Week 1. Saturday - Crazylegs Classic

April 29, 2006

Activities/Actions:

• Race a 8K (5 mile) event
  

Stat:
5 miles, 37:45 mins (7:33/mile)
(over-all place 1142, age-group place 189)

Course condition: The course is a bit hillier than I used to run in Chicago. It offers a nice run through a park along University Bay, Lake Mendota. Though the day is mostly cloudy, the temperature is just nice, and the race ends just right before the rain comes.

How I felt:
(the 5-point scale)

• Physically 5
• Mentally 5
• About my nutrition 5
• About my sleep 2

How hard did I work? 8
(the 10-point scale)

Note and reflections:

Running makes one feel happy; in a race running into the finish line accomplishes one's goal. Crazylegs is my second race and completes another section of my road. My race goal is to finish under 40 mins, which I successfully top the goal. :) I feel that I have tried fairly hard but I only sprint just right before entering the stadium gate. I will need to use a suggestion from a friend that try as hard as I can for the last mile. Actually, the pace for the second half of the race should be faster than that of the first.

Crazylegs offers a fun run from the Capital Hill to Camp Randall. The 2nd mile climbs a bit steeply, but most of the course is nice. Among nearly 8,000 runners starting out from Capital Hill, four of my friends--Pam, Mei, Wayne & P' Lek--all top their race goal. Crazylegs comes at the top of the fun races I ever participated (hehe only two) because these four friends run. Thanks Pam for the invitation. The atmosphere is very relaxing with costume racers and supporters in various funny dresses. I see: one is running in a full American football gear, while a group of 3 kids are in prisoner black-white stripes and father in a guard gear chains them to one another. Uncle Sam on a stilt high fives us at the final leg.

One highlight of the race is seeing my old friends--P' Tete, Ble, Nor, Pam, Lookaew, Auy and Kate--in addition to meeting new ones. Most of them I hadn't talked with for ages, so this is a great opportunity to tune up with their changes. They take us to a Laotian restaurant (Lao Lan Xang; very yummy food) and Michael's (an ice cream place). Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and fun time.

A Missing Runner: Though many people saw him at the last quarter mile of the race, none found him at the stadium (even around Madison campus) for three hours after that. Spending three hour looking for our mising running mate was not a pleasant time. We walked in/out the stadium, up/down seating sections and asked many staffs for him (while I was walking, I grasped many water bottles, bananas & oranges to fill me up). We even asked the First Aid unit with a hope for the worst that he might be there. Luckily he was not, but it did not alleviated our warrisome that we could not find him. Amidst rock music amplified by the post-race band, The LoveMonkeys, there was no chance to announce for our missing friend. When the music on the stage quiet down, and the guards pushed us out of the stadium (we also took many water bottles out!), we gave up and gave a hope to his credit card that he brought with him. While we were eating our lunch, Prin's phone rang. Thanks to the phone, we knew where our missing runner whereabout. Our missing runner walked out just right after he could not find anyone at the stadium to a library near Student Union. Probably, he wanted to find a car. Jokingly we had thought that he might disappear with those sexy Wisconsin girls to a party. We agreed that one should not let your running mate wandering around in Camp Randall alone; he might wandered out to the 7am-7am drinking fest. :)

Some photos from the race:
(to-be-updated)

@ the start line; actually we could not find one another right after we left the sweats with sweat truck.


Waving to cheering buddies at the last quarter mile.
Prin snapped this nice action.


Crazylegsers!
After race group photo with Pam and her friends.


Camp Randall 50 yard line: Our finish line.
I-Mei-Prin-Wayne



Out of prison!


A yummy dinner with all the gang:
I-P'Tete-Nor-Ble-Ne-LookPad-Lookaew-Pam-Auy-Prin-Mei-P'Lek-Wayne


My crazy legs in Actions!