Hamilton Area Trail Runs

Help-A-HATR

2010-07-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our friend and fellow HATR, Bill Scannon, is looking for a spot in this year's NYC Marathon by attempting to raise $2500 for The Arthritis National Research Foundation. Please check out his donation page for details and, if you are so obliged, support him as he runs NY for a good cause and aims for his ultimate goal -- a Boston qualifier!

A Challenge From the Master Himself...

2010-07-08T09:51:00.001-07:00

Ok...calling all my Warriors, Wild Animals, and battle tested Killers. Get ready for the competition of your life!. The first annual Philadelphia Metrodash. Here's the deal...

The Race:
Competitors will receive a list of challenge points in their race bags at packet pick-up. While it varies by city, Metro Dash competitors are typically confronted with 5-7 challenge points during the course of the race. All but one challenge point will be listed; the last is revealed seconds before the start of the race. We do this to keep you honest! There is no pre-set course, which means you determine the order in which you'll run to, and conquer, each challenge - just be sure to hit each one!

There are three competition categories...

■Tabata Challenge – Tabata is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. You will do as many reps possible of the stated exercise during the 20 seconds, anything less and you've failed yourself.

■Stair Climb – You'll run up and down the equivalent of a 15-story office building. Depending on the city you may have to carry a 10lb weight with you.

■The Gauntlet - This is our extreme urban obstacle course where you'll flip tractor tires, low crawl, and launch yourself over an 8 foot wall.

There are only 200 slots and they are going fast.

Who among you shall attend?

Go to www.metrodash.com (Philadelphia)

Team Name: The Indestructable WOW-Tan Clan
Team Password: Master
or call Nate (609) 751-1079

It's official...

2010-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hamilton Area Trail Runs has changed it's online format.

Please visit our new homepage at: www.hamiltonareatrailruns.com

The new site will contain general information on the group, a group run page containing details on where we'll be holding our Saturday morning run, and various other pages we hope you'll find interesting.

Although we rarely update it these days, our blog will remain available at www.hamiltonareatrailruns.blogspot.com and we'll even have a link back to it from our new page.

Nike Reuse-A-Shoe

2010-05-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

At our next group run on Saturday, 5/22, we'll be collecting old sneakers which will be donated to Nike Reuse-A-Shoe. Donated shoes will be recycled by NIKE and used in the surface of tracks, playgrounds, basketball or tennis courts.

Check out the link above for full details on the program.

Listed below are just a few guidelines for those who are interested in participating:

What Can We Recycle?

* We can only accept athletic shoes
* We accept all brands of shoes
* No shoes containing metal
* No cleats or dress shoes
* No wet or damp shoes
* No sandals or flip-flops

Harpeth Hills Mud

2010-05-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

CALLING ALL HATRs!!! We'll be collecting donations for this worthy cause at our group run this Saturday. Any amount raised, big or small, will be sent directly to a fellow runner in Tennesse whose home has been devastated by a mud slide. Check out these pics shared by NJ Trail Series...

If you ran past this stranger on the trail and found them laying in the mud I know every one of you would extend your hand to help them get back on their feet. Please come on out on Saturday and run in their honor and band together with HATR to pay it forward!

R U Ready?

2010-04-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in carpooling to the Rutgers Half Marathon on Sunday, we'll leave at 6:30am from WOW on 130 in Robbinsville.

If you're able to walk after the race feel free to join us to share a pint and grab a bite to eat downtown too.

Remember you can still register at the Health and Fitness Expo on Friday/Saturday!

Click here for details.

Veterans Day

2010-04-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

On 4/10, the group met at Steinert High School in what most thought was going to be another track workout. Instead, the starting location was just chosen to throw people off and we headed across the street to run through and around Veteran's Park.

For most of us this would mark the last long run before the RU Half Marathon. We stuck mostly to the bike/walking paths and looped throughout the park several times, even venturing out the Kuser Road entrance around to White Horse Hamilton Square Road and back into the park near the hospital.

Each time we passed the point where we had started we shed a runner as they each had to leave early for one reason or another. Those that stayed to the end put in about 9.5 miles and capped it all off with one round of bleachers. It was nice to be running those bleachers while it was still cool out. Usually, it's 90 degrees and humid when we do that...can't wait for summer!

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Damian, Linda, Lisa

L to R: Bill Y., Butch, Linda, Damian (not pictured: Bill S., Brian, Lisa)

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

On 4/3, the group run ended with donuts and alternative beverages which Damian brought along to celebrate his birthday. In addition to Damian, other HATRs celebrating their birthday that week included Lauren (Linda and Butch's daughter), Lisa, Bill Y., and Nate. That's a lot of Rams among us! I missed out on the run because I was just getting over a nasty chest cold but you can check out Charlie's report for the details.

Roll call: Bill S., Brian, Butch, Casi, Charlie, Damian, Diana, Mike, Nate

L to R: Butch, Brian, Nate, Casi, Bill S., Charlie, Mike, Diana, Damian

Flooded

2010-04-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who prefer to run at Mercer County Park for it's nice flat trails I have some bad news for you... It may be a while before we can get back there because the lake appears to be swallowing many parts of the park. Many thanks to Tom Dziubek for sharing these pictures he took of the flooding on April 1st...no fooling!

Doggone it!

2010-03-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today we met at Clayton Park for a return to winter running. Compared to last week the temps were about 30 degress colder...just when you thought you could put away that winter gear too...oh well. We headed into the trails from the parking lot and ran down to Doctor's Creek but took a left at the foot of death hill and headed directly over to the extra loop. Coming out of the extra loop and heading back towards death hill I took a wrong turn -- it's only been 3 years now that I've been running Clayton and I still get lost sometimes -- so we ended up running the extra loop all over again. This time on the way out I knew the correct path to take and we headed back down to the foot of death hill, made a left turn and then up we went all the way to the top. At the top of death hill we turned left then took a right at the next trail crossing and continued on around the back of the park until we reached the top of death hill. From there, it was downhill, then left and straight up to the parking lot.

It was not our fastest run but we kept a fairly steady pace, even through the hills, and only stopped to do push ups and wait for the pack to tighten up once or twice when folks got too spread out.

We even saw some old faces today too. Diana, who hadn't been out in a while but was running trails with us before HATR was HATR decided to show up with Casi, the trail pooping wonder dog (aka - Bolt). It was great to see them both back out on the trails!

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Carlah, Casi, Charlie, Diana, Michael, Mike, Linda, Lisa

L to R: Charlie, Linda, Brian, Diana, Michael, Butch, Casi (sniffing Butch's butt), Mike, Bill Y., Carlah, Lisa

ATC II

2010-03-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

Please see the message below for a special challenge from Nate:

So some of you barely survived the last war and some of you have never tasted battle!!!

So once again, I am calling all the Warriors, Soldiers, and Wild Animals...This event is for my advanced level combat killers...You know who you are!!!. ...If you are getting this event invite, you are among my elite athletes and have made the cut. Now you have to prove you are worthy...If you survive, this training will turn you into a finely tuned, rock body killing machine. If you think your training has been challenging...you haven't seen anything yet...it's time to step it up to the next level

Details:

Advanced Training Camp will be held every Tuesday night, 7pm to 8pm from March 30 to April 27. Classes will be held at the Robbinsville Field House Indoor Training Facility.

Advanced Training Camp will consist of speed, strength, endurance, and interval training all wrapped up in what seems like a never ending hour.

As always...no whining!, no crying!, no stopping!, no dropping!, no quitting!

The cost for the camp is $125 and is due on the the night of the first session. There are a limited number of slots...and I will be reserving slots for invitees strictly on a first come first served basis...so get your's now before they are gone...

Call for additional details...609-751-1079

Get Ready and Get Some!...

Big Nate

Catching Up

2010-03-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted any updates because I've just been too busy with work and life (in that order, unfortunately) but I do want to let everyone know what we've been up to. Here's a quick week-by-week recap of the last month or so for HATR...

On 2/28, a bunch of us headed out to Reading, PA, for another Pretzel City Sports trail race. This time it was the Ugly Mudder. There wasn't any mud, but it was ugly to say the least. When Ron Horn announced through his bullhorn at the start of the race that: "...having this race was officially the craziest thing that PCS had ever done...", I knew we were in for it. For 7.25 miles (~6.8 in actuality due to some sections of the course that had to be closed for safety), we ran pretty much single track trails up and down the hills of Mt. Penn through ice and snow. Fortunately, the single track we were on had already been pretty well packed down by the runners in front of us. If you made the mistake of trying to pass someone though, which I only did a couple of times, and chose to step off the beaten patch you immediately lost sight of your feet as the soft, fresh snow swallowed your legs up to about half way up your shins. At the end of this race, they gave awards to the winners but everyone who finished -- which all the HATRs did -- deserved a prize.

Here's a pic of the group pre-race at the starting line:

L to R: Tom P., Bill S., Kelly, Frank, Carlah, Mariana, Chuck, Linda, Butch, Bill Y., Lee

On 3/6, we met at Mercer County Park for a group run and for the second time it was all men that showed up...perhaps a little too much men but I'll get to that in a minute. This run marked our return inside MCP as we had previously been forced to stick to the roads outside the park due to weather conditions. We ran about 7 miles on a mix of bike path and trails making our way out to the dam and back. Bill S. and I had actually met up earlier that morning near our houses and ran to the park to meet the group and then ran home afterward. This added about another 8 miles to our day for a grand total of about 15 miles. It was nice to get a long run like that in but I sure was feeling it the rest of the day. Before I close, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the odd ending to this group run...I can't really explain it, but I will mention it. Somehow, someone at the end of the run when it was time for a group pic suggested it might be a good idea since none of the ladies had shown up to rip off our shirts in a display of testosterone and take the pic bare chested. The idea was not good, nor was the outcome in my opinion but I'll let you judge for yourself.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Mike, Michael, Nate

L to R: Butch, Michael, Bill Y. (clearly the only sensible one), Nate Bill S., Mike, Brian

On 3/13, our group run was canceled due to a torrential downpour, high winds, and flooding in much of the area. It takes a lot for us to cancel but the conditions certainly called for it that day.

On 3/20, we returned to Clayton on the first day of Spring. The weather was beautiful, a far cry from the extremes we had been seeing lately. No matter what kind of shape you're in, the first run at Clayton after not being there for a while is always a tough thing. The hills there are just so unforgiving. Much of the trails were soggy from the rain and melted snow, especially out near the soybean fields and the erosion caused by the run off near the hills forced you to really watch your step at places but we muscled through and had a nice long jog on a nice warm day. Again, the field was made up entirely of men. We managed to keep our shirts on this time but with the temps in the 50's we all wore shorts...not sure if that counts as showing a little leg or what.

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Brian, Ed, Michael, Nate

L to R: Butch, Ed. Michael, Bill Y., Nate, Brian

SPRING Race Series

2010-03-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

In a sure that sign that Spring is just around the corner, please see the announcement below from our friends at Princeton Athletic Club:

Princeton A. C. announces
Spring Classic 5k Cross-Country Races and fun runs

Entry forms can be found at
http://www.princetonac.org

All events are 5k cross-country races at Rosedale Park,
424 Federal City Road (approximately), Pennington, NJ.

Wednesdays, May 19, May 26, and June 2

6:30 pm start time, check-in from 5:45 pm.

Safe, fun, no-frills racing. We do have the group
picnic area reserved.

If anyone is interested in making this a group thing, there are some incentives and special offers available to award excellence and participation. Please just leave a comment to let me know or speak to me at the next group run.

On the Road Again...

2010-02-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

For the second week in a row we took to the roads around Mercer County Park due to the poor conditions on the trails -- this was actually the third week in a row that we ran roads if you count the Sunday run we did at Gold's. We ran pretty much the same route as the week prior, with an extra loop added on to bring our total mileage up to about 10 miles. This was, of course, probably more than some would have chosen to do but I think everyone enjoyed pushing the distance a bit. At least, I hope they did!

With more snow in the forecast in these parts for the end of the week, it's looking like we may have to take Charlie's recommendation to rename the group to Hamilton Area Road Runners until Spring. Either that or have everyone invest in some spikes or snow shoes so we can get back on the trails safely despite all the snow and ice.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Gary, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Michael, Yasi

1o miles

L to R: Charlie, Michael, Yasi, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Bill Y., Bill S., Butch, Gary

Snow Day!

2010-02-17T19:27:00.001-08:00

When we arrived at Mercer County Park on Saturday morning the entrance to the East Picnic Area had yet to be plowed which made the road leading to our usual meeting spot just about impassable. Instead, we all parked along Edinburg Road which fortunately for us had a nice wide, clean shoulder. After a quick jog in with Michael to check on the trailhead we turned around and headed back out to the street to deliver the bad news to the rest of the gang. Without spikes or snow shoes, there was no way we were going to be running trails, or even the bike path, today.

It didn't take long though before we took to the roads around the park and put in a 6-mile loop. We even ducked into the back entrance of the park and peeked in on the lake near the rowing center for a bit before heading back out on the road to complete our loop. In the end, it was a nice change of scenery but with the last two weeks having run on roads, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm itching to get back on the trails. Hopefully, this weekend we'll at least be able to get on the bike path at MCP. We'll have to wait and see...

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y, Butch, Damian, Karen, Linda, Michael, Nate, Yasi

6 miles

L to R: Linda, Yasi, Butch, Karen, Nate, Damian, Bill Y., Michael, Bill S.

Total Accumulations

2010-02-08T20:34:00.001-08:00

As I've previously stated our inclement weather policy is a rather simple one. If the postal service will deliver your mail, then we run. Well, on Saturday we got a total accumulation of 1 foot of snow dumped on us and, yes, all post office operations were suspended. As a result, we did not have our normal group run on Saturday morning.

On Sunday, however, the sun came up so a couple of us got together for a run. Since the trails were sure to be a mess and the bike path probably not even plowed yet, we went with something a little different and headed over to the parking lot at Gold's Gym near Quakerbridge Mall. Four of us met there to run some of the roads surrounding the mall. While we all ran together for the majority of the time, we all ended up putting in slightly different mileages that day for a total accumulation of 49 miles!

For more details and some great mid-run shots, be sure to check out Yasi's report.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Frank, Yasi

L to R: Yasi (13 miles), Frank (16 miles), Bill S. (9 miles), Bill Y. (11 miles)

A Month Gone By

2010-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's been almost one month since the last time I've posted anything here but it's been that long. Fear not, though. Just because the postings have been lacking we've been plenty busy. Here's a recap of the month that's gone by...

On 1/1, a couple of HATR folks -- those who weren't sick, out of town, or too hungover -- met at Veteran's Park for the Hamilton Hangover 5 Miler. For a detailed report, check out Charlie's race report.

On 1/2, we cancelled our normal Saturday group run due to the number of folks who were sick and/or out of town.

On 1/9, we got back into the swing of things with a group run at Mercer County Park. After feeling like crap for almost two weeks straight I decided enough was enough and purposely overdressed for the run with the hope of sweating out the last of the bug that had been keeping me indoors for too long. The good news is that it worked. The bad news is that I look like a freak in the group picture that was taken that day. Oh well!

Anyway, as I said before we met at MCP and ran out to the dam and back. I don't recall too much else about the run other than that fact that is was freezing out and that we welcomed yet another new face to the group. Tammy hasn't been back since though. You ladies need to get on that...I think she was scared away by all the guys!

L to R: Bill S., Charlie, Gary, Bill Y., Rob, Tammy

On 1/16, it was amazing what a difference a week made. The week before we had been freezing our you know what off around Lake Mercer but just a week later the temps were 30-40 degrees warmer. The temperature wasn't the only thing that got dialed up that day though. As we gathered for our pre-run push ups at Clayton Park Nate decided to turn up the heat as well, leading the charge up Death Hill not once, not twice, but four times. I think we were all so glad to have such great weather we probably would have done five just to be out there a little longer.

L to R: Brian, Yasi, Bill S., Linda, Butch, Nate, Lisa, Bill Y., Charlie

On 1/23, we again met at Clayton Park in what was planned as a light day. It was light because the group would be heading out to Reading, PA, the next day to participate in the Chilly Cheeks race. All I remember about this group run is feeling like it was more difficult than I had expected it to be. We only ran for about 45 minutes, which is about 20 minutes shorter than normal but for some reason I felt it more than normal. Oh yeah, maybe it was that one sprint of Death Hill that we did! I don't think I ever recovered from that one. So much for a light day.

L to R: Bill Y., Yasi, Nate, Karen, Butch, Linda

On 1/23, the gang made a road trip out to Reading, PA, for Chilly Cheeks. It was with a torn heart, however, that I had to back out of the race this year to stay home and watch my NY Jets play in the AFC Champioship game...yeah...I probably should have just made the trip but hindsight is 20/20. There were seven brave warriors that did make the trip though and as you would expect from any race directed by Ron Horn, they reportedly had a blast. Be sure to check out Yasi's race report.

L to R: Brian, Butch, Linda, Yasi, Nate, Bill S., Frank

Still with me? Good. Because this is where it starts to get serious...

On 1/30, six badasses met at Clayton Park once again. You gotta problem with that? I didn't think so. We ran out the back and hit all the soybean fields and then headed directly into the trails...yeah without stopping because we're bad like that. Then it was uphill both ways into the extra loop which we did backwards. When we exited the extra loop we bushwhacked directly up to the top of the backside of Death Hill until we reached the fence. There we were greeted by a dozen or so horses who were out training because they too are badasses. After taking a second or two to enjoy the view...uh...I mean stare down those damn horses -- who did they think they were anyway -- we bushwhacked back down the hill. At that point, we thought one of the horses yelled something down to us so we again bushwhacked up the same hill just to see what was up. When we got there most of the horses had taken off though so we just headed back down and finished our run. Good thing!

L to R: Charlie, Bill Y., Nate, Brian, Butch, Bill S.

Well, there it is. A month in review. What will February bring, you ask? Well, hopefully, weekly updates because it's a real PITA trying to remember everything that happened over the last month. Many thanks to Charlie and Yasi for letting me cheat and check back on their blogs to fill in the blanks.

Overdue!

2010-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Don't tell the librarian, but this post is long overdue! Between getting sick over the holidays and trying to keep pace with 3 kids during Christmas I've been a big time slacker when it comes to keeping the blog updated...not to mention my own general fitness. Have no fear, however, because here, finally, are couple of quick recaps and pics from the last runs of 2009.

On Christmas Eve, a couple of us met at Mercer County Park for an easy run. It was anything but though because the snowstorm we had received earlier that week left the trails covered with ice and snow. For most of the run the group stuck to the bike path which they had at least attempted to plow and didn't even venture into the deep snow which had hidden our trails. Even though I had to leave early I enjoyed the chance to use my Kahtoola MICROspikes. I'm really looking forward to using them out in Reading, PA, when we head out to the Chilly Cheeks race too. They definitely provide the extra traction needed when running in slippery conditions and I'm real happy with them.

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Frank, Linda, Nate, Yasi

L to R: Linda, Yasi, Nate, Butch, Frank (not pictured: Bill Y.)

On Saturday, the day after Christmas, the group met at Clayton Park and attempted to get a run in despite the dreadfully soggy conditions. With the temps having taken a bit of a jump melting away some of the ice and snow, and rain showers on top of that, the trails were reportedly the worst they've ever been. Although I wasn't there to "enjoy" it I'm told it was quite the run. For details, be sure to check out Charlie's report.

Roll call: Bill S., Brian, Butch, Charlie, Linda, Nate, Rob, Yasi

L to R: Charlie, Bill S., Linda, Butch, Yasi, Rob, Nate, Brian

Happy Holidays

2009-12-24T06:28:00.001-08:00

May the beauty of this holiday season

bring you hope and peace

throughout the coming year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

- Hamilton Area Trail Runs -

Toys for Tots Trail Run Report

2009-12-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast for Saturday called for the season's first major snowstorm. When I woke up at 6am there wasn't a flake to be seen but just 45 minutes later when I arrived at the park it was a completely different story. The snow had begun to fall and was quickly starting to cover the ground. By the time we took off it was a full on snow storm we were running through.

We headed up the bike path and jumped right into the trails which provided a welcome escape from the wind. It was up through the back of the tennis courts, past the boat house, out through twirly bird and then eventually reaching that path that led to the dam, where we were met with a brutal wind coming off the lake, slamming snow right in our faces. There was no way we were taking that path back so we ducked down in the trail at the bottom of the hill and made our best attempt to escape the elements. At this point, the weather was getting worse by the minute and we continued to try to find paths back to the parking lot where we weren't running head on into the wind. By the time we reached the parking lot the snow had blanketed everything including us.

Before we all hurried into our cars to defrost, however, there was some business to take care of first. Once again, so many of the HATRs answered the call and brought with them a toy donation for Marine Toys for Tots and in doing so qualified themselves for a chance to win the $25 gift certificate to RoadRunner Sports. Congratulations to Charlie for winning the prize!

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Charlie, Gary, Erin, Frank, Jess, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Yasi

A box full of donated Christmas toys which were delivered to Toys for Tots from HATR

L to R: Bill S, Yasi, Butch, Lisa, Frank, Karen, Linda, Bill Y., Brian, Phil, Erin, Gary, Jess, Charlie

2009-12-14T19:14:00.001-08:00

Hamilton Area Trail Runs

Toys For Tots Trail Run

Saturday, 12/19/09 @ 7:00am

Mercer County Park

Let’s face it…it’s the Saturday before Christmas and you still need to finish your Christmas shopping. Even if you thought you were done before Thanksgiving, we all know that there is always that one person you’ve forgotten or that relative that is so hard to buy for that you put it off until the very last minute. Well, what better way to beat the crowds than to get up early, come to the park and get in a run, then head over to the mall to get what you need? While the other last minute shoppers are still wiping the sleepies out of their eyes you’ll already be warmed up and ready for the real workout…not to mention the fact that you’ll smell like a gym locker which might be just what you need to give you a little extra space in that crowded store!

In the spirit of the holiday we do invite, but not require, anyone who attends to bring along with them a new, unwrapped toy which we will be donating on behalf of Hamilton Area Trail Runs to Marine Toys For Tots Foundation of West Trenton, NJ, who will then distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.

Of course, they say it’s always better to give than to receive but we’ll let you be the judge. Anyone who shows up with a donation will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to RoadRunner Sports. The drawing will be done immediately following our run so if you work it right you can even end your shopping frenzy by treating yourself to something nice for your next run!

Be there if you can and spread the word!

Merry Christmas

Split Squad

2009-12-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

This week we had a split squad. There were a handful of us that had other obligations on Saturday, so we decided to meet on Sunday morning to get in our group run. Still, there was a group that met on Saturday as we normally do. There was even one brave soul who ran with the group both days! All together we had 14 runners come out -- 6 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday.

In general, we ran the same path. Straight in from the parking lot, down the hill past the turn into Death Hill, then out to the soybean fields. After a tour of the fields we headed back into the trails, up Death Hill, around the back and then worked our way uphill back out to the parking lot. There were, of course, some slight variations in the paths taken each day but for the most part, both days provided another LSD run. It's only a few more weeks until Chilly Cheeks, so hopefully all this hill work we're doing at Clayton will help us out in Reading, PA.

Roll Call (Sat): Bill S., Brian, Dawn, Nate, Phil, Yasi
Roll Call (Sun): Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Frank, Jess, Karen, Linda

Saturday group

L to R: Bill S., Brian, Yasi, Nate, Dawn, Phil

Sunday group
L to R: Jess, Bill S., Karen, Butch, Bill Y., Frank, Linda, Charlie

LSD (Long, Slow, Distance)

2009-12-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

The last few group runs have been pretty intense with a lot of sprints and exercises mixed in to our trail runs so we were due for a trail run, sans boot camp, and that's what we got. I got a mixed reaction to my request for some LSD which I posted to facebook the day before -- some thought I was on drugs, some echoed my desires, and some had no idea what I was talking about.

In any event, we had 14 people meet up at Clayton Park where we headed out the back around the soybean fields and then eventually into the trails. The problem with being 2 weeks behind on the post is that I can't really recall the exact path we took. I do know that we didn't run any sprints, and we didn't pause for any squats/lunges/push-ups/etc. If you're looking for details of the path we took you can head over to Shoreturtle's blog and check out the map he posted compliments of his Garmin.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Charlie, Damian, Dawn, Erin, Karen, Linda, Nate, Phil, Theresa, Yasi

L to R: Damian, Bill S., Dawn, Karen, Bill Y., Charlie, Yasi, Butch, Nate, Brian, Erin, Phil, Theresa, Linda

A Little Extra

2009-12-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

After stuffing our faces on Thursday it was time to pay the price on Saturday. And pay the price we did. A small group of five runners met at MCP and headed out the back of the park towards the rowing center. When we reached the rowing center we stopped along the edge of lake and had a mini exercise session. It was short and sweet, including squats, jumping lunges, burpees and then finally a set of line jumps over the telephone poles used to line the gravel parking area. After that it was back around the lake the way we came and then out the other side, over the foot bridge near the parking lot, and then out to the boat house. At the boat house, we stopped again at the hill. Time for some sprints. Ten of them to be exact. One for each person who showed up on Thursday for our Turkey Day Trail Trot but not on Saturday. After the hill sprints it was back to parking lot but not before hitting a few hills in the trails behind the tennis courts.

We've been very fortunate with the weather we've been having. The temps haven't been too bad at all but this Saturday the wind was fierce and because of it we definitley felt a chill in the air. It was especially cold and windy out near the lake. I have a feeling the real cold weather will be settling in soon. Those of you who ran with us last winter know that we will run anyway. If you weren't out there with us last winter, but will be this year (don't worry we'll make sure you are), now might be the time to start thinking about some under armour cold gear.

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Carlah, Nate, Yasi

L to R: Butch, Yasi, Carlah, Nate, Bill Y., Brian

Nate's Advanced Training Camp

2009-11-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Please see the message below for a special challenge from Nate:

Calling all the Warriors, Soldiers, and Wild Animals...This event is for my advanced level combat killers...You know who you are!!!. ...So if you are getting this event invite, you made the cut. Now you have to prove you are worthy...Here is your opportunity to see just exactly what you are made of. If you think your training has been challenging...you haven't seen anything yet...it's time to step it up to the next level

Details:

Advanced Training Camp will be held every Tuesday night throughout the month of December (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th).

4:30pm to 5:30pm for THE DEC 1ST SESSION ONLY

...all other sessions will take place from 7:00pm to 8:00pm....

Just find a way to make it happen!

Advanced Training Camp Costs:
$90 for the entire camp (all 5 sessions)
$20 per session

Classes will be held at the Robbinsville Field House Indoor Training Facility.

Advanced Training Camp will consist of speed, strength, endurance, and interval training all wrapped up in what seems like a never ending hour.

As always...no whining!, no crying!, no stopping!, no dropping!, no quitting!

There are a limited number of slots...so get yours now before they are gone...

Call for additional details...609-751-1079

Big Nate

2nd Annual Turkey Day Trail Trot Run Report

2009-11-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! I still cannot believe the turnout we got for our Thanksgiving morning run. A record 15 runners hit the trails on Thursday morning at 6:45am. Each of them bringing with them donations for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. When I think back to just a little over a year ago when we were lucky to have 1 or 2 people show up for a run on a good day I'm so thankful to have gotten the turnout we got for this event. Not only that but every single person who showed up had something for the donation bin. I couldn't have asked for any better support. Thank you all so much!!!

As promised, this was an easy run, out to the dam and back. On the way out we hit the twirly bird and then at the dam we did a few hill sprints. I think it was 4, one for each serving we'd be piling onto our plate later that day. During the last uphill, Bill S. reminded me that it was his 1-year anniversary since he had started running with the group and the same was true for Tom P. As a gift to them, I had them do one extra hill sprint by themselves while the rest of us watched. Then it was back to the parking lot. As we came out of the woods near the twirly bird, one of us...who I really don't want to call out here so let's just say his name started with "T" and ended with "Peroni" was falling a little bit behind the pack so the rest of dropped and did push ups till he caught up. After about 400 push ups he was right there with us -- I'm kidding it was more like 20-25 (or 10 for Phil...that's right I saw you Phil!)

Once we were all back together again, we headed down towards the foot bridge and I had all intentions of keeping it light until I saw a bunch of picnic tables placed end to end and noticed how perfect the benches lined up providing us a chance to get in some squat jumps. Hmmm...what would Nate do? Line 'em up!

After about 10 quick squat jumps it was back to the run, over the bridge, up the stairs at the boat house then past the playground to the gravel hill where we turned a right and pushed uphill. Left at the top of the hill we hopped on the bike path briefly before I told the lead pack to head left back into the trails while I hung back to make sure everyone made the turn in. As the others made their way up the hill I told them to stick to the bike path and planned on meeting up with them at the tennis courts. As I waited for the last few runners I noticed that the group I sent into the trails had taken a wrong turn -- actually I think I led them astray with my directions -- and ended up right back out on the bike path just a few hundred feet up ahead.

When the last runner passed and everyone was together on the bike path, I decided to duck into the trails myself and try to catch up with the first group. I planned on cutting them off as I exited the trails at the end near the bridge just before the parking lot. I was running as hard as I could to try and catch them, over the roots, through the mud, and I even tried to take the most direct route I could. It wasn't enough though because as I exited the trails I came out right in front of the first runner I had seen after splitting from the lead pack back at the top of the gravel hill. As I continued to push it on the bike path I saw the pack turning the corner just ahead of me but I had nothing left. I was not going to catch them. Oh well. I was still thankful for the opportunity to try. It was fun to run all out on the trails for a bit.

When we arrived back at the parking lot everyone looked like they had a good run and were ready to go stuff their faces. I know I was. Before we left we took a moment for a picture with the donations bin, which was literally overflowing. At some point this week, I'll be heading into Trenton to drop everything off at the soup kitchen where I know it will all be put to good use.

Roll Call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Carlah, Erin, Frank, Jess, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Phil, Theresa, Tom P., Yasi

L to R: (standing) Frank, Yasi, Theresa, Bill S., Lisa, Karen, Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Erin, Tom P., Phil
(kneeling) Linda, Carlah, Jess

Soybean Sprints

2009-11-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

I knew we were in trouble when Nate busted out that damn whistle of his. I had no idea just how much trouble though. I've run at Clayton dozens of times but I saw parts of that park I had never seen before. Evidently, there is a whole lot more soybean field than we've been running past. Nate, who had secretly scoped it out earlier in the week, found some additional fields outback and decided that we were going to do those dreaded indian sprints around the perimeter of the fields -- all of them! By the end of those everyone except Charlie, who is in marathon shape and loves to sprint, was hunched over gasping for air. Only for a minute or two though, which was just long enough to learn about the Walter Payton workout, and then we hit the trails. After all, this is a trail running group...isn't it?

We headed into the back of the trails, made our way out to Doctor's Creek and eventually climbed death hill. Having already died once thanks to the sprints our trip up death hill was extra morbid. At the top, we again took a minute to catch our breath, checked the time, and then headed back down the other side of death hill and wrapped back around to the left once we hit Doctor's Creek again. From there we made our way out to the parking lot after one final climb.

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Charlie, Linda, Lisa, Nate, Theresa, Yasi

L to R: Theresa, Yasi, Nate, Bill Y., Charlie, Brian, Butch, Lisa, Linda

2009-11-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hamilton Area Trail Runs
2nd Annual Turkey Day Trail Trot
Thursday, 11/26/09 @ 6:45am
Mercer County Park

You know you're going to pig out later that day so why not start the day off right by getting a head start on the calorie intake and giving thanks for another healthy year of running. As with all our group runs, this run will be a non-competitive event and open to anyone who wishes to attend. All you need to do is simply show up. We'll meet at the picnic area off Edinburg Road for an easy run out to the dam and back. We may not see any turkeys but there will be a "twirly bird" along the way!

In the spirit of the holiday we do invite, but not require, anyone who attends to bring along with them a non-perishable food and/or hygiene item which we will be donating on behalf of Hamilton Area Trail Runs to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, to help them meet the needs of Trenton’s poor and less fortunate. Suggested items for donation include: canned soup, powdered milk, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, shampoo, hand/body lotion, etc.

Be there if you can and spread the word!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2009-11-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

On Saturday 8 warriors dragged their butts out of bed and met at a soggy Clayton Park. It was so soggy, in fact, that as we did our push-up we felt our hands sinking into the wet ground. After that we popped up, dusted ourselves off and headed straight into the trails. As we headed in I decided we'd try something completely different. Instead of turning off the main path on the way in we dove straight in and followed Bridge's trail all the way around for a short loop, meaning that the big, long hill we usually come up towards the finish was now being tackled in the beginning of our run. I thought it would be nice to hit that hill fresh. It wasn't.

After the first loop we found ourselves back on the main path leading into Bridge's. It was there that I noticed lots of clear trees and even a few fences...perfect back support for some wall sits. So, it was everybody down into a wall sit and let's see who can hang on the longest... Not me! Hey, I just come up with the ideas. I think I dropped after about 30 seconds (weak!). Then the others starting to drop off one by one. In the end there were two remaining and guess what they had in common...yep, they are both boot campers. Linda hung on the longest and after about a minute or so we were back on the trails. Say, have you ever maxed out your quads doing wall sits and then tried to run downhill? Ouch!

Back on the trails and shaking out the legs we headed further down Bridge's until we reached the left turn into Doctor's Creek where we headed in towards and up death hill. At the top of death hill we took another left and then completed the extra loop. Coming out of the extra loop we took a right and then headed back out to Bridge's, made a left, and came out up the big, long hill we had already completed once on our initial loop.

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Damian, Karen, Linda, Rob, Theresa

L to R: Linda, Theresa, Butch, Rob, Karen, Bill Y., Damian, Brian

Indian Sprints

2009-11-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we had our coldest run since last winter. I'm not talking frost on the eye lashes cold but it was cold. I think my thermometer read 28 degrees when I got out of the car. Despite the conditions, however, we had a total of 8 runners come out for our group run at Clayton where it is now officially looking like fall with leaves everywhere.

As we did our warm ups Nate broke it out -- it being his infamous whistle. For those of you who have ever taken one of Nate's classes no explanation is needed and for those that haven't...well, be afraid of the whistle. After some moaning and groaning was heard Nate then instructed us that his idea for today was to do indian sprints the entire run. Oh joy!

As we set off along the back and headed down towards the soybean fields it started right away. It didn't let up either. By the time we worked our way around to death hill we had done probably 4 or 5 sets. Then, it was time. To run up death hill is difficult enough but to try to pull off an indian sprint up the thing is just plain crazy. About half way up the hill it pretty much fell apart and turned into let's all just try our best to chase Nate and Bill S. up this hill. Once we all reached the trail crossing at the top, half of us took off further up the hill and then turned back around at the top to come back and catch up with the others who had turned left at the trail crossing.

When we all got caught up it was just in time to head straight into the extra loop where, of course, it was time for another couple of sets of indian sprints. When we came out of the extra loop we again split up with half the group heading out (or should I say up) and back and then on to catch up with the others who had headed off in the opposite direction into the down-up-down. This worked out nicely the first time when we did it at the top of death hill. The second, however, not so much. By the time we got back to the spot where we had split they were no where in sight. We pushed on figuring they were just around a corner or something. That wasn't the case though so I started to think that maybe they were trying to lose us. When I mentioned this to Bill S., he replied "let's pick it up and go get 'em!" What else would he say, duh? After a few seconds we caught a glimpse and knew we had them. I could have sworn I heard someone saying: "here they come let's move it!"

When we caught them it was just past "root city" and just before yet another big hill. At this point, I was wiped after pushing hard to run down our prey. I was really looking for a breather when Nate suggests we take off up the hill in yet another sprint and that the last one up has push ups to do. I couldn't get my hands off my knees before everyone was off. It was then that I decided I would welcome the push ups if it meant I could just cruise up the hill and sneak in a recovery. So, I get to the top and drop to do my push ups and what happens? Yeah, they take off again. Now I have to crank out my push ups and push to catch them.

As I started to sprint towards the back of the pack I realized where we were though and that we would be approaching a trail split where as long as the rabbits split to the right I could stay left and time it so they dumped back out right in front of me. It worked perfectly...and for about another 200 feet I was right there with the rest of them. Then it was time for one last uphill sprint which I wasn't feeling at all. Reaching the top dumped us back at the top of death hill. From there it was an easy run downhill and then out to the left with just one long, steep hill to go to get out to the parking lot.

Maybe it's just me being out of shape but this had to be one of the toughest runs we've had with the possible exception of when Nate decided to do 'Death Hill x 5'...wait...uggghhh...did I just mention that??? Well, maybe Nate won't read this.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Ed, Linda, Nate, Rob

L to R: Ed, Bill S., Butch, Bill Y., Linda, Nate (w/his damn whistle), Rob, Brian

People!

2009-11-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

I couldn't make the group run this week because I ran with my wife as she completed her first 5k ever! Way to go wifey! As a result of my absence, this week's run report is brought to you by Butch:

We were told it would be scary, we were told there would be monsters, and honestly, it felt like a horror movie...you know the scary dream, where you're trying to run away and the zombies are chasing you and your legs don't move?

Welcome to Nate's Scary Trail Run!!! Whistle and all!!!

Aaahhh!!! Mmmmyyyyy leggggssss hurt!!! And boy did they.

After our usual 50 pushups under the gazebo where many happy gatherings occur (not ours of course) we headed off over the footbridge and as soon as we crossed it the whistle was blown and our group was sprinting a painful 40 yard sprint to kick off the latest challenge and torment.

"That shut everyone up pretty quick" I heard Bill S. say.

The monster said nothing, only smiled to himself.

Heading into the trails quickly it was rough going as it was hard to see due to lack of daylight. Staying on the upper ridge after the tennis courts we made our way through and out to the clearing by the lake always hearing:

"Close the gap!"

And then the whistle and another 40 yard sprint to the tree line, then through the trees past the boathouse and stop!!

"Push ups People!"

After catching our breath we headed along the lake on the path to the high wires where we took a left and negotiated the construction area. Just before entering the trails again, we indulged in a squat and hold session. Our legs were like cement.

"Watch the roots people!"

It was the usual trek out to the dam with indian sprints mixed in for good measure. Then back to the parking lot....

And so it went like this: Run, run some more, do some lethargically counted squat and holds, run, do some push ups and squat and hold a little bit more and drag those heavy legs back to the parking lot where, wait, wake up, there on the tailgate...

I see yes, yes indeed the scary nightmare is ending, and we're all waking now as the Munchkins come into view and Jess is treating us this week to Yesss!! more instalax and donuts. Yes indeed, for the third week in a row we ate donuts and gulped our Big Joe while dripping sweat after a total of 125 pushups and what seemed like an hour and a half of squat and holds.

The scary dream was over, but I heard someone say"thank you" for another great trail run...

And then the monster gobbled his instalax and donuts and went home...with his whistle.

Roll call: Bill S, Brian, Butch, Jess, Karen, Linda, Nate, Rob, Rob (the neighbor), Theresa, Yasi

L to R: Rob, Yasi, Bill S., Karen, Nate, Butch, Linda, Rob, Theresa, Jess, Brian

Running for Donuts...part two

2009-11-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, our group run ended with donuts and coffee which Linda had brought along to celebrate Butch's birthday. As luck would have it, Linda's birthday was the following week which meant that Butch, not to be outdone, had to bring donuts and coffee along to celebrate Linda's birthday. For the second week in a row our group run ended with Dunkin Donuts.

Before the treats though, we were sure to put in our work. After starting off with our normal 50 push-ups we ran the bike trail all the way up to the tennis courts where we cut it into the trails. We took the trails all the way out the path that leads to the dam but instead of taking it out to the dam we crossed over it and headed straight back into the trails. We then took the 3rd right, at the large boulder, and looped all around the trails behind the dam. After a couple of ins and outs we eventually came back out to the path and then headed back via trails to the bike path.

For as cold as it was the week prior, you wouldn't have known it this week as the temps were almost 20 degrees warmer. While it wasn't raining, the ground was wet from the rain the day before and the skies were overcast for most of the run. The sun did start to peek out as we finished up though as can be seen in the pic below.

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Brian, Carlah, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Nate, Theresa, Yasi

L to R: Lisa, Karen, Yasi, Bill Y., Theresa, Nate, Brian, Linda, Carlah, Butch

Running for Donuts

2009-10-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

The credit for this week's blog post title has to go to Topher over at I'll Run For Donuts. The credit for the donuts (and coffee), however, has to go to Linda who brought them along on Saturday to celebrate Butch's birthday. Ya know, rumor has it Linda had a birthday this week too...I wonder what Butch will bring this week???

While Linda was nice enough to bring donuts and coffee along, she was smart enough not to tell us about them until we reached the dam by way of the twirly bird. That's what I call motivation. It seemed we all found an extra gear once we learned there were snacks awaiting us at the finish. As we headed back we decided to double up on the twirly bird and then took the lower trails back along the lake before turning it uphill and heading back to the bike path for the final sprint.

The weather this week felt more like November/December than it did mid-October with the temp in the lower 40's and a light drizzle. Of course, it was only 3 days later that we hit the lower 70's but that's Autumn in NJ...you never know what you're gonna get. Hopefully, this coming week will be a little warmer but there is some rain in the forecast yet again. That never stops us though so don't you worry.

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Damian, Linda, Lisa, Nate, Rob, Theresa

L to R: Lisa, Theresa, Butch, Linda, Nate, Bill Y., Damian

(not pictured: Brian and Rob...don't worry guys we ate your donuts!)

Trip, Drop and Roll

2009-10-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

This week's run report is brought to you by guest blogger Butch:

Four relatively healthy souls braved Clayton today on a beautiful fall morning, while a good number of our crew were home sick or had prior obligations. After telling my story about dry-heaving at the end of last week's run we entered the trails via the soybean field taking a right around the pond and on to the massive uphill that pretty much determines how you will fair for the rest of the trek - see Butch's klutzy tripping episode a treat for all!

Lungs heaving, we connected back to the trail that leads up to the parking lot (no...we didn't run back to our cars) and took the left that leads down the long hill to the split rail fence and across the bridge where we had a nice little run in with DEATH HILL. Pausing at the top (only to enjoy the scenery of course) we continued down and around to the right and back up a small hill where almost in succession Lisa took her first graceful tumble, immediately followed by (newcomer/bootcamper) Theresa - just as graceful! Trip-Drop-Roll!!! Following this loop which continued around and back DOWN DEATH HILL we came back up to the split rail and took the right that took us out around the soybean field to the right of us through the straight away and through to the parking lot.

Roll call: Bill S., Butch, Lisa, Theresa

L to R: Theresa, Linda, Butch, Bill S.

Change of Plans

2009-10-09T08:14:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry to announce we have a change of plans this week. I've been sick with a nasty head cold all week which has now decided to make its way down into my chest so I won't be able to make it to the group run on Saturday. In addition, Nate is out of town for the weekend and a couple of the other regulars can't make it. There is, however, a few HATR's that have decided to run Clayton on Saturday. If you're looking for a run then I'm sure they would love to have you come out and join them.

As for the Crossfit Challenge, if you are interested in attending I'm sure the folks at CrossfitHamilton will welcome you but we won't be officially attending the event as a group. I hope to be able to set something up in the future though.

My apologies for the late changes and any inconvenience they may cause.

Crossfit Challenge - Fight Gone Bad

2009-10-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hey HATR's, this week our Saturday morning trail run will come with an extra challenge. After our run we've been extended an opportunity to head on over to Crossfit Hamilton to participate in their Fight Gone Bad fundraiser.

For those of you that made it out to Steinert over the summer for some of my crossfit style workouts here is your opportunity to get in a box and get a taste of what crossfit really is. And since you'll be participating in a Fight Gone Bad fundraiser at the same time you'll be doing it for a great cause!

Q. What is Crossfit?
Click here to find out

Q. What is Fight Gone Bad?
Click here find out

Crossfit Hamilton is holding this fundraiser as part of their grand opening so the event is being opened up to us at no cost. However, since this is a fundraiser donations are accepted and can be made online here. I'm sure they'll also gladly accept your donation at the door if you prefer to handle it that way. The proceeds raised by Fight Gone Bad will help support Athletes For a Cure and Wounded Warrior Project.

If you are interested in attending the event please leave a comment below or send me an email so that I can give them an idea of how many folks to expect from our group.

Keep in mind that whether or not you want to participate in this Crossfit Challenge we'll still be meeting for our normal group run beforehand. Check the sidebar later in the week for details on that.

Push Ups (And a Little Trail Run)

2009-10-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we met at Clayton with the intention of running a little trail. Anyone who has been there before knows that we start off all our runs with some push ups. This week, however, Nate decided we were going to do more than our fair share.

After our initial 50 we took off around the back of the soybean field and headed into the trails only to reach a clearing where we dropped and put in 20 more.

Then we got up and ran some more trail until we hit another clearing where we dropped and did 20 more.

With 90 in the book we headed up death hill. Once we were at the top we took a left and headed around to come up the backside. As we reached the next hill Nate decided to thrown in a little competition. It was an all out sprint to the top of the hill. We took off in two groups: first the men, then the women. The last person to reach the top from each group was rewarded with more push ups.

At the next hill we did the same thing.

As we jogged along recovering from the back to back hill sprint races I led the group in a short cadence:

I don't know what you've been told,
Nate's not young but he sure he ain't old...
He's the big dog and the rest of us our pups,
Came for a run and did a thousand push ups!

Then we headed down death hill and back out to the soybean field for one last climb out to the parking area.

In the end, it was only about a 4.5 mile trail run but depending on how fast we made it up the hills we also did anywhere from 100-130 push ups too! Ok, so maybe that's not quite a thousand but I took some poetic license to close the cadence. :-)

Roll call: Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Fred, Jess, Linda, Nate, Rob

L to R: Rob, Jess, Nate, Butch, Brian, Bill Y., Linda, Fred

McGuire AFB Mud Run Race Report

2009-10-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Last year, the course was tough. This year, the course was upgraded to include twice the number of obstacles and the little creek we ran through for a few 100 feet last year was upgraded to a 1/4 mile "run" through 3 to 4 feet of water. Words simply cannot describe this course, so I think it's best to just let the pictures do to the talking...

Mud Run Team HATR T-shirts designed and printed by Butch

Course Map

The gang...

...the rest of the gang

This was the shallow part

You can also check out more pics of the gang making their way through the course over at pinnacleshotphotos. Click on the individual links below and when prompted, enter "beastofeast" as the password (without the quotes). Many thanks to Frank for sifting through 3000+ photos to pick out the HATR's.

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The 3rd Annual Beach Boot Camp/Body Blast CANCELLED

2009-09-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

A message from Big Nate...

***Beach Blast Cancelled***Beach Blast Cancelled***

"A CONQUERER NEVER WANTS TO PULL HIS WARRIORS BACK FROM BATTLE...ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY CAN TASTE THE BLOOD OF WAR" --ancient quote from Emperor Nate of the Cha-Ching Dynasty-- Although the ...weather appears to be clearing here, there are storms down at the shore right now and they are projected to be on and off all afternoon.

But don't be too dissappointed...even though the weather is changing for the season...just get your longsleeves out cause there will be a rain date coming soon. As for Santinos tonight...that part of the event is still on...just meet and greet around the bar area around 9:00

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=142160417140

There Will Be Mud...

2009-09-21T20:01:00.001-07:00

For those of you coming to the Mud Run on Saturday here are a few notes...

We'll be meeting in the parking lot behind Santino's in Robbinsville at 6:30am and then heading out in a carpool down 130 South towards the Air Force Base. Be sure to have photo ID on you or you will not even be allowed on the base. If you prefer to meet us at the base and need directions, click here.

Wear old clothes and shoes. Whatever you wear is going to get trashed, literally...I promise. If you want to wear something crazy, go ahead. I don't just mean Nike shorts with an Adidas top either, although, this is the one day that Nate will let you get away with "brand mixing". Costumes are encouraged and prizes are awarded.

Bring a towel, a change of clothes (including dry socks), a change of shoes, and a large garbage bag. There are open showers for you to rinse off in and gents and ladies tents for you to change in. You'll want to have a bag to toss all your wet, muddy, smelly gear into...especially if you're riding down with me!

Leave your jewelry, garmins, and any other other valuables at home or locked up, out of sight, in the car. If you want to take pictures I suggest picking up a cheap disposable, waterproof camera. There will be at least one moment in this run though where you will start thinking more about survival than anything else. Chances are pretty good it will be when you are neck high in freezing cold water and then you look up to find that you need to pull yourself up a cliff. If you make it through that first easy obstacle though there are plenty of other chances. My point being the less you have to carry the better off you'll be.

Above all else, be ready to have fun and get dirty! Remember this is not your average 10k race so don't expect your average 10k time. You will probably not PR, you will probably not win your age group (well...Frank might), but you will definitley laugh your ass off and be telling stories about the mud run until Christmas. The aches and pains should be gone by Thanksgiving though.

After the run we'll be getting cleaned up as best we can and heading directly to Mastoris for brunch so join us if you can...you will be starving...and thirsty...and very, very tired...but perhaps not in that order.

Additional tips, faqs, and info are available on the Mud Run website.

If you still have questions or concerns leave a comment or email me.

Fill In The Blank

2009-09-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't make this week's run because I was home nursing an eye injury. There was a nice turnout though as the group returned to Clayton. Since I wasn't there I don't have much to say but I'm leaving a chance for those who were to tell you something about it.

If you were there leave a comment and fill in the blanks:

1. The trails were _______.
2. The weather was _______.
3. I really began to wish I had just stayed in bed when _______.
4. The best part of the run was when _______.

Roll call: Bill #3, Brian, Fred, Heather C., Karen, Linda, Lisa, Nate

L to R: Brian, Lisa, Karen, Nate, Heater C., Linda, Bill #3, Fred

Twirly Bird x 2

2009-09-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

It was another soggy Saturday morning but that didn't stop 9 of us from heading out for a run at Mercer County Park. This week we saw a new face, some old friends, and many of the usual suspects. We headed out on the bike path to the tennis center and then tucked in behind it onto the trails. Then it was up past the boat house and over to the twirly bird before heading out the dam. At the dam we put in our hill sprint and then turned it around to headed back. On the way back the group split with half the folks heading back over the foot bridge to get back in time to make some early morning appointments, and the rest of us diving back in for one more pass through the twirly bird before heading back .

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Brian, Butch, Carlah, Linda, Lisa, Tom P., Yasi

L to R: Brian, Yasi, Lisa, Linda, Butch, Bill S. Carlah, Tom P., Bill Y.

Bushwhacked

2009-09-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm thankful for having a group to run with on Saturday mornings. For the second week in a row I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep when the alarm went off. This week it had more to do with the beverage consumption that took place the night before at my fantasy football draft than it did having to work late. Like last week though I dragged myself to the park and was glad I did. For some reason we always get a great turnout when we go to Mercer. I think most people probably just think Clayton is too far to drive for a run, or maybe their just afraid of the hills, or maybe...ah hell, I don't know.

As we finished our warm up and began heading out on the bike path, Yasi, who had decided the night before to run from her house to the group run and then run home afterwards, came running up. We didn't let her miss a step -- nor did we make her do any push-ups -- as we headed off in stride when she approached the bike path.

From there it was directly into the trails which we took all the way out to the dam. Once there, we scurried down across the rocks and over to the other side of the lake. That's when the fun began. I still have scabs on my calves and shins to prove how "fun" it was. We were greeted with waist high grass, sticker bushes, muddy trails (if we can call them trails), and of course several places where the barely recognizable trails just simply gave way to water.

After bushwhacking our way from the dam to the golf course, we headed up along the edge of the course and tried to find a decent path to take back into the trails. Before we knew it we had ran 3 holes and reached the clubhouse -- not a good thing when you're not really supposed to be on the golf course. In fear that someone might actually ask us to pay greens fees if we spent any more time on the course, we peeled down around our fourth hole and disappeared into the woods again near the maintenance shed.

Thankful to be back in the trails we pressed on around the lake staying left at the fork and heading uphill into "twirly bird west". It's not quite as much of a zig-zag as "twirly bird east" (hey...nothing beats the original, right? GO SOUTH!) but the hills are a little steeper so it all comes out in the wash...unlike the mud, sweat, and blood. As we came out near the rowing center and took in the panoramic view we knew it was almost over and headed down the gravel path before turning back into the trails. Along the way I mentioned to Nate that I had been out for a solo run during the week and found a trail that cut across from the path we'd be taking back east over to the parking lot where we started. The red trail was a nice change of scenery from the usual straight and narrow blue trail which we usually take all the way back to the parking lot when running the full loop.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Bill #3, Fred, Heather, Karen, Nate, Yasi

L to R: Yasi, Bill S., Bill Y., Nate, Heather, Karen, Fred, Brian (my brother-in-law, who didn't actually run with us but he helped with doctoring up the two photos we had taken -- one with Nate and one with Bill S. -- so he gets to make a cameo), and Bill #3 (sorry, I didn't get his last name)

Déjà vu

2009-08-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

This morning we met at Clayton again, in the rain, and ran the same course as last week.

It's mornings like this morning that I'm really glad to be running with a group. I worked until 2am and wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep when the alarm clock sounded at 6am. Since I knew there would be folks showing up this morning I didn't want to be a no-show so I dragged my butt out of bed and stumbled out the door.

On the way to the park I got a text from Nate saying he wasn't going to make it. I knew Bill S., who came back early from vacation due to the rain, was planning on coming out and Butch and Linda don't miss unless they're out of town, which they weren't. When I got there the three of them were waiting so we dropped into our push ups and then headed out into the trails.

We ran the same course as last week although it seemed shorter for some reason. Maybe it's because the rain wasn't as hard and the trails were a little drier. In the end, I was glad I dragged myself out of bed and got out for a run. Ok, gotta go...it's naptime! :)

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Linda

You know who these people are by now

The Heavy Stuff...

2009-08-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

With the exception of a couple of nasty mornings back in Jan/Feb most of our group runs have been blessed with fairly mild weather this year. That wasn't the case this past Saturday, however, when five of us ventured out into the pouring rain at Clayton. I have to admit that as I drove over to the park I really didn't expect that anyone would be willing to go out and run but I figured I would at least take the ride over and see who showed up. Well when I got there Butch and Linda were there waiting and Nate and Jenny pulled up just a couple of minutes behind me. So much for not running!

After getting our pre-run push ups out of the way in the rain, we headed straight into the trails hoping to seek some coverage beneath the trees. It wasn't to be though. We ran on into the muddy trails, hopping over puddles as we went, resigning ourselves to the fact that we were going to get wet and dirty. We headed down the Bridges Trail out towards Doctors' Creek and then headed up the Death Hill - just once this time though. At the top of the hill we stayed straight and ran around the back on Old Forge Trail, then hung a right and took the extra loop onto Doctor's Creek and stayed on that trail all the way out to the soybean field. At the field we hung a left and headed uphill, to the left, and then finally back out to the parking lot.

Along the way I kept thinking of the scene from Caddyshack where Carl Spackler tries to keep the game going despite the storm...

"I don't think the heavy stuff will come down for a while."
-Carl Spackler

One last thing I should mention about the run, and this I suppose is really more of a clarification on 1 of the 3 rules we have. As we always tell our new runners: 1) it's not a race, 2) nobody gets left behind, and 3) if you need to take a break to catch your breath or anything just ask. The clarification comes in on rule 3 and that is that nobody is allowed to call for a break on someone else's behalf. Like when someone whose name I won't mention said between huffs and puffs: "I think she needs a break..." Oh yeah, sure, she needed the break...riiiiiight! ;-)

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Jenny, Linda, Nate

L to R: Butch, Linda, Bill Y., Nate, Jenny

Trail Joggling

2009-08-17T18:12:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we met at Mercer County Park and ran an easy out and back to the dam. With the recent downpours making a mess of the trails we stuck to the bike path until reaching the tennis center then ducked in behind it to enter the trails. From there we headed out the boat house and then up to the twirly bird. After the twirly bird it was straight across the road into the trails which we took all the way out the dam.

On the way back we pretty much followed the same path except we skipped the twirly bird this time in exchange for heading down to the foot bridge, over the creek, past the boathouse, up the stone hill, then back into the trails before exiting near the tennis courts and taking the bike path back to the parking lot.

Along the way back from the dam we had the unfortunate experience of coming across the world's grumpiest trail runner who shot us a death stare as our paths crossed along what were obviously her trails and not ours. Her reaction to our presence was laughable actually. I really don't know what her problem was but I wish I would have gotten a picture of the look she shot us. It was priceless!

Another noteworthy item was the abundance of stray tennis balls we found near the tennis center. I think we ended up with 5 or 6 in total. So what does one do when stumbling across a so many tennis balls while trail running, you ask? Well, juggle, of course! To be fair, I didn't start juggling them until we reached the bike trail so it's not as hazardous as it may sound. Of course, nobody had a camera on them at the time so we had to settle for the re-enactment below when we reached the parking lot and Bill S. got his camera out of the car.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Fred, Jess, Sue

L to R: Bill Y., Sue, Bill S., Jess, Fred

Re-enactment

2009 Turkey Swamp Race Report

2009-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

What a day! I would have liked it to have ended a little differently but we'll get to that in a minute. It started out with me getting up and looking outside to see it raining. Oh good, I thought, the rain will keep us cool unlike my past experiences with Turkey Swamp where it has always been 95-100 degrees and sunny. I got my stuff together, headed over to Charlie's and then carpooled with him over to Freehold. As we pulled into the park we ended up parking within a few feet of the two other guys who were running with us -- Paul and Frank. I don't think we could have timed it any better if we had tried.

We all headed up to check-in, which they conveniently had set up underneath the pavillion seeking shelter from the elements. At check-in we each got our bibs, shirts, and an assortment of other goodies stuffed inside a "green" shopping bag -- you know the ones you buy for a buck at Acme and then leave in your trunk when you go in to get the groceries only to buy another one to leave in your trunk again next time. From check-in it was a quick trip to the restroom then back to the cars to drop off all our stuff.

At the start, which was, as it always is, 15-20 minutes late, we stood around and chatted about this that and the other thing. As we were standing there I recognized the father I met at the Run for Dad so I said hello, congratulated him on making it out, then wished him luck. As we received our instructions from the race director, we discovered that the course this year was a new one. I was kind of nervous to hear that since I now had no idea what to expect but figured if it meant I didn't have to do that double hill at the beginning of the loop then maybe it'd be ok.

We took off from the usual starting line, then hung a right turn with the rest of the 10 milers, 25k-ers, and 20 milers, while the 50k-ers hung a left to put in the extra mile on the loop before turning around and getting back on the course with the rest of us lightweights. We stayed on the sandy gravel path for about a mile or so before making a left into the first section of trail. The trail looped us around the back of the park and then dumped us out onto a grassy field which led us into three uphill swithchbacks and then eventually out to the overflow parking area where we picked up the trail again heading uphill to the starting area alongside the pavillion, then back into a short trail section. When we came out of the trail, we were back on the sandy gravel path again and took that loop around and around and around...

The way the race works is that depending on your distance you run the same loop as everyone else does 4, 6, 8, or 12 times. The first two laps were a breeze. I tried to go out nice and easy knowing that the distance was going to kill me in the end. I also made it a point to concentrate on hydrating, taking regular sips from my handheld. For the first two laps I felt great. At the second lap, I came upon a water station and really had to use the bathroom. Perhaps I was drinking a little too much water? Anyway, I refilled my handheld and then ducked into a port-a-pottie. As I did, Charlie and Paul came running by so I planned on taking care of business quickly and then running ahead to catch up with them. When I caught up with them we were just entering the switchbacks and we all ran together for a lap which was great. With three laps down we were half way done and heading into our fourth lap.

Then, and I don't know if this was just me or not, but fatigue started to set in...way too early. What had been a lively conversation on the previous lap went dead quiet. I remember Paul even mentioning something about how quiet things got all of a sudden. As we headed off the sandy gravel path and into the first section of trail for the fourth time it was all I could do to keep up with Charlie and Paul. By the time we returned to the swithchbacks I had dropped back quite a bit and was just trying to keep them in my sights for as long as I could hoping that this was just a temporary set back. It wasn't though, and as they pulled further and further away I just tried to keep moving. As I came up on the end of my fourth lap I kicked myself over and over for not just having signed up for the 10 miler. As runners around me made the right turn into the finish to complete their 10 miles, I pushed on not really knowing how it was going to end.

The entire fifth lap was torture. It wreaked havoc on me physically, my legs feeling heavier with every step, as well as mentally, as my mind took over and the voice inside telling me to push on was hushed by the doubts setting in about whether I could actually finish. Still, I ran...and I ran...until I was back at the turn into the finish and saw a second wave of ten milers making their exit from the course. It was at that point that I caught a glimpse of the race clock at about 02:20:00 and I realized, with one lap to go, that last year I had completed my 25k by now. It sucked but I really didn't want to throw in the towel so I kept going. Then, about a half mile down the sandy gravel path, I asked myself why? Why was I doing this? I searched for answers but all I could come up with was because I didn't want to have to quit. Then I looked ahead and tried to imagine where I'd be if I did push through to the very end. As I did I came to the decision that it wasn't worth it. I've pushed through before in worse shape and gone home sick at times and other times spent the night in the ER getting IV fluids. Then I stopped. I just stood there for a minute half of me in disbelief that I was quitting and half of me in disbelief that I wasn't as disgusted with myself as I thought I would be. Then I turned and walked back to the finishing line to catch Paul and Charlie as they came in. Just because I had bonked wasn't going to keep me from cheering them on into the finish.

I saw the both of them coming in, looking pretty tired, but knowing that they, unlike me, were going to make it. After they came in and caught their breath we headed over to the pavillion for some post race refreshments. It took all of us some time to recover and then eventually we decided to head back up to the cars to get on some dry clothes. As we did we came across Frank, making his way uphill for the last lap of his 20 miles. At that point I looked down and was not surprised to find that he had once again, as he often does, shed his running shoes and socks and was completing the tail end of his race barefoot. Paul and Charlie just kind of looked at me and all I could do was shrug. If you know Frank, there is no explanation needed. As Frank went on to finish his race, Charlie and I decided to go catch him coming into the finish while Paul, who had someplace to be that afternoon, continued on to the car and took off from there. When Charlie and I reached the turn into the finish it was only a couple of minutes before Frank came barreling down the same sandy, gravel path I had thrown in the towel on less than an hour ago.

In the end, I think everyone was pretty happy with their performance...except me, of course. It sucks knowing that I quit but I still think it was the right thing to do at the time. It's an experience I will learn from and in the grand scheme of things it's just one bad day running of which I'm sure they'll be more. As long as the good days continue to outnumber the bad ones I'm fine with that.

Here's the race results for the folks that came out for the race:
Paul Rogers: 25k: 02:35:40.4: overall 22/53: 40-49M 8/10
Charlie Mann: 25k: 02:36:04.2: overall 23/53: 30-39M 7/11
Frank Sconzo: 2o mile: 03:29:35.4: overall 21/45: 30-39M 6/8
Bill Yorke: 25k: DNF

For complete race results, click on the distance:
10 mile 25k 20 mile 50k

For tons of official race day photos, click here.

Charlie has some other great shots he took during the race posted with his own race report here. Paul also has a report here with a nice shot of this year's race shirt.

Pre-race

L to R: Charlie, Frank, Bill Y., Paul

Death Hill x 5

2009-08-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was only the second group run I've missed all year...and boy am I glad it was! I was almost feeling guilty about it too right up until I got this post-run text from Linda:

"It's Linda. OMG death hill 5 times up and down. Then two hills after that. We missed you. The pain hasn't left my body yet."

Since I wasn't there to witness the beating that Nate put on everyone I can't do it much justice so instead of the usual narrative, this week's post will be in the form of a multiple choice quiz. If you were there, then providing the answers should be a piece of cake (mmmm....cake!) and if you weren't there then you'll have to seek out someone who was there and try to get some details. Don't get all your answers from one person though because that's cheating and if I find out you cheated, well, let's just say you'll be begging for push-ups. You can post your answers as a comment, or email them to me. If you get all the answers right then you get a pass from pre-run push ups next week. Ok, here it goes:

1. Whose husband came out to run with the group for the first time?
A. Linda
B. Carlah
C. Lisa
D. Nate

2. Who fell twice and is now an official trail runner?
A. Carlah
B. Fred
D. Linda
D. Anton

3. Who offered Nate $10 to stop after 4 times up death hill?
A. Lisa
B. Butch
C. Fred
D. Linda

4. Who took a pee break on the way up death hill?
A. Butch
B. Nate
C. Anton
D. Fred

Roll call: Anton, Butch, Carlah, Fred, Linda, Lisa, Nate

L to R: Carlah, Lisa, Anton, Nate, Butch, Linda, Fred

DREGS Summer Series

2009-08-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

The folks over at DREGS have announced the details for their summer series of underground trail/adventure runs. Head on over to http://dregsclub.com/ for full details but here are the dates and locations:

Sat. Aug 15 - South Mtn. ReservationNon-Competitive
Sun. Aug 23 - Cheesequake State ParkNon-Competitive
Sat. Aug 29 - Pyramid Mtn.Non-Competitive

I'd like to make at least one of these summer events since I really enjoyed the run I did with them in the spring out in Watchung. If anyone is interested in going to any of these leave a comment or email me and let me know.

Better late than never...

2009-08-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy for me this week so here it is Thursday and I'm just getting to post the run report now. I know all of you are eagerly anticipating it (not!) so here it goes...

We met at MCP, started off on the bike path to the first trail entrance and ducked in there to find it very muddy. When we got out from there we stuck to the bike path and headed back into the trails up behind the tennis center. Upon exiting the trails again we hung a left and headed up the stone hill, then took a right and headed down towards the boat house on the bike path, then over the bridge until we reached the power lines and cut it back into the trails. At some point there we took a wrong turn and ended up looping back around to the power lines and then headed back into the trails and took them out to the dam.

When we reached the clearing that leads to the dam there was some chatter about people wanting to do indian sprints and the next thing I new Lisa came sprinting by and didn't stop. I waited for a few seconds for the next person to come on up but it didn't happen and I noticed that Lisa was still sprinting putting quite a gap between herself and the front of the line so naturally I took off. There were a couple of us that were crazy enough to go after her and ended up sprinting pretty much all the way out to the dam. Others just hung behind at normal pace which I have to admit was probably the smarter thing to do. Once everyone reached the dam we did our hill sprints and then headed back. On the way back we streched it out a little longer hitting the twirly bird, running up the stone hill again before heading back into the trails, and then coming out again behind the tennis courts to pick up the bike path back to the parking lot.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Carlah, Charlie, Fred, Jess, Linda, Lisa

L to R: Bill S., Fred, Lisa, Butch, Linda, Charlie, Carlah, Bill Y. (not pictured: Jess)

Turkey Swamp Race Day

2009-07-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a reminder about the upcoming Turkey Swamp Race Day being help at Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold, NJ, on Sunday, 8/9/09. You can choose your distance from 10 miles, 25k, 20 miles, or 30 miles. This is a great trail race so don't miss it.

Click here for details.

Hope to see everyone there!!!

Uphill Both Ways

2009-07-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

This week we returned to Clayton for the second week in a row and I sure was happy to have Nate back with the group. Since I worked until about 2:30AM on Friday night and got at best 3 hours of sleep before getting up to go meet the group I struggled to think how I was going to keep up with everyone, let alone lead the way through the trails at Clayton. With Nate there to lead the way I knew I could sit back and take it easy...then we got started and I realized, oh crap, Nate was going to be leading us! Maybe it had been that long, or maybe I was just still half asleep, but clearly Nate leading us was going to make things tough. And tough it was.

We headed out the back from the parking lot towards the soybean fields then turned in to the right and headed up hill. At the split at the top of the first hill we made a left. It's been a long time since I made the left at the split and oh what a hill...it seemed to never end. Eventually, though we reached the top and took another left and headed out towards Doctor's Trail. After we ran up "the hill", we took another left and then headed straight across the four way intersection into the extra loop. Once out of the extra loop we headed left (note to self: if ever I get lost in Clayton...make a left) then went down, up, down, and swung all the way around before coming back to the top of "the hill". Down we went and then made a right and headed back the way we came until reaching the soybean field. There we made a left and then headed uphill and took a right this time at the split (thank you Jesus!) and headed uphill one last time before kicking it into the parking lot.

All in all, it was a great run and I was actually surprised at how strong I felt given the lack of sleep I got the night before. Everyone else did a great job too. Even with all those extra push-ups Nate decided to throw in at random points along the trail. Special kudos to Carlah for coming back out this week. Usually, when someone comes out to run with us for the first time at Clayton it's a while before we see them again. Carlah came right back though and hung tough the whole way. Way to go girl!

You'll notice there is no pic this week because both of our group photographers were absent. Linda was busy partying it up with the girls in LBI and Bill S. was celebrating his birthday with family in Wildwoood. Happy belated birthday Bill!

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Carlah, Fred, Jess, Lisa, Mariana (yes, Mariana actually showed up!), Nate, Sue

Got Shirts?

2009-07-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

As runners, we all have tons of race shirts but if you don't have an official Hamilton Area Trail Runs shirt then surely you have room for one more. That's right! The group you love to run with and read about is now offering you a chance to get your very own t-shirt! And it's not just your average cotton tee, no way! We're talking moisture wicking performance fabric here folks complete with the Hamilton Area Trail Runs official logo emblazoned across the chest and the official hamiltonareatrailruns.com URL across the back.

So how do I get one, you ask?

Thanks to the generous offer from our own Butch Cuilla, who is volunteering his manufacturing time and passing the shirts along at cost, you can get yours for just $15! That's right...$15! Or just 1 easy payment of...you guessed it...$15! That's probably less than the price of your last race fee for a better shirt and you don't even have to race to get it!!! To order, send me an email indicating your desired size, choice of men's or women's style, and then just bring your payment to the next group run.

Notyalc

2009-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

It had been over a month since we ran at Clayton and it felt like it. No matter where else we are that first week back at Clayton is always a tough one. I suspected it would be so we started off easy. We headed into Glen Trail at the entrance and took it in the reverse direction than what we usually do which meant the hills we're normally running up, we got to run down. When we reached the bottom and came out near the soybean field we hung a right and headed into Doctor's Creek taking it all the way over to "the hill". Once up the hill we took a left, then a right, looping back around and eventually heading back down "the hill". At the bottom, we made a right and then headed out the way we came in which, of course, meant that those downhills we enjoyed on the way in were now the uphills we were used to seeing.

I think this week was the shortest run we've ever had at just under 4 miles. I'm not usually one to even pay too much attention to the distance during the group runs but this week was noticeably short. I usually pay more attention to the time since most folks have places to be so we're trying to get them out of there on time. That was the case this week too but perhaps we could have found the time and stretched it out just a little longer.

We introduced two runners to Clayton this week: Heather L., who has been running with us the last couple of weeks at Steinert and MCP; and Carlah, who came out for the first time on Saturday. The both of them did very well for their first run at Clayton and we look forward to having them with us again next week when we return to the hills!!!

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Carlah, Fred, Heather, Linda, Lisa

L to R: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Linda, Carlah, Fred, Lisa, Heather L.

Promises

2009-07-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we met at MCP once again and had a short run out to the dam and back. As promised, I arrived with a free gift for everyone that showed up to both runs the previous week. As it turned out, only 2 of the 4 others were able to make it this week so Linda and Heather L., were the only ones who got their free travel size insect repellent spray. It's true this sort of thing would have come in handier last week but at least they'll be prepared for next time...yes, there will be a next time! :)

Another promise made good on from last week were the homemade chocolate chip cookies that Linda brought along. At some point during last week's craziness she was talking up her own cookies telling us how good they were and, of course, we gave her a hard time since we'd never actually tasted them...so she baked a batch and brought them along on Saturday. I think I'm still partial to my wife's recipe but these come a close second. Then again, I don't think I've ever had a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like!?!?

Ok, so with all that out of the way on to our run. With several parties planned later in the day and many folks needing to get out on time, we took off knowing we would be keeping it short and sweet (no pun intended...see cookies above!). We headed right into the trails at the first chance off the bike path and stayed there all the way to the boat house. Then we stayed on the bike path over the bridge and up to the power lines where we cut it in uphill and found our way back onto the trails. Eventually reaching the dam path, we tossed in a round of indian sprints on the straightaway out to the dam and then put in some hill sprints upon reaching it.

From there it was directly back to the parking lot. Checking the time as we started back and seeing it was getting late I decided to pick up the pace a bit and see who hung on. Nate, Fred, and I reached the bike path and turned around to see that we were by ourselves. Usually we all try and stick together and I was feeling a little guilty for darting ahead so I suggested we do push-ups until the rest of the group caught up. Thankfully, it wasn't long before everyone else showed up and we were all back together again. Since we were still trying to make up time we decided to stick to the bike path and take the most direct route back. It wasn't but a minute or two that we were all back together on the bike path that we saw Heather L., running towards us. She had showed up a little late and missed the group start but as luck would have it ran into us on the way back so was able to join us for half of her run anyway.

On the way back, as I said, we stuck mostly to the bike path until reaching the boat house where we went back into the trails and stayed down low along the lake. This is the most direct route -- even more so than the bike path -- although you do have to pay for it at some point by making your way up a pretty good size hill. You get your pick of 2 or 3 though and some are longer than others. As I was running through this section I realized I hadn't come this way since the winter when I was out alone the day of a snow storm to test out my Kahtoola MICROspikes (see previous post). Anyway, once we reached the parking lot we took a moment to snap a picture, and taste a cookie, and then it was off to the rest of our busy days.

It was nice to see some old faces coming back to run with the group this week. I think that's one of the nice things about these group runs. People may take time off to tend to injuries or just be too busy with their hectic schedules to make a group run for a couple of weeks but it seems that once you come out you eventually find a way to make it back when you can...and when you do we promise to be there waiting for you!

Roll call: Bill Y., Fred, Heather C., Heather L., Karen, Linda, Lisa, Nate

L to R: Karen, Linda, Lisa, Nate, Bill Y., Fred, Heather L., Heather C.

Changing it up...

2009-07-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend's workouts pretty much speak for themselves. I think it's good though to reiterate what I hope many of you who came out with us this weekend have already concluded. That is, there is no single better thing you can do for yourself in terms of fitness than to remember to change it up every now and then. It doesn't matter whether you're a rabbit taking home medals every weekend from your local 5k, a mid-distance runner who glides through the miles all week, a marathoner who trains consistently and religiously in hopes of hitting that 3:30:00 mark, or a triathlete squeezing in a bike/swim/run whenever you can, your body will get used to what ever you make it do over and over again. That's why I threw out the crossfit challenge I did on Friday and invited the gang over to Steinert High School for something a little different. The routine is one that I've done before and usually try to do a couple times a week over the summer while school is out. Basically, it's just a circuit of some extreme cardio...here it is:

Get to your local high school track and complete the following for 4 laps after a proper warm-up:

Begin with a 100 yard sprint along the first straightaway.

Jog half the turn and then head into the area behind the end zone. This will be your push up station where you'll alternate between the following, choosing one exercise at each lap:

-regular push ups

-triceps push ups

-wide push ups

-8 count body builders

Get up and jog the remaining half of the turn then sprint 50 yds at the straightaway. At the 50 yard line exit the track, jog over to the bleachers and run up and down each set of stairs heading up and down the same staircase, then over to the next one. When you've completed the entire set of bleachers jog back to the 50 yd line, get back on the track, and then continue jogging around the track until you reach the halfway point of the next turn.

This will be your leg station where you'll alternate between the following, choosing one exercise at at each lap:

-squats

-jumping lunges

-jumping knees to chest

-squat and hold

From this station, jog the remaining curve and start all over with the 100 yard sprint when you reach the straightaway.

Start with 4 full laps and work your way up to 6, 8, 10...

Everyone that came out Friday morning, despite not really knowing what to expect, did an excellent job. I have to say, as embarrassing as it may be, that I was probably the hardest hit by the workout towards the end which was evident by me being the first to drop on the squat and holds! Note to self: when putting the challenge out there to others be sure you can complete it yourself.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Frank, Heather, Jess, Linda, Lisa, Nate

L to R: Frank, Bill S., Butch, Linda, Bill Y, Nate, Lisa, Heather, Jess

With the crazy crossfit cardio workout done on Friday, it was time for our normal Saturday morning trail run. I got a text from Nate at about 6:15am, which is never a good sign, to say he was not going to make it. I have to give him a pass this week though since he held up the pace for the group on Friday morning when I could not. As I drove to the park I wondered who from the group that turned out the previous day would drag themselves out again. I also wondered how folks would be feeling the day after.

As I pulled into the parking lot, Bill S. was there waiting. The first words out his mouth were: "I'm sooo friggin' sore!" Then Butch and Linda pulled up. As I walked over to say hello, Butch was stretching out against the back of his truck and said: "I'm not too proud to say that I've never been this sore before!" Too funny!!!

After a few minutes grace period to see who else might show up it was time to get the show on the road. There were 5 of us, all of whom had made it out Friday morning as well, ready to tackle some trails...or so we thought.

We headed out along the bike path and ducked into the trails taking our usual route over past the boat house, up to the twirly bird, and out to the end of the lake. Along the way one of us, whose name I won't mention but it starts with "L" and ends with "A" so you can figure it out for yourself, seemed to have problems just staying on her feet and took two falls on the way out. She eventually got it together though, stopped the bleeding and held her own on a very tough run.

When we reached the path that leads out to the damn we headed straight back into the trails instead of making the right turn that takes you out to the damn. Once back in the trails we took the third right, turning at the two large boulders marking the trail entrance, and headed out to the back corner of the park towards the corner of Hughes Drive and Quakerbridge Road.

As we reached Quakerbridge Road it was apparent that the construction they had just recently completed in that area to improve the flow at Quakerbridge and Hughes while great for traffic had disrupted the flow of the trails quite a bit. It used to be that you could cross the creek at several spots near the corner using logs and/or stepping stones. When we got there, however, we found that those options had been taken away from us so we headed up over the recently installed guardrail and onto the nice new sidewalk which took us over the creek along the road. When we reached the other side of the bridge we hopped over the guardrail again and headed back down into the woods. It took a few seconds to pick up the trail but eventually we found it. It became obvious at that point that the construction taking place on the corner had kept people off this section of trails for sometime. The weeds were overgrown and the trails were a mess. At times it was reminiscent of the bushwhacking we had done out in Reading, PA, over the winter. In fact, at one point I had joked that Ron Horn, himself, had suggested the route we were taking.

We pushed along cautiously so as not to turn any ankles as we stepped down into the overgrown brush onto trails we felt with our feet, but could not see. This went on for some time but eventually we came out right where I knew we would, along the power lines that lead you back to the lake. When we got back to the lake we stood in the opposite corner, diagonally across from the point where we had started. We paused briefly to discuss the options and then took a vote. We had three paths to choose from:

a) head left, and onto the golf course to pick up the cart path to take it back through the golf course until we could pick up a trail on the other side

b) head straight, into more overgrown, messy trail staying tight along the lake and pick up the trails on the other side by squeezing along the narrow tract between the lake and the golf course

c) head right, towards the damn, cross over it, and then head back the way we came (aka - quit)

When the votes were cast, it was unanimous. We headed straight into more overgrown, messy trail staying tight along the lake and picking up the trails on the other side by squeezing along the narrow tract between the lake and the golf course. When we reached the golf course we had trouble picking up the trail again and had to spend some more time bushwhacking. After a minute or two though, we picked up the trail and started making our way back. After a couple of poorly maneuvered water crossings, leaving some of us with wet feet, we headed slightly uphill and put some space between us and the lake.

We were all delighted when we came out to the road that leads into the rowing center. I've said it before but it really is a great feeling when you stand at the opposite side of the lake and look across to see the boat house and the playground that you ran past when you started out on your run. With the end in sight, we headed along the stone path that runs behind the rowing center and back into the trails for a final go at it. At this point, I think every one's legs were cooked. Between the tough workout at the track the previous day and all the bushwhacking we had just done we were all looking forward to the finish. As we came out of the trails we summoned whatever we had left and kicked along the road back to the parking lot where we started.

At this point, the running was behind us but our work wasn't complete. Now it was time to start picking the ticks off of our legs, arms, and in one case, face. YUCK! Seriously though, as the temps climb and we start wearing less out on the trails it's important to remember to check yourself for ticks afterwards. Even when your not bushwhacking it through the rough like we were you can still pick up a tick pretty easily. It's not a big deal as long as you get it off of you before it sinks in. For information on ticks, how to check yourself for them, and how to remove them if/when you find them click here.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Heather, Linda

L to R: Heather, Butch, Linda, Bill Y., Bill S.

Washington Crossing

2009-06-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, four of us hit the trails at Washington Crossing for a change of scenery. With all our group runs usually being at either MCP or Clayton, it was nice to see some new trails for a change. The park definitely has a lot to offer and we'll be sure to get it into our rotation throughout the summer. Many thanks to Heather for leading the way -- how lucky is she for having those trails to run all week at lunch hour?

We met in the parking lot next to the Nelson House, between the canal and the river just off River Rd. I knew the location from having met there twice: first to run the canal about a year ago with Trenton Runs, and then more recently on Wednesday to meet Heather for a preview of the trails at Washington Crossing. It was about 7:15am by the time we got underway because, unfortunately, we were waiting on Jess who had some trouble finding us...blame it on the GPS. I say unfortunately not because we were waiting but because she never made it to the meet up and so not only did we miss her on the run, I couldn't present her with the AG award she won the week before at the Run for Dad 5k. :-(

We took off from the parking lot, up the pedestrian bridge that leads over River Road, and then made our way into the park and hit the trails. Since Heather is familiar with the trails she led us through most of the run giving us a nice taste of what there is to see there. In addition to some nice trails, we hit some decent hills, crossed a couple of bridges, and even saw some deer (and a hot dog that started chasing us for a bit at mile 2.5!). At one point we crossed paths with another larger group from Bucks County Road Runners who was out on the trails. For a few seconds I worried about the potential for a turf war...then Karen was quick to remind us that "they" were on the Jersey side of the river! :) We looped around for about an hour and eventually came back out the way we went in, back down the pedestrian bridge, around the front of the Nelson House, and into the parking lot.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Heather, Karen

L to R: Bill S., Bill Y., Heather, Karen

2009 ACS Run for Dad Race Report

2009-06-24T06:58:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, a handful of us trail runners took it to the pavement to participate in the American Cancer Society's Run for Dad 5k, at Mercer County Park. It's goal is to raise awareness about prostate cancer and money to support cancer research projects. The event, offering a 5k run, 2 mile walk, and kids runs suitable for all ages, provides a wonderful opportunity for the entire family to get out there and do something fun and healthy to celebrate Father's Day.

The rain was falling lightly during race registration so I ducked under one of the tents to pin my bib on my shirt. As I stood there next to a small crowd that gathered to seek the same protection from the elements that brought me there a man commented on the shirt I was wearing asking me what that race was like - I was wearing my Turkey Swamp Race Day shirt. We started to talk about it and it's varying distances when I learned that his daughter, who was there with him to run the 5k that day, had signed the both of them up for the 10 miler at Turkey Swamp. I think maybe she hadn't given him all the information on that race yet though because he seemed as surprised as I was to learn that he was signed up for it. We continued to talk and I learned that his daughter had set herself a goal of running the Phili 1/2 and that her father, in a fit of insobriety at a family picnic last year had promised to train with his daughter and complete the races she signed up for. So, here he was, up early on Father's Day huddled under a tent with his family and some strangers getting ready to take to the line and run a 5k.

These are the kind of stories you can get at this race but this story didn't end there as I though it had. It wasn't until after I had finished the race before I got the rest of this story. As I usually do, I was walking back away from the finish line to cheer on the other runners as they came down the last quarter mile towards the finish. After having seen the last of our trail runners pass I turned it back around and started to jog lightly back to the finish to congratulate everyone and watch the kids races. As I did, I looked to my left and saw the man from the tent coming up along side me. He was finishing up his race and looked ever so happy to be doing so. I did my best to motivate him on and he seemed pleased to have someone to talk to. I told him he was doing great and asked him what it was that was bringing him out there. I knew about the fact that he got drunk and promised he would but honestly, we've all gotten drunk and promised things right? There was something else driving this guy. He told me that he had just turned sixty and had given up smoking and drinking and was hoping to start taking better care of himself so he could "stick around" for a while. I explained that if he was really making that decision for himself, and was committed to the life change, that I had no doubt he could do it. I wished him the best of luck and then jogged off to meet up with the gang. During the awards ceremony, I saw his daughter get called up and accept an age group award. The look on the man's face when his daughter accepted the award was priceless. Drunken again, although this time with pride, I just hope he didn't make any more promises when she came back and hugged him.

As for the group, some major kudos has to go to Jess and Sue for winning age group awards. Everyone from the group put in spectacular efforts and should get awards just for coming out to run on what was a miserable day weather-wise.

Here are the results for those that came out:

Place Runner City,State Age Sx Time Pace Gender Place AG Place

56.Bill Scannon Mercerville,NJ 42 M 22:03 7:06 51/323 M40-44:7/45

59.Bill Yorke Hamilton,NJ 34 M 22:13 7:09 53/323 M30-34:7/29

82.Susan Juronics Heightstown,NJ 61 F 22:56 7:23 7/143 F60-64:1/4

136.Phillip Cuilla Cream Ridge,NJ 45 M 25:06 8:05 118/323 M45-49:16/40

164.Jessica Bomm Hamilton,NJ 32 F 25:59 8:22 21/143 F30-34:3/12

323.Linda Cuilla Cream Ridge,NJ 44 F 31:05 10:00 75/143 F40-44:6/15

Complete results can be seen here.

Here's a pic of the gang post-race:

L to R: Jess (with husband and son), Linda, Butch, Bill Y., and Bill S. (with son)

Father's Day Warmup

2009-06-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, eight of us met at Mercer County Park for what was more of a "bike trail" run than a trail run. Since it's been raining in these parts for what seems like the past month trail conditions were far from ideal. We headed out from the picnic area on the bike trail, cut in behind the tennis courts, and headed up to the top of the hills. As we exited the trails we took a sharp left and headed up the stone path before taking another left and heading back towards the tennis courts.

The plan all along was to get in some trails and work in the course many of us would be running the next day in the Run for Dad 5k so we turned out towards the street that cuts through the park and headed to the starting line. From there we ran whole course, mostly on the bike path, and then headed back into the trails breifly before hopping on the dry bike path again and taking it to the picnic area where we started.

We welcomed back Sue and Jess this week who were busy with other things the last couple of weekends but who, of course, had been getting their running in and didn't miss a step. We even welcomed a newcomer, Yasi, who joined us after several weeks of toying with the idea. As I think she will attest to, we don't bite, so if you read this blog and think you might be interested, or know someone who might be, just come on out...and if it makes you feel better bring a friend!

Roll Call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Jess, Linda, Lisa, Sue, Yasi

L to R: (standing rear) Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Linda, Yasi, Jess (kneeling front) Sue, Lisa

Short and Sweet

2009-06-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

On my way to Clayton this morning I looked down and saw my tank was on E. As I pulled into the gas station to fill up I noticed a text from Nate saying he had to skip the group run because he had to be somewhere by 8:30. Before I pulled out of the BP I texted Butch to let him know I'd be there a few minutes late but that I'd be there. By the time I pulled into the parking lot where we meet it was just a few minutes past the hour. It was just four of us that showed up this morning so we got right underway after having put in our push-ups much to Linda's surprise who thought we skipped those when Nate was away -- silly Linda!

We took off from the parking lot and headed right into the trails, taking Bridges Trail out to Doctor's Trail, heading uphill. At the top of the hill, instead of making the left, we stayed straight and headed around the loop on Old Forge Trail before coming to a four way trail crossing. At the crossing we heading right, which I thought would take us out towards the soybean field but instead it put us in the extra loop on Doctor's Trail. Coming out of the extra loop we took a right and headed back the way we came, this time heading back up the hills we ran down on the way in on Bridges Trail.

Roll call: Bill Y., Bill S., Butch and Linda

L to R: Bill Y, Butch, Linda, Bill S.

MCP, M.I.A., and a Scratch

2009-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we met at Mercer County Park for the first time in a couple of weeks. The plan was to run with a guest from Boston that Bill S. was bringing along but with the days leading up to the group run having delivered a mix of sun and showers, the trails promised to be pretty muddy. Evidently, the folks from Boston, while famous for having one of the oldest and toughest road marathons are scared away by a little mud when they venture off-road. Our special guest was M.I.A.

With 7 runners ready to brave the trails despite the sloppy conditions we took off towards the dam. Just as we started we came upon two walkers out on the bike path and Nate tried every line in his book (ok, I'm sure it was every line but you know what I mean) to try to motivate them to join us. For a moment, I thought he had them but then they bailed and resumed their walking. It was all for the best though. Evidently, there was a race walk scheduled in the park to start at 8am which meant that we would have come across a lot more walkers and, of course, felt obligated to convert everyone of them to trail runners.

We carried on up to the tennis courts and headed into the trails behind the tennis center. From there it was out to the boat house, up through the twirly bird before swinging it wide around the outside before coming upon the path leading out to the dam. Upon reaching the path we ran two rounds of indian sprints and then almost everyone participated in the hill sprints next to the dam. On the way back we took pretty much the same trails, with the exception of the twirly bird, until reaching the hills between the boat house and the tennis center. There, Nate decided to lead everyone, or almost everyone, down the big hill and then turn it around and headed back up. From there it was eventually back out to the bike path and then someone, I forget who, decided to start sprinting early towards the foot bridge so, of course, we all fell in line and drafted behind them out to the parking lot.

While we didn't get to meet our guest from Beantown, we did have a new comer join us. Karen, who joined us a few weeks back for the first time, came back and brought her friend Lisa along. Karen actually ran to the meetup from her house which no matter who you are always seems like a better idea the night before for some reason, than it does by the end of the run. Still, it was great to have her back with the group and Lisa proved to be a very strong runner having stayed with the lead pack the whole way.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I intentionally held back and in some cases skipped the hills entirely this week. I did so with the intention of running the hills at the Hartshorne Woods Trail Run the next day but I decided on Saturday night to skip it, making me a scratch for the race. I spent the entire day Saturday feeling exhausted, having not gotten much sleep during the week due to the hours I keep dealing with work and family obligations. As much as I wanted to run the race I thought it best to give my body the rest it needed.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Karen, Lisa, Nate

L to R: Butch, Karen, Lisa, Nate, Bill Y., Bill S.

Embracing the Hills

2009-05-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

On the way to Clayton this morning some of us were slightly delayed by some poor fool who managed to wrap his BMW around a telephone pole just before the left turn on to Emley's Hill Road. Thankfully, it didn't appear that anyone was hurt. I saw what I assumed to be the unhappy driver walking around near the scene with a trooper as the flat bed driver prepared to drag the wreck off the pole to be hauled away.

By the time we finally got underway it was about 7:15. We headed straight into the trails from the parking lot and wasted no more time. We worked our way out to the Doctor's Trail and then stopped at the foot of the big hill -- those of you who have run with us know what hill I'm talking about. It was at that point that we began to kick things up a notch. While some may have felt not too unlike that poor driver who ran into the pole every one of the unsuspecting warriors that had joined us this morning were great sports and rose to the challenge presented to them.

So what was the challenge you ask? From the foot of the hill we took off two by two sprinting uphill for about 50 yards. When the first pair reached the top we turned around and jogged back down to the bottom to recover while the next pair took off. When the last pair was done the first pair repeated the climb except this time we stretched it out, sprinting about 100 yards up the hill before turning it around and jogging back down. The process continued until everyone had done the 100 yards. Then we did it again stretching the third rep out to about 150 yards. When everyone had put in their 150 yard hill sprints it was time to step our way back down the ladder. We then did another round of the 100 yards followed by a final round of the 50 yards. In the end we had completed a total of 5 hill sprints of 50-100-150-100-50 yards on a hill that most people complain about having to run up just once each week. Not wanting to make things too different for everyone this week we then took off together all the way up the hill and continued with our run.

By this time it was about 7:40 and we usually try to get people in and out within an hour so we found our way over to and took a trip back down the other side of the big hill. Then we hooked a left and headed out the way we came. This, of course, meant we were running pretty much uphill most of the way out. I was actually surprised at how much energy several folks still had on the way out. I started thinking...from the back of the herd...that maybe some of them held back a little on the hill sprints?

It was just a few minutes past 8 when we got back to the parking lot. Our shortest run to date but I don't think anyone felt as though they put in any less work this week. If they did it was their own fault for not embracing the hills.

Editorial note:
Today's hill workout as well as the title of this blog post was inspired by the article, BREATH TAKING by Michael Lanza, published in this months Runner's World. If you haven't read it yet I would highly suggest it. I was very pleased to see the mag dedicate some space to trail running. I just worry that somewhere out there this weekend there might be someone running their first 5k with their shoes tied improperly because of it. :) Just kidding, I love you RW!

Roll call: Bill Y., Bill S., Butch, Fred, Heather, Linda, Nate, Terry

It wouldn't be a trail run with Linda without the photo op

(L to R: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Linda, Nate, Terry, Heather, Fred)

Man down!

2009-05-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Early on Saturday morning I got a text from Nate saying that he wasn't feeling too well and had decided to skip the run. Usually, when we run at Clayton I have to depend on Nate to lead the way because even after a couple of years of running there I still get lost. Drop me blindfolded in Mercer and I'll find my way without a problem but all the trails at Clayton just look the same to me.

Anyway, six of us met at Clayton for the group run. We headed out around the back as we have been doing for the last several Clayton runs and then eventually took it around Doctor's Trail but instead of making the left on the way out we made the right and headed back out towards the soybean field. Once we reached the soybean field we again stayed right and went back out the way we came. This trail (Bridges?) always surprises me on the way out. On the way in it never really feels like you're running downhill that much but in the opposite direction you realize it's a nice steady incline. Once we reached the apex it was just a few hundred feet before the final left turn into the straightaway back to the parking lot -- sprint and hurdle optional.

Pictured below is a post-run shot of the group compliments of Linda and her automatic camera. Be sure to check out some other great shots from the run , taken by Charlie, over at Shoreturtle.

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Heather, Jess, Linda

L to R: Jess, Heather, Butch, Bill Y., Charlie, Linda

Race Report: The Great Underground Trail Series - Race #4

2009-05-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, I headed off all by my lonesome to represent HATR at The Great Underground Trail Series - Race #4. The 7-mile trail race was held at Watchung Reservation in Watchung, NJ and hosted by Iron Pete Priolo, Ironman triathlete turned ultrarunner. It took me about an hour to get out there from Hamilton, having trekked out 206N to 78E. When I arrived I was surprised at how many people had showed up for this "unofficial" race. I'd say there were about 30-40 runners at the start. After some quick announcements, Pete literally dragged his foot through the dirt and then proceeded to point out the starting line.

A few moments later we were on our way. Going into this race I really had no idea what to expect other than hills. That's why when we ran the first 2 miles in mostly flat or downhill trail I become a little worried that this was just setting us up for the rest of the race. After making our way around the aptly named Lake Surprise, we turned it uphill and then out past the "deserted village"...it's actually not as scary as it's name but it certainly was a little odd to these deserted houses in the middle of the trails. Once past the houses, the trails narrowed again and we went back in and started to climb some decent hills. After about 3 miles of ups and downs along the powder marked trails we came out along the edge of a river and continued to climb for about another 1/2 mile or so before coming upon a beautiful waterfall. I took just a second or two to take in the sights before running back off into the trails. It wasn't long after that before we hooked it back up one last huge hill to the finish.

Before the race I met up with John Otten, of njtrailrunners.com. John and I discussed the possibilty of getting our respective groups together for a run sometime over the summer. One possible venue may be Six Mile Run Park, in Somerset County. Stay tuned for details...

Weekend Warriors

2009-05-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we met at Mercer County Park for our usual group run. It was yet another great turnout and we even had two newcomers show up.

For what seems likes forever Linda, Butch's wife, has been wanting to join us but has been too intimidated (read as lazy to get out of bed) to run with us. Well, she finally mustered up the courage this week and guess what....she didn't die! Actually for someone who said just three months ago: "I don't run!", she did great.

The other newcomer was Karen, who was sent over by suggestion from Bill S. and Tom P., who both live nearby. Since her normal running partner couldn't make it she decided to meet up with us. Proving once again what a small world it really is, it turns out that I used to work with one of the ladies that she usually runs with too. Go figure!

After getting some introductions out of the way we took off on the bike path. The plan, according to Nate, was to head out to the dam and hit the twirly bird on the way back. Then he followed it up with the infamous statement: "But you've gotta be ready for anything along the way..." I haven't know Nate for a long time but I've known him long enough to know that we were in for it. As we exited the first section of trails, about 1-1.5 miles he called everyone out and we dropped for push-ups. Then it was up and over to the boat house where as soon he took the right and ran behind it I knew what was in store. It was two reps of hill sprints -- sprinting up the paved incline that runs up the side of the boat house and then jogging back down. At that point even some of us regulars were looking for a breather and I can only imagine what the newcomers were thinking. Instead, we got right back into the run taking the bike path over to a small incline running alongside of the power lines that cut through the park. Then we hooked a right turn and headed back into the trails until reaching the clearing which leads out to the dam. It was then that I decided to add to Nate's little game of torture and called out to Charlie who was pulling up the rear. He's run with us enough to know what that meant and so he sprinted up to the front of the line. When he reached the front the next person released and sprinted alongside to the front of the line. This continued until the leader when we started was back in front. By that time we had reached the dam and it was time to put in another pair of hill sprints. After a quick breather, it was time to head back by way of the twirly bird. In the end, we had ran about 6 or 7 miles plus all the "extras" on the way. A great workout to start the day!

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Fred, Karen, Linda, Lisa, Nate, Sue

Linda said it was really just this photo op that made her come out and run.

(Front L to R : Lisa, Bill Y., Linda, Sue, Nate, Fred; Rear L to R: Charlie, Butch, Karen)

Races...

2009-05-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of reminders about trail races coming up this weekend:

On Saturday evening, the folks at Pretzel City Sports are hosting what promises to be yet another spectacular event. The Dark & Dirty Nightime Trail Run, a 6.6 mile trail run *starts at* 8:00PM out in Reading, PA. It does require that all runners wear a headlamp so if you want in make sure you have, or can borrow, the necessary gear.

On Sunday, the DREGS will be hosting THE GREAT UNDERGROUND TRAIL SERIES #4 - WATCHUNG RESERVATION. This 7 mile unofficial race starts at 1o:00AM and takes place in Watchung, NJ. For you facebook friends, you can also check out the event page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=66116170148.

If you're interested in either of these events leave a comment below, or send me an email, and I'll make sure to hook you up with the rest of the HATR's that are heading out to which ever one you're interested in.

Seasons Change

2009-05-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

We had 8 people turn out to run the trails/hills of Clayton Saturday morning. If you weren't there you missed out on a great run. The weather was perfect and the trees are really starting to fill in nicely. It wasn't that long ago that we could see all the way to the other side of the park in places and now we're pretty much surrounded by growth preventing us from seeing anything but the trail in front of us in some areas. It's great to run the trails and watch the seasons change. It won't be long now before the horse flies show up to greet us but the next few weeks of Clayton should be beautiful. That won't keep us from getting in a few runs at MCP though so if you can't make it out to Clayton for any reason, fear not. Be sure to check the sidebar each Friday afternoon, at the latest, to find out where we will be meeting for the Saturday group run.

Here's a post-run pic of the group from Saturday from Bill S.:

From L to R: Butch, Lisa, Nate, Bill Y., Bill S., Fred, Charlie, Sue

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Fred, Nate, Sue, Lisa

Yes...we ran

2009-05-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you have been eagerly anticipating this week's run report (nobody actually does that right?) I extend my sincerest apologies. It's been a very busy week and as a result I haven't made time to post. I promised myself that I wouldn't fall a full week behind though, and since tomorrow is another group run, here it goes:

We met at Clayton on a cloudy morning determined to get a run in between rain showers. It had been raining for a day or so leading in and there were more showers in the forecast. As we set off around the back of the parking lot towards the soybean field, skipping the usual warm-up laps near the parking lot, the pace was casual and there was an awful lot of chattering about this and that. As it usually does the talk cut down dramatically once we got into the run. Nate, who was leading the group, evidently found some sort of zone and took off through the hills of Clayton. We all did our best to keep up with him but at times we had to just drop back. We did a loop through the Doctor's trail and added the extra loop before heading back out of the trails. As we came out I noticed Nate kept running...right to the Porta-John...it explained a lot! :)

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Nate, Sue, Terry

Good Luck!!!

2009-04-30T19:11:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say good luck to everyone who will be road racing this weekend. Whether you're heading to Philadelphia for the 2009 Blue Cross Broad Street Run, or Long Branch for the NJ Marathon, or Long Branch Half Marathon, your friends at HATR wish you the best of luck. We look forward to hearing/reading all the race reports and seeing you again on the trails real soon.

For those of you not racing this weekend, we'll be having our group run at Clayton Park Saturday morning at 7:00am. You won't get a t-shirt, or any fancy medals, but I can guarantee there won't be a line at the Porta-John!

Heatwave

2009-04-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

For the second week in a row we were blessed with summer like temperatures in April. When we started our run at 7am it was already in the 50's and the sun was shining. It certainly felt more like June or July than it did April. As the day went on it just got warmer and warmer too, eventually breaking all kinds of records for high temps in April. As is the case in the dog days of summer I think we were all glad to be getting our run in early.

We started out on the bike path and took it all the way up to the tennis courts before heading into the trails and back out to the boat house. From there we turned up to the volleyball courts and navigated the twirly bird on the way out to the dam. When we reached the dam there were some requests to head into the trails behind it but since several of us had schedules to keep we decided to head back the way we came in the interest of time. I think we are due for a long run though and may just have to head back there in the coming weeks.

Despite the absence of some regulars we had a good turnout and welcomed another newcomer to the group -- Charlie brought along a friend from the Twin Rivers Club. It was great to have Sue, such an accomplished runner, along for the run.

Roll call: Bill Y., Charlie, Fred, Lisa, Mariana, Sue, Terry

What A Beautiful Day!

2009-04-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

This week's run would have been perfect for a wedding. Not only was the weather beautiful but it contained all the essentials for a bride on her wedding day -- something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

We were met by some old friends who hadn't joined us in a while but were back to run with the group. It was great to see both Tom P., and Heather back out on the trails again.

We even had a new face among us. Lisa brought her neighbor, Fred, along to run with us. It's always nice to meet new people and welcome them to the group. Hopefully, he enjoyed himself enough to keep coming back.

As we made our way out of the first section of trails we came upon the team area where dozens of high schools from all over were preparing to compete in the Mercer Lake Sprints/ ISA Sculling Championships. It was at that point where Bill S. (a.k.a. - flyers26) showed us what being a Philadelphia sports fan is all about when he borrowed every one liner ever heard within the City of Brotherly Love and heckled the teams as we ran past their tents. Here are just a few of the highlights: "You're going down Shrewsbury!!!", "We're coming for you Westfield!!!", "Hey Baltimore, you sure came a long way to lose...it's gonna be a tough ride home!!!"

And last but not least, with temps in the 50's and blue skies above we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. There is nothing like those first few runs of the season where you get to shed the layers you've been wearing all winter.

As far as the run itself, it was an out and back as it usually is at MCP. The course included the usual twirly bird, a hill sprint at the dam and even a couple of extra hills as we came back and cut up through the tennis courts to the bike path so we could get everyone back on time who needed to get the rest of their day started.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Charlie, Fred, Heather, Jessica, Lisa, and Tom P.

Springtime in the Park

2009-04-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

For those of you who used the cold weather as an excuse to stay away, the time has come to join us. The forecast for this Saturday's run calls for sunshine and temps in the 50's, rising into the 70's later in the day. That means that Spring has finally arrived! Pack away the treadmills, break out the shorts, swap that hat for a visor, get an early start to what promises to be a beautiful day and get yourself to Mercer County Park this Saturday at 7am. See you there!!!

Mt. Penn Mud Fest

2009-04-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the gang that made it out to Reading on Saturday to run the Mt. Penn Mud Fest. Despite the miserable weather they rose to the challenge and ran the 15k trail race through mud and streams and were rewarded with water stops that included beer, margaritas, marshmallow peeps, and cheese balls -- only at a Pretzel City race. A special kudos to Linda who ran her first trail race! I have a feeling it won't be her last.

L to R: Butch, Nate, Linda, Mariana

Rained out at Clayton

2009-04-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning at 6am the skies were cloudy but it wasn't raining yet. This made me very happy since the weather forecast called for rain. As I drove up 195 towards Clayton, however, the skies opened up and by the time I arrived at the meeting spot to find Bill S. waiting in his car it was downpouring. With most of the usual gang heading out to Reading or just not able to make it for one reason or another it didn't take long for the two of us to make the decision to skip the run in the heavy rain. Instead, we went out for breakfast and then headed home. For those who look forward to the reports, Bill S. and I had two eggs (scrambled), bacon, home fries, and toast (whole wheat) with a tea and coffee respectively. We did sprint from our cars into Fred & Pete's Delicatessen though...does that count as speedwork? ;-)

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Fred and Pete

Split Squad

2009-04-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

This week we'll be fielding a split squad. A couple of folks will be heading back out to Reading, PA, for the Mt. Penn Mudfest. Anyone not making that trip, like me, can meet at Clayton Park. Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have any questions about joining either squad. Best of luck to the group racing in Reading!

Change of Plans...

2009-03-27T10:41:00.001-07:00

A few things have come up preventing a couple of us who had planned on attending the Rat Race from being able to attend. Therefore, we've changed plans and decided to run our standard group run at Clayton on Saturday at 7am.

If anyone still wants to head over and run the Rat Race you're more than welcome and we wish you the best of luck. We won't, however, be able to make it an official group thing though. :(

Sorry for the late notice...it's been one of those weeks!

Out & Back for Three

2009-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Going in today's group run I knew it was going to be a low turnout. We have a couple of people scheduled to run races this weekend -- Bill S. is running the Bordentown St. Patrick's Day 5k on Saturday and Charlie is running the NY Colon Cancer Challenge 15k on Sunday -- so those two were out this week. A couple of others mentioned last week that they had plans so they wouldn't be able to make it this week and during the wee hours I got a text from Nate saying that he was going to have to back out.

When I got to Clayton I met Butch and Lisa. Butch was back after missing last week due to a trip upstate where he put in his time running the Shamrock Run 2 Miler with family. Lisa was still coming back after a heel injury and had decided to run with us instead of her normal 9am group run due to the busy schedule she had the rest of the day. Kudos to her for making sure she squeezed in her run!

After a couple of warm-up laps around the field near the parking lot we ventured out the back to the soybean field and then cut it in uphill towards the parking lot to pick up Bridge's Trail. We stayed on Bridges until we picked up Doctor's Creek, took it uphill on the right side near the split and completed the loop by coming back out Doctor's, taking a left and heading back uphill the way we came in on Bridge's out to the parking lot.

Roll call: Bill Y., Butch, Lisa

Trailblazing...

2009-03-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

For the second week in a row we had one of the lowest turnouts of the winter. Still, compared to last year's numbers 6 people is a lot. I can't help but wonder where the rest of the gang is though? We'll give it a few more weeks before we start calling people out by name (you know who you are!) but barring injury why would you train all winter only to give up just before Spring???

Anyway, the six of us hit the trails at Clayton Saturday and at one point in the middle of the Doctor's Trail Nate noticed a path off the one we were on and said: "I wonder where this one goes...I don't think we've ever taken it..." He was right, we had never taken it but we were lucky to have found it. It took us on a nice loop and, of course, since this was Clayton it included some great hillwork. The best part was when it was over because it dumped us right back out to the original spot where we had picked it up at. The meant that while we had just added a newly found, extra, mostly uphill mile loop to the course, we had come out no closer to the finish than we had been when we started in. Good stuff!!!

I'm always amazed at how lost most of us, including me, still get in the trails at Clayton but we always come out feeling better for having put in the hill work. Be sure to check out Charlie's post to see the map of the course we ran along with the elevations, all courtesy of his new Garmin Forerunner 205.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Cassi, Charlie, Diana, Nate, Terri

Looped!

2009-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe but less than a week ago the trails at Mercer County Park were covered in four inches of snow and required spikes to traverse. Today was a different story, with temps in the low 50's when we met at 7am all the snow had melted and there wasn't a patch of ice to be found.

We headed out on the bike path, up behind the tennis courts, out through the twirly bird and then straight on towards the dam. When we reached the dam "we decided" (translation: Nate made us follow him!) to take it all the way around the lake, so, it was through the gates, across the dam, and then out towards the golf course. After hopping on the cart path for a bit (shhhhhhh!) to get around some extremely muddy trails that cut down near the lake we then found our way back to drier trails and took them out to the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center, which sits directly across the lake from the marina boathouse. I think that is probably the best part of doing the loop -- when you look across the lake and see where you were not too long ago and then you peek down towards the dam and see just how much area you've covered. You soon realize, however, that it's not over yet. After ducking back into the trails behind the rowing center it was over a couple of bridges before kicking into the finish with a negative split for the last mile. A great run by all on a beautiful day!

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Cassi, Diana, Nate, Terri

An Army of One...

2009-03-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

With the snowfall we had today I just couldn't pass up the chance to trail test the Kahtoola MICROSpikes I picked up a few weeks ago. I had ordered them for the Ugly Mudder, but realized afterwards that it was going to be a much different race from Chilly Cheeks so I didn't get to use them. Anyway, I put them on today and hit the trails at Mercer County Park all by my lonesome.

I started out at our usual meeting spot, put the spikes on, and headed out cautiously not really knowing what to expect. The bike path had been plowed but was covered in ice. The spikes worked great and I had no problems at all keeping my footing there. I then headed into the snow covered trails and found about 4 inches or so of fresh powder there to greet me. It was very different running the trails when they were snow covered. At some points I had deer prints to follow but had to be careful not to follow them too closely because the deer don't really stick to the beaten path. A couple of times I found myself off the trail and had to cut back over snow covered brush to get back on track. At least I didn't have to worry about slipping though because the spikes continued to work flawlessly. I took the trails up to the boat house and decided to head up towards the volleyball courts on the bike path. Then I cut it in to the twirly bird which was damn near impossible to get through because of how covered the trails were. Still, it was very cool just to be out there and I felt pretty safe. Having completed the twirly bird -- except for the sections I ended up cutting unintentionally -- I had enough and decided to turn around.

As I peeled back around the tree line and high stepped it uphill through a couple of snow drifts I couldn't help but recall the scene from Rocky IV where he's running up the mountains in Russia and then I realized...there's no easy way out! So I tucked back into the twirly bird and took it back towards the boat house where I scared a mother and her kids as I crested a small hilltop they had just sled down. I guess they weren't expecting some crazy man to come running up behind them in spikes. Oh well! As I ran downhill behind them I just smiled and told them to have a great time playing in the snow. Afterall, I was.

At this point the spikes were working better than I expected but I still had to give them one more test just to be sure so I headed back into the trails behind the tennis center and decided to climb some real hills. Once again, they provided all the traction I could want and made the snow and ice a non-issue. My legs did feel a little heavy at this point but I think that had more to do with the high stepping through the snow drifts at various point along the way than it did to do with the spikes themselves. As I finished up I sprinted past an old man who was walking over the foot bridge. He gave me a look like I was crazy...I don't know why?

If you couldn't make it out to run in the snow today, take solace in the fact that I was thinking of you all along the way. While I enjoyed the time alone out there today it's definitely more fun running with the group.

Slip-on install...and then no more slipping

Where's the twirly bird?

Time to climb!

Plungers Among Us...

2009-03-01T08:16:00.001-08:00

If you've been following along with our winter training runs and race schedule it goes without saying that everyone at HATR is a little bit crazy but two members of the group raised the bar for the rest of us yesterday when they took part in the 16th annual Special Olympics New Jersey Polar Bear Plunge held in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

Congratulations goes out to our own Charlie Mann and Frank Sconzo!

If you're interested in sponsoring one or both of these lunatics, online donations will be accepted until March 31st! Click on the links below to go to their respective donations pages:

Donations page for Charles Mann
Donations page for Frank Sconzo

There is also a great video clip that Frank took as he ran into the ocean with his waterproof camera available here.

If anyone is interested, or crazy enough, in attempting this next year let me know. We won't be organizing a team or anything but I just want to know who you are so I can keep an eye on you. Clearly, you're not of sound mind and the last thing the rest of us should be doing is taking long runs on secluded trails with you!

Neverlost

2009-02-28T11:27:00.001-08:00

There were only six of us that turned out today for a group run at Mercer County Park but a small group, on the last day of a short month put out a big effort on a long run.

We started out heading towards the dam by way of the twirly bird but when we reached the dam path we decided to head straight into the woods and play around in the labyrinth that one finds back there. Having spent hours on those trails last year running in solitude and getting lost plenty of times I had a pretty good idea of where we were headed the whole time and don't recall having to back track at all. That didn't stop the rest of the gang from making wisecracks about leaving their compass in the car and wishing they had packed their tents. Much to everyone's surprise, however, we ended up coming out about two miles later right at the foot of the hill next to the dam. This is a much better way to get to that hill, by the way, because it gives folks no choice but to run up it! :) Once at the top of the hill we took a short breather and the always camera ready Bill S., snapped a quick shot of the group...or was he just trying to catch me sitting down?

Now we all know that the shortest path between two points is a straight line but if we wanted to run in straight lines we would be meeting at the local track to do sprints. With the out behind us at this point the back would be no different. We resisted the urge to hop on the bike path and take it directly back. Instead we stuck to the trails and pushed through weaving all the way back. We even threw in some stairs near the boat house and a couple of decent hills too before the final kick over the foot bridge and into the parking lot.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Jenn, Terri

Taking a seat

Ugly Mudder Race Report

2009-02-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:
Ugly Mudder '09 results are now available here.

What a day! We started the commute out to Reading, PA from Hamilton at 8:00am and arrived at our destination by 9:45am. Most of the way out there we drove through showers and as we pulled off 422 to start our ascent up Mt. Penn it looked like the showers would dampen the event. However, by the time we reached the parking lot of the Liederkranz House the showers had turned to flakes.

Excited about the opportunity to run in the falling snow we headed inside to register and use the much appreciated facilities -- not neccessarily in that order for some of us who were hydrating all the way out there. It wasn't long before we saw the man himself, Bart Yasso, setting up shop for his book signing. Bill S. and I quickly jumped on line where I picked up an autographed copy of his book, My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon, and then took a great shot of Bill S. and the "Mayor of Running".

After everyone got the pre-race stuff out of the way we then headed down as a group to the start line. It was basically the same jog down to the park that we took at Chilly Cheeks except this time the start line was on the opposite side of the street which was nice because it was a bit roomier, even with the 267 additional runners that had come out for Ugly Mudder. That roomy feeling would end though once the race got underway and we were squeezed onto the narrowing and winding path which eventually led out us of the park and into the trails that would put the Ugly into Ugly Mudder.

This race wasn't quite as challenging as CC but that's not to say it didn't have it's challenges. For most of the race, you were either climbing a mountain or running on trails covered with loose rock...and I don't mean that little stuff you use in your landscaping beds either. When you weren't stepping down onto the loose rock you were hurdling branches, boulders and anything else the earth threw at you as if you had entered a steeplechase race. While the climbs didn't come as often as they did in CC they were pretty intense when they did come. And they were different too. On many occassions you were stepping (or crawling) up natural rock walls that led from one monstrous uphill climb to another. When you were making an ascent you were in it for quite a while too, wondering if the next wall you stepped up over would be the last...it seemed it never was though.

The one thing that this race had that I don't recall from CC was some nice flat straight aways. Of course, you were still running over loose rocks and roots at that point but at least it was flat for the most part so your quads had a little bit of a break. If you had anything left when you got there you could really make up some time on these sections. There was one straightaway, however, where you came across a fallen tree. At that point you had two options: to crawl underneath or to go up and over. It's mammoth size prevented you from finding any other solution. I'd like to think that most of the gang, like myself, went "up and over" but judging by a couple of the dirty a$$es I saw after the race perhaps that's not the case...

Other than that it was your typical Pretzel City Sports event, which we've all come to love in that I think I'll go slam my fingers in the door now sort of way. Honestly though, all it takes is one race out there and they'll have you coming back again and again.

Here's a couple of pics from race day:

Bill S. w/ Bart Yasso

Jogging down to the start

Ready to roll

Yes...that IS a trail!

Evidently, running is optional for some...pfft..."on your right!"

No end in sight

Seriously, how much more can there be...just one more hill maybe...

Diana getting down and dirty on Mt. Mud!

Imagine the poor guy behind Butch when he let go of that branch!

Ninja Lee

"Let's go Peroni!"

Mmmmm...beer!

Another Road Trip: Ugly Mudder

2009-02-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

There will be no Sat AM trail run this week. Instead, a bunch of us will be heading back out to Reading, PA on Sunday morning for the Ugly Mudder 7.25 Mile Trail Run. We'll meet on Sunday at 7:45AM in the parking lot behind Santino's in Robbinsville and then take off from there. There is some snow in the forecast this weekend so if we're lucky we'll get to run in it. Hopefully, the snow won't snarl the commute but we do have some extra travel time built in just in case. I don't think I need to mention anything about possible cancellations due to inclement weather -- we all know that Ron Horn is a lunatic, as are we since we paid him for this privilege.

Directions:

We'll make our way out to the PA Tpke and then pick up 422 West towards Pottstown. Getting 422 West off of the PA Tpke can be a bit of a chore so stay on your toes if you're driving. From there we'll follow the directions on the race application which are: "Rt. 422 West from King of Prussia. Just before Reading, 1 block past Arby’s & Burger King, bear right onto Bus. Rt. 422, marked “Mt. Penn”; DON’T follow sign to Reading ** Go 3 miles until road splits at Wachovia Bank. 300 yds later, JUST PAST Arners Restaurant, take right onto Glen Rd (sign missing, look for "Stokesay Castle" sign visible at last moment). At end of Glen, turn right and then take your next right just 50 yards ahead. Or follow the signs to Stokesay, the Liederkrantz driveway is right next to it."

What to bring:

For those of you who came out for Chilly Cheeks, you know the deal.

For the others, here are some suggestions on what to bring:

A change of warm, dry clothes for after the race.
Trail shoes, if possible. The more traction you have on the hills the better off you'll be.
A large garbage bag to store your wet, dirty running gear in on the way home.

Any questions or concerns, email me.

Hill Sprints Disguised as a Trail Run

2009-02-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we tried to run Clayton and it was an icy mess. Today, however, things were quite different. With the warmer temps we've been having, all of the ice and snow was completely melted and the trail conditions were about the best we can ask for in the middle of February.

We took the same path we attempted last time heading out around the soybean field to start and coming back uphill on Bridges Trail towards the parking lot, briefly picking up Glen's Trail, and then taking the top of of Bridges Trail back out to Doctor's Creek Trail. From there it was the Doctor's Creek Trail loop, and then back out onto Bridges Trail all the way up to the parking lot. If you're feeling lost like most of the gang along the way here's a trail map.

Since the trail map is flat, however, you'll just have to take my word on the amount of hills we hit along the way. It seemed like everywhere we turned we were heading up another hill. It didn't help that Nate decided to lead us in a sprint up almost every one too! I don't think there was anyone out there today that wasn't feeling it by the end. Our mileage was a little less than normal but we certainly put our work in on those hills. Hopefully, we'll be glad we did next week when we head back out to Reading, PA, for the Ugly Mudder.

Roll call: Andre, Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Cassie, Charlie, Diana, Mariana, Nate, Teri, Tom C., Tom P.

So glad to be done!

Pictured L to R:

Teri, Bill Y., Andre, Mariana, Charlie, Butch,

Cassie, Bill S., Nate, Tom P., Diana, Tom C.

Clayton...hold the ice

2009-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

We'll be heading back to Clayton Park this Saturday. Please see the sidebar for details on time and location. Last time we "ran" there we needed ice skates but since the temps this week approached the 70's I think it'll be safe to try again. For those of you who came out to Clayton for the first time and dealt with the ice I hope you'll make it back this week and see how nice the trails there really are.

If anyone needs directions just send me an email. Hope to see everyone there!

Ugly Mudder Reminder

2009-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

The Ugly Mudder 7.2 Mile Trail Run takes place on 2/22/09 in Reading, PA. You can register online at Pretzel City Sports. Those of us who made it out to Chilly Cheeks wouldn't dare miss out on the chance to participate in another Pretzel City Sports event. If you didn't make it out there in January here is a second chance...don't miss out again!

Nothing to be worried about...

2009-02-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

This morning started out with me worrisomely driving through the park and getting out to check trail conditions at several spots before meeting up with the group. On the way out of the park to head over to the meeting spot on Edinburg Road I noticed a runner coming down Old Trenton Road. As they approached I realized it was none other than Shoreturtle, who was actually running to the group run. You can check out the details of his foot trip here.

With the confidence that the trails weren't iced over and knowledge that Charlie was already kicking things up a notch I drove over to the meeting spot knowing that we were about to get our run on. I continue to be amazed, by the way, at the turnout we've been getting for these cold winter runs and simply cannot believe that we're consistently picking up new runners every week. Today we had a total of 9 runners joining us, 2 of which were first timers. Considering that last year at this time we were an army of 2, things have come a long way in a short time.

We quickly got our warm-ups out of the way, headed out onto the bike path and hopped onto the trails in front of the tennis complex. There was a little bit of patchy ice but for the most part we found the trails covered in enough powder to give us plenty of traction en route to the dam. We tried to change up the usual path in spots just to keep everyone on their toes and also to work in a few hills. After eventually making it out to the dam, we put in our hill sprint and headed back by way of the twirly bird. Before heading back into the trails just past the boat house we decided to hang a right and work another hill into the mix. Then we tucked back into the trails and backtracked our way just long enough to take advantage of one more decent hill. Finally, it was back out in front of the tennis complex to take the bike path all the way back to the parking lot.

Congrats to everyone who made it out this morning! Despite my early concerns about what the conditions would be like we actually ran slightly faster and longer than usual and even added in some additional hill work. Nice job everyone!

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Cassie, Charlie, Diana, Mariana, Nate, Sabrina, and Terri

Get yourself to Mercer County Park this week

2009-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast for Saturday morning in the Trenton area calls for temps in the mid-20's and sunny skies. This is quite balmy compared to the last time we ran at Mercer County Park so this week, 2/7, we’ll return to MCP. Please see the sidebar for details on time and location.

Those of you who came out last week know that the conditions this week at Mercer can’t possibly be any worse than last week at Clayton. That said, we may still have to improvise a bit along the way. I'll remind you though that the Ugly Mudder is coming up fast so if you haven't been out since Chilly Cheeks you had better " get crackin' " or you will regret it!

The Monique S Williams Memorial Service

2009-02-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

First I want to say that my family and I are deeply moved by the tremendous outpouring of support that all of you have shown over the last few days. Thank you all very much.

I will be hosting a memorial service for the mother of my children Monique S Williams this Saturday February 7th, from 4pm to 7pm at my home in Robbinsville. The address is:

67 Malsbury Street
Robbinsville, NJ 08691
609-751-1079

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, people make a donation to either the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Monique S. Williams Memorial College Fund. You can mail your donations directly to the institutions or donation envelopes will be available at the memorial service. The address information is as follows

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
28 Kennedy Blvd suite 180
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
**Credit Card donations can be called into 732-296-7171

The Monique S Williams Memorial College Fund
Bank of America
450 Route 33
Mercerville, NJ 08619
Attn: Karen Cohen

You will receive an acknowledgement of your donation from the respective institution. I hope to see you all there

Thank You all and God Bless You!

Best,

Nate

Insanely Icy Conditions

2009-01-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

in•sane [in-seyn]
–adjective
1. not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.
2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged: insane actions; an insane asylum.
3. utterly senseless: an insane plan.

Normally, when other trails in the area are wet and soggy due to rain or snow Clayton can be depended on to be dry because the hills allow for the water to run off into the streams that cut through the park. Today, however, we learned that's not the case when the water running down the hills freezes before it reaches the streams.

The trail conditions today were the worst we have ever seen and that includes Chilly Cheeks. Every trail was covered in a sheet of ice. When we were lucky the ice was covered with some frozen snow in spots to allow for just a little traction. Other times the trail conditions forced us "off road" and into the brush and leaves beside the trail for safety. Hopping over rocks, ducking around tree branches, and in some cases blazing our own trail uphill through the winter foliage I do beleive officially qualifies all of us who ran today as insane.

Despite the conditions, we actually had two first timers join us today...I wonder if they'll ever be back!?!? There were some notable absentees this week but I have to say I think they made the right call today. We really had no business being out there. I think that was probably best illustrated by the park ranger who showed up at 7:05 to unlock the gate to the parking lot. We ran into her again about a half mile in. It was at that point, near a clearing beside the soybean field, where she rolled down the window of her heated truck and warned us to "be careful out there because the trails were pretty icy"...and then she drove off laughing!

If we weren't insane -- there is by the way a fine line between insanity and stupidity and I'd like to think we walked that line but didn't cross it -- we would have turned back then and went back to our warm cars. We instead, of course, soldiered on as a group, fell on our a$$es repeatedly, and eventually made it through mostly unscathed.

Roll call: Andre, Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Diana, Jessica, Nate and our canine friend Cassi (aka Bolt)

Hey look...it's Butch!

Return to Clayton

2009-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

For this week's Sat AM trail run (1/31) we'll be heading back to Clayton Park to laugh at the "hills" there now that those of us who went out to Reading know what real hills look like. Please see the sidebar for details on time and location.

Also, if you need directions to Clayton see the the link to Clayton Park under the Venues sidebar.

If you still have questions, send me an email

Chilly Cheeks Race Report

2009-01-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:

Chilly Cheeks '09 results are now available here.

HOLY CRAP!!! WHAT THE %#$& WAS THAT???

Let's just say this race lived up to it's billing...and then some! The day started out with a 1.5 hour commute from Hamilton out to The Reading Liederkranz House. When we pulled off route 422 and headed uphill on the winding road which eventually lead us to the ice covered parking lot, we knew this was going to be a slightly different kind of event. We wouldn't learn just how different, however, until it was all over with.

After gathering in the Liederkranz House to keep warm for a bit, the crowd starting making it's way outside for the 11am start. It was a light 1/2 mile jog down to the start where we stood around and waited for things to get going. The race director entertained everyone with a couple of instructions/warnings/jokes and then the race was underway.

It all started out quite normal. We quickly exited the park where it all started, ran down a hill and hooked a right to begin our off-road trek. A slight but steady incline in the snow covered trail quickly gave us all a false sense of security. Then at about 1 mile in it all went to hell! All of a sudden we took another right turn and proceeded to scale a mountain...there was no trail...there was no clearing...just rocks, trees, and brush and we climbed...and climbed...and climbed. By the time we reached the top we were relieved to find ourselves back on actual trail. As nice as it was we soon realized we were somehow at the bottom of yet another hill. This was the theme for most of the day. We ran uphill and when we got to the top we found that the "top" of that hill was really just the bottom of yet another hill. As everyone knows though what goes up must come down and it did in spots. Usually that would be a welcome experience after such treacherous inclines. Amazingly enough, however, the downhills -- covered in rocks, snow, ice and leaves -- were no easier to get down than the uphills were to get up. Much of our time on the downhills was spent in a combination of not trying to run into the person in front of us, listening for the person behind us to keep them from taking out our legs when they fell, and grabbing for trees to try and keep ourselves upright.

The race went on like this the entire way until approaching the second water stop at about mile 5 or so. It was at that point where we were faced with two decisions back to back. The first was whether to leap down or slide down the remaining piece of the mountain -- running it was simply not an option. The second, upon reaching the bottom, was whether to hydrate with water or Yuengling, both of which were being served ice cold! Regardless, of what we chose it didn't matter because we were back on the hills within seconds. Along the way we were greeted with signs which the race director had strategically placed on the trees to remind us that we were now approaching the section of the race where it was about to get tough. WHAT!?!?

It was about another 1/2 mile in when we reached it. The "it" was the infamous Mt. Waddafug (which they say is short for: "Mt. Waddafugisthiscuziknowitaintnotrail!"). This beast went straight up, up, and then up some more, and was in no way, shape or form a trail of any kind. Words cannot describe it and nobody in their right mind would/could stop at that point and take a picture of it. It's just one of those things that need to be experienced to understand. After finally reaching the top somehow we made our way up and over a small retaining wall that led us down onto a road. The jump down off that retaining wall, if one were capable of jumping down off it at that point, felt like a leap off a rooftop. In reality the retaining wall was no more than 3 feet but when every muscle in your legs are on fire they have a way of buckeling underneath you anyway.

With the worst now over (or so we thought), it was a jog to one last bout of downhill insanity before running back into the park where it all began, heading back out onto the trail we started on, and then taking one last quick turn into one last scale of a mountain. This time we were cheered at from above by spectators. One would think the fact that there were spectators would mean that it was over, right? Wrong! After literally crawling to the top and making our best attempt to stand upright again in a crowded parking lot we were informed that the finish was only just a couple of 100 yards away. So we ran through the parking lot, hung a left and, of course, ran UPHILL to the finish line.

Here are some pics, taken by flyers26:

The 14 brave warriors

(a.k.a. -unsuspecting victims)

That first uphill -- can YOU see a trail?

"Little climb!"

Is that a bear!?!?

We came, we saw...it kicked our a$$!

By the way, you might notice the bandage on Frank's left hand in that last picture. This was the result of a puncture wound he suffered during a fall he took on one of the downhills. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that not only did he take the spill, suffer the wound, and tend to the bleeding but he then proceeded to get up and still be the first in the group to reach the finish line. For those who are wondering, Frank went to the ER when we got home and received four stitches and a tetanus shot but is doing fine and looking forward to the next race...as we all are!

Road Trip!

2009-01-23T12:58:00.001-08:00

There will be no Sat AM trail run this week...instead 14 of our bravest warriors will be heading out to Reading, PA on Sunday morning for the 3rd Annual Chilly Cheeks 7.2 Mile Trail Run. We'll meet on Sunday at 7:45AM at the usual spot in Mercer County Park -- the picnic area off of Edinburg Road -- and then carpool out from there. The race starts at 11AM and we have about a 90 minute ride ahead of us so we've built in a little cushion which I'm sure we'll need.

Directions:

We'll make our way out to the PA Tpke and then pick up 422 West towards Pottstown. Getting 422 West off of the PA Tpke can be a bit of a chore, or so I'm told, so stay on your toes if you're driving. From there we'll follow the directions on the race application which are:
"Rt. 422 West from King of Prussia. Just before Reading, 1 block past Arby’s & Burger King, bear right onto Bus. Rt. 422, marked “Mt. Penn”; DON’T follow sign to Reading ** Go 3 miles until road splits at Wachovia Bank. 300 yds later, JUST PAST Arners Restaurant, take right onto Glen Rd (sign missing, look for "Stokesay Castle" sign visible at last moment). At end of Glen, turn right and then take your next right just 50 yards ahead. Or follow the signs to Stokesay, the Liederkrantz driveway is right next to it."

What to bring:

If you have trail shoes, bring 'em. The course is a mix of snow, ice and mud so you will need as much traction as you can get...especially on the hills which fortunately only make up about 90% of the race.
A change of warm, dry clothes for after the race. You may even want to bring a second pair of sneakers too or something dry to put on your feet. I would also recommend a dry towel (not one of your good ones though!) to use to de-crud yourself. Think mud run without the belly crawls...but probably a face plant or two.
A large garbage bag to store your wet, dirty running gear in on the way home.
Anything else you would normally bring with you to a race (water, gatorade, goo, powerbars, girl scout cookies, beer, cheesesteaks, etc.)
Your warrior attitude. This race will probably be the most challenging trail run you've ever had. It's a Pretzel City Sports event though so it also promises to be one of the best times you've had in running gear. Remember, you are a warrior. Suck it up and keep going!

Any questions or concerns, email me.

Friggin' Freezing...

2009-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

The National Weather Service had the temperature listed at a whopping 4◦, Shoreturtle's Toyota had it at 7◦ but one look at the picture of Paul below, taken by flyers26, will tell you all you need to know regardless of the readings...it was friggin' freezing!!!

In what was easily the coldest trail run we've EVER had, 8 brave warriors battled the elements this morning and made it out to the dam and back once again. This time taking a mix of trails and bike path straight out to the dam, keeping warm with a couple of hill sprints, and then picking up the infamous twirly bird on the way back in. Major props to all who turned out today despite the cold.

One of the most challenging things about running in these temps, aside from the obvious, is getting dressed properly. The natural tendency is to overdress, which is exactly what I did today and I paid the price for it on the way back from the dam. Others got it right and had a much more enjoyable day. Still, I have to say that even a bad day running with the group beats a good day doing most other things.

Next weekend, we're heading out to Reading, PA for Chilly Cheeks on Sunday so we'll take a break from the normal Sat morning group run on 1/24 and pick it back up on 1/31. Stay tuned for details on carpooling and meet-up locations for those of you heading out to Reading.

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Diana, Nate, Paul, and Tom

Nate's back!

2009-01-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

A message from our slightly over-motivated Nate...

Listen Up Trail Runners!

As the temperature drops…we are going to see who the real soldiers are…If last year is any indication, it will be me and Bill carrying the torch again this year for all you so-called warriors who start to get soft when contemplating a thermometer that is quickly approaching zero. Remember…legions of the world’s greatest armies never waited for warm balmy days with cool breezes to get crackin!. Looks like we may be in the single digits this weekend…wassamatta? Huh…you scared?

Now let’s get some logistics out of the way. In an effort to streamline the communications in the most effective way…we will be phasing out the blast emails in favor of posting the latest news on runs, races, member milestones, or just whatever on the new blogspot created by our own Bill Yorke…you may know him as “Runners World Bill” cause he always looks like the cover shot of a magazine when he’s running…Show off!…Kudos’s to Bill for a great job on getting the blog up and running…check it out and bookmark it.

http://hamiltonareatrailruns.blogspot.com/

At last count we had 12+ of you savages registered for the upcoming Chilly Cheeks race on Sunday the 25th…we will be coordinating the trip so that we can take a big caravan of runners and keep the planet green…some suggestions for first timers…Bring:
-A warm dry change of clothes
-A garbage bag to put your wet stankin (yes STANKIN) clothes in
-All your race accessories (water, goo, whatever)
-A windbreaker jacket
-That rowdy raucous Hamilton Area Trail Runners noise to let everyone know we are in the building

Remember…we will be staying for beer and breakfast after the event.

And lastly…I hear the trail group kept it CRACKALACKIN with an extra spirited run just to shake thing up a bit over the last two weeks in my absence…well I will let you know that although some of us were on vacation, I can confirm that WE STILL GOT OUR WORK DONE! and will not be missing a beat on our return.

And oh yeah…Git Yo A*SS to Mercer County Park picnic area at 7am for this Saturdays run.

Our Credo…No Slacking!, No Dropping!, No Stopping!

Big Nate

Chilly Cheeks Online Registration Deadline

2009-01-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

For those of you, like me, who have been dragging your feet on pre-registering for Chilly Cheeks we received some good news from the folks at Pretzel City Sports the other day. They have extended their online registration deadline to 11:59PM on Sunday, 1/11. If you've already registered, then great! If you're on the fence, then just do it! If you're not going, you'll regret it! If you miss the online registration deadline and still want to run you can still come out and register on race day but you're not guaranteed a shirt...so what's the point?!?

Perfect Conditions

2009-01-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

We couldn't have asked for better conditions. The trails were clear for the most part and we ran through flurries the whole way. We ran pretty much the same route as last week with a few minor changes. The gang that ran today was pretty tightly grouped the whole way out so we decided to kick things up a notch and throw in some indian sprints on the straight away that approaches the dam. This was, of course, immediately followed by the obligatory hill sprint upon reaching the dam. Here's a pic that Bill S. took of us recovering just after the hill sprint:

On the way back we came across a nice long, gradual downhill but when we got to the bottom of it I realized I "must have taken a wrong turn or something" so we had to turn around and retrace our steps all the way back up! :-)

We had a decent turnout despite the weather today. We even had a newcomer who traveled from Freehold to join us. I guess we better get back to Clayton soon so we can meet him half way. I wonder if they're still locking the gates until 8am...

Roll call: Bill S., Bill Y., Butch, Charlie, Frank and Paul

Weather Forecast...

2009-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

Since some of you have contacted me with questions or concerns about the weather forecast for this week's Saturday morning run at Mercer County Park I just wanted to explain our inclement weather policy. All you need to do is ask yourself one question: Will the postal service deliver my mail today? If the answer is yes, then we run...mailbags optional. See you at 7 folks!

The Hills of Mercer County Park

2009-01-03T07:22:00.001-08:00

We had a great run today. There were a few noticeable absentees...I just hope they enjoy their Cayman Island cruise as much as we did the trail run. ;-) The lake has finally started to freeze which means all that mud around it has hardened up and makes for easy passage. We started out at the usual spot today and headed into the trails at the first entry off the bike path. We stuck to the trails and hung low along the edge of the lake. After coming out near the boat launch we hopped on the bike path for a short stint and took it up to the trails near the volleyball courts to get the "twirly bird" over with on the way out to the dam and then stayed on the trails all the way out. After reaching the dam, going down and sprinting back up the hill next to it, we headed straight back the way we came minus the twirly bird and back into the trails along the edge of the lake until turning it uphill, heading towards the tennis courts, and then picking up the bike path again for that last half mile back to the parking lot.

As with all our runs there were a few notable sights worth mentioning: a turtle coming out of it's shell despite the lack of media attendance, a bunch of deer upon entering the "twirly bird" trail, another beautiful sunrise over Mercer Lake, and an old friend who is too intimidated to run with us because she thinks she can't hang...which is just plain silly!

Roll call: Jenn, Charlie, Butch, Tom (#1), Tom (#2) and Bill Y.

Hamilton Area Trail Runs

Help-A-HATR

A Challenge From the Master Himself...

It's official...

Nike Reuse-A-Shoe

Harpeth Hills Mud

R U Ready?

Veterans Day

Happy Birthday!

Flooded

Doggone it!

ATC II

Catching Up

**SPRING** Race Series

On the Road Again...

Snow Day!

Total Accumulations

A Month Gone By

Overdue!

Happy Holidays

Toys for Tots Trail Run Report

Split Squad

LSD (Long, Slow, Distance)

A Little Extra

Nate's Advanced Training Camp

2nd Annual Turkey Day Trail Trot Run Report

Soybean Sprints

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Indian Sprints

People!

Running for Donuts...part two

Running for Donuts

Trip, Drop and Roll

Change of Plans

Crossfit Challenge - Fight Gone Bad

Push Ups (And a Little Trail Run)

McGuire AFB Mud Run Race Report

The 3rd Annual Beach Boot Camp/Body Blast CANCELLED

There Will Be Mud...

Fill In The Blank

Twirly Bird x 2

Bushwhacked

Déjà vu

The Heavy Stuff...

Trail Joggling

2009 Turkey Swamp Race Report

Death Hill x 5

DREGS Summer Series

Better late than never...

Turkey Swamp Race Day

Uphill Both Ways

Got Shirts?

Notyalc

Promises

Changing it up...

Washington Crossing

2009 ACS Run for Dad Race Report

Father's Day Warmup

Short and Sweet

MCP, M.I.A., and a Scratch

Embracing the Hills

Man down!

Race Report: The Great Underground Trail Series - Race #4

Weekend Warriors

Races...

Seasons Change

Yes...we ran

Good Luck!!!

Heatwave

What A Beautiful Day!

Springtime in the Park

Mt. Penn Mud Fest

Rained out at Clayton

Split Squad

Change of Plans...

Out & Back for Three

Trailblazing...

Looped!

An Army of One...

Plungers Among Us...

SPRING Race Series