I got home from ViPR training at SLP LTF today and decided it was a perfect day to go for a run. I had a couple of appointments that canceled this evening so I didn't go in to Crosstown or coach. My plan is to piggy back 6 tonight with a longer run of 10+ on Sunday morning. These last two weeks, the only time I've had to run is on the weekends. It's good to be busy and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to spend a few evenings with the kids. They are growing up fast. Any way the ViPR is a great tool that I'm looking forward to implementing with my clients. A great tool and it was great to learn and interact with Michol Dalcourt. A wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry.
6 miles tonight. It was a bit windy so I headed out into the west wind to the Park Reserve. It is nice to have a few inches of snow to work through now that Superior is on the map for May 19th. I've decided to do the 50k again this year. I finished last year with a time of 5:35 averaging 10:45 miles. That's going to be tough to beat especially since, if I remember right the trail was optimal that day until finish time when it started to rain. I've incorporated more speed work into my training which will train turnover as well as VO2, help with flexibility, and it takes less time so that mean more time at home with the fam. Hills are another add to this years program. I feel like with each race, I become more and more decisive with the plan that I'm putting together for the race. I'll bunch the 50k and book end that race with two half marathons this year. Minnetonka (first weekend in May) and Minneapolis (first weekend in June). It would be nice to finish one of them in under 90 minutes... or both. East loop-towards the swimming hole, past the chalet, take a right at the trail x-ing. stay heading north east until you'll eventually meet with the snowmobile trail lining zachary. Follow that into the woods heading east, till you meet up with pavement, head south through 6-8 inches of snow till meeting up with the culdasac near the picnic area. 3 intervals on the road past the chalet, jogging recover til the neighborhood ends, sprint (sub 5 minute mile pace) to 97th and home. 97th is full of hip and ankle mobility with ballistic active isolated stretching for hamstrings, quads, and calves. It was a beautiful night on the trail and fun to have the opportunity to run through some snow. (great hip flexor training).
The best part though was coming home. I had some Whey Isolate, banana with peanut butter, the last 4 rolls from Costco (Happy Birthday Brent and I love the Costco idea for lunch)!, a banana strawberry chobani, and a whole bunch of water. I helped Caden write his story about the can of worms starring Kai, and his Star Wars story starring Yoda. I think it is about Yoda's fast trip to Courasant in a galactic speeder or a starfighter... I can't quite remember. The bigs took showers tonight and Elli got her hair wet, I think she forgot she didn't want to when she got in. I got to be a ninja with Caden in the downstairs living room, calm Elli when she found out Caden started coloring her picture from Grandma (might want to bring her another one mom), and read two books to them for bedtime that we had never heard or read before (well, Elli had read "First Day Jitters", but neither of them had listened to "Big Smelly Bear". Both books end well and I sure do love those two. They are such good friends. Elli-"I'm sad that you started coloring my picture from Grandma". Caden-"I'm sorry Elli." Elli- "I'm going to color the rest... ok?" Caden- "ok Elli, I'm sorry." Elli- "I forgive you." Priceless
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
10k hills train
A trail after a half mile warm up (loop 1)
Welcome to 2012. Finally some snow on the trails here around Elm Creek. So this morning I am thinking about Superior while still trying to increase my time on the pavement for some half marathons early. Really stretched out the hip flexors on the downs today. I ran a sub 50 minute 10k followed by 4 hill repeats on Osseo Hill here on the north side of 81 and the North West corner of 81 and Elm Creek Blvd. There is what looks like a game trail up the hill. I'd walked this repeat last summer a bit and usually gravitated to the tubing hill for repeats at Elm Creek. The last couple of weeks though, I've begun (inspired by "A Football Life"-Walter Payton) to look for some more sprint hills. Today each repeat was under 18 seconds so it's not a big hill. On the downs of that I was focused on quick steps side steps getting my ankles ready for Oberg and Carltons Peak. That last down on Oberg is a beast coming in. Some drops of 3-4 feet in places and the same for Carltons. It took just under 50 minutes for the 10k and about 20 minutes to run the repeats and cool it back down heading into home. I got back just in time to make eggs for the family and watch an episode of Ninjago-Tick Tock, shower and sit down to write. What a beautiful morning to be on the trail and I'm looking forward to a fun day with family.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wild Duluth 100k
I don't really know how to start this one. I guess there was some excitement, so I'll just go with that.
I'll start by describing the week leading up to Wild Duluth. I didn't sign up for the race until Thursday because I was unsure I was going to attempt the race in the first place. I'm glad I did, but I'm not glad about how it ended up.
Normal work week aside from a meeting on Friday afternoon which I needed to ask for permission to leave. I was granted permission and was from SLP LTF at 2pm on my way home. From there Jesse would meet me and we would check in at Bayfront park on the south west shore of Lake Superior. That is where the race was to leave from on Saturday morning.
Backing up a couple of days... A friend of mine from work is from Duluth so it came up that I would be there over the weekend. I did not have a place to stay and would gladly take a warm bed over the inside of a wind shaken tent. It was windy too. Not too cold, but really windy that Friday night the 14th of Oct. It was worked out and I will talk more about that experience later on in my chronicles. A blessing nonetheless that saved me hundreds of dollars and gave me the opportunity to say "thank you".
It was mid month so I felt that I would not be missed too much around the club on a Saturday. This race was to be my last of the year. Actually Superior 50 mile was to be the last of the year, but I decided to try and parlay that finish in early September into this race in mid October. I really didn't even have maintenance mileage going into it. I was well trained for the 50 mile, my nutrition was even tighter heading into this 100k and I had learned a lot about race day nutrition from the 50 mile as well. I made my stop on Friday morning at Running Room MG for oodles of sport beans, purchased a new jug of EFS as I was running low, headed to the chiropractor for one final adjustment ( I love those boys over at Broman Chiropractic), and headed to SLP for some leadership development. Life Time Fitness is a great company to work for and I am so thankful for the opportunity to develop as a leader within the company, transcending into all areas of my life.
Was fed a bit ( thank you DK), and took off for home in MG. Once I got there I took a nap on the bottom bunk. I guess it was a nap as my 3.5 year old Elli kept coming in to tell me something ( I just love her). I obliged and re-dozed for 45 minutes or so. Then Jesse came, I packed all of my necessities and we hit the road.
We could feel the wind leaving MG hopping onto 610 (which is now just .25 miles from our front door; how nice is that!!). Bro drove and talked about feeling the wind all the way up. We stopped only once on the way as I was eating constantly (lot's of fruit, nuts, cheese, and drinking a ton of water). When we got out at the rest area it was windy. I didn't think I'd be in it much since I thought I would be in the trees for a good majority of the run (I was).
Although our journey was shorter and less painful ( in some ways) than I had anticipated, it was not without adventure. It's all an adventure when your life consists of wake, work, play, dinner, tubs, stories, bed, repeat for 5 days of the week and the same with a bit more "me" time and football on the weekends. That reminds me, I better get the garage cleaned out this weekend.
We got to check in at 7 ( it was supposed to close at 7). The folks were cranky and frankly not very nice either. We got free hats and "cuzzies" (is that how you spell cuzzies?). I filled my drop bags (ziplocs/ small ones) with help from Jess and we were off to Olive Garden. I could not think of a better meal to eat the night before a 100k race than Olive Garden. It was late enough we though that we wouldn't need to worry about being seated right away. Then we got to the parking lot, walked in, heard 50 minutes to an hour, and walked out.
We drove around for 10 minutes or so seeing parking lot after parking lot full of cars before settling in at... yep... Super 1 baby!! Yeah, the grocery. They did have a deli. They did have pasta, and fried chicken (go Jess). They also had buns, peanut butter and hard boiled eggs (for the morning), and water to drink. We saved $20 and 45 minutes!! I definitely feel that we missed out on Olive Garden though. Bonding.
From there it was lodging. First, we stopped at the Holiday to pick up a thanks card for saving us over $150 bucks to stay the night. An interesting place, perfect accommodations. Slept great and even got some bonus snoring while showering at 4:45 on Saturday morning. We were out by 5:15 and at the race start by a quarter to 6.
Headlamp... check. Everything else that I would need for the entire day and into the night on the trail... check. Fleet feet... must have forgotten them at home.
I got to a mile (all things considered; dark, rock, leaves covering all debris, lack of maintenance trail training, and a momentary lapse in trail concentration)... TRAIL WINS TODAY!!!
Mile 1 or just beyond on a downhill, I think the first one, standing tall and confident, I heard two pops in the right ankle. I roll all the time on the trail, but it is usually just one pop and it works itself out. I had a feeling with two pops, this was going to be different.
I didn't know for sure right away as adrenaline has a way of masking the pain for a while. Also, I knew I would be in it, just not yet and not this kind of acute swelling and focused pain. I came to aid at 4-something and mentioned it to the station attendant. He said, "be careful out there." I proceeded.
I got to about 6 miles and the pain was really setting in. Especially when I would step a certain way or bear to much weight on the right side. I was forced to walk in running situations which was very frustrating for me to do. I felt great and knew that ,particularly my nutrition, was tight leading up to this race and I was poised to finish a 100k race on my way to 100 miles next summer. I was passed by a number of folks, they all asked, "are you alright".
"Yeah, have a great day," was my reply.
The battle was this. Grandma saying, "you only have one body."
Caden saying, "persevere daddy."
I love my son, but my grandma has more wisdom. At mile 8.8, I listened to her and declared myself a drop. Peacefully
Jesse was to wait for me at the next aid so they called him to come and pick me up. He did then I made some phone calls, we drove to Broman Chiro, then to Urgent Care for an X-ray and treatment prescription. That's a great story in itself...
I'll start by describing the week leading up to Wild Duluth. I didn't sign up for the race until Thursday because I was unsure I was going to attempt the race in the first place. I'm glad I did, but I'm not glad about how it ended up.
Normal work week aside from a meeting on Friday afternoon which I needed to ask for permission to leave. I was granted permission and was from SLP LTF at 2pm on my way home. From there Jesse would meet me and we would check in at Bayfront park on the south west shore of Lake Superior. That is where the race was to leave from on Saturday morning.
Backing up a couple of days... A friend of mine from work is from Duluth so it came up that I would be there over the weekend. I did not have a place to stay and would gladly take a warm bed over the inside of a wind shaken tent. It was windy too. Not too cold, but really windy that Friday night the 14th of Oct. It was worked out and I will talk more about that experience later on in my chronicles. A blessing nonetheless that saved me hundreds of dollars and gave me the opportunity to say "thank you".
It was mid month so I felt that I would not be missed too much around the club on a Saturday. This race was to be my last of the year. Actually Superior 50 mile was to be the last of the year, but I decided to try and parlay that finish in early September into this race in mid October. I really didn't even have maintenance mileage going into it. I was well trained for the 50 mile, my nutrition was even tighter heading into this 100k and I had learned a lot about race day nutrition from the 50 mile as well. I made my stop on Friday morning at Running Room MG for oodles of sport beans, purchased a new jug of EFS as I was running low, headed to the chiropractor for one final adjustment ( I love those boys over at Broman Chiropractic), and headed to SLP for some leadership development. Life Time Fitness is a great company to work for and I am so thankful for the opportunity to develop as a leader within the company, transcending into all areas of my life.
Was fed a bit ( thank you DK), and took off for home in MG. Once I got there I took a nap on the bottom bunk. I guess it was a nap as my 3.5 year old Elli kept coming in to tell me something ( I just love her). I obliged and re-dozed for 45 minutes or so. Then Jesse came, I packed all of my necessities and we hit the road.
We could feel the wind leaving MG hopping onto 610 (which is now just .25 miles from our front door; how nice is that!!). Bro drove and talked about feeling the wind all the way up. We stopped only once on the way as I was eating constantly (lot's of fruit, nuts, cheese, and drinking a ton of water). When we got out at the rest area it was windy. I didn't think I'd be in it much since I thought I would be in the trees for a good majority of the run (I was).
Although our journey was shorter and less painful ( in some ways) than I had anticipated, it was not without adventure. It's all an adventure when your life consists of wake, work, play, dinner, tubs, stories, bed, repeat for 5 days of the week and the same with a bit more "me" time and football on the weekends. That reminds me, I better get the garage cleaned out this weekend.
We got to check in at 7 ( it was supposed to close at 7). The folks were cranky and frankly not very nice either. We got free hats and "cuzzies" (is that how you spell cuzzies?). I filled my drop bags (ziplocs/ small ones) with help from Jess and we were off to Olive Garden. I could not think of a better meal to eat the night before a 100k race than Olive Garden. It was late enough we though that we wouldn't need to worry about being seated right away. Then we got to the parking lot, walked in, heard 50 minutes to an hour, and walked out.
We drove around for 10 minutes or so seeing parking lot after parking lot full of cars before settling in at... yep... Super 1 baby!! Yeah, the grocery. They did have a deli. They did have pasta, and fried chicken (go Jess). They also had buns, peanut butter and hard boiled eggs (for the morning), and water to drink. We saved $20 and 45 minutes!! I definitely feel that we missed out on Olive Garden though. Bonding.
From there it was lodging. First, we stopped at the Holiday to pick up a thanks card for saving us over $150 bucks to stay the night. An interesting place, perfect accommodations. Slept great and even got some bonus snoring while showering at 4:45 on Saturday morning. We were out by 5:15 and at the race start by a quarter to 6.
Headlamp... check. Everything else that I would need for the entire day and into the night on the trail... check. Fleet feet... must have forgotten them at home.
I got to a mile (all things considered; dark, rock, leaves covering all debris, lack of maintenance trail training, and a momentary lapse in trail concentration)... TRAIL WINS TODAY!!!
Mile 1 or just beyond on a downhill, I think the first one, standing tall and confident, I heard two pops in the right ankle. I roll all the time on the trail, but it is usually just one pop and it works itself out. I had a feeling with two pops, this was going to be different.
I didn't know for sure right away as adrenaline has a way of masking the pain for a while. Also, I knew I would be in it, just not yet and not this kind of acute swelling and focused pain. I came to aid at 4-something and mentioned it to the station attendant. He said, "be careful out there." I proceeded.
I got to about 6 miles and the pain was really setting in. Especially when I would step a certain way or bear to much weight on the right side. I was forced to walk in running situations which was very frustrating for me to do. I felt great and knew that ,particularly my nutrition, was tight leading up to this race and I was poised to finish a 100k race on my way to 100 miles next summer. I was passed by a number of folks, they all asked, "are you alright".
"Yeah, have a great day," was my reply.
The battle was this. Grandma saying, "you only have one body."
Caden saying, "persevere daddy."
I love my son, but my grandma has more wisdom. At mile 8.8, I listened to her and declared myself a drop. Peacefully
Jesse was to wait for me at the next aid so they called him to come and pick me up. He did then I made some phone calls, we drove to Broman Chiro, then to Urgent Care for an X-ray and treatment prescription. That's a great story in itself...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Superior 50 mile recap
I have a difficult time on where to start. What a great weekend we had, the three of us. Dad, Jesse, and myself headed up 35 on Friday about 1pm and got to "The Nest" in Little Marais on Friday about 4:30 or so. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and 80 (a bit hot; perfect really). We settled in and headed up the north shore to Lutsen, where the race would finish on Saturday night. We checked in for the race, put all of the drop bags in the big bags to the aid stations and waited around for 40 minutes or so for the pre race briefing. What a beautiful night to be on the north shore. The hills just tower over you in that location too, especially knowing that it will probably be dark when you see them again and I'll have run 40+ miles by then too. Anyway, once the briefing was through, we went into the Moguls cafe and had dinner. It was 8ish by the time we finished so we headed back for "The Nest" and were settled into bed by 9:30. It always helps to be well rested going into a long run. Saturday the race started at 6am and I finished at 8:45 that night. Thanks for reading my story...
I'll write more details:
I had this race on my radar last year too but due injury I was unable to participate. I signed up early for it this year which means I committed early. This would be the longest I had run by 21.5 miles and it is a little bit intimidating going in knowing what the terrain looks and feels like on these trails. I was excited though as 35 miles of this adventure were new to me. I'll get to run another 31 in a couple of weeks as I plan to run "Wild Duluth" 100k (62 miles). That's an out and back course. Still need to sign up for that one and I'm going to need to get a few more good training runs before I'm ready to commit to that one. I think Jesse has agreed to come aid for me on that one. Back to "Superior 50 mile".
Dad and Jesse and I had been in communication all week as to when we would leave and how the weekend would go. We didn't even know that Jesse would be able to make it, but I'm so glad he squeezed this Saturday trip north into his schedule. He left on an airplane Sunday morning at 10 something, but still stayed to see me finish and drove home in the wee hours Saturday night. Thanks Jess!! It means a ton to me that you made that happen. It was great to have you there supporting me. I visited Broman Chiropractic twice the week leading up to the race, just wanting to make sure everything was lined up. Thank you guys (Doug and Chad), met with my dietitian on Thursday before taking off as well to talk about day before race nutrition and race day nutrition as well. Thank you Theresa. With that information I headed to Target on Thursday night to pick up my food for Friday. I got a lot actually. In the previous couple weeks, I had been starving myself of carbs, even fruit. I had been getting them all from beans or veggies. We decided on Friday leading up to the race on Saturday, I would eat as much fruit as possible. We also decided that a big pasta dinner on Friday night would be a good fill up for Saturdays cross country trip as well. That was real good and left my muscles feeling full of fuel.
Friday morning I was up early with a client at 5am - 10am. It was a busy morning, but it was good to see those folks, be on my feet and busy working. It was a productive 5 hours for me. At 10 I left and went home. Kate was home that day with the kids as Hannah had a doctors appointment (that morning, no afternoon, well whenever) so it was nice to see everyone before leaving. Dad was at the house about 11. He brought his big cooler with to pack all the food for the trip. Lots of fruit, peppers, hummus, grapes, bananas, peanut butter, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and lots of water. I made the list of what I would need, we packed it all up, said goodbyes to my beautiful wife and three lovely children and off we went. Dad and I made one quick stop at Sipes to get ice, drove by the old house, and headed for the new 610. We found that Jesse would not be far behind us so we actually ended up meeting him in Duluth and driving up the north shore front and back. It was a beautiful day.
Once we got checked into "The Nest" it was time to start thinking about what exactly tomorrow would hold. Back to "The Nest". I don't know how this place was still available 3 weeks prior to the race as all of the rooms at Caribou Highlands were booked. "The Nest" is a little 14x16 cabin just off of HWY 61. Like just on the lake side of the road. Great accommodations. Just perfect for the three of us. We got settled in and I grabbed all of the things I would need to create my bags for the aid stations. I packed a lot of "shot blocks" and "sport beans". I would start off eating blocks and finish eating nothing but beans. Next time, I'll start and finish with them. I packed more fuel towards the end than the beginning and I had two scoops of EFS waiting for me at each aid station as well. Electrolyte Fuel System. I have trained with it and with water on the trail, this stuff is a muscle saver. I learned a couple of things from this race. One, drink water at the aid stations and EFS on the trail; two, sport beans instead of shot blocks for me. I really didn't eat "real" food at any of the aid stations. It didn't taste good and when I did, I didn't feel well for the first 20 minutes or so once I got back on the trail. I talked about the pre race briefing, the dinner, and that night. It was pretty uneventful really but so nice to share that time with Dad and Jesse. I have run 50k races before, in fact two on the final 15.5 miles of this trail, and each time I was here alone. It was so much better to share this experience with those two. At the race check in they were selling last years shirts for 2$ and sweatshirts for 5$. I got a couple of T shirts and a sweatshirt. What a great deal!!
Saturday morning. It was game time. Slept well and had everything laid out from the night before (race number pinned onto my shorts and everything set up to put on in the morning). I had 3 hard boiled eggs for breakfast with a banana and peanut butter spread on top. That's what Theresa and I had agreed on to have for a pre race meal. It was perfect. We all hopped in the pickup and headed to new Finland Rec Center where the race would start. The 100 milers had been through that aid station hours before hand and we would catch some of them and finish with them near the end. Each time I saw one running that race, I was in awe of their triumph over these hills and their minds. Incredible. Thank you Dad for writing the times on the aid station direction sheet. It is great to go back now and figure averages and remember each leg of the race. I am looking at that sheet that you and Jess got to know so well that day. Thanks! It was dark at the start and the energy was high. This was it and I was FIRED UP and ready to go. The race began at 6:05 and what a beautiful morning. The sun had not yet even peeked up, but we all knew it would be a beautiful day. As I headed out this morning, I wondered what was to come. How was I going to do this? What pace would I be able to keep up? I felt more prepared for this race than any other and there was a huge calm in that. I really could feel a ton of support too and that makes a huge deal. I knew that Dad and Jesse would be waiting for me whenever they were allowed and I knew that there would be times when I would feel like I couldn't go on.
I left the start at 6:05 and settled in behind Bob, a 60 year old who had done a number of ultras even a few 100 milers. I figured early on in my first 50 he would be a good one to settle in behind for the first few miles on this day. It was great conversation and aside from some roots and uneven trail, the first couple sections really were pretty manageable. It was 7.5 miles to the Sonju Lake Road aid (there was no crew access there). They had a fire going and the people were very friendly. We were all feeling great at this point. 4.2 to Crosby Manitou and I was actually on pace to run a sub 12 hour. I made that point to some more experienced ultra runners and they brought me back down to earth. At this point, I hadn't eaten anything which is how I had done a number of my training runs. If fact, just three weeks prior, I did a 23 mile run with no food at all. Just EFS and I had some of that this time around too. I got into Crosby Manitou at 8:47 so I averaged almost 14 minute miles up to this point and was really feeling great. There were a couple of great climbs to come on the way to Sugarloaf.
It is 9.4 miles to Sugarloaf and I got to see Dad and Jesse. This is the first time I've seen them since the start of the race. Very nice to see them and they were so helpful at all the aid stations. I'm sitting here looking at the topo map of this next section and there were some pretty good climbs at the front end of those 9.4. I had a strategy for the big hills. I would climb until I could feel my heart rate getting close to threshold and then I would stop, drink, and have some beans. Let my HR come down a bit and continue on. I would only have to stop once maybe twice per hill, but I do feel like this helped a lot with the way I felt especially at the end. A couple big climbs early on in this section, then some rolling hills (rocks actually). There were a couple miles of rolling rock piles. Climbing up and over, and even coming to some places where there were extra signs to make sure that the 100 milers doing this section in the dark didn't end up going over the edge as I was pretty high up in some parts. This was a beautiful section of the trail and it was still morning when I was traversing the rocks. It seemed that the section to Sugarloaf went on for quite a while. It is a 9.4 mile section. I'm pretty sure I went through all of my EFS on this section and was ready for more by the time I hit Sugarloaf aid. One mistake I had been making up until the next aid in the race is I had not drunk any water at any of the aid stations. I only had been drinking EFS. Once I got to Cramer Road aid, I started to drink water at the aid stations and that really helped. The last couple miles of this section were pretty flat if I remember right and I cruised into Sugarloaf. I got in at 11:13 and averaged almost 16 minute miles on that section.
I was 21.1 miles into my adventure and felling decent. I knew I had a long ways to go but was excited to see some new trail. There were a couple of spots on the trail that I was not looking forward to. One is Carlton's Peak and the other is Oberg Mountain. Turns out Carlton's Peak was a wretched as advertised and Oberg ascent was much easier than the descent. I wasn't there yet, but had already begun to think about getting there and overcoming these obstacles. I don't remember much about this leg of the race as I was out of it. This was one of those times that I was just pretty much hanging on. I think we have them in races like this and I think we have them in the race of life too. Each step is a difficult one to take, we just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and gaining on our final goal or destination. I think on this leg, I was trailing another runner who was obviously struggling but running at the same time. There was a section of roots that seemed to never end. Roots and I don't get along real well (although on this race, on this day, I kept my feet all day). We were not moving fast but just having that someone else running with me was real helpful and I needed that right here. Dad and Jesse worried about me when I staggered into Cramer Road. I knew I was in rough shape and really no support was going to help from anyone at this point. I think after Cramer is the only time Dad called to update the folks back home what was going on. It was bad timing. I had meant to reapply glide on the previous aid but had left without doing so. I did reapply at Cramer but I had already started chaffing. That was the message that was received at home. Thankfully, it never really became an issue as I reapplied at each aid thereafter. At Cramer, I got in at 12:44 and averaged a little over 16 minute miles.
I headed towards Temperance feeling like I imagine a beaten dog to feel. Not good. It was 7.1 to Temperance and I knew that I wasn't going to have to tackle Carlton's Peak yet. Thanks God for that. This was actually a beautiful section of the trail. For really the only part of this section that I remember, there was a stream running on the left of me for a good distance. I kept looking at it and thinking I should stop and dunk my head in the water. I needed that so bad, I could almost feel it before, which would turn out to be one of my last opportunities, I stopped, dropped my water bottles next to the trail, splashed water onto my face and over my head, soaked my bandana in the water, wrapped it onto my head, and hit the trail. If it were not for that decision, I may have not made checkpoints near the end. That one thing is the thing that I attribute to changing my attitude and entire make up for the remainder of that leg and the remainder of the race. I ran a couple of pretty quick miles coming out of that creek and then remember hitting a big hill where I had to employ my hill strategy to keep my HR down manageable. I got to Temperance at 2:50 and averaged 17.5 minute miles. Looks like I'm getting a bit slower as the miles accumulate.
Carlton's Peak sucks to climb. Especially 35 miles into a 50 mile race. I left Temperance and until I got to Carlton's Peak, all this trail was still new. From Temperance to the base of Carlton's I saw a lot of people. There was easy access to the Temperance river and day trippers were all over the place. I passed one guy and asked him how he was doing. He said, "fine, How are you?" I said, "I'm on 35 of 50." He said, "laps?". I said, "No, miles." He said, "Holy Shit." And that was it. It was just 5.7 to Sawbill and I knew what to expect from there. This leg was uphill from the start until the Peak. It started climbing gradual and progressed to more intense, until finally I was climbing over car sized rocks to get to the top. This is the first time I came in contact with the guy in the red shirt. I'll call him "sleepy" cause that what he said was the hardest part for him, not sleeping all night. Sleepy is a 100 mile racer and I seemed to see him on all of the major climbs from here until the end of the race. I didn't actually see him finish, but would have liked to. That ascent seemed to never end. I would say this is the other spot on the trail that I really felt like I didn't know how I was going to keep going. Once you get to 2.8 miles on this leg though, it's actually quicker to keep going forward than it is to go back anyhow. That's what I did. I made it to Sawbill and Jesse greeted me about 400 yards from the aid. It was good to see him and it was good for him to see a bit of the trail too. It's tough out there on that trail. Other ultra runners I know have great respect for how technical that trail is up there near Lutsen and some won't run it for that reason. Absolutely beautiful country! I got in and felt kind of like I did coming into Cramer. A major difference now is that I knew I was less than 15 miles from the finish and knew what all of this trail looked like. I got into Sawbill at 4:37 and averaged 19.25 minute miles. Carlton's Peak climb is a doozy!
I left Sawbill thinking I had a fairly easy section of trail in front of me. It is much easier than Oberg, but not easy. I had some "real" food at Sawbill aid and didn't feel right until I was on the trail again for 30-40 minutes. I was moving slow, walking a lot. I got to a point and told myself, you've got to run and keep moving, and keep moving faster than you are. That's what I did. It was 5.5 miles to Oberg aid and it took me awhile to cover it. I just wasn't feeling right for most of this section. I knew I was close, and I also knew what was coming. Oberg section is one of the toughest sections of the whole race and I knew that. I was talking to a guy at the pre race briefing who confirmed that information. The Sawbill section is rolling hills with a lot of roots. I went slow but made it to Oberg. It took me 120 minutes to cover 5.5 miles and I averaged almost 22 minute miles. It was a slow section. I haven't done the math yet on the Oberg section, but it may have been the slowest of the whole race. How great to see Dad and Jess and hear all of their support. I really think they had a great time getting to know some of the runners and their family's. I had a cup of hot soup, put on my headlamp, got some final words of encouragement, and the guy from TC Running said, the first couple miles of this last section are runnable. I listened to that, had forgotten that, and ran as much as I could of the first 3 miles of this last section.
I did run as much as I could coming out of Oberg aid. One of the hardest parts of the race for me I knew would be the steps up Oberg. They have put in railroad ties, I remember a hundred of them from the spring. I expected this thing to go on forever. It went on for awhile, but not forever like I remembered. I was to the top fully prepared to continue climbing. I thought that the toughest part was now behind me. It wasn't. On Oberg there is the climb, then a mile or so of just cruising on the top of the mountain, followed by a real technical descent. Especially in the dark. This was probably the slowest portion of the race for me. Big old rocks and at this point my quads were not well. I was alright, but this really shredded my quads. They held up pretty well. Lots of hill training leading up to this race. Practicing downhills as well as uphills. That's the ticket on the hilly trails. Slow descent. I cruised around the bottom for a while, then came to the switchbacks. Once I got here, I knew I would be coming out of the woods pretty soon. Also, I had a GPS and knew that I was getting pretty close. Again it was the way down the hill that proved the most challenging. I thought it was pretty cool running through the woods in the dark only being able to see a few feet in front of your face. I was the only one running at this point by the way. All others were walking slowly and shocked that I was tearing past them. It felt like tearing (in reality it was probably just creeping faster than them). In any case, it felt really good to run. There was a stretch that I didn't see the markers for the course for quite some time and began to wonder if I was lost in the woods this close to finishing. Finally I came to some markers and I could see the lights to the lodge. A welcomed sight for sure. I was moving pretty good by now, then I heard the Poplar river and knew it was about a mile to the finish. I got to the road as I passed another runner and it was on. I ran by far my fastest mile of the entire race right there with the end in sight. I looked down at my Garmin and read that I was running a 7:30 mile on the road. It was flat for the first time all day which was nice. I started to hear cheering and saw some lights. When I crossed the finish line, Dad and Jesse were waiting there with open arms to welcome me to the end. I thought I would have a real emotional reaction when I finished, but this is not my end goal in this running phase. I would like to do 100 miles next summer some time. I'll attempt a 100k race in a few weeks this fall. What I did feel instead of a huge emotional reaction was everything that I had put out of my mind all day. Like my body was pretty sore and I wasn't going anywhere fast. I ran this last section in just over 2 hours 124 minutes and averaged 17 and a half minute miles. That is with some 30 minute per mile hills. I was flying at the end and moving pretty good at the beginning of the Oberg section as well.
That's it. What a great experience that I am so thankful to have gotten to share with my Dad and brother Jesse. Thank you Kate for allowing me to train. I hope my dedication to these ultra events can teach our children about preparation, determination, and pushing through adversity. I love you and am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife and life partner.
Dad and I hit up Betty's Pies on Sunday morning and made our way back to home for a recovery day with football and family.
I'll write more details:
I had this race on my radar last year too but due injury I was unable to participate. I signed up early for it this year which means I committed early. This would be the longest I had run by 21.5 miles and it is a little bit intimidating going in knowing what the terrain looks and feels like on these trails. I was excited though as 35 miles of this adventure were new to me. I'll get to run another 31 in a couple of weeks as I plan to run "Wild Duluth" 100k (62 miles). That's an out and back course. Still need to sign up for that one and I'm going to need to get a few more good training runs before I'm ready to commit to that one. I think Jesse has agreed to come aid for me on that one. Back to "Superior 50 mile".
Dad and Jesse and I had been in communication all week as to when we would leave and how the weekend would go. We didn't even know that Jesse would be able to make it, but I'm so glad he squeezed this Saturday trip north into his schedule. He left on an airplane Sunday morning at 10 something, but still stayed to see me finish and drove home in the wee hours Saturday night. Thanks Jess!! It means a ton to me that you made that happen. It was great to have you there supporting me. I visited Broman Chiropractic twice the week leading up to the race, just wanting to make sure everything was lined up. Thank you guys (Doug and Chad), met with my dietitian on Thursday before taking off as well to talk about day before race nutrition and race day nutrition as well. Thank you Theresa. With that information I headed to Target on Thursday night to pick up my food for Friday. I got a lot actually. In the previous couple weeks, I had been starving myself of carbs, even fruit. I had been getting them all from beans or veggies. We decided on Friday leading up to the race on Saturday, I would eat as much fruit as possible. We also decided that a big pasta dinner on Friday night would be a good fill up for Saturdays cross country trip as well. That was real good and left my muscles feeling full of fuel.
Friday morning I was up early with a client at 5am - 10am. It was a busy morning, but it was good to see those folks, be on my feet and busy working. It was a productive 5 hours for me. At 10 I left and went home. Kate was home that day with the kids as Hannah had a doctors appointment (that morning, no afternoon, well whenever) so it was nice to see everyone before leaving. Dad was at the house about 11. He brought his big cooler with to pack all the food for the trip. Lots of fruit, peppers, hummus, grapes, bananas, peanut butter, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and lots of water. I made the list of what I would need, we packed it all up, said goodbyes to my beautiful wife and three lovely children and off we went. Dad and I made one quick stop at Sipes to get ice, drove by the old house, and headed for the new 610. We found that Jesse would not be far behind us so we actually ended up meeting him in Duluth and driving up the north shore front and back. It was a beautiful day.
Once we got checked into "The Nest" it was time to start thinking about what exactly tomorrow would hold. Back to "The Nest". I don't know how this place was still available 3 weeks prior to the race as all of the rooms at Caribou Highlands were booked. "The Nest" is a little 14x16 cabin just off of HWY 61. Like just on the lake side of the road. Great accommodations. Just perfect for the three of us. We got settled in and I grabbed all of the things I would need to create my bags for the aid stations. I packed a lot of "shot blocks" and "sport beans". I would start off eating blocks and finish eating nothing but beans. Next time, I'll start and finish with them. I packed more fuel towards the end than the beginning and I had two scoops of EFS waiting for me at each aid station as well. Electrolyte Fuel System. I have trained with it and with water on the trail, this stuff is a muscle saver. I learned a couple of things from this race. One, drink water at the aid stations and EFS on the trail; two, sport beans instead of shot blocks for me. I really didn't eat "real" food at any of the aid stations. It didn't taste good and when I did, I didn't feel well for the first 20 minutes or so once I got back on the trail. I talked about the pre race briefing, the dinner, and that night. It was pretty uneventful really but so nice to share that time with Dad and Jesse. I have run 50k races before, in fact two on the final 15.5 miles of this trail, and each time I was here alone. It was so much better to share this experience with those two. At the race check in they were selling last years shirts for 2$ and sweatshirts for 5$. I got a couple of T shirts and a sweatshirt. What a great deal!!
Saturday morning. It was game time. Slept well and had everything laid out from the night before (race number pinned onto my shorts and everything set up to put on in the morning). I had 3 hard boiled eggs for breakfast with a banana and peanut butter spread on top. That's what Theresa and I had agreed on to have for a pre race meal. It was perfect. We all hopped in the pickup and headed to new Finland Rec Center where the race would start. The 100 milers had been through that aid station hours before hand and we would catch some of them and finish with them near the end. Each time I saw one running that race, I was in awe of their triumph over these hills and their minds. Incredible. Thank you Dad for writing the times on the aid station direction sheet. It is great to go back now and figure averages and remember each leg of the race. I am looking at that sheet that you and Jess got to know so well that day. Thanks! It was dark at the start and the energy was high. This was it and I was FIRED UP and ready to go. The race began at 6:05 and what a beautiful morning. The sun had not yet even peeked up, but we all knew it would be a beautiful day. As I headed out this morning, I wondered what was to come. How was I going to do this? What pace would I be able to keep up? I felt more prepared for this race than any other and there was a huge calm in that. I really could feel a ton of support too and that makes a huge deal. I knew that Dad and Jesse would be waiting for me whenever they were allowed and I knew that there would be times when I would feel like I couldn't go on.
I left the start at 6:05 and settled in behind Bob, a 60 year old who had done a number of ultras even a few 100 milers. I figured early on in my first 50 he would be a good one to settle in behind for the first few miles on this day. It was great conversation and aside from some roots and uneven trail, the first couple sections really were pretty manageable. It was 7.5 miles to the Sonju Lake Road aid (there was no crew access there). They had a fire going and the people were very friendly. We were all feeling great at this point. 4.2 to Crosby Manitou and I was actually on pace to run a sub 12 hour. I made that point to some more experienced ultra runners and they brought me back down to earth. At this point, I hadn't eaten anything which is how I had done a number of my training runs. If fact, just three weeks prior, I did a 23 mile run with no food at all. Just EFS and I had some of that this time around too. I got into Crosby Manitou at 8:47 so I averaged almost 14 minute miles up to this point and was really feeling great. There were a couple of great climbs to come on the way to Sugarloaf.
It is 9.4 miles to Sugarloaf and I got to see Dad and Jesse. This is the first time I've seen them since the start of the race. Very nice to see them and they were so helpful at all the aid stations. I'm sitting here looking at the topo map of this next section and there were some pretty good climbs at the front end of those 9.4. I had a strategy for the big hills. I would climb until I could feel my heart rate getting close to threshold and then I would stop, drink, and have some beans. Let my HR come down a bit and continue on. I would only have to stop once maybe twice per hill, but I do feel like this helped a lot with the way I felt especially at the end. A couple big climbs early on in this section, then some rolling hills (rocks actually). There were a couple miles of rolling rock piles. Climbing up and over, and even coming to some places where there were extra signs to make sure that the 100 milers doing this section in the dark didn't end up going over the edge as I was pretty high up in some parts. This was a beautiful section of the trail and it was still morning when I was traversing the rocks. It seemed that the section to Sugarloaf went on for quite a while. It is a 9.4 mile section. I'm pretty sure I went through all of my EFS on this section and was ready for more by the time I hit Sugarloaf aid. One mistake I had been making up until the next aid in the race is I had not drunk any water at any of the aid stations. I only had been drinking EFS. Once I got to Cramer Road aid, I started to drink water at the aid stations and that really helped. The last couple miles of this section were pretty flat if I remember right and I cruised into Sugarloaf. I got in at 11:13 and averaged almost 16 minute miles on that section.
I was 21.1 miles into my adventure and felling decent. I knew I had a long ways to go but was excited to see some new trail. There were a couple of spots on the trail that I was not looking forward to. One is Carlton's Peak and the other is Oberg Mountain. Turns out Carlton's Peak was a wretched as advertised and Oberg ascent was much easier than the descent. I wasn't there yet, but had already begun to think about getting there and overcoming these obstacles. I don't remember much about this leg of the race as I was out of it. This was one of those times that I was just pretty much hanging on. I think we have them in races like this and I think we have them in the race of life too. Each step is a difficult one to take, we just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and gaining on our final goal or destination. I think on this leg, I was trailing another runner who was obviously struggling but running at the same time. There was a section of roots that seemed to never end. Roots and I don't get along real well (although on this race, on this day, I kept my feet all day). We were not moving fast but just having that someone else running with me was real helpful and I needed that right here. Dad and Jesse worried about me when I staggered into Cramer Road. I knew I was in rough shape and really no support was going to help from anyone at this point. I think after Cramer is the only time Dad called to update the folks back home what was going on. It was bad timing. I had meant to reapply glide on the previous aid but had left without doing so. I did reapply at Cramer but I had already started chaffing. That was the message that was received at home. Thankfully, it never really became an issue as I reapplied at each aid thereafter. At Cramer, I got in at 12:44 and averaged a little over 16 minute miles.
I headed towards Temperance feeling like I imagine a beaten dog to feel. Not good. It was 7.1 to Temperance and I knew that I wasn't going to have to tackle Carlton's Peak yet. Thanks God for that. This was actually a beautiful section of the trail. For really the only part of this section that I remember, there was a stream running on the left of me for a good distance. I kept looking at it and thinking I should stop and dunk my head in the water. I needed that so bad, I could almost feel it before, which would turn out to be one of my last opportunities, I stopped, dropped my water bottles next to the trail, splashed water onto my face and over my head, soaked my bandana in the water, wrapped it onto my head, and hit the trail. If it were not for that decision, I may have not made checkpoints near the end. That one thing is the thing that I attribute to changing my attitude and entire make up for the remainder of that leg and the remainder of the race. I ran a couple of pretty quick miles coming out of that creek and then remember hitting a big hill where I had to employ my hill strategy to keep my HR down manageable. I got to Temperance at 2:50 and averaged 17.5 minute miles. Looks like I'm getting a bit slower as the miles accumulate.
Carlton's Peak sucks to climb. Especially 35 miles into a 50 mile race. I left Temperance and until I got to Carlton's Peak, all this trail was still new. From Temperance to the base of Carlton's I saw a lot of people. There was easy access to the Temperance river and day trippers were all over the place. I passed one guy and asked him how he was doing. He said, "fine, How are you?" I said, "I'm on 35 of 50." He said, "laps?". I said, "No, miles." He said, "Holy Shit." And that was it. It was just 5.7 to Sawbill and I knew what to expect from there. This leg was uphill from the start until the Peak. It started climbing gradual and progressed to more intense, until finally I was climbing over car sized rocks to get to the top. This is the first time I came in contact with the guy in the red shirt. I'll call him "sleepy" cause that what he said was the hardest part for him, not sleeping all night. Sleepy is a 100 mile racer and I seemed to see him on all of the major climbs from here until the end of the race. I didn't actually see him finish, but would have liked to. That ascent seemed to never end. I would say this is the other spot on the trail that I really felt like I didn't know how I was going to keep going. Once you get to 2.8 miles on this leg though, it's actually quicker to keep going forward than it is to go back anyhow. That's what I did. I made it to Sawbill and Jesse greeted me about 400 yards from the aid. It was good to see him and it was good for him to see a bit of the trail too. It's tough out there on that trail. Other ultra runners I know have great respect for how technical that trail is up there near Lutsen and some won't run it for that reason. Absolutely beautiful country! I got in and felt kind of like I did coming into Cramer. A major difference now is that I knew I was less than 15 miles from the finish and knew what all of this trail looked like. I got into Sawbill at 4:37 and averaged 19.25 minute miles. Carlton's Peak climb is a doozy!
I left Sawbill thinking I had a fairly easy section of trail in front of me. It is much easier than Oberg, but not easy. I had some "real" food at Sawbill aid and didn't feel right until I was on the trail again for 30-40 minutes. I was moving slow, walking a lot. I got to a point and told myself, you've got to run and keep moving, and keep moving faster than you are. That's what I did. It was 5.5 miles to Oberg aid and it took me awhile to cover it. I just wasn't feeling right for most of this section. I knew I was close, and I also knew what was coming. Oberg section is one of the toughest sections of the whole race and I knew that. I was talking to a guy at the pre race briefing who confirmed that information. The Sawbill section is rolling hills with a lot of roots. I went slow but made it to Oberg. It took me 120 minutes to cover 5.5 miles and I averaged almost 22 minute miles. It was a slow section. I haven't done the math yet on the Oberg section, but it may have been the slowest of the whole race. How great to see Dad and Jess and hear all of their support. I really think they had a great time getting to know some of the runners and their family's. I had a cup of hot soup, put on my headlamp, got some final words of encouragement, and the guy from TC Running said, the first couple miles of this last section are runnable. I listened to that, had forgotten that, and ran as much as I could of the first 3 miles of this last section.
I did run as much as I could coming out of Oberg aid. One of the hardest parts of the race for me I knew would be the steps up Oberg. They have put in railroad ties, I remember a hundred of them from the spring. I expected this thing to go on forever. It went on for awhile, but not forever like I remembered. I was to the top fully prepared to continue climbing. I thought that the toughest part was now behind me. It wasn't. On Oberg there is the climb, then a mile or so of just cruising on the top of the mountain, followed by a real technical descent. Especially in the dark. This was probably the slowest portion of the race for me. Big old rocks and at this point my quads were not well. I was alright, but this really shredded my quads. They held up pretty well. Lots of hill training leading up to this race. Practicing downhills as well as uphills. That's the ticket on the hilly trails. Slow descent. I cruised around the bottom for a while, then came to the switchbacks. Once I got here, I knew I would be coming out of the woods pretty soon. Also, I had a GPS and knew that I was getting pretty close. Again it was the way down the hill that proved the most challenging. I thought it was pretty cool running through the woods in the dark only being able to see a few feet in front of your face. I was the only one running at this point by the way. All others were walking slowly and shocked that I was tearing past them. It felt like tearing (in reality it was probably just creeping faster than them). In any case, it felt really good to run. There was a stretch that I didn't see the markers for the course for quite some time and began to wonder if I was lost in the woods this close to finishing. Finally I came to some markers and I could see the lights to the lodge. A welcomed sight for sure. I was moving pretty good by now, then I heard the Poplar river and knew it was about a mile to the finish. I got to the road as I passed another runner and it was on. I ran by far my fastest mile of the entire race right there with the end in sight. I looked down at my Garmin and read that I was running a 7:30 mile on the road. It was flat for the first time all day which was nice. I started to hear cheering and saw some lights. When I crossed the finish line, Dad and Jesse were waiting there with open arms to welcome me to the end. I thought I would have a real emotional reaction when I finished, but this is not my end goal in this running phase. I would like to do 100 miles next summer some time. I'll attempt a 100k race in a few weeks this fall. What I did feel instead of a huge emotional reaction was everything that I had put out of my mind all day. Like my body was pretty sore and I wasn't going anywhere fast. I ran this last section in just over 2 hours 124 minutes and averaged 17 and a half minute miles. That is with some 30 minute per mile hills. I was flying at the end and moving pretty good at the beginning of the Oberg section as well.
That's it. What a great experience that I am so thankful to have gotten to share with my Dad and brother Jesse. Thank you Kate for allowing me to train. I hope my dedication to these ultra events can teach our children about preparation, determination, and pushing through adversity. I love you and am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife and life partner.
Dad and I hit up Betty's Pies on Sunday morning and made our way back to home for a recovery day with football and family.
Monday, September 5, 2011
taper
Well, I am a week out from my first 50 mile race. Superior 50 mile on the 10th of Septmember.
Training:
My longest run in training for this race was 23 miles. I did a 10 miler on a Thursday, a 23 miler on that same Saturday and 10 miles on the Monday two days later. I would have liked a little bit tighter grouping but I was able to run some hills and didn't make training for this thing my whole life as I don't really have the kind of time right now to do that.
Where did I train:
I trained quite a bit at Elm Creek Park Reserve, right by my house. Probably 75% of the miles I run, I run here. There are miles of hiking and horse trails and the Three Rivers Park District is a beautiful set of parks, very well run and always kept in great shape. I also trained once at Baker park Reserve on horse trails and long grass (the terrain there was pretty flat although their was long grass 8-10 inches in most areas). I trained at Hyland park Reserve on their massive ski hills just the other day in my last intense training run. I trained a bit around Life Time at Crosstown, none on the treadmill anywhere (it has been a joy to run outside 3-4 days per week. For the most part, that's about it for the training grounds this time around. I did find a little nugget that I didn't know existed just a few miles from my house though on my 23 miler a few weeks back. There is 15 miles of mountain bike and trail running paths on the northern half of Elm Creek Park Reserve. They say it is for trail running and mountain biking, but I haven't see any other trail runners there yet. That is a pretty aggressive track and the rolling hills resemble that of northern minnesota's Superior hiking Trail (minus the rocks and roots). There is also no elevation around here that you will find there. That trail is unrelenting!!
I am really looking forward to the trip up there next weekend. My dad and brother are going to come with me and be my support. I'll have everything placed where it needs to be without them, but it will be great to have someone to share this adventure with. We are going to be staying in a little cabin called "The Nest" in Little Marais, cruising to Lutsen on Friday evening for the pre race meeting, maybe stopping at an aid station to see the 100 mile racers, loading up on carbs, and hitting the hay fairly early that evening.
Saturday is an early start. 6am racers leave Finland on their way to Lutsen. There were just 9 people who finished the race in less than 12 hours last year out of 50 that ran it. That would be great, but lets face it, not very likely to happen to me. That is a stretch goal of mine, I just don't know if I have the experience to do that right now. We will see...
Here are times and paces:
12 hrs x 60 = 720 / 50 = 14.4 min/mi
13 hrs x 60 = 780 / 50 = 15.6 min/mi
14 hrs x 60 = 840 / 50 = 16.8 min/mi
15 hrs x 60 = 900 / 50 = 18 min/mi
The 21st runner out of 42 last year completed the event in 13:40. I would like to finish before 6pm on that day, really would like to be in the top half of the field. That means I'll need to average better than 17 minute miles to do so. I know the last stretch is going to be slow because of the hills and exhaustion, miles 40-45 will be more rolling, and I have no clue what the first 35 miles even look like. The 50k is an out and back from Lutsen to Carlton's Peak and back to Lutsen again. I am really excited to see some more of the trail, hopefully from about 6 feet up and not face to face with it. That will probably happen too though, I just hope I see some dirt up close and not the high point of one of the rocks that make this trail such a tripping hazard. It's the roots that really get me though. I need to make sure I am lifting my feet over the roots. I have a tendency to catch my toe on those things and that is when I eat the trail. I know late in this race my shoulders won't be able to catch me too many times as they'll be beat as well.
I'll be carrying two water bottles filled with EFS throughout the entire race. I don't plan on dipping into the EFS much though until after the first aid station. I'll probably just have one filled with EFS from the start and will have EFS dropped at most aid stations along the way. I am going to get a new pair of compression socks and will have fresh socks at probably two of the aid stations along the way.
I am excited to see familiar faces along the trail and will tell them to not let me quit (I'm sure I'll feel like it late and probably often). I will persevere through pain and win the battle of the mind. I am strong, determined, trained, and devoted to this goal of traversing 50 miles at one time. Super excited for the T-Shirt at the end and I'll wear it proud for about two weeks after finishing.
I'll need prayer along the way that day, early and often. Please pray for strength, focus (on the trail), health, power, determination, persistance, wisdom (in decision making on the course (fueling, when to rest, etc)), enjoyment.
It means so much to me that Dad and Jesse will be there to support me. I have run 3 50km races and this is the first that I'll have someone to share this experience with. I know it is a long day, and I hope they will enjoy their day on the North Shore. I'll have everything laid out that I need on the course so that you just need to enjoy the lake, take in some of the suffering, and drive me out of the Caribou Highlands parking lot after the trail takes its best shot at me.
I am personally really looking forward to the adventure, each and every part of it. It is a unique folk, us ultra runners, and folk that is looking to push beyond what most people think is reality or sanity. We look to do things that most think can't be done. We train our bodies to endure some of the most physical, long lasting, fatigue and we pay to put our training to the test. Again, I am so looking forward to sharing this experience with two people that I love very much. It brings me to tears thinking of the sacrifice they are making to support me on September 10th.
A short week that will take forever awaits... The weather is supposed to be perfect all week on the trail, which should mean no mud!! That would be huge, I don't feel like running in wet feet for an entire day. You never know what Gitche Gummee's weather system will throw at you though. I'll keep my fingers crossed and my eye on the radar. SHT here I come!!!
Training:
My longest run in training for this race was 23 miles. I did a 10 miler on a Thursday, a 23 miler on that same Saturday and 10 miles on the Monday two days later. I would have liked a little bit tighter grouping but I was able to run some hills and didn't make training for this thing my whole life as I don't really have the kind of time right now to do that.
Where did I train:
I trained quite a bit at Elm Creek Park Reserve, right by my house. Probably 75% of the miles I run, I run here. There are miles of hiking and horse trails and the Three Rivers Park District is a beautiful set of parks, very well run and always kept in great shape. I also trained once at Baker park Reserve on horse trails and long grass (the terrain there was pretty flat although their was long grass 8-10 inches in most areas). I trained at Hyland park Reserve on their massive ski hills just the other day in my last intense training run. I trained a bit around Life Time at Crosstown, none on the treadmill anywhere (it has been a joy to run outside 3-4 days per week. For the most part, that's about it for the training grounds this time around. I did find a little nugget that I didn't know existed just a few miles from my house though on my 23 miler a few weeks back. There is 15 miles of mountain bike and trail running paths on the northern half of Elm Creek Park Reserve. They say it is for trail running and mountain biking, but I haven't see any other trail runners there yet. That is a pretty aggressive track and the rolling hills resemble that of northern minnesota's Superior hiking Trail (minus the rocks and roots). There is also no elevation around here that you will find there. That trail is unrelenting!!
I am really looking forward to the trip up there next weekend. My dad and brother are going to come with me and be my support. I'll have everything placed where it needs to be without them, but it will be great to have someone to share this adventure with. We are going to be staying in a little cabin called "The Nest" in Little Marais, cruising to Lutsen on Friday evening for the pre race meeting, maybe stopping at an aid station to see the 100 mile racers, loading up on carbs, and hitting the hay fairly early that evening.
Saturday is an early start. 6am racers leave Finland on their way to Lutsen. There were just 9 people who finished the race in less than 12 hours last year out of 50 that ran it. That would be great, but lets face it, not very likely to happen to me. That is a stretch goal of mine, I just don't know if I have the experience to do that right now. We will see...
Here are times and paces:
12 hrs x 60 = 720 / 50 = 14.4 min/mi
13 hrs x 60 = 780 / 50 = 15.6 min/mi
14 hrs x 60 = 840 / 50 = 16.8 min/mi
15 hrs x 60 = 900 / 50 = 18 min/mi
The 21st runner out of 42 last year completed the event in 13:40. I would like to finish before 6pm on that day, really would like to be in the top half of the field. That means I'll need to average better than 17 minute miles to do so. I know the last stretch is going to be slow because of the hills and exhaustion, miles 40-45 will be more rolling, and I have no clue what the first 35 miles even look like. The 50k is an out and back from Lutsen to Carlton's Peak and back to Lutsen again. I am really excited to see some more of the trail, hopefully from about 6 feet up and not face to face with it. That will probably happen too though, I just hope I see some dirt up close and not the high point of one of the rocks that make this trail such a tripping hazard. It's the roots that really get me though. I need to make sure I am lifting my feet over the roots. I have a tendency to catch my toe on those things and that is when I eat the trail. I know late in this race my shoulders won't be able to catch me too many times as they'll be beat as well.
I'll be carrying two water bottles filled with EFS throughout the entire race. I don't plan on dipping into the EFS much though until after the first aid station. I'll probably just have one filled with EFS from the start and will have EFS dropped at most aid stations along the way. I am going to get a new pair of compression socks and will have fresh socks at probably two of the aid stations along the way.
I am excited to see familiar faces along the trail and will tell them to not let me quit (I'm sure I'll feel like it late and probably often). I will persevere through pain and win the battle of the mind. I am strong, determined, trained, and devoted to this goal of traversing 50 miles at one time. Super excited for the T-Shirt at the end and I'll wear it proud for about two weeks after finishing.
I'll need prayer along the way that day, early and often. Please pray for strength, focus (on the trail), health, power, determination, persistance, wisdom (in decision making on the course (fueling, when to rest, etc)), enjoyment.
It means so much to me that Dad and Jesse will be there to support me. I have run 3 50km races and this is the first that I'll have someone to share this experience with. I know it is a long day, and I hope they will enjoy their day on the North Shore. I'll have everything laid out that I need on the course so that you just need to enjoy the lake, take in some of the suffering, and drive me out of the Caribou Highlands parking lot after the trail takes its best shot at me.
I am personally really looking forward to the adventure, each and every part of it. It is a unique folk, us ultra runners, and folk that is looking to push beyond what most people think is reality or sanity. We look to do things that most think can't be done. We train our bodies to endure some of the most physical, long lasting, fatigue and we pay to put our training to the test. Again, I am so looking forward to sharing this experience with two people that I love very much. It brings me to tears thinking of the sacrifice they are making to support me on September 10th.
A short week that will take forever awaits... The weather is supposed to be perfect all week on the trail, which should mean no mud!! That would be huge, I don't feel like running in wet feet for an entire day. You never know what Gitche Gummee's weather system will throw at you though. I'll keep my fingers crossed and my eye on the radar. SHT here I come!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
July 16th and 17th training and events
18 and 6; finishing the 18 with a 3.7 that I ran on my wedding day 9 years ago! My wife and I talked that we averaged 1 kid per 3 years and we have seen a lot in the last 9 years. I am blessed to have her by my side.
Saturday
I woke at a quarter to 5 to get ready to run. The 3.7 Rice Lake Classic began at 8 and my plan was to get as many miles in before that race with my wife. I actually had to wait in my garage and watch as the rain was pounding down on the pavement and the thunder was pounding on my eardrums. It was coming down.
I had to wait for about 15 minutes. In that time, I cut some holes in a garbage bag in order to at the least keep my phone and music dry. It was dark and off I went. It rained for the first 30 minutes or so and I watched the sun come up as I ran the race route on my way back to my house to refuel. As I crossed over the bike bridge over county road 81 and began to cruise down the hill on the other side, I was reminded of my greatest purpose that day. My cousin Dann and good friend got married. On the way down the slope out of the corner of my right eye I saw a HUGE bald eagle soaring across the Eastern sky. My first reaction was tears. I thought of that committment. The marriage and the committment to our great country. That Eagle didn't flap once all the way across the sky. Awesome sign that gave me great perspective on the day. So honored.
I was home to refuel in 9 miles and was off again. Kate was just waking up so I was at the least able to communicate. She actually brought up a new shirt for me. Thanks hon! I reapplied vasaline, dropped the headphones, refilled the EFS, and off I was for the next 60 minutes until I was to meet Kate at Rice Lake for the race. I took off through the park reserve and was actually cut off at one point by a downed tree. I wondered if that was from the nights storms or because of the lack of government activity around the Three Rivers Parks. I turned and took a new path (which I needed to trudge through a foot of water for a hundred yards or so) and headed to Rice Lake. I was starting to feel pretty tired by now as this is the longest I have run since the Superior 50 K in may. I got to "Freedom Field" at about 7:45 and was set to stand around for 15 minutes. I was able to talk one of the workers into giving me a banana. He mentioned usually we don't give out food before the race ( I was thinking "dude, I am 15 miles into my run"). I didn't say that but needed the fuel and appreciate his providing me with it. I really enjoyed Kate and I's time together. She did a great job and I am super proud of her. Not only for completing the 3.7 (mostly running), but for being such a great mom and really sacrificing her running to take care of our third child (daughter Hannah). I am very thankful to be married to such a wonderful, devoted woman. Kate- I Love You!!
Back to the race- It was great and a struggle for the both of us. I have been running more than Kate so it was good that we were both struggling a bit to finish. We got to the final hill and I took off up it. Kate ran the whole thing as well. I am very proud of her for how she ran this race. Then it was off to the wedding. Honored!
Sunday was HOT!!!!!! I was out the door by 10 and intended to run more than 6 miles. 1 scoop of EFS wasn't enough to fuel that and I was sweating like a faucet was turned on. I am very content in getting 6 in as this is the first time that I have done multiple days in a row of significant miles. Next weekend is a bit lighter 10 and 8. I will shift to Sunday and Monday next week and tomorrow will do weights and rest on Tuesday. Wed will be a cross train day and Thurs will go longer along with comboing Friday. Saturday weights and Sun Mon long again. Till next time...
Saturday
I woke at a quarter to 5 to get ready to run. The 3.7 Rice Lake Classic began at 8 and my plan was to get as many miles in before that race with my wife. I actually had to wait in my garage and watch as the rain was pounding down on the pavement and the thunder was pounding on my eardrums. It was coming down.
I had to wait for about 15 minutes. In that time, I cut some holes in a garbage bag in order to at the least keep my phone and music dry. It was dark and off I went. It rained for the first 30 minutes or so and I watched the sun come up as I ran the race route on my way back to my house to refuel. As I crossed over the bike bridge over county road 81 and began to cruise down the hill on the other side, I was reminded of my greatest purpose that day. My cousin Dann and good friend got married. On the way down the slope out of the corner of my right eye I saw a HUGE bald eagle soaring across the Eastern sky. My first reaction was tears. I thought of that committment. The marriage and the committment to our great country. That Eagle didn't flap once all the way across the sky. Awesome sign that gave me great perspective on the day. So honored.
I was home to refuel in 9 miles and was off again. Kate was just waking up so I was at the least able to communicate. She actually brought up a new shirt for me. Thanks hon! I reapplied vasaline, dropped the headphones, refilled the EFS, and off I was for the next 60 minutes until I was to meet Kate at Rice Lake for the race. I took off through the park reserve and was actually cut off at one point by a downed tree. I wondered if that was from the nights storms or because of the lack of government activity around the Three Rivers Parks. I turned and took a new path (which I needed to trudge through a foot of water for a hundred yards or so) and headed to Rice Lake. I was starting to feel pretty tired by now as this is the longest I have run since the Superior 50 K in may. I got to "Freedom Field" at about 7:45 and was set to stand around for 15 minutes. I was able to talk one of the workers into giving me a banana. He mentioned usually we don't give out food before the race ( I was thinking "dude, I am 15 miles into my run"). I didn't say that but needed the fuel and appreciate his providing me with it. I really enjoyed Kate and I's time together. She did a great job and I am super proud of her. Not only for completing the 3.7 (mostly running), but for being such a great mom and really sacrificing her running to take care of our third child (daughter Hannah). I am very thankful to be married to such a wonderful, devoted woman. Kate- I Love You!!
Back to the race- It was great and a struggle for the both of us. I have been running more than Kate so it was good that we were both struggling a bit to finish. We got to the final hill and I took off up it. Kate ran the whole thing as well. I am very proud of her for how she ran this race. Then it was off to the wedding. Honored!
Sunday was HOT!!!!!! I was out the door by 10 and intended to run more than 6 miles. 1 scoop of EFS wasn't enough to fuel that and I was sweating like a faucet was turned on. I am very content in getting 6 in as this is the first time that I have done multiple days in a row of significant miles. Next weekend is a bit lighter 10 and 8. I will shift to Sunday and Monday next week and tomorrow will do weights and rest on Tuesday. Wed will be a cross train day and Thurs will go longer along with comboing Friday. Saturday weights and Sun Mon long again. Till next time...
Superior 50 Mile Training Program
I was going to do Voyager, but end of the month, necessity to perform in July, and having not trained much in the last few weeks all played a role in me signing up for Superior instead. I'm glad I did sign up for that race as last night as I was standing outside the Creamery in Scandia, I talked to the pastor who officiated Specialist P4 Carlson of the US Army. Great wedding and he and Nina are a perfect fit!!
The pastor... he talked about the section of Superior between county road 1 and county road 6. As we spoke, he said him and a friend (who has run the Sawtooth 100) from the church ran that section not long ago. One of the first things he said was that the goal was to run between 22 and 24 minute miles. I have seen the times that are run there and there were only 2 runners that finished the 100 mile inside of 30 hours. I don't believe there were any that finished in a day.
That's enough here for now. I signed up for the Superior 50 mile and will be following a program that I have created to train for it. This program will be dynamic and can change at any time. For example, I was scheduled to run 22 and 10 in the last two days and due to the heat as well as the wedding, was only able to get 18 and 6. I'll write more on that in a minute.
The pastor... he talked about the section of Superior between county road 1 and county road 6. As we spoke, he said him and a friend (who has run the Sawtooth 100) from the church ran that section not long ago. One of the first things he said was that the goal was to run between 22 and 24 minute miles. I have seen the times that are run there and there were only 2 runners that finished the 100 mile inside of 30 hours. I don't believe there were any that finished in a day.
That's enough here for now. I signed up for the Superior 50 mile and will be following a program that I have created to train for it. This program will be dynamic and can change at any time. For example, I was scheduled to run 22 and 10 in the last two days and due to the heat as well as the wedding, was only able to get 18 and 6. I'll write more on that in a minute.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)