Boston Marathon, here I come!

September 1st I ran a marathon in Madison, WI in an attempt to qualify for Boston so that I can run it with Patrick next year (who qualified in March at a race at Virginia Beach).

My friend Abigail (a classmate I met fall quarter of last year and who I have run with a lot in Hyde Park) and I rented a car and drove up there the day before to pick up by bib and explore Madison, where neither of us had been before. Arriving before the pick up time, we drove straight to the capital building to take a look around. A nice building with access to an upper, outdoor deck with panoramic views of the city, which boasts two lovely lakes. Afterwards we ate a mediocre lunch and headed to the packet pick up location. I wasn't aware beforehand, but the race was tiny (131 marathon runners) so the expo was pretty uneventful. We next drove to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum where we enjoyed a lovely walk among the trees. Because you're not supposed to be on your feet too much before a race, we took frequent breaks at benches under shady trees and even sprawled out on the grass for a lazy doze. But there had been flooding recently and it was a humid day so, unfortunately, the mosquitoes were out in full force.
We then checked into our Airbnb before getting dinner at the Great Dane. I enjoyed a tasty Mediterranean themed platter. Back at the Airbnb we took turns showering and it was lights out around 9PM.

The morning of I ate my usual toaster waffle with peanut butter and honey as Abigail drove us to the wet and rainy start. There was talk of having to stop the race if the rain/flooding got too bad, but fortunately that wasn't necessary. No rain until the fifth or sixth mile and then to be honest I don't remember when it stopped but it wasn't too terrible. Fortunately it wasn't too windy either. The course, two laps around Lake Monona, was sometimes right along the lake, sometimes through neighborhoods, briefly under a Frank Lloyd Wright designed venue and briefly along a main street. Since the race was so small, it was pretty quiet without many folks cheering or, after the first lap (end of the half marathon), even many other racers out there. I trained to finish in 3:27:30 = 7:55/mile, but finished in 3:30:20 = 8:01/mile. My proudest accomplishment is running a slightly faster second half (13.1 miles) than my first. For my age group, the Boston qualifying time is 3:35:00. If you aren't already aware, you can qualify and still not get into the race if everyone else who signs up is faster. However, at 4 minutes and 40 seconds faster, I am almost guaranteed to be included. Patrick was a great coach and my training went spectacular so I felt very well prepared and felt so good after that I probably should have gone faster. But that's what Boston is for :) I sign up Monday 9/17! Race is April 15th; Patrick and I have already booked our Airbnb!

 

After the race Abigail and I got a tasty breakfast at a diner she got a tea at while waiting for me to come by at mile 10. On our way out we stopped back and the capital building to sample some foods from the Taste of Madison festival. Then, it was back home to Chicago!

A few noticing from our trip:
- It was interesting to see so many folks dressed in their Badger (mascot of the University) gear. Felt like being in a small town where everyone is super invested in the high school football team.
- The few strangers we spoke to during our brief visit were very talkative and friendly. These weren't busy city-folk!
- Leave the city, and apparently you leave behind diversity in the Midwest.