Mines of Spain 100 Round 2 Recap: The Dreaded DNF
Turns out a DNF leaves a lot to unpack, literally (hello bags of unneeded race fuel, crusty, muddy shoes and socks, I stopped counting loads of laundry at 4) and figuratively.
The gamut of emotions after deciding to call it at the 100k mark have been interesting to say the least. Last year this event was my first 100 mile start and finish and while I remember it being hard, for whatever reason I couldn’t lean into embracing the hard the same way. In some ways I think the ignorance of not knowing how hard and having less expectations worked in my favor last year.
If I’m honest this was the humbling reminder I needed to stay more in the process and not let results or time driven goals dictate the way I embrace this beautiful sport. I fell into a trap of wanting to improve on my last time out instead of enjoying this weekend for the adventure that it was. I do want to give this event and this day the attention it deserves and as the dust has settled ultra running still has my heart and curiosity.
The Course: Mines of Spain takes place on the trails in a recreation area along the Mississippi River in Dubuque, IA. It’s made up of 20ish mile loops (5 for the hundred mile and 3 for the 100k). The 100 mile course is advertised as having 14,000 feet of elevation gain, but my watch put me at about 3200 ft per loop which would make it closer to 16,000 for the 100 mile course. No, Iowa is not all corn fields. Race headquarters are set up in Murphy Park and consists of the start/finish line and “Crewville”, a big green space, runners can set up tents to use for crewing. They also bring in coffee and food trucks for crew and spectators throughout the day. The park has several playgrounds and a well maintained actual bathroom with toilets that flush, so a good hangout spot for families while they wait for their runners. If you’re looking for a challenging course that’s still crew and family friendly, this is it. Josh and Michelle Sun, the race directors, are such gracious hosts and remembered me and my family from last year, and all the people surrounding this event embody that “Iowa nice”.
The course was re-routed last year due to construction so this was my first time on the traditional route. There are some good Youtube videos out there to give you an idea of the terrain, but overall it is a nice mix of fun runnable sections and some steep stair-like climbs and switchbacks. Iowa in mid October is really special with the changing colors of both the trees and prairie and this course shows it all off. The first mile and a halfish is from Murphy Park into the trail system is a combination of paved trail and road, but from there you’re mostly in a mix of single or double track trails. Despite this being a looped course, I’ve never felt bored. It gives you a fun variety of surfaces and terrain changes through the woods, along creeks, and in and out of open prairie. The course is well marked with volunteers at most of the road crossings and with 4 aid stops out on the course the longest section without aid is only about 6 miles. The aid stations are all very well stocked with porta potties, the standard trail snacks, and a huge variety of hot food. The only negative is they do make it a party and it can be tempting to hang out a little longer than you should. Some highlights of the course for me are the Julien Dubuque Monument and the trails that descend from there and horseshoe bluff.
Loop 1: We cruised out of Murphy Park, between the excitement and the first 1.5 miles being downhill on pavement it felt like people were flying. My mindset for this loop was just to get to know the flow of the course, keep things smooth and easy, and stay on top of fuel early. Things spread out as we hit switchbacks and got into the trails. It was drizzling at the start and rained on and off throughout the first loop but the course seemed to be holding up okay despite it also raining throughout the whole day before. As I hit the paved section to now head uphill back to the start/finish the rain started picking up and it was pouring by the time I turned to come into the park. I knew Kevin, my parents, and the girls were timing it to see me at the end of this loop, and it was great to see their nerd cluster driven excitement even though they were crowded under a shelter in a downpour. We kept the transition quick; refilling bottles and my vest, a few hugs, and some quick pictures. I opted out of changing shoes or socks as it seemed like we were going to just keep getting soaked.
Loop 2 : Physically, I felt really good. The temps were cooler than we’ve had in awhile and fuel and real food was going down great. Mentally, I didn’t feel locked in. The transition felt rushed and while usually the trails are this happy quiet place to be with myself doing something I love today I was heading back towards the trails in pouring rain wishing I was with my family. I texted my husband around mile 30, something to the effect of “physically I’m good but I am not into this today, I’m homesick for the girls.” He nailed his response, encouraging me that they were having a blast with my parents and are happy you’re running. We made a plan to do a good reset to dry shoes and clothes at the end of the loop. I was still moving really well and my pace hadn’t dropped off much from the first loop even though the course was getting a little muddier. The rain had finally cleared off and by the end of loop 2 and I came in in good spirits. I used the bathroom at the start/finish to change everything out, got my headlamp and an extra layer ready as we knew the next loop would finish in the dark, and got going.
Loop 3: Honestly, this loop was beautiful, like how I would describe an idyllic 20 mile run, and when I reflect back on it, it’s hard to believe by the end of it I had convinced myself to call it a day. I was dry, on top of fueling, blister free, and my legs still felt good running as I started out. I was starting to get sleepy but could break out of it with caffeine and carbs. I reached the horseshoe bluff, my favorite section of the course, as the skies were starting to change color and watched the stars come out over the prairie. It was a clear night but a thin crescent moon and the woods seemed very dark as I adjusted to running with just the light of my headlamp. The owls were hooting and howling like crazy and there is something so surreal about watching it go from day into night out on the trail. I was running mostly by myself at this point but met lots of headlamps weaving in and out of the trails. Entering the last aid station, my legs felt like they were hitting a wall and I found myself reflecting on the day and soaking in this loop instead of starting to plan what I needed to get ready for the next one. I spent the walk up the long paved stretch into the start/finish planning my exit.
The decision: At the start/finish I told Kevin I was planning to drop. I think he was surprised and I know I still looked pretty put together. We sat in the shelter and started taking care of my feet and filling my pack anyway. Cutoffs were not an issue at this point and the race director recommended getting some hot food and taking a minute. I drank some broth, which was salty and warm and so good it’s now up there with bacon at these things. I decided we’d at least walk out of the park towards where you get back on the trail but crossing the road felt like being at the top of a ski hill deciding if and when to plunge. At that moment I just couldn’t get myself to take the plunge and ultimately I decided my adventure was done for the day. I walked back in with my guy, and while maybe not good in this particular scenario, probably one of the only people I’d feel comfortable enough to call it a day instead of pushing on in front of. My decision at the top of that hill is something I’ll probably think about for a long time and while the outcome wasn’t what I was aiming for that day and that moment will serve me well moving forward in running and other things too.
I am grateful to have a playground like this to feel these feelings, push the limits, and learn these lessons in an environment where the outcome doesn't actually have real life consequences. To me that chance to experiment and invest in something and be with other people who are equally as invested has always been a big draw of sports and having something like this still as an adult has truly been life changing for me. I’ve told people this past week has really felt like the couple weeks after a volleyball season would end, kind of brooding over your loss but with a growing sense of gratitude and eagerness to get back to work as the dust settles. The cool thing with this is you don’t run out of seasons you just have to keep giving your credit card information to ultrasignup.
SO maybe I’m not where I want to be yet, especially at this distance, but I know this was a step forward in laying the foundation physically and mentally to where I want to be. While I don’t want to make taking the DNF a habit, there was something freeing in seeing it wasn’t the end of the world and the process of preparing for these types of distances is something that absolutely makes my wheels turn. This has left me hungrier to get back to work, excited to share this sport with more people, and reminded me of the importance of empathy for others out there taking chances as well as myself.
My notes
Things that went well (some of these things likely would have been more challenging over the last 40 miles but relative to last year they seemed like areas of growth)
Fueling- I was eating from aid stations as well as taking in all the nutrition on my vest (~60 g carb per hour). The cooler weather helped with this but I also used a larger variety of products this year compared to last and really think this helped with flavor fatigue and sticking with my plan.
The first 2 loops-my legs felt so physically strong, I can tell my climbing and uphill running has improved.
Gear and shoes - 2 easily addressable blisters at the 100k mark that were non factors
100ks are fun, and would probably be even more fun if that was the plan to begin with. I’ve been shopping for 50 mile and 100k opportunities for next year to build endurance and experience without quite as much drain on the body as a 100 miler
Things to change:
Sticking with strength training later in the cycle- I got a little lax with this the last 6 weeks of training and think this hurt in how my legs handled the downhills. Need to be more purposeful with getting downhills in. Rainy Sept led to more road runs-need to find some hillier road routes
Make it harder to quit- Have an actual process/checklist to go through with clear things to say and do versus relying on my own mindset in weak moments.
Get bad thoughts out loud sooner- I sat with a lot of negativity on the second loop and felt so much better after sharing that with Kevin so he could help me see that it was kind of ridiculous.
Be more clear with multiple tiers of goals and communicate them with crew more clearly- Seeing time goals start to drift away can be an ego hit and may have been valuable to have something else to aim for as some of my initial goals faded away.
I hope reading this was helpful to anyone getting ready to or thinking about pursuing anything like this. I love reading other runner’s race recaps and find them and hope someone can be encouraged by or take nugget from this for their next event.
Keep getting out there and running resilient.
Katlyn
