HS Bloggers: Will Shafer GNG #9

Follow senior Will Shafer as he embarks on his first and only indoor season at Gray New Gloucester HS. Shafer is one of the top distance runners in the state, he was the Class B state champion in the 800m, and ran the second fastest 1600m in the state during the 2013 outdoor season.. Shafer finished 4th in the Class B XC state championship this fall, see what he's doing to get to the next level.

 

Greetings,
 
'Tis time for some championship racing, my friends! The indoor season has been a sneaky one this year. With the late start for a lot of leagues in Maine, the regular season has zipped by and is now past us. With the highest mileage weeks and most exhausting workouts in the books, or the roads and track, it is time to taper and hopefully reach some PRs!
 
Winter in Maine is a very challenging time to train. I am very grateful that I chose to participate in indoor while still in high school, albeit for only a single season. However, training in winter has made me appreciate outdoor track in an entirely different manner. Example A: for a couple of days last week I wore shorts on my runs outside. To some this may seem arbitrary, but to me it was a glorious feeling, shedding the tights for a couple days. The spring will come as a welcome break from a long season of winter running (April showers bring May flowers...and boys running in shorts, rather than leggings?)
 
On the coldest of winter days, or prior to the most difficult interval sessions, I can always rely on one thing to get excited to train. The video on Flotrack of Will Geoghegan running 3:58.04 and absolutely dominating the final 600m never fails to motivate me for the day's workout. Will has been someone who I have looked up to for a number of years. Over the past year imparticular, Will and I have become good friends. Having Will as a counselor over the summer and talking to him throughout the fall was invaluable in the college process, although he may have been a little biased in advocating Dartmouth. Nevertheless, seeing someone who you have personal connections to reach the level of running that Will has attained is truly inspiring. Will's success has been a motivation for myself and a lot of other local runners, showing that us Maine athletes are capable of some great achievements.
 
The final WMC meet was last Friday, an opportunity for some of the distance runners on my team to mix up their events. I personally ran the 200m and 400m. After completely embarrassing myself at the starting line of the 400m (I dropped into a 3-point stance before the starter had summoned us to take our marks, causing the race to go into some confusion and earning me some strange looks), I was able to run a solid time. With far too much confidence for my limited sprint speed, I toed the line in the fast heat of the 200m. From the moment the gun went off, I knew I was completely out of my element. The natural sprinters dusted me by a substantial margin, as I valiantly fought to stay out of last place. Needless to say, my thirst for the sprints has been quenched and I am ready to return to some distance running.
 
May your postseasons be filled with PRs,
 
Will