2022 Berry Pond Scramble

2022 Berry Pond Scramble:

My First Frolic in the Woods

Hold up! Another first for me?! Indeed. Somewhat fresh off my first mountain bike race was the Berry Pond Scramble at Harold Parker State Forest. It was advertised as a 5.6k (3.5 mile) trail race sponsored by the Friends of Harold Parker. 

    For a while now I haven't had a great relationship with running. It was mostly because I sucked at it and never gave it the time and discipline it deserved. But I knew I had to get serious and start mixing up my training. To begin, I hit up the fire roads at the Middlesex Fells Reservation which proved to be the perfect place to ease into it. All in all, I ran a handful of times and tracked my progress on Strava. I love running in the woods, just saying. 

    Then came the scramble. I will keep it short and sweet here. I had a blast! The route was a perfect mix of fire roads with some double and singletrack peppered in. The weather was ideal and the bugs minimal. I roped my friend Eric into running with me. He did great with the exception of eating S**t halfway through. He rallied and finished strong. 

    Once I crossed the finish line I enjoyed a 10 am hot dog and bag of chips along with some water that a random stranger handed to me. Side note: Eric gave me a pair of bone conduction headphones to wear during the race and I fell in love immediately. The Hoka One One Gaviota 3's were clutch in keeping me comfortable without shin splints. A huge win. 

     So that's it, my first frolic (trail race) is in the books. Already looking forward to my next one. Until then my fellow Racer-X'ers...

Keep it Classy and Keep it Real,

Jason (J-Bone) Fitzgerald