Race Report

Today was the final race of the Saratoga Stryders’ 2018 Trail Series.  Each race is 5K, held on the same course at Camp Saratoga, now called the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park.  The race has a mass start, with 80-100 runners starting on top of a hill, converging almost immediately into double track.  Right after the start, runners pass through what was once a place for Scouts to gather and listen to stories near the fire.  We then run past one of my old troop’s traditional camping spots, on the right, and a barely visible trail on the left, leading to a bridge across the brook and then up to a concrete lean-to.  We used to play “Russian Spy” in these woods, a combination of “Hide and Seek” and “Tag”.  Today the understory has returned, and most of the traces of the Scout camp are gone.  Our old camping area looks like it has always been woods, and the bridge I just mentioned had almost completely rotted away the last time I checked.

It’s been nearly three weeks since Ragnar, and I’m still struggling to put it in to words.

On one hand, the camaraderie was as strong as ever, and I think this was my favorite van, yet. We worked well together, and took care of each other to an extent that I wasn’t expecting.

I didn’t get a chance to write up a report for last week’s race, so here’s a report on both. I ran in the Adirondack Runner’s AdiRUNdack Trail Race Series at Cole’s Woods these past two weeks, along with at least 100 others each night.

Rebecca Smith, the RD, mentioned the first week that this was the 10th year of the Trail Series. It’s a wonderful event, and I hope it continues on for at least another 10 years. Rebecca and her crew do an excellent job, and I look forward to the races each year.

Well, the 2015 AdiRUNdack Trail Series has come to a finish. Thank you, Rebecca Smith, for another wonderful year! Heidi Underwood won the fourth and final 5K for the women’s race, and Alex Benway once again won it for the men’s race. Overall, Sue Thompson won the 20K women’s race, with an average 5K finish time of 22:33, followed by Justine Trybendis with 22:46, and Angie Thomas with 23:57. For the men, Alex Benway finished the 20K with an average 5K time of 16:50, Max Selleck was next, with an average of 19:59, and Matthew Haley came in third, with 20:25. Congrats to the winners, and congrats to everyone who participated.

Looking at the forecast this morning, I had expected to be running in the rain today. Instead, we were treated to abundant sunshine, slightly softer earth, and our dear friends, heat and humidity. Current series leader on the men’s side, Alex Benway, ran a full two minutes slower, while last year’s champion, Kevin Emblidge, won his first race of this series by two seconds. Kevin will have to run almost a full 3 minutes faster than Alex in the final race, though, if he wants the title this year. Alex is currently at 51:18 minutes total, and Kevin is at 54:01 total. Currently in third place is Max Selleck, at 60:18, and behind him is Matthew Haley at 61:27.

Week two of the 2015 AdiRUNdack Trail Series is in the book. The weather was noticeably cooler than it has been, and it was windy, but the trees did a good job of sheltering us from the wind. I had thought, earlier in the day, that the trail would be muddy mess, since heavy showers were making their way through the area. As it was, the ground was still firm and fast through most of the course. Alex Benway once again won the men’s race, running 16:09 (almost a full minute faster than last week), and Tyra Wynn once again won the women’s race, running 20:51 (almost a full 30 seconds faster than last week).

When I look back on this race, 3 months later, the only word that comes to mind is: broken.

I felt myself burning out in the run-up to this race, and I scaled back my training to try and compensate. It didn’t help; I felt undertrained in the race, and broken afterwards. It was somewhere around 15.2 miles in length, and the only flat parts were on the last mile or so. Everything else was rolling, so that coming down off of the mountain was as brutal as going up. Not that any portion of it was truly brutal, but it was way more than I was expecting. There was a touch of technical stuff near the summit, but nothing terrible. There was a guy running with what appeared to be running crutches, and he managed to get through the technical stuff, and beat me by at least an hour.

Camp Saratoga 8K - 15 Feb 2015

Today’s race was a shock. First, and foremost, it was cold. Normally when you start any winter activity, a hike, a run, whatever, you want to start off a bit cold, because your body will warm up. Today, through, I found myself wishing I had worn my balaclava, and a thicker pair of socks. My toes were so cold as we waited around for the race to start that I was clenching and releasing them just to keep blood circulating. I was punching my fists together, too, for the same reason. (Sometimes being an armchair mountaineer pays off.)