"There is no safe word at Loon"
Well that humble pie was tasty and filling. Seconds? no thanks I'm good! I am a little late on this report based on work obligations and my need to lick my wounds after a tough race. Apparently frolicking through the Kittatiny Range at a "loiter" pace for the last four years hasn't done me much good! Perhaps I am older now, or bear more responsibilities outside of running up mountains than I did a few years ago.
I started the race very conservative knowing that I would be out of "Loon shape" but confident in my abilities to move swiftly. I felt great around the 3 1/4 mile mark and started to make moves, this was the tail end of the muddy Nordic section of the mountain where everyone was carrying good speed. I kept the forward progress up until descending the North peak crossing over the higher elevation black diamonds with names like "Yard Sale" and "Danger Zone" knowing the infamous "Boss" was the next right turn after cooking my quads on the downhill. Crossing the mat at the bottom of Upper Walking Boss I thought to myself "it's on" and started a power hike pace that I wouldn't keep up. The idea that I was passing more people on the toughest climb in New England mountain running was enough to give Photographer Scott Mason ( www.scottmasonphoto.com ) a smile, and sling a few smartass comments back at the heckling Ryan Welts. Great right?!
Feeling very strong moments before the descent. Photo Credit Richie Blake
"This sucks but I'm Having Fun!"
NOPE
Just past the Boss welcoming party came instant nausea, and vomit was inevitable. Luckily no photos of this incident have surfaced as of yet. There I knelt at 3,000 feet above sea level vomiting my guts out. UWB time: 16+ minutes.
The ugly metrics are below:
2017
https://www.strava.com/activities/1064860606
2013
https://www.strava.com/activities/231217049
Does anyone know this guy? 2013 running the last section of Upper Walking Boss
I would love to relive the glory days and say "I used to run Upper Walking Boss in 13 minutes" but that still isn't too great! Furthermore, the course was shorter then.
All isn't lost, I got to reunite with teammates, and friends that I said goodbye to four years ago at this same venue. Loon is a beast that I plan to continue to run as long as my legs will let me. The event has only gotten more epic as time goes on so I am looking forward to 2018 already! Chris Dunn and Paul Kirsch of Acidotic Racing have made this event an absolute must.
Onward
I'm taking advantage of the terrain I now have living exclusively in New England (VT/MA). Yesterday I tagged along for a tour of Baldy and Mt. Blue Job in Strafford, NH with Teammate George Joy. Today in an effort to finish up a Strava climbing challenge I ran 8 repeats at a local park totaling just shy of 2,000' of vertical gain which isn't too shabby for a coastal area. Thanks to teammate and friend Jeff Hixon, I am now registered to run the Lynn Woods trail races every Wednesday night. Last Wednesday I showed up a little late and was relegated to the "short race" a 5k(ish) to which most of us got lost, but I think i have the 1.77 mile race record :). Next week I hope to make it to the longer 6(ish) mile race.
Panorama shot atop Mt. Blue Job great views and conversation
Amesbury, Ma Powow hill is 331' above sea level. While not gargantuan in size, the views looking Northeasterly are pretty amazing. Today 7-10-17 Star Island, NH was clearly visible 18 miles seaward.
The Important stuff
My little mountain runner in training is days, (my prediction) from crawling and has popped three, razor sharp little teeth. Being a dad to the two greatest children on earth is more than worth the decreased performance! With that being said I still want set a solid example for them..."Don't call it a comeback"
Coming to the gnarliest trail near you!
-Happy Trails
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