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Sorry...long time no post... I'm not even really motivated to post this for some reason...but I did race, so I need a recap of some sort...so here's an update.  As the year winds down,  I've been busy recovering from my two fall marathons and I haven't raced since Oregon on the 7th of November.  That is 2 weekends in a row with NO racing!  That's gotta be a record.  I've felt very flat and uninspired the past couple of weeks and was afraid I was losing fitness (mind games though, mostly).  I guess I needed the rest and I think it has been good for me.  I've been running lower miles and most of it pretty easy, to let my body fully recover from the year (so far).  I passed on Slattery's last weekend, and took the week after the Trail Marathon off as planned.  I had to go up to Ottawa, ON for work last week, so the running was a little tough that week.  It was treadmill runs every night after work, which obviously stinks.  My legs and feet took a beating, but I got through it without much trouble other than being extremely bored.

This week (Thursday) I threw my hat into the Feaster Five ring again have mixed emotions about it, but I think it was a good move.  I haven't done much of anything and felt out of my element (funny, seeing it was my 60th race of 2009).  I don't know how guys only race a few times a year...I'd never feel sharp...it's just me though...everyone is different...but I find it funny that after running 59 races, I take 2 weeks off from racing and I feel like I don't know what I'm doing when the gun goes off.  That's kind of what happened this week in the Feaster Five (results) in Andover, MA. I entered the 5 Mile race this year instead of the 5k (which was a mistake, considering 16:30 won the damn thing this year).  In the 5 Mile was Nate Jenkins and Matt Ely.  Enough said.  Jenkins went out like his shorts were on fire and Matt wasn't too far behind him.  I stayed back with the SISU project boys (Germain and Miller) for the first couple miles before Matt Germain threw down and dusted Ryan Miller and I.  I was never really in it and labored through the first 2 miles (which are relatively rolly, with much of the first mile uphill).  I kept Ryan close but fell back a few times, only to catch back up on some of the inclines.  He threw in surges, mostly on the dowhills, and would leave me back a ways...then I would catch back up and give him some words to get get him going.  It seemed like it was working and we both worked off of each other, but I let him lead the first 99% of the race.  As we hit the last turn and had about 200 meters up to the finish, I went around him and worked the last hill to secure 4th place.  I was 16 seconds back of Matt Germain who ran a fantastic race.  Jenkins and Ely ran like they usually do and were way out in front, and Ryan was right behind me in 5th.

Quickly, a couple things that erked me about this race... 30 dollar pre-entry fee.  In this economy, that stings a bit...they do put on a great event (with very cool speakers, guests like Joan Benoit Samuelson and Bill Rodgers) but without getting too deep into it, I think that is too much...).  Also, when you run the 8k, you have to turn down into a sea of 1000s of 5k runners for the past 1.5 miles.  They stretch across the entire street, even though there are signs that say that they need to keep to the left, and 8k runners to the right.  This made it a tight squeeze at times.  It isn't the race organizer's fault that this happens, but rather the 1000s of 5k runners, who are out enjoying themselves on Thanksgiving morning, and trying to burn last second calories before indulging in their Thanksgiving feasts the rest of the day.  Most of them don't realize there is another race coming through.  Lastly, a woman simply jumped right in front of me about 50 yards from the finish line and practically knocked me down.  No clue where she came from, but I think she was a 5k runners who wandered into the wrong finishing area.  Other than that, it's a decent event put on by my former club, and it is rich in history and definitely has to be one of the most popular turkey day races anywhere, with 7000+ runners between the two races and the kids race.  I've done it twice already and have run both distances.  Next year will most likely take me to a different Thanksgiving event..maybe the one up in Portsmouth where Casey Carroll won the first annual Turkey Trot 5k.


Splits: 5Miles (8k) 26:10 - 4th of 2728.

Mile 1) 5:26
Mile 2) 5:19 (10:45)
Mile 3) 5:20 (16:05)
Mile 4) 5:05 (21:11)
Mile 5) 4:58 (26:09)

Thanks to Charlie Farrington for the semi-elite number again this year ;)

Pictured to the left is yours truly with David Quintal who was battling a young Anders Samuelson (Joanie's son) towards the end of the race.

Thanks to my Dad for taking some pics of the start and finish.





Feaster Five Video from the Eagle Tribune:




Tomorrow I am planning on doing a trail race for some fun...after that, I'm not sure where the rest of the year will take me....a stop off by Mill Cities next week for sure...then maybe a local race or two but the real focus now is on Woodford, one month from today.  I am praying for some snow SOON in Woodford VT.

The voting has opened for the USATF-NE Road Racing Grand Prix for 2010.  If you are a USATF-NE member, you can vote here: http://www.usatfne.org/road/gpballot2010.html.  I won't get too much into the change in the process for this year, but essentially you are voting on pre-determined groups of races called 'slates'.  I have gone over the schedules and found that there are some obvious conflicts between the races presented in these slates, and other races I have already planned on doing.  There is only 1 slate (Slate D) that has no conflicts of any kind, and I actually like the races in that slate anyways, so I have voted for D.  I listed the races below, with an added column entitled 'Conflicts' which show what other races conflict with the Grand Prix race.  If you are a snowshoer or mountain runner that is interested in running the USATF-NE Mountain series for 2010, you will be interested in this.  If you don't plan on running the mountain series, this really won't apply.   The Marathon Distances are both free and clear of any other race I planned on running.  I voted for Cape Cod simply because I've already run Baystate twice.  I love running in Lowell, but have done it two years in a row and would just like to run a different one.

Non Marathon Distances:

Slate A
Race	Dist	Location	Date	Conflicts
Jones Group Realtors	10M	Amherst MA	February 28 (Sun)	None (Moody Springs on Sat)
New Bedford Half	1/2 Mar	New Bedford MA	March 21 (Sun)	None (Catamount Sunset on Sat)
Bedford Rotary	12K	Bedford NH	May 22 (Sat)	Northfield Mountain
Rhody	5K	Lincoln RI	June 6 (Sun)	Pack Monadnock
Stowe	8M	Stowe MA	July 18 (Sun)	None
Lone Gull	10K	Gloucester MA	September 19 (Sun)	None
Slate B
Race	Dist	Location	Date	Conflicts
New Bedford Half	1/2 Mar	New Bedford MA	March 21 (Sun)	None (Catamount Sunset on Sat)
Medical Center	6K	Nashua NH	May 9 (Sat)	None
Bedford Rotary	12K	Bedford NH	May 22 (Sat)	Northfield Mountain
Rhody	5K	Lincoln RI	June 6 (Sun)	Pack Monadnock
Yankee Homecoming	10M	Newburyport MA	August 3 (Tue)	None
Lone Gull	10K	Gloucester MA	September 19 (Sun)	None
Slate C
Race	Dist	Location	Date	Conflicts
Jones Group Realtors	10M	Amherst MA	February 28 (Sun)	None (Moody Springs on Sat)
New Bedford Half	1/2 Mar	New Bedford MA	March 21 (Sun)	None (Catamount Sunset on Sat)
Bedford Rotary	12K	Bedford NH	May 22 (Sat)	Northfield Mountain
Rhody (Men Only)	5K	Lincoln RI	June 6 (Sun)	Pack Monadnock
Stowe	8M	Stowe MA	July 18 (Sun)	None
Bridge of Flowers	10K	Shelburne Falls MA	August 14 (Sat)	None
Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic(Women Only)	5K	Providence RI	October 3 (Sun)	None
Slate D
Race	Dist	Location	Date	Conflicts
New Bedford Half	1/2 Mar	New Bedford MA	March 21 (Sun)	None (Catamount Sunset on Sat)
Westford (Men Only)	5K	Westford MA	May 2 (Sun)	None
Medical Center	6K	Nashua NH	May 9 (Sat)	None
Stowe	8M	Stowe MA	July 18 (Sun)	None
Yankee Homecoming	10M	Newburyport MA	August 3 (Tue)	None
Lone Gull	10K	Gloucester MA	September 19 (Sun)	None
Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic(Women Only)	5K	Providence RI	October 3 (Sun)	None

Marathon Distances:

Race	Dist	Location	Date	Conflicts
Cape Cod Marathon	Marathon	Falmouth MA	October 31 (Sun)	None
Baystate Marathon	Marathon	Lowell MA	October 17 (Sun)	None

Now, my quick thoughts on the races I picked...

New Bedford Half Marathon - Have run this once and watched it once (was injured in 2009).  I ran pretty slow here over what can be a pretty fast course (DD and DV both ran 1:05 on this course back in the day).  My go at it was in 2008.  I'd like to go back in 2010, older but wiser, and run much faster.

Westford 5k - It's a lot closer than going down to Rhody (at least for me).  I've never run this race, so it would be different.  I've run Rhody twice (2008, 2009).  Nothing can possibly beat the post race spread (foodwise) at Rhody, but Westford doesn't conflict with Pack Monadnock 10 Miler, so I'm going with it.  This is also going to be the GP for men only.

Medical Center 6k - I don't mind this race.  It's in Nashua, which is pretty close, and I actually have a NH State Record on this course (my only one).   Because this is the ONLY 6k in NH, I have the fastest 6k time by a NH Resident at the age of 31.  Also, I am third on the list for NH Men's Open All Time.  Funny thing is, that ALL the NH records were/are set at this race for a 6k, most were from 2008 when this was finally a Grand Prix race (which attracted a bunch of good runners obviously).  I also ran pretty darn slow, as it's not particularly a fast course and I didn't have a great day there...but a better day than any other NH 31 year old :).  If this gets picked for 2010, and you live in NH, and you will be 31 on race day, and you think you can run faster than 19:06, show up here and go for the NH state age record....it's pretty soft ;).

Stowe 8 Miler - I've wanted to run this race for years now.  It's up in Stowe, VT, which is beautiful.  It's a nice road trip for most USATF-NE folk, but I think well worth the effort it takes to get up there and probably stay overnight.  It used to be in the GP and has had some epic battles.  It's a hilly course and usually pretty hot, as it is in mid-July.... This is probably the one I'm looking forward to the most.

Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler - I love this race.  I actually like the fact that it's on a Tuesday, which is a deal breaker for some...but I don't mind it.  The whole town comes out for this one.  Even in the off years that this isn't a GP, it is still loaded.  Just a cool atmosphere, nice course, usually brutally hot...it has all the makings of a great summer road race.  I've run this in 2008 (when it was the GP) and in 2009, where I won my age group and finished 12th overall in a pretty good field.

Lone Gull 10k - I ran this race this past year when it was the GP.  I had my 3rd worst race of the year behind Boston and Bedford.  The course is beautiful and honest, but I just had an off day.  I want to go back and try to redeem myself and would look forward to this being the 10k championship again.

Cape Cod Marathon - I've run 4 marathons now, and 2 of them have been the same (Baystate x2).  I'd just like to try something different, although I've loved running in Lowell.  Either way, I'll be ok with the Marathon picked, but would like to give the Cape a run.  It has historically been the GP Marathon a bunch of times.  Lowell has had the last 2 years.


Voting is for one week, Wednesday 11 November morning through Wednesday 18 November at 11:59 pm (Wednesday night). Results will be posted once they are validated.

Fingers crossed for Slate D + Cape Cod.

This weekend I ventured out west to Ashland, Oregon to run in the USA Trail Marathon Championships.  This year's event was hosted by the Lithia Loop Marathon, which is put on by the Rogue Valley Runners.  Last year was the first annual event and the course was actually lengthened this year by quite a bit to become a 'certified' marathon distance.

CMS sent out a contingent of 4 brave souls to attempt another National title run (following up the USA Mountain gold that CMS won this past June at Cranmore Mt. in North Conway, NH). I along with Dave Dunham, Dan Verrington, and Judge Jones signed up and headed west to throw ourselves at a very hilly and picturesque course starting and finishing in Lithia Park and circumnavigating the Ashland watershed near Mount Ashland in Ashland, OR.  The course consists of approximately 2 miles pavement, 3.5 miles single track and 21 miles dirt/fire road with an honest 4,700 feet of elevation gain.  This would be my 3rd marathon this year, and my 4th marathon in the last 15 months.

Jonesy and I headed out on Friday morning from Boston and arrived just before Dan Verrington, at Medford International Airport. DD picked us up and off we went, over to the Rogue Valley Runners' store in Ashland to pick up our numbers and race packets. When we got over there, Rich Bolt (CMS/USATF-Oregon) was there to meet us, as well as the dudes from Rogue Valley, who run a VERY cool store.  It was probably the coolest running store I've seen, with lots of great gear and a killer shoe selection which included a pair of road flats I have been looking for and couldn't find anywhere else. We hung out there for a while, met and talked with store manager Ian Torrence, who was thrilled to have us out there,  and then headed across the street to the course start/finish area to do a short run over the last part of the race course.  Rich, Dan, Dave, Judge, and I ran up the road over the last part of the course and took a wrong turn somewhere, but we got the general idea of what we were getting into.  The views and scenery were awesome.  I was getting anxious and excited for the race and felt pretty good, considering sitting in a plane all morning.  After the run, we parted ways with Rich and headed back to the hotel to change and head out to dinner.  We picked Rich up on the way back into town and had a nice dinner before heading back for some shuteye.

In the morning, we all met for a light breakfast and then headed over to the starting area, where Cath dropped us off before continuing up to the 2 mile mark to get some photos. We were one of the first ones there, and headed on in to get our chips (yes chip timing in this trail marathon :) ).  As we sat in Pioneer Hall, laying out all our gear and deciding on what to wear for shoes and clothing, Aaron Saft walked in and plunked his stuff down next to ours.  I went out with him for a 15 or so minute run over the first part of the course and got to chat with him for the first time.  He's a great guy and really down to Earth.  By the time we got back to the start, I was actually pretty warm (even though it was probably in the low/mid 40s).  The sun was teetering on coming out through the thick low cloud cover and the rain was holding off.  I made the decision, after doing the warmup and talking with Aaron, to go with a singlet/shorts and the Inov-8 230's.  As the start time approached, many folk started to make their way up the road (.2 miles up the hill) to the start.  DD and I were the last 2 out of the hall (after a last minute bathroom break) and were cutting it close, when he mentioned that he had just dropped his gloves accidentally in the sink.  They were soaked.  I had an extra pair, in my bag, so we both sprinted back down to the finish area to get them.  It was close, but we made it back up to the start (last ones) in time to get a few strides in before the gun.



Photo above at just shy of 2 miles into the initial 8 mile climb up to close to 5000 feet. L-R: Aaron Saft, Max King, Sam Robinson, and JJ (with Nicholas Lewis in the background).

The Race:

As the gun went off, 2007 Trail Marathon Champ Aaron Saft (Inov-8) went out quick and opened up a 20+ yard lead through the first 3/4 of a mile or so before Max King, Sam Robinson, and myself caught him and formed a tight pack that would lead up through the first 4 or so miles.  Through the first mile, the course is essentially all paved and has a slight climb up to the start of the dirt road, that would encompass most of the next 2+ hours of my life.  The dirt road wound up through the forest with a very similar look and feel to Mt. Washington, although not as steep and every now and again, there was a small break (which you do not get at Mt. Washington).  I was running pretty comfortable, and trying not to fall into the trap of thinking it was an 8 mile race to the summit.  I kept bringing myself back to reality, and reminding myself that I had another 18 miles to go AFTER reaching the first ascent, and not to go too crazy on the way up.  I didn't want to fall completely off the pack however, so I pushed up enough to keep the first 3 guys in sight.  I want to say that even before the 2 mile mark, there was nobody within view behind me except for Nicholas Lewis.  Through 4 miles and about 1600 feet of climb, I started to fall off a bit.  Max took a noticeable lead and Aaron and Sam fell back off the lead but stayed together.  I went up past the first of 5 aid stations somewhere around 4-5 miles or so and passed on water.  Huge mistake. I ran within view of the 3 leaders until close to 7.5 miles or so, where the course goes from the dirt/fire road to single track trail.

When I hit the single track trail, I couldn't see anyone in front or behind me.  I pushed on up the first real 'trail' portion of the race and up past the 8 mile mark, which was painted on the trail (most all the other previous markers were small yellow signs on the side of the road).  This was a tough grind and very steep at times.  The 8th mile was definitely the slowest mile of the course, and was almost 8 minutes for me.  At the top of the single track ascent, there was the 2nd aid station.  I took a small bit of water here (1 cup I think) and pressed on.  I took a GU around this time (I carried two with me).  I felt fine and it was more of a preventative measure at that point of the race.  The main climb was done with, but now came the 12 miles of straight dirt road that wound up and down around the Ashland watershed.  This would prove to be a very lonesome and tough grind for me.

As I pressed along the next few miles, my back started to tighten up a bit.  I felt it in my lower back and hips. I wasn't thinking much of it at the time, but now I know that it was just a sign of things to come.  I noticed some very light flurries happening somewhere around mile 9 or 10, and my sleeves were iced over from where they were wet.  I was comfortable temperature-wise, with only my single/shorts and sleeves, gloves, and hat.  I couldn't have prepared any better, except for the decision to NOT bring any water with me.  Slowly but surely, I started to feel my hamstrings tighten and I hadn't even hit the halfway point yet.   I kept plugging away, but was being very conservative.  It had been a while since I had seen anyone in front or behind me.  I would look back at each turn, up or down the previous long stretch of isolated dirt road to see if anyone was coming.  Nobody back there.  I kept on chuggin', but had to hold back the whole time and was getting very frustrated.  I knew it was coming.  I went through 13 in 1:27 and figured it would be no problem going negative, even with some issues, as it was pretty much mostly downhill from there.  I was wrong.  Right before 15 or so, my right hamstring went.  I'm talking full on cramp up underneath my butt and there was no denying I was in big trouble. Only 15 miles in, and I had to stop.  Completely stop.  I had 11 miles to go, deep in the forest at about 5000+ feet up, and I was at a standstill.  I stopped and stretched for 20 seconds or so and started up again, but it was in slow motion.  I came around the corner and saw the next aid station.  I rolled in there and stopped.  I grabbed some water, electrolytes, and another GU.  I also stretched a bit more and started up again after staring back up the road, just waiting for a glimpse of another runner.  Nobody in sight.

Out of that next aid station, I made it a mile or so without a full on cramp.  Then disaster again.  It popped on me again and this time, both hamstrings were going.  For the next few miles, it was 1-2 stops per mile.  Each with 20 or seconds of deadstop stretching and staring up the hill, looking for the next runner.  17, 18, 19, 20.  I was still moving, downhill, but SLOW.  Even thought I was running in the 6's for pace, it was downhill, that I should have been rocking at 5:50s or faster.  The combination of bad cramping and the initial climb was taking it's toll on my legs.  Cardio-wise and 'bonking-wise' I was fine...in complete control...but my cramps where slowing me down to a literal scuffle and stiff-leg stride that was depressing me with every step.  As I hit the 20 mile mark or so, there was the next aid station.  I stopped again for some water, but this time could almost not keep it down.  I was heaving a bit and having more trouble keeping my composure.  I downed a cup of electrolytes and took a few GU blocks and stretched for a few seconds before continuing on.  From 21-23ish is straight down.  This part of the course, had I not been cramping up, would have easily been my fastest 2+ miles.  It was like running down parts of the Mt. Washington auto road, yet I was reduced to a stiff-legged scuffle and had to stop AGAIN on the way down.   At this point, I was shocked that nobody had caught me yet.  I pushed on thinking that if the rest of the race was like this, I may be able to manage holding 4th.  Not too much further after I had that revelation, I was disheartened to see that the course leveled out and hit single track again.  This meant up and down, up and down, and slow, slow, slow for me.  This was the beginning of the end of my race.  I was essentially walking the uphills here at this point and had to shake out my legs and punch my hamstrings and calves.  My calves were starting to cramp now, worse than ever before.  I've never had this many problems with my legs in anything I've ever done.  And I had 3 miles or so to go.

At this point, I had done all this work and was now pretty sure I was going to lose it. I waddled up and down the single track and hit the last aid station and this time, figured there was no way it was going to help me if I stopped, so I went right past it without taking anything.  I heard a woman say 'nice job' as I went by.  I was still in earshot when I heard her say it again, but this time, knew that the time had come.  She was saying it to someone else who was now right behind me.  The single track started to now wind back and forth, over multiple switchbacks, down to the paved road below.  As I wound down the and looked up at the trail sections I had just been on, I could now see the first runner who was behind me.  The first runner I had seen in 13 or so miles.  To my surprise, it was top master runner and well known coach Greg McMillan (photo left by Cathy Dunham) out of Flagstaff, AZ.  I could tell by his head-to-toe adidas garb.  He looked smooth, steady, and was gaining on me with every step.  I pushed down and scuffled as much as I could without really lifting my legs.  It was so aggravating and borderline depressing at this point that I felt so good but couldn't lift my legs enough to run anything faster than a jog.  I wanted to race so bad but had no muscles willing to cooperate. Not a situation I am used to by any means.

As I hit the bottom of the single track, I was still ahead of Greg, and in the same spot I had been in since the gun.  But I was fighting a losing battle.  I went by Cathy Dunham, who was taking pictures at the base, and I commented to her that I was having problems. Right after that, I hit the paved road and had just over 1 mile to go. I had to stop at that point and stretch out the golfball sized knots in my calves and hamstrings.  Greg came wizzing past me and actually asked me if I was OK. I told him I would manage and congratulated him on how he was about to finish the race and I started to basically walk/jog the last mile down the paved streets to the finish.  I had to stop 3 times on the last street, all the while people cheering me on and trying to lift me up to the finish...but I was at the point where I couldn't even stand up. Walking was borderline excruciating and to jog a few steps, walk a few steps was all I could muster.  I came whimpering across the line, more than 2 minutes back of Greg. He put over 2 minutes on me in the last mile and pushed me back to 5th overall.

It was a very tough day for sure, and the toughest 10 miles of my life, potentially. I am very pleased and excited to have actually run as fast as I did for that course (especially with all my troubles, the nature of the course, etc) and also to have placed 5th in a National Championship.  In retrospect, if I didn't have my problems, and never cramped up as badly as I did, the only thing that would have changed (besides running maybe 5 or 6 minutes faster than I did) was that I would have been 4th instead of 5th. So really, I only lost 1 place, as I was deep in 4th when my troubles started.  I couldn't even see Aaron Saft when I started cramping, so I only really lost 1 place after all that.  I actually didn't lose any prize money because Greg is now a master (he's 40) so he won the top master's money ($500) and I still got the 4th place open cash ($200).  I talked to Greg after and he mentioned that he had never saw me until he went through that last aid station, and they told him I was only '30 seconds ahead'...he said he was shocked to hear that and didn't really see me until I saw him on the final switchback.  Max King (photo on left taken by Cathy Dunham) won the race in an impressive 2:40 (even faster than last year's shorter course).  He did this after running a 2:19:11 at last week's NYC Marathon.  Max is a former USA World Cross Country team member and competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials in the Steeplechase.

After the race, I was surprisingly OK, considering.  I couldn't sit, stand, bend over, or really move at all without a lot of grimacing and yelling, but I wasn't 'medical tent material' like I usually had been, in the last couple of marathons I did.  I was eventually able to change my clothes, get warm, and get some grub while the rest of the finishers came down out of the hills.

CMS teammate Dan Verrington was only 6 or so minutes back and came in a solid 10th place overall.  Dave Dunham came in in 16th place overall (15th Men) and Judge Jones came in in a solid 47th place overall (39th Men).  With just the 4 of us, we did all we needed to do to win the men's team titles (Open and Masters) for the 2nd time this year, in USATF competition.  One interesting side-note...this is Judge Jones' 4th National Title (Team and/or Individual).  He's won a US title in swimming, triathlon, duathlon, and now the trail marathon.


Top 20 Overall + CMS in Blue

Overall	First	Last	Age	City	State	Time	Pace
1	Max	King	29	Bend	OR	2:40:23	6:07
2	Sam	Robinson	24	Berkeley	CA	2:42:54	6:13
3	Aaron	Saft	32	Fletcher	NC	2:48:42	6:26
4	Greg	McMillan	40	Flagstaff	AZ	2:54:50	6:40
5	Jim	Johnson	32	Salem	NH	2:56:57	6:45
6	Andrew	Schupp	29	Portland	OR	2:58:35	6:49
7	Ben	Evans	28	Portland	OR	2:59:15	6:50
8	Ian	Sharman	29	Bend	OR	3:00:36	6:54
9	Nicholas	Lewis	23	Ashland	OR	3:00:50	6:54
10	Dan	Verrington	47	Bradford	MA	3:03:10	6:59
11	Phil	Kochik	31	Seattle	WA	3:03:26	7:00
12	Tim	Olson	26	Ashland	OR	3:06:09	7:06
13	Josh	Ward	34	Mukilteo	WA	3:07:07	7:09
14	Jc	Callans	42	Eagle Point	OR	3:08:25	7:11
15	Cynthia	Arnold	25	Lexington	KY	3:08:42	7:12
16	Dave	Dunham	45	Bradford	MA	3:09:36	7:14
17	Scott	Dunlap	40	Woodside	CA	3:13:43	7:24
18	Becca	Ward	33	Mukilteo	WA	3:16:14	7:29
19	Devon	Crosby-Helms	27	Sausalito	CA	3:16:20	7:30
20	Krissy	Moehl	32	Seattle	WA	3:17:58	7:33
47	Judge	Jones	59	Pelham	NH	3:48:39	8:44

Race Vitals:

Number of Finishers: 143
Number of Females: 42
Number of Males: 101
Average Time: 4:12:34

CMS Medal Winners:

Jim Johnson - 5th Place Medal - USATF Top 10 Open
Jim Johnson - Team Gold Medal - Men's Open
Dave Dunham - 2nd Place medal - USATF Men's 45-49
Dave Dunham - Team Gold Medal - Men's Open
Dave Dunham - Team Gold Medal - Men's Masters
Judge Jones - 2nd Place - USATF Men's 55-59
Judge Jones - Team Gold Medal - Men's Masters
Dan Verrington - 10th Place Medal - USATF Top 10 Open
Dan Verrington - 1st Place Medal - USATF Men's 45-49
Dan Verrington - Team Gold Medal - Men's Open
Dan Verrington - Team Gold Medal - Men's Masters

Total USATF Medal Count for CMS: 11






L-R below: Dan Verrington, Dave Dunham, Jim Johnson, Judge Jones



Splits: Trail Marathon - 26.2

Mile 01) 6:05
Mile 02) 6:23 (12:29)
Mile 03) 7:28 (19:57)
Mile 04) 7:29 (27:26)
Mile 05) 6:52 (34:18)
Mile 06) 7:12 (41:32)
Mile 07) 7:08 (48:41)
Mile 08) 7:57 (56:38)
Mile 09) 6:05 (1:02:45)
Mile 10) 6:29 (1:09:14)
Mile 11) 5:53 (1:15:08)
Mile 12) 6:11 (1:21:20)
Mile 13) 5:57 (1:27:17)
Mile 14) 5:55 (1:33:12)
Mile 15) ?:?? (?:??:??)
Mile 16) ?:?? (1:45:41)
Mile 17) 6:45 (1:52:26)
Mile 18) 6:15 (1:58:42)
Mile 19) 6:22 (2:05:04)
Mile 20) 6:36 (2:11:40)
Mile 21) 6:42 (2:18:47)
Mile 22) ?:?? (?:??:??)
Mile 23) ?:?? (2:31:27)
Mile 24) ?:?? (?:??:??)
Mile 25) ?:?? (?:??:??)
Mile 26) ?:?? (?:??:??)
Finish) 2:56:57 - 6:45 pace.

After the awards and afterparty (with tons of food, beer, etc) we all headed back to the hotel for a while before heading back into town for another dinner with Rich and a couple of his family members.  We ate at the same place again and had a great time talking about the race, the results, and plans for next year.  Then it was time to go back and hit the sack...early flight on Sunday, out of OR at 6, through Denver, and back over to Boston...all with stiff legs/back and jeg lag...not fun. I'm hanging on for dear life while writing this.

My in-race problems aside, I had a blast and will seriously consider going back next year.

In the airport, Jonesy picked up the Mail Tribune (paper in OR) and saw that they actually threw in a small plug for me...here's the online version of the article:

Mail Tribune Article (11-08-09)

Full (Searchable) Results

Photos posted to SmugMug of the trip and race (race photos courtesy of Cathy Dunham).

Well, in the morning I am off to Ashland, OR to run in the USATF National Trail Marathon Championships.  I'm heading out there with CMS teammates Dave Dunham, Dan Verrington, and Judge Jones.  They are going to try and take the masters team title and I'm shoehorning myself in there to see if we can get a decent open team placement as well (3 to score).  It should be a fun experience and tough grind for sure.  Just looking at the elevation profile makes my quads burn.  Reading the press release, it is obvious there are some good guys running this year, but my initial goal of trying to get top 10 overall, and medal individually at a USATF championship will still be in effect.  One addition that is not noted in the latest Press Release is that Max King (2:19:11 - 18th at NYC this past weekend) is supposedly running this weekend...that's a pretty sick double.  I'm not 'too' far removed from the Baystate Marathon, but haven't done much of anything since, to sharpen up.  I've just been trying to do something every day, a couple of races in between (including this past weekend's 10 mile trail race as a last ditch effort to get familiarized with running fast on trails).  I'm sure I'll have a fun writeup to read either way, when I return home on Sunday.   Doesn't this course look/sound like fun?

Elevation Profile: 

PRESS RELEASE (ripped from Rich Bolt's blog):

Runners can expect much more than the standard marathon “bonk” at this year’s USA Track & Field Trail Marathon Championships. Runners will face an initial eight-mile, 3,200-foot ascent through the steep Siskiyou Mountains that shadow the southern Oregon town of Ashland. The trails and fire roads do flatten out for twelve miles in the middle of the race but maintaining pace may become difficult at the oxygen deprived 5,000 foot level. The final six miles and 3,000 feet of descent will test even the strongest of quads as runners descend on technical single track to the race’s finish at Ashland’s town center, Lithia Park.

Championship prize monies totaling $6000 will be awarded to the top five USA Track & Field male and female finishers as well as the top three USA Track & Field male and female masters finishers.

Last year’s Lithia Loop Trail Marathon winner, Jeff Caba (Bend, OR), is returning to defend his title. Sporting a 2:31:12 at this year’s Twin Cities Marathon, Caba will defend his title against his fellow training partner Andy Martin (Bend, OR). Martin ran a 2:25:46 at Twin Cities, and is no stranger to the trails as his team placed second at this year’s six-day Gore-Tex Trans-Rockies Race.

Chasing these gentlemen will be Thomas Brooks (Eugene, OR) who placed third in the steeple at the 2007 USA Track & Field Championships with a time of 8:27.34. Aaron Saft (Fletcher, NC) who won the 2007 USAT&F Trail Marathon Championships in 2:30:53. Phil Kochik (Seattle, WA) who won the 2004 USAT&F 50 Mile Trail Championships. Mark Godale (Aurora, OH) who sports personal records of 2:30 in the marathon, 3:17 in the 50 kilometer and 7:08 in the 100 kilometer distance.

In the women’s race, the two race favorites are Devon Crosby-Helms (Sausalito, CA) and Krissy Moehl (Seattle, WA). Crosby-Helms brings with her a time of 2:49:50 at the 2008 California International Marathon and a 2:53:20 at this year’s Boston Marathon. She also has wins at the 2008 Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run and this year’s Vermont 50 Mile Run. Moehl hopes to cap a stellar year which includes a victory in France’s 103-mile Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and her runner-up position at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.

Also heating up is the competition for the men’s master’s title. Dan Verrington (Bradford, MA) ran a 3:25:22 at this year’s USAT&F 50 Kilometer Championships. Verrington will be chased by his fellow club mate (Central Mass Striders) Dave Dunham (Bradford, MA) who finished runner-up in the 2001 JFK 50 Mile and 2001 USAT&F 50 Mile Trail Championships. Greg McMillan (Flagstaff, AZ), of McMillan Elite, will vie for the title as well, as he sports a personal record of 2:31:58 in the marathon.

Race Directors:
Hal Koerner & Ian Torrence
Rogue Valley Runners
(541) 201-0014
2009 USA Track & Field Trail Marathon Championships
Lithia Loop Trail Marathon
Ashland, Oregon
November 7, 2009

Sunday I decided to go down to Framingham, MA to run in the Busa Bushwack 10 Mile Trail Race (results).  This was the second to last race in the WMAC Grand Tree series for 2009.  The race has two options, a 5.3 mile version, and a 10 mile version.  This year's longer course is a new 10 mile version (the older version was 9.3 miles and didn't feature one of the new hills that this year's course has).  The race was also a celebration for Rich Busa who just turned 80 years young.

In looking at the previous years results (of the 9.3 mile course) it was clear that Greg Hammett (CMS) (2007, 2008 winner) was a frequent flyer, as was Ben Nephew (CMS) (2006 winner).  I figured both would show, plus a couple others, and I was right.  In addition to Ben and Greg, there were a few others there that have been known to mix it up at the front, including BAA's Josh Gordon and GBTC's Andrew Wommack.  I figured it would be a good race up front and it certainly was.

There was a good pack of us that started up the first quarter mile of the road to the trailhead.  I was about 5th into the woods as Greg and Ben were up front and pushing the pace.  By 4-5 minutes in, I was right up behind the two of them and we stayed together as a group for the next 5-6 miles.  I was weaving from side to side continuously behind the two of them, trying to get a good view of what I was stepping on.  It was so wet and the entire course was covered in wet leaves that were hiding the continuous occurrence of wet rocks, roots, and mud patches.  It seemed that over the first few miles, every other step I took resulted in a near disaster.  Greg and Ben were struggling with this too.  I was running, at times, too close to the back of them to see the course properly as well.  During the first couple miles, Andrew Wommack pulled up behind us and stayed there for a mile or so before falling back.  After a couple of near wrong turns (one in which I took the lead reluctantly for a few seconds before letting Ben and Greg back in), at somewhere between 5-6 miles, Greg started to fall back.  We hit one of the big climbs out onto a field and Greg fell back 10+ yards or so, and then farther back on the next climb, as I pulled right up beside Ben.  Over the next mile, Greg started to catch back up as Ben and I pushed on.  With the next few climbs, we put more distance on Greg again, but I was thinking that he was running strategically back there and staying close enough to be within striking distance when we hit the roads...  My plan at this point was to stay right on Ben and try to take him on the road portion (the last 3/4 of a mile or so).   We continued to push on and Ben liked to throw mini surges on some of the downhill and more technical parts.  I would match every surge and relax on the climbs.  With less than a couple miles to go, we started a big decent down a very tough part of the course in which you were going against others still making their way out on the course.  Not too soon after that, there was a sharp right turn to head back to the road and the last part of the trail.  I had just decided to take a small lead here for the first time.  Just after making a small move, I missed the right turn and tried to catch it at the last minute.  Ben took the turn as he should have and I overshot it by a few steps.  As I turned to try to make it, I slid on the wet leaves and went knee-first into a tree.  It immediately stunned me and I shouted out in pain.  Ben turned back to yell a quick 'you ok?' to which I said 'yeah, I just bashed my knee' but then tried to keep hobbling after Ben.  He pushed up the last climb up to the road and I fell behind a bit but then caught up, as my knee began to tighten.  I looked down and saw some blood welling up on the tip of the knee, but the tightness was what I was worried about.  Just before coming out of the trail, I caught back up to Ben and he was breathing a little heavier than before.  Even with my knee, I knew I had to go as soon as we hit the road.   With my first stride onto the pavement, I opened up my pace to probably just under 6 minute pace (estimation) which was faster than we were just going for sure.   I had about 3/4 of a mile or so, so I wanted to be somewhat conservative, but still try to leave Ben back as much as I could.  He let me go and I powered up a small incline and down a nice hill to the last straight before the climb up through the last neighborhood and to the finish line.  I overshot the finish line turn by a few steps an had to hurdle a couple bushes to get back onto the course and down to the chute.  In the end, I was able to put about 15 seconds on Ben and sneak in for the win in 1:00:48.  Ben and Greg were 2,3 to give CMS the sweep (although Greg didn't officially declare CMS for some reason ;) ).

Here's a cool interview with Rich Busa himself.




Top 10 Overall (out of 186) with CMS in blue

Place	Last	First	City	Age	Split	Pace	Team
1	Johnson	Jim	Salem, NH	32	1:00:48	6:05:00	CMS
2	Nephew	Ben	Mansfield, MA	34	1:01:03	6:06:00	Inov-8/CMS
3	Hammett	Greg	Chesterfield, NH	32	1:02:23	6:14:00	CMS
4	Wommack	Andrew	Jamaica Plain, MA	26	1:03:21	6:20:00	GBTC
5	Johnston	Bryan	Keene, NH	30	1:05:53	6:35:00
6	Hannon	Dave	West Roxbury, MA	38	1:06:03	6:36:00
7	Pacher	Donald	Easthampton, MA	37	1:06:35	6:40:00	Noho Brew
8	Condon	Timothy	Weymouth, MA	23	1:06:50	6:41:00
9	Krause	Ross	Easthampton, MA	29	1:07:16	6:44:00	RunReg.com
10	Gordon	Joshua	Boston, MA	35	1:08:04	6:48:00	BAA

Saturday marked my 57th race of the 'season' and took me back up to the Seacoast for the Great Bay 5k (results) in Stratham / Greenland, NH.  This was my second time running this race (I was 2nd last year to Mark Miller) and both times were just 6 days after the Baystate Marathon.  This past week, I took it very easy and only did 5 or 6 miles a day on either the trails w/ dd or on the treadmill.  I wanted to do this race to cap off my second year of the Seacoast Series. Great Bay is the last race of the series and the race at which they give out the Seacoast Series awards.  I had already wrapped up 2nd place overall in the series, as John Mentzer (who whooped my rump in every race this year) won the series outright, but I wanted to finish all the races for the second year in a row. John didn't run 2 weeks ago at Great Island, as he had already done his 6 races and was wrapping up training for the Marine Corps Marathon, which he won Sunday in 2:21:47.

The weather was crap again, for the second week in a row, on race day. It was cold, windy, and rainy.  It was so bad that I gave Kristin the day off and let her stay home.  It was a good call, as the combination of the weather and logistics of the start/finish of the race wouldn't have been good for her and race photography by any means.  The race used to start at the Great Bay Community College and finish about a mile away at the Great Bay Discovery Center.  This year, due to the closing of the college, the race started across the street at  Stratham Hill Park.  The only 'slight' issue was with the parking, which is now about a quarter mile or so walk from the starting line.  What that essentially means is that you have to park (in a grass field, which was basically all mud after all the rain we got) and walk quite a ways over to the starting area (in the rain).  Then, you race to the Discovery Center and then have to run/walk 1 mile back to the car to change clothes, then run/walk back over to the Discovery Center for the awards ceremony.  This wasn't that big of a deal, because it allowed for a good cooldown, but for a spectator, it would have been a little tricky, especially in the weather.  I do think they had a bag drop for runners, but dd and I just did the back and forth after the race as a cool down.

I met Dave Dunham up there at the registration area at about quarter of 8, and we milled around a bit, basically causing trouble as usual, picking on Andy Schachat, and getting soaked before going out for a warmup over the first mile + of the course.  After almost getting run over by a car at the one mile mark, we turned around and headed back to the parking area.  After changing clothes and running into the wood for a pitstop (getting my racing shoes soaked and muddy in the process) I was ready to head over to the start.  DD had reminded me a couple of minutes prior, to make sure I put my chip on... well, needless to say I forgot and boogied over to the start without it.  We had 5 minutes until the race and all the way over to the start, when Dave looked down at my feet (thank god) and shouted 'YOUR CHIP!'.... This is the second time in a month that I've basically gotten on the line, right before the start, and not had either my chip or number.  I'm not sure what my deal is, but I am starting to space out a bit before races nowadays.  Thank God for dd.  This is one time I wasn't all weirded out and actually thankful that dd likes to check me out.  Had he not noticed, I would probably have been DQ'd (and no, that's not 'Dave Quintaled').  I turned and sprinted the quarter mile back to my car to get my chip...I made it back in time with about a minute or so to spare..but seeing the start was delayed a few minutes, I would have made it without any problems.

Ok, now to the actual race... As the gun went off (finally) I found myself immediately thinking of the 'MacKenzie Mile' which is a race within the race.  This is essentially a $50 bonus for the first one through the mile (while having to maintain a relatively similar pace for the rest of the race).  I shot out to the early lead, but was very aware of another runner right behind me.  I thought it might be Scott McGrath, who I saw on the list of entrants before the race.  Scott ran 15:23 here in 2007 and finished third behind Kevin Alliette and Wilson Perez that year.  My instincts were verified when I ran by a spectator at about a half mile and heard her yell out 'Go Scott!'.  I continued to push and kept glancing behind me real quick only to see him right there within striking distance.  As I made the first left off of the main drag, I could see the mile clock and took one last peek behind me.  He was still there, although not making an obvious push for the additional $50.  I wasn't sure if he knew about the bonus or not, so I pushed up and past the mile mark at 4:52 (the clock was actually reading 7 seconds fast, at 4:45).  Not too long after the mile, the course hooks to the left and I would say somewhere between 1.5 and 2 miles, Scott motored right up next to me and then steadily past.  I gave him some words of encouragement and indicated that I should have let him take the mile (meaning, I should have let him go through, as I had no doubt he'd take me down in the overall anyways).  I kind of felt like I was cheating him out of the bonus money for some reason.   He acknowledged that everything was cool and continued on his way.  I tried to keep him close as we wound up through some nice neighborhoods in Greenland.  At one point (maybe about 2.75) I picked up a little ground on the lead he had built up and thought maybe he was slowing enough that I could catch him.  I think if there had been a more substantial climb near the end, I may have been able to catch back up, but in the end, that wasn't the case.  He got to the top of the hill that was there and took off.  As I came up over, he had picked up the pace and pushed down and through to the finish for a solid win in 15:25.  I went through the 3 mile mark in 15:08 and ran the last slight downhill to the finish in 15:38 for second place.

Overall, I was psyched about the time and the fact that I actually felt OK during the race.  Last year, I struggled with heavy, dead marathon legs to the tune of 15:55 for second place.  This year, I ran 7+ minutes faster at Baystate the week before, and still came back with a 17 second improvement at this race.  I'll take a 15:38 at this point, no matter condition I'm in...  Props to Scott McGrath, who has come back from his own injuries and actual heart issues.  He has only been back running about 5 weeks and did no workouts previous to this effort.  The writeup from Seacoast Online can be read here.

DD (who finished just out of the money in 4th place) and I ran back to the car, changed clothes, and ran up to the observation tower at the top of Stratham Hill, before running back over to the finish area for the awards ceremony.  For the MacKenzie Mile (first one through the mile), I got $50 + $100 for the second place finish, for a total of $150.  Not a bad score.  I also got another hand made glass runner trophy made by Victor Meyer (like the one I got last year) for finishing 2nd overall in the Seacoast Series.  It is a little smaller (obviously) this year because it's a second place trophy.  Maybe next year I'll be third, just so I can have all of them :).

Next up now is potentially a trail race in VT this coming weekend and then the US Trail Marathon Championships out in Oregon next weekend, which is shaping up to be stacked.  More on that later...

Sunday was my third go at the road marathon distance and my 2nd time doing this particular marathon.  The Baystate Marathon (results) once again served as the USATF-New England Marathon Championships this year.  This course is pretty flat, with only a couple of rolls at around 8 miles or so, and a couple of hills up over the many  bridges you cross in and around the Lowell, MA area.

It is no secret that my first two attempts at the marathon were nothing short of horrendous.  I brought the results upon myself with inadequate training and preparation, and unfortunately, this time around, the pre-race routine didn't vary much from the past couple attempts. I started off August with the mindset of getting ready for this race, but that quickly died down and I settled back into my usual routine of just getting out there and running whatever/whenever, and racing all the time.  No workouts, no tempo efforts inside of long runs, and only a couple of 'long runs' in the mix.  Nothing close to 'marathon training' and again, I have no explanation for it other than to just say that I'm just not that into it.  I like racing mountain and trail stuff and running local road races...it's just what I do.  But on the other hand, when I do get on the line at a marathon, I want to do well, but I can't expect to run my potential, unless I do things right, leading up to it...and I'm not sure I can sacrifice the other stuff to properly prepare....

That said, my goals for this time around were the following (with the last 3 being progressive):

1) Try to help the team and score in the top 3 for CMS
2) Try to run faster than last time at Baystate (2:45)
3) Try to break 2:40
3) Try to run 6 min pace (2:37)

Let's just say, I didn't help the team (I was 4th for CMS and only top 3 score), and I just missed 2:37 flat, but I did run faster than last time, and I did break 2:40...so I was about 50%.

And now for the writeup....  Let's just say that anyone who lives in New England, or anyone who watched the Patriots game on TV, knows how horrendous the weather was.  It was freezing cold and raining. Couple that with wind and soaked roads, and it pointed to a slightly slower slog out there for sure.  I only warmed up about a mile total, between jogging over to the start and then running around a bit before the gun.  As we lined up, I saw Kevin Tilton, Andy McCarron, Justin Fyffe, Jeremy Huckins, Dave Quintal, Dan Verrington, and Dave Dunham, so I knew everyone had made it and we'd have enough to score.  I didn't see Scott Leslie because he wasn't wearing a singlet and I hadn't actually met him yet.  I briefly said hi to some other usual suspects like Mike Girouard, Scotty Graham (who once again, reminded me that he beat DD in this race many many moons ago...like in the 60's).

First Half (approximately): As the gun went off, the usual lead pack went out with Justin right in the mix with Joseph Koech (R.UN).  I settled in behind Kevin Tilton and Andy.  Chris Mahoney (Whirl) pulled up along side me and there he would stay for about 15 miles.  The lead pack really took off and Chris and I both agreed that many of them would come back. Scott Leslie (CMS) went by us pretty early and then stayed about the same distance ahead of us for about 10 miles.  There was also an unattached runner, Matthew Terrasi (a potential nice pickup for a team!), with him and they literally stayed the same distance up on us for what seemed to be half the race.  For most of the race, this was the story.  Chris and I just chugged along and could sometimes see the chase pack, but then seemed to lose it again and again.  For as long as I was running along side Chris, we clicked sub 6s for each mile except the very last one before I pulled away a bit. Chris started to indicate that his hamstring (same one that has given him problems this year) started to go on him.  He was grimacing a lot and had to sprint ahead to try to loosen it up.  By mile 15, we went through at 6 flat and I started to feel it, but Chris was rigging up a bit and backed off.  I never saw sub 6 again.  Up until that point, my hamstrings up high (under my butt) started to sting a bit and my lower back started to tighten up worse than ever before in a race.  I think my back started to be an issue at around 12 miles.  The cold, wet weather and a soaked, cold uniform didn't help any of the above.  Also, at around 9 miles I had bouts with stomach discomfort and actually contemplated pulling off to use the bathroom.  I held off and that led to a very slight cramp at around 10 miles or so.  By a mile or so later, it was a non-issue.  Chris and I came through the half way point in around 1:16:10.  This is the part of the course with probably the most spectators.  You come up over the Rourke Bridge and there was plenty of noise to keep you movin'.

Second Half (approximately): (Ok, back to mile 15.  From 15 on, I was running mostly alone.  Somewhere near mile 17 or so, I had been catching Titus Mutinda who had gone out with the leaders and had fallen off the pack.  It was no surprise to me actually, because just 2 weeks ago, he ran 2:29 at the Hartford Marathon for 2nd place overall.  Props to him for jumping in and trying to help his team.  I was catching him and right as I was getting close, Ryan Aschbrenner (GBTC) and Mike Brown Dowling (BAA) (who ran VERY well) passed me together. I was slowly but surely slowing down and couldn't react to them at all.  Just as I was about to pass Titus, he pulled off into the woods for a pitstop.  By about 19 miles, he caught back up to me and passed me.  By 20, I was right with him again and then he pulled back away.   At around 21, I thought I had lost him.  He looked great and had a good armswing motion and stride going and I was sure he'd pull away for good.  But at around 22, as you wind up and start to run along the river, I started to catch up again.  This part of the race kind of rejuvenates you, because up until this point, from the Tyngsboro Bridge, it is the longest, most boring part of the course for sure.  Once you can see the river, and pass the Rourke Bridge without having to go up and over it, you know you are getting close to the end.  Just before the bridge, a girl (not sure who it was because I was pretty out of it) yelled that 'Kevin was just ahead'.  I couldn't fathom that it was Kevin Tilton because he had been so far ahead of me for the entire race...so I yelled back 'who?' and she said 'Kevin Tilton'.  At that point, I looked up and saw the back of his jersey and knew that the early pace had been a bit too much for him to continue busting out the quick miles in the latter parts of the race.  I pulled past him at 23 or so and also Titus.  Titus hung for a bit but was done for the day.  Before I had passed Titus, one of the lapped marathoners I went by had told me I was '16th'.  I figured that it had to be right or pretty close, so I started keeping track, in hopes that I could catch a few other guys.  I had been clicking 6:20s-6:15s for a while so I knew I wouldn't be catching many people with that pace, but maybe a couple more guys who may have gone out too hard over the first half of the race. Passing Titus and Kevin put me in 14th.  As I passed Mammoth Rd. and up the hill to University Ave, I was absolutely shocked to see Joseph Koech practically walking on the side of the road.  He was weaving all over and looked out of it.   He was the pre-race favorite and the runner with the best marathon PR that started the day.  I went by him at the top of the hill and gave him some encouragement, but I don't think he realized what was going on.  Just as I came down off the hill, I felt great.  I got my second wind and knew I could probably blast sub 6 pace from then on in.  No sooner did I pick up the pace, did my hamstring completely go on me.  I'm talking, cramp up so that I could barely bend my leg back down.  I practically stopped in my tracks.   I grabbed it and tried to massage as best I could, while still running.  Nobody was in sight either in front of me or behind me at this point, so I knew I just had to finish.  I slowed down to a manageable stride, trying to keep my hamstring in check.  Right before the last right hand turn onto Bridge St., it went on me again.  I literally screamed out and ran a few strides while squeezing my hamstring.  As I took the last couple turns into the baseball stadium and to the finish, I was just in finish mode. I knew the hamstring was going to prevent me from going under 2:37, but I was thrilled to have been able to finish in the 2:30s, which was a big goal of mine, considering the shape I'm in.  I came in officially in 13th place (so the guy was right) with a time of 2:37:46 (6:01 pace).

As I moved through the finish area, I immediately started to get the back spasms and calf/hamstring cramps.  I met my sister and Chico in the stands and walked up to the food area.  My mom came over to help me maneuver down to the tables on the lower level, where I tried to eat.  I was shivering uncontrollably and was completely soaked.  A very nice gentleman came over and threw some blankets on me and helped Kristin massage my back.  He was very concerned with my condition and got the medical personnel. They put me in a chair and wheeled me inside to the medical area.  It was nice and warm when they wheeled me in there, and I noticed the only other person in there getting worked on was Joseph Koech.  He was hooked up to an IV and was sitting up eating.  He appeared to be relatively OK, although they said he was pretty out of it. As a precaution, they came in and put in him on a stretcher and took him to the hospital.  As for me, my initial temperature (about 35-40 minutes after the race) was 93.5.  They wrapped me in blankets, got all my wet clothes off, and gave me some Gatorade, as I warmed up.  About 30 or so minutes later, I was back up to 97  for a temp, so they discharged me.

Here's the damage.... see if you can spot where I started to 'get a little winded'....

Splits: Road Marathon - 2:37:46 (6:01 pace)

Mile 01) 5:52
Mile 02) 5:42 (11:34)
Mile 03) 5:50 (17:25)
Mile 04) 5:50 (23:15)
Mile 05) 5:46 (29:02)
Mile 06) 5:51 (34:53)
Mile 07) 5:48 (40:41)
Mile 08) 5:45 (46:27)
Mile 09) 5:43 (52:11)
Mile 10) 5:39 (57:51)
Mile 11) 5:50 (1:03:41)
Mile 12) 5:49 (1:09:31)
Mile 13) 5:57 (1:15:29)
Mile 14) 5:57 (1:21:20)
Mile 15) 6:00 (1:27:20)
Mile 16) 6:00 (1:33:20)
Mile 17) 6:05 (1:39:26)
Mile 18) 6:07 (1:45:34)
Mile 19) 6:13 (1:51:47)
Mile 20) 6:16 (1:58:03)
Mile 21) 6:26 (2:04:30)
Mile 22) 6:25 (2:10:56)
Mile 23) 6:25 (2:17:21)
Mile 24) 6:26 (2:23:48)
Mile 25) 6:20 (2:30:26)
Mile 26) 6:15 (2:36:23)
last .2) 1:22 (2:37:46)

Top 20 (of 1560) plus CMS in blue.

Place	Guntime	Pace	Name	Age	City/State	Team
1	2:27:53	5:39	Brandon Newbould	28	Dover NH	WHIRL
2	2:28:15	5:40	Justin Fyffe	29	East Dummerston VT	CMS
3	2:29:02	5:41	Andy McCarron	26	Keene NH	CMS
4	2:31:40	5:48	Mark Hudson	32	Reading MA	WHIRL
5	2:32:26	5:49	Tom Casey	23	Smithfield RI	RUN
6	2:32:46	5:50	Tom Deeg	28	Eastham MA	WHIRL
7	2:33:08	5:51	Scott Leslie	28	Rutland MA	CMS
8	2:34:33	5:54	Joe Navas	38	N Eastham MA	WHIRL
9	2:34:35	5:54	Matthew Terrasi	22	Pepperell MA
10	2:34:39	5:54	Mike Brown Dowling	26	Boston MA	BAA
11	2:34:48	5:55	Ryan Aschbrenner	32	Waltham MA	GBTC
12	2:35:11	5:56	Mike Brouillette	31	South Hadley MA	GSH
13	2:37:46	6:01	Jim Johnson	32	Salem NH	CMS
14	2:38:05	6:02	Titus Mutinda	44	Lowell MA	RUN
15	2:38:46	6:04	Per Ekegerd	37	Pierrefonds QC
16	2:39:14	6:05	Joseph Ryan	23	Dracut MA	RUN
17	2:41:32	6:10	Kevin Tilton	27	No Conway NH	CMS
18	2:41:58	6:11	Chris Mahoney	31	Haverhill MA	WHIRL
19	2:42:31	6:12	Tomoaki Uchiki	35	Jamaica Plain MA	GBTC
20	2:43:13	6:14	Robert Emord	28	Glastonbury CT	GBTC
32	2:47:08	6:23	Daniel Verrington	47	Bradford, MA	CMS
75	2:59:41	6:52	Dave Dunham	45	Bradford, MA	CMS
80	3:00:33	6:54	Jeremy Huckins	26	Enfield, NH	CMS
287	3:22:17	7:42	Joe Alfano	43	Holden, MA	CMS
505	3:35:58	8:14	Travis Wheeler	29	Lancaster MA	CMS
620	3:41:24	8:24	Michael Sullivan	55	Sterling MA	CMS
805	3:50:49	8:48	Edward Coleman	47	Auburn MA	CMS
911	3:56:28	8:59	Stephen Moro	55	Sterling MA	CMS
992	4:01:03	9:11	Sean Blood	38	Worcester MA	CMS

1560 Total Finishers.



Also, special thanks to my parents for also taking the trip down from the mountains to watch us finish on the soggy stadium grass.  It's always nice to have the parents there for support.  I hope they get to see a lot more of my races before I get too old and slow :).

Lastly, congratulations to my sister Kristin, who finished 604th and my friend Chico, who finished 605th (they ran together) in the half marathon.  They finished up in 2:00:50 (9:13 pace) which is absolutely fantastic for them on this tough day.  I also think they secretly enjoyed themselves too!


Special Thanks to Scott Mason for the photos!!!

Sunday I headed up to New Castle, NH for another go at the Great Island 5k (results), which once again serves as the 2nd to last race in the Seacoast Road Race Series.  This race always attracts slightly better competition than the other 5ks in the series due to the prize money and lobsters they give to the winners.  I had registered for this race back a ways because they had a 1200 entrant limit again this year, as the Seacoast Series has expanded to the premiere racing series in the state of NH and southwestern ME.

Up until this past week, I was looking forward to running this and just trying to do better than last year.  Then, after Topsfield XC last Sunday, I started my bout with a horrible left hamstring that left me with a lowly 52 miles with 2 days off (first days off since July 19th).  I didn't run Monday (after Topsfield) because my hamstring was so bad.  I couldn't even stretch it without intense pain.  Couple that with plantar issues in both feet, and things were looking bleak.  Tuesday-Thursday went 'OK'.  I kept it slow and on the trails....all with the intention of trying to salvage Baystate Marathon on October 18th.  On Friday, I met Tim VanOrden, Dave Dunham, Dan Verrington, and Dave Quintal at Winni for some trails (had already done 12 in the morning with DQ and was adding another slow 6 in the afternoon).  While we were waiting for Tivo and Dan, DQ, DD, and I were throwing the Nerf football around the parking lot and I twinged my hamstring again, moving to the side real quick for the ball.  I could barely do the 6 (fake 6) slow with the guys after that.  On Saturday, I didn't run.  I could hardly walk.  Sunday was a 'no-go' I was telling myself.  Right at the connector between my hamstring and the inside part of me knee was incredibly painful.  I couldn't even straighten my leg out all the way without manually doing it with my hands to help it along.  Nothing I was doing as far as massage and stretching seemed to help. Then, Steve Sullivan posted a response to my wall on Facebook, telling me about a yoga pose that may help.  I tried it out on Friday night and could feel the effects of the stretch up high in the hamstring, but not at the connector, where it was usually so painful.  This stretch allowed me to stretch out the hamstring up high and subsequently loosen it up enough without strain on the lower part.  I immediately felt the difference in walking around and actually jogged around the house a little bit and to my amazement, the pain subsided enough that I had a glimmer of hope that I could run this week.  After a rest day on Saturday (which was perfect because Kristin and I had Joe Dunn's wedding to go to), I woke up Sunday with the intention of taking my friend Chico up to the Great Island 5k (he's going for his Seacoast Jacket this year and needed this race) and maybe just taking pictures.  If I felt ok after a warmup and a couple strides, I figured I'd see who was there and maybe give it a go.

We were the first ones in the parking lot, suprisingly, and headed over to get our packets.  We caught up with Coach Deek (81 years young) and started the usual pre-race routine of scouting the area for ringers...I saw former race winner Mark Miller (pictured left w/ yours truly) and a few other Kenyan-looking dudes running around warming up, including last year's winner and course record holder Joseph Ekuom, who normally shows up to NH and western MA events that have some easy cash.  After a very easy and short warmup, I did some stretching of said-yoga-pose above, and did some strides with the confidence of being able to finish the 5k and maybe win my age group. I pinned the number to the singlet and made the decision to give it a go.

As I lined up, I noticed that Joseph Ekuom had a buddy with him but wasn't sure who it was (turned out to be eventual race winner Abraham Nuietich of Mt Vernon, NY) as well as local Kenyan road warrior Ben Ndaya of Chelmsford (who showed up late last year and jogged the race in mid-pack, as he missed the start).  So immediately, I was looking at the following equation: Kenyans x 3 + Mark Miller = not finishing any higher than 5th + missing an age-group award (as Ben Ndaya is my age).

The gun went off and 2 things felt apparent.  First, I was going to run this thing alone (top 4 were off like the place was on fire) and second, it wasn't going to be a pleasant, easy run for me.   By the time we got out of the common area (.25 miles in) I was way behind and had a decent gap on the next guy.  For the first mile, I was just fighting to see the top 2 (Abraham and Mark) and for a short time, had pipe-dreams about catching Joseph and Ben, who had fallen back a little ways).  By the one mile mark, that was pretty much done.  I went through in 4:54 and I couldn't even see the top 2 guys.  There are so many twist and turns on this course, that there isn't really a place to see for any long stretches, before the course takes a sharp turn around another corner.  After the race, I learned that Miller and Nuietich went through the first mile in 4:36.

My next mile was slow and I went through 2 miles in 10:09.  The second mile has got some ups and downs, and a boatload of turns. I had nobody really behind me within striking distance, and could just see Ben make the next turn ahead of me each time.  After the second mile mark, the course turns down a narrow dirt/gravel road for a 600 meters or so before making the turn onto the last road, up the final hill, and back into the common, for a loop around the park and in to the finish area.  Ben had far too much on me by that point, after his fast start, for me to catch him. Having nobody within view behind me wasn't really driving me to push it anymore than I had to at that point.  I knew I could salvage sub 16 after the second mile if I just kept up the same pace, so I was settling for the place I was earning up to that part of the race.

In the end, I hit the third mile in 15:16 and headed into the finish in 15:48 for 5th place (again).  I was 5th here last year, but won my age group.  This year, I was second in my age group (behind Ben, who finished 4th), but was 7 seconds faster than last year's 15:55 effort, so I'll take it.  The good news is that I didn't have any issues with pain or tightness during the race.  Once I was warmed up, it felt like business as usual, except my breathing felt a bit rusty.  Even though I had just 2 days off, I felt it.  It made me feel very flat and slow, although I was hitting the normal times (basically) for this type of course.  After the race, it was a different story.  The pain and tightness returned, but I've been trying to manage it with stretching, ice, and massage.

Splits: 5k - 15:48 - 5th of 1094

Mile 1) 4:54
Mile 2) 5:15 (10:09)
Mile 3) 5:07 (15:16)
last. 1)    :31 (15:48)

Top 10 Overall out of 1094:

Place	Name	Age	City/State	Net	Gun	Pace
1	Abraham Nuietich*	28	Mt Vernon NY	14:54.1	14:55.0	4:49
2	Mark Miller	29	Keene NH	14:56.7	14:56.7	4:50
3	Joseph Ekuom*	40	High Falls NY	15:08.9	15:10.0	4:54
4	Benjamin Ndaya*	33	Chelmsford MA	15:24.2	15:24.6	4:59
5	Jim Johnson	32	Salem NH	15:46.7	15:47.1	5:06
6	Brendan Dagan	27	Hamden ME	16:28.2	16:28.5	5:19
7	Donny Connolly	21	Plaistow NH	17:00.6	17:00.8	5:30
8	Jamie Baker	33	Portsmouth NH	17:07.2	17:07.8	5:32
9	Peter McNeil	25	Barrington NH	17:18.0	17:18.6	5:36
10	William Emase	29	Quincy MA	17:19.0	17:19.3	5:36

* - denotes Kenyan

Now, onto the Baystate Marathon this coming weekend.  I hope to run better than last year and hope to make it though without issues (hammies or feet or whatever else could possibly go wrong).

Thanks to Chico's parents for taking my camera and grabbing a few shots of the finish.  I've uploaded some of these to SmugMug.

Sunday I ran over in the Topsfield Cross Country Festival (results) at Bradley Palmer State Forest in Topsfield, MA.  This 8k race is an annual USATF-New England XC Grand Prix event put on by the Greater Boston Track Club.  We had a rather light CMS team representing, but it was enough to get 3rd place overall, even without some of our top guns (actually all the other clubs were also missing top guys, so it was all relative).  It really is a fun team event and a true cross country course, which made it even more worthwhile for me to run this year. I'm glad I got another cross country race in (3rd this year and 2nd in the last 2 weekends).  It was also 54th race of the 2009, but only the second time in 8 tries against Kevin Tilton (CMS/Inov-8) this year, that I've been able to hold him off.  He's had my number all year when it counts though (4 x Grand Prix races, the U.S. National Mountain Championships, and the U.S. national snowshoe qualifier).  Oh well, I'll take it whenever I can get it.

The race started out a little quicker than I was anticipating and I immediately felt a little sluggish out of the gate.  By a quarter mile in, it was no surprise that last year's winner Jarrod Shoemaker (BAA and 2008 Olympic Triathlon Team Member) was way out front, followed closely behind by last week's Codfish Bowl winner Ryan Place (GBTC).  After those two, it was a small back of 2 GBTC guys, BAA's Matt Carter, SISU's Mike Griffin, Pete Mallett, and then me.

By about a mile in, I had pulled up along side and then past Matt Haringa who offered some words of encouragement.  I then started working on trying to catch Pete.  By the second loop around and up Moon Hill, I was right behind him and waiting for my chance to go around and start to go after the rest of the chase pack. Kevin seemed to be gaining and after that, it looked like a pretty good gap.  As I made my way out into the field again, and across Moon Hill, I went around Pete and tried to convince him to come along.  The last mile or so has got some decent dowhill to it and along this descent, I was slowly gaining on Griffin and Carter.  By the time the race opened up back down near the field by the start/finish, I started running out of real estate and knew with about 300-400 meters left that I wasn't going to catch the 3 guys directly in front of me.  I took a peak back and saw that I had a decent amount of room on Pete now and knew I had at least 6th in the bag.  Then, with 200 to go and the finish line in sight, my left hamstring snapped.  It was horrendous.  I haven't ever had this happen this bad in a race before.  I'm not sure what did it (seeing the course wasn't in bad shape, the hills weren't that bad, and it was only 8k), but it was bad enough that I thought I wouldn't be able to finish the last stretch.  I came through in 6th place and 26:32 on a rather tough course, so I'll gladly take it...considering I almost thought I wasn't going to finish.  I eased into the warmup and it was bad.  I was thinking of bagging it, but after a couple of miles it loosened up ever so slightly and felt maybe 10% better, but it's still as bad as it has ever been.  I may have to play it by ear tomorrow and take a day off if it is still sore.  I'm icing as I write this and will take an Epsom soak in a bit.

Overall, our team did pretty well considering we only had 7 guys (2 of them brand new to the team) total.  A couple of our quicker Open guys couldn't make it so we had to rely on one of our speedier masters runners (Dan Verrington) to pick up the slack with the open scoring.

The weather was picture perfect on the day and the course was in great shape (considering all the rain we had yesterday).  Kristin and Kristen took a bunch of great photos on the day.  They positioned themselves up on the hill for a good group of shots at the 2 mile and 4 mile marks.

Kristin Wainwright's Photos at Smugmug - 280 photos
Kristen Kozlosky's Photos at Smugmug - 142 photos

Top 10 Overall + CMS in blue

Place	Name	Club	Time	Score
1	Jarrod Shoemaker	BAA	25:48	1
2	Ryan Place	GBTC	25:53	2
3	Dan Smith	GBTC	26:17	3
4	Matt Carter	BAA	26:17	4
5	Mike Griffin	SISU	26:26	5
6	Jim Johnson	CMS	26:32	6
7	Peter Mallet		26:47
8	Kevin Gallagher	BAA	26:57	7
9	Kevin Tilton	CMS	26:57	8
10	Matt Haringa	GBTC	27:18	9
16	Dan Navaroli	CMS	27:45	14
20	Jim Pawlicki	CMS	28:35	17
21	Dan Verrington	CMS	28:49	18
22	Dave Harper	CMS	29:01	19
25	Dave Dunham	CMS	29:17	22
27	Dave Quintal	CMS	29:31

54 Total Finishers.

Team Scoring:

[1] Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC)
 - 2, 3, 9, 11, 13, (16), (21) = 38
[2] Boston Athletic Association (BAA)
 - 1, 4, 7, 15, 28, (30), (34) = 55
[3] Central Mass Striders (CMS)
 - 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, (19), (22) = 63
[4] SISU
 - 5, 10, 12, 25, 26 = 78
[5] Greater Lowell Road Runners (GLRR)
 - 20, 24 ,29, 31, 35 = 139
[6] New England Track and Trail (NETT)
 - 23, 27, 32, 33, 36 = 151




Photo by Kristin W.  L-R: Dan Navaroli, Jim Pawlicki, Kevin Tilton, me.

This weekend was another double, although not really planned...it was more of a confidence restorer, as I've had a string of back to back weekends where my racing has not gone well and i haven't felt 100%.  As Baystate looms, I needed to get back on track and I think that was done this weekend.  All photos in this entry are from Nahant 30k and are courtesy of Kristen Kozlosky.

Saturday: Codfish Bowl XC (results) - Boston, MA. On Saturday, I picked up Jose Ortiz (WHIRL) and headed down to Franklin Park in Boston, MA for some good ole' fashioned cross country.  The Codfish Bowl is a race I did in college, all 4 years.  It was one of our first races of the season, and the first trip to Franklin Park.  I figured out that with 4 runs in college and this being my 3rd straight year running it as an open runner, that it is my most frequent race (with 7 times).  I have run no other annual race more than that.  The past 2 years haven't gone very well, but this is one of the only races where that doesn't really matter to me.  I love racing at Franklin Park. For me, that's where it all started, back in high school and to go back there, where I've run so many great races and have so many good memories (from both h.s. and college), is just a treat in itself.  Whether I run good or bad, I just love getting back there at least once a year.  This year, this would be my only trip in there, due to other scheduled races conflicting with the New England Championships and Mayors Cup.

Jose and I got there in the nick of time (after having to park about 10 minutes + away).  I was the last guy that was allowed to register (literally less than 40 min before race time).  Jose and I dropped our stuff off over by the starting line and headed out for a couple mile warmup over the course.  The weather was perfect. Sunny, near 70, and the course was mud free.  We did a loop up around Bear Cage hill and headed back for the start.  I noticed a bunch of GBTC guys (as usual) and a large BAA group, including Terry Shea.  I spoke to Terry while doing some strides and he sounded awful.  He said he had been sick over the past week, but he was still my pick for the win.  We lined up next to the Merrimack boys and we were off.

Jose took it out hard and was in the lead after the first stretch up and over the first hill.  A pack of GBTC guys and NYIT runners were up front, with Jose and myself and maybe a couple other college guys.  I believe there was also an MIT guy up there as well.  I went through the 1 mile mark in 4:57 and was in the top 10. I remained in the same group, although it started to spread out a bit.  By 2 miles, it was pretty thinned out, but I was riding 9th or 10th with some NYIT runners.  Terry Shea had gone by me shortly before that and looked pretty strong.  He was picking off guys and I was watching from a distance.  I held my ground over the next couple miles and picked off a couple guys.  There may have been 1 or 2 guys that went by me as well, but strangely, I had a pretty big gap behind me (which usually never happens in these XC races at Franklin Park). I went through 4 miles in under 21, which gave my hope that I could get in under 26, but I still had Bear Cage (2nd loop) to go. Over the last 1.5 miles I was hanging onto Matt Haringa and stayed right with him until the bottom of Bear Cage, where I went by him and battled with a Westfield State runner right to the line.  I came in in 25:50 for 9th place, which is in line with what I was doing at this race 14 years ago when I was 18-19 years old.  So guess what...I'll take it!

Splits: 8k XC - 25:50


Mile 1: 4:57
Mile 2: 5:19 (10:16)
Mile 3: 5:14 (15:31)
Mile 4: 5:17 (20:49)
Mile 5: 5:01 (25:50)


Top 10 Overall (of 202 Finishers):

Place	Name	Club/School	Time
1	Ryan Place	Greater Boston TC	25:15.3
2	Terry Shea	Boston Athletic	25:24.3
3	Dan Smith	Greater Boston TC	25:25.9
4	Hemiagiri Arumugam	Mass. Institute	25:27.5
5	Kevin Somers	Greater Boston TC	25:30.5
6	Daniel Rono	New York Institu	25:37.8
7	Devin Dilts	Bates College	25:40.9
8	Kibrom Temelso	Greater Boston TC	25:43.7
9	Jim Johnson	Central Mass Str	25:50.5
10	Jon Joyce	Westfield State	25:50.9

Codfish Bowl over the Years...


1995 - Place: 9th - Time: 25:42
1996 - Results lost over time...(comment if you have them...)
1997 - Place: 12th - Time: 25:48
1998 - Place: 6th - Time: 25:29
2007 - Place: 15th - Time: 27:21
2008 - Place: 27th - Time: 26:57
2009 - Place: 9th - Time: 25:50

After a cool down w/ Jose and the Merrimack College boys, we headed back up north.  I was on the fence about doing either a longer run on Sunday or going down to Nahant to do a 30k as a marathon paced tuneup effort.  I got home and headed over to Kevin Andriolo's (former UML teammate) house in Tewksbury for Joe Dunn's bachelor party.  I opted to not partake in the adult beverage drinking that was going on and to come back home early (9pm) to get some rest and do the Nahant race on Sunday morning.  To my surprise, when I got home at 9pm, I was locked out, with my house keys sitting right near the front door, but on the wrong side.  Kristin was out in western Mass for the weekend, so I had no choice but to break a window completely out to get in. After all the excitement, around 10:30pm, I was able to hit the sack.

Sunday: Nahant 30k (results) - Nahant, MA.  On Sunday, I woke up at 5am and headed down to Nahant, MA to run in the Nahant 30k, which would serve as my long run for the day and a marathon-paced training run with some other guys, rather than a solo long run at a slower pace.  The goal for the day was to try to run comfortable at around 6 minute pace for as long as I could.  I was actually thinking that with the course and weather they way they were, low 6s would be a good goal for a relatively comfortable tempo pace. Holding it for 18.6 miles in those conditions, with not really having planned it, was another story.

I got down to Nahant (which I believe was my first time down there) within an hour and was there early enough to see the first wave of runners go off (the 'Sunshine' start which included an additional 19 runners who opted to go earlier at a slower pace).  After I registered and said hello to Krissy K, I noticed Dan Verrington walking across the parking lot...I wasn't expecting any other CMS guys so that was a pleasant surprise.  Dan is also getting ready for Baystate and was there for the same type of effort that I was looking for.  I also noticed a load of GBTC guys (namely Tomoaki Uchiki), Martin Tighe (TNT), Mike Toomey (D2 All American XC at UML), and Marc LaBlanc (SISU) all warming up and knew there would be some boys to run with.  Dan and I warmed up just an easy 10 minutes and I went back over to the car to put my racing shoes and uniform on.  I had opted earlier to go with a regular long sleeve shirt and I had pinned my bib onto it ahead of time.  But when I got back over to the car, I changed my mind and threw my compression sleeves on and my CMS singlet (without the bib number on it).  I totally forgot to take the number and pin it to my singlet.  I headed over to the start and got on the line.  As the RD made a few announcements, he indicated that the race would be starting within 2 minutes and that 'all bib numbers should be pinned on the front...'.  I immediately looked down and noticed I had no number...I shouted a quick expletive and turned to jet back to the car to get my number.  I sprinted back and made it back to the car within a minute, and riffled through looking for my bib.  I found it and quickly threw my key in, slammed the door, not even locking it (with some clothes sticking out of the door) and booked it back to the start and made it back just in time.

As the race went off, I settled in behind a group of maybe 6 or 7 guys and really took it easy.  I knew it was going to be a long, wet, windy day and didn't want to even think about running fast until a few miles in.  As the first mile ticked through in 6:14, there was still a good pack of us together. Little did I know, that would be the slowest mile of the day.  I felt nice and comfortable, as I should, at that pace and talked a bit back and forth with Martin Tighe who was running right along side.  With Martin, was Tomoaki (GBTC), Luis Torres (GBTC), another GBTC guy, Dan Verrington, and a few others.  The next couple miles were just over 6 (6:02s) and again, it felt like a regular training run.  We were all talking back and forth and the pack started to thin out just a bit.  During the conversation, I mentioned to Martin that I had run the Codfish Bowl yesterday and immediately Luis Torres laughed and said he had also raced it.  It was apparently his first 8k.




Nahant 30k Splits (from my watch):


Mile 01: 6:14
Mile 02: 6:02 (12:17)
Mile 03: 6:02 (18:19)
Mile 04: 5:48 (24:07)
Mile 05: 5:42 (29:50)
Mile 06: 5:47 (35:38)
Mile 07: 5:53 (41:31)
Mile 08: 5:53 (47:24)
Mile 09: 5:56 (53:21)
Mile 10: 5:54 (59:15)
Mile 11: 4:47 (1:04:02)** Mile marker was short
Mile 12: 6:53 (1:10:56)** Previous mile marker was off
Mile 13: 5:44 (1:16:41)
Mile 14: 6:02 (1:22:43)
Mile 15: 5:41 (1:28:25)
Mile 16: 5:43 (1:34:09)
Mile 17: 5:49 (1:39:58)
Mile 18: 5:48 (1:45:47)
last .6: 3:45 (1:49:33)


Official time: 1:49:34 (5:52 pace) - 1st place of 171


Top 10 Overall (out of 171) - CMS in blue

Place	Name	Town/State	Time	Pace
1	Jim Johnson	Salem        NH	1:49:34	5:53
2	Martin Tighe	Providence   RI	1:50:20	5:56
3	Marc LeBlanc	Natick       MA	1:52:56	6:04
4	Dan Verrington	Bradford     MA	1:53:37	6:06
5	Tomoaki Uchiki	JamaicaPlain MA	1:54:29	6:09
6	Steve Neri	North Providence RI	1:54:32	6:09
7	Timothy Stickney	Brookline    MA	1:55:56	6:14
8	Zachary Laidley	East Walpole MA	1:57:02	6:17
9	Mark Engerman	Concord      MA	1:57:12	6:18
10	William Crabtree	Lexington    MA	1:57:51	6:20

I was very happy with the effort and was pleased at the way my body reacted after racing an 8k XC race the day before.  Over a very rolly and twisting course, and on a wet and windy day, I was able to go under my goal pace and feel pretty good doing it.  No real issues other than some minor hamstring pain (dull ache) around 13-14 miles.  That seemed to be a non-issue over the last few miles.

Check out the photos from the day by KrissyK.

For the win, I got a gift certificate for a free pair of Asics trainers and a beautiful framed photo, courtesy of  Kristen Kozlosky, of the Nahant Life Saving Station, that they are trying to raise money to restore.   Each finisher also gets a very nice finishers' medal.  On a side note, I believe this is my longest 'road' win.  I have won a 22.2 mile trail race (twice) but never anything over 10k on the roads (as far as I can tell). I've won a slew of 5ks and shorter races (5 milers) on the roads, and some trail/snowshoe/mountain/xc/track races, but never anything longer than 10k on the roads...and that 10k win came when I was only 17 years old (senior in high school) at a race in Needham.

Next up 'may' be Topsfield XC Festival this coming weekend, if I am recovered enough.  I am playing this week by ear and will make my decision later in the week.

Chris Dunn and the folks at acidotic have released their pre-season rankings for the 2010 New England Snowshoe season.  Now, because Chris and acidotic originally came up with this idea and release a nice, neat weekly update during the season, I take this as the 'official' ranking.  Also, with Chris' API (Average Performance Index) calculation, it makes sense that this be pretty accurate. As many do each time this list is released, I will add my thoughts to the below list. First, here it is (CMS in blue):

	Men		Women
1	Kevin Tilton	1	Abby Woods
2	Justin Fyffe	2	Kim Webster
3	Josh Ferenc	3	Leslie Dillon
4	Jim Johnson	4	Amber Cullen
5	Ben Nephew	5	Amy Lane
6	Dave Dunham	6	Liz Hall
7	Matthew Cartier	7	Chelynn Tetreault
8	Tim Van Orden	8	Jessica Hageman
9	Tim Mahoney	9	Laurel Valley
10	Steve Wolfe	10	Holly Atkinson

After talking with DD on Saturday afternoon,  I made a last minute decision to head over to Gloucester on Sunday to try and help the team in the USATF-NE Grand Prix 10K Championships (results).  We thought we may need a 5th guy to score for us, seeing a couple of our top guys at that distance weren't going to be there.  Even though I had been struggling with severe congestion and haven't felt 100% in a couple weeks, I went thinking I would just give it a shot.  I'm glad I went down, even though it didn't go well.  If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have known how I could have done and I would have felt even worse, knowing I didn't even try to help out the team.  As it turns out, we did have a solid 5th man and they didn't really need me.  It would have been nice to have run the same time I did exactly 1 month ago in the same type of course (at Rye).  Had I been able to do that (32:20) I would have been about 15 places higher overall and 3rd man instead of 6th man...but then again just about everyone can say a similar thing...woulda coulda shoulda... but not to be this time around.

I felt sluggish out of the gate and still went through the mile in 5:02...but then I realized, as I was pretty far back even at 5:02, that a lot of other guys were having great days out there and I was not going to be so lucky.  The 2nd mile was very slow and the 3rd was a bit faster but I still came through the 5k in 16:14 which was a couple ticks slower than my 5k split in Rye...and I knew I wasn't going to be able to run a negative split  like I did in Rye...The cramps started coming in (I haven't had a cramp in a race since I can't remember when) and my breathing was terrible.  I was rigging up badly over the last few miles and was just reaching for the line as guys continued to pass by.  I rode 5th man for CMS out of the gate, and then at about 4 miles (maybe a little more), Matt Clark motored on by me and I was done.  I gave him a little pep talk about being that last man and lit a small fire as he went by.  I hung on and wimpered to the finish line in 40th place, in my 2nd slowest 10k (33:14) since coming back, not including Bridge of Flowers (which is a very hilly / slow course).

That is now 2 bad races (2 bad Grand Prix races) in a row + a race in which I took a wrong turn...not a very good taste in my mouth over the past 2 weeks, that's for sure.  Right now my motivation is kind of low, but aside from my congestion / headaches/ breathing issues I've had for the last month, my legs and body feel really good.  I have no issues to speak of other than the sinus problems.  The hamstrings/back/hips, etc. are all fine.  My runs are going ok, although my mileage is not as high as I was wanting around now...but the important thing for me now is to recover and get back to 100% with my breathing and head issues.  This weekend I am going down to Franklin Park for what may be my only time down there this year, for some cross country fun at the Codfish Bowl.  I'm hoping I can muster a decent 8k, or at least faster than the previous 2 years.  We'll see how it goes.

On a side note, again I found myself going from very disappointed an defeated, to elated and excited when I came up on Justin Fyffe and Al B. walking back to the cars after the race.  I asked how he had done and found out that yet again, he manned up and got another top finish (3rd overall) in a Grand Prix...this time in a fleet 30:40 (4:56 pace).  This kid is on fire and has a chance for the win at Baystate.  He's all but wrapped up the overall individual title, which if he can get it, will be the first CMS individual Grand Prix title since Dave Dunham last did it in 2000.  Just nipping Justin at the line is my former MVS teammate Dan Vassallo, who is also having a great year on the roads... Big things to come from that guy as well, as he is only 24 years old...his team is loaded with talent and they had the best team showing, in my opinion, of any team at any of the GPs this year, with their 2,5,6,7,29 finish at the 10k.

In the team competition, CMS just edged out GBTC (even without my help) by 2 seconds to take the 5th spot.  Now, with only 1 event remaining (and only 3 runners scoring for it), which is the Baystate Marathon in just under 4 weeks time, it will be almost anyones guess as to who will come out on top.  Everyone of these teams (except adidas who are new this year) generally field good teams at the GP marathon. Had adidas NE fielded a team of any kind at DH Jones, and BAA scored at the 12k, the standings would no doubt look a lot different...but you've got to send guys to get the points...

Team standings (Men's Open) after 6 events:

Club	10M	13.1M	12k	5k	5M	10K	Total
GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB	12	21	11	15	12	14	85
BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION	14	22		17	14	18	85
CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS	13	19	12	13	10	15	82
adidas NEW ENGLAND		20	14	14	13	19	80
WHIRLAWAY RACING TEAM	11	17	13	12	9	16	78

For now, I've included some awesome pictures of my slow run at the Lone Gull 10k, courtesy of Ted Tyler, Kristen Kozlosky, and Stephanie Hirst.  Some of the best race photos I've seen, came out of this race...too bad it was one of my worst races of the year...

Updated: 9/18/09 - The Granite State Snowshoe Series schedule is now officially out (thanks Chris!). With it's release (and some changes), I've blown away the other entry and worked on the completed (almost) schedule below.  The WMAC schedule still has one tentative race (South Pond) that has not been officially scheduled yet, and they are listing a holdover race but of course, that would only be used in the event of a cancellation.  Aside from that, the New England/NY snowshoe season has now come fully into focus with the release of both of the main series' schedules plus a couple of the 3C Race Productions events.

Below is the full schedule including the WMAC/Dion races, Granite State Snowshoe Series races, a couple other Eastern regional national qualifiers, and a couple of non-series events being put on by 3C.


WMAC/Dion - GSSS - Both - Non Series
** 2010 U.S. National Championship Northeast Regional Qualifier

Day	Date	Time	Race	Dist.	Location
Sun	12/27/09	10:30A	I Love Woodford	3.5M	Woodford, VT
Sat	1/2/10	TBD	Beaver Brook	5K	Hollis, NH
Sun	1/3/10	10:30A	North Pond	3.5M	Florida, MA
Sat	1/9/10	TBD	Witch City	TBD	Salem, MA
Sat	1/9/10	10A	Turner Trail	4.3M	Pittsfield, MA
Sun	1/10/10	TBD	Pat's Peak Relay	8K	Henniker, NH
Sat	1/16/10	TBD	Feel Good Farm	7K	Lyndeborough, NH
Sat	1/16/10	10A	Greylock Glen	3.9M	Adams, MA
Sun	1/17/10	TBD	Mendon Ponds Winterfest**		Mendon, NY
Sun	1/17/10	10A	Brave the Blizzard	3.8M	Guilderland, NY
Sat	1/23/10	TBD	Pooh Hill	8.5K	Madison, NH
Sat	1/23/10	10A	Hoot Toot & Whistle	3.3M	Readsboro, VT
Sun	1/24/10	10A	Curley's Record Run	4M	Pittsfield,MA
Sat	1/30/10	11A	Sidehiller**	4M	Center Sandwich, NH
Sat	2/6/10	9A	Northfield Mountain	3.8M	Northfield, MA
Sun	2/7/10	TBD	Northern VT SS Challenge**		Jeffersonville, VT
Sun	2/7/10	11A	Saratoga Winterfest	5K	Saratoga Springs,NY
Sat	2/13/10	TBD	Horse Hill	7K	Merrimack, NH
Sat	2/13/10	10:30A	Camp Saratoga**	8.25K	Wilton, NY
Sun	2/14/10	TBD	Frosty's Dash	5K	Atkinson, NH
Sat	2/20/10	10A	Hallockville Orchard	3.8M	West Hawley, MA
Sat	2/20/10	TBD	Moonlight Madness	5K	Madbury, NH
Sun	2/21/10	9:30A	Covered Bridge	4 & 13M	Adams, MA
Sat	2/27/10	TBD	Joppa Hill Sprint	2.5K &5K	Bedford, NH
Sat	2/27/10	10A	Moody Spring	5.5M	West Hawley, MA
Sat	3/6/2010	11:30A	US National Championship	10K	Syracuse, NY
Sat	3/13/10	9A	Northfield States	3 - 5M	Northfield, MA
Sun	3/14/10	TBD	Granite State Championship	TBD	Gorham, NH
Sun	3/14/10	9:30A	Hawley Kiln Notch	5M	Hawley, MA
Sat	3/20/10	4:30P	Catamount Sunset	3M	Hillsdale, NY
TBD	1/?/10	10AM	South Pond (TBD)	4M	Florida, MA
TBD	TBD	TBD	Tilda Hill (Holdover Race)	3.5M	Florida, MA

Now, looking at the NE/NY schedule, the following days have conflicts between series' or standalone events:


1/9: Witch City (non-series) and Turner Trail (WMAC)
1/16: Greylock Glen (WMAC) and Feel Good Farm (GSSS)
1/17: Mendon Ponds Winterfest (Qualifier) and Brave the Blizzard (WMAC)
1/23: Pooh Hill (GSSS) and Hoot Toot & Whislte (WMAC)
2/7: Northern VT Snowshoe Challenge (Qualifier) and Saratoga Winterfest (WMAC)
2/13: Horse Hill (GSSS) and Camp Saratoga (WMAC)
2/27: Joppa Hill (non-series) and Moody Spring (WMAC)
3/14: Granite State Championship (GSSS) and Hawley Kiln Notch (WMAC)

The following race is a double on the same day that is doable because of the start times:

2/20: - Hallockville Orchard (WMAC) and Moonlight Madness (GSSS)

I would also like to thank Chris Dunn (acidotic) for all the hard work putting together a schedule and a series that has really become a great collection of really fun, well organized events.  Also, I am very excited to see that the GSSS will be a 'Best of 5' series, which will really allow for flexibility across not only both series, but also for folks who may not have been able to make just 1 or 2 races, and therefor opted out of the series last year.  I know DD didn't do any of the GSSS last year because he likes doing series races and because he is an RD for one of the snowshoe events, he couldn't make all of the GSSS events last year.  This year, 5 out of 8 will be easy to do (unless there's a lack of snow)...  I am really looking forward to competing in both series' this year and hopefully fielding a CMS team to give Dungeon Rock and acidotic a run for their money!