Several weeks before the Madison Half Marathon, I was actually excited to run it. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but the 2008 race season was under way and I wanted to see how my training was progressing.
In the days preceding the race, I wasn't feeling very well. I actually thought I was coming down with something, so I had really lowered my expectations. Along with lower expectations, came lower excitement. I hit the point where I had no desire to run the race, but I paid for it and I had some friends doing it. Might as well give it shot. The worst that can happen is I don't feel well and run slower or god forbid, DNF.
Race morning arrived and I headed downtown for the race bright and early. The weather was looking good and I felt somewhat better than I had previously. I scored on parking and managed to find a port-o-potty right next to my car. It was pretty gross actually and sort of tipped when you sat down. I headed up to the square expecting to run into the many friends I had running the race, but I wasn't finding anyone for awhile. Finally, I started bumping into people. Once you find one person, you'll likely meet up with everyone else you know as well.
I ran into my training partner and friend Mary as were doing a final bathroom stop (this time MUCH cleaner and no tipping). We dropped off our gear bags and started to head to the starting line when I ran into David and Allison. David and I finished both High Cliff and Ironman together last year and have since become friends. We had dinner the night before and I was happy to see us all end up starting the race together as well.
The gun went off and we had a downhill start. Within a minute or two of starting some woman fell and hit the ground pretty hard. There was a lot of crowding and people not lining up by their pace, not watching where they were going, etc...I looked back as she fell and kept on running. I felt bad, but there were several people helping her out. I doubt she wanted 10 people huddled over her.
Almost immediately, I knew I was going to need another bathroom stop. I couldn't believe it. This usually doesn't happen to me during a running race, but I had to suck it up and find the first port-o-potty I could on the course. It came just under 8 minutes and 1 mile into the race. I made a dash for it and 1 minute later I was back on the course. By stopping, I had lost Mary and Allison. And David had taken off like a bat outta hell, so he was long gone. I just tried to run as consistently as I possibly could and only hoped to make up that minute on Mary/Allison at some point.
At Mile 2, I found Mary. We pushed ahead and weaved through the crowd. Eventually I split off from Mary and just tried to settle in. I knew I was really close to running an 8 minute pace. I hoped to run under 1:45, if I was feeling well. I took this as a good sign and just tried to hold that pace as long as I could. The miles ticked by....Mile 3, Mile 4....I found my friend Petra (who was looking strong!), we exchanged greetings and I kept moving forward. Mile 5....Mile 6.....
I didn't remember the course being so hilly, but I was pleased to see that I was maintaining my pace despite the hills and despite how I felt earlier in the week. I went back and forth for awhile with a girl in bright pink shorts. She'd power up the hills and relax on the flats. I'd relax on the hills and power through the flats. Eventually she got ahead of me and stayed there. But, I didn't care. I just wanted to hold my pace and finish the race.
Mile 7 and Mile 8 included a long uphill run on Monroe street. It was cruel, but the end was in sight. Then, another uphill....and then a downhill. This downhill was steep and so it wasn't really good to my quads. Still, I thought about how I'd be making the final turn back towards the finish line. Nope, just kidding. Instead, we had to turn right, run 1/4 mile down a trail, turn around and come back. Lame...and mentally it sucked. Fortunately I had my friend Ed to bring a smile to my face, offer some words of encouragement and even run with me for a few steps. I needed the encouragement then, because I was getting tired and really, really, really wanted to slow down.
Mile 9....anytime now I was expecting to see Joe on his mountain bike. Mile 10 and it was time to go over the pedestrian bridge. It's like the race directors felt as though we hadn't had a hill in awhile. As I crested the bridge, I saw Joe on the other side waiting for me. It was a relief to see him. He pedaled alongside me for a bit talking to me about my race. I was dead tired, but still moving at my slightly sub 8 minute pace. Joe biked on up ahead to wait for me just past Mile 11.
I caught up with my friend Becky and we ran a few steps together. I knew Joe wasn't far away and he had company. His friend Joe and son Zen were also there to see me run. Zen is the most adorable little boy and it was a blast running by him. Joe snapped a picture as I cruised on by. Right after seeing the guys, I passed the Fleet Feet tent and saw many friends. It felt great and I was only 1.5 miles from the finish. Then, it felt like I hit a wall. I looked at my watch, did the math and knew I had to run at an 8:20 pace to break 1:45. Somehow, I had built myself a buffer of time. At this point in the run, it was nice to know I had it. The final mile just ticked on by. Before I knew it, I was in the last 1/4 mile of the race. Joe was there again to cheer me on and I was going to have an even better race than I expected.
As I headed for the finish line, I saw David about 30 feet in front of me. Knowing how competitive David is, I made my way up to him. I considered being sneaky and blowing by him at the last second. But, I couldn't do that. I made him aware of my presence by yelling at him. David looked completely surprised and sprinted like mad for the finish. My calves cramped up and I cranked out the last 20 yards as best I could. Final time: 1:44:06....I was only 36 seconds off a personal best. Just to think - if I hadn't been in the port-o-potty at Mile 1 for a minute...
Each time I race, I learn something new about myself and my training. This time I learned that having a few bad days doesn't mean you are going to have a bad race. I learned that mentally I can hang on, even when I want to slow down and ease the pain. I got closer to perfecting the skill of talking myself into accepting more pain for end glory. Not only do we learn new lessons, but old ones are reinforced. The best part of any race day is the people - your friends, family, spectators, other athletes, etc...
This run was a great gauge of my run fitness for the start of my summer races. Check out my Lake Mills Triathlon Race Report - 2008.
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