Looking back - 2016

 10 years ago: I mixed it up a bit this month (May 2016) with two road races and two mountain races.  I started the month 05/01/16 at the Cool Kids 5k in Billerica.  The race was about a mile away from my parent’s house so I was very familiar with the roads.  It wouldn’t really help as I was all alone in second place right from the gun running a 17:51, nearly 2 minutes behind Pat Fullerton (15:55).  Only 55 turned up for the race but another hundred did the walk (including my folks). Two weeks later I headed to Sleepy Hollow (Huntington VT) for the great little mountain race over the XC ski terrain. I climbed well but didn’t feel great on the descents. I ended up 15 seconds behind Jeff Walker (Dirigo) for the top 50+ spot in 23^rd place overall. The 50+ field was very strong with the top five all within 45 seconds.  Two weeks later I closed out the month with two short races. On Saturday (05/28/16) it was a hot 84 degrees for the Wachusett mountain race.  I chose to just do the 2.85 mile climb. I ended up 13^th overall and a scant four seconds behind Erik Vandendries who won the 50+ (21:53).  Again, the 50+ was hard fought with the top 7 all within 33 seconds. The next day I headed to Manchester NH for the Fisher Cats 3k.  It turned out to be a very short 3k (1.75 miles). This was a unique race as it started in the outfield of the Delta Dental Stadium and finished at home plate. Over 200 took part and two young kids took it out hard. I moved into first place at ¾ mile and put 30 seconds on second place (Dave Audet) by the finish, winning in 9:54. My prize was a luxury suite for a game, and I got to go out during the game for the awards ceremony where I got a signed baseball.

Looking back - 2011

 15 years ago: May of 2011 was a very productive month with four races and my highest mileage in over 3 years, I even managed a few track workouts.  On May 1 I headed inside Route 128 for the USATF NE 10km championships (James Joyce Ramble).  Although CMS fielded a large team, we only managed to gather four masters (40+) and as such did not have a scoring team.  I tried to key off teammate Dan Verrington (who buried me) and other CMS runners including Jim Pawlicki who passed me at 5 miles and put 10 seconds on me in that final mile.  My goal was 34:30 and I managed to come in 2 seconds under that and placed 15^th in the 40-49 age group. I ran the entire race with my right shoe untied.

CMS 40+

37      6/342  M4049    33:39  5:25   33:41 Greg Putnam      1 M  1852 Wakefield MA  CMS

51      12/342 M4049   34:15  5:31   34:18 Dan Verrington   48 M  1848 Bradford MA  CMS

56      15/342 M4049   34:28  5:33   34:28 Dave Dunham     47 M  1850 Bradford MA    CMS

64      18/342 M4049   34:54  5:37   34:54 George Adams    40 M 11000                     CMS

 

Next up was the USATF NE 6km (3.72 miles, an unusual distance). I‘d picked up a nasty cough and just was not “feeling it” on the quickly warming morning. Dan Verrington got out unusually fast, but I could see some of the other guys I was keying off of and felt I was going at about the right pace. I hit the mile in 5:18 which was a few seconds slower than hoped for.  At the top of the climb (about 1.6 miles) I caught Dan and Mark Reeder went by at the same time.  I hit 2 miles in 10:45 (5:27). We hit three in 16:16 (5:31?). Mark gradually pulled ahead and I tried to stay with Mike Quintal. I crossed the line in 20:17 and was totally spent.  I got back out onto the course to watch mom come in strong setting a PR.

CMS 40+

15 4/106 M4049      19:39 5:17 Tim Van Orden 43 M 672 Bennington VT          CMS

25 7/106 M4049      19:57 5:21 Greg Putnam    41 M 629 Wakefield MA          CMS

33 9/106 M4049      20:17 5:27 Dave Dunham  47 M 616 Bradford MA          CMS

38 11/106 M4049    20:28 5:30 Dan Verrington 48 M 632 Bradford MA          CMS

42 12/106 M4049    20:33 5:31 Rod Viens                  43 M 228 Grantham NH          CMS

43 13/106 M4049    20:37 5:32 Joe Shairs                  42 M 630 Peabody MA          CMS

55 19/106 M4049    20:54 5:37 Scott Clark       45 M 316 Gilmanton NH          CMS

88 30/106 M4049    22:09 5:57 David Quintal   47 M 662 Salem NH           CMS

96 33/106 M4049    22:28 6:02 John Pajer                 48 M 430 Leicester MA          CMS 

 

On to Northfield Mountain! This year I directed my final spring race at Northfield after a decade of snowshoe and trail races. I headed out on Friday and put out the mile/course markers and was joined by Tim Mahoney and Paul Bazanchuk. On race day I felt sluggish but not too bad as I got out in around 20^th place when we reached the gate.  I ended up running a fair amount with Tim Mahoney, Tom Brown, and Ross Krause. I moved into 12^th place as we started the downhill. I lost some ground on the long down and I had to settle for 14^th place and 3^rd in the 40+.

 

1 36:27 Eric MacKnight      22m    KS College

2 36:42 Mark Miller           30m    BAA

3 36:53 Jim Johnson                    33m    CMS

40+

8 37:57 Tim Van Orden      43m    CMS

9 38:45 Todd Callaghan     41m    GCS

14 39:24 Dave Dunham     47m    CMS

16 40:21 George Adams    41m    CMS

17 40:33 Joe Shairs           43m    CMS

The final weekend of the month I headed up to Plymouth NH for the Pemi Youth 5km race. Only 75 showed up for this race that had cash for the top 3 and plenty of food and drink after the race. We took off and 100m into the race I was in fourth place and alone as the top three flew and I established my position as the first person who wouldn't win any cash. I would have liked to run in the 16:40's but with the higher mileage I’m probably not as rested as I need to be. Still no complaints breaking 17 minutes.

 

1   1/4       M2024 15:09   4:53 David Chorney         23 M   64 Bristol NH

2   2/4       M2024   15:25   4:58 Joshua Kearns       23 M   54 Ridgefield CT

3   3/4       M2024   16:23   5:17 Andrew Chalmers  21 M   46 Ashland NH

4   1/6       M4549   16:53   5:26 Dave Dunham       47 M   60 Bradford MA

5   1/4       M5559   18:03   5:49 Charlie Gunn         56 M   69 Henniker NH

Looking back 2006

 20 years ago: I mixed it up on the trails and mountain during May 2006. I was competing in a trail series along with the start of the mountain series, so there was plenty of fun stuff.  I started the month (05/07/06) with a return to 7-Sisters. A very tough trail race that I had last attempted in 1991. My goal was to not get hurt, which is not an easy goal to meet on this super-technical 12 miles traversing the Holyoke range (and then coming back). I managed to make it through pretty much undamaged taking 17^th place in 2:07:01. 

1 Paul Low              M32    1:42:06

2 Leigh Schmitt       M33    1:48:15

3 Dmitry Drozdov    M34    1:50:19

4 Ben Nephew                   M30    1:52:03

5 Matthew Estes      M32    1:52:08

7 Paul Young           M40    1:58:06

16 Dan Verrington   M43    2:06:57

17 Dave Dunham     M42    2:07:00

25 Kelli Lusk (1^st F)  F36     2:15:41

 

The next week (05/13/06) I headed to the uphill road race in Lake George NY.  This 5.67 mile road course climbed Prospect mountain. I lost 30 seconds to the leader on the first flat mile and stayed 30 seconds back the entire way to take 2^nd place in 39:09. 

1 Matt Mallet           M30    38:38

2 Dave Dunham      M42    39:09

3 Pat Hamel            M32    39:38

 

A week later Dan Verrington and I headed to Saratoga NY for the Mudslinger 5 mile trail race.  I was in 2^nd from 1.5 miles on with Dan about 5 seconds ahead.  I missed a turn in the last mile and lost over a minute and barely outsprinted some guy for 2^nd place in 30:47. The final weekend (05/27 & 05/28/06) had me doubling up with Wachusett mountain on Saturday.  I took fourth place in 28:01 but really should have been 8^th place as four of the top guys somehow managed to go off the very well marked course. The next day I finished in 10^th place (2^nd master) at the Trav’s trail run in 16:50 over the 3 miles of cross-country racing.

Looking back - 2001

 25 years ago: May of 2001 saw me on the mountains roads and cross-country as I prepared for the “big” race up Mt Washington.  I started the month (05/05/01) on a shortened version of the Mt Kearsarge hill climb.  The race was cut to 5m due to unsafe road conditions on the mountain.  Basically, it became a tough 5 mile run. The following week (05/12/01) I directed a race at Windblown Ski area in New Ipswich NH.  The race was a qualifier for the US Mountain running team and I devised a course that I could do well on (steep climbs and long gentle donwhills). Eric Morse was out in front alone after one loop but somehow got lost on the second loop. Dan Verrington and I tied, thinking we had the second and third spots and were surprised to find that we tied for the win.

1 Dan Verrington     41:08

2 Dave Dunham      41:08

3 Mike Casner         42:21

1F Nikki Kimball       47:51

2F Suzie West          50:27 

The following week (05/19/01) we shifted gears again, this time running the USATF NE 12km championships in Bedford NH. David Hinga stopped at two different times during the race but was still somehow able to win.  I finished in third place (37:44). During the final weekend of the month, I ran two races.  The first (05/26/01) was a second place finish at Wachusett Mountain. Morse beat me by over 30 seconds.  The next day I ran a fast 15:18 at the Trav’s trail race.  It was only fast enough for second place as I lost the lead and the win in the last ½ mile uphill.

Looking back - 1996

 30 Years ago: I had a busy month with a couple of road races and some mountain racing.  I started the month (05/05/96) in Worcester at the CMHC 10 mile.  It was a bit warm (65) and windy (10-20 mph) for the field of about 500.  Scott Bagley took it out hard in the first mile and was uncatchable, winning in 50:29. I took second ($1,500) in 50:39 with Eric Morse third in 50:49. 

Bagley, Gardner, Me, Morse, Casner (with Fram tucked in to my left)

 

The next week I was off to the very first USATF NE mountain series race (05/11/96) at Kearsarge Mountain (Warner, NH).  Dan Verrington and I ran together through the tough first 5 miles in drizzle and fog and then I broke away on the mountain proper to take the win and set the course record in 51:23. Dan took second in 52:26. Next up (05/19/96) was the USATF NE 8km championships at Agawam (MA).  I felt lousy in part due to the 85 degrees and humid conditions.  I hung around with the lead pack through 2 miles but couldn’t hang on as Bagley took the win in 24:12, I placed 4^th in 24:23. CMS took the top 6 places and put 7 in the top 9. I doubled up on the next weekend picking up $300 for second place at the Saucony Peabody 4.5 mile on Friday night (22:31) and then setting a course record (24:31) at Wachusett mountain the following morning (05/25/96) teammates Mike Casner (25:35) and Richard Bolt (25:40) filled out the podium and Bob Hodge was top master in 5^th place (27:32).

 

Riverside 8km – USATF NE Championships 05/19/96

1 Scott Bagley                   24:12

2 Mike Nahom                   24:18

3 Craig Fram           24:23

4 Dave Dunham      24:31

5 Sandu Rebenciuc  24:39

6 Eric Morse            24:45

7 George Yiannelis  24:54 (BRC)

8 Dan Verrington     24:57

9 Ed Sheehan                    25:24 (BAA)

Looking back - May 1991

 35 years ago: I made the most of racing in May of 1991 with only four races, but I covered 45 miles and got two wins in those races.  My first race of the month (05/05/91) was the NEAC (now USATF NE) 10 mile championship in Worcester.  Scott Bagley seemed to have the race in hand at 8 miles, at just after 9 Dennis Simoniatis and I went by and took Dennis in a sprint with both of us timed at 49:36 (one of those rare days when everything comes together.  

A week later (05/12/91) on a hot and humid day I won the Lawrence Eagle Tribune 10 mile in 54:28. Teammate Dave LaPierre was second in 57+. The next weekend (05/19/91) I hit the trails taking on the Soapstone Mountain.  I took the lead at the start and promptly led the top 25 people off course at the top of the mountain. We had to plow through the rest of the field on the descent, and I finally got back into the lead after a few miles. I ended up losing the race by a couple of ticks over Brit Andy Moffat.  

1 Andy Moffatt 1:28:32 2 Dave Dunham 1:28:34 5 Stephen Peterson 1:32:52 20 Scott Spence 1:42:05

 

I finished off the month (05/26/91) with a trip out to the US 20km championships in Wheeling WV.  It was a brutal day with temps in the 80’s and 90% humidity.  Times were slow (winning time was 1:03:07).  I ended up finishing 3^rd U.S. with a 1:05:31 (8^th place overall) this is my best finish in a road U.S. championship.

Looking back - April 1981

 45 years ago: I was busy back in May of 1981, racing seven times over the course of the month.  I kicked off the month (05/03/81) with a rare road race.  I’m not sure why I chose to do this, especially with it being the day before a dual meet against Methuen. I ran 24:38 to take second place at the Dunster Street race in Cambridge (won by BAA’s Brian Pickell in 24:04). The next day I won the 2 mile in the dual meet (10:04) and ran the 4x400 relay (55.6). The next weekend (05/09/81) I traveled to White Plains NY for the Loucks Games where I took third in the 3200m (metric 2m) in 9:24.8. The pace was very unusual for me with a big negative split (2^nd mile faster than the first) running 4:48 and finishing in 4:36.  A week later (05/16/81) I was victorious at the Northern Area Championships running 9:26.9, with nearly opposite splits of the week before (4:38/4:48).  I got sick in the closing weeks of the month and ran a disappointing 9:45 at the Sate Class meet (fourth place) and a 4:31 (2^nd place) at the MVC league meet to close out my High School junior year of track.