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NMTC Spirit Mtn Trail Run

Tonight was the Spirit Mountain trail run.  The weather was clear with temps in the mid to upper 60's.  Great for a nice fall run.  The trail was dry and very rocky. 

Trail In Google Earth

We started in the first parking lot for Spirit Mountain and then headed down the hill.  We run straight down a washed out rocky trail and then hook onto a road for a short time at the bottom.  Then the trail heads back onto the trails and going up.  On the way down, I spent the whole time picking my line so I did not trip on the rocks, and also did not roll my ankle with the TC 10 miler this weekend.  When we hit the road, I focused on keeping a nice steady pace.  As we hit the new trail I am glad that Leslie was ahead of our small group because there was a fork in the trail with pretty much no marking as to which way to go.  Leslie chose to the left while one of the guys was leaning right.  Leslie was correct and we all simply followed her lead.  One of the benefits of being middle of the pack is there is always someone else to follow; hopefully I continue to follow people like Leslie who know the correct path to take. 

Uphill...

As we started our way back to the finish, I wanted to make sure I did not push to hard on the first chunk of uphill.  As the elevation profile shows, we had a chunk of up, with a small down followed by the final uphill push for the last 3/4 of a mile.

Elevation Profile

When the trail came onto the final uphill stretch we were on a straight part of the trail and I could see the guy up in front of me about 200 yards.  I thought to myself he was really moving slow and I should try to catch him.  After about 1 minute of running he was still 200 yards ahead of me and I realized everyone was barely  moving because the trail was just so steep.  So I focused on keeping my pace smooth.  With about 1/3 of a mile, I started to feel a side stitch starting.  Knowing what we had left, straight uphill, I pushed through.  Overall I felt pretty good with my 29 minute time. 

TC 10 Mile

Now my focus is to put the finishing touches on my prep for Sunday's race.  I plan on running a nice easy 4 miles tomorrow.  Maybe another short easy run on Friday, but Saturday will be no running and only getting my race packet at the Excel Center.  The weather for Sunday looks dry with temps probably in the 50's to low 60's when we are running.

Jay Cooke Fall Ride

After work today I stopped out in Carlton and did a favorite ride of mine through Jay Cooke.  Starting at the Munger Trail parking lot in Carlton, I head east on the Munger trail towards Jay Cooke State Park and then take a right turn onto Hwy 210 and ride through Jay Cooke.  On weeknights the traffic is very light and due to the curves and hills the cars are usually moving a lot slower.  The trees are just starting to change colors and the ride was nice albeit a little cool. 

Hills, hills, and more hills...

Google Earth Trace of the Route

I really enjoy this ride for the hills.  Riding the loop through the park and taking a right turn onto 23 over the St. Louis River, and then up to Cty Rd 18 into Wrenshall.  From Wrenshall I take Cty Rd 1 and the Alex Leveau trail back to Carlton.  In this setup, there is about 1000 feet of elevation change.  With a wonderful climb of over 1 mile on Hwy 23 after leaving Jay Cooke.

Green Line is Altitude, Purple is Power

Today I was rolling my road bike and was just enjoying the ride.  I did not really try to push hard at any point nor was I really trying to do any sort of workout.  I was just out enjoying a ride.  Now that the tri season is over this is how my bike rides go and I really enjoy that.  Soon enough I will be looking to put together specific workouts as I look forward to next year...

Sunday Long Run

This morning I got out for a nice 8 mile run.  I spent the first two miles easing into the run, and then proceeded to pick up the pace.  After my turn around  at the four mile mark I hit two miles under 7:20 pace that felt pretty good.  I will run a few easy runs this week as I finalize my prep for the 10 miler one week from today. 

The last few times I have been running out on the Lakewalk I have really noticed one of the best parts of off season running.  The trail is so open and clear.  Even when I get down between Fitger's and the pier there are no tourists, very few random walkers etc...  Much nicer than a couple weeks ago when the family let thier kid dart out in front of me when I was on my bike causing me to crash.  This time of year I typically see other runners, some folks walking their dogs, and a few walkers.  I actually enjoy the other people on the trail when out running.  I just wish they would not take up the whole trail and ignore the other people trying to enjoy the trail along with them.

After my nice run this morning, I went shopping for my niece and nephew's birthday presents.  With that taken care of I then took care of rotating the tires on my truck.  I also did some minor bike maintenance on my tri racing bike. 

I hope everyone else had a great weekend and was able to get out and enjoy the good weather.  I will be back this week to talk about some easy runs and the trail run at Spirit Mountain on Wednesday.

Runnin' and Roller Derby Saturday

This morning I got up and knocked out a nice 5 mile run.  With a week to go to the TC 10 mile, I want to make sure each run has a purpose.  Today I wanted to have a couple miles of race pace effort, but not work too hard overall.  I will get my last longish (8 miles) run in and I want to be fresh for that.  So for today's run I started out pretty easy for the first mile and a half.  Then I started upping the pace so that at the 2 mile mark I was running at just over 7 minute per mile pace.  I held that for about 2 miles and then eased back for a nice easy one mile cool down. 

I then proceeded to do show random chores around the house.  A little cleaning around the apartment and I also washed my truck.  I haven't done that in a while and it really needed it.  After the chores I am now just relaxing and watching a little college football.  Roll Tide!

Tonight we are going to watch the opening night of the Harbor City Roller Dames in Duluth.  I have never watched roller derby before, but why not?  It could be interesting.  And until hockey season starts, I need to find some fun stuff to do. 

On the hockey note, my co-worker was able to help me out and get tickets for the Gophers vs. bulldogs hockey games at Amsoil arena.  Since he is a season ticket holder he was allowed to buy them before they go on sale to the general public.  So this year I will get to see both games on the weekend.

Well, off to the dinner and the roller derby.  Then I will be trying to knock out a nice final longish run tomorrow.  I will share some thoughts on that tomorrow evening. 

Wednesday Trail Run Report

This Wednesday the NMTC run was at Brown's Point in Superior.  This is the third time I have done this race, and the third different course we have run.  This year, the normal trails had not been mowed while the trails on the other side of the road were mowed so we ran on them.  Basically any advantage and ability to pace because I knew the course was out the window.  In my warm-up I did notice how the finish met up with the start of the course so I had an idea of what the last quarter of a mile would look like.

I wanted to run hard tonight, so I made a point of going out strong.  I might have started a little too hard as half way through the run I had a few folks go by me.  I did what I could to keep my pace smooth and handle the quick up/down hills the trail kept throwing at us.  Knowing the finish had a steep down/up with about 100 yards after to the finish was helpful.  I ran the down portion as fast as I could without stumbling and then gave the up portion everything I had left and cruised in for a solid finish. 

Overall this week went well.  The weather was perfect for running.  The clouds were thick, but we did not get rained on.  Temps were in the low 50's and while there was a wind, the trails kept us hidden from the worst of the wind.  Now we get to look forward to next week's run at Spirit Mountain.  I love when the finish line is at the top of the hill...

Easy Run

Went for a nice easy 4 mile jog after work today.  As is typical of fall running around Duluth the weather was cool, perfect for a run.  I did one of my basic routes on the lakewalk that is a simple out and back.  With the good running weather there were a lot of other runners out getting their workouts in also.  Great to see so many folks out taking advantage of the weather and the great trails for running. 

Looking forward to the NMTC trail run tomorrow evening.  I am curious to see what course we are able to run.  Hopefully the trails are dry enough to run so we do not have to do an out and back on the road.  No matter the course, I plan on running a pretty hard pace to make sure I get a good workout in for the middle of the week.  I will follow it up with another easy day on Thursday or Friday, and then get one last longish run in this weekend prior to the Twin Cities 10 miler.   

Sunday Long Run, Monday Ride

With the Twin Cities 10 miler coming up, I got in a nice 10 mile long run yesterday.  I used a portion of the Grandma's marathon course to take advantage of the mile markings so I could check my pacing.  Overall I was pleased with the run.  A two mile warm up with then upping the pace till I hit 7:14's for a couple followed by a two mile cool down. 

With the nice warm weather today, I figured I would get a nice easy ride in.  Since my tri season is over for the year, I took the road bike out.  Well, the tri bike is now in pieces for some minor maintenance/modifications could also be the reason I took the road bike out too...  I started out at Ordean school and headed east to Skyline Parkway.  I rode up and jumped off at the top of seven bridges, and then found my way to Tischer.  I kept heading north and then took a left on Zimmerman to head back to Jean Duluth and head home.  On the way up, I kept it pretty easy as the road was either heading up, or a little rougher pavement or both.  Once onto Zimmerman, the pavement was pretty nice so I picked up the pace a little.  The rest of the ride was nice and overall it was a good way to recover from the long run yesterday. 

End of the Season Mexican Style

The hail while running yesterday was a solid reminder that winter is approaching quickly around these parts.  So the good weather last Saturday for the final triathlon of the season was that much more welcome.  For the last tri of the year I registered for the unique Burrito Union triathlon (http://www.burritounion10hrtri.com/).  This event has many different option from individual 5 hour to 3 person 10 hour versions.  I signed up for the individual 5 hour category.  We would be competing on a 600 meter swim/14 mile bike/3 mile run course and repeating until the clok hit 5 hours.  In the days leading up to this race I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get in and out of a wetsuit quickly while sweaty. 

For everyone who has raced before, think of how long it takes you to get into your wetsuit prior to the race and all of the tricks you use.  Now add a bunch of sweat, and oh yeah, try this right at the finish line of a sprint tri...  To try to make this step as easy as possible I also had to figure out how to not just take my wetsuit off quickly, but also not leave it in an inside out lump with the breakaway zipper still engaged. 

So, basically I really iced to fact that I am a slow swimmer (this would be why I was putting the wetsuit on for every swim...  that and the cold water).  I passed so many people on the bike and run throughout the first lap of the course.  The bike course was a simple out and back on pretty decent roads.  The fact that the park where we swam/transitioned was at the top of a nice hill so the bike was seven miles of downhill followed by the return trip of seven miles uphill, well that was just a fun benefit!  The run was on very well shaded trails.  A little bit of slippery mud was not a big deal until the third or fourth lap.  Overall it was a wonderful course. 

Now anytime I race for more than 2 hours, there is usually something that surprises me during the race.  For this race, I assumed that would have something to do with transitions as I would be doing that a whole lot more, and in new ways.  For this race, my "issue" to deal with would be more of a gostrointestinal issue.  When I was out on the second run, I started feeling like I needed to use the restroom and not to take a leak.  I wasn't sure if it was really a sh#t coming, but I was figuring I did not want to bet on a fart with more than 2 hours of racing still to come.  Luckily the transition area had a nice little bathhouse with real toilets.  The location was actually in between the finish line and my transition spot so I did not add extra time with my detour.  Of course, wearing my racing onesie made the effort take a little longer than normal.  Once I got on the crapper, all I had to do was fart...  So I wasted a little extra time for a fart...  Better safe than sorry.

Once I got back to racing things continued on like normal.  The third swim was quite a challenge.  Not sure why, but it was tough.  At this point it was pretty obvious the race would be four full circuits of the course.  Once onto the fourth lap, the swim went well this time.  Maybe because I knew I did not need to do it again.  It also felt nice to just peel the wetsuit like normal and get through t1 in a more normal time.  The second half of the bike was feeling a little slow, and the run...  Well, it went a little slower than I would have liked. 

All in all, I was happy with the overall effort I had.  I captured first in my age division and had a good time.  Sitting around after it was fun to watch the 10 hour individuals and teams still coming in and out of transition.  Maybe next time I will try the 10 hour version, maybe as a team too.  I would suggest this race for anybody looking for a unique event to finish your season off.  Get a few friends together and relax while racing, or go solo and see what you can do for 5 or 10 hours. 

Sprite with the handcrafted bowl for 1st in my age division.

What the Hail?

Every spring and fall I participate in the trail running series in the Duluth area organized by the Northern Minnesota Track Club.  It is a series of races on various trails around the Duluth area on Wednesday evenings or Sunday afternoons. 

Tonights race was Zapp's loop.  It starts in the Fond du Lac area runs through the Mission Creek park.  The trail has some good hills, a couple of creek crossings and is through a very wooded area.  With the dark clouds that were headed our way as we prepared to start, it was inevitable that some form of precipitation would hit us while running.  Since it was in the low 40's, it happened to be hail.  Luckily it was only small hail, only fell for a short time and fell while we were running through a pretty tree covered part of the trail. 

The run starts with a nice uphill section.  The trail is basically single track and pretty easy to follow.  At the top of the hill we get thrown out on the paved Munger Trail for a short section.  With my legs still a feeling a little heavy from my triathlon this past weekend, I used the flat section to see how my pace felt.  After leaving the trail, we then head downhill.  The trail downhill is a little wider than the uphill section, but it has a lot of washout so I spent the whole section trying to pick the best line and not trip and fall on my face.  At the bottom of the hill you hit a couple of creek crossings.  They are not very deep so you can barrel right through them.  Then it is back up the hill again.  At the top we are back on a single track section and there are lots of tree branches hanging over the trail.  Since a lady had passed me on the uphill I was following her through this section for a bit.  After smacking into a few branches that appeared out of nowhere, I figured it would be smart to pass her before the coming downhill.  Onto the final downhill...  This section was a very fast downhill with very tricky footing that was not helped by the fact it was wet.  I managed to keep myself upright and crossed the creek one more time and hit the finish. 

Even with the wet conditions, I was able to cut over a minute from my time last year.  I would say that had a lot to do with having a decent idea of what was coming and being able to pace the run better.  Ended up being a great run and lots of fun.

First Post...

I have thought about starting a blog for awhile.  It isn't that I have anything really important to say, but every now and then it might be nice to put my thoughts on various things (mostly exercise and participating in athletic events such as triathlons and running races) out there for others.  Of course talking to co-workers/friends/family that may not care or understand of what I am talking about will make you wonder if you are boring them with the little details.

Enter a blog.  Now, I am only boring the folks who stumble upon my blog that choose to read it.  So, if you want to know what it is like to sign up for running races and triathlons as a way to force yourself to exercise because you do not want to make a complete fool of yourself come race day...  Welcome. 

I plan on discussing whatever it is that comes to my mind, so I will drift from swimming/biking/running often and discuss other subjects that come up.  Enjoy and I hope my ramblings can bring a smile or a laugh, or maybe even inform someone.