by Florrie Schaumloffel and Amelia Smith
Blog Week 9
Monday was a day off,or it was SUPPOSED TO BE, but a select few members of the girls team still chose to go to Derryfield Park, in hopes of getting more comfortable with the course. Whilst this was our goal on the record, the true purpose was to frig around on the new and improved, high end playground, and attached workout area. Being the unwaveringly devoted runners we are, we DO NOT workout, and thus found ourselves rather befuddled by the equipment provided. Even the floor added some level of confusion, with its unnatural and unusual bounciness. For longer than we did run, we did play on the playground, and when we found it our unfortunate time to leave, we all piled back into the car, in a way similar to clowns in those tiny buses, and made our way to the mall to lunch in the food court.
Long Run day went as most long run days go. The groups get split at the beginning, and everyone goes off to do their own thing. If I recall correctly, which I so infrequently do, the girls split into two groups, one of which ran down to the center of town, around the pizza church, and onto the menacing River Road, before returning up the ever so dreaded Mascenic Hill, and the other taking a trip through the woods, joined by our lovely coach Becka, and her spectacularly amazing dog Yannis(actual G).
Wednesday is our workout day of the week, and we were set to be executing our second round of 500s up on the track this season. We were persuaded to do two more than we had done the previous time,(though personally I would consider it coerced), by means of Smith’s overly long and complicated pre workout speeches. To escape the never ending flow of words from our coach we went out on a 15 minute warm up only to meet him up at the track to do d-flex. When d-flex was done,(and we had made ourselves look sufficiently foolish) we started the 500s. We had but only 120 meters of recovery, (which I find rather cruel)before we picked up speed once more. Everyone did between 5-8 reps of 500s(we think…), and when the workout was finished, we did our d-flex again (still looking like goons), before we were sent out on a 15 minute cooldown. We ended our day having to do 15 Minute Abs in the building, and complaining all the while. Whilst practice was finished, and most people had gone home, some of the goons stayed to help with and cheer on the middle school meet.
Thursday was like the other practices that have a meet the next day. We looked over the map that showed the course we were running which was at Derryfield School(the course we were SUPPOSED to be running). We were encouraged to push a little harder at Derryfield, because whilst we knew the race was going to hurt, to do well we would need to force it aside and keep going. After that fun little piece of information, we went out for 20 minutes to warm up followed by our usual 6 strides at the front of the school before we headed back out for an additional 20 minutes. When we got back to the school, we did injury prevention AKA footwalks(We just break our ankles before our race so then we won’t when we actually race).
Derryfield day(Friday), also known as the Cougar Classic, began at 1:30pm when we were informed that the course we would be running in less than 3 hours would not be the same as the one we were shown. Due to unexpected inclement weather, the fields in which the race began and ended were flooded and unrunnable. The course got modified so we would still be able to get the same distance, just not on the fields. When we arrived at Derryfield, we were given a map on what the new course was and we ran the first two miles for warm-up. After a bit of delay, the girls race got kicked off at 4:15. The course narrowed on a dirt road, so you had to try to get out quickly. Around the mile and a quarter mark, Emma took her turn too short and knocked over the cone that we turned around at (this is a concerningly common occurrence). Not long after the girls race was concluded, the boys race began. Ryan took off like a bullet, creating almost immediately a 25 meter gap between himself and Drew. Though he went down the hill in front of Drew, he came up the next behind him, and finished thusly, with the rest of our boys team following soon after. Both Mascenic teams, girls and boys, not only won, but won with a perfect score of 15, and received the trophy pumpkins. The girls had 8 in the top ten, and the boys had 5, gaining them each a fabulous Cougar Classic shirt as well.
Blog Week 10
On Monday, the kids who would be running on Wednesday at the JV Championships were split from the Varsity kids to do a 200s workout. The JV kids went on a 10 minute warm up and then did the d-flex they could without laying on the saturated ground. We then did a few strides to get our heart rates up so we wouldn’t go into shock. The JV kids did 8 reps of 200s and then had a conversation with Smith. It was him telling us what he wouldn’t be able to tell us while we were running because he would be doing the video and he wanted to talk with us. It was also making sure we understood the course and when we were leaving. Right after we talked, we were sent on a 15 minute cool down and while the JV girls were on the cool down, they crossed paths with the Varsity girls and did the rest of the cool down with them. Unlike the cool kids, the varsity kiddos(ew) were told to piss off and run in the woods for an hour. For the last ten minutes, we found ourselves joined once more by the cool kids who told us all about their workout while we laughed at them for having to run fast.
On Tuesday, we faced our karma, for the JV clan got to do an easy run whilst we had to take on the second Sub-T. The JV kids went for a 40 minute easy run. They ran 20 minutes down the trail and then turned around and ran back for 20 minutes. The Varsity team had the luxury in which we got chased not just by Smith on a bike, not just Becka on a bike, but Smith, Becka, and Dylan on a bike as we ran four miserable miles “up tempo”. Better yet, the way back is ever so slightly uphill, and it is uphill in such a manner that on the way there the decline is unnoticeable, only discernible when you’re tired on your way back, going every so slightly up.
JV Meet
The JV Meet was hosted at Coe-Brown and was Division 2 and Division 3 JV teams. When the team arrived at Coe-Brown, we put our stuff down and the JV kids went to warm up on the course. The Varsity kids went on their easy run of the week. After warm-up, the JV girls put their numbers on their singlets and put on their race shoes. Then, they put their singlets under their warm clothes. They went over to the start line and did a couple of strides and did some leg swings and stretches. Finally, it was time to take off the warm clothes and get ready to run. The JV girls did one last stride before getting themselves ready on the line. The girls race kicked off with a strong start to get themselves in a good spot in the race. Mackenzie held her place during her run and she ended up coming in 7th place. This is the first time a Mascenic athlete has placed on the podium at the JV Championships. Florence had a constant battle with a runner from Oyster River and ended up coming up in 25th. When the girls were racing, a few of the Varsity girls did the Cotton Eye Joe when it was playing during the race. The girls’ race got wrapped up and the guys’ race started. The boys got out and the girls went to cheer them on while doing their cool down. The boys were looking good when they were around 1 ½ mile mark. Kelson was the first of our guys to come in with being a couple minutes ahead of the other guys and had a strong sprint at the end. The next was Will and Logan came about a minute after him. None of the guys made it onto the podium, but they still had remarkable races.
To run the Grinder is an awful thing to do (in my opinion), and yet on Thursday we somehow found ourselves DOING IT AGAIN (thanks a lot Ryan). Due to Ryan’s seven second miss, Smith was just so KIND and had us DO IT AGAIN to give him another chance. Admittedly we were given the opportunity to take it as a work out and not go all in, but what is life if not doing exactly what you don’t want to do. Unfortunately for Ryan and a few others, the ground was dry and crumbly, making fast running rather difficult. On top of that, (both literally and figuratively) dry withered leaves of many beautiful autumn 
shades littered the path, making every footfall slide slightly, ruining hopes of the 8 (for some) or 10(for others) minute mark. Though the weather was much better than in days past, the aforementioned footing made sure that no one new beat the grinder.
Friday was boring, or at least the running portion was. We went out for twenty minutes, came back, did strides, and went out for another twenty minutes. It was so boring that, even in writing this piece but a few days later, I cannot recall any more than I have just told you. I know not of what we spoke or of where we ran. I do not even remember who ran together, if we were all collected together as a team, or if there were divisions among us(hehe). I do recall what happened after, however, for after practice concluded, the girls made their way up to the field hockey game, in time to watch them win 4-0 (I think) to Conant. Soon after we were piling into cars to go rob the bank (I’m kidding. I promise). Though we entered the bank with the intent of obtaining those little lollipops we left with none, though that is not to say empty handed. Instead of the green sugar on a stick, the very nice bank teller gave us SEVEN LINDOR CHOCOLATES. She is amazing (I am in love). After obtaining the goods from the bank, money and chocolate alike, we took off once more to a lovely little restaurant in Ashby called 873 for a little girls’ team bonding. Six of the seven attendees ordered flatbreads whilst one ordered a burger(that was me lol). Our food arrived shortly after our order, and to their horror(and my absolute delight) each flatbread that they had ordered was not a personal pizza like they had expected, but a whole 14 inch, 8 slice pizza, and if you do recall, THERE WERE SIX OF THEM. Two of the people who got pizza also got sides (and you know who you are). One of their sides had been forgotten, forcing her to ask the waitress for it whilst having a whole and entire pizza in front of her, and likely being judged silently for it. We couldn’t eat all the pizza, so we ended up leaving with six pizza boxes. It was only seven when we left, so we went to Dollar General and got ice cream to have back at Amelia’s house. We get to Amelia’s house and enjoy the ice cream and then go downstairs and play Just Dance.
