Hometown Run Pt. 1

I love running in Indiana because it is so flat. My times have been dropping, and I have to say, I’m having a great summer season. I’ve set some PR’s, won a race, and placed first in my age group in a trail race. I have to attribute at least some of that success to the terrain. Flat and fast is fun and all, but it was time to hit the hills. I am still speed training, and they say doing hills is speed work in disguise.

Chrysa managed to score some time off from work so we decided to take a road trip to her home town in the mountains of New York. Chrysa is going to do a full write up of the vacation, but I want to concentrate on the runs/hikes we did.

Chrysa grew up on the Schunemunk Mountain in eastern New York. It’s about as different from Indiana, or even my hometown of Buffalo, as you can get. Roads wind through the mountains, and farms dot the landscape. The area itself is old. It used to be a popular summer escape for residents of New York City, historic buildings are on every corner. In fact, the steakhouse we visited our first night in town, is located in the historic Brewster House.

I was surprised to find out that Chrysa had not been to the top of the mountain she grew up on since she was a little girl. After all the vacation eating we were doing it was time to remedy that. Our idea was to get an early start and try and beat the heat. We got up later than we planned so it was clear…this was going to be a hot one.

We walked to the bottom of the main road to get our legs loose. After that it was straight uphill. I have to admit that I took off a little too fast. My quads were burning pretty bad by the time we got the first turn. Thankfully the terrain leveled just enough for the fire in my legs to subside. I decided to slow down my pace so I would have enough in the tank to make it to the top.

I looked back and Chrysa was still plugging along. She would be the first to tell you that she isn’t superfast, but she sure does have stamina. We broke up the run a little by taking some pictures. Chrysa’s grandfather has a park named after him, so we had to get a shot of that.

After pictures it was time to hit the road again. The going was rough. Winding roads, dodging cars, and intense heat and humidity greeted us the rest of the way. By the time I reached the top, I was spent. The top of the mountain has a TV antennae station and beyond that is a series of trails that are part of the Schunemunk State Park. The best part of the summit is the view. The valley stretched below us and Chrysa was able to make out some landmarks from her childhood. She was giddy with excitement. She had not been home in two years, and she hadn’t climbed the mounting since she was a kid.

After soaking in the view we walked beyond the TV antennae and did a short walk along one of the trails to shake out our weary legs. Chrysa mentioned that she knew of another trailhead and we decided that we would be back.

The run back down was fast and treacherous. Loose pavement and a steep grade made the going tough. We met back up at Chrysa’s house thrilled with our accomplishment. It really was a great run. Sometimes it really pays to explore your own backyard.

 

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