Cycle-Smart International Cyclocross, Day 1

Today was day one of the two-day Cycle-Smart International Cyclocross at Look Park in Northampton, Massachusetts. Like The West Hill Shop Cyclocross last week, this is one of New England’s longest running cross races. It is a true classic. The race originated on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus in 1990 and moved to Look Park several years ago. Adam Myerson has been the Race Director since the beginning. He is one of New England’s most passionate cyclists and is quite the character. This course is one of the fastest on the circuit and my race today was no different.

I did the 35+ race again, and it was a large field of about 85 riders. I finished towards the back, but that is fine. I just can’t keep up with these guys anymore. Cross has gotten wicked fast and this isn’t my kind of course anyway. The race started like a criterium and then turned into a time trial. I had several teammates in the field. Matt Domnarski led us with the best team finish. Wade Summers was next, then Gary Aspnes, me, and Craig Kennedy. Paul Nyberg did the 45+ race. As for the top three in the 35+ race, the podium spots went to three of the best masters riders in our region. Jonny Bold took the top spot. Kevin Hines was second and Matt Kraus was third.

Cross is great because you end up having a race within the race and competing against the guys around you. You don’t have to be up front to have fun. One thing I don’t like is guys in 60th place that ride as if the victory is on the line. There isn’t any reason to throw elbows when you are so far back, but some riders are compelled to behave like the sport is roller derby. The other thing that is pointless is sprinting for the finish when you are so far back. I finished unscathed, but there was a big wreck behind me that required the ambulance crew’s presence. Not good.

Since the Cycle-Smart cross is part of the Verge New England Championship Cyclocross Series, we are racing again tomorrow. The Verge races are all double race weekends. The seven events (14 races) in the series are some of the most well attended races in the country. They attract the fastest racers from the Northeast. So, look for another report filed from Northampton tomorrow.

Day 1 Race Results

Vasque Clinic @ North Cove Outfitters

Two nights ago, Debbie presented at North Cove Outfitters, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. She represented the Vasque US Trail Running Team and shared her enthusiasm for trail running with a group of fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Several people were new to trail running and looking for more inspiration. Several others had never run trails, but were interested in trying. A few brave souls were particularly interested in hearing about her ultra-marathon trail running adventures. Maybe a 50 kilometer, 50 mile, or 100 mile trail run is on their horizon…

I played the Sherpa Dad role again, which usually consists of multi-tasking with three or more tasks. I manned the audio/video system, took photographs, and watched the kids. I also enjoyed hearing Deb recount some of the awesome adventures that we have had trail running, adventure racing, fast packing, and hiking during the past 10 years. We had fun putting together her presentation because we got to pull out photos from many of our  past adventures.

The folks at North Cove were really helpful and appreciative of her contribution to their weekly seminar series. They have one of the best outdoor gear stores around. No one has more kayaks in stock! We got a chance to chat with the founder/owner, Norm Cavallaro. As a student of business, I know a successful one when I see one. They have a cool culture fueled by employees who love the outdoors. It was a cool night for a cool talk on a cool subject at a cool venue.

Hartford Cyclocross

The second half of our family fitness double-header was the Hartford Cyclocross at Riverside Park. The race was co-promoted by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance and the Connecticut Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. These two groups worked together to bring cyclocross back to the Connecticut River waterfront. Riverside Park is a spectacular setting for a cross race, with a great mix of open fields, steep run ups, a treacherous downhill, sand, twisty pavement sections, and fast singletrack.

I donned the cycling gear and planned for a muddy ride. Yesterday’s rain and wind soaked the course. Today’s dry weather was a blessing, but it wasn’t warm enough to dry out the course. That made for a slick tricky loop. There were several category and age group races. I opted for the men’s 35+, as did my teammates Wade Summers, Matt Domnarski, and Art Roti (the co-race director).

I got my Garmin GPS working and it recorded some good data. I didn’t feel that good and the numbers show it. I still had a lot of fun, especially because I spent most of the race riding with Matt. We alternated pulls because he was stronger in some sections and I was stronger in others. I had no snap. Of course, this is only my second cross race in two years. My first was last week at Mansfield Hollow. If I keep at it, I’ll come around. I want to get faster by the end of the season. The 45 minute anaerobic effort takes some getting used to. I’ll give it a go again next Sunday at the classic West Hill Shop Cyclocross in Putney, Vermont. Today’s race was a little longer than the planned 45 minutes. My GPS said 55 minutes at the finish. Matt and I raced a third rider hard for several laps, but we couldn’t shake him and our tactics ultimately didn’t work, and he came around us just before the line. Oh well, like I said, we had a lot of fun.

With the extra mud, we had no problem selling several sets of Horst Spikes. They were in demand, especially after people saw the steep slippery run-up on the dike. I had a fresh set of spikes in my brand new pair of Sidi Dominator shoes. I was product testing in perfect conditions. I would imagine that if the rain keeps coming every couple of days, we might sell out of our stock by mid-November. Hopefully, CCBA and CTNEMBA can collaborate again in 2010 because Hartford deserves to have a cross race every year.

Ray Crothers Memorial 5K Run

Today was the 1st Annual Ray Crothers Memorial 5K Run. We had so many racing options today. The Groton Forest Trail Race was in Massachusetts. The Bimbler’s Bluff 50 Kilometer Trail Race (Connecticut’s only trail ultra) was in Guilford. We decided to stay close to home and take turns racing. Debbie ran and I played the role of Sherpa Dad for the running race. Then, I did the Hartford Cyclocross later in the day, while Deb handled the parenting duties.

Ray Crothers was a legendary Connecticut runner who passed away in 2008. All proceeds from the race benefitted the Central Connecticut State University Ray Crothers Scholarship Fund. Ray was an alumnus.

We carted the whole family over to Wickham Park for a classic cross-country race.  The morning weather was gorgeous, after yesterday’s wash out. The course was wet in spots, but Debbie had fun in her first official comeback race after giving birth five weeks ago. We had beautiful sunshine and the leaves are just past peak. That combination made for some great photographs. It was a wonderful reunion for many of Ray’s old friends. His partner from The Run In, John Vitale, was the honorary race starter. Ray’s wife, Robin, spoke eloquently about Ray’s passion for running, community service, and his devotion to his customers.

Debbie said she felt slow, but I guess that is to be expected. She will improve every time she runs. I once heard someone answer the question, “How do you run 100 miles?” They said, “One step at a time.” Today’s race was only 5 kilometers, but it is part of the process of rebuilding her fitness to pre-pregnancy levels. The race was won by Manchester native, Drew Best. Mark Hixson was second. Ashley Reichelt of Manchester was the women’s winner in 19:34. The race results show 108 adult finishers. The Hartford Courant’s Lori Riley was at the race, and sporting a Soapstone Mountain Trail Race t-shirt. She posted a report on her own blog, “Running Around Connecticut.” Last week, Lori posted an update about Deb’s pregnancy. Earlier this year, she wrote a newspaper article about Deb’s running. From my perspective, the event was a great success. Ray had a lot of friends running in his memory today.

Race Photos

Race Results

Battles with Deb & Her North Cove Outfitters Seminar

I’ve written much about my epic trail running battles with my spouse, Debbie Livingston. She got me into the sport of trail running 10 years ago, and I have hated every minute of it. She would say, “Not true.” Well, truthfully, I have grown to love the sport, but in the beginning, it was painful, and I’ve got the scars to prove it. I tried way too hard to beat her and I ended up paying the price. At one time, we were a good tandem adventure racing team, but the fierce competitiveness between us, often caused strife. Well, it wasn’t that bad, but it is fun to laugh about our bickering now. Mostly we argued over navigation and my wining. When we are battling each other, our true desires come out. I’ve learned that if you intend to match her stride for stride, especially on a steep and rocky descent, then you better be insured. Seriously, I’ve warmed to running trails, my legs are used to the feeling, and now I’m out there in the woods every chance I get.

A week from tomorrow, Debbie is speaking at one of Connecticut’s best known independent outdoor retailers, North Cove Outfitters. I don’t know what she is going to say. I expect she will discuss how she got started trail running, and how that took her to the even more specialized discipline of ultra-marathon trail running. I’ll be honored if she mentions me, because that means I rate in her world! She and I are pretty evenly matched up to marathon distance, but when it goes to 50km, 50 mile, and beyond, I’m dead meat (and that’s coming from a vegetarian). I would rather crew for her at that distance.

She has done some amazing races in the past 10 years, and I expect that she will reflect on those experiences. From the Arizona desert to the California headlands to the Blue Mountains of Australia to Table Mountain in South Africa to the European Alps; she has run interesting trails. Those trails have given her some great stories to tell and in appreciation, she has given back to the trails. As President of the Shenipsit Striders, and Race Director of the Soapstone Mountain Trail Races, she has returned much to the sport that has given so much to her.

Coming off a year of pregnancy and after the recent birth of our second child, she is primed to regain her form. My days of finishing in front of her are likely to be numbered. I had my chance when she was carrying an extra 20 pounds around her midsection. I’ll be afraid to challenge her on our tricky New England trails when she gets her fitness back to peak strength in 2010 and 2011. We have been compared to the tortoise and the hare. I go out hard and blow up. She paces herself and always gets to the finish first.

She has gotten amazing support from the Vasque US Trail Running Team. I think it is really cool that she stayed involved with the team throughout her phenomenally active pregnancy. In 2009, while her teammates were winning races all over the globe, she was setting a new fitness standard for expectant mothers. She is my inspiration and I know that she inspires others too. If you are in the area, join her at North Cove on Wednesday October 28th for a fun fall discussion about the joy of trail running.

Hartford Cross/Connecticut Riverfront Cyclocross

Several years ago, Horst Engineering was instrumental in bringing the sport of cyclocross to the Connecticut River waterfront, when Team Horst Sports hosted an event at Riverside Park in Hartford. Cyclocross returns to Riverside Park on Sunday October 25th. This time, the event is being promoted by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance and theConnecticut Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. The venue is managed with help from Riverfront Recapture.

Photos courtesy of Amanda Lawrence

Click here for information about the event, including directions. Cyclocross is the most spectator friendly type of bicycle racing. The discipline requires speed, endurance, and excellent bike handling skillls. Riders negotiate a loop course with both natural and man made obstacles, including steep run ups, mud, sand, and barriers. It has been described as steeplechase on a bike. Horst Engineering is proud to support CCBA, CT-NEMBA, and Riverfront Recapture. Crosstube.net is a great resource for seeing what the sport is all about.

Compared to a decade ago, cyclocross is a much different sport, at least in New England. The entry fees have gone up, the expectations are higher, and the number of quality races on the schedule has increased. Team Horst Sports used to promote the Frank n’ Horst Cyclocross in Keene, New Hampshire, but when we struggled to attract enough riders, we called it quits. Bigger races with bigger prize lists, outside of New England, but in adjacent regions, were scheduled on the same day as our race. It made no sense to compete. The glut of races is good for local riders who don’t want to drive, but last weekend, there were four races in New England on Saturday alone. That is too much to support the sport. This weekend, we have the Hartford race on the same day as a big race in Maine. Regardless, cross is a fun sport for spectators and riders alike.

Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross

Today, I had to shake off the cobwebs at the Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross. It was my first cross race in nearly two years. We packed the van and drove the short distance from Bolton to Mansfield Hollow State Park. I was fortunate that at registration, they had a print-out of the Wikipedia definition for cyclocross. It had been so long since my last cross race, that I had forgotten the rules! To make matters worse, I was so rusty, that I missed the start of my race, the Men’s 35+. When the other riders took off, I was still standing at the van, struggling to take off my knee warmers. By the time I got going, I had conceded a 30 second head-start to the field, and my heart rate was jacked to the maximum from the gun. It was a fine way to ease back into the sport…

It worked out for the best. I haven’t done any intensity in my limited training regimen, and I’ve only had a few bike rides (commuting to work) in the past month. Cyclocross requires good handling skills and I will need more practice before I’m ready to ride with confidence. I picked my way through the small field, eventually moving up to eighth spot, where I ended up at the finish. My time was 49:24, a little less than three minutes back from the winner, Doug Mosher. John Aspinwall finished second. Horst-Benidorm-Property Research Corp. teammate, Wade Summers, had a nice ride to finish third.

Cyclocross is my favorite type of cycling. I love riding in the fall and cross is one of the best ways to get out and hammer during the season when the leaves fall from the trees. The races are only 45+ minutes, so you don’t trash yourself. Compared to trail running and triathlon, they are over in a flash. I’m planning at least five more races between now and the holidays. We were fortunate to race in dry conditions this morning. The Mansfield course really is beautiful, but I might not have gone to the race if it was raining when we awoke this morning. I’m not ready for the mud yet.

One of my favorite cross races of all time was some years ago on this course, when they held the race in December. That race started in dry, but overcast conditions. There was a “snow sky,” and sure enough, 10 minutes into the race, the flakes started to fall. It was epic with the wind driven squall obscuring the course. That day, we finished with huge smiles on our faces. That is what cross is all about. Today, the rain held off and it was worth it to make the family trip to the Hollow, one of Connecticut’s beautiful places.

For those who are unfamiliar with cyclocross, the best way to learn is to check out some of the videos on www.crosstube.net. The final lap of Sunday’s World Cup Race in the Czech Republic was just posted. These are the real crossers!

2009 Breakneck Trail Race

“I once was lost, but now am found.” So go the lyrics to the song. After six tries, I finally finished the 20 kilometer Breakneck Trail Race without getting lost or injured. The first time I did the race, I ended up (after DNF’ing) at the emergency department of Rockville General Hospital with eight stitches in a severely damaged knee that grew to the size of a pumpkin. That was the year that I renamed the race Breakknee. The next four times, I ended up hopelessly lost in the woods, on a course, that is notorious for claiming directionally challenged victims. The sixth time, today, was a charm. One reason why I stayed on course: Race Director Karl Molitoris took the unprecedented step (he was under pressure) to mark the course. It was the 13th time that Karl has put on Breakneck at Bigelow Hollow State Park, in Union, Connecticut, and one of the only times that he has used ribbons to mark the way.

In past years, this race has been run under spartan conditions with no course markings (other than the hard to see blazes on the trees), no aid, and no numbers. Today, we had no aid and no numbers, but there were lots of blue ribbons; if you are a believer, they must have been sent from heaven. The competition came down to who was fastest, though some folks still got lost. If you are one of those folks who somehow wandered off trail, my sympathies are with you. I can’t see how you did it, but I still feel for you. The race started with many of us in a somber mood. RD Karl made a passionate speech at the start line. He reflected on 13 years of Breakneck, before launching into a rant against the State of Connection Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP manages the state park system and they are suffering a budget crunch like never before. Thus, one of the reactions, at the behest of our governor and our state legislature, has been to jack up the fees charged to park users. In addition to the fees, there are more rules, more restrictions, less indemnity, and contracts with more legalese.

Karl said that he had enough and that this year would be the last year that he is the race director of Breakneck. It is always sad to witness the demise of a good race, but he said that after 13 good years, he was done. I immediately started worrying about the Soapstone Mountain Trail race and all of the other events that depend on the support of the state park system. Time will tell if the State’s new approach will hurt the trail running scene. One thing that is for sure, is that the runners appreciate what Karl and all of the other race directors do. They don’t get thanked enough. After the finish, I filled in Debbie. She missed the speech, but got the gist of it. She is going to start planning for Soapstone soon and let’s hope that the new rules can be dealt with.

As for today’s race, I was thrilled to take nearly 17 minutes off of my personal best time. Part of that was staying on course, but I was also on. I felt great, despite still feeling stiffness from last Sunday’s 50km race in my legs. I took the counterclockwise option (you choose which way that you want to circumnavigate Breakneck Pond) again this year and used part of the old dirt road in an effort to make up ground. I only twisted my perpetually damaged right ankle once, and I only fell once. My fall was more of a cart-wheel, but I still got nicked up. I also slammed my shin into a log during the extremely wet beaver dam bog traverse. I’ve missed the traverse the past few years (note my comments about getting lost), but this year, I nailed it. It saves a few seconds, but it gets your feet very wet. I passed a woman on the return leg who was inquiring as to whether or not she had to go back through the bog to return to the finish. Poor girl, she was whimpering. I said, “Yeah, of course.”

The wet section of trail on the west side of the pond was thigh deep (for me) thanks to last night’s heavy rain. I would have paid to seen “Miss I don’t want to go through the Beaver Bog again’s” reaction to that watering hole! All of the trails were wet and slippery, but they were still very runable. Most of the runners that I saw took the counterclockwise direction too. I think it saves a minute or two and it is preferable to me, though I’ve gone both ways in the past. The overcast and muggy weather cleared by the end of the race and the warm sun made the post-race festivities so much more fun. Everyone lounged around the finish, enjoying the spectacular feast that Karl, his Mom, and the other volunteers had prepared for us.

First place went to Brian Rusiecki in 1:41:08, who was fresh off his Vermont 50 Mile Run win and apparently not feeling much ill effects after last week’s muddy epic. He was cautious about staying on trail, so he didn’t trounce the rest of us by the usual margin. I had an all time Grand Tree Series personal best second place finish in 1:47:51. Stanislav Trufanov was third in 1:48:58. For women, Amy Lane continued her Grand Tree Series dominance, winning in 2:08:31, despite a beaver dam bog injury to her hand that looked like she had been attacked by a slasher. Second place went to Grace Jensen in a fine 2:14:21. Third place was Michelle Hammond in 2:17:14. Click here for full results.

Judging from the smiles, everyone was enjoying themselves during the first trail race of October. It look like 75 people came out for the race, which is around 25 more than normal. We saw a lot of friends and got to introduce them to our daughter for the first time. Some folks expected to see Debbie running on the trails. She is feeling good, but it is still too soon. This morning, she reminded me that she has the rest of her life to run. She did get in a good hike with one kid on the front and one kid on the back, so clearly, she isn’t slacking. We both love Bigelow Hollow. I think it is the jewel of the Connecticut State Park system. It is the one park that makes me feel like I am in Vermont or New Hampshire. The trails are as rugged as anything in the north country and the forest is thick.

The season is winding down. Next week is the classic finale of the WMAC Trilogy, Monroe/Dunbar Brook. I hope to keep the good forming rolling right through fall. I had considered a fall Ironman, but I’m not that fit. I’m also not getting the rest that I would need, thanks to the new addition to our family. Work has also been very demanding, so a second IM will have to wait until 2010. I’m going to have to think of a new challenge to get me through winter. In the meantime, I’ll do a few more trail races and then I will break out the cyclocross bike for some short but intense efforts.

As a note, we stopped off at the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market on the way home from the race. It was Squashtober Fest. We made one loop of the market before it closed and scored some fresh salad fixin’s. It was the right way to conclude a fine October weekend.

Breakneck Race Results

Silence that Idiot Box

Last weekend, I read an excellent editorial by the Boston Globe’s Jeff Jacoby. The premise of the editorial was that Americans, especially children, watch way too  much television. I think we all know this, but it makes sense for someone to point it out from time to time. Jacoby shares some startling statistics. Americans watch 8.2 hours of TV a day. This is in addition to the time that they spend on the Internet, which has its own issues. Still, the Internet is a very different medium from TV. Sure, I hear my critics and Jacoby’s critics crying foul. They want to highlight how education certain channels are. I hear this argument from people all of the time. Why would you want to watch the nature channel our outdoors channel when you could be outside in nature enjoying the real outdoors?

Why would you watch cycling if you could go cycling? There is a direct correlation between the obesity epidemic and the amount of TV that we watch. Turn it off. Get outside and move your body. It is s simple premise, but there must be something seriously addictive with the boob tube. The health care crisis that we face should address this. TV makes us sedentary and stupid. The advertisements on TV promote the worst possible foods. Americans are sitting in front of this electronic box and poisoning themselves. For the sake of the next generation of children, I urge you to read the Jacoby editorial and share it with others. They need to be reminded to turn the TV off.

Coda: Vermont 50–Where are the (Accurate) Results?

It is three days after the Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run, and I’m sure that the riders are still picking grit out of their eyes and ears. It was a muddy day on the trails of southern Vermont. The runners, unless they hit the deck, probably didn’t get coated as bad, but judging from the looks of my shoes, everyone needed to wash their gear with some powerful detergent.

I hope we didn’t do too much damage to the trails. One of the beautiful things about the VT50 is that the awesome trails are all on private land. It is the landowners who come together to help make this event possible. The landowners and the volunteers are the keys to the race. The volunteers were excellent, manning the aid stations, monitoring the course, and taking care of things at the finish line. All of my interaction with them was very good. The poor weather made for a challenging day if you were a volunteer standing in the rain, so I’m sure that all of the competitors appreciate the effort.

One thing that I find inexcusable, is the poor timing/results. This race has a $95 entry fee (for individuals) and every year, the results take days to produce. When they are finally posted, they are usually wrong and the formatting is impossible to read. How come I can go to a local 5K, pay $15, and get accurate results before everyone has crossed the finish line? Then, by the time you are home, the results are uploaded to the Internet. Many of the trail races in the New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series are low budget/all volunteer affairs and it takes a day to get the results up. That is OK because it is part of the culture. Most New England mountain bike races provide accurate and prompt results. Clearly, there is a need to do some benchmarking.

The VT50 needs chip timing. It is a big budget race. Everything about the race is 1st class, including the organic cotton t-shirts, the volunteers, the aid stations, and the post race spread…but the results process is broken. Chip timing is available everywhere now. There are chip systems that are low impact on the environment (reusable), and they are accurate. It isn’t free; you often have to hire a service, but they are readily available and they are reliable. You have someone to hold accountable should things not go as planned. There are so many opportunities to cheat in the VT50 because the course doubles back on itself in several spots. Chip timing with intermediate checkpoints won’t eliminate this potential problem, but it would mitigate the risk and provide data that you could go back to, should you need to investigate. Providing split times would be an added value for the customers/competitors.

I have shared my feedback with the race director in the past. He is a friend, and I know that others have complained. The VT50 webmaster wouldn’t have to put so many apologies on the site if the results were right. I wouldn’t criticise if it wasn’t a legitimate gripe. The races that I volunteer at, including the Soapstone Mountain Trail Races, have had results issues in the past, and Debbie (the RD) and I  have taken heat for it, but we have stepped up our investment (money and time) to improve the process. I think that the VT50 owes it to the repeat participants to explain how they will improve this for 2010. When a rider or runner dedicates training time, travel time, and race time, then they deserve to get instant results, especially for a big entry fee. The entry fee is substantial because this is a popular race. It would sell out at an even higher number, but you still have to keep it fair. Ironman Triathlons sell out at $500+ with four times as many competitors. That is big budget! Let’s hope it doesn’t go there.

The VT50 is a community service event. The proceeds benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, which is a nonprofit organization doing amazing work, so it often feels wrong to complain. Nevertheless, without feedback change won’t occur. Let’s hope that the VT50 committee gets the message.

This year, the 50 Mile Run, was part of the Montrail Ultra Cup, a nationwide series of events. The big deal here is that the top two finishers for men and women, qualified for the Western States Endurance Run(100 miles), the country’s most prestigious ultramarathon. With a WS100 slot at stake, improved timing is a must. This is just one more reason to get it right next time.

2009 Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run

Today’s Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run was a muddy affair. Steady rain made the course a greasy mess. This was the Livingston Family’s 10th anniversary VT50. Debbie and I weren’t a family when we first met in the parking lot at the Ascutney Mountain Resort in 1999. She was a trail runner and I was a mountain biker. That chance meeting and the courtship that followed has yielded nine more VT50’s (seven for Deb because she missed during her pregnancy years), a marriage, a house, and two kids. Despite the craziness of the past week and the newly expanded family, we were thrilled to make the trip to Brownsville for Sunday’s race.

Of my 10 VT50’s, I have ridden nine on the mountain bike (with one notable exception in 2007 when I broke my chain at mile 17 and ran the 33 miles to the finish) and run one. That one official run was today, though it came in the 50 kilometer race. I wasn’t ready for the big one, so I opted for the baby, but it still hurt to run 31 miles. It is too bad the race wasn’t a marathon because I had a really strong first 26 before cracking and fading a bit in the last five.

Debbie was a saint for hanging out on a miserable rainy day. Not riding turned out to be fortuitous because the mountain bikers got the short end of the stick today. The conditions were fine for running, but they were appalling (though not as bad as 2003) for riding. It was a shame because yesterday’s weather was spectacular. There wasn’t much hanging around after the finish. Folks headed for the showers, cleaned up, grabbed some grub, and hit the road. Travel for us isn’t as easy as it used to be. We made four stops on the drive home to accommodate various kids’ needs.

I enjoyed running the first three miles with Leigh Schmitt. Leigh and I chatted amiably about our families, his impressive 7th place finish at the Western States 100, swimming for training, and our plans for the rest of the season. We ran together on the opening flat section of dirt road, but as soon as we hit the first dirt road climb, I let Leigh, Kevin Sullivan, and another runner go up the road. I settled into 4th place and that is where I stayed for another 23 miles.

I didn’t have much running company, but when the 50K and 50M courses intersected, I had a chance to run along with the mountain bikers. It felt weird to not be riding, but I think I was better off. The bikers all looked to be suffering with all of the mud. There were a lot of mechanical failures and DNF’s. When the riders had to dismount and walk up the steep hills, I would put distance on them, then, they would come blasting past on the next descent. I actually spent several miles with my teammate A.Z Wenzel, who had a fine ride and avenged his Josh Billings debacle with a top 40 finish.

With five to go, I really started to hurt and my pace slowed. I don’t think I was fueled properly, I was a bit chilly, and my legs were just plain tired. I lost a few spots and would have lost more if it wasn’t for Molly Housman. She was leading all of the 50K women when she caught me with a little less than three miles to go. She was kind enough to let me latch on. We talked about kids, running, the mud, and blogs. I was able to stick with her until the finish and it made the last couple of miles a little less painful. She maintained a nice pace until the end, when she decided to drop the hammer on me and gap me in the last 200 meters. No big deal. I owe her one. She had a fine run.

Leigh won the race in 4:01. Kevin Sullivan was 2nd or 3rd in 4:12. I finished around 4:44. The results weren’t complete, but I will post them when they are available along with some comments. I’m curious to see who won the mountain bike race and who won the 50 mile run.

It was a messy day, but it was still the Vermont 50. Since our little girl was born on her due date, she made this possible. It was touch and go as to whether or not we would make it this year. In the end, it all worked out. We are already looking forward to 2010 when Debbie makes her comeback. Maybe I will ride again next year. Bring it on.

Race Results

Montessori Method

Our son started pre-school earlier this month. We opted for one that is walking distance from our house. Not only are there roads between our house and the school, but you can take trails that have been preserved through land trust and other conservation actions. This is a huge convenience and is consistent with our environmental values. It is a throwback to the days when everyone walked to school, the grocer, and so on. The other cool thing about his school is that it is a Montessori method school.

Admittedly, pre-school education hadn’t been on my mind in the past three-plus decades, but when you have a three year old, education starts to creep back into your conciousness. I’ve always been a passionate life long learner, but PTO meetings, parent/teacher conferences, and other school related things have been off the radar for a long time. The Montessori method at the Hans Christian Anderson Montessori School in Bolton, Connecticut, our hometown, seems like the right approach to introduce a toddler to formal education.

The Montessori method as described on the International Montessori Index website, “is not a system for training children in academic studies; nor is it a label to be put on educational materials. It is a revolutionary method of observing and supporting the natural development of children. Montessori educational practice helps children develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and time-management skills, to contribute to society and the environment, and to become fulfilled persons in their particular time and place on Earth.”

When I first read that quote, it sounded good to me. They ought to have a school like that for adults too.

WalkCT Website Launch & CFPA Annual Meeting

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association is ready to show the world why it is 100% relevant in the 21st century. I joined the organization’s board of directors in 2008 and I am thrilled to be part of its growth. CFPA, founded in 1895, is Connecticut’s oldest and most influential conservation organization. CFPA is ready to recruit the next generation of members. Today, CFPA officially launched the WalkCT, website with an event at the Legislative Office Building next to the Capitol in Hartford. The press conference was followed by three guided walks in Hartford. I stopped by Bushnell Park at noontime to join one of the walks and celebrate WalkCT’s coming out party.

WalkCT, is CFPA’s effort to promote healthy living in Connecticut. The website is at the heart of the program and offers a number of ways for Connecticut residents and visitors to find trails and plan walks. Obesity related disorders are a massive negative impact on our health care system. WalkCT connects people with the incredible resources available, and helps people learn more about health, wellness, and the environment. There is no better way to stay active and fit than to walk. Connecticut is blessed with the best trail system in the country. The historic Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails have been managed by CFPA since their inception more than 80 years ago. You can’t drive far in Connecticut without seeing a blue oval sign or a blue blaze, indicating that you have intersected with one of the trails. Among my favorite are the Nipmuck Trail, the Shenipsit Trail, and the Lone Pine Trail. WalkCT is the portal for navigating our state’s incredible network of trails.

Our car centric society is killing us. Suburban culture requires us to drive everywhere. A lack of mass transit infrastructure, especially in Connecticut, has left us with no choice but to drive, drive, drive. WalkCT will evolve over time, but it clearly sets the objective that people need to get outside and move their bodies. This is very important for children. WalkCT is family focused and is poised to dramatically change the way children view the connection between nature and healthy exercise.

CFPA previewed the website at our annual meeting this past Saturday. The meeting was at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Session Woods Wildlife Management Area. I was pleasantly surprised to learn more about Session Woods. I was unaware of its existence until attending the meeting. The interpretative displays about Connecticut wildlife are wonderful. Our son was quite interested in the land management displays which included photographs of diggers, bulldozers and logging equipment. He was also intrigued by the large number of animal specimens. Session Woods is surrounded by trails and offers visitors a neat outdoor experience while exposing them to results of DEP research.

Today’s program in Hartford was a wonderful way to premiere the WalkCT website. One walk went to the Old State House. Another went to Riverfront Park. The walk that I joined was in Hartford’s historic Bushnell Park. Our first tour guide was 85-year-old Ed Richardson, an honorary director of the CFPA. Ed is one of the most knowledgeable tree experts in the state. He showed us some of the fine specimens in the park. I even learned about burls. I didn’t know that they were tree growths and that over the centuries, they have been prized for carving bowls that are high in strength and beauty thanks to their unique grain structure.

We got to take a close look at a burl on the third largest tree in the park. Ed also told us about the Hackberry Emperor Butterfly. After Ed spoke, we heard from Terry D’Italia of the Bushnell Park Foundation. Like Ed, Terry was full of fun facts. He spoke about several of the parks more famous landmarks, including the Carousel and the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. The Stein and Goldstein Carousel was built in 1914 and the horses have real horse hair tails. The Arch was the first triumphal arch built to honor soldiers returning home from the Civil War. On it, there is a Latin saying carved into stone: “Post Nubila Phoebus,” which means “after the clouds, the sun.” Fitting for a war memorial.

Terry could have gone on and on. He described many of the other symbols depicted on the arch, before turning his talk towards the Park River, long since filled in. The river still runs below the park and intersects the larger, Connecticut River. There seem to be many interesting stories about Bushnell Park, and they can all be experienced by walking around. The Foundation offers tours of the park and trips to the top of the arch. I’ve lived in Connecticut all of my life and I learned many new and neat things, all in a short 15 minute walk in the park. That is what WalkCT is all about. The program gets people outside and learning. What is wrong with that?

CFPA is getting great press for the program and it is bound to grow both our membership base and our financial base. It is time that the rest of the world learned about the good that CFPA does.

The Great Josh Billings RunAground Triathlon

Competing in “The Josh” was a last minute decision this year. All week, I was hoping to do it, but I waited until the last day of registration to sign up. My legs were still hammered from last weekend’s Wapack Trail Race adventure, but mentally I was sharp. I thought I could register by 5:00 P.M. yesterday, but on-line registration closed at 11:59 P.M. on Friday. I was bummed, but Race Director Patty Spector came through for me after I told her my sob story about a spouse who is 39 weeks pregnant…and so on. Patty let me in, so it was game on!

We ended up back in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshires, for the second time in two weeks. We loaded up the car on Saturday evening because The Josh is a logistical nightmare and you need to use half the gear that you own. The car was jammed with four different pairs of shoes, a bike, a kayak, paddles, PFD’s, a helmet, energy food, and all of the other stuff you need. This was the 33rd Josh and it was my 3rd. I did 2006 and 2007, but skipped last year to run the Pisgah Trail Race. I was hungry to lower my best time from 2007. 33 years ago, the event was created as a relay and it is the teams that still make the race unique, but I prefer the solo division, particularly the Ironman Kayak division.

The format is a 27 mile road bike leg followed by a 5 mile kayak or canoe and then a 6.2 mile run. This is a non-traditional triathlon. The mass start road leg that kicks off the race is a site to see. I’ve written in the past that the start is one of the most exhilarating of all the races I have done. Some folks find it downright scary with nearly 500 cyclists screaming down Main Street in Great Barrington with the police escort’s sirens blaring. Everyone jockeys for position before the right turn on to the Taconic Street hill where the race splits apart every year.

The venue is spectacular. As mentioned,the race starts in Great Barrington and the road bike course takes you on a beautiful loop through Great Barrington, Alford, West Stockbridge, and Stockbridge, before finishing in Lenox at the boat launch on the Stockbridge Bowl. The climbing on the bike leg is modest with 1825 feet of gain. The kayak course is two loops of the Stockbridge Bowl (Lake Mahkeenac). The run course is a loop on the hilly roads around the lake. The finish is at Tanglewood, which on race day resembles a massive tailgate party. Today, there was live music, a rock climbing wall, food vendors, and thousands of people celebrating the last full weekend of summer.

The past two times I have done this race, I have missed the key move on the Taconic Street hill. I vowed to hang tough this year. The race started with the usual bang, but this year, I maintained a strong position in the top 30 riders. I was in the top 20 when we made the turn and I moved up another five spots before drifting back. This was the plan. If I could keep catching wheels and avoid a disastrous unbridgeable split, then I could potentially gain minutes on Ironman division rivals. The crazy thing about the hill is that it comes only five minutes into the race. If you miss the move, you end up in a chase group that loses ground for the next 25 miles.

Today, I made the front group, but it was only the front group for a brief period of time. Less than two  miles later, there was another surge and a small group (six riders?) rolled off the front. This was the elite group of the day and I was banking on the fact that they were all on teams. I marked the one other solo racer in my group that I knew, and made sure he wasn’t out of my sight. It turned out that there was a third too. I was joined today by teammate Arlen Zane Wenzel. AZW was only one week removed from completing the epic Shenandoah 100 mountain bike race. His legs were heavy, but he still made the same group as me, which put the Pfizer Corporate Team in a good position to win their division.

Our group stayed together until Prospect Hill Road in Lenox. It split apart again before the final descent to the kayak/canoe transition. I won’t know exactly where I finished the bike until the full results are out, but it was a definite improvement over past years. The kayak was painful, as expected. I slowed a bit on my second lap when the wind whipped up the waves a bit and there was a lot of traffic as hundreds of boats clogged the small lake. Fortunately, I was up far enough where there was some clean water on the first lap. I had to let two soloists go for a while and they gained a few minutes on me before the second transition.

The volunteers were really helpful when I beached my kayak and headed ashore. My only glitch was when I pulled out  my brand new triathlon specific racing shoes and they wouldn’t go on. I was sitting on the beach and I couldn’t get my feet in. It turned out that I never removed the tissue paper stuffed in them from the store. It was quite funny. Eventually, I got out of there and started chasing the two guys who I suspected were ahead of me. I was pleased with my pace and reeled them in one at a time before putting a little gap on them. I had been passed by five to 10 canoe teams on the water, but I was still in the top 20 overall. My hope was that it was all teams ahead of me. I was able to hold my pace up the final grinder before finishing in front of the huge Tanglewood crowd in 2:42:16. I met my goal and set a new Ironman Kayak course record in the process.

Cleaning up after The Josh is even more difficult than preparing for the race. You have to collect gear between two transition areas. Some people even have to get back to their cars in Great Barrington for a third stop. We helped out a fellow racer by giving him a lift back to his car at the bike start in exchange for assistance loading my kayak on the roof of the car. Debbie and Shep walked more than four miles in support of my race today, so I am grateful for their help. They were more tired than me.

Once again, The Josh volunteers were spectacular. Everyone was gracious and helpful. When you have a 33-year-old race, you have a special event that they community rallies around. The formula works because the people behind the race care so much about it. Entire Berkshire communities come together on Josh day. I bet they are still partying at Tanglewood right now…

2009 Race Results

Kripalu Center For Yoga and Health (Neighbors with Tanglewood)

Two weekends ago, I visited Debbie at Kripalu. She was in Lenox, Massachusetts for the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Assocation annual conference. She has been a certified teacher since taking their 200 hour course eight years ago. Since then, I’ve watched Kripalu grow a lot. It has been a remarkable transformation. Kripalu has morphed from a yoga specific organization to one that offers more mainstream health education in a variety of disciplines with a special focus on yoga. Kripalu recently completed a major physical expansion and capital improvement project. They have stepped up their marketing. They even began serving meat in the cafeteria! That one caught me by surprise, as it did Debbie when she chose the wrong line at the KYTA conference. Vegetarianism is still important at Kripalu, but it isn’t as strict as it used to be.

Kripalu’s setting in Lenox is just stunning. The campus was originally a turn of the century estate. It became a Jesuit retreat. Then it was abandoned and became dilapidated. Then it became Kripalu. The views of the Berkshire Mountains and Lake Mahkeenac (Stockbridge Bowl) are awesome. Kripalu is a really nice place to study yoga and meditate. It is also one heck of an enterprise that I’m curious to learn more about.

I visited Debbie because we had the good fortune to catch the Boston Pops & James Taylor at Tanglewood with a group of friends. Tanglewood shares the same Berkshires magical setting. It is across the street from Kripalu and is the summer home of the Boston Symph0ny Orchestra. Tanglewood has an amazing musical heritage. It was nice to walk from Kripalu to Tanglewood and back again.