Hopkinton winter 5k

I hadn’t raced in 65 days (Chelmsford Alumni XC the day after Thanksgiving) which for me is akin to a lifetime.  A hamstring pull in early December put the kibosh on racing and I was tentative coming back from this as this was the same hamstring I’d completely torn back in April.  I’m trying very hard to listen to what my body is saying.  Trying.  My mileage has been good, and I’ve slowly gotten my training run tempo up.  This week I did a three mile lunch run in a step under 7’s with no repercussions so I felt it would be safe to race a 5k.  I’ve had good luck at the Hopkinton Winter 5k’s over the last few years and the timing was right, so I signed up for another go at the out and back “mostly flat” 5k race.  The part that isn’t flat is about ½ mile leading up to the turn which also happens to be where the road turns to dirt (which in the winter means either mud or ice – or both).

On race morning I did 3 miles at 530 am to loosen up a bit.  My stomach was not feeling great, and I was tired, not the ideal way to start the day.  I felt a little better when I got to Hopkinton and had a decent warm-up checking out the course.  The temperature was right at 32 degrees but there was no wind.  The road was in decent shape and the dirt section was a bit icy but not terrible.  About 100 lined up after being assured that it was chip timed so “don’t crowd the start”.  One little kid shot out like a rocket at the start but was pretty  much done 100 meters in.  I found myself with another guy in third place as we rounded the first turn.  The leader was slowly pulling away.  By the half-mile I was 10 seconds back and alone in second place.  Nothing would change, although at times it seemed like I was closing the gap ultimately, I was ‘first loser’, 18 seconds back.  It was another minute to third place.  I had hoped to run under 630s, so goal met.  I’ll take it as a good starting point.

Place          Time          First           Last            Sex             Age            City            State          Pace

1                 19:52        Mason      Howe        M                22               Sanbornton NH         6:20

2                 20:10        Dave          Dunham   M                59               Bradford  MA             6:25

3                 21:08        Norm        Goupil       M                45               Contoocook NH        6:44

4                 21:37        Chrisr        Johnson   M                56               Concord   NH              6:53

5                 21:58        Michael    Popham   M                42               Bedford    NH              7:00

6                 22:31        Jonathan Kovak        M                53               Contoocook NH        7:10

7                 22:58        Charlotte  Boyington F                13               Chester     NH              7:19

8                 23:07        Stephen   Laboe        M                32               Concord   NH              7:22

9                 23:10        Finn           Kovar        M                14               Bow           NH              7:23

10               23:18        Ellen           Raffio        F                  55               Bow           NH              7:25

Week Ending 01/28/24

 

Week Ending 01-28-24

No ISS sightings this week, but one Starlink satellite.  Felt flat for most of the week and worried that the sinus infection was getting worse.  Bounced back a bit by the end of the week and did my first race since late-November.

Week – 87

Month – 350

Year – 350

Life – 159,081

 

Looking back - January 2019

 Well, not much going on this month.  I continued to struggle with my ankle injuries and a strained hamstring.  I ended up missing 3 days in the middle of the month due to the ankle flare-up.  I tried to take advantage of the Government shut down and the lack of snow to explore some local gems.  The Lowell & Lawrence Railroad trail in Andover was an interesting mix of old rail trail and local foot paths.  One section had a not fully competed elevated board walk, that was 3 or 4 feet above the ground in spots.

I visited the Independence Greenway in Peadbody/Ipswich on a chilly but clear morning.  I’d run on this trail previously but hadn’t checked out any of it beyond the active quarry (you can’t use the trail on Thursdays at certain times due to blasting).  Very scenic trail!

I checked out the new Garrison trail (Salisbury/Newburyport) on a morning after a very light snow.  The trail is very nice despite being right on Route 95.  The highlight is probably the view as you cross over the Merrimack river.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking back - January 2014

 

I started the month (01/04/14) testing a bothersome glute muscle in a close race with Mike Quintal at the weekly Fudgesicle race in Tewksbury.

    1 Michael Qunital    1/7   35 M3039 N Andover MA   18:48  6:04
    2 Dave Dunham      1/4   49 M4049 Bradford   MA   18:50  6:04
    3 Liam Skinner        2/4   47 M4049 LOWELL   MA   19:25  6:15

 

The next day I hosted a snowshoe race at Maudslay state park (I did this kind of stealthily as I did not have permission so technically it was just a “group run”.  I got a nice turnout but ended up running most of the race entirely alone.  After the race most of the group joined me for another 5k loop to pick up the flagging.

 

Place     Name                City       St         Gend     Age       Time     Pace      Team

1          Scott McGrath     Andover MA        M          27         20:19     06:33     WRT

2          Mark LaRosa       N Andover MA     M          35         20:54     06:45    

3          Steve Dowsett     Newburyport MA  M          25         21:09     06:49     WRT

4          James Pawlicki     Lynn MA             M          39         21:27     06:55     CMS

5          Gregory Putnam   Stoneham MA      M          44         22:00     07:06     CMS

6          Paul LaRosa        Newburyport MA  M          37         22:15     07:11    

7          Dave Dunham     Bradford MA       M          49         24:35     07:56     CMS

8          Derek Dorval       Kensington NH    M          40         25:29     08:13     WCRC

9          Brett Rickenbach  Danvers MA        M          38         25:41     08:17     WCRC

10         Tim Mallard         Brighton MA        M          24         26:19     08:29     GCS

11         Melissa Donais     N Andover MA     F          29         26:45     08:38     CMS

12         Theresa Ridgway Newburyport MA  F          44         30:21     09:47     Comp Racing

13         Eric Narcisi          Charlestown MA   M          34         32:36     10:31     WRT

14         Mariano Santangelo Derry NH         M          44         33:02     10:39     acidotic Racing

15         George Boudreau Dudley MA          M          44         49:41     16:02     CMS

16         Kristen Kozlosky  Lynn MA             F          39         55:00     17:45     Wicked RC

 

The following weekend I returned to Tewksbury for a good effort running back and forth with Ken Tripp.

1 15:50 Ryan Gough GLRR

2 16:03 Scott McGrath WRT

3 17:16 Tim Mallard GCS

4 17:37 Dave Dunham CMS

5 17:39 Kenneth Tripp CMS

6 18:30 Dan Verrington CMS

 

The last two weekends were snowshoe races, Whitaker Woods snowshoe (01/18/14) (fast packed snow) and the Sidehiller (twice around the 2 mile loop of the fairground – 01/26/14).  Sidehiller had a deep field as many were attempting to qualify for snowshoe nationals.

Whitaker Woods

1 Nick Wheeler Male 20-29        BAA      22:04.8

2 Jim Johnson   Male 30-39        CMS     23:16.6

3 Dave Dunham Male 40-49        CMS     24:59.5

4 Sam Wood     Male 20-29        CMS     26:09.0            

 

Sidehiller

1     Brandon Newbould   31M Nottingham NH           Whirlaway          27:25

2     Jim Johnson            36M Madison NH                CMS                   27:37

3     Kevin Tilton             32M Conway NH                CMS/Dion           28:11

4     Robert Jackman       31M Warwick RI                TNT                   28:21

5     Ethan Nadeau          40 M Amherst MA              aR                     28:51

6     Todd Callaghan        44 M Beverly MA               GCS                   29:03

7     Steve Dowsett          25 M Newburyport MA        Whirlaway           29:12

8     Dave Dunham          49 M Bradford MA              CMS                   29:14

9     Nate Bassett            26 M Northwood NH                                    29:24

10    James Pawlicki         39 M Lynn MA                  CMS                   29:27

11    Ryan Welts              34 M Northwood NH          aR                      29:29

12    Ben Nephew            38 M Mansfield MA            CMS                   29:48

13    Phil Erwin                46 M Wading River NY       aR                      30:02

14    Ken Tripp                 44 M Amesbury MA           CMS                   30:07

15    Tim Cox                   40 M Northwood NH          aR                      30:47

Looking back - January 2009

 

Looking back - January 2009 (15 years ago)

I only logged 288 miles during this month but raced eight times.  My goal was to do a lot of snowshoe races and the weather cooperated.  I kicked off the year at the Hangover classic, running the JV race (5k) where I took 2^nd place on a brutal day.  It was 15 degrees the roads were covered with snow, and the wind was howling at over 30 mph.  Two days later I headed to Tewksbury since it was an “open” weekend (no snowshoe races).  Conditions were good but I ended up alone in 2^nd place right from the start.  Jim Johnson took the win in 16:23 and I trotted in 1:37 later.  The next weekend I made the LONG drive to Pittsfield for the Turner trail snowshoe race.  This is a great course with a tough climb and a fast descent.  I hit the top in 2^nd but got my doors blown off during the descent and ended up finishing in 5^th place 15 seconds behind teammate and top 40+ finisher Tim Van Orden.

 A week later I completed my first double-race weekend of the year.  Jim Johnson and I headed west and stayed out there for the weekend.  I felt pretty lousy at both races finishing in 5^th place at Greylock Glen and 4^th place at the Brave the Blizzard.    The following weekend I doubled again, this time in Readsboro VT and back to Pittsfield.  At Readsboro I took third place just barely holding off long-time WMAC series ace Ken Clark.  On Sunday I had a decent run at the Curly’s record run.  I love the climb at this race and decided near the top that I wanted to see if I could be the “king of the mountain”, I somehow got around Ben Nephew just before the top and sprinted ahead.  Soon after I lost the lead and ended up in finishing in third place 58 seconds behind Ben.

 My final race of the month was one I directed at Northfield Mountain.  A decent field of 77 showed up and I was surprised when partway through I recognized Leigh Schmitt who hadn’t run a WMAC race in years.  He buried me on the descent and I ended up in fourth place just over two minutes behind Josh Ferenc.

Week Ending 01-21-24

 After a couple of higher than recommended milage weeks I dropped back down closer to what my cap should be (80 miles per week).  This week was unusual in that I got in two long runs (anything over 6 miles in a single run is unusual for me).  Both of the 10 mile runs I did were with Verrington which in and of itself is an oddity these days.  With him moving away later this year, it is good to get in some final quality time :-)  I also got in some miles in Chelmsford and always quality runs in Concord.  The final bonus was some miles XC skiing (Crossblade skis for me).  Great fun!

Week - 82

Month - 273

Year - 273

Life - 158,994

Coldest run so far this year 9 degrees

Bright sun and clear blue sky

Methuen rail trail with temps around 15 degrees (and 20+ mph wind)

Looking back - Januray 2004

 

Looking back - January 2004 (20 years ago)

I was coming back from a hamstring injury during this month and managed 304 miles (just under 10 miles per day) while racing four times.  I started off the year with a small trail race at the Merrimack River.  It was supposed to be a snowshoe race but we didn’t have snow.  The trail was in good enough shape for non-snowshoe running so 20 of us did so.  I ran tentatively, deciding just before the start to run, and placed 7^th.  Teammate Richard Bolt took the victory. Two weeks later I headed out to Adams for the Greylock Glen snowshoe race.  I got buried, finishing 7^th in 27:29 for the 5k loop.  A week later I headed up to Essex Junction Vermont for the USSSA qualifier.  It was brutally cold and the course was a dead flat loop with a lot of ice.  I ran 44:43 for the 5.8 mile course and placed 8^th out of 38 finishers…but I did qualify for nationals.  The next day I went out to Pittsfield and was running in 5^th place with about a mile to go when I went off course.  I got back but not before I lost a dozen places.  I made up some of those, rolling into the finish in 13^th place. 

Looking back - January 1999

 

Looking back - January 1999 (25 years ago)

I raced five times during this month while logging 447 miles (an average of 14.4 miles per day) despite having issues with my calf and Achilles.  On New Years day I took 2^nd place at the Freezer Five.  It was windy and cold on the out/back course which runs near the Sterling airport.  I decided to push on the way out into the wind and Richard Bolt hung right behind me.  He threw in a 4:50 mile from 3 to 4 miles that just buried me.  Rich went on to win by nine seconds, 25:25 to 25:34.  The next day Byrne Decker, Steve Peterson and I headed to Tewksbury for the Fudgesicle race.  Byrne took the win in 16:44 with me one second back and Petey another 16 seconds behind.  The following weekend I went to BU for the indoor track series.  I doubled up in the 3,000 meters and the mile.  Colin Peddie and I traded the lead off every 400 meters during the 3k and he took off in the last 400.  I kept it close losing by less than a second in 8:36.  An hour or so later I finished 5^th in the mile in 4:31, with Peddie taking a second win of the day running 4:22.  Two weeks later I ran my final race of the month, the Boston Prep 16 mile in Derry NH.  Conditions were very good with moderate temperatures and a little drizzle and fog.  Dave Beauley and I ran lock stepped for the first 12 miles before I pulled away for a win in a then course record of 1:26:52.  Beauley ran a 1:27 and teammates Dan Verrington (1:31) and Steve Peterson (1:36) both had solid races.

All distances in one year?

Dave La mentioned he is attempting to race at all of the “Standard” distances in one calendar year.  I thought this was a  very interesting concept.  We agreed on what would be considered “standard” although a few of them are hard distances to find nowadays. 
 
1 mile
2 mile
5k
4 mile
8k/5m
10k
15k
10 mile
20k
Half-marathon
25k
30k
Marathon
 

It looks like I came close to getting all 13 of the “standard” distance in one year on two occasions. One other year I came up 2 short.  Oddly these were all in consecutive years.  I had a couple of other years with 10 of 13.
 
1989 I got all but 25k.  1990 I missed the 4m and 20km.  1991 I got all but 25km.

 

1	08/16/89	Lowell	MA	1.00	4:15.0	1	20	1 Mile series	Felt good Cremin and Hodge pushed 65/209/314/415 Hodge 416 Cremin 417
2	08/09/89	Lowell	MA	2.00	8:56.0	1	20	2 Mile series	Sweeny and Hurts for first 1m 66/214/321/429/536/643/750/856.0
3	06/25/89	Greenwich	RI	3.11	14:23.0	1	264	NEAC 5K	10 sec back at 2m got lead at 3 432/919/1354 Hodge 1426
4	07/15/89	Buffalo	NY	4.00	18:47.0	7	1350	Subaru	5 wup race a fiasco 430/924/1415
5	10/21/89	Londonderry	NH	5.00	24:40.0	1	124	Macks apple run	50 windy.  Semi w/o.  Beat Sayers at 4.25 miles
6	08/26/89	Exeter	NH	6.21	29:35.0	4	633	Kiwanis	Dry 75 deg, race broke open at 4, passed Hodge at 5 1st Ronan 2915
7	09/24/89	Wilton	NH	9.33	46:21.0	4	600	NEAC 15K	Hodge went at 2, ran w Gompers and Fallon.  Hill=540. 1 Tinkham 4554
8	02/19/89	Tewksbury	MA	10.00	50:03.0	1	400	Tewksbury 10	Felt good thru 7 nice rolling hills 20's
9	09/04/89	New Haven	CT	12.42	1:02:08.0	9	2000	New Haven	70 dry breezy, alone from 4-8. 1st Refisnyder 5920.  1436/2928/4456/6004 3/6/9/12
10	10/15/89	Conway	NH	13.11	1:05:42.0	1	200	White mountain milers	Perfect 50 deg.  Out/Back course 5-2455 10-4950
11	03/19/89	Boylston	MA	18.63	1:37:54.0	2	518	NEAC 30K	30 deg no wind 3139/3137/3438 1/2 mara 6645 then eased up
12	04/18/89	Hopkinton	MA	26.22	2:22:03.0	17	5122	Boston Marathon	67 deg 3110/3210/3310 died last 10K
1	08/22/90	Lowell	MA	1.00	4:14.0	1	30	1 Mile series	70 dry lead 1/4 and last 1/2 62.5/206.7/311.5/414.7
2	08/08/90	Lowell	MA	2.00	8:57.0	1	20	2 Mile series	Eric B out in 63 Cremin 902 Hodge 903.  Splits 213-215-216-213
3	01/26/90	Boston	MA	3.11	14:17.0	5	20	BU classic	730 pm race 1st Dennis 1400 Splits 433-909-1345
4	01/01/90	Derry	NH	5.00	24:47.0	1	89	Hangover classic	Hilly Windy 2nd pl 2646
5	04/08/90	Boston	MA	6.21	29:52.0	14	3089	Milk run	8k in 2355 48 and cool, Morse outkicked me.  1st McRoy 2836
6	09/23/90	Wilton	NH	9.33	46:32.0	5	345	NEAC 15K	Felt lousy 1600/3128/4633 1 Morse 4548
7	05/06/90	Worcester	MA	10.00	49:58.0	3	876	NEAC 10m	62 deg and windy Olsen out in 442 Then Fallon 4m.  1st Schille 4934
8	03/18/90	New Bedford	MA	13.11	1:05:27.0	18	1798	NEAC 13.1M	10m in 4935 1st Sherrif 6225 45 and windy wiped out after
9	09/03/90	Gloucester	MA	15.53	1:29:29.0	7	600	Cape Ann	Ran through w Petey
10	02/18/90	Ohme, Japan	JAP	18.63	1:37:21.0	17	10991	Ohme Hochi	1st 13302 splits 3106-32-34-3341
11	11/11/90	Columbus	OH	26.22	2:19:28.0	26	4059	Columbus marathon	4,058 finishers 3220/6446/9740/21158
1	01/05/91	Hanover	NH	1.00	4:20.0	2	6	Dartmouth Relays	4x1 mile relay with Brad Gary and Artie.  6th place relay in 1818 420/430/438/450
2	08/07/91	Worcester	MA	2.00	9:10.1	1	30	CMS Series	20m day, 80s sunny Worcester track 220/217/218/215 2 Hodge 910.2
3	08/17/91	Londonderry	NH	3.11	14:44.0	1	382	Old Home day	hot Mid 80s big up/down
4	03/30/91	Salisbury	MA	4.00	19:09.0	1	600	April Fools	Windy snowy 35 tucked in , Got Bostik last 300. Bostick 1911 Obrien 1914 Dan 1943
5	01/01/91	Derry	NH	5.00	24:17.0	1	110	Hangover classic	18 deg, no wind, 1225 @ turn.  2nd D Kimball 1518
6	04/15/91	Washington	DC	6.21	30:21.0	10	2333	Sallie Mae	40s rainy light wind 1459/1522 1 Gregorik 2844
7	02/02/91	Lynn	MA	9.33	48:31.0	1	322	Stew chase	Artie got a flat, almost missed start.  Lou and me until 8 in wind then tied
8	05/05/91	Worcester	MA	10.00	49:36.0	1	1300	NEAC 10M	70s sunny, took it out then settled in pack 2-4 got Bagley at 9.25 and Dennis 9.95
9	09/02/91	New Haven	CT	12.42	1:01:48.0	8	1811	New Haven	In pack to 4 then w Ells thru 9 1 in 4959 60s 1 Kempanian 6017 4 Morse 6047
10	03/17/91	New Bedford	MA	13.11	1:06:06.0	5	1928	NEAC 13.1M	50s very siwndy on ocean 1 Gompers 6453 CMS 537 GLRR 540
11	07/28/91	Windham	NY	18.63	3:02:54.0	6	190	Escarpment	Tough race 1/2 in 133, 14.4 in 2:23 Fargo 24751 Petey 31431
12	11/03/91	Newport	RI	26.22	2:29:28.0	3	1025	Rhode Island marathon	1/2m wup, ran relaxed. 1 Cornell 22621

 
 
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