Week 9 Training Plan, 10/14-20

This week we wrap up the middle portion of the season. There are no meets on the docket, and this week's long run is the last of the season. We've reached the time of year where there will be days when we meet inside the field house due to cooler temperatures. There's no firm dividing line but in general if the temperature outside is much below 55 degrees we'll likely meet indoors to start. If you don't see anyone outside under the tree that's why.

Monday 10/14 - No organized practice today, if possible do a short run or cross training workout on your own for the time span indicated below. Do whatever parts of the team warmup that you can do on your own, the lunge matrix and leg swings are a good start.

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Tuesday 10/15 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a CLR.  The route of today's run is TBA. The overall length of the run is listed below; remember that there are four cycles of easy-fresh-good, making for a total of 12 segments.

Group A: 48 minutes (4 minute segments)
Group B: 60 minutes (5 minute segments)
Group C: 72 minutes (6 minute segments)

Wednesday 10/16 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including strides followed by a short run followed by high knee run-throughs and bounding over cones. The cones will be set up on the softball field. We will again be practicing running around tight corners. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Thursday 10/17 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including strides and BURPEES followed by a short length recovery run at an easy to moderate intensity with hill drills. We'll be doing the hill drills near Cedar Crest Road on the Hultman aqueduct. The length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Friday 10/18 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by either a medium length run (Group A: 36-40 minutes, Group B 46-50 minutes, Group C 56-60 minutes) for those attending tomorrow's practice at Lincoln Station or the following workout:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, 9 minute progression run with first 3 minutes at 60% effort, next 3 minutes 70% effort, last 3 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, 12 minute progression run with first 4 minutes at 60% effort, next 4 minutes 70% effort, last 4 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, 15 minute progression run with first 5 minutes at 60% effort, next 5 minutes 70% effort, last 5 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Saturday 10/19 - Either a short length run (Group A: 26-30 minutes, Group B 32-36 minutes, Group C 42-46 minutes) for those not attending today's optional practice or the following workout meeting at Lincoln Station at 9 AM:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, 9 minute progression run with first 3 minutes at 60% effort, next 3 minutes 70% effort, last 3 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, 12 minute progression run with first 4 minutes at 60% effort, next 4 minutes 70% effort, last 4 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, 15 minute progression run with first 5 minutes at 60% effort, next 5 minutes 70% effort, last 5 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown.

Sunday 10/20 - off

Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Results, 10/12/24

There were many impressive results from Wayland athletes at the Twilight Invitational, a meet that starts in the late afternoon and ends in the dark of night at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth. The extremely sinuous loop course makes for a very engaged spectator experience and the overall vibe is quite energetic. 

The 9th grade athletes distinguished themselves once again, with Mia Rent winning the 9th grade girls race by a wide margin. The 9th grade boys contingent, led by Cyriaque Schaff in 3rd, finished 1st out of 13 teams and earned the bragging rights that come along with that title. Joining Schaff in earning a medal for a top 25 finish were Ryan Foley and Brandon Hopps. 

Wayland had three other medal winners as well in the varsity races, with Luke Chisum finishing an impressive 6th in a very competitive race up front, while fellow co-captain Will Jackson cracked the top 20 in 18th. In the final race of the night, Arya Samaratunga far outstripped her previous performances at this meet to finish 21nd overall. 

This meet featured large race fields with crowded starting lines and a frenetic first few minutes of racing. Wayland athletes did well in terms of running tactically sound smart races, which is always gratifying to see. The next meet on the schedule is the last Friday in October as the championship season gets underway with the Dual County League championship at Franklin Park in Boston. 

overall results

splits for WHS athletes

Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational, 10/12/24

Live results

Pants

Meet Site: Cape Cod Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Hwy (rt. 151), East Falmouth, MA 02536

Bus Time: 2:15 PM. Arrive at the school a bit before this time so that we can be on the road promptly, it's a long ride!

Meet Schedule and lineups:

5:15 Novice co-ed race - 2.1 miles - Sun

5:45 9th grade boys - 2.1 miles (17 minutes) - Baker, Foley, Hopps, Schaff, Sondey, Spence, Young

6:05 9th grade girls - 2.1 miles (19 minutes) - Rent

6:50 10th grade girls (28 minutes) - Jay, Wang

7:20 Junior Varsity boys - 3.1 miles (25 minutes) -Wheeler

7:45 Junior Varsity girls - 3.1 miles (28 minutes) - Kotzampaltiris, Ma, Rice

8:40 Varsity boys - 3.1 miles (22 minutes) - Chisum, Ciccarelli, Fallace, Jackson, Narvaez, Tan, Williams

9:35 Varsity girls - 3.1 miles (26 minutes) - Samaratunga

The time in parentheses after each race is the cutoff for that race. Athletes who don't make the cutoff won't be recorded in the official results. The coaching staff will get finishing times for all WHS athletes.

Course Map:

• The main loop of the course is indicated by the blue line on the map. The novice and 9th grade races run this loop twice, the 5k races cover the loop three times. The red line on the map is the initial run off the starting line; the yellow line is the final run to the finish line.

• Part of the loop is paved, which may influence your spike element length choice. Check the course loop beforehand.

• The loop passes through multiple barns. 

• The starting line is a mix of grass and sand, and can best be described as "crowded." The most people from one team that will be allowed to stand side by side on the starting line is two, others will have to line up behind them if there are more than two people from Wayland entered in a given race.

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: early - mid 60s, late - high 50s, clear, ESE winds 10 mph

• The top 25 finishers in each race except for the novice race win medals. Medals will be given out in the finish chute.

• All warmup and cool down runs must be done on the fairgrounds, athletes aren't permitted to run on the roads near the fairgrounds. 

• MSTCA will be using Chip timing. Athletes who are not competing and are by the finish line should not be wearing their bib with tag because it can be picked up by the transmitter. This will cause issues in recording places.

What to bring (IMPORTANT):

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• full set of warmup clothes including: long sleeved shirt, pants, windbreaker, gloves, hat. You might want to bring a dry set of clothes to wear for the trip home.
• 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 team tent
• flashlight/headlamp
• DINNER for before or after your race. We won't be leaving the meet until sometime after 10 PM. There is food for sale at the meet if that's your type of thing; otherwise I'd recommend preparing something in advance and bringing it with you in a small cooler or lunch bag. 

Information for Parents:

• From the meet director:

• We encourage spectators to purchase admission tickets online before reaching the gate.  If purchased online, the tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for students/seniors and can be bought without creating an account.  If admission tickets are purchased at the gate, the fees are $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors.  The MSTCA accepts cash, credit/debit cards, and Venmo at the gate.• Dogs and grills are prohibited. As are drones, so leave those at home.
  

• Given the sinuous nature of the course loop there are various spots where you can stand in one place and see the race pass by your position multiple times.

Dual Meet #3 vs. Boston Latin results 10/9/24

The dual meet season came to a close Wednesday afternoon with the second of two home meets, this time against the visiting team from Boston Latin. The results were split, with the girls winning by forfeit as Latin had only four runners in the varsity races while the boys lost to a deep BLS squad. Despite most people making a conscious effort to save something for the meet coming up this weekend, there were plenty of improvements in overall finishing time and some impressive racing on the newly inaugurated JV course as well. And there were cupcakes. 

overall results

splits for WHS athletes

Dual Meet #3 - vs. Boston Latin, 10/9/24

Meet Site: Wayland High School. The second of two home meets this season, and the final dual meet.

Start Time: First race 4:30 PM unless you hear different from me. Please arrive no later than 3:15. We may need help setting up the course.

Girls varsity - A. Conley, Kotzampaltiris, Ma, Rent, Samaratunga, Tam, Wang 

Boys varsity - Baker, Chisum, Ciccarelli, W. Conley, Fallace, Foley, Hopps, Jackson, Schaff, Spence, Tan, Williams, Young

Combined JV - Gandhi, Goldstein, Goode, Hopper, Kheir, Lehmann, Maali-Pohl, Markey, Migdal, Nicholson, Salahuddin, Sondey, Yu

* TBD

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: partly cloudy, temperatures in the low to mid 60s with W winds 5-10 mph. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.
• Don't forget your assigned dual meet bib number. This is the last time we'll be using these numbers this season, so when the meet is over you can either keep the number as a memento or dispose of it. Please return the safety pins to the ziploc bag.
• Be prepared to help out with setting up and/or breaking down the course before and after the meet. This mostly involves the placement or removal of cones and small flags. You may be asked to help by one of the coaches or one of the captains. 

• Course map

•  course description

• There will be a shorter course used for the JV race, that comes in at just over 2 miles long. This course doesn't go up to the top of the aqueduct. I don't have a printable map of the JV course yet but you can see an online map here.

• Soon after the visiting teams arrive, there will be a tour of the course. Wayland athletes that are new to the team and racing on the course for the first time are required to join the course tour. There will also be a separate tour of the JV course.

• Once the course tour has begun, all balls, frisbees, etc. will be put away for the duration of the meet.

What to Bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• warmup clothes
• plastic bag to store sweaty clothes

 • water bottle - including a second (24-32 oz.) bottle if you have an extra

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

for parents:

• 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 most of the first half mile and the last half mile of the race.
• 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 8 Training Plan, 10/7-10/13

This week features the final dual meet of the season at home on Wednesday as well as the always popular Twilight Meet in Falmouth on Saturday. 

Mon 10/7 - Warmup including BURPEES followed by a progressive long run.   

Group A: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy-12 minutes fresh-12 minutes good- 8 minutes easy)
Group B: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy-15 minutes fresh-15 minutes good- 10 minutes easy)
Group C: 72 minutes (24 minutes easy-18 minutes fresh-18 minutes good- 12 minutes easy)

Tue 10/8 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including strides followed by a short run including run throughs and bounding over cones. The cones will be set up on the softball field. We will again be practicing running around tight corners. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Wed 10/9 - Dual Meet #3 vs. Boston Latin. More details will be forthcoming on this meet in a subsequent post.

Thu 10/10 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES and strides followed by a short length recovery run at an easy to moderate intensity with hill drills. We'll be doing the hill drills on the Hultman aqueduct where it crosses Cedar Crest Road. The length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Fri 10/11 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by a short length run with 3 sets of short repeats atop the aqueduct. The length of today's run is as follows:

Group A: 28-30 minutes
Group B: 32-34 minutes
Group C: 38-40 minutes

Sat 10/12 - MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational at Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth.
More information will be forthcoming in a subsequent post. Remember this is a medium length day overall, including warmup and cooldown your overall volume should come in at the following:

Group A: 36-40 minutes
Group B: 46-50 minutes
Group C: 56-60 minutes

Sun 10/13 - off. Today is the Wayladn XC Festival which is the fundraiser for this team. If you're interested in volunteering, let me know at practice by Friday.

Dual Meet #2 vs. Weston Results - 10/1/24

 As is often the case, the dual meets between Wayland and Weston were tightly contested. This year's meet was hosted by Weston at their course located at Burchard Field, mostly on smooth dirt paths. The two loop course is relatively flat and has been in use since 2017. Due to a late arriving bus, the decision was made to consolidate the varsity races into one combined event with separate scoring. There was a lot of action going on. 

In the boys race, Luke Chisum had a back and forth battle with Weston's William Cahill over the first two plus miles before pulling away near the end to win in course record time. Behind those two was a string of runners from either team coming in over the next two minutes with Will Jackson running under 17 minutes in the 15th fastest time on the course. The Wayland scoring five was rounded out by 9th graders Cyriaque Schaff, Ryan Foley, and Brandon Hopps with Matthew Tan and Ryan Young rounding out the top seven. When the scores were tallied Weston came out on top in a 25-30 score. 

The girls race was led from the outset by Mia Rent, who continued her impressive run of results with a time that ranks fifth on the all time list for this course. She was followed by senior co-captain Arya Samaratunga who finished third, with 9th grader Karis Tam running a strong race to be Wayland's third runner. Wayland's scoring five was rounded out by Cordia Wang and co-captain Naomi Rice. With only five runners in the race, there was no margin for error, all of them had to finish for Wayland to have a team score. When the scores were tallied Wayland came out on top by the thinnest of margins, 27-28. 

The second and final race of the day was a combined JV race on a shorter variant of the course that was just under 4 kilometers in length. In this race, Charlie Nicholson burst onto the scene leading from the start and finishing first, followed by fellow 9th grader Daniel Sondey. Noah Goldstein was the third WHS finisher and third overall. For the girls, Dana Golanova returned to competition with a strong effort that means she'll be promoted to the varsity races going forward. 

All in all the racing was very impressive once again. The WHS performance list for this course was rewritten all over, with new fastest times for both the varsity and JV courses for both girls and boys. 

Results spreadsheet 

Splits for WHS athletes

Dual Meet #2 - vs. Weston, 10/1/24

Meet Site: Burchard Park, 269 Concord Road Weston Ma

*NOTE: the meet is NOT held at Weston High School* 

 

Bus Time 3:30 (hopefully) more likely around 4:00

Order of Races - First race start no earlier than 4:45

Girls varsity - Rent, Rice, Samaratunga, Tam, Wang

Boys varsity- Baker, Chisum, Ciccarelli, W. Conley, Fallace, Foley, Hopps, Jackson, Narvaez*, Schaff, Spence, Tan, Williams, Young

Combined JV race - A. Conley, Gandhi, Golanova*, N. Goldstein, Goode, Hopper, Lehmann, Ma, Nicholson*, Potashinsky, Salahuddin, Sondey, Sun, Wheeler*, Yu

*TBD

Course Map: 

• The varsity course is 5k in length and consists of two loops. 

• The JV course is also two loops, it cuts off the eastern section of the loop (the part that heads east almost to Merriam Road). The overall distance is 2.43 miles, just under 4 km.

The 5k course covers about 1.2k of grass, 3k of dirt trails/dirt road (with a few sections where there also is some gravel on the dirt), and 800m of asphalt (mostly sidewalk and a bit of the driveway which gives access to the parking lot). If you're wearing spiked shoes they should be fitted with blanks or 1/8" pyramids. The course is fairly flat. The athletes will run about 200 m across the grass fields before hitting the trails, 2 times a 2.4k loop in the trails, then a 200m finish back across the field

Trails are quite wide, should be no issues with passing except for one 40 meter stretch (which is run twice, near the mile mark and then at about 4k).  

 
Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: partly sunny, temperature in the mid 60s with light west winds 5-10 mph. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.
• You'll need to wear your assigned bib number.
• There will be a course tour soon after we arrive.
 
What to Bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes  

• racing shoes if you have them  
• warmup clothes
• water bottle - including a larger (24-32 oz.) bottle if you have one  
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

For parents:

• As a reminder, the meet is NOT held at Weston High School.

• Spectators at the field can see the first 300 meters, a 300 meter section in the middle of the race, and the last 300 meters without having to leave the ball field area. 
• There is parking next to the baseball fields where the course begins and ends.

Week 7 Training Plan, 9/30-10/6

This week the dual meet schedule continues with a visit to Weston on Tuesday, whose course is located at Burchard Field. There's no school and no organized practice on Thursday. There's no long run scheduled this week, it will return next week. 

Note that the four levels that have existed up until now have been consolidated into three groups; Levels 1 and 2 have become Group A, Level 3 is Group B, and Level 4 is now Group C. 

Mon 9/30 - Warmup including BURPEES and strides followed by a short run which in turn is followed by run throughs and bounding over cones. The cones will be set up on the softball field. We will again be practicing running around tight corners. Total length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Tue 10/1 - Dual Meet #2 v Weston. More information on this meet will be forthcoming. Today is a medium length day in terms of training volume as follows:

Group A: 36-40 minutes
Group B: 44-48 minutes
Group C: 52-56 minutes

Wed 10/2 - Warmup including BURPEES and strides followed by a MEDIUM length recovery run at an easy to moderate intensity with hill drills. We will most likely be doing the hill drills on the Hultman aqueduct where it crosses Cedar Crest Road. The length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 36-40 minutes
Group B: 44-48 minutes
Group C: 52-56 minutes

Thu 10/3 - No practice today. If you're not observing the holiday and would like to do a short run on your own at an easy to moderate pace you can do so.

Fri 10/4 - Warmup followed by either a medium length run at an easy effort for those who will be attending the practice in Lincoln tomorrow OR

Group A: 8 minute jog then 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute with 2.5 minute jog recoveries, 8 minute jog.
Group B and C: 8 minute jog then 2 sets of 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute repeats with 2.5 minute jog recoveries, 8 minute jog.

The 4 minute repeats should be run at a good pace (tempo). The 3 minute repeats should start at a good pace and end at a hard pace (race effort) over the last 30 seconds. The 2 minute repeats should be split evenly between good and hard pace. The 1 minute repeats should be run entirely at a hard pace (race effort). There's a good to very good chance these repeats will be done in the neighborhood next to the practice field.

Sat 10/5 -  Either a medium length run at an easy effort for those who did the repeat workout yesterday  OR

Practice 9 AM at Lincoln Station (145 Lincoln Road, Lincoln MA):

Group A: 8 minute jog then 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute with 2.5 minute jog recoveries, 8 minute jog.
Group B and C: 8 minute jog then 2 sets of 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute repeats with 2.5 minute jog recoveries, 8 minute jog.

The 4 minute repeats should be run at a good pace (tempo). The 3 minute repeats should start at a good pace and end at a hard pace (race effort) over the last 30 seconds. The 2 minute repeats should be split evenly between good and hard pace. The 1 minute repeats should be run entirely at a hard pace (race effort). 

Sun 10/6 - off. If you were observing the holiday on Thursday and didn't train as a result, you can do a short length run on your own at an easy to moderate intensity if you like.

Ocean State Invitational Results, 9/28/24

 The 9th grade contingent put their best foot forward and then some at the Ocean State Invitational held at Goddard Park in East Greenwich RI. The 9th grade races were run over a mostly flat 4 kilometer (2.5 mile) course, most of it in the trees next to Greenwich Cove. In the boys race, Cyriaque Schaff patiently worked his way past most of the early leaders to wind up in second place overall, followed closely by Ryan Foley who finished sixth about 11 seconds later. Grady Spence was the third Wayland finisher in a time just under 16 minutes. Archie Baker and Ryan Young followed close behind and Daniel Sondey rounded out the Wayland team. When the team scores were tallied, Wayland had the winning score of 60 points, 19 better than second place Parker Charter School. 

The girls race started soon after the boys race wrapped up. After hanging in the top five in the  first couple of minutes, Mia Rent took over and ran away from the rest of the field to win going away, with almost a minute margin over second place. Karis Tam came through in 16th place, earning a medal for finishing in the top 30. Overall it was a day of well executed racing with strong finishes from the Wayland runners. In addition to the medals won by Schaff, Foley, Rent and Tam the boys team won a plaque for the team victory. 

Boys results

Girls results

Ocean State Invitational, 9/28/24

Meet Site: Goddard Park, 1095 Ives Road East Greenwich RI

Bus time 12:45

Start Time: 

3:25 Boys race - Baker, Foley, Schaff, Sondey, Spence, Young

3:50 Girls race - Rent, Tam

4:00 Awards Ceremony

 
Meet Information:

Meet website

Weather: Cloudy, temperatures in the mid to high 60s with ESE winds 5-10 mph.

From the meet directors:

 Please review these important race day reminders as we head into the weekend. 

• Runners must wear bib number with THEIR NAME on the back. 

• There are more bathrooms towards the beach end of the park, about 1/4 mile away from the start/finish line. Use those on your warm up!

• Medals are given to the top 30 individuals, and plaques to the top 3 teams. Medals will be distributed in the awards tent as soon as results are confirmed.
  

• Please use the trash bag to clean your area. We must leave Goddard Park as clean as when we arrived.

 
• Course map

What to Bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• warmup clothes
• plastic bag to store sweaty clothes

 • water bottle - including a second (24-32 oz.) bottle if you have an extra

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

for parents:

• There's no mention of any charge for parking, nevertheless carpooling would be recommended if possible.
• If memory serves, most of the teams (and their tents) are located in the area of the start/finish lines. Since we're there for a relatively short time and the weather forecast indicates no rain, we won't be bringing a tent ourselves. I'm going to try to find a spot for us in the area east of the start and finish lines if possible. Look for us there. If we have to set up elsewhere I'll have your child inform you of this.

• 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.

Dual Meet #1 vs. Bedford, Waltham results - 9/25/24

Results below for Wednesday's dual meet, the first of two on the home course. The girls did well in a shorthanded way while the boys started off the season with a pair of dual meet victories. Remember when crunching the numbers that the layout of the home course has a fair amount of climbing and challenging terrain in the second mile, meaning the overall pace per mile (ppm) will be slower than the first mile split for someone who's spreading out their effort evenly over the entire length of the race.

score sheet with all times and places

splits and pace per mile for WHS athletes

Dual Meet #1 vs. Bedford, Waltham, 9/25/24

Meet Site: Wayland High School. The first of two home meets this season.

Start Time: First race 4:30 PM unless you hear different from me. Girls race will precede boys. Please arrive no later than 3:15. We may need help setting up the course. Don't forget about the team picture at 3:30!

Girls race - Conley, Kotzampaltiris, Ma, Rice, Samaratunga, Sun, Wang 

Boys race - Chisum, Ciccarelli, Conley, Fallace, Gandhi, N. Goldstein, Goode, Hopps, Hopper, Jacob, Kheir, Lehmann, Maali-Pohl, Markey, Narvaez, Potashinsky, Salahuddin, Sondey, Tan, Wheeler, Williams, Yu

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: cloudy, temperatures in the high 60s with ENE winds 5-10 mph. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.
• Don't forget your assigned dual meet bib number. At the conclusion of your race, please remove the bib number from your jersey and return it to the large ziploc bag where the bib numbers will be stored between meets. Leave the safety pins on the corners of the number.
• Be prepared to help out with setting up and/or breaking down the course before and after the meet. This mostly involves the placement or removal of cones and small flags. You may be asked to help by one of the coaches or one of the captains. 

 
• Course map

There are a couple of minor changes to the Field Loop portion of the course not shown on this version of the map. I'm working on an updated course map. These changes include a dogleg between the back edge of the baseball outfield fence and the back corner of the practice field. This is done to avoid an overgrown section of the field. In addition, we no longer have to detour on to the corner of the track, instead going directly from the SW corner of the practice field into the connector path leading to the soccer field next to the softball field.

• course description

• Soon after the visiting teams arrive, there will be a tour of the course. These tours will be separate tours for boys and girls to keep the size of the tour groups manageable. Wayland athletes that are new to the team and racing are required to join the course tour; any returning athletes who would like to join the course tour are welcome to tag along.  

• Once the course tour has begun, all balls, frisbees, etc. will be put away for the duration of the meet.

What to Bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• warmup clothes
• plastic bag to store sweaty clothes

 • water bottle - including a second (24-32 oz.) bottle if you have an extra

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

for parents:

• 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 most of the first half mile and the last half mile of the race.
• 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 6 Training Plan, 9/23-9/29

This week features the first home meet of the season, on Wednesday when Bedford and Waltham will visit. Please arrive by 3:30 and be prepared to help with breaking down the course (removing cones and flags) when the meet is over. There's also a second meet on Saturday, for 9th graders only. 9th graders will be getting an email on Monday about this meet.

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. we're going to curtail the team warmup just a bit by omitting the runouts and instead do a series of "strides" at faster than race pace. This will occur between the warmup and the day's run. The details will be explained on Tuesday. 

Mon 9/23 - Practice 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by cyclic long length run. The total time of your 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 the easy-fresh-good cycle is repeated three more times. Today we'll be heading east along the Hultman Aqueduct towards Weston, some people will be heading back the way they came while others will make a loop of it.

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

Tuesday 9/24 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by a short length run at an easy to moderate effort level. Upon your return to the school we'll be doing high stepping run throughs (high knees) and bounding over cones on the softball field and a few short race speed runs incorporating turns. 

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

Wednesday 9/25 - Dual Meet #1 vs Bedford and Waltham. More information including a time schedule, lineups and a course map will be forthcoming soon. Remember today should be a medium length day in terms of total running time, including warmup and cooldown. For Level 1 and 2 athletes this will impact how we approach the course tour which doubles as a warmup jog for most people. The team picture will be taken today at 3:30.

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

Thursday 9/28 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES, followed by a short length run with hill drills. The drills will be done on the Hultman Aqueduct where it intersects Cedar Crest Road.

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

Friday 9/29 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by either 

Level 1 and 2: 6-8 minute warmup jog, 2x7 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 2 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 6-8 minute cooldown
Level 3 - 6-8 minute warmup jog, 2x9 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 3 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 6-8 minute cooldown
Level 4 - 10 minute warmup jog, 2x11 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 4 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 10 minute cooldown

The good effort portion of the workout (the pair of long repeats at 80-85% effort) can be done on the practice field loop of the home course or in the neighborhood just beyond the edge of the school fields that includes Charena, Cameron, Kelsey and Clarence Roads. The break between this and the short fast repeats is a jog/hike to the top of the aqueduct. There is a possibility we might do the short fast repeats on the track instead if it's available.

OR

a short length run at mostly an easy effort level, picking up the pace a bit in the last 10 minutes of the run:

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

Sat 9/28 -  For those attending the 9 AM Lincoln practice, warmup to Mt. Misery field loop followed by 

Level 1 and 2: 6-8 minute warmup jog, 2x7 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 2 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 6-8 minute cooldown

Level 3 - 6-8 minute warmup jog, 2x9 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 3 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 6-8 minute cooldown

Level 4 - 10 minute warmup jog, 2x11 minutes at a "good" effort (80-85%) with a 4-5 minute break, 4 sets of (200,100) at race pace on top of the aqueduct, 10 minute cooldown

OR

for those who did the timed repeat workouts yesterday, a medium length run at mostly an easy effort level, picking up the pace a bit in the last 10 minutes of the run:

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

OR

For 9th graders only, The Ocean State Invitational at Goddard Park in Rhode Island. More details forthcoming in a separate post.

Sunday 9/29 - off 

Frank Kelley Invitational Results, 9/21/24

The second invitational of the season yielded impressive results, with many athletes achieving new personal best time or setting a high level of achievement in their first try at the fairly flat Wrentham Developmental Center layout. The 9th grade races went first and were the only ones without rain. Everyone got to experience a delightful north wind that blew consistently at 10-15 mph with gusts over 20 mph. The ground had become quite dry over the previous month or so of dry weather and was soaking up the rain like a sponge. As the day wore on the footing got a little slippery but on the whole wasn't too bad throughout. 

There were multiple WHS athletes who won a medal by finishing in the top 25 overall. Mia Rent took the top spot overall in the 9th grade girls race, winning convincingly over two other athletes who comprised a trio far ahead of the rest of the field. The 9th grade boys race featured four medal winners, led by Ryan Foley in 3rd. Brandon Hopps, Grady Spence and Ryan Young also won medals. This is the most medal winners ever for a Wayland team in a single race at this meet. 

There were 3k races for both 10th and 11th graders as well, in the boys 10th grade race Mustafa Kheir and Iniyan Gandhi both raced well in their first time on this course. Cassie Sun ran a strong race in the 11th grade girls race passing multiple runners in the middle portion of the race, while Jamie Markey raced well in his first run on the 3k Wrentham course. Edge Wheeler improved on his previous best time from last year. 

In the Girls Championship 5k, co-captains Arya Samaratunga and Naomi Rice both had solid races in what was probably the heaviest rain of the entire day. The Boys Championship 5k had over 200 finishers and was front to back a very competitive and deep field. There were tightly bunched packs throughout and plenty of back and forth in the latter stages. Moving up steadily throughout the race, the duo of Luke Chisum and Will Jackson worked their way into the top 20 and picked off multiple runners (including the entire Concord-Carlisle top five) in the second half of the race. Matthew Tan raced with metronomic consistency to set a personal best by over 20 seconds, with Leo Ciccarelli and Morgan Fallace rounding out the team which finished 19th out of 23 teams. 

The Wrentham site has been in use in its current configuration since 2010, with a two loop 3k course and a three loop 5k course. As of today, there's a new top WHS performance for three of the four all-time lists. The link to those lists is below. 

Overall results by event

Results and splits for WHS athletes

All-time performance list for Wrentham Developmental Center 

Frank Kelley Invitational, 9/21/24

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

Bus time 7 AM

Remember, no eating on the bus. 

Race Schedule and Entries:

9 AM 9th Grade Girls 3k - Rent

9:20 AM 9th Grade Boys 3k - Baker, Foley, Hopps, Lehmann, Spence, Young

9:40 AM 10th Grade Girls 3k - none

10 AM 10th Grade Boys 3k - Gandhi, Kheir

10:20 AM 11th Grade Girls 3k - Sun

10:40 AM 11th Grade Boys 3k - Markey, Wheeler

11 AM 12th Grade Girls 3k - none

11:20 AM 12th Grade Boys 3k - none

12:00 PM Championship Girls 5k - Rice, Samaratunga

12:30 PM Championship Boys 5k - Chisum, Ciccarelli, Fallace, Jackson, Tan

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the low to mid 60s, SSW winds 10 mph. Have dry clothes for after your race.
• Bib 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. 
• Remember that we have a meet day warmup and cooldown protocol. With the schedule set in advance, you should be able to time the start of your warmup accurately. Because people are racing at different times throughout the day, you won't be warming up at the same time as all your teammates. Report to the starting line 10 minutes before the start of your race; in past editions of this meet the officials have been known to start races a few minutes earlier than the posted schedule. 
• There are no assigned spots on the starting line at this meet, another reason to head over 10 minutes early to get a spot on the line. The group about to race should split in half and take turns holding the spot while also doing last minute run outs. 

• 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.
• The meet staff has asked that no one 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 25 finishers in each race.

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 the map above). 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 loop has two incursions from the edge of the field into the middle. Typically at this meet 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
• Water bottles - filled

•  Folding chair

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

For Parents:

• There's $10 parking fee 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 2 PM.