To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)
- Thread starter DopeyBadger
- Start date
dis_or_dat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2016
Congratulations! 
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
Recap to come! A 3:15:13 finish for my second best ever!
Thanks! I could feel all the virtual cheers!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Ecstatic! Second best marathon performance ever at 3:15:13. I'll break it down later, but the GAP and HR shows a really good effort throughout the race. It was an enjoyable race from start to finish.
I'll have to double check, but when I glanced earlier it looked like you're our big prediction game winner!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Go get it!
We're all cheering super loud for you from afar
Thanks! I could feel all the virtual cheers!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Ecstatic! Second best marathon performance ever at 3:15:13. I'll break it down later, but the GAP and HR shows a really good effort throughout the race. It was an enjoyable race from start to finish.
I'll have to double check, but when I glanced earlier it looked like you're our big prediction game winner!
Congratulations!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
cburnett11
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2007
Woot! Congrats Billy!
avondale
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2017
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
2021 Madison Marathon Recap
2021 Madison Marathon Training Plan Thought Process
2021 Madison Marathon Prediction Game
2021 Madison Marathon Strategy
Final Weather Projection
Alright, where to begin, where to begin. Let's roll back to Summer/Fall 2018. I was training for the 2018 Chicago Marathon (link). It was the last time I would train at six days per week running. During the process of that training plan I developed ankle tendonitis and introduced some cycling late in the training to maintain some semblance of running fitness. After that training plan, I had decided that I was going to need to focus on other aspects of my fitness because my body wasn't tolerating six days per week running like it had used to. So I transitioned into run+cycle+strength. I dramatically increase the overall training volume going from 7-9 hrs per week to as much as 15-20 hrs per week. But ultimately this increased time commitment as a combination of run+cycle+strength did not pay off on my marathon performances (3:41, 3:35, and 3:29), nor did it keep me injury free (ankle issues, quad issues, knee issues). So it was after the 2021 Non-Cancelled Marathon in May that I decided I was going to go back to running six days per week. If I was training more often, and avoiding running as much, but getting worse results and still not staying injury free, then I might as well go back to running full time. I had to decide which training plan to follow, and ultimately settled on my original Hansons Intermediate training plan I used for Lakefront 2015 (my breakthrough 3:38 (and first sub-4) marathon). However, I'm faster now then I was then. Which means the mileage would be the same, but the amount of time I spent training would be down compared to that 2015 plan. Instead of 7:50 hrs per week average for the last 13 weeks, I'd be doing 6:52 hr per week average. And instead of peaking at 150 min three time at 16 miles max, instead I would be peaking around 120-130 min. So, in the past I could be accused of doing too much running or overtraining. But would doing slightly less be a good counter idea? I was ready to find out.
As recapped earlier, the training plan went well. I hit my pace goals throughout training with exception of the M Tempo. Which early on stuck around the 7:20-7:30 range. Then as the temps dropped, the pace dropped into the 7:05-7:15 range. Other than the M Tempo runs, everything else went to plan. I ran a 10k in 42:03 on Sept 26th under good racing conditions with a course that was semi-reflective of the Madison M course. According to VDOT, that 10k projected a 3:14 marathon finish. Most importantly, despite some small hiccups here and there, ultimately the training plan kept me healthy. I came into the race well trained and healthy giving myself a chance at something special. Not peak fitness, but in good shape.
In the run up to the race, the eyes were being kept on the weather forecast. The snow projections were fluctuating anywhere from nothing to as much as 3 inches. Ultimately on race day, it was a non-issue. There was minimal snow cover overnight that ultimately was gone by morning, and the snow that fell during the race was mostly minimal and never stuck.
The carb loading on Saturday went well. I did the Western Australian method with 50% from liquid and 50% from solid. The liquid source was Maurten 320 at 80g carbs per 17oz drink. For breakfast I had eggs/oatmeal/cherries/oranges (normal), for lunch I had rice/chicken, and for dinner I had a gnocchi dish. I ended up consuming just about 950g carbs which at my body weight of 175.8 pounds (79.7 kg) was 11.9 grams per kilogram body weight. Above the goal of 10.2 grams. As for the weight, this would be one of the heaviest marathons I've done thus far. 2021 Non-Cancelled was 186, Dopey 2014 was in the 190s from memory, Dopey 2015 was 186, and Madison 2015 was in the 180s as well. All those other marathons (other than 2021 Non-Cancelled) were >4hr finishes. So 175.8 would be around my fifth highest of the 16 marathons. All my top 6 times were at 167 pounds of less (with 5 at 160 or less).
I had done the Madison Marathon once prior in 2014. I finished in 4:20. I had also done the Madison HM once prior in 2019. I finished in 1:28:40 (my current PR).
Now after all the back story, let's get to race day!
I went to bed around 7:30pm, but I didn't fall asleep until past 9:30pm. The whole house was restless as G and Dizzy also refused to go to sleep. But ultimately everyone did. Around 3am my mother texted me a good luck wish, and I was like, oh no I'm awake now. I laid there until 3:30 thinking about how I was now unlikely to go back to sleep. And then at 4:15am my alarm went off, and I realized I ultimately did fall back asleep. I quick checked the weather and saw good news. Little to snow in the future forecast and the outside camera showed no snow had stuck to the ground. Golden! I headed to the kitchen and made a PB sandwich. I drank about 12oz of water and then made a 3oz liquid IV drink (I prefer the taste of it super concentrated). I also ate a banana. This was all before 4:30am following my standard protocol of nothing within 2 hours of the last time I reasonably believe I can use the restroom. I headed to the shower and got ready. I was still deciding between tank vs long sleeve. Because the temps were suppose to did down to a wind chill of 24, and because there was still a threat of some precipitation, I went with the very light long sleeve. Ultimately, the decision was made, and I wasn't going to second guess it until after the race was over. We finished our prep and got G in the car. We dropped her off at my SIL's house and then we were off to Madison around 5:35am.
It was a nice and easy car ride. We arrived at the underground parking around 6:00am. Got my stuff on, put on a nice winter jacket, pants, etc. and then headed towards the portas. I think it was around 6:20am when I used the portas. Then Steph and I just sauntered to the race area. Just relaxed and not in a rush at all. It was quite windy, and I felt happy about wearing a long sleeve instead of the tank with sock arm sleeves. Around 6:30am, I settled down and started doing my normal stretches. And around 6:40am, I realized I needed to use the porta again. So we headed back, waited in a short line, and then made our way back to the start line. It was a bit unusual for a second visit to the portas and after the 2hr window, but it was the right choice. It did put me a little behind the eight-ball in terms of getting to the start area on time. They were singing the national anthem around 6:52am while I was undressing my winter clothes, chugging my pre-race Maurten 320, and throwing all my gels/tailwind into my pockets. Steph was freaking out a little as I only had minutes to spare to get into the corrals, but I wasn't really all that worried. I got everything on, said goodbye to Steph, and headed into the starting area with about 3 min to spare. I weaved my way through the area and up towards the start line. I saw an old college buddy Christopher that I didn't know was running the race. He was going for 3:15-3:20, and I said maybe something around 3:07-3:10. We wished each other luck, and then soon enough the start horn went off and we were running.
Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 12mph to 27mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 28°F; FL - 26°F
End: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 28°F; FL - 26°F
Throughout the entire race I did keep an eye on pace. At no point during the race did I go blind to pace. I also had with me a small cheatsheet for grade adjusted pacing on the uphills. The goal was to find the pace my body wanted to run, and then adjust the uphill miles based on their GAP to whatever that feel right pace was.
Mile 1 - 7:10 min/mile - 7:09 GAP
The race starts off with a moderate uphill, and then a fairly sizable downhill. I didn't want to bomb the race early, and so I just coasted up the start hill and then settled in on the downhill. Before I even reach the top of the first hill then 3:20 pace group (7:35 min/mile) passed me. As we started heading down the hill things started to settle in for everyone. I then had an immediate "oh ****" moment as I realized my shorts weren't handling the weight of all the items very well while running. I thought I had tied the waist band tight enough, but maybe not? I was fully ready to full moon everyone as it felt like my shorts would fall off. Ultimately, they did not. Through much of the first mile I was running lock step with the 3:20 pace group. And maybe a younger me would have freaked out at that prospect. Because I did want to run faster than a 3:20 finish. But each time I looked at my watch I saw paces in the 7:10-7:20 area for lap pace. So I suspected the 3:20 pace group was going out at suicide pace and not 3:20 pace. Just before the end of the first mile and the first aid station I was just a hair ahead of the 3:20 group. But I was off to the left of the group, and the aid station was off to the right. I had no chance to cut everyone off, so instead I made a tactical decision and slowed WAY down in order to scoot behind the 3:20 group to be able to get some water. I had just consumed 17oz of Maurten only 20 min prior, so I probably didn't need water at this point, but I also knew that my carb consumption strategy depended on getting in some water at each station. So I sacrificed some time in order to stay on track. I saw the 7:10 split on my watch and was pretty pleased with it.
Mile 2 - 7:18 min/mile - 7:17 GAP
Best I can tell from the pace output the first aid station debacle cost my about 20-30 seconds between slowing way down, getting a cup, and then getting back moving again. The rest of mile 2 was about getting back into my groove and not forcing a pace to chase the 3:20 pace group. They'll do their thing, and I'll do mine. At the end of the day, I didn't think they were running 3:20 pace anyways. A few times I looked down at my watch and saw 7:40s average pace, but knew that was a function of the 1st aid station debacle and so I stayed calm. I approached the second aid station while still behind the 3:20 pace group and grabbed a cup. Ugh... gatorade. I was off to a rough start with these aid stations. I drank a small sip and then threw the rest out. I need water, not gatorade. I continued on my way. We enter the arboretum. This was the same section that I did for the Sept 10k, but just in reverse. Around the 2 mile mark is when I pulled up along side the 3:20 pace group and then ultimately passed them. Hoping to put them in my rear view mirror for good. Remember, they're suppose to be doing 7:35 pace, and threw the first two miles we had done like 7:14 pace. In fact my 2 mile official split was 14:42. So even that was 7:21 pace and no where close to 7:35. They were nearly 30 seconds ahead of pace at that point.
Mile 3 - 7:12 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
And so the real race within the race begins. The third mile was the first I had marked for a GAP adjustment. I had it down as a +5. Which it did end up being. My approach to the race was "patience". The Madison Marathon is a set of rolling hills. Each time you think you're done with the hills, you get more hills. There are actually very few sections of the race where you're not doing an either uphill or downhill. And that continues until pretty much Mile 22. Which means this race forces you to have patience. If you don't, the hills will chew you up and spit you out. So whenever a hill came up, my approach was to simply glide up it. Little to no effort. In fact I gave less effort on the uphills then I did on the flat sections. I was taking a really conservative approach. And with that approach came scores of other runners passing me on the uphills. But I didn't worry myself with their pace or their approach to the race. Ultimately our final times would determine who had the right approach. The race was starting to thin out a little, but there still felt like a decent amount of people around me. During this mile we hit our third aid station, and wouldn't you believe it the 3:20 pace group was coming screaming up behind me and jumbled it all up again. A younger less wise me would have let this completely derail my race. I wanted to cups per aid station. I got 2 at the first, none at the second (gatorade), and one at the third as the 3:20 groups swallowed me up. This group of people was really cramping my style. But I just went with the flow. I'll handle this situation. Not everything will go to plan, and I will be fine.
Mile 4 - 7:19 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
Time for some more hills. This was projected at +11 (and appears to have been +12). I had several runners blow past me. I remember one runner because he was extra loud, wearing a headband, and blue shirt. He passed me here at Mile 4. Based on our splits, he stayed ahead of me until at least Mile 20. I passed him between Mile 20 and the finish line, and from memory, he wasn't nearly as loud at that point anymore. He finished in 3:19. Other than that, I don't remember much specifics about this mile. It was still in the arb, and we were doing hills as I was getting passed.
Mile 5 - 7:13 min/mile - 7:09 GAP
Still in the arb, and still running the hills. It was around this time, that I realized that my body was liking something around 7:10-7:15 GAP. So moving forward, I had decided this would be my basis for adjustments and something to aim for during non-adjusted miles. We exited the arb and made our way onto the neighborhood streets of Madison. The exit from the arb is a decent uphill, and then we ran by a golf course that has a decent downhill which allowed me to open up the legs a bit more. Looks like I did 6:30s down the hill.
Mile 6 - 7:03 min/mile - 7:04 GAP
Ultimately a good mile. This was the first mile that was neither uphill or downhill. It was actually one of the only miles all race like this. And as soon as that happened my legs settled into my training M Tempo pace of 7:03. The pace felt good in the moment, but I knew it wasn't going to stay that way as Mile 7 was another pre-marked mile for GAP adjustment. There was an aid station within this mile, and from memory there were tons less people around. So I was able to easily grab two cups and chug them down.
Mile 7 - 7:27 min/mile - 7:15 GAP
Another aid station occurred right after the Mile 6 marker. Before I got there, I had my first in-race nutrition. A swig from my concentrated Tailwind. And it tasted glorious. Afterwards, I believe this is the aid station where I tried to grab a cup but they only were handing out gatorade again. Pretty sure I said an expletive to myself, and then moved on. I hit the 10k mark at 44:54 officially. So that's a 7:13 min/mile after doing a 7:21 min/mile through the first two. I had this mile with a GAP of +14 and it ended up as +12. A younger less wise me would have seen a 7:27 after a 7:03 mile and been really concerned. But not this old seasoned vet. Patience. Trust the process. Just glide up the hills and let others pass you. Around this time I pulled even with orange jacket. But when we hit one of the bigger hills, orange jacket and I believe orange hat guy both passed me. Don't worry though. We'll see them again. See ya Blinky and Pinky!
Mile 8 - 7:14 min/mile - 7:12 GAP
We got on the bike path for about a half mile or so. The path was nice. No camber. Paved. A nice slight downhill. The legs enjoyed this section of the course. At one point during this mile I looked down and saw 6:50s. I was like, oh cool, that's nice. Not a positive or negative reaction, but rather just an acknowledgment that that's what it was. And that's my body wanted to do in the moment. We turned off the bike path and headed towards the UW football stadium (Camp Randall). Nothing special outside of the stadium. Feels like they could do something cool there. I got passed by "Alan" here. I only knew his name because someone read it off his bib and shouted it as he ran by me. I looked down and realized I didn't have my name on the bib, possibly a by-product of signing up late. So at that moment someone said "go 1121" instead. Don't worry "Alan" we'll be seeing each other again.
Mile 9 - 7:11 min/mile - 7:15 GAP
As I entered this mile, I could see the next aid station in the distance. I was a tad ahead of time on my Maurten caff gel, but I thought it better to consume it before the aid station with water than after. But as I pulled it out of my pocket, the aid station got closer and closer. Time was running out. So I quickly slammed the gel with only moments to spare before I was grabbing some cups of water to drink. I think it was around this time that I walked a little to drink the water and was passed by multi-color jacket, grey shirt, and headphones girl. Multi-color jacket and grey shirt were with the 3:20 pace group based on pictures. As they passed me they were talking about pace and saying something about 7:20s. I didn't catch the whole convo, though that was close to the pace we were running. But they quickly got ahead of me. Don't worry, we'll see them again. Towards the end of the mile, a young girl came up alongside me and asked me about my headphones. She wondered whether I liked the aftershox and I told her they were well worth it. Case in point, I'm still listening to music right now, and conversing with you. She thanked me for the review and went about her way. She was moving really well. Nice and smooth. I did not see her again, and had a feeling I wouldn't.
You can just see a bit of her here. She finished in 3:06. Well done #82. I did not catch you.
Mile 10 - 7:34 min/mile - 7:16 GAP
This mile was highlighted in my GAP adjustments because it was supremely tough. I also remember it from 2014. This is when things fell apart for me then because I took this fairly aggressively. But thi time out, I just took my time and really focused on an easy effort. I was expecting a GAP of +17, and got a +18. The uphill was extreme, but the downhill was no help because it was even more extreme. I was really glad in this moment that it wasn't slippery. Because both the up and the down of this mile would have been extremely challenging. The down actually hurt a little. I'm pretty sure this is where camo hat and white shirt passed me. Don't worry we'll see him again. I hit the 10 mile marker on the course at 1:13, and knew that meant my average was around a 7:18 min/mile officially speaking. I was pleased with the effort. I think there was an aid station here as well at the tail end of the mile. From memory, this is the one where I missed grabbing the cup, slowed down, turned around and grabbed it again. Saw lost a touch of time here, but getting water was more important.
Mile 11 - 7:12 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
We were now heading through downtown Madison on the main road. It was during this mile that I had my third nutrition (Egel this time). I also got passed by another young girl. I would not see her again. So kudos #937. She finished in 3:12.
Mile 12 - 7:16 min/mile - 7:16 GAP
The GAP of this mile was even, but it was far from even elevation grade. It was either constant uphill or downhill throughout the mile. Just constantly a challenge. Slow on the ups, and controlled on the downs. I think this is where me and blue shirt/white hat would start jockeying with each other. He would pass me on the ups, and I would pass him on the downs. We did this back and forth for a while.
Mile 13 - 7:14 min/mile - 7:14 GAP
As we started to turn north is when the wind became more noticeable. As the race morning progressed, the wind was suppose to become stronger. And it was fulfilling that forecast. So as we headed north for the next 4.5 miles, it was about picking and choosing your battles. On the bright side, this was only the second mile thus far that was actually flat! Hooray. I also found orange jacket from Mile 7. I ultimately passed him and left him in the dust. Here we are just after I passed him.
I was still feeling strong and liking where my legs were at. He finished in 3:32.
Mile 14 - 7:21 min/mile - 7:19 GAP
Another flat mile. Hooray! Got to enjoy these while they last, because they're not going to last. I crossed the official HM mark in 1:35:15 which is interesting because I remember looking at my watch when I crossed and seeing 1:34:30. So now I wonder if I got mixed up and was using the 13 mile marker. Regardless at that point, I thought to myself, alright a 3:09 pace through the first half. Well done sir. A 1:34:30 would be my 4th fastest HM (of 19 total), and technically the third fastest was during my 2017 Lakefront M at 1:33. But it was 1:35:15 in reality which was my fifth fastest HM. So that was 3:10:30 pace (7:16 pace). I'm pleased with that. I stayed patient through the first half. My body still felt good. Not fresh as a daisy, but not lagging in the least. Up ahead I could see blue shirt/white hat from Mile 12, and he had joined up with orange hat from Mile 7. I was hot on their trails. We got a little bit of snow during this mile, but it was short lived. Ultimately, there was a slight slowing in pace. And I was a little surprised since I felt like I was giving a good effort. The beginning of a fade perhaps? Do I increase the effort? No. I stay the course. I've still got harder miles to come and I can't empty the tank now chasing something that might not happen for me.
Mile 15 - 7:20 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
So much for the two flat miles. Back to the hill grind! I'm pretty sure it was this mile that I pulled up behind orange hat guy and white shirt guy. The blue shirt/white hat guy had left them. Since we were running into the wind, I kind of tucked behind the two of them as we went along. We were actually starting to catch the back end of the HM runners now still on the course. Although the M and HM would diverge again later in the course. I think I had my fourth nutrition during this mile (second drink of Tailwind concentrate).
Mile 16 - 7:28 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
After getting back into the hill grind, we were back into the GAP adjusted miles. I was entering phase 3 of the marathon. Hills, then sort of flat, and then hills. I was aiming for a +9 and it was a +8 in reality. Although by this time I was becoming less concerned with my pace. I was just accepting it was and trying to maintain an even effort. Plus, some precipitation had gotten on my GAP band which made it difficult to discern what the adjustments were suppose to be at this point. Regardless, I was sticking with orange hat guy and white shirt guy. I continued to allow them to stay in front of me, and as we hit the hills they would pull away a bit as they were being more aggressive on the hills than I was. But then I'd slowly reel them back in. We had to dodge some HM runners and so we had to make our way into traffic. I checked behind us and gave the group the all clear to move into traffic. Then we merged back over as soon as we passed the HM'ers. So maybe I wasn't cutting the wind, but I was keeping us safe.
Mile 17 - 7:30 min/mile - 7:21 GAP
More uphills. The GAP was actually fairly even here. 7:19, 7:20, 7:20, and 7:21. Not bad at all. Based on the timing, this is when I would have had my second Maurten caff gel (around 2 hrs). I also noticed that white shirt's right show was untied. So I yelled up to him that his shoe was untied, but he didn't even acknowledge me. Whatevs. Here's a picture of us from around that time. You can see white's shoe is untied.
We also passed "Alan" from Mile 8. Alan finished in 3:39. So he faded pretty badly at the end.
Mile 18 - 7:36 min/mile - 7:38 GAP
This was a fun mile because the course doubles back on itself for a short while. So you can see all the runners fairly far ahead of you. The effort was getting harder. And I could also tell my right shin was starting to feel more sore. Around the spot of my extra bone growth. Kind of like Lakefront 2016. But as long as I keep moving, I'm good. I believe it snowed again here. Still with my two guys.
Mile 19 - 7:31 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
As we did some rounds in a neighborhood, it was snowing some, and I got some water. Based on the timing (135 min) I would have had my second Egel during this mile as well. The effort was becoming more noticeable. As we started to exit the neighborhood I saw a familiar face from the start line. A young girl in green it was between me and Christopher. I remember she said something at the start, but I didn't clearly hear her then. But as I was pulling up along side her, she clearly wanted to chat. She asked how I was feeling, and I said all things consider pretty good. Asked her about herself and she said she was struggling. She went out too aggressive on pace. Said that can happen in a marathon. Asked her how many she's done, and this was her second. I said this my "six" and she said how sixth that's a lot. And I said no, sixteen! Lol. She was like, ahh maybe that's why you feel so good. Bet you paced better than I did. I said I followed GAP. Told her to look into it.
Mile 20 - 7:27 min/mile - 7:26 GAP
Also said I've done Dopey before. She said her mom had done Disney HM. Explained Dopey to her. She said it sounded like fun. Then we talked about my daughter doing the 5k. It was around this time that I was starting to pull away from her. She was trying to keep up, but I was still feeling good. So she wished me well and said she didn't want to hold me back. I looked down and we were doing a sub-7 mile. So no wonder things got too aggressive for her. Ultimately that was a really good experience for me. It had gotten my mind off the racing for bit and we were just chatting. So thanks #974. You helped me more than you'll even know. She finished in 3:21. It was after this, that I paused mentally for a second and realized. I'm at Mile 19. I'm at the place where I traditionally suffer a major fade. And yet, I feel alright right now. I did a 7:36 and 7:31 in the previous miles, but the 7:31 was a 7:20 GAP. And that's when I realized, maybe I'm going to be ok this time around. Maybe that strategy of patience was going to pay off. That's when I left orange hat as well. He finished in 3:25.
Mile 21 - 7:32 min/mile - 7:25 GAP
I was sore. I was tired. But I was doing alright. I crossed 20 miles at 2:27:17 (7:22 pace) which was still under PR pace. I did some mental math and determined that I needed to do the remaining 10k somewhere around 7:30 pace to be in the 3:14-3:15 window. I was motivated and determined to make it happen. So I set off just focusing on the moment. I reentered the park and could see the runners at Mile 16 (5 miles behind me) and there were lots of people. I got joined by a new runner. But I've got no pics with him so don't know how he did. We ran together for most of this mile until the uphill started and then he left me. I'm 99% positive I passed him somewhere around Mile 24-25. I knew Mile 22 was the doozy. So I just kept holding back.
Mile 22 - 7:59 min/mile - 7:32 GAP
A lesser me would have been crushed by this mile. The hills were intense. The pace slowed greatly. But I took it all in stride. But despite my slow pace relative to my own self, I was passing quite a few people walking up the hill. People I had never seen before who likely left me in Mile 1. It was a great feeling to climb this "mountain" at a slow effort and be putting people behind me. I was Pac-Manning my way to the finish line. As soon as I finished Mile 22, then the real race began. No more holding back. No more patience. Now it's time to finish this marathon off with a strong finish.
Mile 23 - 7:17 min/mile - 7:29 GAP
I bombed down the hill. I was still sore and tired, but I knew I could do great things. I saw the 7:17 mile and was ecstatic. I knew it was a downhill, but still, a 7:17 at this point in the race is great no matter how it comes.
Mile 24 - 7:30 min/mile - 7:28 GAP
Everytime I hit the end of a mile, I try and do some mental math. How close to a PR. How close to a second fastest. You only have to run for 30 more min, or 20 more min, or 10 more min. You can do this. You ARE doing this. I kept gobbling up runners I had never seen before. HM runners as well. I was a man on a mission at this point.
Mile 25 - 7:33 min/mile - 7:33 GAP
This is it. This is when I turned down Mifflin Street and could see the capital and thus the finish line in the distance. Just keep going. I passed many runners from earlier in the race. I passed multi-color jacket and headphone girl from Mile 9. I passed white shirt from Mile 21. I even passed the loud guy from Mile 4. Chomp... Chomp.... Chomp... I would not be denied. I knew a PR might not happen, but I wasn't about to let this race slip through my hands.
Mile 26 - 7:53 min/mile - 7:40 GAP
It was one last uphill finish that I had been practicing for. My legs were doing their thing carrying me up the hill. No more being conservative and patience anymore. Now it was time to empty the tank. I didn't go full tilt because I realized a PR was out of reach, but I was putting in a good effort.
Mile 26.35 - 7:48 min/mile - 7:33 GAP
It was just a matter of climbing State Street and then I would finish. I saw Steph. I saw the finish line. And then... it was done. A 3:15:13! Second fastest marathon ever. The furthest I went in training was 2:09. The most duration in a single week was 7:55 hrs. My fifth heaviest body weight of sixteen marathons, and yet here I stand with a second fastest time of 3:15:13. I was very very very happy with myself.
Stats
Final time - 3:15:13 (second fastest)
Overall - 85/1018 (8%)
Gender - 76/642 (11%)
Age/Gender - 17/87 (19%)
Afterwards, I hobbled through the finish line. My right leg was pretty sore in the Lakefront 2016 spot. Not I need a wheelchair sore, but sore. I was also pretty cold. So Steph and I made the trek through the downtown and towards home.
I've run out of space to add more pictures, but I've got some analysis ideas to add in here. Suffice to say, I'm very happy with the performance. And when I get a chance I'll do an analytical dive into the race performance itself. Thanks for reading!
Data in review link
2021 Madison Marathon Training Plan Thought Process
2021 Madison Marathon Prediction Game
2021 Madison Marathon Strategy
Final Weather Projection
Alright, where to begin, where to begin. Let's roll back to Summer/Fall 2018. I was training for the 2018 Chicago Marathon (link). It was the last time I would train at six days per week running. During the process of that training plan I developed ankle tendonitis and introduced some cycling late in the training to maintain some semblance of running fitness. After that training plan, I had decided that I was going to need to focus on other aspects of my fitness because my body wasn't tolerating six days per week running like it had used to. So I transitioned into run+cycle+strength. I dramatically increase the overall training volume going from 7-9 hrs per week to as much as 15-20 hrs per week. But ultimately this increased time commitment as a combination of run+cycle+strength did not pay off on my marathon performances (3:41, 3:35, and 3:29), nor did it keep me injury free (ankle issues, quad issues, knee issues). So it was after the 2021 Non-Cancelled Marathon in May that I decided I was going to go back to running six days per week. If I was training more often, and avoiding running as much, but getting worse results and still not staying injury free, then I might as well go back to running full time. I had to decide which training plan to follow, and ultimately settled on my original Hansons Intermediate training plan I used for Lakefront 2015 (my breakthrough 3:38 (and first sub-4) marathon). However, I'm faster now then I was then. Which means the mileage would be the same, but the amount of time I spent training would be down compared to that 2015 plan. Instead of 7:50 hrs per week average for the last 13 weeks, I'd be doing 6:52 hr per week average. And instead of peaking at 150 min three time at 16 miles max, instead I would be peaking around 120-130 min. So, in the past I could be accused of doing too much running or overtraining. But would doing slightly less be a good counter idea? I was ready to find out.
As recapped earlier, the training plan went well. I hit my pace goals throughout training with exception of the M Tempo. Which early on stuck around the 7:20-7:30 range. Then as the temps dropped, the pace dropped into the 7:05-7:15 range. Other than the M Tempo runs, everything else went to plan. I ran a 10k in 42:03 on Sept 26th under good racing conditions with a course that was semi-reflective of the Madison M course. According to VDOT, that 10k projected a 3:14 marathon finish. Most importantly, despite some small hiccups here and there, ultimately the training plan kept me healthy. I came into the race well trained and healthy giving myself a chance at something special. Not peak fitness, but in good shape.
In the run up to the race, the eyes were being kept on the weather forecast. The snow projections were fluctuating anywhere from nothing to as much as 3 inches. Ultimately on race day, it was a non-issue. There was minimal snow cover overnight that ultimately was gone by morning, and the snow that fell during the race was mostly minimal and never stuck.
The carb loading on Saturday went well. I did the Western Australian method with 50% from liquid and 50% from solid. The liquid source was Maurten 320 at 80g carbs per 17oz drink. For breakfast I had eggs/oatmeal/cherries/oranges (normal), for lunch I had rice/chicken, and for dinner I had a gnocchi dish. I ended up consuming just about 950g carbs which at my body weight of 175.8 pounds (79.7 kg) was 11.9 grams per kilogram body weight. Above the goal of 10.2 grams. As for the weight, this would be one of the heaviest marathons I've done thus far. 2021 Non-Cancelled was 186, Dopey 2014 was in the 190s from memory, Dopey 2015 was 186, and Madison 2015 was in the 180s as well. All those other marathons (other than 2021 Non-Cancelled) were >4hr finishes. So 175.8 would be around my fifth highest of the 16 marathons. All my top 6 times were at 167 pounds of less (with 5 at 160 or less).
I had done the Madison Marathon once prior in 2014. I finished in 4:20. I had also done the Madison HM once prior in 2019. I finished in 1:28:40 (my current PR).
Now after all the back story, let's get to race day!
I went to bed around 7:30pm, but I didn't fall asleep until past 9:30pm. The whole house was restless as G and Dizzy also refused to go to sleep. But ultimately everyone did. Around 3am my mother texted me a good luck wish, and I was like, oh no I'm awake now. I laid there until 3:30 thinking about how I was now unlikely to go back to sleep. And then at 4:15am my alarm went off, and I realized I ultimately did fall back asleep. I quick checked the weather and saw good news. Little to snow in the future forecast and the outside camera showed no snow had stuck to the ground. Golden! I headed to the kitchen and made a PB sandwich. I drank about 12oz of water and then made a 3oz liquid IV drink (I prefer the taste of it super concentrated). I also ate a banana. This was all before 4:30am following my standard protocol of nothing within 2 hours of the last time I reasonably believe I can use the restroom. I headed to the shower and got ready. I was still deciding between tank vs long sleeve. Because the temps were suppose to did down to a wind chill of 24, and because there was still a threat of some precipitation, I went with the very light long sleeve. Ultimately, the decision was made, and I wasn't going to second guess it until after the race was over. We finished our prep and got G in the car. We dropped her off at my SIL's house and then we were off to Madison around 5:35am.
It was a nice and easy car ride. We arrived at the underground parking around 6:00am. Got my stuff on, put on a nice winter jacket, pants, etc. and then headed towards the portas. I think it was around 6:20am when I used the portas. Then Steph and I just sauntered to the race area. Just relaxed and not in a rush at all. It was quite windy, and I felt happy about wearing a long sleeve instead of the tank with sock arm sleeves. Around 6:30am, I settled down and started doing my normal stretches. And around 6:40am, I realized I needed to use the porta again. So we headed back, waited in a short line, and then made our way back to the start line. It was a bit unusual for a second visit to the portas and after the 2hr window, but it was the right choice. It did put me a little behind the eight-ball in terms of getting to the start area on time. They were singing the national anthem around 6:52am while I was undressing my winter clothes, chugging my pre-race Maurten 320, and throwing all my gels/tailwind into my pockets. Steph was freaking out a little as I only had minutes to spare to get into the corrals, but I wasn't really all that worried. I got everything on, said goodbye to Steph, and headed into the starting area with about 3 min to spare. I weaved my way through the area and up towards the start line. I saw an old college buddy Christopher that I didn't know was running the race. He was going for 3:15-3:20, and I said maybe something around 3:07-3:10. We wished each other luck, and then soon enough the start horn went off and we were running.
Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 12mph to 27mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 28°F; FL - 26°F
End: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 28°F; FL - 26°F
Throughout the entire race I did keep an eye on pace. At no point during the race did I go blind to pace. I also had with me a small cheatsheet for grade adjusted pacing on the uphills. The goal was to find the pace my body wanted to run, and then adjust the uphill miles based on their GAP to whatever that feel right pace was.
Mile 1 - 7:10 min/mile - 7:09 GAP
The race starts off with a moderate uphill, and then a fairly sizable downhill. I didn't want to bomb the race early, and so I just coasted up the start hill and then settled in on the downhill. Before I even reach the top of the first hill then 3:20 pace group (7:35 min/mile) passed me. As we started heading down the hill things started to settle in for everyone. I then had an immediate "oh ****" moment as I realized my shorts weren't handling the weight of all the items very well while running. I thought I had tied the waist band tight enough, but maybe not? I was fully ready to full moon everyone as it felt like my shorts would fall off. Ultimately, they did not. Through much of the first mile I was running lock step with the 3:20 pace group. And maybe a younger me would have freaked out at that prospect. Because I did want to run faster than a 3:20 finish. But each time I looked at my watch I saw paces in the 7:10-7:20 area for lap pace. So I suspected the 3:20 pace group was going out at suicide pace and not 3:20 pace. Just before the end of the first mile and the first aid station I was just a hair ahead of the 3:20 group. But I was off to the left of the group, and the aid station was off to the right. I had no chance to cut everyone off, so instead I made a tactical decision and slowed WAY down in order to scoot behind the 3:20 group to be able to get some water. I had just consumed 17oz of Maurten only 20 min prior, so I probably didn't need water at this point, but I also knew that my carb consumption strategy depended on getting in some water at each station. So I sacrificed some time in order to stay on track. I saw the 7:10 split on my watch and was pretty pleased with it.
Mile 2 - 7:18 min/mile - 7:17 GAP
Best I can tell from the pace output the first aid station debacle cost my about 20-30 seconds between slowing way down, getting a cup, and then getting back moving again. The rest of mile 2 was about getting back into my groove and not forcing a pace to chase the 3:20 pace group. They'll do their thing, and I'll do mine. At the end of the day, I didn't think they were running 3:20 pace anyways. A few times I looked down at my watch and saw 7:40s average pace, but knew that was a function of the 1st aid station debacle and so I stayed calm. I approached the second aid station while still behind the 3:20 pace group and grabbed a cup. Ugh... gatorade. I was off to a rough start with these aid stations. I drank a small sip and then threw the rest out. I need water, not gatorade. I continued on my way. We enter the arboretum. This was the same section that I did for the Sept 10k, but just in reverse. Around the 2 mile mark is when I pulled up along side the 3:20 pace group and then ultimately passed them. Hoping to put them in my rear view mirror for good. Remember, they're suppose to be doing 7:35 pace, and threw the first two miles we had done like 7:14 pace. In fact my 2 mile official split was 14:42. So even that was 7:21 pace and no where close to 7:35. They were nearly 30 seconds ahead of pace at that point.
Mile 3 - 7:12 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
And so the real race within the race begins. The third mile was the first I had marked for a GAP adjustment. I had it down as a +5. Which it did end up being. My approach to the race was "patience". The Madison Marathon is a set of rolling hills. Each time you think you're done with the hills, you get more hills. There are actually very few sections of the race where you're not doing an either uphill or downhill. And that continues until pretty much Mile 22. Which means this race forces you to have patience. If you don't, the hills will chew you up and spit you out. So whenever a hill came up, my approach was to simply glide up it. Little to no effort. In fact I gave less effort on the uphills then I did on the flat sections. I was taking a really conservative approach. And with that approach came scores of other runners passing me on the uphills. But I didn't worry myself with their pace or their approach to the race. Ultimately our final times would determine who had the right approach. The race was starting to thin out a little, but there still felt like a decent amount of people around me. During this mile we hit our third aid station, and wouldn't you believe it the 3:20 pace group was coming screaming up behind me and jumbled it all up again. A younger less wise me would have let this completely derail my race. I wanted to cups per aid station. I got 2 at the first, none at the second (gatorade), and one at the third as the 3:20 groups swallowed me up. This group of people was really cramping my style. But I just went with the flow. I'll handle this situation. Not everything will go to plan, and I will be fine.
Mile 4 - 7:19 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
Time for some more hills. This was projected at +11 (and appears to have been +12). I had several runners blow past me. I remember one runner because he was extra loud, wearing a headband, and blue shirt. He passed me here at Mile 4. Based on our splits, he stayed ahead of me until at least Mile 20. I passed him between Mile 20 and the finish line, and from memory, he wasn't nearly as loud at that point anymore. He finished in 3:19. Other than that, I don't remember much specifics about this mile. It was still in the arb, and we were doing hills as I was getting passed.
Mile 5 - 7:13 min/mile - 7:09 GAP
Still in the arb, and still running the hills. It was around this time, that I realized that my body was liking something around 7:10-7:15 GAP. So moving forward, I had decided this would be my basis for adjustments and something to aim for during non-adjusted miles. We exited the arb and made our way onto the neighborhood streets of Madison. The exit from the arb is a decent uphill, and then we ran by a golf course that has a decent downhill which allowed me to open up the legs a bit more. Looks like I did 6:30s down the hill.
Mile 6 - 7:03 min/mile - 7:04 GAP
Ultimately a good mile. This was the first mile that was neither uphill or downhill. It was actually one of the only miles all race like this. And as soon as that happened my legs settled into my training M Tempo pace of 7:03. The pace felt good in the moment, but I knew it wasn't going to stay that way as Mile 7 was another pre-marked mile for GAP adjustment. There was an aid station within this mile, and from memory there were tons less people around. So I was able to easily grab two cups and chug them down.
Mile 7 - 7:27 min/mile - 7:15 GAP
Another aid station occurred right after the Mile 6 marker. Before I got there, I had my first in-race nutrition. A swig from my concentrated Tailwind. And it tasted glorious. Afterwards, I believe this is the aid station where I tried to grab a cup but they only were handing out gatorade again. Pretty sure I said an expletive to myself, and then moved on. I hit the 10k mark at 44:54 officially. So that's a 7:13 min/mile after doing a 7:21 min/mile through the first two. I had this mile with a GAP of +14 and it ended up as +12. A younger less wise me would have seen a 7:27 after a 7:03 mile and been really concerned. But not this old seasoned vet. Patience. Trust the process. Just glide up the hills and let others pass you. Around this time I pulled even with orange jacket. But when we hit one of the bigger hills, orange jacket and I believe orange hat guy both passed me. Don't worry though. We'll see them again. See ya Blinky and Pinky!
Mile 8 - 7:14 min/mile - 7:12 GAP
We got on the bike path for about a half mile or so. The path was nice. No camber. Paved. A nice slight downhill. The legs enjoyed this section of the course. At one point during this mile I looked down and saw 6:50s. I was like, oh cool, that's nice. Not a positive or negative reaction, but rather just an acknowledgment that that's what it was. And that's my body wanted to do in the moment. We turned off the bike path and headed towards the UW football stadium (Camp Randall). Nothing special outside of the stadium. Feels like they could do something cool there. I got passed by "Alan" here. I only knew his name because someone read it off his bib and shouted it as he ran by me. I looked down and realized I didn't have my name on the bib, possibly a by-product of signing up late. So at that moment someone said "go 1121" instead. Don't worry "Alan" we'll be seeing each other again.
Mile 9 - 7:11 min/mile - 7:15 GAP
As I entered this mile, I could see the next aid station in the distance. I was a tad ahead of time on my Maurten caff gel, but I thought it better to consume it before the aid station with water than after. But as I pulled it out of my pocket, the aid station got closer and closer. Time was running out. So I quickly slammed the gel with only moments to spare before I was grabbing some cups of water to drink. I think it was around this time that I walked a little to drink the water and was passed by multi-color jacket, grey shirt, and headphones girl. Multi-color jacket and grey shirt were with the 3:20 pace group based on pictures. As they passed me they were talking about pace and saying something about 7:20s. I didn't catch the whole convo, though that was close to the pace we were running. But they quickly got ahead of me. Don't worry, we'll see them again. Towards the end of the mile, a young girl came up alongside me and asked me about my headphones. She wondered whether I liked the aftershox and I told her they were well worth it. Case in point, I'm still listening to music right now, and conversing with you. She thanked me for the review and went about her way. She was moving really well. Nice and smooth. I did not see her again, and had a feeling I wouldn't.
You can just see a bit of her here. She finished in 3:06. Well done #82. I did not catch you.
Mile 10 - 7:34 min/mile - 7:16 GAP
This mile was highlighted in my GAP adjustments because it was supremely tough. I also remember it from 2014. This is when things fell apart for me then because I took this fairly aggressively. But thi time out, I just took my time and really focused on an easy effort. I was expecting a GAP of +17, and got a +18. The uphill was extreme, but the downhill was no help because it was even more extreme. I was really glad in this moment that it wasn't slippery. Because both the up and the down of this mile would have been extremely challenging. The down actually hurt a little. I'm pretty sure this is where camo hat and white shirt passed me. Don't worry we'll see him again. I hit the 10 mile marker on the course at 1:13, and knew that meant my average was around a 7:18 min/mile officially speaking. I was pleased with the effort. I think there was an aid station here as well at the tail end of the mile. From memory, this is the one where I missed grabbing the cup, slowed down, turned around and grabbed it again. Saw lost a touch of time here, but getting water was more important.
Mile 11 - 7:12 min/mile - 7:07 GAP
We were now heading through downtown Madison on the main road. It was during this mile that I had my third nutrition (Egel this time). I also got passed by another young girl. I would not see her again. So kudos #937. She finished in 3:12.
Mile 12 - 7:16 min/mile - 7:16 GAP
The GAP of this mile was even, but it was far from even elevation grade. It was either constant uphill or downhill throughout the mile. Just constantly a challenge. Slow on the ups, and controlled on the downs. I think this is where me and blue shirt/white hat would start jockeying with each other. He would pass me on the ups, and I would pass him on the downs. We did this back and forth for a while.
Mile 13 - 7:14 min/mile - 7:14 GAP
As we started to turn north is when the wind became more noticeable. As the race morning progressed, the wind was suppose to become stronger. And it was fulfilling that forecast. So as we headed north for the next 4.5 miles, it was about picking and choosing your battles. On the bright side, this was only the second mile thus far that was actually flat! Hooray. I also found orange jacket from Mile 7. I ultimately passed him and left him in the dust. Here we are just after I passed him.
I was still feeling strong and liking where my legs were at. He finished in 3:32.
Mile 14 - 7:21 min/mile - 7:19 GAP
Another flat mile. Hooray! Got to enjoy these while they last, because they're not going to last. I crossed the official HM mark in 1:35:15 which is interesting because I remember looking at my watch when I crossed and seeing 1:34:30. So now I wonder if I got mixed up and was using the 13 mile marker. Regardless at that point, I thought to myself, alright a 3:09 pace through the first half. Well done sir. A 1:34:30 would be my 4th fastest HM (of 19 total), and technically the third fastest was during my 2017 Lakefront M at 1:33. But it was 1:35:15 in reality which was my fifth fastest HM. So that was 3:10:30 pace (7:16 pace). I'm pleased with that. I stayed patient through the first half. My body still felt good. Not fresh as a daisy, but not lagging in the least. Up ahead I could see blue shirt/white hat from Mile 12, and he had joined up with orange hat from Mile 7. I was hot on their trails. We got a little bit of snow during this mile, but it was short lived. Ultimately, there was a slight slowing in pace. And I was a little surprised since I felt like I was giving a good effort. The beginning of a fade perhaps? Do I increase the effort? No. I stay the course. I've still got harder miles to come and I can't empty the tank now chasing something that might not happen for me.
Mile 15 - 7:20 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
So much for the two flat miles. Back to the hill grind! I'm pretty sure it was this mile that I pulled up behind orange hat guy and white shirt guy. The blue shirt/white hat guy had left them. Since we were running into the wind, I kind of tucked behind the two of them as we went along. We were actually starting to catch the back end of the HM runners now still on the course. Although the M and HM would diverge again later in the course. I think I had my fourth nutrition during this mile (second drink of Tailwind concentrate).
Mile 16 - 7:28 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
After getting back into the hill grind, we were back into the GAP adjusted miles. I was entering phase 3 of the marathon. Hills, then sort of flat, and then hills. I was aiming for a +9 and it was a +8 in reality. Although by this time I was becoming less concerned with my pace. I was just accepting it was and trying to maintain an even effort. Plus, some precipitation had gotten on my GAP band which made it difficult to discern what the adjustments were suppose to be at this point. Regardless, I was sticking with orange hat guy and white shirt guy. I continued to allow them to stay in front of me, and as we hit the hills they would pull away a bit as they were being more aggressive on the hills than I was. But then I'd slowly reel them back in. We had to dodge some HM runners and so we had to make our way into traffic. I checked behind us and gave the group the all clear to move into traffic. Then we merged back over as soon as we passed the HM'ers. So maybe I wasn't cutting the wind, but I was keeping us safe.
Mile 17 - 7:30 min/mile - 7:21 GAP
More uphills. The GAP was actually fairly even here. 7:19, 7:20, 7:20, and 7:21. Not bad at all. Based on the timing, this is when I would have had my second Maurten caff gel (around 2 hrs). I also noticed that white shirt's right show was untied. So I yelled up to him that his shoe was untied, but he didn't even acknowledge me. Whatevs. Here's a picture of us from around that time. You can see white's shoe is untied.
We also passed "Alan" from Mile 8. Alan finished in 3:39. So he faded pretty badly at the end.
Mile 18 - 7:36 min/mile - 7:38 GAP
This was a fun mile because the course doubles back on itself for a short while. So you can see all the runners fairly far ahead of you. The effort was getting harder. And I could also tell my right shin was starting to feel more sore. Around the spot of my extra bone growth. Kind of like Lakefront 2016. But as long as I keep moving, I'm good. I believe it snowed again here. Still with my two guys.
Mile 19 - 7:31 min/mile - 7:20 GAP
As we did some rounds in a neighborhood, it was snowing some, and I got some water. Based on the timing (135 min) I would have had my second Egel during this mile as well. The effort was becoming more noticeable. As we started to exit the neighborhood I saw a familiar face from the start line. A young girl in green it was between me and Christopher. I remember she said something at the start, but I didn't clearly hear her then. But as I was pulling up along side her, she clearly wanted to chat. She asked how I was feeling, and I said all things consider pretty good. Asked her about herself and she said she was struggling. She went out too aggressive on pace. Said that can happen in a marathon. Asked her how many she's done, and this was her second. I said this my "six" and she said how sixth that's a lot. And I said no, sixteen! Lol. She was like, ahh maybe that's why you feel so good. Bet you paced better than I did. I said I followed GAP. Told her to look into it.
Mile 20 - 7:27 min/mile - 7:26 GAP
Also said I've done Dopey before. She said her mom had done Disney HM. Explained Dopey to her. She said it sounded like fun. Then we talked about my daughter doing the 5k. It was around this time that I was starting to pull away from her. She was trying to keep up, but I was still feeling good. So she wished me well and said she didn't want to hold me back. I looked down and we were doing a sub-7 mile. So no wonder things got too aggressive for her. Ultimately that was a really good experience for me. It had gotten my mind off the racing for bit and we were just chatting. So thanks #974. You helped me more than you'll even know. She finished in 3:21. It was after this, that I paused mentally for a second and realized. I'm at Mile 19. I'm at the place where I traditionally suffer a major fade. And yet, I feel alright right now. I did a 7:36 and 7:31 in the previous miles, but the 7:31 was a 7:20 GAP. And that's when I realized, maybe I'm going to be ok this time around. Maybe that strategy of patience was going to pay off. That's when I left orange hat as well. He finished in 3:25.
Mile 21 - 7:32 min/mile - 7:25 GAP
I was sore. I was tired. But I was doing alright. I crossed 20 miles at 2:27:17 (7:22 pace) which was still under PR pace. I did some mental math and determined that I needed to do the remaining 10k somewhere around 7:30 pace to be in the 3:14-3:15 window. I was motivated and determined to make it happen. So I set off just focusing on the moment. I reentered the park and could see the runners at Mile 16 (5 miles behind me) and there were lots of people. I got joined by a new runner. But I've got no pics with him so don't know how he did. We ran together for most of this mile until the uphill started and then he left me. I'm 99% positive I passed him somewhere around Mile 24-25. I knew Mile 22 was the doozy. So I just kept holding back.
Mile 22 - 7:59 min/mile - 7:32 GAP
A lesser me would have been crushed by this mile. The hills were intense. The pace slowed greatly. But I took it all in stride. But despite my slow pace relative to my own self, I was passing quite a few people walking up the hill. People I had never seen before who likely left me in Mile 1. It was a great feeling to climb this "mountain" at a slow effort and be putting people behind me. I was Pac-Manning my way to the finish line. As soon as I finished Mile 22, then the real race began. No more holding back. No more patience. Now it's time to finish this marathon off with a strong finish.
Mile 23 - 7:17 min/mile - 7:29 GAP
I bombed down the hill. I was still sore and tired, but I knew I could do great things. I saw the 7:17 mile and was ecstatic. I knew it was a downhill, but still, a 7:17 at this point in the race is great no matter how it comes.
Mile 24 - 7:30 min/mile - 7:28 GAP
Everytime I hit the end of a mile, I try and do some mental math. How close to a PR. How close to a second fastest. You only have to run for 30 more min, or 20 more min, or 10 more min. You can do this. You ARE doing this. I kept gobbling up runners I had never seen before. HM runners as well. I was a man on a mission at this point.
Mile 25 - 7:33 min/mile - 7:33 GAP
This is it. This is when I turned down Mifflin Street and could see the capital and thus the finish line in the distance. Just keep going. I passed many runners from earlier in the race. I passed multi-color jacket and headphone girl from Mile 9. I passed white shirt from Mile 21. I even passed the loud guy from Mile 4. Chomp... Chomp.... Chomp... I would not be denied. I knew a PR might not happen, but I wasn't about to let this race slip through my hands.
Mile 26 - 7:53 min/mile - 7:40 GAP
It was one last uphill finish that I had been practicing for. My legs were doing their thing carrying me up the hill. No more being conservative and patience anymore. Now it was time to empty the tank. I didn't go full tilt because I realized a PR was out of reach, but I was putting in a good effort.
Mile 26.35 - 7:48 min/mile - 7:33 GAP
It was just a matter of climbing State Street and then I would finish. I saw Steph. I saw the finish line. And then... it was done. A 3:15:13! Second fastest marathon ever. The furthest I went in training was 2:09. The most duration in a single week was 7:55 hrs. My fifth heaviest body weight of sixteen marathons, and yet here I stand with a second fastest time of 3:15:13. I was very very very happy with myself.
Stats
Final time - 3:15:13 (second fastest)
Overall - 85/1018 (8%)
Gender - 76/642 (11%)
Age/Gender - 17/87 (19%)
Afterwards, I hobbled through the finish line. My right leg was pretty sore in the Lakefront 2016 spot. Not I need a wheelchair sore, but sore. I was also pretty cold. So Steph and I made the trek through the downtown and towards home.
I've run out of space to add more pictures, but I've got some analysis ideas to add in here. Suffice to say, I'm very happy with the performance. And when I get a chance I'll do an analytical dive into the race performance itself. Thanks for reading!
Data in review link
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jmasgat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2006
Great report! And super impressed to see what you achieved on a tough course with wind and weather. I was confused when I quickly checked in on your race results part way through. The website listed checkpoint times and then "pace". The paces were not right--although it wasn't like it was the interval time either. So when I saw something over what I assumed was 10 mpm, then something over 35 and then 44, I thought oh no. I didn't look at the overall time and do the math. Came back later and saw your 20 mile time and realized the error. So from then on I spent time refreshing the results page to see the finish.
cburnett11
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2007
Really love this report and big time congrats on the strong marathon comeback! Also when I read these items below, I could not help but wonder where the young biker girl ended up that you used to race in the the neighborhood a while back. As I read your race report, each time I saw "young girl" I pictured a little girl on a bike with streamers challenging you on your training runs. 
IIRC, she was a recurring character on your training runs maybe about the same time as someone used to take your water bottles. 
IIRC, she was a recurring character on your training runs maybe about the same time as someone used to take your water bottles. 
StacyStrong
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 8, 2018
Great report and pics! Those hills sound KILLER. What does this race mean for a potential sub-3 on a flatter course?
It's crazy how you many details you can remember mile to mile. I feel like a goldfish where everything just kind of blends into one barely remembered blur after a race!
It's crazy how you many details you can remember mile to mile. I feel like a goldfish where everything just kind of blends into one barely remembered blur after a race!
Sleepless Knight
Jedi Knight Seeking His Jedi Princess
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
Congratulations on a great race! I always find your perspective invaluable, especially the part about letting the race come to you and then letting your pace settle in naturally.
HangWithMerida
And away we go!
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2017
Awesome job! It seems like your head was in a good space the entire race. Congrats on such a strong showing!
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
Thanks!
That's fantastic! Congratulations!
Thanks!
Thanks! It was the right temperature, but that wind didn't make it easy. With that being said, wind is kind of an expectation when it comes to Madison. It tends to windy. So if I do the race again, it'll just have to be something I consider as more likely than not. However, it was only about 4-6 mph today...
Yea, I still can't make heads or tails of the "pace" spits. It's not duration of time between checkpoints either.
Thanks!
Also when I read these items below, I could not help but wonder where the young biker girl ended up that you used to race in the the neighborhood a while back. As I read your race report, each time I saw "young girl" I pictured a little girl on a bike with streamers challenging you on your training runs.
Lol, of course I remember streamer girl. Vroom Vroom! During the race it was all girls in their early 20s. So I guess to me these days that qualifies as a young girl.
Thanks!
If we trust the Strava GAP, then the pace difference was a mere 5-6 seconds per mile from flat. So that would be about 2:10-2:40. So at best something like a 3:12:30 on flat. That's in theory though. Because there's something to be said for an unrelenting terrain of up and down that wears on you.
The pictures helped jog my memory some. But I guess it's about being in the moment and observant of everything going on.
Thanks!
Thanks!
GollyGadget
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2017
Great job on Sunday! It's awesome to see you return from many injuries and tweaks to the training with such a strong showing. I'm excited to see what you decide to tackle next.
The Gatorade comments in your recap made me smile. I have very similar feelings on the topic. I typically ask the volunteers to ensure that I'm grabbing water and it hasn't failed me yet
.
I peeked at the course Sunday morning while waiting for my race and it's just cruel that they make you run observatory drive during a marathon. If it ever works out for your training, I highly recommend the crazylegs classic. You still have the torture of observatory, but it's a much shorter race. Plus you get to finish inside Camp Randall (my husband still talks about how Barry Alvarez shook his hand).
The Gatorade comments in your recap made me smile. I have very similar feelings on the topic. I typically ask the volunteers to ensure that I'm grabbing water and it hasn't failed me yet
. I peeked at the course Sunday morning while waiting for my race and it's just cruel that they make you run observatory drive during a marathon. If it ever works out for your training, I highly recommend the crazylegs classic. You still have the torture of observatory, but it's a much shorter race. Plus you get to finish inside Camp Randall (my husband still talks about how Barry Alvarez shook his hand).
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
2021 Madison Marathon in Review
So after the race was over, I thought to myself, "That went well. Can't wait to see what the data says". So now comes the other fun part of racing, the data mining. What, if anything, can we learn?
Mile/Distance/Time/Pace/GAP/Elevation/HR
Grade Adjusted Pace and splits
What I see is a slow drip on the GAP. But also what I see is despite a constantly changing course with hills up and down, that I truly mastered the course. My GAP +/- was 7 seconds through the first 17 miles. So I kept everything extremely tight. And then even when it drifted, it didn't drift by that much. I went from a GAP average of 7:14, and then Mile 18 to Finish was 7:30. I can live with a 16 sec/mile fade on GAP.
I went through to compare my splits unadjusted for grade on my four fastest marathons.
During the Madison M, I ran my fastest miles in a marathon ever at Mile 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, and 26. It's also my first marathon with no mile in the 8's.
This graph shows the pace at each mile visually. You can see that my pace during Madison wasn't as quick as Lakefront, but didn't fade as hard either. A much more consistent unadjusted pace throughout the race.
This graph is another way to visualize the pace by adjusting each mile against the average of the race. So this shows the % variation at each individual mile. I feel like the story of this graph is that I saw one of the better late stage race performances compared to the rest of the race as a whole. I mitigated my late stage fade nearly as best as I ever had.
I used this graph pre-race to determine a reasonable range of 3:07 to 3:23. My final average pace was a 7:24 min/mile (actual GPS pace) or 3:15:13 which is near smack middle. Which ended up being around a 143 bpm. So not as bad as Non-Cancelled which was around 139 on the chart, but not as good as Dopey 2017 or Lakefront 2017 (146 bpm). So it was kind of in a mid-ground conversion.
I feel like my fitness was in a good place. I was healthy. But I wonder if "only" doing 2:09 on a long run held me back a little bit. Or "only" doing 6:52 average for the last 13 weeks. I think the next time around (likely Madison 2022) I'll do the Hansons Intermediate plan again, but the next time I'll do the 2015 version based on time rather than distance. So that way I'll average about 7:50, and I'll get up to 150 min on the long runs. I think that slight change might aid in me becoming as good a converter as I've been in the past.
But that's a year from now. Next up is the Princess 5k (with G), 10k, and HM. I started sketching out the Princess plan a couple of weeks ago. But now I need to really sit down with it and come up with a game plan. Big picture, I'm doing Princess in Feb 2022, then Mile in Spring 2022, then a little break leading into Madison M training in Nov 2022. So during Princess the focus will likely be on Threshold pacing, getting comfortable with uncomfortable pacing, maybe do some VO2max work, and then throw in a few "B" races to get some more 10k racing experience. Ultimately the 10k during Princess is my "A" race focus.
On to the next one!
So after the race was over, I thought to myself, "That went well. Can't wait to see what the data says". So now comes the other fun part of racing, the data mining. What, if anything, can we learn?
Mile/Distance/Time/Pace/GAP/Elevation/HR
Grade Adjusted Pace and splits
What I see is a slow drip on the GAP. But also what I see is despite a constantly changing course with hills up and down, that I truly mastered the course. My GAP +/- was 7 seconds through the first 17 miles. So I kept everything extremely tight. And then even when it drifted, it didn't drift by that much. I went from a GAP average of 7:14, and then Mile 18 to Finish was 7:30. I can live with a 16 sec/mile fade on GAP.
I went through to compare my splits unadjusted for grade on my four fastest marathons.
During the Madison M, I ran my fastest miles in a marathon ever at Mile 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, and 26. It's also my first marathon with no mile in the 8's.
This graph shows the pace at each mile visually. You can see that my pace during Madison wasn't as quick as Lakefront, but didn't fade as hard either. A much more consistent unadjusted pace throughout the race.
This graph is another way to visualize the pace by adjusting each mile against the average of the race. So this shows the % variation at each individual mile. I feel like the story of this graph is that I saw one of the better late stage race performances compared to the rest of the race as a whole. I mitigated my late stage fade nearly as best as I ever had.
I used this graph pre-race to determine a reasonable range of 3:07 to 3:23. My final average pace was a 7:24 min/mile (actual GPS pace) or 3:15:13 which is near smack middle. Which ended up being around a 143 bpm. So not as bad as Non-Cancelled which was around 139 on the chart, but not as good as Dopey 2017 or Lakefront 2017 (146 bpm). So it was kind of in a mid-ground conversion.
I feel like my fitness was in a good place. I was healthy. But I wonder if "only" doing 2:09 on a long run held me back a little bit. Or "only" doing 6:52 average for the last 13 weeks. I think the next time around (likely Madison 2022) I'll do the Hansons Intermediate plan again, but the next time I'll do the 2015 version based on time rather than distance. So that way I'll average about 7:50, and I'll get up to 150 min on the long runs. I think that slight change might aid in me becoming as good a converter as I've been in the past.
But that's a year from now. Next up is the Princess 5k (with G), 10k, and HM. I started sketching out the Princess plan a couple of weeks ago. But now I need to really sit down with it and come up with a game plan. Big picture, I'm doing Princess in Feb 2022, then Mile in Spring 2022, then a little break leading into Madison M training in Nov 2022. So during Princess the focus will likely be on Threshold pacing, getting comfortable with uncomfortable pacing, maybe do some VO2max work, and then throw in a few "B" races to get some more 10k racing experience. Ultimately the 10k during Princess is my "A" race focus.
On to the next one!
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
Thanks!
The Gatorade comments in your recap made me smile. I have very similar feelings on the topic. I typically ask the volunteers to ensure that I'm grabbing water and it hasn't failed me yet
Oh, I ask as well. The first time it wasn't clear until I was already grabbing it. The second time they only had Gatorade. And now that you mention it the reason I had to double back on the Mile 10 aid station was because the water/gatorade people were intermixed and I was handed gatorade. So I doubled back from water instead.
I drive it everyday to and from work, but haven't run it much. Thankfully we didn't have to run the whole Observatory and do the second up/down. I've done CrazyLegs once before. It's a little expensive for a race with no medal and "only" five miles. I'm not sure I'd want to run Observatory in a shorter, harder effort race. That sounds like an absolute lung buster.
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