Zumbro Update

Well, here I am, inching ever closer to the big day - the day I run my first 50 mile trail ultra. Funny thing is, as I get closer to the day, I seem to be getting less nervous. I seem to have taken on more of a "well, if I'm not prepared enough by now" approach. Truth be told, aside from having to take a recent week off to recover from a mild concussion (from a fall I took while training, of course), training has gone well. My body has adapted and running feels good.

Course Map
The Zumbro course is a 16.7 mile loop with slightly less than 3000 feet of elevation gain per loop. For comparison's sake, the course for Surf The Murph has 2000 feet of elevation gain per loop (very similar distance per loop). So, while I know Zumbro to be a hilly course, I don't feel it will be that much different from Surf The Murph...well, except for running an extra loop to get to 50 miles!

Race Day
We plan to head down to Zumbro after work on raceday (the race starts at midnight Friday - early Saturday). Race check-in opens at 10:30 and then we'll be off at midnight.

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What's Next?

Since completing the Curnow Marathon back in July, I've been kept busy in a number of ways and have yet to run another race. And actually, have not been running as consistently as I would like. But getting two kids ready and dropped off at college as well as following another kid's lacrosse team progress will do that to you!

Now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone and we are beginning to see some signs of the beautiful fall weather that Minnesota is known for, I am more determined than ever to continue on my running program and keep my fitness levels high. One of my more recent revelations is that I am about 250 miles away from running 1000 miles for the calendar year. While this may be easily achieved by more seasoned runners, I have not come within 500 miles of this milestone in my life! So goal #1 for the remainder of the year is to run consistently and smash through that barrier.

Next on my list is to find a few local races to run during the fall months. With that in mind, I just signed up for my first 50k trail race on October 24th. It's called Surf the Murph and is held in Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, MN. I have come up with a fairly compact training plan since the race is just over 5 weeks away. Thankfully it should be more of a ramping back up effort than building from scratch.

Other races I am considering in the coming months:

Frozen Otter (64 or 32 miles) -   January 2016
Trail Mix 50k - April 2016
Superior Spring Trail 50k - May 2016
Grandma's Marathon - June 2016
Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon - July 2016
Superior Fall Trail 50m - August 2016

This list is a bit aggressive and I may not be able to run them all. Time will tell. The only one of the above races I have run is the Curnow Marathon. I would like to take another shot at it and see if I can improve my time.

Countdown to Curnow

Well, the Countdown to Curnow is really on now! I've got just under three weeks until the race. About ten days ago, my wife suggested that we drive up to the Duluth area for the day on Father's Day so that I could run on the Superior Hiking Trail - part of which makes up the Curnow Marathon race course. Have I mentioned what an awesome wife I have? I was super pumped to get this opportunity.

On Sunday, June 21st, we got a slightly later start than planned. But that didn't matter - I was just excited to have the opportunity! My plan was to start at the headquarters of Jay Cooke State Park, run out as far as time would allow and then return. Due to our slightly later start, I was able to make it just over 7.5 miles out from the park hq and then ran back.

From park headquarters, I ran up the paved Forbay Trail just under a mile to where it joins the Munger Trail. The Munger is a paved bike trail that now extends nearly to Hinckley MN and all the way to Duluth. From there, I followed the Munger for almost three miles to the Palkie Road Trailhead and jumped on the dirt Oak Trail that led me to the SHT. Once off the pavement, I had enough time to run for about 4 more miles. The path took me through the relatively smooth forest of the state park and then became more hilly (mainly downhill on the way out) as I neared Mission Creek. Along the way I came across a handful of switchbacks and man-made log stair steps intended to make the descent easier. Near my turnaround point, I took a wrong turn and ran up a different trail for about .5 mile - but I realized what I had done and it was no big deal.

On the way back, I first had to deal with ascending the hills I had run down on the way out.This was no small task and caused my pace to slow considerably. I also consumed more water during this stretch - probably more than I realized. Once I crossed back into the state park boundaries, things started to level off somewhat. After another couple miles I was back out on the Munger trail with just over 3 miles remaining. Dang, it felt hot on that pavement! With about 2 miles remaining, I realized I had run out of water and boy, was I thirsty! This was a problem. At that point, I started to walk a bit and then alternated walking and running back into the park headquarters area. All told, I covered just over 15 miles in about 3 hours and 22 minutes. I didn't really care about the time or distance, frankly. I was just really glad to be able to experience this trail before running a race on it.

Once I had had a chance to cool off and drink some water at the park hq, I met my family and we headed to Gordy's Hi-Hat in Cloquet for a late lunch before hitting the road to home.

A few things I learned:

• It's much more hilly in this area than where I normally train - I need to switch things up a bit and run the hills in Stillwater more while training.
• Aid stations will be very welcome during this race. On Sunday, I (obviously) was running self-supported. I carried 70 ounces of water in a hydration pack and one 16 oz bottle of water. Normally this would have been enough, but it was warm and I was working pretty hard on those hills.
• I cannot survive on gels alone (I did eat one mini clif bar)! I started to have some stomach cramping issues near the end of the run. I plan to keep the gels to a minimum and incorporate more real food like bananas, chips, melons, etc. Also electrolyte replacement drinks. I did dump a heed disk into the bottle, but could have used more.
• It's beautiful out there! I can't wait to go back!

Here are a few pictures from the run:

My first SHT trail marker - on the Forbay Trail.

I ran on the same path that the Voyageurs used when they first came to this area. 

Stream crossing

Bear print! There are a few black bears in the area. 

Looking down a power line clearing.

The first stone bridge I encountered - 1/2 mile from my turnaround point.

Another stone bridge. I think these are part of the "seven bridges".

Goofball just glad to be out on the trail and loving it!

Thought this looked cool.

There Is No Try...

I've always loved this quote. And it applies to running very well. Enjoy!