Madison Mini-Marathon

I just want one perfect weather, injury free half marathon.  Well, October it is.

Beautiful 50 degree weather at the start this morning for the Mini-Marathon.  Too bad, I had a bothersome ankle that now post-race is developing into an ugly bruise.  I thought about dropping out of the race at about mile 6.  I didn't want to exacerbate an injury that might prevent me from someday running a full marathon.  At mile 7, either the pain has numbed feeling in the ankle or it's subsided, but I no longer felt pain with every step.  I get in a couple of good miles and then the pain comes back in and out for the remaining race.  

Somehow, I finished, and even managed to have exactly the results I expected though not hoped for.   

Split times:
5 mile- 44:32
10 mile- 1:35:17
Last 5k- 29:29
Finish- 2:04:45
Overall pace- 9:32

Training Log or lack thereof.

When I first started training in February for the half marathon, I was very diligent about writing down my runs. I logged the date, the distance, an estimate on the time, where the route was, whether on an indoor track or treadmill, etc. It was a good way to track my achievement. I was increasing my distance and it was exciting to be able to see the amount of miles I was running as well as entering those long runs of 8 or 10 miles. I was proud and a bit surprised of what I was capable of achieving.

At some point around Crazy Legs, I became a lot less diligent in logging my runs. I stopped logging where the route was, the time estimate, even the date became an estimate. There are entries after the 20k race, but really those entries were entered weeks later and I only half remembered what had happened on those runs.

Now, I don't bother logging them at all. I see this as a good thing. We don't record routines. We don't bother writing down the amount of water we consumed, how much and where, or about brushing our teeth in the morning. I actually had made the decision to start training in January, but first began recording runs when I made my first 10k run around the Arboretum. That was an achievement for me at the time. Now that 10k run is routine.

Madison Half Marathon

I worked hard for this medal.

The full marathon was canceled due to a forecast high of 93 on Sunday.  Temperatures were supposed to reach 80 before 10 am.  The Green Bay marathon a week before had also high but not as bad temperatures and the race directors had to shut down the course about 2.5 hours after the race started.  Trying to head off a similar situation, the Madison full marathon was canceled.  Registered runners got some sort of credit for next year's marathon and were all automatically transferred to running the half marathon.  We were originally required to finish the half marathon in 3 hours before they pulled us off the course, but due to the heat, they left the course open for an additional hour and a half.  I was disappointed that my very first half marathon would be completed in less than ideal conditions.

After Lake Monona 20k, running the half marathon in under 2 hours looked to be very possible.  I was expected to come in just seconds before the 2 hour mark, so I knew there would be little leeway.  I had to be running my best.  Unfortunately, the heat picked up in Madison not long after that 20k race and with a bothersome knee, my training took a dive.  I was struggling to get 5 miles in, and was only finally able to work up to a 10k in 80 degree weather about 5 days before the half.  This would be tough.  I began preparing myself to let go of my original goal.  I have had little to no training in these kinds of conditions and risking heat exhaustion or something worse might take me out of future races.

Runner's High

I used to think the runner's high referred to what one felt after a run.  A good workout in the morning can make the rest of the day can feel amazing.  I felt like I go through the rest of the day lighter on my feet, feeling more accomplished.  It elevates the mood for the day.

It wasn't until I started running more than 5 miles that I began to understand that runner's high.  The first few miles of a run always suck for me.  I start out thinking, "what am I doing out here? It's too hot/too cold/about to rain/too early.  I'm feeling too tired/too sleepy/too much to do."  But I've learned to not quit, to instead convince myself to get to mile 4.  Because somewhere between mile 3 and mile 4, those annoying demoralizing thoughts of "maybe I'll quit early" go away and instead, I'm thinking about nothing.  Thoughts are slowly drifting out my head, and I'm lulled by my breaths.  Or maybe I've found one thought that I'm casually, amusingly tossing around.  Each step has become part of a meditative rhythm and I am feeling like an efficient machine.  My speed increases and I'm feeling like this was what my body was meant to do: turn calories into energy, breaths into steps, determination into speed.