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| Photo Courtesy of Mike Wheeler |
It has been over a week now since I completed Chippewa 50k. Leading up to Chippewa, I had some reservations after a course preview the week prior. I knew coming into it that it was going to be an extremely tough race with over 12+ inches of snow in sections, a lot of water, and some good portions of ice. Sometimes, ignorance would be better or, maybe just easier coming in to the first ultra of the season. In the end, I chose to race because backing out would start a poor mental trend that could affect the rest of the year.
On a normal year, I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a scenic ultra that is well supported, easy to travel to, and not extremely rugged like Superior from a rocks/roots perspective. Not to mention, the field of athletes is some of the better that I have seen at a single event. The course rolls through deep forests, passes lakes, Blue Heron nesting zones and crosses a few streams (via bridge). You are bound to see hawks, eagles and maybe a stray beaver over a dammed area. For the majority of the race, you would never know you are in the middle of corn-field strewn Wisconsin!
For the first half of the race, I sat anywhere between 4th and 6th place, not feeling phenomenal. Once I hit the snow, I just felt like I was wasting a lot of energy slipping one way or another. Between the constant battle to stay upright and the constant water flowing through my shoes, I was just happy to see sections of little snow where the speed could increase and my legs could find a rhythm. By the turn around, I was able to run with another TCRC teammate which eased my mind from the conditions. In the excitement of being in a good position, I breezed through the aid station, re-hydrated, and turned for home. This is where it all started to come apart. What felt a little crampy was within full lock down by mile 25. With 7 miles left, I was cursing myself for not taking additional hydration and salt tabs in the first half of the race where I felt great and assumed I wouldn't need them. With 75 degree heat (the first of the year), this was a poor judgement that in hindsight wrecked my race.
With an 8th place finish, I didn't know whether to be elated or terribly disappointed. It was fun racing such a good field of competitors, but I ultimately expected better from my training and preparation.
Although the conditions caused multiple great runners to DNF, I was humbly reminded that this was only my 3rd ever ultra distance race. I misjudged my hydration and nutrition which cost me a better performance. With each race comes a lot of learning. Unfortunately, the curve can be sharp and painful at times! Hopefully soon, I will transfer my fast marathon speed to trail stuff. In the end, I love the adventure and the people that make up trail running. Hats off to Jeff Allen for directing a great race in challenging conditions.
This Week's Training:
I recovered quickly from Chippewa and was able to get in 63 miles with three stout workouts. Between Friday and today (Sunday) I packed on 43 miles with a hard 19 mile trail tempo workout that was followed by a 14 mile run at a brisk clip. I was also able to hit the ski hills around Hyland for some repeats, packing on much needed hill training! With warmer weather, I am looking forward to boosting the fitness prior to Superior in 13 days.