2008 Races

Race Name Date Location Time Place Award Notes Distance (Miles) Pace
Brookfield Lions Club New Years Race 1/1/2008 Brookfield, CT 0:24:21 8 2nd in AG - 40-44  32 - 35 degrees F - rain / snow / sleet.  Slippery / hard to see - had to take my glasses off and carry them in my hand.  Had a good race against #7 finisher for last couple miles - finished with same time as #7. 4.00 06:05
Roxbury Road Race Series - Up Chalybes - 2.4 miles 2/16/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:14:53 1 First place overall 20 degrees F, windy.  Went out fast, died going up the hill.  Andrew Morehouse and his dog caught up to me just as we turned onto Apple Lane for the final stretch of the race. 2.40 06:12
Polar Bear Run 2/24/2008 New Preston, CT 0:46:15 14   25°F, windy.  Too fast in the early miles.  I was racing with Mark Losacco for miles 2 - 4, but he started pulling away around mile 4. A few other runners passed me in miles 5 and 6.  1 - 5:57, 2 - 6:03, 3 - 5:44, 4 - 6:00, 5 - 6:10, 6 - 6:30, 7 - 6:01, 7.6 - 3:56 7.60 06:05
Roxbury Road Race Series - Down Hemlock - 3.52 miles 3/8/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:21:36 2   John Hirsch opened up a quick lead right from the start.  I was running at what felt like my best sustainable pace.  The gap grew and shrank, but I was never able to catch up.  
1 - 6:20, 2 - 5:59, 3 - 6:10, 3.52 - 3:08
3.52 06:08
Roxbury Road Race Series - Up Hemlock - 3.52 miles 3/15/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:25:59 16   Resting for long marathon pace run 3.52 07:23
Roxbury Road Race Series - South St., Ranney Hill - 3.7 miles 3/22/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:22:20 1   I led near the start and down Apple Lane.  Joe Whelan passed me on South St. beyond the half mile point.  I stayed close behind.  I passed him back at the start of Ranney Hill.  I led by a small margin the rest of the way. 3.70 06:02
Roxbury Road Race Series - Chalybes, Ranney Hill - 3.7 miles 3/29/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:26:23 15   Resting for long run on Sunday 3.70 07:08
Roxbury Road Race Series - old Squire Rd course - 4.4 miles 4/5/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:29:24 7   Starting at Booth Free School, down South St., Left on Squire, Left on Apple Lane, Right on South St.  
M1 - 6:02, M2 - 6:31, M3 - 7:52, M4 - 6:34, (M4.4) - 2:26 
I ran this race as a threshold run, not all out.  On my first step off the start, I felt a sharp pull on a muscle in my upper left leg.  It bothered me the whole race, but I shortened my stride, and it wasn't too bad.
4.40 06:41
Greater Danbury Half Marathon 4/6/2008 Danbury, CT 1:28:38 37   Training run with target marathon pace, M1 - 6:30, M2 - 6:26, M3 - 6:45, M4 - 6:45, M5 - 6:40, M6 - 6:55, M7 - 6:39, M8 - 6:48, M9 - 6:58, M10 - 7:24, M11 - 6:45, M12 - 6:32, (M13.1) - 7:25 13.10 06:46
Roxbury Road Race Series - Down Hemlock, Up Ranney - 4.2 miles 4/12/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:31:01 13   Run at easy pace, keeping close to even splits, considering terrain…  M1 - 7:45, M2 - 7:22, M3 - 7:43, M4 - 7:37, (M4.2) - 0:34 4.20 07:23
Roxbury Road Race Series - Up Chalybes - 2.4 miles 4/19/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:19:01 26   Resting for Boston 2.40 07:55
Boston Marathon 4/21/2008 Boston, MA 2:57:55 977   boston 2008 26.20 06:47
Nutmeg State Half Marathon and 10K 4/27/2008 Washington, CT 0:35:46 3 Third Place Overall I ran the 10K.  It was a small field - most people were running the Half Marathon.  Even so, it was chip-timed.  I started out with two other runners.  The first mile was about 6:15.  Then there's a big hill.  I think they put the turnaround too soon at the top of the hill, because we came back down the hill and passed the two mile mark - if that's what it was - in 4 minutes!  I moved into second place, but the leader had built a big lead going up the hill, and he was already unreachable.  A few more turns - one we had to guess at.  There's another turn-around at the end of River Road. I missed it and had to go back for it. I was back in third place. I caught up to but was not able to pass the other runner and he pulled ahead by the end of the race. 5.60 06:23
Roxbury Road Race Series - High Bridge Road - 4.2 miles 5/3/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:27:01 1 First place overall 1 - 6:00, 2 - 6:09, 3 - 6:31, 4 - 6:57, (4.2) - 1:24 4.20 06:26
Roxbury Road Race Series - Judds Bridge Road - 4.8 miles 5/10/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:33:33 9   Resting for tomorrow's Mothers Day 10K 4.80 06:59
Norwalk Mother's Day 10K 5/11/2008 Norwalk, CT 0:37:22 5 Second Place Men 40-49 PR for 10K - down from 38:45 at Southbury '07.  I started out with a few of the lead runners.  In the second mile or so, I settled into 5th place.  I kept a fairly steady pace, but I felt I was slowing down in the second half.  I didn't see any mile marks except for mile 5.  This was a flat course, but there were a couple small hills towards the end.  This was run in the city streets of Norwalk with minimal traffic control, so it felt a bit dangerous. 6.20 06:02
Soapstone Mountain Trail Race 5/18/2008 Somers, CT 2:11:49 34   This was my first trail race.  It was one of the toughest races I have run.  I started off pacing as if it was just a hilly road half-marathon.  This was a mistake, as I was toasted within five miles, and I was in survival mode the rest of the way.  A couple of miles into the race, there's this extremely steep, long hill, where everyone has to walk and climb.  It's actually a cool sight, seeing the line of people ahead of you going straight up the mountain.  At the top, there's a fire tower, and then the course goes down, almost as steeply as the uphill - but not quite, I think.  There are turns on the way down.  Most of the course is over rough hiking trails - rocks, roots, undergrowth, several muddy puddles to cross.  At one point, the course had us running down through a brook for a significant distance.  Runners were passing me throughout the race, especially when I stopped at the 2nd and 3rd checkpoints for a few seconds to drink.  Next time, I have to bring water. 14.50 09:05
Roxbury Road Race Series - Down Hemlock, Up Ranney - 4.2 miles 5/24/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:26:29 1 First place overall I went out at what felt like a fairly quick pace.  Another guy I didn't recognize went out very fast.  I didn't try to keep up.  He started slowing down after about a quarter mile.  It turns out he thought the1 mile race was today, and he was just running 1 mile of this race.  After I passed him, I was running alone for the rest of the race.  I just tried to work hard and tried to keep a steady pace up Ranney Hill.
M1 - 6:19, M2 - 6:20, M3 - 6:53, M4 - 6:27, (M4.2) - 0:32 
4.20 06:18
Washington Trail 10K Road Race 5/26/2008 Durham, CT 0:38:43 7 First place AG - Men 40-49 M1 - 5:59, M2 - 5:57, M3 - 6:44, M4 - 6:37, M5 - 6:19, M6 - 5:56, (M6.2) - 1:12 
The hills in this race aren't too steep, but they're pretty long.  Guys riding along the course on bikes shouted encouragement, which helped me finish strong.
6.20 06:15
New Milford Moonlight 5K 6/6/2008 New Milford, CT 0:17:54 54   M1 - 5:26, M2 - 5:58, (M3.1) - 6:31
This race has a very fast field.   I was able to start fairly quickly with a minimum of jostling.  Pretty soon I was able to find some open space on the right side of the road, and I passed a bunch of people as the main race surge was rambling down the left side of the road.  I was aware that I was going pretty fast. After the first mile, I tried to keep pace, because it was downhill.  I saw the lead pack come flying up the hill, and there were too many runners to count behind them.  I slowed drastically after the turnaround, when we start the uphill portion. Several people passed me. I was able to get back a little speed when the course levelled off.  Just before going on to the field, a Danbury High runner passed me.  I tried to catch him before the finish, but ended up a few seconds behind him.
3.10 05:46
Roxbury Race Series - Sentry Road - 6.6 miles 6/7/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:43:15 2     6.60 06:33
Branford Road Race, 5 miles 6/15/2008 Branford, CT 0:30:03 45   1457 people finished this race.  It was crowded at the start.  I started about 10 rows back.  I would have been better off about 5 rows closer, but it was not too bad.  I made my way to the left side and found clear running.  There were always runners to catch or keep ahead of.  The course was pretty good - a little hillier (miles 3 & 4) than I remembered from 2005, but they weren't big hills.  There were some fun, tight turns too. I didn't see a mile mark for mile 3. I picked up the effort for the last mile, but it was too much to get below 30:00.  It was close, though.
M1 - 5:51, M2 - 5:54, M3,M4 - 12:26, M5 - 5:57
5.00 06:01
Fairfield Half Marathon, 13.1 miles 6/22/2008 Fairfield, CT 1:25:20 40   I was looking forward to this race.  I was targeting 1:22:00, but within the first few miles, I knew that goal was out the window, but I continued to run hard, as if the goal was within reach.  To get 1:22:00, I would have needed to average 6:15.  A 6:29 first mile, I thought I could make up for.  It was largely due to lining up too far back at the start.  I need to stop doing that.  I was trapped at a 8:00 min/mile pace for several seconds, until I hopped on the sidewalk to pass a bunch of people and find some running room on the road.  The second mile at 6:11 was encouraging. But the third mile, with the first hill, brought me back to reality: 6:51 - at a fairly hard effort.  There are bigger hills later in the race.   I wouldn't be able to make up for going that slowly up hills.  I was fortunate to run with someone - I don't know who it was - for the last few miles.  We worked together and kept the pace reasonable.  He had a good finishing kick going onto the beach parking lot, and I had nothing left at the end, so I finished several seconds back.  ///
1 - 6:29, 2 - 6:11, 3 - 6:51, 4 - 6:12, 5 - 7:00, 6 - 6:21,
7 - 6:49, 8 - 6:11, 9 - 6:26, 10 - 6:44, 11 - 6:54, 12 - 6:19,
13 - 6:24,  (13.1) - 0:47
13.10 06:31
Roxbury Race Series - Falls Rd - 6.4 miles 6/28/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:41:56 2   M1 - 6:19, M2 - 6:17, M3 - 6:39, M4 - 6:30, M5 - 6:54, M6 - 7:09, (M6.4) - 2:09     (Mile 1 is long, M6.4 is short)  I kept it slow on the down hill first half, and I was able to pick up the effort on the up hill second half, minimizing the slowdown on the up hill. 6.40 06:33
Frye Island Road Race - 5 Miles 7/6/2008 Frye Island, ME 0:32:25 1 First place overall M1 - 6:06,  M2 - 6:05,  M3 - 7:02,  M4 - 6:30, M5 - 6:44 5.00 06:29
Roxbury Race Series - Squire Rd - 5 miles 7/12/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:32:01 3   M1 - 5:44,  M2 - 6:13,  M3 - 7:45,  M4 - 6:17,  M5 - 6:00 5.00 06:24
Roxbury Race Series - South St., Ranney Hill - 3.7 miles 7/19/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:22:31 4   M1 - 5:58, M2 - 6:49, M3 - 5:58, (M3.7) - 3:46 (5:23 pace)  
I was catching up to the 3rd place finisher from Ranney Hill onward, but I never was able to catch him.  I ended up 7 seconds back.  He had built up maybe a 30 second lead in the first 1.5 miles.
3.70 06:05
New Milford 8 Mile Road Race 7/26/2008 New Milford, CT 0:49:42 29 First place AG - Men 40-49 M1 - 5:39,  M2 - 6:20,  M3 - 6:38,  M4 - 6:24,  M5 - 6:05,  M6 - 6:14,  M7 - 7:17,  (M7.81) - 5:22  //// 
It was a fast start, but the hills started.  Plenty of water on the course. Canterbury Hill leading up to M7 - I was surprised it was only as slow as 7:17 - It felt slower. The first female passed me around mile 7 at the top of Canterbury Hill - went flying by...  I was trying to break under 50:00, so I was happy with the result. My previous course PR was above 51 minutes.
7.81 06:22
Roxbury Race Series - Painter Ridge - 6.7 miles 8/2/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:44:23 2   M1 - 6:19, M2 - 6:49, M3 - 7:49, M4 - 6:49, M5 - 6:23, M6 - 5:53, (M6.7) - 4:22   ////
Ranney Hill did not seem so bad, when I knew I had Painter Ridge looming up ahead.  I have been wearing New Balance 826 shoes for races.  They are a bit lighter, but they seemed to slip a bit more than my usual shoes on the dirt road - Upper County Road.
6.70 06:37
Roxbury Race Series - Squire Rd Reverse - 5 miles 8/16/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:31:04 3   M1 - 6:09,  M2 - 6:29,  M3 - 5:24,  M4 - 6:13,  M5 - 6:49  // 
Good, hard effort - I attacked the early up-hills, stayed fast for the down-hills, then hung on for the long trip up South St. I had a bit of the jelly leg in the last mile.
5.00 06:13
Roxbury Race Series - Judds Bridge - 8.2 miles 8/23/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:52:58 4   M1 - 6:10, M2 - 6:23, M3 - 6:27, M4 - 6:31, M5 - 5:52, M6 - 7:00, M7 - 6:41, M8 - 6:28,  (M8.2) - 1:26    ///
I was in second place until about 6 miles, where two high school kids passed me strong going up the hill.
8.20 06:28
Roxbury Race Series - Roxbury Mile II - 1 mile 8/30/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:05:27 4   I didn't feel too bad, but I was a little sluggish off of the starting line.  A group of 4 got out ahead of me quickly.  I was only able to pass one of them. 1.00 05:27
New Haven Road Race 20K 9/1/2008 New Haven, CT 1:16:12 103   M1 - 6:14,  M2 - 6:12,  M3 - 6:06,  M4 - 5:59,  M5 - 6:13,  M6 - 6:11,  M7 - 6:07,  M8 - 6:21,  M9 - 6:10,  M10 - 6:17,  M11 - 5:56,  M12 - 5:56, (M12.4) - 2:32

I started several rows back - not too far back this time.  I stayed relaxed at the start, not cutting in and out too much.  I just took my time and waited for spaces to open up, which they eventually did.  At mile 3, I found a good pace, and the crowd had thinned out.  Mile 4 was too quick, and I eased back. I hit 10K in 38:19. Mile 8 was slow - maybe it was the headwinds - maybe it was marked a bit long?  I met up with another runner around mile 7, and we matched paces / pushed eachother to the finish.  Miles 11 and 12 were each at 5:56 pace!  I had to slow down a bit for the last 0.4 mile and let the other guy go.  But it was still a good finish.  I went through the 2nd 10K in 37:53 (only 31 seconds slower than my 10K PR from Norwalk this spring), so it was a negative split!
12.40 06:09
Fall Frolic 30K 9/21/2008 Stratford, CT 2:00:15 5   M1 - 6:29,  M2 - 6:24,  M3 - 6:31,  M4, M5, M6 - 19:42  (6:34 avg), M7 - 6:04,  M8 - 6:43, M9, M10 - 13:11 (6:36 avg), M11 - 6:32, M12, M13 - 12:34 (6:17 avg), M14 - 6:32, M15, M16 - 12:57 (6:29), M17 - 6:40, M18 - 6:30, (M18.6) - 3:18 18.60 06:28
Roxbury Race Series - Down Chalybes - 2.4 miles 9/27/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:14:07 1 First place overall M1 - 5:59, M2 - 5:50, (M2.4) - 2:18  

I went out fast and attacked the first gradual hill up Rocky Mountain Road and Hemlock Road, leading up to the top of Chalybes hill.  I cruised down the hill then struggled to hold on to the fast pace the rest of the way.
2.40 05:53
Roxbury Race Series - Jeep Trail and Hemlock - 7.3 miles 10/4/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:50:17 4   M1 - 6:36,  M2 - 6:37,  M3 - 6:30,  M4 - 7:00, M5 - 7:11,  M6 - 7:06, M7 - 7:07, (M7.3) - 2:11 

With the marathon one week away, I wanted just a moderately faster run, trying for a steady effort / pace.
7.30 06:53
Hartford Marathon 10/11/2008 Hartford, CT 2:52:54 19 Third Place Masters Men hartford_08_report.txt 26.20 06:36
WCSU Campus To Campus 5K 10/19/2008 Danbury, CT 0:17:48 3 Third Place Overall 8:30 AM - cold, windy - 38°.
 Pretty fast course - only two minor up hills.  It starts most of the way down the hill on the main road down from the West Side campus, turn left on Lake Ave. Ext (flat).  I was in about 9th place at this point.  I gradually caught up to and passed a few people along this flat area.  Going up the first hill just past Exit 4 ramps for I-84, I passed two more runners, moving into third place.  Following a short flat, there's a long down hill on Lake Avenue.  The runner in first place really extended his lead going down this hill.  I maintained a 50 yard gap behind the runner in second place.  There's a small hill going up West St.  Then it's pretty flat the rest of the way: crossing Deerhill Ave and Main St, going onto Liberty, then left on Patriot and right on White St. with maybe a quarter mile to the finish.  I was closing the gap on the second place runner, and I got to within maybe 10 or 20 yards, but I wasn't able to catch up.  The winner was 30 seconds ahead.
3.10 05:45
Kent Pumpkin Run (5 miles) 10/26/2008 Kent, CT 0:29:27 8 Third Place in 40-49 Age Group kent_08.txt 5.00 05:53
Roxbury Race Series - Jeep Trail 11/1/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:25:07 2   8:30 AM - cold, windy - 30°.
 M1 - 5:47,  M2 - 5:56,  M3 - 6:15,  (M3.95) - 6:45
3.95 06:22
Roxbury Race Series - Botsford Hill: 11.1 miles 11/8/2008 Roxbury, CT 1:12:39 4   8:30 AM, 50°F, overcast. 
M1 - 5:47, M2 - 6:08, M3 - 6:07, M4 - 6:17, M5 - 7:50, M6 - 7:08, M7 - 6:18, M8 - 5:57, M9 - 7:00, M10 - 6:39, M11 - 7:07, (M11.1) - 0:22   ///
The first mile felt very comfortable at 5:47!  And I was tagging along with the lead pack of 8, so I went with it.  The pack started stringing out on River Road, and I was in 6th place.  The first mile of the hill is very steep.  The first two runners took off and were out of sight for the rest of the race.  I passed Jeff near mile 5.  He caught up, and we both caught up to a couple of New Milford guys.  This group of 4 stayed together until the big down hill started. I just let gravity carry me down the hill, because my legs felt good, and I had a decent turnover rate.  I had built a decent lead among the 3-6 group by the time  I got to the bridge.  Then the long, steady up hill started.  One of the New Milford guys passed me around mile 10.  Another nearly caught up in the last half mile, but I was able to hold him off for 4th.
11.10 06:33
Roxbury Race Series - Down Chalybes, Up Ranney - 3.7 miles 11/15/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:23:55 1 First place overall 8:30 AM, 60°F, off & on rain. 
M1 - 6:22, M2 - 6:56, M3 - 7:21, (M3.7) - 3:17
3.70 06:28
Roxbury Race Series - Down Hemlock - 3.5 miles 11/22/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:21:42 3   8:30 AM, 18°F, wind.  M1 - 6:11, M2 - 5:51, M3 - 6:05, M3.5 - 3:34 3.50 06:12
New Fairfield Run For The Turkeys 11/23/2008 New Fairfield, CT 0:18:03 3 First Place in AG: 40 - 49 M 11:00 AM, 25°F. M1 - 5:40, M2,M3 - 11:43, M3.1 -  0:40  ///
This race was a last minute decision.  I was planning to do my last long run before the Roxbury Marathon, and I just had a race yesterday. I still wanted to get some decent miles in for the day.  I went in not expecting much, but I felt pretty good. I ran 6.5mi on a local out & back, changed shirts, and drove to New Fairfield.  I registered for the race and went out for a 2.5 mile w/u run along the course.  The race itself was well managed.  There were plenty of volunteers directing runners, and the roads were closed to cars.  In the early part of the race, I was in 5th place.  The guy in front of me kept moving in front of me, as I tried to pass, then he'd put on a surge.  I just kept my pace and eventually passed him for good.  I spent most of the rest of the race chasing the girl who ended up as the winner in the female division.  I passed her with about half a mile to go.  Finishers 1 and 2 were out of sight, finishing in 17 and change.
After the race, I ran another 2 miles for cooldown. Then 6.2 miles at home, bringing the day's total to around 20 - not as good as a long run, but it'll do...
3.10 05:49
Pete McCardle Cross Country Classic 11/30/2008 Bronx, NY 1:01:13 11 3rd place AG 40-44 M 11:30 AM 35°F Steady Rain.  Lots of puddles, lots of mud.  It was a miserable day.  The race started a few minutes past 11:30, and everyone was glad it when we got to start running for real - after all the time trying to keep warm prior to the race in the cold rain.  I hit 5K in 19:08 - good.  The conditions of the grass section beyond the finish line had deteriorated after the first pass of the race.  It was quite slippery.  I was having trouble seeing.  Eventually I just took my glasses off and carried them.  I hit 10K around 40:00 even - not good.  I tried picking up the effort, but the grass section was even worse the third time, and my legs were unresponsive on the back hills. I did feel like I was able to put in a strong finish along the flats, but when I got to the finish line, it was above 1:01:00, so my 1 hour goal will have to wait another year...   Still, I was glad to be out there - another run in the park battling other runners up and down the hills and through the puddles.  I ended up cold and tired, legs caked in mud - not a bad way to spend Sunday morning. 9.30 06:35
Roxbury Series - 2.4 miles - Up Chalybes 12/6/2008 Roxbury, CT 0:15:11 1 1st place overall 20°F, no snow.  M1 - 6:15, M2 - 6:40, (2.4) - 2:17.  Went out relaxed, started picking up pace late on South St, worked hard up Chalybes, let up a bit on Hemlock, had to pick up pace again towards the end to keep lead. 2.40 06:20
Roxbury Marathon 12/13/2008 Roxbury, CT 3:16:42 1 1st place overall The good - I came in first place. The bad - I missed 3:00 by almost 17 minutes. The ugly - the meltdown hit me around 17 miles. I started to feel fatigued around half-way, but I held on close to pace for a while. By mile 17, I was in survival mode!
 The first 4.3 miles was at 6:52 pace (right on target for 3 hours).
  Coming back 4.1 miles was at 7:07 pace - a little slow, but a lot of up-hill.
First 3.6 mile loop to mile 12: 7:09 pace - still a little slow
Second loop to mile 15.6: 6:54 pace - getting closer .
Third loop to mile 19.2: 7:29 pace - starting to fall apart.
 Fourth loop to mile 22.8: 8:14 pace - continuing to deteriorate.
 Fifth loop to the finish at mile 26.4: 8:37 pace - just kept moving, knowing I could get the win if I did not stop.
26.40 07:27

Beat Frequencies - Running