Stopped at top of RT 9 VT at Little Pond Trail Head (part of the Green Mountain National Forest) to get in 5 miles (34+) in the middle of the car ride. Soggy trails, but wicked fun to just hop out of the car and pop into some trails. I ran on a couple ice caps (yeah buddy!) that were maybe 3 or 4 feet long. Craziness! Sweet views. Wish I brought my phone along for the run or had something smaller to take with me. Might be an investment soon.
Trail head.
Start of the trail.
Parking lot.
May 4th (Saturday): Lots of sleeping in. No real breakfast. Out for 5.5 miles (40:38) around 1pm. Some major sweating due to the 80+ degree weather. Super easy run on my own. Back to Kimber's to stretch and Stick my legs. Showered and stopped at the Bagel Mill for lunch. Sausage, egg and cheese. Chilled by the water and ate lunch. Soaked up some rays.
Over to Ferenc's for the night. Stopped at Da Choppa for dinner groceries (burrito mix ingredients and Gatorade). Beans, rice, avocado, salsa and cheese in a wrap. 3 wraps destroyed. Watched Old School before bed. Crashed on the futon in a sleeping bag.
Over to Ferenc's for the night. Stopped at Da Choppa for dinner groceries (burrito mix ingredients and Gatorade). Beans, rice, avocado, salsa and cheese in a wrap. 3 wraps destroyed. Watched Old School before bed. Crashed on the futon in a sleeping bag.
May 5th (Sunday): 5am wakeup. Rolled around before jumping out of bed to get out the door. On the road by 5:30am to head North to Huntington, VT (Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race venue). Registered, longer warmup (29+ minutes) and changed into different shorts (current shorts weren't ideal for hot weather). Threw the Inov8 X-Talon 212's. Some strides at the starting lines.
Race was a tough one. Still new to the mountain racing scene. I tend to race it like a road race. I can't exactly do that. With the first 3/4 of a mile being uphill, I was redlining and in oxygen debt within about 2-3 minutes of the start. Off the line hard and up the hill. Ferenc and Newbould lead the pack to the King of the Hill point. Mile 3 was a tough grass hill that had me trotting up it (Jim Johnson coached me the 2nd half and keep me positive). Took me the next couple miles to recover before charging again for the last 2 miles. Stayed strong and lots of yo-yoing throughout the middle of the race. Mile 5 was single track and I started to make moves (closing the gap on Newbould). Last mile was overall downhill and wide open. Let gravity do it's part and opened the stride up. Ended with a 2nd place finish (40:04). Good stuff and ready to re-strategize for Wachusett in a couple weeks. 44 minute cooldown with the top guys (Ferenc, Newbould, DoubleJ, and Todd Callaghan).
Ferenc and I stopped at Huntington Gorge for a dip in the swimming hole. "Shock to the whole body" cold, but wicked refreshing. Stopped for BBQ chicken pizza and Barq's root beer at Jimmz. Back to Saxtons River for another 3 miles (27:19) in the trails. 18 miles on the day.
Bike ride down to the nearby river to rinse off. Changed and out for the wings special. Back to the house to watch Inception and crash from a long day. Waking up early to make the trip back to NY.
Race was a tough one. Still new to the mountain racing scene. I tend to race it like a road race. I can't exactly do that. With the first 3/4 of a mile being uphill, I was redlining and in oxygen debt within about 2-3 minutes of the start. Off the line hard and up the hill. Ferenc and Newbould lead the pack to the King of the Hill point. Mile 3 was a tough grass hill that had me trotting up it (Jim Johnson coached me the 2nd half and keep me positive). Took me the next couple miles to recover before charging again for the last 2 miles. Stayed strong and lots of yo-yoing throughout the middle of the race. Mile 5 was single track and I started to make moves (closing the gap on Newbould). Last mile was overall downhill and wide open. Let gravity do it's part and opened the stride up. Ended with a 2nd place finish (40:04). Good stuff and ready to re-strategize for Wachusett in a couple weeks. 44 minute cooldown with the top guys (Ferenc, Newbould, DoubleJ, and Todd Callaghan).
Charging the first hill.
Courtesy of Scott Mason.
Ridge.
Courtesy of Scott Mason.
Bike ride down to the nearby river to rinse off. Changed and out for the wings special. Back to the house to watch Inception and crash from a long day. Waking up early to make the trip back to NY.
76 miles for the week. Solid 2 workouts and the first mountain race of the circuit. Ready for recovery and a relaxing weekend.
Top 3.
Courtesy of Scott Mason.
Awesome race!
ReplyDeleteNice race man, wish I could be around for Wachussetts in a couple weeks!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys! No Wachusett?
ReplyDelete