Race Report: Ice Age 2

No, not THAT Ice Age. Last year's Ice Age could have easily been titled The Meltdown for me. I had originally planned on the 50 mile, but I did the 50K because I knew something was wrong. It turned out that I was severely anemic and didn't know it. My meltdown occurred very early during the event, but I still managed to go 31 miles. Looking back, it felt like I ran that entire race in a tunnel. Truthfully, I don't remember a lot of it. That combined with the fact that I had not run an ultra since last year's Ice Age made me a little nervous for this year's 50 mile attempt.


This year, the woolly mammoth was back on the buckle, and I was back in Wisconsin to run the 50 mile.

My good friend, Don, was also back to continue our once a year ultra running get-together tradition for run #5.  It all started back in 2007 when I decided to run a trail marathon, and he ran the entire thing with me even though he had only trained for a half.  This would be Don's first 50 mile race.

When I arrived into Wisconsin in my shorts and t-shirt the first thing I noticed was BRRRRRR!  Ice Age was right. Wow! It was 60+ in Ohio ad 44 with cold winds here. The forecast called for temps between the 30s and 50s on Saturday, and that works just fine for me when it comes to distance running.  I'd much rather see those temps than 90-100 degree temps we dealt with at Brew To Brew in 2011. There was a little bit of rain predicted as well, which I could happily do without. Dirt + water = mud, and I've had more than enough of those runs thank-ya-very-much.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ~ Ephesians 3:20" K-Love Verse of the Day 5/11 and some very great news considering I was about to try and run 50 miles.

The ~10.5 mile Nordic loop is a beautiful, wide trail covered with pine needles. During this section, we had plenty of company and ran quite a few miles with a fellow from Wisconsin named Brandon who was running his first 50 mile. The Nordic Trail seemed to be over almost as soon as it had started, and the day was turning out to be beautiful.

Section 2 of the race changes things up quite a bit. The trail turns into a lot of single track, and rocks and roots begin to get your attention... or else. This section also begins an out and back portion on a very narrow trail, and this is where my trouble began without me even realizing. Blissfully ignorant, I kept mostly to the right side of the trail jumping up onto the right section to move out of the way of runners coming back from the opposite direction. This meant my right foot was constantly running at a cant which becomes important in later miles. No matter at this point. The 3rd runner I saw coming the opposite direction was David Riddle, who won this year's 50 mile race. He was flying down the trail with ease and grace. It really is amazing to watch.

My plan had been to take a gel every 45 minutes or so which worked well for the first 4 gels as I was carrying peanut butter Gu. This was the same strategy that had worked for me in my first 50 miler. Unfortunately not all aid stations had gel so I got a little off schedule. It was around this time I started feeling a bit tired.  Hmmmmm.  The aid station at the Section 2 turnaround point (~21 miles) had a plethora of Montana Huckleberry Hammer Gel. I grabbed 3 for the return trip back to Confusion Corner.

Montana Huckleberry: the only flavor of gel available during the entire event. Don joked that they had Huckleberry Pie at the finish.   I did mix it up with some oranges. I had my Garmin set to alert me every 45 minutes to take a gel, and as the miles went by, I begrudgingly obeyed its command. Even though I was over the flavor, the energy it delivered kept me going. Don and I finished the first 25 miles in 5 hours which put us well ahead of the 12 hour cutoff. I was thankful to have energy at the marathon point as last year my pace had turned into a walk because I just had nothing to give.  I was thankful for my running buddy. I was thankful for the beautiful day that we were given. I was thankful for no mud!

Running long distances has its stages. At first, things feel great. Then, after a bit, your legs get tired. A little later, your legs are really starting to get grumpy. Eventually they yell at you. Then, after that, I can only assume the legs either get tired of complaining or your brain gets tired of hearing it. That means things are going well.

When things aren't going well, it takes every ounce of energy you have just to get up that hill at a snails pace or something or other locks up completely and won't let you take another step. We were at the 50K point, and I was amazed to find walking up the smaller inclines was more annoying than running up them. The legs were feeling it, but life was still good.

We headed out on the third and final leg of our journey to Emma Carlin for the last 19 miles. Don and I had tried to fall numerous times but were unsuccessful. Based on the amount of folks I saw with scraped knees and dirt covered clothes, the roots and rocks got in a few good punches. The last leg seemed to be the hilliest portion of the course. I thought maybe it was because I was getting tired. The truth is that the highest point on the course does occur during the 3rd section. I managed to get a few more peanut butter Gus I had put in a drop bag at mile 37. It's the little things that can bring happiness on the trail. We finally found ourselves at the 10K remaining point.  Things were really going well, and I was surprised to find myself still wanting to run the smaller inclines. Everything changed around mile 45 including the weather. Running on a canted trail finally caught up to my right foot when a sharp pain stopped me in my tracks. Ouch!  My foot no longer allowed me to run on anything with a slope. I was worried I was going to have to walk the last 5 miles. Luckily the foot was okay with flat sections. Don had been dealing with a large blister for a while; although, he's not really the type to complain much so I'm not exactly sure when that started. It was around the same time that it actually started hailing. It was so surprising and fitting (it is the Ice Age after all) that I knew that was just the way it was supposed to be. That didn't make it any less cold, though. 10 minutes later, the sun was out.

We ran through the finish and received our very nice buckles. The after party consisted of a live band, soda, beer, hamburgers, some awesome vegetable lasagna, a rain shower, and a lot of limping.

I should mention the beautiful sections of pine on this course. The trail is soft, and beautiful, tall pines create inviting tunnels that feel very much alive. These areas were my favorite sections of the trail. Overall it is a beautiful course. It was very well marked which is something that should never be taken for granted. Bonus miles can be okay but not during a 50 mile run.10 aid stations on the course meant a lot of volunteers. Not only did they give us water and food, but they cheered when each runner was coming into every station. They stood outside on a cold day to keep us moving forward, and they helped other people reach their goals.

It feels good to feel good again. Now it's time to rest and give my wounded foot a break. I wonder what's next?

Ice Age 50 Course

Elevation Profile

Blue Skies

Do you ever have those days that go perfectly even if the details aren't perfect?

When I signed up for the Air Force Half, I had no idea how much I was going to look forward to running it nor did I know how much I would enjoy it. This wasn't my first time at the Air Force Half. I ran it two years ago. Mostly I remember the beginning, a huge crowd of people along the course through the first 4 or so miles, the hill at mile 8, and the end. I also remember breaking 2 hours for the first time ever on the half marathon. I liked to tell people that the only good things about the Air Force Half were the beginning and the end. The beginning includes a fly over of some awesome plane and the end has you running through an airplane lineup and receiving a medal from a high ranking air force officer. Last Saturday, I ate those words. I am very happy about that.

I had not run an event in a couple of months as I was building my way back to being healthy after figuring out my body was running way too low on iron. I was a little nervous because my last two half marathons were terrible. I had no energy and running hurt. I was afraid of a three-peat despite the fact that my training runs had been getting faster, and my endurance had been getting back to my before anemia levels. I really had no idea of what the day would bring, and I was excited and little nervous to find out.

Pre-Race
I decided to enter the base from Harshman Road this year rather than Colonel Glenn. The traffic was decidedly better, and I highly recommend doing it this way if you plan to travel to Dayton for the event. I got out of my car and looked up. There was the B2 flying overhead. That was amazing! It glided through the skies like no plane I had ever seen. Two years ago, a jet flew over before the start and the pilot hit the afterburners. Awesome :-) That was the beginning I had spoken of.

I checked the verse of the day before heading to the start:
2 Timothy 4:7 "I  have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

The weather prediction was a start in the lower 50s and the low 60s by the time I finished. Perfect. The skies were blue, and the grass and trees were a beautiful green.  The Air Force museum looked as lovely as it always does. I headed over to the start to put myself near the 2 hour pace group. I wasn't planning on a half PR, but I was hoping to break 2 hours if everything felt okay. I saw my friend Carolyn over by the pace group. Her plan was to run her first sub-2. Carolyn and I began the race together.

Miles 1-4
The first 4 miles flew by quickly. Running felt easy and good, and I was very happy that the beginning did not resemble the beginning of my last two events. Around mile 4, there was a glitch. The group we were behind took a wrong turn. A minute or so later, people ran by us and yelled that we were all going the wrong way and that we needed to turn around. This gave us a bonus of about a quarter of a mile. I was little surprised as my past experience with the Air Force event was that everything went like clockwork. Apparently this happened to other groups too. (After the event, I heard that some people went as far as 4 miles out and some even had two wrong turns.) This certainly wasn't my first event with bonus mileage. Since I wasn't shooting for a PR and only went a little off course, this didn't really bother me. It did, however, put a little fire in my belly to move a bit faster. I didn't feel annoyed; I felt energized. Really, I was just happy to be running at a decent clip while still feeling good.

Miles 5-7
At the mile 5 mark, Carolyn looked at her Garmin which showed we had traveled about a quarter of a mile more with the misdirection. Around mile 6, Carolyn and I lost track of each other at a water station. I was thankful to have the first 6 miles go by very quickly with good company, and she was keeping the pace right on target. I turned on my music, but I must have been doing a lot of thinking. I barely remember hearing any of the songs except for David Crowder Band's Open Skies. At mile 7, I took my peanut butter Gu which gave a nice energy boost. It was good timing.

Mile 8 brought the first hill of note during the half. It is an overpass, and it slows down many a runner. I remembered this incline from last time. I also remembered the nice downhill that comes after. On the way down the other side, a fellow runner who looked to be a retired military officer of the army or marine variety said something. I'm not exactly sure what started the conversation, but we chatted for a minute or so. He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. I'm not sure if he wound up behind me or in front of me, but it was nice to have a brief conversation with someone who was smiling and obviously enjoying the run.

Miles 9-11

What I didn't remember from last time were the next hills that followed. I was starting to feel tired, but my lungs felt strong and my legs felt bouncy. I'm not exactly sure what was feeling tired, but something was. The temp was rising and this portion of the course had more ups and downs than the first 7 miles. It could have been my own doing. I had no idea what my pace was, but I am pretty sure I had sped up. By mile 11, I was confident I would break the 2 hour mark so I made the decision to slow down a little when I reached the final stretch. I wanted to enjoy running between the airplanes rather than gasping for air.

Miles 12-13
Flat. Almost there.

The last .1 and the Finish
I did enjoy the jaunt through the planes. :-) As I was crossing the finish, the clock showed 1 hour 59 minute and some change. The announcer was cheering everyone on to push to break the 2 hour mark. A 2 star Air Force General put my medal around my neck. As I was walking through the finish area, there was a woman with a very serious expression who was trying to keep us moving forward. I said to her that I was trying as I made a running movement with my arms and gave her a cheesy grin. "This is about as fast as I can go!" She lit up with a huge smile and told me how great it was to see someone smiling.  This year the end was even better than last time.

I grabbed something to eat and drink and then sat for a few. As I headed out of the race area, I looked down at my medal. The Air Force provides really nice bling. I thought about how I would take that medal home and throw it in a drawer never to see daylight again. That didn't sound like the best use for this beauty. As I walked, I asked for help in finding a good home for my prize. A few steps later, I saw a young boy who looked like he could use a smile. I got the go ahead from the adults accompanying him and placed it around his neck. I know it made my day even better. I hope it did the same for him.

Final Time: 1:57:14

Looking back, I bettered my course time by over a minute even with an extra quarter mile. Based on pace, I would have run around 1:55 without the bonus mileage. It was a beautiful day. Running felt good again. The best part about this race was the entire experience.