Yet more!

Day 3: Little Sugar Creek trail – Charlotte NC, I ran this early in the morn and was surprised by how many hardcore (and fast) runners were out there.  I also saw a lot of glowing eyes in the grassy meadows I passed through as the deer were out grazing.  World’s smallest police station –Ridgeway SC, I made a quick stop to check out this roadside attraction.  The building was used from 1940-1990 and was about 5x10. Three Rivers Greenway – Columbia SC, I did a tentative 3 mile run on this scenic greenway along the Columbia River.  World’s largest fire hydrant – Columbia SC, I was frustrated to find the location but no fire hydrant.  I later learned it was removed less than a month ago!  Old Sheldon Church ruins – Yeamassee SC, another roadside attraction.  This was an interesting bunch of church and cemetery ruins. Santee Fire Tower – Santee SC, this standing tower was between two very huge farmer’s fields.  The actual road to the tower was fully overgrown but walking the edge of the field was a fine option.  The tower had some trees growing up through it and was missing a few steps on the climb.  I went up about 5 flights as it was a bit sketchy.  There was a nice view.  Spanish Moss Trail – Beaufort SC, it felt a lot hotter than the 75 degree in the sun. The trail had a decent mix of shady parts and open areas, I’d picked it up in a section that did some zig-zags which kept things interesting.  The paved   trail seemed to be fairly popular with bikers. Carr Cross Florida Trail – Ocala FL, my final run of the day was on this trail which as the name implies can be used to cross the state.  It is paved and was surprisingly rolling.  There were a lot of bikers out as this trailhead also featured an extensive amount of mountain bike trail (I hosed down after my run using the bike wash station).

 

More driving to FL

Day 2: Cumberland Valley Rail Trail - Shippensburg PA, I started the day getting some use of my headlamp as it was dark and drizzling.  The first mile of the trail was paved and then it was nice packed dirt.  I caught sight of an Amish farmer as he drove his horse and cart under the bridge as I ran over.  Blue Ridge Tunnel – Afton VA, this was a very interesting trail that brought me to a mile long tunnel under the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The tunnel was literally very cool (maybe 20 degrees cooler than outside).  It seemed very popular, there were about 20 people hiking it on an early Friday morning.  Jackson shot tower & New River Rail Trail – Austinville VA, this was a ‘twofer’ with an interesting stone tower where lead shot was produced and the 57 mile long New River Rail Trail.  I did a nice easy 3 miles on the smooth dirt trail after checking out the tower.  E & A Rail Trail and Overmountain Victory Trail – Elkin NC, I could really tell it was spring on these trail with flowers starting to bloom and temps hitting the low 80’s. The paved rail trail was nice, but the Overmountain trail was a little rough for my aching knee.

Looking back - March 2018

 5 Years ago:
I raced the “Easing Heartbreak Hill 5k” in Concord NH, mostly based on the 9am start time but also knowing the NHTI campus is very flat so this would be an opportunity to run a quick time.  I hoped I was ready to break 18 minutes for 5k (about 5:45 per mile). I was one of the first to arrive at the race site which wasn’t surprising as only 50 ran the race last year and I try to get there early to ensure I’m not rushed.  The good thing about an out & back course is that you can see where the competition is without having to peek.  I guessed I had a 30-45 second lead at the turn.  My final time of 16:17 worked out to 5:47 pace which would have put me right around 18 flat for 5k.  I usually don’t stick around for that but figured since I was there, I’d pick up my prize.  I ended up getting my pick of Girl Scout cookies for a prize which was nice! 
 
Easing Heartbreak Hill 5K(2.83m)  Concord, NH - March 3, 2018 Finishers =44
Pl      Div    Name                      Ag S City, St                   Time    Pace 
    1   1/8    DAVE DUNHAM                    53 M  BRADFORD, MA        16:17  5:45
    2   1/1    SOPHIA REYNOLDS             14 F   ANDOVER, NH          17:39  6:14
    3   1/4    MICHAEL POPHAM               36 M  BEDFORD, NH          18:07  6:24
    4   2/8    DAVID AUDET          52 M  CONCORD, NH         18:18  6:28
    5   2/4    PHIL BROGAN          32 M  CONCORD, NH         18:38  6:35

 

The New Bedford half-marathon was the first race in the USATF New England series of 7 road races from 5k-marathon.  I wasn't really feeling ready for "big" racing just yet but was pleased with how quickly I've been able to turn it around.  My stretch goal coming into the race was to run around my time from last year (1:20:48).  This may have been the coldest New Bedford I've ever done with 20 degrees at the start.  As always wind would be a factor but at 15mph it'd be a lot better than the crazy wind from last year.
 
I went out conservatively.  During the worst of the wind I found a pack and was able to "jump on board".  My legs were pretty beat, and I couldn't really go into a kick at the end. I ended up losing a couple of places in the last 1/2 mile but hit the finish in 1:21:07, only 19 seconds behind my time for last year.  

50+ Pl  Chip       Pl           Name                                  Age        Team 

1          1:14:44  67         PETER HAMMER               51         BAA

2          1:18:48  131       DAVID PRINCIPE             50         CMS

3          1:19:42  146       ERIK VANDENDRIES         53         CMS

4          1:20:51  165       CHARLIE BEMIS               55         WRT

5          1:20:55  167       WAYNE LEVY                  52         BAA

6          1:21:05  176       MARK REEDER                 58         GLRR

7          1:21:07  177       DAVE DUNHAM                53         CMS

8          1:21:11  179       BRIAN RUHM                  52         GCS

9          1:21:22  182       SCOTT ANDERSON           53         WRT

10         1:21:50  191       ALEX MCHENRY               52         GMAA

11         1:22:18  202       TERRY MCNATT               53         CSU

12         1:23:13  214       MARTIN TIGHE               59         CMS

 
As I do every March, I headed down to Florida to visit my parents (and do their taxes).  This year I was able to find a race nearby that looked interesting.  I flew down on Saturday still feeling the remnants of New Bedford in my legs and a lousy head-cold stuffing up my sinuses.  On Sunday morn I was up at 5:30am and at 7am we drove the 30 minutes to the Trout Creek State park.  I signed up for the 15km trail race (there was a 5km starting simultaneously).  The 15km would start with a northern 10km loop then finish with the southern 5km loop. 

  It was warming up as about 250 lined up for both races (132 in the 15km), temps were in the low 60s at the start and low 70s at the finish but comfortable in the shade.  I took the lead from the start. 
 
At the top of the 10km loop we popped out on a road and I swung wide telling the guys I was hitting the water-stop.  They both passed on getting water and moved on ahead of me.  The pace really picked up!  At 7.5 I grabbed a water and checked out where 4^th place was (we were headed out of a quarter mile loop) he was not into the loop yet so I had a couple of minutes on him.  Right after that the leader stopped short clutching his hamstring.  I went by him and he offered me a “go after him”.  My legs started to feel very heavy and I was running out of energy over the last mile.  I slowly lost ground and ended up crossing the line 24 seconds back.  First LOSER. 
 
Place   Time    Name                   Age      City                  Pace
    1   1:01:47 Chris Petrock            47   Tampa                    6:38
    2   1:02:11 Dave Dunham                  53   Bradford, MA           6:40
    3   1:04:48 Steve Wilcox                    47   Clearwater               6:57
    4   1:04:50 Chris Liston                      40   Ruskin                     6:57
    5   1:05:49 Roger Hidalgo                  31   Auburndale              7:04

Dad Scored a perfect 29 points in a hand of cribbage (his first) – but I won the Zephyrhills World championships

 
USATF NE 15km championships - This year we had great weather with temps in the mid-40s, a bit of a breeze and sunny skies.  It was a bit crowded over the first mile making it a little tricky cutting tangents.  My goal was to run as close to 6:00 pace as possible which was a bit of a stretch based on my 6:12 pace at the New Bedford 1/2 marathon.
 
I hit 5 miles in 29:57 which was faster than I'd run 5 at the Ribfest last year.  College teammate Jason Cakouros (HFC 50+) passed me right at the 8 mile mark and I had no answer.  I was just trying to not fall apart.  I hit the finish line in 56:22 (chip time) and took 8th in the 50+ (6th in the 50-54). 
 
1        Andrew Gardiner     52      51:39  Boston Athletic Association
2        Nat Larson              55      52:18  Greater Springfield Harriers
3        Kent Lemme           51      53:14  Greater Springfield Harriers
4        Gregory Picklesimer 51      54:39  Somerville Road Runners
5        Mark Reeder           58      55:12  Greater Lowell Road Runners
6        Erik Vandendries     53      55:38  Central Mass Striders
7        Jason Cakouros                 52      56:10  HFC Striders
8        Dave Dunham                   54      56:22  Central Mass Striders
9        Joe O'Leary             50      56:46  Somerville Road Runners
10      Scott Anderson                  53      56:47  Whirlaway Racing Team
                                       
14      Martin Tighe           59      57:54  Central Mass Striders
21      Dan Verrington                  55      59:39  Central Mass Striders
23      Philip Savoy            55      1:00:29         Central Mass Striders
26      Gary Cattarin          55      1:00:50         Central Mass Striders
31      David Lapierre                  54      1:02:24         Central Mass Striders
34      Paul Young             52      1:02:55         Central Mass Striders
86      Shawn O'Connell     51      1:26:12         Central Mass Striders
 

Drive to Florida

 Time for another March trip down to Florida.  This time I gave myself a few days to get there and chose some interesting (to me) places to run.  My knee has been crap for the last week but I'm able to run on it slowly.  That beats not running at all.

First up was the Columbia Rail Trail - The Columbia Trail is a multi-use path that follows an abandoned railroad corridor for over 15 miles. The trail runs from the border of Mt. Olive and Washington Townships in Morris County southwest to downtown High Bridge in Hunterdon County.  The trail was very nice having been recently renovated. There were a bunch of gnome villages scattered along the trail.

After that run I moved on to the Stoney Valley Rail Trail near Jonestown PA. I was still running in a long-sleeve t-shirt with the 50 degree temps and drizzle/fog.  I had the trail to myself and found a cool headstone about a mile in.

I was treated to a rainbow as I reached the southern end of the rain I'd been driving through.  That got me to Flat Top (a ridge on the AT) outside of Shippensburg PA.  I went for any easy run partly on the AT and then down the road to check out the Flat Top fire tower.  Sadly, the tower has been removed.

I called it a day after that.  14 miles of (sometimes painful) running and 488 miles of rainy driving.

Looking Back - March 2013

 
10 years ago:
 
New Bedford Half-Marathon (March 17, 2013).  Last year I had a major bonk during the last 4 miles of the 1/2 marathon, so my goal this year was to avoid the same fate.  It was brisk (30's) and windy (15+ mph).  I was happy to manage a time nearly a minute ahead of my goal and 1:37 under my masters personal best.
 
 
Top masters
13         KEVIN COLLINS   42         M          1:09:23  5:18
24         CHRIS MAGILL    BAA       40         M          1:10:56 5:25
40         JOSEPH NAVAS WRT        42         M          1:11:54 5:30
45         GREG PICKLESIMER SRR 46           M          1:12:20 5:32
62         KEVEN O'NEIL     BAA       43         M          1:14:02 5:39
70         JASON PORTER CMS         43         M          1:14:25 5:41
74         HARRY STANTS BAA         40         M          1:14:49 5:43
77         ANDY SPAULDING Dirigo 42           M          1:15:03 5:44
81         DAVE DUNHAM CMS         48         M          1:15:11 5:45
83         WAYNE LEVY      BAA       47         M          1:15:17 5:45
91         JOE SHAIRS        CMS      44         M          1:15:52 5:48

Granite State snowshoe championships - I headed up to Allenstown on Friday during the “minor snow event” that turned out to be pretty significant.   I met up with race director Ryan Welts and we headed out to mark the course. 
Ryan came up with an interesting course with plenty of twisting and turning and 75% of the 6+ mile course would be on single-track.  
 
The start was a flurry of snow as a couple of Unicorn runners headed to the front, they were trailed by CMS Polar Bears (Greg Hammett, Kevin Tilton, a break then, me, and Jim Pawlicki). The last mile was a struggle.  All in all it was a great day for the CMS crew, we took 2^nd through 5^th place and wrapped up the team title with Melissa Donais taking second in the women’s race and 23^rd overall.
 
 
1  43:22  Jim Johnson        35M            Madison, NH        BAA
2  46:24  Kevin Tilton         31M            N Conway, NH     Central Mass Striders
3  46:29  James Pawlicki    38M            Lynn, MA             Central Mass Striders
4  46:30  Greg Hammett    35M            Chesterfield, NH   Central Mass Striders
5  47:27  Dave Dunham     48M            Bradford, MA       Central Mass Striders
6  48:22  Mark Miller         32M            Parts Unk, NH      BAA
7  49:35  Danny Ferreira   30M            Concord, NH        acidotic RACING
8  51:11  Anthony Parillo   28M            Sherborn, MA   
9  51:17  Phil Erwin          45M            Ridge, NY            acidotic RACING
10 51:25 Chris Dunn         44M            Strafford, NH       acidotic RACING
                                                                                               
13 52:32 Kristina Folcik     35F            Northwood, NH    acidotic RACING
23 56:28 Melissa Donais   29F            N Andover, MA     Central Mass Striders
 
Prospect Mountain 5.8 mile snowshoe race -I was excited when I’d heard that Tim Van Orden (TiVO) would be hosting a third race at the Prospect Mountain XC ski area.   The fact that the WMAC Snowshoe series is based on your best six races and I had five race made going to Prospect a given.  It looked like a decent field, with stalwart Ken Clark and pretty much all of the WMAC regulars.  Right before the start I realized Tim was not present and basically I needed to finish to wrap up the series.  We headed off a little after 10:30 in just about ideal conditions.  At 10 minutes into the race I was 20 seconds behind the leaders and just starting to find a rhythm.  Soon after that I caught Greg who stepped aside to let me through.  I caught Ross on this section right at the 20 minute mark.   I pushed as hard as I could but glanced back at the top (about 31 minutes) and Ross was right there.
 
I took a peak back at 45 minutes and didn’t see Ross.  The very final downhill powder stretch was a hoot; we did a zigzag down the final slope and into the finish chute.  I certainly was surprised and pleased to hold off Ross and Greg.

 
I was beat and glad to be done, but this course was probably my favorite this year.  There was a little bit of everything but a lot of tough slog, which is my kind of snowshoe race.  
 
1  53:31 Dave Dunham                48         M          100.00  CMS
2  53:52 Ross Krause                   33         M          97.96    CMS
3  57:41 Greg Hammett               35         M          95.92    CMS
4  57:52 Dave Merkt                    29         M          93.88    Shenipsit
5  59:44 Brian Northan                 38         M          91.84
6  1:01:34 Rich Teal                    35         M          89.80
7  1:02:46 Carolyn Stocker           20         F           87.76
8  1:04:44 Ken Clark                    50         M          85.71    HTC
9  1:04:55 David Loutzenheiser     46         M          83.67
10 1:08:34 Gerret Van Duyne       34         M          81.63
 

Snowshoe to the clouds - I'd heard of this ski race a few years back and asked teammate Kevin Tilton if they'd ever had a snowshoe race.  Apparently they had snowshoe raced in the past but not recently.  I was very happy to hear that they added a snowshoe field this year and signed up right away.  The idea of running up the Mt Washington Auto road in snowshoes really appealed to me.
 
 
The 25 or so skiers headed off and 5 minutes later we were in pursuit when the cannon fired. Kevin went to the lead and I tried to relax and feel comfortable.  We ran together until about 2 miles then I pulled ahead.  I hit the Auto road (2.4 miles into the race) in 19:07 and the fun began.  I was able to hold on for the win.
 
Pl  Time    Name                         Sex/Age
1 1:00:07 Dave Dunham             M 48
2 1:02:01 Kevin Tilton                M 31
3 1:12:26 Peter Keeney              M 46
4 1:12:56 Paul Bazanchuk          M 58
5 1:13:39 Bridget Ferrin-Smith    F 31
7 1:14:20 Keith O’Brien              M 48
9 1:22:07 Leslie Beckwith           F 36

Hawley Kiln - I headed out to Hawley for the 15th annual Hawley Kiln snowshoe race.  This race is a classic!  As always it is ably directed by Ed Alibozek.  This race was my first snowshoe race EVER, and I remember asking Ed advice about my snowshoes and what to expect on the course.  15 years later and I'm still having a blast romping around in the woods of Hawley. I showed up extra-early so that I'd have time to run the course as a warm-up.  I arrived just as Ed was returning from his final loop of the course.  He'd spent over 6 hours clearing some trees and marking the course.  Guys like Ed are far and few between.

Off we went and the four CMS boys (me, Greg Hammet, Tim Mahoney, and Tim Van Orden) gapped the field during the first .7 on the snowmobile trail.  I took a big spill during the third mile but Greg was also post-holing a lot so neither of us really got any separation on the other.   Greg stayed right on me and we hit the final stretch together and then it was over, he sprinted ahead and took me by 8 seconds for his third win of the season.


Off we went and the four CMS boys (me, Greg Hammet, Tim Mahoney, and Tim Van Orden) gapped the field during the first .7 on the snowmobile trail.  I took a big spill during the third mile but Greg was also post-holing a lot so neither of us really got any separation on the other.   Greg stayed right on me and we hit the final stretch together and then it was over, he sprinted ahead and took me by 8 seconds for his third win of the season.

Off we went and the four CMS boys (me, Greg Hammet, Tim Mahoney, and Tim Van Orden) gapped the field during the first .7 on the snowmobile trail.  I took a big spill during the third mile but Greg was also post-holing a lot so neither of us really got any separation on the other.   Greg stayed right on me and we hit the final stretch together and then it was over, he sprinted ahead and took me by 8 seconds for his third win of the season.

1 44:22 Greg Hammett  M 35  CMS    100.00
2 44:30 Dave Dunham   M 48  CMS     98.18
3 46:18 Tim Mahoney    M 33  CMS     96.36
4 48:36 Tim Van Orden  M 44  CMS    94.55
5 50:15 Dave Merkt       M 29            92.73
6 54:10 Ken Clark          M 50            90.91
7 56:40 Ted Cowles       M 54            89.09
8 57:44 Kelsey Allen      F                 87.27
9 60:56 Ashley Krause   F        CMS   85.45
10 61:24 Jim Devine     M 52            83
 
 
I headed up to Gilmanton for my final race of March.  This would close out the month with 6 races, which would tie the most I’ve ever done in March.   A record field of nearly 300 showed up on a just about ideal morning. The start was much cleaner than I recall in past years and I found myself leading as we turned onto Route 140.  I could hear a couple of guys right behind me but no one seemed to want to move into the lead.  On the final hill I was caught by Nacho Hernando.  With 400 to go I had a couple of seconds lead, with 200 to go I had about 3 seconds, with 100 I still had about 3 seconds.  At that point Nacho realized he had another gear!  We turned the final corner and I could hear Andy announcing that I was about to win and right about then I got passed.  I was all-out and with 50 meters to go he put about 3 seconds on me.  Ouch that hurt!
 
 
1          17:28    Nacho Hernando          19         Manchester NH              
2          17:32    Dave Dunham                49         Bradford MA       CMS
3          17:40    Jotham Burnett              33         Canaan NH                    
4          17:46    Sam Evans-Brown         27         Concord NH                   
5          17:50    Scott Clark                     47         Gilmanton NH      CMS
6          18:32    Ryan Lafrance               15         Gilford NH                      
7          18:35    Ernest Brake                   51         North Sutton NH CMS
8          18:42    Warren Bartlett              15         Loudon NH                    
9          18:49    Neal Graves                    30         Croydon NH       
10         19:04    Tim Cox                         39         Northwood NH    CMS
11         19:04    Mark Richardson         19         Concord NH       
12         19:29    Sam Wood                     26         Laconia NH         CMS