It was a beautiful morning for this course, and a bit humid, but I started just before 7 a.m. and it was nice and cool at the start. I have biked these roads before but have never run them, so it was nice to see them from a much slower perspective! My body doesn’t love long stretches of pavement any more so I ran on the shoulder as much as I could. White Church was just about perfect with a soft, even shoulder, and it almost entirely in the shade. I loved the feeling of accomplishment running back into Brookton’s parking lot knowing I finished the Challenge. Thanks @adamengst for getting us all out there again and exploring local roads and trails!
This was my second longest run in 7 years (the longest being Pseudo Skunk in July) so I wasn’t expecting much, nor was I planning on having a fun time being on the road for 10+ miles, but it felt surprisingly good, all things considered – I’m clearly in way better shape than I was last year…funny how actually consistently training will do that!
I timed it perfectly between the 2 bouts of rain this morning: cool air and dry pavement, but super humid the whole time. On the way to drop off my portable aid station at the FLT on Ridgeway (good spot, almost exactly 1/2 way, with a nice bench to contemplate giving up on), I saw @lizhartman running up Coddington – she waved, but not sure if it was because she recognized The Little Yaris That Could, or just because I didn’t barrel by right next to her at 60mph the way so many others did to me.
We used to run here all the time with ICXC (I bet @esambo remembers) starting at the bottom of White Church and going all the way up, through Brooktondale to Banks Rd. There was another one starting in Wilseyville and taking the FLT/NCT all the way to Caroline Depot, but that looks pretty flooded out these days. Graduating in 2007 means it’s been 15 years since I last ran here. Great vistas, I just wish there were less “Let’s Go Brandon” banners – takes a special type of person to put that up in your yard.
Probably the only time I’ll run this one, but glad it wasn’t nearly as painful as Pseudo Skunk last year – though the hill on Lounsbery/Landon at 9 miles is just cruel!
It’s good to get those longer courses checked off - nice work! I’m looking forward to hearing your Treman FLT / Lick Brook update when you decide to do that one.
I run so often on Coddington that I think almost all of the regular drivers know me. I wave at everyone and I’ve found that since I started doing that, almost everyone gives me space or slows down. Many of the drivers are now waving hello at me before I start waving at them. I even saw a guy at Hammond Hill on the Long Loomis Course out hiking with his dog who recognized me from running on Coddington!
I grabbed the 52 bus by Bradfield Hall on Tower Road at 2:30-ish and got dropped off across from Brookton’s Market around 2:50.
Side note: That stop actually is perfect for getting to Jim Schug and Dryden Rail Trail via the 43, Lansing Trail via the 37 and you can hit the Cornell Track and Beebe runs on foot as well. Plus, you’re right by the red tail hawk nest on top of a field hockey light post.
I had enough time to do a work call, see a large one year old Rhodesian ridgeback dog and then set off for the run. For some reason the course seemed to have a faint toasted bagel smell so maybe I absorbed the essence of one of the cafe’s picnic tables. Nice to see horses and a distant cow on the run. Tempted to ride one of the horses back but didn’t do so.
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I got back to Brookton’s in time to grab a Bruce Cost’s ginger beer (solid, non-alcoholic soda) and then catch the 5 PM 52 bus to town where I enjoyed listening to G. Love and Special Sauce’s “The Hustle” album, appropriately named for a post-run relaxing ride.
Just a heads up on this course. They have tarred and feathered most of the roads. Coddington, Ridgeway, and White Church all the way back. It’s not awful to run on (gives it more of a rail trail feel) but the cars going by can kick the rocks up and the new gravel is quite dusty when driven on. So if you are not sure when to slot it in, you might want to wait until it gets packed down a bit.
My legs still felt a bit tired from running the Lick Brook & Treman course on Wednesday but I absolutely loved this course… the road is my jam, and I had never run in Broktondale before. There are a couple of tough uphill parts, but the downhill finish is nice. Of course, I made a mistake at the very end, and I turned right instead of left at the bottom of Van Demark Road thankfully, the RunGo instructions promptly said “you are off the route” (now that I know that you created the instructions, I always imagine you @adamengst when I hear them hahaha – the guardian angel of all the challengers ).
Damian’s warning is still valid: there is still a bit of gravel in the middle section of the course (mostly on Coddington), so pay attention when the cars get close to you and protect your face, in case they send some rocks in your direction.
The weather this morning was perfect for running (no sun and a nice breeze) but keep in mind that there is not much shade on this course, so it might be better not to tackle it when it’s scorching hot.
I am looking forward to running this and the other courses again in company, but I just want to say: THANK YOU SO MUCH to @adamengst for creating this challenge last year and keeping it up this year. Thank you to @heathercobb3@Dave_K and all those who organized and participated in the group runs. It was a HUGE HELP in the midst of the doom and gloom of the pandemic With none of the other races that usually provide us with the necessary motivation to maintain an active training schedule, the challenge gave us something to look forward to. And what a wonderful way to meet other runners and discover new running routes!
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After the run, I stopped for breakfast at the Brookton’s Market. As a tea lover, I appreciated their nice selection
All things considered it was a good morning for a fast run. I definitely had to push myself as I’ve been feeling pretty sluggish lately. I wish I had gotten out a little bit earlier as the sun was pretty strong towards the end. It was much better to run this course on a Sunday when the traffic wasn’t as bad as last time, but still the cars go soooooo fast. I got hit in the chest pretty good by a flying pebble from a fast car over the loose gravel. I was glad I was wearing glasses. I had a stitch for the first 6 miles or so which was unpleasant but I was able to run through it. I am hoping I didn’t aggravate my fussy right hamstring too much.
Now I get to enjoy the rest of this gorgeous day.
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Popped into Brookton’s Market to say thank you and bought a delicious juicy sweet orange that hit the spot after my run.
I took advantage of this cool and overcast day to do the Brookton run. Wore my new bright orange shorts and my brightest orange shirt, and most drivers gave me wide berth! Almost the whole length of Coddington Rd smelled like the wild flowering Dame’s Rocket that was everywhere. Beautiful vistas across the valley
Scott needed to do this course so of course I agreed to run it again today even though I told Teressa last week that it fell under “one and done” for me. On this nice cool morning we headed out to get this run in. I loaded up my podcast run list and decided to take a nice slow podcast run. We saw Jamie heading out as we drove in so we rushed to scan to get him a social point! My first one was great and motivational, the second was a bit controversial, and the third … well I should have switched to music because I hit podcast fatigue and it was boring. I walked more than one ought to walk, but without guilt so that was good. When I finished, @Jamie and @scottpdawson were hanging at a picnic table at the market cheering me in.
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Afterwards we enjoyed chatting with Jamie. We told another couple about the challenge (imagine 3 super enthusiastic people telling you about how great this is!) and then we enjoyed a sandwich before heading home. Jamie nabbed a picture of us as he left and sent it to me. I should have taken one of Jamie before he headed off with his eggs - his plan was to make himself a great post run omelet!
I was excited to check this one off my list! There’s something special about running a course for the first time. RunGo directions were great, but I scratched my head in the first few miles as the elevation kept gaining, and gaining, and gaining. @amy-dawson had warned me about it, though! When the course leveled off I really started to enjoy the miles. I chatted with @Jamie around mile 4 (we had seen him starting when we pulled in the lot, so nabbed a social point for us when we checked in). The uphill between miles 5 and 6 was just cruel, but I had my Honey Stinger gels to lessen the sting. The northbound leg was also pleasant, until the curvy hill after the bridge (I agree w/ you, @steve-desmond … not a nice course feature!). The last mile was pure delight, since my legs were toast I really appreciated the downhill.
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Brookton’s Market is SO cute! Have never been here and enjoyed my free cup of coffee while cheering Jaime and Amy in. It was also a treat to chat with @ks_eggs as he started his effort on the course for the day. Amy and I got a few breakfast sandwiches and enjoyed them at the shaded picnic table before heading home.
It was a sunny but cool morning so I had a good run. The loose rocks mentioned above seemed to have been packed down and I didn’t run into any dust at all.
It was fun seeing Scott Dawson out on the course (he passed me around mile 4 - he’s fast!) and I chatted with him at the tables under the awning after the run. Amy joined us a bit later. It was Scott and Amy’s 9th course and they planned to finish the 10th with a Sweet 1600 later in the day. Looking at the leader board they finished the challenge! Way to go!
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I bought my dozen eggs from the market for an omelet for breakfast but it turns out my kids had a different idea. We had waffles and strawberries with whipped cream instead. Yummy!
The conditions were ideal this morning for this course. Nice and cool (I was actually pretty cold for the first mile), no wind, beautiful sunny sky, and no traffic. Only around 8 cars passed me on the entire loop. Such nice views throughout! I definitely enjoyed this route more than last year’s Pseudo Skunk Cabbage course. I found it more scenic and relaxing, the ups and downs were fun, and of course it’s shorter, which I was happy about! Brookton’s Market doesn’t open until 10 on Sunday, so I missed out on that, but otherwise I highly recommend doing this one in the shady early morning. This was my 9th course, so Lick Brook is now looming large. Still not feeling ready for that!
another overcast and coolish day, and Anne still needed this course, so I gave it another go with her. I like this course with all it’s surrounding hills, but by the end there was some groaning going on …need to increase my endurance
I wanted to do this run early in the day so that I could avoid the gravel spitting traffic and take advantage of cooler temps. I set off about 6:15 am from Brookton’s Market. The first mile felt deceptively easy being slightly downhill. Then I hit Middaugh Rd…It was a relief to reach Coddington Rd, which is also slightly downhill much of the way. The gravel seems compacted at this point, except on the edges. Nearing Ridgeway, I was reminded by a white blaze on a telephone pole, that the Finger Lakes Trail uses Ridgeway and Coddington Rds briefly. So this is an honorary trail run after all! By the time I hit White Church, I was ready to be done. I’m not used to long runs on roads, I usually stick to trails. The last four miles were hard. I walked a lot on the uphills and was very relieved to get back to Brookton’s Market!
It was a hot morning and I was a little sore from lick brook yesterday but it was a gorgeous run. There was a nice breeze and the views were incredible. Feels good to have this one done!
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Brookton market wasn’t open yet so I went to Gimme for an iced coffee and croissant.
I started today’s running related activities not with this course, but by driving out to Hector to cheer on a friend from Syracuse in the Finger Lakes 50s. I chose the aid station to spectate at based purely on drive time but when I rolled in, who was there but @heathercobb3 ! There are some real pros to the small town lifestyle
For my run earlier this afternoon, the sun was definitely beating down and I too regretted not doing it another time of day (would have been later not earlier, I am not a morning runner). So, huge thanks to the person in the house at the corner of Ridgeway and White Church who offered to let me use her garden hose!! With some water on my head the last 4 miles were much easier than I had expected.
This was my longest run since catching dengue and also since the Syracuse Half in March. I did walk two of the steepest uphills but overall felt good. On the mend
Ugh. I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to run this course today. I’m coming off the FL50 25K, my longest distance ever. But the weather was decent, and I wanted to get it done. I battled a lot of negative thoughts. I tried to distract myself with wondering what was around the next corner, noticing the houses I passed, and appreciating the shade and cool breeze when I found it.
I was NOT happy when running down Van Demark Rd, RunGo tells me that I am off course, and it will be 9.8 miles until I’m back on course. WHAT THE?!?! I knew that if I was indeed off course, it would NOT take me that far to get back on. It just felt demoralizing at the time. As it turns out, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
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After completion, I beelined to the Brookton Market (super charming) for a chocolate milk and breakfast sandwich. FYI the AC vent on the floor near the water cooler, and it felt amazing!!
I saved the best course for last, as Brooktondale is my home turf.
One of the nice things about living along the route of a challenge course is that you can just walk out your door and begin. So that’s what I did! It was a cooler morning and I had the time.
I started the webscorer timing on my phone (without using the QR code) and placed it in the back part of my mailbox on White Church Rd. and then I was off - doing the course backwards by choice.
An unanticipated fun part about doing this course backwards was that I began running into people, such as @raenb0, who were going the correct way! It was a nice lift - especially along Coddington Rd. to see smiling faces and check in with each other, “Challenge course?!” “Yes!” “Looking good!”
Then I bumped into the same people again over on Vandermark Rd. and Landon Rd. when we were all alllllmosssst done!!!
For me, this was getting it ALL done. This was my final course to complete in the challenge. With that, I give you my gratuitous chocolate bar/completion photo. (I highly recommend the organic Theo Coffee Toffee 70% dark chocolate bar for a post challenge treat. )
Perfect morning for a hilly run with @abbycat84 and @maplejh - not too hot, nice breeze, gorgeous views. We passed @Gretchen both coming and going, and lots of friendly cyclists and walkers. This was my last course in the challenge and the longest road run I’ve done to date. I think I prefer trails for longer runs, I might have been cursing that last hill on Lounsbury Rd.
thankfully, the RunGo instructions promptly said “you are off the route” (now that I know that you created the instructions, I always imagine you 
).
With none of the other races that usually provide us with the necessary motivation to maintain an active training schedule, the challenge gave us something to look forward to. And what a wonderful way to meet other runners and discover new running routes!
lover, I appreciated their nice selection 
