Spring Superior 50k 2023

Date: Saturday, May 20th 2023, 7am start

Distance: 50k (24% female)

Weather: Left the cabin when it was in the low 30's. By the time we got to Lutsen, it was in the low 50's. Quickly rose to the low 70's. Sunny and warm! Even Marcus said it was too hot as there was no shade relief at the aid stations.
Runners: i was running the 50k while Griffin (his first), Alex, Courtney, Reid and Kelly were all running the 25k. 
Crew: Marcus, Jax, Mom (and Zeus) and Dad (on bike, he put in nearly 40 miles and also had to bike up and down all the hills)
Gear: UD hydration pack, VS bra, Gap short sleeve, Old Navy shorts, Dirty Girlz gaitors, Darn Tough socks, Altra Olympus, Suunto Ambit 3 GPS, buff, hat, trekking poles.

Fuel: Brought string cheese, hard boiled eggs, beans, speednuts, waffles, but only ended up eating 2 hard boiled eggs which was a HUGE mistake. Drank coke at aid stations. Next time, I really need to have easy access to everything so that I can eat without having to stop. Also make sure my crew knows to just take stuff and give it to me to eat!

Training and Preparation: Ran all winter, rarely missed a day. Started running at Afton mid-March with Griffin, but then we got a ton more snow so couldn't get back until mid-April and by then there were a zillion trees/branches down so getting through the trails was tough and slow. Spring got busy and between family events and making sure Griffin got enough miles in, I missed a couple of planned solo long runs. 

Race Weekend Preparation: Juniper was traveling to Maine for the 8th grade Waldorf trip and left early Monday morning. On Tuesday, Griffin, Marcus, Jax and I left for the cabin. We spent 3 days enjoying cabin life and working on spring chores before race day. Had salmon and TJ fried rice Friday night. Alarm was set for 4:45am. Didn't sleep well, but had a weirdly normal morning. I'd pre-made coffee and a cheese sandwich the night before and had no problem getting through both. Trip to the bathroom and Marcus, Jax and I were off. Griffin left a bit later with Mom and Dad. Got to the race by 6:30. Marcus went to grab our bibs while I went to the bathroom. Waited at the start for a few minutes with a jacket on, but temps were concerning me already as it was in the low 50's at race start. I couldn't believe the number of people wearing pants, jackets and even gloves!

Start to Oberg (Miles 0 to 7.75 - 7.75m):  

Hard to believe this race hasn't been run "normally" for 4 years! I last ran this race 6 years ago. I felt like this section went well. I started in the back of the pack on purpose but still felt like quite a few people passed me during this section which was weird because I felt like my pace was pretty good. I was running the flats and hiking the ups. Perhaps being too cautious on the downs? Came into the aid station at 8:53 which is well within the range I had predicted. Felt great, ran to the bathroom, had a volunteer check my water which was full enough to get me to the next aid station.

Oberg to Sawbill (Miles 7.75 to 13.3 - 5.55m): I don't remember much of this section except how boring it is and how much harder it was than I remembered. It also seemed to take me twice as long, although I came in around 10:34 (in previous years I'd come in between 10:10-10:25). I remember telling Dad at the aid station that it seemed so much rockier and rootier this year!

I know I've became less steady on my feet. Don't know if that's age or fear or both? I haven't actually fallen in quite some time, but I did train this spring with trekking poles and used them during the race. I felt like they kept me steadier, but I still wasn't very speedy. I asked Marcus how I was doing for time and it seemed as if I was still okay. Slower than the past, but not out of the window. This aid station closed at noon so I had nearly an hour and a half to go 4+ miles which seemed totally doable. 

Sawbill to Carlton Peak and back to Sawbill (Miles 13.3 to 17.7 - 4.4m): I was surprised that the front of the pack hadn't started to pass me on their way back to the finish. This gave me hope. I was also curious to get to Carlton so that I could also make the turnaround and see just exactly how many people were behind me. Of course, as soon as I thought this, people started passing me. A lot of people! This is always tricky and one of my least favorite parts of out and backs. Especially on boardwalks! Getting up to the peak seemed to take forever, I immediately turned around and went back down, ignoring the fireballs and cheese balls. Ew! Within a few minutes, I passed 3 people and then didn't see another soul for nearly the rest of the race. It got very lonely very quickly as I realized how far back I was. I think I really got in my head at this point. I didn't take care of myself as now would've been a really good time to fuel up. I did, however, pull my airpods out and listen to some podcasts. Dropped part of my case somewhere in the woods! By the time I got back to Sawbill, I was really feeling done. I was feeling defeated and slow. I don't know what time I got there, but I didn't miss the cut-off so it was before noon. Previously, I'd gotten in between 11:15-11:25, but I know it was later than that. Mom and Dad were there as Marcus was at the finish waiting for Griffin. Had they not been there, I'm not sure I would have continued. Unfortunately, I failed to refill my water, just simply forgot. I'd been drinking non-stop and had already had my pack refilled once. It was so hot out. I got a cold "shower" from a volunteer which felt amazing. Didn't realize until later that I was burning because I didn't think I'd need sunblock!

Sawbill to Oberg (Miles 17.7 to 23.25 - 5.5m):  I truly now really really don't like this section. I also had done some math and realized I was going to be cutting it close. Part of my wanted to sabotage myself and miss the cut-off on purpose. But I continued on, as fast as I could, power hiking everything I couldn't run. Watching the clock, I knew every minute was going to matter so I didn't take the time to stop and fuel like I should have. I also should have put music on to help motivate and potentially speed myself up. Instead, I was alone and in my head. At 1:05, I remember thinking that I had to almost be there, Oberg had to be right around the corner. But the trail just went on and on. I didn't see a single person. That is, until 1:30 came and went and I still wasn't to Oberg and I saw Marcus and Jax in the woods up ahead. I knew I'd missed the cut-off and ran with them to the aid station, not believing how much further it still was. Rolled in at 1:40 (previously I'd come in at 12:15-12:35 so I was way off) and the clipboard guy basically told me I was done. Frankly, even though it was my very first DNF, I felt relieved. The last section, while I would've eventually made it, would have been difficult. This section was what did me in. 

Oberg to Finish (Miles 23.25 to 31 - 7.75m):  There was no "Oberg to Finish" section for me this time. Where could I have shaved off 10 minutes to get the opportunity to finish the race? TBH, I'm not sure. 

All the 25k runners finished. Griffin finished around 12:30pm, exhausted, says he's never racing again! We'll see...

Recovery:  Stopped at Lutsen after leaving Oberg, but missed Alex and Courtney who were off showering. Headed back to the cabin after a stop in GM for fish & chips and at Trail Center for malts. We were hours earlier than expected, but everyone was exhausted and we all kinda went our separate ways and to bed early! 

Went home later on Sunday. Finnley's birthday Monday. Ran Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, a little bit more each day. 

Thoughts...so, what did I do differently preparing for this race? In 2019, I ran my best race ever, Moose Marathon. Had terrible training that summer, but the race went well. Ran Wild Duluth a few weeks later. Didn't write up notes for this one. Remember it being fairly uneventful and I was shocked that my time was exactly the same as it had been the first time I ran it. Didn't race again in 2020. In spring 2021, I ran the Spring Superior 25k and also was surprised that my time was exactly the same as it had been the other time I had run this race in 2015. My takeaway is that I thought my pace for these races was just pretty steady, so long as I had regular training. However, I ran the Moose Marathon again in 2022 and it was one of my worst races ever, taking me more than an hour longer than the previous time I had run. Going into the 2023 Spring Superior 50k, I was really ready to just call the 2022 race a fluke. I thought I had good training and had run regularly all winter. Had I finished this race, it also would have taken me more than an hour longer than my two previous finishes. Where am I losing this hour? Yes, the SHT is full of rocks and roots and other obstacles, but I've run it many times. Am I just being that much more cautious because I fear falling? How do I get over this? I googled "agility training" and all I got was results for dog training! 

For now, my confidence has been rocked now that I've had back to back bad races. I'm thinking I need to sign up for races that have a large finishing window. In the spring, this means Zumbro 17m (9 hours), Zumbro 34m (11 hours) or SHT 25k (8 hours). In the fall, this means Moose Marathon (14 hours) and Wild Duluth 50k (16 hours).