4 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Legs felt decent during tonight's run, which ended up being shorter than I'd hoped for... but a short run is better than no run at all!
JMH
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
LONG DISTANCE 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
It's a little nuts to be thinking about marathons when I've only been running 15-20 miles a week (including snowshoe running) but it looks like the registrations for the Grand Island Trail Marathon are rapidly approaching the 300-runner limit, so today I sent in mine. Given how many people are currently on the list... I don't know that it's a done deal, it looks like it will be a close thing and I could end up on the waiting list depending on how many people register while my application's in the mail... just have to wait and see... but if I do get in, I will be off to Michigan's Upper Penninsula at the end of July!
JMH
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
It's a little nuts to be thinking about marathons when I've only been running 15-20 miles a week (including snowshoe running) but it looks like the registrations for the Grand Island Trail Marathon are rapidly approaching the 300-runner limit, so today I sent in mine. Given how many people are currently on the list... I don't know that it's a done deal, it looks like it will be a close thing and I could end up on the waiting list depending on how many people register while my application's in the mail... just have to wait and see... but if I do get in, I will be off to Michigan's Upper Penninsula at the end of July!
JMH
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
6 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I definitely felt the effects of 4 hours of sleep last night and the hike up and down Pine Mountain during the snowshoe race on Sunday... my legs felt fried for all of tonight's run on the Pine Bush trails. There's still quite a bit of hard-packed snow and ice, so once again my screw shoes came in handy. At first I found myself questioning whether or not I should just call it a night and skip the bulk of the run, but I'm glad I pressed on... while it never got easy, I still found myself enjoying being out in the woods as the run progressed.
As I've said several times recently... I have a lot of work to do between now and the snowshoe half marathon in Vermont!
JMH
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I definitely felt the effects of 4 hours of sleep last night and the hike up and down Pine Mountain during the snowshoe race on Sunday... my legs felt fried for all of tonight's run on the Pine Bush trails. There's still quite a bit of hard-packed snow and ice, so once again my screw shoes came in handy. At first I found myself questioning whether or not I should just call it a night and skip the bulk of the run, but I'm glad I pressed on... while it never got easy, I still found myself enjoying being out in the woods as the run progressed.
As I've said several times recently... I have a lot of work to do between now and the snowshoe half marathon in Vermont!
JMH
Sunday, January 27, 2008
BIG ROCKS!
A Short Hike at Balance Rock State Park
Sunday, January 27, 2008
A short drive after leaving the main entrance to Pittsfield State Forest found me at the road to Balance Rock State Park (actually a part of the State Forest, in its northeastern corner.) While my winter use trail map shows an open road up to Balance Rock, it was very clear that the road is summer use only, and in thw winter is left snow-covered for use by the snowmobilers. Fortunately, the pull-off across the road was relatively clear, so I changed into my screw shoes (it didn't seem likely I'd encounter any snow deep enough to merit snowshoes) and armed with my camera and Dunn & Delaney's Trails with Tales guidebook, I headed off up the road to see the rocks.
The hike up the snow covered road was fairly easy. The snow had been well-packed by snowmobiles, and even though it was mostly uphill... after my hike up the mountain this morning, it really didn't seem too bad! Three snowmobiles passed me heading down toward the road; I was very impressed that they slowed down as they went by and gave them a smile and a wave, even though I knew I'd be breathing their exhaust for a while after they passed. (Yuck!)
After about 10 minutes I reached the summer parking area and saw Balance Rock a little ways downhill. This particular rock weighs about 165 tons and is perched on a 3 foot rock outcropping. Initially I thought the far end was also touching ground, but as I got closer I could see that there was a gap of about 8 inches between the bottom of the boulder and the dirt underneath. There are lots of theories for how this rock ended up in its current position; the most likely explanation is that it was deposited on solid ground by the most recent glacier, approximately 10000 years ago, and subsequent weathering has both exposed the rock on which it is balanced and worn away the less durable rock and soil around it. A variety of stories exist about the rock vibrating when touched; given the fact that it is still in position despite a variety of natural disturbance and a multitude of human attempts to dislodge it over the past 300 years, it seems unlikely that it has even shown any signs of motion. Sadly, this extremely impressive boulder is covered with graffiti - people can be real jerks, can't they?
After wandering around Balance Rock a bit, I consulted the guidebook and headed up an ATV trail to Split Rock... interesting, but not that impressive. There were also a couple of other neat erratics right near it. Then I headed over to see Whale Rock, which really does look amazingly like a whale at the right angles, Twin Rocks (the name is self explanatory), and Cross Rock, which has a fracture in its surface that makes... you guessed it... a cross.
Split Rock
Cross Rock
Twin Rocks
Whale Rock
As nice as it was out in the woods (other than the occasional buzz of a snowmobile) I started getting hungry, so I knew it was time to head back down to the car, with a brief side-trip to check out a few more unnamed rocks. The hike back to the car was uneventful... just a short walk down a snowy road on a sunny day. Pretty nice, really, and a pleasant way to end this particular visit to the Berkshires.
JMH
A Short Hike at Balance Rock State Park
Sunday, January 27, 2008
A short drive after leaving the main entrance to Pittsfield State Forest found me at the road to Balance Rock State Park (actually a part of the State Forest, in its northeastern corner.) While my winter use trail map shows an open road up to Balance Rock, it was very clear that the road is summer use only, and in thw winter is left snow-covered for use by the snowmobilers. Fortunately, the pull-off across the road was relatively clear, so I changed into my screw shoes (it didn't seem likely I'd encounter any snow deep enough to merit snowshoes) and armed with my camera and Dunn & Delaney's Trails with Tales guidebook, I headed off up the road to see the rocks.
The hike up the snow covered road was fairly easy. The snow had been well-packed by snowmobiles, and even though it was mostly uphill... after my hike up the mountain this morning, it really didn't seem too bad! Three snowmobiles passed me heading down toward the road; I was very impressed that they slowed down as they went by and gave them a smile and a wave, even though I knew I'd be breathing their exhaust for a while after they passed. (Yuck!)
After about 10 minutes I reached the summer parking area and saw Balance Rock a little ways downhill. This particular rock weighs about 165 tons and is perched on a 3 foot rock outcropping. Initially I thought the far end was also touching ground, but as I got closer I could see that there was a gap of about 8 inches between the bottom of the boulder and the dirt underneath. There are lots of theories for how this rock ended up in its current position; the most likely explanation is that it was deposited on solid ground by the most recent glacier, approximately 10000 years ago, and subsequent weathering has both exposed the rock on which it is balanced and worn away the less durable rock and soil around it. A variety of stories exist about the rock vibrating when touched; given the fact that it is still in position despite a variety of natural disturbance and a multitude of human attempts to dislodge it over the past 300 years, it seems unlikely that it has even shown any signs of motion. Sadly, this extremely impressive boulder is covered with graffiti - people can be real jerks, can't they?
After wandering around Balance Rock a bit, I consulted the guidebook and headed up an ATV trail to Split Rock... interesting, but not that impressive. There were also a couple of other neat erratics right near it. Then I headed over to see Whale Rock, which really does look amazingly like a whale at the right angles, Twin Rocks (the name is self explanatory), and Cross Rock, which has a fracture in its surface that makes... you guessed it... a cross.
Split Rock
Cross Rock
Twin Rocks
Whale Rock
As nice as it was out in the woods (other than the occasional buzz of a snowmobile) I started getting hungry, so I knew it was time to head back down to the car, with a brief side-trip to check out a few more unnamed rocks. The hike back to the car was uneventful... just a short walk down a snowy road on a sunny day. Pretty nice, really, and a pleasant way to end this particular visit to the Berkshires.
JMH
Season of the SnōShū 2008 - Race #4
Curly's Record Run 3.7 Mile Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Curly's Record Run snowshoe race info
2008 Curly's Record Run results
The short version:
check out the course profile for today's race (click the thumbnail for a larger image):
course profile courtesy of Berkshire Sports
Note the roughly 750 feet of elevation gain between miles 0.6 and 1.5. Yes, that climb was every bit as steep as it looks. Also note the 800 feet of elevation loss between miles 1.6 and 2.5. That was even steeper than it looks (it's also the section that Albert "Curly" Voll, father of RD Beth Herder, set a 1 min 10 sec record on for downhill skiing in his younger days... an even more impressive feat once you've come down the trail on foot and experienced both how steep it is and how sharp the curves are!)
Long steep climbs and descents plus lack of training equals a long slow slog for the Turtle. I've really got to get to work and get ready for Vermont in March!
On the plus side - it was a wonderful sunny day, Pittsfield State Forest is absolutely beautiful, and as always the other folks there were great. I can definitely think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning!
The longer version:
I've never been able to do Curly's in the past, because it has always been held on the same weekend as the Lake Effect Snowshoe Duathlon out in Rochester. So once the du was replaced by a half marathon (which I knew I wouldn't be able to complete if it turned out to be a snowshoe event) I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go somewhere new and run with the fun group of folks from the Western Mass Athletic Club. Though I do have to admit, the course for Curly's (which climbs 750 feet nearly to the top of Pine Mountain in Pittsfield State Forest and then rapidly descends 800 feet on a 1920's ski racing trail) looked to be considerably more difficult than the Lake Effect course in Webster Park!
I had originally expected today to be cloudy and grey, so finding sunshine in Pittsfield was a definite plus! It felt a bit strange to be doing the drive this morning, since Ann and I did essentially the identical trip a few weeks ago in hopes of seeing the rocks at Balance Rock State Park in the northeastern part of Pittsfield State Forest. As I drove into the park I was very impressed with how nice it is - I'll definitely have to visit there again in the summer!
Parking was a bit tricky in the small lot, but once I got the car situated I checked in and got both a very nifty T-shirt and a water bottle in my goodie bag. Then I wandered around for a while taking pictures before gearing up for the run. Chatted for a bit with a gal parked next to me, who'd never done a snowshoe race before and then with Konrad and Bill, who are typically at the back of the pack with me. Then we all headed over to the starting area and waited for the fun to begin. After a few words from RD Beth, her father Albert "Curly" Voll took the field to set us on our way. The race is named after his record-setting 1 min 10 sec ski down the trail we'd be using to come down off the mountain. With a blast of his whistle, the race began, and off we went!
I jogged across the field, but as soon as we hit the first climb up the road slowed to a fast walk, knowing there was a lot of climbing ahead. We turned off into the woods and continued to climb, and I found myself right behind Rich Busa, who usually finishes snowshoe races 5-10 minutes ahead of me. I tucked in behind Rich and decided to try to stay right behind him, at least until we reached the steep descent where he'd probably disappear down the hill while I was trying not to lose a knee or two. The crested the first hill and had a very pleasant run downhill until we crossed Parker Brook... and then the fun began.
As much as I tried to keep up with Rich on the long climb, he pulled away from me early on and gradually disappeared off into the distance. I tried to set a brisk pace, but between the steep sections and lack of juice in my legs just couldn't keep it going. That was one tough climb, and I basically put my head down and did my best to plod my way to the top, with occasional breaks to catch my breath and grab a sip of water. The scenery was beautiful... unfortunately, I was too busy trying to survive the climb to really enjoy it. But reaching the top was sweet... there was a quarter mile or so that I was able to run (fairly slowly, since my legs were pretty well toasted from so much non-stop climbing early in the race.)
And then I hit the steep descent on the Shadow Trail, and slowed to a crawl again. Steep downhills are very risky for my bad knees, and this was aggravated by the hard-packed snow (very little glide) and the way my cleats kept building up snowballs (which cut my traction.) The occasional sharp turns didn't help either! That trail might have been fun in deeper snow, or just dirt and rock, but today it was downright scary. So I crept down it, and was passed by several runners who'd been behind me on the climb up the mountain (including the gal I'd given what tips I could to before the race - good for her!) At the bottom Jeff Clark, Konrad, and Bill all caught up with me, and we headed off into the woods for the mile and a half or so to the finish.
I suspect that for a lot of this stretch, the trail had been bushwhacked, because it wound back and forth through the woods, mostly in sight of the main park road. Mostly runnable, even with my fried legs, and after hiking up the mountain the small hills in this part didn't seem so bad. Footing was tricky in spots... I found myself catching the tips of my snowshoes on rocks and branches just under the snow, in part due to the snow cover being pretty thin and in part due to my being pretty tired! Toward the end we ended up on a wide snowmobile trail - easy running, woo hoo! That took me through an evergreen grove and then down into the field that we'd started the race on.
Running across the field was tough... even there wasn't much snow, it had been sufficiently churned up that the footing was not great. Hauled myself up the hill at the end of the field and finished with the fastest run I could manage down the road, reaching the end in 1 hr 13 min 25 sec... not a great time by any stretch of the imagination, but not terrible considering the challenges of the course.
After that I snagged some ramen noodle soup and a cookie, chatted briefly with the gal parked next to me (she had a good time, so she'll probably do some of the upcoming races) and changed into dry clothes and shoes. Then it was time to head out to the northeastern corner of the park and see if there was any possibility of getting to see the glacial erratics today...
Next up: a double-header (unless I come to my senses!) Northfield Mountain on Saturday (note the word "mountain" in the name... another race with substantial climbing and descending) and Saratoga Winterfest (short and relatively easy) on Sunday. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd predict that at least one and maybe both will end up being trail races... but then I expected today's race to be cancelled due to lack of snow, so what do I know?
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 14.1 mi / 3 hr 56 min
states visited: MA,NY
Curly's Record Run 3.7 Mile Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Curly's Record Run snowshoe race info
2008 Curly's Record Run results
The short version:
check out the course profile for today's race (click the thumbnail for a larger image):
course profile courtesy of Berkshire Sports
Note the roughly 750 feet of elevation gain between miles 0.6 and 1.5. Yes, that climb was every bit as steep as it looks. Also note the 800 feet of elevation loss between miles 1.6 and 2.5. That was even steeper than it looks (it's also the section that Albert "Curly" Voll, father of RD Beth Herder, set a 1 min 10 sec record on for downhill skiing in his younger days... an even more impressive feat once you've come down the trail on foot and experienced both how steep it is and how sharp the curves are!)
Long steep climbs and descents plus lack of training equals a long slow slog for the Turtle. I've really got to get to work and get ready for Vermont in March!
On the plus side - it was a wonderful sunny day, Pittsfield State Forest is absolutely beautiful, and as always the other folks there were great. I can definitely think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning!
The longer version:
I've never been able to do Curly's in the past, because it has always been held on the same weekend as the Lake Effect Snowshoe Duathlon out in Rochester. So once the du was replaced by a half marathon (which I knew I wouldn't be able to complete if it turned out to be a snowshoe event) I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go somewhere new and run with the fun group of folks from the Western Mass Athletic Club. Though I do have to admit, the course for Curly's (which climbs 750 feet nearly to the top of Pine Mountain in Pittsfield State Forest and then rapidly descends 800 feet on a 1920's ski racing trail) looked to be considerably more difficult than the Lake Effect course in Webster Park!
I had originally expected today to be cloudy and grey, so finding sunshine in Pittsfield was a definite plus! It felt a bit strange to be doing the drive this morning, since Ann and I did essentially the identical trip a few weeks ago in hopes of seeing the rocks at Balance Rock State Park in the northeastern part of Pittsfield State Forest. As I drove into the park I was very impressed with how nice it is - I'll definitely have to visit there again in the summer!
Parking was a bit tricky in the small lot, but once I got the car situated I checked in and got both a very nifty T-shirt and a water bottle in my goodie bag. Then I wandered around for a while taking pictures before gearing up for the run. Chatted for a bit with a gal parked next to me, who'd never done a snowshoe race before and then with Konrad and Bill, who are typically at the back of the pack with me. Then we all headed over to the starting area and waited for the fun to begin. After a few words from RD Beth, her father Albert "Curly" Voll took the field to set us on our way. The race is named after his record-setting 1 min 10 sec ski down the trail we'd be using to come down off the mountain. With a blast of his whistle, the race began, and off we went!
I jogged across the field, but as soon as we hit the first climb up the road slowed to a fast walk, knowing there was a lot of climbing ahead. We turned off into the woods and continued to climb, and I found myself right behind Rich Busa, who usually finishes snowshoe races 5-10 minutes ahead of me. I tucked in behind Rich and decided to try to stay right behind him, at least until we reached the steep descent where he'd probably disappear down the hill while I was trying not to lose a knee or two. The crested the first hill and had a very pleasant run downhill until we crossed Parker Brook... and then the fun began.
As much as I tried to keep up with Rich on the long climb, he pulled away from me early on and gradually disappeared off into the distance. I tried to set a brisk pace, but between the steep sections and lack of juice in my legs just couldn't keep it going. That was one tough climb, and I basically put my head down and did my best to plod my way to the top, with occasional breaks to catch my breath and grab a sip of water. The scenery was beautiful... unfortunately, I was too busy trying to survive the climb to really enjoy it. But reaching the top was sweet... there was a quarter mile or so that I was able to run (fairly slowly, since my legs were pretty well toasted from so much non-stop climbing early in the race.)
And then I hit the steep descent on the Shadow Trail, and slowed to a crawl again. Steep downhills are very risky for my bad knees, and this was aggravated by the hard-packed snow (very little glide) and the way my cleats kept building up snowballs (which cut my traction.) The occasional sharp turns didn't help either! That trail might have been fun in deeper snow, or just dirt and rock, but today it was downright scary. So I crept down it, and was passed by several runners who'd been behind me on the climb up the mountain (including the gal I'd given what tips I could to before the race - good for her!) At the bottom Jeff Clark, Konrad, and Bill all caught up with me, and we headed off into the woods for the mile and a half or so to the finish.
I suspect that for a lot of this stretch, the trail had been bushwhacked, because it wound back and forth through the woods, mostly in sight of the main park road. Mostly runnable, even with my fried legs, and after hiking up the mountain the small hills in this part didn't seem so bad. Footing was tricky in spots... I found myself catching the tips of my snowshoes on rocks and branches just under the snow, in part due to the snow cover being pretty thin and in part due to my being pretty tired! Toward the end we ended up on a wide snowmobile trail - easy running, woo hoo! That took me through an evergreen grove and then down into the field that we'd started the race on.
Running across the field was tough... even there wasn't much snow, it had been sufficiently churned up that the footing was not great. Hauled myself up the hill at the end of the field and finished with the fastest run I could manage down the road, reaching the end in 1 hr 13 min 25 sec... not a great time by any stretch of the imagination, but not terrible considering the challenges of the course.
After that I snagged some ramen noodle soup and a cookie, chatted briefly with the gal parked next to me (she had a good time, so she'll probably do some of the upcoming races) and changed into dry clothes and shoes. Then it was time to head out to the northeastern corner of the park and see if there was any possibility of getting to see the glacial erratics today...
Next up: a double-header (unless I come to my senses!) Northfield Mountain on Saturday (note the word "mountain" in the name... another race with substantial climbing and descending) and Saratoga Winterfest (short and relatively easy) on Sunday. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd predict that at least one and maybe both will end up being trail races... but then I expected today's race to be cancelled due to lack of snow, so what do I know?
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 14.1 mi / 3 hr 56 min
states visited: MA,NY
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Curly's is ON!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Got the word this morning - the snowshoe race in Pittsfield State Forest is a go for tomorrow morning! Woo hoo! (I really expected to get word it was being postponed.)
So tomorrow I get to visit a park I've never been to before. Depending on the weather and how fried I am, I may try to visit the northern portion of the park after the race to see the various interesting glacial erratics there, including Pittsfield's Balanced Rock. Ann and I tried to go there almost a month ago and found the road into that section unplowed and blocked by a fairly large snowbank... maybe tomorrow I'll have better luck!
JMH
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Got the word this morning - the snowshoe race in Pittsfield State Forest is a go for tomorrow morning! Woo hoo! (I really expected to get word it was being postponed.)
So tomorrow I get to visit a park I've never been to before. Depending on the weather and how fried I am, I may try to visit the northern portion of the park after the race to see the various interesting glacial erratics there, including Pittsfield's Balanced Rock. Ann and I tried to go there almost a month ago and found the road into that section unplowed and blocked by a fairly large snowbank... maybe tomorrow I'll have better luck!
JMH
A Cool Little Book
Friday, January 25, 2008
Last week I was searching Amazon for books about the Berkshires and came across Berkshire Trails for Walking and Ski Touring by Whit Griswold. Published in 1979, it was long out of print and used copies were fairly cheap, so I ordered one and it arrived today.
This is a pretty cool little book, clearly meant to be stowed in a pocket or pack for reference while out on the trails. It starts out with sections on the history, geology, and natural history of the area, and then goes on to describe a number of walking and XC ski tours in the various parks in the Berkshires. I probably have descriptions of most of the trails in other books - since I used to work in the Berkshires and I still go there frequently for running and riding, I've got at least half a dozen guides from the last 10-15 years that cover trails in the area - but it's still really neat to see them in this book. In part that may be because I get a sense of history from this guide - it's a connection to almost 30 years ago, and people who were out wandering around in an area I love - and in part it's no doubt because I've been on roughly half of the trails described - in fact, the walk in Monroe State Forest is essentially the course for the Monroe Dunbar Brook trail race that the WMAC puts on in October!
There are several sites listed in here that I'm fairly certain I don't have anywhere else (and which I'm fairly certain still exist, since I've passed signs for them!) and I even found the answer to a question that popped up as recently as last Saturday - the purpose of strange looking structure, a small building with two large rusted metal cones attached on the side, along the road to Savoy Mountain State Forest. It turns out it's the top of the central ventilation shaft (explaining why the road to the park is named Central Shaft Road) of the Hoosac Tunnel, a 4.75 mile long railroad tunnel under the mountains.
picture courtesy of www.hoosactunnel.net
The Hoosac Tunnel was built from 1851 to 1875. At the time of its completion it was the 2nd longest tunnel in the world, and it remains the longest tunnel in the eastern US. It cost roughly $21 million to build, and 195 workers died during construction. The tunnel is still used by freight trains, but from what I've seen on-line that hasn't stopped quite a few folks from exploring it. For more info, try Marc Howes' hoosactunnel.net and Jerry Kelley's Hoosac Tunnel site. I have to admit, after spending an hour today researching the tunnel I now have a renewed interest in visiting the East and West Portals (again, both relatively close to places I've visited for trail races.)
And reading parts of this book (and visiting websites to research questions prompted by it!) has definitely got me eager to get outdoors... despite the fact that I hope to be doing a snowshoe race tomorrow morning, I'll have to get out in the woods for a short run this afternoon.
JMH
Friday, January 25, 2008
Last week I was searching Amazon for books about the Berkshires and came across Berkshire Trails for Walking and Ski Touring by Whit Griswold. Published in 1979, it was long out of print and used copies were fairly cheap, so I ordered one and it arrived today.
This is a pretty cool little book, clearly meant to be stowed in a pocket or pack for reference while out on the trails. It starts out with sections on the history, geology, and natural history of the area, and then goes on to describe a number of walking and XC ski tours in the various parks in the Berkshires. I probably have descriptions of most of the trails in other books - since I used to work in the Berkshires and I still go there frequently for running and riding, I've got at least half a dozen guides from the last 10-15 years that cover trails in the area - but it's still really neat to see them in this book. In part that may be because I get a sense of history from this guide - it's a connection to almost 30 years ago, and people who were out wandering around in an area I love - and in part it's no doubt because I've been on roughly half of the trails described - in fact, the walk in Monroe State Forest is essentially the course for the Monroe Dunbar Brook trail race that the WMAC puts on in October!
There are several sites listed in here that I'm fairly certain I don't have anywhere else (and which I'm fairly certain still exist, since I've passed signs for them!) and I even found the answer to a question that popped up as recently as last Saturday - the purpose of strange looking structure, a small building with two large rusted metal cones attached on the side, along the road to Savoy Mountain State Forest. It turns out it's the top of the central ventilation shaft (explaining why the road to the park is named Central Shaft Road) of the Hoosac Tunnel, a 4.75 mile long railroad tunnel under the mountains.
picture courtesy of www.hoosactunnel.net
The Hoosac Tunnel was built from 1851 to 1875. At the time of its completion it was the 2nd longest tunnel in the world, and it remains the longest tunnel in the eastern US. It cost roughly $21 million to build, and 195 workers died during construction. The tunnel is still used by freight trains, but from what I've seen on-line that hasn't stopped quite a few folks from exploring it. For more info, try Marc Howes' hoosactunnel.net and Jerry Kelley's Hoosac Tunnel site. I have to admit, after spending an hour today researching the tunnel I now have a renewed interest in visiting the East and West Portals (again, both relatively close to places I've visited for trail races.)
And reading parts of this book (and visiting websites to research questions prompted by it!) has definitely got me eager to get outdoors... despite the fact that I hope to be doing a snowshoe race tomorrow morning, I'll have to get out in the woods for a short run this afternoon.
JMH
Friday, January 25, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
MOONLIGHT IN THE WINTER WOODS
8 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Monday, January 21, 2008
Once in a while, delays work out for the best. My plan for today was to get out for a rare winter run in daylight, but between distractions in Rochester, a 4 hour drive home, and distractions in Albany, it ended up being 7:30 PM before I finally was able to hit the trails. Just as well... if I'd run during the day I would have missed an absolutely gorgeous night.
It was cold and clear, with a full or nearly full moon... and with the moonlight reflecting off the snow I barely needed my headlamp for much of the run. There's nothing quite like being out in the woods on a moonlit winter night, with the light streaming down through the trees. I wish I'd brought my camera... I don't know that any pictures would have come out, but if they did I'd have some pretty cool shots.
I had originally thought to take my snowshoes, but the trail was so solidly packed that I didn't need them and ended up using my screw shoes instead. They worked great... I ran over packed snow, some loose snow, frozen sand, ice... and never once felt any loss of traction.
One of the nice things about fairly cold nights (cold enough that my hands hurt after a few minutes without gloves, and cold enough that the sweat I was generating froze on the surface of my windbreaker) is that my usual tendency to overdress actually works out, and I end up being fairly comfortable for most of the run.
On my way into the woods I heard an owl hoot repeatedly... I wonder if its the same one I saw several years ago when I was XC skiing one afternoon?
I definitely started feeling the distance toward the end, though not as much as last Wednesday's run on the city sidewalks... maybe I'm starting to get my legs back! (I hope so... the Pittsfield snowshoe half marathon is only 8 weeks away!)
JMH
8 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Monday, January 21, 2008
Once in a while, delays work out for the best. My plan for today was to get out for a rare winter run in daylight, but between distractions in Rochester, a 4 hour drive home, and distractions in Albany, it ended up being 7:30 PM before I finally was able to hit the trails. Just as well... if I'd run during the day I would have missed an absolutely gorgeous night.
It was cold and clear, with a full or nearly full moon... and with the moonlight reflecting off the snow I barely needed my headlamp for much of the run. There's nothing quite like being out in the woods on a moonlit winter night, with the light streaming down through the trees. I wish I'd brought my camera... I don't know that any pictures would have come out, but if they did I'd have some pretty cool shots.
I had originally thought to take my snowshoes, but the trail was so solidly packed that I didn't need them and ended up using my screw shoes instead. They worked great... I ran over packed snow, some loose snow, frozen sand, ice... and never once felt any loss of traction.
One of the nice things about fairly cold nights (cold enough that my hands hurt after a few minutes without gloves, and cold enough that the sweat I was generating froze on the surface of my windbreaker) is that my usual tendency to overdress actually works out, and I end up being fairly comfortable for most of the run.
On my way into the woods I heard an owl hoot repeatedly... I wonder if its the same one I saw several years ago when I was XC skiing one afternoon?
I definitely started feeling the distance toward the end, though not as much as last Wednesday's run on the city sidewalks... maybe I'm starting to get my legs back! (I hope so... the Pittsfield snowshoe half marathon is only 8 weeks away!)
JMH
Feathered Friends
Monday, January 21, 2008
I had planned to leave for Albany not long after Ann went to work... but between getting comfortable finishing up a book I was reading and watching the birds out the front window, my drive back ended up delayed by a bit.
The birds definitely like the new feeder... at various points yesterday and today, I saw four juncos, four chickadees, three titmouses, three bluejays, two cardinals, two downy woodpeckers, and one nuthatch. The chickadees and the nuthatch were particularly bold, and readily zipped down to the feeder to grab food and fly off while I was standing outside not more than six feet away.
Yesterday we were also treated to a sight that I find amusing and that Ann finds very aggravating - a grey squirrel made his daily visit to the feeder and proceeded to undergo a variety of contortions and acrobatics to get seeds from it. I can understand Ann's frustration - the feed is for the birds, not the squirrels - but as long as the birds don't go without, I don't mind an occasional visit from a hungry squirrel.
JMH
Monday, January 21, 2008
I had planned to leave for Albany not long after Ann went to work... but between getting comfortable finishing up a book I was reading and watching the birds out the front window, my drive back ended up delayed by a bit.
The birds definitely like the new feeder... at various points yesterday and today, I saw four juncos, four chickadees, three titmouses, three bluejays, two cardinals, two downy woodpeckers, and one nuthatch. The chickadees and the nuthatch were particularly bold, and readily zipped down to the feeder to grab food and fly off while I was standing outside not more than six feet away.
Yesterday we were also treated to a sight that I find amusing and that Ann finds very aggravating - a grey squirrel made his daily visit to the feeder and proceeded to undergo a variety of contortions and acrobatics to get seeds from it. I can understand Ann's frustration - the feed is for the birds, not the squirrels - but as long as the birds don't go without, I don't mind an occasional visit from a hungry squirrel.
JMH
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Mendon Winterfest 10k Trail Race - DNS
Sunday, January 20, 2008
For a variety of reasons I ended up blowing off the race today. I had hoped to get out for a run in the afternoon, but circumstances worked against that... and it was just too darn cold and windy to go for a run after dark.
There's always tomorrow...
JMH
Sunday, January 20, 2008
For a variety of reasons I ended up blowing off the race today. I had hoped to get out for a run in the afternoon, but circumstances worked against that... and it was just too darn cold and windy to go for a run after dark.
There's always tomorrow...
JMH
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Season of the SnōShū 2008 - Race #3
North Pond 3.3 mi Snowshoe Race
Saturday, January 19, 2008
North/South Pond snowshoe race info
2008 North Pond results (check it out - my picture from 2006 made the results post!)
If I hadn't known that RD Ed checked the course at Savoy Mountain State Forest on Thursday, I would have been more than a bit concerned during the drive over to North Adams this morning... there was virtually no snow, other than scattered patches here and there. Fortunately, the bright morning sunshine alleviated the unrelenting brown and grey a bit. Even knowing that Ed had checked things out, it was still a relief to see snow off the sides of the road and into the woods as I drove up the mountain and into the park.
Got there a few minutes earlier than I'd planned, so I checked in, geared up, and stomped around in the snow for a bit to get the blood flowing in my legs. The snow was only a few inches deep, with a hard ice crust on top. But by the time I got to each section of the course, enough other folks would have been on the trail that I wouldn't have to worry about the ice.
A few minutes after the proposed start time, Ed had us all cluster together down by the gate to the boat ramp, said a few words about the course and tomorrow's race (also in Savoy, but I'll miss it, since I'll be out in Rochester) and off we went into the sunny, snowy woods.
It's good that it was such a pretty day, because that helped take my mind off how hard the first half of this course is. It starts out with a lot of rolling up and down for about half a mile, followed by a mile or more of almost constant climbing. Try as I might, I just didn't have the juice in my legs to run up that hill. So instead I plodded along, trying not to get too discouraged. I was passed by one gal (actually, I think I may have run the first mile or so of Brave the Blizzard behind her two weeks ago!) who had a good, steady pace and managed to gain a 200 m or so lead by the time I finally reached the top of the ridge.
Having run this course two years ago, I was really looking forward to hitting the top of the ridge... because after that there's a long downhill, and then a lot of level and downhill stretches with only a few short climbs. I made good time on the initial downhill, and passed the gal who'd passed me. Ran fairly steadily through that whole stretch, which gets tricky in spots as the course jogs to one side of the trail or the other to avoid the streams running underneath the snow.
After about 56 minutes the road came into sight and I knew I was getting close. The trail wound through the woods for a short distance, then came out at the road to the boat launch. There was another gal a little ways ahead of me who seemed to be struggling a bit, so after passing the gate where we'd started I poured on as much speed as I could and powered into the finish a few seconds ahead of her. Truth be told, I was more interested in finishing strong than in beating her to the finish, but having a bit of competition definitely helped.
Then it was time to change clothes, throw my gear in the car, and head back to Albany to get ready for the trip out to Rochester.
All in all, a tough but good run on a beautiful day with some great folks. I can't ask for much better than that!
Next up: part 2 of this weekend's doubleheader, the Mendon Winterfest 10k snowshoe race... which I suspect will morph into the Mendon Winterfest 10k trail race, unless they get some snow today.
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 10.4 mi / 2 hr 43 min
states visited: MA,NY
North Pond 3.3 mi Snowshoe Race
Saturday, January 19, 2008
North/South Pond snowshoe race info
2008 North Pond results (check it out - my picture from 2006 made the results post!)
If I hadn't known that RD Ed checked the course at Savoy Mountain State Forest on Thursday, I would have been more than a bit concerned during the drive over to North Adams this morning... there was virtually no snow, other than scattered patches here and there. Fortunately, the bright morning sunshine alleviated the unrelenting brown and grey a bit. Even knowing that Ed had checked things out, it was still a relief to see snow off the sides of the road and into the woods as I drove up the mountain and into the park.
Got there a few minutes earlier than I'd planned, so I checked in, geared up, and stomped around in the snow for a bit to get the blood flowing in my legs. The snow was only a few inches deep, with a hard ice crust on top. But by the time I got to each section of the course, enough other folks would have been on the trail that I wouldn't have to worry about the ice.
A few minutes after the proposed start time, Ed had us all cluster together down by the gate to the boat ramp, said a few words about the course and tomorrow's race (also in Savoy, but I'll miss it, since I'll be out in Rochester) and off we went into the sunny, snowy woods.
It's good that it was such a pretty day, because that helped take my mind off how hard the first half of this course is. It starts out with a lot of rolling up and down for about half a mile, followed by a mile or more of almost constant climbing. Try as I might, I just didn't have the juice in my legs to run up that hill. So instead I plodded along, trying not to get too discouraged. I was passed by one gal (actually, I think I may have run the first mile or so of Brave the Blizzard behind her two weeks ago!) who had a good, steady pace and managed to gain a 200 m or so lead by the time I finally reached the top of the ridge.
Having run this course two years ago, I was really looking forward to hitting the top of the ridge... because after that there's a long downhill, and then a lot of level and downhill stretches with only a few short climbs. I made good time on the initial downhill, and passed the gal who'd passed me. Ran fairly steadily through that whole stretch, which gets tricky in spots as the course jogs to one side of the trail or the other to avoid the streams running underneath the snow.
After about 56 minutes the road came into sight and I knew I was getting close. The trail wound through the woods for a short distance, then came out at the road to the boat launch. There was another gal a little ways ahead of me who seemed to be struggling a bit, so after passing the gate where we'd started I poured on as much speed as I could and powered into the finish a few seconds ahead of her. Truth be told, I was more interested in finishing strong than in beating her to the finish, but having a bit of competition definitely helped.
Then it was time to change clothes, throw my gear in the car, and head back to Albany to get ready for the trip out to Rochester.
All in all, a tough but good run on a beautiful day with some great folks. I can't ask for much better than that!
Next up: part 2 of this weekend's doubleheader, the Mendon Winterfest 10k snowshoe race... which I suspect will morph into the Mendon Winterfest 10k trail race, unless they get some snow today.
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 10.4 mi / 2 hr 43 min
states visited: MA,NY
Friday, January 18, 2008
Complete & Utter Chaos - Part 6
Friday, January 18, 2008
Chaos has always had a certain bizarre afinity for my bathroom sinks. Occasionally when she was younger I would find her curled up in the sink taking a nap.
Sometime after I moved to Albany she decided that the bathroom sink was the best place to drink water, and started pestering me to set the faucet dripping whenever I was done using it. I don't know why she prefers to get water from the faucet instead of out of her water bowl - but there's no question that she does!
JMH
Friday, January 18, 2008
Chaos has always had a certain bizarre afinity for my bathroom sinks. Occasionally when she was younger I would find her curled up in the sink taking a nap.
Sometime after I moved to Albany she decided that the bathroom sink was the best place to drink water, and started pestering me to set the faucet dripping whenever I was done using it. I don't know why she prefers to get water from the faucet instead of out of her water bowl - but there's no question that she does!
JMH
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A LESSON LEARNED
3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The lesson - keep my snowshoes in the car in the winter. Tonight's run would have been a heck of a lot easier with snowshoes.
I stopped at the Columbia Circle trailhead on my way to class, and was surprised to see a couple of inches of snow covering the ground. In retrospect it makes sense - we had several light snowstorms earlier this week, and and hasn't gotten warm enough during the day to melt it.
The fresh snow was no big deal - my screw shoes gave me perfectly good traction. The problem was what was under the snow. In some spots, the trail underneath was bare, and that was good running. But in other spots the snow covered churned up and refrozen snow from the storms back around the start of the year, and the footing was uneven at best. I ended up walking a lot of those sections rather than risk slipping and getting injured. The snowshoes wouldn't have given me any flotation - there wasn't enough powder for that - but they would have provided a much more stable platform for the trickier sections, and I might have been able to run more than I did.
So a tough run, and a short run... so it goes.
On the plus side - word came down tonight that conditions are OK at Savoy, so there will be two snowshoe races there this weekend. I'll be running the rescheduled 3 mile race on Saturday; I'll miss the 5 miles race on Sunday so that I can be out in Rochester running the Mendon Winterfest 10k. Right now it's not at all clear if that will be a snowshoe race or a trail race.
JMH
3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The lesson - keep my snowshoes in the car in the winter. Tonight's run would have been a heck of a lot easier with snowshoes.
I stopped at the Columbia Circle trailhead on my way to class, and was surprised to see a couple of inches of snow covering the ground. In retrospect it makes sense - we had several light snowstorms earlier this week, and and hasn't gotten warm enough during the day to melt it.
The fresh snow was no big deal - my screw shoes gave me perfectly good traction. The problem was what was under the snow. In some spots, the trail underneath was bare, and that was good running. But in other spots the snow covered churned up and refrozen snow from the storms back around the start of the year, and the footing was uneven at best. I ended up walking a lot of those sections rather than risk slipping and getting injured. The snowshoes wouldn't have given me any flotation - there wasn't enough powder for that - but they would have provided a much more stable platform for the trickier sections, and I might have been able to run more than I did.
So a tough run, and a short run... so it goes.
On the plus side - word came down tonight that conditions are OK at Savoy, so there will be two snowshoe races there this weekend. I'll be running the rescheduled 3 mile race on Saturday; I'll miss the 5 miles race on Sunday so that I can be out in Rochester running the Mendon Winterfest 10k. Right now it's not at all clear if that will be a snowshoe race or a trail race.
JMH
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
8.5 Mile Run Along the Streets of Albany
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Finally got my backside out the door for a run... to save some time I hit the streets around here, since the sidewalks are mostly clear. I'm going to try to squeeze in a short trail run tomorrow before class.
Legs still feel sluggish. And the last couple of miles were tough... a definite indication of how little I've run in the last month or so. I suspect I'll be feeling this one in the morning...
JMH
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Finally got my backside out the door for a run... to save some time I hit the streets around here, since the sidewalks are mostly clear. I'm going to try to squeeze in a short trail run tomorrow before class.
Legs still feel sluggish. And the last couple of miles were tough... a definite indication of how little I've run in the last month or so. I suspect I'll be feeling this one in the morning...
JMH
Monday, January 14, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
River of Mountains by Peter Lourie
Monday, January 14, 2008
Peter Lourie's web site
In June 1990 Peter Lourie almost the entire length of the Hudson River from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mt Marcy to its end at New York City. River of Mountains tells the story of his three week journey along the river, as well discussing a good deal of historical background and many of the more interesting people he met along the way.
Lourie started his trip by hiking his 18 1/2 foot canoe along 9 miles of trail to Lake Tear of the Clouds, along with his guide Ernie LaPrairie. Sounds nuts, but it's also the crazy kind of thing I could imagine getting involved in! After a brief paddle and photo-op on the Lake, they hiked the canoe back down and then set off to canoe the whitewater sections of the Upper Hudson River. After making it safely to the edge of the Adirondack Park, Lourie canoed the remaining river mostly on his own, though at times he had someone else paddling with him or alongside him. Along the way he camped out, was invited to stay in people's homes, and on a few occasions found a convenient motel to rest at. Three weeks after starting his journey down the Hudson, he reached its end at Battery Park in New York City.
I had a tough time putting this book down. Part of that is no doubt due to my interest in local history and folklore, and there's lots of that here. I'm also always fascinated to read about people doing these sorts of things in places I've been. For part of his trip, Lourie describes canoeing along the Glens Falls Feeder Canal and having to find a way around the Five Combines, the remnants of a system of locks connecting the Feeder Canal to the Champlain Canal - a few years ago I drove to Glens Falls on a sunny autumn afternoon and rode my bike along the Feeder Canal towpath and past the Five Combines. At one point he camps out at the Corning Preserve - a park along the river in downtown Albany that I've visited on many occasions.
I suppose another reason I really enjoyed this book is my renewed interest in paddling. Back in 1998 I spent the bulk of the summer paddling a bulky aluminum canoe around a variety of bodies of water in Columbia County and the Berkshires, in preparation for the 1998 Josh Billings Runaground. I'd never been in a canoe before that, and I swim like a brick (lifejackets are a wonderful thing!) so I was pretty awkward and uncomfortable at first... but by the end of the summer I really enjoyed my time on the water. This past summer I had the chance to use a kayak for a while during Ann's annual Labor Day weekend camping trip, and absolutely loved it. The logistics of owning a kayak are somewhat tricky right now (where do you store a 12 foot kayak in an appartment in the middle of Albany?) I have no doubt that I will get one someday and will have another recreational activity to enjoy in my free time...
Bottom line - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it enthusiastically to anyone interested in paddling and New York state history. Lourie has also written a number of children's picture books about rivers and canals he's paddled - I may pick up some of those and see if they're as enjoyable as his book for "adults."
JMH
River of Mountains by Peter Lourie
Monday, January 14, 2008
Peter Lourie's web site
In June 1990 Peter Lourie almost the entire length of the Hudson River from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mt Marcy to its end at New York City. River of Mountains tells the story of his three week journey along the river, as well discussing a good deal of historical background and many of the more interesting people he met along the way.
Lourie started his trip by hiking his 18 1/2 foot canoe along 9 miles of trail to Lake Tear of the Clouds, along with his guide Ernie LaPrairie. Sounds nuts, but it's also the crazy kind of thing I could imagine getting involved in! After a brief paddle and photo-op on the Lake, they hiked the canoe back down and then set off to canoe the whitewater sections of the Upper Hudson River. After making it safely to the edge of the Adirondack Park, Lourie canoed the remaining river mostly on his own, though at times he had someone else paddling with him or alongside him. Along the way he camped out, was invited to stay in people's homes, and on a few occasions found a convenient motel to rest at. Three weeks after starting his journey down the Hudson, he reached its end at Battery Park in New York City.
I had a tough time putting this book down. Part of that is no doubt due to my interest in local history and folklore, and there's lots of that here. I'm also always fascinated to read about people doing these sorts of things in places I've been. For part of his trip, Lourie describes canoeing along the Glens Falls Feeder Canal and having to find a way around the Five Combines, the remnants of a system of locks connecting the Feeder Canal to the Champlain Canal - a few years ago I drove to Glens Falls on a sunny autumn afternoon and rode my bike along the Feeder Canal towpath and past the Five Combines. At one point he camps out at the Corning Preserve - a park along the river in downtown Albany that I've visited on many occasions.
I suppose another reason I really enjoyed this book is my renewed interest in paddling. Back in 1998 I spent the bulk of the summer paddling a bulky aluminum canoe around a variety of bodies of water in Columbia County and the Berkshires, in preparation for the 1998 Josh Billings Runaground. I'd never been in a canoe before that, and I swim like a brick (lifejackets are a wonderful thing!) so I was pretty awkward and uncomfortable at first... but by the end of the summer I really enjoyed my time on the water. This past summer I had the chance to use a kayak for a while during Ann's annual Labor Day weekend camping trip, and absolutely loved it. The logistics of owning a kayak are somewhat tricky right now (where do you store a 12 foot kayak in an appartment in the middle of Albany?) I have no doubt that I will get one someday and will have another recreational activity to enjoy in my free time...
Bottom line - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it enthusiastically to anyone interested in paddling and New York state history. Lourie has also written a number of children's picture books about rivers and canals he's paddled - I may pick up some of those and see if they're as enjoyable as his book for "adults."
JMH
Sunday, January 13, 2008
5 Mile Run in the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Ended with some errands to run out in Colonie and Clifton Park, so I headed over to the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve for today's run. After yesterday's trip to the Pine Bush I wasn't sure what kind of conditions I'd find, so I wore my screw shoes again just in case.
Initially it looked like they'd be handy for the mud more than anything else, but further in I hit some ice and snow and was very pleased to be wearing them. Unlike yesterday most of the snow was hard-packed and frozen, so it was fairly easy to run on.
I hadn't run on the access road along the river since about a year ago, so I decided to head down there today for a little variety. That had mixed results... on the one hand, I was able to run along the river for a long stretch, and the Sun broke through the clouds, which made for some great views, especially as the Sun started to set. On the other hand, one of the reasons the dirt road exists is for access to the area where the Canal Corporation pumps the sludge they dredge up to keep the Mohawk River/Barge Canal clear for boat traffic - and through the work area the path was very churned up and extremely muddy, so much so that I ended up having to walk through that section.
Along the way I saw a critter swimming in the water - either a very large muskrat or an otter, I couldn't get close enough to be sure. And after I rejoined the towpath along the old Erie Canal, I startled about a dozen muskrats who must have been out getting a snack... every few minutes I hear a loud splash as they jumped in the water between the shore and the ice that covered much of the pond surfaces. At one point I even saw one of them, as it skittered across the ice before popping into the water.
So another slow easy run... tomorrow will be a rest day, and then I'll shoot for runs of some sort on Tuesday and Wednesday. Right now there's a forecast for heavy snow in the Berkshires tomorrow, so there's a good possibility that the Savoy snowshoe race next Saturday will be a go. Rochester has snow showers predicted for much of the week, so the Mendon race has a chance of actually being on snowshoes too.
JMH
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Ended with some errands to run out in Colonie and Clifton Park, so I headed over to the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve for today's run. After yesterday's trip to the Pine Bush I wasn't sure what kind of conditions I'd find, so I wore my screw shoes again just in case.
Initially it looked like they'd be handy for the mud more than anything else, but further in I hit some ice and snow and was very pleased to be wearing them. Unlike yesterday most of the snow was hard-packed and frozen, so it was fairly easy to run on.
I hadn't run on the access road along the river since about a year ago, so I decided to head down there today for a little variety. That had mixed results... on the one hand, I was able to run along the river for a long stretch, and the Sun broke through the clouds, which made for some great views, especially as the Sun started to set. On the other hand, one of the reasons the dirt road exists is for access to the area where the Canal Corporation pumps the sludge they dredge up to keep the Mohawk River/Barge Canal clear for boat traffic - and through the work area the path was very churned up and extremely muddy, so much so that I ended up having to walk through that section.
Along the way I saw a critter swimming in the water - either a very large muskrat or an otter, I couldn't get close enough to be sure. And after I rejoined the towpath along the old Erie Canal, I startled about a dozen muskrats who must have been out getting a snack... every few minutes I hear a loud splash as they jumped in the water between the shore and the ice that covered much of the pond surfaces. At one point I even saw one of them, as it skittered across the ice before popping into the water.
So another slow easy run... tomorrow will be a rest day, and then I'll shoot for runs of some sort on Tuesday and Wednesday. Right now there's a forecast for heavy snow in the Berkshires tomorrow, so there's a good possibility that the Savoy snowshoe race next Saturday will be a go. Rochester has snow showers predicted for much of the week, so the Mendon race has a chance of actually being on snowshoes too.
JMH
Yes, I'm Nuts (Part 2)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I'd been thinking for a while about the Leatherman's Loop 10k trail race at the end of April... I last ran it in 2005 and discovered that the race field had pretty much doubled since I ran it in 1999. Since then, I've enjoyed the course during the December Gail's Trail Run, but I haven't been back to Leatherman's because it's so crowded.
So why did I just pre-register for the 22nd running on April 27?
I guess I've been feeling a bit nostalgic... after all, this is the race that started me running seriously again. Back in 2005 I stumbled across the race web-site and while looking at the pictures started thinking it would be fun to run the race again... and then I started thinking about the Summer Solstice Run at Minnewaska... and it all grew from there.
This may also be the last year that the original RD, Tony Godino, is organizing the race (I might be wrong and that may have been last year.) I don't know Tony, beyond having seen him at Gail's Trail Run for the last two years... but if this is his last year, I'd like to be there. (And if it's the first year for the new RD, then I can give him my support by running!)
Maybe part of it is motivated by how rapidly the race is filling up (since January 1st they've filled over 500 of the 900 spots open in the race) and I didn't want to waffle about registering and miss out.
In any case, I'm now signed up for the 2008 Leatherman's Loop. 6 miles of mud, dirt, water, and muck. And 800-900 other runners. No doubt after it's done I'll swear I'm never running it again. But I suspect I'll still have a good time (and afterwards, I can run some of the other trails in the park!)
JMH
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I'd been thinking for a while about the Leatherman's Loop 10k trail race at the end of April... I last ran it in 2005 and discovered that the race field had pretty much doubled since I ran it in 1999. Since then, I've enjoyed the course during the December Gail's Trail Run, but I haven't been back to Leatherman's because it's so crowded.
So why did I just pre-register for the 22nd running on April 27?
I guess I've been feeling a bit nostalgic... after all, this is the race that started me running seriously again. Back in 2005 I stumbled across the race web-site and while looking at the pictures started thinking it would be fun to run the race again... and then I started thinking about the Summer Solstice Run at Minnewaska... and it all grew from there.
This may also be the last year that the original RD, Tony Godino, is organizing the race (I might be wrong and that may have been last year.) I don't know Tony, beyond having seen him at Gail's Trail Run for the last two years... but if this is his last year, I'd like to be there. (And if it's the first year for the new RD, then I can give him my support by running!)
Maybe part of it is motivated by how rapidly the race is filling up (since January 1st they've filled over 500 of the 900 spots open in the race) and I didn't want to waffle about registering and miss out.
In any case, I'm now signed up for the 2008 Leatherman's Loop. 6 miles of mud, dirt, water, and muck. And 800-900 other runners. No doubt after it's done I'll swear I'm never running it again. But I suspect I'll still have a good time (and afterwards, I can run some of the other trails in the park!)
JMH
Saturday, January 12, 2008
5 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I was a bit surprised at how much snow remained on the trails in the Pine Bush, especially after a week of above-freezing temperatures and a couple of bouts of rain. Some parts of the trails were completely clear, but many sections still had a good six inches of packed snow. Fortunately I wore my screw shoes, figuring there'd be some icy patches.... they didn't work as well in the deeper snow, but they provided great traction on the ice and in the clear sections.
As I came out into the section that was cleared last winter for habitat restoration, I had a great view of the sun shining through the clouds over the Helderberg Escarpment. I took a brief break to climb one of the hills and shoot some pictures. Maybe tomorrow I'll head over that way for a run.
Took today's run nice and easy, and I was pleased to see that it wasn't too bad... my last month or so of relative inactivity has definitely cost me some endurance, but it shouldn't be too bad to pick things back up.
On the way home there was a huge flock of crows swarming near SUNY... I opened my sunroof and had a nice view of them flying across the crescent moon in the twilight. Since I was stopped at a red light, I didn't think it would be a good idea to take a picture... too bad, it might have been a cool one!
JMH
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I was a bit surprised at how much snow remained on the trails in the Pine Bush, especially after a week of above-freezing temperatures and a couple of bouts of rain. Some parts of the trails were completely clear, but many sections still had a good six inches of packed snow. Fortunately I wore my screw shoes, figuring there'd be some icy patches.... they didn't work as well in the deeper snow, but they provided great traction on the ice and in the clear sections.
As I came out into the section that was cleared last winter for habitat restoration, I had a great view of the sun shining through the clouds over the Helderberg Escarpment. I took a brief break to climb one of the hills and shoot some pictures. Maybe tomorrow I'll head over that way for a run.
Took today's run nice and easy, and I was pleased to see that it wasn't too bad... my last month or so of relative inactivity has definitely cost me some endurance, but it shouldn't be too bad to pick things back up.
On the way home there was a huge flock of crows swarming near SUNY... I opened my sunroof and had a nice view of them flying across the crescent moon in the twilight. Since I was stopped at a red light, I didn't think it would be a good idea to take a picture... too bad, it might have been a cool one!
JMH
Friday, January 11, 2008
REBUILDING THE WHEEL
Friday, January 11, 2008
I was supposed to go out for a run tonight but ended up falling asleep after getting home instead. For some reason, after I woke up I was hit by the urge to finally fix the front wheel on my road bike, which snapped a spoke a month ago.
I started out just replacing the broken spoke, but then bit the bullet and worked my way around the wheel replacing all the spokes that hadn't yet been replaced. It's a cheap bike, and the thin bladed spokes just haven't been strong enough. Early in the summer, I replaced all the spokes on the back wheel, and I haven't had any problems with it since then.
Replacing the spokes isn't all that difficult... it's just a matter of doing it carefully and making sure to lace them correctly. Of course, the fun part is just starting - now I have to true the wheel as best I can. That will probably take longer than it took to physically replace the spokes, and typically proves to be an exercise in frustration management, since adjusting the tension to remove one wobble often introduces wobbles elsewhere on the wheel. But it might be a nice break from grading homework assignments this weekend.
JMH
Friday, January 11, 2008
I was supposed to go out for a run tonight but ended up falling asleep after getting home instead. For some reason, after I woke up I was hit by the urge to finally fix the front wheel on my road bike, which snapped a spoke a month ago.
I started out just replacing the broken spoke, but then bit the bullet and worked my way around the wheel replacing all the spokes that hadn't yet been replaced. It's a cheap bike, and the thin bladed spokes just haven't been strong enough. Early in the summer, I replaced all the spokes on the back wheel, and I haven't had any problems with it since then.
Replacing the spokes isn't all that difficult... it's just a matter of doing it carefully and making sure to lace them correctly. Of course, the fun part is just starting - now I have to true the wheel as best I can. That will probably take longer than it took to physically replace the spokes, and typically proves to be an exercise in frustration management, since adjusting the tension to remove one wobble often introduces wobbles elsewhere on the wheel. But it might be a nice break from grading homework assignments this weekend.
JMH
Thursday, January 10, 2008
NO SNOWSHOE THIS WEEKEND...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
No surprise, but too bad all the same... the snowshoe race at Savoy State Forest in Massachusetts has been postponed due to "poor conditions" (ie. there's darn little snow on the ground!)
With luck we'll get some white stuff next week so we can have races the following weekend (one of my double-headers) though that will mean that I'll need to make a decision (horror of horrors!) - do I go to the Hoffman's Notch Wilderness Challenge, a 10k up by Schroon Lake that I've never done before, or over to Savoy to run on trails I love with my friends from the WMAC?
Guess I'll cross that creek when I come to it - for now, it looks like I'll be running and riding this weekend!
JMH
Thursday, January 10, 2008
No surprise, but too bad all the same... the snowshoe race at Savoy State Forest in Massachusetts has been postponed due to "poor conditions" (ie. there's darn little snow on the ground!)
With luck we'll get some white stuff next week so we can have races the following weekend (one of my double-headers) though that will mean that I'll need to make a decision (horror of horrors!) - do I go to the Hoffman's Notch Wilderness Challenge, a 10k up by Schroon Lake that I've never done before, or over to Savoy to run on trails I love with my friends from the WMAC?
Guess I'll cross that creek when I come to it - for now, it looks like I'll be running and riding this weekend!
JMH
Yes, I'm Nuts
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Not that anyone who knows me (or reads this blog regularly) needs to be told that...
I'd been toying with the idea of doing one of the Pittsfield Snowshoe Races in Pittsfield, VT in early March. They offer three loop options - 6 miles (1 loop), 13 miles (2 loops), and 26 miles (4 loops.) I know I can do the 6 mile, short of it being the course from Hell, but I've never run more than 8 miles on snowshoes... so the half marathon looked like a challenging way to end my 2008 snowshoe season.
Laura Clark has an excellent article about snowshoe races in the January Adirondack Sports & Fitness magazine in which she mentions the Pittsfield races and all their cool bonuses (the post-race feed is a lobster and shrimp dinner, and the race giveway is a fleece vest.) Needless to say, that got me thinking about it even more.
It's pretty obvious where this is going, isn't it? After staring at the race web-site on and off for several days, this morning I submitted my registration and joined the 57 people who are currently pre-registered for the three races.
Looks like I've got some work to do between now and March 8!
JMH
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Not that anyone who knows me (or reads this blog regularly) needs to be told that...
I'd been toying with the idea of doing one of the Pittsfield Snowshoe Races in Pittsfield, VT in early March. They offer three loop options - 6 miles (1 loop), 13 miles (2 loops), and 26 miles (4 loops.) I know I can do the 6 mile, short of it being the course from Hell, but I've never run more than 8 miles on snowshoes... so the half marathon looked like a challenging way to end my 2008 snowshoe season.
Laura Clark has an excellent article about snowshoe races in the January Adirondack Sports & Fitness magazine in which she mentions the Pittsfield races and all their cool bonuses (the post-race feed is a lobster and shrimp dinner, and the race giveway is a fleece vest.) Needless to say, that got me thinking about it even more.
It's pretty obvious where this is going, isn't it? After staring at the race web-site on and off for several days, this morning I submitted my registration and joined the 57 people who are currently pre-registered for the three races.
Looks like I've got some work to do between now and March 8!
JMH
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Governor Spitzer & the State of the State:
More Money for New York State Parks!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
I get a lot of e-mail newsletters on a wide variety of subjects, in part because whenever I'm at a web-site that I'm even vaguely interested in that has a free e-newsletter, I sign up for it. After all, it's easy enough to delete an e-mail I don't want... and I never know what I'll stumble across because of something I've read in one. One of the e-mails I received today was from Parks & Trails New York, a state-wide nonprofit organization with the mission "to expand, protect and promote a network of parks, trails, and open spaces throughout our state for use and enjoyment by all." The folks at P&TNY were very excited because of some things the governor said in his State of the State address today, in regards to New York parks:
I have to admit, I'm cautiously excited about what Governor Spitzer said today. Having visited a number of state parks this year, I think it's a fantastic idea to invest more money in them, particularly in light of both the obvious understaffing and the visible repairs and improvements that need to be made at many of them. I don't balk at paying the park admission fee when it's charged, because I support our parks 100%. P&TNY has had a lot to say, both about the lack of funding (when adjusted for inflation, the current park agency's capital budget is half of what it was 15 years ago) and about much-needed work to keep our parks a viable asset to New York State. (They also have glowing reports regarding the many dedicated park workers who are keeping our parks beautiful and safe on what amounts to a shoestring budget.) While the Pataki administration was very good about purchasing greenspace to add to our parks system, apparently it wasn't quite as good about providing sufficient funding. So any announcements about additional money for the parks is excellent news indeed.
Governor Spitzer's specific mention of the Walkway Over the Hudson is particularly exciting - this project to refurbish the Poughkeepsie-Highland railroad bridge as a pedestrian walkway is one that has been gaining a lot of positive momentum and is an excellent example of adaptive reuse of a historical ruin. How cool will it be to be able to walk out onto a bridge which carried countless trains over the river for almost 100 years and enjoy spectacular views up and down the river... not to mention the link the walkway will provide between rail trail systems on both sides of the Hudson.
At the same time, I am cautiously excited about what Governor Spitzer had to say, because these are all things he will be proposing - which means they are by no means a done deal. But I take it as a very positive sign that he felt it was important enough to include in his address, and I'm hopeful it will be the start of renewed interest in proper funding for some of the greatest resources New York State has - the many wonderful parks I'm coming to know and love, and the many more that I have yet to visit!
JMH
More Money for New York State Parks!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
I get a lot of e-mail newsletters on a wide variety of subjects, in part because whenever I'm at a web-site that I'm even vaguely interested in that has a free e-newsletter, I sign up for it. After all, it's easy enough to delete an e-mail I don't want... and I never know what I'll stumble across because of something I've read in one. One of the e-mails I received today was from Parks & Trails New York, a state-wide nonprofit organization with the mission "to expand, protect and promote a network of parks, trails, and open spaces throughout our state for use and enjoyment by all." The folks at P&TNY were very excited because of some things the governor said in his State of the State address today, in regards to New York parks:
Open space – clean, safe, attractive parks – are a third building block for livable communities. New York State once led the nation, creating America’s first network of state parks. A peaceful park is not just a place for a picnic, it is an economic asset. It draws families to neighborhoods and businesses to communities. I propose $100 million in capital spending to revitalize our aging systems.
In what will be the first major investment in our parks leading up to the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first voyage up the river that bears his name today, I am announcing the State’s commitment to transform the dormant Poughkeepsie Rail Bridge into an awe-inspiring historic park, complete with a walkway and bikeway that will create a unique public space with breathtaking views of the Hudson.
When it was built in 1888, the bridge – in typical New York style – was the longest bridge in the world, an engineering marvel. For the last three decades, however, the bridge has sat empty and unused. As a new pedestrian bridge over the Hudson, it will allow New Yorkers to connect to the history and natural beauty of our State, and draw them to Poughkeepsie, Kingston, and surrounding communities.
I have to admit, I'm cautiously excited about what Governor Spitzer said today. Having visited a number of state parks this year, I think it's a fantastic idea to invest more money in them, particularly in light of both the obvious understaffing and the visible repairs and improvements that need to be made at many of them. I don't balk at paying the park admission fee when it's charged, because I support our parks 100%. P&TNY has had a lot to say, both about the lack of funding (when adjusted for inflation, the current park agency's capital budget is half of what it was 15 years ago) and about much-needed work to keep our parks a viable asset to New York State. (They also have glowing reports regarding the many dedicated park workers who are keeping our parks beautiful and safe on what amounts to a shoestring budget.) While the Pataki administration was very good about purchasing greenspace to add to our parks system, apparently it wasn't quite as good about providing sufficient funding. So any announcements about additional money for the parks is excellent news indeed.
Governor Spitzer's specific mention of the Walkway Over the Hudson is particularly exciting - this project to refurbish the Poughkeepsie-Highland railroad bridge as a pedestrian walkway is one that has been gaining a lot of positive momentum and is an excellent example of adaptive reuse of a historical ruin. How cool will it be to be able to walk out onto a bridge which carried countless trains over the river for almost 100 years and enjoy spectacular views up and down the river... not to mention the link the walkway will provide between rail trail systems on both sides of the Hudson.
At the same time, I am cautiously excited about what Governor Spitzer had to say, because these are all things he will be proposing - which means they are by no means a done deal. But I take it as a very positive sign that he felt it was important enough to include in his address, and I'm hopeful it will be the start of renewed interest in proper funding for some of the greatest resources New York State has - the many wonderful parks I'm coming to know and love, and the many more that I have yet to visit!
JMH
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
BACK TO THE GERBIL WHEEL
15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I had originally planned to run today, but the unseasonably warm weather (high 50's/low 60's) was too much of an opportunity to get out on a bike without risking becoming a flash-frozen Turtle. So I took my ATB over to the park in Niskayuna, figuring much of the bike path would be at least partially clear.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case... I headed east for about half a mile, with the snow and ice getting steadily worse, and finally turned back to the Gerbil Wheel - the 2 mile plowed section of path from the Lions Park to Lock 7 Road that I ran back and forth on seemingly endlessly last winter while trying to prepare for the Eastern States 20 Miler.
I ended up doing three laps, with the extra bit of riding up the road to the Lock 7 parking lot. I was a little bit surprised to encounter two other runners (one who was clearly doing laps like I was) and three walkers in the time I was out there... I guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't resist the warm weather.
The new 5 LED light I bought from Nashbar worked great... so much so that I think I'll pick up another one, even though I'm not thrilled with how difficult it is to open and close it for replacing the batteries.
Unfortunately, the rear suspension on my ATB displayed a lot of flex tonight - since it's a department store bike I suspect the suspension is wearing out, which means I need to be thinking about picking up a new ATB (since that flex translates into a lot of wasted energy on an already heavy ride.) Since I'll probably end up getting another inexpensive bike, this time I'll probably go with a hardtail with fron suspension. But that's probably not for several more months, and maybe even not this year...
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to start cooling off a bit, though they're saying it will be warmer than normal all week. So I'm guessing the snowshoe race this Saturday at Savoy will end up being cancelled... but if the weather stays decent, maybe I can get in another ride this weekend, during daylight this time!
JMH
15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I had originally planned to run today, but the unseasonably warm weather (high 50's/low 60's) was too much of an opportunity to get out on a bike without risking becoming a flash-frozen Turtle. So I took my ATB over to the park in Niskayuna, figuring much of the bike path would be at least partially clear.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case... I headed east for about half a mile, with the snow and ice getting steadily worse, and finally turned back to the Gerbil Wheel - the 2 mile plowed section of path from the Lions Park to Lock 7 Road that I ran back and forth on seemingly endlessly last winter while trying to prepare for the Eastern States 20 Miler.
I ended up doing three laps, with the extra bit of riding up the road to the Lock 7 parking lot. I was a little bit surprised to encounter two other runners (one who was clearly doing laps like I was) and three walkers in the time I was out there... I guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't resist the warm weather.
The new 5 LED light I bought from Nashbar worked great... so much so that I think I'll pick up another one, even though I'm not thrilled with how difficult it is to open and close it for replacing the batteries.
Unfortunately, the rear suspension on my ATB displayed a lot of flex tonight - since it's a department store bike I suspect the suspension is wearing out, which means I need to be thinking about picking up a new ATB (since that flex translates into a lot of wasted energy on an already heavy ride.) Since I'll probably end up getting another inexpensive bike, this time I'll probably go with a hardtail with fron suspension. But that's probably not for several more months, and maybe even not this year...
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to start cooling off a bit, though they're saying it will be warmer than normal all week. So I'm guessing the snowshoe race this Saturday at Savoy will end up being cancelled... but if the weather stays decent, maybe I can get in another ride this weekend, during daylight this time!
JMH
Sunday, January 06, 2008
No More Snowshoe Duathlon... Decisions, Decisions...
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Well, the official word came through today from Boots and Ellen at Yellowjacket Racing that the Lake Effect Snowshoe Duathlon scheduled for the end of January has been modified. The riding course had been moved from the local roads to into Webster Park (I'm not quite sure how they were going to get 10 miles of riding in Webster Park, but I have no doubt they'd have figured something out) and now the Parks Department has decided that riding in the park is off... so the "long" event that day has been re-tooled as a snowshoe half marathon, withcrazy fools runners completing six loops of the approximately 2 mile snowshoe course. The sprints, 2 mile, and 4 mile snowshoe races remain unchanged.
Decision time is approaching... I enjoyed doing the duathlon because it was different, because the riding broke up the mutiple loop format a bit, and because I'm a crazy fool who thinks running on snowshoes and then hopping on a bike for a 10 mile ride in late January is a fun thing to do. I know I won't be ready for the half marathon by then, and the thought of running six loops.... ack. But I had thought I might go out Saturday morning for the Finger Lakes 7.6 mi Snowshoe Race... now, though, I'm leaning toward staying here and going over to Pittsfield for the Curly's Record Run race that's always scheduled for the same weekend as the du... which might also be a good idea since I'm potentially looking at double-headers the weekend before and the weekend after... as much as I'd miss doing winter races with both the Finger Lakes Road Runners Club and Yellowjacket Racing, both great groups of people. Of course, the weather might not cooperate and then I'll be trail running or bike riding that weekend regardless of where I am!
In the next couple of days I'm sending out race apps for the next month or so, so I guess my final decision will be made then... but right now I'm thinking Curly's is in and western NY is out for the end of the month.
UPDATE: Curly's it is! I hope we have snow!
JMH
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Well, the official word came through today from Boots and Ellen at Yellowjacket Racing that the Lake Effect Snowshoe Duathlon scheduled for the end of January has been modified. The riding course had been moved from the local roads to into Webster Park (I'm not quite sure how they were going to get 10 miles of riding in Webster Park, but I have no doubt they'd have figured something out) and now the Parks Department has decided that riding in the park is off... so the "long" event that day has been re-tooled as a snowshoe half marathon, with
Decision time is approaching... I enjoyed doing the duathlon because it was different, because the riding broke up the mutiple loop format a bit, and because I'm a crazy fool who thinks running on snowshoes and then hopping on a bike for a 10 mile ride in late January is a fun thing to do. I know I won't be ready for the half marathon by then, and the thought of running six loops.... ack. But I had thought I might go out Saturday morning for the Finger Lakes 7.6 mi Snowshoe Race... now, though, I'm leaning toward staying here and going over to Pittsfield for the Curly's Record Run race that's always scheduled for the same weekend as the du... which might also be a good idea since I'm potentially looking at double-headers the weekend before and the weekend after... as much as I'd miss doing winter races with both the Finger Lakes Road Runners Club and Yellowjacket Racing, both great groups of people. Of course, the weather might not cooperate and then I'll be trail running or bike riding that weekend regardless of where I am!
In the next couple of days I'm sending out race apps for the next month or so, so I guess my final decision will be made then... but right now I'm thinking Curly's is in and western NY is out for the end of the month.
UPDATE: Curly's it is! I hope we have snow!
JMH
Season of the SnōShū 2008 - Race #2
Brave the Blizzard 4 mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Brave the Blizzard info
2008 Brave the Blizzard results
OK, Brave the Blizzard was billed as a 5k, and then we got an update that it had been expanded to a 3.5mi... and then apparently one of the runners had a GPS that measured it as 4 miles. So 4 miles it is!
After yesterday's long hard slog (OK, it wasn't really that long) I figured I'd be facing more of the same today, so I have to admit I wasn't totally enthused about heading over to the race this morning. But I knew I'd be kicking myself if I skipped it - after all, this is the first time in 4 years that it's actually been a snowshoe race - so I pulled my gear together and made the short drive to Guilderland Elementary School. As I noted back in the fall - there's something very refreshing about doing races close to home. I was able to get up at a reasonable hour, and the drive to the race took only slightly longer than my drive to work in the morning.
Checked in, said hi to a few of the folks I've run other races with, and then geared up for the run. Walked around in the snow a bit to warm up, as the crowd outside grew. Just before it was time to run, we all clustered together by the starting line, and RD Josh Merlis had a few things to say about the race and the course - like the fact that instead of heading across the field and onto the trails, we'd be heading off in a different direction through unbroken snow and then going through the woods for a bit before joining the trail system. And then - it was time to run!
As much as I told myself to walk the first few minutes, I couldn't help running... and it became clear very quickly that some of the folks who were walking should have had the foresight to start farther back in the pack. Dodged around a few, spent a few minutes behind a few... but by the time we hiked up the hill and hit the trails into the Albany Pine Bush, I was in a small "train" that seemed to be moving at a fairly comfortable pace - one I was pretty sure I could maintain until the end. So I resisted the temptation to dart ahead, worried that I'd blow up before the home stretch, tucked in behind the person in front of me, and jogged down the well-packed trail at a fairly even pace.
The race course wound through the woods and then joins the yellow trail heading toward the powerlines. I stayed with the group through that whole section, but once we turned onto the red trail and hit the long uphill they started to slow down... and I was pretty sure I could pick things up a little bit. So I passed several runners and headed up the hill at a faster clip. Didn't make it all the way to the top without walking... but I did gain some distance, and decided to keep pushing and see what I could do, especially since I knew it was mostly level or downhill all the way back to the powerlines.
Passed a few more runners on the long stretch of red trail through the woods... I was sure they'd overtake me later on, but I managed to maintain my fairly tenuous lead. One of the nice things about running those trails so often was knowing when I could blast up a hill (I dropped a couple of pursuers doing that) and knowing when I needed to stop and walk (ie. the steep hill after crossing the stream!)
Back at the powerlines, I started smelling the barn door... I also started feeling the effects of pushing, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to the uphill stretches between the Pine Bush trails and the school. Passed another runner or two before turning off onto the connecting trail... that winding trail felt like it went on forever, and I was positive I'd lose it and be passed by all the folks I'd gone by over the last mile or so. But I finally reached the top of the short steep hill down to the finish - that was tricky - and ran as fast and as hard as I could to the finish, crossing the line at 51:39.
Every once in a while I run a race where they do something cool at the finish, like calling out the incoming runner's name and home town... I'm not at all surprised that Josh (who had actually won the race in an incredible 28:01) did that here, but all the extra stuff he said, about how I run trail races all over the northeast, at all sorts of distances, was really pretty cool. As trail runners go I don't know that I even make it onto the mediocre list - if anything, I probably make it onto the "plan to keep the finish open a long time if he's in your race" list, since I'm slower than slow. So it always feels good when an RD treats my accomplishments like they're something meaningful (because they are to me!) That's one of the things I like about the Albany Running Exchange (and also the Western Mass Athletic Club, Yellowjacket Racing, and the Finger Lakes Runners Club) - they're very accepting of those of us who don't even vaguely resemble the elite runners at the front of the pack.
I was initially disappointed with my time, since I thought I'd run much more consistently than yesterday (when I walked lots of the course) and my time was about a minute longer. But if the course was actually 4 miles long I feel a lot better about it... that's a decent pace for me in a snowshoe race this early in season, especially after running one the day before.
After I changed into dry clothes, I briefly considered grabbing some pancakes, but decided I really needed something more substantial (and more protein-based!) plus I had a number of errands to run. So I packed up my gear and said good-bye to Guilderland Elementary and Brave the Blizzard... at least until January 2009!
Next up: the North Pond 3.5 mile snowshoe race over at Savoy State Forest. Maybe. They're calling for pretty warm weather over the next few days, so I wouldn't be surprised if next weekend's romp in the snow ends up being postponed or cancelled.
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 7.1 mi / 1 hr 42 min
states visited: NY
Brave the Blizzard 4 mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Brave the Blizzard info
2008 Brave the Blizzard results
OK, Brave the Blizzard was billed as a 5k, and then we got an update that it had been expanded to a 3.5mi... and then apparently one of the runners had a GPS that measured it as 4 miles. So 4 miles it is!
After yesterday's long hard slog (OK, it wasn't really that long) I figured I'd be facing more of the same today, so I have to admit I wasn't totally enthused about heading over to the race this morning. But I knew I'd be kicking myself if I skipped it - after all, this is the first time in 4 years that it's actually been a snowshoe race - so I pulled my gear together and made the short drive to Guilderland Elementary School. As I noted back in the fall - there's something very refreshing about doing races close to home. I was able to get up at a reasonable hour, and the drive to the race took only slightly longer than my drive to work in the morning.
Checked in, said hi to a few of the folks I've run other races with, and then geared up for the run. Walked around in the snow a bit to warm up, as the crowd outside grew. Just before it was time to run, we all clustered together by the starting line, and RD Josh Merlis had a few things to say about the race and the course - like the fact that instead of heading across the field and onto the trails, we'd be heading off in a different direction through unbroken snow and then going through the woods for a bit before joining the trail system. And then - it was time to run!
As much as I told myself to walk the first few minutes, I couldn't help running... and it became clear very quickly that some of the folks who were walking should have had the foresight to start farther back in the pack. Dodged around a few, spent a few minutes behind a few... but by the time we hiked up the hill and hit the trails into the Albany Pine Bush, I was in a small "train" that seemed to be moving at a fairly comfortable pace - one I was pretty sure I could maintain until the end. So I resisted the temptation to dart ahead, worried that I'd blow up before the home stretch, tucked in behind the person in front of me, and jogged down the well-packed trail at a fairly even pace.
The race course wound through the woods and then joins the yellow trail heading toward the powerlines. I stayed with the group through that whole section, but once we turned onto the red trail and hit the long uphill they started to slow down... and I was pretty sure I could pick things up a little bit. So I passed several runners and headed up the hill at a faster clip. Didn't make it all the way to the top without walking... but I did gain some distance, and decided to keep pushing and see what I could do, especially since I knew it was mostly level or downhill all the way back to the powerlines.
Passed a few more runners on the long stretch of red trail through the woods... I was sure they'd overtake me later on, but I managed to maintain my fairly tenuous lead. One of the nice things about running those trails so often was knowing when I could blast up a hill (I dropped a couple of pursuers doing that) and knowing when I needed to stop and walk (ie. the steep hill after crossing the stream!)
Back at the powerlines, I started smelling the barn door... I also started feeling the effects of pushing, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to the uphill stretches between the Pine Bush trails and the school. Passed another runner or two before turning off onto the connecting trail... that winding trail felt like it went on forever, and I was positive I'd lose it and be passed by all the folks I'd gone by over the last mile or so. But I finally reached the top of the short steep hill down to the finish - that was tricky - and ran as fast and as hard as I could to the finish, crossing the line at 51:39.
Every once in a while I run a race where they do something cool at the finish, like calling out the incoming runner's name and home town... I'm not at all surprised that Josh (who had actually won the race in an incredible 28:01) did that here, but all the extra stuff he said, about how I run trail races all over the northeast, at all sorts of distances, was really pretty cool. As trail runners go I don't know that I even make it onto the mediocre list - if anything, I probably make it onto the "plan to keep the finish open a long time if he's in your race" list, since I'm slower than slow. So it always feels good when an RD treats my accomplishments like they're something meaningful (because they are to me!) That's one of the things I like about the Albany Running Exchange (and also the Western Mass Athletic Club, Yellowjacket Racing, and the Finger Lakes Runners Club) - they're very accepting of those of us who don't even vaguely resemble the elite runners at the front of the pack.
I was initially disappointed with my time, since I thought I'd run much more consistently than yesterday (when I walked lots of the course) and my time was about a minute longer. But if the course was actually 4 miles long I feel a lot better about it... that's a decent pace for me in a snowshoe race this early in season, especially after running one the day before.
After I changed into dry clothes, I briefly considered grabbing some pancakes, but decided I really needed something more substantial (and more protein-based!) plus I had a number of errands to run. So I packed up my gear and said good-bye to Guilderland Elementary and Brave the Blizzard... at least until January 2009!
Next up: the North Pond 3.5 mile snowshoe race over at Savoy State Forest. Maybe. They're calling for pretty warm weather over the next few days, so I wouldn't be surprised if next weekend's romp in the snow ends up being postponed or cancelled.
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 7.1 mi / 1 hr 42 min
states visited: NY
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Season of the SnōShū 2008 - Race #1
Frozen Assets 5k Snowshoe Race
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Frozen Assets info
Man, that first snowshoe race of the season is always a painful reminder of just how tough snowshoe racing is...
I'd never been to Harriet Holister Spencer State Recreation Area (the race site) though Ann and I were down that way this past summer when we visited Hemlock and Canadice Lakes. I have to admit I wasn't too optimistic as I drove through the mostly snowless countryside, despite the Thursday night update on the race site that let us know there would be enough snow to have a snowshoe race. But my concern was groundless... as I drove through the outskirts of Honeoye and up into the hills overlooking Honeoye Lake, it became clear why Mort and Tim (the RDs) like to say that even when there's no snow anywhere else, there's often enough at Harriet Hollister to have a snowshoe race.
Parked alongside the road and hiked up to the registration area to check in... got a neat hat with Frozen Assets and the Roads Are Poison logo embroidered on the front as a reward for preregistering. Then I wandered around snapping a few pictures and stood in line for a while to use the Port-a-john, before heading back to the car to gear up for the race. The toughest decision was in what to wear... I eventually decided to go with a bit more clothing than I'd originally intended, because it was a bit chillier at the park than it had seemed when I left Ann's house.
After that, we all clustered around the starting area on the snowed-over road into the park (in the summer you can drive down into the middle of the park, but in the winter the road is groomed as a novice XC ski trail) and after a few words from Tim and Mort, the men's race started. (The women would be starting 10 minutes later.)
One of the big differences between the Roads Are Poison snowshoe races and the WMAC snowshoe races seems to be the back-of-the-pack runners... as in, both this race and the Mendon Winterfest race last January didn't seem to have what I would refer to as a back-of-the-pack (people running at something comparable to my pace.) Or rather, they did, and it was me! Most of the men disappeared off into the distance fairly quickly, and the rest vanished not long after we left the road and wandered up and down hills on the singletrack trails in the southern part of the park.
The singletrack was tough - a lot was uphill, though there were a few stretches on wider paths that were almost like roads. The woods were very pretty, despite the greyness of the day, but I really was spending too much time and energy trying to keep moving forward to notice it. After a while I reached the top of the hill and the trail wound its way through the trees over the rolling terrain... but at least I was able to run a bit more. This was also the point that the women runners started passing me... that slowed me down a little bit as I tried to step off to the side and let them by as they came through.
Eventually, we reached a small pond and came out on a fairly wide downhill path. I had a pretty good run on that, which took me down to the turnaround in the park road and then back onto singletrack, first through an evergreen grove and then through deciduous forest parallel to the road. All along the way I would step aside periodically to allow the quicker women to pass me, until I finally reached a point where they had apparently all gone by. We also passed a viewpoint with a great view of Honeoye Lake off in the distance - spectacular!
Eventually the singletrack came back out on the road, and I could hear the sounds of the folks at the finish line... that felt good! I hustled as much as I could down the snowed-over road - as the saying goes, I was passing trees and rocks like they were standing still. Got some quick guidance from one of the spectators that I needed to keep running down the road and then loop back around through the woods to reach the finish. And that's what I did, ending up crossing the finish at 50:39... not a particularly quick pace for a 5k, but also not terrible considering the terrain and my general lack of training over the past month or so.
In retrospect, I definitely overdressed for this race... a shirt and fleece vest would have been much more appropriate, despite the chilly temperatures at the start. A good lesson for tomorrow's race in the Pine Bush, especially since it's supposed to be warmer by then. I also found it very tough going out there by myself beyond the back of the pack... I thought I was used to that (I've done plenty of trail races where I didn't see another runner for much of the race) but apparently I'm not as used to it as I thought... or maybe the additional difficulty of running on snowshoes simply makes it that much harder to stay motivated to finish. It's also a bit demoralizing to see everyone disappear so quickly. Fortunately I've liked the overall attitude at the events run by Mort and Tim that I've attended, they're very supportive of even someone who's slower than slow like me, and I will definitely keep coming back for their races.
Last night Ann and I talked about how this race would qualify me for the Empire State Winter Games (to qualify for the ESG 5k snowshoe race you need be a resident of NYS and a member of the Empire State Snowshoe Racing Assocation, run a qualifying 5k or longer race, and submit the registration form on time. Not nearly as challenging as qualifying for Nationals!) While there's a part of me that thinks it would be pretty cool to have run in the Empire State Games... the more sensible part of me recognizes that the level of competition there will be light years beyond my ability, and rather than feeling good about competing in the race I'll feel depressed and demoralized that I finished so far behind everyone else... after all, the back of the pack last year ran the course in 28 minutes! I'd much rather run a race down here that weekend... the WMAC races tend to be a nice mix of fast competetive runners and slower runners and walkers, so I typically have company as I'm plodding along at the back of the pack.
Next up: the Brave the Blizzard 3.5 mile snowshoe race in Guilderland. The Albany Running Exchange has tried to do this race for 4 years now, and this is the first one that will actually be a snowshoe race, after one slip-and-slide ice race and two trail races. And since I've run those trails in all seasons hundreds of times... well, I may not have a home course advantage, but at least I know where all the hills are and how long they'll last!
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi 0 min
Bike 0 mi 0 min
Snowshoe 3.1 mi 50 min
states visited: NY
Frozen Assets 5k Snowshoe Race
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Frozen Assets info
Man, that first snowshoe race of the season is always a painful reminder of just how tough snowshoe racing is...
I'd never been to Harriet Holister Spencer State Recreation Area (the race site) though Ann and I were down that way this past summer when we visited Hemlock and Canadice Lakes. I have to admit I wasn't too optimistic as I drove through the mostly snowless countryside, despite the Thursday night update on the race site that let us know there would be enough snow to have a snowshoe race. But my concern was groundless... as I drove through the outskirts of Honeoye and up into the hills overlooking Honeoye Lake, it became clear why Mort and Tim (the RDs) like to say that even when there's no snow anywhere else, there's often enough at Harriet Hollister to have a snowshoe race.
Parked alongside the road and hiked up to the registration area to check in... got a neat hat with Frozen Assets and the Roads Are Poison logo embroidered on the front as a reward for preregistering. Then I wandered around snapping a few pictures and stood in line for a while to use the Port-a-john, before heading back to the car to gear up for the race. The toughest decision was in what to wear... I eventually decided to go with a bit more clothing than I'd originally intended, because it was a bit chillier at the park than it had seemed when I left Ann's house.
After that, we all clustered around the starting area on the snowed-over road into the park (in the summer you can drive down into the middle of the park, but in the winter the road is groomed as a novice XC ski trail) and after a few words from Tim and Mort, the men's race started. (The women would be starting 10 minutes later.)
One of the big differences between the Roads Are Poison snowshoe races and the WMAC snowshoe races seems to be the back-of-the-pack runners... as in, both this race and the Mendon Winterfest race last January didn't seem to have what I would refer to as a back-of-the-pack (people running at something comparable to my pace.) Or rather, they did, and it was me! Most of the men disappeared off into the distance fairly quickly, and the rest vanished not long after we left the road and wandered up and down hills on the singletrack trails in the southern part of the park.
The singletrack was tough - a lot was uphill, though there were a few stretches on wider paths that were almost like roads. The woods were very pretty, despite the greyness of the day, but I really was spending too much time and energy trying to keep moving forward to notice it. After a while I reached the top of the hill and the trail wound its way through the trees over the rolling terrain... but at least I was able to run a bit more. This was also the point that the women runners started passing me... that slowed me down a little bit as I tried to step off to the side and let them by as they came through.
Eventually, we reached a small pond and came out on a fairly wide downhill path. I had a pretty good run on that, which took me down to the turnaround in the park road and then back onto singletrack, first through an evergreen grove and then through deciduous forest parallel to the road. All along the way I would step aside periodically to allow the quicker women to pass me, until I finally reached a point where they had apparently all gone by. We also passed a viewpoint with a great view of Honeoye Lake off in the distance - spectacular!
Eventually the singletrack came back out on the road, and I could hear the sounds of the folks at the finish line... that felt good! I hustled as much as I could down the snowed-over road - as the saying goes, I was passing trees and rocks like they were standing still. Got some quick guidance from one of the spectators that I needed to keep running down the road and then loop back around through the woods to reach the finish. And that's what I did, ending up crossing the finish at 50:39... not a particularly quick pace for a 5k, but also not terrible considering the terrain and my general lack of training over the past month or so.
In retrospect, I definitely overdressed for this race... a shirt and fleece vest would have been much more appropriate, despite the chilly temperatures at the start. A good lesson for tomorrow's race in the Pine Bush, especially since it's supposed to be warmer by then. I also found it very tough going out there by myself beyond the back of the pack... I thought I was used to that (I've done plenty of trail races where I didn't see another runner for much of the race) but apparently I'm not as used to it as I thought... or maybe the additional difficulty of running on snowshoes simply makes it that much harder to stay motivated to finish. It's also a bit demoralizing to see everyone disappear so quickly. Fortunately I've liked the overall attitude at the events run by Mort and Tim that I've attended, they're very supportive of even someone who's slower than slow like me, and I will definitely keep coming back for their races.
Last night Ann and I talked about how this race would qualify me for the Empire State Winter Games (to qualify for the ESG 5k snowshoe race you need be a resident of NYS and a member of the Empire State Snowshoe Racing Assocation, run a qualifying 5k or longer race, and submit the registration form on time. Not nearly as challenging as qualifying for Nationals!) While there's a part of me that thinks it would be pretty cool to have run in the Empire State Games... the more sensible part of me recognizes that the level of competition there will be light years beyond my ability, and rather than feeling good about competing in the race I'll feel depressed and demoralized that I finished so far behind everyone else... after all, the back of the pack last year ran the course in 28 minutes! I'd much rather run a race down here that weekend... the WMAC races tend to be a nice mix of fast competetive runners and slower runners and walkers, so I typically have company as I'm plodding along at the back of the pack.
Next up: the Brave the Blizzard 3.5 mile snowshoe race in Guilderland. The Albany Running Exchange has tried to do this race for 4 years now, and this is the first one that will actually be a snowshoe race, after one slip-and-slide ice race and two trail races. And since I've run those trails in all seasons hundreds of times... well, I may not have a home course advantage, but at least I know where all the hills are and how long they'll last!
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi 0 min
Bike 0 mi 0 min
Snowshoe 3.1 mi 50 min
states visited: NY
Friday, January 04, 2008
Feathered Friends
Friday, January 4, 2008
One of the things I enjoy about being at Ann's house is the birds. I tried having a bird feeder in my backyard in Albany, but never really saw much variety in its visitors (when I saw any visitors at all!)
Ann has a tree in her front yard with some type of small cherry-like fruits, and she's also hung a suet feeder in the tree right in front of her living room window, so during the day I've been able to sit and watch the birds. I'm not sure exactly why I find them so fascinating (maybe something's rubbed off on me during my years of living with cats) but I can sit and watch them for hours... or at least until I get up to try to take a picture and they fly away!
I enjoyed watching the birds so much that I picked up a small seed feeder to hang in the tree as well... perhaps it will attract some additional feathered friends to Ann's front yard (in addition to the ever-present squirells, of course!)
JMH
Friday, January 4, 2008
One of the things I enjoy about being at Ann's house is the birds. I tried having a bird feeder in my backyard in Albany, but never really saw much variety in its visitors (when I saw any visitors at all!)
Ann has a tree in her front yard with some type of small cherry-like fruits, and she's also hung a suet feeder in the tree right in front of her living room window, so during the day I've been able to sit and watch the birds. I'm not sure exactly why I find them so fascinating (maybe something's rubbed off on me during my years of living with cats) but I can sit and watch them for hours... or at least until I get up to try to take a picture and they fly away!
I enjoyed watching the birds so much that I picked up a small seed feeder to hang in the tree as well... perhaps it will attract some additional feathered friends to Ann's front yard (in addition to the ever-present squirells, of course!)
JMH
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