Trip to Florida

I made my annual trip to Florida to visit my parents

Always decorated for each holiday

Spectators at the Trout Creek Trail race

Alligators!

50 miles of rail trail

Mile Zero

Letterbox!

Many Cadbury eggs

Finished the Gold Box puzzle

Trip to Meals on Wheels recycling 

Internet at Z-hills library

New 50+ 15km pr?

I can hope for a PR, but I'll settle for getting out there and being competitive. 

On to the Frank Nealon 15km USATF NE championships!

Date         Location   St             Time        PL            Fin           Info         

11/23/80 Lowell      MA           50:53       10            600          Turkey Trot               600 finishers, cramped at 6m

08/02/87 Worcester MA           46:08       2              223          NEAC 15K                 Dry 80 451/949/1533/1945/3111/3451/4608

09/25/88 Wilton     NH           46:52       3              800          NEAC 15K                 Upset stomache 1606/1529/1517

09/24/89 Wilton     NH           46:21       4              600          NEAC 15K                 Hodge went at 2, w Gompers and Fallon.  Hill=540. 1 Tinkham 4554

09/23/90 Wilton     NH           46:32       5              345          NEAC 15K                 Felt lousy 1600/3128/4633 1 Morse 4548

02/02/91 Lynn         MA           48:31       1              322          Stew chase               Artie got a flat, almost missed start.  Lou  R until 8 in wind then tied

09/22/91 Webster   MA           46:52       2              166          NEAC 15K                 Felt crappy big pack to 3 hilly tough ind 60s Dorion 4631

11/17/91 Tewksbury MA           46:43       1              345       Run Your Turkey Off  Fudge loop x 3 Barthlow/Sheehan most of the way 1525/1554/1520

02/01/92 Lynn         MA           46:58       1              407          Stew chase               26 deg windy off/on snow 2 Sheehan 4728

11/17/96 Tewksbury MA           46:36       1              584          Run Your Turkey Off  45 sunny, out w Sheehan to 3 then alone.  Dan 4717

11/15/98 Tewksbury MA           48:14       2              633          Run Your Turkey Off  Doubled up, alone in 5k out slow in 15k.

11/12/00 Tewksbury MA           49:29       3              482          Run Your Turkey Off  Dan 4840 Eric B 4900

02/03/01 Lynn         MA           48:09       2              367          Stew Chase               30 and windy Bryan Dunn 4808

04/10/04 Strafford   NH           56:19       4              118          Bow Lake                  Aiming for 6's, felt good on the big hill. Perez 49:45

02/01/09 Lynn         MA           56:34       22            296          Stew Chase               Felt decent, but out of gas last 1.3 miles.  As high as 16th place.

02/03/13 Lynn         MA           54:13       2              263          Stew chase              Porter split at 4m, gap 17 seconds by 6, down to 5 sec by 9 but couldn't 

08/31/14 Burlington VT            56:57       81            420          USATF NE 15km       First real race since the injury, better than expected. 8th in the 50-54

Trout Creek 15km trail race

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.  I headed out for my warm-up hoping that I’d be able to find my way around the 5km loop and get in a sneak-peek before the race.  The course was very well marked and very run-able.  They had mentioned the last 5k was much more technical than the first 10k but it wasn’t even Colorado technical, I was going to be way overdoing it by wearing Inov-8 trail shoes (road flats would have been fine).  With very little climb and great footing I expected to run around 6:30 pace and told my parents I should come through the start again after about 40 minutes of running.

It was warming up as about 250 lined up for both races, temps were in the low 60s at the start and low 70s at the finish but comfortable in the shade.  The start was interesting as they had us line up about 30’ below the berm and we’d run up the hill right at the start.  The 15k would turn left and the 5km would go right.  I took the lead right from the start with 2 guys following right behind me.  I probably went a bit too easy the first mile (643) and then tried to pick it up a bit.  It was VERY twisty from 1 to 3 miles, we had very few sections with 100m of straight.  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!  I stayed close until we got back on the berm and ran my fastest mile of the day (621) despite losing ground.  I was about 5 seconds behind 2^nd place and 20 behind the leader at the 5 mile mark.  Soon after we hit some more twisty stuff and we both closed on the leader.  We then had a short bushwhack and a funny hill climb up a big mound of seashells!  After that we were back on the berm and heading through 10km.  Man, the leader really took off and I was feeling the distance, the warm sun, and the lack of speed.  I fell to 25 seconds back and 10 behind 2^nd place.  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”.  Good plan!  Hard to execute.  I would lose sight of the new leader on the twisty parts then when we got to a straight I’d realize he wasn’t that far ahead.  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. 

This was a really nice race, they did a great job marking the course and there were plenty of aid stations (five).  I got a trophy that featured a metal runner attached to a rock.  Very ‘old school’.

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

    6   1:06:11 Bill McDonald            57   Bradenton                7:06

    7   1:06:36 Luke LeMond           38   St. Petersburg           7:09

    8   1:09:34 Jay Lund                 47   Bonita Springs           7:28

    9   1:10:28 Dan Kutina              40   Tampa                      7:34

132 finishers

USATF NE 15km course preview

Ed Sheldon and I checked out the 15km course in Upton (LAST YEAR)...
https://www.strava.com/activities/905102550

The 15km (9.3 mile) distance has rarely been contested in the Grand Prix.  This year marks only the ninth time the Grand Prix has included a 15km.  The distance was part of the GP from 1985-1991, then not included again until 2014.  In 1985 there were two 15k’s, the Butternut 15k (Great Barrington, MA) and the NEAC Women’s 15k in Wellesley.  In 1986 the Tewksbury “Run your turkey off” hosted.  In 1987 the selected race was the City of Worcester 15k.  For the years 1988-1990 the Wilton 15k played host and in 1991 Douglas Vending/Juice Bowl (Webster, MA) did.  The 15k returned to the scene in 2014 when the Green Mountain Athletic Alliance hosted the championship in Burlington VT.  None of the races are currently contested.  

The CMS open team has won five times with GLRR and WRT both taking one victory.  CMS has the team record with a 3:57:42 from 1987 which works out to the five runners averaging 47:32 (5:06 pace).  GLRR has four wins in the master’s category and the CR of 4:20:07 (5:35 pace).  CMS has two wins and GMAA has one win.  Senior teams were not contested in the “early” years.  The BAA has two team victories in the 50+ and GMAA has one.  

Information regarding this years “Boston Tune-up” race can be found here:

http://www.tri-valleyfrontrunners.com/tuneup/tune-up.php

The current scenic rolling course has been used since 2007, there have been some very fast times run.  Course records:

Overall  Casey Moulton  47:34  2007  
40 - 49  Keiron Tumbleton  51:44  2007  
50 - 59  David Oliver  53:30  2007  
60 - 69  Larry Olsen  55:46  2007  
70+  Harry Carter  1:06:24  2007  
 
Overall  Steph Reilly  54:21  2013  
40 - 49  Meredith Dutton  58:44  2009  
50 - 59  Kris Gleason  1:07:01  2013  
60 - 69  Linda Usher  1:20:27  2011  
70+  Paulina Berman  1:49:33  2012  
 
The course is definitely “rolling” but with a total of 253’ of climb and descent that makes it much easier than the Amherst 10 mile (591’) or the USATF NE 10m champs in Auburn NH last year (469’).  None of the hills were particularly memorable but they could take a collective toll.

Here is what the course looks like:

CMS 15km USATF championship history

CMS history – USATF NE 15km championships

The 15km (9.3 mile) distance has rarely been contested in the Grand Prix.  This year marks only the ninth time the Grand Prix has included a 15km.  The distance was part of the GP from 1985-1991, then not included again until 2014.  In 1985 there were two 15k’s, the Butternut 15k (Great Barrington, MA) and the NEAC Women’s 15k in Wellesley.  In 1986 the Tewksbury “Run your turkey off” hosted.  In 1987 the selected race was the City of Worcester 15k.  For the years 1988-1990 the Wilton 15k played host and in 1991 Douglas Vending/Juice Bowl (Webster, MA) did.  The 15k returned to the scene in 2014 when the Green Mountain Athletic Alliance hosted the championship in Burlington VT.  None of the races are currently contested.  The CMS open team has won five times with GLRR and WRT both taking one victory.  CMS has the team record with a 3:57:42 from 1987 which works out to five guys running 47:32 (5:06 pace).  GLRR has four wins in the master’s category and the CR of 4:20:07 (5:35 pace).  CMS has two wins and GMAA has one win.  Senior teams were not contested in the “early” years.  The BAA has two team victories in the 50+ and GMAA has one.  CMS individuals have been crowned New England champion three times.  Wayne Jacob (47:13) 1985, Eric Morse (45:48) 1990, and Rick Doiron (46:31) 1991.

Top CMS times for 15km in a USATF NE championship race

Rank     Time     Year      Place     Name

1          45:48    1990     1          Eric       Morse

2          46:26    1987     3          Frank     Ritchie

3          46:31    1991     1          Rick       Doiron

4          47:13    1985     1          Wayne   Jacob

5          47:15    1990     7          Tom      Anderson

6          47:16    1991     4          Wayne   Jacob

7          47:17    1986     2          Bart       Petracca

8          47:26    1987     5          Reno     Stirrat

9          47:28    2014     2          Nate      Jenkins

10         47:30    1990     8          Jim       Zimmerly

11         47:31    1987     6          Bart       Petracca

12         47:36    1985     2          Jim       Murphy

13         48:00    1987     8          Kevin     McGovern

14         48:04    1986     5          Steve    O'Connell

15         48:19    1987     10         Fran   

New Bedford 50+ results

Cat/Pl	Chip	Pl	Name	Age	Sx	No.	Team
1	1:14:44	67	PETER HAMMER	51	M	2049	BAA
2	1:18:48	131	DAVID PRINCIPE	50	M	2098	CMS
3	1:19:42	146	ERIK VANDENDRIES	53	M	2105	CMS
4	1:20:51	165	CHARLIE BEMIS	55	M	1498	WRT
5	1:20:55	167	WAYNE LEVY	52	M	2054	BAA
6	1:21:05	176	MARK REEDER	58	M	1656	GLRR
7	1:21:07	177	DAVE DUNHAM	53	M	2099	CMS
8	1:21:11	179	BRIAN RUHM	52	M	2238	GCS
9	1:21:22	182	SCOTT ANDERSON	53	M	1531	WRT
10	1:21:50	191	ALEX MCHENRY	52	M	2333	GMAA
11	1:22:18	202	TERRY MCNATT	53	M	1410	CSU
12	1:23:13	214	MARTIN TIGHE	59	M	2103	CMS
18	1:25:43	260	GARY CATTARIN	54	M	2102	CMS
23	1:26:45	287	PAUL YOUNG	52	M	2104	CMS
26	1:27:38	306	PHILIP SAVOY	55	M	2101	CMS
31	1:29:23	336	DAVID LAPIERRE	54	M	699	CMS
95	1:49:44	834	FRANK RUGGIERO	59	M	1213	CMS

                      MALE SENIORS TEAM RESULTS

   1.  CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS        

          1:18:48 1:19:42 1:21:07 1:23:13 1:25:43 (1:26:45) (1:27:38) = 6:48:33

         DAVID PRINCIPE 50 M, ERIK VANDENDRIES 53 M, DAVE DUNHAM 53 M, MARTIN

         TIGHE 59 M, GARY CATTARIN 54 M, PAUL YOUNG 52 M, PHILIP SAVOY 55 M

   2.  BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION  

          1:14:44 1:20:55 1:24:56 1:25:15 1:29:14 (1:30:45) (1:36:35) = 6:55:04

         PETER HAMMER 51 M, WAYNE LEVY 52 M, PAUL DAVIES 51 M, DAVID CONSIGLI

         53 M, ANDREW MACDONALD 58 M, KYLE BOWERS 52 M, JAMIE WILSON 65 M

   3.  WHIRLAWAY RACING TEAM        

          1:20:51 1:21:22 1:29:53 1:31:25 1:32:17 (1:33:09) (1:45:38) = 7:15:48

         CHARLIE BEMIS 55 M, SCOTT ANDERSON 53 M, EPHRAIM EZEKIEL 60 M, KEN

         WARREN 56 M, PAUL HAMMOND 58 M, JIM QUADROS 55 M, JOHN GORMAN 60 M

New Bedford half-marathon

So it begins...I've been doing the grand prix road series since 1987.  The New Bedford half-marathon was the first race in the 2018 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 since the calf injury (Jan. 21) and the prostate related surgery (Feb. 6).  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.

Dave La and I met up with Martin Tighe and headed out for an easy 2 mile warm-up.  It was a good idea to run the first mile of the course and get a feel for the wind and the cold.  It made deciding how many layers to wear a lot easier.  I went with tights and protective shorts and two long-sleeve light weight tops over a CMS t-shirt, gloves and ear-covers kept hands and ears safe.  It was a little chilly running over to the start but not bad once we got going.

I seeded myself about 10 rows back (based on previous years) but was a bit surprised at how long it took to cross the line (10 seconds) and then another 1/4 mile before I was able to run without worrying about tripping on anyone.  I went out conservatively, the opening downhill mile was covered in 6:11 and then the rolling (each one had a decent hill) next three in 6:15, 6:23, and 6:27.  I was not in panic mode.  I had a plan to try and be relaxed through four then try to move  up during the next very fast 4 miles.  I latched onto a couple of guys at 4 and started rolling (5:47 & 5:58) got me up to my CMS teammates Art Besse, Jim Pawlicki, and Martin Tighe.  We stayed together through 7 (5:47) and then our little group broke as Arthur made a move to bridge the gap to the big group in front of us and I went with him.  I felt this would be the group to be in once we hit the wind after 9 miles.  The pack also had fellow 50+ runner Charlie Bemis (WRT), so I really wanted to be in the mix. 

That was definitely the group to be in as we ran a 607 and 603 before hitting the wind.  Charlie and I hung back a bit as the other two guys took turns leading into the wind.  One of the guys was very enthusiastic encouraging other runners to "jump on board" and motioning for either me or Charlie to take a turn at the front.  I don't know about Charlie but I had no interest in taking the brunt of the wind.  Heck, it is a race not a workout.  I do appreciate that they didn't ditch us, it certainly made 10 & 11 easier (611 & 621-estimated).

A little after 11 I saw another 50+ WRT runner not too far ahead.  Soon Charlie gapped me but by 12 (621) I had caught Scott Anderson (the other WRT runner).  So I lost a 50+ spot but gained one.  That last hill is a bear but finally my watch beeped for 12.5 miles and I knew it was all downhill to the finish.  My legs were pretty beat and I couldn't really go into a kick on the down.  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.

No complaints and now 2 weeks until the next GP race!


Splits:
611
615
623
627
547 (tailwind!)
558
547
607
603
611 (headwind)
543 (wrong)
700 (wrong - but the 2 miles in 1243 is right on)
621
51
1:21:07