Today was the third race of the Summer Camp Series. Today’s race was at Warner Lake County Park, which is near Clearwater, MN.
We seem to be alternating
between hot days and rainy days. Today
was a rainy one. It started raining a
few minutes before the start of the race.
The good news is that the aid station was set up in the park pavilion,
so the food tables and bag drop area were always under a roof.
During pre-race
announcements, they recognize runners who are reaching any kind of lifetime
milestone. Today, I was one of the
runners hitting a milestone. This was my
100th marathon or ultra in Minnesota.
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| photo credit: Elizabeth Carrie |
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| photo credit: Elizabeth Carrie |
My last three races were all on paved trails. This course had a mixture of surfaces. The majority was either gravel or packed dirt, but there was also a wooden bridge and two short segments of pavement. The dirt trail had some roots, so I had to watch my step.
The length of our out-and-back
route was the same as yesterday’s race.
It was about 0.82 miles in each direction. To complete a marathon, I had to run 16 laps.
It was sprinkling when we
started, but I was expecting heavier rain.
I started the race with a plastic rain poncho. I was comfortable for about half a mile, but
then I started getting hot. It was still
only sprinkling when I finished my first lap, so I took off the poncho.
The rain poncho forced me
to go slow in the first lap, so I wouldn’t overheat. Without it, I was able to pick up my
pace. During my second lap, I caught up
to Tim. Then I was able to run with him
for about a lap.
The rain stopped during
my second lap, but it started up again during my third lap. Thankfully, it never rained hard. It was just sprinkling.
At some point, I started
to notice some discomfort on the back of my left heel. I felt the same thing during Saturday’s
race. Both times, I was running with wet
shoes. I started to wonder if that had
something to do with it.
To make the laps seem to
pass quickly, I broke them into short segments.
Then I could focus on one segment at a time. Each one was short, so I never felt like I
had to run that far.
Each lap started out on an
asphalt path that led from the pavilion to a dock. We were on that path only briefly before turning
onto a gravel path. The first section of
gravel led to the boat launch. Near the
boat launch, we briefly ran across pavement again.
Next, we ran through a
gate and started another gravel section.
This one took us past a building and to the bridge. After crossing the bridge, we were on the dirt
section.
I also broke up the dirt
section. First, I had to get through the
section where most of the roots were.
Then I looked for a yellow traffic cone.
This cone was the turnaround point for the 5K and 10K races. After the yellow cone, I knew there was a purple
cone just around the next bend. That was
the turnaround point for the last lap of the 50K race. As soon as I reached the purple cone, I was
within sight of the red cone. That was
the turnaround for the marathon. After
turning around, I ran all the same segments in reverse.
On the section of course
that was dirt, I had to slow down to a cautious pace, so I could be careful to
avoid the roots. There weren’t any roots
on the gravel sections, so there I could speed up without fear of
tripping. The dividing line was the
bridge. I always slowed down when I
started the dirt section, but I would start pushing the pace as soon as I crossed
the bridge and got back onto the gravel.
By my fifth lap, I
started to notice muddy patches on the dirt trail. Now, in addition to watching out for the
roots, I also had to watch out for slick spots.
Halfway through my sixth
lap, I felt a sting on the back of my neck.
I reached back and grabbed a biting fly that was still on my neck. I had applied bug spray before the race, but
the rain must have rinsed it away.
By the time I started my
seventh lap, the rain was stopping. I
heard another runner say that a period of heavy rain was going to start in
about an hour. Thankfully, that forecast
was wrong. We were done with the
rain. It would take another hour,
however, for the muddy patches to dry out.
At the end of my seventh
lap, I needed to make a bathroom stop.
There was a permanent building with pit toilets, but it wasn’t right
next to the course. Making a bathroom
stop meant taking a short detour off the course. It took extra time, but making a stop was
unavoidable.
After eight laps, I was
half done. I was on pace in finish in
about 4:40. My only goal at this point
was to finish in less than five hours, so I had room to slow down in the second
half.
For the first half of the race, I was noticing about six runners who were going at a faster pace. As I started the second half, I didn’t see them anymore. It seemed like they must all have been doing the half marathon. I couldn’t be sure, but I started to wonder if I was the fastest runner doing the marathon. The only other time I ran a marathon on this course, I won the race. With that in mind, I wanted to see if I could do it again. I didn’t slow down. I continued to put some effort into my pace when I was on the part of the course with no roots.
I was in my 10th lap when
I had my first scare of the race. I was
focused on a cluster of roots that I recognized when I caught my foot on a root
that I didn’t see. I stumbled briefly,
but I was able to keep from falling.
That was a reminder that I needed to be extra careful in the remaining
laps. As I got fatigued, I was more
prone to tripping.
When I finished that lap,
I had about 10 miles to go, but I didn’t look at it that way. I occasionally noticed how fast I ran each
mile, but I paid no attention to how many miles I had completed. Instead, I only kept track of laps. At this point, I needed to run six more laps.
Mainly Marathons has a
unique method to help you remember your lap count. At the aid station, there’s a table covered
with rubber bands. Each time you finish
a lap, you grab a rubber band and put it around your wrist. If you ever forget how many laps you’ve run,
you can count the rubber bands.
When you finish your last
lap, you don’t need to grab a rubber band.
Instead, you ring a bell to let the timekeeper know to record your finish
time.
As I started my 11th lap,
what I was telling myself is that I needed five more rubbers bands plus a bell.
When I got back to the
area where I tripped before, I recognized the cluster of roots that I had seen
just before I tripped. Near them, I saw
another root that I had never noticed before.
It was obvious that this root, and the ground around it, had been
disturbed recently. That’s the root I had
tripped on. It wouldn’t happen again.
Today was the only day
that it never got hot. Maybe it got hot
for the slowest runners, but it wasn’t hot while I was running. The sun came out briefly, but then it got
cloudy again, and there was a strong breeze.
I didn’t feel the breeze when I was running through the forest, but whenever
I came into a clearing by to the lake, it felt nice and cool.
With two laps to go, I
looked at my watch. I must have made a
mental arithmetic error, because I thought my pace was slower than it really
was. I wanted to beat my time from Saturday,
but I thought I needed to pick up my pace.
I put much more effort into my next lap.
As I was crossing the
bridge, the front of my left shoe caught the crack between two boards. I didn’t lose my balance, but it was awkward
enough to momentarily scare me. This is
why I’m always wary of running on wooden bridges or boardwalks. As I entered the section with roots again, I
was more vigilant than ever.
A few minutes later, a
mosquito flew into my left eye. I don’t
think it bit me, but it was still painful.
I wanted to rub my eye to get it out, but I was in an area with roots. I didn’t dare take my attention off the trail
for even a moment. My eye bothered me
for the rest of that lap, but it felt OK later.
Despite those
distractions, my 11th lap was my fastest of the race. As I started my last lap, I wanted to see if
I could break 4:40. If I did, it would
not only be my fastest race of this series, but I would also run negative
splits.
During my last lap, as I
was racing toward the bridge, I noticed the back of my left heel again. It hurt more now. It finally occurred to me why it was more
likely to flare up today. This course
has lots of uneven footing on the dirt section.
When your ankle is turning in unusual ways, it puts more stress on your
Achilles tendons. I would have to deal
with that after the race.
I just had to navigate
the dirt section safely one more time.
When I got back across the bridge for the last time, I was home free.
I finished the lap and
rang the bell. My time was 4:39:11. I thought I won the race, but it turns out there
was one runner who finished ahead of me.
I did, however, run negative splits.
I earned another medal to
add to my chain. Today’s medal depicts
morel mushrooms.
After getting back to the
hotel, it was time to refuel, take a hot bath, stretch, and ice my inflamed
Achilles tendon. It’s all familiar. Four years ago, I was doing this stuff for 20
straight days, and I had more sore spots then.
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