2.75 mi

Quick KLM run with Layomi. Went in the morning cause I didn’t have anything better to do. It was short and sweet, and afterwards I introduced Layomi to golden basket.

3.1 mi

Daisy dash 5k. This ended up being a little harder than expected. I started nice and easy because my dad and I started in the back, but when I thought I was putting in more effort, I really wasn’t going any faster. Regardless, it was fun and I wasn’t too worried about going fast or anything. But the moral of the story is that pickleball doesn’t help you prepare for a 5k.

Electric pickleball gameplay. Went with friends and saw a bunch of teammates there, so we merged and made a tourney. Pickleball is so much fun and I’m gonna play a lot of it this summer. Just gotta remember to take big deep breaths

4.25 mi

UTL Final Race. This might be a long one. I’m pretty happy with my race as I chipped away at my pr by a little bit, but I didn’t follow my game plan at all. I originally wanted to get out hard and hold on, and although I felt like I was hammering it, I wasn’t splitting anything crazy. This was honestly expected considering how on every “1600 race pace” rep, I’d go at like 4:59 pace. However, I think I had a good kick to end my high school career. Anyways, the best part of under the lights is and always has been watching other people. We did great across the board with a lot of guys managing substantial prs. Specifically, the freshmen did amazing and I’m really excited to see what the future holds for them. Moving on, I want to say a couple of things that I planned on saying during my speech, but was a little too choked up to actually do so. First, I want to say that having such a diverse team in terms of skill level is extremely valuable. It keeps everyone motivated to do their best regardless of ability level. I know I talked about it in my speech, but I was extremely demotivated at times during summer running this year. I’d often times be completely alone, and it really didn’t feel worth it. I didn’t put myself out there, and I didn’t feel like a full member of the team. And I hope nobody feels like how I did, but if you ever do, I hope you stick it out. Because eventually, the fitness will come and the benefits reaped will make the effort well worth it. Something I did to ease my negative thoughts was make a google doc which had my first ever time in an event, and then my pr side by side. That way, no matter how slow I was, I could feel satisfied knowing I was getting better. For reference, my first ever 800 was 2:51, my first 1600 was 6:45, and my first 3200 was 15:29 (all of these were from time trials during summer running 2022). Also, my profile picture was me in the middle of my first 3 mile ever, when I ran 21:38. My only big regret is not having joined earlier. I did track my sophomore year but only joined long distance last year. But in this short time frame, I’ve cultivated meaningful relationships that I hope to maintain for many years. It’s gonna be sad to leave this all behind, it feels like I joined yesterday. Okay I’m done yapping, good luck everyone during the remainder of track and xc, I’ll be stalking athletic.net to see how it goes. photo feat: me sophomore year during a 200 at JV conference

4.25 mi

Single B followed by 2x200 at 1600m pace. Felt good, sad that it’s my last single b as it’s probably the route I’ve done the most. I’m feeling good for tomorrow, I’m gonna try and just go for it and hope I don’t die. That will be admittedly difficult considering my tendency to race safe.

4.25 mi

4x400 at 1600 race pace. Felt okay but not great, however I was pretty consistent. I hit my times, but they took more effort than I would’ve liked. Honestly, I was hoping to feel a lot better today, so I’m gonna prepare as best as I can for Wednesday.

6.25 mi

Chill harvester recovery. Felt fine.

5.25 mi

8x200 at 1600m race pace. Workout went fine, I was hitting my times but my legs felt a little heavier than normal. It was fine though. Afterwards I took Momin, Antonio, and Elliot to watch conference and it was great. So many guys performed, which is always fun to see in person.

6.0 mi

Rainy prospect recovery. Nice run, felt good.

5.0 mi

3200m time trial. I’m really happy right now. Sub 11 honestly feels just about as good as sub 5 did for me. A little more than a week ago my pr was 11:46, so I really had no idea that I was capable of this. I remember this cross season I was really trying to break 12, and during the late night time trial to start the season I couldn’t even do that. I guess I always wrote myself off in the 3200, but tonight it’s evident that all the thresholds helped me majorly. From the start I felt good and bouncy, which is way different than how I felt at LT. After school I hydrated well and made sure I was moving a bit in between studying. Back to the race, it probably ended up feeling too easy for the first couple laps, because my first mile split was like 5:31. I was sort of just keeping pace until the final 800, where I realized I needed to pick it up. My last 400 felt fast, and ian was right there pushing me the whole time. Without Ian as competition and Elliot’s pacing, I wouldn’t have done nearly as well, so thanks to them. Now I’m not gonna lie, I’m feeling very happy about my season as I hit all of my major goals, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna get after it on Monday. I just have to survive AP exams, and I’ll be good.

4.0 mi

8 min run then 17 min bike ride for pre-time trial. Excited for tomorrow and I’m happy that the time trial is at night so that I have time to relax after my AP exam.

6.0 mi

2x4x400 at 1600 race pace. Today’s workout was honestly pretty tough. I managed to be consistent and average just about what I wanted, but it felt way harder than I anticipated. I think some of it was due to fatigue from the AP exam I had in the morning, but that’s honestly a pretty bad excuse. Anyways, I decided to run the 3200 for Wednesdays time trial after I found out I couldn’t do the 800. I’m going to try and break 11, but I’m not gonna stress myself out about it. I just want to be competitive and have a good time.

4.25 mi

JV conference 800 and 4x400. I had a pretty good meet today as I was able to secure the double pr. However, I didn’t hit my goal time in the 800, and I know I probably could’ve if I ran the race a little differently. I was a little timid, and the DGN guys on either side of me were hyper aggressive. At the waterfall I had like 0 room. Regardless, this was my first time under 2:15, so I’m happy. As for the 4x4, I was just doing it for fun, but I still managed to go sub 60 for the first time. I remember last year I ran the same events and also double prd. Glad to have continued the trend. Anyways, good job to everyone who competed, I think we had a pretty solid day.

4.25 mi

Ran Plainfield. Anyways, I got to watch McCarthy tonight, and it was awesome. So many guys stepped up and had great races. Rogers breaking 10 got me hyped off the bat, and things continued to get better with Adens 800 W and Devin running a massive pr in the 1600 with miller just behind him. The finale of the 4x4 was pure cinema. It was competitive, but everyone did great and Aden did what he needed to win. Also, there are so many other guys I didn’t mention who did awesome, so good job all around. This meet reminded me how much of a fan of the sport I am. Anyways, I’m excited for tomorrow, hoping to double pr.

6.5 mi

Single B, 4x150, 63rd and back, and core. Felt good today, went easy for recovery so it was a chill run. I’m not too stoked about AP exam week, but it’s whatever. I’m hopeful for JV conference because if I dropped 4 seconds in the 800 last time in bad conditions, I think I can do it again. I’m excited to watch/help out at McCarthy tmrw, good luck to everyone racing.

5.0 mi

LT tri meet. I ran the 3200 and 4x4 and I feel like both were decent races, but not great. In the 32 my problem was that I wasn’t really racing, instead I was just going through the motions. I knew I was putting in effort, but I didn’t push to hang on to Evan and didn’t muster a good kick to close the distance to Preston. I think this was mainly a problem due to my inexperience in the event. As for the 4x4, I was racing, but not putting in as much effort as I could’ve. The first 200 I honestly felt fine, and then I hung on to the York kid for the next hundred before kicking in the last 100 to hand off in first. I’m not mad because I did my part and the rest of the guys did great, in fact I’m even a little excited because now I know for certain that if I push, I’m going sub 60 at conference. Anyways, the highlight of the meet was the mile. Great job to everyone, but special shoutout to Ian, Momin, and Johnny for breaking 5 for the first time.

6.0 mi

Harvester pre-meet followed by 2 laps of thunder and lightning and core hit 2. Excited for tomorrow.

7.5 mi

800 thresholds. Was trying to average 3:00, and was frankly nowhere near that. Moving up pace was tough, but that’s no excuse. After rep one I could tell my heart rate was higher than usual, so I just tried to tough it out despite my times dropping. Anyways, I’ve had bad workout before, so I’m not gonna let this get to me. Im excited and hopeful for Wednesdays 3200.

5.5 mi

Solo run on the treadmill. Very boring, but not all that hard. I think the new shoes I got are half a size too big, which sucks, but I’ll live.

4.25 mi

Rainy 4x400 workout. Memorable one to say the least. I’m glad I was consistent with my splits, which were 67, 65, 65, 65, but I know in better conditions I could’ve been averaging low 60’s. Also, the last rep was made easier thanks to the inspirational pirates of the Caribbean music in the background. I also found out I’m running the 3200 at LT and the 800, 4x4 double at conference which I’m happy about. It gives me one more shot at each event. I also wanted to say that Wednesday will be my first 3200 race apart from time trials ever. I’m hoping for a big time drop. Lastly, good job to everyone who competed yesterday. It was much fun to see people do so well, and I’m gonna continue showing support for the rest of the season.