As part of the training for running the Bear Mountain Half and also as part of a continual search for new (off-road) runs I took the one hour forty minute, three train ride north into the Bronx to Van Cortland Park where the local club organise the Urban Environmental Challenge, excitingly billed as "a 10K of true cross country trails".
After last weeks "vacation" walks around the city and getting the cold I got my training back on track with a couple of 6 mile efforts during the week and then finally got a longer 11M run in on Friday morning. With my dry throat and runny nose combined with the warmer weather it was a pretty rough run. I had to lie on the stretching mat for 5 minutes with my eyes closed to recover but then went and killed myself by playing soccer later that night!
So my quads were a little tired this morning but I felt quite good once I got going. Spring is most definitely here now, luckily it was all under tree cover but afterwards it was flip flop weather and mild sunburn weather too, probably.
The course started on the gravel paths but very quickly turned off onto proper little woodland trails, yay. At last, some true off-roading. Well marked with little orange flags and marshalls at the turns. I had no idea where I was in relation to the main park and even when we dipped back down to the starting path, we quickly went back into the woods and took a different route thus avoiding running the same trail, which is always nice.
As usual, after a couple of miles things settle down and you have the same few runners in your sights, etc. I ended up passing a few without really being passed at all. You can maintain a decent pace despite the twists and turns and it was similar to Bear Mountain (and most other proper trail races) where your attention doesn't really shift from where you're planting your feet and staying on course that you don't have as much time to focus on things like tiredness!
I knew the age group prizes were (some supposedly very tasty) carrot cakes and knew/hoped I would be there or thereabouts for an award. I reeled in a guy in the last mile but he passed me dropping back onto the final gravel path run in and I didn't have the strength to keep with him.
Turned out that there were some good runners in the 40-49 age group and of course, he turned out to be the 3rd one!! I finished 12th overall but 4th 40-49 so just missed out.
I had persuaded two friends of ours, also doing the Bear Moutain Half, that this would be good training for them and Dawna, in her first ever trail run managed 2nd in the 30-39 females! So in the end after brunch we shared a piece of her carrot cake. It was tasty, more cake-like than usual but thankfully it was only the winners that got the massive ones otherwise I really would have been upset.
Only $19 to enter too. So if you ever want to run a 10K in Central Park with 8000+ people strictly organised by NYRR's and then the following week do a relaxed, low-key, couple of hundred people trail race where they delay the start by 4 minutes as people walk over from registration then this is your time of year to visit.
After last weeks "vacation" walks around the city and getting the cold I got my training back on track with a couple of 6 mile efforts during the week and then finally got a longer 11M run in on Friday morning. With my dry throat and runny nose combined with the warmer weather it was a pretty rough run. I had to lie on the stretching mat for 5 minutes with my eyes closed to recover but then went and killed myself by playing soccer later that night!
So my quads were a little tired this morning but I felt quite good once I got going. Spring is most definitely here now, luckily it was all under tree cover but afterwards it was flip flop weather and mild sunburn weather too, probably.
 |
| Right in the middle |
The course started on the gravel paths but very quickly turned off onto proper little woodland trails, yay. At last, some true off-roading. Well marked with little orange flags and marshalls at the turns. I had no idea where I was in relation to the main park and even when we dipped back down to the starting path, we quickly went back into the woods and took a different route thus avoiding running the same trail, which is always nice.
 |
| Breaking out the vest for 2014 on the main gravel path |
As usual, after a couple of miles things settle down and you have the same few runners in your sights, etc. I ended up passing a few without really being passed at all. You can maintain a decent pace despite the twists and turns and it was similar to Bear Mountain (and most other proper trail races) where your attention doesn't really shift from where you're planting your feet and staying on course that you don't have as much time to focus on things like tiredness!
I knew the age group prizes were (some supposedly very tasty) carrot cakes and knew/hoped I would be there or thereabouts for an award. I reeled in a guy in the last mile but he passed me dropping back onto the final gravel path run in and I didn't have the strength to keep with him.
Turned out that there were some good runners in the 40-49 age group and of course, he turned out to be the 3rd one!! I finished 12th overall but 4th 40-49 so just missed out.
 |
| Urgh, 4th. WTF. |
I had persuaded two friends of ours, also doing the Bear Moutain Half, that this would be good training for them and Dawna, in her first ever trail run managed 2nd in the 30-39 females! So in the end after brunch we shared a piece of her carrot cake. It was tasty, more cake-like than usual but thankfully it was only the winners that got the massive ones otherwise I really would have been upset.
Only $19 to enter too. So if you ever want to run a 10K in Central Park with 8000+ people strictly organised by NYRR's and then the following week do a relaxed, low-key, couple of hundred people trail race where they delay the start by 4 minutes as people walk over from registration then this is your time of year to visit.
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