Grouse Mountain to Old Buck (or less) and back
Last week Curb had asked if I would mind “leading” the front of the pack on this week’s training run. On Thursday evening there was a voice mail about giving the pre-run talk to the assembled runners. On Friday, there was an e-mail from Craig saying that he would be absent as well. “Does that mean I have to give ‘em the Poop-Talk?”, “Yep!”.
Having run this one before, I remembered that it was one of the tougher of the training runs. Curb had described it as “a real character builder” - so one had to wonder how these characters (Craig & Curb) managed to conveniently get outta town for the day. Hmmm…
Well it certainly gave the runners who showed up another layer to their training base. The miles tell one part of the story, but the mental aspect of running an out-&-back is just as important. Knowing that every stride that you took on the way out brought you to a further 1/2 way point, required that you gauge your pace (rhymes with mace) accordingly. Last year’s training run was full of casualties of pacing/hydrating/fueling mistakes & the weather conditions were suspiciously similar.
Since this was the group’s first 7:00 am rendezvous, I really didn’t expect much of a crowd, but 45 or so dedicated runners were there on time. Giving the “Poop-Talk” to that many people made the idea of the run itself seem easier. After a brief talk (no pun intended) & Enzo “Whatsisname” Federico’s words of caution, we headed up the trail. I had seen Patricia & Colin milling about earlier, so I was eager to catch up with them on the trail (yeah, right) since Curb had asked me to run with the lead group. I caught them alright. Rather, I caught a glimpse of them as Patricia flew down the Seymour Grind and as Colin was heading back up from Old Buck.
As is the norm on these runs, small groups form as the run goes on. These become quite social & can make the miles go by a little easier (misery loves company?). By the time the LSCR had been reached, August (a veteran of the race), Nick (a first time participant), & myself had formed our own group. We had a pretty consistent pace (rhymes with mace) going & made it to the rock at Old Buck (about 10 runners made it to the rock). Remembering all of those downhills on the way “out” were now uphills on the way “back”, made me wonder how well I had gauged my abilities. Remembering last years run made me wonder why I was doing this one again (perhaps I’ll go river rafting next year). It was nice to see some of the other runners that I had come to know over the training runs these last 2 years, so I took the opportunity to stop & chat as various runners decided whether to carry on or turn around.
After refilling our water bottles once again at LSCR, August & I braced ourselves for the final climbs out of the canyon (how many stairs are there?). The distance was being felt in the quads & the dappled sunlight on the trail was testing our ability to maintain focus & footing. We made it to the Grouse base with very even pacing – our “out” time was only 13 minutes faster than our “back” time!
There were quite a few crashes despite the stellar conditions. Yours truly had two mishaps. Earlier on in the day, Nick (who was running in front of me & thus did not witness the crash) was buzzed by an owl & in an effort to get a glimpse of the bird I took my eyes off the trail. Boom! Thank you, hand-held water bottles for acting as crash pads. The second happened when I miscalculated how little I would have to raise my foot in order to clear a root. Boom! As per the rules, August gets a beer. On his way down the stairs below Hyannis, Nick slipped on one of the stumps. The thud made me turn around in time to see him doing a brilliant upturned turtle impression - all limbs in the air & sliding on his back. Luckily, he was OK. Several other runners had near misses including a shoulder scraping at the top of Lynn Canyon, two “lightly” twisted ankles, & many dirty shins. All of this was apparently not enough to satisfy Francine & Kelsy’s bloodlust – they are seeking bloody & dirty knees for some undisclosed reason. Any paparazzi who may be interested, are invited out for a run next week (I suppose clumsy models are also invited).
All-in-all it was a successful training run for most. Many people arrived at Grouse base glad that this one was over, but smiling with the sense of accomplishment on a gorgeous day.