Spring Superior 50k 2016

Date: Saturday, May 21st 2016, 7am start
Distance: 50k, only 25% of the runners were women!
Weather: Low 50's at the start. Quickly warmed up well into the upper 70's by late morning. Mostly sunny, some clouds. Lots of little black flies!
Runners: Courtney and Alex Stephens, Reid Plumbo
Crew: Marcus and Juniper (age 7).
Gear: Hydration pack, VS shorts/bra, purple Athleta tank, Dirty Girlz gaitors, smartwool socks, Hoka Mafate Speed, Suunto Ambit 3 GPS, TNF hat.
Fuel: Had a hard time fueling this time. Stomachache combined with heat didn't bode well for me. Usually I'm a good eater while running! Ended up eating a few sport beans, some gingerale/coke and bananas at aid stations, part of one string cheese and that was it! I did manage to take a salt pill every hour or so.

Training and Preparation: This was my 2nd 50k as I ran Wild Duluth last fall. Going into WD, I felt quite prepared. I like to run 4 days a week so I modified a marathon training plan to prepare me for 31 miles. Early in the race, I got injured which progressively worsened and resulted in me hobbling most of the race, finishing in just under 9 hours. Looking ahead to Superior, I knew I wanted to train 4 days/week again. I mostly used the same training plan I used for WD. The mild winter allowed me to not miss a single mile, nor a single long run! By the end of February, I was finally able to get back out to Afton for my weekly runs and made it there 9 times in 12 weeks. Overall, I averaged approx. 32.5m/week over 18 weeks (up to 36m/week during the last 9 weeks). I tried to follow all of my long runs with a run the following day, hoping to get some good back to backs in. My longest run was in week 15 with a 24m run at Afton, followed by a 6m run the next day. So, not a ton, but it works for me! I much prefer training over racing! But, it's nice to have a goal so I keep signing up for these things!

Race Weekend Preparation: Kylah had moved home from college the week before. We had spent the weekend cleaning out the 2nd garage for her to live in throughout the summer. Lots of lifting and moving and cleaning! Good thing I wasn't running much as I was definitely using different muscles! We also decided it was a good time to rid ourselves of the junk pile next to the house that had been collecting since we moved in 13 years ago! Oh, my! 

We weren't sure who was going to the race/staying at home until late in the week. Unfortunately for Finnley, for the second year in a row, this race took place on the weekend of her yearly Spring Music Festival. In the end, Kylah, Jonah and Griffin stayed home alone while Finnley stayed with a couple of friends (Edee on Friday night and Kendall on Saturday night). Juniper came with us to keep Marcus company! Friday morning, I drove the girls to school and came home to finish packing. Marcus picked up Juniper on his way home from work (he worked a half day). We headed out around 1pm, stopping at Duluth Grill for "lunch/dinner". As it was only around 3:30, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I ended up ordering something light to eat at the restaurant and since I'd been craving a hamburger for awhile, I ordered my favorite bison burger to go. Instead of kale (which I love, but is gassy), I ordered the smashed potatoes instead. 

We got up to Lutsen around 6:15, checked in, drove all the way to the very, very end of the lodging, quickly unpacked the car and walked the LONG walk back uphill to pick up my bib and t-shirt. By the time we got back, and Juniper was settled for the night, it was nearly 8pm. I decided I really wanted to try to get some more protein in so I ate the hamburger and potatoes (minus the bun). I really wasn't very hungry, though, and felt I was forcing most of it down. BAD IDEA. DON'T DO THAT AGAIN! 

Juniper and I waiting for the race to start.

Marcus and I watched some Hulu ("The Path") before I tried to lay down. I always have a terrible time sleeping the night before a race. I literally can spend the entire night awake, just laying in bed. This night was no different. Unfortunately, it was also due to the fact that I had developed a stomachache. Was it the food? Cramps? I didn't know, but it hurt just to lay in bed. I couldn't get comfortable. It persisted most of the night and I finally gave in and got up sometime after 5am. A couple of trips to the bathroom and I hoped to feel better soon. I had planned on eating something in the morning (I'm used to a toasted cheese sandwich), but I couldn't get anything down, hardly even a few sips of water and I only tried the water as I'd also developed a sore throat and very dry mouth. Ugh. 

The weather was not looking good. Yes, it might be in the low 50's now, but I knew that was not going to last. Weather was predicted to be in the low 70's by late morning (less than halfway through my race). As my "cap" is usually around 65 degrees, I was seriously concerned. I just really don't tolerate heat well! While slowing down usually helps, I knew the cut-off for this race was 9 hours and since my last 50k was finished in 8:54 (yes, I was hurt, but still), this was worrying me quite a bit. 

The good news was there was absolutely no decision needing to be made as to what to wear! Simply put: as little as possible! Yes, I wore arm warmers and a light jacket to the start, but I shed those quickly. I saw people in long pants and knew they were going to be in for a world of trouble later on in the day! A volunteer at the last aid station told me he'd lost count as to how many pants he'd turned into shorts that day! 

Alex, Courtney, Reid, Me (I don't know who the guy in the back is!)

Met up with my brother Alex and his wife Courtney along with their good friend Reid at the start. This was Courtney's first 50k and Alex was running with her for the duration. What a guy!

Start to Oberg (Miles 0 to 7.75 - 7.75m): Having run the 25k last spring and having paced my brother for the last 1/4 of his 100m race last fall, I was pretty familiar with the first and last 8 miles of this race. Boy was I grateful that the course was dry! I was really not looking forward to slogging through mud lakes again. This year, the course was unbelievably dry! In fact, the only areas of mud actually felt good to run on - they were squishy, but dry if that makes sense! So while there was the usual conga line at the start, it wasn't very slow. People were really moving, this was a group of RUNNERS! We stayed pretty tight until hitting Moose Mountain. For some reason, this really seemed to spread people out! Haha! Partway up the mountain, I heard a girl behind me talking about the never-ending climb! She sounded young and since my 17 year old son had told me the week before that a classmate of his was running with her mom, I had to turn around and look. Sure enough, it was her. So I introduce myself as Jonah's mom and we chat a bit during the climb. Sarah was the youngest to run this race and she did awesome! Finishing around 7:05, she made it look so easy! I was quite impressed!

Pretty sure that's Alex and Courtney behind me!

I headed into Oberg feeling pretty much like crap. My stomachache was awful. I actually had to "hold" onto my belly with my arm for a good chunk of the race. Running hurt, walking was better. But I knew walking wasn't going to get me to finish this race in time. I know I told Marcus I was done. I wasn't really, but I just wanted to say it.

The little black flies were a bitch. Pretty sure I was getting more protein from eating them than from anything else! Buzzing in my ears and eyes. A few went up my nose. There was a lady at this aid station with a beautiful bottle of black fly spray which I gratefully applied! Juniper had found comfort in it, too, they were really getting to her. In fact, she had a really hard time getting to sleep that night as every time she closed her eyes, all she could see were little black flies and she was afraid they were going to eat her alive! What fun to have an over-tired child after a race! 

My feet were hurting. I have trail shoe issues and haven't found a pair that doesn't cause me trouble. I was racing in Hoka's for the first time (I trained with them all winter, but had never raced in them). My feet were moving around quite a bit and I could feel blisters starting at the tips of my toes. I think they might be a half size too big? I tightened up the laces a bit, hoping this would help. At the last minute, I had grabbed my trusty old and holey Saucony Kinvara trail shoes that had made it through several races and had those in my aid bucket should I need to swap out.

I was also incredibly hot. The heat was really getting to me as it was well into the 70's by now. Thankfully, I had thought to bring an ice/water bucket filled with sponges. They felt so good! I tried some gingerale, but nothing else sounded good. I talked with Marcus and Juniper a bit, I thought Alex and Courtney were just a few minutes behind me, but I didn't see them at this aid station. 

Thank you for the photo, Kelly!

Oberg to Sawbill (Miles 7.75 to 13.3 - 5.55m): I'd only run this section once while pacing my brother and it was the opposite direction so I really had no idea what to expect. According to the elevation, I knew it was pretty mild and mostly run-able. Combined with the dry ground, this was very true, but my stomachache was horrible! My feet were also moving around in my shoes really badly. Tightening the laces didn't seem to have helped. I was really looking forward to changing shoes at the next aid station. 

Alex and Courtney caught up to me during this section and when we got to the aid station, Courtney recommended I try some coke. I hate coke, but I drank it anyhow. Again I told Marcus I was done. I was over it. Okay, not really. But I just had to get it out of my system. I had Marcus fill up my water while I changed shoes. Courtney and Alex headed out ahead of me. While I had Juniper open up a piece of string cheese, I liberally applied ice water to my body! 

I headed out eating the string cheese which was not going down well. I managed a few bites before I just couldn't eat anymore. I was getting kind of worried. I'm normally a very good eater during running. Usually eating lemon luna bars, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, etc every few miles! This was not normal for me. It was about this time that I noticed how dry my hair was. Normally my hair is dripping wet with sweat, as is the rest of my body. Not the case today! Later I came to understand that my body was actually maintaining its temperature pretty well. I was sweating, but it was evaporating (just as it should) instead of sticking to me (lack of humidity made a difference).

Heading up to Carlton Peak, I don't remember feeling this smile!

Sawbill to Carlton Peak (Miles 13.3 to 15.5 - 2.2m): Of course I'd heard lots of stories about the party at the top of Carlton Peak! This was the one climb I'd never done as the 100m race doesn't climb the spur trail to the top of Carlton Peak. As I was getting closer, sure enough, it sounded like a party up there! Once at the top, I saw my brother and his wife. She was working on some preventative foot bandages while I was trying not to puke. Let's just say the combined hot rocks along with being so much closer to the sun and with absolutely no shade did nothing to help cool me down! I was looking forward to a sip of cold beer, but they must have run out! I managed to stay upright for a quick photo which Alex forced me into before I said I was out of there!

Me and Courtney, Carlton Peak

Carlton Peak to Sawbill (Miles 15.5 to 17.7 - 2.2m): I'm pretty sure Alex and Courtney quickly passed me up during this section, I don't really remember. Stomachache was as bad as ever and I could hardly run without it really hurting. Getting back to the aid station, I needed to use the restroom. I told Marcus I needed more coke, a banana and some advil. I went to stand in line at the restroom and when I noticed the concrete shelter was ice cold, I literally hugged my body flat against it, hoping to cool down my limbs! I must have looked ridiculous! I drank some more coke, ate the banana so I could tolerate the advil and headed back out again. 

Leaving Sawbill, on my way to Oberg.

Sawbill to Oberg (Miles 17.7 to 23.25 - 5.5m): I really, really needed this stomachache to go away! I wanted to run! My legs felt great! I had no achiness, my knees were fine, swapping out my shoes was a great decision! I just couldn't run. Thankfully I'm a pretty good fast walker so I really just tried to speed walk. I had told myself I was doing well with time, I think I headed out of the 3rd aid station before 11:30 (the cut-off was noon) so I was doing okay. But I knew I couldn't just walk to the finish. I started feeling a bit better during this section and running on and off felt okay. I was completely alone for this section, about an hour went by before I finally caught up to someone else. The course is so well marked so I wasn't concerned I was off course, but it was really weird not to see anyone for such a long time! Having had most of the runners pass me on the out and back, I estimated that there were probably about 20 people behind me.

Tired Juniper. Sick of the sun and Little Black Flies!

Oberg to Finish (Miles 23.25 to 31 - 7.75m): I'm pretty sure Alex and Courtney were just heading out of this aid station when I came in. At this point, my stomachache was finally doing better! I thought maybe I could run more during this section! Knowing this was the hardest part of the entire course, though, had me worried. I knew I didn't want to kill myself before getting to the base of Moose Mountain as that climb is ridiculously hard for me! There was a god at this aid station, I had hardly come out of the woods before he was on top of me with his amazing bucket of ice water and towels. I had him drench me good at least 3 times before heading out. Combined with the fact that it actually seemed to be cooling down (I heard later it hit 78 degrees), I was feeling pretty good.

Having left this aid station a few minutes before 1pm (cut-off was 1:30), I knew I was doing okay and would definitely finish even if I had to mostly hike. Knowing that really helped motivate me to finish strong. My stomachache was nearly gone and running felt great. My legs were strong and not giving me any problems at all so my idea of taking it easy before hitting Moose Mountain went out the window. I wanted to run. So I did. Not fast, but finally I was able to run. 

My youngest child, Juniper.

At the base of Moose Mountain, I caught up to Alex and Courtney. While we'd crossed paths a few times throughout the race, I didn't think I'd catch up to them as they'd been ahead of me for quite some time. I hadn't had much of a conversation with them and now as we were all climbing up Moose, now was not the time! Alex held back a few times and I asked Courtney what was up - he was cramping pretty badly. Ugh for him! I found out later he ended up pausing about 5 times during that climb. I had told myself before the race that my goal was not to stop moving up Moose. During the 25k, I had to take a pause towards the top and I didn't want to do that again. So I powered through, got to the steps where I could finally see the top and I just kept going. Normally when I get to the top of such a long climb, I'm so winded that I have to hike for a bit. Not this time! I don't know if it was the fact that I was feeling so much better or that I had just passed my little brother on Moose Mountain (sorry Alex!!!) but I felt awesome and I took off running. Until this race, I hadn't remembered the ridge line being so long, but on the way out it occurred to me how very run-able this section was going to be. So I ran, all the way from the top of Moose to the bottom of Mystery. It wasn't until I got there that I stopped and started hiking again. At this point, I had passed 1/2 dozen people, some who were really struggling. I offered water and salt, but everyone declined, they were just resting and hoping to finish. Towards the top of Mystery, I came across a 25k runner (she had to be the last as I hadn't noticed any others) who was really struggling. I gave her a pep talk, told her she was about 2 miles from the river (boy, I hoped that was right), gave her a hug and I was off, practically running to the top of Mystery. Once I got there I knew it was mostly downhill with a couple of annoying uphills towards the end.

Proof that they tried to meet me at the river!

Looking at my watch, I noticed there was a good chance I'd be finishing in under 8 hours. Eight hours! Only in my wildest dreams did I hope for finishing in 8 hours. During most of the race, I thought I'd be lucky to finish in 8:30. I was getting excited. 

At the previous aid station, I had talked to Marcus about maybe taking Juniper up to the river bridge to wait and they could run the last bit of road with me. I was looking forward to seeing them! However, what I didn't take into account was the fact that my faster pace for the last stretch was not going to get me there when they thought I'd be there! So since they'd taken a bit of a shortcut to avoid the bugs in the woods, when I came down to the river, all I heard was the beautiful sound of the river! I figured they must have decided to stay near the finish so I just kept on going. My other goal was to run the entire road to the finish, even though it's long and boring and quiet. Why are there not more people cheering people along here? Coming into the finish, I was kinda distracted looking for my family. Where were they? I wandered around a bit, ran into Reid, Kelly and Peter. Ended up texting Marcus that I was done. They were at the river waiting for me! They quickly made their way back, brought me my ice bucket that had a nice cold Salvator waiting inside. Reid and Kelly had showed me to their shady seats and we all sat waiting for Alex and Courtney to finish. I took of my shoes so I could put my feet in the ice bucket and noticed a few ugly blisters, but until then I'd hardly noticed them!

Lovely, huh?

I felt great. My legs were great. I felt like I could keep on running. If only the weather had been cooler and I had not forced down a bison burger with jalapenos and onions the night before (which I'm sure contributed to my stomachache)!

Final Time: 7:54:26 (15:17 pace), 30/45 women, 8/12 age group 40-49, 143/177 overall. I couldn't be happier! I think I passed 10-15 people during the last stretch and not a single one passed me!

All runners finished. Beer and stories. Life is good.

Recovery: Had a salad for dinner and slept great! Woke up around 6:30am, packed up and left around 8. A couple of stops along the way, home around 12:30 to a mostly clean house, yeah! 

I was shocked at my lack of soreness! So unlike my experience after WD where I could hardly walk for 3 days, even getting to the bathroom was rough! I was totally fine on Sunday with just a bit more soreness on Monday (why is day 2 always worse?). No problems at all. I had fully planned on running Monday, but with it being Finnley's 11th birthday and having 2 kids home sick, it didn't happen. Planning on getting out tomorrow for a 4-5m run!

Juniper absolutely crashed Sunday afternoon after we got home.