All the Details: As part of my ongoing state streak (trying for 16 states in 365 days), I decided to run the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, which happened to fall on my 19th wedding anniversary. As luck would have it (I did not plan this), it would also be my 19th marathon state, and that sounded kind of fun, and it also was a chance to have a mini family vacation weekend in the Black Hills. Score!
After completing the cancelled Green Bay Marathon 2 weeks ago, I've had a little bit of foot pain in the top of my left foot. This is a good spot for a stress fracture, and it bothered me a bit. So the past week, I opted for an extreme taper, I took 4 days of complete rest, along with a healthy dose of Aleve. By race day, the foot felt pretty good.
We enjoyed the sights of the Black Hills leading up to the race, driving through the Badlands, stopping at Wall Drug, and visiting Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. In other words, doing all the fun touristy stuff that you're supposed to do up there. By Saturday evening, I was tired and hit the bed early about 830 pm, (with the help of an Ambien), and was up early around 430 am on race morning.
The race actually starts way up in the hills at Rockford, SD, so we had to catch a bus to ride there. I was on the first bus by 545 am and enjoyed a sunrise ride through the woods. We arrived plenty early at the race start, with a pleasant surprise, the bus brakes were almost on fire. Oops. After waiting in the cool air for about an hour (it was about 55), the race started at 8 am. If I had one suggestion for this race, it would be a 7 am start since the sun rises very early this time of year. We run a mile through Rochford, then onto the Mickelson Trail where we stayed for the remainder of the course with a finish in downtown Deadwood. The first half of the run is up the mountain, and then back down the second half. 1250' of ascent and 2070' of descent, starting around 5500'. The elevation worried me a bit, I'll be honest.
And I should say, I intended to do a run/walk from the very beginning on this course, mainly because of the elevation change, running at altitude, the tender foot, because I have done several races over the last few months, and also because I have 2 more marathons coming up in the next two weeks. These last 3 races are not about speed, but about endurance, being able to complete each one healthy. Yes, I fully intended to NOT do a PR effort. Gasp! And so it went, I would run for a half or three quarters of a mile, then walk for a half a minute, and repeat, which worked perfectly. I never felt like I was in oxygen debt, and just thoroughly enjoyed the morning. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the surrounding black hills beauty was breathtaking. There was a mixture of sun and shade from the trees, a gentle breeze, I was running next to a pleasant mountain stream, over wooden bridges, and overall, I would say this was the most peaceful, scenic, pleasant marathon I've ever run. The course is an old rail trail that was converted to a hiking/biking recreation trail. Aid stations were every mile or two, and they had water, PowerAde, oranges, bagels, bananas, and MnMs. The MnMs were my favorite snack. Awesome!
Reaching the summit just shy of mile 14, it was downhill the rest of the way, and occasionally steep. A cloud deck had developed, which helped a lot, but the second half had quite a bit more shade from trees as well. I had a couple of sub9 miles for mile 15 and 16 with no walk breaks and was just having a great time. But, I also decided to dial it back and save the legs and went back to a run/walk until the end, with a finish of 4:11:30. First half in 2:06 and the second half in 2:05. Finish temperature was about 75 degrees. My wife and daughter were at the finishing line cheering me on. Priceless! It was perhaps my most fun marathon I've ever done!
In the end, this was my 24th marathon/ultra, in my 19th marathon state. I still love running. I'm not fast. And this event was never about pushing the pace for a PR, it was about enjoying the journey and not the destination. I got to run in a stunningly beautiful place, had an awesome time, and wonderful mini family vacation, and I have no regrets! It was a spectacular weekend all around, spending it doing something I love with the people that mean the most to me. Time was irrelevant.
After the race, we did have a 9 hour drive home, but ideally, it wasn't that bad. That has just become my normal over the previous few months (long drives home after races). I did stop for a shower at truck stop in Rapid City. But then, I would drive for awhile, stop to stretch, use the bathroom, hydrate, eat, and just keep moving. It's really wasn't that bad.
Pace, Elevation, and Heart Rate
Finish line pic!
Awesome! Sounds like a great time.
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