April 2017 Running Challenge

Zumbro 17 Mile Trail Race - Theilen, MN

This is going to get a bit wordy. If you want the short version, go to the bottom of the post. I'm sorry about the length but once I get going it's hard to stop.

Lead Up

I originally had a 30 mile training run scheduled for this day but when I found out my wife was going to be out of town visiting our daughter I decided to look for a longer race instead.

In my training plan I had 30 miles penciled in for this day but this race featured 17, 50, and 100 mile distances. The two longer distances involved 3 or 6 loops of 16.7 miles. Each loop has 2350 feet of vertical which included four big climbs of 300+ feet. Two loops would be 33 miles, just about perfect. I could register for 17 and run two laps, but I thought that would be a dick move, akin to banditing on the second loop. I thought about registering for the 50 and doing just two loops but I know myself too well...I'd get that second loop done and I'd HAVE to try for the full 50 miles. I know I'd push hard to finish, I'd stand a strong possibility of DNF'ing and putting my 50k later in the month at risk. I ended up choosing the 17 mile race, deciding to run it as a training run, and planned for 20 to 25 miles the next day. I also signed as a volunteer after the race to help clean up, pack up, and load out everything. Might as well make a full day of it.

Since it was a training run, I didn't taper, but after my run the Wednesday prior I had pain in my right knee, accompanied by what felt like internal swelling. I skipped my normal Thursday run, worried about what 17 miles, with lots of vertical, would do to it.

I don't train by pace, I train by feel and by HR. On my long trail runs I end up with an average HR around 132-135, which the Daniels' tables says is the bottom half of my Easy Aerobic Zone. For reference, my marathon HR is 155, my HM HR is 161, and my LT HR is 163-170 (per Daniels). For this "training" run, I knew I'd push faster than normal so I targeted 140-144 for HR.

Pre-Race

Saturday I woke up at 5 am and though my knee had improved, it I could still feel it and it didn't feel like 17 miles. Dammit! After two cups of coffee, two whole wheat english muffins (one with peanut butter, one with blueberry jam) and a banana, I loaded up my gear into my truck. Thankfully the coffee worked its magic before I left the house so I could take care of business in the comfort of my own home rather than in some dirty gas station bathroom along the way.

A final check of the forecast... 45F to start, low to mid 60's by my anticipated finish time. I had relying on aid stations ( at 3, 7, 10, and 14 miles) if I needed any water or food. It was a training run after all. With temps in the 60's, though, it was going to be warmer than most of what I had been training in and I was planning on going a bit faster than. I went back in to grab my handheld bottle with a revised plan of carrying it empty until I felt I needed to fill it at an aid station. That proved to be a smart move.

It was an hour and forty-five minute drive to the start of the race, which is a big horse camp in a large state forest in southeastern Minnesota. This part of the state is north edge of bluff country, known for its towering limestone and sandstone bluffs. I grew up near here and spent many days fishing in the beautiful trout streams in the area. It made my heart smile to be back there on a beautiful spring morning as the sun rose to start the day. I felt content.

The start/finish area had an outdoor music fest atmosphere. The 100 mile race started the morning before, and the 50 mile race started at midnight. All around the large campground were RVs and tents, folks milling around, making coffee, chatting with temporary neighbors, finding old friends, doing warm up jogs, and watching some of the 50 & 100 mile runners come in, either to finish or to start another lap. What I found very cool was the number of folks sitting in lawn chairs or on blankets, surrounding the running chute, cheering on the runners as they came in.

I checked in, got my bib and shirt, and stood in line for the bathroom. It was only when I got near the front of the line that I realized that we were in a state forest...the woods were full of bathrooms! Back to the truck for final prep. I left the windows down, the doors unlocked and my keys in the console. With crowd there was no concern of theft.

Funny of the day...while standing in line I overheard a conversation I hear, "yeah, my folks are pissed because I'm skipping my brother's wedding for the Superior 100. I mean, I like my brother and all, but if he wanted me to be there he would have picked a different weekend. No way I'm missing that race!".

Race Time!

As race time approached I walked to the start. On the way there I saw a guy I know from back home. He's a very accomplished runner, having run several 100's and will be in Boston next week. It turned out he was pacing his wife. Pacers normally aren't allowed, or needed, for the 17 mile but his wife has very poor vision so he was going to guide her along the way. Amazing!

The RD climbed up his step ladder for the pre-race talk. Have fun, be courteous to each other out there, keep the trail markers on your left, and be very, very careful running by the 100 milers still out there. He did a smart thing. The 100 milers had pink ribbons tied somewhere on their back so you can identify them as you come up to them. That tells you to be extra cautious when you pass. Towards the end of the race these folks were not so steady on their feet or quick with their reactions.

A quick count down and we were off, starting on a dirt road to allow us to time to spread out before getting onto single track. I started about 70% of the way back but soon had 90% of the runners in front of me. In that initial crowd of about 450 runners, I found I could walk fast and keep up withe crowd. A big puddle slowed us down but it also did a great job stretching us out even further and I was able to start running. For the first mile I just held my position rather than pushing past the runners ahead of me.

I ignored my HR for two miles to let it stabilize before checking it. When I did it was 157. Crap!! I kept spot checking it and due to the terrain, it would vary between 145 and 160. I eventually relented to what I should have known would happen and put more race in to my effort than training. I didn't run it all out, but it was certainly more than a training run. It was an effort I felt I could sustain throughout the race. I would end up with an average HR of 154, just a hair under my marathon HR, but of course it varied quite a bit during this run due to the hilly course.

One downside of this turning into more of a race than a training run is that I didn't stop to take pictures like I had planned.

The first big ascent, about 300' over 3/4th of a mile, started very quickly and I walked up it. The trail was litter with sand and loose rocks and you could never quite be sure of your footing. After the descent which also required caution, I came to the first aid station (AS) was at mile 3. There was no reason to stop. That's where I had my little heel click in the photo.

More up and down on beautiful single track through oaks and evergreens, along blufftop and rivers...Damn I wish I could spend more time looking around but the rocks and roots forced your look down. I stole quick looks around me and at the scenic vistas, but it nearly cost me a tumble a few times as my foot caught. Throughout the race about 6 folks fell nearby. Without exception, in each case everyone racing nearby would stop to make sure the person was ok.

Mile 4 or 5 was the point where I fell in with other runners running similar paces. We had great conversations about racing, training, trails, and life. I felt like every stranger I talked to could easily become a friend. There's a certain sense of community and comraderie among trail runners that I don't find with road runners to this degree.

After the second steep ascent, and steeper descent, I came up to AS2 around the 7 mile mark. I stopped to get my bottle filled and decided to see what food they had...WHAT?!?! Cheese quesadillas?!?! Oh hell yes I want some! I grabbed two wedges of the quesadillas and three small cookies and was on my way. Forget the "nothing new on race day" bit, these hit the spot! I had to walk while I ate but I didn't care. Quesadillas! I found out that the aid stations rotated food for the 50 and 100 mile runners and previously were serving pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmmmm....

From AS2 were were right back to hill climbing and that meant more walking. When I run hilly trail I use the momentum of running downhill to help me run uphill. As I feel that momentum wane going up, I switch to power walk mode. I passed a lot of folks on the uphills doing this. On the down hill, if the footing was precarious I'd take it easy but I found I could also pass a lot of folks going down too, if it was safe to do so. Often it wasn't.

At one point doing the race I nearly missed a turn. I had my gaze down, always planning my next several strides, lost in my own thoughts when a gal yelled at me, "Hey, you missed the turn!". Oops! The trail was well marked, I just spaced out. I'm very glad she got me back on track and I ran with her for the next couple of miles until she started to slow down.

During the second half of the race we started getting into dry riverbeds full of loose sand. OMG this stuff SUCKS!!!! Now I see why so many of the experienced runner were using gaitors. What a slog. After some experimentation I found that landing as flat footed as possible meant the least amount of sinking in to the sand. I don't how much sand we had to run through...it may have only been a half mile, but it felt like a lot more than it was I'm sure. Not a fan.

Back down the hill and on to AS4 at Mile 10. Another refill of my water bottle, a glass of Heed (non-sweet sports drink), a fourth of a PB&J sandwich and one gel pack. I didn't feel like I needed any fuel yet, but ate as a precaution..and because that PB&J looked damn good.

Coming out of AS4 is another very steep 350' climb (over a half mile), the last big climb of the race. This mean more power walking and more passing. I started thinking about it at this point and I didn't recall more than a half dozen people passing me but I seem to be continuously passing others. I suppose that's in large part because I started so far back in the beginning, but it felt good nonetheless.

Coming off that last bluff, called Ant Hill for some reason, you go down the worst downhill section, a trail full of loose rocks covered by last autumn's oak leaves, it was a perfect place to twist ankles. Here I came into a backup of runners gingerly making their way down. I got that anxious feeling I get in crowds and started going down the worse part of the trail to avoid those going down the best parts.

My momentum picked up and halfway down, as I passed the last of the runners in my way, magic happened. My run started to flow. I picked up speed as I succumbed to gravity's pull. My vision sharpened and I easily found firm earth for my feet to land among the hazards. Short, sure strides as I made my way downhill, feet hitting the trail in staccato rhythm.

This was something I hadn't experienced before. Everything came together for me on this steep section and every part of my body was in tune with the trail, the rocks and the trees and the flow seemed effortless. Runner's high...flow...magic...it was an endorphine rush of epic proportions.

I let the invisible force take over to the bottom of the hill and beyond. The trail flattened out half a mile before a series of winding rollers. Every so often I'd have to slow down to pass someone but far more often than not, they heard me coming and moved off trail to allow me to pass. I thanked every one of them.

AS4 came up at Mile 14 and I hardly gave it a glance. My bottle was empty but with just 3 more miles, I didn't need anything. I was pushing hard towards the end and my HR was creeping up. It had been mid 140's in the middle of the race and was now in the mid to upper 150's.

Near Mile 15 the trail turned on a wide dirt road to take us to the finish. The relative flatness and firmness of the road only urged me to push harder. A glance at my Garmin showed that I was coming up to 16 miles, just one mile to go. The road veered off into a clearing and when I got there I thought, "WTF!?!?!?" It was the campgrounds and the finish line. My GPS only had only logged the course as 16 miles, not 17 so I was a little shocked to see the timing chute already. I did noticed it frequently pausing as I ran, mostly when I was walking the steep uphils but didn't think it was pausing THAT much!

I was too gassed for a final kick to the finish, but I did have enough left in me for another heel click as I cross the timing mat. I haven't seen that photo yet.

I finished in 3:10:14 (11:12 pace), good for 112th place out of the 425 runners who finished, and 10th out of 56 in the Old Guy division. I'm absolutely thrilled with that!!

I didn't know what to expect for a finish time. Unless you run the same train in similar conditions, you just don't have a benchmark. Looking at my marathon time, I finished behind 60% of the other runners. Using that percentage and looking at previous results for this race, my best guess was 3:45. I just am dumbfounded that I went from 60% back in lasts years marathon to 27% back Saturday and just 18% among male grand masters.

Pace doesn't mean as much on a trail race as it does on a flat road course, but my average pace for the last 4 miles was just 9:45, and my final mile was just 9:22 which is 1 second faster than my average pace at my marathon and I know I put in more effort at this race. Of course I'm now left to wonder what i could have done with a proper taper and better fueling, or if I could have completed the 50 mile run. It doesn't matter though. The day was perfect as it was.

Post-Race

So I cross the finish line, got my medal, which was a cool chunk of wood sawn from a branch and hung with twine (perfect!). At the end I was tired but still feeling pretty good. Last year I could barely move at the end. All the hills and stairs I had been running and climbing did a great job getting me ready for this.

At the finish line is another aid station but this one is even more of a spread than the others. They were serving bacon filled breakfast burritos!! That was pure heaven in my mouth! I had three or four of those, some donuts, and lots of water. A local coffee roaster was there with buckets of their awesome cold press coffee. I went back to my truck to grab a beer and milled around in the crowd, cheering in other finishers, talking to random people, and enjoying the rest of the day. Since I volunteered to help clean up and pack up I was in no hurry to leave. and in fact was there for another 5 hours. I may post more about the volunteering aspect later but I need to wrap this up.

As I mentioned somewhere above, I never did stop to take pictures on my run like I intended, so I'm posting come pictures taken by the RD as well as my own.

Short Version:

The run went great, I had planned to treat it as a training run but ended up giving it an effort nearly approaching race effort. I finished in 3:10:14 good for 112th out of 425, and 10th out of 56 in the Grand Master Male division. The day couldn't have gone any better and I'm planning on running the 50 mile race there next year.

First my photos:

The elevation profile:


The medal and the shirt:



The banner signed by everyone finishing their first Zumbro 100, since it began


The start line for the 17


Breakfast burritos and cold press coffee!!! This was AS5, at the start/finish of each loop



The timing chute with spectator on each side. you can see the hills we had to run up and down in the background.



And pictures of me taken by the on-course photographers. The last one is just after the start as we started going up the first big hill.

Some good photos of the course, taken by the RD and posted to their Instagram page:

Mileage report:

April 8 - 17 miles, on the trail (see above)
April 9 - 9 miles, very slow and easy, with Kody. As a special treat for Kody we stopped at a lake where he was able to jump in, swim and cool off. I had hand planned at least 20 for the day, but the soreness of the the race never left my legs so I cut it short.
April 10 - rest
April 11 - 6.5 mile tempo run. I ran this totally by feel and was surprised to see my sub-9 minute pace at the end. I felt fantastic with no residual pain.

Let the taper begin!!!



I talked to my son last night, the one going to college in Milwaukee. His girlfriend is a runner and he's started to run with her. He asked me if I'd run with him over Easter break. YES!!!! I can't wait to get him on the trails! He loves camping, hiking, hunting and the outdoors and I'm sure if he likes running he'll love trail running!

MobyCarp wrote: »

Things not to worry about: Unfriendly locals. There is no such thing on Patriots' Day weekend in Boston. Your finishing time. You'll be a rock star to the locals when you walk down the street with a medal, regardless of time. Long lines. There will be long lines, but they will move reasonably well. I've never seen a big event so well organized to get people through the process. Getting stuck behind slow runners. It will be crowded at the start, but you're seeded near people with similar qualifying times to yours. Unless you're a lot faster now than you were when you qualified, the crowd won't be all that far off your pace.

Well, thanks to my bum hammies, I'm a lot slower now, so I will be more concerned with getting trampled!

Seriously though, thanks for all of the great advice you have given me throughout. It is almost surreal that in 5 days I will be running the Boston marathon. I am not a naturally gifted runner, so getting here has been a long, hard road. I think back to when I first made that commitment to train for it and everything that I have learned about running and about myself along the way. This whole journey has been amazing and I can't wait to put the icing on the cake. Nervous and excited...can't wait to get my jacket!

And I hope you have the run of a lifetime!

4/1 - 7.0 mi.
4/2 - 4.0 mi
4/3 - 3.6 mi.
4/4 - rest
4/5 - 6.0 mi.
4/6 - 4.0 mi.
4/7 - 5.0 mi.
4/8 - 4.4 mi.
4/9 - rest
4/10 - 4.4 mi.
4/11 - 4.0 mi.
4/12 - 4.9 mi. (oh, honestly...why didn't I eke out another .1 for a nice even 5?? )

April goal: 47.3/100 miles