more Ashley Reservoir

The Reservoir in full Winter mode. Not many of these open water spots left on the rez. Running conditions are rather trying this time of the year, but I still manage to grind out the 4.1 miles around the water, usually in the 30-33 minutes timeframe. Took my first shitter of the year yesterday on the icy service road, quite a bruising blow to the left hip, but collected myself and finished a somehwhat admirable 30:00.

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08
Originally uploaded by Baseball Guy Mike M

And here's the third of three great shots I took on Sunday. Temps neared 60, and the sunset (shown here) around 4:30PM, looking south west toward Westfield, was just MAGNIFICIENT! As fond as I am of colorizing in Photoshop, this pic is raw and untouched!

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08
Originally uploaded by Baseball Guy Mike M

Picture Two of Three...a nice view at the 4 corners, looking South! Most of you who frequent the Reservoir will recognize this stretch!

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08

Ashley Reservoir 12.28.08
Originally uploaded by Baseball Guy Mike M

Just adding three new pictures to the blog. What a wonderful 4.0 mile stroll (29:02) around the Reservoir on Sunday. Temps were very, very mild. No jacket or wind pants required. Armed with just my camera! Enjoy!

A Well Recognized Path

Snaking through the trees!!
Originally uploaded by Baseball Guy Mike M

Most local runners will recognize this familar stretch of terrain, Ashley Reservoir, Holyoke, MA

Dennis LaBranche Tech Tigers XC circa 1970

Dennis LaBranche Tech Tigers XC circa 1970
Originally uploaded by Baseball Guy Mike M

Here's the aforementioned photo of Dennis! Is this a wonderful re-creation or what?!!

First Post...Western Mass Retro Running

I've created this blog in hopes of some old time Western Mass Runners reuniting in this forum and sharing some stories and photos from past races, friendships, and where-are-they-now highschool teammates, running partners, etc... The topics are wide open here. Just a fun spot to talk about the past and present running scene in the Western Mass area. All this started when I posted a photo of a long time friend of mine, Dennis LaBranche on Flickr.com. I worked with Dennis for about 13 years and he shared with me hundreds of running stories from his extensive past as a competitor and general historian. I found all of his stories very intriguing. Dennis shared one of his old high school-era photos with me, and I took it upon myself to scan it and colorize it in Photoshop, and bring this vintage picture to life. Let's get this thing started and have some fun with it...