DH Jones 10 Miler (USATF NE Champs)

I was definitely anxious about Sunday's race. It being the first of the Grand Prix events and the first time I have returned to a race where I felt like I raced well the year before. I put a lot of pressure on myself to try and run faster. My volume is the same as last winter, but this year I have some solid workouts under my belt and a great group of guys to train with. Jess and I made our way down and met a carload of hoodlums at Bickford's (Greg, BoJo, and Jeff). We drove in tow to Amherst and when we got there, we set up camp and chatted with other CMS teammates. I really love running for CMS and think we have some great guys on the squad. We have also grown and added some new faces to the scene which is exciting. Jess met Krissy K. and they set out to take some pictures of the race. She said she had a great time and it was fun having another person to cheer with. Some of the CMS guys (plus Mark Miller who would look great in Polar Blue) headed out for a warm up. We had the usual immature banter that usually goes along with our runs and then went our separate ways to focus on our individual demons before the gun went off. When the race started the usual suspects quickly formed a lead pack and we settled into pace and jockeyed back and forth for the first three miles. At around three we were met with the first hill and what seemed to be a game changer. Brendan Callahan, Mark Miller, Pat Moulton, and myself separated from the rest of the field. Brendan made another move at around 5 and gapped the three of us. I would end up chasing him the rest of the way. I think I lost Pat and Mark a mile 7. Pat mentioned he had been under the weather and Mark got a stitch so I had to try and reel the leader in solo. I ended up getting as close as 3 seconds back on Brendan but he was too strong and seemed to sense my presence when I got too close. I was very pleased to end up running 50:58 on a difficult course and run 49 seconds faster than last year. BAA won the team competition with CMS just barely edging out GBTC. Again, it is so much fun to be a part of such a good team. Next up.... New Bedford Half!

Heidi Westover nearly breaks record at Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile Road Race