Parkway Running Club

The PRC had an excellent showing on a hot, but fun September morning. The PRC placed 1st and 2nd with Keith coming in ahead of the field after running 17 miles the day before and Ricardo finishing a close second in his second race of the day. All I can say is wow! Many members proceeded to place in their age groups as well, it was a near sweep. This is an excellent race, small field and a great course and a great cause. I will definitely run this race next year.

The PRC showed up in force for the first TIR road race. This was a 4 mile course through the streets of Dedham beginning and ending at the USS Jacob Jones VFW Post on Eastern Ave. It was a warm and humid Independence Day at this innaugural event and the course did not supply a lot of shade. The PRC showed its colors as well as its talent. Dorothy, Cindy and Reyna all placed in the top of their age groups. Congratulations!

The PRC had an excellent turn out of members, family and friends at the 18th Annual Corrib Classic 5K Road Race. This was a great race on a perfect summer day. There seemed to be a record number of runners on this Sunday afternoon at Billings Field in West Roxbury. Though I did catch the event, I heard that the Kid's Race was the highlight of the morning, with Bill Joyce once again directing future Corrib runners in this race. The PRC was well represented in this race, with Dave Hannon and Dorothy Giarla recieving age group medals. This race features a nice course that can be a little challenging to those not familiar with West Roxbury. The race course brings you up Bellvue Street but does end with a fast downhill finish. This race is as as much about the bbq after as it is about the race. I will run this race next year.

On Sunday morning May 29th the PRC came out to run the half marathon and 5 mile road race at Boston's Run to Remember. The half marathon race starts at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston and proceeds through Government Center over the Longfellow Bridge (past the salt and pepper shakers) down Memorial Drive in Cambridge to turn around just past the North Harvard Street Bridge back over the Longfellow then proceeding up Charles Street around the Public Garden to return to the start by way of Downtown Crossing and Post Office Square. The end finishes  with a rise over the Moakley Bridge and a straight shot to the finish line. This day was a little tougher than most due to the weather. It was humid and nearly 70 degrees at the start of the race with the temps ready to climb. There seemed to be adequate water tables and the streets are free of traffic. The half marathon has a large crowd, so unless you start near the front, this not a race to try to set a new PR as you will be crowded the first mile or two. If you want to run a great half marathon with a great course you should like this one. I will run this again.

On Sunday, April 10^th, Parkway Running Club came out in mass for the 15^th annual Doyle’s Road Race in Jamaica Plain.  After what seemed like an endless winter of snow, slush, cold and ice, the 60+ degree temperatures were well received.

The perfect racing temperatures, huge popularity and free beer attracted a huge crowd with over 2200 runners in attendance.   The plan for PRC was to meet at Washington and Williams Street.  The fact that this ended up being the busiest corner of the pre-race coupled with many of the Parkway Running Club members running habitually late to almost everything... the meeting attempt was foiled.

That said, members found each other in the crowd.  I met and walked to the start with Liz and Kevin Jorczak and later found Eddie Hastings, Chris Carter and the new dude at the starting line.

The race is really well run.  It’s pretty much an out and back through Franklin Park with rolling hills.  The great advantage of the race is that you need to walk ½ mile UP a significant hill to the starting line.  So you walk up and then run back down to the finish.  That means you get more downhill than uphill running.

Being that I was running the Boston Marathon in a week, I kept the pace hard but controlled and forced myself not to ‘push’ too hard.  As I clicked off the miles (which btw I’m not sure were accurate... where is Stephen when you need him), I saw that I was running far better than expected.  I thought to myself that a decently hard effort in a 33:30 would be a good sign I was in pretty good shape.  That said, I was hitting each mile around 6:30 and 6:45.  I realized that I was ahead of my goal pace and not feeling like I was pushing too hard. 

The race had a good ending downhill.  I saw I was way ahead of my goal and it took a lot of discipline to not give everything I got (just did enough to stay ahead of the guy behind me... didn’t want the crowd to see someone pass me at the end).  I finished with a 32:45.  It was a good sign that I was in better shape than I assumed that that this will hopefully translate well for Boston.

Afterward, Eddie, Bob and I cheered in many other PRC’s that we saw coming across the line including Julie Connors, Marjorie O’Malley, Lou Falcone, Chris Carter, Katherine Duckworth, and David DeCoursey.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful race with lots of fun and friendship.  It will definitely go on the 2012 calendar for me.

The Old Fashioned 10 Miler is an excellent course through Foxboro. The course is 2M- Flat/6M- Rolling/2M- Flat.This makes for a strong finish. This is one of my favorite races and try to run it each year.There is also a 5K road race attached to this race as well. The temps were a bit chilly this year but the warmth of the sun made up for this.

This is a very challenging race. This race provides a hilly course in Derry NH, with an almost 1 1/2 mile climb at 10 1/2 miles. The race seemed well run and there was a strong filed of runners, So if you like hills, don't mind the cold and are up for a challenge this is the race for you. If you want to run this well you may want to train for 18 miles instead of 16 miles.

This was a great race. The course was relatively flat with only one hill in Fairmont Park. The course winds you through the city and out along the Schuykill River to Manayunk and back. The weather was perfect for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Running a marathon at the end of November means you are not running your long runs in the heat of the summer. This is a must run marathon with hotels walking distance to the start/finish.

This was my first time running cross country and this race was excellent. The course itself was great, mostly on grass and hard packed ground and was mostly flat, except for Bear Cage Hill. This is a series of races starting with 11 & 12 year olds, followed by 13 & 14 year olds and then the Franklin Park 5K. The day ends with the Men's and Women's Championship Races. I will definitely put this on my race calendar next year.

A flat course but crowded. A great after party with BBQ and a live band. A must run series - Bob

This is a great race with an excellent course starting at the High School running through the center of town then Maudsley State Park finishing at the High School track. Watch out for that final hill leading to the finish. The only problem I have is chip timing with no start mat. Why?

The Sugarbowl had a course change this year and I liked the change. It is still flat and fast. The field was a bit crowded, as usual, but was never blocked. The weather was perfect and running along the harborwalk was a nice change. The race only goes down Day Blvd as far as O Street and turns around. I will run this again and hope they keep the course change. Bob

The race was well run and the water tables handled the crowds and heat pretty well. The course was not short this time but I think there was an increase in the number of participants making for a crowded start for the first few miles. If you aren't looking for a PR and don't mind running in warm temps you will like this race. This is a relatively flat and scenic course through Boston and Cambridge and will run it again