Ice Age Trail 50 (1/2 marathon)

Ice Age Trail 50 (1/2 marathon) - May 10th, 2025
time = 2:17:15

pace = 10:29

placed 5th in my age group (50-59) out of 34

placed 23rd in women out of 151

placed 70th overall out of 285

strava data here

the last time i ran this race was in 2019.  i ran it better (aka faster) then, but i was also 6 years younger, and not in menopause.  although i suppose i can't really blame the menopause, but i am constantly fatigued, which is my new normal since going into menopause. so there's that...

notably, everyone in my age group who beat me was also older than me, so that maybe debunks my menopause theory. 

this year, they changed up the parking structure and were shuttling people in from the nearby (10 min drive away) high school.  my anxiety was really high going into this race for some reason.  i was worried about parking and wanted to have my car close, so i went to nordic at 7am even though my race wasn't until 9am.  gabby and michael were there already because michael's brother was running the 50-miler, and that took off at 6am, i think.  

the 2 hours went by very quickly.  my brother, sister in law, and nephew were coming and set to arrive around 8:30am.  i talked to a couple of people i knew, and while i was talking to someone, dax called me.  i turned around and there he was, so he also came out to support my run.  i'm really fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life.

i was still feeling nervous for some reason and (in hindsight) didn't get enough warming up in before the start of the race, but that's neither here nor there.

i got changed into my running gear and then my family arrived.  we said hello and talked until it was time to line up for the start.  i tried to position myself towards the front middle of the pack so that i wasn't going to be stuck passing people right away.  i still got stuck in a clump of people, but then everyone found their strides and spread out.  the first mile or so, my achilles tendons were talking to me and sort of burning like they were doing too much.  i made note of it but everything else on my body felt really good so i just worked through it.  it eventually went away and felt fine.

i went out WAY TOO FAST per usual.  sheesh... i was trying to temper my stride and keep it at around a 10.  i did fairly well after the first 2 miles, but had to really pay close attention or i'd fall back into a faster pace than preferred.  this ended up being my downfall for the second loop.  too fast the first loop, and then the heat came, and so did the struggle bus.

i came through the start/finish after the first loop at the 1/2 way mark and was already feeling the warming day.  my fingers were starting to swell like sausages, and my handheld was nearly empty.  got some water from emily at the aid station and then continued on my way.  i walked out of the start/finish and got beyond the bathrooms before i started running again.  not a good sign. foreshadowing maybe? 

at about mile 9 the chafing began in earnest. i stopped at the aid station kevin was manning to slather some vaseline on my thighs, joke with the volunteers, and then get moving.  there was a woman who i believe to be in my age group switching positions with me through the whole first loop back and forth and i decided that i wanted to get in before her.  she was coming up behind me while i was at the aid station so i took off to try and stay ahead of her.  honestly, if it weren't for that goal i probably would have run in slower than i already was running. 

i had an A goal of 2 hours, B goal of 2:20, and C goal of finishing.  i always go into every race with an A, B, C goal set.  the A goal is usually a little unrealistic but still possible, the B goal is usually completely doable but challenging, and then the C goal is when all else fails... just get it done.  one foot in front of the other and anything can be accomplished. i managed to stay ahead of her until the finish while several others passed me in the last open prairie stretch before the last set of hills to the finish.  nothing was hurting but for some reason i could not get my "go" to go... i was really fatigued and just kept wanting to walk.  so. many. hills.

i ran into the finish as fast as i could and managed a pretty solid time.  i almost cried several times in the last few miles, as one does, but its nearly impossible to run and cry at the same time so that works in my favor.  i suppose that i'm happy with my finish, but also a tiny bit disappointed because i really wanted to be faster.  the first loop made me think that i could get it done, but i guess there's no accounting for all the uncontrollable factors that impact a race.  i'm not acclimated to warm weather running yet, and this race being in may makes it challenging to know what weather to expect.  for me, these things make a difference.  i've noticed that things that didn't impact me years ago when i was running/racing are now factors to consider in my running.  weather, fueling, etc... 

as always, this race is the best.  the race director does a wonderful job, and all the volunteers are really great and supportive.  everyone involved with this race wants the runners to do well.

the iceage 50 is the oldest trail race in the country. people come from all over to run the various distances (50 miles, 50K, and the 1/2 marathon). i’ve run the 50K twice. completed it the first time (in 5:34) and DNF’d the second time at mile 19.9. this is my second time running the 1/2. the first time i finished in 2:06. so a smidge slower this time coming in at 2:17 but i'm not complaining!  my body works, i'm running again, and i've got a lot to be grateful for.  life is really good.  

Chippewa Trail Races - 20 Miler

 Chippewa Trail Races - April 26, 2025
time = 4:32:05

pace = 13:20
placed 4 in my age group (50-59) out of 11
placed 10 in women out of 43
placed 29 overall out of 80
link to strava data

a lot of trail runners i know run this race annually but neither gabby nor i have ever run it so we decided to give it a go.  the plan was to run it "comfortably" as we both are training for other things and didn't want to exactly "race" this race.  we arrived in chetek on friday afternoon, found northwoods best inn, and got our stuff situated there.  asked the front desk for food recommendations, and she recommended gilligan's (which i might add is on 8 1/2 avenue.  incidentally... a lot of the streets were fractions 8 3/16 ave, 5/16 ave, 25 3/8 ave, etc... which we laughed about.)  other options were "joe's b&b bar and grill", "phil's bar and grill", and "mary's cafe and pub", all on the same block. 

gilligan's was as expected.  a little bar and grill on one of the many bodies of water up in chetek.  the food was good.  the place was empty.  it was also 2:30pm, so there's that.

we ate, we left, and nearly forgot we had to go pick up our bibs.  we drove the 25 minutes to the david r. obey ice age interpretive center. we looked at a bunch of animal pelts, stuffed animals, live animals, picked up our packets and headed back to the "inn". on the way back we stopped for ice cream and candy at the aptly named "custer's cones & candy". 

once we got our food, bibs, and sugar fill we headed back to the "inn" for the rest of the day/night.  we watched some bad tv until lights out, and that was that.  the place was nice enough. no frills, and the rooms were clean.  no muss no fuss.

saturday morning started at 6am.  we both slept pretty badly for various reasons, but race day is race day yay!  i ate the rest of my steak and potatoes for breakfast, and we were out the door by 7:30am for an 8:30am start.

the weather was a bit cool, but we knew it was going to warm up fairly quickly.  the race starts at the center on the top of a hill.  i think we clocked it at a quarter mile maybe... i don't remember.  the beginning of the race is a downhill which ended in a muddy section of trail before continuing around and then back up to the road.  we ran on the road for a short distance and then headed out on the iceage trail.  the majority of the race is on the iceage trail with glorious views, many little lakes, and quite perfect conditions.  very few muddy spots, but lots of roots and rocks for our dancing pleasure... or if you're me tripping and falling pleasure.

this race is an out and back with the 10 mile aid station turnaround on a short stretch of road.  we picked up a man, whom i started calling our caboose, right at the beginning of the race, and he stayed with us most of the time.  we lost each other here and there, and then lost him for good somewhere between miles 13-15.  the 10 mile aid station was stocked with nut roll candy things, snickers, fruit snacks, gatorade, water (of course), and some other snacky type things. we were hoping for some real food, but you get what you get.  around mile 13ish, i started chafing (thighs) and kicking myself for not bringing the lube along.  i really didn't think i would need it... i was wrong.  i won't make that mistake again.   my hip flexors also started talking to me.  i managed to eat shit twice (once fairly early on and then the second time near miles 16-17) and tripped without falling twice... no injuries tho'... just a little bit of a skinned left knee.  i pulled my right glute rock climbing on the tuesday before the race and was pretty worried it was going to be problematic, but nope... absolutely no pain at all on race day.

we were leapfrogging a couple of people (and groups) throughout the race and picked a woman in denim printed spandex running shorts and a group of four younger women to beat to the finish.  we passed up denim shortly after the 10 mile turn around (which incidentally was a pretty big dirt road hill) and about 1 mile after that we passed the 4 horsemen because they took a wrong turn and had to back track to get back on the right trail... they never caught back up to us.

eventually we were running grouped with a couple of older people, and we just stuck with them for some time.  there was an aid station at mile 3, and gabby and i discussed it and decided not to stop going out or coming back.  this allowed us to pass up a few more people who did stop on the way back.  the goal then became to stay ahead of all those we passed and get to the finish as quickly as we could.

i was really hurting by then and having a lot of trouble with my hip flexors.  i had to give myself an internal pep talk to keep it moving.  gabby was wonderful as our pacer and kept us on track with a pretty steady pace throughout.  i, as we know, have a lot of trouble with consistent pacing and tend to go out too fast and poop out at the finish.  not so much this time, which i'm grateful for.  we kept ticking down the last 3 miles, and as we came back towards the start, we were met with a bunch of mud on the last stretch to the center.  all of the places that were a little muddy on the way out were now very muddy with the late morning sun, and there wasn't much in the way of avoiding it.  so tromp through the mud, resulting in wet mud-covered shoes and legs, it was.

the finish is back up that original hill, and to be fair... it's more of a 3 tier rolling hill and very demoralizing.  as we were heading for it, i had a baby breakdown with a couple of tears, but it's virtually impossible to cry and run at the same time, so run we did.

gabby had to go to the bathroom since before the last aid station, so with a bursting bladder and an apology, off she went.  she ran up the last 1/3ish of the hill while i walked it out, trying not to cry.  

i tend to cry when i do hard things and am in physical pain.  the race was really fun, well supported, in a beautiful setting, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.  

came through the finish with all the other finishers who came before me hanging out, sitting around, eating and resting after a job well done.  i dropped myself in the grass near the finish and watched others come in while i caught my breath, drank some coke, and ate some chicken noodle soup (although i didn't eat much as it was hot and not at all what i wanted to be consuming).  all in all we had a wonderful time and i would absolutely run this race again. 

next time tho' i will stay overnight saturday night too, as we ended up staying after the race for only about 30 minutes and then got in the car for the 4 hour drive home.  no bueno!  it was really challenging to drive home right after running 20 miles.  we stopped a few times to stretch and once for food and gas.  i have nothing but good things to say about this race.  i'm really glad i did it, and i'm really grateful for having such wonderful friends as gabby, who will sign up for a race 4 hours away on a whim.

do hard things

i say this to myself a lot.  i mean... a lot.  there are some seriously difficult things that i live with every day and have for a very long time in my personal life so i try to find the most wonderful things about each day even when it seems like it's the shittiest day ever.

i've had a pretty tough 34 days.  it's been 34 days exactly since i sprained the fuck out of my right ankle.  sprained it so bad i thought it was broken.  see my previous post. 

today i ran.  i ran deliberately slow and controlled and oh so careful because i have some goals for 2020 to do some very hard things and i need my ankle to allow me to do these very hard things.

my ankle is achy and sore but painless.  running felt wonderful but hard.  my cardio has suffered with that short break but nothing to worry about.  my training starts in earnest the second week of january so i've got time to get it together before then.

today i did a very scary thing.  i signed up for the iceage 50.  i sort of want to puke.  i've run the 50K before and never in a million years thought i'd ever want to run 50 miles... but here we are once again proving never say never is indeed a thing.

“Courage is not the absence of fear. 

It is rather not letting your fear control your actions” 

~ Brett Harris

sometimes you have to do hard things to know you're alive, strong, and that life is as beautiful as you know it is.

when it rains it pours... otherwise known as a rolled ankle

gah... so after my last post about how i NEED running to be sane i went out and ran again that sunday because well... everything felt great!  the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, my smile was a mile wide, and basically rainbows were shooting out of my ass.

then it all came crashing down.

i was about 1.5 miles from home on a beautiful trail that runs along the river and i rolled my right ankle.  i crumpled to the ground as the sky did indeed fall all around me.  i laid there in the mud for a little bit chanting the mantra "please don't be broken, please don't be broken, please don't be broken" over and over again through tears.

then i took a breath and reasoned with myself that if i could stand on then it wasn't broken. 
so i bore weight and... i could stand on it.

then i reasoned that if i could walk on it (in spite of the instant swelling just above my shoe line) that it wasn't broken. 
so i took a few steps and... i could walk.

then i convinced myself that if i could run on it then there's absolutely no way it's broken.
so i ran home.

while it hurt a little it didn't hurt like i expected a break to feel.  i've broken another bone before (shattered my right wrist in 2007) and just now i'm remembering that it didn't hurt at all for about 2 hours.  then hole-e-shit it hurt SO MUCH!  well... i ran home and it didn't really hurt and i figured that if it was broken there was no way i would be able to do that.

when i got home i asked my husband to look at it and judging from his reaction... i guess i should have called him to come get me.

as soon as i took the shoe off my whole ankle swelled up like a balloon.  i basically took a shower and then sat on the couch with ice the whole rest of the day.  then on monday i went to the doc and she had a little looksee and told me that it wasn't broken but very badly sprained.

*sigh*

being that i'm not feeling all that mentally stable right now this felt like the end of the world for a hot minute.  then i dusted off my brain and took a breath. 

the nurse said 4-6 weeks but i'm not in a boot so that's something.  my ankle was so swollen the first 1/2 of this week that i couldn't get a real shoe on my foot.  today it's still swollen (6 days later) but at least i can see my ankle bones now.  before it was cankle city!

there's a pretty impressive bruise that goes from just above my ankle bone on the outside all the way along the whole base of my foot and ends just before the pinkie toe begins.  mostly the bruise hurts but the foot/ankle... not so much. 

guess 2019 is really going out with a bang.

Instep Trail Races - 7Miler

InStep Trail Races, 7 miler - September 14, 2019
time = 1:05:33
pace = 9:48
placed 1 in my age group (45-49) out of 7
placed 4 in women out of 43
placed 15 overall out of 70
link to strava data

please note:  this is the fastest i've run this race in the past 3 years... yay!

the start of this report is going to look remarkably like last year's report in that i didn't run much prior to this race.  in fact, my last run prior to this race was the sunday before... so 5 full days with no running.  this is because about 2 weeks ago i ran this course (minus the tower) in new shoes/insoles (same shoes and insoles as always... just a new pair of each) and for whatever reason, my right shin got very very sore.  i mean, tender to the touch sore.  this, in turn, affected the rest of the lower leg on that side and i opted to see my physical therapist last friday as a ditch effort for some magical cure.  he said my soleus muscle was all jacked and was likely affecting the rest of the leg.  he did some deep tissue massage that left me hella sore the rest of the week and i opted for a short run on that sunday post PT, but rest the remaining days of the week.

i got to lapham early so that i could warm up incase everything was still jacked.  i ran a loop around the parking lot and wouldn't you know it... my stupid leg was weird.  now, i say it was "weird" because it wasn't painful.  it was weak feeling... like a pinched nerve sort of... or like it was going to give out and not hold my weight sort of.  i walked it off, stretched, stretched my ankle specifically, and then figured i was going to have to wing it.

i ran into the only other person i knew was running the same race, candice, and we talked and commiserated about our injuries.  then it was almost time to race.  incidentally, this is the last year that russ is directing the race.  instep was bought out by PRO so there would be no more of this race... until it was announced that silver circle sports events is going to take it over.  not sure what they will call it or how it will be run, but since this is my favorite course and favorite race of the year... i'm glad they're going to continue it.

so candice and i started the race together and nursed our injuries for about the first 1/2 mile and then we separated.  i had a time goal for this race and once my leg felt fine... i decided i was going to still shoot for it.  so off i went.

i try to run the whole first mile of the course (race or no race) and that means that i run approximately the last .25 uphill.  i know that doesn't sound difficult but that is very difficult for me.  i am not good at running uphill.  in fact, i would say that i am absolutely terrible at it and can't figure out how to get better.

so i hit 1 mile on my watch and promptly started walking.  oh sweet relief!  walking is wonderful... until it's not.  so i walk a little ways up to a specific dip in the trail where it sort of becomes a gentle incline instead of an actual hill and then i start running again.  this particular hill is called gut buster and is approximately .78 of a mile up.  it seems not so hard when you're looking at it but when you're trying to run it... it's very difficult.  for me at least...

so i run/walk up this hill and try to run as much as i can with certain spots where i take walk breaks to help get my heart rate back down and to not feel like i'm dying.

then the top comes and the sweet sweet joy of bombing the downhills begins.  i LOVE, absolutely LOVE bombing down.  it is my reward for trying to run up. lol!  i also make up significant time by doing this - quads be damned!


it was at this point that i caught up to a couple of guys as i bombed down a hill.  i kept trading places with them for a bit and started to get annoyed and too focused on where they were.  they were ahead of me for the whole first part of the race, but after gut buster i passed them on the down hill and then when i walked they passed me on the up and this went on for several different hills until i was finally tired and annoyed enough of being so close to them that i  took off on the flat at the top of asthma hill to get some space between us.  i lost them in the hills just prior to the tower, and i managed to maintain pretty good splits even with running up the tower in mile 4.  i meant to count the sets of stairs up the tower but forgot... i think there are 5 flights but i have no idea how many actual stairs.  once at the top i turn around and fly down... holding on so that if i eat it... i won't fall far.

i saw candice on my way from the tower as she was heading to the tower.  since i am so competitive and she was the only person i knew personally who was running the race i really wanted to stay ahead of her.  she is a much better runner than me and she kicked my ass at high cliff passing me in the last mile and beating me in the race so this time... i wanted to stay ahead... cuz... competitive.  duh...

thankfully right after the tower is the downhill (the big slide?) that parallels gut buster and is similar length so almost a mile downhill... running at full speed and making up time.  i passed a few people but this race is 3 different races at the same time on the same course so it's hard to determine who's in your race and who's running the 1/2 or the full marathon distances... and trying to look at someone's bib is just too tough so i have no idea if i was passing people in my race or not.  no matter... it feels good to pass people cuz... competitive.

i hit the bottom of the hill and at that point it's about 1.5 miles to the finish with another long hill (aptly named 2 tier because there are 2 parts of the hill with a small sort of flatish incline between them).  i passed a guy on the flat who passed me right back on the first portion of 2 tier, and back and forth until the downhill called magic carpet ride.  i zoomed past him on magic carpet ride because who cares about quads, and then there was one more man in front of me.  he seemed to be running faster than me but when we hit the final flat at the same time i pulled ahead by a hair.  it was then that i decided to try and stay ahead of him.  it was SO HARD!  i was literally only a breath ahead of him... i could hear him breathing on my right the whole time.  when we both hit the final straightaway and i could see the finish i started sprinting.  normally i do not do this because i simply do not have it in me.  normally i feel so bad at the end of a race that it takes all that i have just to keep running, however this time... i RAN!

i ran as hard and as fast as i could with him on my heels the whole time.  i came in first with only a 2 second different between our times!  TWO SECONDS!  man... that felt really good.  it felt really good to run as hard as i could and do as well as i did coming off a stupid weird injury.  i'm hoping that the injury is gone for good and that tomorrow when i wake up i will feel great and will be able to run a nice run with frank.

i've got some big goals for 2020 and need to go into the new year fresh and injury free!

as always i love the shit out of this race.  i love lapham and love running there as much as i can.  i'm not sure what the race will be called next year but i hope it's put on with just as much love and care as russ put into it all these years.

High Cliff Ultra 25K

High Cliff Ultra 25K - August 3rd 2019

time = 2:49:52
pace = 10:56
placed 1 in my age group (45-49) out of 15
placed 12 in women out of 76
placed 25 overall out of 124
link to strava data


what to say about this... well, i've DNS'd the past 2 years in a row due to my near-constant injury after injury.  this year i really wanted to run this so i waited until 3 weeks before the race and signed up.  i suppose i should mention that when i signed up the longest distance i had run since may was maybe 10 miles.  i figured i would run it and not really race it and just make sure that i finished as the goal.

i ran a 15 mile training run out at nordic with sid the saturday before and it went well with no aches or pains but we took it really easy and ran pretty slow.  then on my tuesday run the next week my left leg felt so bad!  my quad was all kinds of knotted up and i could barely roll it without tears.  because i wanted to run this race i decided not to run the rest of last week (leading up to the race) so i could just roll the knots out of my quad and be good for the race.  it proved to be the right tactic because my legs felt great going into the race!

high cliff state park is approximately 1:47 minutes from my house.  i drove up the morning of the race since my race didn't start until 9am so i could get up at a decent time and make it there with time to spare.  my gps sent me to the wrong place at first but it must happen all the time because that place is a storage area for the park and they have a sign right out front that says so much and gives directions on how to get to the actual park entrance.  so i turned around and headed into the quaint little village of sherwood, wi.  i finally found the park and drove up to where all the hand written signs were telling me to go.

once i arrived i got a primo parking spot right at the starting line.  i think people thought it was a handicap spot as it was right next to the actual handicap spot, but it was not... don't worry i checked... it was just for me!

i got there just in time to see the 50K start.  denny was running that and i cheered him on, but alas... he did not hear me.  after that i went looking for my bib.

got my bib and noticed that there was no timing chip!  what the hell?!?  i got all nervous and fb'd a friend who told me that Mark, the race director, does it old school and they write down your time as you come through the finish.  craziness... hard for my type-A personality to be ok with it but what the hell?!?  i went with it and hoped that they got it right.

the race starts pretty bare-bones... like a lot of trail races i've run... just a little yell and off we went.

the first 2/10 of a mile was a steep service road downhill.  it spread people out but only by a smidge.  then we ran a bit of flat paved trail for the other 8/10 of the first mile to go ahead and start climbing single track trail back to the bluff.  to be honest... i don't remember the flat being that long but in all the excitement things get weird.

the single track was frustrating because it was up down up down up down and i was stuck behind a couple of people.  when i'd finally get past them there'd be an incline and we all know how well i "run" those... so i'd be walking and they'd pass me again.  i make up my walking time on the downs so i was really frustrated that i couldn't get away from these people so that i could really open up my downs.  finally, we got to some flat area (maybe near mile 4?), and i was able to give it some gas and put a little space between us.  i ended up running with a really nice woman until about mile 6 or so.  we kept passing each other as one of us would walk and the other would run by and this went on for a couple of miles until at an aid station in the prairie i lost her for good.  it's too bad too because i was really enjoying her company and it would have been nice to run with her through the prairie that came next.

miles 6-12 were basically scorching hot as balls prairie in full sun and about 85º with very very short brakes of woods for about a stride or two throughout.  to say the prairie was hot as balls is an understatement.  it was more like running on a treadmill in an oven with a heat lamp beating down on you.  there were very short bursts of a gentle cool breeze but they were few and far between.  it was freaking hot!  when i was coming back around to the aid station between miles 12 and 13 i noticed that my fingers were swollen up like sausages.  i needed some salt.

i want to take a moment to thank the volunteers at this aid station.  they were absolutely the best and really boosted my mood both times i went through.  they worked tirelessly to make sure that each and every runner that came through felt special and cared for and it was just what i needed at that moment.  so the space between 12 and 13... i asked one of the volunteers if anyone had any s-tabs and no one did but he offered me a potato.  here's the thing about trail races (if you've never done one)... they have real food.  real good food.  all of the things really...

so i took a tiny potato out of the water it was hanging out in and dipped it in the bowl of salt sitting next to it.  there was so much salt on that damn potato but i sure as hell popped it in my mouth and got it into my belly.  grimace and all.

then i chugged some water, ate some watermelon, and was on my way.  the sign leaving the aid station says 2.3 miles left so i thought... i got this.

my hips had started hurting a couple miles back so i was walking a lot more than anticipated but i felt good and wasn't crying.  i kept running when i could and taking walk breaks when i needed to.  i didn't think i would be winning any placements so i really wasn't pushing through the pain.  i walked a lot in those last 2 miles.

i passed a couple of dudes who smoked me earlier in the race... they were walking now.  the heat really got to a lot of people i think.  i just kept drinking like crazy and making sure my bottle was filled up each chance i got to fill it.  thankfully they had tailwind so i didn't take in anything weird that my belly isn't used to.

so i'm run-walking through the 2.3 miles to the finish and i realize i'm walking more than i'm running so i push a bit harder and that's when i trip.  i saved myself so all was well with the world but i tend to not lift my feet when i get tired so i started paying a little more attention to that so i wouldn't actually fall.

when i'm about a mile out (or so i thought based on what a 25K distance is supposed to be and comparing that to what my watch was telling me) i am passed by 3 women. one right after the other...

so i start to run.  i start to run as hard as i can because hell... i'm almost done and i should be able to run a mile without stopping... right?  i pass 2 of the women who just passed me and then my right hip was all... nah... we're gonna walk.

so i walked.  my watch clocked the course at 15.67 which is why i got confused when i didn't see the finish at 15.5.  it's prairie and then woods and then prairie and then turn into the woods and finally some single track and poof!  we're out of the woods and back at the start/finish where i'm proud to say i ran it in.

i'm pretty proud of this race.  i don't think i was properly trained to be racing this distance and even tho' i said i would go in and just run it... i've never gone in and just run a race.  i race all races.

i did race it conservatively tho' in that i didn't finish with tears or so spent that i couldn't have run a few more miles if necessary.  my hips were hurting which is why i would have had any trouble running farther otherwise i felt pretty good.

this was a really fun race.  it was a lot harder than i thought it would be and i would absolutely run it again.  they had stone-fired pizzas at the end and that was amazing!  i also drank a can of coke which also tasted amazing.

the race director sends out a handwritten note to each participant when they register which i think is a really great touch.  it's meaningful and really drives the olive garden feel home...

"when you're here, you're family"

the bullshit elevation profile for the first 5 miles

all of the next photos were taken by ohwow images.  you can see all the photos they took here

coming down

... and going back up

4 more sleeps...

the last time i ran this race i had an injury that sidelined me for the 3 weeks prior to the race.  this time around i'm definitely more prepared but nursing a different injury altogether that cropped up approximately 3 weeks ago.  maybe a bit longer ago but it didn't hurt enough for me to count it as an injury... more of an annoyance.

today i feel ok.  it still hurts but not enough for concern.  i'm stretching a lot every night and also at crossfit.  i've made the conscious decision not to run at all this week.  as always... my training is there so the one week of no running prior to the race isn't going to make that much of a difference in my performance.  in fact... it might be the thing that helps me perform better... it certainly isn't going to make or break me.

my strategy this time around is to temper my pace, not go out too fast, and try to stay steady for the out and back.  it is going to be difficult because i LOVE this section of trail.  LOVE IT!  i tend to bomb the downhills and this, in turn, fries my quads and wrecks my toes.  i need to go moderately effectively saving it for the loops.  the loops are deceptively difficult.  they're difficult because of the rollers.  it's hard to run up and down and up and down and up and down... hard on the body.

right now a friend of mine is running the entire length of the iceage trail in wisconsin.  1,200 miles with the goal of completing it in 19 days.  she's on day 8 right now.  you can read about her progress here on her boyfriend (and crew support) brian's blog.  it's really such an impressive, inspiring, and amazing feat of the human spirit.  i will be channeling annie's strength on saturday for sure.

in order to meet one of my goals for this race, i need to maintain a pace of 10:37min/mile.  so the strategy is to run the first 13 closer to just under 10 to make up for the ascents.  the theory is that at this pace i should feel pretty comfortable on the loops and maybe just maybe i will feel good enough to push the pace on the final loop.  we will see.  i'm really going to try and keep that strategy.

i suppose that's all i can do now... it's a wait and see.

WI Trail Assail - Sweetest Day 10K

WI Trail Assail - Sweetest Day 10K - October 15, 2016
time = 52:54
pace = 8:30
placed 1st in my age group (40-44) out of 10
placed 6th in women out of 57
placed 23nd overall out of 91
link to strava data

i signed up for this race on a whim.  i just joined oiselle voilée, and there was some chatter on the private fb page regarding this race.  sounded like a good way to meet some new ladies, and to run a trail race... what could be better?!?  so i signed up for the 10K.  mainly i chose that distance because i've only run one other 10K and it was awful.  mostly it was awful because it was full on winter (we know how much i love racing in winter) and the course left a lot to be desired.  so i decided to run this distance for that reason and because i had 5mi on my training plan for that day.  what better way to spend those miles?  amiright?!?

on friday night the weather said it was going to be in the high 60's and sunny.  this was music to my ears.  i picked out my gear and got everything ready for saturday morning.  i woke up before my alarm on saturday morning (as is customary for me), let the dogs out, fed them, and did my usual morning things to get my stomach straight.  i got dressed and as i was getting my shoes on to leave the house i realized that i almost forgot my bib!  ugh... great start to the morning but at least i didn't actually leave the house before remembering.  just before all of those shenanigans the groupme messages started pouring in.  this chat group was set up so that all the oiselle birds could communicate and meet up before/after the race.  i messaged that i was leaving and was on my way.

the drive out to nashotah was uneventful.  i've driven it hundreds of times.  we take our dogs out here to the dog park fairly often, and when we lived in delafield we were regulars coming a few times a week.  it's a great dog park.  i've only run at nashotah once... it was thanksgiving morning with the lptr group.  that particular time there was at least 6 inches of snow on the trail and took a very long time to run a few miles so i had no idea what the trail looks like without snow on it.  i was interested to see.

the groupme app was blowing up the whole drive so i was excited to arrive and respond.  i got there and let the ladies know i had arrived so that we could meet up.  the parking lot was pretty full, but the place didn't look too crowded.  i was sure i'd be able to find people without difficulty.  i parked right in the front by the bathrooms facing all the action.  did i mention that it was freaking cold out?!?  turns out that the weather was not correct (surprise surprise!)... it was high 50's and super windy.  the wind made it feel so much colder than it actually was.  i decided to sit in my car to wait.  i asked where people where and only got the response that they were "here" so i opted to wait in my car until i got a more accurate location.  when parking my car i realized that I FORGOT MY GARMIN!  OH.MY.GOD... WHO DOES THAT?!?  i mean... of all the things i could forget... my garmin?  really?!?  ugh...

went to the bathroom 3 times between arriving and the start of the race.  mostly i went that many times because i simply didn't want to have to pee while running and i'm paranoid about that during races.  while in the bathroom line the last time dave and emma came up and said they had been looking for me.  it was great to run into them!  i saw jeff after one of the other bathroom runs... that was nice too.  never ran into the oiselle ladies tho'... that would come later.

i ended up sitting in my car to wait for the race because i was so cold.  after the last bathroom break it was time to begin.  i jogged over to the start and found dave.  i stood with him to begin and when we took off i had to goof around with my strava app on my phone to track the run.  what a pain in the keister.  got that situated (had to hold my water bottle in my mouth to get my phone in my pocket), bid farewell to dave, and started making my way through the hoard.

we began in a small meadow, ran around some cones, and then onto the trail.  the trails were wide and groomed mostly covered in grass, packed earth, and wood chips.   it is my understanding that these trails are used for hiking and snowshoes in winter.  there was a decent flat at the start and then the rollers began.  i'm not a fan of rollers if you must know.  they aren't hard per se... i just can't get a steady pace going because i'm not very good at running uphill.  there were a couple of big hills near the end of the loop (the 10K was 2 loops of the same trail) with a pretty nice flat to carry you to the end.  the course is beautiful.

everything is changing right now so the colors are all orange, yellow, and brown... very homey and comforting.  it had rained the night before... actually, several days leading up to the race so the earth was soft and pliable.  made for bombing the downhills a lot less strenuous on the joints.  we all started out together... the 5K, 10K, and the 1/2... then maybe 1.5 miles in we broke off... the 5K broke off and then the 10K and 1/2 stayed together for a bit longer.  when i started the 2nd loop i was with one woman (who turned out to be one of the voilée) who i stayed close to until just before the finish.  i left her when i bombed a downhill and she didn't.

my legs were fatigued on the 2nd loop.  i started pushing hard in the last 2 miles...  i came up on another woman and we were neck and neck passing back and forth on the hills (her running up the hills and passing me and me bombing down the hills and passing her) for the last mile or so.

i ended up leaving her behind in the final flat stretch.  i think that running up that last big hill took it's toll on her and she just couldn't muster up the juice to sprint it in... i took off.  i had a goal of running this race in 53min or less.  there was one other man near us and i passed him too and then there was no one else around us.  as i was running the final stretch i saw the clock said 52 minutes... i opened it up and ran as fast as i could.  i really really really wanted to get in under 53 if i could and it looked like i could make it if only i pushed a little harder.

my legs felt a little burn-y but otherwise i felt pretty good.  i think i should have pushed more on the flats.  it was hard to know how fast/slow i was going without my garmin.  i had to rely on feel and i felt way too comfortable out there.  i should absolutely have been pushing harder.

i ran into the finish with everything i had... or everything i thought i had to give.  i love trail running so much.  the course was beautiful.  i would have enjoyed it more had i not been racing, and had been out for a run instead.  not sure i'll go here to run on my own though...  the loops are pretty short, and i don't drive out that way for something so short... i'd rather run at lapham if i'm going to drive out that way, but that's just me.

i would run this race again... maybe the 1/2 next time so i can really settle into a comfortable pace.  i'm not a fan of the 10K distance.  i don't like it because i feel like i need to sprint the whole distance. i feel like it's too long for a sprint and too short to not be a sprint.  so what do i do?  i try to sprint the whole thing...   on the other hand it could be a good learning experience for me to do this race (the 10K distance) again so that i can learn how to run it successfully and effectively.  there's always more to learn.

the cons... the only thing i am not happy with regarding this race were the results.  the timing company posted incorrect results at first (not really a big deal), and subsequently corrected them before i left.  however... i did get the wrong medal at first.  when they posted the corrected results i was able to give back my 3rd place medal and get the 1st place medal.  my thoughts on that are what about the people who had gotten their medals and left?  such a bummer...  additionally, they didn't post overall results either, and when i contacted them via facebook as well as email asking about this... i've so far today (monday) gotten no response to my inquiry.  that sucks.

i did calculate the overall stats myself and i'm pretty sure they're accurate.  i'm not sure if i'm supposed to count the top male/female in the results or even HOW i'm supposed to calculate them in so i counted them in the total number but not in the results number if that makes sense.

like i said... i'd run this again.  i don't think i'd do the series because there are other races that i'm already doing next year that it will interfere with.  i think if you like trail racing, or even if you've never run a trail race and would like to, this is a great race to do that.  it's not too hard that a novice couldn't do it and feel good about it and it's certainly not easy.  all in all it was a good race and i'm glad i chose the 10K distance.

my body feels good.  nothing hurts.  i'm running between 35-40 miles a week right now and it feels really good.  next (and last) on the calendar is the lakefront discovery run.

it's a 15K along the lakefront the weekend after next.  hopefully this weird warm weather will hold out and it won't be freezing...  

emma (dave's daughter), me, dave

jeff & i

the correct medal

Dances With Dirt - Devil's Lake (1/2 Marathon)

Dances With Dirt - Devi's Lake 1/2 Marathon - July 11, 2015

time = 2:11:44
pace = 10:03
placed 4th in my age group (40-44) out of 38
placed 13th in women out of 230
placed 80th overall out of 495
strava data

i'm mildly disappointed in my time.  this is a PR for me on this course (ran it last year to the tune of 2:15:17), but my stomach stopped cooperating around mile 6 or 7.  it got really bad for miles 11-12 where i did a considerable amount of walking to avoid a mess.  i finally had to dip into the woods on mile 12 to take care of it so that i could finish the race strong.  i'm really kinda annoyed about the whole thing.  i'm feeling some kinda way about it because, while this is an ongoing thing i joke about, it is not very funny.  i make light of it because there's really nothing else to do about it.  so i lost very valuable minutes on those miles.  not a whole 11 minutes but i could have certainly finished at least 3-5 minutes faster without all the walking because of the stomach/bathroom issue.  i guess that's neither here nor there at this point.

pre-race smiles

moving on...  this race is so fun!  i love single track trail and the ice age is my absolute favorite trail to run in wisconsin.  i got up at 4am so that the husband and i could drive up to devil's head for the race.  we arrived at about 6:30am and had ample time to walk the dogs around, get my bib, and go to the bathroom.  we took a couple of pictures, did some people watching, and waited around for the race to start.

when it was time to line up i decided to head towards the front. last year i was near the middle and ended up getting caught in a conga line up the 2 mile uphill that makes the beginning of the race remarkable.  i researched my mile splits for last year and knew that i needed to pick up the pace for miles 1,2,7, and 10 specifically so i was determined to be near the front to start.  i started strong and took off with the speed racers.  they spread out quite quickly and i only had to pass a handful of people.  i was running nearly alone the majority of my race with only a handful of other racers near me the whole time.  i did really well for miles 1 and 2 beating my paces from last year so i felt confident that i would be able to PR if i could keep this up.

i was running strong and then at mile 4.9something i tripped.  yup... tripped.  my arms flew out in front of me and slid across the gravel (yes... gravel.) in a land level superman.

not only that but i basically slid into home base (minus the home base) filthing up my shirt, tearing up the skin on my left thigh, ripping open the palm of my right hand as well as my left knee, and hurting my right knee too.  freaking baseball superman... only in GRAVEL!  did i mention that this was on a FLAT?  yup... on a flat.  not on a crazy root, rock, and debris covered downhill or uphill, but a perfectly flat piece of land covered in skin pulverizing, flesh eating, blood thirsty gravel.  *sigh*  wouldn't you know it...

i was assessing the damage as i quickly popped back up  and continued running.   really the only thing that hurt was my hand.  it hurt like hell, but wasn't bleeding that much so i figured it was fine.  it was at this point that i realized i needed to go to the bathroom.  it wasn't to desperate of a need so i ignored it and kept running.  a couple more miles and the route rolls along a beautiful ridge.  a lot of runners stop up there to take in the view but i'm a weirdo and just want to win win win no matter what (plus i had to go to the bathroom) so i don't have time for views!

so i whip through the ridge area and dance down the other side.  the down hills are my favorite!  they are the most fun i have in races like this, and (because i'm not afraid) i just bomb the hell out of them.  my feet touch down like a ballerina's tiptoeing around rocks, roots, and debris.  i bank around corners like a race car driver.  i am in my element on the downhills.  the wind whipping my face as my breath normalizes and my legs stretch out and take on distance.  the uphills are not my forte... i tend to walk or do what looks like a run at walking pace. lol!

i make the very stupid decision (for the second time) to bypass the bathroom at the end of the loop which is mile 8 or 9 i think, and zip past to try and put space between me and the other runners who are stopping at the aid station for drinking and feeding.  this is a mistake because it is the only port-o-potty on the whole course.  i passed it just before mile 5 on the way out to the loop and this is me passing it on the way back from finishing the loop.  STUPID STUPID STUPID.

i fly past and keep going.  mile 10 is coming up fast and it is one where i earmarked it as being a place i had to really pay attention to my pace.  unfortunately, i ended up doing a bit of walking here and there.  i made it through 10 and 11 with some walking, but my pace seemed ok so i wasn't too worried except that my stomach was really talking to me at this point.  i wasn't sure anymore that i could make it to the end of the race without a bathroom break.

i thought if i could just make it to the downhill then everything would be gravy.  the 2 mile uphill at the beginning is also the 2 mile downhill at the end where i can kill it!  i look forward to it and welcome the reprieve.  it was not to be...

i had to do more and more walking breaks to keep my body in check and finally at mile 12 had to step off the trail and handle things.  made for a very slow mile.  i tried to make up the time by bombing the hill as fast as i safely could but it didn't make up enough time to cover all the walking i had to do prior.  seems like i should have just gone to the bathroom at mile 4 and made up the time after... live and learn i suppose.

the downhill was really fun after my stomach felt better.  i flew over that trail as fast as my feet would carry me.  my best was not good enough to reach my 2 hour time goal but i still got a PR which is great.  if i'm being honest i'm not sure i could ever get 2 hours on this course.  the hills are brutal.  the grade of some of them are as steep as 11-17% in places which (given my inability to successfully run uphill) makes it seem a virtually impossible goal.

the soreness in my legs tells me that i did my best.  if my stomach had been cooperating it would have likely only changed my time by 2-4 minutes which is huge and at the same time not huge.  i ask a lot of myself and expect a lot of myself.  i want to do better and better and be faster and faster.  if i can do that and have a great time in the process then why not?

this race is really fun.  if you are interested in a very challenging single track trail race that will keep you on your toes then this is for you.  there were no bugs this year or last and the varying terrain keeps things interesting.  i can think of nothing more fun than trail running.

one more thing... last year i think i said that this wasn't as hard as running at lapham peak.  i take that back after running it this second time.  it is harder.  i'm not sure why i thought it was easier except that maybe i was having so much fun last time (it being my very first REAL trail race) that i just didn't notice how hard it was.  it IS, in fact, VERY CHALLENGING... it is harder than the trail half at lapham.  so there's that.

2014's splits

2015's splits

tired, finished, cleaned up... resting