Snow Cheap Racing

Per usual I arrived early to Cobb's Hill and snowshoed the course before the race began. It's a great way to become familiar with the course, which changes for each race, as well as get in more miles on my snowshoes. The Snow Cheap series is every other Wednesday, with races beginning at 6:30pm, so headlamps are required for each racer. People choose to enter as a trail runner or snowshoe runner.

There are methods to making your race more successful. The following are a few things NOT to do.
1. While on the course alone and going down a ridiculously steep, thirty yard, slightly snow-covered ice hill, don't go slow. Just let it rip and hope to hang on or slide down on your butt like you are riding a sled. There is no in-between. Somehow I never fully learn this lesson, or, more likely, I'm scared.
I was frantically grabbing branches, trying to maintain control, not able to dig in with the snowshoes and going faster and faster. I finally got hold of a large branch, which promptly came loose and was, in fact, about 6-8 feet long! When I hit the bottom of the slope my momentum carried me towards Monroe Avenue, which had normal traffic and runners on it. As I was screaming FUUUUUUUDDDDDGGGGGEEEE!, except it wasn't really Fudge, several onlookers looked petrified. Here was a madman, dressed all in black thrusting a large branch back and forth, screaming at the top of his lungs. Do not try this at home.
2. As you finish the warmup run ("shoe") don't take off your hat and shake it, since the headlamp is on there and may accidentally hit the pavement and break, with 8 minutes to go before the race!
Frantically I put it together, only for the lamp to fall apart at the 1 minute to go announcement. A kind soul assisted, but with 20 seconds go we couldn't make my lamp work. I ran to the YellowJacket trailer and Boots came through with one of their lamps. Of course this will forever be held against me and I will be the butt of their jokes. I joined the back of the pack as the horn sounded the start.
3. Beginning one of these races in the back is not good strategy if you are trying to be competitive in your age group. The line gets long quickly and with lots of single track through woods, making up ground becomes impossible. Snaking up hills you are at the mercy of the pace of the people ahead of you.

Despite my troubles these races can be fun and an interesting method to get a good workout midweek for low cost. 130 people can't be wrong and the view from the top of Cobb's Hill is always amazing.

Two races left in the series, but I will be in rest mode for the ESG and USSSA races.