Woodchuck 5k

Next up in the CARS was the Woodchuck “Classic” 5k which was my favorite in the series because it has a choice of a t-shirt or a 16 ounce jug of maple syrup. I always take the maple syrup! The days leading up to the race were not great as I had another migraine and was in a post-migraine funk. I was also dreading the 150’ of downhill in the first ½ mile of the race which my arthritic foot would not appreciate. As this would be my sixth race in the series and you need six to score I knew I’d get through and give it my all. Race day was just about ideal with low humidity and temperatures in the low 60’s. I ran the course for a warm-up and there weren’t even any deerflies out and the dirt road parts were in pretty good shape. Things were looking up.

 

I switched into race flats and headed out for another mile catching up to Darrin for a moment. Over 200 lined up for the mad dash down through the Canterbury Fair. I got on the right side of the line (no timing mat so I wanted to be as close to the start as possible but out of danger) and off we went. I counted at least 30 ahead of me as the steepest grade eased after a quarter mile. I was a bit surprised to hit the half in 2:43 and didn’t lose any places passing the mile in 5:48 (3:05 second half mile). This was as fast as I’d run last year and I was expecting to be about 30-45 seconds slower than last year (based on my other races so far this year). I was passing some early fast starters and as we hit the first tough little hill the lead woman went flying by. I was shocked at how hard she took the 50 foot climb. I dug in and tried to close the gap on a few in front of me. A 6:36 second mile had me still well under my goal pace and even with a shot at breaking 20 minutes. I caught Rob Franger on the tough 70 foot climb (dirt road) from 2.5 to 2.75 miles and we had a good battle. I thought I dropped him but he went back by me on the final downhill to the finish line. I can’t complain, the 20:05 is only 12 seconds slower than I ran last year and my second fastest time for any 5k this year. This course may be the toughest 5k in the series with 213’ of climb. Mike V from Knight Riders met me at the finish with congrats and an ice cold water (thanks Mike!) and I headed up the hill for a short ½ mile warm-down. Then it was off for a much nicer 4 mile warm-down to close out the morning.

 

1        15:39  Cody Symonds        Male   29      Alexandria NH         FLOAT

2        15:53  Hiroshi KawakatsuMale      29      Greenwich CT         

3        16:33  Colton Ham   Male   32      Loudon         NH     

4        16:51  Eli Lemire     Male   20      Weare NH      DELTA DENTAL

5        17:25  Dave Beaudoin        Male   48      Manchester NH        KNIGHT RIDERS

6        17:25  Andrew Tuttle         Male   31      Rochester NH          BASSET HOUNDS

7        17:26  Nicholas Gosling      Male   43      Bristol NH      DELTA DENTAL

8        17:37  Mike Veilleux Male   48      Weare NH      KNIGHT RIDERS

9        18:11  Corey Girard  Male   44      Pembroke NH          KNIGHT RIDERS

10      18:16  James Busi    Male   29      Pembroke NH          FLOAT

11      18:18  Max Acree     Male   34      Manchester NH       

12      18:50  Liam Conery  Male   24      Concord        NH      DELTA DENTAL

13      18:59  Jack Gagne   Male   15      Chester         NH     

14      19:04  Thomas Cook Male   40      Amherst        NH      KNIGHT RIDERS

15      19:13  William Bohlke        Male   47      Kingshill        VI      

16      19:26  C.J. Hiltyq     Male   25      Concord       NH      GRANITE STATE ENDURANCE PROJECT

17      19:36  Maya Brochu Female         21      Bow    NH     

18      19:55  Justin Clark   Male   31      Canterbury NH       

19      20:04  Rob Franger  Male   30      Salem NH      FLOAT

20      20:05  Dave Dunham         Male   62      Bradford        MA      DELTA DENTAL

21      20:20  Matt Russell  Male   27      Concord        NH     

22      20:31  Luke Robichaud       Male   34      Penacook NH

23      20:33  Elliott Morin   Male   13      Goffstown NH         

24      20:38  Benjamin Strauss     Male   55      New Boston NH       OVER THE HILL

25      20:40  Jasmine Syed Female         27      Canterbury NH       

26      20:45  Adam Hoffman        Male   42      Londonderry NH     

27      20:46  Osama Duwaji         Male   36      Rochester NH         

28      20:55  Sarah Burdette        Female         48      Concord        NH          DELTA DENTAL

29      21:11  Emma Bouton         Female         29      Contoocook NH      

30      21:22  David Saarinen        Male   55      Bedford         NH      KNIGHT RIDERS

31      21:27  Caleb Wing   Male   13      Concord        NH     

32      21:36  Bill Tidd                  Male   63      Alton Bay NH BASSET HOUNDS

33      21:38  Charlotte Boyington Female 15     Chester         NH      DELTA DENTAL

34      21:45  Darin Brown  Male   59      Madison        NH      DELTA DENTAL

35      21:50  Sarah Galligan         Female         39      Concord        NH          DELTA DENTAL

36      21:59  Mike Frappier Male   32      Concord        NH     

38      22:02  Richard Clymer        Male   66      Concord        NH      OVER THE HILL

37      22:02  Vincent Perelli         Male   62      Hopkinton NH          GRANITE STATE ENDURANCE PROJECT

39      22:10  Steve McGowan       Male   53      Concord        NH      GRANITE STATE ENDURANCE PROJECT

40      22:20  Taylor Livingstone Male     14      Holderness NH          HOLDERNESS HAWKS

42      22:21  David Hartmann      Male   17      Concord        NH     

41      22:21  Sarah Zarnowski      Female         39      Concord        NH   GRANITE STATE ENDURANCE PROJECT

43      22:23  Scott Williams         Male   41      Concord        NH     

44      22:29  Dave Gagne  Male   54      Chester         NH     

45      22:32  Elizabeth Beeson     Female         54      Holderness NH          HOLDERNESS HAWKS

46      22:52  Justin Davis   Male   38      Concord        NH     

47      22:58  Bruce Dyke   Male   60      Chichester NH         GRANITE STATE ENDURANCE PROJECT

48      23:13  Hannah Clarner       Female         15      Contoocook NH      

49      23:14  Ellison Gregory        Female         15      Contoocook NH      

50      23:21  Michele Busi  Female         28      Pembroke NH          FLOAT

 

Week Ending 07/26/26

 Tough week, with yet another migraine along with getting an eye injection (always stressful). I managed to keep the mileage up and my foot (which hurts quite a bit) isn't any worse. I'll take whatever I can get with some great running weather, a race, some biking, and some yummy dunks. :-)

Week - 86

Month - 315

Year - 2,369

Life - 169,369

Luti 5 mile

 This has truly been an usual year for me as far as racing goes. Already past the halfway mark and I'd only raced five times. Mostly due to a few injuries along the way and just not feeling well. This week I felt a little better getting over the lingering impact of a July 4 migraine. This was the longest post-migraine hangover I'd ever had and I was feeling the impact "full body". I felt good enough this week to do a little test on Monday with 2 x 880 (314 and 304) and recovered well from that. My ankle and foot were still bothering me but maybe not as bad as it had been since mid-May. I got an MRI on Friday and had a good night sleep (for me) leading up to the CARS race #6 - The Bill Luti 5 mile.

I got to the race at 7am and had a few minutes to catch up with Mick, Tom R, Darrin, Ernst, and Tom A (who would be biking the course while his wife raced). I headed out for a 3 mile warm-up checking out the final 1.5 miles of the race. I'd done this race five times and also have run the course a few other times but it is always good to get out there and get a reminder. I was a little surprised when I saw the "6 mile" mark! It was a relief when I saw that they were using it to properly place a directional arrow. The course was still going to be 5 miles.

I quickly changed into race flats and did another mile heading over to the start line. I felt ready to race but my foot was really bothering me. Always something! I got into the second row as there was a lot of space on the start line and people seemed reluctant to go up to the line. Sam and Tommy Wood were right there, so I figured Sam would not be someone to key off on this day. There were a couple of other very young kids near the front, but the course was quite wide so I wasn't concerned about any tripping. 250 of us took off in nearly ideal conditions for late July with cloudy skies and temps in the mid-60s.

My goal was 34 minutes or better and I thought a good race would be 33:30. This was 2 minutes slower than I'd run last year at the USATF 5 mile, but current race results indicated I was that much slower. The course had a very tough hill from 1 - 1.5 miles and also from 3.2 to 3.7 miles. I got a good start and was a bit concerned that I wasn't going fast enough as about 50 were in front of me. At the 1/2 mile I was 317, so right where I wanted to be. I looked ahead and aimed for a couple of the "Knight Rider" team guys. I was already moving up in the field and caught them by the mile (318/635). We worked together on the steady uphill and passed a few despite slowing to 346. I pulled away from the guys and focused on the next group in front of me. A 315 half-mile on the down and flat and the only guy to catch me in the race went by (I'd go back by him in the next mile). Tom A gave me some encouragement as I rolled along. I felt I worked well over this next fast mile (316/307) but didn't really close on anyone. I kept wondering why no one was cutting the tangents. The course is certified, so why would you run one step further than needed? I caught 3 guys on the climb from 3.2 to 3.7 and was happy to finally see the four mile mark knowing the last mile was mostly flat. The 4th mile was split in 327 and 321. I knew I'd have a shot at my stretch goal with a strong finish. I was still focused ahead and working on catching whoever was in front of me. The last little bump with a half mile to go hurt (split 312) but I kept it together and finished with a final 314 split crossing the line in 33:26.

I got some water and watched a few friends finishing before heading out for a mile warm-down with Darrin and followed that with a pleasant 4 more miles to close out the day.

July 2021

 5 years ago – July 2021

I headed up to Vermont for a few days of “town bagging. On this trip I ended up running in 41 cities and towns over the course of four days.  I was glad to do some relaxing running and camping.

 

     

Next up was the Luti race (54^th annual Bill Luti 5 mile).  Although the course isn’t super-fast (two tough hills) it is pretty decent and always has good competition to drag you along.  I did a little track workout on Wednesday (with Eric Morse and Murdock pictured below) and ran my fastest non-downhill mile of the year (5:37.4).  We did a 5:59 mile before that and I noted that it was my goal-pace for the 5 mile.  It did not feel easy! It was great to see nearly 400 turn out for the race including a lot of good competition in the CARS team category and a lot of fast 50+ runners.

 

I got in the second row and took a quick look around.  Joe Shairs was going to be the winner in the 50+, but I wasn’t sure who else was around for the 55-59.  Doug D had just turned 55 and I’d seen a few other faster old men around.  It really didn’t matter so much as I was more interested in getting myself a sub-30 and hoping that’d be enough to stay ahead of Ernie B and Jim A in the CARS age graded masters.  I ended up behind the lead pack of women and hit the first ½ mile in 2:55 which was right where I wanted to be.  I hadn’t seen any 50+ guys ahead of me except for Joe (5:25 at the mile!) so I was pleased with how things were going.  I lost some ground on the climbs but still got to four miles only a couple of seconds over 24 minutes.  The ladies had all pulled away by then and would put 20 seconds on me in the last mile.  I tried to find another gear but had nothing I came up just short with a 30:01.  I did take solace in winning the 55-59 age group and taking the Age Graded masters title just barely edging Ernie B again.  This series is going to go right to the end!

 

Place Time  Pace  Name          Age    Sex    City              St       Div     Div Pl

1        24:11  4:51   Collin Leibold 28      M        Concord                  MA          MOPEN         1

2        24:39  4:56   Louis Serafini 29      M        Cambridge    MA      MOPEN          2

3        24:42  4:57   Leakey Kipkosgei     24      M        Springfield    MA          MOPEN         3

 

23      28:58  5:48   Joe Shairs     53      M        Peabody                  MA          M5054 1 CMS

26      29:33  5:55   Jennifer Mortimer    39      F        Bedford                   NH          FOPEN          1

27      29:39  5:56   Jaclyn Solimine       26      F        Haverhill                 MA          FOPEN          2

28      29:39  5:56   Erin Lane      40      F        Hopkinton     NH      FOPEN          3

30      30:01  6:01   Dave Dunham         57      M        Bradford                  MA          M5559 1 Duct Tape & Spit

47      31:26  6:18   Doug Deangelis       55      M        Newbury                 MA          M5559 4 Duct Tape & Spit

56      32:08  6:26   Timothy Cox  48      M        Northwood    NH      M4549 1 Duct Tape & Spit

66      32:54  6:35   Darin Brown  54      M        Madison                  NH          M5054 6 Duct Tape & Spit

104     36:08  7:14   James Pawlicki        46      M        Lynn             MA          M4549 6 Duct Tape & Spit

 

 

I was not feeling good leading up to the Woodchuck 5k race (race #5 in the CARS).  My adductor issues took a major turn for the worse during the week and I wasn’t sure how it would hold up in the crazy downhill start (first mile drops 150’). I’d end up needing surgery! I had a slim margin over Ernie Brake in the age graded masters standings so I’d be looking to top him.  I met up with teammates Jim Pawlicki and Doug Deangelis and we headed out for a warm-up course preview. I’d forgotten how much of the course was dirt road. I was feeling very nervous, but my adductor wasn’t too bad.

 

The field of 168 had great conditions (50s, cloudy, and a little breeze) and ZOOM we were off.  Doug went out hard (70 seconds at the first ¼ mile) and I was a few seconds behind him as the downhill gradient eased.  As I closed on him Ernie Brake caught me, I knew I’d need to beat him by at least 30 seconds to get him in the age graded (he is 60 now).  Ernie fell back a little as teammate Tim Cox caught me and we both went by Doug around the mile mark (5:25).  I never looked at my watch again and just focused on working with Tim.  We pushed the tough little hill and Ernie and Doug were no longer with us.  Once we turned onto the final hill I got a gap on Tim and would extend it to 10 seconds by the finish.  I hit the line in 18:18 and was happy to run 9 seconds faster than 2 years ago.  Ernie had a great race coming in 14 seconds faster than 2 years ago (18:44) which got him the win in the age graded by 1 second!  I took solace in a top 10 finish (9th) and a win in the 50+ age group. 

 

Pl       Time   Pace   Name            Age    Gend  City St Team 

1        16:33  5:19   Michael Mott 19      Male   Alton NH      

2        16:49  5:25   Warren Bartlett       23      Male   Loudon NH          MUGWUMPS

3        16:56  5:27   Edward Stowell       20      Male   Sutton NH     KEZAR LAKE RC

9        18:18  5:53   Dave Dunham         57      Male   Bradford MA  DUCT TAPE AND SPIT

10      18:28  5:56   Timothy Cox  48      Male   Northwood NH        DUCT TAPE AND SPIT

12      18:44  6:02   Ernest Brake 60      Male   North Sutton NH      KEZAR LAKE RC

14      18:58  6:06   Doug Deangelis       55      Male   Newbury MA  DUCT TAPE AND SPIT

18      19:08  6:09   Christin Doneski      50      Female         Hopkinton NH         

26      20:12  6:30   Darin Brown  54      Male   Madison NH  DUCT TAPE AND SPIT

33      20:54  6:43   James Pawlicki        46      Male   Lynn MA         DUCT TAPE AND SPIT

 

Age Graded results:

Place Time    Agtime  Agegrd% Name                     Sex Age Hometown                  

    1   18:44   15:14   85.24 Ernest Brake             M    59 North Sutton NH        

    2   18:18   15:15   85.15 Dave Dunham              M    57 Bradford MA            

    3   19:42   15:46   82.41 James Smith              M    62 Concord NH             

    5   18:58   16:03   80.86 Doug Deangelis           M    54 Newbury MA