I did complete the 2010 Madison Half Marathon on May 30th!!
It was a very hot day. Straight off in the morning even. I was super nervous this time. I couldn't drink or eat very much. I had only gotten approx 4 hours of sleep because I was sick with some sort of stomach deal the night before. So it wasn't a promising start.
We stopped by my pal, Forrest's place. He trained and ran the Crazylegs run and this Madison Half marathon with me. Yay, Forrest!!!
Back to the story...we were running behind on time as usual. We drove directly up to the square and Caleb and Finn dropped Forrest and I off. We walked towards the start line where peeps were lining up. I should have peed then. In my head I scoffed at those who stood in line before the race to pee in those port-a-potties!! Ha! I would never have to do that. Little did I know I would have kissed one of those port-a-potties on the seat later on. The race finally started.! There were so many people participating that it once again took several minutes to arrive at the actual start line and where your timing chip clicks on. It was a cool route http://www.madisonfestivals.com/marathon/documents/2010Half_Marathon4.26.pdf
Madison streets, downtown anyway, can be kind of hilly in spots. Especially over by the UW Student Union. Killer hills.
Around mile 6 I had to pee so badly I was forced to stop and line up for one of those aforementioned port-a-potties. That added about 12-14 minutes of time to our finish :( grrrr The last time I ran the Madison Half I didn't have to stop to pee at all so I was disappointed. And poor Forrest had to stand there and wait for me.
We got back on the road. The nine mile marker was by John Nolen and Wilson right by Lake Monona and the Terrace. My mom, step-dad, Dewey, my sister Makenna, Finn and Caleb were there to greet us and heartily cheer us on. The people of Madison, all along the route, were so supportive. And just so you know, when you are running that far or farther, it really helps to have that support. Some madisonians that lived in houses along the route had their hoses or sprinklers out to help cool us off. Those were like a godsend. There were a lot of people dropping out. It was HOT and like no wind and no clouds. Around mile 11.5 my Aunt Sonja was stationed along the route to cheer us on. And we finally got the "Run, Forrest, Run!" I was expecting to hear all day. Haha That was awesome.
Forrest had to talk me through the whole last mile. I would have stopped running if it weren't for his constant reassurance I *was* going to make it up the W. Washington hill to the capitol in the last mile of a half. I started to feel pretty sick to my stomach at about Henry Street. My legs were kind of on auto-pilot at that point. We got to the Capitol Square and turned right and then left and the finish line was right by Martin Luther King Jr. They removed the chip. It was really difficult for me to stop moving my body for the volunteer trying to remove the chip on my wrist. I kept walking around. Even though I was exhausted my legs kept moving. I made the mistake of accepting and drinking a big, cold chocolate milk. Never again. And then I consumed really quickly a water. I almost immediately felt really ill. I tried to lay down. That made it worse. So I started to look for the closest, most inconspicuous spot to puke, cuz I was blow chunks any moment. I saw a very large tree near the railing of the capitol building. Unfortunately, for them really, two little girls were sitting on the railing. I tried to warn them to move or they were going to witness me spewing my guts out, but they didn't move. I totally puked. Then the world started to spin. I sat down. I wasn't feeling top notch. So they made me go to the med tent. I recovered just fine after getting out of the sun and drinking some gatorade. I just got overheated. By 11am they had called off the marathon and stopped times because so many people were dropping like flies from heat exhaustion. We finished in two hours 34 mins. not too bad with the bathroom stop I guess and the extreme temps. I was really happy to attain my goal! I took a lot of the summer off of training for any races. I have started to think about triathlon training. I am just waiting to find the right road bike. Tomorrow is the 5K Zoo Run Run. Hope to see some of you there!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
another step closer
I woke up nervous about running today. It is getting pretty close to my goal now. It is a lot like rehearsing for a musical for quite awhile and then having to perform. I always got very nervous before singing performances.
I've been trying to run early as I can. I finally got on the road a bit before 9am this morning. It was warm and sunny already. A beautiful day. Caleb, Finn and Atticus walked with me during my warm up walk through the Canterbury woods I ran down Anthony via IPFW. I passed a group of 3-5 year olds all wearing their yellow t-shirts on their way to visit the fire station. They looked a little excited. I can't wait for Finn to do those things.
I crossed over to Columbia. That's a nice little neighborhood with a park over there. Then I turned back around at that point and ran back on the other side of Anthony back through IPFW and home. I ran a total of 8 miles today. My calves are feeling the pain. Even after running at least 5 times a week since January my body is still having all the growing pains. I wonder if it ever stops? Otherwise I feel pretty good. Not super tired out or anything. I'm shooting for 11 miles tomorrow...we shall see how it goes ;)
I've been trying to run early as I can. I finally got on the road a bit before 9am this morning. It was warm and sunny already. A beautiful day. Caleb, Finn and Atticus walked with me during my warm up walk through the Canterbury woods I ran down Anthony via IPFW. I passed a group of 3-5 year olds all wearing their yellow t-shirts on their way to visit the fire station. They looked a little excited. I can't wait for Finn to do those things.
I crossed over to Columbia. That's a nice little neighborhood with a park over there. Then I turned back around at that point and ran back on the other side of Anthony back through IPFW and home. I ran a total of 8 miles today. My calves are feeling the pain. Even after running at least 5 times a week since January my body is still having all the growing pains. I wonder if it ever stops? Otherwise I feel pretty good. Not super tired out or anything. I'm shooting for 11 miles tomorrow...we shall see how it goes ;)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
gearin' up
I'm starting to sound like a broken record here. sorry, with moving I haven't been as good about posting stuff on here. I will sum it up.
I have been increasing my mileage a lot over the past couple of weeks. I have been trying to run in the morning hours as much as possible. I want to avoid the warmest hours of the day.
Today was my longest run so far. I ran 10 miles here in Fort Wayne. I had intended on only going 9 miles or so, but my guessed route took me a bit further than anticipated. It's all good though. I guess that will be my long run for this week. When you run that distance/time one's skin is constantly rubbing against your clothing, unless you run naked. I don't...run naked that is. I have sores all over my body. At my waist where my running shorts sit. About 6 areas around my bust and back have gotten to the point of being bloody. And that is with 3 running bras on. Intense. It's all part of the process.
The half marathon is on May 30th in Madison. In less than 2 weeks I will be running 13.1 miles. Crazy. I ran this same race before in May of 2008. I finished in 2 hours 25 minutes. I guess it would be nice to beat my time from before, but I will seriously just be happy to run it. The race organizers have changed the half marathon route this year from the last time I ran it. Can't wait to see the differences. My friend, Forrest, that I ran the Crazylegs race with, has decided to run this too. That will be nice to have a co-runner to help you get through the tough parts of the race. The last time I ran the half marathon distance I started to feel the fatigue hit me around 9 miles or so. I'm hoping to push it to at least there before stopping to walk at all. Once you stop, it just seems to happen more and more. It's a mental thing. It would be great to run the WHOLE deal, but I don't have any attachments or expectations about that.
Finn runs everywhere and loves it. I think we may have another marathoner on our hands ;)
I have been increasing my mileage a lot over the past couple of weeks. I have been trying to run in the morning hours as much as possible. I want to avoid the warmest hours of the day.
Today was my longest run so far. I ran 10 miles here in Fort Wayne. I had intended on only going 9 miles or so, but my guessed route took me a bit further than anticipated. It's all good though. I guess that will be my long run for this week. When you run that distance/time one's skin is constantly rubbing against your clothing, unless you run naked. I don't...run naked that is. I have sores all over my body. At my waist where my running shorts sit. About 6 areas around my bust and back have gotten to the point of being bloody. And that is with 3 running bras on. Intense. It's all part of the process.
The half marathon is on May 30th in Madison. In less than 2 weeks I will be running 13.1 miles. Crazy. I ran this same race before in May of 2008. I finished in 2 hours 25 minutes. I guess it would be nice to beat my time from before, but I will seriously just be happy to run it. The race organizers have changed the half marathon route this year from the last time I ran it. Can't wait to see the differences. My friend, Forrest, that I ran the Crazylegs race with, has decided to run this too. That will be nice to have a co-runner to help you get through the tough parts of the race. The last time I ran the half marathon distance I started to feel the fatigue hit me around 9 miles or so. I'm hoping to push it to at least there before stopping to walk at all. Once you stop, it just seems to happen more and more. It's a mental thing. It would be great to run the WHOLE deal, but I don't have any attachments or expectations about that.
Finn runs everywhere and loves it. I think we may have another marathoner on our hands ;)
Monday, May 10, 2010
one foot...
Yes, so it has been some time in between entries again. Naughty Angie. I have found the past couple of weeks to be a little...chaotic, in a good way. I will see how much I can recall.
Sunday May 2nd was the Mastodon Stomp 5K race. I was on campus already because I was working...coordinating the race. I worked with the race organizers to get everything up and running, oh gosh, seriously didn't intend that pun. haha
The morning had been cool, like in the 50s Fahrenheit. So I had dressed to run in that kind of weather. By the time the race started at 2:10pm it was in the mid-70s and very humid. I was severely overdressed. I had a long sleeve shirt and running pants on under my shorts. I was kinda warm. The race was hard for me this time. It felt really hard. And I hate to admit it, but I had to stop and walk about half way through. I was running wayyy to fast in the first half. I let the excitement and spirit of competition get to me and I ran so much faster than my normal pace. By the time I was 2 miles in it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest and my lungs were surely bleeding, ok maybe not, but it felt like it. It was hot. I had forgotten how much harder it feels to run in heat. I wasn't hydrated enough by a long shot. I have to hydrate like 2 or more hours before the race. Otherwise I get pretty bad stomach cramps. I didn't drink much beyond a cup of coffee in the morning. So I had that strike against me too. I learned from this race to trust my pace, dress for the weather and be serious about hydrating myself safely prior to running. Caleb and Finn met me at the finish line. Finn ate my complimentary banana. I am pretty sure that is Finn's favorite part of my running in races. The free banana.
I took Monday off to get my tooth fixed. The tooth basically broke in half. I had to have a temporary crown put on and a permanent one will be put in place in about a week and a half. After almost 4 hours in the dentist chair I had to take the day off running too. Or at least that is the excuse I gave.
Tuesday I ran 6 miles over by the bible school.
Wednesday I took off running because my schedule and Caleb's schedule with finals was hectic and full.
Thursday I ran 6.5 miles in the morning before work through neighborhoods and Shoaff Park. Caleb had his VERY LAST FINAL EVER today!!!!!!!! Yay! It is almost 100% over!
Friday I took off work and we drove up to Shipshewana, Indiana to camp over night. I was running the Mayfest 4 mile road and trail race Saturday morning at 8am (those masochists!) I was going to run once we arrived to Shipshewana. The weather thought otherwise. Upon arrival in Shipshewana it was in the low 50s/upper 40s, cloudy, wind gusting and raining/pouring. It continued in this fashion all night. We had intended on sleeping in the van or tent over night. But due to the beautiful weather we chose to spend an extra $20 and get a cabin. Boy am I glad we did that. The wind was blowing so hard you could feel the wind coming through the cabin walls and it would wake you up. The cabin had heat and electricity so we were warm and cozy inside, thank you!
Finn woke us up at 7:15am...that's right, 45 minutes before race time. So we really had to haul *ss to get to get Finn fed, get dressed, loaded into the van, drive into Shipshewana, pick up my racing bib and check-in and stretch etc before race time. I had exactly 1 minute to stretch.
The weather was about the same Saturday morning cold, raining and wind blowing very, very hard. Just a little colder. But I was dressed appropriately this time. I even remembered my gloves! I think because of the weather only like 140 people ran in the race. I promised myself no matter what, after the Mastodon Stomp experience, I would keep my pace. I just had to trust that if I stay true to my pace and style that eventually it would pay off and I would gain ground and do well. So I did just that. I didn't know this about myself before this race, but I am a really good trail runner. I picked up a lot of ground/time during the portion of the race we ran on trail. It felt effortless and I passed about 20 people in this section. It was crazy. So I guess I will look into more trail races :)
There is a huge population of Amish that live around Shipshewana. At the 2.5 mile marker a young Amish girl, dressed in total traditional/proper Amish wear besides Nike running shoes, was standing off to the side of the road and watching longingly as the runners went by. Just as I passed her I smiled at her and said "hi". Then about 20 seconds later I heard her start to run behind me. She stayed just behind me until the last 1/4 mile. Then she ran around me and began to gain ground on me quickly. As she ran in front of me a horse buggy with a local, older Amish couple riding inside was driving past. The Amish girl running waved to the couple. The older man smiled and waved and laughed as if he were tickled by her audacity to run in this race. The older woman didn't even acknowledge this girl's existence, as if disgusted by her participation in the running race. It is pretty taboo and frowned upon for Amish girls to run, especially in public. It took a lot of guts to do what she did running out in public, for everyone to see. I was so inspired by this young girl's courage and love for running. How much would you have to love running to go against everything your community believes in just to participate in a race? I could see it in her eyes. She just *had* to run. There was no option for her. Now that's truly awesome. I finished with a time of 41:25. Caleb and Finn were freezing so we pretty much took off for the cabin directly after I completed the race. Shipshewana is a cool little town if you are ever passing this way, check it out! Especially this store called E&S. That place rules.
Sunday was Mother's Day. We drove down to Peru, IN to Caleb's dad's family farm where his Gram lives. His Gram, Mom, Dad, sister Holly and her boyfriend, Michael and Aunt Becky were all there. The weather was cool and a little windy, but super sunny and all in all a really nice day. The farm is beautiful. Finn got to ride on his Grandpa Brauneller's tractor. He didn't like it very much :( He was terrified and cried most of the time. I was surprised because he seemed so interested in the tractor before Grandpa started it up.
After Holly and Michael left I went for my Sunday long run. I ran the back roads that follow the Eel River. It was a gorgeous run. I ran a little over 7 miles. The run went really well except I had to go to the bathroom most of the time. It is amazing how you can divert your attention from that for so long while you run if you have to. My body felt great post run. The past two weeks I was getting a little scared and unmotivated with my running and training for the mini marathon. But after this week, I feel soooo much better and a lot more confident. You just have to put in the work, and the results will come. Patience young Jedi. Oh Yoda
Sunday May 2nd was the Mastodon Stomp 5K race. I was on campus already because I was working...coordinating the race. I worked with the race organizers to get everything up and running, oh gosh, seriously didn't intend that pun. haha
The morning had been cool, like in the 50s Fahrenheit. So I had dressed to run in that kind of weather. By the time the race started at 2:10pm it was in the mid-70s and very humid. I was severely overdressed. I had a long sleeve shirt and running pants on under my shorts. I was kinda warm. The race was hard for me this time. It felt really hard. And I hate to admit it, but I had to stop and walk about half way through. I was running wayyy to fast in the first half. I let the excitement and spirit of competition get to me and I ran so much faster than my normal pace. By the time I was 2 miles in it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest and my lungs were surely bleeding, ok maybe not, but it felt like it. It was hot. I had forgotten how much harder it feels to run in heat. I wasn't hydrated enough by a long shot. I have to hydrate like 2 or more hours before the race. Otherwise I get pretty bad stomach cramps. I didn't drink much beyond a cup of coffee in the morning. So I had that strike against me too. I learned from this race to trust my pace, dress for the weather and be serious about hydrating myself safely prior to running. Caleb and Finn met me at the finish line. Finn ate my complimentary banana. I am pretty sure that is Finn's favorite part of my running in races. The free banana.
I took Monday off to get my tooth fixed. The tooth basically broke in half. I had to have a temporary crown put on and a permanent one will be put in place in about a week and a half. After almost 4 hours in the dentist chair I had to take the day off running too. Or at least that is the excuse I gave.
Tuesday I ran 6 miles over by the bible school.
Wednesday I took off running because my schedule and Caleb's schedule with finals was hectic and full.
Thursday I ran 6.5 miles in the morning before work through neighborhoods and Shoaff Park. Caleb had his VERY LAST FINAL EVER today!!!!!!!! Yay! It is almost 100% over!
Friday I took off work and we drove up to Shipshewana, Indiana to camp over night. I was running the Mayfest 4 mile road and trail race Saturday morning at 8am (those masochists!) I was going to run once we arrived to Shipshewana. The weather thought otherwise. Upon arrival in Shipshewana it was in the low 50s/upper 40s, cloudy, wind gusting and raining/pouring. It continued in this fashion all night. We had intended on sleeping in the van or tent over night. But due to the beautiful weather we chose to spend an extra $20 and get a cabin. Boy am I glad we did that. The wind was blowing so hard you could feel the wind coming through the cabin walls and it would wake you up. The cabin had heat and electricity so we were warm and cozy inside, thank you!
Finn woke us up at 7:15am...that's right, 45 minutes before race time. So we really had to haul *ss to get to get Finn fed, get dressed, loaded into the van, drive into Shipshewana, pick up my racing bib and check-in and stretch etc before race time. I had exactly 1 minute to stretch.
The weather was about the same Saturday morning cold, raining and wind blowing very, very hard. Just a little colder. But I was dressed appropriately this time. I even remembered my gloves! I think because of the weather only like 140 people ran in the race. I promised myself no matter what, after the Mastodon Stomp experience, I would keep my pace. I just had to trust that if I stay true to my pace and style that eventually it would pay off and I would gain ground and do well. So I did just that. I didn't know this about myself before this race, but I am a really good trail runner. I picked up a lot of ground/time during the portion of the race we ran on trail. It felt effortless and I passed about 20 people in this section. It was crazy. So I guess I will look into more trail races :)
There is a huge population of Amish that live around Shipshewana. At the 2.5 mile marker a young Amish girl, dressed in total traditional/proper Amish wear besides Nike running shoes, was standing off to the side of the road and watching longingly as the runners went by. Just as I passed her I smiled at her and said "hi". Then about 20 seconds later I heard her start to run behind me. She stayed just behind me until the last 1/4 mile. Then she ran around me and began to gain ground on me quickly. As she ran in front of me a horse buggy with a local, older Amish couple riding inside was driving past. The Amish girl running waved to the couple. The older man smiled and waved and laughed as if he were tickled by her audacity to run in this race. The older woman didn't even acknowledge this girl's existence, as if disgusted by her participation in the running race. It is pretty taboo and frowned upon for Amish girls to run, especially in public. It took a lot of guts to do what she did running out in public, for everyone to see. I was so inspired by this young girl's courage and love for running. How much would you have to love running to go against everything your community believes in just to participate in a race? I could see it in her eyes. She just *had* to run. There was no option for her. Now that's truly awesome. I finished with a time of 41:25. Caleb and Finn were freezing so we pretty much took off for the cabin directly after I completed the race. Shipshewana is a cool little town if you are ever passing this way, check it out! Especially this store called E&S. That place rules.
Sunday was Mother's Day. We drove down to Peru, IN to Caleb's dad's family farm where his Gram lives. His Gram, Mom, Dad, sister Holly and her boyfriend, Michael and Aunt Becky were all there. The weather was cool and a little windy, but super sunny and all in all a really nice day. The farm is beautiful. Finn got to ride on his Grandpa Brauneller's tractor. He didn't like it very much :( He was terrified and cried most of the time. I was surprised because he seemed so interested in the tractor before Grandpa started it up.
After Holly and Michael left I went for my Sunday long run. I ran the back roads that follow the Eel River. It was a gorgeous run. I ran a little over 7 miles. The run went really well except I had to go to the bathroom most of the time. It is amazing how you can divert your attention from that for so long while you run if you have to. My body felt great post run. The past two weeks I was getting a little scared and unmotivated with my running and training for the mini marathon. But after this week, I feel soooo much better and a lot more confident. You just have to put in the work, and the results will come. Patience young Jedi. Oh Yoda
Saturday, May 1, 2010
motivation
Thursday was a day off running.
I am having trouble keeping my motivation going. I was working towards the Crazylegs run and once that was over I started thinking in my mind...oh, it's vacation time/ rest time now. But really this is when I need to step it up when it comes to my level of training.
Friday I got up before work to run. It was really warm already at 6:15am. I was dressed for the weather I encountered on Wednesday morning, but didn't really need to be. I ran over to Shoaff Park, ran the 5K course and then ran home and showered as fast as I could. This running in the morning thing is making me late to work (shhh, don't tell my boss). Now that it is getting closer to the Half Marathon I need to be up-ing my mileage every week. Luckily I will be contending with my work schedule only 7 more work days! That is so awesome.
I took today off since I am running tomorrow and Sunday was supposed to be my day off running. I am going to start doing some kind of cross training activity on my days off running . I am not getting into the kind of shape I was in the last time at this point when I ran this half marathon.
Tomorrow I am working, but it is to coordinate the Mastodon Stomp 5K run on campus, which I am also running in. So I was going to be here anyway. I'll let you all know how it goes;)
I am having trouble keeping my motivation going. I was working towards the Crazylegs run and once that was over I started thinking in my mind...oh, it's vacation time/ rest time now. But really this is when I need to step it up when it comes to my level of training.
Friday I got up before work to run. It was really warm already at 6:15am. I was dressed for the weather I encountered on Wednesday morning, but didn't really need to be. I ran over to Shoaff Park, ran the 5K course and then ran home and showered as fast as I could. This running in the morning thing is making me late to work (shhh, don't tell my boss). Now that it is getting closer to the Half Marathon I need to be up-ing my mileage every week. Luckily I will be contending with my work schedule only 7 more work days! That is so awesome.
I took today off since I am running tomorrow and Sunday was supposed to be my day off running. I am going to start doing some kind of cross training activity on my days off running . I am not getting into the kind of shape I was in the last time at this point when I ran this half marathon.
Tomorrow I am working, but it is to coordinate the Mastodon Stomp 5K run on campus, which I am also running in. So I was going to be here anyway. I'll let you all know how it goes;)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
getting back on the horse
I took two whole days off running after the Crazylegs run on Saturday (audible gasp! haha) I haven't done that since the beginning of February I think. I took Sunday off because I was driving back to Indiana from Wisconsin. I took Monday off because I wanted to :)
Tuesday Finn and I ran together...ok, he was in his stroller. Cuz that's how he rolls. He was wearing his t-shirt from Heather that says so. We ran from home to Shoaff Park and then ran the 5K route around the golf course. We ran in the late afternoon. It was in the low 60s that day so the temp was very comfortable. It was on the windy side on the way to the park. But on the way home was cool runnin'. We stopped very briefly at the quik-e-mart to get some milk for us and Finn and then ran home. All in total we logged about 6 miles together. Finn and I make a great running team.
Wednesday I got up early to run before work. I almost didn't make it. I was T-I-R-E-D
It was a beautiful morning. A bit brisk. I wasn't dressed quite warm enough for how cold it was. Luckily I was running so I warmed up pretty fast. The sun shining was super golden. I run past a creek on the premises of our complex and I noticed that the swans were still sleeping.
I always run a different route every day I run, for safety and to avoid boredom. I get bored easily. Damn ADD. I ran through the complex and then over to campus and over the Venderley Bridge and then over to the soccer fields and then ran next to the river over to St Joe Center and then looped back home. There is a little strip of land on St Joe Center that doesn't have a sidewalk or room to run on the grass. You are forced to run on the street if you want to get further down the road. It is kind of busy at that time of the morning on St Joe Center because it is a main street. So during that time I have to run on the street over there I am just praying someone doesn't go postal on me and mow me down.
I love getting my run done early in the morning. I ran 4.7 miles. It is seriously time to change the songs on my MP3 player.
Tuesday Finn and I ran together...ok, he was in his stroller. Cuz that's how he rolls. He was wearing his t-shirt from Heather that says so. We ran from home to Shoaff Park and then ran the 5K route around the golf course. We ran in the late afternoon. It was in the low 60s that day so the temp was very comfortable. It was on the windy side on the way to the park. But on the way home was cool runnin'. We stopped very briefly at the quik-e-mart to get some milk for us and Finn and then ran home. All in total we logged about 6 miles together. Finn and I make a great running team.
Wednesday I got up early to run before work. I almost didn't make it. I was T-I-R-E-D
It was a beautiful morning. A bit brisk. I wasn't dressed quite warm enough for how cold it was. Luckily I was running so I warmed up pretty fast. The sun shining was super golden. I run past a creek on the premises of our complex and I noticed that the swans were still sleeping.
I always run a different route every day I run, for safety and to avoid boredom. I get bored easily. Damn ADD. I ran through the complex and then over to campus and over the Venderley Bridge and then over to the soccer fields and then ran next to the river over to St Joe Center and then looped back home. There is a little strip of land on St Joe Center that doesn't have a sidewalk or room to run on the grass. You are forced to run on the street if you want to get further down the road. It is kind of busy at that time of the morning on St Joe Center because it is a main street. So during that time I have to run on the street over there I am just praying someone doesn't go postal on me and mow me down.
I love getting my run done early in the morning. I ran 4.7 miles. It is seriously time to change the songs on my MP3 player.
Monday, April 26, 2010
great running
I know I missed several days there leading up to this past weekend, including this past weekend. I will attempt to bring y'all up to speed.
I ran Wednesday and Thursday with the thought in mind that I probably wouldn't have time to run on Friday the 23rd. Friday I got up early and drove to Madison, WI. Ok, Stoughton, WI really. That is where part of my family lives. It was the first trip I took to Wisconsin on my own since Finn has been born. Caleb and Finn stayed in Indiana to help our niece, Skye, celebrate her first birthday on Saturday. So I was livin' la vida loca. And by "la vida loca" I mean running a lot and sleeping as much as possible. I used to hit the bars and parties when I would come to Madison for visits....ahh how things have changed. I'm not saying I can't see it happen again, it's just different now for me and for all my friends. But I digress...
Friday I went to look at a few houses with my sister Makenna, parents and friend, Jessie. We found one I really like. Then we went to the Kohl Center to pick up my registration packet for the Crazylegs Classic. They had the timing chip embedded in the bib! That is so awesome, cuz I am always so worried that those timing chips are going to fall off my shoe no matter how many bread bag ties I use and how tight I wind them. I started getting really excited seeing all the other people that were picking up their packets. It made it more real. I checked out the route map they had posted in the Kohl Center. I hadn't seen the route until that moment. It was a great route: Starts at the Capitol Square, down Pinckney and then onto Wisconsin Ave up to Langdon, took Langdon past Frat Row and the Student Union, up to Observatory Drive, down by University Hospital, cut over to Old Univ, and then over to Camp Randall Stadium. Very hilly, but a beautiful route nonetheless. I had Chinese take out with my mom, Dewey, Makenna and my Grandma Parish. I went to bed early Friday night. No run.
I got up around 7amish. I wanted to eat a small breakfast and drink 2 cups of coffee before it got too close to the race. I have found that if I eat less than 2 hours before a race I am asking for trouble. I'm a big geek and I had picked out all my running clothes the night before. Only the tried and true and very comfortable for a race. Don't ever try to wear something, especially new running shoes, for a long distance race. You will be sorry. I did it once with very sore consequences.
I drove up to Madison separately from everyone else. I wanted to get to the square a little early to walk the Farmer's Market that opened only 2 weekends ago. Madison has the BEST Farmer's Market! Then I met my pal, Forrest, at Michelangelo's Coffeeshop. We ran Crazylegs together. We walked up to the Capitol Square where all the other Crazyleggers were lining up for the start of the race. I had never run in this race before but Forrest had. He told me that it would probably take 15-20 minutes after the race had started for us to even get to the starting line. I thought he was kidding. And this year it was even worse. There were over 20, 000 people running in this year's Crazylegs Classic. Unfortunately when I registered for the race they ask you what you expect to be your finishing time for the race. At the time I registered for this race, (sometime in February), I had no idea how fast I would be running by now. I wayyyy underestimated my finishing time. So I was in running heat PP (it goes A-Z then starts with double letters AA...). We didn't even see the start line until more than 45 minutes after the 8K (roughly 5 miles) race had started. You didn't read that incorrectly. So some people had already finished the race and were drinking their complimentary beers (you got 2 beers post race totally free along with awesome oranges and other snacks) before we even began the race. So funny. Next year I will predict I run a 5 minute mile by the way :)P
With that many people running it isn't a problem pacing oneself. You were literally tripping over people to pass them at first. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th mile that it cleared out enough to safely and quickly pass people. Both Forrest and I wore our headphones. I took mine off around the 3 1/2 mile mark because there were more people on the sides of the streets cheering us on and blaring music from their apartments and homes. Once Forrest and I hit the 4 mile mark we really turned on the speed. One of the houses was playing "Eye of the Tiger" at volume 11. Hilarious! The end of the Crazylegs Classic is truly something to see. You run into Camp Randall Stadium where they play all the Big 10 Madison WI Badgers football games. They have the finish line on the 50 yard line. By the time we ran in a lot of the 20,000 runners/walkers and all their spectators were in the stands cheering us on. That is quite a feeling to have all those people greet and cheer on your completion of this race. Plus our friend, Kat, was hanging over the side of the entry way screaming our names. It was pretty cool. I think I had a permasmile when I crossed the finish line. Neither Forrest or I had our cell phones so finding my parents and Katrina was a little less than easy. We asked this other lost looking dude to borrow his cell phone. Thanks lost looking dude!
I ran Wednesday and Thursday with the thought in mind that I probably wouldn't have time to run on Friday the 23rd. Friday I got up early and drove to Madison, WI. Ok, Stoughton, WI really. That is where part of my family lives. It was the first trip I took to Wisconsin on my own since Finn has been born. Caleb and Finn stayed in Indiana to help our niece, Skye, celebrate her first birthday on Saturday. So I was livin' la vida loca. And by "la vida loca" I mean running a lot and sleeping as much as possible. I used to hit the bars and parties when I would come to Madison for visits....ahh how things have changed. I'm not saying I can't see it happen again, it's just different now for me and for all my friends. But I digress...
Friday I went to look at a few houses with my sister Makenna, parents and friend, Jessie. We found one I really like. Then we went to the Kohl Center to pick up my registration packet for the Crazylegs Classic. They had the timing chip embedded in the bib! That is so awesome, cuz I am always so worried that those timing chips are going to fall off my shoe no matter how many bread bag ties I use and how tight I wind them. I started getting really excited seeing all the other people that were picking up their packets. It made it more real. I checked out the route map they had posted in the Kohl Center. I hadn't seen the route until that moment. It was a great route: Starts at the Capitol Square, down Pinckney and then onto Wisconsin Ave up to Langdon, took Langdon past Frat Row and the Student Union, up to Observatory Drive, down by University Hospital, cut over to Old Univ, and then over to Camp Randall Stadium. Very hilly, but a beautiful route nonetheless. I had Chinese take out with my mom, Dewey, Makenna and my Grandma Parish. I went to bed early Friday night. No run.
I got up around 7amish. I wanted to eat a small breakfast and drink 2 cups of coffee before it got too close to the race. I have found that if I eat less than 2 hours before a race I am asking for trouble. I'm a big geek and I had picked out all my running clothes the night before. Only the tried and true and very comfortable for a race. Don't ever try to wear something, especially new running shoes, for a long distance race. You will be sorry. I did it once with very sore consequences.
I drove up to Madison separately from everyone else. I wanted to get to the square a little early to walk the Farmer's Market that opened only 2 weekends ago. Madison has the BEST Farmer's Market! Then I met my pal, Forrest, at Michelangelo's Coffeeshop. We ran Crazylegs together. We walked up to the Capitol Square where all the other Crazyleggers were lining up for the start of the race. I had never run in this race before but Forrest had. He told me that it would probably take 15-20 minutes after the race had started for us to even get to the starting line. I thought he was kidding. And this year it was even worse. There were over 20, 000 people running in this year's Crazylegs Classic. Unfortunately when I registered for the race they ask you what you expect to be your finishing time for the race. At the time I registered for this race, (sometime in February), I had no idea how fast I would be running by now. I wayyyy underestimated my finishing time. So I was in running heat PP (it goes A-Z then starts with double letters AA...). We didn't even see the start line until more than 45 minutes after the 8K (roughly 5 miles) race had started. You didn't read that incorrectly. So some people had already finished the race and were drinking their complimentary beers (you got 2 beers post race totally free along with awesome oranges and other snacks) before we even began the race. So funny. Next year I will predict I run a 5 minute mile by the way :)P
With that many people running it isn't a problem pacing oneself. You were literally tripping over people to pass them at first. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th mile that it cleared out enough to safely and quickly pass people. Both Forrest and I wore our headphones. I took mine off around the 3 1/2 mile mark because there were more people on the sides of the streets cheering us on and blaring music from their apartments and homes. Once Forrest and I hit the 4 mile mark we really turned on the speed. One of the houses was playing "Eye of the Tiger" at volume 11. Hilarious! The end of the Crazylegs Classic is truly something to see. You run into Camp Randall Stadium where they play all the Big 10 Madison WI Badgers football games. They have the finish line on the 50 yard line. By the time we ran in a lot of the 20,000 runners/walkers and all their spectators were in the stands cheering us on. That is quite a feeling to have all those people greet and cheer on your completion of this race. Plus our friend, Kat, was hanging over the side of the entry way screaming our names. It was pretty cool. I think I had a permasmile when I crossed the finish line. Neither Forrest or I had our cell phones so finding my parents and Katrina was a little less than easy. We asked this other lost looking dude to borrow his cell phone. Thanks lost looking dude!
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