Random questions…
Fields: What years did you run for UVM?
Arnold: Senior year walk-on the fall of 1971 XC, winter of ’71-72 indoor track, mile + 2 mile. I was a transfer student (DePauw U & USMC) so I had to sit out my junior year for XC.
Fields: X/C only?
Arnold: That was my plan, but Coach Bill Nedde was persuasive in getting me to try indoor track, (he needed a fool to run 20 laps for the 2 mile). He said “try it, you’ll like it” and I did + did.
Fields: What schools did you compete against? Do you ever see any of the guys from those schools still racing?
Arnold: Mostly the old Yankee Conference with RPI + Middlebury.. Made the trek to Orono twice. No, Since I ran only 1 year, but I see Perry Bland + Jon Dimick (former UVM runners) occasionally.
Fields: What do you attribute you past couple of years success’s to?
Arnold: Running through the winter, doing 2/3rds of Dave Hammond’s plan, & outliving the competition.
Fields: Do you have a favorite route? Favorite running partner?
Arnold: Almost any run in Huntington and the Spear St. loop around the Golf course, both with Dave Hammond. Here in Burlington if I’m feeling lazy I run my block – 3 mi Riverside to Colchester Ave., up the hill, Mansfield Ave. back to Riverside Ave. Once in awhile I can talk Anne T or Marielle A to join me.
Fields: Any serious goals for 2009 season (running goals), (life goals)?
Arnold: To get an * whenever, get the geezer (60’s) record for the Sap + RI runs, stay ahead of Norm (in age), break 5 min in the (downhill) Richmond Mile (I’d love to see Nate F break 4 min). Life – run a marathon in every state, retire, have grandkids (even if I have to adopt), pursue happiness.
Fields: Do you have children? Do they run?
Arnold: 2 daughters, (Cat 25 & Meg 22). Cat does intervals on the BB court with the UVM team, and Meg caught hockey pucks in goal for Bates – no they don’t really run, yet.
Fields: Please tell me again about the time you where arrested (almost) at a race.
Fields: And what happened on the way home?
Arnold: It’s a long story, (Paul Mailman 10 miler ’05?). Dave Hammond tells it better, so on the next team trip ask him
Fields: What do you feel was your best race ever or is that still to come??
Arnold: ’72 I got 5th in the Yankee Conference 2 mile with 9.18 breaking UVM’s record by about 10 sec’s. Mike Berry broke it the next year and they don’t even list the 2 mile times anymore. I was happy with 3:18 at Boston last year, my 2nd fastest marathon + best pk (post kids). I think I’ll have a few more good runs before I hit the inevitable downward spiral.
Fields: Feel free to throw in a paragraph free lance recanting about you and your running.
Some random thoughts – the 1st woman to beat me in a race was Judi St Hilaire when I was 30 – it was devastating. Now, I enjoy being competitive with 30-40 year old women. I think I have the best view of the race. I’ve been running all my life. The day before NBHM, I stopped to see an old HS friend in Longmeadow Ma and I end up chasing a football. Running is what I do best in life. When people say Chuck your getting faster, I think I’m just reclaiming some of my former speed. I should have run more race’s in my 30’s +