Quick to the start slow to the finish

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This trail run was my 6^th Grand Tree race this year and completing this run would enable me to qualify to apply for the Nipmuck Trial Marathon 2010. It’s sort of an unusual approach to qualify for a race but it’s been fun “playing the game”. After going to Nipmuck earlier this year as a spectator and trail bandit, I decided that’s a must do race.

My day started with an awful nauseous feeling. I wasn’t going to let it stop me even though it felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I had water and coffee and got out the door by 6 am. Eating was out of the question because I could not keep any thing down. It must have been that out dated tofu I had last night or the furry stuff growing inside my water bottle! Whatever, I was sick. Work wasn’t finished from the day before so a stop at the store before my trip to the race venue. Time slipped away with too many undone duties which created a possible tardy scenario for the start at 10am. By 730am. I’m on the road speeding up I-91 N to Greenfield then out rte.2 west towards N.Adams. Ticket would have been proud that I got no speeding tickets. Someone asked me for directions on the State Park rd. and I said to them the venue is just down the road on the left. I soon realized I meant to say down on the right and flashed my headlights for them to turnaround. He did not accept my apologies for wrong directions when we both got to the registration table. I got my bib# and with a little over 10 minutes to the start I hurried to get back to my car. I saw Nadia there and quickly said Hi. I had to change into my running clothes and scramble through my gear as fast as I could. My shoes were just on as I heard the five minute warning. I stuffed my pockets with trail food and stuff. Got my water bottle and ran to the start. Through my self inflicted chaos all I really ever heard from the race directors pre-race meeting is that there are orange ribbons to mark the trail, there are two water aid stations and that there are two water crossings. I emptied my pockets of excess stuff I grabbed and stashed it behind a tree. I barely had my bib on when the race started.

It’s a 10.5 mile coarse on the trails and service roads of the Monroe State Forest in Mass. My pace was to finish and seeing last year’s results I knew 2.5 hours was possible. But with the way I was feeling my body presented me with a challenge. I could not eat all morning so my energy levels were real low but my spirits were high. The first mile consists of a rolling single track along the brook. Then a steep climb for about a ½ mile. Then the coarse climbs gradually on a combo of single track and woods roads for over 3 miles to the summit of Spruce Peak 2730’. (Nothing new for a mountain goat).This is about mile 5. The rest of the run is mostly a gradual downhill with a couple of steep descents. There are two shin deep water crossings along the way down.  The water was real cold and this helped numb the soreness of my left foot that I must have tweaked on the way down. The autumn foliage was in its peak colors. Lots of oranges and yellows glowed in the canopy of the trees as the sunlight shined. The pine needles and colorful leaves blanketed the trail in the old growth Hemlocks. (You bet I hugged some of those old trees). Sounds of the waterfalls in the brook of the remote valley echoed in my mind that created a state of calmness. I call it” trail floating”. It’s sort of an outer body experience. The views on the high ridgeline were a glimpse of Mt. Greylock to the west and hills to the east as far as you could see. The water crossing had footbridges but they were closed to the runners so you had to get wet! It’s a great coarse and a quick one if you have that”go get em” energy. Ben Nephew finished first at 1:15:20 and Elaine at 1:51:44 (3rd overall female!) and I manage a 2:43:06.

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It was nice to see Nadia waiting for me at the finish. She managed to get some photos of us after the race. I admit now that I felt horrible then but managed not to complain about it. We chatted a little bit as I tried eating a bagel. I wasn’t hungry but after that race I had to eat something. The potato chips and soda felt good. My body temperature was dropping so I had to get to my warm car. Elaine and her friend went to check out the trails along the brook in the forest. I went to the car to get some warmer clothes on. After a while of hanging out I decided to leave. Thanks to the volunteers at the aid stations and water crossings. Western Mass. Athletic Club puts on some great trail races.

I listened to the Red Sox’s last game of the season on the way home. They lost but I felt I had won today and deserved to celebrate another awesome year of trail races. Steady running long slow distances in all conditions both mentally and physically provokes challenges needed to endure through those ultra trail marathons waiting for me in the future. BluffBluffBluff.   Suds.

Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Races: 10.5 or 2 miles

Sunday Oct. 11^th 2009 10:00am.

Monroe State Forest, Monroe Mass.

Weather: upper 40’s partly sunny breezy

Trail conditions: Leafy and damp

For more pictures, click here

Click here for full results