Angels

 Next up was the “Angels 5k”.  This was the sixth race in the CARS, as with the previous weekend I was not planning on being here but with my knee issues I was not away for this race. It was nasty hot all week with temps in the 90s and tropical dew point readings.  I felt miserable most of the week, not to mention my knee which was bad enough that I went back in for a very early follow-up.  Race morning was not HOT but it was soupy.  75 degrees but dew points also in the 70s.  The race was at 8 am, so at least it wouldn’t be brutally hot.
 
I headed out for a course preview warm-up and ran the last mile with Ernie Brake and Tim Cox.  I was hoping to give Ernie a good race but was feeling pretty flat.  I was dripping wet changing into race gear and then headed out for another mile with some strides.  A decent field of nearly 200 lined up and shot off at the start.  I found myself in 15th place and was having a lot of trouble getting going.  Ernie had already gapped me by 200 meters in and I found myself running with Allison Davis, the top woman in the CARS.  She was out a little quick but I was also struggling, I’d started the year beating her by nearly a minute and every race she has gotten closer.  I don’t want ANYONE beating me and don’t really care if it is a man or woman.  I locked onto her as we hit the downhill into the mile mark.  Ernie was up ahead in the pack with Tim Cox and Sam Wood already more than 10 seconds ahead.  At 1.2 Allison said “Tim is fading, let’s catch him”.  I didn’t say anything, I was pretty sure Tim would NOT fade and his group was already 15 seconds ahead.  At 1.6 we hit the tough hill and I pulled away from Allison and finally started making up some ground on Ernie.  At 2 miles I was about 10 seconds back from Ernie, but I just couldn’t get rolling as the course flattened out.  At each turn Ernie looked back, so I knew he was nervous.  With ½ mile to go I’d closed to about 5 seconds but wouldn’t get any closer as he had a decent kick (and I didn’t).  It took all I had to crack 20 minutes!  Dang, I’d run nearly 30 seconds a mile faster a few weeks ago.  Ugly.  That is my sixth race in the 9 race series.  Since it is a best 6 finishes, I don’t need to run any of the remaining races.  If my knee allows I’ll do the Woodchuck 5k on July 27 and that will be the end of racing for a while.  More on that later.
 
1          16:57    Eli Lemire                      M18      Weare,  NH
2          17:33    Dylan Schulze               M33      Goffstown, NH
3          18:40    Steven Groulx               M23      Chester, NH
4          18:51    Spencer Pidhunrey        M17      Auburn, NH
5          19:05    Timothy Cox                  M51      Northwood, NH
6          19:07    Sam Wood                    M38      Laconia, NH
7          19:42    Max Bowman                M18      Berlin, NH
8          19:50    Ernest Brake                 M62      Sutton, NH
9          19:54    Jason Schoeller             M25      Manchester, NH
10        19:57    Dave Dunham               M60      Bradford, MA
11        20:02    Max Goupil                    M14      Contoocook, NH
12        20:07    Allison Davis                 F36       Contoocook, NH
13        21:05    Graham Hayslip            M33      Canterbury, NH
14        21:32    Norman Goupil              M46      Contoocook, NH
15        21:50    Richard Clymer              M63      Concord, NH

Exploring

 I had originally planned to take from the fourth of July to the 15th off from work to ride the Erie Canal.  My knee put an end to that, so I gave back most of my vacation time.  Eric had some time off and was interested in checking out various rail trails, so I kept a long weekend in play and headed to Vermont and New York.  It was a fun time, I got in some biking, fireworks, a bunch of rail trails for runs and many hours of hijinks.  I also ran in a NY town I’d never run in, caught the International Space Station twice in the same day, and checked out a historical cemetery (the Letterbox was no longer there). Runs included the Concord & Sunapee rail trail, Northern rail trail, Ti-Haul rail trail, Shelburne Bay Park trail, Adirondack rail trail (Lake Placid end), Adirondack rail trail (Saranac Lake end), Little Ausable River rail trail (a side rail from the Delaware & Hudson), Plattsburgh Community Path, and the Causeway trail.

 

Looking back - July 2019

 Carson Memorial (Chelmsford 4th of July race):  Tom Hildreth gave me number 11 for my 11 previous finishes.  I had five wins over the years, now winning my age group would be a major challenge.  Nearly 2,000 lined up and Tom moved us up from one fake start line to the next.  RD Bob Sullivan showed up, gave the final instruction and we got ready to go.  The gun went off, I took off, and one step into the race I tangled up with one of the kids and went down in a heap.
 
I popped back up with an assist from Terry McNatt and was on my way.  I reached the mile in 5:43m much slower than I'd hoped for!  I got to the finish in 11:21.something.  Basically, what I'd thought I could run but not quite what I'd hoped for. 
    
This makes it look like it took me 10 seconds to run the last 3 steps.  It felt that long but is actually a quirk of the timing clock that rolls from 11:19 to 11:29 before the “9” rolls to “0”.
Carson Memorial 2 mile - MALE AGE GROUP:  50 to 59
 
Place O'All Time    Name                       Age Sex Race# City/state                
    1    21   10:53 Bob Tremblay            52 M     703 Chelmsford MA          
    2    27   11:22 Dave Dunham           55 M      11 Bradford MA            
    3    29   11:26 Scott Grandfield          54 M    1622 Rehoboth MA            
    4    33   11:29 Terry McNatt              54 M    1544 Needham MA             
    5    66   12:55 Bob Sullivan              55 M      33 Chelmsford MA     

     
 Loon Mountain race:  I like the Loon mountain race so much I (accidently) entered it twice!  They had a special $15 entry fee back in January, so I entered.  June rolled around, and I decided I wanted to do Loon and entered it again.  D’oh! Conditions were great, about 70 degrees but very dry and comfortable.  My goal for today was to see if I could top the Senior (50+) age group.  Steve Brightman would most likely be the guy to keep an eye on.  He has speed, strength, and can climb with the best.  I was in about 70th at the start of the XC portion of the race. 
My goal for the 2.5 miles of XC was to not get hurt.  I stayed on my feet and slowly moved by a few more guys.  The real climbing starts after the XC part.  I could see that Steve was about 30 seconds ahead and showing no signs of slowing.  I had looked at last year’s results and knew that I’d run over a minute faster than Steve at the Upper Walking Boss, so my goal was to have him within that range when I got there. 

 
Finally, the UWB timing mat loomed in sight and I checked my watch to see how far Steve was ahead (15 seconds), then SLAM the climb started.  I passed him about halfway up.  I got to the line then hit the ground for some recovery. 
 
M50+
30        1:03:43 1          M50-59 Dave Dunham   M         55        Bradford           MA            Central Mass Striders
32        1:04:15 2          M50-59 Jim Boule          M         52        Campton           NH            acidotic RACING
33        1:04:22 3          M50-59 Steve Brightman           M         50        Providence RI            Central Mass Striders
44        1:06:42 4          M50-59 Jeff Walker       M         53        Falmouth ME     Dirigo RC
45        1:06:54 5          M50-59 Erik Vandendries           M         54        Chestnut Hill MA            Central Mass Striders
63        1:10:51 9          M50-59 Ed Sheldon       M         54        Hooksett NH     Central Mass Striders
140       1:20:05 22        M50-59 David Lapierre   M         55        Chelmsford MA  Central Mass Striders
 

Boston Community Gardens: While working on visiting all of the Trustee’s of the Reservations properties I saw that they also managed 56 community gardens throughout Boston.  Although you couldn’t count them towards the “Hike 125” totals, I thought it’d be cool to try to visit them all in one fell swoop.  Two of the locations were in East Boston with no access by foot to Boston proper so I came up with a loop that would visit 54 locations in a little under 27 miles.  I tossed the idea out to some of my CMS teammates and David Lapierre signed on.  We met at the Andover park and ride at 4am, drove to the two East Boston locations by 4:30am and were ready to run at 5am.  With a start/finish at the Franklin Park Zoo we did a big counterclockwise loop of Boston that took a little less than 5 hours.  I handled most of the navigation with Dave handling most of the conversation.  It was a terrific morning that went off without a hitch and gave me a much better impression of city running.  We are claiming the speed record for visiting all of the Community Gardens but may also be the first people to visit them all.  Great fun!
  

 
Bill Luiti 5 mile (July 20):  It was a nasty hot and humid morning, so no one would be running personal bests.  My goal for the day was to survive and hopefully move one step closer to winning the Age Graded Masters in the series and help our team toward taking the team title.
 
My hope was to keep Scott Clark in sight for the first 1.5 and then see what I could do on the downhill.  Scott went out and Ernie Brake and I hooked up with him about 1/2 mile in.  We were all pretty much together for most of the uphill then Ernie turned on the jets and put 10+ seconds on us.  I was about 30th place at the bottom of the hill and moved up a couple of places on the climb.  Scott and I ran together until a little after 3 then I just could not stick with him. 
I held on for a disappointing 31:42 (compared to 29:38 last year) but managed a first place in the Age Graded Masters and the 55-59 age group.  Our team had a great day taking the top 3 age graded places and 4 of the top 6! 
                                 
Trying to catch fellow 50+ Sean Snow                                Didn’t get him
  
50+
   15   1/16   M5054   31:17    31:17  6:16 Scott Clark            53 M   194 Gilmanton NH              78.85%
   19   2/16   M5054   31:42    31:42  6:21 Sean Snow              52 M   371 Dunbarton NH              77.17%
   20   1/29   M5559   31:43    31:43  6:21 Dave Dunham            55 M    15 Bradford MA               79.10%
   22   2/29   M5559   32:19    32:18  6:28 Jim Angell             55 M   147 Hopkinton NH              77.67%
   23   3/16   M5054   32:24    32:23  6:29 Darin Brown            52 M    76 Madison NH                75.54%
   25   3/29   M5559   32:47    32:46  6:34 Ernest Brake           58 M   195 North Sutton NH           78.57%
 

CARS finale - Woodchuck 5k: It all came down to this final race in the 8 race CAR series.  The TBA team (me, JJ, Scott Clark, Ernie Brake, and Darin Brown) were leading but could still lose to Mugwumps.  I was also leading the age graded masters but Jim Angell was right behind me and Scott and Ernie also had a shot at moving ahead of me.
 
My goal for this race was to take it out hard and never "settle in".  Scott would need to run under 18 minutes on this quite hilly course to move ahead of me in AG standings but Jim Angell could run about 18:20 and (if ahead of me) beat me in the series.  I was about 20th as we passed the Canterbury Fair and the downhill lessened.  At about 1/2 mile I found a good rhythm and passed Ernie then drew even and passed Scott.  At the 180 turn (1.5 miles) I took a careful look and did not see Jim (although he wasn't that far back).  That gave me a boost to try to reel in Kevin Crowley (who is usually right around me).  As I closed the gap on Kevin, Ernie seemed to fall back.  At 2 miles I could hear him, but it sounded like he was falling back.  I moved ahead of Kevin before we turned onto the dirt road with the final long hill.  I thought about taking a look back but figured it would not help me go any faster and it just might give Ernie the idea that I was worried (I was). I felt pretty beat on the climb but closed on another guy before the 3 mile mark. 
 
Our team (TBA) took 9th, 13th, 14th, and 15th overall and 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th in the Age Graded masters.  That was good enough for us to lock up the series and me to lock up the series AG masters.
 
Canterbury Chipmunk 5k 07-27-19
    1   1/3    MOPEN   15:51  5:06 Matt Chorney          30 M   273 Jackson WY                82.16%
    2   2/3    MOPEN   16:48  5:25 Louis Saviano III     28 M   220 Sandown NH                77.31%
    3   3/3    MOPEN   16:52  5:26 Andrew Tuttle         24 M   197 Alton NH                  76.98%
    4   1/15   M3039   17:29  5:38 David Chorney        31 M   289 Concord NH                74.66%
    5   1/8    M1519   17:39  5:41 Colin Lessard          17 M   107 Bow NH                    74.14%
 
    9   1/29   M5059   18:27  5:57 Dave Dunham        55 M    15 Bradford MA               83.12%
   12   2/29   M5059   18:49  6:04 Jim Angell             55 M   147 Hopkinton NH              81.50%
   13   3/29   M5059   18:54  6:05 Scott Clark            53 M   194 Gilmanton NH              79.88%
   14   4/29   M5059   18:58  6:07 Ernest Brake         58 M   195 North Sutton NH           82.82%
   15   5/29   M5059   19:36  6:19 Darin Brown          52 M    76 Madison NH                76.43%

 

Looking back - July 2009 & 2014

 July 2009 (15 years ago):  I was having a lot of trouble with my foot and only raced twice.  The day after the 2nd race I learned I had a stress fracture of the Tarsal/Metatarsal joint which sidelined me for six weeks.  First up (07/05) was the Loon mountain race which at the time was still just a nice friendly little race (204 finishers).  I had a decent run taking first in the masters and 5th overall and noted “Ran the entire way up the Upper Walking Boss”.  The following week (07/12) I ran the Ascutney Mountain race.  This was an unusual version of the race that went up the road for 2.3 miles then onto the trail.  It was not my kind of race with some technical climbing/descending.  I was 11 seconds back when we hit the trail then Double-J took charge and beat me by over a minute.  I took third in 38:44.                                                                    
Loon Mountain
1  48:25            Jim Johnson     M32      Salem NH         CMS
2  48:49            Abdeltif Faker   M24      Malden MA       
3  48:57            Patrick Ard        M25      Raymond NH     Whirlaway
4  49:34            Andy McCarron M26      Keene NH         CMS
5  50:01            Dave Dunham   M45      Ward Hill MA     CMS
6  50:16            Ed Breen          M27      Medford MA      GBTC
7  51:12            Tim VanOrden  M41      Bennington VT  CMS
8  51:21            Todd Callaghan M39      Somerville MA   GCS-triad
11 52:52           Jim Pawlicki      M34      Beverly MA        CMS

Ascutney 
    1   37:26  9:22 Jim Johnson          32 M   583 Salem NH      CMS         
    2   38:08  9:32 Andy McCarron      26 M   247 Keene NH      CMS         
    3   38:43  9:41 Dave Dunham        45 M   539 Bradford MA   CMS         
    4   39:03  9:46 Joe Shaw              28 M   373 Grantham NH            
    5   39:56  9:59 Todd Callaghan      39 M   455 Somerville MA  GCS        
    6   40:52 10:13 Tim Van Orden      41 M   246 Bennington VT CMS         
    8   41:25 10:22 Kasie Enman         29 F   342                        
    9   41:39 10:25 Tim Mahoney         29 M   450 Holyoke MA     CMS        
   11  43:56 10:59 James Pawlicki       34 M   562 Beverly MA     CMS   
                                                                                                           
July 2014 (10 years ago):  Another injury shortened month.  I was dealing with a bone bruise and was in a walking boot except when running (with a promise to take time off after Loon Mountain which was the USA mountain championships).  I finished in 46th place overall but more importantly (to me) I was tops in the 50+ age group running 1:02:55 for the 6.6 mile mostly uphill race.  Two weeks later (07/20) I WALKED the Cranmore Mountain race to get my final race I needed for “Goat Status”.  It was kind of fun to do the two laps with absolutely no running.                                               

Chelmsford 4th of July - Carson Memorial Race

 I wasn’t sure if racing on the fourth of July would be a very good idea.  I got a PRP injection in my knee 10 days before and had only started back to running a few days previous.  Tom H had kindly given me a comp entry and a chance to run my 14th time at the Carson Memorial was too hard to pass up.  My knee was still feeling tender but wasn’t too bad once running.  I got in a 3 mile run at 5:15 to try to loosen up a bit.  I arrived a little early for the 9:30 am start and got to see a lot of familiar faces.  My 1999 Sullivan Farms t-shirt was the oldest version I spotted.  Dave La met me at the 1.5 mile mark to finish his warm-up from home and my warm-up from the start.  It was funny hearing a couple of the guys at the water stop that I know say to each other after I passed “he is still out there doing it”.  That was the best I felt on race morning! It was humid but temps were still only in the 70s, dry-mouth territory but not heat exhaustion weather.  I switched into racing flats and did another mile with some strides.  I wasn’t feeling terrible, just nervous, and worried about the start.  I’d gotten knocked down 3 years ago and with the number of small kids who jump on the start line it is always a rough start.  At least 50 Greater Lowell Road Runners gathered for a team picture (Dave and I are both also members) which broke up some of the tension.  Then it was onto the first fake start line, the second, and finally the real start line.  The post-pandemic years (the race was not held for 2 years) had fields around 1,200, this year there was a resurgence to over 1,800 finishers.  That meant a crazy packed start.
 
I missed hitting my watch at the start as I was using my arms to establish some space as we took off.  I did not realize I missed it until we passed the ½ mile mark and it did not beep.  I started it then, but missing the first ½ mile was a stupid mistake.  I thought I got out well but was feeling sluggish through what should be a quick ½ mile.  Doing the math working with the splits I had, and my finishing time had me going through in 3-flat.  That was a at least 5 seconds slower than hoped for.  Having just finished a 5k in under 6-minute pace I was hoping to run in the low 11:40’s.  I don’t think missing that first split change how I raced.  I went as hard as I could and just never felt smooth.  I got a few shouts along the way (Joe at the water stop, Petey near 1 mile, and my parents with ¼ mile to go) which was nice.  I passed people from ¼ to about 1.5 and only lost a couple of spots in the last ½ to some strong kickers.  It took all I had to struggle into the finish before the clock rolled to 12 minutes.
 
I had just enough time to grab a water as D-la finished.  We ended up taking 1st and 2nd in the 60+ with race director Bob Sullivan taking 3rd.  I grabbed my hidden running shoes that I’d placed behind a tree the previous weekend and had a nice warm-down run back to the start with Jen H.  It was nice getting to catch up and especially nice to have the race over and the worry done.  My time was a disappointment but I’ll enjoy my prize for winning the age group ($20 gift certificate to Sullivan Farms ice cream).
 
Place          Name                            Div/Tot     Guntime   Pace           Div              Age            Sex             City            St
1                 Alex Corbett               1                 9:14           4:37           M1929     27               M                Worcester                 MA
2                 John Mieszczanski   2                 9:25           4:43           M1929     23               M                Chelmsford                 MA
3                 Bryce Anderson        3                 9:59           5:00           M1929     20               M                Harrisburg                   NC
28               Cali Coffin                    1                 11:14        5:37           F1929       21               F                  Nashua     NH
 
Top 10 60+
53               Dave Dunham           1                 11:59        6:00           M6069     60               M                Bradford  MA             60
77               David Lapierre           2                 12:42        6:21           M6069     60               M                Chelmsford MA        705
95               Bob Sullivan                3                 13:02        6:31           M6069     60               M                Chelmsford MA        33
126            Thomas Noyes          4                 13:43        6:52           M6069     61               M                McCormick SC           208
136            Ken Goodin                 5                 13:49        6:55           M6069     69               M                Lowell MA              1433
152            Keith O'Brien              6                 14:02        7:01           M6069     60               M                                                 1641
155            Glenn Ackley              7                 14:05        7:03           M6069     63               M                Chelmsford MA        135
162            Peter Wasylak           8                 14:12        7:06           M6069     68               M                Dunstable MA           14
212            Steve Sears                 9                 14:46        7:23           M6069     64               M                Westford MA             480
221            Gerald Fredrickson  10               14:54        7:27           M6069     62               M                Westford MA             1065

 

Week Ending 07/07/24

 Full week back running after the PRP injection.  I did not feel good.  My knee has been worse each day with swelling and locking.  I may go back in and see if there is anything else I can do.  It takes 4-6 weeks for the PRP to work but the amount of pain and swelling is terrible.

With having to cancel the Erie Canal Ride, I decided to take a long weekend with the 4th of July holiday and get in some runs on rail trails I hadn't run on before.  Eric Morse came up with some ideas in NY and I was on board.

I caught some fireworks, ran on the Concord-Sunapee Rail Trail, Northern Rail Trail, Ti-Haul Trail, Shelburne Bay Trail, Adirondack Trail, Little Ausable Trail, Terry Gordon Path, and Causeway Rail Trail. We also got the "best donut in Plattsburgh", visited a letter box in the Gilliland Cemetery, and caught the ISS.  I also got in a couple of great bike rides.

Week - 80

Month - 80

Year - 2248

Life - 160979

Looking back - July 1999

 July 1999 (25 years ago):  I raced three times this month as ankle woes were hampering my racing and training.  On a muggy hot fourth of July, I had a good battle with Rusty Snow at the Bridgton (ME) 4 mile.  We went back and forth throughout the race, and he took it to me in the final 100 meters.  The next day was as hot and humid at the Carson Memorial 2 mile (Chelmsford MA).  Chris Teague jumped out to an early lead, but I was able to get by him with a half mile to go to take the win in 9:23. I finished the month (07/21) getting my butt kicked by Richard Bolt and Tim McCormick at the CMS series 5k in Leominster.  I ran 15:35 and wasn’t in sight of them. 

                               
Chelmsford 4th of July
    1   9:23  4:42 Dave Dunham             35 M   333 BRADFORD MA
    2   9:34  4:47 Chris Teague               30 M     3 CHELMSFORD MA
    3   9:37  4:49 Geoff Nickerson           20 M     1 EAST DERRY NH
    4   9:42  4:51 Eric Beauchesne          29 M     4 CHELMSFORD MA
    5   10:02  5:01 Mike Cooney              37 M   409 CHELMSFORD MA
   10  10:35  5:18 Bob Sullivan              35 M    33 CHELMSFORD MA       

        
 
Bridgton Maine 4m
    1   19:54  4:59 Rusty Snow               29 M WATERTOWN MA                5
    2   19:55  4:59 Dave Dunham           35 M BRADFORD MA                 6
    3   20:42  5:11 Kevin Way                 30 M HOLLIS ME                  11
    4   21:09  5:18 Kyle Rhoads              29 M WINDHAM ME                 10
    5   21:10  5:18 Robert Dabrieo          37 M WOBURN MA                1052

 
CMS weekly 5k (07/21)
1          14:56    Tim McCormick             20-39M Townsend, MA              CMS
2          14:58    Richard Bolt                  20-39M Bedford, NH                  CMS
3          15:35    Dave Dunham               20-39M Bradford, MA                 CMS
4          15:49    Kevin Beck                    20-39M Concord, NH                 CMS

Looking back - July 1989 & July 1994

 July 1989 (35 years ago):  I raced three times during this month, all pretty short races.  The first race was the Chelmsford 4th of July 2.1 mile that I won in 9:27.  Eric Beauchesne pushed the early pace but I was able to pull clear in the last ½ mile to win by 6 seconds.  The Sullivan Farms Racing Team put 8 in the top 12.  The next day I hit the track at Cawley Stadium for the GLRR 2 mile series.  Bob Hodge bolted out at the start and soloed to an impressive 8:54. I took 2nd place in 9:03.  Ten days later (07/15) I travelled to Buffalo for the Subaru 4 mile race.  I wasn’t happy with my race despite running 18:47 (4:42 per mile) which was good enough for 7th place ($150).                 

July 1994 (30 years ago):  I raced four times during this month with mixed results.  On the fourth of July I took on 500 others at the North Andover 10k.  I’m not sure why the field was so strong at this race, but probably because of prize money.  I went out in a pack of 10 that eventually dwindle to 5 by half-way.  I ended up running a 30:42 which was only good enough for 3rd place ($100), I noted in my log that I had “not much leg turnover”.  Four days later (07/08) I topped a field of 20 at the Fit Kids track mile at Pinkerton (Derry NH) with a 4:35. The following weekend I got another win at the Couples 5k (Concord NH) running a 14:34 for a 28 second win over Jamie Goodberlet.  I finished out the month (07/27) with a win in Fitchburg MA running a 15:25 at the CMS weekly series 5k.     

                                 

Looking back - July 1984

 July 1984 (40 years ago):  I raced twice during this month taking home two wins.  First up was the Chelmsford 4th of July race.  At the time it was 2.1 miles.  I ran 9:38 passing through 2 miles in 9:11. Two weeks later I topped a field of 900 at the very popular East End Club race in Lowell.  I ran 24:26 despite 90-degree temperatures.

Carson Memorial 2 mile

 This will be my 14th Carson Memorial/Chelmsford 4th of July race.  I’ve had pretty good luck here (except for getting knocked down in 2019).  Five overall wins and two age group wins.
 

The 4^th of July is a popular day to race so there are many choices.  I’ve raced 19 times on 07/04, including twice on that date in 2000!

If I make it to the finish line this year, the fourth will now tie with January 1^st as the most popular day for me to race on (again no surprises).  I have a lot of May dates for “most raced on date”, I think a lot of that goes back to that being the thick of High School outdoor track season and I’d often run in at least 2 races on any given race day.

Looking back - June 2019

 5 years ago (June 2019): I raced four times this month with a little bit of road, mountain, and a tiny bit of XC.  Over the river and through the woods 5k was race number 5 in the 8 race CARS series (06/08/19).  It was already 70 degrees and seemed warmer as we checked out the course.  It featured a couple of 180 degree turns, a nearly single-lane bike path, and a mile of Cross-Country.  My plan was to stick close to Scott Clark and try to get ahead of him for the XC part.  Over 200 took off at the start and the "root canal" tunnel followed by the 30' climb up over the highway and then the first 180.  I found myself with Scott in the top 15 with the 2nd pack.  Onto the XC part and I just couldn't get in front of Scott.  On the way back, right before we hit the bridge again Jim Angell (also 55 years old) went by. I stayed close but Jim gapped me as we went up over the highway.  When we hit the root canal I found a kick and was able to get around him and put a second on him.  Scott ended up taking the 50+ in 18:16 with me second in 18:26.
    1   1/3    MOPEN   16:57   16:56  5:27 Andrew Tuttle         23 M   197 Alton NH              76.67%
    2   2/3    MOPEN   17:34   17:33  5:39 Sam Evans-Brown   33 M   284 Concord NH          74.86%
    3   3/3    MOPEN   17:39   17:39  5:41 Colin Lessard          17 M   107 Bow NH                74.14%
    4   1/10   M1519   17:47   17:46  5:43 Sam Berube            18 M    46 Bow NH                73.11%
    5   2/10   M1519   18:09   18:08  5:50 Benjamin Neff         16 M   140 Bow NH                73.05%
    6   1/27   M5059   18:16   18:16  5:53 Scott Clark              53 M   194 Gilmanton NH        82.65%
    7   1/11   M3039   18:23   18:21  5:55 Kevin Crowley          33 M   212 Concord NH          71.60%
    8   2/27   M5059   18:26   18:26  5:56 Dave Dunham          55 M    15 Bradford MA          83.20%
    9   3/27   M5059   18:28   18:27  5:57 Jim Angell                55 M   147 Hopkinton NH       83.12%
   10   1/8    M2029   18:33   18:31  5:58 Timothy Lindberg      25 M   181 Ashland NH          70.12%
 
Mt Washington road race: This was the 29th time I’d raced up the auto road to the summit of the highest point in New England.  I hoped to run between 1:14 (my time last year) and 1:17 (the course record for 55+ is 1:16:58).  A good sized group of CMS guys gathered a little after 8am and we went out for an easy couple of miles on the trails.  The weather was low 60’s at the start and 40’s on top with 40mph winds.  I got in the second row at the start.  I counted about 30 people in front of me as we started the climb.  I tried to focus on teammates Erik Vandendries and Steve Brightman who are both in the 50+ age group.  Erik slowly pulled away at the mile and on the longer straights I could see him picking off people as the race progressed.  I got locked into catching then losing ground on Steve.  He would walk as it got steeper then run really fast as the grade decreased. I hit the half-way in 35:47 which was 35 seconds slower than last year (or about 10 seconds a mile!) so I was on pace for a 1:15-high.  I never lost focus and even had the top women in my sights for the 2nd half of the race.  At 7 miles I swore “if I finish I will never do this again” and charged on.  At the final turn I saw the clock and was able to sneak in under the age group record with a 1:16:46 for 26th overall and first in the 50+.
I ended up scoring for all three of the CMS winning teams (open, masters, seniors).  The club had a good day!  Todd won the 45-49 and Erik took the 50-54.  I may have set a record (certainly a personal best) for the least amount of time before running down.  I finished in just under 1:17, got myself to the summit (thank you Paul Grant for giving me a fleece blanket at the finish!), and crossed over the line heading down and the clock was still in the 1:24’s.


Pl          Time     Name    Age       Gen       City       St                     Club
1          1:02:52  Eric Blake           40         M          West Hartford CT
2          1:03:51  Francis Kamiri      32         M          Birmingham AL   
3          1:05:44  Lee Berube         28         M          Syracuse NY      
4          1:06:30  Nadir Cavagna     24         M          San Pellegrino ITA          
5          1:09:41  Nick Aguila          29         M          Manchester NH                MILL
8          1:10:22  Scott Mindel        32         M          Burlington MA                 CMS
14         1:14:12  Erik Vandendries  54         M          Chestnut Hill MA              CMS
19         1:15:27  Sean Livingston   50         M          Barrington RI                  WMM
21         1:15:56  Steve Brightman  50         M          Providence RI                  CMS
24         1:16:34  Todd Callaghan    49         M          Beverly MA                     CMS
26         1:16:47  Dave Dunham     55         M          Ward Hill MA                   CMS
30         1:17:22  Francis Burdett    54         M          Worcester MA                 CMS
 

Capital 10k: Finally, a longer race in the CARS series!  Most of the races in this 8-race series are 5k so I've been looking forward to the 10k.  The weather was turning warm but at least there wasn't any humidity.  This race gets a good turnout and is competitive since it is part of the NH grand prix.  It seemed fast as we headed down the main street, this would be a quick mile since it is slightly downhill, and we had a bit of a tailwind.  I settled into a good pack with fellow 50+ runners Scott Clark, Jim Angell, and Ernie Brake.  Charlie Bemis (WRT) had already pulled away and Brian Ruhm (GCS) was a few seconds ahead.  The first 3+ miles are fast and flat and I just kind of hung on in our little group.  Ernie fell off after a couple of miles and we caught up to Brian around 3 miles.  I tried to push it on the biggest climb from 3-4 and Brian was off the pack.  Scott and I caught the 2nd place woman and Jim fell off before 5 miles.  The last tough little hill at 5.5 really hurt but I was able to gap Scott.  I could see the first woman up ahead and Charlie as well, but they were WAY up ahead.  I pushed to the line and ended up taking 2nd in the 50+ and tops in the CARS age graded.  We had a good team run with three of the top 5 age graded results.


Overall
    1   1/3    MOPEN   32:57*   32:57  5:19 Forest MacKenzie       17 M  6928 Deerfield NH              81.77%
    2   2/3    MOPEN   33:20    33:20  5:22 Jacob Wormald          24 M   321 Pelham NH                 80.15%
    3   3/3    MOPEN   33:39    33:39  5:25 Andrew Erickson        23 M  6946 Lebanon NH                79.40%
    4   1/23   M2029   33:57    33:56  5:28 Christopher Dunn       24 M   415 Kennebunk ME              78.73%
    5   2/23   M2029   34:14    34:14  5:31 Andrew Tuttle          24 M   197 Alton NH                        78.04%
   24   1/46   M5059   37:17*   37:15  6:00 Charlie Bemis         56 M   486 Derry NH                  84.94%
   27   2/46   M5059   37:51*   37:49  6:06 Dave Dunham            55 M    15 Bradford MA               82.93%
   30   3/46   M5059   38:10    38:09  6:09 Scott Clark            53 M   194 Gilmanton NH              80.78%
   31   4/46   M5059   38:14*   38:12  6:09 Jim Angell             55 M   147 Hopkinton NH              82.10%
   34   5/46   M5059   38:32    38:29  6:12 Brian Ruhm             54 M  6956 Hollis NH                 80.78%
   36   6/46   M5059   39:22    39:17  6:20 Terrence Ferns         50 M   295 New London NH             76.48%
   38   7/46   M5059   39:28    39:26  6:21 Ernest Brake           57 M   195 North Sutton NH           80.95%
   54   9/46   M5059   41:43    41:42  6:43 Thomas Anderson        54 M  6937 Claremont NH              74.55%
 
 
Franklin Savings Bank 150th anniversary 5k race,  I wasn't sure where I was going to race this weekend but eventually settle on the FSB 5k in Franklin NH.  It was very humid and in the upper 70s during the warmup and getting more humid. There were about 100 people milling about before the start but only a couple of guys out doing any kind of warmup.  That gave me an indication that I might have a shot at a win.  I kept my eye on the race director (she had the starting gun) as the final announcements were made.  I heard her ask the timers if they were ready, they said "yes”, and she fired the gun.  I was ready but I think most were left standing.  I headed out in the lead and could hear some footfalls right behind me.  After 1/2 mile they faded and by a mile I was alone.  The mile was fast at 5:35 but the drop certainly helped.  I settled in but tried to keep pushing.  Splits of 6:00 and 6:00 were not quite what I hoped for but the effort was there.  I crossed the line in first place picking up my first win of the year (and 41st consecutive year).  Second place came in 1:21 later.  I finished off the morning with an excellent warm-down 5 miles on the Northern Rail Trail, it was only a little buggy.