Jay Cooke State Park Running

Jay Cooke State Park holds so many amazing memories for me. It's the start/finish of Voyageur 50 Mile Ultramarathon. I've run the race 10 times and have grown to love it so much.  Unfortunately, last year I broke my ankle the week before the race so volunteered instead and this year it has been canceled of course, due to Covid 19.

Maria and I decided to run a long run through the park, then out on the Superior Hiking Trail yesterday. We met at the visitor center, just steps from the beautiful swinging bridge. Our plan was to run 22 ish miles by running an out and back.

Jay Cooke has trails that link up to Willard Munger State Trail and to the Superior Hiking Trail . There are over 50 miles of trail and many water accesses. There are 80 camping sights. It's so beautiful and only a 2 hour drive from the Twin Cities.

We began at 715, not another person was in the parking lot. It was quiet and wonderful. The trail was in perfect condition. The day became warm, up to 88 degrees. We each carried 60 oz in our packs and I stuck another bottle of water in my vest pocket. It wasn't enough. I was salvaging water throughout the day but would have consumed much more if able. Maria ran out as well. We could have done with another bottle, which we both had in our cars!  We survived and didn't cramp up or have any problems.

Large frogs were rustling up the leaves on the trail, we couldn't figure out what they were at first. The leaves were moving and pretty soon we noticed the large frogs. So cure. Maria led most of the way so had to deal with the sticky spider webs across her face. I was stung by a  hornet in the ankle. Typical for Voyageur!   The river was low. The views were incredible. We would stop every once in a while and just look around at the beautiful landscape. Woods, bridges, sky...I felt like I was running from the darkness and into the light. Running does that for me. It empties me out, yet fills me up. It is my jam.

It really felt good to run with another again, it's been months. We stayed apart, were outside and not in close contact. We had a blast.

As we came back into the lot we noticed that every parking spot was taken. We had only encountered 6 others all day long on the trails.

After we finished we cleaned up and sat outside of our vehicles, caught up some more, hydrated and refueled with clementines and mango black bean salad. A great way to end such a fun day!

What a glorious day and beautiful run! I feel so blessed to be healthy and out spending the day just the way I love to. Never to be taken for granted.

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

This past week I made the decision to make an effort to run all of the Minnesota State Parks. There are 67 in my beautiful state and I can't wait to set foot into every one of them!

I ventured over to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park last week and began my quest. Kathio is an hour away from my home so I made the decision that it was OK for me to travel that far during the Minnesota Stay Safe Plan. As I pulled into the lot I noticed there was only one other car parked, that surprised and delighted me!

I had a very stressful week and realized I hadn't looked up any Kathio information before I left for the park. I once visited years before, before I had children!  It had been a while.

Checking out some of the trail map signs I saw that there were 35 miles of hiking trails so that looked like a good place to start! The trails were in great condition. The leaves were starting to open, there were signs that summer was eventually going to be arriving. Green grasses were budding, leaves and ferns were beginning to unfurl.

Running from the trail center toward Ogechie Lake I came upon two campgrounds,  the Touch The Earth Trail and then Ogechie Lake. It was beautiful, lots of rolling hills, well marked paths. I enjoyed the trails very much.  I was seeking solitude, peace and prayer and that was what I received. What a gift. Before I knew it 20 miles had passed. I was going to run the remaining 15 miles the next day.

On day 2 I knew where I was going to go. I wanted to check out the observation tower, and Black Bass Lake. Again as I pulled into the lot, nobody was there!  I was so happy!  I filled up my pack and changed into my trail shoes. Running along the trails toward Black Bass Lake it became very low and very wet. The ferns were amazing in this area and it smelled so rich - so fertile.

After draining the last of my bladder I looked down at my watch and realized three hours had passed. I was so deep in thought, I hadn't noticed time pass. I began to watch the trail signs and made my way back to toward the visitor center and the observation tower.  The tower was so cool. It is 100 feet tall and use to be a fire tower.

On the way home I stopped at Lake Mille Lacs to eat a packed breakfast of chickpeas and romaine. Yum.  I soaked my legs into the big round lake, walked around the shoreline trail and then was ready  to head on home.

I feel so blessed to be able to run for hours, in beautiful places. I do not take it for granted. I've been on the other side and know too well what that feels like. For now, I'm enjoying fully the feeling of traipsing down the trail, enjoying God's gifts.

Let's hope  that I can carry a bit of the serenity I was able to cultivate at Kathio into this next week!

Covid Continues

Well let us see, we are now 9 or so weeks into Covid territory.  My daily existence revolves around my home. I go into the office two days a week; a mere 7 mile drive. I work from home the remainder days of the week. I run out at Lake Maria State Park, 15 minutes away or run in the Wildlife Refuge, even closer to my home. I grocery shop in town, haven't ventured anywhere else. In normal times, I'd drive to Maple Grove / Minneapolis each week to run, to hit up Whole Foods and Costco. It's been 9 weeks since I've been to any of those places. I practice yoga at home, I knit at home, I bake and prepare meals at home, I garden at home.

Some restrictions have been lifted this past week.  Groups of 10 are able to gather while practicing social distancing. I won't be gathering. Clinics are taking appointments with precautions. I have an appointment June 1. I will wait at the car, check in on my phone, have my temperature taken, be escorted to the office while wearing PPE. Gyms are still not open so I'm using my home equipment which is fine. I don't see myself returning to the gym...at all. Home workouts are fine. Manufacturing plants have reopened, curbside restaurant pickup and delivery. No churches, schools, bars, concerts, etc.

We've become so divided. This has all become so political. It seems the Republicans want everything open and the Democrats want to keep it shut down. I just follow the rules. I am not taking chances. I will be as safe as I can be.

My races continue to cancel. So far the races on my schedule that I entered and were cancelled are Chippewa 50K, Grandmas Marathon, Superior 50K and Black Hills 50K. Chester Woods 50K  has been postponed to November. I'm waiting to hear on Voyager 50 Mile, Superior 50 Mile. Honestly, I prefer to have the Race Directors make the decision rather than me. If any of these races were open I probably wouldn't have attended anyway and since they are cancelled I don't have to ponder my decision making processes.  It's a good time to stay healthy, run all the miles and take advantage of all of my free time. 

I've set a goal to run all the trails of all the Minnesota State Parks, of which there are 67.  I love our state parks and there are some I have never set foot into. There are miles of trail for me to explore. What a lovely way to spend my time. I'll begin this weekend.

Covid 19 has thrown me for a loop but I am making the most of my downtime and enjoying that as much as I can.

COVID-19 Pandemic

This past week I'm wavering between a state of anxiety and denial. It feels like I am in the middle of a Margaret Atwood dystopian novel, but, make no mistake, COVID-19 is very real. 

Our state, our nation, our world is reeling. Too many have died and too many are sick. COVID-19 has branched out to every state and almost every country. 

I feel as though living in Minnesota is a pretty good place to be during this time. I am not getting into politics but do have to say that our  Governor seems to have our best interests in mind and tells us the hard truth, that things are difficult and doesn't white wash anything. He closed down schools and businesses pretty early into this pandemic.  He doesn't want to reopen until we can test and test thoroughly. We have some of the best  medical, manufactures and food companies world with Mayo, University of Minnesota, 3M, Medtronic, General Mills, Land O Lakes, Hormel. We are getting along.  I feel like we as a population follow our Governors' direction. We hunker down, we take social distancing seriously. I feel like we can do this. It won't be done without out grave loss.

Grocery stores near me are still being fully stocked each night. I haven't seen bare shelving. I think that because I live in small rural community our grocers haven't had the mad rush on products that the stores only 30 miles away have had. The only thing I have not been able to find is yeast, so I ordered a two pound brick from Amazon. Yes, I have plenty of toilet paper. My local mill is still grinding whole grain organic flour. 

I am not a social butterfly. I stay at home, I run alone, I enjoy time by myself. This shelter in place has taken away my weekly run with Amy, my yoga teacher training class and numerous races. I know that Amy and I will resume our weekly run, I know that yoga teacher training class will resume and races will come back next year.  I haven't had to change my schedule too much. I've realized again that I don't run to race. I race to force myself out of myself. I dislike packet pick up, the large crowed and chit chat. I dislike the crowds at the start and the finish. People feed my anxiety.  I enjoy the time from crossing the start line to crossing the finish line.  I enjoy the hours in-between. I don't mind the cancellations. I feel for the race directors, for their livelihoods. 

I feel like I have practiced social distancing my whole life. 

My down time is spent running, practicing yoga, baking  breads, reading, watching too much CNN and knitting. Instead of going from one of my hobbies at a time to another I am practicing them all, all of the time. I've been able to keep busy, to run long miles. I'm training as if I were still running a 50M in a few weeks, alas, it is cancelled. That's OK. I enjoy the time running alone. It brings me peace during this not peaceful time.

Hang in there. We can do this. 

I'm going to bake my way through Bread Baking Apprentice. I haven't picked it up in a few years and probably only baked a quarter of the breads. It brings back such good memories. The boys would pick out a bread a week for me to bake. I recall Tyler's favorite was the salami and cheese boule, Troy's favorite-caramel rolls. I looked at my notes throughout the book and the last one I wrote was from 2008.  Gosh, 12 years. Crazy. 

Stay healthy. Stay strong. Stay patient. We will get on the other side of this.

Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon

Back at it!

I was hoping I'd be back in running shape before January hit so that I could again run the Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon. Last year it was warm and soggy, post-holing through deep snow.  This year it was beautifully firm snow, perfect conditions, 25F and no wind. What a treat!

I made my way to the trail at a leisurely 800 AM Saturday morning. It was fun to help Andy out with setting up the race start, filling aid station jugs of water, assembling age group win awards and doing whatever I could to assist. There was plenty of time.

The course was absolutely beautiful. Stunning views of the river, running along it for miles, the views of the city from Hawk Ridge, frozen waterfalls, it is really spectacular. 

My ankle felt solid, my body strong and my heart filled with joy. I had an amazing day. I never felt tired or bored or like I wanted to quit. A  marathon is a joyous distance to feel nothing but happiness, to be out in the woods long enough but not too long. I wasn't wet, I wasn't cold, I was comfortable. I wasn't pushing my limits, I was strolling along, taking in all of the beauty that the Duluth trails offer. 

I finished the race 45 minutes faster than last year at 5:45. Like last year I won the 50-59 age group. No pain, all gain. It was a good test to my current level of fitness after breaking my ankle and I'm so happy that I am in a good place. I have a good base of fitness and don't seem to have lost anything after spending 12 weeks without very much movement.

Today I find myself wondering why I even want to run longer than 50K distance? Do I even want to push myself? Why would I want to be in pain and have to recover the next few days?  Perhaps I just stick to 50K again. I don't know. I still find myself thinking I'll put in for Superior 50 Miler. There were be pain and suckage but at least it is not the 100. Did I say that? Hmmm..interesting how my perspective may be changing, at least at this moment.

Yeah, I'll put in for the 50 Miler at Superior. I feel great. 

On the Come Back Trail!

I ran my  longest run since breaking my ankle last July: 10 miles. WOOHOO!  Sure feels good. Man, how I have missed you, running.

Looking forward to the Northwoods Winter Snowshoe Marathon in January.

Healing

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Healing-it seems to be a constant in my running life. Healing from morton’s neuroma surgery, healing from broken ankles, healing from fractures, healing from all of the overuse injuries of tendonitis and inflammation.  Well, here I am again, healing from another broken ankle.

Mid July I was out for a short 4 mile run preparing for Voyageur 50 Mile Trail Run. As I was happily running through the 95F heat and humidity in the bright afternoon sun and being devoured by deer flies, I stepped into a hole. It was covered by long grass and I never even saw it. I had run this path 10000s of times.  I felt my leg collapse and my foot went deep into the 8” hole. I heard my ankle pop and everything went black as I fell to the ground. A deer fly bit me in the lip as I lay upon the ground, wondering what the hell just happened.

After a few minutes I tried to get up and fell back down. I waited a few more minutes. The deer flies were everywhere, I had to get back up. I made my way vertical and hobbled out the ankle, looking at the immediate swelling. I was 4 miles from my car. I tried to run out of there. Ugh. Voyageur in 10 days and Superior 100 in a few months -  that  is all that I could think about.

Had I been warned throughout the  year that this was going to happen: my sudden cold turning into double pneumonia, unable to attend Three Days of Syllamo, unable to run Black Hills 50 M as dad was hospitalized the night before? I was healthy and in great shape, I thought.  Now not running Voyageur? Eventually not running Superior 100?  Not running Surph the Murph. All of the entries I had purchased. I’m so good at ignoring warnings. Unfortunately.  When I thought about the warnings they became so clear: weakness in my ankles, hobbling down the stairs, ignoring the pain of yet another neuroma, nerve pain and numbness in both feet, unable to bend my knees past 90 degrees, cutting open my shoes to allow more room for inflammation.  Same old. Again. Crossing that line. 

I had told myself I didn't want to be afraid of becoming injured. I told myself that I had stayed true to the 50K plan the previous year. I ran 6 50Ks, never going over that distance. I told myself I no longer wanted to 'fear' 100 mile training, I just needed to do it again. It had been a few years since my last finish. 

Azitala Yoga

Volunteering @ Voyageur instead of running

I went to the clinic a few days later and learned I had in fact broke the bone. I was put into a boot for 10 weeks. No weight bearing exercise, no driving ( not able to volunteer at Superior 100) no swimming, no biking. I was able to sit and practice chair yoga and to sit and work upper body in the weight room. That was it.  I learned patience. I found myself back to a daily yoga practice, mediation, journaling, volunteering at races, church and prayer.

Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreat photo

Now 4 months out from my injury I am able to practice yoga daily without pain, I can lift and run. I am running 3 times a week: my Monday evening run with Heather and Amy, a solo run Saturday and Sunday, not more than 6 miles at a time. I find that this is enough for now. The distance will come. I am lifting 3-4 times weekly, putting on muscle. I am going to Yoga Teacher Training beginning in January to April and May to October.  I went to the Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreat a few weeks ago, it was SO wonderful. 

I am taking each day as it comes, grateful to God that I am healing, grateful that I am again healthy. 

Superior 50K

I last ran the Superior 50K in 2013!  I can’t believe that 6 years have passed. I then went on to run Superior 100 in September of 2014. I have not done any training or running on the Superior Hiking Trail since. I have volunteered by marking, sweeping and working the aid stations but no running or training. The SHT is like nothing else that I train on. 

I went up north early and spent a lot of time hiking the north shore.  Gooseberry Falls, Crosby Manitou,  Cascade River, Bally Creek, Grand Marais,  I had a blast.  I really enjoy time in the woods by myself.

Friday I made my way to Caribou Highlands. I had a great lodge room with a window seat overlooking the finish area. I could watch people mingle about for check in.  I walked over and picked up my bib, visited with friends, had a fun time.

Race day morning was cool but dry. 31F so I wore tights, long sleeve top, gloves and packed my windbreaker. I filled my pack with 60 oz of tailwind, gels and a few advil. I was hoping the rain that was forecast would hold off.

John started us off and away we went, running down the short asphalt stretch to the beauty of the trail. We were clustered up, 200 of us trying to find our place.  Climbing right away, navigating the rock and roots reminded me of what this portion of trail was like during a race. I had to slow down a bit, catch my breath, let others pass and collect myself.  I was finding my pace.

I came into Oberg Aid Station 7.5 miles at 1:40. I didn’t need  anything from the station, just the smiles and high fives. I ran through, thanking all of the volunteers. It felt good to run fast through the flat parking lot! 

The climbs were no longer taking a toll on me, I seemed to become more strong as I went along. I wasn’t having any pain, no tiredness or anxiety. I was pushing it as fast as I dared to push without tripping or getting hung up in the mud.  There was a lot of mud.  I found that I was holding back. I don’t quite have the confidence back to let loose on the trail and really run hard.

I came into the second aid station as hail began to pelt me. I couldn’t stop laughing. What else is one going to do? I had my wind breaker in my pack but didn’t feel like pulling it out.  I ran through the aid station, not needing anything, toward the turn around.

As I was climbing up the mountain I ran into Amy Clark, whom I’ve been running  with each Monday since December. It was so great to get a big huge smile and hug from her. She was coming down the mountain with her friend, Erin, whom I hadn’t met before. I felt a real boost as I continued to climb.

The turnaround was a blast, of course. Hail pounding all around me, festive volunteers offering twinkies  and fireball (no thanks). I had a few laughs and began my trek to the finish line.  3:36 to the half way mark. Could I finish in 715?

As I came into the next aid station I decided to fill my pack. More tailwind, emptied out my gel foils. I was ready to move. I spent less than 2 minutes getting ready.  As I left the aid station I noticed that the mud was pulling my sock down into my shoe. My sock was so heavy and wet that it wasn’t staying up on my ankle;  it kept falling down. Although I was wearing gaiters me  feet were still covered with mud and it was grinding between my shoe and ankle. This was  causing friction and pain. Dang. I didn’t want to stop to try to deal with this. How was I going to make it better? I didn’t have any other socks, I hadn’t packed any drop bags. I didn’t have anything to make this situation any better…so I just continued to run, hoping for the best but figuring a painful blister was forming. Hmm. A blister might keep me from my 4 and 5 h our runs Saturday and Sunday. I don’t want that. Hmm..well, keep running. I will buy longer socks in the future, that is for sure!  This rookie mistake caused negative space into my brain which I didn’t need. I began to ignore the growing blister and ran on.

As I came into Oberg I was still feeling so great.  I hadn’t had any lows , no crashes, I was steadily moving along. I cruised over Mystery and Moose mountain without any problem. My neuroma were quiet, I was so blessed. 

I thought about the Superior 100 in 4 short months  and then this thought gave me anxiety. Man, I need to begin to wrap my head around that race again.  I’ve finished 3 of the Superior 100’s, the last one in 2014. It was the muddiest of years and I almost quit at one point. I don’t believe that anything can be as difficult as that race was for me, which makes me feel OK about any other attempts.  Any other attempts just can’t be as difficult as 2014 was.

I realized that I didn’t think I’d ever run on this trail again. This is a rough trail and I was in no shape to run it just a short year ago. Now, here I was, sailing through, feeling like I could push it, yet afraid to. 

Afraid of what? Afraid that I might fall. Or that I might hurt myself. Afraid that I might become tired or low on energy. Um, afraid to stretch out of my comfort zone. So many fears that I can over come.

Before I knew it I was on the pavement, ready for the finish line. I felt a twinge of sorrow as I wasn’t quite ready to be finished with this grand adventure. I then ran around the pool, into the finish line. I was greeted by an explosion of clapping and yelling of my name, photos and hugs. It was amazing.

7:18 First Women's Grand Master. Almost an even split. 

A few days after the race and I am back to 100% I believe that soaking in a cold bath helped decrease the inflammation. I no longer binge post race on sugary items. Post race I eat as I do any other time.  I walked Sunday and Monday. Tuesday I ran for thirty minutes and today I’ll run for 45 minutes. I have back to back long runs this weekend. 4 hours Saturday and 5 hours Sunday. I’m working toward a 50 mile finish at Black Hills, where I ran the 50K last year. I’m getting there. I am back and I couldn’t be happier about that!