tight squeeze trying to get in the fkt before a big snowstorm later today. the start of the run was a bit shaky - lots of traffic and pretty heavy snowfall, wind in my face - thought about turning around a few times but figured i'd keep going as long as the snow didn't start sticking to the roads. luckily that never happened, and the snow transitioned to light flurries after a couple hours. the traffic was pretty bad in many spots - lots of snowplows and probably folks stocking up for the storm. if i do it again i'll probably try a different time/day - maybe early on a sleepy weekend.
the hills were really fun and not what i'm used to in connecticut - a bit more gradual but long inclines or declines, like 1-2 mile stretches of +500 or -500 feet. most of the vert was in those big climbs/descents, there was a bit of rolling hills here and there but also quite a few flatter miles. the mix of grades made it a bit hard to pace evenly, i really tried to hold back on both the climbs and descents a bit to keep my legs fresh. that mostly worked until the last few miles, where the traffic picked up again and i had to jump off road into the snow a few times due to the aggressive drivers and lack of shoulder space. that didn't bother me so much at mile 2 but at mile 32 i was just done with it. i also got chased by one of the smallest dogs i have ever seen, it was really aggressive and holding up traffic on the road in both directions. that dog had the heart of a lion but thankfully not much leg speed, so even in my diminished state i was able to escape without being mauled.
i ran unsupported with 1L of tailwind which was just enough. i didn't see many options to filter water but everything was frozen and covered in snow so i'm guessing there are a few spots. you never get real close to the lake but i'm sure you could find a way down there at the right time of year.
a few other recommendations for future runners:
- use the same start/finish location and run the loop in the same direction - it puts most of the bad traffic and vert in the first 24 miles, the last 10 miles is more scenic and less hilly (although last 3 miles had a bit more traffic).
- try to find a time when it's less busy on the roads - but it 100% has to be daylight, too dangerous otherwise.
- avoid running when it's been snowy recently (many of the roads have limited shoulders and the snow made that a lot worse).
- there aren't many places to go to the bathroom with any sort of privacy. didn't see any port-a-johns or public restrooms or anything either.