Lux Aeterna and Oreos: The 2013 Ice Age Trail 50k Race Report

Last year, the Ice Age Trail was home to a most glorious running experience.  It was such a memorable event that I was absolutely adamant about coming back.  But when it came time to register, an injury-laden winter and the knowledge that I would be fresh off a challenging Boston Marathon made me bump down to the 50k option.

On May 11, 2013, I ran the Ice Age Trail 50k — a challenging yet highly runnable course and now all I can think about is running it again in 2014.  This is my story…

Pre-Race

It’s 4:15 a.m. and my alarm sounds off along with my buddy Siamak’s.  The unison doesn’t last long as we are both wide awake.  In fact, I’ve been tossing and turning all night long and just happy to be fully awake now, ready to get the day started.

My off-and-on sleep was the result of the warm hotel room and a subliminal tick infestation planted in my brain by our waitress at Sperino’s the night before.  She warned us that “the ticks were bad”.  Indeed, I was tick-incepted by an Elkhornian and I didn’t get much sleep because I was more worried about the invisible critters sucking on my blood than traversing 31 miles of trail.

Still, I feel pretty fresh now that I’m awake.  Siamak and I eat, go through our respective rituals of preparation, and by 5:10 we are in the car, driving to the start line.

As expected, the start/finish area at John Muir is a who’s who of familiar, crazy runner folk.  Even though the majority of the people stirring about are running the 50 mile race, which begins at 6:00 a.m., I am glad I am here among the crowd because I won’t see most of them again until much later in the day.

The New Leafers and MUDDers are out in full force.  I exchange in many a hug and high-five.  At 6 a.m. sharp, the RD sends the 50 milers on their way.  I head back to the car for a much needed nap.

7:45 a.m.

My alarm wakes me from what was a fitting 90 minute nap (or was I meditating just now?) and I feel fantastic.  I grab the gear I’m going to need (a handheld water bottle, gloves and a cap), I lube up where necessary (this is becoming automatic nowadays) and I head over to the start line.  Here I run into two other recurring Run Factory faces, Dan and Otter.  This is the first ultra distance race for both of them so I remind them to ENJOY the experience, have fun, take a look around.  They both look pumped.  I’m excited for them and can’t wait to hear about their experiences once this is all done.

We cheer on our friends in the 50 miler coming through the 9 mile mark at the start/finish line before the race director corrals all the 50k runners and tells us to get on our marks… set…

Miles 1-13, Out to Horseriders and Back

Here we go!  The start line energy is high as I take off, trying to remind myself that ultras require pacing.  Hell, all races require pacing!  It’s just that the longer the distance, the less I tend to adhere to that important nugget of truth.  Take it easy, Jeff, take it easy, I tell myself.  We got a long way to go.

But, as we start to cruise the luscious single track, it isn’t long before we hit the first series of downhills and I… Simply.  Can’t.  Help myself.

I feel great.  I feel strong.  I feel like flying.

WEEEEEEE!!!

Yep.  I’m doing this.  I shouldn’t be, but I am.  I am definitely FLYING down these hills.  I’m power hiking up them, but I am flying down.  Fast.  Too fast.  I know this.  I know this!  But I’m also loving every second of it and am willing to deal with the repercussions later, if they come (they do).

As I pump my arms, tilt my pelvis forward and allow my heels to kick me in the butt on the descent, I think of all the reasons why I should check my ambition right now:

• Limited weekly mileage (no more than 35 per week) since January
• This first 13 mile section is all rocks and roots, quite technical and hard on my unseasoned feet compared to the easier Nordic sections coming up
• I’ve run on trails just ONCE since November and it was only for 25k
• I have only run more than 20 miles in one shot ONE TIME since October and that was at the Boston Marathon, just a few weeks ago
• I have too much energy exploding through my being unchecked for this to end well

I internalize all of the above, and then, like a lot of ultra freaks, I quickly disregard everything and decide to just have fun.

I’ll fly when I wanna fly, walk when I wanna walk.

Later I will also walk when I don’t want to walk, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Right now I’m four miles in and the field has finally spread out.  I’m marveling at the lush green landscape, the twisting turns of the trail and the pesky pricks of the rocks under my feet.  Every two seconds I also check for ticks.  Damn you, lucid dream inspiring Sperino’s waitress! 

Suddenly, two strong fellas are right on my tail, so much so that I look back and offer them open passage on my left.

No, we’re good, the one in front replies.  This is a good pace for us.

Cool, I reply.  I like to let ‘er rip on the downs.  I’ll be power hiking the ups.

They fall right into place and suddenly we are one.  Down, down, down.  Up, up, up.  Their names are Tim and Mike.  This is their first ultra.  They are having a blast.

And they are pretty darn quick too.  Turns out one of them (sorry, I can’t remember which because they’re both behind me while we talk) is a Nike Pace Team leader who led the 3:25 pace group at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.

Do you know Chris?  He was my pace leader for the 3:05 group, had a California-bro accent of sorts.

Yes, I know Chris. 

Boom.  We are all instantly connected.  That was the best run of my life so far and I spend the next couple of miles rehashing the experience.  I get all jazzed, talking about fast marathons.  I seem to forget about pacing all together.  And when I find out they know another friend of mine, John from Grayslake, another Nike Pace Team leader, I get all bubbly telling them about some of our prior ultra battles (ED50k and Howl most notably).

Before I know it we are seeing the 50k leaders coming back towards us, approximately half a mile from the turnaround at Horseriders.  We all marvel at their speed, speak fondly of their poise.

It’s one thing to run fast.  It’s another to run fast on elevating, technical terrain.

We get to Horseriders.  It’s just the three of us and the aid station crew.  We chow down on some peanut butter and jelly.  A minute or two goes by and we are just eating and stretching, drinking and breathing.  But standing around too long in this chill is not comfortable so it’s time to go.  After all, it’s barely 50 degrees and the sky is cloudy — very, very cloudy.

The three of us take off back into the woods, but we aren’t a half mile back in before I realize they are going way faster than me up the hills and there’s no way I can keep up.  I tip my cap and wish them the best.  It’s going to be a long day yet.

Still, the next several miles present A LOT of smiles because I get to see all my friends passing the other direction.  As I scream down the hills I high-five and fist bump lots of folks, Dan and Otter included.  Everyone is looking good.  Everyone is smiling.

There’s no place I’d rather be right now.  THIS is the life!

I’m past 1o miles now and I won’t be seeing anyone else on this out-and-back section.  The next sign of human life will be at the start/finish line.

Hmm… I wonder if they have Oreos.  I could really go for some Oreos right now.

And just like that, my OCD kicks in and all I can think about are OREOS OREOS OREOS.  Such are the strange fixations of an ultra-distance race.  In my every day life I wouldn’t touch an Oreo cookie.  A drop of soda does not touch my mouth.  I make it a point to eat clean — very, very clean.  But throw me on a beautiful, wooded trail for hours on end and suddenly I will devour all processed foods and binge on soda pop.  Like a boss.

I get to the start/finish.  They have Oreos.

Hallelujah.

Miles 13-22, 1st Nordic Loop

It was nice to see some people at the start/finish line but I got a lot of work to do yet so off I go, back into solitary run mode.

Just a couple of miles in and I realize how much easier the Nordic loop is compared to the one I just finished.  Instead of technical, rocky, rooted, up and down terrain, what we have here is a lot of flat, grassy ski trail.  I should be able to fly through this.

SHOULD.  Of course, I can’t right now because I beat myself up during the first 13, flying downhill like I was a mountain goat or Killian Jornet.  Clearly, I am neither, as my quads and now achy heels can attest.

I am 16 miles in and anxiously looking for some hills.

Where are the hills?  My legs hurt and I want to walk.  Can I have a hill please?

No one can hear me.  I’m all by myself.  I have been all by myself since mile 8 so if I stop and walk, surely no one will see me.

A little bit of walking is allowed.  Right?

I turn the corner and I see a HILL!  I sprint towards it — OUCH — get to the base, and power hike up that baby.

For no good reason at all, Mozart’s Requiem pops into my head.  Lux Aeterna, the last movement where Wolfy takes us from the world of the living to the world of the dead, blasts through my ears.

Why, brain?  What are you trying to tell me? 

Oh boy.  I am tired.

While the IT band is just fine, my right hip starts to ache.  I’ve had this ache before.  It feels like bursitis.  I stop and stretch.  I massage it with my right thumb.  Doing so makes it feel better.  But as I stretch I notice the bottoms of my feet are sore too, probably from all the pounding during the first loop.  I wiggle my toes around… and yep, just as I thought, definitely got some nails loose.

Oh well!  What’s an ultra without losing some toenails?!?

REQUIEM, sings the choir.

Hey, finally some company, says a voice behind me.

I turn around and amazingly enough there is another human being!  I find out his name is Matt.  He’s from Wauwatosa and, of course, we know a lot of the same people from the running community.

As we marvel at how small the world really is, we also relax a little bit and find a nice cruising pace.  We are about 18 miles in now and I’m feeling pretty beat up.  Instead of complaining, I just hitch on to his heels and let the friendly conversation take us along.

Unfortunately for me though, Matt is much stronger right now and I have to dial back.  I know we are on sub-5 hour pace (which, for this course, is a fantastic time), but I just can’t sustain that right now.  I’m too tired.  When I stop to walk the hills it’s taking a lot more concentration than it should to contract my quads and I know it’s because I went out too fast.  I knew slogging along the second half could be the result of my eager start, but it’s way too late now.

A slog it is!  Might as well enjoy it.

…REQUIEM…

I complete the first Nordic loop, reach the start/finish aid station and all I want is Oreos.  Duh.

Nom nom nom…

Miles 22-31, 2nd Nordic Loop

Just 9 miles to go, I tell myself.  You could walk 9 miles.  In your sleep.  Speaking of sleep, check for ticks!

…REQUIEM…

No ticks, but my armpits are kinda chafed.

Oh what I would give for some Vaseline right now.

And just like that, as if Mother Nature confused “Vaseline” for “sunlight”, the clouds in the sky part on cue, revealing a glorious, GLORIOUS sun.

Take that, Mozart!  HALLELUJAH!

Sunlight, Vaseline, whatevs.  The sun is out!  The sun is out I tell you!

This picks me up as I try my best to run the entire first stretch of my second Nordic loop.  But the truth is, my run is more of a shuffle than anything right now.

Doesn’t matter.  Still moving.  Still having a blast.  And if I just keep moving, there will be more… Oreos!!!

Still, there isn’t much company.  There is a tall, skinny white guy with a Prefontaine mustache out here every once in a while cheering for me (and others I would assume).  Each time I see him I light up with a smile, and try to look as if I’m running strong (even though I’m not).

Next year we’re taking the first loop easy, then flying on the second and third.

Next year? I ask myself.

Yes, of course, next year, I reply to myself.  You’re doing Boston again next year, then you’re doing this 50k again.  It will be deja vu all over again, except less aches and pains.  Probably.  

Maybe.  

Hopefully.

Deal.  Just make sure there are plenty of Oreos.

The 27.2 mile aid station is an absolute oasis in the forest.  I devour what I can of those tasty, chocolatey, cream-filled treats.  I stretch a little.  And like I often do during long distance races, I find myself in a poignantly emotional state.  I take the time to thank the volunteers and gush about how grateful I am that they are all there.  I’ve been on both sides of the table now and volunteering is often harder than running the race.  Even though my butt hurts, my hip aches and my feet are sore, I am much happier to be less than 5 miles from being done.  These guys are still going to be here a while.

With the volunteers’ blessing and the bright sun in the sky urging me on, I take off on the last leg of my journey.  To get me to keep moving I focus on landmarks up ahead, urging myself to just run to that tree, then walk for a few seconds and get around that bend, then stretch for a bit.

After several exhausting rounds of this tortuously fun process, I see the Prefontaine ‘stache guy one last time and he tells me I’m less than a mile from the finish.

Please tell me there is beer, I plead.

Hell yeah, man!  Lots of beer!  Good beer too!

That’s all I needed to hear.  Suddenly my legs are fine and I’m flying again.

I hear a cow bell.  And voices.  And more Requiem.

There’s the finish line.

With a confident and incessant arm pump I cross the finish line in 5 hours 22 minutes and 11 seconds, sporting a big-ass smile and chafey armpits.

I couldn’t be much happier.

Post-Race

Besides the glorious trail running experience, the other main reason to run Ice Age is for the post-race party.  Lots of free beer.  The food is good.  And there’s nothing like sitting at the finish line cheering on your friends.  Most of my pals were running the 50 mile race, so to see them all come through in such epic fashion was a real cherry on top of my day.

Plus, my friend Moffat and I got the McHenry County Ultrarunning Dude and Dudettes’ mascot super drunk:

Like I already told myself:

See ya again next year, Ice Age!