Webster Park

September 12, 2022

A quick run through the trails of Webster

On Saturday morning I ran the Webster Trail Classic with a time of 1:45:33. For a ten mile trail race I was very happy with this pace, and it was eight minutes quicker than the last time I ran this course in 2019.

Despite this being only the second time I have run this race, it is one of my favorite courses. The terrain and the trail vary between the three parks, and while there is plenty of elevation none of the hills are so steep that you are forced to slow to a walk. Additionally the course is mostly shaded, and (while perhaps I have mostly gotten lucky with the weather) there is very little mud.

At the start of the race I found myself towards the front, and was a bit concerned that I had started too fast. I settled into a comfortable pace, and while a few runners did pass me in the first four miles it turns out that I was actually was just faster than most of the field. Most of the miles were uneventful as I enjoyed the scenery while only occasionally gaining on or falling behind the other runners. With less than a mile to go I decided to pick up the pace, but instead kicked a root and fell on my face. I pushed on for a quick finish, but that was the one thing that really held it back from being a great race.

Overall I am glad to see the improvement from 2019, I felt good while on the trail, and I even felt good after the race as if my legs easily had more miles in them. Hopefully I can continue to run well as the Wineglass Marathon is less than a month away.

September 8, 2019

Webster Trail Classic

On Saturday morning I ran the 10 mile Webster Trail Classic in 1:53:33. This was my first time running this race, and I was the 63rd finisher which made me the median runner in this race.

The Dirt Cheap race in Webster Park has always been one of my favorite courses to run, so I jumped on the chance to run another race that starts in the same park. The course is far from flat, but the hills are not all that steep, so I was able to run the full route.

The middle mile is a loop around the outside of a large field, typically I am not a fan of these sections and prefer to run through the woods. However, in this race it was actually kindof nice to be able to mentally take a bit of a break in the middle of the course.

This is only the third new course I have run so far this year and my inexperience with the path resulted in me first pushing towards the finish line far too early, and then being unprepared to when the finish line finally did show up.

My next race is the Rochester Half Marathon and will be my first road race since the Fourth of July.

July 11, 2019

On the trails of Webster Park

On wednesday night I ran a bit over five miles in the latest dirt cheap race on the trails of Webster Park. I finished in 52:39 which is over two minutes faster than the last time I ran this course.

Webster Park is one of my favorite places to run. While it was scortchingly hot out, at least the majority of the course was under tree cover and away from the direct sun. My pace felt steady, and I ran most of the hills leaving me feeling better about this race than my last couple.

February 14, 2019

Dashing through the Snow

On Wednesday night I returned to Webster Park to run my second Snow Cheap race of the year. I finished in 30:51 which was a bit quicker than my time from January which I think was the same course but in the opposite direction.

The hallmark of this race was the snow and ice. The weather had calmed down by the time the race started, but for those of us without metal spikes in our shoes our top speed was pretty limited. I slipped twice during the race, and had to walk a few of the inclines just to avoid sliding down.

Webster Park is one of my favorite places to run and hopefully I can get back there again after all the snow has melted.

January 4, 2019

Mud Run After Dark

Wednesday night I ran my first race of the year in Webster Park. While advertised as a snow race, everything had melted resulting in a run through the mud (and the dark). I finished the three and a halfish mile race in 34:27.

It has been almost 4 months since my last trail race so it was nice to be running through the woods again even if I couldn’t quite see where I was going. I did split my head open after failing to duck a branch, but what slowed me down the most was the mud. It was hard to find traction, and often dark enough that you wouldn’t see the pits you were running into in time to avoid them.

No plans yet for my next race, but I am hoping to run at least 20 in 2019.

July 22, 2017

Running through Webster Park

I ran the fourth Dirt Cheap race of the year on Wednesday at Webster Park. I finished the trail run in 54:58 which placed me in the top third of all finishers.

This is probably one of my favorite courses to run, but I ended up with a time that was a bit slower than the past two years. Take away a wrong turn and a slide into the mud, and my time would have been a bit better, but I was still a bit off from a course PR.

July 22, 2016

A Run in Webster Park

On Wednesday I ran the fourth race in Dirt Cheap Trail Series at Webster Park. I finished the course in 52:15 which is a bit slower than last year, but is still my second best time on this course.

Back in 2011 this course was the first Dirt Cheap race I ever did, and it is always fun to come back to this park and run it again. My next trail race will take a bit longer as it is a 50k down at Bristol Mountain.

July 9, 2015

Back to the trails

On Wednesday night I ran the fourth leg of the Dirt Cheap Trail series at Webster Park. While it is possible that the course was slightly shorter, I blew away my goal of 60 minutes by finishing in 50 minutes and 17 seconds. This was good enough for me to finish 84th overall, which places me in the top 24 percentile.

They say that there is no such thing as a bad PR, but I really feel that I could have done better. I tripped twice during the race, and had another incident where the plank of a bridge literally snapped in half as I ran over it. Additionally (assuming that the course would be drier than it was) I chose the wrong shoes for this race opting for my Vibrams over my spikes which slowed me down in some of the muddier sections.

Running with Eric

Category: Webster Park