Pisgah 23k Trail Race

Update - added elevation profile and overview map
Today was my 4th consecutive weekend of trail racing (10m, 6k, 17.5m and 23k distances). I'm not a big believer of tapering for my weekend excursions so during this period I also maintained my typical weekly mileage. I have to admit, I'm a little tired, and felt it today early on in the race. Reach the Beach is coming up at the end of the week so I'm going to have to force myself to take a couple of days off (not taper) and rest up. Ok, now on to today's race!


The Pisgah 23k takes place in New Hampshire's largest state park, and one I've never heard of. Heck, I can't say I've heard of Chesterfield either (the location of the start/finish). In case you were wondering, Chesterfield is about 10 miles due west of Keene, and just a couple of miles from the Vermont border.


There were two races today, a 23k short course and a 50k long course. I opted for the short course today. Since both races started together and followed the same course for the first couple of miles, there was no way to tell how many runners were doing the 23k or 50k. It was a safe bet that most of the folks up front (who shot off like it was a 5k) were doing the 23k. Ben Nephew & George Adams, who probably had the closest finish EVER in any trail race back in 2006 (when they finished the 23k in near identical times of 1:33:57), Josh Ferenc, and a bunch of young guys who all had their heads shaved for some reason (I'm guessing they lost a bet) all rocketed to the front on the fast downhill start. So in a 14.2 mile trail race my position was essentially set in the first 10 seconds.

Most of the first 2 miles of this race was on paved and dirt roads that lead up to the Pisgah trail head. There was a short downhill at the start and then a couple of decent climbs (one on pavement and one on dirt). The 50k folks split off to the left not long after entering the Pisgah State Park and the shorties continued straight on the Reservoir Trail, which was a very runnable doubletrack trail. The course was so well marked with pink ribbons that it would be impossible to go off course. Even with the rain the previous couple of days there was very little mud and my feet never got wet the entire day. Nothing overly technical, just the same ole roots and rocks we've come to love in New Hampshire. The Reservoir Trail was lots of short ups and downs sprinkled with a ton of moss-covered wooden bridges strategically placed at the bottoms of the downs (at least it seemed that way). In general I'd say the net effect was we were climbing more than we were descending.

23k elevation profile

At mile 6.7 we came to the first of two manned aid stations. Temps today were in the mid 60's and my hand-held water bottle was doing just fine so I motored on by. The course then heads up the Pisgah Mt Trail (gee, I wonder where this trail goes?) and the serious climbing began. If I remember correctly this 2 mile trail was the only single track we ran on all day and some of the most difficult running (up and down). I just had nothing for the climbs and felt very tired (not a good thing at the half way point), losing a couple more positions. I don't like getting passed in general and I HATE getting passed after the 1/2 way point of a race. I always interpret this as me fading as opposed to the other runner surging. As I struggled up Pisgah Mt trying to maintain contact with the runner in front of me I could now hear another runner coming up behind me. Oh crap, there goes another spot. I held him off for nearly 2 miles but shortly after the second manned aid station at mile 9 I was swallowed up. Anyone else care to pass while I'm suffering?

The next 4 miles were back on doubletrack trails (Davis Hill Trail and Hubbard Hill Trail). The only thing that made these trails slow were my tired legs. Otherwise they'd be some nice (maybe even fast) trails to run on. The terrain was a bit easier now, with mostly small rollers to deal with. The last mile or so to the trail head exit on Winchester Road was mostly downhill and once we hit Winchester Road we had about 1 1/2 miles of dirt and paved roads to the finish at the Chesterfield Fire Dept.

23k overview map - race goes CW

At the time I didn't know how long we had to go once we hit the road (I was guessing maybe a mile). The dirt road was all downhill so I picked up the pace but it went on and on before finally turning to pavement. Ah, I must be close now I thought so I kept up the pace, trying to get in under 2hrs. I was not about to let anyone pass me at this point either. I glanced back a couple of times and was ready to run myself into the ground to avoid someone passing me in the last mile. Luckily for me there was no one back there. Then my pace came to a screeching crawl as the course threw us one more hill. As I shuffled up the hill, checking my watch, I was just about to throw in the towel on my sub 2hr attempt when I reached the top and saw a stop sign off in the distance. That stop sign was on Rt63 and the finish was only 100m down the road from there. As I started running hard again all I could think about was how pissed I was going to be if I came in at 2hr-anything. Heck, in the end it wasn't even close. I finished in 1:57:52, 12th overall (2nd master) and could have dogged it a lot more in the final mile :-)

early results board

Josh Ferenc won the race and set a new course record ( I believe) with a time of 1:30:45, followed by Ben (1:33) and George (1:40). I didn't hang out long enough to see any of the 50k'ers come in so I don't know how that went. As of this morning results were not posted yet.
Update: results posted

view from the finish

I'm not sure how long they've been running this race but they had a cool display setup with photo albums, maps and results from all previous years (some were hand written in notebooks). To me it's always helpful to see course maps, elevation profiles, pictures or just race reports from previous years when I'm deciding what race to run. The more info the better. This is a great race, well supported and run by some of the nicest people I've seen so far. Scan all this history and get yourself a website already!

47 Days

47 days ago I ran the Pemi Loop and developed a blister beneath my big toenail. After a painful 10 days (with no running) I finally had it drilled and drained. Since then I've kept a band aid wrapped around my toe....waiting.
Last week's run up and down the Wapack was the final straw.
47 days. That's how long it took for my big toenail to finally fall off. Cool huh?

What the heck are toenails for anyways?

Wapack Trail Race

Well that was hard...
I headed over to New Ipswich, NH yesterday with Mike Wade (who made a last minute decision to run, and I'm sure is regretting it now), arriving nearly 1 1/2hrs early and not being the first ones there. There were no plans to do a warm up run or even check out the course so we just chilled for a while. Lots of familiar trail and snowshoe race faces.


The Cliffs Notes version of the course:
The Wapack Trail Race is a 17.5 mile out and back run from the Windblown XC Ski area in New Ipswich,NH to Asburnham,MA, 8.75 miles away. It climbs 4 mountains (each way), Barrett, New Ipswich, Pratt and Watatic and is run entirely on the Wapack Trail.

The trail is a typical New England hiking trail with rocks, roots and more rocks. Did I mention there were lots of rocks?There was indeed lots of climbing (anywhere from 3700ft to 4200ft depending on who you ask), most were relatively short climbs (10-15 minutes of torture). They were steep and you were forced to walk at times. A good portion of the trail was runnable but was brutally hard on my feet ( the only part of me that really hurt). The way back was much harder, not only because you had nearly 9 miles in the bank by the turn around but because you had two pretty serious climbs up Watatic and Pratt to deal with. The Wapack Trail has sections that can be very hard to follow and it helps to be running with someone (especially someone who has run this race before).

Mike and I ran together for most of the way out, reaching the turn in 1hr 27min. The way back would be a different story. We managed to stick together to the Binney Pond water stop (12+ miles in), but Mike was 'in the hurt wagon' by then and we parted company. I wouldn't see Mike again until the finish. The return trip was much slower, taking 1hr 39min, finishing in 3hrs and 6 minutes in 13th place overall. Results can be found here.

This was definitely a love/hate type of race. Weather wise it was perfect! Mid 60's, dry, clear, sunny with views on the summits that went on forever. I felt great for about 10-12 miles and suffered a bit near the end. Plain and simple this course was tough on my feet. As with most trail races the volunteers were great, plenty of them and very supportive. The post race spread was nice as well with pizza, fruit, cookies, sodas and water. A well run race.

Photo Credit - Trail Pixie

Thomas Chamberas 6k Cross Country Race

This morning I headed down to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Ma for the 7th annual Thomas Chamberas 6k XC Race, part of the NEXC Grand Prix. I think the last time I ran a real cross country race was back in high school, although the only thing that really makes it a XC race is the scoring aspect of the race. From all other appearances this was a trail race, a very fast and relatively short trail race.
It was (and had) been raining pretty good so the trails were going to be wet and muddy. I did a couple of miles of warm up, running the end of the course just to get an idea what to expect. This was my first time running this race so I was totally unfamiliar with the course. Looks like it would be some dirt paths, some single track, fields and even some pavement. There was standing water and puddles (aren't they the same?) everywhere and I'd soon find out there were some shoe-sucking muddy sections to add to the fun.
From what I could tell from previous years (and this year as well), this race attracted a very fast field of some very competitive runners and teams. If I could break into the top 50 I'd be thrilled. After a brief word from the RD (mentioning he'd never seen the trails with so much mud and water on them) we were off! It was probably the fastest sustained start of a race I'd ever run (road or trail) and nobody was letting up. Unlike a typical 5k where you're bound to get a couple of kids who go out like a shot only to be swallowed up and kicked to the side of the road in the first 400yds, this race was ALL fast guys (and girls) up front. There was no risk of being held up by slower runners in this one. Wow. Heck, I was just trying to stay with the mob as we eventually headed up the switchback singletrack (single file). It was amazing to see so many fast runners burning up this trail. You HAD to keep up (there was no passing here) or risk being trampled. It was one fast ascent. The next mile or two had some fairly tough footing. There was mud and water (and roots and rocks) EVERYWHERE. Some was a bit tough, especially the downhills since we were still running in a fairly large pack. It would eventually thin out a bit which at least allowed you to pick your own line. A couple of sections along a corn field, a brief run on the road and a run across a not-recently-mowed field for the finish. Done, with a time of 21:54 (5:55 pace), good for 45th overall. Results are posted here.
Overall my position didn't change much after the first mile or so. I passed quite a few early on, got picked off a couple of times in the middle and maybe picked up a few positions myself near the end. My effort felt hard but not 5k road race hard. I absolutely had a blast and LOVED the course. For some strange reason I tend to like these types of courses when the conditions totally suck (like today). Runners look like they earned it when they finish a race like this in these conditions. The race was VERY well marked, had lots of volunteers and had some nice Adidas freebies at registration. Definitely one to look forward to next year!
(photo credit - Jim Rhoades)

Quality workout = tired legs

I'll admit it, I tend to whine a bit whenever the repeats are greater than 800m (just ask Mike W). For some strange reason I just don't like running at max heart rate for more than a couple of minutes. I'm an endurance guy, not a speed guy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

On Wednesday I took my complaints to the track and did the workout anyways, to the joy of Mike Wade, Mike Wright and Jim Hansen I'm sure. For the most part we all ran the workout together, pushing and pulling each other along the way. Definitely easier to do a workout like this with a group.

The workout:
3200m @ 10k pace
800 rest
1600m @ 10k pace
400m rest
1200m @ 10k pace
400m rest
800m @ 10k pace
200m rest
400m @ 10k pace
200m rest
400m @ 10k pace

The result:
3200m @ 6:13 pace
1600m @ 6:01 pace
1200m @ 5:57 pace
800m @ 5:55 pace
400m @ 5:26 pace
400m @ 5:22 pace

Sometimes I wonder when we do a track workout if it has any purpose or is the coach just trying to kill us for his personal amusement. Tonight it clicked. The workout seemed to have a purpose and talking with Coach Jim after the workout confirmed it. The purpose was to simulate race conditions, start out a little more controlled (not slow) and slowly increase the pace, finishing strong (and tired) at the end. The result is much more satisfying than going out like a flash and limping in at the end.

Although tough, it was a quality workout. Unfortunately my recoveries are not as fast as they used to be. I attempted a 9 mile run last night. My legs were tired, sore, fatigued and a slew of other adjectives so I cut my run short (3.2 miles) and headed for home. Another day.

Moose on the Loose 10 Miler

Yesterday I headed down to familiar stomping grounds for the Moose on the Loose 10 Mile 'trail' Race in Mine Falls Park. This was the 5th race of the New Hampshire Grand Prix series and our club really needed a boost to get back into the series lead. It is essentially the home turf of the Gate City Striders and the members did not disappoint with 50+ strong toeing the line. GCS took a 188-128 victory over the Greater Derry Track Club and now leads the series by 50 points!

Listed as a trail race (and relay), and technically it does run on trails, the race more closely resembles a road race. It is fast and flat and not technical at all. Fast guys win. Period. In fact, it was so not a trail race that I wore my racing flats. Not a complaint, just a fact. It was also one of the bigger Mine Falls races I've ever seen, with something like 388 runners (10 milers and relay runners) taking part. The course was a 2.5 mile loop (x4), with just over 1/2 in the shade with the last mile somewhat exposed along the canal.

Weather once again played a big factor in this race, with temps at or near 90 degrees. It was just plain hot. Thankfully there were TWO water stops on the 2.5 mile loop and I took advantage of each one, taking a small sip and dumping the rest on my head. I had no goal for this race and would run on feel alone (and I felt awful most of the time!). For the first time in a very long time I honestly had no idea what pace I was running and just focused on a comfortably hard effort instead. For the first couple of laps I ran with Mike Wright and maybe 30 yds behind Cathy Merra and 50 yds behind Tim Burke. Mike eventually dropped back but Cathy and Tim held their positions for most of the race. On the 3rd lap I finally noticed I was gaining a bit so they became my targets, I mean goal, for the 4th lap. I finally caught Cathy somewhere in the 1st mile of the last lap and now focused on Tim, catching him just after the high school bridge in the last mile of the race. I made sure to go by with as much authority as I could muster since I didn't want a sprint to the finish. I was hoping I could go by fast enough that he wouldn't try to hang on. Thankfully it worked...this time. I definitely worked hard on the last lap, clocking my fastest lap of the day and finishing 15th overall in 1:05:24. Complete results can be found here along with some pics taken by Ethan Platt.
(photo credit - Ethan Platt)

Lap Splits for the day:
lap 1 (2.5 mile) 16:07
lap 2 (2.5 mile) 16:30
lap 3 (2.5 mile) 16:48 ouch!
lap 4 (2.5 mile) 15:59

Mt Waternomee B-18 Bomber Crash Site

On January 14th, 1942 a B-18 bomber with a crew of 7 was returning from a submarine patrol of the North Atlantic when they made a costly navigational error in poor weather conditions. The result was a crash into the side of Mt Waternomee in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Amazingly, 5 of the 7 crew members survived the crash.

This past week I was camping with my family at our favorite campground when I saw a book on the crash in the campground store, along with some directions to the crash site. Based on the directions, I estimated it would take about 2hrs (one way). I floated the idea to my family and surprisingly (to me anyways) they seemed interested so off we went on Thursday morning, along with Molly, our coonhound.

After parking near the junction of Rt 118 and Rt 112 near Woodstock, NH we hiked up the Walker Brook Road for roughly 1.4 miles of fairly easy walking.

Molly, Ben, Jess and Deb on the Walker Brook Road

The trail then turned right at a cairn and headed into the woods, paralleling Walker Brook for a short distance before crossing and finally heading up the moderate slope of Mt Waternomee. The entire trail was marked with orange flagging tape but was easy to follow. My wife and 2 kids (age 10 and 11) did well on the hike, although it did get steeper the closer we got to the crash site.

Me and Jess on the crash site trail

It took us just over an hour to reach the crash site from Walker Brook Road. Although it was a struggle at times for my family (and dog), I think we all agreed it was worth the effort. It was a fascinating crash site, with much more debris then I expected, and a lot of it recognizable (engines, landing gear, etc.). I don't even think we saw it all (the wings were a bit further off to the sides I think). It took us about 2hrs to reach the site from the parking area, and a bit less to hike back down. My guess is round trip was just about 5 miles.

The hike is highly recommended.

Ben near part of the fuselage (I think)

Jess, Ben and Molly near some of the scattered wreckage

Part of the fuselage (I think)

One of the two engines

Memorial plaque placed in 1992

After getting cleaned up at the campground we then headed to downtown Warren for our reward, ice cream at Fat Bob's.

Fat Bob's Ice Cream

Me with a medium dish!