How did I do on my 2014 goals?
Mile- (Sub 5:25) I beat my mile goal first in June (Bottone Mile) with a time of 5:22, and again in December (RI Classic) with a 4:53.
5K- (Sub 18:15) It took me 8 months into the year (Schonning) to PR, but that still didn't beat my goal. I beat the goal in October (Class Championships) with a 18:10, and again in November (State Meet, Avondale) with times of 17:48, 17:30.
10K- (Sub 39) I didn't run a 10K all year, but I'm sure I could crush that. Hopefully, I will run Belleville Pond 10K in February.
Little Rhody- (Sub 55) I crushed that goal with a 5 minute PR, 50:35.
Blessing- (Sub 1:07) I decided not to run that race this year,
Clamdigger- (Sub 34:30) I beat this with a time of 33:02.
Mileage- (800+ Miles) Strava tells me I have 861, so success, but there are so many miles I didn't log.
Triathlon- (PR in Crab and Block, Do Well in Goddard) I PR'd in Block, but not Crab, and I would not define 92 out of 124 as good.
Fun Runs- (Sub 20 every week) Not even close. Didn't even beat 21 some weeks.
Track- Sub-10:30 3000m, Sub-5 1500m, and sub 2:25 800m. I beat my 800 and 1500 goal both while I was in middle school with times of 2:23 and 4:50. I came close in the 3000 with a 10:34 effort, but I never quite made that goal. (I did run a 9:40 in indoor track, but I made this list for Middle School Track)
2014 started out bad, but picked up for me later in the year.
My Top 6 Race Performances of 2014
6. Surftown Half-Marathon (Westerly, RI)
Surftown was my favorite and possibly my best race of last year, but it lost some of its fun to the fact that it was no longer my first half-marathon and several WTAC members dropped out for random reasons. This year, Surftown was not fun. It wasn't brutally awful and a miserable experience, but it was much less memorable than the previous year. The year before I had crushed my expectations, and I did in 2014, but not as much as other races.
5. XC Injury Fund Meet (Burrillville, RI)
I was hoping I could get in the top 30 or so, and I ended up being much faster and finished in 3rd. I also hadn't run a 5:48 pace in a race in quite a while. This race helped me set my expectations for the rest of the 2014 XC season.
4. Chariho/Coventry Indoor Track Dual Meet (Providence, RI)
Another race where I exceeded my own expectations, I won the 3000 with a time of 9:44, when I expected just barely sub-10, and 4th or 5th place. But it wouldn't make my list for that alone. In indoor and outdoor runners are allowed to run multiple events, as I did in this meet. I ran a 600 in 1:39 a few practices before, and I increased that PR to a 1:36. I also went sub-60 in the 400 for the second time, with a time of 59.5 seconds.
3. Avondale 5K (Westerly, RI)
After scoping out the competition, my goals were something like: 3rd Place or better, and 5K PR. After a very tiring and surprising race, I was able to A) Beat Dad for the first time, and B) Have my second win ever after passing Johnny Eckel in the last 200 meters.
2. Little Rhody Runaround (Charlestown, RI)
I couldn't beat my goal of sub-55 the previous year, so I was hoping to beat that this year. Of course, I had improved so much in the year, and I thought this was easily achievable. I never expected to go sub-51, though. One of the biggest PR's in my life, I took almost 5 minutes off my PR, and held off Johnny Eckel for the 3rd week in a row.
1. XC Freshman States (East Greenwich, RI)
After my coach told me he expected me to win Freshman states, I was overwhelmed and nervous at the thought. But as the race got closer and closer, it seemed more and more possible. Of course, I was extremely nervous before the race, but I did better than I expected. After the first mile, the only runner who challenged me wasn't able to keep my fast pace and I took the lead. Coming out of the woods, it seemed he was right behind me, but the gap was bigger than I thought, and I was able to hold my position and take the win. At a 5:30 pace, something I never thought I could do.
Honorable Mentions: Stavros, Indoor Track RITCA Invitational, WHS Rivalry 5K.
All of those races were in the final four months of the year, but I also had some poor performances in 2014.
My Top 6 Worst Performances in 2014
6. XC Class B Championships (North Scituate, RI)
After just running a 5:30 pace in Freshman States, I expected a sub-17:30 5K, but I didn't prepare properly, and I had a bad race for the first time in the season. 18:10, and although it was a PR, it was far from my expectations.
5. Backroad Ramble (Charlestown, RI)
I started out fast, but soon it seemed like everyone was passing me, and I lost to people I usually beat. My place had gone down from how I placed the years before, and even my time had slowed from the previous year.
4. Old Mountain 5K (South Kingstown, RI)
Probably my slowest 5K ever, I ran a 32:10 at Old Mountain 5K in January. I know the time should be expected to be slower in snow-covered trails, but I don't think 14 minutes away from my PR is an accomplishment.
3. Pawcatuck Lions (Pawcatuck, CT)
The only Connecticut entry on either list, Pawcatuck Lions 5K is usually a place where I PR. Instead I run a time of 20:57, which is downright terrible and not even close to my PR.
2. Ocean's Run 5K (South Kingstown, RI)
In the race above, I ran a 20:57, but in the 2014 Ocean's Run 5K, I ran a 22:01. I will not be returning for that race in 2015.
1. Crabman Triathlon (South Kingstown, RI)
Crabman did not go well for me. I didn't think it was possible, but I was even slower than I was last year. Not that I did terrible last year, but I really thought I would improve. 2015 will be my last year doing the Crabman Triathlon. It's nothing against triathlons in general, or the people holding Crabman, but I don't enjoy any of the three courses.
2014 Stats
- 32 Races (19 School)
- 12 PR's (7 in Track)
- Probably a little under 1000 running miles
- Longest Run: 13.6 Miles
- Shortest Run: Maybe a half-mile warm-up
2015 Goals:
- Sub-4:45 Mile
- Sub-17 minute 5K
- Run a 10K and a 4-miler (I skipped out on those race distances in 2014)
- Sub-50 minute Little Rhody
- Sub-64 minute 10 Miler (Hopefully Blessing of the Fleet)
Indoor Track (9th Grade) Goals:
- Sub-9:20 3000m
- Sub-4:30 1500m
- Sub-59s 400m
