Written on My iPad, so please excuse misspellings and bad punctuation.
Saturday I ran the Madison Mini Marathon - my fourth in four months. Eight more to go.
Even though there was a good possibility of hot and humid weather, I was actually looking forward to this race. How could I not love a half in Madison which went by a lot of the highlights: Capitol, Vilas Zoo, arboretum, lakeshore path and ended at the union. However, it ended up being a half with a few firsts.
First at the expo I ended up registering for the haunted hustle in Middleton in October. Usually at expos I breeze by the booths for other races. I have never run a race because I saw it advertised at another race's expo. However, I was thinking about running it and if you registered you got 10$ off. So, there you go.
Next I bought some 'guaranteed to stay in my ears and not hurt' earbuds. I normally don't run with music, but this one I was thinking about doing so since I didn't have any friends with me. I thought it might be something that would help me get through the race. So, Yurbuds were purchased with assurances if they didn't work, they could be returned. I also bought some more bondiband head bands. It was a small but nice expo - about what I expected. I almost did get thrown off track when entering though. It was in the newly rebuilt Union South and I followed the 'race packet pickup' signs until I ran into a long line. I was bit shocked that the race would be so disorganized that there would be a long line at 3:30 in afternoon. Luckily I asked the girl in front of me if this was the line for race packets and she told me 'no, it is the line for ice cream. Although I was tempted to stay in the line, I only had 30 minutes on my parking pass.
Race day I awoke to rain. Ugh but luckily it ended by the time I was on the road towards the race. Once parked I got organized and decided to eat a Gu. I have never done that before a race only during, but thought I would give it a try. I headed to the start and my corral. I was a bit freaked because the 1:45 pacer was in the corrals BEHIND me. I have never run that fast. It seemed like there were very few people ahead (faster)of me and a couple of thousand people behind me and the first quarter mile was up hill. There was going to be a whole lot of passing (of me) going on. Then they announced the race would be delayed due to a storm rolling in. Luckily a UW facility that I frequently have meetings at was right there and they were letting people lounge in their lounge and use their nice non-porta potty toilets. That was the first time that I ever had a race delayed because of weather. And it was delayed 1.5 hours. They did a great job of giving updates via facebook throughout the delay. Due to the comfort of my surroundings, I didn't mind, but the Gu I had was now for naught and I was a little worried about being starved during the last few miles.
We ran in a complete down pour the first 2 miles. Luckily I had a garbage bag along. I have brought a garbage bag many times, but never had to actually wear it. Another first. I did learn that contractor size garbage bags are about 3 feet too long to run. It did help a lot until my body warmed up. It is funny how at the beginning of a race a downpour with gusting winds can bring laughter and joyous whoops where if it was the last two miles the reaction would be much different!
At about mile 4.5 I decided to eat my Gu. I was struggling a bit a knew there were some decent hills coming up in the arboretum. I figured that I would grab one of the race supplied Gu when they offered them. I was glad I did because I was really able to power up the hills and felt great until mile 11. However, at miles 6, 7, 8 and even 9 when I was looking for the Gu station none was found. I couldn't believe they didn't hand out Gu. That is my one and only complaint about the race. Beyond that the aid stations were frequent and well organized.
The course was a challenging one. A pretty steady up hill between miles 5 and 7. Normally I would have HATED that but my double caffeine Gu put steam in my engine. Luckily the last 3 miles were flat and shaded because now the sun was out in full force and it felt hot and humid. I think it helped that I knew this leg having run it many times on my own. The only hard part was not knowing where the finish was. On the terrace meant a nice flat finish, in front of the union meant a short steep up hill around two corners....not what I want at the finish. Unfortunately it was the latter. And was it in front of the union or where the start was a couple of blocks further? A couple of blocks may not seem like a lot, but at that point it can really piss you off. So I when I turned the last corner I was really glad to see that it was the shorter possibility and down hill.
The post race offerings were abundant: water, banana, rice krispy bar, choice of chips, granola bar and chocolate milk. I had a hard time carrying it all. And what better place to relax after a race than on the shady union terrace. Unfortunately, since I was by myself and a drive back to the campground we we staying at (which was calling me on such a beautiful day) I opted to not have a beer. So in return for the person who gave me their beer ticket at the Cellcom half in Green Bay, I gave my ticket to a group that were really thrilled to get it. It kinda made skipping the beer worth it.
So overall a fun, well organized race despite no Gu and a challenging course. Plus it helped that I felt GREAT.
