2017 Nooseneck 18k/TNT Double

Almost every year I tend to have some sort of short spike in mileage around Chirtsmas and New Year’s.  Depending on how my days off from work fall I will add some random oubles, have some random group run or just run more.

This year that fell on the day of the Nooseneck 18k.  I have run this free “race” a few times in the past, but not in the last 2 years.  It is a roller coaster of a course, with some very difficult climbs.  It beats you up pretty good, but is a great way to get a good work out in and see some friends.

I wasn’t planning on running it this year, but it seemed a bunch of people I knew were and since I had taken the day off to use some of my vacation time up, I thought it would be a good way to get some good mileage in…and since it fell on a Tuesday, it made it easier to do so.

My plan was to run 2 mile warm up, 11.2 upbeat…620-630 pace, 1 mile cool down, then hang out, have some beer and food then drive to Turtles and run 3 to 6 miles.  Here is how it went down.

Of course in the days leading up to this I have gotten a cold, slight, but still felt a bit off.  So I was able to sleep in for once on Tuesday AM til 8am!  I was so happy about that.  I got to the race at 12pm after a short detour to Wal-Mart for water and meds.  There were more cars in the lot then I had anticipated.  But very quickly I saw lots of familiar faces, some I knew would be there and some that were a surprise.

I headed out with a small group for a 2 mile warm up, which ended up being 2.4 for me after circling the lot waiting for someone.  We all changed up and got to the starting line, the wind was blowing pretty good and it was a bit chilly.  I wore shorts with a long sleeve and a short sleeve over that…and of course gloves and an Inov-8 buff over the ears.  It was a solid choice, my hands were actually sweaty and I took the buff off my ears, my lips were numb though!

The run….  It starts straight downhill and people go out like crazy.  I was very conservative and still ran a 5:54.  Zak was with Kaela O’Neil about 6 secs up.  I made an effort to catch them and did around 1.5.  The 3 of us ran together though around 4..4.5  Zak and I got some separation on Kaela on the quad busting downhills.  Probably because we are way fatter and gravity helps us on the downs!

After the very generous downhill, you come to the hill on Pardon Joslin Road.  You have been running on Pardon Joslin, which is a dirt road, partially covered in snow, for the last 8/10^th of a mile, but right before the 5 mile marker the road starts its going up…in the next half mile you will gain 100+ feet and then another 75 to 80 from 5.5 to 6.  The section from 5 to 5.5 is a beat up old road that you are more likely to see in a trail race then in a road race, but it is what makes this run unique.  My pace went from a 5:50 mile to over 7 mins on the climb and according to Strava I slowed down to around 9:50 at some point in the climb.

The next few miles are rolling, you have a nice decent at 7.2 and then a hill I forgot about at 8.6 to 9.  That is where I separated slightly from Zak.  I was able to get some space between us and run a 6:05 from 9 to 10 to open it up a bit more.  I am pretty sure from there to the finish he was gaining.  You drop a few feet from 10 to 10.5 and then you have to go up the hill you descended at the start of the race.  This hill SUCKS.  You gain around 185 ft in less than a mile.  I averaged just under 6:30 pace for the final 1.2 miles.  It was brutal. 

Check out FULL RESULTS!

Once finished, we shuffled around for just over a mile.  We went inside and got a beer and chatted with friends and foes alike.  Since it was Taco Tuesday, some of us grabbed some pulled pork tacos, which were very good.  While eating we heard the raffle going on.  Although the race is free, there is a donation box.  20% each goes to the 1^st place male and female winners and then there are 3 random draws for the remaining 60% (20% each)  We walked over there and my # was called!  Yay me!

So, we went back to hanging out, 2.5 more Guinness’s and a Steve Brightman induced swig of Vodka straight from the bottle and I was out of there…off to the Tuesday Night Turtles group run.  I have been a Turtle since 2000 and in that 17+ year’s I have missed very few Tuesday runs, most of which I was out of town.  I even once took a train on a Tuesday AM to run the Empire State Building Run-Up and took a train back home to make the run.  I have landed at T.F. Green Airport at 4 and went straight to a run and I have left work events to get over to the run….so today was no different.

I got there at 4:57 and planned on two 3 mile loops.  Fortunately the pace was easy with the smaller crowd and the first 3 felt pretty good.  We started out on the second 3 at 5:30 and it was just 4 of us and the rest of them were doing the longer 6.3 mile loop; I had started making the turn at the split to do the 3 mile, but said what the hell and did the full loop with them.

Definitely the highest mileage day I have had in a long time, other than Baystate.  Here is the breakdown.

2.4WU

11.2 Nooseneck

1.2 CD

3/6.3 at TNT

After the run I changed up and headed to Fellini’s for pizza and one more beer.  I ended the night early and got home so I could get some rest and head back to work on Wednesday!

2017 Newport 10k

This was my 16th Newport 10k. It has probably gone through 16 names in that time too! I always say I hate this race, but I have run every year but twice since 2000, which I would imagine makes it my most run race. So, I guess I will stop saying I hate it. It is a great course, there is a team prize and Turtles for some reason or another come out to play, and we had 12 this year!

The week heading into the race was pretty good.  My training is ramping up and I am starting to feel better and better.  I did a good long run on Sunday and a light WO on Tuesday.  Thursday I had a solid trail run, despite the good weather though, I must say it was a bit wet!  Saturday was a nice little group run with some Turtles.

We had our first snow of the year on Saturday, but it started after our run, luckily the snow did not effect the course at all, which was a good thing. There have been years with black ice and other issues on course, but this year there were no problems.

We had a big group for a 3 mile warm and then we ran the 0.3 miles to the starting line.

There is generally a good group of runners around the same speed at this race and a lot of returnees year after year. In attendance this year was Bronson, whom was the clear favorite. Then the group I knew I would be running with, Zak Kudlak, Jonny Hammett, Steve Brightman….or is it Brightonman?...Mike Macedo and then Mark Leblanc, whom got 2nd last year and past me at 5.5 mile in 2016 to win the race.

The race went out slower than usual, other than Bronson, but he said he was going to go out at 5:10s and that’s what he did. There was a shirtless Santa that went out hard…the pack of the above went by him around a half mile.

Mark made the first little gap on us and I followed, I just can’t help myself in this race, very out of my traditional relaxed conservative approach. We weren’t cranking and he had a little gap on me, I just wanted to keep the pace in a happy place.

This meant I basically ran alone on Ocean Drive, cutting through the tangents like buttah…after some initial wind out there, we were pretty good. It was warmer than expected…and I felt like I was working pretty hard.

I passed the 3 mile in mark in around 16:47. I was please enough with that…I felt like I had a solid gap on the group behind, but after leaving the noise of waves and wind on Ocean Drive I could now hear breathing, I slowed down mine to make sure I wasn’t just hearing myself…DAMN! They are close. This did not give me the motivation to pick it up…it was the opposite. UGH!

So, the breathing got heavier and I was waiting for the pack to swallow me up. To my surprise Mike Macedo was the first to go by, I didn’t see that coming. Brightonman was next to come up on me, but before he passed we went through a puddle that crossed the whole road, well….I went through, Brightonman didn’t want to get his wee little feet wet. He must have avoided it because the last time him and I were near a puddle he lost his shoe! In either case, I was the one that lost out, as Steve beat me that time and he was able to beat me on this occasion as well. Shit, I spoiled the ending!

Anyway, after the puddle we hit five miles and a left hand turn, this mile is a gradual up and every year I feel like I come to a stop on this turn and I get gaped. The second half of this road I felt like I was starting to come back on Steve, but it was too little too late and I ended up 5th. 6th would have been a better place to finish as I have finished every spot in the top 8 other than 1st and 6th. Hell of a stretch for a stat!

Zak and Jonny were not too far behind in 35:28 and 35:39. Zak completed out top 3 for the team scoring, we won 1:42:26 to 1:57:30 over WTAC, so mission accomplished.

Here is my complete Newport 10k History…

2016 - 4th place - 34:24
2015 - 2nd place - 34:05
2014 - 4th place - 34:55
2013 - 3rd place - 34:13
2012 - 4th place - 33:49
2011 - 2nd place - 35:02
2010 - 3rd place - 35:29
2009 - 3rd place - 34:04
2008 - 4th place - 33:56
2007 - 5th place - 33:36
2006 - 7th place - 35:11
2005 - 5th place - 34:09
2004 - 7th place - 33:50
2003 - Didn't Run
2002 - Didn't Run
2001 - 18th place - 38:17
2000 - 8th place - 36:24

Newport 2012 (Alan B in the background)

After the race a bunch of us headed to Malt on Broadway for some food and beer. It was another solid year in Newport.

Next up…? I dunno. The 4th Season Trail Races are happening, despite what people what some people thought they knew. Mike has it listed on his site that it is game on….dates TBD I guess? I plan on running at least some of those this year.

I have a bowling tournament on Saturday, so that’s the next thing on the schedule.

With schedules on the mind, I wonder what 2018 will hold. I have been on a 2 year on 2 year off pattern as of late. 2014 and 2015 were good racing years.

2014 I ran a pretty well at Snowshoe Nationals, especially on the 2nd day, winning the relay competition with Mike Galoob and Steve Dowsett. I won my 2nd 4th Season Trail Series, I PR’d at 50 miles, breaking 6:30. That was all my body could handle in 2014 and the start of 2015 was tough, but as mid year approached myself and a bunch of seagulls won the Ragnar Trail Relay at Northfield Mountain, then full on marathon mode commenced with a 20 mile PR breaking 2 hrs and then running 2:36:15 at Baystate. I was able to follow that up with a 5k win and a win at the Busa Bushwack 10 mile Trail Race.

Then there were two crappy years in 2016 and 2017. There were some OK races mixed in, but overall the motivation and the performances were shit at best. So, I look forward to the 2018/19 cycle. This should all work rout so I am on my good cycle for year 40!

NBX GP of Cyclocross

My second and last cyclocross race has come to an end.  After doing Secret Squirrel, I gave it a few days and decided I would give cyclocross one more spin before the season was over.  At least the season in terms of races I could do.

The NBX GP of Cross is a bit more “serious” event than the Secret Squirrel, but being in the “I am going to fall down” division, you don’t really notice.

This race started at 8am, so Warren and I hit Goddard Park on Friday night ot check out the course quick.  It was nice to have an idea before the next day…and that idea was, this is not a Bob Friendly course.  Too much twisting and turning and bike handling stuff for me.  I need a course with long climbs and rides that have less turns, because I run, I don’t bike!  With that said there is a 100 meterish beach run in which I could use my lungs and pass some people.

Race day…it was chilly, 30ish degrees.  I got my number and Warren and I headed out to do a warm up lap, my hands were numb!!  I got all that figured out and geared up for the start.  It was a bigger race with around 120 riders.  I was near the back again, but I could at least see Warren this time.  My hope was to keep Warren in sight the whole race and hope to beat his ass.

The race starts, I have a horrible start, I could not clip in and these guys just sprinted away.  It was short lived though, because there was a crash that stopped lots of people, then another incident 100 meters after that.  This definitely split the field up early.

I was able to keep Warren close and on the run on the beach caught up.  Through all the twists and turns of the first loop I was right near him and then the tightest shittiest turn on the course there was a tight pack and Warren fell and I went by.  I was able to get a decent gap on him, until the 2^nd lap when I fell and dropped a chain; he caught back up and had a great third lap which put him out of sight.  My last lap was faster than Warren’s though, so that was progress.

The race for me was a struggle in bike handling and having a bike that is WAY too small for me.  I was not pleased with my finishing position of 102^nd of 120.  It is weird being in a sport that I am sooooofar back in!   I look forward to having my own bike and riding a bit before next year’s races start up!

After the race, I went out and ran 8 wobbly miles around Goddard Park and then hung out watching the real riders do what they do.  Then straight from there I went ot the bowling alley to get in some practice, averaging 225 for 6 games.  I was back on the roads Sunday morning for 15miles with Bronson, Dave and Zak.  It was a pretty productive weekend.

Check out some footage from MY RACE.