3C Race Productions is one of the sponsors for the Tuff Ten Trail Race (held on September 25th) so Saturday morning I drove to Merrimack NH to pick up some items Michael (of 3CRP) donated for my race's post-race raffle. I met him at Horse Hill Nature Preserve which is not far from when he lives. Michael was hosting a race there and it was the most convenient time and place for both of us to get together and make the exchange. Since I had driven an hour to get to Merrimack I thought I might as well run the race while I was there. 3C puts on some fun races. Check out their schedule when you get a chance.
Before the race started I was talking to another runner who told me she was from Juneau, Alaska. Talk about traveling to a race! And I was complaining about driving and hour? It turned out she was visiting her dad who is living in NH. As we talked a bit more we discovered we both grew up in the same city in MA but went to different high schools. Small world as they like to say.
The race was advertised as a 7K but it turned out to be a little over 5 miles per my GPS. The course was in the shape of a lollipop, with the stick being about quarter mile long gravel and dirt road and the pop about 1.5 miles of twisting single-track. The loop was run three times which meant runners had to climb 420 foot Blodgett Hill three times. Not an easy thing to do in the heat and humidity. Running the many switchbacks on the course was a blast and made me forget about all the hard climbing. Well, at least for a little while.
Blodgett Hill
Three loops up and over the hill.
All my long, slow training hasn’t prepared me to run short and fast but I finished in the top ten overall and second in my age group. Now before you think I’ve somehow gotten really fast, there was a very small turnout for this race and only three runners in my age group. Statically speaking, I only finished in the top 50% overall and top 67% in my age group. I’m still slow and getting slower. On the plus side, a group of young women spectators told me I was the best dressed runner in the race.
So I have that goin' for me, which is nice.
