We're nothing if not opportunists.With the New England Patriots ready to square off tomorrow against the Denver Broncos and their quarterback whose name escapes me, the E Streeters figured today's run provided us with a chance to pay our own homage to the frenzy. Well most of us, at least. Carlos apparently hasn't caught the wave yet.
The E Streeters took our Saturday run to the trails of Great Brook in Carlisle, one of the truly best circuits of trails to be found anywhere in our area for a great 7 mile run this morning.
The run featured the return of Andrew, home from Holy Cross for the Christmas break!And it was all downhill from there. (Look at Sub-4 Sean setting the pace out front.)
If you've never checked out Great Brook, it's a must-see, whether you're a cross country trail runner or skier, though we're thankful that on December 17th, we're still able to be running on the trails, free of ice and snow. Sorry skiers!
Sporting our best Christmas colors, this father-son duo is outstanding in their field.
Shots during the run courtesy of the iphone. And just in case you're wondering how we capture some of these award-winning pics after it's all said and done? Here's The Tripod Trailrunner himself, John Piekos.
Jill took the early lead, right out of the gate, but alas, it would not last long.
Because Tommy wasted no time in blowing by her
Here he is again, all smiles now, feeling satisfied with himself because he's crushed Jill in his wake.
Sean and Barry, with their pace bike.
At least one of the Scanlon boys would prove he had a chivalrous side today, though.
We're still all smiles at this point.
Shea took off before her dad could take her bike and ride it back in.
No bananas, and no husband (Jonathan was home tossing his Christmas cookies), Ruth was no nonsense out on the trail today!
Surpisingly, none of us were even able to come close to catching Kara Haas, who makes us all look sadly old and and amazingly slow. 
An E Streeter alone, Tom Hildreth is trying to figure out where everyone is!
Apparently, Anne walks the Freeman Trail every week, because our cameras keep picking her up out there.
Dos corazons, en amor:
This could have made for a great Christmas card, but the Kennys already got this year's mailed out.
Post-ride, Shea found a quiet corner and took up a position that many of us feel like assuming after so many of our runs. 
Thanks again to everyone for turning out, and congratulations to the organizers, who pulled in quite a healthy number of participants to give Jack and his family a helping hand this holiday season!
There was a new top dog at this month's race, Kona. 
Pre-race, folks are getting ready to close out the season without any bananas. Sadly, the race went off again without Middlesex Community College Fitness Fireball Jonathan Crockett, who was home "painting," most likely with a big heaping bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.
You never know who you're going to see out on the Freeman Trail.
Two of the regular bananas finish up strong, including the Painter's Wife, at right.
Post-race, the E Streeters who showed are all smiles.
Tommy, though, still seems bothered by something. Could he be trying to give us a clue here?
I wore special gear for today's race, honoring the Division 2 Super Bowl Champion Nashoba Chieftains, who cruised to an undefeated season yesterday, finishing the year at 13-0
Who's on that Super Bowl Champion team? Why my nephew, Benjamin Nicholson, the hulking #78 seen here.
Meanwhile, back at No Bananas, we finally get to the bottom of Tommy's plight. It seems 21:07 was missing his running buddy, 21:10. Apparently he thought today was the day they could settle it once and for all. Alas. 
Here we are on the historic, albeit temporary, Tyngsboro Bridge:
Which is really safe and fun, until those treacherous winds blow:
In Tyngsboro, the sun is always shining:
And traffic safety markings help protect runners and pedestrians alike:
The trails are wide open and devoid of those pesky hunters:
They even give their trails cute names. We're thinking of renaming this one Barry's Bane:
The trails afford you multiple opportunities to pose for bravado shots:
And families come together in Tyngsboro, especially when they're wearing the same sports gear, made even more impressive when it shows that yes, they did indeed run the Boston Marathon!
So come on, give the town of Tyngsboro a chance.