New Bedford Half Marathon

I ran another edition of the New Bedford Half Marathon today. The race served as the 2^nd race of the USATF New England Grand Prix Series. I car pooled with Nakri and Greg. My results summary was 176^th place, chip time 1:23:15 (6:22 pace per mile), and gun time of 1:23:24. It might be a personal worst for the half marathon distance when I was considered healthy.  I ran 1:19:21 last year with similar weekly mileage.

The head wind at 9.5 miles was comical. I do not think the tail wind and head wind offset each other today but I have no excuses. Everyone had to deal with it. I expected to see some early mile splits close to six flat but I was giving 6:20’s from the get go. In the hills through 4, I just got through them to get through them. The stretch after four miles, my legs just could not get going but managed my quicker miles from 4 to 8 as expected. My head was down into the wind for miles 10 and 11. I was surprised that I managed to pass a few people from there and in the closing miles. I felt that I finished strong, lost a spot or two in the last 600m but I competed to the line.

Looking at the splits for the day, I noticed that I did not break out of the 6 minute range per mile. The splits ranged from 6:03 (mile 5) to 6:40 (last mile). The CMS teams ran very well placing 4^th, 2^nd, and 1^st in the open, masters, and seniors divisions respectively. I closed out the day with the chowder, fish sandwich, and plenty of Polar Beverages. I caught up with competitors and CMS teammates regarding their races, results, and upcoming plans. 

Black Cat 20 mile

The Black Cat 20 mile road race was a change of pace and temperature. In came the cold and wind on Saturday. Single digits with the wind chill? Nick Taormina and I talked about the approach and expectations. He was going to take 6:30 pace out for the first 10 mile and pick it up. I was looking for anything south of seven minute pace and some confidence. We had a few 20 mile runs so far in the past month at 7:24 and 7:21 pace. I would not say those gave me any confidence other than I can cover 20 miles.

As last year, I broke it down into quarters. The first quarter was feeling out the legs without concern for pace as I ran to Devereaux Beach in Marblehead and turned around to hit a head wind. Splits were 6:42, 6:40, 6:47, 6:34, 6:44. I got on the heels of a decent pack of six that included Brian Tinger and Mike Paulin into the wind. This contingent had a mission but it did not include Tinger and I as the pace quickened down Derby Street in Salem. I took my first gel from my pocket and got a bottle of water from the water stop after 8 miles. I would carry that bottle through 11 miles.

It looks like I ran 1:07:34 as I passed the half way point and headed out for the second 10 mile loop. The second quarter of the race had mile splits of 6:38, 6:43, 6:38, 6:57, 6:52. Brian Tinger and I were still keeping company. I took my two Hammer Endurolytes capsules before 11 miles with the water bottle I kept from 8 miles. A few minutes later, I tossed the water to the opposite side of the road next to Salem State. The bottle cap popped off on impact but the bottle settled nicely on the sidewalk in case I needed it on the way back before mile 16.

Back into Marblehead, I got a chance to see the front of the race coming at us on the approach of Devereaux Beach. Nick was running very well in 4^th place. Tinger and I took turns fighting the wind going back into Salem as we passed mile 15. The splits for the third quarter of the race were 7:05, 6:52, 6:54, 6:45, 7:06. Mile 16 took us past Salem State.  I did not want to reach for the water on the sidewalk for fear of cramping up. It was a mile later on Lafeyette Street last year where I started to have leg cramps. 

So far all was good for me with Tinger and another runner headed toward the Salem Willows on Derby Street. I could sense that they wanted to pick it up and they did at 18 miles. Then we turned toward Dead Horse Beach. I faced a few gusts of wind that pushed me back. No wonder why the volunteers at the water stop were hunkering down in the SUV. I do not blame them. It was a tough day.

The last two miles had me slowing down and losing pace to Tinger and the other runner. Then the inevitable, calf cramps just before 19 miles. First the left and then the right triggered. I crossed the finish line in 16^th place with a time of 2:17:28 (about five full minutes slower than last year, 6:39 pace vs 6:52 pace this year). 

The last five mile splits were 7:01, 7:10, 6:53, 7:12, 7:13. I grabbed the medal and ran back to see if I could find Nick who was yelling for me 400m before the finish. I could not find him so I jogged slowly back to the car and got out of dodge. The run did not fill me with much confidence with the calves blowing up. It was reminiscent of how my last three marathons have gone; calf cramps coming at some point, then shuffle to the finish. Thankfully, today was not a day that required another 10K after 20 miles. Looking forward to Boston…….

Amherst 10 mile

The Amherst 10 mile road race kicked off the 2017 USATF New England Road Race Grand Prix on Sunday. I ran my first Amherst 10 mile road race 20 years ago in 1997 (9^th place for 56:35). It was not a championship race that year (it was a year later). My coach, Tom Derderian, who designed the course back in 1975, was getting me ready for a slew of races in ’97 which included the Grand Prix Road Race Series. 

Nakri Dao, Joe Armstrong, Greg Putnam and I arrived in Amherst in just under 2 hours. The weather was fair for February – clear pavement, mostly cloudy, average temperature of 38 degrees and a steady WNW wind of over 15mph. I ran two light warm up sessions before the start after settling into my racing flats and lined up about six rows back from the front of the start.

My goal was to break 60 minutes. However, each mile that I passed race showed that an average of 6 minute miles were out of the question. The early hills put me behind the 8-ball and a disappointing 5 mile split of just under 32 minutes. The good news is that some downhill stretches were to follow. The legs responded a bit with low 6 minute miles until the last two miles where I was in the hurt locker physically and mentally. Friend, Mike Paulin tried encourage me to go with him in the last mile (up the hill and into the wind) but I was cooked. I finished in just under 63 minutes. Glad my team did not need that effort to score. Fortunately, CMS had plenty of depth to take the masters team win (open placed 2^nd and 50+ won).

Place 137

Gun Time 1:02:56.9

Net Elapsed 1:02:55.0

6:17 pace per mile

23^rd - 40-49 age category

So that is where I am for a 10 mile effort, about 2 minutes slower than the NH 10 mile race last summer (just under 61 minutes) and over 3 minutes slower than the Amherst 10 mile two years ago. I will keep the mileage up around 60 mile per week with a day per week of interval based training.

Can you tell where the hills were?