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Living in Central Mass, we are surrounded by woods that many of us don't know about. We are fortunate to have many state and city parks with great running/hiking trails. There is a great mentality and attitude amongst people who run on trail. Many people run on trails for the beauty of the environment and for the socialization. I run/race on trail, both short (under marathon) and long distances. I would like to spark some interest in the CMS runners to join me in some trail running, and ultra running. Trail running can be very competitive. It is what you want out of it. Every trail is different and every trail runner's strengths are different. Each trail runner has set PR's for each race, not for the distance. Despite all of the great trails in Central Mass, there are only a couple of trail races. One is the Deer Run, which was just held on November 2nd. This is a beautiful and very runable race. There seems to be as much uphill as there is downhill. The terrain varied enough to keep it interesting. It was a perfect day for a run in the woods. I think almost everyone got something at the random draw. If you love to race on trail, you must travel a little bit. I went to Willowdale State Park in Ipswich MA, to run the Stone Cat. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few other CMS'ers there. There was a choice of a marathon or 50 mile run. This is a beautiful course consisting of 12.5 mile loops, 4 for the 50 and 2 plus a 1.2 mile loop for the marathon. I entered the 50. It wasn't my day and had to settle for the marathon. If trails are clear in the winter, traditional trail running continues. If snow has fallen, often trail runners switch to snowshoeing to keep on the trails. If anyone wants to try any snowshoeing or trail running/racing, please contact me. I'm always looking to increase the trail family. |
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