Dogwood Canyon Trail Runs 2018

Part 1 to this blog can be found here

On November 9th I drove 3.5 hours to southern Missouri. The rolling hills scenery was completely new to me. Luckily, I'd watched the show “Ozarks” so I knew there would be a lake, lots of trees, and to always be on the lookout for black Escalades with tinted windows. The Dogwood Canyon Trail Races took place at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park and were organized by Bass Pro Shops. I'd signed up for the 15k/50k challenge which detailed racing a 15k (about 9 miles) trail race on Saturday followed by a 50k (about 31 miles) trail race on Sunday. The challenge of racing back to back days was appealing to me. I’m a glutton for punishment like that. My main goal was that I didn’t want to hold back in either race. I wanted to put myself in a new, challenging situation and see how I would react/suffer. Because that’s how I learn.

I drove out to Dogwood on Friday afternoon to pick up my packet. When I arrived, the park immediately reminded me of Jurassic Park. The logo appeared similar (both logos contain animals). Inside the park, there were a number of Jeeps driving on small paths, lots of trees, and a meandering stream. And just like in Jurassic Park, it was all surrounded by a very large electric fence. Kidding. There were no visible signs of dinosaurs, either. The trails in the park were all double track. Basically, Jeep trails. The general terrain in the area was very, very hilly. While the trails were less technical, you couldn’t zone out while running. There were lots of rocks, tree roots, and off-camber sections. If you imagine a Jeep lover’s fantasy trail system, that’s Dogwood.

After picking up my packet, I drove the 15 minutes to a cheap hotel. What about camping, Steve?! Turns out camping wasn’t actually available at Dogwood, and winter came last week. Temperatures were in the 20’s and 30’s. Staying warm while camping in those temperatures requires a lot of energy (and gear). Aren’t you from Minnesota?! Yes, but I’ve gotten soft over the last few years. I made the executive decision that staying in a cheap hotel would be the best option if I wanted to actually have the physical and mental capacity to race. Besides, I could bring my own food (proud to say I purchased zero food over the weekend). Also, since there was a little prize money, pending a good performance I could cover the hotel costs. 

Saturday was the 15k. Race morning I woke up at 4:30 am for the 7:30 start. I made coffee and my breakfast of a toasted peanut butter banana sandwich with extra salt. I listened to an audio book to pass some time before heading to Dogwood. The thermometer said it was 19 degrees outside. Balmy. I made it to Dogwood with plenty of time before the race start. I was slightly paranoid about having warm, dry clothes accessible quickly after the race so I ended up dropping a duffel bag of clothes in the gear check area. As we all stood in line, shivering and waiting to be unleashed on the 15k course, Melissa (race director) had a few words for us. She reminded us to be grateful that we were able to run, be outside, and to enjoy the course. Amen. A little after 7:30, we took off. 

Immediately the pace felt slow. I’d put myself in the second line of people near some guys who looked like they knew what they were doing. The pace felt casual and it didn’t seem like anyone wanted to run hard. Still, I wasn’t sure if it simply felt easy because I was rested. After a few minutes, another guy and I started to pick up the pace. Drew and I chatted a little and he told me he’d been on the course before. I was grateful to have someone around that was familiar with the trails. Then came the first stream crossing. The path we were on weaved back and forth, crossing over a frigid stream several times. We ran right through it. I was prepared for a lot worse and was very happy with how my shoes drained. I was also thankful my socks didn’t freeze to ice. The temperature was still 20 degrees. 

The progression of loving it

1.5 miles in we came to our first hill. I ran up the hill at my own pace. At the top, I looked back and couldn’t see Drew. I carried on at my own pace, a little unsure what I was doing or if I was going too hard. I completed the small loop, bombing downhill around other runners heading uphill. As I ran back away from the lodge on another trail, I had a Jeep escort. They were "locked and loaded" to protect me should any dinosaurs get too curious. 

The course was fantastic. Lots of steep, challenging uphills, a few rolling sections, and more steep downhills. I felt good. I’d warmed up since the start and my body was ready to work. I knew that running in a canyon with lots of trees around would likely throw the GPS watch's “pace” reading off. Even if the reading had been accurate, I wouldn’t have cared. I wanted to race in the moment. I pushed off the thoughts of tomorrow’s race and focused on making it to the next opening in the trail. Though I know I usually look like I’m about to run through a brick wall, my stride felt smooth. The course provided a wide variety of views. Most of the ground, including where we ran, was covered in leaves that had already fallen. At first it was a little scary running hard and not being completely confident in my foot placement. After a few miles, I learned that there wasn’t all that much variation under the leaves. There were smaller rocks that made for uneven footing, but, for the most part, I was safe looking further ahead for any larger obstacles and adjusting accordingly. 

Because it was a shorter race, I tried to run all the tangents, taking the shortest route possible no matter how steep a section was. By about 5 miles in, I had committed. I’d thrown caution to the wind and was pushing hard. After a steep downhill or two, I knew perfect legs for the next day were not in the cards. I let loose on all the downhills and charged uphill. When things got steep heading uphill, I upped my cadence and mentally imagined breathing air into my leg muscles. It felt really good to run uphill hard and not hold back. This summer I’d had some achilles issues that had taken a few months to improve. All the strength work I’d been doing had paid off and I was no longer guarding the achilles from uphill stress. (Thank you, Nathan!) 

I was running with only 1 handheld water bottle. I paced myself drinking and finished the bottle about 8 miles into the race going up the last hill. I knew the race would be about 9 miles long but I didn’t know an exact distance. I crested the hill, then had several more slow turns before a screaming downhill section. I could hear the finish line music welcoming me back. A few minutes later I crossed the line. 

Strava file here

 After the race, I stood around for a while, meeting new people and thanking the race director. I eventually got my gear check bag and changed into dry clothes and shoes. There was warm oatmeal with good topping options, fruit, and some protein balls. I’m a simple guy, and I was pumped about oatmeal. I made some new friends while eating my oatmeal and I asked for suggestions on afternoon activities in the area. It was only about 10am and I didn’t want to spend the entire day in the hotel room. After making some mental notes, I went back to the hotel. I ate some oatmeal I’d brought from home (overnight oats FTW!), ate some peanut butter toast, drank way too much coffee, packed some snacks, and headed out to explore. 

On recommendations, I drove to Lakeside Forest Wildnerness Area in Branson. It was free. There was good hiking and views. While my legs felt OK, I knew I should try not to spend a lot of time on my feet. I walked very, very slowly down a trail for 30 minutes. The Wilderness Area had a few Civil War era buildings on the land with some plaques and pictures explaining their stories. Though I will admit to falling asleep in high school history (who didn't?), it was interesting to see the buildings in person and consider how people lived nearly 100 years ago. I spent a few hours walking very, very slowly and sitting on a ridge that provided a good view. Eventually, I got my snacks from the car, ate more oatmeal (I did say I liked oatmeal…) at a picnic table in the park, then headed back to the hotel. For the rest of the evening I read or listened to an audio book and ate. I had a dehydrated meal leftover from camping, and I also made more peanut butter toast. Yes, I brought a toaster. By 7:30pm, it was plenty dark (thank you, daylight savings) and I was plenty tired. I had little trouble falling asleep by 8:30. 

I was tempted...

 

The Sunday morning wake-up and breakfast routine played out the same as the day before. I spent a few minutes loading the car up with everything from the hotel room so I could check out on my way to the race start. The frigid temps from the day before had skyrocketed to a temperature of 35 degrees. Thus, a wardrobe change was required. After a few minutes of shivering at the starting line, we were off. 

The pace immediately felt more challenging than the day before. I wasn’t sure if it was because of new people in the race, or if my legs were showing their fatigue. A few guys who I didn’t recognize from the day before started off quickly. A number of them had jackets on preventing me from seeing their bibs. I stuck with them even though I had a feeling they were all in the 25k race. 

The route was similar to the previous day. Not until about 13 miles into the race would those running the 50k go a different direction. Knowing this, I was aware that if I committed to racing someone doing the 25k to the 13 mile mark only to have them turn towards the finish, things could get ugly really quick. Once again, the first climb split things up. Me and one other guy (Mike) had made a big gap on the first hill loop. As we returned to a flat section, Mike started running hard. Much harder than I felt comfortable running for 30 more miles. I wanted to push myself but still be smart. I backed off but kept Mike in sight. After a few miles, Mike had pulled away a little more. Every time we’d arrive at a hill, I’d catch up a little and could see him in the distance. After a few more minutes of running behind Mike, I concluded that he was most likely running the 25k race. Mike was running in regular road shoes and wasn’t carrying any hydration or food that I could see. Still, I wasn’t certain, so I tried to keep him within site. If needed, I wanted to give myself the opportunity to catch him the second half of the race. 

I was able to start taking calories in much earlier than yesterday. I took this as a good sign. I started taking gels every 20-25 minutes. I’d mentally broken the race up into 3 x 10 mile sections. The first 10 miles I wanted to focus on being conservative. Especially if I felt good. I’d learned from my experiences at Twin Cities and Blue Sky, that in longer races I really need to build into my effort. While it may feel good to run hard for a few miles early on in the race, the price paid in the later miles is not worth it. A minute or two gained on the front end can turn into many more minutes lost on the back end. Trust me, I’ve been there.

With that said, it took a lot of discipline to hold back and not try running back up to Mike. As we neared 10 miles, I could see his stride had changed and appeared to be a little more labored. I caged the instinct to chase, concentrated on my own race, and focused on the confidence I’d gained from running strong the second half at Blue Sky. I wanted that feeling again. 

A good portion of Sunday's course was the same from the day before. My legs felt OK. I couldn’t push nearly as hard on the flats. Whenever I tried to extend my stride, my quads protested. Instead, I focused on taking short, efficient strides, and made sure I was regularly eating and drinking. There were a number of new hills that somehow seemed even steeper. My legs had loosened up since the start but I resisted letting go completely on the downhills. Eventually, we approached the aid station at 13 miles runners split off into different directions. As I reached the aid station, I filled up my bottles again, and asked the volunteers if Mike had turned for the finish. He had. I started out alone on a short loop all 50k runners would complete before heading back the way we'd come.

Locked and Loaded

The loop was beautiful. If Dogwood, with the Jeeps and lush trees reminded me of Jurassic Park, this loop reminded me of a safari. Again, there were Jeeps and double track trails, but instead of trees there were wide open fields with rolling hills. The grass was long and there was an occasional tree off the side of the trail. I tried to relax and focus on running “strong” the second third of the race. I concentrated on finding a rhythm running through the grass and submitted to the fact that I’d probably be alone for a while. I’d say I imagined myself as a gazelle out on the safari, but everyone knows, I am far from a gazelle. Zero lions, or people, were spotted the entire loop. I’d been doing a very good job eating and finished an entire sleeve of shot bloks during the loop. As I arrived back to the aid station, a few others had started to trickle in. I unloaded my bag drop which had my preferred nutrition and headed back the way I’d come. 

I was 18 miles in. I’d only felt weak a few times and usually was able to bounce back by taking in more calories or sipping from my bottles. As I started running again, more and more people passed going the other way. I had been looking forward to seeing other runners. We cheered each other on. I recognized a number of people and did my best to look them in the eye, give them energy, and avoid falling on my face. The combination of picking up a new set of bottles with my hydration mix and getting good energy from people had motivated me. I was able to start running a little harder. I let loose on the downhills and carried the momentum on the flats. Surprisingly, I was still feeling strong on the uphill segments. I even welcomed the inclines to give my quads a bit of a break. 

The day before, I looked at an elevation profile and counted 5 climbs after about 20 miles. Once I’d reached 20 miles, I started counting down the inclines remaining. Running on the flats I started to feel the fatigue and focused on tightening my core to stabilize my upper body. For 10 seconds I was a gazelle. I reached the final aid station, filled up one of my bottles, fist-bumped a volunteer, then headed out for the last 4 miles. I knew it was mostly downhill or flat to the finish. Only once I had made it to the dirt road did I take a look at my watch. I guessed I had somewhere between 2 and 3 miles left. We weren’t supposed to do the 1.5 mile loop that we had at the beginning so it was a straight shot to the finish. The locked and loaded Jeep rejoined me, and escorted me through the water crossings to the finish. Once I passed the start of the climb we’d done at the beginning of the race, I knew there was only 1.5 miles left. My watch said 3:25. “Holy crap!” I thought, “I could go sub 3:40!” I finished off my liquids and focused on my turnover. Finally, the lodge came into view, and I ran across the line.

Strava file here

Overall, the entire weekend was a blast. The trails were fun and the event was well organized. 

Up next for me is some recovery and planning for 2019. This winter and spring, I’m planning to focus on improving speed and durability. No, I’m not switching to running. I’ve gotten a lot of encouragement from people to step up in distance on these trail races. While that is appealing, and I plan to eventually, I still believe that I can improve my speed and durability in biking and running. Swimming, well, it is what it is. By no means do I have 15 years mapped out, but I know trail running is a long game and you can still be competitive in your late 30s and into your 40s. Variety and consistency is my style of training. If I specialize in something too much, or only do super long stuff, I will burn out and lose interest. I want to improve my Ironman marathon and open marathon as I feel I have not reached my potential in those areas. I still plan to keep one foot in trail racing but probably won't do anything longer than 50k, for now. The training required for anything longer would require more focus (and recovery time after the race) than I’m willing to give right now. 

As far as a race schedule goes, I’m planning to do some “shake and bake” action with Ernie at a few triathlons in the spring. The other races that get me excited are Pikes Peak Marathon and Ironman Wisconsin. All of this is tentative as my engineering career is my priority. If anyone has any recommendations for trail races within a day’s drive of KC, Minneapolis, Denver, or Salt Lake City please let me know. In case you can’t tell I like courses with lots of elevation change :)

Big thank you to my family and close friends. You know who you are. Life has been a ride the past the few months.  Thank you for supporting me and guiding me in the right direction.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Twin Cities and Blue Sky Marathons 2018

Part 1 of a 2-part blog: 

Before I go into more detail about competing in two trail races in southern Missouri this past weekend (part 2), a life update is needed. A few months ago, around the end of August, a relationship that meant a lot to me came to an end. I don’t want to write about exactly what happened because it’s personal. I want to keep this blog focused on my training and racing endeavors. The fallout, and the lessons I’m learning, shaped my approach to this fall. I’m happy to report I only broke down once on the phone, and I successfully restrained myself from buying a puppy. With the help of my family and a few close friends, I have been working to learn from my experiences and focus on doing things that give me purpose. I’ve spent a lot of time reading (for enjoyment), training with friends, and competing in races I haven’t experienced before. 

Some day...

I planned an ambitious (for me!) fall race schedule focusing on running and trail races. In the span of five weeks, I raced the Twin Cities Marathon, Blue Sky Trail Marathon in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Dogwood Canyon 15k + 50k Trail Races. 

Twin Cities Marathon

The Twin Cities Marathon had been on my radar for a few years. I have enjoyed being able to work out of Burns and McDonnell’s Minneapolis office a few times since August which has allowed me to scout the course and spend quality time with my parents. 

Scouting out the TC Marathon Course with Mom

If you don’t know my parents, they’re awesome. They both have their Ph.Ds and work very hard. They bike. A lot. Their house is filled with lots of books and postcards from their travels. Recently, they started taking spin and body pump classes at the gym. Like I said, they’re pretty cool. The TC Marathon course is awesome. The first half of the race winds around several iconic lakes (which are very beautiful in October) before going along the Mississippi river. I have rather painful associations with the last few miles of the course, so I will let the first picture below explain. 

Strava file here

This is Dave Katz. We used to play hockey together. He signed up for Twin Cities less than one month before. Much respect, dude!

I’d never raced an “open” marathon. For 10 days, my legs were wrecked. Adding to the immediate pain, six hours after the race I had to catch a flight for field work in the state where owning a lifted truck is a requirement; Texas. It was a rough week, but life is all about overcoming setbacks. When I almost fell down the stairs on a daily basis the hotel in Texas, and I was reminded that I had to (got to, Steve, got to) run another marathon in two weeks, I forced myself to find confidence that my legs would recover and function once again. 

Blue Sky Trail Marathon 

I originally needed to travel out to Colorado for personal reasons and decided to make the most of my time in/near the mountains. I was very grateful to reconnect with a place, and the people there, that had been center of my world for 6.5 years in college. 

Horsetooth Reservoir from the "A" #happyplace

I hiked the “A” twice, read a book at Horsetooth Reservoir, swam with the local masters group, and caught up with good friends who I hadn’t seen in far too long of a long time. A few easy days leading into Blue Sky left my legs feeling decent. I decided I needed to treat the event like a long training run. Dogwood Canyon was a more important goal to me. My legs, not to mention my traumatized mind, were still reeling from 26 miles of pounding pavement just 13 days prior. 

Strava link here

The race was a blast. I slowly built my effort, ate and drank consistently, and felt strong the last 10 miles despite hills and technical trails. Most importantly, I enjoyed myself. I took in the mountain views and conversed with the other runners around me. I got lost thinking about nothing but where I needed step next to avoid falling on my face. 

Recovery from Blue Sky progressed much faster than Twin Cities. I was able to run “easy” two days afterwards without much soreness. Another positive was that I had the luxury of two full weekends before the Dogwood Canyon races. 

Because I was planning to camp at Dogwood, I wanted to test out my camping gear. My first full weekend, after a long ride on my gravel bike, I drove the 40 minutes out to a state park at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Kansas to camp for a night. The park had an awesome system of trails. After setting up camp the evening I arrived, I went for a walk to get a sense for the trails. At some point I stopped and ended up enjoying a long, peaceful moment in the woods. I have a lot of good memories from growing up, camping with my family, going on backpacking trips with friends, and just being generally IN nature. It was nice to slow down and appreciate everything around me. Then the sun went down and I got hungry. 

I slept for almost 11 hours. I woke the next morning, drank some coffee, crushed a Clif bar and a spoonful of peanut butter, then headed out on the trails. I had come to test my camping gear, but I also ended up getting a great run in. 

Part 2 about the Dogwood Canyon trail races will be ready in a few days. More pictures are needed!