People are asking if I ride horses because of my 'end of the weekend walk'.
It is a fair trade.
I'd expose myself to quite a bit of self torture for 70+ Grand Tree points. Yep - you read that right. For the first time, I finally broke the 70 barrier for Grand Tree percentage points and did it right ~ 74.5%.
(I always liked the 70's.)
The Striders made this course profile graphic and posted it on their web. Click for a larger version. Actually, click on any graphic or photo for an enlargement.
Looking at the chart, it is no wonder about the altered gait (let alone worked a soccer game).
I really like Soapstone not only because it is so close to home, but because it is a great course and Carolyn runs the Sampler at the same time and that is neat (see below).
We both awoke early on a surprisingly chilly and wet day. Heading east on Route 190, we couldn't even see the mountains due to fog.
We parked, got ready and I tried to do a few things to help this nagging achilles bursitis. But, the time came soon enough to head on down the path to the starting line for all involved.
Because of the chilly temps and overall moisture, I decided to leave the hydration sack for the first time in a year and go with the small fanny pack and bottle, refilling at most stops and dropping a nuun tablet every 16 ounces. I am a big believer in the 6P Rule and probably put way too much emphasis on the planning. But it has served me well so far since the disasterous first attempts at trail running years ago.
The Samplers start off on a Dipsea handicapped system so the 14.5 milers head off first. I found the pack of guys that I have run with at 7 Sisters, Merrimack and Northern Nipmuck. I saw them all day long too. They all seem like nice guys and that makes the trails a bit more fun. They all took off ahead of me, but we kept running into each other all day long.
The race starts off with a mile on some pretty easy fire road, then a turn onto some single track which takes you to the "Killer Hill". The chart says 310 feet climb in about 1/16th of a mile.
No kidding.
Truly hand-over foot and basically unrunable except by the leaders. Even more treacherous in the rain. But, it does thin out the pack. I'll have to go back, take photos and post them later.
Your reward for getting to the top? It is the time to make gravity your friend ~ right down a rock-laden drop from the top back to the road level (green) trail!
Once you get down there it becomes pretty enjoyable. Nothing impossible all the way to first water stop at 3.6 miles. Just some partially technical running avoiding the rocks that make up all trails in southern New England. I hit this water stop at 34 minutes. Plus, it was raining and staying cool. It didn't get better than this.
Then more of the same for another few miles all the while gradually dropping elevation all the way down to the almost half-way water stop at 7.15 miles.
Maybe that is why it is so enjoyable?
I hit this at 1:05 this year, and 1:04 last year when I did my PR of 2:16. But, I felt stronger this year with less desire to powerhike the ups. I think I finally have my leg cramp issues under control with the judicious use of the nuun tablets (thanks Lotto) and that is usually what stops me in this event. My chances at a PR didn't look to shabby. Plus, next was THE STREAMBED which always gets me going!
On a dry year, this combination farm road and stream bed is a good running creek. This year, it was awesome. It was 8 or so minutes of running through some pretty good deep flowing water. Darn cold water.
At the bottom, there is a sharp left turn up a hill that is well-marked, but first-year people miss it anyway (as I did in 2004). I called 3 people back from the farm field down the trail and I guess many people went that way for a spell before finding the error of their navigation.
There is a long stretch between this point and the next water station and although I was going at a good clip, I lost 2 minutes somewhere in these three miles. That will be make me wonder for quite a while exactly where and / or how.
I hit the 11.6 mile water stop at 1:53 and with the realization that the chance for a PR had been lost somewhere on the last stretch of trail. My time was still pretty good, but I'd have to make up a whole bunch of time in the very little left. This last part was the stretch that Carolyn and I (and some friends) run with some familiarity. That always helps the mind. You know when you can hike and when you can run and when you can fly down hills with reckless abandonment. There is this massive free-standing rock structure that splits
the trail towards the end and when you see that, you've got very little left before the last 2 climbs to the road and the Quarry trail.And that Quarry trail ~ even with fresh legs, it is tough to navigate in any assemblance of control. On legs that are shot, it is essentially keeping from flying down the hill.
But, it is a blast. Check out to profile map and it is easy to see where that rapid last drop off is right at mile 13.
A quick turn left onto the road is both pleasure as the end is only about a mile-and-a-half away, but absolute torture on the joints after all the soft stuff.
The road continues back almost to the start turning back into a gravel road and up two short grades. Someone had thoughtfully placed Sampler bib numbers with the distance left pinned to the side of the road. Who knows if it was accurate ~ it helped. At 2/10ths left, a quick right turn onto a dirt trail for about a 100-yards then the painfully long finish up the field to the end. This year, the finish line was staffed by cowbell ringers cheering for everyone. What an awesome touch.
I finished with a 2:19.25 - three minutes slower than my PR.
All the rest of the day I wondered ~ this is now 2 races with the new forest camo boonie hat, and both races, I've done 3 minutes slower than my PR.
PR+3? I'll take it - as long as I get 70+ Grand Tree points.
The Soapstone Sampler 6k (Carolyn and Shelly)
I am still waiting on a formal story and report from these two. I think that they just went out and had a blast. I know that Carolyn finally got to see Richard Busa when lining up for the race. The Striders webpage results have Shelly taking 2nd place overall for women, but I know that she had to leave before the awards ceremony to play in a soccer game! Yeah! I have a sneaky suspicion that you'll see these two at a few more events before The People's Forest.
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