Trail Angels Run: Wild Duluth 50k
In most races I do, I go in with an intention and a goal. A lot of my races are fueled by wanting to better my time, to be faster and to feel stronger (or to seek 'revenge' on a race I DNF'ed on). With that in mind, I felt I lacked any sort of drive or motivation this year in some ways. I was confident in my abilities, but I had more of a laid back "it's only half of last year, it'll be a cake walk" attitude, and for the record that is the WORST way to think of a race!
Back in the spring, I gave my friend Marey a list of 50k races to choose from over text, giving her a little synopsis of each race, what the course was like, time of year, loops or not, and cost. She was dead set on Wild Duluth at the mention of the name for her first official 50k and it was settled. I was a little uneasy at first since I had flashbacks of mud-soup trails and thinking about how my leg felt (ouch) but told myself it couldn't ever be as bad as it was last year, it's only half! Heck, we could hike the whole thing if we wanted to!
After Voyageur and dealing with injury after injury, I finally decided to take action and get a coach through Trail Transformation. I knew this was the only way to continue a lifetime of running, become stronger, and to take the path toward recovery and staying injury free (or at least keeping it at bay). Training post voyageur up until now has been great (no it is not all rainbows and cupcakes my friends, days and present their struggles and challenges, like trying to balance my left leg on a Russian Dead Lift and I still cannot do a squat for the life of me) but the willingness to commit to bettering myself and becoming a stronger runner is there. I am thankful I have a coach I can be real with and that listens to my injuries and struggles and helps work through them. I feel more at peace knowing I can take most of the thinking out of my training. My plug for this blog post will be this: If you're a runner or athlete in general struggling with injury or wanting to take yourself to the next level, truly consider Trail Transformation.
Friday we drove up to Duluth after work to packet pick up. Long jokingly asked if I had to say my name or if they knew me already because I was a 'celebrity' of the sport already. I told him Maria knew who I was *gasp* as I gushed over her finishing her Tahoe 200 this year and congratulated her. We then drove to our AirBnB and we got settled in, went for an evening shakeout run at Hartley since we were so.dead.close we ran out the door and across the street to the trailhead, oh be still my beating heart, I want to live in Duluth sooooooooo bad! Long and I were so in love we even talked about seriously moving to Duluth.... ate dinner, chatted with Kari and Erik for a bit, attempted to lay out what I needed for tomorrow which usually ends up just packing a travel bag full of whatever I need tomorrow, and going to bed right away since I was dead tired.
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| A chilly start (photo by Cary Johnson) |
With an 8 a.m. start and a 7 a.m. bus ride to the start of the race, I felt more relaxed getting ready and not feeling rushed like I usually do the morning of a race. I had good sleep and felt ready. I wasn't as anxious or nervous as I typically am during these events. I had to re-plan my outfit choice as it was snowing and in the 30s for temps with some wind. I boarded the last bus upon arriving and called Marey to see which bus she was on. I thought it would have been a good time to catch up, but thankfully the trail offered that as well! The starting point this year was different for this race, as the notorious power lines are currently off limits and the old turnaround point presented a lot of obstacles. The turnaround was moved to Oldenburg Point Picnic Area in Jay Cooke State Park, which would then follow a lot of the same trail as Voyageur (minus the power lines) and other races/hikes like Grand Traverse. The bus ride to the start was cold and long, and 45 min or so later we were at the crowded start with buses and cars already loaded in the lot. There were many familiar faces and met some new ones as well as friends introduced their friends and after Andy gave a short race briefing, we were off! I hung onto Marey who darted off as she is a very, very strong and consistent runner. Going into this race, I knew that this was how she ran, and was hoping to hang onto her for as much of the race as I could. The weather was cold and it was windy and lightly snowing. The sun was shining and the leaves were a vibrant and cheery yellow. I couldn't have asked for better scenery or weather. Marey and I got to have good trail time catching up on each others lives and blazing through the trail. I felt good and confident, we were able to talk and keep our pace, which is always a good indicator of our effort. The first aid station came quickly, I grabbed some pickles and chips and we were off again. I hadn't been drinking much tailwind or water at this point but it never occurred to me this would pose a problem later on. We continued to talk and laugh and chat with other runners as we approached the UMTR aid station. Those volunteers went so far as to make it a red carpet aid station with an actual red carpet, a guy dressed in a tux with a glass of wine and pizza rolls... it's all about presentation! I grabbed my old reliable fig newtons and some chips to go and refilled my flasks. This was the aid station before the climb and descent of Ely's Peak. I saw Erik fly into the aid station as we were heading out. Marey was updating her Instagram story as we ran and hiked up the peak. We met another runner along the way named Annie who was also doing her first 50k, and she would run with us, and from that point on we would caterpillar/leap frog her for a while.
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| Ely's! (Photo By Dan LaPlante and Chevy) |
At mile 18, I realized I had not been eating and drinking enough. I had been used to running hot and humid races where I was sweating and drinking enough fluids, whereas now I was thinking I was not sweating/working as much due to the weather, and this is where everything came to a nose-dive. I crashed hard. Marey took off with Annie which I was happy for since she had someone to run with. I am OK running by myself, but this is where I usually get really down on myself. This time last year, I was tough as nails battling mud and rain and running as if my life depended on it. Here I was struggling to keep my heart rate low and breathing heavily on the uphills. Marey is such a consistent runner that she runs no matter what the terrain is! Uphills, downhills, you name it, she runs it! She kept it up and I slowed down quite a bit. I was offered hot soup by Long's mom, Hoa which I happily took as my daily cravings for sweets and sugars are not what my body wants nor needs on a daily basis.. especially during a race. This soup gave me the energy I needed to crawl out of my bonk and start running again! Thanks Hoa! (she makes incredible food and is an amazing crew member! A seasoned one at that! She's been to Zumbro, Superior, and many other races and has saved Long and I from our respective low points in our races.)
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| The magical soup from Hoa (photo by Long) |
"Can I run with you?" I heard a voice say behind me.
"Of course! It always helps to have someone to run with!"
The funniest part is, I didn't even care to look behind me to see who was asking. All that mattered was someone wanted to run with me at this point.
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| Running with Annie (Photo By Long) |
Honestly, reader, if it wasn't for her I would have hiked/jogged a lot of the rest of the race. I felt like I had nothing to offer. Hearing her ask if she could run with me gave me the extra energy and optimism I wouldn't have mustered on my own. I felt a new purpose to be a trail pal and to pass the time together. Her name is Annie and was doing this race as her first 50k and trail race! I was so happy to share the miles we did together. We talked about everything we possibly could! Wild Duluth, running, our lives, puppies, food and more! The miles and aid stations flew by with her, and before we knew it, it was the second to the last aid station! It was all coming back to me at this point. The last small climb in Enger, the peace bell, and the descent to Bayfront and all the cruel pavement to follow. I learned so much about her out on the trail and was happy to have made a new friend Saturday! I also have to make a special mention of how cool she is because she left her corporate job upon moving and now does what she loves to do because she is willing to follow her dreams and to have the courage to do it! I still am mind-blown from it all!
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| Annie Rings the Peace Bell! (Photo By Long) |
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| Running to the finish with the arches of Bentleyville lights! (Photo By Long) |
Marey, Annie and I then exchanged numbers and want to run together in the future.
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| more soup! |
I believe in trail angels, they are everywhere in this community and help us through our lows to help us reach our highs. From what Marey and I talked about post Wild Duluth, it sounded like she had one as well.
This community is so special and inclusive that I always hope more and more people get to experience this feeling of unyielding love and support. Later that day I ate more food, cleaned up, put on my lion onesie, grabbed my cowbell, and went out to cheer on some 100k runners that evening. This community is so contagious that it's hard to stay away from them for too long!
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| Happy to be done! (Photo by Dan LaPlante and Chevy) |
My dad was eager to see the race swag I picked up that weekend. He looked at the mug, shirt and buff that I received. We looked at the buff together, looking at the 10 years of designs and talking about the years I had been to it, the stories behind each year and the highs and lows.
"You have quite the history here", my dad said.
I sure do, and wouldn't have it any other way. While I was happy to do the 50k this year, the 100k still cruelly and lovingly calls me...
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