Maranacook 9/4

the race sucked! As varsity walked to course the plan was to take the beginning slow because you go up a giant hill in the beginning and go up at least 2 more later on. It was also very hot and humid which just made it painful. Just before the race our number six dropped out because he had a sore throat and coach didn't want him to run. I had the same problem, but knew if I told coach fournier she wouldn't let me run, and I really wanted too. I started the race like we planned, although maybe a bit too slow, going up the first hill i was right ahead of Dan, with both Colins, Jake and Nick ahead of me. Right after we reached the mile marker was another hill, very very steep, and that is where i caught up to both colins, from there I was in pain. I managed to stay where i was and keep pushing though, reaching the second mile marker I felt like i couldn't go on and kind of blacked out for about 30 seconds....when I started thinking again I had made up my mind, i pushed for all i was worth and started to speed up. At the end of the race you have to go back down the hill you first went up, afterwards you go into a wooded path which is very narrow, I didn't go very fast down the hill, but I used the path to my advantage, pushing ahead of the other two guys I had been running with, i was first onto the path, now i knew i could relax just a bit. However coming out of the path without about 200 meters to go the real race started. I pushed myself as hard as i could with both boys starting to flank me, i managed to pass another kid as i finished and beat the other two...i then proceeded to dry heave for a second. Overall I got 14th with a time of 19:58, which isn't bad considering most people are like minutes worse on this course. I'm hoping for the leavitt course (which i hear is worse) I won't be sick and will be able to run up with jake and nick

Maranacook on friday

My plan for friday is to go out slow, I'll probably start as 5th for the team (our 4th and 5th runner joining us again) but that by the time we approach the 1st mile i'm hoping to be up in the lead, i am really hoping that we will pack tight this meet as a team and have a very good chance of scoring well. We are all worried about the hill at the beginning but our coach just says to push up it, and more importantly push hard at the top!

This past friday was the Scott Lalibert invitational. My goal was to go out at a good pace that i could keep and be first for the team. I started out a bit too fast and by the middle of the first mile I already had a cramp and was 3rd for our team. The plan i had with Nick D. at the beginning of the race was to crawl up the hill like Tyler Toothaker had last year and power past people at the top on the grass, unfortunately this year they cut out part of the field section. As I approached the hill I decided that being 3rd for the team I wouldn't push too hard up the hill, but didn't take it too easy. I passed Colin Cundy going up the hill and was now 2nd for the team. After going down the hill on the other side and having to go up the one on the other side of the river I started to hurt. I lost Colin going up that hill. Jamison Esquibal of south portland went back and forth for awhile but I pulled ahead coming out of the woods for the final time. i followed Justin Greely going across the football field without him knowing, as I went up the rise to the finish I heard my coach yelling at me to power up it and sprint through the finish, i dug deep and caught up to Justin, it was a great finish though and i look forward to racing against him in the future to see if i can beat him. Overall combining all the teams we got 3rd however boys got 7th. Girls on the other hand god 1st!