Race Recap: Wisconsin HM

The Not So Little Mermaid & I on race day.

Race Day -1
The daughter and I had traveled since Thursday morning to get first to my cousin's house near Scott AFB, Illinois and then drove the final 5-6 hours to Kenosha today (Friday). While the drive was long, it was pretty...when it wasn't a downpour of rain. There were actually periods of the drive in south/central Illinois where the rain was coming down in sheets that caused me to slow to 20 miles slower than the speed limit on the highway and that actually caused some people to pull over to the side of the freeway to await the rain's passing. Once we got to Kenosha I found the Best Western Harborside easily and picked up my packet as well as $50 worth of Bondi Bands for myself, the daughter and my cousin. After stopping briefly to take some pictures of the two lighthouses on the harbor, we headed over to Great Lakes Naval Training Station to check into lodging there. It took awhile to finally get registered to go on base but we finally got checked into our room and since it was already so late (about 4:30pm) we decided to put off a trip to Chicago until after the race. After a quick trip to the commissary for groceries and getting my gear ready for the next day, we settled in for the night with a dinner of whole wheat linguine and sauteed shrimp.

Race Day - 5/5/12
After driving a total of 1,210 miles to get to this race, I woke up to pouring rain and wind in the morning. As I drove from Great Lakes Naval Training Station,  I had the window wipers going at max speed just to try to be able to see the road in front of me for most of the 30+ minute drive. The rain was so bad at points that I almost decided not to run the race. Thankfully enough, I continued on and by the time I arrived in the area of the start to park the rain had slowed to a steady, even rain enough so that I still needed an umbrella plus a cheap rain poncho to keep myself warm. After I purchased and dumped my stuff in a couple of lockers (my race bag and mini cooler wouldn't fit in a single one) the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

Marathon Maniac/Half Fanatic group pic...an nod to Dave Mari!

Sister Half Fanatic Brenda,
she went to the wrong museum for the pic.

Half Fanatic/Tinkerbell/Bling Ho sister, Run Kat with the Capt'n.

I headed over to the Civil War Museum for the Marathon Maniac/Half Fanatic picture and then proceeded to walk around looking for my TinkerBell sister, Run Kat, who I had planned to meet and run the race with. Funnily enough about 20 minutes or so before the race started we suddenly turned around and found ourselves facing each other just out of the blue. After a few squeals of delight, we moved to the All Cheese Corral at the front of the starting line (you had to be wearing something cheese related) and waited for the start. The wind was still blowing and since we were right on the edge of Lake Michigan it was a cold wind with the temperature somewhere around 48°F. At this point I still had my rain poncho on to keep warm.

Yes, she ran with this the whole 13.1 miles!

In the All Cheese Corral, you had to wear
something related to cheese to get in.

Once the race started we found ourselves running in and amongst a well established neighborhood to the south of downtown Kenosha with grand houses and no resemblance to the cookie cutter, tract homes of the modern day. The course brought us back down into downtown and along the harbor eventually running in a park alongside Lake Michigan. Even though the day was overcast and windy as all git out (especially when we were closer to the water) it was a beautiful sight for this landlocked gal to have the scenery of one of the great the inland oceans, lighthouses and greenery around us. While most of the course was relatively flat, there were some small to moderate hills in the park. Oddly enough, or perhaps because I've actually gotten experience running on hills now, these particular hills didn't seem to bother me as much as they would have in the past. Kat had begun having some trouble with her knees and I was beginning to experience gastrointestinal issues so I ran ahead so that I could get to a "real" restroom rather than a port-o-pot and just planned to meet her at the finish line. When I had finished what I needed to do, I began to run again believing that I was still ahead of Kat. In a short time I found that I had crossed paths with Dave Mari, a well known individual in the Facebook running community, and spent some time walking and talking with him before again taking off to finish the race.

I met Dave Mari, a bit of a celebrity in Facebook running circles.

As I finished the race, feeling rather good considering that I still had quite a cold/cough and low grade fever, I got into my lockers for my post race chocolate milk and a banana and put on my jacket/Mylar blanket to go in search of Kat. I looked for a bit around the finish area and then began to walk the route in reverse. After about a mile or so without locating Kat I turned around and headed back to the finish line to see if I could find her in the area. Unfortunately it wasn't until quite a while later that I discovered that she had in fact passed me at some point (I guess I was in the restroom longer than I thought!) and finished the race about 5 minutes before I had!! lol! After a few short text messages I packed up my gear and headed back to the base to prepare for a trip into Chicago for the afternoon.

All in all, even with the weather and being sick this was a very nice course. I haven't actually run a race with someone since TinkerBell in January and it does indeed help the time pass faster. While I do like running solo, the change in running and talking with someone is a nice break to the routine.

What I liked about this race: Nice course, scenic, not too strenuous. Good company during the race...Thanks Run Kat and Dave Mari! :)

What I didn't like about this race: Only the weather...I know that can't be controlled but 2-3­° warmer and less wind would have been nice!

Would I do this race again? Yes, most likely if I was in the area already rather than making the trip specifically for it. I'd love to do it in better weather! ;)

Race Recap: FMB Southwest HM

Race Day - 5/6/12

Today was an early start with us having to check out at 4:30am to make the 1+ hour drive to the start of the FMB Southwest HM. Once we arrived after having to figure out how to get to the parking/starting area the daughter stayed in the car to sleep while I checking and got my packet and finished getting ready for the race.

Thankfully the weather was cooperating for the day. Although it was cool and a bit humid (something I'm not used to) I was fairly comfortable. I met another future (this was her qualifying race) Half Fanatic/Bling Whore sister, Susan, and her husband at the starting line...talked running for a while before I headed to the back of the starting pack (yes, I know where I belong...not at the front!) to await the gun.

The course is a beautiful run along Route 83 which is closed for race so the only traffic that is present is from race vehicles...mostly police cruisers. As the race started we left Memorial Park and ran through a mostly medically related business area before running through a slightly more residential portion. As the course left town, the route was a 2 lane, tree lined road. The area was green and plush although I did have a heck of a time having to occasionally swat at gnats or some other little insects throughout the run. I think this was mostly due to the humidity...something I don't deal with frequently or well. The road just seemed to go on and on with some low to very moderate hills...nothing I could really complain about. We crossed the overpass above Rte 45 during which someone on the highway below started blowing their horn and waving as they saw runners crossing above them. We continued on our way on the course which seemed like it was straight most of the way with only a few curves that were so extended in length that you didn't even know you were on a curve. At the halfway point on the out-and-back route we made the turn in the parking lot of Camp Sagawau before going back the way we came. At points in the run you could see the river or the nearby interstate but for the most part it was trees, trees and more trees although it wasn't necessarily a shaded run.

Yet again...going the wrong way!

I was so tired, worn out during this run that I think I began walking around mile 7 with only short jogs thereafter. Another female, fully geared out Half Fanatic ran up to me at around mile 8 or 9 and we talked awhile and maybe walked together for a mile before she took off running again. I can't remember her name, but I do remember that she was from Illinois and was surprised by the humidity as well. When I did run I started counting my steps as a way of doing intervals just to break the boredom...200 steps running then 100 steps walking. I did this for awhile then just started walking only at mile 11 or so. I didn't start running again until about a quarter mile from the finish line! Between just being tired and the family drama of the night before I was just glad to finish. After picking up my medal I just hung around the finish area for a bit and then headed back to the car to change and hit the road for the 5 hour drive back to my cousin's house in southern Illinois.

What I liked about this race: No pressure race, simple course, nice bling (finisher's medal).

What I didn't like about this race: Since it was out and back the scenery was repetitive...trees almost anywhere you looked, very little change in scenery. The little insects drove me crazy as well.





Would I do this race again? Probably, but I'm not in any hurry to do so just because of the limited scenery.

Race Recap: Hope & Healing Place Half Marathon

Race Day - 5/13/12


Race Day -1
The husband and I decided to head up to Amarillo the day prior to the race due to the  time change (we lose an hour crossing the border...8 miles away) and the early 7am start time. We spent the day having a late lunch at Red Robin then watching The Avengers (I was kinda disappointed...I expected more from the movie). We both turned in a bit early at around 9pm since I had to get up early for the race. I had planned to wake up at 5:30am so we could hit breakfast at 6am but somehow he didn't understand what I said (who am I kidding...he probably didn't have his hearing aids in) and set his alarm to 4:30am.



Race Day

An early Sunday meant barely any traffic on I-40 so we took that route then I-27 to get to downtown in less than 10 minutes. After parking I went to pick up my packet so that I could finish getting ready. As I walked through the parking lot, I noticed that there were only 3 New Mexico tags on cars...kinda odd since we're so close to the border. Anyway, the temperature was nice in the high 50s and no inkling of rain to be seen.

As we lined up for the start, I took my traditional towards the back position. When the horn went off so did the runners. It wasn't until about 2/10ths of a mile in that I realized that I had forgotten to set my MotoACTV GPS for a time/distance goal, so there I am slowing to a quick walk waiting for the GPS to hook up in and amongst the few tall building in Amarillo so that I could start running again.

A house in the one of the older Amarillo neighborhoods.

Blurry pic of route under I-40.

The course started downtown and moved into some of the older neighborhoods that are well maintained. These were areas of Amarillo that I had never been to. We also ran past Amarillo College and Memorial Park early in the race. The course then took us to Plains Blvd past an older shopping center and along one of the urban walking trails. Next came a move into what I'd call a more upscale neighborhood with the big homes and the country club which looked like it's golf course was undergoing renovation. Then just after we turned the corner from the country club, I see it. A hill, a big hill by my standards! At that point I'm thinking, "Why do the race directors feel the need to put a hill so close to the finish?" The finish was still 3 miles away, at least up until this area the course was mostly flat. I was at least happy to find that before tackling the hill we would turn and go around a strip park with tiny, rolling hills before attacking the big hill starting  closer to the middle of it.

"Oh crap...a hill!"
One of the few hills in Amarillo.

The next mile or so went through an older, less well maintained neighborhood then into the old Route 66 area of town. As I was running along, I noticed that the girl who was about a quarter mile ahead of me had crossed the street and was running on the opposite side. As I got closer to where she had crossed I noticed that there was a disheveled guy on my side of the street that was obviously having some active symptoms of schizophrenia going on. Unlike the girl before me, I simply moved from the sidewalk onto the side of the road just out of arms reach of this man and went about my merry way. He yelled a few garbled and nonsensical words at me but never posed a threat. People might perhaps say that was not a smart way of reacting to the situation, but after having been an inpatient in a psychiatric ward twice and teaching clinicals in a locked down psychiatric facility I've developed a tolerance and a healthy respect for active mental illness symptomology. The last 1½ miles or so had us running through an older business district south of old Route 66 and finally back into downtown and the finish line. As usual, for me, that last mile is always the hardest...you'd think it would be the opposite. But I finished and quite a way from being last! Yay me!

Dammit! That finish line is still THAT far away??

We hung out at the finish line until the last finisher crossed. During this time I had several people come up to me and thank me for running the race...I have to wonder if they were saying that because I was bald (having just had my head shaved for Relay for Life two nights before) and thinking that I was/had been ill or if it was just a congratulatory thanks. Oh well. I got my free massage...the very last one in line...and we headed back to the hotel to check out. We spent the rest of the day trying to locate the Sear Service and Repair shop that I had passed during the run without any luck, then headed  Pei Wei for a late lunch before heading to the theater to watch Dark Shadows (actually enjoyed this more than The Avengers). A quick and nice weekend getaway with the old man with only slightly over a 1½ hour drive to the race instead of my recent multiple hour drives. Yay!

What I liked about this race: Extremely close to home (1½ hours...just slightly over) and I love coming up to Amarillo. The course is nice and not too flat or hilly.

What I didn't like about this race: Nothing really. It was well organized over all.

Would I do this race again? In a heartbeat! Especially since it's close to home!