November 21st I headed down to Maryland with my Father in law and his running buddy to crew for them as they attempted to run the JFK 50 miler. Having run the race the past two years it was time to give back and be a part of the support group that helps the runners get through the very long day. Even if you don't end up giving them anything it is nice for them to know a familiar face is waiting for them every 10 miles or so.
It was an extremely cold day and while I didn't have a strong desire to be out in those cold temperatures (something like 19 at the start) I must admit I got pretty jealous as I drove to the first stop and took in the view of the Appalachian foothills. Having only done a short jog since the marathon I was having some serious trail envy!
I saw a ton of friends out on the course and tried my best to keep warm through the day by cheering and clapping on all the runners. My father in law unfortunately missed the cutoff at mile 27 so I had some company after that. I am guessing he was not happy about sitting in that cold but he took it all in stride and I have a feeling he will be back up and running and looking for an ultra to get revenge on soon. His buddy finished in 11:11 and it was off for dinner and bed.
I conned the guys into letting me hit the trails Sunday telling them I knew they really wanted to sleep in ;) And I headed out for a quick trip to the AT to remember my past two races there and soak up the outdoors. It was a great easy run. I headed to Weaverton Cliffs so I could reminisce about all the leaf covered rocks and small hills. It did not disappoint and was just as I recalled other than the hills seeming much less intimidating. Likely because I was only going to be on them for an hour rather than 3+ :) Took my camera along so I could goof off and get some photos of the rocks. This was a geologist and runners perfect morning if you ask me. Running and rocks, you just can't beat that!
Enjoy the slideshow below of some of the trail and me goofing off on a fun run on the AT. Those trails are seirously calling my name now, it is going to be hard to get back into road marathon mode for Boston. I think I am going to have to make an effort to try and get in more of my easy runs off road this time around!
3 comments:
So sorry about your father-in-law not being able to complete the 50 miler, but 27 miles sounds like a good days work. Beautiful photos...remind me of northern New Jersey, in the hills.
I've always said that it's harder to volunteer or crew for a race than it is to do the running!
Thanks for the wonderful video! I'm glad you had a great time, even though your father in law didn't make the cut. He still ran well!
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