Just Another Day in Studville...

CUT 112 Connecticut Ultra Traverse

Connecticut Ultra Traverse June 10 11^th and 13^th 2017

- Art Byram, @Blueblazerunner

The Trail

Although Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state in the nation, it is blessed to have an excellent network of recreational trails, most of which are maintained by Connecticut Forest and Park Association https://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails/blue-blazed-hiking-trails-interactive-map . The primary North to South trail is the National Scenic New England Trail which basically runs along the trap rock ridges through the center of the state using the Metacomet, Mattabesett and Menunkatuck blue blaze trails.  The Connecticut Ultra Traverse route or “CUT112” route is 112 miles from Rising Corners to the Long Island sound in Guilford.

 This route strings together some of the best trail running in Connecticut including Suffield Mountain, Peak Mountain, Hatchet Hill, Wilcox Park, Penwood State Park (Traprock 50k), Heublein Tower, MDC Reservoirs, Rattlesnake Mountain, Pinnacle Rock, Crescent Lake, Ragged Mountain, Castle Craig, Lamentation Mountain, Chauncey Peak, Mount Higby, Powder Ridge, Tri-Mountain State Park, Bluff Head (Bimblers Bluff 50k) , Cockaponset State Forest, East River Preserve, and the Guilford Point waterfront.

Any one of these places is a wonderful place to spend a few hours trail running. Most of them have some good climbs and all of them have wonderful views, rocks, roots, and the pure nastiness that the “Beast Coast” is known for.  These trails were all built before the switchback was invented! However once you’re at the top of a peak it’s not uncommon for the trail to drop you down to the bottom only to bring you back up to the top again.  There are scrambles, rock caves, ledges, and even 2 elevators at the Guildford Train Station.  There are miles and miles of pointy trap rock, scree, baby heads, glacial erratic’s  and tombstones. In other words these trails have everything that a good trail runner looks for.

The CUT112 Route has approximately 16,722’ of elevation gain and 16,936’ of elevation loss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Challenge

Imagine a weekend where one could visit one’s favorite places, and invite one’s friends, to join in their favorite activity? According to http://www.run100s.com/ultra.htm about 7,800 runners finish 100 mile races each year, so running this distance is by no means, super human or unique.  There are 158 100 Mile races held in North America each year.  However despite Connecticut’s wonderful trails, it does not host a 100 mile trail race… yet.

After discussing the CUT112 route with a few friends, I threw out an open invitation to my friends asking if anyone was interested in running the entire 112 miles with me or a portion of it. Jordan Grande and I have run the 48 mile Shenipsit Blue Blaze Trail End to End (E2E) several times with the Shenipsit Striders running club, since the tradition started in 2009. So I was not surprised that she immediately agreed to join me in the run.

We then asked others from the trail running community and before we knew it, we had a Facebook group with 60 members showing interest in supporting and or running this very symbolic route. Folks from Shenipsit Striders, CT Trailmixer’s, and Silk City Striders all showed interest, including Jay Mitchell who expressed an interest in running the first 60 miles off the Metacomet trail.  We also found some “rolling support” from Kurt Zimmerman, my brother Jody Byram, and my wife Peggy Byram, who agreed to drive support vehicles with supplies and meet us at road crossings.

As the day approached it became apparent that we would be running this in hotter than usual temperatures as the forecast called for mid-80s on Saturday, and temperatures above 90° on Sunday. I personally like to run when it’s 40° so we knew this was going to be an additional challenge on top of everything else.

We started out at just before 11 AM on Saturday, June 10 from Rising Corners smiling happy and glad to be in the woods! As planned, our friends periodically jumped in to run and support us. And although the heat made it difficult, we persisted, and managed to keep smiling. After crossing Route 6 and passing Pinnacle Rock, we donned our headlights, flashlights and proceeded. Being in the woods at night is a wonderful feeling, as the sounds are amplified, and one must stay in the moment. At around 11 PM we passed by Rogers Orchard and entered Ragged Mountain. This area offers some of the more challenging terrain with several sections that require scrambling on all fours. At this point there were seven of us running together through the night.

Time went on and the miles racked up, and we soon found ourselves treated to a nighttime view of Castle Craig in the moonlight. As we came by the reservoir underneath the Castle, the horizon was glowing and we knew we had made it through the night.

With the Metacomet trail completed in the early hours of Sunday morning, we moved on to the Mattabesett. Wonderful vistas, reservoirs  and views awaited us. From atop Mount Higby, we could look back at our journey of the prior day and know that we ran every ridgeline in sight. 

Although this was an awesome feeling, the 93° temperatures and weight of having traveled 80 miles started to take its toll. Blisters and other foot problems had to be addressed, hydration and nutrition adjusted. Although Jordan and I had each run 100 miles on occasions prior to this day, completing an endeavor like this is never ever a guarantee, as it is much much more a mental battle than it is physical.

A common mantra for the ultra runner is “relentless forward progress". Basically means that when you can’t run you walk. Our plan from the beginning had been to walk anything that resembled a hill, run the flats and down hills, and just keep moving. So that is what we did, and the miles rolled by sometimes quickly, other times not so much. We did realize early on, that due to the heat and our other issues that we would be running a good portion of a second night. Mentally our goal was just to get to the base of the Bluff Head, as we knew the trail got a little bit easier there. 

With the support of our friends we finally found ourselves at Clapboard Hill Road in Guilford, and began the final 3.9 mile Road section of our journey. This section was more a celebration, as the difficult parts were behind us. We took the trail through the town square, and eventually found ourselves at Guilford train station where we rode the elevators that my employer, KONE had installed. And waddled our way to Chittiden Park, where we made our way down the boardwalk, dipped our toes in the Long Island Sound, and celebrated the completion of a fantastic journey!

Shenipsit E2E IV 2016

Our trail run on the Saturday after Thanksgiving was a lot like some of the other end to end runs that have taken place since 2009, and was actually my forth E2E journey along the 47 mile Shenipsit Blue Blaze trail.  We started in the dark, and ended in the dark.  We followed the blue blazes of the Shenipsit Trail, and hardly got lost.  Well OK, so this time I managed to get off track more than usual, which is funny because I am actually pretty good at following along, staying on track, but I think I should get a pass on this rookie failure, because after all I got lost in the Mesh.  And we all know that that’s just the kinda thing that happens in those hills.  Perhaps the trail just sensed my overconfidence and needed to give me a poke.  I guess I’m lucky it didn’t get really pissed at me and was content with a few late night bonus miles.

Every time I run this event, (yeah I guess it has become an event) I feel like I am participating in an all-star game.  Many times I have felt that I was in way over my head, because the people running this are just phenomenal runners.  I have, on more than one running of this trail recognized that I was the weakest link in the group.  The first year, Mark, Scott and Bruce, clearly out gunned me, and I learned more on that run than any other run ever.  On these E2E runs, I have heard wonderful tales of exciting 100 mile races such as Western States, Old Dominion, Grind Stone, Javelina, Ghost Train, Oil Creek, Mt Fuji, Angeles Crest, Hurt, Vermont, Tarc, and others.   The conversations on these runs provide entertainment and information beyond any imaginable ultra-running podcast. Adventure races, epic mountain hikes, mountain climbing, body building, back packing and mountain biking stories round out the experience.  Hanging out with people like this has shifted my perception of what normal is, and has allowed me to push myself into things that previously scared me.

Many times we have heard that we are all capable of so much more that we believe we are, and that we play it too safe and do not aim high enough.  These folks are not afraid to lay it all out.    This year I heard Steve casually mention that he ran a marathon and a 50k the weekend before the E2E. He also ran two 100 milers this year.   So yeah he suffered, at points during our run, but he hung in and proved that it could be done, and in the end he finished strong.  This is the 4^th year in a row that he and Sean have run the E2E.  Although this year the weather was about perfect, as it was in the mid-40s, they have run it in freezing temps, 4” of snow, and pouring rain.  These guys and the others like them that regularly do this E2E thing are the real deal. 

 OK so onto a quick recap of the run.  There were so many people coming and going on this run that it would be crazy for me to go back and tell you who jumped in where, but there were perhaps around 20 people who jumped in, and 10 who did the complete E2E.

  E2E Runners included:

Sean Greaney

Steve LaBranche

Gabriel Matyiko

Ted Cowles

Bruce Giguere

Mark Bongiorno

Zane Couch

Jeff Sullivan

Daniel Haggerty

Art Byram

This event has now grown and has many traditions that seem to be established like switching directions every year.  We have tried having just 1 aid station at the half way point to having aid stations every few miles.  But now we have settled into 5 aid stations, and each of these have started to have their own sort of personalities.   It has been fun watching this organizational growth, as we learn what works best on this route.  We now even have waivers signed to participate, and have naturally separated into groups based on pace, and some event swag!

Every year, someone steps up to organize this event.  This year was the first year that we met in the commuter lot on 44 rather than the Bolton Notch parking lot.  It was a nice change and was much easier for folks to find at 5:15AM.   Every year there are folks that for some crazy reason, step up and organize the logistics in order to make the day flow.  This year it was Tony who spend a lot of time figuring out “word problems” like this:  If 30 runners with little brain function head out into the dark woods at 6:00AM traveling at 14 minute miles, how long will it take them to get lost, get back on track, eat take pictures, then run again, and how many slices of pizza per mile will be burned, and what was the name of the lovable big monster in the movie “Goonies”.     

This year I found myself telling stories of the old days like an old trail geezer.   “When we ran this trail, there were no blazes, we had no aid stations, and we didn’t have cell phone cameras or headlamps.  We ran by moonlight and liked it”.  Sad but true stories…

I felt over the top great for the first half of the run as I “put time in the bank” [bad idea], joking around and feeling great.  I hit a low point going through Case as Sean and I picked it up.  But felt better after pigging out at the Birch Mountain Road Aid station.    I suffered a bit, but not too much. 

After stopping at the tubes, I donned my big headlamp but was disappointed as it washed the trail out and faded.  I thought it was going to be overkill and do a great job, but it faded quickly then just got in the way and I would have been better off with the lighting system I used in the morning.  But had already dropped back from folks as I was trying to coordinate the pickup at the end of the trail, with texts and phone calls so I did not want to stop more to change out lights.

I did get a chance to run with Gabriel, a runner who joined us from Maryland.  He had a 100 miler under his belt and was familiar with our Eastern Blue Blaze trails near RI.  I dropped back fumbling with my gear, and at one point I was following Gabriel who was about 50 meters ahead, and I yelled as I kicked a rock and almost fell. He then asked me if we were on trail, but I thought he was asking if I was alright. I said "Its OK" so based on my assurances he figured we were still on the right trail. I was not paying attention because he was ahead, and before we knew it, we were in an uncharted, haunted part of the Mesh.  Rookie move on my part.

I ended up running the last 2 mile stretch solo, and headed out to the overlook at Great Hill.  I then back tracked and headed down the very steep last section, and even managed to get off track for a final time there, as is the tradition, before reaching Gadpouch Road, where about half of the runners had arrived, and my wife Peggy was waiting.   Todd and the rest of the group were close behind me and we took one last final group shot before heading out.  

My only regret was that I did not get to run with Mark and Bruce.  But I could see their footprints on the trail as we were an hour and a half behind them.  I also had many flashbacks from the original run.  Did I mention that we ran it without headlamps, and that there were no blazes?   It was another great day in the woods with old friends, new friends and the memories of the past

Return to The Bluff 50k 2016

I love trying new things in life, going new places, seeing the sights, and meeting new people. But sometimes I need to go back to my roots, for a reality check. In 2008 after having run several marathons on the road, I was talked into trying an ultramarathon on the trails. The prospect of this was scary as I had never run that far, nor had I run very much off-road. Fear of failure combined with fear of falling had kept me away from the longer distances, and out of the woods. At Bimblers Bluff in 2008 I put together what I felt at the time, and since then, was a very solid race, finishing 9th place in 5:53:36.  I left that race feeling that I had just discovered a very different and special part of running that had been hidden from me, I had discovered trails!

This year after doing back-to-back trail marathons at Cat’s Tail, and Nipmuck, I was looking for the next fun thing to do, and there was my old friend the Bluff.  This year has been highlighted by activities which are more geared towards endurance rather than speed. Running the Metacomet trail End 2 End, and the Catnip double, left me feeling like I was a bit crazy, but perhaps lacking in some of the speed that I felt I had years ago. Sure I could take on crazy stuff and dig deep, but was not sure if I could run competitively.

Going into this year’s Bluff 50k, my reach goal was to attempt to run faster than I did in 2008. I thought that if everything went really well and I didn’t get lost I might squeeze a minute or two out of my PR. My more realistic goal was to try to run under six hours, and I didn’t really have any other goals besides that except to have some fun.

This race was a lot of fun for me on a personal note since there were runners that I knew from all over the place from different races. It was very much a clashing of my worlds. This year’s race was the USATF Ultra Championship Race for Connecticut.  

The race starts out with a loop around a soccer field before entering the woods where there’s lots of singletrack. I wanted to make sure that I got out towards the front of the field so that I didn’t get caught in a long conga line. However I also didn’t want to go out too fast and have the embarrassing prospect of having a whole bunch of people immediately pass me once we got into the woods. Luckily I knew that Deb Livingston would know how to properly pace, and solve this issue, so I lined up with her and we took the first lap at a surprisingly somewhat easy pace and were with the top 15 or so runners out of the field of about 140.

Once we were a mile or so into the race, I started to get concerned that I was getting caught up and running this somewhat technical section of the trail a little too fast considering how early it was in the race and how long we still had to go. I didn’t want to burn fuel this early. So I backed off a little bit, and soon Deb along with several other runners snuck by me on the singletrack, which was fine by me.

The temperature was about perfect as it was in the low 40°s, with a little bit of wind. I knew it was going to get warmer so rather than have to fight with a costume change midstride, I opted to wear a singlet with gloves, and a hat with my lucky Nipmuck buff. I also had my Ultimate Direction SJ vest, with a bottle up front, and about 35 ounces of water in the bladder packed with caffenated Tailwind buzz. I have used Tailwind during several longer slower runs including the 60 mile Metacomet run, but had never tried it in a race that I had to push a little faster.  I was certainly not disappointed as it kept me fueled up feeling very good for the entire day, and allowed me to zip through the aid stations, just stopping to fill the bladder one time, during the race.

It had rained the day before the race and as usual a lot of the leaves fell onto the trail and covered the rocks, which can sometimes be an issue. However, my Altra Lone Peak 3.0 trail shoes provided great grip, protection against the sharps, and allowed me to kick a few rocks without hurting my toes.

I ran pretty conservatively just walking up the steepest stuff as needed, and running pretty much everything else at a moderate pace. At around 10 miles in the course takes a big steep elevation jump up the Bluff. The first time I ran this I was completely intimidated as I had not been on many trails that were this steep. I guess I’d not been on that many trails period, but the Bluff is very steep.  This time I knew what to expect, so I just power hiked up, trying not to burn out.   Once I got to the top I took a minute for a few pictures of the fantastic view from the cliff.   I then headed out to the woods into the singletrack, and just concentrated on staying on trail. I have to say the course was extremely well marked, especially compared to the first year! But the route is a difficult one with tempting side trails that can easily pull one off course, if attention is not one’s thing. However running Connecticut trails is really what I love to do so I guess I am getting pretty good at staying on trail.  I started to pick it up a little bit on the downhill sections coming off of the bluff, and settled into a good pace.  This was a section of loose rocks under leaves, where around 1 out of 10 steps was one that would start to turn an ankle, so I would just take the next one a little faster and keep the weight off the bad step.  Amazing how many little ups and downs and gear changes this course required.

I started feeling good and settled into a groove when my mental soundtrack started playing songs like “yippie ki ya yaa, get along little doggie” and some Red Hot Chili Pepper songs too.  Although I was running mostly alone I was having just a blast in the woods. Then I started to pick things up a little bit, and felt even better. I stopped walking the uphills, and noticed that I was passing a few more runners. 

At around mile 25 I came out of the woods feeling really strong and clear headed, and saw some horses.  I also noticed that I was passing a few more.  I saw a  young runner on the trail walking a bit ahead, so I stopped to see if he was ok.  He was clearly struggling, but he looked like an elite college runner. I gave him an energy gu, and wished him luck then I kept going till I reached the last aid station which was 2.5 from the finish.  After I left him, I started thinking that he might recover and pass me on the trail, so I was running scared. 

The aid station volunteers were great and helped me get my Tail Wind powder nutrition mixed quickly.  At the last aid station, I just filled my handheld, and the aid worker told me “now no one passes you from here to the finish”  and I just replied “yes sir” and felt really strong as I entered the last somewhat technical miles of the run.  I managed to catch one other runner at this point, about a half mile from the finish.  And I recognized for the last few miles that I was going to beat my previous time from 2008, so I picked it up a little more as I broke out of the woods, and down the hill to the finish.  I crossed the line in 5:39:18 which was good for 13th place, and was over 14 minutes faster than my effort 8 years earlier.

After finishing, I was greeted by the Race Director Jerry Turk, who gave me a finishers hat and a huge apple pie, for winning the 50-59 age group.  The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out watching the rest of the field finish this great course.  What a great day!     

Metacomet Blue Blaze Trail FKT Unsupported Run

 

Oh Metacomet, King of them all!

I run to your hills to pay respect

to the great spirit of this land,

and to rejoice in its beauty.

-Art Byram

Much can be said about the Metacomet trail. First and foremost it was named for the Wampanoag sachem who the Europeans named King Philip.  Metacomet led a war that started out strong and finished in near total destruction. The 60 mile Metacomet trail covers many of the towns affected in this war.

The Metacomet trail is the longest blue blazed trail in Connecticut’s 850 mile network of trails and it links many of the most beautiful ridge lines and trail running areas in the state together. It is maintained by Connecticut Forest and Parks Association which is primarily a volunteer organization. (Please consider joining CFPA or donating here)

Last summer as I was recovering from an old injury, I started piecing together sections of the Metacomet trail in shorter out and back jaunts. I was amazed at the stunning scenery, the many views, and the challenging nature of the trail. I’ve always felt one of the hardest things to do is to run this trail without stopping to take pictures. The trail also does a great job of stringing together some of the most amazing trail running in the state of Connecticut. It is New England trail running at its best. After many discussions with my BFF (Best Forest Friend) Rick O’Toole, I decided to attempt to run the entire Metacomet trail from Berlin to the Massachusetts border, and at the same time set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) which in this case would also be an OKT. More on FKT's can be found HERE.

Note: After completing this run I have heard reports that Matt Estes a world class Ultra Runner from CT ran the Metacomet trail around 2006(?) most likely supported in around 11:30.  I have reached out to him for more details, and will add notes here if I learn more.

Deciding on the format was another matter. In the past I’ve managed to run 112 miles in 24 hours supported, but the longest I’ve ever gone unsupported is 35 miles and that was just two weeks ago. Running unsupported means carrying your own food, and getting water from natural sources, and does not allow for Pacers.  As a Scoutmaster I had backpacked and used a water filter on the AT, but that Katidyn filter seemed too large for running. I had also tried to Steripen to purify water but couldn’t figure it out with enough confidence in the batteries. What I settled on was a Sawyer in line mini filter.  More information on the water filtration gear I used can be found here.

I had been considering running this trail E2E since 2010 following an E2E run of the Shenipsit trail in 2010 with the Shenipsit Striders.  For the last few years I’ve been lurking at the FKT Pro boards, and thinking about going after some of Connecticut’s blue blaze trails. After constructing a spreadsheet to layout the attempt, about six months ago I settled on the date of May 21 as the ideal date as it was 33 days after Boston Marathon, was still not in the dead heat of summer, and was a full moon.  I knew that I would be running in the dark so I settled on an early start of 4 AM.

I parked my car in a parking lot on the Berlin Turnpike, in Berlin Connecticut at the terminus of the Matabesset trail where it changes to the Metacomet trail.  I started my watch as I crossed the Berlin Turnpike at 4:00:36 a.m. and made my way towards the graveyard and on the initial two-mile Road section. Obviously it was not that crowded at that hour.  After making my way into the woods, the trail starts out a little confusingly with some muddy sections and of course rocks. I started my way up the hills and was greeted by many glowing eyes in the woods. At this point the moon was up, but I was deep in the woods. I stayed along the trail and started to go by some houses, and tried to be as quiet as possible. I then enter the section through the hanging hills which has a brutally nasty downhill trap rock section of about half a mile. Fortunately Rick and I had recently run up to Castle Craig and back through this confusing section, so I was well prepared and avoided a few missteps.

As I reached the base of Castle Craig by the reservoirs, I started the climb just as the sun started to peek out over the top of the ridge line. It painted the treetops in a Silk City Striders orange, and I had to hold myself back from going up and attacking the very rugged terrain that I was running on. This section has many parts that require all fours and good scrambling skills. It is ruggedly beautiful with many impossibly sharp rocks that have roots clutching them in an organic battle.  I worked my way up to Castle Craig and took in the amazing view at this remarkable time of the day.

I also remembered that I had to keep going rather than take in the view as much as I usually like to. So I worked my way along the trail, and watched as it plunged back down giving away a couple hundred feet of elevation, knowing that I was going to need to take it back immediately and push a little higher as well.

After some hard work getting to the top of the West peak, I was grateful that I was doing this on fresh legs and not having to do this at the end of the day. I forcibly removed myself from the view, and moved myself down the trail. This section follows the ridge line, dancing along the edge of the cliff. I enjoyed the downhill section that follows which was very runnable, and worked my way down towards Edgewood Road. I stopped at the first stream as planned, and found it a little murkier than I remembered, but still gathered some water, and was on my way.

I took the road section at a good steady pace, and entered the trail again near the golf course. And took the approximately 200 foot climb up Short Mountain.  I decided to send my wife Peggy a text to give her an update, and as soon as I was done noticed that I had missed a turn.  The last year of focusing on the blue blaze trails has really improved my ability to stay on track. I instinctively follow blue blazes at this point, so I picked this back up rather quickly. Next up was Ragged Mountain!

Ragged Mountain is another very challenging maze of steep and rocky trails. Anyone who has run through Ragged Mountain, is familiar with this really difficult section that requires some acrobatics to through this very difficult vertical chute.  Once again I am very happy that this section is still early (15 miles) in my run, yet I still feel it take its toll on my legs. After this initial brutal climb, the trail just turns into a nice rocky playground. The views are stunning, and I enjoy launching off the top of boulders, and vaulting over fallen trees.  Many ups and downs but not a lot of water.

After ragged Mountain I ran down past Rogers Orchard, initially I was thinking that that would be a good spot to refuel for other formats however I did notice that they were closed at the time I went by.

At this point I was feeling very good because two of the most challenging areas were behind me. With at least two still ahead, not including all of the unnamed, lesser known challenges.  I was still feeling okay but certainly not 100% as I felt like I wasn’t drinking as much as I wanted to for fear of running out, which also meant that I wasn’t getting the fuel that I needed. However any time I started to feel a bonk come on, I would make sure that I drank more. So I seemed to be able to manage things okay because at no time did I feel sick. I had also been trading a few texts throughout the day with Rick and he let me know that he would be trying to catch up with me as I crossed through New Britain. The New Britain section of trail can hardly be called the trail, as it is an extremely dangerous road to run on. Going under highways with virtually no shoulder and cars going by, I found my pace picking up in the heat, as I worked to get through this section. Rick caught up just as I was approaching the train tracks, and prepared to enter the woods and make the steep climb up the next section. He took a photo to document my whereabouts, wished me well, and I was on my way up the hill. Once I reached the top of the hill, I had reached the marathon distance, and for the first time did not feel really great. But I pressed on, it soon passed and I enjoyed the next sections which were runnable, up until I reached Rattlesnake Mountain.

As I was refilling one of my bottles on Rattlesnake Mountain I saw another runner and had a chance to chat with him. It’s pretty cool to be able to tell someone what you’re up to when you’re trying something like what I was doing. He wished me luck and I was on my way. At the top of Rattlesnake Mountain I signed into the book left by Connecticut Forest and Park Association. The next few miles were very runnable and before I knew it I was at Route 4. I was about 31 miles into it. Peggy was at the commuter lot and took a few photos of me and chatted as I refilled my bottle. We had already discussed the fact beforehand that she was not to answer any questions that I had about locating the trail, locating water, how far I had to go, or anything else for that matter.  She had a camera and was documenting my journey as I passed road crossings. She then got on her bike and rode ahead to Reservoir Six.

Water became an issue at this point, and the fine line between being fueled and hydrated and dehydrated and under fueled became fuzzy. As I was about 35 miles into it I found some unexpected water a little bit off trail on a stream at Kilkenny rocks. This lifted my spirits, and I became refueled again. However my coordination was off and it seemed like it took me a long time to focus to be able to refill the water and get my act together. Lots of talking to myself, and talking to the animals I saw in the woods. I moved onto reservoir six, and decided to stop for water again at the bridge just before getting on to the berms before Route 44. At this point I was like a happy drunk, in my own head I felt great, but when I tried to speak out loud, I found myself with severe volume issues, and slurred speech.

I refilled my fuel bottle, and embarrassed everyone who watched me doing it as it looked like I was whizzing in my bottle, but I didn’t really care! ha ha. From there I moved along the trail alongside reservoir six, and another runner came up behind me so I picked up the pace and stayed with him. I told him it I was running to Massachusetts, and he said “boy that’s ambitious” I’m sure he didn’t believe me. Then I said and that’s why I’m going to slow down because I have to pace myself a bit. I just had to laugh again.

At 40 miles I reached Huebelin Tower, and refilled another bottle much in the same manner on one of the picnic tables at the top. The run from the tower down to Pennwood is not that difficult as it is a nice winding downhill. At the bottom there is a small stream where I spent way too much time gathering water to filter. I then walked around the corner and found a much easier place, but it was already done.

At this point I got a bit nervous as I knew that I was entering into Pennwood home of the Trap Rock 50.  This was going to present more of a challenge than I’d had in a few hours. I was certainly not disappointed as the relentless climbs and unsure footing took a lot of focus. However I was dealing with it very well until I hit that massive Stairway to Heaven climb. That was very tough to deal with, and my quads were burning at that point.  There was much swearing going on, as I cursed my way through the course. Somehow I had forgotten how tough that section was. The further north I go, the less familiar I am with the trail, as last time I ran this particular section was a long time ago in the middle of the winter. Suddenly I came up to Wintonbury Road and I am pleased to see two of my good Silk City Strider friends, Mitch and John who decided to intercept me on the course. I stopped to take a picture with them, then was on my way.  In the days leading up to this run, I was sure to tell them all the rules of engagement, that I wanted to follow.  So I ran on feeling pretty good at that point.

I kind of got confused on where I was along the course and was very happy to find myself in Tarrifville, sooner than I expected, where the Farmington River flows right next to the Metacomet. This was chance to fully stock up on water and I was very excited to know that I would be well fueled and hydrated for the rest of the run and that the end suddenly was within reach.  I knew I had about 10 or 12 miles left at that point.

The trail goes right down next to the Farmington River and was just about to refill the bladder and decided to use the last bit of water that I did have to fill my fuel bottle before refilling. Good thing that I did because as I disconnected the hose the fitting shattered in my hand and the system was basically useless without spending a lot of time, and duct tape to try to fix it.  So I was left to complete the final 11 miles with one bottle. Usually not a big deal but in this case I was already in a deficit expecting to get it back at this water stop. So I double dosed the tailwind mixture, which made it harder to drink and stomach but might give me the fuel I need if not the hydration. Needless to say, I ran that section with a lot of anger.  I sent a text to Rick telling him what I was going to do, and he offered some encouragement which helped a lot. 

Fortunately I was familiar with this small section of the trail as it is a little confusing with a lot of switchbacks and side trails going up the nameless ridge.  However the trail seemed to stretch into the night forever and my energy faded. I kept expecting just to see the final road crossing, but it just didn’t seem to arrive. Finally I came up to a road, and it was not the one I was expecting so I entered the woods for another series of tough climbs and descents. I was tempted to pull out my phone and look at the map to find out where I was, but decided that it didn’t really matter because no matter where I was, the only place and time I was stopping was when I hit the Massachusetts border.

At this point the sun was setting in a nice Shenipsit Strider Papaya colored sky and I broke out the headlamp as it was getting dark. I would find periods of focus where I could get in some good runs, but at other times I was reduced to a walk on the hills. Fortunately I stayed on track and followed the trail pretty directly. 

And at long last, I crossed into the final section of woods which I was familiar with that would lead me to the Massachusetts border. I ran along through the rocky and muddy section, and it felt like a victory stage going into Paris on the Tour de France. I mustered as much speed as I could, and followed the blue blazes to the border, and snapped a shot of the Connecticut Forest and Park sign.

I sent a text to my wife and Rick letting them know that I had finished and then started to walk the half-mile out to the street to meet Peggy. But then, I picked it up and ran it in.

Once I saw her, I tried to speak but I sounded like “Lunk” from the movie The Goonies.

Hearing my own voice scared me a bit, as I was more used to listening to my inner voice all day.  I love challenges like this where starting out I have no idea if I will be able to finish them. I think all good challenges should at some level scare the shit out of us.  Leading up to this I was nervous but I knew once I started running, that it would all take care of itself. There are many many many people who are capable of running this trail faster and more efficiently than I did. And I truly hope that they do and that others continue to improve on their times.  Since I was the first to do this trail usupported, I had the luxury of determining not only how fast I would go but how I would approach this challenge, and look forward to hearing how others approach the running of the Metacomet. Distance 59.86

Time 17:05:05

GPS track can be found at this Strava Activity

Download Metacomet E2E Planning Sheet

 

 

Water Filtration on the Metacomet trail

The following is an overview of the equipment that I used on an unsupported 60 mile run on the Metacomet blue blaze trail in Connecticut.

I used a UD SJ vest to carry my gear. This has two bottle holders in the front, and two compartments in the back one of which accommodates a 70 ounce hydration bladder. The bladder has a “plug and play” connector which allows for the disconnect of the hose. I spliced the hose about an inch or two back from the disconnect and put a Sawyer mini in-line so I could sip clean water from the pack. It also allowed me to force water through the line by squeezing the bladder and fill a 20 ounce bottle which I then mixed with Tailwind, an all in one fuel and electrolyte powder. This had several advantages as well as a few disadvantages.

The advantages were I could sip a little bit of water now and then, and also have a method to mix my Tailwind after the water had been filtered. Obviously I couldn’t mix the tailwind into the unfiltered water in the pack and then run it through the filter.  This also gave me a good way to gauge how much I was drinking, and also fueling. I replaced the bite valve on the hydration hose with a simple shut off valve. In order to force the water through the filter I had to apply pressure to the hydration bladder. Rather than use my hands I thought a good method would be to simply lean against a tree, pressing against the bladder and hold the hose in a bottle. So far so good.

Unfortunately there were a few disadvantages including that it seemed to take a bit of time for me to force the water through the filter. This wasn’t horrible because I did get a rest as this was going on. It also looked pretty funny as in most cases it looked like I was taking a whiz in my bottle! Not sure if that’s an advantage or disadvantage! I was concerned that I risked puncturing the bladder by leaning too hard against it, but that was not the case. There was one other near catastrophic disadvantage that we can talk about later when discussing mile 49!

The biggest hydration problem that I had was finding enough water on this trail. Before the run, I marked down all of the potential natural water sources along the trail and entered them on a spreadsheet. I knew that it would be a challenge, but knew that the challenges would come during the middle section which was the easier running part and that I would be well prepared in the beginning and also at the end.

There are plenty of water sources heading into Castle Craig at the beginning of the trail, but I didn’t really need it then. I tend to need an awful lot of water when I run, and need to stay hydrated otherwise I get into big trouble compared to many of my friends.  The fact that it was in the low 70s during this run was not to my advantage.

Here is where I did find water:

Mile 10 a slow-moving shallow stream coming just before Edge Wood Road, that partially filled the pack. 

Mile 23 another slow-moving stream but this one was a little better, there was a nice rock to set the pack down on.

Mile 34 on the state open space just before Kilkenny rocks, I went off trail to the fast-moving stream, and had the best water of the day courtesy of MDC

Mile 37 ½ just before getting on the berms approaching route 44 there is a small footbridge with a stream underneath. I refilled my reservoir there because I was not sure what I would find at Pennwood, the next anticipated water stop.

Mile 43 just before reaching Pennwood Forest there was a 1 inch deep stream called King Philip Brook, I had to dig a hole to lay the hydration bladder into, and managed to get about 40 ounces of water but it took me almost a half an hour.

Mile 49 Farmington River found the perfect place to get water, was just about to refill the bladder and decided to use the last bit of water that I did have to fill my fuel bottle before refilling. Good thing that I did because as I disconnected the hose the fitting shattered in my hand and the system was basically useless without spending a lot of time, and duct tape to try to fix it. So I was left to complete the final 11 miles with one bottle. Usually not a big deal but in this case I was already in a deficit expecting to get it back at this water stop.

Hydrapak the manufacturer of the failed equipment is sending a newer heavy duty version that will hopefully keep this from happening again.  There is also another product  from Geigerrig that I found that would automatically force the water through the line filter without any pressure which could really help.

 

 

Vermont City Marathon Race Report Downloads

The following is a rough collection of my personal running log entries from the Vermont Marathon.  Most of these runs involved pacing the 3:30 or 3:45 pace groups.  They were mostly written for my own benefit, but perhaps they  could be useful to either help people fall asleep or learn a little about the race.

Vermont is a great race and assuming the weather cooperates, can be a relatively fast course.  It is also perhaps the best spectator course out there. Here is  a recap

 2005

Race name	Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/29/2005
Location	Burlington Vermont
Race Type
Warm Up	none
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:57:08

Ran with no training due to working strike duty in NYC. Was pleased to be able to break 4 hours, but it hurt. Almost jumped the fence to the graveyard. Nice to run a race with my Mom cheering.

2006 Relay ½ marathon  Hot and Painful

2007:

Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/27/2007
Location	Burlington Vermont
Race Type
Warm Up	Coffee
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:16:12
Splits	7:36, 6:51!!, 7:04, 6:36!!!, 7:48, 7:10, 7:18, 7:36, 7:05, 7:06, 7:31, 7:31, 7:11, 7:29, 7:43, 7:39, 7:30, 7:32, 7:24, 7:45, 7:46, 7:39, 7:51, 7: 55, 8:02, 7:56, 1:58
Relay Split?	No
Cool Down	medical tent
Overall Place	197
Age Place	25/256

A painful 12 seconds slower than my Boston PR. Was looking to run 3:10, after a 24 second slow first mile, went out too fast like a jackass on the next three. Backed it down and lost focus, then I think I ran the massive Battery Hill too fast. Felt like crap the second half, working hard on miles 16-19, fading on miles 20-22, and fighting very hard to keep under an 8 min pace from 23 on in.  A very painful second half and mentally tough. I am used to finishing strong, but not today. Lost over 6 minutes in the second half. I really do not enjoy grinding out a finish, HOWEVER. I have no regrets for trying to push the pace. I rolled the dice and lost today. Next race I need better course management (pace, and nutrition management), more focus, and a better diet. Oh yeah I was also kind of sick as my cough got a bit worse in the 2 days prior. I messed up my fuel belt mixture by adding too much salt to the gatorade, to the point where it was not drinkable, yet like a dope I carried it the entire race.  Overall a valiant physical effort, and a sloppy mental preparation and execution.   (No I do not want any cheese with this whine) I felt destroyed as I crossed the finish and they insisted that I visit the medical tent. 

Peg ran the relay and I got to see her on the Ethan Allen out and back, which was a big thrill. Also had the pleasure of being cheered on by my Mom and my 2 kids :-)

10 Mile 1:12:10, Half 1:35:15, 20 Mile 2:27:33,

2008 Injured and Volunteered at race

2009

(Print)
Race name	Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/24/2009
Location	Burlington, VT
Race Type
Warm Up	Talking to Sara Reinertson and duct taping my pace sign
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:29:32
Splits	8:15, 8:02, 7:30 hill, 7:32, hill, 7:43, 7:40, 8:07, 8:03, 8:06, 7:54, 8:13, 8:03, 8:09, 8:01, 8:36 battery hill, 8:13, 7:50, 8:00, 8:00, 7:52, 8:05, 7:55, 8:22, 7:48, 7:43, 7:45,
Relay Split?	No
Cool Down	carried jack on my back through the park
Overall Place	346
Age Place	40

3:30 pace group leader, ran with a pretty big group.  Was a bit nervous, as the first part of the course is downhill.  This caused the pace to be a bit quick. I tried to run the race based on even effort, and most of the runners bought into it.  The idea was to run the down hills a little fast at the beginning to put some in the bank for rather large hill at 14.5 miles.  Seemed to play out well as we hit mile 15 with 15 seconds in the bank just after the hill.  Colchester runner John Mullaney ran with me for the first 7 or 8 miles then he pulled ahead.  I thought he was behind, however he was actually ahead.  I ended up seeing him at mile 25.  He finished right with us.  I allowed one of the runners who was attempting a BQ to spook me a bit, so I ran the last 2 miles a bit faster than I wanted to, but I figure at mile 24 you are on your own and will have to rely on your own guts to finish. For the first time ever, most of the group finished under the time, and there were around 8 BQ's in the group with at least 2 qualifying for the first time, including John.  This makes me very happy.  Overall very happy with the run and the experience.  Am not sure of my exact Chip time, but my kids thought it was very cool that I appeared to cross the line at EXACTLY 3:30:00.

2010

Race name	Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/30/2010
Location	Burlington Vermont
Race Type
Warm Up	Hanging and walking up Battery
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:29:25
Splits	8:01, 7:27, 7:43, 7:37, 7:54, 7:39, 8:15, 8:31, 7:59, 7:49, 8:07, 8:11, 8:05, 8:33, 7:37, 8:25, 7:46, 8:00, 8:09, 7:55, 7:59, 7:58, 8:01, 8:07, 7:55, 7:40, 1:50
Relay Split?	No
Cool Down	Walk out on the bike path and to the Skate Park, Swim in a VT Stream

Pace leader for the 3:30 group.  Was very nervous about this race due to the fact that I had just bombed Boston after injuries.  Last minute decision to run with my race flats instead of 903's. Felt good for most of the race and ran on a steady effort with a really great group. Started really feeling it at mile 20, and told the 5 in my group to keep an eye on me and if I started to fade that they should move on. In hindsight, I had mixed my energy gel too thick and was not able to take enough to keep me powered up. I downed some a little late, but I did a "touch and go" bonk. Ran out of gas hit the hard deck, was totally in despair for about 100 meters at mile 23, tore the pace bib off my back, and for a few steps gave up.  However, I soon found myself focused again, and was able to continue with great difficulty without losing pace for a single mile. I still was under the delusion that I was going to come in late despite the fact that I could clearly see by my pace band that I was just a little ahead. So I ran the 26th mile 20 seconds fast, and slowed after 26 mile mark and crossed 35 seconds ahead of the deadline pace.  However this is really only 5 seconds faster than I would have preferred, and I was pleased to have brought it in.  Very gratifying as I helped at least 5 qualify for Boston

2011

Race name	Key Bank Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/29/2011
Location	Burlington, VT
Race Type
Warm Up	Coffee and dodging rain drops
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:44:33
Splits	1:51:13 half fast slow slow on
Relay Split?	No
Cool Down	Chocolate milk
Overall Place	496
Age Place	40

Every Spring I travel to Burlington Vermont to visit my Mother and to take part in the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon.  The event is most famous for its relay teams, and winding runs through scenic downtown Burlington.  My experiences there have been quite enjoyable, yet diverse. I first ran it in 2005 as a fun run with very little training, finishing with a 3:57.  In 2006 I ran it as part of a two person relay team on a hot sunny day, struggling in the heat.  In 2007 following a negative split 3:16 performance at Boston, I raced it and ran a 3:16:12 and lost a painful 6 minutes in the last six miles.  I was really well trained and primed in 2008, but had a very minor injury 3 days prior and decided to volunteer rather than run.  In 2009 I was in great shape and led the 3:30 pace group.  In 2010 I was in marginal shape and battled with everything I had to lead the 3:30 pace group in on time.  Much too close for comfort! Lesson learned.  

Pacing is a great way to experience a race.  Pace leaders are expected to run at a consistent pace, offer encouragement, and guide a group of runners through a race, finishing at a precise time. The predicted finishing time should be a very comfortable pace for the leader.  Although the 3:30 time slot was mine for the last 2 years, following the 16th or 17th major snow storm last winter, I decided to back off of the pace commitment for this year.  I was fairly certain that I could run a 3:30 under most conditions, but Vermont can sometimes dish out some heat that could make that a real challenge.  I managed to land a spot leading the 3:45 group.

Given the fact that I just turned in a 3:17 at Boston, I was really confident running at the 8:35 min per mile pace required to run the 3:45 goal. However, the hot and sticky weather this year made the run much more challenging than I would have liked.   Light rain and high 60's at the start were replaced by high 70's with 90% humidity.  This was especially difficult considering the cool spring we have had so far this year. 

This is a very difficult race to pace for many reasons.  Early down hill sections make the first miles naturally fast.  Also, the majority of runners are part of 6 person and 2 person relay teams.  We were constantly passing and being passed by these relay runners, who alternately impeded or threw off our efforts to remain steady.  In addition there is a rather large hill at 15 miles that must be planned for.

The first part of the race was packed full of excitement.  Church Street is a brick lined road that is just packed with spectators armed with Vermont cowbells and horns. It is followed by a long out and back out to Ethan Allen where we were fortunate to have overcast skies.  Just before the halfway mark we entered a neighborhood with several trash can drum sets pounding away a steady rhythm.

The most exciting mile of the race is the assault on Battery hill.  At the base of the hill there is a large group of  about 60 Japanese Taiko drummers.  The scene sounds like the battle drums of a Lord of the Rings clash.  Most of us just floated up the hill.

After the hill, we were left with a lot of course to run, and rising temperatures.  We had about 30 seconds in the bank and were moving along.  However, the mileage and the heat started to pick away at our numbers as our pace pack crowd thinned.  As we hit the 20 mile marker, only 3 other runners were with me and my Co leader Chuck Arnold.  I was definitely feeling better than the year before, but as the race progressed, I had to concentrate to keep my pace and motivation. I guess I expected it to be a lot easier than Boston, but anyway you cut it, the distance is always a challenge.  I just put my head down and ran.  Gone was the carefree banter that marked the early parts of the run.  Gallows humor ruled.  The last 4.5 miles are on a down hill bike path along Lake Champlain.  Chuck and I hit the line at 3:44:33 happy to have finished within the 30 second Pacers window.  

2012 Injured 2013 Race name	Key Bank Vermont City Marathon
Race date	5/26/2013
Location	Burlington, VT
Race Type
Warm Up	Change of shirt in parking garage
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:44:35

Paced the 3:45 group.  A rainy windy day that ended up being a great day to run.  Scary at the waterfront with strong winds and breaking waves sending spray.  The park was a mudfest. I ran an even effort, and the other pacer ran even splits.  Think I took it a little fast this year, but was glad it was not hot.  Perhaps it was my insecurity causing me to push the pace.  I was afraid that I would not have enough at the end, but it was one of the easiest marathons I have ever completed, and the fastest mentally, as the course seemed to fly by without much effort.

2014

(Print)
Race name	Key Bank Vermont City Marathon (Pacing)
Race date	5/25/2014
Location	Burlington VT
Race Type
Warm Up	hanging with the RPTR and gathering
Distance	26.2 Miles
Time	3:44:33
Splits	10 mile 1:26:01, half 1:52:52, 20 miles 2:51:46 Gun 3:46:19
Relay Split?	No
Cool Down	chocolate milk and a walk up battery
Overall Place	619
Age Place	33/139

Warm day for pacing, had me worried as I did not feel good at 6 miles, however I felt better and stronger as the day went on. It was hard to hold back, and I felt at times like I just wanted to run and surge. Crowded running all day, at mile 11 someone elbowed my watch and the strap broke and the crystal broke. Had to run back 100 meters to get it then had to hold it in my hand for the rest of the race. Managed to finish about 25 seconds before the pace which is just where I wanted to be. All in all a really fun day. Plus I scored free Mizuno shoes, shorts, hat, singlet, jersey and race entry. Too bad they didn't give us new Garmins!

.

Shenipsit Trail E2E 2015 Ver 3.0

A 47 mile trail blazed with blue, cuts diagonally through the State of Connecticut from Cobalt North approaching the Massachusetts border. The trail is familiar to me as I have run its entire length twice before, and run each of the halves several times before this weekend. However I had never run the route in its entirety in the northern direction.

The Shenipsit Striders, Connecticut’s RRCA Trail running club host a through run of this trail every year. And each year the numbers continue to grow. The 825 miles of Blue Blazed Trails in CT are maintained by Connecticut Forest and Parks Connecticut Forest and Parks (Click Here to make donation to this great organization)

First Half: Tony, Deb, Michelle, Todd, Todd, Abby, Dave D, Zayne, Dom, Wanda, Andy George, Rick

First Half plus: Dave S,

E2E: Jordan, Steve, Sean, Jeff, Art

Second half Rich, Gaston, Dave Schreiter, Erika (and her cool running dog), Fritz, Molly, Stuart and Bill 

After dropping cars at the northern terminus, the runners doing the first half met at Bolton Notch and loaded into cars to head to Cobalt which is just past East Hampton on Route 66. After taking a quick photo, I led the group up Great Hill. As we reached the top of great Hill the sun was rising over the ridge and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise of red and orange. Unfortunately, that was about the last sun we would see besides typical ultra running hallucinations.

Any time one spends a full day outside the weather will always have a significant impact on the day. A few times in the past the weather has been perfect, hovering in the 40s. We have also had it dropping below 20°. Last year, the runners had the special sick treat of running on 2 to 3 inches of snow. And this year offered its own special challenge which was a cool steady rain.

In late New England November, all of the leaves have already fallen to the ground and settled in to the trail. Unlike early fall, on occasion we can actually see some of the rocks under the leaves. However since they have been on the ground for a few weeks now, they have acquired a layer of slippery slime, which when mixed with water make traction very difficult. However all of us are used to this kind of stuff, and it was everything that we expected.

The trail starts out and cuts across “The Mesh” a.k.a. the Meshomasic forest, and after some periods of nice ridgeline, the trail goes through a series of Hill climbs as it works its way down towards Rt 2 in Glastonbury. Given the fact that it was Saturday morning and we were in the forest we did see several groups of hunters. The closer we got to the highway, the more the trails were scarred with ATV tracks.

All of this led down to “the tubes” which is a series of 7 foot high culverts that pass under the highway, albeit with a minor stream. After we went through the tubes, we regrouped and enjoyed our first rest stop, replenishing water, and enjoying peanut butter pretzels, and ensure shakes. As we approached the tubes, the rain started.

We moved on and got in a groove, although the group started to spread out along the trail. Somewhere near the top of the hills of the northern Mesh, Rick O’Toole, my good friend and fellow Studville member came out to join in. The group continued and the trail seemed to fly by in my mind. Sections which in the past had seemed to take so long, like coming down the mountain and going across to Diamond Lake, were reduced to nothing. Before I knew it we crossed Hebron Avenue, and were running on Case Mountain. After 8 miles Rick turned around giving him a respectable 16 miles for the day as he returned to his car. A good part of Case Mountain seemed to fly by pretty fast too, and soon enough we were on the roads leading towards the Notch. We also did the loop around the pond at the Notch before heading to our original meeting place at the Notch parking lot.

Then the rain, which had previously been pretty light, picked up a bit. Fortunately I had made myself a checklist of things to do at the rest stop. This worked really well for me. Many times I have struggled simply because I forgot to do the most basic things at a rest stop like eat or pick up a piece of clothing etc. I also took advantage of putting on a down jacket as we were standing around so I did not get cold. And then we were off for the second half. At this point we said goodbye to several runners, Debbie, Todd, Wanda, Andy, and a few others. In addition we picked up a new crew including Jeff, and Molly and Fritz, Bill and a few others.

Going into this run, my expectation was that I knew that I could do half, and expected to probably bail out at about 30 miles. However I would try to finish the entire distance. Mentally I broke it out to running to the different rest stops in the first half. Getting to 30 miles at the second half, then I knew once I got to 38 that I only had 10 miles to go which is a reasonable distance. My ankle was my biggest concern as I had hurt it a year go running 112 miles at the NJ One Day 24 hour race. I went the trails in early June to recover where I ran the Goodwin Forest 10k as a “stretch” long run. Things have gradually gotten better since then, but this day I was determined to push myself, but back off immediately if the ankle issue came into play. Fortunately the ankle was never an issue!

This group of through runners, had all done a few hundred mile races, under 24 hours, or completely insane adventure races. So it was definitely a tough crowd. After a completely miserable bone chilling road section of this trail a few more of the runners dropped out, and I began to realize that I was suddenly the slowest runner in the group. I seemed to do reasonably well while it was still light, but did struggle a lot more once we were running the trails in the dark.

The group spent the miles chatting about past adventures, and dreaming of fantastical sunny days and forecasting rainbows. We talked about pizza, and enjoyed the catches of trail magic left by others. At one point in the middle of the rain soaked forest, we found a smoldering campfire, that was still putting off just enough heat to make us all smile. We also found a bucket of Snickers bars that were left along with water by some other club members. These things electrified the psyche of the group, and gave us the mental-glycemic lift to carry us forward.

Fortunately for me, Jordan and Jeff hung back and ran with me for most of the way, so it never got really ugly. The northern end of this trail has some of the toughest terrain that we faced all day and now with dropping temperatures and wet leaves and pitch black, we picked our way through the extremely challenging Soapstone Mountain. Going up the steep climbs is difficult, but going down is much harder. It was a series of picking out 2 steps down, and finding a tree to hug to stay upright. Truth is that I am not too good at that terrain in the day light with fresh legs.

Shenipsit Strider President Dave Merkt led by example as he and his wife, met us with some trail magic to lift our spirits for the last 10 miles (5 miles really). The dog had 2 glow sticks and a bear bell and was running everywhere all at once.

In order to stay positive I kept telling myself that I had more distance to go than I actually did. And this kept me from focusing on the finish too much and hoping too much for the finish line. I had explained this strategy to Jeff earlier in the day, and he played along fine, which at times confused the heck out of Jordan, but she soon caught on realizing that 10 miles to go really meant 5 or less. We finished with a run on the dirt road and after a quick photo, Fritz and Molly gave Jeff and I a ride back to the Notch.

Since I was injured most of the year, I think the longest distance I had run all year was 19 miles, so to complete this run was quite an accomplishment, and no doubt the highlight of my year. I also set a record with this run, as without a doubt I have the largest amount of raw skin and severe rashes that I have ever had from any run from the rubbing of wet clothes. It kind of looks like I was in a bicycle accident.

However, 2 days after finishing, I feel very little physical discomfort and my spirit is lifted, as I once again am reminded that most of the time I am capable of more than I think. Running provides me with this opportunity to engage in a brutal struggle that challenges me to face down dark thoughts. And it makes me feel like an animal in its natural environment, moving to stay warm, running with a pack, chasing down my food all day from dawn till the dark hours of night. Then falling asleep with twitching legs at night, dreaming of being out running in the woods again…

 

A Trail of Two Sick-Trees

It was the best of trails, it was the worst of trails. 

Solo Run of the Quinibaug Blue Blaze trail E2E2E   Parts of this trail were simply wonderful, with massive moss covered tree falls, and fern lined single track.  I expected to see hobbits peeking around trees as I ran down the pine needle carpeted passages.  There was even a section where an endless grove of pine saplings, formed a dark tunnel that was just big enough to allow me to fit through with the branches tickling my elbows.    The trial also passed by a marsh which had lots of birds and wetland activity. Part of the trial ran along Flat Rock Road, which as you might have surmised was a woodland road that was paved by flat bedrock that conveniently presented itself for 50 or more yards.

Parts of this trail were worn raw.  Years of hard use, and gas powered abuse, have sucked all of the life out of the soil.  All that remains is barren earth, rock and sand.  

Forest roads are punctuated with a maze of work-arounds, that workaround workarounds.  This left some miles of raw rutted banked turns, and the remnants of puddles filled with prybars, and logs that told the stories of vehicles mired in muck.  There was even a section that had a series of mud pits, where presumably mud monster trucks tested their traction against the ancient sludge.  But I guess everyone should have the right to enjoy things their own way.

One real challenge of the trial was finding the blazes.  The paint had faded so badly that the blue matched the tree lichen so I lost about a half an hour and added about half mile in backtracking.  I also found that the trial had been extended from its advertised start which was nice.  No real elevation challenge (about 1,000 ft gain) on this trial as it just rolled a little bit on the 14.5 miles. Although at one point I suddenly found myself face down on the trial wondering what happened, but it was no big deal.

I ran out to the end taking pictures, and trying to find the trail, and ran back a little faster to get my trail rhythm going, blasting through pristine forest, and scorched earth alike.  We need to make the best of each run, and take what the trial gives us.  To do less is to sacrifice the gift…

Micro Adventure: Quinnipiac Blue Blaze E2E

As part of Studville’s annual “Mancation” and in keeping with my quest to #runeverytrail in CT,  today we knocked out the Quinnipiac Blue Blaze trail, a reported 18.3 mile horseshoe shaped trail that runs along the Metacomet Trap Rock ridge.  I was really fortunate to have two good friends join me, Rick O’Toole, and Suresh Jatti.  They are a bit younger, and apparently in much better shape that I currently am.   We left Glastonbury at 7:30 and after dropping a car on Todd Lane in North Haven, we drove 20 minutes together to the trail head in Prospect.  We parked my car outside of the Public Works facility on Cheshire Rd (Rt68). Regrettably the trail started out with an uphill road section for about a mile to the unofficial trailhead at the end of Cornwall Ave.  But the rules of my Quest required a running of the road section as well, so I dragged my friends on the pavement first. 

The weather called for periodic rain storms throughout the day, although it never rained a drop.  The temperature was warm but not seemingly brutal.  However there was nary a breeze and the humidity, physical effort, and still soggy air caused a perfect storm of sweat.  The brim of my hat was soon a torrential waterfall, and I was soaked through and through.  Fortunately, Rick and Suresh, although not comfortable, seemed to be spared much of the effects that plagued me for the day.

We went along at a good steady clip, walking almost all of the steep uphills, and really technical stuff, and running the down hills and flats.  Based on the map and the fact that the first part of the trail followed the top of the ridgeline, I expected to see lots of views, however that was not to be.  That’s really OK with me as I like a good woodsy run, but after so much time on the Metacomet, it felt weird.  We traveled on with lots of climbs and much weaving and nice runnable trails. Until a huge extended climb at about 5 miles in, where we finally were rewarded with a view.  We could see New Haven, West Rock, and all the way to Long Island.  We stopped to chow down on some Lara bars, dried fruit and other stuff.  At this time I noted that despite rationing my water, I was not going to have enough, and I was already really dehydrated.   So we made a plan to try to fill up in one of the residential areas, which we did.

After filling up our packs and bottles from a garden hose offered by a nice lady and her German Shepard, we entered a section of the trail that was a bit less traveled, and were re-introduced to the nasty briars with the downward pointing barbs.  Remarkably, we did not see another person on the trail for the entire time.  All day we shared the lead with the tradition of leading until the leader missed a blaze and took us off trail.  That at times kept things interesting.  However based on this, I could see that Suresh and Rick were clearly pushing faster than I was currently capable of going.  Fortunately they were good sports and showed me great mercy.

We finally found our way on Mt Carmel Ave, then rounded a corner and looked up.  There towering above us was The Sleeping Giant. At this point I was thinking, how many switch backs is it going to take us to get up there.  The answer: none to speak of.   The friggin trail pretty much went straight up in the sun, on a direct path to the top.  OK so I have seen tougher  shorter sections on the Metacomet, and I would not have had any real issue with this climb if we had just started out.  But this happened at just the wrong time for me and I was really not able to deal with it with any dignity.  I was getting calf cramps, as I was climbing, and was not moving well at all.  The climb I would guess was about 600’ in about ½ mile. 

At this time we met Anna, a Yale grad Student, who was out running and she joined us, and then pushed on alone, as I was simply too slow.  Suresh was kind enough to backtrack down to check on me.  At any rate, relentless forward progress got me to the top of the Giant’s head, and I was rewarded with great views.  However, I was so bonked out, I really did not give a shit.  I will really have to go back and run that section again, just to take it in again, as it was clearly the best part of the trail.

We worked our way through Sleeping Giant, and it was quite nice.  I managed a little bit of a comeback and was able to run a bit.  However, I could see that I was still dehydrated, as I got the pain in my kidneys, that only shows up when “the shits gettin real”.  I downed the rest of my water with the expectation of getting through the last 2 down hillish (hellish) miles without water, which I did.  I even managed a bit of a comeback just in time to greet Anna as she was running back up Sleeping Giant. 

Personally I was really glad to do this, although I was surprised that I could feel as bad as I did considering the relatively short distance.  Despite the struggles, it was a really fun day, spent with good friends.   It was also amazing to be in the woods for many hours, within sight of New Haven, and not encounter other human beings.  For anyone seeking the solitude of the trail, the Northern section of the Quinnipiac Trail will certainly provide that.  Sleeping Giant on the other hand offers a wonderful playground, where one may go to enjoy with many other, physically fit, like-minded folks.

After a ride home highlighted by cramping calves, toes, hands, and quads, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my Wife had picked up for the first time ever, a bucket of fried chicken!  I ate till I was full, and drank much water.   I then hopped on the scale and noted that I was still down 3-4 pounds from the morning…

 

p.s. Mike and Jay are both on JADIS team probation, yes this is SERIOUS

 

The Rest of The Story

I have read a few articles that suggest taking one day of rest for each mile raced.  This allows the body to recover, before taking on the next stress. Well at this point I feel like I need to recover a little bit, as my left ankle is quite sore. Fortunately it is a great time of year to take that well needed rest. So now all I need to do is to figure out how long that rest should be…

Early last year, I ran The King Of Pain 10 mile race, and decided to do a double and ended up with 20 very hilly miles on that 8° morning.  A few weeks later I went to the Colchester half marathon and did a 13.1 mile warm-up on the icy hilly streets before running the race.  That rolled into Boston, which rolled into Vermont City Marathon, which rolled into the Fairfield half marathon, and the 11.9 mile John J. Kelly race. I then ran my own private 26.2 marathon on the Hop River Trail, a 5K in Vero Beach Florida, and the 20K  New Haven Rd. Race.  From there I moved on to Mountain Madness 50K trail run, followed by a BQ effort at Steamtown Marathon.    And I ended the year and screwed up my ankle at the New Jersey Trail series One Day 24 hour race where I ran 112 miles. 

So based on my quick calculations, it adds up to about 335 days, so if I take the rest of the month of December off, it looks like I should be able to sleep in till October 27, 2015.  Hopefully my ankle will be better by then…