October 30, 2015

October 24, 2015 Surf The Murph


Surf the Murph Trail Race
I decided to run the 50 mile race at Surf the Murph after missing my 24 hour race in September to go on a Boundary Waters canoe trip with 5 other ladies. I had set out to finish a 50 mile race this year and felt the need to get it completed this year rather than waiting until next race season.

My training up to this race was not as mileage heavy as my training leading up to Black Hills. I was running 30ish miles (or less) each week due to my busy schedule. I managed a few long runs but really the longest would be the two marathon races I ran. Moose Mountain Marathon in September in Lutsen and the 6 hour Shuffle in Lake Elmo in mid October.

I have had a good year for races so really was not nervous about this race and figured I would be able to complete it in the 14 hours with maybe even some time (only about an hour) to spare. I was wrong about having that extra time!

The race started at 6 am and being 1 1/2 hours away I was not looking forward to getting up at 3:30 am to get myself to the start line. I decided to car/van camp at Horse Camp out at Murphy. They opened up free camping for those racers coming from out of town so I took advantage of that. My thought was that I could do the driving Friday night and be able to sleep in longer the morning of the race and also not waste any energy driving that far. I think this was a good decision.

I went to dinner after work with my husband and then took off for Murphy. I pulled in around 8 pm and there were only two other tents set up. I pulled my minivan through the locked gate near the others rather than parking in the empty parking lot by myself. One of the last things my husband told me was to make sure I locked the van doors before going to sleep so figured I would be safer being near the other campers.

I slept fairly well and was able to set the alarm for a 4:30 wake up. I made myself an oatmeal breakfast with some coffee and made the final preparations for my drop bag and start/finish line bag. The start/finish area was only about a mile away and I arrived to pick up my packet at around 5:30 am.  I saw several of my friends as we were waiting to begin. It had rained most of the night on Friday and was misting and wet as we got ready to begin the race.


Early Morning start

Loop 1

After the traditional pre-race announcements (namely it is really wet, muddy and slippery on the trail so be careful!) we were off. With it being 6 am we started the run with headlamps. It was slow going with the rain currently coming down and the wet and muddy trail covered in leaves. The mud was quite slippery and there were several times that I almost fell sliding in the mud. Going downhill was more difficult than going up the hills on this first loop in the dark. The first five miles of the course is where the majority of the elevation gain takes place. There are lots of both small and medium size hills. The first aid station is at mile 2.90 and the next one (Horse Camp) is around mile 5.50. The hills between these two aid stations are the worst of the hills. This was definitely my least favorite section.

By the time I ran into Horse Camp AS the sky was brightening and I was able to remove the headlamp. The sun was not shining but rather overcast. It was no longer raining though and this was good. Once through Horse Camp aid station the course levels out and traverses horse trails, goes around a lake and some prairie sections before heading back into the woods just before Natchez Aid station at mile 9.90.

Horse Camp Aid Station at mile 5.50 miles into the loop.
One of my favorite sections of single track running into Natchez. See how flat this is?
After leaving Natchez we had to run the road for about a mile before heading back onto the trail. I was able to make up some time in these flat sections and my pace was right on track with where I thought I would be. After Natchez AS you run through the prairie and back into Horse Camp AS at mile 13. From Horse Camp AS the next leg is back to the start/finish line and the completion of the loop.

There are some more hills on this final section but what is most memorable is the beaver dam crossing. Up until the Beaver Dam crossing I was feeling great! I was not prepared for this. It was muddy and very wet and when I came upon it the first time I was contemplating the best way to cross with the least amount of mud and water when another runner comes up behind me and says "you just have to run through it". So that is what I attempted. Epic failure! Rather than trying to balance across some very narrow and unstable looking logs I opted for the mud. A few steps in it sucked my shoe in and I was stuck. I fell forward and put out my right hand, which was wrapped in a cotton bandanna for some extra warmth, straight into the mud up to my wrist! I was able to save my left hand by using a nearby log instead of falling into that shoe sucking mud. What happened to the runner that told me I just needed to run through it? He looked like he sailed right across the top without getting either muddy or getting his shoes sucked into the mud!

Beaver Dam. I tried crossing in the left side of this picture. Photo credit: Selena
I was not happy at all. I was cold and now had a hand covered in mud with a bandanna that was useless as it was also full of mud. I ran the last few miles covered in mud carrying a wet, cold and muddy bandanna in my wet, cold and muddy hand! Oh and my shoes? They were covered in mud up to my ankles and I spent those last couple of miles trying to lose said mud.

I got into the start/finish line AS in 4:15 which was right on target, however I was rattled, full of mud and generally cranky as a result. When asked what they could get for me I said please get this mud off my hand! I was complaining about having to cross the beaver dam on the next two loops and Rob Henderson told me the trick to a dry crossing was to go to the left of this mess and cross there (outside of the picture to the left).

While I was still in the aid station finding something to eat Janet Hausken caught up with me and told me she would run her final loop and my Loop 2 with me. I thought this sounded great!

Loop 2

Janet and I headed out to start Loop 2. Oh great, five more miles of those darn hills! At least this time it was in the light and I was able to see better. Although it was still muddy and slippery the trails were starting to dry out a little but.

This time I stopped at the North AS and while there grabbing food I overhead a young man say that his longest run to date had been 4 1/2 miles. And he was running the 50k! He headed out of the aid station with us and decided to get behind us to try to keep up. He was feeling pretty bad and said he felt he could only mostly walk. We encouraged him and told him that he could even just walk the rest of the loop and he would finish as he had a total of 13 hours to get it done. We had some good conversation on the trail working our way to the the Horse Camp AS. Remember this was the really hard and hilly miles section! We told our new friend Jimmy that it was perfectly normal for an ultra trail runner to walk during the race and definitely walk up the hills. It was actually nice to try to encourage someone else in their race as it took my focus off my race.
Running into Horse Camp AS with Janet H and Jimmy

I was starting to slow down on this loop and I could tell that Janet had it in her to run faster than I seemed to be able to but she stayed with me and, in her own way, tried to push me to keep moving forward. There was a 3pm deadline to get this loop finished and at the speed I was moving I was going to need all of that time to get in by the cutoff. Only a few miles from the completion of loop 2 Julio came running toward us to run me into the aid station by the cutoff and then get me ready to head out on loop 3. He kept telling me to run faster and then I could spend more time in the aid station before heading out on Loop 3.

I got in with just 7 minutes to spare, which I was told by the race director when she asked me if I was planning on going back out for the final loop. Of course my answer was YES as I was definitely going to get this thing done! After being waited on by several of my friends all asking me what I needed and me not having a clue, I moved out of the aid station, ahead of the sweepers, to start my third and final loop!

Loop 3

I was blessed to have company yet again on this loop. I was accompanied by Robyn Reed who was going to run only some of the loop and Julio Salazar for the entire loop. For the first 5.5 miles of this loop (remember this is the hilliest section of the course?) I listened to Robyn and Julio chatter back and forth. I actually enjoyed this as I could suffer in silence and not be required to engage in the conversation. As I huffed and puffed up the hills those two talked and I just listened. It was nice. I had brought my trekking poles for this loop and I was glad to have them along as they helped me climb the many hills in this section. They were helpful both uphill and downhill as the downhills were also hurting. My right hip had been hurting for most of the second loop and the trekking poles helped to aleviate some of that pain.  In fact my hip no longer hurt on this loop.

I started to experience some burning pain on my left foot and knew that when we got into Horse Camp AS I better take off my shoe to assess the damage happening and wrap my toes to complete the race. This was a very smart idea. I was able to wrap my pinkie toe and change into a clean sock and this helped tremendously.  Robyn said goodbye at this point, told me she knew I would finish the race, and ran back down the trail to her waiting family. I grabbed my jacket and was told I better grab my headlamp as it would be getting dark soon and Julio and I headed back out to finish the last 11 or so miles of the loop.

I was definitely moving slower and had lost track of my average pace and what I needed to be running in order to finish by 8 pm. Julio kept pushing me knowing that I would need to move quickly in order to stay ahead of the sweeps. There were one or two runners behind me, also in front of the sweeps, so I figured I would be cutting it close to finishing by 8 pm.

Prairie section as the moon was rising although my camera did not capture it.
We got into Horse Camp AS the second time at 7 and I did not stop but kept going. I knew trying to get those last 3.8 miles in one hour was going to be tough and could not afford to stop. I had water and food in my vest so really had no reason to stop. At this point food was unappealing anyway. My stomach did not feel the best. It was not necessarily nauesous but just uncomfortable.

These last 3.8 miles were in the dark yet again. Started the day in the dark and it seemed I was going to finish the day in the dark. Julio pushed me, as much as I would let him, to get moving and all I could think about was how I was not going to make it by 8:00 pm. Julio told me to stop worrying about it and just keep moving forward as fast as I could. At one point he said something about seeing if I could sprint for a bit and I told him that I was sprinting!

With three minutes to 8 I looked at my watch and I tried to pick up the pace, and could have done a good job of it had there not been those final hills! But with the finish line in sight, finally, I managed a sprint up the hill to cross the line at 8:03:39. (Ok, no laughing here! My sprint may have looked like a crawl to those around me but my body was screaming this hurts so it must be a sprint!) There were a few folks still at the finish line, well the volunteers anyway, and Dawn Klaes was one of them. It was nice to see a friendly face at the finish! I was tired, sore and overall not feeling well but oh so glad to finally be finished!

Julio with his volunteer medal and me with my first 50 mile finishers medal!
This was a tough race for me. Mostly physically tough, though, as I don't recall experiencing any lows on the run. Just pain and being tired and wanting to be done running. 14 hours is a new PR for time on my feet and 50 miles is my new PR for longest distance.

Witnesses will tell you that I was spewing "never again" with vigor but I am claiming temporary insanity and can't be held accountable for what I may have said immediately following my first 50 mile finish. I just may be looking forward to tackling the challenge again with the goal of running it stronger, not necessarily faster.

My Spoils from the race

Forgot to get the required muddy shoes picture.This was the mess after taking the shoes off


September 13, 2015

September 12, 2015 Moose Mountain Marathon



September 12, 2015
This race was my favorite race last year of all the 17 races I ran for shoot the moon so when registration opened up I knew that I wanted to register. For the first year this race registration would be handled as a lottery. So upon entering the lottery I could only hope that I would make it in. I also had to decide very early which distance I wanted to run.  I had not run my first 50  mile race yet so I decided to play it safe and stick with the marathon distance for this race. I was pleased when I got the email that I had gotten into the lottery.

I went into this race not very nervous as I have been training hard and racing 50k or better since spring. I felt prepared and was excited to get back out onto the superior hiking trail. I skipped the Spring Superior race (I was going to bump up to the 50k distance this year) and raced IceAge 50k instead. I discovered that I much prefer the superior hiking trails with its rooty, rocky and most times muddy single track trail over the Ice Age trail in Wisconsin. I also am discovering that I much prefer a point to point race on the trails rather than multiple loops. But I digress.

I drove up with Mike and Dawn on Friday very early. We were all going to volunteer at the Silver Bay Aid station to help out the 100 milers. This is always a fun time being able to see our friends run into the aid station and give them encouragement and aid along their journey. 

After spending the afternoon helping out we then headed up to Lutsen to check into our rooms and then be at packet pickup that began at 5pm. We saw a lot of friends and had dinner at the pasta buffet the restaurant at Caribou Lodge arranged for the runners.  It was easier than eating at the restaurant off the menu as it was getting late and we were anxious to get back to the rooms to finish prepping for the race and to get to bed.

Alarm went off at the late hour of 6 am as the marathon start was not until 8am and the bus was not leaving until 7am.  This was nice to be able to sleep in as the 50 milers had to be on the bus at 3:45 am for their 5:30 am start. Although I at times was wishing I had signed up for the 50 mile race I have to admit being able to sleep in and knowing I would only be running 26.2 miles had its advantages!

Cramer Road to Temperance Aid Station (7.9 miles)

We arrived at the aid station and waited for the start of the race. The temps were chilly for shorts and a short sleeve shirt but for running the temps were wonderful! After the traditional prerace instructions from John standing atop his ladder we were off. We run some gravel road in the beginning of the race to get the runners spread out according to their approximate paces and then get on the single track. Despite the gravel road start there is still a bottle neck onto the trail. I must have put myself in a good position in the race as I was not walking for long. I got in behind Adam and Jamison from UMTR and we started chatting. We had to walk for a short bit but it was not long before we were off and running. Being cold at the start line it took awhile to warm up. I started asking Adam what his goal time for finishing the race was. I figured if I could find others looking to finish around the same time as myself I could hang with them and they could either push me faster or just keep me company on the trail. I found that it worked perfect for Curnow marathon so thought I would try to repeat that for this race.

Both Adam and Jamison thought they would finish sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 hours so I told them my goal was 7:19 according to my plan and that I was going to stick with them.  My goal was to pr last years race and this time would achieve that by about 10 minutes. I did not dare get too aggressive because if I would be unable to maintain a more aggressive pace I might get discouraged.  I could also run faster than the written plan and come in earlier if things were going well. Our average pace was 15:50 during this first 7.9 miles.  I was well under my goal of 16:30 so went out of the aid station feeling good about the pace. I did take some time to put on some KT tape on my ankle as I was starting to feel a sore spot. These newest version of Hoka’s are cut higher than my first pair and I have gotten a blister on my ankle on past races so was not taking any chances of that happening again. I try to spend as little time as possible in the aid stations to make up for my slower pace and typically hate to take my shoes off during the race but I am very glad I did this early on in the race as it prevented any blisters from developing that I would have regretted later in the day.

Temperance Aid Station to Sawbill Aid Station (5.70 miles)

One of my favorite parts of this race is the descent down to the Temperance Aid Station and leaving the aid station to continue the descent to the bridge that crosses over the river. Of course after crossing the river we then make a sharp left and run right back up. When we got to the bridge there were two boys sitting there and they cheered for us. They then said something like “It is about time. The last runner’s  we saw was about 10 minutes ago.” I got a chuckle out of that. It is first a gradual ascent up the river. This gentle ascent soon turns into the climb up to Carlton Peak. Just when you think you are at the top you continue climbing an even steeper ascent. We don’t actually go all the way to the top of Carlton Peak but once you reach the top it is a great feeling when you start the descent. 

We were cheered on by Dawn Marie and she took pictures of us as we ran past. She was waiting to see us come through that section. She spent many hours volunteering overnight at the Sawbill aid station and then after her job was complete there she spent many more hours working at the finish line. Thank you to all the amazing volunteers that make this race possible! 
Temperance River

Jamison and Adam, my running partners for first half of race
Jamison Swift and I climbing Carlton Peak

Carlton Peak. Photo by: Dawn Marie
This leg average pace was 16:20. This was much closer to my goal of 16:30 overall average pace but with the climb up Carlton Peak it felt good to know I was still under my planned goal time. I had run the first half of the race in 3:35:49 including the time spent in aid stations.

Sawbill Aid Station to Oberg Aid Station (5.5 miles)

Going into Sawbill Aid station I knew I did not need much. I took advantage of the restroom facilities, grabbed some real food off the table and was ready to head back out. I noticed that Adam and Jamison were not ready to head out yet so I told them I was heading out and they could catch up with me. I totally expected them to catch me so was surprised when it did not happen. I wanted to keep moving though to stay ahead of my planned time with the thought that I would need that banked time to allow me some wiggle room for the big climbs that would be coming. This section of the trail is mostly runnable. There are not any major climbs and just rolling hills and of course the roots, rocks and general superior technical trail. My average moving pace here was 16:32. Other than continuing to feel good throughout this leg I don’t remember a lot other than continuing to pass 100 milers and offering encouragement where I could.  

Oberg Aid Station to Finish line (7.10 miles)

Running down into the Oberg Aid Station I knew that I would need to put more water in my bladder in preparation for the climb out of Oberg and then up Moose and Mystery Mountain. I was able to fill the bladder with the help of the wonderful volunteers at the aid station, pull out some more cliff blocks to put in my front pocket and grab some cheese quesadillas off the table and hustle out of the aid station. Cumulative time upon leaving this aid station put me at 5:08:34.  Just 7.10 miles left even though these are some of the hardest miles in the race. Despite this difficulty I was able to run this leg with an average moving pace of 16:29. The climb out of Oberg is short but wakes you up after leaving the aid station. I mostly use this opportunity to eat as I climb. The climb up Moose Mountain is a tough one in my opinion. You start out with a gradual climb knowing that the steep incline must be just around the corner. And then all of a sudden there it is. Those stairs! This is a tough climb but I was able to climb it with only a very brief pause somewhere along the way. This one really gets your heart rate up. And just when you think it is done and start to descend you have more to climb! But once you get to the top you are afforded an excellent view of Lake Superior. 

View at the top of Moose Mountain
There is some great running along the ridge with some pine bed trails and rolling hills. This section is runnable with just a few short walks on those rolling hills. 

Along the ridge of Moose Mountain

Ridge on Moose Mountain

Ridge on Moose Mountain
I enjoyed the descent of Moose Mountain making the effort to to live in the moment and not think about the next climb up Mystery Mountain. I don’t mind the Mystery Mountain climb as the more gradual switch back climbs are not as heart pounding as the straight up the mountain climbs like Moose Mountain. Plus once you hit the peak of Mystery Mountain you know that the race is all downhill from there! Coming down Mystery Mountain is the best feeling knowing that you only have about 3 miles left in the race and it is downhill except for a few minor bumps along the way. I continued to pass some 100 milers and even managed to pass some marathoners as well. It was about a mile out of Oberg when the first place 50 mile runner passed me. I also ended up having the second place 50 miler pass me but was able to finish ahead of the third place 50 mile finisher.

About 2 miles out from the finish and during the last climb before the major descent down Mystery Mountain I came upon Janet Hausken and her daughter Kelsey. She was looking strong and I chatted with her for a short time. Kelsey managed to take a few pictures and then I passed them up and told them I would be waiting for her at the finish line.

Coming down Mystery Mountain I was able to feel the river before I heard it. There was a nice cool breeze coming up the trail and I knew the river was close. As anyone that has run this section will tell you when you hear the roar of the Poplar River it is a joyous sound as you know you are close to the finish line. I crossed the bridge and was prepared for the short hill which I always have to walk. Then all of a sudden you pop out onto the road and can see the resorts and the ski hill. The gondolas were running. This street section is a tough one. It is about ¾ of a mile to the finish line. I don’t allow myself to walk any portion of this so it is hard to keep moving. There are slight inclines in the road and my mind is screaming for me to walk. But I preservere and although I have to slow down slightly as I can’t sprint the entire distance I continue running. As I started up the gravel road to the back of Caribou Highlands Mike Hausken called my name. I am not quite sure where he was standing, although I think he may have been on the bridge, I called to him telling him that Janet was somewhere behind me.

Once behind the pool I was actually able to sprint my way to the finish. My official finishing time was 7:08:59 with an average pace of 16:23. This was a PR of 22:33 over last year’s finishing time of 7:31:26 for an average pace of 17:14. Although there were times early in the race when I thought maybe I could pull off a sub 7 hour race I am very pleased with this finish. This was an excellent race for me and the Superior races are definitely my favorite races of all that I have run so far.

August 18, 2015

August 15, 2015 Marquette 50k Trail Race

Marquette 50k Trail Race

 

I went into this race with a goal to enjoy the day on the trail. I had no specific goal for time but did have an idea that it would take me about 9 hours to finish when I looked at last years finishers.

I decided to run this race based on conversations with runners that ran last years race and a video posted to the race website of someone running the race. After seeing the climb up and down Hogback  Mountain I knew this was a race I wanted to run.

The 50k course is one southern loop of 10.6 miles and a northern loop of 20 miles. We started the race at 5:30 am so it begins in the dark using headlamps.

Doug and I at the start line.

 LOOP 1: 10.6 miles

The first mile or so is run on the road (some gravel, some paved) to help spread out the runners before getting to the single track trail. This helps with the bottleneck situation once on the single track trail. It would be nice to run the front part of this section in the daylight as it was very nice trail even in the dark.
First Leg of the 10 mile loop still in the dark
I was able to turn off the headlamp by the time we hit the first aid station at five miles. I dropped my headlamp as they offered to take back to the start/finish line so we did not have to carry them. I was headed back to the start/finish line as this was our second aid station anyway but it is always nice to take it off when not needed.

To Aid Station 2 - start/finish (mile 10.6)
That next section of trail was very technical. I found myself in a congo line of runners and ended up falling down twice. After the second time I let the runners pass so that I could give myself more room on the trail. I have found that I fall the most when I am running too close to other runners on the trail. When 'trail gating' there is not enough reaction time available to make those evasive manueveurs to avoid tripping. Luckily these falls resulted in zero injuries.

Crossing the power lines to get to more single track trail(Photo credit: Mike Madden)
I arrived at the second aid station which was the start/finish line in 2:32. About the last 2 to 3 miles were not very runnable due to the roots on the trail.

I had a drop bag at the start line and was glad I did as my braid had come undone and I was glad I did not have to run the entire race without fixing that situation. Nothing like dealing with long hair when the day is hot and humid. Oh did I mention that it was really humid during the race? Even at 8 am I was already sweating profusely. It was promising to be a very hot day.

LOOP 2: 20 miles

To Aid Station 3 (14.6 miles):
This next section included some nice rolling trails in the woods. Somehow I ended up missing a turn near Wetmore Pond and I found myself on a trail with no markers. A runner came up behind me and we commented on not seeing a trail marker for awhile. We kept running thinking a marker would show up soon. This was not to be as we hit a trail head and parking lot. We knew the aid station was on the road and we walked up to the road to see if we could see the aid station but the road curved. After wasting time trying to decide what to do and looking for some trail markers we decided we were going to have to backtrack to see where we went wrong. I was not too concerned as I had no goal time for finishing. So back we went and sure enough we saw the markers where we were suppose to turn right and had kept running straight instead. I still cannot figure out how I missed this turn as it was very clearly marked. After we found the trail again I determined that I had run an extra mile and probably added an extra 15 to 20 minutes of time. Oh well. Not much to do about it but keep moving forward. At some point on this section just prior to running into aid station 3 (which was suppose to be mile 14.6 but was 15.6 for me) I was stepping over a log and banged my left knee on a broken off branch on the log. It hurt. Like alot! I only barely scratched my skin but after saying a few choice words and rubbing my knee I made sure it still worked and continued on.

Great single track trail!

I arrived into aid station 3 and looked down and my knee was swelling. There was not any pain other than when I touched the area so I hoped nothing would develop as I still had over 17 miles before the day would be done. I took extra time in this aid station as the next section coming up would be 7 miles and was suppose to be mostly runnable after getting off Sugarloaf Mountain. And it was starting to get hot. I wanted to make sure I had enough water and added ice to my bladder to have cold water which always feels good during a hot and sunny race. The predicted high for the day was 84 degrees.

To Aid Station 4: (21.7 miles)
This section included the climb up Sugarloaf Mountain. I actually enjoyed this section and climb as it included stairs to the top. I don't mind stairs and powered my way to the top. At this point I started seeing more hikers on the trail and we were told that this might be the case as these trails were very popular in Marquette.

Wooden stairs to get to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain
Top of Sugarloaf Mountain

Top of Sugarloaf Mountain looking over Superior

Top of Sugarloaf Mountain overlooking Superior

Top of Sugarloaf Mountain

Top of Sugarloaf Mountain

Really bad selfie at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain

Talked to some hikers and we each took pictures of each other atop Sugarloaf Mountain
I spent entirely too much time at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain but my goal was to enjoy my time out on the trail so I took as much time as I needed to enjoy the view.

Getting down off Sugarloaf Mountain was interesting and I almost lost the trail down as it was hidden between some very large rocks. But I was smarter about it this time and did not go far without first looking for the markers down the trail. Going down there are many large rocks and sometimes the markers would be in rock cairns as there was no dirt to put the markers into. The trail was very well marked and as long as you were very conscious of where they were in front of you it was hard to get lost.


After getting off Sugarloaf Mountain the trail became mostly flat and ran along the shoreline of the Superior. This was a very nice section with lots of pines. It was somewhat rolling and there were rocks and roots to navigate but it was a very runnable section. I was pretty much by myself on the trail and had been for a long time. I was enjoying being out on the trail by myself. It was a confidence booster for me to be out there running alone.

Running along Lake Superior

To Aid Station 5 (26.2 miles)
This next section included the climb up Bareback Mountain and ran by Harlow lake. This section was not very memorable for me but included rocks, rocks and more rocks. This trail reminded me of running in Duluth on the Superior Hiking trail and in some sections reminded me specifically of the trail in Jay Cooke State Park with its rocks and roots and also parts of Wild Duluth with the running over the large rocks in the trail.

I am happy to say that I did not hit any lows during this run at all. In hindsight this is very surprising as I almost always seem to hit those low spots. I think I was enjoying being out on the trail so much with no pressure for a finishing time that I was living in the moment and enjoying myself immensely.

To the Finish (31 miles)
The last section included the climb to the Top of the World and the famous Hogback Mountain.

When I arrived at the top of the Top of the World there were some tents set up. Apparently some hikers had decided that it was a good camping spot. They must have been hiking as no one was around while I was there.

Top of the World

Top of the World

Top of the World

Top of the World
Next up was the climb to Hogback. I started to see or catch up with other runners at this point. I actually ran across some 100k runners on their backwards loops. I saw Rob Henderson, Travis Theide and Anjannette Arnold while still several miles out from Hogback Mountain. They all looked great and had been out on the trail for many more hours than I had been at that point.

Mild section of the Hogback climb
So how do you describe climbing up Hogback Mountain. Not sure there are really words for it. It is a very steep climb that continues for what feels like several miles but in reality is only about 1/2 mile. I was warned that there was a false summit and indeed there was. This climb was one where I actually had to stop to catch my breathe a few times. I found myself climbing this with four other ladies from a running group called Coyotes out of Illinois. I know one of their members(not present), Karol, and she had mentioned to me they would be there.  I also caught up with Rick Bothwell on this climb which I had not expected. As we were climbing there were others coming down on their backward loop.

Mild section of the Hogback Mountain climb
After hitting the top of Hogback the next challenge was climbing back down! This was not a runnable descent but rather a hike back down figuring out your best foot placings so that you would not end up tumbling down the large rocks.

By the time I was done ascending and descending Hogback I was ready to be done with hills but this was not to be the case as there were many small climbs on that last two miles. About the time I just wanted to run to the finish I found myself needing to walk. I was happy to be done at 32 miles (remember that bonus mile as a result of getting off trail?).


This race was very warm and humid similar to Black Hills in late June but I did much better overall during this race.  I did not experience any lows and had a really great time out on the trail.

Results:
9/21 Age group (40+)
18/36 Overall Female
Time 9:23:54 with an average of 18:11(my average pace was 17:37 min/mile for the 32 miles)











July 3, 2015

Black Hills 50

 Black Hills 100

50 Mile Trail Race

Sturgis, SD on the Centennial Trail

July 27, 2015


This was my goal race for the year and all my training and prior races were in preparation for this race.

The preparation included:
  • 50k group run at Afton State Park in March with friends
  • 34 mile pacing at Zumbro in April
  • 50k at Chippewa Trail races in April
  • 50k at Ice Age in May
  • 48 miles in the 12 hour run at Fans in St. Paul in early June
After the pacing at Zumbro I dealt with an issue with my left quad and hip which affected about a month of my running but by the time Fans rolled around I was feeling great again and my running was going well.

I was ready for Black Hills. The week before the race I started getting very anxious and just wanted this run to get started.

I ran a lot of my weekend training runs with Meredith O'Neil who I was planning on running Black Hills with. I was under the misconception that we were the same pace but as we got closer to the race I was realizing that she was a little faster than me on our long runs. This started getting me nervous about running the race with her and her friend Tiffany as I was beginning to think I would be holding them back. With only 14 hours to run the 50 miles with approximately 9,000 in elevation climb in about 6 or 7 major climbs I knew it was going to be close.

I convinced my family to come out with me and sandwich the run with some family vacation time. Not so sure that was the best idea as they felt this trip was all about the trail race. Admittedly the race was on my mind.

We arrived in Silver City, SD at our Camping Cabin on Thursday evening and went a few miles down the road for some Pizza at Cousins Easy Glider bar. It was a good choice as the pizza and company were good.  Friday's plans were to see the 100 milers off and then do some sightseeing and finally pick up my packet in Sturgis at the Start/Finish line.

We were able to have dinner Friday evening with some other runners, Meredith and her Mom, Tiffany and her family and Wendi. We had a good time but called it an early night. My husband was quite surprised as he thought with the live music starting that the evening was just beginning. But being the night before the race us runners just needed to make final preparations and get to bed for that early morning rising.

I was able to sleep in some as Terry would drive me to the start line in Silver City just 7 miles down the road. Race start was 6 am and I got to the start around 5:15 am.

Race morning had finally arrived and the goal for the day was to get to that finish line 14 hours later. The morning weather was not bad at around 60 degrees. Temps were expected to get up to the mid 80's so we knew we were in for a very hot run.

We were off with the usual Ultra fan fair. Ready, Set, Go! Terry actually stayed to watch start. This was the first time in the last three years of running he has seen me start one of my races.
Tiffany, Meredith and Wendi



50 Mile Start Line

We hit the water and mud as soon as we hit the trail. Well mostly the water. South Dakota has been getting tons of rain this spring and everything was wet. This created monster mud on some parts of the trail and some very fast flowing creek crossings around mile 32 for us 50 milers.

Lots of Mud!

Almost lost my shoe!
 Rocks, rocks and more rocks! Even the single track was filled with rocks. Admittedly in the first half of the race these rocks were pretty quartz in all different colors but by midrace I did not want to see another rock for the rest of my life. My feet were already sore before I hit that midpoint but there was nothing to be done about that.

Very rocky Trail with lots of inclines!
I kept up with Meredith and Tiffany (or they stayed back with me) for the first 20 miles or so. We ran together and were at the aid stations for the first three. The aid stations were approximately 7 miles apart give or take some. After that third aid station Meredith looked at me and said that in order to finish the race we were going to have to pick up the pace somewhat. I had already been giving it my all up to this point. We were under the 16:48 pace even with the aid stations (they were always waiting for me on these, not sure why I was taking so long). I had been experiencing a side ache for most of the run up to this point. I am pretty sure this was due to my pace and might even have had something to do with the elevation. All I know is that I felt like I was constantly trying to breathe. I often had to remind myself to take deep breathes as I know I ended up breathing shallow.

Coming into Dalton Lake Aid Station #3
Is that a tree? Oh, wait this is a cell phone tower.

Trying to keep up with Meredith and Tiffany

Gorgeous Views
I started to fall behind and hit the fourth aid station (Crooked Tree) about 5 minutes behind Meredith and Tiffany. They ran on ahead and at this point I was ok with that. The pressure of trying to keep up with them was getting too stressful and I was not enjoying the run or the trail like I wanted to. I was maintaining the course cutoff's at this point but was starting to realize that I probably would not make that final 6:30 cutoff at the final aid station. I was going to give it my all though and I did.

The next section was going to include the creek crossings (mile 27.5 to 33)  and it dawned on me that I now would be crossing them alone. I got out my mp3 player thinking maybe it was time to zone out somewhat. I ran most of this 7 mile section on my own and was actually starting to enjoy myself again when I came up behind another runner just before the creek crossings. I was happy about this as I would now not need to tackle the creeks on my own.

Creek Crossing with Judy
I hit that first creek crossing (at mile 32 on the legs) and really started to get nervous. The creek was flowing very fast. I grabbed the rope and just started across. I quickly realized that this was going to be a slow shuffle across the creek and my goal was to stay upright. I am happy to report that I did not fall on any of the creek crossings. I did, however, help the runner behind me, Judy, as she fell over and was hanging onto the rope hoping not to be swept down the creek. I know these creek crossings ended up taking an extra 15 minutes or more that I really could not afford. I was suppose to hit Elk Creek Aid Station by 3:14 in order to be on pace. Before hitting the creeks I thought I could at least make it by 3:30 but I watched this goal slip away as I navigated the crossings and also did not want to leave Judy behind. I needed to get into Elk Creek at 3:45 for the official cutoff but made it in at about 3:55. I was told Meredith had left 30 minutes ahead of me.  I had to make a very quick decision to continue on or be cut.  I was not ready to quit for the day and the aid station volunteer said he would let me continue on if I left by 4:00. I made the snap decision to continue on and try to keep up with another runner that was also leaving the aid station. I grabbed some things out of my crew bag knowing I would not see the crew again, grabbed some food for the trail and headed out. About a half a mile out of the aid station I slightly panicked and almost thought about turning around and going back. I had to run 7 more miles and there was the possibility that the aid station would be shut down and vacated already. I was warned that there was no possibility of getting a ride from that aid station and I would be on my own. I figured I would just call Terry and have him come pick me up.

This was a very difficult section in that the sun and heat was really starting to make me not feel so well. I was starting to hurt everywhere but did not want to take any ibuprofen due to the heat. I was never nauseous at any time but I was tired of eating and my skin started to feel funny. I can't describe the feeling but it was a weird feeling. The last time I went to the bathroom was at mile 20 and although I was trying to drink plenty I knew the hydration may not have been keeping up with the amount of sweating I was doing.  I walked most of this section with Ryan and his unofficial pacer. When we hit the downhill I passed them up and started to run/shuffle down the hill. Again there were tons of rocks on this section.

I ended up getting some cell phone signal and knew that at this point I would not be able to make that final aid station before the 6:30 cutoff so figured I better just call Terry to ask him to go to the finish line and get directions to pick me up. This ended up taking a good part of 5 minutes as once I had the signal I had to stop moving or feared I would lose it again.

I hit the Bull Dog aid station at 6:30. Although I had pretty much made the decision I was done before Ryan came in and declared he was also dropping I could not fathom the idea of going back out on the trail by myself. There was no one left behind me as those runners would have dropped. I chickened out and did not want to be in the woods with no cell phone reception all by myself. I had it in my head that the next aid station was 7 miles away when it was really only 4.60 miles away. I also believed I would have a DNF anyway so all these factors played into my decision to be done. It turns out this aid station is very hard to get to and Terry would not be able to get to me but they sent a volunteer to get Ryan and I in a pickup truck and drove us to the finish line.

Waiting for our ride at Bull Dog Aid Station
So there you have it. My first attempt at a 50 mile trail race and my first DNF. I do not regret starting this race and although I am thinking I may not attempt it again as it is very far away it was overall a good day on the trail. The weather was fabulous, albeit very hot at 86 degrees.

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