Spring Forward 15k Distance Run
Sunday, April 6, 2008
2008 Spring Forward 15k results
the short version:
What a great day for a run through the Mendon countryside with 350 other crazy people! I had a good run at a fairly steady pace, except for the last mile where I pushed a bit, and finished in 1 hr 54 min. I was concerned that the last couple of miles would be painful, between the hills and my lack of training over the past few months, but overall the 9.3 miles went pretty smoothly.
the longer version:
I wasn't able to run the Spring Forward 15k in 2006 and 2007 because it was the same weekend as the Saratoga Martial Arts Festival. Initially I didn't think I'd run it this year either, given that the Northern Nipmuck 16 mile trail race was on Saturday... but a combination of other commitments on Saturday and a serious lack of running over the last couple of months meant that 16 miles on rugged trails in northeastern Connecticut was not a viable option, and this morning found me heading over to Mendon Ponds Park once again for yet another race with the wonderfully positive folks at Yellowjacket Racing.
Arrived at Mendon to find the parking lot rapidly filling - I'm glad I got there early! - and picked up my number, timing chip, and T-shirt. Then I got my gear together and went through my usual pre-race "warm up" ie. I walked around for a while enjoying the scenery and taking a few pictures. (Hey, when you're as slow as I am, that really is a warm up!) While doing that I finally decided to go fairly minimal in the clothing department - long-sleeved shirt, shorts, and a hat. That turned out to be an excellent choice; while it was a bit chilly to start with, I would have cooked for most of the race if I'd worn a vest or jacket. A few minutes before the start we all gathered at the starting line near the parking lot exit, listened to a few words from the RD, and then off we went.
The first part of the course took us through the park and then out onto the local roads. Lots of hills, both up and down, though nothing too terribly steep, and I'm pleased to say I managed to run (slowly) to the top of just about every one. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm. While running roads is April isn't the most scenic option (everything's still pretty much in that post-winter shades of brown phase) the birds were singing and it was a beautiful morning to be outdoors.
Some of the roads we were on are ones I know well, having either run or ridden them multiple times in other races at Mendon. It definitely felt a bit bizarre to be running along some of the roads that I'm used to hammering down during the spring and autumn duathlons! After the first two miles or so, the back of the pack spread out, and I had the same folks in sight for pretty much the entire race. The folks at the water stops were great, and it never fails to amaze me how many volunteers they get to stand at turns and road crossings - without all that help, us crazy folk couldn't have our fun, so a huge "THANK YOU!" goes out to all those wonderful people!
I managed a pretty steady 12-12:30 pace for the first eight miles, and even managed to pass a couple of runners who'd been ahead of me between miles 7 and 8. At the 8 mile mark, I found myself back on familiar terrain (the road into the park) and was feeling decent, so I decided to pick up the pace a bit and see how strong I could finish. I pushed hard for the last 1.3 miles, and managed knock about a minute off my previous pace, finishing with my first running race of the year with a total time of 1:54:18, well under the 2 hours I had set for my goal. Not a phenomenal time by any means, but given all the training I didn't do this winter, I'm approaching most of my spring races as training runs rather than racing opportunities, since many of them will be my long distance runs for that particular week.
After that I snagged some food, wolfed it down on my way to the car, and then headed back to Ann's to spend some time with my sweetheart before it was once again necessary to get on the road back to Albany.
I don't know that I feel any tremendous drive to do this one again - it might be a nice run to do once in a while if I don't have anything else planned, but the course wasn't scenic enough to make this one of my "must do" events. But I'm glad I did it this year - can't think of too many better ways to spend a beautiful spring Sunday morning than outside working up a good sweat, whether it's pounding or rolling over the pavement or hitting the trails.
JMH
Next up: the Muddy Moose 14 mile trail race in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. That's going to be a tough one, since I doubt I'll have done that distance this year prior to race day. Training runs... training runs... training runs... Nipmuck and Grand Island are approaching far too quickly!
2008 Event Totals
Run 9.3 mi / 1 hr 54 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: MA, NH, NY, VT
