Cold Comfort

The Empathy Run, The FEAR Run, The Moongate/Floodgates/Watergate Run, The Purgatory Run. Whatever you call it, this training run by any other name would still ache the same Read more

An Overnighter

It is hard to believe, but it has been 2 years since our last “official” Bimbler multi-day training run, the renowned Mohawk-AT Fastpack of 2006. Hence, some, particularly Ultra, were itching to recreate the experience. In an effort to cast a wider net, he planned a less aggressive and more casual run, with a minimum of running whilst wearing heavy packs, and a somewhat limited number of undulations. Still, it is the fall marathon season, and it is a Grand Slam year, etc… so it was difficult to get a large group together. In the end, there were only four of us who hit the trail: Ultra, me, Lamb, and Fruit Punch. Read more

Hanna, Ike, Curly, & Me

While this is neither a detailed race report, nor an exhaustive illustrated travelogue, I feel I must write SOMETHING to make up for my lack of chatter last week. And while my exploits are not nearly as exciting as stories from Spuds this morning of tours of Beaujolais, or Yellowstone for that matter, ANY sort of travel for me is somewhat remarkable. Read more

I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing…

Today, being a day that ends in “y”, seemed a perfect day to have a “bite” of the The Bluff. Plans had been forming for a few days, despite the fact that Mr. Bimble would be taking his meal on Friday. Ultra picked the starting time, 7 AM, and I picked the starting location, Rte. 80. Soon after, Bounce signed up for a tasty morsel as well. My only problem was figuring out what to do with the first half of my day. Downhill offered to wake (does Downhill own an iProd?) Ultra early, but I advised against it. So, after the coffee was consumed, and pack was loaded, I set out with 3 gallons of water to place at Aid Stations 2 (The Bluff), 3 (Braemore), & 4 (Renee’s Way). Unfortunately, when I got back to Rte. 80, it was still only 6 AM! So, I ran down to Guilford Lakes School for my appetizer, going slowly since I didn’t need to be back until 7.

Shortly after I returned, Ultra arrived. Then, the Mayor, a pleasant surprise, then IGGY, not REALLY a surpise because I know she just can’t get enough of The Bluff. Finally, Bounce arrived. And so we all set off with Sadie, Chase, and a completely rehabilitated Sam leading the way.

We had no trouble finding the route, particularly given Mr. Bimble’s artful arrow constructions from the day before. We bimbled easily, enjoying the lack of mud, and dealing with the heat and humidity. I was quite hungry, as was the Mayor, and so we rushed ahead. Hence,  we missed the fact that IGGY had enough of this feast and turned arround in Genessee, somewhere in the midst of the long hill. I suspect she is saving her appetite for tomorrow. Eventually, the remaining Bimblers regrouped and pushed ahead. Chase tried to eat several frogs, but the frogs did not cooperate. What else is a dog to do when there are no squirrels or deer out and about. Eventually we reached the Mattabessett, where we paused for quite some time, as nobody seemed quite so hungry anymore. The Mayor and Bounce (check your calendars folks), turned back, and left the rest of this smorgasbord for Ultra and me. We reached Aid Station 2 quickly and easily, and refilled our hydration packs. Here we met 2 other trail runners, new to the area. Ultra would have made you all proud with his salemanship. I think we may have a Bluff racer. 1 for 2 isn’t half bad! They proceeded back the way we had come, and we crossed paths with the potential Bluffer later.

I think we were both starting to feel quite full, having had more than a bite at this point. And yet, if we were so full, how can I explain a lengthy stop before Braemore where we foraged, and feasted, on many raspberries? The pace was slowing as we arrived at Aid Station 3. Another water refill, and we were off quickly, as the aid station workers seemed neither welcoming nor conversational. We plodded on through Braemore and into Rockland, where I am the least confident of the route. In Rockland, we met Gretchen (no, not that Gretchen) who wanted to run with us, or at least Sam. Maybe it is the new haircut, or the mudbath he had just taken (Sammy, you dog you). Gretchen got called back to sit on the porch, and on we went.

Again, despite having “bitten” quite enough, we made a lengthy stop to get our fill of the famous Rockland Wild Blueberries, which were at their peak. Not soon enough, we arrived at Aid Station 4 for another refill (ah, the pleasures of insomnia…). There is an uphill climb to that aid station, but then again, there is an uphill climb to everything on this course. Arriving back at the Genessee cut-off, Ultra and I spread apart a bit. I was really tired, and my foot was sore, so I didn’t think I could run much longer, and hence I opted to run a little faster. Chase came with me for a while before Ultra persuaded him to stick close. The air became a little cooler, and the skies less sunny, what a welcome change…

I was right around the Boundary Stones when the thunderstorm started, the first several minutes without rain. Then, a roar as if a huge waterfall was just off the trail. The rain was deafening as it pelted the leaves. Soon enough, the trails became rivers, and we got a good soaking. There was one lightning strike for which my “one one-thousand” count to measure distance only got to, well, “one one-thousand”. Yikes. I picked up the pace a little more, at least in part so I could call Mrs. Forrest to assure her all was well. Which I did, at which point she advised me the power was out, so there was no shower waiting for me at home. Argh. I tried to dry off, but just standing around it was quite cold as the rain continued. In a few minutes, Ultra, with Sam and Chase, came bounding out of the woods. I told him I would not stay and chat as I was cold, tired, and definitely NOT hungry. I could not have another bite of The Bluff today, no matter what.

Thanks to all for a good run, and I hope this unreasonably long report helps you appreciate how long The Bluff feels. People have written less about the VT100! Downhill: that last comment was for you, would you send in that race report already, please? Speaking of VT100, those of you who have heard my stories know that horses and me don’t get along. Well, another incident occured today in Genessee. I don’t think there is any chance that my trail name will change to “Races with Horses”. Ever. Really.

Another Bite of the Bluff

There will be some more Bluff Biting taking place tomorrow, July 26th. There is a planned “traditional” start, which will start at the start (Guilford Lakes School). There is also a non-conformist start, starting at the Rockland Preserve. There may be a third starting location at the monastery. If everyone runs clockwise, we may never see each other.

First wave is planned (gulp!) for 5:30. That’s AM. Really.

Distances and enthusiasm may vary.

Western States - “Anger Management”

Technical Problems/Cloudy Head Prevent Wardian From Setting World [Treadmill] Marathon Record - Says Wardian: “I can’t wait to try again.”
Unable to run the canceled Western States 100 Miler, Michael Wardian setup a new challenge for himself: to beat the world record for running a marathon on a treadmill - and then continuing on to set the record for the 50K on a treadmill. Running at the Pacers store in Fairfax Virginia, Wardian was well on pace despite running on a treadmill that had a time limit of one hour of use and came to a complete stop at one hour and two hours into the run. Through 24 miles in 2:09:15 (5:23 pace) Wardian was 30 seconds ahead of where he needed to be. But with the restarted treadmill showing ten minutes and and just under two miles elapsed, Wardian experienced what so many do at the end of a marathon - a bit of confusion. Miscalculating the remaining distance required to complete the marathon, Wardian stopped his run with just over a mile to go - thinking the distance complete. When Wardian was informed of the error, the time taken to get the treadmill back to speed and the effect of having already “finished” a marathon before starting to run again were too much and Wardian ran to the 25.9 mark in 2:22:35 (already past the recrod of 2:21:40), stopped the treadmill and collapsed. Suffering from heat exhaustion, Wardian was taken to the Emergency Room and given fluids. Following the failed attempt, Wardian wrote to MarathonGuide.com: “I can not wait to try it again.”.

From :http://www.marathonguide.com

Stop Losing Bimblers in the Woods

I just came across this item which might be of particular interest to Lamb, Fruit Punch, Rocky, and others…

DC™ 30 GPS Dog Tracking Collar

Apparently, you wear this around your neck, and your keepers will be able to follow you through the woods. That way, you no longer have to constantly be running back to find them, and show them the way to go!

Go west young man! Don’t trust anyone over thirty?

OK, so Horace Greeley and Jerry Rubin uttered these now famous words long before I did, but it still applies. It struck me this past weekend there there are two momentous “rights of passage” taking place in the local Bimbler community. One of our Bimblers, the archetype for all other Bimblers, is on the verge, while the other, one of our younger Bimblers, has stepped over the threshold. Read more