Chicopee Woods 10K Trail Run

The third race of the Dirty Spokes Series is in the books. Was not really sure this one was going to happen. Several bands of thunder storms rolled through the area overnight and early in the morning. Luck would be on our side with an 8:30 start. The trail was the Sorba bike trail near the Elachee Nature Center in the Chicopee woods.

This race appears to be a favorite, despite the rain there was a good turn out. Starting line was on the bridge over the interstate. Nothing like a little hill before hitting the trail to spread out the field. The trails were in fair condition with all of the rain. The first couple of miles was the decent to the bottom. Very little in the way of rocks or major roots on the first couple of miles. After three miles or so the fun would begin. The trail got a bit more sloppy with a few creek crossings. Some were over wooden bridges while others were jumps. The first of the big climbs would happen around mile 4. After getting over the first, back down to the bottom where the water flows. With all of the rain the last creek crossing was more of a waist deep wade across. Crossing the rivercreek left the climb out of the hole. The continued uphill took its toll on many. Alternated between a fast hike and a jog. A couple of twists and turns later left you at the finish line.

I am please with the performance on the trail. The main goal was to relax and enjoy the trail. After a rain there is something to natures music instead of an ipod. Occasionally the roar of the interstate would remind you of civilization. The trail also demand full attention. There were many of sloppy spots that were fun to navigate. Glad the storms had passed and held off to get this one in the books.

The race results are already posted.

Next up is an 8 mile at Mt Tabor.

Thank you to Dirty Spokes, sponsors, and volunteers that made for a very enjoyable race. Looking forward to the fourth challenge in the series.

Running The River Ridge 4.5m Trail Run

The second race in the Dirty Spokes Trail Running Series. This was also the first race at Boling Park in Canton, Georgia. The race started promptly at 8:30. The first mile was on the crush and run track in the park. This first mile was a very fast mile due to a quick start and trying to start near the front of the pack. After the first mile, hard left turn into the woods onto the single track trail. Pace continued to be quick with the rolling hills and the bridges over the smaller creeks. Continuing down the trail until the 2 mile creek crossing. The creek was about 18 inches deep giving the shoes a good soaking. Unfortunately coming out of the water one of my shoes came untied. Making quick work of the shoe laces, got back to the race only to be hit with the first of several steep uphill climbs. Water station was available at 2.7 mile mark. This turned out to be needed. The climbs required more of a hike to the top instead of a run. After the hike of the second hill the runner was left with rolling hills, logs, and pine straw over the trail. The last half mile of the trail was the same as the first trail section which allowed the runners to make up a bit of time. Hard right out of the woods left a short sprint to the finish line. The legs fell a bit short on this run however I had a lot of fun challenging myself.

Nice first race in Boling Park. Thanks to Dirty Spokes and all of the volunteers that put this first annual race on and to those that designed the course. You cooked up a good one. Looking forward to running it again next year. As usual the Dirty Spokes crew have already posted the results.

On to the third race in the series....

Runnin the Rocks 10K Trail Run

First race of the Dirty Spokes Trail Running Series. The first race was at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia. The weather was decent with temperatures in the low 40s to start and no rain. The trail was in pretty good shape with a few mud holes to get your attention. The race started on time with over 100 runners in the 10k. Started in the middle of the pack with an easy pace. From the open field to a gravel road quickly led to the single track trail. The slow start was not the best choice as there were a lot of single track which made passing a bit of a challenge. The 10k trail used both the mountain bike and horse sections of the trail system. Despite the multi-use, the trail was in very good shape for most of the race. It took a couple of miles to get into a comfortable running pace. Ran with a group of three to four runners for the next several miles until the rolling hills got steeper. The water stop near mile 4 was at the top of the steepest we would climb. From this point the track was down hill with twists, turns, and small stream crossing. The group of runners began to pick up the pace. For some including myself that may have been a little too soon with 2 miles to go. After the last mile to go marker you quickly came up on the field with the finish line to be surprised with a shot back into the woods through a few twists and turns to emerge from the tree with nothing but an uphill sprint to the finish.

The race was exciting even though I did not do as well as I would have liked. The first race is in the books and looking forward to the rest of the series. Given a month before the next 10K in the series there are a few things to work on for next time.

The race was well run. The 10k results are already posted.

Thank you to Dirty Spokes, sponsors, and volunteers that made for a very enjoyable race. Looking forward to the second race in the series.