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NIRCA Cross Country Nationals 2017

November 11, 2017 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 30s

Comments:
NIRCA Nationals.... A race that we had been training for all season. My main goal for NIRCA Nationals was to continue my streak of being in the top 7 and finally contribute positively to the team. Last year at Nationals, I was our 5th guy but ran horribly and as a result, our team placed horribly. So I wanted to make a change this time around. I had finally gotten comfortable with the 8K, ran 3 good races, and was getting close to the 27 minute barrier. Though the 27 minute barrier was on the back of my mind, I really just wanted to help the team out in the best way that I could.

So here's my recap of the race.

I warmed up pretty much by myself, besides briefly running into Lucas and BJ. It was cold outside, but I had a lot of layer on (actually way too much). I was listening to some music to get myself pumped. I was listening to "In My Mind" and "The Emotion" and was getting pretty pumped. I was gonna listen to Knights of Cydonia, but I almost forgot to put on my race bib and grab my spikes. I was nervous, but I felt confident that I finally ready to go. I knew I had trained better than ever before all year, I was in great shape, and I finally knew how to run an 8K. I got to the starting line ready to go. My race plan was to go out and stay with Lucas for as long as I could, so I knew if I could do that then I could help the team out properly.


Note about warmup and cooldown: I didn't time this, because I didn't want my phone to die. So just estimations for those distance and times.

Secondary Note: SHOUTOUT TO AUSTIN LANGLINAIS FOR GIVING ME RUN GUM. I always have a good race with the power of Nick Symmonds.

The race started and I immediately tried to find Lucas, but he went out really hard. In fact, he went out so hard that I decided not to follow him. I was initially worried, but realized that he was going harder than he probably should've been. Luckily, BJ was right with me so I was able to work with all throughout the first mile. Red Cap Jack also appeared, but i can't remember if that was right before or after the mile. Either way, we hit the first mile in 5:04. I told BJ "man that's a little fast", but at least we didn't go sub 5 like Lucas and Paolo lol.

For the next mile, I was running with BJ and Red Cap Jack. It was definitely nice running as a pack. We definitely settled down a bit after the first mile. I know Red Cap Jack likes to go out slower and he pretty much went out with us, so I figure he was a bit uncomfortable. I think during this mile I threw my gloves and head band off in various places. I hit 2 miles in about 10:40 I believe.

The next mile, BJ and Red Cap Jack put a little bit of ground on me. I never fully lost them, but I was running behind them. i didn't feel bad for this mile, but it was a little meh. Going into the second loop, I had an interaction with a dude who slipped on the curve. I told him to move to the dryer side, because I felt bad for him lol.I hit the 5K in 16:57, which was a few seconds faster than usual but I'm normally between 17:00 and 17:05 anyways.

After mile 3, I was struggling for a little bit. I could BJ and Red Cap putting more and more ground on and I thought maybe I had gone out too fast. I was definitely doubting myself... but then came NIRCA legend Quin Todzo. Quin Todzo, a fan of the RVP Watch and massive high-key supporter, ran up beside me and said "Let's go RVP". I said "Thanks Quin Todzo" and at the same time I saw the famous "I heart Riley" sign from MRUN. Though the sign wasn't mant for me, as it was for Michigan's indoor meet, the people holding the sign know and remember me and cheered me on. At this point, I started to pick the pace back up and started working to pick people off. I moved ahead of Quinn and focused my sights on BJ, Red Cap, and Lucas who were all together now. I know that I was in the 5th spot again and i could not let the team down. I don't know what my 4th mile was, but it had to be a 4th mile record for me.

The final mile was all about sending it. I made a plan in my head to take the hill easy and then go into full send after the hill. That's exactly what i did. After the hill there was less than 1K to go and I saw Lucas fading in the distance. I worked my way up to him and tried to get to go with me, but he had gone out too hard and was dead. I kept moving up harder knowing the finish was in sight. I started making ground on Red Cap Jack and pushed as hard as I could to get back up to him. I was really moving now. I passed Jack and told him that we had to go now. Someone yelled 200 meters to go and I went balls-to-the-wall "Go hard or suffer the rest of your life" pace. I kicked hard desperately trying to stay ahead of the Red Cap and trying to pick up kids up ahead. I knew we were all close together besides Paolo who way ahead of us and having a good race. I also saw I was 3rd on the team and I really wanted to keep that spot. I saw a kid from MRUN and out-kicked him all the way until the line. I finished in 27:09.9 which was a PR, (even though Regionals could've debatably been a PR depending on if the course was wrong, but I'll count it anyways). I was about 6 second behind BJ, Red Cap was a second or 2 behind me, and Lucas was about 5-6 seconds behind.

Though I didn't hit my time goal of breaking 27, I could not have been happier with this race. I finished 3rd on the team, solidified myself as a strong team player, and tied Tall Paul's PR, meaning i am the new Tall Paul. We finished 13th as a team, which was exactly where we wanted to finish it. I felt like i had given it my all and had a great race. I'm proud of everyone on the team for sending it hard and doing so well. Paolo finished as an All-American and out 2 through 5 were all within 15 seconds. So this race could not have gone much better and it was a great way to end the season.

On an ending note, I'm actually sad XC season is ending. Last year, I was thrilled for it to be over, but I had a lot of fun this year. Though not every race was perfect, I had 4 races that I'm super happy with and I never fell out of the top 7. I improved my time by about 50 seconds and I finally felt that I made a positive impact on the team. Last year, I felt I let the team down every meet, but this year I can confidently say I think I made a positive difference. Definitely going to take a week off from running, so I'll be signing off of the running log for a week. I'll be back though and I'm so excited for track season! Hope to see the 2-4 of you guys reading this still logging during track season. Club or die and have a great day.

(Also shoutout to Liz for wanting a pity shoutout ;) )