As I announced at the start of the year, I’ll be publishing a reoccurring article for my chosen ‘athlete of the month’. For July the athlete of the month is... Chad Wolpert!
Chads’ progress month on month has been phenomenal since he joined our team. When we first started working together, he had a short-term goal of breaking 19 minutes for a 5km. He has progressed so much since then, and in this short space of time that his current 5km time is just over 17 minutes, phenomenal improvement! It’s a matter of time before he dips under that magical sub 17-minute barrier for 5kms.
He attends the weekly track session and is yet to miss one. This consistency is clearly paying off as each week he seems to be getting faster and faster. At his rate of improvement, before I know it, I’m going to be chasing him around the Wandsworth common track sesh!
His recent performances within the virtual race series have been top quality, managing to hit 4 of the 5 very bold targets that I had set for him. The only one he missed was due to a dog running across his route during his 1 mile attempt at Battersea Park. Having to dodge the dog he took a tumble but thankfully didn’t do any long-term damage, the joys of virtual racing! His times for the race series were as follows;
- 20 Minute challenge: distance of 6.95kms (ave pace 3:36 per km)
- 5kms in 17:22 (ave pace 3:28 per km)
- 10kms in 35:48 (ave pace 3:35 per km)
- 1 Mile in 5:14 (ave pace 3:15 per km) whilst having to dodge a dog
- Half Marathon in 1:22:04 (ave pace: 3:53 per km)
Apart from the hard work he is putting into his training, we did a video analysis of his form. Identifying areas where he can improve on his weakness. He has since then addresses these by doing daily stretches, drills and occasional yoga, in order increase his flexibility and improve his running mechanics. Just goes to show that smart training is a lot more effective than purely focussing on running and times.
His attitude towards running is admirable and his love for the sport is obvious to those around him. He’s a big time team player and always encouraging fellow teammates whether it be at a track session or during a virtual race. He’s become a core member of the JustalilBester team and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this talented runner!
Onwards
Upwards
Progress!
Who will be the athlete of the month for August?
