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Notes

===Pre-Race Notes===

Adjusting. I would be stoked with a 3:15 - this training cycle has been bad.

3:20:00 feels pretty reasonable, probably where I'll start (1:40 halves)

There's no 3:10 pace group (unfortunately), so I'll be aiming for 7:20 miles.

===Official Splits ===

10K: 44:19 (7:08 overall pace, includes bathroom stop)

Half: 1:31:58 (7:02 overall pace)

15.9 mi: 1:50:46 (6:58 (!!) overall pace)

20 mi: 2:21:03 (7:04 overall pace)

Full: 3:08:02 (7:11 overall pace)

This indicates a lot about my race.

=== Race Report ===

So let's talk about the Madison Marathon. It was a chilly morning, started at about 25 degrees, light wind. ended up not wearing gloves or a hat, which was ... bold. First two miles are mostly downhill, but I was relatively focused on trying to get feeling back into my hands. At mile 2, we turn into the Arborteum, which starts to get some rolling hills. I hit the 5 mile mark around 35:08 and found a quick portapotty stop. After the stop, I apparently realized that I was actually not that far from 3:05 and somehow did the math wrong (? not sure what exactly was up), but by mile 12 I was at 3 flat pace. That's... not ideal. I saw a few folks that I knew cheering at that point and it was definitely a realization that I was either feeling amazing or that the second half was going to get rough.

I got through the half at 1:31:58. Once you get past the half mark, the course is shared with the half marathon, so I was passing a pretty high number of walkers in the half. The trick is mile 13 to 15 is a long, open section with a very gentle uphill. But it's open and straight and just a slog. Then you loop around Warner Park briefly before the half splits off while the marathon goes up a reasonable hill. Then the hill just doesn't stop for another half mile. At this point, I was firmly hurting. I was still clipping along, but this is the point where I was starting to attempt to do the math on what it would take to keep the PR. The course drops out of the neighborhood, but then it turns toward the lake and kicks up a (actually not that) big hill with the peak at mile 20. I was at 2:21:03 at this point, but there's an absolutely mean hill at mile 21 and 22.

I had about half a gel at mile 21 (ish), but my stomach was just not having it up the hill. Once you crest that hill, it's not actually it for hills, which was starting to crush my legs. As I alluded to in my original post, I don't have the density of runs at 7:20 pace to actually make running this far reasonable. The course wanders a little bit before hopping onto the bike path, but that section was a grind and really hard. It wasn't really hilly, but it was just crunching along and weaving through the walkers. It was nice to actually have people around, but I was also drained pretty badly by this section.

Mile 24 pops off the bike path into another neighborhood and then onto Mifflin Street. Once you're on Mifflin, you can see the Capital, which is where you finish. It's just hanging out above you. This is where I had a 15-30 second walking break, just to try to loosen up something in my legs (it kind of worked). The last mile of this was just staggering up the hill to the finish line - of course, it's not just straight into the finish line, that would be too nice. Instead, you run past the finish line one block over, run a short downhill onto State Street, when you hang a big, blocky U-turn that's also uphill. It's a very cruel finish, especially if you haven't been running the tangents. It's at least well cheered, which is good.

I crossed the line at 3:08:02 and almost immediately went down. I usually end up on the ground after a race - this was the first time that I can remember my legs actually cramping up badly enough that I wasn't able to pop back up. I got a very nice volunteer to walk me toward the heated tent. I was fine, but walking around was a very, very good thing.

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===Takeaways===

1) the Madison Marathon is fun, but that second half will savage you if you go out too hard. Like I have twice now, because learning is for chumps.

2) I might need to try some different fueling methods or try eating less on the run. I had four gus, but couldn't finish the last two. It could have been the cold at that point.

3) November in Madison is slightly cooler than I'd like for a marathon. But it's so much better than May in Madison.

4) I ran in the maroon, heavy under armor, the WPI Alumni Singlet, a reflective vest (for the pocket), the Blue Saucony split shorts, and the black Adidas pants with the blue and grey socks. That was almost perfect - I could have worn gloves, but I would have shucked them at mile 12 when I saw Katja and Drew.

5) I saw Cody's parents at mile 5 leaving the Arborteum, which was great! Unfortunately, Cody had a rough race. He kind of knew coming in that he was undertrained and then it sounds like he was cramping up hard. He was with the 3:40 pace group for the first 16, but then detonated and finished 4 plus.

6) Maria PR'ed! Yes, in 25 degree weather at the start! I was extraordinarily surprised by that, but I probably shouldn't have been.

7) I finished 2nd of 47 in the 45.5 Capital Challenge, but I'll claim victory in the Marathon portion as the fastest of the triplers. I do quite like the medals that we got for these races, even if the 45.5 challenge medal is... large.

8) If I want to run sub 3, I have have have to get better late in races. Positive splitting a sub 3 is doable, but it's going to take something like 1:28-1:32, which is... more challenging. I basically split 1:32-1:36 and that was brutal.

9) All of the water stations had ice in the cups because it was very cold. It was refreshing, but also meant that I wasn't getting quite enough water.

10) We had brunch with Justin and Katy afterward! It was very good (if cramped) lunch in the basement of the Great Dane. Like Cody, Maria, and I were discussing, it's tradition that the three of us go to the Great Dane after Madison races. It's almost to the point of parody, honestly.

11) Day after the race - my legs are pretty beat up, but nothing feels hurt. Toes are a little bruised up, but not badly so. The Adidas Boosts are less shoe that I probably should have for a full marathon, but I like them a lot. Not much cushion for pavement pounding.

12) I ran for about a mile with a guy from South Africa who was living in Alberta. Good guy to run with for a little bit. I actually chatted to more people than usual on this race, which was pretty nice. And got good feedback from the crowd, which was great. Having the name on the numbers is small, but it's a good boost if you're expecting it. I had a least once where I think someone that I knew was volunteering, but I'm not completely sure...

===So Now What?===

This is probably the last actual race of 2018. Pending recovery, I might try to run 50k the Sunday after Thanksgiving out in Lake Mills. That's looking somewhat iffy at this point, but I definitely could assuming I run slowly and keep it casual. For 2019 - I think I need to keep trying for that sub 3 marathon. I'm not really ready to switch to full ultras yet, but it's still on the table. The Milwaukee Marathon is super tempting, partly because it's 70 dollars (!!) for a full marathon in 2019 and you get a fleece and shirt. That's only five dollars more than the Madison Mini and almost 30 dollars cheaper than Grandma's. But that race has been screwed up twice in the last three years, so I'm leery.