I hadn't been to Mountsberg Conservation Area since I was a kid.
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| I vaguely remember visiting the raptor centre on an elementary school field trip.. |
After some anxiousness over conditions, it was declared a GO for snowshoe racing, but that still left me with no clue about what the trails would actually be like. Flat? Hilly? Loose? Packed? No idea - I just had the race map from the participant guide to shoe me that instead of the 2 laps of a 4km course I'd expected, there would be 2 distinct sections to the 8km race.
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| Point of order - the 8k runners actually ran the orange section first, then the pink section. |
Race morning was business as usual: scarf down some oatmeal, slap on some tape to try to keep my whiny body from falling apart completely, and pick up a T.Ho's coffee to slurp on the way to the race site. It was quite a stroll from the parking lot to the sugar shack that was acting as race headquarters - about 600-700m - but the snow on the laneway was nicely packed, and it was a beautiful (if chilly) morning.
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| Walking in - this also formed the first part of the course |
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| Almost there |
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| Neat wood carving in the heart of Mapletown |
With 15mins til race start I set off for a warm-up run, heading back the way we'd come in.
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| You had to know there'd be a dorky selfie, right? |
Monica W. was volunteering, directing racers toward the sugar shack from the railway crossing, and as I approached she kindly yelled "Wow, you're really good at that!" - clearly she hadn't seen many people run in snowshoes before, but it was still something lovely and confidence-inspiring to hear before a race! I turned before the railway crossing onto the Lakeshore Lookout Trail, running along un-packed snow for a bit before the wind hit me HARD and I turned around to head back.
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| Up ahead: WIND |
I just had time to dodge into the sugar shack to drop off my phone, pour a packet of Endurance Tap into my face, wash it down with a sip or two of water, then listen to the pre-race announcements.
Or at least most of them. See, I had a problem: the 4k race didn't start until 9:15am, but the 9am start for the 8k was only a few minutes away. I needed to pee, and there was a lineup well out the door for the sole 2 women's washroom stalls on offer. So, I may have wandered off a bit and umm...melted some snow.
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| No photos: instead here's the campfire that was burning out back of the sugar shack. Check out the neat fur-like snow around the edges! |
I'm not proud of myself, but it was just what I needed, and I was able to get lined up with everyone else at less than a minute to spare. I didn't particularly want to be late for another race start this year..
Ten second countdown, then GO.
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| Trying not to step on anyone or trip over my own feet. |
It turned out the bit of flagged trail we'd seen walking in was part of the very beginning of the course - the first turn off the main laneway to Mapletown was onto this lovely little trail with a footbridge, which I'd photographed as we headed to Race HQ earlier that morning. I had passed a few people as I approached, but turning into the singletrack I had a bit of a gap both ahead and behind me.
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| Packed and pretty. |
The trails at Mountsberg were beautiful under gently falling flakes - how appropriate that we were getting some flurries for The Flurry! As we wound our way through the forest, there was a good path of packed snow to run on, but it was a bit narrow - I thought it might be because of my tendency for my left foot to turn out quite aggressively when I run, but other people mentioned it as well.
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| Part of it seems to be the snowshoe itself, as my toe is pointing closer to straight ahead than the snowshoe itself. (Photo by the lovely Sue Sitki) |
I kept catching the toes of my frames on the soft snow beside the packed path, which put a lot of strain on my hip flexors as they fought to bring the snowshoes forward and up with each stride. There was a section of a couple of hundred metres where the packed path was quite soft at the left-hand side, too, so I nearly ended up falling when the outside of my left foot would drop below the packed surface. I almost got vaulted into a small creek that ran near the trail at one point! As much as some cooling would have been appreciated - I was already overheating and had to zip down the collar of my jacket - a soaking and hypothermia were definitely not in the plans for the day.
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| Not from the course, but similar scenery. |
I was a bit surprised when I came to a road crossing just past the 1k mark - for those who rented snowshoes it wasn't a big deal, but I'm glad I had my (steel) ice cleats on rather than the softer aluminum standard cleats that wear very easily with exposure to pavement. I tried to run as gingerly as possible to spare the cleats and frames (whose powdercoat also suffers from abrasive surface contact), as I wasn't quite willing to walk.
From about 1.5k to 2k there was a section of two-way traffic, but the doubletrack laneway was easily able to accommodate passing. Right around 2k you enter a small counter-clockwise loop in the forest, with a slight uphill that had me down to a walk for the first time to catch my breath. Spoiler alert: it would not be the last time. I was also passed by Steve B. here, who went trucking right on by just after the 3k mark with a friendly word or two, and another fellow for whom I stepped off to the side of the trail so he could pass. I was able to run the rest of the loop, which was a little softer snow than the laneway leading to it but still nicely packed and flat, then a right turn puts you onto a long straightaway. I had to walk again over a bit of a rise; just 20 quick seconds to get my breathing under control. Another 300m of running and Death Whistle™ - to about 3.5km - then small hill brings you to another road crossing; I walked up it and across the road, waiting to start running again until the descent on the other side.
Despite how small that hill was - peaking around 5.5km - I had to walk 3 separate times before I crested it and enjoyed a lovely downhill stretch leading to a section of trail with a view over Mountsberg Reservoir. I honestly can't say I really noticed the view; I was more concerned with trying to keep my legs turning over, my left foot from turning out so much (as I'd clip my right ankle with the frame of my left snowshoe if I left it unchecked), and trying to hold off the runners I imagined were coming to pass me at any moment.
Left turn onto the straightaway that led back to the second road crossing, then a right turn at the aid station I'd passed around the 4k mark where the volunteer told me I was only a couple of hundred metres from the finish. I'd like to say I kicked up the pace to bring it in strong, but I'd be lying - best I could do was just keep running and try not to collapse. Fortunately the course markings the whole way through were excellent, so I didn't manage to get lost - they also had marshals along the way to ensure people made the key turns and the 4k runners didn't end up doing the second section.
Another 400m - just at the 4k mark, which I passed around 27mins - there was an aid station set up with water and electrolyte drink available. As much as I'd have loved to wet my whistle, it wasn't really worth it for a race this short, and I am pretty clumsy about drinking from a cup while moving so would risk dumping it all over my chest. No bueno - just keep moving.
That worked for another 250m or so, when another wee rise brought me down to a walk again. The flat nature of the course was tough for me to deal with: snowshoe running is so difficult aerobically that I really need periodic walk breaks to catch my breath, as muscles don't work without oxygen to fuel them. The hills at Shade's Mills certainly give plenty of opportunity at the Winter Goose Chase, but the lack of them at Mountsberg made it tough for me to justify slowing down enough to keep my poor, overworked heart from exploding!
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| Heart rate data - the small spike is my warm-up, the RED is the race. |
A right turn around 4.3k brought us on to another section with two-way traffic, so I could clearly see how far ahead of me the 8k leaders were. It was a LOT; I was just over halfway through, and they had less than 3/4 of a kilometer to the finish! Nothing else for it but to keep pushing, along the doubletrack and then into another counter-clockwise loop starting at the 5k mark, with a hill that took us up to the highest point on the course.
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| Which was - let's face it - not particularly high. |
Despite how small that hill was - peaking around 5.5km - I had to walk 3 separate times before I crested it and enjoyed a lovely downhill stretch leading to a section of trail with a view over Mountsberg Reservoir. I honestly can't say I really noticed the view; I was more concerned with trying to keep my legs turning over, my left foot from turning out so much (as I'd clip my right ankle with the frame of my left snowshoe if I left it unchecked), and trying to hold off the runners I imagined were coming to pass me at any moment.
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| The map generated by my GPS watch assures me I had a lovely view. |
Only one other person actually did come by me - Bill M. went sailing past somewhere around the 6k mark (just after another walk break), saying he apparently had put his snowshoes on the wrong feet! I managed to gasp out "I think I put mine on the wrong legs..", which got a bit of a laugh as he disappeared up ahead.
After another dash through some open trail lined with low bushes (and yet another walk break), I completed the final loop of the course around 6.6k and was back onto the two-way, woodsy trail that skirted an inlet of the reservoir. My legs felt heavy and un-cooperative, but I was now into the final kilometer and tried to keep pushing as hard as I could...after just one more 20 second walk break around 7.1k.
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| Looking chipper - feeling like death. (Photo by Sue Sitki) |
Left turn onto the straightaway that led back to the second road crossing, then a right turn at the aid station I'd passed around the 4k mark where the volunteer told me I was only a couple of hundred metres from the finish. I'd like to say I kicked up the pace to bring it in strong, but I'd be lying - best I could do was just keep running and try not to collapse. Fortunately the course markings the whole way through were excellent, so I didn't manage to get lost - they also had marshals along the way to ensure people made the key turns and the 4k runners didn't end up doing the second section.
I hadn't been keeping an eye on the time at all, but I'd hoped - based on my results the last couple of years at the Winter Goose Chase - to be in under an hour for the 8k. I was quite surprised when I drew near enough to read the clock, and it was just ticking toward 54mins! I gave it all I had to try to get in under the minute, but just didn't have enough left in me.
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| Finishing it off (Photo by Tanker) |
Official time: 54:08 gun / 54:00 chip time @ 6:45/km
26/60 O/A - 8/34 Women - 5/11 W40-44
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| THEY GAVE ME A MEDAL AND A COOKIE |
So 8th woman seems to be my spot for this year's snowshoe races. I'm fairly pleased with my effort, even if almost half the field was ahead of me - I didn't get passed much, I kept the walk breaks down to 30sec or less and pushed as long and hard as I could between them, and I didn't barf, fall over, or break anything. We'll call that a success.
I did win a Dion Snowshoes / Spafford Health & Adventure tubular bandana as a draw prize after the awards were handed out to all the speedy folks, sitting cozily and sipping hot chocolate from a thermos in the sugar shack - Tanker did a wonderful job of stoking up the fire in the wood stove to warm us all up, as it had been really chilly in there first thing in the morning!
The race was all wrapped up by about 11:30am, which gave us plenty of time afterward to enjoy the rest of the fun that Mountsberg Conservation Area has to offer: first we stopped by the barn to see the adorable bunnies, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
Then it was off to the Raptor Centre where we saw all kinds of incredible birds of prey.
We even caught the end of a demonstration, getting to meet the absolutely incredible Octavius the Great Horned Owl.
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| He's pretty awesome like that, among other ways. |
The race was all wrapped up by about 11:30am, which gave us plenty of time afterward to enjoy the rest of the fun that Mountsberg Conservation Area has to offer: first we stopped by the barn to see the adorable bunnies, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
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| Everyone got tickles if they wanted them |
Then it was off to the Raptor Centre where we saw all kinds of incredible birds of prey.
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| Some of whom were imperious, and some just stinkin' cute. |
We even caught the end of a demonstration, getting to meet the absolutely incredible Octavius the Great Horned Owl.
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| Such a beautiful girl! |
By 1pm or so we were on our way home, having spent a fun day racing and exploring. We brewed up a pot of coffee so I could try out my race souvenir - an awesome Flurry coffee mug!
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| Not sure which makes me happier - the mug, or its contents.. |
Then it was off to Huron Natural Area to do a couple of laps at Clay's Valentine's Fatazz in support of the Defeat Depression and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. This would be why I didn't go out for another lap with my phone to take course photos; I'd certainly have loved to, as the trails were gorgeous, particularly in the snow and sun!
For a first attempt at staging a snowshoe race, Jeff and Heather of Happy Trails Racing did an amazing job - I wouldn't hesitate to participate again next year, though I'd definitely make sure I use my ice cleats to avoid undue wear and tear at the road crossings, and I should give myself more time to use the washroom before the start!
Now hopefully it won't take another 30 years to get me back to Mountsberg..
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| Fun times! |
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