Run 4 Kerri

Summer road racing is hard to resist, with many races going on. I try to limit myself not to overrace but at the same time, there are some I just feel I have to do. After missing out on the Run 4 Kerri last year, it was one of the first races this summer I decided to do. I pretty much never run 4 milers outside of this race, and it was good time (2 years) to update the PR.

I felt that my fitness was pretty good going in, even if my races hadn't turned out exactly as planned. I had run 5:00 effort/pace at the fun run, so I thought 20:30 (5:07 pace) would be a good goal for the extra mile. Of course, the extra mile also gave a bigger chance of blowing up so not going out in 4:50 would probably be in my best interest. I wanted to run a smart efficient race with target splits of 5:00/5:10/5:15/5:05. I hadn't planned it out exactly like that, but given the course's fast and slow sections, this would likely work out best to hit my goal time. When I had signed up, I emailed race director Scott Bessette about receiving a spot in the elite field, which was granted to me. I was looking forward to have an "elite status" at what is a local but very competitive road race (rarely every elite field at that kind of race). I also enjoyed my personalized bib, although I would have preferred to have my first name on it rather than my last.

Awesome bibs! Didn't care too much for the shirts.

Fast forward to race day and I was feeling less certain about hitting my time than before. I had gone on a fun but exhausting camping and hiking trip to maine over the last 5 days and hadn't had the opportunity to do my normal running routine or get proper sleep. I was feeling a bit fatigued from this, more than expected. Ended up warming with TNT which I felt weird about at first (Keith dragged me along) but it was nice to have a group and just tuck in the back. They kept the pace much lighter than I would have, so that was good. I realized it was insanely hot as usual and I was hoping this wouldn't have too much of an effect on my race. There was also an elite room with space for the athletes to stretch out and get some complimentary drinks from the cooler, but I felt it wasn't my scene (the only one I knew well was Keith) and opted to hang out with my former teammates before the race instead. Headed over to the start line. The field was especially deep this year and while I was originally hoping for a top 5 finish, suddenly I wasn't sure if top 10 would happen. Like usual, this was one of those "I don't really want to be here" races right before the start, but I assured myself that based on 5K fitness I would be able to get it done.

Lined up next to Chris in the second row, which I was okay with given the quality of the field ahead of me. Shot out over the crest and found myself in the top 10 almost immediately. The goal was not to overdo things and keep a steady 5:00 pace rather than going in 2:20 and ending up hitting a 4:50 first mile. I panicked a little when I saw 5:30s on my watch (likely due to the incline at the start) and put in a surge to get the momentum going. I was in a good position pretty much instantly, ahead of some top runners like DJ, Sam Alexander and Bronson Venable. John Busque and Amos Sang battled a good 60 meters ahead with some other guy. I wasn't far back from Liam Hillery and Nick Ross either, which was a little worrying. Sanders was somewhere between the leaders and the chasers; he seemed to be sitting back and slowly closing on them for his first mile bonus. I passed some idiot who flew out like it was a mile and was breathing like he had never run before. This put me in 7th, much higher than anticipated. I more or less forgot about most of the people behind me for the next few miles and focused on reeling in the ones ahead. Nick and Liam ran as a duo, putting about 50 meters on me by the mile. The straggler who had gone out with Amos and John was also dropped and the next guys were reeling him in. I hit the mile in 5:02, feeling pretty good and like I could keep it going.

I stayed comfortable and relaxed in the next half mile or so. Most people ahead of me were set at their much faster pace and I didn't have a chance at catching too many of them. The guy who had gone out with the leaders was coming back to me soon and I kept a steady pace to go by him, moving into 6th. I felt pretty good on the short stretch of moonstone beach road and was glad my watch displayed an average pace of 5:02 that entire stretch. I thought that was a great sign and if I kept it going long enough, I was going to have a great race. Made the turn onto Cards Ponds road and embraced myself for a long, hot open stretch of boring road. I kept the pace quick until 1.5 miles where it suddenly started dropping. I hadn't decreased the effort, but my pace was starting to slip. I wasn't too worried at this point- I was still feeling decent and it was only natural for the pace to slow a little. Hit the second mile in 5:12, which put me at 10:24 for 2 Miles, still on target pace.

Mile 3 is where everything fell apart. I was okay with the 5:06 average pace as that would net me about at 20:30. Suddenly I was starting to feeling terrible as the long, long stretch of road dragged on. I passed Sanders somewhere around the 2 mile mark who didn't put up any fight. This put me in 5th, unknown to me at the time. Ahead, John and Amos were gone and Liam remained in the distance. Nick had fallen off his pace, but still had a 100m gap on me. I was somewhat glad to eventually turn off Cards Pond, but my pace had taken a huge hit. The third split wasn't going to be pretty as I was around 5:10 average pace and it was only going up. I wasn't looking forward to the curvy neighborhood roads and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Came up the hill which didn't take too much out of me and saw my official three split around 15:50ish. No longer on pace to even break 21 (which shouldn't even be all-out). I realized around here that my race had gone out the window and now my goal was just to finish up as fast as I could. Mile 3- a sloth 5:25.

The neighborhood section dragged on and even though I was pushing hard, I felt absolutely terrible and the pace was only getting slower and slower. It was so hard to focus on these slower feeling roads and I was concerned I had fallen off so much that I wouldn't even PR. I kept thinking that I was almost out, but this section was a good .7 miles long. I very much wanted to drop out. I was surprised that in my slow and fatigued miles that no one had passed me. I ended up looking back on one of the turns and saw Chris just 50 meters back. This was pretty concerning as I didn't want to give up a position and Chris is usually pretty strong at finishes. I was confident I could hold Chris off at Sailfest, but the gap here was smaller and I was running much slower. I prepared myself to get passed. Finally exited the neighborhood. I knew this was my last shot to keep my place and I got back into a faster pace on the much smoother downhill paved road and went for it. Had a pretty good kick. Unfortunately it was nowhere near enough to save my race. Saw Nick Ross cross the line around 20:50 and wasn't sure if I'd sneak under the 21 minute barrier, Just missed in disappointment in 21:04. Still a PR, but no sub-21 and nowhere near my goal.

Chris later told me I placed 5th, which was a pleasant surprise. A lot of fast guys either DNS, jogged it or had bad races. Very happy with my placement, even if my time wasn't really good enough to match the pace. As for my race, I was pretty disappointed, perhaps for the first time this summer. I definitely had the fitness to hit that time and feel like I raced the first 2 miles perfectly. 5:02 first mile for a 5:07 target is definitely not too fast, especially compared to going out in 4:48 for the fun run and following it up with 5:10/5:06. Just didn't have it in the last 2 miles and was way off. Would have liked to run much faster. I want to run Beach to Beacon 10K next year (same weekend as Kerri) but if I don't get in, I will definitely be back at Kerri for redemption (or I'll just do both and hope for the best). Full results for the race.

Another summer road race sufferfest where I came out with a pretty garbage result nowhere near the time I'm capable of. It certainly could have been worse and I don't regret racing, but certainly a much weaker performance than anything else this summer. I suppose it was a good workout either way, but since it took a lot out of me, it seemed to be enough for the summer for really hard efforts. Back to a few weeks of solid mileage before Cross Country.

Last Week in RI- Weekly Log: August 13 to 19

My life will undergo a massive change next week when I head off to college. While I feel somewhat nervous doing something so different, I'm extremely excited to step in a new era of running and explore the collegiate scene. Wrapping things up this week with more solid training and some fun local events, The Bottone Mile and Wahaneeta.

Monday: 6 Miles

Easy run from home. Went out pretty late but it was weirdly very cloudy out so I felt pretty comfortable. Tried to keep things controlled and relaxed and managed an over 7:00 pace. A bit heavy but felt good otherwise. Had some weird ankle pain which was a little worrying, but fortunately it went away in the second half.

Tuesday: 8 Miles

Had the choice of either running a hilly route or doing a hill workout, so chose the latter because I'm used to that. Wanted to incorporate the final Stonington Fun Run in somehow, so went to Mystic around 5 and did 8xMistuxet Ave which was very steep in the middle. Gave it a steady, moderate effort without pushing too hard. Remembered I had Bottone the next day, which made me glad I wasn't racing. Did the Stonington Fun Run easy with Dad as a CD, but felt exhausted. Difficulty: 2/5 (likely a 4/5 had I really pushed it).

Wednesday: 11 Miles

Needed 10 and since Bottone was just 1 mile, I didn't feel like doing 5 WU, 4 CD later in the evening, especially as I was going moderately hard. Did 6 in the morning pretty late. Kept things easy/relaxed like Monday and while I did have any pains, unlike Monday it was pretty hot out. Kept things peaceful going only on neighborhood roads, but was insanely heavy from the hill workout (despite feeling fine Tuesday) and was somewhat worried about Bottone. Went by pretty quickly and felt decent for an exposed 80 degrees.

Ran the Bottone Mile later which was fun but it was really hard to adjust to running that fast on roads, especially in a moderate effort. There's something completely different when I'm in a racing attitude versus a taking it somewhat easy attitude. I actually went out slower the first quarter mile than I did in my fun run CR attempt (and felt worse). The contenders were basically Nick Fitch (URI 800 runner, 1:52 PR), Chris Garvin, Tommy 5K and Keith McAteer. Maybe Aaron. Keith shot out as I tried to be more conservative/relaxed. Nick Fitch led the whole way and didn't seem to be pushing the pace. It seemed like he wanted one of us to pass, but that wasn't happening. Sat 5-10 meters back from him and tried to keep up. The effort was definitely harder than expected but the pace was about right in the mid to high 4:30s. Garvin stayed right behind me. Nick started to pick things up with 600m to go and I kept my pace steady, letting him go. Chris passed me soon after that. Everyone started to kick going down Uzzi and Nick was pulling away. I kept about 15-20m behind Chris and stayed there, finishing in 4:39 for 3rd place. Full results. Pretty good effort. Right around the time I wanted, even if it felt harder than expected. I think I could have cracked 4:30 had I gone all-out.  2 Mile CD with Keith to make 11 for the day.

Thursday: 7 Miles

Schedule called for a day off, but taking Thursday off seemed to weird and I wasn't going to be able to do the full 12 on Saturday because of my race, so I figured I'd get in an easy 5-7 miles on trails for recovery. Ended up running earlier than usual with Keith and Dad in Burlinggame. Pretty relaxed on mostly easy trails but I was dead from lack of sleep. Nice dip in the pond afterwards.

Friday: 7 Miles

Ran with Dad later in the afternoon. Had a lot going on in the morning that made it difficult to fit in a run. Ran from Watch Hill and local, mostly flat roads taking it easy at low 7s pace. Felt okay.

Saturday: 7 Miles

Wahaneeta Trail Race. I guess I'll do a separate race report, because I technically did race it. Not sure if I went 100% but definitely a really hard effort, just not sure if I held back on loop 2. Was glad to get the CR and W in 18:59 even if I would have liked to run a bit faster. Not very focused/strong in the back half.

Sunday: 13 Miles

Was a little skeptical about this because I had just raced and I had been exhausted from sleep deprivation for the last twoish days (including during and post Wahaneeta). Slept 10ish hours and headed from the house at a late 11 start time. Fortunately the weather was decent in the lower 70s, no sun. Felt okay but pretty sluggish for the first 5 miles at low 6:50s then start to hurt going into a tough headwind for 3 miles on Atlantic Avenue. Was just dead after that and even though I got into the 6:30s for the last 5 miles, my legs were starting to kill and I was hurting badly. Tough run, but glad to finish it up to get in an LR this week and hit 60.

Weekly Total: 60 Miles
YTD Total: 1,300 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Getting in some racing Wednesday and Saturday before heading off to college. Nothing beats local WTAC races.

Weekly Lowlight: Feeling pretty tired the whole week, especially dying on my long run. Was by far the worst feeling LR of the summer.

Coming Up: Run 4 Kerri Post, Wahaneeta Post, Summer Wrap-Up Post, (maybe) College Expectations/goals post, (in a while) high pointing 2018 wrap-up post

Blessing of the Fleet 2018

Despite rarely ever getting to do offseason races due to a demanding HS race schedule, many offseason races feel like "classics" in the way HS races never do. For examples, local races like Schonning, Sailfest, Avondale, or Stavros are classic races in my mind. They each have a distinct and special feel to them that make them more than just another race for me. Perhaps this is because of my race history at these, seeing myself participate in the same races both when I was much younger and now when I am serious/fast, but either way, stepping onto familiar start lines of local road/trail races has a special feeling to it that I rarely found in high school (only a few meets, such as the Ocean State XC Invitational and the Yale Track Classic had such a feeling). One of the highlights of summer racing is not only the freedom to choose races and race strategies, but to return to the races of my childhood. Pretty much any race I competed in several times have a special feeling to them and returning to them is always extremely exciting. Besides the Little Rhody Runaround, no race was more of a classic in mind than the Blessing of the Fleet.

The Blessing always seemed to outdo any other road race. There's a certain feeling and atmosphere behind that sets it completely apart. Yes, it's competitive. Yes, it's a fast and flat course. But that's not what makes the Blessing the Blessing. It's the thousands of runners who toe the line every year, including hundreds that have done it before. It's the unbelievable spectator support the runners receive with groups of people lined up to cheer nearly every 400 meters. It's the small details, like getting to Route 108 and absolutely dying in the brutal heat/humidity before relishing in the shade of Kinney Ave, or finally getting to the finish line next to the Seafood Festival, in front of the towers and ocean and having the amazing feeling of being done with thousands of runners behind you, regardless of your performance. There are so many factors that make Blessing an absolute classic in Road Racing not just for coastal RI residents, but all of New England. Few would dispute this.

Yet, despite this both being a classic race and my first 10-miler all the way back in 2012, it's a race I'm always skeptical to compete in. It's this classic feel, that gives a sense of pressure to do well that I don't usually experience in summer races. I often go back and forth between loving and hating the race, even if I eventually decide on loving it. I skipped it in 2014 and 2017 and was completely on the fence this year. I'm not sure why, but I eventually made my decision and signed up, although felt there was a pressure to do well there that I may not live up, given extremely limited race training. The Blessing comes and goes like any other race, but it always feels like the event of the year due to how big it feels.

Race day rolled around and the 6PM start time both gave me plenty of time to relax and be nervous. Arrived just after 5PM and did a short warm-up solo to the bathroom. Was feeling good and relaxed until I started to get all sweaty on the way back. Met up with Aaron in the field before getting in a couple strides. Got the WTAC group together as I awaited the start talking to Aaron and Tom, extremely nervous. More than anything, I wanted to do well here. But all I could focus on was my singlet was already soaked, the humidity was off the charts, I possibly would have to pee or poop during the race but couldn't right now and especially that I really did not feel ready to run 10 miles under 5:36 pace. I toed the line feel weird about to race a 10 miler. Saw some fast guys like Brian Doyle and surprisingly, Louis Serafini. After exchanging a few good lucks, the gun went off and we were running.

First Four Miles

The first mile of Blessing always completely throws me off. I feel like I'm jogging running 5:30 pace and want to go after everyone ahead of me. The slight downhill makes for a very fast first mile, sometimes the only mile that feels good. I didn't feel as great this year, perhaps with my more aggressive race plan and overall faster pace, but the pace was far from difficult. Unlike 2016, I quickly found myself in the top 20 and had already seen the last of the 60 minute group. This huge Hendricken pack got right in front of me a quarter mile in and I was content to hang on with them. I felt comfortable right there but they were picking it up to a speed I didn't want to get to and I let them go. I was around 5:14 pace at a kilometer and wanted to step back a bit before I kill my race. The Hendricken guys opened up 40 meters on me and there were very few besides between me and the leaders besides them, who were a pack of three in the distance. Jeffery Pedersen, the top 1500/3000 runner in RI this past outdoor season was probably a good 100 meters ahead of me. I had hoped for maybe a high 5:20s mile, but the fast easy start had really gotten to me this year. I hit the mile in 5:20, likely around 20th place. The Hendricken group gave me something to focus on and shoot for in the next 5 miles. They opened up some more ground on me, but their lead never increased too much. We were probably hitting pretty similar splits. Trevor Crawley tucked himself in that group and looked comfortable. I was sure some of them would break eventually and would come back to me. I monitored my pace frequently but never enjoy the Ocean Road section. I was already starting to feel a little uncomfortable, which wasn't a great sign. I am absolutely awful at settling down when I need to and even though I wanted to get down a bunch of 5:33ish miles, I couldn't get down there and was still pushing the pace more than I needed to. I went past a fool who gone out too fast around Windermere. Tried to stay patient from there and feel relaxed. Miles 2 and 3 were both 5:28. The Hendricken group remained just ahead, looking comfortable and relaxed. Perhaps they'd hold it together and destroy me. I had only moved up a few spots since Mile 1 and while I felt decent, I didn't really want to be running and very much wished to be at mile 9 or so. I still managed to keep things relaxed and steady for most of Ocean Road, keeping my distance from the pack ahead but not running any slower than them. I was getting pretty heavy and it was finally mile 4 when my pace would slow down. We came out to the breeze next to Scarborough which I normally would welcome, but it seemed extremely windy and was slowing me and eating all my energy. I watched my average pace slow down further and further and started to get worried even if it probably was a good thing. Jeffery had gone out way too fast and I could see him coming back to the Hendricken guys. Finally took a right turn onto Knowlesway but due to the slight incline I still felt tired and like I was barely moving. Mile 4- 5:40.

Highway Miles

Mile 4 was slower than expected, but if anything the splits had evened out. Unfortunately, Mile 4 was slower due to fatigue rather me running smart. I knew it was crucial to keep it going rather than letting the pace take a hit the way it did Mile 4. It was right around this point I started to feel somewhat crappy, but I felt good enough to stay positive. I was certainly worried about still having 6 to go, but breaking it down into 3 two-mile stretches made it a little easier in my head. It was this stretch where everyone ahead seem to completely fall apart and I made huge jumps in position. The gigantic pack went from 10ish people to around 4 and I caught people every quarter mile or so including Jeff Venter, Sean Meehan and Jeffery Pedersen. It was really tough getting past these guys because all I wanted to do was jog it in with them, but if I didn't get past them it would be much harder to regain that place later on in the race. Mile 5 was 5:35. I got really exhausted on the long stretch on the highway and it was right around there that the rest of the race became a sufferfest that I had to gut out. I went back to sloth mode and dragged myself down a seemingly endless stretch of road. I was getting really hot and looking forward to hitting the shade. Mile 6- 5:40.

Last 4

I was at a pretty solid low 5:30s average pace which was right on target. Still 4 to go and feeling pretty tired wasn't a great sign. I think I still felt much better than 2016, but there really is no feeling good at the Blessing. Usually, the shaded Kinney road breathes some life back into me but I continued to gradually feel worse. I passed Mike Kiernan, who was part of the pack around here. I was tired and no longer running really fast splits but tried to stay focused on cranking out mid-5:30s and finish up. The Hendricken pack was done at this point and was just Jackson Cronin (former EG) and Jordan Dagrin, both 2017 graduates who I had raced in high school. They both seemed really strong and I had no intentions of catching them. I had been told I was top 15 around 5.5 miles, so I thought that meant Top 10 was out of the question. I later heard around mile 7 that I was in 8th. I desperately wanted to maintain this for at least a top 10 finish. I guess I got moving again Mile 7 and hit a 5:33. There were waterstops everywhere at this point, which was great for me as I was seriously overheating at this point. I took every water I could, dumping it over my head for temporary relief. I even told some people to just pour it on me, but they didn't seem to understand English as they just gave me a cold, blank stare. It was right around here that dropping out seemed like a great idea. I still had a entire 2.5 to go and was pretty tired. I just needed to get off South Pier and was almost done. I felt like I was slowing down tremendously at this point and wasn't sure if sub-56 would happen. Mile 8- 5:38. There was some separation with Jackson and Jordan who were just far enough ahead that I couldn't catch them. Mile 9 was really tiring and I felt super slow going up the slight incline up to Avice. Every quarter mile seemed to take forever now and only the fact that I was nearly finished kept me going. Mile 9 was a 5:34, somehow. I was pretty sure I'd get sub-56 at this point, even if I dragged myself in at 5:50 which I thought was likely. I went from feeling bad to absolutely horrible in the last mile. We were on 1A for the longest time when I noticed I was slightly gaining on Jordan and Jackson. Finally made the turn onto Kingstown for the final stretch and it was decision time. I was in 8th but those two guys were right there. I wanted nothing more than to slog into the finish as I was sure both of my goals were in the bag, but they were right there and despite feeling awful, I had a little more in the tank. I thought about how awesome it would be to get 6th and decided I'd go for it. Jackson seemed to be really hurting and passing him wasn't too hard. Jordan was about 15 meters ahead of Jackson however and I was nervous about passing him. I put in a big surge and tried to keep it going, slipping into 6th. I still had 600ish meters to go and wasn't not feeling confident about holding this kick. I was sure Jordan would get me back and I'd place 7th. Put everything I had into that final 400 and came into the finish line 6th overall. Last mile was my fastest at 5:17 but hurt really bad.

I was initially so exhausted and so hot. But I had done it. It was a gamble running this race as I'd either blow up or I wouldn't, yet managed to pull off my best performance of the year and kept the streak of great races at Blessing going, although this may be my very best yet. Really happy to maintain mid-5:30s even feeling like crap. Got through the tough miles and it really paid off. Super psyched with 6th place as well, really glad I got those two at the end. Even though it really hurt, running this was worth it for what may possibly be the best race of my life. I'm already looking ahead to next year with huge goals, hopefully a sub-54 with some actual training and higher mileage/racing from college. Another Blessing of the fleet in the books, have now worked up from 341st place with a 1:17 time (2012 debut) to 6th place in 55:30. Excited for next year, hoping to keep the streak going. Full results here. 

Weekly Log: August 6 to 12

Back to a normal week of training after racing the last few weeks. Also looking to get back into the 60s after a lower than usual week.

Monday: 0 Miles

Would have liked to make the Chariho fun runs this year, but the schedule called for a day off and I certainly felt like I needed it. Don't love taking Mondays off as it definitely a hit on the mileage (meaning higher days later on to make up for it), but it worked out being the day after a race (and my first day off since Blessing).

Tuesday: 10 Miles

Got in 10 at the Stonington fun run. Didn't eat too great and most of the miles didn't feel great as a result. Actually missed the start of this as it seemed to go 5 minutes early and I was in the bathroom. Thought it would be fun to hunt people down but it was just exhausting weaving in and out of slower runners who seemed to think I was lapping them. Cool-down was especially tiring. Brutal humidity, was absolutely drenched.

Wednesday: 13 Miles

Didn't feel like just waiting until 6PM to get in all my miles, so opted to do an easy 5 mile run in Champlin so I'd only have to get 8 later. Felt tired the whole time. Fun run later was the usual 3 warm-up, 2 cool-down. Many of my old teammates/friends ended up going, so I sat back and tried to be relaxed. Felt very comfortable on this one. Caught up to Sam around 1.5 miles and ran it in until the end, where I eased to take 3rd. Last fun run, which is somewhat sad. These are probably the highlight of my week (especially when I don't have to push it).

Thursday: 8 Miles

Had a workout, one of the few this summer. Everything seems to be at the same pace (I missed a few of them), 3:30 pace/kilometer (5:37/mile). Went in the morning to Ninigret, super humid out again. Just ran shirtless to make things easier. Looped around the bike criterion and bike path for flat, fast running. 3x2K @7:00 w/60s recovery. Felt okay. They felt fast and long, but mostly controlled. It's interesting how running slow in workouts is difficult, but easy during a race. Splits: 6:46/6:46/6:40. Cheated a little on the recovery, probably took 2 minutes. Difficulty: 3/5.

Friday: 8 Miles

Wanted to run easy on softer surfaces (trails), but was just bored of the local options so went to Haley Farm. Did my typical lollipop (Haley-Bluff Loop-Haley) but threw in a couple miles of single-track in there. Felt okay- really sluggish, but not terrible. Legs started to kill at the end.

Saturday: 12 Miles

Met up with Tom at 6:30 to go for a longish run. We ran from Dave's Coffee up into some areas of Charlestown I haven't been to in a while. Had to work late Friday so didn't get a whole of sleep and was somewhat tired on the run. Got through it fine but last few were tough. Raining the whole time but still warm out.

Sunday: 12 Miles

Had another somewhat long run so got Tom to run the first half with me and then Sam to run the second. Unlike when I did this a few weeks ago, I didn't feel good at all and it was more or less a grind. The miles were Tom were okay, but I was bonking running with Sam. Aching all over afterwards, where I took an unheard of 2.5 hour nap.

Weekly Total: 64 Miles (bonus mile from tenths of miles adding up)
YTD Total: 1,240 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Getting company to run with even though I normally do many of my miles solo. This helped especially on the weekend when I felt beat up and exhausted.

Weekly Lowlight: Just did not feel that great at all this week. The majority of my runs were boring, tiring slogs where I really wasn't feeling it. Was especially dead Saturday and Sunday but understandably so.

Sailfest 5K

Over the first few weeks of the summer, I had somehow managed to whip myself in pretty good shape. I ran a 16:34 at the Westerly Fun Run (16:10ish effort) with only focusing on racing the 2nd mile. Things seemed like they were clicking for the 5K and with limited opportunities to race a competitive 5K, I went ahead and signed myself up for Sailfest. Sailfest isn't super competitive but typically draws one really fast CT guy who runs mid 15:30s. I had placed 2nd in the 2016 edition in 16:12, a time that has stood as my road PR until now. I decided to add a 2nd 5K effort to my calendar 4 days earlier by going for a Westerly Fun CR attempt. I was sure I could knock off some time from my 16:21 from last year, but wasn't sure if I could crack the sub-16 barrier. I was close, but grew too tired to maintain a fast enough pace in Mile 2. Ran a 16:07, my new fastest road 5K (about 15:40ish effort) with splits of 4:48/5:10/5:06. My first mile was a touch fast and I was hoping to be a little faster in 2 and 3, but overall I was pleased with running a 5:00 pace for 3.2 miles. Knowing Sailfest wouldn't run long like the fun run does, I was hoping to get down the official time from the effort and pick up on the mistakes I had made by going out a little slower but not having such a big gap in mile 1 and 2 splits.

Fast forward to race day. We were all set to leave around 7:45 and suddenly I couldn't realized I couldn't find my racing flats anywhere. After spending 15 minutes of searching and failing I came to the realization that I left them at the fun run the other day and more than likely, they were gone. This pretty much ruined my entire mood going into the race. I'm used to following a certain routine and losing the shoes I normally raced in was not part of the plan. I tend to lose things frequently and stupidly but it had yet to affect quite me like this. I grabbed my old racing flats, but was still upset as those were worn out and a size too small. They were all I had, but I was so upset I didn't even want to race anymore. I finally stopped whining and as we arrived, I went for a quick warm-up. We ended up being super late because of my meltdown/issue and I had no time cushion to relax here. However, this was my only 5K effort for while, so I needed to make the best of the conditions, get out there and race. While I didn't feel race ready, I toed the line and prepared myself.

The Race

Mile 1

I rocketed out like I always do. Apparently there was a really fast guy in the field, even if I didn't know anyone (Chris was there, but I wasn't expecting him to go out fast). I held the lead for a quarter mile until a red Mohegan strider caught up to me (I didn't know his name at the time, but later found it out so I'll refer to him as Paul for the rest of this post). I was fully past my pre-race anger and now fully immersed into the race. I wanted to keep things slightly more controlled than my fun run CR and go out in 4:55, hopefully keeping things comfortable enough to run sub-5 or close in the following miles. I don't know what was happening but even though the clock was ticking down like I wanted, I was not comfortable at all. It was actually getting slower not because I wanted to control the pace, but because I was already tired. Paul and I switched leads slightly but hung right together for the rest of the mile. I hit the mile in 4:53, exactly whatever I wanted but not feeling great at all.

Mile 2

The end. Hills always seem to hurt like hell in shorter races, but as usual, I seriously underestimated how much this would take a hit on my pace and energy. I was already not feeling it in the first mile, but the first hill pretty much ended me. Paul started to pull away and I could only watch in frustration as he did so and my average pace ticked from 4:53 all the way to mid 5:00s. The second mile split was going to be something ugly and my hopes for the race had pretty much gone out the window as it would be impossible to split something good enough to hit target pace. Was hoping I could recover on the downhill, but only picked it up slightly. I had just run 5:00 pace at the fun run and was hoping for 4:58 today, but knew it would be miracle to even come close. 5:20 second mile, a whole 10 seconds slower than what I split at the fun run. Felt so terrible.

Mile 3

The slight descent that kept me going on Montauk eventually ended and I turned back onto Bank Street. This was a long section that dragged on and was killing my pace. Despite being pancake flat, my pace was still from being completely dead and I could see it on my watch. I knew I was having a bad race and it was right about now when I started to think about how easy it would be to pull to the side and DNF. I was somewhere around 5:09 average pace and wasn't even sure if I'd break 16, which I suppose had become the new goal of the race. The second hill is much easier but now as I was in the middle of a complete sufferfest, every stretch of road seemed to last an eternity. I finally made the turn. It was somewhere around here that I realized with my horrible splits, Chris' tactics of running consistently were closing in on me. I still wanted 2nd place and tried as hard as possible to hammer the last descent. With even a quarter mile remaining, I still didn't feel a sense of relief as I was more dead than ever. Pushed down the last stretch staring at the clock. Happy to just get under 16, in 15:58 which at least gives some accomplishment leaving the race. Mile 3- 5:11, last .12- 4:31 pace. Full results here.

Overall Thoughts

A dream race for me would be to run smarter than I did at the fun run, slowing down to around 4:55 first mile and finding enough to crack 5 for the remaining miles. If I did that, I probably would have won in sub-15:30. A more realistic goal was around 15:40, which would seen around a 5:02 average pace and I'd at least be in contention for the win. The annoying thing was I had my race cut out for me. The winner, Paul Gennaro, ran 15:44, so if I hung with him and kicked hard, I potentially could have ran under 15:40, but I just wasn't feeling it today. I'm a little disappointed not to run a strong 5K when I'm in great 5K shape, but I don't know how much of that was due to a bad pre-race routine, humidity and hills. Obviously had I felt decent I likely would have run much faster. On the plus side, I was happy to crack 16 for the first time on a non-track surface. I would like to come back here for a W sometime in the next few years.

Dug some results from past years as I was interesting how my times stacked up. Figured course record would be mid 15:30s, so was surprised to find out how fast it was some years. Only went back the last 10 years, but very surprised to see several sub-15:20 clocking, including a 14:53!

Maine and Run 4 Kerri- Weekly Log: July 30 to August 5

Going on a slightly bigger vacation this week to various spots in Maine including Camden, Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park and coming back just in time to run the Run 4 Kerri road race. Goal there is around 20:30.

Monday: 6 Miles

Had contemplated a day off, but opted for an easy one instead. Camden hills state park. Ran up the Mt. Battie auto road and back and then looped across the street to get some more miles. Fun, steep climb up Mt. Battie with awesome views from the top.

Tuesday: 6 Miles

Had planned for 10 on the trail system. Started a brutal ascent up Mt. Megunticook (about 1000ft gain in 1.5 miles) that wiped me out. Took a GU at the top before making my way back down and toward Mt. Battie. Bailed on Maiden Cliff and shortly after that, wiped out hitting my knee against a rock really hard. It was very painful at the time and took a mile of walking until the pain was tolerable to run again, where I alternated a run walk before returning.

Wednesday: 3 Miles

Hiked Katadhin which was amazing, but as hard/long hikes normally go, it's pretty hard to find the time or energy to run afterwards. And I didn't really. Went for a pitch black run from the campsite but overall failed as I both felt horrible and couldn't see a thing. Very frustrating to only get 3 in, but overall worth it for the hike.

Thursday: 17 Miles

Finally got the ball rolling on mileage, starting things out with a 10 miler from the campsite, out and back on local roads. Felt okay, neither good nor great. The miles went by slowly on the way out, but quickly on the way back.

Doubled later in Acadia national park, looping around Jordan pond. Got some very fun but mostly easy trails first then did an out and back on carriage roads. Was pretty tired the whole time from hiking earlier but the awesome location kept me going.

Friday: 7 Miles

Ran in Maudslay state park in Newburyport, MA on the drive back. It was getting dark and halfway through the run, it started to absolutely downpour. I didn't like running on dark trails so I cut a mile off.

Saturday: 6 Miles

Ran from the house to do a short shakeout for Kerri. Newbury trails plus the roads to get there.

Sunday: 10 Miles

Run 4 Kerri. Didn't go that well. Blew up in the heat and never found the strength to get going again until it was too late. 21:04. Somehow managed to snag top 5 which was cool but was really going for time, not place. Will do a separate write-up.

Weekly Total: 55 Miles
YTD Total: 1,176 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Not so much a great running week with most of my miles being exhausting ones, but hiking was very enjoyable.

Weekly Lowlight: Didn't run that great at Kerri and lost a bunch of miles overall throughout the week.

The Blessing- Weekly Log: July 23 to 29

Pretty behind on blogs now. Still have to do a bunch of race reports, so don't expect the most quality pieces until I catch up. This week was a big one as I was once again racing the Blessing. I had completely neglected actually training for the race this year, but knew I had great fitness which could possibly carry me throughout. Of course, there was also the possibility that I just wasn't ready for a longer race and would blow up halfway through. I would have to wait and see.

Monday: 0 Miles

Took a needed day off from running after a 65 mile week. Went hiking instead, getting the CT high point.

Tuesday: 7 Miles

Schedule called for 10 miles on roads but it was insanely hot. Felt absolutely horrible and instantly knew the 10 wasn't happening. Hate to skimp on miles but just couldn't get through this one. Ran from the house.

Wednesday:  12 Miles

2 days before Blessing. Didn't want to get a 45 mile week or anything so tried to keep up the mileage. Made it easier on myself by doubling, 6 in the morning at Bradford Preserve which was humid/exhausting and then 6 later at the fun run. Ran with Sebastian for a while at the fun at low 6s pace but told myself I needed to back for my race when he started to go.

Thursday: 5 Miles

Easy out and back shakeout pre-Blessing down to the beach. Ran in the heat but just wanted to get it done.

Friday: 13 Miles

Blessing of the Fleet. 1 WU, 2 CD. Ran really well. Went out fast in 5:20 but kept a consistent mid-5:30s and then found another gear at the end, running a 5:17 last mile to move from 8th to 6th. Pretty happy with this race, separate write-up soon.

Saturday: 8 Miles

Went to Mystic in the evening as I needed the whole day to rest up from Blessing. Got sluggish in the middle miles but after a quick break, felt fine again.

Sunday: 15 Miles

Went to Charlestown for a long run, running the first 6.5 with Tom, next 6.5 with Sam and then finishing up a couple of fast miles solo. Nice to have company out there, made it go by really quick for what was the longest run of my life. Felt awesome and averaged 6:29 pace.

Weekly Total: 61 (I know it adds up to 60, but got 60.8 on strava)
YTD Total: 1,121 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Pretty great week again, but the highlight here was definitely the Blessing. Smashed my expectations and kept the streak of racing well here alive.

Weekly Lowlight: Just not feeling on some runs, especially Tuesday.