Week ending 09/27/09

After the Lone Gull, my legs and feet were pretty beat up so I planned on taking it easy early on and build it up to week's end. The plan worked pretty well but, due to traveling to NYC to St. John's Univ., I took a couple of unscheduled days off. No big deal. It was nice to see ER and the family got to see the Big Apple again.

M/21 7 easy miles in 1 hour on grass for 40 minutes.

T/22 8.5 in 1:09:11

w/23 15.5 w/JJ in 2:04:30 Windham rail trail.

Th/24 8 in 1:02:02

Fr/25 8 in 1:00:38

S/26 40 min on bike

S/27 No workout

Week ending 09/20/09

Here is a quick recap of last week's training. It started out slow and easy due to the pain following Ollie and I built it up towards the Gull 10k. Ran on a lot of soft surface early in the week and slowly built up my time on the roads.

9/14 5 miles easy in 40:00

9/15 6.2 in 51:00

9/16 7.5 in 1:00:40

9/17 8.2 in 1:07:30

9/18 9.0 in 1:08:59

9/19 6.0 in 45:00

9/20 3 in 24/ 10k in 35 :13/ 2.5 in 20:00

53.6 miles for week.

Feel pretty good after race. No racing this week. Just more mileage and rest.

3rd Annual Lone Gull 10k 09/20/09

Sunday morning, I drove over to my parent's house in No. Andover and met up with my brother, Michael and we drove to the Cape Ann town of Gloucester to race in the 3rd Annual Lone Gull 10k which served as the USATF-NE 10k road championships. This race is the 6th (out of 7) 2009 Grand prix races with the final being the Bay State Marathon in October. As a result, this race was able to attract a number of the top New England road racers even with stiff competition in the CVS Downtown 5k being held in Providence, RI.

The drive down featured numerous Clash hits as we made good time and had plenty of time to sign up and get great parking in the large parking lot adjacent to Good Harbor beach. After tossing around a nerf football with Double D, Double J, Petey and MQ, it was time for a 22 minute warmup over the first mile plus of the race course. It was a beautiful morning to race with not a cloud in the sky and on top of the fast race field and rolling shoreline course I was optimistic to race well even though I was a little tired from lack of sleep the past two nights.

As the gun went off I immediately was caught behind a sea of runners as the road narrows for the first 1/4 mile. After snaking my way through the pack, I caught up to Mike Q at 1/2 mile and saw in the distance some runners I wanted to be with so I made a brief pickup to get with Double D, Reno Stirrat and John Barbour. The pace seemed quick but I felt good and just went with them through the mile. Our time was 5:33 at the mile and it was right about where I wanted be. I actually wanted to hit 5:45 but it felt good. The 2nd mile featured a little hill and I worked it and everyone I was with responded but we were catching some runners who went out a bit quick and couldn't hold the pace. We hit 2 miles in 11:20 which is 5:40 pace so we were running steady and even. And then it happened. For some reason my left shoe became untied (I swear I triple knotted it) and I was faced with a difficult decision. I wanted to tie it for obvious reasons but did not want to disrupt my rhythm and lose any contact with anyone. So I ran with my left shoe untied for the duration of the race. Fortunately, the Loco Banditos fit pretty snug so it actually did not factor negatively at all. Occasionally I would look down and reconsider but I just ran on. We hit 3 miles in 16:45 and 5k in 17:32 as we made our way back to the first part of the course.

At this point (going to mile 4) I just tried to maintain rhythm and keep pace with Reno, John and Dave. I actually did not realize DD was there until about 5 miles maybe 4.5 as I glanced to my left I saw him running hard. We hit 4 miles in 22:43 and 5 miles in 28:22. Reno and I were making moves on each other but no one got an edge. At about 5.7 (thanks to the Garmin) I started to make some hard surges hoping to crack these guys and I did manage to get a brief lead heading to mile 6 which was at the top of a hill and led to the final .2 off downhill running. My time at 6 was 34:06 and I wanted to get down as close to 35 minutes as I could so I ran as hard as I could. I was rigging up a bit and at about 200 yards to go Reno passed me and I let up for a stride or two and then dug deep for one final push and sprinted to the line ahead of him for a new masters (over 40 and 45) PR 35:13. My final .2 was 1:07.

Week ending 9/13/09

My mileage was above 50 miles and I ran everyday but the effort to go longer and quicker is becoming a challenge. Perhaps I have jumped into the racing game a little premature and the recovery is taking longer than expected. The Ollie 4.91 mile race went well as I placed top 10 in the master's division (sans many notables) but I will take the result. Here is a quick recap of the week:

M 9/7 11 miles in 1:29:00

Tue 9/8 8 miles in 59:30

Wed 9/9 8 miles in 1:00:11

Thur 9/10 4 miles in 29:30

Fri 9/11 6 miles in 42:00

Sat 9/12 2.5 mile warmup/ 4.91 race in 27:58 / 2.5 mile cooldown.

Sun 9/13 5 mile walk with kids / 3.5 mile jog in 35:00

Legs are very sore and also my left foot. I am going to concentrate on recovery and run on grass this week. I plan on racing Lone Gull 10k on Sunday.

Ollie 5 Mile Road Race (USATF-NE Championships) 9/12/09

Saturday morning, six of us (Double D, Dan V, Kevin T, Double J, Mike Q and myself) met up at the Merrimack River trail in Andover to drive to So. Boston to race in the Ollie Five Mile. Driving duties were split between DD and myself and we made it quickly into Beantown considering there was a massive downpour of rain. This annual race serves as the USATF-NE 5 Mile Championships and historically brings out the areas best road racers. Combine the fast collection of runners with a 64 degree rainy morning and you get a recipe for fast times.

The rain was a serious issue up until race time so there were a few puddles out there and a few slick spots but other than that it did not impact the action whatsoever.

After a 20 minute warmup with the CMS crew it was time to change into the Loco Banditos and a new pair of socks for the race. I barely got in a stride as race time approached quickly and after a quick rendition of the Star Spangled Banner it was off to the races.

Right away there was a wave of speedy men and women hitting the streets of Southie and I once again was using my Garmin to help me out with pacing as I cautiously navigated my way through the windy first 1/2 mile dodging puddles and trying to not get bumped around on the tight curbstones. Once we got onto Summer St. I noticed 3 master/veteran runners (Mark Reader, Reno Stirrat and John Barbour) who I knew had beaten me last year and I wanted to stay close to them and see if I could reverse the results from Ollie 2008. I felt pretty good as I am still in a discovery phase with racing/fitness. I hit the mile in about 5:42 and climbed the hill pretty well as we made our way towards the beach and the long stretch to 2 miles. At about 2 miles CMS teammate Jim Pawlicki (JP) went by looking strong and I attempted to go with him but could not hold that pace with any comfort so I settled in and concentrated on hitting 5:40 pace. At the turnaround, I was with Mark Reader and was pleased to see Double D and MQ right behind running very well. I really worked the 3rd mile and I know I was hitting 5:30 pace for a while as that was the last I saw of Reader and the rest of the pack I was with. I was looking ahead trying to maintain contact with JP at the same time looking to make contact with a Whirlaway master who I could sense was coming back to me. I missed the 3 mile split but figure it was around 17:00. On the uphills (there were 2 the last 2 miles) I was laboring but on the flats and downhills I was feeling strong and very within myself. I hit 4 miles in 22:07 and was gaining on the Whirlaway runner. Mile 4 to 5 features a long stretch of Summer St and the final 3/4 mile is a repeat of the 1st 3/4 mile of the race. It was on the final stretch over the bridge when I passed the Whirlaway runner and held off everyone behind me. I did not get passed by anyone after JP (27:24) passed me at 2 miles. This pleased me greatly. I finished strong and wanted to break 28 minutes which I did by 2 ticks of the clock. 80th place overall /10th place 40-49

My Garmin measured the course as 4.96 miles and the official results are giving the distance as 4.91 miles so race pace has changed considering the race distance was supposed to be 5.0 miles.

This race seems to have a funny history with changing courses and questionable distances. With today's change in distance (due to a missed tunaround???) no records can be recognized but special kudos to CMS's Justin Fyffe for placing 3rd in a blanket finish. Justin has been putting in tremendous workouts throughout the summer and is in great shape. His 23:54 effort today is awesome and should give him more confidence to race with most anyone in New England at any distance.

NOTES:

Great job by all CMS runners. DD with a fine 28:36 in his first race in months as he is back running for only 3 weeks. Give it up for the Aqua Jogger. MQ with a sub 6/mile race pace in his first race since his 16:30 5k victory in Cambridge last spring. More Aqua jogging! JJ with a swift 25:27 top 30 effort - just the 1st race of his day as he pulled another daily double with a 3rd in a seacoast 5 miler later in the day. Dan V with an impressive 27:06 (he's 47 yrs old) and Kevin T hitting 25:22 for a near PR (blame the course distance) coming off his recent Pemi Loop record. Next planned race is the Lone Gull 10k (Gloucester, MA) next Sunday which is the USATF-NE Road championship.

Special thanks to Krissy K. who took photos out on the race course and appeared on Smugmug.

Results can be found here:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/09/ma/Sep12_OllieF_set1.shtml

Week ending 9/6/09

A pretty solid week with one more race under my belt. I am satisfied with the progress with my overall fitness and the fact that both feet seem to be operating at near 100%. I am trying to run for at least an hour per day and not emphasizing any special pace. In fact, my body just doesn't have the giddy up to train very fast so I run how I feel. I plan on racing Saturday at the Ollie 5 mile.

M 31st AM 6.5 miles in 50 minutes

PM 5.25 miles in 40 minutes

T 1st 7.75 miles in 1:02:30

W 2nd 8.0 miles in 1:00:00

Th 3rd AM 3.3 miles in 27:00

PM 2.5 miles warmup w/ Mark Behan at Atkinson 5k

3.1 mile race in 17:11

1.0 mile warmdown

Fri 4th No workout

Sat 5th 10.0 miles in 75 minutes from Dan V's house to Winni Kinni trails w/ MQ, DV, JJ and KT

Sun 6th Solo 10.0 miles in turtle like 1:25:00

Total mileage for the week was 57.4 miles.

32nd Atkinson 5k 9/3/09

Thursday night I drove over to Pope Field in Atkinson, N.H. to run in the 32nd annual Atkinson 5k road race. This year's race had special meaning because proceeds from the race would go to help out Mark Kimball and his family as Mark continues to recover from injuries sustained after being hit by a truck on East Road in Atkinson this past June while out on a training run with his wife, Tina. As I walked up to the registration table, I instantly bumped into numerous friends from the past and said hello to David Labrode, Mike Dechane, Mark Behan, Paul McGovern and his daughter Peyton, Mark Kimball, Bob Strout, and Nancy Corsaro. The race also was a fund raiser for the Timberlane High School boys and girls X-Country teams and they were well represented with coach Behan leading his troops into another season. This evening's event was a perfect stage for a community helping out a local family and also for raising funds to support youngsters who enjoy running.

After a 15 minute warmup with Mark Behan, I put on my Loco Banditos and jogged to the start. I got in the 3rd or 4th row and was beside Nancy Corsaro (Whirlaway) who is having another great road season. Mark Kimball was the official race starter and at exactly 6 PM, the race began. As the weather was a bit on the hot side, I planned on going out easy. This did not seem to be a problem because I was boxed in by about 25 youngsters for about the first downhill 1/4 mile who were excited to be racing through their hometown. I just let it happen and enjoyed the beginning of the race instead of pressing too much and burning out. I was in about 6th place for the first 1/2 mile and decided I was feeling pretty decent so I made a bid to get up ahead of Bob Strout as he was showing signs of his HS 880 speed (current Haverhill (MA) HS RECORD -880 1:52 - 1973). Up ahead was Casey Carroll (UNH track coach) who I saw before the race and figured he was the guy to beat. He was being pursued by Weston Forsblad, and Coby Jacobus and myself. I was not going to try to challenge any of these guys so I just maintained my tempo through the first mile (which had a little incline but was very flat to downhill) and hit the mile at 5:36. I had a suspicion that I wasn't going to be passed by anyone so I just tried to relax through to 2 miles which was more of the same (flat with some downhill). I went through 2 miles in 11:26 and that was the last split I got until the finish. Mile 3 was quick with more downhill and flat sections but the finish was a repeat of the first 1/4 mile and was all uphill to the line. I finished strong and was gaining on 3rd place. I managed to pass Coby Jacobus at about 200 yards from the finish and posted a time of 17:11. This was my kind of race - flat with nice downhill sections through quiet neighborhooods (not a car on the roads) and what I think is a short 5k. I will take it, however. It should be mentioned that the neighborhoods were aplenty with water and vocal support from all the residents.

Casey Carroll was the overall winner in 16:13.

2nd place was Weston Forsblad in 16:42.

Race results should be up on http://coolrunning.com but not as of press time.