RI 6-HR Relay

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

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

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



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

"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

"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