Green Bay Recap

The Green Bay Marathon was the 4th marathon I've competed in and the 3rd marathon I finished. I ran Twin Cities in 2008, Columbus in 2009, and Chicago in 2010. Twin Cities was the first running event I had ever participated in and I dropped out at mile 19 which haunts me in every race I've done since then. After the battle that was Green Bay though, I think I'll have a lot more confidence in future races.

Describe your training going into the marathon: I started using the Less is More plan thinking it'd be easier to do 3 runs a week in the middle of winter. Plus, I'd read that this plan can help you really increase your speed and my goal was to break 3:50 at Green Bay. But I kept getting injured so I cut back to a plan that had me running more often, but less aggressively. This worked out well, but my long runs were a constant conundrum. I had Lasik surgery in January and couldn't be outside in the cold for very long or I'd get terrible dry eye. So I did all my long runs on the treadmill until March (unlike many runners, I don't mind treadmills, and in some cases I think they can be really beneficial tools for training). By the time my eyes had fully healed I was itching to get in a good long run outside, but MN weather made most of my runs snowy, icy, or just cold and wet. I also don't usually train carrying water; I've always planned my long runs on routes that have water fountains. But the fountains were all shut off so I had to carry a bottle (dislike) and there were times I did not bring enough. Oh, and then I got really sick (which never happens) and had to take a week off at the end of my training! It was not ideal, and I worried I was undertrained going in, but it was definitely a learning experience and I think I'm a better runner. Spring marathons are a whole different beast than fall marathons, that's for sure.

What were your expectations going into the race? Since training hadn't gone as smoothly as I had hoped, I knew I wouldn't make my goal so I decided to focus on keeping my time under 4 hours. And if nothing else, I needed to just finish.

Highlights from the marathon: For the last mile, we got to run through the tunnel the players run through and around Lambeau Field. After all the wind (the wind was so insane!), I was feeling ultra lousy, but this made the whole thing worth it. Only runners were allowed on the field (who feels special?) and my boyfriend (a huge Packers fan) and his friend were in the stands cheering for me. It was just the lift I needed to get across the finish line.

Best thing you ate in Green Bay: Cheese curds obviously! Also, a strawberry milkshake and french fries from McDonald's. I don't mess around after a marathon.

Would you recommend Green Bay to another runner? I would if they are a Packers fan or even just a football fan. I have to say though, it was probably the least scenic marathon I've run. There was a straight 7 mile stretch on a path along the river where the wind was almost constantly pushing you back. Even without the wind though, there are mostly factories along the river so the view wasn't super.

Finishing time: Originally it was 3:58: 56 (a personal worst) but then they discovered that the course was 800 ft. too long so the times were recalculated. My recalculated time ended up being 3:57:34.

Lia Beast: Boston 2011

Lia Middlebrook, known in the racing world as Lia Beast, ran in the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011. Below, she recaps the training, kisses, milk shakes and beers that made up her Boston experience.

Boston was my fourth marathon. I ran Twin Cities in 2006 and 2007 and the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee in October of 2010. The Lakefront Marathon was my qualifier for Boston -- I ran a 3:39:34, snuck in with 1:25 to spare!

Training for Boston wasn't as bad as it could have been, considering the kind of winter we had. I decided early on that I would just train to finish and be able to enjoy the race -- non of this training to PR business like I did for Milwaukee. I didn't too much speed work, just focused on getting my miles in and running at least five days a week. I made it through the winter without any major hiccups -- I only fell once, I only got sick once and I managed to keep my mileage in the mid- to high-forties each week, and even had a week over fifty miles. Just getting out and getting the miles in felt like enough of an accomplishment. I'm proud that I never touched a treadmill, and I only took shelter in the Dome four or five times. Looking back, it wasn't so bad, training through such a brutal winter. It was wonderful though, once the snow melted, to finally have traction again and be able to run faster. And to not have my eyelashes, Gu and water freeze on my runs. That was a plus too.

My expectations going into Boston were 1) that it would feel monumental, and 2) that I would have a lot of fun. In the end, the race didn't feel quite as monumental as I thought it would (I think that tends to happen in life when there's so much hype around something), but it was still pretty incredible. Half the time I was thinking, "this just seems like any other marathon" and half the time I was thinking "Damn, this is Boston!" I did have a lot of fun though -- I completed all five of my goals that I set the day before the race: 1) Finish, 2) Finish in under four hours, 3) Kiss a girl at Wellesley, 4) Kiss a boy at Wellesley, and, most importantly, 5) Drink beer along the course.

Highlights from the marathon include: walking into the convention center to pick up my race packet and thinking, "This is it! I'm here. I made it to Boston!"; lining up at the start and sharing knowing smiles with the women around me; running past Wellesley and their crazy cheering; cruising up Heartbreak Hill and feeling surprisingly strong; chugging warm beer from a pitcher at Mile 25 (it tasted really good); rolling into Boston and crossing the finish line.

Best thing I ate in Boston: Is it sad to say the chocolate shake from McDonald's in the airport post-race? Probably. Discounting that, I'd say it's a toss-up between butternut squash soup and buffalo chicken mac and cheese. Yum.

Would you recommend Boston to other runners? I would most definitely recommend Boston. It's not something I'd want to do every year, or even every other year, but it's an incredible experience. It was worth training through this awful Minnesotan winter for (including the 18-miler I had to do in snowy, two-degree weather), which I think says a lot.

My Boston theme song? Hmm. I'd have to say Dynamite by Taio Cruz. It was my song for Milwaukee and it carried over to Boston.

Finishing time: 3:53:35.

Go, Lia Beast!

Get in Gear: Race Recap

Results - 10K

Jessica Deutsch, 42:03 (6:47 pace)
171/3131 overall; 25/1707 Females; 7/331 F25-29 Age Group

Kelsey Barale, 42:50 (6:54 pace)
199/3131 overall; 36/1707 Females; 9/331 F25-29 Age Group

Brenna Anderson, 43:48 (7:03 pace)
246/3134 overall; 52/1714 Females; 15/331 F25-29 Age Group

Cicely Miltich, 44:40 (7:12 pace)
275/3131 overall; 59/1707 Females; 18/331 F25-29 Age Group

Emily Therneau, 46:54 (7:33 pace)
370/3131 overall; 87/1707 Females; 24/331 Females F25-29 Age Group

The Unofficial Team Results*

1. TC Running Company, 3:16:05
2. Foley & Mansfield Racing Team, 3:17:01
3. Run N Fun, 3:24:00
4. Mississippi River Road Runners, 3:27:22*
5. Northwoods - MN/WI, 3:36:05
6 Collegeville, 3:47:26
7. St. Cloud River Runners/Endurance Shop, 3:52:55
8. MDRA, 4:07:21

*If you've taken the time to add up each of our times, you'll notice there is a discrepancy between what USATF MN says is our time and what we think our total time is. I think we were actually fifth, with a total time of 3:40:15.

Results - Half Marathon

Regan Blomme, 1:37:22 (7:26 pace)
87/1021 overall; 8/531 Females; 2/209 F20-29 Age Group

Kristin Fiumefreddo, 1:41:16 (7:44 pace)
129/1021 overall; 19 out of 531 Females; 10/201 F30-39 Age Group

Shauna Overgaard, 1:42:11 (7:49 pace)
141/1021 overall; 20/531 Females; 6/209 F20-29 Age Group


The Unofficial Race Recap

The team started the racing season with Get in Gear -- self-proclaimed to be "Minnesota's annual rite of spring."

This might engender visions of racers striding past tulip beds and blooming dogwood and magnolia trees and birds singing. Don't be fooled. Just so we're all straight here: What non-Minnesotans might not know and what some Minnesotans forget is that "rite of spring" is a hazing in which Mother Nature whips us back into humble Minnesotan shape with hail, sleet, rain, and snow. Don't take the warm and the sun for granted, she says. This is the end of April, this is Minnesota, and I do as I please.

No, this is not a long rambling complaint about the weather in Minnesota. I only mean to say again what Cicely said as we headed to the line: this race is very aptly named. We're really getting our butts moving for the first time in a long time. And if we're running in the sleet or snow for this particular race, it only serves as a reminder for how tough Minnesotan runners can be. (Coming soon: a post on Lia ("Beast") Middlebrook and her badass Boston training through one of the snowiest winters on record.)

With five women in the 10K and three in the half marathon, the Mississippi River Road Runners had a strong season debut. This included three new team members: Emily Therneau in the 10K and Regan Blomme and Kristin Fiumefreddo in the half marathon, all of whom ran PRs!

Jessica's recap

Overall, I'm pleased with how my race went. I had hoped to run 6:45 pace, and my mile splits were averaged around 6:47: 6:58 (sloooow navigating the crowds at the start), 6:39, 6:49 (Kelsey and I were running together for the first couple of miles), 6:49, 6:41 (found a random guy to run with from here to the finish; thank you, whoever you are!), 6:46. Those 10K pace workouts we did at the track gave me some confidence going into this race, and it felt good to execute a race as planned -- and with teammates for company! I was so proud of our team as we all went to the starting line together . . .

Hey, how was your race? What were your expectations? Any race day diet experiments? Things you will do differently at your next race? Leave your own race recap in the comments.