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!

New Year, New Race, New PR. Happy New Year 2017!

Early rise to the QuakerSteak

Inside, it's packed with runners!

We did not usher in the new year with loads of alcohol or parties.   One beer after the blog post last night was plenty and then an early retirement.  We rose up far earlier than expected and walked across the street to wait for the race to begin.

We look for a place to hang out

Cheryl finds a seat at the bar.  

We were informed that only about 600 people would be at this race ( which sold out, by the way) but My guess is that there were more.  It was hard to tell with the walkers mixed in with the actual runners.

Our first blurry mascot pic of the year!

Warming up slowly...at the start line

The weather in Madison was bright and sunny....and rather brisk.   It warmed up slightly by race time, but still....I would not have wanted to be Baby new year in that situation.

But not warm enough to run in a diaper.

Check out the pacifier on the neck.

For the race only being five miles,  it was a simple looped course that allowed me several access points for Cheryl Photo Opts.

Cheryl at the start. 

My birds eye vantage point.

 I love small races because I get the chance to easily find her out of the crowd.  I even had a chance to get a shot as she ran under a small walker's bridge.

Below the bridge...Last mile.

Running towards the finish

I even beat her to the finish and was able to capture her as she crossed the finish line.  Overall,  it was a new PR for a 5 mile race. ( of course, this was her first race of this distance...so any time would have been a PR)   That being said,  even with the rather frigid weather,  she was able to pull off a chip time of 37:57 with an average pace of 7:36.   She finished 6th in her age group of 122 females age 40-49.   He over all place was 80.  ( out of 740 people...HA!  I knew there were more!)

And past me.

Cheryl as she crosses.

Breathing cold air is a challenge while running.  I would know after running in -20 degrees for 3 years in Alaska.   But the sub 8 mile times suggest that she has no loss in fitness or conditioning.  Good signs for the upcoming year.

With cookies and medal in hand

Let's admire the medal.

The After party was held inside the Quaker Steak and Lube.  I think we were supposed to get a free beer, but with the crowd as large as it was, there was little incentive to stay.  Cheryl figured she would not get an award for this race, after all.

And pose for the new Smart Phone Camera...fog free and focused.

Close up of the medal.

We are now back to our cozy warm apartment in Iowa with the cat running outside and me sampling a Amana Iowa beer from the stash.  It's a dark chocolate beer named Blitzen.   It's very smooth and dark with a chocolate malty flavor. I usually do not like theses types, but it is surprisingly good.  I guess even Iowa can produce a tasty beer.

Brewed in Amana Iowa.  Who knew?

So,  a new year with new goals and resolutions.   I have the same as always and maybe I will be able to achieve more than 50% this year.  So far the year is looking good ( one day in...yeah) and let's hope that things turn out far better than the 2016 lowlights.  Thanks for stopping in and hope every one is having a Wonderful New Year.