Capital City 10k

Back to Concord for the Capital City 10k!  There just aren't enough 10k's out there so I was really looking forward to this race which is the longest race in the CARS (Capital Area Race Series).  I was hoping to be competitive with the other CARS guys and run a decent time.  Based on my 5 mile last weekend my goal was to run 5:55 pace since I wouldn't have a Mt Washington race the day before to get me tired. 

I got to Concord at 645am for the nice and early 8am start.  I'd previewed the course a month ago but always like to see the last part to be really get a clear idea of where I am during the race.  I headed out for my warm-up covering the last 1.5 out and back.  The three miles did not feel good.  I was tight, tired, and my ankles and right knee were not feeling great.  I'm starting to worry about the knee which has been sore for nearly 2 months now (and hurts while walking).  Anyway, I switched in race gear had a quick chat with Richie Blake then headed toward the start for another mile.  I was surprised to see so many teams present and a lot of quick runners.  Then I remembered it was a NH grand prix race.  I bumped into Brian Ruhm from GCS who would be tough in the 50+ age group.  Game on!

There seemed to be about 10 minutes of announcements and instructions before we finally set off.  It was 62 degrees and cloudy with no wind, a great day to race.  I kept out of trouble at the start and tried to stay off of any lane markers as they were a bit slick.  My watch beeped at 1/2 mile and at 2:53 I was a little quick but nothing crazy.  I eased back ever so slightly and a big pack blew by.  By the mile I wasn't in the top 20.  Ruhm went by just after the mile and I tried to relax as I lost more ground.  It was very early and I was not feeling all that good.  I noticed that Mark Laprade, who I'd just kept ahead of at the last CARS race was a good 10 seconds ahead.  Set on him I picked it up a bit and by 2 miles I'd gotten by Ruhm and was catching a group of four that included a couple of very quick teens (Kirpal Demian and Luke Brenan).  I reached 3 miles in the group and we passed 5k in about 18:24...pretty much on the pace I'd hoped for.

Our group rolled on and caught Laprade near 4 miles, then we hit the first climb of the race a 55' hill over 1/2 mile.  The youngsters gapped me as I latched onto Timothy Lindberg who had outkicked me at the last CARS race.  I was hoping to get some distance between us but we just kept trading back and forth.  The 40' climb from 5.3 to 5.5 put a hurt on me and right after that I was dropped by Lindberg.  I did some quick math at 5.5 and knew I had a shot at sub-37 minutes and kept working as hard as possible.  Right at the 6 mile mark I heard footsteps and ZOOM on one side Laprade went by and on the other Erin Lane.  Lane had kicked my ass at a couple of the CARS 5ks and would do so again today.  I stayed well to the left so she wouldn't have any interference as she broke the tape a stride ahead of me.

I was please to take the 50+ age group and hit my goal pace of 5:55's.  Only one more CARS race for me, the Luiti 5 mile in a month.  That should be a barn-burner!

 
    1    16   36:46    36:46  5:55 Dave Dunham               54 M      17 Bradford MA             
    2    23   38:19    38:17  6:10 Brian Ruhm                53 M     579 Hollis NH               
    3    28   39:16    39:14  6:19 Rich Disalvo              53 M     516 Derry NH                
    4    40   40:17    40:14  6:29 Peter Madden              54 M     518 Manchester NH           
    5    45   40:31    40:28  6:31 Paul Donovan              52 M     440 Hollis NH               
    6    47   40:45    40:43  6:34 Darin Brown               51 M      48 Madison NH              

Capital City Classic 10K

June 23, 2018        10 Kilometers (USATF Certified #NH16020BK)         Concord, NH

Place Div/Tot  Div   Guntime  Nettime Pace  Name                   Ag S Race# Hometown                     
===== ======== ===== =======  ======= ===== ====================== == = ===== =======================
    1   1/3    MOPEN   32:50    32:50  5:17 Neal Darmody           28 M   344 Bow NH                    
    2   2/3    MOPEN   34:28    34:28  5:33 Warren Bartlett        20 M   338 Loudon NH                 
    3   3/3    MOPEN   34:31    34:31  5:34 Colin Smith            24 M   341 Bethesda MD              
    4   1/33   M3039   34:42    34:42  5:35 Brandyn Naro           31 M   223 Manchester NH            
    5   2/33   M3039   34:58    34:57  5:38 Mark Furler            35 M   246 Hollis NH               
    6   1/57   M4049   35:14*   35:14  5:41 Rich Smith             48 M   565 Enfield NH             
    7   1/25   M2029   35:18    35:18  5:41 Christopher Dunn       23 M   474 Kennebunk ME              
    8   2/25   M2029   35:23    35:23  5:42 Jacob Wormald          23 M   363 Pelham NH                
    9   3/33   M3039   35:49    35:48  5:46 Jotham Burnett         38 M   471 Canaan NH                  
   10   2/57   M4049   36:21    36:20  5:51 Casey Carroll          46 M   572 Dover NH                  
   11   1/16   M1319   36:28    36:26  5:52 Kirpal Demian          17 M   117 Bow NH                     
   12   2/16   M1319   36:35    36:33  5:53 Luke Brennan           14 M   449 Derry NH               
   13   3/25   M2029   36:39    36:37  5:54 Timothy Lindberg       24 M   260 Ashland NH                
   14   3/57   M4049   36:41    36:40  5:55 Mark Laprade           45 M    67 Bedford NH                
   15   1/3    FOPEN   36:45    36:45  5:55 Erin Lane              37 F   484 Contoocook NH          
   16   1/40   M5059   36:46    36:46  5:55 Dave Dunham            54 M    17 Bradford MA               
   17   4/33   M3039   36:58    36:56  5:57 Adam Goldstein         35 M   519 Hudson NH                 
   18   4/57   M4049   37:03    37:01  5:58 Matthew Lane           40 M   485 Contoocook NH             
   19   4/25   M2029   37:05    37:02  5:58 Thomas Cantara         27 M   371 Nashua NH                 
   20   2/3    FOPEN   37:11    37:09  5:59 Corey Dowe             25 F   462 Barrington NH             

10km

There just aren't that many 10k's out there anymore.  Too bad.  I like the distance!  The race today was only my 6th 10k as a Senior (50+ age group).  I'm happy with the effort and the time despite it being my 5th fastest of those six races. 

My 50+ 10ks:
36:01 Lone gull       09/14/14
36:11 Lone gull       09/25/16
36:34 Lone gull       09/24/17
36:41 Lone gull       09/20/15
36:46 Capital City   06/23/18
37:22 Level Renner 07/19/15

2018 Mountain Series preview

The 2018 USATF NE mountain circuit is about to begin!  The first mountain circuit kicked off on May 11, 1996 at the (now defunct) Mt Kearsarge race in Warner NH.  The National Championships returns again, this time to the European style Mountain racing at Loon Mountain.  The Ascutney Mountain race will return to the series this year after a one year absence.  The “goat” requirement adjusts accordingly and will be the best 6 out of 8 races.  Mountain goat status is coveted as it comes with not only bragging rights but a lottery by-pass into the following years Mt Washington road race.  149 runners completed 5 of 7 in 2017 earning the goat moniker including 26 runners who completed all 7 races.

The USATF NE Mountain series enters its 23^rd year and as such is the oldest mountain race circuit in the country.

USATF-NE Mountain Circuit 2018 Schedule

April 29 - Sleepy Hollow Mt. Race

May 6 - Pack Monadnock

May 26 - Wachusett Mountain

June 3 - Cranmore Hill Climb

June 10 – Mount Ascutney

July 8 - Loon Mountain Race (USATF National championship)

Sept 2 - Mt. Greylock Road Race

Sept 29 & 30 - Bretton Woods uphill only & Fell Race

According to senior series director and Grand Admiral of the Republic Paul Kirsch “We have the good fortune here in New England of having a mountain series steeped in so much history with course variety unequaled anywhere else in the country.  I am really excited to see the series back to 8 races this year. You can see that interest is as high as ever in the series as Sleepy Hollow filled to capacity early and the Loon Mountain race looks to have about 700 participants this year. Mountain running is the third fastest growing outdoor activity in the country and here in New England it's easy to see why”.

The big questions for 2018:

Will Richard Stockdale (GCS) continue his amazing streak of 104 consecutive series finishes from 2000 – 2017?

Will the following reach the “100 series finishes” mark?

Dave Dunham (CMS) with 97 finishes, Ray Boutotte (GCS) with 95, and Paul Grant (CSU) with 93.

Will Brandon Newbould (WRT) win the series again?  If he does he will join Jim Johnson (CMS) and Paul Low (CMS) as 3-time series Champions.

Will Christin Doneski (WRT) and Leslie O’Dell (CMS) really skip the series this year?  No one else has won in the last five years.

The Races

Sleepy Hollow: First held in May of 2012, the 6.4 mile course features three climbs and descents and a mixture of single-track, fields, dirt roads, and wide grassy paths.   The total climb/drop is 1,200’ and there is always mud somewhere on the course which is a cross-country ski area in the winter.  In 2014 the race served as the USATF NE Trail championship.  The first runner to the top of the first climb is crowned “King of the Mountain”.  The race has a 250 runner cap and has reached the limit the last 2 years.  The 2018 race course will be the same as 2016 & 2017 versions (Darth Vader). 

Course records (Various)

http://sleepyhollowmtnrace.com/

Pack Monadnock: The race moved to May in 2017 to accommodate the change to Mt Cranmore and has stayed with the first Sunday in May as race day for 2018.   Pack has been part of the circuit since 1996.  The race was held continuously from 1990 through 2003.  The event was not held in 2004 or 2014.  The ten-mile course climbs 2,000 feet and drops 300 feet over mostly paved roads from Wilton NH to the summit of Pack Monadnock in Temple NH.  The last mile, which is entirely within Miller State park, has climbs steeper than Mt Washington (11.5% average grade).  The final 200m has a grade of about 30%.  Amenities include mile markers, water stops, and baggage to the finish.

Course records: Eric Morse 58:35 & Kelli Lusk 1:13:35

http://gatecity.org/mount-monadnock-10-miler/

Wachusett Mountain Typically held on the last Saturday in May.  The race is hosted by the Central Mass Striders. The first race was held (twice!) in 1978 and was fairly successful.  It was contested from 1978 to 1986 when the host Montachusett Regional YMCA decided to cut back on its road race calendar.  CMS brought the race back in 1992 and it has been held continuously since.  The traditional course climbed over 1400 feet with 400 feet of drop in 4.3 miles of paved road.  In 2009 the course was changed to an up/down version as construction on the summit road made the original route unusable.  The course had slight changes in 2010-2012 with a number of different trails and finish line locations tested.  In 2013 the course changed again, this time returning to the summit and descending via paved and dirt roads, this version (with slight modifications) was again used in 2014 & 2015.  In 2015 scoring for the USATF series was based on the “up only” segment of the race.  The up was used again in 2016 & 2017 an continues as the USATF portion in 2018.  Amenities include prizes in five age groups excellent management by the Central Mass. Striders.           

Course records (Various)

http://cmsrun.org/races-events-3/wachusett-mountain-10k/

Mt Cranmore: Cranmore may be the oldest continuously held trail-mountain race in New England with this year marking the 32^nd running of the race.  It has been held on various dates, in recent years it has been held in early June The course has been varied throughout the years, from a straight run to the summit, to a three-loop quad buster.  The current version of the course features two loops up and down the mountain climbing and descending 2,000’ over 10K.  The race is now managed by the acidotic Racing.  Cranmore has hosted the National championships six times (2005/2007/2009/2011/2013/2017) and been a selection race for the US team.  In 2009 & 2013 the race was also the NACAC championship.  The race was named one of “Outside” magazines ultimate races in 2015.     

Course records (Various)

           

http://www.acidoticracing.com/cranmore-mountain-race

Ascutney Mountain:  The race was first held in the early 70’s as a tune-up for local XC skiers and has always been popular with roller-skiers.  After many years of inactivity, it was brought back in 2001 as part of the circuit.  There is also a popular bike race to the summit in late July.  Until 2009 the course was the paved toll road to the summit parking lot near the top of Ascutney in Windsor VT.  The average grade (12%) and the many twists in the road are reminiscent of the Mount Washington road race.  The course climbs 2,300 feet in 3.7 miles.  Amenities include mile markers, a water stop, and post-race refreshments.  All runners are expected to arrange transport down or run down after the race.  The race originally was held a week before Mt Washington but in moved to mid-July, recently it has moved back to early June.  In 2009 the course was modified to include trail sections but returned to the traditional course in 2010.  In 2017 the race organizer retired and a new organizer was not found early enough for it to be included in the series.  It returns in 2018 in the 2^nd weekend in June.

Course records: Eric Blake 27:57 & Kasie Enman 33:33

https://trailrunner.com/event/mt-ascutney-foot-race/

Loon Mountain:  Loon Mountain is typically held on the first Sunday of July although it has been run as early as the final weekend in June.  Loon has been part of the series since its creation by USATF NE Mountain chair Paul Kirsch in 2006.  The race was designated the USATF NE mountain running championship and served as a qualifier for the US Mountain running team in 2006.  The course was designed to mirror the 2006 World Trophy course in Turkey, thus giving runners in New England a taste of an international mountain race.  In 2007 the ½ mile of flat running on paved road at the base of the mountain was eliminated and became 5.6 miles with 2,800’ of climb and descent.  In 2012 the race was again the US champs and a qualifier for the women.  The elite women ran first and the men started 30 minutes later, both races covered a shorter 5-mile version of the course which finished at the top of West Loon Mountain.  The signature feature of the race is the 1 kilometer stretch climbing Upper Walking Boss, a grass slope with an average grade over 30%.  In 2014 the race again hosted the US champs and was the sole qualifier for men and women.  An additional 2 miles of “cross country” style trail was added (and has remained as part of the course).  Loon was again the sole qualifier and U.S. championship in 2016 and will also serve as the championship/selection race in 2018.  Race features include baggage transport to the summit, and wild strawberries lining sections of the course.  

Course records: Various

http://loonmountainrace.com/

Mt Greylock road Race: 2015 marked the first foray to Western Mass for the series since Northfield ended a few years prior.  The Greylock uphill 8 mile road race will be held for the 43^rd consecutive year on Labor Day weekend 2018.

Course records: Unknown

http://berkshirerunningcenter-com.3dcartstores.com/Greylock-Road-Race_ep_57.html

Bretton Woods Fell Race: First held in the fall of 2012, it was moved to June in 2014 as a replacement for Pack Monadnock.  In 2015 it moved back to its current place on the first weekend in October.  This is the only Fell race in the series the only race held in the fall.  It is also the only Fell race held in the country.  Fell is a term mainly used in the Lake District of England to describe mountains or high moorland. The sport of fell running can be traced to traditionally held races in those regions.  The major difference between fell running and mountain (or trail running) is that true fell running requires you to be able to navigate the course (often without paths) with route choice between checkpoints being left to the individual.  At Bretton Woods a “consensus” course has been marked for the short course (the first three check-points on the long course), giving runners the choice to follow the somewhat longer route without having to navigate.  IN 2017 a short (1.8 mile) up-hill only race was added on the day before the Fell race.  Although it is not part of the USATF series the Saturday race could be used to count towards “Goat Status”.  Fifty runners completed the uphill and 10 returned the next day to complete a rare double mountain weekend.  The Uphill race will be contested again this year and will again count toward “Goat Status” if needed.

Course records: Various

http://www.acidoticracing.com/bretton-woods-fell-race/

CAR series

I’m enjoying competing in Capitol Area Race Series (CARS).  I haven’t done the series in a few years but have run many of the races.  There are 8 races and the series is scored based on the best 6 of 8.  They list the standings based on total points until the end so it can be a bit tricky figuring out who is actually leading the series.  I’ve already missed one race and will miss one more, but plan on getting 6 of them in.  Based on AVERAGE score I’m currently tied for 2^nd place.  It will be interesting to see how the series goes over the next few months.  I’m looking forward to the slightly longer races (Luiti 5m & Capitol 10k) and the XC ones!

Rank	Average	Total Points	No finished	Gil	Sea	Nhti	Name	Age	Hometown
1	976	2927	3	954	1000	973	Samuel Berube	17	Bow NH
2	962	2887	3	917	994	976	Kirpal Demian	16	Bow NH
3	962	1923	2	0	982	941	Dave Dunham	54	Bradford MA
4	956	956	1	0	0	956	Jason Schoeller	19	Pembroke NH
5	946	1891	2	929	0	962	Timothy Lindberg	24	Ashland NH
6	945	1890	2	0	961	929	Mark Laprade	45	Bedford NH
7	945	2834	3	1000	834	1000	Sean McCauley	26	Canterbury NH
8	941	1881	2	0	959	922	Scott Clark	52	Gilmanton NH
9	918	2753	3	872	955	926	Darin Brown	51	Madison NH
10	909	909	1	909	0	0	Jim Angell	53	Hopkinton NH
11	906	2719	3	864	942	913	Glenn Miller	56	Campton NH
12	898	2694	3	833	946	915	Dylan Tuttle	21	Alton NH
13	896	2687	3	863	932	892	Gary Lemay	32	Concord NH
14	885	2656	3	841	920	895	Andrew Shepherd	18	Newbury NH
15	879	2638	3	864	903	871	Kevin Perron	47	Concord NH
16	876	876	1	0	0	876	Erik Paddleford	43	Concord NH
17	875	1750	2	0	895	855	Greg Peters	60	Laconia NH
18	874	2622	3	847	909	866	Phil Brogan	32	Concord NH
19	872	2615	3	830	905	880	Andrew Bengtson	42	Hudson NH
20	870	870	1	0	870	0	Colin Lessard	15	Bow NH

NHTI 5k

I do not like to race at night, but sometimes you’ve got to do it.  In this case I’ve signed up for the CARS (Capitol Area Race Series) and that means one night race.  I can’t believe it has been 10 years since I last did the CARS.  Time is flying by.  I’ve done the NHTI race a few times before and I’ve done many other races on the NHTI campus so there would be no surprises.

I got to the race pretty early since it didn’t make sense to go home after work.  I got all my gear prepared and napped for 30 minutes before heading inside to pick up my number.  I was glad they had indoor facilities as it was chilly outside with temps in the low 40’s and steady wind at 20 mph.  I hung out for a bit and chatted with Scott Clark, somehow we missed each other for the warm-up (I chose to run the 2 loop course and he chose to run on the trails).  This was going to be a LONG 5k, I came up with 3.2 during the warm-up (and the race) and I was cutting tangents like a madman.  I switched into racing flats and headed out for another mile and threw in four sets of strides to really get the blood pumping.  I was finally feeling like I was racing and not just doing an evening run.  I had just enough time to head back to the car and pick up my gloves that I’d thought I wouldn’t need (my hands were freezing and I definitely needed them).

The start was very narrow (I hate the short timing mats and the overhead arch that limit how many can line up) and I thought about getting in the second row.  I saw that Scott was four rows back as was Erin Lane and she had buried me at the SEA race.  I stayed on the line figuring it’d be safe and give me a clear view going into the 90 degree turn 100 meters into the race.  I went out okay and got through the turn fine.  Erin Lane went flying by as did a few others and by ½ mile into the race I was in 15^th place.  I was hoping for a top 10 finish (based on last year’s results) so there would be work to be done.  I passed a few as we headed down to the keyhole turn and then hit the wind, I caught a couple more as I reached the mile in 5:42.  There were footsteps behind me (Darin Brown) but I tried to focus on the fast starting Dylan Tuttle and Erin Lane who was 10 seconds ahead of me at the mile.  I caught Dylan at 1.5 and I tried to not let him latch on as I went by.  That got me into 9^th place and into 2 miles in 11:28 (5:46).  I never looked at my watch during the race just focused on people ahead of me.  I could see Kevin Crowley (GSRT) getting passed and slowing and thought I had a shot at him but I never quite got there.  I ended up 9^th in 18:08 and first in the 50+.  I can’t say I’m disappointed, it looks like most people ran FASTER than the SEA race but I ran almost exactly the same time.  I’ll need to pull it together if I want to be in the top 5 by the end of the series.  I’m looking forward to the Canterbury race in a few weeks, XC should slow down some of the faster guys!

14th Annual NHTI/Delta Dental 5K Road Race - April 20, 2018    255 finishers 45 degrees 20+mph winds   

Place Div/Tot  Div   Guntime Nettime  Pace  Name                   Ag S Race# Hometown        Age %       SEA

======= ===== ======= =======  ===== ====================== == =

    1   1/3    MOPEN   17:07   17:05   5:30 Sean McCauley     26 M    58 Canterbury NH        76.00%

    2   2/3    MOPEN   17:13   17:11   5:32 Justin Orr             35 M   305 Dover NH              77.18%

    3   3/3    MOPEN   17:33   17:30   5:38 Kirpal Demian       16 M   117 Bow NH                75.69%     17:56

    4   1/8    M1519   17:36   17:33   5:39 Samuel Berube      17 M    33 Bow NH                 74.56%     17:51

    5   1/20   M2029   17:47   17:45   5:43 Timothy Lindberg  24 M   192 Ashland NH           73.15%    17:40

    6   2/8    M1519   17:54   17:52   5:45 Jason Schoeller      19 M   124 Pembroke NH        72.67% 

    7   1/3    FOPEN   17:55   17:53   5:46 Erin Lane               37 F   312 Hopkinton NH        83.65%    17:58

    8   1/23   M3039   18:04   18:02   5:49 Kevin Crowley        32 M   215 Concord NH          72.59% 

    9   1/25   M5059   18:10   18:08   5:51 Dave Dunham        54 M    17 Bradford MA          83.91%    18:10

   10   1/21   M4049   18:24   18:22   5:55 Mark Laprade        45 M    67 Bedford NH           77.38%    18:34

   11   2/25   M5059   18:28   18:26   5:56 Darin Brown          51 M    48 Madison NH          80.64%    18:41

   12   3/25   M5059   18:34   18:32   5:58 Scott Clark            52 M   198 Gilmanton NH       80.83%    18:36

   13   2/20   M2029   18:42   18:39   6:01 Dylan Tuttle          21 M    81 Alton NH               69.62%    18:52

   14   4/25   M5059   18:44   18:41   6:01 Glenn Miller           56 M   176 Campton NH         82.74%

   15   2/23   M3039   18:54   18:52   6:05 Sam Wood             32 M   318 Laconia NH           69.39%

Fudge it!

I'm headed to Tewksbury for the Fudgcicle 5k this morning.  It'll be my 22nd time.  At $1 for an entry fee it is quite a deal.

All of my Fudge results:

Date        Time        Place       Field        Notes

01/05/91 16:23.0    1              71            With Petey, 16 degrees

01/19/91 15:59.0    1              60            Out slow 19 deg

01/26/91 16:17.0    1              50            Mulligan took it out caught him at 2.5, 2 degrees very cold

02/09/91 14:57.0    1              46            CR old CR Bostick 1531 in 1990 Nice 40s

02/16/91 17:10.0    1              36            10 degrees and windy went as easy as possible to win

01/02/99 16:45.0    2              30            -1 degree did long w-up and w-dwn

01/14/06 17:49.0    3              37            Rich 15:44, 2nd 10 sec up, Rob 3 sec back.  Felt tired 55 degrees!

01/21/06 17:30.0    3              40            Rich 15:46, Ken Tripp 17:06.  524/526/543/57 Fifty degrees again.

02/18/06 17:52.0    2              22            Surprised at mile, tired but decent run 534/531/547/57. Dan 16:45

02/25/06 17:49.0    2              30            Felt tired.  Dan went with me for .5 then took off. 532/531/549/57. Dan 17:14

02/04/07 19:28.0    1              27            Snow on the road and 20 degrees.  Alone after 1m splits 613/552/615/65

02/17/07 18:23.0    3              33            Dan won in 1745.  Felt good 549/539/555/60

01/03/09 18:00.0    2              45            Alone the whole way.  Jim Johnson 16:23, sunny 20's

01/14/12 17:21.0    1              63            Dan was doing a workout, together until just about 2m.  5:27/5:26/5:46/42

02/04/12 17:20.0    1              87            Back and forth with Dave Corbett got him by 3 seconds in last 200m

01/04/14 18:50.0    2              56            Minus 7 degrees and slick road, battled Mike Quintal the entire way

01/11/14 17:37.0    4              92            Good footing except turns about 34 degrees.  1. Ryan Gough 15:50

01/23/16 18:37.0    2              118          Felt awful, hoped for 545's, felt flat.  Got smoked lost 30 seconds in last 1.5

01/21/17 17:55.0    1              129          Alone from the start, 545/545/550/32

02/04/17 17:53.6    2              129          In a group this time, colder and breezier than last time, 546/537/546/41

02/18/17 17:52.7    3              162          Kept it close until 2.5 then they just blew doors, 541.4/540.8/547.6/42.9