Showing posts with label Madison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madison. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Monday, February 01, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
Monday, January 18, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
Monday, May 06, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Mad City 100K
I ran the Mad City 100K (USATF National Championship) Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.I was really excited to be able to run this distance the 100K. I have been wanting to run this distance for a couple of years.
There weren't too many of us signed up to run the 100K distance. Only 16 of us all together. The morning started out pretty chilly in the low 30s. Most of us started the race with a jacket/long sleeves and pants. The race was started by another 100K runner who just ran the Boston Marathon. The Race Director thought it would be appropriate for him to start the race with a simple 'Go'. So we went with that simple word.
The first climb of the race was over a small bridge leading into the park. We had to run up the hill and come back down. The second hill was a very long incline. I don't know how long it actually was, but it was a grind. Once reaching the top of the hill/incline, we were rewarded with a downhill. The next hill/incline was about a mile later. Another tough grind that lasted a long stretch. The fourth and last climb of the loop was heading to the aid station at 3.8 miles. This climb wasn't as long, but it did it was still a tough one.
The first two laps went well for me. I was feeling great and was sticking to my game plan. I wasn't spending too much time at the aid stations and I was still running. During the third loop, my calves started getting tight. I knew when that happened, it wasn't going to be the day that I wanted. I kept running and somewhere during the middle of the loop the tightness loosened up. That gave me a sigh of relief. I thought I got through a rough patch and I could keep going.
Unfortunately that feeling didn't last too long. The tightness of my calves came back during lap 4. Besides the tight calves, I also developed hip pain on both sides. When that happened, I started a pro and cons list in my head of why I should or shouldn't stop at the next lap for a 50K. I ran another lap, which felt much slower then lap 4. When I was running to the finish line to complete my fifth lap, I had a discussion with the RD. I told him what was going on: the pain in my hips and my tight calves. I said I was stopping and he agreed that was probably best. There was no reason to keep running to try to injure myself. Running is too important to me. I finished running 50K in 6 hours and 14 minutes.
I was disappointed I didn't go the full distance of 100K. It has been my goal to complete this race for a while. On the other hand I am happy because I did run 31 miles and enjoyed myself on the course. I did what I felt needed to be done. So it was still a good day. Any day I can run is a good day. If you are ever interested in running the Mad City 50K relay, 50K or 100K, I recommend it. The course is looped through the wonderful city, neighborhoods and lakes. It is so beautiful.
Monday, February 04, 2013
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