June 16, 2008
Non-Skiing Sports: Maine Trail and Road Running
Posted by: Pat CoteSummary: By Pat Cote. As full-time ski people, we also recognize that the summer is the only time to focus a bit on our own training and racing. At the same time, we have been trying to keep things simple and close to home this summer.
By Pat Cote
As full-time ski people, we also recognize that the summer is the only time to focus a bit on our own training and racing. At the same time, we have been trying to keep things simple and close to home this summer. With this in mind, we've looked for close-to-home races and focused mostly on running events.What could be more simple?
Wake up, put on shorts and t-shirt, grab shoes, eat, fill water bottle, drive to race, race, get home by noon.
A notable exception to this was an adventure race that Tracey and I did with recent Colby graduate Nick Kline at Pineland Farms in May.
The race was a lot of fun. Run, paddle, bike, run. The forecast had called for mid-60's and some sun, it ended up being about 50 degrees and raining the entire race. My memory is a bit foggy on the weather details, but I still remember well how cold I felt during that entire race, especially on the bike; I think I am still adding one too many layers for every workout I do. And it didn't help that as navigator, I caused our team to spend almost the entire race going in the wrong direction from checkpoint to checkpoint. For the first time in a really long time, Tracey and I had to experience not completing the full course in an adventure race.
But, that's not why I turned to running. I would probably choose to adventure race all the time... it is lots of fun and a great challenge... but the time commitment is huge. Sorting gear, finding support crew, and training both for the physical as well as navigational aspects of the sport take a lot of time, then pile on top of that finding babysitters and dogsitters, then pile on top of that a general desire to spend some weekends at home after the intensity of our winter lives -- it was just too much to think about for a while. And, all that being said, we are still considering racingahead.com's final event of the season, a 24-hour race in Vermont next month.
Pineland Farms 25K (trail run)
May 25. The running season started with a 25K at Pineland Farms on Memorial Day Weekend. This was a really fun event with a 25K, 50K and 50 mile race all taking place at the same time. I would highly encourage NENSA members to put this on your schedules for next year, and it's pretty clear that some NENSA members found out about it before me. I saw John Eldredge (who almost caught me at the finish), Dave Roberts (who did catch me with about 5 miles to go and crushed me), Mandy Ivey (same story as Dave), Mary Lou Lowrie (with specifical goals to prep her for this summer's IronMans), Nat Steele (support crew), Molly Susla (cheering for her dad), Ryan Triffit (Great Glen Trails media-guy extraordinaire), David Herr (from Vermont and always near the top of running and marathon ski results) and I am guessing there were others.
When I think of Pinelands, I think of a nice rolling ski course. I've never felt great running on the Pinelands trails, but I never credited the challenging terrain to that feeling. It doesn’t have the intimidation factor that you’d feel on a course like the Jay Peak Challenge, the Vermont 50 or other more mountainous trail runs. But, I learned in this race that for running, these are really tough courses.
My strategy going into the race was to run a nice controlled loop around the campus side of the trail system, then pick it up for the final section of the race around the Oak Hill Loop (known by NENSA members as the site of the 2007 Eastern Cup race). I thought to myself, "The Oak Hill trails are easy and I can really hammer that section and pick up some places." In fact, the race turned out entirely different from that -- I still think back with some embarrassment to being forced to walk several of the Oak Hill climbs. Even when running through those final 4 miles, I sometimes felt like I was moving backwards. This was exaggerated by the steady stream of racers passing. Former Colby skier, now Colby runner, Mandy Ivey was one of those on her way to the women's title. Maine Nordic masters skier Dave Roberts was another on his way to an age group win.
The finish area was a welcome site and the plentiful food at the post-race barbecue was much needed. Tracey finished a short time later and her tale was similar to mine; a story of a good solid start followed by a complete blow-up and stumbling home through the final miles.
The following week proved the toughness of this race. Neither Tracey nor I completely recovered; and intervals that next week were limited at best.
Camden 10K (road race)
June 1. Tracey and I run at most one road race per year. We run mostly on trails for training, but with our goal for the summer being "close to home and simple" this was an easy call. A scenic 10K road race with an hour of home. Drop kids at neighbors, drive, run, return home by noon.
The course was a relatively hilly lollipop and our warm-up allowed a preview of both the first and last mile and a half. The first part climbed through large oceanfront homes overlooking Camden harbor, with the second part bringing runners through a farm of Belted Galloway cows and a golf course. The lollipop turnaround took us on a dirt road that was welcome relief to the pounding of the road and a chance to make-up some ground on the "roadies" running uncomfortably on the loose surface.
Legs still sore from Pinelands, the strategy for this one was to head out very easy and pick up the pace throughout the race, especially from miles 3 to 4 on the dirt road lollipop section.
It didn't help to have course record-holder and Maine running legend Bob Winn lined up directly ahead of me at the start, guaranteeing a fast pace. I held to strategy and "let" the top runners disappear quite quickly. Everything went according to plan and the race was a true joy: Cool, early June air, a nice course, good competition, a low entry-fee, cool t-shirt, and nice awards.
A strange thing happened. With 2 miles to go, I felt like my calves exploded. I remember thinking, "Wow, my legs sure hurt, I wonder if I'll be able to hang on." But they never really impacted my speed, probably because the final 2 miles was mostly downhill and easy terrain. Tracey had a very similar experience, but it effected just one leg, with more pain and more impact on her running speed. Immediately following the race, both of us struggled to walk normally, feeling immediately the soreness that usually follows races by a day or two. Was it the unfamiliar road and pavement pounding? Or was it caused by the fact that we hadn't recovered from Pinelands? We still don't know, but are guessing that it is both.
Link to News Story and Photos
Bradbury Scuffle 10K (trail run)
June 15. Another no-brainer. An hour from home, on trails, and I hoped a chance to catch up with more NENSA members. Tracey was dealing with an injured calf (cause described above) and couldn't race, so babysitting wouldn't be a problem for this one.
Wake up, eat, make coffee, load the car, wake up the kids, drive, race on gorgeous trails, drive-home.
I know some NENSA members have done the Bradbury Enduro Mtn Bike race and the course for this run used much of the single-track on the first part of that course. There was some climbing and descending, but the challenge was provided mostly by the constantly twisting and turning trails requiring quick feet and focus. A steady and increasingly heavy rain added to the challenge created by the course's many turns.
Finally recovered, and just barely, from the pain/semi-injury dating back to the Camden race, I was excited to go again, but a bit nervous since my intensity training had been almost non-existant for the prior two weeks.
I knew that I needed to start slowly and ease my way into this one. The problem was that the twisting course never allowed me to feel any sense of easing... instead it felt like a 6 mile sprint.
At the start line it was quickly obvious that most of the competitors knew each other and that I was a bit of an outsider. Immediately after the gun, it was also clear that the early leader knew that this was his race to win. After a 200m sprint to grab control of the race, he luckily settled into a more normal pace.
The climbs on the course consisted of one long-steady climb, a medium steeper climb, and a final steep climb (note that none of these climbs was particularly significant when one things of climbing.) I quickly realized that my foot speed was no match for the leader, but that he seemed catchable on the climbs; I also quickly realized that he knew the course, while I did not! I took the lead twice on climbs, and lost it for a final time on a very long gradual downhill section where once again, I just couldn't match his superior foot-speed. I hoped that the final steep hill might give me a chance to catch up again but by that time, his lead was up to about 20 seconds and my legs had nothing left.
It was great fun to splash through the puddles and enjoy the uncrowded trails. I didn't notice any other skiers at the race, but I'd definitely highly recommend checking out the race website since there are two more events in this series that might be of interest.
Link to Race Winner Blog Entry
These races gave me a few things to think about that might apply to athletes of all levels and ages out there in the NENSA-world...
- It's really important and really fun to get into races with top talent. The Camden race allowed me to see just how fast some of the top Maine runners can go, and how much progress I'd need to make to be a truly competitive runner. This makes me really excited that NENSA will be hosting a SuperTour in 2009!
- It's equally important to find races and events where success can be tasted. For a high school-aged skier this might mean a local high school event, for a masters racer this might be a lightly attended citizens race.
- Using races to see and visit beautiful places is a good way to go.
- Races can provide great motivation for training and staying fit.
- Just because life might be presenting us with much more important and immediate things than racing (family, work, etc), racing can provide a meaningful, fun, and healthy way to strengthen relationships, develop new friendships, and serve as role models of the active outside lifestyle.
- When possible, exposing young kids to the racing scene as spectators can be inspiring.
- There's a strong role for close-to-home events. With this (and fuel prices!) in mind Janice Sibilia has recommended that NENSA look at ways we can develop fun, meaningful close-to-home events. Please share your ideas with Janice and me.
And, one more thing, please consider emailing me with your race, training, and adventure stories. NENSA members are active all year long and would love to hear what you've been doing and gain ideas from your tales.
