What's MPF Athlete Lenny Huffman up To?
NJ Trail Series Winter Race #4 Race Summary and this coming Sundays 7.2.
I started my 2013 race season on February 3rd at the NJ Trail Series last race of the winter season. My goals for the first half of the year consist of shorter races so I signed up for the 5 mile race. A five miler may not seem much of a race to the 100 miler crowd, but going hard & searing the lungs for 40 mins gets me into great shape. My form was lacking last season so I decided to go with the same plan this year. One advantage of doing the shortest race of the day (there was a 15 & 10 miles race also) was that it did not start until 10am. I still arrived way too early & watched the other racers take off for the 5 mile loop in Lewis Morris Park.
At 10, we lined up for the pre-race instructions then were sent on our way. The loop starts on the path around a pond before heading onto single track. 1 runner took the lead ahead of me on the trail. He was moving at a decent pace. I settled into my pace, deciding not to push too early to try to catch up. The course was a series of ups and downs. No big climbs but big enough to cause a burn in your lungs & legs. Snow covered the trail making footing slippery in spots.
The runner ahead built a nice lead on me. I continued on at my pace, trying to push at strategic spots. I raced on the course in December so I knew where to go hard, where to recover. My legs felt better than the last race. I started training hard again in January & lost a few pounds (that I noticed on the hills). I ran the race feeling good about my training. I finished in 39:04 in second place. I was satisfied with my run, headed home and did a few more miles with my dog. I felt like I started my season on a good note & am ready for my next challenge (Chilly Cheeks 7.2 miler on 2/24).
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Len was focused on the Vertical K on Saturday, which was extremely challenging. He was a bit unsure about the 2nd days Marathon but with encouragement from his wife, he ended up having a weekend to be proud of!
It was a another big weekend of racing for the team with The North Face Endurance Challenge visiting the great trails of Bear Mountain & Harriman State Park of NY, as well as the Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Endurance Challenge.
Up Up Up. Those are words my 15 month old daughter says to me to be picked up. Those are words that one could also use to describe the Breakneck Marathon & 25k race held on 4/18 in Beacon New York. The course was a combination of monster climbs followed by brutal descents.
Earlier in the winter, or should I say the extended fall, I was thinking that this run on the Breakneck Point race course might be relatively snow free, or at least have somewhat fast conditions. How things change! I can easily say that that was my slowest, uh, attempt at forward motion, ever!
We covered just over 8 miles of trails in Sterling Forest, most of it was covered in ice. The rocks and trees were even wrapped with a thick layer of ice. With the weather we had today, it is especially important to be prepared and carry some emergency gear.
Temps started out at about 40º and rose steadily through the morning. Trails were slushy, some had ice and a little snow cover, others were wet but traction was surprisingly fine at times. Looks like some cold weather is in the forecast and more rain on the way tonight, microspikes may be in order. Lets hope for some snow this coming Tuesday!
Each year we look forward to November because of the changes that it brings. Cold weather slowly moves in with the winds, trees become barer by the day and the chance of snow increases each week.
I heard about the Vermont 50 back in the spring from several of my Mountain Peak Fitness / Campmor teammates. Joe Azze was doing the 50 mile bike and Jules Moore the 50 mile run. I had not run a 50 mile race in 2 years so I wanted to give it a go. My obstacle though was my new baby daughter.
By MPF Athlete, Len Huffman
I am what companies call brand loyal. When I find a product that I like and it works for me I tend to stick with it. I am like this with my running shoes. I started my running days in Pearl Izumi's. I loved them. I had 4 or 5 pairs, same model (shines). I ran my best marathon in Synco Fuels. Unfortunately Pearl Izumi stopped making the ones I liked and the models they replaced them with just didn’t feel the same.
The 2014 Escarpment Trail Run was held on July 27th. This was my second running of the race, which has been happening since 1977. Held in the Catskills Mountains, it a grueling 18 mile trek up and over 3 peaks on trails littered with roots & rocks. I was excited to try to best last years time of 4 hours 20 minutes. My goal was 4 hours.
Hey Bear Mountain - shove it! Yeah, you heard me. Yes I am pointing 2 appendages your way. You always try to thwart us with your rocky and rooty paths. Your climbs often make us want to curl up into little balls. This year you added streams of water where there shouldn’t have been and mud...
As September neared its end, I was preparing for my 3rd Mountain Madness 50k. I had mixed feelings about the race this year. Last year I had trained on the course often and had more miles in my legs but felt under trained this year. A busy schedule had kept me from but just 1 training run on the course. The course was also different this year due to pipeline construction. Never the less, I signed up and prepared to do my best.
Today (Sunday the 31st) was the 40th running of the Escarpment 18.6 Mile Trail Run. We had pouring rain and slick conditions, but with the hearty souls that toed the line and the volunteers the braved the conditions, the 40th running of the Escarpment Trail Race was an epic success!