Race Recap: Icebreaker Indoor Marathon Relay

Guess what friends? I just finished my first MARATHON!

Okay, so it was a relay and I had the help of 3 other fabulous ladies (@mkemom, @rshill37, @bananza...look 'em up), but it was still 4 hours of fun running in circles.

The Venue
I've never run in the Pettit Center before and I wasn't sure what to expect. The track was a narrow two-lane, which was better once the faster teams finished and runners thinned out. The air was colder than I'm used to and very dry.

The Marathon
My team broke up the 26.2 miles, or, 96 laps, into 4 sets of 6 laps each. Four laps would've been nice and comfortable for me as I didn't really train as much as I should've (story of my running life so far), but it was nice to push myself.

Because the air was colder than I was used to, my lungs were the biggest hurt and by my 4th leg it was hard to catch a full breath, which, in turn, affected my muscles. This continued the rest of the evening - me not being able to breathe deep - until the lung inflammation settled down. I'm sure that's super dangerous and bad news, but I'm still alive.

The run itself was rather nice. It was great to circle around the track and see SO many people I knew. There were at least 4-5 other teams I knew who were all situated at different points along the track, so it was motivation to go and get your cheer on. FitMKE and Team Challenge had great representation.

Team "Avoid the Lap" finished at 4:11:andchange...nearly 2 hours after the fastest team (seriously, I think those guys were doing it wrong...it's a FUN race, right? AmIright?). We had a great time cheering each other on and eating rice krispy treats.

The Recovery
I recovered better from this race than I did the half marathon in July. Likely because I was going in short spurts and only completing 6.55 miles to July's 13.1. The one thing I would do differently is bring a chair or yoga mat and sit during the down times. The laps weren't so bad as running on concrete isn't any different from running outside on pavement, but standing for 3 hours in between the running is what hurt my feet. Before my last leg I figured it out.

The Lessons
As I said before, one thing I would do differently is to bring something to sit comfortably on during the down times in order to rest my feet. Another thing I would do differently is train more in cold weather. I have a VERY bad track record on ice - nearly all of my broken bones (4 out of 7) are from encounters with ice in which the ice won. So you can imagine why I'm a little gun shy when it comes to training outside once winter hits. Because of this I've spent the past month in the gym, which, as I stated earlier, didn't help my lungs come race day. It is what it is, they're still not 100%, but I'm alive.

And that's about it. My team members had excellent advice pre-race, so I brought a bunch of layers to bundle up with in between laps. I brought lots of beverages and food as I prefer to not eat much before a race. And my only goal was to finish, which I did.

Looking forward, my next goal is to run a full half marathon by my birthday, and I'm looking at the Lake Geneva Half on May 12th, as that's the day before. Yes, my birthday is on Mother's Day this year.

____________________________________________________________  Current Couch Potato | Aspiring Runner
Mandi recently completed her first half marathon, traveling to California's wine country to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Her next goal is the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon Relay in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in January.
Follow her journey.
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2012 Fitness Goals

I finally did it. I broke down and bought a gym membership.

I used to think that throwing on my gear and heading out the door were enough, but then winter would hit. And we all know my track record on ice. So if there was ever the least bit of ice on the ground, I'd be too scared of breaking my face (or arm, twice) to brave the outdoors.

So then I would go 4+ months not running, and by the time Spring came back I was happy to continue sitting on my arse with all of my indoor projects.

This year I pledged to be different, and, finally, I put my money where my mouth is.

I signed up with a team to run the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon Relay (our team name is "Avoid the Lap" ~ Jimmy Dugan), and am committed to train. A few weeks ago, at the first sign of snow (granted, a small one), I signed my credit card and first born child over to Anytime Fitness...mainly because I can use any of their facilities with my membership, including the one conveniently located a few blocks from where I work.

Now that 2012 has come and I'm staring down my 30th birthday, I've devised a set of fitness goals I'd like to achieve this year.  They're not resolutions, because those are dumb. I made a few of these goals a few months ago, and now am making them official via the interwebs. In no particular order:

Twenties in the Rearview, Fitness Goals:

1. Run all 6.55 miles of my Icebreaker Marathon Relay commitment - I gots a team and they need me to RUN!
2. Run a full half marathon by my birthday - this one will likely be the Lake Geneva Half, as it's where I work and will allow me to reach my goal on May 12th, the day before my birthday 
3. #Runstreak - So far I'm 5 for 5 in 2012, and I want to make it at least to my 30th birthday. I'm taking a  page out of the Beer Runner's book and justifying my oat soda consumption with mandatory exercise. Thanks for being my accountability partners. 'Sides, it's no accident my new gym is right across the street from Ray's.
4. Take part in an Inter-state run - This one will likely be the Gopher to Badger run in August. I was thinking the Ragnar Relay that crosses the WI/IL border, but the distance makes me twitchy.
5. L-L-L-LAMBEAUUUUU! - I want to do the Packers 5K again this year so that I can, once again, run through the tunnel and around the field. I considered the Green Bay Cellcom Half for my birthday run, which would've also taken care of the Lambeau fix, HOWEVER, Lambeau's not a part of their route this year. Made that decision easy.
6. Sausage Race - In any other city this would be a black mark on your record, but in great ol' Milwaukee it's a golden goose. I'm not going to lie. The main reason I want to do the Brewers Sausage Race 5K is for the t-shirt.

For now I think that's enough, don't you? I might add in some goals for personal training sessions, but for now my wallet is satisfied with the cost of a straight membership and entry fees for all of the above.

What are your goals in striving to stay fit and live a healthy life?

____________________________________________________________ Current Couch Potato | Aspiring Runner
 Mandi recently completed her first half marathon, traveling to California's wine country to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Her next goal is the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon Relay in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in January.

Follow her journey.
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Mandi Runs and Mighty Life List - Press!

First of all, thank you SO MUCH for helping me get even closer to my goal of raising $3,000 for my Team Challenge half marathon! I have the bestest family and friends EVA, and I am committed to wearing your support on my race jersey in Napa, and giving you all of the goods and lowdown about my journey and the change YOU are making in the lives of Wisconsinites!

Second, I'd like to draw your attention to two neat-o items that came across my desk yesterday.

1. This blog has been accepted to Alltop, a site co-founded by the famous Guy Kawasaki! I am so pretending to be a cool kid right now - just check out the badge to the right! Alltop has a great community of bloggers who run, and I am humbled to join them, learn from them, and be inspired by them (if you scroll down the list, you'll see my blog!). 
2. Who has two thumbs and was featured as "Someone You Should Know" in her local community newspaper? THIS gal! I put my mad PR skillz to work, and was recently interviewed by the fine staff of WauwatosaNOW for a feature. You can read the article here, discussing my Team Challenge half marathon goal, and how I am taking strides to not only help those who suffer from Crohn's and colitis, but also live a Mighty Life each and every day!

If you'd like to know more about my Mighty Life List, you'll find a running list (wordplay intended) at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. I'll periodically post stories about the items already checked off, and if they're linked that means I've already written about them on other blogs.

Have any other ideas of things I should add to my Mighty Life Life? Leave a comment with your idea!

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Current Couch Potato | Aspiring Runner:

Completing my first half marathon to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America will be a community endeavor. Won't you help me change lives?

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