Race Report: Minnesota Brothers Trail Series, Day 1

Today was the first day of the Minnesota Brothers Trail Series.  Today’s race was in St. Cloud.  Our route was an out-and-back on the North Loop Trail near the St. Cloud Correctional Facility, a.k.a. the “Jail Trail.”   Each out-and-back was just over 1.3 miles, so we had to complete 20 of them to finish a marathon.  There was one aid station in the start/finish area.

We were running on a wide cross country ski trail through a densely wooded area.  The surface was mostly grass.

I was happy to see that there weren’t many trip hazards.  If you looked hard enough, you could find a few roots, but they weren’t thick enough to trip on.  They were also pretty easy to avoid.

The course had some gentle rolling hills, but it could have been much hillier.  The main reason our out-and-back was so short was to avoid the larger hills that you encounter if you continue farther along the trail.  I think everyone was OK with running extra laps in exchange for a less hilly course.

I went out to see the course yesterday afternoon.  If I stopped moving, even for a few seconds, I was swarmed by dozens of mosquitoes.  I got several mosquito bites yesterday, so I made sure I had enough bug spray for the race.

The race started at 5:30.  I needed to arrive early enough to pick up my race packet, so I set my alarm for 3:30.  I got to bed early and slept well for the first few hours.  Then I was tossing and turning for the rest of the night.  I think I slept for about four hours.  That’s OK for day one, but I’ll need to get more sleep the next few nights or lack of sleep will be an issue.

I left the hotel at 4:15.  I already knew the way, but I also knew parking was limited.  The temperature at the start was 67 degrees with humidity.  The forecast high was 88, but I expected to be done before it got into the 80s.

I needed to conserve energy for the next three days, so I ran at a fairly conservative pace.  Even still, I was surprised to see that the first two laps took me just over 30 minutes.  At that pace, I would take more than five hours to finish the race.  Running on grass always seems to slow me down.

The trail had one muddy patch.  To avoid walking through the mud, we had to go around on one side.  With everyone doing that, it was only a matter of time before that spot got muddy too.

During my third lap, I heard another runner say, “new course.”  I quickly discovered what he meant.  A tree had fallen, and it was blocking the trail.  It seemed surprising that a tree would fall when the weather was calm.  I would expect that to happen when there was lightning or strong winds.

Undeterred, some of the runners started breaking off enough branches to create an opening we could walk through.

The race directors live in this area, so one of them was able to go home and get his chainsaw.  Before long, he had cleared a wide enough opening that we could get through easily.

By the time I finished my tenth lap, I was getting surprisingly tired.  I still had ten laps to go, and it seemed like I had already been at it for a long time.  Even at a slow pace, I found running through the grass to be tiring.

For the first half of the race, I was just drinking Gatorade.  Later, I started eating some solid food.  I had two PBJs, a strawberry smoothie, and some birthday cake.

In the second half of the race, I could tell the sun was higher in the sky.  I occasionally saw bright sun beams through the trees.  I could also tell it was getting hotter.  I expected the second half to be slow and tiring.

To keep the mud patch from getting worse, several of the runners were picking up handfuls of loose grass and depositing them where we were walking through the mud.  With a dozen runners doing that every lap, it made a huge difference.  Soon, we could easily get through that section without sinking in the mud.

After about 12 laps, I slowed down a bit, so I could talk to another runner.  That made the laps seem to fly by.  Before I knew it, I only had four laps to go.  Then I sped up, so I could get them done.  Sweat was dripping into my eyes.  The salt made them sting, but I pressed on.

I finished in 5:07:37.  Because I picked up the pace in the last few laps, I had negative splits.  I was wrong about finishing before the temperature got into the 80s.  It was already 83 degrees when I finished.

Like other Mainly Marathon series, this one has medals that chain together.  The top and bottom pieces go to anyone who runs at least one race in the series.  We’ll add pieces each day for the individual races.  Because we were running on land that belongs to a state prison, today’s medal had a “prison break” theme.

I didn’t feel like eating much solid food, but I had a large glass of chocolate milk.  In the start/finish area, we were more exposed to the sun, but there was also a nice breeze.  I couldn’t believe how much I was sweating.  Even after standing around for 15 minutes, my shorts were still dripping with sweat.  Fortunately, I had a towel in the car, so I could avoid getting my car seat wet by sitting on the towel.

When I got back to my hotel, I had food in the refrigerator.  I drank two or three glasses of chocolate milk and a few mini scones.  I could wait until later to eat a more substantial meal.  My immediate concerns were rehydrating, replacing carbohydrates, and getting some protein.  Chocolate milk works for all three.

I took a warm bath to get cleaned up and then spent 15 minutes in the whirlpool.  For now, I’m going to see if I can get through this series without taking ice baths.

When results were posted, I learned that I was the first finisher in the marathon.  It's worth noting that there's no prize for first place, and most people aren't trying to compete. They're just trying to finish and conserving energy for the next day.  Still, technically, it's a "win."  I've won races before, but never in my home state of Minnesota.

Race Statistics

Distance: 26.2 miles

Official Time:  5:07:37

Average Pace:  11:44

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  377

Minnesota Marathons/Ultras:  51