31st Annual NipMuck Trail Marathon

Well, here goes...my third running of the NipMuck.  My first-ever marathon in 2012, I was totally unprepared.  Last year?  More prepared, and it poured the entire race.  This year?  Sort of prepared...I can't seem to adhere to any kind of training schedule, and I have yet to master the art of the taper.  That said, sunny skies and breezy, cool temps greeted us.  How would it go???

I woke at 5 and scrambled in the dark, using my phone to light my way so I wouldn't wake anyone.  Bag and cooler were packed the night before, and coffee set to go.  I got ready and snuck out of the house under cover of darkness...because it.was.still.dark.  Dammit.

A quick stop on the way for my traditional DD Egg and Cheese Croissant, hash browns and medium coffee, and I made the 45-minute drive from North Stonington to Ashford, CT.  Arriving an hour early, I knew I'd see some familiar faces.  I parked, and as I walked to the registration booth, a car window rolled down.  Seth, politely asking where his new track club singlet was (Actually, more like "Where's my Effing singlet?).  Also inside the car was Jonny and Muddy, this being Muddy's first time at Nipmuck.  I picked up my bib and awesome race shirt (first one!) and hey, it's chilly out!  Ran into TNT'er Pat Quinn, who trained for this race like a boss and was ready to get things going.  Then I went back to the truck to stay warm.  Brisk morning, but at least the skies were clear and the trails were in better shape than last year...

Waited until the last minute, packed a drop bag with all my usual shit, and threw it just past the start/finish.  I was able to take a few pictures before the start:

Pre-race Instruction

"Hey, this guy thinks he's a trail runner, Jonny..."

All smiles (for now)...

(High Fall Risk)

Ready to rock...

Lining up

Turtle photobomb!

Striking fear into the hearts of front runners from Ashford to Ashaway...

your finisher #'s 2, 3 and 4, before the race start...

After the usual race instructions from RD Dave Merkt, we lined up down the road, the race started with a clap of hands, and we quickly made our way onto the single track.  There's always a bottleneck at the beginning of the race, with some walk/jog business going on until the field spreads out a bit.  I felt pretty good, and made it to the mile 6 turnaround in 1:05, my fastest time.  The trails were still slippery, as the Sun really hadn't dried anything out yet.  I headed back to the start/finish, and at mile 9 I had a problem:  I slipped, and caught myself, but as I did the muscles in my lower back clenched and tweaked really bad.  It got worse as I went, and I stopped a few times to try to stretch it out or loosen it up.  No dice, and as I approached the start/finish to head North for the second half and more grueling 14 miles of the race, I had a decision to make:  do I play it safe and call it a day, or do I run with a lot of discomfort for another 3 hours?  I've only had one DNF ever (2013 TARC Spring Classic 50K) and I still haven't let it go.

I decided to give it a shot.  I changed shirts, grabbed some GUs from my bag and filled my handheld.  My A, B, and C goals were all in question at this point, but I got back on the trail and carried on.  I ended up running with a girl named Lizzie, as she kept a steady pace - I'd slow on the uphill climbs and catch up with her on the descents.  Hope I didn't annoy the crap out of her.  One of my goals was to pass the Iron Mine aid station before I saw my WTAC cohorts, and I had just barely pulled away from there when I saw them coming my way.  Jonny was fidgeting with a GU, and Muddy mumbled something about pain, and away they went.  I saw Seth a few minutes later, looking focused.

Third time I've done this race, and the third time I underestimated how friggin' long it is from Iron Mine to Boston Hollow, the Northernmost point of the race and turnaround.  It just takes forever...but I got there, chatted with the volunteers while I stuffed my face, made the turn and headed back up those dreaded steps.  From there it was the long haul back to Iron Mine, and then the road section and home stretch.  I love the last short bit, where the blazes have tenth-of-mile countdowns on them.  Just awesome, and seeing the cars and hearing the crowd at the finish is the best!  Found out that the WTAC boys finished in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and Pat came in 20th!  Way to go!!!

I thanked every volunteer I saw, as they make the race possible, and keep the mood light.  I devoured a cup of vegetarian chili (I've been thinking about it since last year, seriously!), collected my finishers' log, congratulated a few people and headed to my truck.  Now that the race was over my back was really tightening up, and I had a hard time getting into the truck, and drove home with it seizing intermittently.  Getting out of the truck was even worse!  I took a super hot shower, put on sweats, grabbed a heating pad and a beer and watched some football...

Overall results?  67th place at a 5:26, nearly 20 minutes better than last year.  I'll take it!

Results board!  And the circle means there's a raffle prize in my future :)

Swag!  Awesome shirt this year, thanks guys!!!

I can't say enough good things about this race, though.  From the organization by the Shenipsit Striders, the marking of the course (I manage a section of blue-blazed trail for the CFPA, and I know how important it is), updating of important information, and the awesome volunteers, everything couldn't have gone better on race day.  I'm also happy to know that I recognize more and more runners at these events, and get to talk to them, find out how they came to be there, and support them as much as they support me.  Glad I'm not the only lunatic who chose Nipmuck as their first-ever marathon!  Trail runners are the best.  On that note, I'm pretty stoked that I decided to finish the race.  Yeah, I'm walking sideways right now, but that'll pass...that's three years in a row, and I'll be making it 4 next year.  This will be a "streak race" for me, along with Run4Kerri and a select few others.  So much fun...