ERC GENERAL MEETING -‐ Tuesday, November 6 @ 7:30pm

Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 ERC GENERAL MEETING -­‐ Tuesday, November 6 @ 7:30pm Fitzgerald’s 1928 “Sidecar” 13 Herman Street, Glen Ridge Horace Ashenfelter, the Olympic Gold Medalist who was one of America's premier distance runners during the 1950s, winning 17 national championships at a variety of distances will be our guest speaker at our November 6th General Meeting at Fitzgerald's 1928. As most of you know, Ashenfelter won the gold medal competing in the 3,000-­‐
meter steeplechase event at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. Mr. Ashenfelter will speak about his running career and a video of his famous race will be presented. We will also talk about the upcoming Ashenfelter 8K Classic. Race director and ERC member Dan Murphy will also be on hand to field any questions and present this year’s T shirt design celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ashenfelter's Olympic achievement. Want to be inspired by the efforts of your fellow ERC members-­‐-­‐or to show off your fall race medal and share the story behind it? It's been a long standing tradition of the Essex Running Club to devote the November General Meeting to the accomplishments of our fall racers. The "Fall Race and Marathon Forum" will be spotlighted along with Mr. Ashenfelter's talk. Our meeting will go past our traditional 9:00 ending time. We also invite non-­‐members. The usual $5.00 cover charge for all members and non-­‐members will be collected at the door. We hope you can come! WINTER WEEKEND GROUP RUNS It’s hard to believe we are now scheduling winter weekend group runs for 2012-­‐13. Our group runs go from a member’s home on a Saturday or Sunday morning at 9:00. (We do not schedule more than one run during a weekend.) Members map out a 3-­‐6 mile course and provide a light breakfast. We are looking for members to schedule a date with Paul Maloney at [email protected]. We are requesting hosts for the following dates: December 8 or 9 = HOST NEEDED December 15 or 16 = HOST NEEDED January 6 = Sharon Morrissey January 12 or 13 January 19 or 20 = HOST NEEDED January 27 = Barbara Zirl February 3 = Tracy Keller & Gina Imperato February 9 or 10 = HOST NEEDED February 16 or 17 = HOST NEEDED February 23 or 24 = HOST NEEDED After contacting Paul, he will confirm your request and post your run on the website. Runs must be scheduled by the 15th before an upcoming month so that it can be published in the newsletter and on the ERC website. 2013 Essex Running Club Call for Board Nominations It's that time to determine who will lead the club through it's 30th year. We are looking for club members to serve on the upcoming 2013 ERC Board. If you have been a member for at least a year and is interested in learning what it takes to keep a running club running smoothly, or would like to help in areas like socials & entertainment, race teams, newsletters, website, or race planning. Sign up! Please contact Desmond, Lynne, Mark, Paul, or any current Board member to let them know you are interested (see list on final page). We have 11 Board meetings a year (usually Tuesday nights but subject to everyone's schedule). The board will finalize the ballot and then mail proxies to members in November. Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 1 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 YEAR-­‐ROUND GROUP RUNS Fleet Feet Sports, Montclair THURSDAY @ 6:00pm Meet at Fleet Feet (603 Bloomfield Ave) This friendly, social group welcomes all paces and smiling faces -­‐ run, jog or walk 3 to 6 miles. West Essex Trail Run, Verona SATURDAY @ 8:00am Meet in Verona High School lot at corner of Fairview Avenue and Sampson Drive (Sampson is one-­‐way, so approach from Grove Ave). Trail’s round trip from Verona to Little Falls is 6 miles. Unpaved, blazed trail with mile markers on trees. Fleet Feet Sports, Montclair (FF Long Run) SUNDAY @ 7:00am Meet at Fleet Feet (603 Bloomfield Ave) for runs on 1 or more of 3 loops (each 6–8 miles) at paces ranging from 7:30 to 9:00 per mile. Grove Pharmacy, Montclair (Grove Street Long Run) SUNDAY @ 7:00am Meet at Grove Pharmacy (123 Grove St) for runs of 4 to 20+ miles. We will try to find a pace and a distance for you. Upcoming Club Calendar Sun Oct 28 10:00am USATF-­‐ NJ Open & Masters Men's And Women's 8K XC Champs -­‐ 700Pts Thur Nov 1 6:00pm Fleet Feet 25th Anniversary Run Tue Nov 6 7:30pm ERC General Meeting -­‐ Fitzgerald’s 1928 (Sidecar), 13 Herman Street, Glen Ridge Thur Nov 29 7:30pm (after the FF group run) “Baby” Shower for Ted Bongiovanni & Family Sun Dec 2 6:30pm ERC Holiday Party -­‐ The Glen Ridge Country Club, Glen Ridge, NJ Welcome New Members: Donna Caputo – Livingston Donna Detore – West Orange John T. Maxwell – Clifton Loren McCressh – Nutley Mary Ann Messina – Belleville Here are the events for October – December 2012. October 28 — USATF-­‐NJ XC 8K — All Divisions November 11 — Giralda Farms 10K — Masters Men November 22 — Ashenfelter 8K — Masters M/W December 9 — USATF-­‐NJ 10 Mile — All Divisions For more information about running on an Essex team, contact Ed Kelly at = [email protected] Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 2 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 FINISH LINES Wineglass Marathon, Bath & Corning, NY September 21, 2012 -­‐Stephen Sands 3:30 After running Boston in 2010, Doug and I drove back home together and decided to run the Wineglass Marathon together, while sitting at his choice for lunch during the drive, McDonalds. I was not able to join Doug as I was injured, and he ran a 3:26, which was also his time in Boston that year as well. I had to postpone the Wineglass Marathon one more time post meniscus surgery and both the hotel and race rolled over my payments for a second year (gotta love these small town runs). I ran the Wineglass Marathon yesterday with a picture of Doug from the Montclair Times in my pouch and his spirit in my heart. Corning is a really nice town an the course was relatively flat and pretty. The weather was in the low 50s and the race was very well organized. I completed the race in 3:30 which matches my PR from 5 years ago and am glad I am finally back on track. -­‐ Stephen Sands 22nd Annual West Orange Classic-­‐Break the Silence for Ovarian Cancer September 25, 2012 Rob Gerin 21:25 Martta Kelly 26:53 I like to do this race when I can since it's for a good cause and it's right in my backyard. This year, I had a third incentive: I was meeting a childhood friend that I have not seen in 30 years! She wasn't there to run but to offer support to her friend who was singing the Star-­‐Spangled Banner. There was a total of 632 runners and walkers. The only thing that marred this race (and this seems to be a problem every year) was that it was about 25 minutes late in getting started! That's a big wait. They need more volunteers at registration. To my knowledge, there was only one other ERC person registered, also from West Orange, Rob Gerin. Rob was 9th overall male, with a time of 21:25 and 2nd overall male from West Orange. I took 3rd in my age group with a time of 26:53 and was 5th woman overall from West Orange. – Martta Kelly Nashville Lady Speedstick Women's Half Marathon, Nashville, TN September 27, 2012 Elizabeth Candela 1:38:34 I flew down to Nashville, Tennessee, the place where music calls home, to run in the Nashville Lady Speedstick Women's Half Marathon. Sidekick and I almost missed our flight because there was so much traffic on every highway we tried (and we tried three!) driving to the airport. There is nothing worse than running through an airport, trying to get to a gate before they close the doors! Anyway, we made it and I was so relieved. I have had to cancel two runs this year because of knee problems, so thinking I missed the flight, made me want to cry. The problem: I was trying to be "Super Mom". This was the second time I ever took a trip without my kids -­‐ they were too busy to come (do you believe it?) -­‐ so before I left, I made dinner and wanted to have a "Family" meal. It was so rushed, everyone got upset with one another -­‐ it was awful -­‐ not quite the "quality" family time I hoped for. We got to our hotel in Nashville about 11PM. I set everything up for the next day's early morning 7AM start: Garmin, Road ID, Running shirt, shorts, Bra, Hair clip, one Clif Shot gel with safety pin to attach to my shorts, socks, sunglasses, Rock tape for knee and racing sneaks with obnoxious laces! I was all set, very excited, and hoped I would be able to sleep. Even though the Lady Speedstick Half does not advertise packet pick-­‐up in the AM, I called the race coordinators to see if they make any exceptions for people coming in from out of state. I work on Friday, and Girlfriend has been sick, so I had to take her to the doctors that day at 12noon. You can imagine how relieved I was when the race coordinators told me that I could pick up my packet early Saturday morning. So, there I was, 5:45AM, Saturday morning (after a good night's rest!) off with my Side-­‐kick, only to make one stop for coffee, a water bottle and a Clif Bar. Do you believe the little coffee shop had no bagels? Poor side-­‐kick, I was a nervous wreck. If I don't eat 1hour before the race, I could run into huge potty problems -­‐ like in Virginia -­‐ and that is absolutely No Fun! Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 3 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 We were off to the race, and I shoved that Clif bar in my face and sipped back that coffee like I had been starved for a month! All was good, I made it to the packet pick-­‐up area, got my number, looked at my watch and saw it was time for my warm-­‐up. Coach gives me a pre-­‐race warm-­‐up, jog about 1/2 mile and do about 4-­‐6 thirty second strides to wake-­‐up my legs and get them to turn over quickly. The race started in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame. After my warm-­‐up, we were walking around. Do you believe there is no star for Stevie Ray Vaughn? I am late for everything, but never, ever the start of a race. So, it was line-­‐up time, and I met a great person, who after we got to talking, I found out that her niece suffers from Crohn's disease, like me. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation was the major recipient of proceeds from this race. I am embarrassed to say that I have never run to raise money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America -­‐ instead, every time I run a race, I donate to Tuesday's Children. I need to reach out to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America -­‐ maybe they want to sponsor me? I did notice lots and lots of port-­‐o-­‐johns, LOL! And, I was tempted to use one around mile 8, but (no pun intended) I managed to deal with the pain, discomfort and nausea, until I passed the finish line! Then, I was so happy to see all those port-­‐o-­‐johns lined up, welcoming tired old Crohnnies runners, quite like myself! Before the race, they had the singing of our National Anthem. After 9/11, I can't help, but cry at the singing or playing of our National Anthem. After the anthem, I was psyched to start! The race was challenging. In the first mile or so, I met a gentleman carrying a sign: 1:35. I told him that's my ultimate goal, 1:35, but after another mile, he politely said, "I'm sorry, but I have to run a little ahead!" Oh noooo, my illusive 1:35 getting away, again. How can he run faster than me carrying that sign, in the wind? Ugh! I was doing pretty good. I felt strong -­‐ even up and sown the hills, twists and turns -­‐ it was a very hilly and twisty race -­‐ I think that's what made it so challenging! And all the women in the race were so nice. If I passed someone, I would hear: 'keep it up", or "you look great", or "you go, girl'! I kept telling everyone, "Thanks, and I have Crohn's." I know it's stupid, but it means something to me, to be able to run with a chronic illness because I manage it with food and medicine (I take 6 Pentasa per day!). The crowd was great, too. One person even yelled out, "You go person with the tape around her knee. You just keep going!" Thank you, whoever that was, you really made my day! There was only one person, a by-­‐stander, who "lied" -­‐ he yelled out, "C'mon, last mile, it's all downhill from here." I yelled back, "Really? You better not be lying to me." He was! I say we had to climb about three more hills before the finish. I was tired. All I could think was, "Just hurry up and finish. Then, you will be done and you can STOP!" You know that feeling, in a race, when all you want to do is stop running? Well, I was there, about mile 11/12. I pushed to the end, though. I wanted to reach at least 1:38. I did it! And I set a new PR by seconds: 1:38:34 Yes! I think I was 16th, overall -­‐ they don't have all the results in just yet. What a fun race! So many nice goodies in the race bag, too, including great sweat-­‐wicking t-­‐shirt, which, this time, I kept instead of giving it to my Side-­‐kick. After the race, there was a great band playing some Country Rock. -­‐ Elizabeth Candela Doug Williams 5000 Meter Race Recap Montclair, NJ October 7, 2012 Michael Gorman 18:02.57 Gary Peters 21:33.65 Rosemary Williams 24:34.85 Lawrence Czaplewski 18:03.46 Phil Coffin 21:42.13 Michael Kalthoff 24:34.97 Harold Porcher 18:06.15 Douglas Williams 21:42.37 Mick Close 24:37.22 Patrick Mcadams 18:13.72 Karen Merz 22:36.59 Howie Brown 24:56.87 Fred King 18:16.43 Gerald Velli 22:42.94 Joseph Bates 25:05.34 Catherine Smith 18:23.75 Chris Jaworski 23:06.83 Melissa Dimarco 25:06.31 Glen M Freyer 19:08.77 Jodi Zielinski 23:26.82 George Mcintyre 25:20.06 Glenn Trimboli 19:27.27 Joseph Calabrese 23:54.24 Josie Bearden 25:56.94 Amanda King 21:00.90 Andi Robik 24:04.38 Barbara Zirl 26:29.44 Rob Gerin 21:15.74 John Maxwell 24:11.63 Martta Kelly 26:59.07 Mark Frankel 21:25.93 William Wilde 24:27.64 Chip Bearden 27:07.54 Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 4 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 John Fabbro 27:22.06 Catherine Morrissey 28:46.49 George Studzinsk 30:02.82 Scott Flood 27:22.20 Laura Messina 28:50.72 Valerie Kenny 30:50.84 Meredith Cozzarelli 27:44.89 Madeline Morrissey 28:58.06 Gina Imperato 30:59.99 Laura Barry 28:03.41 Abigail Morrissey 75 28:57.79 Lara Kennedy 32:44.77 Randi Cohen 28:18.72 Edward Trieste 29:09.56 The first annual Doug Williams 5000 Meter Run/Jog/Walk (Formerly the Goodwill 5000 Meter Run) was held on Sunday, October 7, 2012 on the first anniversary of my brother’s death. The event was primarily organized by a group of Doug’s friends led by Dave Morrow, and was designed to help fund a scholarship in his name at Montclair State University. The race began at the Montclair Art Museum and ran south through the “estate section” of Montclair. A note in Doug’s running journal mentions that he ran the course in a time 19:52 during the 2010 Goodwill Run – a time that he must have felt was good enough to warrant an exclamation point. The 5K kicked off at 9:00 when Dan Murphy fired the starter pistol for approximately 225 runners. A number of ERC runners were in the lineup, along with many of Doug’s friends, co-­‐workers, and family members. Michael Gorman of Nutley was the men’s division and overall race winner with a time of 18:02.93, followed very closely by Lawrence Czaplewski of West Caldwell, NJ at 18:03.49. Catherine Smith of Wayne led the women with a time of 18:23.75, which was also eighth place overall. Among the runners were some of Doug’s friends stretching all the way back to his grade school days, a group of runners from his former employer (Milliman, Inc.), and many of his close friends from the ERC, Fleet Feet and the “Grumpy Grovers”. It was particularly gratifying to see a number of younger runners, including Doug’s 15 year old nephew John (sub 24 minutes!) as well as several of the sons and daughters of Doug’s friends. Post-­‐
race refreshments included coffee, bagels, and Magic Hat beer (one of the race sponsors). Particular thanks go out to Doug’s friends for organizing this, to Dan Murphy for helping to coordinate the race, to Montclair State University, and to the many sponsors, donators, and of course, the runners. And in a bit of divine intervention, the rain held off until shortly after the event was over. Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL October 7, 2012 Stephen Sundown 2:59:29 Ryan Lopresti 3:27:18 Pia Lopresti 3:42:59 Steamboat Marathon, Scranton, PA, October 7, 2012 Mike Skara … 3:42:47 (Training run for JFK 50) Elsa Slater … 4:27:17 John Harvey … 4:28:17 Tracy Keller … 4:33:57 ING Hartford Marathon, Hartford, CT October 14, 2012 Barbara Zirl 4:07:13 Just another long training run! That’s what I told myself as I drove up to Hartford, Conn. to run the ING Hartford Marathon for the third year in a row. I’m preparing for the Philadelphia Marathon at the end of November and this race fits into my training schedule at the point where I’d do a 20-­‐miler. Since the summer, training has been going well and I decided not to alter anything –even in a race environment. I’ve been training with music and though I usually don’t race with it, since this was “just another long run,” I brought it along. The weather forecast for race morning was perfect– cool, dry, no wind. No excuses! Okay…it was 28 degrees at the start, so a tad freezing, but the sun was out and I knew it would warm up and I could shed a long sleeve layer and gloves once I got moving. The race starts in front of the State Capitol Building with 6,000 runners for the half marathon and 2,500 for the full marathon starting at the same time. There is also a 5K with another 2,000 that takes off a half hour later. For the first mile, it’s crowded until the races split in different directions. Then the marathon loops through Hartford’s parks, and along the Connecticut River. By the 13.1 mile mark you’re running in East Hartford where there are farms and you’re Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 5 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 passing by homes where people are tailgating in their driveways like they do in Massachusetts on Patriot’s Day. Here spectators and volunteers take ownership of “their mile.” It is their race as much as it is yours. I was running well and feeling good — comfortable 9-­‐minute miles — and my split at the half was 1:58. This is also the point where you see the guy who will win the race in 2:15:34 (and set a new course record) coming towards you. And later the woman who will win in 2:40:33. I still have miles to go. But I’ve reached the turnaround point at mile 17 and I’m feelin’ fine! Now I’m surrounded by a pack of runners and I discover I’m amid the 4-­‐hour pace group. Perfect! I ran the next few miles with the group until I lost them at a water stop at mile 22. But by then, I’d reached my training goal for the day. Only 4.2 miles to go. At this moment, there is nothing better than some loud, fast music in my ears, telling me to “try, try, try” drowning out that annoying voice in my head that shouts “my feet hurt, my legs are tired, I want to stop”! So I kept going. I even managed to power up the last hill (a ramp at mile 25), spotted my spectator at mile 26 and ran strong to finish in 4:07:13! Very happy! I haven’t run this well in two years and now I have high hopes for Philadelphia next month. This race starts and finishes in a beautiful park, where there is a lively post-­‐race picnic/expo with food prepared by the Hartford Culinary School, live music and all that swag from big insurance sponsor ING (New York and Miami). I keep telling all who will listen, this is a terrific race! -­‐ Barbara Zirl Reach the Beach Relay, Vernon, NJ to Seaside Heights, NJ October 12-­‐13, 2012 Wow! What a blur of 1 day and 1 hour, 50 minutes and 53 seconds. Yep, that’s right. My team, The Dirty Harriers, finished Reach the Beach Relay in 25:50:53. I think that’s freakin’ amazing. It’s a 7:48 m/m average pace. No, I did not go that fast. But I went fast for me! Here’s how it unfolded: Most of our team met up at the captain’s house where we loaded gear into the 2 vans (a minivan and a 12 passenger). There were nine of us present (3 of us were meeting the group at Mountain Creek, the start). Our team, #1 btw, was scheduled to start at 11am. There had been start groups every half hour all morning. There were two or three start times after ours. We got off to a good start, especially as the 1st leg was shortened by about a mile (due to blasting in the area). This put us “ahead” of schedule. Our team captain had done up an elaborate spreadsheet that included paces and estimated start/finish times. Because of this shortened leg, we felt like we were cruising. The first 12 transitions, both vans traveled together, with Van 1 supporting runners 1-­‐6 and Van 2 supporting runners 7-­‐12. I was in Van 2. My legs: 8, 20, 32. Going into the event, I was a bit nervous. I knew the team captain was a strong and fast runner. And that most of the men on the team were even faster, but it wasn’t until I got into the car that I realized how seriously all these men run. They all work killer jobs (most in the city) with long hours, and running is their “thing.” And they had all been serious high school cross country and /or track athletes, and continued that on the collegiate level. Two were consistently in the 5:15 m/m range, while most of the others were under 7 m/m. I am a slowpoke. It is at this point that I’m so glad I made cookies. But, as the drive continued, and the rotation kept moving, I felt more at ease. These guys were sincerely fine with the fact that I was a slower runner. They do these events for the love of the sport and the camaraderie, and since I was equally enthusiastic, they were more than welcoming. But I’m still glad I made the cookies. I got to run my first leg about 2:45 in the afternoon. The weather to this point had been a mixed bag with a warm-­‐
ish and sunny morning that changed over to rain at the start, and then by leg 3, a fierce and bitter wind had picked up. I got my hand-­‐off from runner 7 (Mike) who ran at a 7:30ish pace, and I took off. My leg was 3.4 miles, and I just booked it. It had some rolling hills, but nothing too tough. I finished up strong at 30.44, an 8:54 m/m. Just slightly off my 5k time. I found it a bit hard to gauge my speed–even though this is a ‘race,’ for the most part I was alone on the road, so there were no nearby bodies to try to keep up with, etc. The rotation continued, the wind got fiercer, and my next leg came a bit early at 1:30am. This leg was 3.7 miles, and I ran it at a 9:34 pace. It was a bit scary, because of the pitch darkness (even with headlamps, etc, it was soooo dark). But it was also fun–this leg was in such a rural area, with long rolling hills, it reminded me a bit of Maine and it was easy to get lost in my thoughts which made the entire distance go by quickly. The winds stopped sometime near dawn, and the day started sunny (but chilly). My last leg was 5.7 miles, and I was nervous about the distance, especially after a fairly sleepless night. But as luck would have it, Mike (my hand-­‐off Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 6 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 runner) had a bit of an asthma attack (not serious) which made him pull out of his 5 mile leg at mile 2. I jumped in to replace him (as per the rules), and everyone else shifted down a leg. I finished those three miles in 27:41 (8:59 pace). Because of the shift in legs, our number one runner, Pat, got to finish the race, but we all joined him to cross the finish line on the sand in Seaside Heights–what great fun. – Paige Sato My thoughts on the first annual RTB, NJ: • excellent logistics and coordination–the roads were well marked, the transition areas very organized, and the porta-­‐johns were always clean. • great community support–the larger vehicle transition areas were all at churches and schools, and each had some sort of community group selling warm food, etc. The people were lovely • Western NJ is amazing. It’s beautiful and rural and, well, beautiful. I’m glad I got to see it and experience it on foot. • there were only 40 teams participating in this event for its inaugural year. I hope the RTB company decides to continue doing it here in NJ–many of the other teams I spoke to had come from Philly and NYC, so I think the potential is there for growth. I hope this is all part of their long-­‐term growth model, because it’s a wonderful showcase for the state, and a fantastic course. • I couldn’t have been part of a better team. It takes a lot for 11 people who’ve been running together at events like this for several years to open their doors to a newcomer, much less a slower woman. But these guys were amazing, and we genuinely had so much fun. Oh, and they loved the cookies. • boy, it’s hard to sleep in a van. I had snuggled in the back of the 12 passenger amongst the duffle bags, and at one point, one of my teammates (who didn’t realize I was back there) started throwing more duffle bags on top of me. We all got a good laugh out of that. • I will definitely do this again. Seaside Half Marathon, Seaside Heights, NJ Oct 14, 2012 Andi Robik 1:53:36 Rose Hall 1:53:42 Is it possible to finish a half marathon a mere 6 seconds ahead of your friend and teammate and not see each other on the course? Apparently it is! I finished in 1:53:36 and Rose Hall did 1:53:42. I saw her later after we had both finished. We did not know each other was going to be at the race. Wow. Seaside was flat but I felt the course was monotonous. Out and back, no turns, no scenery other than the first 2 and last 2 miles on the boardwalk. Minimal support on the course. Still, a beautiful day to run no matter how you slice it! Would have been a pr if I had shaved 30 seconds but I was very happy with my time. – Andi Robik Atlantic City Marathon, Atlantic City, NJ October 21, 2012 Laura Berry 4:31:04 How I shaved an hour off my marathon time.... Let me start by talking about my 2011 Philadelphia Marathon experience. About 6 weeks before the marathon I fell (damn uneven sidewalk) I had to get stitches in my knee among other injuries. As I was getting stitched up I asked if I could run with the stitches in. I was told not only could I NOT run I wasn't to bend my knee for 5 -­‐ 7 days. But I was determined and started running again the day after I got the stitches out...not the best idea I've ever had. I ended up doing the Galloway method for the marathon and finishing in 5:29:28. After that I took a month off. After a lot of thought and consideration I knew that I could run a marathon in under that time and wanted to try again, hopefully without injury. I started running and knew it was going to be slow going. I choose what race I wanted to run then decided I needed a coach. I found Rob DeCarlo and after speaking with him decided that it would be a good fit. So I started training. I had a 20 week training plan that I thought would never end. But I'm glad it was 20 weeks. It gave more flexibility when my calf was acting up and a good solid base for the marathon. As the training went on my goal time dropped from 4:45 to 4:30 there was even a little bit of crazy talk and 4:20 was thrown out. I decided that if it's in the 4's I would be happy -­‐ everything else was gravy. Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 7 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 I traveled to Atlantic City on Saturday and was excited to sign up for the 4:30 pace group that was advertised on the marathon website. There was no 4:30 pace group so I went with 4:25. I decided that I would stay with them as long as I could and go with it. Sunday morning was beautiful weather. The race started and I quickly realized that my pacer was a bit inexperienced as the first few miles went on I noticed we were not doing even splits. Some were well under 10:07 and some well over. At about the 7 mile mark I decided that I needed to do what was best for me. So myself and two other women kept pace together at the 10:07 mark. (they dropped back at about the half way mark) At mile 12 Rob was waiting and jumped in to check on me. He kept my mind occupied so I didn't notice that I hadn't turned in almost 5 miles at this point. We left the boardwalk and headed on to the road where my training partner and friend, Joanne, was waiting at the 13.1 marker. She said she had to get her run in anyway so why not join me. At this point the pace group came up from the back and passed us. (Going faster then 10:07 now). I decided I wasn't going to struggle to keep up with them and I would finish when I finished. At about mile 18 I started to hurt...everywhere and anywhere! It had also gotten hot with no breeze or shade through the residential area. I decided that I would start walking through the water stops. I'm glad I did this! I was able to stretch a bit and keep going. You can see Bally's in the distance on the course for about 5 miles. It’s a tease!!! The finish line was right outside Bally's but you needed to get there! I felt like I was never going to make it. My friend kept me going keeping the pace so I didn't have to think about it. She tried her best to get me to not look at Bally's we got back on the boardwalk at mile 22(ish) and Rob was there waiting again. With the two of them pushing me -­‐ I was doing ok. I knew the end was near. Rob jumped back out around mile 24 and it was just the two of us to the end. I tried not to think about the pain or look at my Garmin. I knew I had come a long way in a year. I crossed the finish line at 4:31:04 and I am extremely happy about that! This marathon is small with not a lot of crowd support. Also the boardwalk is open so the end of the race you are dealing with people getting in your way. I felt it was a good value though and very well organized (apart from their miss advertising the pace groups). The expo wasn't very good but I wasn't expecting much from it. The night before the race they have a complimentary dinner for runners. This was great! We didn't have to worry about where we were going to eat. The price for non runners was very reasonable too! We stayed at Bally's so everything was right there for us. -­‐ Laura Barry Baystate Marathon, Lowell, MA October 21, 2012 Glen Freyer 3:06:27 Marathon Recap OR MarathON Again, OFF Again… I have bad luck with marathons when I register far in advance. I get injured or sick – it’s always something. Either that or I’m just a head case. After yesterday, I’m leaning toward the latter. I’ve had stomach problems off-­‐and-­‐on since Labor Day. I saw a gastroenterologist Friday who – after two rounds of antibiotics – said he didn’t know what to tell me. He recommended that I get a colonoscopy, an endoscopy and I not run on Sunday. Needless, to say, none of these options were appealing. I’ll let you rank them in order. I seriously considered sitting out the race, so much so that when I saw Phil and Laura at the bagel place on Saturday, I still didn’t say I would run. But then I saw the race day forecast – 60 degrees and clear by mid-­‐day. There are so many variables in running a good marathon and many we can’t control. I felt I’d rather take my chances and drive up to Lowell, MA so that, IF my stomach wasn’t doing somersaults on race morning, I could still do it. If I didn’t feel well, I would come home early. The morning of the race, I felt okay and was glad I’d at least given myself a shot at a PR. I’ve run 3:13, but wanted to break 3:10. A couple experienced looking guys in the corral said they were gonna run 3:10 and I decided to try and hang with them. I quickly realized these guys were doing 6:50s – about what I’d run my half-­‐marathon in just a month ago. But the early miles ticked off without too much trouble and, while I knew the advantages of negative splits, I liked the idea of banking some early faster miles. When I crossed the half-­‐way mark, I was only a 1:10 off my half-­‐marathon PR. That was either great news or proof I would soon implode. The race winds through a depressed industrial town 45 minutes outside of Boston. While it’s a tough place to find factory work today, it’s aesthetically beautiful with old red brick buildings, leaves changing colors and a winding river you cross three times on various picturesque iron bridges. I realized I could lose a little time per mile the rest of the way and still reach my goal, but at mile 18 I was feeling drained – not surprising given my limited training. Still, I pushed through far ahead of schedule, but as always those Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 8 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 last few miles are a race unto themselves. The otherwise flat course had an incline for much of the last two miles and any time I went up I started to cramp. I knew the only thing that could keep me from my goal would be not to finish at all so I started walking for short stretches when I felt the cramping come on – just enough to catch my breath and get back too it. As I came around the final turn, I saw the clock and couldn’t believe it. I finished in 80th place with a 3:06:27 for a 7:07 pace, a full 7 minutes off my previous PR! Yay. There’s nothing better than when it all comes together except maybe a long hot shower in a hotel room with late checkout. -­‐ Glen Freyer A season’s worth of tri’s Sue Palermo and Bev Salerno recap their August and September tri-­‐efforts: Aug 12: Sue and Bev did “Presidential Lakes Spring Tri” — 1/4 mile swim, 11mile bike, and 5K. Great bike and run course, but the water left a brown residue on our skin that was not flattering at all. We all looked like apes coming out of the water. Sept 9: Sue did “War at the Shore” in Long Branch — 300 yard ocean swim, 11 mile bike, 3 mile run. Tough ocean swim, nasty current; thank God for the Lifeguard (nice eye candy too) who came out of nowhere and helped me. Swim was finally cancelled. Good bike and run, though. Sept 23: Sue and Bev did “One More Tri for Special Olympics”. Beverly and I forgot we had registered for just the Aqua/Velo (swim/bike) and absent-­‐mindedly did the whole thing. 1/4 mile ocean swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run. Good swim and great bike course but the run was just OK. The 1st mile had very uneven terrain and narrow paths. The course didn’t clear until we got on the boardwalk. The event was for a great cause, Special Olympics. This was Beverly’s last Tri for the season. Oct 7: Sue did “Treasure Island Tri” as a relay with Sue swimming, Diane Modica on bike, and Carol-­‐Ann Manfria running. The course was a 1/4 mile swim in the Manasquan river, 10.5 mile bike, and 3 mile run. We called ourselves “The Her-­‐icanes”, and we placed 2nd in the team standings. It was Diane’s and Carol-­‐Ann’s 1st Tri, and they did exceptionally well. I have a feeling both caught a little Tri fever. Hard to believe Season 2 is behind us; it’s been an amazing journey. We’ll continue to train multi-­‐sport through the fall and winter in preparation for Season 3 (and hoping that cute Lifeguard remembers me…) Running Commentary Ode to a Runner’s Spreadsheet by Glen Fryer I’ve long wanted to write a lightly humorous, semi-­‐regular essay about running, and when I say, “long wanted,” I mean since this morning, and when I say, “lightly humorous,” I mean I wish I were funnier. Honestly, I thought I still have 15 minutes a month that aren’t accounted for by family, work, running, commuting, paying bills, etc. – why not over commit that time, too? All I needed now was a title for the column that was 30% cuter than it was witty or original. Success! Picking a first topic was daunting as it would set the tone for the entire feature. I felt intense pressure, but was comforted knowing this could be the only one I ever write. Hell, I may not even finish this one. Ultimately, I settled on a broad, sweeping topic – one I knew would be of interest to all runners everywhere: my personal Excel running spreadsheet. For those of you who haven’t seen it, i.e., everyone, it’s elegantly simple. It lists all my finished races with dates, pace times and, when available, times adjusted for age, gender, altitude and dew point. The document lets me quantify an otherwise enjoyable activity and find disappointment everywhere. I hate to admit how long I can geek out on my own stats. It’s the same fetishistic feeling I get reading Running Times’ new shoe guide. God forbid my wife walks in while I’m ogling the redesigned zero drop Brooks racer that weighs just 4.1 ounces. Oh, yeah, baby, tell me about the variable widths! Somebody hand me a tissue. Now I know what you’re all thinking… why do a spreadsheet at all? Wasn’t it the Tao philosopher Lao Tsu who said, “To organize is to destroy?” Yes, but clearly Lao Tsu was not a runner. Being able to see my progress is one of the things that keeps me running. Where else in life do I have that kind of definitive validation? It’s not like my marriage is 8 seconds faster this year or my job 11% more efficient when I work negative splits. I keep my races sorted by pace per mile. Since I like racing everything from the mile to the marathon, my shorter races tend to have the fastest pace times, but not always. For example, my recent marathon pace PR of 7:23 in Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 9 of 10 Essex Running Club Newsletter November 2012 Vol. 29, No. 11 Burlington, VT this May is identical to my race pace for the Scoops 5K on Martha’s Vineyard back in August of 2005. Clearly, I wasn’t as into running back then, but I’m sure when I crossed the finish line in 2005 I thought I’d totally nailed that sucker. Curiously, my slowest race pace at 8:18/mile was not a marathon, half-­‐marathon or even a 10K. It was the Scoops Vineyard 5K one year later in 2006. Clearly, this race is my Waterloo. I could tell you it was a hot day or I was sick, but that’s not recorded. My spreadsheet is just my results without commentary or pity – it’s the miles logged distilled to a single entry. One of my favorite columns is AG%. I’ve read about what this metric represents, but don’t fully understand it, so there’s a certain mystical quality to it. My highest percentages are grouped around my shortest races, which I think suggests either I’m faster than other old farts in short races or no one my age bothers to run these events. While I’ve flirted with percentages in the high 70s – once even reaching 79.65%, I have yet to attain an 80% rating in any race. Again, I’m not exactly sure what it means, but I know I want it. My spreadsheet serves a practical purpose, too. As I age, my memory is deserting me faster than my speed. (So you know, it took me 2 minutes to think of the word “deserted” for no good reason). I used to be able to rattle off my times for any race – even my old bib numbers, but no more. I had to create a second Excel tab just to list my PRs. For some reason, I can never remember my 10K PR. I’ll read about elite athletes running a 10K in under 30 minutes and think, is that good? Given how quickly I’m forgetting, it’s comforting to know I’ve got all this written down. But what I like best about my list is the sheer volume of it. Earlier this year, River to Sea marked my 50th race as an adult. For many of you that’s nothing, but 47 of those races have been since 2008, so it feels pretty accomplishment-­‐y. I like knowing I pushed myself at least for the last half decade. So that’s my spreadsheet. Hope you all found it as enthralling as I do. How could you not? If you have your own race tallies, spreadsheets or logs I’d love to hear about them, but I warn you, don’t write an essay about them. Turns out it takes WAY more than 15 minutes. 2012 ESSEX RUNNING CLUB STAFF Ted Bongiovanni -­‐ Web Maven Paige Sato -­‐ Website Shannon Calamito -­‐ Newsletter Editor Desmond Duncker -­‐ Insert Designer Lynne Mortimer -­‐ Insert Coordinator HALL OF FAME Vincent Carnevale -­‐ 1995 Larry Hollander -­‐ 2002 George Studzinski -­‐ 2002 Lenore Piccoli -­‐ 2004 Andrew Kotulski -­‐ 2008 Bill & Karen Mishler -­‐ 2010 Randy Miller -­‐ 2012 ONLINE: www.essexrunning.com POSTAL ADDRESS Essex Running Club P.O. Box 183, Verona, NJ 07044 OFFICERS Mark Frankel -­‐ President Paul Maloney -­‐ Vice President H. Carl Sturcke -­‐ Treasurer Tom Kelly – Secretary BOARD MEMBERS Anne Chesny -­‐ Speakers Mick Close -­‐ At Large Desmond Duncker -­‐ At Large Faye Harvey -­‐ At Large John Harvey -­‐ Speakers Gina Imperato -­‐ Membership Paul Kartanowicz -­‐ USATF Teams Tracy Keller -­‐ Entertainment Ed Kelly -­‐ USATF Teams Martta Kelly -­‐ Public Relations Lynne Mortimer -­‐ Entertainment Shannon Ryan – Clothing YAHOO GROUP Join the ERC yahoo group at: groups.yahoo.com/group/essexrunningclub General Info: [email protected] Results: [email protected] OR online: www.essexrunning.com/road-­‐racing/ submit-­‐race-­‐results/ President: [email protected] Membership: [email protected] Newsletter Editor: [email protected] Insert Designer: [email protected] Ad Coordinator: [email protected] Website: [email protected] Clothing: [email protected] Keeping Track www.EssexRunning.com Page 10 of 10 Race Calendar for November 2012 – January 2013
(ERC club/team races are in bold print. Some dates/times are tentative, always confirm. NBGP = USATF-NJ New Balance Grand Prix.)
November
11/3
11/3
11/3
11/3
11/4
11/4
11/4
11/11
11/11
11/11
11/11
11/17
11/17
11/17
11/17
11/18
11/18
11/22
11/22
11/23
11/24
Sat
Sat
Sat
Sat
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sat
Sat
Sat
Sat
Sun
Sun
Thu
Thu
Fri
Sat
8:30am
9:00am
9:00am
10:00am
9:00am
9:40am
10:00am
8:45am
9:00am
11:00am
Noon
8:00am
8:00am
9:30am
10:00am
7:00am
8:30am
8:30am
9:00am
11:00am
11:15am
NYRR Dash to the Finish Line (NYC)
Dover Renaissance 5K
Beavertown 5K Fall Classic (Lincoln Park)
Run for Runaways (Duke Island Park, Bridgewater)
Thunder Run Half Marathon (Kittatinny Valley State Park)
NYC Marathon
Newark Academy 5K Run for FOP (XC, Livingston)
Garden State Plaza 5K
Running on Love (Montclair)
Hashathon Trail Run (Cheesequake State Park)
Giralda Farms Run (Madison)
Race for Hope (Wayne)
NYC 60K (Central Park)
Somerset Turkey Trot (Colonial Park)
Fall Spectacular (Harrington Park)
Philadelphia Marathon
Race to Deliver (Central Park)
Morris Township Turkey Trot
Ashenfelter 8K Classic (Glen Ridge)
Born to Run 5-Miler (Freehold)
Westfield Turkey Trot
5K
5K
5K
5K
13.1M
26.2M
5K
5K
5K
6M
5K, 10K
5K
60K
5K
5K
13.1M, 26.2M
4M
5K
8K
5M
5M
NJ Winter Trail Series #1 (Lewis Morris Park)
Trinity Academy 5K Reindeer Run (Caldwell)
Reindeer Run (Franklin Lakes)
Join the Voices (Central Park)
American Red Cross 5K Run for Life (Millburn)
Pete McArdle XC Classic (Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx)
Jingle Bell Jog (Prospect Park, Brooklyn)
Rutgers Big Chill 5K Run (New Brunswick)
USATF-NJ Grande Finale (West Windsor)
Toys for Tots 5K (Freehold)
Ted Corbitt Classic (Central Park)
NJ Winter Trail Series #2 (Lewis Morris Park)
Polar Bear Race (Asbury Park)
Emerald Nuts Midnight Run (Central Park)
5K, 10K, 13.1M
5K
5K
5M
5K
15K
4M
5K
10M
5K
15K
5K, 10K, 13.1M
5M
4M
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K), 700pts (10K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 700pts (8K)
December
12/1
12/1
12/1
12/2
12/2
12/2
12/8
12/8
12/9
12/9
12/15
12/16
12/30
12/31
Sat
Sat
Sat
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sat
Sat
Sun
Sun
Sat
Sun
Sun
Mon
9:00am
9:30am
9:30am
8:30am
10:00am
11:30am
9:00am
9:00am
10:00am
10:00am
8:00am
9:00am
1:00pm
Midnight
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
NBGP: 500/700pts (10M)
January
1/1
1/1
1/1
1/5
Sun 11:00am First Day 5K (Fairlawn)
Sun 11:00am Resolution Run 5K (Hillsborough)
Sun 12:00pm Hangover Run (Westfield)
Sat 8:00am Joe Kleinerman 10K (Central Park)
1/5
Sat
1/5
1/12
1/27
Sat 10:00am Freezing Cold Hash Run (Edison)
Sat 9:00am Winter Trail Series #3 (Lewis Morris Park)
Sun 8:00am Manhattan Half Marathon (Central Park)
8:00am Watchung Winter Ultra (Watchung Reservation)
5K
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
5K
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
5K
NBGP: 500pts (5K)
10K
10K, 13.1M, 26.2M,
50K
3 - 5M
5M, 10M, 13.1M
13.1M
Check the following web sites for more information, race applications and online registration: Active.com (www.active.com/running),
Best Racing Systems (www.bestrace.com), CompuScore (www.compuscore.com), Elite Racing Systems (www.eliteracingsystems.com),
New Jersey Trail Series (www.njtrailseries.com), New York Road Runners (www.nyrr.org), On Your Mark Productions (www.oymp.net),
PracticeHard.com (www.practicehard.com), Race Forum (www.raceforum.com), USATF-NJ (www.usatfnj.org)
Chris Jaworski has compiled a comprehensive list of trail races and ultra marathons in and around New Jersey.
Please check out www.essexrunning.com/trails.
To ensure proper credit for your race results please email your results to: [email protected]
Doug Williams Memorial 5000 meters – October 7th
To submit photos Please e-mail high-resolution photographs (jpg) including captions
identifying names, date, and location to Desmond at [email protected].
To submit photos Please e-mail high-resolution photographs (jpg) including captions
identifying names, date, and location to Desmond at [email protected].