Month: May 2023

Moosletter — Week of May 7th

Last Meet of the Year

The last meet of the year, Eagle Open, is this Friday, May 12th!

Registration has closed, but if you're signed up go compete your heart out and have fun!

Field Day

We hope you had fun out at Field Day!

Club members were split into four teams and competed in bean bags, an elimination mile, water balloon toss, and more.

Team Claire took the win, but having fun is what mattered most.... right?

Graduate Goodbye - Marwan Lloyd

1. What initially drew you to join the Wisconsin Track Club, and how did you get involved?

A friend of mine, John Judge, who ran with me in undergrad, was a member of the track club, and he recommended that I join it when I started attending UW. He couldn’t stop praising the people and experience, and was really insistent that I would love it. So I joined it as a chance to make friends, and from my first week here, until now have loved being a part of it!

2. What was your most memorable moment with the Wisconsin Track Club, and why did it stand out to you?

It’s a tie between two. In terms of athletic success, it has to be winning the SMR at club relays last year (2022), that was just a really competitive race & seeing that 1st place light up was a massive rush. In terms of meaningfulness and raw emotions, it has to be the 4x400 at NIRCA nationals 2023. It was my final track race & Tommy’s last race to complete his ironman challenge & I kept telling our team that no matter what happened we were going to get him across that finish line. And being able to be on the team that helped him make it in the end, and everyone’s cheers for him completing it, that was just unmatched.

3. What will you miss about the club when you graduate?

Definitely, hands-down, 100% the people. at this point quite literally, not a day goes by where I don’t see some of the sprinters, and they’ve really been at the heart of making my experience with WTC so memorable and amazing! Whether it’s at practice every day, or on long drives to meets in the middle of nowhere, or late nights in the hotel rooms they are just always so fun and make every moment really enjoyable! They are what makes the club great and definitely won’t miss the most.

4. What advice would you give an incoming freshman who wants to join the club?

Don’t be scared by the running haha! But seriously, if you’re even considering joining at all, give it a shot. I know that running for fun does not seem like the greatest way to spend time, but even with painful workouts every now and then the great times with everyone in the club make those workouts where you just want to drop & sleep bearable and beyond worthwhile!

Finals Week

Got a break in your busy finals week schedule around practice time? We'll be having unofficial practices held at the same place and time as normal, come to get a workout in and give your brain a break!

Volunteering

We've got some great opportunities to volunteer coming up! Please consider signing up for volunteering at the Ragnar, it would really help the club!

Great Midwest Ragnar Relay - 05/13
The Ragnar Relay is a long-distance relay race covering 200 miles. This year, it ends in Madison! WTC will be helping out at the finish line from 1-10 p.m. Please sign up, as this event will help the club a lot with fundraising!

RACE
This program pairs volunteers up with a youth on the autism spectrum to run around Picnic Point. It's an amazing experience! Sessions will be held 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Picnic Point trail entrance.

If you want to sign up for either of these activities, please do so on the volunteer spreadsheet!

Summer Track Series

As the school year is wrapping up, our preparations for the Summer Track Series – Wisconsin Track Club’s most important volunteering and fundraising event of the year – are in full swing.

What is the Summer Track Series?

STS is a series of community track and field meets organized by WTC that occur on various Thursday nights throughout June and July, culminating in the Dane County Championships at the end of July. These meets are put on at various tracks around the Madison area and are open to all ages and abilities. When we say “all,” we mean all – it doesn’t matter if an athlete is 5 years old or 75 years old, there’s a spot for them at STS! The Summer Track Series attracts hundreds of athletes every summer and fosters interest in track and field throughout the greater Madison community, making it a wonderful way to give back to this sport that we all love.

How does STS help the Wisconsin Track Club?

In addition to being a fantastic community event, STS serves as the main fundraiser for WTC. Profits from the meets go directly to lowering costs throughout the year for our members: reduced meet fees, free team dinners, fun socials, and more! For instance, we were able to cut the meet fee for NIRCA Nationals earlier this month roughly in half using funds generated from STS. A successful Summer Track Series means that we can continue to keep our club events affordable and accessible to all, so that’s why we need your help!

So how can I help?

Volunteer! STS wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers who ensure that our meets run smoothly. We truly appreciate each and every one of you! Volunteer positions include managing field events, working at the registration table, moving hurdles, and more. Stay on the lookout for a volunteer sign-up once we get closer to the meet dates.

In the meantime, if you will be in Madison this summer, please consider joining the Summer Track Series committee! The committee is responsible for the planning of the series, including determining venues, dates, events, and coordinating with other Madison-area track clubs. Any club members, alumni, or community members are welcome to join! Joining the STS committee is also a great leadership opportunity that you can include on your resume and other applications! If you are interested in joining, please let Matt Stilling know by sending him an email.

Monona 20k

Great job to everyone who competed at the Monona 20K on Saturday!

Maya Winfield and Emma Hudson did a great job representing the cows by getting 1st and 2nd for the women's 14-19 age group!

SPRINTS/FIELD WORKOUTS

SPRINTS

Day Workout
Monday (5/8)

Warm up and 2 accels
2-3 sets of 3 crosses on the turf
1 cross: Stride the diagonal, then jog the first short straight, stride the diagonal, walk the 2nd short straight
Rest: 5 min between sets
Cooldown, stretch and core
Tuesday (5/9) Warm up and 2 accels
Hill sprints
2-4 sets of 2 reps with walk down recovery between reps and 4 mins rest in between sets
20m Lower leg strength/rehab circuit:
Toe walks (straight), Heel walks (straight), Toe walks (toes out), Heel walks (toes out), Toe walks (toes in), Heel walks (toes in)
Wednesday (5/10)

2-3 sets of 4x50m, walk back recovery between reps
4 mins between sets
Cooldown, stretch and core
Thursday (5/11)

Warm up and 2 accels
If you’re competing friday: 2-3 60 m strides
If not competing:
5 x 40m sled pulls
5 x 50m parachutes
20m Lower leg strength/rehab circuit:
Toe walks (straight), Heel walks (straight), Toe walks (toes out), Heel walks (toes out), Toe walks (toes in), Heel walks (toes in)
Cooldown, stretch and core

DISTANCE WORKOUTS

DISTANCE: Meet at Engineering Hall at 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thur, 9:00 a.m. Sun

Day Workout
Monday (5/8) Mid-distance workout
2x200m @ mile effort (200m jog recovery)
1mi @ threshold/10k effort (2’ recovery)
2x200 @ 800m effort (200m walk recovery)

Long distance workout
1km @ 5k effort (400m jog recovery)
2x400, 2x200 @ 5k down to 1mile effort (200m jog recovery)

Ancillary: Medball Circuit #1, Core #1
Tuesday (5/9) Recovery Day
3-7 miles easy or Light Cross Training

Ancillary: none
Wednesday (5/10) Mid-distance workout
Base Run + 150m Flys
3-6 miles easy with 3-4 x 150m Flys. Use the first 50m to build into it and then work down to 800m/400m effort (250m walking recovery). No cooldown.

Long distance workout
Base Run + 200m Zooms
4-7 miles easy with 3-4 x 200m Zooms (200m slow jog recovery). Each 50m faster than the previous one (ie. 10k-5k-3k-mile). No cooldown
Ancillary: Hip/Glute Circuit #1
Thursday (5/11) If competing in Friday’s meet
Easy pre-meet
3-5 miles with 2-4 light strides

If not competing in Friday’s meet
Flex Day
a few miles of easy running, light cross training, or off

Ancillary: *Optional General Strength Circuit (1-4) x1*
Friday (5/12) Eagle Open @ UW-La Crosse

If not competing in today’s meet
Flex Day
a few miles of easy running, light cross training, or off

Ancillary: *Optional General Strength Circuit (1-4) x1*
Saturday (5/13) Recovery Day + Strides
3-7 miles easy w/ 6-8 strides

Ancillary: General Strength Circuit (1-4) x1*
Sunday (5/14) Long Run or Start Active Rest
If this is your last long run effort before taking a break, feel free to get after it a bit today. No assigned paces or distances.

Join us

To become a member of the Wisconsin Track Club, please register with us on IMLeagues and fill out all three required forms. Additionally, please pay membership dues for the season by sending $30 to @WiscoTC on Venmo.

Join our Slack, Strava, and Facebook groups.

To learn more about us, check out these slides. 

We hope you come out to train, race, and socialize with us!

Thanks for checking out this week's Moosletter! Time to tackle finals week, you've got this!

Moosletter — Week of April 30th

Last Meet of the Year

Time to sign up for the last meet of the year!

Sign-ups for the Eagle Open (Friday, May 12) can be found here. Registration closes on Friday, May 5th at 11:59 p.m.

Don't miss out on your last opportunities to compete this year!

Multiple Meet Mayhem

An action-packed weekend last week!

Congrats to everyone who raced at the Drake Alternative at UW-Whitewater on Friday! Results can be here.

Thank you to those who ran the Crazylegs Classic 8k on Saturday! A fun Madison tradition, for a good cause. Here is the link  to the results.

Senior Spotlight - Elsa Deibert

1. What initially drew you to join the Wisconsin Track Club, and how did you get involved?

As someone who did not begin competitive running until junior year of high school, I felt like I didn’t get enough time racing in cross country and track. When another freshman had mentioned the club to me, it sounded like the perfect opportunity to stay active in college, participate in races, and meet other runners! I showed up to practice one day and immediately felt welcome there. Some of the upperclassmen encouraged me to do the intra-squad 5k and the border battle which was a good way to get involved early on. I quickly began making friends which made me want to keep coming back!

2. What was your most memorable moment with the Wisconsin Track Club, and why did it stand out to you?

It is so hard to pick just one memorable moment with WTC from four years of memories! I have loved all of the races, socials, and even just the simple moments like encouraging one another through a challenging workout at practice. However, if I had to pick one it would be racing at NIRCA nationals in Indiana my junior year. One of my favorite parts about WTC is getting to race against the other club teams. The whole weekend was a lot of fun traveling with the club, running out on the XC course together, and cheering everyone on. NIRCA races always have such a fun energy about them!

3. What will you miss about the club when you graduate?

I am obviously going to miss all of WTC’s amazing members! It has been great getting to know everyone over the years and making friendships through running. During some of my most stressful times at school, I always knew I could count on my teammates and friends to cheer me up when I saw them at Ehall. I will miss having so many running buddies all in the same city!

4. What advice would you give an incoming freshman who wants to join the club?

Show up to as many events as you can! Practices, meets, socials, and volunteering are all great opportunities to get involved and make friendships with other members. Although WTC can be a pretty big group, everyone is super friendly and would love to talk to you. Don’t be afraid to ask upperclassmen for advice whether it be running/school/life related. My college experience would not have been the same without WTC, so enjoy every moment of it while it lasts!

Field Day

Finals got you wishing you could go back to the days of elementary school when everything was easier? Well now you can!! (for a limited time only). This Friday (May 5) at 4:00 p.m. we will be holding Track Club Field Day 2023 at Edward Klief Park! We will have an afternoon full of fun events (sack races, tug-of-war, elimination mile etc.) with four randomly-created teams competing to be the best. If you would like to participate, please sign up here by Friday at noon!

Volunteering

We've got some great opportunities to volunteer coming up! Please consider signing up for volunteering at the Ragnar, it would really help the club!

Great Midwest Ragnar Relay - 05/13
The Ragnar Relay is a long-distance relay race covering 200 miles. This year, it ends in Madison! WTC will be helping out at the finish line from 1-10 p.m. Please sign up, as this event will help the club a lot with fundraising!

RACE
This program pairs volunteers up with a youth on the autism spectrum to run around Picnic Point. It's an amazing experience! Sessions will be held 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Picnic Point trail entrance.

If you want to sign up for either of these activities, please do so on the volunteer spreadsheet!

Freshman Feature - Adam Kitay

1. What initially drew you to join the Wisconsin Track Club, and how did you get involved?

Having run xc/tf in high school, I wanted to continue running competitively. So during my admitted students day visit I got in touch with someone from the running club and showed up for a run. We had some nice conversations but I was very disappointed to find out that they didn't actually participate in meets or do much competitive running. Upon further research, I realized I contacted the wrong club. So I found the track club, joined the email list and group me, and showed up to practice early September.

2. What is your favorite memory from your first year with the club?

The 1st half of the lake crossing. Something about running across miles of ice with the club and the perpetual fear of falling into the water makes for a fun time. The run back was more pain then fun though.

3. What are you most forward to for next year, or future years with the club?

I'm most looking forward to winning nats as a team in the future or more reasonably I can't wait for the xc season!!

Summer Track Series

As the school year is wrapping up, our preparations for the Summer Track Series – Wisconsin Track Club’s most important volunteering and fundraising event of the year – are in full swing.

What is the Summer Track Series?

STS is a series of community track and field meets organized by WTC that occur on various Thursday nights throughout June and July, culminating in the Dane County Championships at the end of July. These meets are put on at various tracks around the Madison area and are open to all ages and abilities. When we say “all,” we mean all – it doesn’t matter if an athlete is 5 years old or 75 years old, there’s a spot for them at STS! The Summer Track Series attracts hundreds of athletes every summer and fosters interest in track and field throughout the greater Madison community, making it a wonderful way to give back to this sport that we all love.

How does STS help the Wisconsin Track Club?

In addition to being a fantastic community event, STS serves as the main fundraiser for WTC. Profits from the meets go directly to lowering costs throughout the year for our members: reduced meet fees, free team dinners, fun socials, and more! For instance, we were able to cut the meet fee for NIRCA Nationals earlier this month roughly in half using funds generated from STS. A successful Summer Track Series means that we can continue to keep our club events affordable and accessible to all, so that’s why we need your help!

So how can I help?

Volunteer! STS wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers who ensure that our meets run smoothly. We truly appreciate each and every one of you! Volunteer positions include managing field events, working at the registration table, moving hurdles, and more. Stay on the lookout for a volunteer sign-up once we get closer to the meet dates.

In the meantime, if you will be in Madison this summer, please consider joining the Summer Track Series committee! The committee is responsible for the planning of the series, including determining venues, dates, events, and coordinating with other Madison-area track clubs. Any club members, alumni, or community members are welcome to join! Joining the STS committee is also a great leadership opportunity that you can include on your resume and other applications! If you are interested in joining, please let Matt Stilling know by sending him an email.

Field Event Practice

On Monday, May 1, WTC will be holding a field event exhibition at practice where you can try out various field events. We will be giving demonstrations in case you are not familiar with any events and measuring your best efforts in the spirit of friendly competition. This will also help you see how field events are managed, so it is especially encouraged to attend if you are interested in volunteering at Summer Track Series this summer. We will be starting at 6 p.m. at the McClimon track, so distance will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Engineering Hall like normal before running over, and sprints/field (or distance members who feel inclined) can join directly at McClimon. If you are interested in attending, please add your name to this sheet to help us plan accordingly.

Shell Shock

Last week was our first full week without the Shell, so we caught up with a few of our members to see how they're coping with the loss.

1. What is your favorite memory of the Shell?

Emily Phillips: My favorite memory of the shell is probably the 2022 time trial of the cows. Everyone was so excited to actually have a track season for the first time since pre-covid and the energy was electric despite still having to race in masks.

Brenden Dieter: My favorite Shell memory is the last time I hit my favorite workout there (2x600 at 800 pace).

2. Where have you been doing your workouts now that the Shell is closed?

Emily: This last week I’ve been facing my irrational fear of the nick powerhouse, with the help of an unhealthy amount of preworkout as liquid courage. Sadly, I didn’t steal enough weights from the shell to create my own home gym :/

Brenden: I have been doing workouts out at either the Nick, Bakke, McClimon, or just outside.

3. What other campus building would you sacrifice to get the Shell back?

Emily: I would sacrifice Bascom Hall. I need the Shell back more than the chancellor needs an office.

Brenden: I would sacrifice any campus building for the Shell. The Shell was number 1 and I will never forgive UW Athletics.

SPRINTS/FIELD WORKOUTS

SPRINTS: Meet at McClimon at 6:00 M, Mid-Distance Hill at 6:00 p.m. T, and the band field at 6:00 W+R

Day Workout
Monday (5/1)

Warm up and 2 accels
4x3 hurdle hops
Field event fun day! or
Option 1:
8x150m @80% with 3 min rest
Option 2:
2 x 400 @75-80% with 3 min rest
6 min rest
2 x 300 @80% with 2 min rest
5 min rest
2 x 200 @80% with 1 min rest
Cooldown, stretch and core
Tuesday (5/2) Warm up and 2 accels
Hill sprints
4-6 reps with 4 mins rest in between
20m Lower leg strength/rehab circuit:
Toe walks (straight), Heel walks (straight), Toe walks (toes out), Heel walks (toes out), Toe walks (toes in), Heel walks (toes in)
Wednesday (5/3)

Hurdle Mobility:
2 legs in each 2x
1 leg in each 2x
Lateral (each way once)
Backwards, 2 legs in each 2x
Over/unders (each way once)
Hurdlers: Hurdle drills, block starts over hurdles, 100/110H: 3-4 starts over 5 hurdles, 400H: 3-4 starts over 2 hurdles
Jumpers: bounding, approaches and popups, short approach jumps (off springboard or box?), HJ: skips for height, takeoff drills, circle runs, approaches, bridge drills
Sprinters: block starts, then 3x20 with blocks, 4-6 x 30m sled pulls
Cooldown, stretch and core
Thursday (5/4)

Warm up and 2 accels
Turf workout:
2 x 4 x 50m
Walk back recovery, 4 min between sets
20m Lower leg strength/rehab circuit:
Toe walks (straight), Heel walks (straight), Toe walks (toes out), Heel walks (toes out), Toe walks (toes in), Heel walks (toes in)
Cooldown, stretch and core

DISTANCE WORKOUTS

DISTANCE: Meet at Engineering Hall at 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thur, 9:00 a.m. Sun

Day Workout
Monday (5/1) Mid-distance workout
Base Run + 150m Flys
3-6 miles easy with 3-4 x 150m Flys. Use the first 50m to build into it and then work down to 800m/400m effort (250m walking recovery). No cooldown.

Long distance workout
Base Run + 200m Zooms
4-7 miles easy with 3-4 x 200m Zooms (200m slow jog recovery). Each 50m faster than the previous one (ie. 10k-5k-3k-mile). No cooldown

Ancillary: Medball Circuit #1, Core #1
Tuesday (5/2) Recovery Day
3-7 miles easy or Light Cross Training

Ancillary: none
Wednesday (5/3) Last Big Workout (10 days out) before the La Crosse Last Chance Meet
Middle Distance
2-3 mile easy warmup + drills and a few strides
400 almost all out: ~95% effort (8’ recovery)
2x800m @ 5k effort (2’ recovery)
3’ recovery after the 800’s
3x200m @ 800m effort (2’ recovery)
1-2 mile cooldown

Long Distance
2-3 mile easy warmup + drills and a few strides
4x800m @ 5k pace (400m steady recovery)
5’ recovery (walk or light jog)
800m cutdown: Each 200m progressively faster, finishing close to mile effort
1-2 mile cooldown

Ancillary: General Strength #1-4 (pick 1-2 circuits)
Thursday (5/4) Recovery Day
3-7 miles easy or Light Cross Training

Ancillary: barefoot circuits 1&3 (see previous weeks for exercises)
Friday (5/5) Base Run + 4-6 strides
6-9 miles easy with 4-6 x 100m strides at the end of the run.

Ancillary: General Strength Circuit (1-4) x1*
Saturday (5/6) Long Run
8-12 miles easy

Ancillary: Hip/Glute Circuit #1
Sunday (5/7) Flex Day
a few miles of easy running, light cross training, or off

Ancillary: *Optional General Strength Circuit (1-4) x1*

Join us

To become a member of the Wisconsin Track Club, please register with us on IMLeagues and fill out all three required forms. Additionally, please pay membership dues for the season by sending $30 to @WiscoTC on Venmo.

Join our Slack, Strava, and Facebook groups.

To learn more about us, check out these slides. 

We hope you come out to train, race, and socialize with us!

Thanks for checking out this week's Moosletter! Good luck on your finals!