A Bash in the woods

Sunday was my first time running the Bimbler's Bash"10kish" trail run in Guilford's Westwoods.

The day was partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 50s but climbing, pretty good running weather. I arrived with plenty of time to get my race number (and technical shirt!), walk over the start/finish areas to help warm up, and stretch. While I was no expert on the course, I had walked and run portions of it on two occasions earlier in the year. I knew it could be waterlogged when wet and offered plenty of rugged terrain.

As this was my first race since last fall, and a longish run for me in any event, I started conservatively. The early going was congested and there were several forced stops for walking due to congestion of the single track trail. On the plus side, this kept someone like me from starting too fast, and I knew there were miles and hills yet to come.

And before long those constant ups and downs took their toll. The course would wind past some cool boulder caves (28:03) I had explored with my wife and kids earlier in the spring. I was working too hard, and watching the tricky footing, to notice too much of that on this day.

To avoid overtaxing my poor Achilles, I ran the hills very slowly (if "gentle"), or walked (if steep). This meant I would fall behind other runners for a time, but I found myself catching up steadily on the flats and downhills. The flags kept me on course throughout.

The scramble up to the Lost Lake aid station (about 54:30) left me gasping and I was grateful for some liquids. I staggered on, at times feeling I had nothing left, but found that a brief walk or pace reduction left me ready to press on. Despite the fatigue I was able to speed up my leg turnover on the flatter portions. Eventually the sound of bagpipes came floating through the the trees. The finish beckoned! I accelerated along the soccer field and into the finish (1:25:20). Pretty slow for a "10k" but this was not just any 10k. Once I could breathe again, I found some water and was glad to find PB&J, bananas, and mini chocolate bars available.

Any why 10kish? Rumor has it the course may not be exactly 10K. For more information I can only refer you to the Bimbler's Sound website, but I will say that was the longest and toughest 10K I've ever done. And I would return again next year for more.

I have to add that from beginning to end the volunteers were friendly and helpful, and their task was no easy one given the needs for marking the course and getting drinks to the fairly remote aid station. Great job, Mr. Bimble & co.!

Gear report: Brooks Cascadias felt fine throughout, and are clearly a step up from road shoes for the trails. I wore a hat and sunglasses to minimize glare, although it was not the brightest day. Wicking t-shirt was a good call.

2008 year in review

What the heck has happened to this blog?!

Two things, primarily. First, I've been engaged in an ongoing pursuit of a new home, a process which consumed a great deal of attention in November - December particularly. Second, I've been taking an online class for work (pretty tough class, incidentally). This is on top of normal stuff - work, family, etc. That doesn't leave enough time for reading other blogs or writing my own. The class ends in a month, and with any luck (though it's been limited so far) the real estate search will wrap up this winter.

I've always been reflective at the end of a calendar year, while thinking ahead to the next year. So, let's review 2008.

2008 began well with a gradual buildup in running, continuing what I had started in 2007. By January 2008 things were moving forward, I was running three days a week, and my long run was at 4-5 miles. Rather than run more road 5ks this time around, I got into trail running. Here are some of the running highlights and low points of 2008:

January - increased weekly long run from 5 to 7 miles
February - First race in over a year - Valentine 5K Run at Silver River State Park in 25:37. Pretty satisfying given the soft sand and very relaxed first mile.
-increased weekly long run to 9 miles
March - Trout Creek 15K Trail Run in 1:24:06. Technically my longest race ever, this featured a totally unfamiliar course and flooded bridge crossing at 5K. An epic running adventure.
April - Flatwoods Four Trail Run in 34:35. Crowded, twisty, rooty first mile, but ran middle two miles under 8:00 each. Good effort.
May - increased long run to 11 miles and spotted black racers seemingly with every run on the Florida Scenic Trail.
-joined local runners group and began running more on roads and hills.
-injured right Achilles tendon.
June - rest/recovery. Working on 100 pushups challenge.
July - rest/recovery. Still working on pushups.
-moved to CT.
August - more rest/recovery. Did 40 straight pushups.
September through December - Easy walking/running. Trying to get used to hills. Pushups kinda fell through the cracks.

Two steps forward, one step back. Hopefully 2009 will see another step or two forward in fitness. I'm looking forward to getting in shape for more trail runs this coming spring.

Race recap #2: Trout Creek Trail Run - March 9, 2008

Trout Creek Trail Run 15K
I wasn't sure what to expect from my second trail race of the year. Although I was slowly getting stronger, this event was three times as long as the 5K I had run back in February, and I had only recently increased my long run to nine miles. Plus, this was an unfamiliar course that I would see very little of before the start. My primary goal was to finish, running as much as possible, and otherwise just do as well as I could.

It was a cool morning for Central Florida (40 degrees), so I brought some cold weather gear along and settled on shorts, gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, a cap and my new polarized prescription sunglasses for a combo of sun and cold protection. It turned out to be a pretty good balance, as the course would consist of both shaded trails and wide-open berm (dirt) roads.

One thing that was slightly unusual in this race was that the start and finish were not close together. I wanted to ensure I was familiar with the starting area, and scouted that out early. However, this cost me the chance to check out the last mile of the course, and I later wished I had a better idea of where I was in the last mile.

The start itself was unique - straight up a short but steep climb up to the top of the berm. The 15K and 5K started simultaneously, with the 15K runners heading left and the 5K runners heading right, sharing the same finish. I placed myself near the very back. At the start I swallowed my pride and began this race by... walking. I joined a few others in this approach. I just felt that the race was very long for me, and I did not want to start by pulling some muscle from the get-go, on a cool morning when I had minimal warm-up (at that point 15K was enough running). Once up on the berm, I began running conservatively, with nearly the entire field in front of me, the leaders already distant. The course followed the berm for a short distance, then turned down into the woods among the palmettos for most of the first 5K. It was narrow at first, more crowded than I was used to, but having other runners pull and push me along really helped. I kept things relaxed for the first three miles or so and felt pretty good.

And then something totally unexpected happened. A long, low bridge over a stream was flooded and completely underwater. The course did not detour around this obstacle. Two women in front of me paused, and conferred on whether to remove their shoes or just go for it. Somewhat stunned by this whole development, I paused momentarily too. I could pretty much tell running through this would completely soak my socks and shoes, and I would face about 10K of running with wet, heavy shoes. On the other hand, taking them off would cost time at both ends of the bridge, to say nothing of exposing my bare feet to whatever lay under the dark water. Another man quickly caught the three of us. I kicked myself for delaying and ran on into the waters, which soon covered the tops of my Asics, well up my shins, and deep enough to slow my pace. The water soaked through and was cold. And my shoes were heavier. I told myself that everyone would have to deal with this same issue.

I actually still felt pretty good until we reached the middle of the race with an extended portion out in the open, up on the berm. I tried to pick up the pace a bit and found I did not have another gear available due to my lack of speedwork to that point. A few guys passed me here, so quickly I wondered if they were out doing some speedwork of their own, not running a 15K. What were they doing behind me before?

The last 5K was back on trails and grass and I tried to make up some time despite feeling far from fresh. Most likely I was just minimizing the slowdown process. With a lack of mile markers, it was hard to tell my pace or exactly where I was. At least the turns were generally well-marked. There were four water stops, and I used all of them and seemed to stay hydrated ok. The last mile included another surprise ( I had heard something about this on the web, so it wasn't really a mental shock, more of a physical one). A steep, narrow hill the size of a sand dune, with a trail up it so steep and narrow I had to walk up it, and down, for fear of toppling on my wobbly legs. The finish came soon after, with a long straightaway perfect for unleashing a final kick. I picked up the pace but I was too far back to even give someone else a good push to the finish.

The finish area featured a DJ and good food and drinks. I had done all right for myself this day, though the race results told a sobering story. I finished near the bottom of my age group, and many men and women with 5, 10, and in some cases even more years on me, had crushed me today. These Tampa-area trail runners proved to be a tough group indeed. The overall winner, a men's masters runner, set a new course record. Congrats to the race director, Jim Hartnett, on a great event.


Pros: well-organized race and well-marked course, four good water stations
Cons: if I'm being picky, and maybe a trail newbie... very few mile/distance markers (exception - a good one in the last1/4 mile reading "it's monkey time!")

Race recap #1 - Flatwoods Four - April 6, 2008

Ok, this is way overdue. I'd been meaning to report on this year's trail races, but this blog began after I actually ran in three events in '08. I've seen little written about them, so I thought I'd make my own small contribution. Here's the most recent event....

The Flatwoods Four Trail Run was held this past April 6 near Tampa. I'm posting this belated race report (I only started this blog since then), as well as those of two other Florida trail races I've run this year (forthcoming), for the benefit of anyone who might want to try one of these events.

This was my second tamparaces.com event of the season, and I was looking forward to seeing what I could do on a shorter course following the earlier Trout Creek 15K. As I was running somewhat out my area, I did not see anyone I recognized before the start of the race.

The start was quite crowded. In fact, it was the most crowded first mile I've run in my life (including high school and college cross country, and various road races)! I placed myself maybe 2/3 of the way back from the starting line, and it took a few seconds to get to the line after the race started. After that it was wall-to-wall runners on the first trail segment, the "shell road". Very difficult to pass anyone. Next we headed into the woods on a very narrow, rough, twisty trail over roots and through palmetto. Kinda dark in there for my shades, but I had decided to wear them to protect myself in the more open middle part of the run. At this point in the woods, runners had to go single file, and things were so bottled up that I actually had to stop and walk three times because of the traffic! One guy behind me complained a couple of times, but I took the slowdown "in stride" as part of the experience. The first mile split was 10:27, which I think is my slowest first mile split in any distance race, ever. Once we got out of the woods, the trial widened and I was able to open things up a bit (relatively speaking) and try to make up some time. The middle two miles, a mix of grass and sand, were wider and sunnier, though I was glad the sun hid behind some clouds part of the time. While the sun was hiding, I removed my cap, and replaced it when it got brighter. The last mile essentially repeated the first mile, minus the crushing crowds. Despite being flat, it was twisty with a little rough footing, and I found myself going into oxygen debt. Back on the shell road I was able to pick it up and put on a closing burst to the finish. I had my typical "Give me air/I think I'm going to throw up" minute or two but that passed, thank goodness.

All in all, an enjoyable day for me.

Race pros and cons, IMHO...
pros: well-marked course, well-organized, excellent post-race food (great job, tamparaces.com!)
cons: parking and bathroom access were less than ideal. Depending on your perspective, a very crowded, overly narrow first mile; as with many trail events, do not even consider comparing times with a typical road race, despite the flat terrain... if you care at all about your time, consider your starting position carefully.