Vineyard XC Invitational, 9/6/26

Meet Site: 

Martha's Vineyard Regional High School

Transportation Schedule

pre-meet:

6 AM bus departs WHS for Steamship Authority Terminal in Woods Hole; this will be a quiet bus ride, no music or loud conversations please. If you want to take a nap this is the time for it.

8:15 AM Ferry to Vineyard Haven

9:00 AM Buses provided by the host school transport athletes and coaches to MVRHS

post-meet:

sometime after 2 PM - bus provided by host school to Vineyard Haven

5:00 PM depart Vineyard Haven Ferry Terminal

5:45 PM arrive at Woods Hole, leave for Wayland

7:30ish PM return to WHS

Race Schedule and Entries

11:00 AM 9th grade co-ed 3k: E. Hopps, Markey, Tripp, Versteeg

11:30 AM JV girls 5k: Brown, Hage, Jay, Wang

12:15 PM JV boys 5k: Ciccarelli, Doxopoulos, Jorgensen, Ricci, D. Sondey, Spence

12:45 Varsity girls 5k: Miller, Schoeffler 

1:15 PM Varsity boys 5k: Baker, Foley, Hopper, B. Hopps, Migdal, Young 

note: the top 7 fastest times on the 5k course will be counted towards varsity status regardless of which race the athlete runs

 
Meet Information:

 

overview of the meet

• Weather forecast: partly cloudy, temperatures in the low to mid 70s with winds from the south around 10 mph
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before the start of your race, you can complete your warmup at the starting line.
• Awards will be given to the top 15 boys and top 15 girls in the 9th grade race, top 25 finishers in the JV races, and top 15 in the varsity races

Course Maps:

The course begins and ends on the high school ball fields before entering the state forest to the south of the school grounds. Most of the course for both 3k and 5k is on unpaved fire roads in the nearby state forest. Both courses are basically flat, note there are some short sections of loose sand to watch out for. We'll arrive in time to see the course, which can be part of your warmup. 

 

3k map (click to enlarge): 

 5k map:

 

Packing List:

Clothes:

• Uniform
• Everyday running shoes, i.e. training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them. We'll have spike elements of different lengths available depending on the footing.
• Warmup clothes including a short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, and warmup pants. A hat is a good thing to have as well.

Non-food items:

• Water bottles (plural) - filled, ideally at least half a gallon of water

• Folding chair - important to have something to sit on other than the ground

• Sunscreen

• Insect repellent

• Pillow

Food:

• Breakfast or breakfast type snacks to have while waiting for the ferry to the island or on the ferry

• Lunch to eat at the meet 

• Dinner or a large snack which can be eaten on the ferry back to Woods Hole or before getting back on the bus. Due to allergy concerns, there is to be no eating while on the bus.

 • Chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival

For Parents:

• Parents are welcome to come along, on the same ferry even, but must pay their own way. The buses provided by the school are for athletes and coaches. There are VTA buses on the island which are free and take passengers to the high school.  

• If you're going to be at the meet and want to take your child home with you, please talk to a coach to let us know.  

• Snacks are welcome, but due to allergy concerns the Athletic Director has asked that any snacks be individually wrapped and ideally have the ingredients written on the label.

 

Week 2 Training Plan, 8/31-9/6

Online team store - orders must be submitted by Tuesday September 1st

Vineyard Invite survey - needs to be submitted by noontime Wednesday September 2nd

This week features the first meet of the season, the Vineyard Invitational hosted by Martha's Vineyard RHS. For various reasons, this meet is happening a week earlier in the season schedule than normal. This will be the third time Wayland has participated in this unique event, where all the competing schools (except the host school of course) arrive on a ferry! This also means there are more logistical concerns to consider, namely reserving space on the aforementioned ferry. As a result, I need to hear from everyone on the team as to whether or not they plan on taking part. The meet is optional, like all the weekend invitational meets on the schedule. Please fill out this extremely brief poll linked above regarding whether or not you plan on taking part in the Vineyard Invite this year. 

Also worth mentioning is the fact that there's no school on Friday. There will be practice held in the afternoon at the regular time, as I don't have the day off at my job. Friday's practice will be for people who are in town that aren't signed up for Sunday's meet; the people that are racing on Sunday will take Friday off. There will be a practice Saturday morning for everyone that's in town, held at the high school. 

The pattern of this week's practices is similar to last week with a maximum of six runs--three shorter runs, two medium runs, and a long run. Remember that alternate forms of exercise can be subbed in for running on one or more days, which is a particularly good idea for people who haven't put in as much time (or any time) running over the summer months. Remember that we meet each day under the large trees next to the field house, this is on the southwest side of the field house. If you walk around the outside perimeter of the field house you'll find us.

If you haven't already done so please hand in your summer training log (optional for new athletes, required for returning athletes). Rewards will be distributed once the coaching staff has tabulated the logs, which should be done by the end of next week. 

If you're an 11th or 12th grader with at least one year of prior experience on the team and are interested in being a captain, please contact me either via e-mail or in person to declare your interest. The prerequisites for being captain are described at the bottom of page 7 of the team policies and FAQ document.

On Wednesday the 2nd from 5:30-7 PM there will be a "spike night" (spikes being the racing shoes used in this sport) held for the team at Marathon Sports (255 Washington Street in Wellesley). If you need running shoes, whether for daily practice use and/or specifically for races, this is an opportunity to get them at a 20% discount. In fact, everything in the store except for electronics is discounted 20% for WHS team members. This event is optional. 

With all that out of the way, here's the plan:

• Mon 8/31 - Practice 3:30 PM at WHS. Warmup including BURPEES and strides on the track followed by a short, easy active recovery run. We will be doing a series of bounding run throughs over cones and a few short intense sprints as well. The team supply of elliptigo bikes will be available for use.

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

• Tue 9/1 - Practice 3:30 PM at WHS. Warmup including CURTSIES followed by a medium length run that will incorporate timed pickups of 3-4 minutes in length, at an "uncomfortably sustainable" (80%) effort. In between the faster paced bits of running is a recovery interval of 1.5 minutes, ideally done at a 50% effort (a bit faster than a slow jog). This will be followed by a few pickups of 30 seconds in length at a 90% effort. The 30 second pickups should approximate race pace for the typical cross country race distance. Cross country races are between 3 and 5 kilometers. These shorter faster pickups have a 1 minute recovery interval between them. Level 1 athletes may find it more realistic to walk the first 30-60 seconds of each recovery interval. Everyone will begin and end their run today with a warmup and cooldown that are at an easy pace, with the timed pickups sandwiched in between. Time for today's run is as follows, with number of pickups indicated as well:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes: 1x 4 minutes @80%, 4x30 second pickups @90% (warmup and cooldown 5-6 minutes each)
Level 2: 34-38 minutes: 2x 3 minute pickups @80%, 4x30 second pickups @90% (warmup and cooldown 8-10 minutes each)
Level 3: 43-47 minutes: 2x 4 minute pickups @80%, 6x30 second pickups @90% (warmup and cooldown 10 minutes each)
Level 4: 52-56 minutes: 3x 4 minute pickups @80%, 6x30 second pickups @90% (warmup and cooldown 12-15 minutes each)

• Wed 9/2 - Practice 3:30 PM at WHS. Warmup including BURPEES and then a short, easy active recovery run. Remember that "Spike Night" at Marathon Sports in Wellesley is from 5:30-7 PM this evening after practice.

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

• Thu 9/3 - Practice 3:30 PM at WHS. Warmup including CURTSIES, then a cyclic long run (CLR). The total time of this run will be broken down into 12 equal segments. The first segment is run at an easy (40% or so) effort. The next is run at a "fresh" (60-65% or so) effort, and the one after that at a "good" (80-85%) effort. Then this easy-fresh-good cycle is repeated three more times. If your watch has a countdown timer function, it's a good way to keep track of these time segments. Total length of the run as follows:

Level 1: 36 minutes (12x3 minute segments)
Level 2: 48 minutes (12x4 minute segments)
Level 3: 60 minutes (12x5 minute segments)
Level 4: 72 minutes (12x6 minute segments)

• Fri 9/4 - Practice 3:30 PM at WHS. Warmup including BURPEES and strides on the track followed by a short, easy active recovery run, with a series of hill drills (7x each, hill springing and skipping). Multiple elliptigo bikes will be available for use. Those that are racing on Sunday will have today off.

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

• Sat 9/5 - Practice 9:00 AM at WHS. Warmup including CURTSIES and then a short run including 3 sets of short repeats on top of the aqueduct. If you're not able to make it today try to do a steady run of short duration as outlined below on your own if possible. 

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

Sun 9/6 - Vineyard Invitational (more details forthcoming in a subsequent post) or day off

Week 1 Training Plan, 8/24-8/30

 Online Team Store - please submit orders no later than September 1st 

Welcome to the 2026 cross country season! This is the first weekly training plan post of the season. These weekly posts outline the scheduled training for the upcoming week. Each weekly training plan covers Monday to Sunday. Typically the plan will be published by the Sunday evening before the start of the week, but certainly no later than lunchtime Monday. 

Remember that while the weekly training plan is a good outline of what we will most likely be doing at each day's practice, there are sometimes unforeseen factors (typically weather related) that can change things. When this happens we'll do our best to get the word out quickly. In addition, note that there's a wide variation in the length of each day's run among the different training levels. This is because we have a diverse group of athletes on the team with a wide range of experience and incoming fitness levels. If you have any questions about how far or how hard to go on a particular day don't hesitate to ask one of the coaches. 

If you're not in Wayland during all or part of this week which doubles as the preseason (the time between the start of practice and the start of school), do your best to follow along with the training plan and do what you can on your own until you can join us at practice. 

Because this is the first week of the season, there are some details to go over here besides the daily workouts. For the rest of the season, this "preamble" section of the weekly training plan will be much shorter.

You should bring the following items with you to practice:

• running shoes

• comfortable clothes in which to work out. For the first few weeks you might also want to wear a hat with a brim to keep out the sun. 

• running watch, either your own the one you borrowed from the team supply. If you don't have a watch one will be assigned to you from the team supply.

• sunscreen

• water bottle - Very important item, should hold 32-48 ounces (1-1.5L). Please bring a water bottle which you can use during breaks in practice and after practice has ended. Bring your water bottle already filled.

There are a maximum of six runs total scheduled for this week. For people doing six runs there will be three shorter length efforts, two medium length days (one of them with timed pickups), and one long run. If you haven't been training much or at all over the summer, don't worry you can start at Level 1. 

We'll also employ cross training options, open to anyone, that can be done as a supplement or in place of running as need be. These include the elliptical bikes, or riding your own bike if you have one and can bring it to practice. If you haven't been running consistently over the summer, it's best to avoid jumping right into 5 or 6 days of running per week. Cross training is the best way to accomplish this. In other words, running 2-4 times in a week and doing alternative forms of exercise the other 2-3 times.

Monday through Friday, practice will be held at WHS. The meeting point at the high school is under the large trees next to the field house, this is on the southwest side of the field house. If you walk around the outside perimeter of the field house in either direction from the parking lot, you'll find us. 

It's expected that returning athletes will hand in a training log from the summer. Athletes new to the team have the option of submitting a training log but it's not required. Rewards will be distributed once the coaching staff has tabulated all the logs, hopefully no later than the week after Labor Day.

With all that out of the way, here's the plan:

• Mon 8/24 - Practice at WHS 6:45 AM. Warmup including BURPEES and strides (run-outs on the track) followed by a medium length run broken down as follows:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 34-38 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes 

The pace of the run today should be easy on the whole, if you feel up to it it's ok to pick up gradually towards the end of the run. 

• Tue 8/25 - Practice at WHS 6:45 AM. Warmup including CURTSIES followed by a short length run that will incorporate hill drills (springing AKA bounding for height and high knee running). For those that have been on the team in the past, we'll be using the same hill along the Hultman aqueduct between Cedar Creek Road and Pine Ridge Road that we've used for hill drills in the past. 

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-35 minutes
Level 4: 38-45 minutes

• Wed 8/26 - Practice at WHS 6:45 AM. Warmup including BURPEES and strides (run-outs on the track) followed by a medium length run that will incorporate timed pickups of 2 minutes in length, at an "uncomfortably sustainable" (80%) effort. In between the race pace pickups is a recovery of 1 minute, ideally run at a 50-60% effort (this is easy but not a slow jog). Level 1 athletes may find it more realistic to walk the first 30 seconds of each recovery interval. Everyone will begin and end their run today with a warmup and cooldown that are at an easy pace, with the timed pickups sandwiched in between. Time for today's run is as follows, with number of pickups indicated as well:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes, 3-4x 2 minute pickups (warmup and cooldown 5-6 minutes each)
Level 2: 34-38 minutes, 4-5x 2 minute pickups (warmup and cooldown 10 minutes each)
Level 3: 43-47 minutes, 6x 2 minute pickups (warmup and cooldown 12-14 minutes each)
Level 4: 52-56 minutes, 8x 2 minute pickups (warmup and cooldown 14-16 minutes each)

• Thu 8/27 - Practice, @WHS 6:45 AM. Warmup including CURTSIES and then a short easy run followed by run throughs (accelerations) and bounding over cones. The run throughs are short accelerations building up to 95% or so of maximum speed. 

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-35 minutes
Level 4: 38-45 minutes

• Fri 8/28 - Practice, at WHS 6:45 AM. Warmup including BURPEES and strides (run-outs on the track) followed by either a short run for those going on the trip tomorrow or a progressive long run (PLR):

Level 1: 36 minutes (12 minutes easy - 9 minutes fresh - 9 minutes good - 6 minutes easy)
Level 2: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy - 12 minutes fresh - 12 minutes good - 8 minutes easy)
Level 3: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy - 15 minutes fresh - 15 minutes good - 10 minutes easy)
Level 4: 72 minutes (24 minutes easy - 18 minutes fresh - 18 minutes good - 12 minutes easy)

We'll discuss where to go for this long run, it will likely be an out and back affair along one of the aqueducts. For those doing the short run today the time guidelines are the same as yesterday:

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-35 minutes
Level 4: 38-45 minutes

 9th graders will take today off, enjoy the orientation! 

• Sat 8/29 - Western Mass. day trip. There will be more details shared via e-mail with the people going on the trip. For those not coming along for the Western Mass. day trip, either:

- a cross training workout of 30 minutes to an hour plus (depending on what the activity is)

- a run of 25-45 minutes with the last 5-10 minutes being run at about a 75-80% effort. Up to that point, run at an easy pace.

Regardless of which workout you choose to do, please remember to do a warmup routine beforehand and "silly walks" afterward. The specifics on these can be found in the "Training Links" sidebar of the team website.

Sun 8/30 - off (no running), if you like you're welcome to go for a bike ride or hike on your own. 

2026 Preseason Interest Meeting

It's time once again for the preseason interest meetings. For rising 9th graders, the meeting will be Wednesday May 27th in the WHS Auditorium. For current WHS students we'll meet after school in room B244 on Tuesday June 9th. 

Agenda from the preseason interest meeting for rising 9th graders 

Agenda from the preseason interest meeting for returning athletes

Links referenced at the meeting:

WHS Fall 2026 Athletics Registration

Summer Training Guidelines

Summer Training Spreadsheet - Note that the suggested 10 week summer training block begins the week of June 15-21. The final week of the summer training block is August 17-23. 

Generic Training log format - Suggested for keeping track of your summer training. Using this format makes it easier for the coaches to tabulate when the season starts. If you use this format, first MAKE A COPY of it and include your name in the title of the copy before filling it out (under "File" menu select "Make a copy"). 

Other relevant links:

Training in the heat

Aquajogging - Alternative to running on land, a good way to get a workout without extra pounding on the joints. As an added bonus you can do this on the hottest days while staying cool. Highly recommended if you're comfortable being in the water. This is not swimming per se, it's simulating a running motion in deep water.

MIAA Division 2 Championship Results, 11/15/25

The 2025 season came to a close earlier today at Devens, on the Willard Park course that has been used for the Meet of Champions since 2022. On a mostly sunny and brisk morning the boys team was among the first group to toe the line in the Division 2 race. Wayland was one of 23 teams to qualify for this race, and scouting of the meet as seen on the "2025 D2 Qualifiers" tab of this spreadsheet showed that the team likely slotted somewhere in the middle of the pack. 

The course features an initial stretch of almost dead straight and flat terrain for nearly 600m before the first turn or hint of elevation change. The first of three loops saw the Wayland runners establishing position within a crowded and evenly matched field of almost 200 runners. As the race progressed through a second loop covering much of the same ground again, The WHS athletes were able to move forward through the pack somewhat before encountering the only major climb of note in the third and final loop. This hill, with a stair-step variable slope ascent and somewhat perilous steep off-camber corner on the descent, forced the runners to concentrate fully on the task at hand. 

The Wayland runners stayed focused throughout, and were led by the 10th grade duo of Ryan Foley and Brandon Hopps who both ran in the top 30 out of almost 190 finishers. Both the time and place were massive improvements for each athlete over a year ago at this meet. Ryan Young consolidated his position near the end to be a strong third finisher, with Archie Baker being the fourth 10th grader in the Wayland top four. Senior co-captain Matthew Tan was the final scorer for Wayland, running his best time on this course in his final high school cross country race. Senior Morgan Fallace was very close behind him, and junior Reese Migdal rounded out the Wayland contingent. 

As a team, Wayland came in 13th, finishing ahead of two of the teams that had beaten them the previous week in the Division 2B race. The Wayland team was also within 6 points of the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings. This finish represented just about the best possible team result that could be hoped for. With the top four WHS runners from today being 10th graders, the future is bright for the team to take another crack at this level next year. 

With the final meet of the season in the books, this website will go into hibernation until next spring. Be on the lookout for a post about the preseason interest meeting that will take place sometime in June before school lets out. It's been a memorable season, thanks again to everyone who took part.

overall results

splits for WHS athletes

 Willard Park Performance List - A listing of Wayland athletes who have raced on the layout used today. the current course has been in use for three years now. This is a short list at the moment, the hope is to add names to it going forward. 

Team and Individual Results at DCL and MIAA Championships, 1997-present

Bruce and the gang say hello from Amity Island

MIAA Division 2 Championship, 11/15/25

NCAA Southeast Regional

Before we get to the meet preview, Coach Blue would like to share this message with you:

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and cool gifts. But more importantly, thank you for letting me be a part of the team. I've learned that XC truly is a sport in which the individual gives themselves to the team, and the team uplifts the individual, leading to improvement for both. The dedication and persistence you folks have shown daily for the past three months to achieve that goal has been impressive. I'm proud of all of you. 

The product of your hard work is a trip to the "Meet of Champions"—an apt destination for a team like yourselves.

Be great on Saturday, be great always

-Coach Blue

I feel the same way; it's been an excellent season marked by noteworthy improvement in both fitness and tactical sense, impressive personal achievements and team accomplishments. With the Meet of Champions there's one final and justly earned chance to show what you're capable of. I'm also looking forward to spending some quality time with the fantastic gift you gave me which the internet says will take 8-9 hours to build. 

Live results

Meet Site:

Willard Park, Sherman Ave., Devens

Bus time 8:45 AM

Please arrive a few minutes early so we can get on the road in good time. If necessary, use the bathroom before we leave.

Race time 11 AM

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Mostly sunny, temperature around 40 degrees with NW winds 5-10 mph. It won't be a warm day, in fact this will be the coldest meet day of the season. Dress appropriately including layers to wear when you're either waiting for your race or after having completed your cool down. You may want to wear thin gloves and/or a hat during the race itself, and half tights (ideally black) if you have them. 
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before your race is scheduled to start; keep your sweats on until the meet officials at the starting line tell you to remove them. Warmup clothes will be placed in the laundry basket which will then be brought to the tent. 
• Numbers will be assigned to you specifically for this meet; these numbers have an RFID chip attached to the back which interacts with a conductive mat at the finish line to record your time. The meet director has asked that athletes who aren't racing NOT wear their bib number if standing near the finish line; doing so can cause a false reading by the finish line mat. Also, don't crumple or fold your bib number. Finally, don't press the stop button on your wristwatch as you cross the finish line, since doing so might interfere with the RFID chip and your hand and wrist will obscure your bib number from view by the backup camera.

• MIAA tournament format 

Course Map (click to enlarge):

• Link to course map

• Starting from the NE corner of a large area of ball fields, the course is three trips around the fields. The first of these loops is the shortest, while the third loop is the longest and includes a trip into the woods with a short steep climb and descent. Soon after completing the third lap athletes turn off to the finish area.

• Due to the fact that almost the entire course is on grass, spikes should be worn (1/4" or 3/8").

• Medals will be awarded to the top 15 finishers. 

Uniform Return:

All athletes will return their uniform after their race. You can put the uniform in the laundry basket. Bring a change of clothes to wear after returning your uniform.

What to Bring:

• Uniform, including both jersey and shorts

• spare change of clothes

• Everyday training shoes

• Racing shoes

• Multiple layers of clothing including clothes to wear while warming up and cooling down, in addition to dry warm clothes for after your race

• lunch for after your race

• a bag to put wet clothes in

• Water bottle (filled)

• Snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

• Folding chair

• Blanket (optional)

For Parents:

• A parking fee will no doubt be collected, I don't know what it is. Parking map.
• We hope to return to WHS around 1 PM.
• Dogs aren't allowed on or near the course.
• Snacks are welcome, but due to allergy concerns the Athletic Director has asked that any snacks be individually wrapped and ideally have the ingredients written on the label.

Week 13 Training Plan, 11/10 -11/15

Last one...

updated scouting

Monday 11/10 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a PMR of 36 or 48 minutes. If it's a steady rain, do the entire warmup in the field house. Don't forget to wear a vest off campus. 

Tuesday 11/11 - Meet 9:30 AM at WHS for the ride to Devens. Warmup including CURTSIES, then a 30 minute run on the Willard Park course starting at an easy pace and getting a bit faster over the last 10 minutes. This will be followed by run-throughs and bounding over cones along with 4x100 meter run-outs at race pace or faster. Bring a lunch and dry clothes to change into, before visiting the Fort Devens Museum.

Wednesday 11/12 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup including BURPEES followed by 10-12 minute jog, 5x800 alternating between repeats on the track (1,3,5) and on the small hill in the corner of the practice field (2.4). The repeats on the track should get progressively faster, while the second repeat on the field should be faster than the first one. The recovery interval after each repeat should be 2.5-3 minutes. Finally, a 10-12 minute cooldown jog.

Thursday 11/13 - off

Friday 11/14 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup followed by a 10 minute jog, two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct, 10 minute cooldown.

Saturday 11/15 - MIAA Division 2 Meet of Champions at Devens. More details in a forthcoming post.