Post15

Oh god, 10 mile run today, started out at 7:30 pace and closed at 6:20 pace.

That’s all I’m gonna say tonight.

Post 14

Something I learned about today’s race.

An 8K race is totally different than a 5K. Distance-wise, obviously, but for other reasons as well. You have to adopt a new mindset and brace yourself for both physical and mental pains which you’ve never felt before. Instead of seeing it as one big race, think of it as a series of distances, and constantly tell yourself, “Okay, I made it through this mile, let’s see what happens in the next mile, I’ll try to pick off some more kids, I’ll follow that green jersey, etc.”

I was fortunate enough that today’s course at UMASS Dartmouth was relatively flat, and the weather was perfectly cool and cloudy. My time was 27:27. I was afraid in the beginning I wouldn’t even break 30, 0r 29. I guess I’ll keep working at it. Who knows, maybe I’ll break 27 by the end of the season. It’s only my first race. We’ll see what happens.

Post 13

At the field house of the sports complex at URI, there’s a board outside the track coach’s office detailing the week’s workouts, meetings, and races for the weekend. The race list usually lists the rooster for who runs that day. It just so happens that there’s a race this Saturday.

And I saw my name on that list.

So my first 8K is on Saturday. This is a huge milestone for me. Just getting the chance to race just one race would be an accomplishment for me, but now it looks like I’m gonna make that accomplishment.

Time to see if all those summer miles paid off.

Post 12, I think

So, it’s been a crazy couple of days.

I finally filled out and submitted all my NCAA compliance forms, and now I’m actually running with the cross country team at URI. Running! With them! It’s a wonderful feeling, but I must say how humbling and, at times, scary it can be, too. These college athletes run a lot more, and at a faster pace than any high school team could. Getting your ass kicked at each practice by these guys (not literally, running-wise I mean) lets you know that you’re once again at the bottom of the barrel, a newbie, a freshman.

But, the coach and varsity runners are all very nice. You just have to make sure you don’t screw up your paperwork, and run hard every day. The practices have consisted of, so far, a 3-mile tempo run and an 8-mile run with some speed work thrown in. It doesn’t look like I’ll be competing in any NCAA varsity race anytime soon, but I don’t mind working my way up through the ranks. It will take a while, but I’m just glad to have this type of experience and opportunity.

Today I competed in a local 5k race with some of the other freshman in town. I got 16:58, a new PR. I’ll keep at it.

Post 11

So my first day of college ended successfully.

After moving in, I walked around campus and took these photos to give you a better idea of what the place looks like. In a couple days there will be an informational session with the coaches and team, which I’m sure will go into detail about tryouts, practice, and competition. Then on Wednesday I officially begin classes. Plus I’ll need to find a work study job on campus to earn spending money. All these things can add pressure and stress, but you just need to manage time as best as you can and always put the books first. So keep your fingers crossed that all goes well!

Right now I’m running light and easy to keep my body and legs fresh for whatever may come this upcoming week.