Rachel's Run - Tyngsboro

This was the 5th and final race of the 2021 USATF New England Cross Country Grand Prix series. This would be my 3rd XC Grand Prix event this fall after running the GBTC Invite in Carlisle and the New England Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park two weeks ago. Rachel's Run would be a 5K course run behind the Academy of Notre Dame combining everything cross country from rolling hills to mud. CMS would have exactly five runners. We had an incentive to finish a masters or senior team to compete for the last of the team cash prizes in the series. My goal was to hang with CMS teammate, Paul Bazanchuk as he finished about a minute faster than my effort at XC Nationals in October.

Trailing Paul After 600M

The opening of the race goes across a baseball and soccer field, up to the school driveway, then dips sharply to the pond (see video below about 600m into the race). Runners are met with a slight climb through orange and white painted roots approaching the hum of Rt 3. The trees get taller and the woods darker with a little mud before going up the steep climb through Abrams Hill. Runners crash down and it rolls gently before flattening out of the woods and back onto the baseball field to complete lap 1 or exactly 1.5 miles. 

Dave Dunham making sure I stay on course

The plan to stick with Paul was working in the first half of the race as I trailed by 5 seconds. He gapped me up and down the rest of the hills in the second lap. I got past a few runners in the last mile to finish with a time of 22:26, 35th place, 5th CMS runner. Paul finished 21 seconds ahead. Our mix of age groups finished 5th in open and 1st 40+. 

Lonely in the 2nd lap

My splits for the 3.09 distance were: 7:25, 7:03, 7:26

CMS finishers: Tim Van Orden 18:29, Steve Brightman 18:48, David Harper 20:30, Paul Bazanchuk 22:05, James Pawlicki 22:26

Photos and Video credit to Kristen Pawlicki

My finish 

Video taken by Kristen Pawlicki, 600m after the start

2021 Rachel's Run 5K men's results

2021 Rachel's Run 5K team results

USATF New England Cross Country Championships

It was good to be back at Franklin Park for the New England Cross Country Championships. The race was held at Mine Falls last year as a 5K during the pandemic while USATF New England flirted with in person racing. The year before, I had very little training off meniscus surgery in the summer of 2019 and dropped out before two miles into the 8K. 

My goal today was to get through 5K quicker than the 5K National XC effort weeks earlier (under 22:30) and keep the pace up for the full 8K. I found myself running with John Barbour early on in this race. We have competed against each other going back into the 1990's. John actually made a friendly comment after the mile marker, running next to me. It must be a good day if I am running in John's company. I would be lying if I said I was not feeling a bit nostalgic running with John who has a tremendous racing background. He is one of the nicest runners out there. The type that is complimenting you and asking how you are doing before you can shake his hand after he won a race. 

John put some earth between us in the wilderness loop. However, I caught up with Brian Bealieau. We went through the 5K mark where I was 40 seconds quicker than at Nationals. I noted and mentioned to Brian that he appeared to be 40 seconds slower than then. He whipped me that day by almost a minute. I was able to get a few strides on Brian over the next mile and a half and hold him off at the end by seven seconds. I would finish with a time of 34:58. John would finish one place ahead in 34:43. Meanwhile, my teammates from CMS, the 50+ team, would duplicate their win at Nationals with a win at New Englands. Scott Leslie (40) would finish 7th overall, cracking the top ten as I told him he would under the CMS tent prior to the race. 

I ran a cool down with Brian B. and Matt Lyons. We cheered on the open race where CMS had Scott Mindel (racing team manager) and Keith McAteer running 32:57 and 33:58 respectively. I broke down the CMS tent, took a few photos of the seniors and hit the road with Todd Callaghan. Photo credits below to Dave Dunham who made sure I kept motivated during my race.

splits: 6:43, 6:57, 6:57, 7:03, 7:01

Masters Results

All other results

Assault on Mount Hood

Another trip to Melrose for the Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 mile cross country race. It was a cold but dry and sunny. A little wind did not matter much as we did not run in any one direction for more than two minutes. In AOMH fashion, not only was this a new course, but runners got to hang out at the Golf Club near the parking lot this year. That meant white table cloths instead of the flannel at the Fish and Game Club. Yours truly did not hang out after the race but rumor had it not much food or beer was swirling unless you opened up the wallet.

As for the race? I took a digger, epic fall onto pavement on a 90 degree left turn on mud which looked like dry dirt. I must have stepped on a banana peel. The fall was violent enough to stop my GPS watch at 0.6 miles. I was lucky not to take anyone else out. I did not break anything so I got up and got moving with the adrenaline flowing, thanking the CSU guys for ensuring that I was OK.

As usual, constant up and down nature makes this race so much fun. Krissy arrived before the start and took some video. I will try to link them up below. When the dust settled, I ran 22:54, 20^th place. I got a mini-nutcracker from the table so I have a memory of the race aside from some sore body parts the next day or two.

Scott Mindel is a beast, winning his 3rd Mount Hood race in a row.

2018 Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 mile cross country race results

Fourteenth Annual Assault on Mt. Hood XC Race

Saturday, December 8, 2018 Start time 12 noon

CMS runners below

    1  322 Scott Mindel    1/37   M3039 32 M Burlington     MA   19:20  5:32

    9  314 Gregory Putnum  2/64   M4049 49 M Stoneham       MA   20:44  5:56

   11  208 Joshua Perks    4/64   M4049 44 M Windham        NH   21:27  6:08

   12  194 Eric Narcisi    4/37   M3039 38 M North Andover  MA   21:34  6:10

   20  203 James Pawlicki  6/64   M4049 44 M Lynn           MA   21:54  6:16

   21  311 Jeff Goupil     6/37   M3039 31 M Arlington      MA   21:55  6:16

   22  247 Joe Shairs      1/58   M5059 50 M Peabody        MA   22:09  6:20

   37  148 David Lapierre  6/58   M5059 54 M Chelmsford     MA   24:15  6:56 

   60  320 John Pajer           10/58   M5059 56 M Leicester      MA   25:17  7:14

Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 mile cross country snowfest

The snow started to fall before Dan Vassallo picked me up. We were heading to the Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 cross country race in Melrose. It was going to be fun. I have not raced on snow and with it falling in a long time without snowshoes. We got to the Mount Hood golf course soon enough and did a warm up out on the golf course sort of checking out the first two miles with Dan and Scott Mindel before I headed back to get into the racing gear. I carefully hand-picked a Brooks Puregrip 4 and was impressed with the traction on the snow covered grass which accumulated 2 inches. However, the cart paths or any pavement were sketchy at best.  We had a team of three and felt decent for a CMS team win.

Terry on my tail after 2.5 miles

The race immediately went down a hill. I saw a few people fall - in a safe slow motion kind of way. I was pretty careful to keep on my feet and stay away from those sliding down the hill on their asses. It was quite funny. I scored a guy from Mystic Runners a 8.0 on his tumble. Being as cautious as I was buried me behind at least 40 runners. I worked to move into the top 20 over the next mile.  I saw several orange singlets ahead from Cambridge Sports Union (CSU). I recognized Kevin Delaney and Terry McNatt. I ended up battling them for a while. Terry was quick and fearless down the hills. I was able to close any deficit up the hills. The footwear I had on was impressive for the traction but was crap on any pavement. I went out of my way to run on the grass even if it caused me to not get the best line or tangent.

The race had a tough climb toward the Mount Hood tower but never approached the base of it. As the race started to decline into mile three, Kevin was going after Terry and I followed with astutely. However, once we hit the driveway with 400m to go, I had to downshift into defensive mode. I lost any and all battles going into the downhill finish. Kevin and Terry ran 22:50 and 51 to my 22:56 (20^th place). I went through the finish chute and confirmed that Scott and Dan went 1-2 overall. We immediately changed into some warm clothes and ran over the course for a cool down.

Upon return, there was plenty of beer, pasta, salad, bread, and chowder for everyone. In a bit of a surprise, our team never got called up as one of the top three open teams, hence striking out on reclaiming the top team as CMS has done in the past. After the awards, we approached the race director, Brian who is as cool as it gets. After researching the team entry forms, he found ours but it never got entered. He immediately let us pick out any Nutcracker on the table. And we did. 

CMS polar bears: Dan, Scott, and I

Polar Beverages getting free adverisement

Yes, Mount Hood Beer Glass, Nutcracker, and limited edition "Straight Outta Peabody" brew

Dan with the spiffy Nutcracker pick up

Hardware for the day

USATF New England Cross Country Championships

I got a chance to lace up for the USATF New England Cross Country Championships. The weather was about perfect for a cross country race – a cloudy mid 50’s, dry, and no wind to whine about. I got there early with Joe Shairs. Dave Dunham and Dan Verrington pulled up as I backed into the parking spot. We set up the CMS tent behind the starting. One by one, CMS runners arrived and huddled at the tent. It is nice to have a new club tent to promote the club and allow a centralized area for the team. Thanks to Kim Gordon and the board to make that happen.

I warmed up and got back to the tent about 20 minutes before the 10am start to prepare into my Adidas road flats (no waffle racers or spikes needed) and singlet. I got on the line with six other masters (age 40-49), seven seniors (50-59), and one 60+ runner.  There was no pressure but was a bit concerned how the legs would feel after some time off in September and no races since August.

A few minutes in, I got the taste of racing right back. 

Mile 1 went by in 5:51. I did not want to go out too fast and that was just about right. I slowed down but was passing a few people during mile two (6:13) which includes the up and over Bear Cage hill. Mile 3 was a trip through the Wilderness loop bringing me out to the 5K. Mile 3 was passed in 6:09 (5K around 19:19). I could make out two CMS singlets ahead:  Tim Van Orden and Martin Tighe. The chase was on. 

I gave Tivo some encouragement as I went by. He too was toughing out his first race in a while. Martin was hanging tough too when I snuck by just before 4 miles. In the last mile, I recognized Shawn Conway from GLRR. Good guy who puts the kudos out to the CMS dudes on Strava. I caught up while cresting Bear Cage Hill. We flew down the backside. He put a little gap on me in the roots in front of the team tents holding that second lead on me all the way to the finish line. I finished in 52^nd place, right about in the middle of the race with 106 finishers. My time was 30:27 on the day. 2017Results.  I ran 29:07 last year.

Not only was it good to be racing, I had fun and walked away feeling that competitive juice. I ran a smart race and slowly passed some runners in the field throughout. No one passed me and beat me to the finish after 800m into the race. The masters and senior teams finished in 2^nd place having a pretty good day among the teams. The open team was short for a scoring team. 

Martin and I at mile 4
Photo by Rodney Hemingway

USATF 2016 National Club Cross Country Championships

Todd Callaghan planted the seed in August. “We have to get a team down to XC Nationals.” Six masters runners from the Central Mass Striders including myself committed to the December 10^th race in Tallahassee, FL. Todd, Joe Shairs, Greg Putnam, and I touched down in Tallahassee the day before the race. Arthur Besse was already in Florida with his family in Jacksonville. Tim Van Orden was on his way via Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Our hotel shuttle driver, a local student, hit it off real well with us tipping us what to check out and what to avoid in terms of pub and grub.  We got a little history of the local academia (Florida State University, Florida Community College, Florida A&M University).

Voted best burgers in town?

We checked into the Four Points, welcomed by the USATF race promotion and schedule of events in the lobby. We got a shuttle in a five passenger golf cart up to the race HQ hotel about a mile away to get our race numbers. The driver smiled when I asked he ever had the thing on two wheels before? Once we were back at our hotel, we hit up Birds Aphrodisiac OysterShack next door, because it was steps away and our shuttle driver claimed the best burgers in town. Oysters mean burgers in Tallahassee…..dozens of Oysters were followed by burgers or Grouper sandwiches. Tim arrived after dinner after a 2.5 hour drive from Jacksonville.

Greg up front in the Golf Cart limmo yelling at the snow birds driving in Tallahassee

Joe questioning the "texting while driving permission" golf cart law in Florida

The following day arrived. A light breakfast of coffee and oatmeal fueled the morning. The Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country course was a 20 minute drive away. Tim drove us over and we settled our bags into a huge party tent about a half mile from the start. It was chilly but the temperatures got up to the high 40’s by the time our 10K race started.  We were unable to warm up on the course so we ran back and forth along the start and finish areas while watching the masters women 6K and masters men 8K (60+) races.

Raw Oysters before a race is always a good idea

It was thrilling to watch John Barbour (GLRR) duke it out stride for stride, sharing the lead with Brian Pilcher from California. John would come up short by a few strides in the end. His age grade effort was the best of the day for the 8K. We checked in as team and got onto the course minutes before our 9:45 start. Just enough time to do a few strides and our Jameis Winston crab leg chant.

The race took off, down a good wide stretch that was sure to thin out the mass of 190 runners.

Hats and gloves in Tallahassee
CMS masters team: Todd Callaghan, Jim Pawlicki, Tim Van Orden, Joe Shairs, Arthur Besse, Greg Putnam

We had four loops waiting with something called “the wall.” It was a two stage hill with the 2^nd being a steeper stride breaker. I glued onto Arthur Besse as soon as I could for company. The course rolled and swung us past the finish line area several times making this a great course for photographers and spectators.

I hung with Arthur for about 3.25 miles before fading like a Florida Oak tree. The 5K split was around 17:45. Arthur kept pace and passed several over the next few miles. I battled out with a few other guys in fade mode. One guy with a backwards facing hat got some cheer support. “Red,” Matthew Whitis’ presence and local pace kept me going in an otherwise dismal wrap up. Read about Matthew and his second chance.  I finished up in 74^th place (6^th man on the team) with a time of 36:28 (5:53 pace per mile). Arthur finished in 35:50 and 64^th place.

Several loops at Apalachee resemble a whale

The team placed 7^th out of 16 teams, just 3 behind Cal Coast and 7 behind Bull City TC. In order: Tim Van Orden, Greg Putnam, Todd Callaghan, Joe Shairs, Arthur Besse, & I.

40+ results 

40+ team results

Tim reaching for an Orange

We ran a cool down in some loops away from the course and then came back to watch the end of the women’s and men’s open races where Melissa Donais and Nate Jenkins represented CMS well. The rest of the day consisted of hanging out with the team at the hotel pool, round number two at Bird’s (yes more Oysters!), and then shuttled downtown for the after party in College Town. We bumped elbows with teams and runners from our USATF New England Region as well as from other USATF regions. Get ready for 2017 in Kentucky!

Please check out Greg Putnam’s recap of the end to end CMS trip to Tallahassee on LevelRenner. 

USATF New England Cross Country Championships

I was looking forward to the USATF New England XC Championships for the master’s race which is a 8K distance. As Joe Shairs and I drove to Franklin Park, we chatted about the CMS men lining up for more team competition up north in Manchester, NH via Manchester City Marathon. I was anxious and excited for them - wishing to a degree that I was up there being a part of that. While waiting for our race, we were getting updates from Sasha Mindel who was getting a play by play about her husband, Scott Mindel, racing for CMS, leading the marathon in the early miles with Dan Vassallo just a few strides back. Just pure awesome. It pumped me up for my race.

Yes, back to cross country. I was thrilled to have a few extra CMS master runners (Alan Bernier, Steve Brightman, and Martin Tighe) in our race beyond what we had at the Franklin Park 5K two weeks ago.  I jumped out at the start and followed Steve for a short while before having to settle in. I had good position within the race among folks that I usually finish near. Mile 1 went by in 5:28 (per GPS). Up and over Bear Cage Hill and a Wilderness Loop brought me through the 5K right at what I ran two weeks ago in 18:13. 

The wheels came off in the 2^nd Wilderness Loop and I felt my cadence back down from Ron Lombardi (GSH) who motored on pretty good. Steve Brightman got into the mix while I was being hunted by Senior’s John Sullivan and Wayne Levy in the last mile. Their presence kept me racing scared to the finish two seconds behind Steve. My time was 29:07, 8^th runner for CMS, placing 36 overall out of 107 runners in the race. My goal was 28:45. The team finished 2^nd to a strong BAA squad. Results and awesome photos by Scott Mason of all three races (men's open, women's open/masters, and men's masters).

Splits

5:28

5:43

5:59

6:00

5:52

Within an hour after our race we would get random updates for the marathon. Dan would go on to win the race with Scott finishing 2^nd. Eric Narcisi rounded out the scoring helping the CMS open team to a first place finish. Our masters team, 2/3 of them Seniors (Ed Sheldon & Dave Dunham), would finish 2^nd and also go on to win the Senior team division. 

Striding out with Ron Lombardi and Steve Brighman before 3 miles
Photo by Scott Mason

Assault on Mt Hood 3.5 mile xc

Next on the calendar was the 11th Annual 3.5 mile Assault on Mt Hood cross country race. This is a tough course all over the Mt Hood golf course. It was a new course with a few new twists as in more elevation. CMS had five guys and we wanted to make two teams of a scoring three members so I recruited Andreas Heilmann who was solo for the BAA. We made a masters team of Tim Van Orden, Gregory Putnam, and myself. The open team was made up of Matt Veiga, Dan Verrington, and Andreas who has won this race in the past. The weather was perfect, sunny and close to 50. After a clean start, the crowd narrowed onto a cart path and 800m in, we were single file looping around Mt Hood.

It is all about the Nut Cracker prizes
Photo by KrissyK

Coming down on the cart path, I noticed my right foot feeling some discomfort on each foot plant and push off. The thin Inov8 flats were not helping any and I tried to run on grass any chance I could and avoid any rocks into the ball of my foot. I focused on Matt Veiga ahead while the hills continued. The second mile was a blistering 6:30. I caught Matt eventually but it was not easy.

Coming down the hill in pursuit
Photo by KrissyK

The last mile was tough as I passed one CRC runner but could not catch the other. I finished 9th overall, 3rd master behind Tim (3rd OA) and Greg (6OA). 20:55 was the time with a pace of 5:59 per mile. The masters team took the win over NETT and CRC. The open team placed 2nd overall behind NETT and ahead of CRC. You can’t beat the post-race party. A Mt Hood pint glass with beer, pasta, salad, cookies, and Nut Cracker prizes awaited.

Less than 800m to go. Slow and painful.
Photo by KrissyK

11th Annual Assault on Mt Hood 3.5 mile cross country results

Wayland Cross Country Festival

My prior experience at the Wayland 5K cross country race was 17:27 and 15th place back in 2007. The race today was the third race of the New England XC Grand Prix. The course is a mix of running through athletic fields and trails around Wayland High School. There are a few hills to break momentum. I rolled out and clawed my way through a 5:31 mile. The big hill got in the way after 1.2 miles. I reached the top and picked off a few runners along the ridge and downhills back to the school fields. My momentum settled after mile 2 while just five seconds behind Mark Mayall, a master who was in between Joe Shairs and I. I passed maybe three more runners to the track where we had 300 meters before reaching the finish line. I ran 17:47 and 39th place. The race went by so quick. I felt good about the effort, maybe some fading after 2 miles but battled to the line, finishing just behind Brendan Lynch from HFC who is prepping for a marathon in November. I reminded him before the race of his awesome Chicago Marathon in 2003 where he ran mid 2:30's (I ran 2:38). It was awesome to see Antonietta and Larry O'Toole (xc and track teammates at Salem State) who were on hand cheering and coaching their kids in the earlier races. Meanwhile, CMS took one on the team chin today, placing 5th overall. Results

Salem State was a long time ago...
Antonietta O'Toole, Tom Derderian, myself, Larry O'Toole
Photo by KrissyK

CMS had solid performances with Tim Van Orden placing as the top 40+ male and Joe Shairs just behind him. These guys are going to have a great race next weekend at the USATF National Masters Cross Country Championships in Saratoga Springs, NY.

GBTC XC Festival

Nakri, Joe and I arrived at Elm Bank Reservation for a quick canopy set up for the team and to register for the GBTC XC Festival 5K. This was the second of the five USATF New England Cross Country Grand Prix races. Our open team was second in the 1st race in Manchester, while our men's masters team had the only masters team with five men. We met up with Nate Jenkins, Dan Verrington, and Joshua Perks who were already there. We headed out for a warm up to preview the course. The course was dry (no puddles or mud) even though some light rain and drizzle was about earlier in the morning. If anything, the grass was damp. I ran this course the last few years (last year 17:19 in the 5K open race) so I knew the course well. I was happy about two things today: having five guys for the masters team, and the rain holding off.  After a 10 minute delay, we got our masters 5K race started.  Joe, Josh, and I got right to the front to lead the race. I led them through the first 800 meters but took a back seat to them into the mile, 5:33. We went past the start/finish at 2K as the top three in the race which I was pretty excited about. We went past the soccer fields and I felt Josh picking it up, dropping Joe and I through mile 2 (5:39). We hit the rooted trail along the Charles River with good command of the top three overall but l lost a few more strides to them. Josh (17:07), Joe (17:21) and I (17:29) finished in that exact order. Dan and Nakri were 9th and 21st. Our combined cross country scoring (finish place vs all other teams with the five scorers) beat all other teams. We got a team pie for which Joe picked out Blueberry. However, he nor Nakri wanted to cut it up so it came back to my house. Here is to the rest of the cross country season. 

GBTC XC Festival results

USATF Club Cross Country Nationals

Goofing off before the race

I put the word out to the Central Mass Striders racing team several months ago hoping to get interest in the USATF Club Cross Country Nationals race in Bethlehem, PA - Lehigh University. I was thrilled to get a masters and a senior team. We had  eleven in total willing to make the road trip which is about five and a half hours away. USATF New England offered a bus for which I took advantage of. I met up with Martin Tighe, Joe Shairs, Todd Callaghan, and John Gillis for a 7:00 departure in Woburn. The bus had 16 athletes from CMS, Greater Lowell Road Runners, Whirlaway, and Liberty. We dashed over to Westwood to pick up the rest of our passengers that made up Greater Boston Track Club, Hurtin for Certain, and a few more GLRR members. We were also joined by Bob Fitzgerald of New England Runner. I sat with Martin and among the CMS guys in the middle of the bus. We talked with everyone around us and had some great conversation catching up with Mark Reeder, Paul Hammond, and John Barbour. Otherwise, I listened to my iPod or closed my eyes for some light rest. We got to the host hotel around 2:00, allowed people to check in, and folks like myself to change into running clothes. We gathered back onto the bus and drove over to the xc course to preview it. We met up with the rest of the CMS crew breifly - Dave Dunham, Paul Bazanchuk, Dave Lapierre, and Dan Verrington as they were just about to leave. I saw about six miles of the course. The course layout was easy to figure out based on the map I saw earlier in the week. It was wide open fields and paths around the stadium and corn fields. It was a two loop course that was perfect for spectators and easy on the runners aside from a few hills that were not steep as much as they were long enough to slow it down. However, we thought the course was going to be fast. There was some mud at 1.1K and a little here and there at turns but overall the footing was good. I brought spikes and flats. I went with the flats for race day.

Warming up past mile 1

The bus driver was awesome to drop the CMS guys at our hotel which was only 2 miles away from the course and 16 miles from the host hotel. We checked in, showered, and headed off in the two cars that the Senior team had and over to Bella for a nice Italian dinner down the street. We dropped everyone off back at the hotel while Dave Dunham and I headed north to the host hotel to pick up our race number packets and attend the suggested technical meeting for our team. This was the first race I had entered that required back bibs indicating the age group. This is a good idea so you know the age group of the men ahead of you in the race. As soon as I found the starting line box assignment, we left. The Senior team had box 53 and our masters team had box 69 making Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots proud.

The team had breakfast in our hotel. It was cool to see other teams huddled around tables in their team gear. I was the last one to attend breakfast - grabbing some oatmeal, coffee, and yogurt. We got into the cars and headed over to the race at 9:30. Our race started at 11:30. There was plenty of parking when we arrived. Just as we got out of our cars, I saw Al Bernier arrive. We had exactly five 40+ men to make up our masters team. We had five 50+ guys and Paul Bazanchuk (60) but scoring down into the Senior team. We put our racing bags down on a tarp behind the starting line and camped out. Some teams went all out with tents on the other side of the stadium a half mile away. I did my own warm up after we got checked in 30 minutes before our start. The USATF official (clerk) was ensuring we and all other teams had the same style singlet, numbers pinned front and back, and chip secured onto our racing shoes. We were only allowed to have four men in the front box at the starting line so I took the box behind Greg, Todd, Al, and Joe. A field of almost 600 masters runners were soon taking off for the massive start. The course narrowed in about 500 meters away and I kept an eye on Joe and Al who were a few seconds ahead. I went to the right of the muddy spot at 1.1K. Most people went left or through the middle where it looked the slowest. I was next to Martin through mile one, going up an incline. I mentioned our 5:38 mile that I saw on my Garmin. Mark Reeder pulled beside at mile two and I tried my best to stay with him but lost him after mile 2 going down a hill past the stadium. The course was such that you could look ahead and see 400 meters at a time so I could make out my CMS guys ahead. Al seemed to be reeling in Joe and I could see Todd ahead of him. I battled tough in that first full loop and knew lap two was going to be tough with the same hills. The effort got hard in the 2nd loop. I couldn't wait to reach the last hill and open up over the last 2K. Well it looked like every guy around me was thinking the same thing. They were so strong and it did not matter what age. I think I only had one or two guys pass me in that stretch but will say that no one was willing to give an inch. This was cross country nationals. I ran as hard as possible up into inclined finish - scoring as our 5th man. I placed 95th with a time of 35:42.  

photo by Michael Scott

We all changed into some warm clothing and watched the next few races that started each hour. I settled for watching the women's open race and taking a few pictures instead of warming down. I also got my luggage from Paul's truck and into the Bus as we changed our plans and booked rooms at the host hotel. This eased our logistics for the rest of the weekend. Some guys left to head back to New England while the bus crew hung out and watched the rest of the races. The men's open race was particularly awesome to watch as the lead pack was huge for 2/3's of the race only to thin out at the end. It was so exciting to also see the women's race develop as I was rooting for the BAA ladies to take the team title which they did. The races were over and it was time to clean up and enjoy the rest of the events (happy hour, food, awards, et cetera) the race event had planned at the host hotel. Joe, Al, Martin, John, and I caught up with competitors and friends.

photo by Jill Forsythe

We got up early the following morning for a run. We met up with Kevin O'Neal from the BAA before heading back for the rest of his teammates. I took them through some quiet roads behind the hotel long enough until the CMS crew had to get back for breakfast and take our bus back to Boston. It was a great weekend and glad that we had the guys on board to pull this off. I was proud of the guys as I saw unofficial team results showing that we placed 9th as of Saturday night at the host hotel. Our Senior team finished 11th per those same team results, however, we were told the results may change because some age groups needed to be sorted out.

Unofficial Masters Results

Race photos by Jill Forsythe

Race photos by Michael Scott

By the numbers

539

536

555

533

556

548

119 (0.25) 

35:47

USATF New England XC Championships

I had a blast today. Joe drove Todd and I into Franklin Park. Dave Dunham did the team a solid by setting up a tent so we could crash and keep our stuff together. He had an assortment of CMS singlets over the past 20 years hanging over the front side of it. I was excited to be racing the masters 8K - same course as Mayor's Cup from two weeks ago. My first mile split was identical to then - just under 5:20 and a step away from Todd. He pulled away and ran down several runners over the next few miles. I had to back off a touch up Bear Cage hill but I was trailing good company in Mark Reeder (GLRR) and Wayne Levy (BAA). It was this company that I kept for the rest of the race, only getting past Wayne up Bear Cage in the last mile. I finished 22nd overall, 3rd CMS runner, with a time of 28:17.51. This was 20 seconds slower than two weeks ago. I will chalk that up to marathon legs from Sunday. However, the execution was good and did my best out there. The CMS masters team finished 3rd overall behind the BAA and Greater Springfield. The Seniors team took first place. I am looking forward to racing with these guys at USATF Club XC Nationals in December.  

Masters 8K results

Paul Bazanchuk, Erik Vandendries, Dave Mingori, Joe Shairs, John Gillis, Todd Callaghan, Jim Pawlicki, Greg Putnam, Martin Tighe, Dave Dunham, Dan Verrington

Mayor's Cup 8K cross country race

Photo by Joe O'Leary

Todd and I got to Franklin Park finding parking what seemed like a mile away. It was certainly a packed house. I headed out for a warm up with Ryan Collins and found Todd to cover 2 plus miles to check on the course which was dry if not for a few stretches of mud. Overall, the course was in great shape. The race went out fast as usual. I hooked up with Todd after 200 meters. The course mile came around in 5:20 (GPS showed 5:14). I lost some space as Todd pulled away up Bear Cage Hill. The quick pace caught up with me after two miles. Bernat Olle passed by and my legs were just flat. I looked ahead in the wilderness loop and saw Todd gaining on Ryan. I came around for the 5K around 17:30 and into the wilderness loop again trying to keep it together. Runners around me were suffering but occasionally I would latch onto someone for a bit. I came around to mile 4 around 22:40 (5:40 pace) and had a WMDP guy to work with for the last mile. We went back and forth into Bear Cage and I encouraged him to give it a go talking him through the top telling him to open it up. He was hurting so I proceeded with my own advice knowing that I had to hustle to break 28 minutes which was my goal. I counted that finish line clock all the way down the home stretch from 27:30. Official results had me at 27:58 so that made for a happy guy and a clear head for the ride home. I was the 4th CMS runner behind Greg Putnam, Todd Callaghan, and Ryan Collins. Dave Dunham capped off the scoring for us as the all critical 5th man. I headed out for a cool down with the team, Bernat, Jon Longo (training for the Philadelphia Marathon), and Kieran Condon (training for the New York City Marathon).

Mayor's Cup Cross Country Race Results

Assault on Mt. Hood

1st place as part of team CMS at Mt Hood

Melrose has an emerald gem – Mt. Hood Golf Course. The event hosted the ninth annual and always challenging 3.5 mile cross country race. The course changes over the years but there is no way around not having to climb up and down the hills. On this particular Saturday, patches of snow cover and ice scattered the greens and cart paths. Overall, footing was safe and the course was laid out to avoid any danger of wiping out on your rear end. It was a cold and cloudy day. CMS had four representing – Nate Jenkins, Greg Putnam, Dan Verrington, and I. Three score for a team in the end and Greg put the word out that he was interested in getting the team prize a week earlier. The start bolted out and single file was the rule. I was in 10^th place after 400m. I passed the one mile marker in 5:47 a few steps behind a guy (Patrick Ward per results). The race took a massive hill on that was worthy of the mountain series. I let out a few expletives approaching it in fun. I kept on the heels in front of me and surges continued dependent on terrain and footing. We dropped into mile three where you could see everyone in front and or peek behind to size up what is needed to finish strong or whimper in. I got past Patrick and tried to reel in Andreas Heilmann but I ran out of space at the end which has a generous decline on the road to the finish line. I finished ninth overall. It took me 19:42 to cover the distance. My Garmin measured 3.37 miles (5:52 / mile). The team took the win and we each got an awesome Nutcracker which is pretty cool to put on display at home. The team gathered inside for pasta, salad, chowder and laughs.

Hustling into the finish

Full Results

Race information 

An idea of the course

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

2012 USATF New England XC Championships

1000m into the race
Photo by Tom Derderian

Stanley Park in Westfield, MA played host to the men's and women's open and masters New England Cross Country Championships. The open race was a rare 8K distance this year as it is usually a 10K. I prefer the 8K anyhow. I am no stranger to the Westfield course as I ran it several times in Division III competition with Salem State College - mostly by means of the MASCAC Championships that brought all of the state schools together. Since then, I have gone back several times each October to compete for the Salem State Alumni team in the James Early Invitational. The team did not compete last month due to missing the entry deadline. Thus this was a great opportunity help the Central Mass Striders fill a team and race. We were fortunate to have five men coming today so that we could score an open (all runners under the age of 40 years old) team. I picked up masters (40 years or older) Joe Shairs, Greg Putnam, and Greg Ward and we were in Westfield in just over 2 hours. I warmed up with three easy miles with the CMS masters team and Scott Mason who planned on taking photos of all races. I showed them and explained the course. To save time, we concentrated on the wilderness loop where I could show them mile 3 and 4. Soon the masters race went off at 11:00. I cheered them on and got my money's worth as they ran their asses off. All seven guys fought for each second. It paid off as they got the bronze - 3rd place out of nine teams. Once the women's race got started at 11:50, I got the open guys going for a warm up to precede our 12:30 start. Again, we previewed the wilderness loop. I got back to the field about 15 minutes before the start of the race. I settled into my Inov8 flats and was soon in our team box on the starting line, next to the five from Whirlaway. 11 teams were represented overall for the massive start.

Closing on the finish line
Photo by Tom Derderian

I got out and stayed composed through the mile which looped around the perimeter of Stanley Park in 5:14. We then dropped into the wilderness for a quick in and out back to the fields to pass mile two in 10:46.93 (5:32). That was the last mile split that I would record as the race dropped back into the wilderness loop that would get me through mile three. This is my "all business loop." I like to press in here and get into a groove. I was in a perfect pack (behind a single file). I matched strides but did not gain on Dan Princic. I got around Steve Dowsett with whom I have had a few battles with in 2012. I saw mile four on the ground. I had to regroup after the climb and rollers that got us back up to Stanley Park. I certainly lost precious seconds in that area. Steve led us out to the field and we kept pace around it. I was looking to let a kick fly but did not want to start too early. I got a step on him on the last turn when someone yelled that I had a chance at 27:30. That was my goal today and I opened up my stride over the last 100m to hit the line in 27:33 (76th out of 107 runners) for the 8K. I was very happy with the time - four seconds quicker than what I ran last October with the Salem State Alumni team. Steve had a good time and was just two seconds behind me. I walked through the finish line shute and gave the bottom of my bib tag to Steve Viatones. I pump fisted a few competitors that I knew, silent acknowledgement for well earned efforts. I walked back to the end of the finish line shute as I traditionally do to see my teammates in. Timothy Mallard, Tim Mahoney were close together. Then Sam Wood came across the line. Just one more to score it out as Thomas Brown wheeled in. The race was in the books. We cooled down out on that wilderness loop again (four times already). I was out there enjoying the company as we discussed our battles on the course. It meant a lot to me to have Central Mass score teams in the open and the masters divisions. My car pool packed the GTI and hit the road for a quick pizza on the way home.

Full Results
Scott Mason Photography

Looking ahead, I will be racing the Wild Turkey 5 mile road race on Thanksgiving Day - looking for another 27:30. I was thinking about the Gabe's Run the next day but I might be asking for a torn achilles. I will do a  leg for the Somerville Road Runners in the Mill Cities Relay and then put the flats back on for the Mount Hood golf course cross country race in December. If all goes well, I will get into a few BU mini meet events in late December and get into oxygen debt on the oval.

Navigating into the wilderness loop around 2.5 miles
Photo by Scott Mason

Topsfield Cross Country Festival

It was time to get racing again. Kevin Tilton and I were the only CMS guys to get to this fun cross country race hosted by the Greater Boston Track Club at Bradley Palmer State Park. Pies and cash are awarded to the top teams and individuals. Greater Boston beat out the men's team from HFC - Hurtin' For Certain. No other team had five guys. Thus, pies were given out to the individuals so Kevin and I picked up a pie each which two days later I am proud to say, the Apple Pie (Krissy picked it out) is half gone. As for the race, I went through the mile in 5:32 right where I wanted to be. Over the next three miles of rolling hills, I battled Junyong Pak (GBTC), Mark McDermott (HFC), and Ben Wheatley (GBTC). By the time we got into the last mile, I got spanked on the downhill back to the field that returns the race to the finish line. Mr. Pak and Mr. Wheatly finished very strong. I meanwhile had the form of twisted pretzel (see the photos) in the closing 1000m. I finished 15th overall with a time of 28:27 for the 8K distance. All I have to say is shame on the teams and folks that did not come to support this race. Money and good times were left on the table. Justin Lutz and Nate Jenkins both nearly raced each other to a course record. Justin got the win and missed the record by a few ticks. The rain held off during the race, leaving just a trace of mud returning from Moon Hill to the fields. Only one runner, Lee Danforth - HFC, went down as far as I could tell. My New Balance 790's held up well but admit I hit grass a few times to get out of the mud which we went over twice during the spectator friendly race.

I am off to Westfield State University this coming weekend for the James Early Cross Country Invitational. I am on a rather competitive Salem State Alumni team with the likes of Alex Derosa (Max Potential), Mark Dawson, John Bowser (Max Potential), and Dan Smith (BAA). It should be fun and I aim to break 28 minutes.

Complete results
Photos by KrissyK

Trav's Trail Run

I've always had a race conflict which never allowed me to run this race. I finally got a fresh opportunity and headed up to Newburyport with Ben Strain. This race is billed as three miles on the wonderful trails of Maudsley State Park. The start bolts down a hill followed by a roller coaster set of hills into mile one. I trailed CMS teammates Greg Putnam, Mike Quintal, and Ben Strain. I was able to catch up to Ben shortly after the mile. I maintained my position back to the big hill into the finish. Greg Krathwohl who has run much faster on this course, blew by me on the final ascent. I finished 11th overall with a time of 16:11 (5:24/mile pace). I picked up an age group award: New Balance Mug, New Balance socks, and got a New England Runner subscription in the post race raffle. In all, this was a great event put on by Winner's Circle. Results here.

Mayors Cup cross country race report

This is a tough time of the year for CMS to get a full team (five runners to score) at team competition races. Cross Country scoring is calculated by the placing of your top five runners against the top five runners of your competition. If there is a tie, displacement occurs by the sixth runner. Today, we were very fortunate to get five men to the starting line. CMS has been busy at the races over the past month. Three New England Road Race Championship races took place in September and October. The finale was last Sunday at the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA where CMS won with the duo of Justin Fyffe (2nd), Andy McCarron (3rd), and Scott Leslie (7th) scoring out with cumulative time of 7:30:25, almost two minutes ahead of the Whirlaway Racing Team. The 1st place finish for the team put us into a tie for 1st overall in the Grand Prix series with the Greater Boston Track Club. It was an exciting conclusion to finish the series for the team. Thus, some of the guys needed to rest their marathon legs this week or were going at it at other races this weekend.

I love cross country. It is my favorite running discipline. Fall foliage is in a particular cycle depending on your locale in New England. The temperature is usually decent at this time of the year. Today was a favorable day for racing in Franklin Park with clear skies and temps in the low 60's. The weather, something that mother nature has control over, dropped plenty of rain yesterday. I knew the course was going to be a challenge. However, that's what I like about cross country. I have run in snow, mud, rain, nor' easters, and witnessed hurricane type winds for this sport.

I did a warm up with the team and Peter Mallet (elite triathlete and UNH grad) to check out the course. It was a bit soggy in places. Al Bernier, Dan Navaroli, Tom Brown, Dave Harper, and I toed the line and represented CMS against eleven other teams today at noon. Five club teams were from New York State. Four club teams were from Massachusetts. Finally, two college teams, Dartmouth and Tufts had full squads on hand. My goal today was to have a time that began with 27. Those minutes had surges, mud, and elbows thrown around. I hit the lap button on my Garmin 250 (which measured my effort for 5.0 miles) for all splits except mile three. I passed mile one in 5:21 feeling pretty good and right on what I planned. I backed off a touch through the first tour of bear cage hill and went through mile two at 11:07. There was a fun stretch of mud leading into the wilderness loop. Kristen who was taking photos was up on the wall screaming words of encouragement. Exiting the loop, Greg Putnam and wife were yelling for the team.

I passed Doug Chick from GBTC heading around the field, passing mile three (neglecting the split) and through 5K around 17:20 or so. Another slippery battle with mud for the finale wilderness loop trying to stay in touch with the competition which had a few GBTC singlets, one of which being Brad Kozel. Mile four passed in 22:40 with a dive into the soggy grass leading to the left hand turn toward White Stadium and Bear Cage hill. I was focused on keeping pace on the folks a few strides ahead. I was looking forward to cresting Bear Cage to let loose on the last .4 miles. I let'er rip, bolted down the Bear Cage and carried the momentum to the backstop, 90 degree right-turn into the home stretch which was met for the third time of the day with soggy footing. I shortened the stride into the finish line fighting the clock to stay in the 27 range but let the chip timing provide relief in the results later to give me the 27:59. If that time was 28, I'd be burnt over that for the rest of the day and into tomorrow's training run.

Dave Harper (3rd 40+ today & took the individual master X/C GP lead) was not too far back from me to finish off the scoring for us. I am thankful that he did the 8K instead of the 5K today. Dan (2nd overall x/c Grand Prix Scoring), Al, and Tom (1st race for CMS) had solid efforts. We figured that the soggy footing slowed things down out there 30+ seconds. The results are posted here. The team placed 9th out of the 11 teams. I am looking forward to New Englands on November 8th. Despite the distance jumping to 10K, I will get through the 8K mark quicker than today if weather cooperates. We'll see.

Scott Mason took a ton of photos yesterday of each race so check them out.