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!

Roseville 6.23k

Nothing too much to report heading into Winter this year. I've switched over to the roads for the most part and put away the FiveFingers until it warms up in Spring. Last Saturday I ran the Roseville School District 6.23k with my friend who is a teacher at one of the elementary schools in the district. For those of you not in Minnesota that was the morning of our first big snowstorm, the Roseville area received over 10 inches of snow and it was about 10 degrees during the entire run. I'm back in the Nike Free 5.0 shoes and they performed really well considering the conditions, I ran 7:51 miles and finished feeling strong. One of my goals for the winter is to keep my running shape better than I did last year so I've committed to more bike commuting and solid weekend runs. Next race is Thanksgiving morning, the 10k Drumstick Dash at Lake Harriet. Stay safe, stay warm, and stay active everybody!

Trails behind the apartment

Since I started trail running I'm always on the lookout for local places to run. The majority of my training takes place on the streets near my apartment and so I'm not always as well prepared for races as I'd like to be. Recently I heard about a series of trails behind my apartment and thought it would be a good idea to slap on the FiveFingers and check them out.
The trails follow Nine Mile Creek and connect Moir Park, Harrison Park, and possibly some other parks as well. They do have a gravel and asphalt walking trail but if you study the map it's possible to weave through all the parks on some beautiful trails. Keep an eye out for tree roots and get ready to work out your hill climbing muscles, this is my new favorite place to run. It's not a long series of trails but if you take the time to explore all the little offshoots you can get a pretty decent run in. I only had time to check out a short section but hopefully I'll be able to see what the rest of it looks like soon. Have a great day everyone and get outside :)

Black Dog 50

Last Saturday was my second attempt at a 50 mile. A good friend from work hosted a trail run in Wisconsin on the Ice Age trail. It was a casual affair and I managed to show up late for the start...very unusual for me. Not wanting to keep everyone waiting I threw on my Salomon trail shoes rather than the Vibrams and we were out the door. For sheer beauty I'm not sure I've ever run anything close to this race, miles of gorgeous woods, wildlife everywhere, lakes and rivers reflecting the early morning sun, it really was a truly special day. With a small group we settled into our respective paces and headed out into the wild. Having not run in shoes for over a year I was extra alert and curious to see how my body would respond to the change. The answer came shortly after the ninth mile when I went sideways in the mud and heard an astonishingly loud pop from my ankle and knee. Gritting my teeth I slowed down and began to curse the natural beauty I had admired only a short time before. I reached the second checkpoint and realized that by injuring the same kneed I had the month before I was effectively out of the run. Several of the guys slowed down to offer encouragement and support but at 30.6 miles I made the decision to withdraw and try to relax. Thanks to Peter for an awesome race and to everyone that helped me push to 30, you guys were great. I've been back on the bike and the knee feels good so I've signed up for two more races this month, I'll remember the Vibrams this time.

Congratulations marathon runners!!

Congratulations to everyone that ran The Twin Cities Marathon this last weekend. I was at Farm Aid so I wasn't there to cheer you on but I know you all did great!