Cheryl's Disappointing Mad Dash In Madtown.

No longer a "winner"

Well the honeymoon is over!  The racing streak is at an end and Cheryl has reached her Yoki Limit. (anime Reference) It was bound to happen and now we know the limits of racing every weekend for a month.   Good thing we did not quit our job in the hopes she would win us some cash.  But let us begin from the beginning.

A silver lining? 

At the start line/ 

Today was the Madtown Half Marathon.   And Cheryl did not win.  Opps... Spoiler!  But she did not walk either, so I guess that is a good thing.  And she finished...  Another good sign.   Oh!  And I guess she got third place in her age group.    Not exactly the results we were hoping for, but I guess there are a few silver ( or in this case... Bronze)  linings. 

I better leave the loading area. 

Cheryl next to the "Kenyans" 
He wins second, she wins 4th. 

The temps were mild with a 65 degree temps with a high humidity.  Rather cool to the exposed skin.   But this is not Cheryl's favorite weather.  However,  judging from the results,  it IS the favorite conditions of MANY other people.    And lots of people showed up for this race.

Kenyans out in front. 

You know the competition is serious when Kenyans and Ethiopians show up.   These are the Pro's in the runner's world.    They run these races just to pay their bills and buy a school for their village back home.  ( you can look it up!)  You might think they stick to the big races, like Boston, but sometimes they show up for these "little" races.   And depending on how many show up,  you can place your bets on what your chances are for a top three placement.

Followed by the pack.. 

Well,  three DID show up, but only two of them placed in the top three.  One guy from the Twin Cities got third and a local guy places 4th.  It was a crazy competitive race.

I think I see Cheryl 

By the Capital Steps. 

As for Cheryl,   I looked over the map and was not feeling peppy enough to run to mile 4 this year.  I might have done it in previous years, but this year,  Cheryl forced us to march 5 miles last night for Custard.   Our little walk to Micheal's may have had an effect on both of us, but we refuse to admit it.  Besides, I can't allow Cheryl to think she can smoke me on a short 5 mile walk.

Great Picture...  If I do say so myself. 

In good form 

The start was fairly quick.  I like the Madison races for that.   The speeches are usually brief, followed by the National Anthem,   followed by the gun.  Cheryl ran by right under the Capital Building steps.   And then was gone....

Cheryl's first mile. 

Problem at mile three, but it says she
is at mile 4!

I waited around for her and watched from the App on the phone.   It appeared she had taken off at a reasonable pace.  While listening,  I head one of the race officials say over the radio that they were having a problem with the three mile mat. 

Mile three must be broke. 

Looks like she is slowing down. 

Sure enough,  She appeared to have missed the mat at mile three, but was picked up at mile 6.  However, her pace had dropped a bit.   I wondered if my lack of support was effecting her performance now.   She did have her chewys and they had Gatorade on the course,  she should have been fine.

Run for the Money, Honey! 

Run like the wind! 

But as the top three runners rolled in,  I began to think something was wrong.   Perhaps I should have been there with my sign to help motivate her.   What could be more motivating than money?  $1000.00 Bucks!   Reminding someone of my... I mean, Her goal might have been just what she needed.

Like you're being Chased! 

Like you Stole it! 

In the end,   Cheryl finished at 1:43:23.   With a time that was approx.  7 minutes faster than last year.(1:50:57...  2018 time) She did not beat her PR from 2017, (1:42:08)  Nor did she win the $1000.00 dollar first place money.  I blame myself and not her Terrible Running Performance, her Horrible Physical Condition, her Poor Training,  or her Age.  I think if I had only reminded her of what was on the line, And all the things I...  I mean, We could have bought with that $1000.00 dollars,  she could have placed better.   And maybe some diet Coke at the 4 mile mark would have lifted her dreary spirits.

Just run FASTER! 

But not $1000.00 dollars. 

Cheryl gets a medal, and lunch. 

Of course, it is also possible that the conditions favored the opposition AND the fact that she has run a race ever weekend this month without any breaks.   Yeah,   maybe that, along with all of those other reasons clear me from any responsibility.  I think I feel better now.   Whew!  I almost felt like I was responsible for her bad running.   How crazy is that?

Mr Magoo in Peanut form. 

Handing out free peanuts. 

We did stay for the beer and a few photo ops with the giant Peanut Man.   He was handing out free peanuts to people, proving that this is an adult event.   I mean,  where else can you get beer and peanuts given to you?  A Bar?  You surely can't hand out peanuts at a school anymore,   for fear of killing all of the children with peanut allergies.  ( Anyone born after 1980, I think.)   He also was driving a Giant Peanut Mobile.   Like Batman, only cooler!  Cheryl had to get her picture with him.

Driving a Peanut Mobile.  Nothing
suspicious here... 

So that is all.    Cheryl managed to win third place in her age group, lose $1000.00, and "hug up" on a Giant Peanut.   Oh!  And win a medal and successfully finish 4 races in a single month... after working  for a week.  This allows us to strategerize for future events where running back to back races might become an issue. 

Well,  at least it looks cool.  

Similar to the Polar Dash this winter,   if she runs any of those Challenges where she  runs two races back to back,  we should expect the second race to not go as smoothly.  And if there is money on the line....  Well,  Perhaps we should try to chase the green rather than the Honor, Prestige, Mental health  and Bragging Rights.   High Self-Esteem does not pay the bills, after all.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.   Thanks for stopping in and cheering Cheryl on.   It may be a while before another race, but the 4th of July is usually a candidate.   I'll keep you posted.