Mount Greylock Road Race

The email for the 8 mile road race mentioned Mount Greylock as the highest point, 3,491 feet, in Massachusetts. This appealed to me and I never been to the mountain so I was all in as long as it did not put a big dent into my Labor Day weekend. The race was part of the Mountain Series so I was bound to see a lot of CMS runners.

I picked up Dave Dunham on Saturday afternoon and we drove a bit less than 3 hours to Field Farm in Williamstown. We ran four miles with Tim Van Orden. At the end of the run, we sampled the apples. An hour later we visited Olympic Pizza for dinner. I grabbed a pint of ice cream on the way back to the hotel.  

I was up at 5:04AM, before any alarm. Dave and I walked to Dunkin Donuts for coffee. The race was less than 10 minutes away so we had plenty of time to reach the 8:30 start. There were over a dozen CMS runners milling around getting bib numbers and warming up. Colin Carroll filled me in on the secret Williams College training in the mid-2000’s which included some Greylock intervals. I ran a 2 mile warm up with David Lapierre and Dave. Numbers for the race were over 250 strong, well up from the 187 finishers with rain last year.

I got on the front row at the starting line. I had echoes of “miles two and three are tough” given to me from Tivo and Dave. They were spot on. A used a bit of caution in there trying not to red line. The course lightened up in the second half, offering some flat sections and downhill which surprised me as it did not amplify while looking at the course profile a few weeks ago. Paulo from SRR was the only runner I would pass after 4 miles. I could see Chris Smith (SRR) and Brian Ruhm (Gate City) over the last three miles but all I could do was get 5 seconds of Brian on the last climb to the finish which was 150 yards from the summit. I placed 17^th with a time of 1:03:08.07. Now I have a time to beat next year. I got 7.69 miles on the GPS so keep that in mind if you decide to run the race for the first time in the future. 2018 Mount Greylock Road Race results

JAMES PAWLICKI
43rd Annual Mt. Greylock Road Race
Overall: 17 out of 286
Male 40 - 49: 2
Time: 01:03:08.07
Pace: 7:53/mile
Speed: 7.6mph

Top 20 runners from the 2018 Mount Greylock Road Race

1 TURNER ZAMORE 238 00:53:11.62 6:39 9.0mph M 34

2 CAMERON COGBURN 377 00:56:21.80 7:03 8.5mph M 32

3 COLIN CARROLL 230 00:56:23.94 7:03 8.5mph M 33

4 MARK RABASCO 407 00:57:51.51 7:14 8.3mph M 24

5 TODD CALLAGHAN 358 00:58:08.91 7:16 8.3mph M 48

6 ERIK VANDENDRIES 336 00:58:11.02 7:16 8.2mph M 53

7 TIM VAN ORDEN 392 00:58:54.51 7:22 8.1mph M 50

8 BRANDYN NARO 315 00:59:11.95 7:24 8.1mph M 31

9 DAVE DUNHAM 328 00:59:56.53 7:29 8.0mph M 54

10 MEGHAN DAVIS 387 01:00:40.27 7:35 7.9mph F 16

11 HEATH BREWER 282 01:00:52.08 7:36 7.9mph M 34

12 KASSANDRA MARIN 406 01:01:29.05 7:41 7.8mph F 28

13 MICHAEL NARCISI 322 01:01:57.11 7:45 7.7mph M 34

14 KIM NEDEAU 242 01:02:32.25 7:49 7.7mph F 39

15 CHRISTOPHER SMITH 308 01:02:40.20 7:50 7.7mph M 52

16 BRIAN RUHM 391 01:03:03.32 7:53 7.6mph M 52

17 JAMES PAWLICKI 331 01:03:08.07 7:53 7.6mph M 43

18 PAULO AMARAL 295 01:04:00.11 8:00 7.5mph M 37

19 DAVID CORBETT 228 01:05:06.91 8:08 7.4mph M 34

20 DAVID LAPIERRE 264 01:05:34.51 8:12 7.3mph M 54

Wachusett Mountain Road Race

I kicked off the Memorial Day weekend with one of the first Mountain races I ever attended several years ago. The Central Mass Striders hosted the 25^th Annual Mount Wachusett Road Race which is also part of the Mountain Series. It is about 3 miles up and 3 miles down and comes out to just about 10K. The last 2 miles are on trail with the rest on the auto road. There are few breaks on the way up to the top which is nice.

CMS had an impressive group in the race with the likes of Tim Van Orden, Matt Veiga, Todd Callaghan, Dave Dunham, Steve Brightman, Ed Sheldon, & Erik Van Dendries. These guys are consistently in the front of the mountain series races. I took a back seat in the first mile, trying to look good with Dave Dunham but the pace was too rich for my blood.

I found a pace that I could negotiate with up to the top and this put me a few strides behind Michael McGrane from the BAA. I put in a good push from 2 to 3 miles and got ahead of him rounding the summit “King of the Mountain” optional finish in 22:33. Then it was a good stretch of descent on the auto-road. This was tough on the legs while I put the brakes on to modulate the beating. It was nice to finally reach the trail where I felt I could extend a full stride.

19th place at the top of Wachusett

Someone caught up to me on said trail. I never turned back to peek, instead forged straight ahead. The steps behind me faded on one last hill to climb with about 800m to go in the race. I rounded into the finish with a time of 41:44 and in 10^th place. I turned back and Michael was just four seconds behind me. He made up some time on me on the downhill showing how good he is running downhill.

I was 19^th at the top. Some runners in front of me there either backed off considerably or did not take the option of running the 10K. CMS packed in 7 out of the top 10 places in the 10K.

Upon my finish, I see that Ed Sheldon is bloodied up pretty good from head to knee. As always, in good spirits, he took it in stride and kicked my ass after tripping up on the trail on the way down. Water and paper towels got him cleaned up. He is one tough SOB! I took on some water for myself and found Dave Lapierre about 20 minutes later in the parking lot for a short but needed cool down. I hung out for the awards and bought some new CMS fleece hats for the team from Karla.

Wachusett Mountain Road Race 2017 results (3 mile and 10KM)

10th place at the finish

Loon Mountain Race - New England Mountain Running Championship

Krissy and I headed up to the Loon Mountain Race (6.6 miles). The ride to 60 Mountain Road in Lincoln, NH was about 2 hours. After getting my number and talking to Scott Mason about his GTI, I went out for warm up just shy of a mile. I changed into my racing gear and CMS singlet. Krissy headed to the top of Loon Mountain with Scott to work their craft behind the lenses. I got on the starting line with several team mates who have been crushing it within not only the USATF New England Mountain Series but the All Terrain Running Series. I have hit all of the ATR races so far but nothing to speak of in terms of an outdoor track 5,000m. Thus, I need to get to the remaining races which should not be a problem as long as I stay healthy.

There was a new start this year at LMR which was behind the lodge instead of down at the river. As a result, they extended the finish line back to the top of the gondola or about three minutes beyond the top of Upper Walking Boss. My expectations for the race were really simple, give my best effort and don't give in to walking until UWB as it is just inevitable. I started out huffing and puffing right away and I really thought I was taking it easy. There were some ups and downs and we hit the nordic trails which I really like. Dave Dunham and I traded spots in there. It was wet and muddy in several areas. Any standing water was ankle deep. I put on a little hustle to pass Dave and get after Kasie Enman and Kim Nedeau. I clocked my fastest mile of the day in 7 flat.

Heading down to Upper Walking Boss
Photo by KrissyK

I never did catch Kasie but got as close as a few seconds. I appreciated any shade on the course. I was slow on all climbing but resisted walking among those that had to. I was just waiting for Upper Walking Boss which is a devil including some 40%. I was running with Alex Hall from Whirlaway. While we were walking up, I tried to crack some jokes - making it up on the fly to cope with the misery. Some worked, some didn't. I kept it light. Had to. Running or hiking up this is insane. Kim Nedeau was the only runner to go past us on UWB. We seemed to get to the top sooner than in the past. Why? We did not have the switch backs up. Why? They did not mow it. I am OK with that.

Alex and I got into a trot before we got to the top and we hauled ass to the finish which took another three minutes of a steep down hill and a little steep hill up into the finish where Krissy was. I finished 25th overall with a time of 1:06:28. That is 10:05 average mile pace if you are keeping score at home. Josh Ferenc crushed it running 8:37's!

Head down and up into the finish
Photo by KrissyK

CMS did pretty well getting 6 guys in the top 17. Todd Callaghan (7th), Scott Leslie (11th), Chris Mahoney (12th), Dave Dunham (13th), Erik Vandendries (16th), & Matt Veiga (17th). I got some water and chatted it up with some of the guys I battled with. Then I headed over and hung out with Krissy and cheered on the next 45 minutes worth of runners into the finish. We headed down in the gondola and took a quick soak in the Pemigewasset River before hitting the road to beat some of the traffic.

Loon Mountain Race New England Mountain Running Championship 2015 results

US Mountain Running Championship - Loon Mountain

KrissyK photos of the men’s race

Loon Mountain Men’s race results

The skinny:

53^rd place

Time: 1:03:36.7

First time I had to walk: 39 minutes

I walked/hiked 90% of upper walking boss

Loon Mountain was hosting the 2014 US Mountain Running Championships and I had the day open so I committed to it. CMS was going to have plenty of guys there and I had to get them some gear so I was a man on a mission. I have some history at Loon and each time I get to Upper Walking Boss, I curse it. A 40% grade will do that to a sane person, trust me. The course was changed this year with more cross country early on which I loved. There was mud, elevation changes, flats, and more importantly, shade. The serious climbing was all in the 2^nd half of the race. Even in the 2^nd half, there is a little bit of down hill to break up the pain. 

I was doing pretty good, passing folks, slowly, on the climbs and caught up to Ethan Nedeau before the descent to Upper Walking Boss. However, I drove that descent with no aggression and he put 20 seconds on me. I checked out a bit while allowing the legs to recover from the ascent before. I collapsed to a crawl and started the hike and walk up the ‘boss as did most ahead of me. It seemed acceptable and running seemed useless as either effort gained the same distance (not entirely true but my legs fell for it). About eight guys passed me on the way up and I did not care too much about it. I don’t mean that negatively. I was in a world of suffering and walk or run, it was tough. Ask anyone who did it. The top of Upper Walking Boss did come quicker than I remember in the past. That was a good thing. Looking back down on the ‘boss gave me a 2 second sense of accomplishment but I still had to crest the top and finish it up. I was completely on empty on this one folks. I won’t lie. 1:03 and 36 seconds. 

On the way down to find the Upper Walking Boss
Photo by KrissyK

The scenery all around – surrounded by mountains on a clear sunny day was absolutely worth it. I met up with CMS teammates for some chat, photos, and a slow jog to the Gondola with Arthur Besse with whom I talked into doing such the race 18 hours earlier. He handled himself just fine helping the masters team take the win. The CMS men’s open and senior teams also took team wins! Good stuff. I caught Krissy who was wrapping up her photo session of the day for a nice Gondola ride down. I soaked the legs in the ice cold river. It was ice cold and won’t lie that I refused to take that for more than a minute on the legs. We went back to check out the awards and get a bagel before heading out for a traffic filled ride home. I am glad I went and was very happy and proud to see the guys run so well at Loon. 

Wachusett Mountain

Kristen and I rolled into the Wachusett parking lot about 8:40 in the Gti. I had 50 minutes to grab my number, warm up, and make a pit stop. I ran into Tim Mahoney and Todd Callaghan on the warm up. I have not seen Tim in a while and he’s been racing very well recently. Meanwhile, Todd was so far satisfied with a pair of Nike Lunar Racer's that are usually for the roads and was going to give them a test run on this mix of road and trail today. Not before long, we were getting pre-race instruction from former CMS President Kevin Fallon. At this point, Dave Dunham almost tackled me for a greeting. It is great to see Dave lacing the flats up again and getting into races. We ran the D5K (Danvers weekly fun run) on Wednesday. It will not be long before he is whipping us in the mountain races. The start went off and I casually slid into twentieth place or so about 400m into the immediate climb up to the entrance of the auto road. The course was the same as last year, minus the last .10 of a mile around the duck pond. Mile one passed and I glanced at the watch without any effort to see the split. I carried on into the entrance trailing Ryan Aschbrenner from GBTC. Ryan was tuning up along with Ted Breen who are both racing the Mount Washington Road Race next month.

I caught Ryan at the end of the single track trail heading past the lodge. We began a climb into mile two. Bob Jackman pulled along side and I followed. A left hand turn into Old Indian Trail brought about the steepest part of the trail. Bob did a solid job, keeping a steady effort running up and I focused to stay as close as I could. Mile three passed and I was definitely feeling better at this point this year than last year. I know I went out quicker last year, but this just felt right today. We exited the trail, found pavement and knew the rest of the course was pretty much downhill – almost two miles worth. Only two seconds behind Bob, I told him to “let ‘er fly, it’s all downhill from there.” We would not separate more than a stride all the way down. We exchanged the pacing at least twice. We caught a younger gent on the way down and were reeling in Ross Krause with about 800m to go. Our strides seemed to be all out when Bob found another gear with about 100 yards to go. I had nothing left, finishing three ticks behind him for a 33:14 and 15th place in a very competitive field this year.

CMS folks represented very well with Kevin Tilton, Andy McCarron, Jim Johnson, Tim Van Orden, Tim Mahoney all finishing in the top 12. John Kinnee, Sam Wood, Jeff Goupil, and Bryan Johnston were not too far behind me and ran solid races. My Garmin measured 5.08 miles today. Someone said the course was touted to be 5.2 miles on the application. Either way, I would say everyone enjoyed themselves on a fair mountain course. This was the second race of the USATF-New England Mountain series and I am sure there will be at least 100 mountain goats by the time Ascutney (VT) is finished in July. I missed Northfield Mountain last week so it won’t happen to this guy in 2010.

Post race included some a Polar drink, bagel, and a banana. Scott Mason and I caught up on serious training that was done when he was a young stud ripping up the roads. He was heading up the VCM - Vermont City Marathon after the race to take some photos. Here is a plug for Justin Fyffe who is going to surprise some folks tomorrow.

Big thanks to Wachusett for hosting the race, CMS for organizing the race, Polar Beverages, and Kristen for her company and photos. She took over 150 photos. Scott Mason should have a ton set up as well soon. Looking ahead, I will be running the Rhody 5K, Market Square 10K, and the Mount Washington Road Race in the near future. If I feel good on Monday and have nothing going on, I may jump into the Dory Run 5K with Dennis Floyd.

Mountain Goat status article

This article came out in The Salem News, Monday, 8/10/09. Photo credit in the print article goes to Scott Mason. Check out his photos.

http://www.salemnews.com/pusports/local_story_222004503.html/resources_printstory

Pawlicki reaches Mountain Goat status

By Jean DePlacido
correspondent
August 10, 2009 12:45 am
—

Jim Pawlicki is officially a Mountain Goat, and that is a hard-earned title 100 New England runners achieved over a six-week period this summer.

Pawlicki, a Beverly resident, successfully completed all six races in the 2009 USA Track and Field New England Mountain Circuit to achieve his Mountain Goat status, and he finished fifth in the point standings.

The courses are extremely demanding, full of all types of challenges and very different from what the average runner encounters on road courses. Some are part road racing courses and rugged trails close to ski resorts, while others are primarily run on narrow dirt paths that require a great deal of agility. The race distances range from just under four miles to 10 miles.

At Ascutney Mountain in Vermont, the last stop on the circuit, runners from last year's race voted to change the course to make it even more challenging by extending all the way to the summit instead of following the auto access road to the parking lot roughly a half mile from the top of the mountain. The new path added a mile and a half of treacherous conditions.

Two years ago Pawlicki was fourth on the old course with a time of 33:01. This summer he finished 11th in 43:56 on the longer, rougher course. Runners had to deal with slippery footing, thick fern undergrowth, boulders and streams, as well as narrow, hilly paths that made the going slow. There were a few sections where Pawlicki, who works for Boston Scientific in Quincy as an e-commerce specialist, had to pick his steps by walking cautiously in the roughest patches where falling was a distinct possibility. His main focus there had nothing to do with making good time; it was staying on his feet.

"After leaving the parking lot you were on really technical trails, and there was at least a minute of walking," Pawlicki said. "I had a sense of relief after doing all six; I can now look back with a feeling of accomplishment. Two years ago I didn't finish all of them; I did five but had to drop out of the Cranmore race."

Pawlicki is a full-time runner, who is a member of the Central Mass Striders men's racing team which is sponsored by Polar Racing. He figures he has been running 335 days each year since graduating from Salem State in 1998, varying his events according to the calendar. He has run six or seven marathons, the last in 2003 in Chicago where he finished in 2:37.59 for his second fastest time.

"During the winter I do indoor track events and jump on snow shoes to race," said Pawlicki. "I do 15-20 road races throughout the year, but during the early summer concentrate on the mountain races. In the fall I like to do four or five cross country races; it brings a little diversity and each season is different. I don't do any special training for the mountain, just do what I would do for a 10-mile road race and then apply it with some concessions for the conditions.

"The mountain racing circuit goes all over New England, and each course is so different. The first one was Memorial Day weekend at Wachussett Mountain in Princeton, and then we did Pack Monadnock in New Hampshire for a 10-mile race that was nine miles on road and one on dirt. We also were at Northfield (MA.) for the New England Trail Championship. The Cranmore Mountain Hill Climb was also the USA National Mountain Championship, which was fun.

"The most demanding was the Loon Mountain Race in Lincoln, New Hampshire where there was a half-mile stretch of a pretty steep 30 degree climb. There you had to walk for the majority of the race."

Before the final Ascutney Mountain Challenge, a big group picture was taken of all the mountain goats, and after finishing they received tee-shirts with the words "Mountain Goat" on them.

"After completing the first two races I had to commit to the rest," said Pawlicki. "I felt the pressure, and wanted to gain that notoriety among my peers. It was really a lot of fun. After the last race one of the guys knew of a great spot to cool off in a mountain stream. The river was icy cold even though it was mid-July, but we had a great time. People brought food, and we all hung out together for a couple of hours."

Through all his ventures across New England Pawlicki's girlfriend Kirsten Kozlosky of Beverly has been at his side offering support, sharing the driving, and taking photos.

"She's my copilot," said Pawlicki. "I put quite a few miles on my Volkswagen Rabbit, and Kristen has been great about helping with the driving. She volunteered for a couple of races, and gave me so much support.

"One of the big perks of mountain goat status is being able to bypass the 2010 Mount Washington Road Race Lottery; we just have to register to guarantee a place in the field. I ran Mount Washington a couple of years ago, and I might look into that again. I went into the lottery then and didn't have a problem, but I guess it is a big deal because they limit the number of entries to 2,000 and it has become such a popular event.

"Finishing all six and receiving this status is a very rewarding feeling," said Pawlicki. "Now I've put the demons to rest, and I plan to be back again next year to try to do it all over again."

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Ascutney Mountain Challenge

Race six, the finale, of the mountain series was completed today in Mt. Ascutney State Park. The runners from last year's race spoke up and voted in a race course change to extend to the summit this year. The race previously followed the automobile access road to the parking lot about a half mile from the summit. I ran the course two years ago placing 4th with a time of 33:01.

Today, I placed 11th with a time of 43:56. The last 1.7 miles were different with the race leaving the road and onto the Futures Trail and to the summit. The footing was standard technical New England trail: mud, thick ground fern, boulders, streams, and stone steps along a single track. I am sure that this is the typical fare for the trail runners so they must have eaten it up. I on the other hand tip-toed through some sections. However, the trail was a blast and in usual fashion reduced me to a few walking sessions in the tougher portions of the trail. I gave up some time in the tough spots but just focused on staying on my feet as it would have been easy to trip up. I can't wait to see some photos of the runners. When Raina, the race director, officially solicits feedback, I will suggest the all road course back in and or see if a trail section could be worked into the course from the parking lot, previously mentioned about a half mile from the summit.

I'd like to congratulate the 100 or so runners who achieved Mountain Goat status by completing each of the six races in the Inov-8 USATF-NE Mountain Circuit 2009 Schedule. This allows the runners to bypass the 2010 Mt. Washington Road Race Lottery (they still need to register). I think it is a great program and has been a boon for each of the mountain races which have been close to or exceeded record entrants in 2009. In addition, I'd like to acknowledge the fine performances of my CMS teamates who no doubt, fared well in the individual point system.

Good times were had by several folks (too many names to remember) taking in a soak at the stream under Rt. 91 leading into the Mill Pond. Tim Van Orden advised that it was the place to go. Over twenty race folk managed to bring suds, food, and spirit as we hung out underneath a cloudless sky. Thanks to Todd and Laurie for the organic fruit salad, Tim Mahoney for the Harpoon offerings, and to Tim Van Orden for the "fresh out of the garden" greens. All I know is that for the next mountain race (next May), it will definitely be about where to hang out after the race.

Finally, I would be remiss without thanking Kristen for her company and support at each of the races in the series that came without complaint with early morning, multiple hour drives around New England. She volunteered at races, took photos, took the wheel, and brought some sanity to each turn on the road.

Lastly, as much as I need a break from the racing (I don't mind but am glad that the mountain series is over), I am signed up for the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 miler on Thursday evening in South Boston. This is an out an back, flat and fast 5 miler put on by the L-Street Running club. I have been running a lot along the bay from UMass Boston to Castle Island so it will be another routine run except at goal, 5:30 per mile pace.

Loon Mountain report

I have read and heard that some runners think that Loon Mountain is the toughest race in the mountain series. It may have the steepest section (it is called upper walking boss for a reason) we'll encounter but my judge of the toughest race is how I feel Monday morning. I felt a lot better this Monday than I did last Monday following Cranmore.

I warmed up with the CMS crew and Patrick Ard from Whirlaway who was running his first mountain race. I ran past Ted Breen and Brad Kozel from GBTC as I approached the parking lot. I gave Ted advice earlier in the week on what to wear for footwear as this was his first mountain race too. Aside from that, everyone who ran at Cranmore a week earlier all shared the same sore muscle stories that lasted most of the week. Glad that I was not the only one. I still put in a heavy week of miles. The race got off to a late start but only after Paul Kirsch made sure that all folks who were seeking Mountain Goat Status were members of USATF before the race started.

Abdeltif Faker jumped out to a quick start. He had a long stride and looked like a ringer aside from cutting his running pants into uneven length shorts. I've seen or heard worse. Dennis Floyd told me he got beat by a Greater Lowell Road Runner in cut-offs (jeans cut into shorts) in a local 5K over 10 years ago. I am not fashion expert myself so I will leave it at that.

I rolled with the race in the early going. Todd Callaghan and Dave Dunham passed me early on. I noted how good Dave looked working the ascents. The word chisel came to mind during the race watching Dave motor up the hills. He took off and I just tried to stay close to Todd Callaghan. I was successful at that until the downhill toward "upper walking boss" which is as steep as it will get for us this summer.

This bit seems to go on forever. I looked up and saw the race in front of me (10 guys in total), but they were already at it for minutes. Tivo and Todd were side-stepping in some of their climb. The kid in front of me was walking and pulling away (no news there). I was not comfortable at all walking, but did some. I felt it was easier to run, if you call it that. My steps were so small but I found a rhythm. I ran by Scott Mason (check out his photos) who was taking photos about 2/3 of the way up and he gave words of encouragement. I looked back on a switch back. I saw Kasie Enman not too far. That sighting kept me honest, not to walk anymore and get to the top. In all honesty, this upper walking boss climb did not seem as long as it did two years ago. The young kid in front of m, 17 year old Adam Pachek, was too far ahead for me to catch on the downhill. My form was a mess and I still babied down it, feeling he was unreachable with only a few minutes of race left. I tore into the last uphill and into the finish to cheers from Kristen and then into the finish line where co-race director Paul Kirsch stood. 52:52 for 11th place. It felt so nice to be done with the race.

There was nothing I did during the race that I would change if I did it over again. A quick check of my prior result here in 2007 showed that I ran 52:28 or 24 seconds quicker then. However, I know I busted the downhills harder there and walked more up the walking boss section in 2007. After getting my new CMS threads on (it was windy and a bit chilly for July), drinking some Heed, I flagged Todd down and into the Gondola ride down to the base. Mats Lemberger (formerly of Dartmouth) who finished two spots in front of me joined us for the ride down. We had a nice view. I looked down a few times and could see some flagging on the course that Dave, Tivo, and company patiently set up in 2 hours and 59 minutes the day before.

I was shocked to see Joe Shairs and family at the ski lodge who were passing through. Joe looked cold in short sleeves (it was windy at the base as well) so I sent him off with a CMS jacket that I had in the Gti. The family was heading off to the Flume Gorge only a few miles away. I proceeded cool down for a couple easy miles. I bonked hard about 10 minutes from the parking lot. I walked it in and had a granola bar that must have been in my running bag for six months. It tasted so good. I just needed some nourishment and fluids. I walked into the post race gathering ready to kill for food. It could of gotten ugly but fortunately there were plenty of bagels and crunchy peanut butter for everyone. An hour later, Kristen and I broke bread with Ted and Brad in Lincoln for sandwiches before sitting in some nasty traffic on Rt. 93. Good times for sure.

Cheers to DoubleJ for his first Mountain Race win. He earned it. Dave Dunham, 1st master, ran a solid race. Tivo and Todd Callaghan held his own as well, admitting a light week of training after the race. Tim Mahoney was right behind me and is sure to race well at Ascutney Mountain in Windsor, VT this Sunday. The check is in the mail so I will be there. I am looking forward to the change in the course which will have some trail in the 2nd half and we race to the summit.

Oh and will someone please elaborate on "there is no safeword at Loon Mountain?"

Northfield Mountain recap

I was torn on which race to go to on Saturday, June 13. I wanted to race the Market Square 10K in Portsmouth, NH where I set my 10K PR set 10 years ago (33:03) and had a decent race last June getting under 34 minutes. On the other hand, I have run the first two races of the USATF New England Mountain series and the Northfield Mountain is race number three. It is also the New England Trail Championship. Dave Dunham has been the race director and puts on a solid event. Who else can set up the course the day before, direct the race, and race it - very well mind you.


Kristen and I got up at 4:30 and were out the door with the GPS set up at 5:35 in the VW Gti. We got to Northfield at 7:30 after a stop for gas in Fitchburg as the Gti got thirsty for 93 Octane. Kristen was volunteering to help out at the water stop with and take some photos. She got to ride up the auto road with Al Bernier in the Subaru.


I did a warm up with a small CMS crew that was made up of Eric Morse (good to see him racing again), Dave Dunham, and Tim & Abbey Mahoney. Before I got to the starting line, I was greeted by Mark Asaro who was thanking me for being a gentleman; offering encouraging words to his son, Peter, during the last 300m of Pack Monadnock. He thanked me for not outdueling his son. I told him that I had no energy to pass him on what felt like a 30% grade and gave every effort just to catch up to the guy. Peter finished two seconds ahead of me at Pack.


At 9:00am sharp Dave gave the race of over 200 the final instructions and gave the first row on the starting line his traditional high five as we were off with two commands. I settled in with Tim Mahoney after the first minute. Justin Fyffe, Josh Ferenc, and Eric Morse were dueling it out for the 1st mile. I had a split of 5:39 which is moving pretty good. The climbing soon began and I shuffled up the hills. Todd Callaghan and Tim Mahoney got around me between 2 and 3 miles. My effort was hard enough so I just wanted to keep them close until the outlook point. The course is practically all down hill after that. I managed to surge pass Tim a half mile before the water stop and set my cruise control to match Todd's stride who had his sights on Greg Hammett in front of him.


The next 3K is runable downhill for most but causes some pain for the next day. Paul Low has seen a low four minute mile in this stretch in the past. I couldn't gain any ground on Todd and Greg was keeping his distance on him. I heard the occasional foot steps behind me but never checked to see who it was, assuming it was Tim (it was). At one point on the down hill, my left foot started to burn up in the heel. This is typical here due to the speed at which I am running and occasional breaking - putting much force on the feet. The New Balance 790 held up pretty good but I was expecting my toes to rip through the toe box toward the end of the descent.


The course levels off after 5.3 miles or so and you can see the race in front of you as it is a long stretch (3/4 of a mile?). I could make out Justin's yellow, Lasportiva shirt about two mintues ahead. I heard he had a good battle with Andy McCarron over the past two miles. I was trying to stay focused on Todd who still had 10 seconds or so on me and I did not want to get caught by Tim or anyone else in the last mile and a half. I hustled into the home stretch for 8th place with a time of 38:59, my second quickest time on the this course. I ran 38:32 last year on a hot day and a dog fight battle with Todd Callaghan and Tim Van Orden over the last two miles.


I was happy with the effort. CMS did very well, placing nine runners in the top twelve. See the overall results and the awesome photos by Scott Mason. I ran the course again after the race with a big crew that included Todd Callaghan, Tim Mahoney, Tim Van Orden, and a few others to pick up the flagging and mile markers. A big thanks to everyone. The company was great and it offered another 45 minutes of hilarious conversation.


I am looking foward to the Cranmore Hill Climb where I DNF'd two years ago. That race will be followed by Loon Mountain and Ascutney Mountain Challenge in July. These are tough races but I am up for the challenge. Meanwhile, I am going to run the Squantum 5 mile road race this Thursday which is minutes from work in Marina Bay (Quincy). It is part of the New England Runner Pub Series so it should be competitive. I am looking to better the 28:43 that I ran in 2007.


LATE ENTRY.....


I slacked on writing about my blazing 16:35 (chip time) at the Rhody 5K last Sunday, June 7th, in Lincoln, RI. I averaged 5:21 pace per mile and did not crash as bad as I felt with 800m to go. My splits were 5:15, 5:23, 5:21, and :36. I am not sure I trust the mile three marker. I don't have much to say about my effort other than my legs were exposed for the lack of interval training. I had zero turn over and that is the number one requirement for a 5K, period. CMS as a team did well, finishing 5th, with the top five guys getting under 15:58. Full results.

Pack Monadnock

This was a tough race today. I ran this 10 mile in 2007 clocking in at 1:06:25 where the first half was cautious with a 30:48 five mile split. Today, I went through 5 miles about a minute quicker (29:51). Peter Asaro from Gloucester and of William & Mary had just caught up to me before 5 miles after I passed Ben Nephew before the 4 mile mark.

I was spent after a climb in the 5th mile. I was crawling up each of the hills that followed. Peter must have had 30 seconds on me when I got out to Rt. 101 (7.5 miles). I could see Andy McCarron ahead of him by another 40 seconds and barely see Jim Johnson ahead of Andy. As spent as I was, I managed to catch Peter about 100 yards from the finish in Miller State Park (not an easy task in the last mile here unless someone is walking). However, I was drained and couldn't find any energy to pass him. I settled for 7th place in a very competitive field in the trek from Wilton, NH to Pack Monadnock in Temple, NH. My unofficial 1:06:44 is about :20 behind my previous effort in 2007. The delta today was going out harder and crashing harder in the 2nd half. I will chalk this up to a learning experience and solid effort on a day that I knew four miles from the finish line that it was going to get ugly.

The CMS held serious court in the race today. Without seeing the results yet, it looked like Justin Fyffe (3rd), Jim Johnson (4th), Andy McCarron (5th), myself (7th), Ben Nephew (8th), Dave Dunham (9th), Dave Quintal (12th), Tim Mahoney (13th), and Tim Van Orden (14th) all had solid races.

Bottom row (3): Andy McCarron, Todd Callaghan, Tim Mahoney

Top row: Dave Dunham, Justin Fyffe, Jim Johnson, Dave Quintal, Jim Pawlicki, & Ben Nephew

Photos by Kristen