2/17-18/18
Another two part adventure. Literally this time. 50K race on Saturday and 25K race on Sunday. Double the fun in the mud? Maybe.
The night before the race I’m having work problems, again. I text my friends and say I’m really hoping to be at the race and not at work tomorrow. Update the work order. Wait. Update again. Wait. Sometime around 4am, success! Thank goodness, I’m headed to Haag Lake to run in the mud. Who needs sleep?!
I arrive at the start line with a mixture of nerves (no sleep!) and excitement (I haven’t raced in forever!). I tell the kind volunteers that yes I’m one of the crazies running the double and collect my bib and such. Back to the car to hide from the rain and cold. Adjust my running gear and hope for the best. I force myself out of the car and find my friends with time for a quick pre-race photo. Then we’re off.
The course begins with an out-and-back mostly on road, maybe two miles total. I decide to just go for it and run faster than I probably should, taking the lead for the ladies. Off the road and onto the trail. Plenty of mud. Maybe the sleep deprivation has heightened my awareness as I do my best to avoid the slipperiest spots. The trail is pretty flat so I tell myself to just keep running.
Slip, slide, and only slow down for the really muddy bits, like the steep-ish, super slippery downhill and accompanying uphill where of course a photographer is waiting. Smile for the camera and just keep moving since there is a short road section coming shortly. Just stay happy. Remember how thankful you are to be here racing and not at work this morning. Don’t think about the sleep deprivation – use it to your advantage.
No thinking needed on the road and then just a short distance to the first aid station. Perfect. To my surprise, Todd and Rene Janssen are there volunteering! So nice to see friendly faces. Plenty of water still in my bottles so I grab a handful of M&Ms, chat for a few minutes, and head out.
Two ladies catch up with me around this time. The details are fuzzy. One passes by and is gone. The other stays to chat for a bit and eventually falls behind. It’s still early enough in the race that I push but I don’t chase. Second would be amazing. No familiar faces at the second aid station so I’m quickly in and out with my M&Ms. Best to keep moving, especially now that my position is not secure.
More cruising with little ups and little downs and splotches of mud. Remember how much I love this feeling. Moving fast through the trees. And then there it is. The pig pen, full of maybe foot deep muddy water. Best to fast hike this stretch of trail. Yikes it seems to last forever and if I wasn’t covered in mud before, I definitely am now. Finally the wonderful sight of pavement appears. Through the parking lot to the start/finish line. One lap finished.
No time to waste so it’s on to the second loop. Thankfully no out-and-back road section this time. I follow the twisting trail, my head too fuzzy to remember how far to the short road section. Slip and slide on that steep, muddy hill, probably another mile to the road. Try to stamp the worst of the mud off my shoes and push the pace while the footing is decent.
Yes, my favorite aid station and some jokes with Todd and Rene but I can’t linger. Well over halfway through and I need to finish before the fatigue catches up with me. The section between these two aid stations seems to go on forever. I’m ready to be finished but not there yet. Just keep running. The wind howls and I hope that no tree branches fall on my head. So thankful to see that second aid station. Five miles or less to the finish. I can do this – no slowing now.
Pig pen time number 2. Just push through the mud. No slipping. Almost there. Reach pavement and is that rain coming down? Doesn’t matter. Time to sprint since I see that finish line and that second place finish. How did I pull that off on two hours or less sleep? I am so thankful to have kept my head on straight and cruised through that course. Now for the fun part – cheer my friends on as they finish and try not to shiver too much in the drizzling, windy rain.
But that’s not all! After some decent sleep and food, the alarm goes off Sunday morning and it’s day 2 of Haag Lake fun in the mud. Bleary-eyed, I hit the snooze button. Still dark outside. And snowing! I rush to gather my things and hit the road – hopefully no closures or delays. I reach Haag Lake on time but not excessively early. Find my friends and collectively question our sanity in opting for a second day of mud. The snow has stopped falling but is still visible on nearby hillsides.
The course again starts with a short out-and-back on the road. Then we switch direction and almost immediately tackle the pig pen. With so many runners with fresh legs, I feel like I’m crawling through this section but I don’t want to risk a fall. No negative thinking.
Once out of the deep, squelching mud, I start to relax and move more smoothly. Or as smoothly as possible after running a 50k the day before. My legs are sore but not dead so I settle into a slow, steady rhythm with the plan to just keep moving forward and not get passed by any ladies with yellow race bibs. First aid station – water is good, grab a banana, and keep moving.
The aid stations are relatively evenly spaced so best to think aid station-to-aid station. I can run 5-6 miles. At some point around here, I catch up with Brandon and encourage him to just run with me and we’ll get to the finish. The trail isn’t as muddy as I expected after yesterday’s race and the snow last night. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still plenty muddy, just not soupy.
Second aid station. Yay! Now just six or so miles and I’m finished. After the easy road running, I fall into pace with another runner. He and I decide to take the really muddy patches careful but otherwise just keep running. It helps to have a companion and likely prevents walking breaks. We pass a few runners and get passed by a few more. I always check the bib color if it’s a lady. Luckily just 25k only runners.
We crest a small hill into the parking lot and I can see the finish line. My new friend encourages a kick to the finish but my legs don’t have that kind of energy. I’m happy to be finishing day two without as much suffering as expected. It does feel good to cross that finish line. Two days of solid racing as prep for my upcoming adventures.
Trail Distractions 