Pineland Farms 25k

RACING acidotic for my team and my
sponsor GoLite Footwear
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations."  -Eli Kharmarov

New Gloucester,  MAINE -- Just run.  That was the race plan for this weekend's Pineland Farms 25k.  If I've learned anything over the last five years at this race it's that planning doesn't necessarily equal success.  Last year I had meticulously calculated PR splits only to run my slowest time at this race.  And because 25k is a little bit of a reach for me, I decided to try something new this time around...no plan, just run to feel.  Which might be easier said than done with so many friends and teammates whom I have raced with and against for years.  A particularly stacked front end lined up at the starting line under bright blue skies, light winds, and temps in the 70's.  I purposely lined up a little closer to the front so as not to get caught up in traffic even though I did not intend on hammering the first downhill 5k.  I patiently held back a little through this first section as teammates and friends worked their way by me.  At some point early on I hooked up with GCS foe Mike Wade who seemed to be using the same tactic.  We hit the 5k mark at 22:03 (7:05's).  The 2nd 5k makes up half of the elevation lost in the first 5k with some open field rollers.  I felt very under control and strong on the short climbs although I knew my pace had slowed considerably.  I had moved around Mike but I could see that he was within 25-50 meters.  My 10k split was 46:30 (7:51's) for this net gain 5k.  The 3rd 5k is a net zero with the first half a descent and the second half a roughly equal ascent.  Again, I felt very strong on the climbs and actually started to pick up spots.  Although the open mowed fields were hot and slow, the woods were shaded with a beautiful breeze making the conditions quite tolerable.  I hit the 15k mark at 1:10 (7:47's).  With roughly 1.5k to go before the START/FINISH area I finished my handheld bottle with Hammer Nutrition FIZZ (a first at this race).  Coming through the START/FINISH Karen handed me my second cold bottle of FIZZ and focused on the 4th 5k.  Sometimes the little things can make all the difference in the world.  The combination of my lovely wife's support and the cold FIZZ immediately perked me up and I felt as ready as ever to attack the last two segments of the race.  The 4th 5k climbs for the first mile to the high point of the course and then descends an equal amount (common theme).  With my attention squarely focused on the 20k split I ran very well on the climbs and continued to pick up spots on the ups.  At this point of the race I typically begin to experience leg weariness and twinges of cramping but none of that emerged this time around.  I marked at 20k at 1:35 (8:00's).  Slower for sure but still motoring on the climbs and with the toughest (in my opinion) section of course remaining.  The final 5k is a net gain and includes several hundred meters of open field before crossing back over the road to the finish area.  Just past 21k my teammate Steve Wolfe finally caught up and ran by me like it was his first 5k.  He implored me to tag along and I did for a little while but as soon as hit the fields and I asked my legs for more they had nothing left to give.  Not wanting to risk paralyzing cramps I held steady and let him go.  I finished the last bit of FIZZ, put my head down, and raced to the finish.  My 1:58:05 was good enough for 33rd overall (13th 40+) and my 3rd fastest time in six tries.  I guess I proved to myself that it's definitely possible to over think this race.  Very pleased with the performance and very grateful for a large aR turnout. 

Special thank you to my sponsors GoLite Footwear, Philbrick's Sports, Redhook, Young's Restaurant, and Poco's Bow Street Cantina.

NEXT UP: Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear

Hoppin' Mad Mud Run



(L-R) Bon Swarthout, Jason Massa, Chris J. Dunn,
Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, Rich Lavers
[Photo courtesy Craig Poirier]

 "Even absurdity has a champion to defend it." - Oliver Goldsmith

Amesbury,  MA -- Getting to the top is hard, but staying on top is even more difficult.  Particularly when you lose two teammates within 72 hours of a two-time title defense.  aR had made two previous trips to the Hoppin' Mad Mud Run and walked away with two 5-person team titles in this challenging 10k obstacle course race...well, more like a 5k road race followed by a 5k obstacle course race.  And without a doubt that first roughly 5k on the road has played to our advantage.  Obstacle course competitors, for the most part, aren't necessarily all that keen on fast 5k road races.  But to take home the cash prize you've got to do what you've got to do.  Title defenses are indeed impressive particularly when you bring a different team each year.  This year was no exception.  Bob and Jeremiah would join our 5-person team for the first time (Bob's 2nd HMMR and Jeremiah's 1st).  Rich, Jason, and myself had all returned from 2011.  Actually, both Bob and Jeremiah were very lat minute additions with the late scratches of both Phil Erwin and Ryan Welts who were both injured less than a week before the event.  As in 2011, we were seeded in the "elite" first heat assuring we'd have a clean run at the course.  Again, the first 2.5+ miles were on the road as we worked our way to the back of the event property.  Predictably the field went out fast at the start command.  Almost immediately our group of 5 was mixing it up toward the middle and back of the top 10.  As the first mile progressed however, many of those eager obstacle course racers began to fall back.  I led our team of 5 through the first mile in 5:44ish.  The second mile rolled a little and was a bit slower as we approached the last uphill segment of road before heading onto the farm.  By this time Bob and I were running side by side with Jason, Rich, and Jeremiah in tow.  The first few obstacles were basically the same as before including a handful of high/low hurdles and 5' walls.  When we approached the steep 200 meter uphill/downhill lollipop (covered in a tarp with dish liquid in 2011) we found a pile of tires.  Selecting one we carried it up, around, and down the lollipop.  Jason had effortlessly moved around Bob and I on the walls and we both watched him run up the steep grassy hill with the tire over his shoulder.  I opted for the powerhike also putting a little distance on Bob in what he would later note as my "old man strength".  An important change to the event was how the teams were timed and scored.  This year we would all be independently chip timed with our 5-person average time as our overall team "score".  Without the shackles of dragging us through the course, aR's expert obstacle course warrior Jason Massa ripped through each challenge and actually appeared to get stronger as the race progressed finishing 2nd overall!  Bob and I continued to race side-by-side through mud pits, low crawls, high crawls, agility tires, 45 degree rope assisted ramp climbs, and cargo netting.  Despite a couple of navigation foibles were managed to stay in the Top 10 overall with Bob finishing 5th and me finishing 7th overall in 47:00.  Rich was close behind in 8th and Jeremiah in 13th.  With 4 of our 5 in the Top 10 we easily took the 5-person team title again.  It's very likely we'll be back to defend again...I'm just not sure who it'll be?!

NEXT UP: Pineland Farms 25k Trail Race

Merrimack Rivah Trail Race

Finishing another 'Rivah'.
[Photo courtesy Dave Dunham]

"Despair is most often the offspring of ill-preparedness." -Don William, Jr.

Andover, MASSACHUSETTS -- The winter that never was has given rise to a bountiful spring of opportunity.  Having probably put in more 'longer' quality training units than in the past several winters, the Merrimack Rivah Trail Race was an excellent venue to test my early spring fitness.  Last weekend was my third trip to the "Rivah".  I had PB'd last year by almost two minutes (1:11:15).  Father Time marches on for everyone, but nevertheless my goal was to get in under 1:11:00.  To do that, the plan was to split sub 35:00 and then find a dance partner to bring home.  An absolutely beautiful day greeted us at the start line with temps in the 60's, a light breeze, and full sun.  I lined up 2-3 rows back and waited for the start command.  As predicted when the race started everyone took 7-8 very slow choppy steps forward and then came to an almost complete stop as 25-30 runners attempted to funnel through a very tight opening to the trail network.  I managed to make my way through the mess without hazard but again felt like I had started too far back as I had to pick my through and around some slower competitors to find some clean trail.  As things began to thin out I found Trail Monster Running's Ian Parlin who had gotten off to a great start and was running very strong.  I tucked in behind him and tried to match his pace as he accelerated around slower runners.  Although I wasn't looking for it I happen to catch a quick glimpse of the 1 mile marker and looked down at my watch...6:08.  Drawing on experience, although it was much quicker than my average pace would be at the end I knew that to get to the turn around in under 35:00 the first 5k would need to be very brisk.  I settled in over the next few miles and ran comfortably hard as my pace moderated a little probably in the 6:30's.  In the 72 hours leading up to the race I was very concerned about the state of my legs and my overall fatigue.  I wasn't feeling at all myself and actually considered going to see my PA...but I didn't.  I chalked it up to a couple of really hard training cycles including a month's worth of three days a week of run/ride doubles.  My concerns faded away quickly when I got up to pace and was able to maintain the effort.  Right around 4 miles we popped out to a series of very steep and loose powerline climbs.  I ran all of the ups and cautiously picked my way down the downs hitting the 5 mile split in 34:42.  The first part of the PB mission was a success.  I had placed myself in great position at the half way mark to meet my goal, now all I needed to do was find someone to run with to force me to stay on pace during the last 5k which tend to be my nemesis.  Luckily I had several guys within 2-5 seconds/mile of my target pace who were more than willing partners.  We cruised through the last few 'in' miles maintaining a very strong and consistent pace, albeit slower than our 'out' pace.  With a little over a mile to go my new teammate Gabe Flanders caught the group I was racing with and went around.  He apparently had run a very conservative first half and was saving his legs for the final 5k.  Both he and the guy I was running with began to accelerate away from me leaving me in the dreaded "no mans land".  They were just a little too strong and I was a little too apprehensive to TNT my PB so late in the race so I let them move away as I focused on straying relaxed.  Moments later I spied the overpass and quickly looked at my watch.  As long as I avoided a catastrophic fall I was in position to run under 1:11:00.  Rounding the final turn I accelerated back to the pavement and the finish line in 1:10:33.  My second PB at the event in as many attempts.  The finish was good enough for 20th overall and 6th 40+.  My 'in' split of 35:50 was clearly slower than my 'out' 34:42 but I'm convinced that for me not only was the sub 35:00 'out' the correct tactic by my return split variance (:42) was as good as I've done at this race.  Needless to say I was very, very pleased with the result and encouraged that as poorly as I felt heading into the race that when the lights come on I'm able to rise to the occasion. 

NEXT UP:  Hoppin' Mad Mud Run, Muddy Moose, or perhaps Willowdale MTB Race

WinterWild Championship at Bretton Woods

The finish to a long descent at the WinterWild
Championship at Bretton Woods
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"Champions know that success is inevitable; that there is no such thing as failure, , only feedback.  They know the best way to forecast the future is to create it."  -Michael J. Gelb

Bretton Woods, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Nothing like finishing a lousy winter of snow-related sports with a FANTASTIC championship event!  aR played host to the WinterWild Championship at Bretton Woods this weekend.  Not being a skier many of the WinterWild stops have been first times for me at these mountains and Bretton Woods was another fine example.  The facilities are simply amazing and the mountain absolutely majestic.  Although with a dark and foggy 6:30 AM start there really wasn't anything to see when we got started.  My teammates Rich Lavers and Danny Ferreira expertly pulled off a terrific event in their RDing debut's.  As I've mentioned in other WinterWild recaps, these events have been a tremendous amount of fun and I'm already looking forward to more of them next winter.  Of course the great thing about these races is that even if Mother Nature doesn't blanket us with enough snow to snowshoe on...she keeps it cold enough for the ski areas to make snow.  Having missed a race two weeks ago (Mt. Sunapee) there was no chance of catching masters leader Mark Hecox for the series title so my focus turned to giving one more quality effort this winter and ride the good vibe right into spring trail racing.  But a week before the race I learned that my mountain running arch nemesis, Paul Kirsch, would be making his WinterWild debut.  As a fellow masters runner, Paul is best known for his mountain prowess.  Living in the NoCo gives him easy access to big tough trails and his mountain racing times reflect his training and his experience.  It's fair to say that I measure my fitness and training with head to head performances against Paul.  To stay close to him in a mountain race is a huge victory...to beat him is the ultimate confirmation that my mountain/hill-specific training is dead on.  I helped with registration so didn't have a moment to warm-up so when Rich announced the start had been pushed back to 6:30 AM I was thrilled.  Paul and I chatted briefly before the race and he did his best to lower expectations.  The way I saw it, despite the fact that he hadn't raced since last June didn't diminish his toughness and experience with mountain races.  With a final course modification announcement (we'd miss the two peaks due to poor snow coverage and the course would be shorter) the race got off under misty darkness.  I had turned my Petzl Tikka Plus2 on just before the race but within 10 minutes of the start the sunrise began to lighten the shadows and the course became easier to follow.  Assuming the field would be strong I took off hard right from the start.  Climbing is the stronger aspect of my mountain racing so I pushed hard on the initial series of ups.  The over OPEN leaders, Kevin Tilton and Andy Greene, along with several elite Nordic guys gapped the field within minutes.  Mark, appearing stronger than ever, never let me get anywhere close and hammered out a secure 3rd overall (1st masters) spot over the first half of the race.  I settled into the 5th overall place (2nd masters) during the first 800+ feet of climbing.  Peeking back a couple of times I didn't see Paul but knew that as tough as he is on the ups, he's just as fierce on the downs which is the weaker part of my game.  Just before we took the final turn back down the mountain the younger guy I was racing stopped to re-adjust his MircoSpikes and I moved into 4th overall OPEN (still 2nd masters).  As I took the turn for the long descent of Sawyer's Swoop I noticed that I had several pursuers but couldn't make out exactly who they were.  Almost immediately as I began to descend the younger guy bombed past me with his MicroSpike back in place...5th place.  Half way down the run I felt like I was going hard relaxing and letting gravity pull me to the bottom.  The footstrikes were soft and at times I felt like I left a 4-6 inch divot.  Then I began to hear the pounding of footsteps and the paced breathing of more than one runner.  Whoooosh.  Two more guys passed me...7th place now (? masters).  I watched in amazement as they hurdled effortlessly down the mountain.  By this time I needed the race to be over before I fell out of the Top 10 all together.  When I could see the finish I peeked back one more time just to make sure I wouldn't be edged at the line again (see Pat's Peak).  Without anyone in sight I strided to finish in 32:29 good enough for 12 place overall, 7th place OPEN, and 4th master.  Of course it bothers me to give up a Top 5 finish and a masters podium but it strengthens my resolve to train as hard if not harder on my descending technique this spring and summer.  My good friend Paul finished just behind me.  He was right...training fitness isn't the same thing as racing fitness.  I expect to see him again soon and there's a pretty good bet I won't be looking down at him in the results. 

PS.  My winter racing and training is now wrapped and other than the disappointing snowshoe racing season I feel really good about my performances.  When we did race on snowshoes I think I put in solid performances.  The competition wasn't as tight this winter because of the snow.  I missed racing against the likes of Steve Wolfe, Sean Snow, and David Principe.  But I more than made up for those absences by trying to stay close to Mark Hecox in the WinterWild series.  I'm probably not as fit and definitely not as light & lean as this time last year but I'm healthy and I'm ready to start racing on trails and mountains really, really soon.

NEXT UP:  A well earned transition then the Merrimack Rivah Trail Race (MA)