Thursday, May 28, 2009


I ran the first race of the N.E. Mountain/Trail Racing Series this past Saturday in Princeton, Ma. on Wachusett Mt. The course ran up the mountain for about a mile and a quarter on paved road. Then leveled out onto a trail for approximately the next 3/4 of mile. Then we moved onto a single track trail with a down hill lie. This part was the most fun and the most dangerous as we swished through the trees like skiers down a mogul. All the while trying to keep our feet from hitting a rock or root the wrong way. Which is precisely what I did. I got a little airborne and landed as if I were diving into a pool of soft pine needles -lucky for me.
I started the race conservatively. I hadn't run any of these mountain/trail races before, so I didn't know what was in store for me. After the initial euphoria of starting the race, I let the lead runners go and tried to settle into a nice comfortable pace. At the top of the first climb the better runners were clearly gone, and so a second group formed. After clearing the single track trail, non too bruised, the course turned much more vertical as we worked our way up the mountain to the three mile mark. That stretch of mountain was just the kind of work Tim, and I have been training to tackle. So I adjusted my form, and went about the grind of getting to the top of this, approximately 20% grade trail. There were two runners, that I could see, in front of me. I passed both runners as the mountain took it's toll on them. One of them was reduced to walking.
At the three mile point, it was all down hill from there, literally. It was a wonderful feeling soaring down the mountain after the previous climb up. It was time to just let it rip. I was passed by only one runner-I'll fill in the name when I see the results- the rest of the race. He just had better down hill technique than I have, and I couldn't catch him.
Overall, I placed 17Th out of, I believe, 320 runners. I felt pretty good for my effort, and I felt as though I represented Running Raw well.
After the race, we talked to other runners with Tim occasionally taping his conversations with the camera for future videos. We handed out raw raisin buckwheat cookies which went over very well. Even to the non-raw runners who tried them.
As for, Tim Van Orden, he had a "photo" finish with three runners and came in fifth place overall and first master.

3 comments:

RawBodyGoddess said...

Hey, I met you there! The cookies WERE great! Any chance of getting a recipe? ;)

michael menard said...

Was that you, the one training for the ultra? That's so cool! It was nice to meet you. Yeah, I'll get you a recipe. Are you going to be at Pack?

RawBodyGoddess said...

Yes, that was me :)
I am hoping to be at the race tomorrow! Lets hope the rain is done by then, lol...great for the garden, not so great for dry sneakers!