2009 Boston Marathon

April 20th was the 113th running of the Boston Marathon.  Though his qualifying times had expired, John was fortunate to obtain a time-waived invitation this year through our running club so he signed up for his 6th Boston and 10th overall marathon.

John got up early after a middle of the night fight with expiring batteries in a carbon monoxide alarm and picked up a few friends for the drive into town to board a bus to the start. After a brief stay in the Athlete’s Village with training pals Thor and Natasha, the race was on!

Thor would run off with the fast folks but John ran the first couple of miles with Natasha…

John saw many friends along the way and appreciated the cheers from every one of them, but was most thrilled to find his own family at mile 25. They’re an AWESOME support crew and it was great to have them out there cheering!

Tired, but still smiling at the finish, John considered the day a victory despite it being his slowest marathon to date!

If you want all the gory details of the race, see John’s full race report here.

Derry Prep 2009

There are certain races around here that the hardcore runners do every year. The 16-miler at Derry is one of them. It’s a good motivator to get the long runs for the Boston Marathon on track and it helps bust up the winter a bit. It’s also a “moderately challenging” course that provides a good fitness test and, coming in late January, it’s usually freezing.  This year was no exception with single digit temperatures at the start!

After the day before’s ski trip, John’s legs weren’t exactly rested, but he went up to give it a go anyway! He was excited to meet up with a number of his “Lost in Transition” pals from the online forum he frequents.

As detailed in his full race report, with bright sun and only gentle winds, lots of friends to hang with before and after the race, and a satisfying result, John was quite happy with this year’s race!

Run for All Ages 08

Josh took on the Run for All Ages again this fall – he’d run it last year in 29:53.

He added the iPod this year and, wearing lucky #13 and with little training beyond the running he does for soccer, he rocked his way to a 5k personal best 25:12! 8:08 pace!  Way to run Josh!

Hornet Hustle 2008

On June 1, North Reading’s second annual Hornet Hustle was a family event for us!  It was a gorgeous day to run and pretty much from the start, Joshua and Jake, brandishing the Merrimack Valley Striders club colors, had dusted mom and we’re out for the win!

Jake would be the first Intorcio to finish with a well-paced 27 minute PR run. He finished fourth in his age group and probably would have been on the podium, he thinks, if he hadn’t had to watch the eventual third place finisher blow by while he was stopped to tie his shoe!  Double knots next time.

Josh, on the far right, had a solid 30 minute finish. He ran a nice steady race with a great finish kick and showed that even the Goalkeepers have a little bit of stamina from all those soccer games!

Shawn had to deal with a calf muscle that she overstretched early in the race but she toughed it out and brought it home!  She ran well and looked strong out there!

John didn’t compete at this event. Instead, he served as course director and helped with the timing and awards!!

All in all, it was a great family outing and a fantastic community event that raised several thousand dollars for North Reading Youth Services!!  Everybody wins!

Boston Marathon ’08

For the past five years, John has run the Boston Marathon. This year, Shawn decided it was time for her to go long! She scored an entry through our local running club, the Ipswich River Road Runners, and started training.

Now the thing about the Boston Marathon is that it’s in April. That means training starts around December and you run through the winter which, in New England anyway, can sometimes present some challenges. But Shawn, often with the aid of her running pal Terry, plugged on through the cold and sleet. She experimented with various forms of carbo loading including wine, chicken wings, and various other party foods. She tried out new clothing, found new places to chafe, and crawled out into the weather when it would have been so much nicer to stay in.

As race day drew near, Shawn started the “Taper Crazies” – where everything hurts and you think you’re getting sick and you’re anxious about every little thing. What do I eat? How much should I drink? Where do I put my stuff? Which socks should I wear? All normal. She got through.

Marathon weekend in Boston was quite a lot of fun. On Saturday, Shawn took Grams along to the Marathon Expo where she got weepy as she picked up her number and immersed herself in the marathon crowd.

On Sunday, John volunteered at the  Olympic women’s trials.  He handed out Gatorade. Man, those are some fast women!!! 

Race day for Shawn got started early…  John dropped her at the club bus at 6:45 AM and, with tea in hand, she was off. 

Once in Hopkinton, Shawn took time to enjoy the atmosphere and explore the Athlete’s Village before heading to the start corrals. By the time the 10:30 start had rolled around, the sun had come out and the morning chill was but a memory. 

She was off with the second wave start and running in a crowd. Early on, the stomach wasn’t feeling so good and there was a stop or two for some rapid carbo unloading. John and the boys found her a little past mile 16 and that was a boost for sure!!

She slogged on and found John and the boys again at Cleveland Circle just past mile 22. This time, they had Shawn’s training partner, Terry, with them. After a calf massage from Jake, Terry would jump in to run the rest of the way home with Shawn. Thanks Terry!

Shawn rallied to finish almost before John and the boys made it to the finish line!  They arrived just in time to see her running the final yards! Here, at mile 26.15…

She finished in 5:56 – a bit disappointed at her heat-slowed performance but just inside the 6 hour minimum goal she’d set for herself and, above all, able to wear her Boston medal and call herself a MARATHONER!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a weekend!!! We are all so proud of Shawn!!! She worked hard and got ‘er done!!! Way to go Mom!!!

 

Bib	Name	Age	M/F	City	State	Country	Ctz	*
23273	Intorcio, Shawn D.	47	F	North Reading	MA	USA
Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:34:07 1:09:57 1:48:05 2:28:51 2:37:34 3:10:48 3:56:53 4:44:58 5:37:06 Finish Start Time Offset Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 00:08:31 0:13:37   5:56:42 21893 8895 2970

Stag Run

John’s buddy Thor is getting married in April.  In lieu of a traditional bachelor party, Thor decided he wanted to run one more marathon as a single guy. He’s been on this “Marathon a Month” streak for about a year and half and needed one for March anyway so… How about a “Stag Run”?

Well sure enough, we offered to host and it got organized. A four loop course was planned, invitations were sent, and on Friday evening, Thor and John drove around town painting arrows on the roads.

Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp and, after a stirring rendition of the National Anthem and a stunning fly-over, 10 runners lit out from the Intorcio place on the first 10 mile loop.  As each loop was completed, a few runners would drop out and a few new runners would join in to keep Thor company. Here’s the crowd just before loop 3 (Thor’s on one knee in front with his fiance heather, in the light blue jacket, just behind him)…

And sure enough, just four hours and thirty-two minutes after he started, having had thirty or so runners join him through the day, Thor chugged into our driveway and broke the finish line tape, a bit weary, but still wearing a big grin on his face.

A celebration ensued, many beers were drank, and many stories told. What a great way to spend a Saturday!!!  Congratulations Thor!!

Run For All Ages

Shawn and Josh took on the Run For All Ages 5k in Wakefield on October 28. It was a gorgeous sunny day, though a bit windy. John and Jake arrived just in time to watch the start of the race and cheer them on!

In the official results, Josh smoked mom by a good two minutes but, bottom line, the BOTH had a great time, got some good exercise, and enjoyed the beautiful fall day!