Rachel's Run

 I signed up for Rachel’s Run partly because it was in the All-Terrain series and partly because it was another cross country race and I wanted to continue my string of XC races.  I’d only done one other race in the ATR due to poor timing with my knee injury 😊

 It rained for two days leading up to the race (much needed rain as we are in a drought) and it was still drizzly when I went out for a short run at 5am.  I was hoping to loosen up a bit as it seems to take me 30-40 minutes to get feeling that I’m ready to race.  The rain had stopped by the time I got to Tyngsboro and it felt a lot like cross country weather with clouds, wind, and temps in the 40s.  I headed out on the course and found it to be in decent shape despite the rain.  The course was a 1.6 mile loop done twice with one signature hill with a grassy downhill and a lot of tight little turns.  It felt a lot more like a trail race than an XC race but I guess that is just splitting hairs.  I was feeling sluggish after the warm-up but felt a little better when I switched into my Inov-8 trail racing shoes and went out for another mile.

 

My goal for the race was to keep John Barbour in sight, he beat me by about a minute last week over 5 miles so I figured anything less than 30 seconds behind him would be an improvement.  98 took off at the start including 5 or 6 young kids who went out super-hard.  I caught a couple of kids in the first half-mile and was passed by Mark Blaisdell.  I went back by Mark just before the climb and he stayed close through the first lap (he would drop out with a hamstring issue).  As I came into the baseball field near the end of lap 1, Dave Hannon went by (and tagged third base).  He looked strong and would run a solid second loop putting 20+ seconds on me.  He was the only one to pass me and beat me as I caught a couple others during lap 2, including a guy who walked up the hill.  During the second lap I convinced myself that I must have been mistaken about John Barbour racing since I had not seen him and he did not go flying by.  Then with about ¼ mile to go some shouted “Go John!”.  I’d like to think I picked it up when I heard that but I was feeling gassed and struggled up the last hill to the finish.  Somehow I stayed in front of him with just 3 seconds between us at the finish.  I got 8^th place and tops in the 60+ in 22:49.  Hannon, me, and Barbour topped our respective age groups in 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th overall. GLRR 50+ ladies crushed it taking 12^th and 13^th overall!

 

Place     Time      Pace      First       Last                       Gen        Age        City                       State      Div               DivPl

1             18:51     5:53       Jacob Wormald                 M           29           Manchester        NH               M2029  1

2             19:21     6:03       Michael Studer                  M           13           Westford              MA               M1319  1

3             19:31     6:06       Mark Rabasco                   M           30           Greenfield           MA               M3039  1

4             19:44     6:10       Matt Rabasco                    M           28           Worcester           MA               M2029  2

5             22:13     6:57       David Richardson              M           41           Weymouth          MA               M4049  1

6             22:22     6:59       Patrick Sullivan                  M           13           Dunstable            MA               M1319  2

7             22:27     7:01       Dave Hannon                     M           53           West Roxbury     MA               M5059  1

8             22:49     7:08       Dave Dunham                    M           60           Bradford              MA               M6069  1

9             22:52     7:09       John Barbour                     M           70           West Roxbury     MA               M7079  1

10           22:53     7:09       Jacob Landeck                   M           30           Milford                 MA               M3039  2

11           23:36     7:23       Colin Tyler                          M           13           Groton                  MA               M1319  3

12           23:47     7:26       Sharon O'Grady                F             52           Burlington            MA               F5059    1

13           24:00     7:30       Kara Haas                           F             54           Chelmsford          MA               F5059    2

14           24:03     7:31       Gonzalo GonzalezAbad   M           45           Wellesley             MA               M4049  2

15           24:27     7:38       Nate Hagerty                     M           15           Westford              MA               M1319  4

16           24:46     7:44       Bob Sullivan                       M           60           Chelmsford          MA               M6069  2

 

After the race I headed out on the roads with Blais for a four mile warm-down.  We ran over the Tyngsboro bridge and then headed towards Lowell.  On our way back while running well off the road (there is a breakdown lane), I got hit in the face with a half full water bottle thrown from a pick-up truck by some a-hole.  I can attest that a 10 ounce of water in a bottle thrown at 30-40 mph can really hurt.  Mostly I was shaken up but bloodied as well with some cuts on my head and scalp.  What a crazy end to the day.