Ascutney- Weekly Log: June 7 to 13

Raced Ascutney Mountain run this week, my first mountain road race and a tune-up/test for Mt. Washington the following weekend.

Monday: 0 Miles. I generally don't like to go two 6-day weeks in a row, but was feeling sore and banged up from the NY mountain run.

Tuesday: 6 Miles.

Easy run in Avondale, went out quite a bit slower than normal (7:30s instead of 7:00s), both due to taking it slow intentionally and being still sore from Sunday. Initially thought I'd bag the fun run CR attempt but felt more fluid and natural in the second half. Did some fast strides to finish which felt good. 

Wednesday: 8 Miles

Fun run. Felt quite warm on the warm-up and still a little sore from Sunday, so decided to call it on the CR attempt and do somewhat of a workout instead going tempo (5:40 target) for first 2 miles into a hard last 1.1 miles if I felt up to it. Sebastian went harder and put a big gap on me as I settled in but still ran too fast, hitting low 5:30s through 2. I felt sluggish in the warm weather and humidity, but it felt noticeably easier to run about 25-30s slower through two miles than last week. I naturally picked up on the slight downhill and into Crandall, and just used that momentum to push hard and get going on Crandall. It helped that Sebastian was ahead and I had something to shoot for. Despite feeling good and crushing it on Crandall (about 4:50 pace for the half mile stretch), I faded and felt little energy for the rest of the run. Ran it in about 5:10 pace, with mile 3 being 5:00. Finished in 16:58, another solid time but a good ten seconds back from Sebastian. Decent close, but would have liked to maintain that fast pace for a little longer. Crandall is weirdly so fast and then the last bit is much harder with turns and headwinds.

Thursday: 10 Miles

Afternoon 10 in Matunuck, repeating a loop I did last summer taking Matunuck School House road to Trustom Pond, doing the 3 miles of trails there, down to moonstone beach and cards pond road (took matunuck schoolhouse to end last time). Then turned onto SK town beach to take the beach back and a mile + of road to Green Hill park start/end. Felt good through about 6 miles before hitting the beach portion. Extremely rocky throughout and very difficult to maintain pace. Just constantly slipping on the hundreds of loose rock. Especially terrible at the very end as the rocks were huge and completely unrunnable. I started running 15 minute pace here then walked the last bit. I got tired of running that and felt tired on the last section of road.

Friday: 6 Miles

Made the drive up to Vermont with a stop in Claremont, NH to get my run in. Parked at Monadnock Park, which I liked as a run start as there was a dirt rail trail a quarter mile from the park and a track in the park. I like easy soft surfaces for pre-race runs and to get in strides (track perfect for that) at the end, so this was perfect. Unfortunately a mile section of the rail trail was basically a dirt sidewalk alongside a busy road which wasn't great to run on. The section after, start of the sugar river trail was isolated in cool woods along a pretty river so that was much better but I turned around before long. On the way back, I was treated to a view of Ascutney looking massive in the distance which made the road section more enjoyable. Got in my strides in the rain. Been having issues with blurry contacts from irritated, itchy eyes which is really frustrating when running. Had this much of the run.

Saturday: 10 Miles

Woke up at 7am and quickly made and had my oatmeal. I used to wake up really early and have huge breakfasts concerned that I needed the carbohydrates, but I'm really getting away with lighter stuff more recently which makes the morning easier, less stressful and bathroom stops more convenient. The huge benefit to camping 100 meters from the race start was the convenience. After eating, getting bathroom break done with and checking in, I had about 30 minutes of down time to relax before warming up. My eyes/contacts once again were bothering me but fortunately this wasn't an issue during the race.

Went for a 2 mile warm-up where I had to go the bathroom again and was nervous I was cutting it close to race start. Got to the line without issue. I saw Brightman, Benjamin Jones who I knew of from his Cardigan FKT, and Eric Blake who is a seasoned mountain runner and has won Mt. Wash several times. Lined up in the 2nd row for a mass start. The race director said we could take our masks off after starting, but I and many others didn't have masks. 

We were off and we rounded the turn up the auto road. Eric Blake was in the lead easy and I felt content to stay with the second group. It felt like I was jogging, so when Benjamin Jones passed the group for second, I chose to follow and go with him. After maybe just a third of a mile or so, it suddenly felt really hard and I began to go backwards. I proceeded to be passed all the way until the halfway point where I settled into 11th place where I would finish. In a flat race, I can feel what I have left and that I can choose to let people go/pass me or stay with them. Today, there was no response as I grinded up the steep grade. I've felt good on long trail climbs before, but this was something else as I was just struggling so much and there was zero rhythm. The last mile was a little better as there were occasional spots where the road became flat and that gave me some comfortable movement. I could hear someone breathing loudly behind me, but managed to get to the finish line before giving up another spot. 

Not much of a recap, but the race was a blur. Felt easy for a quarter mile then a brutal struggle from there on out. I got a little bit of strength back on some brief flat section in the last mile. Having the whole race be a continuous steep climb is something I really underestimated and clearly went out way too hard. I finished 11th in 34:14, just 20 seconds ahead of Steve Brightman and well behind the chase group I had started with.  I was pretty disappointed with this. I was well off any place or time goals, and just struggled out there. I guess being decent on trail climbs and the mountain races I have done does not translate to the auto road races, or at least one this steep (12% grade average). Perhaps I would fare better at Prospect Mountain or Greylock, which is a much less steep on average. This was so many times harder than Loon Mountain Race. "Ran" to the summit on some cool pine trails that I had missed in New York last week. Awesome view above the clouds, Vermont is so pretty and a very underrated state. I was going to take Futures trail all the way back but bailed onto the auto road after a mile as the trail was steep, technical and narrow which wasn't fun when wet. I was thinking how surprisingly grippy my road flats, just before slipping several times and nearly wiping out. I was also thinking how well my ankle was holding up, just before I twisted it which hurt. 

After some unpleasant downhill road miles, I packed up and got out of there. I had originally planned to do some of vermont's 4000 footers, but my eyes were really bothering and I didn't want to have to deal with that during some hikes and mountain runs. Besides, it was quite wet, getting hot and probably best to stay off the trails with my bad ankle. 

Interestingly, every race I've done this year and the next three races I'll do are ones I've never done before.

Sunday: 8 Miles

Afternoon road run in Charlestown with Dad. Felt sluggish in the warm weather.

Weekly Total: 48 Miles

YTD Total: 842 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Testing road strength at the fun run. Always good to get back to faster stuff.

Weekly Lowlight: Struggling at Ascutney and then having eye issues. 

My US Men's Distance Olympic Team Picks

I'm really excited for the olympic trials and to see who will represent the U.S. for Tokyo. I don't really know much about the sprinting scene or the women's running scene, so here are my picks for the olympic team 800m-10,000m for guys.

Men's 800

1. Donovan Brazier 1:43.78

2. Bryce Hoppel 1:43.94

3. Clayton Murphy 1:44.61

4. Isaiah Jewett 1:44.89

5. Isaiah Harris 1:44.92

6. Brandon Miller 1:45.41

I'd say Brazier and Hoppel are absolute locks. They've been way ahead of anyone on the U.S. scene since the world championships in 2019. Tough to see either getting beat. The downside to both is Brazier almost got beat at the Portland Track Festival and Hoppel hasn't been racing this spring, but both are very consistent. Clayton Murphy has struggled the last few years but is slowly coming around this year with a few wins here and there. At his best, he could contend for an olympic medal (he won bronze in 2016) and while it's hard to see him getting back there in just a few weeks, he should be a little bit better than Harris, who hasn't even run under 1:45 in the last few years. I didn't think the college guys would be a factor, but after an impressive 1-2 at NCAAs with sub-1:45 performances, Jewett and Miller should do well. But considering both barely even made the final, I'm not expecting them to have the closing speed to make the team (they didn't have the closing speed to get an auto Q for the NCAA final).

Locks: Brazier, Hoppel

Contenders: Murphy, Jewett, Harris, Miller

Dark Horses/Wild Cards: Everyone Else

Who I Want to Make It: Brazier, Hoppel, Murphy

Mens' 1500

1. Matthew Centrowitz 3:38.43

2. Craig Engels 3:38.91

3. Cole Hocker 3:39.07

4. Yared Nuguse 3:39.40

5. Josh Thompson 3:40.21

6. Henry Wynne 3:40.43

I think it's safe to say most are expecting Centrowitz to make the team, who has consistently been at the top of the U.S. scene for many years, even when not at full health or strength. He struggled early in the year but has come back around recently with a 3:35 win in May and a 1:46 800 a few weeks ago. He has the experience and should at least make the team, if not win. The next two spots are mostly likely between three guys- Engels, Hocker and Nuguse. The ability between the three of them is extremely close and it's easy to see any two of them making it. I picked Engels second due to recent win at Portland over a strong field and experience with previous championships and rounds. I'm giving Hocker the third spot simply because he beat Nuguse at NCAAs. It's difficult to leave someone as good as Nuguse off, but it's extremely close and he absolutely could make it.

Thompson and Wynne are dark horses. Wynne has run fast but doesn't seem to possess the ability to be in the top group. Thompson has that ability but hasn't been great this year. There's a whole slew of guys who could be anywhere from 4th (assuming one of the top 4 has a bad race) to 10th as they've run fast: Hobbs Kessler, Vincent Ciattei, Brandon Kidder, Johnny Gregorek, Eric Avila, Sam Prakel, Colby Alexander, Ben Blankenship, and Izaic Yorks. It would be a shock if any of those guys made the team as they'd have to run significantly better than they have all year. Blankenship and Gregorek have made teams in the past but it's too competitive for them now and I don't think either have the standard regardless. It's worth noting Clayton Murphy and Donovan Brazier are entered. I would put both in that 4th-10th chase group but would be surprised if either made the team.

Locks: Centrowitz

Contenders: Engels, Hocker, Nuguse

Dark Horses: Wynne, Thompson, Murphy, Brazier

Wild Cards: Kessler, Ciattei, Kidder, Gregorek, Avila, Prakel, Alexander, Blankenship, Yorks

Who I Want to Make It: Centrowitz, Engels, Nuguse (I like Blankenship but I don't think he'd deserve it after not racing all year)

Men's 5K

1. Grant Fisher 13:33.47

2. Joe Klecker 13:34.23

3. Paul Chelimo 13:34.67

4. Woody Kincaid 13:34.78

5. Sean McGorty 13:34.91

6. Cooper Teare 13:35.33

7. Eric Jenkins 13:35.66

8. Lopez Lomong 13:36.33

9. Ben True 13:36.77

10. Emmanuel Bor 13:37.31

The Men's 5K and 10K are absolutely loaded with a bunch of guys in very similar form. Grant Fisher has been running great this year, and outkicked any other american in his 5K and 10K PR's. He then outkicked woody kincaid to close in 56(?) at Portland showing he's ready to go. Chelimo and Lomong have great experience but haven't been running often or well this year. Chelimo's results and past experience should be enough to get a spot, but Lomong didn't run well at his only race this year. His 13:26 doesn't really indicate he's ready for a big performance. The rest of the guys have all run under 13:10 and should be close. Klecker and McGorty have been strong this year, but Klecker's more recent 10k/1500 is promising to me that he can get a spot. McGorty is also entered in the 1500 and steeple, so it's unlikely he'll even run this. Woody Kincaid could absolutely take a spot, but his kick doesn't seem good enough and I'll predict that he'll just miss. It's been too long since we saw a fast Ben True or Eric Jenkins 5K, neither have run under 13:20 in the last year as far as I know and both have better shots in the 10K. Bor hasn't shown kicking potential to make the team and also probably has a better shot in the 10K. Cooper Teare is great but I don't think he possesses the ability to beat much more experienced guys especially after the rounds.

Locks: None (Grant Fisher is close and I'd probably put him there if had more U.S. championships experience)

Contenders: Fisher, Klecker, Chelimo, Kincaid, McGorty, Teare, Jenkins, Lomong, True, Bor

Who I Want to Make It: Fisher, Lomong, Klecker

It wouldn't be a surprise for any of these guys to make the team and it wouldn't be a surprise for anyone to be left off except Fisher so I'm putting everyone in the same category, but Grant Fisher has the edge.

Men's 10K

1. Grant Fisher 28:34.55

2. Lopez Lomong 28:36.31

3. Eric Jenkins 28:36.76

4. Woody Kincaid 28:37.11

5. Ben True 28:37.65

6. Joe Klecker 28:38.43

7. Galen Rupp 28:39.55

8. Emmanuel Bor 28:40.11

I expect Fisher to blow everyone away with a phenomenal kick and then be a tight battle for the next two spots. Lomong hasn't looked good for his 5K, but I trust his strength and experience to bring him through in the longer distance. Klecker has the slowest PR in the field and only finished 3rd in his last 10K against two guys I'd expect to beat, including Bor. Klecker was also dropped in that race with 800m and hasn't shown closing speed on the level of those other guys. Ben True has had zero kick in his last two races, which is necessary to make the team. The 3rd spot comes down to Jenkins and Kincaid for me, and Jenkins just seems to have a better kick and much better experience in championship racing.

Locks: Fisher

Contenders: Lomong, Jenkins, Kincaid, True, Klecker, Bor

Fisher is a lock in this for me, it's just very difficult to see him not getting top 3. He dropped Kincaid, Klecker and True in his 10K this year, destroyed Klecker in a kick when he ran 13:02 and just beat Kincaid easily at Portland (and closed much faster than Lomong). The 5K is shorter (less room to get dropped) and there's more guys, so that's why he's not quite a lock there for me.

Who I Want to Make It: Fisher, Lomong, True

First Fun Run and Mountain Run- Weekly Log: May 31 to June 6

Hard effort at the fun run Wednesday plus a return to the catskills for my first big mountain run of the year.

Monday: 0 Miles

"I might go for a bike ride" (I didn't go for a bike ride)

Final May Mileage: 282, which is a small PR for most May Miles. Nice to get back on track after struggling with injury for the first third of the year. 

Tuesday: 6 Miles

Easy Ninigret. Didn't do strides because legs were heavy?

Wednesday: 12 Miles

5 easy with Dad + Brady at Grills in AM.

7 at fun run in evening. Wanted to go 5:20s which would be a hard tempo but hopefully mostly comfortable. Keith bailed on a fun run CR attempt which I think I was okay with since this was my first hard effort on roads in quite a while. 

Went out in 5:14. Sebastian hung just behind me through half a mile then passed me and put a little bit of ground on me. I noticed I hit the mile marker with 0.99 on my watch, a indicator of getting a much shorter distance than usual. I just felt heavy and really flat. The effort was good but my legs struggled. I felt this the most in Mile 2 as I dropped down to a 5:26. I got into somewhat of a groove mile 3 and was pulled with Sebastian out ahead of me. I slowly closed the gap. Was feeling the effort and decided not to put everything into the last half mile to chase down Sebastian. I still had that mental pain and fatigue and didn't feel like making it really hurt. Finished in 16:31 with a 5:11 last mile, ten seconds behind Sebastian. Definitely not a tempo effort and quite uncomfortable. Didn't really prepare well for this with the morning run and not rolling out/stretching properly. This pace shouldn't be easy (5:17) but shouldn't be that hard either. Still a solid fun run effort, which leads me to believe I ran closer to 5:10 with all the turns, my new watch just won't get that extra tenth of a mile. I think I could have closed the gap on sebastian but not taken the win as he likely had a little bit more as well. Good to see him make a breakthrough as with a 16:21, I believe he is the second faster performer here and has a shot at the CR. 

Thursday: 10 Miles

North South trail last ten miles, Carter parking area to Blue Shutters beach with Dad + Brady. Felt lousy on this one, especially the last few miles.

Friday: 7 Miles

Easy 5 in Burlingame with Dad/Brady then 2 solo where I felt tired.

Saturday: 9 Miles

Haley + Bluff with two hard segment pushes on the boardwalk and amtrak sprint (where a train went by). The first hard push felt horrible and uncontrolled, much better on amtrak sprint. Almost 80 so felt pretty warm.

Sunday: 17 Miles

Mountain run in the Windham-Blackhead region of the Catskill Mountains of New York. Originally considered FKT attempts on Greylock AT Traverse or Kinsman Ridge Trail, but figured it was best not to hammer in the heat (upper 80s to low 90s in many places) and then have a bike ride back to the start. I opted instead to return to the Catskills as I hadn't been to New York yet this year and have only scratched the surface of these mountains. It was a tough run as I really struggled with the later climbs in the heat and twisted/sprained my ankle 10 miles in which made the technical portions (most of the run) a challenge. Normally, I'd give a big recap, but I brought my gopro along and made a long video where I pretty said everything I would here. It's not a great video and is mostly just commentary. Two takeaways from this were 1) I'm not doing a mountain run again when the high is over 80, and 2) I probably won't be going for any big mountain FKTs until I have some more experience under my belt. I got 4 new Catskill High Peaks, bringing my total to 7. Made a new page on my blog to track my progress on mountain/geography lists.

Weekly Total: 62 Miles

YTD Total: 794 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Running fast at fun run

Weekly Lowlight: Struggling in the Catskills

Big weekend in Vermont on deck.

NCAA Predictions (Updated)

I'll probably put my predictions on my blog for the three huge track meets of the summer- NCAAs, Olympic Trials, Olympics.

Will add actual results at the conclusion of the meet.

Original Predictions (6/9/2021 before any events): 

Corrections/Actual Results in this red font (6/13/2021)

Men's 800m

1. Charlie Hunter, Oregon 1:44.8 3rd in 1:45.75

2. Brandon Miller, Texas A&M 2nd in 1:44.97

3. Isaiah Jewett, USC 1st in 1:44.68

4. Finley McLear, Miami (Ohio) 4th in 1:45.80

5. Kameron Jones, Clemson Did not make final

Hunter probably isn't the favorite here, but he's maybe the biggest name after a big indoor campaign that saw him win the indoor NCAA title. I expect him to deliver on the biggest stage of competition. Miller and Jewett are both great, but I'll give Miller the edge since he beat Jewett at regionals. McLear should do well as he barely lost the indoor title to Hunter. Jones has run fast, but I don't think he's at the level of these other guys. 

After watching the prelims Wednesday, I expected even more that Hunter would win as both Jewett and Miller had to make it on time to the final and barely got it in. Hunter more or less cruised to win his heat. Barely making finals is not a great sign, but both went out hard in the final and held onto to run a great time. I was close on the winning time and correctly predicted the top four finishers, but got the order wrong.

Mens' 1500

1. Yared Nuguse, Notre Dame 3:33 2nd in 3:35.60

2. Cole Hocker, Oregon 1st in 3:35.35

3. Eilud Kipsang, Alabama 4th in 3:38.18

Nuguse and Hocker are both outstanding and the race will likely be between them. Nuguse soloed his 3:34 collegiate record in a prelim and I just don't see Hocker doing that. Kipsang is known to go out fast and I think with other guys there, Nuguse can be pushed to go 1-2 seconds faster. Hocker should be right there, but I think Nuguse has the extra bit of grit and toughness that will lead to a victory.

A little off on this one. I expected a super fast time since Kipsang has been going out hard, but he ceded the lead to Nuguse here who was content to go a little slower (62s second lap). Hocker and Nuguse both closed fantastic with sub-1:50 last 800s, but it was Hocker who had just a little more. I think with a faster first half, Nuguse could have prevailed and Kipsang could have edged out 4th placer Waleed Suliman, but it seems the fast last 800 was better for Hocker.

Men's 5K

1. Cooper Teare, Oregon 13:18 1st in 13:12.27

2. Luis Grijalva, NAU 2nd in 13:13.14

3. Cole Hocker, Oregon 4th in 13:18.95

4. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State 13th in 13:30.87

This one is really tough, but should be between those top three. There's an argument that Hocker is the best runner here, after dominating so many races in 2021, including his NCAA indoor double win in the Mile-3K where he beat a fresh Teare. With Hocker doubling back from the 1500 and this likely being the last collegiate race for Teare and Grijalva, I think Kiptoo will make it fast and Teare and Grijalva will close hard from far out where Hocker won't be able to stay with the pack.

The only event I was kind of close on, as I did the top two correct and was one place off on Hocker. Didn't expect the race to be that quick, but 3rd placer Athanas Kioko helped push the pace after Kiptoo faded which kept the race quick and put a tired Hocker out of contention for the win (I don't think he would have beat Cooper in a slower race however). Wasn't expecting Kiptoo to have such a poor weekend though.

Men's 10K

1. Conner Mantz, BYU 27:51 2nd in 27:42.46

2. Edwin Kurgat, Iowa State DNF

3. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State 11th in 28:03.65

4. Robert Brandt, Georgetown 4th in 27:43.17

5. Abdihamid Nur, NAU 3rd in 27:42.73

6. Charles Hicks, Stanford 7th in 27:47.63

7. Adrian Wildschutt, Florida State 8th in 27:48.89

8. Vincent Kiprop, Alabama 14th in 28:19.12

9. Alex Masai, Hofsta 6th in 27:45.19

10. Patrick Dever, Tulsa 1st in 27:41.87

11. Isai Rodriguez, Oklahoma State 10th in 27:52.92

12. John Dressel, Colorado 12th in 28:03.87

13. Aaron Bienenfield, Cincinnati 17th in 28:33.05

Mantz and Kurgat are both great, as they are the last two NCAA XC champions. Kurgat hasn't really been on the same level in 2021 and Mantz destroyed Kiptoo in cross so I think he's the favorite here. The rest are really close in ability and it's a toss up for the all-american positions. I expect most of the top 8 should come from this group. 

I was off on this very unpredictable, very deep and fast 10K final. I think Mantz left it a bit too late as he doesn't have the final stretch kick that others do. I don't think anyone was expecting Dever to win as he came in with a 28:28 PR, in which he finished 30 seconds behind the two Iowa State guys in this field. The Iowa State guys, Kurgat and Kiptoo, did poorly especially as both were considered to contend for the win. 

Mt. Tom and Pineland Farms- Weekly Log: May 24 to 30

 FKT attempt on Mount Tom Trail mid-week followed by a 25K non-technical trail race in Maine saturday.

Monday: 6 Miles

Easy Burlingame run. Plan was to swim with my athletic tape on then immediately after get into shoes and do a hard run. Cut the swim out after checking and realizing the triathlon I had wanted to do had closed registration. Was mildly disappointed, but I wouldn't have signed up until testing that I can swim and then run with the tape intact and pushing biking and swimming into my routine when I still have a handful of races I don't feel trained for probably isn't a great idea. Just a short loop around the state park trail and back, very cool and comfortable weather. 

Tuesday: 11 Miles

Went out for a Mount Tom Trail FKT attempt. Was lazy and struggled getting up, but it didn't really matter as the weather was pretty good. Warmed up from JB hudson lot across the trail start, 2 mile loop but probably a little too technical/hilly on JB hudson trail. Got over to the starting line and sent it. Felt very fluid and fast today, especially on the short steep downhill where I was really pushing out of my comfort zone. Pretty good low 6s (6:18 then 6:15) and felt ready to approach the technical ridge section. Went past a side trail on a pine needle section. I continued straight but just saw no blazes and I got worried/confused so I flipped around to check out the side trail, which was nothing. In a moment of high frustration and disappointment, I stopped my watch. I was upset about my error and felt so fresh that I briefly considered either starting again at the wood river lot or coming back tonight, but running 2 miles harder definitely took something out of me. Jogged back, feeling quite tired. Didn't even have the energy to do any more miles. 

Easy 5 in the afternoon with Dad and Brady, basically same loop as yesterday. Felt surprisingly pretty good all around.

Wednesday: 13 Miles

Return to Mount Tom. Had to wake up a lot earlier as the weather was much hotter today. Parked at breakheart pond lot as I could warm up on the dirt road as that would be a better surface. Felt sweaty and sluggish during warm-up and immediately before starting. I was worried that would mean I'd feel awful on the attempt but I'd just have to try my best. 

Got going well but just felt drowsy and not quite as smooth as yesterday. Went out through 2 miles 11 seconds slower definitely feeling worse. The mount tom ridge climb was a struggle. While it was nice to get a break from the really fast running, my footwork just felt sloppy and I didn't really get into a rhythm over the climb. My foot also got really tight for just this section which didn't help. I got off the ridge at around 3.3 miles and the time around 24 minutes. At the time, I was calculating I had to run around 1.2 miles in 6 minutes to hit the 4.5 miles turnaround to keep the FKT pace, which was pretty much impossible even on a faster section of trail. No issues crossing 165 NB but I felt so slow on the little climb after it. Finally got some momentum and fluidity back on the final portion of the trail which was non-technical, a slight downhill and really fast. Without much scenery or turns, it did feel a little long though and I kept expecting to hit the turnaround at any minute. I hit the turnaround and turned at the road around 29:45, about 35 seconds faster than Ben Q's FKT pace. While I was glad I was back in the mix after thinking I was done after the ridge section, I knew there was no room for error on the return. In pretty much every OAB FKT I've done, I've run at least a one minute positive split and that's about all I had room for today. I wasn't feeling confident, but pushed on.

Returning on the fast section, I felt pretty quick. Made a slight wrong turn but only lost a few seconds. Felt much better going down to 165 this time instead of up. There were 4 cars in a row when I got to 165 but I was able to run parallel to the road then cross so it didn't make a big difference. I hadn't realized how much of a net uphill this trail was NB and that really helped coming back. I didn't feel fast or smooth coming back down but I didn't feel as bad as coming up either. Once I got off the ridge, I knew I was in the home stretch and kept doing mental calculations on where I was in comparison to the FKT. It seemed that unless I fell apart, I had it but that was contingent on me continuing to push. I felt speedy on the blitzkrieg to wood river fast section. The last mile was tough with a couple of steep climbs that were tiring at this point in the run. I expected to hit the finish at 8.46 miles based off my 4.23 turnaround, but the trail was more technical at this point and just felt long and tiring being at this point in the run. I crossed the final road and just wanted to wrap it up. With about .3 miles to go, I took an awkward step and twisted my ankle. It was very awkward to continue and I was hobbling a bit for maybe 30s before continuing. Got to the final turn and wrapped it up in 58:37. 

I'm pleased with the faster sections of the trail, I think I can do better on my technical running and climbing. It makes sense as I haven't had a lot of steep or technical runs this runs and very little in terms of hard efforts on that stuff (just Agamenticus FKT). I think a good goal if I do this again or for the next person who wants to take this down is sub-57. With a good hard effort throughout and a cleaner, smoother ridge section both ways I think that would be a pretty good time. Ran the 2 miles back to breakheart lot feeling exhausted. My ankle was pretty stiff but not painful. 

Thursday: 6 Miles

Mid-day run in Goddard with Dad since we were picking up his Car. Purposely stayed on the doubletrack with concerns on my unstable ankle. First couple miles were very concerning, ankle was very uncomfortable and felt extremely unstable to the point where I was seriously concerning just doing 3 miles or so. Saw out the full 6 and it felt much better as I went on. Even ground felt good by the end, but any misstep or going up on a rock felt pretty bad. 

Friday: 6 Miles

Easy Ninigret with Dad and Brady, ankle more stable than yesterday but very uncomfortable on the side. Was quite worried about my race after this. Drive up to Maine in afternoon/evening.

Saturday: 16 Miles

Pineland Farms 25K in New Gloucester, Maine. 

We got up around 7ish and had our hotel breakfast. Mediocre but did the job. Had some oatmeal and half a bagel. We ended up getting there a bit later than I would have liked and had to rush our warmup. It wasn't a huge deal as being a longer and low-key race, I didn't need a big warm-up. It was mid-40s and had just been raining, so it felt quite a bit colder than we were used to. Obviously pretty good race conditions, but was cold pre-warmup. 

Lined up in the front and was surprised some people chose to wear hydration packs/handhelds. With my ankle twist from Wednesday and being a little underprepared for the distance, I figured I'd go out a little easier and wait a few miles to separate if the competition wasn't stellar. Right off the bat, maybe 5 seconds in, I just slowly accelerated to take the lead because it felt like we were absolutely jogging. I was surprised everyone was going out so slow (6:30 pace?) and just decided to go for it. Quickly and easily built up a pretty big lead. The first portion was on wide, well-groomed dirt XC ski trails which much of the course was on. There were rollers throughout and occasional turns, but the turns were wide and smooth enough that they never felt sharp/twisty. There were a lot of pine trees which was nice to run along and gave that Maine woods feeling. Hit the mile in high 5s feeling good. There were some switchbacks where I got to see the people behind me. They weren't close, but I couldn't tell how strong my gap was and if I was still opening up. We turned onto a road 2 miles in and onto some grass, which a good chunk (40-50%) of the first ten miles was on. It was slightly slower than the dirt but still mostly smooth and fast. 

I don't recall much of the rest of the race. I was amazed at how comfortable and easy it was feeling in the first five miles. It continued to feel that way for quite a while. After passing the first aid station, I was disappointed to realize 1) the water wasn't being handed out and 2) the water was in bottles. I knew there were 4 aid stations and was feeling great (4 miles in) so I saved the option of grabbing water later if I needed it. I had brought one gel in my pocket given that it was a longer race. We ran a .7 mile loop on very freshly cleared grass that was pretty soft and a little slick. It was a little slower but I welcomed the variety and enjoyed this section. Some views of the nearby hills and being an open section, I could see the next 4-5 racers. After reentering the woods, I was able to see 2nd and 3rd place again and they seemed much closer, but it was just a deception of the switchback nature of the course. I was surprised to slip a little on some mud and was more careful with my footing after that. There was another fun grass section before reentering the woods. I continued to feel great and very smooth upon coming back to the start, although I did notice my splits were getting slower into the 6:30s. 

Hit 10 miles around 63 minutes and got really confused going by the start as I thought I was in the finish chute. I kept looking around which some people noticed and told me continued ahead. After I did, I realized there I was in a separate lane adjacent to the finish which calmed my worries. The last 5 miles were in a separate portion of the course across the street. I went by the mile 10 aid station thinking I'd grab some water, but decided not to at the least second, realizing they were in bottles and I'd lose some time and momentum from that. I also still felt pretty good and thought I could get by and finish without it. After feeling fantastic and almost effortless for 11 or so miles, the distance slowly started to get to my legs which got tired and heavy. This last bit was definitely the hardest part and there wasn't much grass to break up the constant rolling and turning dirt paths. Up until this point, I had felt like I had another huge gear to move through and finish very strong but now my legs were much more tired. Went through the half in a PR, then was just wondering what the final distance on my watch would be and whether or not I had a shot at the 1:33 course record. Went past the final aid station thinking I was nearly done and had a shot at the CR. I then felt a bit dejected as we went wide away from the road and I realized the course would likely be close to the 15.5 mile distance on my watch, the CR was gone, and I felt super slow on some field climbing. I was then surprised to cross the road back into the main area and see the finish line right ahead. I absolutely bolted into the finish line (last .1 at 4:39 pace) to finish in 1:35:24 and win by about 5 minutes. I wish there had been some kind of mile markers as I could have timed my kick better and cut some time off. I figured there was another .5-1 miles left and wanted to slowly build up into a sprint finish instead of just hammering the last .1. 

Full results (sort by 25K). Overall this was a surprisingly enjoyable race. I thought not having any singletrack would be tedious and mentally challenging, but the variety between the grass and ski trails was fun, and it was just a nice place to be in. The cool weather and feeling great didn't hurt either. Despite slower splits in the later miles, I ran a very consistent GAP between 5:50-6:10 and ran a 6:18 pace overall (6:01 GAP). I'm pretty happy with my result, and pleased my ankle and achilles both felt pretty much normal. The only thing I would change with the race is that I probably could have hammered the last mile or two but without knowing how much I had left or anyone near me, it was difficult to judge and time a kick. Strava gave me a new 1:22:39 Half Marathon PR. I stopped my watch at 1:35:17, so I'm not really sure where those 7 extra seconds came from (it seems a lot of people had extra time between strava and official). First race win in Maine, so I've now won events in 4 states (RI, CT, ME, NH). 

Sunday: 8 Miles

Slow Tillinghast recovery on wet trail. Ankle felt pretty good even on slightly technical singletrack so improving. We stopped (had to tie my shoe) on this one area on the yellow track that had a bit of an overall and unique vegetation that was just a really cool spot. 

Weekly Total: 67 Miles

YTD Total: 732 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Pineland Farms and Mt. Tom Trail, some good successes.

Weekly Lowlight: Twisting my ankle on Mt. Tom Trail. Writing this a week later (after twisting/spraining it again), it's definitely a complication on my running and has made technical stuff a challenge. 

States Raced In Each Year (December 2021 Update)

I felt compelled to make this random post since I am obsessed with geography. Here are the states I've raced in each year, starting in 2014 as that's the first year I started running consistently. States are listed in order chronologically in order I raced in them.

2014 (2): RI, CT

2015 (3): RI, CT, *VT

2016 (4): RI, CT, *MA, *NH + Iceland

2017 (7): RI, CT, MA, *NY, NH, *AK, *ME

2018 (6): RI, MA, NY, NH, *NC, CT

2019 (3): NH, MA, RI

2020 (5): MA, RI, CT, ME, NH

2021 (6): NH, RI, ME, VT, MA, CT

*First time raced in state

I feel like Rhode Island and New Hampshire will almost always be on my list, at least for the next 4-5 years. Connecticut and Massachusetts should be there most years as well (don't have races planned in CT this year though), but Maine and especially Vermont are trickier to find races in. 2019 is a bit of an off year since I only raced the first two months due to injury. I'm signed up for two races in Vermont this month and Peachtree in Georgia next month so I should cross those off and get at least 5 this year. Not really sure if I'd be racing in connecticut.

Municipalities

Here the towns and cities I've raced in more than once (note that I'm counting each track meet as one race, not each event separately. I am also counting last year's track TTs and all-out fun run efforts even though they are technically not races, I didn't count FKTs however.):

Again, since 2014.

1. Providence, RI- 45 races (mostly indoor track)

2. Westerly, RI- 41 races

3. South Kingstown, RI- 14 races

3. Warwick, RI- 14 races

5. Narragansett, RI- 12 races

6. Boston, MA- 11 races

7. Glocester, RI- 9 races (all XC)

8. Durham, NH- 8 races

9. Charlestown, RI- 5 races

9. Coventry, RI- 5 races

11. Stonington, CT- 4 races

11. New Shoreham, RI- 4 races

11. Burrillville, RI- 4 races

11. Richmond, RI- 4 races

11. Portsmouth, RI- 4 races

11. East Greenwich, RI- 4 races

17. New Haven, CT- 3 races

17. New London, CT- 3 races

17. Middletown, RI- 3 races

17. Lincoln, NH- 3 races

17. West Warwick, RI- 3 races

22. New Britain, CT- 3 races

22. North Kingstown, RI- 2 races

It seems strange I've raced in Providence so many more times than any other municipalities, especially considering I've never run a road or cross country races there. This is really because all in state indoor competitions were in Providence, of which they were many. I actually don't expect to race there again (or Warwick), the only event possibly of interest would be the full/half marathon and it's not really on my bucket list. The local towns I will of course race in many more times, and I'll likely be racing in Boston and Durham over the next school year. 

Municipalities I've Only Run One Race In:

Alaska- Anchorage, Palmer

Connecticut- Barkhamsted, Manchester

Maine- Belfast, New Gloucester, Newry

Massachusetts- Attleboro, Littleton, Norwell

New Hampshire- Concord, Gorham, Hanover, Manchester, Nashua, Newport

New York- New York City, White Plains

North Carolina- Greensboro

Rhode Island- Pawtucket

Vermont- Manchester, Stowe, Thetford, Windsor