The Wisconsin Half Marathon.... Complete!

 Yesterday I ran the Wisconsin Half Marathon in Kenosha.  Just down the road from where I currently reside,   so you would think that it would be an obvious race for me.   But this was the first time I have ever run it!  And it was a painfully fun good time!

You may remember when I volunteered for it back in 2023.   And I have been here before when Cheryl ran it, Back in 2016,   And Last year in 2024.  This was the first time I was able to get things to work out and actually run it myself.   So... Small victory! 

The good/bad news is that I, once again,  ran a  race completely alone.  Well, not totally alone...  Just with a bunch of strangers.   There was ONE person I recognized.   Liz Keith!   A person who I "friended" on Facebook to keep in touch with her hubby,  Eric.    Eric works at Zebra and we used to talk about all things nerd-ville.   Whether it be Warhammer  40K or Dungeons and Dragons;   Scottish Music,  or the inevitable collapse of Human Society after a Zombie Apocalypse....  We had some fun conversations.   

Somehow,   when exchanging Warhammer Trivia,  Eric mentioned that his wife was on Facebook and I could exchange a YouTube video with him there.   Oddly,  he never mentioned that Liz was a runner/ Iron Man athlete.   

Well,  after connecting on Facebook.,  I had  never actually met her... Until yesterday!   She was in the Baggage Claim volunteering.   I had mere moments before the race started to say "Hi" to her before I headed out.   After the race,  I heard she was on the race somewhere, making sure things were going smoothly.   But I finally had the chance to see the legend!  

But getting back to the race.   The temps hovered around 45 degrees and never rose up much past that.   That would have been fine, except that the wind was INSANE!  And there is nothing quite like the cold, strong wind blowing off of Lake Michigan to make the temperature drop significantly.   I was happy I brought my vest to bundle up.   Normally, I dislike extra layers because it is easy to overheat.   But the wind cut to the bone!  And in  hindsight,  I should have packed my gloves as well, since my hands were frozen the entire time.  

Overall,   the race went well.  At the time of running it, I was not feeling particularly frisky. But I maintained a decent pace.   My foot started to ache after mile 6 and progressively got worse as the race dragged on.   Add on top that I was poorly trained;  in new, un-tested shoes;  and was out of shape since my last big race!   And it all adds up to  me clocking in a rather poor time.   

No matter!  I completed it!   On a day when staying in bed would have been an acceptable option, ( And very tempting...) I chose to get up before the sunrise, brave the cold and wind,  and suffer through a painful experience!   All for a shirt, a Medal,  a Beer and a Brat!  

A rather unfair exchange, if you count the price I had to pay to get into this thing.  $$$

But it is all good.    Being able to run is hard.   But... being UNABLE  to run is also hard... If you have to choose your hard.... I choose the former.   If it has to be hard, I may as well be able to do something and have the memories. 

 In the end,  I guess I have always been one to chase after the intangible.  The things that you can not explain or point at.   Moments in time,  experiences,  memories...  That sense of satisfaction you get from a job well done... Even when no one else is there to see or experience it with you.  

And maybe that is one of the reasons I enjoy running alone.   With no one there to tell you that you are "doing it wrong" or are "going too slow" or You need to pick up the pace"  or "you should have trained more..."   

I already tell myself all of these things without any help from other people.   And I get to experience, first hand,  the hardships ( And pain!) from not following my own advice.  Whether it be the pain from an untrained body,  or the disappointing time that I  clocked in.   I try to focus on the lessons learned and the positives  of the experience.  

And the fact that my two primary objectives were met:   Don't quit,  Don't get hurt!  (Because no one if coming to get you...)

But that is just me. 

In the mean time,   I have had about 24 hours to recover.   I did a whole lot of nothin'  yesterday after the race.   My feet (specifically, my left foot)   hurt so bad I could hardly put any pressure on it.    But now,  after a day of recovery,  I am able to almost walk normal.   And I'm thinking that the pain in my foot will fade just like the pain in the rest of my legs.  ( Hips, knees, ankles....)   Perhaps I will need to get better shoes to address the problem specifically.  ( Plantar Fasciitis)  I'm not ready to give up running just because of a chronic condition.  I still believe it helps me somehow.  

And now on to my next goal!   We shall see what this upcoming week provides me.   It is already May and time seems to be speeding past.   I have to try to make every second count.