Sunday is the Tarc Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run in Mass., my last race until August? Supposed to be a hilly, technical 12k race, and one which I know nothing about. Never been there! Should be great...
6-22 to 6-28? I ran two times. One, a 7 mile run at Green Falls, where I braved the overgrown connector trails North of the campground. The other? A run at the Perry Preserve, with a short run on roads to the small but cool Fennerswood Preserve, which I really liked! Very plush scenery...
6-29 to 7-5? 4 short runs, but quality, hilly runs. 3 at Lantern Hill and 1 at Green Falls. I was able to rack up almost 1800' of vertical gain in a little over 18 miles, and on technical trails. No roads. I'm trying to stay off roads completely unless I have good reason! Biting flies suck but I'm sort of used to them now...
7-6 - 2.5 Miles. Pequot Wood Preserve, Mystic. Driving home and had to get a run in, and this gem of a place is right off 95. Good trails, humid day, biting flies, and mud! Happy hour :)
So that's me catching up. FiveK is getting married this weekend (The "Bachelor Party" we had for him at Mike's was awesome), and I'm so excited for him (and Shara!), and I'm really looking forward to the festivities!!!
7-7 - 0
7-8 - 0
7-9 - 5 Miles. 3 @ Sleeping Giant State Park, 2-ish dog jog w/Henry. Sleeping Giant being just a few short minutes from my current jobsite, I jumped at the chance to get over there when we finished early for the day. My goal was to climb the "chin," make my way to the tower at the top, then bomb the downhill tower trail segment to the bottom. Humid, warm, and lots of people out on the trails!
7-10 - 3 Miles. - Beach run. Met some of the crew on the beach to kick off FiveK's wedding day in style, with a beach run and mimosas. I got to chat with Tommy's brother Steve while some of the guys did a short swim, then we did a relaxed, chatty run to the jetty and back. Great way to start the day!
7-11 - 0
7-12 - 7.4 - TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Race. 1:43, 27th OA. Another awesome trail race on the Grand Tree Race Series. I didn't have nerves for this race, but last year's finishers' list included a huge number of DNF's, so I was thinking about that in the days leading up to the race. Was it hot last year? It's supposed to be hot this year. Was it too technical for most people? I love technical trails, so that won't be a problem. Questions, questions...I woke early, made it from my house to the parking lot in an hour flat, and geared up. Shoes, shorts, singlet, and my handheld. I knew it was gonna be a hot one, but as the race had an early-ish start (8 a.m.), I figured it wouldn't be all that bad (it was 80 degrees by the time it started)...
The Blue Hills Reservation is a huge recreation area right off the highway, and with the race billed as "extremely rocky and steep and demands balance and agility," I was excited to check out the trails there. I wasn't disappointed! Greg's comments were spot on, thanks Greg! Sharp, steep and technical climbs/descents, with some runnable carriage trails to break things up a bit. Very cool, old school and low-key race. Inexpensive. No bibs. You get a popsicle stick at the finish with your place, which you turn in to the RD, who records your time by hand! Imagine! And it's also a good enough test to have drawn some of the best trail runners in New England every year.
I ran a cautious race, partly due to the heat, partly due to what I'd read about the course. I think maybe too tentative, as the race had 1800' of vertical gain and I felt pretty good afterward. I should have been hurting and I wasn't, so I think I might have played it too safe? Either way, I'll be back for this race next year. It's close, the kind of race I like, and the views of the Boston skyline from the top of the hills were spectacular!
I will also say that finishing the race coming down a grassy slope that's a ski slope in the winter was pretty sweet...
7-7 - 0
7-8 - 0
7-9 - 5 Miles. 3 @ Sleeping Giant State Park, 2-ish dog jog w/Henry. Sleeping Giant being just a few short minutes from my current jobsite, I jumped at the chance to get over there when we finished early for the day. My goal was to climb the "chin," make my way to the tower at the top, then bomb the downhill tower trail segment to the bottom. Humid, warm, and lots of people out on the trails!
7-10 - 3 Miles. - Beach run. Met some of the crew on the beach to kick off FiveK's wedding day in style, with a beach run and mimosas. I got to chat with Tommy's brother Steve while some of the guys did a short swim, then we did a relaxed, chatty run to the jetty and back. Great way to start the day!
7-11 - 0
7-12 - 7.4 - TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Race. 1:43, 27th OA. Another awesome trail race on the Grand Tree Race Series. I didn't have nerves for this race, but last year's finishers' list included a huge number of DNF's, so I was thinking about that in the days leading up to the race. Was it hot last year? It's supposed to be hot this year. Was it too technical for most people? I love technical trails, so that won't be a problem. Questions, questions...I woke early, made it from my house to the parking lot in an hour flat, and geared up. Shoes, shorts, singlet, and my handheld. I knew it was gonna be a hot one, but as the race had an early-ish start (8 a.m.), I figured it wouldn't be all that bad (it was 80 degrees by the time it started)...
The Blue Hills Reservation is a huge recreation area right off the highway, and with the race billed as "extremely rocky and steep and demands balance and agility," I was excited to check out the trails there. I wasn't disappointed! Greg's comments were spot on, thanks Greg! Sharp, steep and technical climbs/descents, with some runnable carriage trails to break things up a bit. Very cool, old school and low-key race. Inexpensive. No bibs. You get a popsicle stick at the finish with your place, which you turn in to the RD, who records your time by hand! Imagine! And it's also a good enough test to have drawn some of the best trail runners in New England every year.
I ran a cautious race, partly due to the heat, partly due to what I'd read about the course. I think maybe too tentative, as the race had 1800' of vertical gain and I felt pretty good afterward. I should have been hurting and I wasn't, so I think I might have played it too safe? Either way, I'll be back for this race next year. It's close, the kind of race I like, and the views of the Boston skyline from the top of the hills were spectacular!
I will also say that finishing the race coming down a grassy slope that's a ski slope in the winter was pretty sweet...
Yes, work sucks, and takes a lot of time. You'll figure it out!!
ReplyDeleteWorking on it! Was able to sneak over to Sleeping Giant for a short run, 5 minutes from the jobsite, that was pretty sweet!
DeleteSkyline scouting report:
ReplyDeleteTough technical course. Lot's of climbs and descents on super rocky trails. Carriage road around half way point is tough because you want to run fast. Big climb after carriage road. Few more ups and downs. Bombing downhill finish on grass.
You'll love it!
Thanks for the heads-up, Greg! Looking forward to it :)
DeleteGreat job at Skyline! I knew you'd do well on that kind of course!
ReplyDelete