sweet snowshoe hike

Jen and I went for an afternoon snowshoe hike in the Holyoke Range today. Conditions were amazing after the recent storm. Trail had been broken most of the way, but the snow was deep enough that it still felt like we were exploring out there for the first time.

We parked on Old Mountain Road at the far west side of the range. After a quick quarter mile or so on the M-M Trail, we went straight ahead at the junction and followed the Dry Brook Trail for a mile or so east. Then, at the junction with the Taylor Notch Trail, we took a left and headed up to the ridge. At Taylor Notch, a big drift buried the road in several feet of packed snow, and a single set of ski tracks curved appealingly away up around the corner. From there, we climbed a short but steep section of the M-M Trail to the summit, and then followed it all the way back down to the car (with a slight detour out to the open ledges on the Hang Glider trail). The views out over the Connecticut River valley were absolutely stunning. The sun set just as we were finishing, which made for some amazing warm highlights on the cold snowdrifts. 

L: Fellow travelers; R: Up through oaks.

snowshine

a fire upon the deep

farscape

deep thoughts

Sleigh Bell Run 4-miler shoot

I photographed the Greenfield Winter Carnival "Sleigh Bell Run" 4-mile road race this morning, mostly just to get some more practice shooting sports. Mind you, I did it with a lens that not only is completely inappropriate for the camera (a DX lens on an FX camera) but also completely inappropriate for the event and conditions (Only an 18-55mm zoom to shoot a running race on an overcast winter day? Am I stupid?). But never mind that. I'm workin' on it...

Below are two of the better results. The first one is of Marc and his kid doing what parents and kids should ALWAYS do: get out there and have fun being silly and active together. The other is just a fun low-angle shot of a racer in full stride at mile 3.5 of a 4-mile race.

I've found that I often don't care for shots where two runners are side by side. I think it's because the framing ends up looking kind of weird (the subject is too wide for the vertical crop that way). But these two (below) made it work with their matching strides and all-around excellent smiles.

full photo gallery here

it's not about the destination, it's about the journey...

...though in this case, the destination--Stump Sprouts XC ski center way up in a relatively remote area of the Berkshires--is a destination totally worth the trip. As long as once you get there you're game for meandering around snowy fields and forested hills all afternoon and on into the evening, that is.

Jacksonville Marathon

Capped off a fantastic year of racing by flying to Florida to run a flat, late season marathon. Ran the first half in 8-minute miles on the dot. Lost some steam around mile 18 or so as it warmed up to almost 70 degrees, and slowed up a bit. I never really hit the wall, and never actually cramped, but I felt that old familiar feeling in the hamstrings right at mile 20. Slight twitches warning of possible (hopefully not imminent) cramps on the way. Time to take another salt tablet or two... shoot, where are they?? Must've dropped 'em the last time I reached into my short pockets for a Gu. Ah well. I knew the drill. Slow up enough to stave off any debilitating power cramps, but not so much that I get dispirited. It worked; I was able to jog steadily right on through to the finish, coming in six minutes slower than I'd hoped for.

Still, I prepared well overall and had a pretty solid race, resulting in my third fastest marathon out of eleven (3:36:11). The course wasn't particularly interesting, though there's a nice long, shady, sort of scenic section in the middle where you run through quiet neighborhoods beneath big scraggly live oaks dripping with Spanish moss). I didn't have any issues with traffic or motorcycles or anything, which I'd been mildly concerned about based on some of the reviews I'd read on marathonguide.com before signing up. And I actually quite liked finishing with a jog across a field, followed by half a lap on the track. Both surfaces I'm intimate and comfortable with. My final 0.2 split was definitely well under an 8-minute mile pace.

yup.

Anyway, just the usual few days of soreness afterwards; otherwise, recovered well and feel good about the event overall. Bonus: got to explore the coast a bit more and visit my friends Tim and Alice in Brunswick, GA afterwards.

Cider Donut Run 10K road race

Despite botching my warm-up (didn't get more than about a 30 second jog in, and making more than one trip to the porta-pot line), and there being a pretty big hill through the UMASS campus at mile 3, I managed to race my 10K PR (42:29, which is a 6:50 pace) by a good 30 seconds. Weather was perfect and the course was fair and familiar (mile 4-5 goes down past Puffers Pond, where I do open-water lap swims in the summer months). It was especially nice to have that final mile feel smooth and strong. This was the second race in a row where I've felt really good for the long surge in to the finish.

Mt. Toby Trail Run 2012

This was a really nice trail race on an excellent mix of terrain types, with many minor hills and one really big (~2 mile) climb. And it starts only about 25 minutes up the road from me. I felt fantastic almost the whole way, and it was absolutely ideal weather for a fall trail race. There were fewer competitors than I'd have expected, but there was a flat 5K just down the road that drew hundreds of runners, so it's not too surprising.

The start is at a small pavilion area in a wooded town park in Sunderland. It's all nicely low-key. Everyone gathers together and before you know it you're off, flying down the dirt access road. After a short stint (maybe half a mile) on a paved road, you head back into the woods on a well-shaded jeep road and just keep steadily climbing.

Some sections were rather muddy, but in general the course was pretty dry and easy to navigate. All the turns are well marked, which is a good thing because (much like in the Holyoke Range just to the south) there are quite a few unsigned intersections along the way. As you cruise along, the bulk of Mt. Toby looms off to your right and occasionally pops into view through the trees.

Several miles into the race, the route transitions onto a narrower, single-track hiking trail, and soon you go up and over "Cranberry Ridge," a low northern spur of Mt. Toby. On the other side, you pop out onto a wide dirt road and abruptly turn south (it's probably easier if you just look at a course map). You stay on this dirt road all the way to the summit (it's the access road for the fire tower there). It stays mostly flat for about a mile, with a few gentle rollers, but then you start to climb the mountain. I slowed to a fast hike on the two steepest grades, but only for about a minute each. I tagged the summit fence somewhere around 59 minutes in.

After chugging several very welcome cups of water offered by a volunteer, I started back down. Initially, I passed a pulse of people on the final part of their climb and nodded to each and said "good run" and such. I was surprised how quickly that crowd thinned out, though. I guess this race really doesn't seem to attract that many slower runners. Anyway, the descent: it's very easy to get going really fast here, and the steepest parts put you in slight danger of falling off the planet. I trusted in the training, though, and thankfully my quads caught me every time (it's so easy to imagine a face-plant happening here, though). One girl passed me at lightning speed just before the bottom, but I caught her again on the flats. After that, I passed a few more people and then fell in line behind an older guy who was going almost exactly the pace I wanted to be going. I ended up being right behind him for over a mile. I felt like I should pass, but I couldn't quite muster the energy at first. When finally I did, I think it was more because he slowed slightly than anything else. I apologized to him at the finish. Weird little etiquette quirks we runners feel.

The best part was realizing I felt good in the final miles and just opening it up some more and flying along trails through the woods. I remember smiling and thinking "this really is what it's all about." I caught a few more runners before the end and finished feeling really strong at 1:56:51.

One minor quibble with the race direction: the website said FIVE water stations but there were only three (at miles 2, 7, and 12), and they didn't tell us that at the start. Not having those waters at miles 5 and 9 was a fairly big oversight, especially since they would have helped with prep and recovery from the big hill climb portion. Oh, also, the website said that restrooms would be available at the Town Park where the start/finish is. Guess what what wasn't available at the Town Park? Hello, woods...

Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Race 2012

I loved this race. Tucked away up in a scenic, relatively remote corner of northwestern Massachusetts, the Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Race is 10.5 miles of very hard trail running, with around 2,000 feet of climbing in the first five miles. I had to slow to a hike on plenty of the steeper sections. There was also some very tricky footwork on part of the descent (especially the mile or two just after the summit of Spruce Peak where it's steep and there's lots of leaf-covered roots and mossy rocks). But overall it was a total blast. Plenty of places to open up and race, two bridgeless stream crossings (one ankle-deep and one knee-deep), and beautiful fall weather. My finishing time was 1:47:34. Excellent peeps, too. At the finish was a fire and a keg, along with a fantastic assortment of treats and grilled stuff. Jen came and ran the 2-mile short course; it was her first running race ever and she won a prize -- pretty freakin' sweet!

I'd highly recommend this race to anyone who loves trail running, as long as you're mentally prepared for what you're getting into. It's no walk in the park.

Here's a pretty good map of the course.

Dunbar Brook

Pisgah 23K Trail Race 2012

Drove up to Chesterfield, NH for the Pisgah Trail Races. There's a 50K and a 23K; both are pretty hard. Perhaps someday soon I'll attempt the 50K (I'm lookin' at you, 2013...), but for this year I was really excited to run the "short" course. 

Given my fitness level at the time (not bad, but not stellar either), this ended up being a near-perfect race. I took 13 minutes off my time from the same race in 2005 (almost a full minute per mile!). Excellent weather, dry trails, and good camaraderie. Always fun to run with Jason Lane, who came down from Concord to do this one. I think knowing the course also made a big difference (I'm sure it helped some to have created a natural history trail guide and map to part of this route in 2009). I felt like I had a sense for where to conserve, where to spend, and where to totally let loose, and that must have shaved plenty of seconds here and there. In particular, knowing that the final four miles contain two significant climbs, one descent with tricky footing, and one steep descent on which you can open up was a big help mentally, and eventually physically. Finished in 2:15:43 (a 9:29 pace). Good stuff. 

Jason and me on the dirt road section around mile 9 

(photo by Jen Garrett)

happy munching at the finish (photo by Jen Garrett)

L: singletrack trail near the north shore of Pisgah Reservoir (~mile 7-ish)  

R: view of Monadnock from Mt. Pisgah

cairn on the open ledges of Mt. Pisgah (~mile 7.5)

trail bridge near the north shore of Kilburn Pond (~mile 8.5)

Round-the-Quabbin Ride

Today I finally got to do a workout I'd been looking forward to for over a year: a road bike ride around Quabbin Reservoir, the largest lake in Massachusetts (~65 miles). I met up with my friends Maura and Brian (from NH) in Belchertown around 10AM. They had already started their loop about 30 miles ago, back at a friend's place in Barre, MA. It was fairly hilly for the first 20 miles or so as we headed north on Rte. 202 towards New Salem, not just on the initial climb up from town but along the whole way. But it was also scenic and fun. The road was constructed around the time the reservoir was built, so it doesn't feel quite like others in the area and there are long stretches with no houses or development in sight. At one point (in Pelham) you're way up on a hillside above the lake and there's a nice wayside pullover to enjoy the view from. The traverse across the north side of the reservoir into Petersham was also quite scenic, passing by a number of ponds and beaver wetlands, though the last few miles of that leg seemed to be ALL climb. It was pretty humid and warm out, so we stopped at the village green in Petersham for some drinks from the general store there.

We parted ways here. Brian and Maura finished their loop with a ride back into Barre while I headed due south towards Hardwick. Much of this leg was downhill, though there were a few climbs mixed in. I could see some pretty significant thunderclouds building in the sky to the south and west. From Hardwick I chose to jig northwest towards the reservoir for a bit. After a climb up out of town, I wound through some scenic wooded roads and eventually cycled past a cool-looking winery. Right around here the rain began. By the time I was trying to navigate around Ware it was really pouring down hard. The long climbs up out of Barre were crazy hard as the insane downpour smacked me with everything it had. My brakes were useless on the downhills after the climbs, and the traffic on Rte. 9 was really scary in the rain too. I was so glad to finally veer off onto the quieter (and nicely-paved) roads of Quabbin State Park.

The rain finally let up some at this point, and I really enjoyed my scenic tour through the park. The final miles back into Belchertown were fairly uneventful, though again traffic on Rte. 9 was a bit hairy. I was so ready to stop by the time I got back to my car.

(all photos taken with either Nikon AW100 waterproof point-and-shoot or cell phone)

the route

Maura after more than 60 miles in the saddle

on the village green in Petersham w/Brian and Maura

Hardwick Vineyard and Winery

unsettled skies over Quabbin

near the dam at the south end of the Quabbin

"even the jungle wanted him dead..."

glad to be done (photo by Jen)