Milestone Race of the Year: Hot Chocolate Race – The milestone being my age graded result that I may have missed if it weren\’t for my team mate Karen sharing that I made the top 25. I love our lady team Western Mass Distance Project
Challenge of the Year: The focus on cross country races was my CHALLENGE to get faster and stronger. The weekly 5ks in Northampton kept me pushing to get faster on the trails and it paid off in the Franklin Park New England USTAF race as well as the team race we all came home with engraved forks! I love carpooling with the team and hearing their stories and being inspired by their training.
GBTC XC Festival Delivers the Pie! September 7, 2015
WMDP Master\’s Ladies won first place! My overall time was a 22:16 and by these results (some missing ages) – I grabbed the first spot in my age group! Fun times warming up and cooling down and taking pics in our new uniforms with these ladies! Go Team! This article from Level Renner shows the beautiful surrounding and super fast course with the winner who gets a pie! As the first place master\’s team we all got engraved forks. SO fun!
2015 USATF New England Cross Country Championships
Another fun trip for the ladies out to Boston for my 2nd Mayor\’s Cup in Franklin Park! Kate Queeney has rallied me a few times and I was so happy to be a part of this race — the warm up with the team, cheering on the open runners, and then out there pushing on this New England classic \”famous\” cross country course for all those that raced cross country in college. Since my running \”career\” really didn\’t start for me until after college, this is truly a treat for me and to hear all their stories of past races on this great course.
Results: 26:51:47 was my time placing 76th overall, 5th in age, 4th (50+) team WMDP and our masters team won 1st!
Kate Queeney shared a link to her article recently published in Level Renner My favorite quote —– \”From my perspective, as a masters runner who was never fast to begin with but who has still managed to slow down substantially with age, I think that anyone who can remain legitimately competitive into his or her 40’s and 50’s deserves the “outsized” impact s/he creates. And frankly, I would be surprised to hear that competitive runners under 40 feel any differently. In a year where we are all watching Meb and Deena compete at the highest level, I wonder why we in New England feel the need to define “open” as anything but, well, open.\” And check out the article — I am mentioned in the first paragraph \” Only by virtue of their 4th runner (Nancy Peck-Cook) finishing ahead of CMS’s 4th woman did WMDP eke out the championship title, cementing their win in the 5-race cross country grand prix series. Team members and fans alike waited in suspense until the team results were announced on-site.\” — I love how Kate really keeps our team motivated, recognized and showing up to toe the line (speaking for yours truly here)
Wilbraham Turkey Trot 5 miler, November 26, 2015
What to do on a Thanksgiving weekend with no plans? Look for a local turkey trot with your friends! Dawn flew by me with her long red hair and thank you to Kristin for getting me to the location without getting lost! This course was a hilly one and the result page has my name as Jana – a 36:15 for a mostly uphill and crazy downhill beautiful location- but it was fun to get it in and I felt fast and strong! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hot Chocolate Race 2015 – 5K – December 6, 2015
The Hot Chocolate Race is a local favorite where there are more than 6000 runners. It is one of the most participated in races in Massachusetts and is held in Northampton. Each year the Western Mass Distance Project ladies get a team together and raise money for an amazing cause! This past year we ranked 2nd in fundraising – so proud of them all for this great work to support our community and those in need. 23 total team mates ran in the race on that cold winter day. An AMAZING group of dedicated runners that inspire me every day!
It was a cold December morning and I brought Maverick my pup for the warm up and cool down. It was fun running as a huge team in uniform through the streets of Northampton. The group photo from that morning is my all time favorite. Of our team 3 were in the top 5 sweeping the podium 1,2,3 and I ended up 24th overall with the age grade calculation and won a nice gift certificate from the Northampton Running Company ! Yay! Love seeing all the people out there in costume and were wore these cute Santa hats and our skirts. Can\’t wait to do this one again!