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You are here: Home / 14in2014 / Half Marathon #15 for 2014: Madison Mini Marathon

Half Marathon #15 for 2014: Madison Mini Marathon

August 18, 2014 by MCM Mama 11 Comments

Madison Mini Marathon
August 16, 2014
2:27:11

madison-mini-shirt

Temp: mid 60ss and crazy humid (something close to 90%)
What I wore: hat, short sleeve shirt, Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt,
PROCompression socks, and my trusty Altra Intuitions
(my very first pair, which I have now retired from racing)

madison-mini-skirt-sports

Friday Evening

Kim arrived in Wisconsin and my dad and I picked her up at the airport (after a slight detour to Ale Asylum since her flight was delayed).

ale-asylum-kink

We immediately headed to South Union to pick up our packets.  Pick up went smoothly and we just happened to run into Jess from Run with Jess and her family.  After some time chatting, we headed back to my parents’ house and an early bedtime.

madison-mini-packet-pickup

Race Morning

I had my usual pre-race crappy night’s sleep.  The alarm went off way too early at 4:30am.  We had a 45 minute drive, so we were out of the house by 5:15am and parking by 6am. Yawn! After a short walk down State Street, we were at the start line.  We again ran into Jess. (It was pretty amazing how often we managed to run into her considering there were about 4500 runners.)

madison-mini-state-building

The Race

This was a rough race for me.  Not sure if it was the crazy humidity or my allergies, but I could.not.breathe.  I was struggling almost from the first step.  Kim stayed with me and I hung in at a decent pace for the first few miles, but it quickly became apparent that I needed to just go super slow.  Around mile 6, we hit a hill and I decided to walk and Kim ran on.  (Honestly, I was seriously considering DNFing the race, but I decided to just walk the rest.)  Miles 6-9 were a combination of slow running, some walking, and a lot of mental whining. I decided I was dropping out of Ragnar, that I was never running another half marathon, and that I was the worst runner ever.  I drank so much Gatorade that I began to slosh. And then I hit mile 10 and my body said “oh, yeah, I know how to do this.”  And I ran the last 3 miles.  WTF?  I must have passed at least 100 people in that time.

The good:

  • I love Madison and it was awesome to see so much of it on foot.
  • Everything was well organized and there was plenty of Gatorade and a lot of different food and drink options at the end.
  • Kim. She stuck with me for almost 6 miles and only left me because I needed to get into my own head and get through the race.
  • My dad kicked a$$ and finished in 2:09:23.
  • The medal. It has a bottle opener built in.  Gotta love Wisconsin.

madison-mini-medal

The bad:

  • The hills. I swear, I’m so tired of saying that about the races I do. LOL
  • The walkers who insisted on walking 3 or more across near the end of the race when we were on a small path.

The ugly:

  • The humidity.
  • The heat.  The course was a “code yellow” by the end and it was quite sunny out.  I would not have minded a cooler day.
  • The blisters on my toes and the toenail that will soon depart.
  • My mental state.  I have only been that close to quitting once before – at my very first half marathon.  It was awful.

madison-mini-finish

Would I run it again?

Maybe, but probably not.  It was a great race in many ways – well organized, nice shirt, great medal, good support, but it was also hot, humid and hilly.  And it’s been that hot many of the past years.  I just don’t love a late August race, unless I’m someplace like Alaska LOL.

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Comments

  1. Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says

    August 18, 2014 at 9:16 am

    Sounds like my Zooma half a couple of weeks ago. Same conditions, and by mile 4, I was ready to detour to the 10k finish line! But my friends pushed me to the end. Heat and humidity are not my friend!

    I ran the Madison Mini about 3 years ago and it is still one of my favorite halfs. I love the course, in spite of the hills; I love Madison; and I finished in 1:59:59. What’s not to love about that?
    Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Marathon training week 5–What doesn’t kill me is going to make me stronger…My Profile

    Reply
  2. Chaitali says

    August 18, 2014 at 10:14 am

    The medal looks so fun! Great job finishing in spite of the hard conditions. I’ve definitely had some runs recently where the humidity makes me feel like I can’t breathe and that definitely makes it hard to enjoy running 🙁
    Chaitali recently posted…Weekly reviewMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Deborah Brooks says

    August 18, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    Congrats on another race! Cute skirt too!
    Deborah Brooks recently posted…Grilled Eggplant ParmeseanMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Michelle @ Running with Attitude says

    August 18, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    We have got to find you a flat course for one of these races! LOL! Good job pushing through the heat and humidity – late August races are really tough!
    Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Training Update & Nuun WinnerMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Coco says

    August 18, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    You pushed through some tough conditions! I just can’t see ever signing up for an August race. I am too afraid of the heat and humidity.
    Coco recently posted…Will Run For Beer (Ragnar Training)My Profile

    Reply
  6. Christine @ Love, Life, Surf says

    August 18, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    I love that the medal is a bottle opener! I hear you on the late August humidity. I’m sorry that you had a rough run. It’s crazy what our minds will put us through during a race! Great job!
    Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted…PR = Personal RecordMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    August 19, 2014 at 7:32 am

    Congrats on another half! I had similar thoughts as you this weekend!
    Jennifer recently posted…PRR Leesburg 20K Race RecapMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Christine says

    August 19, 2014 at 9:22 am

    Sorry to hear it was a tough race, but hey, you did it!!
    Christine recently posted…Marvelous In My Monday #MIMMMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Samantha@foodfitfamfriends says

    August 19, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    Tough race but you finished and didn’t quit. Awesome job! Some races suck that just makes the good ones even better!
    Samantha@foodfitfamfriends recently posted…Fueling on the RunMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

    August 19, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    i hear you. while i LOVED the leesburg 20k, i did keep thinking “why did i sign up for this???” august humidity does not a happy race make!
    Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC recently posted…Peach Blueberry Cobbler RecipeMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Kristy @Runaway Bridal Planner says

    August 20, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    Great job on your race! That is awesome you’ve done 15 halfs this year, way to go girl!!!!

    Reply
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Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath.

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