The second race in four days meant that I was still a bit sore before the race even started, but heck I'm a bit sore all the time so no big deal.
I met up with the Q-Brothers and Jimmy Q and we headed out for an easy 3m out/back for a warm-up. As is normal I felt pretty lousy. The uphills were tiring, not a good thing before a 3.5 mile XC race that rolls like mad. Al was heading out for his warm-up so it looked like we had four team members, but five are needed for a full team. Conditions were quite good with temps in the low 50's, a little breeze and bright sunshine. I decided to go with the Saucony road racing flats instead of Inov-8 trail shoes. The course always seems to have a ton of pavement (maybe 50%?). There were some slight changes this year due to construction including a new start and new finish.
The big crowd headed over to the start and we were off in a mad dash. The course went about 50m then did a 180 and headed up a nother fairway. I got out well and slipped in behind Terry McNatt. By the time things settled down I was right around the top 10. I felt awful on the uphills but really made up ground on the downhills. Mike Q was working his way toward the strung-out top five and Dave Q came back a bit and I caught him at about 1.5m (no mile markers). I looked at my watch as I gapped Dave and it was 12 minutes, so I figured maybe only 1 1/4 to go. Terry was not far ahead and I figured he was top master. I really didn't have much gas in the tank but I knew Dave was close behind tracking me down. We were both cutting tangents like crazy. I wish I had been able to figure out the finish because I didn't know how much was left when we went by the chute (in the opposite direction). Ryan C gave me a shout and I dug in hoping to shake the GBTC guy who was right there. With about 100m to go, Dave went flying past and I had no response. He did slow a bit right before the line and almost got caught by the GBTC guy.
You have got to love XC finishes....I was hands on knees trying to get my breath and not fall over. Dave was on the ground iwth one shoe still on the timing mat with it beeping like mad. There is something about XC that makes you dig down and give your all. I'm happy to say I gave it my best. A top 10 finish was a bonus and third in the 40+ behind Terry and Dave is nothing to turn your nose up at. Al led the charge for CMS with Michael having (another) excellent race.
Results:
ANDOVER COUNTRY CLUB XC 3.5 MILER
ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS
Place Name Div/Tot Ag No. S Bib# City St Time Pace
1 RYAN CARRARA 1/44 33 1 M 1 HUDSON MA 18:18 5:14
2 CHAD CARR 2/44 33 154 M 154 CAMBRIDGE MA 18:21 5:15
3 ALAN VERNIER 3/44 35 572 M 572 PROVIDENCE RI 18:44 5:21
4 STEPHEN GRANGER-GEV 4/44 24 268 M 268 BOSTON MA 18:48 5:23
5 DAN LOUNSBURY 5/44 27 2 M 2 CAMBRIDGE MA 19:02 5:27
6 MIKE QUINTAL 6/44 31 7 M 7 N. ANDOVER MA 19:07 5:28
7 TERRY MCNATT 1/63 44 4 M 4 NEEDHAM MA 19:32 5:35
8 DAVID QUINTAL 2/63 46 8 M 8 SALEM NH 19:38 5:37
9 TOMOAKI UCHIKI 7/44 35 224 M 224 JAMAICA PLAIN MA 19:38 5:37
10 DAVE DUNHAM 3/63 45 3 M 3 WARD HILL MA 19:39 5:37
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Most raced on date
Most raced on dates
Date | Number | Rank | ||||||
4-Jul | 14 | 1 | ||||||
1-Jan | 13 | 2 | ||||||
Thanksgiving (various days) | 12 | 3 | ||||||
3-May | 8 | 4t | ||||||
25-Apr | 8 | 4t | ||||||
5-Jan | 7 | 6t | ||||||
28-Apr | 7 | 6t | ||||||
29-Apr | 7 | 6t | ||||||
5-May | 7 | 6t | ||||||
12-May | 7 | 6t | ||||||
19-May | 7 | 6t | ||||||
25-May | 7 | 6t | ||||||
8-Jul | 7 | 6t | ||||||
15-Sep | 7 | 6t | ||||||
17-Sep | 
| 6t | ||||||
18 tied with 6 | ||||||||
Thanksgiving | ||||||||
Date | Where | Dist | Time | Pl | Field | |||
11/24/1988 | Boston | MA | 5 | 25:30 | 12 | 2400 | Jordan Marsh | |
11/26/1992 | Andover | MA | 4.96 | 25:32 | 3 | 3060 | Feaster five | |
11/25/1993 | Andover | MA | 4.96 | 24:17 | 5 | 3167 | Feaster five | |
11/23/1995 | Andover | MA | 4.96 | 24:07 | 2 | 8000 | Feaster five | |
11/28/1996 | Andover | MA | 4.96 | 24:38 | 1 | 3010 | Feaster Five | |
11/26/1998 | Ashburn | VA | 6.21 | 30:48 | 3 | 450 | Thanksgiving race | |
11/23/2000 | Andover | MA | 4.96 | 25:14 | 3 | 2749 | Feaster Five | |
11/27/2003 | Newburyport | MA | 3.11 | 17:52 | 14 | 755 | Maudslay Thanksgiving race | |
11/25/2004 | Newburyport | MA | 3.11 | 17:09 | 4 | 644 | Maudslay Thanksgiving race | |
11/23/2006 | Newburyport | MA | 3.11 | 17:45 | 15 | 884 | Maudslay Thanksgiving race | |
11/22/2007 | Newburyport | MA | 3.11 | 17:29 | 14 | 958 | Maudslay Thanksgiving race | |
11/26/2009 | Newburyport | MA | 3.11 | 17:26 | 12 | 1200 | Maudslay Thanksgiving race |
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Turkey Trot
Another year, another Thanksgiving race. This time back at Maudslay for the Winners Circle Turkey Trot.
Cath and I picked up Dan and headed for Newburyport. Dan seemed ill-prepared to race and not particularly motivated. I believe he said something like “I have to run somewhere today, might as well do it at a race”. I knew going in that he wasn’t exactly “up” for racing. That combined with his poor choice of racing shoes (NB road flats!) and that at the shorter distances he was not having a typical year had me thinking about a rare “victory” over Dan. Actually for most of the week I’d been thinking about how I might be able to beat Dan. Although he is a teammate, there is nothing wrong with wanting to beat him. Heck, you should want to beat everyone. I’m realistic and know that wins are few and far between, but racing aggressively and doing well against other guys in my age group are good goals to have.
We were among the earliest to arrive, but with 1240 runners, being early is a good idea. This is the largest mass start cross-country race in the U.S. The competition is always good, maybe not quite as strong as the Trav’s trail race (which is run over a 3.0 mile version of the same course). We immediately bumped into Bob Winn who wouldn’t be racing if he wasn’t fit. Bob is a top 50+ runner and Dan and I have raced him for DECADES. We met up with a bunch of other regulars and headed out for a big group warm-up. I chatted a bit with Mike Quintal who is healthy and was coming off a very good 5km effort last week. I casually mentioned that “this is the spot Dan will pass me in the race” as we crested the climb at about ¾ of a mile into the course. I figured Dan would go out in his usual manner (slowly) and then go chugging by me. I also felt that trying to closely follow Michael would be a good plan. We finished our warm-up with less than 15 minutes to the start, and people were already heading over. I got in some strides and then said “hi” to Grandpa (Dad set him up in a prime location to watch the start and finish).
I think that this race is probably the only Winners Circle production that actually starts on time (or pretty close to it). There were still people walking over to the line when they gave the final instructions and sent us on our way. If they waited for all the late arrivals we probably would have been standing there another 10 minutes. Michael caught me with an elbow as we took off, hey its XC and you’ve gotta clear some running room. The first 200m was a flurry of people trying to get out and not get trampled. It wasn’t as bad as other years, or maybe I got out better, but by the time we started down the hill I was in the clear (up on the embankment along the dirt road). The first ½ mile is a very fast descent, but that will also be the final ½ mile of grimacing and agony. I was in about 15th place when we hit the ½ mile and crossed over the bridge. The next ½ mile climbs and I’m not very good at hills (mountains where you run slow are more my thing). A few guys went by on the climb including Dan who passed me at just about the exact spot I’d pointed out in the warm-up.
I tried to latch on to Dan and that helped me move back into the top 20. Michael came back towards us and I passed him after the mile. I noticed that (40+ course record holder) Kris Kealey was only a little ahead. Dan opened up a few seconds on me and Michael stayed just a step or two behind. On the downhill leading toward two-miles (not marked but I know where it is) I aired it out and closed on Kris and even Dan wasn’t that far up. I had some hope that I might be able to get him on the final downhill. I passed a guy just before the downhill and he told me “your guy is right up ahead”. I thought that was kind of funny. Kris came back to me on the downhill, but I knew with his leg speed I’d need to gap him. I haven’t got much leg speed and my hill running is not good (except the descents), that is not a good recipe for the final ½ mile at Maudslay. I did reel in another guy on the climb but with 400m to go Kris took off (and nearly caught Dan). I pushed as hard as I could but as Michael noted “you were losing ground on the climb”. Kealey put seven seconds on me in the last ¼ mile!
I could have sworn the clock just rolled to 17:20 as I passed but I had missed pressing my watch at the start so I couldn’t compare to the official time. The official time of 17:26 put me in 12th but only fourth in the 40+ (5th if you count Bob Winn @ 17:00 in the 50+). All in all it was a decent performance for me, especially considering I still haven’t cracked 17 on the roads this fall. The CMS gang had a good day. Al led the charge finishing fourth (Ryan Carrara mentioned how “it’s good to see Al out there racing”) and Michael stayed in the top 15, only four seconds behind me.
2009 TURKEY TROT 5K CROSS COUNTRY
NEWBURYPORT, MA, November 26, 2009
===== =================== ===== = =============== == ======= =====
1 TOM WEBB 16:06 5:10
2 RYAN CARRARA 16:14 5:12
3 CONOR WELCH 16:36 5:20
4 ALAN BERNIER 16:38 5:20
5 TITUS MUTINDA 16:41 5:21
6 THOMAS LEGER 16:43 5:22
7 BOB WINN 17:00 5:27
8 CHRIS MCCANN 17:11 5:31
9 DOUG CHICK 17:16 5:32
10 DAN VERRINGTON 17:17 5:33
11 CHRIS KEALEY 17:19 5:33
12 DAVE DUNHAM 17:26 5:36
13 NATHAN BENNETT 17:28 5:36
14 MICHAEL QUINTAL 17:30 5:37
15 MIKE COHEN 17:35 5:38
I’ve now raced 12 times at Maudslay between Trav’s in May and Thanksgiving Day. That would make it the fourth most raced location (behind only Mt’s Washington, Wachusett, and Pack) for me. Thanksgiving also remains the third most raced Holiday for me, trailing only New Years Day and Independence Day.
Cath and I picked up Dan and headed for Newburyport. Dan seemed ill-prepared to race and not particularly motivated. I believe he said something like “I have to run somewhere today, might as well do it at a race”. I knew going in that he wasn’t exactly “up” for racing. That combined with his poor choice of racing shoes (NB road flats!) and that at the shorter distances he was not having a typical year had me thinking about a rare “victory” over Dan. Actually for most of the week I’d been thinking about how I might be able to beat Dan. Although he is a teammate, there is nothing wrong with wanting to beat him. Heck, you should want to beat everyone. I’m realistic and know that wins are few and far between, but racing aggressively and doing well against other guys in my age group are good goals to have.
We were among the earliest to arrive, but with 1240 runners, being early is a good idea. This is the largest mass start cross-country race in the U.S. The competition is always good, maybe not quite as strong as the Trav’s trail race (which is run over a 3.0 mile version of the same course). We immediately bumped into Bob Winn who wouldn’t be racing if he wasn’t fit. Bob is a top 50+ runner and Dan and I have raced him for DECADES. We met up with a bunch of other regulars and headed out for a big group warm-up. I chatted a bit with Mike Quintal who is healthy and was coming off a very good 5km effort last week. I casually mentioned that “this is the spot Dan will pass me in the race” as we crested the climb at about ¾ of a mile into the course. I figured Dan would go out in his usual manner (slowly) and then go chugging by me. I also felt that trying to closely follow Michael would be a good plan. We finished our warm-up with less than 15 minutes to the start, and people were already heading over. I got in some strides and then said “hi” to Grandpa (Dad set him up in a prime location to watch the start and finish).
I think that this race is probably the only Winners Circle production that actually starts on time (or pretty close to it). There were still people walking over to the line when they gave the final instructions and sent us on our way. If they waited for all the late arrivals we probably would have been standing there another 10 minutes. Michael caught me with an elbow as we took off, hey its XC and you’ve gotta clear some running room. The first 200m was a flurry of people trying to get out and not get trampled. It wasn’t as bad as other years, or maybe I got out better, but by the time we started down the hill I was in the clear (up on the embankment along the dirt road). The first ½ mile is a very fast descent, but that will also be the final ½ mile of grimacing and agony. I was in about 15th place when we hit the ½ mile and crossed over the bridge. The next ½ mile climbs and I’m not very good at hills (mountains where you run slow are more my thing). A few guys went by on the climb including Dan who passed me at just about the exact spot I’d pointed out in the warm-up.
I tried to latch on to Dan and that helped me move back into the top 20. Michael came back towards us and I passed him after the mile. I noticed that (40+ course record holder) Kris Kealey was only a little ahead. Dan opened up a few seconds on me and Michael stayed just a step or two behind. On the downhill leading toward two-miles (not marked but I know where it is) I aired it out and closed on Kris and even Dan wasn’t that far up. I had some hope that I might be able to get him on the final downhill. I passed a guy just before the downhill and he told me “your guy is right up ahead”. I thought that was kind of funny. Kris came back to me on the downhill, but I knew with his leg speed I’d need to gap him. I haven’t got much leg speed and my hill running is not good (except the descents), that is not a good recipe for the final ½ mile at Maudslay. I did reel in another guy on the climb but with 400m to go Kris took off (and nearly caught Dan). I pushed as hard as I could but as Michael noted “you were losing ground on the climb”. Kealey put seven seconds on me in the last ¼ mile!
I could have sworn the clock just rolled to 17:20 as I passed but I had missed pressing my watch at the start so I couldn’t compare to the official time. The official time of 17:26 put me in 12th but only fourth in the 40+ (5th if you count Bob Winn @ 17:00 in the 50+). All in all it was a decent performance for me, especially considering I still haven’t cracked 17 on the roads this fall. The CMS gang had a good day. Al led the charge finishing fourth (Ryan Carrara mentioned how “it’s good to see Al out there racing”) and Michael stayed in the top 15, only four seconds behind me.
2009 TURKEY TROT 5K CROSS COUNTRY
NEWBURYPORT, MA, November 26, 2009
===== =================== ===== = =============== == ======= =====
1 TOM WEBB 16:06 5:10
2 RYAN CARRARA 16:14 5:12
3 CONOR WELCH 16:36 5:20
4 ALAN BERNIER 16:38 5:20
5 TITUS MUTINDA 16:41 5:21
6 THOMAS LEGER 16:43 5:22
7 BOB WINN 17:00 5:27
8 CHRIS MCCANN 17:11 5:31
9 DOUG CHICK 17:16 5:32
10 DAN VERRINGTON 17:17 5:33
11 CHRIS KEALEY 17:19 5:33
12 DAVE DUNHAM 17:26 5:36
13 NATHAN BENNETT 17:28 5:36
14 MICHAEL QUINTAL 17:30 5:37
15 MIKE COHEN 17:35 5:38
I’ve now raced 12 times at Maudslay between Trav’s in May and Thanksgiving Day. That would make it the fourth most raced location (behind only Mt’s Washington, Wachusett, and Pack) for me. Thanksgiving also remains the third most raced Holiday for me, trailing only New Years Day and Independence Day.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Week ending 11-22-09
Total miles this week (76) was the most I’ve done since July. This was the first week of starting back to doing lunch runs. I haven’t run at lunch in Methuen since 2007. I like the .55 mile loop around the veterans park, it is really the only place to run around here. The only disappointment this week was not breaking 17 minutes at the YMCA 5km.
M – Lunch run 3 = 20:19, PM 8m o/b at Winni with Dan = 57:58
T – 8m Winni o/b alone = 51:30
W – Lunch run 3 = 19:53, PM 8 @ River with Dan = 56:20
Th – PM New 8m Winni loop with road run to the Castle and back = 55:18
F – Lunch run 3 = 20:14, PM New Winni 8m with Ken T = 53:50
Sat – Warmup at Wakefield, 5km in 17:03, and warmdown loop.
Sun – Five different peaks for a total of 2:31+ of running.
Week = 76
Month = 202
Year = 2,846
Life = 106,957
M – Lunch run 3 = 20:19, PM 8m o/b at Winni with Dan = 57:58
T – 8m Winni o/b alone = 51:30
W – Lunch run 3 = 19:53, PM 8 @ River with Dan = 56:20
Th – PM New 8m Winni loop with road run to the Castle and back = 55:18
F – Lunch run 3 = 20:14, PM New Winni 8m with Ken T = 53:50
Sat – Warmup at Wakefield, 5km in 17:03, and warmdown loop.
Sun – Five different peaks for a total of 2:31+ of running.
Week = 76
Month = 202
Year = 2,846
Life = 106,957
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
USATF Runners of the year
USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Council Announces Runners of the Year
Indianapolis, IN ---- The Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running (MUT) Council of long distance running has named the 2009 USATF Mountain Runners of the year, Ultra Runners of the Year, and Contributor of the Year. The following individuals will be recognized at the USATF National Convention in Indianapolis, on Saturday, December 5, at an awards breakfast.
Mountain men open: Joseph Gray, 25, Lakewood, WA, wins his second consecutive USATF Mountain Runner of the Year title. He started out the mountain season in Vail, CO, on the weekend of June 6 running an uphill half marathon (Saturday) and a 10km trail race (Sunday) finishing in third and second respectively. Later that month he finished third at Mount Washington Road Race and won the USA Mountain Running Championships at Cranmore earning a spot on his second Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. He was the second U.S. finisher at the World Mountain Championships in Madesimo-Campodolcino, Italy, finishing in 16th place. Gray spent much of the summer in Europe racing and was fifteenth overall in the WMRA Grand Prix standings with only two WMRA Grand Prix race finishes (out of seven) to his credit.
Mountain men master: Dave Dunham, 45, Bradford, MA, took home the gold in the 45-49 at the US Mountain Championships at Mt Cranmore. He was also the USATF New England champion (45-49) at Northfield Mountain and was the masters USATF NE Mountain running series champion. Mountain results included: 1st 45-49 at Wachusett Mountain, 1st 40-49 at Pack Monadnock, 1st 45-49 at Northfield Mountain (USATF NE championship), 1st 45-49 at Mt Washington, 1st 45-49 at Mt Cranmore (US National championship), 1st 40-49 at Loon Mountain, 1st 40-49 at Mt Ascutney. In addition Dave continued to volunteer at the Association and National level. He was the official scorekeeper for the USATF NE Mountain series, directed multiple trail/mountain races, and served as the manager for the junior runners on the US Mountain team. Dunham was the USATF Mountain Runner of the Year in 2000.
Mountain women open: Brandy Erholtz, 32, Bailey, CO, is a repeat winner in this category having also won in 2008. In June, she finished first at the Native Eyewear Spring Runoff 10k in Vail, first at the Mount Washington Road Race, and finished second at the US Mountain Running Championships and was a member of the gold-medal winning Team USA at the NACAC Mountain Running Championships. She earned an at-large spot on her second Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team and was the top American woman finisher in Italy at the World Mountain Running Championships finishing 10th to lead the U.S. Women to a bronze-medal finish. She finished second at the USA 10km Trail Running Championships. She finished fifth at the Cheyenne Canon Mountain Race, first at the Barr Mountain Trail Race where she set a new women's course record, and won the VAC Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Snowshoe. She was first at the Montrose 10k uphill road race setting a course record and in international competition in Switzerland raced to a third-place finish at Thyon-Dixence, and fifth place at Sierre-Zinal, (top US finisher at both of these events).
Mountain women master: Laura Haefeli, 42, Del Norte, CO, was the 2004 and 2005 open mountain runner of the year and has earned masters’ recognition for the second consecutive year. She finished third overall at the Cheyenne Canon Mountain Race, was second in the Native Eyewear Spring Runoff 10k in Vail, and was the USA National Mountain Running Masters champion and a member of the gold-medal US Team at the NACAC Mountain Running championships.
Ultra men open: Michael Wardian, 35, Arlington, VA, wins his second consecutive Ted Corbitt Memorial USATF Ultra Runner of the Year Award in 2009. Wardian finished ninth at the 2008 (November 2008) IAU World Cup 100km in Tarquina, Italy, and at the 2009 IAU World Cup 100km in, Torhout, Beligum, he finished in sixth position and was the first US finisher. Wardian earned a bronze medal at the IAU 50km World Championships in Gibraltar and was the first US Finisher. He was the US 50km Road National Champion, and the US 50 Mile Trail Champion. Wardian showed his prowess in shorter distance competition with his finish at the US Cross Country National Championships in 46th place overall. At the Marathon Des Sables-Sahara Desert, Morocco, Wardian finished in eighth place overall which was the highest finish ever by a U.S. competitor. He was fifteenth overall at Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, just eight days after finishing sixth overall in the IAU World Cup 100km. He posted a third place finish at The North Face Endurance Challenge-50 Miler, Washington, DC and ran eight marathons in 2009 and set a PR in the marathon in 2009 of 2:21:09.
Ultra men master: Roy Pirrung, 61, Sheboygan, WI, is a repeat winner in this category having won this award in 2007 and 2008. Pirrung’s results included in November 2008, first 60-64 finisher and a pending 60-64 American record in the open race held concurrently with the IAU World Cup 100km in Italy, and at the 24 Hour Championships in McKinney, TX, a fifth place overall, first 60-64. In 2009 Pirrung won his age group at the following events, the USA 50km Road Championships, the Mad City 50km, the Door County Fall 50-mile, and the Ice Age Trail 50-mile. He finished second in his age group at both the USA 50 Mile Trail Championships and the USA 100km Trail Championships. The Door County 50 was Pirrung’s 150th Ultra race. Pirrung serves as the vice-chairperson of the USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council and is active in his local USATF association.
Ultra women open: Kami Semick, 43, Bend, OR, is the Ruth Anderson USATF Ultra Runner of the Year 2009 having posted an outstanding year on the road and trails. She was the USA 50km Road Champion, and the USA 50 Mile Trail Champion. At the IAU World 50km Road Championships Semick finished first overall. Semick won the individual gold medal at the IAU World Cup 100km to lead Team USA to a gold-medal performance. She also won the American River 50 mile and the Miwok 100k. In addition in 2008 at the IAU World Cup 100km Semick earned a silver medal to lead Team USA to a silver-medal podium appearance.
Ultra women master: Anita Ortiz, 45, Eagle, CO, won the Moab Red Hot 50k, was first at 12 hours of Moab (team race), finished second at the Miwok 100km, turned in an outstanding first place finish (setting a “rookie” record) at Western States 100 Miler. She won the Pikes Peak Marathon and finished first at the San Juan Solstice 50 mile. Ortiz was a two-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year (2002 and 2003) and two-time USATF Masters Mountian Runner of the Year (2004 and 2007).
Contributor of the Year – Paul Kirsch. Kirsch was the race director for NACAC/USA Mountain Running Champs where one of his duties was to coordinate housing and transportation for elite athletes (more than 30 in total from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico). Kirsch serves as the USATF-NE Mountain Ultra Trail Chairperson. He provides website design and maintenance for the US Mountain Running Team website & blog (usmrt.com). He headed up the USATF-NE Mountain Running Circuit which saw increased participation this year, and he was the Co-Race Director for the Loon Mountain Race. He also coordinated housing and transportation for elite athletes for the Mount Washington Race. He successfully recruited the Rhode Island 6 Hour Ultra to be USATF-NE Ultra Championships and attended as volunteer liaison from the mountain ultra trail council of USATF NE. Kirsch is President of the White Mountain Milers Running Club. He served as race director for the Inov-8 Summer Series in North Conway, NH, and the USSSA Snowshoe Race (National Champs Qualifier). He provided timing/results and course setup for a number of races in New England near his home in Madison, NH.
In order to be considered for the USATF Mountain and Ultra running awards an athlete must show top results in U.S. competitions for 2009 (November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009) to include mountain races (these may be on paved/gravel surfaces as long as there is significant elevation loss or gain) and trail races of varying lengths, as well as road races for the ultra category (distances beyond the marathon). International results are also considered. The nominee must be an ambassador for the sport. Nominee must be a USATF member for 2009, and to be considered for the masters’ category athlete must be a minimum of 40 years of age. For a list of past winners in the other categories, please visit www.usatf.org.
Indianapolis, IN ---- The Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running (MUT) Council of long distance running has named the 2009 USATF Mountain Runners of the year, Ultra Runners of the Year, and Contributor of the Year. The following individuals will be recognized at the USATF National Convention in Indianapolis, on Saturday, December 5, at an awards breakfast.
Mountain men open: Joseph Gray, 25, Lakewood, WA, wins his second consecutive USATF Mountain Runner of the Year title. He started out the mountain season in Vail, CO, on the weekend of June 6 running an uphill half marathon (Saturday) and a 10km trail race (Sunday) finishing in third and second respectively. Later that month he finished third at Mount Washington Road Race and won the USA Mountain Running Championships at Cranmore earning a spot on his second Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. He was the second U.S. finisher at the World Mountain Championships in Madesimo-Campodolcino, Italy, finishing in 16th place. Gray spent much of the summer in Europe racing and was fifteenth overall in the WMRA Grand Prix standings with only two WMRA Grand Prix race finishes (out of seven) to his credit.
Mountain men master: Dave Dunham, 45, Bradford, MA, took home the gold in the 45-49 at the US Mountain Championships at Mt Cranmore. He was also the USATF New England champion (45-49) at Northfield Mountain and was the masters USATF NE Mountain running series champion. Mountain results included: 1st 45-49 at Wachusett Mountain, 1st 40-49 at Pack Monadnock, 1st 45-49 at Northfield Mountain (USATF NE championship), 1st 45-49 at Mt Washington, 1st 45-49 at Mt Cranmore (US National championship), 1st 40-49 at Loon Mountain, 1st 40-49 at Mt Ascutney. In addition Dave continued to volunteer at the Association and National level. He was the official scorekeeper for the USATF NE Mountain series, directed multiple trail/mountain races, and served as the manager for the junior runners on the US Mountain team. Dunham was the USATF Mountain Runner of the Year in 2000.
Mountain women open: Brandy Erholtz, 32, Bailey, CO, is a repeat winner in this category having also won in 2008. In June, she finished first at the Native Eyewear Spring Runoff 10k in Vail, first at the Mount Washington Road Race, and finished second at the US Mountain Running Championships and was a member of the gold-medal winning Team USA at the NACAC Mountain Running Championships. She earned an at-large spot on her second Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team and was the top American woman finisher in Italy at the World Mountain Running Championships finishing 10th to lead the U.S. Women to a bronze-medal finish. She finished second at the USA 10km Trail Running Championships. She finished fifth at the Cheyenne Canon Mountain Race, first at the Barr Mountain Trail Race where she set a new women's course record, and won the VAC Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Snowshoe. She was first at the Montrose 10k uphill road race setting a course record and in international competition in Switzerland raced to a third-place finish at Thyon-Dixence, and fifth place at Sierre-Zinal, (top US finisher at both of these events).
Mountain women master: Laura Haefeli, 42, Del Norte, CO, was the 2004 and 2005 open mountain runner of the year and has earned masters’ recognition for the second consecutive year. She finished third overall at the Cheyenne Canon Mountain Race, was second in the Native Eyewear Spring Runoff 10k in Vail, and was the USA National Mountain Running Masters champion and a member of the gold-medal US Team at the NACAC Mountain Running championships.
Ultra men open: Michael Wardian, 35, Arlington, VA, wins his second consecutive Ted Corbitt Memorial USATF Ultra Runner of the Year Award in 2009. Wardian finished ninth at the 2008 (November 2008) IAU World Cup 100km in Tarquina, Italy, and at the 2009 IAU World Cup 100km in, Torhout, Beligum, he finished in sixth position and was the first US finisher. Wardian earned a bronze medal at the IAU 50km World Championships in Gibraltar and was the first US Finisher. He was the US 50km Road National Champion, and the US 50 Mile Trail Champion. Wardian showed his prowess in shorter distance competition with his finish at the US Cross Country National Championships in 46th place overall. At the Marathon Des Sables-Sahara Desert, Morocco, Wardian finished in eighth place overall which was the highest finish ever by a U.S. competitor. He was fifteenth overall at Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, just eight days after finishing sixth overall in the IAU World Cup 100km. He posted a third place finish at The North Face Endurance Challenge-50 Miler, Washington, DC and ran eight marathons in 2009 and set a PR in the marathon in 2009 of 2:21:09.
Ultra men master: Roy Pirrung, 61, Sheboygan, WI, is a repeat winner in this category having won this award in 2007 and 2008. Pirrung’s results included in November 2008, first 60-64 finisher and a pending 60-64 American record in the open race held concurrently with the IAU World Cup 100km in Italy, and at the 24 Hour Championships in McKinney, TX, a fifth place overall, first 60-64. In 2009 Pirrung won his age group at the following events, the USA 50km Road Championships, the Mad City 50km, the Door County Fall 50-mile, and the Ice Age Trail 50-mile. He finished second in his age group at both the USA 50 Mile Trail Championships and the USA 100km Trail Championships. The Door County 50 was Pirrung’s 150th Ultra race. Pirrung serves as the vice-chairperson of the USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council and is active in his local USATF association.
Ultra women open: Kami Semick, 43, Bend, OR, is the Ruth Anderson USATF Ultra Runner of the Year 2009 having posted an outstanding year on the road and trails. She was the USA 50km Road Champion, and the USA 50 Mile Trail Champion. At the IAU World 50km Road Championships Semick finished first overall. Semick won the individual gold medal at the IAU World Cup 100km to lead Team USA to a gold-medal performance. She also won the American River 50 mile and the Miwok 100k. In addition in 2008 at the IAU World Cup 100km Semick earned a silver medal to lead Team USA to a silver-medal podium appearance.
Ultra women master: Anita Ortiz, 45, Eagle, CO, won the Moab Red Hot 50k, was first at 12 hours of Moab (team race), finished second at the Miwok 100km, turned in an outstanding first place finish (setting a “rookie” record) at Western States 100 Miler. She won the Pikes Peak Marathon and finished first at the San Juan Solstice 50 mile. Ortiz was a two-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year (2002 and 2003) and two-time USATF Masters Mountian Runner of the Year (2004 and 2007).
Contributor of the Year – Paul Kirsch. Kirsch was the race director for NACAC/USA Mountain Running Champs where one of his duties was to coordinate housing and transportation for elite athletes (more than 30 in total from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico). Kirsch serves as the USATF-NE Mountain Ultra Trail Chairperson. He provides website design and maintenance for the US Mountain Running Team website & blog (usmrt.com). He headed up the USATF-NE Mountain Running Circuit which saw increased participation this year, and he was the Co-Race Director for the Loon Mountain Race. He also coordinated housing and transportation for elite athletes for the Mount Washington Race. He successfully recruited the Rhode Island 6 Hour Ultra to be USATF-NE Ultra Championships and attended as volunteer liaison from the mountain ultra trail council of USATF NE. Kirsch is President of the White Mountain Milers Running Club. He served as race director for the Inov-8 Summer Series in North Conway, NH, and the USSSA Snowshoe Race (National Champs Qualifier). He provided timing/results and course setup for a number of races in New England near his home in Madison, NH.
In order to be considered for the USATF Mountain and Ultra running awards an athlete must show top results in U.S. competitions for 2009 (November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009) to include mountain races (these may be on paved/gravel surfaces as long as there is significant elevation loss or gain) and trail races of varying lengths, as well as road races for the ultra category (distances beyond the marathon). International results are also considered. The nominee must be an ambassador for the sport. Nominee must be a USATF member for 2009, and to be considered for the masters’ category athlete must be a minimum of 40 years of age. For a list of past winners in the other categories, please visit www.usatf.org.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday - Peakbagging
I started out early on Sunday, very early. At 4:00 AM I was up and out the door 15 minutes later. I was hoping to get to the Notch so that I could get to the first summit by sunrise. I pulled into the visitors center for the Holyoke range at 6AM. That gave me just enough time to get organized and run up to the summit of Norwottock before the sun came up. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/hksp.htm
The early part of the M&M trail is very smooth and wide which made for easy running in the nearly dark (still 25 minutes before sunrise). The 1.6+ mile climb of 525 felt pretty easy and I topped out in 17:10. That left me at least 10 minutes to kick around getting cold waiting for the sunrise. The view was awesome and the valley below was wrapped in low fog. After the sun rose, I headed down (just as an early hiker approached). I was back down 15:49 later and in the car heading for the next Peak by 7:10.
I drove from Mt Norwottock and arrived at a parking area near the Quabbin spillway. I ran up via a nicely groomed trail along a telephone line cut. The trail was marked with yellow markers after some climbing. The trail was very well marked and I enjoyed the 446’ climb to the 1,026’ summit of Quabbin Hill. The park is open at 6:30 AM (and it was now 8 AM) but I had the top to myself probably due to the viewing tower being closed on 11-09. I’ll have to return sometime next year. I chose to run down via the road and was back to my car with a total (running) time of 32:41 for the approximately 4 mile loop. Next up: Soapstone Hill.
I headed from Quabbin Hill at 8:20 AM on my way for the next climb of the day. Soapstone hill is listed (http://www.firelookout.org/towers/ma/petersham.htm) as having a tower and I’ve visited 52 of the 54 towers in MA. The bicycle access maps of Quabbin are pretty useless when trying to navigate via car. There are tons of roads that are not shown on the map. I drove down Monson turnpike until I reached the gate. I had a good copy of the USGS map which worked fine. I ran down the hill and crossed over the stream (161.0 m on the USGS map) then continue on up the road until the height of land. I then bushwhacked in a Northeast Direction and basically hit the middle of the Hill. I ran North until the trail began to drop then ran South on a great trail on the ridge. The trail was signed with blue triangles. I did not find a platform, but got some good views on the Southern end of the hill. I followed the trail down and it came out right at the stream (161.0 m on the USGS map). It was an easy jog back up the hill to the car. Total was about 450’ of climb and about 3.7 miles of running in 37:45.
I wasn’t happy about not finding a tower on Soapstone hill so I headed back up the Monson turnpike then turned left on West road. Unfortunately West road was a bit too rocky for my car. I was turned back by a bridge that was about 100m shy of my goal! I turned around and headed back to Rt 122 then found the Forest Park road that is signed for the Federated Women’s club. I headed south and reached the gate which was only about ½ mile short of where I wanted to go. I ran up to the picnic area and checked out Gate 35. I continued on up Soapstone hill hoping I just hadn’t gone far enough earlier that morning (from the other direction). I reached the top and found no tower, but confirmed I had run the length of the ridge earlier in the day. I decided to check out the Gorge and the hill to the east of Soapstone in the off chance that the tower was on that hill. There was a small trail that ran alone the Gorge but seemed to keep going South (and I wanted to go East to the top), so I headed off whacking through the very open woods. I scoured the top but found no clearing or tower, so I returned to the car. Total of about 3.5 miles (29:14). Next off to Prospect hill.
I decided to make a quick stop at Prospect hill in Westminster as it was pretty much on my way from Soapstone hill (earlier in the morn) and Blood hill (my final goal of the day). This was pretty easy although the park looked like it might sometimes be gated. I approached from Route 140 and drove to the top and kicked around a bit to try and find the highest ground.
From Prospect hill in Westminster I drove up Route 140 to Route 101 to Route 119. Albee had told me that there was a trailhead off of the East side of the hill so I headed for that side. From 119 I took a right onto Erickson road at the Ashby Diner. Erickson forks then the next right takes you to the trailhead. There is a sign at the intersection noting that the trailhead and parking is 600’ up the road. I parked and went for my final run of the day. The 505’ to the top was very gentle and I was on top in 10:45. I took some pictures then ran down in 9:35. I had thoughts of trying to whack over to Spring hill but I was pretty tired from the previous peaks and 15+ miles of running. All in all a fun day!
The early part of the M&M trail is very smooth and wide which made for easy running in the nearly dark (still 25 minutes before sunrise). The 1.6+ mile climb of 525 felt pretty easy and I topped out in 17:10. That left me at least 10 minutes to kick around getting cold waiting for the sunrise. The view was awesome and the valley below was wrapped in low fog. After the sun rose, I headed down (just as an early hiker approached). I was back down 15:49 later and in the car heading for the next Peak by 7:10.
I drove from Mt Norwottock and arrived at a parking area near the Quabbin spillway. I ran up via a nicely groomed trail along a telephone line cut. The trail was marked with yellow markers after some climbing. The trail was very well marked and I enjoyed the 446’ climb to the 1,026’ summit of Quabbin Hill. The park is open at 6:30 AM (and it was now 8 AM) but I had the top to myself probably due to the viewing tower being closed on 11-09. I’ll have to return sometime next year. I chose to run down via the road and was back to my car with a total (running) time of 32:41 for the approximately 4 mile loop. Next up: Soapstone Hill.
I headed from Quabbin Hill at 8:20 AM on my way for the next climb of the day. Soapstone hill is listed (http://www.firelookout.org/towers/ma/petersham.htm) as having a tower and I’ve visited 52 of the 54 towers in MA. The bicycle access maps of Quabbin are pretty useless when trying to navigate via car. There are tons of roads that are not shown on the map. I drove down Monson turnpike until I reached the gate. I had a good copy of the USGS map which worked fine. I ran down the hill and crossed over the stream (161.0 m on the USGS map) then continue on up the road until the height of land. I then bushwhacked in a Northeast Direction and basically hit the middle of the Hill. I ran North until the trail began to drop then ran South on a great trail on the ridge. The trail was signed with blue triangles. I did not find a platform, but got some good views on the Southern end of the hill. I followed the trail down and it came out right at the stream (161.0 m on the USGS map). It was an easy jog back up the hill to the car. Total was about 450’ of climb and about 3.7 miles of running in 37:45.
I wasn’t happy about not finding a tower on Soapstone hill so I headed back up the Monson turnpike then turned left on West road. Unfortunately West road was a bit too rocky for my car. I was turned back by a bridge that was about 100m shy of my goal! I turned around and headed back to Rt 122 then found the Forest Park road that is signed for the Federated Women’s club. I headed south and reached the gate which was only about ½ mile short of where I wanted to go. I ran up to the picnic area and checked out Gate 35. I continued on up Soapstone hill hoping I just hadn’t gone far enough earlier that morning (from the other direction). I reached the top and found no tower, but confirmed I had run the length of the ridge earlier in the day. I decided to check out the Gorge and the hill to the east of Soapstone in the off chance that the tower was on that hill. There was a small trail that ran alone the Gorge but seemed to keep going South (and I wanted to go East to the top), so I headed off whacking through the very open woods. I scoured the top but found no clearing or tower, so I returned to the car. Total of about 3.5 miles (29:14). Next off to Prospect hill.
I decided to make a quick stop at Prospect hill in Westminster as it was pretty much on my way from Soapstone hill (earlier in the morn) and Blood hill (my final goal of the day). This was pretty easy although the park looked like it might sometimes be gated. I approached from Route 140 and drove to the top and kicked around a bit to try and find the highest ground.
From Prospect hill in Westminster I drove up Route 140 to Route 101 to Route 119. Albee had told me that there was a trailhead off of the East side of the hill so I headed for that side. From 119 I took a right onto Erickson road at the Ashby Diner. Erickson forks then the next right takes you to the trailhead. There is a sign at the intersection noting that the trailhead and parking is 600’ up the road. I parked and went for my final run of the day. The 505’ to the top was very gentle and I was on top in 10:45. I took some pictures then ran down in 9:35. I had thoughts of trying to whack over to Spring hill but I was pretty tired from the previous peaks and 15+ miles of running. All in all a fun day!
Pics from the weekend: http://doubledmountainrunner.shutterfly.com/318
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday - Race and Peakbag
I warmed up on the course and was surprised by how popular the loop around Lake Quanapowitt is. Of course that made it hard to tell if anyone “good” was out warming up. With double-j visiting the Great White North I was the fastest returning entrant, of course that doesn’t mean much with the time I’d run. The warm-up went okay but I felt lousy, which is normal. I added a mile with strides and hit the line in time to ask about running on the sidewalk. It was acceptable and recommended that all run on the sidewalk.
At “go” four younger guys shot off, flying down the little hill at the start. I was 20m back 50m into the race. By ½ mile the four were pretty much done and I moved briefly into the lead. Zack Schwartz (who I think is running for Brandeis) went by right about then. He looked smooth and I felt ragged. He was at least 5 seconds up when I passed the mile in 5:22. I had hoped to be between 5:20 and 5:25 so I was right where I need to be. Nothing much changed in the next mile except Zack pulled away. I hit two miles in 10:52 (5:30) with my shoe untied. I had TRIPLE tied it. Ugh! I didn’t let it bother me and spent the last mile calculating over and over again what I need to do to break 17. The last mile is tough, you can see the town square from ¾ of a mile out and it just never seems to get closer. I rounded the corner and could see the finish close was already at 16:45 and I was full-out. Sub-17 was not to be as I hit the line in 17:03 (17:02.2 – 6:10 last 1.11). I ended up second to Schwartz who ran unchallenged to a 16:34.
I did another loop of the lake for a warm-down then headed out for some peak bagging. Albee had noted that I was leading the MA county prominence list on Peakbagger.com. He also mentioned that I could finish it in a weekend. I figured that would be exactly what I’d do, plus mix in some other peaks. I headed over to Charlestown for two famous hills – Bunker and Breeds. It was still pretty early on a weekend morning and I had no trouble parking on Bunker hill street right in front of the cemetery that was at the highest point. I spent a few minutes poking around looking for the highest point then headed the short distance to the Bunker hill Monument (which is on Breeds Hill). I was surprised to find a group doing a climb up the Monument for charity. I asked the guard if they were racing and he said “thankfully, no”. I decided what the heck and checked out how quickly I could climb the 294 steps. I ran hard but not all out (and there were people walking and blocking the way a couple of times). I hit the top in exactly 1 minute and 45 seconds. I’d like to go back sometime and see how fast I could do that!
Next up I drove to a little hill near Curry College. I was a bit stymied by a road showing up, but it turned out to be a dead end. I looped around the hill (Brush Hill) and found a knoll that looked to be the likeliest candidate for the high point, then got moving (Private Road). The final climb of the day was a group hike with Petey and his kids, Ken T and his kids, and Rob. We took a nice leisurely stroll around Weir hill and up over the top. We had a nice time walking on such a warm and sunny day. What a great way to kick off the weekend!
Day 2 to follow…..
Friday, November 20, 2009
USATF NE grand prix
Well, the voting has been tabulated and slate "C" won (along with the Baystate marath). I'm looking forward to hearing the breakdown of voting. I hear C had the majority with 29% of the vote. I wonder how close it was (has to be pretty close with 4 slates!). I've listed the races below. Bummer that Northfield (USATF NE trail championship) is on the same morning as the Bedford 12k. I have a feeling it will hurt the quality at Northfield which is usually well attended by CMS runners.
I'm not sure how others feel about this slate system, but I'd much rather see a simple vote for every race that bids and the top race at each distance (or tops in the "odd distance" category) win. No matter how you feel you should let your representatives at USATF NE know. If you don't say anything they will assume that everyone likes the status quo.
Contacts at USATF NE:
Managing director:
svaitones@usatfne.org
Athletes reps:
jbohlke@usatfne.org
cclark@usatfne.org
lgoltiko@usatfne.org
Slate "C":
2010 USATF NE road race championships
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile, 10M, Amherst MA, Sun, Feb. 28
New Bedford Half Marathon, 13.1M, New Bedford MA, Sun., Mar 21
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K,12K , Bedford NH, Sat., May 22
Rhody 5K (MEN ONLY) ,5K ,Lincoln RI , Sun., June 6
Stowe 8 Miler, 8M, Stowe VT, Sun., July 18
Bridge of Flowers 10K , 10K , Shelburne Falls MA, Sat., August 14
Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic (WOMEN ONLY) 5K, Providence, Sun, Oct. 3
Bay State Marathon, Lowell MA, Sun., Oct. 17, 8:00 AM
I'm not sure how others feel about this slate system, but I'd much rather see a simple vote for every race that bids and the top race at each distance (or tops in the "odd distance" category) win. No matter how you feel you should let your representatives at USATF NE know. If you don't say anything they will assume that everyone likes the status quo.
Contacts at USATF NE:
Managing director:
svaitones@usatfne.org
Athletes reps:
jbohlke@usatfne.org
cclark@usatfne.org
lgoltiko@usatfne.org
Slate "C":
2010 USATF NE road race championships
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile, 10M, Amherst MA, Sun, Feb. 28
New Bedford Half Marathon, 13.1M, New Bedford MA, Sun., Mar 21
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K,12K , Bedford NH, Sat., May 22
Rhody 5K (MEN ONLY) ,5K ,Lincoln RI , Sun., June 6
Stowe 8 Miler, 8M, Stowe VT, Sun., July 18
Bridge of Flowers 10K , 10K , Shelburne Falls MA, Sat., August 14
Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic (WOMEN ONLY) 5K, Providence, Sun, Oct. 3
Bay State Marathon, Lowell MA, Sun., Oct. 17, 8:00 AM
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Win streak
It seemed like a long time between wins this year and looking back it was the 5th longest “dry spell” I’ve had. I’ve been fortunate enough to eek out a win in each of the last 31 calendar years but along the way there had been some time when I’ve had long stretches without a win. Here are the top six:
05/03/05 to 11/04/06 = 550 days
03/20/04 to 05/03/05 = 409 days
07/02/97 to 05/24/98 = 326 days
01/26/02 to 10/27/02 = 274 days
05/09/09 to 11/15/09 = 190 days
02/02/08 to 07/16/08 = 165 days
Wins by year:
1979 3
1980 13
1981 22
1982 18
1983 4
1984 10
1985 7
1986 3
1987 7
1988 16
1989 12
1990 10
1991 38
1992 20
1993 35
1994 13
1995 18
1996 24
1997 8
1998 7
1999 7
2000 11
2001 14
2002 6
2003 3
2004 1
2005 1
2006 2
2007 9
2008 7
2009 4
Total = 353
05/03/05 to 11/04/06 = 550 days
03/20/04 to 05/03/05 = 409 days
07/02/97 to 05/24/98 = 326 days
01/26/02 to 10/27/02 = 274 days
05/09/09 to 11/15/09 = 190 days
02/02/08 to 07/16/08 = 165 days
Wins by year:
1979 3
1980 13
1981 22
1982 18
1983 4
1984 10
1985 7
1986 3
1987 7
1988 16
1989 12
1990 10
1991 38
1992 20
1993 35
1994 13
1995 18
1996 24
1997 8
1998 7
1999 7
2000 11
2001 14
2002 6
2003 3
2004 1
2005 1
2006 2
2007 9
2008 7
2009 4
Total = 353
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Week ending 11-15-09
M - 7am 5+ run with Richard in the Woods above Portland, sore but not too bad 45:55
T - 4am o/b run in Portland alone 4m 32:58. All day to fly home, then 8pm Ind Park 3 22:43.
W - 7am alone at Winni o/b 8m, pushed it a bit but feeling great 55:30
Th - Winni 8m o/b with double-j, pushing it. 54:56
F - Winni 8m o/b with jj again, despite his complaints (and dropping the pace down) we ran quicker again 54:34.
S - Rainy o/b 8m on the Freeman rail trail with Petey and Dave La at 6am - 62:09
Sun - 3++ warm-up on course in Amesbury, 1m strides, 3.1 m race 17:17, 3.1 m warmdown 25:44.
Total for the week - 54
Month - 126
Year - 2,770
Life 106,881
Pic above of the Columbia river from a scenic overlook.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Run4Fun 5k
I wasn't sure if I wanted to race this week, but was feeling really strong by mid-week so on to Amesbury. My shoulder is still tender but not bad for running, so I'm not letting it bother me. Sleep is overated anyway.
Cath and I headed up to Amesbury and met up with the rest of the DRC gang (Rose, Greg, Denise, and John) then made our way over to the race. We were pre-registered so we just gathered up our numbers and got ready to race.
I checked out the course for a warm-up and was happy to see they had placed flags all along the road. The first 1.2 miles was on road, then you headed into Woodsom farm for a .9 tour of the fields of Woodsom. The rain from last night left this part wet but not really muddy. After the farm you return to the road for .7 miles then do an interesting little loop in a park (including going through a frisbee golf course) then back onto the road for a final .1 uphill on the road. I was glad I checked out the course it was a bit rolling and always a good idea to know where the course goes (and especially how much remains).
I only saw a couple of people warming up, that and the fact that the race was a first year effort probably meant the field wouldn't be very strong. I thought I might have a shot at a "W". A good sized group headed over to the line and we were off. After about 200m I moved ahead of a high school runner who'd taken it out hard and moved into the lead. I tried to keep the pace honest but didn't feel all that great. I could hear a couple of guys right on my tail so I tried to keep the pace honest. We hit the "mile" in 5:54. I was not discouraged, my warm-up had the first mile marked wrong and the second pretty close to accurate. I wanted to check out the competition at the turn (1.2m) onto the trail but didn't want to let them know I was hurting. At least one of the guys was still right on me and I thought he was going to pass me on the tough little climb up the hill in Woodsom.
I pushed on the downhill through 2 miles and tried to be aggresive on the road. From the warm-up I knew the intersection was about 1/2 mile from the finish so I tried to push that part of the road. I could hear the footsteps slowly falling behind. I snuck a peak when we entered the park and had about 10 seconds lead, so into the final kick up the hill and across in 17:17.
Not a bad effort for me and I was quite pleased to get a rare win. Results here.
Next up: I'm planning on running the Wakefield 5km next weekend. That was my first post-stress fracture race last year. I'd like to run a minute faster than last year (18:02), actually if the weather is good I'll be aiming to break 17. Only a few opportunities left this year!
Finish chute pic above from Rick Bayko
Friday, November 13, 2009
Runners World online
RW online posted a story about the trail marathon. They used a pic of me and Cath got a photo credit.
Check it out: http://trailheads.runnersworld.com/
Check it out: http://trailheads.runnersworld.com/
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
USATF NE Grand Prix selection
The slates are posted and it is time to vote for next years road running grand prix. Although I don't like this new method of a comittee picking "slates" (I'd prefer that we just get to vote for the best races that bid), I do think having online voting is a great way to get more people interested in voting. I've listed the slates below.
You have no choice for 1/2 marathon. It will be New Bedford no matter which slate you pick. Lone Gull and Bridge of Flowers are your 10k choices, but BOF only shows up on slate C so if you want that you have to take whatever comes with slate C. Same thing with the 5k, if you don't want Rhody you only have one choice and that is slate D. Jones 10m only shows up on Slate A, so that kinda cuts down the choices.
I'm voting for "D", it doesn't conflict with the mountain series! Also voting for Baystate, someone has to destroy the "soft" event record.
New Bedford - Great race, but man is there any way they could get a couple of Porta-Johns?????
Westford 5k - Was part of the GP a couple of years ago, great course but I hate the start time. 2:20????
Medical Ctr 6k - I think it goes right down Route 3 :-) I'm thinking 6km pr.
Stowe 8m - I can picture it now, CMS tent city in Morse's yard.
YH 10m - I hate racing at night, messes up my whole week (but it does keep the weekend open for another race).
Lone Gull - Fast and fun. Bring the football to properly warm-up.
Ballot for GP races: http://www.usatfne.org/road/gpballot2010.html
Slate A
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile 10M Amherst MA Sunday, February 28, 11:00 AM
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6,Men - 9:30 AM; Women - 10:00 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Slate B
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Medical Center 6K 6K Nashua NH Sunday, May 9, 9:30 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6,Men - 9:30 AM; Women - 10:00 AM
Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler 10M Newburyport MA Tuesday, July 27, 6:35 PM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Slate C
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile 10M Amherst MA Sunday, February 28, 11:00 AM
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K (MEN ONLY) 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6, 9:30 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Bridge of Flowers 10K 10K Shelburne Falls MA Saturday, August 14, 9:00 AM
ProvidenceWomen's Classic (WOMEN ONLY) 5K Providence RI Sunday, October 3, 10:00 AM
Slate D
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Westford 5K (MEN ONLY) 5K Westford MA Sunday, May 2, 2:20 PM
Medical Center 6K 6K Nashua NH Sunday, May 9, 9:30 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler 10M Newburyport MA Tuesday, July 27, 6:35 PM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Providence Women's Classic(WOMEN ONLY) 5K Providence RI Sunday, October 3, 10:00 AM
Slate of Marathon distances
Cape Cod Marathon Marathon Falmouth MA Sunday, October 31, 8:30 AM
Bay State Marathon Marathon Lowell MA Sunday, October 17, 8:00 AM
You have no choice for 1/2 marathon. It will be New Bedford no matter which slate you pick. Lone Gull and Bridge of Flowers are your 10k choices, but BOF only shows up on slate C so if you want that you have to take whatever comes with slate C. Same thing with the 5k, if you don't want Rhody you only have one choice and that is slate D. Jones 10m only shows up on Slate A, so that kinda cuts down the choices.
I'm voting for "D", it doesn't conflict with the mountain series! Also voting for Baystate, someone has to destroy the "soft" event record.
New Bedford - Great race, but man is there any way they could get a couple of Porta-Johns?????
Westford 5k - Was part of the GP a couple of years ago, great course but I hate the start time. 2:20????
Medical Ctr 6k - I think it goes right down Route 3 :-) I'm thinking 6km pr.
Stowe 8m - I can picture it now, CMS tent city in Morse's yard.
YH 10m - I hate racing at night, messes up my whole week (but it does keep the weekend open for another race).
Lone Gull - Fast and fun. Bring the football to properly warm-up.
Ballot for GP races: http://www.usatfne.org/road/gpballot2010.html
Slate A
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile 10M Amherst MA Sunday, February 28, 11:00 AM
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6,Men - 9:30 AM; Women - 10:00 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Slate B
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Medical Center 6K 6K Nashua NH Sunday, May 9, 9:30 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6,Men - 9:30 AM; Women - 10:00 AM
Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler 10M Newburyport MA Tuesday, July 27, 6:35 PM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Slate C
Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile 10M Amherst MA Sunday, February 28, 11:00 AM
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Bedford Rotary Memorial 12K 12K Bedford NH Saturday, May 22, 9:00 AM
Rhody 5K (MEN ONLY) 5K Lincoln RI Sunday, June 6, 9:30 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Bridge of Flowers 10K 10K Shelburne Falls MA Saturday, August 14, 9:00 AM
ProvidenceWomen's Classic (WOMEN ONLY) 5K Providence RI Sunday, October 3, 10:00 AM
Slate D
New Bedford Half Marathon 1/2 Mar New Bedford MA Sunday, March 21, 11:00 AM
Westford 5K (MEN ONLY) 5K Westford MA Sunday, May 2, 2:20 PM
Medical Center 6K 6K Nashua NH Sunday, May 9, 9:30 AM
Stowe 8 Miler 8M Stowe VT Sunday, July 18, 9:00 AM
Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler 10M Newburyport MA Tuesday, July 27, 6:35 PM
Lone Gull 10K 10K Gloucester MA Sunday, September 19, 9:00 AM
Providence Women's Classic(WOMEN ONLY) 5K Providence RI Sunday, October 3, 10:00 AM
Slate of Marathon distances
Cape Cod Marathon Marathon Falmouth MA Sunday, October 31, 8:30 AM
Bay State Marathon Marathon Lowell MA Sunday, October 17, 8:00 AM
Monday, November 9, 2009
USA trail marathon championship - Ashland, OR
I guess I could have been less prepared for a marathon, heck I was less prepared 3 weeks ago when I ran 2:59 at Baystate. At least for this race I'd done a 26 mile run :-) Based on prior results from the race, I'd hoped for a 3:00 despite the fact the course had 4,700 feet of climb and descent. I had to assume that it was short, not unusual for a trail course. It is notoriously difficult to accurately measure a trail course, if you want an accurate course run a certified road race!
Race day looked nice with temps in the 40's and fog/drizzle on the higher slopes of the mountain. The hardest part of waiting for the start was trying to figure out what to wear. It was going to be a long morning of running and we (CMS) had a shot at a National title. I tried to handicap the field (very hard to do) and figured JJ would be in the top 5 if he ran smart. Dan was a shoe-in for the top ten and possibly the man to beat in the 40+. I hoped, that based on past nationals, with a 3:00 run I'd finish between 10th and 15th. With the three of us in the top 15 we'd probably take the team title. We also had Judge Jones in case someone had a DNF and he'd also fill out the 40+ team (three runners score).
Here is my account of the race with just some notes from mile to mile. All altitudes and feet climbed/descended are estimates based on the course profile. Your mileage may vary.
8am start line - JJ and I hit the line last as we sprinted back to get me a dry pair of gloves after I got mine soaked in the sink. We didn't need to rush, there were about 5 minutes of talk before the actual start. Funny line by the RD about going off into the bushes to "take care of business", a warning that if the sweeper gets by you you'd be in big trouble (the sweeper would be taking down course markings and closing up aid stations), you do not want to end up behind the sweeper in this vast wilderness.
1m - Climb 400' on paved road. Man, I hope that all the climb is this easy and all the miles this short. I'm in 10th place and feeling excellent. I can see Aaron Saft out in front, JJ in the lead pack, and Dan is just a little ahead of me (he goes out very slowly). 6:57
2m - Climb 500' on dirt road. Wow this feels easy. A couple of guys pull ahead, too early to try to cover any moves. My hands are warm so I toss off the gloves. 7:21 (I cannot run a 7:21 mile with 500' of climb, I only hope they don't make up all of the distance at the end)
3m - Another 500' of climb on dirt road. Finding a good rhythm and staying relaxed. Top women goes by with two other guys. They aren't going much faster than me so I pick it up and go with them. 8:29 (that seems more like it)
4m - 200' of climb. Seems harder than it should be, keep reminding myself to not push. There is a long way to go. 8:11
5m - 350' of climb, some flat where the three I'd been running with move ahead. I take my time at the water stop (I'm the only one not carrying my own water). 7:40 (well at least it seems the miles are pretty consistently short.
6m - 350' of climb, with some downhills as well. The lead women is now out of sight, the two guys are pulling away. Seems way too early to worry. Some stupid song is stuck in my head and I only know one line. 8:03
7m - 200' of climb. I get caught by a guy who says "I think we are at the top". I think we have a couple of miles to the top but keep my mouth shut. I'm saving all my energy for the race, no idle chatter. 8:03
8m - 200' of climb. I'm starting to look forward to the downhill. This mile had some singletrack up/down, it was one of the nicest sections of the race but I want to start the descent. Two guys are behind me (about 30 seconds back) I see them on a switchback. Still way too early to worry about racing. Slowest mile of the race 8:59
9m - Hardly any climb or drop. The two guys come flying by and mention something about "trying to stay warm". My hands are freezing, I should have kept the gloves. 7:03
10m - Again hardly any climb or drop. Great running surface on dirt roads. 7:03
11m - Flat (???) again, but definitely some little drops. I keep telling myself to relax at least until 1/2 way. I had a bad patch at 8 and I'm having another now. I've already eaten 2 Gu's and started in on my "sports beans". 6:37
12m - 200' of drop. Feels good running smooth stretches of downhill. I can see three guys ahead of me, but it is way too early to worry about them. 7:00
13m - flat????. That can't be right, we are dropping a lot. Amazing how you can go from feeling great to feeling lousy in as little as 100m. I'm starting to do the math (1:38 at the half) and figure if I can run "6:30's" I'll be right around my goal of 3 flat. 6:42 for this mile.
14m - 200' of drop. The mile markers seem to be coming up a lot faster. 6:36
15m - 100' of drop. I don't think I'm running very fast but the split is 6:32
16m - no drop??? There had to be drop! I ran a 6:25 and get passed. (Sharman who ended up running 3:00:36 - he ran about 1 minute a mile faster than me for the final 10. Yikes!) I'm starting to think about going after the guys in front of me, then decide that 10 miles to go is a bit early to pick it up.
17m - 100' of drop. The two guys in front are in sight on long straights. I'm guessing I have less than an hour to go. May be time to get rolling. 6:37
18m - no drop??? One of the guys is dropping back. I catch him and he asks if I'm a master. I say "yup" and he groans and points to the other guy "so is he". 6:33
19m - 200' of drop. I'm closing on the other guy. I want to go by him aggressively. 6:30
20m - 700' of drop (it felt like it). I catch CJ Callans at a water stop and blow through trying to make a big move. He flies by me on a really steep section. 6:29
21m - 200' of drop. I start to push it, figure I've only got 30+ minutes to go. Catch up to Callans again but can't get around him. 6:22
22m - 600' of drop. Fastest "mile" of the race 5:47. I want to get ahead, but I'm also thinking "get to the road section and hammer".
23m - 200' of drop. 7:32. Well that can't I be right. Dropping and slowing? I'm hoping that all the final miles aren't long (I talk to Callans after and he notes that this is his home course and that he figured it was "over 4 miles from 23 to the finish"). Right after 23 we see the women's leader climbing UP the road. Somehow she missed the trail and ran down the road then had to climb back up. She lost about 10 minutes!
No mile marks after 23 (at least none that I saw and I was looking). I ran the singletrack parts well and was right on Callans to the 1.5 miles of road. We hit the road as the women's leader went by. Right about that time I ran out of gas. I started looking back and checking my watch. Nothing was feeling all that bad and I wasn't in a sugar-low, just my body decided that no more running would be done.
Last "3.2 miles" = 25:26
All in all it went pretty well. I ended up 15th bit missed out on the $$$$, Callans was third in the 40+ to pick up $100. JJ hit 5th (which matched my prediction) and Dan took 10th. Judge Jones was 39th thus giving us the gold medal in both the Open and Masters team divisions.
I didn't quite hit my goal of 3:00 but the course was longer than last year. My result - 3:09:39.
The course and organization were great. I hope some of the CMS gang will come back out next year and defend the title.
Results
Pictures
Race day looked nice with temps in the 40's and fog/drizzle on the higher slopes of the mountain. The hardest part of waiting for the start was trying to figure out what to wear. It was going to be a long morning of running and we (CMS) had a shot at a National title. I tried to handicap the field (very hard to do) and figured JJ would be in the top 5 if he ran smart. Dan was a shoe-in for the top ten and possibly the man to beat in the 40+. I hoped, that based on past nationals, with a 3:00 run I'd finish between 10th and 15th. With the three of us in the top 15 we'd probably take the team title. We also had Judge Jones in case someone had a DNF and he'd also fill out the 40+ team (three runners score).
Here is my account of the race with just some notes from mile to mile. All altitudes and feet climbed/descended are estimates based on the course profile. Your mileage may vary.
8am start line - JJ and I hit the line last as we sprinted back to get me a dry pair of gloves after I got mine soaked in the sink. We didn't need to rush, there were about 5 minutes of talk before the actual start. Funny line by the RD about going off into the bushes to "take care of business", a warning that if the sweeper gets by you you'd be in big trouble (the sweeper would be taking down course markings and closing up aid stations), you do not want to end up behind the sweeper in this vast wilderness.
1m - Climb 400' on paved road. Man, I hope that all the climb is this easy and all the miles this short. I'm in 10th place and feeling excellent. I can see Aaron Saft out in front, JJ in the lead pack, and Dan is just a little ahead of me (he goes out very slowly). 6:57
2m - Climb 500' on dirt road. Wow this feels easy. A couple of guys pull ahead, too early to try to cover any moves. My hands are warm so I toss off the gloves. 7:21 (I cannot run a 7:21 mile with 500' of climb, I only hope they don't make up all of the distance at the end)
4m - 200' of climb. Seems harder than it should be, keep reminding myself to not push. There is a long way to go. 8:11
5m - 350' of climb, some flat where the three I'd been running with move ahead. I take my time at the water stop (I'm the only one not carrying my own water). 7:40 (well at least it seems the miles are pretty consistently short.
6m - 350' of climb, with some downhills as well. The lead women is now out of sight, the two guys are pulling away. Seems way too early to worry. Some stupid song is stuck in my head and I only know one line. 8:03
7m - 200' of climb. I get caught by a guy who says "I think we are at the top". I think we have a couple of miles to the top but keep my mouth shut. I'm saving all my energy for the race, no idle chatter. 8:03
8m - 200' of climb. I'm starting to look forward to the downhill. This mile had some singletrack up/down, it was one of the nicest sections of the race but I want to start the descent. Two guys are behind me (about 30 seconds back) I see them on a switchback. Still way too early to worry about racing. Slowest mile of the race 8:59
9m - Hardly any climb or drop. The two guys come flying by and mention something about "trying to stay warm". My hands are freezing, I should have kept the gloves. 7:03
10m - Again hardly any climb or drop. Great running surface on dirt roads. 7:03
11m - Flat (???) again, but definitely some little drops. I keep telling myself to relax at least until 1/2 way. I had a bad patch at 8 and I'm having another now. I've already eaten 2 Gu's and started in on my "sports beans". 6:37
12m - 200' of drop. Feels good running smooth stretches of downhill. I can see three guys ahead of me, but it is way too early to worry about them. 7:00
13m - flat????. That can't be right, we are dropping a lot. Amazing how you can go from feeling great to feeling lousy in as little as 100m. I'm starting to do the math (1:38 at the half) and figure if I can run "6:30's" I'll be right around my goal of 3 flat. 6:42 for this mile.
14m - 200' of drop. The mile markers seem to be coming up a lot faster. 6:36
15m - 100' of drop. I don't think I'm running very fast but the split is 6:32
16m - no drop??? There had to be drop! I ran a 6:25 and get passed. (Sharman who ended up running 3:00:36 - he ran about 1 minute a mile faster than me for the final 10. Yikes!) I'm starting to think about going after the guys in front of me, then decide that 10 miles to go is a bit early to pick it up.
17m - 100' of drop. The two guys in front are in sight on long straights. I'm guessing I have less than an hour to go. May be time to get rolling. 6:37
18m - no drop??? One of the guys is dropping back. I catch him and he asks if I'm a master. I say "yup" and he groans and points to the other guy "so is he". 6:33
19m - 200' of drop. I'm closing on the other guy. I want to go by him aggressively. 6:30
20m - 700' of drop (it felt like it). I catch CJ Callans at a water stop and blow through trying to make a big move. He flies by me on a really steep section. 6:29
21m - 200' of drop. I start to push it, figure I've only got 30+ minutes to go. Catch up to Callans again but can't get around him. 6:22
22m - 600' of drop. Fastest "mile" of the race 5:47. I want to get ahead, but I'm also thinking "get to the road section and hammer".
23m - 200' of drop. 7:32. Well that can't I be right. Dropping and slowing? I'm hoping that all the final miles aren't long (I talk to Callans after and he notes that this is his home course and that he figured it was "over 4 miles from 23 to the finish"). Right after 23 we see the women's leader climbing UP the road. Somehow she missed the trail and ran down the road then had to climb back up. She lost about 10 minutes!
No mile marks after 23 (at least none that I saw and I was looking). I ran the singletrack parts well and was right on Callans to the 1.5 miles of road. We hit the road as the women's leader went by. Right about that time I ran out of gas. I started looking back and checking my watch. Nothing was feeling all that bad and I wasn't in a sugar-low, just my body decided that no more running would be done.
Last "3.2 miles" = 25:26
All in all it went pretty well. I ended up 15th bit missed out on the $$$$, Callans was third in the 40+ to pick up $100. JJ hit 5th (which matched my prediction) and Dan took 10th. Judge Jones was 39th thus giving us the gold medal in both the Open and Masters team divisions.
I didn't quite hit my goal of 3:00 but the course was longer than last year. My result - 3:09:39.
The course and organization were great. I hope some of the CMS gang will come back out next year and defend the title.
Results
Pictures
Week ending 11-08-09
Tried to relax this week in prep for the Trail Marathon championship in Ashland OR. Couldn't sleep much after Tuesday when I hurt my rotator cuff. Getting it checked out this week.
M - Winni 6 with Dan and JJ - 4242
T - Winni 6 hard (alone) 3848
W - Winni 6 with JJ 4056
Th - Industrial park 4 at 315am (pushed somewhat hard) 2804. Then flew to Medford Oregon. 1PM run o/b on the course 4m 3204
F - 7am o/b 4 on the Bear Creek Bike path in Ashland 2942, then 2pm 4m o/b with the CMS guys on a little of the course 3241
Sat - USATF marathon championship - 16th pl 3:09:39 (story to follow)
Sun - 3pm run on trails in Forest park in Portland 4400
Total for the week = 66
Month = 72
Year = 2,711
Life = 106,827
Saturday, November 7, 2009
US trail marathon champs
Rich Bolt and I the day before the race.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New England Runner article - Part 3
Here is the final part of my story of running in all 351 towns in Massachusetts. It is in the current issue of New England runner.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Northfield blog
If you haven't already checked it out, take a look at the Northfield blog I've started. Any suggestions for content would be appreciated. I'm loading results, then stories from each year, then I'll load links to pictures.
Cheers!
dd
Monday, November 2, 2009
Week ending 11-01-09
This week was not one of the better weeks I've had. I may have pushed it a bit much after the marathon and doing the downhills at Cider Hill made my obterator externus and gluteus minimus very sore. I ended up taking a hated day off on Tuesday and got a great massage (at Salem Massage Therapy). That seemed to help a lot and I felt a lot better (although not back to 100%). Lots of icing and even a little (very little) stretching).
M - o/b 6m on the River with Dan and JJ. Last mile back/hip got very sore 46:09
T - off (ugh!!!!)
W - Pouring rain, 40 degrees. Winni 5 with JJ. 37:56
Th - Winni 6 with JJ and Dan 43:48
F - Winni 6 with JJ 41:54 (!!!)
Sat - 6am o/b on the Freeman bike path with Petey and Dave La (60:31) then 8am 34:13 from Runners Alley in Nashua.
Sun - Winni 6 with Dan and Mark B (MIA for the last 4 months) 46:23
Total for the week = 41
Year = 2,650
Life = 106,761
M - o/b 6m on the River with Dan and JJ. Last mile back/hip got very sore 46:09
T - off (ugh!!!!)
W - Pouring rain, 40 degrees. Winni 5 with JJ. 37:56
Th - Winni 6 with JJ and Dan 43:48
F - Winni 6 with JJ 41:54 (!!!)
Sat - 6am o/b on the Freeman bike path with Petey and Dave La (60:31) then 8am 34:13 from Runners Alley in Nashua.
Sun - Winni 6 with Dan and Mark B (MIA for the last 4 months) 46:23
Total for the week = 41
Year = 2,650
Life = 106,761
Sunday, November 1, 2009
October
Another month done, and another month closer to Snowshoe racing season!
I've got mixed emotions about the month. Some things (marathon) went well and other things (foot, back, etc) didn't go very well.
I had weeks of 47, 47, 73, 45, and 41 (with one day off). Total for the month was 229. So, since missing 8 weeks in July/August I've had months of 235 and 229. Had I not taken the final Tuesday off (back, hip) I would have exactly matched Septembers total.
Races this month:
10-4 GBTC XC 25th pl (3rd 40+) 29:17
10-12 5kSM 10th pl (3rd 40+) 17:22
10-18 Baystate marathon 75th (16th 40+) 2:59:41
10-24 Great bay 4th place (1st 40+) 17:16
10-25 Cider hill trail race 3rd place (2nd 40+) 18:06
Next week I head out to Oregon to give the US trail marathon championship a shot. Fingers crossed.....
Fueling up!
.JPG)
I've got mixed emotions about the month. Some things (marathon) went well and other things (foot, back, etc) didn't go very well.
I had weeks of 47, 47, 73, 45, and 41 (with one day off). Total for the month was 229. So, since missing 8 weeks in July/August I've had months of 235 and 229. Had I not taken the final Tuesday off (back, hip) I would have exactly matched Septembers total.
Races this month:
10-4 GBTC XC 25th pl (3rd 40+) 29:17
10-12 5kSM 10th pl (3rd 40+) 17:22
10-18 Baystate marathon 75th (16th 40+) 2:59:41
10-24 Great bay 4th place (1st 40+) 17:16
10-25 Cider hill trail race 3rd place (2nd 40+) 18:06
Next week I head out to Oregon to give the US trail marathon championship a shot. Fingers crossed.....
Fueling up!
.JPG)
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