The weekend started on Good Friday, I took the day as vacation. The day started early, Alexandra had her 4 month follow-up with Dr. Perra, her spine doctor. In December this past year she was diagnosed with moderately severe Scoliosis. Her curve is on the edge of operable, which is not a good thing. The appointment went well, the best we could hope for actually. Her curve did not change. She did grow another 3/4″ since January which is of concern, since growing means more potential for change in her curve. To put things in perspective, Alexandra is currently 5’10”, Dr. Perra predicted that with a straight spine she would be 3 to 4 inches taller, 6’1″ to 6’2″. So the plan remains the same; continue to work with Coach T to strengthen her core, swimming with SEMS and Park H.S., going to the chiropractor, and taking Ibuprofen to control pain. The pain, we think, is due to several degenerative disks and arthritis in her spine.

Next, it was over to Kramarczuk’s Sausage Co to pick up some Babka (Easter Bread) and a nut roll. We had pierogie for lunch in the restaurant before heading home. Our Easter Saturday tradition, which Charlene and I have been doing for nearly 30 years, and the family has done since before we were born, is to have a basket of food blessed and then share it with family or friends. The basket contains, ham, kielbasa, colored eggs, bread, wine, butter, cheese, salt, horseradish, etc. When I registered for the race, I did not realize that it was on Holy Saturday. The current plan, primarily due to the weather forecast and the basket blessing, was for me to go to the race and Charlene and Alexandra to get the basket blessed, and then to have Christopher and Liz over for dinner Saturday evening.

I was packed and ready to go Thursday night, so when we got home, I was on my way to New Auburn, WI by 13:00. The 2+ hour drive ended up taking me closer to 2:30. I got lost in Wheeler, WI, with no cell coverage. I felt helpless. It’s amazing how dependent we have all become to being connected. As I sat at the intersection of highway 25 and 170 contemplating which way to go, I thought about what I would do if the car broke down, and felt a bit anxious. I knew I needed to head northeast of my current location, so I headed in that general direction. I pulled into a gas station near downtown New Auburn around 15:30. The Ice Age Nature Center was another 8+ miles outside of town. I arrived at 15:45 to find Randy Fulton unpacking his truck and trailer. A small group was helping him unload the race gear and setup. I wandered around the nature center, walked down to the trail, and quickly got a sense that this run was going to be unlike any endurance race I had ever previously participated in. The small section of trail I explored was 18 or so inches wide, steep ups and downs, roots, rocks, oh my! I was one of the first to pick up my packet and my cool event T, and after chatting a bit, I decided to see if I could find my hotel.

When I made the reservations, I seemed to remembered the hotel being closer. I was spending the night at the AmercInn located in Chippewa Falls, home of the Leinenkugels Brewery. Chippewa Falls was 27 miles south of the race start. The hotel was across the street from a Kmart, Pizza Hut, Dollar Store, and a few other establishments. I checked in and laid out my stuff for the morning. I soon realized that I forgot my race belt and was now wondering what to do. I needed to be able to carry some nutrition with me. There were five aid stations on the course. A quick internet search for sporting goods stores came up empty. The closest Dicks Sporting Goods was in Menominee, 1+ hours away. On my way to Kmart I stopped at Pizza Hut and ordered a cheese, green pepper, and onion pie for pickup. I smiled to myself, when in Kmart, I carefully asked where I might find a waist pouch. Last year while in the UK I learned that “Fanny” in the UK referred to a part of the female anatomy that should not be discussed in public. Luckily, I was able to find something I thought would work okay. It was a bit big and hardly designed for running, but it would have to do. I picked up my pizza and headed back to the room. It was raining hard now and thoughts of what that would mean tomorrow started to consume my thoughts.

Race morning came early. I was up a half dozen times since midnight. It looked wet and foggy outside but it did not look like it was raining, at least not hard. I had been debating with myself what to wear. My basic attire was set but I had been wavering on an additional long sleeve shirt, winter hat or cap, and gloves. I finally decided that I would wear the winter hat, extra shirt, and gloves. I planned to switch to a ball cap style hat, and lose the gloves and extra shirt at the turn around. After getting dressed and loading the car, I checked out and had oatmeal, made a bagel with peanut butter, and poured a cup of Jo for the ride. It was raining lightly and the fog was heavy as I made my way back to the nature center. During the 30 minute ride I reviewed my plan for the day ahead.

Nutritionally, I had a couple of hammer gels, cliff shot blocks, and a package of sport beans in my waist pack, and basically the same in my drop bag which would be available at the half way point. I had a five hour energy mixed in my water bottle, which I planned to carry, and one in my drop bag. I also had my cap in my drop bag. I pulled into the parking lot atop the grassy hill, @ 06:30, where the nature center sat overlooking one of the many kettle lakes along the trail. It was still raning lightly, and the air was cool. It was 35 degrees F. I was one of a half dozen or so cars in the lot. I finished my bagel and coffee during the ride and ate a banana while I sat in the car thinking of the adventure that lay ahead.

At 07:00, after losing a layer, I did a 3/4 mile warm up, running down to the stop sign at the sites entrance and back. Apparently 50K is just not enough. What was I thinking?

At 07:30, I headed into the nature center now milling with 150+ runners and their support groups. The time passed quickly, and soon we were hearing the last minute race instructions from the race director and a few words from Randy wishing all well on the day that was ahead.

The rain had stopped and the fog still lingered as the ready, set, go was given to the group.

The start/ finish line is atop the grassy hill out the back of the nature center. The course heads down the hill out towards the road, along the road, back up the entrance road before heading along the edge of the woods, and finally into the woods. I mentally noted the steep downward spiral as I briefly thought of what that will be like when finishing. The thought quickly escaped as we hit the 2 mile marker which was just out the front of the nature center, across the parking lot, and only a few hundred yards into the woods. This, too, briefly went into and out of my thoughts. I had run two miles and had yet to leave the shadow of the nature center. This also quickly passed as my focus turned to the single track trail ahead.

There were mile markers for the first 5 miles, and the first aid station was at about 3.5 miles out. I had yet to even sip from my water bottle, so there was no need to stop here. The trail was already mentally challenging, the ups and downs were constant. The trail winded back and forth, and I hardly even saw the surrounding beauty. More focus was on the ground, within a five foot window of my feet. Before we entered the woods I was concerned about the proximity of the other runners, but by the time we were on the single track trail the group spaced out, and within the first 5 miles, only a few runners were even visible to me. I had been running with the same group to this point. In addition, a black dog with a shaved spot on his lower back seemed to be lapping me. He put a smile on my face when a couple of times while climbing one of the steeper hills, he looked back as if to say, “Hey, you coming or what”? Before long, he too seemed to disappear into the woods.

When I came upon the first of many heavily soaked muddy sections, I tried to avoid the deepest spots. The water was cold as it made its way into my new Asics Trail Attack 7 shoes. I had bought the bright yellow and black shoes just a few short weeks ago. I had put about 45 miles or so on the shoes, and they were comfortable enough. The uppers were mesh and did little to keep the cold water out. I just about lost my shoes through some heavier muddy sections when the suction about pulled my gear from my feet.

At approximately mile 13 on the way out and 17 on the way back there was one of the many obstacles on the course. We had to climb over a barbed wire fence. There was this wooden gate stair thing that aided the travelers. On the way back I just had to stop and take a picture. The gal in the blue in front of me, Lisa I later found out, had been in somewhat close proximity from the start. On the way back she would pull away on the down hills and I would real her back in on the ups. She ended up finishing about 5 minutes ahead of me and won her age group. Along the trail were wooden bridges crossing creeks and marshy areas. Most were little more than two 2 x 8’s and were plenty slippery with my wet, muddy shoes.

I took my first fall at 16.6 miles, a barrel-roll down a small hill off the trail. My second was about 10 miles later when I tripped over a root and did a face plant. Good thing the ground was soft. Does a runner falling in the woods make a noise? Yes, but no one other than me was there to hear or witness these acts of gracefulness.

I did as planned and made the switch at the half-way point, losing a layer, the winter hat and gloves. I had only eaten one gel on the way out, I dumped the revved up water long ago for just plain H2O. I left all my additional supplies in my drop bag.

The race leaders had passed me about 1.8 miles from the turn-around, so they were 3.5+ miles ahead and looked strong. The lead female runner passed me less than a mile later. The Garmin indicated 15.4 miles on the way out. I was just over 2-1/2 hours into the day. My legs felt a bit wobbly. I did not feel hot, but my shirts were soaked in sweat.

At about 18 miles I could no longer feel my toes on either foot. They were completely numb from the cold, muddy water. It was about Menominee on the ride home before I could start feeling them again. The uphill and downhill portions seemed steeper on the way back in. There were multiple times on the way back that stopping seemed much more appealing than continuing. When I went by the 26.2 mile point, the thought of another 4.6 miles seemed absurd. In the weeks leading up to the event my long run was just over 20 miles. I had run a total of about 6.5 miles on actual trails, nothing like the ones I was running on today. I had no right to have any real expectations for the day. If I finished, I was guaranteed a PR.

The 5 mile marker was a welcomed sight and a curse. 5 more miles on this trail was not a comforting thought. I managed to keep plodding forward, one foot in front of the other. I was trying to push all thoughts other than forward motion out of my mind. When I broke out of the woods back into the grassy hills below the nature center I could only see one other person in front of me. The climb up those last hills was a cruel joke. When I crested the last hill and was but a few hundred yards from the finish, I mustered up a jog and crossed the line.

According to the Garmin, the round trip was 30.79 miles, there was 8010 ft of total ascent, 7968 ft of descent, and I burnt nearly 5000 calories. My muscles were sore, my feet agreed, toes were numb, and I was grateful that this adventure was over. Before running this event I was told that running trails was easier than running on the road. I was also told that this course was relatively flat. I’ve gained a new appreciation for those who run these types of events. It was without question one of the most challenging endurance events for me yet. Prior to this I had fleeting thoughts of maybe trying some longer trail runs next year, maybe even a 100 miler. Now I can only just try to take this all in and let it marinate for a while.

Today, as I write this race report, I still feel the sting in my muscles. After dinner the family went for about a 4 mile walk, the afternoon was glorious this Easter Sunday day. As we walked I pondered yesterdays 5oK and cannot even imagine running any farther in a single outing. Although, earlier in the day I briefly looked at the 50K in Afton on July 2nd, and did click on the register now button, it was only a brief moment of insanity. Stay tuned…