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Oh, my friends, it's been so long since I've posted! I've missed you all.
I'm now the Race Director of The Big Schloss 50K. Turns out when you love a race very much, you quit running it in order to share that gift with others.
This will be my sixth year as race director. Amy and Steve Platt created this gem of a course in 2003. They put it on through 2009, and then the realities of raising three young children crept in and it went on hiatus. Fellow VHTRC members Sean Andrish, Brian Schmidt and I revived it in 2014 as an official VHTRC event.
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| An early version of The Big Schloss 50K featured hula hoops. Pictured are me and Karen Krieg. |
I like to characterize this race as the love child of a ménage à trois
between the Wild Oak Trail, the Massanutten Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. It's got everything; lush, grassy
sections, gorgeous moss, occasional misty weather, plenty of rocks and
technical trail, incredible views, big climbs, long downhills to bomb and even a little bit of fire
road.
I'll add more to this as I think of things I've forgotten. For now, it will serve as a brief history and a place to find trail maps, directions, turn sheets, pocket reference, etc.
Have you run The Big Schloss 50K or hiked the trails of Great North Mountain? Please share your experiences on this place in the comments!
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Great North Mountain Trails with Big Schloss 50K Aid Stations
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Directions from the DC area
I–66 west to where it ends at I–81.
Take I–81 South (left exit from I–66) for 4 miles to exit 296, Rt. 55 West.
Take Rt. 55 west 18 miles to Wardensville, WV.
In Wardensville, you'll come to an intersection with Rt. 259, proceed to the left to remain on Rt. 55. Just before the road curves to the right, go
Left at the “Garrett Insurance” sign on the left onto Trout Run Road, CR23/10.
Follow Trout Run Road for 5.4 miles to the intersection with Thorny Bottom Road.
Turn right onto Thorny Bottom Road.
Follow Thorny Bottom Road for 6.2 miles to the entrance for Trout Pond.
Turn left into park.
Follow the Trout Pond access road for about a mile to the entrance station.
The road forks.
Take the left fork (which may involve passing the entrance station and turning left) if you want to go to the Start.
The right fork goes to the campground.
Snowshoefest 2016 was an unparalleled success.
Our good friends Aaron and Martha have hosted this weekend snow extravaganza for the past few years and they never fail to deliver on excessive amounts of snow -- and fun! Thanks for hosting us, Marthon!
No snowshoefest weekend would be complete without a video of our hijinks!
SnowShoeFest2016 from Aaron Schwartzbard on Vimeo.
Hubz and I make it a point to leave work early in order to arrive in time for Tip Top Coffee's excellent grass-fed burgers, only available on Friday nights. With our bellies full of good food, we binge watched Buffy (what?) until late.
Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then the whole gang headed out on snowshoes. The weather was mild (it can get really cold in this pocket of West Virginia) and we trekked up a long hill and into the Dolly Sods. It's a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the snow and the company of our friends.
On Sunday, we decided it was time to make good on our promise to do some Nordic skiing. We headed over to White Grass Cross Country Ski Area and several of us splurged (a whole $15!) on a group lesson, which proved to be invaluable. Thanks, Tony!
As we practiced our skiing, we got to watch a snowshoe 5K race and saw many of our trail running friends. Spirits were high and the weather was balmy, with bright sunshine and lots of melting going on. Many people sported short sleeves and there were even a few who went shirtless.
We ate delicious food from the White Grass Cafe and ventured out into the woods to practice our newfound Nordic skiing skills. As the sun began to disappear behind Weiss Knob, we headed home, vowing to return soon.
This year, I was determined to wring every last delicious drop of sunshine, warm weather and outdoorsy fun out of summer.
A key element of my plan was several camping trips to places we could run and hike trails, go for a swim and relax by a fire.
This past weekend we pitched our tent at Big Bend Campground in West Virginia. Navigating some narrow, winding roads to get here, but well worth the trip.
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| Tubing at Big Bend. You start on one side of the campground, then hike back over the hill for another loop. |
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| View from a tube. |
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| Rope swing! The river was a bit low overall, but there's a nice deep spot to land if you hit it right. |
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Campfire chats with good friends and a symphony of summer insects playing. Bliss.
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I hope your summer was full of fun and adventure, too.
I signed up for Freedom's Run Marathon last year after hearing about the beautiful course from my friend Kris. The other appealing fact is that it's a small field. After running ultras on trail for so long, crowded races make me cranky.
When the government shut down and the race had to change the course to omit the C&O Canal and Antietam Battlefield, I took the deferral option. I forgot all about it and agreed to crew a friend at Grindstone 100. Oops. Well, I wasn't going to back out of a commitment. Besides, I hadn't done much running since Vermont 100 in July. It was probably for the best.
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Proudly wearing my Punk Rock Racing
shirt on the C&O Canal |
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And then my friend pulled out of the race due to an injury. I figured I'd just slog through the marathon since I'd paid for it, and simply enjoy the scenery. After all, I had run 100 miles in July, and a half marathon in September. Surely that would suffice for training?
I started off with Mary of @coffeeneur fame and a bonafide bad ass runner to boot. She also claimed that she had not trained for this run, and I figured since she had biked 60 miles to Harpers Ferry the day before, I could take it easy and keep with her. But she was soon disappearing into the cool morning, running her own race. That woman is STRONG!
The course was as lovely and scenic as promised, though by the end of the ten miles on the C&O Canal I was ready for a break. It's a wonderful place to run, but I got too much of a good thing when I trained on it almost exclusively for my first two marathons.
Despite my eagerness to be done with the C&O Canal, the end of my time there also meant the end of the flat, runnable surface. Now there were hills. Relentless, steep hills. I bet a lot of marathon PR dreams die right about here.
Antietam Battlefield was a moving place to run through. The hills and a gusty headwind gave me plenty of time to contemplate the suffering of those who fought here.
The course then finished with about 4 miles on the road. Typical road, and boy was I ready to be done. I kept moving steadily and finally saw Hubz, Ed and Mary waiting along the finish route. Into the stadium, and finally, across the line.
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| Mary running strong into Shepherd University |
I collected my very rad ceramic finishers medal and then we migrated to the party at The Bavarian Inn. This was the perfect end to the day. Mary and I received a complimentary pint glass as finishers plus a beer to fill it, and we toasted in the warm sunshine while taking in the stunning view. There was Bavarian food available for purchase as well.
I'll be back, Freedom's Run Marathon, and I'll stay at the Bavarian Inn next time! And someday, I'll ride my bicycle out there the day before. But I'll probably spectate that year.
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| Love the unique finisher's medal! |
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| Scene from Rockcliff Lake Trail, early September |
I'm dipping my toe into the waters of race directing this Fall, bringing back an excellent 50K that has been on hiatus for the past few years. I'm not going it alone, thankfully, I have a veritable team of co-RDs standing behind me.
I've been lucky enough to visit the course three times over the summer. Each trip gave me the opportunity to observe the subtle changes in the forest and to appreciate the beauty of these trails.
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| Chimney Rock Trail in early September |
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| Long Mountain Trail, early September |
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| Misty Day on the Bucktail Cutoff Trail, late June |
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| Pond Run Trail in late June |
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| Mill Mountain Trail, late June |
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| View from The Big Schloss, late June |
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| Misty Morning on Tibbet Knob, late August |
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| Tibbet Knob Trail, late August |
I rarely write a Three Things Thursday post, because I usually can't think of three things of interest to report, but I have a few newsworthy items for you today!
1. The Maffetone Method. I've been running a lot lately. I'm 12 weeks into my heart rate training. I'm using The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, inspired by this rock star who went from hilariously painful looking 5K race photos to kicking ass and taking names at Ironman/triathlons. Thank you Katie for being amazing and for all the reading recommendations. I am learning so much!
My running has been going well despite (because of?) the limitations put on my speed by my sworn obedience to my heart rate monitor.
Three weeks ago I decided I should run the Appalachian Trail across the entire state of Maryland. It was a nice little run in which I spent 12 hours on my feet (and a couple of minutes flat on the trail). Speaking of the trail, there are trails with rocks and then there are trails that are rocks. And they say the AT in Pennsylvania is bad.
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| Photo style also borrowed from/inspired by Katie at This Amazing Day. |
2. The Great Bear Staredown. Two weeks ago, I went running in George Washington National Forest with my friend Brian. Brian is a front of the pack runner who regularly wins ultramarathons. He had pulled ahead of me a few miles into our run so I was very surprised when I rounded a bend to see him standing in the trail.
A big black bear stood watching us about 50 yards away, her cub in a nearby tree. As a midpack runner, I was very excited about seeing a bear, especially one that was more than just a flash of black disappearing into the woods.
But this bear didn't hurry off. In fact, she had been staring at Brian for about 15 minutes.
We decided to bushwhack straight up the hill to the left to give her a wide berth. We hadn't taken more than three steps before mama bear started up the hill as well. We beat a quick retreat back to the trail, fearing a charge was imminent. She climbed further up the hill, but didn't head our way.
After a few minutes of nervous discussion we decided it was likely her cub had gone or she wouldn't have moved that far away. We started tentatively down the trail. She stayed put, her gaze affixed on us the entire time. We walked until we were out of sight.
We ran together for a mile or so and then Brian pulled ahead. As he ran out of sight, I checked over my shoulder to be sure the bear wasn't following me. That old joke occurred to me: You don't have to be fast enough to outrun the bear, you just have to be faster than the slowest person with you. Crap, that's ME!
3. Vermont 100 Miler. Speaking of um, running, my second 100 mile race (ever) will happen in nine days. I'm running the Vermont 100.
I've been reticent about the subject as I crammed to come back from my 5-month foot injury. Thanks to a really skilled sports acupuncturist, I think I have been able to put enough hay in the barn. I may be a little short on training mileage, I may not have done a night run or raced anything long in over a year but I am ready to tackle this challenge. Vermont, here I come!
If you want to read my race report from my last 100 miler (also at Vermont) 8 years ago, it's here: 102 Miles of Vermont: Reflections of a Babe in the Woods. It's the story of a young, impressionable girl who fell under the spell of a powerful man in the woods.
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The incomparable Bob Gaylord and me at mile 89 in 2006
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Wish me luck!
Snowshoeing is far and away our favorite way to spend a winter day. It's a fantastic crosstraining workout. You can even run in snowshoes if you're coordinated (and the snow isn't too deep).
An impulse buy I made two winters ago, our snowshoes have paid great dividends in fun.
Though we haven't been able to snowshoe in DC since Snowmageddon 2010, we found a winter paradise just a few hours drive from us. While we get an average of just 16 inches of snow per year, Canaan Valley is blessed with an average of nearly 180 inches per year!
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| Frost line. |
It's paramount to dress properly for this sport. Saturday was sunny and quite cold with some wind. I wore two baselayers, my windstopper and a shell, glove liners and mittens. Sunday was much warmer, cloudy and still and I peeled off layers as I went.
Don't forget to refuel after burning all those calories. You can warm up with a variety of delicious hot soups at Whitegrass Cafe. We particularly enjoyed the Chorizo, White Bean and Kale Soup and Brazilian Fish Stew.
You can do some serious climbs here. A few hours of snowshoeing netted us 1,264 ft of elevation gain.
We hustled down wide, groomed thoroughfares; we tramped through fresh powder in the woods, ducking beneath snow-laden boughs; we took in expansive views from the aptly named Bald Knob.
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| Whitegrass has 45 trails - over 50 km miles |
When there's snow, it's a magical place indeed.
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| View of the Pipeline from Bald Knob |
Have you ever been snowshoeing? Cross country skiing? What is your favorite way to cross train in winter?
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| Orange Hawkweed (aka Devil's Paintbrush), one of my favorite wildflowers. |
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| Joe Schramka and Betsy Nickle approaching Aid Station #4, mile 19.7 |
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| Drew Watson borrows my sock after a blowout near mile 19 |
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| Beautiful scene near Aid Station #8 |
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| Goldendoodle, with West Virginia mud |
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| Section of trail near aid station #8 (but not on the race course) |
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| The woods are lovely, dark and deep |
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| Meg Mosier and Marti Kovener strolling on the course |
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| Naya gets a bath |
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| David Frazier volunteering at Aid Station #8 (mile 36.7) |
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| Another West Virginia scene |
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| Seth Mosier with four miles to go |
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| Davis, WV has the best recovery food |
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| Seth relaxes after finishing |
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| Dan Mackeben and Karen Donahue celebrate their finishes |
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| Drew Watson finishes his first 40 Miler with Gaynor Bourgeouis |
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| Alan Gowen and Beth Weisenborn linger at the finish |
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| Tip Top Coffee in Thomas, WV |
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| The Purple Fiddle, Thomas, WV |
