The Big Cheese



Done with my 8th Half Marathon - The Wisconsin Cheesy

Heavy rain thumped the roof of our house as our 3:40a.m. wake-up call went off. By rote, we followed the race day routine: Go to the bathroom, get dressed, have oatmeal and yogurt, go to the bathroom again, fill Camelbaks, double check our gear bags, and go to the bathroom yet again. Out of the house by 4:40, we headed south to Kenosha in the dark, with heavy rains still falling. Did this dampen our spirits? (no pun intended) Nope. We don't mind running in the rain cause we know it'll end soon enough and that we get to go home and get dry. Years of backpacking, sometimes in cold downpours, has immunized us against transient discomforts.

As it played out, the rain literally stopped at 7a.m. when we were queued in the starting corrals. But the cold lake breeze was there, ushering in a light fog, and motivating us to move quickly lest  you catch a chill. The Wisconsin Full & Half Marathon advertises a scenic and flat course, and this is exactly what we experienced. The route took us along the lake, which was a beautiful sea green today, via parks, and fancy residential neighborhoods, as well as through downtown Kenosha, where spectators, many with beautiful dogs in tow, rang cow bells and cheered us on. This event was well-organized with plentiful aid stations, a smooth finishing line that flowed easily into the medal reception line, followed by the space blanket line and straight into food and drink line. 


Me hitting the Finish Line



Joe, sweet guy that he is, was there at the finish line to capture my approach, hypothermic and all, considering he'd finished 40 minutes earlier! Joe, irregardless of his knee tweakin' towards the end of the race, killed it with a 7:44 pace, finishing in 1 hour 41 minutes. Had he not needed to walk a couple times to protect his knee, he would have a PR.

I too may have PR'd or tied my best time if I didn't need to walk so often after Mile 8. My knee began to feel tight by Mile 3, but it never seized on me the way it did at Canyonlands or during some longs runs in past weeks. Despite frequent interludes of walking in the last 5 miles, I clocked a finishing time of 2 hours, 23 minutes (10:55 pace) - a time I am quite pleased with considering my walk breaks. If I was running at 100%, I'm certain I would have bettered my all time finish of 2 hours 14 minutes. This was my 8th race - 3 were run faster, 4 were run slower. I can live with that.

Of course our knees are extremely tight and sore now, but foam rolling, The Stick, ice massage, compression and acetaminophen will work it all out by Monday. The rest of my body feels fine - nothing is sore, including my heel (Yay!!!).

Home, showered and finally warm, our day has been restful and given to The Boys, who are celebrating their 2nd birthday. In human years they are 24 already!

The (best ever) Boys: Chaco & Denali