Milwaukee Marathon Race Report
New marathon PR! 4:38:35 – 23 minutes and 1 second off of my marathon PR set in Madison. I couldn’t have done it without Erin (check out her race report here), or the support of Steven, and all of you!
Yesterday morning started off early, with a 4:00 am wake-up call. We met my running club friend, Riyanti at 5:00, and her dad drove us to the start. Thank you Riyanti’s dad! I had a bowl of cereal at home, and two bagels with peanut butter and one banana in the car. My goal was to NOT get hungry. Even though eating all of that made me feel gross.
It was cold when we arrived at the start – in the low 40s! I was worried for a second that I under dressed. Erin and I both had throwaway jackets* and I thought I may hold on to it longer than intended.
Me, Erin and Riyanti, all bundled up at the start.
We didn’t! Once we took off and started running, we warmed up and ditched those jackets at mile 1**. The first 13 miles were amazing. Slightly rolling hills, chilly weather, and beautiful scenery! We ran through back country roads with beautiful estates on them. Spectators were scattered, but very energetic, including a guy playing an accordian, a guitarist, and young girls doing a dance routine in their yard.
Erin and I chatted away, like we would during a normal training run. We first saw Steven and Erin’s husband just before mile 12 and were feeling great!
After we passed the guys, we hit the 13.1 mark in 2:17:53, and I was excited to think that we may come in under 4:40! I should mention, our original goal was sub 5:00, and we thought 4:45 was a pipe dream. We were quite pleased with how fast we were going!
But I started to run out of energy at mile 16ish. My body felt fine (just a sore back), I wasn’t hungry (took GUs every 4 miles (excluding 24) and Swedish fish at 18) but the sun was starting to wear me down and I was feeling a bit thirsty despite drinking lots of water. Despite keeping up with running pretty fast, I was starting to fade.
We saw the guys at least three more times after mile 12, and two of my girlfriends from the running club came out to cheer us on too! One of them even ran a lot of mile 20 with us!
The crowds were picking up, and all along, people were saying “Go Erin! Go Kim! You look great!” We did look great, I think, for a lot of the time. Okay, Erin all of the time, me most of the time. Erin was smiling the whole time, and me, again, most of the time.
A lot of the remainder of the run was like this photo above – me either right behind Erin or well behind her. She was doing so so awesome. She had a ton of energy and was feeling great. She got ahead of me and waited for me at water stops a few times (I should mention, we walked one minute every 2 miles (+ mile 25), and at about mile 16, I started filling up one bottle at each water stop) and would wait for me to catch up. I would try to keep up with her, but just couldn’t. It was all I could do to maintain 10:30s when sub 10:00s were easy for her! She waited for me just before 24, we walked a minute at 25, and I told her I would be sad if we couldn’t finish together, but more sad if she finished slow because of me (well, I tried to say that in my incoherent state).
Erin went ahead and finished just over a minute and a half before me, and waited for me at the finish (Steven was at the finish – I love it when he sees me at the end of my races!!!)!
I finished and felt like such a loser and said “I suck.” Erin was quick to remind me that I don’t. I just felt so bad for not being able to keep up with her and “holding her back.” She assured me that I wasn’t, and was stoked about her new PR. Eventually, as we walked back to the car I started to realize:
- I took over 20 minutes off my PR.
- I only walked at scheduled walk times and stopped at a few water stops to fill up bottles – NO DEATH MARCH FOR ME!
- My half times were so close – 2:17:53 and 2:20:42 – that is pretty awesome – I did not slow down a ton in the second half.
- My average pace was 10:38 and only two of my mile splits were over 11:00. I ran mile 24 in 10:08. You can see my splits here.
- I pushed hard. I almost did my best.
- Even though Erin and I did a lot of training together, I should never compare what I cannot do in one moment to what someone else can do. We aren’t the same person!
- This is my third marathon. I feel like I can definitely improve, but that maybe, I did this marathon “right.”
Now that I am sitting and thinking about it all. I feel better. But like I said, major props to Erin, who pushed me so much. I am so so so so proud of her. I cannot wait to see how she smashes this PR at the Las Vegas Marathon. And a BIG THANKS to my favorite spectator, Steven! He even told me he didn’t see much of the death march around me because I was “running so fast.” What a sweetie!
After the race (and once I was able to walk again) we went to Red Robin. Of course.
P.S. Some of these photos are from Erin’s husband – a huge thanks to him! And the poster photo I stole from Facebook, from my club friend.
P.P.S. Some of these photos are from my new camera and I LOVE the quality of them!
*Funny story, Erin brought a sweatshirt to make in to a throwaway jacket. After she cut in then tried it on, I told her I thought my throwaway jacket would fit her better. It sure did! So we switched. And I had to tease her that my new throwaway jacket did not zip up or close!
**The race asked that you leave your clothes at mile markers and aid stations, so they could easily collect them and take them to finish for your pick-up. Pretty nice. Neither of us wanted our stuff back though!
There are a few other things I want to say, and you can see them if you click “more” below (or if you are looking in Reader, they’re already there).
The Course
This course rocks. It’s beautiful, the volunteers are great, there are a decent amount of spectators, and the hills are not that bad (it’s net downhill and feels like it). I absolutely loved it. I would totally do it again. You are mostly in residential areas until the last few miles, when it opens up along Lake Michigan. Here are some photos I tried to take with my cell phone (which dropped and came apart during the race, by the way) to show you how beautiful the course is:
- Most of the course is not in Milwaukee. I noticed when we got to Milwaukee spectators were saying “Welcome to Milwaukee!” That was fun.
- There was one set of spectators (younger guys and gals) we saw everywhere (maybe 8 times on the course?) and they started calling us the twins and cheering for us really loudly – even at the finish, they said “Go Twin Go!” I liked that.
Our twin tops.
- You can follow along a lot of this course in your car and cheer people on “Ragnar-Style.”
Why did I run out of enery?
Nothing ever “hurt” (except my back) during the run, so what happened?
- Are GUs not doing it for me?
- Was the heat too much at the end (65°F, I think)? Was the sun too intense (I have a sun burn and my lips are really burned despite using so much chapstick)?
- Was it because it is “that time of the month” (TMI, sorry) and I had cramps for half the run?
- Do I need to work more on my mental training? (YES)
- DO I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT? (YES YES YES!!!)
How do I feel after the race?
Great! Immediately after, my legs cramped up a bit and I felt sick to my stomach and my plantar fasciitis was awful, but after moving around a bit and taking a shower, I feel awesome and can go up and down the stairs no problem. That my friends, is amazing.
What’s next?
I am running a 5K for fun on October 16. Then the NYC Marathon is November 6. I had high hopes for that one, but I don’t know how to plan for it now. Most people recommend to run it for fun. I couldn’t even imagine running it during this marathon, but now that I’ve been sitting awhile… who knows. We’ll see where I am in five weeks.
Themocracy
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Awesome job on smashing your previous PR! You’ve been putting in so much work that this was the only logical outcome.
There are some plans for how to do another marathon in 4 weeks, here’s a page from one from Runner’s World:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244–12888-2-1-2,00.html
And here’s Hal Higdon’s plans: http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/multiple/Multiplemara.htm
Great job and you’re awesome! You’ve accomplished something major!
Thank you!!! I do finally feel like I had a healthy training cycle that set me up for success 🙂
Thanks for sharing those plans. I thought it was interesting that they don’t have another 20-miler in them! Mine is 5 weeks out and I was thinking 12, 20, 12, 8 for long runs… I wonder if that will work or not!
CONGRATS!!!! You rocked the race! I am so happy that you PR’d and all your hard work and training paid off! I am sure with the right rest and recovery you will be ready to rock NYC too!
Thank you!!! I am already getting excited about NYC… is it too early? 🙂
Now that the wedding is over, is a marathon in your sights at all? 🙂
GREAT job, Kimberly!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! I was thinking about you yesterday and hoped you were having a good time. 🙂
Thank you! And thanks for thinking about me! I did have a good time until the very end when I just wanted to be done 🙂 Hee hee. I think that’s normal 🙂
You did awesome! But I knew you would.
Thanks for the super cute shirt, I got it on Saturday and can’t wait to wear it!
Thank you Tori! 🙂
And I am happy you got the shirt! I felt silly mailing it to you from Grayslake, when you are so close! We need to get together soon 🙂
I think you did incredible! Compare that to Chicago a year ago — look at how far you come! Congrats!
Thank you! I did say to Erin – I think this is almost an hour faster than I ran Chicago!
Congrats Kim!!!! You did amazing!!! Wow! Way to crush your PR 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Congrats on a fantastic race! You and Erin did GREAT! Congratulations to you both! You can really tell all of your hard work is paying off! Love the matching tops you wore!
Thank you thank you thank you! 🙂 We loved matching. I love being matchy. 🙂
Kim! That PR is INCREDIBLE!!! Amazing job! Of course, you’ll always analyze a race (probably even your very best one) and think about ways you could improve or where you could have pushed harder… but that just helps you out for the next one. Taking 20+ minutes off is so so good! I think you should be REALLY happy with your race!
Thanks Kim. I do feel so happy as the days go on! In the moment I was very “why can’t I run faster than this?!” but now I realize I really rocked it, and have a lot of good ideas for how to (maybe) do even better next time! 🙂
20 MINUTES! Amazing! Congrats lady!
Thanks Amy!!! 🙂
Congratulations Kim!! And Erin!! So proud of you guys! 🙂 You’re awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks snista!!!
Yay! Congrats on the PR, this is wonderful! I think you did awesome even if you said “you almost ran your best”. This sounds like it was a great race and you have so much to be proud of.
Thanks Britt! It was actually a great race – for me and course wise! You should check it out one year! 🙂
Woo-hoo! Sounds like you did AMAZINGLY well! I hope that you can walk today without too much pain and that you are feeling great about the race.
Thank you!!! I was able to walk on Monday! I even went out for a 4 mile run during lunch and I feel pretty good! 🙂
Congrats Kim! Can’t wait to see you in the NYC race
Thanks Steve! I am so excited you guys are going to be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that is a great record, you have so much to be proud of!
Thank you Christina!!!! 🙂
Congrats, Kim! You rocked it! What an incredible PR! 🙂
Thanks Stephany! 🙂
Congrats! What an incredible huge PR and another marathon finish! Nice work!
Thanks Jamie!!! 🙂
I am so proud of you for blowing your PR out of the water! And we should learn something from every race we do. We’ll never be perfect and we can never recreate exact situations but we can keep learning and keep doing better and better. Which I know you will do! But if you’re doing this well right now I can’t wait to see where you are in a few years.
Thank you for being there with me. It meant a lot to me to be there with you!
After this race, I really do feel encouraged to try harder in the next few years, like you said! Maybe we will both be like Holly and kicking butt when we are in our late 30s? Oh wait… we don’t have the track background. Well, we can still kick butt 🙂
I LOVE that we ran so much of this together!!! That has to be a huge part of what made it so awesome/fun!!! It just felt like another training run; just out there having a good time… (until I ran out of energy and felt overheated 🙂 ).
What a GREAT RACE, Kim!!!! That’s huge – taking 20 minutes off your PR. Good grief – I can’t believe you felt down at the end (plus, if Erin really wanted to finish without you, she could’ve run ahead and met you at the finish line!).
I remember running the Chicago Marathon when it was 35 degrees at the start. I had a throwaway jacket and top, plus throw-away gloves. I was shocked that I was sweating after a mile and got rid of them. It’s amazing how quickly your body warms up!
Thank you! You know, after a few days, I feel awesome about this race, but in the moment, it was very hard and easy to feel down on myself. I still have a lot of mental work to do!
I hope NYC is that cold for me! I love running in the 30s!!!
Congrats on the massive PR! Sounds like you had the perfect day but IMO it got a little hot (for heat-wimp me anyway).
Sorry you dropped your cell–yikes!
You may be surprised how strong you feel in NYC. I ran a half PR 7 days after Chicago last year. You just never know. Your body will rise to the challenge. And if it doesn’t so what?
Great job!
Thank you! I also thought it was a bit too hot at the end. But… not as bad as Chicago 2010!
Thanks for the NYC encouragement! That is what I need right now! (and for the next 5 weeks, lol!)
congratulations – that time is AMAZING!! way to go!! that’s a HUGE amount of time taken off your PR!!
Thank you Alice! 🙂
Oh my goodness congrats on the HUGE PR!! That’s amazing and it sounds like you had a great race! Get ready for NYC!!
Thanks Susan! I am excited to hear about your marathon PR on Sunday! 🙂
YAY!! Huge hug and congrats Kim! I’m so proud of you and your PR. You should never get down on yourself, and just be proud of how awesome your race was. You are such an inspiration. Just what I need a few days before my big race! And what is this you are running another marathon in 5 weeks? Seriously?! That is crazy awesome!
Thanks! I cannot wait to hear how awesome you do on your marathon this weekend! 🙂
amazing PR way to go!!!! Love the great big signs from your friends too!
Thank you! I loved the sign too! I almost started to cry when I saw it 🙂
Wahoo!!!Congrats again!!! You rocked it!!! I’m SO happy for you!
Thank you Kayla! I can’t wait to hear how much you love running Chicago this weekend! It’s such a great course 🙂
SO FREAKING PROUD OF YOU! Seriously!! I could not be happier with how you did, and don’t you dare get down on yourself for ANY part of this day. Relish it. You worked SO HARD for that!
You and I handle heat similarly, so that may have been some of it. It was 78 degrees when I finished which contributed to my bomb. But you were steady and strong throughout, in spite of that.
YOU DID AMAZING! CONGRATS MY FRIEND!!
Thanks Bobbi 🙂 I am feeling much better about it all now, a few days later 🙂
Ugh, 78 at the finish? What the effity eff?! We need a winter marathon, stat!
Holy smokes!!! You FLEW!!!!
Seriously I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of anyone knocking a full 20 minutes off of their PR – that’s amazing! Congrats!
Thanks Molly! I thought of you and how awesome it would be to run the second half faster, like you did in WI, lol 🙂 Obviously, that didn’t happen, hee hee.
Congratulations to you on the great PR!!! I am so proud of you!!! You did fantastic!!! You and Erin rocked it!!!
=^..^=
Thank you Courtney!!! 🙂
Congratulations!! It’s so great to hear that you ‘came around’ to realizing that you really did have a great race and that you definitely don’t suck! I’m really interested to see what you’ll have to say about the two marathons when you’re done, with one being ‘small’ and one being ‘freakin huge.’
Your 12, 20, 12, 8 planned runs looks like a good plan, but be sure not to beat yourself up if you’re not holding to it. I’d go into the runs with those plans, but if you’re feeling like it’s being detrimental to you (particularly the first 12 and the 20) there’s nothing wrong at all with pulling back a bit. You’ve push your body hard in this race and it might take a bit to spring back! That being said, in 5 weeks, as long as you’re generally active, you shouldn’t lose any of that great endurance that you have right now 🙂
Thanks! And thanks for your input! I do need to remember to take it easy as I continue to train for NYC. I don’t want to get so burned out that I don’t enjoy it. And I wonder if I will leave NYC knowing which kind of race I prefer (small vs freakin’ huge, lol).
And I am still looking forward to our potential marathon date 🙂
Please note, that’s just all my opinion from my personal experience with closer-to-each-other-marathons. I’m no pro!
Congratulations!! That is a massive PR, and it is even more sweet because you achieved it alongside Erin. I loved reading both of your reports–you both ran awesome races and should be extremely proud of yourselves!
Drink in your pride from this race, and take it one day at a time from here! Even if New York isn’t what you originally planned, you had a great race this past weekend!
Thank you! It was so fun to do the race with Erin! Now I have to think of my strategy to run NYC “alone” (really with 45K other people).
Awesome!!! Way to go on your PR!!