Rolling in Amherst

Finishing up 10 miles in Amherst, MA. Photo by Kristin Wainright.

Ben Strain arrived 7:40am to car pool a crew from the North Shore. Junyong Pak (Beverly) and Brett Rickenbach (Danvers) arrived about five minutes later and we zipped down Rt. 2 to Rt. 202 into Amherst following a caravan of would be racers. Our objective was to survive a rolling course that was designed by my college coach (Salem State College) and current Greater Boston Track Club coach, Tom Derderian way back in the early 1970's.

I ran on the course for the 1st time back in 1999 when it was the USATF-New England 10 mile championship. I managed to run 56:24 that year. My second run on the course was in 2005 when Joe Shairs and I went out there for a tune up to get ready for the New Bedford Half Marathon. I ran a bit slower in 57:27 and seemed to be running alone for much of the race. I recall the hills seemed very long and tough.

As for this past Sunday, Amherst again was the host of the USATF-New England 10 mile championship. I really did not set a goal for the race. I ran 5:43 pace in the Great Stew Chase 15K several weeks ago in Lynn, MA on a fair course so figured no worse than that in Amherst, even with a tough hill in the closing miles.

I went out for a 5:38 mile and noted how strung out the race was before mile 2 where there was a healthy down hill. I just did my thing as I caught up to Ben Strain. Dave Quintal, one of our top masters, hung tight before I ran a few six minute miles on some hilly sections. Then I ran over a stretch of ice that seemed to last 1.5 miles along the reservoir. The footing was not too bad but I did some slipping where the trees have not allowed much sun over the previous week. The next few miles had plenty of downhill as I ran with Mike Cooney for 2 miles into mile 8 where I began to fade a bit dreading the last few climbs into the finish. I was spent so I just tried to keep pace with a few dudes who passed me with one mile to go. I finished with a 57:37 chip time.

Splits per my watch:
5:38
5:23
6:00
6:05
5:44 (28:53)
5:43
5:32
5:45
5:46
5:58 (57:39) 57:37 chip time

I'll take it. It was a good effort. The one takeaway from today's race was that the hills did not seem as long or as tough as they did in 2005. I imagine that being a Grand Prix race with plenty of competition and runners around at all times helped out.

The CMS men's open team ran a great race for 2nd place overall behind BAA and a few seconds in front of GBTC. Justin Fyffe came in 5th overall, Kevin Tilton ran solid, Matt Clark & Andy McCarron tore up their old training grounds, and Jim Johnson closed out the scoring for the top five. Meanwhile, the CMS masters team took charge with 3rd place behind Whirlaway and Greater Springfield. Joe Shairs and Dan Verrington placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the masters category, only seconds from the 1st master. Dave Quintal was 7th master and Dave Dunham cleared his goal to break 60 minutes. These guys are going to have a solid year ahead of them.

Next up for me is the New Bedford Half Marathon. I am going to bust my tail and see how long I can run 5:40-5:45 pace. It might get ugly out there.

Sidehiller 4.3 mile snowshoe report

I met up with Dave Dunham at 6:30am at his house before arriving at Jim Johnson's castle where he and Kristen awaited in a warm, bright yellow Nissan Exterra. We sprinted up to Center Sandwich, NH in about 90 minutes but not before passing an Ice Fishing tournament at Lake Winnipesaukee. There were a ton of shacks, canopies, trucks, spectators, and anglers - er fisherman out there in a carnival-like atmosphere on the ice. It was pretty cool as Jim and I caught up on fresh water fishing experiences about 30 minutes before we saw this.

As I sign up for the race and hand over my check and race application, I am debating on signing up for USSSA - United States Snowshoe Association - so that I can qualify for the Championship race near Mt. Hood Oregon next month. The cost was $30 and I already looked into booking a direct flight which could be had under three hundred dollars. I took the membership application back with my checkbook and mulled it over. After speaking with a few teammates and their intentions, I decided not to sign up for the membership and qualifying here which was the purpose of the trip to Sidehiller. I was content with this decision as I lined up at the start. The weather was perfect, maybe mid 30's, no wind, and cloudy.

I settled in with a controlled start and put myself in about 9th or 10th about 400m into the race which was on a groomed section for at least 1000m. I could not seem to get into a groove with regard to stride. The cleat never seemed to get a good grip so each step was pissing me off and I altered stride to get comfortable which never happens on snowshoes unless I am climbing or descending. I strain my quads on the flat sections fighting to get traction and find a good stride. My quads are usually trashed and feel them the next day.

I passed a few folks including Al Bernier on the 1st single track climb while I took small steps. The climb was not steep nor too long. Tim Van Orden was in sight. I tried to go after him on the 1st open field. Over the next 15 minutes I kept pace with Tim's stride but never closed the gap. I hated each step even though the conditions were good. It reminded me of the lack of rhythm on tough conditions on snowshoes. This is when the snow is deep and you have to work your ass off to get anywhere. But today, the snow depth and conditions were favorable for a fast jaunt. I never got into this race mentally or physically. My effort basically reinforced my decision to not sign up for the USSSA membership in order to be considered for the qualification to the Championship race in Oregon.

Meanwhile, I thought about the guys battling at the front and wondered how things shook out for them. That is not a good sign when I am racing and my thoughts are about my teammates ahead of me. As it turned out Kevin took the win, passing Jim in the last mile. Dave Dunham finished about two minutes back from Jim and Al Bernier was about a half minute behind me.

Sidehiller 4 Mile Snowshoe Race - USSSA Qualifier
Center Sandwich, NH, February 7, 2009
PLACE First Last Age M/F City ST Team USSSA MIN SEC
1 Kevin Tilton 27 M Conway NH CMS 31 40
2 Jim Johnson 31 M Salem NH CMS 31 54
3 Dave Dunham 44 M Ward Hill MA WMAC/CMS Y 33 53
4 Robert Jackman 26 M Warwick RI TNT 36 07
5 Tim VanOrden 40 M Barrington VT CMS 37 08
6 James Pawlicki 34 M Beverly MA CMS 37 35
7 Al Bernier 34 M Newton NH CMS 38 09

The post race grub was at the local sandwich shop about a 100 yards away from the start and finish. I got some hot and sour soup with a piece of bread. The soup was awesome. The CMS folk exchanged some stories and we headed for home where I had to rush and meet up with Kristen at home for a shower and quick snack. We were meeting up with Joe Shairs and his son to attend the Boston Indoor Games at 5pm.

Next up....Great Stew Chase 15K

With anticipation of racing the DH Jones 10 miler in Amherst, MA next month and the New Bedford Half Marathon in March, I signed up for the 35th Annual Great Stew Chase 15K in Lynn, MA on Sunday. It is also Super Bowl Sunday. I have to go back and see what I have run at the Stew Chase in the past. The current course is not all that old, maybe in existence since 2002? The old course was more scenic as it ventured into Swampscott and maybe as far as Marblehead. Rumor had it that those towns had enough of road races, traffic control, and mile markers spray painted on the side of the street.

Above is a picture from a decade ago. The ageless John Barbour battling it out with a recent MIT grad and GBTC teamate, Jesse Darley. They tied that day with a 5:25 per mile clip. You don't see ties too often. I was way back, likely enjoying the scenery of the Swampscott harbour on the no doubt, cold February day. Another teammate of mine, Jim Reardon was right behind me. I recall that Jim PR'd in some indoor meets that winter. Jim and Jesse left New England for Wisconsin within a few years for career opportunities. I would be remiss to not mention current CMS teammate, Joe Shairs was third that day. He won this race in 2005, maybe his first race in a CMS uniform.

So if your looking for an honest 15K, good competition, beef or vegetarian stew, roll, and a chocolate chip cookie, do it.

Here is a run down of my history from what I could find on coolrunning.com.

1996 - Pawlicki, James 55:33 15th

1999 - 5th JAMES PAWLICKI 5:40 52:43

2001 - 8th JAMES PAWLICKI 52:08 5:36 (Personal Record and one second in front of t'mate Ben Nephew)

2003 (new and current course) - 20th JIM PAWLICKI 57:49 6:13

2007 - 10th JAMES PAWLICKI 54:59 5:54

2008 - 11th James Pawlicki 54:33 5:52

Profit centering at a local track meet

I headed down to Harvard University in Cambridge today as my former running club, Greater Boston Track Club was hosting their annual GBTC Relays indoor track meet. It is a decent mix of open and collegiate competition. I ran 9:22 in the 3K last year. Kristen came with me today which was nice as she has not accompanied me to any races lately as the car is usually full with other CMS dudes from the North Shore. Ben Strain was signed up but bailed for a last minute appointment. After getting raped for $10 to park behind the track and another $5 for Kristen to gain spectator entry I soon found myself warming up outside in the falling snow around the campus. There was no charge to run around the campus.

My training this winter is different in that I am not busting my ass in intervals every Wednesday at the Reggie Lewis Track. As a result, I did not look to consume myself with an indoor track season and I am coming off an Achilles issue where I took almost six weeks off in the fall. However, I have been pretty healthy, love to compete, and there are few indoor track opportunities for the rest of the season for me. Thus, I signed up earlier this week with a 9:24 seed time of which I have not run this season but was my goal for this race after securing a 9:39 and 9:30 at two BU development meets. My other goal for the 3K today was to hustle (for me anyway) out under a 5:00 mile.

I settled in 2nd to last after one full lap. I noticed that I felt pretty good during some laps and strides on the track about 10 minutes before my race. This caught me off guard and wondered if this would parlay into the race. The seed times in my heat were around 9:00 down to me around 9:24 so I knew my role.

Joe Fischetti, CSU and Coast Guard reservist, came up big from the sidelines with verbal support while I ran by each lap. I met Joe back in 2000 when I worked in Lexington. He worked down the road with Jim Garcia at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. I got in many a lunch run over an eight month contract. Joe is still racing but is investing ample time coaching younger runners in a club setting. He fired me up every time I went by Joe staying cognisant about my position and who was around me (front and back). I went through the 1K at 3:10, through the mile at about 5:00 (Joe had me at 5:01), and through the 2K at 6:16. I had some back and forth with a guy from Northeastern over the next few laps to keep me honest. Plus, Joe would remind me to "GET AROUND THAT GUY." It was awesome. I sprinted in and saw the clock was just ticking to 9:20 as I was a few feet from the line. My watch had a 9:24 but the official results had me at 9:20.74. I will take it and it felt like a 9:20 effort.

I hung out for a few more hours around the track after getting in a slow four miles in the falling snow again outside. I caught up with friends, Kit Wells and John Blouin who is planning his annual Mt. Washington hike in a few weeks. I also got a chance to catch up with teamate and team manager, Al Bernier who was going to rip it up in the mile. Meanwhile, I ran into Doug Chick who ran with my Alma Mater, Salem State College. His uncle and I watched him run a beautiful 2:03 800m race. Doug went from last place at the gun lap and took the lead about 10 yards from the finish line for the win. It was awesome. Meanwhile, I got an invite to meet up with the Wicked Running Club who are working out at Reggie Lewis on Tuesdays with Jen and Mike Toomey.

GBTC Relays coming up

I registered for the 3K at the GBTC Relays at Harvard on Sunday (1/18/09). I am looking to run a few ticks better or sub 9:30. The goal is to run a 5:00 mile and see what is left. The deadline to register is tonight.

BU Development Meet #3

I picked up Ben Strain in Beverly at 8:20am and headed into Boston for the last of three BU development meets. We were both running the 3K but were certainly going to wind up in different heats as he was looking to get under 9:15 and I was looking for a 9:30. Ben ended running 9:14.71 in heat two. I got into the 3rd heat with a mild seed time of 9:38 based off what I almost ran two weeks ago (9:39). I got into "no mans" land after 800m and just focused on getting through the mile as close to 5:00. I went through around 5:04 and looked toward reeling in a few guys in front of me with about five laps to go. I focused on keeping my shoulders square and not to fall into a long distance shuffle. CSU and longtime running buddy Joe Fischetti was losing it everytime I ran by him on the infield. He was a big help. I closed in and passed three runners over the last 600m and had a strong finish. I did not get any particular splits other than the mile nor did I even hear a lap split at any point. Just as well but hit my goal of a 9:30. I am aiming to sign up for the 3K at the GBTC Relays in two weeks. I think I will shoot for a 4:59 mile and see what I can drag through in the last seven laps.

Jack Daniels, PhD: Training for Endurance

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Dennis Floyd and I headed off to Trinity College in Hartford, CT for a distance clinic that we signed up for last month. Dennis coaches the Salem State running track and field programs along with cross country. It was my chance to see Jack Daniels, PhD, who has coached several elite runners over the years, SUNY Cortland womens cross country teams, and recently released his second edition of Daniels' Running Formula. I went through his first edition over 10 years ago and is a must have for any runner of any ability. Take a gander at some flotrack interviews with Jack.

Over 75 coaches attended the clinic which basically broke down to two two hour sessions with Jack going through a presentation that was handed out. He used the white board frequently to elaborate on his presentations. Jack currently coaches at the Center for High Altitude Training in Flagstaff, AZ. It was awesome to meet Jack. I brought my new book that Krissy got me for Christmas for Jack to sign but neglected to hang out following the sessions as he was already mobbed by coaches and I wanted to get home as we were in for a 2hr drive back to the North Shore.