NETT's M+Ms Go Over (to) Niagra Falls

NETT's Mini Ponies raced well in two countries this weekend (including one race that actually spanned two countries!).

On Saturday Eminem and Eminem Jr. (aka K-M-M and N-M-M) headed to Niagara Falls for the Niagara Falls International Marathon and Half Marathon. Initially, things were not looking hopeful for the younger of the duo, who suffered a para-spinal lumbar sprain about 10 days prior. The question was...would he run or wouldn't he? Dr. Ron determined that running would not create further injury...the decision would wait for a game day assessment. Well...with the help of a few pain patches, a lot of optimism, and unbelievable determination, he completed the half in a very respectable 1:37 (7:28 pace) and won first-in-age-group for his effort.

The senior member of the family team was ecstatic about her race, finishing in 3:57:05, about 3 minutes faster than her Boston Qualifier in very strong headwinds. Her brief report: "I ran the first half, from Buffalo, across the Peace Bridge and into Canada, comfortably and confidently with the 3:50 pace group. Stayed with them through the 30k (18.6 miles) when the headwinds along the Niagara River really picked up. It felt like we were running carrying weights for the last 8 miles. By that time I was a little depleted and slowed my pace down by nearly 35 seconds per mile until the finish. So my second half was just over 5 minutes slower than my first. That said, I had no doubt that I'd finish, and couldn't wait to see my support crew by the roaring Falls at the finish line. Exciting day!" Her run earned her 6th place in her age group, a medal with a rotating Canada-US flag, and tea from Tim Horton's!

Back in the USA, one of this fall's most prolific runners, Ilya Bass, completed the Canton Fall Classic 10k in 47:41 (a speedy 7:41 pace!) placing him 8th in his age group. Congrats!

Stay tuned for next weekend's results, when a sizable crew of Mini Ponies heads to the Busa Bushwack Trail Race.

Mini Ponies Crash the Age Groups at Ravenswood, Scarecrow races

NETT Mini Ponies had a very successful weekend, taking multiple age group awards at the Ravenswood Trail Race and the Lincoln Scarecrow race.

First, here's Bobblehead Bob's report from Ravenswood:

The Hall family did quite well today at the very technical Ravenswood 4.1 mile trail race in Gloucester. Andy and Bridget ran together, pacing her to second place in her age group. Meanwhile, Kristin, who owns this race it seems, finished first in her age group. And on top of that, during the post-race raffle, the Hall family won a family membership to the trustee organization that sponsored the race. They can go to all their parks and conservation lands for free! In my firdt North Shore Trail Series race of the season, I was happy to come in second in my age group. Beautiful crisp fall day and lots of goodies afterward.Full results posted here.

Meanwhile over in Lincoln, Paddlah Steve took the 60+ age group at the Lincoln Scarecrow 5K race, edging out his age-group nemesis (and all around good guy) Joel B.

And lastly Beet Juice Zack crushed the filed at the Pam's Run 10K in Wayland, running away with the race in 33:28, a cakewalk for Zack. Results here.

Mini Ponies Roll Onto Wayland

The NETT XC specialists headed to the Wayland XC race for the umtheenth time and had a ball racing around the fields and trails of Wayland High School. On on the men's side, the Mini Ponies rolled out their more veteran squad and made the top 10 teams (okay, there were only 10 teams). Not bad. The trio of Steve, Marshall, and Patrick all finished in sequential order, a great XC team strategy. (Andy dropped in the first quarter with a bad hamstring).

On the ladies' side, our newest member Steph had a ball in her second trail race and Katie did double-duty as runner and mom/coach shuttling between the youth races and her own 5K. 

On a more historic note I'm pretty sure NETT has had some representation at Wayland every year since it's inception. It's a great race. 

Video: NETT Wings moves up to 9th place at Reach the Beach

Breaking news in the NETT newsroom: The Wings team somehow moved up to 9th place overall in the final results for the Reach the Beach relay (one of the top teams must have been penalized in the final results).

Also, here's a fun video that documents our journey through the wilds of New Hampshire. Enjoy!

Perseverance Personified: Marshall and Bob go 1-3 at Houghton's Pond Trail Race

Huge congrats to two of NETT's most senior members for overcoming injury issues and successfully returning to trail racing. 

Marshall and Bob took 1st and 3rd in their age group at the Houghton's Pond trail race this weekend, both having worked their butts off in the past months (and more, in Marshall's case) to rehab and recover from nagging injuries. Here's Bob's report:


"On a cool, clear perfect day to run in Milton, the NETT masters division was well represented in the 6.2 mile trail race with Marshall Randolph running a blistering pace to finish first in his age group and 31 overall. Bob Segal completed the NETT sandwich around Segey Borisov by finishing third in the age group. Stephen Peckiconis ran a fine race himself and was kind enough to take this photo of the top three 60-69 finishers."

Whether it's training, charity work, racing or injury recovery, these two guys lead by example and NETT is lucky to count them among our members. 

Full results here:http://www.coolrunning.com/results/15/ma/Oct4_Hought_set2.shtml 

NETT takes overall, age group wins at Bird Park 4 Mile Trail Race

Congrats to Young Patrick and Bobblehead Bob for their performances this weekend. Here's Bob's report:

"\Pat and I decided independently to sneak in a quick 4 miler Saturday down in Walpole. I think we were both surprised to see each other there.

It was described as a trail race but it was really more of a cross-country race, similar in terrain to Elm Bank, with a mixture of mostly flat grass, dirt trail, and pavement. I told Pat he was my favorite to win the race, and he did! He got a real nice plaque for winning overall and he was first in his age group as well.

Full results posted here.

NETT Wings Team Cracks Top 10 at Reach the Beach

Breaking news: NETT's Wings Team finished in 10th place -- OVERALL -- at the Reach the Beach Relay this weekend. Not in their division. Not for a mixed team -- 10th place out of 500 teams, total. Full results are here: http://www.rtbrelay.com/liveresults/index.html and a more detailed report is on the way as well as a full set of photos. After we get some sleep. A lot of sleep,

NETT Masters Kick Off the XC Season at GBTC XC Festival (Video)

Four of NETT's more "seasoned" male runners kicked off the XC season by running the Greater Boston Track Club XC Festival. Rather than try to describe the scene, we've put together this fine video that describes the day well. Enjoy!

Thanks to GBTC for putting on a great team-focused event. Racers ranged from age 5 to 80 and that's REALLY what it's all about, right?

Full results are posted here.

The Young NETTers Take to the Trails

Here's a report from NETT's unofficial trail race reporter, Bob Segal:

On last Sunday (Young) Patrick and Zack represented NETT well at the Greenbelt's Beverly Commons Trail Race, Beverly, MA. Patrick came in second overall (and first in his age group) in a close duel with the eventual winner. Zack twisted his ankle in the first quarter mile but soldiered on and still finished in the top 25. Both guys ran tough races and showed a lot of mettle.

The weather was perfect and the race well run by the Greenbelt folks.

Thanks for the report Bob and congrats to Patrick and Zack!

NETT Hosts Another Successful Wellesley One for Hannah's Fund

Congrats and kudos to all the members of New England Track & Trail who helped organize a wildly successful race on Sunday.

The race at Elm Bank Reservation drew more than 300 registrants ranging from super speedy racers to toddlers and grandparents doing their first race. And that's exactly how we like it.

For results and photos you can check out the race web site here:
http://wellesley1miler.org/past-results/

All of the funds raised go to the Hannah Randolph Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to students who share Hannah's passion for athletics, the arts, academics, and generally making the world a better place.

NETT volunteers, preps for Boston Marathon

It is a busy weekend for the NETT mini ponies and it's going to get busier!

On Friday night the group gathered for its annual pre-Boston Marathon dinner. It was fun time to get together and plow down massive amounts of food!

On Saturday morning a few of the Mini Ponies headed into the Marathon expo to pick up their bib numbers and ... low and behold the NETT magnetism brought them all together (despite the fact that they hadn't come together. Weird right??)

And later Saturday, they headed over to Cradles to Crayons for the annual Hannah Randolph Volunteer Day. Each year NETT members volunteer for a worthy cause to continue Hannah's legacy and try to make the world a better place. NETT crews cleaned shoes, inspected t-shirts, and packed up clothes for needy kids in the Boston area. Special thanks to Amanda for organizing the volunteer day and to all the NETT members who participated.

Now there's just one more stop on this busy weekend, right?

NETT Members Get Rewarded at North Shore Trail Series Awards Night

Three of NETT's finest got their just desserts at the recent North Shore Trail Series awards nights. Here's Bobble Head Bob's report:

The North Shore Trail Series awards night was held Jan. 12 at New England Running Company in Beverly. Those of us at the awards received really nice zip/hoodie sweatshirts and a pint glass for completing at least 8 of the 9 trail races.

The results of the 9-race series are here. Chris "Fluffy" Smith took second in his age group, Alison Lackey took second in her age group, each of them running all the races except the Stone Cat marathon. I took first in my age group for the second year in a row, and fool that I am, I ran all 9 races including Stone Cat.

This trail series is lots of fun and very well run. Races take place on nice trails in places like Lynn Woods, Gloucester, Beverly Farms, South Hamilton, Ipswich, and Wenham. The race courses go from 5K to 5, 7, 10 milers and end with the Stone Cat trail marathon in November. This year they may replace one of the 10 milers with a half marathon in the spring sometime. I highly recommend the series to all NETT members.

Congrats to all! 

Strong Results from the Annual "NETT Winter Double Header"

The NETT Mini Ponies produced some quality results during its annual "Winter Double Header" that includes running the Assault on Mount Hood XC Race on Saturday and Walter's Run on Sunday.

On Saturday the Melrose Running Club hosted an NETT favorite event at the Assault on Mount Hood. This year the organizers had to call an audible on the course design the day before the race. To the club's credit the last-minute course changes were well-marked and worked out well.

NETT's men's masters team took second place, with Fluffy Chris, Crazy Dave, Big Ben, Patrick and Andy all powering their way over the very challenging course. That's three nutcrackers for those keeping score. Ethan was the lone NETT "open" male putting in a hard enough effort to produce just the right amount of nausea and enjoyment.

The NETT women scored sixth in the open category with Kristin, Alison, and Bridget pulling together a great team effort. Kristin grabbed third in the women's masters division as well.

The post-race at the Assault was the usual fun. Nutcrackers, pasta, and free beer for all that wanted it. Seriously does it get much better than that?

Maybe it was the free beer or the simple excitement of racing XC again, but Big Ben seemed to take a particularly strong affection for his new friend, the nutrcracker.

At first it was just a pleasant prize. "I like my nutracker," Benny said. "He's fancy."

Then he decided he likes the nutcracker enough he's going to steal a kiss from the nutcracker. "Did you like that nutcracker?" "Uh oh...I don't like where this is going," says Doris.

Of course, then it just got weird, with Ben going hog wild on his new friend. Doris tries in vain to shield the eyes of the other nutcrackers from the adult activity happening only inches away.

With the weirdness behind us, on Sunday, it was onto another NETT favorite, Walter's Run 5K in West Roxbury, hosted by the Parkway Running Club. NETT's provided strong support for this race the past several years and done pretty darn well in the age group results and this year was no different. Bob was the big winner for NETT, finishing first in his age group with a huge PR on the course. And three Mini Ponies did the double and produced great results--  Alison finished 7th female overall and third in her age group. Fluffy Chris notched a second place in the very competitive men's masters field followed by Crazy Dave nabbing a third in the division. Apparently racing these back-to-back races gave Dave and Alison devil eyes while Fluffy gained a nuclear glow.

As always, the Parkway Running Club put on a fantastic, family-friendly event. The new venue (the West Roxbury Irish American Club) was a great place for pre- and post-race activities. There were literally dozens of volunteers (including Doris) out on the course to direct the runners and piles of raffle prizes.

All in all, it was a great NETT-style weekend of racing and fun.

Franks Leads an Estabrook Exploration That Goes Off the Edge

Frank was kind enough to lead a few hearty NETTers on an Estrabrook Exploration run. Here's a few pics to tell the tale.

The "before" shot.

A couple Wylie Coyotes in the snow.

Very soggy shoes.

Huh.Frank appears to have fallen.

He's rolling off the edge of Punkatasset Hill. Should we help him? "Watch out for for that rock, Frank." 

I'm sure he'll be fine. 

Bob Nabs Second....the Hard Way

Congrats to Bobble Head Bob who took second in his age group at the recent Stone Cat Trail Marathon...the hard way. Here's his report:

"Well, I managed to come in second in my age group as I completed another Stone Cat trail marathon up in Ipswich. It was the last race in the 9-race North Shore Trail Series. I was well ahead in points for the series and didn't need this race in that respect but I still wanted to at least do better than last year time-wise, which I did by a few minutes. So, that's the good news.

https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=27400

The "bad" news is that after the first loop I was on a PR pace to finish a good 40 minutes faster, until the following occurred during the second loop:

• Fell twice, tripping on leaf-covered roots
• Sprained my left big toe
• Ran an extra 5-10 minutes off course when I missed a turn (course was well marked, but sometimes you zone out and get tunnel vision when you are by yourself)
• Developed a severe cramp in my right calf that wouldn't quit. (I switched from heavier gloves to lighter running gloves at the halfway point but the weather actually got colder and windier instead of warmer such that I could barely use my fingers to open zippers, protein bars, etc.during the second half of the race. As a result, I didn't take in enough electrolyte capsules as I should have, which probably led to the cramps.)

I also learned again that despite all my successes this season on the track, roads, and trails, if you don't dedicate your training specifically for the marathon distance for at least 2-3 months, you may struggle during the latter stages of the marathon, as I have done two years in a row now. How do I know this? Because my first Stone Cat was my best---because I trained specifically for the Nipmuck and Stone Cat marathons (which were a month apart) that year. Training and running  1, 5, and 10-mile intervals and races all season and then throwing in a few longer runs the last month before a marathon won't get it done.  

But perhaps I'm being too hard on myself. It was a good season me overall and for many of my NETT comrades, so let's just celebrate that!"

Veteran Mini Ponies Look Ageless at Busa Bushwhack

A couple of the more seasoned NETT runners took to the trails at the Busa Bushwhack with great results.

Here's Bobblehead Bob's report from the 10 miler:

Weather was dicey but ended up not being too bad --- all things considered --- for my first Busa Bushwhack ever. It's a 10-mile (or can choose 5 mile) trail race in Callahan State Park in Framingham. Was around 38 degress, damp, and windy with a bit of snow spitting intermittently, but the woods blocked most of the wind and the trails had only a few muddy spots.

I guess the course has changed here and there over the years but, regardless, except for the beginning and ending miles, the middle of that race was pretty technical, so it was a good workout and prep for Stone Cat Marathon this Saturday.

Had a good run and came in third in my age group and in the top third of all finishers. My age group winner was Bob Sharkey, an almost legendary trail runner I had never seen or met until that race. He ran 7:45 miles. I ran 8:50 miles.

Anyway, it was lots of fun. Richard Busa was there handing out pint glasses and celebrating his 80-something birthday. Greater Framingham Running Club did a good job and the course was well marked."

Congrats Bob. In the five-miler, Steve Yankum finished 14th overall. Here's his report:

"I got bushwacked by a guy from NH.   When I signed up for the race I saw that they had special "valuable" prizes for under and over 60
in addition to the age group trophy's.   I checked all the past results and nobody over 60 could touch my times.  I was going for the prize!

Before the race I saw this older guy with long runners legs and thought "not good".  So I get out there and shadow this guy for the first 3 miles.  So here I am knowing who I have to beat and I can keep up with him.  But I lost by 40 seconds and shook his hand afterwards.  New Hampshire!  But I had a good time and a good run.  Bob S. did good in the 10 miler.  Nice trails for a race.  Next year after Frank trains me more on the hills I am going to kick ass.

Full results here:
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/14/ma/Nov2_11thAn_1_set2.shtml

NETT Around the World: France

A couple Mini Ponies recently made their way to the sunny shores of the French Riviera and true to form, there was more running than beach lounging.

We planned our runs bright and early as a chance to site see around Nice.

On one of our runs, we came across a triathlon being set up.

It was apparently a pretty big deal!

Not to outdone, Dave planned his own one-man triathlon. (You have to actually get in the water, knucklehead!)

Dave got to know the Parc du Chateau quite well during the trip. It had everything a Mini Pony wants in a travel run: hills, trails, fabulous views and just in case he overdid things, a cemetery.

We were sad to say goodbye, but we'll definitely come back to Nice. 

NETT Takes to the Trails

Autumn is a great time for trail racing and several NETT runners took full advantage of fine fall weather to race some trails. 

Several Mini Ponies raced at the Groton Trail Race. Adrienne took 1st in her age group for the second week in a row, in 1:15:50 -- which earned her a bottle of Merlot. Also over in Groton Youngstah cranked out a 1:07 while Marshall continues his comeback finishing second in his age group (second to the race's founder, I might note).

At the Ravenswood Trail Race in Gloucester, Kristin, Alison and Bob won their age groups while Fluffy Chris was sixth overall on the technical course.

Meanwhile over in Lincoln, Katy and Paddler Steve raced the Scarecrow Classic 5k. Steve, who memorized every inch of those Lincoln trails this summer, took first in his age group in 20:45; with Katy taking 2nd in hers, in a speedy 23:02.


Congrats to all!

NETT Runners Charging Through North Shore Trail Series

Just a quick update from the NETT news room on the North Shore Trail Series scoring, as we head into the end of the fall.

NETT's Bob Segal has a firm grasp on the 60+ age category, while Chris is in second in the 40-49 category and his better half Alison is in third in her category.

In September, these three ran the the ECTA 10 miler Run for the Hills (Hamilton, MA), and Bob won his age group, saying "I ran a PR on the course this time."

Chris was 4th in masters and 6th overall while his better half Allison was 5th open female and 33rd overall, just a few seconds behind Bob, as you will see in the photo.

Earlier in the summer, things didn't go quite as smoothly at the Watuppa 5 Miler. Here's Bob's report: "I, along with about a dozen others, was one of the ones who made the wrong turn at the 4-mile mark and ran an extra 2.75 miles.I never used to be superstitious, but on the way to the race, a black cat crossed the road in front of me. I remember chuckling to myself wondering if anything bad would happen ... "

To track their progress, check out the series scoring here.

NETT Goes 1,3 at Wayland XC

Big congrats to the NETT men's and women's teams who grabbed first place (women) and third place (men) at this weekend's Wayland XC Festival.

NETT also crushed the age groups with the following people grabbing top three honors in theirs: Adrienne Cyrulik, Mary Pizarro (both first in their age group), Steve Yankum, Kristin Hall, Katy Appleby (second in theirs), Bob Segal, Patrick McVeigh, and Julie McVeigh (third in theirs). In fact, NETT women swept the 40-49 age group!

Top finisher for the NETT men was Simon -- while his dad Ilya ran strong for the men's team as well. so great to see a father and son running races together, especially at this event.

NETT has been a longtime supporter of this event from its earliest days. HFC Striders have done a great job in keeping the event alive and vibrant, with good prizes and organization. Grassroots XC is a dying breed in today's era of mega road races, so kudos to founder Eric Bucher and current RD TJ Unger for putting on a fun event that is open to all runners and breeds the next generation of XC runners.