Tag: 2023

2023 WausaUltra Backyard Ultra Race Report

When: Friday, April 28, 2023

Where: Sylvan Hill Park, Wausau, Wisconsin

Race Format: Backyard Ultra, 4.167-mile loops/yards every hour

Results: Officially a DNF – 6 loops/yards, 25 miles – 48th out of 58 starters

Website Link: https://www.wausaultra.com/backyard

2023 WausaUltra Backyard Race Report

It’s hard not to like this race. The course is trail and is varied and is a ton of fun. The race directors are top-notch. I had looked forward to it for months. And then I ran it and it beat me up, not like last year by falling on the fifth loop, but physically wore me out by the time I finished the first loop. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Fortunately, I had my crew chief/wife Kari with me to help me with all the junk I brought and to make sure that I wouldn’t end up like last year. We opted to stay at a nearby hotel for the night to avoid the hour-long drive in the morning. We had plenty of time to get up, have a great breakfast, and then head to the race to set up our tent.

Looking good one mile into the race.

Totally beat after one loop.

Loop 6 and I was cooked.

The course was very much like the year before.  A little bit of sloppy and muddy conditions, but nothing a trail runner hasn’t ever dealt with.  By the end of loop 1, I felt pretty beat up and I was already calculating how many loops I might be able to complete.  The goal was to do 8-12 loops, but the course forced me to reconsider that.  I was now hoping to do as well as I did the year before and get at least 5 loops finished.

I had some great conversations with some of the other runners.  Cody, Ashley, and Robert were great to run with, as well as many of the others.  Everyone was having a great time.  

The weather was pretty good this year as well.  Last year was a little colder, but we were all in shorts this year.  

After finishing the sixth loop in 57 minutes, I didn’t leave myself much time to get some food and I had decided that I would start the next loop but probably wouldn’t finish it.  I made my way back into the corral with a fresh water bottle and started walking when the seventh loop began.  As the others pulled away, I gave a half-hearted effort to keep up, but it just wasn’t happening for me.  I was done.  I decided to walk up the hill and back down the next which would put me near camp.  Kari met me at the bottom of the hill and I told her that I was taking a victory cool-down lap.  We decided to walk up the next hill and around more of the loop and ended back at the camp, with an additional but unofficial extra 1.5 miles.  I walked up and told the race directors that number 159 was dropping from loop 7.  I rang the bell and thanked everyone for the well wishes and congratulations.  Then Kari and I began packing up.

I could make a dozen excuses why I dropped out when I did, but it all really boiled down to being uncomfortable running across the highly technical rocky terrain on tired legs.  It lead to me falling last year, and I just didn’t want to repeat that.  So, I’ll take my 25 total miles, my awesome WausaUltra race swag, and my finisher medal, and live for another race.  Time to heal up and begin training in the summer for the fall races I have signed up for.  

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Devonian Spring II – 25K Race Report

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Devonian Spring II 25K Race Report

When:   March 18, 2023

Where:   Willow Springs, Illinois

Finish Time:   2:44:53

Finish Place:   20th overall, 4th in Age Group M50-59

Results Link:  RunRace Devonian Spring II 2023 Results

I ran this race last year in rainy and muddy conditions and it didn’t deter me from signing up for it this year for some reason.  This year has to be better, right?  Nope.  11 degrees F. at the start with a feels-like temperature of -2.  That’s because it was super windy too!  Fun times.  At least it wasn’t muddy.  Nice and firm frozen ground, which I would become very acquainted with later on.

I got there early enough to see my crazy ultrarunning friend Jodi start the 50K race an hour before my race started.  I picked up my race packet and sat in the warm car for an hour.  I had brought lots of clothing options and I really thought that I was going to have to run in my coat.  But after seeing what some others were opting for, I also went a more minimal route – three long-sleeved shirts, the race shirt over that, two layers of gloves, a balaclava with a visor and another hat on top of it, and a new windbreaker jacket I bought last week.  I also wore my warmest running pants which might not have been necessary, and to add to that, the elastic wasn’t as strong as it used to be.  I slowed several times to pull them up, but eventually stopped and tied the drawstring in a knot. Anyway, I was pretty comfortable and maybe a little too warm.

I walked over to the start about 5 minutes before and took a look around at the competition.  The race director gave us some last-minute info and the countdown was on, but no one was anywhere near the start gate.  As he declared go, I was the first to bolt through it and off to the races!

I wasn’t kidding that no one was willing to take the lead! Here I am bolting through the start gate!  Photo credit Bill & Michelle Thom/RunRace.com used with permission.

I’m in first place!  I had a smart pre-race plan of pacing slowly and not starting out too fast.  Race day adrenaline took over and it wasn’t long before my labored breathing was forcing me to slow down.  Being in first place in any race is kinda fun, but I would much rather pass people (encouraging!) than be passed (discouraging!).  By a quarter-mile into it, a young lady joined me and we paced together until about a mile into it, when we got to a hill and I slowed and she didn’t.  She would finish in 2nd overall.  I had no business pacing with her.  Another guy passed and I was now in third.

I kept up the count every time someone passed me, and I would tell them “you are now in 4th! or 5th or 6th, etc.  I quit telling them after I dropped out of the top 10, which was about 4-5 miles into the race.

I was starting to sense that something was wrong with the way I was feeling.  I felt like I was running on fumes and might be in for a slog.  Thankfully, I brought along some gels to help get me through some rough spots.

I got to the turn-around of this out-and-back race and was feeling pretty happy about my time at that point.  My split was an hour and twelve minutes for 7.75 miles and I was turning for home.  But right about a half-mile later I came to a dead stop, tripping on some damn root or stone and falling to the ground with a thud.  Since I have started running trails I have been falling, and I was super cognizant of that today, but it didn’t matter.  The bill of my visor struck the ground causing my glasses to be forced into my nose causing a cut.  I had the wind knocked out of me, yet that didn’t stop me from unleashing a string of curse words that had the forest creatures running.  I was also seeing some stars after getting to my feet.  That’s a new one.  A few kind runners took time to stop and take stock of my dumb ass and offer assistance.  One asked if I wanted her to walk me back to the turn-around for help and I initially said yes.  Then I said no.  I could walk, nothing seemed broken, and I felt like I could probably press on.  And press on I did, albeit much, much, slower.

The rest of the way was a combination of running the flat sections and walking up and down hills and just moving forward.  I was starting to get foot cramps and I was starting to think I was very dehydrated.  I had water and I was drinking it, but I don’t think it was enough.  I didn’t feel like I had been sweating all that much, but my wife Kari said my clothes were soaked when I got home.

I got to the finish and was glad it was over.  One volunteer asked if I was okay, and I said no.  I was mad at myself, but it was nice of him to ask.  The race director asked how old I was and then said I had just missed the age group award.  I kind of figured that out.  It was actually a relief because it meant I didn’t have to hang around for any awards.

I walked back to the car and sent Kari this picture:

I sent “I’m all done with my 25K!”

Kari replied “Why are you bleeding!!”

Me:  “The ground might have had something to do with it.”

Her:  “I can’t let you out of the house!!”

I was a little concerned that my calves would cramp up on the 20-minute drive home, so I got out and walked around a little bit.  I went into the toilet and peed some pretty dark urine, which was all the indication I needed that I was pretty dehydrated.  I grabbed a nearly frozen Coke from the finish line and started drinking it.  It turned me around pretty quickly and I drove home with no issues.

So there you have it, falling at trail races seems to be a thing for me.  It’s a good thing that I only have three more on the calendar this year.

Ice Fishing 2023

1 fish, 2 fish…

The third annual ice fishing trip is in the books! The crew consists of me and three work buddies – Lou was able to join Tom, Micah, and me for the first time this year, so we had four poles in four ice holes. Plus several tip-up style rigs, which is how we caught our only two fish.

Tom’s truck was loaded up and we climbed in to make the 5.5-hour drive north. l to r: Lou, Tom, me, and Micah.

We opted to head to northern Wisconsin in January instead of February hoping that it would be a little warmer for us and for the fish. Our first trip resulted in catching one fish. Our second trip was a bust – zero. This year we caught two! Both nice sized Northern Pikes. Although it wasn’t quite the amount we were hoping to catch, it was enough for a nice lunch of fried fish.

Tom showing off a rod to Lou.

Micah was once again our awesome breakfast chef and whipped up three great meals, in addition to helping Tom with frying up the fish.

Starting the day off right with a ham/cheese/egg bagel sandwich

Micah wondering why we haven’t caught any fish yet.

It wasn’t long before we caught our first Northern Pike!

A picture with me and Tom holding the fish because it’s my blog, dang it.

Our second fish was caught not long after the first one, with Lou doing the honors of reeling in this whopper.

I had made dinner reservations for Friday night in case we didn’t catch any fish, and the two fish we caught we decided to save for tomorrow’s lunch. The special dinner out this year was at Norwood Pines Supper Club and we enjoyed the all-you-can-eat fish fry. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals.

The after-dinner photo at Norwood Pines Supper Club, Minocqua, Wisconsin.

We had a backup plan this year in case fishing wasn’t going our way. Tom had mentioned maybe renting snowmobiles and I had been thinking of buying one. I ended up buying two new Ski-Doo 2-up trail sleds to have at the house. Renting some additional ones fell through, but we took turns riding the awesome trails that exist in the snowmobile capital of the world, the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

While Tom & Micah fished, Lou and I hit the trails on the new sleds.

Saturday was our last full day and we started off fishing but the lack of action made Lou and I opt for hitting the trails. Lots of exploring before heading back for lunch.

Tom cleaned the two fish and he and Micah fried them up. Delicious! Made for a great lunch.

Tom and Micah hadn’t had a chance to do any snowmobiling yet, so after lunch, we all found a helmet that fit our heads and headed out for some sledding. Lou and I rode shotgun while Tom and Micah explored Dan’s Trail and many others.

The sun had come out and was providing some beautiful scenery to stop and enjoy.

We decided to head to a town called Sayner, where I thought we would just turn around and head back. Of course, we missed a turn and went way out of our way heading back home, now in complete darkness. It was a fun experience to ride by headlights at night. A little nerve-wracking too.

Since we didn’t catch any fish on Saturday, we opted for Bad Bones BBQ in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin.

Evenings were spent playing poker and Lou won all three nights. Didn’t realize that he was a card shark.

High-stakes gambling going on.

Sunday always comes too soon. We cleaned and packed up and headed back home full of talk about the fishing and snowmobiling. We hope to be back again next year!