Racing (December & 2011)

Races

December was not a good month for racing (I didn’t race at all) but 2011 wasn’t too bad as I race 40 times.  I only averaged 4.14 miles per race, a very low number for me.  This was definitely an unusual year where I only ran 8 times longer than 5 miles.  My longest race was 7.6 miles at Mt Washington!  I hope to fix that in 2012 with some races in the 10 mile to ½ marathon range.

I had a pretty decent year setting masters personal bests (PR) at:

Mile – 4:57.9 (old best 4:59.9 in 2007)

6km – 20:17 (old best 20:22 in 2008) This is also a rare LIFETIME PR (odd distance)

4 mile – 22:07 (old best 22:20 in 2006)

5 mile – 27:49 (old best 27:52 in 2007)

10km – 34:28 (old best 35:04 in 2008)

I had some close misses on 40+ PR’s with:

2.5 miles – 13:23 (missed by 6 seconds, 13:17 in 2005)

5km – 16:34 (missed by 7 seconds 16:27 in 2008)

Mt Washington – 1:09:11 (missed by 3 seconds 1:09:08 in 2008)

I was top master 17 times, 2^nd master 8 times, and 3^rd master 6 times.  I also took 1^st place overall three times which continued my streak of winning a race every year since 1979.  In addition I took 2^nd place twice and 3^rd place overall six times.

Racing does not come cheap!  I spent $470 on entry fees, $875 on lodging and flights, and I drove 5,118 miles (which at the government rate of $.55 per mile = $2,559.00).  So added up it cost me $3,554 to race.  On the plus side, I won $350 J

Worst race of the year = Hallockville Orchard snowshoe race, I was flat from the start and had no energy.  If you race enough and put it on the line you’re bound to have a dog once in a while.

Best race(s) of the year =

Taking 2^nd in the masters at the USATF 10km trail championships was probably the high point of the year.  I was also very happy with my 15^th place (56^th overall) at the USATF NE 10km road champs @ James Joyce Ramble where I ran a PR of 34:28, close behind that was my 34:38 7^th place overall (3^rd 40+) on the Track at the USATF NE 10,000 meter championships.  My very short mountain running season was topped by a near masters PR at Mt Washington and a good battle with Ace Runner – Craig Fram.  My final race of the year also probably ranks as one of my best, taking 4^th overall and top master at the Andover Country Club XC race.

Races everyone should try = The

Derby Street

mile in Salem MA is an absolute blast!  Basically a straight shot with a little bit of drop.  Before you know it the race is over, cool location and well managed.  The Moose on the Loose relay in Nashua is a great team event.  I ended up on a 2-man team which was a lot of fun.  The Lynn Woods Relay is also a great team event, we went back looking to lower our team record but the slightly altered course and our older legs kept the record out of reach.

The new Winner’s Circle XC race at Pipestave (Newbury, MA) was everything you’d want in a cross-country race.  The footing was good, the course was well marked, there was plenty of room to pass, results were posted by the time I’d finished warming down.  Great job by the WCRC!

The Lone Gull 10k will be sadly missed.  I ran the final version and was glad I’d done it a few times.  Too bad great races like this go by the wayside and stupid “races” like the Warrior Dash succeed.

                                                                                                                                                               

Looking ahead to 2012

This will be my ninth year in the master’s category and I’m hoping it will be a good one.  I’ll be shooting for PR’s at the mile, 2 mile, 4 mile, 5 mile, 10 km, 12 km, 10 mile, half-marathon, and Mt Washington.  Based on this year and my current fitness, if (and this is a big IF) I can stay healthy it isn’t unrealistic to go for a bunch of PR’s.