Sunday, February 24, 2008

HARD-TRAVELLIN' TURTLE
1 WEEKEND, 4 STATES, 3 RACES
PART 7:
Season of the SnōShū 2008 - Race #10
Moody Spring 6mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, February 24, 2008

2008 Moody Spring photo slideshow

I knew from the get-go that this would be the toughest race of the weekend, for a variety of reasons - it would be the longest race I'd done so far this season, it was the third race in what was turning into a very long weekend, and I was definitely fighting off a cold. Plus Konrad had warned me that the course included some major climbs.

On the other hand, it was a beautiful sunny day to be out in the woods with a bunch of people just as crazy as me. And I figured I could probably walk the thing in about 2 hours or so. So no worries...

I checked in, geared up (it was a bit breezy up in the parking lot above the Americorps camp, so I actually risked overdressing and wore a light shirt under my top and fleece vest) and then hung around outside the building chatting with Konrad and Bill and enjoying the sunshine. Before long we headed across the road to the snowmobile trail we'd run the first and last 1.5 miles on, where we were given a few quick words about the course (snowmobile trail, then a singletrack loop, and then back on the snowmobile trail) before the race was started without any fanfare. (I'm pretty sure it was Old Farmer Ed who was talking to us, and he said "The race starts when I say go. Go." A moment later it registered and off we went.

The first stretch is a moderately steep uphill, so I didn't bother even trying to run... just trudged up the hill trying to get my legs to warm up. After that was a long downhill which I ran pretty consistently, if not all that fast, and then the terrain rolled up and down for a bit, before we reached the ribbon marking the turnoff onto the singletrack.

I could tell very quickly that the singletrack was going to be the real challenge. It wound through the woods over very rolling terrain, with a lot of gradual uphill... in other words, more hiking! There were some nice downhill stretches where I got to run, but those tended not to last very long. The other problem was the footing. The ground was covered by a layer of snow, with thick layer of ice on top, and then more snow... all fine, except that every once in a while the ice would give way and I'd find myself struggling not to fall on my face. Still, the woods were absolutely gorgeous.

Eventually we crossed the main snowmobile trail, running by a group of snowmobilers who were taking a break at one of the shelters. And then the real fun began, because along this stretch the ice was so hard that my cleats would barely penetrate it, leaving me with very little traction... if only I'd known, I'd have taken the opportunity to try out the special ice cleats I bought this season. (I wasn't the only one having this problem... I caught up with the gal ahead of me who was also struggling, and after a bit Konrad and Bill caught us and they had the same difficulty.) We had a long steep downhill, then a long steep uphill (this was where Konrad and Bill caught up with me) slipping and sliding all the way. But I did get to see Moody Spring (a pipe coming out of the hillside) and refilled my water bottle in hopes that the spring water would give me an extra boost. (OK, that was a long shot.)

After that it was just a long slog along the rolling trail out in the snow-covered woods on a beautiful sunny day. One plus to walking much of that stretch - I took quite a few pictures. I also got in some short bursts of running, as I hurried to catch up with the group each time I stopped to snap a photo. And finally, after about 90 minutes, we came out at the snowmobile trail again. Unfortunately with a lot of climbing ahead of us to get back to the start! (Remember the long downhill on the way out...?)

I lagged behind a bit a take some photos of the group running down the initial hills, then caught up with them at the bottom and did my best to power hike up the long hill... surprisingly, my legs didn't feel too bad, maybe because of all the walking I did on the singletrack loop, and I picked up a decent lead on them. At times it seemed like that hill would never end, but eventually I reached the top and did my best to run the rest of the way down to the finish... not very fast, but the best I could do. Crossed the finish in 1 hr 50 minutes, and listened to some good-natured ribbing from Rich Busa that he'd gotten me back today after I beat hime yesterday (he finished about 5 minutes ahead of me.) A couple of minutes later Bill, Konrad, and Stephanie (the gal I'd caught up before reaching the spring) came running down the hill, and we were all done.

After that we hiked back across the street, and I said good-bye to Josh and the ARE crew who, being much faster than I am, were getting ready to leave. Snagged some food, chatted with a few folks, and then trudged up to the parking lot to change into some dry clothes and finally head home.

JMH

2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 39.2 mi / 10 hr 35 min

states visited: MA, NH, NY
Posted by at