, a women's title at the Army Ten-Miler and 10th and 13th place finishes at Clubs for the women and men, respectively.

We gained and lost some comrades in legs: Sean Barrett, Erik Anderson, Breanna Deutsch, Heather Jelen, Dave Burnham, Mike Cotterell, Hiliary may Brian Faherty, Scott Koonce, Dave Roche all departed for other running opportunities. Or, in Burnham's case, a thrilling life as a father of two in Connecticut. We gained Kyle Cooke, Kristin Johnson, Patrick Kuhlmann, Sean O'Leary, Matt Rand, Stewart Reich, Frances Koons, Tina Morrison, Phil Royer and Sara Patterson.

The state of the GRC is strong to quite strong. You might even say we're top dogs. No? You don't want to say that?

January

Beth ran 1:17:18 at the U.S Half Marathon Championships in Houston for 42nd place.

Heather Jelen received a proposal following an indoor track race. Her fiance, Dean, demonstrated that girls dig guys who work at running stores.

February

Fridge overcame all challengers at the Have a Heart for Boston-Hoffman Elementary School 5k. (photo not from that race)

The Blond Whale leds the men to the RRCA Club Challenge under 40 championship. They lost the men's overall title to Falls Road by one point. Matt Rand made his GRC debut... or did he?

March

Greta O'Hara is born, delighting everyone, including her two brothers, Prince and Fergie.

In New York, Frank Michaelson broke the team record for 3k with a 8:17.01, smoking Ryan Hanson's 8:23. Not to be upstaged, Witty assaulted Wiggy's mile record, running 4:12.4, shaving off .3 the same way he shaved his legs for aerodynamic purposes. Or so he tells himself. It got him really fired up.

Dave Roche defies my, and doctors', predictions following a torn labrum and races the Four Courts Four Miler.  Then he skipped town.

Kerry finished second at the Rock 'n' Roll USA half marathon in a 1:19:46, one minute PR. Matt Rand made his official debut, finishing third.

Dickson was honored with a hat bearing his likeness.

Sam Luff made his return to running, winning the Race to End Poverty in like 17 something. (photo not from that race)

April

Luke finished at the US 10 mile championships at Cherry Blossom in 48:45, a team record. Both the men's and women's team won the metropolitan elite competitions. 

The club's media relations team worked overtime in advance of the Boston Marathon. Kerry was featured in Roll Call and Dickson had an entire page of the American University magazine.

Matt Rand led the men's team, and Julie led the women, at Boston. Meanwhile Patrick Reaves ran 2:29:48. He might have run faster if he had looked where he was going.

Frank Michaelson and the Blond Whale went 1-2 at the Penn Relays 10k. Michaelson set a team record. (photo not from that race)

May

Susan got married to NATHAN, following a close wedding party DMR. They would soon welcome a puppy, Delta, into their home.
. 

LDO finished in the top 10 at the Broad Street Run and Evan PRed.

Johnny Running came back into the fold to win the Germantown 5 Miler (photo not from that race)

David Wertz ran 15:11 at Swarthmore. Chew on that for a while. His peers will, with their dentures.



Teal earned her doctorate in neuroscience. She's available for all of your neuroscience needs, weddings, birthdays and bar mitzvahs.

Hilary moved to Southern California with her fiancee Graham. Who knows if she'll fit in there.

June

Witty won his third consecutive Fathers Day 8k title, and Kristin "Snakes" Johnson debuted with a win, too. She went on to win women's newcomer of the year.

Evan ran 2:27 at Grandma's Marathon. Jesus... (photo not from that race) Also he's a burglar.


Cecilia ran 2:02.14 for 800 meters to qualify for the USATF 800 meter final.

July

Breezy married Liz.

August

August mostly belonged to Kieran, who won the Leesburg 20k and then got married to Zyra.

JR married Emily Norton Number Two, who is now promoted to being the primary Emily Norton

September

Outlaw finished second at the Navy 5 Miler, Sara made her GRC debut, I think.

Tom Kelly continued his development into a long distance runner, and won the Run for the Schools 5k.

Patrick Kuhlman ran pretty well at the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. (photo not from that race)

October 

Chilly Balmer ran 2:35 at his first serious shot at a marathon in Portland.(photo not from that race)

Charlie won his third straight Great Allegany Run 15k title, strengthening his grip, one weekend a year, on the Western Maryland racing scene.

Chris Bain got the impression he might soon have additional time commitments, so he ran the Hartford (2:39:50) and Baltimore (2:39:58) marathons seven days apart. It was enough to give you the impression he's done that before.

Big City proposed to Kate.

Witty repeated as the Glory Days XC champion, and Emily Young won the women's race, but the real story was Dave "Roger" O'Hara running just a few seconds slower on a muddy, messy course than he did on the perfectly fast Crystal City Twilighter course.

Blur, the men's newcomer of the year, had a solid distance debut at the Army Ten-Miler, where the women defended their team title. Blur's addition to the team meant that redheads became the preponderance of regular bloggers on the team.

Justin Snair married Megan shortly after a bee consummated a relationship with his hand.

Dutch Paul won the Dutch marathon championship. In other news, Disco Stu likes disco music.

November

Witty won one of the most rigorous cross country races in team history -- the Happy Runner 5k -- before Murph and John's wedding. Then he did the worm and didn't break his feet. It's safe to say Witty had a good November.


Bain's premonition turns out to be correct, because he and Shannon had a second son, Lazlo.

Susan won the Across the Bay 10k.

Stew ran pretty solidly at the Veterans Day 10k, and, realizing his stock would never be as high, hatched a plan to propose to his girlfriend, Stephanie.

Do you run anything besides 5ks??????? Why yes, Witty runs the 8k too, and quite well at the Rothman 8k, but where he really shined was the Fifth Third bank Turkey Day 5k in Evansville, when he broke the team record in 14:38.

Johnny Running ran a hard last four miles to win the Alexandria Turkey Trot.

December

Wiggy made his return to racing at the Jingle all the Way 5k.

Teal qualified for the Olympic-motherjamming-Trials at the California International Marathon. She was the hands-down women's MVP. Outlaw made his debut in 2:31.

Behind Frances' eighth place, the women's team finished 10th at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. The men's A team finished 13th behind team MVP Mike Franklin.

Balms drank four frescas and ran 7:20 for a mile.

Murph retired from the board of directors after years of service as a team leader that was instrumental to the team's success. He earned this year's Lauren Woodall Roady award in recognition.

And a non sequitur photo of Jerry

FLASH: another sub 2:30 for Kuhlman

Patrick Kuhlman ran 2:29:4 at the Houston Marathon. It's not a PR, but it's nothing to scoff at for a 43-year-old. Kieran ran 1:06:52 at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships

What Teal Didn't Do Differently

"What was The Secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared, to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with the most un-profound and sometimes heart-rendering process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottom of his training shoes."

John L. Parker, Jr.

After Teal Burrell notched an OTQ marathon by finishing the California International Marathon with a time of 2:42:16, I dropped her a line to see if she made any adjustments this cycle that made the difference. Having talked a bit with Teal about her preparation, I regret to report that there was no magic bullet adjustment that enabled her to shed ten minutes off her marathon PR. There was no game changing special sauce; rather, Teal’s hard training worked more like a marinade, the seasoning of which sunk in over the span of many cycles and many years. While Teal was unable to identify any particular adjustment that made all the difference, it appears to me that there is nonetheless much to be learned from her experience.

CIM was Teal’s 12th marathon and if, in my largely uninformed opinion, I had to point to a single factor that yielded her terrific result, it would be the large volume of marathon-specific work that she put in during the last few years. During this cycle, and the handful that came before, Teal regularly worked in 10-14 miles @MGP into long runs of 20-22 miles total. It’s been my experience that the adaptations necessary to reach one’s potential at the marathon distance develop more gradually than any other distance event. Over the course of years, Teal became very efficient at running that 6:10-6:20 per mile pace. Notably, Teal’s personal bests at the half marathon (1:19:29) and ten mile (60:19) distance, while impressive, pale in comparison to her performance at CIM. To me, this disparity underscores the fact that the half marathon is a completely different event than the full. While a half marathon may serve as a great tuneup opportunity, it requires a completely different type of fitness than the full marathon – Teal focused on MGP at the expense of the shorter events and in the process became a great marathoner.

Although Teal regularly worked 14-mile MGP segments into her long runs, she turned it up a notch this cycle with three big runs that included long marathon effort segments: 10 miles @6:21 pace for 18 total in early October; 13 miles @6:18 pace for 20 total three weeks later; and 16 miles @6:12 pace for 22 total three weeks after that. While the last of these runs was the longest effort at goal pace that she had undertaken, it would not seem that extending a tempo segment by one or two miles would make a significant physiological difference. But Teal believes that grinding out 16 at 6:12 pace – the pace she averaged at CIM – gave her a big psychological boost. She explained that extending the tempo segment by three miles on each successive long run made the 16-mile segment achievable. And she thought that if she could jump from 13 to 16, then in the next workout she could just as easily have went from 16 to 19. And if she could throw down 19 miles @MGP in a workout, then 26.2 miles at that pace on D-Day was achievable. Big Canova-style MGP runs are becoming popular with the GRC marathon corps – Evan Jurkovich, for example, got in 16 @MGP on Beach Drive shortly before his breakthrough at Twin Cities.

Aside from incremental increases in the MGP segments, one lesson to be learned from Teal’s experience is not to be wedded to an exact pace on goal pace runs. You’ll notice that during the first two runs, she was not afraid to dial the pace back to ten to twelve seconds SLOWER than goal pace, which allowed her to finish the entire segment. In my estimation, the lesson to be learned is that, if your goal pace feels a little sharp at the start of one of these goal pace runs and you are forced to choose between speed and volume, then go with volume. It’s about the volume, suka! Rather than sticking slavishly to 6:12 pace and flaming out after only a few miles, Teal dialed it back a notch and stuck it out for the entire segment and the resulting workout laid the foundation to work her way down to 6:12s. The other lesson is to accept the fact that MGP will feel difficult in a training setting and that you will not be able to notch your goal pace each and every workout. Teal’s first attempt at a goal pace run this cycle ended in disaster – she couldn’t even sustain the pace for a few miles – but she was able to get back on the horse the next week and complete her workout. MGP feels hard and you won’t be able to sustain it every week but if you can get in about three big runs, as Teal did, then you’ll be fine.

It’s also notable that, in addition to the goal-pace work, Teal got to BCC almost every Wednesday over the course of the last few cycles for long repeats. The speed work that Teal did during marathon training did not make her into a sub-17 5K runner, but it wasn’t intended to. The marahoner just needs to accept that marathon-focused work will make it very difficult to run well at other distance. The ability to delay gratification is perhaps the most important attribute that a marathoner can have and Teal was able to persevere with the track work knowing that the benefits would materialize far in the future, if ever. And eventually Teal’s time on the oval gave her the strength and turnover to sustain a slower pace for a longer distance.

I’ve heard many a marathon finisher utter the following words: "Things went so well this cycle, I just don’t know what happened out there today." I myself have been such a declarant on more than one occasion. But Teal’s experience tells us that there is not a linear relationship between hard training for any particular cycle and the goal marathon at the end of that cycle. The same type of preparation that preceded Teal’s 2:42 at CIM had also yielded a 2:52 in Boston 2013 and a 2:58 in Boston 2014. The relatively disappointing results at Boston laid the groundwork. At CIM, Teal saw that she had a rare opportunity to run on a fast course on a good day and, to her credit, she went for it. But on every Patriot’s Day, the medical tent on Kenmore Square is chock full of well-prepared runners who set an aggressive yet achievable pace. So why did it all come together for Teal on that particular day? I’m not entirely sure. But I can say that without all the hard work put in over the span of the years that led up to her PR, the story would have ended differently.

Wednesday Workout, January 14

RACES

Congratulations to Frances for a truly spectacular race in Scotland! Frances was 8th overall, 3rd American, and among the world class runners she beat was the reigning European Cross Country champion. Those facts, incredibly impressive as they are, do not do justice to how hard Frances ran, and how difficult the conditions were. For some insight on that, I present Frances's race report.

Definitely the hardest race I've ever run. 50mph wind gusts, ankle deep mud, ice cold creeks and puddles, crazy hills, rolled my ankle on lap 2 and if that wasn't enough, it decided to snow/ice the last lap. I had no idea where I was in the race place wise, and just ran my hardest the whole way. I had to summon a kick the last 100m which was fun. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes for a good thirty minutes afterwards, and the feeling coming back wasn't a pleasant one! The trainer had to cut my laces to get me out of my spikes, which were duct-taped on.

Not to belabor the point, but with Frances's combination of superb talent and dogged determination, there's no telling what she can do in the next two years, and I sure am looking forward to seeing her represent GRC at the highest levels of the sport.

WORKOUT

We will have practice on Wednesday night. The where part of the equation is still uncertain, but with any luck the track at BCC will be clear, and we can get back to our normal routine. I will do a recon tomorrow morning, and once I have a better feel for whether we're likely to be able to use the track, I'll send an update. If we have to find an alternate location, I'll let you know, so stay tuned for workout details.

One way or the other, I'll see you Wednesday.

Jerry

GRC Year End Awards

At our yearly team gathering last Saturday, in a jovial atmosphere replete with chili, beer, and Divisional Playoff Games, the men and women of GRC recognized a few special members who's exploits on and off the track deserved commendation. The award winners are listed below along with a few of Coach Jerry's thoughts.

Men’s MVP—Michael Franklin 

The highlight of Mike’s outstanding track season was his victory in the 10,000 meters at Penn Relays, which was almost surely the most significant win ever by a GRC athlete.  Perhaps equally impressively, Mike’s Penn Relays exploits represented perfectly GRC’s ethos, because Mike put in a full 8 hours at the office on race day, and was back at his desk before 9:00 the next morning.  Mike set GRC club records on the track in the 1500 (3:53.35), 3000 (8:17), and 10,000 (29:32), and his GRC seasonal best of 14:23 in the 5,000 is 3^rd on the all-time list.  In the fall, Mike proved that he can excel off the track, as he was GRC’s top finisher at Clubs Cross Country, placing an excellent 69^th in a loaded field.

Women’s MVP—Teal Burrell

To say that 2014 was a breakthrough year for Teal would be a gross understatement.  Her 2:42:13 at the California International Marathon was a truly remarkable achievement on multiple levels.  From a purely objective standpoint, Teal qualified for the Olympic Trials by a comfortable margin and ran a PR of over 10 minutes.  From a more subjective standpoint, Teal proved that if you dream big, and back up your dreams with years of hard work and singular focus, those dreams can come true.  In the build up to CIM, Teal ran major PRs of 60:19 for 10 miles and 1:19:29 for the half marathon, and the confidence she derived from those excellent performances fueled her belief that her long-sought Olympic Trials qualifier was within reach in Sacramento. 

Men’s Newcomer of the Year—Sean O’Leary

Sean is a local high school legend and 2014 University of Maryland graduate who started his post-collegiate career with a strong fall season on the roads, which was highlighted by his 25:49 at the Navy 5 miler, and his impressive ten mile debut of 53:00 at Army.  Sean’s future is likely in the longer distances on the roads, and his talent and work ethic portend great things in the months and years ahead.

Women’s Newcomer of the Year—Kristin Johnson

When Kristin joined GRC in May, her goal was to be able to hang with the women in workouts.  By July, the rest of the women were hoping to be able to hang with Kristin.  During her stellar fall season, Kristin ran huge PRs and GRC seasonal bests on the roads at 5k (17:58), 8k (29:14), 10k (36:50), 10 miles (59:40), and the half marathon (1:19:21).  While Kristin is most comfortable at longer distances, she showed her versatility by placing an excellent 91^st at Clubs Cross Country. When Kristin turns her attention to the marathon in the spring, we will surely see another massive PR.

Lauren Woodall Roady Award—Patrick Murphy

No one has done more behind the scenes on behalf of GRC than Patrick, and his contribution to the team has been truly indispensable.  As a direct result of Patrick’s service on the GRC board for the last four years, which included two years as President, the team has experienced unprecedented growth and success.  Patrick’s vision for GRC as an independent entity was fulfilled when the team incorporated as a non-profit, and thanks to Patrick’s extraordinarily hard work in directing and promoting the Father’s Day 8k, the team has achieved financial stability without the need to rely on outside sponsorship.  Patrick was also instrumental in organizing Lauren’s Run, which was a memorial race in honor of our beloved teammate Lauren Woodall Roady, for whom this award is named.  In addition to his administrative duties, Patrick has continued to push himself as an athlete, and his determination to make the most of his ability and his unwavering positive outlook even in the face of difficult challenges has served as an inspiration to his teammates.  

FLASH: Koons Places 8th in Scotland!

FLASH: GRC's Frances Koons placed 8th in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country Run this morning in Scotland. In her debut for Team USA, she was the third American finisher.

Reports suggest Koons went out aggressively, and was at the back of the lead pack for the first kilometer of the 6k race. After one lap of the 3 lap course, Koons was in 10th, and she ran a strong second lap, coming through 4k in 8th place. Koons fought off a strong challenge from two pursuers in the final stages of the race and held her position to finish 8th.

GRC Coach Jerry Alexander was extremely pleased with the result. "Frances ran a superb race. She put herself in a position to succeed right from the gun, and did not back down from the high level competition she faced. Frances knew the conditions would be challenging, and she used the mud and cold to her advantage. This was her first time running for the national team, but it surely will not be her last."

WATCH THE RACE HERE: http://goo.gl/nKmrXv

DEVELOPING...

Koons Competes for Club and Country at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country Race this Saturday

Donning the red, white, and blue of Team USA, GRC’s own Frances Koons will compete in Edinburgh, Scotland on January 10th in the 2015 Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country race. Frances, whose running career has been marked with championship titles and stellar performances in high school, college, and post-collegiate competition, will compete for the United States for the first time, and is one of nine Americans entered in the senior women's championship race.

Jerry Alexander, coach of GRC, expects great things from his star.  "Frances demonstrated at Clubs that she is in superb shape, and she took advantage of the holiday break from school to do some challenging workouts on her home turf at Lehigh, so she is as prepared as she could possibly be.  International competition is uncharted territory for Frances, but she is extremely experienced at competing in high-pressure races, and I am certain that she will represent GRC and the USA with distinction on Saturday."

GRC wishes Frances and the other members of the national team all the best on Saturday. USATF.tv will webcast Bupa Great Edinburgh live on Saturday and will have video available On Demand post-race.

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.