Race Report: Minnesota Brothers Trail Series, Day 2

Today was day two of the Minnesota Brothers Trail Series.  The venue for today’s race was Mississippi River County Park, which is about 12 miles north of St. Cloud.  This park is on the west bank of the Mississippi, near a bend in the river.

We wear the same race bibs every day, so I didn’t have to allow extra time to pick up my race packet.  The drive time was longer, however, so I still had to get up pretty early.

I was so tired last night that I was able to get to sleep right after dinner.  I got a full night’s sleep, but woke up feeling dry.  Today was another hot humid day, so in addition to my usual pre-race breakfast of tea and pastry, I also drank a pink of water.

Like yesterday’s course, today’s course was mostly on grass, and you needed to wear lots of bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away.  We ran a longer out-and-back today, so we only had to run 12 laps to complete a marathon.

The park had a large parking lot and a covered picnic area, which we were able to use as the aid station.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that we had to run down a steep hill to get from the aid station to the trails.  That meant we had to run up that same hill at the end of every lap.  Other than that, the course was mostly flat.

Most of the course was next to the Mississippi River, so we often had views of the river.

We got a break on the weather.  A forecast thunderstorm never materialized.  Heavy rain would have made this course really muddy.  Instead, it was soft, but not sloppy.

While more than half of the course was grass, there were long sections over dirt.  It was clay that was just moist enough to be soft, but not muddy.  On average, it was less tiring to run on than yesterday’s course.  I didn’t feel like I was working harder, but my pace was faster than yesterday.

I walked part of the course yesterday, and didn’t notice any roots.  That led me to believe I didn’t need to worry about tripping.  As it turns out, the section I walked didn’t have roots, but the rest of the course did.  I didn’t realize how many there were until I tripped on one during my section lap.

The roots were easy to avoid – if you saw them.  It’s easy to see the ones that go across the trail, but I didn’t see this one sticking out of the dirt.

That sent me tumbling into the dirt.  Fortunately, the ground was soft.  The impact didn’t hurt, and I didn’t have any scrapes.  After that, I paid more attention to the roots.

Because of the longer laps, I didn’t have as many opportunities to drink.  Each time through the aid station, I forced myself to drink as much Gatorade as I could.  I didn’t eat much solid food, but it was more important to stay hydrated.

At the halfway point, I was already 10 minutes faster than yesterday’s pace.  In the second half, the heat and humidity forced me to slow down.  All morning, it was about three degrees warmer than yesterday.  As the temperature climbed, it began to take a toll on me.

We were right next to the river, so I was hopeful we would have a cooling breeze.  There was no wind at all.  Whenever I looked at the river, the water was as smooth as glass.

With about three laps to go, I finally persuaded myself to put some effort into picking up my pace.  Then I tripped on another root.  This one was a thin root going across the trail that only protruded about half an inch above the soil.  I caught it with the front of my right shoe.  That pulled the root out of the soil and snapped it in two.  It also sent me tumbling again.

I landed in an area where the trail was borderline muddy.  My clothes got dirty, and I was slow to get up, but the only injury was to my pride.  I tried to pay more attention to the roots, but I was having trouble with visibility.  The humidity was making my glasses fog up.

I pressed on and finished in 4:50:28.  I was a few minutes slower in the second half, but my time was 17 minutes faster than yesterday, in spite of the falls.  I attribute the faster time to an easier course.

After finishing, I added a new piece to my chain of medals.

For the second day in row, my clothes were so wet with sweat that I could wring them out.  For the second day in a row, my socks were so muddy that I didn’t know if there was any point in trying to wash them.  They may go straight into the trash.

I’m settling into a daily routine.  After each race, I refuel and get cleaned up.  Then I spend about 15 minutes in the whirlpool.  After showering and getting dressed, I drive out to the venue for the next race, and I walk a mile or two of the course.  Besides previewing the course, the walking keeps my legs from getting too stiff.  Later, I have pizza for dinner and try to get to sleep as early as possible.

Two down, two to go.

Race Statistics

Distance: 26.2 miles

Official Time:  4:50:28

Average Pace:  11:05

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  378

Minnesota Marathons/Ultras:  52

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

Preview: Minnesota Brothers Trail Series

Over the next four days, I’ll be running a series of marathons called the Minnesota Brothers Trail Series.  It’s a series of four trail marathons on four consecutive days in central Minnesota.

The Minnesota Brothers are Daniel Rueckert and Jesse Rueckert.  Two years ago, Daniel and Jesse bought Mainly Marathons from Clint and Hanne Burleson.  Mainly Marathons has multi-day series of marathons all over the United States.  Most of them involve racing in a different state on each day of a series.  This series is entirely in Minnesota, which is where Daniel and Jesse live.

All four races will be on some type of trail.  We’ll be running on a different course each day, but they’re all within 15 miles of St. Cloud, MN.

The races all start at 5:30 AM.  From where I live, the drive time to the race venues would be at least an hour and a half, so I’m staying in a hotel.  The race venues are close enough to each other that I can stay in the same hotel for the whole series.  That makes this series more convenient than one where you have to stay in a different hotel for each race.

I’ve done other series like this, but the last time I did one was in 2017.  This will be the first time I’ve run marathons on consecutive days since my back surgery two years ago.  I think I’m finally ready, but I’ll be running cautiously.  My only goals for the individual races will be to finish.

For years, I’ve been pursuing a long-term goal of running every marathon in Minnesota.  I haven’t run any of the races in this series before, so this will bring me four steps closer to that goal.

On a scale of one to five, with five being the most technical, the most difficult course of this series is rated a three.  That’s the first race of the series.  That works out well for me.  I’ll be doing the most difficult course when my legs are still fresh.  Hopefully that means I’ll be less likely to trip on a rock or root.

Like other Mainly Marathons races, each course will be a short out-and-back that we’ll run multiple times.  Typically, there’s one aid station at the start/finish of each lap.  It’ll be well stocked with a variety of foods and beverages.  The laps are short enough that I won’t need to carry a bottle.

My hotel room has a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, so I bought some groceries for pre-race breakfasts and post-race snacks.  Doing a series like this is as much about the post-race recovery as the running.  A big part of recovery is getting enough to eat, particularly right after the race.

Hopefully, I’ll find time at the end of each day to post a race report.

Race Report: 2019 Missoula Marathon

On June 30th, I ran the Missoula Marathon.  This is a popular race for runners who want to run marathons in all 50 states.  The course isn’t as difficult as most of the other marathons in Montana.  The elevation isn’t as high, and the course is relatively flat, with only one tough hill in the middle.  It’s a large well-organized race, and there aren’t as many of those in the middle of the summer.

I flew to Missoula on Saturday.  My flight was delayed, but I still had time to check into my hotel before going to the expo.  I stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown.  This is the same hotel where Deb and I stayed when I ran this race in 2010.  It’s only a few blocks from Caras Park, where the expo was held.  It’s also close to the finish line.

One of the first things I saw walking over to the expo was the big M on the side of Mount Sentinel.  In 1908, students from the University of Montana hiked up the mountain and placed stones in the shape of an M.  Later, the stones were replaced with a large wooden M.  When that blew down, it was replaced with a stone version.

The expo was under a large tent in Caras Park.  It was a relatively small expo, so I was able to get my race packet quickly drop it off at the hotel before going back out to explore the downtown area.

The Clark Fork River flows through the downtown area.  This is the view from Caras Park.

I had dinner at Tamarack Brewing Company, after learning from a friend that they have good pizza.  I had a BBQ chicken pizza and a flight of their beers.

The race started at 6:00 AM, but we had to take a bus to the start.  Buses started loading at 4:15, so I set my alarm early.  I was able to get to sleep early, so I was hopeful I could get enough sleep.  Then I woke up a few hours later, and I was awake for most of the night.

I never know how a poor night’s sleep is going to affect me.  Often, I shake it off and have a good race.  There have been a few times, however, when I felt sluggish.

The Holiday Inn did two nice things for the runners.  First, they had to-go bags in the lobby with bananas and water bottles.  I didn’t have anything else I could eat for breakfast, so it was nice to get the bananas.  They also had the hotel shuttle take us over to the university, where we needed to catch a bus to the start.  I could have walked there, but it was quicker and easier to take the hotel’s shuttle.

I still remember my first marathon in Montana.  The temperature at the start was in the 30s, but it warmed into the 70s by the time I finished.  I dressed for the colder temperatures, not realizing how much it would warm up.  Needless to say, I suffered in the late miles.  I’ll never forget how quickly it warms up in this climate, once the sun comes up.

The start was in Frenchtown.  I was on one of the first buses, so we got dropped off before 5:00.  They had a table with water coffee and some snacks.  They also had an adequate number of port-o-potties.  When there was enough light to see, I noticed an F on a nearby hillside.  I guess that’s Frenchtown’s answer to Missoula’s M.

The temperature at the start was 47 degrees.  I knew it could easily be 20 degrees warmer by the time I finished, so I was careful not to dress too warm.  They had a gear check in the start area, so I was able to wear warm clothes until about 15 minutes before the race started.

I went into this race with modest expectations.  In April, I ran my fastest time in two years, but I haven’t done much since then to improve my time.  I already have a fast enough qualifying time to get me into next year’s Boston Marathon, so I’ve shifted my focus to building my mileage base and losing weight.  If I could run fast, that would be great; if I couldn’t, it was no big deal.

They had a 3:30 pace group, so I started the race with them.  There were two pace leaders, and they did a good job of keeping us right on pace.  They didn’t even need to look at the watches.  They each had a good feel for the pace and could run it naturally. 

The first several miles were fairly flat, so I was able to stay in a nice consistent rhythm. I didn’t know how the pace would feel in the second half, but it seemed like a reasonable pace to run in the early miles.

We were running through a valley, with lots of wide open space around us.  We consistently had views of tree-covered hills.  Occasionally, we saw some local residents who came out to cheer us.  Some played music.  One guy played a banjo.  Another played a fiddle.  Later in the race, there was a grand piano.

There was also recorded music at some of the aid stations.  Twice during the race, I heard Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses.

At about 10 miles, I decided to pick up the pace a little to get ahead of the pace group.  I knew there was a tough hill just past the halfway mark, and I wanted to be able to slow down on the hill, if necessary, without falling behind the group.  Over the next three miles, I got about 30 seconds ahead of the group.

I reached the halfway mark in 1:44:07.  Then the hill started.  It was gradual at first, but eventually got steeper.  When I reached the steep section, I had to slow down.  I slowed down so much that the 3:30 pacers both passed me.  I tried not to get too far behind, but that hill really took something out of me.

Just past the top of the hill, I reached the 14 mile sign.  I was relieved to see I was still a few seconds ahead of the pace I needed for 3:30.  Now we began a long downhill section.  The pacers held back on the downhill, and I was able to catch up to them.

At 15 miles, I was still just a few seconds ahead of schedule.  The next mile was all downhill, and there was a steep section.  I’ve learned to take descents at my own pace.  I got way ahead of the group.  At 16 miles, I was more than a minute ahead of schedule.

As the road leveled off, I found myself struggling to find my rhythm.  My next two miles were a little bit slow.  I assumed the pace group would eventually catch up to me.

Shortly after the road leveled off, we came alongside the river.  We had been following it since Frenchtown, but we were never close enough to see it.  Next, we turned to cross an old one-lane bridge over the river.

At 18 miles, I found my rhythm again.  I was still about 30 seconds ahead of the pace group.  I picked up my effort to keep up with the fastest runners around me.  It wasn’t easy finding someone I could follow.  A lot of runners were slowing down in the second half.

I started pulling away again, gaining about 10 seconds per mile until I once again was more than a minute ahead of the pace for 3:30.

At around 20 miles, I saw the M on Mount Sentinel.  It’s one thing to watch the mile markers and know how many miles are left.  It’s another thing to actually see a landmark that’s near the finish line.  I found it easier to lift my effort.  I knew for sure I would hang on to break 3:30.

With five miles to go, I passed a friend who’s usually faster than me.  I knew I was having a good race.  By now, we were sharing the road with runners who were doing the half marathon.  I also got a shout-out from a friend who was doing the half.

With four miles to go, I started feeling pressure in my intestines.  It was only a matter of time before I would need to make a bathroom stop.  I didn’t want to stop before the race was over.  That would not only cost me valuable minutes, but it would also take me out of my rhythm for the rest of the race.  I had to be careful not to run too hard.  I balanced my effort, while trying to hold it in.

Late in the race, I noticed some unofficial aid stations with beer or other adult beverages.  One had a big sign that read, "Adult Aid Station."  That got a big cheer from people who were near the back of the pack of the half marathon.  Many of them stopped, but I kept going.  One of the men there asked me if I wanted a shot of whiskey.  There are some races where I'll stop to imbibe.  This wasn't one of them.  Not when I was having a surprisingly good race.

In the last three miles, I was mostly running by myself.  One side of the street was used for the half marathon, and the other side was used for the marathon.  Most of the intersections had roundabouts, which made it difficult to see if there were other runners ahead of me.  For one block at a time, I was the only runner on my side of the street.

At 24 miles, I realized I could run negative splits.  I just needed to keep up my effort for two more miles.  I was working harder in that mile, but I was still surprised how fast it was.  I ran the 25th mile in 7:30.  Now, I knew I would run negative splits.

The last mile has some turns, so you can’t see the finish line until you’re almost there.  I knew the last turn would be a right turn onto Higgins Avenue, to cross the Higgins Bridge.  As I came to a right turn, I was disappointed to see it wasn’t Higgins Avenue.  I had to run a few more blocks.  Then I made a left turn and saw Higgins Avenue a block ahead of me.

I had passed several runners in the late miles, but now there was a runner near me who was accelerating as we made the last turn.  I wanted to stay with him, but the approach to the bridge was slightly uphill.  I couldn’t match his pace running up to the bridge.

I was halfway across the bridge before I could finally see the finish line.  I kept up my effort and finished in 3:27:03.  I ran negative splits by more than a minute.  I also had my third Boston qualifier of the year.  It’s been four years since I last had more than two BQs in the same year.

My time was just four seconds slower than my best of the year.  That’s OK.  I’ll have other chances later in the year.

After receiving my finisher medal, I waited for the 3:30 pace group to finish.  I thanked the pacers.  I also congratulated the runners who fought hard to stay with them and finish in 3:30.  Then I found the nearest port-o-potty for a long overdue bathroom stop.

There was a post-race gathering in Caras Park.  Runners had tear-off tags on our race bibs for food and beer.  Friends and family could buy food from various food vendors around the park.  In addition to the permanent seating at the park pavilion, there were tables under a big tent and more tables outside.  It was still before 10:00 AM, so I stayed awhile to talk to other runners.

I don’t fly home until tomorrow.  Tonight I’ll have dinner with a few friends at a pizzeria that we ran past just before turning to cross the bridge.  It’s called Bridge Pizza.

Race Statistics

Distance: 26.2 miles

Official Time:  3:27:03

Average Pace:  7:54

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  376

Montana Marathons:  4

Lifetime Boston qualifiers:  124