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The Little Things . . .

a Going the Distance newsletter

Late August 2018 || issue #71
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Coach Pat Mayo and Coach Braz

Survived Braz Camp

The GTD conditioning program for scholastic athletes began on June 25 with "at home" guidelines for core and aerobic training.

The first of 18 onsite sessions was on July 9.

Dynamic stretching
Ladders for agility
Cones for endurance
Mini-bands
Hurdles
Plyometrics
Donkey Kick, Leg Raise, Alternate Leg Lunges, Jumping Jacks, Leg Circle, Burpees, Toe Touches, Mountain Climbers, Leg Extension. And more.
Core, and more core

And for 18 mornings in July and August the temperature rarely dipped below 80, with high humidity.

How many athletes survived the GTD Edge conditioning program this summer?
There were cross-country runners at the Peabody location and the Merrimack Valley location (directed by Fred Doyle), and there were soccer players, track athletes, hockey, lacrosse, football and other athletes at the Peabody location.
How many?
441
These athletes are ready for their fall season!

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Kate Mitchell

[Kate graduated from Lynnfield High School in June of 2018. Next stop -- Boston College.
In addition to being a High Honors student throughout high school, she was a member (and treasurer) of the National Honor Society, and Treasurer of the Class of 2018.
Kate was a varsity soccer captain, Cape Ann League All-Star, and EMass 2nd Team All-Star.
She also ran indoor and outdoor track, serving as captain in her junior and senior years.
Kate was a Cape Ann League All-Star for both indoor and outdoor in all 4 years. She was indoor track Team MVP in all 4 years, and outdoor Team MVP for 3 years.
In her junior and senior years, Kate was named Cape Ann League MVP.
Her personal bests (to date!) are 4:59.22 for the mile, 2:55.20 for 1000M, 2:11.30 for 800M, and 1:36.23 for 600M.]

GTD: Kate, how long have you worked with Coach Braz? What got you started?
Kate: I started working with Coach Braz my junior year. I started working with him because I became very serious about track and I knew how successful his other athletes were. Tia Patterson, who was a senior on the team when I was a freshman, worked with him and really recommended that I do as well.

GTD: You played soccer in the fall and ran track in the winter and spring. Did you work with Coach Braz in all three seasons?
Kate: Coach Braz gave me summer workouts to get me in shape for the soccer season. During the soccer season I did not work with him, but as soon as the season ended, we discussed my goals for the upcoming indoor season. After two weeks of rest, he then began to send me weekly outlines.

kate1

GTD: Tell us how the coaching was communicated.
Kate: Coach Braz sent me an email at the beginning of the week with my runs for each day. During the week he checked in via text to see how a certain workout went or how my legs were feeling. Before meets, he called me to check in and talk about the strategy going into the race.

GTD: How did the feedback process work? Tell us how this built and focused your goals during a track season.
Kate: Coach Braz and I always talked about my goals for the season. I did not always have a ton of confidence in myself so Coach Braz used the workouts to show me what I was capable of. If I had a bad race, Coach Braz always found positives to highlight but then talked to me about what I should work on the next time.

GTD: While you were competing on your high school team, did you have an opportunity to sharpen your racing with other meets or workouts with Coach Braz?
Kate: Yes, on days that my team did not have practice or on weekends, I was able to go to Peabody to do my workout with Coach Braz.

GTD: Besides running, how else do you condition yourself to be competitive?
Kate: I stretch, lift and do other exercises to strengthen my muscles and prevent injury. On days off from running, I aqua-jog or bike as well. Additionally, I try to take care of myself by eating properly, hydrating, and getting the right amount of sleep. I have always been a super competitive person, so I am always motivated to make myself better in any way that I can.

GTD: How do you handle nutrition?
Kate: During the season, I try to eat very healthy and avoid processed foods. Typically I eat a lot of protein and carbs to fuel my body. I have a condition called a sucrose intolerance, which is basically a lactose intolerance but for sugar. Because of that, I don’t eat a ton of sugar but every once in a while, I can’t say no to an ice cream. Coach Braz (and Coach Pete) always talked to me about the importance of nutrition and gave me recommendations on what I should eat/drink.

GTD: What’s ahead for your first year athletically at BC? Academically?
Kate: As of right now, I am only going to be competing in two or three low-key cross country races, which will be very new for me, and then I will be running on the indoor and outdoor track teams. I am currently enrolled in the Carroll School of Management at BC and I hope to major in business analytics and computer science.

kate3
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Race Results

At the Falmouth Road Race on August 19, Holly Madden was first in her age group, beating 508 other women, in 46:59. Holly writes -- "Never experienced a headwind like that at Falmouth, but on the positive, the temps were lower and it was overcast." Karen Durante won her age group in 53:47.
The historic and hilly Falmouth Road Race is 7 miles. Want to see the Elevation Profile? Go here.

At the Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler on July 31, Kath Hardcastle was 4th woman in 1:03:41. Tina Dowling was 1st senior woman in 1:10:57, and Karen Durante first veteran woman in 1:19:24. Stan Peiffers was 2nd in the 65-69 age group in 1:11:27. Sharon Yu was 3rd in her group in 1:47:30. Glenn Simm ran 1:19:44. Matt Loehle ran 1:21:48.
Four graduate BrazCamp college runners ran: Maddie Quigley 1:08:59, Sydney Packard 1:11:16, Olivia Horgan 1:11:47, and Arianna Maida 1:12:43.

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Personal Coaching with Coach Braz

Coach Braz provides personal, one-on-one coaching for runners at all levels who want to improve their performance or want a guided maintenance program.

Registration Form

The program is designed for runners who have a specific racing goal, or a series of races to prepare for, or want to build or maintain their running fitness. Your personal program may include a weekly track session that may be done at a site convenient to you or with Coach Braz on Tuesday evenings at the Beverly High School track.

Program details
FAQs
Sign-up Steps

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Previous Issues of The Little Things

Please go to this link for previous issues of The Little Things.

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Going the Distance is a coaching service for runners at all levels.
If you know someone who might benefit from the Going the Distance program,
tell them about us, and forward The Little Things to them.
Visit our website -- Going the Distance
Head Coach -- Fernando Braz
Webmaster and Director -- Dave Smith
For more information, contact Dave at dave@goingthedistancefb.com

 
 
 
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