Training 12/20 to 12/26

12/20 Monday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Treadmill running at work.

12/21 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 70 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill loop. Had some solid middle miles where I was moving pretty good (6:20-6:30 pace) and the pace felt easy. It was nice to feel strong on a run.

PM: Treadmill running at work.

12/22 Wednesday: AM: 12.5 miles in 91 minutes PM: 4.5 miles in 33 minutes

AM: Running with Heather over to the Bradford section of town.

PM: Easy running in the snow! Felt good.

12/23 Thursday: 10 miles in 73 minutes

Easy running with Jim Johnson and Heather. Ran out to the Crystal Lake area and back. Felt pretty good.

12/24 Friday: 11.5 miles in 81 minutes

Ran he first 4.5 miles with Heather out to Crystal Lake. I continued on to get in a few more miles. I did 6 x 20 second strides during the last couple miles of the run.

12/25 Saturday: 8 miles in 63 minutes

Merry Christmas! Easy running with Heather out to Crystal Lake and back. It was nice and quiet out there today.

12/26 Sunday: 13 miles in 93 minutes

BU Mini meet today. Did 3+ miles of warm up, raced 3k in 8:47, ran 5 miles, raced 1 miles in 4:36, warmed down about 2 miles. I ran a 3k PR (old PR was 8:56) today!!! Very pleased with the results today. Results

Heather also made her indoor 3k debut running about 10:40! Results for the third heat are very wrong.

Total Miles: 82.5 miles

Very solid week of running with some great results at the end of the week to keep me motivated. Putting in the work = results!

Training 12/13 to 12/19

12/13 Monday: OFF

Work got out of control today and I was in no mood for the treadmill after work. Plus I am still sick, another day off might help.

12/14 Tuesday: 10 miles in 70 minutes

Rattlesnake Hill Loop. Felt pretty good running wise and a bit better health wise, but I still have this nasty dry cough that is killing me. Did 6 x 20 second strides towards the end of the run.

12/15 Wednesday: 12 miles in 86 minutes

Treadmill running at home after work. Was feeling pretty good and cranked it down to around 6 minute pace for a few miles. With about 30 seconds left in my run disaster struck....I heard a loud crack and then on my next foot fall I felt like I was falling through the treadmill. I totally blew out the deck of the treadmill. Not a good time of year to have this happen....got to get it fixed right away.

12/16 Thursday AM: 10 miles in 73 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Ran with Heather this morning. It was a bit chilly out there!

PM: Treadmill running at the gym at work

12/17 Friday: 8 miles in 61 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen river trails. Actually felt pretty slow and heavy today. I just didn't feel good running today.

12/18 Saturday: 10.5 miles in 73 minutes

BU Mini meet today. Did a little more than three miles of warm up. Raced 3k in 8:58, ran another three miles, raced 1 mile in 4:37, then did another 1.5 miles cool down. I will write a brief race report later! Results

12/19 Sunday: 15 miles in 106 minutes

Nice day to be outside for a run. Felt pretty good for most of the run.

Total Miles: 70.5

A solid week of running, with a nice double track effort on Saturday, and even a day off.

Training 12/6 to 12/12

12/6 Monday: 8 miles in 59 minutes

Ran the trails along the Shawsheen River. Feeling a bit better today, the sore throat has eased, but now my nose is running like crazy. I hope this thing is on its way out of my system!

12/7 Tuesday: 6 miles in 46 minutes

Treadmill running. There was no way I was going outside while still feeling sick.

12/8 Wednesday: AM: 9 miles in 62 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Run around the Concord NH area while my truck was serviced at Grappone Toyota. Felt pretty good today, still stuffed up, but not feeling bad. The run also went really good. I finished up the run with some miles in the low sixes.

PM: Easy treadmill running at home. Finally a good day of running!

12/9 Thursday: AM: 8.5 miles in 61 minutes PM: 4.5 miles in 36 minutes

AM: Running along the Shawsheen River trails up to the High School track.

PM: Easy treadmill running at home.

12/10 Friday: OFF

Work got crazy and I had no time to get in a run today. Still not feeling well either. It is taking me forever to get rid f this cold.

12/11 Saturday: 6 miles in 46 minutes

Easy running on the treadmill.

12/12 Sunday: 13 miles in 97 minutes

Cold and wet rub outside today. Ran with Heather over to the Bradford area of town. Felt pretty slow and heavy today. Still fighting this cold, I don't feel awful, but still have a nagging cough.

Total Miles: 60

Jay Carisella Track and Field Invite

On Saturday December 4th I made my way down to Boston for the Jay Carisella Track and Field Invite at the Reggie Lewis Center. I had been looking forward to this race for a while and was thinking I would have a good shot at my PR (15:28) after some great training followed by a couple lighter weeks. Of course on Friday I started feeling like I might be getting sick, by Saturday morning I knew I was getting sick. But I was still thinking I might be able to put in a good race. After a 3 mile run out side I went back inside and hit the track for some more easy running. Once they called the 5k I found out I was in the second heat, seeded 4th. During the first heat I did some strides on the infield and took some pictures of the first heat.

Nate Jenkins and Ruben Sanca

Justin Fyffe

Patrick Rich (in Red)

Then it was go time! We got lined up and off we went. Everyone shot off the line and I was buried in the field of about 22-23 guys. The good news was I was on the rail, but I was boxed in so bad it was ridiculous. I spent the first mile just trying to be calm, hold my position and stay close to a solid pace. But I just felt like I was holding back a lot and kept having to slow up to avoid running over guys in front of me. I hit the mile in 5:02, not awful, but I wanted to be about 7 seconds quicker. Finally I got to the outside and started making my way towards the front. Over the next mile I picked people off every lap and I was finally running a pace that felt closer to my goal pace. By about the two mile mark I had made my way all the way up to 2nd place and I had gone through the two mile mark in 9:57 (4:55 mile). Now I was all alone in 2nd place and 1st place was a ways ahead and there was little chance I was going to catch him. At this point my legs actually felt OK, the bad news was I starting to have trouble getting air in as my congestion started catching up to me. I did my best to try to hold a solid pace, but my pace was slowing a bit. About half way through the third mile a guy caught up to me and passed me. I tucked in behind him a let him lead me around the track for the next four laps, passing 3 miles in 15:07 (5:10 mile) I then kicked it in for the finish passing the guy in front of me finishing second in my heat in 15:42. Not great, but it could have been a lot worse. I ended up 17th overall in the 5k out of 63 guys.

After the 5k heats finished I headed out for a nice cool down with some of the CMS guys including Justin Fyffe, Patrick Rich, and Jeff Goupil. It was nice to get out and get in a bit of running with those guys. Sounds like I may be seeing more of those guys at some of the up coming indoor meets.

Results

Training 11/29 to 12/5

11/29 Monday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River trails. Did 6 x 20 second strides towards the end of the run. Felt good today!

11/30 Tuesday: 8 miles in 61 minutes

Ran with Heather out to Crystal Lake and back. Night run under headlamps.

12/1 Wednesday: OFF

A day off to relax and rest.

12/2 Thursday: 6 miles in 45 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River trails.

12/3 Friday: 4 miles in 32 minutes

Easy running. Not feeling so good, I think I am getting sick.

12/4 Saturday: 10 miles in 66 minutes

Ran 5k at the Jay Carisella Track and Field Invite. Warmed up 4 miles, raced 5k in 15:42, warmed down 3 miles. I didn't feel all that good for the race, I knew I was getting sick, felt way worse later Saturday night. I will post a race report soon!

12/5 Sunday: OFF

Sick. Lower legs are in rough shape too. That what I get for wearing spikes. No way I am running today. I am feeling pretty crappy and I need to get healthy.

Total Miles: 36 miles

The plan was for another low week and then a good race. The plan did not include getting sick and running a pretty bad race. Nothing I can do about getting sick, but I need to get healthy quick. Time to start putting in the work for next year!

Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race

On Thursday November 25th, Thanksgiving day, Heather and I headed to Andover for the Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race. This was my first Feaster Five and I have been thinking about running this race for a long time. This is one of the largest Thanksgiving Day Races in the US attracting more then ten thousand runners total for the 5k and 8k. I decided to run the 8k, this race always attracts at least a few of the areas best runners, so a top three finish was my goal. After a 2.5 mile warm up I headed for the starting line. After breaking the world record for the most people saying "Happy Thanksgiving" at once and some final announcements and instructions we were off and running.

Right away Nate Jenkins went to the front and was on his way to the 8k win. The guy is a stud and there was no way I was going to try to chase him down. He was running his own race and then there was the rest of us. The first mile of this race is flat and then up for about a half mile to the mile mark. At this point the 5k runners and 8k runners are still all together. We hit the first mile in a solid 5:13 and Nate was out in front a bit and I had two guys right in front of me including Kevin Alliette and plenty of guys close behind. As we hit the 5k turn both of those guys in front of me turned and I was alone in second place in the 8k race. I had no idea what was going on behind me, but I was sure there were guys in the 8k race not to far behind. The goal for me now was to try to hang on to second place and put some distance on whoever was behind me. The second mile is still up for a ways then a down hill to a flat section. I tried to keep my eyes on Nate as long as I could and tried to keep the pace solid. I got to the 2 mile mark in 10:33 (5:20 mile) and could not hear anyone behind me. The next mile is slightly up hill for the first half before heading back down hill for the second half. I really should have been pressing more during this mile, but I think not hearing anyone behind me put me in a more relaxed mode. I even threw some high fives to a large group of kids cheering along the side of the course. A little ways before the three mile mark a spectator told me that third place was about 40 meters back. That woke me up a bit, and hitting three miles in 15:57 (5:24 mile) also got me going a bit faster. The next mile has a sharp short downhill and then its flat for a long ways. During this section the 8k runners join back up with the 5k runners and weaving in and out of the 5k runners who refuse to stay to the left side of the road was not fun. But getting cheered on by the 5k runners was also a plus! I pressed the pace a bit here thinking I could put more distance on third place and secure my position in second place. I hit the 4th mile in 21:04 (5:07 mile) and thought I should be all set in second place. The next mile has a slight downhill to flat section and then a pretty good last hill just to make the finish even more fun. I was still pushing the pace pretty hard, not wanting to have anyone surprise me in the end. Just before the the turn up the hill at the finish I was told that third place was 20m back! I then just took off, hit the hill hard and made sure I did everything I could to hold onto second place. I hit the finish line in 26:06 (5:02 almost mile) holding off third place by 10 seconds. Turns out third place was David Wilson, a runner from UVA, and a former Massachusetts two-mile champion (9:19 best). So I felt pretty good about my second place finish.

Not too long after my finish I got to see Heather also finish in second place in the five miler in a huge PR of 29:50! Awesome race Heather!!!

Results

Training 11/22 to 11/28

11/22 Monday: 5.5 miles in 40 minutes

Very easy running in Andover.

11/23 Tuesday: OFF

11/24 Wednesday: 4 miles in 32 minutes

Very easy treadmill running at home.

11/25 Thursday: 9 miles in 58 minutes

Ran the Feaster Five Road Race. Warmed up 2.5 miles, ran 8k in 26:06 for 2nd place, cooled down for 1.5 miles. Race report coming soon! Travel to CT for Thanksgiving dinner.

11/26 Friday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Travel back from CT in the morning. Easy running out to Crystal lake and back. Feeling a bit tired and slow. Legs are tight!

11/27 Saturday: 8 miles in 59 minutes

Ran with Heather out to the Crystal lake area and Back. Felt OK, legs were still a bit tight, but not too bad.

11/28 Sunday: OFF

After a long day of travel and attending another social engagement I was pooped! Day off to recover from the Holiday weekend.

Total Miles: 34.5 miles

A very low week. I had planed on 1 day off, but I got two! This week and next week are planed low weeks to rest up and recover before I start putting in the work and miles to get ready for Boston in April.

Kingston Turkey Trot 5k

On Saturday November 2oth Heather and I went down to the South Shore for the Kingston Turkey Trot 5k. I was looking for a race to do over the weekend and I wanted to do a 5k on Saturday to give myself more time to recover for a race on Thanksgiving. This was one of the few 5k options for the day and having prize money was also a major plus. So we decided to head for Kingston.

Once we got there we got our numbers and I perused the entry list for names I recognized. The only one that I saw was John Noland, a tough master runner that I have battled with for many years. After a warm up over the course, which is flat with a couple hills in mile 2, and getting myself ready to race we headed over to the starting line. At the starting line I still did not notice anyone I recognized, there were a bunch of High school guys, but I was starting to think that I maybe running by myself out there after a mile or so. This was not to be the case!

After some words from and instructions at the start we were off and running. As always the high school kids were out fast and into the lead right away. As we made our way down the first stretch of road I started making my way around them and towards the front. One little guy wasn't having it and each time I pulled up next to him he stomped on it. It was really pretty funny. Soon enough I was past the high schoolers and out in front with two other men. The first was John Noland and the other was a mystery to me, I later found out this was Marc Leblanc (a very accomplished runner from Natick). As we got close to the first mile mark John was breathing pretty heavy and I knew he would not keep the pace for much longer, Marc on the other hand seemed comfortable and his breathing was controlled. I was starting to think that I may have a race on my hands. We hit the first mile in 5:02. I pressed on and son I did not hear John anymore, but Marc was right on me. We soon made a right hand turn and started the pop portion of this lollipop style course. This section had a set of small hills that I thought I could use to my advantage. At the first hill I made an effort to push pretty good and soon felt a small gap open up, so I kept the pressure on and really hammered the resulting downhill and the next more significant up hill and down hill. Son I made a left hand turn back onto the main road and back towards the finish. I could no longer hear anyone behind me and I was thinking that I had just done enough work to break the guy behind me and win this race. I hit the two mile mark in 10:08 (5:06 miles) and thought that I had done a great job pressing and maintaining a great pace through the hills in the last mile. At this point I was thinking of the finish line and just getting there to wrap this thing up. About 4-500 meters later while making a right hand turn onto another road a course director says "nice job guys". I am first thinking "Thanks" then I was thinking "What? Guys? That's plural I am all alone.....(look over shoulder) .....oh crap!" Marc was no more that 5 meters back and I was now in panic mode. The first thing I did was start pressing again thinking I could get away from him.....that didn't seem to do anything. He was soon right on my shoulder. So I relaxed a bit and tried to collect myself now knowing that this was probably going to come down to a kick. We soon made a quick left and then a right onto the final 400m stretch of road. Just as we made that right hand turn Marc went by me. At this point I thought the race was over. I was not prepared for his move and could not cover it right away. Marc soon had a 5 meter lead on me and we could now see the finish line. I pressed to get back on Marc's shoulder just as we passed the 3 mile mark. I thought for sure the second I caught back up he would kick me down over the last 0.1 miles. But we hit the three mile mark and nothing happened.....there was no kick. So I just went for it.......I was not going to lose this race now after leading almost the whole way. So I threw down probably the ugliest looking kick ever. I was determined to get to that finish line first, I was swinging my arms as hard as I could as I raced to the now blurry finish line. I just kept going as hard as I could until I got across the line. I hit the finish line in 15:51, good for a 6 second victory. I guess all that effort to catch back up to me had taken the kick out of Marc, but I didn't take any chances as we went for the finish line.

Heather also had a good race finishing up in 18:12 and good for first place female!!

After the race a group of us including Heather, Marc Leblanc, John Noland, Wayne Alukonis, and myself went for a cool down. I got a chance to talk to Marc and he is a very nice guy with a great running resume. We realized that we have actually race each other quite a few time and have pretty close PR's. Word on the street is that he has just joined Whirlaway so I expect to see a bit more of him out on the USATFNE Grand Prix circuit.

Results

Training 11/15 to 11/21

11/15 Monday: 8.3 miles in 60 minutes

Some easy running on the Shawsheen River trails. Felt good.

11/16 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 71 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill Loop. Felt very comfortable and smooth.

PM: Easy treadmill running after work.

11/17 Wednesday: 9 miles in 69 minutes

Early morning treadmill running.

11/18 Thursday: 8.3 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running on the Shawsheen River trails. Did 6 x 20 second strides towards the end of the run.

11/19 Friday: 6 miles in 45 minutes

Easy running around Andover.

11/20 Saturday: 10.7 miles in 75 minutes

Ran the Kingston Turkey Trot. Warmed up 3.1 miles over the course, ran 5k in 15:51 good for first place, warmed down 4.5 miles. Race report to come soon!

11/21 Sunday: 13 miles in 96 minutes

Ran over to the Bradford area of town with Heather. I was feeling pretty heavy and slow today.

Total Miles: 70.3

Training 11/8 to 11/14

11/8 Monday: 10 miles in 73 minutes

Last run in Miami. Ran with Heather along the boardwalk and over to the shipping canal.

11/9 Tuesday: 11 miles in 77 minutes

Andover center run. Did 6 x 20 second strides towards the end of the run.

11/10 Wednesday: AM: 10 miles in 71 minutes PM: 4 miles in 32 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill loop. Felt pretty good.

PM: Easy treadmill running.

11/11 Thursday: 10 miles in 75 minutes

Felt pretty bad today...... heavy and slow. Was going to do some tempo paced stuff but the legs were not having it. Maybe tomorrow.

11/12 Friday: OFF

I really did not plan to take the day off, but I was feeling tired and unmotivated. A good day to let myself recover a bit mentally and physically.

11/13 Saturday: 10 miles in 75 minutes

Easy running over to Winnekenni and did a loop around the lake. Felling much better today and glad I took a day off.

11/14 Sunday: 16 miles in 113 minutes

Should have been running the Seacoast Half Marathon today. The race sells out way to early and I was not able to get in even after talking to the race director. Very disappointing. Congrats to Bob Wiles on running a great race today....by himself! Wish I was there to help you along Bob!

Ran over to the Bradford section of town with Heather for the first 11 miles and then finished up with some solid miles over the last 5 miles. Last mile was a 5:38. Felt very solid. That day off did miracales!

Total Miles: 71 miles

For a week with 6 days of running I will take the 71 miles and feeling rested and recovered at the end of the week. Time to start getting ready for some races I have coming up in the next few weeks!

Training 11/1 to 11/7

11/1 Monday: AM: 5 miles in 40 minutes PM: 9 miles in 63 minutes

AM: Easy early morning treadmill run.

PM: Easy running up to Andover center.

11/2 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 71 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill loop, felt pretty good.

PM: Easy treadmill run.

11/3 Wednesday: AM: 10 miles in 74 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Shawsheen River trails to the Bay Circuit Trail. 6 x 20 second strides towards end of the run.

PM: Easy treadmill running, legs felt a bit heavy and I felt slow.

11/4 Thursday: 9 miles in 60 minutes

Treadmill run. 3 miles of warm up then 2 x 2 miles at 5:30 pace with 400m rest. Then cool down up to 9 miles total.

11/5 Friday: 9.1 miles in 67 minutes

Running the Boardwalk along Miami Beach with Heather and Seth. Nice weather here!

11/6 Saturday: AM: 10.1 miles in 75 minutes PM: 4 miles in 32 minutes

AM: Running the Boardwalk along Miami Beach. Another great weather day!

PM: Easy running on the boardwalk.

11/7 Sunday: 15.1 miles in 110 minutes

Ran the boardwalk over to the shipping canal and over to across from the cruise ship terminals. Another great day for running down in Miami.

Total Miles: 91.3

A very nice week of running and a relaxing visit to Miami beach!

Canton Classic 10k

On Sunday October 31st Heather and I made the drive down to Canton, Ma to run the Canton Classic. This was a last minute decision as Heather had planned on racing on Saturday and I was thinking I would just get in some miles over the weekend. Well the race that Heather planned on racing on Saturday never happened, and she still wanted to race. It doesn't take much to convince me to go to a race, so after some looking over the races on Sunday we decided to go check out the Canton Classic.

Upon arrival we had to park a good walk away from the registration area. It looked like this race had attracted a lot of runners and the good weather was certainly helping. After parking we packed up our running bags and made the walk up to the registration area. Even with all the people, registration was very quick. Heather registered for the 5k and I opted for the 10k. Soon we were back outside and ready to head out for a warm up. Heather and I did a 2 mile warm up on the side roads around the start/finish area and then got ready to race! Once over at the starting line there were quite a few fast looking guys, but the only one I recognized was Mike Griffin who has been running really well and I knew I would be in for a race if he was running the 10k. After a few more minutes of waiting we were off and running.

Mike Griffin went right to the front almost immediately, he was followed by myself and a few others. Soon Mike was really pulling away and I was soon alone in second place as we made our way through the mostly downhill first mile. Mike was looking fast and strong and still slowly pulling away from me on our way towards the first mile mark. At this point I was already thinking this race was over. Going through the first mile mark Mike had probably a 14-15 second lead on me. Much to my surprise I went through the mile in 5:01. This got me thinking Mike was either running the 5k or he was going out too fast. Not long after the mile mark Mike took the right hand turn at the 5k turn and I was alone in first place for the 10k. My first thoughts were relief that Mike was running the 5k and then it was thinking running by myself for the next 5 miles over this challenging course was going to be rough! I decided to give it a good go and see what I could do over this course. The next mile is still flat to down hill and I hit the 2nd mile in 10:01 (5:00 mile). At this point I knew for sure I would be alone for the rest of the race, and I knew that after all that downhill there were going to be some decent up hill sections coming up. Soon after the 2 mile mark I hit the first significant hill, still feeling good I pressed up the hill pretty strong and hit more downhill to flat all the way to the three mile mark 15:24 (5:23 mile). After the first three miles I had a good race going and thoughts of a fast time started entering my mind....but I knew there were more hills to come. Over the next mile I tried to really put in some effort and keep the pace fast through some rolling hills and flat sections. For the most part this mile was up hill but nothing to bad. I hit the 4 mile mark in 20:45 (5:21 mile). With 2.2 miles left I was on pace for a personal best.....but there were still more hills to tackle. The next mile was mostly flat for about a half mile, then the uphill began. The last part of this mile had three hills back to back to back with little to no rest between ups. I was pretty sure at this point that my fast time was going out the window. At the top of the very last hill I hit the 5 mile mark in 26:19 (5:34 mile). Not as bad as I had expected, the personal record was probably out of the question but I still had a quick time going. The last mile was flat to a very slight up hill and I tried to press the best I could to hold on to my good time. I never saw the 6 mile mark and before I knew it I was back close to the finish area and made one last drive for the finish. I was actually surprised to see the clock reading 32:30's as I made my way to the finish crossing the line in 32:37, only 4 seconds off my personal best!

I was extremely happy with this race. I was able to run a very good time, by myself, over a challenging course. The work I am putting in each week is starting to show at my races and it is keeping me motivated! Heather also won her race running the 5k in 18:06. Another great race for Heather who has been running very well! Mike Griffin ended up winning the 5k in 15:36.

Results

Training 10/25 to 10/31

10/25 Monday AM: 8.3 miles in 61 minutes PM: 5 miles in 37 minutes

AM: Early run out to Crystal Lake and back.

PM: Easy running after work.

10/26 Tuesday: 10.5 miles in 69 minutes

Ran the Rattlesnake Hill loop. After an easy 4 miles I picked it up into a 5 mile progression run. Splits went 6:23, 6:09, 6:14 (big hill), 5:31, 5:20. Felt nice and strong.

10/27 Wednesday: AM: 11 miles in 81 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Easy running up to Andover center.

PM: Very easy treadmill running.

10/28 Thursday: AM: 5.2 miles in 39 minutes PM: 7 miles in 53 minutes

AM: Easy running on the Shawsheen River trails

PM: Night run with Heather.

10/29 Friday: 10.1 miles in 70 minutes

Run from Cedarland. Ran over to and did a lap around the Braford Valentine 5 mile course.

10/30 Saturday: 10.5 miles in 73 minutes

Run out to Crystal Lake area and back. Did 6 x 20 second strides during the end of the run.

10/31 Sunday: 12.2 miles in 78 minutes

Ran the Canton Classic 10k. warmed up 2 miles, then ran 10k in 32:37 for first place, warmed down 4 miles. race report coming soon.

Total Miles: 84.8

Great week of running and a nice race to top it off! Feeling good and hope to keep up the good training.

Great Bay 5k

On Saturday October 23rd Heather and I went up to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire for the Great Bay 5k. This race was the last race in the Seacoast Series and was sure to attract some fast guys as it pays cash to the top three ($150, $100, $75) and has a very fast course. Upon arrival we met up with Jim Johnson, who of course was sandbagging with all kinds of talk about how he was sick, and couldn't breathe. He was saying he was just there to finish up the series and get his series jacket. Yeah right! We took a look at the entry list for the race to see if we noticed any fast guys. We didn't recognize any names and thoughts of a first and second place finish for Jim and I started to enter our heads. Another thing to consider was the Mackenzie Mile, which is a cash prize for the first person through the mile. In the end, it turns out we didn't need to worry about it.

After a warm up with Heather and Jim on the course we headed over to the starting area and soon we were off and running. Right away a guy decked out in a Navy racing kit (Nick Crowell) went right to the front followed by another guy in a white shirt (Jeffery Sprague). I did not recognize either of them and thought they may be just after the first mile bonus and I was not interested in going out fast and blowing up. I was more interested in a top 3 finish. Jim and I were right together as Nick and Jeff pulled away a bit. Nick hit the first mile in about 4:50 with Jim and I going through in about 5:01. At this point I felt Jim starting to fall off my pace and I was making up ground on Jeff who was in second place. This second mile has some small rolling hills and I caught up to and passed Jeff at about 1.5 miles. I was also now making up ground on Nick. I hit the second mile in 9:55 (4:54 mile) and was now only about 5 seconds behind Nick. Thoughts of both a fast time and a victory started creeping into my head. Soon after two miles we turned into a neighborhood and started up the biggest hill on the course. At this point I think Nick noticed me getting closer and picked it up. I could not match his move after pressing the second mile and he put some distance on me. At this point I was sure I was good for second place and still a fast time, I was still running quick, but not making up any ground on Nick. As I started getting close to the third mile I started hearing the footfall of someone coming up behind me. I never looked back to see who it was, I didn't know if it was Jim, Jeff, or someone else. All I knew was I needed to get a move on and hold off who ever it was. Its was all downhill from this point on and I just let it roll as fast as my legs would let me. I went through 3 miles in 14:58 (5:03 mile) and put in the best kick I could to secure second place. I covered the last 0.1 in 30 seconds finishing in 15:28 (A new 5k PR) holding off Jim and finishing second.

Heather also ran a great race finishing first in 17:44, beating the competition by more than a minute! In addition to the $150 first place prize she also won the $50 Mackenzie Mile bonus! Just awesome!

Article

Top 10 plus CMS in Blue

Place	Name	Age	City/State	Net Time	Pace
1	Nick Crowell	23	PORTSMOUTH NH	15:21	4:57
2	Chris Mahoney	32	HAVERHILL MA	15:28	4:59
3	Jim Johnson	33	SALEM NH	15:31	5:00
4	Jeffrey Sprague	27	PORTLAND ME	15:38	5:02
5	Erik Travis	26	LEE NH	16:23	5:17
6	Chris Ritchie	27	HAMPTON NH	16:29	5:19
7	Scott Clark	44	GILMANTON NH	16:54	5:27
8	Peter McNeil	26	BARRINGTON NH	17:11	5:32
9	David Harrow	26	GREENLAND NH	17:24	5:37
10	Jasmin Lepir	34	PORTSMOUTH NH	17:34	5:40

821 Total Finishers.

Training 10/18 to 10/24

10/18 Monday: 9 miles in 67 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen river trails. Legs were heavy today, feeling the race and long run from the weekend.

10/19 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 72 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill loop, felt a bit better today.

PM: Treadmill run, just didn't feel like going out in the dark.

10/20 Wednesday: 10 miles in 72 minutes

Running the Merrimack trails with Jim Johnson.

10/21 Thursday: AM: 10 miles in 74 minutes PM: 5 miles in 38 minutes

AM: Easy running in Andover. Did 6 x 20 second strides towards end of the run

PM: Easy running from Cedarland in Haverhill

10/22 Friday: 7 miles in 52 minutes

Easy running, it was chilly out there this afternoon!

10/23 Saturday: 10.5 miles in 73 minutes

Great Bay 5k. Warmed up with Heather and Jim Johnson 3.2 miles, raced 5k in 15:28 good for 2nd place and a new road 5k PR!, and warmed down for 4.2 miles. Race report coming soon!

10/24 Sunday: 15 miles in 113 minutes

Long run at Franklin Park in Boston. Heather and I went down to get in a run and catch the Mayors Cup XC races. It was nice to get in some running on some soft surfaces and then catch some great XC action!

Total Miles: 81.5

Topsfield Cross Country Festival

On a very windy and cool Saturday October 15th I headed over to Bradley Palmer State Park for the Topsfield Cross Country Festival. The was my first team race as a CMS member and I was looking forward to running and racing with the guys. After some confusion on how to get to the race starting area we finally pulled in about an hour before race time. I was actually the first CMS guy there and picked up the race numbers for the rest of the team. We had a very strong team there with Peter Mallett, Kevin Tilton, Ben Strain, Rich Patrick, Greg Putnam and myself representing CMS. This race is part of the USATFNE XC Grand Prix and I knew the field of runners would be strong. Among others in the field was Nate Jenkins and Matt Ely, two of the best runners in New England. My goals going into this race were to first score for CMS (top 5 on team) and second to place in the top 10 and win a pie! After meeting up with the guys we did a warm-up around the course and then it was time to race!

As the race went off Nate Jenkins went right to the front and was off on his own as expected. The rest of us kind of stayed bunched together in the strong wind. The group was led by Matt Ely and Colman Hatton from BAA followed by a bunch of CMS blue with Peter, Rich, Greg and myself right behind and many more right with us. We made our way around the first little loop and soon we were headed out for a loop up and over Moon Hill. I was feeling OK at this point, but I was not sure I had made a wise decision by going out so hard. As we made our way out towards the hill I was following Rich and just trying to stay comfortable. We hit Moon Hill and made our way up the single track trail. Soon we hit the field up top (around 2 miles in) and were on our way back down to the woods. Just a bit after hitting the woods and continuing our way downhill I moved past Rich and tried to press my way forward. Heading out again for a second loop up and over Moon Hill I could see Peter ahead and I could hear someone gaining on me. At this point I was just trying to keep things together and try to hold off who ever was behind me. I hit the bottom of Moon Hill and Ryan Place from GBTC had caught me and soon he went by me. I tried to go with him, but he was moving well and pulled away. I also noticed that Peter was coming back to me a little bit. Soon we were back in the woods and I made a hard charge on the down hills towards the finish area. Once back on the fields I was right behind Peter and making my way towards the finish. With about 200m left I pushed past Peter and made a strong charge for the finish line.......getting there in 27:02, good for 5th place over all and first CMS runner. CMS took the next two places with Peter Mallett and Rich Patrick finishing close behind me. CMS sealed the team win with strong finishes by our next two runners Kevin Tilton and Greg Putnam in 11th and 13th place respectively.

I was very happy with the results today. I not only accomplished, but exceeded my goals by finishing 5th overall and 1st CMS runner. I felt strong for most of the race and mixed it up with some very good runners. This was a confidence builder for sure. It was also great to win the team race with CMS winning over GBTC. I enjoyed running with the guys and look forward to more team racing in the future.

Results

Training 10/11 to 10/17

10/11 Monday: 9 miles in 65 minutes

Easy running to Andover center. Did 8 x 20 second strides at end of run.

10/12 Tuesday: 10 miles in 73 minutes

Easy running on the Rattlesnake Hill loop. Felt a bit sluggish today.

10/13 Wednesday: AM: 5.1 in 40 minutes PM: 11 miles in 77 minutes

AM: Easy running on the Shawsheen River trails

PM: Warmed up from Philips Andover's track 3.5 miles by running over to the Ward Reservation to the top of Holt hill and back, then I hit the track for 2 x 2 miles in 10:51 and 10:50 with 400m rest. Warmed down 3.25 miles on the roads around campus.

10/14 Thursday: 10.2 in 75 minutes

Run in the dark with Heather. Felt OK till Heather tried to drop me in the last mile!

10/15 Friday: 8.2 miles in 64 minutes

Treadmill running in the morning.

10/16 Saturday: 10.5 miles in 68 minutes

Today I wen over to the Topsfield Cross Country Festival. Warmed up 2.5 miles, raced 5 miles in 27:02 good for 5th place overall, warmed down 3 miles. Race went well as CMS took first place! Race report coming soon!

10/17 Sunday: 14.4 miles in 100 minutes

Ran out past Crystal Lake after watching the Patriots game. Felt pretty good and held a solid pace even after racing yesturday.

Total Miles: 78.4

A very nice week and a solid race. Just need to keep doing work!

Training 10/4 to 10/10

10/4 Monday: 9 miles in 67 minutes

Easy running. The legs actually felt pretty good, just a bit tight in a couple spots.

10/5 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 72 minutes PM: 6.2 miles in 45 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill Road loop. Felt a little sluggish, but the time was quicker than I expected.

PM: Run with Jim Johnson in Haverhill. Did the Parsonage Hill loop. Felt good.

10/6 Wednesday: 10.5 miles in 75 minutes

Andover center run in the rain. Did 6 x 20 second strides. Felt OK. Almost got killed by a falling tree branch.

10/7 Thursday: AM: 13.2 miles in 90 minutes PM: 4.1 miles in 33 minutes

AM: 4 miles of warm up then 2 x 2.5 miles in 13:32 and 13:32 which is 5:26 pace. I did 400m easy in between. I then warmed down 4 miles.

PM: Very easy treadmill running

10/8 Friday: AM: 7.2 miles in 56 minutes PM: 6.2 in 48 minutes

AM: Very easy running along the Shawsheen River trails. Legs a bit heavy. Saw way too many snakes out there today. I hate those things.

PM: Easy running with Heather. We did the Parsonage Hill Loop. Great night for a run!

10/9 Saturday: 15 miles in 107 minutes

Ran around Kenoza and some of the back roads nearby.

10/10 Sunday: OFF (Hiking)

We took advantage of the beautiful day and went hiking in NH. We hiked 10+ miles up Mt Carrigan, my 41st 4000 footer. It was a good day!

Total Miles: 81.4 Running, 10 Hiking

Training 9/27 to 10/3

9/27 Monday: 8.5 miles in 61 minutes

Treadmill run after work. Felt OK and the pace was solid at the end, but I still dislike the treadmill.

9/28 Tuesday: AM: 5 miles in 38 minutes PM: 10.1 miles in 71 minutes

AM: Easy running in Andover.

PM: Run from the Whirlaway with Jim Johnson.

9/29 Wednesday: AM: 5.1 miles in 39 minutes PM: 11 miles in 71 minutes

AM: Easy 5.1 miles on the Shawsheen river trails

PM: Workout with Jim Johnson at Haverhill High track. Warmed up 4.2 miles and did a few strides on the track right into 2 x 2 mile (goal 5:20 pace) with 400m rest. Went 10:40 and 10:39. Jim did he first one with me and did the second a bit quicker, maybe 10:15-20. Warmed down 2.7 miles. All continuous running.

9/30 Thursday: AM: 5 miles in 40 minutes PM: 9.3 miles in 70 minutes

AM: Very easy running, legs feeling OK after workout.

PM: Running the trails around Winnekinni. Legs felt pretty good!

10/1 Friday: AM: 4.3 miles in 35 minutes PM: 7 miles in 53 minutes

AM: Early morning treadmill run at home.

PM: Evening cemetery run, the legs felt a bit tired.

10/2 Saturday: 7.1 miles easy in 54 minutes

Easy morning run. Feeling a bit heavy and slow, but I kind of expected it after four double days in a row.

10/3 Sunday: 11.4 miles in in 79 minutes

Ran the Mike Donohue 5k in Georgetown MA. I did 3.3 miles of warm up, 5k in 15:46 good for 5th place, and 5 miles of cool down. I was pretty happy with this after a pretty big week of miles.

Total Miles: 83.8

Training 9/20 to 9/26

9/20 Monday: 8.3 miles in 62 minutes

Easy running on the cemetery route. Legs felt a little heavy and tight!

9/21 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 73 minutes PM: 5 miles in 39 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill Road loop. Legs are feeling better than yesterday.

PM: Running in the dark around Haverhill High and local roads

9/22 Wednesday: 10 miles in 74 minutes

Easy running on the Shawsheen River / AVIS trails. Did 6 x 20 second strides during end of run.

9/23 Thursday: 12.5 miles in 84 minutes

Warmed up for 4.25 miles and then hit the track for 2 x 2 miles with 400m rest. Went 10:59 and 10:59 (goal pace was 5:30 per mile) and then did 4 miles of cool down. Legs felt good, but I was having some stomach cramping issues which made the workout a bit more difficult than I wanted.

9/24 Friday: AM: 5.1 miles in 40 minutes PM: 6.2 miles in

AM: Easy early morning run. Legs felt pretty good.

PM: Easy running on the power line trails

9/25 Saturday: 8 miles in 63 minutes

Easy running with Heather in Connecticut. Felt pretty heavy and slow!

9/26 Sunday: 10 miles in 70 minutes

Run with Heather in the afternoon. Started out easy and then picked it up. Last three miles went 6:40, 6:38, 6:17. Heather hung in there and had a good tempo run for herself!

Total Miles: 75.1

Training 9/13 to 9/19

9/13 Monday: 8.4 miles in 59 minutes

Felt surprisingly good today. Thought I would feel pretty bad after spending 2 days hiking in the mountains.

9/14 Tuesday: AM: 5 miles in 38 minutes PM: 8 miles in 60 minutes

AM: Easy morning run.

PM: Easy running out towards Andover Center.

9/15 Wednesday: 12 miles in 82 minutes

4 miles of warm up, then 2 x 2 miles in 11:01 and 10:58 (goal was 5:30 pace), 400m rest in about 2minutes, 3.75 miles of cool down.

9/16 Thursday: AM: 10 miles in 74 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Easy run up to the center of Andover. Felt OK, the legs were a little heavy after last nights workout.

PM: Easy running in the rain with Heather.

9/17 Friday: 9 miles in 70 minutes

Easy running with Heather. Did the Jericho loop.

9/18 Saturday: OFF Hiked 19+ miles in the Presidential Range

Heather and I parked at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center and took the AMC shuttle to the Appalachia Trailhead. We headed up to the summit of Madison and made our way across the ridge over Adams, Jefferson, Washington, and Monroe. The weather was awesome and the views were incredible. We ended the day hiking out past Tuckerman's Ravine and made our way out of the woods under headlamps. It was an awesome day!

9/19 Sunday: OFF

Rest and recovery from the day before.

Total Miles: 57.4

Solid week. Would have liked to get in more miles. But I was hurting pretty good on Sunday. I figured playing it safe and taking the day off was the right thing to do. The hike was awesome! One of my favorite hikes ever.

Friendly Kitchen 5k 9/10

On Friday 9/10 Heather and I went up to Concord NH to run the Friendly Kitchen 5k. This is a relatively small race run on the NHTI campus and benefits the Friendly Kitchen in Concord, NH. I decided to run this race because I had not raced in a while and I felt like I really need to get in a hard effort. I figured that a smaller race would give me the opportunity to get in a good workout and to build back some racing confidence. Heather and I pulled onto campus at about 4:30 pm and hustled to get ourselves registered and warmed up for the 5:30 pm start. We ran over the 5k course for our warm up and then headed for the starting line. My plan was to run a strong tempo effort and increase the pace throughout the race. I was hoping this kind of effort would put me near the front of the race and put me in position for the win. After a few quick instructions we were off and running.

The race actually went out very controlled with a large group of guys right at the front. This included many runners from NHTI and other colleges in there conference. As we made our way towards the trails I was anywhere from 1st to about 5th as I just tried to keep a controlled consistent pace. As we got to the trail I made sure I was in the top three so that I did not get caught in traffic. We hit the first mile in 5:20 and the group had really thinned out as there were only three or four of us at the front. We made our way across the field and towards the road, just before the road someone went down right besides me, the runner who went down never finished the race. Once on the road I decided to pick up the effort a bit as we ran into the wind and towards the Delta Dental Campus on the other side of Rt 93. I opened up a gap pretty easily and soon I was on my own. I hit the two mile mark in 5:17 (10:37) and made my way through the root canal (tunnel on the Delta Dental Campus). I got a good look at those behind me at this point and I had a decent lead of maybe 15-20 seconds. I made my way back over Rt 93 and I was on my way back towards the finish line. I picked it up a bit more and made sure I kept my lead. I made the last turn into the quad and Coach Walton yelled me my third mile split of 5:14 (15:51). I kicked in in a bit and finished up first in 16:24.

Heather also took home first place in 19:02. Overall it was a solid run for both of us. I got in the hard effort I was looking for and felt very strong doing it.

Results

Training 9/6 to 9/12

9/6 Monday: 4 miles in 32 minutes

Very easy early morning run. The only time I could sneak some miles in today.

9/7 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 74 minutes PM: 5 miles in 39 minutes

AM: Rattlesnake Hill Loop, felt OK, left hamstring feeling tight.

PM: Easy running around Philips Andover trails and fields.

9/8 Wednesday: AM: 8 miles in 60 minutes PM: 5 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Treadmill run.

PM: Easy treadmill run.

9/9 Thursday: 11.3 miles in 81 minutes

Easy running and 6 x 20 second strides

9/10 Friday: AM: 5 miles in 38 minutes PM: 9.1 miles in 63 minutes

AM: Easy running on the Shawsheen River trails

PM: 3 miles warm up, 3.1 miles in 16:24 good for first place at the Friendly Kitchen 5k in Concord, NH, 3 miles cool down.

9/11 Saturday: 6.7 miles in 49 minutes

Early easy run. Legs actually felt pretty good. Now its off to the whites for a hiking adventure, hitting Zealand and the Bonds! Hiked 8+ miles hit Mt. Zealand and into the Guyot Shelter. Caught Sunset from the summit of Guyot.

9/12 Sunday: OFF Hiking in the Whites

13+ miles of hiking. Hit Mt Bond, Bond Cliff, and West Bond. Saw a moose just after passing Zealand Hut on the way out. A great weekend of hiking with Heather and Ben.

Total Miles: Running: 64.1 miles Hiking: 21+ miles

A very good week of running and hiking. The hike was just awesome.... no words to explain the views and feeling of being in such a remote place.