The Parker Road Race – May 18, 2008

NAME: The Parker Road Race & Springfest

DATE: May 18, 2008

LOCATION: Start and end at the FW Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, MA

WEBSITE

CONDITIONS: Sunny, mild

RACE: 
      Course Difficulty: Moderate – Hilly course, several gradual climbs and declines
      Course Appearance: Pretty – Goes through the wooded residential sections of Devens
      Race Organization: Good – Well organized and streamlined, awards ceremony could have been a tad smoother
      Course Safety: Excellent – Light traffic, state police in all necessary locations
      Support: Below Average – Sparse support throughout course, solid crowd at the finish line
      Recommend: Yes – A small race (numbers wise) but a good course and a fun time

RESULT: 14/84 – First in age division (Official Results from Cool Running)

BACKGROUND: An all day event that is focused around the 5 Mile road race. Benefiting the FW Parker Charter Essential School, this years proceeds went to the new building fund, as the school is looking to add a new wing on to the school. Three races take place during the event, the Tot Trot, 2 Mile, and the 5 Mile. After the race, you can listen to music, play games, get a massage, participate in raffles, or simply hang out on the lawn during the Springfest. It really is a great time!

MY EXPERIENCE: I can easily say that, as a package, this was the best event that I have been a part of so far. The course was fun and provided a nice challenge for a beginning runner, it was well organized, and the festivities were awesome as well.

My hip was still a little stiff, but it loosened up quickly into the race. My first mile I ran a 6:13 pace, but that quickly fell off. I think that I started off too quickly because each mile was a little longer in terms of my time. However, it still felt good to know that I could actually run a mile that quickly.

The race course was very nice, in my opinion. For the most part, it was gradual rolling hills. There were a handful of brief flat spots, but those were not exactly common. Throughout the course, there were accurate time splits, several water stops, and some ok support (mostly from the volunteers, but that’s ok). The accurate time splits were refreshing after last week, as my overall time was way off last week at the Helen Driscoll Road Race (more on that later).

When I crossed the finish line, I was able to clock a 34:59 total time, good for basically a 7:00 minute mile. For me, I was pleased. First, I placed first in my division (even though there were only three people in my age group), and secondly, it means that I have shaved about 10 seconds off my mile time – and this was on a course almost two miles longer and much hillier than my baseline (the Stewart Savage 5K). I was suspicious of last weeks’ time of 6:33 per mile at the Helen Driscoll Road Race, and this pretty much confirms my hunch that the clock was way off last weekend. I’ll leave the times as is on that page since those are the official results, but keep in mind that those are off.

Unfortunately, I was unable to hang around for the Springfest portion of the event, but it looked like a good time.

Overall, this was a great event. I hope that I am around to do it again next year (I’ll likely be at college), and it was well worth it! I haven’t chosen my race for next weekend (I can’t do Boston’s Run to Remember…sigh), but it’ll likely be a similar distance. On the whole very pleased after this event!

Helen Driscoll Road Race – May 10, 2008

NAME: Annual Mother’s Day Weekend Helen Driscoll Road Race

DATE: May 10, 2008

LOCATION: Start and end at VFW 1012 in Medford, MA

WEBSITE

CONDITIONS: Overcast and then partly sunny

RACE:
    Course Difficulty: Easy – Mostly flat, many cars that you need to be careful of
     Course Appearance: Average – Some nice suburban sections, around I-93, other concrete landscapes
     Race Organization: Good – Started on time, one water stop, mile markers, slow but nice post-race festivities
     Course Safety: Below Average - Not enough cops, lots of cars and several busy intersections, small directional signs
     Support: Bad – Other than the handful of finish line supporters the course was pretty empty
     Recommend: Yes – However, the MMRF 5K is on the same day and it sounded like a better, safer course

RESULT: 5/129 – First in age division (Official Results from Cool Running)

BACKGROUND: A non-profit road race that benefits multiple charity organizations. All money from entrance fees, raffles, T-Shirt sales and additional donations goes to the Alzheimer’s Association Massachusetts Chapter and the Community Family, an organization that helps area families that have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s or other conditions that cause memory loss.

MY EXPERIENCE: Following my successful run at the Officer Stewart Savage 5K, I wanted to up the distance a little bit, so I chose the Helen Driscoll Road Race (4.2 miles) over the MMRF 5K race in South Boston.

I showed up to the Medford VFW 1012 post about 45 minutes before race time (11 AM). The $18 entrance fee was very reasonable, so I chipped some extra cash by purchasing one of their T-Shirts for an additional $15. The parking lot area was a little crowded, so it was a little difficult to find a place to myself to stretch out and warm-up. I felt a little tight when the gun went off at exactly the 11 AM mark, but I loosened up after the first half mile.

Unlike the last race I was in, I ended up getting pushed towards the front of the pack at the starting line (more by necessity than choice). I was a little nervous because I was with the more experienced runners of the group, but I quickly realized that I could run with most of them…the question was whether or not I could sustain my pace over the entire course.

Initially, the police presence along the route was very good, as cops on motorcycles would stop an intersection and then whiz along to the next one, working efficiently in tandem. Unfortunately, as the three front runners began to move ahead, the cops seemed to as well, leaving me, and many others behind. I actually almost got hit once by a guy who clearly had no idea that there was a road race going on and was pulling onto the street I was running on. The only other issue I had with the course was that some of the directional signs were small and somewhat hard to locate, but there were usually some people nearby to make sure that the runners stayed on track.

After a small climb over the first quarter- to half-mile, the road course was pretty flat. While the beginning and end went through some *very* busy areas around where I-93 cuts through the town, a good portion of the race was secluded away in the back streets of Medford. On the whole, it was a decent course.

As for my performance, I felt very good about it. I never felt like I was slowing down, and only one guy (who was clearly a far more experienced runner than I) passed me throughout the entire race. My dad was there as well once I hit the stretch run, and it provided me with a little extra boost. At the end, there was a nice small crowd (mostly other runners and their families) around the finish line supporting myself and others as we came in across the finish line. I finished in 5th out of a field of approximately 150 runners. My time was 27:29, good for a 6:33 pace.

I was a little surprised that my pace had improved so much over the course of just one week (I had not even sniffed this mile pace during my runs throughout the week). The only thing I can say is competition – I love competing and it always brings the best out of me.

After a successful race, there was a nice after party in the VFW Post. Various drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta, pizza, salad and a variety of desserts were all laid out at us. I couldn’t help but think that a lot of the foods probably didn’t belong at a race, but whatever, I snagged a slice of pizza and some salad for lunch and had some nice, brief conversation with other runners. The event was a little long and dragged out, but on the whole it was a good time.

While the Officer Stewart Savage 5K was definitely the superior race in my opinion, the Helen Driscoll Road Race was a nice event that provided everyone with a good time. Some tweaks would do the event a lot of good, but I like what they have going. If I had to do it all over again, I might have done the MMRF in South Boston, but this was a good experience for a good cause.