The Afton 50k

Coming off dropping out of the North Face 50 mile in New York I'd been looking for a nice race to keep my fitness level up until the Madison 50 mile in September. A friend of mine has run the Afton Trail Race several times and suggested that I check it out so I took the plunge and signed up for the 50k...he let me know that he would only be doing the 25k.
The Afton Trail Race has been held in Afton State Park for several years but with the recently Minnesota government shutdown the race was moved to the mountain bike trails at Afton Alps ski resort. This meant that it would be a four lap race up and down all of the ski hills, while the hills are not like Colorado they still have a little bit of bite to them. I arrived feeling rested and ready to go, the temperature was in the 80's and a light fog was hanging around the base of the hill. As always I started in the back and let those who will win the race dash out, it's amazing to watch the talented runners leap away from the start.
One lap into the race I saw my father at the finish line, he had driven out to watch for a little bit before heading off on a family bike ride. All he could say was, "Looks like it's going to be a long day Jeff," so I knew that I looked like I was hurting already. The aid station filled me up on salt and water and I pushed through on my second lap.
Twenty minutes into my second lap I felt like I could take on the world, feet were moving lightly, arms were swinging easily, and I was maintaining conversations with everyone I passed. I breezed through the aid stations and headed out for my third lap ready to beat Afton into the ground and take home my medal...
By the time I had reached the top of the last ski hill and started my descent into the finish area I was throwing up, and shaking so bad that I couldn't pull my water bottles off of my hands at the aid station. Dehydration had taken hold and before I could start my fourth and final lap I was pulled from the course and taken care of. It was tough to sit down and turn in my timing chip but I think that it was the right decision, there is no way that I could have completed a fourth lap with hurting myself and like the ladies at the aid station said, "There will always be another race."
Big thanks to all of the volunteers that came out to support us while we tried to beat down the mountain bike trails, I would not have made it through three laps without you. It was a fantastic way to spend the Fourth of July Weekend, and I will definitely be back next year to give the regular course a shot. Take care everyone and get outside :)

The new season is here

The snow is starting to melt, birds are chirping, and the trails are firming up...ultra season in Minnesota has arrived. Right now I'm signed up for three races: Trail Mix 50k in Bloomington, North Face 50 mile in New York, and North Face 50 mile in Madison. With the weather turning nicer it's been much more pleasant hitting the long distances, this last weekend I had three days of 15 miles or more. I've been running in the Merrell Tough Glove and I have to say that hype for this shoe was well deserved. My feet feel great, legs and back are strong, and I feel like I've done the training needed to finish all of my races this summer. After a long winter of tough running and periods of just giving it up because of conditions outside I'm stoke to be out there again. Happy Monday and good luck with whatever you're working on today.

The Minnesota Blues

It's late January and early February in Minnesota right now which means one thing...it's hard to get outside unless you're skiing. One of my goals for 2011 was run or ride seven days a week for the entire year. Perhaps a little ambitious but I always try to set the bar a little beyond what I think I'm capable off. January was a rough month with some travel for work but towards the end I got focused and back on track. The schedule so far has been:

Monday through Friday - Ride to and from work
Saturday and Sunday - Run

It's been all on the roads so far but it feels great to set a goal and start working towards it. I've got my eye on a couple of races this year but no definite decisions yet. Here's to a new year of getting outside!