Bill and I made our way up to Milwaukee on Friday night. I had my usual pre race jitters, but nothing too major. I knew I could run the distance, but I never actually ran a race on an indoor track and was worried that I would want to gouge my eyeballs due to sheer boredom. I think that was what I was most worried about. We got to my parents house and visited for a little bit before I decided to go up to bed and get some sleep. I had a half marathon to run in the morning at 7AM. My alarm went off around 5:30AM. I was nice and rested for the race. My Dad was going to drive down with Bill and watch me during this first race. I love when my parents are able to come to my races. It's so nice to be able to have their familiar faces at a race, it always picks my spirits up. My Dad got us some pre race coffee, I got my bibs for the half marathon and the marathon the next day and then we went down to the track to figure out where I needed to put my drop bags and fuel. The really cool thing about this race is that there is only 1 aid station. You write your bib number on your bottle and your GUs. As you come around the track, you tell the volunteers your number and that you need your water bottle or GU and on your next lap they have it waiting for you and hand it off. You never have to stop at the aid station and wait. It was the coolest thing and the volunteers took such good care of the runners. After I got my water bottle marked and my GUs lined up, the runners went to the starting line. The temperature in the building was perfect. I was very comfortable in my running skirt and I knew my long sleeve shirt was going to have to come off sooner or later, but I wanted to stay warm as long as possible.
The gun went off and we were off! I just wanted to run a nice and easy pace and didn't go out to set any land speed records. I just wanted to get used to the track and see how I did with 48 laps around the track. They have a large monitor that counts down your laps. In the early stages, I made sure NOT TO LOOK AT THE MONITOR! If you don't look at your lap count, it actually surprises you when you do finally look and see how far you actually went. I was running very nice and comfortably and loved seeing and hearing (they had a cowbell) my Dad and Bill as I came around on each lap. I took a GU at the half way point. The volunteers at the aid station were dancing and keeping us runners entertained. As part of the Gold Medal Challenge, we wear gold bibs so you knew who you were going to see tomorrow at the marathon. It was nice that the race directors gave us special bibs. The announcer will tell you on the loudspeaker when you are on your last lap and I couldn't wait to hear that "Leslie Jacobi is on her last lap". YIPPEE!!! I did a full out sprint and came in at 1:59. As I got off the track, the volunteers hung a bronze medal around my neck for completing the race. I was ready to rest and run a marathon the next day!
That night I went to sleep early. I was not as nervous about the marathon, since I knew what to expect with the track. The miles really went by quickly and I just hoped the same thing happened at the marathon. Bill and my Dad dropped me off at the race. This time, they hung around for a couple laps but decided to go visit some local places in Milwaukee and then they were planning on picking up my Mom so she could see me finish the marathon. I was planning on finishing the marathon in 4 hours and 15 minutes. I really wanted a 4 hour marathon, but as soon as I started to run I realized that unless I powered through I didn't think my legs would take me to a sub 4 hour finish. That's alright, I didn't do any speed work prior to the marathon so wasn't expecting a record setting time. I just really wanted to finish the miles in one piece. When my family left I was alone for the next 3 hours. The hours went by pretty quickly. I made sure not to look at the number of laps that I had left. I didn't want to focus on how many laps I had left, since that may have made me nuts. I was so excited when the played the "Imperial March". I'm a HUGE Star Wars nerd, so I fully appreciated the other "nerd" that requested that song. I got excited to hear my song that I requested "MGMT: Electric Feel". That song reminds me of our wedding reception and dancing with friends. I thought about that day and how thankful I am for being able to run, having a supportive husband and a loving family. I had a total of 2 GUs during the race, water and the volunteers would fill my bottle with powerade when I requested it. At about the 3:45 mark, I saw my Mom come through the doors. It was so wonderful to see her. I had been running so long without seeing my family and my spirits were instantly lifted. I started to cry tears of happiness when I saw her. I was ready to finish this thing out. I asked Bill how many laps I had left and he held up all ten fingers. Yes! I was almost to the single digits. I powered through the last ten and realized that my hopes of a 4 hour finish were not going to happen. But, a 4:20 finish could be possible. I pushed my very tired legs and heard the familiar "Leslie Jacobi is on her last lap". YES!!!!! I sprinted that last lap to a 4:19 finish. As I got off the track, the volunteers made sure I was alright. Then, they hung a silver medal around my neck AND a gold medal for completing the Gold Medal Challenge.
The race was organized FLAWLESSLY! They had a huge spread of food at the post race gathering and the volunteers spoiled us with answering our every demand. It was also so nice to see the fasties sprint around that track in record time. Also, running in a climate controlled environment in the dead of winter was also a plus. A few weeks later, I recieved a 2nd place age group award for my marathon finish. It was a pin that I have place next to my bronze, silver and gold medals.
I would highly recommend this race to anyone. You will not die of boredom and the miles really do go by very quickly. I can't wait until next year!!
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