[Race Report] Ice Age Trail 50

Race information

• What? Ice Age Trail 50 - La Grange, WI
• When? May 13, 2017
• How far? 50 miles
• Website? http://www.iceagetrail50.com/
• Strava? https://www.strava.com/activities/985008864/overview

Goals

Goal	Description
A	10 hours
B	12 hours (cut-off)
C	don't die

This report got out of hand reaaaaaal fast. Thanks to those who stick around to read it, but pls scroll all the way down for a TLDR.

"Training"

I ran my first marathon last fall. Ran a 34 mile elimination run (eight 4.25 mile loops. one hour to do each loop.) a month later and had some ankle issues through the end of 2016. The 34 miler was probably a bad idea. Anyways I started getting my mileage up in preparation for the 50 miler in the beginning of 2017.

I was following the 50 miler training plan laid out in Bryon Powell's 'Relentless Forward Progress'. The plan averaged around 40-45 mpw with peak weeks of 50mpw. Easy runs during the week, with a long run on the trails on Saturday, followed by MLR-ish runs on Sunday. I had IT band issues when I first seriously started running in 2015, and it came back to haunt me. In February, a 24 mile long run was cut short at mile 19 and I had to take a Lyft back home. This LR should've been on the trails, but I ran it in the city due to scheduling issues - I think all that pavement pounding did me in. I took it easy the next few days, but had a 6 miler cut short a week later. Had to catch a cab back home again.

I took the next three weeks off, with some 3-5 mile runs that still had some pretty bad IT band flare-ups. During this time off I went on a ski trip out in Montana with my girlfriend, an old friend from high school, his SO and a few of their friends. Luckily my friend, his SO and two of their friends are physical therapists. He checked me out, determined I had baby hips and glutes, and gave me a simple strengthening routine to work on building fuctional strength for running. I started doing this routine a few times a week. Lots of single leg squat variations and floor touches.

The last week of March I started running again. I also picked up the R8 roller and diligently rolled out my legs after my runs. Foolishly, I backed off of some of the strengthening stuff. Sure enough, a week later I had another MLR in the city cut short. I took the weekend off and traveled to Boston to watch my girlfriend and her brother and her cousin run Boston. Got inspired. Recovered, and stuck to the prehab/rehab routine. Had a great 45 mile week, with a strong 18 mile LR. Then a 50 mile peak week with a reassuring 20 miler on the trails. I had stuck to my strenghtening routine and everything felt great. No IT band issues at all. My GA pace was getting a bit faster as well. Every run was great and I felt amazing. Two week taper, then it was time for the 50 miler. I was nervous as hell. Training did not go well at all. But I had enough miles in that I felt the chances of me finishing slightly outweighed the chances of a DNF.

Race strategy

The race consists of three legs. First, a 9 mile cross country ski trail loop. Once you get back to the start, you head north for a half mile to Confusion Corner. The next leg is an out and back SW to Rice Lake and back to Confusion Corner, 20-21 miles total. At Confusion Corner you head ~9 miles NW to the Emma Carlin trailhead turnaround point then back to CC. Then it's 1.5 miles on the ski trail to the finish line. I think that math adds up.

My amazing girlfriend would act as my one woman crew. The plan was to meet at aid stations at 9 miles, 17.5 miles, 26 miles, 40 miles, and hopefully at the finish line. I planned on one gel during the first 9 mile loop. Then in between each aid station I'd have one gel and a peanut butter sandwich I had prepared. Each time I'd meet my girlfriend I would stretch/roll out my legs if needed and she'd restock my gels, water, and gatorade then send me along with a fresh sandwich. I didn't want to spend more than 5 minutes each time. I also had a handful of electrolyte pills since the temps were supposed to get pretty high later in the day.

The course is extremely hilly. My Strava data says I had 3400ft of elevation, but the RD posted ~6800ft on Facebook? Maybe the difference is elevation change vs climbing? Anyways, the hills are nonstop. The 9 mile loop in the beginning is relatively flat with some rolling hills, but the rest is relentless climbs and descents. Please keep in mind, I'm from pancake-flat Chicago where the biggest hills I run in the city are bridges over the river. Here's the elevation chart for the race.

All that being said, my A-goal was a 10 hour finish (12:00 pace). B-goal was to beat the 12 hour cut-off (14:24 pace). C-goal was to not die. The plan was to walk the hills, not go out too fast, be smart about fueling, and minimize time in the aid stations.

Miles 1-9

Me, doing my best first-day-of-school pose

The first few miles were crowded. Rolling hills throughout the loop. Wide double-track to accomodate the large close groups at the start of the race. Soft pine needles covered the ground. Weather was great. The race started at 6am. 48F with the sun peeking out behind the clouds here and there. I hiked the uphills and let gravity do its thing on the downhills. My splits ranged from 10:17 to 11:49, with a brisk 9:27 during a flat mile. Everything was feeling good. I get to the mile 9 aid station and see my lovely girlfriend. She restocks my fluids and replaces one of the gels I consumed. Off to the next leg.

Miles 9-17.5

I start munching on my peanut butter sandwich. Tastes great. I make a trail friend. Bob. We talk and run together for the next 8.5 miles. A couple others join us as we hit Confusion Corner and turn SW. We take turns leading and pacing the group. Again, walking the uphills and picking up a bit of speed on the downhills. The uphills are getting steeper and longer and the downhills are a bit more technical. We're now on singletrack trails. Roots and rocks sticking out all over the place. Every once in a while I'll catch a toe, but manage to keep my balance. We keep our pace around 11:45, with some splits getting down to ~10:20. I ate a pb sandwich, one gel, and water/Gatorade to thirst. I meet my girlfriend at the 17.5 mile aid station and re-up my supplies. Gatorade, water, gels, sandwich.

Miles 17.5-26

Coming into mile 17.5

Bob didn't bother stopping at the 17.5 mile aid station. I keep chugging along by myself towards the Rice Lake turnaround (mile 21). A couple miles into this leg, the frontrunners start passing going the opposite way. Everyone's telling each other "Great job!", "Nice work!", "Keep it up!". I start doing the same. Feels real good. Everyone's so damn friendly. I hit the turnaround and re-up on water and grab a handful of potato chips. I'm starting to get a bit tired. It's getting warm - around mid-70s by now and the sun is out in full force. I'm now heading back up the trail and receiving and offering encouragement to runners headed towards the turnaround. But still the hills and heat are doing quite a number on me. Splits drop to ~12:30 a few times, but I log a few 11:30-11:45 splits. I manage to catch up to trail buddy Bob before the next aid station. We run together for a bit, but he lets me go ahead as I hike up some of the uphills. I downed the usual fluids, one gel, a couple salt pills, and half a sandwich. That second half of the sandwich didn't look very appetizing. I'm back to the previous aid station, now having run 26 miles.

Miles 26-40

Feeling good at mile 26, but for how long...

I spent a bit longer at the 26 mile AS. Changed my socks. Rolled out my legs. Re-upped on my fluids, gels, and grabbed another sandwich just in case. Felt great to see my girlfriend again, but knew it would be another 14 miles til I'd see her again. Quick hug and a kiss and I'm off again.

The heat is bearing down on me. It's so goddamn hot and so goddamn hilly. I'm snagging more rocks and roots. I try eating the other half of the sandwich but only manage a few bites. A gel and water make me feel a bit better but I'm pulling 12:00-14:00 minute miles at this point. Somewhere around mile 30 is where it all things go south. My legs are tired, heavy. I snag a root and take a tumble. Luckily this was during a short stretch of soft pine needle covered ground so nothing serious. And surprisingly the fall was a nice shock to my system. I get up, dust myself off, then get back to running. My pace is around 13:30 for the next few miles but my legs have a bit more energy in them. I'm sucking down Gatorade and water like crazy.

I shuffle to the aid station around mile 33 and grab this veggie/fruit themed kitchen towel/bandana out my vest. (I didn't have an actual bandana at home and this was the best substitute my girlfriend and I could find.) A volunteer dumps cold water on it and I wear it under my hat to keep my head and neck cool and out of the sun. I stock up on water and eye the other food options. They're stocked up like all the other stations - chips, pretzels, cookies, oranges - but nothing looks appetizing. Can't stomach solid foods. I down a cold cup of Coke and briefly experience nirvana.

This station was the turning point. #breaking10 was out the window. I probably banked enough time (aka went out too fast...) in the beginning to beat the hard 12 hour cutoff. But I had no idea if I'd actually be able to run another 17 miles with legs made of hot garbage. Every muscle in my lower body was on the verge of cramping up. I would snag a root and feel my calf tighten up juuuust to the point of a full on cramp. Also my feet hurt real bad. Plus I heard talk that the last out and back to the mile 40 turnaround had longer steeper hills. I was going to keep going. I would only look at the total miles and pace on my watch. I would NOT look at the actual time of day or total time I'd been running. Just keep moving and cover the miles. #breaking11 would be nice. But avoiding a DNF is all I'm shooting for now.

I get back on the trail. They weren't kidding about the hills here. Brutal hikes up the hills. I couldn't pick up speed down the hills either. Too steep with too many rocks and roots. I didn't have the strength or mental acuity to safely run down those. My quads were on fire. I was reduced to slow walks up and slow jogs down. Probably hitting ~14:00 for the next few miles. These longer aid station stops weren't improving my time either.

I make another trail friend but never got his name. We'll call him Iron Man, based on his IM triathalon tattoo. He's suffering on the downhills more than I am, and I'm suffering on the uphills more than he is. This made for a nice game of leapfrog.

I hit another station after four long miles and resoak my bandana and down some of that amazing elixer, Coke. I have some divine Mountain Dew as well. Three miles til the 40 mile turnaround. More goddamn hills. A long brutal ~1 mile hike uphill. Then shitty rocks and roots for two miles downhill. I somehow make it to mile 40.

During the past 14 miles I'd had two gels, a bunch of Gatorade/water, a few cups of pop, and 2-3 bites of peanut butter sandwich. And about 4 salt tabs, one every few miles.

Miles 40-50

Me trying to look happy at mile 40.

I go hug my girlfriend. I look like shit and I can see on her face that she sees it. She's a champ though and laughs at my fruit and veggie bandana and pushes me to keep going. I roll out my legs, resoak my bandana, and she refills my bottles and gels. I grab some Coke and a handful of salt pills from the aid station volunteers and thank them for keeping me alive. I tell my girlfriend to get that last peanut butter sandwich away from me, then I'm off.

I kept thinking to myself that once I hit the turnaround, I'd only have 10 miles. 10 miles sounded like way too much at this point. I start chasing aid stations. Only three miles til the next one. I catch up to Iron Man and we keep leap frogging. Same story at the next station. Bandana soaking, this time with ice on my head. Another cup of Coke since solid food is still a no go. I down a gel after another steep uphill. I see Iron Man disappear into the trails ahead of me as he wins this final round of leap frog.

I'm headed towards the mile 47.5 aid station. At this point I know I'm going to finish. Everything just hurts real bad. I have a stomach cramp. My left quad is killing me. Both hamstrings are tight. The hills are still not flat. I hit my last station and down some ginger ale, refill my water, and douse my bandana/cap in ice water.

I've been averaging about 16:30 the past few miles, but I finally get back to Confusion Corner. I turn towards the ski trail. I'm done with the monster hills. I make a new friend. Let's call him Trail Angel. TA is hurting bad too. He says he's down to the wire to hit his goal. I tell him very nicely that I'm not looking at the time on my watch and just want to finish strong. I don't want to know his goal, but if it looks like he can hit it I said we should push each other and go for it. The trail has flattened out a bit, with just a few smaller hills. We power hike up and push on the downhills and flats. Hitting 11:00-12:00 pace the last mile. We're a half mile out in an open sunny meadow. Running steady towards shaded parts of the trail.

We finally hear the crowd and cowbells at the finish. The finish line comes into view and I tell TA it's time to empty the tank. He shakes his head, says he'll hit his goal. He thanks me and tells me to go ahead. I start sprinting the last 200-300m as fast as my POS broken body can manage.

I see my girlfriend cheering from the side. I'm giving it all I got, and finish somewhat-strong in 10:53:41.

Post-Race

I cross the finish line, grab my finisher's buckle, jog a bit further, throw my cap, bandana, buckle, and vest down to the ground and start heaving with my hands on my knees. My girlfriend finds me and gives me the best hug of my life.

Now that it's all over I'm suddenly in a great mood! My girlfriend acts as my crutch and we hobble around the finish area. She has a chair for me and I sit down with some water and Gatorade. Take my socks off and see the largest blister of my life on the top of my middle toe. We hobble to the first aid tent to get it drained. The EMT uses a syringe to drain it and nearly fills the whole damn thing. He shows it to the other volunteers and they're all impressed.

We hobble around some more. I see Trail Angel. He beat his goal of 11 hours. I see Iron Man. He came in a few minutes before me. I get worried since I hadn't seen Bob anywhere else on the trail. I was hoping to see him going the other way after the last turnaround, but no luck. No sign of Bob as we head to the beer tent. We print my results and pick up an Ice Age Trail 50 beer glass. We hobble a bit more and get in line for food RIGHT BEHIND BOB. He was really struggling with the heat but managed to finish. It felt so good to finally find him.

We stick around to see the last finishers come in. Then the drive back to Chicago. I had a few cramps while sitting in the passenger seat, literally crawled up the half flight of stairs to my apartment, and had a good night's sleep.

What’s Next

Marathon number two at Chicago! I trained with JD’s 2Q plan last summer (55mpw peak) and finished in 3:16:03 (3:15 goal). I’ve got a lot more miles in my legs now so I’m very very excited about this second marathon training cycle. I read through Pfitz over the winter and decided to use the 18/55 plan. I loved the JD 2Q plan, but I’m curious as to how Pfitz compares. The twice weekly quality workouts in the 2Q plan kicked my ass in a very good way, but I treated the rest of the runs as junk miles trying to pad out my weekly mileage. I think Uncle Pete’s emphasis on meaningful medium long runs and strides will help me meet my goals. I've already incorporated strides into a handful of runs this year and I'm loving them so far.

Fall marathon goals? The stretch goal is a BQ – 3:00 to 3:02-ish. Maybe a bit of a lofty goal. It’ll require consisten training, and diligent prehab to avoid injury and IT band issues. I had so many issues with my IT band training for this 50 miler, but I had zero flare-ups whatsoever during the race. Those routines worked for me and I absolutely need to keep it up for marathon training. We’ll see how training progresses, but even if I’m not in BQ shape come October, I’m very confident that I can PR and beat last year’s goal of 3:15.

The possibility of running the Ice Age Trail 50 again next year is actually pretty high. This race was pretty awful until it ended, but I was pretty unprepared to perform well on Saturday. Now I know exactly what to expect. If I can rack up the mileage next winter/spring and focus more on hill training, I think I can post a much better time next year. We'll see.

TLDR: Training was plagued by IT band issues. Wheels fell off around mile 30, but I managed to finish in 10:53:41. 75% chance of running it again next year.

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