2016 Kismet Cliff "Beast of the East" Trail Run

I'm going to start this recap on Friday afternoon, after I'd joined the family at the inaugural NoSto Festival in our town.  Really cool little small town gathering.  Perfect Fall weather, and a great time to be living in New England.  I wasn't itching to get on the road, but knew I'd better be driving by 2 or it might really be a slog to get to Conway.  Made a couple of errors getting ready.

First mistake:  Lori's car was low on washer fluid, so as I was cleaning my truck to get it ready for the trip, I figured I'd fill the reservoir.  Grabbed the big bottle of blue liquid, started pouring...and realized it was power washer concentrate for the house!  Whoops...had to dilute it with water, run it dry (soapy!) and refill the tank.

Second mistake:  Hastily getting my gear together.  In my mad dash to get on the road, I forgot to pack two critical pieces of gear for a run in the White Mountains:  gloves and a windbreaker.  Dummy.  More on that later...

So...I finally got on the road, with plans to meet friend, WTAC cohort and fast runner Rhody Seth at the Moat Brewhouse for drinks and dinner.  Coming into Conway, I was gonna miss checking into my room before 6:30, so I went straight to Moat.  I also texted local friends Ryan and Kristina to see if they were around.  Ironically, Ryan was on North Moat flagging the course (and did a fantastic job, it needs saying...I didn't get lost!) in a headlamp, as the Sun was going down.  They both said they'd meet us!  Coolness.

Moat was packed!  Didn't realize how crazy it got, but Seth got us seats, the food was good and the beer better.  Ryan joined us for a drink, Kristina stopped by to say Hi, and I cruised back to the motel at 8:30, where I was treated to a G-Bot IPA and a showing of "The Empire Strikes Back."

Use the Force, and the beer will come to you...

I had Yoda's wisdom stuck in my head during the race:



So there's that...call me Skywalker!

Next morning,  I wake up to cool temps, partly cloudy skies, and a brisk breeze blowing.  I've forgotten crucial wardrobe items from my list.  My hands always get cold first, it's Sunday and all the shops are closed.  But I work construction, and there's a Home Depot in Conway!  Ha!  One set of Gorilla Grip gloves, and thin poncho and a contractor's trash bag later, and I'm ready for whatever comes at me!!!

I arrive way early to Echo Lake.  Just a few people there, and the lot gradually fills up.  Seth and I get checked in, and do a short warmup around Echo Lake.  This race is very low-key, and pretty much every runner in the field looks fast and fit, even for the short 5-mile option.  Except me.  After RD Gabe Flanders gives a short directive, we start and I'm immediately at the back of the pack.  As in last.  There's only about 40-50 people total, so I think "OK, just do your own thing."

Seth about to throw down.  Cathedral, in the background, is the short first climb...

After a short cruise around Echo and some lower forest run, we turn and begin the ascent up Cathedral Ledge.  A long, steep climb with peeks through the trees at a spectacular view across the valley and mountains.  Basically, what I didn't see last year.  I kept pausing to take it in, and it just kept getting better.  After the Cathedral/White Horse ascent, we were offered a brief respite before the three-ish mile death march up North Moat Mountain.  It just keeps going up.  Last year, the fog kept tricking me.  This year, I'd fallen in with two local women (Sherry and Katie) who hiked there all the time, and as you looked up Moat, you could see ever more rises and falls, and the summit way off in the distance.

Sherry and Katie

Frank!

Sherry and Katie

Wind was whipping up there, but the views are incredible

Another runner named Frank joined us as we were getting to the top, and we all paused for a couple pictures.  Awesome.  The wind was whipping, though, and we got off the top quickly, and I put on my Gorilla Grip gloves on the way down.  The trail was bone-dry, a totally different course from the previous year.  Wow.  We could actually run the downhill to the creek!

Now it was new friends Sherry, Katie and Frank, and we all worked together as a group, stopped together, and stayed together until the big turn back up White Horse.  The ladies had a time goal in mind, so they pushed ahead.  Frank and I were happy to just cruise the rest of the course, shoot the shit, and finished the race (run) together.  Great new friends!

Course totals for my increasingly erratic Garmin: 12.8 miles, with 4,700+ feet of climbing, in a bit over 4 hours.  Not my dream race, but I finished one of the toughest races on the East Coast, and I'm cool with that!

After the race I was greeted by Seth, who had kicked ass and turned in a 7th place finish in 2:40 in a very fast field, and informed me that I'd won a pair of La Sportiva running shoes in the raffle!  Sweet!!!  I picked the Bushido:

http://www.sportiva.com/products/footwear/mountain-running/bushido

Gabe and his crew put on a great race, a tough race, and I'll say it again:  WAY too few runners for a race this badass.  I can't believe that out of all the trail runners in New England, there are so few takers for this race.  It's beautiful, brutal, and worth every minute!

 I had a long drive ahead, so I called it a day and got on the road.  I really like New Hampshire, the pace really seems like it fits me well, everybody is pretty laid-back and mostly seem to be there because of the incredible beauty of the area.  We had hikers cheering us on during the race, and everyone I encountered was friendly.  I really do need to get up there more often!!!

Week of 9-19 to 9-25: Kismet Cliff Week!

This should be fun...I'm at 95,000 feet of vertical gain in just over 860 miles for the year, which ain't easy when you live in Southeast CT.  Most of that vert has been done on technical trails, which I just really enjoy, and anything that involves actual hand over hand climbing is icing on the cake. Gonna be over 100k by week's end, which obliterates my previous year's best (77,000 in 2014), with lots of running to go!  That said, I really hope the weather is more conducive to an enjoyable race at Kismet Cliff this year, as last year's race was held in some sketchy conditions, and the gorgeous views were completely obscured by fog and sideways rain.  So far, the forecast looks better for the weekend, but this is New England, sooo...Here's my short recap from last year and my DNF, the day before my bloodwork came back positive for Lyme:

  9/13 - Kismet Cliff "Beast of the East" half marathon.

           So here it is:  I picked the perfect place to stay!  The Colonial Motel in North Conway.  Clean, helpful and friendly, and three minutes from the race start.  Room was super clean, the staff helpful, and I was totally set.

I awoke to fog, 55 degrees, rain, and no sight whatsoever of the mountains I'd be running...

Arrived early to find a hardcore crew already set up.  I grabbed my bib, saw Ryan and chatted with him for a bit, then spent time talking with Kristina, Tony, Lise, and some other awesome runners before the race began.

After the race start and a short run around Echo Lake, we all turn onto the Cathedral Ledge ascent, which is 400'-1500' and a flipping tease.  After that?  A short descent, then the nightmare ascent up North Moat.  It was raining, it was foggy, it was slippery as Hell.  I was alone for a long time (I can deal with being alone, but this wasn't fun!), and also wasn't aware that there are about a thousand false summits going up to the top.  It just kept going up!

I was nearing one of those false summits, questioning my sanity and qualifications for even being there, when I heard a runner behind me, approaching fast.  I shouted "Please tell me I'm not getting lapped!"  He replied "If it helps, I was in second place and took a wrong turn..."

He scampered up the hill and out of sight, and I continued on, alone and in the rain.  I was looking for a bright side at this point.  I was pretty sure I was in last place, pre-hypothermic (it felt like it), and looking at a 4-hour half marathon time.  What the Hell...

When I finally crested the actual summit of North Moat and began the descent, things got even more sketchy!  Ryan had mentioned that that side of Moat never gets Sun, and was always "greasy," in his words, and it had rained all night.  Imagine a slick granite slip n' slide that goes down for two miles, and you get the idea.  I slid on my ass, bushwhacked alongside the trail, and moved as well as I could...until I rounded a curve and saw fast runner dude (Ryan K.) helping a girl down the mountain.  Her name was Amber, and she'd rolled her ankle pretty bad.  I did the right thing and stopped, and helped with getting her down the slippery descent.  I'd thrown my cell phone into my CamelBak as an afterthought, and we pulled up the Race Director's number and called him to explain our situation.  We arranged to have transportation meet us at the Diana's Baths area.

The next couple hours were us getting down to level ground, walking Amber to the bailout near the stream, and getting out. Friends Ryan and Kristina and a couple other runners met us and we hitched rides back to the start/finish, where I DNF'd, but for good reason.  I'll be back next year, this race is badass and had far too few runners for what it was, which was, in the words of runner Tony, who I met at the start, "Everything the White Mountains has to offer in a race."  7 Sisters was a breeze compared to this race.  Yes, I said it.

No soapbox moment here, but hey:  people passed this runner, who was obviously in distress, and she was too polite to stop them during the race.  If you see a runner who's slowed to a crawl, just a quick "How's it going?" may be enough for them to say "Not so hot."  Then you stop and see if maybe they need help.  All I'm saying...

Added bonus this year!  Seth's headed up for the race as well.  Gonna be a good time there, and maybe gonna hit up Moat Brewery for pre-race hydration!  Can't wait...

Monday - 0.

Tuesday - 6-ish miles.  Pequot Woods 3 before work, Lantern Hill 3-ish after work.  My Garmin is acting like a rebellious teenage girl (I know, I have one!).  I'm very sure I'm getting shorted on mileage, which means a much slower pace than I know I'm working at.  Or I'm just getting fat and slow.  Either scenario is possible.  So on top of the mileage fuckery, at Lantern it was recording pace/time, but a zero for distance, and I had to hard reset it and use my goddamn phone.  Glad I got the high-end model!  659' elevation gain.

Wednesday - 0 Miles.  Nothing like a work-induced taper!

Thursday - 4 Miles.  Easy Hewitt Farm trails.

Friday - 0 Miles.

Saturday - 0 Miles.  Spent the morning checking out the NoSto Festival in town, then got on the road to New Hampshire.  4 hour drive.

Sunday - 14-ish miles.  Kismet Cliff.  Report to follow.

It's Gonna Hit the Fan: Upcoming Shit, Predictions, Whatnot...Week of 9-12 to 9-18

So in a little over a week, I'm gonna attempt a "Fall Trifecta," to complement my "Spring Trifecta."  But this series of races comes with a bonus!  The Kismet Cliff race is first.  Beast of the East!  Brutal!  The following week is the Cat's Tail/Nipmuck double marathon, which I'm most apprehensive about.  Sounded like a good idea at the time?  I'm all in for the Cat, but I may withdraw from Nipmuck, as I'm trying to keep the waters smooth on the home front and my body intact for Ghost Train, and maybe open a spot for somebody else.  The GT race will be uncharted territory, and I can't wait to see what unfolds, most likely me.  So here are my predictions:

Kismet Cliff:  I'll have a good race, and finish well, provided I'm still Lyme-free by next week and there are no damsels in distress at the top of the mountain this year! Last year I was over the top of North Moat before my watch died, and I pulled the plug on the race to help another runner.  I did 8 miles in 3:02, in shitty weather and not feeling my best, with 3,700' of elevation gain last year.  I plan to be well ahead of that this year, any sideways rain notwithstanding...

Cat:  I plan to do exactly what I did last year, but I'll have a drop bag at mile 9 with dry clothes, I'll have a better attitude, and some knowledge to turn to.  Last year I was doing well until I hit the mile 9 aid station.  This year I'll be in a better place mentally.  No quit.

Nipmuck:  Jury is still out.  I'll give it a shot if I think it's within the realm of possibility.  I know the course, have done it three times, and it'll be gravy after the Cat.  If I can still walk, and not piss off my family for being a ghost all weekend, then it's a go.  Speaking of ghosts...

Ghost Train: Uncharted Territory.  I have lots of things going in my favor though!  It's an out/back race, which I do well at (I'm usually a solitary person, but I'm a social butterfly around others, much to the amusement of my wife and daughter...).  I can control my clothing/fuel/food options.  I have friends on the course, both running and volunteering, and my buddy John has offered to pace me for the tail end of the race, where I'll likely be bitching about every little thing...sorry in advance, John!

I wonder what the Vegas odds would look like on this....

Monday - 2.5 Miles.  Long Pond beatdown.  Short and sweet and technical, I hit the juicy bits of this trail, and a quicky after work.  700'+ elevation gain.

Tuesday - 3 Miles (Hike/Work).  CT Forest & Parks workparty, to re-route part of the Narragansett Trail.  When part of this trail was suddenly obliterated last Spring, I was really worried.  Fear not, runners (and hikers)!  A new and awesome stretch of trail is on its way, with the blessing of the landowners and assistance of several volunteers.  We were able to clear, in 5 hours, a substantial amount of distance and create a trail from nothing, and the Narragansett is on its way to being made whole again.  I can't wait!  Next workparty in less than two weeks, where we'll finish making the trail and blaze it, and post cool signs about the heirloom pigs and cattle being raised there.

Wednesday - 0.

Thursday - 8 Miles.  Lantern Hill repeats, prep for Kismet Cliff.  Best and closest place to train for a race in the Whites, run to the top, run to the bottom, repeat!  Felt awesome.  1500'+ elevation gain.

Friday - 4 Miles.  Even more Lantern Hill!  1000'+ elevation gain and stopped to help some wayward hikers, more good technical climbing.

Saturday/Sunday - 0.  Gonna be gone the next two weekends, figured it was a good time to wrap up some things at the house.

Still Summer, WTF!?! Week of 9-5 to 9-11

We had a brief glimmer of Fall, and then it went away.  It's warm (hot) again, and forecast to hit 90+ by the end of the week.  That said, I have three (well, four) races looming on the horizon, and my only plan at this point is to follow a structured training plan...um, no.  Use one as a trainer for the next?  Sure.  Just like last time!  A sketchy, technical mountain half marathon to train for a mountain full marathon a week later, with a trail marathon chaser the next day, three weeks before a 100?  Yes, I'm an idiot.  No, I can't help it.  Am I gonna give it a shot?  Yup!  Because if I don't try, I'll never know if I could have pulled it off.  I even started shopping for a tent, for Chrissakes!!!

Monday - 0 Miles.  100 Pushups.  Labor Day and I didn't do a damn thing.

Tuesday - 0 Miles.  100 Pushups.  Shitty weather.  But hey!  My copy of "Nowhere Near First" by Cory Reese came in, and I read half the damn thing in one sitting.  Couldn't put it down, it's so well-written and entertaining!  Great read!

Wednesday - 8 Miles.  3 on Champlin Trails before work, and 5 on Lantern Hill after work.  Two-a-days?  This was fun.  I snuck in a short trail run near our current jobsite, quickly changed and worked until mid-afternoon, then hit up Lantern for a short Fiver with 900' of elevation gain on technical, slippery trails.  Good Kismet Cliff training.  I somehow managed to plow through a college geology field trip from ECSU about four times, with bewildered students trying to move off the trail, and the professor so engrossed in the rock he was holding that he almost clocked me with it (Cool dude, we chatted after his class/my run, me apologizing for interrupting his class, he apologizing for almost smashing my face with a chunk of quartz).  Fun seeing a class full of students learning about the quartz deposits on Lantern, it's an awesome place!  Glad I get to run there :) (100 pushups)

Thursday - 2.5 Miles - Champlin trails before work again.  Another muggy morning, but I got something in before the day warmed up.  Did the reverse route from the previous day, and finished with a shot at a short segment there, got it, and probably won't hold it for very long, given the local population ;) (100 pushups)

Friday - 2 Miles - Champlin trails (again!). - Well, hot damn.  I finally figured out that I could definitely squeeze in a couple miles before work, change, be at the jobsite at a reasonable time and blah, blah, blah...and hey!  80-ish degrees and 1000% humidity, and I was happy to get something in before it hit 90+, which it did.  Nothing like mixing tile mortar and cutting tile in the Sun!

Saturday - 3.4 Miles. - Long run of some sort...or not.  Ultimately, the heat won out and I did another Lantern Hill run.  It was pretty much all I had time for after lunch and a family outing to Whole Foods, which should be called "Wholly Shit, this Food's Expensive!"  But I digress.  Lantern was, again, hot and muggy and I couldn't stop sweating, changed shirts, gave up and ran without, and was generally a disgusting slob shuffling up and down the hills.  Gross.

Sunday - Surftown spectating!  This almost deserves its own writeup, given how much freakin' fun I had!  I've run the Surftown 1/2 Marathon three times, but as I run down there enough, it doesn't make my race calendar.  It's still a great place to run though!  As I had several friends who were running, I decided to head down and cheer them on.  I even got up at 5:30 to get ready, and I don't get up that early for just anyone!  Got all my gear together, and left the house at 6:30 with my bike thrown in the truck, and a pump to inflate the tires.  Saw Jeff V. on the drive down, so I pulled over to fill my tires and say hello.  Wrong pump, shit.  Jeff graciously offered me his only CO2 cartridge, but I didn't want to leave him hanging and declined.  Worst case, I hit Benny's and buy a new pump.  I found a soccer ball pump in my truck and fashioned a MacGyver inflator from a couple pieces, and managed to fill the tires until I could ride the damn thing.  It's a great bike, I just never ride it.

Anyway, I got to the start right before the gun went off.  The wind was whipping straight out of the West, and I could only imagine the Hell the runners were gonna face.  Direct headwind, or oppressive humidity, take your pick.  The runners took off, and after they left I found Tommy, who was running the 5k.  We chatted, and I rode a ways up the course to watch the start.  I also got to see the finish, where he was so far in front of the next runner, they weren't even in sight!  Snapped a couple pics, then watched the Half Marathon leaders come through Misquamicut headed toward Watch Hill.  Nobody looked thrilled.  Saw Mike B., who said the headwind was brutal...

Headed out to Watch Hill!  Got to Ocean House just as Jeff W. crested the hill, suffering but looking strong with two-ish miles to go.  Met up with the WTAC cheering squad, and cheered our people onward and upward.  I even joined a couple of friends (Faith, Antone) for the run up the hill!

I knew at some point I had to ride back to my truck, with my underinflated tires.  Beth bailed me out by offering me the use of her bike pump, and got my tires to where they were supposed to be, from 40 psi to 110 psi.  I'm a dummy, I know this, it's been firmly established already and I'm impervious to the looks!  I never ride the bike!  Gonna have to get it tuned up, it's supposed to have about 24 gears and I have One.  2nd/6th, whatever that is.  12th?  I rode back along the race route in reverse, cheering on the back of the pack runners, who were all smiles and I got several thank yous and thumbs-ups.  Great crowd!  And yes, the bike was riding much better :)

Returned to the beach for a short stop at the afterparty, chatted with Jeff and a few others and hauled ass back to my truck.  The bike was kind of fun!  Not in a "I want to ride it every day" kind of way, just a nice supplement to all the other stuff I get to do.  I was also able to easily access every part of a closed-off set of roads with no problem, which was very cool indeed!  Fun morning!!!

Waves, Runs, and All Sorts of Fun Shit: Week of 8-29 to 9-4

Finally, some decent surf!  Hurricane season kicked in with a vengeance, and just happened to coincide with the start of school (sorry, kids!).  Waves aplenty on the horizon!  I plan on getting in some early sessions before work if at all possible.  Been too long...

Oh, and I'm in for Ghost Train!

Monday - 0.

Tuesday - 1.5 Hours/3+ Miles (Surf) - Hurricane Gaston surf session, K38/39.  Got up early and headed to Matunuck, which was mobbed, apparently, as early as 5:30.  Crazy.  Instead of dealing with that nonsense, I hit one of my other favorite spots and it was firing, but without the crowds.  Great session, got caught up with a few old friends, and was only a little late getting to work...

Wednesday - 0.

Thursday - 1.5 Hours/3.2 Miles (Surf), 4 Miles (Roads) - Matunuck Lunch Break.  As soon as we hit a slow point at the current job site, I was able to take off for a couple hours and hit Matunuck, where I was greeted with light crowds, glassy waist-plus high waves, and at times, pouring rain.  Perfection.  Surfed for an hour and a half, then changed and went back to work.  Now that's a lunch break!  Got home late, and did a 4 mile out/back progression from the house.  Added 100 pushups to kick off the "10,000 Pushup Challenge," which is 100 for 100 days, total of 10,000...only 99 to go!

Friday - 0 Miles.  100 pushups.

Saturday - 5+ Miles.  Course Marking/Sweeping at the inaugural Wahaneeta 5k Trail Race, Westerly.  Running around in the woods with friends, marking a new trail race course for runners, and no pressure to toe the line?  Sounds good!  I stuck to my self-imposed rule of not racing until Kismet, but still get to participate in race day.  Perfect.  Had a blast, and left feeling like I got a good workout anyway!  And got a dog jog in with Henry after!  And 100 pushups :)

Sunday - 10 Miles.  Devil's Hopyard beatdown.  Needed to do either a long road run from the house, or drive to a hilly trail for some vert...and duh, the trail/vert combo won out!  Gorgeous day, and warm!  Some of the trails are technical, some fairly benign, there's people everywhere, and I got to cool off afterward in a fantastic swimming hole at Chapman Falls.  Awesome!  And 100 pushups :)