Winning Ways Continue at Sudbury Tri, a Family Affair

The Sudbury Sprint triathlon was a family affair for NETT once again this year with an overall win, a relay win, a first-ever triathlon finish and more.

First off, big congrats to new NETT member Zoltan Varga who just blew us all away literally and figuratively with his unbelievable win. He covered a 400m swim, a 7 mile bike and a 2.3 mile run in 36:13. No, that's not a typo. Great job Zoltan! Welcome to the US!

While Zoltan might be a new member to the NETT family, there were a lot of other NETT family "members" (literally) out there doing damage. In the relay division, the Wang Dynasty has given way to the Chin Dynasty, as Nicholas and Frank won the relay thanks to strong, even splits to come away with 38:15. The only drawback was Frank now has become the target of an MSCPCA campaign to add motion detectors to racing bikes.

Also in the "family" department, Crazy Dave and Doris helped pace his niece Julie to her first ever full triathlon finish at age 13! Granted, Dave caused the equivalent of a rush hour traffic jam in the pool and almost had a stroke before making the final wall but he caught up with Julie on the bike leg and Doris joined them for the run.


There was more of the NETT family out there as well. The always jovial Big Al Prescott cracked the top 50 overall in 44:20 (six places in front of his US Senator, I might add) while his better half Judy cracked the top 10 in her division as well.

And old pro now (okay, not old, but an experienced triathlete, Katherine DZ finished 3rd in her age division (that'a a competitive field these days!).

Congrats to all! It's great to see such fit families representing us.

NETT Continues its Winning Ways at Pipestave, Cure is Coming

The Mini Ponies are having a winning week and it's only Saturday!

In the Pipestave Hill 5K Trail Race on Thursday night, NETT took the overall win and put four men in the top 16 places! Dmitry Drozdov announced his return to the New England racing scene by running away with the race winning in 18:02. Chris Smith won the master's division in 18:45, while Crazy Dave and Patrick McVeigh each took third in their age groups.

It was a strong showing for NETT in the first race of the North Shore Trail Series.

And on Saturday, it was a strong showing for NETT at the Cure is Coming 5K for ALS in Lexington in the results and behind the scenes. Mary Pizarro continued her winning ways and won the women's race in a blazing 20:14. On the men's side, NETT recruit Zack Schwartz laid down a blistering race for second place, while the duo of Dmitry and Chris finished 4-5 to give NETT the top two master's spots. (Given his impressive results lately, race officials conducted a surprise blood test on Chris after the race, by the way. Results are pending.) Stephen Peckiconis nabbed the top spot on the 50-59 age group. NETT v 2.0's duo of Not-So-Little Skittles and Alexandra flew over the course in fine form!

Behind the scenes race director Jerry De Zutter put on a great event while NETT folks were all over the course volunteering for a good cause. It was great to see such a good turnout for Jerry's race.

All in all, it was a true NETT family affair. Always good to see. Proud to be a pony.

NETT Nabs a 1st (Hale) and two Seconds (Blue Hills, Ludlow Tri) in Busy Weekend

In another busy weekend of racing, NETT's Mini Ponies grabbed a first place and two second place finishes at some challenging trail and multisport events.

Mary continued her winning ways on the trails on Sunday by walking away with the Hale Reservation 5K trail race, while Dustin did the real dirty work at the event. Here's her report:

Sunday was the kickoff to the Hale Reservation Summer Trail Race Season. There was a smallish crowd at Hale for the race, but as usual the folks at Hale put on a great low key race. True to form, the course was "different" than all other Hale courses. The course used part of the Blue & Red trails and looped around Noanet & Storrow Ponds, which was very familiar territory for me, and I think gave me the home turf advantage. I placed 6th overall, and 1st woman (editor's note: that's right, only 5 speedy men were in front of her)!! She covered the 5.2K in 25:06 (according to fellow Mini Pony Stephen Peckiconis, who finished just a couple spots back, the course was a 5.2K).

In true Mini Pony fashion, I made sure to get her "secret training" in by running home after the race, claiming "It's only 6 more miles".

But while I was out having fun on the trails, the more impressive performance at the Hale race was Dustin's stealth distribution of Wellesley 1 Mile Road Race fliers. Dustin patiently waited for the race to being, and then discretely distributed the Wellesley race fliers on the other runners' cars. He did his 'job' and got out of there before anyone could become aware of his mission!"

Great teamwork Pizarros!

Meanwhile, only a couple exits down 95, Chris was busy nabbing second overall at the Blue Hills 10 Mile Trail Race (Fox Trot). Here's his report:

"I did not have high expectations going into the race after a week of taking care of a crazy dog that has a bad habit of waking me up a couple times a night. I did not adhere to my usual pre race routine. Instead I went to a brew pub the night before and grabbed breakfast at Starbucks on the way to the race.

I didn't feel great at the start but stuck to my usual game plan of going out fast. I was talking to a guy at the start who knows Crazy Dave (that would be NETT lurker Jerry "Rocket Start" Hughes") I knew he was doing the three mile. He set a brutal pace and we ran side by side until the split, but I still heard foot steps. I was only able to match that pace for the next mile or so. I ran the rest of the race alone. The hills in that race just keep coming. My pace definitely dropped off the last couple miles. Fortunately I had enough of a buffer and managed a second place. Good enough to win some chocolate chip cookies!"

And lastly the elite relay team of Dave's niece Julie (swim), Dave (bike) and Doris (run) headed out to the Ludlow Sprint Tri and worked hard enough to win second place in the mixed relay division, 7th relay team overall! Julie set the tone by passing a couple swimmers in the very short swim leg, Dave did he best to hold it even on the bike, and Doris enjoyed the benefits of her increased fitness by throwing down her fastest 3-mile pace ever!

The very busy and successful weekend kicked off Saturday morning with a healthy jaunt down the Battle Road Trail.

Go Mini Ponies!

Boston Marathon in Pictures (and video)

It was a long hot day out on the Boston Marathon course. Here's a few pictures that tell the story. Emma and Frank were waiting in the hot sun for all the NETT folks to come by.














An exclusive post-race interview with Crazy Dave.

For more photos, find NETT on The Facebook.

Marshall Leads NETT To Inspired Results at Boston Marathon

Well this year's Boston Marathon certainly lived up to all the hype and more but thanks to some great team preparation, some veteran experience, and a lot of inspiration, the New England Track & Trail folks out on the course Monday posted some simply amazing results.

First off, I simply can't say enough about what an inspired race Marshall ran out there. Personally, I'm going to tell people about this guy's performance for years to come. To toe the line, in sweltering heat, and throw down a 3:18, good for 5th place in his division is simply...simply....I can't even....

Marshall you did what you never thought anyone could do. You made Crazy Dave....speechless.

Seriously. He came in with bib number 7195 pinned to his very special Hannah singlet and finished 1635! It's literally unthinkable. Perhaps the only thing MORE unthinkable is the fact that he went to his weekly track workout the NEXT DAY! (I wish I was kidding, but I'm not).

I could dedicate the rest of this page to superlatives and try to describe what we're all feeling about Marshall's performance, but it really wouldn't do it justice. But let's say this: If every other one of us dropped out at mile 2, his result alone would have us all one cloud nine for the rest of the spring.

But we didn't drop out. Anywhere.

The rest of the NETT crew drew inspiration from the same well and threw down some of the best results possible on such an incredibly unrunnable day. Tina came into the race qualified at 16,536. She claims she never quite hit her stride, but we all know Tina's always a bit tough on herself with results, but the numbers don't lie Tina. You finished 5776, almost 11,000 spots higher than you came in with. 11 THOUSAND!!!! You were the 1276th woman to come across the finish line. You were 189th in your divison. Holy crap. THAT is some inspired running.

Crazy Dave posted a strong result in his first Boston as well, gaining a lot of added inspiration from the "Hannah" cheers he heard on the course starting in Framingham, getting very loud and frequent in Wellesley, and continuing all the way into Kenmore Square until things got so loud, nothing could be made out over the roar. He posted a 2:58, good for 476th overall (1527th qualifier) and 55th in his division. ("I may run faster, but I will never run another race that even in my life. I can guarantee you that much.")

Another person that clearly put in an inspired race and ran almost even splits was Ali, clocking a 3:02 in a sweltering heat, finishing in 634th overall and 78th in his division! He only lost about six minutes on the back half of this race when most folks were losing 30 to 60 minutes. As a result of his smart pacing, he improved about 5500 spots from his qualifer as well. Insane! AND he was our gracious host for the post-race decompression session, so we all owe him a BIG word of thanks for that.

The Youngstah, with a photo of Hannah pinned to his shirt, put in his own gutsy performance out there, pacing himself in the early miles and working a bit with pal Keith Schmitt to run a very solid 3:32, good for 350th in his division. Paul's the most experienced marathoner most of us will ever know and has run marathons in every possilbe condition, so when he pulls things back, you know it's a hot day out there! Great work Paul.

The same goes for Keith, in fact, who posted a 3:28 in blazing conditions, losing clothing and gaining strength as he went. Really impressive stuff, especially for a guy who spends most of his time crushing trails like you would not even believe.

There is more to tell, but I'm out of time. I'll post photos ASAP. For now, like the Ponies on the Facebook.

Lastly (for now), a big thanks to our support crews:
-Doris and Mary popped up around every corner with fresh Gatorade which was literally the difference in Crazy Dave's race and guided three zombies around the crowded streets of downtown (we'd probably still be down there otherwise)
-Karyn and Ron were providing ice to runners in Newton (you want milk with that ice?)
-The Chamberi clan, AC and Chris all up on that "hill" (what's it called again?).
-Frank, Nick and Emma cheering and helping us all decompress after.
-Dustin for his calming influence post-race (and quick medic-alert reaction to help a runner in distress)
-BScan somewhere on Beacon (how did he yell loud enough to get my attention in that crowd?)
-Mike M out there and many many more
-And a big shout to to Dave and Doris' "mistress" club, the Parkway Club who hosted a few of us on their bus to Hopkinton and provided a lot of support this training cycle. A great group of folks who had their own success out there on Monday.
-Sorry to those I missed. You know who you are. More soon.

"Boston" Weekend Brings More Strong Results for NETT at Wrentham Duathlon, River Rat and Hale O

"Boston" weekend also brought about the kickoff of NETT's multisport (and I emphasize the "multi") season with some very strong results.

First up was Frank KJ's annaul trip down to Wrentham to kick off the season at the Wrentham Duathlon. Frank finished 19th overall and 6th in his age group in 1:01:56. Here's his report:

"This was my 10th trip to Wrentham since 2000 and thus my 4th age-group that I've raced in. And surely there is no denying I am getting older. Despite plenty of recovery in the week leading up to Wrentham and not overeating at Jean-Dany's (which took a lot of discipline with all that great food!) I felt sluggish right out of the gate and never really found my stride. In the end I was almost 2 minutes slower than last year. Good thing the CRW Thursday rides start soon and Walden Pond should soon be ready for open water swimming so there is plenty of time to get in shape for more Dus and Tris. The season has just started."

While that might be a sub-par result by Frank's standards, many of us would never dream of that kind of result. Congrats Frank!

Also this weekend in the "multisport" category, Andy and Kristin notched some great results in their areas of expertise, canoeing and orienteeering. Andy and his teammate finished second in the Athol River Rat canoe race. That's second out of 275 canoes. See a great picture and read the story in the Worcestor Telegram and Gazette here.

And the uber-fit Hall clan was well represented at an early season orienteering meet in Hale Reservation with mom Kristen winning the 5K course outright in 45:30, while the apple fell very close to the tree in the white course and the yellow course. (See full results here and you'll catch my drift)

Now that is the kind of family weekend NETT members love!

NETT Kicks off Busy "Boston" Weekend With A Few "Wins"

A 1-4 finish. A new distance PR. A great team dinner. And an unveiling of a special new team shirt. It was a very busy day for NETT and only the first of three in a row this weekend.

Up in Vermont, Doris tackled her first half-marathon at the Unplugged Half Marathon from Colchester to Burlington. With the help of her personal sherpa, Doris finished her first half in 2:06, far exceeding her goal by running a consistent and steady race. Big congrats. And, what a great event from the folks at RunVermont. Well organized, great post-race feast, and a very nice course. You couldn't ask for a better event.

While Dave and Doris were pacing along the bike path up north, Mary and Adrienne were hauling ass along the Rivah! At the Merrimack River 10 Mile Trail Race, Mary and Adrienne absolutely crushed it by going 1-4 in the women's division. Mary even won a tasty treat for her troubles. Huge congrats to both on a job well done. For more pictures check out the NETT The Facebook thingy.

And to wrap up the very busy day, Jean Dany hosted a pre-Boston pasta party where the new NETT "Hannah" shirts were officially unveiled. NETT be honoring Hannah's memory at Boston and the Vermont City Marathon and other upcoming races by wearing the shirts. Special thanks to JD for hosting a very nice dinner.

Changed for the better. Changed for good.

Coming up tomorrow, Frank kicks off NETT's multipsport season at the Wrentham Duathlon and on Monday, it's Dave, Marshall, Ali, Tina, and Paul tackling Boston in a sweltering heat. Think cool!

If you're going to lose, do it with style....

Favorite Hometown Runs: Kolding, Denmark

Editor's Note: This post is the first in NETT's new series of "Favorite Hometown Runs." This one comes in from Frank and provides a detailed tour of his hometown of Kolding, Denmark. If you've got a Favorite Hometown Run you'd like to submit, email to Crazy Dave.


I thought it could be interesting if NETT runners shared a favorite run from their hometown and thus gives us all a glimpse into different parts of the world, USA or New England. I will go first with a run I have done a number of times in my hometown of Kolding, Denmark. You can run along by using this course on MapMyRun: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/77863134

Mile 0-2
The course starts from my parent’s house. They have lived there since 1975 meaning I lived there for many years myself. Within less than 2 minutes I am already on familiar trails running along one of Kolding’s tourist attractions, a botanical garden. We used to climb the fence after closing hours to play hide-and-seek in some grottos in the Asian section.

The trail becomes a gravel trail in ‘The Devil’s Canyon’ – yes they call it a canyon, despite at best having 30 feet hills on each side of the Dalby Mill Creek that runs through it. I spent endless hours climbing the hills, catching tadpoles and one time a trout along in this canyon.

After ¾ of a mile the trail becomes muddy as it continues inside a cow pasture before popping out on the road in the small suburb of Vonsild; it is pronounced “One Sild” which in Danglish means “One Herring”. I am not making this stuff up – it is a standing joke in Kolding. Between high school and college I actually worked as a bank teller in this little town.

Mile 2-3.75
I run up a hill, cross a major road and then down into “Hylke Valley” (not sure what Hylke means – possibly a wild flower). This trail runs along Seest Mill Creek. It is a great but sadly little used trail. At one section there is a huge amount of poisonous plants called “Bearclaw” next to the trail. The plants can grow to almost 7 feet.

Mile 3.75-5.25
The nice trail ends soon and becomes a single trail that first goes up then drops steeply down to a section that is so close to the creek it is saturated with water almost all the time. No point in trying to avoid wet shoes here so I just run through it. A bit further and it is steep up to the spot of Kolding’s only ski lift (yes, I kid you not). Needless to say there can go years between it being in use.

There is one more steep trail followed by a set of wooden stairs up the other side and into the neighborhood of my High School.

Mile 5.25-6.25
The next mile is on a road above “The Alpine Valley” - are you starting to get the point that we are very creative with the names of our geographic landmarks, despite the lack of real elevation ;-) There are some real nice views East over the city and the fjord. From here you can clearly see the Koldinghus castle.

Mile 6.25-8
I turn left down a winding road and right onto a trail along Kolding River. This trail is a wide gravel trail that is used by many for daily commute to school and work. There are typically lots of cows in the meadow/marsh.

Just before downtown I can see on the left side of the river the soccer fields where I played soccer. I was 100% convinced I would be the next Pele or Michel Platini (I didn’t care much for Beckenbauer). At one point Kolding Football Club was in the best league in Denmark and I got to play a couple of exhibition matches with several thousand people watching. Clearly none of the scouts ever wrote down my name and thus I ended up in Boston instead of Barcelona.

Mile 8-9
I follow the river through the edge of downtown to reach the place where the river flows into the fjord.

Mile 9-10.5
Right around mile 10 I can see the place where my grandparents lived. I have many fond memories of walking down to the fjord for picnic with them. My granddad lived there until 2004 so it is still very present in my life.

A bit further up is a small boat dock where my best high school friends and I used to sail out on the fjord to water ski in the summer. From here on there is a really nice run along the fjord but a description of that will have to wait for another time.

Mile 10.5-12
I turn away from the fjord and head back into Devil’s Canyon from where I have another stretch of trail before heading back up the last hill and back to my parent’s house.

3 valleys, 2 creeks, 1 river and 1 fjord, 1 castle and lots of trails and scenery in just 12 miles. Hope you can join me one day.

How not to taper for a 10K

Frank KJ provides his thoughts on his preparation for his second place finish at the Malden 10K Race

Last Saturday: Great long run. Sunday: Great bike ride.

Monday: Total headache - allergy or cold. Definitely a cold.

Tuesday: Went through what seemed like 5 Kleenex boxes

Wednesday: Went through what seemed like 4 Kleenex boxes. Swam 25 minutes and biked one hour in the gorgeous weather; riding way too hard for a person with a cold!

Thursday: Went through what seemed like 3 Kleenex boxes. Headache gone so attempted to run - after 60 seconds my body begged me to stop. So I walked back home

Friday: Went through what seemed like only 1 Kleenex box. Yeah

Saturday. Game day decision to race. First mile was good. Next 3 miles were like "I think this was a bad idea". Last two miles I pulled myself together if not physically then at least mentally. Ended up taking 3rd overall and 1st master (or so I believe). Not quite the time I was looking for but I will take it and hope the warm weather returns soon.

And I am still keeping the Kleenex box nearby.

Nice work Frank! Third place in any 10K is...wait for it.....NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT!!!

Mini Ponies Recovering in Dedham

Here's a story about one of the heros who rescued these mini ponies:
Mini Horses, Extraordinary Hero

GO MINI PONIES GO!!!!

Friday Fun: Count on Me...Like 123..

MiniPonies on The Facebook

Yup, we have finally submitted to the pressure. Mark Zuckerburg calling us, sobbing, saying "It's just not complete without the MiniPonies."

Betty White, whose career was revived on the Facebook, visiting NETT headquarters to offer her own brand of female persuasion.

Angry Birds crashing into our window panes.

Yes, finally we have caved and NETT now has the Facebook. Its here:

http://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandTrackAndTrail

So enjoy all you cyberpunks and cyberpunkettes. Like us. Love us. Friend us. Poke us. Call the pizza guy. Turn it up to 11. Spread the gospel of the MiniPony to the outer limits of cyberspace. Bring those like-minded souls into the fold and convert the heretics. Okay, maybe I'm getting a bit too dramatic here.

But know this: you can never unfriend me!

Friday Fun: Do you know THIS guy?

NETT Ponyettes Stop Traffic. Literally.

Green light.
Yellow light.
Red light.
The NETT Ponyettes decided to dress like a traffic light this week so they can control traffic on their runs. Safety first!

Frank Flies at Foxboro

Congrats to Frank KJ for taking the master's win in the 5K at the Old Fashioned 10 Miler and 5K in Foxboro. Here's his report:

"I surprised myself with a better than expected 5K race today, running 18:13 and taking 2nd in the Masters and 5th overall. Of course all the fast people were in the 10 miler but I took home a trophy that says 1st 40-49 thanks to no double-dipping. The winner, who's a master, ran a freaking 15:59. I found myself in 7th out of the gate. At mile one a Saucony female runner came up along me and we paced each for the next one mile but in the end I was a bit stronger into the wind and put some time between her and me. By the way my GPS showed 3.16M and 5:46 pace - sound even better than the official 5:53 pace so I will go with that."

In the 10 miler, a couple more Mini Pony Masters put in strong runs, with the Youngstah cranking a 1:03 and Chris Smith putting down a 1:04 for the 10 miler course. When are those Fluff people going to call about a sponsorship?? Chris isn't gettin' any younger!

Welcome NETT's Newest Member

Welcome to NETT Danyson! Congrats to Jean Dany and Jo! He writes beautiful poetry, dazzles us with his phenomenal running, but this is JD's finest performance.

News Flash: Forefoot Strikers Less Likely to Get Injured

A recent study at Harvard confirms what many runners suspected -- heel strikers are more likely to get injured than forefoot strikers.

See the review here in a NY Times blog.

I'd emphasize that while the study bears out the trend, the takeaway here is "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." If you don't have a lot of injuries, go with what you got. If you're a heel striker and you tend to have more injuries than most (and you know who you ARE within NETT), it might be worth trying to gradually change that pattern.

We now return to regularly scheduled blogging.

What is Going on Here?

What on earth is going on here? Frank is being awarded a sash like a beauty queen? ("I feel pretty...oh so pretty..")

And then crowned Turkey Prince? And who the hell is that crazy chic? And WHY did Frank come home covered in...of all things...glitter?


What is going on here??

Good Press for NETT

The NETT Mini Ponies were out in force this past weekend at both the Assault on Mount Hood XC Race in Melrose and Walter's Run in West Roxbury.

In addition to our great results, we got some great press from these races as well.

In additon to NETT being thanked for coming out to Walter's Run in this article, Crazy Dave gets a brief quote here in a story in the West Roxbury Transcript about Walter's Run. And here's a good picture of the start, with Frank KJ right up there with the baby jogger! Love it.

Here's a couple NETTers toeing the line at Walter's Run courtesy of the West Roxbury Patch.

We didn't get mentioned in the Mount Hood coverage, except that our pal Ryan Hunt gets a mention here as the first Melrose finisher. (And I love the picture of Walter the Dog--he could give a s-t about the race. He's like "is that bacon I smell? What is that?"

NETT Caps Off Double-Header Weekend in Style at Walter's Run

For the second year, NETT showed up in force at Walter's Run in West Roxbury, just flooding the results before enjoying a delicious brunch.

In the results, it was a swarm of Mini Ponies up front. In the women's race, NETT swept three age groups--Mrs. Pizzaro took the 20-29 age group, Adrienne took the 30-39 age group and NETT newcomer Sinead took the 40-49 category. In addition, Tina was 11th overall/4th in her age group and Eminem took 7th in her age group.


Of course, technically Emma was the first NETT lady across the finish line.

On the men's side, it was NETT all over the place as well. Chris exacted his revenge on Crazy Dave by two seconds as they finished 3rd and 4th overall. The Youngstah was only a few spots back in 7th and Martin was 11th. Chris G put in a great effort as well, hitting 8 minute pace on a very hilly course. I think he's getting used to this running stuff....

The most impressive men's result of the day is a toss up between Frank, pushing Emma in the baby jogger, finishing in 19:39, good for 13th place overall or Little Skittles finishing his first race in many moons. Great work guys!

In addition to the NETT regulars, a few of the FATC members were ripping it up out there including Victora, Alissa, Ken and Matt, with Amy and Cara out for support. And Paul's Sheryl put in a solid effort as well.

Doris greeted us all at the finish line by "pulling our tags" when we crossed the line (she was volunteering). We had plenty of support (thanks to Ron, Chrissy and Lincoln!).

After the race it was back to Dave and Doris' for the new NETT tradition of a festive holiday potluck brunch. It was great to catch up with the regulars and new folks.

As usual, race director Keith Shields and the Parkway Running Club put on a fantastic race. A challenging course, great raffle, nice volunteers and all for a good cause. Read more about the The Walter Burgess American Running Camp Scholarship
here.

All in all it was a great day and the capper to a great weekend of NETT racing and socializing. Here's looking forward to a great 2012!

NETT Shines in First Half of December "Double Header" at Mt Hood XC Race

In the first race of the NETT December Double Header, the Mini Ponies tested their mettle at the always demanding Assault on Mt. Hood XC Race, hosted by the Melrose Running Club.

The NETT men's team showed some numbers and finished as the 4th men's team behind CMS, CRC, and CSU and just in front of our pals on Team Glennon. This was NETT's first time scoring as a team in 2011. The top three scorers for NETT were Dave Hannon, Chris Smith and Andy Hall. The supporting crew was strong with Marshall Randolph (2nd in his age group), Jack Burke and Patrick McVeigh all battling a very tough course.

For the women, Kristin Hall led the charge, finishing 2nd in the master's division. Jenn and Doris also did a fabulous job of tackling the steep climbs and descents of the Mt. Hood Golf Course.

As usual, Brian Slater and the folks at the Melrose Running Club put on a great race. Every year the course changes and this year's was called the toughest version yet, by more than a few runners. The post-race buffet at the Melrose Fish and Game Club was very very nice. Pasta, meatballs, salad, desserts, and BEER!

Looking forward to the second half of the weeken's double-heard, Walter's Run tomorrow.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

According to these statistics from our Meetup group, our total membership (blue) is up but plateauing, while our ACTIVE membership (red) is on a steady decline. Is it time to make some changes in the NETT membership policies? NETT members speak now!

NETT Celebrates its Anniversary at Andover XC Race

A few Mini Ponies were mucking it up at the Andover Country Club XC Race on Sunday. It was nine years ago that NETT first raced as a team at Andover.

This year, the women were represented by Tina Wang who finished fourth in her age group in 25:48 and Karyn Miller-Medzon who finished in 27:05.

On the men's side Crazy Dave finished 10th overall and fifth master and Janos Mako who finished fifth in the 50-59 age group in 21:20. To get an idea of just how competitive this race has become in the age groups Marshall Randolph was THIRD in his age group! And yes, Chris Smith was out there too. Blabbity blah Somerville blah blah.

Special thanks to Frank and Emma, our top-notch cheering section.

"I swear to you Emma. If you walk through that door over there, they will give you FREE BEER! Uncle Crazy would never lie to you!"

As always, the post-race party was top-notch with a great meal and..of course..FREE BEER!!

Big Congrats to Dustin and Mary!

A HUGE NETT congrats to Mary and Dustin for tying the knot this weekend. These two crazy kids got hitched and had their reception appropriately enough just a mile down the road from the Blue Hills! It was a fun night with everything from salsa dancing to a wild Pennsylvania tradition involving a bag of dollars and a minor brawl in suits.

Congrats!

Congrats to Eri!!

Big congrats to Eri for finishing his first marathon last weekend. Eri finished the Philaelphia Marathon. Here's his report:

Right at the start I made a deal with my friend Alex that we would run
together until the end. We kept a nice 7:50-8:00 pace until mile 18,
then as I was getting ready to speed it up, Alex was having some
problems with his right leg... So we slowed down gradually all the way
to 9:40 until mile 23. He insisted that I would leave him and run at
mile 18 but I kept him company until mile 23 and then took off (when he
had to stop to stretch and consistently insisted that I should go).

The last 3 miles or so I kept a 6:50 (according to my gps watch)
average and finished with 3:34 (according to my watch, and 3:35
according to their timing). I am pretty happy with the result... I was in pain at the end but I think I can do better in the next race...

The day was perfect, a little over cast but not too cold, then the sun
came up. Great organization and a ton o water station and bathrooms
along the way. apparently there were 25000 runners and 60000 people
cheering... I would definitely do it again, I loved the city!

Heee's Baaaccckk.....

Congrats to Marshall!

Warning: If you have a fragile ego and are in your 20s or 30s--seriously, don't read the next paragraph. Skip down to the video.

HUGE congrats to our pal Marshall who, at 63 years young, ripped out a 3:13 at the hilly, windy Cape Cod Marathon last week. That's 3:13 at 63 years old! Insane.

Marshall never fails to impress us and reminds us that you're as fast as you feel. So in his honor, I'm going to post my new favorite video featuring a couple other running idols that captures the spirit of it all. So watch the video, raise a glass and sing it loud: I Never Wanna Grow Old!

Emma Hits Her Stride at Waltham Halloween Race

A great Halloween race report from Frank KJ:

With Wrentham Duathlon postponed to next week, Emma and I decided to join Tina for a 5K race in Waltham. Nice little race for a good course - only downside is that the course is on Waverly Oaks with a lot of traffic. Luckily we got through it safely. As you can see from the results - - Emma placed 3 and 3/4 right in front of myself in 4th place. Tina placed 2nd overall. Afterwards a cold red-nosed Emma enjoyed all the attention in her Tigger outfit while Tina and I collected a couple of Best Buy gift certificates.

Breaking News: NETT Racks up the Wine and Pumpkins at Groton Trail Race

The NETT Mini Ponies had a great day at the Groton Town Forest Trail Runs today, highlighted by a 1-2 finish in the women's 9.5 mile race.

Mary Smith has clearly bounced back from the Nipmuck Marathon, running strong enough to take the women's win in her first crack at Groton (time to come), while Adrienne Cyrulik was not far behind to finish second place overall. What a great finish for the Ponyettes. Both earned themselves a coveted bottle of wine made personally by race director Paul Funch.

In the men's long race, CrazyDave chugged along fast enough to take the master's win, while Eri Verter, in the final stages of marathon training, cranked out a very strong run on the trails.

In the 3.5 miler, NETT "better halfs" Chris and Doris both enjoyed their first trip to this race with Chris earning himself a pumpkin for his efforts.

It was great to see some other NETT pals like John "I hate Facebook" Kinnee, Brodie Miles and Tom Hildreth mixing it up on their first trip to Groton as well.

As always, Paul Funch and his crew put on a great event--just what trail running is supposed to be. A well-marked challenging course with all sorts of surprises, helpful volunteers, VERY generous prizes (homemade wine takes a LOT more effort to make than a plastic trophy), and some nice post-race snacks.

NETT gives back to the trails

This weekend, a couple NETTers decided after all the dirt they've taken off the trails (and tracked into their cars, yards and living rooms), they should spend a day fixing them up a bit. Here's Mary's report:

"Saturday the Needy Little Man (aka Crazy Dave) proved that he's truly very generous. Dave and Mary joined the Friends of the Blue Hills in their organized trail maintenance day. The work days were started as a way for avid Blue Hills users to give-back, and help maintain the network of trails. Work days happen one Saturday a month (during Spring, Summer, and Fall), and include clearing brush and downed trees, digging ditches to re-route water and minimize trail erosion, and other small projects.


There were over 30 volunteers lined up at the Houghton's Pond parking lot. The core group of organizers (a bunch of guys named Bob) gave a brief description of the scheduled projects and then organized all the volunteers into smaller groups. Mary & Dave joined the "Brushing Group" which involved clearing downed trees that were making the trails impassable. The trees had been down since Hurricane Irene blew threw New England. The destruction from Irene was incredible. There were rows of huge downed trees, that fell like domino's in Irene's wrath. Some were so large, they looked like baby Red Woods! However, that did not deter Mary, Dave, and the 3 other's in the group. They worked diligently to clear the downed trees using only a hand saw and pruning sheers. The 3 guys in the group did all the sawing, while the gals worked with the pruning sheers and then used their pure brute strength and determination to move all monstrous logs (that the guys cut up).


The trail work day wrapped up around noon. The amount of work that done with 5 people, a saw, pruning sheers, and a whole lot of determination was absolutely amazing!! The next scheduled work day is November 12th.

Molkie Takes it Up to a New Level Down in Jersey

As most of you know, our pal Dave Molk headed South this fall to do smaht guy stuff. Well, he's definitely being smaaht about his running too, finishing his first 50K this weekend at the Mountain Madness 50K on a monstrous course down in NJ. Here's his report:

"I just finished my first 50k down here in Jersey and I'll start by saying that in my experience so far, the trails in MA are vastly superior to the ones down here. Take advantage of them. The race was Mountain Madness and claims around 5000' of elevation gain but luckily most of that is rolling, rather than steep scrambles. The terrain reminded me a lot of the Blue Hills, minus the Skyline trail. I ended up running the whole thing with a really nice guy who had ample ultra experience, so he definitely helped me more than I helped him.

I had tweaked something in my leg the week before the race (everyone's nightmare), so was considering not doing it at all rather than get into trouble mid-race. Luckily, we had good drop points for the first 10 miles and everything felt ok, so I kept going. Nutrition became a bit of a problem later in the race, as I got really tired of Clif Shots, which in turn led me to reject pretty much anything I tried to eat. I think Hammer shots are the worst product I've ever tried (stocked at the aid stations).

Other than that, I stayed hydrated, blister, cramp, and chafe-free, and tried to look at it as a fun adventure/hike in the woods. I had a few mental lapses but the body stayed strong and the legs were good up to the last mile and a half, which was downhill and beat up my quads more than I expected. Still, things are feeling good today. Course marking was similar to Oxford, so I got some extra mileage in, but luckily not too much. We had a gorgeous day, starting in the low 50s and ending in the 60s, with sun for most of the time (although we had a lot of tree-cover).

I finished with 6:29 for 13th place."

Big congrats Molkie! Way to make us proud!

MiniPonies Tackle the Trails at Nipmuck Marathon

A couple hearty MiniPonies took to the trails at the Nipmcuk Trail Marathon on Sunday and the results were one great finish, one acceptable finish given the circumstances, and a whole lot of stories to tell.

First, we'll check in with Mary "Candy Pants" Smith on her race. CP finished 7th woman overall in 4:50 (time means nothing in this event, except to say it's a rugged run). But it's not even so much WHAT she did, but how she did it. Starting out easy, weaving her way up through the pack, bee-bopping along most of the way, and finishing looking like she could have run another 10 miles. Here's her report:

"Overall this was a great race! A little crazy, a smidge muddy, and a bit hilly...but I would do it again. The race was 2 out and back runs: 6+ miles one way back to the start and then 6+ miles in the other direction and then back to the finish. The out and back on the single track made it tougher to pass (especially when the speedy runners were coming toward you) but it was encouraging to see the other runners. Somehow Dave managed to provide pertinent advice both times we passed each other.

I was a little nervous going into the race, wondering if I trained enough - I just ignored that part of my brain until the race started. The pre-race de-brief was informative yet, shall we say 'interesting'. I don't think words could explain the actions of Nipmuck Dave & his pre-race mud jaunt. When the race started, I was toward the back, which was good and bad...good because it forced to start slowly, but bad because it was hard to pass on the single track. The people in front of me were walking up every hill and through every mud crossing (and there was plenty of mud). The 1st 3 miles of the race were slow and mentally tough - trying to navigate around the other runners. About 30 minutes into the race, the weather gods decided it wasn't muddy enough, so they brought on some more rain. It rained just long enough to make sure everything was soaked and that the mud was plentiful.

I got to see Dustin & Doris (our biggest fans) at the half way point. Dustin told me I could quit the race, but I told him that if I quit - I'd have to find another marathon to run before the wedding (I set a goal for myself to run one more marathon before the wedding-mission accomplished). I enjoyed the 2nd half of the race more than the 1st, even though the 2nd half was slightly longer & more technical. All the runners spread out and I was able to run alone in the woods...and there was less mud. Plus, since I started so slowly, I was able to speed past people who were starting to struggle. A memorable section of the 2nd half was having to slide over a big fallen log (because it was too big for me to jump) but then crossing a marshy area - where I had to wade into shin deep water for 3 or 4 steps before I got to the footbridge (which was also submerged). I thought of it as a way to clean off some of the mud. The course continued through the woods, on a short stretch of dirt roads, over some significant climbs, and down a treacherously slippery set of stairs to the final turnaround.

The last 6 miles were challenging, but we were all like horses headed to the barn. I tried using Jean Dany's attitude of "run harder when you're tired so you finish sooner". I saw Doris & Dustin again at one of the aid stations, and then was off to finish the race. The last 2 miles were the toughest but I knew the end was near. As I crested the last hill and headed to the finish I felt "OK" but was glad to see Dustin waiting for me at the bottom - I knew it was almost over and that I was about to finish! I finished in 4:50 slightly slower than Dave's 3:55 effort.

There was post race food and drink (who in their right mind wants more Gatorade after a marathon). We got some food, checked some results, & I even found some evidence of Candy - CP lives on!! Thanks to Dustin & Doris for waking up at 5am on a Sunday, and especially to Dustin who missed all the 1:00 football games!"


Crazy Dave could have taken a lesson from Candy Pants and taken a different approach. Unfortunately for him, the race played out in a not-so-pleasant manner. A slightly upset stomach meant he limited his food intake to basically less than half a sports bar. And for a race this long, that spells disaster. The last five miles, he was not his usual peppy self and struggled up some of the hills he was actually looking forward to early on. The result? He gave up two places in the last 1/4 mile to finsih 6th overall in 3:55, good for first master (thanks mostly to a kids' soccer game up in NH somewhere).

As the photos on Dustin and Mary's Facebook show, Crazy Dave was basically a ghost after the race (check out the last picture as well as Dustin's hilarious comments throughout!), turning whiter than Pat Boone at a Clan rally. Not to worry for all of his many many fans out there, all's well with Crazy Dave and he's back to his usual wisecracking self (as the previous and current sentence will attest to).

The Shenipsit Striders did a great job putting this race on for the first time in the fall. They made sure there was plenty of mud, a couple knee deep water crossings, and plenty of aid at the aid stations and volunteers on the course. Congrats to Clint Morse, taking the reigns from Nipmuck Dave.

HUUUUGE thanks to:
Dustin for waking up at the crack of dawn, driving all the way there and back, taking pictures and all out support.

Doris for the continued support and post-race medical care.

The race volunteer in the white Boston Marathon jacket who watched Crazy Dave like a hawk after the race, repeatedly asking if he was okay and if there was someone coming to get him. No joke--that is exactly what he (I) needed at the time whether he (I) knew it or not.

The Newton Wellesely Hosptial Bear for checking vitals.

And ALL of the race volunteers who spent a long Sunday in the woods so that a bunch of us whackos could run around in the mud.