July was my third biggest mileage month this year with 385. It was my best average per run with 5.27 miles. Both were a bit of a surprise as I struggled this month with the ongoing arthritis in my ankle/foot and multiple migraines during the month. Onward!
This week was a rare 90 mile total, the last time I had a 90 was back in April. Since that time I’ve been dealing with foot/ankle woes that have kept the mileage in check. I started some new medication for migraines last week and was struggling with side effects. I cut back on the dosage and felt a little better this week (at least a little by the end of the week). I’ll give it another week and if I still feel lousy will reach out to my doctor. Checked a few boxes off this week with “camping in Lowell” and “spending the night in the outfield of a baseball field” with the camp night at the Lowell Spinners field.
Week – 90
Month (August 20) July 385
Year – 2,459
Life – 169,459
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
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
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.
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 (54th 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
