September 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

September Goal: 160km

02/9: 5.11
03/9: 8.11
04/9: 6.73
06/9: 8.46
07/9: 14.06
09/9: 6.15
11/9: 13.05

Total KM run: 61.67

I was supposed to run 8k yesterday but I was feeling bleh. I just couldn't work up any motivation to do anything. I think it was because the weather has just been so dreary lately. Constant rain, cold and wind. I didn't feel like running on the treadmill again so I let myself veg. I got chinese takeaway on the way home from work and relaxed. The weather forecast is for sunny skies for the next week so I told myself I'd make the run up today.

Well my alarm went off at 5am this morning and while it was still pitch black, it was clear skies and only a light wind! I got myself up and happily out the door. It was a chilly 6°C and after the first mile I felt like I'd over dressed with a long sleeve tech shirt and light jacket, but in the last 30 minutes the temperature dropped so I was glad to have the extra layer.

I was scheduled to run 5 so adding in the 8 I missed yesterday I ended up running 13. All in all it was a good run
I'm about 3 pages behind on posts Hopefully I'll have some more time to catch up tonight.

@mbaker566 OUCH! Sorry you got hurt, wishing you a speedy recovery x
@MegaMouseEsq WTG on your half!!

Belated Race Report

Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon
July 13, 2019
Duluth, MN to Carlton MN (90% trails, 5% roads, 5% paved trails)

I signed for this race with the idea that it would motivate me to keep my mileage up through the summer. That didn't work. I averaged under 10 miles per week for the 8 weeks prior, with very little of that on trails or hills. Not a plan for success. Consequently, I just hoped to finish within the 9 hour cutoff.

I drove up the night before and camped at Jay Cooke State Park, near the finish line. I took the day off and arrived there early so I could relax that evening with other racers I knew who were camping in the park. Though this isn't the campsite I stayed at that night, this is my new race camping setup...a tent that sets up in the bed of my pickup and a cot that just fits inside. I first used this at the Superior Spring 50K and it worked wonderfully! The cot is very comfortable and I have enough room to move around, sit up and get ready in the morning. It's easy to set up and quick to take down.
After setting up, I found my friends camping nearby and we shot the breeze and had a beer or two before heading off to an early night's sleep. Before going to bed I set up my running gear within easy reach and made sure my coffee thermos next to my cot so I could put the caffeine to work as soon as possible the next morning.

My alarm went off at 4:00 AM, I drank my coffee and ate my bagels. Changed into my running clothes, put the bag of running gear I'd need on the passenger seat (GPS, HR strap, hydration vest, etc) and took down my tent, all in the dark and quietly as possible to keep from waking the campground. I don't think it mattered, though, as there were dozens of others getting up and ready for the same race. Non-racing campers must have wondered what the heck was going on.

The caffeine kicked in so I went to the restroom, then back to my truck and on the road to the finish line to park and get on the shuttle buses. While I don't like getting up earlier to catch a shuttle, I do enjoy the nervous energy and excitement on the buses as you do your final prep and talk to others.

The start was right outside the Duluth Zoo. The shuttle dropped us off, I found my bib and spent the rest of the time talking to people I knew, which turned out to be quite a few. The trail running community here is just like family and the longer your in it, the more people you know (duh!) and I ended up talking to so much I almost didn't have time for final prep of applying nipple bandaids and lubing up my feet, crotch and butt cheeks (sounds appealing, right? FAR more appealing than chafing!)

The race starts and we climb up a rocky ravine and onto an old broken up paved path. My HR wasn't registering after a half mile so I stopped and restarted my GPS hoping to get it going, but it was not to be. I use my heart rate as great means to know how hard I should push myself but I wasn't going to get it this day, and as it turned out, it didn't matter.

After a while started running straight across on a large, steep grassy hill. It finally occurred to me that we were on the local ski hill, Spirit Mountain, which provided a great view of the St. Louis River below.

I started off this race feeling much better than I thought I would. Knowing it couldn't last to the end, I went with it and ran when I could, hiking fast when I couldn't. Other than Spirit Mountain, the scenery in the first few miles was not as nice as I expected, but after the first aid station that changed and I was treat to beautiful single track, rugged trails, wide vistas, steep scrambling slopes, splashing through rivers and streams, and a fun time.

At one point I was traversing a difficult, jagged boulder field when a black wasp decided to sting my calf! Without thinking I took my water bottle and slammed it down on my leg and looked down in time to see that I actually killed the wasp, the little *kitten*. It was luck that the incident didn't cause me to lose my balance and fall. It would have been an easy thing to break a leg in those boulders. I happen to mention the sting to someone at the next aid station and they made sure I was ok before letting me continue. They must have flagged my bib number because at the next aid station they pulled me aside and asked how I was doing with the sting. I was pretty impressed with that!

At the halfway point, I could feel I was running out of gas. The cool morning had given way to the heat and humidity of the day. It would reach nearly 80F by the end of my race. As I recall I was also getting pain in the muscles on the front of the shin...wth?!?! Never had that happen before...due to my lack of training I'm sure. There was no reason to push this and being my first trail marathon, it's a PR if I finish, so I went into power hike mode. Occasionally I'd feel up to running, but only the flats or downhills, and only in the shade. Even though I was slowing down and had resigned to hiking it out, my attitude actually improved and I was just smiling ear to ear, happy to be out there.

At the 15 mile aid station I ended up stopping for 12 minutes just chat with some friends who were there, including @MNLittleFinn who was there volunteering at the aid station. Was a great surprise! I later regretted that I forgot to get a photo of us. Also there was a good friend who thought he was done with ultras because of a knee issue until he got selected to run the Western States 100 mile Race and I had to get updated on how that went.

Back on my merry way, I continued the beautiful hike, running every now and again. As I got closer to the end I ended up hiking with a few other old guys like me and had some great conversations. Of course, went we got to the trail section along the St. Louis River I had to stop for more photos:

At some point around the 22 mile mark I did the impossible and did some math in my head (I'm an engineer but when I run I struggle with simple addition for some reason) and figured out that I might be able to break the 7 hour mark if I pick up the pace. Though it hurt, that's what I did. I was able to make good progress and thought I had it made until I hit another very tough technical section that required picking my way through more boulders and making some painful climbs. 7 hours was not going to happen. I backed off.

The last half mile of the route was on a paved bike trail. When I hit that I decided to push to the finish, going from a 15:00 pace to a 9:00 to 10:00 pace. When I finally got close enough to see the time clock, I saw that I actually did have a chance at 7 hours had I not backed off earlier, but nope. Didn't happen. I finished in 7:00:48

The race done I collected my finishers medal, a locally hand made ceramic medal which was pretty cool. I found some friends who were set up near the finish to cheer on those coming across the line and someone handed me a Michelob Ultra. Now I do not like that "beer", but in that moment, with sore muscles all over, a calf swollen from the wasp sting, and crystallized salt caking my face, that beer was beautiful!!

Normally I wouldn't be happy with that time. After all, I've finished a few 50K races in less time than that, but given training and injury recovery, I got out everything I put into it, finished the race, and other than an itchy, swollen wasp sting, I was fine, and I was very happy.

This is a race I think I'll do every year. It's very well run, great volunteers, beautiful course, and because of the timing we likely wouldn't be sailing that weekend.

They also had some great photographers on the course who captured these:

ETA: I have to add my pickle juice testimonial. After the race I had a 2.5 hour drive home. After the early morning and long run, I was tired and decided to pull over at a rest stop to take a nap. After I parked I tilted my seat back and something I did set off a cramp in one of my hamstrings. As I struggled to sit back up and stretch it out, my abdominal muscles start cramping, then quads, then my other hamstring. If I tried to stretch one set out, it would just make the other set worse. I was just a twitchy mess!! I finally struggled to get out of my truck and I must have been quite the sight. I remembered I had a small bottle of pickle juice in my running gear and with alternating cramping and stretching, managed to get it out. It had been sitting in my truck all day and my first sip was a hot, salty, briny nasty taste! The pain was horrible though, so I slammed the rest of the bottle and tried not to gag.

It worked. A minute later I was catching my breath, cramp free. That's the second time I've used pickle juice to successfully stop cramping fits. The stuff works!

Great report @7lenny7 - beautiful pictures!
But I got a little worried when I saw the spoiler right after the description about lubing everything 😆😱

@mbaker566 - oh, that looks painful. So sorry about the fight, you are brave and a good person to put yourself in there to save the dogs. Hope you all heal up quickly.

@MegaMooseEsq congratulations on your HM!

@7lenny7 enjoyed your race report. Beautiful photos.

Sorry if I missed anyone between this and my last post.


Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
09/01/19 :::: 11.5 :::: 11.5
09/02/19 :::: 5.5 :::: 17.0
09/03/19 :::: 3.0 :::: 20.0
09/04/19 :::: 6.7 :::: 26.7
09/05/19 :::: 0.0 :::: 26.7
09/06/19 :::: 4.7 :::: 31.5
09/07/19 :::: 13.1 :::: 44.6
09/08/19 :::: 5.2 :::: 49.8
09/09/19 :::: 5.7 :::: 55.5
09/10/19 :::: 5.6 :::: 61.1

Long tempo night at marathon/HM group. This meant 45 minutes for those like myself training for HM and 50 min for those training for a full. I hate the long tempo, as coach says you are supposed to. The mental part of it was very tough and I was not super happy with my pace, but felt like I pushed the whole time.

I'm heading to Princeton, NJ tomorrow for a few days. The hotel and conference center has trails around it, so I'm hoping to get some runnning in . Of course its supposed to be 90 degrees tomorrow when I arrive there. Not looking forward to that little return to summer.