2019 Boston Buildup 20K: Race Photos & Results

It may have been a small miracle, but I somehow managed to run the Boston Buildup 20K this morning.  Given that I had no voice to speak of when I woke up (from all the coughing I had done through the night), I was inclined to skip it.  But since I hadn't run either of the first 2 races in the series during January - and, more importantly, I would probably have gone running later in the day - just got in the car and drove to Fairfield.

I was glad I did!  Despite the cold (I wore my jacket over my running clothes), finished in a sliver under 1:42 (1:42:59 - to be precise), an 8:12 pace.  Then my Iphone immediately died after I turned off Strava - so no pictures (the starting line photo is thanks to Tony!).

Here is the link to the official results at Athlinks.  One very cool thing I hadn't realized was that a finisher's certificate was available.  So there is mine - haha :D

2015 boston buildup 20k: race photos & results

the weather held out long enough to get in the boston buildup 20k this morning - and the temperature was above freezing as a bonus :D

as for my performance over the hilly 12.4 miles - i missed my target of a sub 1:40 by a minute (1:40:58, 8:06 pace).  that was a solid 3 minutes slower than my time last year.  but i was still happy with the outcome - especially getting in the miles. 

it capped my third straight 50+ mile week.  since the drop off in weekly mileage last fall, my goal for the first couple of month of 2015 is rebuild my mileage base.  so far so good, with a 220 mile january and february starting strong :D

next up: a double with the van cortlandt track club's valentines day relay and the taconic's freezer 5 miler next weekend.

here are the race results from clubct.

2014 new haven road race 20k: race photos & results

 

we had some tough running conditions for the 20k this morning - basically a repeat of the hot and humid conditions from 2013.  it was 72 degrees when i got up, 77 when i pulled into new haven, and already into the 80's as we lined up for the start!

given the heat and humidity my sub-8 minute pace goal wasn't realistic.  as it turned out, a sub 8:30 pace wasn't in the cards.  i wound up duplicating my 2013 finish w/a 1:46:44, an 8:36 pace.  i was actually on a sub 8:30 pace for the first 9 miles, but the heat did me in over the last 5k.

still, i was happy to get it done - and my first stop after crossing the finish was the ufo beer booth for a ufo wheat!

here are the 20k race results from jb sports.

here are the rest of my photos up on facebook.

2014 boston buildup 20k: race photos & results

 

 the boston buildup 20k got underway - after two weather related postponements - with some fantastic running weather.  "it was worth the wait" for a race that normally kicks off in frigid conditions!  as a consequence, the 25k (scheduled for next weekend) will likely be pushed back a week to avoid back to back races.

 

i was more than pleased with my 1:38:03 because it came in well under my 1:40 target!  my goal was to run 8:00 minute miles over the hilly course, on the heels of a 15 mile training run the day before (in lieu of a drive to colchester for the half marathon).  as it turned out, my at 10 miles was 1:19:27 (a 7:56 pace) -- and i managed to pick up it up enough for the last 2.4 miles that i brought down the overall pace to 7:53!

 

here are the race results from clubct.

 

 

 

here are the rest of my race photos up on facebook.

2013 after the leaves have fallen 20k: race photos & results

 

this was my second time running the "after the leaves have fallen" 20k - a race that i can only run when it's rescheduled from it's traditional first week of november date - which generally conflicts with the nyc marathon.  in 2011 the course ran counter clockwise.  this year the course ran clockwise around lake minnewaska.

 

aside from the spectacular scenery, this edition featured the most unusual weather conditions - which ranged from sun, rain, snow, sleet, hail - and lots of wind!  despite (or maybe as a result of) those conditions, i ran a 1:44:50 (unofficial).  that was a solid 4+ minutes faster than my 2011 finish (which featured beautiful, i.e. sunny, weather).

 

i'll write up a brief race report.

 

here are the race results.

 

 

 

the rest of my photos are up on facebook.

2013 new haven road race 20k: photos & results

the new haven 20k was my third race in as many days.  it's been a while since I did three races back to back - and the weather conditions didn't make the trio any easier.  there was a light drizzle for most of the 20k this morning.  but the rain didn't do much to bring down the humidity - it still seemed like we were running underwater most of the time!

i didn't have any time goal in mind.  my initial plan to run 8 minute miles and shoot for a 1:40 finish fell apart in the first mile.  it was a struggle to run 8:30 miles -  have to constantly spend time wiping my foggy, wet glasses (with a soaked singlet) didn't help matters!  i finished in a disappointing 1:46:36, an 8:35 pace.

still, given the lousy weather - and the toll of the other two races - i was more than happy to cross the finish line and make a beeline for a cold glass of harpoon white to rehydrate with!  remarkably, my time was good enough for third lawyer/judge - and i won a tech shirt!  that was some kind of positive karma because they had run out of tech shirts when i picked up my bib at the start!

here are the 20k results from the new haven road race.

the rest of my photos are up on facebook.

2013 boston buildup 20k: race photos and results

the rescheduled boston buildup 20k was held in fairfield this morning. it was cold, but that alone wasn't really a factor.  the wind, on the other hand, was unrelenting.  after we took a sharp right out of the high school driveway we confronted a headwind that just wouldn't stop - literally - for the first few miles.  even when it abated, it didn't last long.  my takeaway from the race was a sense of running into a headwind every step of the way - and that's saying something on an out and back course!

even so, i had a pretty good race.  my 1:42:28, 8:15 pace, was a lot slower than the 1:34:01 i ran last year.  it was even well off my 1:40 target.  but, given my low mileage i've run over the last month, i was more than happy to run the course without have to walk the hills (or any portion of the course, for that matter)!

here are the race results from clubct.

 

i posted more photos on facebook.

2012 boston build-up 20k: race report

this almost become a belated race report. i started it on sunday afternoon, w/the details still fresh - and somehow it friday morning when i finally got around finishing it up!  the biggest difference  in the 2012 edition of the boston build-up 20k was the new location.  the start/finish was moved from southport to fairfield, one exit on i-95.  but despite relocation, the bulk of the course remained the same - which is to say, grueling and challenging!

that said, this version seemed a bit easier than the original layout.  maybe it was psychological, but the miles to and from the fairfield train station may have been a bit tamer.  as in 20k's past, the west point running (marathon) team had a strong turnout.  and there were plenty of familiar faces in the field: don, roy, brian, tom, bob h., ted, karen, rob i,, evan, neal, andi, dan, joe, ronnie, bob g., jeanette, dawn, and marty - to name just a few.  kate was there and took pictures.  tony was there and did post-race massage.

this was by far the coldest of the three 2012 boston build-up races.  i had on 3 loose fitting shirts and a vest.  it seemed like a recipe for serious overheating.  but when all was said and done, the wind kept me from feeling overdressed - at least for the first 10-12 miles.  i wore mittens over my gloves and kept them on until i reached 10 miles!  despite all the layers, i don't think my race performance suffered too much as a consequence.

i had a relatively straightforward objective - a sub 1:40 finish.  i wanted to run a pair of 50 minute 10k's and redeem my poor 2011 finish (1:43:20, an 8:19 pace).  as it turned out i had a great race, and ran negative splits.  my first 10k clocked in at 47:48, a 7:41 pace.  that included a bit of walking to reach the crest of the big hill in mile 5.  the second 10k had no walk breaks.  i ran a 46:13, 7:26 pace, for the second half.  that was a minute and a half faster than the first 10k. 

overall, my 1:34:01, 7:34 pace, finish (my watch had 1:33:57, unofficially), was my best boston build-up since 2007 - when i ran a 1:33:59 :D  but that 2007 race was a far cry from the year earlier when i ran a 1:25:40, 6:54 pace, in 2006 :O  ah, those were the good old days!

here are my race photos.