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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