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That’s a wrap

My last race of the year was officially cancelled.

So I’ll end the year with my virtual Syttende Mai 10 mile run and GVRAT and those are my only races this year, no in person races.

I’m gonna request a refund. While I’m planning to run the race next year (I NEED TO COMPLETE THE METAL SERIES!) but I’d rather not defer.

#madison marathon #madison half marathon

Madison Marathon Half Race Recap

I got dropped off right by the porta-pots and used one before making my way to the start line. The full marathon began at 7 and by 7:05 the half marathoners were filling in the corrals and standing close to keep warm.

We got going and I always like making a mental note of the songs I'm listening to at certain points. The starting line song was "Looks Red, Tastes Blue" by Mayday Parade.

I would love so much if this race would PULEEZE get waves going. It's so annoying to be running around people who had to line up near the front and aren't keeping pace with the crowd.

I was able to maintain really good pacing for the first two miles and then kept pushing. The first few miles are pretty flat, no dramatic hills.

At mile 7 there's a short out and back and I spotted the 2 hour pace group. I knew that my pacing was solid and that they started in the front of me so I was feeling good.

Then we hit the mile 8 hills. Its incredibly cruel to have these hills in the race at all, but at the same time, it makes you feel like a major badass when you finish. I saw a guy holding a sign that said "Maple Bluff Peak 935 feet of elevation gain" I don't know if that's accurate, but it's a beast of a hill.

Also when I hit mile 8, Centuries by Fall Out Boy came on and I was like woo! I am a legend! Then the second part of the hill came up, the even worse part, and Ambulance by MCR came on and I was like OH NO! Hahaha

But I lived! I popped in a shot blok and not too much later I realized I didn't want it anymore. I knew I was getting close to the Govenor's Mansion and tried to hold it in my mouth to spit out on the ground there as one last act of rebellion against Scooter before he leaves office, but I just couldn't hold onto it, so I dumped in the trash at a water stop.

(The real hero is the person who lives next to the Govenor's Mansion with the Tony Evers sign still in their yard. God fucking bless.)

It was also about mile 9 that I passed the 2 hour pace. That was a good feeling. Around mile 10.5 I start to feel rough, but I just kept reasoning that I could do this and pushed on.

Around mile 12.5 I was feeling rough and The Black Parade came on and I was thinking oh ok, I'm gonna die here, ok, well as long as I pass the finish line in time.

And then as I was finishing the last hill at mile 13, I was like oh god, I'm almost done, and I knew that I was gonna hit my goal! Immortals by Fall Out Boy came on and wow, that was EXACTLY what I wanted to hear while crossing the finish line and finally hitting my sub 2 hour goal and setting a 2 minute PR!

Some miscellaneous thoughts:

My Dad, a veteran of the US Navy, deserves a shout out for driving me to the race on a cold ass Veterans Day.

The Madison Marathon is a masterclass of post race food. You get a full sack lunch from panera! I got a ham sandwich, chips and a cookie! This is some good shit!

Some fun signs I saw include the usual "You run better than the government", "you're running better than the Republicans in the midterms" and "your feet hurt from kicking so much ass!" I also saw "you run 26.2 miles? Weird flex but ok" lol

I was brainstorming with my parents signs that would motivate me specifically. My mom suggested "Run like they're giving out Taking Back Sunday tickets at the finish line." And I suggested "Run like My Chemical Romance is reuniting at the finish line" or "You're the last of the real ones!"

I was struggling to come up with a mantra to get me through, but there were tons of birds soaring through the air so when I was struggling, I would tell myself "that's you, you're that bird soaring strong, you got this." Thankful for my name today.

#madison marathon #madison half marathon #running #race recap #half marathon

I just signed up for my next half marathon!

It's at the Madison Marathon in May 2014! I'll be using the hal higdon intermediate plan, with an ultimate goal time of 2:00:00 (although I'd be more than happy to beat my old PR of 2:19:19).

#half marathon #madison marathon

Madison Marathon's Full Marathon Canceled

Breaking News: Madison Marathon's Full Marathon (for Sunday) has been canceled because of predicted heat.

#Madison #Madison Marathon #Marathon