3.4 Mile Snowshoe at Woodford State Park
Sunday, January 6, 2012
I went into this second weekend of snowshoe races both excited to be snowshoeing and a bit disappointed. I started snowshoeing seven years ago, as a way to keep running trails in the winter, and Woodford was the first race I did. I had purchased a new pair of Dion 166’s and managed to get in one or two short runs in the 6-8 inches of crusty snow that we had in Albany that December. Then right before the race Woodford picked up 18 inches of fresh snow – I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’m pretty sure that was the hardest I’d ever worked to “run” 20+ min miles! But for some crazy reason I followed that up with another tough run at North Pond a couple of weeks later – and that was pretty much it that season for snowshoe races around here, most of the others were either cancelled or changed to trail races. And here I am, 72 snowshoe races later (including a snowshoe duathlon, a snowshoe triathlon, and more than a few races outside of the WMAC series…) At least now I know why I keep hauling my backside out of bed on the weekends to drive to the middle of nowhere and stagger around in the snow – partially the challenge and the workout, partially a love of the outdoors, and mostly the people I get to spend time with.
In any case, Woodford holds a special place in my heart, so I drove to Vermont this morning with a secret mission – to walk/run the usual Woodford course after doing the race at Prospect Mountain. Post-race I took a few minutes to chat with friends I haven’t seen nearly enough of this fall, then hopped in the car and made the short drive east to Woodford State Park. I found a parking lot filled with trucks and snowmobile trailers instead of chattering snowshoers – but I also found the best snow conditions I’ve seen at Woodford for the last 4-5 years. Deep snow, a well-packed trail through the woods and along the shore of Adams Reservoir – absolutely beautiful and one of the things I really enjoy about snowshoeing. Running at Pine Ridge and Prospect Mountain was fun, but for me groomed XC ski trails just don’t compare to singletrack through the woods.
After being laid up for much of November with an injury and 8 miles of races (including a steep climb or three, thanks to the Brad and Beth Herder and TiVO) my legs were definitely fried by the time I made the final climb away from the reservoir, and the “run” back to the park entrance had a more-than-passing resemblance to walking. But it was definitely worth it, both in the time spent running with our crazy but happy crew in Pittsfield and at Prospect Mountain and my trek afterwards along memory lane and the rolling trails of Woodford State Park.
Now one of these days I have to get here during a different season!
JMH
