Monday, November 30, 2015

Booster Awards Night, Varsity Lists and Footlocker Results

The WHS Athletic Boosters Award Night will be held Wednesday evening December 2nd at 6 PM in the auditorium. Following the ceremony which will recognize athletes from all fall sports (and should take no more than an hour), we'll move on to room B244 (Coach Lehmann's classroom) for a separate cross country only meeting which will begin within 10 minutes of the main ceremony's conclusion. At the breakout meeting we'll recognize the recipients of team-specific awards including Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. All are invited to attend and we hope to see you there! We hope to be done by around 8 PM.

I also want to recognize on this blog the athletes on this year's team who earned varsity status. For this distinction, the coaching staff used the criteria listed below:

1. Athletes who competed at the MIAA EMass Divisional Championship meet and/or in the varsity race at the DCL Championship Meet. These meets represent our post-season, and the EMass Division 4 Championship is our state sectional tournament. Athletes who were slated to compete in either of these meets but were unable due to illness or injury are worthy of consideration for varsity status as well.

2. Athletes who have participated in cross country at WHS for at least two years. This level of commitment and dedication to the team and the sport is worthy of recognition, as such any athlete with two or more years of participation is deserving of varsity status contingent on characteristics like attendance, attitude, and commitment to the team and their own improvement.

3. Team captains who voluntarily took on the extra responsibility of a leadership role are eligible for varsity status in the rare occasion that neither of the first two criteria apply. 


Girls Varsity:

Taylor DeRubeis '16
Emma Kiefer '16
Allie Kunen '16
Rachel Lorenc '16
Abby McCarthy '17
Lauren McNamara '17
Sophie Mishara '17
Caroline Provost '16
Erica Sheffres '16
Sarah Tully '17

Boys Varsity:

David Ahearne '19
John Bartick '16
Harrison Brewton '16
Patrick Butler '16
Logan Chaet '16
Jett Chan '18
Trevor Chase '18
Devin Comettant '16
Logan Dawson '18
Cole Jacobs '16
Addison Kay '17
Zach Last '16
Zhenyang Luo '18
Dan Pachter '16
Alex Porter '16

If you're on this list and you think you've earned your varsity jacket, please inform Ms. Sullivan in the main office. The requirements for a varsity jacket are:

• two varsity letters in a sport or combination of sports
• four years in the same sport
• three seasons in the same sport with one varsity letter

Finally, Sarah Tully raced this past weekend in the Championship Race at the Footlocker Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. This is one of the most competitive high school races in the entire New England and mid-Atlantic region, and she did very well to finish in the top 40 behind only five other runners from Massachusetts.

Monday, November 23, 2015

MIAA All-State Division 2 Results

meet results

pictures

Congratulations to Sarah Tully on placing 5th out of 178 finishers at Saturday's D2 All-State race at Stanley Park in Westfield. In 10th with a mile to go, Sarah worked her way up with a strong surge to the finish and locked down the fifth spot with an impressive sprint holding off multiple athletes hot on her heels. It was a very impressive race, and really fast as well. Sarah will race next weekend at the Footlocker Northeast Regional Meet in New York; best of luck to her there!

Stay tuned for more details on the Fall Sports Booster Awards Night, which will be held on Wednesday December 2nd. Following the main ceremony we'll be holding a separate meeting for the cross country teams in Coach Lehmann's classroom.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

MIAA EMass Division 4 Championship Results

overall results - boys and girls

splits

Some very good racing on a day that could charitably be described as blustery. Particularly impressive was Sarah Tully's 2nd place finish overall in the girls race. Having finished 3rd a year ago there wasn't much room for improvement but she managed to improve both place and time, and will race next week at the All-State meet in Westfield. Good job by all who competed throughout the season.

The next function that involves the entire team is the Boosters' Award Night which will be Wednesday December 2nd, we'll be having a separate team awards ceremony directly after the main ceremony. More details to follow.


Friday, November 13, 2015

MIAA Eastern Mass. Division 4 Championship - 11/14/15

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 Shear St. This is across the street from the William A. Rice Recreation Area.

Bus time 11:00

Race Schedule and Entries:

Boys race at 1:05
Girls race at 2:25
awards TBA                    

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast (IMPORTANT): Temperatures in the mid 40s with winds from the WNW at 15-20 mph. The wind will make for a raw afternoon. Dress appropriately including layers to wear when you're either waiting for your race or after having completed your cooldown.  

• 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. Warmups will be placed in a bag which will 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.
• The meet staff has asked that no one do their warmup or cooldown among the buildings of the Wrentham Developmental Center, where patients are housed. Aside from the course itself, you can warmup and cooldown on the fields across the street. 

• A map of the course can be seen here. It's basically flat, with some gentle roll in places. The course is entirely on grass. 

What to Bring:

• Uniform
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them
• Multiple layers of clothing including clothes to wear while warming up and cooling down, in addition to dry warm clothes for after your race. 

• Water bottle (filled)
• Snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Challenge)

• Folding chair
• Blanket

For Parents:

• A parking fee of $5 will be collected for each car.
• We hope to return to WHS by 4:30 PM or so.

• Dogs aren't allowed on or near the course, best to leave them home.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

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

With the Division 4 EMass race coming up on Saturday there's one workout of substance this week, the rest is sharpening. The folks who wrapped up their seasons last week had good success with this type of plan. Beginning Wednesday, pay attention to the weather forecast so you have an idea of what to expect. There'll be a separate post on this blog later this week about Saturday's meet, stay tuned for that.

Mon 11/9 - 50 minutes at a moderate intensity (average intensity 5-6). Throw in 5 short (8-10 second) pickups at faster than race pace on the way in. I'd like to do this run along the Hultman aqueduct but I'm open to suggestions if people have other ideas. This is the longest run of the week.

Tue 11/10 - 10 minute warmup, 3x1600 on the track with each lap faster than the lap before it. The first two laps should average out to 10-15 seconds/mile slower than race pace; the third lap should be about race pace; the last lap something faster. 3.5 minute recoveries between each. After the third repeat, 5 minutes of easy jogging then 4x100m on the turf field at 90% effort with a jog back recovery. 10 minute cool down.

Wed 11/11 - 30-40 minutes at a low to moderate intensity (3 to 5). There's no organized practice today, do this run on your own.

Thu 11/12 - 20 minutes at a low to moderate intensity). 4 laps of in and out 200s, 5 minute jog. The difference between the faster and slower 200s should be 10-12 seconds.

Fri 11/13 - 25 minutes at a moderate intensity. Mini core circuit afterward with 100 meter runs at race pace between each set of drills.

Sat 11/14 - MIAA EMass Division 4 Championship. More info forthcoming in a subsequent post, but it's worth noting here that the boys will be racing at 1:05 and the girls at 2:25.

Sun 11/15 - off

MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invite Results

meet results (scroll down)

splits for WHS athletes

Some impressive results on a blustery day at Wrentham, with time drops for all those who raced on the same course in late September at the Frank Kelley Invite. Of particular note was David Ahearne's 18th place in the 9th grade boys race, which was good for a medal.


Thursday, November 5, 2015

MSTCA Frank Mooney Invite - 11/7/15

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 Shear St. This is across the street from the William A. Rice Recreation Area.

Bus time 10:15

Race Schedule and Entries:
(the time in parentheses is the cutoff for each race)



12:15 Boys 5k Sophomore Race (25 minutes) - Goren, Zhu

12:38 Girls 5k Sophomore Race - n/a                

1:05 Boys 3k Freshman Race (16 minutes) - Ahearne, J. Kunen, Stafford, Wang                  

1:20 Girls 3k Freshman Race (18 minutes) - Adelman, Walsh                

1:38  Boys 5k JR-SR Race (22 minutes) - Brewton, D. Comettant, Pachter


2:00 Girls 5k JR-SR Race - n/a                       

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the high 50s with winds 10-15 mph from the WNW. While the temperature is mild for this time of year, the wind will be enough that you'll want to keep some of your warmups on until you get to the starting line.

• 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. 
• Remember to give your uniform to one of the coaches before heading home after the meet ends/when we return to WHS. 
• 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. Here's a video on how to wear your number.
• The meet staff has asked that no one do their warmup or cooldown among the buildings of the Wrentham Developmental Center, where patients are housed. Aside from the course itself, you can warmup and cooldown on the fields across the street. 

• A map of the course can be seen here. It's basically flat, with some gentle roll in places. The course is entirely on grass. The freshman race ends after the second lap (3k versus 5k). 10th-12th graders run three laps. 
• Plaques will be given to the top 3 finishers in each race; places 4-50 receive medals.
• A canned food drive is held in conjunction with this meet, if you're coming please remember to bring a non-perishable food item with you. I'll collect all items and turn them in at registration.


What to Bring:

• Uniform
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them
• Multiple layers of clothing including clothes to wear while warming up and cooling down, in addition to dry warm clothes for after your race. 

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

• Folding chair
• Blanket to lie on under the tent
• Lunch - food will be sold at the meet but it won't be particularly good or nutritious; my advice is to pack a lunch and bring it with you.

For Parents:

• A parking fee of $5 will be collected for each car.
• We hope to return to WHS by 3 PM. 

• Dogs aren't allowed on or near the course. 
• Grills and open fires are also prohibited. 

Monday, November 2, 2015

DCL Championship meet pictures

 Pictures taken by Mr. Kunen at Friday's DCL Championship Meet

And here are more pictures from John Keklak, L-S parent who takes many many pictures of runners from all teams at various races and sells them. These are pictures of all the runners from every team competing, with various WHS athletes sprinkled throughout:

Set 1 - JV girls
Set 2 - Varsity boys, 9th grade girls
Set 3 - 9th grade boys, Varsity girls
Set 4 - JV boys

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Week 10 Training Plan - 11/2-11/8

This week the training splits into two groups—those who are racing this Saturday November 7th (Group A) and those who are racing next Saturday November 14th (Group B).

Group A boys - Ahearne, Brewton, D. Comettant, Goren, J. Kunen, Pachter, Stafford, Wang, Zhu
Group A Girls - Adelman, Walsh
Group B boys - Chan, Chase, Kay, Last, Luo
Group B girls - A. Kunen, Lorenc, McCarthy, McNamara, Mishara, Sheffres, Tully

Everyone will do the same workout on Monday and Friday, other than that there will be separate workouts. For the people racing this weekend, this week is about tapering down to the race; for those not racing this Saturday, the focus is on putting in two quality sessions on Monday and Thursday with a longer run Saturday that includes some progression to the pace.

Finally, note that with the end of Daylight Savings Time, darkness will be descending by 5 PM. Nearly all runs will be short enough that being out in the dark shouldn’t be an issue, but take special care to stay either on the sidewalk or well off the shoulder facing traffic if on a road that has no sidewalk. Be careful when crossing streets—in particular, Old Connecticut Path where it passes by the school. There is a crosswalk with pedestrian signal and it will be used from here on out instead of jaywalking to get to the sidewalk on the other side.

Mon 11/2 - 10-15 minute warmup, 4 or 5 sets of long rep/short rest/short rep/short rest, 10-15 minute cool down. These repeats will be done on the “north loop” of the course which is the loop that marks the start and end of it. Basically you’ll be running at a threshold pace for approx. 700 meters, then jogging the next 150m or so as recovery, then running the next 200m or so at race pace with another jog recovery after that.

Tue 11/3 - Group A - hill drills followed by 30 minutes at a low to moderate intensity. 4-5 pickups of 8-10 seconds at faster than race pace in the last 5 minutes.
Group B - hill drills followed by 45-60 minutes at a low to moderate intensity. Site of this run TBA but likely will be an out and back along one of the aqueducts, perhaps the Getchell trail if time permits.

Wed 11/4 - Group A - 10 minute warmup, 8 laps of alternating 200 meters at faster than race pace with 200 meters slower than race pace, 10 minute cool down. Ideally, the faster 200 meter segments will be on average 10-12 seconds faster than the slower ones. Check with me for what kind of time goal you should be aiming for.
Group B - 40 minutes at a moderate intensity. 4-5 pickups of 8-10 seconds at faster than race pace in the last 5 minutes.

Thu 11/5 - Group A - Same as Tuesday without the hill drills
Group B - 10 minute warmup, 9-7-5-3-1 minute pickups starting at 70-75% and progressing through to 90-95% by the last repeat of one minute, 10 minute cool down. Recovery between repeats of 5-4-3-2 minutes. As written this workout will take 59 minutes to complete from the moment you begin your warmup jog. 
Coach Lehmann won't be able to make it to practice today, you will need to collectively run the warmup routine yourselves today!

Fri 11/6 - 25-35 minutes with core circuit and 4x100m at race pace mixed in.

Sat 11/7 - Group A - MSTCA Frank Mooney Invite @Wrentham Developmental Center. More info forthcoming in a separate post, but know that the first race for small schools starts at 12:15 and the bus will be leaving WHS at 10:15.
Group B - 60-70 minutes starting out at a low intensity and gradually ratcheting it up to 80% or so for the last 5-10 minutes of the run.

Sun 11/8 - off