Happy 12th Birthday to my Topaz!

25K Donut Run

The Donut Day 25K is a fun run put on by Jordan Hanlon in Minneapolis. It’s free! Runners run from bakery to bakery and eat donuts…ending at a donut shop.  I  really wasn't sure what to expect for the Donut Run, just that it sounded like fun! 

I knew that there was a 5, 10 and 25K mile version. My longest run was 5 miles coming in. I ran a 5 in the AM and a 3 in the PM, I suppose 8 miles technically.  I knew that we were running through the Minneapolis area and stopping at local bakeries. Fun!!

The weather was forecast to be cold. -20F and -35F Wind Chill. I wasn't worried about that. Layers of good running clothing is all that is necessary.

We were starting at 800 at Lake Nokomis. I stopped for gas and had to wait for a train, before I knew it I was running late. I approached Lake Nokomis at 755 so opted to park in the pay lot so I didn't have to scurry around looking for parking.

I wasn't sure if I'd know anyone running. I walked slowly to Jordan giving the directions to the group  and was excited to see Maria and Doug nearby. Maria was running the 25K and Doug the 5 mile. I still wasn't sure what I was going to run. When Maria asked I told her 10 for sure, hopefully 25K, but still not sure. I'd see how the ankle felt.

Before I knew it we were moving. There were probably about 30 of us  in total. Last year there were 150 but the cold temps must have been cause for bail out.  I don't know why. Seriously. It was just a joyful time.

I ran by myself from Lake Nokomis to A Bakers Wife-at 4200 and 28th Ave South. This was only a few miles so I didn't go in for water .. or a donut .. I had to pee. Jordan suggested I go next door to the bike shop. It was very nice to use their warm bathroom!

At this point, so lucky for me, John Taylor and Maria were standing outside of the bakery, deciding not to enter, either. I was able to hook up with them and stayed with them the whole run. SO blessed!! SO excited to run with my two buddies again.

Maria knows the area well-she knew right where we were going to go so she just led us along. Our next stop was Glam Doll Donuts at 2605 Nicollet. We went Right instead of Left on Nicollet-I had a map in my pocket so a quick glance showed us our error. We trotted down to Glam Doll-I could smell the fragrance of hot oil and sugar as we approached! Glam Doll was a hoot. Pretty sparkly pink Christmas tree in the corner, girls all glammed out, a huge array of donuts, warm bathrooms, water for the runners. I downed a gel and a bottle of water here and noticed that

The end of my pony tail was a rats nest.   As I was trying to pull the knots out a kind woman, Lisa was her name, took out my pony tail holder and braided my hair. Yay!  I wouldn’t have to worry about it all breaking off.

Maria found a bacon covered donut here. I think they may be the new rage. We seemed to spot bacon pastries at each stop.

We began to catch a chill so headed out for our next stop: Angel Food Bakery. The route was so much fun on the way. We were now downtown Minneapolis, running past my old working grounds. I worked in the Piper Jaffrey building on Marquette, 11 years ago. We ran right past it. Ran past the Metrodome, the Guthrie, good times. 

By now the wind was blowing in our faces. The air temperature was -11F and the wind chill -25F. I kept warm. I was wearing a pair of heavy tights, the Skirt Sports pants with skirt, a tank top and two long sleeved tops, my winter running jacket. Two pair of gloves, a pair of wind mitts, a neck gaitor and heavy fleece hat. There were points where I took off my mitts but for the most part I dressed perfectly. I wasn't cold a bit. 

At Angel they had a tank of water with lemons for us. It was fabulous and so wonderful that I didn't have to carry around a bottle of water that would end up freezing anyway. Not to mention warm bathrooms with hot running water! 

I was blown away by the cake above!  Maria had a cronut here. A cross between a crossiant and a donut. It looked pretty cool.  I sucked down another gel and some more water. 

We left Angel and headed for our final leg to Mel O Glaze. By now I had decided that I was going to run the full 25K. My ankle was so awesome and I was so happy that I couldn't stop smiling. I ran at the mouth and caught up on everything with Maria. We listened to John stories-I have mentioned before that John Taylor has the most interesting things happen to him while racing. I can listen to him for a very long time!

As we were running along the Parkway we heard cheering and saw an aid station set up! Here Club Run had set up a wonderful aid station with HOT Caribou Coffee!  What a treat. We stood around, took pictures, laughed and had a blast..while sucking back two cups of coffee.

                           ?, John, Me, Lisa, Maria and Dan We ventured on until we hit Mel O Glaze, which was only .5 miles from our finish at Lake Nokomis. A quick check in with friends Misty and Thad, a glance at the huge donuts and we were on our way to the end.

As the three of us finished up the run I explained to Maria and John how wonderful it was to be out running again. I felt empowered, joyful, strong. Just how I want to feel.

Superior Sawtooth 100: 2013 Version

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In the weeks coming up to Superior 100 I wasn’t sure if I was going to be fortunate enough to line up at the start or not. My ankle was so so-not painful , but not strong, either.  I decided I was going to line up and let it take me as far as it could.

A week or so before the race I invited my Dad up to hang out on the North Shore in my beautiful condo. He was recovering from a broken clavicle so wouldn’t be able to do a lot of hiking or biking, but said he’d like to meet me at some of the aid stations. I was thrilled!!! I’ve never had anyone want to meet me at the aid stations before and especially not a 100!  WOW! How wonderful.

FaceBook had me on edge!  Running races with since the social community came on board adds a measure of anxiety for me. Instead of nestling in and thinking about it myself there are many many others posting about the race as well. I don’t need the added anxiety factor!

The weekend weather was forecast to be gorgeous!  I was really excited to get some hours on the Superior Hiking Trail.

I drove to Two Harbors on Thursday afternoon for the packet pick up party. It was awesome!  Lots of friends to reconnect with and listening to John Storkamp is always a blast.  Drove back to Lutsen to Eagle Ridge to nestle in for the night.

Friday morning was beautiful. Not cold, not wet.  I loaded the bus at Caribou Highlands to the start at Gooseberry Falls. Lots of nervous chatter enroute. I could have done without that!  I haven’t bussed to the start before..in the future I will continue to drive myself J

We mingled and conversed at Gooseberry. Took photos, reconnected with my best of friends. I have so missed the ultra community during my injuries. They truly are what is most important about ultra, to me.

John spoke for quite some time before he told us to GO!  We were off!  Off to make some memories!

The first thing I realized was I was hot as hell. So glad that I was only wearing a skirt and tank. I was carrying 3 – 24 ounce bottles of water/heed in my pack with a bunch of Hammergel. This would carry me to the first aid station 10 miles or so out.

In my previous race reports for Superior Sawtooth I have described every foot of the trail-look back to 2006, 2007 and 2008 if you are curious. This is a more concise version!

I ran into aid station 1 at Split Rock, 10 miles out from start. My third bottle was dry..I couldn’t believe how warm it was. I filled up my bottles and headed on down the trail. My ankle was feeling solid , blisters were becoming a problem. I removed a sock at this station and popped my blisters with the pin from my race bib. Slathered on some more foot potion and headed on down the trail.

Aid station 2 was another 10 miles out, at Beaver Bay. I knew Dad would be here!  I was so excited as I ran, just knowing that I would see him there. What a great concept..having someone who loves you at the aid stations. I didn’t put any pressure on him, didn’t ask for any crew duty. He was going to drive along the course and check in..awesome!

I again drank 80 ounces during this section. As I ran into the station I spotted Dad right away!  I gave him a big hug and accidently hurt his collar bone which he just had surgery on. Oops!  I was so excited to see him there. He had my drop bag so I again popped a blister, cleaned my foot, put on a new sock. Laughed a bit, gave him a big kiss and hobbled on down the trail.

Yup, the ankle was barking at me now. I could feel it  tighten and saw how  swollen it was becoming when I removed my gaiter and sock at the previous aid station.  I knew that each step was a gift and that I would do whatever the ankle would allow. Of course I was bummed that I wasn’t going to make it, but I really was happy just to be running some miles on the Superior Hiking Trail.

Aid station 3 is at Silver Bay, 25 miles out. As I approached the station I spotted Dad, holding my bag with a big smile on his face!  I grabbed a sweet potato from the bag that I had stored in a Ziploc with an ice pack. It was still cold!  Awesome as it was SO hot out!  I introduced him to everyone, most of which who had already introduced themselves to him. It was great fun.

I told Dad that my ankle was holding up so well and that I was going to try to make it to Co Rd 6 but Tettegouche could be the end of my race. I told him that nobody was allowed at Tettegouche, this was a mistake. There were not drop bags at Tettegouche but people could park and walk in. Oops. He then went onto Co Rd 6.

As I ran into the plus 50K mileage I knew the end was coming. My ankle was swollen and felt horrible. I wasn’t going to risk it …  I didn’t realize I had already done the damage. 

I ran into Tettegouche-35 miles and called it a day.  I hung around a while and caught a ride to Co Rd 6 to meet up with my Dad.

As I walked up to him he was looking toward the aid station, waiting for me to come in. I showed up on the opposite side, he knew my race was then finished.  No tears, no huge disappointment, just the end of a fun day on the trail.

We drove back to the condo and visited, reminiscing about the day and other things..it was really quite awesome.  I guess I’ve grown quite a bit since my first  DNF at Superior!  Thank God.

I called my Dr. and was able to get right in. Xrays showed I broke the fibula bone, right above where I had fractured it  in July. I was immediately placed back into the boot..for 5 more weeks.

Ugh.

Running the Superior Hiking Trail: Superior 100 Training Runs

I'm thrilled to report that my ankle is feeling much better. It seemed as though during Week 4 I really noticed a difference. I didn't feel the need to ice every few hours and there were even a few walking/running stretches in which I forgot all about it. Good stuff!

Early last week Maria let me know that she and Doug would be heading up to the SHT and asked if I'd like to go along. Yes! I asked Steve and Troy if they were interested but sadly they declined. I would leave Friday after work and stay until Sunday. 

Maria was able to reserve a campsite at Lamb's Resort. We weren't sure if we would be able to get one of the unreservables at the State Campgrounds, so Lamb's it was.  We were able to pitch both tents on one site so it only cost me a whopping $22 for the weekend!

It wasn't that great..it wasn't that bad. We had a family of drunks next to us and with only a few trees inbetween -it made for sleepless nights. Oh well.

Saturday I ran the Crosby-Manitou to Temperance section - 23 miles and Sunday ran the Temperance to Oberg section-11 miles. I had absolutely NO ankle pain so I consider this a huge success. I feel great today-no swelling. I still have the climbing muscles I reinvented on the ski hills at Hyland earlier this summer. 

Manitou is the most difficult section for me. It took me about 3 hours to run during the day, fresh. It takes me over 4 hours to run in the dark, at mile 62, very unfresh!  It felt good to run again, without wonking out my ankle.  

Doug, bless his heart, met us at each trail head with water. I was able to get the training run complete with only water, scaps and gels. 

Having had to take a full three weeks off and then only running a few miles the past few weeks does make me nervous about the 100. I'm not going to sit and cry about it. Because this time on the trail went well I will be at the start line. This past weekend could have gone very poorly or very well. I'm thankful it was the latter!

Less than three weeks to the big one! Weee!



   

Voyageur 50 Mile Trail Run: Volunteer!

Early last week it became apparent to me that I wasn't going to be able to run the Voyageur 50 Mile Trail Run. Physically I suppose I knew that I wasn't going to, but emotionally...I was still holding onto hope. 

In the past-during my recovery from hysterectomy and than the herniated discs from that recovery-I chose not to volunteer at races, nor did I socialize with my very best friends in the world. I felt that I was no longer a runner, that my fragile eggshell mind couldn't handle the fact that I wasn't running while around my friends. I'm so thankful that I have learned from that experience.

Bill posted to FB that he was heading up an UMTR aid station and was looking for volunteers. I received confirmation that I would not be running and reached out to Bill about volunteering. I'm so glad that I did! 

UMTR Aid Station at Peterson's. Mile 16 and 32. Rocking it Out!

I slept in, was working the aid station from 730-330 so didn't leave for Duluth until 5 AM.  I missed a few signs so didn't get there until after 8, but it was OK. The station was well-manned!  

It was freezing outside!  A bit of rain, some wind, 43F baby. Crazy. I was so happy I hauled my down vest, jacket and full length coat. Yup, I wore my full length down Patagonia coat. I wished I brought gloves!!  It was cold for us but not so much for the runners. Many runners in sleeveless tops, shirtless guys, they were not freezing.

I had so much fun!  I don't believe I've worked an aid station for an Ultra before. I have been at registration and road races but not an ultra. Wow, so much fun.  I laughed so hard and so much that my face hurt. Bill talked so much that he lost his voice!  I, Victoria and Misty rang cowbell, made drums, cheered, it was crazy fun.  

Helping others to obtain their goals..that was what this was all about. Offering an Oreo Brownie, filling a water bottle, offering to fill a bladder..a kind word or hug..that's what I could do for the runner. I met so many new people-many of which will become good friends, I just know it. I rekindled so many great relationships with my friends, it was just what I needed. 

No more hunkering down and isolating myself from others during time of injury. I become depressed, withdrawn, unhappy. Laughing with the others..this is what I choose to do.

We broke down the aid station at 330 and headed to the finish line. John was already done-finishing in under 9 hours. Most of the rest of the group sprinkled through the finish line between 10 and 13 hours. I had more brownies to offer-they absolutely loved them-and more hugs and cheers. What a great day! Fabulous runners!  Great volunteers and incredible RDs. What more can a person want? If I can't run the race I'll help you to run the race :)

I am on the mend..Superior Sawtooth is still on the calendar. I need to find lodging..up next.

Me, Misty and Victoria representing UMTR.

Gene Curnow Trail Marathon - Formerly Half Voyageur 50

Amy and I at the finish, all smiles!

A few weeks ago I headed off to Duluth to run the newly named Gene Curnow Trail Marathon. Gene was a wonderful man who recently passed away. The 1/2 50 has been renamed for Gene and has been lengthened to 26.2 miles for a marathon instead of the 25 miles for the 1/2 Voyageur. I have such fond memories of Gene. He allowed me to finish my first 50 miler at Voyageur-in the thunder, lightening and hail. It took me over an hour past the time limit of 13 hours, in 2003, to finish, but Gene allowed it. He kept telling me "You look good Julie, you are just slow..keep on going!" I kept on going. He cheered me on as I came back each year, bettering my time, until most recently, I finished just over 10 hours. He said "You look good Julie, you are no longer slow..girl!"  We miss you Gene!

I drove up Saturday morning toward Duluth. Another thunderstorm!  I had to pull over to the side of the highway three different times as I couldn't see a thing. Dark, wet morning, high winds. Oh joy!  I continued on.

I was planning on parking in Carlton, taking the shuttle bus to the start in Duluth. However, with the pulling over to the side of the road time, I approached Carlton with 8  minutes to spare before the busses were going to leave. I decided to head straight to Duluth. I'd just be really early. Better early than late!  I pulled into the lot at Spirit Mountain and was the third car parked. Yeah, a bit early. Plenty of time to get ready.

Paulette, Kathy and Amy all arrived. I couldn't believe it when I saw Donna and Scott!  They were at that first Voyageur I ran and here they were again. So awesome!  

My plan was to take this easy..a nice training run before the 50. I had been running very well recently-lots of hill repeats out at Hyland, good interval work..I was really excited. The course was longer and rerouted from last year when I ran so I really didn't have a time goal. Just finish healthy was my mantra.

Only it didn't go that way.

I was running along, coming up to MILE ONE. Smiling, falling into a line with Holly in front when all of a sudden I slipped upon a wet flat rock, going down a hill. My ankle twisted and it crunched to the ground. I could feel it drop..and pop. Before I knew it I had catapulted from the trail to the side of the trail, in the woods, on my butt. I was stunned. What the hell just happened? Holly turned around immediately. Did I scream? Swear? Probably. Not sure. There she was, handing me Advil without a second passing by. I tried to get up, to put weight on my foot..but couldn't. Holy hell. I gingerly stepped further from the trail so the long train of people could pass. Dear sweet Scott grabbed my hand and hefted me up. Geeze. I couldn't put weight on it. Fuck. I have never ever twisted an ankle like this before. I've had a twist, where the pain goes from foot to head, but then I run along and all is well. This wasn't all well. 

I told everyone thank you for your concern, as they passed, I'll be ok, I'll get to the next aid station or turn around..I'll figure it out. I hobbled along and pretty soon it didn't hurt quite so bad..pretty soon I placed weight on it and began to jog. I could still feel that it wasn't normal but it didn't become any worse. I figured as long as it wasn't worse I was A OK.

I went through the aid stations, began to pass people who asked about my ankle.  I let them know I was doing OK, it didn't feel worse. I asked myself at each aid station 'how are you doing?' I was fine. By mile 18 I was running quite well, I felt awesome and just kept running. I had fallen to almost last so I passed many people between 18-26 miles. I counted 43 people. That pumped me up and I suppose the endorphins and the swelling that I couldn't see because I had gaiters on, allowed me to continue my run. 

As I picked my way through Jarrow's Beach-tons of rock-boulder climbing crap and through the powerlines, I was just so relieved that I was able to get in this training run. I was so grateful that the ankle twist didn't knock me out. I asked myself "now this is only a training run, stop if this is painful..you know what it is like to not be able to run..am I ok?" I told myself yes. I'm running, if I couldn't run I would have dropped to save myself for Voyageur 50 in two weeks. Dropping out of a training run is a dud, but hurting myself just to finish was an even bigger dud. I didn't feel like I was doing that. 

I felt great and had bundles of energy as I began the race so slow. As I crested the final portion of the trail and landed on the bike path into the finish line I was so thrilled to be racing. I was actually running fast at the end of a race.

Once I stopped, sat down, pulled off my shoes and socks I saw what was there. A big fat foot and red lump. Ugh. I stretched out and asked for some ice. The sweet volunteer placed a bag upon my foot. Now I was nervous. What the hell? Maybe this was something more than a simple twist of the ankle. 

I began to think about my Hokas. I had only been wearing them for a few runs-I had loved them. My feet and legs were not feeling tired at all and I was getting in some higher mileage weeks. Did that high platform cause an ankle twist, the ankle had further to drop to the ground because of that high platform. Shit. Maybe so. Ugh.  

Stinson Evo Hoka:

I congratulated many of my friends and cheered in more to the finish. Amy and I didn't have  a ride back to our cars so we went on the look out for someone with a nice face.  Luckily we found a guy with plenty of room who didn't mind driving us back to Duluth!

The fear of my ankle kind of stripped away the fun factor that I was so enjoying. I left Amy and drove home. Stopping for ice along the way.

I went in for x-rays and yes, I have a bad sprain. The x-ray also showed a distal fibular avulsion  which could be new or could be an old injury. The avulsion is treated the same way as a sprain-RICE-a boot when necessary. After a week of RICE he put me in a boot. It's very cumbersome and I couldn't wear it for very long.

Fat Foot: 

I am now at week 3 of RICE. The swelling is gone, I have full range of motion and began walking last week. Slow, 1 mile, then 1.5 miles. This week I was able to add running minutes. Today was a bright one-I ran 3 miles without additional swelling or pain. It's getting better. Sheesh.

I'm afraid now, to wear the Hokas. They really freaked me out. I went shoe shopping and instead purchased the fit like a glove Solomon S-Lab Sense Ultra. Huge difference. I've only worn them once and they felt fabulous. Time will tell.

For Sale: Stinson Evo Hoka, less than 50 Miles. Size 10! 

So, I am healing. Superior Sawtooth is still on the calendar. My foot is no longer fat. Life is good. 

Superior 50K

Well, I did it again. Went into a race completely under-trained. Oh well...I had a blast!

I hadn't run a race on the Superior Hiking Trail for a few years! We camped it the last few years so I have run upon its gnarly beauty-ness but haven't entered anything.

After feeling terrible at Louisville I put Superior away, I wasn't going to do it. I just wasn't feeling it. Waaa waaa waaa  cry about it, right. Well, then lo and behold, my friend Misty set her wedding day celebration right after the race, lakeside. I certainly wasn't going to miss her wedding and I couldn't go up to Lusten for the wedding without running the race...so I decided I'd run..two weeks out.

I quickly booked a room at Caribou..I couldn't believe that I was able to get a room on such short notice. Normally it sells out quickly. I love staying at Caribou for the 50K. We start and finish on their property.

The matter of training..guess I better run a quick 20..that's just what I did. Egads. With snow all over the trails I ran road-flat road. Whatev...

I was excited about the race. I hadn't run the race since John Storkamp took over as RD. It's been a while.

Checking in on Friday I visited with the gang, caught up on all the racing news. So much fun.

Early to bed and able to sleep in..with no driving to the start line I woke up without an alarm and mozied out to the start line.

I just totally enjoyed myself the whole way. I took it nice and easy, took photos, visited when i was around others, reflected on memories as I came upon landscape which jogged my memory of past time that I've spent upon the trail. It was fabulous!

I loved that the race course now takes us up up up Carlton Peak to the very top-before turning around back to the start. In the past we would turn  around before we reached the peak. It was foggy, thick and wet. It was so awesome. Just awesome.

Such a blast..the water was high, the river crashing upon the banks, an incredible trail and adventure.

After I finished I soaked in the hot tub to get the chill out. Legs felt great, no problems. No tummy distress. I stuck to gels and water, perfect.

This race got the mojo flowing again. I don't know why I let a bad run in KY change my plans but hey, it happens. I feel like training again, I feel like making progress, I feel like pushing again. 

I feel like running Superior Sawtooth 100 again. That's a good thing!

Louisville Lovin' The Hills

Since my mother's passing in November I notice every once in a while that I am in a pretty dark place. Not all of the time, but there are moments that I notice this.

During one of these dark moments I reached out to my friend, Maria, to talk of winter races. As I posted previously, she was headed to Kentucky for Louisville Lovin' The Hills 50K and invited me to tag along. I was so grateful to have something to train for, to do something that I love, to lift myself from this depression..I began to cry and then responded with a big YES.

I had a few weeks to train (gasp)! Good thing I am not my own client, I'd have to fire myself. I ran a 28 and a 22. That would have to do it. I know. Don't do this at home. It's just not enough!  

After dropping Troy off at school on Thursday I headed for Apple Valley. Maria and I would pick up Misty and Joel and then head off for Kentucky. Road Trip!

The weather was horrible. Maria drove all of the way to our first stop, somewhere in Indiana where we spent the night. My gosh, it was raining, snowing, blowing, I'm not sure what else. I would have never been able to drive through it. No way!

We did stop at Legacy Chocolates in Wisconsin. Valentines Day was approaching so I spent a bundle on nummy confections.

Rick, Wayne, Samantha, Marcus and Andrea were also members of our MN party. They reached the motel shortly after we did.

Friday morning we headed for Kentucky. I had never been there and was looking forward to checking out a trail in a 'new to me state'. The weather was much better on day 2 of traveling and it was so awesome to see GRASS instead of SNOW! Yippee!!

Saturday morning approached quickly. Sweet potato, protein shake..off we go to race start. 

It was chilly. I was glad I decided to wear a long sleeve top. Later on in the race I tied my jacket around my waist, warming up a bit.  

Man, I had a tough time. Under trained and lots of hills-more than the Superior Races, I think-had me hurting. I had moments of 'wow, this is just great to be running trail again..' but the moments of 'good lord woman, get a move-on' were frequent!  I just wasn't moving very quickly!  I was making many potty stops in the woods-I don't know what the problem was. Probably that I got behind on calories and then was trying to make them up. Not a good idea. I know better.

I had a grand time, it was so much fun to see my friends out on the trail, enjoying what we do. I will never grow tired of running trail with friends. I was able to enjoy 8:30 on dirt trail, in the woods, off of the snow, with great people.

As I came into the finish I was kind of shocked to see that I wasn't last and that others were still hanging around. I came into the building and there was my group of friends, having a good meal and conversation.  I feel blessed. This road trip is just what I needed!

Next up is Superior 50K.  With a bit of training, I am hoping I feel better at the finish line.