Road to the Pogue 2018 Race Recap

 

The Road to the Pogue sign-up popped up as a suggested post on my Facebook feed months ago. Registration had just opened, and I barely thought twice before I signed up for it. A trail race, in the national park I love running in, within my training cycle for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon? Perfect! 

What is a Pogue? I hear you ask. Well, for Woodstock people it means the 14 acre pond in the middle of the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park. There are several theories as to why its called a Pogue and not a pond, but it’s just kind of accepted that it means, ‘Body of water in the park in Woodstock,’ and we can leave it at that.

So I had kind of forgotten about the race until I received the reminder email from the race director a week beforehand, including gems such as ‘don’t forget your shoes,’ and the description of the post-race food spread: ‘Pancakes – lumberjack ambrosia! Yogurt – old milk from a cow! Bananas – edible telephones!’ It made me smile, as I remembered hearing that the Road to the Pogue is a fun race, not a serious start-your-watch-the-second-you-cross-the-line event. (Although, let’s face it, most runners do that anyway.) When I got to the description of the course, I realized I had no idea what the route in the park was, although chances were it would involve the Pogue.

We will run the same loop again this year, with some adjustments made here and there, but not everywhere. 

Hmm. Luckily, they also included a link to the course map. This is what I saw when I clicked on it:

Okay, then.

Looked fun! 🙂

The morning of the race was perfect running weather. Sunny and chilly, it was a long sleeves day for me. I got to the start and tried to stay warm in the sun while we waited for it to begin. Pancakes were already being flipped while the runners milled about, and they smelled amazing. When we lined up, the race director informed up that the course was going to be the same as last year. “Oh, great,” someone behind me said, “Last year it was 7 miles!” As the realization that this was a 10K-ish race set in, the director yelled “Go!’ and we started running.

Two miles…up. And up.

1st mile: 281 ft gain at 11:01 pace

2nd mile: 287 ft gain at 11:22 pace

Then a nice downhill and the flat of the Pogue.

3rd mile: 114 ft loss at 8:50 pace

‘Maybe we do a few loops of the Pogue before we head back downhill,’ I thought, foolishly. We turned a corner and I saw the course turn from the water and head straight up a hill. Swear words escaped from my mouth, and a runner near me said, “This is your first time, huh?”

4th mile: 65 ft gain at 9:36 pace

Then I was at the top of Mt. Tom, and it was the first time I didn’t take my time and enjoy the view. Time to head down – if this was a 10K it was nearly done. If it was a 7 miler I was over halfway.

5th mile: 10 ft loss at 8:42

6th mile: 171 ft loss at 7:49

7th mile: 249 ft loss at 7:31

Then just over a quarter mile at 9:36 pace (although I think that’s because I forgot to stop my watch when I crossed the line and started walking, because the hills made my brain foggy).

We got these sweet hats instead of a medal or shirt, and I am so here for trucker hats in lieu of medals at races. I’ve already worn this on three runs since Road to the Pogue.

Then the real reward – lumberjack ambrosia.

I was happy with my time, and even though I didn’t enjoy the hills while I was on them, I appreciated that the race was well-timed as a hilly tempo as part of my half marathon training. I felt like I’d run a solid race and got a good workout in.

So, would I run it again? In a heartbeat. Two miles of downhill at the end and pancakes and coffee left me with a rosy-colored memory of the event. It was a fun, and spectacularly pretty course, and at $35 entry, it was a steal, given we got a fabulous race, a cute hat, and a hearty breakfast. 🙂

Have you ever run a 7.25 mile 10K?

Would you prefer to get a hat instead of a medal at a race?