2022 Harbison 50k Race Report (Virtual, self-supported)

The 12th running of the Harbison 50k was to take place on January 8, 2022 down in Harbison State Forest in Columbia, SC. With COVID-19 (omicron) still rampant and travel not high on my list, utter lack of training (slightly due to stretches of below zero temps here in St. Paul, MN), and some anxiousness surrounding my ankle tendinitis, I had No plans to run this race - in-person or virtually. I had marked it off my list, resigned myself that my 10 finishes was good enough. 

But then, the night before the race - my friends posted about the race. The Race Director posted about the race. I commented. RD said just run 50k here this weekend and it'd count. Hmmmm.....so, at 8:09pm, I registered and got my things together to run on Saturday. I had never done that before, so why not see what happens, expecting to walk most of it. Found a Gatorade in the fridge. Gathered my running clothes, and planned my nutrition. Temps were to be from 19°-27° with some wind [this after a temp of -17° Friday morning], so not bad at all. 

 I slept in on race day as I had a meeting scheduled that morning from 9-11am. Left it just before 10am and got ready with 2 layers everywhere Started out for my 9 loops of Lake Phalen (and 2 pit stops back at the house) at 10:08am. I broke it down in my head as three sets of three-loops. That worked out very well for me. 

Paths were more slushy than I expected, as they are usually cleared of snow. We'd had 3-4" the last few days, and with the temps brutal, I was a little worried about ice under everything. Turned out there was no ice to speak of, 2 short sections that felt like running in soft sand, and much of the rest had a thin layer of slush. Some places were down to pavement, and it improved somewhat over the course of the day as it warmed up (although the sun never appeared through the clouds). 

 This is the same loop I have run since I moved here in 2015. Pretty flat, 3.1 mile paved path around a lake that used to provide drinking water for St. Paul. During the winter, the bike path (partially separated from the walking path) is typically plowed. Direction is meant to be clock-wise. The lake is laid out north-to-south, with residential along the whole east-side (but no houses are waterfront anywhere on the lake, all separated by a road). West-side is adjacent to a golf course (doubles as cross country skiing course in the winter, or rather, when there is snow. Golf is played no matter the temps if it is clear). Another note - other walking/bike paths connect to this that go on for dozens of miles, but I generally stay on the lake loop. 

Set 1 (loops 1-3): Took a very comfortable pace out as I had not run in over a week, and since 12/8 (after ~3wks of ~30miles each), had run a total of 18.6mi. I was hoping for the first loop to be runnable, and it mostly was. I walked a bit more each loop, just a little bit, but was happy to still be moving well after the first ~10.3miles. Loops were 30:53, 31:44, and 33:14. Back home in 1:46. Took almost a 10min break as I ate some pb&j/chips and refilled my water bottle, and added a 2nd bottle with some Gatorade/water. I had meant to go out on loop 1 with 2 bottles, but realized I forgot one as I got a block away from my house. It turned out fine.

Set 2 (loops 4-6): Walked more and more each loop. My left front ankle/shin became sore mid-way through, and my right IT Band started up when I ran toward the end of the set. Loops were 39:09, 41:05, and 43:34. (I can generally walk a lap in good health/weather in ~43min). Last loop was obviously mostly walking. Plenty of ice huts out on the lake - about 12. I also saw one person with a 12-15" fish he'd just caught! Back to the house in 4:13 (2:16 for set 2). Took 13 min break at home for more of the same: pb&j, chips, and refills. 

Set 3 (loops 7-9): Walked the whole set of three laps. The 2nd toenail on my right foot was getting sore.  The top two joints don't bend much after dislocating/breaking it playing softball back in 2002.  I knew I'd finish, and it did get tough the last loop, but I was trying hard to beat 7hrs. I knew it'd be very close, so I pushed more and more. I even used my iphone music this last set, but my one playlist on there was pretty bad for exercise (I never listen to music when I run, but I have been putting playlists on my phone to listen to during work, and have been adding my albums alphabetically in ~400 song sets. I'm in the E's and F's). Coming around the south part of the lake, with a half mile left of the lake loop and a half mile home, I knew I had time for a pit stop as I ducked into a port-o-john. At least, I hope I had timed it right after ~7 years making ~1500 loops around the lake! Loops were 43:13, 47:06, and 48:12.

Turns out - I did time it right. I got home after 6:59:15 for my 11th Harbison finish (2:35 for set 3).

Whew. Kept telling myself on each set that I had 1 or 2 more loops, then it was back home. Never looked farther than that - just loop to loop to get back home. Now that I know I can do this without planning, I hope not to have to do it like this again. 

Ankles and knees were bad that evening. Will definitely lose that toenail. Felt a good bit better the next day actually, with some back soreness added in. Could start to feel my thighs/quads a little after 2 days, but by Wednesday - I was back to rowing (too cold/icy to run outside again after another 2-3").

 

2020 Fire Tower 50k Trail Race (Virtual; Self-supported) 26-Sep-20

 

1^st Fire Tower 50k, 26 Sept 2020

2 weeks after my Med City Marathon, I started watched the weather (=Temperatures), looking for a weekend low temp in the 50’s to run this event. 10 days out, I saw my weekend, the last weekend in September and the last weekend to run this event. I chose Saturday Sept 26^th to make my way up to St. Croix State Park.

I’ve been known to have ‘phantom’ pains the week before a race – a weak leg, a knee issue, minor things that never show up otherwise and usually disappear completely before the race. This week was different, and not in a good way. Not sure what I did (slept wrong?), but felt a little twinge in my next Tuesday morning as I did an easy run. It became very tight by the next day, and affected my sleep and how I moved throughout the next few days. Turning my head was difficult, looking up (or down) was unpleasant, with tightness down into my back. Thursday morning I did a 2 mile jog, and it actually felt better when I ran, but once home and back to normal life – it came right back. Friday night, the evening before my run, I resorted to taking ibuprofen. Got almost my normal sleep, and woke up around 5am to get ready for the drive/run. Took another dose for good measure – I expected I would be fine.

The 1hr 15 min drive to the park was fine even in a nice fog the whole way. Temp was 57° and humidity was at 99%. Gates were open as I arrived just before 7, and I made my way to my drop bag location, the Kettle River Overlook, which I would come through around mile 14.5 and 20. Tucked a small cooler bag, a jug of water, and a bag with shoes, snacks, and a roller, behind a tree and made the ~20 min drive back to the start area. Parked in the main lot and got ready (vest/bladder, snacks, phone, map, etc).

Having never been to the park before, I checked the map and found the trailhead. There was a large scout troop camping adjacent to the start, and wondered if I’d see them when I returned in 6+ hours…

Started off at 7:50am.

 

Entrance (as I left)

tad Humid! :-)

At the Start

Course Map

First couple of miles were horse trails and (packed gravel) roads.- not terribly even terrain, but flat. The whole course was pretty flat. Started out comfortably, had a printed course map and written directions with me, plus the State Park Map app (which was wonderful!) on my phone. Had the gate numbers and suspected mileage marked on my map for further reference. I was ready!

Horse Trails

Early road

Past first 'gate'

Gate 31 was a sharp right, at about 46min in, somewhere about mile 5. Mileage between landmarks/gates were iffy based solely on the course/trail map, so afterwards, I used the time, map mileage markers, phone app distance, and relative pace to guesstimate.  

I guess this part (the picture below) was the only time I felt unsure about my path. Sign obviously says Mathew Lourey State Trail, but part of me wondered if the trail was just parallel to the road. After going along a bit, I realized I was probably on the right track. Either the printed map or the App had me second guessing it - but I followed the sign and was fine.

Leaves were beautiful out. The morning fog was quite bad driving in, but the park became clear (below the tree tops anyway) with cloudy skies. Temps only warmed up a few degrees (to ~63°), but I was very happy with that. 

Got tot he Firetower just as a couple were making their way down it. I was happy to see it open - a big reason why I wanted to run this race. I made my way up - but didn't have much of a view as it was still foggy. 

Could see fine straight down.

It's really only a minute or 2 climb up or down.

Steps added for 'vertigo' option

It would have been good to have the tower later in the race, so maybe it would be a little more challenging. This was about 90 minutes in, so just about 9 miles in I think. Spent about 6 minutes there total, including eating a little snack, before heading back down the road. Still felt fine! Was about 7 miles away from my aid station, but this next section I was looking forward to as it was beside the river.

Hadn't seen too many people on the trails, but I did see a few hikers. No other runners.  

First view of the Kettle River (at Big Eddy)

Absolutely loved this section! Was pretty technical at first, until it got on the main trail, where it was just a little less straightforward. Good to finally be on some singletrack! I did kick a root pretty good with my right foot. Wasn't too bad (I would finally lose the blackened nail 2 months later).

These next few photos are at the Kettle River Overlook, where I had stashed my aid. It was Crowded! (and would be even more so later). Time was 2:52, and distance was about 16 miles. I refilled my bladder with some Gatorade/water, got out my PB&J sandwich and chips and cookies and snacked some - bringing some along with me. Used the roller a bit, and stashed it all back behind a tree. Left knee was slightly sore, but manageable. Same with some outer upper thigh soreness...it would soon disappear. 

and wonderful views of the river!

Back onto the trail

Next section was a loop down (~2mi) to the Two Rivers point, then back up ~2mi, before cutting down the road to the aid station at Mile 21. 

Happy to be in the woods!

pine straw

Two Rivers (Kettle And St. Croix)

Swans!

Soon after I passed the swans on the river, I made my way down the road back to the Aid Station. I had thoughts of taking my aid station with me, so I wouldn't have to spend 45 minutes after the run to pick it all up. Silly idea as I then recalled I also had a pair of shoes, just in case. No way to carry much of it at all. As I was turning to go into the parking lot, someone heading out on the trail asked if I was Brian. I said yeah, and they said "good luck". I had put a note with my stuff stating I was running a 31 mile race and to please leave it. That was very nice of them!! This was a very quick stop...and the lot was much more crowded. Distance of ~21 miles, time of 3:55. I was still moving pretty well, but slowing down. Saw a few people I had seen earlier in the day (tower couple, plus a few hikers). 

Joys of running in the Fall!

This next 4.4 mi section (Bear Creek Trail) was not my favorite...some nice views with the leaf coverage, some horses, very few hikers. The ground was an overgrown jeep road, and the following section, although it was only not even 2 miles as you headed back to Gate 31 from the south, was an uneven, slightly overgrown road/trail. You did feel like you were in the middle of nowhere, definitely off the beaten path. I walked/jogged as I could, and was feeling it in my legs. 

Dealt with heavy legs the last few miles, and tried to judge my time, wondering if breaking 6 hours was possible. Once I determined it was not, 6:10 was my next goal. It was good to pass Gate 31 (5:22) and reverse my path back to the finish. A very runnable section, and a few more people out on trails. 

I made my way to the finish and stopped my watch at 6:07:54! Mileage (per my phone app) showed 32.4 miles. (So 6hrs was doable if it was a 31 mi course!)

Tired, happy after 6+ hours!

The scout troop was still there, and avoided me as I laid down while they threw a football nearby. I was pretty happy with my event, and glad to have done it, even solo. I recommend this event and will run it again I think! 

Wasn't thrilled about retrieving my stuff, but it was fine. 

Had my typical 2mi recovery walk the next day, and after 2 easy runs that week (with some knee soreness), was back to normal the following weekend. Not bad (for me) for 3 races in 2.5 months! 

Next up - Icebox480 on Nov 7th!