2024 Fall Superior Moose Marathon

Passing through
Cramer aid station.

Date: Saturday, September 7th 2024, 8:00am start 

Distance: 26.2 miles

Weather: Both Friday and Saturday were showing temps in the mid 40's to upper 50's along with sun and some clouds. No rain, very low humidity. It was absolutely perfect!

Runners: Just me!

Crew: Marcus and Jax. Next time, need a 2nd crew member to help with the pup! Crewing plus managing the pup is a lot to handle for one person amidst the chaos of aid stations! 

Gear: UD hydration pack (have received two new packs under warranty this year due to some minor tearing in the fabric, wore the smaller one this time which worked great), VS bra, black camo Athleta Momentum tank, Oiselle Roga shorts, Dirty Girlz gaitors, darn tough socks, Altra Lone Peak's, iPhone (used for both Strava and podcasts/music, had 20% battery at Oberg, died at the top of Mystery, bring a back-up charger next time), RSR buff, Zumbro hat, sunglasses. At the start, I had on my Goldy long-sleeve, but wasn't feeling particularly cold and I didn't want to have to stop to take it off and stash it until I saw Marcus at Sawbill so I took it off just before the race started and I'm so glad I did, definitely the right choice! I was never cold, although there were some "cooler" spots on the course in lower/cloudy terrain.

Collapsible Coke

Fuel: What I ate before the race: nothing, but some coffee. What I had in my pack: caramel/honey waffle, Speednut, 2 string cheese, water, sport beans, salt pills. What I ate during the race: waffle, 1 string cheese, water (re-filled once at Oberg), coke (at every aid station), 1 1/2 bags of sport beans. What I forgot: salt pills!

With my new packs came some collapsible bottles that I'd never used before. I took a look at them while still at home and realized that they share the exact same bite valve as my larger water bladder does which was great to know because I go through several each year and while HydraPak does a great job of replacing them for free under warranty, it's nice to have some backups! As these bottles are also designed to fit inside the front pockets on the vest, I thought I'd try one out and see how it works. Works really well with non-carbonated liquid as it "collapses" as you drink, taking up less and less space. It works surprisingly well with carbonated liquid, too, you just have to squeeze the air out. I know this allowed me to drink more as I was able to carry it with me whereas I typically just down a cup at each aid station. 

Photo courtesy of Scott Rokis

Training and Preparation: After suffering my first DNF in the spring of 2023 (missed the cut-off at Oberg during the 50k), I worked my ass off this last year to get in better shape. We bought a treadmill in the fall of 2023 and I went from running/hiking 4 days/week to 6 days/week, consistently. Zumbro in the spring of 2024 went well and I was shocked at how well training for Superior went over the summer. I consistently maintained miles both indoors on the treadmill and outdoors, even through heat and humidity. I just didn't suffer as much this year as I have in seasons past! Not sure why, but I'll take it! Didn't get a 20+ miler in, though, when I wish I had, but still felt reasonably prepared.

Photo courtesy of
Christine Armbruster

Race Weekend Preparation: I wanted to spend the weekend at the cabin again as that worked quite well last time. But I didn't want to roll in at 9pm this year so Marcus took the day off and we left Friday morning after Juniper left for school (who was staying home alone for the weekend for the first time). We took our time getting up to the cabin, making a few stops along the way. Stopped at Lutsen winery to buy a bottle of wine and went up to Caribou to see if I could pick up my packet early, but they were just starting to set up the finish. 

Once at the cabin, I ate a large salad and relaxed in the afternoon while Marcus went for a bike ride. I'd pre-made Mac & Cheese for dinner which was perfect, a treat I hadn't had in a long time. Weirdly, as soon as we got to the cabin, I started sneezing and my eyes were extremely itchy. It felt like allergies? Continued most of the evening, but settled somewhat at night. 

S'mores at Sawbill

I had a really hard time sleeping! Part of the reason for staying at the cabin was to ensure I got a good night of sleep in a familiar bed! It felt like I was constantly awake all night, only sleeping for a few minutes at a time. I finally just got up at 5:29, a minute before my alarm would've gone off. Got dressed, had some coffee and we left around 6:25 which was the same time as last time so I thought it'd be fine. However, I needed to make a bathroom stop along the way. When we got to Cramer, instead of having Marcus drop me off, we parked at the end of the line which was a mistake. I took my gear AND Jax and started fast-walking to the start. Marcus was quite a bit behind me. When I heard Storkamp start his race announcements, I started running. I still hadn't picked up my race bib! And I had the pup with me! Fortunately, everyone was running behind so I got my bib, stood in line for the bathrooms and waited for Marcus to come get Jax. Race started about 8 minutes late. 

Cramer Rd to Temperance (Miles 0 to 7.9 - 7.9m):  The conga line that is typical for this race was made even worse at the very beginning because there was a downed tree. However, once over the tree, the crowd actually thinned out quite quickly. Strategically, I had planned to listen to podcasts during the race (saving music for after Oberg). I'd never really done this before and wasn't sure how it'd work out. I used one ear-bud at a time and had figured out how to create a queue (during the drive to Cramer) so I didn't have to touch my phone in order to skip to the next podcast. This worked out quite well! However, it did use more battery and I wish I had thought to ask Marcus for a portable charger. This section is really quite nice. It's not very difficult and the section along the river is really beautiful and the Temperance River was roaring. My allergies (or whatever was going on) were really bad, though. My nose would not stop running and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't have any kleenex or towels with me.

Leaving Sawbill

Temperance to Sawbill (Miles 7.9 to 13.6 - 5.7m):  No aid here so I had a volunteer poor some Coke in my new collapsible bottle and I took off right away. This section is all about Carlton which I actually quite enjoy. I imagine it's a bit like bouldering! I wasn't quite sure how it would go with poles, though, as I do tend to climb up using my hands, but it worked out fine. As is typical, there's always someone cramping after the first part! It's pretty much all downhill after Carlton, though.

Sawbill to Oberg (Miles 13.6 to 19.1 - 5.5m):  Marcus and Jax were waiting for me! Had Marcus re-fill my Coke bottle while I ran to the bathroom to pee and to deal with my never-ending runny nose. I had Marcus open up a string cheese for me because up until now I hadn't eaten anything all day and figured I should. This is still my least favorite section, but after my DNF last spring, I really wanted to conquer it so I ran as often as I could and only hiked when I had to. Lots of stumbles, but poles were a lifesaver. 

Having to say good-bye
to Jax for the
umpteenth time!

Oberg to FINISH (Miles 19.2 to 26.2 - 7.1m):  More Coke at this aid station. I also asked a volunteer to fill up my water (but my back had been aching for awhile so they didn't fill it completely). I also had Marcus open a waffle and I ate it while we walked up the hill to the entrance to the trail. Said good-bye to Jax and took off again finishing the waffle while I hiked up the first section. Moose surprised me this time - typically I tell myself if you have to ask if this is Moose, it's not. Well, I was half-way up before I realized yep, this is definitely Moose! It was quite sunny this time, not so dark as I remembered! There was no one around. Not behind or in front of me. It was very peaceful. My nose was still constantly dripping and it had become incredibly annoying! Really wish I had a towel with me, but for now my pole gloves had to do!

Waffle Time!

I had turned on music after leaving Oberg with the hopes of it carrying me to the finish, but when Marcus informed me my battery was at 20%, I knew my phone was going to die sooner rather than later so I really took advantage of it and went as fast as I could during this section. Stumbles were fewer, although I was really concentrating on the ground. I was looking forward to the pace up Mystery as I was really pushing myself to get there. Hiked it up as fast as I could and as I started heading down, phone died. Ugh. In addition, I had been holding off some cramping in my right foot for quite some time and what I'll call a "pre-cramp" was slowly spreading up my leg and into my thigh which I'd never experienced before! It also spread into my left foot/leg somewhat too. It was then that I realized that due to the cool weather and low humidity, I hadn't taken ANY salt pills throughout the entire race when I typically take 1 every 30 minutes or 2 every hour even when I'm only out running for an hour or two! I wasn't quite sure where they were in my new pack and I didn't take the time to explore so I downed a bag and a half of sport beans which were easy to access. The beans seemed to help almost immediately, but I was still in "pre-cramp" territory for the remainder of the race. I continued drinking a lot of water and Coke too but I'm sure the added caffeine from the beans the Coke wasn't helping. 

Put away poles just
before the finish!

I didn't quite know what to expect at the finish as Storkamp had altered the race finish to avoid racers having to run on the road. This meant that after the gravel portion of the road, we headed to the left back up into the ski hills/grassy portion, up yet another steep grassy hill and then back down a VERY steep dirt hill and into the finish. In my opinion, this had to have added some mileage and at least 10 minutes. A 50-miler passed me (only the 4th one I'd seen all race) and he was quite irritated! I picked up some speed as I got closer to the finish and my right leg nearly gave out on me as the pre-cramp almost turned into an actual cramp. I had to stumble across the finish to avoid a major thigh cramp. I couldn't stand up straight or bend my leg for awhile. Ann (Alex's friend) was at the finish and she grabbed me a Gingerale and a bag of potato chips which I downed quickly while sitting for a bit. We didn't stick around for long and back at the car, I tried to take off my shoes (Marcus needed to help with the right one as I still couldn't bend my leg without cramping in my upper thigh). On the way back to the cabin, we stopped for take-out Fish & Chips. I ate a hard-boiled egg and two bags of fruit snacks in the car because at this point I was hungry! I was also getting cold as I hadn't really changed out of my wet clothes and the cabin was 62 degrees. I immediately took a hot shower and came out to a nice fire (thanks to Mom for getting the firepit all prepped and ready!). I sat in front of it for awhile and then ate my fish & chips along with some wine we'd bought from the winery near Lutsen. 

Trying to avoid
post-race cramping.

Final Time: 7:12:19 (16:30 pace), 62/154 women, 11/40 age group 50+, 151/317 overall. Nearly the exact same number of runners as when I first ran this 5 years ago (312 in 2019) and my results were nearly identical, finishing in the top 48% both years! For women only, finished in the top 40% both years. Because I'm now in the "Grand Master" age group, though, I finished in the top 28% this time (compared with the top 39% last time). This race was very important for my morale. I feel like I gave it my all, both during training and during the race. I feel good about the results and I'm looking forward to the next year!

Recovery: We stayed at the cabin all day Sunday. While Marcus went for a long bike ride, Jax and I walked the 3-mile cabin loops. Slowly, haha. Legs were stiff, but working okay and I had avoided cramping all night. Rested that afternoon and we headed home Monday morning. Using poles, especially with all the stumbles, really uses upper body muscles I'm not used to working. Both of my upper arms were quite sore, it hurt to cut an onion or even put on my seatbelt! Once home, I went for a slow 3-mile run on Tuesday which really helped to iron out any residual soreness I had. Hiked 3 miles on the treadmill Wednesday and by Thursday was ready for a normal 7-8m road run. In fact, instead of taking it easy this past week, I've managed to run more than 30 miles! Hope to continue 30-35 mile weeks for the next few months.

No explanation needed.

Next Time: My instructions to myself from last time I used poles was to also work on training my upper body, especially my upper arms so I wouldn't be so sore. Did I remember this? Nope! But maybe this time I will? Also, bring a portable battery charger and know how and when to use it! 

Going into this race, Marcus, Juniper and I had previously signed up for Wild Duluth which was going to be Juniper's first trail race, but we have since decided to skip Wild Duluth (trading it for a cabin work weekend instead) and perhaps sign up for Zumbro and/or the Spring Superior? 

In addition, for the last 6 months or so, I've been seriously considering signing up for the 100 miler next year. It's something I've wanted to do since 2017. I actually signed up for it in 2018, but deleted my registration before the lottery because I chickened out. Family, I may be asking for some assistance next September 5-6, 2025! Stay tuned!

Zumbro 17m 2024

Date: Saturday, April 12th 2024, 9am start 

Pre-race wait.

Distance: 17m (42% female)

Weather: It had been a perfectly cool spring so heading into race weekend and seeing temps in the 70's had me worried. Even though I'd spent time running in my basement where it's 65-70 degrees, I definitely was not yet acclimated to running outdoors in warmer weather! Race start predicted to be in the high 40's. POST RACE UPDATE: Race started in the low 50's, quickly warming up into the 70's. Car hit 81 on the drive home! Wind and low humidity helped! So glad I remembered to put on sunblock!

Runners: Just me this time!

 
Crew: Since there's no crew allowed at aid stations anymore, Marcus drove down with me and went for a bike ride while I ran. Jax stayed at home with Juniper.

Gear: New black UD hydration pack (free $189 pack under warranty as my old one had a few holes in the nylon), black VS bra, black Athleta tank, black VS shorts, Dirty Girlz foxy gaiters, Darn Tough socks, Altra Lone Peaks, buff, hat, 1.5 sunglasses and trekking poles. Going without a gps watch this time and relying only on my phone/Strava, we'll see how it goes! I also plan to use my headphones more this time. While I always listen to podcasts and music while training, I typically rarely listen to anything during races for some reason, but I want to try to listen to more podcasts/music this time. 

Fuel: Only one aid station at 13.5 miles is stocked with food so I brought string cheese, sport beans, 2 speednuts and 1 waffle. Short enough race that I didn't think I'd need all of this, but it was good to have it just in case. 

My new foxy gaiters!

Training and Preparation: Leading up to this race, I hadn't had what I felt was a successful race since 2019. I ran the Moose Marathon that fall and did great! Then Covid happened, races were cancelled, motivation was less, pounds were put on and running just got hard. I also got 5 years older somehow. Griffin and I trained together for the Spring 2022 race, but the course was drastically altered due to weather so we didn't race. I had signed up for the Moose Marathon that fall, but barely got any summer running done and finished an hour later than I had previously. Griffin and I trained again for the Spring 2023 race and I DNF'd for the very first time and had to drop out at Oberg. Note - for these last 2 races, I wore different shoes (Altra Olympus). For this race, I went back to my trusty Altra Lone Peaks.

All that said, I was very motivated to kick it into gear this time and get as many miles in as I could. This was a ridiculously mild winter so I was easily able to get outside a lot and really didn't lose any days to cold or snow and was able to run 3-4 days/week. In addition, we bought a treadmill in October so I also hiked on the treadmill at least 2 days/week (12-15% incline, 3-3.3mph for an hour or more). Since the beginning of November, I've run 20-30 miles every week. I've never really worked out more than 4 days/week in my life so I think that regularly working out 6 days/week made a difference in my preparation. I had a really strong start for the first 4 months of training. Then I pulled my right hamstring for the first time in my life. When it happened, around 2 miles into a run, I wasn't even sure what it was. But it hurt enough for me to turn around and limp run/walk home. Googled to figure out what muscle it was that I pulled and then read about how awful it would be if it got worse. I was so fearful to do any serious damage and was terrified to actually tear it so I stayed off of roads as much as I could for the last several weeks before the race. Running at Afton seemed fine and didn't cause any problems. I was also able to hike on the treadmill without pain, but asphalt really seemed to bother me, especially if I ran more than 6-7 miles. My first trip to Afton was in the beginning of February and I continued to go weekly all the way up to race week (I missed one week when it finally decided to really snow for the very first time all winter in March). Clocked more miles on the treadmill than on the road the last week or so just to make sure my hamstring was in good shape. 

Going to be a hot one!

Race Weekend Preparation: Kylah was heading to Duluth on Sunday for a work-trip and Juniper had the day off of school so the girls were both here on Friday. Dinked around a bit as I had mostly packed earlier in the week. Sushi and kombucha for dinner! Set my alarm for 5:30am. I went to bed at my normal time, but had some trouble getting to sleep. I did eventually sleep though for several hours which is rare for me. Nice to be in my own bed. Plan was to get up, have my coffee, get dressed and leave around 6:30am. All went as planned - made one stop to pee and get gas and got to the race around 8:30am. Parked (it was VERY busy), picked up my bib/hat and stood in line at the porta potties. Took off my extra layers, grabbed my poles, sunglasses and hat, put on some sunblock and headed to the start. I hadn't been eating breakfast before running over the past 5 months, but I did eat a piece of string cheese at the start line. And popped a salt pill!

Race: Having not run this race in 9 years and knowing that the course had been slightly altered, the only thing I could remember is that it's essentially 4 climbs with flat sections sandwiched in between. Some of those sections were gravel roads, sandy chutes or grassy dirt trails. Sure enough, that's pretty much what it was, although I lost count of the climbs and after passing the first aid station at 5m (which was water only so I didn't stop), I had no idea how far we were into the race. At some point I heard someone say "6.5!" and I didn't know if that meant that's how far we had gone, how far we had left or how far it was to the next aid station? 

The hill climbs were fine - I had remembered them being quite daunting but when I first ran this race, it was only my 2nd trail race with the first being Surf the Murph. I had yet to run any races on the SHT. So, compared to the SHT, these hills were just fine. Way more comparable to Afton. One of the downs was really rocky and quite long, but it just reminded me of the down at Afton that brings you to the Trout Brook loop. I just took it slow. 

There's not a lot of skinny single-track so while I was never alone (there were always other runners around, especially with 3 other races being run simultaneously), it was never a problem to pass or to be passed. I really enjoy one-way traffic, much better than the Spring Superior out and back!

I had remembered the sandy chutes being un-runnable last time. I don't know if it was because the conditions were different this time (no mud and very dry), but I was able to run through them all this time. 

I was using Strava on my phone for the first time (instead of a gps watch) which meant I wasn't looking at the time/miles pass by as my phone was packed away. My strategy going in was to try to listen to a couple of podcasts before getting to the 2nd aid station at 13.5m at which point I'd switch over to music as it appeared on the map that the last 4 miles of the race was pretty flat and I knew I'd need the motivation as I'm not a huge fan of flat running.

After finishing the 2nd podcast, I found myself on a gravel road that was mostly downhill. I was trying to do some math to figure out how far it still was to the 2nd aid station. I knew I'd listened to a couple of hours of podcasts at 1.25 speed with some down time in between so I calculated that we'd been out there for about 2.5 hours. I thought I had about 30 minutes before the next aid station, but the gravel road was confusing me! Sure enough, it was the last section before the aid station and I was shocked when I rolled in! I had been rationing water for the last little bit as I didn't know where I was and was so afraid to completely run out. I had a volunteer fill up my pack (this was a mistake - the water had a terrible after taste and smell, so bad I could barely drink it), I drank a cup of gingerale and then asked another volunteer for the time (it was 12:07pm). Again, I was surprised! I had hoped to finish around the same time I had 9 years ago which was 1:06pm which meant I had about an hour to run the last 4 miles. Knowing it was mostly flat, I was kinda optimistic that this might happen. I had also told Marcus there's no way I'd be done before 1pm so don't worry about being back to the finish until then. 

I left the aid station, pulled out some sport beans to snack on and was so excited to finally turn on some music to get me through the mentally difficult flat section especially since it was just a gravel road. However, when I went to turn spotify on, I could see that it was playing but there was no sound!! Podcasts played fine (but I had nothing I wanted to listen to), but the music wouldn't play! I was sooooo frustrated. I lost about 5 minutes walking trying to figure out what to do. I thought of restarting my phone but then I'd lose my Strava. I then decided to close the spotify app and reopen it and thank god that worked!! I finally had some music to get me through this last bit. 

The last 4 miles were the hardest (mentally) because it seems so silly to walk on flats. But a lot of people were. You could tell they were ready to be done. About 30 minutes in, I still had absolutely no idea how far I was and was struggling with keeping up a run pace so I decided to check my phone - I was at 16.84 miles! WTF? I was almost done? At that point, I knew I could run the rest. I didn't check the time as that would stress me out but I knew I could keep running. I finally hit the campground, ran by our car and into the finish. When I saw the clock counting down from 3:49 to 3:50 I picked up my pace so I'd finish before it hit 3:50! Crossed the finish line and was so grateful when a volunteer offered to hose me down with cold water. It felt amazing! We didn't hang out too long. I changed clothes, grabbed some freshly made Neapolitan pizza, coffee and a la croix and we headed back to the car for the relatively short drive back home, getting home a little after 3pm. Had chipotle and some Rose for dinner. 

Final Time: 3:49:40 (13:31 pace), 56/134 women, 12/34 age group 50+, 181/326 overall. Second best race for me in overall placement, top 56% (first was Moose Marathon 5 years ago in 2019, top 48%). But first best race for me in my age group, top 35%!

Recovery: Wasn't too sore on Saturday (except getting out of the car after sitting for 2 hours on the drive home). Went for an easy 3 mile run on Sunday to help take the edge off. Was more sore Sunday night, but felt okay on Monday and hiked on the treadmill for 3 miles. Treadmill again Tuesday and Wednesday with a road run Thursday. Might take Friday off?

Next Time: If you run this race again, as soon as you get on the first gravel road before the 2nd aid station, put your trekking poles away (you won't need them again) and turn on some music! Also consider bringing your 3L water bladder so you don't have to re-fill with their water. 

Years ago I had considered the 50 mile that starts at midnight, but 3 loops especially with half the race being run with headlamps seems like a lot, haha.  I would consider doing the 2-loop 34m race, but it would require us to spend the night somewhere closer (or leave at 4:30am). 

Next Race: I'm signed up for the Moose Marathon in September. Hope to have a better race than I did 2 years ago!  Plan on utilizing the treadmill as much as possible to get through the hot days of summer. No excuses! Depending on how training goes, might sign up for a fall 50k - Wild Duluth? Surf the Murph?