Odd Double

Exeter, NEW HAMPSHIRE--This weekend had to have been one of the strangest doubles I've ever done. Death Race yesterday, Exeter Trail Race today. No matter how sore my back was this morning there was no missing Ri & Sarah's debut as RD's (and our own event). Last night I had tentatively made the decision to skip the 10 miler I had pre-registered for and instead race the 4 miler. When I arrived in Exeter a little after 8:00 AM and found Steve Wolfe he helped change my mind. According to Steve he too had heavy legs and a sore back and was just "planning to run eeeeeeasy". As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Anyone who has raced Steve knows his idea of "easy" isn't the same as most mere mortals. I was once again suckered, although he actually did me a favor. At the gun he was off like a shot. You would have thought he was racing the 4 miler! I did mention to him before the start that the trail narrows to fairly tight singletrack several hundred meters from the start and that it's best to secure a position early. Right away the lead pack including Steve and local orienteering master (and fantastic runner) Ernst Linder broke away from me and never looked back. I kept them in sight for a while but by the 5 mile mark I didn't see a soul for the rest of the race...until the two leaders ran by me going in the opposite direction! Just as soon as they ran past I came up on teammate Mike Sallade (volunteering today after placing 4th in the Death Race yesterday) and asked him if I was going in the wrong direction. He shouted "NO!" and I was left to ponder what the heck was going on? After a minute or two when nobody else ran by I surmised they must have taken a wrong turn. By the second half of the race I found a zone and quite astonishingly felt great...legs strong, no health issues at all. I finished unofficially right around 1:20 and 6th place overall (4th if you DQ the two guys who finished 1 & 2 and looped a couple miles of the course in the wrong direction). Steve Wolfe, despite his heavy legs and back spasms, taped in 3rd place overall but took home the winner's prize money when the top 2 wrong-way runners were DQ'd. Oh, and for future reference...Steve always races hard even when he's racing easy. Finally, it was also great to see so many teammates show up to race and volunteer including those I've mentioned as well as Maddie, Karen, Hayley, John Skewes, Jen Smith, Leslie Dillon (who won the 4 miler race outright!), and Joe Merriam.

PS. Ri & Sarah did a fantastic job as RD's and represented acidotic RACING incredibly well. I don't think I've ever done a 10 mile trail run that went by so fast! The course was exceptionally well marked (despite the wrong way runners) and simply a joy to race. When word of this race gets around it's sure to grow in '10.

Next up: MDI Relay, Bar Harbor, MAINE

Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Race

Merrimack, NEW HAMPSHIRE--My last race of the Granite State Snowshoe Series would actually be the 5th race in the series, the Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Race presented by 3C Race Productions. With the last race being one of mine (Kingman Farm), today would be the end of my 3-race snowshoe racing season. To be honest, I'm actually a little envious of the other snowshoe racers this season with no fewer than 8 snowshoe races just here in NH alone. If there's any way I can figure out how to RD and race that will be my goal in '10. Brayden came along for the ride this morning down to Merrimack to be the official team photographer. We arrived about an hour before the start and were fortunate enough to grab one of the last spots in the small parking area of the Horse Hill Nature Preserve. It didn't take long to assess that the snow conditions would be hard & fast. Compared to the snow last weekend, this course would probably favor the fleet of foot. When Steve Wolfe and Scotty Graham arrived after taking a spin on the course I attempted to gain some additional knowledge. Apparently, after the first 100 meters or so the course took a left hand turn into a singletrack section. Despite their assurance that there would be plenty of room to pass along this stretch I decided it would be best to get out fast and establish my position earlier rather than later. As the rest of the crew began to arrive I was initially a little concerned that our team turnout may be a little thin. Dungeon Rock Racing once again showed up in big numbers (and bright orange shirts) and looked poised to present a formidable challenge. My fears were very short lived however as our snowshoe racing teammates began to file in; Jay M., John S., Steve S., Erik D., Terri B., Joe M., Austin, Steve W., Scotty G., and Liz & Ted. When I asked Austin whether Ri was coming or not he told me, "He said he was coming.". Just before 11:30 AM we began to line up at the starting line as Michael began his pre-race briefing. Just as he began his instructions a car pulled hurriedly into the parking lot...with Ri, Sarah, & Mike. Ri jumped out of the car and in one fluid motion took his hoody off and threw his snowshoes on just in the nick of time. Actually, Michael brought the entire race to a halt as he graciously got the three latecomers registered. Nobody thrives on the razor's edge like Ri. With the instructions finished the race was off and as I had planned I took it out as hard as I could to get a good spot before the singletrack. Funny thing was, as hard as I thought I took it out Double J ran away from me and never looked back. Let there be no mistake...this winter it's been Jim Johnson and then everyone else in nearly every snowshoe race. I'm not in his class, in fact I'm not even in his grade level. Everything is relative however, and for me, settling into 2nd place in a snowshoe race is a pretty darn good spot to be in. Especially when the field behind you includes some really fast runners including the aforementioned Steve Wolfe. I should have known from his comments following last weekend's racing that he was going to set me up. Not losing sight that we are in fact teammates, I told him before the race that I'd be happy to pace him to a podium finish. He smiled and corrected me, "I'd rather race you to a podium finish.". For the first 3.5k it looked like that would be exactly the outcome. Steve & I had broken away from the chase pack by the 2k mark and as I kept peeking over my shoulder I could see him 20-30 meters back. As we descended toward a set of powerlines he caught and passed me. For the next 1.5k we seemed to match pace as I put hooks into him and let him pull me along. By the time we reached the last set of climbs I could feel my grip on him loosening and I could see him pulling away. I didn't get a chance to ask him about it afterwards, but I think he put it into another gear around 5k and hammered it home. I managed to labor the climb and then regain a little speed on the final descent and 100 meter flat section to the finish. In reflection, although I went out hard I think my snowshoe-specific fitness has definitely improved. Two Top 5's and a near Top 10 miss at Sidehiller (11th) is a pretty good start to '09. But perhaps even better than my own personal accomplishments is the incredible increase in popularity that snowshoe racing has enjoyed this winter. For the first time in a long time, the melting snow and hanging up of the snowshoes will be bitter sweet. I've made a ton of new friends this winter and have shared with them some incredible racing.

Frosty's Dash for a...Podium?

Atkinson, NEW HAMPSHIRE-- Frosty's Dash for a Cure is one of the longest running snowshoe races in New Hampshire and routinely raises thousands of dollars for cystic fibrosis. As the 4th race in the Granite State Snowshoe Series the usual cast of characters were present and accounted for including Jim Johnson, Bill Morse and the Dungeon Rock Racing group, and of course my teammates at acidotic RACING including Ri, Jay M, Steve S, Chris E, Gary, Liz & Ted, Michael, Steve W, and Scotty G (who by the way has the whitest legs I've ever seen...and displayed them proudly today). This morning I headed toward Atkinson early anticipating a 90 minute drive (or at least that's what Google maps had me believe). Pleasant surprise #1 of the morning was the fact that my Garmin said it would only take an hour. Pulling out of the driveway I quickly glanced at the car thermometer and was greeted by pleasant surprise #2, it was 45 degrees. My mother always told me that good things happen in 3's. Actually she always said that bad things always happen in 3's but I'm taking a little creative liberty 'cause it's my story. I arrived about 2 hours before the race, met the RD Deb Fudge, and began to make the circuit talking to many of my new snowshoe racing friends. I think the small "community" vibe is something I really like about snowshoe racing. Everyone seems to either know or recognize everyone else and is very willing to stop what they're up to and share a moment or two of their time with you. Yesterday I wrote that today was my first ever racing double. But as I sat to write this today I realized that like many things as I get older, my memory is beginning to dull around the edges. In fact, I do have experience with racing multiple times in short periods of time. My teammates and I have raced the Reach The Beach Relay for the past three years. Those of you who've raced the 200+ mile relay know that the 3rd leg of the relay is as hard as anything you'll do in endurance sports (with respect to Ri and his incredible feats of aerobic strength). Sizing up the field before the start I felt like I had a legitimate chance of a Top 10 finish. When the "GO" command was given I quickly established my place in the top 5 and attempted to make note of the condition of my legs. Pleasant surprise #3 was that my legs felt good despite the mashed potato consistency of the snow. It didn't take long to get into a rhythm and settle in behind my much stronger (and older) teammate Steve Wolfe. Today was a little different story from yesterday when the gap between us was much too wide to get any hooks into him and feel a pull. It's likely that he's still not back to 100% because I raced on his heels for most of the race. He actually let me slide by for about a 1k and pull him a little, which I happily obliged. It wasn't long however before he tired of my plodding and regained the podium spot that we were both racing to attain. I stayed with him as we worked together to put a little more distance on the 5th place guy. We both kicked a little with 50 meters to go and crossed the tape in 3rd & 4th. I was glad to see him get the podium finish as he's battling for one of the top 3 spots in the GSSS standings. For me, two very solid performances in a row have helped me regain a little confidence in my fitness that I had lost at the gruesome end of '08. Next up on the schedule is GSSS race #5 Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Race coming up this Saturday in Merrimack, NH. That race will probably end my snowshoe racing for '09 so I'd like to log one last strong showing.