Crazylegs Classic 8K 2012 Race Report

This year’s Crazylegs Classic (HERE) experience was a little different for me.  I wasn’t running by myself, was running for fun, but I still wanted to finish well.  Make sense?  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to push myself, but didn’t want to regret my time later.  This year was still some of the same ole/same ole, because Crazylegs’ weekend forecast always calls for rain.  This year was no different in that regard.  Drizzle…drizzle…drizzle.

I dropped the kids off with my parents for some bonding time and then dropped the Marathon Mommy Minivan off at the Lake Street ramp, located off of the infamous State Street in downtown Madison.  J (insert cheesy pseudo-name here--suggestions welcome!) and I walked up State Street as the first wave was heading off.  Each wave started about two minutes apart.  We walked around the Capitol Square and found my corral (He was seeded for “N”).  Based on my previous times, I was placed in corral “O”.  My wave was a hit for the UW students at the start line, who all sang one of their football game favorites and made their “O” formation with their arms.  We gave high-fives to Bucky and UW athletes and were quickly off around the Capitol Square for approximately five miles (8K) of fun through Madtown.

The rain stopped and it was chilly, but perfect for running.  I layered short sleeves under a long sleeve technical jacket and was getting warm five minutes in.  We arrived at the one mile marker around 8 minutes.  I knew Observatory Drive’s hill was coming up and was bracing myself.  I took short and choppy steps up the hill and didn’t feel too winded by the time I reached the top.  I think I can safely say that it was the easiest Observatory Drive experience for me to date.  Rolling hills proceeded through the undergraduate campus, as we headed west towards the clinical campus.  Music was playing as we approached the Lakeshore path and then the painful turnaround.  The paved path was packed as always.  Crowded and hard to maneuver.   But manageable nonetheless. Still, my pace slowed a bit at the half-way point.  But, I felt pretty strong.  We took turns encouraging each other the entire race.  I had my handheld and skipped the water station.  We took a turn and a runner was down and an ambulance was approaching us from behind.  We then headed towards University Avenue.  The dudes at the car wash had their annual “water stop” and then Rocky’s Anthem was playing from the supportive household that brings us in that last mile … every single year.  I could hear the crowd and announcer inside Camp Randall Stadium.  We approached the crowd and sped up going down to the entrance to the football field.  And, as always, I crossed that finish line with a smile on my face!!

Chip Time: 41:27
129/1,061 Age Group
725/5,940 Female
3,317/12,408 Overall

We grabbed a water and headed up the bleachers to find a cool, dry place.  The sweat and the cool weather were cooling down our bodies and my teeth were chattering.  So, we headed inside for some free beer!  The beer at the end was great!  I’m not a beer drinker, but downed a few glass myself, before freezing my @$$ off in the cold, crowded stadium and running back to the marathon mommy minivan, parked a couple of miles away.