Race #4/17 Spring Superior Trail 25K

This weekend I ran my 4th trail series race in Lutsen, MN on the Superior Hiking Trail. This was the first time that I have ran this trail that far north. I decided to make a weekend of it and drove up Friday afternoon with a friend and met many other friends up there that evening. We started out with dinner, pre-race meeting and then a walk about a mile up the trail to check out the raging Poplar River and to get look at the trail conditions.

Me, Robyn, Stephanie and Mike

Poplar River

Poplar River

With the race starting at 7am for the 50k runners (Mike and Robyn) and us 25k runners at 9 am we called it an early night going to our rooms.

Woke Saturday morning earlier than I needed to so I went down to registration and watched the 50k runners start their race. The weather was great, the sun was shining and there were not many clouds in the sky.

Mystery Mountain (the first hill to climb)

Moose Mountain (the second hill to tackle)

After relaxing for about another hour I got ready for my race. It was hard deciding what to wear as always. I decided on full tights, calf compression sleeves, thick wool socks (expected to get very muddy and was not at all disappointed!), Short sleeves, thin running jacket, thin gloves, buff and my Nathan hydration pack. I packed my wind/rain jacket just in case the wind picked up and it got cold on the top. Ended up not using that jacket at all and peeled off the running jacket rather quickly.

Pre-race; Stephanie, Melissa, Janet, Nora and Shawn

Nora's friend, Shawn, planned on running the race in the hopes of finishing in 4 hours which was exactly what my goal was so we planned to run together. We left the others behind right away as we took off down the road to get onto the trail.

I felt great for all of this race, similar to running Chippewa. It was definitely great having someone to run with and we kept pace with each other fairly well. At one point we were in a train of runners with one runner ahead of Shawn setting the pace. This continued on for most of the way up Mystery Mountain and then across the top of Moose Mountain. Finally, while we were walking up a small hill I was ready to run again and the lead runner was walking so we found an opportunity to pass her up. We picked up the pace quite a bit and realized that it was possible her pace was just slight slower than we had wanted as we lost the group pretty quickly. We made one wrong turn coming off one hill and realized our mistake and was able to correct it quickly. At this point in the race we thought that it might be possible to come in sub 4 hrs and this became our new goal.

We got into the aid station at the turnaround and both decided that we would not spend any extra time there. I had my bladder refilled to the half way point grabbed a few peanut butter and jelly wedges, had some coke and was back out of the aid station in a matter of minutes.

Out of the aid station we had a steep climb up the Oberg hill which was very challenging. I was still doing well at this point and Shawn was starting to struggle. We stayed together for the most part but I started to pull ahead. He caught up again somewhere during one of the incline's but I soon passed him and then by mutual decision I pulled ahead as I was ready to move on at a quicker pace. According to my Garmin it looked like we would miss our sub 4 hour goal as our average pace was around 17 minutes instead of the 16 minutes we needed. I readjusted my goal to 4:15 and just powered on, power walking the major inclines and running the flats and downhills. My downhill running has improved and I am now less timid on the downhill's which is giving me quicker finishing times overall. (It turns out our Garmin's were not keeping accurate distance so this average pace was slower than our actual average pace.)

Walking up the very steep hills

We encountered lots of mud on the trail.

Awesome trail conditions on most of the trail.

There was still snow on the trail but not enough to really slow us down

Coming down off Mystery Mountain I was still feeling great and a friend told me that when I started hearing the roar of the Poplar River I would know that I only had about a mile left. After crossing the river there was still a little trail left and a small climb but all of a sudden I popped back out onto the gravel road and I knew I was getting close. I picked up my pace and was running sub 10 minute miles trying to speed up my finish. I was no longer paying attention to my time and just pushed myself trying to get under the 4:15. I crossed the finish line at 4:02:42 and was very shocked that I had made up so much more time than I had anticipated.

I am very pleased with how well this run went and after peering at the mountains in the distance pre-race and being told stories of how rough the climbs were I am thrilled that I finished this race so strong. I waited for Shawn at the finish line and he came in only about 6 minutes behind me. I will definitely have to run this race again and who knows maybe next year it will be the 50k instead!

The trails were very muddy in spots. Too busy navigating the ankle deep mud to get good pictures.

Memorial Park Trail Review

Memorial Park Trail Report

Red Wing, MN

Memorial Park is on the bluffs and is located south of Hwy 61 just outside of Red Wing, MN. There are two ways you can get to the trails. You can drive to the top and start at the trail head at the Lower Quarry parking area or you can drive to Mississippi Golf Links and start at what is considered the Clubhouse Trail head. If starting at Mississippi Golf Links you will be climbing the bluffs at the start of your run whereas if you drive up to the top you will be running on the top of the bluffs on the trails. There are still many hills to traverse on the trail so it really just depends on whether you want to climb the bluff for about 2/3 of a mile to start your run.

Clubhouse Trail head with maps

Map showing the Bike trails in blue.

This is ascending the hiking trail to the top of the Bluff. Pavement changes to dirt quickly

 

Hiking trail to the top of the bluff.

There are many trails available to run while out there;

The Mountain Bike trail is single track and includes many switchbacks. It is fun to run. There are a lot of rolling hills along this route. There are some difficult offshoots to the bike trail which includes steeper hills so if you are looking for some more intense hills the black diamond paths are the ones to take.    

Single track Mountain Bike Trails

Single Track Mountain Bike Trails with Switchbacks

There is the hiking trail which is geared more towards hikers and includes more of the Prairies with grass and less dirt. These are also wider trails and do not include the switchbacks like the bike trail. 

Prairie Sections of the trail. There are three Prairies,

Prairie sections. Mostly you just run small sections of Prairie before getting back on the bike trail.

Snowshoe trail has sections that are single track dirt and skirt the Prairies. If starting at the Clubhouse trailhead you can actually take the snowshoe trail up the bluff. This is a steeper route than the hiking trail to the top. It is also single track with lots more branches and leaves on the trail. This is a fun trail to run down but definitely more technical than the hiking trail to the clubhouse. 

Snowshoe Trail I discovered while running back down to the Clubhouse Trailhead

The terrain on the Mountain Bike trail includes dirt, many roots and sticks with some possible sections of meadow running to link up the different sections.  

Each time I go out there I find myself on a different trail. I like to run the Mountain Bike trail counterclockwise as the bikers ride it clockwise. It is safer to run opposite so you can see the bikers coming and can get out of their way. It is the runners that need to yield the trail to the bikers.  The bike trail is marked as a 7 mile loop but when out there running I tend to get about 6 miles on my Garmin watch. This may be because I do not always run all the difficult (black diamond) sections.

Here is a map for the Mountain Bike Trails:

http://www.livehealthyredwing.org/originals/maps/Memorial%20Park%20Trails%20-%20M.B%20LQ%20location%20final2.pdf

Here is the map to the Ski and Snowshoe Trails:

http://www.livehealthyredwing.org/originals/maps/Memorial%20Park%20Trails%20-%20Winter%20clubhousefinal.pdf

Overlooking Red Wing as you run the edge of the bluffs

Overlooking Red Wing residential areas

Overlooking Hwy 58 which goes south of Red Wing

Today I ran 5.8 miles and discovered new trails that I had not discovered last year. This is a fun trail to run and it is fairly technical. Each time I run this trail it seems I get my foot caught in one of the many roots and end up in the dirt. This time I only fell once and practiced my tuck and roll technique! Must have done well as only managed to carry out some trail dirt with me and left no blood behind. 

This is a great trail to run and I would highly recommend it.

Just a little bit of dirt

Good thing I did not hurt myself when I landed on my hands.

Garmin Elevation Chart for my run today.

Just a quick selfie after my run!

Race #3/17 7@7 Trail Race

After the anxiety and anticipation of my last 50k race going into this race was much less stressful. I saw this race as mostly a fun run on a new trail and I was looking forward to an easy race.

This race was held at Seven Mile Creek Park between Mankato and St. Peter, MN. It was a 2 hour drive for me so not a very close race. With a later start at 9 am I did not have to get up super early which was nice.

Upon arriving at the park I picked up my race packet and started looking for the friends that would be running the race. Nora had brought the UMTR banner to get a picture and I figured with a similar pace Kelly and I would run the race together.

This race advertises itself as a hilly challenging course. I studied the elevation chart before the race so knew there would be 4 major hills.

My Garmin Elevation Chart

Without elevation markings it was hard to determine just how steep the hills really were

We started the race and ran out towards the highway to hit the trail. The first hill was right after we turned onto the trail. I know better than to make judgements about the course but after tackling that first hill I told Kelly "was that the first hill? That was nothing." I would soon be eating my words.

Kelly and I kept a pretty good pace and at times were running 10 1/2 minute miles. It took about 2 miles for my calves to loosen up and my ankles to quit hurting. At one point I told Kelly that she was a hard task master and she said she was trying to keep up with me. It seems we were both thinking the other was pushing the pace. Funny how that happens when you run together. We walked a few of the small hills but otherwise ran for quite awhile. There were several water stops on the trail (more than were necessary) but I wore my Jurek waist belt so did not stop at any of the aid stations. It was my goal to see if I could get this race done in the shortest amount of time possible. This race also included a stream crossing that could not be avoided. It was fun to run through it even if my socks and shoes were wet for the rest of the race.

The second hill was also moderate but the third and fourth hill were long and steep. After power walking the third hill you ran a loop at the top and then descended the same hill. This was also true for the fourth and final hill. These two hills were long and quite steep and were definitely hills for walking. As I ascended these hills I made it my goal to power walk them and not to stop to rest until I got to the top and then I walked until I could catch my breath to start running again.

Somewhere along the way I had decided that I would try to beat Kelly to the finish line. We are in the same age bracket of the race series and I had decided I wanted to try my hardest to come in ahead of those I knew to be in the trail series (it turns out that Erica, whom I thought was in my age bracket is actually not).  I pulled out ahead of Kelly a little before the fourth hill and wanted to stay ahead of her both going up and coming down the hill. I managed to stay ahead (just barely). With only about a half mile to go I picked up my pace to try to get ahead. I figured she would be doing the same. As I rounded the last corner and off the bridge I totally expected her to come flying by me. This never happened. As I came up to the finish line I saw the timer said 1:23:17. I sprinted into the finish to try to make it in under the 1:24. My official time in the results shows 1:24 with a pace of 12 minutes miles. I had come in before Kelly and was very pleased with myself.  Overall I am very pleased with how well this race went.

At Kelly's suggestion we snapped this picture at the finish line.

Race number with the tech shirt.

Race #2/17 Chippewa Ice Age 50K

It was a great day to be out on the trails. The weather was perfect for a day of running the trails. Sunny and about 40 degrees. I went into this race very anxious. Four months of training for my third 50k. I would like to think that all those miles on the snowy/icy trails out at Lebanon Hills helped me to have a very good race.

I drove with another trail running friend, Pam, and her husband Andy to the race. This was nice in that I did not have to find my own way to the race.  Knowing the lines at the Porta Potties are always long at the race start we stopped at the gas station a few miles from the start. We arrived with plenty of time to pick up our registration packet and even get our picture taken with some of the UMTR members running that day.

Even though I know better I started out with Pam towards the front of the start line. Within the first few miles I was passed by lots of runners but this was to be expected as I should not be starting toward the front. I was mentally prepared to be passed by many as it has happened to me many times. The first part of this race starts with going down a very large hill which is happy to greet you again at the end of the race as a very large hill that you must go up in order to finish.

Mile 2 of the race. Happy to see a friendly face. Photo by Les DuCloux

My race strategy was to run the flats and the downhills and walk up the hills. I figured I would get enough walking as the course included may 100-200 feet hills. The trails were mostly dry with more than a couple areas that were muddy and wet. Walked around a few of these areas but still got wet and muddy. I also planned on spending very little time at the aid stations to try to make up for my slower time on the trails. First 2 aid stations I just refilled my water bottles and ate mostly just bananas and peanut butter jelly sandwiches. I had my supply of fig newtons which is where I wanted to get the majority of my fueling from. I was counting on heed at the aid stations so was surprised when the drink for the day was gatorade. I had not trained with gatorade so was leery to be drinking it too much. I had one of my bottles filled with 1/2 gatorade and 1/2 water.


After leaving aid station 2 at the 10 mile things went well for a few miles, although this was the part of the trail with the most mud. Once I was about 2-3 miles from the halfway point the returning runners started coming through. We were supposed to yield to the returning runners so this really messed with my rhythm of running and walking the hills. I would say this final section out to the halfway point was my lowest point in the race. I did enjoy seeing my running friends Pam, Mike and Sarah on their return trip. It was at this time that I started to feel some discomfort on my toes of the right foot and was not sure what was happening in my shoes. I was very relieved to make it to the aid station as I then knew I would no longer have to yield to the returning runner.

I made it to the turnaround aid station at 11:45 with only about 15 minutes to spare until the cutoff time. I located my drop bag and debated for way too long on whether I should change my socks. I was afraid of what I might find and wondered if it would have been better to not know. Now I am glad I did as I had hole in my sock by my big toe. Change of socks became necessary and it fixed my feet right up. I was glad I had brought the mini can of Dr. Pepper as it tasted very refreshing and perked me up. I broke open the bag of Pringles and munched on those after leaving the aid station. Total time in the aid station was 15 minutes which was too long.

I had a few runners pass me by after leaving this aid station but not many. I found myself running alone for the second half of the race. I popped in my mp3 player and found this a welcoming distraction at this point in the race. I had found a resurge of energy after the halfway point and felt great running to the next aid station at mile 21. This section was mostly downhill. Had a few near misses for falling on this section but otherwise I felt great. I started to pass runners and I think that actually gave me a needed boost. It is not often that I get to pass runners in a race. Coming into the aid station I saw Karol whom I had met for the first time last year running the 10K at this race. It was nice seeing a friendly face.

Leaving the 28 mile aid station I knew that this race, while most likely not a PR race for me, was definitely doable in 8ish hours. I gave myself permission at this time to just continue on and not worry about my time as long as I was continually moving forward. After that final aid station with only about 3 miles to go I fell on the trail after tripping over a root. I could feel my right foot got wrenched a little bit but not bad. Just an extra niggle that was not there before.

The last three miles was rough. I had not remembered that the first 3 miles of the race were mostly downhill in the woods. I was cursing these hills as I was so close to being done. I was glad to finally break out of the woods and catch a glimpse of the finish line with still 1 or so miles to go and the thought of that last final hill. Wow, I don’t remember that hill being so long. I remember the steepness but not the length of it. I finally hit the top and saw some more familiar faces as I turned right to finish up my 31 mile run. I glanced at the timer and noticed it said 7:54 and picked up the pace as much as I could to make sure I crossed the finish line before it ticked over to 7:55. I completed it in 7:54:17. New PR for me. Not by much, only seconds but I am still counting it.

There were several moments during this race that stuck out to me.

#1 Seeing my favorite people on the trail as they were returning to the finish line and I was still heading to the turnaround aid station; Pam Wright, Sarah Potter (even got a hug!) and Mike Madden.  I tried not to let the fact that I was still headed to the half way point and they were several miles ahead of me put me into a negative place.

#2 Seeing a friendly face at the 21 mile aid station that I was not expecting; Karol Roseman

#3 Being able to pass runners on the second half of the race. This was quite a boost as I am so used to getting passed all the time.

#4 Not feeling any pain other than the normal aches and pain associated with running such a long distance.

#5 Knowing that I ran the entire race by myself. Sure, there were many other trail runners on the trail, but I was able to run all 31 miles without needing to stick with any particular runner to keep me company. This is quite a boost to my confidence level as I love to run with others on the trail but now know that if necessary I can do it solo and be just fine.  

#6 After finishing the race all my friends were waiting for me at the finish line, but most importantly Pam's husband Andy, had brought my bag to the finish line from the car. This was just so awesome as after running 31 miles the thought of walking any distance to the car to get my bag for dry clothes to change into is not pleasant. I think only runners truly understand the significance of this.

 

Race #1 of 17; Zumbro 17 mile Trail Run

I function best when I have a plan and I am well prepared for what is coming. As with all my long training runs over this last winter my first step in being prepared is to put together all the gear needed the night before.  While I was waiting for my husband to get home from work (so we could go out to dinner with friends) I decided it would be smart to use that time putting together my gear for the morning. The hardest part for me in this process (especially at this time of year) is figuring out what I should wear. With a 60% chance of rain in the morning I figured there was a good chance that things would be wet. 

With that in mind I decided to wear the following:

Capri’s
Short sleeve shirt
Calf sleeves
Thin wool socks
Gaitor’s (turned out to be ineffective when trails are wet)
Thin jacket
Rain/wind shell
Chester Woods cap
Winter hat over the Cap (removed after it stopped raining)
Sweat/Headband
Mizuno’s trail shoes

After all this is decided I normally throw in extra gear for just in case I decide at the last minute I need something different. This usually means several different hats and gloves at this time of year. And this time I remembered to pack a change of clothes for after the race as I wanted to hang around and visit with others. 

I try to get a good night sleep before a race but most times I fail at this due to the anticipation of the race and getting up early. In this case I was also thinking about the 100 and 50 milers who I knew were already out there running.  Being a more local race for me and a later start time than most of my training runs I was able to sleep in until about 6 am. For most of this winter I have been running by that time so it was nice to sleep in.

I got up that morning and followed my normal morning race routine which includes coffee and an egg breakfast burrito. I was on the road by 7 am expecting to arrive at the start line around 8 am. As I drove it rained the entire time. I was excited to be racing so told myself that I was not going to let the rain get me down. I arrived at the start line and there were already a lot of cars parked. I ran my way to the check in area while it was still raining. After getting my stuff I hung around under the shelter for a bit. They asked us 17 milers if we would wait in our cars until 8:50 as things were getting crowded and this was an aid station for the runners coming in to start their next loops. I needed to get into my race gear anyway so I headed back to the car to wait.

At 8:50 I headed back to the shelter to listen to the pre-race announcements. I found myself standing next to Leia so when John announced that we would head out to the official start line I was swept up with the front of the pack runners. I am a back of the pack runner so this was not a good place to start. 

Looking down at the start line/campground

We were off and immediately had to start running through massive puddles to get to the trail. There was a back up of runners to get onto the trail and I fell in line with all the runners. The trail begins with a 300 foot climb on single track trail. The trails were saturated at this point and very muddy and slick. This climb involved using the various trees as leverage to climb our way up without slipping and sliding our way back down the trail. I let others start to pass me but in the single track that was harder to do. Once we hit a wider part of the trail it seemed like everyone passed me by. This is Why I do not like to start toward the front with all the other fast runners. It can be detrimental for my self confidence as I watch all these runners pass me by. 

Summit of the first climb

During the next three miles I settled into my place in the pack which is pretty near to the end of this particular race. At one point as I was trudging through the puddles and mud Mike overtook me.  He mentioned that Nora was further behind and they had started the race together. I kept going and mostly ran this section by myself. It was in this section that the mud sucked my right shoe off my foot. I had to go back to retrieve my shoe which was deeply entrenched in the mud. My gaitor stayed on my foot. Not sure why I bothered to wear my gaitors as they were useless against the water and mud.  I found myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of the mud and puddles that I found myself running through. I had no idea at the time that the rest of the trail was in the same condition if not worse.

At aid station 1 I met up with Melissa and we ran out of the aid station together and traversed the next few miles leap frogging our way through the water and mud. At some point before aid station 2 a few runners ahead of me started running back wondering if we were still on the correct trail as they had spotted a flag on a tree on the wrong side of the trail. I did not think that the flag was trail markings for the race and as Kelly came running up to us she confirmed that we were on the right trail. I was happy to see Kelly and asked if I could run with her for awhile. We ended up running the rest of the race together.

 

On many of the hills the mud was quite greasy and slippery and we had to be careful not to slide our way back down the hill. The most difficult sections of the trail included going down the hills where we were literally using the trees along the trail to make our way down without falling or sliding down the hill. 

The trail had many puddles such as this and we tried to run alongside the puddles rather than through them as the water was very cold. It was very tough going as the mud along the side of the trail was very slick, deep and sticky. The goal was to stay upright and not lose our shoes to the mud.  

Kelly and I proceeded to run the trail at a comfortable pace walking when the conditions were too rough to run. In hindsight I should have just ran through the puddles rather than trying to skirt them to stay out of the water. The water would have been easier, albeit wetter for my feet, than sliding all over. 

After leaving aid station 3 we had to climb the ridge to reach another summit before descending down Ant Hill to get back to aid station 4. This section was very challenging as the trail was a single track cut very deep into the ground which made for some deep puddles to trudge through. Once I hit Ant Hill I actually found that much easier to descend than other parts of the trail. I cruised down Ant Hill and was pleased with how fast we got down to the bottom only to realize that we needed to run the long gravel road to get to aid station 4. The long, flat gravel road is surprisingly difficult to run. I had to stop to walk for a minute but was then able to run the entire section with a pace of about 11:30 which was fast compared to what our pace on the trail had been. At aid station 4 I used the porta potty, ate some Peanut Butter and jelly wedges and started on the last leg back to the start/finish line.  Kelly likes to get in and out of the aid stations very quickly in order to make up her extra time going slow on the trail. I will need to utilize this technique in some of my races this summer that have challenging cutoff times for my pace. 

When we reached the camp ground and the last ¼ of a mile of the race I was happy to see the finish line looming. Kelly picked up the pace and I dug deep to do the same. I finished the race in 4:54 right behind Kelly. This was longer than I had thought it would take me but considering the conditions this was not too terrible. Nothing hurt while running this race and I actually had fun despite the rough trail conditions. Overall I finished this race feeling very good about the run.