Level Renner 10K

Joe and Jim keeping it Level before mile 1
Photo by KrissyK

Krissy got an invite to attend this 10K from kevbalance (KG) and she transferred it over to me. I was excited to get a chance to run in D.W.Field Park in Brockton. I had no idea what to expect. When Krissy, Joe, and I rolled into the park, it was obvious that this place was a gem. It felt like Break Heart Reservation in Saugus and Wakefield. Kevin welcomed us right away once we saw him. Joe and I connected with CMS mate Scott Deslongchamps for a warm up on the 2nd loop of the course (3.78 miles) as I felt a longer warm up would help me out and we had the time. We got a chance to see what we were up against on the roads that followed two bodies of water. It was a nice course that had at least 75% shade. This race brought in the big guns like Ruben Sanca and Glarius Rop. Joe and I did not discuss our racing plan before the race but before we knew it, we were side by side from the start which went up Tower Hill (3 times by the way). I felt good and Joe and I joked after the race that neither of us took the tangents properly. Loop one was a quickie around the first pond and up Tower Hill again. There was plenty of shade and it was appreciated. Our pacing through three miles was around 5:42 pace and we were off into the bigger of the two loops. We were not chasing anyone down nor was anyone clipping our heels so we kept pressing as much as possible. We took turns in front of the other navigating through our mutual silence. I started to wear a bit at 4.5 miles but we hit a fair stretch of down grade which was just in time for me. We took our last turn at the entrance and went after the last hill at 6 miles. I got a few steps on Joe. He told me to go for it about half way up but I did not see the point in killing it so I backed off for him as I knew he was top master. We rolled into the finish in 35:39. Not too bad for a days work and a busy weekend. I would not trade this for anything.  I love racing and had some great company today. Joe and I hope to be in the 34's at Lone Gull. There was plenty of post race food. I took down some Watermelon before heading out for a cool down with Joe and Scott. We bumped into Ruben who won with a sub 30 (road PR?). He filled us in on his race break down and upcoming racing plans. We got back in time for some refreshments and vendor displays before getting to the awards. I picked up 2nd in my age group. Joe took top master. Scott was 3rd master. We combined for the top team (three score). Good day for CMS as the ladies also picked up the top prize. There were a ton of raffle prizes given out. In summary, this race is only going to get bigger so don't miss out next year.

KrissyK photos

Scott Mason photography

The end
Photo by KrissyK

Level Renner 10K Road Race results August 25, 2013

Level Renner

My splits per course mile markings:
Distance     Time     Avg Pace
6.24          35:38.32  5:43/mi
0.99          5:36.72    5:39/mi
1.00          5:38.85    5:37/mi
1.01          5:51.80    5:52/mi
1.00          5:50.22    5:48/mi
1.00          5:44.45    5:43/mi
1.02          5:38.90    5:34/mi
0.21          1:17.38    6:08/mi

Thomas Chamberas 6K XC race

Narrow start at the Thomas Chamberas 6K XC race in Carlisle.
Photo by KrissyK

Trailing Jason Cakouros before 1 mile

This race kicks off the USATF New England Cross Country Grand Prix for 2013. I was scheduled to race in the trails in Beverly but I also wanted to field a CMS team in Carlisle. So I donated the entry fee for the Beverly Commons trail race and sacrificed North Shore Trail Series points (I was leading the series) for the team event. Dan Vassallo picked up Krissy and I and we were at the 6K race 35 minutes later. Upon arrival, we found CMS mates Arthur Besse (nice Corvette by the way), Michael Quintal, and Dan Verrington. Thankfully we had five guys otherwise we would not have scored as a team. We warmed up on the course along with Dave Menard (BAA) and Steve Dowsett (Whirlaway) which was the usual course, however, with a new narrow start and different finish. I did not mind the narrow start but the long winded Michael P. Mahone speech was a stretch.
Maybe five minutes long while the race is on the starting line is too much. It was concluded with the star spangled banner and cheers from two hundred plus runners and spectators. I started in row two and got a clear start with a few light handed pushes on my back on the up hill start around the corn field. Dust kicked up as it usually does. The race went out fast as one has to jockey for position as single track a mile in awaited. I ran behind Jason Cakouros (HFC Striders) for the first mile or so. The single track and tight s-turns were fun and the pace was good. Once we got to open up on wider trails I tried to battle with some GBTC guys. I came out of the lolli-pop loop chasing down top master Justin Renz (HFC Striders) with whom I have not been able to beat this year so I was motivated to go for it today. I passed him with less than 800 meters to go and held him off crossing the line in 19:52 and 29th place. The team finished 4th overall with the bare minimum to score (five). I cooled down the team and reflected on how our races went. It was awesome to hear Arthur Besse have so much fun out there as he experiences these races for the first time. My Garmin measured 3.35 miles and calculated 5:56 pace.....

Photos by KrissyK

Thomas Chamberas 6K XC Race

Carlisle,MA August 24, 2013

Place  Name             No. S Ag City          St Div Team  Time   Pace

29  JAMES PAWLICKI 10 M 38 BEVERLY   MA   5 CMS   19:52  5:20

Lynn Woods Relay

Mark Flaherty, John Bowser, Jim Pawlicki, and Dennis Floyd
Photo by Bill Jackson via Samsung Galaxy S3

Lynn Woods is one of the best kept secrets for trail running on the North Shore. A record number of 109 teams were on the starting line for the annual Lynn Woods Relay race. Our team was made up of four former State College runners: hence 4 Vikings and an Owl. The lineup consisted of Dennis Floyd, Mark Flaherty, John Bowser, and I. We each run 2.5 miles of hilly terrain and hand off to the teammate. The four of us run in the Lynn Woods weekly races during the summer and on Sunday mornings as schedules allow. In addition, John and Dennis were teammates of mine at Salem State while Mark was a competitor at Westfield State in the mid to late 1990's. I started off leg 1 chasing down a former Salem State runner, Ryan Collins. He was tough in the first mile. I got into second place once I got past him. First place was way ahead so I held my position and crossed the finish in 14:33 which was the sixth fastest split for all runners. Mark Flaherty took off and held his own despite some tweaked rib cage muscles. He handed off to John Bowser to kept the 3rd place position he received. Then Dennis got passed at the start of his leg by David Long but finished strong. The team finished 4th overall. It has been a while since I ran the relay and am glad that I did it. Krissy and I made our way over to Prince Pizza with the Wicked Running Club for a great night.

 2013 LYNN WOODS 10 MILE RELAY AUGUST 21, 2013

4 . 3 VIKINGS AND AN OWL (101)         1:02:35

  JIM PAWLICKI               14:33     14:33

  MARK FLAHERTY              30:29     15:56

  JOHN BOWSER                45:45     15:16

  DENNIS FLOYD             1:02:35     16:50