I’ve been wanting to share more, but I have been so busy trying to get a bunch of different projects done. So, here is one randomly selected photo from the Ossian Mountain Run at Swain Ski Resort. Many more to share in the future.
Today I ran my first 20k trail run, the Tanglefoot 20k. It didn’t actually end up being a complete 20k, however, because many of us managed to get off course and cut off like a mile on our first lap. But anyway, here are some nice photographs from one of my favorite places, Tanglewood Nature Center, where I love to visit, hang out, run and enjoy nature.
This Trail down the hill is much steeper than it appears in the photo. Do not let your eyes deceive you.
Seriously I have to go UP this? That was a steep tough climb on the second lap around.
Some of the best views around.
You can see across the valley and out to the river from the bluffs.
Then you head down this trail along the cliffs. I love it. Maybe the best part of the whole run.
One of the reasons I love trail running is that it brings me closer to nature. Trail running gives me another reason to get outside and enjoy nature. Even better trail running encourages me to explore areas I might not otherwise visit. Trail running also allows me to cover more ground in a shorter time than I would be able to on a regular hike, so I see more nature on one trip than I would be able to without running.
As a photographer and a runner my mind is in constant conflict. Run as best you can Vs. Stop and take a photo. I love taking photographs of nature even more than I love running through it. So, I’ve developed a strategy to be able to do both as equally effective as possible. I found the perfect hydration pack that allows me to carry water and fuel as well as my camera and cell phone, the Nathan VaporAir.
You might be thinking how on earth are you fitting a camera in a hydration pack? I am able to do that because I have a Nikon 1 J4 specifically for easy travel. It is about the size of a cell phone but bulkier and fits right in one of the front pouches. So, now on almost every trail run my pack and my camera is along for the ride.
Mendon Mauler was a tough race for me. One of the longest trail races I have run to date. It was also a race that started at 6:30 pm. I don’t usually run in the evening. And the temperature at start time was around 80 degrees. I do not like to run in the heat and usually avoid it at all costs.
The first 4 mile lap felt brutal in the heat. When I got to the end of the first lap I could have decided to stop at 4 miles and boy was that tempting. Being done and getting out of the heat sounded like a very good idea. But I had sign up for the 8 mile run and I was committing to the 8 miles and passed on the opportunity to finish at 4 miles.
Lap 2 felt much better. I was tired and slow but the temperature started to drop as the sun went down. I was actually cold for half of the second 4 mile lap. Then I cam to all the hills and warmed back up. The course was challenging for me. No huge hills but a lot of short steep inclines and declines. They were just burning up my legs.
Near the end of each lap there is a steep incline followed by an even steeper decline covered in slippery rolling rocks that defy description on the decent. It can really only be experienced as you try to maintain your balance on the slippery sliding rocks under your feet.
I decided that this spot would be the perfect spot to stop and take a break for a minute. Stop. Soak in the nature. Remember why I am out here and remember why I love doing these things that most other people probably think are crazy. I got out my camera and composed a few shots of the incline as a fellow runner ascended. Then a paused again at the top to compos a few shots of the sights from the hi-point before I descended. It was then that I was really happy about my decision to go another 4 miles. Without putting in the extra effort I would not have been able to capture these nice images.
Then a relatively short time later came the part I was now really looking forward to. The finish line and a chance to rest, re-hydrate, eat food, and reunite with my friends that also ran the race. I was also able to capture some nice photographs of the sun setting on Mendon Ponds Park.
Here is another photograph from the Kids Fun Run Thursday.
This year I did not have too many running goals in mind. My one goal race was to run the 25k Green Monster trail race in October. That would be my longest race to date and the goal is to just finish.
Other than that I just wanted to enjoy running with my friends. And on that note the first part of the year has been great.
As with most things the more you run the better you get at it. Thankfully I have a great group of friends that enjoy running so I am able to find company for a run just about any time and that increases the likelihood of running on any given day.
I tend to be the kind of person who thinks “I can’t do that” especially when it pertains to running. Luckily I have these friends that encourage me to sign up for challenging races and push me to run harder, faster, and farther than I think I can. These are good people. They tolerate my constant gripes as we run. They know at the end I’ll be happy with the results even though I deny it in the moment every time.
So, thanks to getting to run with all my friends I have made more progress than I thought. So I think it is time to add a new running goal for this year. I had planned to focus on trail running but after my last road run I decided to set a goal for what I plan as my last race of the year, the Red Barron Half Marathon in Upstate NY with the Southern Tier Running Club. My goal is for a sub two hour half marathon at that race. Something that after last year I thought was just a goal for some race in the distant future. But now it seems within reach.
Anyone who is interested in training with me as the year progresses with this goal in mind is more than welcome. Find me on Facebook and we can organize some runs.
Looking forward to the next run. See you out there.
One of our friends decided we should take on the Mt. Tom Challenge instead of our regularly scheduled local trail run. So at the last minute the night before the event we decided that was just what we would do.
The Mt. Tom Challenge consists of going straight up a mountain. Then going around and down the other side. And you do this as many times as you can in two hours. There is no warm up to the incline. You immediately start going up the mountain as soon as the race starts.
You quickly discover that most likely this is nothing like anything you have done before. Well, at least thats what I discovered. The incline is a climb of 1100 feet over a distance of .8 miles. Someone good at math figure out what the angle of that ascent would be.
Once you get to the top you head down this very brief but flat trail. It was so nice to be on flat ground again. No more climbing. Each lat is about 2.5 miles. So once you get to the top you still have over a mile to go to get back to the bottom and start again.
As you leave the flat land you come to this nice depression that was filled with snow. I couldn’t resist stopping to take a photograph here. It was such a nice spot.
The uphill climb was snow-less. Thankfully for me as my trail shoes are virtually bald. I never would have been able to get up a slick snowy slope. On the way down it was a different story. It was muddy in spots and there was varying amounts of snow. The snow could be just a dusting, to half frozen/half melted ice, to ankle deep or more amounts of snow. It was pretty tricky for me picking a route down the mountain and watching my footing. Trying to figure out where I would have the best traction. I was constantly varying my speed and stride to maintain control on the way down. And it almost worked too. At one point on my way down I over stridded and my front foot slide out in front of me and I went down. I basically sat down on my back leg bent right under my butt. I slid down the slop a little on a frozen hard snow that felt more like gravel and cut up my knee a little bit. But I was able to bounce back up and continue running. No real injury, thankfully. As I was getting close to completing my race I stepped in a thick mud hole and lost my show. As I was going downhill I ended up taking about three shoe-less steps downhill in the mud and then I had to walk back through the mud to retrieve it. (Check out my Instagram for that photo.)
When I looked at what the incline was like I was nervous I wouldn’t even be able to complete one lap. So I was very happy with the two laps I was able to complete. I completed my first lap in around 45 minutes and my second lap in about an hour and a half. I could have went for a third lap but I just didn’t have it in me mentally to go back up that hill a third time. Plus I was battling a cold, so that didn’t help. Maybe if I do this event again my goal will be three laps. It was a great but challenging event. Check out the Tyoga Running Club and the Mt. Tom Challenge.
While a 70 degree day in near the end of February does make me concerned for other reasons. I am not opposed to going outside and taking advantage of the unusually almost disturbingly warm weather. I was able to see what it would be to run with my new Nathan Vapor Air hydration pack in some warmer weather. The answer is hot. It will be hot. This might take some getting used to. I have never run with a hydration pack, until recently and I have never run with one in warm weather.
The thing that I love most about he Nathan Vapor Air and one of the main reasons I wanted this specific hydration pack is that it has lots of storage. It has two front chest pouches that can carry my iPhone 6 plus, my Olloclip, and when I bring it my Nikon J mirror-less camera.
One of the aspects of trail running I love is that it allows me to get out and enjoy nature even more and I think it will allow me to get out and see places I would never see otherwise. And with this pack I can get out there and capture great images of the natural world. Today we were on the trail at Personious Woods provided by Tanglewood Nature Center in Upstate, NY.
My growing love for running combines perfectly with my love of nature and photography.
All but one of these images was taken with my Olloclip attached to my iPhone 6 Plus. I am excited for the the opportunities I will have in the future to explore trails and capture some amazing images and share them with everyone.
