Madison Marathon Race Report
One of these days, I will figure out the mental game of running the marathon. Until then though, I do have my Chicago Marathon redemption – I finished the Madison Marathon in 5:01:36 – 36 minutes and 6 seconds faster than Chicago. A new PR (this is only my second full)!
I decided to run the Madison Marathon after not running my goal marathon two weeks ago. I am stubborn and trained so well, I wanted to run a damn marathon. So Steven encouraged me to find another. It had to be before Ragnar though – Madison was my best bet, despite knowing it is hillier than… something extremely hilly.
My blogger friend Tony picked up my bib for me (thank you thank you thank you!!!) and we drove to Madison late last night after a graduation party where I ate mostly crackers and fruit (smart, right?). I had been to Madison in college, but didn’t remember it well.
The start was extremely well organized and so easy to navigate – a big difference from how busy Chicago is. I lined up with the 4:15 pacer (and even ran in to a neighbor I met only once before on the way to the pace group).
I stuck with the pacer until mile 8 when I stopped to use the bathroom (couldn’t get it going in the am and ended up going to the bathroom twice more on course) and never caught up. I stuck with my pace for another mile, then started the walk run shuffle through the hills and humidity. It seems I hit the wall at mile 8. Funny, since I usually start feeling good then.
You know it’s bad when you can see the hills in the picture.
Notice it ends on an incline? You can see the full Garmin stats here.
I was able to see Steven at the start, twice on the course, and at the finish! And… Erin drove all the way up to Madison to run the last 6 miles (using the word “run” loosely here). I was so looking forward to seeing her at mile 20. I don’t think I can describe in words how nice it was to have here there during the last few miles, distracting me by talking to me, and encouraging me. I owe her big time. Thanks a million Erin!!!
I tried to give it my all at the end, but I knew I wouldn’t come in under 5:00.
Oh well!
I had to take my shoes off immediately after the race. It rained for the last 7ish miles, and while it felt great on my body, it worked wonders on my toes. I have a killer blister (funny thing – the only part of my body hurting was my bottom left foot, and my hips (from my water belt)).
I am happy the temps stayed in the 50s-60s though. The forecast had been up to 85 at one point! Madison was canceled last year because it got so hot. I was not ready for a death march in the heat again (I am looking at YOU, Chicago).
I still have so much to learn when it comes to marathons. I ran this awesome training runs at amazing paces (for me) then crashed and burned here. Erin brought up a good point – I slept in my bed the night before those, and ate my food the entire day before and morning of. And I did have a weird taper – my 20-miler was on 4/24! And I ran three 13-miler weekends in a row, then an 8-miler. Kind of bizarre.
Steven is such an awesome spectator! Thanks for chasing me around and being so encouraging babe!
And this race is awesome if you like hills. So well organized, tons of water stops, not much crowd support, but good enough. Beautiful course. Those hills though. And at mile 24, you can see the Capitol where you end, but it looks so far away. Very evil! Just kidding.
Themocracy
Way to go on finsihing and PR-ing, Kim! You did awesome!!
Thanks!
Are you back from your awesome trip now?! 🙂
I’m so proud of you and happy I could be there to help! I wish I could have pushed you to a sub-5:00 finish but I know we’ll do it at Milwaukee. Together 🙂
Thank you so so so so much! It meant so much to have you there. And I don’t think you could have pushed me more than you did. You kept me going.
So, I was trying to find the elevation profile on the Milwaukee site and they link to some dude’s garmin stats (http://www.milwaukeelakefrontmarathon.org/lfm/Maps/ElevationMap) which is weird. Anyway, check them out – http://connect.garmin.com/activity/15375945. Ugh. And apparently Milwaukee is a point to point race?
Congrats on your PR! I’m super impressed!!!
Thanks!
Awesome PR! You did great considering everything. 36 min is huge and I’m sure you’ll take even more time off on the flat Chicago course. Congrats on your 2nd marathon finish!
Thanks! I am actually doing Milwaukee this year instead of Chicago. Which apparently, is also hilly? Ugh. Why do I do this to myself?! 🙁
Congrats on #2! I love this line: (I am looking at YOU, Chicago)
I thought about this marathon to but I would have cried over the hills. Way to go!
Thanks 🙂 And yeah, the hills almost did make me cry. Unless you train for hills (I didn’t) I wouldn’t run this course!
Great job! It’s been a humid day for a marathon, so your 5:02 is that much more important! Be proud of yourself!
Thanks! I heard the weather was bad in Chicago too. A few people asked me if I beat the rain. Ugh. Stupid humidity! At least it was in the 60s!
Congrats on the PR and running the marathon! Simply amazing! I don’t know if I will ever run a marathon. My legs were hurting at mile 10 of my long run and I was like how am I going to run 16 more miles in a marathon?? You are such a great runner and I know you can run faster – just waiting for your perfect race!
Thanks! I bet you could run a marathon if you want, someday! You would just have to slow it down a bit per mile, so you didn’t get that feeling until mile 20 🙂
Congratulations on a huge PR!
Thank you! 🙂
YAY! Congrats on your new PR!!!
Thanks! This was so hard, I can’t imagine doing all the swimming and biking in an IM before it. You IMs are awesome! 🙂
Congrats on marathon #2 and a huge PR!!!!! YAY!!!!
Thanks! I have another medal for my new rack. Thanks again for the giveaway!
Erin nailed it here – AND humidity is tough, even without the heat. I’m sorry that it wasn’t the race you dreamed it would be, but it WAS an awesome PR, and a step towards Milwaukee. I am so PROUD of you and SO EXCITED to see what you can do this fall. I sense another 36+ minute PR in your future 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thanks for your encouragement! I am happy I PR’d but it is just another step… I have so much to learn about the marathon. It’s a tough beast!
AH! GOOD JOB!!!!! What an awesome race – with heat, humidity, rain, and hills!!
Thanks! 🙂
Congrats on your PR!
Thank you!
i DID see you out there! i was at the cheer station at mile 23, and yelled at you but you didn’t hear (probably because of the rain!) i should’ve taken the chance and run up with you, but didn’t want to scare some poor soul who might’ve been your doppleganger. congrats on the huge PR!
Aww! I wish I would have known you were on the course! I would have loved to see another person I know! Thanks for volunteering! I loved the cheer stations and themed water stations.
Congrats, Kim!! Way to go! Sounds like a pretty intense course. Glad your knee held up.
Thanks 🙂
Totally evil – I can’t believe that the race ended on an incline! That is SO wrong!
Despite that, congratulations on the finish and the PR. Way to go!
I hope that you continue to train well, stay healthy and enjoy your runs!
I know – who would plan it that way? Sigh 🙂
Thanks! I hope I stay healthy too. And you too!
Congrats on another marathon Kim! You are so close to sub 5, you got it next time girl, I can feel it! Heat and humidity suck during a marathon, add in the hills and the last minute adjustments to your schedule I think you were given quite a challenge on this course. I try my best to avoid courses with hills because there really aren’t a lot of places around to train and be prepared for this in the Midwest.
I have never been able to figure out the mental game of the marathon either, I’ve ran 6 and each time the race eats me alive. But that is all in the past, and we can’t change it, we can only use that info to decide how we want to use it to make the future brighter.
So congrats again! Hope you’re resting up before you start your fall training.
Thanks! I am thinking my next one DOES have to be sub 5:00! I will lose my mind if it isn’t. And you are so right – I just need to learn from this one and MOVE on. I just want the marathons to feel as easy as my long runs. Guess that isn’t going to happen?
Awesome job on the fabulous PR!! And those hills look brutal!
Thank you!! 🙂
Great work on shaving off THIRTY SIX minutes on a tough race! I’ll be curious to read more about your learnings on the psychology of the marathon. 🙂 My new goal is to run 15 minutes without stopping. Impressive, huh? Hee hee.
Thank you! Running 15 minutes without stopping is HARD. That is a good goal!
I posted some of my lessons learned today, but not much about the psychology yet. I have not gotten there 🙁
Kim,
Congrats on the PR! It was a tough course and the weather was less than ideal. I am sorry I did not see you in the morning before the race but I am glad you had a good support group to back you up. I also had a 21 minute PR on this course but am a little sore still today.
I am sure we will meet up again at a closer race. Maybe the Schaumburg Turkey trot 1/2 or Libertyville 1/2 in the fall.
I hope the blister goes away soon and you have a good memory of Madison. I am already planning my strategy for next year.
Thanks Tony! Congrats to you too! I wish we could have met up. We will, like you said.
So you think you will run Madison again? I am signed up for Milwaukee and NYC – which both have hills. I am going to be running them for sure this summer!
Uh, I would pretty much sell my soul to drop 36 minutes off my marathon PR! Impressive!
LOL, thanks! 🙂
Indeed, your marathon recap sounds a little like my half-marathon recap 🙂 But, we did it! Congrats on a PR too! How sweet of Erin to run you in, I could have used that kind of support to avoid walking 500 meters from the finish line!
Thanks! I was so looking forward to seeing Erin the entire race! I am happy we are running our next marathon together.
Congrats on the HUGE PR and a much improved race over a warm Chicago. 🙂 Maybe Wisconsin is better for some things? haha. I can’t imagine what my blisters would be like if it was raining…
Thanks! I hope WI is better! My next marathon is Milwaukee!
Ugh, those damn blisters! I wouldn’t have gotten one if it hadn’t rained. But the rain felt good.
I think I’m forever going to be in awe if your running dedication. It’s very very impressive. Maybe someday I’ll put those running shoes back on. I’ve only said that about 900 times now 😉
Aww, thank you! Get those shoes on! Running feels so good! 🙂
Congrats! that is so awesome that you were able to find a race that fit within your schedule.
I’m with Erin, I’m sure that the taper messed with you a bit. It certainly couldn’t have helped!!
I have a friend that says that you can’t complain about PR races. I’m not sure that I 100% agree with that, especially in your case when you are way more fit than your PR leads on. BUT, you have another finish under your belt and can go from there!!! Post 3 (or was it like 12) stress fractures, that ain’t bad!
Ha ha. I shouldn’t complain, but this was a suckfest. And I could have run a lot faster. Whatever… next one will be better!
Wow, that PR is awesome! I hope this gave you some of the feeling of REDEMPTION from Chicago–you really did an awesome job. It’s so great too that Erin came and ran you in. I know that really helped me in the last miles of Cleveland.
I like that you took your shoes off at the end. Ahhh, it feels so good to stretch out your toes after a marathon. I totally forgot about that part.
You say that you still have a lot to learn about marathoning–I know that you’ll have many more great races in the future!
Thank you! It was so nice to have Erin there. I wish I was running the whole race with someone. I don’t know why I feel like I need that. I guess I wish I could have stayed with the pace group!
And thanks for your optimism! I do think I have a sub 5:00 in me, and sub 4:00 someday (far away).
I thought I commented on this, but I just realized that I didn’t… I just want you to know how proud of you I am! I look at you as like my runner idol! I feel like if we were closer we could run together (though you are faster than me!). But we did our first mary’s around the same time, and to see you go on and do another one really has inspired me. Congrats Kim!! 🙂
Aww, thanks so much Linzi! You are too kind! And I would love to run with you someday. I know we would get along well. Especially since you love to have fun!
Finally made it back to the marathon post.
1.) Congrats!!!!! It may not have been your goal time, but you totally destroyed that old time. You. Kicked. Butt.
2.) We should totally run a marathon together. Start to finish. I could keep you mentally in it (ideally) and you could make me run speedily (ideally). Sounds like it could totally work, right?
Thanks. And that sounds like an AWESOME plan? Lost Dutchman 2012? (Is that the name of the race?)