Report from NETT North (WAY NORTH)

The NETT news room got a report recently from our furthest North (and Western) member, Liz who's gone to live out in the wilds of Manitoba among the woodland creatures. Apparently, she's already getting to know some of the "locals." Here's her report:

"So the other day I had a crazy run and I knew NETT would appreciate it. I was running on our island trail, which on average takes me 21 minutes, so I don't know how long it is because it's a trail, but my guess is 2.5 miles at the most. However all of that doesn't really matter, I was out the other night before dinner and I was only planning on doing one lap, and I was just coming to the last turn on the trail when I spotted a bear! Now I knew a bear had been spotted a couple of times so I wasn't surprised I saw it. I made some noise and it got scared, but instead of running into the woods it ran up a tree, and not any tree but one I needed to run under!

So I stood there for a bit weighing my options, trying to decide if I should A) run under the tree with the bear in it, B) wait for it to come out of the tree and continue or C) turn around and run two laps. I decided my safest bet was to turn around and run a second lap and I was still on time for dinner. Oh the adventures of trail running up here."

Good Choice Liz!

Molkie Continues his Tour of the New England Classic Trail Races at Greylock

Dave Molk has been on a mission this spring to run what many consider the "classic" New England rrail races and he's doing a great job. So far he's hit Soapstone, 7 Sisters and this weekend he ran the Greylock Half Marathon (Greylock Gallop to some of us old timers). Here's Molkie's reoprt:

"I ran this one strong and am feeling better on the hills (singular in this case). After losing a shoe in the first mud pile (literally the instant we hit the single-track), I regrouped, re-shoed, and began the climb, hiking a few parts but keeping a run for most of it. I felt great on the downhills but was a little overzealous in hammering them, as my right calf started twitching towards the end (though I didn't know how much was left). Scary moment for a borderline cramp, as well as the first I've had in my leg. Thankfully it didn't seize or buckle and I didn't lose any spots, although I gave up trying to reel people in. I finished maybe 3/4 of a mile later in 24th, spent but satisfied."

Congrats Molkie. Great to see you touring the classics.

NETT Relay Team Wins the Big Take at the Big Lake!

Well, you gotta give Frank credit for not shying away from a challenge. At Sudbury, it was the Battle of the Dynasties, relay team vs. relay team. This week, it was the Big Take at the Big Lake at the Webster Triathlon, where Frank -- solo -- challenged the relay team of Nicholas (swim), Bruce (bike) and Crazy Dave (run).

Frank headed off in the first wave, and three minutes back, Nicholas hit the water. As the results show, Nicholas was about 13 seconds faster than Frank, so it was close. But then, the rules worked against the Great Dane. The organizers at the last minute allowed relay teams' runner to run the chip up the 200 meters from the beach to the first transition area which was a big advantage for team Nicholas. They put a minute on Frank there (closing the head-start he got going in the first wave to about two minutes).

On the bike, Bruce surprised himself and threw down a 34:29 to Frank's 34:02, keeping Team Nicholas' about a minute ahead (and only two minutes back physically). "I have to say I was very impressed with Bruce's bike split, especially given the hilly course," Frank said.

On the run, Crazy Dave set out about 2 minutes after Frank and got a glimpse of Frank at the turn around. "Frrrannkk....I'm commminnning Frank!" Dave caught Frank with about 300 meters to go on the run and the two came in stride for stride to the finish.

At the end of the day, Frank deserves big credit for organizing everyone and putting in a great effort. He was 11th overall and first in his division.

Team Nicholas ran away with the relay team crown, finishing more than 2:30 ahead of the next team. It was a lot of fun.

"Another successful day for NETT in a multisport race," Frank summed it up.

Quick Recap of Lincoln Steeplechase, Exeter Trail Race

Several NETT members hit the trails this weekend. On Sunday it was the Lincoln Steeplechase 6.7 mile trail run on our "home turf." Here's the news from Frank:

"I haven't seen the results yet but as I recall Chris Smith ran 41:50 for 6th overall, I was 44:40 for 15th, Dave Molk ran with a friend in 47-48, and Marshall was 48 and change. Marshall won his age group, but by mistake they gave it to someone else. They probably didn't think anyone over 60 could run under 50 minutes on that course! (NETT pal and multiple winner of the Thomas Chamberas 6K Race) Ryan Carera won in 38:32 or something like that actually quite a lot of runners considering the weather. Paul Young, Tina and Emma were on hand to cheer. My wet muddy shoes are on the porch optimistically waiting for the sun to return."

Thanks Frank. Dave Molk's run at Lincoln was actually his second of the day! Earlier on Sunday, he was up in Exeter, NH for The Exeter Trail Races . Here's his report:

"I felt really strong on this one. It was cold and wet (read slippery, especially the wooden bridges) but I went out hard and basically stayed in 13th for most of the race. I tucked behind a guy I thought was Scott Livingston from the Shenipsit Striders (who I know is fast) and passed a guy with him towards the end but couldn't get past him too. After finishing 12th, I discovered that the guy I was behind was in fact not Scott, but had still beaten me in other races this season, so still fast.

The Lincoln Steeple Chase got a bit uncomfortable after 15 minutes or so but my friend and I gritted it out. Chris and Frank both looked good (at least at the start, as I didn't see them after that. Marshall was a class act as always. Strong cheering by Paul, Tina, and Emma."

Great show of support out there folks!

Martin's Mooseman Report

Here is my Mooseman 2011 International Distance race report.

First the pros: It was a beautiful day, cool - water temps high 50s-low 60s. The course was well laid-out and marked - overall, a very professional event.

The cons: It is an Iron Man event so they could care less about the International distance. They still have not posted the results for the race even though using the exact same timing system, they were able to post the results for the 1/2 iron man race as the race was happening. Also, they only worked to accommodate the 1/2 Iron so the bike course was long by 2.5+ miles - that favored the heavy bikers which had me at a bit of a disadvantage.

Overall, I would have to say that it was a good International-distance season opener. The swim went well - I got out of the water 4th in my division - there was a pro that I didn't even see and who beat us all by a lot. I got out of the water right with the next two guys who beat me in the swim and made it out of the transition before them. The bike course was really hilly and I am still a little twitchy on downhills from my incident last summer so I gave up a little time there. Also, it was a long bike course - 27.5+ Miles so all of the heavy bikers got a good advantage out there. Coming out of the bike transition, I passed two people immediately and began hunting down others. The leader was flying as was a guy from the 40+ age group. I was able to hunt down one other runner before the finish to cross the tape 7th.

The IronMan folks still have not posted the international results 3 days after the event - someone literally photographed them and posted them to flickr, which is where I have figured out my overalls. I ended up 10th over all in the swim, 49th overall in the bike and 1st in the run(maybe - I still have not seen them because work blocks flickr). That was good for 2nd in my age group and 13th over all for a time of 2:22. I wish that I would have done a bit better and broken top 10 over all but it was a great race nonetheless.

(Lincoln's Proud of his Dad!)

Here are the "results"

Here is the context:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=3371984;

NETT Continues the Summer Tradition at the Corrib Classic 5K

The NETT Mini Ponies kicked off the summer racing season in what's become an annual tradition by racing the Corrib Classic 5K in West Roxbury.

It was a great day, with some strong performances. On the men's side, Crazy Dave and Chris Smith took 1-2 in the master's race, (4th and 7th overall). It was a particularly impressive run for Chris, given he ran the Rhody 5K earlier in the day, as did Steve Peckiconis, who took fourth in his age group. (How do these guys DO it?)

On the ladies' side, Adrienne and Tina outdid Dave and Chris by finishing 4th and 6th in the women's field, Tina the first master. Also, the speedwork has been paying off for Doris, who had a strong run on a hot day, and NETT pals Victoria ran well with Alissa's pacing help.

After the race, it was back to Doris and Dave's for the annual post-race cookout, with a long list of NETT members and pals and some surprise guests!

Frank takes to the Sea for the Rye Duathlon

Frank journeyed north this weekend to the Rye-By-the-Sea Duathlon. And here's his report:

"With Black Bear Duathlon sadly canceled this year I decided to race Rye-By-The-Sea Duathlon. It a great scenic course and very well run event. The 3M run leg starts out with 1M on the roads, then 1.2M on trails in a small wood and finally 0.8 on dirt road. I had a solid first run leg coming in to T1 in 6th place. The first 5M were right into the wind but luckily with a slight downhill. I could, however, not match the strong cyclists so by the time we turned south on the Ocean Rd I had dropped down to 9th.

For the next 7 miles the was a strong tailwind and I averaged around 27 mph - that feels pretty cool. Around mile 9 I had a scary situation as a small terrier came running out from a driveway in front of me; luckily for me it decided to simply just stand still in the middle of the road. The last 4 miles were tough as we headed back into the wind and now with a slight uphill so suddenly my speed dropped to more moderate readings. The second run (which is the 1st leg run in reverse) was quite uneventful as I was not able to close the gap to any of the guys in front of me and I myself had a solid gap on the next guys. So I remained 9th overall and with (yet another) 2nd place finish in my age group. A great race on a day with near perfect weather."

Congrats Frank!

Race Report: Soapstone Mountain Trail Race

A few hearty NETT members headed down to the legendary Soapstone Trail Race on a wet Sunday. A first-timer, a second timer seeking redemption, and a veteran of more Soapstones than most of us could ever hope for.

Big congrats to Chris Smith, for his successful return to Soapstone after getting disastrously lost here last year (we were about 80% sure he had been abducted by aliens at a certain point). Chris finished 10th in 1:56 this year. Here's his take on it:

"I laugh at you Soapstone Moutain! (insert diabolical laughter) Is that all you've got? Actually, I almost didn't go when I woke up to hard rain. I checked the radar and it didn't look too bad so I got up and headed out. The race started with a nice temperature but sketchy footing. I was going even slower than usual on the downhills. With about 5m to go it started to downpour. The trails turned to rivers. After the last big climb I was just ahead of two guys. I fell at the beginning of the decent and lost one spot, lost another spot due to my slow decending speed. I could see them just ahead on the fire road to the finish but there was nothing left in my legs. I finished 10th place, but I am beat."

Also big congrats to Dave Molk who cracked the top 20 in his first attempt at Soapstone. (After his strong effort at 7 Sisters, clearly Molkie is checking off all the "classics" on the New England Trail racing circuit). Here's Dave's report:

"It was a wet race, although we started off dry (at least, not raining). I took two diggers but didn't have any shoes sucked off by the mud, which I was pretty worried about. Fun course, thank god we didn't have to go back down that big hill, although there was a long descent near the end that was also really slippery. As seems to be the trend at the moment, I had a better second half. Fun race. Chris looked good, but I couldn't actually see him, as he was out of sight in front of me the whole time."

And one of NETT's trail running veterans Dave Mingori was just minute behind Molkie in 2:05. Surf through the Soapstone results and you'll see Dave's name in a lot of results, always pretty high up--the guy's just a trail running stalwart and put in another great effort.

Great work guys! Putting the "T" back in NETT!

NETT Dynasties Do Battle at the Duel in the Pool

The stakes were high and the terms were set. Two all-star NETT triathlon relay teams went head to head at the Sudbury Sprint Triathlon, pushing each other to phenomenal results.

Team 1, aka the Wang Dynasty, of Nicholas (swim), Frank (bike) and Tina (run) was unbeatable head-to-head. So in a show of true sportsmanship, they agreed to provide a 10-minute cushion (thanks in part to the Montreal Canadiens' Lars Eller) to NETT team two, aka the Chow Dynasty, which consisted of Dave's niece Julie (swim), Crazy Dave (bike) and Doris (run).

The Wang Dynasty was first up, with Nicholas swimming his 400m pool leg like a marlin covered in butter. Fast and smooth despite having spent 6 hours doing hard labor the day before. Frank headed out on the bike and put down the Danish hammer, and laying down the second-fastest bike split in the relay. With that Tina took off looking like she'd never even heard of the Boston Marathon, throwing down a sub-16 minute run for a total relay time of 40:27.

If the Chow Dynasty was going to win the bet and a free breakfast at Helen's Restaurant in Concord, it would need to put in a 50:27, no small task for two first-time triathletes and a "cyclist" who looks more the part than acts it. After a long warmup, Julie took off on her first-ever triathlon swim leg like a pro. She beat her seed time by 30 seconds and ran like a started deer out to the transition area to send Dave off on the bike leg. Dave, extremely concerned he would be the weak leg on his team, gave it everything he had, but still gave up more than two minutes to Frank. The race was in Doris' hands, er, feet.

Doris sped off on the run leg, knowing she'd have to work hard to keep her team in contention. With the bet on the line, Doris knew it was close and kicked it in the last 300 meters like there was a shoe sale on the other side of the finish line.

When the dust settled, it was close, but the Chow Dynasty kept it to an 8:41 gap with a 49:08, thereby winning the bet!! Breakfast at Helen's to the victors!! (Special thanks to the Chow Dynasty team mascot, M, and of course Emma for her undivided attention as a spectator).


Also putting in great performances at Sudbury were Big Al Prescott and his wife Judy. Al, who even took a spill on the bike ("It's boring if there's no blood!") put down a 49-minute effort while Judy put in a 1:02 solo effort. Great job by both.

All in all it was a fun event--the pool swim makes it a great first-time event, and the weather cooperated nicely.

Liz's Take on Boston

Well, as most of you know our latest NETT casualty, Liz Haacke, has returned to her native Northlands. But before she left, she threw down a great Boston Marathon. Here’s her take on her first Boston.

My thoughts on the marathon:
This is a little later than I had hoped to write it, but moving kind of came at me fast and took over my life a bit. So here is what my impressions are from what I remember.

First up, the bus ride out. I was so happy to be going on the bus with Karyn and Peter, it gave me people to talk to and calm me down. And Karyn mentioned that the bus ride is one of the worst parts of the race, and I agree. You are driving and driving and driving thinking the whole time that you need to run the whole way back, you really get a sense of how far you have to run. Also, I was surprised to be surrounded by fellow Canadians on the bus, so we had a pleasant chat about Canada and also the marathon until the man sitting next to me told me Winnipeg is a horrible place, well seeing as that is where I now reside, our conversation was over after that.

Once I got off the bus I found a line for a port-o-potty. Walked around a little then I was time for my wave. Deciding what to keep on, what to put in my bag and what to toss along the way was a challenge as it was a cold wind that morning. One the way to the start I made one last pit stop and then had about 3 minutes to make it to my coral.

Then we were off, and it was a smooth start, one of the fastest starts of all the races I have done, and I kept telling myself to take it slow, that if I thought I was going slow enough I probably still wasn’t and to run my own race. The first half felt great, I had what I thought was a great pace, I saw my friends that had volunteered and had been put at the elite water stop at the 5k mark, so seeing them gave me a boost. Going through Wellesley was fine. Then a few miles after the half my quads started to hurt and my pace started to slow again.

When I knew the Newton hills were coming I welcomed them in a way, I had trained on hills quite a bit, and it gave my quads a break. So I took heart break in stride, it was challenging yes, but so much better than going downhill at that point. The last few miles were decently painful, but I kept going and I saw my friends again in the last half a mile so that gave me a boost.

Crossing the finish line was a great feeling and way more emotional than I thought it would be. Moving through everything in the finisher’s chute was slow and didn’t help with cramping, but it was well organized.

Overall I am glad I did it, and it was a great way to say goodbye to Boston.

Thanks Liz. We miss you already! Best of luck from NETT!!!

Molkie Tackles the 7 Bitches the Hard Way

Congrats to Dave Molk, who not only survived his first run at the 7 Sisters Trail Race, but finished in 2:33, 41st place, in one of the toughest races in New England. Here's his report:

"The first half was somewhat miserable despite my starting conservatively, with a few wrong turns, higher temps/sun exposure, and my not being in the race, mentally.

I regrouped at the turn-around, ate a cookie, and started to pull things together. I wish I carried more water, as I kept running out between stations, but passed a lot of people on the way back. I actually avoided getting passed myself on the last 6. Felt really solid on the downhills (except one or two that had me praying to avoid a broken ankle) but the uphills reminded me just how out of shape I am from where I'd like to be.

I'll be trying to get my act together for some races later in the season.
Bottom line: Despite still walking down stairs like Frankenstein (running hard downhills without training them beforehand = demolished quads), I'm planning on coming back next year to run it again and knock some solid time off."

Congrats Dave!

NETT goes 2 for 2 at opening Hale Trail Race

The nice folks at Hale Reservation in Westwood kicked off their 5K trail race series this weekend, and NETT members took the men's and women's division wins. Mary Smith made it look easy, cruising to sixth place overall and the women's win in 25:05, while Crazy Dave took the men's race.

Here's Mary's report:

"After spending 6 nights in Seattle, I couldn't think of a better way to start my weekend than a 5K trail race. I knew I would be tired & still on West Coast time - but as Dustin always says "You can run a 5K in your sleep." So I made the long 4 mile drive over to Hale Reservation. It was a small, low key 5K (close to 75 people)...on nice single track trails. Nothing was too technical or too hilly and the course was well marked. Doing all those runs in Hale definitely gave me a "home advantage" - for the most part I knew what was coming next.

My least favorite part of the race came with about 100 feet to go - some man trying to "Coach" me...saying the finish was right around the corner and telling me to "Empty It Out". I could see the finish line, I know how to run a race, I was in the lead, and there was NO one nearby....I didn't enjoy his "Coaching". However it did provide for some entertainment during Sunday's long run.

So now to the BEST parts of the day. The men's & women's races were swept by NETT!! Crazy Dave crossed the line 1st for the men and I finished 1st for the Women, in about 25 min (notice - I did not mention Crazy's time). The day was filled with nice trails, beautiful weather, "Winner Loving" flies, and quite a few laughs!!

Next 5K at Hale is June 25th at 9 am. They were planning to design a course up Powisset Peak. I definitely recommend them to anyone interested.

Tina's Take on Boston

As many of you know, Tina Wang basically defied the laws of nature and came back from having a baby to run Boston in a few short months. Here's her take on how the race played out:

"I know that I wasn't as disciplined as Karyn on the training so I knew that I would definitely bonk during the second half of the marathon. So the strategy was to run as fast as I could during the first half. Yup, weird strategy and opposite to what everybody else recommends. The first half I felt good. But the second half, oh, boy, was a torture. Frank and Nicholas were waiting for me at mile 23. Which was great, but meant I couldn't even drop out before then. If I made it to mile 23, I guess I'd better finish it. Then during the final 2K, I thought, hey if I can finish with 3:40, I might have a little chance to register for Boston next year (I will be "allowed" to registered on the third day, I believe). Therefore, I picked up my pace a bit and finished in 3:38. I was so sore the next couple days....... I have never been this sore after a marathon before. This is what happens when you don't train enough, I guess.

I am so glad that Karyn, Liz, Deb, and Peter all did so well. I am so proud of everybody!

Eminem's Boston Race Report

Karyn M-M defied the laws of medicine by not only meeting her post-surgery goal of completeing Boston, but re-qualifying for next year. Here's Karyn's report:

Done!

What a day -- the weather was perfect. A light breeze, constant sunshine and temps between 48 and 60.

Peter and I kept a steady pace until about mile 16 when he was felled with a calf cramp -- he'd been having calf problems for the last week.

I ended up running ahead and stayed pretty much on pace to achieve my goal of under-four-hours (okay...I cut it a little close at 3:59:03...but I wasn't the least bit disappointed. I was ecstatic). Five months after knee surgery and I re-qualified...if by the skin of my teeth : ) Also fabulous was that Daniel jumped in just before mile 23 and encouraged, cheered and paced me to the end -- making sure that I crossed under hours. He was awesome. (A cheer from Little Skittles at mile 23 -- where he was sitting in his throne with his track buddies was pretty nice too).

The only foolish thing I did was not dealing with a pebble that landed in my shoe at mile 7. By the half I knew I had a decent cut or blister and by the finish line I was a bit worried about taking my shoe off and looking. I spent about 15 minutes in the med tent while they cleaned and bandaged it. Turned out to be a lovely cut-and-blister combo package. I won't be wearing shoes for a few days : )

Best news is that Peter picked himself up and finished despite his calf. He crossed the finish line in 4:13! I had been worrying for 10 miles that he wouldn't make it. I shouldn't have!

That's our news. Off to an icebath with the hockey game in the background.

Mini Ponies Gallop Through Historic Boston Marathon

It was a historic day at the Boston Marathon with world-record times and the NETT Mini Ponies were right there in the thick of it all.

Liz Haacke said a fond farewell to the Hub by pounding out a 3:41 in only her second attempt at the distance. Here's hoping Liz enjoyed it so much she'll be back again next year to run! (We'll hear more from Liz tomorrow on her run)

Deb Robertson somehow managed to sneak in some great training while putting wedding plans together at the same time. In what will (I assume) be her last marathon as a single lady, Deb knocked out a 4:05.

New mommy Tina Wang somehow managed to balance a newborn baby, driving lessons for Nicholas and marathon training to run 3:38. Poor woman is so sleep-deprived, she was making coffee stops on the course! I don't know how she did it. (And if you're thinking this photo of Tina gulping starbucks looks familair, it's a repeat of her pose from two years ago here Same outfit, same pose, pretty funny!

And Karyn Miller Medzon, only a few months after knee surgery, held steady and strong to requalify with a 3:59 (Karyn's report will be posted separately, shortly).

On the men's side, Frank White's weekly training efforts on Heartbreak Hill clearly paid off as he skated to a 2:50 effort.

Congrats to all!!

Multi-sport Season Kicks off at Wrentham Duathlon

How often can you say you outdueled a political juggernaut -- and you're not even a politician? NETT's Martin and Frank KJ did just that at the Wrentham Duathlon today.

"We both had the pleasure of kicking Senator Scott Brown's ass, but enough about him," said Frank. "We were lucky with the weather as the sun broke through the clouds as we toed the start line."

Frank reports that Martin was a bit off pace on the run but improved his bike leg from last year by more than a minute! "If he had worn a more aero outfit instead of a loose-fitted jersey he likely would shaved another 30 seconds off."

Frank had another "just missed the hour mark" race at Wrentham with the same old run and bike splits but good enough for 5th place overall. All in all a promising start to the multisport season. Results at http://www.firm-racing.com/

In other racing news, Toledo Joe Hardin outran a juggernaut of his own at the BAA 5K, just outkicking the great Uta Pipig in 19:32. Nice work Joe!

NETT Men Head for the Hills to Kick Off the Trail Racing Season

NETT runners has a variety of trail races to choose from this weekend to kick off the season in style, with Merrimack Rivah, Northern Nipmuck and Blue Hills all taking place on the same Saturday. And our boys chose to head for the hills!

Dave Molk made his triumphant return to trail racing after an extended absence, cranking out a 1:19 at the Blue Hill Fox Trot 10 Miler. That effort got Molkie fifth in his age group and 11th overall on a very hilly course. "This was my first race since Stone Cat 09 and it's great to be back at it. Looking forward to digging in this season," he said.

Can't wait to see more great results from this guy before he heads south at the end of the summer to go become a musical doctor.

Also on Saturday a few NETT folks and friends hit the Northern Nipmuck 16 Mile Trail Race (or should I say it hit US!). Kidding aside, NETT went 2-3-6 in the men's masters race with Youngstah, Crazy Dave and Dave Mingori tackling the extremely rugged course. Old pals Keith Schmitt and John Kinnee deserve acknowledgement as well for running top-notch times on their first times on this course.

Nice work all and looking forward to more trail racing success out there.

Battle Road Runs are Back!

Even though it's snowing as I write this, Spring is officially here and we're starting up one of NETT's longest traditions, our Monday night runs on the Battle Road Trail.

We meet every Monday night in the parking lot of the Element Hotel in Lexington, Mass. and run 10 miles (five out and back). At the end of the run, our sponsor, the Element Hotel, provides beverages and snacks for us in a private room (no joke--they really do!).

If you don't feel up to a full 10-miler, you're welcome to start out with us and turn back at any point and meet up with us back at the hotel later.

Details are posted in the Meetup group every week, so please RSVP if you plan to attend.

SPECIAL TREAT:
To get you all in the right frame of mind, I wanted to point you to a song called "Battle Road" written by one of my favorite singer-songwriters Kevin Connolly, who lives in the area and walks his dog out on the Battle Road Trail regularly.

If you go to his web site here, you can play his song on the bottom of the site (hit the arrows to the left if you want to get to Battle Road).

"Do what you gotta do, down the Battle Road."

Liz tackles Stu's, Dave makes masters' debut

It's been a bit quiet on the racing front, but here's a couple NETT results from the past couple weeks.

Liz Haacke's dedicated Boston training showed through in her performance at Stu's 30K on March 6. Liz churned out a 2:36 in her first run on the hilly 30K course.

"I felt good the whole race," Liz said. "I didn't go out too fast which was good. I ran pretty hard, but I think I could have run harder. I definitely think my hill workouts have been helping, the hills were challenging, but I never came to something and thought I couldn't handle it. I was by myself for a good few miles, and during those miles I think I slowed down, but then someone picked me up a mile or so past the half way point and we talked the rest of the race, which helped keep my pace up a bit. And, in really good news, I was not too sore after the race, so no injuries or too much of a beating on my legs."

Congrats Liz!

And in other racing news, Crazy Dave made his master's debut, but not in a running race. He finished in the top half (just barely!) of the Bretton Woods Nordic 20K race this past weekend, finishing 50th place in 1:43 in his first "official" classic nordic ski race.

NETT comes out of hibernation at Hyannis

Despite the very tough winter, it's clear the members of NETT have remained steadfastly focused on their training this year, as evidenced by the performances thrown down at the Hyannis races this weekend. Heck, just getting to the race was a challenge, as the New England winter threw us another curveball on Sunday, dropping several inches of snow in the morning.

In the 10K, Frank KJ blistered out a near-PR 36:18, finishing third overall. The ages of the first place and second place finsher combined are still less than Frank's age! Great work Frank. (It's a good day for the Danish, as I type this, a Danish film, In a Better World, just won the Oscar for the best foreign film).

In the half-marathon, Martin Bures led the charge, knocking out a 1:22 in despite less-than-ideal conditions. On the ladies' side, Karyn Miller-Medzon cranked a speedy 1:48, clearly having a strong winter of training. Deb Robertson was just a bit back in 1:49, according to the netttime.

Congrats to all! Great work out there.