Race report- Madison Marathon

Okay, this one's a week or so late because we were on vacation, then I was working on a message for church last week. But, I wanted to write down my thoughts about the Madison Marathon on May 24. The short version: I ran a personal best 3:57:51 (in only my second marathon) and was able to walk the next day. Now here's the slightly longer version.

When I started considering a marathon late last fall, I was looking for one that was (1) driving distance (2) in a place I hadn't been, and (3) after the Indy Mini with enough time to recover, but not enough that I would lose my fitness. Madison fit right in- 5 hour drive, and 3 weeks after the Mini. Truth be known, I would have liked another week to allow for one more long run, but even more truth be known... I don't know if I could have run a 20 miler the week after the Mini anyway.

We drove up Saturday morning and arrived at the hotel right around 4:00, which was check-in time. We parked at the hotel and walked to the expo, and I was pleased to find out that our hotel was indeed walking distance to both the start and finish lines. This would work out well logistically, as I could walk to the start and my family could walk to the finish and watch me limp in. The expo was nice, but fairly small compared to the Indy Mini, and it was then I realized how small this race actually was. In a good way.

Sunday morning, I woke up at 5:20, 10 minutes before my alarm went off. I slept well from about 9:30, so that was nice. I ate two granola bars, drank a bottle of water, and went for a walk/jog through the parking lot and the finish line. I determined the finish was about a half mile from the hotel entrance, which would work fine.

I arrived at the start area about 7:00, 30 minutes before the start. The weather was perfect for running- 52 degrees, cloudy, and no wind. I looked for and found the 3:40 pace group. My plan was to run with them as long as I could, then hang on to make it under 4 hours. By this time, though, I had raised my expectations and thought maybe 3:40 was possible. Well, I introduced myself to a couple of the pacers, got a good look at them to know who I was following, then the gun went off. About 1,500 of us left the line, and ran around the Alliant energy center parking lot, off onto the road and we were at a mile before I knew it, just a tad slow. Okay, though. By close to mile two, I couldn't belive the crowd wasn't breaking up more... it felt like I was running with 15,000 people, not 1,500. I was feeling clausterphobic and had to get out. I ran up about 15 feet in front of the 3:40 pace group and all of a sudden, I felt I was running alone. This was more like it. I was very comfortable, enjoying views of Lake Monona, then the capital, then the University of Wisconsin. Five miles went by in 41:30 (8:18 miles), right on time. As we ran, I took note of a couple things to come back for with my family... a frozen custard stand (4.5 miles), a beautiful house being built on Lake Wingra (8.5 miles) and the zoo (9.5 miles).

When we exited the UW Arboretum and turned by the zoo, I couldn't believe the crowd there to cheer us on. There must have been close to a thousand people lining the path, yelling and screaming, ringing cowbells, and shouting our names, which were printed in large type on our bibs. It was very energizing.

I ran through the half in 1:48, which would have been a PR for me a month ago, but was just about on plan for the marathon. One more of those, and I'd run a 3:36. That would be awesome! But, it was not to be. At about mile 15.5, I walked the aid station. I had carried a pack of Clif Shot Bloks with me, and a honey stinger gel. I had planned to take a gel or some energy food every 6 miles, and I had hoped to pick one up at the 4 mile station, but I passed right by it. So, I had to be careful with my calorie intake, and now I knew I was off my plan, but I couldn't remember when I was supposed to eat again. So, I walked, took some Gatorade, and poured some water over my head (it was getting warmer now). I started running again with no problem until mile 17. As we ran around the Maple Bluff country club, we hit the longest/steepest hill on the course. It drove me to a walk, and I never recovered. Between 17.5 and 22, I was reduced to a pattern of walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes, or some variation thereof. The bottom line is there was about a five-mile stretch where I ran only about 2/3 of it.

By mile 22.5 or so, we were running along the shore of Lake Mendota, sharing a bike path with people out enjoying the beautiful day. The mix of more people, nice lake views, and proximity to the finish line drove me to run more. Now, I would walk one minute and run four. I just kept repeating to myself, "This is what all your training was for. This is why you spent so much time away from your family. This is something you can do!"

At mile 25, I started running and didn't stop again. Just before 26, we re-entered the Alliant energy center, and as I ran toward the finish, I started looking for my family in the crowd. As I passed 26, I saw them and realized we'd never arrived on where we would meet. I waved, though, and my girls got to see me finish, which was great. As I approached the finish line, I finally saw the clock and it started with a four. I was a little bummed, but not surprised considering how much I'd walked. Then I realized- that was the 1/2 marathon clock- they started 30 minutes before us. On the other side of the finish line was the marathon clock, and it was at 3:56. I was going to do it! I crossed the line at 3:58:17. I wasn't wearing my watch, but I knew it had been about 30 seconds before I'd crossed the start line, so I was safely under four hours. I grabbed a chocolate milk, hobbled back to find my family, and started to think. My first response surprised me. Instead of the usual, "I'm not doing that again," I thought, "I can probably take 20 minutes off that time if I work at it."

So, I'm really excited to see what's next for my running. The last two weeks I've run, bicycled, and lifted weights without a plan. Now, I'm in training for a 4.5 miler on the 4th, but I'm considering what to do in the fall... another marathon? Fast half-marathon? Ultra? Thoughts, anyone?