I told you it was hot

I'm glad that I only ran the half marathon yesterday.  There is no way I would have been able to do the full marathon.  Race officials actually closed the course after 4 hours.  Check out this article for the details. 

I finally saw my official time on the website.

I will always remember my first half marathon.  And, I'm already looking forward to the next one.  (and that upcoming marathon)  :-)

Madison Half Marathon

Today got off to a very early start with a 5:30 wake up call, quick shower and delicious oatmeal breakfast before Tim and I got int he car to drive to the start of my first half marathon.  We had a bit of a slow time finding a parking spot and by the time we got to the starting line, I was out of time for a bathroom stop.  This would prove to be problematic later.

The announcer told us that there were 5100 runners in the half marathon!  Wow.  That is a lot of people. 

There were pace groups lined up at the start.  I lined up between the 2:10 and 2:20 pace groups, but once the race started, I had no idea where the pacers were.  I'm glad I didn't sign up to run with the pace group.  It would have been very hard to know where they were.

The first couple miles went pretty well.  I felt good.  The roads were really crowded and that made it a little hard to get into a rhythm, but I just went with the flow.

I first saw Tim about 5.25 miles into the race.  As you can see, I am slightly behind the two guys dressed as ketchup and mustard.

Tim was kind enough to hand me a bottle of water.  There never seems to be enough water stops for me on these races.  I always feel like I need more and more water.  Today I was lucky to have a great 'crew' to support me with cheers and water bottles.

I took my GU around mile 6.5 and then saw my aunt Sharon (with another bottle of water) around mile seven.  I probably should have had another GU or some other form of fuel.  The weather was extremely warm and I was burning more calories than I usually do on my training runs.  I will definitely learn from this experience.

Just before mile 9, I HAD to stop at the porta potties.  There was just no way around it.  I had been passing them up for miles and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to make it another 4 miles without stopping.  So, I picked a line that only had one person in front of me and I was able to get back on the road in about 3 minutes.

I saw Tim again right after the bathroom stop and he had more water for me.  Unfortunately, the cap fell off and I drank some of the water, but then I didn't feel like carrying the empty bottle so I left it behind.

We ran along the Monona Terrace.  It was gorgeous, but because it was so hot, it really smelled like fish.

There go ketchup and mustard.

I saw Sharon again around mile 11, and after that I was on my own until the finish.  The last mile was uphill and really, really hard.  My legs felt like bricks.  I think I may have been slightly hyponatremic.  I was starting to get a little dizzy.  Another lesson learned: mix water with gatorade.  I'll remember that.

My mantra for running up that last hill was "I can do anything for one mile."  I must have said that a hundred times, and I'm still not quite sure how I actually made it to the finish line.  But I'm so glad I did.

But, I did get beat by condiments.  Humbling.

Here is the video of me crossing the finish line. (click here)

I tried to make it through the finish chute in somewhat of an orderly manner.  I remember some nice girl cut my timing chip off.  And someone else handed me water.  And I got my medal!  (It is my first one!)  They were also handing out chocolate milk.  It is supposed to be the perfect recovery drink.  The best blend of protein and carbs.  I took a couple sips and almost threw up.  It was so thick and disgusting.  I don't know how people were drinking that right after the race.

As far as the race course, I was pretty familiar with most of it.  The first few miles were basically like running Crazy Legs backwards.  So I knew that part.  After that, we ran a good section of the Lake Monona 20K race course; also backwards.  But I have to say that the uphill climb at the end was completely unnecessary.  And just plain mean.

I do have to give credit to the people who put on the race.  I can't even imagine how much work goes into the organization of this event.  The volunteers were great.  They were so friendly and encouraging.  Even the traffic cops at the intersections would take time to cheer on the competitors.

There were two times in the course where the full and half marathons converged in a way that allowed us to get passed by the men's leaders.  These guys are so impressive to watch.  They look so graceful and natural.  They make 26.2 miles look completely effortless.  It was inspiring to see that.

The other inspiring thing that I saw, that almost brought me to tears, was was leader of the wheelchair division.  He had a bicycle escort to get through the crowd.  As he was racing through, he just happened to be passing the apartment of a mentally and physically handicapped man who was also in a wheelchair.  It appeared that this man had been sitting on his patio for much of the morning watching the runners go by.  I had heard him clapping and cheering as I approached.  But when that wheelchair racer went by, this man yelled and whooped and cheered so loudly.  It was almost as if he was somehow living through the accomplishments of this handicapped athlete.  He was clapping and screaming and pounding his fists on his chair with so much excitement and vigor.  It was a very moving moment and one that I will probably never forget.

There were other moments too.  I saw an elderly couple sitting in lawn chairs at the end of their driveway.  They had an old card table between them on which sat their breakfast.  Cereal, fruit, juice and coffee.  They cheered and ate and read the newspaper, just like they probably do every weekend.  This time they just happened to be doing it at the end of their driveway while thousands of people ran by.

I have to also give credit to the people of Madison.  They are pretty used to people running through their streets.  (Zoo Run Run, Freeze for Food, Crazy Legs, Lake Monona 20K....and these are just the ones I have run in the past year.)  They are out in full force cheering on the runners.  They show up with beer and bloody mary stations at the ends of their driveways.  They come up with some very clever signs to motivate and encourage everyone to do their best.  But today, I appreciated them more than ever before.  Today there were many people who were standing at the end of their driveway spraying their garden hoses into the street.  Others had their sprinklers set up in the street.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I LOVE these people.  I will say it one more time:  it was HOT today.  And those quick showers helped to cool down a rapidly rising body temperature.  I saw two different people who collapsed on the course, probably from a combination of the heat and dehydration.  I wasn't about to become another casualty of the heat.  I took advantage of every garden hose and sprinkler.  And I made sure to thank the people on the other end of the hose.  I think it is important to thank the volunteers and fans.

Here is what the course looked like:

You can see the spot in the middle where I had to stop to use the bathroom.  There are a few other spots where I had to walk the water stops.  And then there is that awful hill at the end.  Boo!
Here are the stats:
Mile 1: 9:43
Mile 2: 10:10
Mile 3: 9:54
Mile 4: 10:47
Mile 5: 10:41
Mile 6: 10:37
Mile 7: 10:21
Mile 8: 10:23
Mile 9: 12:00 (included bathroom break)
Mile 10: 10:42
Mile 11: 11:14
Mile 12: 11:22
Mile 13: 12:00
Mile 13-13.18: 1:59 (11:09 pace)

Total: 13.18 miles: 2:21:49.  10:45 pace.
I know that I put everything I had into this race.  But I also know that a couple weeks ago I ran 14 miles in 2:23 (10:14 pace).  Granted, that was Colby and there really aren't any discernible hills here.

So, I need to work on my endurance so that my pace doesn't completely take a nose dive.  I can't even imagine doubling this distance to run a full marathon.  But, ask me in a couple days and I'm sure I'll tell you that I am up to the challenge.  :-)

I need to thank my wonderful 'crew' for supporting me.  Thanks Tim and Sharon!!  You guys are the best.

Next race: Bellin 10K on June 12th.  It will also be Jaden's first ever race.

Recap part two

I was finally able to get my Garmin up and running this morning so I can post my splits for yesterday's 20K.  I am still a little stiff and sore this morning.  I did go sit in the hot tub last night for about 20 minutes.  That seemed to help my hips a little bit.  I massaged my arch on my right foot before getting out of bed and I think that helped as well.
Here are the stats from yesterday:
Mile 1:  9:47
Mile 2:  9:52  (see, I didn't start out too fast!!)
Mile 3:  10:05
Mile 4:  9:57
Mile 5:  9:53
Mile 6:  10:01
Mile 7:  9:35 (what?!?!)
Mile 8:  10:16
Mile 9:  10:16
Mile 10:  10:20
Mile 11:  10:52  (hello, wall)
Mile 12:  10:53
Mile 12-12.52:  5:18 (10:12 pace)

My average pace per mile was 10:09.  I'm pretty satisfied with that.  I would definitely do this race again.  The course was beautiful.  It was pretty well organized, other than the lack of sufficient water stops.  You can check out the finish line video here.

Note to self:
When going for a 2 hour+ run, remember to wear sunscreen.  I am a little red today.  I guess I am still used to having to dress in layers for my runs and I completely forgot that the sun actually does shine in Wisconsin in the spring.  :-)

Lake Monona 20K Recap

Today's 20K race along Lake Monona was my longest race (by far) to date.

The weather was great and the registration was very well organized.  Holly met us at the start and she and Tim followed me around the lake to get photographic evidence of my 12.52 miles (the course was a little long).

I started out well.  I felt really good and just maintained a steady pace.  I didn't start out too fast, which is a huge victory for me.  :-)

Apparently, there was a chicken that ran the race.  :-)  I don't remember seeing him, but Tim and Holly were quite preoccupied with him and almost missed seeing me at the first water stop.

They proceeded to follow me down the road to get some more pictures.

When they didn't have me in their sights, the checked out the Madison sky line.

And they played in the lake.

I caught up with them again (and my Aunt Sharon) around mile 10 or so.  It was about the same time that I hit the proverbial wall.  I suddenly got very tired.  My legs were sore.  My hips were really tight.  And my pace dropped drastically.  Holly said that she could tell from my stride and posture that I was struggling. 

The last 1.5 miles was really hard.  I was having some pain in my right foot and my hips were so stiff and sore that I couldn't get a decent stride.  I kept running because it would get me back to the car faster than walking.

By the looks of that photo, I also got a little cranky towards the end of the race.  i think it was the dehydration talking.  There weren't enough water stations.  I actually stopped twice along the bike path to get a drink out of a water fountain.

After the race, my legs were covered in salt.  I was really dehydrated.  I guzzled as much water as I could and it still didn't feel like enough.  We went to Whole Foods for lunch and I ate a lot of food!  And it was good.

I am having Garmin uploading issues, so I will post the mile splits tomorrow.

Where to begin?

I have so many things to tell you guys.  I'll start with Crazy Legs.  It was madness!  I have never seen so many people in one place all lined up to run in the rain.  Actually, the rain held off during the race.  (Thank you, God.)

I left my Aunt Sharon's house a little after 8:00 because I knew that it would be insanity trying to find a parking spot.  And it was.  Sharon and I had talked about the two free parking spots near Camp Randall.  Well, both of those were full.  She had also mentioned to me that there was a school on Mills that a friend of hers was going to use to park.  She told me that I should go down past the Eye Clinic to find it.  Well, as soon as I saw the Eye Clinic and it's empty parking lot, I knew that my search was over!

But, let me start from the beginning.  I told you guys yesterday about my CMA exam and that I passed!!  Yippee!  On the way to the testing site, I stopped by the Kohl Center to pick up my race registration packet.

I got there about 20 minutes before the doors opened and there was a line.  There weren't that many people in front of me, but people kept showing up.  By the time they opened the doors, the line was around the corner and up the block.

The CrazyLegs people do a really good job of organizing.  I really have to had it to them.  There were more than 20,000 runners and everything about the entire event was pretty easy for me to navigate.

You know it is a big race, when they have to subdivide the runners whose last names start with 'O.'

There was this cute older couple who was volunteering at the T-shirt area.  They were really adorable and seemed to be having such a good time talking to everyone and just spending time with each other.  Of course, I was one of the first ones in the door.  I hope they were still enjoying it 8 hours later. 

So, fast forward to race morning, I am dressed warmly, parked at the Eye Clinic and heading to Camp Randall to catch one of the many shuttle buses to the Capital Square.

Once we got dropped off at the Square, I was amazed at all the people.  And, again, at the organization.  Oh, and for my NY friends, here is Madison's version of the Flatiron Building.

The Capital Square is beautiful and I just couldn't stop looking at the gorgeous pink tulips!  I wasn't the only one taking pictures of them.

I was in Wave Z, which was right in the middle of the pack.  There were 52 waves....A-Z and aa-zz. 
Looking ahead to Wave Y.

And back....

I even noticed people in the windows of the hotel who were watching all the commotion.

And this guy had one of the best seats in the house.

We even had some pre-race entertainment.  This guy was very talented.

I knew that my friend Jeremy was somewhere in the sea of 20,000 people.  I didn't know where, but I was silently wishing him well.  I haven't seen him in quite a few years.  So, imagine my surprise when I turn around to see....

This was the coolest surprise ever!  What are the odds that we would wind up in the same wave and get to start the race together?  What a great day!

We finally made our way to the starting line.

And, we're off!!
A nice steady climb to start the race.  It didn't seem to faze me much because I (characteristically) started much faster than I wanted to.

There was a nasty hill in the second mile that just about killed me.  I totally wasn't prepared for it and at one point I looked down at my Garmin to see that I was running at about a 14:00/mile pace.  Yikes!

But, I just kept truckin' along.  I saw my Aunt Sharon out on Observatory Drive and was thrilled to be able to ditch my jacket and leave it with her.  I would have been fine to leave it around my waist, but I was afraid it was covering my race bib and I wanted to be able to search for pictures of myself later and I knew that I would need my bib to be visible.

The race finishes inside Camp Randall Stadium.  We actually run onto the field and finish at the 50-yard line.  Pretty cool.  There is a band and tons of cheering fans.  It was awesome!

I would definitely run this race again.  The energy was incredible.  The race was very well organized and it was so much fun.  I just hope that the sun comes out next year.

Here are my stats from the Garmin:
Mile 1: 8:47  (wow!)
Mile 2:  9:23 (including killer hill)
Mile 3:  9:34
Mile 4:  9:26
Mile 5: 9:16

My Garmin recorded the race distance as 5.01 miles.

Official total from CrazyLegs officials:  20,450 participants!  Wow!

Jeremy finished in 48:27.  Great job.  He crushed his goal time.