Q #29 – Do you have an elevation chart?

 

A – Absolutely! As you will see below, there are no elevation changes: 1012 feet above sea level the entire race!

 

Start–1-2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14 –15–16–17–18-19–20–21–22–23–24–25–26–Finish

*1012 feet —–.–.–.-.–.–.–.–.–.-.—.—.—.—.—-.—.—.—-.—.—.—.—.—.—-.—.—.—-.–.—– 1012 feet*

Marathoning in January – in Minnesota – my first INDOOR marathon.

Easy inexpensive flight to Minneapolis; 45 minutes south to St. Olaf’s College in Northfield.  Zoom! Yah! Yah!  Folks: this one’s been on my calendar for almost a year.  Limited to 58 participants.  Race site promises a constant 62 degrees & completely flat.  Hard to beat those kinda stats in January.  LOL>

4am alarm.  Shower, hotel check-out.  Tostrud Center in-the-dark scavenger hunt (why are all college campus maps so confusing).  Bib pick-up, registration… meet-n-greet?  Yep.  EVERY runner’s assigned a lap counter.  Come on, I can certainly count my own laps – you do it in tens; not crazy difficult [‘til lap 93 & marathon-brain sets in].  Zoë from Lakewood CO, my counter.  Like a younger version of Ash 😊

Pre-race announcements.  Quick check that everyone has a travel buddy.  Zoom! Yah! Yah! away we go.

Short indoor lap – hard to break the pack mentality.  Went out way too fast… like I always do.

One.  Five.  Ten laps.  Sub-9 minute mile.  7:20/mile.  Sprint, sprint.  Stayed close to a runner, who’d ultimately finish second female.  Crazy fast for this back-of-the-pack runner.  LOL>

Bell.  Every 30 minutes.  Finish the lap you’re running, then change direction.  Aside from breaking up the monotony, suppose to help with balance.  Lap, lap, lap.  I arrived thinking how would I mentally manage 100 loops… only to find I had glossed that section.  One hundred FIFTY laps today.  Yikes!

2:05 Half.  15 miles, walking.  So are the 2 college elites.  One would drop, the other finish 5^th.

Bell.  Switch directions.  Zoë!  What lap?  93.  I ask again.  Lap 105.  Lap 110.  Nerves settle.  Panic subsides.  Consistent walk/jog pace.  It’s a lotta laps – and I went out crazy fast.  40 to go.  Upbeat again.  Runners cheering other runners.  Bell ring.  Switch direction.

BIG CHEERS echo Tostrud Field House as marathoners start finishing.  AWESOME to hear our lap counters chant folks’ names.

4 hours & 100+ laps together, you build a kinship/familiarity.  Gal with pigtails, ripped Ironman, Minnesota Gopher tee.  Lady in pink, Reggae-hair white guy.  And then, FINALLY… it’s your turn.  LOVE LOVED the college atmosphere.  HIGHLY recommended!

[Mark your calendar though, sells out quick 😊]

Zoom Yah Yah Results

1/5/2020

 

Keenan Haga  4:50:51  Louisville, CO

Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon

Late Christmas surprise.  Midweek holiday inspired my employer to give the remainder of the week with pay.  Thanks PS!  Too late to extend family stays (U.S. airlines are unforgiving) – but plenty of time to schedule one last December run, last of the decade.

Chain O’ Lakes State Park.  2 ½ hours from Indianapolis, 4 from Chicago.  Trail in December, ultra distance.  And a prior DNF fail?  the Huff in rural Indiana.  Sign me up!

Friday nite touchdown.  Indy airport hotel.  3am alarm.  Toughest part… staying awake.  Notta lotta traffic pre-dawn in Hoosier land.  Two years ago, sub-zero temps & knee-deep snow.  This year… overcast skies, thermometer-read hovered above freezing.

Trailhead parking FULL.  Crazy tight 15 minutes ‘til race Start.

Dash to the registration tent.  Bib pick-up.  Two 25k laps.  Secured a memorable place for my drop bag.  Dry shoes, shirt, second beanie.  Socks.  Similar to Bighorn fails, 2017’s Huff DNF inspired a laundry list of run needs, should ever I come back to Albion, Indiana.

Race number pinned to a favourite pair of sweats.  Speech eulogizing a local track coach.  BAM — we’re off.  Roots, rock, HILLS.  Real trail.  Not the crushed gravel at Tunnel Hill, U.S. athletes use to set world ‘trail’ standards.

3 hour 15 first loop.  10-minute tent-change.  Dry clothes.  Broth.  Hydration fill.  Rush, rush.  Hurry, hurry, hurry.  25k was where I ended 2017.  FRIGID that day.  And…I’m off.

Upbeat.  Plugged in.  Ear buds readied, music all second half.  No time goal – just get it done.  HILLS looked way higher than my first lap.  LOL>  Physically tough course.

Mile-half to finish.  More cloud.  Rain to snow, starting at 4pm.  Bone cold.  Pretzels, oranges, hot soup.  Time at the infamous HUFF Couch.  No mo’ tunes (cold battery).

36^th finish of 2019 – a personal record.  BELT BUCKLE GLORY.

8^th ultra of the year (double my lifetime tally).  Third in the great state of Indiana.  Life-changing DECADE of RUN MEMORIES.  Appropriate end today.  7 hour SAGA.

Only 4 days away… 2020.  Twenty-TWENTY.  WOW!

I see a TEXAS-sized FINISHER medal in my New Year’s Day future 😀

The HUFF – 50K – Albion, IN

December 28, 2019

 

Keenan Haga   Louisville CO   1057    3:11:59.27       3:53:00.02      7:04:59.29

The Huff 50K