Curly’s Marathon

The “morning” started really at 2:15 AM Sunday when I awoke.  The alarms were set for 3:00 AM.  So I rolled over, moved Daisy out of the way and happily closed my eyes savoring 45 minutes more of sleep.  I knew it was going to be a long day.  The alarms went off at 3:00 and I started the long day.  I had gotten all of my racing stuff together the night before, so I had time to eat breakfast and grab a cup of tea before making the first rendezvous in Branford to pick up fellow Bimblers.

I arrived at 4:00 AM at the Commuter Lot at Exit 53 to meet with El Toro who was already waiting, and Forrest who drove up in Ultra’s car.  The day was already getting strange.  Not having time for an explaination (Downhill filled me in later on the car thing), we started up I-91 North to meet with Downhill and Hardware in Rocky Hill, with Forrest in tow.  Figuritively speaking.

We met up with Downhill and Hardware, and then continued up north to Pittsfield, MA.  Curly’s Marathon is held in the Pittsfield State Forest, just outside of Pittsfield, MA.  Having a clear sky when we left Connecticut, this was not to be found up North.  We ran into rain as we got closer to Pittsfield, and it continued to rain until just before the start of the race.  We arrived around 6:45 at the race start.  We made a couple of wrong turns because I had printed out the directions from a website and failed to check the margins, so some of the ends of the sentences were cut off, but we made it anyway.  I have done that before, you would have thought I would have learned.

The start/finish/turnaround is an open field with a stream on one side that leads to a pond that can be used for swimming and a bathroom building on the other side.  A very bucolic setting.  Check-in was uneventful, other than the rain.  The race started promptly on time with a mixed field of about 50 people and a clearing sky.  There was no distinction between the half marathoners and the marathoners.  I believe that number quietly changed after the first loop.  The race leaves the field, goes a hundred feet uphill on a paved road, then dives into the woods on a double track trail.  After about a mile and a half, and a tour of the surrounding campsites, we again came out on a paved road for about 100 feet and dove back into the woods on a wide track.  This track trended uphill for about an eighth of a mile until you hit the GHOST trail.  This is a former ski trail which rises 700 feet in a half mile.  The trail went straight up.  Needless to say it was a tough climb, especially when you are not warmed up yet.  I was after that climb.  That climb gets you up to the ridge line of several “mountains”.  There are several ups and downs as you go over Pine Mountain, then Tower Mountain, then a couple more, you come out again to a paved park road that brings you past Berry Pond.  The sign said that it was the highest body of water in Massachusetts.  See running can be educational also.

An uphill, of course, on the paved road took you to the first aid station at 5 miles.  This was at the top of one of the “mountains” and was so beautiful.  As I had some HEED, I soaked in the view and the great feeling of being able to do such a race that brings me to such a beautiful place I may not have seen if I hadn’t decided to torture, I mean, challenge myself.  Leaving the aid station, uphill into the woods, the trail follows the Taconic Crest trail over several more “mountain” tops.  This section, even with all of its ups and downs, was the most runnable section.  Very runnable trails.

After about a mile an a half you come to a downhill that drops you about 600 feet over about 3/4 of a mile.  This was a nice runnable downhill with a more serpentine trail. At the bottom of this long hill was the 8 mile unmanned aid station.  You also at this time came out to a dirt road.  Again we went, yes, uphill for about half mile and 400 feet vertical.  The road flattened out and then we went back into the woods on a larger double track trail.  The trail type changed to dirt, mud, and lots of rocks.  The kind if you land on can easily injure your ankle.  This part of the race was a downhill trend to the next aid station at Mile 11.  This section of the forest brought about a whole new set of challenges.  ATVs and Dirt bikes.  Riding is allowed in this area and people come as far as we did to come ride up here.  My first encounter came at an intersection, and they were very courteous.  I however was a little shocked to see them on the course and was lost in thought, which made me lost in the race.  I went the wrong way and came to a gate which shook me out of my inner thoughts and I looked for the marking on the course.  Of course, there wasn’t any in this section, and I backtracked having lost about 5 minutes and added about quarter of a mile to my race.
An aside at this time.  I was worried about the course when the race director says you should take the map with you, but the course was marked very well.  My own lack of concentration at that one point, and surprise threw me off.  My dumb mistake.  However, a lot of people took detours, though some longer than others. She probably should have warned us about the ATVs also.

On my way down to the aid station at Mile 11 I encountered several more groups of riders which required me to stop running for my safety and to be courteous. They were also courteous by slowing down to a crawl and granting me plenty of room.  At the Mile 11 aid station, which was at the parking lot for the ATV’s trailers, I inquired about the ATVs and motorcycles, and they said that this was the most they had ever seen.

Leaving Mile 11, the course trends, correct, uphill to the Start/Finish/Turnaround area.  At this point you need to decide to stop or go on.  The course is done in the reverse direction for the second half and knowing this, you are thinking the whole way what it was going to be like on the way back.  Having not really been faithful to training and having done only a 14 mile long run recently, I knew it was going to be tough going running the second half, but I came for the marathon and that was what I was going to do.  Sounds tough, huh?  I really wanted the finisher’s medal.  I never ran a marathon or longer that I got anything other than a log.  I wanted the medal. Little did I know it was the same medal for the half. Damn.

I got to the half marathon turnaround in about 2:55 minutes, and started back out before 3 hours. On the way out I passed several runners wondering how many would follow behind me.   I encountered many more groups of ATVs and Motorcycles on the way back to and past the 15.2 Mile Aid Station (Mile 11) having to stop many times for them.  Now the long uphills were taking their toll.  I fell back on the ultrarunning mantra “Run when you can, walk when you have to.” Power walking was the main speed until I got back to the dirt road.  I felt good knowing I had a long downhill on the dirt road to the 18.2 Aid Station (Mile 8), but in the back of my mind was the long uphill after the aid station. As I crested the long hill with the crest section in front of me, a female runner appeared from behind.  I managed to keep ahead of her for a good mile using the downhill sections to my advantage, but there were too many uphills where I was dragging and she caught up to me and passed me.  Until this time I did not know if anyone was behind me.  Now I really could be in last place I thought. Oh well, I am doing the best I can dragging my sorry ass over these “mountains”.  I ran pretty well in this section and was getting a second wind, but my legs were feeling tired.  I came out to the beautiful setting of the 21.2 Mile (5 Mile) aid setting and I knew there was only 5 miles to go.  I asked them if there was anybody else behind me, and they said a few.  At least, everybody wasn’t waiting for me.  At least not yet, this kept me pushing hard through to the finish, but also looking over my shoulder.  Well, it was all downhill from here, figuratively speaking.  I went by Berry Pond, highest body of water in Massachusetts, and headed to the finish.

I was looking forward to the last long downhill (700 feet, 1/2 mile) and boy was that a mistake.  Coming upon it the steepness of the trail didn’t allow you to run flat out down the hill like a more gradual decline.  Frying my quads about half way down, I started kind of hopping/skipping my way down.  It might have looked funny, but it allowed me to get to the bottom quickly and in less pain.  I will demonstrate my technique if requested at a later time.

Okay, I am in the home stretch.  As usual, distances are shortened in your mind in the beginning of your race because of your freshness.  I thought it a quick half mile to the finish.  I forgot, didn’t realize, the distance was more like a mile and a half.  I finally came around the corner and entered the field to the finish line and saw all of my friends enjoying the beautiful day.  I was greeted enthusiastically at the finish, where I was handed my medal with a hand shake from Curly.  My time was 6:35.  It was pretty much what I had predicted after looking at the course information.  The course was a good course, marked well, and the race was run well.

It would be nice to run it next year again.  I can even say that with the sorest quads I have ever had.