Monday: 5 Miles- Westerly, RI
Ran from the house, easy evening run. Weather felt nice and my legs felt really nice too.
Tuesday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI
Having serious eye irritation in response to spring allergies, so definitely not as comfortable running without contacts. Tried a workout- wanted 2-3 by 2 miles on the grass at roughly 6:00 effort to simulate pinelands. I started running on the fields only to notice it was really uncomfortable with how high the grass was. I shifted to running the .9 mile Foster Cove (gravel) but I was a little nervous as it'd be easy to run into people with the sharp turns.
Got through the first one feeling solid, just over 6:00. Took what I felt like for a rest (approx. 4 minutes) and jogged back into the park as I saw some groups start going into the wildlife refuge. I really made it up as I went along on the second and despite feeling strong the first, the second felt terrible and the entire second mile I was grinding it out. I finished on the high grass field and the pace absolutely sunk there, but still 6:10 average for the full rep. Called it there, was a little disappointed. Tried 6x20s strides after on the grass to get some more work in but just felt completely gassed. Difficulty- 3/5. (Probably should be a 2 if I had felt better).
Need to make better decisions in workouts and not make it up as I went along. Hadn't decided on route or rest before and that definitely hurt me. Shoes were also way too tight but instead of loosening them and I just started the second one and my legs were really heavy as a result.
Wednesday: 9 Miles- Charlestown, RI
Vin Gormley loop with Dad and Brady. Felt solid through 7 and then my energy levels totally crashed. Fun run and enjoyed although it was a lot harder running without contacts today on the singletrack. Glad my ankle has gotten stronger as I feel like it would have really to easy to sprain with my poor vision.
Thursday: 8 Miles- Exeter, RI
Afternoon Arcadia. Enjoyable but I didn't fuel well and felt weak.
Friday: 6 Miles- Charlestown, RI
Pre-race at Ninigret.
Saturday: 17 Miles- New Gloucester, ME
Camped the night before at a nearby State Park. Got up just after 6am to eat breakfast and pack up. Arrived at Pinelands around 8:15 AM. I had only brought long sleeves and a singlet and opted to warm up in long sleeves as I didn't want my race gear to be soaked in sweat before starting. I knew the weather would be much warmer than last year (low 40s last year) but underestimated how upper 60s/high humidity would feel and got a good sweat going. Pre-race stuff including bathrooms stop took me a little longer than expected and I could have used another 5 minutes but nothing like last year where we barely had time to warm up.
I stepped on the line and it looked like Patrick Caron would be my main competition. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew he was a good trail/ultra guy but without any singletrack or monster climbs, I figured I should be able to stick with him. I was a little worried about the down weeks coming in but figured I ran great last year off not doing a ton of training and track fitness should carry through here. I hadn't put much thought into the weather but realized after warming up that it was definitely going to be a factor. I hadn't ever raced in these trail shoes. I did a few slight pickups into race pace (basically slow strides) and decided they were way too tight so I loosened a bit then got prepared to go off.
We were off soon enough and Caron absolutely sent it off the line. I wasn't expecting that all and was planning on a conservative start given the conditions and that it was 15 miles. But I came here to defend my title and it seemed silly to let the race go immediately. I tried my best to keep up but he was flying (low 5s for the first half mile) and then I knew it was time to call off the chase, slow down and relax. This effort felt closer to 10K and it was going to be a long day if I even tried to keep a manageable gap. I slowed down and kept the effort solid but more manageable. The toughest part of the course was a loop across the street that was pretty windy (as in twisty, not actual wind) and hilly. This year, we ran that first. I kept the pace solid through 4 miles but Caron opened up an enormous gap on me. I just had to hope that I'd run steady and he'd eventually come back but I wasn't feeling too great and I started to realize the win was probably gone. I had a similar gap on third and tried to run steady for hold second.
With the fast start and hot conditions, it didn't take long before I started feeling like trash and suffering. Mile 5 slipped as I started to really struggle on the uphills and feel weak. I knew it was going to be a rough and toned down the effort considerably and started to focus on trying to hold second instead of trying to run a fast time. At the mile 6 aid station, I stopped for 40-50 seconds to consume my gel and take several cups of water. I didn't stop once last year so this was definitely giving in a bit but at the same time not having any water or rushing through the water stop was a huge risk.
I ran solid through the next 5- around 7 minute pace with a nice long downhill. Much slower than target pace/last year's but not quite slogging yet. I saw Caron go by in the other direction and when I reached his spot I realized his gap on me was twice as large as my gap on third.
Cumulative fatigue, heat and hills got to me the last 5 and I crumpled. Could only manage 8 minute pace feeling very hot and with very little in the tank. The gel never really kicked in but may have prevented me from crashing earlier. I took a long break at the mile 10 waterstop. I twisted my ankle on some uneven grass immediately after but not really an issue. I noticed my gap on second was probably down to 30 seconds and closing. I tried to think of whether it was worth it to fight for second when he caught up and decided 4-5 miles was too far out to make a big move, but if he somehow didn't pass me until the last few I'd try my best to go with him. He closed the gap to within 10 seconds and I kept preparing for the pass, but somehow held him off for a full two miles. I came up to the waterstop with 1.5 miles to go and had a choice to get more water or battle for second. I chose the former with the race having already slipped away and being so overheated/dehydrated. He went right by the water stop and opened up a lead. I felt energized again for about 30 seconds and I thought I might be able to run him down but the fatigue quickly came back to me.
We ended up finishing on a hill climb and there's no way I would have a kick against the second place had I skipped the water stop. I ran my slowest mile of the race here at 8:08 and just slogged it in. I finished almost a full minute behind second so I think I made the right call getting water.
This was a pathetic performance and an absolute sufferfest. Caron actually ended up running slightly slower than I did last year so he might have fallen off a bit too. The conditions were killer and I wasn't acclimated at all, but I think lack of training hit me harder. I hadn't done a true long run in the past week and barely anything over 10 tapering for end of track/recovering from the last meet whereas my mileage was more consistent in 2021. I wouldn't say I had great preparation in 2021 but having some longer hard trail efforts with Shad Bloom and multiple FKT attempts was definitely better than flat track work into time off/low mileage with no intensity and only a few tune up workouts. Easily my worst 25K performance of the three and much worse than last year but need better aerobic strength and better weather really. Comparison of 2021 mileage and 2022 mileage before the race.
2021 prior 4 weeks: 58, 66, 61, 65
2022 prior 4 weeks: 60, 42, 37, 60
Sunday: 9 Miles- West Greenwich, RI
Tillinghast recovery run, similar to last year. Sore but felt better than expected.
Weekly Total: 63 Miles
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