Keene Coach Runs to Second

By Jon Pelland Sentinel Staff
Published: Sunday, March 08, 2009

While most people go into hibernation over the winter months, preferring the comfortable indoor warmth to the harsh elements, Justin Fyffe searches for an excuse to get outside and run — a lot. Fyffe, an East Dummerston, Vt., resident and 1998 Keene High graduate, didn’t want his race training to lag over the winter, so he set a goal. Since Thanksgiving, instead of enjoying hot chocolate by the fire, Fyffe, 28, trained seven days a week for the USA Track and Field 50-kilometer Championships, held last Sunday in Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., on Long Island.

“I used this race to stay motivated over the winter because it’s hard to stay motivated in the winter when its cold,” said Fyffe, who won last September’s Clarence DeMar for his first career marathon victory. “At least for me, it’s hard to get out the door unless I have a goal.“When there is a big race there are no excuses, I have to get out, I have to train and brave the elements.”

Fyffe finished the grueling ultra-marathon in second place, completing the 31.1 miles in 3 hours, 6 minutes, 49 seconds. The silver medal is proudly displayed on Fyffe’s Web log, which he uses to chronicle training and races. Michael Wardian of Arlington, Va., won the 38-person men’s open division in 2:56:36.Training began the day after Thanksgiving, and Fyffe said he didn’t miss one day until last week’s race. He ran through sub-zero temperatures, snow, sleet and freezing rain this winter. In January, at peak training, Fyffe ran 100 miles per week, including 20-24 miles on Sundays for what he simply called “long runs.”

“I didn’t really follow any (training program), I didn’t do anything extra for this 50k,” Fyffe said. “It’s just a lot of miles. I basically just trained for a marathon and just went the extra miles (in the race).”

Early-morning runs to work were also part of Fyffe’s regime. Fyffe, who works as an electrical discharge machine programmer, awoke at 4 a.m. and ran to work for 5. All that training paid off once he arrived on Long Island last weekend. The course for the ultra-marathon was set on a 2.35-mile loop that runners had to complete 13 times. As if racing in March wasn’t demanding enough, Fyffe said a portion of the course had racers running into head-on winds blowing hard off Long Island Sound. That caused sweat to freeze, only to melt later in the lap and re-freeze the next time through the wind.

“The months of training really give you the mental strength to handle any race day conditions,” Fyffe said. “You’re like, ‘Man it’s cold, but at least it’s not minus-18 and 4 o’clock in the morning. At least I don’t have to work today.’ You tell yourself anything you have to to get through it.”

Only recently has Fyffe raced competitively. He joined the Navy after graduating from KHS and didn’t begin seriously training until 2007, he said.Since then Fyffe has the DeMar victory, a first-place finish in last year’s USATF New England Mountain Grand Prix, first place in the Mount Cranmore Hill Climb and has run 12 marathons. He also joined the Central Mass. Striders, a race team based in Worcester, Mass.

“It’s so rewarding just running every day, being active, being outside all the time and just feeling healthy,” Fyffe said.

Notes: Justin Fyffe serves as a volunteer assistant coach for Keene High boys’ cross country and track and field. ... Fyffe was the Vermont high school state champion in the 3,000 meters as a junior in 1997. He transferred to Keene High the following year. ... The 50k championships have been held at Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., the past three years. They were held in Brattleboro from 1978-80. ... Fyffe’s blog can be found at http://www.jfyffe.blogspot.com/.

Spring is Here

USA 50K Championships

My wife and I took Friday off from work to use for travel. We arrived mid afternoon in Long Island and met our friend who brought us to Caumsett State Park. I managed to jog the road trip out of my legs and felt very excited to be on the course that in a couple days I would have to run around over 13 times (2.35 mile loop). I got a good night sleep and right after breakfast we went back to the course to stay loose and focus on my game plan. One section of the course seemed very susceptible to the wind and knew it would be a tough spot. Later on that day I took about 3 naps. I just moped around and hydrated. My folks, friend Latch, and my wife all made a huge feast of spaghetti, stake, salad, and garlic bread. I stocked up on pasta and bread and hit the sack early knowing I would not get the best night sleep due to my nerves. The morning of the race I felt loose and ready to roll. When we got to the park it seemed very unorganized and nobody seemed to be in charge or know what was going on. We hopped a Budget rental truck like a bunch of refugees and got dropped off a few miles later. The course was not set up, the finish line wasn't set up, and worst of all not even the race director seemed to know where the starting line was going to be. Ben Nephew and I gambled and followed a man that said he was the announcer and was going to the start. We were the first three there and it was 3 minutes before the gun was supposed to go off. Finally about 15 minutes later a mob of people showed up, a guy with spray paint made a line on the pavement and in 60 seconds we were off. Michael Wardien took off at 5:20 pace and soon was out of sight (he was attempting an American record of 2:47). I wanted to see who was going to be the players and held back for the first lap at about 6:20 pace. I realized nobody was going to run the race that I wanted and dropped to my goal pace of 6:00. Actually I was a little under for a while. The air temp was fairly manageable but the wind like I anticipated was brutal on the back side of the loop. We would drop into the woods and I would get fairly sweaty then break out into the open, fight the wind for 3/4 of a mile and the wetness would freeze. This was a 3 hour cycle that I guess I just got used to. I felt strong early on, and Dave Dunham and my family gave me lots of support. It was around 20 miles that I was a bit nervous about my condition. I was holding onto my pace but was overwhelmed that I still had over 10 miles to maintain. My wife later told me that Dave was also noticing my struggle. It was at this time that he told me to stay loose, relax, and let the training take over. I took some fuel from my wife and before I knew it I hit the marathon split in just under 2:37 which would have been a PR. This was very encouraging and I dug in, and felt very confident that I was going to hit my goal. My last two mile splits were 5:45 and 5:36 and I finished strong. I took home the Silver Medal and 75 bucks. I was and am very happy about my training cycle and performance. I have never before achieved this level of fitness for myself and look forward to this spring and the rest of the year. I want to thank my wife for her support the last few months (I can get cranky) and Dave Dunham for his guidance throughout this last cycle. Next up New Bedford Half Marathon.

2nd Place Justin Fyffe 3:06:49 (6:01 pace)

3rd Place Ben Nephew

5th Place Dan Verrington

Feb 16- Feb 22 (USATF NE 10 Mile Champs)

Mon- OFF
Tue- 3 x mile hill repeats with Josh Ferenc and Greg Hammett in Acworth NH (Josh's)
1st 6:27
2nd 6:19
3rd 6:37
The max grade on this hill is 19% and this workout was very difficult! Total mileage for the day is 10.7
Wed- Josh and Greg met me at my house and we put in a Putney 12.5 with an average pace of 6:37
Thu-13 miles solo at 6:20 pace
Fri- I went to Greg Hammett's and we did 12 miles at Pisgah with 6 striders.
Sat- I did 5 miles easy with my dog Bailey. Ready For Sunday!
Sun- I got to Amherst for the USATF NE 10 Mile Championships about an hour and a half early. It makes me feel more comfortable to have extra time. I put in a very easy 4 miles to get loose, the standard striders to get the blood flowing and at 11:00 we were off. After talking to Greg I decided to ditch my watch this time and just shoot from the hip. I was nervous about doing this but find myself always looking at my splits. I wanted to just run by feel. At the gun about 20 guys quickly formed an initial lead pack. This broke up early on into two distinctive packs about 1.5 miles in. I found myself in the front of the chase pack at this point and in about 16th place. At mile two I realized I was in "no man's land" (in between the lead pack and the chase pack). I felt fairly strong and decided if I was going to survive I needed to make a decision. Either man up and close the gap ahead or back off and give away a top ten finish. I decided to try it out and go. At the base of the hill section (mile 3) I heard my split (15:10) which I was trying to avoid and knew I was in deep. I felt surprisingly strong and fresh and maintained my effort. I picked off a few guys on the climb and found myself in 9th place at mile 5. I think this is where the reservoir was and the only technical part of the race. It was very slick for about 200 yards and I had a hard time accelerating. I was relieved to see pavement and could now see a group of three within striking distance. It took me another mile and a half to catch up. When I did only Casey Moulton hung on and we battled back and forth for a few. I surged on a short hill at about mile 7 and was now in 5th place. I spent the next three miles trying to catch Mark Miller (BAA) and Brendan Callahan (BAA) with no success. The closer we got to the finish line the faster those guys went. I am extremely pleased with my performance and effort and feel that this past winter has not been in vane. I finished 5th with a time of 51:47 (5:11 pace) far exceeding my goal. I am very glad I dropped the watch because I would have backed off. The Central Mass Striders finished very well. As a team we placed 2nd to BAA and think that we are going to have a great year of competition. Now I just have to sling back a few Otter Creek Mud Bocks (I have depleted my homebrew supply), keep it simple this week, and rock a 50K. Top CMS finishers are below:
Place Div/Tot Div Time Pace Name Ag S Race# City/state Team
05 05/122 M2039 51:47 5:11 Justin Fyffe 28 M 49 East Dummerston VT CMS
16 16/122 M2039 53:54 5:24 Kevin Tilton 27 M 69 North Conway NH CMS
18 18/122 M2039 54:20 5:26 Andy McCarron 26 M 61 Lunenberg MA CMS
19 19/122 M2039 54:35 5:28 Matt Clark 26 M 44 Amherst MA CMS
22 22/122 M2039 55:08 5:31 Jim Johnson 31 M 55 Salem NH CMS
25 2/131 M4049 55:23* 5:33 Joe Shairs 40 M 67 Peabody MA CMS
27 3/131 M4049 55:30* 5:33 Dan Verrington 46 M 71 Bradford MA CMS
51 43/122 M2039 57:37 5:46 Jim Pawlicki 34 M 65 Beverly MA CMS
53 45/122 M2039 57:54 5:48 Ben Strain 30 M 68 Beverly MA CMS
54 9/131 M4049 58:17* 5:50 David Quintal 45 M 668 Salem NH CMS

Feb 9- Feb 15

Mon- 5 miles
610 feet ascent
9% max grade

Tue- 5 miles w/ Bailey
12 miles solo (6:15 pace)
643 feet ascent
4% max grade

Wed- 5 miles w/ Bailey
9.61 solo (6:33 pace)
689 feet ascent
8% max grade

Thu- Same as Wed (6:27 pace)

Fri- 3.1 miles w/ Bailey
12.4 solo (6:19 pace)
735 feet ascent
4% max grade

Sat- 5 miles w/Bailey
8 solo (6:30 pace)
715 feet ascent
7% max grade

Sun- I went to Erik's house again at 10am. I headed out solo for 4 miles then met back with Erik Kress, Mark Miller, Mary Miller, and Christian. We were all going to head out for 18 miles together and probably stretch out depending how everyone felt. The first part of our run was hovering around 6:30 pace and it felt pretty good. Again, an hour in Mark shared some powerbar gummies and on Elm Street we were off. Mark and I picked up the pace to around 6:00 pace for a few miles. With 3 miles left to go I suggested some "non-conversational running". Mark thought it sounded fun and agreed. We then dropped the pace and hammered a couple of fast miles. Our final 2 mile split was 10:30 with two considerable hills in the way. For me, this was a final confidence booster for the upcoming 50K. The next two weeks are going to be a little less stressful on my legs and more stressful on my mind (trying to stay relaxed and focussed). I will be getting together with Josh Ferenc and Greg Hammett this week for a hill work out Tue and an easier straight run on Wed.

Total- 101.72

Feb 2- Feb 8 Review

Mon- I was not very motivated and took the day off.

Tue- Ran 3.1 w/Bailey then 14.6 Park Laughton loop
1408 feet ascent with a max grade of 11% (typical Putney course)
Average pace: 6:38

Wed- Same as Tue
Average pace: 6:36

Thu- Same as Tue
Average pace: 6:32

Fri- The three day stint at 17.7 caught up to me and I just went 5 (very easy) I am embarrassed to post my pace (lets just say it was over 7:00)

Sat-(AM)I met up with Greg Hammett at Bickford's in Brattleboro. Got some grub. Then headed to Amherst to meet Tim Mahoney at the High School. This is where the DH Jones course starts in a couple of weeks. Tim showed us the course which we did comfortably in 71 minutes. The first mile is going to be very fast and then slow down at about mile two on race day. From there we seemed to be going up through the 4 mile mark. It should be a fun course but not very fast. We then did a 3 mile extension through town then headed to Brueger's Bagels to chat. I thought Greg was going to go for a "Blueberry Bagel" but I guess he changed his mind. I also found out that Tim and his girlfriend Abby Woods are getting married this upcoming weekend. Congratulations! It was a good morning. When I got home I jumped right into the PM workout. I managed to find a relatively flat section from Putney to Brattleboro that was 7 miles. I wanted to get in a few "race pace" miles to see how things were going. I ended up averaging 6:02 pace for the duration. (My goal pace for the 50K is 6:00). I felt very strong and the pace seemed comfortable. I am very excited and confident about where I am at right now. Overall the day was great with 20 miles banked.

Sun- I met up with Mark Miller and Erik Kress in the morning to get in on their 16 mile long run. It was the same loop we did last week only this time we were in shorts and tees due to the 40 deg plus weather. Erik and I got covered in mud but Mark some how stayed clean. I don't know how he did it. Once again we surged on Elm Street (post powerbar chew) and backed off after a couple of faster miles. The loop ends with some Keene Hill sections that are timely and fun. Mark and I put a few seconds on Erik by the time we finished and were walking back to the house when Erik flew by and grunted, "Let's Go!". He was feeling good and he wanted to go another, and we did. This gave us 17 miles and we averaged 6:48 pace. I still needed to get in a few more so I headed to my in-law's house (5.5 miles away) and met my wife. From there it was to Olive Garden for all you can eat pasta. Needless to say I got my money's worth. Back to square one on Monday. Only one more week of volume then back off for the big day.

Total- 100.6 miles

Northfield Snowshoe Race

Saturday started out at fellow CMS Teammate Greg Hammet's house. From there we were off (Josh Ferenc driving). We arrived a little after 8am with plenty of time to pick up our numbers and get a few warmup miles in on the road. Everyone toed the line and RD Dave Dunham started the race right on time. Ben Nephew got first billet onto the single track trail follwed by Josh and then myself. It was pretty tight for a few hundred yards until we crossed a groomed ski trail and Josh took the opportunity to take Ben. I followed suit and went with him, but he kepted surging. I thought that he was going to let up once he created some space so I let him go. This was a huge mistake becasuse I soon realized he wasn't surging up the hill, he just simply increased the pace. I couldn't answer and ended up running solo most of the run until the descent. This is where Leigh Schmmitt seemed to gain a lot of ground and completely surprised me. He seemed to come out of nowhere. I was not a happy camper becasuse I had settled into a comfortable pace that I now had to leave behind to hold him off. Fortunately I had enough steam and came in second place, a minute behind Josh. I knew that DD was happy with his 4th place finish becasue he seemed to be glowing as he crossed the finish line. Good Job! Afterwards a group of us cooled down on the course and picked up all of the flags and talked about how much fun it was to be out there and how nice the course was. On the ride home Josh, Greg, and I indulged in about 1100 calories a piece at McDonald's (kind of gross but fun). We must be the skinniest fat kids in town. I was still feeling pretty fresh (considering what was in my belly) when I got home and couldn't resist doing a double. But however, I needed to shovel the roof first (and I did). Then I set out for an easy (6:43 pace) 8.6 mile run to finish the day with 18.6 miles in the bank. Sunday I got together with Erik Kress and Mark Miller for a long run. They are just ramping into a marathon training cycle and were doing 16 that they let me join in on. I needed 21 for the day so I went into Keene earlier and did 5 miles out towards the Goose Pond Trails then headed to Erik's house (and Mark's basement) for the run. It was nice to run in Keene where the terrain is more level than Putney. About 10 miles in Mark shared some of his Powerbar Gummi/Chew with caffiene. They were great and gave us all a little rush. We actually bumped up the pace a bit without even noticing (at first). During the run we celebrated my first 100 mile week. It felt good but our celebration was premature becasue I thought I hit 100, 15 miles in when in actuality it wasn't until the end of the run. During our stretch we got to talking about things and I mentioned Andy Mcarron being in town now and Erik is "100%" positive they are neighbors. That would be cool. I will have to look into contacting him. All in all it was a good week for me, totaling 100.22 miles. I wish it didn't turn back to zero Monday morning!