Six of us ventured over to Little Compton for the classic winter 4.8-mile road race. Conditions were perfect. The following table summarizes the standings after the first race.
If you couldn’t make the first race, try to make the next. You need only race 9 of 12 to qualify for the series. Here are next three races in the series:
Bellville Pond 10K February 6
Run the Reservoir 15K April 2
Clamdigger 5M April 10
Hello Everyone! As usual the club had a great showing at the Blessing of the Fleet 10 Miler on Friday, July 24th. Many fantastic performances and age group winners. Well done and congratulations! For the month of July, the Runner Spotlight goes to Lisa Garzilli. Lisa crushed the Blessing of the Fleet 10 Miler, running 1:18:54 @ 7:53 pace (first sub 8 min blessing!) This put her 10th in her age group out of 243. Congratulations Lisa! We hope to see everyone at the Battle of Stongington 5K on Tuesday, August 18th at 6:00pm. You can register here. Home – The Battle of Stonington 5k. The group will car pool leaving from Camires around 4:30pm and then stop for dinner on the way home. It is a fun race and a guaranteed good time! Stay tuned for a follow up email.
Happy running, Nicole
MA – Jul 3: Harvard Pilgrim finish at the 50 – 10k Overall
110 Michael Scott 17/101 M5059 7:36 23:07
RI – Jul 4: Glocester Road Races
31 Mike Scott 41:28.6
NH – Jul 5: Loon Mountain Race | NE Mountain Championship
293 Patrice French 1:58:06.3 17:54
317 Gene French 2:08:37.8 19:30
NH – Jul 5: Loon Mountain Race | NE Mountain Championship – Female Finishers
86 Patrice French 1:58:06.3 17:54
NH – Jul 5: Loon Mountain Race | NE Mountain Championship – Male Finishers
218 Gene French 2:08:37.8 19:30
RI – Jul 11: Little Compton 4.8 Miler
66 Terri Martland 1 60-69 36:04.0 7:31/M
221 Elise Hedglen 12 50-59 44:40.0 9:18/M
VT – Jul 12: Mad Marathon & Mad Half
2 Brian McNeiece M4044 2:59:11 6:51
RI – Jul 12: OceanState Duathlon
5 Angell, Warren 1:03:09.00
MA – Jul 19: Level Renner 10k
63 RICK COTA 17/25 45:50 7:23
RI – Jul 19: Narragansett Bay Half Marathon & 5k – East Providence
97 ELIZABETH MARCHETTI 1:45:52.7 8:04/M/M
RI – Jul 24: Blessing of the Fleet
46 Glen Guillemette 1/246 50-59 1:00:30.0 6:03/M (1st in age group)
63 Kaela O’Neil 1/273 30-39 1:02:24.0 6:14/M (1st in age group)
67 Chad Straight 25/250 20-29 1:02:47.0 6:17/M
84 Brian Sweenor 6/317 40-49 1:04:30.0 6:27/M
101 AJ Fournier 30/250 20-29 1:05:46.0 6:35/M
105 Jeffrey Vuono 4/246 50-59 1:05:56.0 6:36/M
110 Barbera Peter 5/246 50-59 1:06:14.0 6:37/M
112 Diane Senecal 2/243 40-49 1:06:19.0 6:38/M (2nd in age group)
161 Kyle Johnson 40/250 20-29 1:08:46.0 6:53/M
162 Tom Sinotte 17/317 40-49 1:08:48.0 6:53/M
215 David Tetreault 15/246 50-59 1:11:16.0 7:08/M
221 Claire Gadrow 5/243 40-49 1:11:31.0 7:09/M
231 Sadie Gillett Madison 14/273 30-39 1:11:47.0 7:11/M
249 Adam Durant 57/282 30-39 1:12:20.0 7:14/M
298 John Brindamour 65/282 30-39 1:14:16.0 7:26/M
344 Elizabeth Marchetti 18/273 30-39 1:15:38.0 7:34/M
359 Alfred Garceau 36/246 50-59 1:15:57.0 7:36/M
405 Michelle San Antonio 8/243 40-49 1:16:56.0 7:42/M
410 Nicole Rattay 26/273 30-39 1:17:02.0 7:42/M
436 Jim Sullivan 46/246 50-59 1:17:42.0 7:46/M
455 Pat Ferrigno 5/56 60-69 1:18:04.0 7:48/M
472 Mary D’Arcy 9/243 40-49 1:18:24.0 7:50/M
488 Lisa Garzilli 10/243 40-49 1:18:54.0 7:53/M
493 David Heskett 56/246 50-59 1:19:08.0 7:55/M
496 Steve Wright 58/246 50-59 1:19:10.0 7:55/M
556 David Porcello 64/246 50-59 1:20:30.0 8:03/M
561 Amy Rice 4/129 50-59 1:20:40.0 8:04/M
765 Susan Russell 61/273 30-39 1:24:15.0 8:26/M
767 Mike Bush 94/246 50-59 1:24:19.0 8:26/M
836 Flynn Sullivan 75/103 1:25:23.0 8:32/M
887 Jennifer Davis 45/243 40-49 1:26:18.0 8:38/M
937 Linda Hurteau 18/129 50-59 1:27:12.0 8:43/M
1021 Sue Bush 56/243 40-49 1:28:40.0 8:52/M
1174 Melissa Nathaniel 75/243 40-49 1:31:00.0 9:06/M
1185 Joe Behl 2/5 70-98 1:31:08.0 9:07/M (2nd in age group)
1216 Diane Adams 31/129 50-59 1:31:42.0 9:10/M
1315 Tammy McNeiece 95/243 40-49 1:33:27.0 9:21/M
1458 Ken Straight 30/56 60-69 1:35:32.0 9:33/M
1581 Teresa Eagan 51/129 50-59 1:37:17.0 9:44/M
1754 Belinda Maltz 4/12 60-69 1:40:30.0 10:03/M
1841 John Peabody 40/56 60-69 1:42:23.0 10:14/M
1914 Rob Wilson 248/282 30-39 1:44:03.0 10:24/M
1915 Alison Pudjunis 294/374 20-29 1:44:03.0 10:24/M
1939 Elise Hedglen 79/129 50-59 1:44:39.0 10:28/M
1997 Michelle Smith-Morgan 215/273 30-39 1:45:52.0 10:35/M
2023 James Griffin 212/246 50-59 1:46:34.0 10:39/M
2104 Jennifer McCaffrey 192/243 40-49 1:49:09.0 10:55/M
2130 Nicole Zelenak 196/243 40-49 1:49:59.0 11:00/M
2367 Victoria Guy 239/243 40-49 2:16:15.0 13:38/M
Also check out the 2015 Run with the Beaver’s Trail Race. A few NRA members and NRA friends ran this race. https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=31265
*Additions to Blessing Results. If we missed anyone else, please let me know. Thank you.
We have a lot of stuff: Flags, vests, tents, cones, mile marks, tables, chairs, signs, water jugs, water bottles, shirts, awards, frisbees, a banner, buckets of rocks, and so on. We keep our stuff in a 10’x20′ storage unit, and yesterday we moved our stuff from such a unit in Wakefield to one in Narragansett. Thanks to Fred for taking the lead on securing a new storage unit and terminating our contract on the old, thanks to Peter, Mike, and Dan for building storage shelves in the new unit, and thanks to Pat, Brian, Dan, Fred, and Mike for helping with the move. Pictures of the move are below.
The Rhode Island Desert is a complex of sand dunes located just off of Division road in West Greenwich. In running lore, The Desert was the training ground for more than a few legendary Providence College runners. It’s no surprise, then, that Brian regularly takes his teams to train in the desert. The Desert looks innocent enough from the roads, but after a few miles of up and down the steep dunes, you get it.
Not content with simply running in The Desert, Brian designed a 5K course, which was then professionally measured. Due to a slight change in the course, a new measurement was required, and the pictures below show elements of the measurement.
Brian taking sights at mile 3.
Mike rolling the wheel down a hill near mile 1.
A counter is attached to the front wheel of the bike, which must be calibrated before (and sometimes after) a measurement. For this measurement, the bike was walked the whole way. Rolling the wheel up some of the steep dunes required both Mike and Brian to hold onto the bike. The likelihood of slipping was so great that it was important that a second hand was on the bike to keep it in place.
The men who learn endurance, are they who call the world, brother.
-Charles Dickens
Running in groups engenders camaraderie; more so when we train for the same race; still more so when that race is a marathon; and even more so when that race requires several nights away. Indeed, as we speckled Burlington—one, two, three, and four at a time—our anxiety was soothed by the knowledge that we would soon see our friends. Thus, Dave, Jess, Kyle, Rich, Diane, Kaela, Brian, and Mike competed together in the 2015 Vermont City Marathon. Great race, great course, great town, unforgettable experience. It’s a beautiful thing when you can fall short of your goal (as most of us did), yet reminisce over it with a sparkle in your eye. Let this not be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Just a quick picture from the long run in Coventry. Three runners attended, two of whom are shown here running down Narrow Ln, about 5 miles into the run.
Narrow Ln
“A good long run requires more time to plan than to execute.” –Anonymous
Long runs can be boring, but they don’t have to be. To combat boredom, the runner has two primary weapons in his arsenal: company and variety. It is a bitter irony, though, that the implementation of the latter diminishes the former. It is a simple mathematical fact, then, that THE MOST INTERESTING RUN EVER will have zero attendance.
Flying in the face mathematics, however, Brian organized THE MOST INTERESTING RUN EVER, and three people attended: Brian, Mike, and Mark. (Mark deserves special recognition for making THE MOST INTERESTING RUN EVER his first run with the club.) These three runners boarded the 11-a.m. ferry in Pt. Judith, bound for Block Island, and enjoyed a not-so-bumpy ride to the island. What follows is a short picture-narrative of the run.
Click HERE to see the route.
One logistical concern dealt with the question of where to stash bags. (Mark boldly embarked on this 8-hour adventure in running singlet, shorts, and shoes, with no luggage.) The Visitor’s Center was open, but was to close at 3:00 p.m., so the runners made use of the nice rack behind the building.
Outdoor rack
The run began in Old Harbor and ran toward the north end of the island.
Early in the run: Mark running north
At about three miles into the run, the route turned right onto the Clay Head Nature Trail. It was a beautiful day and the views from the high bluffs were spectacular. (Mike and Brian were, at this point, ahead of Mark. The two groups didn’t meet again until after the run.)
The trailhead
View from the Clay Head Trail
Running along the Clay Head Trail
Exiting the trails, the runners turned again north and followed the road to its end, at which there is a good view of the North Light in the distance.
The North Light
Mile 6 through 11 took the runners back south and through the middle of the island, past the airport, taking a right onto Cherry Hill Rd. at Rodman’s Hollow. The left onto Lewis Farm Rd. began a fascinating and breathtaking three-mile journey through Ireland-like fields and stone walls, then onto and along the rugged south beach that is towered over by high bluffs.
Ireland I
Ireland II
Running along the south beach
The beach run was about two miles of slow going to the Mohegan Bluffs at Southeast Light. To get off the beach and back onto the roads, the runners scrambled up to the steep stairs, and (in a quad-burning burst of adrenaline) ran every step to the top.
The bottom end of the stairs
Once on the roads, the quads eventually recovered enough for Brian to push the pace for the last three miles (all of which were close to six-minute miles). The Visitor’s Center and bag rack were a welcome sight after the 18-mile run, and the runners enjoyed hearty refreshment at the Mohegan Cafe.
Mohegan Cafe (with one of the three runners menu-browsing )
With 30 minutes to kill and $8 of change, the runners found an open candy store. The sign in front advertised free fudge, but it was not free, so an $8 bag of random chocolates (including a piece of chocolate-covered bacon) served as dessert.
The warm ferry ride home was smooth and uneventful, and thus ended THE MOST INTERESTING RUN EVER.
A request was made to post a picture of the winter party cooking crew to the website, so here we go. The first image shows the masterminds of the operation, John and Paul.
John and Paul
The next image shows Michelle and Diane.
Michelle and Diane
Finally, the whole crew:
Steve, John, Mike, Michelle, Paul, Sarah, and Diane
The dinner setup and meal required careful planning and preparation, and the execution on party day was hectic, nerve-wracking business. Thanks to Joyce for taking this last picture!
On Sunday, 12/28/14, Brian and I ran from downtown Coventry to Rte. 102 via the Washington Secondary Trail: an impressive new multi-use path that connects Cranston to Coventry along an abandoned rail corridor. Our route was an out-and-back, with the turn-around point being about 0.3 miles west of Rte. 102: at the Summit General Store in Greene, RI.
The Summit General Store
From the turn-around point, we saw that the paved path continue west, but how far west? We set out to explore this question on Wednesday, 1/31/14, meeting at the Summit General Store at 11:33am to run west to the CT border. There was designated parking for path users, which averted any anxiety that might have come with utilizing the store parking.
Parking area for path users
We stepped out onto the path, and turned west to find an immediate answer to our question: The paved path ends about 100 meters west of the Summit General Store.
The end of the paved part of the Washington Secondary Trail
We had been looking over satellite images since Sunday’s run, and it was clear that, paved or not, the trail continued west, so west we went. The path was wide and clear, and usually straight and level, as far as the eye could see. Some sections contain a regular pattern of bumps, separated by about 5-10 meters, and with heights varying from very small to about one meter. These so-called “doop de doos” were initially annoying, then funny. Is there a training benefit to running this terrain? We don’t yet know the answer, but the soreness in my glutes might be a clue.
Abandoned railway conversions always produce trails without sharp bends or steep hills.
A few short sections were flooded out, forcing us to run around the frozen edges of the puddles. Several times we had to abandon the trail altogether, but at these points there were clear secondary trails that ran alongside the main path.
Some doop de doos hold water
We encountered an obstacle at about 2.2 miles: an abandoned iron bridge. The bridge once carried trains over a river, but only the truss remains. We tiptoed carefully across the truss (not looking down). In the photograph, you can see a granite stone that has somehow fallen onto the truss. The stone bears word “ZEPPELIN,” written as graffiti.
The Zeppelin Bridge
The next bridge crossing occurred at 3.3 miles. This bridge was much higher than the Zeppelin bridge (approximately 60 feet high compared with perhaps 15 feet) and spanned a more substantial waterway.
The 3.3 bridge
Looking down from the 3.3 bridge
A train cannot climb anything but gradual hills, so railways are necessarily quite flat. As a consequence, the railway bed is often built up quite high in low areas, offering scenic views of the surroundings. The photo below was taken at about 3.7 miles, where Carbuncle Pond can be seen beyond the marshy area.
A view of Carbuncle Pond from the heights of the trail.
We estimated our pace to be about 8 min/mile, and, from the time, we estimated that we were closing in on the CT border. We expected no “Welcome to Connecticut” sign, so our plan was to was to turn around when we reached Plainfield Pike, which we knew to be just across the CT border. We first spied Plainfield Pike through an opening in the trees that, in an erie way, appeared perfectly circular from a distance. Looking through the circular hole and seeing cars pass confirmed our conjecture that we had, indeed, passed into CT and wer
Plainfield Pike in the distance
Crossing Plainfield Pike
We decided to cross Plainfield Pike and continue on the path for a few more minutes, turning around at 0:47:00 on the watch. On the way back, we stopped in Greene (RI) center and took a few pictures.
Map showing Coventry in relation to Rhode Island and Greene in relation to Coventry
We learned, from a monument placard, that Greene was once a rail stop along the Washington Secondary Trail, with the rail built in the early 1850s.
Greene center
Monument to the rail
We completed the return trip in fewer minutes than the outbound trip, and called the total distance 12 miles. The Summit General Store claims to be Rhode Island’s only real general store, and we saw no reason to disagree. There was no indoor seating, but they did serve food and coffee, so we each purchased a muffin and coffee, got in our cars, and drove home. (The muffins were delicious, by the way.)
Here are the results to the 2014 Nooseneck 18K: