Rowdy with a Very Good Chance of Meatballs

Great day running a 3.5 mile XC race along the Andover Country Club. Andrew, John and I were the trio representing the E-Streeters today, and we did the team proud. While I wasn't first across the finish line, I WAS the first getting a plate at the unparalleled feedbag afterwards.

In its 31st year, this race cannot be beat, both for the price ($20 registration comes complete with running gloves) the course, along the rolling and rolling golf course hills, and the pasta dinner waiting for you at race's end. Results were posted with minutes of the race's end, plenty of beer and beverages on tap, and a banner day of weather make this one of the don't-miss races of the running calendar.

This year's race featured an added bonus, as John ran with his electronic goomah, which collected GPS coordinates all along the course. Here's a satellite view of the course:
Andrew, waiting for the start, but thinking about the pasta dinner

Sizing up his competition, he knows he can easily out-eat these posers

Here's John, sidestepping goose poop, but dressed to hunt them

Thumb's up for knowing where the camera is always located

About the only time John can be found in the center of a golf course fairway:

And of course, the obligatory finish line line-up

And as promised, here's Andrew at the main event, giving instructions to his servers, who nearly let the meatballs touch his salad

One side note, beware of toppled chairs, their legs can cause significant problems for men carrying platefuls of food, as John (who is occasionally mistaken for Barry) can deftly attest to.

Return of the Turkeys

Great time had by all at this morning's Thanks4giving race in Lowell to benefit Alternative House. As you can see from the group shot, the E Streeters were well represented, grabbing not only top places in the 5K and 10K legs, but apple pies as well!

Here's Scott, refusing to get girled

Carlos, with the thumbs up, or perhaps jumping rope

Taking it in stride

Beating the walkers

The scientist, all smiles

If Scott isn't going to get girled, Tommy sure isn't either

This is the photo of Barry that we COULD use on a family blog

Father daughter tandem

And the father-son combo

Some folks would be content with getting one pie

Once again, thankful that everyone is here for another year of healthy racing, good times and family fun at E Streeter race outings. Thanks, too, to the support team families that come out for all of the races to cheer us in!

Dashing Monsters

A bit late, but we can't let the monster efforts of all seven of our teams go unnoticed in this year's Monster Dash duathlon! A combination of E-Streeters and Middlesex Community College's extended family, we threw seven teams into the mix at the Lowell Elks, with three of the teams coming away with prize-placing finishes!

A terrific family event, thanks in great part to all of our supporters, dogs and all!

Here's the motley crew, pre-race:

Father and son zombies:And yes, zombies can run fast (and scarily)Gina heads for the finish (of lap one)

Spider-Man breaks the cardinal rule of super-heroing, taking off her mask in public

Pumpkin-Man, sans pumpkin (and even on crutches, Heather is there to cheer)
A herculean effort by a beer bottle
Marc stops traffic wherever he goes Donna still finds the energy to give the thumb's up:

Some of our loudest supporters:

Brady ready to take on the big dog

And the scary aftermath:

A Father-Daughter Dance

Got my beautiful girl out for a really fun 5K that roamed throughout the Highlands neighborhood today.

Here we are at the start, at Mt. Pleasant golf course, before Heather was annoyed with her father's incessant on-course coaching.Kudos to the Martin family, for pulling in a fantastic crowd for this first-ever race, in honor of Jimmy Martin, who passed away 15 years ago from cancer. All profits go toward the James S. Martin Scholarship Fund at Lowell High School, which is given annually to a Lowell High School senior with financial need who has participated in Highlands baseball, basketball or softball.

Making an extra-special debut along the course today was unofficial race photographer John Piekos, who ran the entire thing armed with his camera, taking not only award-winning photos, but neat videos to boot!

Running past the apartment where it all started for Jackie and I:Early on, through Tyler Park:Making the rounds on Pine Street:Booking our way up Parker Street:Surprisingly, Heather is still smiling, probably because we're running past her school while it's closed:A raucous water stop, courtesy of the Lowell High XC team, with Andrew front and center, and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas! An interesting combination, and an inspirational team effort outside Jim Martin's former home:The smiles are gone, but still the race continues:Much like life, there's the occasional uphill. Here's Heather digging deep:Passing her Chelmsford rival in the background:And the finish, up the steepest hill on the entire course!

The post-race party, waiting for the super soups:Great job, Heather! Onward and upward!

So What Did YOU Do This Weekend?

Nice quiet weekend around these parts. It started with a high school reunion on Friday night. Got to catch up with old friends as well as the nun principal who spent four years trying to figure out how to get me out of her school.

Then, on Saturday morning, my beautiful daughter ran a chilly race, the first-ever BayState 5K. With her brother as her pace car, the pair delivered a terrific performance, captured here on the VFW Highway by race photog Jim Rhoades. Possibly my favorite running picture of all time. This was Heather at the start, with her brother pointing the way.

Nice loop around the Tsongas Arena

Always smiling.....

Getting high gives from Mom and Nana

And a kiss for a job well done from Mom

From there, it was time to Touch a Truck at St. Margaret's with Heather for a couple of hours. Heather got to wear a warm Allie-Gator costume. Mom spent the time indoors, tattooing children. Dad? He got outdoor duty touching trucks.

From there, it was the BayState pasta dinner, with the XC team supplying the support, and the XC parents taking care of the cooking.

Next, it was off to Tom and Megan's annual Halloween bash.

Like there was any question who's the Boss:

E-Streeter Wives:

E-Streeter gals:

And then Sunday morning, the BayState half marathon. The Scanlon father-son tandem, waiting to get started:

After the fact, at Lelacheur Park, here's the Lowell Police Academy contingent, staff instructors and student officers basking in their finishes:

And the E- Streeters, with Barry giving thumbs up to the post-race soup:

Whew! A nice, restful weekend!