26.2-mile training run

May 8, 2010. Bear Mt. New York. Northeast Regional North Face Endurance Challenge 50-Miler. Aaron Rome headed out to this race for the second consecutive year and cut a nice chunk off last year's time. In his own words: "I enjoyed it this year. Last year was just survival and I was not sure I would even finish. This time, the weather was perfect surroundings very serene. I ran the race in light weight trail shoes, akin to racing flats with treads. Almost no padding or support, but compared to the Vibrams I have been wearing it was like running on clouds. The trail included about 7000' of climb/ descent, and the beginning was the toughest with lots of steep river beds and hand over hand climbing in sections. We lost the trail for about 2 minutes and you would have thought the world was about to end. One of the great things about a race like this is nothing else relevant for those hours. It's a nice release. I had no cramping or pain until about mile 40. Miles 40-45 were tough - knee pain on descents - but the last 5 miles adreneline pretty much took over. The worst part of the race for me was re-fueling. I have no apetite during these things. You have to eat at least 600 calories/hour and the potatoes and PBJ sandwiches I was munching at every aid-station stop makes me want to puke for the next mile. I ended up taking about 25 minutes off my time from last year, finishing in 11 hours 40 minutes, placing 61/173." This week's photo is Arron finishing the Exeter Marathon, which he used as a training run three weeks earlier.

CG

Exeter RI. April 17th, 2010. The first annual "qualifiers only" Exeter Marathon started in a cool mist at 8:05am on Saturday April 17th, 2010. From start to finish, the race went off without a hitch, thanks in large part to the excellent volunteers. The feedback has been very positive and you can see some of it on marathonguide. Seven of the 53 finishers also did the Boston Marathon on Monday, but they weren't the only ones to do the Exeter-Boston double. Many of the volunteers did the Exeter-Boston (volunteer-run) double. The most notable is Claire Gadrow, who was in charge of the finish line crew at Exeter, and then on Monday raced to a 1:07 PR at Boston, improving her previous PR of 2:57:59 (CIM, 2009) to 2:56:52. Claire is captured here by George Ross.

Back to the beach. And here's a photo taken in 2006 after a Thursday run from the beach. This picture was once distributed with the caption "a photo that would surely strike fear into the heart of any local female competitor." Since that photo was taken, the individual accomplishments of these ladies has moved them well beyond the local scene. From elite starts at the Boston Marathon, to triathlon victories, to mountain running greatness, these women have clearly demonstrated that hard work and dedication pays off.

Eagle With Prey

Pop quiz: How many road 5Ks took place in RI last year? If you answered "80" then you are in agreement with the number of 5K results listed on coolrunning from 2009. Nothing wrong with 5Ks, but it's nice to see longer events on the race calendar. With this in mind, 7 NRA types make the trek up to Scituate RI on March 27th for the third annual "Run the Reservoir" 15K. And kudos to the race organizers for making the companion "run/walk" an 8K. Different is good. For those incorporating races into their training, longer is better. Top NRA was Paul LeToile, who brought his camera along, intent upon photographing the bald eagles that nest around the reservoir. Paul had some success in this area as well, as this week's photo shows. In his own words, "Here's the shot of the eagle that was nesting near the race course. I didn't notice when I took the picture, but the eagle apparently has some prey in the nest..."

you need Kulin, and baby I'm not foolin'

New Bedford, MA, March 21, 2010. Two consecutive years with almost-perfect weather. Big confusion and long lines at the YMCA both before (registration) and after (food). Big PRs for Claire Gardow (second masters female) and Nicole Rattay. Distance PR for David Heskett. This week's picture (courtesy of our friend Scott Mason from TNT), is sub-3:00 marathoner Ian Kulin, beginning the downhill stretch at mile 4. Ian had a nice race, and with a 1:25 it looks like he's in shape to take a crack at 3:00 at Boston in 4 weeks.

two (or more?) NRA runners

There are at least two NRA members in this photo. Identify them, the race, and year and you win a free NRA car sticker (normally $2 or two for $3).

Glenn and Ric

Here's a shot taken before the 2009 Winter Party. On the left we have Glenn Anderson and on the right is NRA vice president Ric Thornton. This year we take the Winter party from the traditional WYC venue to Simon's in Narragansett.

Claire and John

Narragansett RI. Feb 7th, 2010. The 6th annual Super 5K road race. For the 6th year, the weather cooperated. For the 6th year, the winning male time was 15:xx. The "perfect attendance" list is down to 17, losing 4 this year. The NRA men and women lost their team competition titles to the Providence Cobras and Brown Running Club, respectively. This week's picture is Claire and John Gadrow, rounding the last turn and making for the finish chute. The updated "perfect attendance" list is as follows:

McNeiece Brian M Narragansett RI
Schaad Dave M E Greenwich RI
Barbera Peter M Wakefield RI
schonning stephen M westerly RI
Gadrow Claire F Wakefield RI
WARD HANK M MIDDLETOWN RI
FALVO RICH M JOHNSTON RI
Pember David M Medfield MA
DYER DOUG M GREENVILLE RI
ROBERTS TOBY M NARRAGANSETT RI
Kenney Susan F Somerset MA
Zuleger Fred M Coventry RI
Catalano Penny F Warren RI
LYSIK DEBORAH F S KINGSTOWN RI
NADEAU JOSEPH M WOONSOCKET RI
Avery Stephen M Voluntown CT
TOUSIGNANT GARY M CUMBERLAND RI

Jim

February 6th, 2005. Narragansett, RI. 24-21, Patriots over Eagles. 5:50s over 6:20s, Hillery over Sosnowski. 4:55s over 5:17s, McAlister over Augelli. This was the day of the first annual Super 5K (185 finishers in its first year). The Super 5K will be flirting with 400 finishers in its 6th year (Feb 7, 2010). This week's picture is a shot from the 2005 race, featuring Jim Cotter who isn't wearing his NRA singlet because they didn't exist at the time.

Claire

January 24, 2010. Derry, NH. The 15th annual Boston Prep 16-miler. This "Boston Prep" race is a classic. Put on by the Derry Track Club to support their youth track series (yes, they have one too), the numbers of this race have grown so much that they now cap registration at about 800, and they fill it up every year. The course is advertised as "moderately challenging" (tounge-in-cheek), and that's no false advertising. Sure, it's no Nooseneck 18K, but it's about 4.8 miles longer, and usually much colder, so we'll it slide. A few of our own made the trip this year, and did quite well. From the top, we have Brian McNeiece who got 9th place overall in a pace of 6:13. Next up was overall female winner Claire Gadrow, who finished up strong at 6:48 pace. Nicole Rattay ran very well, finishing at 7:17 pace, and Kevin Keilty ran in 8:23's. This week's picture is Claire Gadrow and her first place winnings.