Dear Weymouth (girls) and Wellesley (boys and girls),
(I'm not addressing the Brookline Boys since they've already run and WON at Northfield, so they know all about how its done...)
Congratulations on having your teams qualify for the state meet! For Weymouth, I know it is something you have been working towards for several years, and it's a great accomplishment to have done it. But, if you don't mind my saying so, don't be satisfied to be there. It's a wide-open race on a unique course and anything can happen. Be ready.
No doubt you will hear a lot about the Northfield course this week. You will hear that it is 30-40 seconds slower than Franklin Park. You will hear that it favors this kind of runner or that kind of runner. You will hear that it beats you up. Basically, you will hear a lot of scary stories.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about Northfield. I have raced the course myself when it was a two-loop 10K course used for the NE XC Championship. I have trained there, and I have also watched our teams race there. I admit that for a long time, I was at a loss to offer any useful advice about how to run the course. I *liked* it, and did well there, but I had a hard time explaining why. As you know it climbs quite a bit in the first 1000 meters. I wasn't sure whether our runners should be aggressive at the start or conservative. Peter Martin, who has a lot more experience than me, has seen teams win the state championship using completely opposite tactics on the first hill.
This year it finally dawned on me that there really is no secret to racing at Northfield. Or if there is a secret, it is to run with confidence in your usual plan. If you tend to go out aggressively, go out aggressively. If you are more conservative at the start but love to pick people off in the latter stages of the race, then do that. In other words, don't go away from what has worked for you in the past. If you are fit, if you have run a lot of miles over the summer, you'll be just fine.
But... be prepared to feel fatigue a little earlier in the race. Because the big hill comes so early, you have to be managing your emotions early. Remember that no one will be feeling particularly good at the mile mark, so don't worry if you aren't feeling wonderful and ignore the mile time. This is not a race to worry about splits.
Remember that this course has a way of encouraging upsets. Having a good attitude and a good team can go a long way. That attitude starts with refusing to be intimidated by the meet, by the competition, and by the course. Run loose and have fun.
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12 comments:
If you tend to go out aggressively, go out aggressively? That could be a big mistake on that course.
tru dat
I don't agree.
In fact, the whole point of the post was to suggest that the conventional wisdom about Northfield (fear the hill and be conservative) might be wrong.
I'm not saying sprint the hill, I'm saying don't be afraid to run near the front (if that's what you do).
You can disagree, but let's hear some real evidence to support your opinion.
"Real evidence" to go against Mr. Anonymuous's post:
I like hills. I like to go out and run in the front. I did just that at Northfield three years ago (maybe two??) and was absolutely fine. I am used to pushing the uphills and then relaxing on the downhills. What's so hard about the downhills anyways?? Nothing!! Thus, everyone could really go about the same pace on the downhill, however on the uphill you can gain quite a bit. Either way, I suggest that if you like hills, go out hard, but remember that this hill's got the bunny inside and just keeps going and going and going...it's all downhill after that though and it's fun to pick off the people who pushed the hill but shouldn't really have done so.
If you think "it's all downhill after that" then I suspect you haven't really run that course.
what about the other Bay State runners? no love for them?
...stop arguing with me. I ran at Northfield and it is infact ALL DOWNHILL after the first hill. If you need visual aid for comprehension then view the course elevation profile at:
http://www.polgarweb.com/David/northfield_8966_image001.gif
That scary little file was circulating the last time the State Meet was at Northfield Mountain and I have kept it since just because it's such a great profile of the course. Where it originally came from I don't know, however I'm sure Jon has seen it before.
the URL got cut off because it was too long. It's actually one thing i just wrote it in two lines here in order to make it fit.
http://www.polgarweb.com/
David/northfield_8966_image001.gif
It is far from "ALL DOWNHILL" after the first one. There's a substantial bump at a critical point near the end. If you had really run the course, you would know that.
thanks for the advice
The, ahem, "substantial bump" is a dust particle in comparison to Northfield Mountain itself, which is the only true uphill on the course. If by 'critical point' you mean right before you get out of the woods and circle around the field to the finish, then I have to dissagree. If one has made it that far in the race, that very steep but also very short dirt-pile will not alter the outcome of the race substantially. Also, that short, steep incline was added to the course less than seven years ago if I'm correct so if you ran the course even before my time then it might have been a different course altogether that we're talking/writing about.
Agreed. That last set of hills should not be taken lightly.
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