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Members of the mighty Gritty City Track Club of Pasadena

I recall casually talking to Alex Bruno last February at the Brea 8 km. He let me know his running group, the Gritty City Track Club, would be formally joining USATF, and I should expect to see them participating at some of the Grand Prix races. Well, that turned out to be a real understatement! The GCTC (see, the name has a great ring it to even when spelled as an acronym) has turned out to be one of the surprises of 2011, a small running group that is leading in Grand Prix participation along with Club Ed Running, Cal Coast Track Club and The Janes Elite Racing.

Leland Mah, Michael Cruz-Herrera, Antonio Pierola and Lucie Spender Murray (left to right) at the Semana Nautica 15 km, July 4, 2011

I particularly remember seeing the members of GCTC pull into the parking lot at the Semana Nautica 15 km, mentioning that they had the winner of the 15 km race in the car with them. As they say, it’s not bragging if you can back it up, and GCTC stand-out runner Mandy Grantz did win the race that day, finishing the 15 km in 55:37. Unknown to me was the fact that Grantz is also a 2012 Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, based on her winning 2:45:53 time in the Pasadena Marathon. And the very modest and humble Grantz was the fourth place finisher at the 2011 Road Mile Championships, with a time of 4:57, and her 1:17:37 half marathon was fast enough for a fourth place finish overall at the Long Beach Half Marathon, the 2011 USATF Southern California Half Marathon Championships race.

At the Santa Monica 5000: USATF Volunteer Alex Breckenridge (left) talks with Olympic trials qualifier Mandy Grantz (right) about pollen (just ask Mandy, she is the expert!). On the far right, Nicole Luque takes a break from scoring the Road Running Grand Prix

Another outstanding member of the GCTC is Nicole Luque. Luque, like Grantz, seems to be having the year of her life in running! Nicole won her age-group division at the Road Mile with a time of 5:34, and she just set another personal best with her 1:26:45 finish at the Long Beach Half Marathon. I was just as surprised when I spoke to Brian Panosian, the marketing coordinator for Generic Events, and he gave me the name of the elite athlete contact for the Santa Monica 5000: Nicole Luque! Not only is Nicole an outstanding, dedicated athlete, but she somehow finds time in her super busy schedule to lend a hand with various running organizations. In addition to the Santa Monica 5000, Nicole volunteered to take on the task of scoring the USATF Southern California Road Running Grand Prix, which has grown from a total of 389 runners in 2010, to 459 runners in 2011. And we still have one more race to go, the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10km, our 10 km Association Championships race!

Warming up at the South Pasadena High School, coach Choy Bacor (center)

So GCTC asked me if I would like to head up to Pasadena to join them for a Tuesday night workout at the beautiful South Pasadena High School, a great art-deco landmark high school with a very modern track. Choy Bacor lured me out of Culver City with an offer I never refuse: a challenging run followed by pizza and beer!

Michael Cruz-Herrera with a Santa Monica 5000 discount code

While I have heard that Pasadena weather can be hot and overwhelming at times, Tuesday night was as perfect a Southern California evening as you can imagine. After meeting up with the club, I opted for the mile repeat workout. At the starting line, I distinctly heard Alex announce he would be running around 1:40 a lap. I can report this was another Alex Bruno understatement, since I came through the first 400 meters in 1:32, with Alex and GCTC Vice-President John Burgos well ahead of me! In total we ran 4 miles, with 400 meter recovery jogs between intervals. In addition to the mile repeats, there was a slower workout for runners preparing for a marathon, and several other runners took off to do a hill workout. Whatever you want to do for a Tuesday evening run in Pasadena, GCTC seem to have people people ready to join in.

John Burgos – Vice President, Choy Bacor – Coach, Alex Bruno – President, Wayne Joness – LDR Chair, Jason Wang – Marketing, Michael Cruz-Herrera – Secretary/Treasurer

The post-run feast was at a nearby Round Table Pizza, where I learned a little more about the group. GCTC was formed just a few years ago, in 2007, and some of the members have been running together since high school. This is a very friendly and supportive group, ready to carpool their way to races all over the southland. Alex Bruno is President, and John Bugos Vice-President, with Pascal (Choy) Bacor as coach. Other officers include Jason Wang, Marketing, and Michael Cruz-Herrera, Secretary/Treasurer. The group has competed in numerous local races, including the Road Running Grand Prix, as well as traveling to destination marathons. In fact coach Bacor will be running the Boston Marathon for the first time in 2012, after his 3:07:35 qualifying run at the somewhat ill-fated 2010 Camarillo Marathon. Choy: Thanks again for beer and pizza!

Post-run carbo feast at Round Table Pizza!

If you are in Pasadena and looking for a great track workout, you could not do better than to head over to South Pasadena High School around 6:00 pm to meet up with the Gritty City Track Club. And for those people training for a long distance competitions, the group also participates in organized Saturday long runs as well.

Members of the mighty Gritty City Track Club of Pasadena (plus LDR chair Wayne Joness)

Runners! Give your legs a break from pounding the pavement and join USATF Southern California in the 2011 Cross Country Grand Prix! There are FIVE races to go in the exciting nine-race series, culminating in the Southern California Association Championships at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area on Saturday, November 5! USATF Southern California members who run in two Grand Prix races, plus run in the Association Championships on November 5, will be competition for a total of$2,500 in prize money, divided between Open runners, Masters (40-49) and Masters (50+). Detailed rules here!

The Association Championships winning open men’s and open women’s open teams will earn a $500 travel stipend for travel to the 2011 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Seattle, WA.

• September 24, Bell-Jeff Invitational, Griffith Park

  For 38 years top high school students have competed in theBellarmine-Griffith Park Invitation Cross County race! Now, thanks to the help of sponsors A Runner’s Circle and Saucony, a special non-high school open race has been added to schedule! Open runners will start off this historic race at 7:00 am! Do not miss this unique opportunity to run a cross country race in beautiful Griffith Park.

  Registration is open now for the 5K race. On September 23rd athletes entered in the Open Race can pick up their Race packet and Bib at A Runner’s Circle located at 3216 Los Feliz Blvd. Los Angeles, 90039. You can also pay your pre-registration fee of $25, by sending a check to Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, 465 E. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA. 91501 or pay at the time of your Bib pick up. For late entries you may sign up the morning of the race and pay your entry fee of $30 on race morning.Email A Runner’s Circle for specific questions about the Open competition, [email protected].

• October 16, Free Spirit Invitational, Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC)

  With 62 years of history, the Mt. SAC Cross Country Course is one of the oldest and most famed courses in the world, challenging generations of runners against each other. This is a tough course over asphalt and dirt trails with flat and rolling hill combinations, plus switch backs and serious hills. The Open and Masters Cross Country race will start at 8:00 am before the youth competitions. Medals will be given to 1st thru 8th place overall. Runners can register on race day for only $10!

  Registration is available via email to Denise Smotherman, or entries can be mailed to Denise Smotherman, 165 South Dommer Ave, Walnut, CA 91789 Telephone (909) 595-0103. Email Denise Smotherman at [email protected] for more information.

• October 22, Elysian Park 5K Eco Run/Walk Elysian Park

  Run an awesome 5 km cross country race and have a great time while creating an awareness for the environment! This is a beautiful cross country style 5k race to benefit Tree People. Green Running Events proudly brings you its 2nd annual eco-friendly race. The event will feature eco friendly awards for the top 3 finishers in each division, plus a raffle with great prizes and music. The 2011 Eco 5K also features a new course winding through Elysian Park, adjacent to the Dodgers stadium.

  Registration for the Eco Run/Walk is only $25, but increases in four days to $30! Youth runners pay just $15! Want a better deal? Register a team of 4 runners for only$60! Email Heather Heath at [email protected] for more information.

• October 29, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Arroyo Verde Park, Ventura

  This race is the most unique and challenging run in the 2011 Grand Prix series, a cross country race run in the early evening! The course is impossible to run. Only mountain goats and sherpa guides will find this reasonable. The first mile is particularly brutal, going up a city street that automobiles have trouble with. Most competitors are wasted before they can consider racing. You’ve got to be CRAZY to want to do this thing. So don’t miss it!

  Registration on race day in encouraged, $10 to sign up. In fact, there is a $5 penalty to register early! Didn’t we say this is a crazy race? So head to Ventura, run this race, then hang out with race organizer (disorganizer) and USATF Masters Cross Country chair, Andrew Hecker! Email Andrew Hecker at [email protected] for more information.

• November 5, USATF Southern California Association Cross Country Championships, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

  Welcome back to Kenneth Hahn State Park, site of previous Association Championships, but this year with a NEW course, and a NEW time. The Championships race is just part of several competitions held on November 5, including a 6 km Community Showcase, a Monster Hill Challenge race, and a Bowl-Run Relay. USATF members can vie for Championship titles and medals, then continue the fun with the Monster Hill Challenge and Bowl-Run Relay. And Kenneth Hahn is the perfect place for a post run picnic and potluck!

  Registration is open now, just $30 to race with some of the finest cross country athletes in Southern California. The women’s Championships race is at 8:50 am, and the men’s race is at 9:40 am. Email K-Trax Athletics at[email protected] for more information!

• USATF $500 Cross Country Travel Grant to USATF National Cross Country Club Championships, Seattle, WA
  
  As part of USATF’s effort to support Association-based programs, as well as the development of the Open Club system, a generous travel grant of $500 is available to the winners of the Southern California Association Cross Country Championships. That is a grant of $500 to the Open men’s team, and $500 to the Open women’s team, a total of $1,000, to assist with traveling to Seattle, Washington to compete on December 10 for the USATF National Cross Country Club Championships title. More information available here.

  USATF Southern California Cross Country Grand Prix information: Andrew Hecker (Masters Cross Country, email: [email protected], 805-642-3879.

By Wayne Joness with help from Coach Skip Stolley

Arrive early and warm-up well!  A rigorous warm-up is more important for a one mile race than any other road race distance you run.  Most runners use the first mile of a 5K or 10K to “settle in”, to get a feeling for their race pace. Then they wait until the last half of the race to dig-in and really challenge themselves to finish strong.  There is no time to do this in a mile race.  In your warm-up for a mile race, you need to cross-over into doing some fast anaerobic running.  Then, 10-minutes before race time, you need to do several strides of 60-100 meters at a faster pace than you will run during the race in order for the early pace to feel comfortable.  Be fully warmed up when you step up to the starting line!

Be prepared for a fast first quarter mile:  Whether you run 4:20 or 7:20 for the mile, the pace for your first quarter mile is going to be fast. If you have never run a road mile before, take your best 5K mile pace and subtract :30 seconds to approximate your mile goal time.  For example, if you run a 5K in 21:45, your pace is around 7:00 per mile.  Therefore, for a road mile, you should aim for a time of 6:30 or faster.  In this example, the first timing clock at the ¼ mile mark should display around 1:38.

Halfway there – the half mile mark:  The most critical portion of the mile is between the half-mile and the three-quarter mile mark.  If you simply maintain your effort, you will find that you are actually slowing down in this third segment of the race. As you approach the half mile timing clock, you will be feeling tired, but should be inspired by the fact that you are halfway to the finish of your best mile run ever.  If you are near your goal time (for a 6:30 mile, an even pace would be 3:15), stay in the moment and hang in there.  Concentrate on keeping your leg turnover consistent. The end is too far off to start worrying about your finish.

Three-quarter mile mark:  The end is in sight!  Even if you are running on fumes, you have less than 100-seconds of running left before you cross the finish line.  You should be able to see the finish line at this point.  Remember that kick you had when running your best 10K?  Zero-in on the runners in front of you and try to pass as many of them as possible in the last 1/4 mile.  Focus in on the finish line clock and listen to the crowds cheering.  Consider Roger Bannister’s battle to break the 4:00 mile…something that was believed to be unattainable in 1954!  It was his sheer will of spirit and determination that carried him across the finish line in 3:59.4.  That same fire resides somewhere inside you too!  And today is the day for you to run your best mile ever!

Post-run cool down:  After the satisfaction of this all-out running, you need to give your heart rate, respiration, and body temperature a chance to gradually return to normal!   As soon as possible, begin to do some easy jogging.  Let your heart rate slowly return to normal. Afterwards, do some light stretching.  (You’ll be happy you did tomorrow.)  The crazy thing about running a road mile is this: when you cross the finish line you will believe that you couldn’t have run one stride further or one second faster.   But a half an hour later, you will probably want to run it again to see if you could faster! Regardless, it will be better for you to rehydrate and enjoy watching the other runners tackle the unique challenge of running a road mile.

As a part of promoting the 2011 USATF Southern California Road Mile Championships, I had a chance to meet up with some of the running groups in the greater Irvine/Orange County area. Last week was a double header, with the Laguna Hills chapter of A Snail’s Pace Running Club meeting on Wednesday, August 3, and the South Coast Road Runners meeting on Thursday, August 4.

Runners meeting at A Snail’s Pace running shop in Laguna Hills.

I wayyyy underestimated the traffic on the 405 as I headed south on Wednesday. After one hour in my car, I had only traveled 6 miles. This is the point when every runner thinks, even on my worst day, I could be running faster than my car is moving right now! I missed the start of the Snail’s Pace run, but followed the directions to head out behind the store, and before I knew it I was on the Aliso Creek Bikeway. This beautiful bikepath takes us by Clarington Park to Aliso Park. I started to see runners returning from their run, and soon ran into Bob Morris, manager of A Snail’s Pace Running Shop in Laguna Hills. Bob and I headed back to the store, where I got a chance to talk to New Balance rep Monica. Much to my surprise, I also had the opportunity to visit with Rebecca Trahan. Rebecca has been kind enough to volunteer at many of the Road Running Championships races this year. I asked if she knew Bob Morris, and it turns out that Bob is one of her students in her Monday night yoga class! Thanks again for the help Rebecca!

Rebecca Trahan (left) and Bob Morris (right)

After enjoying some mix1 recovery shakes (chocolate) we headed over to the monthly meeting of the Laguna Hills chapter, at Antonucci’s Restaurant. We arrived to find plenty of pizza waiting for us, and I had a chance to listen in on ASPRC plans for upcoming races and social events. This club has been around since 1979, and it is easy to see why. They keep an interesting and exciting schedule of events for their members, and they are great folks to run with.

Pizza and Birthday cake at Antonucci’s Restaurant, Mission Viejo.

Thursday I allowed extra time for my drive, and got the chance to see mix1 field marketing specialist Natalie Gatrell at the Peters Canyon run before meeting with the South Coast Road Runners at Heritage Park in Irvine. Natalie provided some extra mix1 for the SRCC Thursday run. I again joined Bob Morris for the run, and this time we headed away from Heritage Park, jumping onto the Walnut Trail. Like Wednesday night’s run, I was impressed with the ready availability of paths and trails for running in Orange County. When we hit our 2.5 mile turnaround, I noticed we were just across the street from the El Toro Airfield, site of the Road Mile Championships!

South Coast Road Runners August meeting, Grand Prix genius Mike Friedl (front row, far right)

I added the mix1 recovery drink to the well-stocked supplies for post-run refueling. In addition to Gatorade and water we had fresh, warm, home-made cookies! Wow! Then we headed to a large meeting room in the Heritage Park facility. A SCRR meeting is full of current running events: the meeting starts with a run-down of the current leaders in the SCRR running Grand Prix, plus notes on the social calendar, announcement of the runner/member of the month, and more. HINT: hosting a great BBQ can lead to being a runner-of-the-month! After I spoke about the Road Mile, there was a vote for the October SCRR road race, and the winner was the Long Beach Marathon/Half-Marathon/5K. Great choice! The Long Beach 1/2 Marathon is the 2011 USATF Southern California 1/2 Marathon Championships race! SCRR members can participate in any of these Long Beach races, and have their age-graded scores added to the Grand Prix. If this sounds familiar, the USATF Southern California Grand Prix is based on the SCRR Grand Prix, with much help provided by Mike Friedl. As a thanks for their help, Bob Morris, Mike Friedl and Quang Pham received USATF National Team hats, though Quang Pham was not on hand Thursday night.

The ubiquitous Bob Morris wearing a USATF National Team Hat, courtesy USATF

The post-meeting feast was at Lampost Pizza, with plenty of salad, pizza and beer for everyone! Dave Parsel  modeled his fashionable USATF Cross Country Championships t-shirt from February of this year, and John Gardiner and Brad Wobig were wearing their USATF Road Mile Championship T-shirts as well.

Dave Parsel styling the 2011 USA Cross Country Championships T-shirt

I really had a great time this week, and look forward to meeting with the Fountain Valley Chapter of A Snail’s Pace Running Club on August 10! Thanks to everyone for the great hospitality!

John Gardiner replenishes essential carbohydrates at Lampost Pizza, Irvine CA.