Dual Meet #5 POSTPONED and other schedule updates

The meet versus Waltham originally scheduled for tomorrow (10/31) has been postponed. The amount of snow on the course creates an unsafe situation at various points. We had hoped there would be less accumulation which would mostly melt off in the sun tomorrow. Alas, that won't be the case. We're hoping to reschedule the meet with an eye toward two potential makeup dates--next Saturday November 7th or the following Wednesday, Veteran's Day November 11th. 

We can't make a hard and fast determination on a makeup date yet because these are also potential dates (along with next Friday November 6th) for the DCL End of Season meet. Yes, the date of that meet may be changed yet again, please don't shoot the messenger. Once we know the date of the DCL End of Season meet we can make a decision about a makeup date for the Waltham meet. Until then it's TBD for both meets.

For those athletes who aren't among the top seven runners on the team, we understand you were originally under the impression that tomorrow would be your final meet of the cross country season. If you are unable to continue past this weekend or just not interested, that's fine. Please contact Coach Mayall via e-mail and we can make arrangements to return your uniform. For those runners not among the top seven that wish to continue my intention was to have an optional time trial on the track next week. This would be a chance to gauge your fitness at the end of the season and have an answer ready when your annoying classmate asks you "so what can you run for the mile?" Or maybe the two mile. We'll see.

For those athletes who are among the top seven and anyone else who would like to continue with their season, here's an amended training schedule for the rest of this week:

Friday 10/30 - off

Saturday 10/31 - Recreate as much of the team warmup as you can, then a short length run beginning at an easy pace and increasing the pace the last 5-10 minutes of the run. Total length of the run today is as follows: 

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 32-36 minutes
Level 3: 36-40 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Sunday 11/1 - Recreate as much of the team warmup as you can, then a medium length run with the last 10 minutes or so set aside for a series of short reps as follows:

set 1: alternate 8-10 seconds at a "good" speed with 10-12 seconds jog. Repeat this 12 times.

set 2: 12 seconds fresh, 10 seconds, good, 8 seconds hard, walk for 20 seconds. Repeat this 6 times.

Total length of the run today is as follows:

Level 1: 28-32 minutes
Level 2: 36-40 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes

Stay tuned for more details, posted here no later than Sunday evening. Remember that the season continuing in any form is contingent on staying safe and changes in the COVID landscape could change our plans or even end the season prematurely (but hopefully not). 

One last note, the votes for Golden Microphone have been tallied, and the winner will be announced soon but not until we can meet again in person. Patience is a virtue!

Week 10 (Week 6 in person) Training Schedule - 10/26-11/1

 A few important housekeeping notes to start:

- As of this writing, the status of the meet versus Waltham scheduled for Saturday is TBD pending a Board of Health meeting Monday evening. If the meet is held it will take place at Wayland, not Waltham as originally scheduled. If the meet is canceled, we're considering various options including a time trial on the track sometime this week or early next week. The training plan below assumes that the meet is on; if that changes, the plan will be adjusted accordingly. 

- This Saturday's meet will be the end of the season for those not running among the top seven. The top seven runners will continue training for the final meet of the season which is November 14th at Weston's Burchard Park course. The eighth runners from each team can continue training as an alternate if they so choose. 

- The forecast for the upcoming week is for temperatures decidedly cooler than what we've been experiencing of late. Dress accordingly, and have dry clothing in your gym bag available to wear after practice if needed.

- For the past three weeks the training pattern has been quite consistent, with a Monday long run, harder workout on Wednesday, and a meet on Saturday. This week that pattern changes, as the long run is shortened to a medium run and moved from Monday to Thursday and the harder workout moves from Wednesday to Tuesday. 

- Finally, the Golden Microphone contest will conclude this week. Voting will open on Thursday evening and close on Friday at noon; be sure to cast your vote for the best performance. 

On to the plan, as it stands:

Monday 10/26 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a short run at a mostly easy to moderate intensity. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 32-36 minutes
Level 3: 36-40 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Tuesday 10/27 - Team warmup, followed by a 10-15 minute warmup jog then a series of 1200 meter lactate tolerance runs on the track. The pattern will be to run 100 meters at race pace and perhaps just a bit faster followed by a 50 meter "float" which can best be described as a fast jog. Over 1200 meters (3 laps) this pattern will be repeated 8 times in total. Level 1 and 2 runners will do 4 of these 1200 meter runs, Level 3 and 4 runners will do 5 or 6. The recovery time after each 1200 meter run is the time it took to run the 1200 minus 90 seconds. After the last repeat, a 10-15 minute cooldown. 

Wednesday 10/28 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a short run at a mostly easy to moderate intensity including hill drills. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 32-36 minutes
Level 3: 36-40 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Thursday 10/29 - Team warmup followed by a PMR, which is a progressive medium length run. The pattern is similar to a progressive long run but the overall length is shorter. The breakdown is as follows:

Level 1: 30 minutes (10 minutes easy - 8 minutes fresh - 8 minutes good - 4 minutes easy)
Level 2: 36 minutes (12 minutes easy - 9 minutes fresh - 9 minutes good - 6 minutes easy)
Level 3: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy - 12 minutes fresh - 12 minutes good - 8 minutes easy)
Level 4: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy - 15 minutes fresh - 15 minutes good - 10 minutes easy)

Friday 10/30 - Team warmup followed by a short length run at mostly an easy effort. Save the last 10 minutes or so of the run for two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct.

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 26-30 minutes
Level 3: 32-36 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Saturday 10/31 - Dual Meet #5 vs. Waltham. More information including time schedule, lineups and a course map will be published on this site by Friday morning. Remember today should be a medium length day in terms of total running time, including warmup and cooldown. This breaks down as follows:

Level 1: 28-32 minutes
Level 2: 36-40 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes

Sunday 11/1 - off

Dual Meet #4 Results (and bugs)

The third home meet of the season and fourth dual meet overall was held earlier today in fair conditions with less wind than the previous two Saturdays. Both races were competitive and had exciting finishes scattered throughout. 

The boys team fell to a deep Cambridge squad that is considered among the top 20 in the state by some observers. 

The girls team conceded the first two places to the visitors but then took five of the next six spots to secure a close win by a 26-29 score.

The numbers can be seen at the links below; if you happened to take splits at the mile and/or 2 mile mark of the course please send them to me so they can be added to the spreadsheet.

Wayland results and splits

Overall boys results

Overall girls results

Stay tuned for more details on the final dual meet of the season which is scheduled for next Saturday.

On an unrelated note, a large and rather impressive insect was spotted earlier this week on the track. It's not the first time a big bug has been seen on school grounds. 

Dual Meet #4 - Home vs. Cambridge Rindge and Latin, 10/24/20

 Meet Site: Wayland High School

Time Schedule:
Boys 10 AM

Girls 11 AM

 
Course Map (click for larger view): 

 

Course description - definitely worth reading while you look at the map

 

Staging Areas (click for larger view):

Weather forecast: 

Partly cloudy, temperature in the low 60s with west winds 5-10 mph. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.

Mask and Starting line protocol:

• Athletes must wear masks at all times on school grounds.

• Within five minutes of the start of the race, the first five athletes in the starting order from each team will be called to the starting line. There will be cones on the ground marking where each athlete should stand, in order, 1-5. When the race starts, the first athlete from each team will begin the race and the remaining athletes will move up a spot. The sixth athlete will come over to the starting line and occupy the last cone. This process will continue as subsequent athletes begin the race. Athletes will start every 40 seconds until all athletes from both teams are on the course.

• It's crucial you know which teammate is starting ahead of you. When they head over to the starting line, you're up in 40 seconds to head over yourself.

Finish line:

The finish line will be separated into a left and right side. Wayland athletes will finish on the right side of the finish line, Cambridge athletes on the left. 

Boys Starting Order:

Duffy 0:00

Bonanno 0:40

Li 1:20

Billy Caddoo 2:00

Schilp 2:40

Goode 3:20

Z. Marto 4:00

Narvaez 4:40

Mui 5:20

Morrison 6:00

Creavin 6:40

Morris 7:20

Jay 8:00

Whelton 8:40

Frank 9:20

Grossman 10:00

Lieb 10:40

Ben Caddoo 11:20

Girls Starting Order:

 

Kim 0:00

Grieco 0:40

Korzeniowski 1:20

Javed 2:00

Calder 2:40

Snyder 3:20

G. Marto 4:00

E. Mente 4:40

Liu 5:20

Ciasullo 6:00

J. Mente 6:40 

Han 7:20

Other athlete considerations:

 

• When you arrive, there will be cones on the ground in the home staging area. These cones will be spaced 6 feet apart. Athletes will place their bag next to a cone. 

• During the race you must wear the uniform assigned to you.
• You'll need to wear your assigned bib number on the front of your jersey. After your race, please keep this bib number in your gym bag. Don't leave the bib number attached to your jersey after the race as this can damage the jersey.
• It's recommended that athletes arrive an hour before the start of their race to warm up thoroughly. As the host team, we will avoid warming up on the course itself and instead use the parking lot sidewalks, Old Connecticut Path and side roads near the school, and the Wayland staging area near the bleachers. 

• There will be signs at the 400 meter, 1 mile and 2 mile marks, cones at all turns, and small marking flags laid out along the line of the course.
 
 What to Bring:

• uniform with bib number attached
• everyday training shoes  

• racing shoes if you have them  
• warmup clothes
• water bottles - totaling at least 64 ounces of water
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

• gym bag with contents listed in the practice guidelines

• optional: folding chair

Parent/spectator guidelines:

• Parents must check in at the desk near the entrance to the athletic fields. Each lanyard admits two parents/guardians.

• If you stand near the start/finish line area (just off the corner of the student parking lot, near the JV baseball field) you can watch the first and last half mile of the race. The runners also pass by the area near the storage sheds on the other side of the field house in both directions (see course map).
• Please check the image above showing the various staging areas, and avoid the visitors staging area. 

And here are the DCL mandated spectator guidelines:

1.  Crowds are limited to 100 people, including opposing team fans, per Massachusetts guidance.

2.  All fans from both teams MUST have their school's DCL lanyard displayed. Lanyards were distributed to athletes earlier this season.

3.  Check in will be required at WHS and some opposing school sites.

4.  Spectators must social distance and wear face coverings AT ALL TIMES.

5.  Unfortunately, student spectators are not permitted unless they are attending in place of an athlete's family member AND have the DCL lanyard.

6.  Spectators are reminded that they should not arrive to fields any sooner than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and should leave the field upon completion of the contest. In the event there is a contest taking place on the field prior to the event being attended, spectators should wait until the field clears before heading to the field. (note: for parents driving their child to the meet, I take this to mean that you'll need to wait in your car until 10 minutes prior to the start, or drop off your child and return 10 minutes prior to the start. Not ideal I know. Athletes should be at the site an hour ahead of time to warmup).

7.  Bathroom building may or may not be opened, depending on the condition of the porta-johns.

Week 9 (Week 5 in person) Training Schedule - 10/19-10/25

First off, a note on this year's eagerly anticipated Golden Microphone contest. Since past editions have taken place on a bus heading back to the school after a meet, this year will obviously be a little different. Performers will strut their stuff at the start of practice instead. Performances will be spread out over a few days rather than everyone going on the same day. Remember that groups can be no larger than 4 people, from the same pod, and songs must be approved by the coaching staff beforehand. If you're interested please let us know by no later than this Thursday. We plan on having the first performance this Friday with the remaining performances occurring next week. The final results will be announced a week from Friday, October 30th, at the start of practice. 

Monday 10/19 - Team warmup followed by cyclic long run. Beginning next week the long run will be reduced to a medium length run. For today we'll head out along the Weston Aqueduct towards Framingham. There will be a water stop at Elm Street in Framingham, from where there are multiple options depending on the length of the run. These include heading directly back, following the Getchell Trail, or continuing further west along the aqueduct into Framingham. Remember the run is broken up into 12 equal length segments and the pattern is to do the first segment at an easy intensity, the next segment at a fresh/moderate intensity, and the next segment after that at a "good" intensity. On an effort scale of 1-10, this pattern would be 3-5-7 or 4-6-8. The easy/fresh/good cycle gets repeated four times over the course of the entire run. Level by level it looks like this:

Level 1: 36 minutes (3 minute cycles)
Level 2: 48 minutes (4 minute cycles)
Level 3: 60 minutes (5 minute cycles)
Level 4: 72 minutes (6 minute cycles)

Tuesday 10/20 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a short run at a mostly easy to moderate intensity including hill drills. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 32-36 minutes
Level 3: 36-40 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Wednesday 10/21 - Team warmup followed by a jog of 10-15 minutes, then a series of timed repetitions cutting down in length The pattern for the workout is to start with a 1000 meter repeat, then 800, then 600, 400, and finally 200 meters. The three longest repeats (1000, 800, 600) are run at CV pace and the recovery time is a minute less than how long it takes to run the repeat itself; the two shorter repeats (400, 200) are run at race pace. The break between the 400 and 200 will be 90 seconds. Level 1 will complete this cycle once, all other levels will do the cycle twice with a 3-4 minute break between the two cycles. The repeats will be run back and forth along the Weston aqueduct.

Thursday 10/22 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a medium length run at a mostly easy intensity, if you're feeling up to it the pace can pick up a bit in the last 5-10 minutes.

Level 1 - 30 minutes

Level 2 - 40 minutes

Level 3 - 45 minutes

Level 4 - 55 minutes

Friday 10/23 - Team warmup followed by a short length run at mostly an easy effort. Save the last 8-10 minutes of the run for two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct.

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 26-30 minutes
Level 3: 32-36 minutes
Level 4: 40-44 minutes

Saturday 10/10 - Meet #4 vs. Cambridge Rindge and Latin. More information including time schedule, lineups and a course map will be published on this site by Friday morning.  Remember today should be a medium length day in terms of total running time, including warmup and cooldown. This breaks down as follows:

Level 1: 28-32 minutes
Level 2: 36-40 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes

Sunday 10/11 - off. 

Dual Meet #3 Results

 The second home meet of the season was held earlier today in cool and very windy conditions with many wet spots on the course from the heavy rains overnight. There were many excellent races and it was impressive how many people who also raced last week on this course showed improvement today on a soggy course. The boys team defeated Bedford with superior depth going to 3-0 in dual meets while the girls team raced well against a deep opponent. The numbers can be seen at the links below; if you happened to take splits at the mile and/or 2 mile mark of the course please send them to me so they can be added to the spreadsheet.

Wayland results and splits

Overall boys results

Overall girls results

Nice job again, one more home meet next Saturday. Stay tuned for more information about a special edition of the Golden Microphone contest coming up very soon. 

Dual Meet #3 - Home vs. Bedford, 10/17/20

Meet Site: Wayland High School

Time Schedule:
Boys 2 PM

Girls 3 PM

 

(Start times moved back due to PSAT)

Course Map (click for larger view): 

 

Course description - definitely worth reading while you look at the map

 

Staging Areas (click for larger view):

Weather forecast: 

Partly cloudy, temperature in the mid 50s with 15 mph NW winds. The ground will be wet from the rain that will fall much of Friday into Saturday morning. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.

Mask and Starting line protocol:

• Athletes must wear masks at all times.

• Within five minutes of the start of the race, the first five athletes in the starting order from each team will be called to the starting line. There will be cones on the ground marking where each athlete should stand, in order, 1-5. When the race starts, the first athlete from each team will begin the race and the remaining athletes will move up a spot. The sixth athlete will come over to the starting line and occupy the last cone. This process will continue as subsequent athletes begin the race. Athletes will start every 40 seconds until all athletes from both teams are on the course.

• It's crucial you know which teammate is starting ahead of you.  When they head over to the starting line, you're up in 40 seconds to head over yourself.

Finish line:

The finish line will be separated into a left and right side. Wayland athletes will finish on the right side of the finish line, Bedford athletes on the left. 

Boys Starting Order:

Billy Caddoo 0:00

Duffy 0:40

Goode 1:20

Bonanno 2:00

Li 2:40

Schilp 3:20

Z. Marto 4:00

Narvaez 4:40

Mui 5:20

Whelton 6:00

Creavin 6:40

Jay 7:20

Frank 8:00

Morris 8:40

Morrison 9:20

Grossman 10:00

Ben Caddoo 10:40

Girls Starting Order:

 

Kim 0:00

Grieco 0:40

Javed 1:20

Korzeniowski 2:00

Tobe 2:40

G. Marto 3:20

Calder 4:00

Snyder 4:40

E. Mente 5:20

Liu 6:00

Ciasullo 6:40

J. Mente 7:20 

Han 8:00

Other athlete considerations:

 

• When you arrive, there will be cones on the ground in the home staging area. These cones will be spaced 6 feet apart. Athletes will place their bag next to a cone. 

• During the race you must wear the uniform assigned to you.
• You'll need to wear your assigned bib number on the front of your jersey. After your race, please keep this bib number in your gym bag. Don't leave the bib number attached to your jersey after the race as this can damage the jersey.
• It's recommended that athletes arrive an hour before the start of their race to warm up thoroughly. As the host team, we will avoid warming up on the course itself and instead use the parking lot sidewalks, Old Connecticut Path and side roads near the school, and the Wayland staging area near the bleachers. 

• There will be signs at the 400 meter, 1 mile and 2 mile marks, cones at all turns, and small marking flags laid out along the line of the course.
 
 What to Bring:

• uniform with bib number attached
• everyday training shoes  

• racing shoes if you have them  
• warmup clothes
• water bottles - totaling at least 64 ounces of water
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

• gym bag with contents listed in the practice guidelines

• garbage bag to keep your gym bag dry

• optional: drop cloth or tarp for a dry place to sit

• optional: folding chair

Parent/spectator guidelines:

• Parents must check in at the desk near the entrance to the athletic fields. Each lanyard admits two parents/guardians.

• If you stand near the start/finish line area (just off the corner of the student parking lot, near the JV baseball field) you can watch the first and last half mile of the race. The runners also pass by the area near the storage sheds on the other side of the field house in both directions (see course map).
• Please check the image above showing the various staging areas, and avoid the visitors staging area. 

And here are the DCL mandated spectator guidelines:

1.  Crowds are limited to 100 people, including opposing team fans, per Massachusetts guidance.

2.  All fans from both teams MUST have their school's DCL lanyard displayed. Lanyards were distributed to athletes earlier this season.

3.  Check in will be required at WHS and some opposing school sites.

4.  Spectators must social distance and wear face coverings AT ALL TIMES.

5.  Unfortunately, student spectators are not permitted unless they are attending in place of an athlete's family member AND have the DCL lanyard.

6.  Spectators are reminded that they should not arrive to fields any sooner than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and should leave the field upon completion of the contest. In the event there is a contest taking place on the field prior to the event being attended, spectators should wait until the field clears before heading to the field. (note: for parents driving their child to the meet, I take this to mean that you'll need to wait in your car until 10 minutes prior to the start, or drop off your child and return 10 minutes prior to the start. Not ideal I know. Athletes should be at the site an hour ahead of time to warmup).

7.  Bathroom building may or may not be opened, depending on the condition of the porta-johns. 

Week 8 (Week 4 in person) Training Schedule - 10/12-10/18

Quick weather note: The current forecast is for rain on Tuesday, and a good amount of it falling during the afternoon. Be prepared with a dry change of clothes in your gym bag, and maybe bring a garbage bag that you can put your gym bag in during practice to keep it dry. Announcements will be cut short and the prize bag will most likely be pushed back a day to Wednesday. 

Monday 10/12 - Progressive long run. This week's long run is slightly shorter than last week's. For those that are interested we'll be meeting at 8:30 AM at the Free Public Library parking lot in the center of town. From there we'll head east along the rail trail into Weston where the Jericho Town Forest and its many trails are located just to the north of the rail trail. You can see a map of the area here and in .pdf form here. If you're planning on coming you should print out the .pdf file to bring with you. Alternatively you can try this link on your phone if you don't mind carrying the phone with you while running. As far as the run itself, The pattern is first third easy, next quarter "fresh"/moderate, next quarter "good" and the final sixth easy again.

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)

Tuesday 10/13 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a short run at a mostly easy to moderate intensity including hill drills. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 26-30 minutes
Level 3: 32-36 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Wednesday 10/14 - Team warmup followed by a jog of 5-10 minutes, then a "broken" tempo run. Broken in this case means broken up into two parts. The workout will happen on this loop which is quite close to the school, just on the other side of the trees at the edge of the athletic field. The idea is to run a certain number of times around the loop at a pace right around 75-80% effort, then take a 5-8 minute break, and do it again but slightly faster, i.e. 80-85% effort. Finally, a 5-10 minute cooldown jog. 

Level 1: 30 minutes (2x2 loops)
Level 2: 40 minutes (2x3 loops)
Level 3: 50 minutes (2x3 loops)
Level 4: 60 minutes (2x4 loops)

Thursday 10/15 - Team warmup including burpees followed by a medium length run at a mostly easy intensity, if you're feeling up to it the pace can pick up a bit in the last 5-10 minutes. This is a good day to check out the home course if you're unclear on any part of it. 

Level 1 - 24-28 minutes

Level 2 - 32-36 minutes

Level 3 - 44-48 minutes

Level 4 - 48-52 minutes

Friday 10/16 - Team warmup followed by a short length run at mostly an easy effort. Save the last 10 minutes or so of the run for two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct.

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 26-30 minutes
Level 3: 32-36 minutes
Level 4: 42-46 minutes

Saturday 10/17 - Meet #3 vs. Bedford. More information including time schedule, lineups and a course map will be published on this site by Friday morning. Unlike last week's morning start, this meet will begin at 2 PM with the boys race followed an hour later by the girls. Remember today should be a medium length day in terms of total running time, including warmup and cooldown. This breaks down as follows:

Level 1: 28-32 minutes
Level 2: 36-40 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes

Sunday 10/18 - off.