Carson Memorial 2 mile

I haven’t done the Carson Memorial 2 mile race (Chelmsford, MA) in six years, but this year the fourth of July fell 

mid-week so it did not conflict with any of the Mountain Series races.  I was hoping to break 10:40 and my stretch 

goal (if everything went great) was to break 10:30.  Mike Quintal joined me and Dan for the shortest drive to a race

 we’ve had this year.  We arrived in Chelmsford to find it raining and about 70 degrees.  We checked in and each 

got one of the cool “Sullivan Racing Team” tank tops from Tom Hildreth (the official starter of the race).  I was 

wearing the race team top from 1999 and the gal at registration noted “that is the oldest t-shirt I’ve ever seen”…as 

if I didn’t feel old enough already! 

We headed out for an extended warm-up running out & back on the point to point 2 mile course.  It warmed up as 

we warmed up and by the end of our four mile run the sun was beginning to peek out and it had warmed to 

mid-70’s.  The humidity was stifling.   I changed into race flats and headed out for another mile with some strides.  

I felt pretty lousy and nervous which is about the way I expected to feel heading into a “sprint” race.

Over 2,000 lined up to take on the parade route that was now lined with onlookers.  I took a spot on the line 

knowing that it’d be a mad dash at the start.  The first quarter mile was frantic with little kids and some adults 

sprinting out then pretty much stopping when reality hit.  I only had to push one guy who stopped in front of me 

but otherwise I had a clear path on the road.  At the half mile mark (2:32.3) we turned left onto the main road and 

that would be the final turn of the races.  The next half mile climbs a bit and I was definitely feeling the pace.  I hit 

the mile in 5:12.2 (2:39.9) and although I was picking off a couple of fast starters I was also getting passed by a 

couple of guys.  Doug Martyn (WRT) went by just after the mile and Mike Cooney (WRT) went by just before the 

1.5 mark; they are both top runners in the 50+ age group.  Damn, they both looked smooth!  I hit 1.5 miles in 7:47.5

(2:35.3) and thought at that point that I had a shot a breaking 10:30.  I concentrated on working the final little 

downhill and could hear people calling for the top woman who was hot on my heels.  The last 400 is all slightly 

uphill and I was really hurting at that point.  With just over 200 to go the top woman went flying by.  I had been 

kicking since the start so I really didn’t have any faster turnover in response.  Within a few seconds I felt a hand on 

my back pushing me; it was CMS teammate Jim Pawlicki heading into his kick for the line and encouraging me to 

go with him.  I found a little bit extra but couldn’t stay with Jim as I crossed the line in 10:31.

After grabbing some water Mike (10:04), Dan (10:47) and I ran back on the course for a warm-down.  We got 

back just as the parade was starting.  It felt good to have this race done, now back to “slow” mountain racing!

Splits:

2:32.3

2:39.9 (5:12.2)

2:35.3 (7:47.5)

2:43.4 (10:30.9) = 5:18.7

JOHN CARSON 

2 MILE ROAD
 RACE

July 4, 2012           2 Miles               Chelmsford, Mass.

Place Div/Tot  Div   Time    Pace  Name                   Ag S Race# City/state              

    1   1/168  M1929    9:10  4:35 Ruben Sanca        25 M     7 Dracut MA               

    2   2/168  M1929    9:12  4:36 Jeffrey Veiga         21 M   485 Lowell MA               

    3   1/124  M3039    9:23  4:42 Justin Lutz            32 M  1963 Framingham MA           

    4   3/168  M1929    9:31  4:46 Ethan Brown         27 M    37 Lowell MA               

    5   4/168  M1929    9:40  4:50 Joshua Andrews    23 M  1492 Chelmsford MA           

   17   3/124  M3039   10:04  5:02 Mike Quintal        34 M   587 N. Andover MA           

   31   6/124  M3039   10:30  5:15 James Pawlicki     37 M   435 Lynn MA                 

   33   2/239  M4049   10:31  5:16 Dave Dunham      48 M     4 Haverhill MA            

   40   4/101  M5059   10:47  5:24 Dan Verrington     50 M   229 Bradford MA             

  109  12/239  M4049 12:17  6:09 David Lapierre       48 M    55 Chelmsford MA           

MALE AGE GROUP:  40 to 49

Place O'All Time    Name                     Age Sex Race# City/state              

    1    10    9:54 

Jim St Pierre
             41 M    9913 Dracut MA               

    2    33   10:31 Dave Dunham          48 M       4 Haverhill MA            

    3    37   10:38 Eric Beauchesne       42 M      31 Chelmsford MA           

    4    60   11:29 Curt Fischer             43 M    1220 Merrimack NH            

    5    69   11:37 Keith O'Brien            48 M    1615 Chelmsford MA           

MALE AGE GROUP:  50 to 59

Place O'All Time    Name                     Age Sex Race# City/state              

    1    23   10:17 Doug Martyn               52 M    1694 N. Andover MA           

    2    26   10:23 Mike Cooney               50 M    1007 Chelmsford MA           

    3    39   10:42 Paul Hammond            52 M    1692 Lexington MA            

    4    40   10:47 Dan Verrington            50 M     229 Bradford MA             

    5    76   11:44 Andrew Gordon            50 M    1132 Chelmsford MA           

 

2140 finishers

239 finishers in the M40-49 age group 

Track

Track Workout – 05-17-11

What a great afternoon for a track workout!  I actually broke out the light gloves to wear during this one.  Drizzle and 40 degree temperatures meant that Craig would be wearing multiple layers during the workout (but oddly not wearing gloves).  We hit the track a day early due to work constraints for both me and Craig.  This was our second time doing the 3 x 1 Km workout and it felt a lot better than last week despite being quite a bit quicker.  Dan led the first one but then bailed due to stomach issues.  I led the second one and had to pick it up a bit in the last 200, because we slowed up down the front straight when we nearly ran into the entire PA track team doing drills.  It’s their track and we are guests so no complaints from me.  Actually one of the kids said “nice workout” when we finished.  That made my day!  Anyway, Craig led the last one and ran a nice even (fast) pace.  All in all it was a very good workout and I’m finally starting to gain some confidence.

3 x 1,000 meters with 600 meters rest

3:13.5 (77.4 400m pace)

3:14.0 (77.6 400m pace)

3:12.5 (77.0 400m pace)

 The last time I ran this workout this fast was almost exactly 3 years ago (05-15-08) with Dave Quintal and Dan.  Almost exactly the same times - 3:15.3/3:14.3/3:12.6.  I went on to run my 40+ PR at Mt Washington that year (1:09:08), so maybe that is a good sign.

2009 Baystate marathon

I'm chugging some Pepto, trying to get my stomach back under control. That is a good sign for me, means I gave a hard effort. Today was the final race in the USATF NE grand prix (7 races from 5km-marathon). I've never done all seven in one year and was close last year until I ended up on the IR with a Stress Fracture. This year I had four done when the SF hit. The only good thing was that it hit much earlier than last year. That meant the water would be warmer for running in and I'd have (just enough) time to make it back for the final three races.

This is definitely the least I've ever trained for a marathon. My highest mileage was 51 and my longest single run was 8 miles. I was hoping that memories of marathons long gone by and the brutal 3-4 hour water runs with the brothers Qunital would be enough to carry me through. The plan was to run as even as possible and finish as close to sub-3 hours as possible. DQ and Huck were both on board with the pace and planned to join me.

The race started a few minutes late, but the rain hadn't started yet so it wasn't too bad. We went a bit too fast the first mile (lots of looking around to gauge off of others) and slowed it gradually. By three miles we were clocking 6:52's on the nose. The couple of slightly rolling miles into a light breeze had us slow a bit from four to eight miles when we hit the Tyngsborough bridge and headed back towards Lowell. I fronted our pack which was about 20 strong and included Abby Mahoney and another woman both looking to run under three hours. I felt very good and we clocked some faster miles at this point. Dave Q made a pit stop and I wouldn't see him again for a bunch of miles, but Huck was still in the big pack as we motored down the boulevard.

We ran strong through the half hitting it in 1:29:36, so about 20 seconds "in the bank". I was still feeling very good and started thinking "if I get to Tyngsborough bridge feeling good I'll pick it up for the last 8". I was definitely being patient, but I was also towing the entire pack. Pat Ard joined us in just after the half and we both fronted the pack for the next five miles. I took a peek back at the bridge and our pack had broken up. It was just Pat and Mike Toomey and me. We hadn't picked it up so I just went with it. Pat looked and sounded like he was going very easily and Mike was in the zone (headphones). After 20 I started to feel a bit tired but kept thinking, "go one more mile with these guys" at 21 Pat pulled away and started picking off people. I was just happy to be still putting sub 652's behind me. The lack of training was catching up, but the desire to race never diminished. I saw groups in front of me and worked on hauling them in.

The last couple of miles were tough but I only lost a couple of seconds from 24 on. The Billerica crew at the 24 mile water stop were quite supportive when I yelled "BMHS class of 82!!!". The conditions got lousy over the last 5 miles and I was getting cold and very tired towards the end. I kept it rolling and met my goal of a sub-3 hour with a 2:59:43. All in all a pretty fun day!

Next up: Three weeks from now, the US trail marathon championship in Oregon. This was my marathon training.....

Splits:
630
646
646
655
653
655 (3405)
659
655
651
647
648 (1:08:22) (3417)
648
649
651
648
648 (1:42:30) (3408)
648
650
650
651
648 (2:16:39) (3409)
645
648
650
659
700 (2:51:05) (3436)
837 (1.2m)

How do I look?

No one looks like this!

If I had to choose between running in the water in August or October I think I’d take October (assuming that saying “neither” is not a choice). Cold water is tough to run in, heck, just getting motivated to get into the water is difficult. August water runs can be tough as well. It seems contradictory to be immersed in water but sweating like mad. I also like October because you no longer have gawking crowds of beach goers constantly asking what you are doing. Now I have a clearer idea of why they are always asking.

I’ve been in class this week so I had to work later each day. Yesterday Dave and Mike cut out of work early which led to a surprise meeting. I was finishing up while they were starting and I was taken aback when I saw two heads bobbing along. It really is a sight to see! Now I know why people look on in wonder (if not amusement) when we trot by. Pictures don’t really do justice to how funny it looks. I mentioned how silly Dave and Mike looked and they pointed out that “it looks like you are riding a giraffe”. I can’t disagree.

Much more accurate.

Three hour tour

Set a new record this morning for the longest water run. Dave, Mike, and I spent three hours "running" around Stiles pond. The first 2 hours went by pretty easily, with lots of chatter/singing/cursing/grunting. The last 35 minutes was kind of tough. We stopped at 2:25 or so and got a gel and the legs were a bit wobbly after that. Quote of the day came from a random swimmer who stopped to chat with us. He noted that he liked swimming at Stiles because there were "a lot of chicks".

Ungulate

Did another long run with the Q-brothers at Stiles Pond this morning. Not quite the epic of last weekend but over 2 hours (2:06). Even prior to the beach being open, the water was full of swimmers. That can be a bit tough for us as the swimmers move a lot faster than we do and apparently that can't see us (????). I got hit by one earlier this week, but no collisions today.

I did not realize that Mike was an Ungulate, but he now has special shoes for when he runs in the water.