DRB - Dirt Running in Boston

April 21st, 2009 Posted in Story

Actually, it’s Don’t Run Boston 50K - the 13th annual running of the Trail Animals Running Club’s “alternative” to running the infamous marathon which runs the day after on Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts.  The DRB was conceived in 1996 when the Boston Marathon was celebrating it’s 100th running.  The commercialization had reached new heights and many of us in the trail running community questioned whether things had gone a bit too far.  So the idea was conceived by races director Howie Breinan that maybe we should hold an “anti” race the day before in solidarity and protest to the downfall of our beloved road race and then those that elected, could still run Boston the next day in true back-to-back ultra ways.

So DRB began as a modest, “old school” ultra in the Blue Hills Reservation ,a network of hundreds of miles of trails located just outside of the City of Boston in Milton.  There was (and still is not) any trail markings, awards, entry fee or hoopla - just a good old fashioned run in the woods.  It is an official 50K and thus the results are recorded and posted in Ultrarunning Magazine, but beyond that formality, all else is truly informal - just the way we like it.

Yesterday was the largest field ever for DRB - 25 strong.  There were a few late drops so I believe the field was 22-23 but clearly the revitalized Trail Animals Running Club and new web site (www.trailanimals.com) helped the swelling numbers.  We may have had the best day yet for weather as blue skies and a crisp 45 degrees at the start led to a warming up to 58 and near perfect conditions.  Nostalgia was also in the air as C1 broke out the retro TARC singlets from the 90s and we introduced the new technical t-shirts sporting the new Trail Animals logo.  All were in good cheer at the start, which is at Houghton’s Pond, where Howie draws a line in the dirt with his toe and quite unceremoniously utters, “Go!”

I had long since committed to continuing my renewed training ways established during Tour de Western and thus my race goals were three-fold: 1) don’t fall (not an easy goal to keep given the preponderance of roots and rocks covered in leaves), 2) run injury-free and 3) stick to an average HR of 126 bpm.  Chris “C1″ Haley and Chris “C2″ Shanley, my dear friends and regular running partners had decided they got religion and were going to run with me at whatever pace my heart set.  So off we went.  It wasn’t long before we were running alone, the three of us together, and commented how this seemed like all the other training runs we had performed over the fall and winter - “precisely”, I said, “That’s the idea.  Slow and steady.”  And so it was we progressed through the day adhering to this steady plan of walking most of the hills, recovering when necessary and never really pushing the pace too much.  Our objective was to finish feeling strong and to wake up the next day feeling fresh and ready to run again - a quick recovery - that would be the standard for testing our fitness.

There were no incidents during the run, except that I was only able to adhere to one of my three goals - sticking to my average HR of 126.  I tripped twice and fell, in the most unlikely places I might add - once traveling up hill and then again only minutes later - late in the run.  C2 took a spill too, and demonstrated his skill at the trip and roll - where he immediately is back on his feet.  C1 survived the day without fall, but I commented he needn’t join the club since I fell once for me and again for him.  I also developed a slight muscle discomfort around my left Achilles heel about an hour into the run.  I was able to run through it but wondered if it would swell afterwords.  Fortunately it did not, and careful care has been given to it since finished and today it feels well on the way to a quick heeling.

We finished side-by-side in 6:44, a respectible time given we walked most hills and kept the pace much slower than if were were intending to actually race.  I think all three of us were pleased at how good we felt.  All-in-all a successful training run on a glorious day.