Last weekend, I started my journey to “goat”. Goating, my new favorite verb, is short for completion of the New England USATF Mountain Goat Series, a set of 8 races (only need to finish 6) and that puts you into a bypass to run the Mt. Washington autoroad race the following year (so 2016, for me).
The first race up on the calendar is the Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race– in Huntington, VT. This race is probably the farthest away from Boston of the series, so fortunately, I was able to head up to Burlington, VT and crash at a friend’s place. Even though the race didn’t start until “high noon” on Sunday, at least I wasn’t driving 3.5 hours twice in a day.
I really like Burlington, I like the feel of the city, and my friends apartment is right south of the main downtown area. It turned out that a couple of my friends from HS were having a record release party and playing a show less than a half mile from where I was staying. So I went out and, incredibly, that band picked up 2 new members… other friends of mine from college! It was really serendipitous that we all happened to be in the same place.
Vows setting up for their set
beautiful lake champlain
So the morning of the race, I ended up getting there pretty early, around 10:30am just when packet pickup was starting. I grabbed my bib and was gifted a small bottle of maple syrup! Yum! Already loving this race.
After grabbing my stuff, I hung out in the trunk of my car just kind of putzing around, saying hi to people and reading a little bit. Then, I saw someone I know walking by. This guy I met in Boston, he is a runner (a freaking FAST runner, 2:30 marathoner), and he and I had been on 2 dates together around Boston. I liked him, but definitely thought he was chronically uncomfortable around me. I think he is smart and interesting but just so very quiet. Anyway, he came over and I said hi. Turns out he had lost his voice a few days ago and thus is was even quieter than usual. But anyway, he said he was going to walk the course– apparently that is what fast competitors do– and asked if I wanted to join. I said sure and we started walking up the mountain. The first mile is a nice climb mostly on XC ski slopes but finishing on single track. The second mile in pretty much straight downhill through mud and rock (something I was looking forward to). Anyway, I keep trying to get some conversation going with this guy but I think a deadly mix of his personality and his lack of voice made it so painfully uncomfortable for probably both of us but certainly me! I felt like I was talking at him and not with him and eventually we just kept quiet and walked for a while in the woods.
That’s when I had a moment of terrifying clarity. I was in the woods, alone, with a guy I barely knew. This guy was definitely faster than me. Great–I am going to die.
I eventually just kind of made excuses like “I need to go back to the ski lodge, my friend is looking for me” or some shit like that… I think I even said how my mom called (which she had!) — anything to make me seem like someone would miss me. I probably went overboard but we eventually went back to the lodge and he made no attempt to kill me so that’s nice.
Anyway, back at my car, I still had ~30 minutes until the race started. I took 2 salt caps, thinking about about me and my ‘sweat ethic’. Then I saw my friend Matt! Matt is a great runner, and an even better person. He lives right next to me in Brighton and we are friends from the Bangers. He and I hung out and the quiet guy came back over and I introduced them since they might actually be racing together.
Once at the start, Matt and I hung out and then during the race, I immediately let him go. It wasn’t a great race for me, but I have some positive to take away from it. My legs have been sore the past few weeks. I think I may have overtrained and my body and mind have been out of whack. This race is certainly on the easier side of the Mountain Goat series… ~1600ft gain in 10k. It was an up and down race, with 3 climbs and 3 descents. I ran up the first climb but then walked up much of the second and third climbs. I thought I would be able to run more of the second one. The climbs were not technical for the most part, one was entirely on ski slopes. I think I will just have to find whatever it was I lost recently in running. I finished in 1:09 and change and know I can improve.
The race started with the climb, then about a mile downhill. I loved that downhill, I felt like I was able to fly again. I ran fearless and strong and passed tons of people. You then run through a meadow and turn hard right to start the second climb, back to the same summit you hit the first time. This climb was long and gradual. Next time I run this race, I’ll be sure to run much more of it because that was where I lost a lot of ground. I would argue it is the hardest climb, too– you are exposed in the sun and with the bugs. After this climb it’s a beautiful rolling mile and takes you back towards the start. Instead of ending, the course then turns left and you go up the other mountain with a beautiful single track climb. This was my favorite section and I ran more of this than I did in the second climb. I mostly was just enjoying the trails though. After reaching the ridge, you start to decline. The last mile is a gradual decline on XC ski trails and it finishes with a steep, but not long, hill and then you can sprint into the finish. I felt good this last mile and gained up and passed a few people.
Matt was sitting at the top of the hill cheering my on to the finish, and it really does make a difference to have someone present cheering you on. It was so good to see him and I felt really good finishing. Matt even said I looked fresh and happy finishing, whereas he walked it in. I think it’s good that I felt so fresh at the end, but I think that also means that I could’ve left more out on the course (namely in that second climb). I am still new to racing and it’s hard for me to gage my energy expenses. I’m learning though!
Classic Bangers Pose– Matt and myself
After finishing, I found quiet boy again, who was done for way long before Matt or myself. The 3 of us sat in the grass and just went over each of our races and cheered in oncoming runners. I am really happy Matt will be at all these races with me. It will keep my pushing and I can learn a lot about racing from him.
Neither of us (or quiet boy) won any of the awesome awards that were present. They had growlers of syrup, homemade granola, and some cool saloman visors and handhelds. Oh well!
Overall:
- Believe in your training and run more on the up hills
- Pre-hydrate more, and yes take salt caps before
- You can run fast downhill again–do it!
- Mud is fun
- Don’t walk into the woods with fast boys that you don’t know without telling someone
48 peaks 