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Meet @ USM-Gorham

February 1, 2013 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: N/A

Comments:
4x8, 8, and 4x2 today. Race reports incoming:

So the 4x8 was supposed to be hard, but without Spencer our team is kinda crap. Bryce, who is coming back from a broken collar bone, ran a 2:17; Sean, who is inexperienced and very bouncy when he gets tired, ran a 2:21; and Josh, who can run a 2:12 in the open 8 but has some trouble pushing himself in relays, ran a decent 2:14. That wasn't for lack of competition either, since Fryeburg was leading our team for the first 13 laps of the race. Once I got the baton I saw Fryeburg's anchor was quite a ways away, but I wasn't aware that our time was crap so I ran hard in a futile attempt to save our team time (which still ended up being like 8:56). I caught the dude at about 200 m I think, running a 29 through that first lap. Then I ran three laps around 31 each to finish in 2:03.low, which would have been a PR if I had run it in the open 8. Interestingly, I really felt good on that last lap, I definitely had enough left in the tank to run a 30 or faster for the anchor, had I needed to (luckily Fryeburg's anchor was kind enough to just stay on my heels after I passed him. If he had been able to surge on the last lap he probably could have gotten me). After the race though, I felt an overwhelming urge to barf, which I always get when I don't warm up properly (like, say, when your entire relay team loses track of the meet and the guy on the speakers has to go to 6th call waiting for your team to line up). I ended up just dry-heaving painfully over a trash can while talking to a nice Fryeburg kid who I just met this season.

Anyway it felt nice to unofficially PR, but my poor endurance caught up to me in the open 8. I was seeded first on a double pole start, and no one was really seeded to compete, so I figured I'd go out hard and then run my own race. Unfortunately Harrison Stivers somehow sneaked into the race without a seed, so he showed up in front of me when the double pole converged on the second lap. I had no idea it was him, so I tried to pass him right away... and he surged. We hit the curve, I wondered who this kid was (I'm a bit slow mentally when I'm in the middle of a race), and I bode my time until the first straightaway on the third lap, where I tried to pass again and he surged again like a pro. This time I was frustrated because I knew the third lap was slow (it was 33), so I went for another pass on the straightaway into the final lap... and no dice. Harrison was clearly toying with me if he could surge so effectively, and my legs had no kick left in them after the 4x8, so I just hung back, finished in 30 a second or so behind him, and ran 2:05.high. I was not prepared for a tactical race, nor were my legs able to bruteforce myself out of the situation, so I can't really complain about the time. I would have liked to get to lead myself though, just because that 2:06 is going to haunt me until I get another opportunity to run the open 8 next week.

Anyway, I felt tired for the 4x2, ran 24.mid, and got beaten by York who really turned it on this time. We ran the same time we did last week, they ran 1:36.3 or something. With Andy replacing Mike we'll be a bit closer, but the rest of us need to see a bit more time drops if we want to be competitive at states. I did notice that although York's anchor passed me pretty effortlessly on the first straightaway, he wasn't able to pull away on the second half of the leg. If I can just hold him off for the first half of my leg, I think he'll slow down enough in the second half that he won't be able to make ground on me. It all depends on my lead at the start and my receiving handoff from Mike...

Also, the Elites feel pretty great and look even better. I can't say for sure if they made me faster but they definitely made me more confident. It feels good to be able to run sockless again, and the mesh upper breathes like a champ.