Pineland Farms 25k

"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

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

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

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

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

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