PA Trail Run

I really won't be able to capture the spirit of the day in this post but let me just say that it was amazing. GS, Nemo, and I went to Pennsylvania for a 50K trail run on January 2nd. My plan was to run 1 or 2 laps of the 11 mile course. The other guys were in for 2 laps for certain. The race was real low key. There was no start line, no timing, no race numbers, and no shortage of food.

So here is the best recap I can do.
January 1st Nemo, GS, and I all get to PA on Friday night. MD had to cancel at the last minute and he missed a good time. Nemo and I were staying at his mom’s but GS couldn’t deal with the free accommodations. Something about being allergic to cats and making him die. Whatever… he hit the Holiday Inn Express because the commercials are so clever. For the purpose of this post, we’ll just call Nemo’s Mom. ‘Ma Nemo’. Just go with it. I mention her a lot and this will be easier. Anyway, we were meeting GS at the start.

We woke well before sunrise to 19 degrees and plenty of snow and ice. The race started at a pavilion in a park with each of the 3 loops coming back by the starting point. Between laps, you could fill up on all kinds of food and drink. There was soup, spaghetti, Gatorade, Gu, granola bars, etc. The basic idea was that everyone just bring something to share. Nemo’s brother, Jim, lugged in a box of bars to cover our ‘entry fee’. There was a guy there that spent the whole day cleaning up ice, making sure everyone had hot drinks and food. That dude was awesome.

Let’s back up for a second… how did we end up here you ask? Good Question. Nemo is from this area. His brother, Jim, runs with some of these guys. They organize a very low key, unsanctioned, unofficial, underground, secret handshake, fun run the first Saturday of the New Year. Nemo had run it last year and the next thing you know, MRC(am) is in.

Let’s get back to the event. GS stayed less that 30 minutes from the start but couldn't find the park in the morning. We actually saw him driving up and down hills in the distance but Nemo was no help in guiding him in so we ended up getting a late start. We went off about 35 minutes behind most of the runners. Here is Nemo waiting to get started. It was cold!


Jim, as a kind older brother would do, did not wait on us. He went off at 8:00 so that left Nemo with one goal. He wanted to catch his brother. I don't really understand the sibling rivalry, I think it is kind of childish but Nemo wanted to chase.

I was cold for the first couple miles and worried about getting frostbite on my numb toes. It was weird but I actually though for a good 20 minutes “How stupid would I feel if I lost a toe because of some fun run?” Fortunately it didn't come to that because before long everything warmed up. It was a little slippery in spots so the pace was cautious. There were tons of hills and a few of them were impossible to run. Well, it may have been possible but definitely not worth the effort. The trail was marked by some orange ribbons and some green ground markers. 99% was probably off-road. We’d just weave up and down, back and forth, around trees, over bridges, across a clearing and repeat. It was a beautiful trail. The course crossed back over itself a few times so you could occasionally see other runners and this also made it convenient to get lost. (more on that later). We crossed paths with Nemo's brother, Jim, at some point and figured that he still had about 20 minutes on us.

At the end of the first loop, we stopped at the pavilion that acted as race central. I'd decided a few miles back that I was going to go for a second loop because it was just too much fun to stop. I strapped on my new Yak Trax and ditched my Fuel Belt. The Yak Trax made a huge difference. I don't know if they would have been good for the whole day but they gave me no foot problems and lots of traction for the 11 miles I had them. If you are going to trail run in the snow or ice, get a pair. They are $30 at most running and sporting goods stores. Take it from someone who has fallen and seen some falls, they are worth it.

The boys really picked up the pace for the 2nd loop. They were hell-bent on catching Jim. He'd left the pavilion less than 5 minutes before us for his second loop and Nemo's sense of sibling rivalry kicked into high gear. We caught Jim a few miles into the second loop. I think Nemo kicked it up a notch after the catch to quickly drop him too. Shortly after that, I decided to let them go and ambled along on my own. It was very peaceful.

From time to time, I’d come across some other runners. It was interesting to chat with them. A lot of the guys and girls were going the full 50K. Going 22 miles was not much to these folks. Some were hard-core ultra runners and some were just new to the sport. Everyone was real kind on the trail. About 10 miles into the 2nd loop, I was zoning out and missed a turn. When two paths crossed, I goofed. I realized it out after a bit but kept going. Sooner or later, I figured I'd end up back home. A few miles later, I came up on someone I'd passed a while back and he was kind enough to show me the way home. I'd guess I went a mile or two more but tough to tell.

I rolled into the start area about 15 minutes behind Nemo and GS. Many runners were filling up and starting out on their 3rd loop. Adding to the shame of ‘only’ going 22 miles, GS and Nemo were given a patronizing "nice job" by a young lady. They had passed her a little ways back and she was now leaving to start her third loop. One of the guys said it best; "I feel like a 5K runner at a Marathon". GS, Nemo, and I agreed that we felt like we could have gone for one more loop but that is always easy to say. Mile 20 at a marathon feels a lot different from Mile 25. It was kind of embarrassing to say I'm only going 22 miles but I guess that's what Ultra Marathon events will do to you.

We rolled back to Ma Nemo’s place for some post race grub and a few Yingling. After we stopped moving, we all got real cold and real hungry. Ma Nemo put out a great spread for us. She made a nice dinner the night before too but I didn’t get any pictures of that.

All said and done, I feel like it was a great trip. This really fueled the fire for an Ultra. It might not be in 2010 but before too long. I think I'll have a few MRC(am) friends along with me too.




Lessons Learned:
Fuel Belt bottles are mostly worthless below 20 degrees. The nozzles didn't work and I was carrying 4 large ice cubes around my waste. After mucking with them a bit, I drank what I could and poured the ice chunks out.

Running without water for 11 miles stretches is a bad idea. Obviously, I need to find something in between. I heard from a few people using camelbacks that they freeze up too.

Trail Runs are FUN and Central PA is very scenic.


Thanks again to Ma Nemo for the hospitality, food, and beers
Jason and his Mom