three wins and a first place.

KVAC CHAMPS!
Eastern Maine, this is our state.

The course was muddy and a mess, as were the people

We were ready though, we have been training for these weeks since August 16th, and this past Monday, October 11th we had completed our hardest workout of the year, intense workouts that all added up to 16 miles.

Standing on the line, we knew we had a job to do. It was my job to run a good race, and if possible, catch and beat EL's Faisal Noor. Nick and Jake had the job of catching Hussein of EL and Nick Demo needed to try and catch as many of the EL kids as possible. and our 5 Nate was going for Bourget. We were all trying to beat as many EL kids as possible. Luckily, our 6 and 7 are faster than any other teams 6 and 7 which means that if it ever comes down to a tie we win.

The race was tough. Going out, I was in a pack with Harlow (Mess), Eben (EA), and Faisal (EL) eventually they kinda dropped and it was Harlow and I going out, it felt kinda slow to me, but I knew the second mile would be a pain. Stupidly I looked at my watch shortly before the mile mark and thought I was going too fast, so I pulled up a bit behind Harlow and that's when I broke. After that even though I knew I should have been going faster, mentally I was having issues. I kept with Harlow until we got to the field at the top of the hill, then I got a bad cramp. As I came through the 2 mile I knew it was going to be a tough race. As we went back up the hill on the other side right before the blueberry fields Eben and Faisal got around me, I tried to stick with them but I was dead. When Evan caught up with me I knew I couldn't let him get around me. I ran with him and didn't let him pass. Luckily when we came out of the woods for the last 3/4 of a mile or so, my cramp got a little less worse, and I was able to increase my pace, as we crossed the football field I pushed myself into a fast fast run, almost a sprint. when I crested the little hill after the football field I realized Faisal was dying and I took off, I made sure to sprint through the line completely, and ended up losing to him by .2 of a second. Nick Parsons beat Mt. Blue's Jaron Jones but not Hussein. In the end it didn't matter, we beat all the other teams.

On the girls side we also won, by a ton! 27 points to the runner up of Brunswick 75 points.

For the JV races, our girls team also won, and on the boys side, while our team didn't win, we did have the individual winner of Senior Peter Burtt.

We got 3 plaques out of a 4 plaque meet, I'd call that a success.

four wins and a record.

Look out Maine here we come.

Yesterday we had the Mt. Blue Relays. Both our Boys and Girls A teams were going for the record, boys 58 minutes, girls about 70 minutes.

For the boys, this meant averaging about 11:33's per person, we were hoping this wouldn't be too hard, since I was going for a sub 11, and Jake was going for around 11 flat.
Starting off, Harlow Ladd, Will Lundquist, Chase Brown and I were running together. Lundquist led for the first 3/4 of a mile or so, I then made a move and got around him, with Chase right behind. I went through the mile around a 5:04, which I was happy with, and knew that if I could repeat it I would break the individual course record easily.
Coming down the grass slope shortly after the mile is when Chase Brown managed to get around me, I tried to go with him, and succeeded for a bit, but then he managed to get away. I did manage to hold on Harlow Ladd as we battled for 2nd. A couple of times going up the hill we gained a bit on Chase, but it wasn't enough, and as we all sprinted the last 200 meters or so, Chase managed to come in with a winning time of 10:43, I came in behind him with a 10:49, and Harlow right behind me with a 10:50. I handed off to our number 2 Nick Parson, and went over to receive my other number (a 2) because I also had to run the second leg on our d team.

My coach wanted my to run about 10-13 seconds slower on my second leg than my first, but I ended up just going out and taking it kinda easy and running about a 12:38, which wasn't too bad I thought.

When our number 4 Nate Mackenzie handed off to our number 5 Jake LeTourneau at a little after 46 minutes. this meant that Jake couldn't dilly daddle, and would have to run about an 11 flat. Unfortunately, Jake came in with the final time of 58:23, just 23 seconds off the record, if we had all run about 6 seconds faster, we would have been set.

On the girls side, our last runner, Emma Wood, came in at 68 minutes, 2 minutes faster than the record, breaking it easily.

Overall, both our Boys and Girls, A and B teams won Mt. Blue Relays, Next week, KVACs!

Brunswick

This is a bit late, I'm sorry.

Last Thursday Mt. Ararat ran at Brunswick, against them, Morse, Lawrence, and Mt. Blue. Going into the meet we knew our main competition would be Mt. Blue, they have a very strong 1-2 with the Jones' brothers. 

I started the race going out slightly conservative for the first 200 feet or so, until we reached the downhill, then I took off a bit to gain as much ground on Jaron as possible. I went through the mile mark at around 5:13 which was slower than at MTA, which was disappointing for me. but allowed me to really push through the second mile and go through at a 5:23, only 10 seconds slower. Going through the 2 mile, Jaron was around 9 seconds behind me, however shortly after the 2 mile mark, when you do a short loop that brings you around and back through the 2 mile mark, Jaron took a wrong turn, and ended up running around a 24 minute. At the end of the race going up the hill, I was in a ton of pain, and knew I just had to power through, and I ended up coming across the line at a 16:43, a 2 second PR.

After Jaron went the wrong way, Nick Parsons pulled out an amazing 2nd place running a 17:23. Jonah of Mt. Blue 3rd with a 17:30, and Jake 4th with a strong finish of 17:48.

The boys won the meet, 27 to 58.

On the girls side, Brunswick's Katie McMahon had an impressive race with a time of 19:20, just 2 seconds off her PR, and she was quoted after as saying "It wasn't actually that bad, I could have run faster, but it's tough since I didn't have anyone to push me." Running at FOC for her tomorrow should provide her with plenty of tough competition.

With Emma Wood and Katie Spies finally back, the girls reasserted their dominance to win 30 to 47, proving that while Brunswick might have a strong 1-2, teamwise they don't match up.

Our Course!

So last Thursday our race was at our home MTA course. For some reason, our coach invited Cony to the meet, so instead of just going for a good time, I was now going to have to fight off Will Lundquist.

Going into the race, besides beating Will, I was also going for a sub 17:31, which would get me the Junior Class record for our course for people on the MTA xc team (dating back to 1994 at least)
Since it was our course, I had spent the last 2 days planning on how I was going to run it. I knew that I always run a really good race on our course. (last year I ran faster on our course than I had at EL the week before) I also know that the first mile of our course is extremely deceiving as it is basically flat.
Will and I went through the mile mark at a 5:04ish, I knew that was fast, but I also felt really smooth and comfortable, and felt like Will was pacing which made it easier. When we got to the first mile, I "took off" and got maybe 20 feet ahead of Will, I then stuck ahead of him. When I reached this short steep sandy downhill near the mile and half cut, I took off and put more distance ahead of Will.

I went through the two mile mark slower than I would have liked, but sub 11, which is very good for me. Unfortunately the last mile is one of the last, you have to go up a paved hill, through a bunch of sand, and up a nice rocky hill. I personally love that last rocky hill, and is usually where I manage to lose or get by quite a few people there, and when you get over the hill it's all downhill.

I didn't have the fastest sprint to the finish, but it wasn't bad. I managed to come through the line at a 17:12. 9 seconds behind Will's record that he set just last year, and fast enough to put me as first for Junior's and by 19 seconds.

Our boys team won by a lot. Sadly, our girls team got defeated by Brunswick (for the first and only time this season) because our top 2 runners did not run.
After the race, around 7:30, my stomach started hurting, and by 11:30 I could no longer stand it, my dad brought me to the ER and I was diagnosed, well all they really found out was that it wasn't apendicitis. And I was dismissed around 6. On our way home, my dad decided to tell me that maybe I should get stomach aches again if it will cause me to run that fast.

The 17 minute barrier

This past Friday we were at EL. We knew that this was going to be our hardest meet so far, and possibly during the entire regular season. Both our guys team, and the EL guys team were evenly matched, and we knew it would be a good race.

Going in to the race my goal was a sub 17, and a side goal of beating Faisal. I knew to do this I would have to go out with Faisal, and then probably try to out sprint him to get me under the 17 minute barrier.

The start of the race was rather surprising. The starter told us "okay, so there will be two commands, runner set, and then Go." so we all lined up and he said "Runners set" then maybe one second later says "go" and that was it, we were all taken a bit by surprise, but still got off the line pretty quick.

At the beginning of the race, it was Faisal, Hussein, and I running together, and then as we crossed the driveway, Faisal made a move and I went with him. It was then Faisal running a bit in front of me, with Hussein falling behind. Faisal went through the mile mark at around a 5:02, with me close behind at a 5:10. I then pushed ahead and almost caught him, but then he managed to also push a bit after I had settled back into my pace. I came through the two mile mark around a 5:34 (much better split then last week) and by then he was probably 10 seconds ahead of me. I knew I had to make a move, and tried, but failed. Looking back, my coach was able to figure out my last mile was a 5:20, and the last .1 was about 41 seconds.

For those of you very good at math, that brings me in at a 16:45, second, but breaking 17. By quite a margin. Which felt amazing!

Looking at the team standings, our boys team got 2nd by 4 freaking points! we know though that in the future we can beat them, because our number 3 Jake, had a bad day due to allergies, and so next time we face them (KVACs) we should beat them easily.

Laliberte

This past Friday 23 teams gathered together to race over a 4k course including way too many hills.

Going into the race, I was expecting 5th or better. The reason for this is that I was seeded 5th, however I was hoping to beat some of the people seeded ahead of me. As we were warming up I noticed someone I wasn't counting on. Harlow Ladd, this kid came out of nowhere during outdoor track, and I was definitely hoping he would lose it during cross country.

After making us stand on the line for about 20 minutes we finally started around 4:10. Going into the start I didn't know what would happen, in a race I usually go out pretty fast, so I don't get boxed in, and then see what happens, but no matter what speed I go out at, there are always a couple of people ahead of me, Friday was different. I took off, and only 3 people went with me. The expected Harlow Ladd, Charlie Jones who I battled during the 1 mile this past spring in outdoor, and a newcomer from Erskine named Eben Hodgkins. Following close behind was Cony's Will Lundquist.

For awhile it was the 5 of us battling it out to see who would lead, when we took a sharp left heading up into the woods up the hill, Will was leading, but as we crested the top, I made a move around him and led for the rest of the first mile. Harlow, Charlie and Eben stuck with me as we pulled away from Will. I went through the first mile marker around a 5:34, and that's when Ladd made a move. Him and Charlie pulled ahead with Even still trailing behind me. I attempted to go to Ladd, but was not able to, it then became a race for third between Eben and I.

Every time that he made a move to pass me, I made sure to sprint past him the next chance I got, I hoped this would dishearten him and cause him to tire out. sadly it didn't work, and as we were going around the pond towards the final sprint, he got around me and took off. Sadly I had nothing left, and so was not able to sprint up to him, I ended up finishing 4th with a time of 14:12.

Afterwards at the awards ceremony we got the biggest shock of the day, when it turned out we had managed to win the meet! The way they score the meet is by combining the boys and girls scores, however if you score it individually by gender, our team would have one all 4 categories.

It was a great race for everybody, and we are all greatly looking forward to this friday at Maranacook.

Predictions

I'm not really going to be able to make any good goals for myself until tomorrow (mile time trial at the start of pre season) and after the Laliberte.

I do know that I'm hoping to start the season at the Laliberte running a sub-18, which on that hilly course I would be very happy with. If I manage to run a sub-18 at the Laliberte, then by the third meet of the season, on the very flat course of EL I would love to be close to breaking 17 minutes.

Now for team goals. As a team, we have discussed how we hope to do, and while some of the goals seem a little lofty, with hard work, and a couple of new people this year they are definitely achievable.

The main goal of the team is to win KVAC's or Regionals (both would be preferable) and from the looks of it that is very possible. In a recent me.milesplit article located here it is shown that we as a team are currently seeded 2nd for our region. The winning team being Brunswick, I don't know how many of the people on our team saw this, however the ones that did I believe most likely started training harder right away. The one thing that everyone thought was certain last year was that this year we would be able to destroy Brunswick as they lost Will and Liam. However, due to Patrick, George, and Benson being very close together in time, while they might not have someone finishing first, they will be packed tightly and still have a chance. The good news for us is that we are getting a couple of new runners, who will be challenging our current 3, 4, and 5th man, and will hopefully cause all 6 of them to work hard and be better.

Now I'm probably going to make a quick post with better self predictions after the Laliberte, and I'll try to keep you updated with anything surprising that happens during pre-season.