I never got around to writing about the Highlander on here. It happened. I finished. I'd never done it before. That's a heck of a race, and it kicked my butt. I wrote up a race review for Inov-8, so you can read that one here. Being the weekend after the 50k, my legs weren't too recovered, and I struggled getting into the right mindset for the race. In the end, it was a beautiful day, and I hope I get the chance to run that race again!
Splits are up, and reveal what I already knew; that I ran slowly and steadily the whole way through. These two long races gave me a bit of base to work with for the fall, but also made me a bit more tired than I'd expected. Need to bring back more long runs into my training!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Pisgah 50k
I have been doing more running this summer than in past years, in part because I was feeling a bit burned by orienteering after Worlds, and I just wanted to put one foot in front of the other. Running seemed like fun, so I kept doing it. And then I did a race, and that was fun, so I looked for more races, and did those, and they kept getting longer and longer, through no fault of my own, and somehow, that's how I found myself on the start line of the Pisgah 50k. I've never done an ultramarathon before, heck, I've never done a marathon before, and to date I think my longest run was probably the 18 miles I did two weeks ago on the Wapack. I really don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to run this race, but the week before, I started telling people I was going to do it, and at that point, well, you don't have much choice if you give a hoot about your pride.
So, the alarm went off at some ungodly hour, I piled a bunch of gels and shoes and stuff into a bag, and drove to the southwest corner of NH, at the Pisgah State Forest. Paid some money, got a bib, promptly forgot bib in car, created a duct tape handle on a waterbottle, stuffed some gels down my bra, double knotted my Inov-8 shoes and stood on the start line with about 200 other crazy folk. The weather was gorgeous, cool and sunny and dry, and I was actually pretty excited to spend the next few hours running.
I ran into Kelsey Allen within a mile or two, last year's winner and general mountain woman of awesomeness. We started chatting, and discovered that both of us wanted to enjoy the day and not suffer too badly until the end, so we chilled out as we cruised down a trail covered in pine needles, winding its way along some high-elevation marshes. This part was cool, because you kept passing these linear marshes, that really gave a sense of *going* somewhere. Eventually we hit the first aid station, at 8.1mi, and we were right on target for a 5h finish. I know this, because I spent some time in the car writing down the splits for a 5h finish on the back of a trail map with the race course highlighted, that I was carrying along for entertainment. Surprise, I'm an orienteering nerd.
We also got a split that the lady in first was 6 minutes ahead of us. This is a lot of time, when you've only gone 8 miles. But, neither Kelsey nor I felt like changing anything about our pacing, so we just kept on keeping on, hiking the steeper uphills and dancing the downhills. Apparently we were better at the downhills than the leading lady, because we made contact just after the second aid station, around 14mi or 15mi. Kelsey had picked up the pace a bit at this point, and I forced myself to keep up, even though it felt harder than I necessarily wanted to go. I figured I just had to keep up until about 20mi, and hopefully we would have put enough space between us and this other woman that I'd hang on to 2nd. But the trail kept being beautiful, and after the aid station at 17mi, we climbed up Pisgah Mt, which was also covered in mature hemlocks and had some bare granite slabs on top with blueberries (but no fruit, bummer), and some great views of Monadnock. And then a ripper downhill! I should mention that Kelsey and I are probably some of the best downhill runners on the circuit these days, especially when we're pushing each other down something rocky and technical.
We picked off a few more men, and then cruised into the aid station at 20mi, ready for a loop around Kilburn Pond. This involved another technical downhill, with more rocks and more loose rocks, and I was definitely getting tired. My hamstrings and my butt could tell I'd been cruising the downhills, and they were like, duuuude, you haven't trained us, can you please just stop?? Eventually we hit a bridge and turned back uphill, and Kelsey was running and I knew I couldn't, so I backed off and told her I'd see her at the finish. I kept moving, letting the hips swing and the feet dance, but the intensity was a notch lower and this felt more comfortable. The trail climbed for a few miles, back toward the aid station, and as we approached the aid I saw Kelsey's white singlet through the trees. I'd made contact by the time we hit it, and she was hitting a rough patch, getting hungry and tired.
We left the aid at 25.4mi together, but on the next downhill I pulled away, and as I started climbing up Dave's hill or something like that, I knew this was it, 10km left and they might not be pretty, but I had to keep the pace up, so Kelsey didn't catch me once the food she'd just consumed started working for her. I was still right on pace for a 5h finish, but only if I kept running 6min/km, and this jogging pace felt a lot harder than I had hoped. I pulled in another guy or two, and then we started a long downhill slog on newly-logged logging roads, that were muddy and steep, and my legs were pretty done. I kept expecting to see the aid station at 28.6mi, but apparently that wasn't there, because the road was washed out to get to it, so that was playing mind games with myself. 45min and I haven't gone 3mi yet? uh oh!
I finally exited the logging area and hit a real road, where there was a truck with gallons of gatorade and water and two racers sitting on the ground guzzling that gatorade (I was so glad not to be in that position, of a hardcore bonk only 2 miles from the finish!). Keep plugging, keep plugging, only a mile or two of road and then I can sit down! One little bitch of a hill, but eventually I came to an intersection and saw a finish chute to my right. Wooo! I staggered down the chute barely under 5h, in 4:59:38. That was cutting it a little close. But, I had won, so that was pretty darn awesome. Kelsey came in maybe 10min later, with a smile on her face, so I knew it had been a good day despite the bonk. The weather made this a fantastic day for a run, and the trails were beautiful and soft; I couldn't have asked for a better venue to run 50 km. The aid stations were well-stocked and manned by friendly folk, course was well marked, and overall, this was a top notch production of a race. Thanks to all who made it happen!
I won a basket o' goodies and a pie! This photo amuses me, because the guy who won looks like a runner, while I sort of look like a miniature skier pretending to be a runner =)
So, the alarm went off at some ungodly hour, I piled a bunch of gels and shoes and stuff into a bag, and drove to the southwest corner of NH, at the Pisgah State Forest. Paid some money, got a bib, promptly forgot bib in car, created a duct tape handle on a waterbottle, stuffed some gels down my bra, double knotted my Inov-8 shoes and stood on the start line with about 200 other crazy folk. The weather was gorgeous, cool and sunny and dry, and I was actually pretty excited to spend the next few hours running.
I ran into Kelsey Allen within a mile or two, last year's winner and general mountain woman of awesomeness. We started chatting, and discovered that both of us wanted to enjoy the day and not suffer too badly until the end, so we chilled out as we cruised down a trail covered in pine needles, winding its way along some high-elevation marshes. This part was cool, because you kept passing these linear marshes, that really gave a sense of *going* somewhere. Eventually we hit the first aid station, at 8.1mi, and we were right on target for a 5h finish. I know this, because I spent some time in the car writing down the splits for a 5h finish on the back of a trail map with the race course highlighted, that I was carrying along for entertainment. Surprise, I'm an orienteering nerd.
We also got a split that the lady in first was 6 minutes ahead of us. This is a lot of time, when you've only gone 8 miles. But, neither Kelsey nor I felt like changing anything about our pacing, so we just kept on keeping on, hiking the steeper uphills and dancing the downhills. Apparently we were better at the downhills than the leading lady, because we made contact just after the second aid station, around 14mi or 15mi. Kelsey had picked up the pace a bit at this point, and I forced myself to keep up, even though it felt harder than I necessarily wanted to go. I figured I just had to keep up until about 20mi, and hopefully we would have put enough space between us and this other woman that I'd hang on to 2nd. But the trail kept being beautiful, and after the aid station at 17mi, we climbed up Pisgah Mt, which was also covered in mature hemlocks and had some bare granite slabs on top with blueberries (but no fruit, bummer), and some great views of Monadnock. And then a ripper downhill! I should mention that Kelsey and I are probably some of the best downhill runners on the circuit these days, especially when we're pushing each other down something rocky and technical.
We picked off a few more men, and then cruised into the aid station at 20mi, ready for a loop around Kilburn Pond. This involved another technical downhill, with more rocks and more loose rocks, and I was definitely getting tired. My hamstrings and my butt could tell I'd been cruising the downhills, and they were like, duuuude, you haven't trained us, can you please just stop?? Eventually we hit a bridge and turned back uphill, and Kelsey was running and I knew I couldn't, so I backed off and told her I'd see her at the finish. I kept moving, letting the hips swing and the feet dance, but the intensity was a notch lower and this felt more comfortable. The trail climbed for a few miles, back toward the aid station, and as we approached the aid I saw Kelsey's white singlet through the trees. I'd made contact by the time we hit it, and she was hitting a rough patch, getting hungry and tired.
We left the aid at 25.4mi together, but on the next downhill I pulled away, and as I started climbing up Dave's hill or something like that, I knew this was it, 10km left and they might not be pretty, but I had to keep the pace up, so Kelsey didn't catch me once the food she'd just consumed started working for her. I was still right on pace for a 5h finish, but only if I kept running 6min/km, and this jogging pace felt a lot harder than I had hoped. I pulled in another guy or two, and then we started a long downhill slog on newly-logged logging roads, that were muddy and steep, and my legs were pretty done. I kept expecting to see the aid station at 28.6mi, but apparently that wasn't there, because the road was washed out to get to it, so that was playing mind games with myself. 45min and I haven't gone 3mi yet? uh oh!
I finally exited the logging area and hit a real road, where there was a truck with gallons of gatorade and water and two racers sitting on the ground guzzling that gatorade (I was so glad not to be in that position, of a hardcore bonk only 2 miles from the finish!). Keep plugging, keep plugging, only a mile or two of road and then I can sit down! One little bitch of a hill, but eventually I came to an intersection and saw a finish chute to my right. Wooo! I staggered down the chute barely under 5h, in 4:59:38. That was cutting it a little close. But, I had won, so that was pretty darn awesome. Kelsey came in maybe 10min later, with a smile on her face, so I knew it had been a good day despite the bonk. The weather made this a fantastic day for a run, and the trails were beautiful and soft; I couldn't have asked for a better venue to run 50 km. The aid stations were well-stocked and manned by friendly folk, course was well marked, and overall, this was a top notch production of a race. Thanks to all who made it happen!
I won a basket o' goodies and a pie! This photo amuses me, because the guy who won looks like a runner, while I sort of look like a miniature skier pretending to be a runner =)
Tastes like victory!
This was my impromptu water bottle carrier. Easier than a thing around my waist, messing with my stomach. It worked well, and I even designed a little pocket in there!
The TrailRoc236 shoes done me good. Lots of mud, but they had fantastic grip on the mud, the rocks, the roots, and the bridges, while fitting beautifully and feeling comfortable. A fine mesh on the front meant that after running through mud puddles, the water drained out very quickly, and none of the mud went in. Though my socks were fantastically muddy from when I had gone in over my ankles.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Wapack Trail Race
I've run the Wapack trail a few times, since the CSU ski camp uses it for one of our long OD runs, but I've never done the race. I'd certainly heard Rob talk about it, and figured I may as well try it out this year, since I've been doing a bunch of these trail races lately. I convinced Sharon to join me, because friends always make for more fun, even though she claimed she hadn't been running at all. Evil influence that I am... Anyway, the day dawned hot and sticky, with a dew point nearly equal to the temperature, but it refused to rain. This meant that the rocks were slimy with humidity, and I was badly affected by the humidity on the uphills, just unable to keep myself cool. From the start, it felt like my legs were made of lead. I figured it would be a race about heat management, but didn't anticipate how much the
humidity would destroy me.
On the line, I saw that Kelsey Allen was there, and a few other ladies who looked serious. Figuring that you either go big or go home, I decided to start with Kelsey and see what happened. We all pranced down the first hills through the ski area merrily, but it quickly became apparent to me that I couldn't go Kelsey's pace on the uphills. I got passed by a bunch of men up that first climb to Barret Mt, as I slowed down to what felt like overdistance pace, and still my legs just weren't responding, but I was hopeful that they'd wake up soon. Over the flat crests and then we had the first descent, where I reeled in a bunch of guys and a loose group formed of me, a talkative guy, two guys who were running it "for fun" together, and a red headed kid in Inov-8s who kept sprinting ahead and then losing the trail. The trail isn't very well marked, but I've run this ridge enough at ski camp to know where to go, so that wasn't too much of a problem. The rocks, slick and slimy with moisture, made for really treacherous footing. I was still the fastest downhiller in my group, but I had to be cautious, because the rocks did not offer good grip today. My X-Talons were good, but they are fantastic on dry rocks, so "good" is disappointing. They do have the advantage of a narrow fit, which makes for an excellent close feeling when scampering down hills!
I dropped my group on the downhill to Binney Pond, and figured that maybe now my legs had woken up and I could put down some faster miles. The opposite was true. Every step took work. The next three miles were along wide logging roads with good footing that trended upwards. More guys streaked by me, and there wasn't much I could do to go with them, though I used each one as an excuse to lengthen my stride and fall into the hill a little more. I was starting to pray for the top of Watatic, praying to see some of the leading guys coming back at me, meaning the turn-around was night. Eventually, the leaders went by, and I headed into Mt. Watatic's steep and rocky descent, carefully careening down the hill past hoards of regular folks out for a weekend hike. I saw Kelsey on her way up, comfortable around 10-13th place, and I knew that unless she had a more horrible day than me, I wouldn't be seeing her again.
I hit the turn-around, took some water and food for the road, and started climbing back up. This is where the problem of dead legs really started to hit home. There's a lot of climbing left in the next 9 miles. So, I went my own pace, letting the men go, listening to the wheezing and trying to keep it controlled. At the top I set myself to the task of crushing those gradually downhill miles, pulling in a runner or two along the way. I passed Sharon, coming the other way, happily hiking with plenty of folks behind her, and that cheered me up. Finally I hit the aid station, and knew I only had a painful 5.4mi left to the finish, and some refreshing watermelon. I can't tell you how motivating the thought of watermelon was to me at that point!
The sun was starting to come out, but unfortunately not enough to lift the humidity from the rocks, only enough to make it uncomfortably hot anywhere not under the canopy. I would have killed for a breeze! I went through over half my bottle on the climb back to the ridge, not good. But, I could see a guy in a yellow shirt dying ahead of me, and I knew a guy in a red shirt was ahead of him somewhere, so I had my rabbits. My legs were terrible on these climbs, just not responsive at all. Not cramping, just tired. I blame the humidity. I passed yellow-shirt somewhere on New Ipswich Mt, and red-shirt just beyond, but Barrett Mt. has a gazillion and a half false summits, and these were killing me. I had an eye on my watch - I'd been hoping for 3:10, 3:20 on the outside, and 3:29 as a real your-day-was-shit sort of time, because that's Rob Bradlee's last time, and beating Rob should always be a goal. Things weren't looking good, though. My legs were tired enough that by the time I finally started the descent, I just didn't care anymore. The last mile felt like four miles, and I had to play horrible, terrible, mind games with myself to convince myself to keep running all the way back to the finish. "If you run for 90 strides, you're allowed to walk for 30". And so on. I was truly defeated by the humidity. Ugh.
The winning time was 9min slower this year. Kelsey's time was 16min slower. I'll be back, because that's a pretty fantastic race. Hopefully the weather cooperates next time!
On the line, I saw that Kelsey Allen was there, and a few other ladies who looked serious. Figuring that you either go big or go home, I decided to start with Kelsey and see what happened. We all pranced down the first hills through the ski area merrily, but it quickly became apparent to me that I couldn't go Kelsey's pace on the uphills. I got passed by a bunch of men up that first climb to Barret Mt, as I slowed down to what felt like overdistance pace, and still my legs just weren't responding, but I was hopeful that they'd wake up soon. Over the flat crests and then we had the first descent, where I reeled in a bunch of guys and a loose group formed of me, a talkative guy, two guys who were running it "for fun" together, and a red headed kid in Inov-8s who kept sprinting ahead and then losing the trail. The trail isn't very well marked, but I've run this ridge enough at ski camp to know where to go, so that wasn't too much of a problem. The rocks, slick and slimy with moisture, made for really treacherous footing. I was still the fastest downhiller in my group, but I had to be cautious, because the rocks did not offer good grip today. My X-Talons were good, but they are fantastic on dry rocks, so "good" is disappointing. They do have the advantage of a narrow fit, which makes for an excellent close feeling when scampering down hills!
I dropped my group on the downhill to Binney Pond, and figured that maybe now my legs had woken up and I could put down some faster miles. The opposite was true. Every step took work. The next three miles were along wide logging roads with good footing that trended upwards. More guys streaked by me, and there wasn't much I could do to go with them, though I used each one as an excuse to lengthen my stride and fall into the hill a little more. I was starting to pray for the top of Watatic, praying to see some of the leading guys coming back at me, meaning the turn-around was night. Eventually, the leaders went by, and I headed into Mt. Watatic's steep and rocky descent, carefully careening down the hill past hoards of regular folks out for a weekend hike. I saw Kelsey on her way up, comfortable around 10-13th place, and I knew that unless she had a more horrible day than me, I wouldn't be seeing her again.
I hit the turn-around, took some water and food for the road, and started climbing back up. This is where the problem of dead legs really started to hit home. There's a lot of climbing left in the next 9 miles. So, I went my own pace, letting the men go, listening to the wheezing and trying to keep it controlled. At the top I set myself to the task of crushing those gradually downhill miles, pulling in a runner or two along the way. I passed Sharon, coming the other way, happily hiking with plenty of folks behind her, and that cheered me up. Finally I hit the aid station, and knew I only had a painful 5.4mi left to the finish, and some refreshing watermelon. I can't tell you how motivating the thought of watermelon was to me at that point!
The sun was starting to come out, but unfortunately not enough to lift the humidity from the rocks, only enough to make it uncomfortably hot anywhere not under the canopy. I would have killed for a breeze! I went through over half my bottle on the climb back to the ridge, not good. But, I could see a guy in a yellow shirt dying ahead of me, and I knew a guy in a red shirt was ahead of him somewhere, so I had my rabbits. My legs were terrible on these climbs, just not responsive at all. Not cramping, just tired. I blame the humidity. I passed yellow-shirt somewhere on New Ipswich Mt, and red-shirt just beyond, but Barrett Mt. has a gazillion and a half false summits, and these were killing me. I had an eye on my watch - I'd been hoping for 3:10, 3:20 on the outside, and 3:29 as a real your-day-was-shit sort of time, because that's Rob Bradlee's last time, and beating Rob should always be a goal. Things weren't looking good, though. My legs were tired enough that by the time I finally started the descent, I just didn't care anymore. The last mile felt like four miles, and I had to play horrible, terrible, mind games with myself to convince myself to keep running all the way back to the finish. "If you run for 90 strides, you're allowed to walk for 30". And so on. I was truly defeated by the humidity. Ugh.
The winning time was 9min slower this year. Kelsey's time was 16min slower. I'll be back, because that's a pretty fantastic race. Hopefully the weather cooperates next time!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Greylock, and a corn maze
Last weekend, the Jospe pack gathered on top of Mt. Greylock for a quick weekend vacation. It was pretty awesome, involving some hiking, some biking, and a trip to Sunderland for the corn maze o'. A nice change of pace in a beautiful setting. I enjoyed our hike, but my feet were twitching to run those trails. Next year. We had an awesome weekend of low humidity and beautiful views, and it was fun to look across the valley and see the Hoosac ridge, where I'd raced the weekend before.
So then the corn maze - my corn maze orienteering skills really need some improvement. Ed beat me three for three, and I made many, many mistakes. At least the rest of the family appeared to be having fun!
Looking north toward Vermont, from the AT.
By the powerline cut, which is apparently a ski trail. It's steep!
This is the visitor center on top of the mountain, that also has some rooms in it you can rent out. Totally acceptable accommodation!
I blame my poor result in the night-o on an excessive amount of barbecue consume directly beforehand. Buffets are evil! but delicious...
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Lynn Woods Relay
A few weeks back, Jamie sent an email probing to see if there were any interest in putting together some teams for the Lynn Woods relay. This is a pretty big race, with teams of four each running 2.5mi, to make a 10mi relay. Naturally, I signed up, and the plan was to have a coaches team fighting against an athlete's team. Unfortunately, the athletes never quite got their act together, and didn't register in time. Then, Rob strained his calf, and Kathy twisted her ankle, and suddenly the coaches team was down to just Jamie and me. Luckily, we convinced Lisa that her injury was healed enough to run 2.5mi, and Lewis wasn't a hard sell either, which was good, since he was the fastest runner on the team. Back to four people! phew.
>br/> It was a hot night, but not too muggy, and I managed to miss the start of the race, because I'd missed my train from Boston. Thankfully, I was running last leg. Jamie led off, holding his own among 109 teams in 52nd place, and tagged off to Lisa. Despite a nagging injury, Lisa ran very speedily, pulling us up to 37th, and beating Jamie's time handily. Now it was Lewis' time, and being young and speedy, Lewis pulled out a 15:39, good enough for 19th overall (that's out of 436), and that seriously moved us up in the ranks, to 24th. My turn, and I had a pile of people to chase down. You never knew what category they were racing in, nor whether they were on 3rd or 4th leg (though you could guess that part), so basically the name of the game was to just pass as many people as possible, while trying not to get passed.
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Of course, I immediately got passed, by a speedy-looking girl, and of course, I tried to stay with her. This is a hilly 2.5mi course, and even though it's mostly doubletrack, the footing is loose and that means dust. The chest cold wasn't 100% gone, and combined with the dust, this made breathing very difficult. Bummer! I read somewhere once that racing is easier when you can breathe. Anyway, by the turn-around place, shortly after 1mi, I had to let speedy-girl go, and tried not to hemorrhage too much more time. The course gets fun for a tiny bit of singletrack, as it climbs up almost to the stone tower, but on that stretch, I got passed by another speedy girl, this one going even faster than the last. I wish I could run like that. There was even less hope of hanging on to her, and I was very happy to finally head into the downhill. It's not much of a downhill, since you haven't done that much of an uphill, but these things are relative, and even slight downhill feels better than no downhill when your lungs aren't in the mood to deliver any oxygen to the blood.
Luckily, I passed more people than passed me, and picked up an extra two spots for our team, placing us 22nd overall, and 2nd in the coed category. I think my split was around 19th for the girls, but they don't have it broken out by gender. I do know I was 2:40 back of the first lady in... ouch. Anyway, this'll be a fun one to run without a cold next year!
Results
I made Jamie take some photos of me, even though it was too dark for that sort of thing. woooo downhills!
>br/> It was a hot night, but not too muggy, and I managed to miss the start of the race, because I'd missed my train from Boston. Thankfully, I was running last leg. Jamie led off, holding his own among 109 teams in 52nd place, and tagged off to Lisa. Despite a nagging injury, Lisa ran very speedily, pulling us up to 37th, and beating Jamie's time handily. Now it was Lewis' time, and being young and speedy, Lewis pulled out a 15:39, good enough for 19th overall (that's out of 436), and that seriously moved us up in the ranks, to 24th. My turn, and I had a pile of people to chase down. You never knew what category they were racing in, nor whether they were on 3rd or 4th leg (though you could guess that part), so basically the name of the game was to just pass as many people as possible, while trying not to get passed.
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Of course, I immediately got passed, by a speedy-looking girl, and of course, I tried to stay with her. This is a hilly 2.5mi course, and even though it's mostly doubletrack, the footing is loose and that means dust. The chest cold wasn't 100% gone, and combined with the dust, this made breathing very difficult. Bummer! I read somewhere once that racing is easier when you can breathe. Anyway, by the turn-around place, shortly after 1mi, I had to let speedy-girl go, and tried not to hemorrhage too much more time. The course gets fun for a tiny bit of singletrack, as it climbs up almost to the stone tower, but on that stretch, I got passed by another speedy girl, this one going even faster than the last. I wish I could run like that. There was even less hope of hanging on to her, and I was very happy to finally head into the downhill. It's not much of a downhill, since you haven't done that much of an uphill, but these things are relative, and even slight downhill feels better than no downhill when your lungs aren't in the mood to deliver any oxygen to the blood.
Luckily, I passed more people than passed me, and picked up an extra two spots for our team, placing us 22nd overall, and 2nd in the coed category. I think my split was around 19th for the girls, but they don't have it broken out by gender. I do know I was 2:40 back of the first lady in... ouch. Anyway, this'll be a fun one to run without a cold next year!
Results
I made Jamie take some photos of me, even though it was too dark for that sort of thing. woooo downhills!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Well, one good reason why not is that I came down with a head cold last week. Darn! You're not supposed to race when you're sick, but I typically do things you're not supposed to do anyway, and I'd already convinced Ken that he should come play, so, I figured I'd just take it easy and enjoy the day. Worked last time!
A very relaxed start put me somewhere mid-pack, but I naturally had my radar on for other ladies. There were two girls nearby who were chit-chatting with each other, and that's always a bit worrisome, because as everyone knows, if you're talking and having fun, you'll run faster. Actually, hearing them giggle really made me miss having Jess around, though it's not like I'd be able to run with her and her speedylegs. Anyway, the trail looped around from the North Pond to the South Pond, and then started to climb up and over a relatively substantial hill, that I ran, but maybe shouldn't have. I found myself jogging along with a guy from Hadley, and it was fun to have company, but when the trail tilted downhill I let gravity do its thing and fell into the next group ahead of me, some more friendly guys who I ran and hiked with for the next few miles up to the top of the Hoosic ridge.
The view from Spruce Knob was pretty awesome. I stopped to take it in, filling with that feeling of accomplishment you get when you climb something under your own power and you get a view of the world to reward you. The vistas of North Adams and Mt. Greylock were impressive, as was the descending ridge to the south of more wooded peaks and steep drops. I love using my feet to travel, there is simply no better way to feel so self sufficient. I race to make my competitive side happy, but I run on trails to satisfy my soul. Anyway, after taking in the view, it was time to get on with the job of making those feet move quickly, and I danced down the ridge, loving the northern hardwood forest and its craggy rocks. Wooohoooo!
At the turn-around, it was time to see where I stood relative to the other ladies in the race, and fun to watch the fast guys zipping back up the hill, then my turn back up to the ridge, this time pushing the pace a bit, because those two chatty ladies weren't that far behind me. I love to enjoy the day, but I'm too much of a competitor to allow other people to beat me when I am capable of holding them off! This led to negative splits for the out-and-back, and also made me acutely aware of my lack of lung capacity with this cold. Luckily, from the ridge it was mostly downhill, and it wasn't a problem to finish still feeling strong and smooth. I had good company with a guy from Connecticut for the last third of the race, and reeled in three or four other guys, to finish 20th (of 66), and first woman (results). The prize for all this work was a tub of blueberries, exactly what I wanted at that point, and after a dip in the pond, a hotdog and some fresh-grilled corn on the cob, I was one happy runner.
This race is definitely on my list for next year. Hopefully a healthy me can take a chunk of time out of that finish, a motivational thought for sure. I'm not sure what's next on the list; I seem to be running pretty well, but I've also been frequenting these less-well-attended events, so it may be worth hitting up something bigger once this cold clears up, just to see where I stand. Whatever I do next, though, will definitely will need to have rocks, steep descents, and views!
Speaking of finding the joy when you run, Zan's a great example of that. It's super fun to have her in town, albeit for a short while, to help remember that we do these silly sports we do because we love them.
More goofy running friends - Kathy and I led a sweet hike over the Tripyramids (with Zan!) for the junior skiers last weekend. Thank god I've finally found someone who makes as silly faces as I do when the camera points their direction... We took about 3.5h for the 11mi loop, never pushing the pace, but keeping up an excellent level of chatter the whole time. And of course we found a frigid river for ice baths after, which is the only proper way to end a hike in the Whites.
I love it when the humidity drops, and you can SEEE!
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Hiking up sheer slabs of rock I felt like a moving advertisement for Inov-8 - I mean, I guess I AM a moving advertisement for them, but I had fantastically awesome grip on the rocks, especially compared to everyone else's trail- and not-trail shoes. These were the RocLite275s; a Gore-Tex version that I think will be even more awesome in the winter. For summer hiking, they're a little warm, but I suppose I'm also wearing them with wool socks, so that may be of my own doing. The RocLite275s have a bit more heel to them than most minimalist shoes - 9mm of drop - and I find that comfortable for long days with lots of ups. For the trail race, I ran in some TrailRoc236s, and they were pretty fantastic, as well as hot pink. Reviews are coming!
The whole premise of doing the Savoy race was because I was in southern VT with Ed, so I figured it was a short drive. And also, allowed for carpooling with Ken (and I was able to help drive him back when he decided to fall down and do bad things to his shoulder, all because he couldn't get to the fig newtons fast enough). Anyway, my desk for Saturday's work was pretty sweet.
Ed making a pouty face because I was supposed to be taking photos of the food, not of him. Hmph!
Monday, August 12, 2013
People's Forest trail race
I'm a week behind, here, but this race was pretty awesome, so deserves a write-up. I convinced Zan and Brendan to come play at a trail race with me, even though it was kind of far away, in western Connecticut. I was intrigued when the race flyer claimed that the easiest part of the race was the first and last 400m. They could have done away with that boring part, in my opinion =)
I've started ski training again since Finland, and that means that my everything is really really sore right now. Given the soreness of my everything, I figured I'd better play it by ear, and stay within my limits and just enjoy the day during the race. Off we go, and after those first 400m the trail goes up, but at a runnable grade. This is annoying, because a girl in a black tank top (Lauren Ross) immediately ran away from me. I debated keeping up with her, and decided that would impede my ability to enjoy the day, so I kept the effort under wraps and an eye on my HRM, trudging fairly slowly, trying to become one with the burning in my quads. Eventually the trail tilted downward, and Lauren with a herd of men came into view ahead, and I was very relieved - my technical downhilling skills will keep me within striking distance.
I was much less worried as I slowly made my way up the following climbs, and then there was a decent descent where I actually ended up making contact with Lauren and her group, around 2mi. It took work to convince myself to just hang out behind them for a bit, recovering; when you make a move, you want it to be decisive, so it's best to rest a bit first. Eventually I couldn't deal with wasting all that glorious rocky trail, and took the lead. I had about a minute buffer at the top of the hill with the nice views. I know this, because I got the fluttery heart feeling up there, so I had to sit down. Thankfully, the Valsalva maneuver actually worked, and within two minutes, I was back to normal and running again. No idea why two weeks ago it was a 15min wait, and today only 2min. Oh well, that was a dodged bullet.
I had to chase back to Lauren then, and somewhere in there, we hit some pavement, where she really took off. Damn. Thankfully, somewhere thereafter was a muddy rock pile to cross, so I got ahead again. She caught up when I stopped to drink at 4mi, and I consciously stayed behind her for the next mile or so, keeping things below threshold and assessing the body. The trail was awesome, and I was having a wonderful time out there, so the next downward tilt I made a move, and caught two dudes ahead of me, and thankfully the earth kept pointing downwards basically all the way to the finish; I wasn't moving too well on the uphills. I was very happy to take the win today, because I thought the race was over when I got the fluttery heart feeling. It was a gorgeous day for running, if a bit humid, and I thought the trail was fantastic! After, we stuck around for a bit, cooling off/washing up in the river, eating potluck food, winning bags of candy (woo!), and making new friends. A good day! I'll be back next year if the schedule works out!
Results
Zan and I both picked some great shoes.
We also found George, Lynn, and Phil, all independently deciding to come to the race! A very pleasant surprise =)
Sportin' my new CSU jersey!
Lynn takes a dive into the freezing cold Farmington River after the race. Brave lady!
Rolling through Littleton the day before. Rollerskiing can be fun!
After rollerskiing, helping to move Lori, Presto, and SGB out of their apartment and into mobile storage units to head to California, with Tom and Kristi. I'll be missing Presto; it's easier to stay in touch with his humans.
I've started ski training again since Finland, and that means that my everything is really really sore right now. Given the soreness of my everything, I figured I'd better play it by ear, and stay within my limits and just enjoy the day during the race. Off we go, and after those first 400m the trail goes up, but at a runnable grade. This is annoying, because a girl in a black tank top (Lauren Ross) immediately ran away from me. I debated keeping up with her, and decided that would impede my ability to enjoy the day, so I kept the effort under wraps and an eye on my HRM, trudging fairly slowly, trying to become one with the burning in my quads. Eventually the trail tilted downward, and Lauren with a herd of men came into view ahead, and I was very relieved - my technical downhilling skills will keep me within striking distance.
I was much less worried as I slowly made my way up the following climbs, and then there was a decent descent where I actually ended up making contact with Lauren and her group, around 2mi. It took work to convince myself to just hang out behind them for a bit, recovering; when you make a move, you want it to be decisive, so it's best to rest a bit first. Eventually I couldn't deal with wasting all that glorious rocky trail, and took the lead. I had about a minute buffer at the top of the hill with the nice views. I know this, because I got the fluttery heart feeling up there, so I had to sit down. Thankfully, the Valsalva maneuver actually worked, and within two minutes, I was back to normal and running again. No idea why two weeks ago it was a 15min wait, and today only 2min. Oh well, that was a dodged bullet.
I had to chase back to Lauren then, and somewhere in there, we hit some pavement, where she really took off. Damn. Thankfully, somewhere thereafter was a muddy rock pile to cross, so I got ahead again. She caught up when I stopped to drink at 4mi, and I consciously stayed behind her for the next mile or so, keeping things below threshold and assessing the body. The trail was awesome, and I was having a wonderful time out there, so the next downward tilt I made a move, and caught two dudes ahead of me, and thankfully the earth kept pointing downwards basically all the way to the finish; I wasn't moving too well on the uphills. I was very happy to take the win today, because I thought the race was over when I got the fluttery heart feeling. It was a gorgeous day for running, if a bit humid, and I thought the trail was fantastic! After, we stuck around for a bit, cooling off/washing up in the river, eating potluck food, winning bags of candy (woo!), and making new friends. A good day! I'll be back next year if the schedule works out!
Results
Zan and I both picked some great shoes.
We also found George, Lynn, and Phil, all independently deciding to come to the race! A very pleasant surprise =)
Sportin' my new CSU jersey!
Lynn takes a dive into the freezing cold Farmington River after the race. Brave lady!
Rolling through Littleton the day before. Rollerskiing can be fun!
After rollerskiing, helping to move Lori, Presto, and SGB out of their apartment and into mobile storage units to head to California, with Tom and Kristi. I'll be missing Presto; it's easier to stay in touch with his humans.
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