Week 12 Training Plan, 11/9-11/15

Saturday's Division 2B Championship meet is the highest level competition to date this season. Everything leading up to Saturday in practice is intended to help optimize performance in that race. We're not reinventing the wheel here, so no major changes are afoot other than a further reduction in training volume. These workouts are less about building fitness than confirming it. 

In the days leading up to the meet you can build on the gains in fitness you've made throughout the season by getting to bed at a reasonable hour, drinking water regularly throughout the day (to the tune of around 48 ounces a day), and eating a nutritious balanced diet. Like the last two weeks, there's a scheduled day off during the week, which is Thursday. 

For people that aren't racing on Saturday and either haven't had an opportunity to run a mile time trial or would like to try it again, we'll be doing a mile time trial on Tuesday as well. Athletes who are racing on Saturday won't participate in this. 

Monday 11/9  - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a PMR of 36 or 48 minutes. The PMR will then be followed by 5x150m (100m race pace, 50m faster than race pace) with a 150m jog recovery.

Tuesday 11/10 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including CURTSIES followed by a short length run including run-throughs and bounding over cones

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B and C: 32-36 minutes

OR

Warmup, 10-12 minute jog, 3x100 meters at mile race pace followed by mile time trial. 10-12 minute jog cooldown. Bring racing shoes if you plan on doing this. Don't dither with the warmup, we need to be off the track well before the soccer game starts. 

Wednesday 11/11  - Practice at 9:00 AM. We'll be visiting Willard Park at Devens where the Meet of Champions next weekend will be held. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a 12-15 minute jog, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds per mile faster than race pace, mile at race pace, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds per mile faster than race pace. Wrapped up with a 10 minute cooldown. The recovery between each 400 is 60-90 seconds, with 4.5 minutes before and after the mile.  

Thursday 11/12 - off

Friday 11/13 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup followed by a 10 minute jog, two sets of short intervals on the track and turf field if available, 10 minute cooldown.

Saturday 11/14 - MIAA Division 2B Championship at Wrentham Developmental Center. More details in a forthcoming post. 

Sunday 11/15 - off

Frank Mooney Invitational Results, 11/7/26

On an overcast drizzly afternoon a select group of 10 Wayland boys competed on the Wrentham Developmental Center course. This is the second of three visits this season for Wayland at this venue, with the first visit being back in September on a much sunnier day at the Frank Kelley Invitational. 

The rain that started yesterday and continued off and on through most of today softened up the course. This was exacerbated by the hundreds of large school runners that raced in the morning. While there were no puddles and only isolated patches of mud, the course overall seemed to be running a bit slower than it does when the ground is dry. Spiked shoes were the order of the day for traction. Medals are given out to the first 40 finishers in each race.

The first race with WHS runners was the 10th grade race. The duo of Thomas Conley and Jack Ricci worked together early on before Conley pulled away a bit in the last mile. Both of them won medals finishing in 25th and 39th place. Next was the 9th grade race, with two Wayland runners in the top 15 in Evan Hopps and Henry Tharpe. Behind them Dylan Stack and Rhys Hill, way back in the field early on, made a determined charge in the late stages to secure the last two medals on offer. Rounding out the WHS group was Brendan Tripp. While there was no official team scoring, the online results platform does team scoring automatically and the Wayland contingent was fourth of nine hypothetical scoring teams. Finally, the largest race of the day was the combined 11th/12th grade race that had 274 finishers. Among them was Grady Spence who moved well through the field in the second and third mile to run a big PR time, which is particularly impressive given the spongy ground underfoot. 

With the changes last year to Franklin Park, the 3k and 5k courses at Wrentham are the longest-standing layouts where Wayland Cross country competes, having been in use since 2010. 

Overall results

Splits for WHS athletes 

Wayland performance lists for Wrentham Developmental Center, 2010-present 

Frank Mooney Invitational, 11/7/26

live results

Meet Site: 

Wrentham Developmental Center. The address is 131 Emerald Street, however the race course is located a little further down the road, in the large field at the intersection of Emerald Street and Shears St. This is across the street from the William A. Rice Recreation Area.

Bus time 11 AM

Race Schedule and Entries

12:59 10th grade boys 5k - Conley, Jorgensen, Ricci, Versteeg

1:44 9th grade boys 3k - Hill, E. Hopps, Stack, Tharpe, Tripp

2:28 11th/12th grade boys 5k - Spence  

note there will be girls races happening in between the races listed above 

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: mostly cloudy, temperature in the high 50s, NNW wind 5-10 mph 
• Numbers will be assigned to you specifically for this meet; these numbers have an RFID chip attached to the back side which interacts with a conductive mat at the finish line to record your time. The meet director has asked athletes who aren't racing NOT to 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. 
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before the start of your race; the meet staff has been known in the past to start races a few minutes earlier than the posted schedule. You can complete your warmup at the starting line.
• If you're wearing a stopwatch while racing, putting your arm up to hit the button on the watch while crossing the finish line can cause the RFID chip to be blocked by your arm, and your finish might not be recorded. In other words, don't press the button on your watch when crossing the finish line.
• No one is to do their warmup or cool down among the buildings of the Wrentham Developmental Center, where patients are housed. Aside from the course itself, you can warmup and cool down on the ball fields across the street.
• Medals will be given to the top 40 finishers in each race.

• There's a canned food drive in conjunction with the meet, donations can be given to me to hand in when we arrive at the meet site. 

• MSTCA meet information sheet 

Course Map:

    

• The course is fairly flat, with some roll in places. There are no long and/or steep hills. The course is almost entirely on grass. The 5k course is three loops. The 3k course ends after the second loop (yellow on this map). The 5k course repeats this second loop. Both the 3k and 5k share the same first loop, which is the circumference of the large field where the course is situated. The second and third loops have two incursions from the outer edge of the field into the middle. Typically there are large digital clocks at the mile and two mile marks. 

What to Bring:

• Uniform
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them; this is a course for spikes, 1/4" or 3/8" elements
• Warmup clothes including a shirt
• Water bottles - filled

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

• Blanket or sleeping bag - important as we won't be bringing the tent, while we won't be out in the open for that long you might want to have something to help stay warm when not warming up, racing, or cooling down

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

For Parents:

• The parking fee this year is $10 for each car.
• Dogs aren't allowed except for service animals.
• No grilling, cooking, or fires are allowed at the meet site. 
• 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. 
• We hope to return to WHS by around 12 noon.

 

Week 11 Training Plan, 11/2-11/8

Purdy calculator for use in interpolation of a goal time for the mile time trial

This week features the Frank Mooney Invitational on Saturday at Wrentham Developmental Center.  This meet is for 9th graders (3k course) and JV runners (5k course) who meet the time standards. The entry deadline is Tuesday evening, if you received an email from me with a link to the poll please fill it out if you haven't already done so. 

Those that aren't racing on Saturday will be doing a time trial, either on Wednesday (first choice date), Friday, or even Saturday. Ideally the time trial is done on a day with little to no wind, mild to cool temperatures, and no rain. There may not be such a day this week, if so we'll have to make do. If one of the fall sports teams is hosting a tournament game on the turf field we won't do the time trial on the track that day. 

Like last week, there will also be a day off, this week that's Thursday. 

For the remainder of the season, all athletes must wear a reflective vest when running off campus after school. A set of vests has been acquired for this purpose using funds raised from the Wayland XC Festival. Remember to return the vest at the end of practice. It must be folded neatly (crunchwrap style) before being put away in one of the two "Pam's Run" drawstring bags that are used to store them. The vests don't need to be worn while running on campus, for example when running on the track.

Mon 11/2 - Warmup including BURPEES followed by a cyclic medium run. The length of this week's run is the same as last week's PMR.

Group A: 36 minutes (3 minute segments)
Group B: 48 minutes (4 minute segments)
Group C: 60 minutes (5 minute segments)

Tue 11/3 - Warmup including CURTSIES followed by a short length run including run-throughs and bounding over cones

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 32-36 minutes

Wed 11/4 - Following the team warmup, Those that are racing on Saturday will then do a medium length run including timed repeats as follows:

those racing 3k on Saturday: 10 minute warmup, 2 sets of 3x400 meters with the first set at race pace and the second set 1-2 seconds per rep faster than race pace. 200 meter recovery jog after each repeat with 4-5 minutes recovery between sets. 10 minute cooldown.

those racing 5k on Saturday: 10 minute warmup, 2 sets of 4x400 meters with the first set at race pace and the second set at 1-2 seconds per rep faster than race pace. 200 meter recovery jog after each repeat with 4-5 minutes recovery between sets. 10 minute cooldown.

for those not racing on Saturday: 10 minute warmup, mile time trial on the track, 10-12 minute break, 4-5x200 at race pace with a 200 meter jog recovery, 10 minute easy jog cooldown. The time trial is in essence a race, so if you have a pair of racing shoes you should wear them.

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 40-44 minutes

Thu 11/5 - off

Fri 11/6 - Warmup including BURPEES followed by a short length run at an easy to moderate intensity. Either the Ingebrigtsen Special or two sets of short repeats on top of the aqueduct in the last 8-10 minutes of the run.

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 40-44 minutes

Sat 11/7 - Frank Mooney Invitational. More information will be forthcoming in a subsequent post. 

For those not racing today, we'll meet at 9 AM at the school for the following workout:

Warmup including CURTSIES followed by 8-12 minutes jog then 5 sets of 800 meters, 200 recovery jog, 200 meters. The 800 repeats start at 10-12 seconds/mile slower than race pace and gradually get down to race pace for the last one. The 200 meter repeats are run at or faster than race pace throughout. 3.5 minute recovery jog/walk after each set. Finally, an 8-12 minute cool down. 

Sun 11/8 - off

DCL Championship Results, 10/30/26

Championship season got underway earlier today at Franklin Park in Boston, where the DCL Championship has been held for most of the 21st century. The layout of the courses (approximately 3km for 9th graders, 5k for JV and varsity runners) underwent a fairly large change last year to account for the (still) ongoing construction around White Stadium, which sits next to Playstead Field where the races begin and end. This year the course utilized the same three "building blocks" as a year ago--Wilderness Loop twice, Bear Cage Hill, and Playstead field traversed multiple times--but the order in which these pieces were laid out was changed. 

The DCL is a very deep league, with 11 members. Most of them are among the larger schools in Massachusetts, and as such they complete in Division 1 (of 3) in the upcoming MIAA tournament. Bedford, Wayland and Weston have much smaller enrollments than the other 8 member schools and compete in Division 2 in the MIAA tournament. For this reason, the varsity races today were scored separately for the Foley Division (which includes Wayland) and Thorpe Division teams. The boys finished a strong second among the Foley division teams, while the girls were a credible third after not having a scoring team a year ago at this meet. The time gap between the 1st and 5th finishers (AKA 1-5 spread) of 3:28 for the girls today was the best the team has had at this meet since 2012. Meanwhile the boys score of 58 points was the lowest point total for Wayland since the team scoring was separated into Foley and Thorpe divisions in 2022. 

There were many noteworthy individual results from today's meet which was contested in quite warm and windy conditions. There were two medal winners for the boys team, Brandon Hopps in 11th place in the varsity boys race, and his brother Evan taking the seventh and final medal spot in the 9th grade boys race. In the girls varsity race, Ivy Robertson led the way finishing 17th  with Ava Miller close behind in 19th. By finishing in the top 20 they are all but assured of being named DCL All-Stars, which will hopefully be confirmed early next week following the DCL coaches postseason meeting. 

Congratulations to everyone who raced today!

results - note that in the varsity races, the Foley and Thorpe results are compiled separately although there was only one varsity race for each gender 

splits and times for WHS athletes 

Franklin Park performance list  - note the courses were changed last year from a previous layout that had been in use since the mid-90s. The lists for the current 3k and 5k courses underwent significant updates after today's races.

WHS team and top individual results at DCL and MIAA Championships, 1997-present 

DCL Championship, 10/30/26

live results

Meet Site: Playstead Field at Franklin Park, Boston.

Bus Time: 12:00 PM

Note the bus time. Athletes listed below will be dismissed after 3rd period. Remember that you're responsible for any work in classes that you miss. If you're entered in a later race and need to stay at school for a test or other assignment, you can arrange your own transportation to the meet but check with the coaches about it ahead of time. 

Meet Schedule and lineups:

2:00 PM JV boys 5k - Ciccarelli, Conley, Doxopoulos, Grace, Jorgensen, LeBaron, McLaughlin, Ricci, D. Sondey, Versteeg

2:30 PM Varsity girls 5k - Hage, Miller, Robertson, Schoeffler. Wang

3:00 PM 9th grade 3k - Atchison, Choi, Garcia-Rivera, Hill, E. Hopps, Markey, P. Sondey, Spilman, Stack, Tharpe, Thomas, Tripp, Vukson, Zhang

3:30 PM Varsity boys 5k - Baker, Foley, Hopper, B. Hopps, Migdal, Spence, Young 

4:00 PM JV girls 5k - Brown, Davids

4:30 PM Awards

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Mostly sunny, temperature in the mid to high 60s with westerly winds 10-15 mph.

• Runners must report to the starting line 10 minutes before the start of their race, and begin removing sweats no later than 5 minutes before their race starts.

• Each team is assigned a box along the starting line. We'll know our box number after we arrive at the meet site.

• While the boys and girls 9th graders will race at the same time, the results of the races are compiled separately. 

• The top 15 finishers in each varsity race, the top 8 JV and the top 7 9th graders (boys and girls both) will receive awards.

• While the course will surely be well marked, it's a good idea to check it out during your warmup. Please note the course tour is self-guided, using the map below.

• If this is your final meet of the season, bring an extra change of clothes and after your race you can change out of your uniform in the field house and return it to one of the coaches.  

• Return time to WHS is approximate, but we hope to be back around 6:00 PM depending on traffic. 

Course Map and Description:

• The 5k course consists of three loops. The first loop is in the Wilderness, followed by a trip up and over Bear Cage Hill. Then a second trip into the Wilderness, finishing up on Playstead field.

 

• The 3k course includes an initial loop in the Wilderness, then a trip up and over Bear Cage Hill before finishing on Playstead field:

• There's a stretch of pavement leading to the base of the Bear Cage hill, such that wearing spike elements in your racing shoes isn't a good idea. Those that are wearing spiked shoes should replace the spike elements with either blanks or 1/8" elements. 

• All time list for WHS athletes at Franklin Park, 1997-present (note the course was changed in 2025 due to White Stadium construction project)

What to bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• warmup clothes including: long sleeved shirt, pants, windbreaker, gloves, hat
• water bottle
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival). If you're running in a later race, bring a snack to have when we first arrive at the park to tide you over until your race. 
• folding chair if you want something to sit on while changing shoes

For parents:

• There's a small parking lot at the corner of Circuit Drive and Pierpont Road; there's also a larger lot further down Circuit Drive, as well as on-street parking on Circuit Drive.
• If you're going to be at the meet and would like to take your child with you when their race is over, please let one of the coaches know.
• The area just beyond the finish line is a good spot to see the race at various points as the runners pass by this spot repeatedly.

Week 10 Training Plan, 10/26-11/1

This week is the beginning of the final phase of the season, which kicks off with Friday's DCL Championship meet at Franklin Park. As in years past, there will be a karaoke contest on the bus ride home from this meet which is not to be missed. Submit your song choice in advance to the coaches for approval. The maximum group size for the contest is four people. It would behoove you to practice your song beforehand.

We'll also return to the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge for an optional practice the day after the DCL Championship. This will be an easy recovery run. The address is 680 Hudson Road Sudbury and we'll meet outside the Visitor Center--which will be open, and has a small gift shop in the lobby.  

With the end of the season drawing near, we've entered the peaking phase of our training. The proverbial hay is in the barn, from here on out training volume will be decreased. This is achieved through a reduction in the length of most daily runs, as well as a reduction in the number of runs per week. The reduction in number of runs per week is achieved by taking an additional day per week off from practice. For this week that day is Wednesday.

• Mon 10/26 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a progressive run as follows:

Group A: 36 minutes (12 minutes easy, 9 minutes @70%, 9 minutes @80%, 6 minutes easy) 

Group B: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy, 12 minutes @70%, 12 minutes @80%, 8 minutes easy) 

Group C: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy, 15 minutes @70%, 15 minutes @80%, 10 minutes easy) 

• Tue 10/27 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including CURTSIES followed by a short length run at an easy to moderate intensity including 3 sets of shorts repeats on top of the aqueduct.

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 40-44 minutes

• Wed 10/28 - off

• Thu 10/29 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a short length run with the "Ingebrigtsen Special" incorporated near the end of the run.

Group A: 24-28 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 40-44 minutes

• Fri 10/30 - DCL Championship Meet @Franklin Park. The meet starts early which will require dismissal after 3rd period class. You're responsible for any work or tests you might miss as a result of this. More information forthcoming. This is a medium length day, including warmup and cooldown running it should add up to the following:

Group A: 32-36 minutes
Group B: 40-44 minutes
Group C: 48-52 minutes

On the bus ride home, the 12th annual edition of the Golden Microphone karaoke contest will take place.

• Sat 10/31 - Medium length run at an easy intensity. For those that are interested, we'll meet 10 AM at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. The route of today's run will take us past the site of the property formerly owned by Henry Ford. 

Group A: 32-36 minutes
Group B: 40-44 minutes
Group C: 48-52 minutes

• Sun 11/1 - off