2010 Madison Mini Marathon Race Report

I set the alarm for 5 am on Saturday morning for Second Annual Madison Mini Marathon (HERE). I ran the innaugural race in 2009 and absolutely loved it! I actually got up before the alarm went off and got out of bed to get my running gear on. Got the kids up after I had some breakfast and we headed out the door just before 6 am.

We drove into downtown Madison and the Lake Street ramp was a lot busier this year. We ended up parking in the new (expensive!) parking ramp at Lucky. There was little-to-no line to enter and was just a short jaunt over to the start line. The forecast was for a humid morning and cloud-cover. We weren't supposed to have any sunshine until the afternoon. The race started at 7 am.

Little Diva and I used a port-o-potty and I gathered up my nutrition. Took a quick pic in front of the Red Rym at the UW Memorial Union, and headed over to the start line.

It took me a couple of minutes to get to the start line after the green flag was waved. I was starting with the 2 hour group. As I headed down State Street, I spotted Little Diva in her bright green t-shirt from Family Fan Club (HERE), called out her name and gave her a high-five. I had little to no energy for some reason and gave her a smile.

At around mile two I felt completely zapped and even had the chills a bit. I'm not sure what was up. I had a total of four shot-blocks and some water before I hit my third water stop. I heard my parents yell out my name as I passed by the Henry Vilas Zoo. It was really cool to see them before I entered the quiet portion of the race in the UW Arboretum. I was trying not to drink Gatorade, because I had believed it was making me feel nauseous at the end of my races. I needed some energy however, and decided to grab some at the next water stop. I saw my parents again at the end of the Monroe Street portion of the race. They were cheering for me. I gave my mom a high five and told her that I was going really slow and not to worry at the finish. I'd finish, but was going to be way off of my time goal of sub-two hours. I kept doing calculations in my head and figured I'd cross the finish line around 2:10, which was upsetting for me. But, I felt so crappy, that i just wanted to finish. Around mile 9 I saw them change the flag at the mile marker from green to yellow. It was humid and the Bondi Band was no longer holding the salty sweat out of my eyes. I had also been dumping water over my head and it was causing my eyes to burn. I grabbed some more Gatorade and was starting to feel my first burst of energy. I was cruising down a hill and started passing other runners. I had been getting passed the entire race.

As we headed along the lake, around mile 11.5, I heard this gal breathing really heavy behind me. My watch wasn't quite 1:50 yet. I was feeling good. I asked her if she was aiming for sub-hours. She said that she'd love to and had the same top at home, that I was sporting for the race. She said I was her target for most of the race and she had been trying to catch up with me. Huh? I felt like I was crawling through the entire 11.5 miles I had just dragged myself through. I asked her if she'd like to finish strong with me and she agreed. We got to mile 12 and she said, "OK, here we go ...". I felt a huge burst of engery and kicked it into gear. A friend of hers came up on his bike and was chatting with her. I could tell that she didn't want to chat, or couldn't. She was obviously giving this all she could. I waved her in and encouraged her to come along. He got the picture and drove off as she told him we were aiming to go sub-two. We ran through the sprinklers at the last water station and I grabbed some water and lost her in the crowd. She yelled that she was still coming and to keep going. I kept turning around and she would wave me on. I was counting backwards in my head the last half mile, as we approached the Memorial Union. I saw the finish line immediately and picked up the pace.

I realized I wasn't going to go sub-two, but was close. I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face ... after feeling so terrible for most of my journey. I stopped my watch at 2:00:42. I was pleased with my strong finish, but knew that I could do better. I saw the doctor from work that was volunteering at the finish line. She spotted me right away and told me I was a rock star and gave me a high five.

I grabbed my medal, two bottles of water and some treats. The chocolate milk was the best! I spotted Jason (who introduced himself at Waunafest and confessed that he reads my blog!), and opted not to wait in the long line for my finisher's photo in an oversized Memorial Union chair.

I spotted hubby and the kids. Then, I called my parents to meet up with them. Little Diva loves to take pictures, so she took some of us in front of the Union. A lot of runners were jumping in the lake to cool off.

Despite how I felt, I loved this race and the convenience of it just as much as last year. I will definitely be signing up again in 2011.

My parents and I
after the race

My finisher's photo

(courtesy of Little Diva)

Chip Time: 2:00:42
Pace: 9:13
10K: 56:12
Overall Place: 1235 / 3205
Gender Place: 474 / 1756
Division Place: 97 / 317

HAPPY to have

another half marathon in the books!