Fall Running

NMTC Fall Trail Series

It is once again time for the weekly fall trail series put on by the Northern Minnesota Track Club.  So far, the weather has been wonderful every week with dry conditions and cool temperatures.  The schedule this year has been switched around a bit, and the races have changed a little also.

Lester Park

This year we started the series at Lester Park.  This is the longest of the fall races at 10.5k.  I had a good evening at Lester and put together a solid run.  This course did not see any changes from the last time I ran it, we still ran out and then did two loops before coming back to finish at the main park area.

Rolling Stone

With the flooding earlier this year, the start area at Spirit Mountain for the standard Rolling Stone course was washed out.  This year we started at the zoo and used a modified course.  The course started with a slight uphill to a service road that was flat.  We then took a left onto a singletrack trail.  I was lucky that on the road Connie passed me and I tucked in behind her for the singletrack section.  I simply trusted her skill as a trail runner and followed her through.  I did not have to pay attention for the flags to find the course or worry about the trees or rocks or roots.  Wherever she ran I followed.  When we popped out of the trail we were at the very bottom of Spirit Mountain and we turned right and were looking at a line of runners heading straight up the ski hill.  Great...  I was forced to walk for a portion of the hill, but was only passed by one runner.  We then headed across the hill and connected with the normal Rolling Stone course.  On the quick open downhill, I managed to pass the gentleman who passed me on the uphill and I held him off for the rest of the run.

Overall I was pleased with my run.  I kept a solid pace and did a better job on the second half of the race not slowing down too much.  Luckily I was not one of the folks to run through the bees that were a little riled up.

Brown's Point

We were back to the normal Brown's Point course that is a 2.5 mile out and back that has a series of steep up down portions that really test your climbing ability in short chunks.

Coming into Brown's Point my knee was bothering me a little and it was a little sore during the run.  This caused me a little concern, but it was not bad enough to slow down.  I just promised myself I would take a day off after the race.  The whole second half of this course I was doing everything I could to not slow down.  Each time up the short steep sections I concentrated on keeping the legs turning over.  When I would hit the flatter sections I worked on getting back up to speed quickly and then getting back into rhythm.  When we came out onto the road for the last 0.4 miles, I tried to pick up the speed as much as possible to make sure nobody would catch me.

Again I felt good overall with my run.  My knee was a little sore, but now a few days later it is fine.  I think the steep downhills were not doing it any favors.  I am now looking forward to Rock Hill next week.

Wrenshall Fall Fest 10K

I saw this race and figured it would be a good practice run prior to the TC 10 mile next weekend.  The conditions this morning were perfect for running.  With a 10:00 am start time, the sun was up and the air temps were in the low 50's.  There was a little wind, but nothing to worry about for running.  My goal was to stay sub 7:00 for all of the miles., which I talked about with Dave at the start.

I started a little quick with a 6:40 mile, but I then found my pace in the 6:50 range after that.  A lady runner that was by us at the start line stayed with me for the first mile, but then started falling back.  I was a little worried that she heard me say I was planning on running right around 7 flats and then tried to stay with me when I ran a 6:40 to start.  Good at pacing at the start has never been said about my running skill.  In the end she did not fall too far back so maybe she just runs like I do and starts too fast.

Overall I ended with a 42:30 for a 6:51 average per mile.  This was a PR for me at the 10K distance and I was very pleased. Also, my knee was fine.  It did not feel sore at all while running and throughout the day continues to be fine. Some friends I saw at the race also had good races; Dave finished just ahead of me in the low 40's, and Amanda crushed her goal of sub 1hr in her first 10k.  All in all a great last strong run prior to next weekend's 10 miler.  

Burrito Union Race Report

Pre-Race

Morning of I arrived for setup at about 10 minutes after 6:00 am.  First order of business was to grab a nice spot and a picnic table so we would have a place for 10 hours of transitioning.  I then got all of my bike gear setup so that in the case of a mechanical, I would be able to take care of it quickly.  Clint arrived shortly after I did and he had a wonderful pop-up tent the Duluth Running Company uses at events he was able to bring.  This would be key later to protect us from the intermittent showers and keep us dry.  Lou showed up next and we were ready to go. 

Left to Right, myself, Lou and Clint.

 Strategy

Going into the race our plan was to stay in our specific sport for at least the first 3-4 rounds and then decide after that.  Clint would be our swimmer, I was biking and Lou was running.  For our overall goals, we wanted to win our category, win the 10 hour overall, and therefore also win a growler of beer. 

Start

At the start of the day, all of the 10 hour teams and individuals take off 30 minutes before the 5 hour folks.  Right off the bat, Clint pulled in behind the growler teams swimmer Howie.  He drafted for most of the way.  I had to get prepped so I did not see the finish, but Clint pushed hard to be the first out of the water and into transition.  He sent me out on the first bike ahead of the field.  I wanted to push a little harder on lap 1 to make sure every other team knew we were planning on racing hard.  I was able to stay out in front for the entire ride and sent Lout out first.  On the bike, it was apparent early on that the wind was going to be an issue all day.  It was early morning and it was already blowing pretty hard.  Lou took off and ran well.  We came off the first lap with a good lead on everyone else in the 10 hour race.  So far, so good.

Note the profile and the corresponding speed profile for the first triathlon...

Lather, Rinse, Repeat…

It now became an effort in quick recovery and trying to spot your athletes.  As noted in lap 1, Clint was clearly one of the fastest swimmers here today.  On top of that, he was basically our transition athlete.  So while his event might have been the shortest in time, he was really kicking ass by hammering the transition from run to swim and from swim to bike.  We actually had me setup right at the bike mount line with one foot clipped in and he would sprint the entire way from the lake so that we could take every last second out of transition possible. 

For myself, I would be biking a lot with less than 30 minutes to recover in between.  For me it was all about staying hydrated and fueled while also not having stomach issues on the bike.  As the day went on, it really became an exercise in surviving the wind and the rain.  Talking with athletes throughout the day the wind was what all of the bikers talked about.  Considering it rained on 6 of the 9 laps, you know the wind was bad. 

Running had to be tough.  In the end Lou ran 27 plus miles.  I am not sure it would have been harder to run it back to back as cooling down for 45-50 minutes in between had to make it tough later in the day.  Factor in the cool temps and the hilly course; well I think our runner had a tough task and did well.  I was most impressed with Lou’s ability to strip in no time flat.  More than once I was coming back from the bike and he was still in his warm clothes and he had them off and was out running in no time flat. 

Video from third time through the bike course...

Finish Time

As the time started to wind down we were chatting strategy again.  As Lou was out for our 8^th run it was obvious we would have more than enough time for 9 laps.  There were only two other teams that would be allowed to start their 9^th lap.  Talking to them in transition, neither of them were going to start the 9^th lap.  So, we were guaranteed the overall win for the 10 hour race.  So, go out for 9 or not?  Clint wanted to win in style, so we decided to knock out a 9^th lap.  He hammered the swim as usual and off I went on the bike.  At this point, I had already ridden 114 miles on the day.  I have never ridden that far in a single day ever.  I now was heading out for 14 more…  It went well and I was glad we did it as there were many racers still challenging themselves on the course as the 10 hour time limit was coming. 

In the end, 9 laps was the count.  A nice bowl, and a growler of beer.  Basically a great day of racing with friends.

The Spoils of the Day

Burrito Union Prep

This weekend I will be taking another shot at the Burrito Union Triathlon.  Instead of competing as an individual like last year, I found a couple other crazies to try out the 10 hour relay event.  Our tentative plan is to race as specialists with Clint swimming, myself biking and Lou running.  We plan on having our other gear in case we get sick of our specific sport and want to switch it up.

I will be back on Sunday with a race report if I survive the Minnesota Mile in the morning.  That should be interesting, 10 hours of biking on Saturday and then waking up early to see just how fast I can run a mile on Sunday.