Hixon50 50k 2016

Date: Sunday, October 30 2016, 7:39 am start (sunrise if you couldn't guess)
Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Distance: 50k, 35% of the runners were women!
Weather: About 48-50 at the start. Really didn't warm up too much, maybe hit 51! Perfect weather with lots of clouds and a bit of drizzle throughout the first loop.
Runners: Marcus Westerman (my wonderful husband running his first 50k!)
Crew: Mom and Dad, Finnley (11) and Juniper (7)
Gear: Wink Hydration pack, VS yoga capris/sport bra, colorblocked Patagonia light long-sleeve, Dirty Girlz gaitors, smartwool socks, Altra Lone Peaks, Suunto Ambit 3 GPS, Zumbro buff.
Fuel: Pretty much had gingerale at every aid station. One station ran out during the 2nd loop so I had some coke. Ate 2 string cheeses spread out, a few beans, a small handful of gummy bears at most aid stations, 2 m&m's and that was about it. Drank 35oz water from my pack.

Training and Preparation: This was my 3rd 50k in a row. Earlier in the season, Marcus and I had talked about signing up for Wild Duluth, but during the week of the Superior 100, I noticed a post about this race and I was intrigued! Being 2 weeks later in the season, it would allow me to get cooler long runs in. I also liked the idea of a new course in a new part of the midwest. Frankly, we were all getting a little bored of heading "up north" for all of our races. And since I've been toying with the idea of signing up for the Zumbro 50 mile (a 3-loop course), I thought I should give a loop course a try to make sure I could handle it!

Training in the winter/spring, leading up to the Superior 50k, went really well and I pushed myself to run all summer long, too. I really have a hard time with heat and humidity and much prefer running in the cooler months! I even upped my mileage 15% more than I had trained in the spring, but still ran only 4 days/week. I managed to get to Afton almost every week for my long rungs. 

Over 20 weeks, I averaged 33 miles/week with an average of 37 miles/week from weeks 11-20. Max mileage was 45 miles in week 15. Longest run at Afton, 3 weeks before race day, was 24 miles when I ran two 12-mile loops.

Race Weekend Preparation: Marcus had signed up for this race, too, his first 50k. On Saturday, we met up with Mom in Eagan and handed off the girls who were spending the night at their house. The boys were home alone! We drove down to La Crosse, stopping at Chipotle in Rochester to pick up some dinner. Made our way to Grand Bluff Running to pick up our packets and decided to check out the race start. The Hixon "mountain" was straight down Main Street and was clearly obvious! As we made our way up the winding hill, the view was spectacular! It took us awhile, but we eventually found the white weather ball and the race start. 

Checked in to the hotel, watched a movie (at 5:30pm!) while eating our dinner. Dinked around with a new show on Amazon Prime (Goliath) and eventually tried to get some sleep, but by now the butterflies had started. Up until trying to sleep, I hadn't really had any nerves. I was confident I would finish. I just didn't know what "ailment" would come this time (previously I've injured my knees early on and had a nasty stomachache that lingered through most of the race). Of course, per my usual, I hardly slept and we were up and out of bed by 5:30am. 

Pre-Race Selfie

Race Day: Having laid out my outfit the previous night, I immediately got dressed and made myself a cheese sandwich, hoping to get the pipes working! I had been really thirsty all night and had also been drinking a lot of water. 

We packed up the car and headed to the race around 6:45. Brought our drop bags to the start/finish (I had a white plastic tub and a cooler with some extra fuel), stood in line at the porta potties, checked in and made our way down to the start.

I really didn't have many expectations for this race. After finishing 2 50k's under less than perfect circumstances, I was confident I would finish in the allotted time. While I was hoping for a time better than my previous times (8:54 and 7:54), I was also happy with finishing anywhere around 8 hours. 
 
Start to Start/Finish (Miles 0 to 3.2 - 3.2m): After a VERY brief intro, we were off! I didn't even get a chance to wish Marcus good luck it all happened so fast! We were told there was going to be some mud because it had rained the previous night. The race also starts off immediately with a single-track downhill which really caused a traffic jam. I had worried I was overdressed with a long-sleeve, but knew I'd be back at the start in about 3 miles. Sure enough, I'd pulled up the sleeves within just a few minutes! The conga line really didn't thin out until 1/2 mile or so to the aid station when the twisty switchbacks came up to the ridge again. Unfortunately, all of the tight squeezes and quick turns started to give my right knee some problems. I was envisioning shades of Wild Duluth, just a year ago, when both of my knees gave out early on in the race and I pretty much hobbled my way to the finish. I really was not excited about repeating that experience so I started being really cautious around the turns and walking them carefully, especially on descents.

"Winding single track with quick turns, tight squeezes between rocks and trees, technical climbs and fast descents." (from Hixon50 website)

Start/Finish to Quarry (Miles 3.2 to 7.2 - 4m): I decided my long sleeve was just fine, had some gingerale/gummy bears and was off. This section is quite amazing, I must say! Lots and lots of switchbacks winding through the woods like a serpent. Some moderately technical climbs, but not too much elevation change. Just a lot of rolling ups and downs. As you can often see runners ahead and behind you, I kept an eye out for Marcus. I was thrilled to see him not far behind me. I yelled out to ask how his foot was (he's fighting plantar fascitis) and he said it was okay. This was the last time I'd see Marcus again until the end of the race. 

Quarry to Miller Bluff (Miles 7.2 to 9.9 - 2.7m): Knee was quite achy after all the switchbacks so I ended up taking some Advil around 10am. I was being very cautious on my descents and was clearly favoring my left leg in hopes I could get the pain to disappear in my right. This section ran us through an old sandstone quarry. I was watching my feet so much I almost didn't look up to enjoy the view. It was just beautiful even though it was in such an open area! No single track here! Instead, there were some wide open trails consisting of a combination of grass, gravel and dirt. This section had us running on asphalt for a 1/2 mile or so through a residential neighborhood, too!

Miller Bluff Aid Station

Miller Bluff to Lower Hixon (Miles 9.9 to 12.9 - 3m): This aid station was on the literal edge of a cliff! Unbelievably scenic. Just after leaving, we wound down to one of my most favorite views on the entire course. This brought us back up to the neighborhood with an uphill 1/4 mile climb on asphalt. The next 2.5 miles were pretty much all downhill which pretty much took a lot out of my knee! The path was wider here and very hard-packed. In fact, I ran into a few fatbikers partway through as it was clearly a section enjoyed by mountain bikers!

So excited to see family!
Feeling great!

With my girls,
Juniper and Finnley!

Lower Hixon to Start/Finish (Miles 12.9 to 15.5 - 2.6m): Family!! I knew Mom, Dad and the girls were leaving around 7am from Eden Prairie and were going to try to be at the halfway point, but I did not expect to see them at this aid station! Finnley ran to give me a hug and claimed she had already run 13.1 miles! Haha! She decided I was too sweaty and gross so I swapped out for a hug from Juniper, Mom and Dad. I told them I thought Marcus wasn't too far behind me so they should wait for him and then head up to the start/finish. Up until now, I think my pace was pretty steady. 

This section started out with some more rolling ups/downs near a golf course and eventually hit what I liked to call the "sentries" which were a couple of guys standing guard at a section that could easily be "cut" if one so desired. It also marked the beginning of the last one mile 600' climb. What I like to call Hixon's "Moose Mountain" - same elevation change, but over a much longer distance (so not nearly as steep). I had no problem with this hill and, frankly, was kind of excited to make my way up it as up until now, there really hadn't been too much elevation change and I wanted to use some new muscles! It also didn't put any pressure on my knees which was awesome. 

Eating some string cheese
before heading to the Quarry.

Heading into the start/finish, I had a lot of cheers from people thinking I was finishing! There was also a 25k race going on and at this point, a lot of them were finishing their race. But I still had an entire second loop to complete! Unfortunately, it was not at all obvious coming into the festivities where we were supposed to go. 

A woman I was running close to asked if I knew where to go and I did not. We both headed to the first aid station we saw on the left (which was the first aid station we had come to at the beginning of the race so it was familiar). My family was there so we just assumed this was where we were supposed to be! I got caught up with my family, they said that Marcus was NOT doing well and that he was likely going to drop after one loop. He was at least half an hour behind me at this point. The woman asked some volunteers if she was supposed to go left and they said yes so off she went! Something didn't seem right and I explained that we had only finished one loop, we had just come from the 1-mile climb and, sure enough, they'd sent her off in the wrong direction! They sent a runner after her while I took off in the opposite direction and ran through the "finish" and past the aid station we were supposed to go to!

Start/Finish to Start/Finish (Miles 15.5 to 18.7 - 3.2m): Wow, it was an entirely different race from this point on. All of the 25k runners had either passed me or finished their race. The fast 50k runners were way ahead of me. From this point on, I either had the trails to myself or shared them with a handful of people. It was awesome! I actually decided I'd try to listen to a podcast for a bit. 

Start/Finish to Quarry (Miles 18.7 to 22.7 - 4m): Mom said that Marcus was going to keep going! His pain had gone from a 10 to an 8 and he was feeling slightly better. I enjoyed the switchbacks this time better than the first time. Less traffic!

My girls enjoying the scenery,
overlooking the Quarry.

Quarry to Miller Bluff (Miles 22.7 to 25.4 - 2.7m): Running through the Quarry, I noticed a few specks sitting high on the hill. Hey, I recognize you!! The girls and my parents were sitting on the hill, enjoying one of the most scenic views on the entire course. Once finishing the gravel road and hitting the top of the ridge, I was able to check in with them once again. They were waiting for Marcus, fully expecting him to drop soon. I didn't think I'd see them again until the finish, although they wanted to try to see me at the last aid station. I assured them I was totally fine! I was feeling great!

Dad and the girls in the distance.
If you look really closely,
you can see me on the gravel road!

Feeling good on an incline!

Miller Bluff to Lower Hixon (Miles 25.4 to 28.4 - 3m): The second time through the asphalt, I was feeling really good and ran the entire way until I got to the uphill. Knee was a bit achier on the 2.5 mile descent, but I tried to ignore it as much as possible as I knew the last 3 miles were mostly flat or uphill which didn't bother me nearly as much. 

My one and only attempt at a selfie!
Taken just after leaving the Miller Bluff Aid Station,
down by the "graffiti" rock.

Lower Hixon to Finish (Miles 28.4 to 31.07 - 2.6m): Family wasn't able to make it so I quickly had some pop/bears and was off. Slowed down a bit on the rolling hills section. When I hit the "sentries", my watch said 30.3 miles so I was quite confused as I knew I had at least a mile to run before getting back to the sentries and the last mile climb! Mentally, that hit me a bit! But by the time I got to the bottom of the hill, I just booked it up as I was so close to being done! Running into the finish I was so glad to NOT see Marcus as that meant he was still out there! 

I fully enjoyed my warm homemade applesauce in my ceramic mug. Also had some scrambled eggs, but managed to drop my sausage in the dirt! I'm sure I made a puppy or two very happy.

I quickly changed in the car as we were going to drive back to the last aid station hoping to see Marcus. By the time we got there, though, he had already been through! Dad said the last time he saw him, he had sped up a bit and his foot was slightly better. So the girls and I bid good bye to Mom and Dad who were going to head home and booked it back up the winding mountain, hoping to get to the finish before Marcus! We did not miss him and he finished in 8:48:52, albeit very sore!
 

Thank you Mom and Dad! I really enjoy you guys making the effort to support us! Thank you, Finnley, for suffering in the cold and thank you, Juniper, for always giving me a hug and helping me open my string cheese! We will make trail runners out of you yet!

Final Time: 7:39:21 (14:48 pace), 23/39 women, 11/15 age group 40-49, 89/113 overall. Loop One: 3:44:12 (14:26), Loop two: 3:55:09 (14:48). 

Recovery: Shortly before heading home, we texted the boys to give them a heads up (they had some cleaning to do before we got home) and they said they were going to order Orchid for dinner. Yeah! Arrived home shortly before 8pm, showered, got the girls in bed and had a nice meal! Was slightly stiff sleeping Sunday and Monday night, but moving around just fine by day. Right knee is very slightly achy, but I think it will go away quickly. Marcus and I are heading to the cabin for a short getaway on Tuesday and I plan on running a little bit up there. When I get back, I'll make the big decision on what spring race to sign up for! Zumbro 50 or Spring Superior 50k? Or both?!

Forgot to add - I think I found new shoes! I trained mostly in Altra Lone Peak's and had absolutely ZERO problems with my feet during this race. First race run without some sort of blister problems! 

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.