Nice to be back racing, 3K at home on Saturday.
Monday: 8 Miles- Durham, NH
Another unexpected Monday workout. Inside because very cold and windy outside. 3040m tempo in 10:12 (we ran full laps until we got past 10 minutes) which wasn't hard but didn't feel comfortable either. Then 1600-1200-1000-1200-1600 with 5:00/3:40/3:00 targets (75/73.3/72). 2.5 minutes rest. Knew from the start of the 1600m that this was going to be a tough one. Solo after the 1600m which didn't make things easier. Hit the first two, fell off a bit (just gassed and fading at the end of every rep) then got an extra minute rest for the last 1600m. Brutal workout, felt dead after the 1K so went to the well for those last two. Lot of hard work (10K+ of work). Difficulty: 5/5.
Splits: 4:57, 3:38, 3:02, 3:43, 4:59.
Tuesday: 12 Miles
AM 4- Dover, NH
Cold out, a bit tired from the workout.
PM 8- Durham, NH
Solo after 3. I think our team mileage after me at 78, the second highest is around 50. Was enjoying the trails despite being poor conditions (a lot of mud, standing water or frozen uneven ground) then twisted my ankle. Was a little angry as my ankle has been terrible for the last 10 months or so and it seems like every retwist is a huge setback towards full ankle health. This was the first one in 3 months, but only hurt a little when they're usually very painful so hoping it won't set my stability back too much.
Wednesday: 10 Miles- Durham, NH
4 with some guys, then solo into trails which were quite muddy. Felt tired.
Thursday: 10 Miles- Durham, NH
Short rose with Kevin and Zach then some soft surfaces add-ons. 8x150m strides to finish. Tired legs.
Friday: 7 Miles- Durham, NH
Pre-meet, did short Rose +.
Saturday: 9 Miles- Durham, NH
Meet day. Not much in the way of expectations with the 15mph winds and occasional big gusts. I was originally entered in the 1500m but decided to switch because this is probably the only 3K of the season and there were some solid guys in it. The 1500m ended up being two heats and the second heat looked miserable (no one fast to push the pace) so it ended up being the right decision.
Felt okay during warm-ups. Hard to estimate the actual time of 3K, ended up warming up a bit early. Was surprised how loose my legs felt. No time goals today, originally I wanted to try to crack 8:40 in good conditions but the time today would really depend on how much grinding into the wind I'd have to do. Alec Troxell (8:14 PR) was the clearly the class of the field and I expected he would run solo. I got off the line pretty well and fell in quickly into second place in the chase pack, while Troxell and Tristam Coffin went out a bit harder. Out in 68/69 and we were already gapped by a bit, so I think sitting back with this group was the right decision. We began to slow really quickly as we were down to 2:59 at the 1K running 73s/74s. I knew this was way too slow and multiple times thought about taking the lead to get the pace a little more honest. I also thought about just making a huge move to go after Tristam, but that would be really risky as I'd be taking the wind alone with a lot of laps left. Went back and forth with some Maine guys for the lead, then ended up taking it for the last 1600m or so. We went through 2K in 6:05ish- way too slow. Probably the only time in the race I thought about time instead of effort.
I basically tried to keep the pace from completely lagging while making sure I had another gear when it came time to kick. I do think I kept the final time from slipping 5 or 10 seconds slower, but we weren't running fast until the last lap and that's probably due to the effort it took just to run 73s into that wind. A bunch of people went by me on the homestretch with a lap to go. I started to feel that race fatigue and end of race stomach distress with two to go, so I felt a bit sluggish and ready to give in after getting passed. I very nearly let everyone go and completely caved, but I reminded myself of the gear I had saved up and quickly got back in it. Making a hard move on the backstretch was risky into the wind, but not as risky as letting it come down to a 150m sprint which I don't have the wheels for. I made the move, Forest stuck with me then shifted into another gear that last 100m. I tried to do the same but was already in top gear and all I could do was watch as he pulled away while I just tried to fight my body from shutting down. Crossed the line as the clock ticked over 9- 4th overall in 9:00.
Mixed feelings on the race- don't feel great about running 9:00 when I ran 8:53 over two months and I certainly am much fitter now. I also don't feel great about getting outkicked like that. I think I made the right moves tactically with the wind. I could have sat back, done no leading and been more of a factor at the end but with the same guys leading and kicking 200m out instead of 400m, we likely would ended up running around 9:10 instead of 9:00. I also could made bolder moves earlier- like kicking 1K out or just going with Tristam from the gun, but I think being a little safer was the right move with the wind today. The one mistake I made was not running 2400m-2600m more aggressively. The wind was in the backstretch so ideally I should kicked with 600m and I likely would ran 8:57-8:58.
The biggest factor in the slow time was not sharing the lead equally which led to inconsistent, slower splits. I wish Forest had helped me out with the lead for a few laps rather than letting me do the work and then outkicking me. I still ended up closing in 66- which is one of my better finishes in a 3K. I think I could have ran low 8:50s with people trading off the lead more frequently and low 8:40s without the wind. Okay opener, some positives and negatives to take away.
5 mile cooldown- a few woods laps with teammates plus a mile on the turf solo.
Sunday: 14 Miles- Newbury, MA
Checked out Plum Island in February 2021 (barrier beach), but only ran about halfway down as I wasn't fully healthy then. I had wanted to come back for the full length at some point but at 13 miles, it made sense for a longer run. Ran to the southern point of the island on refuge road, first half is a really nice paved road then second half is unpaved and a bit rocky/unpleasant. Loop turnaround on some manicured trail then back. Added on some more grass trails on the way back, but had to run to pass trail closed signs where some people gave me funny looks. Legs a bit tired the last few miles but overall felt solid on this.
Weekly Total: 71 Miles
Movies Watched: I basilischi, The French Dispatch, and Morbius
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