the Way of the Turtle

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #17
F.I.T. Rock 5mi Trail Race
Sunday, March 15, 2020

Many of the races I'm signed up for over the next month have been either cancelled or postponed, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn that today's F.I.T. trail races in RI would go on, albeit with some changes in format to reduce the risk of having a lot of people in close proximity. Originally the 5 mi was supposed to start at 8 AM and the 10k immediately following the 10 AM kids' race. Instead, we had rolling starts, where runners showed up and started when they were ready. I actually started about 6 min before 8 AM, ran the 5 mile, and then after a quick visit to the bathroom and change of shirts, ran the 5k, finishing the whole thing around 10 AM (probably close to an hour earlier than I would have if we'd been on the original schedule.)

Of course, this format meant I was alone on the trail except when someone passed me. There were fewer speedsters than I expected, but plenty of runners going at a moderate pace.

I think what this most reminded me of was the Summer Solstice & After the Leaves races at Minnewaska, back when "early start" meant you started whenever you wanted and self-timed. I always tried to get a 45-60 min head start and would spend 70-90 minutes pretty much alone except when another early starter passed me.

I deliberately took it fairly easy during the 5 mile, since I had another 5k to run after that, but I was pleased that I did manage to push myself during the 5k more than I had expected.

As an added benefit, I learned more about the Cumberland Monastery, which is apparently now town property with the park and trails, the town library, a senior center, and more. Pretty cool.

Right now it's unclear when I'll next be able to run a race, given the craziness surrounding COVID-19. But maybe I'll get lucky and a few more will be able to stay on schedule with modifications like today's. In any case I've decided that I need to push myself to run the race distances as much as possible, even though I'll be going slower. Anything else doesn't work if I want to "do better." (And yes, that's referring to a lot more than improving my running pace and endurance.)

JMH



2020 Event Totals
Run 42.6 mi, 10 hr 41 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, RI