Running Diva Mom: Parkinsons Half Marathon Race Report

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Parkinsons Half Marathon Race Report

Last Saturday, hubby and I competed in our first half marathon of the year. We registered for the Parkinson's Half Marathon (HERE) in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. We love driving out to the Glacial Drumlin Trailhead and running there, so I was excited to run a race on the beautiful, flat trail.

We drove out to Cottage Grove on Friday evening to pick up our packets and stopped for a short walk on the trail. It was a beautiful evening. We then made a stop at 1855 Saloon at the trailhead for a beer and fish fry. With our marriage last fall, I moved way up in the alphabet and always receive #2 or #3 on race day ....

I saw a lot of familiar races on race day morning -seasoned and new runners. I love small local races! I even had a friend announcing the race - he was the one that inspired me to start running back in 2005. So, Running Diva Mom received some special shout outs before and after the race.

Instead of doing a simple out and back this year, they opted to start with a 1.5 mile loop around the neighborhood to help with congestion this year. We were off and .1 miles into the race, I was pumping my arms and I heard a snap. It wasn't my shoulder, or my ankle. It was my sports bra. The strap. Dang it. Good thing it was a pretty tight compression bra. The one side was keeping me pretty supportive, but I continued to tug on the left side for the next thirteen miles. Ugh. It kept me distracted from other things though!

We ran out towards Deerfield and turned around about mile seven. I love out and back courses. I saw hubby and some friends before the turnaround and then several more friends and bloggers on the way back. I gave a lot of high fives and friendly waves.

I sling-shotted several girls throughout the entire race. I consumed two gels and a few cups of Gatorade during the race. I would get a boost of energy and pick up my pace and then slow down again. They were doing the same. The last three miles, I felt like I was almost home and started kicking it into gear. I played some of my favorite tunes on my playlist and repeated a few of them several times. Once I hit the twelve mile marker, I really got in the zone and pushed it through to the finish, passing several of the people that I previously had been jockeying position with. I knew that there was a big hill at the trailhead, that I always dread. The rest of the course was completely flat. I used my momentum to get me up the hill and finished at the trailhead with a 1:58:02 according to my watch.

Medal and broken bra strap

We hung out for quite awhile, enjoying the company of friends and cheering on fellow runners and had some great beer and post race refreshments. The pizza was awesome. Then we headed back to our vehicle where I luckily had a change of clothes - and a functional sports bra. We headed to downtown Madison for the first outdoor farmers market of the year and an afternoon on State Street and grilling out at home. What an amazing spring day. One of those where you just love life - and running!

Unfortunately, I forgot to "practice what I preach" and forgot to stretch in all of the post-race festivities. I am still sore, three days later. Ouch.

After all of the running and walking around in downtown Madison, I cringed at taking off my Mirages when we got home. I knew I had a nice blood blister, but had no clue how bad it was.