WRR May/June 2014 by Wicked Running Club

THE

WICKED

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

Running Register

May/June 2014 • Priceless

Est. Jan 2010

Wicked Grand Prix Series 2014 T.R. Ramsdell

Ok, everyone take a deep breath. Are you ready? You’ve got the

be a lie. It’s Gloucester. You can’t run 3 blocks without hitting a hill. We had a good turnout

whole month of July off from

regardless and several of our members even took

the WGP series. So go out,

home some bling.

eat too much at cook outs, have another frosty beverage, hell, have a big ole slice of cake. But, August

Our last race before our July intermission was the all new NERC 10 Mile Classic. The race

is right around the corner with the Derby Street

traced the coastline in Beverly to the Manchester

mile. The date has been changed because the

border and back. A few rolling hills and beautiful

Salem Park and Rec has dished it off to B&S, but

scenery along the way helped launch this race

it’s still my favorite race of all time! The new date

into what we hope will be an annual event. This

is Friday night, August 22, 2014. One mile, flat,

was my first venture as a co-race director, but

fast, elbows flying, all out human drag race up

I’ve got to tell you all, that even though it was a

Derby Street. There’s nothing better!

tremendous amount of work, it wouldn’t have been possible without a ton of help from all my

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s re-cap

Wicked friends. From those that volunteered on

a couple things.

the course, or number pick up, or just supporting it by showing up and racing, you guys made it a

Way back in May, we had Trav’s trail run in New-

success. On behalf of Dave from NERC, Doug,

buryport. I don’t like trail races. I loved this race!

my partner in crime, and myself, I thank you all.

These were the nicest trails I’ve ever run on. Lots of hills, but the trail was wide for passing and not

As always, I end by asking you to please be sure

much debris on the course either. Fantastic race.

and wear your Wicked gear at races. Any races.

Wicked had a great showing here with about 25

I always come back from the finish line to cheer

of us there, sweating and swallowing bugs.

you guys in, but its difficult to pick faces out of a crowd of runners. I focus on the red shirts, then

Next up, we had the Twin Lobster half marathon

your face. Isn’t it fun to have someone screaming

in Gloucester. Billed as mostly flat and fast, I

your name near the finish line? Email Michael

can tell you that it was neither. I knew it had to

Harvey and get some stuff. Do it!

NERC 10 Miler

athon er Half Mar Twin Lobst

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

Presidential Perspective T.R. Ramsdell

A Race Story by Krissy Kozlosky My goal for 2014 is to run every

This column will be short and sweet. Every month I look forward to coming up with some sort of inspirational message to motivate you all. This month however, I find myself at a deficit, and a suitable topic eluded me. I will however climb aboard my soapbox and offer you the following diatribe. For those of you that find it a bit obtuse, I apologize in advance. For the rest of you, I hope you understand and enjoy its message.

To truly be alive, you must feel.... The rain on your brow The tears on your cheek The sweat on your back The ache in your heart The soreness in your bones The agony of defeat The joy of victory If you don’t feel pain daily, in some way, you may live, but are you alive? Go out today and challenge yourself. Be better than you were yesterday, but not as good as you will be tomorrow. Open doors for strangers Pat a random dog Call an old friend Take a chance. Don’t play it safe. Never regret trying, only that you were afraid of failure.

T.R.

was looking strong and had a smile on her face

race in the WRC Grand Prix.

which made me smile. This was my mom’s first

When I saw the Twin Lobster

time to come watch me race so it meant a lot to

half marathon in the line-up, I

me. At the 10 mile marker Jim motivated me by

said ok, I can do this. So I start-

yelling, you just have a 5K to the finish. Those

ed to train using Jim Pawlicki as

words stuck in my head and I started racing like I

my coach. I knew if Jim trained

was just starting a 5K. That last 5K were my fast-

me that I would be able to finish the race. You

est miles in the

really can’t slack when your coach is your hus-

race. I thank

band and has access to Garmin Connect. The

Joe Armstrong

morning of the race I was so excited and scared

for keeping

at the same time. I have never ran this distance

me company

and they advertised the race as flat which I knew

and getting me

Gloucester wasn’t but I kept telling myself that.

through more

I ran the first 9.5 miles with Joe Armstrong by

than half of

my side and Jim riding the bike along the course

the race. In

checking in on me. He was my personal mobile

addition, I am

GU and water station. I ran by my mom and sis-

grateful to my

ter, Maryann (WRC member), at mile 6 and again

family for their

at mile 8 (same area). I took my headphone out

love and support and especially to Jim. I don’t

of my ear so that I could hear them cheer me on

think that I would be running if it wasn’t for him.

and lost the rubber end. Thanks to Joe I knew

He inspires me every day. My official finish time

where to look when we made the turn around to

was 2:15:36 (10:21 pace) and I am happy with

head back to the finish. Thankfully I found it so

that. Thanks to all the WRC members cheering

the only thing I lost was maybe a couple of sec-

me on at the finish and a special thanks to Dan

onds. I loved how we were able to see everyone

and Kat Vassallo for their support. I felt pretty

at the turn around. I cheered on my team mates

special on June 1st.

and even gave Sandy Armstrong a high five. She

Race Review by Alana Bresnahan

I thought the race was well run, great location and great route. However, I have a few things to suggest for next year. Have more volunteers if possible along the route, I felt like I was crossing the road at random times because other runners where and no one was out there to tell us which side we should have

been on. I would also suggest bathrooms along the route, at least one would have been nice since it was 10 full miles. Either way I look forward to running again next year!

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

A Pretty Neat Story by Shannon Downey As many of my Wicked friends know, the Patrick Downey 5K is a labor of love for me, a race dedicated to raising awareness for esophageal cancer and keeping alive the memory of my brother Patrick, who lost his fight with the disease on October 20, 2007. Many of you also know that through the power of social media, I was able to secure a corporate sponsorship with Converse, enabling me to not only make huge annual donations to the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association but also to give runners some of the sweetest race swag in the Greater Boston area: free Chucks, bags and key chains. And some of you may also know that my “little race that could” was even featured in Runner’s World Magazine.But I don’t think you all know about Jerri Lynn Baker. After the piece about the PD5K ran in Runner’s World in the October 2012

issue, and after we ran the race in 2013, I received a Facebook message from a woman named Jerri Lynn Baker. She was a tonsil cancer survivor and she was drawn to my race because of the connection to cancer and the story I wrote about Patrick. She said she was going to come and run the race one day – but she lives in Illinois. I didn’t think much of it. In January 2014, I opened registration for the Fourth Annual Patrick Downey 5K. About a week later, I received applications in the mail for Jerri Lynn and her 11 year old son, Aden. She was coming from Illinois to run my race. She was making a vacation out of it, having never been to the East Coast before. She was driving with Aden and convinced her mother-in-law to come from Las Vegas and make the trip as well, sharing expenses along the way. They made an entire vacation of it – drove to Niagara Falls, went into Boston to sightsee, stayed in Gloucester the night before the PD5K and managed to sneak in a whale watch. She figured all of her travel out herself, decided what they wanted to do and how to get it done and, frankly, was lower maintenance than some of my runners who have lived here their entire lives (not

Wicked runners, of course :-) She even learned how to properly pronounce “Peabody”. She wore SuperGirl Chucks around Boston and happily got her red high tops at the race. Oh – and her mother-in-law won an age group medal at the race! But the best part about is that she was driving into MA the day the DOT launched their “Use Yah Blinkah” campaign, so she got a real flavor for Boston Strong! Jerri Lynn wrote a wonderful blog post about her experience that you can read here: http://jlturtlerunner.wordpress. com/2014/05/19/i-just-drove-onethousand-thirty-one-and-one-tenthmiles-for-a-pair-of-free-chuck-taylorsor-changing-lanes-use-yah-blinkah/ For my part, I am honored and humbled to have met such a wonderful woman and her family. I am truly in awe of her desire to live her life to the fullest and find a way to do what she wants to do. I am overwhelmed that she chose my little race as a part of her unbelievable journey. But, most of all, I know that I am incredibly blessed to have met her and her family and I know I have a friend for life and I am sure that Patrick would’ve *loved* her.

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

The Question Is ... ? ? ?

...Why did you start running and what inspires you to get out there each day? Elaine Goldman I didn’t really start running “seriously” until 2 years ago. It was 2012, and at the time I worked in the hotel industry in Boston. I was on vacation having survived another hectic (but successful and enjoyable) Boston Marathon season. I literally woke up in bed and decided I needed to start running and I needed to start running that day. I don’t know what possessed me – maybe it had been percolating for a while, like Mt. St. Helens, just biding its time. I had fond memories as a kid of my dad avidly running when we lived in California, I tried (and failed) to join my high school track team, I’d run (er, jog) the occasional charity 5K in college...I think somewhere I just always wanted to be a runner and I kept suppressing it for years, until it exploded in the middle of my vacation. My poor husband obliged yet another one of my wacky requests. We ended up walking 30 minutes to a shopping center that happened to contain a New Balance store, where I bought the fugliest pair of running shoes I’ve ever owned. (I just told myself if I managed to keep running consistently this time, I’d reward myself with cooler shoes). I hit the treadmill in the hotel gym that same day…and I couldn’t even finish half a mile. I did two miles total and it was only through a mix of jogging/ power-walking that I got through the workout. The next day everything was sore. I was seriously out of shape, but I was determined to keep at it and did so

even when we returned home. As months went by, things got easier. I was finally able to do more than 1 lap around the Commons without gasping for air. I slowly increased my mileage – running over the bridge into downtown Beverly and back without once stopping to walk was a big milestone. Now, as I train for my third marathon, it’s crazy to look back and see how far I’ve come in such a relatively short amount of time. This in itself is one of the reasons I am still motivated to go out almost every day. When so much in life is riddled with uncertainty, running provides a comforting sense of structure and measurability. There is no gray area in running. You either hit certain distances, paces or goals or you don’t. You put in the work and it shows – or you slack off and it shows. It’s not always predictable, but it is reliable. You can count on running to get easier with each step, to help clear your head, to improve your health, to improve your relationships…maybe not with every run, but at least cumulatively. I also keep running because of how great it makes me feel both mentally and physically. Looking back at where I started and where I am, I feel an enormous amount of pride. The other day at work someone even referred to me as an “athlete” – which if you knew me in high school, that would normally be a completely laughable categorization. I still have a long ways to go in terms of my goals, but I never thought I’d even get this far. It has increased my selfconfidence – but more importantly, my

self-acceptance. I’ll be blunt - I have my fair share of “body image issues.” (I think a lot of women do, unfortunately). I have spent many years beingirrationally unkind to what I see superficially reflected in a mirror or a scale. I still have my days where I crinkle my nose up at what I see (fitting rooms with fluorescent lighting, I’m looking at you). However, I have become so much more forgiving, and dare I say, appreciative of the body I have - flaws and all. This body has done some pretty amazing things! This body is healthy and strong enough to run long distances or do that extra lap during a track workout in 80% humidity. I see what I’ve been capable of (and what I could be capable of) and it would seem almost disrespectful to myself to not be out there on the roads trying to reach my potential. So every time I run, I’m essentially telling myself “Hey, I like you. I believe in you…” and that’s just a wonderful gift that’s impossible to get tired of (even when I’m literally tired and tempted to just keep hitting the snooze button before a morning run). Doug Bollen I started jogging when I was about 18 to stay in shape for basketball and kept doing it to stay in shape for the Men’s basketball leagues I played in. I always considered myself a jogger, not a runner regardless of the time I ran. I always felt runners were the guys who ran on track and cross country teams. It may be old school, but I am a jogger. I still jog for fitness. I was never in a Running Club until I help co-found Wicked.

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com The Question Is…Continued…

Christin Shafer I started running about 8 years ago...mainly for the exercise, since I had gotten a fulltime job out of college sitting at a desk all day. It felt great to get out there and go after a long day. I really started to run more often once I got a puppy Rottweiler that had LOTS of excess energy. I was a single “puppy mom” and it was the only way to stay sane with a dog of that size with that much energy! Shortly after that I was introduced to 5ks by a friend, then a mud run, a relay. . .and completed my first half marathon in 2011. So in addition to my dog, races were the reason I was getting out there everyday and they still are. I am highly motivated by having a goal. The finish line is my goal, never a time, just to finish. Speed has come with time and I have a great appreciation for that. (not that I am fast, but I am faster “er” for sure since 8 years ago!) I’ll also try anything once, you only live once, so why not? When it comes to running races they’re all different in their own way and I’ll never run out of new ones to try. As of now, for the rest of this year, training for my first marathon in my hometown city of Philadelphia is my inspiration for getting out there each day.

Get Out and Race 2nd annual Bridge & Back 10K Sunday, August 3, 2014 @ 8:00 am Tavern in the Square All proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem. We will provide two free beers to runners after the race. Email: dougbollen12@yahoo.com Website: https://racewire.com/register. php?id=3844

Wicked Kudos From Don Galluci: Great job by Doug Bollen and TR on the NERC 10 Miler this past Sunday. It was a fantastic race and I’m already looking forward to it next year!

Wicked Board 2014: We welcome your questions and suggestions. Get in touch! PRESIDENT: T.R. Ramsdell mopartr@comcast.net VICE PRESIDENT: Doug Bollen dougbollen12@yahoo.com TREASURER: Karen Aalto kpaalto00@gmail.com SECRETARY: Alison Phelan alphelan2@gmail.com

From Doug Bollen: I want to thank TR Ramsdell for co-directing the New England Running Company 10 Mile Run and all the Wicked Running Club members who volunteered and ran in the race. From Kelly Pheulpin: Ali Pheulpin took 2nd place at North Shore Fitness 5k, congrats!

MEMBERSHIP DIR.: Kelly Pheulpin membership@wickedrunningclub.com CLOTHING DIRECTOR: Michael Harvey wickedrunninggear@gmail.com MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Elaine Goldman elaine_santoyo@yahoo.com MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Mike Paulin roadrunnermep@msn.com MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Jay Carraro scoobysnaxe@aol.com

Non-Board Positions NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Christin Shafer newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

Lynn Woods Cross-Country Trails races start on May 28th at 6:30PM Lynn Parks and Recreation Adult Track at Manning Field starts on June 2nd at 6:15PM Lynn parks and Recreation Youth Track at Manning Field starts on June 3rd at 6:15PM Further schedule details can be found at www.lwrun.org

GRAND PRIX SERIES CO-COORDINATORS: T.R. Ramsdell mopartr@comcast.net Don Gallucci dongallucci67@gmail.com WEBMASTER: Tim Short tim.short1@gmail.com

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

Race Review by Michael Paulin Last year my wife and I ran the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, Vermont... which is held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend every year. We had an unbelievable time with several Wicked friends, I think I even submitted a Race Review on the race one year ago... without even looking back, I would say that I gave it 5 cats! And now here we are, one year later, and somehow Vermont City Marathon weekend involved even more Wicked peeps and was even more fun than the previous year!!

agreed that we would return this year for the 2-person Relay... which would involve much less training and stress, and a much quicker recovery afterwards to enjoy the post-race festivities (which are amazing at Vermont City by the way, complete with views of Lake Champlain, pizza and a great beer tent!!). To make things even more interesting, a small group of us decided to add a bit of competition into the mix by forming a few evenly split teams to trash talk While running the marathon last year, and challenge each other throughout we quickly realized that there was also training, right up until race day. The a Relay option at Vermont City (mostly teams boiled down to this... Brad Gates realized by the fresh relayers zipping and Chris Nolin, my wife Tara and past us at every transition point while Scott Carrier, and myself and Suzanne we suffered through the full marathon!!). Chaves. Based on our estimated finish So upon finishing, several in our group times, we anticipated that we’d all be within minutes of each other at the finish... and the race itself did not disappoint. When it was all said and done at the finish line, team Ambiguously Fast Duo (Brad and Chris) took victory (both running half marathon PR’s) in 2:52:03, followed by team Goose and Maverick (Tara and Scott) less than two minutes behind (with Tara also running a halfmarathon PR) in 2:53:53, followed by team See You in

the Beer Tent (Mike and Suzanne) less than one minute behind in 2:54:52. All three teams finishing within three minutes of each other over the course of the full marathon... and all three teams finishing in the top 20 out of almost 900 total 2-person relay teams!! Once the dust settled from the trash talk (yes Brad and Chris, you earned it!), we all enjoyed a beer (or several) in the beer tent... sharing our memories of the race and enjoying the beautiful day overlooking the Lake. Not to be outdone, the Wicked Relay Challenge was far from the only Wicked action on this day... several others had also taken part in either the 2-person marathon relay or the full marathon itself, including some very impressive times. Among them were marathon PR’s and Boston Qualifiers by Denis Garriepy and Jen Howland and a marathon PR by Yvette Tetreault. In total, our Wicked group was approximately 30 people... taking over the marathon weekend and the city of Burlington! Love the Wicked Running Club and this VCM crew... we’ll definitely be back up in Vermont in 2015 and I once again give this race 5 cats!!

The Wicked Running Register • May/June 2014 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com

Where in the World is Wicked? Harpoon 5miler |Boston, MA Debbie Shahidi, Anne Burke, Jessica Copano, Kristen Belmonte, John Gordon and Jason Carraro are all smiles at this great race.

Runners World Heart Break Hill Half & Festival | Boston, MA

Troy, Turkey Meg Chiu is sporting Wicked gear all the way from Turkey!

Beth Griffin and Lisa DiBella ran the hat trick. A 5k at 7:15 am, a 10k at 8:30 am on Saturday, and then a half marathon on Sunday at 7:30 am. It was a lot of fun and awesome to conquer heartbreak hill twice in one weekend! ~Lisa