Peter's Race Reports: Back to the Lakefront - Or, The Fourth Time is the Charm

Back to the Lakefront, or “The Fourth Time is the Charm”

Well, on October 5, I returned once again, to the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, for the fourth time. For you alert readers, this means that I have improved the statistics of the times I’ve signed up and paid for this marathon versus the times I’ve actually run it, making it four out of six times now. (For more information, see my previous blog “Burning Race Fees, or Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”).

Let me say right off the bat, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is hands down, one of the best-run, best supported, great-from-start-to- finish races in the Midwest. Race Director Kris Hinrichs, who is very visible throughout the whole weekend event manages a team of hundreds of amazing people – all of whom are volunteers - to turn out a stellar race experience for everyone – runners and spectators alike.

I had previously run the Lakefront Marathon in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and each time it was a really great experience.

This time was no exception.

Went down to packet pickup on a beautiful Saturday morning with my friend Lisa, who had signed up however elected, intelligently not to run as there was a lot going on for her at the time. We picked up our long sleeve technical shirts, chips and the duffle bag-sized plastic draw-string gear bag for our gear drop – one of the many cool touches this race has for the runners. The volunteers even apply a tag to the bag with your bib number on it so on race day, you are ready to drop and go at the start.

So, Lisa and I toured the expo which, while small, has grown over the years and boasts everything from sports apparel from different places, to Select Comfort beds, Chiropractors and Massage, and other Races from around the Wisconsin. Indeed we had a great talk with one of the Green Bay Marathon people and picked up some great ideas for other races to do.

The Lakefront Marathon also sells some great apparel for a reasonable amount of money, however, since I’m always swamped in T-shirts and Sweatshirts, I managed to refrain, however, I couldn’t resist some of the cool Lakefront Marathon neon luggage tags for $1. It’s been my experience that you can see these tags coming up the conveyor belts at the airport from a long way away, and they seem to hang on forever, so it was a good investment.

Lisa purchased a great pink headband from the “I Run Like a Girl” display, where we talked to one of the main employees who was from Iowa. I was unable to talk Lisa into buying some matching apparel, so it was time to leave, as neither of us were in the market for a new mattress or a Chiropractor.

After carbo loading on Sushi, and Multi-grain bread smeared with gobs of my fresh-from the garden Homemade Pesto, I had a pretty good night’s sleep. The next day, as usual, I had to get up and leave at something like 4:45 am for an early bus departure from the Lakefront. It was dark and cold, however I quickly zipped into downtown Milwaukee in the Toyota on I-94, exiting towards the lakefront in time to follow a stream of school busses that were clogging the exit onto Lincoln Memorial Drive. Correctly concluding that the only place these busses were going at that early hour on a Sunday were the Lakefront Pickup area, I followed them into the parking area, where I was directed by a series of flashlight waving volunteers to a very well-positioned front row parking space near the entrance to the shuttle busses. Later, this would prove a really smart move as it was also a short walk from the finish area.

Taking a bearing on some landmarks to find the Toyota in the daylight later in the day, (once again, experiencing 40-plus marathons has taught me a few tricks) I walked over to the lead bus, got on, and in short order was heading up the freeway to Grafton. The Lakefront Marathon is a point-to-point course, and Grafton is a suburb north of Milwaukee where the starting line is.
I talked a little bit with the runner next to me in the seat who was doing his third marathon, and was dressed as if he was going to the North Pole, in several layers, topped off with a hooded sweatshirt. To each his own. After trading a few anecdotes we both fell silent as was most of the bus that early in the morning and completed the half hour ride to Grafton High School, where the bus disgorged us into the parking lot

Another great thing about the Lakefront Marathon is that you get to wait in the warm comfort of the High School for the race to start. There is a cafeteria with tables to sit at, or a gymnasium to stretch out in. I commandeered a table in the cafeteria, and watched the door as I knew there were a few people I might know running the race, and I wanted to be able to see them arrive.

Soon, however the place filled up as other busses arrived, and I was joined at my table by two very energetic and beautiful young ladies from Forest Park Illinois – Denise and Sue, who sat down and hauled out a large bag of Rice Krispy treats, which was their pre-race libation. I offered to share my BumbleBar and we chewed companionably and talked about races, the weather, Illinois, and other typical pre-race chatter. They were experienced runners and we had quite a bit in common – except for the Rice Krispy treats which, while they looked good, it was too early in the morning for me to try something new. Maybe next race.

After awhile, I decided to go out and check the weather, and also decided to use the out door porto potties as the indoor restrooms had filled up. It was probably in the mid 40’s outside, the sun was starting to make an appearance and the outdoor PA system was tuning up. I had some great talks with some first time and long-time runners, including a guy who purposely came up from Chicago every year to run Lakefront as “it’s so much easier and better than doing Chicago!” I agreed.

As race time grew near, I searched in vain for anyone I knew, however it was to no avail. Although there were only 2,750 available slots for this race ( up from 2,500 in previous years) the crowd seemed to be twice that, with many spectators and support crew there, so I was all by myself as it became time to lose the extra clothes and drop my bag off in the very-close-to-the-start line Post Office Truck that would take the gear to the finish line.

I hung around for awhile, enjoying the energy of the crowd and then about 7:45 started shucking off my sweats, stuffing them in my bag. I had been undecided as to what to wear, as it called for cool temperatures in the morning, warming up to about 60 later in the day, with a possibility of rain. I finally decided to wear a short sleeved technical shirt, and of course, my Marathon Maniacs Singlet. I had neglected to check the website to see how many other of my Maniac brethren would be there, however, I was proud to be flying my colors for my hometown race.

As race time approached, I was joined by another Lisa – Lisa Turner, a trainer from my YMCA, who was running her first marathon. Knowing she was quite fast and competitive, it was great to talk with her at the start and to hang with a friendly face.

Kris Hinrichs took the microphone, pumped us all up and then we were off, blasting out of the parking lot, hanging a right, and heading south on the now 26.15 mile trek to the finish line.

It was sunny and cool, with no breeze – probably still in the 40’s. And actually with no breeze, and as the first part of the course was somewhat sheltered, I actually warmed up pretty quickly. Also, it was slightly humid, so my sunglasses were fogging over, which made it difficult to navigate through the crowd. Some wardrobe malfunctions suck!

The course is pretty rural for the first while, taking some rights and lefts along country roads, farm fields and rolling Southeastern Wisconsin terrain. As always, one of my favorite touches is just before the two mile mark, as the course turns right on to some Alphabet-lettered road, there is an Accordian player, with a full PA system cranking out polka tunes for all of us runners as we go cruising by. He’s been there every time I’m run this race. Only in Wisconsin!

So as I had been contemplating the effort that morning awhile before, standing at the start line with Lisa Turner, I had gauged my energy level and concluded that I had absolutely no feel for how my performance would be that day. I’ll blog about this at some other date, however, my training had been as usual totally lacking in Marathon-based efforts, with the sole exception of three Half Marathons I’d run on August 16, August 30th, and September 23rd, two weeks before this race. All had gone pretty incredibly well, however, that’s only “half way”. So, and, as I did feel pretty unenergetic at the start, I had no idea how I would fare.

For lack of a better word, I blasted off from the start, clipping along right from the start at Half Marathon pace. My GPS showed that I was maintaining an average 8:14 or so mile for the first nine or ten miles, not necessarily my typical Mid-pack pace. “This can’t last” I’m thinking to myself as the miles rolled along. While trying not to energize the thought, I was wondering if at some point the wheels were going to fall off and I’d experience a spectacular dismount, having to hobble in for some distance. Nonetheless, since I felt good, I kept going.

We started reaching more civilization as the miles rolled by. There were very regular water stops every two miles or so, water, Gatorade, enthusiastic volunteers and music. I clipped along, keeping the pace alive mile after mile.

The course is not actually all along, or in sight of, Lake Michigan, however it does cover many of the Lakefront Communities in Southeastern Wisconsin, including Grafton, Mequon, Bayside, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, and finally, Milwaukee. Of course, this is also some of the highest priced Real Estate in this area of the country so the roads are pretty good for the most part. Each town has a sign or something at some point so you know what progress you are making. And I, for one, love point-to-point courses such as this – it feels like you’ve really “covered some ground” rather than running in a big loop.

The miles were very well marked, and my GPS was pretty well synched with the markers which, due to my pace, seem to come pretty quickly. And indeed, the elevation is good – while the course does roll and there are definitely some uphill stretches, it is a net downhill course and the downhills come at great times later in the race and in very stellar scenic places.

And, the Milwaukee Marathon is quite spectator friendly. It also has a marathon relay which is quite popular and the spectator guide which is also a nice touch tells the spectators where they can go along the course to cheer for their runners. And, one other nice touch – your name is on your bib as well, so people can cheer for you by name.

So, I blasted along, enjoying the scenery, water stops and pace. I didn’t really get a chance to talk to anyone much, however, after working the spectators for awhile, I soon acquired a following. “Go Maniac!” A few of them shouted, however, there wasn’t much recognition of the Yellow Flag I was flying.

Turned off the half at around 1:49 on the GPS, on good schedule, and rounded a bend around mile 13.5 – and ran through a sea of spectators. In short order I saw

1) Mary Olson, my good spin friend from the YMCA, who was waiting for her daughter Megan, who was running her first marathon. I stopped to high-five her. “Go! Run!!! She shouted at me. Thanks Mary!!!
2) Patty Lohr, wife of my long-time Chicago running colleague Ralph, who shouted at me from the crowd, giving me a lift. Ralph, apparently was some where behind me. Great to see you Patti!!
3) Joel, A running colleague I had met in Nashotah park the week before who was helping direct traffic and shouted at me “Have a great time in Arizona, Peter!” Thanks Joel – see you in the spring!

Quite the spectator treat, and it gave me a very needed lift to charge into the second half of the race. Another thing I love about this race – its small enough and spectator friendly enough that you can get some great interaction.

So, charge into the second half I did, running down the Wisconsin roads, through the Lakefront towns, and heading, inexorably, towards the lakefront, time ticking by. Around mile 15, the clouds started rolling in and a wind started picking up, however, it had the effect of cooling things off perfectly and didn’t become a stiff headwind to battle or anything – basically, it kept the heat of the day at bay, and provided ideal running conditions.

I kept hearing snatches of conversations, runners discussing pace, nutrition, cramping, blisters. At one point I got in a pack of runners and we were in lockstep for about a mile and a half. I would pass some of them, only to get passed by them again, and on and on. It was like a last 10K do-si-do, however, this was between mile 16 and 20 and too soon to pour it on – also too soon to take anything seriously. However, I ultimately prevailed as they started to fade as the miles continued to roll by.

I began getting views of the lake somewhere in there, and began also doing some zig-zagging through some suburban streets, through parks, along parkways, and down some steep hills. Around mile 19, an athletic black girl cruised effortlessly past me. “Go Maniac!” She shouted as she eased by. “I’m number (something) she shouted over her shoulder. “Go Maniac Yourself!” I called, watching her draw quickly away and admiring her late race kick.

The first of the “twenties” rolled by quickly, 21, 22 and 23, where I again got to see Ralph’s family as Patti jumped out and took my picture. Soon after that, at some point (can’t remember exactly) , standing by a mile marker and a City Sign, a tall, middle age man, called out “Welcome to Milwaukee – you’re almost home!” and indeed we were.

By now, I’m sweeping down the last hill and along the lakefront. The headwind has picked up a little (in Milwaukee, there is ALWAYS a headwind for the last few miles) and I’m getting ready to be done. The lake off to my left looks choppy and the clouds were thickening overhead. My pace per mile has faded slightly by now, however, I decided to quit looking at my watch and focus my energy on the getting to the finish.

I run through along the lakefront sidewalk, through the two final water stops, and onto the grass by the lagoon. The final mile or so winds through veterans park and you can hear the finish line, but not see it. I wove in and out of the boat lagoons, along the bike paths, over the sidewalks, making right and left hand turns. Close to the finish line, I spot Rocky from the YMCA, who is on a bicycle apparently being a spectator. “Still running!” he shouts. “Almost there!” I grunt as I cruise by. I turn into the final, long stretch and see the finish line in front of me and manage to put on a burst of speed, passing a few people in the final stretch. The spectators are loudly enthusiastic and I pump my hands into the air, hearing cheers and shrieks as I get closer. I cross the finish line right after the clock ticks over 3:45, raising my hands above my head in victory as the finish line photo is snapped. I then punch my GPS, breathlessly say hi to Kris Hinrichs, the race director who is standing right at the finish and continue on to the chutes. My GPS registers a 3:44:50, later my chip time will come in as 3:44:47 (an 8:35 per mile pace), placing me 491 out of 1945 finishers, 67 out of 160 in my age group and 387 out of 1,187 male finishers. Upper third, I’m thinking.

This, however, as alert readers might notice, rates as my fastest Marathon time this Century – by a long stretch. The last time I ran a marathon this fast, was back in 1996, when I was, of course, much younger and in fact actually trained for the distance. And also, compared to my other finish times at the Lakefront, again, this set a course record, smashing my previous finish times, by 23 plus minutes.

So what’s up with that? Well, I actually don’t know. Perhaps it was the Half Marathon training I did this summer (blog to follow). Perhaps the sushi/pesto combination helped. Perhaps a judicious dose or two of Miller Lite over the past few months has rewired the neural net. Maybe it’s because it was four months since my last marathon and I was “rested’?

Or, perhaps it was just my day. Either way, I’m more than pleased with the whole experience. Great course, great support, great weather, great time!!! We’ll see what the next one brings

Anyway, I continued through the chutes, picking up a really nice looking finishers medal, a mylar blanket (which I needed – the cool breeze was chilling me off rather quickly) and a bottle or two of water. I hung a right out of the finishers chute, and there was the gear check where an alert volunteer saw my bib, and had my bag waiting for me.

I love this race!

LFM Finishers Medal

The runners exit into an area which includes a massage tent (which, once I decided to notice it, the line was too long) a changing area, and the food tent, which is for runners only, and had plenty of fruit, cookies, soda and other great libations. I ran into Michelle, the other Maniac there who had turned off an amazing time that day as well, and we had a great talk about the race, the Maniacs and all things running, while we stretched and she picked up her gear bag.

I changed in the Men’s changing tent, shucking off my wet clothes and putting on my sweats, which was GREAT, and went back outside where I went over to the finish line in time to see Jim Nowakowski finish, as well as my colleague Ralph, who cruised across the finish line around the same time. Chatted with Ralph a little as he came through the chutes, and then went and said hi to his family, where I received a big hug from Patti, who said she was “so proud of me!” Thanks Patti!

Leaving Ralph and his family, I again bump into Denise and Sue from Forest Park, who had a great race and finished somewhere under four hours. They both seemed happy, and we got to talk for awhile as we toured the merchandise tents, where there were some unbelievable deals, including shirts for a dollar and half price apparel. Once again, I refrained from purchasing – I have soooo many t-shirts and sweatshirts, I just can’t justify buying more – regardless of the deal.

It was there, while having a great conversation with Denise and Sue that I saw one of my ex-girl friends, Sally, who was apparently working the Merchandise tent of the LFM. While I was raptly listening to a story from Denise, whoah, there goes Sally cruising by a few feet in front of my nose, apparently checking the tables. Sally, who is remarried now, used to be the Packet Pickup Captain, and it was a short three years previously in 2005 that, while we were “dating” I had Co-Captained with her for packet pickup, and then ran the race as well, marking the last time I had done LFM previously. Sally looked tired, and we didn’t speak, however, I mentally wished her well in her new life and marriage. Life does move on, and, as I have learned, it continues to be an an amazing experience!

Denise and Sue were having their finishers medals engraved with their finish time (another new and cool feature of this race) and so I gave them my card to reference the blog – if you’re tuning in, girls – great to run with you! Hope to see you in another race soon! Next time, I'll try the Rice Krispy Treats...... Then, I headed back to the Toyota, a short walk across the field. Off in the distance, there were still people finishing the race, however, I had had enough fun for the day. Got back to the Toyota, eased across the grass and onto the street, and soon I’m accelerating up the ramp onto I-94 heading west, and firing up the Cellphone to call Cayelin and report on my progress. As I get a few miles West of the finish area, the first raindrops start hitting my windshield, and by the time I’m clear of Milwaukee, it has turned into a full downpour. Perfect timing!! I head home, shower, fire up the woodstove, and watch the cold rain fall for the rest of the day, enjoying some leftover pesto, a few cold ones, some football, and the thrill of a race well run.

As a post-script, I learned later that Lisa Turner had turned out an incredible 3:33 for this, her first marathon, neatly qualifying her for Boston. Congratulations, Lisa!!

So, I’m blogging in reverse right now, so you know what my next big race was – the 10 miler in Tucson, however the next weekend before that and before leaving Wisconsin, I also ran a very hilly 10K in Wales Wisconsin, with Greg Searcy, Lisa, Liza, Jack and Julie and Liza played paparazzi, providing these very cool photos. (see below) Thanks Liza!! Next up on the blog– Half Marathon Maniac?

Thanks for reading everyone – hope to see you all at a race soon!