Cancelled due to very very low numbers of humans.
Sorry everyone if you were planning on this one, but I had so few pre registrants I canned this year's run. I couldn't afford the insurance and treats on the promise of just 3 people showing. Anyhow I will be there nine a.m. Saturday morning if anyone wants to join me for a friendly jog in the woods. Bring your own coffee and muffins though.
The Muffin Run takes place on Saturday, June 1st for 2013. Start time is the usual early'ish 9.a.m. Cost is $20, and you can register on the internet at Atlantic Chip, or $30 on the morning of at the start line.
Meet up is at the end of Bayer's Mill Road in Musquodoboit Harbour. This year's course is an out and back, and will not involve any of the railbed, as in the previous two years. It is very technically challenging, as most of you know from first hand experience. Lots of rocks, roots, hills, and as an added bonus this year... more hills and an additional spectacular view at the 15km runner's turnaround. 7.5 km runner's also have a spectacular view at their turnaround.
This year's theme is all about the Runner; that's you. As a Runner, you are asked to follow three golden rules of the trail.
1. Allow faster runners to pass.
2. If you want to pass someone, request to pass.
3. Write your own time down at the end.
Don't worry if you let someone pass, you can pass them back later in the run, once they've exhausted themselves. If someone is coming towards you, and you have not made it to your halfway mark, you must yield to them, because they are "faster".
In the name of safety, you must announce your request to pass, you can use such phrases as "passing on your left", or "passing on your right". Remember to save that extra bit of lung power to announce your intentions.
Speaking of saving energy, save just enough to walk up to the timing chip, and write down your name on the board in the sequence that you have finished. A timing device will be adjacent to the board, so please include your finishing time. See, it's all about You.
Muffins, coffee, and a selection of fruit to eat out of hand will be available at the finish.
Racing Strategies you may consider.
If you are a road specialist. You used to be able to hammer the hell out of the first 2km, and the last 2km and take advantage of your amazing turnover and blinding speed. And do it twice for each lap. Well you can still do it at the very start, and the very end, but not in the middle. My advice would be to give 'er in the first 30 to 40 minutes, which will put you at the top of Bayer's Lake Look off. There are lots of places to rev your motor up to here, but still, it's got those places will you will not really be running that fast. So relatively speaking the first quarter and the last quarter can be your friend.
If you are a downhill specialist. Your game starts at about 10 minutes in, after you pass "Rolling Stone". Here it just starts to get rolly, until just before the Cave, there's a little incline. Over the top of Bayer's Lake Look off is one sweet spot, as well as the insane aerial inducing run down to Turtle Brook. If you have nerves of steel and quads to match, you can make up gains on those road specialists above, who burnt their matches in the first couple km. Hint: Save some for the descent after the 15km turnaround point.
If you are an uphill specialist. There are at least 3 prime locations to let out your inner goat. The most significant is the hill section from Turtle Brook intersection up to the 15km turnaround. It goes on, and on, and on, until you hit the turnaround (don't forget to take a mental snapshot of the amazing view). If you can keep it together on the winding return descent, you turn immediately back on the climb up to Jessie's Diner. If you can take a couple positions here, you should be able to hold it, at least until you hit the Bayer's Lake Look off, a good place to gather your thoughts.
If you are a single track crack monkey. The trail abounds with very difficult "technical" features, such as gnarly exposed tree roots, oddly placed sharp abrasive stones, and a potpourri of rock-hoppable-gardens. After the first 2 km, the trail goes all technical immediately. I would go for the hole shot here, and get ahead of those you know may be more tentative running on tops of boulders. The twisty roller coaster trail that runs along Turtle Brook should cause you significant drooling and smiling.
Turtle Brook section (very shakey)
