A Year of Long Distance - Race#4
Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race
Saturday, June 10, 2006
2006 Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race Results
Powerbar 4.5 & 9 Mile Trail Races info
2006 Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race Photo Slideshow
OK, I guess 4.5 miles doesn't really qualify as long distance, but the short races have significance too. They give me a chance to try running faster than usual (since I don't need to save energy for all those upcoming miles) and they're fun, too!
Another great race from Yellowjacket Racing out in Rochester. And another race where they had a record turnout - roughly 200 runners between the short and long courses. And another chance to run in beautiful Mendon Ponds park! There were two options - a 4.5 mile and a 9 mile (2 loops of the 4.5 mile.) I chose the shorter option because (1) I wasn't sure what the course would be like (I suspected lots of hills) and (2) Ann and I were planning to do some travelling this weekend, and the short race would leave me more time with her. A good choice, as it turned out.
Once again, we had abnormal weather for this race - in this case, temperatures in the 50's on June 10! That left things a little uncertain as far as clothing goes, but I finally decided to go the (initially) chilly route and chose shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Another good choice, as it happens, because by the end I was pretty darn hot!
So a bit before 9 AM we all crowded into the start area (the edge of a field) and got a humorous pre-race briefing from Dave "Boots" Boutillier, including being told "You'll know the steep hill when you come to it. The footing is rough, so be careful. There are three trees on the left you can use to slow down, and at the bottom there's a big tree on the right you can aim for - it will definitely stop your forward motion!" and "If you're doing the long course and you get to the waterstop and decide you want to switch distances - smart move and it's no problem. If you're doing the short course and you feel great at the waterstop and want to keep going for the long race - you're crazy, but again, no problem!" And then - off we went!
Initially this race reminded me of a snowshoe race... within a quarter mile we were on singletrack and given the number of runners had a fairly lengthy train set up (a long line of runners one after the other.) Then the hills began and the line spread out... :-)
Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race
Saturday, June 10, 2006
2006 Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race Results
Powerbar 4.5 & 9 Mile Trail Races info
2006 Powerbar 4.5 Mile Trail Race Photo Slideshow
OK, I guess 4.5 miles doesn't really qualify as long distance, but the short races have significance too. They give me a chance to try running faster than usual (since I don't need to save energy for all those upcoming miles) and they're fun, too!
Another great race from Yellowjacket Racing out in Rochester. And another race where they had a record turnout - roughly 200 runners between the short and long courses. And another chance to run in beautiful Mendon Ponds park! There were two options - a 4.5 mile and a 9 mile (2 loops of the 4.5 mile.) I chose the shorter option because (1) I wasn't sure what the course would be like (I suspected lots of hills) and (2) Ann and I were planning to do some travelling this weekend, and the short race would leave me more time with her. A good choice, as it turned out.
Once again, we had abnormal weather for this race - in this case, temperatures in the 50's on June 10! That left things a little uncertain as far as clothing goes, but I finally decided to go the (initially) chilly route and chose shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Another good choice, as it happens, because by the end I was pretty darn hot!
So a bit before 9 AM we all crowded into the start area (the edge of a field) and got a humorous pre-race briefing from Dave "Boots" Boutillier, including being told "You'll know the steep hill when you come to it. The footing is rough, so be careful. There are three trees on the left you can use to slow down, and at the bottom there's a big tree on the right you can aim for - it will definitely stop your forward motion!" and "If you're doing the long course and you get to the waterstop and decide you want to switch distances - smart move and it's no problem. If you're doing the short course and you feel great at the waterstop and want to keep going for the long race - you're crazy, but again, no problem!" And then - off we went!
Initially this race reminded me of a snowshoe race... within a quarter mile we were on singletrack and given the number of runners had a fairly lengthy train set up (a long line of runners one after the other.) Then the hills began and the line spread out... :-)
We ran almost the entire race in the eastern part of the park, on trails used primarily for XC skiing in the winter and horseback riding in the summer. There are a few fields but it's predominately woods, with LOTS of hills. A few level sections, but almost all the time we were going either up or down. I managed to run the uphills for the first half, but after that had to walk most of them - I was pushing hard enough that at one point I wondered if I was going to throw up (fortunately I didn't!) On a flat course that probably would have translated into 10-11 minute miles - here it was more like 12's. Passed a few people, and was passed by a few as well, but never really hit a point where there weren't other runners around. Most of the time we were on the main trails, but at a couple of points they diverted us off onto deer paths and we were dodging fallen trees and tripping over roots. Boots was right - the steep downhill was easy to pick out, though I did avoid the tree at the bottom! To add to the fun, not long after that we had another shorter, steep downhill with a 3 foot dropoff at the bottom! After those two sections the rest seemed, well, tame...
A few minutes before the waterstop several fast runners blew by me - the lead guys in the 9 mile race! Must be nice to be biomechanically blessed... boy those guys are fast! As I was approaching the waterstop and the short stretch to the finish, I heard them announcing the winner, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers for the 9 mile. On the last uphill I passed two gals who were walking (it was a short hill, so I pushed and ran it) but then they both blew past me on the downhill. Got my picture taken (twice, actually, but I didn't realize Ann was there until later!) and then ran as fast as I could to the finish. Didn't have a prayer of catching those two gals, but I did manage to cross the finish line in 55:18... not bad, considering the hills on this course.
Staggered back to the car and as I was refueling (ie. drinking water and chomping on trail mix) Ann caught up with me - a pleasant surprise, since I hadn't realized she came over for the end of the race! Since it was pretty cold (to her, at least... I'd been working hard enough that I was still warm) we packed up and headed home.
So I'm very glad I ran this - it was a lot of fun, and I got to see some more of the trails in a section of Mendon I hadn't really been to before. (And a section that will be very good for getting in some hilly runs this summer, when I'm out in Rochester!) And I got a cool T-shirt with a trail-running skeleton!
Next up: GREYLOCK.
-JMH
2006 event totals
snowshoe - 3 miles, 59.5 min
running - 52 miles, 14 hr 02 min
riding - 32.4 miles, 2 hr 32 min
A few minutes before the waterstop several fast runners blew by me - the lead guys in the 9 mile race! Must be nice to be biomechanically blessed... boy those guys are fast! As I was approaching the waterstop and the short stretch to the finish, I heard them announcing the winner, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers for the 9 mile. On the last uphill I passed two gals who were walking (it was a short hill, so I pushed and ran it) but then they both blew past me on the downhill. Got my picture taken (twice, actually, but I didn't realize Ann was there until later!) and then ran as fast as I could to the finish. Didn't have a prayer of catching those two gals, but I did manage to cross the finish line in 55:18... not bad, considering the hills on this course.
Staggered back to the car and as I was refueling (ie. drinking water and chomping on trail mix) Ann caught up with me - a pleasant surprise, since I hadn't realized she came over for the end of the race! Since it was pretty cold (to her, at least... I'd been working hard enough that I was still warm) we packed up and headed home.
So I'm very glad I ran this - it was a lot of fun, and I got to see some more of the trails in a section of Mendon I hadn't really been to before. (And a section that will be very good for getting in some hilly runs this summer, when I'm out in Rochester!) And I got a cool T-shirt with a trail-running skeleton!
Next up: GREYLOCK.
-JMH
2006 event totals
snowshoe - 3 miles, 59.5 min
running - 52 miles, 14 hr 02 min
riding - 32.4 miles, 2 hr 32 min
