Monday through Wednesday - 0 - Very busy week in terms of sick kids, dog getting fixed, chimney swept, wood stacked, blah blah blah. However...I went to the Connecticut Forest & Parks Association meeting in Middletown Wednesday night, where I was voted in as the trail manager of the western 6.5 miles of the Narragansett Trail, starting at Lantern Hill and running all the way to the Wyassup Lake boat launch. Woohoo! And they hooked me up with a ton of CFPA swag: East and West CT Walk Books, with topographic maps of every Blue Blazed trail in Connecticut, books on trail building and maintenance, and some other really cool stuff. Awesome...
Thursday, 12-13 - 6.5 (Trail) - Trail run with Mike B., or "Why you should never be tentative when crossing a stream..." Mike asked if I was free for a trail run, and specifically wanted to do the section I'm going to be maintaining. Met at 9, did the car drop thing, and started out at Lantern Hill. Brutal way to start a run, that first ascent to the top. Great day, upper 30s and partly cloudy, and I'm proud to say that, in Mike's own words, "That was BY FAR the most technical trail run I've ever done." He seemed pretty impressed with the ascents/descents, and blown away by the views. 3/4 of a mile from our finish line, though, we were crossing the very last little stream, and somebody bobbled a bit on a rock and tried to back up...and put both feet right in the stream. So a soggy last 3/4 mile, but a good time all around. On to the WTAC Holiday meeting/party tonight!!! Should be a good time!
Friday/Saturday - 0
Sunday, 12-16 - 6.2 (Trail) - 2012 Old Mountain 5K trail race, the first race in the 4th Season Winter Trail Series. This race is put on by our newest WTAC'er, Mike G., so I of course signed up for it. And it's a trail race, not hilly but with some fairly technical spots, small stream crossings, lots of mud, all good things! When I arrived, I noticed a slew of WTAC singlets, and ran into Rhody Seth, who wanted to run the course as a warmup. Great idea, and we got back with 10-15 minutes to spare. I even lined up in the right place in the crowd and felt pretty good. My race? SUCKED. Great course, great crowd, saw a lot of people and had a good time, but my performance was not at all what I expected. I didn't run with a GPS and had to leave right after for a party, but I have a feeling that when the results are posted I'm going to be more than a bit pissed at myself. (UPDATE: Results posted. Not happy. And as they say, internet results are forever...) Very cool trails though! Lots of work by the crews who cleared/prepared/created them, and this one will be in permanent rotation on my schedule. Next up, the Resolution 5K in Narragansett right after the new year. I'm at 25 races for the year, might possibly squeeze one more in?
Sounds like you had a good trail run Thursday. I'd definitely like to see that section with you sometime, as Wyassup Lake was the westbound terminus of a run with Jonny this summer.
ReplyDeleteSounds good - anytime you'd like, just not at 4:45 a.m.!
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on yourself! Forward momentum right? Onward and upward. Think of how much faster you're going to get....
ReplyDeleteYou got it! I was pissy pants yesterday, and then realized that I had a great time regardless...so I'm already looking toward the Resolution race! I also found two systems of trails less than 1/4 mile from the house, going to check them tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteWhen you 25 races in one year, you are bound to have an off day here and there. Sometimes when I have a bad race I try to remind myself that I did get a good workout and that I'll do better next time. Keep your head up high!
ReplyDeleteMike, half the fun of these races is just the team camaraderie. It's healthy to reflect on what could have gone better and try to put a plan to work on it, but don't dwell on it. Come out and enjoy the fun with your team - just getting out is great.
ReplyDeleteYup! Sorry I couldn't make the run last night, Sophia is still home sick today. I know exactly what you guys are saying, and I'm already past it - and I always have a great time out there! Besides, it gives me a time to beat for next year...
ReplyDelete