Frozen Assets 5k Snowshoe Race
Saturday, January 3, 2009
2008 Frozen Assets snowshoe race results
This was my second year at the Frozen Assets race... and another year with snow! In fact, this year the drive down wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking, because there was snow the entire way... last year I remember being a bit worried when everything was brown and grey for the bulk of the 50 minute drive... until the last couple of miles heading up into the hills!
The small parking lot at Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area fills up pretty quickly, so I ended up along the road a short ways away... not a big deal, since it gave me a chance to stretch my legs after being cooped up in the car. Given how much they grumbled on the walk to registration, I did wonder if it had been a good idea to do all that skiing yesterday... but so it goes. While I waited to pick up my race number I decided to put on a lightweight fleece pullover when I got back to the car - there was a pretty chilly breeze! And it was great seeing the Dion Snowshoes banners - they're a sponsor for the race - it was just like being back at home in the Berkshires (except, of course, for the mostly unfamiliar faces, other than a few folks I recognize from the many Yellowjacket Racing events I've done.)
Geared up and walked back to the start area with a few minutes to spare. We got a quick description of the start of the course and then the men's race began (the women's race started 10 minutes later.)
Running the course last year definitely helped me this year, as did being able to check my Garmin and get a rough idea of where I was... I distinctly remember feeling like I'd been plodding through the woods forever at one point last year and wondering how much longer my suffering would last! The first stretch along the snowed over road wasn't bad, especially once we got over the crest of the hill and were heading down... I'm becoming more and more of a fan of running downhill on snowshoes... and the short winding trek through the woods to the wide uphill path, while tough, seemed easier than last year. As I was plodding up the hill toward the second stretch of singletrack, I realized that I had once again overdressed (though not as badly as last year.) Oh, well... one of these days I figure the clothing thing out.
Through the woods with a mix of running and walking (more of the latter than the former!) and around the pond to - hurray - the wide, mostly downhill path toward the picnic area. somewhere along here it started to snow lightly, which I always find kind of cool during a run. Incredibly, the front runners for the womens' race hadn't caught me yet; last year I started getting passed as I was rounding the edge of the pond. Either they're going slower this year or I'm going faster. back into the woods, this time a twisty singletrack through some evergreens, and here come the women. At least the predominant direction was still downhill!
Across the main road, time for the traverse along the hillside roughly paralleling the road. There are some nice views of Honeoye Lake, but I was too busy trying to move forward while periodically letting faster women pass to really enjoy the view. I also find traverses very challenging... in general, snowshoes are designed to provide good traction forwards and backwards, but not side-to-side, so on a traverse I always feel like I'm going to lose it and slide sideways down the hill. Anyway, pushed on along the singletrack and finally came out on the road again. Walked to the top of the hill (thankfully, not that far from where we exited the woods) and then had a nice downhill stretch. This year I knew to run past the starting line before making a right turn for the final trail to the finish, with what sounded like someone right on my heels. OK - who put in that short hill before the finish line?!! Ran as hard as I could for the final bit, as I almost always do, and crossed the finish unable to breathe in 45:15... actually a pretty good time for me on a challenging course like this one. And I knocked about five minutes off my time from last year, so overall I had a good run.
Snagged a couple of candy bars and staggered back to the car to change clothes so I could get on the road back home and maybe spend some time with my sweetheart.
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike
Snowshoe 3.1 mi, 45 min
states visited: NY
