Race #11/17 Moose Mountain Marathon

Fall Superior Trail races with Rocksteady Running are great events put on by a Race Director who knows what is he doing. Being a runner himself helps him to know what ultra runners really need. This race is considered one of the most challenging races in the US with the Marathoners having a 5,500 elevation climb with three major climbs and lots of smaller climbs in the 26.2 miles.

This race marks the 11th race completed in the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association trail series. I am closing in on completing all 17 with only 6 races left!

I feel that I went into this race well trained. I had upped my hill training by running hill repeats on Tuesdays out at Barn Bluffs in Red Wing. Would run a total of about 4 miles with a total of about 1,000 elevation climb for each run. I also made sure that I completed my weekend long runs and was able to get in two 20 miles runs consecutive weekends before starting to taper 2 weeks out.

I drove up Friday morning with a friend and we stopped at one of the aid stations for 100 milers that had started their run at 8 that morning. We saw some runners we knew come through the aid station and visited with family and crew members that were waiting for their runners to come through.

We arrived in Lutsen at about 3 o'clock ready to check into the hotel. My room was not ready yet so I dumped my bags in a friends room and then headed over to Caribou Highlands where I would be volunteering at the 50 mile and Marathon check in. I was able to sit down for this so was grateful that I would not be standing on my feet for 3 hours. After helping and attending the pre-race meeting I headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a little while before starting to lay out my race gear for the morning. I wore my compression shorts, 7@7 Mankato race shirt, Buff, compression calf sleeves, fitsock socks, Hoka Trail Shoes and carried my rain jacket. I packed my Ultimate Direction Hydration pack with the bladder filled 3/4 full and the 2 10 oz bottles up front for Perpetuem.

I spent a good amount of time figuring out what my gear and fueling strategy would be. I planned a drop bag at the half way point (Sawbill Aid station) and put extra socks, Gu Gels/Cliff Bloks and more bags of perpetuem to refill my bottles. I also had my Mizuno trail shoes in the drop bag in case I wanted to change shoes midway. I purchased new Hoka trail shoes about two weeks before this race and did not know which ones I should wear.  I was undecided what shoes I would start with up until the last minute. I finally decided that I would start out in the Hokas and if they were bothering me would change at the halfway point. I am really glad I decided this as I ended up wearing the Hokas for the full race. I did get two small blisters on the outsides of both big toes but otherwise the Hokas felt great. I changed socks to my thicker Drymax trail sock and that seemed to cushion the blisters and although I knew they were there I was experiencing no discomfort or pain from them.

I am really liking the Ultimate Direction Jenny pack that I bought about a month ago. I like how it sits tight to my body and does not bounce. I am also getting used to running with 10 oz bottles in the front and planned on using these bottles for the Perpetuem. My plan was to drink both 10 oz bottles between aid stations and refill with the powder I put in Ziplock baggies. This worked okay but I think it is possible I should have drank more plain water and backed off slightly on the Perpetuem. I set my Garmin watch to alert me every 40 minutes and this was when I would eat either a Gu gel or the Cliff Bloks. I was alternating between the Gu gel with 1x caffeine and a non-caffeine gel or blok. 
This worked very well and I will use this technique for future long races when fueling is necessary.

As always the trail on the SHT was great running. It had rained Thursday up north so we had plenty of mud and muddy puddles to run through. The mud started as soon as we hit the single track trail. The start of this race is on the gravel road to allow for the runners to spread out and not cause a large bottle neck as we funnel onto the trail. There was still a fair amount of walking in the beginning but not as bad as it would have been were we to start on the single track trail.

For the first two miles of running my calves were very tight. I was expecting this to happen and I had been rolling them for quite a few days as they were bothering me. Once they loosened up the running felt really good. I was planning on maintaining an 18 minute lap pace between aid stations. These aid stations were; Temperance AS at mile 7.9/Sawbill AS at 13.6/Oberg AS at 19.1/Finish line.

Start to Temperance AS
I was feeling strong and happy coming into the first aid station. I believe my Garmin showed that I had climbed about 600 ft up to that point. There were no major hill climbs but lots of little ones. Coming into Temperance AS was all downhill while following the Temperance River.   I hit the aid station ahead of schedule and was able to refill my Perpetuem. I said hi to a few people and got out of the aid station all within the allotted 18 minute lap pace. I had decided to use my Garmin lap pace feature and hit my lap button as I left the aid station. This was a great way to be sure that I was on schedule and in this case slightly ahead of schedule.

Temperance AS to Sawbill AS (7.9 Miles)
Once I left the Temperance AS we started to climb Carlton Peak. On fresh legs this climb did not seem as bad as I was expecting it. I am sure further into the run this would have been a different story as it was for many of the 50 milers who were at there half way point when arriving in Cramer AS which is where we started our race.  I had no trouble maintaining my lap pace below the 18 minutes at all times on this leg. This was good as it allowed me to spend time in the aid station replenishing supplies. Coming into Sawbill I started to feel that a blister was forming on my right big toe. I debated with myself as to whether I would be changing my socks or not. I had already decided that I would continue to run in my Hokas as they were feeling very comfortable and the cushioning was feeling great. I also knew there were bathrooms at Sawbill and was in need of the facilities which I figured meant I was drinking enough fluids.  I arrived into Sawbill (the halfway point) feeling good with only slight back pain, a forming blister and my AS plan well in place. I changed my socks, which required sitting down on the ground which is not always a good thing during a race. My feet started cramping immediately upon sitting down. I changed my socks quickly and replenished my supplies from my drop bag. I was able to get out of the aid station at around 17:30 lap pace. As long as this was under 18 I was happy.

Sawbill AS to Oberg AS (13.6 miles)
Coming out of Sawbill with fresh socks I was still feeling strong. I knew that the major climbs were coming but tried to think only about the immediate trail. There were several climbs in this leg which included Britton Peak and Leveaux Mountain. Not as steep as the impending Moose and Mystery Mountain but hard in their own way. We were still encountering lots of mud on the trail and I powered through the mud puddles as I have learned in past races it is sometimes better to run through the middle rather than trying to skirt the mud. At around 17 miles the leader in the 50 mile race passed me by. I knew he had to be a 50 miler as he was running fast, unlike the 100 milers I passed during the entire race.

Oberg AS to Finish Line (19.1 miles)
I came into Oberg still feeling strong but as always towards the end of a race no matter what distance I was ready to be done. I was still under the 18 lap pace time so started to feel like I might come in ahead of the 7:52 goal time. Oberg was an awesome aid station for me as one of the volunteers offered to fill my water bottles and helped me get out my perpetuem baggies and even helped me pour them into my bottles. It was great not needing to take off my pack and someone helping me to get into the back pockets. I grabbed a pancake off the table (suppose to be chocolate chip but I must have grabbed the plain pancake!) and headed quickly out of this aid station. These last 7 miles are the roughest on this course. First you climb Oberg Mountain and then after descending Oberg you hit Moose Mountain. This climb includes stairs and is very vertical. While climbing I was using my hands on my legs to climb and also had to stop a few times to catch my breath. I was wondering why my biceps and forearms were hurting and not until Sunday did I realize it was as a result of the way I climbed the mountains on this course. I tried to run as much as possible on this leg but started to fall behind the 18 lap pace. It climbed up to 20 at one point but I was able to bring it back closer to 18 as I descended Moose and Mystery Mountain. I was able to run the flats and downhills for this part of the race and felt good about this as I was nearing the marathon distance with feet that were not burning as they did at Eugene Curnow race. I feel this is really due to the cushioning of the Hoka's and have decided I will continue to run primarily in my Hoka shoes.

I crossed the Poplar River running strong and other than the hill to ascend was making good time. When I hit the road I noticed that my total time was around 7:25 and began to wonder if I could pull off a sub 7:30 race. This section on the road feels longer than it should be with a slight incline so watched as time seemed to move very quickly and I realized I would not make the sub 7:30. I did finish with a time of 7:31:26 and gave that last extra push to try to not hit 7:32 on the clock. I did much better than I could have hoped on this run as the 7:52 time was my A goal and anything over 8 would be my B goal.

This was a challenging race but one I would definitely run again. I did not want to take too much time taking pictures but did manage to get the following pictures of the trail.

Elevation and the climbs for the Marathon Distance. Added to back of the cheater sheet I made for the run.

Card I made to keep me on track in aid stations and time.

Nora and I at the start line fresh and ready to run.

Sometimes found myself running behind others on the trail.

One of the Rivers peaking through the trail

River through the trees

100 milers wearing the pink ribbons.

Found lots of mud on the trail. Shoes now officially initiated to the trail!

Muddy trails

Shirt and Finishers award

The 100 mile, 50 mile and marathon course

Marathon course along the SHT

Rock Climbers along Lake Superior

Sitting on an outcropping along Lake Superior on the way home on Sunday

Race #9/17 SMU Scamper

Trail race #9 of 17 with a 5k at St. Mary's University out of Winona, MN. This is a fundraiser for the Universities Cross Country team.

Nora and I were the only two in our age division in the trail series to run this race. It was good weather and the trails are rolling with a mixture of double track dirt and grass.

Race #10/17 Fisherman's Picnic

Fisherman's Picnic Trail race was a 5 mile trail race on the cross country ski trails in Grand Marais, MN. We went to this race as a family and camped in Schroeder, MN at Lambs Resort. Nora came up on Friday evening and spent the night in the camper with us and we got up Saturday AM and headed up to the race.

This was a terrible picture as it was taken post run and it was very hot this day. Even though we were by Lake Superior on the North Shore once inland and on the cross country trails in the woods it was hot and humid.

I finished 29/45 overall women, 4/11 Masters in a total time of 54:38 which is an 10.55 min/mile

Race #8/17 Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon

I went into this race mentally prepared but I have to wonder about being physically prepared. The last time I ran 20+ miles was the Chippewa 50k the end of April. I had heard many stories about this race and how difficult it is. Mostly I heard about the dreaded Power Lines. I think being that I was expecting it to be hard I was prepared to be challenged. In fact I was fine all week at work and did not seem to be worried at all. Having just completed the Afton 25k the week before I tapered during the week with only one 5 mile run on the roads around the house. I figured it was more important to go into this race well rested as no amount of miles I would run that close to race day would help.

I started this run out by car camping at the Munger Bike Trailhead in Carlton, MN as this was to be the finish line. They were providing shuttle buses to the start line but we needed to catch the bus by 4:45 am and the thought of getting up at 2 am to then drive roughly 3 hours did not sound appealing, let alone wise with 26.2 hilly miles to complete. I could have stayed in a hotel but the thought of the cost for such a short use of the room I thought I would instead rough it. I met two other runners, Alex Eichman and Cheri Ryba, doing the same thing and it turns out there were others with the same plan. I did not arrive until around 9:30 pm so a few hello's to others and then try to get to sleep for that 4 am alarm clock. It was tough to sleep despite the roomy accommodations. I drove the minivan with the back seats removed and had some sleeping pads for comfort. It was quite humid at first and due to the bugs/mosquito's I could not have the car windows open at all. I first had to kill all the mosquito's that had snuck into the van and then with the almost full moon shining in my windows attempted to sleep. This did not go so well but even at home sleep the night before a long run is always difficult.

As is my nature I scoured the website to get all the information I could on the race the week before. This race director does an excellent job of giving you all the information about the trail and aid station locations. I even went as far as writing down the aid station distances to bring along with me so that I knew how far I needed to go between aid stations while on the trail. I thought that info may be useful when I started struggling in the race and my next goal became the aid station rather than the finish line. This proved to be very helpful. This race is well supported and as always the volunteers are wonderful! There were seven aid stations and the furthest one apart was about 4 miles. Knowing this I still ran with my Nathan hydration pack well supplied with calories and water. I also brought along the Ultimate direction 10oz small bottle to be able to fill with heed to supplement. I was expecting it to be hot but the weather was nice as it was cloudy and as the day progressed the humidity dropped.The clouds were nice when we hit the power lines and the open trail.

We arrived at the start line with plenty of extra time to spare. I got my race bib and then chatted with those around me. After a few trail marking instructions and a short history of the race we were sent on our way. As with all trail races when you start anywhere other than in the front there is some walking as we funnel onto the trail. And as it seems with most trail races it was not long before we started up our first hill. The first part of the race was running to and across the Spirit Mountain Ski Slopes. The first 3 miles with most of my races is spent getting warmed up. I was pleasantly surprised that my calves were feeling pretty good. I did not experience my normal 3 miles of difficult running. That must mean that my legs benefited from the extra rest.

Heading up to Spirit Mountain ski slopes

Spirit Mountain

 The next section of the trail was 'running' down Jarrow's Beach. I had not spent much time thinking about this section up to this point. It was interesting hiking through this area and my main goal was to just make it through without spraining my ankle. As with most difficult sections of trail I seem to get fewer pictures as I am trying to get through without injury and concentrating on taking pictures and staying upright aren't always compatible. I was happy to get back onto runnable trail. (this is of course subjective)

Jarrow's Beach

After Jarrow's Beach there were many hills, both steep and rolling, single track trails, pine forest trails, streams to cross (these felt great as the water was cold and the shoes were cleaned of all the trail mud) This section also included a very steep decline that required ropes in order to get to the bottom. I also added an extra 1/2 mile to my distance when I missed a turn and had to backtrack to find the trail again. There were a few others that followed me so I was not the only one that missed it!

One of several stream crossings, this one being the widest

Fun wide trails where we had to outrun the mosquito's.

Very narrow trail along the top of a rise on both sides.

This is only half way down looking back up at those behind me.

Don't think we could have made it down this without the ropes

Not everyone made it down on their feet

 Here is a video, not very good quality. I was getting eaten alive standing in one place in the middle of a pine forest!

After all these fun trails we arrived at the Seven Bridges Aid station which is right before you hit the Power Lines. These volunteers were checking on runners to make sure they had plenty of water, were handing out Salt tablets and had everything they needed before heading out to tackle the next section.

Power Line Trail

And more Power Line trail

There were flat sections between the inclines

The mud was very slick. If we tried to walk straight up our feet would slide back down. We ended up walking up this sideways using our hands and the grass/weeds as leverage. With Victoria Aney and Misty Swanson.

After having just climbed up one hill, oh look there is another one in the distance

The first few inclines and declines along the power lines the mud was very slick. As we progressed through them the trail got drier the farther up we got. Coming out of the Power Lines we hit the Grand Portage Aid station where our drop bags were. I had decided to pack a drop bag for just in case I needed it. I am glad I did as I had packed a Dr. Pepper and this race was not supplying any soda. I wanted the caffeine kick and started to look forward to that after getting through the power lines. I don't know what I was thinking though as I forgot to put more Cliff Bloks into my pack from my drop bag. I realized this too late though.

Munger Bike Trail

Very happy to finally get off the bike trail!

After one last big hill there were several miles of runnable cross country trails. The bugs were thick through much of this section. It was at about mile 19 that I hit my lowest point in the race. I started to question my sanity and why I was running this race. I was starting to get tired at this point and was actually wanting to see some walkable hills as I felt that I needed to keep running. I even got as low as cursing at the bugs that would not leave me alone. They were buzzing around my head and seemed to be taunting me. I kept myself going with the thought of how many miles to the next aid station. I could not think beyond the aid station at that point. I finally arrived and was at about mile 22.8 according to my chart. Up to this point I had been eating at every aid station but in this race I could only make myself eat about three fig newtons and could not stomach the thought of any more. I ate more of the Cliff Bloks I had brought and then switched to consuming the Hammer gels from the aid stations.

Much of the next 6.5 miles or so I was anxious to be finished. More cross country trail and then into the final aid station. I made sure to consume more gels and refill on heed to get me through the final 3 1/2 miles. These final 3 1/2 miles are run on the Carlton trail and are narrow, rocky and rooty trails. Normally I enjoy this kind of trail but after running 23 miles this part of the trail was difficult on sore feet. At this point in my run my feet were burning and telling me they were done for the day. As I told another runner, Shay, whom I had been leap frogging with for most of the run, there was no stopping now except at the finish line.

Swinging Bridge after the Jay Cooke aid station. Only 3 1/2 miles to the finish.

Very technical trail following the river, got much rockier in sections closer to the river

Great views of the river as we ran the trail

 When we exited the Carlton trail we came out onto the Munger Bike trail. Oh no!  More paved trail. The thought of running that last 1/4 mile or so on the pavement was depressing. I was lamenting running this when Shay got me going with encouraging words and running with me. I fully expected to run in with her but she dropped back (or I sped up, not quite sure) as I shuffled my way to the finish. It was nice seeing a friendly face at the finish as Bill Pomerenke called out my name. I am not sure what my official finishing time is yet and will update with those stats later but my Garmin has me finishing in 7:53:51. This was my first official Marathon distance race and the first time running this race so I am happy with that finishing time. My goal was to finish sub 8 hours and that is what I accomplished.

Nice shirt to show off my efforts

Cool Finishers Medal

Gear:
Compression shorts
Tank top
Nathan Hydration Pack
10 oz. Ultimate direction bottle used for Heed

Sunglasses
Chester Woods Hat (probably did not need as it was cloudy. I only wore this for the power lines and when the bugs would not leave me alone on a section of the trail)
Half Buff (used around wrist to wipe sweat at first then as a headband when I removed my hat)
Bandanna (used this wet around neck going into Power Lines)
Mizuno trail shoes
Gaitors
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
Cliff Bloks
Hammer Gels
Dr. Pepper in drop bag
Fig Newtons (could not eat many of these)
S-Caps

Race #7/17 Afton Trail Run 25k

This year was my first year running the Afton Trail Race 25k. I have ran out at Afton about a dozen times and felt the most comfortable going into this race as I knew what to expect on the course. The only variable that was unknown was the weather as I have heard stories of how hot and humid this race can be. The weather turned out great! It was hot but not humid and with the breeze it felt even cooler than the predicted 80 degree high temps.

25k UMTR Members running and volunteering

25k Start

I know that I should not start in the front of the pack as I am a back of the pack runner. I ended up about in the middle. After announcements and instructions we were sent on our way. With the amount of runners this is a slow start as we all try to funnel onto the double track trail. A little walking occurred until the bottleneck slowly started to clear. Typically if I start too far forward (normally pulled along by visiting with my fast running friends while we wait for the start) I then watch as runners pass me by. This can get discouraging at the beginning of a race so I am trying to pay attention to where I start my races.

It is always nice to start a race running downhill.  This does not last very long, however, as we hit the first set of hills. My plan for the day? Run the flats and descents and walk the hills. This mostly carries me through in all my trail races. I suppose if I ran the uphills like some of the front of the pack runners I might finish with quicker times but knowing my luck instead I would not finish at all! So safer for me to stick with my plan. Have you ever noticed that most of the photographers seem to position themselves at the top of a hill? How can I get good running pictures going uphill? If I run for the picture I just look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and if I walk, well am I really running this race (says the non-trail running friends) after all?

I have noticed that as I run further distances and more miles it is taking me about 3 miles to start to loosen up and feel good about my run. Today was no exception. The calves were tight and I think if my muscles in my legs had a brain of their own they thought I should not be running this race after all. After about 3 miles they finally started to loosen up and get with the program. It is always a waiting game for my muscles to finally figure out that I am not quitting. 

Climbing Campground Hill. Note: taken while walking up the hill!

The bench at the top of Campground hill is really inviting but I did not sit down, I promise!

Running the Prairies; the breeze kept this part of the race cooler than average for this time of year.

I ran with my Nathan Hydration pack (I have the H20) today in the hopes that I could save time by not stopping at the aid stations. I did pass up the first two aid stations, although I grabbed some fig newtons running by the second aid station so I would not have to take mine out of the pack. Shaved off a few minutes with that strategy! I did end up stopping at the next two aid stations (this would be the Break the Stigma sponsored aid station, of course). I thought I should start drinking some heed just in case I needed it. Woman does not live on water alone in these types of races you know. I also needed to get my Break the Stigma T-shirt from Julio. This was very important as I certainly did not want to walk back to the aid station after completing my race! I guess I am just lazy that way.

I know other runners are setting A, B or C goals. I think with all my races I basically figure out what avg pace I need to maintain to set a new PR and then a goal of  "it better not take me longer than X hours!" For this race the new PR goal was 3:36 or better. This was based on the first time I ran this loop last Spring or Summer. To be fair, however, that time I actually ran 16 miles in 3:37 as we were running the loop backwards and my running partner and I took a wrong turn and had to turn back which added that extra half mile. I finished this race in 3:25:09 officially so I will count this as a new PR for this course. My average pace finished out at 13:20 whereas the average pace for that last loop was 13:38 (had to check just to be sure!). I did decide that I would run this race on feel rather than checking my Garmin and average pace. I set the watch to mileage and current pace and resisted the urge to check my average pace. I wanted to see how I did on feel instead. I figured being that I had a side ache on my last few miles I must have been pushing myself fairly hard, either that or I had too many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the last two aid stations! I have noticed a correlation to side aches and eating protein too close before running.

What's a race without at least one selfie?

 

The wonderful view of the river!

The never ending river stretch. Where is that hill so I can walk again??

Need to learn how to stop the Garmin watch without looking down for better finish line pictures!

As usual awesome race shirt and I just love the race bib with my name on it!

Race Finishing Stats:
Overall 280/341
Women 114/154
Master Female 39/46

And there you have it. A back of the pack runner! I will have to take solace in the fact that I am running farther and faster than the average person sitting on the couch!

As with all of Rocksteady Running races the quality and organization for this race was exceptional. The volunteers were awesome and the party after the race was enjoyable. With the level of craziness in my life right now both at work and home it was great to be able to stick around and talk to other runners and just hang out after the race. I think this is what I enjoy about these trail races the most is the feeling of community in addition to the enthusiasm and positivity of those involved.

Next up is Eugene Curnow Marathon on the Superior Hiking Trail from Duluth to Carton, MN.   

Race #6/17 Sour Grapes Half & Half Trail Run

This marked race number 6 in the UMTR Trail Race Series. This was also the start of my much needed vacation to the Grand Canyon and Southern Utah. Just a quick car ride (well okay it was about 3 1/2 hours in the wrong direction!) to the race and then once complete many hours in the car driving to the Grand Canyon.

Weather for this race was looking wet. Up at 3:30 am and out the door (with family in tow) by 4 am to make it in time for the start at 8:15. My husband did the driving so I was able to sleep just a little bit longer. When I awoke it was raining cats and dogs! This did not bode well for a dry race. It turned out, however, as we continued to drive north the rain stopped and the roads were dry!

After arriving at the race I sent my husband and son on their way to find something to do as I expected to be running for several hours. I met up with several other UMTR members and we chatted as we waited for the race to start. After brief instructions we were off.

The trails were surprisingly dry and relatively flat. The total elevation gain was only about 500 feet. (not complaining as flat trail races can be a nice change of pace) 

This race was mostly ran alone. It seems that each of my races I find myself running my own pace that does not seem to coincide with others running. This is okay though as I am finding it nice to run alone and spend this time thinking. With all the stress this summer this is working well.

I wore my rain jacket for this race expecting it to start raining on us at any minute. Should have left the jacket behind! The weather was good and the rain held out until the very end. After my initial warm up with tight calves everything felt great. I could tell though that it was time to invest in some new shoes. This race marked about 400 miles on these trail shoes and my heels were starting to feel it.

The only mud to be seen and they brought in wood chips to cover it up!

Even when it did start raining towards the end of the race it was light rain and not cold at all.

A rare half decent race picture!

Erica, Nora and I at the finish.

My official finish time for this race was 2:31:50 which is a PR for a HM trail race. I went into this race without pushing myself too hard as just getting to the race was the difficult part.

Results Stats:
Overall 96/125
Division Place 9/15
Sex Place 40/65
Age Graded Place 86/125

Next race is the William O'Brien 10 Mile Trail Race (this race was postponed until Sept. due to severe rains and the potential for runners damaging the trails)

Race #5/17 Chester Woods 10 Mile Trail Run

Location; Eyota, MN

I went into this race under a lot of stress due to some major events happening in my life beginning just a week before the race. I had originally signed up to run the 50k and had dropped back to the 10 mile distance a while ago when we decided to go on vacation to the Grand Canyon just one week after the race. I was glad I had made this decision in light of the difficulties that arose. On the morning of the race I was ready to lose myself in some trails with an easy trail run/race.

This course is where I completed my first 50k race last Fall and have fond memories of the trail. It is a 10 mile loop that includes many different trail conditions including some asphalt in the park, section of gravel which then turns into horse trail with wood chips. There is plenty of dirt double track trail and a good portion of prairie with some sand thrown in for good measure. The elevation change on this course is mild compared to Afton or Superior so it is a very runnable course.

I arrived at the race debating with myself if I should attempt a PR (last year ran this in 1:58:11) or just enjoy my race. I rode down with a new friend from Red Wing that I had told about the race so the drive down was enjoyable. Met up with many trail running friends at the race and the time until race start went quickly after registration.

Road through the park run to get onto the trail

This years course was changed slightly for the 10 milers so we had to run a loop around the parking area which turned out to be about a mile on asphalt. I ran this much too quickly with an average pace of about 9:38. This is much too quickly for a 10 mile trail race but everything was feeling great. I was happily surprised that I did not experience the calf tightness that I have been experiencing lately during the first two miles of my runs. I had been using "the stick" to roll out my calves so think this may have helped greatly.

The weather was overcast with the threat of rain but other than hearing a few booms of thunder the rain held off for the entire day, including after I was done running the race.

Overcast skies

Nice double track trail

I ran this race alone but chatted with fellow runners as I passed them or they passed me. I was happy to be out running and was in a good place emotionally considering recent events. I was hoping I would see a few of the 50k runners I knew out running the course and saw quite a few on the various out and back loops on the course.

Coming out of the prairie loops headed for the big hill

I remembered this hill being larger last year but with Superior under my belt this turned out to not be as steep as I recalled.

Overall this race went well and I did end up with a PR finishing the race in 1:54:51. I stayed for several hours when the race was over visiting with many of the UMTR trail running friends, having a beer and just enjoying the down time and nice weather.