In the Tent

Note: The 2018 Zumbro Endurance Run was one for the ages.  Of 120 runners who started, only 20 finished. This post is not meant to be any disrespect to the runners who did not finish.  Everyone had their reasons, and they were all making the best decision for themselves at the time they decided to either stop or keep going.  I have Huge respect for everyone who toed the line that day and DNF or finish, they were all warriors. This is just me struggling through understanding the day for myself and explaining the moment, for me, that decided the race.

It’s been almost a month since Zumbro.  I still have times where the full magnitude
of the race is lost on me.  120 runners, strong trained runners, started the race,
only 20 of us finished.  People tell me that it was amazing, that they could never
have done it. They are trying to be encouraging and congratulatory to me, but it
doesn’t click for me.  My coach tells me that I am still underestimating the
accomplishment. He’s way more experienced than I am, and really knows his stuff.
It’s still hard for me to believe.

I suppose they are right.  A 100 mile race is a huge undertaking, it took months of preparation and more than a day of running to finish.  I know it was something big. Logically, I can look back at the distance, the time on feet, the weather, and understand what they are saying. But….

I don’t understand it, I don’t really see what I did as anything that anyone else couldn’t do.  I mean, I’m a 35 year old special education with hypertension. What makes what I did so “amazing?”  
Then I think back to the tent.  Maybe, just maybe, the tent is where the “amazing” happened at Zumbro.

I remember going to the tent to warm up and possibly change shoes. I entered

the tent and was given a chair near the woodstove. Then I remember sitting in the

chair by the wood stove, talking to Rick and Jim.  I was uncertain about continuing.

I had been running for almost 27 hours, I was tired, I was sore, and I knew the

conditions were getting worse. Jim was telling me to go for it. He had dropped

after Five laps.  FIVE LAPS where he had fought a nagging foot injury but kept going.

Rick told me that I should go for it. He had been with me for 34 excruciating miles

of snowstorm. He knew what it was like and maybe, just maybe, he saw what I had

in me more than I did.

I was angry, A strong part of me wanted to quit, but the voice inside was saying to take the chance.  In the tent I was trying to wait for my shoelaces to thaw out so I could change shoes and socks. I had already swapped out the top layers I had been wearing for 83 miles.
 
My gloves were, literally, frozen.  I had had my hands balled in fists the last 10 miles because the fingers of my gloves were chunks of ice.  Pulling out a soft flask with frozen gloves is no easy feat. “Ok,” the the doubt whispered to me, “your gloves are frozen, you NEED to stop.” Jim handed me his gloves. “You can get them back to me later,” he said. Excuse gone.
  
I looked down at my shoes.  The frozen mud was the size of ping-pong balls on my laces, they would not budge.  Rick went out and filled my water bottles with water and fuel. I looked at my laces again.  They were never going to thaw quickly enough.

I knew that the longer I stayed by the woodstove, the more my resolve would weaken.  The little voice in my head said I can’t run in those shoes.. I needed new shoes, and my old ones were frozen and muddy.  New shoes would be great, but there was no way these shoes were coming off quickly.
I thought about what Jim and Rick had said.  I thought about the clock. I had more than seven hours to complete 16.7 miles, though a blizzard, going solo.  That was the moment that I found “amazing.” It wasn’t the miles I put on, or the conditions, it was what I thought and said next that, looking back on it, are amazing to me.

My thoughts were starting to form something coherent. “Ok, these shoes are not coming off any time soon.  This really sucks, my feet hate me, and new shoes would be awesome.  I’ve run in muddy shoes before, so what’s the problem? Are you looking for an excuse to quit?  If you’re going to go, you need to go NOW! I looked around the tent. These shoes REALLY aren’t coming off.I looked at Rick and the others.  “I’m not switching shoes, I’m going now.” Rick put
my bottles in their pockets and loaded my fuel in my pouches and that was it.  
With no fanfare, I exited the tent.

Looking back on it, to me, THAT was an amazing part of Zumbro.  A year ago, attempting a 100 mile run was nowhere on my radar. Even 6 months ago, after Wild Duluth, I might have allowed myself to drop, knowing that I had already done something amazing.  Zumbro added a new meaning to “hard” for me. It pushed me to limits that I didn’t even know I had. Maybe that is the amazing thing? All I do know is that the turning point happened, for me, in the tent.

I am the Storm: Zumbro 100 2018

Background

The Zumbro Endurance run is a 6x16.7 mile loop ultramarathon in the rugged bluff country of  the Zumbro River Bottoms Management Unit in SE Minnesota. It is a Low key, old school trail race, managed by trail runners, for trail runners.  With no cell service and accessible only through dirt roads, it's a great place to get away from it all.

The course features 4 steep but "short" climbs per loop.  The hills, which amount to 24 major climbs over the course of the run were serious gut punches.  You can weather each one individually, but collectively they take a toll and greatly contribute to the 18,588 feet of elevation gain in the 100 mile.  I’ll be referring to the climbs as GP-1, GP-2. GP-3, GP-4. GP-1 greets you immediately as you start the course and is a long, steady climb. GP-2 and GP-3 are short, steep rocky climbs that slow you down and challenge your technical climbing skills.  GP-4, at about the 10 mile mark is a brutal climb that seems to go on forever.

The climb up GP-4 rewards you with the knowledge that you’re just about 10k to the end of the loop  an amazing run along a ridge, with stunning views of the river valley below.Between AS2 and AS3, there is a sandy section (Sand Coulee)  that some people hate. For me it was an excuse to not run as I hiked along. Zumbro also features plenty of runnable single track trail and some pretty gnarly but fun, technical descents.

Going into Zumbro, I knew that I was physically ready to go for 100 miles.  My coach, Jake Hegge of Trail Transformation had created a training plan that got me to race day healthy and in the best condition I've ever been in. I knew that I had 34 hours to complete the race. I didn't want to have to take the whole time, but I was prepared to.

Getting into gear

I had been stalking the Weather Channel all week and knew that I was in for a wet, muddy race.  The mud of Wild Duluth was still vivid in my mind.  Not a pleasant thought.  I woke up race day to cool temps and rain. There was also a chance of thunderstorms, and Snow on Saturday. Great... Just what I had feared. It wasn't the temperature that bothered me, or the rain.  It was the trail conditions the rain would cause. Zumbro was shaping up to be a heck of a challenge.

For me, Zumbro became a real family affair,  We stayed the night at my sister and brother-in-law'shouse and my wife would and Little Man would be staying there for th weekend.  My mom came down from west central Wisconsin to drive me to the start and then help out with my little man while I ran.  Even little man chipped in, helping me carry my drop bag to where I left it before the race.



I got to the starting line early, got checked in and waited for the race to start.  I still don't know a lot of people in the trail community, so I did some standing around, waiting to see anyone I knew.  It turned out that I was in good company. Waiting along with me were two fellow Iron rangers, Andy and Jim, I knew that they would both be there, and was glad we met up.  Both had been to Zumbro before and knew the troubles the course could bring. It was good talking with them.

Getting going: Start and Lap 1

Hobbit Woods

The race director gave a short pre-race briefing, under the shelters due to the pouring rain.  Then we all went to the starting line and were off. Heading into the first climb, I wanted to get around some people.  It’s not that I’m fast or anything, I just don’t like crowds. The climb up GP-1 told me a lot about how the race was going to be.  It was a muddy, greasy mess. Getting to the top was a relief, but it was short lived. Instead of the nice, runnable trail I knew it could be, it was a muddy mess, spotted with puddles in some places and ice in others.  Even the entire trail through Hobbit Woods was a sheet of ice. I ran it the best I could, but it was definitely more than a struggle than I would have liked.

Lap one wasn’t all bad news though.  I was able to hook up with my buddy Jim and we ran, on and off for most of the lap.  He pulled ahead of me after GP-2, but that was fine with me, we each had our own race to run and he was aiming for a 4 hour lap 1, and I was hoping for 5 hours.

I felt really slow the first lap and was surprised when I came in at just over 4 hour on the clock.  The end of lap 1 also gave me one of the highlights of the race. They treat you like a ROCKSTAR at the aid stations.  I didn't notice it much at the first few, because I was in and out fast, but at the start/finish, man did I feel it. Someone got my dropbag for me, another person helped fill my bottles.  I was constantly asked if I needed anything else. Total VIP treatment, and everyone was treated that way. I was in awe as I reloaded with Tailwind packets and headed out again.

Getting into the Suck: Laps 2 and 3

I can't remember where exactly it was, but it was near the beginning of lap 2 that I hooked up with Bradley and we ran together for the better part of the next 2 laps.  From lap 2, I remember that the weather got better, as the rain stopped, but the trail conditions worsened, in my mind, as the trail got slick and soupy. Lap 2 brought me my first quesadilla of the run, a very happy thing, as I LOVE them. The weather definitely improved and I noticed myself feeling better.  Talking with Bradley, we both commented on how the weather forecast was wrong, as there was no rain for most of the lap and, I swear, the sun tried to peak out a couple times. Total boost for me. Lap 2 was pretty chill, a lot of walking and taking it easy, but feeling pretty good. Despite the easy pace, we still got the lap done in under 5 hours again.

Loop 3 was when, pardon the language, the shit really began to hit the fan.  The rain started again in earnest and stayed with us for the entire lap. Despite the increasing difficulty of the run, there were still high points. One major high was running into my friend Pat, who was volunteering at AS1. I had time for a quick check in and Pat got a photo uf us, and I was off running again.

C.C. Fresh Tracks Media

I remember it getting darker as we ran/hiked, but the light seemed to hang on for a while.  I recall that I didn’t actually turn my lamp on until we were on the Sand coulee. Bradley and I were both starting to feel the toll of the run as we got to AS3. The climb up GP-3 was BRUTAL. We could see the thunderstorm rolling in while we finished our climb and started across the ridge.and the freezing sleet/hail started pelting us.  That ridge is now known as the Ridge of Mordor for me.. On the climb and ridge traverse, we were joined by another runner, who’s name I have sadly, forgotten, all I remember is she was pretty awesome and passed us up somewhere in the darkness between AS3 and AS4. By this point, the rain had started to turn to snow, and even walking the road was not easy for us exhausted travelers.  At AS4, Bradley and I parted company, Bradley had been wearing shorts and was really suffering from the cold, so he stopped to warm up. At that point, I was in a drone zone and just kept moving, I had to keep going or I knew I would feel the call to drop. I’m not much of a talker, and we had both been pretty quiet for a while, but I was sad to lose the running companion I had had for 30 miles. The rest of lap 3 was a mud and snow soaked blur, as I trudged along in silence and brooding on how much things kind of

Running with Rick: Laps 4 and 5

Coming into the Start/Finish Aide station, I was greeted by Rick, who would be my motivator, superfan and guardian angel over the next 34 miles.  I was EXTREMELY happy to see him. By this time I was extremely exhausted and, despite not feeling social, I was feeling the need to have another person with me.  Most of lap 4 is a blur. It was dark, for the whole lap and I had to use a lot of concentration just staying upright and that was not always successful. At each AS, Rick made sure that I was getting in my fluids, having coffee or soup and was doling out my chocolate covered espresso beans.

Lap 5 was much like lap 4, except it got lighter out.  I was slipping a lot. The technical descents between AS1 and AS2 led to a lot of slipping due to the thick mud and slick snow.  This was the lap of the pancake. I like pancakes, but there was something about the pancake that I got at AS2, I think it was, that stands out in my mind.  It was like manna from Heaven. It tasted SO GOOD. I only had one, but it was simply AMAZING. Lap 5 was also the lap of the lowest lows. I was really feeling the miles and my sleep deprived brain was calculating cut off times and making deals with my legs about at what point I would let myself DNF if the time was right.  I was telling Rick about this in my oh so adorable sleep deprived way and he always reminded me to stop that thinking and get my mind in the game, that I had plenty of time to finish and just had to push. I knew he was right, that I was still going pretty strong and probably had the time to finish…. Still…. I told myself in secret that, if the clock said 27:15:00 or later, I would drop, thinking that I wouldn’t have the time to finish if there was only 7 hours and 45 minutes left.  We got back to the campground and the clock read 26:27:43… Son of a Bitch, Now I have to make a decision, the clock won’t do it for me.

Decision time: Start/Finish between laps 5 and 6

Coming into the Aid station, Jamison Swift, who had been out there all weekend greeted me with the question “are you going out for 6?” I remember telling him that I didn’t know and him telling me I had to decide quickly because the weather was going to take a turn for the worse, as if the snowstorm I had been hiking in wasn’t bad enough. I “quickly” to the warming tent, where I met up with Jim again, having not seen him for hours.  I was really having some doubts. I knew that I had the time to finish, and physically I was in OK shape, but was my mind in the right place? As I switched out my somewhat wet under layers I talked with Jim and Rick and they both reminded me that I had time and that I would regret it if I didn’t at least start the lap. My gloves were frozen and hanging over the wood stove to thaw and that’s when Jim gave me a boost that helped me make my final decision.  He offered me his nice, thick leather gloves for the lap. I remember thinking that I wanted to switch into fresh shoes, but my laces were frozen solid. That’s when My mind fully clicked into gear I remember thinking “Fuck it, I’m going to go for it.” I looked at the others and said, I wasn’t going to change out my frozen shoes. Rick helped me get loaded up with more Tailwind and filled my water bottles. I exited the warm tent and headed out.

Walking the Wall, looking for White Walkers: Lap 6

Exiting the tent I was greeted with a certifiable blizzard.  This lap was marked by blowing and falling snow. Climbing GP-1 I Reminded myself that it sucked, but it was still easier than chemo.  Thanks Miranda, for being an inspiration. Much of the lap is a blur, I was hiking through high winds and trying to avoid the puddles and mud that could still grab me from under the snow.  Only two parts of the lap really stand out. The Ridge of Mordor. Traversing the ridge after GP-4 was a life changing experience. With winds that were estimated at 75 miles per hour, I was battling increasingly difficult conditions and my own uncertainties.  “Did I make the right choice to start the lap? I hadn’t been pulled at any of the first 3 Aid Stations, so my time must be ok, but I still feel really slow.” At the bottom of Ant Hill, when I reached the road, despite the conditions, I hit one of the highest highs of the run.  I pulled out my phone and checked the time. HOLY SHIT. With about 4 miles to go, the clock read 3:17, I think, my brain is fuzzy on that. I recall telling myself You are going to Fucking finish this thing. At AS4, I was greeted to clapping volunteers, the angels who stayed out in a blizzard to make sure us lost souls found welcome stops along our way.  I waved at the volunteers, yelled to them that they were awesome and kept moving. The last rolling hills were a total blur. I was in no condition to run. When I reached the edge of the campground, my mind said RUN, but I tried it and that was NOT going to happen. I walked it in as the clock read 32:30:27

I am the Storm: After the finish

As I crossed the line, I was immediately greeted by an awesome sight, a volunteer walking up to me and giving me my medal and belt buckle.  IT WAS REAL!  I had run 100 MILES!  After receving my medal and buckle, I went and signed the Zumbro 100 banner, something I had been looking forward to since I started out.  Things after that are more of a blur.  I was ushered into the warming tent and given a chair to sit on, right next to the wood stove.  As I removed my wet outer layers, I started to realize how tired I was and sank into the chair.  Rick, bless him was there too, he had stayed until I finished.  He asked if I had anyone coming and then went out to make sure my family could find me.  Soon, my family was there, and there were pictures and hugs as I greeted my mom, sister, and brother in-law.  They had braved the extreme weather conditions and hazardous roads to come retrieve me.  After a few photos, including one of me pointing at my name on the banner, we loaded into the car for the drive to Rochester, and my Zumbro experience was over.

Wow, I really did it: Thoughts on Zumbro

It's four days later and I still haven't fully processed what Zumbro means to me.  Talking with others who were out there, and getting their input on the day, I really realize how significant of a feat it was. the freak blizzard, with 75 mile per hour wind gusts and 15 inches on snow had turned my Spring ultramarathon into more of a trial by ice and snow.  The drop out rate for the race was staggering.  Only 17% finished?  I was one of them?  There's nothing special about me.  How did I manage that?  What does it mean?  These are all questions I am pondering as I try to Figure out just what Zumbro means to me.

What I do know is that I went out to complete my first 100 mile race and I did it.  It was far more difficult than I could have imagined, but I was still able to do it, and of that I'm extremely proud.  That will do for now.  I am resting and recovering and looking forward to getting running again when I'm ready.  And, next spring, I may have to, once again, answer when Zumbro is calling.

Race week: Final Gear Prep/Check

Well, Race Week is upon me.  In less than 120 hours, I'll be towing the line at Zumbro, staring down a run of 100 miles and 30 or more hours.  This race has been on my mind since I finished Wild Duluth in October.  With the countdown until the race nearing completion, I've had a pretty busy weekend, prepping gear, talking to my pacer, and calming my own nerves, as I look to the known unknowns.

Gear check

My main concern this weekend was getting together my gear and nutrition for Zumbro.  Between packaging up food, washing, drying and sorting clothes, and just gathering everything, it was a lot of work.  Here's a run down of the gear and food I have packed and ready to go: 

Zumbro 100 packing List
Clothing	Fuel	Accessories	First Aid	Post-Bag
shorts x2	Tailwind 68 servings	belt lemp	pepto	Keens
compression shorts	Espresso Beans	extra batteries	Naproxen	Hoodie
Nike Pants	Red Bull?	charger cords	band-aides	Dry socks
SW socks x6 pair	Jerky	Anker Charger	mole skin	Lounge Pants
pants	Gels	Trash bag(s)	wet wipes	sleeping bag
Compression Sleves		chair	Sun Block
M4M Shirt		Vest	Chap Stick
OM 1/4 zip		Bottles x2	Bodyglide
hat (winter)		towel	Cough drops
Hat (ball cap)		paper towels	KT Tape
Sunglasses		TP
LSD jacket		1gal ziploc bags
Altra Superior		headlamp
Altra Loan Peak x2
UA tights
Mizumo zip up
Asics 1/4 zip
UA Fleece x2
Gloves (winter)
spare tech shirt
Reebok turtleneck

That's a lot of stuff, right?  I'll break it down and go over each subheading individually.

Clothes:

Zumbro looks to be a muddy, slushy, rainy, snowy mess this year.  Basically my favorite kind of conditions.  The only downside is the temperature.  With lows forecast to dip into the upper 30s, staying warm is a top priority.  Or, at least, I think it will be.  Weather is fickle, so I won't be making any final decisions on clothes until the night before, or even race morning.  Those issues aside, my main philosophy for packing clothes is LAYERS.  I'm packing enough clothes to be able to add and remove layers as needed.  Basically the only thing that will stay on me the whole time is whatever I wear for bottoms, shorts or pants, and that's not even 100% certain.  Only time will tell.  

For my feet, I'm planning on swapping shoes and socks after every 2 laps, so I'll be wearing the same shoes for 33.3 miles, give or take.  At Wild Duluth, I wore the same mud-soaked pair for 42 miles, and was fine, so changing shoes 9 miles sooner each time, this time, should work out well.

Fuel:

At Wild Duluth, Tailwind worked VERY well for me, so I'm taking an If it ain't broke, don't fix it, approach to fueling at Zumbro,  68 servings of Tailwind equates to 34 hours at 200 calories per hour.  At Wild Duluth, my amazing buddy Jay crewed for me, so I had full fuel bottles waiting at Every Aid Station. 

At Zumbro, with it being a looped course, and limited crew access, I'll be more going it alone.  To work with that situation, I've packaged up my Tailwind in easy open packages so I can grab, dump, fill with water, and go, at the Aid Stations.  My amazing wife labeled all of the bags and, because she's awesome, added funny names to some.  I have a feeling I'll really appreciate those when I'm sleep deprived and feeling down!

For additional Fuel, because extra is always a good idea, I am bringing along some gels, some jerky and, of course, some chocolate covered espresso beans because, caffeine.  Red Bull was on the list, at the recommendation of a friend, but since I haven't run while drinking it before, it won't be coming to Zumbro.

Accessories:

This is all the other things that I know I'll need on the run.  Key on the list are my vest, bottles, belt lamp, extra batteries, Anker charger and charging cords.  

My Ultimate Direction vest has served me well through my first 2 ultras and I know that it rides well in wet and dry conditions, without chafing.  My bottles, of course, are extremely important, since my main fuel source is fluid.  My UD bottles have also gone on both ultras, so I know they will work well.

My Ultraspire belt lamp is amazing!  I love having it, and am totally confident in it's ability to illuminate the rocks, roots and slush on the trail for me. I'll (hopefully) be taking pictures most laps, to document this run, and my watch won't last for 30 hours, so the extra weight of a charger is worth it.  If/when I need to charge my phone though, I'll leave it with my family at the start/finish.  An extra headlamp, stowed in my drop bag at the halfway point of the lap, is an insurance policy.  It will be there to make sure I don't get caught in the dark without light.  If I get caught in a tight spot and end up using it, the plan is to drop it at the start/finish, when I get my belt lamp, 

Trash bags serve dual purpose, to hold wet gear, and, just as importantly, as a rain poncho.  Nothing like having things that have multiple uses. Paper towels, TP and a towel are all pretty self explanatory.  I'll be drying and wiping with those things.  A very useful thing on a rainy run!

First Aide:

This is all my "Oh Shit!" gear.  I'm hoping to leave all of this in my drop bag and only take it out after the race, to put it away.  That said, aches, pains, blisters, cuts, scrapes, stomach and bowel problems are all part and parcel with running 100 miles through the woods, so I'll be ready for them if/when they happen!

Post bag:

This is the gear I will be waiting for, the things I will want to use.  Getting into dry, comfortable clothes, and snuggling up in a sleeping bag, will be the beginning of my recovery.  Rest is key to recovery, and I want to be sure I'm as comfortable as possible while I do that!

Gear laid out and ready for inspection

Final notes:

My list is not comprehensive.  I know there are probably things that I don't have, and that I will wish I did have.  For a first 100 mile though, I think I'm set.  Learning is part of ultra running, and this 100 mile will be a postgraduate education "in what does my body want, what can it do, and what do I need in order for it to do it?"

That said, While gear is extremely important to running an ultra, I know it will all come down to me. Am I willing to do what it takes to finish?  Will I have the toughness to pull through?  Those questions, and others, have yet to be answered, and also are best left for another post.

Sandhills Ultra 50k

Andy and I

Waking up at 0300 is not something that most people do willingly.  Waking up at 0300 to drive for five hours and then run 31 miles takes a special kind of crazy, but that's exactly what I did yesterday.
My buddy Andy and I met up at 0400 and headed west for North Dakota and a day of ultramarathon running.

The Extreme North Dakota Sandhills Ultra Run Experience (END-SURE) is a 25k, 50k, 100k, or 100 mile race on the North Country Trail in the Sheyenne National Grasslands in North Dakota.  Big skies and flat terrain punctuate the wind blown first half of the 50k course.  Rolling "sandhills" and pockets of forest keep the second half interesting.

First Half: Start to the Aid Station

"flat" prairie

The first half of the END-SURE 50k is marked by wind-blown prairie that looks flat, but actually has a decent amount of roll to it.  My plan was to take it easy and go with the flow of the back of the pack runners.  Recent snowfall meant harder running and I also wanted to let the fast runners pack the trail for me.  I set out at what I thought was an easy pace, 10-11min/mile.  This turned out to be more of a moderate pace.

Running for the first 15 miles felt pretty good.  I took a few walking breaks, remembering to take it easy, and snapped a few photos  to document the run.  Mostly though, I enjoyed being outside and running, even if the wind was somewhat nasty, sustained at 20mph.  When it was at my back, the wind was awesome, when it was pounding me from the side, or in my face, it was my worst enemy.  Mile 16 marked an out and back on road, the reprieve of gravel road was balanced out by the gale-force head wind on the back part of the out and back.  Fortunately though this brought me to the only Aid Station on the route.

Second Half: Aid Station to the Finish

The second half of the race got me out of the wind, but I traded wind for rolling hills and snow that was like " mashed potatoes that had been put under a heat lamp for hours and formed a crust on top," to quote another racer from yesterday.  The snow was a major hindrance, to say the least.  If I wasn't punching through the top and post holing, I was sliding on semi-loose slush that never provided a good push off.  This slowed my progress a LOT.  Even though I had planned to walk the uphills, the snow slowed my ascents even more than I had planned, and made my descents more difficult, making it harder to make up for the time I lost on the climbs, as well as totally sapping my energy.

Another surprise the the second half held for me was the sun.  Normally, running in the sun and soaking it in is a great thing.  This time however, it was different.  I was dressed for cold, cloudy and wind.  I heated up FAST and as a result, my water went away FAST.  Trudging through the snow for the last 5 miles, without water, I was really feeling drained and, when I finally saw the finish line and the end, I was happy to see it!

Overall Thoughts:

END-SURE was definitely more of a challenge than I was expecting.  From unpredictable weather, to having only one Aid Station, I definitely got more than I bargained for with the race.  The dramatic shift in weather made it difficult to dress appropriately, so I need to keep that in mind for my next races.  Also, I need to plan better for the possibility of not having access to aide.  Running out of water was no fun, and I know that it contributed to my difficulties in the end.

One good thing I realized though, is that, despite the difficulty, I never thought about the dreaded DNF.  I just kept telling myself that I was getting comfortable being uncomfortable.  It might have "only" been a 50k, but it was definitely a learning experience and one that will help me be a better runner in future races!

Happy at the finish

Zumbro training 2/26-3/4 Recap

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Assignment was 2x3mile Cruise intervalls at 8:00 pace (24:00min) with 3 minute recovery jog. It was a nice 24F this morning and shorts were in order to celebrate the warmth. Ran my 10 minute warm up and got down to business. First rep I got done in 23:47, so pretty good, and the thing is, I felt pretty darn good after it!

Second set I was kind of tired, but nit bad at all. These Cruise intervals are supposed to be a "comfortably hard" pace, and I think this workout finally showed me what that feels like.  I ran rep 2 in 23:47, the same as rep 1!  I was feeling tired, but not overly so.  I "think" I might have been able to do another rep at that pace but I'm not 100% sure, which is a decent feeling to have. 

Wednesday: Officially assigned a road run.  Got in 6.6 miles in the 1:00:00 assigned to run.  Run felt good, but I've definitely been dragging lately, not so much while running, but the rest of the time

Thursday: REST  and I think  I figured out that it's really that my nutrition has been off that's causing my fatigue issues.  I had Emailed coach about it anyway and he'll be adjusting my training load.

Friday: Trail Run.  Assignment was 45:00 on trail.  I got in 4.3 miles.  Run felt pretty good.  After feeling dragging for a while, it was to have a run feel good.

Saturday: Assignment was 3:00:00 easy trail run.  With temps warming, it was a trick to keep running but not post hole too much.  Walking made less track, but really slowed down the run.  Ended up with 13.3 miles.  Run felt pretty good and It was just nice running easy.

Sunday:  Another 3:00:00 run day.  Got in 14.3 miles for an average pace of 12:33.  Run felt good.

Total Distance: 47.1 miles
Total Time on Feet: 8:58:01

Zumbro training 2/19-2/25 Recap

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Not a real fun day for me, my quads were still sore from my runs on the SHT over the weekend. We got 3 inches of snow overnight and the plows had not yet been out when I went for my run.  

     Assignment was 7 miles at 7:45-7:50 pace along with ten minutes of warmup and ten minutes of cool down.  Warm up was fine but, I could tell that the snow and wind were going to slow me down.  The Pace Run portion was just as unenjoyable as I thought it would be.  Garmin and Strava say that  I averaged around 7:48, but the truth is that I was actually about 17 seconds per mile slower.  Between coughing, stopping to dry heave once and stopping a couple times for major coughs because I just couldn't breathe enough, I added about 2 unrecorded minutes to my time.  Run made me feel weak, and I really don't like that!

Wednesday: Plain vanilla, Wednesday was an easy pace road run. Except, I pushed it too hard. 8:44 pace was too fast, especially after yesterday's killer pace run. Epsom salt bath plus tart cherry juice are the order of the day for the evening to help my quads feel better

Thursday:  REST  Not a bad thing, with 5-8 inches of snow coming tonight and my quads still a little grumpy.

Friday: Well, we definitely got at least 5 inches of fresh powder, with the temp going up, the snow under the powder was softer too, and my running suffered because of it.  Where I normally get 5+ miles during my hour trail runs, this one was only 4.  Still felt like a solid workout though.  

Saturday: Assignment was an Out/Back trail run.  Easy run for 90 minutes then turn around and try to make it back to the start in 80 minutes.  Run did not go entirely to plan.  The new trail I was planning on trying was not groomed at all, and trying even easy pace on it was a no go, so I turned around after only 0.2 miles so I could continue on a trail with some grooming.  Other than that, the first 90 minutes weren't bad, decent amount of walking, in respect of the conditions.  I made it 6.17 miles before my turn around alert.
--Second half, after the turn around was not so pleasant.  The first two miles were uphill on "somewhat groomed" trail, meaning it had been gone over once, but still was VERY soft and I was sliding.  Those first 2 miles took about 17 minutes each, REALLY slowing me down.  After that, I was able to kale up time on the more groomed trail, sticking to the sides so I wouldn't disrupt the Nordic ski tracks.  When I got back to the totally ungroomed trail, I played nice and did that 0.4 miles again, suffering through it.  I ended up taking 1:25:45 to get back, so I missed my goal, but still managed to get back in less time than I spent going out.  Mixed feelings on the run.  I know I put a good effort in, and that was the point, but I missed the goal time, so that's a disappointment.  Snow Storm tonight, so tomorrow's run should be "fun"

Sunday: One hour of shoveling the 8in of snow off the driveway made for a tired day today.  With permission from Coach Jake, today's run was on the road, instead of trail.  Pretty happy for that, running in fresh, untouched snow, after clearing the driveway, would have been torture.
--As it turns out, running on somewhat plowed roads was not all that great either.  I got in 18.2 miles during mt 3 hour run, but it was a suffer fest.  A lot of the road was covered wit snow the consistency of lightly packed sand, and my legs reminded me, loudly, that I had shoveled for an hour this morning.... ugh... at least I got it done.

Total Distance: 50.6
Total Time on Feet: 9:11:09

Zumbro training 2/5-2/18 Recap

Between work and training it's been a crazy beginning to February, so here's 2 weeks worth of training log!

Week 1

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Assignment was 2x3mile Cruise intervalls at 7:40 pace (23:00min) with 3 minute recovery jog. It was a brisk -20F (-28.8C) this morning. Ran my 2o minute warm up and got down to business. First rep I got done in just about 22:50, so pretty good, but I could feel the effort in it, that's for sure! 3 minute recovery ended up being a little longer because my watch froze and it took like 30 seconds or so to get it working again.... just glad I didn't have to do a soft reset on it!

Second set I was pretty tired. These Cruise intervals are supposed to be a "comfortably hard" pace... not sure what that means, but rep 2 was pretty painful Anyway, I did what I had to do and got it done in almost exactly 23:00, I was like 0.2 seconds off according to my Garmin, but as we all know, that's WAY within margin of error given tracking ability of GPS watches.

Wednesday: Officially assigned a road run.  Got in 6.7 miles in the 1:00:00 assigned to run.  Run felt good

Thursday: REST

Friday: Trail Run.  Assignment was 1:00:00 on trail.  I got in 5.5 miles and it was -14F, not much more to add.

Saturday: Out/back day.  Assignment was 1 hour easy run and get back in 55min.  Went out running with my Buddy Andy and got in 10 miles because I got back in less than 55min!

Sunday:  9.8 trail miles at the ridge.  Fun running

Total Distance: 41.2 miles
Total Time on Feet: 7:16:31

Week 2

Monday:  Normal REST day

Tuesday:  Hill repeat day.  Assignment was 10x2min hill repeats.  Decided to switch it up a bit and did the repeats on trail with double the grade of my normal road repeats.  My legs felt it, but I loved it.... After taking to coach.... I wanted to find an easier hill, but he said to use that one...

Wednesday: Officially assigned a road run.  Got in 6.9 miles in the 1:00:00 assigned to run.  Run felt good

Thursday: REST

Friday: 1:00:00 Trail run Got in 5.85 miles before work in the cold weather.

Saturday: Was in Duluth and hit the course for Wild Duluth... Ah, my first ultra, such foggy but good memories.  Got in 14.47 miles.... So close to 13.5 but didn't notice that.... gggrrrr.....

Sunday:  2 hour trail run day.  With heavy legs from yesterday, and again hitting the WD100k course, I was feeling pretty tired.  Got in exactly 9 miles though, so good day!

Total Distance: 42 miles
Total Time on Feet: 8:19:17

So, there you have it, two weeks worth of Zumbro training.