Notes
Back out to Amherst for the Jones 10 Miler. Ran it for the first time last year and remembered how brutal it was, but today was even more painful. I guess I didnt have perfect memory thinking back. I didnt remember the dirt road being so long, the distance between the hills over the last 2 miles, and most importantly, all of the rolling hills during the middle section of the course.
Race started out fast, I think a little quicker than last year. First mile was just trying to get a rhythym and get space after the initial burst out of the gate. First 1/4 mile had a tricky left turn that normally wouldnt be bad, but had a lot of ice in the current year. Over the first mile, Sean, Keefe, Pick, and I were weaving our way through to a spot that would set us up well for later in the race.
Mile 2 tends to be even faster as it is aided by some pretty generous downhills. Took advantage of the terrain knowing that the climbs were not too far away at this point. Keefe and Sean had a few steps on me, but overall we just maintained position.
Mile 3 is where the fun begins. Made our way into the hills and I quickly made a move pushing upwards, passing Keefe and Sean on the way up. It's just a painful long climb. Got to the top of the hill only to have Keefe come blowing right past me on the downhill. Figured we would be trading positions throughout the race, but that was the last moment that I ever had any lead on him. For the next five miles I probably kept him at an even 20 yard gap. Lead woman (from NY) also passed me at the same point and she crushed the race also never letting me near her again.
Mile 4 is still a challenge with some climbs, but then also begin to move into the dirt road. Conditions on the road just plain sucked. Muddy, dirt being kicked up constantly, icy sections, slippery muddy sections. Maybe they werent the worst conditions in the world, but they just dont make for fast road racing. If this were cross country, most would view it as pretty benign conditions.
Miles 5-7 all just blur together. There were a lot more rolling hills than I ever remembered and I just saw the gas tank deplete further during this stretch. By the end of the 7th mile, Keefe was pulling away from me. I was maintaining pace with a GLRR runner (James Sullivan - Portocello Kid) who is often around me during the grand prix races. Around the 7 mile mark had a few runners pass me back who I had passed earlier on, never a good feeling. I also began to hear heavy breathing on my tail, who at first I assumed was Longo. Finally they pulled even and saw that it was Sean making his move on me. Just a mile earlier I was doing the math in my head as to how many SRR runners could pass me before I move out of a scoring spot. I watched Sean go by but wasnt going to let him pull away. I didnt want to have a train of runners start passing me over the finishing miles, so I made an effort to try to keep pace.
Mile 8 brought back the return of the hills. Going up the first hill, I made a move and got back in front of Sean. I was really sapped on energy by this point, but luckily had a short flat stretch before the next climb. I tried to keep pace with the group in front as we made our way up the last couple of climbs. As we hit the 9 mile mark, I was starting to black out, just wasnt feeling great. I did not want to throw in the towel after working this hard for 9 miles and only having one to go, so pushed a little longer to keep going. Luckily there was a short decline after making a turn to give a little recovery. Followed the group in front back to the school where there was a 150-200 yard straightaway to the finish. I was absolutely cooked by this point. One runner came sprinting by, but otherwise held my ground to the finish. Was disappointed at first watching the clock tick towards 58:30 (last year ran 57:15). Felt a little better when I realized it was 56, not 58 minutes I was seeing.
Overall good showing for SRR open. Keefe kicked all out asses with a sub 56:00 performance. Sean came in upper 56's, which blew away his time from last year. Pick and Andy rounded out the scoring team. Pretty good day, especially considering Jake and Alex didnt make it.
47 CHRISTOPHER KLUCZNIK SOMERVILLE MA 381 31 M 41 1-39 56:27.2 5:39/M
O'all Cum.
Place Bib No Name City Gend Place Place Time Cum. Time
1 167 BRIAN KEEFE WATERTOWN MA M 36 36 55:52.5 55:52.5
2 381 CHRISTOPHER KLUCZNIK SOMERVILLE MA M 46 82 56:27.2 1:52:19.7
3 626 SEAN MCDONOUGH SOMERVILLE MA M 49 131 56:49.2 2:49:09.0
4 667 GERGORY PICKLESIMER NEWTON MA M 60 191 57:34.1 3:46:43.1
5 490 ANDREW CLIFFORD SOMERVILLE MA M 70 261 58:12.9 4:44:56.0
Mile 2014 2013
1 5:37 5:46
2 5:20 5:28
3 6:13 5:52
4 5:40 6:05
5 5:37 6:00
6 5:25 5:35
7 5:36 5:27
8 5:26 5:29
9 5:57 5:29
10 5:32 5:49
GPS + 7 12
56:27 57:15
Course was slightly changed, mainly that the finish is where the old start was located. Starting line was moved 150/200 yards up. Hills are pretty much the same, but just 1/4 mile or so earlier on in the GPS.