2021 Spring Superior 25k (Covid Edition)

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021, 7:00am start 

Distance: 25k (15.5 miles)

Weather: Leading up to the race, it seemed very likely that it was going to rain the entire time. I was actually quite concerned about this as it seemed as if it wasn't going to be a drizzle, but a steady rain. Combined with low 50's, I thought I'd be chilled. Turns out the preciptation wavered between nothing to a light rain to regular rain to a mist while the temps stayed between 52-54 degrees and the humidity at 100% 

Runners: Due to Covid and the fact that spectators were not allowed, unless they were running, Marcus signed up for the 12.5k while I ran the 25k. 

 
Crew: None! Unless you count Jax who had to spend 2-3 hours in his crate in the condo while Marcus ran his race!

Gear: New UD pack, VS bra, black tank, long sleeve RSR technical shirt, Athleta capris, Dirty Girlz gaitors, smartwool socks, Altra Lone Peaks, Suunto Ambit 3 GPS, RSR buff, hat and white rain jacket.

Fuel: Due to Covid, the aid stations were for emergencies only and did not provide any fuel. I had plenty of water in my pack and brought along a waffle and some sport beans. I really should've brought along some more food (more about this later), but I didn't want my pack weighed down too much and because of the rain, it'd be hard to keep everything dry. 

Training and Preparation: Due to Covid, the registration for this race happened about a month out. In addition, it was put on over the course of 4 days with staggered start times. Marcus and I both sat at the computer at 9am sharp on the Wednesday that registration opened, assuming that the spots would fill quickly. Turns out, this was not a problem! While Saturday eventually filled up, Thursday was pretty light up until race day. As far as training goes, I was so excited to just have a carrot again in the form of a race! Finally I could put a training schedule together and stick to it, even if it was only for a month!

Jax and I ran at Afton a week before registration just to feel my legs run hills again. I was quite sore for a few days! After registration, we ran again at Afton that week and twice the following week (once with Marcus). Along with running around home, too, I felt confidently prepared. I had only signed up for the 25k for a couple of reasons - not only did I not want to deal with no aid stations/crew assistance, but Marcus and I were taking a mini vacation at our cabin after and I didn't want to be super sore. 

The last race I ran was pre-Covid, when I ran the Wild Duluth 50k in October 2019. During Covid, my mileage went way down and actually stopped for a good chunk of time during the summer (I didn't run in June or July much at all) as I took up furniture building! With no races on the horizon, I just didn't have the motivation. It was also a very hot/humid summer! By the end of September 2020, though, I was back to a regular running routine of at least getting out 3-4 times a week, even if my overall mileage was low. Starting in January 2021, though, I really tried to keep my mileage up around 30 miles/week. In the last week of February I ran 32.5 miles which was the most miles I'd run in a single week since July 2018! Insane!

Race Weekend Preparation: Kylah was staying with the kids while we were gone so she could bring Juniper to/from horses and school. Marcus and I left for Lutsen after he got home from work, around 5:30pm. I ate Chipotle in the car. When we got to Caribou (we had rented a condo through AIRBNB), it was nearly 10pm. After checking in, hauling up our stuff, settling Jax and laying out our gear for the next day, I really just went to bed (brought my own sheets, thank goodness as theirs were horrid). Mattress was awful and I didn't sleep well because I was really paranoid about the weather. We both got up before 6am, I drank my pre-made coffee and tried to eat a spinach bar, but my stomach wasn't having it. 

Shortly before our start time at 7am, Marcus and I walked to the race start to pick up our bibs. John was there along with a few volunteers. But, other than that, it was just the two of us! Very weird. As it was drizzling and I just didn't know what to expect, I started with my rain jacket on. By the time I got past the waterfall (so, about 1/2 mile), I stopped to take it off. Didn't need it again and really wished I'd left it behind as I ended up carrying it the rest of the way. While I rolled up my long sleeve, I never took it off, although I probably could have. Note for next time...

Start to Oberg (Miles 0 to 7.75m):  Normally there is a serious conga line at the start which lasts for about 2-3 miles (or until the top of Mystery). Running along really made me realize how this section is completely uphill! Never really being able to "run" this section before due to congestion, it was interesting to note that I walked Mystery and run down its other side. As is usual, the hike up Moose felt long. But once down it, the distance to Oberg went by pretty quickly. I got into Oberg and the friendly volunteers asked what I needed. Knowing I had plenty of water and some fuel, I said I was good, although I was starving! They had nothing for me, but one of the volunteers kindly offered me something called a Speed Nut ("don't tell John", he said). He gave me one with caffeine and one without. Not having my glasses, I couldn't read the ingredients and was nervous when he called it a "gel" as I hate sugary sweet things. One of the volunteers also reminded me "nothing new on race day". But my legs were tired, I was tired and I hadn't realized how much of an impact the 100% humidity was having on me. So I took a chance and ate it, slowly, after eating one of my waffles. A much needed 400 combined calories! I also really tried to up my water intake on the way back. 

Oberg to FINISH (Miles 7.75 to 15.5m):  Knowing exactly what to expect in this section (not just because I'd literally just run it, but this would now be the 6th time I've run it from this direction), I ate my fuel, watched my water intake, took a quick pitstop in the woods and just got it done. Mud wasn't so bad since we were running on day one and there were very few runners out. I slipped on a root once, but never had a stumble or a fall. Moose was, well, fine! It's certainly been worse! Because I'd checked my watch once on the way out, I knew it was about 3 miles to the finish once I got to the top of Mystery. Prior to the race, I had expected about a 4 hour finish. But during the race, I pushed this back because I was just feeling so slow and sluggish. Felt like I was walking a lot. I did run the entire distance from the top of Mystery to the finish. I finally came across one other runner who I'd run into near the aid station, but he managed to stay ahead of me until the end where I passed him up. Marcus and Jax were waiting partway down the paved road so I leashed Jax up and he got to run with me to the finish. Quiet finish with John, a photographer and that was about it. Changed in the car and we headed to the cabin, after a stop in GM for groceries, we were there before 1pm!

Final Time: 3:59:10 (15:24 pace), 33/66 women, 17/35 age group 40-49, 108/159 overall. The last time I ran this race was in 2015. My time was 3:55:47 (15:13 pace) and I placed in the exact same overall percentage (top 66%). Haha!

Recovery: None really to speak of. Tired legs, but that was mostly noticeable when trying to make the hike from the dock to the cabin!

Looking ahead to Fall Superior 2021. Maybe Moose Marathon again? Or if they have aid stations/crew assistance, try the 50 mile again? Hmm...

Wild Duluth 50k 2019

Date: Saturday, October 19th 2015, 8am start

Distance: 50k
Runners: On Sunday, Marcus ran the half marathon while both Kylah and Jonah ran the 10k. 

I never took notes for this race!

2019 Fall Superior Moose Marathon

Date: Saturday, September 7th 2019, 8:00am start 

Distance: 26.2 miles
Weather: We were watching the weather closely as Alex was running the 100 mile which started a day earlier. Unfortunately for him, it was the warmest and most humid day expected all week! Fortunately for me, the weather cooled down Friday night into Saturday morning and the race started in the low 50's and really didn't warm up much more than the mid 50's. Some sun at the beginning, wishing I'd worn a hat and not a buff as I had to use my hand as a "visor" quite a bit during the first two sections. After the 2nd aid station, though, it clouded up and was no longer an issue.
Runners: Alex, Rolf and Reid were running the 100 (Brandon didn't get in this year). Courtney, Ally and I were running the Marathon. 
Crew: Marcus, Kylah (her first!), Juniper and Jax (his first!), Mom and Dad (driving from the cabin for the day).
Gear: Nathan hydration pack, VS bra, black Old Navy tank, VS bikers, Dirty Girlz gaitors (the smiley face ones my family hates, but I got many compliments from runners), smartwool socks, Altra Lone Peak 3.5's (I love these shoes), Suunto Ambit 3 GPS, RSR buff.
Fuel: I brought along some string cheese and the rest of the cheese sandwich I'd partially eaten for breakfast. I ended up eating the rest of the sandwich, a piece of string cheese and some sport beans before getting to the last aid station. There I picked up 2 more pieces of string cheese, some pickles, half a banana and some gummy bears. Ate it all heading out of the last aid station!

Training and Preparation: The last race I ran was 2 years ago when I ran the Fall Superior 50 mile. While it had been my favorite race to date, I also had a very lengthy recovery as I had injured my left calf/ankle somehow and never really figured out what was wrong and why it wasn't getting better. As I slowly transitioned into running again (immediately following the race, I was having serious thoughts of signing up for the 2018 100 mile), I wasn't able to run without ankle pain. When January came around, I did sign up for the 100 mile, but chickened out before the lottery period was over and signed up for the 50 mile again instead. Fast forward to summer 2018 when we decided to adopt our first puppy! Unfortunately, the weekend we had to travel to pick up the puppy was the same as race weekend so I had to give up thoughts of running (as my ankle was still bothering me regularly at the time, it was probably a good idea). When the 2019 lottery rolled around again in January, I knew I wanted to be part of the race, but knew I really should go for a shorter distance this time. Since I'd never run an actual marathon distance (road or trail), I thought I'd give it a shot! 

In addition to having not raced in 2 years, I'd gotten very little mileage in over the last year. I had run throughout the winter and spring somewhat as I had planned on running Zumbro in April (which was cancelled due to a blizzard). Then summer brought us heat, humidity and some major construction projects at our house. I had only made it to Afton a few times and I still hadn't run once in two years without experiencing ankle/heel pain for hours (if not days) after every run. I guess I felt confident enough to finish the race as I knew I had 14 hours and could likely hike the entire race in that amount of time! But I had little confidence that I would do well. My training stats: having averaged 33-35 miles/week leading up to my last 3 races, I averaged only 17 miles/week for this race (measured over the 18 weeks preceding the race). I knew it had been bad, but I didn't know it was this bad!

Race Weekend Preparation: Kylah has really wanted to come crew a race for awhile and had hoped to go to Zumbro last April. So when fall rolled around, she took a half day off of work and joined us. Finnley (finishing her first week of high school) stayed home with Griffin (who had an orchestra retreat) and Jonah. Juniper went to school for a half day and Marcus picked her up on his way home from work. We got out of town around 1:30pm and headed up north. Shortly after, I got a text from Mom that Alex had to drop at Beaver Baby (mile 20). Same issues as last year. So, instead of stopping at some aid stations on the way up to see him, we just headed to the place we had rented in Tofte. Unpacked quickly, passed off Mom and Dad's Chipotle (they were headed up to the cabin for the night and would return Saturday morning to meet us at the first crew-friendly aid station), ran up to Lutsen quickly to pick up my packet and then we settled in at the cabin to enjoy our own Chipotle. I wasn't terribly nervous for this race (a rarity), but the bed was awful (way too soft and squishy) so I didn't sleep well and got up with a back ache. 

My most awesome crew - Kylah (23), Juniper (11), Jax (1) and my husband Marcus!

Cramer Rd to Temperance (Miles 0 to 7.9 - 7.9m):  I was a bit turned around at first as the other two times I've been at this aid station, I'd come from Sugarloaf. The marathon starts a bit differently, heading us in the "wrong" direction only to turn us around onto the SHT where we eventually come through the Cramer Rd aid station before continuing on. It's not easy getting a massive group of runners onto a single track trail! In fact, there was quite an intense conga line for nearly half the race! It was virtually impossible to pass during this section, but I thought that this wasn't all bad, that a slow-ish pace early on was probably a good thing?

Temperance to Sawbill (Miles 7.9 to 13.6 - 5.7m):  Crew wasn't allowed at this aid station and since I was pretty fed up with the crowded trail, I grabbed a coke, swallowed it down quickly and headed right back onto the trail without missing a beat. The crowd lightened up somewhat during this section, but I was always running with some sort of group of people. Carlton was fun! I kinda like having to use my arms to haul myself up over boulders and it seems to use different leg muscles which is always good (note to self: next time, cut all your nails short so you don't have to deal with broken nails at the top of the peak). I was super excited to get to Sawbill. The people I had been running with were all talking about their dogs and I was excited to see not just my puppy, but also my family! Most of the run after Carlton is downhill on boardwalks so it's a pretty easy coast into the aid station.

Two of my awesome daughters made me my first sign! I love you!

Sawbill to Oberg (Miles 13.6 to 19.1 - 5.5m):  One of my least favorite sections of trail. Not what I'd call "easy", but it's not hard and it's pretty boring. Really nothing of note here, but the crowd had really thinned. So much so that I put a podcast on for the last 40 minutes before getting to Oberg. 

Coke and a quick catch-up on the 100 milers still running before heading out of Oberg. 

Oberg to FINISH (Miles 19.2 to 26.2 - 7.1m):  It's weird to run such a short race that there are only 3 aid stations! I stopped a bit longer at Oberg as I wanted some more food than what I had left in my pack. Picked up a banana, some pickles and gummy bears along with some more coke before heading out. Moose Mountain seemed to take forever to get to this time around. But I knew as soon as I started that this was it (it gets eerily dark at the base as there's a ton of woodland coverage). I had told myself two things - "don't look up" and "don't stop". I had music on at this point and was hiking with just a random guy behind me. He lives in the area and likes to hike this section a few times a year (I don't think he realized there was a race going on). I made the mistake of looking up once, bad idea. But, I didn't stop! It seemed longer this time, I don't know why. But those sweet steps at the top finally came and the last little hike to turn the corner was over and I was at the top. Headed over the ridge, down the other side of the mountain and started the climb up Mystery (for as long as Moose felt, Mystery felt shorter). I had it in my head that it's about an hour to the finish from the top of Mystery, but that must've been from when I was pacing my brother during the 100 mile a few years ago because it wasn't long before I was suddenly at the river! I had been the leader of a small pack since before the base of Mystery. No one seemed in a hurry to pass me up and I think that motivated me to keep a really steady pace going. I hit that nasty asphalt at the end, though, and boy did that hurt the soles of my feet! I really hate this section. It's so lonely and the finish still seems so far away. I looked at my watch and saw it was about 2:45. I couldn't believe it as I had estimated a finish around 3:30. I wondered if I could make it before 3:00? How long does the road part take? I couldn't remember, but I picked up my pace and made it across the finish at 2:49!

Final Time: 6:49:35 (15:38 pace), 62/158 women, 26/66 age group 40-49, 149/315 overall. As the results were still coming in on Saturday night, it began to dawn on me that I might've finished in the top 50%! I've never done that before as I'm almost always a "back of the pack" runner! Pretty cool!

Juniper held great responsibility for Jax all day long. I hear he was super chill and enjoyed meeting lots of people! Jax is our Mini Goldendoodle. 

Recovery: Fairly uneventful! A little soreness in my calves and quads, but nothing unexpected! The biggest shock? That ankle pain I've had after every run for the last 2 years? Didn't feel it once after the race and haven't since! I think my foot just really liked running on such a nice soft trail! Wish I had more than just asphalt to train on around home! Ran Jax to the groomer for a quick 3-mile run on Wednesday and felt great. I signed up for the Wild Duluth 50k, while Marcus signed up for the Half Marathon and Jonah and Kylah both signed up for the 10k!