I had a "Holy Shit!" moment this morning, when I realized Kettle was just over a week away. Normally, I daydream about my races for weeks before the actual event. This time around, it snuck up on me. I think that might be because I've already participated in three races so far this year (raced two, and paced one) and have mental race fatigue.
Physically, I feel great. Except for a lower back problem that goes away when I run, everything is working smoothly. My coach even snuck a taper in without me noticing. Today is my last "long" run of only 10 miles.
The weather forecast a week out is always a crapshoot, but it's looking pretty good for running. High in the low 20s, and lows in the 12-13 range. Small chance of rain. Basically, very similar conditions to Kettle Moraine 100 last year. The only thing that has me concerned is the massive amount of rain in the days leading up to the race might make parts of the trail excessively soft, or possibly even under water.
My goal for this race is to run smarter than last year, and finish in around the same time. This means slowing down more at the start, and running more overnight. It also means no grease-loading at Famous Dave's the night before and experiencing GI distress. There's an Olive Garden half a mile away from my hotel, so that's my obvious choice.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Ultramarathon Commandments
I present the Ultramarathon Commandments:
- Thou shalt not race in old socks
- Thou shalt not race in new shoes
- Thou shalt not stop for a selfie every mile
- Thou shalt pick up thine own trash
- Thou shalt pick up other people's trash
- Thou shalt not brag
- Thou shalt not drink light beer
- Thou shalt not drop because of vomit
- Thou shalt not drop because of fatigue
- Thou shalt smile - running is fun
Thursday, April 28, 2016
2016 Zumbro 100
After each 100 miler I've run (both of them), I said "That was the hardest thing I've ever done." Well, I can honestly say that again. Zumbro 100 is no joke.
I left home early on Thursday morning, and made good time. Stopped off at the Scheel's in Fargo for some baseball gear for my son. I figured that Americans love their baseball, and equipment should be cheaper there due to volume. I'm not sure about the logic now, but at least I had a present for him when I got home. Arrived at the race check-in at 6pm and got my bib. Ate a few pulled-pork sandwiches and chatted up the locals. It's always great seeing familiar faces at races and catching up.
I had a room in Red Wing, a 45 minute drive away, which was a bit farther than I liked but not obscene. It was a nice motel nestled beside a railroad track and a state prison. Fortunately there were no riots or escapes to keep me up. Still, I had the usual pre-race jitters and only slept for 1 hour at a time.
The start time came far too fast for my liking. The forecast called for cold weather, which was going to present its own set of challenges. Lots of nervous energy around me, and everybody lined up about 50 metres before the starting line. Nobody wanted to be up front! John Storkamp gave a few encouraging words, then we were off. Not caring about how fast I finished, so long as I finished, I elected to hug the back as best I could. Despite starting out at a snail's pace, I still had to wait in line at the first uphill when the trail turns from a wide trail to single-track.
The race itself consists of six 16.7-mile loops, with four aid stations along the way (plus one bonus aid station at the start/finish area) to make for 29 aid stations total in the race. One thing was certain: I wasn't going to get hungry. Each loop has five evil hills which are steeper and/or longer than the others, and you find yourself counting them down on each loop. There is one evil hill between each aid station, except for between AS1 and AS2 which has two evil hills (the hardest section of the course) and between AS4 to the finish line, which has none (the easiest section on the course). The first evil hill is average as far as they come, it isn't incredibly steep but it is rather long. In short, it would be marvelous if we were running down it. The second evil hill is the shortest of them all, but steep. The third is the steepest and just keeps going with a few false summits. I consider it to the the toughest. The fourth starts off as a long slow uphill, then gets steep near the top (up to the top of Picnic rock). But fortunately, that's the only uphill in the entire section. The fifth is by far the longest; the dreaded Ant Hill. It just keeps going and doesn't stop.
I tried to stay relaxed my first loop, but still got sucked into going a bit too fast. I finished in just under 4 hours. Whoops! I knew that if I kept that pace up, I would be looking at a 24-hour finish time which was just far too ridiculous a notion given my fitness level and the course's nastiness. I was going to have to force myself to slow down. The cool weather didn't help the cause an, but the snow squall I experienced at the top of Ant Hill did.
My second loop wasn't much better, finishing it around 4.5 hours. This was starting to sound like a disaster. My goal was 5 hour loops, and I was 1.5 hours ahead of pace.
My socks and shoes were starting to get a bit gungy, so I decided to switch them for my third loop. I also remembered to grab my headlamp since odds were that I'd need it at some point before completing the loop. As I left the start area, I joined up with Susan Donnelly and John Taylor, whom I had been leapfrogging all day. They ran much faster than I, but my aid station stops were Formula One style in-and-outs. I asked them if they had their headlamps, and John stopped, turned around, and ran back to the aid station (fortunately we were still really close). Good karma. About 1 mile into the loop, I realized something wasn't quite right with my left foot. I glanced down and couldn't see anything. I asked John (who had caught up at that point) if he could see anything, and he said the sock had completely disintegrated and what was left of my heel was rubbing against the shoe. Awesome. He mentioned that the upcoming aid station was run by TC Running, a shoe store in Minneapolis, and they might have some spare socks to give out. Unfortunately, they didn't have any. But they did have some miraculous duct tape that gave me the extra layer I needed and didn't rub off for the whole loop! The night settled in and the clouds parted. Beautiful stars in any direction you looked. It was exactly what was needed to keep spirits high. I finished my third loop in 5:10, which was finally on target. Halfway through the race, and I was finally doing something right.
The fourth loop is the loop which destroyed me two years ago. I wasn't going to let that happen again. I mostly walked it, and took my time. I reached some really dark mental places, but knew that once the sun came up everything would be much better. It got very cold out. Water bottles started freezing, and some aid stations couldn't pour water out of their jugs. Six hours later, I finished the loop up and it was still dark out. On my first Zumbro attempt, the sun had already risen by the time I finished my fourth loop, so I knew I was ahead of where I was then. As a bonus, nothing was hurting more than it should, and I was still moving well. This was the highpoint of the race: I threw the monkey off my back and knew I was going to finish the full 100 miles. As to whether it was under the time cutoff was another matter entirely.
Early in the fifth loop, the sun began to rise. Unfortunately, I didn't have a drop bag anywhere on the course except for the start/finish area, so I had to keep it on me for the whole loop. Coming in to AS3, Tom Weigt passed me. I had met him back at Kettle Moraine 100 two years ago, and he graciously loaned me a water bottle as I had forgotten my race vest at home. I am eternally grateful for his generosity. I got to catch up a bit on the goings-on of the rest of the crew from Mankato (Scott and Shelley). He was moving much faster than me, so he left me in his dust. Not bad for an old man. ;) At the aid station, I was joined by Chris Deck who was also running the 100 miler. We clicked right away and pretty much agreed that we'd finish the race together. It was nice to have somebody to run with and talk to. I was incapable of doing any mental math, but he seemed to be pretty on the ball and informed me that there was no way we were going to have any problems with time cutoffs. Loop five finished in 6:20.
I'd heard that the sixth loop was magical. It was the last time you'd see each root, rock, tree, hill, etc. And as you passed each one you could flick it the middle finger knowing it was gone from your life forever (until you foolishly decide to register for the race the next year). Unfortunately, I had none of that bliss. My right knee was starting to act up and was having trouble climbing hills. But on the other hand, I could still bomb the downhills. Chris was having the exact opposite problem: He could climb like nobody's business, but was taking the downhills extremely gingerly. This made for an interesting dynamic, where once we got to an evil hill he'd drop me and I'd catch up to him on the ensuing downhill. Somehow, we made it work. At AS2, I told him that for me to feel safe, we'd have to really burn the section to AS3 and he agreed. By no means was it the fastest either of us had run that day (or the previous), but it was definitely the hardest. Once Ant Hill loomed, I knew we were good. We had almost 3 hours to get back to the start line. We would be able to crab-walk and make it. We stopped running and walked it in. Official time: 32:57.
Gnarly Bandit race #1 was in the bag. Honestly, that was the only race that scared me. I just remembered how much it destroyed me two years ago. And now that it's over, the rest of the race series seems doable.
Next stop: Kettle Moraine 100.
I left home early on Thursday morning, and made good time. Stopped off at the Scheel's in Fargo for some baseball gear for my son. I figured that Americans love their baseball, and equipment should be cheaper there due to volume. I'm not sure about the logic now, but at least I had a present for him when I got home. Arrived at the race check-in at 6pm and got my bib. Ate a few pulled-pork sandwiches and chatted up the locals. It's always great seeing familiar faces at races and catching up.
I had a room in Red Wing, a 45 minute drive away, which was a bit farther than I liked but not obscene. It was a nice motel nestled beside a railroad track and a state prison. Fortunately there were no riots or escapes to keep me up. Still, I had the usual pre-race jitters and only slept for 1 hour at a time.
The start time came far too fast for my liking. The forecast called for cold weather, which was going to present its own set of challenges. Lots of nervous energy around me, and everybody lined up about 50 metres before the starting line. Nobody wanted to be up front! John Storkamp gave a few encouraging words, then we were off. Not caring about how fast I finished, so long as I finished, I elected to hug the back as best I could. Despite starting out at a snail's pace, I still had to wait in line at the first uphill when the trail turns from a wide trail to single-track.
The race itself consists of six 16.7-mile loops, with four aid stations along the way (plus one bonus aid station at the start/finish area) to make for 29 aid stations total in the race. One thing was certain: I wasn't going to get hungry. Each loop has five evil hills which are steeper and/or longer than the others, and you find yourself counting them down on each loop. There is one evil hill between each aid station, except for between AS1 and AS2 which has two evil hills (the hardest section of the course) and between AS4 to the finish line, which has none (the easiest section on the course). The first evil hill is average as far as they come, it isn't incredibly steep but it is rather long. In short, it would be marvelous if we were running down it. The second evil hill is the shortest of them all, but steep. The third is the steepest and just keeps going with a few false summits. I consider it to the the toughest. The fourth starts off as a long slow uphill, then gets steep near the top (up to the top of Picnic rock). But fortunately, that's the only uphill in the entire section. The fifth is by far the longest; the dreaded Ant Hill. It just keeps going and doesn't stop.
I tried to stay relaxed my first loop, but still got sucked into going a bit too fast. I finished in just under 4 hours. Whoops! I knew that if I kept that pace up, I would be looking at a 24-hour finish time which was just far too ridiculous a notion given my fitness level and the course's nastiness. I was going to have to force myself to slow down. The cool weather didn't help the cause an, but the snow squall I experienced at the top of Ant Hill did.
My second loop wasn't much better, finishing it around 4.5 hours. This was starting to sound like a disaster. My goal was 5 hour loops, and I was 1.5 hours ahead of pace.
My socks and shoes were starting to get a bit gungy, so I decided to switch them for my third loop. I also remembered to grab my headlamp since odds were that I'd need it at some point before completing the loop. As I left the start area, I joined up with Susan Donnelly and John Taylor, whom I had been leapfrogging all day. They ran much faster than I, but my aid station stops were Formula One style in-and-outs. I asked them if they had their headlamps, and John stopped, turned around, and ran back to the aid station (fortunately we were still really close). Good karma. About 1 mile into the loop, I realized something wasn't quite right with my left foot. I glanced down and couldn't see anything. I asked John (who had caught up at that point) if he could see anything, and he said the sock had completely disintegrated and what was left of my heel was rubbing against the shoe. Awesome. He mentioned that the upcoming aid station was run by TC Running, a shoe store in Minneapolis, and they might have some spare socks to give out. Unfortunately, they didn't have any. But they did have some miraculous duct tape that gave me the extra layer I needed and didn't rub off for the whole loop! The night settled in and the clouds parted. Beautiful stars in any direction you looked. It was exactly what was needed to keep spirits high. I finished my third loop in 5:10, which was finally on target. Halfway through the race, and I was finally doing something right.
The fourth loop is the loop which destroyed me two years ago. I wasn't going to let that happen again. I mostly walked it, and took my time. I reached some really dark mental places, but knew that once the sun came up everything would be much better. It got very cold out. Water bottles started freezing, and some aid stations couldn't pour water out of their jugs. Six hours later, I finished the loop up and it was still dark out. On my first Zumbro attempt, the sun had already risen by the time I finished my fourth loop, so I knew I was ahead of where I was then. As a bonus, nothing was hurting more than it should, and I was still moving well. This was the highpoint of the race: I threw the monkey off my back and knew I was going to finish the full 100 miles. As to whether it was under the time cutoff was another matter entirely.
Early in the fifth loop, the sun began to rise. Unfortunately, I didn't have a drop bag anywhere on the course except for the start/finish area, so I had to keep it on me for the whole loop. Coming in to AS3, Tom Weigt passed me. I had met him back at Kettle Moraine 100 two years ago, and he graciously loaned me a water bottle as I had forgotten my race vest at home. I am eternally grateful for his generosity. I got to catch up a bit on the goings-on of the rest of the crew from Mankato (Scott and Shelley). He was moving much faster than me, so he left me in his dust. Not bad for an old man. ;) At the aid station, I was joined by Chris Deck who was also running the 100 miler. We clicked right away and pretty much agreed that we'd finish the race together. It was nice to have somebody to run with and talk to. I was incapable of doing any mental math, but he seemed to be pretty on the ball and informed me that there was no way we were going to have any problems with time cutoffs. Loop five finished in 6:20.
I'd heard that the sixth loop was magical. It was the last time you'd see each root, rock, tree, hill, etc. And as you passed each one you could flick it the middle finger knowing it was gone from your life forever (until you foolishly decide to register for the race the next year). Unfortunately, I had none of that bliss. My right knee was starting to act up and was having trouble climbing hills. But on the other hand, I could still bomb the downhills. Chris was having the exact opposite problem: He could climb like nobody's business, but was taking the downhills extremely gingerly. This made for an interesting dynamic, where once we got to an evil hill he'd drop me and I'd catch up to him on the ensuing downhill. Somehow, we made it work. At AS2, I told him that for me to feel safe, we'd have to really burn the section to AS3 and he agreed. By no means was it the fastest either of us had run that day (or the previous), but it was definitely the hardest. Once Ant Hill loomed, I knew we were good. We had almost 3 hours to get back to the start line. We would be able to crab-walk and make it. We stopped running and walked it in. Official time: 32:57.
Gnarly Bandit race #1 was in the bag. Honestly, that was the only race that scared me. I just remembered how much it destroyed me two years ago. And now that it's over, the rest of the race series seems doable.
Next stop: Kettle Moraine 100.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Looking forward to Zumbro 100
It's been a long winter. One week from now, I'm going to be 30 minutes into my first 100 miler of the year.
Two years ago, I tried Zumbro as my first 100 and DNF'ed. I learned a lot about myself in the process. Mostly, I needed to improve my fitness and my pre-race organizational skills so that I didn't need to think at aid stations. I was taken down by a combination of poor training and not knowing what I was doing at the 100 mile distance.
Fast forward two years, and with two 100 mile finishes under the belt, I'm back for revenge. I'm familiar with the course, and much more patient when I run. I'm not going to speed up halfway through the race just to blow up. I walk from the start now. I squeeze gels into my mouth from the moment the RD says "go". Aid stations are for aid, not rest.
I analyzed the data from END-SURE 50k two weeks ago, and I'm fairly happy with what I saw. The first "half" of the race was flat as a pancake, and the second "half" of the race has rolling hills. The average racer ran the second half of the race 31% slower than the first half, while I ran it 19% slower. Only five racers slowed down less, and of those four of them were in the top five (and thereby in amazing shape). I'm in awe of one runner in particular whose second half time was only 6% slower. Most of the runners around where I finished had a slowdown of 30-40%, with the notable exception of Melissa Budd and David Fielder who are amazing runners. I know I'm going to have to run a lot slower than I did at END-SURE, but it shows that I have the mental discipline to start slow and remain steady.
Zumbro has a 34 hour cutoff, which translates to maintaining an average 20-minute mile. Realendurance.com has a ratio of 1.13 between Zumbro and Kettle Moraine. I ran KM in 27:10, which means I have an expected finish time of 30:42. At the same time, there is a ratio of 0.89 between Zumbro and Superior. Seeing as I finished Superior in 35:18, that comes out to an expected 31:25. Splitting the difference, I foresee a 31 hour finish. The weather out in Wabasha has supposedly been pretty good, and the 7-day forecast is showing ideal conditions similar to Superior's last fall.
Two years ago, I tried Zumbro as my first 100 and DNF'ed. I learned a lot about myself in the process. Mostly, I needed to improve my fitness and my pre-race organizational skills so that I didn't need to think at aid stations. I was taken down by a combination of poor training and not knowing what I was doing at the 100 mile distance.
Fast forward two years, and with two 100 mile finishes under the belt, I'm back for revenge. I'm familiar with the course, and much more patient when I run. I'm not going to speed up halfway through the race just to blow up. I walk from the start now. I squeeze gels into my mouth from the moment the RD says "go". Aid stations are for aid, not rest.
I analyzed the data from END-SURE 50k two weeks ago, and I'm fairly happy with what I saw. The first "half" of the race was flat as a pancake, and the second "half" of the race has rolling hills. The average racer ran the second half of the race 31% slower than the first half, while I ran it 19% slower. Only five racers slowed down less, and of those four of them were in the top five (and thereby in amazing shape). I'm in awe of one runner in particular whose second half time was only 6% slower. Most of the runners around where I finished had a slowdown of 30-40%, with the notable exception of Melissa Budd and David Fielder who are amazing runners. I know I'm going to have to run a lot slower than I did at END-SURE, but it shows that I have the mental discipline to start slow and remain steady.
Zumbro has a 34 hour cutoff, which translates to maintaining an average 20-minute mile. Realendurance.com has a ratio of 1.13 between Zumbro and Kettle Moraine. I ran KM in 27:10, which means I have an expected finish time of 30:42. At the same time, there is a ratio of 0.89 between Zumbro and Superior. Seeing as I finished Superior in 35:18, that comes out to an expected 31:25. Splitting the difference, I foresee a 31 hour finish. The weather out in Wabasha has supposedly been pretty good, and the 7-day forecast is showing ideal conditions similar to Superior's last fall.
Monday, March 21, 2016
2016 END-SURE 50k
I love this race. This year was my third time running it. The only year I've missed was the second one two years ago, and that was because I was attempting the Gnarly Bandit.
Well, fast forward to today, and I'm again attempting the Gnarly Bandit. The difference is that this year I used the race as a measuring stick and a long training run. It is at a great time of year, the trail is in good condition, and the aid stations are exactly where I need them.
This year's END-SURE 50k was heavily modified from last year's. While last year was an out & back that covered the hilliest part of the trail twice and included a short section on the road, this year most closely resembled the first year's course and had absolutely no road running at all!
We were bused to the start line well ahead of the 10am start. Fortunately, the race director was merciful and let us start early. I let a bunch of people go ahead of me at the start, and settled into a nice steady pace. I had the Zumbro 100 coming up in a few weeks, and wanted to be fresh for it, with no risk of injuries, so I didn't push the pace. After a few miles, I reeled in Melissa Budd and David Fielder, two amazing runners from Winnipeg. We would sometimes drift apart from each other, as we were each running our own race, but for the most part we ran the first half of the race together. Having company really helps tick the miles off.
After the second aid station, the hills started. I dropped David and Melissa, and began to do my "walk all hills and run everything else" strategy. With my highly variable pace, it didn't make any sense to run with anybody. Considering how well I was moving in the second half, I was surprised when I got passed by a guy who was flying up the hills. I guess somebody else sandbagged the first half of the race more than I did!
When we came within sight of the finish line, there was one more kick to the balls left in store. The 50k and 100k race had an extra 4 mile loop. Unfortunately for me, I thought it was a 4km loop. I sped up to a pace that I figured I could keep up for 5km, and tried to tick off the last bit of trail as fast as I could. Then I noticed Melissa coming up behind me. I wasn't going to let anybody pass me that late in the race (sorry Melissa), and having somebody breathe down my neck was just the kick I needed to push the pace a bit harder. But I just couldn't shake her. When we finally got to the last few hills, I took a glance behind me and noticed that the gap between us had widened. Thank goodness! I was redlining for far too long, and had misjudged how much race was left. I eased up slightly and coasted in to the finish. The 2nd last mile was my fastest of the entire race.
I crossed the finish line in 6:06. Nowhere near my PB of last year (5:41, on a much hillier course), but I was in terrific shape. I still had lots left in the tank and felt like I had a great training run. I'm sure everybody else at the finish line would disagree with my assessment, as my muscles stiffened up almost immediately.
What really makes this race great is the beer-swapping and camaraderie around the camp fire afterwards. Already looking forward to next year!
Well, fast forward to today, and I'm again attempting the Gnarly Bandit. The difference is that this year I used the race as a measuring stick and a long training run. It is at a great time of year, the trail is in good condition, and the aid stations are exactly where I need them.
This year's END-SURE 50k was heavily modified from last year's. While last year was an out & back that covered the hilliest part of the trail twice and included a short section on the road, this year most closely resembled the first year's course and had absolutely no road running at all!
We were bused to the start line well ahead of the 10am start. Fortunately, the race director was merciful and let us start early. I let a bunch of people go ahead of me at the start, and settled into a nice steady pace. I had the Zumbro 100 coming up in a few weeks, and wanted to be fresh for it, with no risk of injuries, so I didn't push the pace. After a few miles, I reeled in Melissa Budd and David Fielder, two amazing runners from Winnipeg. We would sometimes drift apart from each other, as we were each running our own race, but for the most part we ran the first half of the race together. Having company really helps tick the miles off.
After the second aid station, the hills started. I dropped David and Melissa, and began to do my "walk all hills and run everything else" strategy. With my highly variable pace, it didn't make any sense to run with anybody. Considering how well I was moving in the second half, I was surprised when I got passed by a guy who was flying up the hills. I guess somebody else sandbagged the first half of the race more than I did!
When we came within sight of the finish line, there was one more kick to the balls left in store. The 50k and 100k race had an extra 4 mile loop. Unfortunately for me, I thought it was a 4km loop. I sped up to a pace that I figured I could keep up for 5km, and tried to tick off the last bit of trail as fast as I could. Then I noticed Melissa coming up behind me. I wasn't going to let anybody pass me that late in the race (sorry Melissa), and having somebody breathe down my neck was just the kick I needed to push the pace a bit harder. But I just couldn't shake her. When we finally got to the last few hills, I took a glance behind me and noticed that the gap between us had widened. Thank goodness! I was redlining for far too long, and had misjudged how much race was left. I eased up slightly and coasted in to the finish. The 2nd last mile was my fastest of the entire race.
I crossed the finish line in 6:06. Nowhere near my PB of last year (5:41, on a much hillier course), but I was in terrific shape. I still had lots left in the tank and felt like I had a great training run. I'm sure everybody else at the finish line would disagree with my assessment, as my muscles stiffened up almost immediately.
What really makes this race great is the beer-swapping and camaraderie around the camp fire afterwards. Already looking forward to next year!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
It's Gnarly Out There!
Two years ago, I tried to run a race series called the Gnarly Bandit despite having never run in a 100 mile race before. I failed. I did not complete a single race out of the three that I entered.
The Gnarly Bandit consists of four 100 mile races, followed by a 100k:
There are three cruxes to the series: 1. Zumbro is early in the year, and quite often the snow isn't even off the ground yet. Very few people are trained up for it yet. 2. There is only three weeks between Kettle Moraine and Black Hills. 3. Superior.
Last year, I entered two of the races in the Gnarly Bandit series (Kettle Moraine and Superior) and finished them in respectable fashion. I conquered the third crux. And after running Kettle Moraine, I'm certain I can handle the second crux if I take Kettle extra easy.
I am formally throwing my hat into the ring to complete the Gnarly Bandit in 2016. I have learned a lot since the last time I tried it. I have the training, the knowledge, and the willpower to push through it. I have been on all of the race courses, except for Wild Duluth 100k. Fortunately, it shares some of the course with Voyageur 50 which I have raced before. So I have no excuse this time that I don't know what I'm getting myself into.
Only 4 months until Zumbro.
The Gnarly Bandit consists of four 100 mile races, followed by a 100k:
- Zumbro 100
- Kettle Moraine 100
- Black Hills 100
- Superior 100
- Wild Duluth 100k
There are three cruxes to the series: 1. Zumbro is early in the year, and quite often the snow isn't even off the ground yet. Very few people are trained up for it yet. 2. There is only three weeks between Kettle Moraine and Black Hills. 3. Superior.
Last year, I entered two of the races in the Gnarly Bandit series (Kettle Moraine and Superior) and finished them in respectable fashion. I conquered the third crux. And after running Kettle Moraine, I'm certain I can handle the second crux if I take Kettle extra easy.
I am formally throwing my hat into the ring to complete the Gnarly Bandit in 2016. I have learned a lot since the last time I tried it. I have the training, the knowledge, and the willpower to push through it. I have been on all of the race courses, except for Wild Duluth 100k. Fortunately, it shares some of the course with Voyageur 50 which I have raced before. So I have no excuse this time that I don't know what I'm getting myself into.
Only 4 months until Zumbro.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Running Around in Circles
A.K.A. Lemming Loop 3 Hour
It's been a long running season for me. And, I like to think, a successful one. Not only did I break my PR at END-SURE (not exactly a difficult chore), but I also got a huge monkey off my back by completing my first 100 miler. I one-upped by crawling onto the monkey's back and completed Superior 100. I like to think of this as doing two fifths of the Gnarly Bandit, the race series of which I DNFed every race I entered last year.When I signed up for Lemming Loop (LL), I figured that my legs were still going to be hurting somewhat from Superior three weeks earlier. In this, I was correct. It looks like I recover from 100 milers a lot slower than I would have thought. It's not a linear function for me, where it's 4 times as long as with a marathon, and twice as long as with a 50 miler. My muscles seem to heal fine, but my joints stay tender for a long time. Knowing this, I signed up for the shortest LL distance; the 3-hour race. Good decision, as I came down with a cold and wouldn't have been able to run anything longer anyway. Compared to all my other races this year, this one was going to be a balls-out sprint.
I toed the start line with Craig Desjarlais, who also ran Superior, and settled into a nice rhythm. One guy took off like a bullet. Craig and I looked at each other, and we both agreed that we would see him again soon. The body of runners soon split up into packs, and I chose to stick with the lead one, which consisted of Craig, myself, and the lead female (I think her name is Judy Nagy). We caught up to the bullet about halfway through the loop, and never looked back. Craig decided to speed up a bit, and I thought it would be best to let him go. I don't have the leg speed to run like Craig. So it was just Judy and me.
Judy and I traded leads for the first two laps, until she stopped at the aid station. I kept going. I was now all alone and forced to pace all by myself. I was hurting pretty good at this point, but threw all the pain into my newly-dubbed "pain cave". I figured I could deal with it after the end. After all, it was only going to be 3 hours of discomfort.
My plan this race was to carry all my gels with me, and carry a single water bottle. This way, I could pretty much ignore the aid station and only use it to refill my water bottle. This was a strategy that served me well. After the third loop, I made my first aid station stop and was out of there in about 10 seconds.
The race from there on was fairly uneventful until near the end. I felt like a superstar, blowing past runners who had been out there for 18 hours already. I tried to give everybody encouragement, and never expected anyone to get out of my way. But for some reason, almost every single one moved over to let me pass. Seriously? I was fresh, and had the legs to be able to take to the tall grass. Maybe they were just using me as an excuse to move over and get a few seconds of rest before continuing on their way. The volunteers at the aid station were telling me that I was catching up to Craig, and if I turned it up I could catch him. I wasn't going to do that and blow myself up. If he really was slowing down, I would just let him come to me. Turns out they were telling Craig that I was catching up to him too (I wasn't), and were playing us both against each other. Evil.
When it was time to start doing short loops, Christine and Bean showed up to cheer me on. Nothing pumps me up like hearing them chant "Go Daddy Go!". After one short loop, my watch was showing that I didn't have enough time to complete a second one. I was nearing the end of my race. I told Bean that if he got to the start line, he could run with daddy until the finish. He happily obliged. Together, we ticked off the final 500 metres before the horn sounded. On the way back, my legs started to cramp up. Surely, a sign that I ran almost perfectly.
Craig finished first. I finished second. Judy ended up finishing 2nd female. I don't podium often, so it felt really good even though the field was pretty shallow.
My splits:
| 18:25 | |||||||||
| 18:07 | |||||||||
| 17:56 | |||||||||
| 18:03 | |||||||||
| 18:23 | |||||||||
| 18:26 | |||||||||
| 19:02 | |||||||||
| 18:53 | |||||||||
| 19:55 | |||||||||
| 7:57 |
Considering that my secret goal was to run 18 miles, I did pretty good. Fairly even splits except for the 19:55 near the end. In total, I ran 19.51 miles on tired legs. When I got home, I went straight to sleep.
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