Oh Hell, here we go... I registered for the 7 Sisters Trail Race months ago, with the knowledge that I'd done Mt. Greylock, Pisgah, and a bunch of other trail races that served up some good challenges. Then Greg Hammett had to go and mention that Pisgah was like a manicured golf course compared to 7 Sisters. Shit, did I just step out of my comfort zone? Why yes, yes I did! And I can't wait to get up there for it, I'm so excited...driving up the day before, staying over and meeting up with friends, and getting to drive a scant 10 minutes to the race start. There may even be a pub involved on Saturday evening, purely for carb-loading? I'm in Wave #2 on Sunday, which means I either vastly overestimated my abilities, or I'm right where I need to be for a challenging race. I plan on bombing the downhills, as I'm comfortable with them, and power hiking the climbs when it's steep. Should be fun!
Monday-Tuesday - 0 Miles.
Wednesday, 4-29 - 4 Miles. Oswegatchie Hills Preserve, Niantic CT. I'm working at a house right on the water in Niantic, and driving in on Tuesday, I (of course) noticed some trailheads that were clearly blazed...we work all day, and in chatting with the homeowners, I found out that they're heavily involved with the preserve and are longtime members/conservationists. I liked them immediately. Today I had an hour of downtime and quickly changed up, and hit the trails across the street. A hilly mix of technical and smooth singletrack, with really cool rock ridgelines up top, and some rooty, twisty sections in the gullies. Loved these trails, and not what I'd expect from the flat Niantic I know. Warm day, but a cool breeze helped a lot!
Great trails!
Thursday, 4-30 - 4 Miles. Mattabesett trail run up Higby Mountain. I had to stop by CFPA headquarters for blaze paint for trail marking, and to drop off the trail kit I'd checked out (I made my own). Chatted with fellow trail manager Marty, who recommended the nearby Tynan trail connector to the Mattabesett, with a good climb to Higby Mountain. Great technical climb, great view, and awesome descent! Lots of mud, no blood, but I'm sure I'll have some of that at 7 Sisters :)
Quarry through the trees
Nice single track on the ridge
Castle Craig in the distance, next on my hit list
Friday, 5-1 - 0 Miles.
Saturday, 5-2 - 0 Miles. Drive to Hadley/Amherst, MA to pick up race packet, check into hotel, and meet Faith, Joe and Beth for dinner and drinks at Amherst Brewing Company. Took less than two hours to get to Amherst. Scoped out the race start with Beth, then we all went to dinner and bid each other goodnight. 7 Sisters in the morning...
Sunday, 5-3 - 7 Sisters Trail Race. 12 Miles. Separate post coming shortly.
I have the State Police 5k Foot Pursuit this Sunday in Narragansett, which is one of my "legacy" races, meaning I've run it every year since I started doing races, and don't ever plan on missing it. It's also a WTAC team race, and we've won it the last few years (no thanks to me, I confess!). Past results below: 2010 - #190 - 26:17 @ 8:28 2011 - #333 - 27:20 @ 8:48 2012 - #226 - 24:30 @ 7:55 2013 - #164 - 23:39 @ 7:37 2014 - #81 - 22:22 @ 7:12 Plenty of room for improvement. More interesting, though, is that this Saturday, the day before the Foot Pursuit race, is the inaugural Chikumbuso 10k in North Stonington. I'm interested in this race because it's right up the street from my house! I can do a warmup to the race, run the race, and do a cooldown run back to the house. Sweet. Going to be a tough race though, it starts/finishes at the top of a hill, so the last mile of the race is a steady uphill climb. Looking forward to it! Monday, 4-20 - 0 Miles. Work day, and a day to stalk some friends' progress at the Boston Marathon! It was gross out anyway, I don't think I would have gone out anyway...kudos to those who did!
Tuesday, 4-21 to Friday, 4-24 - 0 Miles. What the??? Worked three days in Waterford ripping out an old, 30+ foot front porch and replacing all of it, including the joists. One day in Wallingford helping to install new stone-paneled shower stall, heavy stuff. No motivation at the end of each day to run.
Saturday, 4-25 - 8 Miles. Trail warmup, and First Annual Chikumbuso 10k Challenge. 46:55 @ 7:34 pace. 7th OA, 1st in age group! Results here:
To say that I'm pleased with the results would be an understatement. Colburn called me on Friday, and mentioned that the race would start at the Grange and end at Jonathan Edwards winery, and thus would include two runs up Chester Main Road, once at the start and once at the finish. Crap. I quickly mapped it on Strava, and it looked to be about 700' of elevation gain. This was gonna be a tough race.
I arrived early and ran into some of my WTAC crew, including Denise, Rose, Buddy and Way, who was emceeing as usual. I did a short warmup on the Hewitt Farm trails around the corner and before I knew it, we were lining up to race. The race also included a 1.5 mile fun run, and a 3 person relay, so I figured what the Hell, line up in front. Paul G. taps me on the shoulder and wishes me luck, asks me what my goal was. I really didn't have one, as it's a hilly course that I've run, but not raced.
Way yells "GO!" and we're off. The lead guy takes off like a shot and is quickly way out ahead. I'm in a group of 4-5 runners, and find myself in 2nd place for a bit? Huh? Did I go out too fast or something??? Very odd feeling for me to be in 2nd, if even for a couple of minutes, so when I got passed by a couple of people, I felt a bit more comfortable. Weird.
After the first climb, I felt good, and really enjoyed the descent down Chester Main. The rest of the course was hilly but rolling, not steep, and at the final climb up Chester Main, there were about 5 of us within seconds of each other, but I didn't enough gas in the tank to make a final charge to catch them. Really happy with my results though!!!
Awards presentation
Great awards, too!
WTAC at the Chikumbuso 10k
Swag! Made in Africa! And I got a gift card to the Engine Room for winning my age group, sweet!!!!
Sunday, 4-26 - RISP Foot Pursuit 5k. 1.6 Mile warmup with Jeff, and the race. Results? 44th of 725, 4th AG, 21:08 @ 6:49 pace. Sweet! I took 1:14 off my time from last year's course PR, and Strava had me clocked at my fastest 5k to date! Not bad for the second race of the weekend!!! I had a great time at this race, I always do. It's such a fun atmosphere. It's a big race but not too big, takes place along the ocean, and always has the best cookout and great awards. Kathy Robbins and her team at TriMom Productions does a fantastic job putting on these events!!!
I arrived with Colburn (we carpooled), and we quickly got checked in at the pavilion. I ran a short warmup with Jeff to assess the wind, and it looked like the last mile would be a headwind. Nice. I got prepped, said hello to a bunch of friends and familiar faces (including superstar photographer and friend George Ross), and geared up for the race. Cool weather but I opted for a singlet, LVL Renner beanie and gloves.
I went out steady, and maybe lined up a bit too far back, and maybe some people lined up too far forward? Never learn. I lined up in the front row yesterday and did great, right?
Mile 1 was a 6:53. Mile 2? 6:53 also, pretty damn consistent. Turning onto Ocean Road for the last mile, my legs felt done, and I felt slower, but I was a 6:37, and finished well!
After I crossed the finish line, I changed up and grabbed a burger, chatted a bit and snapped a picture of Colburn crossing the finish line:
Colburn's finish!
Waited for the results and I came in 4th in my age group, one second behind the third dude. WTAC Men won the team event again! For our efforts, we each won a $150 credit for any TriMom events, so free races! Sweet!!!
All in all, a great day and great weekend. I greatly exceeded my expectations for the 10k, and was still able to perform well the next day at the 5k. Depending on my work schedule in the coming week, I'll try to get some technical trail time in as a trainer for 7 Sisters...
My work schedule just took a big uptick, so I'll be working much more frequently for the foreseeable future. This also means a dawn to dusk workday at times, and will make getting runs in quite challenging. That said, I don't have any races this weekend, but I have a 10k/5k double the following weekend and the 7 Sisters Trail Race the week after that, so I'll be trying to focus on hilly trails as I can, and hope that it translates well to speed for the road races.
Monday, 4-13 to Wednesday, 4-15 - 0 Miles.
Thursday, 4-16 - 4.7 Miles - Lantern Hill Fun. Lots of people out on Lantern today! I meandered around the hills, and gave the Top to Bottom segment a good effort, and ended up with 700+ feet of technical vert. Got to play trails ambassador to a couple of groups, gave out directions, and checked on one family to make sure they navigated the back part of the blue-blazed trail safely, which they did. Lots of fun.
Fantastic, sunny, breezy day on Lantern Hill!
Friday, 4-17 - Boston family day trip.
Saturday, 4-18 - 6.7 Miles - Green Falls. I hadn't been to Green Falls in quite a while, and as it's right up the street from me, I headed down for a run. I made my way up to the dam, and looped around the pond to the beginning of the Nehantic trail. Took that as far as the connector trail, and used that to cut across to the Pachaug trail. The connector trails are badly overgrown, and the blazes really faint. I got turned around a bunch of times on this section, but eventually made it to the Pachaug, and returned down along the river to my truck. Lots of people out on this sunny and warm day! I was actually too warm in a short sleeved tech shirt???
Sunday, 4-19 - 8+ Miles - Green Falls/Yawgoog trail run with Joe S. I hit Joe up earlier in the week about doing a trail run, and as he'd never run near Green Falls before, I quickly decided to give him a tour, but with designs on making the trek out to the Long/Ell Pond area. Crisp, sunny day for a run, and it turned out to be Joe's first trail run in a while! Great day for it, too. Some technical trails, a few good climbs, and lots of nice views on the trail today!
Sunday is the 34th Annual Clamdigger road race. I've done no speedwork, but my mileage is way up, so there's that? Either way, the weather looks to be pretty damn good. I have to beat the following time/place from 2014:
29 Michael Crutchley 36:39.0 7:20/M
I feel great right now. The PT has helped immensely, my knee feels almost back to normal, and I might PR, might not, but if I feel good I'm gonna give it a shot!
Monday, 4-6 - 0 Miles.
Tuesday, 4-7 - 5 Miles (Trail/Path) - Hurd State Park, East Hampton, CT. My first stab at the CT DEEP "Sky's the Limit" Challenge. It's a challenge involving 14 high points throughout the state: if a person completes 10 of them, they receive a state park medallion (like a finisher's medal). If they complete all 14, they're entered into a drawing for a hand-carved hiking staff...
Hey! That could be me, thwarting the elusive Big River Bandit!
Cool! The rule specifies that you have to take a "selfie" with the sign at the park entrance, and one at the highpoint. I set out for Hurd State Park, and the "Split-rock Vista," the first on my list. Of course it started pouring right as I got to the park. Dammit. I really hadn't researched the park, other than that the road leading into the place split the trails down the middle, it was hilly, and that the vista point had views of the Connecticut River.
Got to the park, took my selfie at the entrance, then hit the trail. I eventually found the spot, and snapped off a couple of shots up there:
Yup, still cold and raining (but no snow!!!)...
On a totally random spot along the trail :)
Spruced-up USGS plaque!
Ooooohhh, so serious...
Split Rock Vista. Great view from here
Got lost and soaked in the process, but hey, no snow. Warmed up on the ride home. So that's One! On to the next. Details of the challenge can be found here:
I might spin this off to a separate page, as it's a pretty interesting challenge. I went to Sleeping Giant last week and ran to the top, and forgot that it's on the list. Whoops. Have to hit it again, then!
Wednesday, 4-8 - 0 Miles - Work day in Wallingford. That night, for whatever reason (I think I was dehydrated, but it could have been something I ate or a stomach bug), I felt "off" and went to bed early. Tossed and turned until 12:30, at which point I barely made it into the bathroom to throw up like I've never thrown up in my life.
It was worse than this, just ask my wife...
Couldn't believe it. I even woke Lori up with my retching, and I'm sure that image will be burned into her memory forever. Suffice it to say, it happened just as bad again at 3:30 and I never slept...
Thursday, 4-9 - 0 Miles (Obviously) - Stayed in bed, slept, and slowly rehydrated. Lori brought me Pedialyte, which is like the nectar of the Gods...was feeling noticeably better by the evening.
Friday, 4-10 - 3.5 Miles (Trail) - Champlin Glacier Park, Westerly. Felt good enough to hit the trails for a bit today, but didn't overdo it. Good call. Trails clear, slightly muddy and awesome...
Saturday, 4-11 - 0 Miles. Passed the bug along to the wife and daughter, which they really appreciated...spent most of the day caring for them, and while they were sleeping I was able to go and help my friends move into their new house! Right near the hated "Pumpkins Hill" segment, haha...decided to call it a day after that and finish looking after the girls :)
Sunday, 4-12 - (Road) - 34th Annual Clamdigger 5-Mile Road Race. 36:24, 26th OA, and a PR! Separate writeup WAS to follow, but I'm working all week, so here goes...
"I survived the Vomitron." Yes, I should get a t-shirt for how much I hurled on Wednesday night, seriously. I felt good Sunday morning but not 100%, but what the Hell, let's give it a go. Got down to the beach and helped get set up, then helped Mike B. put out signage and mile markers (we were way off on a couple, sorry!). Got back and helped Jeff at post-registration (we were freezing!) until 4 minutes before the race. Seriously, who shows up 4 minutes before a race, unregistered? With barely time to put my shoes on, I jogged a .1 mile warmup to the start, and the race started shortly thereafter. I had exactly what I didn't want to wear on, as I dressed in a panic. Yikes!
I fell in quickly with WTAC teammate Shira, who was pushing her boy in a stroller, and stayed with her for the first two miles, then pulled away on the bumpy uphill roads in Weekapaug I'd warned her about. I'm impressed that she can keep such a speedy pace with that stroller!
After the Weekapaug section, I knew I'd be turning into a brisk headwind. Past the breachway, I passed a runner who looked to be cramping badly, who turned out to be Dirk, a local dude who trades Mystic segments with me sometimes in Mystic. He made it in, but was hurting by the finish line.
I caught up to a woman around 4.5 miles, we gave each other encouragement and I pulled away briefly, only to be passed shortly after, and never realizing that it was none other than Chris G.'s better half, Katie. Nice kick! I didn't have a response, but I did squeak out a PR! Sweet!!!
Great chowder and awards after, and good conversation with runners, including a few new WTAC members. I did a quick sweep to pick up the signs, and we were done! Another successful Clamdigger, and I'm already getting good comments from the participants. The great thing about this is that we're able to give back even more to our local causes, and remain a positive presence in this community. Gotta love being a part of something good :)
