Lazy Dog Classy 3 mile fun run

Smiling before the pace would slow
Photo by Sandy Armstrong

Dad, Krissy, and I before the race
Photo by Dean Malerba

Joe OLeary sent out an email to the SRR email list and suggested this 3 mile road race last month. It is directed by a long time SRR member, Steve Martin who works at Lynn City Hall and coaches the Lynn Classical High School Girls Track team. The Lazy Dog Sports Bar played host to the race and funds support the Classical Girls track team. Krissy and I were all in for a local event that was no more than a mile from the casa. I ran over to the race, taking the long way for a 15 minute warm up. I got my number and ran for a few more minutes before getting sorted into the racing gear - lining up next to fellow SRR runners: Neil Finnegain and Amie. Ready, Set, Go was given by Steve and the crowd of 120 took off for the loop around Flax Pond. I passed the mile in 5:09. The pace slowed a bit as some head wind dominated on Rt. 129. Neighbor and friend Sandy was all over the course with baby Mia. I finished hard to the finish line in front of the Lazy Dog and my dad coaching, in 16:11 - 5:24 per mile pace for the 3 miles (full results). Krissy handled the course well as she and Sandy run the loop a few times a week. The sometimes coned course was well marked, had plenty of volunteers where needed at intersections, and the Lynn Police pace car looked out for my well being throughout the course which was mostly flat (two momentum breakers on Euclid Ave before mile 1 and Magnolia Ave around 2.4 miles). Kris and I hung out for the post race party with friends and neighbors. I spent the awarded gift certificate on lunch and wound up meeting a former owner of mi casa. It was a pleasure to get some interesting history. Looking ahead, I will be participating in the Great Stew Chase 15K in Lynn (pay $1/kilometer for pre-entry) on Super Bowl Sunday which unfortunately will not include the Patriots who got stuffed in the 2nd half tonight - picking a bad time to provide turnovers.

Wicked Frosty Four

Focused through Mile 1. Photo by KrissyK

I got off on the right foot, so to speak, at the Wicked Frosty Four mile road race in Salem with a rare road race win on the first day of the new year. I got lucky as the top three guys from last year were not on the starting line. I saw Alex Gomes and David Corbett at registration and knew they would be in the mix. My dad was at the start line. I ran over and gave him a hug and welcomed in the new year. He said, “make sure you come in top ten.” I got on the starting line next to EJ Hrynowski who had a nice Q&A profile LevelRenner. I lead the race after the first turn off of Front Street. I was waiting for Alex or David to catch up but it never materialized. Alex ended up pacing the female winner, former Salem State University runner (now with GBTC) Taylor Krajewski. His name was absent in the results so he saved his entry fee. I expect to see him on the indoor track busting out sub 5’s for a 5K in the next six weeks. I ran past Krissy somewhere near mile 1 as she was taking photos. I went forward chasing the lead vehicle, Salem Police Department’s cruiser with co-race director Allison Phelan in the passenger side seat. The wind was at my back, as expected and scouted during my warm up. Thus, the first two miles were effortless into the Salem Willows neighborhood despite the lack of company. The head wind was rather sobering leaving the Salem Willows at 2.5 miles and along Dead Horse Beach. It was me against the elements, really a true test of character. I thought of Dave Dunahm in this stretch toward mile three as I wished he was there in the battle as he was last year. I passed Krissy again now in another spot watching her cross the street to get the best camera angle for the following 686 runners. I never looked back to see how close second place was but stayed alert throughout the race, acknowledging for any vocal support behind me anytime I ran by spectators on the course. I high fived an officer holding up traffic to get me through a busy intersection and tried to stay focused and ensure that I don’t get run down in the last mile. The last turn finally came about with a slight decline down Front Street and into the finish seeing that my time was slower than last year (22:21 vs 21:51). My time would have put me in at 8^th place last year. David came through shortly after I got a bottle of water. I gave a fist bump to the top ten runners before heading right out, wasting no time in the 30 degree weather, to run the four mile course again. The Salem News put out some positive press on the race in the paper which had the biggest turnout ever with 687 finishers.

Somewhere around 3 miles. Photo by KrissyK

Sixth Annual Wicked Frosty Four Miler 

Salem, MA, January 1, 2013

1  690 James Pawlicki        1/74   M3039 38 M Lynn            MA   22:21   22:22  5:36

2  401 David Corbett         1/34   M2029 29 M Stoneham     MA   23:06   23:07  5:47

3  673 Jason Barnes          1/58   M5059 50 M Salem           MA   23:29   23:30  5:53

Full results and photos by KrissyK

Mill Cities Relay

As the Mill Cities Relay slogan goes, 28.3 miles, 5 legs, 2 states, 1 river. I ran my second relay in consecutive years with SRR Coed Open team. I led off with a 5.4 mile leg from Nashua, handing off to Diona Fulton who was responsible for 4.75 miles before passing the baton to Lexi Abel who would rip through 2.5 miles to the boathouse on the Merrimac River in Lowell where Chris Klucznik would run the 9.5 mile leg to hand off to team captain, Sean McDonough, to take it home with a hilly 4.75 miles to commence at the Claddagh Pub in Lawrence. Our team, SRR - Nuke to a Knife Fight, finished 12th overall and fourth overall in the very competitive Coed Open division. All teams by division are here.

Krissy dropped me off at the Claddagh before 7:00 so I could meet up with my team. Lexi and Chris followed Sean and I up to the start. We were surprised how icy the side roads were upon our approach to the start in Nashua. It was somewhat concerning. Someone joked that they forgot their ice skates. I got sorted in my racing gear and waited in the cold Port-O-John line at 7:35. By the time I got out, I only had 12 minutes to warm up for the 8:00 (sharp!) start. I bumped into Todd Callaghan and we ran five minutes out and turned around to head back to the start. We missed the gun. There was a mild panic followed by hustling to get past and up to the front of the race. It took us a few minutes but we were in the top 25 before we knew it. The footing underneath was not too bad aside from ice on a bridge that lasted about 75 yards. I reeled in one runner at a time and got up into 7th place. I could see Mike Quintal way up ahead leading the SRR open. Todd pulled up on me before 3 miles, with a split of 16:42. We had some back and forth with three guys right in front of us (Whirlaway, GLRR, and ?), maybe 8 seconds up. Mile four went by in 22:17 (5:35) as Todd and I continued the back and forth battle, working hard to keep the pace honest and keep the three gents ahead close. Mile 5 went by in 27:50 (5:32). We had just .4 to go. Soon, Todd asked if the exchange was ahead. I was not familiar with the course so I was feeling it out myself. All I knew was that we were looking for a Sears warehouse.

28.3 miles later from L-R, Jim Pawlicki, Sean McDonough, Lexi Abel, Chris Klucznik

We soon started to see runners turn left so we knew that the exchange had to be in there. Todd got a step ahead into that turn. I used discretion and caution not to slip. We ran into the exchange ready to hand off to our teammates. We both slowed down to a crawl as no one was there to accept the exchange from our outreached arms. I walked through the exchange, looking for Diona on the left, right, straight ahead. I saw at least six other SRR mates. Jeers and booing rang from the spectators with their disapproval. One guy told me to keep going. I turned around, walked back to the beginning of the exchange with the baton strip up above my head. Todd found his partner. Then I saw Diona on the side walking in. She had that look of surprise and "oh @#&%?!" She jetted out of there. I think I then stopped my watch at 30:22, not really sure, it was a blur. That .4 accounted for a 2:32 I guess? Sean was huge. He had my bag of dry clothes right there for me. I changed into them a few minutes later after catching up with Krissy and friend Sandy. Sean collected his car and we drove through that second leg cheering mates along the way. We went ahead to the boat house where Chris was getting ready for Lexi. The studs were ready to take off in this exchange...Pat Moulton (GCS), Joe Navas (WRT), Dmitri Drozdov (SRR), Jake Barnett (SRR open), Jose Ortiz (WRT) just to name a few. While hanging out, I was happy to see Chris Simpson come through for the SRR masters. He's a quick dude and it was awesome to see him on the roads as his forte is with spikes on the oval. Lexi came through to hand off to Chris Klucznik who had the longest leg of the day but one that would include a lot of runners to catch. Sean and I drove to the last exchange so he could get ready. While there, I caught up with Scott McGrath (former CMS, then WRT). One thing of note at the last exchange, the Port-O-John's were not there forcing runners to hit the woods. Anyhow, Chris came through to hand off to Sean.

Todd and I entering the exchange zone. Photo by Roger Perham.

I drove Sean's car to the finish with Chris and Lexi in tow. I gave a yell out the car window to anyone that I knew along the way. Sean brought it home and the team finished 12th overall as mentioned above. The next two hours were spent in the Claddagh for the post race festivities. I devoured the meal like a starved fugitive and caught up with several friends. In particular, I spoke with Mike Pelletier of the North Shore Striders, getting the scoop on the Nahant 30K (I got lucky and won this a few years ago) which will be granted as a USATF New England Grand Prix Championship in the next week. I am excited for the opportunity to have a race in my backyard. Soon, it was time to call it a day at the Mill Cities Relay which in summary is the perfect opportunity to get your club to put several teams out there and have fun. I saw that throughout the event and even more so at the Claddagh Pub where members from all teams are in good company. The event for me closed with a team photo which must have been downright intimidating with all of that black and yellow. As I reflect on my leg today, the one thing that sticks out is how quick it went by. I don't mean the time it took run 5.4 miles. I mean how fast it all went by. It felt like it was over in minutes, not a half an hour. I guess that is a good thing.

Wild Turkey 5 Mile - Salem

This 5 mile road race is just a ten minute drive from the house in Salem. It has become a tradition on Thanksgiving morning. I picked up my number at New England Running Company last night to ease the congestion as the race was expecting over 1600 runners - a record amount. Krissy and I left at 7am for the 8am start. Upon parking, I saw SRR's Jennifer Rapaport and Diona Fulton so I touched base and offered to show the first and last miles which we did for the warmup. I got back to the car at 7:45. It was in the low 40's with partial sun and some wind from the north. Racing gear consisted of my blue CMS Polar Beverages singlet, fleece DION Snowshoe hat, Dungeon Racing gloves, Craft shorts, Feetures! socks, and Scott racing flats. I ran a few more minutes around the Salem Common and saw my dad at Washington Square ready to watch. I got on the starting line next to my 'ol Salem State teamate, John Bowser and Mark Flaherty who ran at Westfield State. We have been running on Sundays together over the past month in Lynn Woods along with Dennis Floyd and Jay Euzikonis of whom was representing a Brooks table of footwear and also racing today.

Just ahead of Nick after exiting Winter Island

Caleb Evanter (GBTC) shot right out with Max Kulbauch (Philadelphia, PA) who has won this race in the past. I chased down a turkey costume and a cook within 200m. Caleb has been running very well this year. I yelled ahead to David Corbett (Mystic Runners) who did not hear me. I pulled along side and shook his hand for an awesome effort at the Manchester City Marathon a few weeks ago (2:46). He missed his PR by 50 seconds on a tough course. Then a gent flew passed as we ran by Pickering Wharf in home made sandles. It turned out to be Nick Sousa (I did not figure this out until after the finish) with whom I never met before but have seen him tear up the North Shore Racing scene over the past 2 years whenever I see racing results. We went through the mile with 5:22. I recorded the split but did not look or acknowledge it at all, just opened the first mile on feel and instinct. We were in 3rd and 4th place with some head wind toward the long straight away before turning right into Winter Island. I passed Krissy who yelled for me. I had a stride or two on Nick but he did not shake as we toured the park, rounded some cones and exited. I recorded mile 2 with a 10:56 split (5:34) again not looking at my watch or acknowledging how fast I was going. At this point we are running against the race and I got several more cheers. Nick looked over at me and said, "popular guy, eh?" Humble as always, I apoligized!

Striding into the finish line

We got into the neighborhood behind the Salem Willows and we went back and forth, not separating anymore than a stride. I had a step on Nick through mile three, 16:34 (5:37). This time, I looked at my watch to gauge if I was anywhere near the 5:30 pace (27:30) that I hoped to nail today. I felt that I was putting a few seconds on Nick through the Willows (slight tail wind) but he was back on my heels through Deadhorse Beach which exits the Salem Willows. We had a climb and he was back with me beyond the top. I noticed a spectator on the right having a cigarette. We passed mile 4 in 22:15 (5:41) but felt decent to finish this thing up and thought ahead, picturing what would be if it came down to a kick in the closing 200m. I was not too confident as I started to wear down at the Bentley School and I could tell Nick was ready to take charge of this battle. We crossed the last intersection, passing an officer for traffic control. Nick gave me words of encouragement, "let's go, we have 800m to go." I sucked it up and stayed on his heels. Again, he gave words of encouragement with 400m to and I could see our last left hand turn to the finish. He gapped me by two seconds with confidence and I could not match it. He was strong all the way to the line and I was spent. It was a good fight, one of which we ran 98% of the race within a stride or two of eachother. I collected myself after the finish line shute and saw my Salem State college coach, Steve Czarnecki, who was watching his Bishop Fenwick athletes in. He commented to me "not bad for an old guy." I agreed. Nick swung back and handed me a water. To this point, I was embarassed to not know his name and only asked if he was local? He mentioned Salem, and I figured it was Nick Souza as soon as he said that he ran a low 26 time last year on this course.  I took the 4th place and 27:40.2 with pride. Not bad for an old guy......

Wild Turkey 5 Mile

Salem, MA, November 22, 2012

1 CALEB EVANTER MARBLEHEAD MA 34 25 M 1 Top Fin  26:12.8 5:14/M

2 MAX KAULBACH PHILADELPHIA PA 914 23 M 1 20-24    26:43.8 5:21/M

3 NICK SOUSA SALEM MA 1630 29 M 1 25-29                 27:38.3 5:32/M

4 JAMES PAWLICKI LYNN MA 1130 38 M 1 35-39            27:40.2 5:32/M

5 BRYAN MENDES PEABODY MA 352 17 M 1 15-19           28:28.2 5:42/M

Complete results

Photos by KrissyK

Two strides behind Nick at the line

Harold A. King Town Forest Swampscott

While seeking out local trails on google maps (anything with a lack of streets), I could see a good stretch of land with the name of Harold A. King town forest in the upper north west section of Swampscott. This is less than a mile from my house. It is also known as the Oscar Short Conservation land or merely Harold King town forest. It includes 42 acres. I found requests in the WickedLocal site for volunteers for trail maintenance over the past few years and a blog write up from a gent who was visiting each town in MA. Despite a lack of information on the land in terms of maps or friendly entry, I headed out for a mid morning run to explore that area from my doorstep. I got to the official trail head at the end of Nichols Street, a dead end street which dropped down from Windsor Avenue. The sign has been weathered pretty good but you can faintly see the name, Oscar Short Land conservation area. Orange markings on the trees seemed to lead the way. I went in about 200m and it was clear that this was going to be a hike and not conducive to running at the pace I wanted to. I went back there today with Krissy to check out the trail and get some pictures. The trail is marked as you walk counter-clock wise with orange paint on trees or rocks. If you turn around, your in a bit of trouble as the trail is not marked in the clockwise direction and the trail is not obvious. It is clear that this trail is not walked or hiked often due to the amount of down branches, trees, and thorny brush impeding. We came upon an abandoned car from the 1950's in it's own grave about 15 minutes into the hike. The left fender was close by while the hood of the car was up trail about 100 meters. I love to see cars in it's patina state. The stories that the car could tell. I would imagine the car has been there for 40 plus years and entered from the rare fire road that led to the backyard of someone's house 500 meters away up a hill. It had a makeshift fence to keep people out of the secondary backyard that held a shack-like garage with a busted window. The german shepherd from the house 300m away warned me of his presence. In all, it took us about 45 minutes to meander through through the town forest via orange marked trail. I could see just two other entrance ways into this forest but they would certainly require going through someone's yard which I would not advise. We stopped several times to enjoy the scenery and take photos which Krissy has hosted. I would encourage anyone to check this out for a nice hike on little used trails.

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

Stone Tower 15k Lynn Woods

I got smoked on a tough trail race in Lynn Woods today. Rolled with John Dudley and a new face, Greg from Arlington for a few miles. Greg pulled away after three miles and John stayed close. Three trips up Stone Tower, one up Steel Tower, and the steps up Dungeon Rock sum this one up. Tricky footing on the Undercliff trail is still my favorite spot in the woods. Rolled my ankle 46 minutes on flat terrain, a sign of tired legs. I was zapped at that point. Hooted and hollered on my last climb over Stone Tower. Parents grabbed the little ones and dogs ducked away at my scowl which told everyone I wanted it over with. Rolled the same ankle on the backside on the descent. Cursing and swearing to the Stone Tower Gods made me feel better. Just a few minutes remained so it was easy to suck it up. Finish time was 58:57 (2nd place), almost three minutes behind the winner - Greg Fullman (56:03). John was about 30 seconds behind me. Collected the gents for a cool down and photo opportunity at the tower where Krissy tooled her trade, bless her. Photos are on SmugMug. I am beat but well worth the effort. Gift certificate to New England Running Company was a bonus. Raffles galore from Northface brought me a pair of SmartWool socks. Proceeds go to the preservation of the Stone Tower. If you have not been to Lynn Woods, please check it out. It is one of the best kept secrets north of Boston because it is not a state owned park. On a side note, Paul Young and the winner, Greg, measured a covered distance of 8.8 miles. Paul is convinced the course was a turn or two different this year. Photos by Krissy at her KrissyK SmugMug page.