I Love Woodford 3mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, December 28, 2008
2008 Woodford snowshoe race results
Woodford holds a place in my heart as the first snowshoe race I ever did, way back in December 2005. I bought my first pair of snowshoes roughly three weeks before and probably got out for two or three runs on them, all in about 6 inches of snow... and then stumbled and gasped my way through three miles of trail in over a foot of snow. That was the first indication time I learned on a very personal level that snowshoe running is darned difficult... but it certainly wouldn't be the last!
This year was the first time since then that I was able to get to Woodford when they were holding the race, and I had the added pleasure of bringing Ann along for the ride. Not that the race would be much fun for her - the amenities in at the race site include a Port-o-potty and a couple of tables set up for registration and food, and that's it. But we were hoping that she could get out on her skis for a bit while I was running, and at the worst the course would only take me about an hour to finish.
Drive over was uneventful, through the Taconics and Bennington and up into the Green Mountains National Forest... always a fun drive with lots of pretty scenery. We had some sunshine down in the lowlands, but that vanished behind lots of fog as we went up into the mountains. Probably a result of the warm temperatures we'd been having. Another result of those warm temperatures - all the snow in the parking lot was melted and we ended up parking on sheer ice. Folks were slipping and sliding all over the place, and the RD even broke out a pair of skates and skated around the lot! I was mighty glad to get my snowshoes on - at least then I had some traction. It was surprisingly chilly, so I ditched my plan to run in shorts and pulled on my tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fleece vest.
Eventually it was time to hike down to the start area... the snow wasn't as deep and was well-packed so that was a lot easier this time around, even on the last steep downhill to the road crossing. And it definitely beat sliding down the driveway on my backside.
Hung around at the start for a bit listening to folks chatter and saying hi to running friends I haven't seen since the end of October. Then the RD had a few words for us, and finally - it was time to run. Or plod, in my case.
Photo courtesy of Kristin & Jim Johnson
Photo courtesy of Kristin & Jim Johnson
The first part of the race goes along a snowed-over access road, which has the advantage of being wide (so there's space to pass easily) but fairly churned up (slipping and sliding.) The huge patch of ice and water a little ways in didn't help. A lot of it's on a gentle uphill slope, which makes it clear just how tough snowshoeing can be... don't know when else I work so hard to go so slow. Of course, then the trail turned onto the singletrack and the fun really kicked in. Uphill, downhill, twisty and winding trails, jumping over fallen branches and wet patches and trying not to fall or blow out a knee on rocky uneven sections... parts of that were slow going, and I ended up letting a few people pass me by.
Photo courtesy of Kristin & Jim Johnson
I think the prettiest part of the course was along the shore of Adams Reservoir... we actually got some glimpses of sunshine! Of course this was also the messiest part, with sections of the trail clearly underwater under the snow. But that's all part of the challenge - stay upright, keep moving forward, and try not to get the snowshoes so wet that they ice up. I actually think I ran pretty well in some of these sections.
Since I've only done this race once I was a bit surprised by how quickly the final stretch came up... I'm not sure if they cut the course a bit short this year or if conditions were just much better (not to mention my having a dozen plus races under my belt) but in fairly short order I was out of the woods and back on the road heading down to the finish. Hammered as hard as I could for the last quarter mile or so, and came across the finish in 43:59. As I stood on the other side trying to get my breath back, Ann came down the trail from the parking lot, a bit bummed that she'd missed my finish (I'd told her it would take me around an hour, based on my 64 minutes of torture in 2005.) Claimed my loaf of Vermont Bread Company bread (sunflower sesame, yum) and then we headed back to the car so I could changed clothes and grab some soup and a bagel before heading out to try and enjoy some of the sights of SW Vermont and NW Massachusetts.
All in all, a good start to the snowshoe racing season, and a nice way to end the 2008 racing season!
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 260.7 mi / 59 hr 13 min
Bike 68.4 mi / 4 hr 59 min
Snowshoe 48.5 mi / 14 hr 3 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT
