Cani Cross with Loki Orange Volume I

                                                         

                                                                How It All Began 

I started my personal running adventures in 2011 after running my first marathon and wondering how much further I could go. This led me to the wonderful world of trail and ultra marathon running, and to date I have run 50Ks to 100 mile trail races in many of our beautiful states. 

But this post is not as much about running as it is about the partnership I have between running and Loki Orange. So let's start at the beginning then which leads me explain one reason I love running. I love the friendships it creates through the mutual bond of the sport, and I enjoy the companionship of those that I run with. As I progressed from road runner to trail runner and shorter distance races became longer distances, I started to spend more and more time running alone due to a lack of folks that do this kind of thing, and also because the few who did had schedules that did not jive with my own. I needed a solution to this and immediately thought of a dog. I'd grown up with dogs and love them, but until recently had lived in an apartment without adequate room for one.

 I started my lengthy search for a dog with the endurance capabilities and temperament to handle distance running.  I was thinking of a Border Collie, and while looking over information on herding dog breeds I came across a picture of a Belgian Tervuren

and it was love at first sight. Now, I am normally a huge advocator of adopting unwanted pups, but given that I had two major requirements for this dog to fulfill (built for endurance and will work well with my current residents, cats) I decided to look for a reputable Tervuren breeder. Without wanting to make this blog too lengthy I will not go into too much detail in regards into how Loki Orange (Orange is his registered middle name due to the orange identification collar the breeder used to tell the pups apart) and I became inseparable after he entered my life 5 years ago. I will mention that I waited for over 2 years before I started running with him to make sure his growth plates and bones had developed enough to support a high impact sport like running, which I think is vital for anyone wanting to get into this sport with their pup.

I started running trails with Loki, and never having run with a dog before I wasn't sure what equipment to use to do this. I had a harness for him so the pressure of the leash was equally distributed as we moved, but other than the harness I just held his leash in my hand which caused a lot of pulling on one side and made me uncomfortable. I started researching what others did, and in doing so found there was a definition for the sport of running with your dog called "cani cross". The sport is pretty huge in Europe, but not as well known in the US. To "cani cross" correctly, the runner has a special harness which is attached to a bungee leash leading to the dog's harness. The runner then trains the dog with commands similar to mushing a dog sled and is pulled by the dog to gain more

speed during a run or race. I decided to check Amazon for running gear and found a cheap ($20) belt and bungee leash that would attach to Loki's harness. It was not a nice cani cross system, but it works great, and maybe someday we will upgrade to something designed a bit better as we get better at it.

During the great search for cani cross information, I also found a few races available a few hours away in WI put on by race directer Brian Thomas of XC Thrillogy. I really wanted to try this out, even if it was a couple hours away. I found one of the cani cross races Brian offered the week of my

birthday in March called "The Hills Are Alive", so I figured that was a good excuse to sign up! I was pretty nervous going into the event since I hadn't been training for speed and I wasn't sure how Loki was going to react to the other dogs in a race setting. It turned out great though, and other than a bit of motivation issues towards the last mile (5K course) because we didn't have any other dogs we could see in front or in back of us, we managed to secure the first place female (me, not Loki ;)) spot! (PC credit on left ShadowDog/XC Thrillogy). I love running with my pup, but now I was hooked on competing with him! This is the only cani cross event we've participated in since there are not many offered in the US, but I'm really looking forward to making it to some of Brian's other cani cross races and improving what we are able to do together at a timed race.

Stay tuned for Cani Cross with Loki Orange Volume II....
  

Superior 100

                                                          Superior 100   


Ah Superior 100... also known as Superior Sawtooth 100, and I fondly refer to as "Superior 103.3" considering we runners do have an extra 3.3 painful miles to earn the coveted 100 mile buckle, and let's be honest, those 3.3 miles are rough and deserve some recognition ;). Let's go back a bit to one of the reasons I chose to start running 100s in the first place though: the animal belt buckles! Not to say that the distance and spiritual experience itself was not desirable of course, but I am a sucker for an item in which I can use to draw on the memories created during such an event every time I look at it. Western States sports my beloved mt. lion so after failing to get into Western to attempt earning the mt. lion, I went to my runner up buckle, the wolf. Now, not to say the wolf is secondary to the lion by any means, I just happen to really like big cats. I promise that I did learn the history of both races, and indulged in more blogs for both races than I can remember. They are both historic 100 mile adventures, each very different but equally special. 

So back to the wolf. I entered the lottery for Superior and I was selected! Ah! Now I've gone and done it. See, the lottery is so exciting, maybe a little bit like the money kind of lottery. You are so pleased to have gotten up the nerve to enter, and then you are not really expecting to get much farther than that. And then you do. I had a bit of panic and then a pretty intense smile set in after I realized what had just gone down. I was going for the WOLF! And I was probably going to die trying. But hey, I had time to train. I would train hard and things would be ok. After finishing Kettle 100 and pushing through an injury that was more painful than I like to reminisce about (see previous blogs for more details if you are interested in listening to me whine for a while), I decided I needed to run at least one other 100 mile race to prove to myself that I could do the distance without succumbing to a severe injury in the process, and now Superior was going to be that race. (Planning below)

If you've read my previous blogs, you know that I had a pretty traumatic and challenging experience at World's End 100K PA in June. That race mentally cut me down to the core of my confidence as a runner, and was also such an incredible experience too. Coming into Superior I was dealing with a lot of mental and corresponding physical doubt because of my first DNF at World's End.  I tried to back out of Superior in conversation a few times leading up to it and my friends, Scott, Kim, and Brad would not hear of it. Thank you for that. We runners need each other, we need to push and to support and to repeat this order. We need to pay forward that which is given to us... so other runners should be wary of me... fair warning. I explained my concerns in that I felt I was not ready to give Superior the effort that I felt it deserved.  Scott said he understood but hoped to see me at the start and to give it what I had. After all, he paced me for the last awful 38 miles at Kettle 100, so hearing his encouragement to start the race was pretty vital for me. Training had not been good, but I had managed a few key runs I felt would help me which included an overnight "sunset to sunrise" run hosted by my friend Brad out at Kettle Moraine State Park in WI helping with the night time running and sleep deprivation a 100 will throw at you, and "Hilloopy" with the Runjunkee crew that helped with many 5k speed loops on a cross country course, followed by Mike Farrington's awesomely difficult "Frootloops" event the next day at Veteran Acres in Crystal Lake. I also had many solo runs, which are really not my favorite because I love the company of others during a long run. It feels much harder to me when I run solo, and I'd really been missing the company of my sister who had decided to take a break from ultras and my running partner Loki, my pup, since I won't run him in warm weather due to his heavy coat. Thank God Fall is approaching and we can be running comrades again! I ran Marquette 50K with Kim and Brad in August and I couldn't have asked for a better course to help prepare me for what Superior was about to offer. 

(<-road trip to Minnesota!) Let's just jump into the race weekend because I can already tell this blog post is going to be more like a book. I'm nervous as hell for weeks, probably even months up to the race and I can't even remember so that should tell you something. I feel more nervous leading into this race than I've ever felt prior to another race, period. I'm not eating or sleeping well, I started having dreams about the race. I've never had that happen before. For good reason though,  as each race report I read, every chart I look at describes just how intense this race is! 21,000 ft of elevation gain, and a matching 21,000 ft of loss. And I had also heard reports of ground hornets and black bears which are often sighted in Northern MN. I packed my bags and included Benadryl for the bees and pepper spray for the bears. Then I decide to leave the pepper spray at home... let's be honest, a bear is not going to care about my pepper spray. I studied Minnesota wildlife and contemplated buying bear spray. It's too heavy to carry anyways, and I'd probably just end up agitating one if it were to attack and make everything worse. No one on any race report mentions bears, nor does the Superior website. My overactive mind is becoming a nuisance. I'll take my chances with the bears I guess. 

I found a really awesome little cabin to rent in Little Marais MN, about 2 miles from the Rt. 6 aid station where I could pick up my first pacer. My thought was that this place would be a perfect location for my team's headquarters being a half hour from the start and finish lines respectively. This was my first attempt at organizing a "crew" period, so I used what planning seemed sensible. The cabin actually worked out perfectly for my little crew of two pacers, my friends Kim and Stormy and my husband (and driver) Tim. I'd asked Stormy to join me for the overnight section, miles 43-72 and Kim to jump in from 72 through the finish.  

We arrived in MN around 5:00 with enough time to meet some fellow runner friends for dinner before heading to packet pick-up and the pre-race meeting. Never having stepped foot on the Superior Hiking Trail I decided to buy a Bean/Bear Lake picture (poster pictured left with a couple of my local running friends Andrew and Brad) offered at packet-pickup since what I had read on blogs determined this was quite the iconic spot.  I also had my first pre-race 100 mile portrait (above) courtesy of Ian Corless.  I have to say, there's something pretty cool about the pre-race portrait. I wasn't offered one at my first 100 mile race, Kettle 100, so the opportunity to have one taken was special to me, and Ian is so great at capturing the pre-race feels. Another special reason I had to select Superior over any other 100 is that it is held in Minnesota. This is the land of my heritage! I grew up playing at my Grandparent's Minnesota farm for a week every year during my childhood and teenage years. My Grandfather farmed Minnesota soil for much of his life. Minnesota runs in my blood! My first marathon was the Twin Cities Marathon, so it only seemed fitting that I run an iconic, beautiful 100 mile (well, 103.3) race in Minnesota too. To top that off, my husband's heritage runs deep in Minnesota soil too, so it just felt good to be there and remember family.

Packet pickup was really neat, yet intimidating. I was surrounded by legends in the ultra running community and I felt very small. I had contemplated being surrounded by these people for a long time, and when in the moment with these amazing runners I felt a mix of awe and intense inferiority. I didn't belong here, but I wanted to. I listened to the pre-race meeting and had some flash back fears about bees after race director John Storkamp warns runners of the potential impending stinging doom. No word about the bears. They wait undetected, I'm certain. ;)

We drive to the cabin in Little Marais after the pre-race meeting. We spend some time drinking wine and watching the moon and stars before bed.  It's hard to sleep with such beauty outside your doorstep, but I know I'll need the rest. I find out later that after our 10:30 bedtime someone captures photos of the northern lights at 11:30! I had four race priorities which I later re-prioritized after some deep thought. 1.Not dying 2. Finishing 3. Hearing wolves 4. Viewing the northern lights. I'm pretty happy to say that I accomplished #1 and #2.. but 3&4 are for another journey.

Sleep treated me the way it had been, without mercy. I tossed and turned and finally woke to my alarm with a start at 5:45. Race start was at 8, which is really pretty nice considering most ultras start at the crack of dawn in the dark. I was really looking forward to starting this run in the daylight!  I do my usual pre-race routines including coating my feet in Trail Toes, my favorite anti-chafing/blister prevention product, and divided a pack of Two Toms blister powder between my Drymax socks. Shout out to my girl Jen for supplying me with the peppermint lip balm (picture upper right, which she sells on Etsy if you want some too!) that I do not ever run without these days. This stuff is seriously like liquid gold for a runner.. so refreshing and all natural! I think I had a good dose of Tailwind mixed in my pack, and pretty much anything I could want for the first 30 miles. None of which I used. 

Tim, Kim, and Stormy are a bit sleepy, (Tim, Kim, Kelli (Brad's wife) and Stormy ->) but troopers nonetheless and head out to see me off for the day. We get to the starting line in plenty of time and I'm surprised at the plethora of people milling about, it's crowded! Lots of runners and their supporters I guess. I find Scott and Brad who I am really hoping are all feeling about the same during the race and we will be able to stick together. But every race is different for every runner, and especially in the case of 100 miles, so it may or may not happen and I'm ready to submit to whatever the race becomes for me. It's nice to find my friends though and at least start the race with them. Nerves are on edge to the extreme and I can feel the tension everywhere. Race director John Storkamp announces a few things and counts down to 1, off we go! The first 4ish miles are on a paved path and honestly a really nice way to warm up before hitting the roots, rocks, hills, and mud I know is coming. I find a nice easy pace to settle into and stick with Scott and Brad. I'm trying to calm my

mind and the beauty of the north country surrounding me is starting to work its magic as we cross a covered bridge and I hear the roar of a waterfall under my feet making its way towards Lake Superior. I remember hitting the single track path of the Superior Hiking Trail and having some bottle necking occur with quite a few runners lined up, but it's quite muddy and I'm actually ok with the slower pace so I can watch my feet and avoid sliding or slipping on the rocks and roots as I adapt to the rhythm of  the trail and focus on each moment as it comes at me. A sense of peace washes over me as I follow along in back of Brad and Scott. My body moves along with the curves of the trail, happily hopping over roots and climbing one hill after another.

 The training run dread is gone from my system, I think I'm finally back to feeling like myself again after months of just dreading running, a feeling I just can't explain. I'm thanking God and nature for this perfect timing of my burnout coming to an end.

My crew met me at mile 25, Sliver Bay, where I changed socks and re-applied Trail Toes and blister powder. Leading up to that point I had experienced some beautiful climbs with incredible views of Lake Superior, lots of mud which soaked my shoes and socks, a river crossing, and a really deep water section which was apparently the result of a beaver's shenanigans. (PC Cole Payton upper right). After the beaver section, we were all peacefully proceeding down the trail and starting to climb another steep section when Scott, who was in front of Brad, who was in front of me, yells "Bees, RUN!" and takes off at high speed up the hill we were until that point, power hiking. Brad, not used the normally placid Scott raising his voice in such a manner, froze for a minute while the bees started to attack and then sprinted up the hill after Scott. I was worried for a brief second that he may be having an allergic reaction, but it was just the shock of Scott's temperament, thankfully.. and rightfully so.  I was the lucky one of the three of us and only sustained one (PC credit above left to Fresh Tracks Media) sting, which is still itchy as I write this two weeks later!

 


The next access point for my crew was at county rd 6, where I would grab some overnight gear and pick up Stormy. (PC credit right to Cole Payton) I don't remember a lot about the next couple sections, they were hard and muddy. I do remember the trail leading into county rd 6, so high above the aid station. It was getting quite dark on the trails at this point and I could tell only a very small dirt trail separated me from the drop off cliff to my right. After making it down to highway 6, I looked up and saw all the tiny flickers of head lamps high above on the trail I had just traversed. It actually looked pretty neat from the

bottom of the trail! I see Tim, Kim, and Stormy. I change my socks again and re-apply the Trail Toes and blister powder, throw on a long sleeved shirt and a water proof short sleeved rain jacket to get me through the cold night. I was not anticipating how cold it was going to get, but I under dressed during this section for sure. Thankfully Laura (Scott's Fiance) was at one of the next aid stations and gave me a pair of gloves which were amazing! 

I forgot to mention earlier that during the race eating was problematic for me. I had a system that has worked in the past when this occurs.. gels. I hate gels, but for some reason my body can process them and they do give me the calories that I need when nothing else will go down if I'm consistent with them. I faithfully grabbed a handful of gels at every aid station and every 30-45 minutes would open a gel and start consuming it, even if it took 30 minutes to get down I made it happen bit by bit. I knew the one thing that could stop me in my tracks and potentially end my race was not keeping on top of my nutrition. I was burning probably more than 100 calories a mile during the night to compensate for the cold and climbs, so a 100 calorie gel was breaking even if I were lucky and could keep up the schedule for the rest of the race.  I'd never relied on gels to get me through even an entire 50 miler, but during a 100 you gotta roll with what is working for as long as it works...so gels it was!  

We had a pretty awesome overnight group.. and they were a key component to my happiness during this section. Stormy, my pacer, Scott and Marit (pacer) Brad and Greg (pacer, PC to Greg upper right). We climbed so many things, conquered mud pits, teetered on rocks and slippery edges, drank coffee and soup around dancing fires a couple times, and went through some highs and lows together that ultras will throw at you. I managed to eat a cheese quesadilla at one aid station.. it was not tasty, but it would have been amazing I am sure if not for my silly stomach. Thankfully it did go down though and stayed there. A huge THANK YOU to these amazing volunteers (photo credit to Amy Boardmoor) for working hard to to help us runners indulge in our dreams. 

As dawn approached I felt some life returning. Sunrises and sunsets are among my favorite things, so the energy of the sun coming up and sparkling through the trees was just amazing for me. Brad must be feeling it too, because he and Greg take off knowing the Sugarloaf aid station, mile 72 something is coming up in a few short miles. This is where I drop Stormy off with Tim and pick up Kim for the next part of the journey. I pick up the pace too and notice how beautiful the forest we are running through looks as the sunlight starts to light it up. I wonder how much of this beauty I've missed in the darkness we trudged through over the night. Guess I'll need to be faster next time... motivation is key! ;) I wanted to take a picture of this section to Sugarloaf but I was just too tired to muster up the motivation.

Sugarloaf aid station arrives. I hit the bathroom, change socks one last time, and exchange Stormy for Kim.  Kim is really full of happiness and energy... and I am not. I feel bad. She is so excited to be on the trail finally and I'm having a moment of 30 plus miles left... but she keeps her good spirits and we start down the trail. My new socks felt so great! AND then immediately we hit mud and water. Mud has been the staple factor in this race so far, so I don't know what else I was expecting to happen. It was just not my favorite thing at this point to get my sore feet wet again after they were finally feeling dry and better. I avoided the mud and water for a few feet, and then realized the energy I was spending to do so was needed for the looming miles and climbs ahead. Besides that, there was really not a way to avoid it since the mud was everywhere and I decided to just plow on through it and save what energy I could.    

I didn't take pictures of my muddy feet and shoes, or the muddy trails that followed, but know that they were the real deal. And if you want proof, just visit www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/photos/ and take a peek at the amazing pictures these awesome race photographers captured! As we continued on down the trail Kim proceeded to thank every person we passed for "sharing the trail with us today", she's just really sweet like that. She also let a few of them know I was well on my way to finishing a 100 mile race... I have no doubt I looked the part at that point, and I don't think any of them had a desire to try it out for themselves next year! It was hard not crack a smile at her effort to keep me talking though, but my tired spirit was fighting all this positivity as hard as it could. She had her work cut out for her. My brain was in survival mode and not processing conversation very well. Everything hurt to some extent, but especially my muddy and probably blistered feet, as each step began to feel like a blow to the front of my foot pads. I was now onto phase "getting it done". I guess I failed to study the elevation chart and map closely enough, or had forgotten about one of the steepest climbs Carlton Peak, which now hit my tired body like a freight train. That climb was rough! I remember starting to feel really sorry for myself climbing up this peak, and then getting really aggravated as the severity of the grade just kept on going and eventually led to a bit of bouldering. At this point in the race (around mile 90) it just seemed mean at the time that we had to climb this monster. But now that I look back, it was a pretty awesome climb to remember.  

Oberg mountain aid station was next, and I was REALLY looking forward to this one at mile 96.2. This is the last aid station and the last check mark in my mind that I had to get through. The end was near! Just 7.1 miles and two more pesky mountains to climb... Moose and Mystery. It was during this section, the latter stages of it and somewhere around the 100 mile mark we were completely alone and could not even hear a runner behind or in front of us. My trusty pacer Kim, then, makes a comment that just did not sound right to my frazzled ultra brain. She said she was "going to just talk really loud for a while". I of course questioned this, and would not let the subject go until she told me she was certain she had heard a bear growl. Great. I made it 100 miles, and now a bear is going to make an appearance. Following a bit of panic, I immediately started to question why the bear had not already either charged at us, or away from us? Then I heard other runners behind us..so if there is a bear, we are no longer the targets. :D. 

We make our way out of that quiet bear forest and I know we are getting close. I hear the river I've read about on so many blogs, the one that they say welcomes you to the finish line. Of course it is not as close to the finish line as I had hoped, and we continue through a field with a few people who told us we were "almost there" (PC Fresh Tracks Media->). At this point I have no idea how long I've been moving since I haven't been using a watch to track miles and time. But I do know the sun is still out, and I had originally expected IF I were to finish, to finish in the dark. This is a very encouraging thought, and we start running the last portion of the course to the finish line. 

I crossed the finish line in 34:39:36, with the sun still shining behind me (PC to Mike Wheeler->). I am met by my dream team Tim, Kim, and Stormy. Also by Brad and Scott's crew members Marit and Kelli. I'm given my wooden wolf medal and my buckle and then waited my turn to thank race director extraordinaire John Storkamp for all the intense effort he puts into this race to make it possible for the runners to enjoy so much. He's just as nice as I've heard too, but then again, he's from Minnesota... so I'm not surprised. :) The equally nice guy (probably also from Minnesota, and I feel bad but I don't know his name) who handed me my finisher awards tells me I need to get a blanket or something warm on quickly. I'm still covered in sweat from my attempt to get to that finish line so this doesn't sound like an appealing choice to me. Then I look down and also see that I'm also covered in goose bumps... hmmm... he may be right. I let Kelli and Kim throw a blanket on me and feel bad as I know how sweaty I still am. Note to self for next year's post race items: blanket. I get to a chair and then decide removing my shoes is the best "next step" as I wanted to be close to the finish line to see Scott and Brad cross. Kim helps me get my shoes off and into a long sleeved shirt. Kelli give me one of Brad's coats to wear for a bit because another important item I had neglected to have with was my coat. I swear I had everything I could possibly need for this race and then 10 times that, and now here I am finding myself borrowing things from others. Thank goodness they are such awesome people. At this point I'm having some nice little bouts of chills and shaking pretty severely and Marit gives me the most amazing chili I've ever tasted (thank you again!). I'm now concerned about my lifetime finishers hoodie though.. I've thought a lot about this hoodie

and am so excited to see it. I'm one of them now! My feet hurt really badly though, so Tim offers to go and get it, and Marit captures the hoodie moment perfectly for me. 

Scott comes through the finish line and we move to the fire to stay warm while waiting for Brad. I have to move my chair because someone comes through carrying a runner in their arms to the emergency tent or vehicle they have somewhere. I feel thankful that was not me this year and hope the poor runner is ok. Brad makes it to the finish line and is ready to go home. So with happy and tired hearts we all head out to our respective sleeping habitats for the night. We get back to the cabin and look up at the stars. You can clearly see thousands, and the milky way! I'm still disappointed we didn't see the northern lights.. but I have nothing to complain about.  I really wanted to stay awake to drink some wine, watch the stars, and listen to the lake while hanging out with my dream team, but staying up for 40 hours was taking its toll and sleep came quickly.

I woke up kind of early the next morning. I guess my body just did not want to sleep any longer. So I hobbled out to the kitchen and made coffee. Kim was using the roll out bed and had woken up, so we chatted a bit and watched the sunrise through the giant picture window facing Lake Superior. What a crazy time this weekend has been! A huge thank you again, to my dream team, Tim, Kim, and Stormy.

Thank you for sacrificing your time and energy to help me along this journey. I will never forget it. 

Superior is a very special race with a lot of amazing components. Thank you to the organizers and volunteers who spend countless hours to make it what it is. And thanks to the runners who gave and give me motivation to keep challenging myself!  I'll be back in one way or another I have no doubt. Until then, I'll be getting ready to tackle the winter trails with the guy below the wolf. :)

  









 

World's End 100K attempt #1

 WORLD'S END 100K Attempt #1

Ah, World's End. The race that intimidated me and did not disappoint! Eastern running is not something I was ready to take on, I'm just going to put that out there right now. World's End is a magical and treacherous course, and one that's going to keep me coming back for more until I get better and better at it. When I was running the course, I did have thoughts cross my mind about never coming back again (many times, actually) haha, but it's funny how the good overcomes the bad in many areas of life isn't it? Now all I can remember is the beauty of the course and how I can prepare to give the course the effort I feel it deserves the next time around.

How do I even describe this race? I felt like a giant had decided to throw a temper tantrum which resulted in the trail I was now trying to navigate through. Rocks and roots were everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. These roots and rocks were also covered in beautiful green moss, great scenery when it didn't involve the morning rain which had turned the moss into a black ice like surface. I couldn't see very well because my headlamp was not bright enough the first couple hours of darkness during the race before the sun finally penetrated the forest floor, so the slick mossy rocks and roots were an accident waiting to happen for me. I highly suggest visiting a race course before you run it. I think that would have at least helped me at least a little, but I have never needed to do that before so I didn't think to do it for WE. It's something I added to the "learn from your mistakes" list.   During the first couple of miles of this race you immediately gain quite a bit of elevation because of the first big climb which leads to a narrow cliff trail. I was doing my best to navigate all these slippery roots and rocks when, WHAM! I fell hard after slipping on a wet root or rock I hadn't seen and must have stepped on at the wrong angle. Thankfully I fell to the non cliff side of the trail though. :) I pulled myself up quickly and let the runner in back of me know I was fine, and started running again on my now really shaky legs. I really wanted to keep up with my friends Scott and Marit and I figured the shakiness and pain would eventually dull after I had a chance to shake the fall off a bit. Once daylight hit, I had a couple people ask me if I was "ok," and I didn't think anything of it since it was such a tricky course, but responded that I was fine and thanks for asking. At the first aid station around mile 5, I finally looked down at my leg and realized it was bleeding pretty good, but other than scratches and soreness the injury seemed pretty superficial so I kept going.I did have a few aid stations give me the title of "bloodiest female runner" which I wasn't sure how to take at the time.... . but at least I was moving ok.

I lost Marit pretty quickly, she is an amazing runner and there was no way I was going to try pushing any speed on this course. I had two goals now that I knew what this course was like: try to keep up with Scott, and remain uninjured from this point on. Thankfully Scott let me tag along after him and I decided it would be a great idea to start naming the crazy steep hills after shark species to take my my mind off my throbbing leg and the miles and we decided to save the great white of course, for the worst hill we found. They kept getting worse though, so we would find other sharks we thought compared pretty well on the deadly scale but still kept GW open for that extra awful hill we knew was out there. And we found it. See the elevation chart below? Great White is pretty easy to spot. That hill lasted forever! It had to have been close to a mile long! And now the course was heating up as the mid day sun warmed everything up.

It was nice to have most of this course shaded though, so there were only a few areas where the hot sun was bothersome.

So back to the course itself, the next few pictures were taken by a photographer at the race who was kind enough to let us download and share his pictures. I only got a couple pictures during the race because I was just too focused on the trail and course markers. This guy captures some of the course very well, although it's impossible to truly show how difficult it really was. (photo credit to Randy Gessler Photography, thanks!)

The climbs are tough and relentless, there is even a bit of bouldering to be done here and there. Sometimes the trail just disappears and you look blindly around for another trail marker to figure out how to navigate to the next trail
section you can see and I'm pretty sure we got lost at least 3 or 4 times for just a bit before realizing we needed to turn around. The downhill sections are so steep and filled with slick rocks and roots it was pretty difficult to actually "run" down them, so figuring out a way to shuffle quickly became my next strategy.  On top of just the intensity of the course, there had to have been some pretty significant rainfall within the last few weeks (and of course, I can't forget to again bring up the rain the morning of the race) because there were many sections of the trail (yes, often times while climbing a hill, in the middle of the hill too) with huge patches of
thick mud, water, and rocks. The waterfalls were beautiful when you could take a minute to look at them that is! There was one point where a wooden ladder needed to be utalized to climb over an steep area with a waterfall right next to you. I think that was my favorite section of the race.  I can't even remember how many stream crossings there were.. a lot. Scott and I got pretty good at hopping along the rocks to avoid getting our shoes wet. But my shoes eventually were covered in so much mud I just started walked through the stream crossings in an attempt to clean them off.

So back to my journey. My knee and leg were starting to throb from my fall, the mud, hills, heat and hours of running and power hiking were wearing on me. We came into mile 35 and saw a beautiful view! All of that climbing had finally (well, maybe at least one of the hills) paid off and it was glorious. And I was starving for once! Because of the terrain, my pace had slowed down a lot and I think this actually helped my stomach  by allowing it to digest. They had grilled cheese sandwiches, ginger cookies, rice krispie treats and many other kinds of treats. Man, it was a feast! I thought for sure this would perk me up and I'd be ready to go again soon. My sister was also this stop and encouraged us to keep going, that we'd be fine and she'd meet us at the next aid station to pace us for the last 20 miles. Neither one of us were in very good spirits at that point but we left the aid station and carried on.

I followed Scott to the side of the "vista viewing" area and guard rail, and was wondering where the trail was. Then I heard his voice from below say "you're not going to like this very much" and I look down to a drop off style steep down hill section (well  there had just been this beautiful vista, ->  so I don't know what I was expecting to come next. Sure seems par for the course that a steep down section was coming up, but my brain was in runners fog mode) where I almost had to sit down to scoot along a steep patch of loose gravel. Then came the next drop off section that was full of water and mud. And down down down we went... take a look at that elevation chart at the beginning of the blog again.. remember the "great white" hill? Well, this is the downhill section that led to it and wow was it was rough on my sore knee and shin I had hit earlier.

A few miles after this downhill section we start on another hill and after rounding a corner of what we thought was a really big hill Scott said "I think we found great white" and oh how true that was! To make it even more fun, there were, of course, several muddy watery sections as we climbed searching ahead for the end of this monster. We crossed a few more streams and then came to a bit of a drop off and a decent sized stream crossing and I heard our names yelled. My sister had decided to tell the aid station workers our names, so of course they were cheering us on as we tried to pick our way across the stream. I sure wish I felt as good as they sounded!

So at this point my leg was throbbing in two specific spots (knee and shin) everything else was of course very tired and general soreness was starting to set in. My sister tried hard to motivate us to keep going, but at that point I had every reason to want to stop, and I knew that.. this is what happens at an ultra and it was time for the brain power to kick on and take over for the body. But my brain had been battling a fear since that morning which I hadn't dealt with and it ended up ending my race. I could tell it was getting to be early evening because of the lighting, and I knew those cliffs and wet slippery trails were waiting for me to once again try and navigate through them in the dark with just that stupid headlamp to keep me from slipping and falling again. Well, the light I had sure didn't help me avoid a bad fall for the first portion of the race, so how was it going to help me now? And instead of 3 or 4 miles of darkness, I was looking at at least 3-4 hours of running that way. My brain started shutting down and I knew that I wasn't prepared to deal with these thoughts at this point in the race. I gave in. My first DNF (did not finish). It was so hard turning my bib over, I think that was the worst part to be honest. Not getting the buckle and crossing the finish line was sad, but at the same time I had a feeling of peace about the decision after I gave the aid station workers my bib. I was still moving and I was pretty sure I hadn't sustained any severe injuries.

 I'll never know if struggling through those final 20 miles would have worked out, or if I would have sustained a more severe injury by continuing on. What I do know is that I will be back for revenge, and the next time I will be ready to battle this course and earn that buckle. I'm also going to try using a flashlight with my headlamp because Scott told me that should help with my perception/view quite a good deal.

 
 Now, to heal my knee and shin up and focus on my next two races, Marquette 50 mile in August and my "A" race for the year, Superior 100 in September.


Until next time World's End. You deserved my first DNF. Thanks for the wonderful, terrible time!

 

Ice Age 50

                  Ice Age 50

 Ice Age 50 is near and dear to my heart because it was my first 50 mile run three years ago in 2015. I had been toying with the idea of running a 50 miler, but thought it was well out of my reach. I decided to fall off a cliff and sign up after much contemplation and probably a few glasses of wine, and have now managed to run it consecutively for the last 3 years. My hope is to keep running it until their 50th running, which will be my 49th birthday year (yeah, I know.. I was pretty sad when I realized it would not be my 50th.. but I'm sure I'll be pretty ok with being a year younger by then ;)). I love the history of this race as one of the oldest mid-western races in the US, drawing hundreds every year to anxiously wait on their computers to get a spot before the race sells out (usually within a few hours). I also love that runners return to this event year after year, and at the packet pick-up you are recognized on a chart for the number of 50 mile finishes accomplished. Some have 20 plus!!

Anyhow, this year the weather was the kryptonite for most of the runners. Many of us train for this spring race through cold winter temps, so an 80 degree day was going to mean some additional suffering. My usual plan for a race is to take the first half easy and push the second half depending on how I feel. After viewing the forecast, I decided to change my strategy and push the first half knowing my body would not adapt very well to the predicted heat that day. Ice Age is another race where you see a lot of familiar faces before and after the race.. again, I love the running community! So many amazing people. 

(Left, clockwise bottom to top: Erica, Stormy, Me, Arturo, Brad, Todd, Kim). ->
(<-Me, Kim, Doug.)
The course is set up as a 9 mile loop, then two out and back sections of 20.5 miles each. The morning was cool and a perfect temp to run. I went with my alternate plan and decided to pick up the pace for the first half. Around mile 7 or 8 I chatted briefly with another runner who was from Montana and getting over a rough chest cold so her breathing was pretty heavy. We lost each other for a few miles but after hitting the single track trails I heard that familiar breathing again and turned around to find her behind me. Her name I found out was Emily, and we spent the next 35 or so miles chatting and experiencing the highs and lows of running 50 miles. This girl is exactly what I look for at races, someone to experience the journey. Thanks for the company E!

The last 10 miles were just awful. My heart had been beating far faster than I was comfortable with, and I had developed a rash or burn on my hands and arms which I later found out was heat rash. I knew I could finish this thing, but was a little sad I didn't get the time I had been on route to achieve until those last 10 miles when I was just too worried about the way I was feeling to push very hard.  Regardless, It was another wonderful experience and I am thankful for it. Huge shout out to my friend Kim, who selflessly did her best to take care of me after the race when the heat stroke symptoms started kicking in and I was really not feeling good for a few hours. With her help and a lot of water and some food, I felt so much better! She is amazing and I really appreciate her kindness and willingness to care so much. 

Huge shout out to Erica and Mark for their half marathon and 50K trail finishes too! This course and weather made for a challenging day! I loved spending time with our group that day!

Training Season! Paleozoic 50K, & Earth Day 50K

Wow... I am truly not a good blogger! I really need to start writing this stuff down ASAP so I can remember some vivid details. But don't worry, I may have waited 3 months after my best race to blog, but I'll give you more details than you may want in regards to my first DNF at World's End 100K.

So Paleozoic spring 50K. My training had not been going as planned, I felt under trained even for a 50K.. my motivation to run this year has been a pretty severe struggle. I was not feeling confident, it was raining and muddy and I didn't want to run for 31 miles, but off I went because I needed a training run and the thought of not running a race I had paid for was killing me. I enjoyed riding down with Kim and Arturo, those two are so happy they can make the most irritable runner smile! The thought of running in the mud and cold rain was not helping my mood.. we sat in Kim's new (yes, brand new car and she knew there would be muddy runners needing a ride home that day, she is an awesome friend!) car and watched the rain hit the windows as we waited for the race to start.

The race started and because of  blog I read about wasting energy avoiding puddles and mud during a rainy race, I decided to just plow on through the puddles and mud.. what the heck.. I wasn't going to be able to avoid getting muddy and wet and energy was pretty important to me at that point. The course was hilly, but not bad. Crushed limestone, not many roots or rocks along the way.  The hills were irritating from time to time, but really not difficult (however, my perspective on "hills" have changed greatly since World's End, so at the time a few of Paleo's did seem unpleasant). Honestly, the mud and out and back X2 course were probably the most irritating things about this race. After a few muddy miles I found myself with two other female runners and the three of us chatted for a time about races we had run and other nerdy running talk. They were cool, and the miles melted away. We hit the first turn around point at mile 7.75 and managed to run another 3 or 4 together.

During those 3-4 miles back towards the start a few runners commented on how we were the top 3 females! Crazy! I've never been part of the top female runners group! This was exciting! I think the thrill of being in the top 3 kept me going at a decent pace and eventually one of the other girls dropped back. I held 1st for a bit, then the other female runner would take the lead, and we'd go back and forth for a few miles. She was by far a better runner and pulled ahead of me around mile 14 or 15 and I didn't catch her again. I was sure there was not a chance in hell that I'd keep 2nd place, and the women I noticed not far behind me at the turn around point to head back another 7.75 miles a final time solidified my anxiety of that hard earned place holding being taken away from me. Nothing like having a bit of competitive spirit to take over for your tired feet though! I attempted to keep up a decent pace, always listening for footsteps behind me. I felt so grateful for that opportunity and I wasn't going to let it go without a friendly fight! I splashed through puddles, pummeled down hills and did my best to power hike up the steep hills, all the while waiting for someone to start their negative splits and catch up. Because of all the rain, there were also many sections in this course that I like to call "black hole" spots, where you really had no idea how deep a puddle was, you'd just faithfully run through them hoping they didn't devour your legs. A few of these so called "black hole" sections did eat my leg about up to my knee, and I heard a few people lost shoes. :D

There was a point I think around mile 27, where one of the puddles was at least a quarter mile long and up to my almost my knees most of the way. I gave up "running" this section and power hiked as quickly as I could while hoping I didn't step in a black hole. I then heard quacking.. and noticed two ducks happily swimming in their newly expanded habitat. This was a new one for me.. plowing through water deep enough to support ducks haha! I had to giggle to myself even though I was getting really tired at that point! 
So getting to the end here.. I'm climbing (again, perception has changed, so I was just walking up a hill in reality) up the last hill (still a pretty steep hill compared to the others in this race) and I get to the top, only to discover another female has reached the bottom of the hill! HELL NO! I get to the top and haul it for the remaining couple miles! Never underestimate a non-competitive runner when they find themselves in a competitive position! I crossed that finish line 2nd place female! Probably the last time too, but hey, I'll take it! Paleo ended up being a great day for me and I'm thankful for that experience because the rest of my races for the year were not as successful. But that's just the thing, ultras are meant to challenge, and any one of them is going to challenge you in different ways. Only you know what it took during an given race and that experience is what I value the most.

 

EARTH DAY 

So next up on the training race agenda is Earth Day, one of my favorite races. Michele Hartwig is an amazing race director and I love the races she puts on: Frozen Gnome, Hennepin 100, and Earth Day are all great and I can't recommend them enough! I had a blast running this course the last two years and was really looking forward to my third time. 

I still had not been feeling great (I mean really, it's time for me to feel good again right?! I'm really getting tired of struggling through training runs and would just be thrilled if I could have another happy run again), but that happened at Paleo and it turned out ok so I tried to remain optimistic. My sister, friend Kim, cousin Stormy, and a number of other folks I knew were running ED, so I was excited to see everyone. One of the great things about repeating races, you really form a "running family" and meet so many new friends and see old friends at the same races each year. 

                                                 (Photo credit Scott Laudick Photography)

Off we went and right from the start, something just felt wrong. I was not in a happy place, my body felt like it had an extra 100lbs attached to it and I was SO TIRED. I've never felt that tired at a race before, and I have no idea why. I slept fine, I didn't change anything. I was just "off". The ED course is set up in loops, so each loop is about 5ish miles and you would run right by the parking lot again, and again, and again (X6!). For the first three to 4 loops I really thought about sneaking over to my car and taking a nap.. but I resisted the urge and carried on. It was a beautiful day, I loved the course and I should have been running happy, but I wasn't, and I started sinking into a bad mental place. 

I was able to catch up to my sister after the first loop because she had smashed her knee during a portion of the course which you are climbing a stair case. This lifted my spirits a little.. we hadn't run a race together since the prior year so it was nice to have her company. I made it my goal at that point not to loose her and did my best to keep up, and she catered to me at times too. For the first time at a race I also started to experience extreme difficulty eating.. this was very concerning since eating during ultras is vital. I did my best to pick easily digestible foods that I didn't have to chew much so they would go down without my gag reflex kicking in, but I still was not able to eat much. 

                                                  Photo credit Scott Laudick Photography

By the 4th loop I was finally starting to feel a bit better, but my sister started to feel worse. So we trudged on together, just like we did the first part of the race when I wasn't feeling so great. Neither of us were going to set a PR (for non-runners, personal record is a PR) that day, so we might as well enjoy it together. We ended up finishing, even though we both wanted to quit very badly by the third loop. Michele (one of the many reasons she is amazing) and her daughter (plus a few others) hand paint the finishers medals which I look forward to every year. This year I half jokingly requested a dragonfly medal (my favorite!) and Michele's daughter made one for me! Even after a tough race, and a disappointing personal performance I will always love this race for so many reasons.

                                                            Who's down for 2018?!