It has been a little over a week now since Superior 50k came and went. Quite honestly, I still haven't been able to set aside my longing for the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) after 8-days. Prior to my first experience with this race, I heard about the "steep climbs, endless roots, and jagged rocks" that supposedly make this race "slower" to navigate. I quickly found out how well this course played to my strengths!While I waited for the pre-race directions to finish, I was reminded why I love the atmosphere surrounding trail racing more than road running. The crowd was jovial and it was a pleasure catching up with many of the same top guys that showed up to Chippewa 50k a few weeks prior. The morning warm-up rushed by and soon we were cruising down the only stretch of pavement that would be seen for the next 30 miles. The pace within the first mile was aggressive, but I knew that would change quickly as we hit the single track. The journey to Aid Station 1 was probably the most technical with a few sharp climbs and a couple gorgeous look outs as we ran across the top of a few surrounding overlooks. In sections, the trail had mud holes that could honestly swallow ankles and shins with endless muck. Pine forests, rushing rivers, and steep ravines reminded me a lot of time spent backpacking Colorado and Montana. Repetitively, I kept telling myself that this was the most amazing course I had ever run! I was absolutely loving the more sustained climbs and descents, instead of the repetitive quad busters that are seen in the typical Midwest race! AS1 came and went with no aid as I was carrying gels and hydration of my own. It was a pleasure to run with two others that I have raced against for a couple years now. It made the time pass as we exchanged stories and kept the pace consistent. After passing the first aid, the trail was less technical allowing us to push the pace and put some time between those that were following for a while. The rain began before the second aid station, but it wasn't troublesome as it was mostly a mist.
After AS2 we started the final climb to Oberg Mountain. The top 4 men rushed past during this climb, creating a bit of concern that we were way behind them already. We ratcheted the pace up as we scurried through the fog to reach the top of Oberg. To my surprise, we were greeted by a spectator cheering in a full Indian head dress. Not only was this hilarious, but the guy had a stash of cookies, Gatorade and beer for those interested. We exchanged high fives and started wildly descending back to AS2 with haste. In this section the pace was low to sub 6 min/miles once the technical part of the descent was finished. I was happy to still feel energized and comfortable at mile 20 as Chippewa happened to be a disaster just a few weeks prior.
Passing through AS2 I was able to grab more fuel and what happened to be frozen nutrition from Mallory. This kept the mood light and energetic as I love that she crews for me every race! It was mildly hard to eat at this point as the cold set into my hands making them extremely immobile. I worried a touch about it, but crossed it out as there was work to be done to stay attached to the two guys I was running with. The approach to the last A.S went quickly as the path was mostly in great shape still, even with a couple hundred runners. I maintained focus, continued eating, and pushed to make progress. Just shy of the last aid opportunity, we passed a runner that fell out of the top 5. This was energizing as I was hoping to make up ground.
The last few climbs were some of the most challenging of the day. With the rain came slick rock, roots and mud, making some of the steepest inclines simply challenging to speed hike. I took a hard fall down a descent while trying to avoid the heard of 25k runners going the opposite direction. This split open my knee and left numbness in my hand for the rest of the race. Luckily, the last climb put us in a dense fog that was entertaining and preoccupying for the remainder of the race. I focused on the pine needled trail along with runners appearing and then vanishing into the fog. It was quite the site. At this point I was solidly in 8th and just hoping to finish strong. Like every 50k, I struggled the most between miles 26-28 and then finished feeling amazing.
Although my Suunto watch was off on mileage (likely from the dense forest areas), the boom of the river welcomed me back into Lutsen. I hastily ran up the last hill, trashed quads and all, to be spit out onto the asphalt for one last mile. As I ran, I looked down at my watch to see that I was closing out right at 6 min pace. Once again, a testimony that 50k's are just a touch too short! I finished the race 8th overall, running much stronger than at Chippewa. Overall, I counted this performance as a personal victory. I was hoping to finish in a better position, but forward progress is truly all that matters within these first two races. I stuck to my plan this race, consuming 200-300 calories an hour of gel and fluid, took 4 salt tabs to avoid cramping, dropped my 50k time by 17 minutes, and gave up only 4 minutes on my 25k splits. All of these were huge victories that proved my training and earlier learnings are paying dividends.
Many thanks to John Storkamp and all the volunteers that put on a top notch race. If you haven't done a Storkamp directed event, you are missing out! The organization and execution is flawless each time making me always put these events at the top of my list (RockSteadyRunning). Additionally, thanks to TCRC and FitSok for providing me with support, apparel and the correct gear to run without unneeded distractions!
Going Forward:
The next six weeks for me are going to be the highest mileage I have ever run in preparation for the Afton 50k and Voyageur 50 mile races in July. I am shooting to peak correctly for Voyageur and continue to improve at the 50k distance as well. After a couple days of cycling, I was back and fully recovered by Wednesday, looking forward to continuing on this wild journey! Thank you for following me!