--- In LRRClub@yahoogroups.com, "Leo" <leoruns@...> wrote:
>
> So....what LRRCer's/Buzzards made the trek to the Catskills?? How
was
> it? Reports/Photos/Stories/Rants/Raves/etc...???
>
Leo, Escarpment was quite fun, as usual. LRRC participants included
Aimee Harmon, Bob Bergman, Santi Rafanell, Greg Foster, Ian Foster,
Ed Stauffer, Fred Stevens, Peter Belanger and myself. Also in
attendance providing moral support was Janet Foster, my wife, Zoe,
and Ian's fiance, Trish.

Many of us were operating on a lesser level of training this year
compared to years past. My longest run in all of 2007 was,
pathetically, the Mount Penn Mudfest, a 15K trail run in Reading.
Multiply that distance by two and the degree of difficulty by 10, and
you get Escarpment. Of course, you know all about that.

Between my long rides on the bike and my quality runs, I did manage
to do have a respectable fitness level, just not the kind of "run
specific" training that would be ideal. So... I just dialed back the
pace to something pretty darn easy, and ended up with a PW of 5:36
that I was very pleased with. I never enjoyed the actual run as much
as I did this year, except for the fact that the humidity obscured
most of the vistas. It was easier to recover from the race because
of my easier pace. I think I'll continue to run Escarpment this
way. My whole objective is to see the scenery, take part in the
entire weekend, and finish in one piece. The rocks were all pretty
greasy from a decent rain the night before, which made things
interesting.

And oh...what a weekend it was! Various parts of the trip included
Santi doing the chicken dance with a married woman he picked up at
the Mountain BrauHaus, Fred hanging from a tree (tying a line to a
tree to keep the campers dry from the rain), Aimee and Bob getting a
phone call at 3:00 AM at the hotel from a mysterious voice informing
them that "the grotto is open", Aimee finishing the race and
announcing to all who were in earshot that "she puked her guts out",
and Bob telling us that he "felt like he was going to die". Pre-race
hydration included margaritas at the Mexican restaurant at dinner,
beers at a restaurant afterwards a few doors down, followed by more
beers and Jagermeister at the BrauHaus.

Much fun was had by all. The weather was pretty darn good for
racing, considering it was the end of July. Humid, but not hot.
Can't ask for much more than that. Blackhead was spectacular, as
usual. What a fun climb!

I'm missing all kinds of details...anyone who would like to add to
this, please do.

School Bus