IGT Downtown 5K

Providence, RI

Sunday, September 15, 2024

The most popular road race in the US is the 5K, with more than 8.9 million registrants in 2022, according to Running USA.  That is likely due to the shorter distance being especially popular with novice and intermediate runners, but it is certainly not my favorite distance.

But as this would be the third race of the nascent 4-race RI Grand Prix and I had already missed one race (you need three to qualify), I'm in!  I skipped the Wahaneeta 5K yesterday and I know I don't rebound as quickly after a race, but I'll have to think about whether I want really want to skip Run for the Pumpkins on October 5, with the final race of the series (Ocean Road 10K) being the next day.  But I digress ...

Race day:  With a race start of 10am, it was already getting warm when Jana and I arrived in downtown Providence.  We arrived a good 90 minutes early, which in truth was due to Jana's good planning.  Parking was in the Providence Place Mall.  Unlike other race events with garage parking this year in Ottawa and New Haven, parking was so simple, plenty of places throughout the mall with zero driving wait, and a ridiculously cheap price of $2 for the three hours we were there.  Check in at Marathon Sports inside the mall was quick and easy.

The original plan was to run the whole course, but Nick was looking to run two miles and that worked as well.  Gave me enough of a flavor for the course and got the legs ready to go.  I got back to the start, changed into my race shoes and was ready to go with twenty minutes to go.  I'm not sure why the race starts so late, but that meant it was warm (70°F) and open sun.  There were signs indicating where to line up based on 5-minute increments of expected time and I went to the 25-minute sign only because it meant I could stay in the complete shade as long as possible.  Paul Gray told me I was in the wrong place, and needed to move up.  Which is what I did about ten minutes pre-race when the field was filling in.  Went for a few strides and ready to go.

Charlie Breagy was trying to speak three minutes pre-race when AC/DC's Thunderstruck came on and drowned him out.  Works for me!  Unfortunately he asked for the music to be cut (sacrilege!) but he kept his remarks short and with 90 seconds to go Thunderstruck was back on.  Yes!  I saw Molly Huddle two rows ahead of me, which was pretty cool as well.  I am feeling good!

Mile 1:  Despite lining up in the fourth row, as often happens, two guys in front of me partially blocked me in and it was clear these two clowns had no business being up front.  Ugh, frustrating.  I went up on a sidewalk to pass them and after another 1/10 of mile of so I had no more roadblocks.  About 1/2 mile in I checked my lap pace and saw 5:23.  OK, that's absurd and not sustainable, but I also chalked it up to excitement and just having come down a 30' hill.  I saw Adrian a ways ahead of me, and Jared just ahead of me.  The course is a lollipop and splits off at about 0.8 miles.  Mile 1 split 5:30.

Start of the 2024 IGT Downtown 5K 

Mile 2:  We were spread out nicely in the second mile, as I continued not far behind Jared.  The entire road was closed, so we had plenty of room to run.  At 1.6 miles in, we turned onto South Main Street and ran alongside the Providence River as we made our way back.  Towards the end of the second mile, I heard Chariho head coach Bill Haberek call out to me and offer encouragement.  Besides being my 8th social studies teacher way back in the late 70s, he's just such a great guy and has done so much for the sport.  Mile 2 split 5:38.  Fantastic!

Lollipop course with the first and final 0.8 miles being the same

Mile 3 to finish:  I'm feeling good and counting my chickens before they hatch, and am figuring on a great finishing time (for me) of somewhere in the 17:40s.  But I'm unable to hold the pace, and that's even before that massive uphill climb at the beginning of Smith Street slows me way down.  (It's not really massive, and it's more like a "bump" than a "hill", but it sounds better that way, right?)  We go past the Amtrak station and RI State House, with a small downhill back to the finish, but unfortunately my Mile 3 split is a slow 5:57.

I push the best I can downhill, turn the corner and see the clock ticking into the 17:50s.  I think I can make it at least for a sub-18, but the clock and the distance and time required to get there is always so deceiving and I finish dejected as I watch the clock turn to "18:00".

Finishing the 5K,
unfortunately NOT sub-18

Final result:  18:02 (5:48 average pace), 18 of 1,293 overall, 1st of 67 in age group.  Full results here.

I am really disappointed not to break 18, and I don't want to be a "negative Nancy" so I just sit out of sight for a bit to get my pouting and sulking done privately, before catching up with others.

Team WTAC today, minus Jared and Dave
1st place RI Grand Prix team today!

I picked up my award ($25 to Marathon Sports - same award as I got at Branford, so I have $50 now), and then went for a solo cooldown.  Fortunately, I caught up with Adrian Massie and ran and chatted with him for a while, so that helped my mood.  18:02 after all isn't a terrible time for a 60-year-old, and it was enough today to not only be the 1st 60+ but also the 1st 50+ runner out there.  Like Mick Jagger sings:

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need

Stavros Memorial Beach Run 2024

Westerly, RI
Monday, September 9, 2024

My 22nd straight year of running in the Stavros Memorial Beach Run.  Yes, even in 2020 during COVID we hosted the Beach Run, albeit with thermometer forehead checks at check-in and waves of ten per state law at the time.  Hopefully will never encounter another pandemic again in my lifetime.

Fun Run 2020:  masks and temperature checks
Remember these crazy times?

Stavros Beach Run 2020:
multiple waves of ten runners each, with each runner lined
up at a separate cone

But I digress.  As usual.  This is truly one of my favorite races every year.  There are so few races where the entire race is run on the beach, and I believe none at all in our area.  Perhaps similar to small low-key trail races, it holds a similar vibe and it's so much fun.  It's also the easiest logistics as we don't need police as it's not on roads, and we don't need to mark the course as well.  As Race Director, I am typically the first to arrive and the last to leave, and yet those ~2.5 hours in between just fly by so quickly.

Race - outbound:  I went through the usual quick announcements, including the one standard question from Mark Burbelo that has become tradition (Q: "Is there water on the course?"  A:  "Yes, on the way out it's on your right [as I point to the ocean], and on the way back it's on your left").  That one still draws laughs!

Kim started the race with a siren, as Schane timed and started the clock.  As always, much of the Westerly High School cross country team runs in the race, and as always, much of the Westerly High School cross country team blasts out at the start.  After the dust (I guess "sand" is more appropriate in this race) settled about 1/4 mile in, two runners were ahead of me:  top WHS runner Noah already way out in front, and then Nick Alge.

Start of the 2024 Stavros Beach Run

I followed fairly close to Nick until catching up to and passing him about a mile in.  Fast 5:55 first mile, barefoot in the sand.  At that point, I had just Noah ahead of me, but WAY ahead of me, as I gazed ahead to the breachway and turn around.  At the turnaround, Fran was waving people around the cone, and Noah had long since turned and was on his way back, so I was hoping for a 2nd place finish at that point.

Race - return:  It would be a headwind back to the finish, but not a terrible one, just enough to slow us down a bit.  It's fun passing through the oncoming runners on the way back, and they're so supportive and encouraging.  As the onslaught of runners thinned, I hadn't noticed until now that I had gained quite a bit on Noah.  Unfortunately, he knew, because he frequently turned his head and glanced back.

With about a mile to go, I passed Noah for the lead.  But that was short lived, as another couple of minutes later, he easily passed me with a strong surge.  I willed myself to not let him put a big gap on him.  I was just a few feet behind him, when I sensed the surge might have cost him some energy and I noticed the wind coming out of his sails.  I caught him and ran next to him for a bit for passing him again.  My watch showed about 1/2 mile left now.  Knowing that I have endurance but not a kick, while I took solace in that he was breathing even harder than me, I didn't take anything for granted and forged ahead as fast as I could.  

I stayed on the hard-packed sand on the water's edge as long as I could, before heading slightly inland through softer sand to the finishing chute.

Finishing up

Winner!

Final result:  18:22, 1st of 57 finishers.  Full results here.

I had finished 16 seconds ahead of Noah, and I was relishing my win.  This was my second win in 22 starts, interestingly a win at age 50 (17:26) and now a win at age 60.  Obviously you race who shows up, but I'm really happy with this!

Immediately went for my traditional dip in the ocean, as I caught with several similar like minded runners.  Got a few slices of pizza and watermelon before compiling and printing results, and just like that, the night was over as the sun set on yet another fantastic Stavros Memorial Beach Run.

Cooling off post-race:
(left to right:  Dave Goodrich, ???, me, Bob Kerwin, Matt Sweeney)

Nice pic w/ Nick Bottone, John & Jeanne Stavros, and Jana and me
- The Westerly Sun

New Haven 20K - 2024

 

New Haven, CT

Monday, September 2, 2024

This would be my third consecutive running of the New Haven 20K.  To give you a flavor of my two previous showings, my Strava posts in 2022 and 2023 were titled “New Haven Sufferfest 20K” and “Another New Haven Sufferfest”, respectively.  It seemed this race would always be hot and humid, but finally we got a break, with a decently comfortable 66°F and 81% relative humidity at race start.

Despite having run this race the past two years, I seriously underestimated the time needed to drive to the New Haven parking garage, basically because I had no issue the past two years and thus I failed to give a contingency buffer.  I was regretting this as I sat in New Haven traffic moving at a snail’s pace, watching my ETA on Google Maps get steadily later, as I feared the impending mad rush to get to the start would impact my race performance.

Upon parking, I hustled over to check-in, which fortunately was very efficient, used the bathroom, and changed into my race shoes as there would be no time for a warm-up.  I ran some strides in the park and arrived at the start line just as the national anthem was starting up.  Not good.  But at least now the stress was gone.

Race start:  I got a glimpse of professional runners Keira D'Amato and Hilary Bor on the starting line, saw Jared to my right, and we were off.

I didn't see Jared at first in the busy and crowded first half mile or so.  But as the crowds thinned out, I saw him right next to me.  OK, maybe we can run together for a bit.  That stretched into nine miles running together, which definitely helped!  Unlike last year in the sun, heat, and humidity, where my miles slowed to as much as 6:40s, this year while running together we were knocking off mostly sub-6:10 miles!

At time like water stops, he or I would go slightly ahead of each other, and then work to catch up batch, and continue working off of each other.  There were a lot of music stations along the course as well, and most were pretty motivating, include Tom Petty, CCR, and even a bagpipe player!

Running together with Jared,
about 6 miles in

Unfortunately, in Mile 10 ("the hill"), Jared dropped back a bit.  My race wasn't against him, so I had hoped he'd continue to the finish, but it wasn't to be.  Mile 10 last year was where I was getting passed by both the 1st and 2nd eventual age group winners as I hung on for 3rd.  But I was feeling good and forged ahead.  Besides last year I was in my 50s and I'm in a new age group now!  

After the hill, I picked up the pace, and finished with a 12th mile split of 6:07 and then the final half mile in a 5:30 pace!  Does that suggest that I left something out on the course?  

"Sprinting" it in to the finish

Final result:  1:16:54, PR!!  88th of 536 overall, 1st of 21 in M60 age group.  Full results here.

Not only did I win my M60 age group this year, but the two M50 gentlemen that passed me last year finished behind me this year, and thus I was the fastest M50+ today.  Felt really good about this race!

Post-race food was really good as usual, and I helped myself to two servings of soft ice cream to make my day.  This was the 7th of 8 in the USATF-CT road series.  This year I completed four in the the series, and I'll miss the final race (Norfolk Pub 10M) as I'll be away in December.

August 2024: Elevation! And Ireland!

Running stats:

Miles run:  281.2

Elevation gain:  24,423'

Weekly miles (for weeks ended in month):  62, 47, 58, 56

Consistent mileage, but a really big increase in elevation.
Probably one of my biggest elevation months.
Mostly attributed to two mountain runs in Ireland and one in NH.

Primary running surfaces:  Roads (122), trails (122 miles)  Not a typo!  Evenly split.

Primary running locations:  Charlestown (76 miles), then Exeter (37) 

Other disciplines:

• Walk / hike:  25 miles

Quick synopsis:

• Only one long run.
• But three mountain runs.
• And ran in six different states and also Ireland for the first time.
• Three races:  mixed bag.

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Interesting runs:

• Soft Surface Recovery, Exeter, August 5.  6 miles.  Actually, it wasn't the run that was especially interesting, but rather the fine specimen we saw on our post-run swim:

  

  Beautiful 5-foot long Northern Watersnake sunning itself
  as we swam in the Wood River next to it.

  
  
• Hickory Knob State Park, McCormick County, South Carolina, August 9.  6 miles.  Hot as hell 92°F run, but it was mostly shaded and definitely an interesting run on the Lakeside Trail.  Went slow and easy and "rewarded" myself with a shake and ice cream at the local ice cream store!

  

  View along my run.  I definitely don't see this kind of 
  view back home.

  
  
• So Glad to be Back in the North!, Hagerstown, Maryland, August 12.  11 miles.  After very hot runs in South Carolina and Georgia, it was so refreshing to go for a 58°F run.  Also exceeded my expectations with a lot of greenery, including paths through city parks.
  
  
  
• Carrauntoohil, County Kerry, Ireland, August 15.  10 miles, 3,500' elevation gain.  High point of Republic of Ireland.  I could easily list every run I took on this Ireland vacation, but I've already written a detailed blog post on the Ireland trip, so I'll just hit the top three memorable/interesting to me.

  

  Again, there are many more pics on my Ireland trip blog,
  but this view from the top was pretty cool!

  
  
• Slieve Donard, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK, August 19.  6 miles, 2,746' elevation gain.  High point of Northern Ireland.  Really dismal weather.

At the summit.  Rain and gale force winds.  When not behind
the Mourne Wall, it was very difficult for me to stand up straight.

• Mount Monadnock, Dublin, New Hampshire, August 22.  10 miles, 2,575' elevation gain.  Day trip with a touch technical climb.  With Matthew before he returned to the left coast.

  

  Cool pic running through the rocks and mist approaching the summit

  
  

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Races:

Run 4 Kerri 4M (August 4):

South Kingstown, RI

Got really weak and dizzy on this one, but I succeeded in taking down the 21-year-old M60 Course Record!

Besides taking down the AG CR, after I recuperated,
the highlight was the return of the fire hose shower!

Race report here

Bottone Mile (August 7):

Charlestown, RI

Fun event at our all new venue at Ninigret Park!  Everything went really well, including the post-race barbeque.  So nice to have a traffic-free course with zero 90° turns.  As far as my own race, not the best but about what I expected.  Disappointing to see so many kick past me at the finish.  Final result 5:23.

Full results here

Run the Ridge 10K (August 17):

County Wicklow, Ireland

Fun destination race.  Very club oriented in Ireland.  I was off to a slow start up to the ridge, but caught many on the downhill return.  1st overall in M60+.  (Actually 1st M50+ also)

Race report here

(then scroll down to "Saturday August 17" or search for "Run the Ridge")

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Miscellaneous:

August 17:  Seeing AC/DC live in concert in Dublin!
Simply amazing.

August 18:  Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, UK.
Like nothing I've ever seen before.  Doesn't even look natural.
But it is!

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Looking ahead to September:

Four races on the docket:

• New Haven 20K Road Race, New Haven, CT, September 2.  Third year in a row.
• Stavros Memorial 3M Beach Run, Westerly, RI, September 7.  22nd year in a row!  And one of my favorites!
• IGT Downtown 5K, Providence, RI, September 16.  My debut appearance.  Not a huge ran of road 5Ks, but looking forward to this as part of the RI Grand Prix.
• Three Sisters Skyline Half Marathon, Sisters, OR, September 21.  Another destination race!

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Monthly highlight: 

Traveling to, running, vacationing, and seeing AC/DC in Ireland!

Monthly lowlight: 

Perhaps seeing so many kick past me at the end of the Bottone Mile.  But I don't want to mar the great experience and event overall.