Monday, March 1, 2010

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









5 comments:

  1. Incredible race, Justin. Heard from my friend Bill Dixon who ran yesterday that you were a speeding bullet. 2nd place in a Grand Prix race. Awesome.

    Bob Parks -- Brattleboro

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  2. Thanks Bob. Greg Hammett ran well too. Are you training for anything?

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  3. Congrats on your race. About a minute faster than last year is pretty damn good. Your time really helped out the CMS team...I agree with you, Mark Miller would look good in Polar Blue and he likes Pearl Jam. He'd fit right in.

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  4. Everybody counts! That's what makes it so much fun. We need everybody to bring their "A" game. How was your first team event?

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  5. Hammett ran well, and this seems pretty early for him. I thought he might run it in his snowshoes. I'm training with Bill a lot right now, getting ready for races after my 40th b-day in May. I want to try to bust something out for Bedford and the Rhody 5K. I've hired coach Hank Lange here in Brattleboro for a consultation to give me some ideas on my training. I'm talking to him on Thurs. Should be interesting...

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