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Comments: The race plan: go out easy on the hills. Keep pace in check going up, cruise going down. Make up time once the course flattens out. And then hang on for the last 5k. I planned the race, raced the plan. Just about :30/mile slower than I had wanted. Basically, this course ate me up and spat me out. I had run this about 2 years ago, but had done it pacing a friend and apparently didn't QUITE remember the course... it seemed much easier at the 10:30m/m pace I ran it at that time. :) So - it was pretty early on that I realized that a PR was not in the making. And I was okay with that ... I knew that between the course and the weather (cold with 20mph winds out of the west), it was going to be tough if it were going to happen. But - I just raced the plan anyway. Focused. Kept on track. Insisted on making it hurt. Once I got onto the second half of the course, there was a tailwind and a relatively flat limestone trail -- I really pushed through this part even though my legs were feeling the hills from the previous 6 miles. Fell in step with an all-too-perky cross country girl who paced me for a couple of miles. Her making small talk, me trying not to pass out. She was nice, though, and took my mind off the pain. She left me at a water stop (around mile 9?), and then I was on my own to keep the pace going. At about mile 10, we exited the woods and finished out the last 5k on city streets and county highways. Funny - mile 10 was marked with a "mile 11" sign... I knew it wasn't 11 yet, but that sure was a nice thought. :) The last 5k I was definitely fatigued and slowing, but people around me were as well. So - I made it my goal to focus on the person in front of me and pass them. While I was no speed demon out there, I did manage to pick off over a dozen people in the last 5k, and only 2 of them passed me back (interestingly, the perky cross country chick was one that I caught up with, and then she turned it on the last half mile and I had nothing left to follow...). The last mile turned back into the headwind... every step was a struggle. And then you tossed in a couple of rolling hills, and WOW was that tough. And it amazed me how dang COLD I was (after being comfortable most of the race). But I just ate up the pain with every step and moved forward. But overall, I'm really quite satisfied with this race. My worst enemy is always in my own head. The "it hurts too much" or "you can't PR anyway" or "you can't keep this up" negative thoughts that bounce around. And this race, despite everything, I stayed focused and strong. Ran the very best race that I could have, given the circumstances. Ran smart, didn't let the things I couldn't control bother me, and pushed and made it HURT. Yup, I'm totally proud of my effort. What would you do differently?: Run faster? :) Always! But - effort wise, not a thing. I left everything out on the race course, and found that I *do* have it within myself to banish the negative thoughts and focus on what needs to be done. And without the difficulties, no lesson would have been learned.  Post race
Warm down: Went through the tent, picked up some food and then stood outside absolutely freezing to death, waiting for Kim (who was doing the 4-miler) and Sue and Ellen to come in. Cheered them all in and FINALLY got some dry clothes on, which helped at least a little bit. Stood in line for what turned out to be some awesome lasagna and then headed back to the hotel. What limited your ability to perform faster: Weather. Hills, because I didn't do enough training on them. Event comments: I really enjoy this race -- it's fun, challenging, scenic. GREAT route, really. And an awesome venue... with the luck of better weather (though it *IS* Wisconsin in November), it would be one big party from start to finish. The downsides... they could have used more volunteers at some intersections to hold back traffic. Also, of the 3 water stops, one of the them I had to wait for gatorade because there were only two people working the table and they didn't have enough poured by the time I got there. Also - the post-race festivities were great, but they could use a bigger tent since everyone really needed to be out of the wind. That said - I would totally do this race again. In fact, I'm looking forward to doing it again next year and taking on those hills again! Last updated: 2008-08-25 12:00 AM
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United States
33F / 1C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 347/675
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 17/71
We drove up to Madison Friday night, so I was able to sleep in and enjoy the hotel breakfast. With an 11:30am start time, I found myself a little lost for my usual pre-race routine. Ate a little more than I usually would, figuring that it had 4.5 hours to settle.
Kim, Ellen and myself piled into my car, met up with Sue and her brother partway, and drove to the race site. Got there early enough to get parking right across the street, which was sweet. Picked up my packet, hung around in the tent to stay warm, and generally just enjoyed the fact that I wasn't out in the wind and cold yet.
Combined a potty run with a warm-up run. Not well-timed, though - I cooled down too much between the warm-up and the race start.