Monday, September 14, 2020

Race Report: Running Ragged 20in20, Day 3


Today was the 3rd race of the Running Ragged 20in20 Series.  The first two races were on the two easiest courses.  Today’s course was more challenging.  Having run a race on this course last year, I had a pretty good idea what to expect.
I went to bed early last night and slept well all night.  Even on a night when I’m sleeping well, I’ll wake up a few times during the night.  That’s when I usually notice any aches or pains.  I didn’t notice any discomfort in my right knee.  I also didn’t notice any tightness or discomfort in my left Achilles tendon.  What I did notice is the pressure from the blister under my big toe.
I was up by 5:30, but the race didn’t start until 9:00.  That gave me plenty of time to ice my knee and ankle before starting to get ready.  It occurred to me that soaking my foot in Epsom salt might help draw out the excess fluid.  If I had thought of that last night, I could’ve bought some.  There wasn’t much I could do about it this morning.
The first two races in this series each had at least 25 finishers in the marathon.  Those were on the weekend, when people could race without taking time off from work.  I was curious to see how many runners we would have on the weekdays.  I forgot to count, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were 20 of us.
Our race venue was Mississippi River County Park.  It’s directly across the river from Bend in the River Regional Park, where we were running on Saturday.  Most of the course is on dirt and grass trails alongside the Mississippi River.

The start/finish area was the park pavilion, which is on a plateau above the river.

Each out-and-back lap started with a 25-foot descent down to river level.  It’s a short hill, but it’s uncomfortably steep.  Some parts of the trail are over grass and are fairly runnable.

Other parts are dirt and have roots.  Last year, I tripped and fell twice.

In a few places, we had views of the river.

This course can get muddy if it’s wet.  Fortunately, it hasn’t rained since Friday.  Most of the course was in good condition.  There were a few muddy patches, but there was good footing going around on the sides.  There was also one giant puddle.

At the end of each lap, we had to go back up the steep hill to get back to the pavilion.  To finish a marathon, we had to run this loop 12 times.
Yesterday, I was able to race-walk half of the race.  That was on pavement.  The trails we were running on today weren’t favorable for race-walking.  Today, I did far more running, but at a conservative pace, because I had to watch for the roots.  Whenever I saw roots, I slowed to a walk until I got past them.  I was taking frequent walking breaks, but often for only 10-15 seconds at a time.  I also walked the steep hill near the pavilion, both uphill and downhill.
I wasn’t sure how the uneven footing of the trail would affect my injured knee or my tight Achilles tendon.  I didn’t have any discomfort in my knee.  My Achilles tendon felt better than yesterday.  It sometimes felt a little tight, but it was never painful.
I was curious to know what my time would be for the first lap.  I would’ve been happy with anything under 30 minutes, which would put me on pace for a six hour finish.  I actually finished that lap in around 25 minutes, which put me on pace for five hours.  That was a surprise, but I was doing more running than I did in my first two races.
The temperature at the start was similar to yesterday, but near the river it felt damp, and there was a cold breeze.  I kept my jacket on for the first two laps.
By the end of my second lap, I was getting too warm with the jacket.  When I got back to the pavilion, I took it off and put it in my drop bag.  I also dropped off my camera, so I wouldn’t have to carry it for the entire race.
In my first lap, I was stopping to take pictures, so several runners got ahead of me.  By the end of my second lap, I had passed everyone except Tim, who won yesterday’s race.  After two laps, I was still on pace to break five hours, but that wasn’t a goal.
I was mostly drinking Gatorade, but a few times I grabbed solid food.  After my third lap, I picked up a zip-lock bag with two iced ginger cookies.  I ate one while walking down the hill.  Then I zipped the bag and  put it in my fanny pack, so I could save the cookie for later.  At the end of the lap, I ate the other cookie while walking back up the hill.  Then I was able to immediately wash it down with some Gatorade.
Each time I saw Tim, he was farther ahead of me.  By the fourth lap, his lead was large enough that I wondered if he would lap me by the end of the race.  Yesterday, he lapped me twice.
Over the next two laps, Tim’s lead began to shrink.  I wondered if I could catch him if I really picked up the pace.  I didn’t want to do that, because I was worried I’d get careless and trip on a root.
At the end of six laps, I was on pace to finish in about 4:53.  That’s faster than yesterday’s race, which was on an easier course.  I suspected I would slow down.  The pace was starting to get tiring.  When I get tired, I’m more apt to have lapses in concentration.  Then I might trip on a root.  Breaking five hours would be nice, but my number one goal was to avoid having any falls.  I already have two injuries.  I can’t afford to make either of them worse, and I can’t afford to have any more injuries.  If I had to choose between breaking five hours and staying vertical, it was more important to stay vertical.
I started my seventh lap at the same time as Greg.  Greg runs at a pace that’s close to mine.  In the first half of the race, he did lots of walking so he could talk to another runner.  As he resumed running, he still had lots of energy.
I ran that entire lap with Greg.  For the first time, I didn’t slow down to walk where there were roots.  By now, I seemed to know where they all were, so I was more comfortable running.  I didn’t realize it until the end of the lap, but I sped up while running with Greg.
When we got back to the pavilion, Tim was still there.  We had each finished seven laps.  I actually caught up to him, even though I wasn’t trying.
Before leaving the pavilion to start my eighth lap, I picked up a baggy with two wafer cookies.  They were easy to eat, so I finished both of them while walking down the hill.  I could still see Tim ahead of me.  Then he disappeared around the first turn.
After making the turn myself, I saw Tim again.  He wasn’t running as fast as before.  Within a minute, I passed him.
Now that I was leading the race, it was like flipping a switch inside my brain.  I was in race mode.  I was determined to build a lead I could hang onto.  I was running at least as fast in this lap as I did in the lap with Greg.
Earlier, I was afraid if I tried to run too fast, I would get careless and trip on a root.  Instead, competing for the win sharpened my focus.  I saw every root on the course.  I ran with confidence, but never took my eyes off the trail.
When I reached the turnaround, I started looking for Tim.  After making the first two turns, I reached a straight section where I could see a long way.  I still didn’t see Tim.  When I finally saw him, he was walking while talking to another runner.  Already my lead on Tim was as big as the lead he had earlier in the race.
I kept running hard for that whole lap.  As I neared the end of the lap, I was almost two thirds done with the race.  I took inventory of how I felt.  I didn’t have any discomfort in my knee.  My Achilles tendon was a little tight, but I didn’t notice it until I thought about it.  My big toe was somewhat painful, but that was something else that I didn’t notice until I thought about it.
In the first half of my ninth lap, I was curious how far I’d get before seeing Tim.  I got well past the boat launch before I saw him.  I estimated I had a nine-minute lead, and he was still walking.  It didn’t seem like he was going to try to compete with me.  I nevertheless kept up my pace through that lap.
As I left the pavilion to start my tenth lap, I picked up a baggy with two Nutter Butter cookies.  I ate one while walking down the hill and saved the other until the end of the lap.
I once again worried that continuing to run fast might be too reckless.  I no longer needed to compete for the win.  That was in the bag.  I also knew I would easily break five hours.  In fact, I would easily beat yesterday’s time.  I could afford to slow down.
I went back to running at a conservative pace.  Ironically, when I relaxed physically, I also relaxed mentally.  I no longer had the laser-sharp focus that I had earlier.
When I reach the areas that I knew had roots, I considered walking, but decided I didn’t need to.  I could see where they were and I could easily avoid them.  Then I reached a fairly smooth section that didn’t seem to have any roots.  That’s when I tripped.
As soon as I realized I was going down, I rolled and landed on my back.  I landed in an area where the soil was soft.  I quickly flipped over and popped back up on my feet.
I was disappointed in myself for tripping on a root and falling.  Avoiding a fall was my number one goal for this race.  It happened on a section where I had never seen a root on any previous lap.  That’s how it works.  You don’t trip on the roots you see.  You trip on the roots you don’t see.
The important thing was that I didn’t bang my knee.  The only think I injured was my pride.  I resumed running, but I went back to walking anywhere there might be a root.
When I finished that lap, I was on pace to finish in 4:50, but that wasn’t a goal.  I continued to run cautiously all the way through my 11th lap.  After that lap, I was still on pace to break 4:50.
As I began my last lap, I was excited about running everything for the last time.  I picked up my pace for the first part of the lap, where it’s most runnable.  When I got to areas with roots, I slowed down again.
I saw Tim just before I got within sight of the turnaround.  I wondered if I could lap him if I pushed the pace.  That competitiveness caused me to regain my focus.  Just like before, I saw every root clearly, and easily danced around them as I tried to catch Tim.
There’s a clearing before the boat launch.  As I got there, I could see Tim in the distance.  That section has good footing, so I ran hard across the grass and across the parking lot.  The next section of trail has just a few roots.  I slowed down briefly, until I saw them all.  Then I picked up my pace again over the last section of grass.
I saw Tim turn the last corner before the big hill.  As I made the turn myself, he was just starting up the hill.  For the only time in the race, I ran up the hill.  To keep up my momentum, I had to run on my toes.
I passed Tim on the hill, and sprinted through the pavilion to get to the finish line.  Then I rang the bell.
I finished in 4:46:16.  One day after running on the course I thought was easiest, I ran a faster time on the course I thought was hardest.  I also notched my first win of the series.
This race wasn’t anything like I imagined it would be.  My only goal at the start of the day was to avoid falls.  I failed in that goal, but in every other respect, I had a great race.  I also had fun.  Today was exciting.
Three down.  Seventeen to go.  I’ll probably pay for today’s effort, but it was worth it.


Race Statistics
Distance:  26.2 miles
Time:  4:46:16
Average Pace:  10:55
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  408
Minnesota Marathons/Ultras:  61

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