Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

so the heavy forest thinned and we came to almost a clearing.

I had started a jog at this point, but still had time for a quick picture. No issues with the leg, except the occasional twinge.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

another beautiful little stream. Wonder if there are trout lurking in the shadows?

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

First water/aid stop. Nice kids - friendly and helpful.

Temperature is beginning to rise.

By this point it was supposed to begin raining. Weatherman assured us that it would pour 9-12 today. It didn't. I kinda wish it had because it was so awfully humid for most of the day.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

just a morning hike on the trail.


I had run the Coeur d'Alene marathon the weekend before, and on Wednesday I pulled something in my right lower leg (still not sure what - could be Proneus, doesn't act like gastroc). I wasn't sure I was going to be able to complete this race at all. Last few days this week I worked from home, used lots of ice, and did as little walking as possible.

I walked the beginning of this race, intended to walk the entire thing if my leg kept on hurting. The leg warmed up and felt pretty good.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

Trail markings were very obvious. The trail is marked with blue "blazes" (more later), and most of the turns where an inattentive runner could get lost are marked like this - very obvious. A runner would really have to be oblivious to miss them.

There is one section in the second half where the main road goes straight and the trail goes left, which made me stop and look around. Following the blazes kept me on-course. That was the only one which caused me any confusion.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

The trail crosses CT Route 74. Runners were advised that traffic does not stop. The speed limit here is 45, but it seems like most drivers have the number "74" more firmly in mind. Crossing was completely uneventful.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

Isn't this beautiful? the trail of the bottom half of the run goes by many little streams. Classic river-bottom running.

-Peter

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

And they're off. The race is split into two parts, north and south. Runners go south first. South is about 12 miles, out and back, and is by far the easier segment. North is the balance of this 26.4 mile run.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

Nipmuck Trail Marathon - The assembled runners, about 230 people accepted this year. I believe the actual participants was under 150.

I saw one gal with a "Virginia Happy Trails" logo on her shirt, but no one else from my neck of the woods.

I always feel a little intimidated in these races. The other runners look so much more experienced than I feel.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon -

Nipmuck Trail Marathon - this is the pre-race briefing by Dave Raczkowski. Dave does this in song and verse, and this year to accompanying soundtrack which is, well, unique. Last year's pre-race briefing video is on the web if you look for it, it's a hoot.

After 26 faithful years this is Dave's last time directing the Nipmuck. A little Nipmuck Family has developed around this race and it is clear many people are appreciative of his hard work.

Nipmuck Trail Marathon

Why did I sign up for this race? The race website inspired me:

" ...I have no desire to risk my life and health running with you lunatics. "
" If I wanted to run through jungles and streams I would get a lobotomy and join the Marines ... "
" Your application understates the dangers of the trail by about 500% "
" You are a menace to the running community specifically and decent society in general. "
" Go get bit by some of your beloved wildlife. "

With an offer like this, who can refuse?

I have run trail marathons before - Bull Run in 2005 and five times on the JFK - and each of those were less technically challenging than the Nipmuck. Nipmuck combines the rocks of the JFK, the relentless hills of Bull Run (but at a Connecticut scale), and good old New England humidity.

It's been several months

It's been several months since I have updated my blog.
Not because I haven't been running, mind you
- Surf City marathon in February
- North Carolina marathon in March
- Kentucky Derby marathon in April
- Coeur d'Alene marathon in May

It's that Blogger is so darn frustrating to use!

I really like to submit email posts from my races with photos. People have commented that they are interesting, and I want to keep doing it. But Blogger has a limit on the number of email posts I can submit in one day. That's the "high post rate" (which is an undefined formula). After I hit the "high post rate" threshold, I have to complete a captcha or else wait 24 hours for any further email posts to succeed. In the meantime, my blog email posts all bounce back (Blogger states these are posted in Draft status, to be made final later, but that's not my experience).

Well, I'm not going to do a captcha during a race, and resubmitting the entries out of my sent mail is a pain in the neck. And that's why no blog activity.

I'll try it again here at Nipmuck this weekend. Well, assuming I have cell coverage.