Saturday, March 28, 2009

LONG DISTANCE 2009 - Race #1
Run the Reservoir 15k
Saturday, March 28, 2009

2009 Run the Reservoir 15k results

the short version - a nice 15k on a fairly scenic course around the Upper Scituate Reservoir in RI. The course wasn't too tough and I had a good run, finishing in 1:37:52 or slightly over 10 1/2 minute miles - a pretty good pace for me, especially this early in the season. I don't know that I have much interest in going back again - the course is nice but not phenonomenal and run mostly on roads, and it's a bit of a drive just to run a nice 15k.

the long version - when my alarm went off at 4:30 AM I really started wondering if I should have gotten a motel room closer to the race... but at least this way is less expensive. Packed my gear, for both chilly and warm weather and for any hiking or running I might end up doing afterwards, and remembered to print out directions from Diamond Hill Park (which I planned to visit after the race) back to Albany. Unfortunately, I left the directions in the printer in my rush to get everything in the car and get on the road to RI!

The drive was uneventful, other than rain drops during the last few miles... I really didn't want to run this one in the rain. Arrived at the church serving as race HQ to find all the parking full and ended up at alternate parking between a quarter and a half mile away, with a shuttle bus to take me back to check in. So I changed into all my race gear, hopped the bus back to the start, and stood in line for a bit waiting to get my number and, it turned out, my T-shirt.... which meant a trip back to the car. Oh, well. So I jogged to the car, dropped off the shirt, and again took the bus back to the start to wait for the fun to begin...

I know the RD had a bunch of stuff to say but I couldn't hear him over all the blabbering people at the back of the crowd were doing. But it was very clear when the folks up front got ready... and then it was time to run!

We started out down the main road in front of the church and then turned... right past my car. If I'd known that I could have dropped the T-shirt off during the race! Ran up a side road for a ways, then entered one of the attractions of this race - a stretch along a closed road through the normally off limits Providence Water Supply Board land bordering the reservoir. That part was fairly nice... trees all around and relative peace and quiet. I made pretty good time for the first two miles - just under 10 minute miles, meaning I went out too fast, so I slowed it down a bit through the woods. Rolling terrain, but nothing too terribly difficult. All too quickly we came out at the far end of the road, and then had another fun stretch - a half mile long causeway separating the upper and lower reservoirs. I would have liked to stop and look around, but I began to think I'd slowed down a little too much through the woods, so I wanted to keep pushing along at a decent pace.

After leaving the causeway, we hit the "tough" part of the course - a climb up a hill almost a mile long. Can't say it was easy... but it wasn't particularly hard either. At least from the conversations around me it sounded like I had a lot of downhill to look forward to during the 2nd half of the course...

After the long hill we had a couple of miles to run back into town... the road had a decent amount of traffic, but with the PWSB lands all around it was still fairly nice... occasionally there were openings in the trees and I could see out across the reservoir. At one spot there were a couple of folks with scopes checking out birds... I found myself really wishing I had time to stop, but between wanting to make the best time possible and being a little concerned that if I stopped I wouldn't get going again, I didn't think it was a good idea.

Over the last couple of miles I picked up the pace a bit and even passed a couple of runners. The course took us through town and along a quiet side street, then back to the main road to the finish... the uphill finish! That was no fun at all... but I kept pushing as hard as I could and staggered across the finish in 1:37:52. After that I wandered into the church to try to get some food... and was told I'd won one of the raffle prizes, a $50 gift certificate (as it turns out, to a local restaurant... looks like I need to go back that way sometime later in the year.) After a long wait in line I finally got some very delicious soup and a piece of bagel, then hobbled down the road to the car to eat, change clothes, and figure out my next move to start the rest of the day.

All in all, this was a nice event, and it raised money for a good cause - the Trinity Church Food Closet, which provides food for rural RI families that can't afford all that they need. The course was fairly pleasant, though nothing fantastic... I would consider running it again, but I don't know that I'd make a special trip just to do the race again.

Next up: the Spring Forward Distance Run 15k, put on by the fantastic folks at Yellowjacket Racing. A tougher course than today's 15k, but it should still be a good time.

JMH

2009 Event Totals
Run 9.3 mi, 1 hr 38 min
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 54.6 mi, 13 hr 05 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min

states visited: MA, ME, NY, RI, VT
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