Some quick thoughts on the back-to-back races I did on Memorial Day weekend...
First up, the Madison Half-Marathon. Hopped in the car on Friday afternoon with JR and Ronda for a quick trip to Madison, WI to get a nice training weekend in and for them to run the 13.1 on Sunday morning. I was hoping to get multiple loops in on the IMWI bike course. When we woke up Saturday morning, it was storming. With plans rapidly derailing, we went to the expo to pick up packets at which point I decided to register and get a nice training run in on Sunday morning. Not exactly what I was planning, but I figured it would be a good barometer for where I will be at the Grand Rapids 70.3 in 2 weeks. It was also a test to see if my legs have recovered from injury. By the time we left the expo, the weather had cleared. JR and I got dropped off in Verona and we took a nice spin around the loop portion of the bike course. It was great to see the course again, it brought back some fun memories. I also rode over the infamous "bump" that threw off my last big training block before IMWI 2011. Fortunately, it was intentional this time. I can see why I crashed when not expecting to be jolted like that. Pretty fun course. Strava file: http://app.strava.com/rides/9514415
After a good ride and getting Ronda completely turned around on the way back to the hotel (thanks for driving, Ronda!), we cleaned up and went to watch Ty run the kids race and to get dinner at the "Old-fashioned". It stormed again, which delayed the kids race, but the timing worked perfectly. After Ty finished running and we made it back to the restaurant, the buzzer went off and our table was ready. I only mention the restaurant because it is a MUST when visiting town. Great food, and 50 Wisconsin brewed beers on tap. Perfect night before a race meal: a burger with a fried egg on it, and a couple beers. Winning combination so far this year. We all crashed pretty hard after dinner. The prospect of running 13.1 miles the next day was daunting, given forecasted temps in the 90s.
Race day - after not sleeping well at night (poor Marley was teething all weekend!), we all made our way to the start. I decided to run with JR and Ronda for the first few miles to test out the leg. If it felt good, I would take off, otherwise I'd stick with them. I got to 3mi and felt great. Wished them well, and took off on what ended up being a great progression run (when each mile trends faster than the previous). Looking at the strava file, I couldn't have done much better: http://app.strava.com/runs/9514419 It was hot, but not too hot. I made sure to grab two gatorades each aid station and used a PowerGel at halfway. nailed the nutrition, felt great the whole way, and kept pushing the pace. The only complaint I had was the lack of ice being handed out at aid stations. They had it, but you had to stop and ask for it. Not ideal in a race. The last .5mi is uphill but lined with spectators. In fact, there was a lot of crowd support the entire way. Made it a fun race. Back to the finish, you can see the State Capitol as you turn and it is a good marker of how far you have to run up the hill. Motivated to finish strong, I pushed hard up the hill and ended up in the finish chute by myself. Clocked an open 13.1 PR (half-iron splits are faster) at 1:43. Felt great. Grabbed a free Fat Tire that I convinced the beer tent worker to give me for 2 beer tickets, and went to watch JR and Ronda finish. Great race. Fun city. I'll be back.
Thanks to JR and Ronda for bringing me along!
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