Melissa had the best race of her young career at the USATF Junior Olympic X-C National Championships in Hoover, AL. In addition to running a PR (by nearly a minute, at 14:22 for 3k), she moved up to 4th spot on her team (Granite State Flash) and helped them to a 10th place finish overall. She went through the first mile in 6:50 and was running very smoothly, but then developed a stitch and tied up for a half mile or so before finishing as best as she was able. She likes X-C much better than track, so after the Millennium Mile, she will probably take a well deserved break. Hopefully she will be up for some 5k's in the spring.
At the first BU Mini meet, Nick and I drove down to try to run PR's in the mile. We ran into Kevin Tilton, who raced the 3k first and then the mile, mostly as a training session. He admitted to not running much this week secondary to work and other life issues. On the official results, I was only 5 seconds behind him in the mile, as he was doubling back and I was setting my Master's PR at 4:52.66. By the way, Kevin, getting old doesn't work as an excuse against me!!
I was impressed by Jim Paige, whom I chased the entire race, but could not catch. He turns 50 soon and is running very strong this year.
Nick had a PR as well, at 5:31.57. He ran perfectly, using another runner (Philip Demers) to draft for 4 laps before making a mini-move. Philip countered and took the lead back, but with 400m to go, Nick burst ahead and kicked in strong, winning his heat running away. Nick's friend and Flash teammate Tyler DeChane ran 5:22 in the prior heat, an extremely fast time for his age.
I doubled back in the 800m, which was only about 30 minutes after my mile. At my first indoor meet, I simply scratched it because the double back was too much for my dead legs. This time I felt strong enough to try it as a workout, but I knew the time would be slow. Unfortunately I got seeded first in the section, so I went out the lead. Surprisingly, I held a strong pace (32/33/33/34) until the end where I got dusted by a youngster who finished in 2:09. My time, 2:12.61, is only 1.6 seconds from my best from last year, and after a double, I am thoroughly convinced I can blast my master's PR the next time I run a fresh 800m. Bill Newsham finished right behind me, also having doubled (with the 3k).
The Mass Velocity team was well represented, with Tucker, Bobby, Meirwyn, Tom, Roger, Sue, Jon, Ian, and Arnie all running well (Sue and Bobby both bettering times from last season already). We are on our way to defending our title as National Champions -- but we may need some help from distance runners and younger participants, especially as we won't have "home track advantage" this year!!
Meanwhile, Alex had his first Indoor Meet at UNH, hitting a PR in the 1500m at 5:43. It's his first effort at that distance, and I am sure he will hack off several seconds from that PR next time, as during practice he ran a mile (albeit downhill) at 5:30.
Next week is another BU Mini meet, and then the Millennium Mile on January 1.
==
Darin
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Track season starts
Even though cross country is not yet over (Melissa is competing in the National Championships for Junior Olympics next weekend) the first indoor track meet in Boston started the season off Saturday.
I ran the mile against the usual local college kids, in the fourth heat of four. I started out well, near the back but very relaxed. After passing 1-2 people per lap, I made it up to fifth place with 2 laps to go. I had been feeling very strong to that point, but I made the mistake of moving too soon. I jumped up to 2nd place (thinking winning the heat was within range) but then ran out of gas with 1 to go. I held them off for three turns, but in the last 40 meters I was passed by 3 or 4 of the college youths, ending up with a very respectable 4:55.28 and fifth (or sixth?) place. My goal for this year is 4:50, which is All-American for my age. Given that this was my first time on a track this season, I think 4:50 is very possible.
Brendan Dagan and Jen Campbell, who used to live near me, were there competing. Also, several of my teammates from Mass Velocity gave it their best, including Tucker Taft, Tom Gillen, Bill Robinson, Roy Charette and Dave Neumann. The highlight of the meet was Nate Jenkins hit 14:20 for the 5k. Nice!
The next race on the track for me is a series of meets at Boston University (which has a very fast track). These are usually well attended. There are some races in Maine this year that I had not heard about before; perhaps they are new, but I have placed them on my tentative schedule. Also the Millennium Mile is January 1, 2011. That is a family event, very well run, and a lot of fun!
===
Darin
I ran the mile against the usual local college kids, in the fourth heat of four. I started out well, near the back but very relaxed. After passing 1-2 people per lap, I made it up to fifth place with 2 laps to go. I had been feeling very strong to that point, but I made the mistake of moving too soon. I jumped up to 2nd place (thinking winning the heat was within range) but then ran out of gas with 1 to go. I held them off for three turns, but in the last 40 meters I was passed by 3 or 4 of the college youths, ending up with a very respectable 4:55.28 and fifth (or sixth?) place. My goal for this year is 4:50, which is All-American for my age. Given that this was my first time on a track this season, I think 4:50 is very possible.
Brendan Dagan and Jen Campbell, who used to live near me, were there competing. Also, several of my teammates from Mass Velocity gave it their best, including Tucker Taft, Tom Gillen, Bill Robinson, Roy Charette and Dave Neumann. The highlight of the meet was Nate Jenkins hit 14:20 for the 5k. Nice!
The next race on the track for me is a series of meets at Boston University (which has a very fast track). These are usually well attended. There are some races in Maine this year that I had not heard about before; perhaps they are new, but I have placed them on my tentative schedule. Also the Millennium Mile is January 1, 2011. That is a family event, very well run, and a lot of fun!
===
Darin
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Junior Olympics and Millennium Mile training
After a good finish to my season, I have morphed into the role of coach for the Granite State Flash. Nick and Melissa are on the team, and the Junior Olympics (through the USATF) provides an opportunity for youngsters to compete in X-C races against the best the country has to offer.
Last year, Nick competed in these meets, succeding to the point of coming in the top 100 in the US. This year, Melissa joined up for the competitions, which started with a "warmup" meet, and progressed to the New England Championship, last weekend in Rhode Island, and the upcoming Regional Championships, also in RI this year, on Sunday.
Alex competed in his first 4k at the New England meet and ran a PR, at 16:43. Nick also hit a PR at 15:10, but was thwarted in his hope to advance due to seriously heavy competition at this year's race. Melissa, however, has moved on and will compete again this Sunday, racing the 3k in a PR of 15:13.
We practice every day, including stretches, drills, core work, and workouts, all of which helps to keep me in shape. Today, we deviated a bit as Melissa had an easy day, but the rest of us hit the downhill mile course, just to see what we had. I managed a 4:42, Nick 5:15, and Alex 5:32. We hope to progress with these times such that we can all hit PR's for the Millenium Mile, January 1, 2011.
Meanwhile, Melissa has her work cut out for her this weekend, as she will need to have a great race (hopefully another PR) to help her team advance to nationals, which are held in Alabama this year.
Wish her luck!!
==
Darin
Last year, Nick competed in these meets, succeding to the point of coming in the top 100 in the US. This year, Melissa joined up for the competitions, which started with a "warmup" meet, and progressed to the New England Championship, last weekend in Rhode Island, and the upcoming Regional Championships, also in RI this year, on Sunday.
Alex competed in his first 4k at the New England meet and ran a PR, at 16:43. Nick also hit a PR at 15:10, but was thwarted in his hope to advance due to seriously heavy competition at this year's race. Melissa, however, has moved on and will compete again this Sunday, racing the 3k in a PR of 15:13.
We practice every day, including stretches, drills, core work, and workouts, all of which helps to keep me in shape. Today, we deviated a bit as Melissa had an easy day, but the rest of us hit the downhill mile course, just to see what we had. I managed a 4:42, Nick 5:15, and Alex 5:32. We hope to progress with these times such that we can all hit PR's for the Millenium Mile, January 1, 2011.
Meanwhile, Melissa has her work cut out for her this weekend, as she will need to have a great race (hopefully another PR) to help her team advance to nationals, which are held in Alabama this year.
Wish her luck!!
==
Darin
Monday, November 8, 2010
White Mt Milers Half Marathon
Halloween was a perfect day for a race. I had decided before the event that this year I was going to go for a PR, and with race day 42 degrees and cloudy, it seemed it would be a good day to accomplish this.
Nick (who ran 2:04 last year in his first ever 13 mile run, let alone race) was going to run with Frank Holmes, as we had done several training runs together. However Frank got sick, so I was trying to find someone for Nick to run with before the gun went off. It turned out not to matter, as he blew away his best with a 1:42:37 PR, coming in 76th overall, and third in "18 and under" (having just turned 13 the month before). He raced in "Batmanesque" fashion with black tights and a cape for Halloween, inspiring many runners along the way.
I started out in the lead pack, and ran 6:05 at the first mile. This was, relatively speaking, rather slow for the leaders, I thought. However, they did not seem to be interested in running much faster, and indeed the winning time was only 6:13 per mile. I lost contact in the second mile, and ended up in a long, drawn out series of 6:10-6:15 miles, mixing up a little bit between 5th and 8th through the first 10k or so.
When we turned the corner for "halfway" I was in 7th, running with Steve Wolfe (46) and John Pajer (48) who lamented about chasing the youngsters (excluding Greg Cornell (50), who passed us at mile 3). The three of us put together a few more decent miles in the 6:15 zone, but then we came upon a huge headwind. At this point I was feeling like I had a shot at a PR, with a 10 mile split at 63:20 or so. I took over 5th place and set out trying to catch the 4th place runner, who had been slowly coming back to us over the prior 3 miles. Despite the huge headwind in miles 11-12, I caught up and passed into 4th place right at the 12 mile mark. Sensing a PR and a very strong finish, I ran 6:04 for mile 13, and kicked up the little hill for a 4th place finish at 1:23:01, my lifetime best (I never raced a half marathon before age 35). The leaders were only about a minute and a half in front of me, and given the strength at the end, I think I will be able to cut off at least half that by next year.
This was a strong end to a season which also included my master's 10k PR. I now look to start moving down in distance to the 800m and 1500m (with an occasional 400m or perhaps 3k) as indoor track starts in about a month. Meanwhile, Junior Olympics for the kids starts next weekend in Rhode Island. Nick and Melissa will be competing with the Granite State Flash, hoping to advance from New Englands to the Region 1 meet, and if lucky, maybe a shot at nationals.
====
Darin
Nick (who ran 2:04 last year in his first ever 13 mile run, let alone race) was going to run with Frank Holmes, as we had done several training runs together. However Frank got sick, so I was trying to find someone for Nick to run with before the gun went off. It turned out not to matter, as he blew away his best with a 1:42:37 PR, coming in 76th overall, and third in "18 and under" (having just turned 13 the month before). He raced in "Batmanesque" fashion with black tights and a cape for Halloween, inspiring many runners along the way.
I started out in the lead pack, and ran 6:05 at the first mile. This was, relatively speaking, rather slow for the leaders, I thought. However, they did not seem to be interested in running much faster, and indeed the winning time was only 6:13 per mile. I lost contact in the second mile, and ended up in a long, drawn out series of 6:10-6:15 miles, mixing up a little bit between 5th and 8th through the first 10k or so.
When we turned the corner for "halfway" I was in 7th, running with Steve Wolfe (46) and John Pajer (48) who lamented about chasing the youngsters (excluding Greg Cornell (50), who passed us at mile 3). The three of us put together a few more decent miles in the 6:15 zone, but then we came upon a huge headwind. At this point I was feeling like I had a shot at a PR, with a 10 mile split at 63:20 or so. I took over 5th place and set out trying to catch the 4th place runner, who had been slowly coming back to us over the prior 3 miles. Despite the huge headwind in miles 11-12, I caught up and passed into 4th place right at the 12 mile mark. Sensing a PR and a very strong finish, I ran 6:04 for mile 13, and kicked up the little hill for a 4th place finish at 1:23:01, my lifetime best (I never raced a half marathon before age 35). The leaders were only about a minute and a half in front of me, and given the strength at the end, I think I will be able to cut off at least half that by next year.
This was a strong end to a season which also included my master's 10k PR. I now look to start moving down in distance to the 800m and 1500m (with an occasional 400m or perhaps 3k) as indoor track starts in about a month. Meanwhile, Junior Olympics for the kids starts next weekend in Rhode Island. Nick and Melissa will be competing with the Granite State Flash, hoping to advance from New Englands to the Region 1 meet, and if lucky, maybe a shot at nationals.
====
Darin
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Great Bay 5k
Having taken a week off for vacation, I was not expecting too much when I got back. The Great Bay 5k is a nice course, though, and I achieved my Master's PR on that course two years ago.
When I got there, I found they had moved the parking and changed the starting line; it was a bit confusing. I ended up late to the line and didn't get enough stretching. Once I got going, though, I was fine, and I ran well: 5:35, 5:45, 5:47 for 17:41. My best is 17:26. Congrats to Chris Ritchie, who blew away his PR by over 30 seconds for 16:30! I ran the entire race with Heather Searles, the women's winner, who also had a great race. Her boyfriend (or is it roommate?) Chris Mahoney, and Teammate Jim Johnson took 2-3 overall, running right at 5:00 pace. Jasmin Lapir came back from injury and claimed his age division award with 17:34.
After the race, I rushed over to Londonderry for Nick's NH State XC meet. Like the athletes, I waited around for 4 hours for his race, and like the athletes, I was exhausted before the race even started. Nick did not run well, but ended up 17th overall, and his team, which had been undefeated, took 4th. It was quite the experience, in that he had never had to wait so long to compete before. He didn't bring lunch and was forced to eat "what they had" which was pizza. Of course he cramped up during the race after eating that. Still, he gets to run the race next year and will hopefully do much better; there were two others ahead of him that were not in 8th grade, so he definitely has his work cut out for next year.
We are racing the half marathon on Sunday, and then Nick moves on to Junior Olympics, and I start training for Indoor Track (with Alex, who will be running for the HS team).
===
Darin
When I got there, I found they had moved the parking and changed the starting line; it was a bit confusing. I ended up late to the line and didn't get enough stretching. Once I got going, though, I was fine, and I ran well: 5:35, 5:45, 5:47 for 17:41. My best is 17:26. Congrats to Chris Ritchie, who blew away his PR by over 30 seconds for 16:30! I ran the entire race with Heather Searles, the women's winner, who also had a great race. Her boyfriend (or is it roommate?) Chris Mahoney, and Teammate Jim Johnson took 2-3 overall, running right at 5:00 pace. Jasmin Lapir came back from injury and claimed his age division award with 17:34.
After the race, I rushed over to Londonderry for Nick's NH State XC meet. Like the athletes, I waited around for 4 hours for his race, and like the athletes, I was exhausted before the race even started. Nick did not run well, but ended up 17th overall, and his team, which had been undefeated, took 4th. It was quite the experience, in that he had never had to wait so long to compete before. He didn't bring lunch and was forced to eat "what they had" which was pizza. Of course he cramped up during the race after eating that. Still, he gets to run the race next year and will hopefully do much better; there were two others ahead of him that were not in 8th grade, so he definitely has his work cut out for next year.
We are racing the half marathon on Sunday, and then Nick moves on to Junior Olympics, and I start training for Indoor Track (with Alex, who will be running for the HS team).
===
Darin
Monday, October 4, 2010
Helping Nick to PR at the Gary Millen 5k
Over the weekend, Nick and I raced at the Gary Millen memorial 5k. Gary Millen was a teacher and football coach at Kennett High School. I played basketball with him every Sunday morning for more than five years. He was the kind of person that everyone liked. A consummate competitor, friendly and compassionate, and capable of pushing himself and those around him to a higher level. The Millen foundation, benefactors of the race, have raised around $1M for athletics at the high school.
For the race, I decided to try to help Nick go under 20. He has never been able to break 20:00, so we took off at 6:14 (trying to go 6:15 for the first mile) and then, down the hill, we managed to slow down such that the split for the mile ended up at 6:47. I think the strong headwind had a role. At 1.55 (halfway) we were 10:20, so we had to run a negative split back up the hill to break 20. As we came to the 2 mile mark, it seemed we had really picked up the pace after the turnaround (I am guessing the wind really was a factor). For mile 3 we ran 6:07, finishing in 19:49 for a new PR for Nick, and 3rd/4th place overall behind Eric (a newcomer to the Kennett HS teaching staff, and former UNH X-C standout) and Kevin, with whom we did our warmdown.
It was very exciting! Not only did Nick break a key time milestone, but he finally hit consecutive weekly PR's, suggesting that the strong training is paying off. He has a Jr. High XC race on Monday (Kennett Invitational) and he is now adequately pumped up to try to have a good one there too. I have no qualms about living vicariously through him this week.
Alex tied his PR mark at 21:56 racing for the high school X-C team on Saturday as well. He is one second off the Varsity squad, and continues to run at or near a PR every time he competes, so he is also very encouraged.
Nick and I are both signed up for the White Mt. Milers Half Marathon, so I am going to try to get a few longer runs in to prep for that. The only 5k left that I am planning is the Great Bay 5k. I am not 100% for that because of work issues, but if I do compete there, the training will be based on higher mileage and core work, without much in the way of speed training. That will be interesting, one way or another.
==
Darin
For the race, I decided to try to help Nick go under 20. He has never been able to break 20:00, so we took off at 6:14 (trying to go 6:15 for the first mile) and then, down the hill, we managed to slow down such that the split for the mile ended up at 6:47. I think the strong headwind had a role. At 1.55 (halfway) we were 10:20, so we had to run a negative split back up the hill to break 20. As we came to the 2 mile mark, it seemed we had really picked up the pace after the turnaround (I am guessing the wind really was a factor). For mile 3 we ran 6:07, finishing in 19:49 for a new PR for Nick, and 3rd/4th place overall behind Eric (a newcomer to the Kennett HS teaching staff, and former UNH X-C standout) and Kevin, with whom we did our warmdown.
It was very exciting! Not only did Nick break a key time milestone, but he finally hit consecutive weekly PR's, suggesting that the strong training is paying off. He has a Jr. High XC race on Monday (Kennett Invitational) and he is now adequately pumped up to try to have a good one there too. I have no qualms about living vicariously through him this week.
Alex tied his PR mark at 21:56 racing for the high school X-C team on Saturday as well. He is one second off the Varsity squad, and continues to run at or near a PR every time he competes, so he is also very encouraged.
Nick and I are both signed up for the White Mt. Milers Half Marathon, so I am going to try to get a few longer runs in to prep for that. The only 5k left that I am planning is the Great Bay 5k. I am not 100% for that because of work issues, but if I do compete there, the training will be based on higher mileage and core work, without much in the way of speed training. That will be interesting, one way or another.
==
Darin
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Eliot 5k
After a reasonably good week of training, I was feeling good going into the Eliot 5k on Saturday. My repeat mile workout on Tuesday was better this week (5:29, 5:29, 5:31, then 200m at 31) than last Thursday (5:37, 5:41, 5:35) but I missed my long run, and my mileage was relatively low. My core work was sacrificed a bit as I was loading wood for the winter. Hopefully I can get back to that twice a day.
Alex hit his PR for the 5k twice in his last two races (22:30 and 21:55), and Nick has been 4th and 3rd in his first two X-C races this season (2 mile races). He is still nursing an injury, and not been running particularly well yet, but he wanted to come along for this 5k race.
The day was warm and humid, and we had to leave at 6:15 AM to get to Eliot. I did not sleep well, and my sleep for the week was reduced as well. The course starts downhill, and then uphill for the final mile. On the way down, Nick and I discussed taking it easy on the first mile and then working hard for the final mile to get even splits.
After the first mile, I did indeed go out perfectly, 5:38. Then, the entire group I was running with fell back. I realized that the 16 or so runners that took off were already out of my view, and I found myself compeltely alone. I came back with 5:52 for mile two. Unfortunately, that took a lot out of me, and I got caught from behind by two runners in mile three. The three of us finally caught the one guy that fell off the pace from in front, halfway through the last mile. I needed to kick it in strong (31s for the last 0.1) to pass the two I was running with coming into the finish, but my time was a relatively poor 18:12. That was the same as my 5k split in the 5 miler from last race. Yuck.
At least Nick had a good race, at 20:12 (PR). We both won our respective age groups. Next week is another local 5k, hopefully I can do better.
==
Darin
Alex hit his PR for the 5k twice in his last two races (22:30 and 21:55), and Nick has been 4th and 3rd in his first two X-C races this season (2 mile races). He is still nursing an injury, and not been running particularly well yet, but he wanted to come along for this 5k race.
The day was warm and humid, and we had to leave at 6:15 AM to get to Eliot. I did not sleep well, and my sleep for the week was reduced as well. The course starts downhill, and then uphill for the final mile. On the way down, Nick and I discussed taking it easy on the first mile and then working hard for the final mile to get even splits.
After the first mile, I did indeed go out perfectly, 5:38. Then, the entire group I was running with fell back. I realized that the 16 or so runners that took off were already out of my view, and I found myself compeltely alone. I came back with 5:52 for mile two. Unfortunately, that took a lot out of me, and I got caught from behind by two runners in mile three. The three of us finally caught the one guy that fell off the pace from in front, halfway through the last mile. I needed to kick it in strong (31s for the last 0.1) to pass the two I was running with coming into the finish, but my time was a relatively poor 18:12. That was the same as my 5k split in the 5 miler from last race. Yuck.
At least Nick had a good race, at 20:12 (PR). We both won our respective age groups. Next week is another local 5k, hopefully I can do better.
==
Darin
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