Planning for 2015

I recently decided that this year I would try applying to run for a couple different teams. I have never done so before, but realized that either this year or next would be the time to do so. As a part of the application process, I have to give a general plan of my racing and other event schedule for 2015. 

This is much earlier than I generally plan my year, but as I’ve thought through my schedule and thought of which events I’d like to do, I have found that it’s great motivation. It should also help me actually make my goals next year by allowing me to create a progressive race schedule with enough rest time and shorter races that I will be able to give a good effort for each race. 

One of the applications asks me for my three main goals (running or otherwise) for 2015 as well as a tentative race schedule with at least five events on it. With these guidelines in mind, I came up with this plan: 

My three main goals:

1) I am definitely going to run from the lowest point in Minnesota to the highest. I’ll start at Lake Superior (602 feet) and run up the Cascade River towards Eagle Mountain (2300 feet). It should be around 2o miles. If all goes well, I want to try this in early to mid June. 

2) Thru hike, or more ideally run, the Kekakabic or Border Route Trail.  This is something I’ve been tossing around for a while, but my recent 35 miles at the Icebox 480 and my decent time at the Superior Spring 50k makes me think it will be possible. If the rest of my schedule goes well (see the racing schedule below) I’m hoping to try this in late September or early October. 

3) Try my hand at Fishpacking. This is a more general goal than the rest. For some time, I have been intrigued by the idea of lightweight fly fishing. The general idea is to get a lightweight fishing pole, probably a Tenkara style flyfishing rod, combine that with a fastback (I have wanted a UD Fastback since they first announced the product earlier this year) and use my legs to get me farther in that other fishermen can go. This was a better concept in Colorado than it probably is here in Minnesota, but it should still be workable here. This is the most gear-intensive goal, so I’m a little leery of it. But it’s all gear I wanted to get in any case, so I think it will be doable. 

As for races, I’ve sketched out the following schedule. 

January 31: The Iceman. This is an obstacle 5k, with snow replacing mud. 

April 11: The Zumbro 17 (or 50 if I’m feeling particularly ambitious). This is, as far as I can tell, the kickoff of the Minnesota Trail Running season. It seems like a fun event, and I would like to participate this year. 

May 16: The Superior 25k, or 50k. ‘nuff said.

July 11: Warrior Dash 5k.

Late July: Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon. This used to be known as the “Half-Voyageur,” but was renamed after a local running legend recently. 

Early September: Superior 50 mile. My goal for the whole year is to run my first 50. I am fairly certain that I can do so after the Icebox, and I think the demanding nature of the course will actually play to my advantage, since it will force me to walk more often. 

Early November: The Icebox 480.

With my three other goals, that would make for my busiest season ever. It will rely on me keeping on target with my training, and just as importantly keeping target with my rest. If I make the team, their support, and the added motivation of running for a team would probably help. My main obstacle now is making sure I don’t overtrain. 

Over all, I’m happy with this plan: a little nervous, a lot excited, and mostly hoping that it will work out. 

The Off Season

Last year, I entered the off season break a little by accident. Shortly after my showing at the Moab 1/2 marathon National Championships, my fiancees family had a medical emergency while we were busy moving to Minnesota. With the move, staying at my parents’ house for a while, and the inevitable uproar involved, I failed to run for almost two months. After that, I had to slowly rebuild my training up from almost zero. I started with ten minute runs, and moved up as my fitness allowed. 

After that experience, I wanted a more specific plan for this off season. I had decided, prior to racing, that I would take 2 full weeks off after the Icebox 480, however I was feeling. I am in the middle of that period right now, and I think this is a good time to lay out my goals for the off season. 

At a base level they are as follows: I want to severely reduce my overall running  mileage, running 3-4 days per week, not more than 20-25 miles. That should keep a base level of fitness, and keep my body used to the impact of running, while not overtaxing it.  At the same time, I will work on increasing my overall strength. Having bought a new pair of cross country skis this year, I also plan on skiing at least a day or two each week. 

How will I do this? 

First, clearly, I will run or ski at least 3 to 4 days per week, and not more than that. This, as I said, this will keep me at a good level of fitness, and keep my body used to impact training. As part of my strength training, I intend to do at least one workout per week on the treadmill (shudder), at a significant incline (10-15% grade).  

Second, I will continue my “Cool Impossible” strength program. With the reduced overall training volume, I should be able to do this 4-6 days per week without compromising my overall training. 

Thirdly, 1 to 2 days per week I will head to the gym and do a different strength workout (lifting, rowing, or swimming). 

Finally, as much as I can, I will be cross country skiing. I am thinking of using a major present (my 30th birthday present) on a skate ski setup.  That gets me the best workout I can possibly get, with zero impact. 

With any luck, and proper forethought, this workout schedule should leave me both refreshed to run another season, and stronger than I started. 

In the meantime, I am working on a few schemes that might make things more interesting next year. While I keep up my off season schedule, I’m not sure yet what my plan is going to be for keeping up with this blog. If my schemes bear any fruit, I will certainly post about it here. Otherwise, I think I’ll save entries for notable events and workouts. 

Until later, then. 

Icebox 480 Race Report

As mentioned in my last post, I decided to treat this race as an experiment. I had not prepared thoroughly, neglecting my long runs as I sometimes do. My decision proved itself a good one when the RD decided, two days before the race, to up the length of each loop to 7 miles instead of 10k. Not a big deal, but it makes a difference.

As I mentioned in my last post, may A goal was to run 2 marathons. My B goal was to run the full 8 hours. My C goal was to break my 50k PR.  I realized pretty quickly that, with my training as it was, A and B were probably right out, unless I wanted to injure myself.  So I quickly decided on three new goals: break my marathon PR, break my 50k PR, and break my overall distance PR (which was 50k).

I had prepared my drop bag (or rather box) well: I had all the VFuel Gels I could need, extra gloves, hats, shoes, and socks, as well as 4 bottles of Skratch Labs hydration mix. I hoped the constant influx of low-level calories would help me avoid the crashes I've experienced in other races.

Lap 1 (1:01:06 with aid, 7 miles): The race started with little fanfare out of a cul-du-sac. The RD gave the announcements, gave a "ready, set, go," and we all followed a guy on a fat bike, in red onesie pajamas, past the aid station and onto the loop we would run for the next several hours. 

I started out slowly, running with a group of people including a recent Chicago marathon finisher. My watch was reading 9:50+ mile pace, and fool that I am I believed it. After sticking with a pack running an almost excruciatingly slow place (for me), I shot off at about mile 2 and left my train behind. 

This lap was exploratory at best. I tried to find a pace slow enough that I could maintain it for a long time, but one that was also comfortable. I was going as slowly as I could and still feel comfortable and efficient, but was discouraged somewhat that my legs, particularly my hip flexors and attached stabilizing muscles, were already feeling slow.

When I passed the 4 mile mark at just under 36 minutes, I knew the mileage on my watch was well low (3.67 miles). The latter 3 miles proved much easier than the first 4. I skipped the Break the Stigma aid station, passing several people (including the lead woman) in the process. The last mile or so of the course proved to be rolling once again, but I coasted easily in and through the fully stocked loop aid station, asking only a water bottle refill.  

Lap 2 (1:00:39, 2:01 in aid station, 2:03:46 elapsed, 14 miles): Lap 2 began with an unfortunate realization. I took a sip from my newly refilled water-bottle only to find that it was not water, but HEED. HEED tends to make me sick to my stomach, and that one small sip was enough to throw off my stomach. So I had half a bottle of Skratch for the next four miles.

Within the first mile of this lap, I teamed up with another runner (also in bright green) named Jeremy. He had recently run a 50-miler on roads, but this was his first ever trail race. It sounded like it was also his first ever trail run of any sort. Gutsy. But he was quick and good company. By this lap, I had decided that the 4-mile point was my checkpoint. I passed it this lap in around 35:20 this lap, and realized that I was again ahead of my goal pace. Feeling light and comfortable still, I decided the pace was ok.

This lap was characterized by encroaching pain in my calves and lessening pain in my hip flexors. I was still running easily, and even though this was closing in on the length of my longest training run, I still felt reasonably fresh and light. A stop at the 5-mile aid station refreshed my water helped up my mood. 

Lap 3 (1:00:25, 22s in aid, 3:04:23 elapsed, 21 miles): This time I took a brief stop in the aid station (my 2:01 stop) for a pit stop, and to grab my next bottle of Skratch. So far, despite the HEED mistake, I was still on track for my nutrition plan: 1 gel every 40 minutes and 1 bottle of Skratch every two laps.

Jeremy had passed me at the aid station, but I could see him darting ahead of me for this entire lap. I think it was chasing him that led this to be my fastest lap of the bunch. Despite being nearly 20 miles into the race, I still felt easy and light as I chased Jeremy through the woods. The 4 mile checkpoint came at under 35 minutes this time, once again ahead of my prior lap.

As ever, the last 3 miles felt easier than the first 4, and I cruised into the aid station to find G waiting there. 

Lap 4 (1:07:41, forgot to lap in aid, 4:12:04 elapsed, 28 miles): The 22 seconds must have been incorrect here, because not only did I have time to talk with G, her mom was on the phone and, for the first time I can remember, I had a phone conversation in the middle of a race. That's something I would not consider doing if I were racing in the usual format. After my conversation, I grabbed a few cookies at the aid station, the same time

This race saw the beginning of my inevitable deterioration. I ran for a while with an older runner who had found a good pace early and was trying to keep it up as long as possible. But he kept keeping his feet too low and took two diggers that I saw while I was running with him. After the second, I passed him, running for a while with a guy named Jason, who I had talked to briefly on the first lap.

Turns out, he's a Western States finisher and rather experienced at this whole ultra-running thing. We passed mile 4 at around 38 minutes or a little over, and I knew the wheels were falling off. Nonetheless, we ran in to the aid station at the same time.

Lap 5 (1:16:06, done at aid, 5:28:10 elapsed, 35 miles): At this loop, I took a little extra time. G had gone off for coffee and wasn't back yet, but I took the time to grab a couple salted potatoes. These seemed to satisfy at first, but the switch from gel to solid food left me a tiny bit nauseated for a little bit.

Jason had taken off a little earlier and a little faster than I did for this lap. For the first time this race I started walking more of the uphills. My quads were beginning to get really sore, not cramping this time as they did in the Superior 50k this past spring, they were just shot from lack of sufficient training.

The wheels had fallen off. I had a brief moment of elation at 31 miles (50k) where I passed my farthest distance ever. I told myself after that point that each additional step I took was another PR for me. But honestly I needed more walking breaks than I had hoped I would, and my quads were just getting worse. I passed the 4 mile checkpoint somewhere around 44 minutes.

In one lap, I had gone from mid-9 minute miles to 11-minute miles. I found out a few things about myself in this lap, though. First: I still have the ability to run on essentially dead legs. Second, I get really weird when I'm fatigued (according to G). Third, I am not willing to push myself to the point of injury when I haven't trained enough. If I'm going to pursue longer and longer distances, I need to train more appropriately.

I ran into the aid station, considering dropping out right when I got there. G was waiting, and convinced me that I should take a break for a little and then see if I felt up for another lap or, more likely, a few of the shorter, finishing laps.  But once I stopped, even after switching shoes, I was done.

The Loop: The loop itself was really nice, non-technical single track. Mile 1 was an out and back loop with just a few small, rolling hills. Mile 2 took you up to the top of the ridge (on the biggest climb of the course, which was none too bad), then wound over bike obstacles back down into the valley of River Falls. Mile 3 was again single track through the woods. Winding back and forth through the woods, you would occasionally catch glimpses of the other runners flitting through the trees.

The fourth mile shunted you back up towards the ridge and, near the end, along the edge of a cornfield where, for much of the race, a tractor was plowing under the corn stalks. After 4 laps, believe me, a ride on that tractor started to seem really nice. Mile 5 saw the on-course aid station, winding along the ridge before hitting another stretch along the cornfield. With the wind gusting at 25 mph, this section could be pretty cold.

Mile 6 took you tantalizingly close to the major climb at the start of mile 2 (also near the start of the lap), then popped along the cornfields again before dropping back down into the woods to weave through the trees again. The final mile took you up 1 final hill, that seemed longer and longer each lap. But the last stretch into the aid station was blessedly flat, letting you at least look fast when coming through.

Synopsis: I am pretty satisfied with this race. I did not meet my original A and B goals, but they were major reach goals in any case. By the pure fact that I run more quickly than many people, it's harder for me to run an 8 hour race. Had I kept up my progression, I would likely have run more than 45 miles in the 8 hours, even had I walked a 6th lap.

But I was treating this as an experiment. I wanted to find out whether my body could go longer than 31 miles on 15-mile training runs: it can. I wanted to find out whether I could still keep going when my legs said to quit, and I could. I wanted to see how Skratch Labs hydration mix would work for me: it certainly seemed to. I never had the crashes I've had in prior races.

I also learned that I find it really hard to go appropriately slow at the early stages of a race like this. It feels uncomfortable to me to run much more slowly than 8:30 pace on the flats, and 9-minute average miles. Jason seemed to have an efficient, shuffling stride that worked well for him, and maybe I need to work on that sort of stride if I want to try these longer challenges.

Then again, maybe I want to focus on shorter races, and save longer efforts for my own fkt-type attempts. I do know that, if I'm going to do something longer than 50k, I need to a) do longer runs than 15 miles (25-30 would be better) and b) do back-to-back longer runs.

All in all, a satisfying and fun experience. 

Week Ending November 2, 2014

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: 4 miles. 32 minutes. Easy down Summit.

Wednesday: 7 miles. 50 minutes. Fartlek with 3 minutes on, 2 minutes float. A great, hard workout on my hilly loop. This was an exceptionally good workout. I felt fast, with a good amount of endurance and pep left in my legs at the end. It had me wishing that my race was shorter.

The only problem now is that I seem to be reaching the limit of this particular loop. I have nowhere else to go with limited stoplights. If I go down Summit, I hit a stoplight every half mile. I can't extend my hilly loop any farther without more stoplights. It may be time to find another option.

Thursday: 5 miles, 40 minutes. Easy run down summit after the workout on Wednesday.

Friday: 4.2 miles, 40 minutes. Either my heart was palpitating wildly, or my heart rate monitor was having severe issues. I am assuming the latter, because my heart rate didn't seem crazy when I tested it on my neck. This is not the first time I've had trouble with the heart rate monitor during my warm up. And I am not the only person to have this problem.

Suunto so far has not impressed me with their customer service or general quality. I have no extra money for one at the moment, but next time I purchase a GPS device, it won't be Suunto.

Saturday: Inadvertent rest day.

Sunday: 6.5 miles. 1 hour on the nose. Ran one loop of the River Gorge and added on a bit. For most of this loop, I was holding back, trying to run at a pace I could maintain for 8 hours.

On the bridges, though, it was another story. I dropped the pace there to 5:30-5:45 min/mile. I was pleasantly surprised by how (relatively) easy this felt. Again, it had me wishing that my race was a little shorter than 8 hours, but such is life.

Total: 27 miles. A good start to a taper.

As I am tapering, I guess it's about time to discuss my goals for the Icebox 480.

I see this race as an experiment. If I run the whole 8 hours, I have no doubt that this will be my longest and farthest run ever. Even if I don't, I have a good chance to beat my 50k PR.  If I don't do that, I can experiment with fueling and pacing.

My goals, by tier.

"A" goal: run the equivalent of 2 sub-4 hour marathons back to back. This will be hard. Maybe not possible for me. But it's my goal over all others.

"B" goal: keep going for the entire 8 hours. This should let me break my PRs for distance and time.

"C" goal: break my 50k PR.

Finally, my biggest goal is to have fun with the race. I seem to do better when I enjoy my races and don't take them too seriously, and worse when I psych myself up and out too much. The UMTR peeps on Facebook describe this race as an "end of the season 8-hour party in the woods."

I'm in good shape. Mentally I'm doing well. My friends are coming out to watch me, driving 40 minutes to do so. And I have an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ to look forward to that night.

Sounds like a party

Week Ending October 26

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: 6 miles. 45 minutes. Easy down Summit and back. Anybody who runs occasionally gets to experience a run like this. I was running easy, keeping my heart rate low. Even so, I ran around 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I usually do at that heart rate. A breakthrough run, where, after weeks and months of work, everything seems to come together, and you make what seems to be inordinate progress. More likely, the rest day, combined with the slightly lower mileage the week before, let my muscles recover enough for me to realize the effects of my training.

We runners live for those days.

Wednesday: 7 miles, 51 minutes. 5x4 minutes up-tempo on a hilly course. Had it been a flat course, I would have run these at 6:10-6-30 pace. Given the hills, the intervals were either a bit faster or slower than that. I tried to keep the effort honest, though.

Thursday: 4 miles, 32 minutes. Easy (recovery) run down Summit.

Friday: 6 miles, 45 minutes. Mostly easy, with 7x20s sprints. These proved to be a little too much, or I ran them too hard. Either way, my calves felt like they used to after track practice in high school, where I was a sprinter. The only difference is, in high school I was more ready for sprinting.

Saturday: Rest. Walked a good bit, but no running today.

Sunday: 12.5 miles, 1:53. Did a double lap of the River Gorge loop, plus a little extra added on the second loop.

Total: 35.5 miles.

Sunday was a great morning to be out running. Sunny, 40-50 degrees, just a bit of a wind, and the tail end of the fall colors made for a perfect morning.

And I reveled in it.

I tried to keep this at a low pace, as a trial run for the race. And in general I managed fairly well. Even so, I couldn't help picking up the pace for the quarter-mile across the Ford Bridge. I may be an ultramarathoner now, but that doesn't mean I have to run slowly all the time.

As with my first 50k, I'm coming into this without as many long runs, or long enough runs, to be as prepared as I would like. As I get more experienced in these, I get less worried about my training. I know I can run the distance and time required. When I signed up for this race, 8 hours seemed like an almost impossibly-long time to be running. But I realized that it's only about an hour and 45 minutes longer than I have before (at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty).

I certainly feel more prepared for this race than I did for my first Ultra.

Week Ending October 19

Monday: 4 miles. 32 minutes, short shakedown run after a hard weekend.

Tuesday: Off. Legs were justifiably tired after a weekend of excessive training.

Wednesday: 6 miles. 48 minutes. Easy run down Summit and back. Legs felt significantly better on this run than they had the day before. It's truly amazing what a good rest day can do.

Thursday: 5.5 miles, 45 minues. 5xRamsey Hill in about 1:40 + 4x1 minute hard. This was one of the hardest workouts I've done so far. I got to Ramsey Hill to find that there was tree crew on the side I normally train on, so I had to run on the other side of the street. Not a big deal, I know, but it did change things up a little bit. I would have loved to test myself against the same hill, but that was not to be.

The 1 minute intervals after the hills felt hard, but not as hard as I would have expected for approximately 5:30 pace on tired legs. I've said it before, but I think this training plan I've been using is working. I can run faster on tired legs than I could all out at the beginning.

Friday: 3 miles, 25 minutes easy shakedown run.

Saturday: 10.5 miles, 1:35, 1000' . This run began in a very frustrating way, as I drove half an hour out to Afton State Park to find the gate closed at 7:45. After waiting around for a few minutes, I turned around and headed home to run around the Gorge.

I was still tired after Thursday, so my legs didn't have the pep that they usually would on this sort of run. Nonetheless, I managed to get out for a while. I did not get the length of run I was hoping for, but with the state of my legs, I think it was a good idea to go short. I did, however, get a chance to try out some Skratch Labs hydration mix.

While I did not care for the flavor (how do so many people like Lemon Lime?), I think the actual mix worked fairly well. If I plan to race with it, I think I'll have to either cut it with more water, or carry a bottle of Skratch and a bottle of water to mix it up enough so that I can a) stay hydrated while b) getting enough nutrition in.

Sunday: 6ish miles, 50ish minutes. Made it out to Afton for a fantastic fall run. I forgot my watch, having purposefully left my heart rate monitor at home. That gave me the chance to really play on this run, and regain a little fun in my run for the day.

I used it well. One thing I have noticed in Minnesota is that, while I had a lot of leg strength from my constant climbing in Colorado, most of that came on long, sustained climbs. Here in Minnesota, we have short climbs, but they come at you fast and furious, and relentlessly. I need to up my ability to take on rolling hills rather than mountains.

With that in mind, I took each and every hill at speed, charging up to the top and sustaining my pace for a few strides beyond.

It felt good, like I was playing again.

Weekly Totals: 35 miles.

Night Lights Half Marathon.

I had some pretty clear goals going into this race. The primary goal was to run a controlled but sharp effort, injecting some fatigue into my legs without blowing out the tanks and adversely affect my training. Secondary goals were to get some more experience running at night, preferably at a fast pace, to get some additional mileage in, and finally, of course, to have some fun.

In the interest of that final goal, G (who was running the 5k) and I went out and bought some battery-powered light strings to wear during the race. I found a way to wrap them around myself, tucking the batteries into my shorts' key pocket, without adversely affecting my running. The lights had a side effect of causing other runners to not take me as seriously as they otherwise might have. Nobody else in the front line, or seemingly in the entire race, had thought to decorate.

Their loss. G and I were a huge hit with the race staff and the aid station volunteers, who promptly dubbed me "Christmas Tree" and G "Ms Purple Sparkles."

To keep myself from going too quickly, I set a max heartrate goal of 166 on my Suunto. This would keep me roughly at a marathon pace, making me work hard while leaving something in reserve. If I strayed out of this zone for too long, the watch would beep, letting me know that I was going too fast and to ease up a bit. It turns out that the watch allows you some leeway, so that I could stray from the target zone while running uphill. Overall, the method worked well (with a few mistakes on my end which I will outline later on).

The race itself was run over three laps of a ~4.3 mile course, which lends itself to a report by lap write-up:

Lap 1: As I said, nobody seemed to take the guy with Christmas lights wrapped around him seriously at the start line. At the same time, nobody seemed to want to start at the front, so I had half a yard on everybody before the race started at 6:15. Unfortunately, as I tend to do, I started too quickly. I ran the first mile in 7-flat, far too fast and over my heartrate. Once I realized this, I slowed down a bit and, after allowing a few more ambitious runners to pass, settled in to my rhythm for the evening.

(It was around mile two, as I slowed myself down, that somebody asked in passing "what are you plugged in to?" I bit back a sarcastic quip, "a really long extension cord," and told him it was a battery pack.)

The slower pace allowed me to fully appreciate the view at mile 2-3, as we ran along the Mississippi River Bluffs with (first) a phenomenal view of the sun setting over the skylines of Minneapolis and St Paul and (later) a view out along the river itself, with clouds lit up in purples and oranges by the sunset  now behind us.

The course itself was technically very easy, running on wide, mown ski paths, which would allow for more confident footing after dark. It was not too challenging, with only 300 or so feet of elevation gain and loss per lap. But what hills there were proved remarkably steep, uphill and down. Coming on to one, you felt like you might run straight into it, and coming to the downhills, the trail simply seemed to disappear, particularly after dark. That said, the footing on the downhills was good, and I surprised a good many people by charging down each hill without worrying overmuch about injury.

One thing I've learned in my years of trail running: my legs and feet can take most anything I throw at them on the downhills as long as I relax and pay attention. The runners here seem much more tentative on the downhills than runners in Colorado, a fact I plan to continue to use to my advantage in future races.

Lap 2: By lap 2, the sun had fully set, with enough light left still in the first half that I did not need my headlamp and flashlight (the combination I've found works far better than either alone) until we were under the trees. By this point we had all basically settled into the paces and positions we would hold for the duration, barring the inevitable fadeouts from those who were more ambitious than prudent. I fell in behind a runner who was using the same headlamp/flashlight combination as me. I felt no real need to pass him, but rather stuck to my heartrate-based racing strategy.

I definitely felt the pace, but it felt sustainably hard: something I could hold on to for a good deal longer than 13 miles. And so the second lap passed without much incident.

Lap 3: By the third lap, it was fully dark, with lights required. I have run in the dark before, on trails and on roads, often running with the night run group in Boulder. But this was the first time that I had ever raced in the dark, and there are some definite differences.  Mostly, I found it harder to concentrate, and kept letting my pace slip.

Nevertheless, around halfway through the lap, I glanced back and realized the runner I had been trading spots with for the last couple laps had disappeared behind me. This was also around the time when I started catching up to runners in the 5k and 10k races (and lapped one unfortunate half-marathoner). This snapped me out of the pace-slipping conundrum.

With about a mile and a half to go, I decided to let loose a little bit. My strategy of keeping the heart rate low seemed to have worked, and I had a ton of pep left in my legs. In fact, my strategy worked a little too well, because the pace I set (7:20 or so) still felt pretty easy, and, after passing two other half marathoners, crossed the finish line convinced that I had somehow cut the course.

I finished in 1:40:30 for 11th place over all.

More importantly I learned a few things.

Pacing: I can, in fact, keep an easyish pace during a race (something I have not succeeded at in the past) and let it not affect my training overly much. Heart rate is an excellent way to do this.

Starting: I still go out too fast in races. I will definitely have to keep this in mind for the 8-hour race, lest I blow up horribly.

Racing at night: I have never done this before, and so had little idea what to expect. The combination of a headlight and flashlight worked very well. It was not a technical trail, but I think this combination will work well for those as well. I did, however, find my pace slipping in and out a bit as my concentration wavered. I had trouble keeping my mind in racing mode. I looked down at my watch and saw my heart rate down a zone, and was not sure how it happened.

All in all, I think this was a successful training race. I managed to keep my pace in line for the most part, and hit 9 miles on Sunday to boot. I found out a few things about racing at night. I reigned in my start before it killed my race. And, had I raced rather than used it as a training run, I might have won.