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Hmmm... How do I start this race review? My friend Wendy has already posted such a wonderful recap. I could just say "ditto" and move on. You have my permission to skip ahead, but I hope you'll hang tight.
Ten weeks ago, I returned to running on a freshly healed fractured foot. Trying to be prudent, I added mileage relatively slowly, at least initially. Running.felt.so.hard! Sadly, it still does. Wanting to get back in the game at any speed, I took Wendy up on her offer to come to Door County, Wisconsin and run in beautiful Peninsula State Park.
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| Thank you for my #holottafun Momentum bracelet, Wendy! |
I fretted about the storms on travel day, but thankfully everything went smoothly and soon enough I'm in Wendy's car road-tripping for the final 3 hour leg of our journey. It was the farthest north I've ever been. For a little perspective, it is higher than Toronto, Canada.
As you can imagine, time passed quickly as we Thelma and Louise'd our way north. Soon, we were driving through quaint coastal towns dotting the shoreline. Wow! Such a picturesque place! Her parents were gracious enough to open their home to me and I could not have been more appreciative. {Thank you Papa D and Mama J for your hospitality!} We dined on delicious fish tacos as we celebrated Cuatro De Mayo that evening, thinking Cinco would not be the best idea before our race.
After a rare opportunity to sleep in Friday morning, we had a fun day playing tourists. We enjoyed many hilarious attempts of nabbing the perfect picture on the curvy road to the ferry dock. But, we decided the outtakes were better than the picture itself.
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| We tried over and over to beat the timer! The cars coming to and from the ferry were no help at all. |
Wanting to see a lighthouse, we visited Eagle Bluff and then drove the race course. Obviously completely off of our rockers, we decided those hills would be manageable the next day {bahahaha} and proceeded to the expo. We couldn't resist the quarter zip pullover in raspberry. In fact, Wendy wore hers the next day. She also splurged on a parking pass which garnered us a sweet spot right at the runner's village. We dined on delicious walleye with her parents and called it a day.
It's race day! The temp? Low 40s. {Woo Hoo!} The wind? 20-30 mph! {Oh My!} Unsure of whether we would be sheltered from it, I dressed a bit too warm. After a quick porta-potty visit and the obligatory pre race photo, we headed toward the starting line. It was quite crowded and we stopped moving forward near the 2:25 pacer as I planned to start slowly anyway. After a good luck fist bump, we were off.
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| Pre race. Can you tell it's windy? |
The bagpiper playing as we started (and again later on the course) is one of my favorite memories. I was caught up in the throng for about a mile before there was enough space to maneuver, but that fit my plan. We inhaled a few swarming mayflies for extra protein and then Wendy was gone from view.
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| Not the hilliest race I've run, but they just kept coming! |
La de da. Up, down, left, right. Keep it slow. Repeat. On top of the first huge hill, there was a pirate ship complete with costumed pirates working the aid station. It was tempting to stop for a picture, but I didn't. La de da. Don't push too hard yet. At some point I spotted Wendy over to my left. Where did she come from? I checked in and we both admitted it felt hard but we seemed OK.
La de blah, la de blah. Man those hills kept coming. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of spectators at the cheer zones. Each time, their roar was a nice boost. A freaky costumed white bunny was offering beer. I declined. Wendy and I swapped places over and over in the heart of this race. Then, she pulled ahead toward the end.
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| The view from Peninsula State Park. The blurry dots are mayflies! |
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| DETERMINATION. It's written all over our faces. |
This race was a huge challenge. I walked occasionally. Had to! My heart rate was extreme (average=178 max=212). I was grateful for no issues other than mild foot cramping, causing me to take all of my Salt Caps. Naturally, my thoughts ran the gamut of never racing ever again to wondering if I could hit my 50th half marathon by year end. I think the latter won out.
We hit the runners village and sat down to compare notes while sipping our free beer. Before we knew it, everyone was packing up. They wanted us to go to a nearby location where they had a live band and were raffling off door prizes {fail--we forgot our tickets!}. At Husby's, Whiskey Trio was rockin' the tunes and we couldn't help but sing away the afternoon in the warm sunshine. Taking requests, they sang Sweet Home Alabama for the "first place lady runners up on the balcony".
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| Why is this so hard, Wendy? |
We stopped for a jumping picture at the beach and again were more amused by our hysterical failed attempts than the good picture. We capped off the evening dining with her parents. I inhaled delicious salmon topped with triple berry chutney and we celebrated our finish with fresh, local cherry pie.
I know that was a lot to get through. However, it is my way to preserve a wonderful and special memory for half marathon #45. I can't thank Wendy enough for the invite and the ensuing #weholottafun. I'm already looking forward to our next adventure {talking to you Chicago!}. Go places. Do things. Connect with dear friends. Have fun. Sing. Play. I think you'll agree the numbers from a race are truly incidental to the experience itself.
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| And that's a wrap! |
Tell me about the hilliest race you've ever run!
Happy Mother's Day! How did you celebrate?
