Race Recap: Blue Springs Trail Race

Earlier this spring, I had plans to run 'Run From the Taxman', a trail race on the Lapham Peak segment of the Ice Age Trail. I put the race on my calendar. After seeing a friend's Facebook post about completing the race, I realized that I put the race on the wrong date. Having trained for it, but having to miss it because of my mistake made me so upset. That same friend reached out to me with information on the upcoming Blue Springs Trail Race. Part of the Golden Kettle Race Series, this race offered 3 distances: a short course of 4-ish miles, a mid-course of 6.3-ish miles, and a long course of 13.5-ish miles. 

I immediately signed up for the long course and triple checked the date on my calendar. I hoped that nothing would prevent me from lining up to run this one!

I was familiar with the Blue Springs Segment, having run there last fall while participating in the Mammoth Challenge on the Ice Age Trail. This segment is very technical with lots of steep climbs and downhills, and with roots and rocks strewn on the trail. It was the hardest segment I've run yet and I felt pretty awful when I finished. I knew what I was getting into. I hoped that my knowledge of the course would be useful and that I would have a better experience than I did in the fall. 

Mother Nature had other plans. I stalked the weather forecast, which predicted a high of 85 by 11 am. The race had an 'open' start line, which meant you could start when you arrived. The course opened at 7 am, so I planned to be there early, with hopes to beat the heat. 

I drove from our lake house to Palmyra, Wisconsin, a 75 minute ride. On the way, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise. I drove through the quirky little town to the church where we were instructed to park and take the shuttle bus to the trailhead, a 5 minute ride. There were about 8 other runners on the shuttle with me and everyone was really quiet. 

The course was a '13.5-ish' out and back with one unmanned cupless aid station. I opted to wear my hydration vest, with water in the backpack and Tailwind in the bottles in the front. There were no bathroom facilities on the course, so I used the pit toilet at the trailhead and prayed that my GI tract would behave for the rest of the morning.

With no fanfare at all, I crossed the start line and proceeded onto the trail. I was passed by about 6 other runners shortly after that, but for the most part, I was on my own. It was cool and very humid at the start. With the course in mind, I considered my goals for this race: my A goal was a 13m/m average pace, my B goal, sub 15 m/m pace, and my C goal: finish. 

Keeping it real. 

In contrast to when I ran here last fall, the trail was green and lush. Wildflowers lined the trail and it was peaceful. There was one muddy spot, but the rest of the trail was dry. The miles passed by quickly and I was well on my way to my B goal. This course would not break me! But with the rising temperatures, I started to struggle with the uphills and by mile 5, had my first 15+m/m. When I reviewed my Garmin data after the race, I saw that mile has one of the biggest climbs of the course.

Mile 5 took me across a road and onto the Blackhawk segment, another segment I was very familiar with. I stopped at the aid station and took a mandarin orange, which was the only item that appealed to me. As I slowed to a walk to climb another hill, I was passed by a runner who must have started later than me. I ran when I could, but started to do a lot more walking. I wasn't feeling great, so I started to drink my Tailwind along with the water in my pack. 

The turnaround came at mile 6.95, which was so disheartening! Just like Leadville last summer, the course was much longer than advertised. I get it, trail math is different, but mentally, it's tough to realize you have to run farther than you planned. Turning around to head back was a good feeling and I was glad to be halfway done.

On the way back, I was surprised to see quite a few runners towards me! It was so warm and I felt lucky to have avoided the heat for most of the first half of the race. I hadn't seen my friend Becky yet, but after the turnaround, in the piney woods, I saw her running towards me. She complained about the heat and the humidity as she passed by, but you wouldn't have known it was bothering her! I watched her light, easy gait, like a gazelle, springing down the course. On her way back, she passed me again, this time commenting about all the hills. Yep.

Meanwhile, I plodded along, doing a lot of self-talk. Running was getting harder for me. I did a lot more walking than I wanted and climbing those steep hills forced me to stop to catch my breath. I picked up the pace on the flat and downhill portions of the trail. I started to catch my left toe on rocks and roots on the trails, having multiple near crashes but catching myself every time. I was not feeling good at this point, I couldn't quit because I still had to get back to the finish line.  Earlier in the race, I even briefly considered turning around and cutting it short, but what would be the point of that? 

I thought of that Dean Karnazes quote: 'Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.' Well, I wasn't crawling yet, so I kept walking. I decided to soak up the beauty around me and took photos along the way. More runners passed me, offering encouragement. 

Finally, mile 13. I was almost there. My mood lifted and I was excited to be done. I came to a grassy meadow, where I saw a kid in the bushes. He yelled out 'one' and I knew I was close to the finish line. I ran down a grassy slope to the end, where a photographer waited to take my photo. There was a smattering of applause and congratulations. I made my way to the table and provided my Garmin results. I was offered a freeze pop or a beverage. I took a beer--they had locally brewed Hubbleton IPA-- and made my way to a picnic table to sit down. Everyone was talking about the conditions and it made me feel better that I wasn't the only runner affected by the heat. 

I finished in 3:31:22, 24/30 runners, 12/17 women, 2/3 women over 60. Not DFL. Yay me!

This really makes me realize how hilly this course is. You can also appreciate how much I slowed down on the second half. Had I maintained my pace from the first half, I would have finished in about 3 hours.

Although I am disappointed in my finish time, I compared it to my run on this segment last fall and my pace was about the same. The course wasn't identical to what I ran last fall, but the terrain was similar enough. I hoped to do better, but I didn't do worse, so that is definitely a win. I didn't feel well at the end of either run and I wonder if I need to do something different with fueling. On the plus side, my tummy behaved and there were no pit stops in the woods! I also didn't fall, even though I stumbled many times. This is a segment that tried to break me, both literally and figuratively. Part of me wants to conquer it, but part of me also wants to respect it for what it is. This may be the hardest race I've ever done--even tougher than Leadville, which I did last summer. That race was at 10,000+ feet of elevation! But this race had more ascent and lots of humidity. Go Wisconsin!

Overall, this was a great little race. I loved the laid back 'open start' of the race and the self-reporting of results. While the 3 courses all started on the same trail, they were well marked and easy to follow. The trail was never crowded and runners were courteous and encouraging when passing me. Pre-race communications were good. Good beer at the finish is always a win! I have been looking for races on the Ice Age Trail and this looks like a good series to accomplish that! I'm considering doing another race in the series, the Scuppernong race in October. Stay tuned for that!

What is the hardest race you've ever done? What do you think about an open start for a race? Have you ever run a race that is part of a series?

I'm linking up with Jenn and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.