Heroes Madison Marathon Report 1999
by Charles Cohn
The Heroes Madison Marathon was run on Sunday, May 30 in Madison, WI. I undertook to take Maggie there to visit some dear cousins and to racewalk this marathon for the first time. My goal for this marathon, the first after my Myrtle Beach Marathon PR (personal record), was to make another PR to take advantage of the further bodywork I have been undergoing. To accomplish this, I had to do better than my 13:30 per mile average pace at MBM.
The marathon had the usual small expo at a hotel way out in the suburbs, with a couple of medical lectures scheduled. When I arrived to pick up my packet I found to my disappointment that the lectures were cancelled. (They said something about a medical emergency.) Anyway, I picked up my packet, everything except the T-shirt, which was to be distributed at the finish line.
We took my cousins to the pasta party Saturday night, also at the hotel. I was a bit disappointed in it; I felt it wasn't worth the $10 per person price. The only door prize won between us was a pair of sunglasses for my cousin.
Sunday morning at 7:30 found me at the start line in front of the state capitol. (The weather was clear and about 60, warming later into the 80s.) When the start was called, I started off at what seemed like an easy pace.
Maggie and my cousins were out to watch me go near their place, and they saw that I was dead last. In spite of this apparent slowness, I finished the first mile in 12:35, well ahead of my goal pace, so I thought it would be a good time to try Galloway walking breaks. (I had had the opportunity to ask Jeff, "If runners should take walking breaks, what kind of breaks should racewalkers take?" His answer was, "Slow walking breaks.") Accordingly, I began to put my arms down and walk slowly for 1 minute every mile, normally through the water stations. I finished mile 2 that way in 12:42.
Mile 3 went the same way in 12:53 and mile 4 in 10:45. (At that point I took my first PowerGel packet.) Then the course left the streets and went through a park. Mile 5 took 16:49. It didn't seem that I had slowed that much; the mile marker must have been off. Sure enough, mile 6 went in 9:21. As will become evident, it seemed that some later mile markers were off also.
Mile 7 had some hills in it, slowing me to 14:27. Then the course returned to the streets. Mile 8 went in 12:46, mile 9 in 12:26, and mile 10 in 9:44. At that point, Maggie and my cousins again saw me, still dead last. However, in mile 11 down the State Street pedestrian mall, which took 17:31, I passed two young women and wasn't last from then on.
The course then proceeded past the University of Wisconsin. Mile 12 took 9:16. (Did I say the miles seemed irregular?) Mile 13 took 14:04, and I passed the array of porta-potties for the half-marathon start. I resisted the temptation to stop and use one.
Mile 14, in 17:37, and mile 15, in 13:17, continued through the university area. Miles 16, in 13:22, 17 in 13:37 and 18 in 13:37 went through residential areas. Miles 19, in 13:12, 20 in 12:52 and 21 in 11:54 went through the university arboretum, complete with hills.
The remainder of the course went through parks. Mile 22 went in 10:49 and 23 went in 14:09. In mile 24, which took 13:18, the course went up and over a pedestrian bridge. Mile 25 took 12:36 and mile 26, which took 17:08, went under a main highway and into Olin Park and the finish area. The last 0.2 went in 2:29. As I approached the finish line, I was pleased to see Maggie and my cousins waiting to cheer me in.
I finished in 5:45:29. This was a PR, over 8 minutes faster than my previous PR at Myrtle Beach.
Just after finishing and getting my medal and T-shirt, I abruptly excused myself from my well-wishers and rushed to the potty. My bladder was steadily getting fuller, and by the time I finished it was about ready to let go, so I made it to the potty just in time.
My hydration management was actually very successful in that I didn't have to lose time making potty stops during the race. I drank lots of water the day before, and had to get up a few times during the night to get rid of the excess. However, race morning I drank only a small amount, just enough to digest my Power Bar. I made a potty stop almost a half hour before the start, and fortunately didn't need to go again, although my steadily-distending bladder told me that I was adequately hydrated. While I was under way, I took water or Gatorade at every aid station, about every mile. (I wanted to skip drinking at the last station in mile 25, but a large, authoritative man ordered me to drink, so I gave in and took a cup. At least there wasn't enough time for it to work its way to my bladder before the finish.)
Then I checked out the refreshments. There were apples, bananas and oranges, as well as lots of bread, but nothing to put on the bread. I asked about that and was told that spreads had been ordered but had not arrived. Apparently not too many people wanted dry bread, because there was a huge pile of fresh, uncut loaves. I asked what was going to be done with all that and was told that at 1:30 they would pass them out, one per runner. It was then 1:27, so I waited a few minutes and then went and claimed my loaf.
The following weekend we attended Maggie's 60th college reunion at Vassar. One item on the program was a "fun run." I showed up for this, which was supposed to be led by the cross-country coach. A number of people were there and we waited about an hour for the coach to show up, which he never did. A younger alum who had been on the cross-country team volunteered to lead us, and we went for about two miles on the cross-country course. I didn't click my watch properly and so didn't get a time, but it was slow. Since much of the course was on trails through the woods, I was thankful that I ended up without an ankle twist or a face plant.
The next weekend found us on Shelter Island visiting friends. (This beautiful place is nestled between the north and south forks of Long Island.) I was just in time for the Shelter Island 10K, which I duly entered.
I had the opportunity to take an easy racewalk around the course two days before the race. It is one of the most scenic courses in the world, IMHO. I had the opportunity to take Maggie for a drive around the loop on a sunny day, and she said it looked like the Mediterranean. The evening before the race, we took our friends to the pasta dinner.
Race day was not so nice, fully overcast, but there was no rain, so it was a good day for running. A few minutes before the 5:30 pm start I lined up near the back of the 1500-runner pack, according to the race instructions. (That was a big mistake, as it turned out. Even though walkers were supposed to be in back, I should have lined up earlier and gotten much closer to the front. This was a concern because there were overall awards for walkers. There was no enforcement of the instructions.)
At the gun I got going, and quickly passed all the other walkers that I saw. The first mile took 12:03, including almost a minute before getting to the start line. (They used chip timing, but there was no chip sensor at the start.)
As I approached the mile marker I saw another guy walking. He was moving at a good pace, but I was able to pass him just at the marker. Obviously he had started much closer to the front of the pack than I had.
The second mile was faster even though there was an uphill, taking 11:32. In the third mile I took a drink at the water station and must have slacked off a bit, since that mile took 12:04. No sign of the other guy.
Just after the marker, at the 5K point, there was a chip sensor pad, presumably to catch shortcutters. The fourth mile was the most scenic, passing expensive homes in the Dering Harbor section and proceeding along the harborside.
In the middle of the fourth mile, I was shocked when the guy came up and passed me. I stepped up my speed a bit and left him behind again. That mile passed in 11:40. The fifth mile went back inland; that took me 11:50.
In the sixth mile, the guy caught me again. I tried to speed up, but I didn't have much left. Just before the mile marker, he put on a kick that I couldn't equal and passed me into the chute.
The sixth mile took 11:37 and the last 0.2 took 2:55. I finished in 1:13:43, 12 seconds behind the other guy. Afterwards, we congratulated each other on leading each other a merry chase.
There were no free goodies; they were selling hot dogs and hamburgers, which I didn't need. At the awards ceremony, it turned out that the walker awards were just two deep. The guy I was racing took second and someone else who finished 7 minutes faster, whom I had never seen, took first, so I was left holding the bag. So much for being a good sport and starting where I'm supposed to! Even so, this was my fastest 10K since 1994, so it wasn't a total loss.
Charles Cohn
chasmagc@bellsouth.net
"Live forever or die trying"
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