Squantum 5 miler

I ran into Hassan Haydar the mornig of the race while on a run - still debating if my legs were up for the race that night. We asked each other if we were racing the Squantum 5. He said JJ Larner (race director) needed help at a water stop so he was going to volunteer his time. I was still on the fence, as evidence by running already. I rarely run a double (two runs in one day) but was looking for trouble or in denial. JJ Larner was nice enough to give me a complimentary entry as part of the "race of champions" theme as we touched base via email a week earlier. Meanwhile, my QL - Quadratus Lumborum - has been flared up for almost two weeks so I was fussy about racing. I got it worked on Monday night so I was left with some stretching to do but it was feeling a little better. I need to strengthen the QL.

I mentally registered that I would go to the race after I ate lunch. I arrived at the race an hour before start time. After thanking JJ for having me at the race, I asked if any other champions were in house and he confirmed Brendan Lynch. He's fast. Like 2:34 marathon fast. He ran a 1:15 half marathon in early May in Quincy - four minutes ahead of me. Hassan asked me if I was going to take it easy or race. Race of course. I warmed up in the light drizzle. It was humid than earlier in the week so comfortable for racing. In addition, this is the fourth consecutive race that I have been at where it was wet or raining since the Vermont City Marathon. I stretched a bit inside race HQ but really did not have the strength to put an effort into the back stuff. I proceeded to the start paying no attention to who was lining up in the front row to my right. I never met Brendan and did not know what he looked like. Two HFC (Hurtin for Certain) gents jumped right out front after the starting siren. One was in white (Brendan) and one in green (his brother Sean). There was another young guy in the mix. The four of us went through the mile in 5:48. The beautiful Boston City skyline, albeit on a foggy evening, was on our far left as we approached Squantum. Brendan had a step on us into the first and largest hill on the course. I stepped around Sean and into second putting some effort to close the short lead Brendan had while climbing. I felt OK but did not want to cramp his heels and force the pace any faster. So much for that as the young guy went past and after Brendan on a down hill. I wanted to tell the guy to chill but I did not. He faded shortly and I regrouped in behind Brendan up and down another set of hills. I gave him a verbal prop at one point "lookin' good Brendan." He returned the verbal and that made me feel good (hey, this guy knows me by my name). I got beside him and took the lead around 2.5 miles. He sat, comfortably from what I could tell, behind me as we went through 3 miles and exiting Squantum for an all out flat remainder to the finish.

He retook the lead as we went back into Marina Bay and I was totally cool with that. 4 miles passed and he looked comfortable as if he were going to drop the hammer on me soon. Sure enough, we had a few tight turns in Squantum Point Park and he got a gap that would not be closed in the last 800m. He won in 28:24 (5:41 / mile pace) while I followed, 28:31 (5:42 / mile pace). Full results. Brendan, Sean, and I cooled down for an easy 15 minutes. I got a chance to learn what Brendan has been up to for racing and training over the years. He is a down to earth - decent guy who knows the running scene, competitors, and coaches really well. He is smart with his racing opportunities. I dropped some race results that included us in the same race half way accross the country - Chicago Marathon, 2003, on Brendan. He crushed it that October running under 2:35 while I ran just under 2:38. We seemed to both have the same agenda that day - run 6:00 pace for as long as you can, then go for it. His plan worked where as mine put me in my place but I still ran about that (6:00 / mile) pace at the end of the day.

I peeked at the 2009 Squantum 5 Results. It was a Pub Series event so it was a loaded field resulting in me and my quickest time, 27:29. I just edged out Terry McNatt as we battled neck and neck over the last two miles. Brendan was just behind us (I did not know this when I caught up with Brendan the other night). We will commence racing where I suspect his leg speed will prosper in the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5K in a few weeks in Dorchester - his home town.

Meeting the challenge

Here is a shameless plug for an article that came out in the Daily Item last week that was written by Rich Tenorio.

Hollis Fast 5K

Still rolling down through 3 miles in Hollis
Photo by KrissyK

It took me nearly two full hours to get to the Hollis Fast 5K. The traffic was as hyped for race number three of the USATF New England Grand Prix. This was a race I always wanted to do so coming here for the race series to take on all other teams from the region is always a treat. The weather was at least consistent with the last few races I have done, rain. It let up as I ran the course from the finish line with some SRR and CMS guys up to the start. Joe OLeary gave me some history as he has run very well on this course in the past. The point to point course drops 224 feet making it a barn burner. It was nice to see some CMS mates at the starting line that I have not seen in a while. I got off to a good start among the men (not trip up) and rolled away. The women came in from another direction and merged in from the left. It took a while to open up and see what was going on ahead. I did not have a game plan and did not wear a watch so I just put the head down and rolled with it. It was fast. Mile one according to the bib split was at 5:07. The gang I was near continued to pull and I could not get any quicker coming through 2 miles in 10:23. I held tangents and was holding my own without really having any back and forth with anyone until with Paul Doe through 3 miles (15:36). He finished strong with another 50 plus year old and I followed. I rolled into the finish with a time of 16:08.8 (chip/bib time) or 16:10 (gun time). I was good with the time but would have felt better around 16:00. Jason Porter had to remind me that I was just two and a half weeks removed from a marathon effort. His point was well taken. The consensus is that this course offers a time 45 seconds quicker than your average 5K (with a little up and down). The CMS open and masters team ran very well placing 3^rd in both divisions. Results 

Kupenda 5 mile - Wenham

Just beyond half way. Dave Long and Matt Curran lurk behind. 

This was race number two in the North Shore Trail Series. The Kupenda 5 mile course is a two loop course that heads out into Chebacco Woods. It was one of those days. Each stride was heavy and the stride was mechanical. I took the lead 400m in and more or less kept that through 3 miles before Dave Long took over up a hill. I faded into third and kept Matt Curran as close as I could. I was wiped but was thinking that maybe I could find a surge in the last mile. However, it was not meant to be. It was frustrating to have the leader so close but it seemed like 200m as we went around the quad at Gordon College for the last 600m on a spectator friendly course (despite the rain which stopped during the race). I pulled along side Matt on the last right hand turn on the grass leading into the finish and that was it. He had made a statement matching my kick. He earned it holding second place. Dave ran a smart race running winning it with a time of 29:13. Matt and I were 29:24 and 29:25 (5:53/mile) respectively. Full results.

Matt Curran taking command before the finish. John Ayers watches in the backdrop.

Vermont City Marathon



Pulling out, removing gloves, seeking new shoes at 3 miles.
Photo by Krissy



The Vermont City Marathon has been on my list of races to run and had an open window this year. In addition, I knew several people from the North Shore (Wicked Running Club) that were running it. I made the decision about a week after the Boston Marathon to sign up. This was good timing as I really did not want to vest a quarter of the year into the rigid marathon training. I put in a six week dose of weekly long runs and a half marathon to prep for this marathon. Brett Rickenbach (2:48 personal best), Mike Paulin (2:54 personal best), and Brad Gates are regulars at the Danvers 5K races and we talked about running a sub three hour race in Burlington, VT. So we had a plan as well as getting Brad through his first marathon.

The forecast was mid 50's and rain all weekend in Burlington. When we got into Burlington on Saturday, it was in the low 40's. There was a fair amount of wind. I went to the marathon expo to not only get my number but to purchase some gloves for the race. I had a nice dinner with Krissy and the Wicked Running Club members later in the evening. I got plenty of sleep and woke up ten minutes before the 5:30 alarm for a quick shower. I looked out the hotel window hoping to see clear skies but it was not meant to be. Rain. I had some oat meal, 4oz of Cranberry juice, 20oz of water, a coffee, and a banana before taking a 20 minute shuttle from the hotel to the start. I borrowed a trash bag from the hotel kitchen (wink, wink) to stay dry before the race. I found the gang and we dropped off our bags at the bag drop and walked over and into the start coral about ten rows from the front line. We stood for 15 minutes with zero warm up in the cold windy rain. I removed the bag about a minute before our start. We were off. There were several turns and we were navigating around puddles. Brett would let us know if we were too fast or too slow.

Shoe changeout in pit row. Krissy at the ready.
Photo by Scott Mason

Around 2.5 miles, I felt a sharp pain in my calf. I freaked out. I was ready to blame the thin Inov8 flats I had on. I looked for Krissy around 3 miles for which I knew she would be at taking photos. I also packed my Nike Lunaracer 2 flats in her bag along with GU and Sport Beans just in case I needed them at mile 3, 9, and 15. I only had the shoes in there with anticipation of getting a blister in the Inov8 flats in the wet weather. I found her on the left hand side of the road in her yellow Boston Marathon Volunteer jacket. She was easy to find in the surprisingly large crowd of spectators. I yelled over to her and pointed down at the ground - my sign langauge for "I need to change out these f@!?$& shoes" while removing my gloves. She let her camera go and took the Nike flats out of her bag. My hands were cold and I could barely untie my shoes. I got one off and fumbled to get one Nike on and get it tied. I took my time to get it right and not have to deal with having them come untied later in the race. I recall whining about my calf to her and Scott Mason who

was on camera too. I had a Vermont Sta

Smiling up the hill at 15 miles.
Photo by Krissy

te Police Officer holding me up to get the other shoe on. It must have been comical to all spectators. Check out the photos that Scott got on page three. Before I left the scene in my new footwear, I gave Scott that worried look and said "I won't be finishing this race today." I was certain that calf was going to cramp up later or cause other issues. I took off and got back into the race losing at least 90 seconds. The calf felt the same but did not get worse. My mind was heavy on defeat already. However, I imediately felt more cushion from the Lunaracer and was able to run on my heels more than I could in the Inov8. The race had an out and back so I could see the front of the race come at me and allowed me to judge how far behind I was from the gang. They were not too far but it took me to about mile 9 to catch them without any surging as I was not sure how the calf was going to react. It was stable and so was I when I got back to them. Finally. I kept the drama to myself as they were happy to see me back in the fold.

The miles went by as we got into a nasty head wind at the 1/2 way mark of the marathon. The split was around 1:29:17 so we were on pace for a 2:58 marathon. Good so far but we had many miles to go. Our group started to dodge puddles and the Lake Champlain waves on the bike path. Soon we charged up the big hill at mile 15. Krissy was there smiling. It was nice to see her and nice to still be running this race. I was right next to Mike. Brett looked like he was pulling away by a few seconds and Brad was behind us. We all got together a few miles later when Brett brought up that he got some pain in behind his knee. He fell back a bit and Mike pulled ahead. I stayed in between them while still taking inventory of how I was feeling. At this point, I did not want to do anything to distrupt a good swing and introduce any muscle cramps. I was starting to pass people while keeping my sub 6:50 pace through 20 miles. By 22 miles I reeled in Mike who got at least 10 seconds ahead at one point. We shared the bike path for the last four miles of the race with the wind now at our backs. We pulled into Waterfront park which had healthy crowd all the way into the finish line. Our last 100 yards were on the muddy grass. A look at the clock on approach showed we were well under 2:58, pretty much our goal. We crossed the line side by side with a 2:57:26 (net time), 2:57:33 (gun time). I earned my 2014 Boston Qualifying time (needed a sub 3:10). I am pretty sure I will register this September for Boston. Brett pulled in just over 3 hours and Brad toughed out a 3:04 for a solid marathon debut. I shuffled through after getting the heaviest finishers medal ever (I need to hit the weights), got some warm clothes on, food in the belly, got into a few photos, found Krissy and took the first shuttle back for a hot shower at the hotel. Despite the drama early in the race, I am happy with how the execution went. Although I was super cautious, it was really spot on through out the race.

Mike Paulin and I approaching the finish line.
Photo by Krissy

2013

KeyBank Vermont City Marathon text updates:

10 miles course time 1:08:12, pace 6:50 min/mi

Half marathon course time 1:29:17, pace 6:49 min/mi
20 miles course time 2:16:01, pace 6:49 min/mi
Finish 2:57:26, pace 6:47 min/mi
72nd second place out of 2608 runners
Full Results

Quincy Half Marathon

With the upcoming Vermont City Marathon, I felt getting a ½ marathon under the belt would be a good idea. I like the idea of a sustained effort for a good duration leading up to a marathon. I searched around the running calendar and found the Quincy Half Marathon of which I always wanted to run but had conflicts in the past. It sort of fell into my favor this year as the race was to be held on March 10 but was postponed due to weather and safety concerns from the town of Quincy. I reached out to Brett Rickenbach (WCRC) last week and he was game for the effort as he too is running VCM. Thus, we headed down to Quincy early Sunday morning. My mind was heavy as I was sore from some piriformis issues and some previous day yard work.

I changed my racing plan from requesting for 6:00 pace per mile to whatever the legs would provide without embarrassment. After a 1.6 mile warm up and stretching I was on the starting line, front row, with Brett. I followed Brett for 200m and settled next to him by our first of many turns together on the course. My legs felt OK, not great. The temperature warranted a singlet up top, Native glasses to ease the potential poke of sun which was never seen. My red and white Invo8 233’s felt smooth. Thin ragged, throw away gloves were worn for just three miles before coming off in time for a drink of water from the friendly water stop on Wollaston Beach. I found it comforting to run next to Brett. He was keeping track of Garmin mile splits vs actual course mile markers. We were averaging a low six minute pace early on while there were about 12 runners ahead of us. The miles went by fast mentally as I think we took the pressure off and just did our thing letting those in front pull away as they please. We dropped those on our heels just by our consistent pacing as we toured through downtown Quincy thanking each police officer we ran by. They were in full force to hold up several intersections of traffic to make way for the runners.  We rolled through 5 miles around 30:38. We took turns on Newport Ave leading into the wind, allowing the other to tuck in. Newport Ave turned out to be longer than it seemed on paper.

Next to Brett (1034) after the start at 8:00
Photo credit Gregg Derr, The Patriot Ledger

I recall taking my only Gatorade Gel around mile six before a water stop. I took water at each stop along the way. The Dixie cups had the perfect water to cup ratio. Brett and I would have a few words here and there.  Brett was holding a strong pace, quicker than what I thought he wanted. He told me that he was good with the pace, meaning, not looking to dip but hold it – encouraged me to drop pace when I wanted to. I was content though wanted to get some wind at my back later in the race and tee up a few targets ahead. I had two runners in my target when I pulled away just before 10 miles. My 10 mile split was 1:01:33 (about a minute slower for the 2^nd 5 miles). It was just after that point where I had a two stage hill that took some time to climb. I caught the two guys over the next mile and set sight on the last guy visible to my eye. I worked hard to catch up over the next mile and finally pulled beside at 12.5 miles. We were running side by side along the road that took us to the new Quincy High School outdoor track for which the finish line awaited after a full lap. The best trash talk line I ever heard was dropped on me while I pointed over to the track and said that we still have to run a lap around that track. He said “I am a 400 meter All American.”  That got my attention but was not sure if he was serious. I felt good but was in no mood for a battle on the track at the end of a half marathon. I passed him two turns away and stepped onto the track not knowing how close he was. I went around that track as hard as I could, coming into the finish line, 6^th overall with a time of 1:19:29 (6:04 mile pace). He came through a few seconds behind me. Brett followed with a solid 1:20:33 (6:09 mile pace). The guy who finished in between us is currently not in the results so I don’t know what happened there. However, I had to ask him if he was an “All American 400m runner?” He confirmed that he was at Wheaton, a relay (49.X) and is now training for an Ironman. Cool. I barely made it through a cool down with Brett and Kieran Condon (SRR) who ran a solid 1:17:59 just three weeks after running the Boston Marathon. It was nice to chill out inside to plenty of soup and sandwich wraps. I was tired but glad I got to the race and put down a solid effort. 

Quincy Half Marathon results May 5, 2013
Patriot Ledger race article

Pipestave Hill Trail Race

L-R, Pawlicki, Dunham, Jones, Scott
Photo taken by Mike Fitzgerald

I jumped into the first of the 2013 North Shore Trail series of races with the Pipestave Hill Trail Race in West Newbury Thursday night.This race was a first for me so I was foreign to the area and course. Thus, I made a plan to scout the course with Dave Dunham. It was a mix of grass fields, single track trail, and fire roads. Throw in some roots, rocks, mud, one bridge and a few hills – like Pipestave Hill – and you’ve got a nice 5K trail race. The course was a large loop followed by a small loop within the first.  It was a chilly night with some wind. I could not warm up enough jogging slowly before having a moment of silence for the recent Boston Marathon bombings and walking the 150+ runners over to the start below a soccer field. Getting off the starting line was tough as my legs lost any warm blood flow. Andy Scott jumped right out with Dave Dunham and I in tow. Justin Jones (D5K) had to bail 800m in as his shoe came untied. Andy led Dave and I through the single track. I did all I could to stay close to Dave who is better at the technical stuff than he says he is. I passed Dave before we approached the end of the 1^st loop as I felt Andy was gapping us too much. We had a good climb over the field again and found that I was not gaining on Andy who had at least a 10 second lead. He doubled that as we exited out of the woods and back to the field for which we were running against the race (they were heading into their 2^nd loop). Andy finished 1^st in 17:59, I in 18:22, and Dave hung onto 3^rd with a 18:41. Full results. Dave had some calf issues that cropped up causing him to run slower than last year while he is more fit this year. I closed out the night with a cool down over the course, got in a D5K group picture, and caught up with a few folks on racing plans.