Wednesday, May 21, 2008

LONG DISTANCE 2008 - Race #6
Olana Star Loop 6mi Trail Race
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

That was fun! I wasn't sure I'd go down to Olana for tonight's run, since the weather forecast called for possible rain and the temperatures have been fairly chilly. But after packing my gear this morning and making it through a frustrating day of giving exams, I decided that no matter what the weather I was going, if for no other reason than to get out of town into the woods for a while.

Drive down was uneventful, and I got there early enough to park fairly close to the registration/refreshment/starting area... not that this run gets all that many people, even if I'd arrived at the last minute I wouldn't have had to park too far away. Wandered a bit taking pictures and then got my gear together to wait for things to begin. The Catskill Mountain Series is fairly informal... low fee ($2), no numbers, no prizes... just a bunch of crazy people running up and down hills. So the RD had a few brief words for us regarding the trail, gave us a "ready" and then a whistle, and off we went.

Much of the pack took off fairly quickly, but since there are several out-and-back stretches to this course I saw them again at various points. The trails were mostly wide, well-kept carriage roads, except for one stretch that took us along the edge of a steep hillside and then down a short bushwhack back to the carriage road we'd run in on, and another section that was once a well-kept carriage road and is now leaf-covered rocky rooty technical trail. Along the way we ran through lots of woods, around a pond, along the road up to Olana, and on the grounds just below the house itself. Most of the course was either up or down... there was very little that was actually flat.

I ran moderately well, running a lot of the uphills and trying to put on some speed on the downhills. (According to my Garmin, I succeeded... it clocked me at a maximum speed of something like a 5 1/2 min mile, but that looks like it may have been a glitch and my max speed was more like 7.5 - 8.5 min miles, mainly on the long downhill stretches toward the end.) Knowing the course a little better this year and not being too concerned about NIPMUCK helped... Didn't pass anybody, but after the first mile I wasn't passed by anybody either. Along the way I took a few photos, mostly either when I stopped to walk or when I passed a view that was simply too good to not take a picture (though the best views were to come after the race was over.) I made it to the house in just over an hour, which was a little bit disappointing - I thought I'd been running better than that - then poured it on all the way to the finish to cross the line with feet flying in 1 hr 11 min.... almost exactly the same time as last year. A little bit disappointing, since I thought I was pushing harder this year, but the wonderful surroundings more than made up for it.

After I regained my breath, I noticed that the sky was looking a bit bright and colorful... apparently the clouds had parted sufficiently to let the sun through for a very nice sunset. So I hiked up the road to the house to get some photos. First I was treated to the sight of a very nice rainbow off to the east, and when I finally reached the top of the hill I had a great view of the river and the mountains lit by the setting sun. What a great way to end the run! Well... not quite the end, because I still had to get back to my car... so I jogged back down the hill as the race organizers were breaking everything down, changed into dry clothes, and reluctantly headed back to the noise and constant activity of Albany.

I don't know what kind of shape I'll be in after my run at NIPMUCK in a week and a half, but with luck I'll be feeling good enough to try to 2nd run in the Catskill Mountain Series, High Rock to Indian Chair, a 2.25 mi ascent up a rocky, steep carriage road with 1300 ft of elevation gain. This is a fun group to run with, and that sounds like a fun place to run (well... probably hike, in my case!)

Next up: A highly-likely DNF at NIPMUCK.

JMH

2008 Event Totals
Run 49.5 mi / 11 hr 7 min
Bike 20 mi / 1 hr 32 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min

states visited: MA, NH, NY, VT
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