Punked: Madison 1/2 Marathon Race Report

We headed out Friday afternoon as soon as Thing 1 came home from school. After sitting in more than our share of weekend commuter traffic, I was happy and relieved to arrive in Madison just under the deadline for packet pickup. The packet guy assured me “the only hilly parts of the course are the few thru the Arboretum and even those are just rollers.” Well alrighty then: I feel great, I hit my weight goal earlier this week, my race goals are as follows:

1. Goal: New ½ marathon PR, sub 1:53

Race morning: I was up and raring to go at 3:45 but stayed put until 5. We got to the starting line shortly after 6 for the 7am start. Chilly! Low 50’s. But gusty. That could be an issue. After receiving my ritual “don’t go out too fast” pep talk from hubby I crammed myself into the starting corral at the 2 hr mark. Better to not go out too fast right? The official plan is to run three 9-minute miles, seven 8:30’s then hopefully pick it up for the final three.

We are off promptly and whaddya know we’re running up an incline. We make a left and you guessed it more incline. I’m not sure what the actual definition of hill is as opposed to incline, but I’m funny that way: I can run for miles on end with an oozing blister on my toe but the slightest hint of that four-letter H word sends me sniveling.

We turn another corner and the gorgeous Capitol building looms large ahead of us. It’s encircled by a bustling farmers’ market and I feel like a Pamplonian bull when I see the stunned look of the shoppers as we go stampeding by. As we leave the Capitol area we are treated to some downhill. I hear a guy say “Make hay while the sun shines.” I couldn’t agree more.

Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 8:42
Mile 3: 8:53

Is it raining or was that nose-blow spray? I know runners do this all the time and believe me I’m all for women’s rights. But in my storied running career, I’ve never seen so many women spitting at a race! And here in the land of cheese they seem to have mastered the hold-one-nostril-shut nose blow technique as well. We spend some time running along railroad tracks in an industrial area before entering a pretty, tree-filled residential neighborhood. I’m beginning to think there is nothing about this course that is flat. I still feel great, the mile markers are coming up fast. After mile 4 we enter the Arboretum and I’m hemmed in on ½ a bike path. I brace for the hills.

Mile 4: 8:43
Mile 5: 8:42
Mile 6: 8:45

Obviously not on my 8:30 pace but surely I’ll pick it up when this course opens up and flattens out. Ha! We run around a gorgeous lake, the same ½ bike path situation continues, which I am less than thrilled with.

Mile 7: 8:52
Mile 8: 8:28
Mile 9: 8:43

We emerge from the Arboretum and we’re in the bike lane of a busy street, on one neverending incline. I’m running with a wisp of a woman in compression socks that looks lightning fast. She comments on the unevenness of the pavement. I’m coming to the grim realization that these hills aren’t going to end. BUT I still feel great! I’m not struggling. I’m not doing my classic fade. Why then am I not running faster? My chances of a PR of any kind are rapidly fading from slim to none.

Still more of the ½ bike path nonsense. We run out to a bunch of cones and have to turn around and run back in. Blech. We’re on a muddy/sandy path now and the guy next to me isn’t really picking up his feet anymore. I encourage him to watch his form, (before he falls) we’re almost done. Thankfully that does the trick and he perks up.

Mile 10: 9:03 (gasp!)

Mile 11: 8:34
Mile 12: 8:39
Mile 13: 8:34

Finish time: 1:54:31, 8:45 avg. pace. Well off my plan. And 15/82 in AG, 327/1278 women, 1001 overall was little consolation.Temp was perfect, wind was an issue at times. Way hillier than I expected (or trained for), ½ bike path was far from ideal for 3300 runners. I’m disappointed with my finish time. I didn’t run up to my potential and I am not one to overestimate my ability. Yet I found the race to be one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever done. Maybe because I wasn’t killing myself out there? Back to the drawing board. My quest for the “perfect” ½ marathon continues.
As for the rest of the weekend, I spent Sunday morning licking my wounds and working out my hill-weary legs on Blanche the trusty road bike. Later we went to the Cubs game where they too suffered a miserable loss. But despite their pathetic performance, once again we had a really fun time. Maybe that’s the lesson?