Week of 9/1-9/7
Monday: Six miles easy, still being cautious with the ankle.
Tuesday: White Oak Hill loop, 8 Miles of absolute fun.
Wednesday: Sand Pit Workout. Three Rainbows around the pit, a bunch of pit climbs. Core work.
Thursday: 30 Minutes of easy running.
Friday: WMC Meet at Yarmouth
Saturday: Day off.
Sunday: 100 minute long run.
Another good week of training. I have continuously felt strong throughout this whole season now, something I have to owe to all the summer running I did. My times in meets have not really shown how strong I feel, but I have not really had the chance to race on a fast course yet.
My favorite work out this week was the sand pit. It has always been one of my favorites, and a tradition for our XC team to do work outs there a few times a year. We did three rainbows around the pit, which consists of running around the sides of the pit. Not a lot of people can make it around the entire thing every time, including me. The footing is hard to work with, and the sand drains you so fast, by the time you get done the first one you want out.
I thought I was going to get that fast course to see just how fast I am at this point, on Friday. The course at Yarmouth was an out and back styled lollipop course.
Our team, arriving there later then expected did not get to walk the entire course, and instead only walked out to about the mile point, where the trail came to a fork, and you started the loop that would bring you back to that point, and to the finish. Well that entire mile or so sector of the trail we walked seemed like it would be fast, and have good footing. I never took into consideration the mystery of the loop, or the fact that on all the rolling hills, the down hills were all momentum killers. Not only that, but all the twists and turns really could slow you down as well. I really underestimated the course, and did not realize how difficult it would be to run fast on it until I was racing.
I started out fairly conservatively and hit what I thought was the mile maker in 5:15, it turned out to be a bit short, I actually hit it in 5:28. When I was in for a surprise when I hit the loop, it turned out to be a grassy hill, some flat terrain, and then more grassy uphill through out the entire loop. I held strong on it, but it definitely kept the course slow. When I came off of the loop, back onto the main trail, I knew I had a pretty good lead, and coasted through the rest. I felt good the entire race, I felt like I had another gear to kick it into if I needed to, but for me it is so hard to do that when there is no one around pushing you.
I ended up finishing in 18:08, much slower then what I wanted and expected, but I understood that it wasn’t a course meant for people to run fast on. I felt like I ran a good race tactically, but found myself a little paranoid in the last mile and a half, always turning my head to see if anyone was gaining on me. In the end it was my first ever cross-country win.
Later today, I will be running my 100-minute long run for the week. My long runs are always my favorite. A lot of times this is the only part of the week I have time to be out and just think about everything that is going on around me. Living the busy life of being a three-season athlete, holding down a job, and of course succeeding at school can be a lot to ask of myself sometimes. I barely ever have time to just hang out anymore whether it be with friends or family. I know though, that in the end it will all be worth it.
At this point in this weeks entry it is time for my two paragraph political plug. Yesterday I started my work at the Maine Democrat Headquarters in Lewiston. I got the wonderful job of calling people and talking to them about what matters in their life, and whom they support for a lot of the elections in November.
Everyone I talked to was hungry for something different. They all wanted this country to move in a better direction, and there was something or another that concerned everyone, whether it is the energy crisis and rising heating costs, or the War in Iraq. Everyone seems to know that this is the most important election of our lifetimes. That’s why we need to make sure we put the right people in power. People who we know we help the middle class, by ending tax breaks to the biggest corporations, and instead giving them to the middle class.
We need leaders who will end our dependence on foreign oil, and research alternative energy, something that John McCain has been repeatedly against funding. Maine has tremendous potential for wind energy, in the Gulf of Maine, but unless we get the funds we need, it won’t happen. Not only is this a great way to provide a new source of renewable energy, it would create a whole new line of jobs for Mainers, something this state desperately needs.
Well that was a little bit more then two paragraphs, but I think I got my point across. My name is Dylan Lajoie, and I approve of this message.