Monday, September 8, 2014

Fall Superior 50M – 2014 Race Report

1           Details


Date:  Saturday, September 6th, 2014

Distance: 50M (Officially 52.1 miles). 

Weather:  Mid High 40s to start, up to the low 70s during the peak, and back down to the 50s?  Kind of weird to have to highlight the different portions of the day.  Low humidity and in general just perfect weather.  Couldn't order up a better day, especially after last years heat and humidity.

Runners:  Reid Plumbo in the 50M.  Tons of other folks doing the marathon: Brandon in his first marathon killing it in a little over 6 hours, Ann, Drew, Kim, Julie, Dean, Anna, Lisa, Shelly, Brent, others I’m forgetting.

Crew:  Court, Kelly, and Peter came up Saturday and I saw them later in the race and the finish.  Pretty solo on the course this trip.

Gear: Nathan Hydration Pack, arm warmers for the start (lost one so didn't use them at the finish), Black Diamond Storm Headlamp (fit in my pack better than the Nao), Nike shorts, multiple shirts, Saucony Xodus 3.0s, Gaitors.  Three drop bags with fresh socks (ha!!), t-shirts, Perpetuem, and other assorted goodies.  

Fuel:  Perpetuem Caffe Latte for the majority of the race.  Supplemented with Gu or Hammer Gel during big climbs and some other aid station stuff (PB&J didn’t work out well).  Hammer Endurolytes Extreme every hour like clockwork. 

2           Intro

It has to be said up front that none of this would be achievable without the huge amount of support I get from family and friends.  It is hard to really comment on the huge gift Courtney has given me letting me run 5 days a week. Let alone grandparents that routinely watch the kids so that we can get away for long runs and races. And a huge shout out to Reid, my partner in crime.  No way this is possible without you brother.  And to all of the friends that come out and run all over the cities making putting in those large weekend miles tolerable and the race weekends so much fun.  It is all just awesome and I can’t thank everyone enough. 

3           Training and Preparation

Training really started the day after our finish at Moose Mountain in 2013.  After coming across the finish line and feeling completely spent in the hot/humid weather that day there was a fairly large group of us camped around the finish line waiting for our other friends to come across.  The atmosphere was electric seeing all shapes and sizes finishing in different states of anguish, glee, exhaustion, and relief (marathoners, 50 milers, and 100 milers).  To that point I had been on the same course many times with 50 milers, including competing in one at North Face where I DNF'ed at 40M in, but I had never seen 100M'ers in the flesh and it was truly eye opening. 

Not really having any plan for 2014 at this point, Reid and I really didn't have to think that much about what we would do next year after seeing those folks cross the finish line.  The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is really just something you have to traverse to really appreciate the beauty and pain it can provide in equal measure.  We were hooked.  We signed up for the 50k in the spring which we both killed with the larger goal of attempting the 50M in the fall hoping to match some of the awe inspiring performances we saw from folks finishing in the fall.

Through the summer we really tried to focus on quality workouts and not total volume.  Always trying to get long back to backs and hill repeats in vs. just straight up mileage.  Yeah, a nice 8 mile road run is good, but I would much rather have 5 miles of hill repeats thank you very much. 

This training season we really started working Afton into the mix and most of the quality long runs and back to backs were spent here.  To date, it is the best place in the cities we have found to get quality runs that best represent the SHT if you pick your trails right.  Nice long climbs and descents.  We did some nice back to back 20s there, a 30 miler, and other assorted runs out there in preparation.  We also focused on Tuesday hill repeats at Hyland that started at the parking lot, up the ski jump hill for a warm up, over to the ski hill, followed by no less than 12 hill repeats up and down the largest ski hill and back to the parking lot.  I'm convinced these repeats were the most valuable part of my training regimen this year.  All in all, we had a nice volume of training in and I averaged about 45 miles per week over 12 weeks leading up to the race. 

I was also able to see the first 20 miles of the course running with Ann Norton during our trip up North at my parents cabin.  This training run was really fun to do with Ann, but after Crosby Manitou on our way to the Caribou River trailside I cramped up something fierce in my inner thighs that I had to deal with over the next 6 miles or so.  This was pretty demoralizing considering all of the training I had done up to that point on hills specifically.  Also, this roughly 10 mile stretch was no fun.  The first 4 miles of which had some serious descents/ascents in them and it is just a long ass section.  I am really glad I saw it so I knew what to expect come race day and think about how to attack it, but hopefully I would be in better shape on race day. 

4           A Minor Hiccup

About two weeks out from the race I started getting some stomach pain across my abdomen that was just a general unease I thought would work itself out.  I went for a nice 12M run with Heimark at Murphy on that Saturday and felt really strong.  Followed up with a Sunday run even though the lingering pain was still hanging out.  Ended up going to the doctor on Monday but I got a clean bill of health.  Tuesday afternoon after lunch I felt pretty awful and I went home.  Ended up puking my guts out all night and the following day.  Thinking the stomach pain was related to whatever bug this was I just powered through.  By Friday, all of the bug was gone, but the stomach pain was still around.  Went to the doctor where they took blood this time, with nothing found.  Ended up talking with Marcus (MD-PHD who is now a psychiatrist but at least has some sort of reference to what the doctors were doing) and since my stomach was feeling better we just put it off as a weird bug.

Having not run for about a week, and with my stomach feeling better, I went for a run on Labor Day (Monday before the race).  I had no plans going out but ended up doing a nice 10 miler which felt really good.  Followed that up with a 5 miler on Tuesday.  It was a weird run that I had to walk for a minute to get my bearings.  I chalked it up to taper stuff and the fact that I was just getting over a weird viral something or other.  On Wednesday I went for another short 3 mile run after work and found myself light headed which was really odd.  At dinner that night I had some serious stomach pain coming on.  Having taken solace in a heating pad the last time that happened I tried it again to no avail.  I was up all night and in some serious dire straits as the race was now 48 hours away and I had this mysterious stomach ailment.

I went back to the doctor Thursday morning.  They did the standard exam which found me with a clean bill of health.  I started pressing the doctor explaining I had a race I had been training for all year in 2 days and it wasn't exactly a 5k.  She said I could run it, but that I might have to concede that I might not finish it. Great advice doc.  I pressed on something Courtney had been harping on for over a week that maybe it was stress related due to work.  And as per usual, I should have just listened to her.  The doctor said that yeah, the pain I was feeling could easily be ulcers.  She "prescribed" some over the counter Prilosec to help which Courtney told me a week before to try.  The problem was this was a shot in the dark and Prilosec takes 1-4 days to work and the race was less than 48 hours away. 

If there isn't enough stuff to worry about for a really hard 50M race, ulcers, stomach pain, no sleep, and long term damage of doing a race with some as yet unknown condition doesn't really help the situation.  Hopefully day 3 of Prilosec might make the difference (fingers crossed...).

5           Race Weekend Preparation

There is a new addition to the family now that Reid and Kelly have welcomed Peter into the club.  He came in at precisely the right time giving his parents a nice two weeks together before he gave this race a shot.  That meant that Reid, Brandon and I drove up together for the race and Kelly, Peter, and Courtney would drive up Saturday to join us for the race.  The drive up was nice and we were making good time so we decided to stop by an aid station for the 100 milers at 25 miles in.  We got there at a perfect time as we saw about 10 runners go through.  Most looked really good and excited (though these were in the lead pack), but it was cool to see them out on the course regardless.  My stomach was really starting to give me issues at this point and we moved onto Lutsen.

We checked in and by this point I was doubled over in the lobby due to the pain.  We got into the room and I went upstairs and laid down.  After about an hour of this with little change I decided to go for a walk.  Leaving our room (the same room we have had two times before which is crazy), I ran into Kim/Dean/Rick and eventually most of the other crew that was up for the race.  Most commented on how much weight I had lost and after I explained what was going on with the stomach (ulcers?) they were extremely sympathetic and wanting to know what they could do to help.  Explaining I was on day 2 of a 14 day course of meds and that I just hoped moving would help things I went out for my walk.

I made my way north up the road and to the Poplar River Bridge.  Having heard the river during Moose and the Spring 50K, I stood on the bridge for about 5 minutes just visualizing (and hoping) to hear that sound sometime the following night on my way in during the race.  I was really in a low place at this point with very little confidence.  I had trained all year for this race.  My last 50 mile attempt two years ago ended in a DNF that I have thought about constantly since.  In hindsight, I easily could have continued that race knowing what I know now about my body, hydration, food, walking, and 100 other little things.  So physically and mentally I was more prepared for the race than I ever had been.  But, if my stomach felt like it did at this moment there was a pretty good chance I would not even start, let alone finish this race. 

I made my way back to the room and my stomach started to feel a little better.  We went and picked up our packets and drop of our drop bags which I had packed before I came up.  I was able to get down some spaghetti I had brought which an hour before would have been impossible.  The walk seemed to have helped (and maybe the drugs too).  Reid had brought up Unbreakable, a documentary about the 2011 Western States 100M race.  Watching these elite athletes just kill it was fun. Also, making fun of how easy the terrain these guys were running on at States vs. what we would be dealing with tomorrow was good times.

The bus was leaving at 4AM and they wanted us on there at 3:45 AM.  I slept a “good” 2.5 hours from about 10:30PM to 1:00AM before I was wide awake waiting for the alarm to go off at 3AM.  I was constantly trying to gauge my stomach at this point which wasn't hurting but was not "right".  I got up before my alarm, took a shower, ate a sandwich, cleared the pipes (well most of them) and got all of my gear ready. 

We made our way to the bus which was packed.  Leaving Caribou Highlands the bus driver immediately took a wrong turn and had to do a 5 point turn to get back to the main turn.  Another couple of hijinks and we were on our way.  Making the route to the Finland Rec Center the bus was pretty quiet and calm with the lights off.  It was pitch black and there wasn't a whole lot of banter going given it was 4 in the morning.  Taking a turn on Hwy 1 our driver missed the turn to the rec center.  Some folks called out the mistake and were able to get the driver to backtrack.  But he was resistant to moving the half mile down the road to the rec center where about 50 cars were going with lights on at 5AM.  Someone yelled out "I have to poop" which was enough to get the driver to move on down the road towards the rec center.  This broke a lot of the tension there seemed to be on the bus up to this point and everyone was in a good mood making our way to the Rec Center.

The Rec Center is a nice hall with facilities inside and out, heated, and sheltered.  A pit stop in a biff, some bantering, staring at the crazy amount of stars, and we were out to the street to start the race.  A few words from Storkamp the race director emphasizing that "pound for pound this is one of the hardest 50 milers in the country" was not necessarily something I really wanted to hear with my stomach still not "right".  But, that is why we do this, right?  It was time to get moving and see what would happen. 

6           Race Start to Sonju Lake (Mile 0 to 7.5: 7.5 miles)

Interval Time: - 2:01     Time on Course -  2:01     Interval Pace - 15:58   Avg. Pace - 15:58

I really wanted to start super slow.  I have now relegated myself to a back of the packer and have no problem with it as long as I don't feel completely wrecked by the end of the race.  I want to enjoy these runs (as much as is possible) vs. really racing/pushing pace and having serious consequences for walking that tightrope.  So at the beginning of this race I settled in behind a group that was power hiking/jogging most of the sections.  The woman leading the pack was a seasoned veteran that had done dozens of ultras, but was not moving particularly fast.  Not wanting to get ahead of myself, and having a headlamp that had batteries that were less than ideal, I stayed with the group to just feel myself and my stomach out.  I made my way into the first aid station with the stomach pretty absent from my thoughts, and started thinking about the rest of the race and how to go about it.  I had been pretty tunnel visioned up to this point about not feeling well and solving my stomach issue and I hadn't spent much mental energy preparing for managing my race.  I doubled down on focusing on nutrition/water/salt and putting blinders on my feet so I wouldn't trip and then cramp up throwing my race into disarray.  I filled up water and left the aid station with no major issues and decided to start moving a bit faster leaving before the seasoned veteran and her entourage that had piled up behind her.

7           Sonju Lake to Crosby Manitou (Mile 7.5 to 11.7: 4.2 miles)

Interval Time: - 1:03     Time on Course - 3:05     Interval Pace - 15:19     Avg. Pace - 15:40

This is one of the shortest and most runnable sections of the entire course.  I started chatting up a fellow runner who was a college professor who was a beekeeper out in Massachusetts in her spare time.  We got to talking about her hobby selectively breeding hearty cold resistant queen bees that didn't have a temper.  I think we talked the entire 4 miles during this section and we were to the aid station before I knew it.  I felt really good at this point.  Really strong and no stomach pain.  The first of 3 drop bags were here (I stashed a drop bag at every other aid station), and quickly made my way back on the course, feeling bad about ditching the beekeeper but thinking I might see here again.

8           Crosby to Sugarloaf (Mile 11.7 to 21.1: 9.4 miles)

Interval Time: - 2:41     Time on Course - 5:45     Interval Pace - 16:35  Avg Pace - 16:02
 
Up to this point there really isn't much climbing, which I knew we were going to pay for.  In general, the trail up to this point by SHT standards is pretty "runable".  That changes during the "Crosby" stretch.  Having run this section with Ann earlier this summer, and cramping on the large climb out of the gorge, I had mentally prepared for getting out of this section under the mantra of "Do No Harm".  I really wanted to make it to Cramer Road with no cramping, and making it out of the gorge efficiently was key.  The climb down was uneventful, and as I made my way up I really tried to make sure my foot placement was as economical as possible. 

I started taking baby steps, and whenever I saw a large step up, I would look for ways to go left or right and take three small steps for one large one.  I also started walking up the climbs parallel to the incline, then straight ahead, then rotating 90 degrees to be parallel again in the other direction.  I would continuously move between these three different stances all the way up the hill in the hope of working different muscles the entire time.  Most of this was based on the fact that I have run hundreds of miles of trails without cramping and trying to find a different way to minimize the large extensions that in some spots you simply can’t avoid on the SHT.  Not to foreshadow too much, but I didn't cramp up for more than 10 seconds the entire day when I had to climb over one of the many downed trees across the path.  Contrast that with me sitting against a tree at Moose last year for 2 minutes cursing everything I could think of and I color myself purple for hopefully figuring out a way to manage these hills without causing undue stress going forward. 

After the first half of this section it turns out to be very runable.  I made a lot of time back making my way to the Sugarloaf aid station.  There had been a lot of talk about the course cutoffs which I had never paid too much attention to.  However, it was clear that even minor setbacks might push me close to these cutoffs if I wasn’t careful.  On the way in I ran into someone who told me we had about 1 mile left to the aid station.  I told him it was more like 4 miles according to my watch and he wasn't too pleased though he was moving faster than me and made it to the aid station before I did.  I passed another guy not looking too good and I asked if he was alright. He asked for some water which I opened up my pack for.  I had a handheld 24oz. bottle I had already drained and had been through most of my pack to this point so I didn't have much left for him.  I gave him about half of what I had left and moved on wishing him luck.  Experience had paid off for me here and I was extremely glad I had lugged that 24oz. with me up to that point specifically for this long roughly 10 mile section.  I would have easily run out of water in this section and if the weather hadn't been as accommodating as it was it would have been seriously sketchy out there.  I had run the last few miles and was ahead of the cutoff at 11:45AM by only about 40 minutes at this point.  Had to keep it moving forward.

9           Sugarloaf to Cramer Road (Mile 21.1 to 26.7: 5.6 miles)

Interval Time: - 1:42     Time on Course - 7:28     Interval Pace - 18:11   Avg Pace - 16:27
 
Having run out of Perpetuem during the Crosby section I picked up some PB&J sandwiches at the aid station before I left.  I figured between that and a gu or hammer gel and I would be fine until I got to Cramer.  I should have tried a bite at the aid station vs. carrying them with me as it was immediately obvious to me as I made my way back out on the trail that these were not a good idea as my gag reflex kicked in.  I choked them down as I know I needed calories but these ended up really screwing with my stomach. 

This is really the only section of the course I had not seen yet in training.  Reid had told me that it was runnable so I had planned on making up some additional time in this section making my way to the midpoint of the race.  Well, what Reid didn’t know is this section was going to be a huge mudfest with large sections that you simply couldn’t run through.  It reminded me a lot of the Spring race and I just had to slog through.  Not making up much time in this section and having to walk a bunch through these sections I really started to doubt myself.  My stomach pain was ok and I was feeling better that that would stay away, but my stomach started getting pretty upset.  I wasn’t even half way into this sucker yet and had a days worth of running yet to do, and now my stomach was turning on me.  As I was being pathetic in my misery, I tripped on a stick in the mud and landed hard into a huge pool of mud.  This caked the water bottle I had been carrying which wasn’t the end of the world as I had planned on dropping it off at the next aid, but now my whole right side was completely covered in mud. 

I just slogged through this looking forward to the drop bag I had stashed at Cramer that had some Perpetuem in it and a dry shirt.  Making my way into the aid station I quickly changed out shirts and mixed some Perpetuem up and filled up my pack completely for the fairly long run down to Temperance. 

10       Cramer Road to Temperance (Mile 26.7 to 33.8: 7.1 miles)

Interval Time: - 2:10     Time on Course - 9:39     Interval Pace - 18:37  Avg Pace - 16:57
 
Shortly after leaving Cramer Road I knew my stomach issues were not going to be solved without a trip to the woods. I had prepared and had some paper towels with me in a Ziploc bag.  I looked for a good spot in the woods and took care of business.  Between this and the Perpetuem I was able to get my stomach under control.

From this point on I knew exactly what was in store on the course having run these sections multiple times before.  Even though I knew what was coming up I was terrified that I was only halfway in at this point with some really hard climbs looming ahead.  I have listened to a ton of podcasts and read a bunch of race reports in the last year to learn as much as I can about how people run these distances.  One of the biggest themes that I know Reid has really embraced is to simply focus on the aid station directly ahead of you.  Once you are in the race, you really can’t focus on the whole thing once you start getting tired.  That is the easiest way to just kill yourself mentally.  I really just focused on getting to Temperance and put Carlton and Moose out of my mind. 

I don’t remember a ton about this section.  I was able to run through parts but was walking more sections than I would have liked.  The Beekeper made her way past me in this section and was doing really well on the flats and we exchanged well wishes.  When I was walking I was still moving fast.  My new watch had the average pace for the race that I knew if it started getting close to 17:30 or slower would put me near the cutoffs at the upcoming aid stations.  So I really tried to make sure I was moving fast enough to keep that sucker about 17 minutes/mile to give me a buffer.  At the aid station I saw some hundred milers who were still moving forward.  Realizing they had been out here for around 30 hours at this point was crazy.  How could I feel bad/tired if they were out here still moving forward.  They were getting pretty close to cutoffs and I’m not sure how many of these folks got an official finish, but it was still inspiring. 

At the aid station I handed out some PowerBall tickets to some volunteers who helped me fill up my pack.  I had picked up 10 tickets on the way up and put them in a Ziploc bag to hand out. Lot’s of these folks had been out all night and I figured this was a little bit of karma I could send out and hopefully get back.  The PowerBall tickets were neat but I think I will do scratch offs and make them check them while I am there in the future.  This might be really fun on a looped course like Surf the Murph where you will most likely see the same volunteers multiple times.  Well, having survived and refilled my pack, I moved out with the beast looming just ahead.   

11       Temperance to Britton (Mile 33.8 to 39.5: 5.7 miles)

Interval Time: - 1:44     Time on Course - 11:24     Interval Pace - 18:33   Avg. Pace - 17:13
 
While this section is “only” 5.7 miles, it has the largest climb on the course with some boulders you have to crawl over.  I have been up this section a couple times before so I knew what I was getting into with Carlton.  I had been trading spots with a few people who were faster on the flats where I was faster on the hills.  I was hiking most of the next couple miles as I knew even this slight grade making your way towards Carlton can take its toll if you are not careful.  There are some false climbs before you really get to Carlton I knew about.  One woman who was super enthusiastic I had been trading spots with for a while hadn’t seen Carlton before.  I had mentioned the peak and we came around a corner and through the trees you see Carton’s granite face staring you down.  She thought I was joking when I said we get to climb most of that.  I told her she would be fine and just take it slow. 

When I finally made it to the climb I really focused on my new climbing technique.  Alternating footings and really keeping my steps to as little extension as possible.  There were some large boulders you can’t help but climb up and over but in general I was doing really well and no cramps to speak of.  I continually climbed the entire way up with no need to stop and rest and ended up walking down the backside of Carlton.  It was a bit frustrating to not be able to take advantage of running these downhill’s but I knew from previous experience that the time gained running could easily be offset but catching a tow and tripping/falling and most likely cramping up.  So I just picked my way down knowing the last mile and a half into Britton was totally runnable.  I made my way to the pine forest where I hoped Courtney, Kelly and Peter were waiting.

Coming into the aid station I found them patiently waiting my slow arrival.  It was really nice to see them as I called previously with no luck trying to get a hold of them (no cell service for them).  They had waited hours after driving all day to see me for 5 minutes on the course.  Just awesome and a huge mental bump.  I asked how Reid was doing knowing he was killing it, and he was close to 2 hours ahead of me at this point.  I told them to skip the next aid station and meet me at the end to make sure they could see Reid finish.  My real reason was that I didn’t want any outs at Oberg.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen in the next 5 miles, but I didn't want the ability to catch a ride back to the finish if the wheels fell off.

This was my last drop bag so I changed shirts, mixed some more Perpetuem, and had Courtney sort out the batteries in my headlamp as they were dead in the morning.  I had her stuff my lamp and a cliff bar in my pack which was bursting at the seams at this point with various gear.  I had my Body Glide in there which I had used a couple times on my inner thighs as I could feel some chafing and dealt with it immediately.  If I didn’t have my Body Glide with me I would have been in some serious pain.  Really glad I brought it with me as I could reapply immediately. 

12       Britton to Oberg (Mile 39.5 to 45: 5.5 miles)

Interval Time: - 1:43     Time on Course - 13:07     Interval Pace - 18:26  Avg. Pace - 17:21
 
I gave Courtney a kiss and asked some of the workers about the cutoff before I left the aid station.  I had about 2.5 hours I think to make it to Oberg and I didn’t want to be that close knowing Moose and Mystery were behind that.  I knew this section was runnable and that I had a chance to make up some time.  I was as motivated as I have ever been at any point in any race I have done at this point.  I just thought to myself what better chance would I have to finish a 50 miler than right now.  I hadn’t cramped up, my stomach was back to manageable, the sun was starting to go down and it was getting cooler.  It was at this point that I really started to believe I could maybe finish this sucker.  I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself knowing how much there was left to do, but I was motivated as hell to beat that cutoff at Oberg and give myself a buffer for the last section.

I really tried to run every section I could and made some of my best time of the day here.  I was really surprised at how “good” I felt at this point.  I was still moving forward and running for long stretches.  Yeah, I wasn’t moving fast, but I was moving and had some buffer on the cutoff.  The heat of the day was starting to wane and it was cooling off which was helping too.  The group of folks I had been trading back and forth with all through Temperance and Britton were behind me and I didn’t see many of them again.  This section was pretty uneventful other than a quick application of Body Glide again and I made my way to Oberg. I filled up on water and picked up some Hammer Gel’s for the climbs and handed out my last PowerBall tickets.  Everyone here was super helpful as at every aid station. They got me moving and sent me on my way confident that I was going to finish. 

13       Oberg to Lutsen (Mile 45 to 52.1: 7.1 miles)

Interval Time: - 2:25     Time on Course - 15:31     Interval Pace - 19:48    Avg. Pace - 17:39
 
I started power hiking up Oberg making my way to Moose.  I had been here a couple times before so I knew what to expect.  I had my headlamp on and it was starting to get pretty dark.  I had my headphones on for a while now and had been transitioning them between my ears and my neck as I had actually been in a fair amount of traffic up to this point and I didn’t want to be a menace out there and not hear people coming to pass.  During this stretch I put them in and turned up some Pearl Jam and started singing some Even Flow belting out the tune pretty loudly on the course.  Good times.

When I really got to the climb up Moose there were two groups of 100 milers and their pacers half way up the hill that had a tree we had to climb over.  It was awesome seeing these guys out here surviving.  They were going to make it if they just kept moving forward.  I climbed over the tree and kept moving on up to the right up the stairs.  Making it to the ridge line I wasn’t doing much running here.  Partly because I was pretty damn tired, but mostly because I knew that I had enough time that if I just power hiked the entire way in I would make the cutoff with time to spare.  I didn’t want to do anything stupid like catch a toe and fall or start cramping up with Mystery still looming.  Going across the ridge line was fine, but I had to make my way down the backside of Moose.  This ended up being one of the hardest things to do the entire day.  Really large drops using only a headlamp made finding footing and handholds really difficult.  The climb down seemed to take forever but eventually it bottomed out and I knew there was just one last climb left. 

There were multiple 50 milers and groups of 100 milers and their pacers all making their way up the switchback going up Mystery.  It was really cool looking up the hill and see all these trails of lights moving up the hill.  I passed a few of the 100 milers on the way up the hill and gave words of encouragement to these warriors.  They were always super positive and give it back which is still so awesome.  These guys were out here for 36 hours at this point and they are telling me good job.  This sport is just filled with awesome people it is a joy to share with. 

I made my way up Mystery and knew I still had plenty of work to do.  By this point it was getting pretty cold and I was coughing pretty badly.  But I had plenty of time and just kept on hiking down the back side of Mystery so I didn’t focus on it.  This section took longer than I have ever taken, but it was pitch black, and I was over 50 miles in at this point and didn’t want to do anything stupid, so I just took it easy and waited to hear that glorious Poplar River. 

I shut my headphones off and shortly after I could hear the rushing sound out of the woods. I couldn’t even really begin to process what I was feeling at this point. I had stood on that bridge just over 24 hours before with serious stomach pain and even more serious doubts in my head about what the hell I was doing.  Finally making it out the other side and up and onto the pavement I was running my way in.  I have no idea what pace I was doing but I was running home.  Making my way around the lodges I caught Brandon and Courtney on the corner who were shocked to see me come by.  I heard my name over the speakers and saw Storkamp waiting for me with a handshake, some nice words, and a medal. 

I saw Courtney and was pretty delirious.  She was asking what I needed and I didn’t know.  I had no plan for the end of the race.  I just decided to sit down for the first time in over 16 hours and figure it out.  Everyone had stayed around to see me come in which was awesome.  Being able to talk with everyone after the race was a blast.  We shared war stories for a bit and then made our way up to the room so I could take a well needed shower. 

14       Post-Race and Recovery

After a nice shower washing immense amounts of mud off of myself I ate some pizza and drank a bunch of water.  Reid's family stopped by and we talked a bunch while they hung out with super trooper Peter.  I put myself to bed shortly after as no partying was going on that night.  We made our way home the following day with no major issues.  I was sore getting out of cars but no real cramping and the stomach pain for now has seemed to subside.  Yay Prilosec? 

This was the hardest thing I have ever done physically and mentally.  I was on the course for 15.5 hours about 7 hours longer than any of my other races to date.  I hit some pretty large lows (mud up near Cramer) but followed them with some really nice highs (running with determination on the way to Oberg).  I can finally say that I have finished a 50 miler.  Good times.

14       Things Learned

  • Mental is about 10x as important as physical.  This isn’t anything new, but it has never been tested like this for me before. 
  • Never think about the big picture.  Only focus on what you can do in the moment because that is all you can control anyway.  Aid station to aid station.  Small chunks you can bite off. 
  • Make sure to have enough Perpetuem for the entire race.  I had no issues when I was eating this and it was plenty appetizing for the duration.  I just wish I had it all day long.
  • Try to run more.  I know this sounds stupid, but I mentally try to save myself for the climbs, but the hill repeats have gotten me to a place where my body is prepared for them and I don’t need to save as much.  I feel like I can spend more energy on the flats.
  • When walking up hills, alternate positions and keep the steps as short as possible.  Always look for a way to walk around big steps even if it means taking more steps or a larger distance.
  • Take pictures on the damn course.  I lug my phone with me the whole time and I didn't take one picture on race day.  I know I will regret that in the coming years.  At least a couple during every trip in between aid stations at a minimum. 
  •  

15       Results

  •  15:31:15 total time on course.
  • 18:38 min/mile pace (counted over 50M, actually 17:40 min/mile)
  • I finished 91/107 overall.  138 starters of 185 registered or so.  77% finishing rate which is pretty high.

16       Original Pace Chart