Identify this

There are two objects to identify. The first three pictures are of the first; the next three pictures are of the second. If you can identify it other than "a knot made out of straws and dental floss for your thesis" in a mathematically intelligent way, you get a prize, like a pipe cleaner or something.

A new PR in the mile

I ran 5:37.35 at Reggie Lewis on Friday night. This breaks my old PR of 5:45.6 set in senior year of high school at the Exeter/Andover meet. It also improves significantly on my 5:48 of two weeks ago at Williams. So I am pretty pleased with that. I will continue to work hard and keep improving.

Full results:

  Women 1 Mile Run
  =======================================================================
      Name                    Year School                  Finals  Points
  =======================================================================
    1 Lotmore, Alyssa              Albany                 5:04.47   10
    2 McNamara, Julie              Williams               5:17.15    8
    3 Teitsworth, Elly             Williams               5:17.44    6
    4 Rice, Sara                   Roberts Wesleyan       5:20.54    5
    5 Ellison, Laura               Williams               5:22.05    4
    6 Hudak, Robyn                 Central Connecticut    5:23.80    3
    7 Zan, Shiyi                   Umass Amherst          5:24.79    2
    8 Rogers, Jessica              Boston College         5:25.80    1
    9 Bertolone, Donna             Roberts Wesleyan       5:26.17
   10 Gagnon, Kristie              Northeastern           5:26.55
   11 Hill, Sarah                  Williams               5:27.90
   12 Von schmidt, Alissa          New Haven              5:29.90
   13 Riecke, Erica                Northeastern           5:31.91
   14 Murphy, Meghan               Stonehill              5:32.65
   15 Schoonmaker, Heather         Hartford               5:33.45
   16 Gielow, Elisha               Roberts Wesleyan       5:34.30
   17 Yoe, Moira                   Williams               5:34.80
   18 Hamer, Courtney              New Hampshire          5:36.71
   19 Davis, Diana                 Williams               5:37.35
   20 Puntasecca, Linda            Ramapo                 5:38.47
   21 Carlson, Amy                 Ramapo                 5:41.62
   22 Sousa, Alicia                Stonehill              5:45.39
   23 Lasner, Stephanie            Ramapo                 5:46.31
   24 Thibodeau, Sophie            Boston College         5:47.36
   25 Hudak, Dawn                  Central Connecticut    5:49.52
   26 Clarke, Jenna                Albany                 5:52.93
   27 Wheeler, Rachel              Roberts Wesleyan       5:55.80
   28 Bloomer, Elizabeth           Holy Cross             5:56.92
   29 Moore, Audrey                Roberts Wesleyan       6:10.91

A new PR in the 3k

Yesterday I ran the 3000m at MIT, 50 seconds faster than when I ran the 3k at MIT last year and 16 seconds faster than I ran the 3000m in outdoor track in senior year of high school.

I was hoping to run a PR so I decided to run each lap in 46 seconds, which is 6:08 per mile pace and would put me at 11:30, eight seconds faster than my high school time. However, despite trying to hang back, my first lap was 42, so I went through the first mile in 6:04. Then I was right on pace, and I had decided to kick from 600 meters out, so I gained a few more seconds there.

Unfortunately, there was no one else around me running my pace. My only contact with other runners was when I lapped them. You can see this from the results:

Women 3000 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1       Teitsworth, Elly       Williams              10:44.98  
  2       McNamara, Julie        Williams              10:47.75  
  3       Jacoby, Ryan           Williams              10:54.72  
  4       Ellison, Laura         Williams              10:58.25  
  5       Yoe, Moira             Williams              11:06.45  
  6       Links, Elizabeth       Williams              11:13.50  
  7       Davis, Diana           Williams              11:22.70  
  8       Joyce, Melissa         Westfield State       12:23.49  
  9       Daniels, Jennifer      Westfield State       12:53.36  
 10       Messer, Katie          Westfield State       13:08.44  
 11       Leister, Hollie        Rpi                   13:17.90  

So, 11:22 improves upon my previous best of 11:38, and improves greatly on my college PR of 12:12. So, I'm happy. Unfortunately, the 3k was not a scoring event, so I did not earn any points for the team, even though the top eight places scored in this meet and I was seventh. So it goes.

Then I ran the 1600 (anchor) leg of the DMR on the "Williams B" team. I received the baton over a lap behind the "Williams A" team and did not improve that position. My legs were really tired from the 3k. However, when I received the baton the time-clock said 8:02, and when I crossed the finish line it said 13:55, so that means a 5:53 1600, which we'll call a 5:54 mile, which is not bad, only six seconds slower than last week when I had only run an 800 before it, not a 3k. So that's fine.

Music for the Ode to Williams

That the Ode to Williams has a tune is old news; that the tune has been recorded is breaking news. You will find the lyrics at the good old Ode to Williams site, but now a nice boy at Williams has made it into a .wav file with synthesized percussion and strings backing up the melody. So, pleaes join me in welcoming the new and improved Ode to Williams, now easier to sing than ever. Of course you can always find the sheet music on the associated page on Willipedia.

Three great races

Today I ran the 4x800. My split was 2:40 (PR, outdoor 2003: 2:38).
Then I ran the mile. My time was 5:48 (PR, indoor 2003: 5:45.6).
Then I ran the 4x400. My split was 72 (PR, approximate, outdoor 2003: 74).

So it was a good day. And in the mile this girl tried to cut in front of me, and I kicked her and elbowed her and did not let her get away with anything. Then I was fourth because I passed four people. I was only behind the people who went to xc nationals. So that was okay. I think that if Pete puts me in these events again, I will be able to break my PRs this season, if I don't get injured or unmotivated or what have you.

P.S. I am not having a separate running blog anymore. When I am bored I will move the running posts over here. But not the Mystic posts, because I don't want to.

Two unboring pictures

Becca says that most of her pictures are lame. My pictures are
decidedly not lame. Here are two examples of pictures I took in the fall semester that totally fail in the lame department.

The one on the left is so amazing that it was screen-printed onto a T-shirt. The one on the right has never before been seen in public.