Temps in the low 30s felt so cold! I spent a good amount of time on the bus waiting for 8am to arrive – no warm-up needed for this run. At 5 to, got off the bus for a port-a-potty visit, some pre-run photos, and to get sweats into my sweat bag to be returned to the finish line. After a pre-race briefing by the race director, he shouted “GO!” and we were off at a jog! We took a silly loop around the parking lot, then across the road and onto the skinny deer trail. We side-hilled up a fairly steep slope – there was even a rope for a short stretch, which got used by more than a few people to stay upright! I walked more of the uphill than I would have liked due to those ahead of me on the narrow trail, but figured it was just energy saved for later.
Then on to a mix of hiking trails and ATV trails for the 4 miles to the first aid station, where I dropped my hat with Sam (the sweetheart dragged her husband out early Saturday to help out before they made the 5 hour drive to Green Bay) and for the rest of the run it was Superior Hiking Trail. I didn’t run hard, but I didn’t run easy either – I figured this might hurt me a little toward the end, but I wasn’t so concerned, it just felt good to motor along! Still, I was extra cautious on the downhills and took it relatively easy up hills. I still managed to make my way to first woman about 5 miles in (fully knowing I would probably be seeing the woman I passed later – she is pretty experienced and pretty tough).
I was feeling great by the first drop bag location at about 14 miles in. Here, I ditched my jacket and picked up my little baggy with Fig Newmans and my fresh bottle of Heed. The course cruised along road for about 1/3 mile before hitting trail again. I don’t know if I was too focused on the fruited cake, or the guy in front of me, or having just crossed paths with a 100k runner I knew…but I missed that turn and proceeded to run an additional 1/3 mile before realizing what happened. A lady driving by that stopped to chat confirmed the lack of runners ahead of me. The situation was extra embarrassing and frustrating because this is a few miles from my home – I know that turn and it’s not that hard to miss. So, I grabbed that guy ahead of me and ran back to the trail – maybe faster than we should have, but I was a little aggravated with myself for a while. Once back on the trail, I had to keep reminding myself I wasn’t taking this ‘race’ seriously, just getting through it more or less unscathed. A nice conversation with the guy who missed the turn helped to calm me down. He is from D.C. and told me about the Virginia trail running club he belongs to and recommended ultras out east. He was planning on running 100k today, but his very recent (ongoing?) bout with the flu led him to ease back to ‘only’ 50k. After a mile or so, he decided to run more conservatively and I was on my own again.
The next aid station requires a ½ mile out and back, and this is where I got to see that was now in second place – bummer! But at least I knew for sure she was ahead of me. This aid station is also where Rudy (the boyfriend) was volunteering! It was great to see him in his usual silly-happy mood! Unfortunately I just wouldn’t let the second place thing go, so I gave him a quick smile and said “took a little detour” (always making excuses for myself), threw him my snack baggy and resumed the run. The next four miles were more or less up hill, and somewhere in there, my legs started stiffening up. It began with the right IT band (interesting, since it’s usually the left one that bothers me) and gradually included every muscle between my waist and knees. Maybe this would have been the time to start walking the steeper hills, but I was afraid of what might happen if I walked – so I maintained some semblance of running, although it was a bit slower than the first half… After the next aid station, we’re finally back ‘on top’ of the hill, but with lots of ups and downs. Even though this is the section of trail I’m most familiar with, I was rolling ankles like mad! I cursed at each one, but didn’t have any major twists. I came across some friends who were out hiking – they informed me that first place wasn’t too far ahead. I thanked them, but at this point there was about 5 miles to go and I was convinced that woman ahead was probably running her strongest of the day right now, and I couldn’t see any way my legs would be loosening up. So I was finally able to mentally relax and enjoy this new territory beyond the marathon, while monitoring my quads. The final hour went by pretty quickly as there were lots of road crossings, Enger Park, and little neighborhoods to break thinks up
I love running downhill and appreciate downhill finishes, but sadly, tight IT bands do not! So I was a little apprehensive of what the mile of downhill on the trail, followed by the final ½ mile of pavement was going to be like. It went much smoother than expected – while I wasn’t flying, I did keep running, and the transition back onto the road caused no issues and even allowed me to stretch my legs out for the finish! I took a little under 5:19 to run my first 50k (plus), came in 7th place overall and was second woman on a notably tough course. I was happy with the accomplishment and satisfied with how I ran and dealt with my ‘situations’. After getting some dry clothes, eating some meat and vegetarian chilis (home-made by the co-race director – awesomely delicious), and socializing with the other 50k-ers as they trickled in, I realized I felt almost too good. This may be the first race where muscle stiffness limited my speed – I was sore, but not exhausted like I am after a marathon, so I’ll have to figure that out for the next one!
Overall, I would say the Wild Duluth 50k was a great first ultramarathon for me, although I’m sure it helped being somewhat familiar with the course, having no pressure to do well and knowing to start conservatively. I plan to participate again next year, hopefully in the 100k, but the 50k or even volunteering is on my calendar!
-Leslie S.
0 comments:
Post a Comment