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Rachel's Run

November 23, 2019 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
The gun went off and I shot out hard toward the front of the pack. I was surprised to be so far up given that Rachel's Run is a USATF Grand Prix series club race with some of the top amateur runners in New England, but then again, I think most talented runners don't do XC or have already concluded their seasons. My mantra for today was to "go out too hard and see what happens." I don't recommend that for any of you on a regular basis, but there will be certain points in your running career where it makes sense. My last race was a 10k and I didn't want to get lulled into a 10k pace. Furthermore, I felt like I hadn't really explored my limits in a while and thought this would be a sure-fire way to find out, without the risk of going out too slow, thinking I was already at my limit, and then realizing later I'd fooled myself. Besides, I'd had good races already to be proud of, so it seemed like a good time to take a chance.

The course consisted of two loops almost entirely in the woods but steep hills, patches of mud, and sharp turns. Just what XC should be! It was also cold enough that I actually wore gloves for the first time since the Sarajevo Marathon last January (I still ran in running shorts and a singlet, however). I got a great night's sleep (9 1/2 hours) but then almost no warmup because I'd really wanted to sleep in (I was literally the last person to register and saw almost none of the course except the finish). No one else from the BAA (my club) and in fact none a soul who I knew was present. Fine by me. Last time I had amazing cheering from the Gunthers and Williams folks. Today was my day to be entirely self-motivated.

I ran the first mile aggressively, way more so that I've done all season. I didn't think about the later miles and I didn't hold back, except a little bit on the rocky, minute-long uphill but I more than made up for it coming down. It's one of those courses where recklessness is shamelessly rewarded unless you wipe out on the roots, and I passed several guys as I careened down the backside of each hill at top speed. I didn't let up until near the end of the first loop in what I judged to be the second mile (there were not mile markers). I'm not used to passing guys early in a race, but it gave me confidence that I was doing the right thing. As we came through the start line (halfway) I told myself to refocus and get aggressive once more. There was a moment around 1 3/4 miles where I letting two guys 20m ahead pull me along and I said to myself, "what the heck, try passing them and see what happens. If they pass you back there's no one watching who will know." I went for it and it paid off! Ahead there was now a GBTC guy who I started working on, but before I'd made a decisive push to close the gap, the hills struck and those hard early miles energy suddenly caught up with me. Three guys passed me on the big hill while I plodded conservatively and they continued to pound the dirt. I suppose in retrospect I was probably going a bit too slow, but hills take a toll on you, and I was holding back not only from fatigue but because I told myself going hard wouldn't be worth the price I'd pay in the mile after. I re-passed one of those guys on the downhill where I flew with wild abandon, but then I got passed again during the muddy twisty final mile. For much of that stretch, I think I resigned myself to my fate and was off daydreaming about the race rather than fighting in it. As we wound around the ponds for the second time, I felt like we were getting close and suddenly, to my utter surprise, I felt energetic again. "This must be my second wind!" I told myself, "the same burst of energy that strikes after 11pm and won't let me fall asleep if I stay up too late studying." The feeling lifted my spirits. I'm not sure if I sped up much (I don't remember all that clearly how I felt at this point), but when the start/finish field swung into view through the trees, I started to mount a kick. It was a crazy finish, and not in a fast way. I continued to have navigate sharp turns and orange-spray-painted tree roots even as I sent my body into overdrive. Finally, with about 75m to go, we burst free of the trees and I turned on the afterburners. I pulled nearly alongside one of the two GBTC guys I was chasing, but he looked over and responded with a kick of equal ferocity that I was sure in the moment I couldn't match, at least not with only 40m left. I finished on my toes but not quite flat out, then stumbled through the chute and flung myself into the grass for a well-earned end-of-season star stretch.

On the whole, I'm happy with how this went. It was a beautiful course, and I hope I always remember the enchantment of the sunlight flitting blindingly through the trees as I keep my gaze down on the trail ahead and fought to pass people. Tyngsboro is on the Merrimack River near New Hampshire and the bare trees and harsh sunlight had a wonderful Northern New England Robert Frost sort of quality. I feel satisfied for having gone out hard and trying to sustain it, and while it wasn't a perfect race, I accomplished something new.

That's it for XC season! I ran five cross country races, two road races, and one goofy Rock-the-Creek relay. I also did one 5k time trial on the track and ran an almost-marathon with Emily Vogt. It was, all in all, the busiest running season I've had in years. No PRs, but a lot of satisfying accomplishments.

Season Stats:

18 weeks of training beginning mid-July
37 mi/wk avg in August
52 mi/wk avg in September
66 mi/wk avg in October
32 mi/wk avg in November

Races (all are XC unless otherwise stated)
GTBC XC Invite (5k) - 18:46
Lone Gull (10k Road Race) - 38:48
Apple Harvest (5k Road Race) - 17:59, 2nd place
Rock the Creek Relay - 1st place
Wayland XC Festival (5k) - 18:37
Third Battle Invitational (5k) - 18:04, 14th place
Time Trial (5k on Track) - 17:42
USATF New England XC Championships (10k) - 36:17
Rachel's Run (5k) - 18:34