October in Review
October is a big season for racing and the homestretch for our high school sports teams as they wrap up their seasons and make a push for playoffs.
October 5th – Boys Cross Country wins Wachusett Invitational
Led by sophomores Freddy Collins and Ailin Oberlies and junior Dylan Whalen, Nashoba won the Wachusett Invitational. They’ll attempt to win the Mid Wach B meet for the first time in 5 years and send a team to states early November.
October 12th – Hartford Marathon
Jacob and I raced the Hartford Marathon on October 12th, finishing in about 3 hours and 30 minutes. We really enjoyed ourselves up until mile 19 when a lack of hydrating and electrolyte intake caught up to me. Based on the long runs in training, we were projected to finish the race closer to 3:15 but the marathon distance has a lot of details that must be accounted for and I made a fueling mistake that cost us. We’re back on the road getting ready for the next one.
October 13th – B.A.A Half Marathon
We had three members run the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Lily, an 8th grader from Bolton, Lindsay who is a member of our adult fitness program, and Mia, who I’ve worked with from a distance in preparation for several marathons in the past. Lily completed the B.A.A Medley (5k, 10, Half Marathon), Lindsay finished her first half marathon, and Mia tacked on more miles afterwards in preparation for the NYC Marathon in November.
October 13th – Chicago Marathon
Running for Team Best Buddies, Amber completed the Chicago Marathon. She juggled training with grad school, a new teaching job, and a position as assistant coach for the Nashoba Girl’s Soccer team and ran really well.
October 16th – Bentley Presentation
On October 16th, I visited Bentley University to speak to 2 entrepreneurship classes about the development of Unified as well as the new venture, AdaptX. I always love sharing my experience with students who hope to one day be in the same position.
October 17th – Workout with Joey Mullaney
Last Spring, Joey interviewed me for a grad school project about starting a non-profit that would provide fitness opportunities for adaptive athletes. We reconnected earlier this month to get in a workout and podcast recording for the AdaptX series. You can view the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTGnK6zuchI&t=1s
October 19th – Head of the Charles
Hayden has demonstrated an unparalleled work ethic leading up to the Head of the Charles; balancing med school with frequent double sessions. He trained incredibly hard to first qualify to be a part of the Brown Alumni boat, and then to perform exceptionally on race day. His team finished 6th out of 51 in the Alumni 8s division and qualified for next year’s race. Anyone who understands Erging will recognize how impressive it is to sustain the pace that Hayden does for long periods of time.
October 23rd – eNable Lowell Visit
eNable is a student-led organization at UMass Lowell that develops devices for individuals with physical disabilities that provides them with the opportunity to participate in sports and recreation activities that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. They have made a product for the gym in the past and made another visit this Fall to brainstorm more designs that could be used by my adaptive athletes.
October 28th – Selected as a finalist for the Arc Tank
It has been a goal of mine to have a project worthy of being selected as a finalist for the Arc Tank. a nationwide competition for businesses in the disability field. Recently AdaptX was chosen and I will be pitching the idea to a panel of experts on November 19th at the JFK Library in Boston. You can read more about the competition and the other businesses selected here: https://www.oneillandassoc.com/seven-semi-finalists-chosen-to-compete-for-250000-at-the-arc-tank-3-0