LONG DISTANCE 2007, Race #7
Nipmuck TrailMarathon Mudathon
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Nipmuck Trail Marathon info
2007 Nipmuck Trail Marathon results
Nipmuck Trail
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Nipmuck Trail Marathon info
2007 Nipmuck Trail Marathon results
After reading through last year's post on my NIPMUCK attempt, I was struck with major deja vu this morning when the alarm went off at 2:30 AM so I could be ready for my 4:30 departure. Didn't help that the new neighbors upstairs were having far too much fun last night, much of it out on their deck (which is right over my bedroom.) 4:30 found the car packed and off we went for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Perry Hill Road in Ashford, CT. The drive over was uneventful, but grey and somewhat foggy. Potentially bad news for the humidity, but possibly good news if it meant we wouldn't be seeing much sun... I think some of the problems I had last year were due to the heat.
Found a decent parking space (the race starts at a trailhead on a back road... with 200+ people doing the race, the sides of the road end up lined with cars for a substantial distance in either direction) and picked up my race number. Then stood in line at the Port-a-John swatting 'skeeters and listening to the two newbies behind me complaining about anything and everything. The bathroom this year was covered with pictures from previous races... didn't see mine, which is no surprise since I only remember it being taken once last year and RD Dave sent it to me shortly after the race. Geared up, which involved deciding to carry all my food (Clif bars) with me (so I wouldn't have to hike uphill to the car to get more when I returned to the start after the first half of the race) as well as a rain jacket (thunder was rumbling while we were waiting for things to start) but not a hat (it seemed like it would be too warm.) Then I hung around near race HQ and listened to more newbies wondering about the course (I told them what I knew, mainly that the first half is relatively flat but fairly technical and the 2nd half is less technical but loaded with hills.) A few minutes before 8 AM RD Dave called us all in for the pre-race briefing - the usual reading of numerous warnings to take responsibility for ourselves out on the course and not to do the race if we didn't have health insurance, and a fairly graphic warning regarding the road crossings, cars, and a cutout picture of a runner that ended up covered with ketchup. This year's briefing came complete with two runners harassing Dave... I think they might have been prompted to do so, but with this crew you never know. After that we headed down the road to the starting line and with a quick clap of his hands, off we went!
The first stretch is from Perry Hill Rd to Rt 74, a little over 1 1/4 miles... very slow going as the long line gradually lengthens. Walked much of the first half, and took the rest at a fairly slow run, in part because of the folks ahead of me and in part because my strategy this year was to take it easy in the first half in hopes of having some energy left for the rest of the race. Made it across 74 without mishap, and kept going at an easy pace to the turnaround just off Rt 44 at the Fenton River. The trail was fairly technical - lots of roots and rocks, and a few small hills, but nothing too difficult. Half an hour or so in, the rain started, but since we were in the woods we didn't get much of it (that would change as the day wore on...!) About 4 miles in, passed one fellow who had blown his knee out and was waiting in a good deal of pain for the help that had been sent for to arrive... I felt bad for him, because I can definitely relate to knee injuries. Shortly after that I started encountering folks on their way back... first the front runners powering along at a pace I can barely comprehend, then some fairly large groups of mid-packers. My feelings regarding out-and-back races is still mixed... it can be fun to see all the other runners, but dodging out of their way gets mildly annoying after a while.
The last bit to the 1st turnaround runs along the Fenton River... very pretty, though running along the hillside above the river while trying to dodge returning runners can get a bit nerve-wracking. Then the first batch of major mud began... apparently the beavers have been busy near the river, and the result is a very wet trail of ankle deep mud. I was reminded of the race logo of a shoe being sucked off someone's foot as the mud did its best to eat my shoes...I managed to avoid the worst of it right up to the beaver dam, and then there was no way around it without going for a swim in the river. So I splashed across the dam, chatted with the nice folks at the turnaround aid station, and sloshed back across the dam and through the mud and muck to begin my trek back to the starting area and the 2nd leg of the race.
On the way back the rain gods decided to "kick it up a notch" and treated us to a steady, soaking rainfall. At the aid station at the 8 mile mark, I asked one of the volunteers to take my picture, since I'm pretty sure I looked like a drowned rat. Some parts of the trail got a bit wetter and muddier as a result, but for the most part this stretch wasn't too bad, and the rain eased up by the time I crossed Rt 74 again. That led me to decide to take a brief break when I finished the 1st part of the race, hike up to the car, and change into dry clothes... they might not stay dry for long, but it would still help me mentally.
Came into the starting area at just around 3 hours... right on target for the 1st 12.4 miles. Let the guys checking people in know I was going to go get dry clothes, and one laughed and said "Do you think it's going to help?" He must have jinxed me, because no sooner did I reach the car than the clouds opened up and it started pouring. I changed tops, then pulled off my waterlogged shorts and made the decision to run the 2nd part of the race in just my compression shorts. Also pulled on a hat, in hopes that it would keep enough water off my face that I'd be able to see better. Visited the food table (nothing appealing there, unfortunately), refilled my water/gatorade bottles, and headed up the hill into the hilly 2nd half.
Make that the hilly, muddy 2nd half. No great surprise, the rain turned the path into a small stream, and I was left with a long, wet trip to the finish. I walked the uphills and managed a pretty good pace on the level stretches and downhills. Ran past lots of cool erratics and rock formations, and about 15-20 minutes in started dodging front runners. After about 2 1/2 miles I hit a major aid station and stopped for a moment to refill my bottles. Then it was time for a run along roads - 1st dirt, then pavement. Mostly downhill - I was not looking forward to the return trip! All the while, folks were passing me going the other way.
Found a decent parking space (the race starts at a trailhead on a back road... with 200+ people doing the race, the sides of the road end up lined with cars for a substantial distance in either direction) and picked up my race number. Then stood in line at the Port-a-John swatting 'skeeters and listening to the two newbies behind me complaining about anything and everything. The bathroom this year was covered with pictures from previous races... didn't see mine, which is no surprise since I only remember it being taken once last year and RD Dave sent it to me shortly after the race. Geared up, which involved deciding to carry all my food (Clif bars) with me (so I wouldn't have to hike uphill to the car to get more when I returned to the start after the first half of the race) as well as a rain jacket (thunder was rumbling while we were waiting for things to start) but not a hat (it seemed like it would be too warm.) Then I hung around near race HQ and listened to more newbies wondering about the course (I told them what I knew, mainly that the first half is relatively flat but fairly technical and the 2nd half is less technical but loaded with hills.) A few minutes before 8 AM RD Dave called us all in for the pre-race briefing - the usual reading of numerous warnings to take responsibility for ourselves out on the course and not to do the race if we didn't have health insurance, and a fairly graphic warning regarding the road crossings, cars, and a cutout picture of a runner that ended up covered with ketchup. This year's briefing came complete with two runners harassing Dave... I think they might have been prompted to do so, but with this crew you never know. After that we headed down the road to the starting line and with a quick clap of his hands, off we went!
The first stretch is from Perry Hill Rd to Rt 74, a little over 1 1/4 miles... very slow going as the long line gradually lengthens. Walked much of the first half, and took the rest at a fairly slow run, in part because of the folks ahead of me and in part because my strategy this year was to take it easy in the first half in hopes of having some energy left for the rest of the race. Made it across 74 without mishap, and kept going at an easy pace to the turnaround just off Rt 44 at the Fenton River. The trail was fairly technical - lots of roots and rocks, and a few small hills, but nothing too difficult. Half an hour or so in, the rain started, but since we were in the woods we didn't get much of it (that would change as the day wore on...!) About 4 miles in, passed one fellow who had blown his knee out and was waiting in a good deal of pain for the help that had been sent for to arrive... I felt bad for him, because I can definitely relate to knee injuries. Shortly after that I started encountering folks on their way back... first the front runners powering along at a pace I can barely comprehend, then some fairly large groups of mid-packers. My feelings regarding out-and-back races is still mixed... it can be fun to see all the other runners, but dodging out of their way gets mildly annoying after a while.
The last bit to the 1st turnaround runs along the Fenton River... very pretty, though running along the hillside above the river while trying to dodge returning runners can get a bit nerve-wracking. Then the first batch of major mud began... apparently the beavers have been busy near the river, and the result is a very wet trail of ankle deep mud. I was reminded of the race logo of a shoe being sucked off someone's foot as the mud did its best to eat my shoes...I managed to avoid the worst of it right up to the beaver dam, and then there was no way around it without going for a swim in the river. So I splashed across the dam, chatted with the nice folks at the turnaround aid station, and sloshed back across the dam and through the mud and muck to begin my trek back to the starting area and the 2nd leg of the race.
On the way back the rain gods decided to "kick it up a notch" and treated us to a steady, soaking rainfall. At the aid station at the 8 mile mark, I asked one of the volunteers to take my picture, since I'm pretty sure I looked like a drowned rat. Some parts of the trail got a bit wetter and muddier as a result, but for the most part this stretch wasn't too bad, and the rain eased up by the time I crossed Rt 74 again. That led me to decide to take a brief break when I finished the 1st part of the race, hike up to the car, and change into dry clothes... they might not stay dry for long, but it would still help me mentally.
Came into the starting area at just around 3 hours... right on target for the 1st 12.4 miles. Let the guys checking people in know I was going to go get dry clothes, and one laughed and said "Do you think it's going to help?" He must have jinxed me, because no sooner did I reach the car than the clouds opened up and it started pouring. I changed tops, then pulled off my waterlogged shorts and made the decision to run the 2nd part of the race in just my compression shorts. Also pulled on a hat, in hopes that it would keep enough water off my face that I'd be able to see better. Visited the food table (nothing appealing there, unfortunately), refilled my water/gatorade bottles, and headed up the hill into the hilly 2nd half.
Make that the hilly, muddy 2nd half. No great surprise, the rain turned the path into a small stream, and I was left with a long, wet trip to the finish. I walked the uphills and managed a pretty good pace on the level stretches and downhills. Ran past lots of cool erratics and rock formations, and about 15-20 minutes in started dodging front runners. After about 2 1/2 miles I hit a major aid station and stopped for a moment to refill my bottles. Then it was time for a run along roads - 1st dirt, then pavement. Mostly downhill - I was not looking forward to the return trip! All the while, folks were passing me going the other way.
Finally left the roads and was back in the woods, still running fairly well, and at about 4 3/4 hours, came to the last aid station before the turnaround. This was a significant point, because the last stretch before the turnaround is what finally did me in last year. It's probably the toughest section of the 2nd half - steep hills, and fairly technical terrain. I did better on that stretch this year, but it still signalled the end of my legs being able to truly run. I was also caught and passed by four walkers, which was a bit demoralizing (they were walking the whole time, and I was trying to run when I could!) The rain had also stopped, so the 'skeeters were out in force... all in all, this was the point where the race stopped being any fun and I started to question just how far I would get this time.
Made my way down the steps to the turnaround - blessedly, they had bug spray! Refilled my bottles again, and decided to at least make it back over the killer section I had just done. While I was there, RD Dave pulled up, and let the volunteers know that the magic number was 136 - that was the last person on the course, and after she came through they could close up shop.
As I was heading back up the steps, #136 came down the hill, looking strong... so I figured she wouldn't be last for long! Made my way back over the hills, rocks, and roots, and about halfway along she passed me, and the course sweeps, two high school kids, dropped back to walk with me. I let them know they didn't have to wait for me, but they were adamant about sticking with me no matter how long it took.
At the next aid station, the volunteers cheered that I'd made it back, and were very encouraging about my continuing on. I have to admit - what I really wanted to do was pull myself out of the race, because I knew the remaining 5 1/2 miles were going to be slow and painful. But with so many folks pushing me along, I just couldn't do it. So we headed into the woods, and I even managed some very slow running along the easier stretches. After a long time, we ended up back on the road, and again I managed some very slow running along the level stretches... followed by a slow plod up the very long, very steep hill I'd run down a couple of hours before. After some more encouraging words, off we went into the woods again... for the most part I had to walk the entire time, and truth-be-told, on the few bits I ran my pace was probably slower than a walk. My legs hurt, my feet were in agonly from the constant pounding and from being wet for hours on end, and my gastrointestinal tract was killing me in retaliation for hours of nothing but water, Gatorade, and Clif bars. But with the sweeps right behind me, there was nothing to do but plod on, no doubt getting slower and slower.
The last mile is marked out in 0.1 mile intervals... that was the longest mile I've ever walked, I suspect. With a half mile to go, I sent the sweeps on ahead to let the folks at the finish know I was on my way, and also so I could finish on my own, without feeling like anyone was pushing me along. That was a tough half mile... the abdominal cramps got bad enough that at times I just had to stop and let them pass, and there is a very steep hill before the final downhill. At the top of that hill is the 0.1 mile mark, and I slowly walked down the longest tenth of a mile ever... I didn't think it would ever end! But finally I came into sight of the cheering volunteers, who gave me a big cheer and made an arch with their arms for me to walk under to signify that I had indeed gone the distance at the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, with a time of 8 hr 13 min. Wish I could say I ran across the finish, but the truth is - it just wasn't an option.
RD Dave congratulated me, and presented me with, of all things, an apple pie! Apparently, one of the age groups had no one running, so there was one pie left and he decided to give it to me. More importantly, he presented me with my Nipmuck finisher's trophy - a section of log with an aqua blue blaze painted on it (just like the blazes that mark the Nipmuck trail) and a sticker identifying it as being from the 24th race on June 3, 2007. I've wanted to earn one of those since I saw them last year, and I was especially happy to get one because I heard him saying before the race that he didn't think there'd be enough of them for everyone. I thanked all the volunteers for sticking around for so long, and especially the sweeps for pushing me to the finish, and very, very slowly walked up the hill to my car to change clothes and most especially get my battered feet out of the wet, muddy shoes and socks they'd been in for the past 9 hours.
Made my way down the steps to the turnaround - blessedly, they had bug spray! Refilled my bottles again, and decided to at least make it back over the killer section I had just done. While I was there, RD Dave pulled up, and let the volunteers know that the magic number was 136 - that was the last person on the course, and after she came through they could close up shop.
As I was heading back up the steps, #136 came down the hill, looking strong... so I figured she wouldn't be last for long! Made my way back over the hills, rocks, and roots, and about halfway along she passed me, and the course sweeps, two high school kids, dropped back to walk with me. I let them know they didn't have to wait for me, but they were adamant about sticking with me no matter how long it took.
At the next aid station, the volunteers cheered that I'd made it back, and were very encouraging about my continuing on. I have to admit - what I really wanted to do was pull myself out of the race, because I knew the remaining 5 1/2 miles were going to be slow and painful. But with so many folks pushing me along, I just couldn't do it. So we headed into the woods, and I even managed some very slow running along the easier stretches. After a long time, we ended up back on the road, and again I managed some very slow running along the level stretches... followed by a slow plod up the very long, very steep hill I'd run down a couple of hours before. After some more encouraging words, off we went into the woods again... for the most part I had to walk the entire time, and truth-be-told, on the few bits I ran my pace was probably slower than a walk. My legs hurt, my feet were in agonly from the constant pounding and from being wet for hours on end, and my gastrointestinal tract was killing me in retaliation for hours of nothing but water, Gatorade, and Clif bars. But with the sweeps right behind me, there was nothing to do but plod on, no doubt getting slower and slower.
The last mile is marked out in 0.1 mile intervals... that was the longest mile I've ever walked, I suspect. With a half mile to go, I sent the sweeps on ahead to let the folks at the finish know I was on my way, and also so I could finish on my own, without feeling like anyone was pushing me along. That was a tough half mile... the abdominal cramps got bad enough that at times I just had to stop and let them pass, and there is a very steep hill before the final downhill. At the top of that hill is the 0.1 mile mark, and I slowly walked down the longest tenth of a mile ever... I didn't think it would ever end! But finally I came into sight of the cheering volunteers, who gave me a big cheer and made an arch with their arms for me to walk under to signify that I had indeed gone the distance at the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, with a time of 8 hr 13 min. Wish I could say I ran across the finish, but the truth is - it just wasn't an option.
RD Dave congratulated me, and presented me with, of all things, an apple pie! Apparently, one of the age groups had no one running, so there was one pie left and he decided to give it to me. More importantly, he presented me with my Nipmuck finisher's trophy - a section of log with an aqua blue blaze painted on it (just like the blazes that mark the Nipmuck trail) and a sticker identifying it as being from the 24th race on June 3, 2007. I've wanted to earn one of those since I saw them last year, and I was especially happy to get one because I heard him saying before the race that he didn't think there'd be enough of them for everyone. I thanked all the volunteers for sticking around for so long, and especially the sweeps for pushing me to the finish, and very, very slowly walked up the hill to my car to change clothes and most especially get my battered feet out of the wet, muddy shoes and socks they'd been in for the past 9 hours.
So on the third attempt (1999 - DNS due to a stomach virus four days before the race, 2006 - DNF at 19.4 miles after 5 hrs 45 min) I crossed the finish line at Nipmuck... something I've wanted to do ever since I first started trail running. My concerns about being insufficiently prepared were well-founded... there is no question in my mind that more long runs would have allowed me to go further before my legs blew up. On the one hand, I am very pleased to have gone the distance, and on the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish running. But that leaves me a goal for next year - to be sufficiently well prepared that I can run the whole thing fairly consistently. Especially since rumor has it that next year, the 25th running of the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, will be RD Dave's last year as RD. So with luck, next year NIPMUCK will just be Nipmuck... but there's no question that there's more for me to do along that stretch of trail!
I would be horribly remiss if I didn't mention RD Dave and the volunteers one last time... Dave has put together a challenging race that has a sense of fun and is always positive and encouraging, even to folks like me who keep him there far longer than he should have to be. And the volunteers are some of the most wonderfully positive people I've ever met... out at their posts for hours and yet not a single complaint for the slow folks keeping them there even longer. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have made it to the end without them. Race volunteers (at any race) are awesome... they do the hard work while we get to have the fun. I can't thank them enough!
Next up: the 4.5 mile Powerbar Trail Race at (where else?) Mendon Ponds Park near Rochester. More hills! Groan...
JMH
2007 EVENT TOTALS
Running 94.8 mi, 23 hr 52 min
Cycling 26.2 mi, 1 hr 55 min
Snowshoe 31.3 mi, 9 hr 11 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT
