Race Recap: Door County Half Marathon

Seven years ago, I ran my very first half marathon in beautiful Door County Wisconsin. Regular readers know this is a place where I spend several weekends every summer and have since I was a child. Last fall, I decided that I wanted to run this race again this year. I asked friends and readers to join me. I was excited when Holly, of HoHo Runs, decided to take me up on my offer. Along with 6 other bloggers, we spent a long weekend together in December when we ran the Panama City Beach Half Marathon and I knew we would have a good time!

I was a little nervous about how the race itself would go for me--between my RA and that epic chafing I experienced the weekend before, I wasn't sure what to expect! But as Holly said to me, "you can plan for everything and then the unexpected happens!" That was my mantra going into this race.

I picked up Holly at the Milwaukee airport and we headed north for the 3 hour ride to my parents' place in northern Door County. The ride went by quickly as we talked the whole time. We dropped off our luggage and went to dinner at JJ's La Puerta for an early Cinco de Mayo celebration. There were very few people in the restaurant. Normally, in the summer, the place is packed. But the season doesn't really get started until Memorial Day. In fact, a lot of places weren't open yet. I enjoyed the slower pace of the offseason in this very popular destination. After dinner, we drove to the beach to see the sunset. It was cold and windy but beautiful.

Sunset at Porcupine Beach

The next day, I took Holly sightseeing. We also drove the race course in Peninsula State Park. From our perspective in the car, the hills didn't seem all that intimidating. I kept comparing the hills to Big Sur, which were, of course, epic. These? Little mounds of dirt, really. We were also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful sunshine and that the strong north wind blowing off Green Bay seemed to be blocked by the trees.  It was going to be a great day for a race!

We tried so hard to get a picture of us standing in the curvy road! Timing is everything, right? Here we are running to beat the timer, with really humorous results. Our efforts were also stymied by the ferry boat arriving and disembarking. 

After lunch, we went to pick up our race packets. The pickup process was very well organized and there was a little expo with last minute items for the racers as well as race merchandise. Both of us purchased a half zip pullover, which I decided I was going to wear to the race. Yep, I was breaking the cardinal rule of racing: nothing new on race day.

Packet pickup. I just noticed that guy in the photo behind us peeking over my shoulder!

The race didn't start until 10 am, so there was no early wake-up call for us. We had coffee and breakfast, and at 9 am drove to the park. We scored a great parking spot right by the runners' village. There were shuttles for runners from local hotels as well. I wanted a pre-race beach photo. The wind was whipping off Green Bay and it was cold! We kept telling ourselves that the sun would warm us and we would have protection from the trees. We hit the porta-potties--there were plenty-- and walked over to the starting line.

Pre-race photo at Nicolet Beach

Holly wanted to hang back, so we lined up behind the 2:25 pacers. Once the gun went off, the course was quite crowded and I found myself weaving in and out of walkers and slower runners. So much for my run/walk intervals! After 2 miles, the crowd thinned out and I was able to start the intervals. At that point, I was pretty winded, but I was pleased that I was able to run continuously up until then. The course ran along the shoreline, the wind was at our backs, and I was able to settle in and enjoy the view. I observed that I wasn't the only person doing intervals since I kept passing the same runners over and over.

Mile 4 was where the course began to go uphill. This hill was short but much steeper than I recalled from our preview ride. I was expecting the Taiko drummers to drumbeat us up the hill like they did at Big Sur. I adjusted my walk interval to coincide with the hill. I found that I did a lot of adjusting from then on as the course became quite hilly. Obviously, we weren't thinking clearly when we drove the course.

At the top of another steep climb at mile 6 was an aid station staffed by the Peninsula Parrot Heads. They were dressed as pirates and there was a pirate ship parked next to the aid station. I've seen these guys in the local parades. I stopped here to use the portapotty.

Once I resumed run/walking, Holly caught up to me. We quickly checked in with each other and she ran forward. We played cat and mouse for the rest of the race. Run, walk, run, walk. Up and down, up and down. The hills were tough. I sipped my Tailwind through most of the race, but after mile 8, I just couldn't drink anymore.

At the end of mile 9, the course started a decline back to the shoreline. That was a relief. I tried running fast on the downhills but was surprised to find that I couldn't push my pace as hard as I wanted. Short of breath on a downhill? That's new.

There were a few more uphills and then we ran downhill to mile 12. I knew then that we were done with the hills, and I decided to ignore the intervals and try to beat my goal finish time of 2:15. I was working hard, and I had to stop briefly to catch my breath. I picked it back up again and chugged towards the finish line. I spotted my mom and dad along the chute. My legs wanted to go but my heart and lungs weren't having it. I could not run any faster! I crossed the finish line and wouldn't you know it, Holly was right there with me! We both stopped and put our hands on our knees to catch our breath.

"You are a beast," Holly said. She told me she pushed hard to the finish to catch me. We put our arms around each other and walked over to Miss Door County, who was handing out medals. At the end of the chute, my mom and dad were waiting for us with hugs and congratulations.

10 on the medal because it was the race's 10th anniversary

We went back to my car to get jackets and put our race items away. We got in a very long line for our free beer, but not until we checked our race results. I wasn't exaggerating about our identical finish times! Really, what are the chances of that happening? Remember, we didn't run together.

We sat on the curb, listened to the band, drank our beer, and recapped the race. By the time we stood up to look for food, the band was packing up and all that was left were a few bananas and cookies. We had another free beer coupon for a local bar, Husby's, with an outdoor patio, so we drove there.

This Belgian-style Wit beer from the Door County Brewing Company was just the thing for a thirsty runner!

At Husby's, Holly and I found a table on the upper balcony and settled in to enjoy the band. We weren't sitting there very long when the band made a comment about "the first place ladies up there on the balcony". We stood up, held up our medals, and everyone laughed. I commented that she was from Alabama, and before you knew it, they were singing Sweet Home Alabama. So were we. It was like karaoke night in Panama City Beach all over again! We whiled away the afternoon there and even though it was cold, the bright sunshine, the beer, and the music kept us warm. We may have danced a little too....

This is what it's all about. Sure, I loved those fast races of the past couple of years. But I'd gladly trade them all in for a day like this one. I never want to walk away from a race feeling disappointed because I didn't meet my goal. Because any day you get to run, it's a good day. Running with friends? That's a great day. Running is hard and the reward comes knowing that you left it all on the course--even if you didn't run the way you wanted to. Good beer at the finish line? There's your reward, right there.

I always say that running isn't about finish times, it's about finish lines. This race was a victory for me--a month ago, I didn't even know if I'd be running this race. With Holly coming to run with me, I had a lot of incentive to figure out a way to get it done. I wasn't going ruin our weekend by DNSing this race. The run/walk intervals were a game changer for me. Not only did I find that I could get the distance done using the intervals, but I also think they helped me get some endurance back. My last mile was my fastest of the race. I still get gassed but it's happening less often.

photo courtesy of Holly

I had a great time, both at the race and throughout the weekend. The race was well organized--probably one of the best I've run and the course is beautiful. I may have exaggerated a bit by comparing the hills to Big Sur--this is the midwest, after all--but don't discount the hills. This is a tough course. The afterparty is well worth sticking around for. Any time of year, Door County is a great place for a weekend getaway. Since the race takes place before the summer tourist season, it's less crowded but keep in mind that not all the businesses are open. It was fun to introduce Holly to some of the local beers--Spotted Cow, anyone? She tried walleye for the first time, and of course, she had a slice of cherry pie made with locally grown cherries.

I may just have to go back next year and do it again!

Are you a one and done racer or do you repeat your favorite races? Finish times or finish lines? What's your favorite race?

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap and with Marcia, Erika, and Patti for Tuesdays on the Run!