The Westerly Strava Segment Holders

Strava segments are one of my favorite things to look at after a run. I started looking at the ones I had, then saw how many of those were in Westerly. I went a little further and found (at least almost) every Westerly segment holder. I'm actually familiar with most of the segments, but not all of the segment holders. Here's the list (ordered from most Westerly CRs to least):

Matthew Walker (The Crandall Stretch, Winnapaug 5, Shore Road East, Winnapaug Road Climb, Links Passage, Shore Road Pond Section, Westerly Track Lap, 1A South, John Street Climb, Elm Street South, Urso, Moonlight Valley, Winnapaug 7, Cedar Crest, Moore Woods, East Ave North, Watch Hill 2, East Ave South, SS Cemetery Sprint, Park Down, Hardwood Down, Boiling Spring, Ocean House-Misquamicut, Granite Sidewalk, Winnapaug 4, Wawaloam, Rabbit Run, Atlantic View, The Climb, Fountain Spur, Setting Sun, Watch Hill 1, Winnapaug 8, Larking Pot, Gardner Hill, Fairway, Yarmouth Hill, Park Ave Climb, Fox and Shepherds Run, Root Canal, Granite Down, Wells Up, Happy Valley North, Old Hopkinton North, Misquamicut-Ocean House, Fun Run Hills, Weekapaug Grass Trail, Avondale 1K, Narrevue, Narrward, Bridge West, Linden, Old Hopkinton South, Narrland, Orange Sprint, Ocean House Bump, Mastuxet North, Timothy Drive, Winnapaug 2, Seanew Shore, Granite Street Hill, Pond to Shore, Shore to Pond, Potter Hill East, Canal to Potter Hill, Narragansett Ave Summer to Ward, Kettle Close, Seabury Double Hill)

68 Total: 60 Road, 8 Trail

102 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 67%

Jeff Walker (Monument to Bridge, Hansel & Gretel, Winnapaug 6, Trail It Up, Mastuxet East, Grills Blue Trail, Seacrest Shortcut, Mastuxet West, Wawaloam Drive Climb, Champlin Green Trail, Avondale, Bridge East, Through the Rocks, Whitebrook, Moriah Drive Climb, Champlin Orange Trail, Westerly Town Forest River Climb, Babcock, Timothy Reverse, Happy Valley Climb, Potter Hill to Westerly Town Forest Climb, Ice Pond Climb, Browning)

23 Total: 12 Trail, 11 Road

48 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 48%

Jonny Hammett (Oak Climb, Narragansett Climb, Winnapaug 3, Morraine Coaster Up, The Woody, Pumpkins 5K Climb, Avondale Reverse, School Street, Big Hill Climb From the South)

9 Total: 7 Road, 1 Trail

180 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 5%

Chris Garvin (Fun Run Mile, Margin Street, Schonning 5K, Fun Run Finish, McCoy Fun Run, End of Ocean View, Westerly Run for Pumpkins Course, Charlie Stavros Beach Memorial Course)

8 Total: 7 Road, 1 Trail

166 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 4%

Muddy Puddin (Red Going Up, Ocean View Highway, Watch Hill Road, Fisherman’s North, Atlantic Ave Westbound, Weekapaug Loop, Surftown Half Marathon, Big Hill Yellow Blaze)

8 Total: 6 Road, 2 Trail

52 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 15%

Tommy 5K (Sand Trail West, Misquamicut to Town Beach, Up and Down, Perkins, Weekapaug to Ocean View, Rocklight Shore, Avondale Trail)

7 Total: 5 Road, 2 Trail

8 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 88%

Ryan Davenport (Weekapaug Loop, Shore Road Bumps, Noyes Neck to Wagner, The Shelter Harbor Road Race)

4 Total: 4 Road, 0 Trail

70 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 5%

Michael Crutchley (Wilcox 1, Wilcox 2, T.Swift Up the Hill)

3 Total: 3 Road, 0 Trail

42 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 7%

Scott Snyder (WH Lighthouse Sprint, Ocean View Dash, The Breen-Pasadena Shuffle)

3 Total: 3 Road, 0 Trail

18 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 17%

Mike Galoob (Clamdigger 5-Miler, Seaside to Town)

2 Total: 2 Road, 0 Trail

224 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 1%

Dan Davenport (SH Perimeter Loop, Post Road Climb)

2 Total: 2 Road, 0 Trail

33 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 6%

Mike Timpano (Watch Hill Loop)

1 Total: 1 Road, 0 Trail

11 Segment CR Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 9%

Eric Dauphinais (RB Cemetery Water Dash)

1 Total: 1 Road, 0 Trail

1 Segment CR Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 100%

Aaron Tallardy (Wilcox 3)

1 Total: 1 Road, 0 Trail

1 Segment CR Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 100%

Tony Peters (Blue-Dot Trail South)

1 Total: 0 Road, 1 Trail

1 Segment CR Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 100%

Steve Brightman (Run for the Pumpkins Trail 5K)

1 Total: 0 Road, 1 Trail

14 Segment CRs Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 7%

Kev Handel (Shelter Harbor Road Climb)

1 Total: 1 Road, 0 Trail

1 Segment CR Total

Percent of Segment CRs in Westerly: 100%

Kind of a weird post, but I'm certainly not taking it down now after collecting all this information. I'm certainly not doing one of these for Hopkinton or Richmond as I'm not familiar with many segments there, but Stonington and Charlestown wouldn't be completely out of the question (but aren't likely).

Rocky Point 5K and Summer Racing Schedule

I've wanted to do a summer racing post for a while now, but I wasn't quite sure exactly what I was doing until more recently. My track season ended on a great note on June 11, and then the summer racing season was open.

Week of June 12: No races (not including New Englands). BRR was an option, but since I wasn't extremely interesting in competing I decided not to run. I had never been a fan of the 5K course, and the 5-Mile may be a little tougher considered I was coming off a hard race. I also hadn't broken in my only pair of trail shoes yet and had ankle discomfort from being stepped on in the 3200 the day before.

Week of June 19: No races. There were a few 5K options, but nothing that seemed worth it.

Week of June 26: I decided not to run Bottone, but instead to do Rocky Point 5K. Here's how it went.

Rocky Point 5K
June 25, 2016
10:08 AM EST

We arrived late...very late. The parking area was about half a mile from the start, but I still had to register before warming up. By the time I had done that and used the bathroom, I only had about 5 minutes to warm-up. This was a little worrying. I had eaten enough, but wasn't hydrated as much as I should've been. Did a very brief half mile, before strides. I did the strides on a side street as the start was at a slant. We waited an extra 10 minutes before starting, to wait for late registrants and bathroom users. I was worried my shoes were too loose but I didn't retie as I didn't know when we would start. I had a chance to scope out the competition, which was solid, but not quite as stacked as 2015. However, winning times were in the 18s in 2013 and 2014, so this was still faster than that. There were three I had to look out for, and a few other fast looking guys. The likely race winner would be Bronson Venable, and I would be near recent Hendricken graduate Dominic Parlato and Toll Gate sophomore (will be Junior) Nik Reygadas. Parlato was primarily a 3K runner in track, as he was best at the longer distance while Reygadas was the other way around, more a mid-distance guy. Typically, I'd say it's safe to say that Parlato would definitely beat me and I would definitely beat Reygadas, but I could surprise with a low 16s, and Reygadas could definitely be up there too, with a recent 16:40 at the Gaspee Days 5K.

My plan was to run a 5:10 first mile, stay strong the second mile, and hammer the final mile. This is what I usually do, so I figured it would apply here too. Of course, I really didn't factor in elevation which ended up affecting the pace.

Mile 1: They didn't do a great job with either pre-race instructions or shooting off the gun. They had a small wheelchair start a few minutes before us, and I wasn't sure if we were all starting together. We didn't, but when it came time for the main start the gun shot sounded like a misfire so it was confusing and I started a second late (not that it mattered, but it was odd). Immediately, Reygadas went out hard like always. I was monitoring my pace, it was high 5s going up the short first hill. We turned right and sped up. Going down warwick neck was fast. We stayed as pack of 4 (the four I mentioned earlier), with Bronson leading the group. I kept looking at the pace, and it was dropping down into the 4s. As important as it is to stay with the pack, I wasn't going to risk a fast first mile hurting my race. I slowed and backed off a little, letting a small gap form. Reygadas backed off with me, while Dominic Parlato stayed in second behind Venable. The gaps grew and after another turn, Parlato backed off Bronson's fast pace as well. Reygadas passed me, and I stayed right behind as we turn onto a walking path (right next to Bayside field if you're following the course map). There was a waterstop at the end. I took a cup, as my throat was dry. We crossed the first mile in 5:06.

Mile 2: Mile one was a little faster than I had anticipated, but it made sense with the downhill. Parlato had a least 10 seconds on us, and Venable was another 5-10 seconds ahead of him. As we made another turn, I took my first look back. No one was even close and I didn't have to worry about being caught by anyone farther behind. Mile 2 was many turns, as you can see on the map. I was getting a little tired and the pace was dropping. I passed Reygadas back and ran hard down a steep downhill, making a small gap between he and I. A few more turns and mile two was almost over. I was looking at my watch, and pace hadn't dropped off so much. I looked back and Reygadas had fallen back a bit. Mile 2 split was 5:12.

Mile 3: I was on a great pace, very likely PR. However, I was getting tired and I hoped not to fall of the pace this final mile. When we got on the Rocky Point path, it was scenic but I was too tired to enjoy it. I looked back on a really wide stretch and couldn't even see the next runner. I was now closer to second place than fourth, but he was still far ahead. With half a mile to go, I wanted it to end. I was really tired, pace was dropping a little, a now we were hitting the uphills. I felt weak going up the final quarter mile, and I didn't feel motivated to run it in hard until I saw the clock when I was at the three mile mark. I looked at my watch at about 16:00 and I knew I'd have to finish strong to get the PR. I picked it up at the very end, and crossed at about 16:28.

I wasn't sure if it was a PR, but later a results board show 16:28, a PR by one second. Later, I would find out in the results that it was actually 16:27. My watch showed 16:10 for 5K, as I got 3.16 for distance (likely because of the many turns). I went for a three mile cool-down with some of the top guys (which was a little tiring), then looked at the post race refreshments. Picked up $50 for the third place award, which was nice, and one way to earn back the $35 entry fee. Overall, pleased about the PR and will be looking for another one at Sailfest (7/10).

Week of July 3: We looked into another type of race and signed up for the 2016 Loon Mountain Race. It looks extremely difficult, but also looks like a lot of fun (when is racing in NH not fun?). Definitely going into this one underprepared but also running it for the experience of a mountain race and not for time or place or effort.

Week of July 10: Sailfest 5K in New London is one of the best 5Ks I've ever done, and last year I ran pretty well. Considering that I'm not doing many 5ks this summer, I wanted another chance to run 16:10s. This may be one of my hardest efforts this summer, as I'm going for a big PR.

Week of July 17: Iceland racing. Our family vacation this year is in Iceland, so why not race there? There's a road 10K on Friday the 15th that I'll run all-out, and a 10K/24K trail race that'll do easier and more for fun.

Week of July 24: Nothing right now. Two possibilities are Fat Clam Tri and Run with the Beavers, but I think it'd be better to take a week off and focus on Blessing.

Week of July 29: Blessing of the Fleet. Probably the most important race of the summer for me. I'm looking to improve significantly on what I ran last year, which was still a great race for me at the time (1:01:42, 53rd). I don't really care about place, but I don't just want to run sub-60, but be in the 58s.

Week of August 7: I'd like to use this a double race weekend. Saturday I'm doing the BI tri, which will be a fun event. Sunday I'm undecided- do I want to run Run 4 Kerri or do another Tri (Niantic Bay)?

Week of August 14: Another important race, the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. I haven't determined any goals, I guess I'll see where my fitness is then.

Week of August 21: I'm seriously considering doing the Rhode Warrior sprint option, which is new for this year. The swim is a quarter mile, the bike is 8 mile, and the run is 4. It seems easy and fun, and well as being extremely close. I also probably have enough trimom credits to get in for free. (Cross country would either start the 15th or 22nd).

Week of August 28: I'd like to run Schonning again, mainly for the back-to-back win that I've wanted. This would be a rare time that I go for the win over the time.

That's my summer plans. Some are subject to change, while others I'm definitely doing. Of course, I'll also be running the fun runs, mostly Stonington and Westerly as tempos, but I'd also like to run one or two Groton or Chariho.

Weekly Log: June 20 to 26

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 10 Miles. I always thought it would be a great idea to a fun run double, where an easy morning run would precede the evening fun run. Last year, I was too lazy to do this, but I decided to try it out. Just 5 miles, easy pace. Easy pace is supposed to be low-7s, but every time I've attempted I run 6:50s and it feels pretty easy. This was a low-7s run, as my thighs felt heavy and I felt slow and tired most of the run. Despite not feeling that great, it felt like I'd feel better at the fun run because of it.

In the evening was the first Stonington fun run, a little later than usual into the season (but I actually would missed any if it had started earlier). I was looking for 5:50 pace. We arrived very late, and had to rush our warm-up. A little less than two miles, and then I quickly used the bathroom and changed into a faster shoe. I saw a fast-looking group and next to them were two recent CT high school graduates, one of them being James Rose. Most, if not all, were capable of running under 5:50 pace, so I wasn't worried about having to lead. When we started, I stayed right behind Rose, constantly checking my watch for pace. After a quarter mile, average pace was 6:20, so I gradually picked it up, passing him in the process. And that was it. I was completely alone for the rest of it. I guess everyone decided to run it easy...really easy. I won quite easily in 18:01 (although there was no racing clock, no clear finish line, or no one timing), and it felt mostly good. It went by quickly, my watch got my average pace at 5:47, and the only discomfort was that I put my shoes on too tight, hurting my feet a little.

Wednesday: 8 Miles. Westerly fun run. I was worried that I may not perform well because I hadn't hydrated or eaten properly throughout the day (not enough of either), and I was feeling weak. To get decent mileage out of a fun run, I'd have to do a longer warm-up and/or cool-down (or find a longer fun run distance). I went for a three-mile warm-up from the house. It was good. My legs and feet felt great, and I didn't feel like I was lacking energy. I had to use the bathroom badly the last mile, but that obviously wouldn't affect my actual fun run.

I went to the bathroom, drank some water, and tried to find some shade before we started running. On Tuesday, I had put my shoes on too tight because they felt loose. On Wednesday, I was more careful of making that mistake again, but they felt really loose so I tightened them. This week, I predicted we would have two additions to the sub-18 club (not including Jonny H and myself). Muddy was doing strides, so I assumed he was running it somewhat hard, and a fast-looking runner in a pink singlet. Before the start, I saw someone else talking to him (the pink singlet) and pointing to me. They stared for a while.

I didn't want to go out as hard in the first quarter mile as I did last week, so I lined up second row. It may have been a mistake, because of group of much younger kids lined up right in front of me. The pink singlet guy lined up behind me. Then we were off.

I immediately had to work my way around the younger kids. I passed them quickly and was moving up many places. Passed dad and muddy, until Jonny was right ahead of me. Of us. The pink singlet runner was now right behind me, passing people as I was. We both went by Jonny on Bayberry, and the pace was about what I wanted. Pink singlet was now right next to me, and as I tried to turn left he kept going straight, forcing me to bump into him. A simple point left corrected his error, and he didn't get in the way after that. We turned onto Crandall, and Jonny pulled up right behind us, making it a lead pack of three. At this point in the race I noticed: A) both he and Jonny were breathing somewhat loudly while I wasn't, B) this group of three was fun to run in, but as I kept looking at my watch it was usually off (mid to high 5:30s instead of 5:30 exactly or slightly under) which told me staying with the pack was actually slowing me down, C) My feet hurt a little because my shoes were too tight and my thighs felt heavy. It soon dropped to a pack of two, maybe at the next turn. We went through the mile in 5:34, slower than I wanted. We stayed right next to each other. I passed him to try to balance out the pace, but it wasn't working. I couldn't get into a fast groove, and my lower body wasn't feeling great. I struggled going up Ocean View, and eventually he took the lead for the first time. I was actually couldn't even keep up. He was dropping me, and I couldn't make a move to take the lead. When we went downhill, something happened. Before I was off the pace and unable to correct it, now I surged past him on the downhill and forgot about my thigh and foot problems. I had a few seconds of a lead at the top of the hill and was no longer uncomfortable or unable to pick up the pace. This felt more like it. I ran speedily down the slight downhill on shore road, and had a good lead by the time I turned onto Crandall. I had corrected the pace, now down to 5:29. Even though I just needed to cruise to a 5:30 final mile to meet my pace goal, I really didn't want to lose my lead and decided to run the last mile hard. I felt great doing, continually picking the pace. I ran a 5:10 final mile and finished pretty strong as well. 17:10 official time, 16:35 on watch (at the 5K mark), 5:22 average pace. Had been thinking about running Rocky Point 5K for quite a while, and this (only six seconds off 5K PR based on watch split) was a good indication I could PR there. Immediately after I finished I felt like my feet were suddenly burning, a sensation that went away when I took my shoes off (definitely tied them too tight).

Concluded with two mile cool-down, where I felt absolutely awful with both foot pain and weakness.

Thursday: 7 Miles. Woke up later than I wanted to, and was really dreading this run. And I had good reason to, as it was awful. After mile 2, I felt so weak and ready to collapse. Not fun at all. Tried to avoid long boring stretches on busy roads, so incorporated several quieter neighborhood roads for a good portion of the run.

Friday: 4 Miles. Low energy Shakeout/low mileage run before Rocky Point 5K. I had been looking into this one for a while, and really thinking about doing my June races every since track started to come to a close. I was thinking if I didn't qualify for New Englands I'd do a road 5K that Saturday or the BRR five-miler. Once I did make New Englands, I thought about doing the BRR 5K the day after, but I didn't have much interest as it wasn't one of my favorite events and I was okay with skipping. I still went, but neither race/post-race activities were as exciting as expected. There weren't any notable races nearby the following weekend, so it was this weekend that I would return to racing. There were two races: Bottone Mile Friday night and Rocky Point 5K. I ended up deciding on Rocky Point. There were a few good reasons (my mile PR needs an update, I've been longing to run another track race, I could get my first back-to-back win) to do Bottone, but the reasons not to do it (I haven't had much success in the 1500 since indoor, I haven't done any speed training since track ended, I'd rather go for a 5K PR, lack of competition) won over.

Saturday: 7 Miles, Rocky Point. I'll do a separate and more detailed post later this week, but here's the basic summary. Left too late (registered only 10 mins before start!), didn't drink enough, and barely warmed up. Did a few strides. Competition was Bronson Venable, and two other High School (one just graduated) distance athletes I ran against frequently. Pace went out hard, so eventually I backed off a little and let the top two go. I ran with another Sophomore/soon-to-be Junior for a mile and a half, but he dropped off after a while. At two miles, I was at 5:10 average and not close to either 4th or 2nd place. Mile 3 was tough, especially the uphill finish. I saw the clock ticking up, and crossed the line just under my PR, official time 16:27. Group cooldown with some of the top runners of 3 miles, which is longer than I probably would've gone on my own.

Sunday: 8 Miles, super easy barn running.

Overall, a very solid week. Stepped up the mileage a little bit from last week, and will probably do a little more this week. Also, another positive was the 5K PR and most of my runs (5 of 6) were pretty fun, whereas last week only half of them were actually fun. More to come on a Rocky Point post.

Weekly Total: 44 Miles
YTD Total: 1,029 Miles

Weekly Log: June 13 to 19

Finally. The last few weeks I've just wanted track to end. A less fun version of running, doing painfully fast laps around a track. I actually changed my perspective on track after my success at States and massive success at New Englands. After each, I was happy to run the times I ran and was excited for the next level. I actually wasn't that far off (4 seconds) from qualifying for the emerging elite two-mile at New Balance Nationals in North Carolina (June 17-19). Honestly, I wish I had a few more weeks of track, but it's finally the long offseason, the summer, the one to enjoy. So far, it hasn't been quite as fun as I expected, but it's a long summer with lots of great events to come.

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 0. Enjoyable to not worry about running, but last day off of three-day break post-track.

Wednesday: 6 Miles. First Westerly Fun Run for me, second for many others. I've decided to run the fun runs hard this year, attempting to run 5:50 average (18) at Stonington and 5:30 average (17) at Westerly. Not having run in a few days, my legs felt a little funny with weird and random. I was thinking about doing 8 total: 3 WU, Fun Run, 2 CD, but my watch started glitching and freezing during an update. It took me a while to figure out, and I had to cut a mile out of the Warm-up. It wasn't a good sign that I had to use the bathroom immediately before the race. At first, I thought the top 3 had been completely rearranged from last week's top three, which was Jonny H, Jonny E, and Dad. I knew the latter wasn't coming, but I expected the other two to be there, and it didn't seem like they were coming. However, Tom B and Justin B were there, some of the WTAC's finest 5K runners. Then both Jonnys showed up, making it 5 WTAC runners who had run low 17s or sub-17 minute 5Ks. This was going to be quite the fun run, and I was looking forward. I figured most of them would be shooting for around a 17-minute 5K. I was planning on running about mid 5:30s the first two miles, then if I felt good push the last mile. I figured I'd run out easier and not take the lead until Crandall ave (0.5 mi in). However, Tom B said something like Jonny H is running this hard so you'll have someone near you, which implied, disappointingly, that neither him nor Justin B were running it hard (Jonny E showed up last minute). I hadn't run 5:30 miles on the road in so long that I even did a few strides before race (run). Even though it was hot and others were going shirtless, I decided not to, something I would regret postrace (run).

As we lined up, I expected to run behind both Jonnys until Crandall, then make a move for the lead. But they called go, and I was off. I didn't plan on starting that fast, but I just went and immediately got a lead. Of course, I was still checking my watch constantly and looking back on turns. The first quarter mile felt great. No aches or weird feelings in my legs, plenty of energy, 5:20 pace seemed easy. And then I was actually slowing down, already. After the first turn, my average pace seemed be dropping by quite a bit (it wasn't actually) and it was getting less comfortable. This was really odd because I've done 5K at 5:18 pace, and I had only gone a quarter mile at 5:20 pace. I felt merely okay the rest of the first mile. Not good, but not tired either. I settled in at mid 5:20s pace, and it felt like Jonny H was catching up and about to pass the entire time. I didn't want to pick it up, but I also didn't want to be passed. Fortunately, I didn't have to (pick it up). He wasn't gaining on me (or not by much), it just wasn't far behind. I went through the mile in about 5:25, although the timer's split was 5:31 (extra distance on turns). I no longer had track of Jonny Eckel, but it still felt like I had gone out too fast and now Jonny Hammett was going to catch. And now, I was starting to feel awful. A little bit of a full stomach, a lot of discomfort and fatigue. Another half mile passed. The pace dropped off a little, but not too much. I finally shook the feeling of being chased down and realized I had a solid lead when I got to the top of the course's only significant hill. Mile 2 was 5:29. I was trying to simulate target 10K pace, but this felt much harder than that. Mile 3 was brutal. I hated every second of it. I knew I had the win, but felt like I was ready to collapse and die. I somehow brought it back down to mid 5:20s again during the third mile. I decided not to kick completely the last quarter, but I picked it up a tiny bit (5:00 average for last 0.2). I finished in 17:14 (possibly 17:15 or 17:16, I never checked), faster than I expected. If I had ran 5:30s exactly, it would've been 17:3x. I was very happy with the time (a course PR by nearly a minute, my GPS got the 5K split in 16:45 (16 seconds off PR gives a good indication I can hit a PR before XC), and (second?) win ever), but not how it felt. I don't think I could've held that pace for more than 4 miles, and I'll be trying to run it for 10K next month. However, there are a few reasons why it maybe didn't feel so great and I shouldn't count on this everytime:

1) Pace I planned for 5:30 average, and ran 7 seconds faster per mile. The 7 seconds could make it feel much worse than it should, as that's a lot in a 5K. Also, I went out at the very beginning much harder than planned. Perhaps it would've felt better to go out more conservatively.

2) Eating I had taken a nap midday, and woke up a little later than expected. I had to eat a little closer to the fun run than I would have liked, and felt a full stomach effect during the race, causing discomfort.

3) Heat I don't think I need to explain this one.

4) Days Off I hadn't run in the past few days, and perhaps I needed a run to shake things out before (that sounds weird, but you know, a shakeout before a fast race).

I'll be back next week, trying to stay on pace a little more. I may be doing a 5K that weekend, so I could possibly adjust my target time. I know this was like a race write-up, but this fun run felt important enough to get this kind of write-up.

Thursday: 7 Miles. Waited around all day, but strangely this wasn't a run I was absolutely dreading to go on. It probably should have been, because nearly the whole thing was unpleasant and tiring. However, it didn't feel as bad as Wednesday, and I was really happy with 6:07 average pace, my third fastest training run ever and fastest from the house (top two from school). I was able to finish reall strong despite the fatigue, so I'm glad I didn't drop off (5:49 and 5:52 final splits).

Friday: 5 Miles. After fairly hard efforts both Wednesday and Thursday, I took a little easier Friday. Unfortunately, it didn't feel good, but not bad either. The time passed much quicker than both Wednesdays and Fridays runs. 6:43 pace for 5 mile, an out back on happy valley/watch hill, loop around setting sun and ice pond. Not a bad route, and not a bad run.

Saturday: 7 Miles. Watch Hill/Yosemite Loop at midday. I'm actually getting more and more used to the summer heat, as I don't really notice how hot it really is until I'm running in direct sunlight or when I finish. It was hot a usual, but it didn't feel any different from runs earlier this week. I felt less weak than usual, and my legs felt pretty good except that my thighs were a little tight. It wasn't fun, as I don't like running mid-day (but didn't want to wait around until evening). This was just one to get it over with. Pretty happy with pace (6:23), but I'm starting to feel more tired each day, so I'll probably take Monday off.

Sunday: 8 Miles. Fun and easy Burlingame trails w/Dad. Conditions were very nice, not quite as hot or humid with practically no bugs. Trails were great, many of them I hadn't been on before. Nice recovery for me, I had been tired recently, and felt less fatigue on this run.

Weekly Total: 33 Miles (even with the days off this week, I still ran more than last week)
YTD Total: 985 Miles

New Englands- Weekly Log: June 6 to 12

Final week of the outdoor season, as I once again squeezed in as one of the last qualifiers for the new Englands championships. It was cool going up to Vermont in XC season, and also cool to go to the Reggie Lewis track and field center. This location was closer, Willowbrook park in New Britain, CT, but like the others, it did not disappoint.

Monday: 4 Miles, track. 6x400, 45 second recovery, ran splits between 66-69. 60 second recovery after that set before an all-out 300 (44s), which was quite tiring. 5-8 minute break, then 4x200 (33s). Difficulty: 4/5.

Tuesday: 7 Miles. I felt pretty good but after about 3 miles, the heat started to get me. I became drowsy and tired, losing more and more motivation as it went on. I received temporary relief when I soaked my head in the sink at Dunkin Donuts, but it was short lived. However, I still maintained a fast pace (6:26) for six miles.

Wednesday: 4 Miles. All-out 400, in which I felt slow but still hit a PR of 55.6 seconds. It took a lot out of me, making the following 8x200 (33s each/45s recovery) quite hard. Difficulty: 4/5.

Thursday: 3 miles, 6x200. Descending pace: 37/35/33/31/29/27 (not exact splits, but around there). Around one minute recovery, this was pretty easy. Difficulty: 2/5.

Friday: 6 Miles, final shakeout/practice. Easy, easy five miler through pumpkins neighborhood and east ave side roads. Felt great.

Saturday: 4 Miles, New England Championships.

Like states, I waited around for a long time. Slightly less this time (states was 12 to 6/New Englands was 11 to 4), but I had no idea what time I was running and the waiting around was not fun. The track was really nice, the first I've ever seen with nine lanes. The area around it was also nice, with two giant sets of bleachers, and plenty of room for teams to set up. The waiting around at states was boring at times, but was never awful as I was somewhat comfortable and had a great view of some great races. New Englands was not fun waiting around. It poured from 11 to 2 (give or take half and hour on each side), making it cold, wet and unpleasant. I also had a terrible view of any of the races, so it was either watch them in the pouring rain or don't watch them. The worst part was I didn't have a comfortable seat, and I was just waiting, having no idea when I would warm-up or race. It finally came, and as the time passed I became nervous I didn't eat enough because I didn't plan on running later than 2. I was also visiting the bathroom far more often than I would've liked. My warm-ups were far apart from each other, there was lots of waiting around inbetween due to unexpected delays. It felt like the 4x100, an event that takes less a minute to complete per heat, took a whole hour due to technical difficulties. When it was finally time to warm-up, the sun randomly came out and warmed up everything. At first I was looking forward to racing in the rain, but after getting cold I was glad for the change. It wasn't hot, but the weather was very nice.

I didn't get nervous until my final warm-up, as I wasn't feeling great. Of course, this didn't mean I would feel crappy during the race. I wasn't allowed to check in at first, and when I did others in the event were already heading over to the start (area where runners put spikes on before brought to start). I was really nervous during strides because I was afraid the 200s would go by quickly and I would be rushed to head over. My coach finally told to me get there. I ended up having more time than I expected, but not as much as I would've liked. I got a few extra strides in on an outer part of the track, and then the slow heat was told to jog over to the start.

The jog up to the line. Never done this before.

I had some bad races in the previous two New Englands, so I wasn't sure how I would do in this race. I wasn't looking for any specific times, just to run hard. The big meet was states, and this was just an extra opportunity. As we awaited the final instruction, a group of four or five jogged up to the start from behind. These were mostly Vermont runners, who I guess were a little late. We repositioned the start, and we were off.

3200
It was a fast start, and it was crowded. I was slightly boxed in, but tried to stay on the outside to not get boxed in too much. I was mid-pack, and pretty quickly in a runner from behind stepped on my ankle hard. It really hurt, and it felt like it was bleeding. I ignored it and soon it went away. The Vermont runners led it out quickly, opening a small gap on the rest of us. They came back to soon, and there was shuffling in the pack. I tried to stay near the other RI runners in the race (one EG, one Hendricken). We went through 400 in 67 or 68, and the 800 in about 2:20. I wasn't feeling great, and I was almost sure I'd fall off the pack. We were on a good pace, but it was very unlikely I'd be able to keep it. A red singlet runner had a big lead, a lead that he completely lost over the next few laps. As we hit the hallway point in about 4:40, 4:41 we had all caught up to him. The pack remained surprisingly intact, still 6-7 people in it. I stayed at the back mostly, trying to hang on. Every once in a while someone would drop off. Somehow, despite feeling weak, it wasn't extremely hard to stay with the pack. It wasn't until 6 laps in, where the pack broke up and there was some pushing at some points, that I realized I was running well. I don't remember what the split was, but I knew I was near 9:30 pace. We broke off into a group of 3, one being the EG runner with two to go. I passed the EG runner with 600 to go, but he passed me back at 400. I never planned on making a move, as my kicks have been so bad lately, but when my coach yelled to go around, I did. I picked the pace quite a bit and had a sudden burst of energy that I probably should've used earlier in the race. I had a really good kick this time, and took the unseeded heat in 9:23.9. This would've been a big PR for 3K, and much better than I expected.

I actually thought I had a chance at top 6, based off last year's relatively slow times (it was hot), but the fast heat was fast. I finished 11th overall, 2nd (of 5) from RI. There were 9 runners under last years winning time, and I would've finished 3rd in last year's race.

Somehow, I managed to run by far the best race of the season, running about 10 seconds faster than I expected. Really happy with the meet.

Sunday: 0 Miles, watched BRR race. Not quite as exciting or fast I anticipated.

Weekly Total: 28 Miles
YTD Mileage: 952 Miles

States- Weekly Log: May 30 to June 5

And once again, the end of the season is here. Unfortunately, I waited far too late to post this, removing some important from memory and perhaps the quality of post. I was coming off a great race at the Hendricken Invitational (8:57 for 3K, 7 Second PR), so I was hoping to improve upon that time at states. I originally anticipated I would run the 1500 and 3000 at states, but coach ended up dropping me out of 1500. I was confused at first, but the more thought about it, the more it made sense. Overall, I was looking to run 8:52, B goal of PR (8:56 or faster). I wasn't as stressed for States as I was for Hendricken, but I became nervous towards the end of the week. Training was quality before, or at least most of it was.

Monday: 5 Miles, memorial day hill workout. 4xNarragansett: one of the worst hill workouts I've ever done. Felt terrible and immediately wished it to be over. I actually felt strong on the first one, and came just one second off my personal best on the hill (which was disappointing, because I pushed it so hard and thought I got a PR). After that, it was a disaster: I ran them really slow, stopped early on some, and had some serious and sudden digestive problems. I cut the warm-ups and cool-downs short, and this was just an unpleasant, awful run. I'm sure eating poorly had something to do with it, but the low quality of this run was unexpected. Difficulty: 3/5.

Tuesday: 4 Miles, track workout. Was really expecting a normal run, and this brought a much less fun activity. Plans were for 8x400, I did 7x400. About 45s recovery, I was supposed to hit 70s, I ran 69/68/67/66/64/66/66. Extended break  (3-4 mins) inbetween the 4th and 5th. Happy with my splits, but not fun at all and quite difficult. Difficulty: 4/5.

Wednesday: 7 Miles, ran in CT. Felt extremely tight and not so great.

Thursday: 5 Miles, final track workout before states. I'm not exactly sure on this one (writing it 9 days after run), but I think we did 10x200 (35s each/45-60s recovery) before a 5 minute break, then an all-out 400. The 400 was a catch-up game (slowest started first, fastest started last), and I caught about half with a 400 PR of 55.8 Not too bad of a workout, difficulty: 2/5.

Friday: 6 Miles, shakeout. Took it pretty easy, just a couple of loops downtown at a high 6 pace.

Saturday: 5 Miles, 2016 Outdoor State Meet. I usually do a big description of what happened before-race, but I just want to finish this post, so I'll cut it down. I had plenty of time to sleep in (bus at 10:45), bus ride up was comfy, and we got a good waiting spot when we arrived at 11:45. I ran at 5:45, meaning I had to wait a whole six hours before race. It wasn't fun- I stared at my watch constantly hoping time would slow down (I was nervous/stressed out). I got to watch a few good races, did warm-ups, bathroom breaks (again, lack of stalls was annoying). Strides, and we were up. The Brown University track, overall, was good. I liked running on it. It was slightly strange as the straightaway were longer than usual, meaning a shorter curve. I don't know how I feel about that, it was just weird. I was really nervous the hour before, but not quite as much the moments before. It was sad to hear one of the top runners dropped out (who had been having a rough season). Runners, on your mark...(gun fires).

3000
Nearly the whole field ran out hard. The start was chaotic. During the chaos, the position fumbling and bumping into each other caused me to accidentally detach one corner of my bib from my shirt. This was annoying, as it was hitting my hands the rest of the race. The top La Salle runners and a fast Cumberland took the lead positions immediately. We went through 200 meters in 33, 400 in 67. And the pace became more what we should be running. After just 1000 meters, I was tired and not feeling great. I wasn't sure if I could hold on. It went by quicker than I expected. I was in a group, the second chase pack (if two person count as the first chase pack). There was the LaSalle runner leading, small gap, a Cumberland runner and an EG runner, then the pack I was in. I was exchanging positions frequently, but never super comfortable. Eventually I got to the front of this pack, but with about 1000 to go, I was passed by some Hendricken runners. They went quickly, and I tried to go with them but they were moving. The EG runner completely fell off and I passed him. At the end, I was passed by another Hendricken.

Based on how I felt, I figured I would do well- but I had a pretty good race overall. 7th OA, 3-second PR of 8:54 (8:54.02). The top LaSalle ended up dropping out, so the EG runner and I got to move up and take a spot in the New England Championships next Saturday (3200).

States is often regarded as the most important meet of the season, so I was glad to get rid of that stress. It was also nice to continue the pattern of great races (3 in a row now).

Sunday: 5 Miles. Went to watch Dad in Mystic Tri, and decided to get a run in there. Originally planned 8-10, but had little motivation, tight and tired legs/thighs, weakness, and more digestive issues. I cut it very short because of how unpleasant it was. I actually posted it late because I was a little ashamed.

Obviously, the whole week was just about Saturday's race. Obviously, it wasn't perfect, but it was still one of my finer races of the season and I'm pretty happy with the result.

Weekly Total: 37 Miles
YTD Total: 924 Miles