Use this topic for posts that will collect community stars for the Forest Frolic course. You can also ask questions or make comments about this course.
Here’s how it works.
Click the “Post Using This Template” button below to create a new post with a Story heading and boilerplate text.
Replace the boilerplate text with your report for one or both sections. The Story header is key for distinguishing between posts and replies—don’t change it.
Your post must be on the same calendar day as your run as entered in the leaderboard.
Story
To pick up a community star, replace this text with a write-up of what your run was like, a photo you took on the run, a link to your Strava track, or something similar. Don’t delete the Story heading above.
King of the Mountain
It’s been 5 years since I ran this course. It did not disappoint today. You are going to get your feet wet on this course but it isn’t really too bad. While descending the steep road on the initial leg, I crossed paths with Jon Marks and his wife. First time I’ve met them and had a very nice short chat. The morning cloud layer finally relented enough to release some sunshine on my CCW climb of the first loop of the figure eight. Made my way out to the power line road and enjoyed the view:
Continuing on to cross one forest road and reach the next one, as I passed the intersection with Baldwin Road, I saw what looked like a large black cat but with a long bushy tail run into the brush when I looked down Baldwin Road. I saw something very similar at Lime Hollow earlier. Is it more likely that I saw two very similar large black cats, or that I saw a marten or small fisher each time? I’ve seen a fisher in the wild and the tail was bushy like it had, but the whole animal was smaller.
Descending back into the woods, I reached this massive bridge. Even though my feet were already wet and muddy, I used the bridge anyway.
Running on through the figure eight intersection, I reached the loop that I really like! Interesting woods, scenic streams, the iconic rock pile, and beautiful views. I used the bridge in the foreground to cross this stream, rather than the other bridge farther down:
My Frolic 15k run turned into a run/walk with more gear shifting than a teenager learning to drive stick. The quads and calves are angry over the back-to-back 9-mile trail runs. As a result, I was slow enough to get dumped with rain but quick enough to beat the thunderstorm.
I ran the front loop clockwise instead of the usual counterclockwise and crossed paths with @FARVets, who was running the same route counterclockwise.
This is probably my favorite trail loop in the area. I enjoy the flow, and the terrain is just challenging enough to keep me on my toes. There’s also some nostalgia, as the Frolic was my first trail race back in 2011. RD at the time @sryan004 did such a good job I’ve been hooked on these endeavors for the past 15 years.
This course is the route of my favorite FLRC race, Forest Frolic. The shorter Forest Frolic distance was my entry to trail racing, and the 15K never disappoints and even goes by a plaque marking the highest point in the county.
My favorite effort running the 15K was a group run organized by @heathercobb3, which I completed with a few others, most notably @Gerald who lived in Ithaca that year. This springtime run delivered driving snow on the powerline cut, epic stream crossings, and good cheer. We skipped the last segment of the figure 8, instead returning on the road to route around flooding.
Some of you know that I’ve been coming back from a slipped disc and operation in 2021. I am persevering and pushing to fully recover and avoid additional problems, and the metrics say that I’ve recovered my longer distance running speed - though not yet short, so maybe this winter I’ll get there. For today’s 15K Forest Frolic race on the course, I ran 13 minutes faster than last year and felt great almost all the way. I also ran 2 minutes faster than my pre-op time.
I had good company on the trail today, with several friends in the same quarter mile or so - we passed one another repeatedly - and with a guy named Fritz who ran companionably behind me for 3 or 4 miles. The woods was greenly green, I was strong enough to frolic over the roots and rocks, and @Gretchen had kindly set out fruits, cookies, and salty snacks for post-race feasting.
This is the first time I’ve done the race since 2017, though I have run the course several times in the interim. I’ve always gone straight up the climb at the figure 8 junction to do the first loop CCW. This year I was talked into the CW direction by several runners at the start area, and I think it might be the better way. Ran with a loose group of four other runners until the last climb before the power line, then I descended from Virgil Peak rather rapidly and managed to pass a few other runners before and during the final 7K loop to the finish.
Race description mentioned possible return of the giant fungus! Found three rather large ones clustered around a tree during the descent to the junction of the figure 8. Even though I had some good downhill momentum, I stopped for some photos. My size 11 shoe is about a foot long for scale.
