Tag!

I have been running the roads a lot lately. Why? Well, I agreed to be team member #12 for the Great River Ragnar Relay.

I really couldn't say no:
- It required taking Friday, August 21st off - well I already had it off (took a week of vacation from Job A so I could attend a School Nurse Conference in the Twin Cities for Job B).
- Relay takes place on the roads from Winona to Minneapolis - I will already be down there for the conference, so no extra travel required.

Obviously I was destined to run my first Ragnar Relay that weekend.

Only now am I getting just a little nervous about the whole thing. I am still a bit tired out from the Half Voyageur and then donating blood the following week. My runs have not been going spectacularly. I usually only run on roads once or twice a week on my commute to work, which is pretty short. And, oh, yeah the next oldest person on the team is 28. Yup, I am the "oldster".

I am in the process of choosing which 'Runner' I want to be (which will determine which three legs I will run). Overall mileage is similar for my three choices, what varies is how hilly the route is. Hills shouldn't scare me, right - I live in Duluth after all and hills are part of my regular running routine (as a matter of fact had to run on Park Point this week to avoid them, but then had almost a half mile of soft sand to contend with in the 4 mile run).

So, I have been running roads a lot. Sunday I had Mr. Wildknits drop me off outside of town(we were on the way back from delivering a wing). I had mapped out an 8 mile route home, starting on the top of the hill and ending at home (with a 400 foot drop within a mile or so of my house). Sunday was a warm day, one of the few above average temp days we have had this summer. I started out well, but within the first mile was hitting some decent uphills and having a hard time keeping my heart rate in check. What the heck?! Ended up walking a few of the steeper grades as my goal was NOT to have my heart rate in the 170's for the whole run. I had run 7 miles out at Jay Cooke the day before while on break at the first/last aid station for the Voyageur Ultra and was trying out the idea of back-to-back "long" runs, meaning they should be relatively easy.

Eventually I stopped looking at my heart rate monitor because I just couldn't move slow enough to keep the heart rate in the low - mid 160's even. There was absolutely no shade on the route I had chosen and it was amazingly hilly. I was also trying out carrying a handheld water bottle for the first time after deciding my hip belt may be part of the issue with my sore TFL. Lots of experimenting that day. Oh yeah, and I dispensed with the cell phone as I figured it was only an 8 miler on suburban/rural roads so no need. This kept me from calling for rescue at one point when I was fed up with the heat ;-> A good thing in hindsight.

By the time I was within 2 miles of home I was already altering the route in my head. I had planned on cutting out some of the steep descent to my house by turning onto Skyline Blvd, incorporating another uphill and then finishing on the SHT. Yeah... I was sick of ascents by now and went for the "easy" finish, running down the last few blocks (losing a couple hundred feet of elevation) before turning into my neighborhood. Total distance: 7.7 miles. Avg. HR: 170 Temperature at finish: 80 F. No idea what the humidity level was but I was soaked!

Monday was my usual day off. On Tuesdays I do not need to be in to work until 11:30 am so thought I would "run" an errand. Headed out with my debit card in my pocket and the intent to pay my cell phone bill (storefront is about 2.5 miles away). Route would be a mix of climbing and flat sections, nothing too steep so I could rest my legs. I figured if I took it easy it would take me about an hour. Well, I never made it to the storefront. My legs were tired, I had forgotten about the climb up from my house, it was windy, and... well I needed to get home, clean up and still get on my bike to get to work. I simply ran out of time. Turned back at 22 minutes and headed home. It is a good thing my ride to work involves a big downhill section ;->

Wednesday I hit the beach with friends to run the nature trail at the end of Park Point, passing the remains of the first high-powered lighthouse on Lake Superior, a historic boathouse and turning around when we reached the Superior Entry. Along the way we had to dodge a fair amount of poison ivy and slogged through some soft sand, but on the upside did find a nice patch of blueberries with no poison ivy mixed in!

Thursday (today) was another run to work day. As I packed my clothes for the day the rain moved in. Unpacked, bagged everything in plastic and repacked. Then it was out the door to do battle on the streets. Most drivers are quite courteous and give me at least three feet of room. But there are those who just don't budge an inch over. I try to make eye contact with drivers - acknowledging those who give me space with a little wave and glaring at the others. Often I dream of hitting the cars of those who are too close to give them a little scare/remind them to share the road. I figure if a car is close enough that I can touch it easily, it is too close!

New version of Tag: as I came to an intersection I saw a car approaching on the empty road ahead. The driver was looking to the side rather than straight ahead (at least that is what it looked like in the steady rain). He never once moved over on his empty road, but instead stayed within a couple of feet of the curb and seemed oblivious to my presence (I was in light colored clothes, but with a blaze orange shirt under my coat, which was open, and wearing a red backpack). Today I couldn't resist, as we passed each other I tapped the passenger side of his car - not too hard, but not too softly either.

Anyone else want to play?

Saturday is the Fisherman's Picnic Trail Run in Grand Marais. Then it will be back to training for Ragnar and ultimately Wild Duluth 50K.

Garden is going crazy with the (slightly) warmer temperatures and abundant rain. Garlic is starting to fall over which means it is time to harvest it and hang it to dry. Tomatoes are setting fruit (and the deer are ensuring they don't get too tall), broccoli is creating little florets, peppers are growing as are the zucchinis. Deer have been harvesting our swiss chard, but do not seem to care for the kale (though now that I have said that I am sure I will walk outside tomorrow to discover a decimated kale crop). Hops have taken over the front porch and are working their way down the railing. The tiny flowers are developing and it looks like a bumper crop. Strawberry plants are sending out all kinds of babies - giving me hope I can replenish the bed since I lost over 30 plants this spring.

Knitting has been sparse. Worked on the hat during slow moments at the aid station at Voyageur - picking my knitting up seemed to be a sure way to bring a runner into the aid station ;-> Shouldn't be too long before I can display a picture of the finished product.

List of plants seen on the July 18th hike and miscellania

Thought this might be of interest to a few. Sorry that I did not get pictures of everything but that is what field guides are for (and another reason to get out and explore the woods).

Plants seen along the trail:
Key: l=leaves; f=flowers; s= seeds/fruit

Spreading dogbane - f
Shinleaf (pyrola sp) – f
Buttercup – f
Orange hawkweed – f
Yellow hawkweed – f
Birdsfoot trefoil – f
Meadow rue – f
Mertensia (virginia bluebells) – f & s
Pussy toes – f
Elderberry – s
Dewberry – s
Sarsasparilla – s
Thimbleberry – f & s (though not ripe)
Raspberry – s (though not ripe)
Coltsfoot – l
Bindweed sp – f
One-flowered pyrola – f
Bush honeysuckle – s
Wild lily of the valley/Canada mayflower – s
Hairy honeysuckle – f
One-sided pyrola – f
Dogwood – f & s
Three-toothed cinquefoil – f
Fireweed – f
Hazel – s
Daisy – f
Clover sp – f
Red baneberry – s
Rose-twisted stalk – s
Bunchberry – f(rare) & s
Clintonia/bluebead lily – s
Twinflower – f
Large coralroot (orchid) – f & s
Early coralroot – f & s
Common speedwell – f


Birds that gave us a good show:
Baby sapsuckers

Believe it or not a little knitting has been happening around here - slow progress is being made on the celtic braid hat - finished off the second pattern last night while watching the Tour. Now on to some plain knitting while I think about how to finish off the top - patterned or not? How many decrease points? Stuff like that. Have finished a few washcloths in the meantime (housewarming gift for a college student and her new apartment).

Since the Half Voyageur I have been taking it pretty easy on the running front, trying not to make the same mistake as last year. The recovery time has given me an opportunity to get back to donating blood and work in some more mountain bike rides. Some would argue I should stay off the bike as I usually have a good story to tell about a crash ;-> Nothing too terrible, but makes for good stories and some pretty bruises.

Got in a nice run to work this morning (Thursdays are for running to work after all). It was foggy in Duluth with a hint of sun trying to break through. Beautiful morning for a run along Skyline Blvd and down Haines Rd. Foggy days are good for spotting "tweety birds" (Wildknits family term for little birds). Startled a goldfinch into flying, the bright yellow and black markings were a nice contrast to the gray day. I realized during the run that I am extremely fortunate to live and work in a community where I can run to work - and do so with woods surrounding me for most of the commute!

My intent was to run a medium effort at most - after all I had donated blood just 48 hours ago. Midway through the run I glanced down at the heart rate monitor - 180! Well, I had been climbing for a bit and was feeling like the effort was a bit harder than medium. Decided to go with it and see how long I could hang on, knowing that I would be hitting a long downhill within a half mile. By the time I got into the neighborhoods at the bottom of the hill, and close to work, I was having to work hard to maintain the pace. The newly paved streets (overlay of tar) made it easier as I did not have to dodge potholes in addition to trying to run fast. To top it all off, I ran to work with a pack loaded with clothing for the day. I store my scrubs at work, but today I wasn't seeing patients and wanted to wear regular clothes (the better to stay warm in my climate controlled office).

Numbers from the run:
Distance: 3.75 miles
Time: 30.56
Avg HR: 172
Peak HR: 183

Wish I had a good handle on the elevation changes, but that is a hard one to get off of gmaps pedometer (as high tech as I get other than the heart rate monitor). They give you a rough idea of elevation but nothing too specific. Skyline is a couple of hundred feet above the level of my house and work is about 300 feet below that.

Tomorrow the plan is to bike to work, then downtown for some errands and eventually pick up my car. Saturday I will be at the Voyageur Ultra, working the Jay Cooke aid station and getting a run in between shifts (we have the longest day, but it comes with a good size break in the middle).

Wildflowers along the SHT - Pincushion Mtn to Co. 58

Photos from the hike this past Saturday (7/18/09) where I resurrected my past role as hike naturalist.


Shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica)


Mertensia/Virginia bluebells/Virginia Cowslip (Mertensia virginica) - late blooming plants, but was able to see what their seedpods look like due to spying the flowers.


One-flowered pyrola (Moneses uniflora) - love the latin name of this one.


Early Coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida) - The coralroots are saprophytic plants(get their food from dead organic matter), hence no need for chlorophyll.


Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) - found along cliffs/hillsides near rivers in our area - or at least that is where I always find them. I think of them as blooming in late June/early July so was thrilled to find them. Favorite flower of Linneas - the man who came up with binomial nomenclature. Guess when you invent a system of naming you get to choose what will bear your name!


Large coralroot(Corallorhiza maculata) - telling this apart from Late coralroot can be tough and requires a handlens, unless your eyes are good. Or - you can read the field guide and note that late coralroot blooms in late summer and fall ;-> Though, plants do not read....


A closer look at the flower of the Large coralroot


Early coralroot - an attempt to get a shot of the flowers. The field guide says:"Stem yellowish". It sure is!


Devil Track River - looking down the valley towards Lake Superior

More photos of coralroots (it was a spectacular hike for orchids):






Common speedwell (Veronica officinalis) - spotted less than 50 feet from the end of the hike at the Co. Rd. 58 parking lot.

Sent in my registration for Wild Duluth 50K earlier this week... time to start training for my first ultra. The biggest hurdle may be running past my house to the finish line in Bayfront. Living just off the trail may become an issue on race day ;->

Half Voyageur Trail Marathon - 2009 edition

What a beautiful day to run 26+ miles through the woods of Duluth, Midway Township and Carlton!

The temperature was cool at the start - enough so that I was searching out other runners to stand (okay - huddle) next to when not standing in line for the bathroom. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and temperatures were predicted to stay in the low 70's.

Gene called the runners together in the parking lot at the Lake Superior Zoo, provided some brief instructions (did he say to give right of way to the horses???, walk the uphills??? - it is so hard to hear from the middle-back of the pack), and set us on our way.

It is a gradual climb for the first few miles of this race, but the trail is pretty wide after the initial bit around the edge of the zoo, allowing runners to spread out and easily find the pace they are comfortable running. There is a view out over the St. Louis River estuary and on towards Lake Superior at one point while crossing the Spirit Mountain ski hill, but it is hard to take in while running, so probably goes under-appreciated (though I think it would be easier to view when coming from the other direction). It was about this point when I realized that my left shoe was not tied tight enough and from that point on I kept debating when to stop and take care of it. Opted to wait until the first aid station at Magney-Snively, and then second guessed the tightness for a mile or so afterwards.

This year was a "non-Jarrow's Beach" year. Meaning rather than turning off from the Magney-Snively (M-S) ski trail onto a moss-covered-boulder-strewn 'path' ending with a run through a wetlands, we stayed on the M-S trails. It has been a dry summer in Duluth - so dry that the perpetually wet M-S trails had no mud to speak of. I have never run out there without worrying about losing a shoe in a knee-deep puddle. It still offered treacherous footing though due to the holes left behind by horses' hooves, which are even worse when immortalized in dried-up mud. The City of Duluth did a great job mowing, allowing a guess at what lay beneath the grass.

From the Magney-Snively trails we turned onto Skyline Boulevard and headed down towards the Beck's Rd (side note - apparently I am showing my age by inserting a 'the" in front of the name of a road, this was pointed out to me last week by some younger friends) and another aid station. This one was hosted by Mike and Shirley and was the first one where I would see Mr. Wildknits. Last year I came out of the Jarrow's Beach section heading to this aid station and was greeted by Porter "wooing" - his vocalization which was something akin to a howl and only done when very happy. He would continue to do that throughout the race last year. I still miss his greetings.

After stopping to get a drink, it was off to what I think of as "Zap's Loop". This section of the Voyageur trail is also one of the runs in the NMTC Fall Series. Parts of the trail have seen a lot of motorized use, so are pretty rutted, but quite runnable for the most part. It also includes the first of the stream crossings for the race. Last year there was no point in trying to stay dry (it had rained the night before and the streams were up), but this year it was very easy to pick your way across on the rocks - or should have been, I slipped on them more than once and needed to slow down or risk a bad fall. It was along about here that I started thinking about picking a nice location for a bathroom break. It was also along here where I successfully jumped over a log and then promptly tripped over a tiny stump and fell, landing on my hands and knees. Ouch! Popped back up and kept going, not bothering to look as I didn't want to know if there was any blood (none was found later).

At the bottom of this section, in the Fond du Lac neighborhood, is Mission Creek. Last year the creek was knee deep (on me), this year... well I didn't need to get my feet wet. The aid station also serves as a drop bag location and it was here where I met up with an old friend/teacher who I had not seen in years. Her husband was running the race. We spent a brief moment saying hi and then it was off and up the hill (she and Mr. Wildknits would meet up later at the Grand Portage aid station and do some catching up). There is a fair amount of climbing in this section, but it is one I am familiar with, not only from Zap's Loop, but also as a starting point for my long runs on the SHT (spur trail).


Coming in to Seven Bridges aid station


Getting my water bottle refilled

Leaving this aid station you run a short section on the Munger Trail (paved multi-use trail), take a sharp left turn into the woods and are eventually spit out onto the Powerlines section. On a sunny day the best you can hope for is a breeze, it can be a bit like a solar oven otherwise. Saturday was perfect, the wind was blowing and keeping the temps down, the trail was bone dry - so dry dust was kicked up by other runners' feet. Quite the contrast to wet clay clinging to shoes (my first introduction to this section of trail years ago in another NMTC race: Roughrider).

These are steep hills, and climbing them is an exercise in perseverance. I am sure that it was somewhere in here that my heart rate hit the peak of 186 recorded on my monitor ;-> I always mean to count the hills, and always start off with good intentions and then lose count somewhere along the way. I think there are 7 hills - 4 in the first part, then the nice, relatively flat wooded section in the middle and then 3 more. But maybe it is less... It was in this section that I caught up to, was left behind and then caught up to, Steve Hagedorn. We would continue like this for much of the race. He is a great hill climber... I am not. He is also a great encourager of newbie long distance runners like myself.

Made it through the powerlines feeling pretty good overall. Stopped at the Grand Portage aid station and grabbed some pretzels and had Dan pour water over my hands. They were sticky from holding shot bloks earlier in the race and quite swollen (the swelling started early in the run and subsided a bit by the finish). At this point I had been eating a little at aid stations and had backed off taking in Gu's or shot bloks. I think this proved to be a problem in the next section.

Heading up to Peterson's I was feeling pretty good (other than the fact that my butt - as in all of my gluteus muscles - hurt, and had been since early in the race. What the heck!?). I knew this was a longish uphill section and thought I was prepared for it. Eventually though I kept slowing to a walk - even on the not so steep bits. At one point I thought - well, so much for a 5 hour finish, guess walking it in won't be so bad. I got the ibuprofen out of my pack, took that with LOTS of water (I like my kidneys) and then, after a while thought about my mood and what that usually indicates: I needed to eat!! Duh! When my mood goes downhill/thoughts turn negative = low blood sugar. Got out a Gu, drank a bunch more water and was able to work up to a trot eventually.

Linda and a friend were working the Peterson's aid station (it is fun knowing the volunteers, Ed was off to crew at Badwater) and they stocked me back up with liquids and listened to me complain about my aching muscles (as did two runners who I am sure found it mildly amusing). Then it was down the trail. I still wasn't feeling great, but the single track of the Gill Creek trail eventually perked me up and I was able to run more. The course gets onto the Munger Trail again for a bit here and I tried to keep the two runners in sight, while also reminding myself to 'run my own race'. I tried to remember how far it was from this section to the next aid station and seemed to remember it wasn't much after we turned back onto the ski trails.


Coming into Forebay


Heading towards the aid station

I figured at this point I was pretty far off of my goal pace. I hadn't included elapsed time on my chart and can't do math when I am running, so couldn't tell by looking at my chronometer if I was on time or not. I would have to switch to the clock function to see if I was hitting aid stations near my projected times. I was quite a bit off on the way up to Peterson's and by the time I reached Forebay I didn't trust myself to read the chart correctly and asked Mr. Wildknits how I was doing. On time!! I also took the opportunity, since I was only 5 miles from the finish to empty nearly everything out of my waist pack. No extra weight. By now it was bugging me, but I had enough brains left to realize that I was going to be out there a while yet and still had the rocky, rooty Carlton Trail section to get through, so hung onto the pack and a Gu and my water bottle. I had been trying Endurolytes every hour or so, but decided I didn't need them any longer, so also left those behind. In hindsight, this was a mistake as I could have offered them to another runner who was having cramping issues just a bit later. Grabbed a handful of pretzels and was on my way - walking across the dam (hard to chew and run) and then running again when I reached the trail on the other side of the canal.

This is a short section and relatively flat. I remember last year getting a second wind here and feeling great as I came into Jay Cooke State Park for the final leg. This year, while not feeling great I was feeling pretty good. I kept thinking - "only 5 miles left - you can run that, it's almost nothing - you just raced that distance last week.." Then it was into park headquarters, remembering to look both ways before running out onto highway 210, and onto the swinging bridge after a brief stop for a drink.

The Carlton trail is rooty, it is rocky - both sharp slate and rounded rocks ranging from the size of softballs to bowling balls and it is a great place to find blueberries! Last year I stopped to pick a few, this year I didn't (though I did point them out to a runner near by and he did stop). It was in this section that I started to catch up to people that had passed me long ago (and was caught by a friend who had told me earlier he was taking it easy as this was a training run for the Full Voyageur in two weeks). I was encouraged by one running friend that if I just "picked it up a bit" I could break five hours. Hmm... I decided maybe after I got through the technical section I might give it a try. ;-> I just forgot how long the roots and rocks go on! As soon as the trail leveled I did try to push a bit harder, trying to find the balance point of running hard, but not so hard I couldn't sustain it for another mile or two (I am terrible with distances and had no real clue how far it was to the finish). My calves were starting to tighten up at this point (but my butt felt fine ;->) so it truly was a balancing act!

Then it was down the big steps, over the bridge and a left turn onto the Munger Trail. The winds had been building throughout the day, but as I had been running into them when I thought I was going in a different direction I figured this year there would be no headwind on the Munger. Umm, well, kind of... As I came near to the finish the wind gusted - right into my face! Really?!? It was pretty comical.


Crossing the finish line

Someone did a great job of writing all kinds of encouragement on the blacktop and it was fun reading it all while finishing the race. The race directors and volunteers do an excellent job with this race. It may be low-key but it is fun and they take good care of the runners.

Stuck around at the finish line waiting for friends to come in and swapping stories about the run. Many people had a great race that day - setting PR's for the distance and/or the course. There were even some sprints to the finish:
Rick K., Karen G. and Rick B.



Final numbers:
5:01:00
47th/125
5th woman
Average HR: 162
Peak HR: 186




Later that day Mr. Wildknits and I headed out for a nice, mellow stroll on the Lakewalk and stopped by the Bridgeman's at Fitgers for a chocolate malt. Perfect way to start the recovery process! Sunday it was a 14 mile bike ride on the Munger Trail - passing the Seven Bridges aid station site and the turn into the woods for the powerlines. By Monday I was feeling pretty good and on Tuesday I headed out for a 4 mile run on the SHT. Today was another 4 miler and then it is time for a break again.

This weekend I will be heading north, resurrecting my old skills as a naturalist and joining the SHTA group hike outside of Grand Marias. Last year I did the same thing, but tacked on a 13 mile run (from Silver Bay to Mt. Trudee and back), and ended up injured for much of the summer. Will ease back in to things this year as I am determined not to get hurt. After all, it would mess up my plans to run my first Ultra this fall ;->

strawberries

Three flats = 15 quarts

Majority are now in the freezer, small amount (depending on your definition of small) were ingested on the way home from the field. Berries are from Finkes' Berry Farm, Wrenshall, MN.

Half Voyageur results are up at Northland Runner. My clock time was 5:01. Time on previous post was from my watch.

After a brief walk on Saturday (Lakewalk ~2.5 miles, including a hike up the stairs for a chocolate malt at Bridgeman's) and a 14 mile bike ride on Sunday (Munger Trail - Duluth out towards Esko and back) and a day off (other than walking up and down the hallways at work) I think I am ready for a nice short run on the SHT. Right now I am thinking of heading out from home and doing an out and back. Will include hills, roots and rocks - it is the SHT after all.

5:00:59

Half Voyageur Trail Marathon 2009 (more details to come at a later date).

Good enough for 5th woman overall.

Last year I finished in 5:40 (first ever marathon) and 9th woman overall.

Stellar performances by many folks this year - weather conditions were perfect, course was dry (so dry the dust was flying in the powerlines) and the volunteers were great! I had wonderful support from Mr. Wildknits who met me at various aid stations.

Five days of running - and other stuff

Last time I posted was right before heading out the door to run to work on a rainy, cool morning. At that point I did not know how far I would choose to run - would it be the 6 mile route, the 2.8 mile route (usual commute) or... would I take up Mr. Wildknits offer to come home and give me a ride???

I ran, and not only that, I ran 6.3 miles at a pretty decent pace (aided by a almost 2 mile downhill section). The rain held off, the wind was blocked - mostly - by the hills and it was just the thing I needed before working for almost 9 hours.

Wednesday was supposed to be a nice mellow run on the trails - being only 1.5 weeks before the Half Voyageur Trail Marathon. Ended up meeting some friends at my house and heading west on the SHT for almost 2 miles before turning around and coming back.

Thursday was a rest day. Friday I met a friend (Leslie) at the Piedmont Mountain Bike Trail for a bike ride. It has been quite a few years since I have ridden any technical single track (specifically - before kids). I had been out on these trails once last fall and had run on some of them a couple of times. Being the day before a race that we were both running in one of our main goals was to not get hurt! I had a blast and was glad Leslie had suggested the ride. I did end up banging my knee cap on something near the end of the ride, hard enough to leave a bruise. It made for a stiff knee the rest of the night but was pretty much fine by morning.

Saturday was the Tofte Trek 10k Wilderness Run. I had never been to this race and had no real idea of what to expect. The web page is a bit sparse on description. Jean directed me to his blog post about the race from a couple of years ago - very helpful! I had looked at the finishing times from last year, and based on the times of folks I knew, I expected to finish anywhere in the 1 hour to 1.5 hour range. I also was not planning to 'race'(remember I am supposed to be tapering).

In order to keep myself in check I wore my heart rate monitor and planned on checking it occasionally. My goal was to keep my pulse in the 160's, no higher than the low 170's on hills. The first half of the race is uphill - a relentless gradual incline. Rarely steep enough to really warrant walking, but that type of climbing can take a toll. It is pretty dry this year, so the infamous mud in the swampy areas wasn't all that bad, though it stopped me dead at one point and provided for a forced change of pace in the last kilometer. There were numerous "moose holes" along the trail and the obligatory tree roots and rocks, encouraging me to stay focused on the trail in order to avoid an injury.

Most of the second half of the race is downhill and this is where I was able to pick up the pace. The course is very well marked, with an aid station at an intersection of the trail and wonderful volunteers. Shortly after telling a runner that I had no idea how far to the finish, we passed a sign indicating the last kilometer. Ah hah!

I kept rolling down the hill, through the mud (which necessitated walking as I cannot seem to run through thick mud), across the Forest Service's parking lot, into the little patch of woods(and up a small hill), out onto Birch Grove Community School's parking lot and on to the finish line.

I had not been checking my time during the run, just my heart rate, so had no idea what time I had run the race in. 56:36. A personal best for the distance! And good enough for second place in my age division:


It was a beautiful day and I had a great time running and visiting with friends. Again, gotta love those small town races!

Arrived home in mid afternoon, with enough time to run some errands, bake a strawberry-rhubarb crisp and read for a while before it was time to head up the hill to watch the fireworks. Duluth puts on one of the best shows in the midwest, and from where we watch we can also see Superior, Wisconsin's display.

Today I puttered around the house, weeding the strawberry bed, watering gardens and eventually heading out to the Piedmont Trails for a bike ride. Today's ride was not as uneventful as Friday's. I 'crashed' once which scared me enough that I tensed up, which caused a few more falls before I relaxed enough to finish the ride with no more incidents. No runners were hurt in today's bike ride! Needless to say the bike will stay on the porch for the rest of this week

Why I Love Small Town Races... and a Little Knitting

Prizes!!

This past Saturday I ran in the Knife River Solstice Run - a 5K. This race has traditionally taken place on a hot and humid day. Not this year. It was in the low 50's, wind off the Lake (which is just across the highway from the start/finish area) and it had been raining when I left home. It is an out and back course through the village of Knife River, and seems to incorporate every major hill in the town. A lot of the local folks turn out for this race, either to participate as a runner/walker or to volunteer (or both). It is a fundraiser for their recreational council. The organizers do a fantastic job, with a well-marked and 'peopled' course, nice post-race refreshments, cool graphics on the shirts and an abundance of door prizes (and this year they had something for everyone!).

I have been running this race off and on for the past 15 or so years. At first just as motivation to get out the door and run (back when I had small children) and now as a test of how fast I have gotten. This year I had a goal of breaking 24 minutes. I have been more serious about my running (= actually having some kind of plan and training for a race) in the past 1 1/2 to 2 years and the effort is showing. I have gotten faster, and more importantly, fitter, over the year, especially in the last 6 months or so. Running with friends who are significantly faster has been a huge factor. That, and willing to push myself harder.

I went into Saturday committed to actually racing, not just running a medium-hard effort. Last year I ran this course in 24.50 something, so I knew breaking 24 was a reasonable goal. With cooler weather there was no concern about overheating, I just had the wind as a factor. I even broke with my tradition and warmed up with an easy run for 4 minutes before the race (I have been of the attitude that is what the first mile is for ;-> ).

This is a small town race, so not a lot of participants, though the number varies from year to year and the wet, windy, cool conditions may have kept a few folks away. It also takes place a week after Grandma's, so many runners are still recovering from their half or full marathon efforts. That doesn't mean their aren't some very talented folks who show up, just means the possibilities for placing are much higher!

I had pre-registered for the race and when I arrived I was handed bib number 3. Hmmm, last year I had number 4 and was the fourth woman overall.... An omen? I joked with the volunteer about this - and the pressure to perform and then wandered into the building to decide exactly which layers to wear for the race. The wind was howling near the start/finish and it was a bit drizzly, so I opted to keep a jacket on over my short-sleeved shirt. I have a habit of wearing a hat (held over from the days of wearing glasses) but wasn't sure it wouldn't just be a bother due to the wind. Kept it on for the start and ended up tossing it to a volunteer very early in the race.

I know quite a few folks who live in the area, so got in a lot of visiting and catching up prior to race start. Then it was out the door to visit the port-a-pottie and warm up. I headed out to check on the first section of the course that turns from paved road to rutted dirt to single-track trail as it climbs a hill adjacent to Knife River. The footing would be interesting, but doable. Headed back, thinking I would make one more pit stop only to discover I had no time.

My usual tendency is to line up somewhere in the middle of the pack, but that day I decided 2nd row back was appropriate. At the start the group took off and I soon found myself within several feet of a very fast runner (she won the women's race in 19.+). Uh oh!! Better back off a bit or I was going to be in a lot of trouble later on. Eased up a bit and found a pace that felt doable. Although I had my heart rate monitor on I did not look at it, figuring not knowing was better than knowing, that way I couldn't psyche myself out.

After climbing the single-track hill the course skirts around a wayside rest area, then it is back to the roads, into town on a slight downhill, around a corner and then a long climb up the the high point of the course. In a headwind. Uugh! At the top one of the volunteers commented about being done with the hill - but I knew better. The course turns right, descends a little, turns right again and descends for a little over a block before you hit the turn around and start climbing again. Out and back courses are fun because you can see the race unfold and encourage other runners. I felt like I was crawling back up that hill and was looking forward to the long downhill on the other side. There is an aid station at the bottom and that is where I jettisoned my jacket (the hat had gone long ago). Then it was back up the hill, around a few curves and onto the rest area and then the single-track. I knew once I hit that it was just a few blocks to the finish. At this point I was by myself but with a woman runner somewhere behind me - but how far back? Couldn't hear anybody breathing or any footfalls so figured not too close.

About two blocks from the finish the course comes out of the trees along the river and there was the wind, coming in off the Lake. Nothing to do but try hard to keep standing upright and run as fast as I could into the finish. I deliberately did not look at the clock or my watch as I ran in - didn't want to know until after I finished.

23:35 (by my watch)! Over a minute better than last year and well under the goal I had set myself! There was a little problem with my number and time - the way I had things folded and pinned tore off a portion of the corner with the hole they hang on the "skewer" and my number/place was 'lost' for a short time, resulting in my being called in to the tabulation area to give them my watch time. I ended up finishing third for the women (see - the number is a predictor!) and first in my age group (the overall women's winner is also in my age group and the organizers do not give out double prizes). The mug is my age group prize, the body glide was my door prize. Just last week I was borrowing some body glide during a long run as I had forgotten to apply aquaphor prior to heading out the door. Interesting how the world works. Needless to say, I am very happy with my finishing time and probably bored more than a few friends and family with my texting them the details ;->

I was surprised by how tired I was, and how dead my legs felt, later that evening - more akin to how I feel after a 20 mile run. That tells you how frequently I really race. I had a 'medium' length run planned for Sunday out at Jay Cooke State Park (less than two weeks until the Half Voyageur so time to taper) and was wondering how that would go. In the meantime I tagged along with Mr. Wildknits to Iron River to look at an airplane (his work) and brought along my knitting.


The graph of the pattern I am incorporating. The feather was found at the airport - not sure what type of bird it is from, but depending on how you hold it, it can look grey or blue. Very cool.


Start of the patterned portion of the hat - not much to see yet (picture taken at another airstrip, Sunday morning).


Pattern completed

Not sure who the hat is for, but having fun looking through patterns and designing as I go. I am trying to remember to write down what I am doing so the pattern can be shared in the future.

Sunday I ran for two hours out at Jay Cooke with Leslie and Sam. They trusted me to plot out the course (we were aiming for 12 miles). I had a plan that incorporated most of the trails on the south side of the swinging bridge as well as some trails on the north side. My goal was to not have to do any out and back sections. I knew from last year that the trails would most likely not be mowed once we got more than a mile from park headquarters. Too bad, as they are fun trails. I had forgotten about some of the killer hills back there (and obviously did not look closely at the topographical map). Again, I was surprised by how dead my legs felt! After weeks of running 20+ milers I figured 12 would be easy. Not to be. I was beat by the time we finished. On the way back in to town we stopped along the St. Louis River to immerse our legs. The sun was behind the clouds and the wind was whipping so it was a short stop, plus you couldn't see the bottom of the river for it was a bit disconcerting to walk in very far.

From here on out no long runs planned. Will head north on July 4th for the Tofte Trek 10K Wilderness Run. This is part of the UMTR's Minnesota Trail Series, which I am entered in, so made it onto the race schedule. I have not run this course before, though have skied, hiked and run in the area. The goal is to take it somewhat easy as it is only a week before my goal race and I do not want to get injured. Sunday's run involved a few rolled ankles and reminded me to focus my attention a bit more when running!

Off to work on a dreary, windy day. The plan was to run a 6 mile course but we shall see what I decide on. The current weather is less than inspiring. West winds gusting pretty high from the looks of the trees out my window. Yup, what I would be running in to the whole way. But then again, strength training ;->

Another Speedy Tuesday

My work schedule has changed a bit with the ending of the school year. Job B was school nurse at a local charter high school for three hours a week (doesn't seem like much, but MN law is 'silent' about the need for a nurse for schools with fewer than 1000 students). That job ended at the beginning of June and I am back to my regular schedule of just one (full-time) job (aka Job A). This involves going in to work at 11:30 am on Tuesdays (no moaning, I have to work until 8:00 pm).

The bonus: I have all Tuesday morning to get my run in. So what did I do today: hung out around house, threw in a load of laundry, toured my neighbors garden, went for a hike on the SHT with a friend, tried to locate information on my dental plans website (no luck) and ... oh yeah, ran to work. My original plan was to run very easy today, wasn't even going to use my inhaler because I was going to take it so easy. Sunday's 20.2 mile run on the SHT seemed harder than usual and I thought it might be a good plan to back off a bit. [Note - ran half of that run with Wayne - and if he had not been meeting me out there I would have totally bailed on the run, that's how unenthused about it I was. Took me an hour and 20 minutes to even 'warm-up'].

Ended up leaving for work a bit late and needed to run fast to get there on time (also ended up using the inhaler due to the high humidity - always a killer for me). Ran 2.8 miles in 22.21. I don't often mention my running times as I am not all that fast, but the last couple of weeks have me feeling a bit more speedy. The route to work involves some significant down hills so this was a gravity assisted time - at least for portions of the first mile and a half. The last mile is flat, and occurs on a wide road with minimal shade.

I left home and headed west, losing a few feet of elevation in the first block or two. Then it was waiting to dart across a busy road, dodging cars flying up the curvy highway at speeds exceeding the posted limit. Took me a while to get across as just when I thought it was safe another car would come flying around the corner. Once across it is two blocks on the flats and then around a corner and down hill for 4 blocks. This section parallels a city park and a river. Beautiful area. Then it is on to the uphill portion of my downhill run (only in Duluth). I zigzagged up and down the hillside as I made my way west until I finally hit Atlantic Street, where the real fun began!

This is a four to five block section of steep street. In the winter I dodged plows and potholes here. This summer it has apparently been slated for resurfacing. I turned the corner and found a street that had all the tar removed and consisted of exposed, decomposing concrete with each section at different levels from the one next to it. Who needs technical trail!?! The work crews were at the top of the hill and ahead of me was a truck going downhill, carefully picking his way through the torn up street.

I headed down the hill, figuring the truck would stay ahead of me. Then I got closer to it, and closer and eventually realized I would be passing it. Now, being a courteous runner I knew I should pass on the left... so I did, commenting to the driver as I went by that I didn't think I should be passing him ;-> He just laughed and said something that I didn't quite make out. Coming up the hill was another vehicle. He pulled over a bit to let me - and the truck - get by (by then I had pulled back into the right lane) and was smiling as I passed, having witnessed the preceding incident. In the meantime I am concentrating pretty hard on the road surface as a turned ankle here would have meant painful road rash (at the minimum).

Once I reached the bottom of the hill it was flat road way for the last mile into work. By then I was feeling pretty hot(thermometer said 80 when I got to work), my heart rate was up in the 170's and I kept telling myself I could back off a bit and take it easy. But another part of me was saying - "Keep it up, see how long you can do this. Good training for Saturday's 5K".

I kept it up, even crossing the road in an attempt to take advantage of a little bit of shade. Got to work with 5 minutes to spare, even after waiting an eternity for the light to change so I could cross the street. I was dripping and am eternally thankful for the shower near my office (though the water had not been run in awhile and was quite brown at first).

I am feeling pretty psyched about the possibility of a PR at this Saturday's 5K (Knife River Solstice Run/Walk).

Tomorrow is trail maintenance day on my section of the SHT. Will be meeting at 5:00 pm and working on weed whipping (lots of tansy and tall grass to clear off of the trail) and hopefully benching a section of trail that is at a nasty angle - very annoying when running or hiking.

No knitting news - have been too tired of late to get much knitting done after work, etc. Cast on a hat, have the ribbing done and need to start the crown. Will be incorporating some colorwork and hope to have pictures up in the near future of that.

Sightings:
yellow lady slippers near Mission Creek
blue-eyed grass in the Piedmont area
yellow swallow-tail butterfly near Spirit Mountain
monarch butterfly near Forgotten Park
orange and yellow hawkweed
A&Dubs drive-in restaurant is open

Six minute mile?!? What the heck!

Tuesday I ran to work (and today I did not, guess Thursdays are not always for running to work). My daughter needed the car and I did not have to be in until 11:30 so I was able to negotiate a ride to a Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) trailhead. From there I would run a mix of trails and road. Now, I work at the bottom of the hill and the SHT follows the ridgeline. There is a 500+ foot elevation change between where my foot met pavement for the first time and the building I work in, with the bulk of it coming in the first mile (the difference between where I first started my descent and where my foot first met pavement is another 200 feet or more).

I started my run just uphill of the Highland/Getchell Trailhead on the SHT. I usually skip the first 1/4 - 1/2 mile of this section when starting here as it is along Keene Creek and it is a technical section with a lot of ups and downs and ends up crossing Skyline anyway - making it easy to hop on on the more pleasant, relatively flat section leading into Brewer Park. From the best that I can tell, that gave me about 2.3 miles of trail to run before I came out on Haines Rd/40th Ave W and started my descent. Total run would add up to 4.1 miles and I gave myself an hour to get to work.

I really like this section of trail. It traverses some beautiful areas, including a mature maple forest where I have encountered porcupines, and some open ridgelines that overlook West Duluth, the St. Louis River estuary and the ore docks (plus my place of employment, Wade Stadium and Wheeler Field). The trail stays up high for almost the whole length of this section, finally turning inland and then dipping down to Haines Rd. The overlooks are pretty amazing and very reminiscent of the SHT further north.

As I hit the road crossing I first checked for traffic (this is one of the main routes 'over the hill' and sight lines are poor) and then checked my watch - 26 minutes and some change. I was curious what the difference would be between my trail time and my road time as the distances were pretty equal. From the moment I stepped on to the road I was descending. Haines/40th Ave W is a narrow road - two lanes, small shoulder and in a few spots hemmed in by railings that keep you from going off the edge of the hill. It is also full of switchbacks - tight corners and poor sight lines. I am learning to love running downhill and just let go, focusing on maintaining decent posture and not over-striding. All this and keeping on eye on traffic and the surface I was running on (mix of gravel shoulder and pavement where the shoulder was non-existent or too steeply sloped). After 1.1 miles I turned onto a side street, ran a few blocks flat, then downhill again, and repeated until I worked my way 4 blocks west and 5 downhill to work the clinic. Arrived and stopped my watch: 37:09.

Eleven minutes to travel 1.8 miles?!? At first I did not work out the math, then when I did I went back and drove the road portion to check the mileage. Yup - 1.8 miles. In 11 minutes. That's 6 minutes per mile! Wow - gravity is pretty dang amazing! I have never run anything faster than a seven and a half minute mile in my life - and that was years ago and a very rare event.

So, I am enjoying my rare moment in the world of speedy ;->

Yesterday I ran 5 miles with friends Rick and Shelly out in Esko. All on the roads - mix of gravel and pavement - with gentle hills. Legs were tired, but not wiped out. Today I ended up skipping my run to work (got up too late) and also skipped out on the end of the day run (friends in town). Haven't decided if I will try to make-up the run tomorrow, if I will bike to work instead, or if I will just skip it as I am running 20 miles this weekend.

Saturday I will be down at Grandma's watching for friends. I was able to procure a pass to the bleachers at the finish line so will have a nice spot to watch the runners come in. I live close enough to downtown that my plan is to walk down and avoid the hell that is parking/driving in Duluth on Grandma's weekend.

Sunday I will head out for 20 miles on the SHT. This week Wayne has committed to joining me for part of the run. In return I have promised to share with him the joys of the trail, such as: 138 steps near Spirit Mountain; taconite pellets under the railroad tracks; and the many climbs to scenic knobs and dramatic overlooks onto the western portion of Duluth.

On the knitting front:

Not much has been coming off the needles of late. Finished the reknit on my nephews hat and have gifted a couple of washcloths. Still need to get around to blocking the scarf I finished. But my fingers are itching to start a new project. I have been playing around with some celtic charted designs and have picked out some braids that I like. Thinking about a little colorwork. The questions is.... hat or socks??? Both are quite portable (want something to while away the time before the runners come in) and I also have plenty of both ;-> But, as the Yarn Harlot points out in her calendar entry today - it is never too early to think about winter knitting (and the way our summer is going, wool hats and socks may be of much use this year).

And yet another long run...

Seems the only time I get around to blogging is after a long run ;->

Today was a "shorter" run - only 18 miles - and once again on the Superior Hiking Trail. After tough negotiations for the use of my car, I ended up with my daughter agreeing to hoist herself out of bed to drive me to my starting trail head at Munger Trail/123rd Ave W (see www.shta.org/Trail/Duluth.php for details/maps)for a 9:00 am start. I wanted to capture some of the heat of the day - it has been so cold here of late that heat training is just a dream, which means that it will be brutally hot on race day.

It was in the low 60's when I started with clear skies. An hour later it was 70 degrees F and the humidity was "up there". By noon it was 79 F!! Guess I got the heat and humidity I was looking for. Of course, with the heat came storm clouds. The last hour of my run was spent looking over my shoulder and listening carefully for thunder (I hate running in thunderstorms and was willing to bail and take a shortcut home if necessary).

The Munger Trail is a rails-to-trails paved path that runs from Duluth south to... It is flat, and leads to a decidedly not flat section of the SHT. After just under half a mile on the Munger you turn left and climb, and climb some more until you reach Ely's Peak. There are parts of the trail that resemble a climbing route (at least to this short-legged runner). From Ely's Peak the trail heads over some rocky, rooty trail to Magney-Snively Park, crossing Skyline Drive on the way. There are some very runnable sections in here and this is where I invariably see the large-flowered trillium and yellow lady-slippers.

After Magney the trail heads onto Skyline for a bit and then dives down and heads to Spirit Mountain. The trail through here is very rocky. And the rocks tend to be of the sharp, pointy variety. Last week, after "running" this section I was very crabby. It is hard to get any kind of rhythm going here, and I always wonder why the trail builders didn't lift a few more of the rocks.
This week the run went better (maybe because I was fresher?) through this section and I was in a pretty good mood when I hit the base of Spirit Mountain and started climbing again to the top of the ridgeline.

After crossing an old bridge the trail dips down again and then turns left to climb... 135 steps! I am not a fan of these steps. I have run them in both directions (up and down) and really do not like running down them. No nearby trees to grab onto and steep = recipe for disaster if you misstep. That said, the reward for climbing these steps is a beautiful maple forest with almost no underbrush and the nicest, soft trail surface. Assuming you can catch your breath after the climb and run ;->

Warning to the men - skip this next section!

Today was day 2 of my menstrual cycle which meant heavy flow. I thought by timing things just right I could make it through the run without any overflow problems, counting on strenuous exercise to slow things down. Boy, was I wrong! Even before hitting Spirit I knew I was in trouble. Call to my daughter got her to agree to deliver a tampon and ziploc to me at one of the upcoming road crossings. I figured not being even two hours into the run I should be okay for a bit, but knew I would never make it home without being a mess. Due to issues finding an appropriate place to change the tampon I had to delay until I was past the Highland/Getchell intersection. A little to late it turned out. There is nothing like trying to deal with 'feminine hygiene' while squatting in the woods and then having to stand up and run uphill on technical trail! Thankfully I had thought to tuck a couple of wet wipes in my pack that morning, so could clean up a bit. Today was a day when menopause sounds pretty dang good! Any suggestions for dealing with this better (other than carrying extras along)?

Guys it is safe to read again!

From the Cody St crossing the trail climbs passing under a railroad track at one point. This track carries trains from the range down to the ore docks. These trains are loaded with taconite pellet, which are round and just smaller than a marble. They fall out of the rail cars and onto the soil below the tracks. It is like running through a pile of ball bearings. Needless to say I move very carefully down the steps on this section. After running under the tracks you get an opportunity to run under a sewer line - ah, urban trail running! This is actually the second sewer line on the trail right now - the first runs down the trail next to Kingsbury Creek for a short bit, but does require that you cross over it twice. It is temporary and a side effect of highway construction project nearby.

After reaching the Highland/Getchell/Skyline intersection the trail crosses an historic bridge and heads up and down hill along Keene Creek. This section is very rocky, but passes a cool old building (pumphouse?) alongside the creek. After crossing Skyline, the trail meanders into the woods of Brewer's Park and will climb up to some pretty cool overlooks onto West Duluth and the St. Louis River before descending a big hill and crossing Haines Rd/40th Ave W and entering the Piedmont Ski Trail area. Today I ran with my 1 qt camelbak in it's pack along with a 16 oz water bottle in a waist belt. Had emptied the water bottle long ago and was unsure how much water was left in the camelbak. Having run out of water at exactly this point last year, I had stashed an extra water bottle at this road crossing. Picked it up and met my friend Jim who had agreed to run the last 3+ miles with me. It was nice to have some company at this point and we chatted and ran the hills and knobs of the Piedmont area before heading downhill, crossing Skyline (again) and heading downhill some more. The trail pops out next to a reservoir and then follows a road for a few blocks before heading off into the woods again. This section has a lot of hills and a few road crossings before reaching Lincoln Park and heading uphill a few blocks and popping out at 24th Ave. W.

Here is the western trailhead of the section that I maintain. After crossing the Skyline Ave. bridge the trail moves away from the road, traverses some rolling hills, passes an abandoned park, climbs to a large meadow (sight of a lot of tansy) then dips down to cross Coffee Creek. From there it is a quick run on relatively smooth trail to my access trail. Since this is also the route of the Wild Duluth 50k at some point I will need to head past my house and continue running until I reach Bayfront Park or I may automatically turn off the trail at this point.

It was a perfect day for a long run! Total running time: 3:51 (not counting pit stops). I experimented a bit more with fueling options, trying the Cliff gel first (much more palatable this time), then some shot bloks and skipping the pretzels all together. I had the camelbak loaded with water mixed with Ultima and kept the water bottle for just water (nice for washing down the gels and bloks). The gel seemed to do what it was supposed to and I felt pretty good throughout the run, with only minor hand swelling. I ended up with nothing left in the hydration bladder by the time I got home and was glad I had the extra bottle along.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at a friends 60th birthday party which wrapped up with a handful of planes taking off from his grass strip. It was fun watching them start up (most are hand-propped) and taxi off one at a time. All of them got off the strip quickly and a few came back to 'wave' goodbye before heading off to their home airport(s).

Will try to finish a post about the rest of my Isle Royale trip soon. Nothing really new on the knitting front - working away on the hat for my nephew and playing around with some celtic braidwork patterns that I am thinking of including in a future project.

Update on long run

Well, got a later start than hoped for, but finished the 24 miles in 5:05. Not too much mud on the trail (almost none = we are in a drought). Lots of hills and some pretty technical trail at times. There is a section from Magney-Snively to Spirit Mountain that had me stumbling and feeling pretty low. Not very runnable due to all the sharp, pointy rocks in the trail (beware those thinking of running the Wild Duluth Races).

Other highlights:

yellow lady slipper
starflower
canada mayflower
purple clematis (just finished blooming)
large-flowered trillium
nodding trillium

turkey vulture taking off through the woods (usually see them over rocky outcrops) - made me wonder how bad I looked... or smelled.

Ran the first 15+ on my own, then met up with a friend for the last 9 miles. Some serious climbing in that section (though it was past the 135 steps - what a bugger those were!) so it was nice to have company at that point.

Feeling a lot more prepared for the Half Voyageur after today's run. Will get in a few more long runs and then take it easy until race day. Still working out fueling options, used the shot blocks for the first two hours then tried some pretzels. They really hit the spot. Kept going back to them, along with adding some Ultima to my water. Eventually tried some gel - nasty taste, but washed it down with a lot of water/Ultima and it did what it was supposed to. Felt good until the end(even like I could have done more - if I had to ;->).

Not sure how much water/Ultima I drank. Filled the Camelbak before I took off (32+ oz). Had drank less than half I think when I topped it off at 10 miles with Ultima. Then I topped it off again at 17 miles. Finished with about 16 ounces left in the bladder. So, figuring I drank around 12 - 16 ounces before each refill, must have got at least a quart of fluid in overall.

Probably lost that much just out of my nose! Today was one of those days where my sinuses just kept producing. Very annoying, especially once I took off the long-sleeved shirt and had just a t-shirt, shorts and my hands for drainage control.

Weather on the run:

When I started in Jay Cooke it was in the low 40's (45 at my house), sunny and not much wind. As the morning progressed the wind picked up, it clouded over and when I finished the run it was 51 degrees. With a wind out of the northeast it was important to keep moving (or add a layer). Perfect weather for a long run, but if it doesn't start warming up soon I may be in trouble if race day is hot!

I run with a cell phone (just in case and so family can check in as needed - and they do). Today I got a call from a family friend (my kids age). What the heck?! I was less than cordial when answering only to be greeted by a kid in tears. Oh no!! Once I got her calmed down, discovered she had gotten injured, couldn't get ahold of her parents, so called me for medical advise and for surrogate parenting. Luckily we were heading up hill at the time so was content to walk and could triage her in addition to calming her down. Boy, did I feel guilty for being crabby when I answered the call (and boy am I glad I answered it). Luckily she is fine and now knows what to do if her symptoms worsen. Just cause they are over 18 doesn't mean they still don't need their parents!

It is grad party season so I am off to create a card and get my post-long run walk in on my way to a party.

Jim reminded me: Good luck to all the folks doing tri's this weekend!!! Too many races happening all at the same time.

Random Running and Other Stuff

As I wait for my IPod to synch and add some newly obtained Grateful Dead (Alpine Valley 1984 - I was there, and remember it!!) thought I would do a little blogging.

Half Voyageur is only 5 weeks away and I am feeling a bit inadequate as far as long runs go. Since April I have managed several 15 - 16 milers but then I took a week off to go play in the woods - right when I should have been upping my mileage. So, will head out early tomorrow morning (into the cold - what the heck!?!) and run the Superior Hiking Trail from Jay Cooke State Park to my house, about 24 miles, give or take.

After looking over my water and supply carrying options I have decided to go with the trusty REI Half Dome that has been my running-to-work pack all winter and spring. It is capable of carrying my Camelback hydration bladder, spare clothes (did I mention the temperatures tomorrow? and now they are upping the chance of rain too), and some victuals as well. Fits close, doesn't bounce and has an honest to goodness hip belt. Is it the lightest thing around? No, but it is the best I have at hand.

In the past I have used a combination of a waist belt water bottle holder and the Camelback pack, but that leaves me with almost no cargo carrying capacity. I am thinking I will be dressing in layers as morning temps are predicted in the mid-thirties (frost warnings are abundant tonight) and it is supposed to hit the mid-to-upper 50's, though with a northeast wind (brr). Why yes, I do expect I will be out there long enough to see the twenty degree temperature swing ;-> Should take me around 5 hours to get home. But that will be 5 hours on some of the most beautiful trail in the area! Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning ;->

So, other than my long runs what have I been up to? Not much but work, and a couple of shorter runs. Tuesday I got in a nice jaunt around a local section of the SHT with a friend. We tried to include part of a mountain bike trail as well, but that was confusing! Wednesday I ran a quick 2.4 miles to my daughter's place prior to driving to the Cities. Thursday, after 4 hours sleep (Wayne, maybe I am ready for an Ultra!?!) and 9 hours of work I met a friend at a local ski trail. The plan was to run a nice 5k with him, then head out for another 30 minutes and get an hour run in that way. So much for best laid plans! We ended up running a fast (to me - almost my race pace) 5+k. When we got back to the parking lot I was ready to call it quits, but after saying good-bye and drinking lots of water (it was in the mid-70's, warmest day we have had in awhile) I decided to head out and finish out the hour. Of course, my intent was to run easy, but somehow that morphed into a run at 70+% of my max heart rate. Ended up running for a grand total of 1:15 ;->

Today, after Job A and Job B (last day of that until next fall) it was a mellow bike ride down Minnesota Point to Sky Harbor Airport where I dropped off my bike for some much needed TLC (I have connections ;->). Hopefully my legs are ready for tomorrows run!

Will be experimenting with some fueling options: along with the usual Clif Shot Blocks I picked up some Clif Energy Gels and packed some pretzels (they were key at last years Half Voyageur) and craisins. Will mix up some Ultima (since that is what they serve at the race) and have that along with plain water for drinking. Since I only have a 32 oz Camelback will need to stash water along the way. Last year labeled cooler hidden in the shrubbery along the trail at a road crossing worked well. Could replenish my water supply, drop any unneeded items and only required that I go back and gather up the cooler later in the day.

The nice thing about running the Superior Hiking Trail in Duluth is that there are plenty of trail heads and road crossings to use as water drops. I just need to do some math, figure out how much water I can/am willing to carry and go from there (and have my ride cooperate in depositing the supplies.

OKC (Obligatory Knitting Content:

Reworking the hat I made for my nephew back in March - it was not deep enough. Also working on a nice, simple, garter stitch wash cloth. Both are very relaxing projects. Finished the socks I had been working on for Mr. Wildknits and...

Finished the lace scarf intended for the SHTA Silent Auction a month ago. Now to block it and I can deliver it to the person who has offered to buy it (sight unseen) and donate the money to SHTA.

And just to prove I have not forgotten about my trip report a preview from Day 2:



Good luck to all the racers this weekend: Kettle Moraine 100 and FANS!!!

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Long Run

After much research and bugging runners I know in the south part of the state I settled on Murphy-Hanrehan as the location for my long run this weekend. Why so far from home? Had a baptism to attend in the area. Side benefit: new trail = less boredom with my long runs in the future.

Printed out a map to the park, searched a local running groups' website for suggested routes, bugged Wayne late at night and got a link to his garmin data from the Surf the Murph, and settled on a route that would allow me to get in 16-18 miles and be able to stop by my car to refill my water bottle and hook up with my son for the second half of the run. The planned route incoporated parts of the Surf the Murph course, though not all as some of those trails are closed in the summer (what is Oak Wilt anyway?!?).

I opted to park at the Horse Trail parking lot, in the middle of the trail system, and headed out on the trails south of the road. I had brought a map along with the route I planned on traveling highlighted. Good thing as there are many, many trail intersections. Most are marked with a post and the intersection number, but not all. All this complicated by my unfamiliarity with the area and what direction I was heading in. Meant lots of stops at intersections to determine where I needed to head next.

The trails are pretty wide, especially on the south side of the road, and I shared them with hikers, dog walkers and a few horses (and their droppings). Nice hills, though mild by Duluthian standards ;-> Heading north of the road, the trails got a bit narrower and more shaded and included a few more rocks and obstacles to avoid. I ended up not finding some of the trails I meant to run there (and what were those large mounds covered with tarps north of intersection 12?) and hitting a dead end on a road. Backtracked and headed south, finding a nice section of single-track south of the road that led me back to the parking lot. Good hills on the north side of the road - but I was a bit worried about them for the second loop as it has been a few weeks since I have done a long run (Superior 25K to be exact).

Checked my watch as I hit an intersection as I neared the trail head and thought about heading out on another loop as I was a bit earlier than our projected meeting time, but opted to go check the lot - just in case. Good thing as Jason was already there!

Refilled my water bottle, and we headed out. This time incorporated a longer loop on the south side and repeated all of my previous run, without the backtracking. This was Jason's first time on trails, so tried to take it easy on him ;->. Ended up running 1:15 on my own and another 1:40 with Jason.

Knowing that trail running is a slippery slope... how long do you think it will be until he enters a trail race?

Nice day for a run - temps were moderate, nice breeze, and good company! Had a blast running out there and someday would like to get back and explore some more.

Will post some more about the Isle Royale trip in a day or so.

Isle Royale May 2009

This will be a multi-part post. What a trip! Headed north on Tuesday the 19th and stayed at a friends place outside Grand Marais. Up at 4:00 am to get our stuff together, have some coffee, clean-up and head north another hour to Grand Portage. The ferry left at 7:30 and we were to arrive 45 minutes before that. Made it on time, unloaded the packs, got the stuff together to carry onto the ferry, checked in and had our packs loaded onto the boat and hung out until departure time. Had a nice visit with the folks from Grand Portage-Isle Royale Transportation Line prior to heading out.

Day One:The Ferry Ride

As the boat pulled away from the dock I prepared to take up my usual post in the bow of the boat, but it was not meant to be. The spray was already soaking the front of the boat, so I headed to the stern. The waves were pretty big and I knew this was going to be a tough crossing for me. I tend towards sea sickness and have discovered I can cope with it pretty well if I can do a couple of things: be outside in the fresh air; see a horizon line and stay focused on it; and keep some crystallized ginger on hand to tone down the nausea.

Managed two out of three of those requirements. The fog settled in as we got out on Lake Superior and there went the horizon line! I hunkered down in the stern and did my best to stay warm (water temp is around 32 degrees and air temp was not a whole lot warmer). It takes about two hours to get to the island from the mainland and by the end I was wishing for the trip to be over.

Small World #1

On the boat were a number of groups. In one was a young man that looked familiar, figured I had seen him last year on the island and asked if he had been out there. Nope, his first trip to the island; but he thought I looked familiar too. Hmmm... Got to talking and he had just run the Superior 50K. Ah, I had just run the 25K, maybe we saw each other there. Talked some more, compared times and realized we had finished the race together! Having not introduced ourselves at the race, Brian Peterson and I met on a boat to Isle Royale.

Spent most of my time alone in the stern as it was pretty chilly. Was joined on occasion by a young woman who would quietly lean over the side, then head back indoors for a bit. Other passengers would pop out for a bit, but not for long. I learned on my first trip to the island to wear all of my cold weather gear on the boat - makes for a more enjoyable ride. Though by the end I had donned Mr. Wildknits jacket and had a wool blanket wrapped around my legs.

Arrival

As we approached Washington Harbor I was alerted by Mr. Wildknits that land had been spotted. Yeah! As we got in to the harbor the fog cleared, the waves subsided and I headed for the bow. There was still ice clinging to the shore line in several places and we saw a few double-crested cormorants hanging out on shoals peeking out of the water.

Once on the dock, with packs unloaded, it was time for the traditional talk by the NPS Ranger about Leave No Trace ethics and other items unique to Isle Royale (ie: what to do if you encounter a moose or wolf and why you should not leave anything out that a fox might like - say your boots). Then it was up to the ranger station to get our permit and off we went.

The first day we had a 8.5 mile hike to our campsite. We donned our packs (mine is always at the upper end of what is recommended for my weight, but what do you do when you get cold easily and camp during the shoulder seasons?) and headed out. The trails on Isle Royale are easy to follow for the most part, with trail markers only at intersections. Nice change of pace from the heavily signed trails on the mainland. As we hiked along, the day warmed and we stopped on a ridge top to shed some layers and take some pictures of wildflowers.


Still waiting to hear back from the rangers and Isle Royale botanist to learn what these are. Any ideas?

My main reason for going to Isle Royale in May was to see spring ephemerals - yes, I am that kind of flower geek. Other reasons included: few people, wildlife, few people, and no bugs.

Our hike was interrupted several times by my need to photograph what we were seeing, especially if I could not identify the flower or if it was something I had never seen before. For example:

Skunk cabbage - I have heard about this for years but have never seen it in bloom, doesn't grow in my area. Such a cool plant- spathe and spadix and those leaves get HUGE!



The Carolina spring beauties carpeted the woods. Amazing display!

We arrived at the Feldtmann Lake campsite and had our choice of sites as we were the only ones there. Found a nice spot with access to the water and protection from a storm. I like to get the 'camp chores' done right away (pumping water, setting up the tent, etc)so set to it. On the beach (and in our campsite) I saw evidence of one of the islands year-round residents:

Was hoping this particular moose didn't decide to wander through the site that night!

After dinner we decided to hike out to Rainbow Cove as I had heard lots of good things about the beach. The trail meandered through the woods next to the creek that drains Feldtmann Lake and came out onto


a warm beach and miles of rocks to pick through - what more can anyone ask for?

I set out to walk the beach and pick up rocks (finding many a large spider in the process), Mr.Wildknits took a different approach:

He had as much luck just hanging in one spot and sifting through the rocks.

We made our little collections, exchanged our favorites and then left them behind as we made our way back to camp.

I have been going to Isle Royale the past two Septembers and am used to it getting dark early. I forgot that it stays light until 9:00 pm and we had plenty of time for hanging out at the beach. I got out my knitting and my book and lounged about for a bit, but ultimately was ready for bed before it got dark. Woke up during the night to rain and the need to bring our boots in from the vestibule 'just in case'.

More on the trip in my next post.