Tyranena Beer Run - 1/2 Barrel Route - RunHalf Marathon


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Lake Mills, Wisconsin
United States
Tyranena Brewing Company
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 57m 14s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 24/86
Pre-race routine:

Knew this race would be a bit of a, er, challenge as I was - well, I wasn't 'unprepared' but I was kind of on fumes even before we even started. And not the sort of fumes that mean you had a big bean burrito the night before. In case you were wondering.

This was my 3rd race in 4 weeks (the des moines half, the fall 50 relay and then this half) but on top of that, I was in sacramento shooting one of the most emotional stories I think I've ever done. It really drained me in a way that I didn't expect. I was interviewing a man who has survived 3 relapses of esophageal cancer and his been told by his doctors over and over that he only has 6 months to live. He's made it 12 years. He was an inspiration in his courage and his unwillingness to stop fighting.

So while I was pooped, I kept reminding myself that it was NOTHING compared to what some people are currently facing. And not to be such a wimp.
Event warmup:

Chatted and jogged a bit with amyjotris (it was so great to see you!!), saw 1stTimeTri and his boys. Seeing his smiling face on the course would mean a lot a bit later!! Oh, and I had the donkey tri top that I stole from djdavey (well, not so much stole - just haven't returned since IMMoo... er, sorry? nope, not sorry)

The PERFECT day to run!
Run
  • 1h 57m 14s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

Got in line for the start and who should find me but one jmwebs! Who-hoo!! We ended up running the first 8 miles together and wow, that. was. fun.

We kept a pretty even pace of 8:30s while chatting, joking and trying to avoid smelly-orange-shirt man. There was a guy who was doing the walk-run thing and every time he passed, we noticed this overwhelming, rancid stank. I'm super sensitive to smell and the scent was so overpowering that I was getting nauseous every time I smelled it. Turned out it WASN'T that guy, I think it was the lake or manure spread or something but we had fun pretending it was that guy. In fact, I made up a song to the tune of Jingle Bells about him. (Jingle bells, that man smells... and some other stuff that I can't remember)

We saw 1stTimeTri at the first hill and he ran us up, distracting us with awesome chatter. Thanks!!

But around mile 6, I started to get tired and I knew I probably wouldn't be finishing the race with webs. I hung with him until mile 8 but lost him at the water stop where I stopped to walk a bit. After that, it was a struggle to keep going. I faded hard and my pace dropped down to 9:30s but ... I didn't stop. Even though walking seemed the most beautiful thing since rainbows and napping sounded like the most amazing idea since gravity. I kept reminding myself on the last miles that this is what the last miles of a marathon feel like and it was just good practice. Saw 1stTimeTri again around mile 10 and his cheering gave me a huge boost.

Found just enough to kick it in but just barely.... finished and was very glad to be done!
What would you do differently?:

Not travel and kill myself with work the week of the race. Eat dinner the night before instead of a quick beer in the airport. Carry water.
Post race
Warm down:

limped around, laughed with webs, found my other friends also doing the race. Wandered into the tent, found Renee and Mark and realized I had left my drink tickets in the car. Well, that won't do! Did a very pathetic jog back to the car to grab them - I swear, beer is the only thing that could have motivated me to run at that point.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

lack of kenyan blood - and a job.

Event comments:

I normally try and go out a bit slower but I felt ok about going out at 8:30s because 3 weeks ago, at the des moines half, I finished in 1:53 and felt great - but my first three miles were really slow. So I figured, ok, I'm tired, but I'm feeling inspired so why not set myself up from the start to have a great race... just in case I had it in me today to have a great race. Didn't work out but hey, got in some great tired-body-end-of-marathon training.

And as always - SO MUCH FUN hanging out with everyone! Love this race.




Last updated: 2011-10-01 12:00 AM
Running
01:57:14 | 13.1 miles | 08m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/86
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course: mostly flat with a few hills in the beginning and some small ones at the end
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]