Dare Mighty Things

Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble

2012-01-22T09:58:00.001-05:00

The start of the 2012 Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure." -Sven Goran Eriksson

North Conway, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- One of the not-so-obvious benefits of frequent racing for me is a lack of fear. So often endurance athletes are hesitant to push beyond the obstruction for fear of what lies on the other side. The result so often is finishing a race with regrets about leaving "something in the tank". Experience (and racing a lot) has taught me that I can go to that incredibly uncomfortable place and stay there assuming my training and preparation has been consistent and purposeful. This weekend was my second snowshoe race of 2012. I picked up my teammates Timmy & Gianina Lindsey for the ninety minute ride to beautiful North Conway for the Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble hosted by Kevin & Jess Tilton. I was very pleased and proud to see such a great acidotic RACING turnout as well as some of my good snowshoe racing friends. The Scramble would be a 4 mile combination of groomed nordic and fresh powdery snowshoe singletrack with what seemed like 75% climbing. I had apparently repressed the memory of how much climbing this course had because I was amazed how much we went up. Fortunately I fashion myself as a climber so it actually fit my strength. At the gun I got off fast and found myself running in the top 5 stride for stride with past US Snowshoe Racing champion Dave Dunham. In short time however Dave began to move and effortlessly pulled away from me as he chased down the leaders Jim Johnson, Judson Cake (aR), and Danny Ferreira (aR) leaving me in 5th place overall. The course switches and winds back onto itself enough to occasionally catch a glimpse of the pursuit. And I could clearly make out my teammate Ryan Welts and a member of the Tuesday Night Turtles (who I later learned is named Chris...interestingly enough). I've only occasionally beaten Ryan on snowshoes and it's almost always early in the season before he gets his "racquet legs" under him. A fearless and tenacious descender I had a feeling that when we eventually lost the elevation we'd gained he would shoot by me as is his MO. What I didn't expect however was to be overtaken by this newcomer from the TNTs. At approximately the 1/2 way mark he passed me on a short groomed nordic descent and would maintain the 50 meter gap for the rest of the race. I pushed as hard as I could on the singletrack sections as the soft snow provided very little purchase and occasionally spied back at Ryan to measure the gap. Surprisingly he didn't seem to be getting any closer. When I popped back onto the ball field for the last 100 meters of the race I looked back one last time and didn't see him. I finished 6th overall (2nd Masters) in 31:11 (7:47's). Amazingly, I ran the exact same time last winter on this course but finished 16th overall. I'll never be a podium contender but I'm no less satisfied with my results particularly when I can take a seat on the 'pain train' and ride it to the last stop.

I'm old...but not as old as my
snowy beard would suggest.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

NEXT UP: Sidehiller Snowshoe Race, Center Sandwich, NH

POST SCRIPT: Tremendous kudos to Kevin & Jess Tilton for putting on another outstanding event. The course was expertly marked and very well designed. Registration was effortless and well organized. There were even handmade prizes again this year. A nice touch. And a heartfelt thank you to my teammates Gary, Richie, Lisa, Timmy, Ryan, Kristina, Mariano, Mike, Danny, Jay, Robin, Leslie, Dan, and Judson for showing up and RACING acidotic. Not to mention winning yet another team title and putting two on the overall podium (Leslie 1st and Judson 2nd). I'll look to carry this momentum onto Sidehiller next weekend against the deepest and most talented field I'll face all winter long.

Weekend Double: WinterWild & Hebron Hills

2012-01-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

"Gravity is the contributing factor in nearly 73% of all accidents involving falling objects." -Dave Barry

SATURDAY: WinterWild Whaleback

Enfield, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Everyone once in a while it's good to try new things. Even if those new things drag you out of bed at 3:30 am in January, drive across the state, and run to the top of a ski slope...and of course back down. Such was my first experience at the wildly popular new race series here in NH, the WinterWild hosted by Chad Denning. Full disclosure: aR will be hosting the WinterWild Championship at Bretton Woods in March so I thought it would be a good idea to check the 'phenomena' out for myself. Plus, I'm a decent uphill runner. Going back down, however, is another story entirely. I met teammate Rich Lavers at "the" Park & Ride in Concord and we drop up together. Rich is a veteran of these races but hadn't done this particular stop in 2011. We arrived about an hour before the start and got the intel on the course...0.6 miles to the summit and then a return trip back down on the same slope. There would be about 100 meters of flat with a slight uphill finish in soft chewed up snow. I changed into my MicroSpikes and trail shoes and warmed up. Just as soon as the race started a group of about 10 competitors pushed hard on the initial flat and attacked the hill. I stayed cautiously to the outside edge of the pack and settled in as we began to climb. Within 30 seconds of ascending I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest as my complete lack of preparation for this type of race became painfully obvious. Learning to stay patient with uphill-type races I found a cadence and slowly began picking people off. I ran approximately 1/2 way up the climb before alternating between running and walking particularly on the very steep sections. By the time I reached the top I had managed to move into 6th place overall. As I began the descent I noticed two competitors directly ahead. Traditionally I've struggled with descending. It's probably more fear than lack of fitness. For some reason however this time was different. Feeling confident in my grip I leaned forward and used my arms like windmill counterbalances as I wildly threw myself back down the mountain actually picking up two places in the process! Just as I leveled out at the bottom I gave 4th place back and lost to the overall masters winners by a second. I finished the 1.2 mile course in 13:13 (2nd Masters). While cooling down with Rich my left calf felt very tight and a little crampy. We drove back to Concord in a snow squall...where was this weeks ago?!

"A true friend is someone who thinks you're a good egg even though he knows you are slightly cracked." -Bernard Meltzer

SUNDAY: Hebron Hills Snowshoe Classic

Hebron, MAINE -- This really is one of my favorite races and race courses of the entire year. Our teammate Austin Stonebraker has designed a fabulous track on the campus of Hebron Academy. This year, however, the course had to be slightly modified due to the lack of snow. Much of the killer singletrack would be left out but all of the hills would remain...and we'd get a chance to do all of them TWICE as the course would be a double loop measuring around 4.5 total miles. My calves were trashed from my WinterWild exploits 24 hours earlier. I actually had a noticeable limp when I attempted to warm up. And "warm up" was a relative thing as temperatures were close to zero with wind chills in the negative double digits at the start. Sizing up the competition at the start it was obvious that I wouldn't be running with the top 2...aR's Judson Cake and top masters snowshoer Scott Horney. Also in the field was my good friend Chuck Hazzard from Trail Monster Running. Chuck and I have duked it out on trails, mountains, and snow over the years with our overall head-to-head series probably dead even. Right there at the start I devised a plan...I'd race with Chuck and let him keep me company. Not feeling quite 100% and the first time racing on the racquet's this winter it seemed like a good strategy. When the race started Judson and Scott quickly gaped the field. Chuck also got a great start and shot out ahead obviously not having planned the same race strategy as myself. Within a 100 meters I had caught him and we were running side by side and all alone in 3rd & 4th place. And moments later we having a conversation...perfect. I think he figured me out right away and because he's such a great guy he played along. We tempo'd the course with me pulling slightly ahead on the ascents and him bombing by me on the descents. As we neared the finish line he just nipped me at the tape. I finished 4th overall in 41:22 (2nd Masters). I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run every hill on the course including "breaker" both times. All in all a great start to the 2012 racing season!

NEXT UP: Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble (North Conway, NH)

2011 Racing Recap

2012-01-01T10:16:00.002-05:00

Me & T-Lite 'Doggin' it at the
HalloWiener Hustle in ManchVegas
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

Wow. What a year! Thirty-three events was by far the most I've ever done. Credit two things, 1.) avoiding injury and 2.) Karen being in graduate school. Karen finished her degree in December so I expect to race a little less this coming year. Great times with great friends. Everything I love about endurance sports in New England.

- Old Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic (5th)
- Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race (13th)
- Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Race (16th)
- Sidehiller Snowshoe Race (17th)
- Hebron Hills Snowshoe Classic (5th)
- Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo (12th)
- Horse Hill Snowshoe Race (9th)
- Bear Paw Classic Snowshoe Race (5th)
- Northeast Championships (16th)
- Bradbury Blizzard (5th)
- NH Snowshoe Championship (10th)
- Merrimack River Trail Race (29th)
- 7 Sisters Trail Race (83rd)
- NE Trail Championships (50th)
- Hoppin Mad Mud Run (1st team)
- Pineland Farms 25k (22nd)
- Exeter 10m Trail Race (10th)
- Pinnacle Mtb Race (DNF)
- US Mnt Running Championships (52nd)
- Loon Mountain Race (50th)
- Bradbury Scuffle (12th)
- Tough Mountain Challenge (1st team)
- 24HoGG (18th team)
- Great Adventures Challenge (5th)
- Run2Fall 5k (9th)
- Reach The Beach (19th team)
- Pinnacle Challenge VII (3rd team)
- Grog & Dog Jog (?th team)
- Firetower 5k (4th)
- No Brakes Mtb Race (4th)
- RI 6-HR Relay (1st team)
- Hallo-Wiener Hustle (1st co-ed team)
- Andover XC (27th)

Andover XC Race

2011-12-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

RACING acidotic for the final
time in 2011.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"You only live once. But if you work it right...once is enough." -Joe Louis

Andover, MA -- My 33rd and final race of 2011 was the Andover Striders 6k XC Race in Anodver, MA. I discovered this race last fall and had such a good time that I decided to go back...and bring friends. I rode down to the event with Timmy & Gianina Lindsey and met fellow teammates Kate, Richie, Jeremiah, Jen, Sinthy, Craig, Scotty and Chris. For me there are a few reasons to love this event; 1.) it's a great early snowshoe racing-specific barometer of fitness, 2.) spaghetti & free beer after the race, and 3.) there's always GREAT competition! We lined up on the 18th fairway facing in a slightly different direction this year which would result in the course being just a whisper shorter than 2010. The field was at least 30 wide at the gun and within 150 meters needed to get to 4-5 wide to cross a short footbridge and make a hard uphill left hand turn on a cart path. Having negotiated it last year I was prepared for the bottleneck and carefully picked my way through this minefield trying not to lose momentum or take down the front of the field. The course rolls and meanders through the Andover Country Club course as die hard members sneak in a late season round of golf. Typically we stay to the edge of the fairways with the occasional cart path thrown in for good measure. Two runners gapped the field within a kilometer leaving a large chase group (20+ runners) to battle it out. I was just off the back end of that group leap frogging a couple of competitors...I'd pass on the climbs and they'd surge back on the descents. Despite cutting my training volume back considerably over the last month I felt like I was racing hard and pushing a consistent pace. As we approached the last mile we emerged into a small gated fairway community and began the last series of climbs. Peaking back over my shoulder I didn't have any immediate threats. The final kilometer has the steepest little grassy climb and I felt like I probably could have walked it faster than I ran it but I managed to find my way to the top and then descended down the driving range as hard as I could to the finish. I taped a 20:45 (5:56's) which was good enough for 27th overall (13th master). Looking back at 2010 my pace was 6:12's so I was ecstatic with the performance. Once again quality trumps quantity for me at this time of year.

PS to 2011
What an incredible injury-free year of racing! Thirty-three events including snowshoe, road, mountain bike, trail, mountain, obstacle, dog n' beer relay, and XC. I was incredibly fortunate enough to compete in the Northeast Snowshoe Championship, New Hampshire Snowshoe Championship, New England Trail Championship, US Mountain Running Championship, and the New England Ultra Running Championship (as a relay). I enjoyed 16 Top 10 overall finishes as an individual or a team including four overall team wins at the Hoppin' Mad Mud Run, Tough Mountain Challenge, Rhode Island 6-Hour Relay, and the Hallo-wiener Hustle. Finally, I must thank my very understanding wife Karen who has supported me throughout the year. What I do wouldn't be possible without her blessing. Thank you also to the various RDs from the many races we do who provide very generous "incentives" for us to participate. And a heartfelt thanks to my acidotic RACING teammates who stood beside me and motivated me to explore the unknown. It's time to take a deep breath and begin to craft and even MORE exciting 2012!

Hallo-wiener Hustle

2011-11-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

Finishing the first leg of the
Hallo-wiener Hustle in Manch Vegas
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"Drinking beer doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean...against bars, tables, chairs, poles..." -Anonymous

Manchester, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- You know the old saying...if you can't beat 'em, start racing in hot dog and beer drinking relays! For the second time in less than two months I found myself dressed in full redneck regalia on the starting line with Perry the Platypus, a 5 foot tall Coney Island Dog, and some dude in a poncho and sombrero. What in all things Dijon was I doing? Why the Hallo-wiener Hustle of course. This new event popped up on the radar back in the summer when the RD e-mailed me to ask for help spreading the word. Originally the race was scheduled for Halloween but a freak snowstorm forced a postponement. We lost one of the original four, but found a Disco Bunny as a replacement. This relay was modeled after the Grog 'N Dog that we did in October...4 person team, 1.25 mile city loop, hot dog, and beer. Back in Providence last month I held back a little not having any experience with following a run with shoving a hot dog down my throat and guzzling a beer. Turns out it was still difficult so this time I decided to employ the Fitzgibbon Principle; show up or blow up. But this event wasn't mine alone to win, I brought three very capable (and very thirsty and hungry) teammates in Dena 'Disco Bunny' Beauchesne, Timmy 'Wiener' Lindsey, and Mariano 'The Nerd' Santangelo. Without our 4 minute miler Nick Wheeler, who happened to be in Philly trying to qualify for the US Olympic Marathon trials, I would lead off the race and attempt to establish us somewhere in the Top 5. With the aid of a belt (I didn't wear one last time and ran with one hand on my cutoffs the entire way) I jumped off the line hard and tried to stay with the lead group. Clearly the ringers would be a 4-some of tight wearing no shirt 20-somethings who apparently thought 'abs' were a costume (thank you Gianina Lindsey for that line). The youngster quickly gapped myself, Perry, and the dude with a sombrero. By the time we had run the 1/4 mile up Elm and before the turn onto Blodgett I had moved into 2nd place and was pushing as hard as a redneck could push. Perhaps pulled by my younger and faster competition or lured by the smell of stale beer and cigarettes in McGarvey's Bar, I arrived back at the start in 2nd place overall in a brisk 6:45 for the 1.23 mile loop (5:30's if you're scoring at home). Quickly 'hustling' inside I found my place marker at the corner of the bar with my steamed wiener and a 22 ounce Miller Lite. Not a big fan of the bun dunk and naked dog chomp I methodically alternated between bites and gulps. With the dog down I still had about 1/2 the beer to go and with two college-sized 'sips' I emptied the plastic cup and set it down emphatically on the bar. Apparently my skinny-legged ab wearing foe must have been drinking his beer with a straw because I emerged out of McGarvey's in first overall! Or did I? Handing the baton off to Mariano we were now in 1st place overall...for the moment, and what a brief moment it was. The #2 'ab' clad no shirt wearin' track star quickly overtook Mariano making him look like he was running in chinos...wait, he was running chinos. With a determined look and a pocket protector he bravely held off all other challenges and matained our 2nd place overall lead as he arrived back at the bar. In a dog eating display that would have made Joey Chestnut proud, Mariano buzzed through his Schonland and empty his beer with dizzying efficiency. Sort of made one wonder if he had done this before? By the time he handed the baton to Dena the "transition area" outside the bar was chaos and it was becoming next to impossible to figure out who was where and what place we were in other than behind the "Dudes With Abs" and in front of the "4 Amigos". In true aR fashion, Disco Bunny Dena ran her tail off (figuratively) and although gave up a spot to a guy in a multi-colored poncho kept us decidedly in the mix overall. Our anchor, Timmy Lindsey (or as they call him in the 'hood, T-Lin), had made the most ironic journey of all to be in that moment to help us podium. Only a few short years ago he had found himself topping 375 lbs. With the support of his family and incredible determination, he had lost over 200 lbs. and is now a multiple time marathon finisher! As he took the baton from Dena his two worlds collided in the most ironic moment in dog & beer relay history. Here he was setting off to do something that had become a huge part of his life now (running) to get to a place he had been to not long ago (devoring hot dogs and drinking beer). In a head-to-foot hot dog costume he steamed the course and pushed up the bar for the last 'leg' of his race and ours. Harkening back to his days as a semi-pro eater he devowered the dog and polished off the beer in near record time sprinting out of the bar and perhaps into Hallo-wiener Hustle history! Confident we had to have been in the Top 5 overall and perhaps the fastest co-ed team we anxiously awaited the results. And when they were finally posted we were shocked to see...that we weren't even listed!? Fearing there had been a mistake I immediately went inside to talk to the timer (and aR teammate). Apparently, during the pre-race briefing I was too busy getting in the head of the young guy with tights and didn't hear the RD explain there was one door for going into the bar and another for leaving bar. And the door for leaving the bar had the official timer. My lap had never been recorded. I wasn't alone. Multiple teams made the same mistake. But we ran all the loops, ate all the dogs, and drank all the beer. After a few tense moments and some re-scoring the official annoucement was made...we had won the co-ed division! Our prize? A Pabst Blue Ribbon beer wagon. Oh, how I love these races!

[L-R] Dena, Timmy, Chris, Mariano
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

NEXT UP: Andover 6k XC Race

RI 6-HR Relay

2011-11-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

Finishing lap #4 of the RI 6-HR Relay
[courtesy of Scott Mason]

"The older I get, the better I used to be." - Lee Trevino

Warwick, RHODE ISLAND -- Among the many things that acidotic RACING provides is the chance to be a part of something great. Sunday at the Rhode Island 6-Hour Relay, hosted by our friends from the Tuesday Night Turtles, we had the chance to defend greatness. Last year our 5 person relay team won the event and set the relay course record by running 22 laps (59.4 miles) in 5:54:00. Four of those athletes including Rich Lavers, Danny Ferreira, Charlie Therriault, and myself would return accompanied by newcomers Judson Cake and Chris Lalmond. Top to bottom we had at least as strong of a group as 2010 and we had our sights firmly fixed on a record breaking 23 laps. Judson led the event off and put down a very fast first 2.7 mile lap establishing an early 90 second lead. And we were off. Charlie, Danny, Chris, Rich, and then myself took turns looping the gently rolling Warwick City Park bike/walking path negotiating the tight turns, ultra runners, and leashed 4-leggers. Heading into the event I felt a little tired from a busy year of racing and aside from some annoying nagging hamstring tightness quite healthy. I opened with a 16:01 (5:55's) and felt comfortable doing it. When I got back to our team area word had it that Chris' foot issue was a much bigger deal than originally thought. His opening 16:51 was very uncharacteristic and not at all representative of his immense talent and very high fitness. As we clicked off the laps our lead began to grow as our nearest competition from Fuel Belt was running a man down with only five. In the sixth position it was certain that I'd only run three laps total so I attempted to repeat my first effort on my second lap. At 16:07 (5:58's) I was a little off pace but felt like I ran in control and consistent. Sitting down to recover between laps the word came that Chris would be forced to withdraw from the event because of his foot. Although he was obviously disappointed it was certainly the correct decision. Our overall lead was secure and through a dozen laps we were actually a little ahead of record setting pace. Knowing I had a little less time to recover and would need to run a 4th lap I adjusted my race plan for lap #3. Not having any experience running 4 laps at this race I chose to throttle back for my third loop and ran a very conservative 16:45 (6:12's). By the time I finished I could almost tell my goose was cooked. I quickly headed to our rest area to hydrate and get my sweats back on my legs to keep them warm. Laying down I elevated my feet and began to wonder what I'd have left to give on my 4th lap. As is typical of my aR teammates they gave nothing less than everything they had and their tenacity was infectious. Everyone was obviously feeling the effects of 5 1/2 hours of very hard racing including Charlie who due to a calf injury could barely manage a stiff legged shuffle during his warm-up only to snap out of it miraculously once he got up to race pace. Judson was rock solid as always, Danny stayed on course, and Rich exceeded his #5 placing putting in one fast lap after another. Then with just shy of 30 minutes left in the race Rich handed the bracelet to me for our 22nd and record tying lap. In order for Judson to have any chance of putting in #23 (and breaking our own course record) I would have to run at least 30 seconds faster than my fastest lap of the event. I'm as positive as they come but I'm also very realistic about my athletic ability. I took out of the transition area determined to 'show up or blow up' and to give Judson at least a fighters chance at the record. I hit the mile split in 5:50, ccertainly faster than my Lap #3 split but not fast enough to run sub 16:00. I ran as hard as I could but was struggling to find a rhythm. That was until I met Danny and Rich who had doubled back on the course to intercept me and pick me up for the last 1/2 mile. Danny immediately got 3-4 meters in front and shouted encouragement while Rich hung back to pace teammate Ryan Welts who was finishing the ultra. The course rolled over those final few hundred meters and I felt Danny's energy pulling me forward. Finishing in 16:29 (6:06's) there's no question that without his help I probably would have repeated my 16:45 Lap #3 performance. Judson knew that 13 minutes and change didn't leave him enough time to complete a full lap but he headed out to cross as many timing mats on the course as he could. We didn't officially finish that record breaking 23rd lap but we did set a new course record of 22 laps (59.4 miles) in 5:47:33 (5:51's) breaking our own mark by 6.5 minutes and defended our title! I'm so proud of my teammates for the toughness they displayed including ultra runner Ryan who finished 11th overall running 37.8 miles in 5:48:50. Just incredible. For our victory we won three cases of Harpoon beer and a cool RI6-HR Relay pint glass. A very heartfelt thank you to our hosts Bob and Jackie Jackman from the Tuesday Night Turtles for another fantastic event.

(L-R) Chris Lalmond, me, Judson Cake, Rich Lavers,
Charlie Therriault, Danny Ferreira
[courtesy of Scott Mason]

NEXT UP: Hallowiener Hustle

Weekend Double: 2x4th

2011-10-19T19:57:00.001-04:00

Making the turn to the finish of
the "No Brakes" Mtb race
at Stratham Hill (NH).

"Missed it by that much." -Maxwell Smart

Stratham, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Last weekend was a rare opportunity (lately) for me to squeeze in two races. They would both be my first experience and I can easily say they won't be my last. My teammate, Amanda House, alerted me to the weekend's festivities when I saw her earlier this month at the Pinnacle Challenge VII. At the time she informed me of the No Brakes mountain bike race on some of the newest singletrack in Stratham (NH). It was only later that I found out that the same morning they held a 5k trail race at the same park. The RDs spaced the two events so that it was possible to do both...although I would learn that very few would attempt. A little back and forth on Facebook and I had a handful of teammates doing the trail race and still a few others doing the mountain bike race. This time of year for me, is a transition from the longer and harder training and racing I do from January through September. If I'm racing it's generally shorter stuff that's closer to home and the two events at Stratham Hill (5k trail & 9 mile mtb) only 30 minutes from home fit the bill perfectly.

EVENT #1: FIRETOWER 5k
Prior to the race I gathered a little intel from teammate Jeremiah Fitzgibbon who had pre-run the course. A mix of carriage roads and single/double track with one climb to the fire tower (hence the name). He told me to expect it would be fast. He, I, and new teammate Tom Cross lined up with 170 trail runners in the soccer field next to the 4H building on the Stratham Fairgrounds. Looking around it was obviously a family environment as the starting line was dominated by pre-teens. Not wanted to risk getting tripped and trampled I decided to get off fast when the gun fired (by Miss Stratham Fair I might add). Within the first few hundred meters I was in the Top 5 running stride for stride with a young guy who seemed pretty determined to keep me behind him. The top 2 guys were putting a gap on us by the 6-7 minute mark but I was securely in 5th, directly behind 4th, and could see 3rd place. Just before the 2 mile mark the young guy in 4th fell back to me and I moved around encouraging him to stay with me. Approaching the firetower climb I could feel myself closing the gap on 3rd place. About 1/2 way up the 300+ meter climb I caught and passed the guy for 3rd place to the top of the hill. But as we began to descend the doubletrack trail he quickly regained the spot and accelerated away. I obviously still have a lot of work to do on my downhill racing. Back in 4th place I caught a glimpse of Keith Schmitt closing on me. Knowing he's a far more talented runner than myself but recognizing the finish was only a few hundred meters away I leaned forward and if he was going to pass me he would have to earn it. Luckily the finish line came when it did as he was only 2 seconds behind. I was able to hold him off for a 4th overall finish in 18:50 (6:04's). I'm incredibly pleased with the result. I felt strong but not quite red lined. A really, really great late season effort.

EVENT #2: NO BRAKES MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE
The Firetower 5k finished around 9:30ish. My SPORT class one lap 9 miler would most likely go off around 11:45ish (or when the last of the ADVANCED/EXPERT riders completed their first of two laps). I changed into my aR cycling gear, drank some HEED, and chatted with teammate Geoff Cunningham who was making his mountain bike racing debut on his new Specialized 29er. My love/hate relationship with mountain bike racing is pretty well documented. It can be incredibly exhilarating and challenging but it can also be so humbling that it hardly seems worth the effort. And the more I've thought about it, the more I realize that it's how the races are organized, not necessarily the sport itself. And the folks that put the No Brakes race on know exactly what they're doing. By sending the ADVANCED/EXPERT riders out first and waiting to start the SPORT race until those riders had finished their first lap assured that we (or I) wouldn't be traffic for the faster more skilled riders. In fact, we would never see each other on the course. Lining up for my race there appeared to be a small crowd of maybe 20 riders with all ability levels represented. I actually began to think that it was probably me that looked hardcore in my aR cycling kit. Little did they know. I lined up in the 3rd or 4th row and decided I would get a feel for the crowd in the first few minutes of the race and then try to forget everyone else and ride as hard as I could. As the race started I immediately felt a sense of urgency and pushed toward the front standing on the pedals in the big ring. Moments later I was again in the Top 5 (like the trail race). The course consisted of two primary "climbs" connected by some smooth, fresh, twisting singletrack. I'm a fairly strong climber so I was able to catch a couple of guys on the first climb to the same fire tower I had raced to earlier that morning. As we hit the singletrack however I started picking my way through and obviously slowing them down. When I found a spot I told them to go ahead and try to catch the guys on the podium. For the next 7 miles I essentially rode alone. I dabbed a few times on the tight switchback climbs...not for fitness, but for lack of bike handling skills. The singletrack sections were sensational and as I was racing I was already making plans to return and ride these tracks again. I missed a turn toward the end but quickly figured out my error and probably only lost 10-15 seconds. Pushing hard on the last 2 miles of flat carriage roads and fields I felt very, very strong as an entire spring, summer, and fall of riding had paid off. I crossed the finish line in 51:07 and in 4th place overall. My second race and second 4th place finish of the day. The race was a blast! That type of mountain bike racing I love. Racing against fairly evenly matched athletes without holding up 20-30 elite riders.

This is most certainly a double I will do again next fall. And hopefully I'll have some aR teammates willing to try to capture my new King of the Hill crown.

NEXT UP: Hallowiener Hustle

Grog & Dog Jog

2011-10-11T20:27:00.000-04:00

The camera loves me as I'm groggin' & doggin' rockin'
the Mississippi mudflap mullet and Wal-Mart t-shirt
[Photo courtesy of Scott Mason Photography]

"There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous." -Napoleon

Providence, RHODE ISLAND -- They say a picture tells a thousand words. But no amount of those words can describe the fun that was had at this weekend's Grog & Dog Jog at the Wild Colonial Tavern. Our buddies from the south, the Tuesday Night Turtles, introduced us to this race last year and we were finally able to accept the invitation to join them this weekend. In fact, we actually sent two teams of aR "athletes" to see what all the fuss was about. As a jack of all trades master of none this type of thing fits exceptionally well into my fall transition period. I'm neither 1.) motivated to train, nor 2.) currently training for anything important so the way I saw it, a 1.25 mile city loop followed by a hot dog and a beer would be the perfect "training" for my planned November shutdown. Turns out, seven of my other aR teammates felt the same way. I divided us up into two fairly evenly matched teams with (of course) my team constituting not only the lion share of the runners, but the hungriest doggers to ever order a round of grog. This one, as they say, would be like taking candy from a baby. My aR-GOLD included Jon "Where's your shirt?" Letendre, "Super" Sam Watts, Nick "Capt'n Feathersword" Lavoie and of course...me. aR-BLACK was represented by Nick "Malibu" Langelotti, "Downhome" Amanda House, Jeremiah "Gettin' Tail" Fitzgibbon, and Craig "What are you a pirate?" Poirier. The two fastest dudes in the bunch, Jon and Langelotti, led off the race for their respective aR teams. Jon entered the 'Eatatorium' with about a :30 lead on Nick. However, not having eaten a hot dog in years cost him dearly as his lead was quickly erased by Nick's engulfing the dog with three swift bites and washing it down with nearly one swig of the warm Narragansett. And from there it was all downhill for my aR-GOLD. Jeremiah, always a poor front runner, took off like he was being chased by a pack of crazed dogs nearly :45 seconds ahead of me. Knowing that he has a tendency to take it out hard and then fade back to me I set off with the plastic mug baton to run him down. What I didn't account for however, was the jean cutoffs and the mullet. Both binding and billowing I felt like I couldn't really pick up any momentum which was surely aided by my lack of warm-up and/or the energy drink induced slight state of dehydration. Nevertheless I averaged 5:53's for the 1.25 mile loop. Just sayin'. Unfortunately while I made up a little of his gap it wouldn't be even remotely enough as his gullet-stuffing-mashed-dog-regurgitating-beer-swilling exhibition got a HUGE rise out of the crowd and put us even further behind. It's funny, I never would have guessed how nauseating the smell of steamed tubular pork product would be immediately following a mile dash. And I like hot dogs! Okay, love hot dogs. Fearing I'd take a large bit of wiener sideways down the esophagus and need to be Heimlich'd by a dude dressed like a nun I decided to play it "safe" and alternated chomping small bites with big gulps of 'Gansett. How did you spend your Columbus Day weekend thank you?! As soon as I finished the dog and the grog I handed the mug to "Super" Sam who did her best to catch "Downhome" House but alas it was not aR-GOLD's day. Craig closed the deal for aR-BLACK as the corduroy clad Lavoie represented himself, his family, and the town of Scarborough, ME proudly with an impressive hot dog eating and beer drinking display. Our guests from TNT won the event again (yawwwwn) but we were really there for the 'fun of it'. Who takes these things seriously? The event was hosted by a tavern so I doubt results will be up soon but it really doesn't matter. I had a great time GROGGIN acidotic with my 'mates and by the smiles on their faces (and the beers in their hands) after the event I think they did as well.

NEXT UP: "No Brakes" Mountain Bike Race

L-R BACK ROW: Jeremiah, Langelotti, me, Lavoie
FRONT: Letendre, House, Poirier, Watts

Pinnacle Challenge VII

2011-10-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

Heading out to loop the Pinnacle for aR-WHITE
at the Pinnacle Challenge VII
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else." -Anonymous

Newport, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Growing up playing and loving team sports I find it incredibly special now as a adult to get the chance experience it from time to time. For the most part endurance sports are individual pursuits but every once in a while I get the chance to contribute my effort to the collective success of a team. This weekend was a fantastic example of that as I once again raced the Pinnacle Challenge VII in Newport, NH hosted by the folks at Team Pinnacle. This incredibly unique double duathlon has quickly become a showcase for acidotic RACING as we now send as many as eight teams with a scattering of solos. This year 32 aR athletes made the trip to RACE acidotic at the Pinnacle. My team (aR-WHITE) figured to be competitive in the highly contested 4-person male category with our brothers from aR-BLACK being one of the favorites. Arriving around 8:00 am for a 9:30 am start there were already a dozen or more aR athletes already on site. It was awesome to see so many friends and all of them wearing the aR colors. Dan Dion would lead us off on the 5 mile road run putting down an impressive 28:17 and sending me out in the top 5 overall. As my trail runner Rich Lavers worked to remove the timing anklet from Dan's leg he, in haste, removed the timing chip mechanism and then became all thumbs as he tried to thread it back on the sweaty velcro strap. With precious seconds ticking away we fumbled for nearly a minute in the TA before finally approximating it close enough to send me away. Although they immediately began to worry about it staying on, I never thought about it again. Having raced this course for the past five years I was pretty familiar with the layout...or so I thought. When I did the Pinnacle mountain bike race earlier this year (and DNF'd) we actually rode to the high point of the trail network (or "Pinnacle") but in years past the double duathalon followed a slightly different course avoiding 100+ feet of climbing. Because I never looked at the course map I didn't see that the Pinnacle Challenge mountain bike course would be the same as the 2nd lap on the Pinnacle mountain bike race. By the time I realized we were racing to the top of the Pinnacle I was so focused on keeping the rubber down on the slippery, muddy course that I forgot about my pathetic DNF on Father's Day weekend. I was passed by at least 7 stronger riders during my 5.4 mile loop but I stayed on the bike, dabbed a handful or times, and only ran-a-bike for 5-10 seconds when I yielded to a faster rider on some singeltrack and put my front wheel in a bad spot. The new "playground" pumptrack was once again worth the 3+ miles of ascending as I whipped around the 6 foot high berms on the descent to the finish. I entered the TA in 41:39 and handed off to our road cyclist Jay Myers. I knew I had given up a number of spots but I was hopeful I hadn't given up the podium spot Dan had handed me. By the time Rich tore out the TA for the last leg of the race we were in 4th place in the 4-person male category trailing the 3rd place team by less than a minute. Running with his sights fixed on third place he caught and passed the guy with less than a mile to go and held him off for the podium finish. As a team we finished in 2:21:14 just 6 seconds from a overall team podium finish. I was clearly the weakest link for my group of four but me + mtbing = not always stellar. I feel like I'm giving a solid effort but I'm a very weak downhiller and not much of a risk taker. Perhaps I can't get the "survive to race another day" mantra out of my brain? Nonetheless I have a tremendous amount of fun particularly when I'm racing for a team.

3rd Place 4-person Male
R-L Me, Rich Lavers, Dan Dion, Jay Myers
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

NEXT UP: Grog & Dog Jog

Post-script: A big "THANK YOU" goes out directly to RD PJ Lovely and his teammates and volunteers who put together a fabulous event. It's by far the biggest aR team turnout of any event we race all year. And what a turnout it was; 32 athletes and podium finishes for aR-BLACK (1st 4M), aR-PINK (1st 4F), aR-DUO (1st 2M), aR-CLASSIC (3rd 4CE), Jay Massa (2nd AG-solo), and Steve Wolfe (3rd AG-solo).

Reach The Beach

2011-09-18T21:49:00.006-04:00

"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding." -Pre

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- For the sixth year in a row I've had the good fortune to race with an unbelievable group of friends and athletes in the most epic of relay races in the US. The Reach The Beach Relay has for Karen and I become "our" event. The one race we do together each year. And at 200 miles and 24 hours it's easily longer than all the other races I do the entire year combined! I coordinate aR's entry and each year the team changes slightly. This year we added three new members, Bob Swarthout, Piper Davis, and Judson Cake. Bob and Piper had been alternates on the 2010 team and were the first to be called when Jay Curry and Mike Chagnon gave up their spots this year. Judson, on the other hand, found out he was racing the day before the event when Doc Sprague hurt his back and had to withdraw from the event at the 11th hour. Luckily for us Judson is in decent shape. Joining Bob, Piper, and Judson were my wife Karen, Ann Rasmussen, Nick Lavoie, Matt Rousseau, Kevin Burt, Austin Stonebraker, Rich Lavers, and Scott Dodier. With Doc originally slotted in my van (#2) I decided that placing Judson in our van would cause the least last minute disruption. With Judson being a better runner than myself it then made sense to assign him the top spot in our van thereby moving me from the #8 runner position. In a little bit of musical chairs I took Ann's spot (#9) and she took Doc's original position (#7). Piper, Karen, and Nick would run 10, 11, & 12. The entire crew met at the Northwood Mobil Friday morning and headed up to Cannon Mountain for the start. Our 2:40 pm start time would be the latest we had ever had at the event. We watched Austin get our race started and then headed down to Attitash to the first Vehicle Transition Area (VTA) to await our pre-determined 7:30 pm start time. Hurricane Irene had caused incredible devastation along the eastern coast of the US with parts of VT and NH especially hard hit. Turns out Irene had washed out a bridge on RT302 that the RTB passed through resulting in a last minute course and event plan. Arriving at Attitash at 4:00 pm resulted in a significant amount of just waiting around. But I did get the chance to meet our newest teammate Chris Lalmond who happen to be standing next to our van when we pulled in. We chatted briefly before his team was off to continue their race. I also ran into snowshoe racing competitor Christopher Smith of Dungeon Rock Racing. When Ann finally got away it was dark and starting to get cold. Not accounting for our later starting time I had only packed one change of warmer running clothes (ie. long-sleeve top). My first leg would be a 6.36 miler starting from HAM Arena and finishing at Madison Elementary School. As Judson approached it was around 9:00 pm with temps in the 40's. Fortunately the wind had died down leaving behind a bright moonlight night with a sky full of stars. It's always a challenge to figure out how to pace at this event. Racing three times in less than 24 hour while driving 180+ miles without sleeping can wreak havoc with the body. Perhaps inspired by Judson's presence I took the baton from him and pushed hard out of the TA into the darkness. I felt a little tight for the first 10 minutes but then settled into a groove. I had told Piper to expect me in around 40 minutes. I handed him the baton at 40:43 good enough for 6:25's for my opening leg. Our van finished running our first legs around midnight and then headed to Laconia for our overnight break. We got about two hours of rest before Van #1 had us in cue and we were grabbing some Starbucks VIA and banana chocolate chip muffins my mother-in-law Judy had made. My second leg (#21) would be an 8.5 miler with 554 feet of elevation gain. Nearly all of it in a 1.5 mile stretch just before the half way point. I again gave Piper a rough one hour estimate of my arrival time so he could be prepared. The first 2.5 miles of my leg were downhill but the uneven pavement of RT 107 made the footing a little unpredictable and I was a cautious not to turn an ankle. Studying the course profile beforehand I knew than just before the 3 mile mark the course began a three mile ascent to the high point of the leg before descending 2.5 miles to the TA. Running at night gives me a misleading sense of pace...I always feel like I'm running faster than I really am. After slogging through the climb and beginning to descend a fairly steep slope I felt a sharp pain in my hip with every footstrike. Fortunately I was able to run through it and I handed Piper the baton at 1:01:56. I was a little disappointed and slightly surprised with the 7:17's effort. I knew it was a conservatively paced leg but I felt like I might have held back a little too much. But the great thing about RTB is that there's still a ton of racing to do and absolutely no time to second guess. We met Van #1 at Bear Brook State Park VTA around 8:00 am. They we all in great spirits and were holding up very, very well. As soon as Nick handed off to Austin we loaded in the van and drove to the Longbranch Restaurant in Raymond for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast. Once again our nemesis the Grumpy Old Men, led by aR teammate Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, beat us to breakfast and were just being served as we sat down next to them. After we ate we drove to Sanborn Regional High School VTA to rest before our final set of legs. When the text came in from Van #1 that they were approaching it was becoming evident that we had a legitamate chance of finishing in under 24 hours. And as we had progressed later in the event it was also clear that we had raced up toward the front as the VTA's were much less crowded. My final leg was a 4.15 miler from the TUCK Learning Center in Exeter, NH to Timberland Headquarters. Warming up my legs felt suprisingly good. I broke out the racing flats and dug deep into my bag of expectations. I wanted to go sub 26:00 on the mostly flat run through downtown Exeter and finish my portion of the event as an assest rather than a liability to my team. The first mile I probably ran sub 6 as the excitement of the downtown crowd and the steady stream of runners up ahead pulled me forward. But my legs felt heavy in the middle two miles and I couldn't seem to find a pace that felt fast enough not to be too slow. With a mile to go I recognized where I was and began push a little harder. I passed off to Piper at 25:19 (6:06's). For the last leg of the race and without having raced on ashphault all year I was very happy with the result. The last three legs of the race flew by as they always do and before we knew it we were standing on Hampton Beach with Van #1 waiting for Nick to arrive so we could finish together. Crossing the finish line around 2:50 pm we celebrated another fantastic aR team performance. The official results had us in 19th place overall in a time of 22:17:48. We averaged 6:58's for 200 miles and finished 8th in the MENS-OPEN division out of 119 teams. I would have never imagined in 2006 when we finished 164th in 30:17:26 that five years later we'd crack the Top 20 without intentionally fielding a Top 20 team. This race has always been about two things for us; 1.) having fun and 2.) reaching the beach. I am incredibly proud of my teammates who once again demonstrated what RACING acidotic is all about.

Video clip of Ann leaving Attitash VTA

Post-script: Turns out we weren't the only aR athletes who "reached the beach" this weekend. Thanks to Chris Lalmond, Scott Graham, Dan Dion, Jason Massa, Matt Benelli, Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, and Andy Corrow who all RACEd acidotic for their respective teams.

NEXT UP: Pinnacle Challenge VII

Run to Fall

2011-09-11T14:31:00.000-04:00

"Play not only keeps us young but also maintains our perspective about the relative seriousness of things. Running is play, for even if we try hard to do well at it, it is a relief from everyday cares." - Jim Fixx

NORTHWOOD, NH -- With less than a week to go before Reach The Beach I once again headed 25 minutes north to Coe-Brown Northwood Academy for the 11th Annual Run to Fall 5k XC race. This is easily one of my favorite races of the year. It's not just that it's close to home, but it has a really low-key friendly trail running vibe although it's probably technically a XC race. Hosted by two CBNA XC seniors as their "senior project" it's always very well run. This year would feature a new course on a recently finished section of double-wide track in a classic figure 8 loop. Purposely arriving early I was eager to pre-run the course and see the new section of double-track. I ran into teammate, CBNA XC coach, and course designer Tim Cox before the race and got the course description. With about 75 minutes before race start I set out to run the course as both a warm-up and preview. The course begins clockwise on the "old loop" before entering the new section of trail. This new section rolls and turns for about a kilometer. The footing is excellent and features smooth crushed gravel. The figure 8 set-up would have us racing this new section in both directions. Finishing the warm-up preview I changed into race attire and attempted to stay loose while catching up with numerous familiar faces. The entire 180+ field lined up on the starting line in the baseball outfield and after a momentary starting gun misfire we were off. Within minutes I was directly behind the lead pack. I was warned that the first mile was fast and my 5:48 was proof enough. A quick checkpoint assessment revealed that although I was pushing pretty hard I didn't feel like I was in too deep. Around the same time I began to close hard on CBNA alum Derrick Hamel. A legit 28 year old "skinny legger" the thought crossed my mind that 1.) he must be having an off day or 2.) I'M WAY OVER MY HEAD to even be within 2 minutes of him. Last year at this race he beat me by almost 90 seconds finishing a very strong 9th overall. I latched on to his left shoulder and was immediately struck by how effortless he seemed to move. I, on the other hand, felt a little like an ox at a state fair pulling competition. But amazingly I held on and actually moved around him on a slight incline. Before I could get comfortable he blasted by me on the next slight descent and I figured that it would be the last time I saw him. It wasn't. Moments later I was again on his hip and matching him stride for stride. As we entered the final new section of trail with less than a mile to go I gaped him on a climb and remarkably was able to hold on to the very slim :05 margin finishing in 19:12 (6:11's) good enough for 9th overall and 3rd 40+ master. I am incredibly excited with the performance considering this is the only 5k event I race and my training has been pretty mixed (mtb & trail running) for the last few months. Now time to recover and begin to plan for Reach The Beach at the end of the week. Looking to carry some of this mojo with me to Cannon.

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach

Great Adventures Challenge

2011-08-22T20:26:00.000-04:00

Finishing the bike leg.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"Children, gather round! No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun. An age of freedom, and all will know, that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it!" -King Leonidas from the movie 300

Bridgton, MAINE -- No retreat, no surrender! That is aR law. Heading into the Great Adventures Challenge (Bridgton, ME) I had one single purpose...race as hard as I could and "blow up or show up". My legs bounced back nicely from my little bicycle ride last weekend aided in part by the planned restoration week. Doc Sprague had done this race the past few years and was the inspiration behind Timmy Lindsey and I (along with our team photographer Gianina) taking the 2 hour drive north to Shawnee Peak. The paddle was a mass start of humanity with oars clashing in the craziest game of bumper boats you've ever played. I was struck by how challenging it was to keep the boat straight with the water so churned up. As quickly as I could I found some quiet water and spotted the first buoy. I did my best to pick a straight line wasting as little time as possible with needless zig zagging. But even by the time I reach the first buoy the leader was already nearly a 100 meters ahead of me and the rest of the field. I stayed around the Top 10 for the entire paddle neither gaining nor losing any ground to those around me picking a "straight as an arrow" line. Doc was about 10 meters ahead the entire way and transitioned to the bike almost a minute ahead. He had paddled with his helmet, bike shoes, and gloves already on while I chose to make a quick "costume change" (thanks Timmy) at the paddle/bike TA. Doc had a killer weekend at the 24HoGG finishing 4th overall in our King of the Glen competition last week, so I already had my work cut out for me if I had any hope of beating him. As soon as I got on my bike I stood up on the pedals in the big ring and mashed as hard as I could trying to close the gap. Immediately I picked up two places passing some faster kayakers but slower mountain bikers. Within a mile I caught a glimpse of Doc and my energy levels soared. Not long after seeing him I was on his back tire and made him an offer to work together. He graciously accepted and I attached myself to his back wheel letting him do most of the work. Shortly there after I felt him slow on a flat section of road that we should have been hammering. I decided to jump in front and return the favor encouraging him as I got into position. He said his legs were gassed from last weekend and for me to go ahead and race for a podium. I insisted we would race together and help each other to a Top 10 finish. For the next few miles of dirt road and snowmobile trail we stayed together with me pulling him along. Just past the half way mark he had fallen back as a signal for me to go. Standing up again on the pedals I cranked as hard as I could toward the rider a hundred meters ahead. After a little work I finally caught him and worked my way past. My legs felt strong and I rode most of the next 5 miles in the big ring with the lone exception of the last hike-a-bike steep ascent back up to the ski area. I had come out of the water 11th overall (solo's & teams) and finished the bike in 6th. I transitioned to my trail shoes, grabbed my bottle of HEED, and headed out for the final two miles of the race. With full sun and temps in the 80's it was a challenge to remain hydrated although I had made it to this point in the race without even so much as a muscle quiver. I ran the first 20 meters up Pleasant Mountain and then realized it was a futile exercise. We would gain ~1300 feet in a mile to the summit house. With 15.5 aggressive mountain bike miles on my legs and very, very little tri-specific training (ie. bricks) in the bag I immediately switched to survival mode. The two guys ahead of me were walking and as I peeked back EVERYONE else behind me was walking as well. The way I reasoned as long as I walked as fast as everyone else my place was secure. Counting the top competitors ahead of me I estimated myself to be somewhere inside the Top 10. Although I don't know if they were solo's or teams, I lost two places on the mountain. The downhill sprint was punishing on the legs but it felt great to move so purposely toward the finish. I crossed the finish line in 2:17:23 good enough for 5th/49 solo (8th/83 overall/). Obviously I'm really, really pleased with the result. Despite a couple of sections on the mountain that I wished I was anywhere else but there...I raced hard from cannon to finish and held up remarkably well. For my first real triathlon in nearly 20 years I'd say it was a success.

Google Earth map and elevation profile. As you can
see, Pleasant Mountain isn't so much.

Post-script: I must say "kudos" and "thank you" to race director Rob Knowles for putting on such a unique race. Rob was very gracious and generous with all three aR athletes in attendance. This really is a great event. Super challenging and fun course and a killer free lunch with burgers, dogs, and ice cream. Great volunteers and a heaping dose of Maine "charm" make this a race I'd definitely go back to do...I just hope he moves it back another week from the 24HoGG. I'm going to "run" Pleasant Mountain next time! [At least to the first aid station]

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach Relay (NH)

24HoGG

2011-08-18T18:14:00.000-04:00

Sunrise on Sunday morning starting
my second of two laps.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"We do not remember days, we remember moments." - Cesare Pavese
Gorham, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Like Reach The Beach and Pineland Farms 25k, the 24 Hours of Great Glen mountain bike race I've now done for the past five years. It's an event that everything else gets scheduled around. I even plan my work vacation in conjunction with the race. And the funny thing is...I'm only a recreational mountain biker. Yeah I've taken strides over the last 15+ years to improve my 'technical ability', but really I'm an average trail/mountain runner who happens to love this little 24 hour mountain bike race. Those of you who follow this blog and these race reports know that there are times (very recent times) that mountain bike racing hasn't gone very well for me. [Reference " The Pinnacle"] My love-hate relationship with the sport is well documented. But the 24HoGG is different for a few very important reasons and those start and end with my aR teammates. I race the event as part of a 4-person team and have shared some pretty incredible experiences with some pretty incredible people over the years. This year was no exception. aR brought the most teams to the event in our history (3) and it would be the first time that all four winners of the King of the Glen award would race together including Steve McCusker ('07), Steve Sprague ('08), Ted Hall ('09), and Jay J. Dunn ('10). It's also a special weekend because I get to share it with my family. My son Brayden and brother Jay have raced the past two years and my wife and daughters typically come up on Saturday and follow the action through the cannon on Sunday. Last year I had a pretty miserable time and it was completely my own fault. I got a little too caught up in the intra-aR competition and I lost touch of why I love the weekend so much. This year I was determined to re-focus my attention, race as hard as I could, stay healthy, and enjoy what really is one of my favorite events of the year. When I put the first two teams together back in the spring I attempted to make them as even as possible. aR-BLACK was led by Ted Hall and included Austin Stonebraker, Ri Fahnestock, and myself. aR-GOLD was captained by my brother Jay and included Steve Wolfe, Steve Sprague, and Brayden. Shortly after these two teams were finalized there was enough interest to form a third team, aR-GREY and it included Timmy Lindsey, Jay Curry, Steve McCusker, and invited guest David Cretsinger. With Timmy and Curry as first timers and David an unknown it was really unclear as to how this third team would fare in the competition between aR teams. The week leading up to the race was anything but typical for me. Fortunately I had taken the week off from work because I spent most of it nursing a strained muscle in my back suffered at work the previous week. I took 4 consecutive zeros and spent most of the time lying on the floor as it was the only position that provided any measure of relief from the crippling back spasms. I had actually lined up my teammate Amanda House as a replacement if I couldn't ride. Hell, I could barely walk less than 4 days prior to the race. Needless to say it wasn't the ideal way to taper but by Thursday I was feeling better and felt confident that I would be able to ride (racing may be another story). With three very strong and very experienced teammates to back me up I took the 4th place in our rotation. My first lap was serviceable as a I rode a 51:04. With the improvements to the course I was able to ride the entire 8.5 mile loop including the infamous "bone yard" plunge at mile 8. Other than some expected stiffness my back held up and I rested up for more riding. A little before 6:00 pm I went out for lap #2 and decided to tone things down. Like so many of my longer events I have experienced some epic physical collapses at this race which significantly reduces the "fun factor". I once again rode all 1100+ feet of climbing and logged a 56:28 for Lap #2. At this point we were able to determine some predictions about subsequent laps based on lap times. It looked like my next single lap would be under darkness with lights around 9:30ish pm. Ri came storming into the transition area at 9:24 pm and I was off for my first night lap. Knowing that it was my last single before a solid five hour overnight break (while my teammates did their 'doubles") I continued my conservative approach trying to ride smooth and clean. Riding all the ascents on the "Blueberry Hill" side of the operation I settled for walking the new Whiplash and Angel Station singletrack climb. It was a little disappointing because in past years I've ridden the Angel Station singletrack on every lap. With discretion being the better part of valor I walked but maintained a brisk up tempo 'hike-a-bike' cadence. I finished Lap #3 in 1:03:28. After a quick shower and a snack I set my alarm(s) for 2:30 am and laid down in Wolfe camper. Steve has brought the camper for the past few years and has graciously offered a bed for me to sleep in during the overnight. I rested as much as slept and awoke just before the alarm chimed. My 'double' was next and thanks to my rider position and the timing, I would only have to do one of the laps with lights because in all likelihood my second lap would be started at dawn and finished around sunrise. Overnight doubles have psyched me out in the past so knowing that I'd be riding in the daylight was a huge mental relief and it allowed me to relax and enjoy the 17 miles of riding. I walked quite a bit of the first lap (Lap #4) and finished in 1:12:53. I quickly ditched my lights and hydration pack, ate a quick snack, and then began my second lap. Shortly after starting and right around the Honeymoon Cottage I was caught by my son. He had done his overnight double hours earlier and was setting out on his 5th lap. He offered to ride with me to pull me along and thanks to his company (and draft) I was able to negative split and ran a 1:12:36 for my Lap #5. And by riding together we kept our two teams (BLACK & GOLD) in a virtual deadlock for the aR team title. To this point in the event my conservative strategy had paid off. I hadn't had any health issues and was having a great deal of fun hanging out with teammates between laps. All that conservative fun and games changed less than three hours later and my son and I waited in the transition area for our riders (Ri & Doc) to arrive. Since we had handed the batons to Ted & Jay hours earlier the two teams had battled neck and neck and were still less than a minute apart after having raced for 20+ hours. Knowing I had raced a smart race to that point and knowing it was not only my last lap but it was also a chance to help keep aR-BLACK on top for our last two riders I was going to give it everything I had. Ri came into the tent less than :10 seconds before Doc. It was my 18 year old son and myself for bragging rights on the last, typically hardest, lap. Right out of the transition area I stood up in the big ring and hammered with what little I had left. As I made it to the Blueberry Hill switchbacks I could see him right behind me riding hard and closing fast. He had crushed me at The Pinnacle in June so this was my chance at revenge. Riding through the tunnel I felt as if I had kept the slim :10 margin I had started with but with 6 miles to go I knew anything could happen. Brayden is particularly fearless on the descents and with his carbon fiber bike and 18 year old fearlessness I knew I had a race on my hands. Giving it everything I had in as big of a gear as I could push I started to lose glimpses of him behind and I felt like I had gaped him. I rode most everything I could and ran with my bike on everything else. At one moment during the Angel Station singetrack climb as I pushed my bike hard I felt my quads begin to quiver. I quickly pulled out the Endurolyte FIZZ I had put in my back pocket just in case. Popping it in the water I had left in my bottle I drank a 1/4 of what was left and almost immediately felt better although this bobble allowed Brayden to close and although I couldn't see him I knew he was right behind. When I made it back to the meadow I once again stood up on the big ring and peddled as hard as I could through the chicane finish, dismounted the bike, and handed the baton (and a :30 lead) to Ted. Thanks to Brayden's 'push' I rode a solid 56:32. After he finished, Brayden told me that he had to stop to fix a chain suck just before the last switch back climb. He said he had started to see me again before the mechanical but the :30 he took to fix his bike was the difference in our lap times. With very strong efforts from Ted and Austin were able to hold off the very tough aR-GOLD team by just a scant few minutes with each team completing 26 laps for the race. As I reflect on the race, I had a much better time this year than last and it was probably due to 1.) my new Felt Q720 ran like a charm with zero mechanicals, 2.) my racing approach consisting of riding to my fitness level, and 3.) my general disregard for competing specifically against any other rider racing the course and myself instead. If you're a mountain biker you must do the 24HoGG as a 4-person team. It's an incredible experience and a fantastic weekend.

COMPLETE PHOTO SET COURTESY OF GIANINA LINDSEY

NEXT UP: Great Adventures Challenge (Bridgton, ME)

Tough Mountain Challenge

2011-07-24T10:35:00.001-04:00

aR @ Tough Mountain Challenge
[L-R] Jason Massa, Dan Dion, Chris J. Dunn,
Rich Lavers, Steve Sprague

"If you can't take the heat, don't tickle the dragon." - Anonymous

Sunday River, MAINE -- Obstacle course racing is a fairly new genre. I actually find the stunning popularity (reference 20,000 people at an event in Amesbury, MA this month) quite an interesting phenomena. And I've had long discussions during equally long car rides, without consensus, about the explanation behind it. Regardless, aR has capitalized on the novelty of the sport to carve out some measure of success winning back-to-back titles at the Hoppin' Mad Mud Run. I'll admit that 80% of the field at most of these events are groups of co-workers, sorority sisters, or weekend warriors but the task is always the same...be the fastest team to cross the finish line. And don't get me wrong, I think the whole idea of folks getting out and crawling around in the mud, hurdling walls, and running through the occasional pit of fire is a great way to promote physical activity and teamwork. It may actually be the spark (pun intended) to light a fire under the asses of some people in need of a little motivation to 're-start' or 'ramp up' their exercise programs. And without the aforementioned 80%, there would be very few (or no) opportunities for the other 20%. So with that, when the Tough Mountain Challenge came to our attention a few months back (just off our win at Hoppin') we didn't hesitate. Three of the five from the podium crew at Hoppin' (Jason Massa, Rich Lavers, and myself) would travel to Newry, ME along with newcomer Dan Dion subbing for the injured Steve Wolfe. But we weren't the only aR members racing. Steve Sprague raced as a solo with Nick Langelotti and Craig Poirier both leading duo's. The group that we had assembled to challenge for the 4-person team podium was presumably as strong any team there but because this looked like a bigger event there was no way of telling what the competition was. With a 1:20 start time we'd have a long time to sit around and anticipate the task at hand. When it was finally time to start we had full sun with temps easily in the 90's. As I said to the group before the start if some other team jumped us early on let them go but keep them in sight. The intel we had received from those who had already finished the course suggested there was plenty of climbing to do which played right to our strength. As if scripted, when the go command was given for the 1:20 start a young team of guys hammered off the line and began the first ascent. Running up a muddy ski slope through the water spraying snow cannons was tricky but felt great after baking in the sun at the starting line. By the time we finished the first 300 meter climb the group of 4 that blasted the start had become three. We easily cruised by them and began to open a gap on the rest of the field. The roughly 3-5 km course was a steady diet of up and down the mountain with obstacles like 8 ft climbing walls, spider webs, tunnels, and steep 25 meter rope-aided ravine ascents. Amazingly there were no back-ups and we took advantage of racing out front to cleanly negotiate the obstacles...for the most part. With Jason leading we ran through the first tunnel and after popping out continued to traverse the gnarly rocky ravine to the second, must smaller and sketchier, tunnel. It was only when we emerged from the second tunnel that we realized we had gone off course. After a brief discussion we scrambled back up out of the ravine in the direction we had travelled and quickly got back on course. Fortunately we had a large enough lead on our nearest competitors that our position in the heat was secure, but we all knew that there was still at least one more wave of 4-person teams to follow. We were racing the clock for sure. Excelling in the tight twisty singletrack sections we began to catch the slower teams from the 1:00 pm starting wave. We flew down the final 'slip'n slide' obstacle and ran through the finish together in 34:50.97. And in the end it turned out that even our 2:00 "extra tunnel" gaff left us enough cushion to take home the win in the 4-person category as our closest competitors finished 5:00 back. We weren't the only aR podium team however, Nick and his buddy took 2nd place in the duo category. Overall the event was extremely well designed and run. Kudos to the folks at Sunday River for putting on a great race! We'll be back in 2012 to defend our title for sure. And who says belt buckles are for sub 24 hour 100 miler finishers?!

1st Place Buckle!

NEXT UP: Kingman Farm Trail Race presented by GoLite Footwear

Bradbury Scuffle

2011-07-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

The aR crew: (R-L)
Me, Judson, Doc, Dan, Gary, Austin, Craig, & Mike

In some mysterious way woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me. - John Fowles

Pownal, MAINE -- This morning I took the trip up I295 to Bradbury State Park (ME) for the Bradbury Scuffle hosted by our good friends from Trail Monster Running and expertly co-directed by Ian Parlin and Ryan Triffitt. I've raced at Bradbury on trails and snow but never on the "other side of the road" so this would be a new experience for me. When I arrived I parked next to aR's Judson Cake and we chatted while the rest of the crowd began to arrive. I warmed up on the last few hundred meters of the course just to get a sense of my surroundings although as it turns out I didn't 'pre-run' back far enough. Starting on double-wide I tried to seed myself approximately 3 rows back somewhere in the Top 20. Being a 6 miler the front group went out predictably hard and I did my best to avoid the scattering of rocks and roots early on while in a constant elbow to elbow mosh pit for position. Within a few hundred meters I found myself behind RD Ian Parlin who was running at a very good pace. An extremely strong and talented trail runner, with far more miles on his legs in 2011 than I, it became my intention to stick with him as long as possible letting him show me the way through the 2+ mile section of twisting singletrack. Ian and I picked off a handful of runners in this section as we rollercoasted through this sweet flowy section of trail. At one point I actually felt a little dizzy staring at his feet watching for the rocks and roots that would appear in an instant from under his step. Approaching the first aid station around 3.5 miles he pulled over for a drink allowing me to run ahead. I fully expected him to surge back and retake the position so I focused on the next group of competitors up ahead trying to get hooks on them. As we spilled back onto double wide for the last 1.5+ miles I spotted a group led by Trail Monster Running's Jeremy Bonnett. He had passed Ian and I on along the singletrack section and accelerated away. I was surprised to see that I had made up some ground on his group. On a slight incline I accelerated by and took the lead on this hard charging group. Jeremy uttered some words of encouragement and I could feel someone come along. Turns out it was him. Using the Steve Wolfe approach of running 'ascared' and not looking back I picked up the cadence and tried to relax my upper body on the smooth slightly rolling section of double-track but I could feel someone within striking distance. With less than a mile to go on a very small climb Jeremy passed me again (this time for good) and put the hammer down. I picked up one more place in the last few hundred meters and finished 12th overall (3rd masters) in an unofficial 44:09. After last weekend's embarrassment at Loon Mountain Race I felt like I ran very hard and raced for the first time in a while. It's possible I may have made my move past Jeremy's group a tad too early as I could not hold him off in the end, but all in all I'm very pleased with the effort. After three consecutive weekend's of racing I'm looking forward (but not as much as Karen) to a weekend off. From a team perspective we had a great turnout with a number of awesome performances. It was great to see Austin, Doc, Craig, Mike R., and Dan D.. And we had two podium finishes...Judson who was first overall setting a new course record and Gary who won another age-group podium.

UP NEXT: Tough Mountain Challenge, Sunday River, ME

PS. Thanks to Ian, Ryan, and the entire Trail Monster Running team for another outstanding event. These folks are the standard by which we measure our event hosting. Once again a job very, very well done!

Loon Mountain Race

2011-07-04T16:23:00.000-04:00

The beauty and misery of
Upper Walking Boss.
[Scott Mason Photography]

"No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied-it speaks in silence to the very core of your being." -Ansel Adams

Lincoln, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- It's amazing the difference a week makes. Buoyed and a little cocky after last weekend's "conquering" of the Cranmore Hill Climb (ran the whole damn thing) I came plummeting down to earth at yesterday's Loon Mountain Race directed by Paul Kirsch. If it's an epic physical collapse you're looking for look no further than my racing resume. My Top 10 is as ugly as they come. And while the 15+ minutes I spent on Upper Walking Boss may not make the all-time list...it was nonetheless a gruesome slow motion one-sided beatdown. Like 50% of the races I do, Loon Mountain wasn't on my schedule at the beginning of the year. But the events of the week prior (see below) made it mandatory that I be there...and if I was going to be there I was going to race. I pride myself as a very capable climber relishing the challenge that any hill or mountain has to offer. Because this would be my first Loon Mountain Race, I gathered as much intel as I could from trail/snowshoe/mountain running friends like Scott Mason, Paul Bazanchuk, and Rich Miller. And I'm so glad I did because they told me that the infamous Upper Walking Boss section of the course (700' of vertical in 1 km) was not the end of the race and that one more steep descent and ascent to the finish remained. Along with 218 other (fool)hardy mountain runners we took off along the Pemigewassett River for a short section of downhill racing on double wide gravel road before a "S" turn got us to the mountain. I ran comfortably hard during the first 10 minutes of the race trying to find a low sustainable climbing gear. Was fortunate to have the opportunity to run with Jeff Dengate early on but couldn't hold him as he slowly moved away. Shortly after Jeff moved out of sight Paul Bazanchuk approached on my right shoulder and gave me the thumbs up. He and I ran "together" for the next 15 minutes. At some point just below the final climb before Upper Walking Boss I gave up the silly idea of attempting to run opting instead to powerhike behind Paul as he continued his amazing ascent of the mountain with a steady and resolute short-strided running cadence. As I picked my way down toward UWB I briefly took in the amazing views of the Lincoln area while attempting to hold off a hard charging crowd back behind. As a first timer to UWB you cannot imagine how steep and how long it looks as you make the sharp right hand turn onto the climb. The competitors at the top look like ants. As you begin UWB it's a full on assault with the mountain simultaneously stealing the juice from your quads and ripping out what little courage you had left in your soul. Not five minutes into my first UWB experience I felt humbled, over matched, and under prepared. I was passed by at least 10 racers without as much as an iota of fight. I paused briely to stand upright every 20 steps or so just to stretch my back and hamstrings. I was so deep in the hurt locker that I just continued to stare at the mountain under my feet as each agonizing minute passed. I kept telling myself that every climb has a top and eventually so did UWB but not before it ravaged my legs and whatever Top 40 finish I had going. As I began the final descent I felt my right calf tighten in an ominous warning of a monumental physical breakdown. Deciding it was better to finish than to run the last downhill I choose to walk the first 50 meters before testing the calf out a second time. Miraculously it held and I was able to negotiate (albeit slowly) the final 100 meters of ski slope. With a cheering crowd I was able to run the last climb up to the finish. My 1:06:48 was good enough for 51st place overall (20th master). aR as a team had a pretty good showing with Dan Dion (42nd), Richie Blake (87th), and 'Drea McCusker (104th) making the trip. After the race Paul announced that he was stepping down from RDing the event he started in 2006 and that aR would take over the direction of the race. It's really an incredible honor and challenge for us but one that we are excited to tackle. Without question Loon Mountain is one of the most spectacularly beautiful and demanding races I've ever done. And for my money, Upper Walking Boss is the most brutal 10-20 minutes of any race anywhere.

UP NEXT: Bradbury Scuffle

RESULTS
Photo courtesy of Scott Mason Photography

US Mountain Running Championships

2011-06-27T19:40:00.000-04:00

The "down" side of mountain racing
at Cranmore.
[Photo courtesy of Joe Viger]

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

North Conway, NH -- Sunday's Cranmore Hill Climb served as the 2011 US Mountain Running Championships and provided me yet another incredible opportunity to race against the best. But it wasn't the guys from CO, WA, & CA that I was at all interested in...it was the men whom I've done battle with on the snow, trails, and mountains of New England that I was most interested in testing my mettle. At 42 years of age I'm very fortunate to be in good enough health (and decent enough physical condition) to be able to compete. While not a "mountain goat" I am very comfortable racing up mountains and actually consider hill climbing a strength. So when it appeared as though the Cranmore Hill Climb would finally fit in my schedule I committed. Teammate Ken Young and I drove up to North Conway and met fellow teammates Dan Dion, Dan Hayden, Andrea McCusker, Ahna McCusker, and Judson Cake. The layout of the course was pretty straightforward, three 3.87 km laps up and down the mountain with 206 meters of gain on each lap. Not having scouted the course I decided to attempt to gain as much pre-race knowledge as I could and polled nearly everyone I knew including master's mountain running legend and fellow competitor Paul Bazanchuk. Paul and I have raced against each other on snow, trails, and mountains. I have a great deal of respect for him and his incredible fitness and tenacity. Although I frequently see him before a race I rarely see him during them. He's typically way out in front. When I saw him finishing a warm-up lap before the start I took the opportunity to ask him about the course. Gracious and forthcoming as always he offered up a little inside knowledge. And when I asked if all of the climbs were "runnable" he said that they definitely were. So, I quickly formulated a race plan no less than 10 minutes before the start. I'd go out conservatively on the first lap to see first hand how challenging the climbs were and then from there would attempt to run the whole damn thing picking off the guys who may have gone out a little too hard in the beginning. Tim VanOrden told me at Mt. Washington last year that it's always better to be passing people rather than getting passed at these mountain races. As the "Go" command was given by mountain running legend Dave Dunham I hung off the back half of the field as the top mountain runners in the US blasted off of the line and hurdled themselves at the mountain. After roughly 100 meters the course began to climb. Almost immediately I encountered slower traffic (some walking) and hugging the far right side of the access road made my way around 15-20 people. The course was a great mix of ski slopes, access roads, and singletrack with traverses and even a couple of brief descents in the 2+km climb to the high point. After having run the entire first climb I attempted to relax on the descent and hold whatever places I had gained. Still needing a great deal of work in that area I gave back a handful of places to runners who seemed to be flying 2 feet off of the ground as they glided downhill. Passing the START/FINISH I grabbed a splash of water and headed up for lap #2. I leap frogged 3-4 guys passing them on the ups (which I was still running and they walking) and then giving back the places on the descents (which they were running faster...still). I passed the START/FINISH again in approximately 40:00 having run two very consistent laps. Just past the 1km mark of the last climb I caught a glimpse in the distance of Paul Bazanchuk. Because I am very, very rarely within 5-10 minutes of him I was immediately buoyed seeing him within striking distance. Picking up the climbing pace (still running) I was able to close the gap and get to his shoulder. Without speaking he acknowledged my presence and I felt incredibly uplifted. As we both slogged through those final few climbs (running by the way) I briefly got in front and implored him to follow feeling that I owed him the favor of pulling him up the last pitch after he let me ride along for the last few hundred meters. Beginning the last downhill I knew that as good of a climber as I am...Paul is three times as good of a descender. And it wasn't longer before he blasted by me chasing down the 2-3 guys just ahead of us. Not really sure how to go any faster than I was going and stay on my feet I made my way back down to the bottom of the mountain and crossed the finish line in 1:00:40 and 52 place overall (19th master). As proud as I am of a Top 20 finish at a US Championship I much more proud of the fact that I ran the whole damn thing. I realize that there were scores of men who beat me and walked, but I was also in a private 1-on-1 battle with the mountain. And this time, I won.

Photo credit: Joe Viger Photography

NEXT UP: Bradbury Scuffle

The Pinnacle

2011-06-20T15:32:00.000-04:00

Finishing Lap #1 of the Pinnacle
in Newport, NH
[Photo: Gianina Lindsey]

"There are no failures -- just experiences and your reactions to them." -Tom Krause

Newport, NH -- Is it possible to love something but at the same time not enjoy it? Sunday I continued my tormented relationship with mountain bike racing at the Pinnacle in Newport, NH. Before I go any further...let me say that the folks at Team-Pinnacle are fantastic! aR has been racing their fall double duathlon, the Pinnacle Challenge, for ever and ever. They couldn't be nicer and have some the best singletrack in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region for sure. Now back to the story. For years I've really, really enjoyed mountain biking. Heck, I just bought myself a new Felt Q720 hardtail to add to my collection. Nothing fancy, mountain biking is a diversionary activity for me so I can't really justify dropping $3k on a rig that will spend more time next to my furnace than in the woods. But it's something I love and it's something I can do with my son Brayden (more on him later) and my brother Jay (when he's around...or when we take trips to places like Moab). And it has always seemed to me that if you really enjoyed something "recreationally" then it's only natural that you'd also really enjoy it "competitively". It's that way for trail racing, road racing, and snowshoeing for me. But as hard as I try, I just can't seem to love mountain bike racing as much as I do mountain bike riding. And I'll try to explain that paradox. Brayden, Timmy Lindsey, the Lindsey Clan, and I headed to Newport this weekend for a planned Father's Day mountain bike race. I'm familiar with the course from the Pinnacle Challenge each fall and as I already mentioned the folks at Team-Pinnacle are great so it really was an easy choice. Timmy, in his first mountain bike race, planned to ride the Novice class (2 laps/10 miles) while Brayden & I the Sport class (3 laps/16 miles). The first mistake I made was in my own self-evaluation and class selection. I've raced the 24 Hours of Great Glen for the past 4 years and I've ridden Slick Rock in Utah so surely if anyone is a novice it is not I! Like I said...mistake #1. I lined up with the other Sport-Masters II riders who would go off in the 3rd wave exactly 2 minutes behind the first group with no fewer than 5 or 6 waves of Sport & Novice riders to follow. The course would include a shortened 4 mile loop and then two 6 mile loops climbing all the way to the top of the Pinnacle before the incredibly fast and fun 2+ mile berm filled "pump track" descent. The bonus would be riding the "pump track" on all three loops. It almost made the killer granny gear climbs worth it...almost. Within minutes of starting the race I felt like I was log jamming faster traffic behind me on the narrow technical singletrack. Acknowledging I was slower I repeatedly pulled off to let the stronger riders pass thus eliminating any possible rhythm or momentum (of mine). The RDs describe the Pinnacle course as "technical" and these dudes are mountain bikers but in years past I've ridden the entire track without as much as a dab. But in all cases I've been riding with very little pressure from a large chase pack. Normally I'm accustomed to yielding to faster guys (and gals) on mountain bikes so it's really not that big of a deal but nearly 3/4 of the Sport & Novice field behind me (some 20+) passed me during that first lap making for a choppy first 40 minutes. One of those 20+ was my son Brayden who started several minutes back. With very little effort he made up the time gap and passed me before we hit the high point of the course. His 18 year old legs, substantially more seat time, and fearlessness on the descents were a trifecta that I couldn't possibly overcome and, with the exception of video games, for the first time in his life he was kicking his old man's ass in something competitive. Is there any better male "right of passage" than that? Okay, there are a few but it's probably in the Top 5. Just before "The Plummet", located at the end of each loop, I took a wrong turn. Within a 100 meters I realized my mistake and doubled-back but the mind screwing was just beginning. Racing through the START/FINISH area I headed out for loop 2 of 3. This time a longer 6 mile version of the same loop we just did including an additional ascent to the very top of the course. Again, like in the first loop although with slightly less frequency, I dodged out of the way as faster riders approached from behind. By this time my confidence began to wane and I was dishing on technical spots that I otherwise could pull off. And for some reason each time I fell it became harder and harder to get my shoe released from my pedal resulting in repeated slow motion hip/forearm shivers to the dirt. Approaching the big drop back to the START/FINISH I had had enough and decided to call it quits. I wasn't bonked or injured. I just wasn't having any fun. And looking at my watch...the Expert and Elite classes were getting ready to get on course for their 4 laps! I knew had I started that 3rd lap all of those riders would be racing around me as well. With respect to not funking up their race I opted to just get out of the way. My first DNF this year for sure and perhaps...ever? It's weird, as the standard bearer for this team and organization I feel incredibly guilty and ashamed when I don't measure up to our mantra, RACE acidotic which means giving nothing less than everything you have. It's what I admire in so many of my teammates and what at times I lack so woefully. I still love mountain biking, I just don't think I enjoy mountain bike racing. And I'm really, really bummed and confused about it.

NEXT UP: US Mountain Running Championships at Cranmore Mountain (NH)

POST-SCRIPT: Nobody asked me and nobody probably cares but after reflecting 24 hours on the race I know what I'd do differently if I ever hosted a mountain bike race. First, the Expert and Elite classes would race first thereby assuring that these folks would have a clear course to ride. I'm sure they think it sucks to have to avoid the slower Sport & Novice riders. Depending on the course (laps or loop) the Sport & Novice riders would race once the Elite & Expert riders had finished or began their final lap. And the Sport & Novice riders would seed themselves according to ability like any other damn trail or road race. It makes absolutely no sense to me to line faster riders up behind the slower ones. Seeding would assure that the fast folks get out and race on clean track and the slower riders would ride off the back also having a clean track to ride. Clearly the likelihood exists that the slower riders will be lapped but only a small margin and only near the end of their race (or not at all for the fewer lap Novice riders). For sure I'm no mountain bike racer or RD and as someone as already said to me..."they obviously do it the way they do it for a reason!" but for me I'd probably enjoy it a little more without feeling like I'm holding everyone else up. But what the hell do I know?

Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear

2011-06-13T19:33:00.000-04:00

Without question my favorite
course of the trail racing season!
[Photo Gianina Lindsey]

"Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction." - William James

Exeter, NH -- I eat breakfast with him. I drive to races with him. I even warm-up with with him. There isn't anyone on the face of the planet who I know better than my #1 competition at any event I race. Yet from time to time he befuddles me. Does something so unexpected that I wonder how much I really do know him? I know my greatest competition, and he is I. As an exercise physiologist I know that if we tested every trail runner finishing in the Top 15 at the Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear there would very little physiologic variance in nearly any parameter you'd want to highlight...VO2max, lactate threshold, mitochondrial density. Yet clearly there are differences in performance. So if physiology can't account for the differences in performance in these particular athletes, then what does? The quote from above and my own personal experience with the topic (the Exeter Trail Race this weekend as Exhibit A) suggests that the greatest difference in athletes finishing in the Top 15 is fear. When each of us is faced with the "obstruction", and we all confront it, the athlete(s) who in that moment are not afraid of what lies on the other side...are the ones who are able to continue to push forward and find endless resources of ease and power. William James' quote is on the footer of my blog. You'd think of ANYONE, it would be ME who would know first hand the benefit of pushing through the obstruction! Yet a woeful lack of attention and commitment to the moment, resulted in a mental shortcoming at the instant in which I needed all of my focus on that problem.

The 10 miler at the Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear is hosted by acidotic RACING and skillfully directed by teammates Sarah Silverberg and Ri Fahnestock (course designer). The course that Ri has crafted is quickly becoming one of my favorite trail racing experiences. A dizzying roller coaster of roots and rocks, the figure 8 layout is as much a test of athleticism as it is aerobic endurance. In 2010 I had one of my best all-time performances racing the course as hard from start to finish as any race I've ever done. With a very consistent and successful winter and early spring I had a tremendous amount of confidence heading into the weekend. Remembering how important getting out quickly was to last year's performance I jumped off the gun and worked to get out front before the singletrack narrowed the 80+ strong field (of 4 & 10 milers). And apparently it worked...because as we hit the singletrack (20 meters into the race) I was leading the field! Not exactly what I was looking to do, but I figured that eventually the Top 5 would get tired of my slow pace and find their way around. For what seemed like way too long they let me lead. With the abundance of toe grabbing rocks and roots there was no way I was looking back, instead trying to focus on the measured cadence of my pursuers. Eventually of course they went around but because the 4 & 10 mile races were held on the same course for the first 2+ miles there was really no telling what place I was in when 4-6 of them trucked on by including my teammate and eventual 2nd place finisher Dan Hayden. Content to let that lead pack do their thing I settled into a comfortably hard pace remembering that 10 miles at "Fort Rock" can be brutal. I ran alone for a while skillfully picking lines through the boulder fields, root stalks, and hairpin turns. Shortly after crossing under Rt 101 I caught glimpses in my peripheral vision of another challenge and I recognized the familiar singlet of Coastal Athletic Association. We raced within 3-5 meters for a mile or so but I could feel him gaining on me. At some point when he was within shouting distance I spoke back words of encouragement and alerted him to some of the more abrupt directional changes with shouts of "LEFT, LEFT, LEFT!" or "RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT!". Karma always comes back around and any chance I get to spread a little around during a race I never miss an opportunity. When we finally were running within a meter of each other I learned his name was Tim. We agreed we'd work together to hold off the hard charging duo of Dave Merkt (Shenipsit Striders) and my aR teammate Dan Dion who had closed the gap and were eager to make it a four car locomotive. When I sensed Dave & Dan closing I asked Tim if he wanted to go by but he refused instead encouraging me to keep up the pace. Mere moments later the other two had their grips on us and now I was dragging four instead of just two. It's incredibly difficult to hold off one challenge on slippery singletrack, but holding off three was damn near impossible. Feeling as though I had slowed considerably since our company had arrived I veered off the trail and let Tim and Dave race by but to my surprise Dan asked me to pull a little longer. When we hit the Rt 101 tunnel with less than 1.5 miles to go Dan easily dispatched of me. It was at that moment that I stared the obstruction squarely in the eyes. I had a pretty easy choice...stick with Dan and let him pull me to the finish or fade back in fear of an epic collapse. Without the proper attention to the challenge I squandered the moment. There wasn't anything physically wrong with me when Dan raced around. Fear prevented me from tapping into those sources of ease and power James talks about and that I've felt numerous times before. I managed to keep Dan in sight but never challenged him finishing 7 seconds back in 10th overall (3rd master) in 1:18:19. Ri switched the course up on us this year so technically it was our first time racing this design. Had the race been another few hundred meters my good trail/snowshoe racing brother from the Striders John Agosto and my aR teammate Rich Lavers would have surely caught me. I believe growth comes from learning and on Sunday I learned that I need to write and keep James' quote with me at every race and read it right before I start.

RESULTS

Next Up: Pinnacle Mountain Bike Race, Newport, NH

Pineland Farms 25k

2011-05-30T10:14:00.002-04:00

"It's not the heat, it's the stupidity."
- Jay J. Dunn
[Photo Gianina Lindsey]

MEMORIAL DAY QUOTE:
"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it." - Thucydides

New Gloucester, MAINE -- I have a handful of "A" races on my schedule. These are my favorite events for both the challenge and the community. The Pineland Farms 25k in New Gloucester, ME, hosted by Trail Monster Running, is at the top of that list. The 2011 version would be my fifth consecutive start and would mark a highpoint for acidotic RACING. The 16 aR athletes that made the trip to RACE acidotic was by far our largest turnout at the event. I rode up with teammates Rich Lavers, Timmy Lindsey, and Jay Myers. All three would be racing the 25k version of the event for the first time and I attempted to share my knowledge of the course. The race essentially breaks down into five 5k's. The first 5k is downhill and fast, the 2nd 5k regains the lost elevation and is sneaky hard, the 3rd 5k is a rolling recovery, the 4th 5k is a roller coaster, and the 5th 5k is always short but includes a few tougher climbs and an open field to the finish. Reviewing my performance (and collapse) from last year I formulated the following 5k split plan to PR; :22, :48, 1:07, 1:30, 2:53. At the start I once again seeded myself incorrectly and had to dodge and weave for the first few hundred meters to get up to pace and find some clean running lanes. Rich and Dan Dion ran with me for the first 5k and we hit the first split a little fast at 21:45. By this time the 300+ runners had gotten single file and the wide nordic trails made running the tangents very easy. Just before the 10k mark Rich fell back a bit correctly deciding to run his own race. Dan stuck with me aswe hit the 10k split a full 2 MINUTES up at :46 (24:23). Knowing that we had just run one of the toughest 5k's on the course a little faster than planned I felt very confident that we had banked some precious time and that a PR was well within reach. Then it happened. In a bit of ominous self-fulfilling prophecy I utter the phase to Dan, "Just relax.". I've had 24 hours to mull it over and I'm still not sure exactly what happened but I must have "relaxed" a little too much. Feeling great and very in control I actually caught and passed the very talented and tough John Agosto of the Shenipsit Striders. But when I looked at my watch at the 15k mark I almost couldn't believe it...1:11 (25:27). I had not only squandered the two minute bank, but I had put myself now 4 minutes in the hole! The 5k split tells the story. I was a full :60 slower than the 2nd (harder) 5k. With a painful knowledge of the last 10k of the race I quickly surmised that attempting to make up 4 minutes on the 'other side of the road' was both foolhardy and selfish. The final 5k of this event has bared witness to some of my most epic physical collapses. I made up my mind that I would not add to that archive today. We had, after all, a team title to contend for and I was at the moment our 3rd place runner (behind Phil Erwin and my mentor Steve Wolfe). Although I clipped off my 20k split (26:31) the objective at that point was to run consistently to the finish. Something a double hamstring uberspasm prevented me from doing in 2010. The last 5k was graciously short and I crossed the finish in 2:01:20 good enough for 22nd overall (15th master). When I reviewed my performances from years past I was actually pretty surprised to learn that although I felt prepared and raced well, the 2:01:20 would be my slowest finish at the event and the 2nd time in 5 tries that I failed to run sub 2:00. But curiously I feel okay with the effort and am very pleased that I didn't have any health issues. After the race I had a chance to enjoy the free BBQ and beers with my great friends and teammates. And although we were 2nd (AGAIN!) in the 25k team competition it was another great event put on by some the best in the business.

NEXT UP: Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear

Weekend Double: Northfield & Hoppin' Mad

2011-05-23T20:12:00.001-04:00

RACING acidotic alongside the
guru of mountain racing Paul Kirsch
[Photo courtesy Scott Mason]

"What goes up, must come down." -Sir Isaac Newton

PART I (Saturday): New England Trail Running Championships at Northfield Mountain

Northfield, MA -- Snowshoe racing doubles are one thing...mountain/mud run doubles are something all together different. The Hoppin' Mad Mud Run had been on the 2011 schedule shortly after returning from the 2010 event. Funny how motivating a cash prize and free beer are you know. But I had no, zero, zilch, nada intentions of doubling up this weekend less than 7 days from my "A" race of the entire trail running season (Pineland Farms 25k)! That was until my good friend and teammate Rich Lavers coerced me into racing the final Northfield Mountain race under the direction of the incomparable legend Dave Dunham. "Piece of cake." Rich implored. He didn't show up. Completely fine under the circumstances as family always comes first but having committed an entry fee and agreeing to be the carpool driver there was no way I was getting out of it. And I'm really glad Rich "talked" me into it. The combination of it being the last Dunham-directed edition of the race and the fact that it was serving as the New England Trail Running Championships assured that a completely STACKED field would toe the line. Walking to registration I ran into Paul Kirsch. Paul is the driving force behind the USATF-New England Mountain, Ultra, Trail Running and a top notch athlete in his own right. Having dusted me at Mt. Washington last year the fact that he was sandbagging before the race seemed a little peculiar and I let him know that I wasn't going to fall for it. A big part of the lure of snowshoe, trail, and mountain racing for me is the community and the competition. For the most part I know the guys I'm racing against. Saturday was no exception. Shortly after the race started I found Paul and locked in on him doing my best to pick through the traffic and get off his right shoulder. Paul is the definition of a mountain runner. Living and working where he does affords him the luxury of training consistently in the White Mountains of NH. And the Northfield Mountain course set up perfectly for him...3 miles UP the mountain and 3 miles down the mountain. As we began to climb I was content and surprised that I was able to stick with him. He pulled me up the first two miles of climbing. With less than a mile of climbing to go I offered to pay back the favor and pull for a little while as I was feeling strong and owed him a debt of gratitude for the work he had just done. Without consciously trying to pull away I felt him fall back beyond the typical 3-4 meters needed to keep 'hooks' into someone. Really enjoying racing with him I encouraged him to continue to work knowing that it was probably only a matter of time before he raced by. I reached the high point of the course slightly ahead and proceeded to descend. I am typically not a great downhill runner and Paul is equally adept at racing downhill as he is at racing uphill. As I attempted to "relax" and let gravity take over I wondered how long it would take him to catch and gap me. One after one, smaller, lighter, fitter, more courageous runners flew by me like I was watching. But curiously no Paul. Perhaps I had put enough time on him in those final few hundred meters of climbing to hold him off? With a 1/4 mile to go I could feel every downhill foot strike reverberate up through my knees and hips. I couldn't wait for it to be over...give me 20 miles uphill ANY DAY just no more running down! In some crazy stroke of luck I was able finish two places and 19 seconds ahead of Paul. Had the race been a 1/2 mile longer he would have surely passed me. I finished in a respectable 46:26 good enough for 50th overall and 19th master. Always first class Paul was the first to shake my hand.

RESULTS

Two time Team Champion aR-BLACK (L-R)
Jason Massa, Rich Lavers, Phil Erwin,
Danny Ferreira, and I.

PART II (Sunday): Hoppin' Mad Mud Run

Amesbury MA -- When you're the defending champion at anything there's always a little more pressure to perform. Add increased expectations to the mix and it'll keep you up at night. And so it was that I brought a completely new team to the 2011 Hoppin' Mad Mud Run in Amesbury expertly hosted by Julian Thompson and the folks at HEAT Event Management. We had such a great time at the '10 event and were treated so graciously that returning to this 2nd year event was a nobrainer. The challenge would be putting together a team that would rival the previous year. For the uninitiated, the HMMR is a 10k road/XC course filled with 'military' obstacles held on the spacious Woodsom Farm. Teams and individuals proceed out in waves. The RD's had given us the preferred "elite" first wave designation (thereby adding to the pressure). The trick would be to stay ahead of any other team in that first wave (obviously) and lay down as fast a time as we could. Not surpisingly the lure of cash, free beer, and glory was enough to get early commitments from Danny Ferreira, Rich Lavers, and Phil Erwin. And needing an 11th hour substitution our newest teammate Jason Massa stepped up and stepped in. Before the start we chatted with whom would eventually be our only competition, the Muddy Trotters, led by masters snowshoe racing champion Theresa Ridgway. It was this same co-ed team that we beat last year by the narrowest of margins. Not having scouted out the newest obstacles before the race the great unknown held too much potential for catastrophe so our strategy was to get out early on the 2.5+ mile road run, establish a lead, and then try to hold on. Passing the mile marker in roughly 5:50 we were running comfortably hard and still densely packed together as we put a gap on the Trotters. Entering Woodsom Farm at just shy of 5km our first obstacle was a series of 5 or 6 Jersey barriers. We would later learn that our GPS 5k split (18:29:13) was Rich's 5k PR...and we climbed over 6 Jersey's barriers and at least 5 low hurdles! As we negotiated the obstacles Danny and Phil took turns leading and pulling, clearly the fittest of our five. Cleanly through 5 miles of fields and obstacles we had managed to establish a lead on the Trotters but they certainly hadn't given up. In fact, at times it seemed like they closed the gap. Then with only a handful of obstacles left and less than a 1/2 mile to go the only "experienced" Mud Run competitor on our team, me, screwed up two consecutive challenges. The first, a reverse slip & slide (in other words you ran up the slip & slide) covered in dish liquid. For some reason I was the last to attempt it and made it barely 1/2 way up before I went to hands and knees and slid all the way to the bottom. Now feeling like 1st place was slipping out of our grasp my haste seemed to make the obstacle even more difficult (or could it have been two 10ks in a row?). With a little coaching and a helping had I finally made it to the top of the 20 foot slip & slide section. As we ran down and back up a small climb to approach the cargo netting I felt like my experience at the Shawnee Peak Challenge last fall would serve me well on the most daunting obstacle. I was wrong. Scrambling up and over the 10 foot high obstacle my left foot hung up on the opposite side of the structure as I attempted to descend leaving me in an awkward position over the top log. Somehow I managed to free my leg and get to the bottom and by this time the Trotters were just one obstacle behind and closing fast. Jason and Rich had run ahead to get a little cushion as Danny and Phil hung back to assist me (again). Pulling up the rear I entered the mud pit with the rest of the team and we crawled to the finish in 43:17.3. Really an astonishingly fast time considering the XC course and dozen or so challenges. In the end, our time was just a few minutes faster than the very gutty Muddy Trotters and we successfully defended our team title taking home a great cash prize, free beer, and some great memories.

RESULTS

NEXT UP: Pineland Farm 25k

7 Sisters

2011-05-06T09:05:00.001-04:00

Finishing another (and my
last) 7 Sisters Trail Race
[Courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"You cannot get ahead while you are getting even." -Dick Armey

Amherst, MA -- 7 Sisters just isn't "my thing". Two sisters, heck even 4 sisters maybe...but seven is way past my limit. Last weekend I once again ventured to western MA with my teammate Rich Lavers (and others) to take on the vaunted 7 Sisters Trail Race. Despite my epic physical collapse last year, I made the decision to give this race one more go in an attempt to redeem my performance from 2010. When we arrived on race site we met teammates Timmy Lindsey, Dan Hayden, Judson Cake, and Ryan Welts. Unlike last time around, this time around I had a race plan. Run the downs going out easy, power walk the steep ups, and try to split between 1:15-1:20. The race starts with an immediate 15%+ sharp basalt scattered ascent. The combination of being fresh (it's the beginning of the race) and fairly descent at climbing (up) this initial section was a great warm-up. Rich and I stayed together for the entire 6 miles out. As I picked cautiously downhill other competitors flew by. Having done that last time and failed miserably I tempered my competitive spirit and let them go. As we approached the turnaround I was surprised to see that we had run a 1:14. It really felt much, much slower than that. Both of us caught a quick splash and headed back out. At some point in the next 20 minutes I told Rich that we might as well turn the event into a 2-man adventure race and work together to help each other to a PR. Rich had run 3:20 here last year after a terrible fall and deep forearm laceration with 4 miles to go left him no other choice then to walk it out. With our 1:14 split, assuming both of us stayed upright, his PR was safe and with as good as I felt mine was also in play. On the return trip we'd take turns pushing and pulling. When I noticed he was falling off the pace I put him in front so we'd stay together (a typical strategy in adventure racing). After a series of climbs he'd return the favor. And then, with less than two miles to go, my 7 Sisters demons returned. As we negotiated a steep ascent my legs seized causing me to immediately stand upright making the climb nearly impossible. I called to Rich to ask if he still had any of the Shot Blocks left that I had seen him stow before the race. In a twist of tremendous fortune he did and he graciously gave them up. Without him, and those Shot Blocks, it would have certainly been a repeat performance...or worse. In moments the cramps had abated and we were again moving purposely forward as the clock ticked past 2:40 on our final ascent. Now with only minutes to go to set a PR (2:49:11 in 2010), Rich led us down the final steep sketchy descent. With all I could do to stay upright and with my adductors twinging to signal an impending revolt I shuffled downhill toward the finish taking one last peek at my watch. Although not a picture perfect effort, I crossed the finish in 2:46:18 good enough for a nearly :03 PR and a nice final chapter to my 7 Sisters experience. Rich finished 8 seconds ahead securing his own PR and redemption from a course that took it's measure of flesh last spring. It was also a great day for acidotic RACING as Trigger Point Performance sponsored athlete Judson Cake finished 8th overall, Ryan Welts 14th, and Dan Hayden 34th. And less than two weeks removed from his first Boston Marathon, 7S rookie Timmy Lindsey finished in just under 4 hours. A cruel testament to the brutality of this race. On the 3 hour ride home I had plenty of time to reflect. Although pleased with the PR, I finally realized that this type of trail/mountain 'hiking' is just not my cup of tea. I'm simply just not motivated enough to put in the miles necessary to perform to my potential but I have a great deal of respect for the 82 people who finished ahead of me. 7 Sisters is an epic race. But from now on I'll experience it through the tales of others.

NEXT UP: Northfield Mountain Trail Race

RESULTS

Merrimack River Trail Race

2011-04-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

Runnin' Da Rivah
[Photo courtesy Rose Dunham Washak]

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered , you will never grow." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

ANDOVER, MA -- This weekend was my second time around at the Merrimack River Trail Race and once again the race didn't disappoint. Not only did acidotic RACING turnout a HUGE number with 14 athletes in action, but the event drew a lot of friendly familiar faces and a similar personal result. After such a long snowy winter (finally thank goodness!) everyone's spirits seemed to be buoyed by the combination of terrific April weather and yes, DRY TRAILS! The objective for this race, as it is for nearly every race for me, is to run hard and consistent. Word had it that the trail was in outstanding shape and would be "fast". I ran really well here last year paced by some good friends on the way out and some great competition on the way back. My very good friend, teammate, and competitor Rich Lavers and I seeded ourselves just behind the 3rd row in what looked like a strong front field. As the start command was given the field began to move forward toward the trailhead only to come to almost a complete stop as 5 wide tried to squeeze into a 2+ wide trail. Once we were finally running I felt and it looked like I had lost a lot of time and positions in the early jockeying. Rich and teammate Jerry Fitzgibbon were 7 or 8 spots in front as a long line of runners negotiated the first few hundred meters of trail. The pace seemed much slower than last year and I knew I was way out of position and needed to start to make a move if I had any chance of splitting around :35 like last year. As the course opened up to a field I started to catch back up and finally gained Rich's shoulder. We ran in this order for a few minutes before I offered to pull. As the early race progressed the field thinned and it became a little easier to find a rhythm. Rich stayed right on my shoulder through the mile split in 6:21. Although that seemed a little fast for a 10 mile trail race I was actually quite pleased considering how poorly I had run that first mile from a tactical standpoint. We ran together picking up a handful of spots through the first 4 miles until reaching the powerlines where things got a little tougher. I opened a little gap running much more of this section than last year thanks in part to my busy snowshoe racing schedule this winter. It was also around the powerlines one of my Trail Monster Running nemesis' Jeff Walker caught and passed me. I only saw him one more time as the field doubled back after the 5 mile turn around. I hit the 1/2 way split in 35:07. Reaching the powerline climbs again I ran all of the ups and pushed the sketchy downs as hard as I could safely manage. Although gassed by the climbs I recovered very quickly and worked as hard as possible over the next 1.5 miles knowing that the final 3 miles were flat and fast. Looking at my watch at the 7 mile mark I did a quick calculation in my head (never a good idea) and roughly figured that my PR of 1:13 was out of reach. Without someone close enough in front to pull me along I wasn't in the best position to attempt to make up :15-:20 per mile. Content my overall place was secure I tried to settle into a groove although my legs began to feel a little weary. With a mile to go I again peeked at my watch and low and behold this time calculated a PR was actually within reach after all! Obviously I had done the math wrong earlier but thankfully didn't tank it instead maintaining my painfully slow pace. When I reached the underpass with just a few hundred meters left I knew that I had actually pulled it off...a PR at The Rivah! I crossed the finishline in 1:11:15 placing 29th overall (8th master). Reviewing my splits revealed that I was only a minute slower on the return trip. For an early April 10 mile race I'll take that every time. Nearly all of my aR teammates stuck around the awards ceremony as Judson Cake, one of our own, stood atop the overall podium. Joining him were fellow teammates Steve Wolfe, Jerry Fitzgibbon, and Robin Allen-Burke who all took home age group podiums. It was fantastic to see so many first time teammates make the trip to Andover. Although the result is incredibly rewarding, 7 Sisters looms in less than a month. Based on how I faded in the last 5k this weekend there is still much hay to bale.

RESULTS

NEXT UP: 7 Sisters

Granite State Snowshoe Championship

2011-03-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

Dropping down the "Bone Yard"
at The Glen...snowshoe style.
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn." -H. Thoreau

Gorham, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- This weekend's Granite State Snowshoe Championship at the Great Glen Trails was the culmination of an incredible winter of snowshoe racing for the northeast region in general and me in partcular. In my 12th and final race of the winter I'd pull double duty...directing and racing. With a very capable and talented group of volunteers including my wife Karen and teammates Kate Ouellette and Amanda House this is actually a pretty simple (not easy) feat. Timmy and I arrived at The Glen around 8:00 AM to mark the groomed 5k. By the time we finished around 9:00 AM many teammates had already arrived and my volunteers had registration set up and ready to roll. The next two hours were a blurr as time flew by in warp speed. Before I knew it we were at the starting line and I was giving some last minute instructions. Thanks to more favorable weather we had 56 starters this time around despite the US Nationals having been run the day before in WI. Although JJ and Kevin Tilton were missing a very strong group of top 'shoers had made the trip among them aR's Judson Cake, Nick Wheeler, Ryan Kelly, Geoff Cunningham, and Tuesday Night Turtles (TNT) Bob Jackman to name a few. On the masters side of the draw I'd have my hands full once again with the likes of teammates Steve Wolfe and Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, TNT's David Principe, and Trail Monster Running's Jeff Walker and Chuck Hazzard. As the race got underway I had a certain calm about what lay ahead as I had previewed the entire course over the previous 24 hours. Predictably it was a mad dash for the first few hundred meters as folks scrambled to establish their place. Fortunately the first 5k would be run on wide groomed nordic leaving ample time and space to pass if necessary. By the 3k mark I had moved up into the Top 10 and was running very relaxed behind teammate Ryan Welts and TMR's Ryan Triffitt. Running through the tunnel (one of the coolest experiences in snowshoe racing) under Route 16 to the 'snowshoe side' of the course I was feeling great and eager to attack the Aquaduct Loop climb. Although I could still see the Ryan's I wasn't close enough to get a pull and felt pretty alone without anyone directly behind. The soft wet snow in some places disappeared under foot with the occasional 'wrong step' punching down 6-10 inches. The trick was to stride in the middle of the rail and hope for the best. Climbing resulted in fairly good footing but as soon as we descended and the landing forces increased the post-holing became a litte more frequent. And what you weren't creating you were attempting to avoid as numerous 'shoers ahead had suffered the same punch throughs particularly on the long 3/4 mile + descent. I peeked back a few times and still noticed no significant threat. Until I heard it. The sound literally appeared out of nowhere and I searched my mind's database for the source but to no avail. This was not a sound I had heard before and for good reason. Looking back over my shoulder I saw Jeff Walker closing on me. And then it dawned on me...I had raced Jeff in the past but I had neither passed nor been passed by him. Stepping aside to let him go by he made the most laborious gutteral moans I had ever heard. Sort of what you'd imagine a wounded wildabeast would sound like as it ran for it's life from a ravinous lioness. I did my best to try to latch on and get pulled up the powerlines but he was 'shoeing too strong for me to hang on. As I crested the powerline climb with less than a 1/2 mile to go I peeked one final time and caught a glimpse of Wolfe 1/2 way up the ascent. Racing through the final few hundred meters expertly designed by our friends at Dungeon Rock Racing I couldn't help but think what an incredible winter we'd had and that this was the last few minutes of snowshoe racing this winter. I crossed the line in 10th place overall (3rd master) for my 6th Top 10 overall finish of the winter. Funny thing is that I was racing in the 9th spot for 9k before being passed by a friend and newcomer to the sport in Jeff Walker. Last winter I finished 9th at this race...with no Jeff Walker. Time for a two week transition so I can get caught up on all the things around the house I've neglected since December. And then the purposeful preparation for a very ambitous and busy trail and mountain running season gets into full swing.

RESULTS

NEXT UP: Merrimack River Trail Race (MA)

Snowshoe Double: NE Championship & Bradbury Blizzard

2011-03-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

Wondering "Where the heck is the
finish?" at the NE Championships
(Photo courtesy of Scott Mason)

"You cannot plough through a field by turning it over in your mind." - Unknown

PART I: Northeast Snowshoe Championship

NORTHFIELD, Massachusetts -- In what has become a quite familiar story this winter I raced twice this past weekend. And my 10th & 11th races of the season would be two of my biggest challenges this winter. The weekend "kicked off" with a trip to Northfield, MA for the inaugural Northeast Snowshoe Championship. Past US Snowshoe Champion Dave Dunham would design and direct the race. A fierce competitor and legendary "climber" Dave favors races with BIG climbs...and the course he designed at Northfield Mountain was no exception. With two ascents of 700 & 500 feet, the race certainly played to my strength. The usual cast of 40+ year old challengers were present including favorites Tim VanOrden and of course Dave. The rest of us (including Wolfe, Principe, Pajer, Agosto, Bazanchuk, etc.) would be fighting for the last spot on the masters podium. A fairly large field of 85 snowshoers ripped through the first few hundred meters of flat groomed nordic before turning into singletrack for all but the last hundred meters of the race. And almost as soon as we got single file we started to climb. I was once again in the familiar position of being right behind my champion teammate Amber Ferreira. Typically a fast but patient starter, I could sense that she was uncharacteristically pushing a little harder than usual at such an early point of the race. The two of us must have been 'around' the Top 20 (with Amber being the #1 female) as we tackled the first climb. Settling into as much of a rhythm as is human possible climbing 700+ feet in a little over a mile, Amber and I started to pick off snowshoers. One by one folks started to fall back to us. Cresting the first climb we had picked up 3-4 places and were racing with Ross Krause and Steve Dowsett. If I've improved one facet of my snowshoeing it has been on the descents. Working to push harder on the downs Amber and I maintained our cushion on the next closest competitors. On the second and final climb I experience something I've never experience in snowshoe racing...and probably never will again. I caught and passed teammate Tim Cox. Obviously not 100%, but still refusing to quit he graciously stepped aside and let Amber and I motor past as we started the final series of steep descents. Racing with a purpose she gave no quarter and we finished 15th & 16th just :03 apart. Holding off one of the deepest masters field's of the winter my 54:02 was good enough for the last spot on the podium (3rd) behind VanOrden and Dunham. And the best part of the day...beers and burgers with my teammates Ryan Kelly, Charlie Therriault, Steve Wolfe, Jerry Fitzgibbon, Tim Cox, Amber Ferreira, and Rich Lavers at Elm City Brewery in Keene, NH.

RESULTS

Nope...not an optical illusion. Bradbury State Park
in Pownal is FREAKIN' hilly!
(Photo courtesy of Maine Running Company)

PART II: Bradbury Blizzard

POWNAL, Maine -- It was my intention from the beginning of the season to make at least one race in the new Bradbury Mountain Snowshoe Series hosted by our friends at Trail Monster Running and directed by fellow 'shoer Ryan Triffitt. But as the winter moved along that prospect started looking bleaker and bleaker. And when my last chance came as a back-2-backer with the Northeast Snowshoe Championships (see above) I thought the chance was all but none. Then an e-mail from Ryan asking me to bring some of our Granite State Snowshoe Series loaners and his DION prizes was all the prompting I needed (not much really) to pull off this incredibly challenging double. Having raced Bradbury State Park this summer I knew two things; 1.) the Trail Monsters host great races and 2.) the trail network at the park includes some pretty wicked climbs (that's 'Mainese' for pretty difficult climbs). The field at the Bradbury Blizzard would be considerably smaller the the NE Championships but no less competitive for me as Crow Athletics masters snowshoer Peter Keeney and Trail Monster's Jeff Walker and Chuck Hazzard were all in attendance. I've never beaten Peter on the snow (or any other surface for that matter) and although both Jeff and Chuck are new to snowshoeing they aren't new to kicking my tail on the trails and mountains of the northeast. With the "GO" command RD Triffitt took the early lead from my capable teammates Judson Cake and Geoff Cunningham. Within 50 meters of the start we were already climbing the first set of swtichbacks. And because it was a two loop course it would be important to keep track of the details of this climb because we'd soon see it again. On this initial climb I found myself in the Top 10 behind Ian Parlin & Chuck and directly in front of Peter. I could sense Peter was getting antsy to pass but not only were we climbing, but we were climbing some pretty tight singletrack. Both Ian & Chuck were keeping a great pace but Peter was clearly the strongest of the caravan yet in the worst position...last. With less than 25 meters of climb left Chuck & I stepped aside and let Peter squeak on past. Flying down the Tote Road I caught and passed Ian and tried to keep Peter in sight. Approaching the second loop Peter had gaped me and I only caught a glimpse of him on the switchbacks up ahead. Using that same vantage point I spied Chuck who was probably :30-:60 behind. Knowing I probably wouldn't catch Peter the objective turned to maintaining my position and holding off the rest of the field. I ran alone for the entire second 2.5 mile loop and finished 5th overall in 52:06. Ironically it was my fourth 5th place finish of the winter and second masters podium in two days. Not a bad weekend. The plan is to spend the next two weeks sharpening my fitness for the most important race of the entire winter...the Granite State Snowshoe Championships in two weeks!

RESULTS

NEXT UP: Granite State Snowshoe Championship, Gorham, NH

Snowshoe Double: Horse Hill & Bear Paw

2011-02-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

Deeeeep in the Hurt Locker at
the finish of Horse Hill
[Photo courtesy of Bob Jackman]

"If winning isn't everything then why do they keep score?" -Vince Lombardi

PART I: Horse Hill Snowshoe Race

MERRIMACK, New Hampshire -- Ironically enough, the lack of snow in early January resulted in at least two races in the Granite State Snowshoe Series being rescheduled. That (un)fortunate circumstance put another "double" on the schedule this weekend. Luckily, snowshoe racing isn't that tough on the joints and racing twice in a weekend isn't really all that hard to do...or is it? I missed the 2010 version of Horse Hill last winter as it fell on the same day as the Kingman Farm Moonlight Snowshoe Race that I host. In fact, the last time I raced at this venue I actually 'podiumed' finishing third behind Jim Johnson and Steve "Buddy" Wolfe. Oh how the sport has evolved in the last two years! A podium finish would not be in the cards this time around as apparently someone let the cat out of the bag that this snowshoe racing stuff is a lot of fun. Another very impressive crowd, some 88 strong, tackled a newly re-designed Steve Wolfe creation. Wolfe has become one of the premier course designers in New Hampshire and the "new" Horse Hill didn't disappoint! The conditions were hardpacked and fast with a mix of singletrack, doubletrack, and snowmobile. Knowing that things would get out fast early I attempted to seed myself in the 3rd row right behind one of the top masters Sean Snow and directly in front of teammates Amber "Irongirl" Ferreira and Wolfe. Within minutes of the start I was in a line of 'shoers that included Amber, myself, Wolfe, and Mike Wade. We stuck fairly close together as we started to pick off racers that had gone out a little hard and couldn't keep up the pace. Eventually Amber, myself, and Steve were running alone having put a little gap on our pursuers. On a snowmobile section approximately 2 miles in Steve made a move on both Amber and I. As he ran by I asked Amber for the spot and she graciously obliged. It would be our turn to pull her for a while. With Steve as the engine of this runaway locomotive we set our sights on Snow. I jokingly told Steve to catch him, pass him, and then 'put the breaks on' so the rest of us could catch up. Within a few hundred meters Steve had reeled Sean in and zipped around him. I eventually caught him as well and was very content to be racing so close to a guy who has completely destroyed me for the better part of two winters. He asked several time if I wanted by but I was pretty happy with his pace and my position. As we switched back up Horse Hill Amber began to close the gap that Sean and I had put on her. Eventually she was clipping my tails as we approached the summit. Sean finally stepped aside to let me pass. With about 800 meters to go I decided it was then or never and I pushed as hard as I could racing the last descent as out of control as I've ever been. Knowing Amber has the best finishing kick around my only chance was to put a little space on her before the flat straight-a-way finish. Astonishing even myself I was able to hold her and Sean off to finish 9th overall (4th master) in 36:15. My teammate Wolfe finally got back on the winning side of things beating me by 14 seconds. Truth be told...Sean definately wasn't 100% and was probably fighting off an illness. He's a warrior for showing up to race anyway. Fantastic aR showing with 2 in the Top 3, 7 in the Top 10, and 12 overal finishers!

RESULTS
PICTURES (courtesy of Bob Jackman)

"Pulling" my teammate and best friend Steve Wolfe
along to the finish of the Bear Paw Classic
[Photo courtesy of Karen L. Dunn]

"Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance." - Richard von Weizsaecker

PART II: Bear Paw Classic Snowshoe Race

NORTHWOOD, New Hampshire -- Another day...another snowshoe race. But on this day it wouldn't be just any other snowshoe race. It would be the snowshoe RDing debut of my daughter Madison. As her CBNA senior project, she organized the first annual Bear Paw Classic Snowshoe Race on the campus of CBNA as a fundraiser for the winter track program. The course was expertly designed by Tim Cox, coach at CBNA and top northeast snowshoer. And it was a masterful combination of 'sugary' rustic doubletrack, carnival ride-like singletrack, and killer snowmobile climbs. An enthusiastic crowd of 45 snowshoers stepped to the line and tore off though the outfield of the baseball field with snow and smiles flying everywhere! I quickly settled in behind Wolfe who seemed determined to repeat his thrashing of me the day before in Merrimack. The two of us were somewhere in the middle of the Top 10 as we cruised around the 'Back Loop'. As we entered the singletrack we were all alone having worked our way up to 5th & 6th overall putting a gap on 7th+. Steve flew through the singletrack section and I did my best to hang on. Popping out onto the first snowmobile section I knew it would be a slog as I'd previewed the course and then marked it the day before. This relatively short stretch mostly gained elevation and the footing was very soft for snowmobile track. We passed my son Brayden, marshaling the next major snowmobile intersection, and proceeded to attack the "Power Line" snowmobile corridor. The only significant climbing on the course would be on this section and with the trail running along the powerlines we could see Dave Dunham in 3rd and teammate Ryan Welts in 4th as they raced up ahead....way ahead. Nearing the top of the "middle" climb Steve fell off the pace slightly and I realized it was my time to pull the two of us for a little bit. Descending on the other side he caught back up and we hit the last singletrack section together with me setting the pace. Finally back on the 'Back Loop' I encouraged him to pull up behind and we would finish side by side for a change. It only seemed fitting that he had led for the 1st half and I had led for the 2nd half that our duel should end in a tie. The only problem was the slow footing on the 'Back Loop' prevented him from close the 2-3 meter gap. Once back on the baseball field for the final 100 meter sprint we held those places and finished 5th and 6th overall. And as a testament to how competitive the masters division is...we were 3rd and 4th masters with top overall northeast ranked snowshoer Tim Van Orden in 2nd place overall and Dave Dunham joining him on the podium in 3rd. For a first time event there were a few minor 'glitches' but overall everyone seemed to love the course and the organization. Well done Maddie!

NEXT UP: Northeast Snowshoe Championship, Northfield, MA

Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo

2011-02-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." -Arnold Schwarzenegger

Exeter, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- The word "classic" has several definitions. Used as a noun it can mean a traditional event. Saturday's Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo was a classic snowshoe race in every sense of the word. acidotic RACING RD's Ri Fahnestock and Sarah Silverberg have literally been planning this event since last winter when the race was postponed and eventually cancelled due to the lack of snow. This winter would be quite the opposite with the snow piling up from one snowstorm after another. The 4.4 miles of sugary rollercoaster 100% singletrack would wind through the Exeter Town Forest in Exeter, NH. Commonly referred to as "Fort Rock", the two foot base of packed powder would blanket every rock & root this highly technical trail network has to offer. Teammate Timmy Lindsey and I arrived on site early to set up the DION Snowshoe loaner tent and help Ri, Sarah, and volunteers get things ready. I'm always amazed at how quickly 2 hours goes by when chatting with a steady stream of snowshoe racing friends. Before I knew it Sarah made the "10 minutes to race time" call. I hurriedly went through my final preparations and jogged to the race start some 50 meters up the trail. The incredible success of the Granite State Snowshoe Series was evident as 97 snowshoers lined up on a narrow stretch of trail that Ri had widened to double track for the first 1/4 mile earlier that morning. Despite his efforts the start would be tight with just enough room for two wide with the edges being very soft powder. I lined up in the second or third row just behind the Top 10 with Amber in front and Ian behind. After last weekend's incredible performance I encouraged Ian to get up ahead of me but he was content where he was. Just moments before the race Amber, for some strange reason, pulled me ahead of her. Flattering yes, but not very practical, as she's beaten me the last two races. Maybe she took my suggestion to be her bodyguard seriously? Either way, the start of the race was mass confusion and reminded me of a tri swim start with elbows, knees, and powder flying everywhere. Seconds after the start I heard the commotion of what sounded like a downed 'shoer but didn't dare turn around. As the race proceeded I worked hard to stay in the middle of the doublewide track to take advantage of the better surface. Truth be told however, the soft powdery surface provided very little 'solid' surface to push off. As we made our way down the trail teammate Jerry Fitzgibbon, a very strong masters athlete, yielded to push me on ahead. Moments after that, teammate Ryan Welts tried to pass on the right thought knee deep powder but quickly realized that any passing would have to be in the designated passing zones or by courtesy. Before long some 'shoers that had gone out a little too hard to establish their place were beginning to back up the rest of the Top 20 and one by one they graciously stepped aside to let faster 'shoers go by. Not long after that I raced up hard behind a guy and called my intention to pass on the left. Apparently not having learned from Ryan's earlier failed bushwhack attempt I tried to plow though the 2 feet of powder to pass. Within three steps I heaved forward narrowly missing a faceplant as Ian, Amber, and at least one other racer zipped by. Quickly getting back on the singletrack I decided that passing for the rest of the race would need to be on packed trail. Reminescent of Sidehiller (except substitute one Trail Monster for another) Ian, Amber, and I would stick together and pull away from the group behind us opening up at least a 20 second gap. There were times when Ian and Amber would pull away slightly, but the soft powdery climbs would allow me to close the gap and get within 2-3 meters of them. We held that order for the rest of the race. Ian expertly changing speeds when he sensed Amber was closing and particularly when he spotted the "passing zones" (freshly tramped singletrack). My relative lack of training once again was the difference in my inability to match their acceleration within the last 1/2 mile as they slowly pulled away. I crossed the line in 46:24 good enough for 12th overall (2nd masters). David Principe of the Tuesday Night Turtles finally returned to form and won the masters division. aR had another great turnout with multiple Top 10 & 20 finishes and yet another team victory.

RESULTS

NEXT UP: Horsehill Snowshoe Race, Merrimack, NH (GSSS #5) & Bear Paw Classic, Northwood, NH (GSSS #6)

Snowshoe Double: Sidehiller & Hebron Hills

2011-01-30T17:58:00.005-05:00

Holding on for dear life at the
Sidehiller Snowshoe Race
(photo courtesy of KrissyK)

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all." -Vince Lombardi

PART 1: Sidehiller Snowshoe Race

Center Sandwich, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- This weekend was the first really big test of the winter for me. Not only would I have the opportunity to measure my fitness against the best snowshoe racers in New England I'd also have the chance to see how my legs would respond to the challenge of a double (ie. racing twice in one weekend). The Sidehiller Snowshoe Race is the race that started this snowshoe odyssey for me back in 2007. I would come in 3rd that day...out of 15. Fast forward four years later and not only was I making my 5th appearance I would be bringing my defending champion snowshoe racing team (acidotic RACING) to a race in a series (the Granite State Snowshoe Series) that I helped to organize. And if that weren't enough, I'd be part of history with this event as it finally cracked the 100 competitor mark! Kudos to RD Paul Kirsch, his volunteers, and the Sidhillers for putting on one of the best events in New Hampshire. This race has grown in participation thanks to Paul's efforts and everyone in snowshoe racing is thankful. The 2011 edition would return to the "classic" course including the other side of the road. This pristine combination of snowmobile and singletrack is literally "sandwiched" between two groomed nordic sections of the fairgrounds. Funny thing was that the "groomed" nordic sections were just as tough as the singletrack thanks to the mountains of snow the region has enjoyed over the last month. With such a strong and deep field the goal was to Top 20 and Top 5 in the masters division. And the "old guys" category was no 'gimme' with the likes of former US Champion Dave Dunham, top NH triathlete Sean Snow, Maine snowshoe legend Peter Keeney, NH Masters Athlete of the Year Steve Wolfe, road runner extraordinaire David Principe, and my Pineland Farms 25k nemesis Mike Wade of GCS. Suffice to say I'd have my work cut out for me. And not to mention my ongoing battles with US Women's Champion (and aR teammate) Amber Ferreira and Trail Monster Ryan Triffitt who has beaten for the first 100 meters of every race but never finished ahead of me in the end. The race started off fast (like all snowshoe races do) and I comfortably (relatively speaking) settled into the Top 20 or so. I worked with my teammate Steve Wolfe as we watched the really fast guys (Dunham, Snow, & Keeney) gap us within the first 300-500 meters. By the time we reach Beane Road I pulled slightly ahead of Steve and with a quick peek behind noticed Amber once again hot on my heels. Triffitt has gone out predictably hard (like he always does) but I fully expected him to come back to me on this 2+ mile section of climbing and sloggy singletrack on the other side of the road. On that first and only big climb teammate Ryan Welts, apparently tired of me beating him, surged around me and the line of 'shoers plodding up this ascent. I'd never see him again. Eventually Triffitt, Amber, and I would overtake Tuesday Night Turtle David Principe on a soft section of singletrack approximately 3 miles into the race. Shortly after Amber asked by me and promptly took Ryan as well as we climbed the final gradual ascent. The three of us stayed with 5 meters of each other as we bombed down the hill back and over Beane road and onto the fairgrounds for the final 1/2 mile to the finish. Just when Amber seemed to fade she heard the ROAR of the crowd (and trust me when the first women approaches the finish it's a ROAR!) and simply shifted to another gear leaving Ryan and I with mouths agape and lungs searing from hypoxia. The 3 of us finished Amber, Ryan, and myself within 3 seconds of each other. My 38:30 finish time was good enough for 17th overall and 4th Masters getting bested by three extremely talented 'shoers in Dunham, Keeney, and Snow.

PART II: Hebron Hills Snowshoe Scramble

Yes, this is the elevation profile from today's
Hebron Hills Snowshoe Classic. Just what a
pair of tired old legs needed!
(courtesy of Ian Parlin)

Hebron, MAINE -- Without any clue what my legs would feel like today and without an idea who'd be showing up to this first time event I picked up my aR mates Timmy Lindsey and Bob Taylor (making his aR snowshoe racing debut) and took the 2 hour drive to beautiful Hebron, ME. As an aR production this was absolutely a must do race as owner of the company. But despite my 'obligation' I was incredibly impressed with 1.) the organization of our first time RD Austin Stonebraker, 2.) the quality of the course, and 3.) the hospitality of our hosts from Hebron Academy. A modest field of 28 racers 'shoed the line including aR's two top dogs Judson Cake and Geoff Cunningham. Also in attendance was a relatively new team on the snowshoe scene in 2011 from Trail Monster Running. These guys and gals are extremely talented trail and mountain runners so it would naturally follow that they'd be a force on the snow covered trails. Among them was fellow master Chuck Hazzard who although I got the better of him at the Bradbury Breaker, he utterly destroyed me at MNT EPIC in October. Thankfully the course would only measure 5k, but unthankfully it would be anything but flat. Typically climbing is a strength, but on tired legs it would become somewhat of a liability. As the predictably fast start settled in I was solidly in 5th place behind Judson, Geoff (and I mean waaay behind these guys), Scott Hornney, and head monster Ian Parlin with Chuck Hazzard and teammates Ri Fahnestock and Chris Benson within striking distance. By the time we negotiated the first section of sweet flowy singletrack, Ian and I had put a gap on the guys behind and although we could see Scott ahead he had raced outside of our grips. The Hebron Hills course was a masterful combination of singletrack and groomed nordic with the two constantly changing. Expertly marked, Ian and I raced hard staying within 2 meters for nearly the entire race. The "nearly" is the important word there...on a particularly short steep up he accelerated off the crest and put 10 meters on me in a blink of an eye. The course climbed for the final 500+ meters and I never got any closer. For my 29:21 I earned a 5th overall finish and 2nd masters behind Scott. Chuck, Ri, and Chris were close behind. I predict that this event will explode when the word gets out. It's easily one of the best singletrack networks I've ever raced. Another strong aR showing with Cake and Cunningham going 1-2 and both Sarah Silverberg (2nd female) and Gary Reuter (1st SuperMaster) grabbing podiums. Thank you and congratulations to all my aR mates!

NEXT UP: Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo, Exeter, NH (GSSS #4)

Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble

2011-01-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

Top 20 finish at
Whitaker Woods!

"The problem with payback is, when does it ever end?" -Trent Lott

North Conway, NH -- My fourth snowshoe race of the season would be the second race in the Granite State Snowshoe Series. The Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble was a first time race hosted by one of the top mountain runners in the northeast and perhaps the US, Kevin Tilton. By the way, he's no slouch on snowshoes either. Having kicked around a cold for the entire week my training had been pretty lousy but I felt okay in the morning, picked up Timmy Lindsey, and headed to the Mt. Washington Valley. As the sport continues to grow, my opportunities to podium in the masters division are few and far between. And Whitaker Woods would be no exception. Although the overall field was modest, the depth in the masters division was incredible; Dunham, Snow, Principe, Bazanchuk, and my teammates Wolfe and Erwin. Throw in a few guys I don't know and a Top 10 in that division would be a honest day's effort. With the "GO" command we were off to tackle the 4 miles of groomed nordic and snowshoe singletrack that Kevin had expertly designed. Right away the class of the division disappeared out of sight. Playing to my strength the first two miles are a net elevation gain as we climb to the high point of the course. Wolfe and I were shoulder to shoulder early on and had both Paul and Phil in sight. [NOTE: it should be mentioned that the current US Women's Champion and teammate Amber Ferreira took off like a shot at the start and immediately started to put the hammer down on all of us!] As we climbed I started to reel in Amber but couldn't seem to close on either Paul or Phil. And I shouldn't have been too surprised, Paul had put the screws to me at MNT EPIC and Phil probably would have beaten me at the Broken Boulder Dash had it not been for a missed turn. As I climbed by Amber she predictably gave a word of encouragement. Nobody, and I mean nobody, races with a more positive attitude then Amber. She is amazing. Just before we crested the high point I pulled up to and by Phil. The course constantly seemed to switch from groomed nordic to virgin singletrack. With the tons of powder we've received in the last week or so the singletrack section was incredibly laborious. As we bombed down the powerlines on the groomed nordic the course took a hairpin turn to the right into a section of singletrack. I spied Paul turn in and followed him as quickly as I could. As we dumped back out onto the same powerline descent (just down hill) I noticed a group of runners heading straight down the powerlines toward me. For a moment I was confused as to the direction of the course. I should have taken another hard right back onto the groomed nordic but instead the two-way traffic momentarily confused me as I started diagonally across the course to a point where I saw the field ahead of me racing. Within seconds I realized the error and doubled back on the correct path but had given Phil back the gap I had earned. We raced side by side for a few moments as I attempted to determine why so many snowshoers who had been racing behind me were all of a sudden racing ahead of me! Figuring they must have inadvertently jumped part of course I set my sights on picking off as many of them as I could. By this time Paul had put a gap on me that couldn't be narrowed but I still had to work to keep Phil and Wolfe at bay. Knowing they were back there and incredibly talented motivated me to maintain my effort to the finish. As we entered the final loop around the field once again there seemed to be some confusion with snowshoers racing toward me from the right. I did my best to hold off anyone behind and finished in a time of 31:11 good enough for 16th place overall and 7th master.

Masters Results (40+)
(1) 6. Dunham, Dave
(2) 7. Snow, Sean
(3) 10. Hornney, Scott
(4) 11. Bazanchuk, Paul
(5) 14. Massa, Jason
(6) 15. Principe, David Sr.
(7) 16. Dunn, Chris J. (aR)
(8) 17. Erwin, Phil (aR)
(9) 18. Tighe, Martin
(10) 19. Wolfe, Steve (aR)

NEXT UP: Sidehiller Snowshoe Race, Center Sandwich, NH

RESULTS

[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race

2011-01-16T09:17:00.001-05:00

One trip up & down Moose
Mountain...one to go!

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings." -John Muir

Lyndeborough, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Moose Mountain...you won't find it on a map or an AMC trail guide. But anyone who attempts (and finishes) the Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race become intimately familiar with it. Due to two consecutive postponements, FGF would be the opening race in the 2011 Granite State Snowshoe Series. Last winter was the first winter this event was included in the series and my first time in Lyndeborough. With over 3000' of climbing this may be the one of the toughest courses in NH...and perhaps in the northeast. As if one time up and down Moose Mountain weren't enough, the 5+ mile course travels TWO times up and down the mountain. The fabulous snow we had received the week before drew a very impressive field, both in number and in quality...Ferenc, Tilton, Nephew, Kelly, Cunningham, Therriault, Jackman, Wolfe, the Ferreira's, Snow, Principe, Welts, Fitzgibbon, Lavers, Myers, Curry, Wade, Smith and the list went on and on. A Top 20 finish in this crowd would be a HUGE accomplishment. The race started with a 250 meter 'sprint' around the parking lot on double wide semi-groomed track in an effort to get the field single file before we hit the singletrack which would comprise 99% of the race. As predicted, this first section of the course was a sprint with snow, knees, and elbows a flying. I tried to stay patient and tucked in behind my teammate Steve Wolfe. By the time we hit the singletrack there was a quite a line of 'shoers and I estimated myself to be somewhere in the Top 15ish. With the entire race in front of me and two trips up Moose Mountain ahead I was in no hurry to start pressing. As we negotiated the first 5 minutes of singletrack Steve, racing directly in front of me, fell straight forward landing on his chest. Figuring he'd dragged a tip, and knowing there were 50+ snowshoers directly behind us, I slipped by and encouraged him to go. In retrospect I should have stopped...but more on that later. Approaching the first climb I was in a very strong group consisting of David Principe, Sean Snow, and Amber Ferreira. Dave & Sean were ahead with Amber pressing hard in back. I asked her once or twice if she wanted the spot and each time she deferred. As the ascent pace slowed to a power hike Dave stepped aside and let Sean, myself, and Amber pass. Cresting Moose Mountain for the first time we began the gnarly steep descent that makes this race exciting and dangerous all at once. Typically conservative on the downs I was unable to hold off a very hard charging teammate, Ryan Welts who went around myself and Sean. No sooner had we lost nearly all the elevation that we had gained and we were once again climbing back up the mountain on a slightly steeper route. It was here that I stepped aside and let Amber press forward to Sean and Ryan who I was beginning to lose. Not long after Amber flew by two things happened...Ryan came back to me and Danny went around. Although Danny had raced the Winter Wild uphill snowshoe earlier than morning he had no trouble putting the hammer down on me on the climb no less! By the time we had made it around once (with one loop to go) Danny, myself, and Ryan were in a pace line doing our best to keep Amber and Sean in sight. But that wouldn't last long as those two, perhaps feeding off each other, seemed to accelerate on that third ascent. They would not be seen again...at least by Ryan and myself. Danny rallied in those final two climbs putting a gap on Ryan and myself (who traded paced several times) and closing the gap on Sean and Amber (who he eventually caught and beat by less than 30 seconds). On the final climb Ryan scooted around me and never looked back. Although I kept him in sight he was far too strong and never let me get any closer than our finishing gap...6 seconds. I crossed the line in 46:08 good enough for 13th place overall and 2nd 40+ behind Sean who beat me by more than 90 seconds. Individual accomplishment aside, acidotic RACING had an incredibly strong showing with 4 in the Top 10, 8 in the Top 20, 14 overall finishers, and one podium...Amber's female win!

PS. I had mentioned that I should have stopped and helped Wolfe when he fell. Apparently he pulled what's now referred to as an Wamber...stepping through one snowshoe with your other 'shoe hopelessly entangling your cleats. Believe it or not, Danny actually stopped to help him, was unable, and eventually continued...and still beat me! As I was finishing my last loop I noticed Steve taking pictures. Once he eventually untangled his 'shoes the Velcro straps had gotten covered with powder rendering them useless. He struggled to the finish the first lap with his snowshoes barely attached before wisely calling it a day. Knowing Steve he'll unleash the fury next weekend at Whitaker Woods...and I'll be the unfortunate recipient of his revenge.

RESULTS

NEXT UP: Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Race, North Conway, NH (GSSS #2)

[Photos courtesy of Scott Mason Photography & Steve Wolfe]

WAMBER: To punch the tip of one snowshoe
through the top of the other causing an
immediate faceplant and possible DNF; named after
both Wolfe and Amber who popularized the method.

Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Race

2011-01-08T18:42:00.001-05:00

Shuffling to a Top 5 at Olde Salem
Greens Snowshoe Race.
[Photo courtesy of Krissy Kozlosky]

"It's like deja-vu, all over again." -Yogi Berra

SALEM, Massachusetts -- Exactly one year ago I finished 5th at the Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Race in Salem, MA. Today, as if history were repeating itself...I once AGAIN finished 5th overall at Olde Salem. The conditions were actually pretty similar to a year ago with long fairway sections of 6+ inches of crusty snow with very short stretches of grass and hard packed snice. Although the snow conditions were similar, the course would be dramatically different as the dedicated athletes of Dungeon Rock Racing did their level best to piece together a course with the remaining snow on the golf course. And rumor has it that they shovelled their fair share of the stuff as well to assure we'd have an adequate course to race on. Their efforts certainly paid off as all were treated to some pretty fun racing. The 3.2 mile course meandered around the Olde Salem Greens golf course with a considerable amount of up & down. In fact, more up & down than last winter because of the course modifications. This change, however, suited me fine as I am not the fleetest of foot but can hold my own on a hilly layout. Predictably the field went out fast with a left-handed uphill hairpin turn within the first 50 meters. Fortunately for me I had placed myself on the left inside and was able to take a nice tight line as the lead group log jammed. Within the first 100 meters I was somewhere in the Top 10 but felt like I had more than that ahead of me. Things got single file in short order as we made our way around the first two very short repeating loops. I found myself racing with Patrick Smith & Christopher Smith of DRR who were just hammering this first kilometer. Not wanting to get too far behind these guys too soon I tucked in behind them and let them pull me along. By the time we made the split to the "big" loop I had taken those two spots and was closing on David Long of Wicked Running, who despite his size (he must have been 6'3"), he was just killing it in the first 2k. As the course opened up I eventually passed David and was able to peek ahead at the lead group and only noticed the Top 3 plus the guy ahead of me (Brett Rickenbach of Winners Circle). As soon as I was able to get to his shoulder I could feel he was very strong and not at all interested in me going around him. The handful of times he slowed to allow me to pull alongside he quickly (and effortlessly) surged ahead to regain the 4th spot. After another failed attempt to take the place and a quick spy behind to see if we were going to be challenged, I became content to let him pull me along to the finish. In the last 25 meters he accelerated and put a little gap on me finishing 4 seconds ahead. The kick I had two weeks ago at I Love Woodford was a distant memory. My posture in the picture above really tells the story...I was tapped out. I crossed the finish in 27:00 and 5th place overall. And with a smaller overall turnout this year was able to pick up the 40+ 'masters' victory. Kudos to RD Eileen Dunn and the entire crew at Dungeon Rock Racing for another fabulous event in not quite ideal conditions...although wouldn't you know it, the snow started to fall when we were finishing!

NEXT UP: Feel Good Farm (GSSS#1)?

RESULTS

2010 Racing Recap

2011-01-08T17:57:00.000-05:00

- Beaver Brook 5k Snowshoe Race (3rd)
- GSSS#1: Beaver Brook 5k (7th)
- Old Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic (5th)
- GSSS#2: Feel Good Farm (8th)
- GSSS#4: Sidehiller (19th)
- US Snowshoe Championships (38th)
- GSS Championship (9th)
- Merrimack River Trail Race (33rd)
- 7 Sisters Trail Race (70th)
- Hoppin Mad Mud Run (1st Team)
- Pineland Farms 25k (37th)
- Exeter 10M Trail Race (12th)
- Mt. Washington (180th)
- Broken Boulder Dash (1st)
- Bradbury Breaker Trail Race (13th)
- 24 Hours of Great Glen (mTb)
- Run to Fall (12th)
- Reach The Beach (36th)
- Pinnacle Challenge (3rd Team)
- MNT EPIC (13th)
- Shawnee Peak Challenge (2nd)
- Busa Bushwhack (8th)
- RI 6-HR Relay (1st Team)
- Andover XC 6k (34th)
- I Love Woodford (7th)

I Love Woodford

2010-12-27T16:21:00.001-05:00

There's no better prize in snowshoe
racing then a loaf of bread
from the VT Bread Company!

"True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders."
-Robert Townsend

WOODFORD, Vermont -- My 2010 racing season came full circle yesterday at the I Love Woodford snowshoe race. It was 12 months ago that my first race of the year was had on snowshoe's as well. As the first "Cup Event" of the new Northeast Snowshoe Federation there was extra motivation to take the trip west to the beautiful Bennington County region of the state. Last winter was brutal for snowshoe racing as many races were postponed and some were even cancelled due to the sketchy conditions. Rumor had it that Woodford always had snow so NH-Masters Runner of the Year, teammate, and all around great guy Steve Wolfe and I headed to VT. The "Blizzard of 2010" notwithstanding, southern NH hadn't had a significant snowfall prior to Sunday. Which meant that my first time on snowshoes (in 9 months) would be race day. Steve and I arrived early and had a chance to chat with our snowshoe friends Dave Dunham, Bob Dion, and Bill Morse. It's hard to say what I enjoy more about the sport...the people, the beautiful locations, or the competition? Then again, why choose? Wolfe and I headed over to the start about 30 minutes early to warm-up and scout the last few hundred meters. The roughly 3.5 mile lollipop would be comprised of 100% virgin snow with 90% fast & packed twisting singletrack. I made a mental note before the race that the first and last 300+ meters was on a park access road and provided plenty of opportunity to pass. A pre-race scan revealed the typical big hitters including defending WMAC & GSSS Champion Jim Johnson, the #1 ranked Master in the Northeast Tim VanOrden, Dunham, and of course my teammate Steve Wolfe. I didn't recognize many other faces and the field seemed a little smaller than race reports from previous years had indicated so I felt comfortable lining up in the second row. As soon as the start command was given and I was 100 meters or so into the race the whole snowshoe racing thing came back to me as if March were yesterday. And Wolfe was right...it started like a road 5k. With snow and elbows flying I stayed to the right outside line and focused on not falling on this initial stretch with 100+ sets of sharp cleats bearing down on me from behind. The field thinned and got in single file as we climbed the first and only significant ascent of the course. I was directly behind Wolfe letting him pull me up the hill (which he really enjoys). The two of us were in the Top 10 as we hit the singletrack. Almost immediately into this section a couple of snowshoers came back to us as we pushed hard on the rollercoaster fast packed snow. Steve leapfrogged a slower competitor putting that 'shoer between us. Within two minutes the guy asked if I wanted the spot to which I happily obliged. At this point Steve had already overtaken another competitor and was quickly working out of sight. Within a minute or so I had caught John Agosto of the Shenipsit Striders, a fellow Masters competitor, and heck of a snowshoer and trail runner. John was working really hard and maintaining a great cadence so I stuck on his heels as we flew around Adams Reservoir. Just before we popped back out onto the access road for the 1/4 mile to the finish I peeked back to see if we would have a challenge. Without anything in sight it was John and I for the two spots. As I pulled alongside of him I implored him to continue to work as he had earned the spot ahead of me for his effort on the singletrack. He thanked me and encouraged me to go ahead. Feeling fresh and confident of the location of the finish I leaned forward and tried to muster a snowshoe-specific "kick". I felt very strong and relaxed as I finished in 24:57 and 7th overall (4th Master). Steve finished about 40 seconds and 1 place ahead of me in 6th overall. Excellent showing for aR with two in the Top 10. And just as advertised we were handed a loaf of bread from the Vermont Bread Company. I ate three slices of my Vermont Sweet (made with VT maple syrup) on the ride home. As physically demanding as snowshoe racing is it's equally as fun. It just doesn't get any better than flying through a beautiful snow covered forest with great competitors. What a fitting ending to a brilliant year of racing! Can't wait for the next snowshoe race...and the start of 2011.

NEXT UP: Beaver Brook Snowshoe Race, Hollis, NH (GSSS #1)

Andover XC

2010-12-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

aR Takes Home 3rd Place
in the Team Division

"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." -Sir Isaac Newton

Andover, MASSACHUSETTS -- Much like many of the events I did in 2010, this one wasn't on the radar last December when I set my schedule...but it's sure to be included in 2011. The Andover XC 6k was my first ever attempt at a classic XC race. I played football in high school and ran only as a punishment routinely mocking the "skinny leggers" who thrashed around the woods in tight shorts and waffle shoes. I am now 'they' and wouldn't want it any other way. My motivation for heading to Andover on Turkey weekend was simple...a teammate suggested we put together a team to race for a podium finish. Little did I realize how difficult that objective would be. Turns out the Andover XC 6k brings out one of the fastest and deepest XC fields in the northeast with some of the best teams around. Although acidotic RACING is really a collection of multi-sport athletes, there is no "running-specific" team that races with more tenacity than we do. And some talent up front as well. Led by our newest addition, Ryan Kelly (Concord, NH), our Top 4 scorers including Ryan, Danny Ferreira (Concord, NH), myself, and Chris Benson (Rochester, NH) finished on the podium in 3rd place less than 2 minutes behind Somerville Road Runners. Although our Top 4 scored, all eight of the aR teammates in attendance raced with toughness and class. In fact, Amber Ferreira (Concord, NH) finished on the overall womens podium (in 3rd) with her 41st overall finish. Individually, I was very pleased with my effort finishing in 34th overall in a time of 21:39.33 (6:12's). The course was run mostly on the Andover Country Club cart paths with a sprinkling of fairways. I had bought a pair of ASICS CC spikes which stayed in the truck once I found out that they'd be not only useless but a hindrance on this course. I raced instead in my ASICS trainers. The course was dry and the footing never an issue. As was the theme all year, I caught and passed people on the climbs and gave the spots back on the descents. It was a fitting end to a very successful 2010 competitive year. Tomorrow begins my snowshoe-specific preparation and the start of 2011 training and racing calendar.

NEXT UP: Beaver Brook Snowshoe Race

RI 6-HR Relay

2010-11-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

Going "Pre" With the Retro 70's
'Stache at the RI 6-HR Relay
[Scott Mason Photography]

"I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations." -Bill Watterson

Warwick, RHODE ISLAND -- One of the best things about the evolution of acidotic RACING is the plethora of opportunities to race "team"-type events like the Rhode Island 6-Hour Relay hosted by the Tuesday Night Turtles. When I put the call out a couple of months ago, the six team spots filled immediately and with the response that I got it appeared this collection would be pretty competitive. The only one of the 'original 6' who did not make it to Warwick City Park last Sunday was Geoff Cunningham who remained sidelined with a sore toe. As it turned out his replacement, TNT's own Alan Bernier, more than made up for Geoff's absence. Rich, Wolfe, Danny, Charlie, and I met Alan in Warwick on a chilly RI Sunday morning. While we had discussed several race strategies, the final decision wasn't made until less than an hour before race time. We would run the first rotation 1 lap at a time and then make a decision about doubling up or sticking with 1 each. When everyone else had arrived it became apparent that our competition would come from two teams...Pat Moulton and his girlfriend and at least one of the teams from FuelBelt. Charlie led us off and scotched the 2.7 road course finishing in the lead with FuelBelt and Pat in hot pursuit. Alan, an equally accomplished runner, padded the lead with a blistering turn of his own. Now almost 2 minutes up on the next two teams Danny took his turn. In what was perhaps one of the most fitting karma moments of 2010, Danny missed the first critical left hand turn less than 50 meters from the start. Danny had been dogging me during the car ride down about my failure to correctly navigate the Busa Bushwhack several weeks earlier resulting in my first loss to teammate Rich Lavers. Danny not only missed the turn, but ran sub 5:45's for another 2-3 minutes before realizing his mistake. By the time he doubled back and hit the 1 mile split (at 11:00 and change) he had not only given up the lead, but he put us 2+ minutes behind the 2nd place Pat (running the first 3 hours by himself). Clearly upset with himself he retreated into his fortress of self-reflection and geared up to help us get back to the top of the podium. Wolfe took his turn and ran a very brisk sub 16:00 getting back almost 2 minutes to the leaders. By the time Rich handed off to me (running #6) we were within :45 of Pat (in 2nd place) and :90 to FuelBelt (still in 1st). Aside from Reach The Beach, I hadn't run a "road race" all year. A few weeks back when Wolfe asked me to estimate my pace I told him I'd be happy to run 6:10's but wouldn't be surprised if I ran 6:20's. I also hadn't raced this short of a distance (2.7 miles) all year. When Rich handed me the bracelet I took off after Pat whom I could see just ahead. I tried to get out hard in the first few hundred meters, settle into a groove, and at least maintain the gap that the 2nd place team had on us. I figured with our top two coming up again after me, if I didn't give anything else away I'd be doing okay. I was stunned when I hit the 1 mile marker in 5:44. Taking stock I felt like I was running in control and certainly not redlining. Pat was just ahead but I felt like I was closing the gap between us. By the 1/2 way mark I had run up behind his left shoulder. A much smaller and infinitely more talented runner that I, the objective became to use his incredibly consistent pace to pull me along. We ran together past the 2 mile mark (11:48 split) and finally caught our first glimpse of the 1st place FuelBelt team. The course rolled through the final .7 and it was here that I moved around Pat and attempted to track down the guy from FuelBelt. Within 200 meters I had caught and passed the 1st place team erasing the final :90 gap and putting us back on top of the podium...where we'd stay for the rest of the event. I finished my first lap in 16:00 (5:56's) and then went on to run a 16:06 (5:58's) and 16:08 (5:59's). We ran the rest of the event 1 lap at a time slowly building our lead behind the strength of our runners. When the overall team win was secured, the next question was whether we'd be able to surpass the 60 mile mark. In the end we set a RI 6-HR Relay record by running 59.4 miles (22 laps) in 5:53:58 averaging 5:58's. FuelBelt finished 1 lap behind. For our efforts we won 3 cases of LongHammer IPA from Redhook. Oh the hoppy taste of success!

NEXT UP: Andover Striders 6k XC Race

Busa Bushwhack

2010-11-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

"Lost time is never found again." -Ben Franklin

FRAMINGHAM, MA--On Sunday teammate Rich Lavers and I headed down to Framingham for race #21 in the Grand Tree Series, the Busa Bushwhack. I typically don't race in October, preferring instead to spend my weekends on the couch with a beer, the remote, and more football than is humanly necessary. But I'm also very easily pursuaded by gentle peer pressure to get out and race. Especially if I get a chance to spend the morning with a great friend and teammate. And, after all it was my debut as a GoLite Footwear sponsored athlete. Initially Rich had planned to race the 10 mile option, but after a couple whiney e-mails (by me) I had changed his mind. My rationale for racing the 5.3 miler was solid...1.) I hadn't run more than 5 miles in a month and 2.) I had no desire to start this weekend. Scouting the race results from '09 it appeared that the two of us had a pretty good chance (assuming a typical turnout) of cracking the Top 10. We met up with Jim Johnson and Ben Nephew before the race and chatted briefly about the course and the upcoming snowshoe racing season. As we lined up for the remote start on the street of a residential neighborhood (this is a trail race right?) Rich spotted Rich Miller and we got some recon on the course. What I took from Rich's comments was that the course wasn't well marked and to be very careful not to miss the final right hand turn back into the col-de-sac for the final 3/4 mile road run to the finish. Both races started together and the pace at the start was purposeful and brisk. We ran for about a 1/4 of a mile on the street before the end of the col-de-sac filed us into Callahan State Park. I was immediately fixated on the trail leaf litter which covered fiendish ankle turning roots (fitting on Halloween). The course was a long stemmed lolli with both distances racing together for approximately the first 3 miles. Rich hung onto my left shoulder for the first few flat miles before we hit the one "hill" on the course. We ran up the gradually sloping side, down to the bottom, up the other steeper side, and then down to the split in the course where the 10 milers went right and the 5.3 milers went left. Somewhere on the second ascent I had put a little gap on Rich but knowing him he'd rally and push me hard right to the end. When I hit the split all of the guys I was racing around went right and continued on the 10 mile course. Which left me to go left seemingly by myself. As I raced back against slower traffic I received words of encouragement but no race updates (ie. you're in 2nd, you're in 4th, or whatever). Assuming I wasn't leading but figuring I was up near the front I tried to focus on avoiding the slightly hidden rocks and roots strewn over the trail. I literally ran alone for the next mile and a half. The marginally reliable odometer in my head began to alert me to raise my focus up from my feet to the trail ahead guessing I would need to make that right hand turn Rich had warned me about some 30 minutes earlier. The next few minutes were an absolute abomination. Figuring it was my turn I took the next right hand turn. There appeared to be arrows on the trees that may have pointed me in that direction but the information came way too fast for my neurons to process. As I strided down this narrow trail I was almost immediately struck by how unfamiliar it looked...even for an out and back. By the time I noticed that I hadn't noticed any pink tape on the trees I had already committed at least :90. Panic overtook me. Turn around?! NO! What if you're right and you run back AT the rest of the field!? Fortunately (if you look at it that way) before I had a chance to stop and turn back I popped right back out onto the race course...about 25 meters from where I had taken the wrong turn! My 1/3 of a mile side trip had cost me at least three minutes but in a stroke of luck I had taken a loop instead of a trail to "Lord Knows Where". As I crossed the final side street before the finish I asked the volunteer how many were in front and he said "7". I taped the finishline in 38:29. Rich (who had an incredible race finishing 4th overall) was standing there at the finish and had a very familar "what the heck happened to you?" look on his face. It appears that my extra .3-.4 mile cost me not only 3 minutes but it also cost me six places. Apparently I was in 2nd place overall (1st Master) at the time of my screw up. I finished in 8th place overall and 2nd Master when the results were finalized. Never had a Top 10 and podium Masters finish seemed so dissapointing. This weekend I learned the hard way that part of trail racing is staying on course.

NEXT UP: RI 6-HOUR RELAY

Shawnee Peak Challenge

2010-10-26T20:15:00.001-04:00

The "Golden Helmet" for my 1st Place Masters
Finish at the 2010 Shawnee Peak Challenge

"The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks." -Douglas Adams

Bridgton, MAINE -- Sometimes it pays off to branch out a little. This past weekend fellow aR mate Dwight Hartman (of Tough Guy UK and Death Race fame) and I took the scenic drive to Bridgton, ME for the inaugural Shawnee Peak Challenge. Approximately a dozen 'military-style' obstacles scattered over 5 km of ski slopes awaited us at the Shawnee Peak ski area. We arrived early enough to scout out a handful of the challenges located close to the bottom of the mountain. Because of my healthy respect of high places the three cargo netting covered A-frame structures (12 ft, 10 ft, & 8 ft) positioned near the finish line immediately caught my attention. I had no idea how I'd get up and over them but I did know that I'd soon find out. The 210 eager competitors were divided into two waves with my 10:30 AM wave to go off first. Along with me were mates Dwight, Kim, and Doc. Our 5th teammate, Jerry Fitzgibbon, would race in the 2nd wave. Looking around at the start there appeared to be a fair number of "serious looking" athletes along with a hodgepodge collection of CrossFitters and men in military fatigues. It was going to be interesting for sure. The race started with an immediate 100 meter climb DIRECTLY up the mountain before veering off to the left. At the top of this first climb I found myself in a lead pack of 4 or 5 guys. The course twisted back to the right, went under a low crawl obstacle, and continued to climb to a set of balance beams. Not 4 steps onto the balance beam I fell off and had to restart. I quickly figured it out, completed the obstacle, and raced after the lead group whom had begun to pull away. Fortunately for me there was still about a 1/2 mile of climbing to do in this initial section including a 100 meters of hand over hand mountain aptly named The Bitch. It was here, on The Bitch, that my year long training and racing on hills and mountains started to pay off. One by one I caught and passed each of the early lead pack until I found myself alone at the front at the top of the first ascent. Down and across the mountain I raced over barrier walls, under low crawls, through tires, across monkey bars, and carefully through the Normandy walls. More than few times I peeked back over my shoulder but didn't see any significant challenge. At least once I thought to myself, "Save yourself...you've still got one more time on this course.". Of course I was referring to the "Champions Race" that would be held immediately following the 2nd wave and would determine the overall winners. As if once on this course wasn't enough...you'd get to do it again! The final few obstacles turned out to be my favorites. Up and over a soft sand pile and down into a mud pit set everyone up for the A-frames. Admittedly I was a little freaked out when I lay on the top of the 12 fter and threw my legs over to the great unknown that was the other side. The 10 ftr and the 8 ftr were a relative piece of cake and I crossed the tape in 28:47 and first overall. I was as surprised as anyone to have won my wave. Dwight came in shortly after in 8th place and we both waited for the RDs to post the Champions Race qualifiers. Assuming I had qualified for the finals I headed back to the truck to change into some drier clothes, hydrate, and get off my feet. Less than :90 later the finals had been announced and we were once again at the starting line. This would be completely uncharted territory for me but luckily everyone else was in the same boat. That 'everyone' included my teammate Jerry who would turn out to be my competition for the 40+ Masters title. At the gun a very hearty group attacked the mountain again led by eventual winner and elite triathlete Aaron Coleman. He was clearly the class of the field and had gapped the rest of us within the first two climbs. Again I found myself at the front and passing my younger competitors on the steep climbs. As I finished The Bitch I quickly peeked back before taking the turn back down the mountain and noticed that Jerry was less than 100 meters behind. Now securely in 2nd place overall I worked to cleanly negotiate the final obstacles...that was until I reached my nemesis, the Commando Rope. Because of a lack of understanding of proper technique I had failed on this challenge in the opening round. When I reached it again in the finals I had already made up my mind that I couldn't do it. I attempted and failed. The chase pack, including Jerry, closed. I passed on my second attempt and took my 30 second penalty. It was easily the longest 30 seconds of my life. By the time I left the challenge and began the final climb the group that had been chasing me had reached the obstacle. They were now less than 20 seconds behind! I peered back one last time as I finished the climb to see them slowly trudging up the hill after me. Down I went, under the barbed wire, over the soft sand, through the mud pit, and onto the A-frames. By the sound of the crowd I knew they were right on me but my focus now was on climbing and descending the cargo netting. As I reached the bottom of the final structure I sprinted to the finish and crossed the line in 2nd place overall and 1st in the 40+ division! Although the finals were "untimed" I did hear the announcer say that I had actually raced the finals faster than my qualifier. Pretty cool. As you can see the winner of each division received perhaps one of the most unique trophies I've seen. A Golden Helmet with the race logo on the front. Jerry finished moments behind me as the 2nd overall Master and Dwight narrowly missed the Master's podium sweep in 4th place. Obviously the terrain played to my strength but I think I more than held my own on the obstacles. Seems like all those pull-ups in the gym are good for something after all. This is an event I'll definitely give another go at...that is if I can ever lift my right arm over my head again. Guess I'm not 21 years old.

NEXT UP: Busa Bushwhack

MNT EPIC

2010-10-11T21:08:00.001-04:00

"As you sow so shall you reap."

Sunday River, MAINE -- Einstein's definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. He must have known about me and MNT EPIC. Before I go any further I must say that as brutally difficult as this race is for me, it's one of my favorites and is hosted by one heck of an RD in Erik Boucher of TRI-ME. October is a funny month on my calendar. It's by far my favorite time of year. I love the fall foods, the football, the cool crisp days, the leaves changing...anything right now that doesn't include me doing a lot of training. With the Pinnacle Challenge, MNT EPIC, and the Shawnee Peak Challenge this month is as busy as any during the year yet my level of commitment to train is lower than at any time since last December when it began. And once again my physical performance at MNT EPIC suffered because of it. Mountain and trail races are a great opportunity to see my friends in these communities (Ian Parlin, Paul Kirsch, Kevin Tilton to name a few). And sometimes I get a chance to meet a couple of new ones. Before Sunday I've followed Paul Bazanchuk from afar through his blog and snowshoe racing performances in the WMAC. I've also had the challenge of racing against the kilt-clad Chuck Hazzard of Trail Monster Running. I had the pleasure of meeting both of these men at MNT EPIC, Paul before the race and Chuck during our first 1500 foot ascent to Barker Mountain aid station. Paul approached me before the race, introduced himself, and asked a couple of questions about the course. I chased down and caught Chuck while we climbed. He was incredibly affable under the relentless duress of MNT EPIC. Paul caught and passed me just before Barker Mountain aid station and immediately became my new endurance idol. At 55 the guy is a machine. If I'm half as fit as he is at 55 I'd be thrilled. Remembering the debacle that was the last 4 miles at this race last year I eased off the throttle on the first major descent. About half way down I heard gasping and groaning that could only mean one thing...okay, it could actually mean a couple of things but in this case it meant that my teammate Brent Tkaczyk had finally caught me after pacing his wife Amy on the first climb. And he was F-LYING down this hill. His arms and legs rag dollied as he leaned forward at a gravity defying angle. He shouted something to me about "I'll see you on the climbs!" but all I could do was marvel as his reckless disregard for anything quadriceps. Sure enough as we began our second 1400+ foot climb to Spruce Peak aid station I did catch him and actually pulled him along for a while. The two of us worked together and caught Chuck and could see Paul and a couple of other runners up ahead. By the time we reached Oz Brent, Chuck, Paul, and myself were within 15 seconds of each other. By the time I reached the finish four miles later they all were nearly four minutes ahead of me. And even more remarkable, finished within 20 seconds of each other! As much as I work to solve the riddle, I just can't bring myself to let it fly going down from Oz and Jordan Bowl. Watching the three of them move away from me was devastating. There's some switch in my head that I just can't flip. When I finally made it to the singletrack section I again had my adductors seize up on me. That for sure is a training issue. I probably haven't run more than 10 miles in a month and a half. Unlike last year when the same thing happened I had to walk for a short spell. This year I managed to run through it. Believe me, not very fast but I did make it look a little like running. I felt every foot strike reverberate through my entire skeleton the last few hundred meters of descending on the gravel road. Despite my tentative descent and adductor issues when I peaked at my watch I realized I still had a chance at a PR. The only thing that potentially stood in my way was the vaunted mud pit. Last year I cramped violently when I hit it. Sadly, this year wasn't any different. As soon as I entered the water my left calf locked up and I actually fell forward on my right knee and left a six inch gash of skin on a hidden boulder on the bottom of the pit. Somehow I managed to get back to my feet and dragged my sorry broken carcass across the finish line. My watch read 2:05:12. Incredibly, a PR by almost 2 minutes and my second 13th place finish of the year. From a team standpoint aR captured another team title over our rivals from TMR. Our top 4 scorers were Tim Cox (4th), Brent Tkaczyk (8th), myself (13th) and Austin Stonebraker (16th). I can become a better descender and I can put more training in for this race...but probably not.

NEXT UP: Shawnee Peak Challenge

Pinnacle Challenge VI

2010-10-05T21:13:00.002-04:00

aR-HAMEL
3rd PLACE OVERALL
(R-L) Me, Cox, Christian, & Derrick

"The underdog often starts the fight, and occasionally the upperdog deserves to win." Edgar Watson Howe

Newport, NEW HAMPSHIRE--The Pinnacle Challenge VI was not only the biggest aR showing of 2010, it may have been the most successful and one of the most competitive. Thirty-three aR teammates travelled to the Lake Sunapee area of NH for this very unique double duathlon. Four teammates race four disciplines including road running, mountain biking, road biking, and trail running. This year would be our biggest turnout as we fielded eight teams of four plus one duo team. Two of those teams, aR-WOLFE and aR-HAMEL, were poised to take a serious run at a podium finish. But perhaps more importantly, they would take dead aim at each other with team bragging rights on the line. Geoff's big toe injury resulted in his unfortunate late scratch. With less than a week to race day Captain Wolfe was suddenly without his very strong trail runner. Knowing that Steve Wolfe would rather have acid-tinged white hot ice picks jabbed in his eyes than lose to me, I figured he find someone to replace Cunningham. Turns out that he not only found someone to replace Geoff...he somehow managed to talk one of the most talented road/trail/ mountain/snowshoe racers in the entire northeast to replace him. None other than Jim Johnson (aka DoubleJ). Almost by default if you've got a nickname, you're bad ass. And as badasses go, he one's the baddest. It wasn't long after aR-HAMEL (Derrick Hamel, myself, Christian Muentener, Tim Cox) had gathered that aR-WOLFE's (Jim Johnson, Austin Stonebraker, Ted Hall, Steve Wolfe) devious plan became apparent. At the last minute they announced to us that they would be switching runners, Jim would run the road and Wolfe would run the trail. Perhaps they were banking on J2 putting enough of a gap on Derrick at the beginning of the event that neither I nor Christian could close thus leaving Wolfe with a leisurely "victory lap" for the aR team title? Either way, each of us knew exactly what was in front of us...an epic battle mano e mano. A very competitive and very fast road runner field took off very quickly when the event got underway. Then the waiting game began. Less than 25 minutes later the first runners appeared off in the distance as they raced toward us. As the road runners appeared everyone frantically squinted to figure out who's runner was in the lead?! When they arrived DoubleJ had run a killer race and was in 2nd place overall. After a hand tag Austin was on his bike and out of the transition area without haste. Less than 90 seconds later Derrick, who had run an 8k PR, was in the TA. Once tagged I hopped on my GIANT Trance3 and away I went trying to stay within the 1.5 minute lead Austin had been given. I'm fairly familiar with the mountain bike course, having raced here 3 times before. The first half of the 5.4 mile course climbs and the second half descends. Always confident in my climbing I knew that if I had any chance of closing on Austin, who's supremely fit and a very good mountain biker, it would have to be on the climb. Within 10 minutes I saw him in front of me for the first time. As we climbed I felt him slowly come back to me and before long I was right on his back tire. As we rode the tight twisty singletrack he briefly dabbed I darted around him. Knowing how strong a rider he is I knew I was going to need the ride of my life to maintain the advantage. By the time we reached the high point of the course I peeked quickly but didn't notice him directly behind. As strong of a climber as I am, I'm probably equally as weak on the descents. I guess I just can't justify the risk of breaking a collarbone or tweaking a knee if I were to Graham. Figuring Austin was back there somewhere, and probably somewhere close, I rode the last downhill singletrack like I had stolen it. This newly re-designed section of course was a combination pump track and carnival ride. Just awesome. I was actually disappointed when I finally appeared behind the school by the transition area where Christian was waiting. I entered the TA in 37:20 and tagged Christian almost at the same time as Austin tagged Ted. Without knowing, Austin had hammered the last 200 meters of course and nearly entered the TA at the same time as I did. Ted and Christian left the transition area together for the 3rd leg of the race, the 13 mile road bike. Ted Hall is one of the best all-around aR cyclists. He won the King of the Glen in 2009 and nearly took the title again in 2010. Apparently, Christian is no slouch either because after 35 minutes of riding it was Christian who entered the TA first, with Ted in hot pursuit. In fact, these cyclists had ridden to a near tie. By virtue of Ted and Wolfe transitioning a little quicker it was Wolfe who left the TA ahead of Tim by about 2-5 seconds. And that gap would hold...for about the first 200 meters or until as Tim would tell it, "Steve got into the woods.". Tim was no match for Steve. At that point the only thing in question was whether or not aR-HAMEL would podium. Tim was third out of the woods in a blazing 23:05 and our 2:05:50 team finish was good enough for 3rd place overall. A little over 2:00 later Steve crossed the finish line helping his team to a 4th place finish. As we've had here at this event and others, it was great aR vs. aR racing from start to finish. When the results were finally posted I had a chance to see how my split compared to the rest of the field. Admittedly, mountain biking is my "crosstraining" sport. While I love it, I probably spend way too little time on my bike to be competitive but there are only so many hours in the day. My 37:20 split was 15th overall out of 57 total riders (including solo's which perhaps is an unfair comparison). Ultimately my goal here would be a Top 10 overall mountain bike split. Looking at the results I'm going to need to find another 2:00. Guess I need to put in another 1 or 2 rides a week in 2011. All in all, another fantastic day of great friends, great weather, and great racing! The Pinnacle really is one of my favorite events of the year. PJ Lovely and his crew of teammates and volunteers do a fantastic job. For an event with so much diversity their organization is top notch. It's one of the first races scheduled on the aR calendar every year. And it will be again in 2011.

NEXT UP: MNT EPIC

Our Official Footwear

2010-09-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Reach The Beach

2010-09-26T11:33:00.002-04:00

aR RTB-2010
(L-R)Ann, Austin, Doc, Nick, Karen, Kevin, me,
Rich,Matt, Scott, Jay, and Mike.

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Anonymous

Hampton Beach, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Another Reach The Beach Relay is in the book. For Karen, Kevin, Nick, and myself it would be our 5th consecutive RTB and our ticket into the 1000 mile club. As far as I can remember (and admittedly that's not very far) my RTB consecutive appearance streak is the longest of my 20+ year competitive 'career'. There's a strange allure to this event. It's as physcially difficult as it is wildy entertaining. The shear spectacle of 400+ teams and 3000+ runners covering 200+ miles in 24+ hours is just amazing. And sharing all of that with a great group of teammates and friends makes this a race that's easy to fall in love with. For the first time since we've raced the event, we made it to Cannon Mountain on Friday with essentially the same group of 12 that we started with back in April. Unlike a number of other teams we knew, no last minute alternates were needed. Much like in years past we had a couple of 'newbies' joining us and the event for the first time including Mike, Jay, and Scott. Also 'new' to our team this year (but not new to the event) were Ann, Rich, and Doc. Austin, Matt, Nick, Kevin, and Karen were all back from the 2009 team that reached the beach in 28:40:38 and good enough for 193rd place. With half the team new this year we had very few expectations other than 1.) get to Hampton, and 2.) have a great time doing it. For the second consecutive year I'd have runner position #8. As the team and SUV captain it's important for me to take the most difficult position in our group. The 2010 version of the race for me would be mostly the same with legs 8 & 20 the same, but leg 32 would be dramatically altered from a 2.2 miler last year to a 6.69 miler this year. Knowing the physcial toll this event can take, I was quite uncertain how I'd perform on day #2. When we received our start time a week before the race it became apparent that this may collectively be the most talented group we've ever assembled. Our 1:40 start time was the latest we'd had. The later start time pushed everything back for us and actually resulted in two of my three runs being under the cover of darkness. Van #1 arrived at the VTA in Attitash around 5:30ish. Jay was the first out for us and had a moderate 7.23 mile cruiser to Echo Lake State Park where I was waiting. He arrived almost to the minute that he predicted and set me out for my first leg of the race around 6:30 pm with headlamp lit and blinkies a blinking. My 6.61 miler was once again on West Side Drive outside of North Conway, NH. The route is rolling without any major climbs and in fact profiled to be a net downhiller. Last year, motivated by 'running' into PR's Chris Benson I ran a 42:06 (6:22's). Knowing that I still had close to 16 miles to race after this leg was finished I attemtped to moderate my pace and save some energy. The race plan for Leg #8 was simple, run at a "3" on a 5 point scale for the first 30 minutes and then pick up the pace for the final 10+ minutes entering Conway. By the time I reached the intersection of RT16/113 in Conway I knew I had ripped off a fast one. With only a few hundred meters to go I was well under 40 minutes. Picking off a few additional runners here on this stretch added to my confidence and I cruised to the transition area and handed the baton to Rich. When I stopped my watch I was amazed...41:09. I had easily run 6:13's. In fact, my previous PR at the 10k distance was the 40:13 (6:22's) I had run at Saunders back in 2007. That confidence quickly turned to trepidation knowing what lay ahead in the early morning hours of Day #2...my nemesis, Leg #20. The rest of the group including Nick, Karen, and Ann ran their tails off and we arrived VTA #2, aka the Kenneth Brett School, shortly after 11:00 pm. We piled in the SUV and headed directly to NH Technical College (VTA #3) to get our 'overnight' rest. By the time we all laid down it was midnight. Once again a beuatiful star filled sky greeted us in Laconia. I had asked Van #1 Captain Kevin to give us a heads up text when he sent his next to last runner out to give us at least an hour to get ready. That text came at 2:00 pm...they were approximately 90 minutes away. I quickly rolled and packed my sleeping bag, deflated my sleeping pad, and quietly roused the rest of the group. Jay would have a moderate 4.33 miler before meeting me at Belmont High School. Van #1 arrived at the VTA in advance of their runner (Doc Sprague) and they looked in good shape and spirits. When Doc handed the baton to Jay we headed back to our vehicle to drive ahead to the next TA. My second run (Leg #20) is not only the longest leg of the race but it's rated the most difficult (taking into consideration the distance and the elevation profile). In fact, the route mostly climbs for the first 5.5 miles (+642 feet). The saving grace, if there is any on this type of course, is that you can't see the top of the climbs in the dark...but you can see the little blinkies waaaaaaaaay UP ahead. They almost look like aircraft lights. In 2009 I had a pretty good race on this course finishing in 1:06:15. When Jay and I transitioned I set out to simply race as consistently as I could but to keep in mind that I still had a 10k+ left later in the day. For what it's worth I have a tremendous amount of confidence in my ability to climb. I'm not necessarily fast, but I feel that I can maintain a consistent pace and being able to pass people the entire way really does help to make the minutes go by. Speaking of passing, it was on this leg last year that I suffered my only pass. This time around I was passed again...twice. Both times the 'elite' skinny leggers ran by me like I was Wolfeing it. Not to worry, my net 23 passes for the leg more than made up for it. As I approached the final slight uphill to the transition I peaked at my watch and was pleased to see that I would finished sub 67 minutes. I handed the baton to Rich at 1:06:39 (7:13's). Yes it was 34 seconds slower than in 2009, but I felt good that I stayed patient, climbed well, and still felt like I had saved something in the tank. When our group finally fininished our 2nd legs we headed to our favorite Saturday AM stop...the Long Branch Restaurant in Raymond, NH for breakfast. When we arrived we noticed that the same group of Grumpy Old Men led by aR teammate Jerry Fitzgibbon were still ahead of us! The grumpy old bastards had been kicking our asses since we started together at Cannon the previous day and were now to only enjoying a hot breakfast, but an hour lead on us. And wouldn't you know Jerry couldn't stop talking about it. After a delicious hot breakfast and a real bathroom stop we drove up the street to Rich's in-laws for a dip in their pool and a chance to re-pack and prepare for the final legs of the race. At this point the combination of sleep deprivation and the cumulative trauma of two road races in 10 hours starts to take it's toll. With Jay's final leg being a very short 2.43 and the traffic typically being a little heavier toward the end of the event, we made the decision to drop him and head to the next TA. This gave me around 45 minutes to attempt to hydrate, stretch, and rest before my final (and perhaps most challenging) effort of the race. By this time at RTB I never feel completely ready for what lay head. I'm typically a little dehyrated, a little sunburned, and a lot tired. Before Jay arrived I had decided that I would break this final 50+ minute run into two 25 minute efforts. I would go out conservatively in the first half and decide what I had left in my legs. At the 25 minute mark I would break the final 20+ minutes up into two 10 minute runs and pick up the pace in each successive interval finishing as strong as I could at the transition. The first three miles of my 6.69 miler was a net climb. Although the total elevation gain was only a little over 100 feet it felt like a 1000. Playing right into my race plan, the final 3.5 miles were a net downhill. Running a "2/3" on my intensity scale I was consistently passing runners for the first 20 minutes. This has an amazing ability to energize dead legs and lift sunken spirits. As I crested the high point of the course I was just shy of 21 minutes and knew that I was way ahead of my conservative 7:15 pace estimation. For the next 10 minutes I picked up the pace as I raced effortlessly downhill. By the 40 minute mark on my watch I knew from the surroundings that I was getting close to the transition and guessed that I had less than five minutes to go. Not wanting to leave anything left I leaned forward and raced as hard as I could. I handed the baton to Rich for the final time and stopped my watch at 45:02 (6:44's). Incredibly pleased to be able to run sub 7's for a 6.7 miler at RTB I was also glad my event was over. With the progress we had collectively made over the past 195 miles attention now turned to our team finish. As we hit the final three TA's it was obvious that we were at the front of the field. The crowds that we had battled at the TA's earlier in the race had all but dissappeared. Some quick calculations based on pace estimates revealed that we were very close to a sub 26 hour finish. When Karen transitioned with Ann we piled into the SUV and headed to Hampton Beach to join Van #1 and wait for her to finish. Unlike the incredible traffic jam we encountered in '09, we drove right into the beach parking without as much as a traffic light stop. Ann arrived right on que and our entire team crossed the finish line together. When the results were posted we were stunned...25:50:05 (7:24's), 36th/429, and 10th/117 in our class (Men Open)! That result was easily the best in the 5 years we've raced RTB. I can't say enough about the incredible efforts of the entire team...Captn Kevin, Mike, Scott, Austin, Doc, Matt, Jay, Rich, Nick, Karen and Ann. These athletes truely epitomized what it means to RACE acidotic.

Next Up: Pinnacle Challenge VI
RESULTS

Run To Fall

2010-09-19T14:27:00.002-04:00

"Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it." -Stan Smith

Northwood, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- The 10th Annual Run to Fall cross country race is one of those events that I typically decide to do the week of the race. Occurring less than six days before Reach The Beach , it falls at an awkward time on my racing calendar. There have been years that for health reasons I've passed and others that I decided to run with my youngest daughter who really wanted to do her first 5k. As a fundraiser for the CBNA XC program (and a parent of an athlete on the team) I feel obliged to help support this terrific little race. With a week to go before the event I made the decision that I'd race it. I was feeling very good physically and I've had a very successful racing season to date. At 5k it would be the shortest race I've done (excluding snowshoe racing), but probably the most intense due to the expected fast pace. A brand new course this year threw out any comparisons to the one year I actually "raced" it so whatever happened I'd be setting a PB on this course. One of the benefits of the race is that it's really a family affair. Madison, my oldest daughter, is a senior in the program and participates in "spirit stations" along the course with her class & teammates. Brayden, my oldest son, volunteered to pick up some additional community service time. Karen, my wife, raced it as she's done for the past 4 years and my mother-in-law Judy was there as our cheering squad. My race plan was pretty simple...run hard and consistent and use the event as a confidence booster for Reach The Beach later in the week. At the gun I took out hard to try to avoid the potential bottleneck in the hole shot at the end of the open field. By the time we were several hundred meters along I found myself behind the lead group. Obviously a little too fast for me, but I felt good that I had positioned myself where I needed to be. When I reached the mile split, Brayden (now working to call out times) called my split as 6:07. Pleasantly surprised my quick inventory revealed I was feeling pretty comfortable with the pace and the effort. Not terribly familiar with the course I pre-ran the 'woods loop' to see where the 'spirit stations' were located to give me an idea of where I was on the course. The freshman were stationed just a hundred meters or so from the track and the end of the first loop. By this time I hadn't been passed and was running within 10 meters of the guy ahead of me. I would catch him on the small ups and he'd pull slightly ahead on the downs and flats. Despite this I felt that I had a pretty good chance of getting ahead of him so I waited patiently. By the time we reached the 2 mile mark, without a purposeful surge I had caught and passed him giving him a word of encouragement to stay with me and work to the finish. Within the next 200 meters I also caught a younger runner from CMS who had been just ahead of us. He obviously didn't take too kindly to an old bastard like myself moving in front of him and he promptly regained the spot and accelerated out of sight. The last 300 meters were around the track and when I got there I peaked behind quickly to make sure I didn't have to try to outkick some hotshot to the finish. The guy ahead of me at this point was just too strong and easily maintained his 50 meter lead. I crossed the finish in 19:19 (6:13's) which was good enough for 12th overall and 3rd master. Surprisingly, when the results were posted I realized that I was only 10 seconds from the Top 10! Upon reflection I was very pleased with the effort. Racing 5k's is tricky if you haven't done it much. The roughly 20 minute sustained hard effort is quite different from the longer trail races I've done this year.

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach Relay (race report coming soon!)

Bradbury Mountain Breaker

2010-08-16T17:08:00.003-04:00

Rocking my new Buff on the summit
of Bradbury Mountain
(Photo: MaineRunningPhotos)

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but refusing to stay down." -Anonymous

Bradbury State Park, Pownal, MAINE -- A golfer will tell you that as they stand on the tee box of a short par three with water in the front, they never want the thought "don't hit it in the water" to cross their minds. Two weekends ago (before I took a week of vacation hence the tardy race report) at the Bradbury Mountain Breaker trail race I spoke openly to some teammates before the race about "not falling". The hosts from Trail Monster Running go on and on and on about how gnarly the course is and who broke this or that while racing it. Although I had previewed the trails several weeks before I guess they got in my head. For months now I've specifically focused on one of the weaker aspects of my game...downhill running. As good as I am uphill, I'm equally as weak running downhill. I guess as I get older the risk:reward analysis of bombing a steep rooty boulder field just don't come out on the side of running fast. A two loop course, the Breaker has two different descents from the highest point on the course. It was the second of the two that led to my demise. The race was not on my radar in December when I planned my 2010 schedule but as the New England Dirt Cup evolved and our rivalry with TMR grew, this was a race that 1.) became part of the NEDC and 2.) would be a chance for us at aR to see our buddies from Maine (and hand them another beatdown). Familiar with the course, the plan was to run hard but consistently. I had zero intention of walking either of the ascents up the Summit Trail so I tried to save a little in the tank without letting TM's that I should be beating run away from me. A very talented field including my teammates Charlie Therriault, Geoff Cunningham, and Steve Wolfe went out hard with TM's Blaine Moore, Andy Kiburis, Jeff Walker, and company. Fellow aR 'mate Rich Lavers and I settled in with the next group and just tried to stay up on our feet as the well graded Northern Loop Trail connected to the root and rock filled Boundary Trail. [NOTE: by the time I reached the Boundary Trail I had passed TM Ryan Triffitt]. I managed to pick up a couple of spots by the time we reached the Summit Trail and had not been and stayed passed. Surprisingly, runners were already walking the first big climb. I put it in a very low climbing gear and ran the whole damn thing. I finished the first loop in 35:57 and was feeling very much in control of my race. Running by myself for much of the 2nd lap it was difficult to resist the temptation to back off. I did manage to pass a couple more racers walking the big climb (again) as I was determined not to walk the climb. I may have been running slowly...but I was running. Then it happened. As I raced down the Terrace Trail (the 2nd descent) I must have caught my foot on a root or rock and in an instant I was falling face first down the hill. Amazingly, I hit the ground pretty softly, slid for a couple of feet, and immediately sprung back up on my feet almost completely unscathed (less a small bruise on my hip and a little trail rash). It's almost as if I knew I was going to fall and anticipated it. Strange. I quickly peeked back uphill to make sure the guys I passed on the climb weren't going to get the spots back. Without anyone in sight I quickly (but cautiously) made my way back down to the Northern Loop Trail and ran hard to the finish. I crossed the line in 1:13:12 (13th overall, 4th master). In one final pleasant surprise I beat TM Jeff Walker for the 2nd straight trail race after he took a wrong turn (on his own course). Not that I'm keeping track or anything. Overall, I was very pleased with the effort. My weekly 1200' of hill repeat training clearly paid off as I hammered the climbs and actually picked up places. I still have some work to do on the descents, but I've also added that to my training as well. aR had a great day as well picking up 2 of the top 3 overall spots (Charlie & Geoff) and we once again beat TMR in the team category (taking home two cases of Smuttynose beer) thanks to a very strong showing and a huge turnout (13 aR athletes) made the trip. Trail Monster Running put on another incredible event and it was really, really great to see and catch up with all of them. It really is a pleasure to race against them.

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach

Long Trail: Day #2

2010-07-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

"The mountains are calling and I must go." ~ John Muir

Long Trail, VERMONT -- I awoke on the morning of Day #2 to the familiar sound of an alarm. In a moment of complete confusion I almost forgot where I was for it was not my bed that I lay nor my alarm that chimed. At exactly 6:00 am our shelter-mates awoke to their pre-set watch alarm. I immediately sat upright on my sleeping pad but neither Jay nor Karen seemed to notice the strangely misplaced sound. Jay would later tell me that it wasn't the alarm that woke him but rather my stomach that began to churn and growl some 2-3 hours before. It may have been earlier than I would have wanted to get up but I hadn't slept more than 90 minutes at a time and I almost felt relieved that the morning had finally arrived. I think I saw every overnight hour on my watch. Each time I felt a limb go numb I would roll to my back or side and look at my watch...12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00. And apparently I make a lot of noise because both Karen and Jay commented that every time I changed positions they woke up as well.

With one day of morning routine to draw from we were just as slow at getting to it. I watched the end-to-enders once again move with curious coordination and precision as breaking down their sleeping set-ups seamlessly melded into getting breakfast cooked. We wished them well a little before 8:00 am as they continued on their way south. It took us another 30 minutes to finally set out for the last 11 miles of our trip.

GoLite Comps in the mud.

Aided by a gradual descent for the first 0.9 miles to VT73 we moved swiftly only pausing to take a picture of the Great Cliffs of Mt. Horrid. The cliffs are closed for much of the spring and summer as they are a protected breeding ground for the peregrine falcon that call these woods home. In looking at the map, the second day would be defined by the ascents of Cape Lookoff Mountain (3216') and Worth Mountain(3234'). The plan was to hike to Sucker Brook shelter, take a break, and then finish the day with the big climb of Worth Mountain. Thanks to the overnight rains and humidity that lingered above 75% for the second straight day everything on the trail was wet...including the plethora of roots and rocks that littered the steep descents from our climbs. The combination of the elevation and the trail conditions made the travel much slower than the previous day. We arrived at the Sucker Brook shelter trailhead but chose not to walk the additional 0.2 miles down the spur as we had already put enough miles on our legs and the toughest miles were still to come.

Pushing off from our 15 minute break and heading up to Worth Mountain it began to rain very lightly. Jay and I looked at each other and decided that we'd probably just keep walking unless it started to rain a little harder. Not a minute later the skies opened up and it began to pour. We ditched under an evergreen to put our rain gear on which gave Karen a chance to catch up. Perhaps the first technical mistake of the trip was opting for the EMS stash jacket instead of the poncho. Jay slipped his poncho on over his pack while I put my jacket (with long sleeves of course...and it's 80 degrees) under my pack. My already heavy EMS 3000 absorbed the rain like a sponge adding what felt like another 5-10 pounds. As we climbed the trail began to look like a river as the water rushed downhill from the higher elevations. Any idea of keeping our feet reasonably "dry" was now out the window as we splashed and slogged uphill toward the summit. Luckily the rain only lasted for 30-40 minutes of our nearly 70 minute climb. From the summit of Worth Mountain to Middlebury Gap and our drop vehicle was mostly downhill and only 2.7 miles. We would later learn (from a sign near the trailhead) that the wilderness from Worth Mountain to Middlebury Gap is, perhaps not surprisingly, owned by Middlebury College. Buoyed by the idea that we were less than 2 hours from the end the last few miles went very quickly and by 2:30 pm we were finally at the LT parking area on VT125.

As a result of our Long Trail Brewery kitchen experience from Friday we wasted no time in getting ourselves and our gear into Jay's car and heading south on VT100 toward our well earned reward...burgers and beers at the brewery. Our two days on the Long Trail were a great learning experience and have given me an appreciation for the preparation it's going to take to complete the 272 mile trip. I need to refine my gear as my pack is still way too heavy. I also need to do more backpacking to improve my technique and efficiency on the trail. While there is much to be done, I am incredibly excited about the adventure. I couldn't have asked for two better trail mates than Karen and Jay. They were both very consistent and very strong and simply great company. With a little good fortune I'll get back out on the LT this fall to compare the conditions. Until then, I'm thoroughly enjoying sleeping in my own bed.

STATS:

Sunrise shelter to Middlebury Gap (VT125)
11 miles (1977' elevation gained) in 5:39 minutes (moving time).

The Long Trail: Day #1

2010-07-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir

Long Trail, VERMONT -- I don't exactly recall when the he idea to 'end-to-end' the Long Trail (LT) was born? All I know is that since the seed was planted in my mind I have thought about little else. At 272 miles, the Long Trail is the country's oldest long-distance hiking path and was the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail. I'm only a recreational hiker and have never backpacked yet in the summer of 2011 I'll set off from the MA-VT border and head north to Canada with my buddy Jay, a support team, and an unfulfilled dream. This past weekend Jay, Karen, and I spent two days on the LT and covered 30 miles in an attempt to see the path firsthand and begin the long slow process of gaining backpacking experience.

Friday afternoon, on our way to our northernmost car drop, we met Jay at EMS in Concord. We had stopped to pick up a few last minute items including a UV water treatment system, the SteriPEN. Having done a little research it seemed to me that UV was one of the lightest and fastest systems on the market. Funny how a "few last minute items" at EMS almost always adds up to $150. And in true Jim Dunn-like cooincidence we ran into teammate Mike Sallade who was browsing EMS during a break from work. We arrived at the LT parking area on VT125 around 5:00 pm, transferred Jay's gear to my car, and headed back down VT100 to grab dinner at the Long Trail Brewery. The plan was to grab dinner and then hike the 1.4 miles in to Tucker-Johnson shelter for the night. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. Little did I know that the brewery's kitchen closed at 6:00 pm. We didn't arrive until nearly 6:30 pm but the waitstaff was kind enough to recommend a pizza joint down the road. Ramunto's Brick & Brew Pizza was a great little find. Turns out they've got live music on Friday night and one of the most extensive speciality pizza menu's I've ever seen. And, among the nearly dozen beers on tap they had Long Trail! The downside was that the music, pizza, beer, and conversation were far more interesting that the final packing and hiking we had planned for the evening. Somewhere between the wings and the last round of beers we decided to camp in the parking lot on VT4. We would head out of Sherburne Pass in the morning on our way to Sunrise shelter...our first 19 miles on the LT.

Without any backpacking experience getting ready on Saturday morning seemed to take forever. That was, however, no fault of my new JetBoil personal cooking system. Two minutes to boil 2 cups of water was amazing. We all ate our own doctored version of quick-oats with me opting for the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, walnuts, and dates version. Washing it down with Starbucks VIA instant coffee we were ready to roll. The first few hours on the trail were a mix of excitement and a stark realization that the Vermont wilderness is vast...beautiful, but vast. With the exception of the ever present mud, the trail was pretty easy for those early miles. The trail was pretty easy (minimal roots and rocks) and the elevation change modest. Making good time we stopped for lunch around 1:00 pm and refilled our hydration bladders at David Logan shelter. The shelter system on the LT is really impressive. On the 19 mile stretch of trail we hiked that first day there were no fewer than four shelters all providing enough floor/bunk space for at least 8-10 hikers. And each of them had a water source (marked) in very close proximity. Two of them even had privy's! We contoured for the most of the rest of the afternoon around Mt. Carmel (3365'), Bloodroot Mountain (3485'), and Farr Peak (3522') arriving at Sunrise shelter by 5:30 pm.

Because we hadn't seen more than a few other hikers all day we expected to have the shelter to ourselves but when we arrived we found that two end-to-enders had already arrived and set up camp. In a way, it was actually a blessing. The two young folks had been on the trail for 14 days as they trekked south. We chatted with them watching how they moved around the campsite with incredible economy and purpose. We broke down our packs and set up our sleeping arrangements. Although overcast with the threat of rain, knowing I would be out of the elements I decided to use my Sierra Design bivy and a sleeping pad. The next adventure was dinner. I'm pretty finicky so the thought of freeze dried food from a bag was not terribly appealing. Hunger has a funny way of changing one's perspective. Within 15 minutes Karen and I were enjoying our first 'dinner in a bag'. I hate to admit it but the Mountain House terriayki chicken was fantastic. After dinner Jay and I made water filling our hydration bladders and an additional 4 liters for breakfast the following morning. By the time we made it back to camp our end-to-end mates were already racked. Noteworthy because at 7:30 pm the sun had yet to set. I wrapped up some last minute business while Jay tended to his feet with some good old fashion backcountry surgery (see above). Despite a couple of blisters and some aching knees the three of us fared pretty well on Day #1. Jay was a great trail leader keeping a strong and steady pace all day while being ever mindful to keep the group together. Karen was predictably rock solid keeping up with Jay & I despite the unfamiliar weight of her pack and the slippery muddy mess of a trail we negotiated for most of the day. As we closed our eyes we all eagerly anticipated what lay ahead on Day #2.

To be continued...

STATS:
Sherburne Pass (VT4) to Sunrise shelter
19 miles (1929' elevation gained) in 8:39 minutes (moving time).

Broken Boulder Dash

2010-07-18T21:12:00.000-04:00

"The greatest achivement of the human spirit is to live up to one's opportunities, and make the most of one's resources." -Vauvenargues

Madbury, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Brayden and I headed over to Kingman Farm early this morning to ride the Broken Boulder Dash course I had set the night before. There were a handful of flags pulled and replaced but all in all everything seemed to be in place. By the time we got back to the trailhead Michael and Alex had arrived and were setting up. Today's race was a 3C Race Productions event, but aR (ie. me) had been hired to design and mark the course. A really easy task considering that 90% of the course was identical to our Kingman Farm Moonlight Snowshoe Race. As competitors began to arrive it appeared that the field would be rather small, but enthusiastic nonetheless. I had made the decision to race as soon as we were asked to help with the event. Measuring at 5.5 km it would be my shortest trail race of the year. Generally speaking I've attempted to avoid these distances for two reasons; 1.) I'm not very fast and 2.) fast is something I'm not. But because I was already there, knew the course, and needed to put a run in this weekend I figured I'd give it a go. After I gave the course description and Michael gave the command to step to the line to my surprise there were very few takers. The usual cast of characters (including teammates and friends) that dominate me and the rest of the Top 10 weren't around. As the "RUNNERS READY..." command was given I realized that I had been presented with a very unique opportunity. With "GO!" I led the field of 44 from the parking lot into the Kingman Farm trail network to race the course I had designed. Having never been in the front of the field at any race I was actually a little unsure as to how to race from that position. The course begins to climb the shoulder of Hick's Hill within the first few minutes of the start and early on I could sense someone(s) close behind. By the time I reached the main doublewide track I stopped hearing footsteps and attempted to settle into a comfortable, but hard, pace so as not to give back what I had worked hard to establish. Just as I reached the low point of the course I could feel (and hear) someone close on me. When I looked back over my left shoulder I realized it was fellow snowshoe competitor Phil Erwin of New Durham, NH. Phil is a very talented snowshoe/trail/mountain runner and happens to be in my age group (40-45). But for everything he has going for him, he's not familiar with the Kingman Farm property. As we raced, he off my left shoulder, I started to get the feeling he was using my knowledge of the trails to his advantage and was waiting for his chance to strike. When we reached the start of Hick's Hill we were almost side by side. After the first prelude, a gentle little climb, the course narrows to the switchback singletrack where passing would be difficult on both the ascent and descent. If Phil was going to challenge I knew he may have missed his opportunity in the open fields. As we began the climb I felt him slip back as I pushed hard silently grateful of my many repeats up Mt. Blue Job. As I negotiated the steep and narrow switchback descent I stole a couple of glaces back to determine how much time I had gained. But to my surprise Phil was nowhere to be seen? I assumed that I had put some time on him in the up but couldn't have imaged I would have gapped him so significantly. A few quick looks back in the last 200 meters showed no other contenders and I cruised across the finish line in first place with a time of 23:12. As soon as I finished I heard a voice call out from a few meters away, "What happened?!". It was Phil. He had finished a minute or so ahead of me as a result of a missed switchback. I'm not sure who felt worse, me as the course setter, or Phil for missing a chance to catch and pass me on the singletrack descent? Opportunities for a race win are few and far between for a 41 year old trail runner like me. In fact, as far as I can recall, it's the first race I've ever won. I really wish that every runner had the chance to feel what it feels like to race at the front of the pack. It was really, really cool and really, really hard but easily one of the most special experiences I've had in my very fortunate athletic life.

PS. aR had a very good day for a very light showing with Austin Stonebraker in the Top 10 (6th), Timmy Lindsey in the Top 20 (18th), and Gary Reuter 27th overall.

Broken Boulder Dash RESULTS

NEXT UP: Bradbury Mountain Breaker

Mt. Washington Road Race

2010-06-20T19:45:00.001-04:00

"The secret of discipline is motivation. When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself." -Sir Alexander Paterson

Mt. Washington, NEW HAMPSHIRE--Since I was a boy I've looked up to my father. When I became a man, his athletic accomplishments served as the yardstick by which I have measured myself. "Family Records" aren't mere notches on a belt, they are instead a means through which I am afforded the chance to race against my hero. The hands of time have stolen the opportunity at a head to head meeting, but the record book gives us the chance to measure our commitment and resolve without the constraints of history. The 50th Mt. Washington Road Race (MWRR) was one of those rare opportunities to race my father. My dad began running in the 70's when the running boom was at it's zenith. Although not a naturally gifted endurance athlete (he was a football player in high school and college), through incredibly hard work he fashioned himself into a very good runner. In the early 70's he and a few of his running buddies headed to the Mt. Washington valley for a road race to the summit of the highest point in the northeast. Back in the day, as he tells it, they walked up to the 'toll both' on the day of the race and paid their entry fee. And 1:39 minutes later he stood on the summit. My mother tells me that my brother and I were there, but my early childhood memories are buried too deep for me to remember. Fast forward to the spring of this year. When the MWRR lottery results were announced it was a 'good news, bad news' story. The good news was that my number was actually called, the bad news was that my teammates Geoff and Rich (who talked me into entering the lottery in the first place) were not chosen. Because of the randomness of the lottery draw and the incredible demand for the event, I had let this race fall off my radar instead focusing my attention for the past 15 years on my dad's elusive 3:14 marathon mark. When I called my parents to tell them of my good fortune, I was reminded of my dad's family record on "The Hill". That was all the motivation I needed. Karen and I met Geoff and Rich at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center shortly before 7:00 am. The three were planning to hike to the summit via Lion's Head and arrive in time to see me finish. I arrived at the race site around 7:30 am and after picking up my race packet stood under the tent and waited for teammate Gary Reuter and my designated ride back down courtesy of Diane and Don. Once my stuff was stowed away in Don's car I headed back to my own vehicle to begin my race preparations. I had corresponded and talked with a number of MWRR veterans all providing me with valuable pearls of wisdom. Perhaps the most common piece of advise I got was to go out easy in the first half because it may be the toughest 3+ miles on the course. The #1 objective was sub 1:39, but in the back of my mind I felt like I was capable of 1:30. To that end I planned a :43 split at the 1/2 mark knowing that nobody runs a negative split on this hill. The way I figured it, if I ran a :47 second half I would still be in at 1:30 and safely set the family record. At the start, Steve Wolfe and I seeded ourselves conservatively in around 250-300th place. Not :30 before the start I had seen Tim VanOrden who reminded me that it's always better psychologically to be passing people as you go then getting passed. And I must say he was absolutely right. When the cannon fired Steve, myself, and 914 others began the slow and methodical march to the summit. I could sense Steve's frustration with our seeding from the start as he darted in and out of other runners in the first 1/4 miles of DOWNHILL on the course. Resisting the temptation to chase him I also picked my way through the hoards but repeated the mantra...PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. Interestingly, before we reached the 1 mile marker people around me were already walking. I had accepted that walking would be an option but was hoping to delay it for as long as possible choosing instead to go to the lowest climbing gear imaginable and grinding to the 1/2 way split. Somewhere around 3 miles I finally caught Steve. Although I had no intentions of passing him, my climbing gear was just seconds faster than his and I slowly pulled ahead. Choosing to look neither back nor forward I focused on the 2-3 meters in front of me and settled into a rhythm. When I reached the 1/2 way point I hit the split function on my watch...:44:16.87. No doubt a very respectable split, but about a minute behind my target pace. I quickly took inventory...physically I was feeling very strong and very much in control of the race. The focus for the remainder of the hill would be on the next mile marker as I attempted to run the best 3.8 one mile uphill races of my life. It was somewhere around this time that I also caught and passed Mike Wade of TRIAD racing. Mike had put the beat down on me at Pineland last month and the fact that I had caught and passed him really boosted my confidence. Like the great competitor he is, he shouted a few words of encouragement as I went by him. Popping out of the trees, the course begins the long sun splashed ascent to the summit. The strong wind gusts forcasted before the race never really materialized instead the mountain provided a welcome cooling breeze. On the toughest mile of the race (mile 5 if you're scoring at home), and old familiar foe appeared at my left shoulder. Wolfe had, through a combination of recovery walking and running surges, reeled me back in and took back the spot I had "borrowed" from him :20+ minutes earlier. My desire to "race" him at this point in the race was superseded by my #1 objective, the Dunn family record that I still had a very good chance of attaining. Adding to my hesitation to 'chase the Wolfe' was my opportunity to run the whole damn thing that Trail Monster's Ian Parlin and Ryan Triffitt had suggested. By the time I reached the "hairpin" I still had only walked through the aid stations to drink water. And as advertised, the hairpin was steep and took every bit of 'mountain' I had to run through it. With less than 200 meters to go I ran up on another familiar snowshoe racing mate, Kurt Gustafson. Kurt was knee deep in all kinds of hurt and I encouraged him to run with me and work together to the finish. The plan worked great for Kurt, not so great for me. Apparently, my words of encouragement grew wings on his ankles and he surged past me as we hit "The Wall". With a warrior cry that would have given William Wallace goosebumps, he cast his giant frame forward literally attacking the last 50 meters of vertical hell. Now on the homestretch I caught a glimpse and an ear full from Karen, Rich, and Geoff who had made it to the top in plenty of time to help pull me in. I had not "had" to walk for 1:31:30 and had no intention of needing to then either. The crowd on "The Wall" erupted with encouragement as each runner waged their own battle with gravity and lactic acid. I don't know how anyone could have walked on this part of the course (anyone, that is except Danny Ferriera who claimed his "Type D" personality doesn't get that caught up in those things..en route to a 1:31:16)? I shuffled to the top and across the line in 1:32:00 (180th and 21st in age group). The first call I made, while standing at the summit, was to my dad.

My Mile Splits (for those interested)

Mile 1: 10:41.74

Mile 2: 11:23.56 [22:05.30]

Mile 3: 11:26.92 [33:32.22]

Mile 4: no split taken

Mile 5: 11:52.30 [58:32.00]

Mile 6: 13:11.68 [1:11:44]

Mile 7: 12:40.90 [1:24:25]

Next Up: Broken Boulder Dash

[Photo credits: Geoff Cunningham]

Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear

2010-06-15T20:21:00.000-04:00

Exeter, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- After a string of unsatisfying performances I was overdue. And there was no better time or place to shake out of my funk than at the 10 mile Exeter Trail Race presented by GoLite Footwear. With the added 'pressures' of a head to head battle with our nemesis Trail Monster Running (TMR) and wanting to show well for our newest sponsor GoLite Footwear, everything came together in what ended up being one of my best efforts this year. Over the last two weeks I, along with TMR's Ian Parlin, have worked to develop a team trail running challenge between our two groups that we have named the New England Dirt Cup (NEDC). Consisting of six races this year, each club's top 5 performances at these races score points toward an overall team total. As a NEDC race, our TMR rivals made the trip from Maine led by outstanding trail runners Jeff Walker and Floyd Lavery. One of the beauties of trail running is the low key vibe and tremendous sense of community. Another is the smaller fields allow you to have a pretty good idea who you'll be racing. And when I say "racing" I really mean chasing. Jeff and Floyd have dominated me at every event we've competed in this season. Honestly, I'm happy to run within minutes of these two. But Sunday was different, it was our home turf and it counted. Although I had only raced one more time on these trails than either of the other two I felt like I had somewhat of an advantage. The question would be if I was fit enough to make the most of it. With Jeff positioned just off my left shoulder at the start I decided to start strong knowing that the trails would very quickly narrow into a serpentine-like twisted roller coaster and passing opportunities would be limited early on. At the start the lead group pulled by teammates Geoff Cunningham and Tim Cox were out of sight within the first 100 meters. I settled in behind a very strong group of three which included one of my newest teammates Bob Swarthout. A former collegiate runner, Bob is a very strong and for a few minutes I wondered if I had gone out too aggressively. Knowing this freight train could pull me along if I stayed within 3-5 meters I worked hard to stay connected. Running in the woods always gives me the sense of running faster than I'm actually going but the pace my group was maintaining early on had to have been in the 6:40's and surprisingly I felt very comfortable. Somewhere around the 4 mile mark my train conductor decided he was tired of doing all the work and before I knew it I was in front. Faced with two choices...fast or faster, I decided that it was time to lean forward and see if the group ahead of us was attainable. I had seen glimpses of them from time to time so I knew they were within striking distance and there was enough race left to catch them. The funny thing was that our original group of five was now just two, myself and a taller gentleman who apparently was running his first trail race at this distance. For the moment he was content with letting me do the pulling. As we pushed forward, we slowly began to reel in the loosely organized group of three ahead of us. When I was close enough I was astounded to see that one of those runners was Floyd! Once within shouting distance I yelled to him that I was closing on him (he later admitted that my yelling had startled him a little). After expending tremendous effort to close on him I wasn't sure I would be able to match his suddenly surging pace. I hung on for a few minutes and then decided that the best strategy would be to get in front of him and 1.) make him run my pace and 2.) make him work a little harder to pass me if he was so inclined. It worked. Once ahead of him I relaxed a little and made him slow down. While it worked nicely to contain Floyd, it opened the door for the guy still racing off my shoulder and he flew by me in a blurr. Content, I was happy to race with Floyd as long as there was no sign of Jeff. The final challenge of the race was a devilish little section of trail called the Camel's Hump. Aptly named, this 25 meter climb looked more like a series of three small walls than a trail. With plenty of hill training under my belt I blasted up the climb and quickly regained my rhythm knowing that the time to hammer was at the top of the hill when everyone else would be trying to recover. With less than a mile to go I peeked several times waiting to see someone trying to close. Luckily, the race course ran out and I was able to maintain my place. Finishing in 1:14:59 was good enough for 12th place (5th Master...what the heck is it with fast guys in their 40's?!) and a 6+ minute PR from last year. But perhaps the best news was that I was finally able to beat both Jeff and Floyd. Always gracious competitors we shared congratulations and some great stories after the race. Overall, acidotic RACING again won the team title over our Maine rivals. The next race in the NEDC series is the Bradbury Mountain Breaker hosted by TMR in August. As for me, it's time to taper (again) for perhaps my greatest mountain (or is it road?) challenge of my life.

NEXT UP: Mt. Washington Road Race

[Photo credit: Brent Doscher Photography]

Pineland Farms 25k

2010-05-31T07:23:00.002-04:00

New Gloucester, MAINE -- The objective for Sunday's Pineland Farms 25k Trail Race was pretty straightforward...PR. In fact, back in December I had identified it as one of my Top 3 goals for 2010. Following a very good winter and productive early spring I felt my fitness (and most importantly...my health) were precisely where they needed to be. Now all I needed to do was perform. Before leaving for the event I wrote four numbers on the back of my left hand; 22, 44, 1:06, and 1:28. Those would be my 5k time targets for 7:05 pace through 20k. From experience I know that the last 5k is more about survival than pace but I figured if I hit the 20k split I would be in excellent position to run sub 1:54 (the PR I set last year). The record field of 320 trail runners set off under clear skies, with a light breeze, and temps in the high 70's. Pineland Farms held true to it's name with thick clouds of pine pollen blowing everywhere. The first 5k is mostly downhill and I fought the temptation to put too much 'time in the bank' instead sticking with the plan to be patient in the first 15k. I hit the 5k mark in 21:15...about :45 fast, but fine considering the terrain and the excitement of the race start. Breaking longer races down has always helped my focus. Because this course has the 5k's marked, it's logical to deconstruct the race into five 5k races. With so much focus before the race on the last 5k I actually forgot how challenging the 2nd 5k was on this course. The elevation profile tells the story. Nearly half of the elevation lost in the first 5k is regained in the 2nd 5k and my 10k split reflected it. Actually, around the :46 mark I thought they had either forgotten to place the 10k or it had blown down because I was sure I should have seen it by then. Then as I crested a small hill in the Valley Farm Loop I saw it...:48. I quickly rationalized that my 7:05 pace target had a little extra "cushion" built into the PR attempt so I stayed patient and turned my attention to the next 5k. With most of the elevation gained, the 3rd 5k is a cruiser and I managed to find a comfortably hard rhythm. Just before the 15k mark, at the Valley Farm aid station, I caught TRIAD Racing's Mike Wade. An incredibly talented runner and winner of aR's Pemi Wild Ultra in '09 I was pleased to have caught him but unsure as to how long I could stay with him. I enjoyed the few minutes of conversation and then was a little surprised when he let me go ahead. At the 15k I looked at my watch; 1:07. I had made up 3 of the 4 minutes lost in the 2nd 5k and now squarely back in the game. Just shy of 17k we passed by the START/FINISH area where I exchanged my two 10 oz bottles of HEED and took two ENDUROLYTES. Due to the warmer temps I was purposely aiming for 20 oz/hour of HEED and through the first hour I was right on point. As I crossed the road I had roughly 8k to go but these were certainly the toughest kms on the course. Just before the 20k mark, on a gradual descent, Mike passed me. He looked refreshed, fit, and strong. Bewildered, I wondered for a moment what he had been doing for the last 5k? As the endless ups and downs continued, the 20k was finally in sight. I hit the mark in 1:29:30, ninety seconds behind but still in great shape to pull off the PR. Then it happened. After 21,000+ footstrikes I failed to effectively place left foot to hard surface instead kicking a baseball sized rock on a gradual decline sending me hurtling violently forward in a hands toward the ground "I'm going to graham" catastrophe. In a good news bad news sort of way I saved the faceplant...but the sudden lunging forward sent both hamstrings into spasm. Although I was able to continue to run, the pace was slowed considerably but the stage had been set for an epic physical collapse. In the final field with less than a km to go it happened. My left hamstring seized bringing me to an abrupt halt. I reflexively bent forward in a attempt to relieve the cramp but it actually made it worse. Standing back up I quickly ran through my contingency plan for such a calamity...but I hadn't planned for this. The best I could do was finish the ounce or two of HEED in my bottles and walk as quickly as I could. Runner after runner ran by encouraging me "hang in there...the end is near". Oh how right they were. Within in three minutes of stopping I was able to continue running but with a cadence that looked more like shuffling on egg shells than trail racing. I ran across the finish in 1:58:11 (37th overall). I was actually closer to my worst ever finish (2:01 in '08) than my PR (1:54 in '09). Two disappointing individual efforts in a row, Pineland and 7 Sisters. Both results affected by cramping. Time now for a lot of reflection and a renewed effort to strengthen that weakness. On the team front, the very talented 4 from TRIAD put a whoppin' on us beating us by just under 20 minutes.

NEXT UP: Exeter 10 Mile Trail Race presented by GoLite Footwear

Hoppin Mad Mud Run

2010-05-19T17:25:00.002-04:00

Amesbury, MASSACHUSETTS--The Hoppin Mad Mud Run wasn't on the schedule at the start of the year...but it's sure to find it's way on the 2011 event calendar. I received a typical mass e-mail from one of the race organizers about a month ago describing this first year event. The pitch was pretty straightforward...get together a team of 5 and join us for one of the craziest and muddiest races east of the Mississippi. Oh, and there will be beer and pizza at the after party. Team, mud, beer, and pizza...those are the four magic words for aR. With not a lot of arm twisting we were able to put together two teams...aR-BLACK and aR-RED. Tim, Brent, Ri, Dwight and myself would race aR-BLACK while Sarah S., Mike S., Mike O., Peter, and Michelle (currently a friend of aR...but we're working on that) would race as aR-RED. The course was described as 10k with military-style obstacles and a mud pit at the finish. Teams would have to crawl through the mud together with the captain crossing the line last. Simple enough. A quick assessment revealed that Dew was probably our weakest runner but in that group "weakest" is a relative term. Knowing he had recently run the Boston Marathon and having raced with him before I expected nothing less than everything he had. He knew that his time on this course would be our finish time and yet he was undaunted. We decided that I would set the team pace for the first 4 mile road run portion of the event. Ri & Brent would help Tim pull Dwight along. With an incredible turnout (over 600 competitors), the event organizers opted to start groups in waves. Assigned to wave #9 we would have 27 minutes to wait after the first group went out. When it was our turn, we headed out hard running roughly 6:00/mile pace over the rolling country roads. Dwight did an incredible job and hung tough until we hit the off-road obstacle filled final two miles of farm land. The course designer had us negotiate a series of obstacles including a creek crossing, two 5 foot high walls, wooden hurdles (to climb over and under), a couple of low crawls, and of course the final 20 meter mud pit. I can't tell you the last time I had so much fun racing so hard! I almost wished the entire 10k was filled with obstacles. As we were waiting for the awards ceremony to start we were fairly confident that we had a chance at a podium finish even though none of us had started a watch. When some of the preliminary chip timed results were posted we were shocked to see our finish time as 1:08. Our guesstimated clock time should have been closer to :45. With the multiple wave starts I assumed that the finish time hadn't been adjusted and that they would correct it when they did the official results. After enjoying some Flat Bread pizza and hilarious race recaps it wasn't long before the awards begun. They started with the overall team result and shockingly we weren't called...at all. Now we knew something was up. Waiting until the entire 20 minute award ceremony was complete I approached the RDs to inquire about the results. They listened to my explanation and then asked what our bib # was. When I told them they had the explanation right away...our chip had been faulty and they had known it for some time. To their credit they brought us the equivalent prize schwag and cash without hesitation. For the record, when the official results were released earlier this week our time was 45:56 and was only :15 faster than the co-ed runner-up Sibling Rivalry. Despite the handful of logistical foibles, the RDs have an ingenious concept and a surefire winner. They are promising an expanded schedule of these races in the future and you can bet aR will be back in 2011 to defend our title.

Hoppin Mad Mud Run RESULTS

[PHOTO CRED: Team picture (minus Ri) courtesy of Amy Tkaczyk]

NEXT UP: Pineland Farms 25k Trail Race

85F+1:12=Carnage

2010-05-02T17:33:00.001-04:00

Amherst, MASSACHUSETTS--It's been a while since I had my rear end handed to me like the 7 Sisters Trail Race handed it to me today. Just a complete arse whoppin. About the only saving grace was spending the day (uh, sharing the agony) with teammates. aR had a strong showing with six athletes including Ri, Ryan, Steve W., Rich, Geoff, and myself. The light rain and overcast skies pre-race should have been an omen. The clouds definitely burned off with temperatures soaring into the mid 80's. Not having run this race before I was completely at a loss as to a race plan (probably another omen). Steve and others had filled me in on the course but no measure of words could have prepared me for the killer climbs that lay ahead. The start was exactly as described...10 feet of running before the entire line of runners began immediately walking uphill. Rich stayed close and we picked our way up the first climb. I was feeling very strong for the first 6 miles to the turnaround arriving at the end point around 1:12. I had lost Rich and passed Wolfe somewhere between 4 and 6. As I was leaving the turnaround aid station Steve was rolling in and hollered that he was coming after me. Shortly before the 8 mile mark, while negotiating a steep rocky ascent, my quads began to seize. I knew right away that it was going to be a long 4 miles to the finish. I picked up my hydration and Endurolyte rate but with very little success. While I could shuffle along on some of the flats none of the ups or downs were runnable for me. It wasn't long before Wolfe caught and passed me. He encouraged me to tag along but the conductor had already punched my ticket on the pain train. I refilled at each of the water stops on the way back and even stopped to pee. Looking at my watch as I summited the final climb, with only a treacherous basalt scree descent to the finish, the watch told the entire story. I crossed the finish line in 2:49:12. I was over :30 slower on the way back. When I finished and sat down both of my quads went into a hyperspasm from hell and I laid on the ground for 20 minutes with my legs straight until the cramps abated. Although I think my nutrition was adequate, I think my pacing was way too fast. I should have hit the 1/2 way mark closer to 1:15ish. As I write the results are not posted, but Geoff was around the Top 10, Ryan the Top 25, and Ri just outside of that. Wolfe finished 4 minutes ahead of me (1:00 if you subtract the time I took to pee). In the only real trail mishap of the day, Rich took a 'Graham' on a descent within the final 3 miles and suffered a deep laceration on his forearm. After he fell he was so spooked that he walked the rest of the way. Roughly 4 weeks until Pineland Farms and I need to find my mojo again.

NEXT UP: Hoppin Mad Mud Run

Merrimack River Trail Race

2010-04-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

Andover, MASSACHUSETTS--Yesterday was my first time at the Merrimack River Trail Race in Andover, MA but it probably won't be my last. With the passing of winter my focus is now squarely fixed on spring/summer trail racing culminating with one of my favorite races of the year, the Pineland Farm Trail Race on Memorial Day weekend. With a lot of work to do before then, this year I decided to change my preparation slightly. Instead of a 1/2 marathon on the roads this spring, I've committed to a number of longer (and tougher) Grand Tree Races. The Merrimack River Trail Race was the first one on the list. I picked up Geoff and we made the 45 minute trip to just south of the NH border where we met teammates Rich Lavers, Danny Ferreira, Jay Curry, and Richie Blake. A rather cool morning had me a little confused with what to wear. In hindsight, I'm happy I ditched the aR winter hat. Although I probably hadn't been 10 miles since MNT EPIC last fall, my 15k Bow Lake loop last weekend left me with a great deal of confidence. In speaking with a number of "Rivah" veterans I understood that the out-and-back course design was flat and fast for the first and last 3 miles and 'hilly' in the middle 4. I lined up 2 or 3 rows deep and was immediately caught behind a wall of bodies not 10 meters into the race as the course bottlenecked into a double-wide very muddy section with a handful of tight turns. When I was finally able to start running I found myself in a long line of runners on some pretty flat singletrack. The pace was, as expected, brisk. Passing was tough on this first section but thankfully it was only a few hundred meters long. As things started to shake out I realized that once again I was behind Trail Monster extraordinaire Ryan Triffitt. Not having raced Ryan much on anything but snow I figured that the dirt was probably his element. Although it took a tremendous effort, over the next mile or so I finally caught and passed him. Always the great competitor he had a few encouraging words for me (and I'm sure a few that weren't so encouraging under his breath). At the 3 mile split I quickly looked down at my watch and was pleased to see that I was under 21 minutes. With the toughest section of the course still ahead I felt very comfortable with the pace and my early performance. Starting around the 4 mile mark things did get a little more difficult with a couple of steep climbs in and around the powerlines that had everyone around me (including me) walking. Luckily these ascents weren't very long and the misery was kept to a minimum. Within 500 meters from the turn around the leaders started racing back at me. Kevin Tilton and Ben Nephew were within a few meters of each other with the 3rd place runner some distance back. Geoff was in 4th place alone with Danny around the Top 10. I hit the 5 mile turn around in :35, grabbed a quick splash, and headed back the same way I had just come. I was very pleased to see Rich only 5-10 seconds back and I called for him to catch and run with me. By the time we hit the final flat 3 miles I had caught up to a runner I had been battling all day long. He was running a comfortably fast pace and I knew if I could hang onto him we'd have a chance to pick off a couple of runners ahead of us...and that's just what we did. In the final mile we passed two other runners but in the process my partner accelerated and gapped me. I held off those two in the last 25 meters to finish in 33rd place overall (9th overall master) in a time of 1:13:13. Rich was right behind me in 36th place. All in all a very good performance for early April. I ran consistently hard from start to finish, picked up a few places late, and had no health issues. Thank goodness for snowshoe racing.

NEXT UP: Seven Sisters Trail Race

[Photo credits: Scott Mason Photography]

Granite State Snowshoe Championship

2010-03-15T21:10:00.012-04:00

Gorham, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- This past Sunday marked the official end of the snowshoe racing season for me and aR. Thanks to the incredible support of my volunteers and teammates I was able to RD and race the 1st Annual Granite State Snowshoe Championship at the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. And boy what a race it was if I do say so myself. The rain throughout the region may have kept many snowshoers away as we had our smallest turnout ever (I think) at 34 finishers but those 34 were definitely hardcore snowshoe racers. The travelling conditions Sunday morning were atrocious from the Pinkham Notch Vistors Center north with numerous reported accidents...some significant. Because I stayed in North Conway Saturday night I was able to mark the course the day before and therefore alleviate most of the race day stress. A special thanks goes out to Steve Wolfe for helping me mark the Aqueduct Loop. I'm sure he was very eager to help...but I'm also sure he was very eager to scout out the "tougher" of the two sides of the course. Despite the small'ish turnout I was sure to have a couple of people to race with as my season long nemesis' Wolfe and Danny Ferreira were there as well as my training partner and teammate Rich Lavers. I had beaten Steve and Danny only once this season and really hadn't been close to them in any other race but I knew this course had plenty of climbing and climbing is my strength. Rich had become stronger as the winter progressed, he had run the course earlier in the winter, and I knew he was ready for a Top 10 finish. We discussed a plan to race together and push each other as hard as we could. At the cannon (how cool is that?) the race started in a flurry...literally, it was snowing for a change! Before I knew it the US Women's National Champion, and aR teammate, Amber Ferreira was motoring by me like I was a spectator. Sooner than I had planned, it was on. For the next kilometer Rich and I ran off of Amber's hip as she gamely pulled us along. When we began to climb she started to come back to us and we pulled ahead attempting to pay back the favor. I figured I'd try to pull the both of them along with me up the hill. The "groomed nordic" 5km may have been the 'easier' side but it wasn't easy. Although many have described it as rolling we were gaining elevation for the first 3+ km. It was at roughly the 2 km mark that Dave Dunham came racing by me. Let's hit the pause button for a moment...yes, that Dave Dunham. He's had a challenging winter from a health standpoint and had planned to 'work into the race'. Because I've never been in front of him I forget he was behind me. I'll admit, it was a twisted confidence boost to be passed by Dave. I entered the XC Stadium in roughly 24:00 and felt really confident in the first 5 km. Danny and Steve were ahead of me but I could still see them and the toughest climbs were coming. As we raced up the Aqueduct Loop I could feel myself gaining on both of them. Nearly 1/2 way up the AQ climb I passed Steve who by this time was alternating between walking and running. I gave him a few words of encouragement (bad move in hindsight) and set off after Danny. Within 100 meters I had pulled Danny in and was content to race in his pocket. As we crested the climb and started the 2 km descent I knew this was the section that would make or break my race against the two of them. I am a weak downhill racer...be it trail or snow. It's something I'm aware of, I just can't seem to figure it out. As anticipated Danny started to move away from me as soon as we turned downhill. Not more than 200 meters down the hill I could hear Steve closing fast. I stepped aside and let him race by. I knew I couldn't hold him off and he had a much better chance of racing Danny from this point than I did. The two of them disappeared before I knew it. I peaked over my shoulder and did not see an imminent challenge so I attempted to push as hard as I could but always mindful of the last major challenge of the course...the powerline climb. When Ri, Austin, Jay M., Rich, Geoff, and I scouted the course a month or so earlier we actually skipped that section. I knew it was a crazy hard climb if for no other reason than it came at roughly the 9 km mark of a tough 10 km race. Keeping my head down, and determined not to walk, I ran that section with the occasional glance backward just to make sure my overall place was secure. I crossed the finish line of my own race in 53:56 (9th overall) with my wife and daughter cheering for me. How cool is that? After I finished I had the good fortune to watch Rich, Amber, and Ann finish as well before heading inside to change into some warm dry clothes and get set up for the awards ceremony. At the awards ceremony aR was once again very well represented. Geoff finished on the podium (3rd) alongside co-winners Jim Johnson and Kevin Tilton. Amber won the womens race (again) with Ann finishing alongside her (again). And thanks to the entire aR team (Steve S., Steve W., Jay M, Joe, Richie, Ann, Amber, Danny, Rich, and Geoff) we once again stood atop the team podium. Despite the numerous challenges we had this season with postponements and cancellations the Granite State Snowshoe Championship was an awesome (and fitting) way to end the season...sitting around with a bunch of friends drinking Redhook and eating cake. I think snowshoe racers are some of the best people around and I'm really, really grateful that they're there to help the winter pass by a little easier. What a great race aR put on...THANK YOU again to all of the volunteers, teammates, and sponsors that made it all possible. I'm not sure I'll race every race I direct, but I'm sure I'll always race this one.

RESULTS courtesy of 3C Race Productions

PHOTOS courtesy of Scott Mason Photography and Becky Peabody

NEXT UP: 7 Sisters Trail Race

US National Snowshoe Championships

2010-03-07T16:07:00.014-05:00

Fabius, NY--Saturday's US National Snowshoe Championships were a "highlighted" event on my 2010 racing calendar. I had set an age-group podium finish as a goal for this event back in December. It's been tough to stay motivated to snowshoe with the warm temperatures and melting snow over the past few weeks here in NH but these championships are the northeast on a rare occasion. Despite spending very little time (READ: no time) in snowshoes, my last two weeks of training on the roads had been pretty solid with a renewed emphasis on hill climbing. That strategy would serve me well as the 10k course at Highland Forest Park was a brutal combination of wicked climbing and snow so chewed up it looked as if they'd had a monster truck rally on the course that morning. The men's race would feature 129 snowshoe racers from across the snow covered US. I seeded myself on the far right in the 2nd row at the start. Looking around I saw only a few familiar faces and those were the guys whom I had no chance of racing. In a preview of things to come, the course started uphill. The powdery snow caused near whiteout conditions as racers stammered and staggered all around me desperately searching for two solid footstrikes in a row. The soft snow pack was incredibly choppy with zero definable rail. I must have started poorly off the line because for the next 4-6 minutes I steadily began working my way through the field around slower competitors. Within the first 2 km I recognized my teammate Danny Ferreira. I was actually a little surprised to see him. At Sidehiller, some four weeks ago, he beat me by over 2 minutes and just last week had run a sub 3 hour marathon. Racing with him reaffirmed that my effort was good. When we reached the singletrack section at approximately the 3 km mark we got caught behind a group of slower snowshoers. Within a few minutes the guy in the front of the line stepped off the trail and allowed us to race by. I felt the pace quicken immediately. The narrow width of the singletrack and the hairpin turns made the footing very challenging. On at least two occasions I stumbled forward planting my bare hands wrist deep in snow. Once out of the singletrack and back on the double-wide, Danny accelerated. The descent was marked with 8 inch deep 'shoe holes so I decided to let him go. As he raced out of sight I picked up another couple of places as I raced around our singletrack buddies. I ran alone for the next few minutes but as we began to climb again I noticed Danny and the two guys he was racing coming back to me. I felt very strong on the ascents and eventually closed the gap with Danny. A familiar pattern would evolve over the final 2 kms...Danny would pull away on the descents and I'd reel him back in on the climbs. Knowing the final 350 meters was uphill I liked my chances if I could stay close on the final descent. The only problem with the strategy was that Danny probably knew this as well. As we approached the final descent he put the hammer down. I just couldn't match his incredible youthful strength. Although I did close the gap on the last climb (the race finished uphill, just like it started) I wasn't a threat to him. Astonishingly he actually passed someone on that final climb to finish in 36th place overall. I crossed the line in 38th place (6th overall Master) in an unofficial time of 58:58. Although I didn't achieve my goal of a podium finish I was beaten by three of the best northeast masters snowshoers...Sean Snow, Tim Van Orden, and David Principe. The top aR mens performance of the day was Geoff Cunningham's 17th overall finish. In the womens race, aR's Ann Rasmussen and Amber Ferreira had incredibly successful races. In her first full season of snowshoe racing, Ann posted a stellar 7th overall finish (3rd in her age-group). And finally, in the aR highlight of the year (heck, perhaps the last 5 years)...Amber Ferreira outraced 70 of the best womens snowshoe racers in the country to win the 10th Annual PowerSox US National Snowshoe Championships! See the podium ceremony clip below;

Next Up: Granite State Snowshoe Championships

[PHOTO CREDS: Chris at finish (Scott Mason Photography), Chris & Danny, climbing to the finish (Scott Mason Photography), aR team photo...Geoff, Danny, Ann, Amber, Chris (Scott Mason Photography)]

Kingman Farm Recap

2010-02-24T09:04:00.007-05:00

Madbury, NEW HAMPSHIRE--This post was one of the most difficult to write. How does one recap a snowshoe race without snow? Many have lamented the crazy weather the northeast has experienced this winter. Skiers, 'boarders, snowmobilers, and yes even snowshoers have collectively wondered...where the hell did the snow go? Last week was one of those times I questioned whether snowshoe race directing was really worth it. Don't get me wrong, when there's snow there's nothing any better. Deep powder, steep glasading descents, twisty singletrack, and wide groomed nordic tracks are what make snowshoe racing so darn fun. Replace those things with ice and bare ground and folks start hanging up the snowshoes and begin wishing for 50 degree spring days. The 6 or so inches that fell at Kingman Farm last Tuesday at first seemed to be just the thing the event needed to escape postponement or worse...outright cancellation. Many know this event had sold out (125 snowshoers) within 72 hours of registration opening on January 1st. We understand it's one of the more unique events in NH, and perhaps in all of New England, so the pressure to put on a great event is incredibly high. The day after it snowed (Wednesday) I met my father at Kingman Farm to survey the conditions. Everything looked great. The majority of the doubletrack network on the property is sheltered and gets a great deal of daily foot traffic which makes the rail defined and stable. At least one side of Hick's Hill, a prominent feature of the race course, faces the southwest and doesn't hang onto snow all that well. It was this side that we focused on first. Tuesday's snow was just what we needed and we busily set a rail. The plan was to work Hick's Hill and then return on Thursday to check out the rest of the network and race course. I met teammates Geoff Cunningham and Charlie Therriault at Kingman Farm after work on Thursday. I had asked them to bring shovels just in case we needed to improve areas of the course. When we arrived at the Madbury Town Hall around 4:00 pm it was already obvious that the warm temperatures the past 24 hours (40+ degrees) were beginning to have an impact on the snow. As we trekked up Hick's Hill, the southwest facing side snow cover was decimated. In a desperate effort to save the original course the three of us shovelled snow onto the trail for two hours before finally calling it quits. By the time we left, Hick's Hill was out of the equation. The course would be modified and it was up to me to notify all 125 pre-registered entrants of the change. Under just about any other circumstances I would have postponed the event. But with the season drawing to a close and the race being a fundraiser for the Cocheco Valley Humane Society I had a number of reasons to try to get it in. As soon as I sent the e-mail Thursday night, an overwhelming sense of dread began to set in...would there be any snow left Saturday night to race on? On Friday after work (again) I met another teammate, Rich Lavers, back at Kingman Farm to scout out the rest of the trail network in an attempt to find enough snow cover to fashion a modified race course. We ran the original course (minus Hick's Hill) and found adequate snow cover with a couple of areas of bare ground but nothing that couldn't either be repaired or simply run over. I had informed everyone that the conditions were "adequate, but not good" so I was hopeful that anyone who showed up to race would understand. On Saturday morning Brayden and I arrived at Kingman Farm by 7:00 am and met teammate Steve McCusker. Steve would help me run the Kids Race we had planned for that afternoon. As we headed out on the course to set flags and mark turns I was at the point of no return...there would be a race in less than 12 hours regardless of what Mother Nature had in store. By 11:30 am most of the course was marked and I made my way back to the parking area to organize our other fundraiser for the morning, the Paws4ACause guided snowshoe trek for dogs and their owners. In it's second year the event raised over $250 in 2009. Teammate Steve Sprague, his wife Stephanie, and their young lab helped me lead a group of 6-7 dogs and a equal number of adults and kids over the roughly 1 mile Kids Race loop. When we finished I headed inside the Town Hall for a quick bite to eat at the Friends of Mabury Library Chili Cookoff. Although I didn't notice it at the time, people later told me the temperatures on Saturday afternoon were approaching 50 degrees. Around 2:oo pm I decided to take one more spin around the course to double check the flags and turn signs we had set that morning. Within the first 5 minutes it was obvious that the hours of shovelling were futile as nearly every spot under an evergreen was once again 'snowless'. At approximately 3:15 pm (less than 90 minutes before registration opened) I stood at the opening of the large field I had set nearly 150 flags on just hours before only to find 1.) nearly every flag I had set had fallen over, and 2.) the snow that was there in the morning was gone. And I really mean gone. As in no snow...open field. In a desperate move I knelt to my knees and started scooping the few slushy remains near the woods to form little slush piles so the flags would have something to stick into. After 10 minutes I had only recovered less than 30 flags and a wave of sheer panic washed over me as I stood in that snowless muddy field searching for an answer. It was too late to reroute and because the race would be run in headlamps an out and back (ie. two way traffic) seemed incredibly dangerous. I had only one option...run the race through the open field. But how to get the flags to stick in the ground? In an instant an idea came to me (perhaps "sent" to me is more like it), push the flags into the ground. It seems obvious, but when panic and desperation take over it's very hard to think clearly. It worked. The field was soft enough to stick the flags into. By the time I made it back to the trailhead it was nearly 4:00 pm and my volunteers had begun to arrive including teammate Steve Wolfe. Steve was going to skip the race but had offered to help. He asked if I wanted him to shovel snow to improve the course and although I told him it probably wasn't worth it he set out nonetheless with shovel in hand and sled in tow to do what he could. When someone asked earlier in the week how many racers I was expecting considering the modified course and the sketchy conditions I had said probably no more than 25. In all honesty, I was hoping for no more than 25 because the conditions were so poor. Fifty-one snowshoers finished the race. Some in snowshoes, some in ice cleats, and some in trail shoes. Prior to the race I had given the entire field the option to race in any type of footgear. Not surprisingly, many took the option to leave the snowshoes in the car but there were still a fair number of snowshoe "diehards" that decided to make the best of a not-so-great situation. After the race competitors helped themselves to soup, coffee, tea, and home-made goodies courtesy of teammate Nancy Clark, my mother Leslie, and mother-in-law Judy. Because of the mixed footwear we didn't recognize the overall or category podium finishers (although teammates Charlie Therriault, Geoff Cunningham, and Danny Ferreira finished 1, 2, 3). We did however, have enough prizes for everyone to win something and some folks actually won TWO prizes as all the numbers went back in the HEED container and we kept drawing winners! When the night finally ended I saw more smiles than frowns and heard a number of positive comments...despite the lousy conditions. I guess when it comes to snowshoe racing it's the atmosphere, camaraderie, and friendship that make the event...not necessarily the snow.

A very sincere and grateful THANK YOU to my family and aR teammates. Some offered to volunteer and many showed up to race. I couldn't have pulled this off without everyone's help. You all are the best.

PS. We raised over $2500 for the Cocheco Valley Humane Society...that's what it's all about!

RACE RESULTS

Kingman Farm Moonlight Update

2010-02-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

This is best (snow-related) news I've heard in a while. Kingman Farm needs at least 6 inches of snow to cover the bare spots and ice flows. Let's hope this storm tracks north, stalls over the Atlantic, and dumps closer to 9 than 5.