Great Stew Chase 15K

This is an honest New England 15K race in Lynn that has seen fourty starts over the years. All you want to know about the third oldest 15K in the country. Over the past decade or so - the out to Peabody and back loop has been standard with a little change at the turn around point. If you sign up early, it will cost you a dollar per kilometer. How many races can you say that about? A bowl of beef stew (and veggie), a roll, and a cookie await at the Knights of Columbus. The KofC offers warm shelter from the low 20 degree temps. No complaints today other than the "barely" slower than six minute mile average 5 mile split - the only time all race that I cared to glance at the Garmin. However, good company out there with CMS mate Joe Shairs and Ryan Hayes via Shamrock Running Club out of Woburn. 

Ryan, I, and Joe around mile 6 in Peabody
Photo by KrissyK

Joe broke me going up the hill off of Farm Road. Ryan was smoking me too. Joe would later admit to working said hills with purpose. I picked up my gait after the turn around (waited for some down hill action) as I figured I better keep myself some company for the return trip back to Lynn. I was cutting all tangents, safely of course, when appropriate. Joe waived me back into the huddle around mile six and I felt good about that - working like teammates to shake the bearded Hayes who had many a fan calling to him as we ran toward oncoming runners by design. I did some work pulling us past 7 miles. I was gassed so Joe took charge with a few lefts - turns that is. We had a long straight stretch and managed to shake Ryan off a bit through mile 8. Joe looked back with a half mile to go and did not sound off any alarms yet we kept pressing past mile 9. We were two wide with oncoming traffic close to my right elbow. Joe gave me the go ahead on the narrow street up to the KofC parking lot where I crossed the line in 55:32 (5:58 pace per mile average). He was one second back. I was greeted by Krissy - doing her thing with over 600 photos for the day and my dad who came to watch us inflict pain on ourselves on a cold February day. Joe (top 40+) and I finished 6th and 7th. Ryan was just seven seconds back. Dan Vassallo, looking sharp in the new CMS singlet cruised to a win and not too far back from me was Nick Taormina and Scott Deslongchamps who was racing for the first time since November. He is targeting the Hyannis Marathon at the end of the month. I did a cool down with Scott, Joe, and Mike Dimauro (another Shamrock) before settling down to some stew with the gang. I picked up a 2014 Great Stew Chase pen for which I proudly brought into the office today. Blue ink to compliment the black ink already in stock. I crack up at the Stew Chase logo - a kettle of stew on the run - reminds me of the kool-aide pitcher on the run breaking through walls. 

To the line with Joe at the KofC
Photo by KrissyK

My refurbished Garmin 205 said that I ran 9.47 miles ~ a little longer than 9.3 miles that 15K breaks down to. That was a consensus based on the mini-survey of feedback that I heard post race. Race Director, Roger Perham and good all 'round guy wheeled this one so I don't know what to say. Perhaps I did not cut enough tangents. On a side note, I tore up a pretty healthy blister on my foot that was brewing all week 24 hrs earlier. I worried that the raw skin rubbing on each foot plant would be a problem on Sunday morning. However, Sunday morning - one hour to gun time - I tried on several pairs of racing flats to trainers before this little red riding hood settled on a borderline pair of trainers/racers from Asics that I had pretty much retired but too attached to recycle. 

Fortieth Annual Great Stew Chase 15K results

2014 Great Stew Chase 15K photos (over 600) taken by KrissyK hosted on SmugMug

Sidehiller 4 mile snowshoe

Todd Callaghan drove us up to Sandwich NH for the Sidehiller 4 mile Snowshoe which was the first qualifier event for Snowshoe Nationals which is to be held in Vermont. It was cold and windy. It was in the single digits with the wind chill. Multiple layers was key. The race was super competitive and it was awesome to see so many CMS members out for this. The guy responsible for me getting into snowshoe racing and CMS, Ben Nephew, was in attendance. It was like old times. Furthermore, Jim Johnson is back with the team dominating like his old self. Speaking of old self, Dave Dunham put a whooping on me.

I got a good clean start and settled in for the two loop course around the fairgrounds. My early placing of fourth was short lived. I remember Paul Kirsch’s words before the race to JJ and I that the course will benefit a strength guy. I wanted to get in one lap and see what I was in for. Paul designed the best possible course. That said, he made it as tough as he could by keeping the course contained in the fairgrounds. Thus, most of the loop was taken off groomed trail. The snow was loose and light. I could call it sandy when the depth exceeded a foot at times. It was tough and slowed pacing down. I saw several bottlenecks but they would not last for more than a few minutes.

I went through lap one around 14:56 and finished with a time of 29:27. The 2^nd lap felt much harder but was quicker due the track widening after all competitors went over the course. I was exhausted but finished strong as I got real good pressure from Ryan Welts and Nate Bassett was strong over the last mile. I was good with the 10^th place finish. Todd ran a solid – first race. He is going to crush the rest of the races we head to this winter. As a bonus, I won a pair of Dion snowshoes at the raffle after the race. Acidotic led by Chris Dunn and director Paul Kirsch put on a solid event as usual. Full Results  Check out photos by Joe Viger and Scott Mason.  

Ryan, Ethan, Ben, and I before the end of lap one
Photo by Joe Viger

Lazy Dog 3 mile

Krissy took this photo 600m across Flax Pond as I passed 1 mile

If you live in New England, don't complain about the weather. If you do, wait an hour, it may change. A few inches of snow hit the ground on Saturday and a dusting fell on Sunday morning. By the time I ran over to the race, the pavement was fine for running. I gave the race director, Stephen Martin, my word three weeks ago that I would be there. He coaches the Lynn Classical Girls Track team and proceeds from the race support their program. The course is a loop around Flax Pond with a hill going into mile 1, slight hill beyond mile 2, and one has a slide rise up Magnolia Ave. There are plenty of volunteers on the course to make sure no one takes a wrong turn. My dad happened to drive past me on my warm up so he swung by and watched the race. I took the lead on the first right hand turn onto Euclid Ave. I ran into the Armstrong Family who were all smiles as they were driving by. I went by the mile marker in 5:34 where I thought I would see Krissy taking photos. She was not there. I was pleasantly surprised as she was on a side road around the corner. This brought more smiles from me (2 in a mile). She is fast as she set up quickly at 2.4 miles and then at the finish. The Lynn Police SUV kept the coast clear the whole way as I crossed the line in 16:54 - certain at least 30 seconds slower than last year - not bothered by it at all. I warmed down with Jason Euzikonis and planted myself at the Lazy Dog for an hour. I picked up some gift certificates and a Lazy Dog t-shirt. The day was capped off with a thank you from Stephen that night. Class act from a classy guy from Somerville.

Finding Krissy made me smile

Lazy Dog 3 mile road race photos by KrissyK
Lazy Dog 3 mile road race results January 19, 2014

Maudslay State Park 5K snowshoe run

Brett, Krissy, and I arrived at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport for a 5K fun run on snowshoes. We waited for a few more folks to arrive before heading out for a warm up on the roads. Dave Dunham said the course would be fast and that was good to hear. The atmosphere was fun, low key, but organized as Dave flagged a loop. The competition was deep and fast. Scott McGrath wasted no time bolting down from the field into the valley. Steve Dowsett and Mark Larosa followed keeping company. I kept the fourth position throughout the race, solo all the way. The conditions were great for me, stayed on top of the snow layer all the way which was packed down from the previous day that seemed to have plenty of cross country skiers and hikers about. The course was essentially the Trav’s Trail XC loop so it was that fun rolling course with thick pines all around. I had no chance of catching Steve who found himself in 3^rd after 1.5 miles. We finished the course with the infamous climb up back to the field we started on. Classic lung and muscle burner. I closed into the line in 4^th,  21:27. Steve was 18 seconds in front of me and Greg Putnam was a bit over 30 ticks behind. My GPS picked up 3.09 miles. A group of us collected for some photos and cheered the last of the runners in before we headed out to pick up course markings. Krissy ran/hiked through the course in 55 minutes and seemed to enjoy herself. Brett was out there for more than 25 minutes, just behind Derek Dorval – who will be racing for CMS this year on the masters team. [Results]

BU mini meet 1 mile

BU - known as Boston University - hosted the last of three mini meets today. Dennis Floyd, Larissa Park and I arrived while the 3K was going on so we had plenty of time to get our numbers, relax, and then warm up for the mile. The three of us were signed up with seed times pretty close to each other. I seeded myself at 4:56. We had to wait for all heats of the 3K and 400m to finish before we were called over to check in for the 1 mile. We got into heat 7. I grabbed hip and chest #2 and warmed up with Dennis and Larissa inside.

Dennis asked me today while we were warming up "when was the last time we toed the line together on a track?" I was not ready for the question but I surprised us both that I did know what race it was (the year was fuzzy so I had to look it up tonight). We finished 19th (16:22.67) and 20th (16:24.56) in the USATF New England Indoor Track and Field 5000 meter championship race at Harvard in February of 2008. I was DFL (dead freaking last) and Dennis was bothered by an achilles issue. [meet results]

I was pretty nervous before the start as expected. It has been a few years since I raced on the indoor oval. I got sorted with my flats taking a few strides with one foot having an Inov8 and the other a Saucony A4. I went with Saucony. They called for heat seven as soon as heat six finished. I saw former CMS 'mate Jeff Goupil finish his mile in 4:57. I lined up in between seed #1 (a female) and seed #3 - Larissa. Dennis was a few runners down, maybe the 6th person to my right. The starting gun got us off in a hurry. I jumped toward the back and waited for those on the stagger fill in after the 1st turn. I planned on taking the first few laps cautiously to not worry about place but pay attention to the splits - staying in the hunt of 37 or 38 seconds per lap. Lap one and two were around just that. Three laps down and I was around 1:52 just behind Larissa and Dennis. I felt good and noted a good bounce to the track. I wanted to get aggressive and move up - get competitive with the 10 or so in front of me. I had to wait though and use patience. I passed half way (half mile or 800m) in 2:30 and moved out and put in a hard lap. This is risky. I could put in that surge and it could cost me a few laps later. I carried the momentum and found myself closing in on the two leading the race so I went after them keeping my aggressive move now for three laps. I passed them at the bell lap taking the lead. My inexperienced legs wobbled on the back straight, form started to break down, and I heard steps coming back on me. The guy blew by (he would win with 4:50.95) and then one more on the final straight into the finish line (he finished with 4:52.4). I finished 3rd with a time of 4:53.2. Dennis ran quicker than last week dropping his time down to 5:02.26 and Larissa was the 3rd fastest female in the mile (5:12.92).

BU mini meet #3 results - January 4, 2014

I was good with the time and beat my seeded expectation of 4:56. I had so much fun ripping through the 2nd half of the race. I had a negative split by comparing the 1st 800m (2:30) and 2nd 800m (2:23). Moving up through the race after 800 meters reminded me of my younger and fitter days when my mile times were under 4:40. I had the fitness to make the aggressive surges, back it up, and have the kick in the last lap. Today, it was all there in terms of instinct and execution minus the follow through (and slower pace) to the finish line. I had fun today and did not expect that. I expected the hurt box for 7 out of 8 laps and a physical break down in the 2nd half of the race. The race exceeded all expectations but I was purposely careful on the approach by keeping the first four laps within myself and staying out of traffic. The experience has me wanting more of this indoor track racing: what can I do if I ran another mile but ran the 1st 800m in 2:23? 

Wicked Frosty Four

The Wicked Frosty Four mile race was the objective today to bring in the new year. I warmed up with Christopher Klucznik, Jordan Kinley, and Megan Nedlo. It was in the mid 20's with a westerly wind. That relates to having it at our back for two miles and in our grill for the last two or so. The start and finish moved from the usual Front Street to Charter Street - just 250m away - keeping runners off the Cobblestone. Otherwise, the rest of the course remained the same. Nate Jenkins and another guy took right off (turned out to be a Villanova stud and Australian, Jordan Williamsz). They proceeded to hit the mile in 4:39. I found myself in 7th place behind Christopher Chapruet from Danvers. My first mile was 5:08 and it felt OK. I got a stride closer in the second mile to him. My split was 10:32 (5:24). As we exited the neighborhood behind the Salem Willows we got the wind in our face and then it was full on beyond Dead Horse Beach. I tried to get onto his shoulder over the next 400m after the tough hill. That never materialized so I settled in behind and lost him a bit. He pulled away after mile three (16:11 - 5:39  mile split). I tried to hang tough knowing the race would be over in a few minutes. He held me off by four seconds while I crossed the finish line in 7th place overall and a time of 21:46 (5:27 / mile average). It was my worst placing in the race but quickest time (see below). I was pleased with running almost thirty seconds quicker than last year. I thanked my dad for cheering me on and changed my flats for my trainers while catching up with Alex Gomes who is headed off to serve in the Army. I collected Nate, Jordan, Megan, Geoff Nelson, and Christopher Kluckznik for a four mile loop into and around Winter Island which was hosting a polar plunge. Ouch!

Wicked Frosty Four mile history

Date        Place   Time    Pace  Age

1/1/2014   7       21:46  5:27    39

1/1/2013   1       22:22  5:36    38

1/1/2012   4       21:51  5:28    37

Wicked Frosty Four results - January 1, 2014 - Salem, MA

Wicked Frosty Four mile start in Salem
Place Name             Ag S City       St Nettime Pace  Guntime Pace
1 Jordan Williamsz     21 M Lynn       MA   19:14  4:49   19:14  4:49 
2 Nate Jenkins         33 M N.Andover  MA   19:28  4:52   19:28  4:52 
3 Geoff Nelson         28 M Providence RI   20:40  5:10   20:41  5:11 
4 Jordan Kinley        29 M Salem      MA   20:48  5:12   20:48  5:12 
5 Christopher Klucznik 31 M Somerville MA   21:15  5:19   21:16  5:19 
6 Christopher Chapruet 21 M Danvers    MA   21:42  5:26   21:42  5:26 
7 James Pawlicki       39 M Lynn       MA   21:46  5:27   21:46  5:27 
8 Erich O'Neil         22 M Beverly    MA   22:22  5:36   22:22  5:36 
9 Alex Gomes           25 M Peabody    MA   22:37  5:40   22:38  5:40 

Winnekenni 4 mile snowshoe race

The Epic run from Beverly to Gloucester that was planned with a group of North Shore runners got cancelled due to the snow coverage. Brett Rickenbach talked about snowshoe running during a recent run so we wanted opted for that to take advantage of the rapidly melting snow. Dave Dunham gave the green light of a fun run snowshoe event at Lake Winnekenni in Haverhill so we went. Greg Putnam and Dave set up the course. Someone from Granite State Timing showed up with a clock and another gent arrived to volunteer his time to record results. Six of us were on the start line. I jumped in the back after we started the run to feel out the pace and snow conditions. The snow was heavy and wet. The depth varied from zero to a foot in one section. I moved slowly up behind Greg and past him before we reached the top of the hill where the castle was (2.5 miles?). I was tentative because I knew he was already out on the course working hard with Dave to mark the course. The good thing is that he knew the course. He had to call my attention when I varied away the course a few times. He even waited for me after I went beyond the course. A gentleman and a scholar (he is a teacher). I was debating what to do and how to finish the race based on his professionalism. It was a fun run and left it at that finishing a few seconds in front of Greg. I hope that Greg does a few more races this winter as I think he will be very good at it and a competitive master. Dave, Brett, and Melissa followed. The Granite State guy who brought the clock walked in from the other end and called it a day. The first snowshoe for this season is in the books. Brett and I helped Dave pick up the mile markers and hundreds of flags. We had breakfast at Heavenly Donuts (awesome Cinnamon Rolls) down the road.

Full results

Resting after the race at Lake Winnekenni
Photo by Dave Dunham