January 2025 Newsletter

UPPER VALLEY RUNNING SERIES

3 small updates on the Upper Valley Running Series (UVRS):

1. The award ceremony for the 2024 UVRS will be at Runner’s Night Out on January 14th! If you are a series finisher, come and get your prize in person; if not, come and congratulate them on their accomplishment. Melissa Herman and Sean Meissner will handle the ceremony (unfortunately I’m out of town).
2. If you can’t attend the ceremony in person, no problem; we’ll get you your award. Stay tuned for details.
3. The 2025 UVRS series has been announced. Stay tuned for more information!

~Geoff and the UVRS committee

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

It’s that time of year again! We’re gearing up for 2025 and registration for the club is now open! You can register HERE on the Lebanon Recreation, Arts, and Parks website. You’ll see a tab for UVRC & Running, from there you can choose 2025 UVRC Membership (either individual or family rate). You’ll be prompted to log in and might need to choose those same options again.

If you are feeling generous, consider donating to UVRC to help ensure we can keep all the amazing parts of our club running. There is a donations tab on the sign-up page which allows donations in $5 increments based on the number of times you click when you are logged in. This is a zero pressure situation. 

As a reminder, yearly membership dues get you access to:

• Weekly group runs and weekly workouts
• 15% discount on running equipment/related goods (i.e. energy products) at Omer and Bob’s 
• 10% discount on running gear/related goods at Stateline Sports
• This great Monthly Newsletter 
• Racing team
• Automatically scored in the Upper Valley Running Series
• Access to UVRC Running apparel and other swag
• UVRC social events (Runner’s Night Out, summer picnic, banquet, Jingle Bell Run!)

Later this month, we’ll be updating our email lists to reflect 2025 membership, so be sure to renew now to keep receiving workouts, group run emails, UVRS updates, and all the good stuff.

THANK YOU for keeping UVRC running! We are so grateful for this community. 

2024 VOLUNTEER CHALLENGE UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who has submitted volunteer hours and given back to the running community in 2024. Running events and the existence of our beloved trails would not happen without the generous support of community members. If you volunteered at a running event and/or trail work day and have not yet submitted your hours, please do so ASAP. Email Kristina Siladi with the number of hours and event, and you will be entered into a raffle to win a pair of running shoes of your choice from either Omer and Bob’s or Stateline Sports! 

RUNNING WAREHOUSE DISCOUNT CODE

As part of your UVRC membership, you are eligible to receive 20% off socks and clothing and 10% off nutrition, select clearance shoes, and hats/visors. Enter the discount code Z3XX6UYP at checkout. 

LOCAL RUNNING ORGANIZATION IS HIRING

Finding our Stride is hiring a Program Director and Head Coach! See details HERE. 

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON!

Stay tuned for the upcoming unveiling of our new and improved UVRC website. Big thanks to our resident tech guru, Drew Prescott, who has spent many hours making this happen. Be sure to thank him for his time when you see him next!

Name: Kristina Siladi

Name of the Race/Running Event: Ugly Sweater 5k

Event Location: Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

Race/Event Distance: 5k

Race/Event Date: 12/21/24

Describe the Race

The event was a fun, low-key race put on by the Seashore Striders to benefit Redemption City, an organization that provides job training to people experiencing homelessness. When Sean and I visit my parents in Delaware, we like to jump into the local races if the timing works out. We got into town the night before this one, and woke up to crazy, cold, blustery winds. My parents, who are not runners, but avid supporters of the state park and of their childrens’ running habits, had already signed up and were not about to let a little (read: a LOT) of wind dampen their holiday spirit. We donned our festive garb and headed to the race! Thankfully, the course meandered through the park and the trees provided some respite from the wind. There were some nice, gusty headwinds as we turned the corner with about a quarter-mile to go to welcome us to the finish line.

How did you prepare for the race/event?

Well, I didn’t! I DNFed the Vermont50 back in September, a week after turning 40. That race was supposed to be my triumphant return to 50 milers after a long hiatus, and a way to embrace a new decade. Due to circumstances in and out of my control, that did not happen, and it left me feeling drained. I have not run much, nor have I attended a TNT workout, since then. I’ve been addressing some SI joint issues, swimming, lifting, and jogging occasionally. When this race popped up, I wasn’t sure if trying to run faster than a jog was the smartest idea, but decided to jump in and see what happened. My legs were crazy-tight, but with an extended dynamic stretching routine to warm up, I ran a little faster than I expected, given my utter lack of preparation. 

Any notable moments?

After I changed into my warm jacket and huddled behind the wind-blocking tarp on the side of the pavilion at the finish line, I scanned the posted results. To my surprise, “1st F Masters” was listed next to my name! While it wasn’t the foray into Masters running that I was hoping for, it sure was fun to pose with Santa and Mrs. Claus when they handed me that award. 

In another exciting turn of events, my mom, who also recently entered a new age group, power-walked her way to a 3rd place finish in the 70+F category. It pays to show up and keep moving! 

Sean took home the M5059 award, but that surprised no one. 

What do you wish you had known about this race/event before starting?

Nothing – it was full of fun surprises! My award was a hand-cut and painted wooden ugly sweater ornament, the post-race food consisted of bagels from Surf Bagel, a delicious local bagel shop, and the running club even had toasters for said bagels running off their generator at the finish! Classy move, Seashore Striders. Classy move.

Name: Cara Baskin

Name of the Race/Running Event: Krampuslauf 

Race/Event Distance: 9 hours (5k and 10k options available)

Race/Event Date: 12/7/24

Describe the Race

Krampus is a European half goat, half demon that visits children on the naughty list during 

Christmas, which feels a bit more nightmarish than receiving coal in your stocking. What’s even more strange is that this turns into a celebration for many countries, dressing up as the monster itself and running through the streets in a Krampus run or “Krampuslauf.” Our very own Lyme NH offers its own twist on the tradition with a tortuous race route up and down the Dartmouth Skiway. There is a 5k race,  up and down the Holt’s Ledge side, and a 10k race, which additionally crosses the street and goes up and down the Winslow side. The 9hr race lets you run the 10k loop as many times as possible in the time frame, counting only complete loops. If there are multiple people who run the same distance, the one who completes the most loops the fastest is the winner. 

How did you prepare for the race/event?

I’d never done a timed race before, but knowing I’d trained on my own for fun going up and down the skiway for hours on more than one occasion, I thought this race was made for me. Several of my friends signed up for the 10k, so I was intrigued and went for the 9hr. I don’t think I prepared in a focused way leading up to the race, but I added a little vert into my weekly mileage to jump start the quads. 

Any notable moments?

I was pretty overwhelmed at the start line with what I had gotten myself into. Most of 2024 felt like a wash in terms of lack of motivation, fewer miles and less vert than last year, and adding a DNF to my resume. I felt like I lost my spark and was forcing the flint to work by signing up for more races. Before the race, I dreamt of having one of those days you can’t plan, where you get in the zone, time is erased, and your body performs. The first loop took some jitters away as I saw the whole course and knew what to expect. I knew how long it would take and how quickly I could transition with new food and water in the lodge (the lodge was essentially your aid station and between each loop you wrote on a poster inside your “in” and “out” time). My first three loops were all the exact same amount of time, with the final two faster. I found my groove and barely looked up the entire day. My watch was only uncovered from my jacket in between loops. I felt confident, felt like myself, and was pleased to realize while I hadn’t had a day like that in a while, my body was still capable and my mind was still excited by it. Over the hours I picked runners off, though I felt strongly I was only racing myself and felt unaffected by my place. At hour 7 I passed the third place guy and he rushed out of the lodge to take back his place, putting a considerable distance on me within the next 1000’ climb. But, somewhere in mile 29, a half mile from the finish, I hiked past him on a climb. He asked if I was on loop 4, and I delightedly responded, “nope, fifth,” much to his surprise, and dropped the hammer, pushing the final climb and absolutely bombing the final descent. What a rush! I ended up as 1st female and 3rd overall, completely 30+ miles with nearly 14,000’ of vert in 8hrs 37min. 

What do you wish you had known about this race/event before starting?

I wish I knew how deep the snow would be! I naively thought the route would be packed down for some reason, perhaps from the race director and course marking. I wore exospikes on my trail shoes for the first lap (think track spikes), which was a laughable choice given the barely broken foot deep snow up top. This did improve throughout the day’s footsteps, but not before my feet were absolutely soaked and reliably moving through freeze thaw cycles between the ups and downs. I switched to microspikes for the remainder of the day and that did help with traction. Gaiters would have been a phenomenal choice had I not judged myself for how dorky I think they look and kept them at home. I did have the foresight to order goretex trail shoes beforehand; however, I only put 5 miles on them before the race and couldn’t bear to subject my calves to the extra task of breaking them in on a hilly course. The threadbare shoelace on the extra pair of shoes I packed (for when the first pair got soaked) broke minutes before the race. Once a noob, always a noob.

Hello, Upper Valley Running Club! I am writing to share my experience guiding a vision impaired runner during the Krampuslauf 10k at the Dartmouth Skiway last month.

As a new club member, I should probably start by introducing myself. My name is Angela Wyse and I am a new Economics professor at Dartmouth, having just moved to Hanover from Chicago in August. I began running in 2017 and have since fallen in love with trail running and ultras, finding my home in long distances and remote places and even completing a 100-mile trail race in Michigan in 2023. Since moving to New Hampshire, however, I’ve struggled to connect with the local running scene due to a hectic travel schedule and my aversion to evening workouts (sorry UVRC, but speed intervals require my heavily caffeinated morning self!). 

So when I saw that a vision impaired runner was seeking a guide for the Krampuslauf, with no experience needed, I jumped at the chance to dive into the Upper Valley running community in a new way. I had actually met this runner, Kyle, a month earlier while volunteering at the Vermont 50. After we connected for the Krampuslauf, he walked me through my main tasks as a guide: running ahead and describing the terrain and surrounding objects. Kyle’s reassurance helped calm my nerves about guiding, especially when he said that falls were normal even with experienced guides.

I felt especially tense for the race’s first hour as I described every gradient with excessive detail. Fortunately, most of the race was smooth sailing, with long, steady climbs and descents under a half-foot of snow. There were a few wooded sections, however, with a maze of roots and rocks that proved to be especially challenging. During those segments I learned that the key was to just slow down and try to be as precise and accurate as I could with my descriptions.

 I made my share of rookie mistakes – leading us off course briefly, stopping without warning, and using vague terms like “here” instead of “on my left.” Thankfully, the deep snow made our occasional tumbles more amusing than painful. Between the climbs, Kyle shared stories about his races and training and shared techniques for navigating snowy descents. By the time we crossed the finish line, we were both covered in snow and thoroughly worn out, happy to be headed for the warmth of the lodge.

Despite my initial nervousness, guiding turned out to a rewarding experience. It challenged me to be more mindful instead of tuning out as I usually do while running, and it offered a unique window into another runner’s perspective on the sport. The experience also reinforced what I love most about trail running: despite being an individual sport on paper, it often turns into a team sport in practice. I am looking forward to more adventures, local races, and maybe even working myself up to join more of those evening track workouts.