Week in Review: 10/12/2012

by Brenda Chroniak

Hi BTT and Friends! Boy do I have some catching up to do on Week In Review. Between traveling for business and getting a nasty cold when I returned, I haven't been of much use lately. But I couldn't let our fearless athletes who are racing the Ironman World Championships in Kona start their race this weekend without a proper Week In Review sendoff, so here I am.  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

When I last left you, we had a slew of teammates getting ready to close out September strong and/or start off October right. And they sure did!  Carrie Mosher had a top-10 finish at the Midnight CX Ride, Pete Jensen and Noah Manacas both had a great races at the Grand Prix of Gloucester CX race, and Lori McKellar honored a dear friend at the Samaritans Run For Someone Else's Life 5K (read her touching story here). 

That weekend also brought with it the Duxbury Tri, where Fedor Smith, Lauren Bonaca, and Erica Allen all had podium finishes (third, first, and second in their respective age groups); Matt Pawa, Laura Miyakawa, and Elaine Metcalf all had top-10 age group finishes; and Matt Mead had a great race, too. Way to represent, guys!  Steve Wall also closed out the local tri season strong with a first place age group finish at the Brickman Triathlon.

And what would Week In Review be without Brett Johnston taking on an ultra-distance trail run? If you thought he was tough before, read his race report about the Vermont 50 Mile Trail Run, and you'll be even more amazed.

Erica Allen also tackled some trails to finish September strong at the Houghton's Pond Trail Race, while Elaine Metcalf stuck with running on pavement, bringing home a top-10 age group finish at the Jack Kerouac 5K road race. 

As busy as the last weekend in September was, Columbus Day Weekend was even busier! Off-season? What off-season?

There was plenty of bike racing, both Cyclocross and Road. Carrie Mosher had a top-10 finish at The Night Weasels Cometh CX race, she and Noah Manacas both had great races at the Providence Cyclocross Festival, and Noah and Maggie O'Toole both had awesome races at the Jamestown Classic Cycling Road Race--Maggie finished top-10 in her division!

And of course, Columbus Day Weekend is always a big running race weekend, and we had plenty of teammates take advantage of this. Mary Beth Begley had a great run at the Tufts 10K for Women; Eric Lambi, Austin Whitman, and Jess Douglas all rocked the BAA Half--and Eric finished 6th in his age group; Tim Dewland and Dan Schorr conquered the Chicago Marathon; and The Bruces and I headed up to New Hampshire for the Applefest Half Marathon. Sue and Will, a.k.a. Team Bula Birds, took second in the mixed relay division, bringing home TWO apple pies as a prize, and I managed a strong finish with a smile, despite my head cold, and didn't hit anyone with a snot rocket. All in all, a successful day.

PHEW! Is everyone still with me? Good! Let's wish another giant good luck to our athletes racing Kona this weekend, and also to our teammates racing the TARC Fall Classic Half Marathon Trail Race, the Amica 5K, and the Newport Amica Marathon. 

Race Report: Vermont 50 Mile Trail Race

by Brett Johnston

So I headed up to Windsor, VT, on Saturday afternoon to go and take on the Vermont 50 Mile trail race on Sunday. This was going to be my longest race so far, and was good prep for my upcoming stage race in South Africa, which is 3 weeks out. I have done a few 50k races this season, but this is a big jump up from the 50k distance. From reading previous years’ race reports and comments, I knew that this was a hilly course. (Because the course goes through a lot of private farmlands, it is only open to the public for the 1 day out of the year, so you cannot go and train on or preview the course.)

Saturday was pretty uneventful, I got up there at around 6, got my registration done, set up my tent for the night, went and grabbed dinner at the Pasta evening, and then headed back to the tent. I didn't sleep much that night (surprise, surprise), but I think because I was actually nervous. I don't normally get nervous before races, but for some reason this was different.

I was up at 4:30, and then ready for the pre-race meeting at 5:30 am.

The VT50 actually has 3 different races all at the same time. They have a 50 mile mountain bike ride, a 50 mile trail run, and then a 50k trail run.

There were 700 bikes registered and 500 runners. (Not sure what the split was between 50k and 50 mile runners.)

The bikes started going off in waves at 6:10 am, and then after the bikes, the 50 mile runners left at 6:25am. On Saturday night and on Sunday morning (while standing in the rain), the race director gave us the weather forecast, which called for temps in the low 60's and a 30% chance of showers…Great I thought…that is perfect. Well that 30% shower followed us for the entire day and must have got pissed at times, as it unleashed into a torrential downpour just for fun.

Race started, and straight away I settled into a very easy pace to ensure that I didn't go out too fast, remembering that I am going to be out there for a good 10-12 hours. Well after about a ¼ of a mile you turn onto a dirt road, and start a monster climb that had almost everyone walking, and that was pretty much the theme for the day. Soon after that, you were onto the trails. Trails are pretty tough as it is, but throw in the rain, and 700 bikes going in front of you, and soon you are trudging through mud. The game plan for most of these races is to walk/power walk the steep hills, and then run the not too steep hills, flats and down-hills. Unfortunately because of the conditions, it made running the down-hills pretty treacherous.

The aid stations were well spaced out, and pretty well stocked with "trail food"… (soups, sandwiches, soda, pretzels, cookies, candy…pretty different from your regular tri foods).

As the day progressed, I had given up on the rain ending, so just enjoyed the atmosphere, mud and rain. For me it was a matter of getting through little distances…first one was to 26…then to 31 (50k)…then it was 35, 40, 45, 46…50. The race became a lot more manageable by breaking it up (in my mind) into little bits. When you get to the last aid station, you have about 4 miles to go, but the problem is that you are at the bottom of the mountain, and you need to get to the other side where the finish is. You essentially have a 2.5-3 mile climb up, and zigzagging across the mountain, so that you can come down the other side….which sounds great, but trying to run down the ski slope after 49 miles, is not that much fun, other than the ability to see the finish at the bottom.

I eventually finished in 10h37, with 15,000 ft of elevation gain. This was a great race, well organized and I would definitely recommend it. (You need to sign up a la Ironman…as it sells out in hours).

Race Report: Vermont 50 Mile Trail Race

by Brett Johnston

So I headed up to Windsor, VT, on Saturday afternoon to go and take on the Vermont 50 Mile trail race on Sunday. This was going to be my longest race so far, and was good prep for my upcoming stage race in South Africa, which is 3 weeks out. I have done a few 50k races this season, but this is a big jump up from the 50k distance. From reading previous years’ race reports and comments, I knew that this was a hilly course. (Because the course goes through a lot of private farmlands, it is only open to the public for the 1 day out of the year, so you cannot go and train on or preview the course.)

Saturday was pretty uneventful, I got up there at around 6, got my registration done, set up my tent for the night, went and grabbed dinner at the Pasta evening, and then headed back to the tent. I didn't sleep much that night (surprise, surprise), but I think because I was actually nervous. I don't normally get nervous before races, but for some reason this was different.

I was up at 4:30, and then ready for the pre-race meeting at 5:30 am.

The VT50 actually has 3 different races all at the same time. They have a 50 mile mountain bike ride, a 50 mile trail run, and then a 50k trail run.

There were 700 bikes registered and 500 runners. (Not sure what the split was between 50k and 50 mile runners.)

The bikes started going off in waves at 6:10 am, and then after the bikes, the 50 mile runners left at 6:25am. On Saturday night and on Sunday morning (while standing in the rain), the race director gave us the weather forecast, which called for temps in the low 60's and a 30% chance of showers…Great I thought…that is perfect. Well that 30% shower followed us for the entire day and must have got pissed at times, as it unleashed into a torrential downpour just for fun.

Race started, and straight away I settled into a very easy pace to ensure that I didn't go out too fast, remembering that I am going to be out there for a good 10-12 hours. Well after about a ¼ of a mile you turn onto a dirt road, and start a monster climb that had almost everyone walking, and that was pretty much the theme for the day. Soon after that, you were onto the trails. Trails are pretty tough as it is, but throw in the rain, and 700 bikes going in front of you, and soon you are trudging through mud. The game plan for most of these races is to walk/power walk the steep hills, and then run the not too steep hills, flats and down-hills. Unfortunately because of the conditions, it made running the down-hills pretty treacherous.

The aid stations were well spaced out, and pretty well stocked with "trail food"… (soups, sandwiches, soda, pretzels, cookies, candy…pretty different from your regular tri foods).

As the day progressed, I had given up on the rain ending, so just enjoyed the atmosphere, mud and rain. For me it was a matter of getting through little distances…first one was to 26…then to 31 (50k)…then it was 35, 40, 45, 46…50. The race became a lot more manageable by breaking it up (in my mind) into little bits. When you get to the last aid station, you have about 4 miles to go, but the problem is that you are at the bottom of the mountain, and you need to get to the other side where the finish is. You essentially have a 2.5-3 mile climb up, and zigzagging across the mountain, so that you can come down the other side….which sounds great, but trying to run down the ski slope after 49 miles, is not that much fun, other than the ability to see the finish at the bottom.

I eventually finished in 10h37, with 15,000 ft of elevation gain. This was a great race, well organized and I would definitely recommend it. (You need to sign up a la Ironman…as it sells out in hours).

Race Report: Run for Someone Else's Life 5K

by Lori McKellar

Here is the scoop about my race this weekend. Not really a race report - just the background for you.

I'm not sure if you know but I lost my best friend on August 11th.   (Unfortunately, this was the night before the Sharon Tri which I was supposed to race. That's why I was there cheering instead of racing).  Anyway, when I saw this race, I just had to participate in honor of my friend, Michele.  Michele was one of my biggest fans and supporters when it came to triathlon and we had become running buddies.  I helped mentor her through her first 5K and we also ran the "Chilmark 5K" and the "Stow Gobbler" together each year.

I added her name to the memorial list, and having learned that crying while running renders one unable to breathe, my goal was to simply to run it without crying (HTFU!).  Although I usually avoid being in the middle of a pack, it was somehow comforting this time (although I knew my time would be crap!).  I fought back the tears but once I crossed the finish line, I walked away from the crowd and absolutely lost it.  This is where I learned that sometimes people do extend extreme kindness and compassion to complete strangers.  Pretty amazing!  

All this said, I was glad I participated and it was good for me to get back out there and achieve a goal. (I had a DNF at Dover Sherborn a few weeks ago due to a bike mechanical with my rear brake and needless to say, I was pretty pissed.)

This race isn't anything to brag about except that I got out there and did something to honor my friend and that would make her smile.