Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run

Well I did it. I took on my first 100 mile race and finished in under 24 hours. I can't say it was easy. The Vermont 100 was the toughest race I've ever done and there were times when I thought the 24 hour finish time was slipping out of reach. I can't thank my crew enough for their support. Ray, Cathy and Tyler put in a long hard day to make sure I had everything I might need at all the handler aid stations. Cathy paced me through the low point I hit between miles 70 and 77 and Ray got me running again when I thought I had no run left in me.

113th Boston Marathon

My trip to Boston this past weekend was a complete success. It was a well executed race in a time of 3:04:36. You can tell if your race in Boston is going well by the number of runners you pass after entering the Newton Hills around mile 17. This is where the runners who flew down the hills in the first 6 miles start to fall apart. My pace dropped a bit from miles 16 through 21 but I felt great through Newton and I was attacking the hills. When I reached Boston College I still felt good and was able to pick up the pace again. I passed numerous people who I had remembered from earlier in the race as well as a few of my usual competitors from Nova Scotia.
I ran hard down Boylston Street right through the finish. What really makes this trip great is the camaraderie of my regular training partners who take this trip with me year after year. We all had good races which made for a pleasant but long drive back to Dartmouth on Tuesday.

Training Partners Results:

Shawn Deleu 2:53:56
Dave Holder 3:05:15
Ray Williams 3:19:39
Chuck Jollymore 3:26:38
Karen Marlin 3:36:00
Cathy Carter 3:37:35

Day 2 at the Gasparillia Race Weekend started well. The temperature was warm and I went out at a brisk pace in the marathon hoping to match or better my time from last year. I was felling good and ran well through the halfway point with a split of 1:36. Around 15 miles it started to rain and the wind picked up. By 18 miles I was feeling the effects of over 30 miles of racing and started to fall off pace a bit. I started walking through the aid stations and my pace per mile was
creeping up over 8 minutes. At 24 miles I did some quick math in my head and figured the 3:20 pace group could catch me in the homestretch if this decline continued. I managed to summon enough energy to get back to 7:40 pace and finished strong with a chip time if 3:17:55. Less than 2 minutes later a small 3:20 pace group led by my friend Roger Marquis (pacer extraordinaire) came cruising across the line. Although my marathon time was about 3 minutes of last year's, my total combined time for 3 events was only 30 seconds off and my placement improved from 6th in 2008 to 4th this year. Given that I'm a year older and the conditions were a bit tough, I would consider my strategy to run more aggressive this year was a success. The rain really picked up after I finished and I felt bad for those who were still on the course as I wandered around downtown Tampa trying to find my car that I had parked rather hurridley in the dark at 5:40 AM. I managed to locate just before hypothermia set in.

Day 1 of the Gasparilla Race Weekend in Tampa Florida went well. I bought a pair of Skins compression socks on Friday and wore them in both races on Saturday. I dont think they had any influence on my performance, but I am hoping they will help with my recovery.

I ran hard in the 15K and finished 77th in 59:22. This was two minutes faster than last year and only 16 minutes behind winner Ryan Hall. I placed 6th in the 45-49 age class.

I also went out hard in the 5K and ran one minute faster than last year. My time of 19:34 placed me 3rd in the 45-49 age class.

In past years I had run more conservative on Day 1, saving my energy for the Marathon on Day 2. My multiple marathons in 2008 gave me the confidence to take more risk in Tampa this year. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

My next event is the Michelob Ultra Challenge on Saturday and Sunday Feb. 28th and March 1st at the Gasparillia Race weekend in Tampa Florida. I'll be racing the 15K at 7:30 AM on Saturday, the 5K two hours later at 9:30 AM and the Marathon at 6:00 AM on Sunday. This will be my fourth consecutive challenge and I am hoping to improve on last year's result.