Race #13/17 In Yan Teopa Trail 10 Miler

This weekend kicked off a double header starting with the In Yan Teopa 10 mile trail run. Race #13 in my 17 race series.  I am closing in on the completion of the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association Trail Race Series for 2014. I am starting to see the end of the tunnel.

Race Director, Larry Pedersen, making his pre-race announcements

In Yan Teopa is held every year at Frontenac State Park in Frontenac, MN on the Mississippi River. This is a beautiful part of the country with the river bluffs. The colors are just beginning to turn on the trees so still looks like summer for the most part. The weather also felt like summer for this race. The humidity was very high, the sun was out and it was hot!

This race is a small, friendly, and well organized race. We start out at the Picnic Shelter with a few announcements, trail guidelines and then a ready, set, go and we are off. The first 7 or 8 miles of this race are run on the prairies and the cross country ski trails. There are some really good hills on this trail but the first part of the race is almost all downhill. There are water stops along the way but my plan was to carry my 20 oz. water bottle and not stop at the aid stations. Last year I ran this race in 2:18 and I was hoping to finish it in 2 hours so no stopping other than to fill up my water bottle was the plan.

I started out at a faster than expected pace due to the downhill first few miles. My calves were tight and in retrospect I should have worn my calf sleeves. It took about three miles for my calves to finally loosen up and once that happened the run started to feel good. I decided to keep pace with a few runners I knew, Wayne Nelson and Doug Barton. I figured they would keep me on pace for my expected finish time.

I ran the flats and downhills and even managed to run a few hills but decided I better walk these as I knew at the end of the trail it would be a major climb to the top of the bluff from the river. Better to save some energy in the tank for that section.

Prairie running. Photo Credit: Mike Wheeler

About 3 miles in coming into the first water stop. Doug on the left and Wayne on the right

Coming back around to the same aid station a few miles later!

Some dirt track and wooded trail running between the prairie running.

Wooded trail sections were nice.

At some point about 7 miles in I started to outpace my running partners and just figured I would go ahead and that at some point they would catch back up with me. Turns out they did not but were only just shy of about 10 minutes behind me.  

Between 7 - 8 miles we hit the single track trail running along the bluff on the river. This trail was smaller than I remembered and one difficult aspect of running on it was that it was at an angle. As you were running you had to counterbalance the feeling of your feet wanting to roll down the hill.
I did not get pictures of this section of the trail as it was pretty technical and I did not want to take a tumble down the bluff.

About a mile from the finish is when you hit the fun stuff! The climb back to the top of the bluff. This section was much more difficult than I remember it last year. I remember the stairs but not the distance that needs to be covered as you keep winding up and up the trail to get to the top. Hikers were out this day so we met walkers and hikers coming down as we were power hiking our way up. This part of the trail I was now solo having lost track of Wayne and Doug in addition to two gals that we had been following for most of the race. I managed to pass another runner once I got to the top of the bluff. At this point you run at the top on some more single track trail until you pop out onto the grass once again to run the last 1/4 mile into the finish.

Sprinting to the finish

Gotta turn off the Garmin!

I finished up this race with a new PR of 2:10:40. Not the 2 hours I was hoping for but I am very pleased with this finish. It was a tough 10 miler with the elevation change both on the rolling prairie and the one big hill in addition to the bluff climb.

Nice Mug to mark the occasion.

UMTR members ready to run.