St Croix 40 Winter Ultra (Part 3)

Sunday December 8th, 2024

Plan was to head to the campground again, but to add in the extra 2 miles out and back on the north end of the campground. Conditions were the same as yesterday and I was able to follow the tire tracks of whoever decided to venture between the turnaround and the post office. Both sections before/after were fully plowed which made it incredibly easy! Cooler today around 25 degrees with a little bit of wind on the way back. I must be dressing okay, because I'm never getting too warm, although I'm also never getting too cold. If I do feel a little chill, I make sure my jacket is fully zipped up and I start to run a little and this always seems to work quickly to warm me back up again. One thing I might try...after boiling water, I might leave my warm puffy jacket on for the first mile or so as this is the time I'm the most chilled as I haven't been moving much for the last 20 minutes or so. Then I could stop to stuff it in my bag once I'm sufficiently warmed up again. I also need to swap my lightweight gloves to warmer mittens for the first mile or so - the gloves are handy while boiling water as they give me freedom of movement, but by the time I'm ready to leave, my hands are cold. 

Today, I discovered when I got to the campground that I'd lost my tin tube somewhere along the way! I need to think of the sled as a canoe - that everything needs to be secured in case of a swamp! So I had no wind guard for my stove. Instead, I used my camping pad and watched to make sure it didn't burn. It took 14 minutes to boil water today so I know the tin tube is a much better option. I also had a slightly damp fuel tablet that I risked using. After 12 minutes or so, I added a 2nd one and then the water really started to heat up. Warmed up my "grilled" cheese and ate it while I was waiting. This time, I added a packet of hot chocolate and drank it while I packed everything up. Weirdly, the person who ventured through the snow with their vehicle was also headed to campground #4! They even got out of their vehicle as I could see their footsteps. Hmmm....popular destination I guess! 

Lots of fresh moose and fox tracks today. Wolf again at the campground, maybe he enjoyed the gorp I dropped last time!

I also noticed about an hour in that my front foam bumper wasn't working right. Sure enough, it had failed, but not in the way I expected it would. I thought the foam would tear - what actually happened is the wirelock came loose and I lost it! This also meant I lost my 2nd layer of foam so the bumper wasn't as useful this time, although it still offered some protection against the back of my legs. I was able to secure the broken side with a carabiner, but it eventually tore through so I'll be working on repairing this at the cabin, hoping dad has some bolts and washers that'll work! 

On the way home, I needed to locate the items I'd dropped along the way. In bright snow with nothing around but white, I easily found all 3 items. 

Of course, Strava decided to stop recording once I got to the campground, but based on my elapsed time, pace was 18:12 today over 11.29 miles. The plowed road really helped as I was able to trot/run often, even though I tried not to too much as I didn't want to overheat. 

Things I still need to buy: 

• large enough dry bag to fit bivy and unstuffed sleeping bag (bought 25L and 35L from REI)
• extra wirelock pins (I have 2, that might be enough)
• extra pair of menards gloves
• more fuel (bought on amazon)
• waterproof duffel for items I don't want to stuff in a dry bag (bought huge one on sale at REI)

Things I need to fix:

• front bumper, it needs to be attached with bolts and washers to the extra holes in front of the sled (I knew this, I just didn't take the time so when I lost one wirelock and my 2nd layer of foam shortly into my run today, I decided this needed to be remedied sooner rather than later)
• tin tube - duct tape the sharp edges and make sure it's secured to sled with hooks

Things I need to add to sled gear: 

• duct tape

St Croix 40 Winter Ultra (Part 2)

Saturday December 7th, 2024

After getting back from my first run yesterday, I worked on solving the sled issue. Found a pool noodle and secured it to the front of the sled. This worked really well!! When the sled bumped into me, it hit my heels/shoe instead of the back of my ankle and was much more gentle. When I get home, I'll add some washers/grommets to the foam to make it even more secure. 

I also wanted to figure out how to shave off some water boiling time as 26 minutes was too long! All the research I had done on this type of system had water boiling well under that time. I found some tin in the rafters of the cabin garage. Took some tin snips to it and fashioned a "canister" that I can pop on and off. It's lightweight, waterproof, fireproof and worked really well!! 

Pool Noodle Bumper

It snowed last night and we had some freezing rain which resulted in about 3" of snow and 1/4" of ice glaze on top. Very crunchy snow today compared with the light fluff from yesterday. I had no idea what to expect on the trails. It was also significantly warmer today by nearly 20 degrees, hovering just above freezing. I wore one less layer on bottoms and 2 fewer layers on top and went with a lightweight jacket instead of my warm one. When I first headed out, of course it was drizzling freezing rain! Went back inside and added a rain jacket over everything and headed back out again. The rain thankfully didn't last long. 

I hadn't plowed the driveway, nor was Voyageur's Point plowed. The main trail was plowed. When I got to the Old Gunflint, a vehicle had also made its way through the unplowed road. I was able to walk in the channel the tires made with very little effort. The tire tracks actually went beyond the turnaround point which gives me hope for tomorrow as I plan to tackle the campground again!

Tin Wind Protection

Today, however, my focus was the boat landing. Fortunately, a vehicle had also made its way down there oddly enough. I happened to pass them on my way in and was shocked to discover the vehicle was an old mini van that definitely didn't have AWD! How they made it through the 8-10" of snow and ice is beyond me, but I was grateful for the path they provided. 

When I got to the boat landing, I stamped out a place to build my fire in a protected area. Pulled out my camping pad to kneel on to keep my pants dry. Using the tin wind barrier worked great and I only needed 1 tablet (yesterday I needed 2). Water boiled in under 9 minutes, but I let it go a bit longer just to be sure. While I was waiting, I sat on a duffel bag and put on my ice spikes as the tire tracks made the snow particularly slippery. I didn't take the time to make hot chocolate, even though I remembered to bring some this time. Maybe tomorrow! Since I was wearing the spikes, I was able to slowly run most of the way from the turn back to the cabin. 

Overall moving pace today was 15:03, but adding in stoppage time, I'm going with 19:47. Cutting down on water boiling time was huge! 

NEXT TIME: Tomorrow I plan to head back to Iron Lake. We're not supposed to get any precipitation tonight and the storm that is coming tomorrow likely won't be too bad until afternoon/evening so I hope to get out earlier than I have the last two days. I don't think I'll do anything differently than I did today. On my feet, I had regular gaiters and I also tried my Kahtoola gaiters for the first time. I will put my ice spikes on right away so I don't have to stop and put them on as I assume everything will still be icy tomorrow. I might pack a bit more of a "lunch" along with my hot chocolate. 

St Croix 40 Winter Ultra (Part 1)

Friday December 6th, 2024

Having followed the Arrowhead 135 race for years, I've always been very curious about these winter races, but knew they were beyond my reach! Once I heard about this race a few years ago, I thought that sounds much more reasonable! An opportunity to tackle a race in the winter, but with a much shorter and less daunting distance!

I've consistently run outside in the winter since 2012. In fact, I really started my running journey in January 2012. I find the challenges that winter brings to push me harder than any hot and humid day in the summer ever could!

I debated for weeks signing up. On November 1, Rolf kindly offered to have coffee with me so that I could pick his brain. After our meeting, I officially signed up and started working on my spreadsheet! There's a lot of gear that's required, stuff that's recommended and stuff I knew I just wanted. Rolf offered to borrow me his sled, along with his bivy. For the rest of the required gear, I purchased a below zero sleeping bag, lightweight camping pad, stove/fuel, reflective vest and some flashing red bike lights. 

Facts about this race:

• January 11, 2025 
• Starts at 6pm (which means running at least 13 hours in the dark until sunrise)
• 40 miles (I've only run this distance - or more - once and that was in 2017)
• Have to pull a sled carrying your gear  

My main concerns for this race, in order are:

1. Sweating - I don't think there's any way I'm not going to sweat, no matter how cold I start out or how slow I go. So I have to manage staying warm while also being wet. This meant the purchase of many layers of wool. I went mostly with SmartWool because there stuff is actually 100% merino, none of this part-wool/part-synthetic crap. Synthetics might pull away moisture from your body, but they don't insulate you once they're wet and if I stop for any reason during a run, I instantly get cold. I'm going with wool bras (thank you to Duluth Trading for making these), SW baselayer (1-2 layers depending on the cold), SW Hudson vest (they only make them for men, but size small works great and it has an awesome chest pocket that fits my phone AND keeps it warm so I don't need to worry about my phone dying due to cold). Bought a North Face Casaval hoodie last year that is really great for cold weather and some wind - it's lightweight and not too bulky, but keeps me warm and I can fit my backpack under it which is also really nice as that keeps my straw from freezing. For the lower layer, I'll be wearing SW leggings under my Athleta polartec leggings. If I need a 3rd layer I'll put on my favorite rain/wind pants that are lightweight and flexible. Darn Tough socks. Altra trail shoes (more on feet later). I'm also bringing my new North Face puffer for emergencies. 
2. Feet. While on the gravel road at home, my trusty Altras were fine. However, the one day I wore them to the campground and back up at the cabin, I ended up with a very large blister on the bottom of my foot. I ended up buying some Altra hiking boots which were supposed to be identical to my shoes, but with some ankle padding. I wore them on the gravel road at home and ended up with 2 blisters, one on the top of each foot near my toes, and sore ankles after 12-12 miles. So, nope, those had to be returned. I'm chalking up the bottom foot blister to the fact that my sled failed during that run and I was compensating my not walking normally. I bought some gaiters that may be needed if the snow is deep? But my Altras are so flat that I'm afraid the plastic piece that goes underneath will break/fail. Might just go with my warm-weather Dirty Girl gaiters?
3. Fueling. During warm-weather races, I'm usually pretty good at fueling. I drink and eat quite a bit because it's easy to grab things from my pack with bare hands. For this race, not only are my hands likely going to have mittens on them, but the mittens will be clipped into my poles. Also, food freezes so I have to carry food that I can eat while frozen! Access is important. The reflective vest I bought has a zippered pouch on the front that I hope to stash some high-calorie gorp in (nuts, PB M&M's, craisins, chocolate chips, etc). I'll be carrying 3L of water on my back which should be more than enough to get me to the aid station where I can re-fill. Plan is to set a timer on my phone that'll go off every 30 minutes so that I can take the time to drink and eat something. 
4. Distance. The only time I've run this distance or more was in 2017 when I completed the Fall Superior 50 mile with Alex. I've run several 50k's, but I haven't completed more than a marathon length race in 5 years when I finished Wild Duluth in 2019! This race is a much different beast than anything I've attempted before. It's not a running race, it's a hiking race. 
5. Night. During the 50 mile, we started and ending the race in the dark so that's my experience with head lamps. Hey, at least it's something!
6. Mental. Not only did I buy wired headphones (because air pods don't last for more than few hours before needing to be charged), but I listened to my first audio book as I knew I wouldn't have enough podcasts to last through the night! Plan is not to listen to stuff constantly, but at least I'll have the options if I load a couple of books onto my phone! Will also curate a playlist for music motivation when I need it.
7. Survival checks. When's the last time I camped? Um, a million years ago? I'm glad the race starts in the sleeping bags/bivvies as I'll have time to set them up. Re-stashing them though at the race start does not have me terrible excited as it likely means starting with cold hands! I am thinking of just putting my sleeping bag in a large dry bag instead of in its stuff sack as it won't take as much time and I think I'll have space in the sled. If I make it to the aid station and if I decide to continue the race, I'll have to boil 12 oz of water. I bought a small stove and have fuel tablets as I hear they're the best in low temps. Bringing some hot cocoa packets to add to the water once it's boiling!

In 2024, Minnesota had very little snow. In fact, I don't think we used our snowblower even once all winter! I'm really hoping for a snowy year! Meanwhile, I knew I needed to figure out some training plans for practicing sled pulling without snow or a sled. I started with the belt - I bought a padded Husky belt at Home Depot that has velcro for quick-release (most belts have buckles which would be impossible to unbuckle with mittened hands). I then added some clips to it to attach my ropes/bungees. For indoor training on the treadmill, I bought a resistance band that I hooked to a couple of dumbbells on the floor behind the treadmill and clipped to my waist. 

For outdoor training, I went to Discount Tire and asked for a 20#-30# tire. They ended up giving me an enormous 33# tire! I drilled a hole for an eye-hook, attached a bungee dog leash and clipped it to my waist harness. Marcus and I took a few trips during peak October leaf season up to the Carlos Avery area so that I could practice tire-pulling on gravel. It was hard, especially on softer gravel/sand. But I was able to keep my pace around 16-17mph which is faster than I need it to be so that's good. This included stoppage time for rests, snacks, peeing, etc. Every time I went out, though, it seemed I needed to tweak something. Whether it was a carabiner that rubbed wrong or a loop I'd sewn on that came loose, it seemed something "broke" with every run. In fact, on one of our gravel road days, the dog leash I'd been using got "caught" under the tire causing it to fray and snap. 

In October, we went to the cabin and we didn't have room in the car for the tire so I brought an old kids' sled I found in our garage that I'd tricked out to mimic a winter sled. I put bricks inside a burlap bag and secured it to the inside of the sled. I made it to the Iron Lake Campground and halfway home (about 6m) before I realized that the sled was taking on sand. I stopped to dump out the sand and I discovered that the bottom of the sled was destroyed and that's how the sand was getting in. I flipped the sled and attached the bricks to the top and trudged on. Shortly after, one of my two ropes had also snapped so I was down to one rope/pole. Somehow I managed to drag everything back to the cabin, but those last few miles were rough. I was really looking forward to snow. For now, I was back to the treadmill/tire. 

This lesson did teach me, though, that using fixed poles was not the method I wanted to use. While super helpful when going downhill as it keeps your sled from bumping into the back of your legs, the rigidness makes it really difficult to turn around and/or get anything out of your sled without removing the waist harness. The St Croix course is relatively flat so I knew declines wasn't going to be too much of an issue and it's quite easy to just pull the sled along side you like walking a dog. 

Before Thanksgiving, I made a solo trip to the snow-less cabin. Brought my tire this time along with the dog leash that I hadn't realized had frayed! While it still technically worked, I knew I needed a back-up (or better) system. Thank goodness for Amazon! I was able to buy a new dog leash and some carabiner bungees and have them delivered. I set up my new system and dragged the tire around the Old Gunflint and on the Moose Trail. Hard work! It snowed our last day up, but I didn't have a sled and was suffering from a cold. We went home for Thanksgiving, but the snow just kept on coming up north. I reached out to Rolf so that I could pick up his sled and bivy. In addition to not using fixed poles (Rolf had a pair that I declined), I ultimately decided to stick with using bungees as they tend to absorb shock better than just a rope. While Rolf uses a single heavy rope, my bungees have carabiners attached to both ends. I hooked two to the corners of Rolf's sled and then to the clips I'd added to my waist harness. I added some eyebolts to the back corners of Rolf's sled and am using another two to hold down my gear (and to be back-ups in case one of them breaks). 

I headed back to the cabin on December 5th, just a week after leaving. Plowed the driveway and quickly tested out the sled that first afternoon. Wow, pulling a sled on snow is so much easier than pulling a tire on gravel! Who knew!

That brings us to today, Friday December 6th, 2024. Plan this weekend is to get 2-3 good sled-pulling days in. Trying out the neighborhood along with the boat landing and eventually the campground. This will all depend on the condition of the snow/roads. I need enough snow to not destroy Rolf's sled, but not too much snow that I'm wading through it in tennies! Temps around 15 degrees today with some wind.

Iron Lake Campground #4

UPDATE: Hiked 9 1/2 miles to Iron Lake Campground. Very little wind, temps 14-16 degrees. The part of the road that the city typically plows was recently covered with about an inch of fluffy snow after previously having been plowed which was good or the gravel might have harmed Rolf's sled. As I suspected, the road wasn't plowed beyond the turnoff for the boat landing (in either direction) nor had there been any snowmobile traffic so I trudged through several inches of virgin snow. I wasn't quite sure how far I was going to go today, but when I got to the "post office", I was unexpectedly surprised to find the road was plowed beyond that point! All the way to the road from the north end! 

For snacks, I had brought a bag of freeze dried apple chips in my vest pocket - these were perfect and I could eat them with my Menards gloves on. As I neared the campground, I started seeing very fresh and recent wolf tracks. He was also taking a detour at the campground. While he seemed to prefer #5, I went on to #$ and stopped to boil water. I immediately pulled out my stove and once I got the match to light, the tablet lit right away. I had no idea what to expect as far as how long it would take although my research had suggested it wouldn't be more than several minutes. While waiting, I took the time to put my warmest jacket on, stopped to pee (practiced with my new pee funnel), refilled my snacks (don't forget to zip the pocket up once you're done - all the bending over just made me lose an entire bag of gorp into the snow which I'm sure the animals won't mind) and kept checking on my water. It really seemed to be taking a long time to boil. Each tablet lasts about 12 minutes so I had to light a 2nd tablet as my water had not yet boiled after the first tablet was used up. 

Snack stash in front pocket.

My feet were pretty snowy from the hike through the deeper stuff and they ended up getting wet and I could feel them starting to get cold so I kept trying to move around. In the race, it would probably be a good idea to take the time to sit down and swap out socks, gaiters and shoes for dry ones while I'm waiting for the water to boil. Finally, after 26 minutes, my water boiled! I forgot my hot chocolate packet so once the water was ready, I packed away my jacket, took a couple of sips and poured it out before turning around to head home. Went through a few mitten changes throughout. Would be smart to have another pair of my $5 Menards gloves as the pair I was wearing while making water got slightly wet. I came home and bought another pair of Leki Trigger mitts because both of the pairs I have now have finger channels which makes it much harder to get your hand in and out, especially when they're sweaty. Overall I was dressed just fine - SW leggings, Athleta polartec leggings, wool bra, SW tank, SW quarter zip, SW vest and TNF jacket. Wool socks, regular gaiters, Altra trail shoes. For my head, SM buff and black balaclava. Used the hood on my jacket to help regulate heat. Swapped out mittens between extra warm Leki mitts and cheapie Menards mitts. 

While my moving pace was 15:16, my overall pace was 21:16 which included lag time between starting Strava while still in the cabin and actually getting going, time at the campground (including 26 minutes to boil water) and a couple of stops to switch out mitts along the way. Seems like a lot of down time, but would keep me under a 15-hour finish time which is great!

NEXT TIME: Figure out how to build a bumper for the front of the sled - pool noodle? Figure out how to shave down water boiling time - need a wind barrier? Buy more cheap gloves. Buy some bic lighters as back-up in case the matches/striker fail. 

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?