ANOTHER GREAT AUTUMN AFTERNOON IN THE BERKSHIRES
Hiking & Running at Ice Glen & Laura's Tower, Monument Mountain, and Fountain Pond State Park
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
2 Mile Walk Along the Genesee Riverway
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Ann and I wanted to get outside for a bit, so we headed up to Turning Point Park to walk on the Genesee Riverway boardwalk over the river in the Turning Point Basin... that's always a good place to see some nifty wildlife. Heading toward Lake Ontario may have been a mistake... it was raining lightly in Gates, but fairly steadily up in Charlotte. But we decided to brave the elements to headed off down the path anyways... at least we could be fairly sure the boardwalk wouldn't be too crowded! (I think we saw one guy on a bike and one guy fishing... and two people heading out on the path as we were coming back into the parking lot at the end.)
Along the way we saw lots of fish jumping, three herons, the swans and their two grown cygnets (interestingly, the grey one has remained grey... I had thought he'd molt at some point and turn white, but maybe he just isn't old enough yet ) and a few groups of mooching mallards... also a wood duck who remained perched on a log for a surprisingly long time, allowing me to get some nice photos of him.
Fortunately, as we started back, the rain eased up and I was able to get a few pictures... it was actually very scenic (in a grey, foggy way) when it wasn't raining so hard that it was tough to see!
JMH
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Ann and I wanted to get outside for a bit, so we headed up to Turning Point Park to walk on the Genesee Riverway boardwalk over the river in the Turning Point Basin... that's always a good place to see some nifty wildlife. Heading toward Lake Ontario may have been a mistake... it was raining lightly in Gates, but fairly steadily up in Charlotte. But we decided to brave the elements to headed off down the path anyways... at least we could be fairly sure the boardwalk wouldn't be too crowded! (I think we saw one guy on a bike and one guy fishing... and two people heading out on the path as we were coming back into the parking lot at the end.)
Along the way we saw lots of fish jumping, three herons, the swans and their two grown cygnets (interestingly, the grey one has remained grey... I had thought he'd molt at some point and turn white, but maybe he just isn't old enough yet ) and a few groups of mooching mallards... also a wood duck who remained perched on a log for a surprisingly long time, allowing me to get some nice photos of him.
Fortunately, as we started back, the rain eased up and I was able to get a few pictures... it was actually very scenic (in a grey, foggy way) when it wasn't raining so hard that it was tough to see!
JMH
WHAT TO DO AFTER A DU -
A Short Walk at Mendon Ponds
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Despite the somewhat dreary weather, I didn't want to leave Mendon without getting a few pictures (the leaves are just starting to change, giving some very nice color contrasts in spots) so I headed over to Hopkins Point and walked a short ways down the trail around Hundred Acre Pond. All in all, a very pleasant way to end the morning there!
While I was walking I made a somewhat tentative decision to do the trail run there in November... probably the 10k or 20k, since I don't see myself being ready for such a hilly 50k by then. Attempting the Stone Cat Trail Marathon continues to be an intriguing prospect (both because of the distance and because I've never run it before) but I think Mendon is the better choice, both in terms of cost and my being prepared for the run and ultimately having a good time. (Actually, I just checked and the Stone Cat marathon is full... another reason why Mendon is a better choice!)
JMH
A Short Walk at Mendon Ponds
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Despite the somewhat dreary weather, I didn't want to leave Mendon without getting a few pictures (the leaves are just starting to change, giving some very nice color contrasts in spots) so I headed over to Hopkins Point and walked a short ways down the trail around Hundred Acre Pond. All in all, a very pleasant way to end the morning there!
While I was walking I made a somewhat tentative decision to do the trail run there in November... probably the 10k or 20k, since I don't see myself being ready for such a hilly 50k by then. Attempting the Stone Cat Trail Marathon continues to be an intriguing prospect (both because of the distance and because I've never run it before) but I think Mendon is the better choice, both in terms of cost and my being prepared for the run and ultimately having a good time. (Actually, I just checked and the Stone Cat marathon is full... another reason why Mendon is a better choice!)
JMH
NOT-SO-LONG DISTANCE 2008 - Race #22
Rochester Autumn Classic F1 Duathlon
Sunday, September 28, 2008
2008 Autumn Classic Duathlon results
Yesterday I told a couple of folks I've done the various Rochester Classic Du's at Mendon that I could follow the course with my eyes closed. And then last night I wished for a dry morning... could I have done anything more to jinx myself? Rain, rain, rain. Not terribly hard rain, fortunately, but steady enough that at least one competitor wearing glasses (ie. me) spent the whole time looking at the blurry trails and roads in front of him wondering if tiny windshield wipers for glasses really are impractical. This wasn't the first wet du I've done - the 2006 Lake Effect "Snowshoe" Duathlon won that dubious distinction, but that was only 4 miles of running and 12 miles of riding, as opposed to today's 6 mile run and 20 mile ride. On the other hand - it was a heck of a lot warmer today than that first Lake Effect race was!
As I was getting ready to leave Ann looked out the window and commented that I would be running in the fog... I pointed out that running in fog is no big deal and can even be kind of fun, and besides it would probably clear by the time we started. I didn't remind her that I would also be riding in the fog, which is the scary part. At least the rain had let up for the moment. I wish I'd had my camera up front on the ride over to snap some photos - the fog and the barely starting fall colors were very scenic. As I pulled into Mendon Ponds Park I passed one field with a fairly large herd of deer munching away... very cool. Every year I arrive at pretty much the same time, and every year I end up parking further from race HQ - while that bodes well for the future of the event, I'm thinking I may need to get there a bit earlier in the future so that I'm not parking out on the road.
Picked up my packet, which included a truly hideous tech fabric shirt in eye-searing greenish yellow, and then lugged my bike and gear into transition. After that I geared up and went for my typical pre-race walk down to the beach. The fog was thick enough that I couldn't see across Hundred Acre Pond... all in all it was a pretty neat morning for a race. Eventually we all gathered at the starting line, got the usual pre-race briefing which included a special emphasis on being very careful on the slippery roads, and then took off across the fields and into the woods.
more to come...
2008 Event Totals
Run 170.1 mi / 39 hr 21 min
Bike 52.4 mi / 3 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, VT
Rochester Autumn Classic F1 Duathlon
Sunday, September 28, 2008
2008 Autumn Classic Duathlon results
Yesterday I told a couple of folks I've done the various Rochester Classic Du's at Mendon that I could follow the course with my eyes closed. And then last night I wished for a dry morning... could I have done anything more to jinx myself? Rain, rain, rain. Not terribly hard rain, fortunately, but steady enough that at least one competitor wearing glasses (ie. me) spent the whole time looking at the blurry trails and roads in front of him wondering if tiny windshield wipers for glasses really are impractical. This wasn't the first wet du I've done - the 2006 Lake Effect "Snowshoe" Duathlon won that dubious distinction, but that was only 4 miles of running and 12 miles of riding, as opposed to today's 6 mile run and 20 mile ride. On the other hand - it was a heck of a lot warmer today than that first Lake Effect race was!
As I was getting ready to leave Ann looked out the window and commented that I would be running in the fog... I pointed out that running in fog is no big deal and can even be kind of fun, and besides it would probably clear by the time we started. I didn't remind her that I would also be riding in the fog, which is the scary part. At least the rain had let up for the moment. I wish I'd had my camera up front on the ride over to snap some photos - the fog and the barely starting fall colors were very scenic. As I pulled into Mendon Ponds Park I passed one field with a fairly large herd of deer munching away... very cool. Every year I arrive at pretty much the same time, and every year I end up parking further from race HQ - while that bodes well for the future of the event, I'm thinking I may need to get there a bit earlier in the future so that I'm not parking out on the road.
Picked up my packet, which included a truly hideous tech fabric shirt in eye-searing greenish yellow, and then lugged my bike and gear into transition. After that I geared up and went for my typical pre-race walk down to the beach. The fog was thick enough that I couldn't see across Hundred Acre Pond... all in all it was a pretty neat morning for a race. Eventually we all gathered at the starting line, got the usual pre-race briefing which included a special emphasis on being very careful on the slippery roads, and then took off across the fields and into the woods.
more to come...
2008 Event Totals
Run 170.1 mi / 39 hr 21 min
Bike 52.4 mi / 3 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, VT
Saturday, September 27, 2008
1 Mile Walk at Ontario Pathways
Saturday, September 27, 2008
After a rainy morning and afternoon spent first at AMAI's autumn ceremonial breakfast (when folks who've tested for various ranks of black belt get their certificates) and then a 3 hour instructors' meeting, Ann and I were really pleased to see clear skies as we got closer to Rochester. We had wanted to get outdoors for a bit, so we stopped at Ontario Pathways in Phelps and walked down the trail and along the creek a ways.
Nice weather, several pretty waterfalls, the beginnings of fall color, and walking in the woods with my sweetheart... what more could I ask for?
OK, OK... how about dry weather for the duathlon tomorrow morning...
JMH
Saturday, September 27, 2008
After a rainy morning and afternoon spent first at AMAI's autumn ceremonial breakfast (when folks who've tested for various ranks of black belt get their certificates) and then a 3 hour instructors' meeting, Ann and I were really pleased to see clear skies as we got closer to Rochester. We had wanted to get outdoors for a bit, so we stopped at Ontario Pathways in Phelps and walked down the trail and along the creek a ways.
Nice weather, several pretty waterfalls, the beginnings of fall color, and walking in the woods with my sweetheart... what more could I ask for?
OK, OK... how about dry weather for the duathlon tomorrow morning...
JMH
Friday, September 26, 2008
A COOL RAINY EVENING
7.4 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Friday, September 26, 2008
I had planned to run either Wednesday or Thursday night, but found myself with a serious lack of both energy and motivation. So rain or no rain, tonight was a definite night to run. Headed over to the Great Dune trailhead of the Pine Bush, figuring I'd do some variation of the perimeter loop, since the yellow and blue trails are still closed for "habitat restoration."
It felt really good to be out in the woods again, and the rain stayed a very fine drizzle, so it was actually a pretty cool evening... fog drifting among the trees and so on. Turns out they've cleared the cut trees off the yellow trail, so that was runnable... but it bums me out to be running along the edge of a torn-up open hillside when it used to be a wonderful shaded woods path. Curiosity got the better of me, so I ended up heading down into what used to be the old field and ran some trails I haven't been on in a long time... that was fun!
Along the way I saw flocks of finches, two bucks with antlers coming in nicely, and a small herd of deer. And best of all I managed to get back to the car before it got too dark to see the path, since I didn't have batteries with me for my headlamp.
JMH
7.4 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Friday, September 26, 2008
I had planned to run either Wednesday or Thursday night, but found myself with a serious lack of both energy and motivation. So rain or no rain, tonight was a definite night to run. Headed over to the Great Dune trailhead of the Pine Bush, figuring I'd do some variation of the perimeter loop, since the yellow and blue trails are still closed for "habitat restoration."
It felt really good to be out in the woods again, and the rain stayed a very fine drizzle, so it was actually a pretty cool evening... fog drifting among the trees and so on. Turns out they've cleared the cut trees off the yellow trail, so that was runnable... but it bums me out to be running along the edge of a torn-up open hillside when it used to be a wonderful shaded woods path. Curiosity got the better of me, so I ended up heading down into what used to be the old field and ran some trails I haven't been on in a long time... that was fun!
Along the way I saw flocks of finches, two bucks with antlers coming in nicely, and a small herd of deer. And best of all I managed to get back to the car before it got too dark to see the path, since I didn't have batteries with me for my headlamp.
JMH
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
15 Mile Ride at the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I had originally planned to take tonight off and just do some work, but the weather was so nice on my ride home that I decided to go for a short, easy ride... along the way I saw a replica of the Half Moon (or more accurately, the Halve Maen), the ship which Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River as far as Albany in 1609 before concluding that the river was not a route to the much-sought Northwest Passage.
As nice as it was when I got out of work, it sure got chilly quickly when the sun started to set!
JMH
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I had originally planned to take tonight off and just do some work, but the weather was so nice on my ride home that I decided to go for a short, easy ride... along the way I saw a replica of the Half Moon (or more accurately, the Halve Maen), the ship which Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River as far as Albany in 1609 before concluding that the river was not a route to the much-sought Northwest Passage.
As nice as it was when I got out of work, it sure got chilly quickly when the sun started to set!
JMH
Monday, September 22, 2008
OFFICIALLY AUTUMN
17.5 Mile Ride Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, September 22, 2008
As the various weather people talked about today being the first official day of fall, I found myself thinking about the irony that even though I have fairly rigorous training as an astronomer I don't really associate the seasons with the equinoxes and solstices in my own head. I've been thinking of it as "autumn" since the start of September!
The change of the seasons is most definitely upon us... I ended up riding the last 6 miles or so in ever-increasing darkness. Before too much longer I'll need to break out the mountain bike and lights to ride after work, even on the bike path - the wider tires are just much more forgiving and safer to ride on in the dark...
I also found myself contemplating using tights... it wasn't quite that cold yet, but it was definitely getting there!
JMH
17.5 Mile Ride Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, September 22, 2008
As the various weather people talked about today being the first official day of fall, I found myself thinking about the irony that even though I have fairly rigorous training as an astronomer I don't really associate the seasons with the equinoxes and solstices in my own head. I've been thinking of it as "autumn" since the start of September!
The change of the seasons is most definitely upon us... I ended up riding the last 6 miles or so in ever-increasing darkness. Before too much longer I'll need to break out the mountain bike and lights to ride after work, even on the bike path - the wider tires are just much more forgiving and safer to ride on in the dark...
I also found myself contemplating using tights... it wasn't quite that cold yet, but it was definitely getting there!
JMH
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A TURTLE IN MAINE, Part 9 -
A Long Drive Back to Albany
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Ack. That was a long haul. Left southern Acadia at 1:45 PM and arrived in Albany at around 10:15 PM. Fortunately the weather wasn't so great... it would have been the pits to spend a beautiful afternoon driving for hours and hours.
Traffic ranged from tolerable to god-awful, with the worst being the five miles or so of backed up, bumper-to-bumper traffic at the Mass Turnpike/I-84 interchange. There was also a short intense downpour as I was driving down I-495 which reduced visibility to almost nothing and had traffic moving at a 30 mph crawl for 15 minutes or so... that was scary.
I have to admit, it was nice to get past I-84 along the Mass Pike - the traffic cleared out a lot, and I was on a road I've travelled a fair number of times in the last few years for various races. While I would have rather stayed at Acadia for a few more days, I was pretty darn glad when the drive was finally over and I was lugging gear from my car up to my apartment.
All in all, this was a fun weekend... despite the horrendous amount of time on the road at each end!
JMH
A Long Drive Back to Albany
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Ack. That was a long haul. Left southern Acadia at 1:45 PM and arrived in Albany at around 10:15 PM. Fortunately the weather wasn't so great... it would have been the pits to spend a beautiful afternoon driving for hours and hours.
Traffic ranged from tolerable to god-awful, with the worst being the five miles or so of backed up, bumper-to-bumper traffic at the Mass Turnpike/I-84 interchange. There was also a short intense downpour as I was driving down I-495 which reduced visibility to almost nothing and had traffic moving at a 30 mph crawl for 15 minutes or so... that was scary.
I have to admit, it was nice to get past I-84 along the Mass Pike - the traffic cleared out a lot, and I was on a road I've travelled a fair number of times in the last few years for various races. While I would have rather stayed at Acadia for a few more days, I was pretty darn glad when the drive was finally over and I was lugging gear from my car up to my apartment.
All in all, this was a fun weekend... despite the horrendous amount of time on the road at each end!
JMH
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A TURTLE IN MAINE, Part 4 -
ACADIA! 11.3 Mile Ride Around Bubble Pond, Jordan Pond, & Eagle Lake
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Shortly after my drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain I parked at the Bubble Pond trailhead... in the last available space. I have to admit it would have been really aggravating to get there and have no place to park! Broke out my ATB and gear and headed on down the carriage trail along the western shore of Bubble Pond.
The carriage road along Bubble Pond was slightly rougher than the ones I'd run on in the morning, but still pretty easy to ride... at least in terms of the trail surface. The grade was another matter... this ride is listed as "moderate" in the AMC Discover Acadia National Park guidebook and it involved a decent amount of climbling, though nothing too terribly steep. Maybe I would have thought it was easier if I hadn't run a half marathon in the morning! On the plus side, the climbs were balanced out by some long sweet downhills.
After leaving Bubble Pond, the carriage road wound its way toward Jordan Pond, passing under a nice escarpment in the process... I even saw a nice little trail-side waterfall. Eventually I crossed the Loop Road and rode past the Jordan Pond access areas, then had a rather disappointing stretch where there were enough woods between me and the water that I couldn't really see anything, despite the fact that the views of the pond were supposed to be a highlight of the ride. In the end, it turned out I just needed to be patient... further up the hill the trail opened up on both sides as it traversed an enormous rock slide along the eastern slope of Penobscot Mountain, with the steep ridge of the mountain to the left and a rocky drop down to the pond on the right. It's too bad I was there later in the afternoon, when the trail was in the shade of the mountain - the views were great as it was, and probably would be positively awesome in the morning sunlight.
After that the path headed back into the woods and I eventually found my way down to the Eagle Lake carriage road. Instead of taking the right turn uphill to loop around the southern end of the lake and make my way back to Bubble Pond, I decided to go left and do most of the loop around Eagle Lake in the reverse direction of how I'd run it that morning. In other words, more sweet downhill riding! All too quickly I came to the north end of the lake. Toyed briefly with the idea of doing a lollipop ride out to Witch Hole Pond, but decided it was getting too late in the day, plus I wasn't sure I wanted to add another 4-5 miles of riding. So instead I continued around Eagle Lake, with some glorious views across the Lake from the relatively open northern shore and best of all - sunshine!
Despite a little bit of climbing, all too quickly I found myself at the turnoff to Bubble Pond... I guess in some ways I was lucky, because I didn't have to climb the steep hill at the south end of the lake. A short distance later I crossed the Loop Road and found myself back at the car. After loading the bike on the rack and changing into warmer clothes, I took a short walk down to the shore of Bubble Pond before heading back out on the road for the southern end of the park.
Despite my legs being more than a bit tired, this was a fun ride - I wish I could stay longer and explore even more of the carriage roads! Maybe I can do a little riding tomorrow morning...
JMH
ACADIA! 11.3 Mile Ride Around Bubble Pond, Jordan Pond, & Eagle Lake
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Shortly after my drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain I parked at the Bubble Pond trailhead... in the last available space. I have to admit it would have been really aggravating to get there and have no place to park! Broke out my ATB and gear and headed on down the carriage trail along the western shore of Bubble Pond.
The carriage road along Bubble Pond was slightly rougher than the ones I'd run on in the morning, but still pretty easy to ride... at least in terms of the trail surface. The grade was another matter... this ride is listed as "moderate" in the AMC Discover Acadia National Park guidebook and it involved a decent amount of climbling, though nothing too terribly steep. Maybe I would have thought it was easier if I hadn't run a half marathon in the morning! On the plus side, the climbs were balanced out by some long sweet downhills.
After leaving Bubble Pond, the carriage road wound its way toward Jordan Pond, passing under a nice escarpment in the process... I even saw a nice little trail-side waterfall. Eventually I crossed the Loop Road and rode past the Jordan Pond access areas, then had a rather disappointing stretch where there were enough woods between me and the water that I couldn't really see anything, despite the fact that the views of the pond were supposed to be a highlight of the ride. In the end, it turned out I just needed to be patient... further up the hill the trail opened up on both sides as it traversed an enormous rock slide along the eastern slope of Penobscot Mountain, with the steep ridge of the mountain to the left and a rocky drop down to the pond on the right. It's too bad I was there later in the afternoon, when the trail was in the shade of the mountain - the views were great as it was, and probably would be positively awesome in the morning sunlight.
After that the path headed back into the woods and I eventually found my way down to the Eagle Lake carriage road. Instead of taking the right turn uphill to loop around the southern end of the lake and make my way back to Bubble Pond, I decided to go left and do most of the loop around Eagle Lake in the reverse direction of how I'd run it that morning. In other words, more sweet downhill riding! All too quickly I came to the north end of the lake. Toyed briefly with the idea of doing a lollipop ride out to Witch Hole Pond, but decided it was getting too late in the day, plus I wasn't sure I wanted to add another 4-5 miles of riding. So instead I continued around Eagle Lake, with some glorious views across the Lake from the relatively open northern shore and best of all - sunshine!
Despite a little bit of climbing, all too quickly I found myself at the turnoff to Bubble Pond... I guess in some ways I was lucky, because I didn't have to climb the steep hill at the south end of the lake. A short distance later I crossed the Loop Road and found myself back at the car. After loading the bike on the rack and changing into warmer clothes, I took a short walk down to the shore of Bubble Pond before heading back out on the road for the southern end of the park.
Despite my legs being more than a bit tired, this was a fun ride - I wish I could stay longer and explore even more of the carriage roads! Maybe I can do a little riding tomorrow morning...
JMH
A TURTLE IN MAINE, Part 3 -
ACADIA! Cadillac Mountain Summit Drive
Saturday, September 20, 2008
After taking care of paying for my motel room, I spent some time relaxing, eating my lunch, and trying to decide how to spend the afternoon. In the end I settled on riding what was supposed to be one of the easier carriage road loops, along Jordan Pond and Bubble Pond. Initially I thought I'd save money and avoid the Park Loop Road, but as I was driving back down to Acadia I changed my mind and made my first stop the Visitors' Center, where I picked up yet another park map and paid $20 for a 1 week pass to drive inside the park itself.
As I was heading along the Loop Road to the Bubble Pond parking area, I saw signs for the road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain and decided to drive to the top today instead of waiting for tomorrow morning. Cadillac Mountain is the highest peak on Mount Desert Island and also the highest point within 25 miles of the eastern coast of the US. There were some great views as I drove to the summit, along with several turnoffs where I could stop and take pictures. In particular, at a number of points I was able to look out over all of Eagle Lake (which I'd run around in the morning) and could see a number of peaks in the distance, as well as other ponds and bays.
The summit itself was crawling with people... I can only imagine what it must be like in the summer. Still, there were some excellent views out over Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands to the northeast, and out over the Atlantic Ocean and the Cranberry Islands to the southwest. I doubt my pictures can even begin to do the view justice.
If I visit Acadia again someday, hopefully I can hike to the summit instead of driving!
JMH
ACADIA! Cadillac Mountain Summit Drive
Saturday, September 20, 2008
After taking care of paying for my motel room, I spent some time relaxing, eating my lunch, and trying to decide how to spend the afternoon. In the end I settled on riding what was supposed to be one of the easier carriage road loops, along Jordan Pond and Bubble Pond. Initially I thought I'd save money and avoid the Park Loop Road, but as I was driving back down to Acadia I changed my mind and made my first stop the Visitors' Center, where I picked up yet another park map and paid $20 for a 1 week pass to drive inside the park itself.
As I was heading along the Loop Road to the Bubble Pond parking area, I saw signs for the road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain and decided to drive to the top today instead of waiting for tomorrow morning. Cadillac Mountain is the highest peak on Mount Desert Island and also the highest point within 25 miles of the eastern coast of the US. There were some great views as I drove to the summit, along with several turnoffs where I could stop and take pictures. In particular, at a number of points I was able to look out over all of Eagle Lake (which I'd run around in the morning) and could see a number of peaks in the distance, as well as other ponds and bays.
The summit itself was crawling with people... I can only imagine what it must be like in the summer. Still, there were some excellent views out over Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands to the northeast, and out over the Atlantic Ocean and the Cranberry Islands to the southwest. I doubt my pictures can even begin to do the view justice.
If I visit Acadia again someday, hopefully I can hike to the summit instead of driving!
JMH
A TURTLE IN MAINE, Part 2 -
NOT-SO-LONG DISTANCE 2008 - Race #21
MDI YMCA Half Marathon
Saturday, September 20, 2008
2008 MDI YMCA Half Marathon results
The general practice for this race is for runners to pick up their race packets the day before, presumably to prevent huge lines as 400 runners all try to get their stuff the morning of the race. Since I couldn't get there the day before, I'd made arrangements to get my packet this morning... except I had to pick it up before 7:15 AM. So I got to the Bar Harbor YMCA at 7 AM and then had a 90 minute wait until the fun began. One plus - I had no problem finding a place to park!
I decided to walk down Main Street to kill some time, get a look at the waterfront, and get in a little warmup. Saw lots of shops that I decided I might want to check out after the race, and ended up at a very nice little park overlooking the harbor. Lots of boats to see, of all shapes and sizes, including a big cruise ship off in the distance. Took some nifty pictures of boats and birds (mainly gulls, but there was also a loon out on the water) and then headed back to the YMCA to get ready to run.
Last night had been pretty chilly, but my walk convinced me that I'd be fine with a short-sleeved shirt during the race. Changed into my running gear, waited in line at one of the bathrooms and listened to the locals talk about what a tough course it is (great...) and then wandered around outside for a while waiting for things to start. We certainly had a great morning - cool and sunny - and I was really looking forward to getting underway, despite all the hills I'd heard we'd be running up (though I did revise my finishing time estimate to definitely over 2 1/2 hours.) A few minutes before things were scheduled to start we all wandered over to Main Street and clustered behind the starting line. I think the RD may have tried to say something before we started, but I couldn't hear anything over the racket people were making. And then, with the honk of an air horn, we were off and running!
The first part of the run took us down Main Street, retracing my walk from an hour or so previous... at the waterfront we turned and ran out of town, at which point the hills began. I passed the first mile marker in about 11 minutes - not a bad pace, considering that a lot of the first mile was a gradual downhill and I was trying to take it really easy at the start. Leaving town we had a long uphill climb to get to one of the entrance roads to Acadia, at which point we turned into the park and ran mostly uphill to one of the entrance to the carriage road system and (hurray!) left pavement behind for about 8 miles.
The carriage roads we were on were in much better shape than I'd anticipated - they were essentially hard-packed dirt roads and easy running. We ran through woods with some nice views of ponds and wetlands, generally heading uphill, sometimes very gradually and other times a bit more steeply. At a couple of points we had some nice views of mountains off in the distance, too. I continued to maintain about an 11 1/2 minute pace, which felt decent going up the hills... passed a few folks as we made our way around Eagle Lake (unfortunately, we could only really see the lake through the trees) but often was passed in turn when I stopped to snap a photo or grab a sip of water. About 6 miles in came one of the hills I heard about - a decent climb about a mile long, but once we reached the top we had a series of downhill stretches where I started opening up the throttle a bit, both because it was easier to run downhill and because I was feeling good and thought I could pick up the pace for the 2nd half. Started consistently passing more runners and a few walkers (they'd started an hour before us) and worked at pushing a tougher pace as we came around the other side of the lake (which included some great views across the water... unfortunately, clouds had rolled in so it wasn't quite as scenic as it would have been otherwise.)
Sadly, once we had gone all the way around Eagle Lake it was time to say goodbye to the carriage roads and return to pavement... starting with another long climb. But one plus to that was a lot of downhills to run afterwards, where I really tried to push along, especially as the miles ticked down and I got closer to the finish. Passed some more runners and walkers... I think some of them wondered why I was pushing hard, but I really wanted to finish strong and see what I could do time-wise with the energy I had left. Finally got off the main road and took some quieter streets down into town, with volunteers periodically telling me I was almost there... in the end, the finale came quicker than I'd expected (mostly because I hadn't realized what direction we'd be approaching the finish line from) - I took a dirt path through some trees and bushes and found myself running as hard as I could across the athletic fields, to hit the finish at 2 hr 20 min 18 sec - a much better time than I'd expected (I figured I'd have to struggle to break 2 1/2 hours) and a sub-11 min pace, with definite negative splits (I ran the 2nd half faster than the first.)
After that I snagged a snack and staggered around trying to get my breath back and keep my legs from shutting down on me... changed into dry clothes and went into town both to keep moving and to do a little shopping (gifts and lunch.) Then it was back to the motel to pay for my room, eat my lunch, and figure out where in Acadia I wanted to go for the afternoon.
I definitely had a good run today... some of that was probably the conditions (cool weather) and some the fact that the distance wasn't crazy and the course was not that tough compared to the races I've run this summer... what can I say, running/hiking singletrack up the side of a mountain puts courses like this in a certain perspective, which is a good thing. I've had enough miserable races this year that I appreciate the good ones. I was able to run up all the hills and I feel like I ran a smart race that left me with enough energy to run progressively harder in the 2nd half. I don't know that I'll come back to this one next year - it's a nice course but nothing that screams out to me that I have to run it again, and the trip is definitely on the expensive side and more than a little time consuming. But I'm really glad I did it this year, both because I enjoyed the race and because it put me in the position to spend some time exploring a small part of Acadia National Park for the rest of the weekend.
Next up: the Rochester Autumn Classic Duathlon. This will be the 8th time I've done one of the variations of the Yellowjacket Racing du course at Mendon... should be fun!
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 164.1 mi / 38 hr 18 min
Bike 32.4 mi / 2 hr 19 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, VT
NOT-SO-LONG DISTANCE 2008 - Race #21
MDI YMCA Half Marathon
Saturday, September 20, 2008
2008 MDI YMCA Half Marathon results
The general practice for this race is for runners to pick up their race packets the day before, presumably to prevent huge lines as 400 runners all try to get their stuff the morning of the race. Since I couldn't get there the day before, I'd made arrangements to get my packet this morning... except I had to pick it up before 7:15 AM. So I got to the Bar Harbor YMCA at 7 AM and then had a 90 minute wait until the fun began. One plus - I had no problem finding a place to park!
I decided to walk down Main Street to kill some time, get a look at the waterfront, and get in a little warmup. Saw lots of shops that I decided I might want to check out after the race, and ended up at a very nice little park overlooking the harbor. Lots of boats to see, of all shapes and sizes, including a big cruise ship off in the distance. Took some nifty pictures of boats and birds (mainly gulls, but there was also a loon out on the water) and then headed back to the YMCA to get ready to run.
Last night had been pretty chilly, but my walk convinced me that I'd be fine with a short-sleeved shirt during the race. Changed into my running gear, waited in line at one of the bathrooms and listened to the locals talk about what a tough course it is (great...) and then wandered around outside for a while waiting for things to start. We certainly had a great morning - cool and sunny - and I was really looking forward to getting underway, despite all the hills I'd heard we'd be running up (though I did revise my finishing time estimate to definitely over 2 1/2 hours.) A few minutes before things were scheduled to start we all wandered over to Main Street and clustered behind the starting line. I think the RD may have tried to say something before we started, but I couldn't hear anything over the racket people were making. And then, with the honk of an air horn, we were off and running!
The first part of the run took us down Main Street, retracing my walk from an hour or so previous... at the waterfront we turned and ran out of town, at which point the hills began. I passed the first mile marker in about 11 minutes - not a bad pace, considering that a lot of the first mile was a gradual downhill and I was trying to take it really easy at the start. Leaving town we had a long uphill climb to get to one of the entrance roads to Acadia, at which point we turned into the park and ran mostly uphill to one of the entrance to the carriage road system and (hurray!) left pavement behind for about 8 miles.
The carriage roads we were on were in much better shape than I'd anticipated - they were essentially hard-packed dirt roads and easy running. We ran through woods with some nice views of ponds and wetlands, generally heading uphill, sometimes very gradually and other times a bit more steeply. At a couple of points we had some nice views of mountains off in the distance, too. I continued to maintain about an 11 1/2 minute pace, which felt decent going up the hills... passed a few folks as we made our way around Eagle Lake (unfortunately, we could only really see the lake through the trees) but often was passed in turn when I stopped to snap a photo or grab a sip of water. About 6 miles in came one of the hills I heard about - a decent climb about a mile long, but once we reached the top we had a series of downhill stretches where I started opening up the throttle a bit, both because it was easier to run downhill and because I was feeling good and thought I could pick up the pace for the 2nd half. Started consistently passing more runners and a few walkers (they'd started an hour before us) and worked at pushing a tougher pace as we came around the other side of the lake (which included some great views across the water... unfortunately, clouds had rolled in so it wasn't quite as scenic as it would have been otherwise.)
Sadly, once we had gone all the way around Eagle Lake it was time to say goodbye to the carriage roads and return to pavement... starting with another long climb. But one plus to that was a lot of downhills to run afterwards, where I really tried to push along, especially as the miles ticked down and I got closer to the finish. Passed some more runners and walkers... I think some of them wondered why I was pushing hard, but I really wanted to finish strong and see what I could do time-wise with the energy I had left. Finally got off the main road and took some quieter streets down into town, with volunteers periodically telling me I was almost there... in the end, the finale came quicker than I'd expected (mostly because I hadn't realized what direction we'd be approaching the finish line from) - I took a dirt path through some trees and bushes and found myself running as hard as I could across the athletic fields, to hit the finish at 2 hr 20 min 18 sec - a much better time than I'd expected (I figured I'd have to struggle to break 2 1/2 hours) and a sub-11 min pace, with definite negative splits (I ran the 2nd half faster than the first.)
After that I snagged a snack and staggered around trying to get my breath back and keep my legs from shutting down on me... changed into dry clothes and went into town both to keep moving and to do a little shopping (gifts and lunch.) Then it was back to the motel to pay for my room, eat my lunch, and figure out where in Acadia I wanted to go for the afternoon.
I definitely had a good run today... some of that was probably the conditions (cool weather) and some the fact that the distance wasn't crazy and the course was not that tough compared to the races I've run this summer... what can I say, running/hiking singletrack up the side of a mountain puts courses like this in a certain perspective, which is a good thing. I've had enough miserable races this year that I appreciate the good ones. I was able to run up all the hills and I feel like I ran a smart race that left me with enough energy to run progressively harder in the 2nd half. I don't know that I'll come back to this one next year - it's a nice course but nothing that screams out to me that I have to run it again, and the trip is definitely on the expensive side and more than a little time consuming. But I'm really glad I did it this year, both because I enjoyed the race and because it put me in the position to spend some time exploring a small part of Acadia National Park for the rest of the weekend.
Next up: the Rochester Autumn Classic Duathlon. This will be the 8th time I've done one of the variations of the Yellowjacket Racing du course at Mendon... should be fun!
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 164.1 mi / 38 hr 18 min
Bike 32.4 mi / 2 hr 19 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, VT
Friday, September 19, 2008
A TURTLE IN MAINE, Part 1 -
On the Road Again...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Got off to much later start than I'd hoped for, and didn't leave Albany until 4 PM... which gave me an 11:30-12 midnight arrival time at my motel 15 minutes from Bar Harbor. The drive was exactly what I expected... a bloody long time (almost 8 hours) spent in the car, with a few tense moments of dealing with other idiot drivers.
The first 4 hours were fairly routine... I've driven both the MA Turnpike and I-495 a few times over the last couple of years, both for races and even for the trip to Nova Scotia Ann and I made back in 2004. It was kind of cool crossing the NH/Maine border and looking down the river to see the bridge we ran over about 1 mile into the Eastern States 20 Mile race in March 2007.
After that I was mostly in (for me) parts unknown - I've only driven to Maine once before, and we took a different route to get to and from the border crossing into New Brunswick, Canada. It was also getting dark, and driving through Maine in the dark was a bit nerve-wracking... it's bad enough to be concerned about deer darting out in front of the car, but seeing signs warning you to watch out for moose crossing the road puts a scary spin on that, given the size of those critters!
Had a few minutes of worry as I was cruising the final few miles and noticed that some of the motel signs weren't lit, but fortunately mine was... unfortunately, there was no one at the office! I spent a few minutes worrying that I'd be spending a very cold night trying to sleep in the car before reaching the owner on an outdoor courtesy phone, so that he could tell me to check the key box because my key was probably in it. Hurray!
Room was pretty basic and pretty cold, but I figured out how to get the heater working, grabbed my sleeping bag out of the car for an extra layer on the bed, and crawled under the covers for a few hours sleep before heading into town in the morning...
JMH
On the Road Again...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Got off to much later start than I'd hoped for, and didn't leave Albany until 4 PM... which gave me an 11:30-12 midnight arrival time at my motel 15 minutes from Bar Harbor. The drive was exactly what I expected... a bloody long time (almost 8 hours) spent in the car, with a few tense moments of dealing with other idiot drivers.
The first 4 hours were fairly routine... I've driven both the MA Turnpike and I-495 a few times over the last couple of years, both for races and even for the trip to Nova Scotia Ann and I made back in 2004. It was kind of cool crossing the NH/Maine border and looking down the river to see the bridge we ran over about 1 mile into the Eastern States 20 Mile race in March 2007.
After that I was mostly in (for me) parts unknown - I've only driven to Maine once before, and we took a different route to get to and from the border crossing into New Brunswick, Canada. It was also getting dark, and driving through Maine in the dark was a bit nerve-wracking... it's bad enough to be concerned about deer darting out in front of the car, but seeing signs warning you to watch out for moose crossing the road puts a scary spin on that, given the size of those critters!
Had a few minutes of worry as I was cruising the final few miles and noticed that some of the motel signs weren't lit, but fortunately mine was... unfortunately, there was no one at the office! I spent a few minutes worrying that I'd be spending a very cold night trying to sleep in the car before reaching the owner on an outdoor courtesy phone, so that he could tell me to check the key box because my key was probably in it. Hurray!
Room was pretty basic and pretty cold, but I figured out how to get the heater working, grabbed my sleeping bag out of the car for an extra layer on the bed, and crawled under the covers for a few hours sleep before heading into town in the morning...
JMH
A TURTLE IN MAINE
WHY???????
Friday, September 19, 2008
That strikes me as a really good question to be asking about my upcoming trip, seeing as it will entail 16+ hours of driving in just over 2 days and a decent amount of money spent on gas, a motel room, food, and so on. So why exactly am I making this crazy trip to Bar Harbor this weekend?
Can't really discount the "it's an adventure" factor, though the last time I did a crazy race weekend based on that (the snowshoe triple weekend back in February) I decided I would never do that particular combo of races again, and I would probably never drive 4+ hours and spend the night at a motel for anything less than a 15k (and that would have to be a darn cool 15k to boot!)
I've been contemplating running the Mount Desert Island Marathon for a while now... in some ways this trip is research for that, checking out the area and the terrain, as well as learning just how bad the drive out there really is. I don't think much of driving 4 hours after all the times I've gone to Rochester over the last eight years... but 8 hours is a whole other story!
I've also wanted to visit Acadia National Park ever since I ran into info about it while researching the trip Ann and I made to Nova Scotia back in 2004... this is a chance to see some of Acadia during and after the race and figure out if I should try to convince Ann that we really should go there sometime.
So I guess that's what it comes down to... research! (OK, it's also a potentially fun adventure... and don't discount the fact that I am CRAZY.)
JMH
WHY???????
Friday, September 19, 2008
That strikes me as a really good question to be asking about my upcoming trip, seeing as it will entail 16+ hours of driving in just over 2 days and a decent amount of money spent on gas, a motel room, food, and so on. So why exactly am I making this crazy trip to Bar Harbor this weekend?
Can't really discount the "it's an adventure" factor, though the last time I did a crazy race weekend based on that (the snowshoe triple weekend back in February) I decided I would never do that particular combo of races again, and I would probably never drive 4+ hours and spend the night at a motel for anything less than a 15k (and that would have to be a darn cool 15k to boot!)
I've been contemplating running the Mount Desert Island Marathon for a while now... in some ways this trip is research for that, checking out the area and the terrain, as well as learning just how bad the drive out there really is. I don't think much of driving 4 hours after all the times I've gone to Rochester over the last eight years... but 8 hours is a whole other story!
I've also wanted to visit Acadia National Park ever since I ran into info about it while researching the trip Ann and I made to Nova Scotia back in 2004... this is a chance to see some of Acadia during and after the race and figure out if I should try to convince Ann that we really should go there sometime.
So I guess that's what it comes down to... research! (OK, it's also a potentially fun adventure... and don't discount the fact that I am CRAZY.)
JMH
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS...
6.3 Mile Run in & around the Pine Bush
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Some days there are just too many options for places to run... I knew I was going to hit the trails in the Pine Bush for 6-8 miles, but which section? I finally went with my gut feeling and ended up at the Blueberry Hill East trailhead, looking forward to a nice mix of hills and flats, woods and fields.
Unfortunately, a little over 2 miles into my run I hit a snag - the trail was blocked off and marked with a sign that a large part of that section was closed for two days due to herbicide application. Phooey. If it had been mowing I'd have ignored it (they don't mow at night, after all) but potentially toxic chemicals... not something to mess with. So I headed back the way I came, then took another trail down to the Blueberry Hill West trailhead... that required a quick dash through a small section of the closed area, but I was willing to risk that.
From there I spent a while running on local roads until I reached the Kaikout Kill Barrens trailhead, where I was able to head back into the woods. Ran half a loop, then turned around and ran the full loop in reverse before heading back toward the closed area. Made another quick dash through and was back on the trails I'd started out on.
It was getting pretty dark by the time I looped around the fields of Blueberry Hill East, so I broke out my headlamp and tried something new, taking a trail I'd never been on before to another one of the many parking lots in the Columbia Circle office complexes. Then it was just a matter of making my way through the lots back to my car, to wrap up a rather unusual and somewhat disjointed run.
In another day and a half - I'm off to Maine!
JMH
6.3 Mile Run in & around the Pine Bush
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Some days there are just too many options for places to run... I knew I was going to hit the trails in the Pine Bush for 6-8 miles, but which section? I finally went with my gut feeling and ended up at the Blueberry Hill East trailhead, looking forward to a nice mix of hills and flats, woods and fields.
Unfortunately, a little over 2 miles into my run I hit a snag - the trail was blocked off and marked with a sign that a large part of that section was closed for two days due to herbicide application. Phooey. If it had been mowing I'd have ignored it (they don't mow at night, after all) but potentially toxic chemicals... not something to mess with. So I headed back the way I came, then took another trail down to the Blueberry Hill West trailhead... that required a quick dash through a small section of the closed area, but I was willing to risk that.
From there I spent a while running on local roads until I reached the Kaikout Kill Barrens trailhead, where I was able to head back into the woods. Ran half a loop, then turned around and ran the full loop in reverse before heading back toward the closed area. Made another quick dash through and was back on the trails I'd started out on.
It was getting pretty dark by the time I looped around the fields of Blueberry Hill East, so I broke out my headlamp and tried something new, taking a trail I'd never been on before to another one of the many parking lots in the Columbia Circle office complexes. Then it was just a matter of making my way through the lots back to my car, to wrap up a rather unusual and somewhat disjointed run.
In another day and a half - I'm off to Maine!
JMH
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A GOOD NIGHT FOR A RUN!
10.3 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I don't know if it was all the sleep I got last night or the cool temperatures or running in the dark... but tonight was just a good night for a run. On several occasions when I checked my Garmin I was doing between 10 and 11 minute miles... a positively bookin' pace for me. Or maybe it's running on the nice smooth bike path - after all the gnarly trails I've run in the past few months, the bike path almost seems too easy sometimes!
I did get off to a slow start, first because there was a heron and an egret at the edge of the canoe launch, so I had to get some pictures... and even after they flew off, there were two green herons who seemed incredibly nonchalant about my presence... though they both took off when an oblivious bimbo yacking on her bloody cell phone came crashing down the path with her dog.
After a short warmup walk down the path, I made a side trip to snap some shots of the abundant yellow flowers, then finally started the actual running, though I did take a break about 2 miles later to get some photos of the sunset over the river. After that I was able to concentrate on running until the last few miles, when I paused a few times to try to get pictures of the moon... in the process I found a setting on my camera that I think works better for that than the one I'd been using previously, which is pretty cool.
One more run to go, probably tomorrow night in the Pine Bush... and then I give my running legs a rest until Saturday's half marathon in Maine.
JMH
10.3 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I don't know if it was all the sleep I got last night or the cool temperatures or running in the dark... but tonight was just a good night for a run. On several occasions when I checked my Garmin I was doing between 10 and 11 minute miles... a positively bookin' pace for me. Or maybe it's running on the nice smooth bike path - after all the gnarly trails I've run in the past few months, the bike path almost seems too easy sometimes!
I did get off to a slow start, first because there was a heron and an egret at the edge of the canoe launch, so I had to get some pictures... and even after they flew off, there were two green herons who seemed incredibly nonchalant about my presence... though they both took off when an oblivious bimbo yacking on her bloody cell phone came crashing down the path with her dog.
After a short warmup walk down the path, I made a side trip to snap some shots of the abundant yellow flowers, then finally started the actual running, though I did take a break about 2 miles later to get some photos of the sunset over the river. After that I was able to concentrate on running until the last few miles, when I paused a few times to try to get pictures of the moon... in the process I found a setting on my camera that I think works better for that than the one I'd been using previously, which is pretty cool.
One more run to go, probably tomorrow night in the Pine Bush... and then I give my running legs a rest until Saturday's half marathon in Maine.
JMH
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