Cheryl's Record Breaking 20K Lake Run.

Cheryl is Ready for Battle!

A Fine day for running in Wisconsin!  We could not have asked for a nicer day, given all the "bad days" we have been having.   The weather ultimately got up to 65 degrees and the sun was out all day.   There was a slight breeze, but nothing strong or gusty.   Cheryl would have liked it to be a little cooler, but 65 is nothing to grumble about.  So let's get started.

Pre-Race Packet Pick-up.

Getting ready for the Lineup.

Having skipped the packet pick-up,  we had to gather our things this morning.  All those years of hustling to get to the pre-race packet pick up seems like a waste now.   Picking up the packet before the race seems so much easier.   The only down side was that Cheryl got an extra large female shirt.   She had ordered one for me ( extra large male) and she is an extra small female.   So basically,   we have a shirt that neither of us can wear.   A small hiccup in an otherwise smooth pick-up.

Cheryl near the Start.

Cheryl runs by.   Hidden behind tall
people.

We did the normal stuff,  bathroom,  finish line inspection,  dog review. ( I always check out and pet the dogs...)  We have done this several times now, and the race is always in the same place, so there was nothing new to discover.  After the National Anthem,  they were ready to go.

Vapor Fly. 5K winner.

#4 20K Male

At the start,  I almost missed Cheryl.  In fact, I only found her with her help inspecting the "random crowd shots" I took.    She never makes it easy, hiding behind two of the tallest guys in the front.

#3 20 K Male

#6 20 K Male. 

A small note,   this was another race where Cheryl's new shoes shined!  ( If they could shine..  they sure seem bright enough.)  The winner of the 5K was wearing the Nike Vapor Fly ( Or"Super Fly" as I like to call them...)
Along with the #3, 4, and 6 finisher in the 20K

Cheryl approaches the Finish. 

She has Competition for the #14
Female Slot....

And then there was Cheryl.   I had only counted about 12 female finishers ahead of her ( I must have missed one in the 5K crowd)  And I could see that there was another woman rapidly closing in from behind.   I shouted to her and she picked up her pace at the end, beating her by just a nose.   There is more to this story.... But I will save it for now.

CHeryl's New PR is rung loudly.

Cheryl pours it on at the last minute.
Will she Hang On to #14?????

Cheryl had achieved a new PR for the course.   She rang the bell right as this guy walked through my picture.  Nice!

Time to relax and Show off the goodies. 

      Check out the Fish in the Lake.         

She picked up some goodies and we headed to the lawn where they were passing out the beer.  We tried the new Yankee brew from Milwaukee Brewing.

Time for Beer....   So Refreshing on a Hot Day. 

 Very drinkable!   I would say that there were no distinguishable characteristics, but that is probably why it was so good and refreshing.   A very hoppy beer forces you to sip and taste  those wonderful bitter notes.    This was not one of those.   Instead, it seems perfect for a hot summer day.

What a strange thing to say. 

At least the Beer is Self-aware. 

We found out that Cheryl had placed somewhere in the top 15.   We hung out for an award, but at least three of those women ahead of her must have been in her age bracket.   We also discovered that the race officials put the woman Cheryl had beat by a nose ahead of her... even though they had exactly the same finishing time!   I'm sure they did not have a "photo finish" at the finish line and just ended up guessing which one had finished ahead of the other.  ( Cheryl beat her!  I know because I saw it!)  So really,   Cheryl was the 14th finisher.   Not a big deal to anyone else, but WE know the score.

Cheryl checks the final results.

Either way,  there were no additional trophies to be had.   Cheryl placed 5th in her age group.   But solidly in the top 10 %.  Here's the breakdown:

2017 she ran it in 1:36:46   a 7:48 minute per mile pace.

2018 was an injury year,  but she pulled out a 1:40:49 over all.

We didn't win an award, but
still had fun. 

2019 she ran it in 1:33:53.   Almost a full three minutes faster!    (7:34 minute per mile pace)  And,  incidentally,  it happens to be exactly 3% faster than her fastest time.   Those Vapor Fly shoes must be doing something....

We hung out for a while,  listened to bad music and eventually got bored and came home.   The feeling of euphoria can't last forever.   So Cheryl did not get any special trophy this time.   She didn't think she would, since the competition is pretty fierce at this race.   But ultimately we had a good time and she did get a new PR for the course and distance.  Sometimes you have to be happy with what you got.

The Photo Proof of who is #14 and who is #15. 

Check out the expressions!  It tells you
everything you need to know.

There was one thing Cheryl was able to improve that she has been lacking....   The Mad Dash for the Finish!    Most runners save a little something for that last 100-200 yard sprint for the finish.  It is a great way to impress your spectators,  impress total strangers, cut out a few extra seconds from your finishing time, and ultimately,   pull ahead and crush your rivals who have been ahead of you the entire time.    Cheryl has had the podium slot taken from her in those last remaining yards.   But she managed to hold on to it this time by pulling ahead of the chick who was trying to sprint past her.  She now realizes that she has to work on that area if she wants to hold onto  #14 and not be dumped into the #15 slot.  ( Even though they did it anyway!... the lazy bums!)   It was like turning on a light... let's see how she fairs in the next race.

Cheryl is quite pleases with herself at
the moment. 

And now,   down time.   I have planting to do,  paper to fold, a car to service and wash, and possibly a bunch of other things that have been put on hold during the PTE project.  I only hope I can get most of them done during my short vacation and not feel like I had to work through my free time.   We shall see how it all goes.

So I Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.   Hopefully the sun is shining in your area and you can enjoy one of these rare Spring days...  Well,  Rare for Iowa.   Thanks for stopping in.