Trail Season Begins 4-27 10 AM

Sunday the 27th, Highland Parks Challenge.  The inagural race, I believe.  Twice across the Pocumtuck ridge, 7 miles.  Why was this race begun?  Someone likes that ridge, it is really the Pocumtuck Challenge.  Lots of roads, what shoes for gnarly ridge and road?  Add rain and I wear the Crosslites, Sportiva's trail shoe that is also ironically a homonym for traffic signals.  Perfect.  

Then, Monday, a repeat of Mt. Toby.  Twice for 6.5 Miles and 1775'.  Maybe only once, it will be raining.  No further heroics till 7Sisters, Sunday, May 4.  There I shoot for a PR without being totally wasted like last year.  This is my chance to get the hydration issues under control.  Last Tuesday, skipping Lane Quarry I ran 17 miles of the East Mtn. Complete course.  My good 1st 13 and my second try on the last 11 add up to a possible 4:30 for the 24 mile course.  I did not bring extra water, just diluted my Hammer drink more.  I will dilute even further for 7 sisters and guzzle some water at 4, 6, 10 miles, carrying gels and E-caps.

Someday I'll run the Complete course again, the brief obsession/infatuation with East Mountain must be left behind for greater peaks.  I will race on Thursday as I have been, no heroics, maybe a sunset summit cooldown.  No need to hunt for climbs till Wapack, though I may unwittingly wander over Mt. Tom.  Haven't ran the summit road since glacier season.  Best training I've heard for MWRR, a guy doing 3.5 miles on a treadmill with bricks for 12.5% grade.  Ascutney at $3.50 a gallon?