Number 3 in the books!
Remember when I ran my first 1/2 marathon?
Not so good.
Then there was #2.
Not bad.
And now there is number three. Madison Mini Marathon 2015.
I'm not sure when, but closely after giving birth to Oliver, my friend Sara suggested we run the Madison Mini marathon together. I must have still been on the "birthing high" because I agreed. I probably wasn't even cleared to start running yet. And I agreed. I had to start from square one. There are days I wanted to quit...but I kept going. I started training very early, almost doubling the normal training schedule. When I started training in April, I was running for 2 miles. And last Saturday I ran 13.1.
The night before the 1/2, we drove up to Madison and stayed at a hotel RIGHT at the starting line. The run started at 7 AM and at 6:50, we decided we should probably head to the start line. If there is something more than convenient, that's what this was!
Of course I had the same feelings I always have. Excitement. Nerves. Fear.
We got into our corral and you get that feeling you get when you get locked into a roller coaster ride. Nowhere to go but straight ahead. Nothing to do, but run.
Mile 1 - We run with our closest friends - shoulder to shoulder. Finding gaps and running to them. We high five Bucky and jam to the band.
Mile 2 - We're still on campus, running around the Capital, Farmer's Market, Union South
Mile 3 - Camp Randall? I'm not really sure where we are and when we are there.
Mile 4 - We run past a lake, down shaded streets. I'm doing good.
Mile 5 - We are entering the arboretum. I start to feel it.
Mile 6 - We start talking about our first walking break, which hopefully won't be until Mile 7. Unfortunately, when I see the aid station at about 6.4, I decide to walk it, drink some water, and eat some energy beans. I text Andy and let him know where I'm at.
Mile 7 - A little into Mile 7 I stop sweating and get goose bumps. I feel absolutely ill. I can feel everything in my stomach moving up to my throat. I choke it all back and tell Sara I HAVE to walk. It's walk or barf. Those energy beans are sitting like a rock. Oh my gosh, what if I don't make it?? We walk a small stretch and get back to running.
Mile 8 - Right around Mile 8 we run out of the aboretum. We hit a water station - I walk and drink. There are people lining the streets. They are cheering. It's a downhill stretch. There is energy on the route again and everything I was feeling before is gone. I'm ready to run and feeling good.
Mile 9 - I completely miss this mile marker until I see the 15K sign. I mean, we are kind of, almost done!
Mile 10 - There's our friend Danielle! Cheering us on!! A friendly face is the best.
Mile 11 - I run past a girl and she cheers my name. I past another girl and she TOO cheers my name. I think I'm hallucinating! I get to a water station and the woman hands me water and says, "Good Job, Dana". Sara! They know my name!! Wwweeeelllll - duh. It's on my bib :-) The Madison Memorial Cross Country team is lining both sides of the street - they are cheering like crazy and calling all our names. It was SO motivational. I just loved it!
Mile 12 - We round the back of Liz Waters (I think?) and head up a hill...what? We run flat for a minute and hit another hill. No really - what?
1/2 mile to go - There is a service road that may be steeper than Mt. Everest. Sara keeps running. I drop an F bomb and walk the hill. I grab the fence at the top and keep running. Sara is a few paces ahead of me.
1/4 mile to go - ANOTHER FREAKIN' HILL! A 1/2 marathoner that has already finished cheers me on and tells me that I run up this hill and then it's down hill into the finish chute. OK, I can do that. Keep running!
Mile 13 - I don't normally do this, but I increase my pace and start sprinting to the finish line. Sara is seconds ahead of me.
Mile 13.1 - DONE!!
I don't feel fantastic, but I don't really feel like dying either. We walk it off, grab some water and there's Danielle!
Why do I look like a drowned rat and Sara looks so fresh and so clean?? Unfair!
We decide we don't want to fight the crowds at the Union and head back to our hotel to shower. We'll grab our own beer on State Street.
At the hotel we QR code our results. I'm very happy with my results and later learned it IS a PR for me. By 21 seconds I beat my second (technically my first) pace. And I ran my last 5K sub 30. Only be 2 seconds...but still.
All showered and we head to The Brat Stop for some beer and fries. I look at Sara....Soooooo....which one are we running next?
Yup. I'm addicted and I want to keep running them while I can. At some point Andy will probably say, I'm tired of taking care of everything after work so you can just go run. He'll probably say he's tired of having me leave on Saturday mornings to go for long runs...but for now, he's INCREDIBLY supportive and really the only reason why it's possible for me to run these things. So for now...I'll keep signing up.
9 months until Green Bay CellCom 1/2. Who is doing it with me??
Not so good.
Then there was #2.
Not bad.
And now there is number three. Madison Mini Marathon 2015.
I'm not sure when, but closely after giving birth to Oliver, my friend Sara suggested we run the Madison Mini marathon together. I must have still been on the "birthing high" because I agreed. I probably wasn't even cleared to start running yet. And I agreed. I had to start from square one. There are days I wanted to quit...but I kept going. I started training very early, almost doubling the normal training schedule. When I started training in April, I was running for 2 miles. And last Saturday I ran 13.1.
The night before the 1/2, we drove up to Madison and stayed at a hotel RIGHT at the starting line. The run started at 7 AM and at 6:50, we decided we should probably head to the start line. If there is something more than convenient, that's what this was!
Of course I had the same feelings I always have. Excitement. Nerves. Fear.
We got into our corral and you get that feeling you get when you get locked into a roller coaster ride. Nowhere to go but straight ahead. Nothing to do, but run.
Mile 2 - We're still on campus, running around the Capital, Farmer's Market, Union South
Mile 3 - Camp Randall? I'm not really sure where we are and when we are there.
Mile 4 - We run past a lake, down shaded streets. I'm doing good.
Mile 5 - We are entering the arboretum. I start to feel it.
Mile 6 - We start talking about our first walking break, which hopefully won't be until Mile 7. Unfortunately, when I see the aid station at about 6.4, I decide to walk it, drink some water, and eat some energy beans. I text Andy and let him know where I'm at.
Mile 7 - A little into Mile 7 I stop sweating and get goose bumps. I feel absolutely ill. I can feel everything in my stomach moving up to my throat. I choke it all back and tell Sara I HAVE to walk. It's walk or barf. Those energy beans are sitting like a rock. Oh my gosh, what if I don't make it?? We walk a small stretch and get back to running.
Mile 8 - Right around Mile 8 we run out of the aboretum. We hit a water station - I walk and drink. There are people lining the streets. They are cheering. It's a downhill stretch. There is energy on the route again and everything I was feeling before is gone. I'm ready to run and feeling good.
Mile 9 - I completely miss this mile marker until I see the 15K sign. I mean, we are kind of, almost done!
Mile 10 - There's our friend Danielle! Cheering us on!! A friendly face is the best.
Mile 11 - I run past a girl and she cheers my name. I past another girl and she TOO cheers my name. I think I'm hallucinating! I get to a water station and the woman hands me water and says, "Good Job, Dana". Sara! They know my name!! Wwweeeelllll - duh. It's on my bib :-) The Madison Memorial Cross Country team is lining both sides of the street - they are cheering like crazy and calling all our names. It was SO motivational. I just loved it!
Mile 12 - We round the back of Liz Waters (I think?) and head up a hill...what? We run flat for a minute and hit another hill. No really - what?
1/2 mile to go - There is a service road that may be steeper than Mt. Everest. Sara keeps running. I drop an F bomb and walk the hill. I grab the fence at the top and keep running. Sara is a few paces ahead of me.
1/4 mile to go - ANOTHER FREAKIN' HILL! A 1/2 marathoner that has already finished cheers me on and tells me that I run up this hill and then it's down hill into the finish chute. OK, I can do that. Keep running!
Mile 13 - I don't normally do this, but I increase my pace and start sprinting to the finish line. Sara is seconds ahead of me.
Mile 13.1 - DONE!!
I don't feel fantastic, but I don't really feel like dying either. We walk it off, grab some water and there's Danielle!
We decide we don't want to fight the crowds at the Union and head back to our hotel to shower. We'll grab our own beer on State Street.
At the hotel we QR code our results. I'm very happy with my results and later learned it IS a PR for me. By 21 seconds I beat my second (technically my first) pace. And I ran my last 5K sub 30. Only be 2 seconds...but still.
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| Girls who run get beer - duh! |
9 months until Green Bay CellCom 1/2. Who is doing it with me??
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