I’ll be bringing the 2009 racing season to a close with the National Cross Crountry Club Champsionships in Lexington, Kentucky this coming Saturday, Dec 12th. I’ve have run in four races in the last three weeks trying to get myself into race shape.
Things got off to a good start in the four race prep series with a decent 35:11, 3rd place finish at the 31st James Banacos 10k at Westfield State College. All in all a decent effort on an excellent day for racing - about 1 minute better than last year when it was cold and very windy.
1 Tom O'Grady 33:35 5:24
2 Tim Mahoney 35:04 5:39
3 Rob Landry 35:11 5:40
4 Tyler Stahl 39:18 6:19
5 Mike Lescarbeau 39:45 6:24
6 Ben Whitbeck 40:46 6:34
7 Antonio Sorcinelli 41:13 6:38
8 Peter Letendre 41:37 6:42
9 Ed Buckley 41:39 6:42
10 Ken Grindle 42:02 6:46
I followed up that race with a so-so effort at the Talking Turkey 6 mile cross country race the following weekend. It’s billed as a cross country event but it’s a flat and even footed over a trail and cinder course that is as fast as a cross country course you will find. However the wind was
absolutely brutal this year – a swirling 20mph wind gusting up to 40mph. Runners were literally pushed sideways and noticeably leaning forward battling the wind. I endured many runs over the causeway during a harsh, blustery winter night. I don’t ever recall anything like this. We actually had white caps as tall as a foot-and-a-half smacking against the embankment.I was shooting for a sub 33:00 5:30 pace today but it wasn’t to be. Instead a 34:33 15th place. My slowest Talking Turkey time yet. Considering the day, not a terrible result but I let up in the middle miles when the going got tough. No excuses. Everyone had to run in the same conditions.
The big story of the day was Zac Hine. The South Hadley native is off to a phenomenal start to his young post-collegiate career. Eclipsing a quality course record on a tough day like today was stellar. I was working the finish chute back in 2005 when Nate Jenkins ran the previous best mark of 29 flat. It snowed the day before but the course was in great shape. Jenkins later said he was surprised, if not a bit disappointed; the course was in such great shape. The guy’s an animal – doesn’t want anything to come easy. All guts. But like every year the course is groomed to perfection. The local water deptarment staff takes pride in it; pouring their heart maintaining this reservoir trail not just for this annual event but all 365 days of the year. Jenkins laced his spikes up and hammered his way to the finish; dropping a full minute off the already impressive mark set by local 1500 Olympic trialist Erik Nedeau. It was a foretelling of even greater things to come for Jenkins who was preparing for his surprise 7th place finish at the Olympic Marathon Trials two year later. Today’s course record may be prologue to what lies ahead for Zac. Time will tell.
1 ZACH HINE 4 M 1/90 22 SOUTH HADLEY MA 28:55 4:50
New record. Old record 29:00 by Nate Jenkins in 2005
2 JUSTIN LUTZ 1194 M 2/90 29 FRAMINGHAM MA 29:07 4:52
3 KEVIN JOHNSON 1 M 3/90 21 LUDLOW MA 30:05 5:01
4 DAVID JOHNSON 2 M 4/90 21 LUDLOW MA 30:51 5:09
5 ERIK NEDEAU 3 M 1/131 38 BELCHERTOWN MA 30:59 5:10
6 KENT LEMME 25 M 1/166 43 WILLIAMSTOWN MA 31:53 5:19
7 EDWARD BREEN 744 M 5/90 28 MEDFORD MA 32:01 5:21
8 JOSHUA GORDON 1185 M 2/131 35 BOSTON MA 32:06 5:21
9 MICHAEL BROUILLETTE 17 M 3/131 31 SOUTH HADLEY MA 33:19 5:34
10 ETHAN NEDEAU 6 M 4/131 36 33:27 5:35
11 TIM MAHONEY 10 M 5/131 30 HOLYOKE MA 33:32 5:36
12 HEIDI WESTERLING 5 F 1/81 28 33:43 5:37
13 ROSS KRAUSE 634 M 6/90 29 EASTHAMPTON MA 34:12 5:42
14 PAUL FRATINI 44 M 2/166 44 LUDLOW MA 34:18 5:43
15 ROBERT LANDRY 875 M 3/166 41 LUDLOW MA 34:33 5:46
16 NICHOLAS DUFRESNE 1095 M 7/90 27 AMHERST MA 35:11 5:52
17 MYLES MCCARTHY 363 M 1/22 19 SOUTHAMPTON MA 35:21 5:54
18 JEFFREY HAYES 240 M 8/90 24 CAMBRIDGE MA 35:31 5:56
19 SAM GRANT 47 M 9/90 20 SOUTHAMPTON MA 35:44 5:58
20 DONALD PACHER 1163 M 6/131 37 EASTHAMPTON MA 35:50 5:59
21 PETER FRATINI 29 M 4/166 44 WESTFIELD MA 36:11 6:02
22 BRENDAN KANE 87 M 2/22 19 EAST LONGMEADOW MA 36:13 6:03
23 JOHN BARRETT 1086 M 7/131 39 NEEDHAM MA 36:23 6:04
24 MEGHAN LYNCH 18 F 2/81 23 SOMERVILLE MA 36:29 6:05
25 MATTHEW REYNOLDS 1171 M 8/131 39 HAYDENVILLE MA 36:33 6:06
Three days later I ran in the Bright Nights 5k. It’s a cool race thru the Christmas Light display set up in Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. It can be bit dicey running with the harsh contrast between the dark of night and the intense lighting display and blinding flood lights set up for the ‘safety’ of the runners. Fortunately the weather was very cooperative; the course was dry and the footing solid. I misplaced a foot plant last year as I came off a sidewalk in full stride. I did a tuck-and-roll that literally, and figuratively, propelled me back onto my feet before I knew what happened.
At the startlimne, a couple of the top finishers from recent years were missing. In attendance was two time winner and fellow Ludlow Resident, Zach Peitras; fresh off his freshman year cross season at Springfield College. No match for Zach’s speed - even if he is going to take it easy before this weekend’s opening indoor track meet – a consolatory 2nd place will be the best I can hope for.
The gun goes off and Zach is gone, baby, gone. Within 10 steps this race seems decided. Carlos is running as a bandit and sticks with Zach for about 30 seconds before deciding to run it out closer to my pace. The first mile is very fast with a gradual decline before a big downhill to the duck pond. Carlos changes pace back forth before putting in a quick accelartion up the hill as we close out mile 1 together in 5:20.
I pull away on the last of the uphill with a firm hold on 2nd place by the turnaround at the top of hill #2. I felt really good and light on my feet as I went thru a 5:25 second mile, but the legs fell apart on the last hill on mile 3. I used the fear of blowing 2nd place to keep pressing the pace. My legs only seemed to produce a 6:00 final mile. The last hill stole my groove. All-in-all, a good result for a night run and only a couple days out from last Saturday's race. 25 seconds better than last year.
1 Zach Pietras 1 18 1/13 M1419 Ludlow MA 16:39 5:22
2 Rob Landry 2 41 1/47 M4049 Ludlow MA 17:22 5:36
3 John Pajer 357 47 2/47 M4049 Leicester MA 17:53 5:46
4 Brian Crowley 100 14 2/13 M1419 Ludlow MA 18:41 6:01
5 Joseph Kenney 227 25 1/11 M2029 Springfield MA 18:54 6:05
6 Joe Wilson 489 34 1/34 M3039 Holyoke MA 19:00 6:07
7 Joshua Rice 3 39 2/34 M3039 Longmeadow MA 19:10 6:11
8 Mike Lescarbeau 268 38 3/34 M3039 Agawam MA 19:49 6:23
9 Jack Kamin 216 16 3/13 M1419 Longmeadow MA 20:14 6:31
10 Jackie Evans 137 34 1/88 F3039 Esat Longmeadow MA 20:17 6:32
One tempo run and four days later, I completed the four race romp at the Hot Chocolate 5k in Northampton, Mass. I have run this race every year since 2006 and have consistently done well. This race will feature its 3rd course change in as many years necessitated by its rapidly increasing popularity and need for more space. The race draws a walker-to-runner ratio much higher than almost any other race I know. Back in 2006 it drew 500 walkers/runners. This year some four-plus-thousand walkers and runners are expected.
I woke this morning; checked my weight. 160 pounds. WTF !!!??? I managed to gain 6lbs over the past three days! That didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in today’s race, for sure. I get to the race about an hour early but still hit tons of traffic. I grab a quick parking spot just to pick up my number knowing I will have to go back for my stuff and find a new parking spot a good mile and half away; making sure I don’t get towed. The local business owners don’t seem to appreciate the influx of people this morning – at least those that are more interested in fitness than commerce.
I went thru the motions of pre race warm-up; stretches and strides; just wasn’t feeling it.
The gun goes off and off we go up the incline to start the race and already a good 30 people ahead of me charging the hill way hard. A 1/2 mile in and a dozen people have already have fallen off. I hit the 1st mile in 5:22. Not too bad. The next mile has some downhill. The leading girl passes me. Her leg turnover only seems to be getting faster. I’m barely picking up my feet. In short time, the gap grows quickly.
The final mile crosses an uphill pass by the Smith College indoor track facility. My legs have turned to rubber on the final ascent. It’s all downhill from 2.5 miles to the finish. No mater. There is nothing in my legs that remotely resembles a finishing kick.
I finished 10th overall. 3rd master. 15th in the age-grading category.
1 1246 Sidney Letendre 55 F Florence MA 20:25 16:45 88.43
2 1790 Richard Larsen 58 M Shelburne MA smac 18:01 14:44 87.59
3 3370 Kent Lemme 42 M South Hadley MA Greater Spr 15:56 14:50 86.95
4 4070 Erik Nedeau 38 M Belchertown MA New Balance 15:32 14:54 86.61
5 2090 Jennifer Campbell 26 F Newmarket NH McKechnie R 17:07 17:07 86.48
6 4069 Marsha Pruett 49 F Northampton MA 19:57 17:40 83.81
7 1778 Brad Mish 22 M Hadley MA 15:36 15:35 82.77
8 3128 Bill Stewart 44 M Leverett MA SMAC 17:07 15:42 82.20
9 2479 Bob Parks 39 M Brattleboro VT Sisu Projec 16:32 15:44 82.02
10 1088 Andy Mccarron 27 M Keene NH CMS 15:55 15:55 81.09
11 2966 Joellen Cameron 46 F Conway MA SMAC 20:00 18:20 80.72
12 1101 Alison Crocker 25 F Amherst MA SMAC 18:26 18:26 80.32
13 1307 Kathleen Campbell 58 F Easthampton MA 23:28 18:29 80.16
14 3138 Valerie Lynch 32 F Northampton MA 18:31 18:28 80.15
15 711 Rob Landry 41 M Ludlow MA Greater Spr 17:25 16:20 78.96
16 2288 Robert Austin 54 M Northampton MA Sugarloaf M 19:19 16:21 78.92
17 1720 Abby Mahoney 31 F Holyoke MA Central Mas 18:47 18:46 78.92
18 1004 Stephen Kapral 12 M Dummerston VT Chameleon H 18:51 16:21 78.88
19 3393 Sue Dean 48 F Leeds MA SMAC 20:59 18:49 78.73
20 3354 Karen Laverdiere 49 F Haydenville MA NCC 21:16 18:50 78.65
21 1942 Bill Grinnell 47 M Florence MA Webber and 18:19 16:25 78.62
22 2110 Tim Mahoney 30 M Holyoke MA CMS 16:28 16:25 78.61
23 3217 Thomas O'Grady 24 M Latham NY Albany Runn 16:27 16:27 78.43
24 156 Linda Morley 60 F Northampton MA 24:45 18:57 78.16
25 1134 Leah Haake 17 F Hadley MA 19:22 18:57 78.11
No comments:
Post a Comment