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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.
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| 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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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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.
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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.
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| 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!
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