West Bend, WI | April 26, 2015 | Time: 2:07:37 | What a flat race. I chose this race mostly due to it being on the Eisenbahn. I thought it would be run to run along where the old train lines used to be. I didn’t think about the fact that that would mean it would be ridiculously flat. Luckily I had my GU and Jon to get me to the end.
We arrived in West Bend on Saturday early afternoon to grab our packets. With the race being pretty early we didn’t want to make the drive that morning and so found a local hotel to crash for the evening. We got bright yellow (like highlighter bright) tech shirts for participating with Adrenaline Races. Jon’s already worn his out and I’m sure he glowed the entire time. We had some time to kill after our packets so we wondered around downtown West Bend and found a good place to have brunch the next day after we were done. Their downtown runs long the Milwaukee River so there were some pretty views and we walked a bit on another section of the Eisenbahn. We decided to drive just down the road to Port Washington and see Lake Michigan from this side. It was so windy!!! Then it was time to have one last carby dinner before the race. We opted for the Braising Pan, supposedly one of the local hot spots. The food was pretty on point- I had a delicious grilled chicken salad with strawberries, cashews and avocado. It was so good and I need to recreate it for myself! After dinner we got everything ready for race morning, watched a little tv and then off to sleep.
Up early on race morning to have my banana and lara bar and try to relax out the pre-race jitters. We made the quick drive over to parking, before it was time for one last portapottie stop and to have my first GU. And then we were off!
Jon had decided to run with me the entire time as this would be the fastest he’d ever gone and he hadn’t done a ton of training. Our next one in Alexandria I think he’s going to run on his own since he can go faster than me. The first few miles we got into a rhythm. We had a nice breeze and it was still chilly out despite the bright sun. There was a long straightaway that felt like we were on forever but then we made it to the half way mark and turnaround (this was GU 3 for me). We felt pretty good at this point and really thought I might be able to beat my PR. Unfortunately though that straightaway on the way back was killer. The sun was bearing down and it was much hotter, with no breeze and what seemed like miles forever in a straight line with no shade. It got rough for me there but luckily Jon was there to help me push through. I had my last GU just before Mile 10 to get me through to the end. It was quite the push but we made it to the finish in 2:07:37. 7 seconds shy of a new PR for me. WOMP WOMP. But considering the winter we dealt with, lack of outdoor training and lots of treadmilling I feel great about that time. I’ve got 3 more chances this season to beat my PR and get closer to my goal of finishing under 2 hours.
We took some photos, got our waters and snacks and then headed back to our hotel to pack up and eat brunch! We stopped into Riverside Brewery for celebratory beers and yummy brunch. Cheese curds, eggs, bacon and potato pancakes made my morning. Then it was time to head back to Point.
A nice local race- never crowded and despite the beating sun, I felt great about my time. Jon’s ready to increase his speed and knock it out of the park in Alexandria.
chasing every adventure 