Hayley Dowd talks about Fernando Braz’s All-Sports summer conditioning program.
“I trained at his camps and played soccer all summer to make sure my touch was good. Lots and lots of running, but he’s great. There were a lot of innovative things that I’ve never done before that push you mentally and physically.”
Hayley has trained in Fernando’s program during each collegiate offseason, and for six years in total. The focus is on creating aerobic strength and improving quickness and first-step balance.
Fernando says that training “was not something she embraced right away, but I’ve noticed that she now understands that it’s a foundation. If that’s not built right in the beginning, it is possible everything would collapse a lot more than it should. She came in prepared, so she has the whole entire package together. What I saw in Hayley was what was very well documented. Her intensity was second-to-none. What was actually more impressive to me was her ability to learn and want to learn, and that she had to do other things to become better on the soccer field.”
[Now in her senior year as co-captain of the BC’s Division 1 soccer team, Hayley recently scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Florida State. This was her 4th game-winning goal of the season. She now has 14 career game-winning goals, moving her into 3rd place in BC soccer history. Hayley was a two-time Northeastern Conference MVP, four-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, three-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic, two-time All-New England selection, 2011 NSCAA High School All-American, 2012 NSCAA Youth All-American, 2011-12 Mass. Gatorade Player of the Year, and led Peabody to the Division 1 Mass. State Championship in 2011. She finished her high school career with a school record 204 points, 148 goals. We thank the Salem News for the comments from Hayley and Fernando, which appeared on August 23.]
GTD Goes to College
Almost 40 athletes in this summer’s GTD cross-country and all-sports conditioning programs were in college. They were tremendous role models for the high school and middle school athletes in the programs.
Here are some of them, and the schools they’re attending.
Hayley Dowd (BC), Jordan Feeney (NC State), Rachael Margossian (Western New England), Devan Walsh (Trinity), Peter Blake (Stonehill), Lily Stewart (UNH), Lexi Buonfiglio (Stonehill), Dan Silverman (UMass/Amherst), Riley Dowd (Stonehill), AJ Ernst (Virginia), Cory Jordan (UMass/Dartmouth), Jason Karakaedos (UMass/Dartmouth), Maddie Quigley (UNH), Anthony Pizzo (AIC), Tia Patterson (BC), Sydney Packard (WPI), Sarah Oliver (Tufts), Cody Murtagh (Bentley), Alexa Marquis (U of New England), Thomas Mackin (Stonehill), Matt Loehle (UConn), Adam Linsky (Wesleyan), Michael Weidenbruch (American), Mike Famighetti (UMass/Amherst).
GTD Race Results
Don Chapelle jumped into the Baystate Marathon on October 16 and ran a solid 3:07. Tom Mistretta ran 3:24 and Michael Higgins 3:25. In the half-marthon, Jay Newton ran 1:31:32 and Rick Provost 1:32:20. Linda Jennings won her age group in 1:43:38.
At the Tufts 10k in Boston on October 10, Larissa Park ran 37:51, Katie Cooper 37:57, and Holly Madden 40:46. Holly won the senior’s division (50-59), beating 978 other runners in her division – congratulations Holly! If she were still a master, she would have been 5th out of 898.
At the Chicago Marathon on October 9th Cailie Trombley ran 3:44:17, a huge PR, and Sal Ferreira ran 5:51:33, also a huge PR. Carol Marshall ran 4:41:36 and Pam Lathrop 4:43:28.
Carmela Taveras was 3rd senior in 1:42:01 at the BAA Half on October 9. Kate Roberts was 3rd in the 35-39 group in 1:28:44. Sue George was top senior in 1:38:43, and XC summer program alumna runner Arianna Maida was 3rd in the 20-24 group in 1:29:51. Carmela won her age group for the 3rd year in a row in the BAA Distance Medley, which is a 5K, 10K, and this half-marathon. She was first in the 5K and the 10K. When she arrived at the half’s finish – on the track! – her hard work all spring and summer at GTD Tuesday track sessions kicked in. What was it worth? She won the series title by just 2 seconds! Sue George was 2nd overall for the series.
Michelle Gorham was 4th woman in 37:44 at the Bobby Bell 5 Miler in Haverhill on October 9. Sharon Yu ran 46:57.
Stan Peijffers was 2nd in his age group (60-69) in 1:29:54 at the Smuttynose Half, Hampton Beach, October 2. Sue Kiley won the master’s group in 1:32:35 and Karen Durante won the vets group in 1:47:58. Tracey Hoffenberg and Meredyth Neilly ran excellent 2:09s.
At the Hartford Marathon on October 8, Katrina Vassallo was 8th woman in 2:54:37. Katrina George ran her first marathon in 3:39:55, which was 2nd in the 19 and under group. Nicole Parker notched another victory in her quest to run a marathon in all the New England states, with a great 4:11 finish.
Shalane Flanagan High School Team Challenge
The 3rd Annual Back the Track 5K will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2016 and for the first time will feature the Shalane Flanagan High School Team Challenge.
The Team Challenge is named in honor of Marblehead’s Olympic bronze medalist, Shalane Flanagan. Shalane epitomizes the word “Champion,” having excelled in high school here in Massachusetts, in college at the University of North Carolina, and on the national and international stage since 2003. She is known for her tenacious racing style, passion for the sport, and genuine humility.
The Team Challenge is open to any current high school athletes graduating between 2017 and 2020. Teams consist of five boys or five girls from the same high school. In addition to bragging rights, teams will also compete for the Flanagan Cup, a traveling trophy awarded to the top boys’ and girls’ teams based on cumulative time. The winning teams will “own” the Cup for a year, and return it in 2017, at which point it will again be up for grabs. There is no limit to the number of teams a single high school can enter, but each runner can be pre-assigned to only one team.
For information on the Back the Track 5K and to register, go to this link.
Previous Issues of The Little Things
Please go to this link for previous issues of The Little Things.
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
Assistant Coach -- Annie Starrett
Webmaster and Director -- Dave Smith
For more information, contact Dave at dave@goingthedistancefb.com
