Madtown Half Marathon Complete!

More Bling for the Trophy wall

Ultra!  For An "Ultra" Runner

"No PR for Cheryl, but a solid performance!"  Was the "Official" verdict from all interested parties.  (Just me and Cheryl, really) Her pace was sub 8 minute miles, with hills and rain and crowds to contend with.   Overall:  Not too bad.

Heavy Rains Pre-race

Runners will not be stopped.

We woke at around 4 A.M to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning.  Cheryl checked her phone to make sure the race was still on.  It was.   Those runners have an "Unhealthy" relationship to running.

Ponchos are Confusing!

Cheryl smirks at the "unprotected"

It rained pretty hard for the ride to the start line.   It was so bad, we chose to stop and pick up a couple of Ponchos.  I even broke out the umbrella buried in the back trunk for extra protection.   The rain kept the crowds down.... or at least in their cars until about 10 minutes before the race.   We took that opportunity to hit the port-o-jons.

Before the rain stops.

Entering the Gate

Luckily, the rain trickled down to almost nothing when the gun finally went off.

10 minutes before the gun goes off.

Find Cheryl in this Picture...

 I almost missed Cheryl as she stepped behind a couple of tall guys near the front.

I had a second opportunity at mile one, but she was moving "So Fast!" that I only caught this Blur of an image.

Follow the Beers!

Mile one Blurs by!

And finally I managed to catch her at the finish.  Overall female:  She came in 19th.  (out of 794 females)  Several women from her age group happened to be way in front if her. (so probably no age group award)   Her overall time was 1:42:08.  Again,  Not her best,  but fairly consistent with this year's times.

Cheryl runs! While Guy checks Email

Time for Victory Pics!

After posing for a few "after race pictures"  Cheryl grabbed some loot and headed for the beer tent.  One thin can of Michalob  Light with a Veggy Sandwich from Panera.   Totally a runner's breakfast.

Look at all the LOOT!

Cheryl scores the Runner's Breakfast

Cheryl's Moment of "Zen".

Zazzle Buttons!

Zazzle Notebook

Cheryl inspired Business card.

So after a moment of Zen,   We drove back to the Hotel and cleaned up.

 Upon arrival home,  Cheryl was rewarded when she received her order from Zazzle.  One Notebook,   some buttons and a business card.   With a little luck, we will be able to use them later this summer.   Time will tell.

Hope everyone is having a fun Sunday this weekend.   I forgot that it is Memorial Day Weekend.   I see all the American Flags on the graves of the fallen or past heroes.  I like that.  As a Veteran,  it's cool to think I will get one someday ( hopefully not for a VERY long time).

 Even though my contribution to the safety of this nation was minimal at best.   I could explain that the Terrorist knew better than to attack while I was on the job....  But I'll save that story for another blog post.  Cheers!

A Mad Dash For Madtown Half Marathon

Cheryl doing a Crazy, Angry, Mad, Dash for MadTown

Not sure why it is called "Mad".   Could it be Mad as in Anger?  Or Mad as in Crazy?   What ever the reason,  we traveled to Madison Wisconsin for the event.

Foggy Morning in Iowa

Makes for Fun Driving.

 The morning was rather foggy in Iowa,  With a chance of rain on race day.   We prepared for it, but it also says it will be warmish.   Perhaps the rain will keep Cheryl cool enough to have a good run.

Not a lot of People

Cheryl is next in Line.

The Expo was a two day affair, but it seemed to lack the crowd other Madison races seem to draw.   Perhaps it is because of the STATE FAIR going on here this weekend.   I'm sure glad we are going to avoid that part of town.  Fairs are CRAZY busy.

Cheryl shows off her personalized bib.

Cheryl picked up her packet and we milled around for a sec, enjoying the lack of people bumping into us.

Do I need another Hoodie?

A few Photo Ops.    Cheryl trying on clothes.

Cheryl says her Name should be here.

If only she could reach.

  Pointing out where her Name should have been.

Looking information about the race that we might have to know tomorrow.   Looks like a fairly standard race.

Something was telling us our next move

Time to go shopping. 

Afterwards,  we received a signal from the universe that we should see if we can find some Wisconsin Beer.   We Stopped in a Brennan's.   A Place we know from last time.   They have an awesome beer selection.

Finding the right Beer.

Checking out our HUGE room

And trying on the Race Shirt.

Finally,  we arrived at our room.   They upgraded us to a KING SIZED room....  one that is almost as large as our entire apartment.   I'm not sure what we need all this space for, but it is nice that they thought of us for such a thing.

Pizza hut to the Rescue!

This Crust Yum!

After a quick stop at Pizza Hut,   We went for a walk around the area.   I was enchanted with the Cottonwood tufts snowing down on us.   Japan might have their Spring Cherry Blossoms....but here in Wisconsin,  they have Cottonwood.

This reminds me of the HUGE Cottonwood tree we had in our yard back (in Michigan)  when I was in grade school.   The neighbors hated it because the cotton would clog their pool's filter.   It was a sad day when Dad took it down.   My mother hated having a tree that large between the garage and house.   Mom got her way and Dad was forced to take it down.   I doubt that made the neighbors like us any better.

So back in our room now, Sampling the beer and gearing up for tomorrow.   Cheryl is hoping to have a "good" run,   meaning she is hoping to get a PR.   If the weather holds up ( cool,  maybe a little rain....Low humidity)   maybe she might actually pull it off.   We shall see.   In the mean time,  I'm sampling Scuttlebutt Tripel Seven Belgian Style Ale.   A wonderful "wet dish towel" flavor to it.   I'll be sipping this one while I retire for the remainder of the evening.  Thanks for stopping in!

Cheryl's "Unofficial" 20K Lake Run! That REALLY HAPPENED!..... Just Unofficially.

Green Afro!

We just returned from the Lake Monona 20 K race.  A pleasant day with a wonderful After Race Wisconsin Beer.    Cheryl even turned in a decent time.   With only one small catch....  It was not recorded!

Cheryl checks out the Line...

People waiting for the Port-a-jons

Seems really, really long.

Ah well,  I saw the time.   1 hour 36 minutes.   But Cheryl removed her shirt...and thus her BIB so the mat did not record her crossing the finish line.    By the time we noticed, we were deep in the beer zone and could do nothing about it.  Ah well,  What are you going to do?

I should note that the day started just fine.   It was a cool 48 degrees and sunny.   A cool breeze made the air feel even cooler, so Cheryl decided she was going to dress slightly warmer than usual.

Note the Long Sleeves!

in the gate.

I should note here that she did NOT want to wear her Boston Marathon Jacket.    ( She did not want to "brag")  Until two things happened.   One:   She noted it was much colder than she had thought.   And Two:   There were five other people wearing THEIR Boston Marathon Jackets!    We could have talked to them, but Cheryl was out of uniform.    So,  Back to the car,  dig out the jacket, and wear it proudly until the race officially starts.

Out of the gate.

Waving with Mittens.

I like small races...   ( Races with less than 20,000 people in them!)   because I can clearly see Cheryl as she passes by.   The race was around the lake and back, so there was no opportunity to catch her mid way.   I had to wait by the finish line to see her again.

Note: Baby Stroller faster than Cheryl.

The Kid even Jumped out!

I was looking for her around the 1:40 mark...but she surprised me when she rounded the corner ahead of schedule!   I noted, luckily, that she had removed her long sleeve shirt and was fumbling with it around her waist.   It never occurred to me that the bib might not register the time,   I was just happy the bib was attached to her shirt so she did not throw her shirt away

Note:  She is fussing with her shirt and bib.

With all the commotion,  we headed out to gather the two free beers we were offered.   Nothing is better than Wisconsin Beer after a race.  ( unless it is Illinois Beer... Illinois makes good beer too!)

Celebration!

Time for Beer!

Sexy Beer Pose!

The sectioned off area soon became crowded and we tried to leave, but the race officials said you could not leave the area with any beer.   This was not a problem for me,  because I was thirsty and guzzled mine down like a man crossing a desert!   Cheryl, on the other hand,   having Chocolate milk, water and beer, found herself imprisoned behind the "Beer Cage!"   She was forced to sip faster.

Nothing sexier than WIsconsin Beer...

Beer Brig

Sippers Purgatory....

Finally,  with the beer officially gone,  she was able to relax in the open sun and green grass.

Beer Finished. Race Finished. Cheryl Finished!

So that is all!   Cheryl now has no official record of her first and only 20 K run.   It's ok though.  They always warn people about their bibs and transponders registering on the mats.   We now know what we can not get away with and how that effects her results.   Better that it happened on this "random Race" than something more official.  ( like BOSTON!)  Plus it shows her that you will get hot during the race and should prepare for that heat and not the cold of the start line.

New Beer and Sandwich Combo. 

So we are currently home and resting after the long trip.  Tomorrow I may take a stab at fixing the rear brakes on the car and maybe...if I'm really lucky,   The O2 Sensors.   We shall see how things work out.   In the mean time,   We shall be sampling the new beers we scored from Wisconsin.   We already tried the  Hypothesis.   A crisp beer with a fizzy feel on the tongue.   The hops are not as distinct, but still have a presence.   Overall,   Very interesting!

Well the cat is bothering me so I should log off.   Hope everyone else is having a wonderful Saturday.  Even if it is not Technically  "official",  doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it.

UPDATE!    Cheryl Just checked the web site and found that they DID INDEED Capture her Results!

(Un-un)  Official!  Time:  1:36:46
Pace: 7:48 ( faster than Lincoln Half Marathon!)
Place:  206 out of 1252 total runners.
Div Place: 8th out of 171 Females age 40-49

After all those puns,  Cheryl's meddling threatens to ruin my clever post.   I guess it can't be helped.