North Harrison Eve

Ladies,

Believe it or not, this picture was actually taken by my daughter Erin while in Boston. The squirrels there are... aggressive. It wound up in her lap eating out of her hand.

Here are the particulars for tomorrow's race, in case your parents need to know:

6:00 pm EDT – Girls and Boys Combined Open JV Race

6:45 pm EDT – Girls Varsity Race                                        
7:15 pm EDT – Boys Varsity Race

7:45 pm EDT -  Awards Program

As you can see, there really is no fire to get down there after all. I figure the trip is 90 minutes max... plenty of time to get the JV runners down there, ready to warm up and race. Varsity is 45 minutes after that, then the boys' race, then awards. It will be good and dark by the time we turn for home, but there shouldn't be any rush. 

The weather is going to be warm, so I consider it good news we will race later (for Varsity). Within limits we shouldn't have too much concern about heat, and I think this is a night where we'll see some good placements. It is a big meet, as stated before, so race positioning throughout is going to be a constant concern. I would say otherwise if you don't feel overheated at the start, go for it. Nothing to lose for trying!

As we become more aggressive in our daily workouts, and especially as we move forward into the speedwork phase of the season, I think it only fair to reveal some mid-season goals I have for you guys. This is not necessarily an indication of what I expect tomorrow - in reality it might be too soon for a variety of reasons. Still I think it useful to get an idea of what a time means in pace per mile. 

Runner	5k Goal	Pace
Joslyn Weaver	21:00:00	6:46:27
Carrie Flinn	21:00:00	6:46:27
Madison Ryan	21:00:00	6:46:27
Zoe Zollman	22:00:00	7:05:48
Katlyn Eagan	22:00:00	7:05:48
Chelsey Schofield	22:30:00	7:15:29
Diana Kattau	24:00:00	7:44:31
Sara Peterson	24:30:00	7:54:12
Cynthany Hignite	24:30:00	7:54:12
Kate Albertson	24:30:00	7:54:12

Seem crazy? Not at all. If anything this is conservative. Think about it. Yesterday a number of you went 8:20 for 8 miles. Wanna back 90 seconds off that for race pace... for 8 miles? I think that's 6:50. Oh, and if you only race 3.1 miles, you could make that more like 6:40 or 6:35. Yeah, it's possible all right. Assuming you weren't racing yesterday. 

I know Zoe wasn't. I know Joslyn wasn't. I know because I essentially finished the run with them. They were on cruise. And they looked just as good tonight. Speaking of tonight, Carrie was tough. As was Diana. As was Katlyn. The truth is you were there. Are there. Are beyond it. 

So if I say to Joslyn and Carrie start at and hold 7, that gives 21:42. That should be a relative gimmee. I KNOW Zoe can hold 7:15-7:30. So can Katlyn. I would say Chelsey should safely hold 7:45. Same for Diana. 

Did I say it would be easy? No! I am saying if you can dig, and if you can bear the pain, those numbers are easily within reach. Hold your form, hold the edge, and just keep putting one foot in front of another. If you feel yourself let off, gather up and go again. Whatever it takes. 

Here's something to remember about 5k's - the first part of the first mile, maybe even the whole first mile, is easy. Then suddenly it gets hard, and you wonder if you can hold it. You try to maintain the same effort level. WRONG! You have to run harder! You see, if you maintain the same perceived effort, you are slowing down. The only way you hold pace is to let the pain intensify. You literally have to run yourself from mile mark to mile mark as if the race were only one mile long. Each mile the pain gets worse, until the end where it is nearly unbearable. 

Sounds awful, but you really do get used to it, learn to accept and understand it, and actually handle more and more for longer periods. That's when you have the confidence you can take your opponent places they don't want to go, then break them. That's what I meant when I said, "Hurt them!". That's your goal - put as many opponents under stress as possible. They are human, and they can break. 

Sara said being called an athlete felt empowering. That my dear is only the tip of the iceberg. Being an athlete that can assert her will over a field is beyond description. 

Run aggressively. Look for your openings. Don't hesitate. Take your shot, win or lose. No regrets!