December 26th 10 Miler Mansfield, CT

Beautiful day to get out on the trail. Storrs/Mansfield, CT has a variety of options to find trails and open space to get your run on. I tend to gravitate towards the Mansfield Hollow State Park trail systems. There are some scenic points overlooking the Mansfield Hollow Dam that provide respites from the run and distance your mind from the pavement. What a gift of a day.

Team Dick-Man is picking up steam. I think it is almost time for another pair of shoes.

Dec 26th Post Xmas Run

Derry NH 16 Miler Jan 22nd

Team Dick-Man is getting their training focused on the Derry 16 Miler January 22nd. Pack your yak-traks and bring some hand warmers. If it anything like last winter we could need snow shoes.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Team Dick-Man!

Team Dick-Man Wednesday Morning Run 12/21/11

It's almost as though you never went to sleep running early in the winter. The street lights still glimmer and the city seems the way you left it last night. Everyone sleeps soundly in Boston, while the sound of sneakers hitting the pavement and heavy breathing follow us and the other road warriors out on the beat early in the morning.

Our route changes most days running together. Generally we stay around the Charles river, but it is hard to say how the run will finish. This particular morning we met at the Double Tree Hotel near the entrance to the Mass Pike in Cambridge/Allston. We ventured across the bridge and ran to Mass Ave on the Memorial Drive side. At this point Josh turned to go home and I followed Commonwealth Ave all the way to Washington Street before taking a right and jogging back home near St.Elizabeths.

Let us know if you are up for a early morning run near the Charles. We get out there most Wednesdays and would love the company.

Heartbreak Hills and I Meet for the First Time

We agreed to meet in a well lit, neutral, and busy location. I was not about to do this in the dark when there were no witnesses or pedestrians that could assist me in the worst case. It was almost like the restaurant scene from the Godfather, but not quite, but almost. I was craving the long run a few Sundays ago and it was about time that my two legs braved the Heartbreak Hills. I have only ridden the hills via bicycle or car and surprisingly never ventured to run them despite living within a 3-4 miles radius for roughly 5.5 years now. It was time.

Thank god the sun was shining and that I decided to bring some music. I would never have made without some help from iTunes mid run. The run actually went really well after getting my hands on some solid high paced techno beats. It wasn't as terrible as I thought on the return run up the hills. There were essentially three hills that were spaced out enough that it never really sank in too deep to the fibers. Sprint, plateau, recover, sprint, plateau, recover, sprint, plateau, recover. Getting cold though. Hands were approaching amputation levels.

It's always hard to beat the same opponent multiple times in the same year. The war wages on.

Heartbreak Hills Loop

J Cush Goes Big

Thanks to Jared Cushman and his generous donation to the Bay State Games last week. Team Dick-Man and the present and future athletes of the BSG cannot express how grateful we are for your donation. Thanks again.

Roundabout through Brookline

6.5 Miler early Wednesday morning before the rain was a surprise on a few different levels.  We were a bit hesistant in the morning to get out due to the impending rain storm.  Thankfully when I checked the doppler there was a window and we took advantage without a drop of rain falling on our thick mops.  Once we were out on the beat we altered our agreed upon route and ended up over in Brookline, which worked out great.  It took a couple of U-Turns to get us where we wanted to go but it kept it interesting. It is starting to get cold out, but this party hasn't moved indoors...yet.  Stay warm my friends.
My roundabout.

Josh's roundabout.

College Bowl Mania

In an effort to stir up some more donations for the Bay State Games, Josh devised a plan that all you college football fans will love. 

Behold, College Bowl Mania.

35 Bowl games to pick.  $25 entry fee to play.  Half of the proceeds will go to the Bay State Games, while the other half will go to the winner.  Limit of three entries per person, but of course additional donations would not be frowned upon.  If you are on the fence about a donation there is no better option since you will be helping a great cause as well as challenging for the top spot.

Please follow the link to our ESPN Group, Roll Tide, to sign up and embark on the mania.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Many Thanks!

Many thanks this week.  Bay State Games would like to personally thank Amy Cronin, Wendy Berman, and Clayton Reed for their generous support of youth and adult athletic programs in Massachusetts!

Team Dick-Man and Bay State Games appreciate your support tremendously!

Thanks for continuing to break the ice for our fundraising efforts.