PR in Mad City

We didn't have much going on this weekend. On Wednesday, I considered the possibility of running the Madison Marathon. To make a long story short, we made the two-hour drive on Saturday, signed up, stayed with family nearby, and I ran the race on Sunday morning. I finished with a new personal record (3:54:26), improving my previous best by about four minutes. Yay!
More Pictures

Madison Split Times

Miles 1-5	8:55	8:37	9:08	8:45	8:28
Miles 6-10	9:08	8:56	8:45	8:54	8:54
Miles 11-15	8:42	8:59	9:02	8:53	8:48
Miles 16-20	8:52	8:54	8:50	9:09	8:54
Miles 21-25	8:47	9:21	9:21	9:14	9:15
Miles 26-End	9:08	1:47

• Average Pace: 8:57/mile
• First half: 1:56:04 Second half: 1:58:22
• Fastest Mile: #5 (8:28) Slowest Mile: #22/#23 (9:21)
• Updated Marathon Graph - I still slowed down a bit at the end, but it wasn't as dramatic as Houston, Portland, or Little Rock.
  

Third Place Again!

The Lake Geneva 10K was a more challenging course than I anticipated. It had its share of hills, though I didn't think there was as much "rolling" as there was in Minnesota last weekend.

Right before the race, I realized that everyone (but me) was wearing chips around their ankles to track their time. I had incorrectly assumed that only marathoners and half-marathoners needed chips. I ran back (fairly quickly) to a nearby hotel to get my chip, only to be told that they had *just* been driven over to the start/finish area that I had just left. Oh well. I eventually found my chip, put it on, took a deep breath, and set out on the course.

It was a bit exciting to pass hundreds of 5k and 10k runners at the beginning of the race. There weren't any mile markers, but my GPS had me pacing at about 8:00/mile. As soon as we got into a more wooded area, it lost track, and it had me reaching the 5k turnaround point at 1.8 miles.

Even though I didn't have an exact measurement, the course seemed longer than 10k to me. I was hoping to crack 50 minutes, as I had run 10k in less time than that on a treadmill. I reached the halfway point in about 26 minutes. Even though I had run a bit extra prior to the race, I still felt pretty good.

On the way back to the finish, I spied another runner about 200 feet in front of me. Slowly and steadily, I closed the gap. On the final stretch by the lake, I had a sprint left in me, so I took off and finished well ahead of the other runner.

My chip time was 52:15, just fast enough to get third place for the M25-29 age group. It's my third age group award in three weekends! My prize was a running hat, which I really like because I've never had one before. I might wear it at the Lighthouse Run on June 16 if it's sunny out. :)

5k Bud Break Recap

The weather was a bit rainy, but conditions were great for the 5k Bud Break in Chanhassen, Minnesota, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I was in the North Star State visiting my brother, Andrew, his wife, Holly, and their two daughters, Ella & Lily. They patiently browsed the gift shop and checked out the blooming flowers as I warmed up.

I started off the race a bit quick, but it wasn't long before I settled into a 7:00/mile pace. The course had tons of hills -- rarely was there a flat stretch. Up and down, up and down, I kept forcing myself to just get over the next hill. My GPS paced the first two miles at 7:00 each, and I wasn't getting too tired yet. The third mile was more of the same, and it also clocked at about 7:00. However, it must not have been perfectly accurate, becuase it measured another .22 miles to the finish.

I finished 22:16, enough to get third place for my age group (M20-29). The award was a bit of a surprise, considering that the winner finished in about 18 minutes.

Many thanks to Andrew, Holly, Ella, and Lily for all of their support, and for waiting around even longer so that I could get my medal!