End of the Beginning: Worcester and Gloucester (9/21 - 9/22/19)

Living Root representing strong at Worcester-
Red, Blue and Purple boats

"Now this is not the End.  It is not even the beginning of the End.  But it is, perhaps, the End of the Beginning."

~ Winston Churchill

In the Autumn of 1942, British and American troops drove back Rommel in North Africa.  At the Battle of El Alamein, the Allies secured the North African coast and Hitler was finally faced with a force between the combined American and British/Commonwealth equal to his.  The Allied forces could threaten fortress Europe from Britain, the Soviet Union and - what Churchill word term the "Soft Underbelly" - the Mediterranean front of Greece and Italy.

Like the Allied forces 77 years ago, I too reached the End of the Beginning this weekend.  (However, there was far less global survival on the line.)

Urvi, Ryan, Amie and I rolling into the Semis at Lone Gull
photo by: Erin Morin

Saturday
Race: Worcester Dragon Boat Festival
Location: Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester
Distance: 200 m
Times: Heat 1 - 52.5"; Heat 2 - 49.9"

Sunday
Race: Lone Gull 10k
Location: Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester
Distance: 10k
Time: 46:01

Purple Boat heading out to the Start Line
photo by: Mark Estrada

Sit Ready!
There's a lot of commotion to get to the start line. Everyone has to pile into the boat in an exact spot.  We have to go out on unfamiliar water and the captain has to steer us around unfamiliar buoys.  (Before Heat 1, Dave had to yell, "whoa, right side watch out" as a small green bobber we didn't see before slapped around against the boat.) There's turning around; there's other dragon boats with unfamiliar people milling about as they get to their start line.

But as you get to the start line and everyone is nearly lined up, there is moment of peace.  The paddle is buried into the water. The starter isn't yelling; no one is joking around in the boat.  It's peaceful and calm.

On Saturday at the start of race 2, we sat there in silence.  In the 3 and a half months, this was really the metaphysical definition; I was ready. Since back in June was when I first picked up a dragon boat paddle again, from 11 years earlier. I talked to Fed about getting into racing.  He probably knew I wasn't the slightest bit ready for it.  Instead, he told me to look at Worcester at the end of the season. So I did, I imagined my training arc from that moment until that quiet moment on Quinsigamond. (Just in case non New Englanders don't have enough problem with Old English names of towns, e.g. Worcester and Gloucester, we decide for lakes to take the Nipmuck names; at least it wasn't being held at Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.)

Then we were messing with Lester while he was trying to order BBQ
photo by: Mark Estrada

On Sunday, I stood on the backside of Good Harbor Beach "ready."  It was almost year since the Chicago Marathon and many months ago, I thought this would be the great "comeback" when I was finally healthy and finally ready to race for "real."  By two weeks ago at Salem, I had long since realized this was NOT going to be true. But here I was at a USATF Grand Prix race with many members of SRR and was a possible scorer for our men's masters team.


GO!!
For a moment, I'd like to hop into Mr. Peabody's WABAC Machine. January 3, 2019.  It was probably the beginning of one of the worst months of my life.  I got laid off and then tried to run 3 miles on the treadmill.  My knee hurt for a week and then I found out my thesis topic wasn't accepted.  Awful awful month.

Early on at Lone Gull, Dennis and I merged into one person: Jennis
I assume this picture is actually from Tim Morin since Erin was running (maybe it was Keagan?)

I recovered from that month well enough to pick up running again in March.  Several one mile runs on treadmills and indoor tracks eventually became 45 miles in April and 57 miles in May.

By June, I was done with my masters (new thesis topic and all) and itching to get out there.  I also knew that running right into the knee would cause problems.  So I kept my slow build of miles going (95 miles including a few attempts at fast ones).

However, this was not going to be enough.  That's when I returned to dragon boating.  I surprised Dave wearing an old school Living Root shirt to the Boston Dragon Boat Festival.  Talking with him and Mark, I got myself invited to the next Thursday practice.  Paired with Jeff on the boat I tried to remember everything I could from before (which was very little).  But for the next month, I tried to get to every practice and weight workout I could.

Thus on Saturday for the second heat, our blades were buried in the water.  I had Julien's back-up paddle instead of the t-ball bat sized ones that the festival had (below).  The air horn went off, Dave gave a yell and On banged the drum.  We paddled away.

Pablo!
photo by Mark Estrada

Power!
We got an amazing jump on the go.  There was a confidence (which Dave & Matt had both attempted to install* instill in us during the previous 2 weeks), and a pure power.  It felt like we knew what we were doing.  I noticed that I was reaching (and rotating a bit) without having to tell myself to do so. The leg drive from the nubs beneath the seats were driving my paddle harder and faster.  (Thanks to Alfonso for teaching me to leg drive from there instead of the side of the gunwale nubs).

In July and August, I dove into training.  I ran over 100 miles each month and paddled nearly 40 each time. Slowly, I watched myself move from a newbie in dragon boat and in recovery in running into a regular paddler and almost "normal" runner.

While there were constant reminders of how far I had come, there were equally constant remiders of how far I had to go.  On the roads and tracks, I would see the effort required to put in what previously wasn't a real fast pace.  On the water, the reminders were largely from the mouth of Mark Yuen to correct my form that could be described as "atrocious" at best.

Purple Boat racing the second heat
photo by Mark Estrada

On Sunday, I was determined to put what I could in.  But I remembered the failures of being too overconfident from Salem two weeks ago.  So the game plan was simple.  Start towards the middle, get over the first steepish hill and down the water to mile 2 before thinking about plans.  At mile 2, I readjusted.  I had put in two decent miles - 7:17 and 7:17.  And unlike two weeks ago I wasn't totally gassed yet.  Carrie-Anne in her all-black singlet and shorts was right ahead of me as we headed into the hilly neighborhood part of the race.  I put two more goals here: catch up to C-A in the next mile; run no 8 minute snowman miles.

I reached the first goal right at the 5k.  "I'm going to settle in behind you for a second,"  I said.  "Ok," she said, "I'll block the wind."  (A little tall guy and short girl joking here.)

Urvi, early on in the race
photo by once again Tim or Keagen

Settle!
I actually didn't settle in too long.  Within a minute or so, I pushed ahead.  I worried that I might be going too fast here.  I didn't want to crush myself early and get to the 5th mile and just have to reset with an 8 something mile.  So I just kept telling myself "no snowmen; no 8s." If I have to run a 7:59 that's fine.  But, I'm going to keep this up.

At the beginning of August, the dragon boat calendar started to get real.  I wasn't the new guy just trying it out anymore.  And we had two erg time trials at the beginning of the month.  Each of these were to be 2:15 and as far as you can go.  (One assumes there is some sort of 500m bench mark for men - but I could be wrong).  Needless to say I was still new to this.  First one was 432m and the second one was 438m.  I guess, on the plus side one can only go up from here.

Worcester also so the Living Root Dragon Boat's Dip Off!
Renen's Mexican refried bean** dip with delayed jalapeno won

The end of August brought me to my first race: Lowell.  While I was not on the boat that flipped, I was able to enjoy the whole day.  (Or maybe BECAUSE I was not on the boat that flipped...).  It also got my competition juices flowing again.  By the beginning of September, both the Pawtucket Dragon Boat Race and the Salem Road Race were on my target.  Neither of these went as well as I wanted them to.  But, they were nice bench marks and reminders that I was getting better and healthier.

Purple Boat's Second Race

video by Dave Parker

Saturday, our first heat didn't go as well as any of us wanted.  We didn't get off the line as well.  And the three other boats slowly pulled away from us.  We might have held the line for a while through the finish area.  But in the end, we finished 2.5 - 3 seconds behind.

But in the second race, after our massive start, we were hanging with the other boats in our heat.  We started the power and I saw through the periphery that we were pulling up on the team on the right.

Finish!
First there wasn't a settle and then Dave didn't even wait for us to complete the power.  He just shifted from "Get Some!" to yelling FINISH!

Sunday was much the same for me.  While I ran along the estuaries of the last mile trying to retain the last bit of cold water Tinger had flung upon me, I just pushed at slightly faster than I think I could have before the Finish sprint.

Andy and Ruth got shots of us on the finishing stretch on Saturday
Erin, Deb, Liz, me, C-A, Dennis, Mark, Gonzalez Victor and Urvi

Saturday the Finish command just propelled us faster.  The last 100m we just put everything in.  I put 3.5 months of training, 15 months of anger about my knee, 10 months of anger about my thesis into Julien's paddle and - in Fed's word's - "attacked the water with anger" while maintaining form and timing.

Sunday, I passed the 6 mile mark in the parking lot and then Paulo and Patrick who were sitting up against the dunes.  I realized there was less time in the 10k left than the entire 200m on Saturday. So I let everything out. I just heard Dave, still from Saturday, in my head yelling "FINISH! GET SOME! FINISH!"

Between the heats, many of us look for skipping rocks

Let it Ride!
Across the finish, I was totally spent.  On Saturday it was after breaking 50 seconds: 2.5 seconds faster than the morning heat.  On Sunday it was just over 46 minutes: 1 and a half minutes faster than Salem.

Both times I couldn't just stop.  On Saturday we needed to go into Hold Water - hard - unless we crashed into the other boat that angled into our lane after the finish.  On Sunday I needed to avoid vomiting and find shade.

The End of the Beginning.

And, thus, the Summer ends.  Purple Boat didn't make the final race.  But Saturday, Living Root Blue WON the Finals for the Worcester Championship! And on Sunday I scored for the SRR men's master team.

But for dragon boating or for running, it isn't the end or even the beginning of the end of my comeback.  Instead, it's only the End of the Beginning.

Living Root Blue Boat - Champs

Watch out for me at:
- Fenway Spartan in November
- Martha's Vineyard 20 miler in February
- Boston Dragon Boat Festival in June

Zicke Zacke Zicke Zacke....
We finished Sunday with some festbier and some of the worst wurst (true, not just a pun) at Notch

* - We're not computers but install did sorta work. But really I meant "instill."
** - Renen claims there are no beans in this dip.  While I'll take him at his word intellectually, my tongue doesn't have the same brain cells.

For the Want of A Chip Time: Mark Duggan's New Bedford Half Marathon (3/20/16)

Pedals and Paddles Worldwide presents its first guest blogger.  While Global Cyclist was running his half marathon in NYC, Mark Duggan ~ with a goal of running at least a half marathon every month in 2016 ~ joined most of the rest of the Somerville Road Runners for the annual trip to New Bedford Half Marathon. His story is below:

We couldn't find any pics of Mark from the race, so here are two bananas who ran
photo by Paul Hammond

Those of you who pay attention these things will notice that my finishing time at New Bedford today was 1:57:59 (1).

This was not the spectacular implosion it appears, at least not from a running perspective.

The morning started with John and Ellie being extremely punctual and arriving at 8:30 for a lift to New Bedford. Darren was a bit tardy and arrived at 8:43. I started the car and drove around to Starbucks on Mass Ave where I grabbed a 'quick' coffee. By the time I returned to the car John had gone back to his house to check they hadn't left the oven on (2). John got back around 8:55, and while that was later than I wanted to leave I was still pretty happy we'd get there in reasonable time. 

Then I tried to start the car. No dice. Battery was flat. 

Ran up to the garage on Mass Ave to see if they had a jumper pack. Nope

How the editor imagines the scene (notice the right hand drive that I'm sure Mark's car has)

Ran back to the car. Alarm was going off because I'd locked it out of habit as I ran away from it, and Darren and Ellie were still inside. Next tried to sign up for Zipcar as they have a Zipcar at the garage. Looking good until I found out despite all their "app" goodness, they still want a physical card to unlock the car. We're rapidly running out of ideas but John and Ellie suggest we use one of the traditional car rental places in Harvard Square. We check that Thrifty have availability and we start to run towards there. By the time we get the car it's now 9:55-ish, and I know we're really tight on time.

We jump in and once we hit the highway, I'm basically doing 80 (3) in a Nissan Versa all the way to New Bedford. We are in the right vicinity at around 10:50 and I think we're going to make it or be kinda close, but then I fuck up and take a right to early and need to double back. At that point once I see the first parking lot I pull in and we ditch. 

Unfortunately, this is nearly 2 miles from the Y so we have to book it over there and by the time we grab bibs and all that we're back to the start line for around 11:30 (Darren and I started at 11:28:42 precisely). Of course, my watch decides to crash and takes inordinately long to find a satellite. Word to the wise, the Garmin 620 won't start recording until it has a GPS signal, which took about .12 miles. 

The race organisers let us start but we were lucky. The roads were already open and that first 3 miles is not a place you really want to be running without those roads being closed. 

Anyway, at this point I've thrown all race strategy out the window and I'm just running hard. I reckoned that I'll just go and if I die at mile 10, it'd just be fitting. I catch the walkers at the back after about 3 miles before that really nasty hill, and when I crest the hill and turn left I'm not long before I catch the cars at end of the race. I know I have a lot of downhill now, so I'm settling in for passing folks for the rest of the race. 

There was a headwind from the very beginning so I knew once we hit the water it was going to be tough. Mile 7 gave me a taste of it but Mile 9/10 was rough but I knew I was still on target to break 1:30:00 so I kept at it. At this point I'm passing a lot of runners. Two guys shouted at me "Are you on your second lap?" and another said "How are you just passing us now?". I shouted over my shoulder "Well I started a half an hour late" 

Once I got out of the wind in that stretch between 10+ and before the hill at 12, I was feeling pretty good and reckoned that even if I ran 8 min/miles for the rest I was going to go under 1:30. But I kept it going and as that bastard hill loomed, I was able to run 7 min-ish up it and once I managed to get to the top without vomiting I just kicked home for a Gun Time of 1:57:59. 

I got back to the Y and waiting for my chip time, which unfortunately never came. I asked the guys from Yankee timing and he told me they turned off the mat at the start after around 5 minutes or so.

Between various calculations from Darren's watch and also presuming the race went off pretty promptly at 11:00:00, I reckon I did a 1:28:41; which I'll take as an unofficial PR and something to aim for in Berlin in two weeks.

After leaving the Y and because we'd not really paid close attention to where we were parked and none of us had phones, and basically I'd had a quick look on Victor's phone to get an idea of where we needed to go; we obviously got off track and ended up needing to ask a police officer how to get to where we were going.

He kindly gave us a lift, so we ended our adventure in the back seat of a cop car in New Bedford, warning us we were in a pretty dodgy area crime-wise (4).

We made it back to Cambridge in time to return the rental, and I continued the saga by getting my car towed to AutoZone so I could get a new battery...

There are easier ways to PR that's for sure...

I want to thank Mark Duggan for this recap.  For Berlin, here's a map of the U Bahn and "Viel Glück."  

And if anyone else has a race or outdoor trip they want to tell through Pedals and Paddles just email me, we can make it happen!

Notes:

(1) - Of course we noticed while sitting in our friends co-op on the UES trolling thru New Bedford results... No really we did ~ editor

(2) - Important question here: What breakfast did they make that required the oven?  That seems ambitious the morning of a Half Marathon ~ editor

(3) - We assume this is mph despite the Irish author's penchant for occasionally using metric in situations Americans would never understand him ~ editor

(4) - As opposed to those "non dodgy areas" of New Bedford? ~ editor

Seventh Time's a Charm: An Ras Mor (3/6/16)

2005 An Ras Mor running with Jason and behind Johnny O
photo by Jim Rhoades

Race: An Ras Mor
Distance: 5K
Location: Cambridge, MA
Goal Time: 18:00
Actual Time: 18:12 (PR!)

An Ras Mor is a special race for me.  My adult running career can be followed, and in some ways measured, by this race.  2016 marked the seventh time I've run it (plus, I volunteered on the course in 2013 & 2015; this giving my time and not racing also follows the trajectory of my running career).

Once (2004) - A jump start
My first race since high school was the 2004 An Ras Mor.  Peter Ustinov was still alive; the Red Sox hadn't won the World Series and same sex marriage was still illegal in Massachusetts.

I was trying to get back into running and I had run the SRR's Khoury's Thursday Night run a couple of times.  So I figured I'd try a "real race." I ran around 7:30/miles.  It felt okay.

That was going to be my jumping off point for getting myself back into shape...It didn't take.

Twice (2005) - A second jump
Since it didn't take in 2004, I tried again in 2005.  This time I brought my cousin along.  We ran both An Ras Mor and a week later Ras Na hEireann.  Due to construction An Ras Mor was MORE.  It was 3.6 miles this year.  Neither Jason nor I was prepared for that extra half mile, I remember just slowing down as we rounded the UHaul place on Main Street.  But still managed 8:15/miles.

Either way, it would be a good jumping off point to get back into shape...It didn't take.

Finishing the 2005 An Ras Mor
photo by Jim Rhoades

Thrice (2009) - Calm before the Expedition
Trying to get back into shape fell onto the back burner again until 2009.  I registered for An Ras Mor again and EARLY.  This time I was determined to get back into shape.  I think I actually ran for several weeks leading up to it.  Finished with 8:00/miles and then had a great after party.

2009 An Ras Mor - notice I registered so early that I was number 19
(I wonder what happened to that Adidas sweatshirt - I really liked it)
photo by Ted Tyler

Maybe the '09 race would have jumped started me back into shape.  But it was immediately followed by Bikespedition-2009 which did get me back into shape.

Force (2011) - Almost back
By 2011, I was back into shape.  I was now starting to actually "race."  While maybe I wasn't "recreationally competitive" yet, I was competitive with myself.  The 2011 An Ras Mor was the first time I broke 7:00/miles in a road 5k.  And it was the first road 5k faster than 2004(!)  Considering I was probably 250 lbs and two weeks away from my second marathon, I was pretty happy.

Fifce (2012) - A Great Race for a Great Year
While I ran faster at the 2012 Super 5k than I did An Ras Mor, I still broke 20 minutes and had a completely different outlook on racing and running. A series of great races would follow including almost qualifying for Boston and running the Reykjavik Marathon and I was to be SRR's Most Improved Runner.

2012 An Ras Mor (the last time it was Out & Back on Mass Ave)
Photo by Laurie Gagnon

Sixce (2014) - Grand Prix and a Jacket

The 2014 race was the USATF Grand Prix 5k.  My only goal of An Ras Mor was to run all 7 GP races to get the jacket.  My real target in 2014 was the BAA 5K.  

I had convinced Eamonn to run it too.  The weather was awful.  It poured and the only people who showed up were USATF competitors and Eamonn and his fiance (now wife).  There were lots of fast people and I was not in the mood to race.

2014 An Ras Mor (It was a little damp this year)
photo by Tom Cole

Sevence (2016) - Back on Top Again

After having a good (but badly run) Super 5K, I set out with a new strategy for An Ras Mor. 

First, at Super 5K I had started out with the goal of 5:45 for the first mile which became 5:43 and then steadily declined. 

So, the strategy for this was 5:50 for the first mile. Predictably, it was a little faster - 5:48.9. But I was right up with Chris Smith and a girl from Western Mass Distance Project. So, in a world of malleable tactics, I decided to hang with the two of them. We made it past the Harvard Book Store and the sharp turn on Linden to head back onto Mt Auburn. 

I was feeling surprisingly good. And all I had to do was stay with Chris. I figured we'd hit mile 2 and he'd pull away but at the moment I was just hanging onto him and trying to keep the pace. At the turn onto Putnam I was conscious not to jump out ahead (or at least not too far ahead) of Chris. 

As we crossed mile 2 I saw I had actually put in a faster mile (!) 5:47. Now I knew if I could just hang onto a 6 minute mile, I would do pretty well. I moved passed Chris as we crossed River Street. By the left turn onto Brookline and the doldrums of the race, I started to just jump from one person to the other. 

Just keeping my mind on the next person and holding back from sprinting too early. I brought in another sub 6 mile and sprinted in for the finish and a New PR!!!

Now, as I'm a married man, An Ras Mor is back where it's supposed to be - on top!

2016 An Ras Mor
photo by Chris Kluznick (which meant he wasn't racing for my fantasy team, d'oh)

Also on top were several SRRs who had PRs:

Todd & Megan Prokop

Urvi

Tim Morin

TomBWarrior

Tim Blanchard

Nichole Bukowski

Sometimes you eat the B'ar: Manchester City Marathon (11/2/14)

Matt Story and I at mile 11

Race: Manchester City Marathon
Location: Manchester, NH
Goal Time: 3:10:00
Actual Time: 3:35:49

"Sometimes you eat the b'ar...


After the race, we met up at PJ Ryan's for a celebration/lamentation of the marathon.  The guys next to me asked several questions about the marathon etc.  One guy asked how my race went.

I said: "All you really have to know is that, at mile 21, I stopped for a beer."

***

It was the first marathon I've run that I didn't feel good about going into.  About 6 weeks ago doing the Harvard Stairs, I strained my left piriformis.  So since then, I've been taking it much easier than I normally would.  My weekly mileage dropped from 60 to 30 and my cross training dropped to nihil.

This, and the hard crash into tapering, succeeded in repairing the piriformis strain.  Come Sunday, I didn't feel that at all.  I also was probably completely unprepared to run a marathon.  And, I certainly showed it.

***

The secret to running a good marathon is finding the grooves.  Basically I think of the marathon as four parts:

1) Miles 1 - 4.  This is basically the warm up to the rest of the race.  I run slower than my goal pace by about 30-45 seconds.  Other people run more like 15 seconds slower and I know Joe tries about a minute slower but only for 2 miles.  However, you do it, the goal is to find an easy groove where you feel comfortable but aren't running too fast.

2) Miles 5-15.  This is what I think of as the Big Groove.  This is where you easily run that pace that you've been training for.  Your 3-5 months of training trains you well enough so that you can just run without thinking and talk easily with people, etc.

3) Miles 16-23.  This is where I still run the Big Groove pace, but it's more work.  (The better trained you are the longer it takes to get to where it takes more work.  I've run where I don't have to start working until 19 and I've run where I have to start working at 14.)  This is where the miles you've spent on the roads come into play.  Between the weekly miles and the long run miles, your body is prepared to run longer and put in the effort required to run longer at that speed.

4) Last 5k.  This section is one of three things.  It can be a continuation of section 3 and you keep running at the speed and the effort you have been  - or a little more effort - because you haven't tired too much; it can be a point where you feel really good and can run harder; or, it's the worst 3 miles of your life.

***

I executed the first four miles quite well.  While I never found my early pace rhythm, by mile five I was ready to kick into race pace.

Alas, this is where the real problem set in.  I never fell into the Big Groove.  Never did I feel I was running comfortably.  I successfully hit my times (except for the down hill mile 6 - where I was 25 seconds too fast), but I never felt good about.

Somewhere around mile 7, I caught up with Matt Story.  Matt and I are often within seconds of each other in races.  I knew he was going for 3:10 today like I was.  So, I figured maybe I could run with him for a while and find the Big Groove.

Between the winds and the hills, that never happened.  We ran down the awesome Rockingham Rec Trail.  As we came off the trail around mile 11, I knew I was in real trouble.  Holding marathon pace never felt smooth...

***

We hit the half marathon point at 1:36:30.  I told Matt, "feels like I'm going to slow down a bit."  And I did.  But at the 15 mile mark, I thought I would still have a chance to break 3:15.

And that's when the CHUDs came at me.  In the form of one long mile into the wind on an exposed, empty industrial park.  The winds were at 30 mph at this time with gusts close to 40.  sweet.

Somewhere on the road, I quit.  I just bagged it and decided to save myself for better times to come.

***

The last "big hill" is at mile 20.  This slowed me down even more than I had been.  When I got to the top there were two guys - Adam and Joel - at the end of their driveway handing out water.  I asked: "Where's the beer?"

"We got some right here"

And that's how it came to pass that in the middle of a marathon, I stopped and had a Natural Ice...

Photo by Joe O'Leary

***

The next few miles did not get any easier.  And once you've quit, you've quit.  I walked about 200 yards with a guy from GMAA and jogged in the last mile.  Had a beagle get in my way at 25 and a half (had a I cared about time I would have been mad, instead I pet it.)

I ran in, 25 minutes slower than my goal time and 22 slower than my PR.

Alas, only 166 Days until the Boston Marathon.

"...Sometimes the B'ar eats you."

***

Shoutouts -

Joe Lauer and Alison Lackey had massive PRs
Pickle locked up his division win in the Grand Prix
My high school friend Ania's husband Jeremy BQed in terrible weather in New York
Carl finally got to run New York after Sandy
SRR Open Women - Erin, Mariah and Deb took 2nd!

The Triple Lindy Maneuver: Lone Gull 10K (9/14/14)

Homeward Bound
photo by Tom Cole

Race: Lone Gull 10K
Location: Gloucester, MA
Goal Time: 39:28
Actual Time: 39:24 (PR!)

In the Chinese Zodiac, 2014 is the Year of the Horse; in my zodiac it is the Year of the 10K. After James Joyce Ramble in April, BAA in June and Beach to Beacon in August, I wrapped up the Year of the Horse/10K with the Lone Gull 10K.

Like last year, Lone Gull was again the USATF-NE championship.  This means there were lots of FAST people.  It also means there is a cluster at the start line.  One is never quite certain where to line-up.  You don't want to be too far back and end up going out too slow; however, you also don't want to be "that guy" getting in everyone's way.

Over the years, I have learned some things from racing.  One rule is: It's better to go out way too slow than a little bit too fast.  So, while the two T's - Tommy and Tim - pushed their way closer to the front (as they should have), the two M's - Mark & Matt - and I stood our ground halfway to the back.

The first and last mile of the race is along a beautiful Cape Ann stretch of coast that came right off the cover of Yankee Magazine. So while Matt and I played it cool, I was able to look around this beautiful coastline and soak in the fleeting of summer and the whispers of Autumn.

Triple Lindy Maneuver

In the "classic" 80s comedy Back to School, the second lead's foil Chas (played by William Zabkra - Ralph Macchio's foil in The Karate Kid) feign's a leg cramp ("probably menstrual").  This forces the coach to go to his alternate roster and bring Rodney Dangerfield out to attempt the impossible - as surprisingly well known dive - "triple lindy."

Needless to say, Dangerfield performs the outlandish dive, jumping from the 10 meter platform to a diving board then side flipping to another board, slide flipping to a third, back flipping and landing on the same board before completing the dive.  He of course wins the diving meet and leads to a denouement where Dangerfield and his son get their girls and Dangerfield gives the keynote speech at his son and Tony Stark's graduation complete with freeze frame...



The Triple Lindy has led to several unanswered questions...

1.  Why are there so many people at a diving meet?  Especially for a team that is about to set the record for most loses in a year?

2.  Why would the hot girl from Deep Space Nine really break up with Chas for the second lead in the first place?

3.  Did Dangerfield do his own stunts?  It doesn't seem like it could possibly be a stunt double doing the flips.

But I digress...

At a mile and a half I leapt from the 10m platform of starting pace into "race pace."  Mariah was maybe 50 yards ahead of me.  I used her as a marker and set the goal to catch her by mile one.  (Yes, this is the exact plan that failed miserably during the GMAA 15K).  This time however, it worked.  I caught up with Mariah.  We chatted a bit.  I knew soon after the 2 mile mark, there was a stretch to get some speed.  So, as we hit that bit, I hopped onto the next springboard.  This was some guy who just came flying by us.  So, I tailed him for about as long as I could, until I was in reach of Matt Story.  I then set the goal, catch Matt by the 5k mark.  This meant that the guy in the ING shirt was now heading off ahead (but, at a pace I could not have kept).

I caught Matt right at the 3 mile mark.  We had a briefer, less intelligible conversation than Mariah and I had had. I could barely speak.  But, after I had caught my breath and lowered my heartrate a bit, I was ready to attack the 4th (and hardest) mile.  While it was my slowest "race pace" mile, I probably worked the hardest here.  I knew if I could get through this, it would be downhill for a while and I could get ready to assault the end of the race.

Mile 6 was into the wind and slightly uphill.  This is where my newly discovered lessons between "running" and "racing" have come into play.  This pain is temporary, just drive through for another 7 minutes... then  another 6 minutes.  At one point I realized I had less than one kilometer to go. I knew there was just a short hill at the 6 mile mark and I knew it was a good downhill after.

That last K, I didn't battle the wind or the hill or any people.  I just let my effort be as high as I could give and let the race come to me.  The wind disappeared; with a little jump start, the hill evaporated and was made plain. The final 0.2 was a recovery downhill and then a steady building up to a sprint as I chased down one guy from Boston Community Running - my last springboard target. I came across in a personal record - 39:24; and in the movie in my head - FREEZE FRAME.

Shoutouts -

There were tons of PRs

Those I remember:
Mark Duggan
Liz Cooney
Alison Lackey
"Maple Leaf Joe" Lauer
Urvi had a decade PR

The Men's Masters Team took fourth on the day.  My back of the envelope math puts us in fourth overall for the series and with a good showing at the ManCity Marathon, we should be able to lock that up.

"...and ANOTHER thing, Vonnegut, I'm stopping payment on the check!"

Jesse...

Champlain Campaign: GMAA Labor Day 15K (8/31/14)

Seth and I on a tandem
photo by Urvi

Event: GMAA Labor Day 15K
Location: South Burlington, VT
Goal Time: 1:02:30
Actual Time: 1:04:49 (PR!)

Off to the race: Me, Deb, CA and Joe
photo by Urvi

Later when discussing the wind, Joe told me that I shouldn't worry about it and just duck in with other groups and hide in the wind.  Unfortunately this is actually a problem when you are reasonably fast for someone who is 6'3", 215 lbs.  Usually there isn't anyone to hide behind.  So, I had to work even in the easy three miles at the beginning of the race...

The GMAA Labor Day 15K was the fifth race in the USATF-NE Grand Prix this year.  Four hours from Boston, it is about the least convenient race for us on the schedule; Of course it must be annoying for Vermonters to have to go to Eastern Mass and Southern NH all the time so, I'm okay with it.  In fact we decided to make a trip of it.  Deb and I reserved 6 campsites the second the reservations were open back in April.  By Saturday there were 20 people and 11 tents filling up the North Beach Campground.

Four of us jogged from the Campground to South Burlington.  The starting line was about 3/4 of a mile from the High School.  We jogged further to get there. Chris Smith had told me that the end of the race was to run up the hill on Dorset Street to the High School. Oh Boy, I thought.  I never do well with hills at the end of a race especially ones that are that steep!

I had good first 3 miles.  Mark and I managed to stay in control and not go out too fast.

Mark and I right after mile 2
photo by Tom Cole

The fourth mile was the selector for everyone.  It was all up hill; so, it was slow.  This put everyone who was racing into three camps: 1) "That was the tough mile and I did okay, so time to get back to racing"; 2) "Crap I ran that mile too slow, now I have to run really fast"; and, 3) "Well, I'm not having a good race; I'll slow down and save my self for another day." Culla, who was taking the race as a tempo run, enjoyed watching each of these groups.  I fell into camp 1.  But the humidity, made me look like I was in camp 3.  It was sneaky humid, since the temperature was lower than 70.

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

I spent the next 4 miles running slower than I wanted but still putting in the effort I wanted.  I figured, I couldn't do anymore than I could do.  Briefly I had the idea of catching up with Mariah - very briefly.

Seth - hamming it up for Tom

You crest the last tough hill right before the 8 mile mark.  Then you can charge down to the 9 mile mark - saving some energy for the tough uphill on Dorset street.  The last turn was being manned by the impromptu volunteers of SoRad and Karen who had realized they needed to direct people who were getting confused. I hit the 9 mile mark and realized we weren't doing the Dorset Street hill, but a much easier one - YES!  So, I had the double advantage of being prepared for a tough hill AND not running it!  I had plenty of energy to redline it up the hill and into the parking lot for a 1 minute and a half PR.

With 4th in the race, my math puts SRR Masters team right off the podium with two races (Lone Gull 10K and Manchester City Marathon) left.

Scenes from the Weekend

Deb and I setting up Camp Morrow-Mujumdar

Me and Steve Siracha with Hill Farmstead and Heady Topper
photo by Deb

Neil ready to ride away

Shark Tank, Scott, Neil, CA and Urvi

Around the Campfire

Scott and Julie watch as I try out the kayak
photo by Shark Tank

Criterium in downtown Burlington

Brian and Alex off on their romantic cruise of Lake Champlain

Clydesdales Clydesdales and not Category to Run: Ribfest 5 Miler (6/15/14)

Race: Ribfest 5 Miler
Location: Merrimack, NH
Goal Time: 32:30
Actual Time: 33:26

The famous Budweiser Clydesdales are generally housed in two locations: St. Louis and Merrimack, NH. This year's New England 5 Mile Championship - Ribfest 5 Miler - was held on the grounds of the Merrimack Anheuser-Busch Brewery and home of the Clydesdales.  So in the shadow of the giant horses teams from all over New England came to run for, money, bragging rights, beer and ribs.

The start was right next to the Clydesdale stables.  I started near Tim and Bradley (who both were celebrating their first Father's Days).  There was a large crowd for the race - 2500.  Included in the crowd was a 9 or 10 year old who had wormed his way up toward the front and was standing right in front of us. On the gun we started down the road and toward the big hill out of the brewery.  About 20 yards into the race, the 9 year old fell down!  Tim was luckily agile enough to stop without trampling him.   Here's a rule to parents - don't let your 9 year old line up at the front of a fast race...

For the first mile I stayed in check, following my mantra of stay behind Tim and Bradley.  There were a couple of moments where the wind on Daniel Webster Highway were pretty bad and the devil would get into me.  I jumped out in front of Bradley and Tim to break the wind as best I could.  At the mile and a half mark we were done with the climb out.  I looked at my watch so that I would know where on the way back it would be a gentle downhill with the wind at my back.

And... They're off
Photo by Tom Cole

Clydesdales were first bred as draught horses in Scotland (near the River Clyde).  Local Bay mares and black Flemish Stallions were originally bred.  Eventually by 1837, there was a known and named breed of horse coming from that region.  In 1879 an American Clydesdale Association had been founded.  It promoted the breed in the US and Canada.  The ACA produced it's first stud book in 1882.  (Steve, Marc, Seth, Aaron and I will be in the forth coming stud book).

Well away from the brewery and said Clydesdales, Tim, Bradley and I were lurching through the crowds and the wind.  The course takes you down Daniel Webster and then off the course into a nice residential neighborhood at the two mile mark.  Hanging with Bradley for mile two had basically worn me down.  It was like I was a Whig Presidential campaign against Jacksonian democrats - just a steamless locomotive slowing down.  Mile 3 in the shade allowed me to re-catch my breath and halt the decline and maybe move forward back into a good race.

By 1933 the movement for Prohibition had halted and declined.  One of FDR's first actions was to repeal the Volstead Act.  In celebration, August Anheuser Busch, Jr. presented his father with a team of 8 Clydesdales. Since then they are a symbol of Budweiser and the most famous Clydesdales in the world.

Pickle coming into the finish - after a Soccer tourney in North Texas and a red eye outta DFW and a drive from Logan
Photo by Tom Cole

50 years later, Dave McGillivray was the Race Director of a triathlon.  Working with a couple of Bud Light reps, he sponsored a new weight based category.  200 pound guys just can't run with 145 pound runners.  The Bud Light reps gave him a couple stuffed clydesdales as awards, and the rest is history.  The generally 200 lb + weight division in endurance races became known as Clydesdale.  I often compete in this division and if the race is longer than 12K or so do well in it.

Unfortunately for me, a 5 miler is shorter than 12K.  We came back onto Daniel Webster Highway at the 3 mile mark  The decline had ended but the speed hadn't picked back up.  I passed Tim who was now walking up the hill.  I figured if I just got myself up the hill and over the hump at 3.5, I'd be able to coast downhill and down wind and carry my Clydesdale frame into a reasonable if not "good" time.

Joe and Simon (Joe attempting his Fernando Rodney impression)
Photo by Tom Cole

The Ribfest 5 miler didn't have a Clydesdale division.  This is one of my only two complaints about the whole race.  The first being that they ran out of cups at the water stop by the time Urvi came through - nowhere near the back of the race.  It was a hot day.  But, it seems that a race AT the AB Brewery where upon completion you go drink beer and eat BBQ, could stand to have a clydesdale division.  (Maybe they can find some of McGillivray's stuffed Clydesdales laying around as trophies.)

I doubt I would have won the Clydedales... As we crested that hill I had no extra gear to throw myself into. Any hope of a fast last mile were dashed.  I was now just hanging on hoping not to embarrass myself.  (This is a strong drive of mine now on bad days, especially ones where I've passed people early; I usually want to minimize the number of people who say: "You were running too fast, too early.")  Mike Quinn came by me - to my relief, that meant there was a master who still had speed for SRR to complete the bottom of the table. Then Tim passed me for a third time on the day.  (In mile 3 I had slowed and twice I passed him while he walked).  I managed a 33:26, which was definitely not by best.  However, it did beat last year's USATF 5 miler - Carver Cranberry; so I got that going for me.

But, winners, losers; whiners and diners; all got to finish the race by going into the actual Ribfest.  Beer and BBQ is a great way to finish a race.

Carrie Anne leads in Kate and Emerson
Photo by Tom Coles

SRR Shoutouts
Cipriano won his age group
Karen E., Pickle and J Rap all took 2nd in their age groups
Wolfgang took 3rd in his

Teams
Men's Open -11th
Women's Open - 4th
Men's Masters -3rd
Women's Masters -2nd!
Men's Seniors - 3rd
Women's Seniors 4th

The Riot of Spring: An Ras Mor (3/30/14)

#2 shall be first, Larissa en route to her win
Photo by Tom Cole

Race: An Ras Mor
Location: Cambridge, MA
Goal Time: 19:30?
Actual Time: 20:01

I took the right on the turn for home and saw the clock - it was about to flip to 20 minutes.  umph... not good but probably what I deserve. As I finished the race I lamented what could have been but wasn't too unhappy.  An Ras Mor is Somerville Road runners' annual Rite of Spring.  But this year's "spring" and late winter calendar had not set up for me to have a good day.  I have still been recovering from the Masters' Pentathlon / Half Marathon Double and I had blown off running most of the week as I was boycotting temperatures in the teens.  17F (-8C) on March 25!

100 years ago - in May 1913 - Igor Stravinsky premiered his "Rite of Spring."  According to reports of the time and recollections years later, the revolutionary ballet caused a riot - punches thrown, chairs wielded and police hat to be called in - to the ballet.  There is some question as to the validity of all the recollections.  Maybe there was just loud booing and throwing programs?  Maybe noone was arrested?  But, "Riot at the Ballet" sure makes good copy.

Throughout the early 20th Century, "modernity" - the incipient cultural change brought on by second stage Industrial Revolution - had challenged the preconceived notions of the former agrarian culture.  The US had just sent off the Great White Fleet of steel warships and the 1912 election revolved around not progressive vs. conservative but three different levels of Progressivism. In the UK the Labour Party had won 42 seats in the House of Commons and in Russia the beginnings of Bolshevik Revolution was fomenting.

Art kept pace with this revolution in culture.  In a visual analogy, Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" was to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" as Picasso's Cubism was to Monet's Impressionism.  Culture was looking at "modern" society in ways unfathomable even 30 years before.

This year's An Ras Mor was a revolutionary change from previous rites of spring.  I would call the weather before the race abysmal - but then you might think it was nicer than it really was.  Other than the horrid mess of the 2010 tsunami, it could have been the wettest race I've seen (and I stayed on my porch in '10). Additionally, as a USATF championship it drew lots of fast and club runners - but very few recreational joggers.  (My cousin must have blown it off with the rain).

As the gun went off, I charged off.  I hit the first mile right on target - 6:15.  The course then flattened out and that's where I was going to drop another gear and hit it hard.  Instead, I was already in the top gear apparently.  All I could think was: well the next 15 minutes are going to hurt.  Sure enough, in bad cruise control I hobbled and wobbled home.  My only motivation in the last mile was to pass Matt Ridout... BAM!

Fortunately there were no riots or punches thrown and nobody had to call in Officer McGinty...

Some serious running going on here...
Photo by Tom Cole

Shoutouts -
Larissa won the woman's race!
Robert, Justine and Karen E all took age-group prizes
My High School friend Eamonn and his better half fought in from Weymouth for their first road race of the year

SRR Teams -
Men's - 8th Open, 2nd Masters (I was not involved), 1st Seniors!!!
Women's - 3rd Open (rival Millennium took 2nd), 2nd Masters, 4th Seniors