36th Annual Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile Race (USATF)

The first race of the 2010 NE-USATF Grand Prix Series (results) brought me to Amherst,MA this weekend with family in tow. I raced here last year and did pretty well (for me). It's a tough 10-miler with lots of hills and running consistent splits is out of the question. In fact, checking your watch is only going to frustrate you. The delta between my fastest and slowest mile was over a minute. Surprisingly I like this course.
I did a minimalist warm up of about 2 miles and then headed back to the truck to get ready. We parked about 50m from the start so it was pretty convenient. I asked Deb to take some pics at the start so she headed down a ways with the kids to setup shop.

Rhody 5k

Gate City Strider Teammates at Rhody

I headed down to Lincoln, RI today for the Rhody 5k (results), part of the New England Grand Prix Series. I really wanted to get a race under my belt after 5 weeks off due to some mysterious oblique injury, followed by 2 weeks of decent running.
I literally had zero expectations today and no pressure to speak of. This was purely a fitness test for me today.

It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and temps near 80 for the mens only 9:30am start. Unfortunately for me, a beautiful day does not make for a great racing day. I'd prefer it to be about 30 degrees cooler and overcast, especially since 3/4 of this race is run on the perimeter road of Twin River Casino at Lincoln Park Greyhound Park which means we run around the parking lot (this place is huge by the way). Actually, it wasn't that bad of a course and had its share of hills, nothing serious just enough to mix up the pace and keep you honest. Flat courses are boring.

As a side note, I started, ran and finished with my teammate Mike Merra. I can't recall a race that I ran with the same person the entire race from start to finish. Interesting (to me anyways).

Ok, the race: I wanted to go out real conservative and then try to pick up the pace as the race progressed. I went through the first mile in 6:08, but it felt too slow. My effort was too easy and I didn't feel like I was pushing hard enough. I mean, it's a 5k, it's not supposed to feel comfortable. Right after the mile marker was a nice gentle downhill followed by a long curving run around the perimeter of the parking lot (with a barely noticeable incline) and I hit the 2nd mile in 12:12 (6:04 2nd mile) with Mike by my side. Mike started to put a few yards on me and I almost gave up (aka let him go) but decided to try to stick with him and push the last mile as hard as I could. I was now running an uncomfortably hard 5k pace (which was good in a strange way).

Near the 3 mile mark

I passed Mike (that's him above with the hat on backwards) with about 1/2 mile to go and was afraid to look back and as always, ran scared. This race tactic works for me, helping me keep the gas on when I really just want to quit and walk. I hit the 3 mile mark at 18:05 (5:53 3rd mile) and was obviously tired. The last tenth of a mile heads down to the greyhound dog track with a sharp right then left up onto the banked corner of the track then about 100yds on the 'home stretch'. Nice novelty but a lousy way to end a race. You lose all sorts of speed and momentum getting onto the stupid track and running on a dirt track with racing flats doesn't do much for me.

So, overall I was very pleased with my 18:43 effort and the fact that each mile was faster than the last. Mike finished 5 seconds back with a PR! Nice job and thanks for the pull.
I'm slowly coming back, finally!

Splits:
Mile 1 6:08
Mile 2 6:04
Mile 3 5:53
Finish: 18:43 (6:02 avg)

Running and Racing

Well I completed my first full week of running last week, 35 miles total (5 days of running). Like any good runner, I probably jumped in a little too fast and did more than I should have. By the end of the week my legs were tired and heavy. Live and learn, light on the learn.

Things I did learn last week:

• My endurance did not suffer too much, surprisingly.
• My easy pace is roughly what it was before I got injured (with a slightly higher heartrate)
• My speed is essentially gone compared to what it was.

So I guess I need to find a nice slow, long race to run, right? Um no, I'll be heading to Lincoln, RI this weekend for the Rhody 5k, part of the USATF New England Grand Prix series. Talk about a humbling experience. Yikes! Hopefully I'll be able to score a few points for my team (if I'm lucky).

For the first time in a long time I actually added a couple of races to my race schedule (as opposed to deleting them for the last few weeks). I've penciled in the Bow Lake Dam 15k on June 13th and the Exeterra 10M Trail Race on June 20th.

New Bedford Half Marathon

The second race of the New England Grand Prix Series take place this weekend in, you guessed it, New Bedford, MA. I ran this race once (2006) and recall it has the potential for being a fast course. I think I remember it starting out flat, climbing around mile 3 or 4 and then about 4 or 5 miles of gentle downhill. I don't remember much of the course after that, except I think it was down near the water and it was WINDY (aka head wind), with another hill around mile 12.

With the snowshoes packed up for the season, I've been able to focus just on running the last couple of weeks. Although I've maintained a good solid base through the winter and had plenty of speed work (with track and snowshoe racing), my distance running has been a little weak (at least in my eyes).

New Bedford should be a good test of fitness since I'll be well rested and hopefully healthy. Goals are always a tricky thing but I feel like I can improve upon my 1/2 marathon PR from the fall so I'll try for 1:22:00, weather permitting. Plenty of competition in the NEGP races so I won't be running alone. If I don't hit it, no big deal.....it's only March!

Jones Group 10-Miler

Sunday - Part II of my weekend double took place in Amherst, MA. This would be the 1st race in the USATF NE Grand Prix series, a "challenging race along scenic, hilly rural roads (some dirt)" according to the website. Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

I left my acidotic RACING membership at home and went with my Gate City Striders card instead. I met up with a bunch of Striders in Nashua and we all piled into 3 vehicles for the roughly 2hr drive to hilly Amherst. 33 of us made the trip which was pretty amazing considering the doom and gloom forecast we've been hearing about for a couple of days. Turns out the weather held out for most of the race and was only a minor inconvenience for the ride home. (photo credit - Mike Wade)
Generally I have some sort of a goal going into most races. I don't always 'share' my goal but that's a different story. I can honestly say I had NO goal going into this race. I really, truly had no idea what pace I would run.

With so many fast guys (and girls), I was careful not to get too close to the front. With very little hoopla we were off. Right from the start I spotted a few familar faces; Todd Brown (CT) who I ran with for 90% of the Baystate Marathon and Keith Schmitt from Dover,NH who I ran with for about 90% of the Boston Prep race. Both were masters runners and both were close enough to my pace that I felt pretty comfortable where I was. Technically I trailed a small pack they were running in for the majority of the race. I could never quite catch up to them and was stuck in no mans land for much of the race.

The first two miles were relatively fast (6:03 and 5:48) but I knew the hills were coming. The next 2+ miles were net uphill with a couple of steep sections and my times slowed a LOT (6:41 and 6:52). I struggled on the hills and my legs were definitely fatigued from snowshoeing the previous night. Mile 5 and 6 were mostly flat (6:20 and 6:14) with part of this section on an iced over dirt road (which made traction challenging with racing flats). Mile 7 (5:56) was nearly all downhill and mile 8 (6:08) was mostly flat. I was feeling much better after running a couple of easy terrain miles. I was also gaining on the small pack in front of me which now included fellow GCS team mate Joe Rogers. I have never beat Joe in a race so to be this close to him was puzzling to me. Right around mile 8 I decided to pick up the pace and I passed Joe with my definition of 'authority'. I had also caught up with Todd after pushing pretty hard up the hill to mile 9 (5:58) and was close to Keith but he was doing a good job maintaining his lead. Mile 10 (6:21) had a nice double up hill climb with about 1/2 mile to go before finally peaking, providing for a fast downhill finish (except for a strange, awkward loop around a parking lot). Overall I was pleased with my run, a little sore today but pleased.

The group that finished around me are listed below, including some of my GCS team mates.

Place Div/Tot  Div   Time     Pace  Name                   Ag S Race# City/state              Team
===== ======== ===== =======  ===== ====================== == = ===== ======================= =====
101   6/86   F2039 1:01:51   6:12 Christy Carrara        33 F   279 Hudson MA               NBB
102  28/131  M4049 1:01:59   6:12 Ron Moreau             43 M    29 Natick MA               BAA
103  29/131  M4049 1:02:13   6:14 Keith Schmitt          40 M   692 Durham NH                  
104  30/131  M4049 1:02:14   6:14 Kevin Delaney          40 M    82 Arlington MA            CSU
105  67/122  M2039 1:02:18   6:14 Ben Ndaya - Mizuno     32 M   697 Lowell MA               RUN
106   3/109  M5059 1:02:20   6:14 Ephraim Ezekiel        51 M   342 Newton MA               WHIRL
107   4/109  M5059 1:02:20   6:14 Jon Waldron            51 M   667 West Newton MA          CSU
108  31/131  M4049 1:02:21   6:15 Andrew Biancheri       40 M   168 Westborough MA          GLRR
109  68/122  M2039 1:02:23   6:15 Pat Ard                24 M   336 Raymond NH              WHIRL
 110  32/131  M4049 1:02:26   6:15 Steve Wolfe            44 M   164 Merrimack NH            GCS   
111  33/131  M4049 1:02:29   6:15 John Chapin            42 M   315 Arlington MA            SRR
112   5/109  M5059 1:02:42   6:17 Tom Offenbacher        52 M   177 Westborough MA          GLRR
113  34/131  M4049 1:02:46   6:17 Ted MacMahon           43 M   460 Harvard MA                 
114   7/86   F2039 1:02:48   6:17 Carly Graytock         30 F    17 Cambridge MA            BAA
115  35/131  M4049 1:02:50   6:17 Joseph Rogers          41 M   156 Lyndeborough NH         GCS   
116  69/122  M2039 1:02:55   6:18 John Barrett           39 M     1 Needham MA              BAA
117                1:02:55   6:18 Todd Brown                M   646                         NMC
118  70/122  M2039 1:03:04   6:19 Max White              25 M   616 Jamaica Plain MA        GBTC
119   8/86   F2039 1:03:07   6:19 Lara Johnson           27 F    21 Boston MA               BAA
120  71/122  M2039 1:03:09   6:19 Andy Brown             26 M   709 Belchertown MA             
121  72/122  M2039 1:03:15   6:20 William Wheeler        29 M   402 Belchertown MA             
122  73/122  M2039 1:03:27   6:21 Brian Walsh            34 M   699 Ludlow MA               GSH
123   9/86   F2039 1:03:37   6:22 Tammie Robie           34 F   357 Milford NH              WHIRL
124  74/122  M2039 1:03:37   6:22 Will Paulding          30 M   741 Deerfield MA            SMAC
125  10/86   F2039 1:03:38   6:22 Jennifer Campbell      25 F   726 Newmarket NH            CRC
 126   1/42   M6099 1:03:41*  6:23 Bill Dixon             61 M   170 Brattleboro VT          GLRR
127   1/59   F4049 1:03:44*  6:23 Simonetta Piergentili  44 F   353 Wilmington MA           WHIRL
128  11/86   F2039 1:03:54   6:24 Tara Vance             25 F   129 Jamaica Plain MA        GBTC
129  36/131  M4049 1:03:57   6:24 Brian Reeves           45 M   485 Shirley MA                 
130  75/122  M2039 1:04:03   6:25 Frank Pilhofer         35 M   154 Nashua NH               GCS   
131  12/86   F2039 1:04:08   6:25 Michelle McCreary      25 F    80 Cambridge MA            CRC
132  37/131  M4049 1:04:11   6:26 Peter Fratini          43 M   217 Westfield MA            GSH
133  38/131  M4049 1:04:12   6:26 Jonathan Wyner         48 M    96 Arlington MA            CSU
134  76/122  M2039 1:04:14   6:26 Marco Iannello         28 M   443 Springfield MA             
135  77/122  M2039 1:04:19   6:26 Brian Tinger           31 M   700 Somerville MA           SRR
136  39/131  M4049 1:04:25   6:27 Michael Wade           40 M   163 Nashua NH               GCS   

Now as a running club, we did ok considering we're competing against some incredibly strong teams from all over New England.

Gate City Striders Team Results
Mens Open - 7th (14 teams)
Mens Masters - 7th (13 teams)
Mens Veterans - 5th (12 teams)
Mens Seniors - 2nd (5 teams)
Female Open - 6th (9 teams)
Female Masters - 5th (10 teams)

Now, what to do next....