Sure, I would have loved to do some racing this past weekend. Surprisingly, I did the right thing and opted not to race, choosing to head out with the camera instead.
Saturday
Little did I know I'd become part of history at the Rivah (aka the Merrimack River 10m Trail Race). Turns out this out/back race had more photographers per mile than any race in history. No less than 6 different folks took at least 2,388 photos. I had no idea, as I drove directly to an access road approximately 2 miles in. So if you raced and can't find a good picture of yourself, you have other problems :-)
Showing posts with label New Hampshire Grand Prix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Hampshire Grand Prix. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 6, 2009
Great Bay Half Marathon
It's been a rough training week following last weekend's 20-mile adventure on the seacoast. I guess I didn't realize how taxing that race really was. My legs weren't sore, just constantly fatigued and every run has been a struggle since. So with that in mind I decided to run a half marathon yesterday. Logic and common sense did not report to work this past week apparently.
I met up with Mark Wimmer and headed over to Newmarket for the 3rd annual (and my second) Great Bay Half Marathon, which happens to be the 1st New Hampshire Grand Prix race. I met up with my fellow Gate City Strider (and acidotic RACING) teammates in the gym and prepped for the race. It was a beautiful day, sunny and near 50 but a nasty wind was whipping in from the west. I had done my research and knew the headwinds would be along the 2nd half of Bay Rd (miles 7-9) and for most of the last 3 miles. Unfortunately, that did not mean we had tailwinds the rest of the way.
Mike Wade, Justin Soucy and myself headed out for a roughly 2 mile warm up on the course, changed and then headed over to the start. Did I mention it was windy?
They added a 5k to the venue this year which started at the same time as the half. About a 1/2 mile into the race the 5k'ers took a left and the rest continued straight. For such a large race (nearly 1500 runners) I was pretty surprised how well people seated themselves at the start, so other than a fast start the race started off pretty smooth.
Right from the start I found myself in a pack of familiar faces and most were teammates (a very good thing when you're running a club race). Mike Wade, Danny Ferreria and myself with Mike Wright leading the way. We would stay together nearly the entire race, occasionally swapping positions except for Mike Wright, he held a 30-50yd lead on all of us most of the way.
I learned a couple of things during the race. One, my legs were not yet recovered from last week. Most of the race was a struggle, with the effort far greater than it should have been for a half. Two, this course was harder than I remembered from last year (with more hills than I recalled). Part of the difficulty was the wind, with gusts that had to be in the 20-30mph range. To add to the carnage, the winds seemed to smack you on the flatter sections of the course. Just like my pre-race research had shown, miles 7-9 and the last 3 were tough and the field had stretched out a bit, leaving me exposed (so to speak) for most of the last 5 miles.
By mile 8 or 9 I had lost track of Mike Wade, Danny was in front by a few yds and Mike Wright was still holding at least a 50yd lead. I slowly gained on Danny and passed him at the belly dancers around mile 10. Coincidence? I think not. I think he was distracted...
I now had my sights on Mike Wright with 5k to go. I attempted to pick up the pace but the head winds on mile 11 were the toughest all day. It felt like one big hill. In fact, the winds were generally in our faces for the remainder of the race and only a few turns in town gave us some relief. Jerry Fitzgibbon hooked up with me on his bike just after mile 11 and provided some much needed encouragement over the last 1 1/2 miles which helped me pick off a few more runners and get close to Mike Wright but not close enough to pass, finishing in 1:25:11, roughly 6 seconds behind Mike. Not my best performance but considering the short rest and less than ideal conditions I guess I'll take it.
Scott Graham and Mark Wimmer somehow convinced me to go for a 2 mile cool down run after the race and several painful blisters did not make this a pleasant experience. Mark and I waited a bit for results to be posted but finally gave up and headed home around 2pm.
Splits for the day:
Mile 1 6:05
Mile 2 6:23
Mile 3 6:31
Mile 4 6:31
Mile 5 6:23 (31:54)
Mile 6 6:42
Mile 7 6:24
Mile 8 6:55
Mile 9 6:39
Mile 10 6:31 (1:05:06)
Mile 11 6:35
Mile 12 6:35
Mile 13 6:20
FINISH 1:25:11 (6:31 avg)
24th overall (1243 total)
6/93 in my age group
Complete results can be found here.
As far as the New Hampshire Grand Prix series, my club (Gate City Striders) kicked butt. As some of you know (and others continue to 'remind' me), I predicted early on in the season that Greater Derry would win the NHGP series this year. Apparently my evil plan is working, with huge numbers of Striders showing up just to prove me wrong! Keep up the good work.
Gate City Striders 147 points
Greater Derry Track Club 109 points
Granite State Racing Team 71 points
Rochester Runners 44 points
Monadnock Milers 20 points
I met up with Mark Wimmer and headed over to Newmarket for the 3rd annual (and my second) Great Bay Half Marathon, which happens to be the 1st New Hampshire Grand Prix race. I met up with my fellow Gate City Strider (and acidotic RACING) teammates in the gym and prepped for the race. It was a beautiful day, sunny and near 50 but a nasty wind was whipping in from the west. I had done my research and knew the headwinds would be along the 2nd half of Bay Rd (miles 7-9) and for most of the last 3 miles. Unfortunately, that did not mean we had tailwinds the rest of the way.
Mike Wade, Justin Soucy and myself headed out for a roughly 2 mile warm up on the course, changed and then headed over to the start. Did I mention it was windy?
They added a 5k to the venue this year which started at the same time as the half. About a 1/2 mile into the race the 5k'ers took a left and the rest continued straight. For such a large race (nearly 1500 runners) I was pretty surprised how well people seated themselves at the start, so other than a fast start the race started off pretty smooth.
Right from the start I found myself in a pack of familiar faces and most were teammates (a very good thing when you're running a club race). Mike Wade, Danny Ferreria and myself with Mike Wright leading the way. We would stay together nearly the entire race, occasionally swapping positions except for Mike Wright, he held a 30-50yd lead on all of us most of the way.
I learned a couple of things during the race. One, my legs were not yet recovered from last week. Most of the race was a struggle, with the effort far greater than it should have been for a half. Two, this course was harder than I remembered from last year (with more hills than I recalled). Part of the difficulty was the wind, with gusts that had to be in the 20-30mph range. To add to the carnage, the winds seemed to smack you on the flatter sections of the course. Just like my pre-race research had shown, miles 7-9 and the last 3 were tough and the field had stretched out a bit, leaving me exposed (so to speak) for most of the last 5 miles.
By mile 8 or 9 I had lost track of Mike Wade, Danny was in front by a few yds and Mike Wright was still holding at least a 50yd lead. I slowly gained on Danny and passed him at the belly dancers around mile 10. Coincidence? I think not. I think he was distracted...
I now had my sights on Mike Wright with 5k to go. I attempted to pick up the pace but the head winds on mile 11 were the toughest all day. It felt like one big hill. In fact, the winds were generally in our faces for the remainder of the race and only a few turns in town gave us some relief. Jerry Fitzgibbon hooked up with me on his bike just after mile 11 and provided some much needed encouragement over the last 1 1/2 miles which helped me pick off a few more runners and get close to Mike Wright but not close enough to pass, finishing in 1:25:11, roughly 6 seconds behind Mike. Not my best performance but considering the short rest and less than ideal conditions I guess I'll take it.
Scott Graham and Mark Wimmer somehow convinced me to go for a 2 mile cool down run after the race and several painful blisters did not make this a pleasant experience. Mark and I waited a bit for results to be posted but finally gave up and headed home around 2pm.
Splits for the day:
Mile 1 6:05
Mile 2 6:23
Mile 3 6:31
Mile 4 6:31
Mile 5 6:23 (31:54)
Mile 6 6:42
Mile 7 6:24
Mile 8 6:55
Mile 9 6:39
Mile 10 6:31 (1:05:06)
Mile 11 6:35
Mile 12 6:35
Mile 13 6:20
FINISH 1:25:11 (6:31 avg)
24th overall (1243 total)
6/93 in my age group
Complete results can be found here.
As far as the New Hampshire Grand Prix series, my club (Gate City Striders) kicked butt. As some of you know (and others continue to 'remind' me), I predicted early on in the season that Greater Derry would win the NHGP series this year. Apparently my evil plan is working, with huge numbers of Striders showing up just to prove me wrong! Keep up the good work.
Gate City Striders 147 points
Greater Derry Track Club 109 points
Granite State Racing Team 71 points
Rochester Runners 44 points
Monadnock Milers 20 points
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Great Bay Half Marathon Preview
The first race of the New Hampshire Grand Prix is coming up in a couple of weeks (April 5th). The Great Bay Half Marathon in Newmarket, NH hit the road running (no pun intended) two years ago in its debut with over 1200 runners and had over 1100 last year. The folks at Loco Running do put on a well organized race, I must admit. I still think it's a bit pricey, but I sent in my paper app this week (in protest of course).
I ran this race last year (and nearly beat Mark Wimmer, but that's a different story) and it was harder than I expected. Maybe harder is too harsh. I guess I was expecting a flatter, easier course. Maybe challenging or honest is a better description.
I couldn't find my mile splits from last year so I'll go off of memory (which means most of this will be wrong or made up). The first 2.5 miles are fairly easy rollers, nothing hard. The course then jumps onto a dirt road for just over 2.5 miles. Again, some rollers here but mostly this section was slow because of all the pot holes and muddy conditions. Miles 5 to 9 travels along Bay Road and is a real nice stretch of road, very scenic and quiet. It is the toughest part of the course IMHO, reminding me of the roads along Lake Winnipesaukee. A few steep ups and downs before flattening out. Miles 9 to 12 head out on an easy out and back loop towards the bay. Depending on how fast you are you'll either see the fast guys up front or the slow guys behind you, or both as you pass them on the out and back. Finally the last mile heads back into town with a ton of turns so pay attention (unlike Mark!). It climbs slightly, but eventually provides a nice downhill finish to the school.
Goals for this race: none (they can't all be PR's!)
I ran this race last year (and nearly beat Mark Wimmer, but that's a different story) and it was harder than I expected. Maybe harder is too harsh. I guess I was expecting a flatter, easier course. Maybe challenging or honest is a better description.
I couldn't find my mile splits from last year so I'll go off of memory (which means most of this will be wrong or made up). The first 2.5 miles are fairly easy rollers, nothing hard. The course then jumps onto a dirt road for just over 2.5 miles. Again, some rollers here but mostly this section was slow because of all the pot holes and muddy conditions. Miles 5 to 9 travels along Bay Road and is a real nice stretch of road, very scenic and quiet. It is the toughest part of the course IMHO, reminding me of the roads along Lake Winnipesaukee. A few steep ups and downs before flattening out. Miles 9 to 12 head out on an easy out and back loop towards the bay. Depending on how fast you are you'll either see the fast guys up front or the slow guys behind you, or both as you pass them on the out and back. Finally the last mile heads back into town with a ton of turns so pay attention (unlike Mark!). It climbs slightly, but eventually provides a nice downhill finish to the school.
Goals for this race: none (they can't all be PR's!)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
2009 New Hampshire Grand Prix Series
Ok, here are the NHGP races for 2009. The series is supposed to be a friendly competition between NH running clubs but historically only a few clubs actively participate (Gate City Striders, Greater Derry Track Club and Granite State Racing Team). I think the other clubs are:
- Rochester Runners Club
- New Hampshire Athletic Alliance
- White Mountain Milers
- Monadnock Regional Milers
- Coastal Athletic Alliance
Personally I've only run 3 of the 7 races: Great Bay, Foothealth and Moose on the Loose and only enjoyed 2 of these. So who exactly picks these races anyways? 5/7 races have basically less than 100 finishers. Why not pick races most of us are already going to? I'm not sure I understand the logic of the selection process. Oh well.
My prediction for 2009: Greater Derry Track Club (GDTC) will win the series.
Great Bay Half Marathon- Sunday April 5th, Newmarket
On a side note:
While checking the above races for 2009 websites, I saw a blurb on the Great Bay website about a new timing chip for 2009 called the Chronotrack D-Tag. It's a disposable timing chip that still attaches to your shoe but doesn't have to be returned and is lighter. My initial thought is although it's neat, I think it really benefits the race director and not the runner. The tag is part of the Bib so they don't have to worry about matching bibs with timing chips and they don't have to worry about runners forgetting to return them. The runner still has to attach it to their shoe and I doubt most of us would notice the the weight savings of the paper chip vs those weighty ChampionChips. They also claim the new chip is easier to attach to your shoe as well. I've watched the video, I personally think lacing my shoelace through the ChampionChip is easier. From a runners point of view the perfect solution would keep the chip fully incorporated in the Bib and not have to tie anything to my shoe. Now that would be sweet.
Below is a link to a PDF showing how the new chip is used. I also attached a video showing essentially the same thing.
Chronotrack D-Tag instructions
- Rochester Runners Club
- New Hampshire Athletic Alliance
- White Mountain Milers
- Monadnock Regional Milers
- Coastal Athletic Alliance
Personally I've only run 3 of the 7 races: Great Bay, Foothealth and Moose on the Loose and only enjoyed 2 of these. So who exactly picks these races anyways? 5/7 races have basically less than 100 finishers. Why not pick races most of us are already going to? I'm not sure I understand the logic of the selection process. Oh well.
My prediction for 2009: Greater Derry Track Club (GDTC) will win the series.
Great Bay Half Marathon- Sunday April 5th, Newmarket
- 1,114 finishers in 2008
- Yankee Timing
- 70 finishers in 2008
- New England Timing
- 641 finishers in 2008
- Yankee Timing
- 104 finishers in 2008
- Granite State Race Services
- 93 finishers in 2008
- Yankee Timing
- 103 finishers in 2008
- Granite State Race Services
- 79 finishers in 2008
- Granite State Race Services
On a side note:
While checking the above races for 2009 websites, I saw a blurb on the Great Bay website about a new timing chip for 2009 called the Chronotrack D-Tag. It's a disposable timing chip that still attaches to your shoe but doesn't have to be returned and is lighter. My initial thought is although it's neat, I think it really benefits the race director and not the runner. The tag is part of the Bib so they don't have to worry about matching bibs with timing chips and they don't have to worry about runners forgetting to return them. The runner still has to attach it to their shoe and I doubt most of us would notice the the weight savings of the paper chip vs those weighty ChampionChips. They also claim the new chip is easier to attach to your shoe as well. I've watched the video, I personally think lacing my shoelace through the ChampionChip is easier. From a runners point of view the perfect solution would keep the chip fully incorporated in the Bib and not have to tie anything to my shoe. Now that would be sweet.
Below is a link to a PDF showing how the new chip is used. I also attached a video showing essentially the same thing.
Chronotrack D-Tag instructions
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