Bowhunting, Fitness, Peas and Carrots
If you’ve been following dv’s Mostly Archery you know that at age 19, err, 39 I’ve been preparing for my first half marathon; see 7 Miles In – Training For A Half Marathon and All In – Registered For The Wisconsin Half Marathon. Working out and running are like bowhunting for me. They’re in my blood. It’s what I look forward to when I get up in the morning. If I don’t get my work out in I’m grumpy. In my opinion fitness and bowhunting go together like peas and carrots. And, I just wanted to see if I could do it. There may be a marathon in my future and this was a starting point. Heck, if P-Diddy and Oprah can do it I don’t see why I can’t.
Training
Anyway, the Wisconsin Marathon and Half Marathon, billed as “The Cheesiest”, were held Saturday, May 1st in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After following Hal Higdon’s novice training program for eight of its twelve weeks (I was already running at the four-week level when I started) I was ready to test my mental resolve. I say mental, because that is my weakness. Running is just one foot in front of the other, but wanting to quit due to boredom is a problem for me. I knew I was ready, but I feel my mind and body do better under steady-state conditions (continuing to run) than the prescribed final week taper (a reduction in running to allow your body to rest for the upcoming event) so I was a little nervous about my mindset and muscle and joint fatigue.
Preparing for a long, early spring run like this was difficult considering the weather in the upper Midwest. My long runs were scheduled for Saturdays. I only have access to an elliptical trainer on the weekends vice a treadmill and using either for any length of time drives me bonkers with boredom. I completed one seven mile run in heavy winds and low-thirties temperatures that made my thumbs hurt so bad I ran with my hands down the front of my sweats. That had to be a sight for the neighborhood. I was told I should have my “man card” gold embossed for running in those conditions.
I also completed a mid-day nine mile run during turkey season that involved having my hunting partners drop me off nine miles from the cottage and then running back. Barring car crash, natural disaster or coronary failure there was no way I wasn’t going to make it back with seven hunters waiting to see if I could do it. One of them called me a “savage”.
The Run
The event capped off at two-thousand participants. I think all of them tried to use the limited number of port-a-potties in the last forty-minutes preceding the race. With a goal of 9:00 minute miles I found what I thought was the appropriate pace marker and stepped into the crowd. At the horn we took off. Foolishly, I let the crowd pull me along a little too fast and fought to set my own pace. Probably should have participated in more actual races to prepare for that. Good lesson learned. I didn’t settle in until after the seven mile point.
dv Trying To Keep Up (I’m the one in red…)
The course along Kenosha’s lake front was nice and proved to be quite scenic. I and the Woman in Purple, pictured left, traded positions for awhile and then she took the lead so I attempted to just keep her in sight. At the twelve mile point I estimated she was about 100 yards ahead of me so I moved up the pace to just under a sprint to try to catch her. I figured I could maintain that for the next 1.1 miles. She turned out to be further ahead than I estimated and I never did catch her, but finished in 1:46:15. I DID IT! I came in twenty-seventh in the 35-39 age group and in the top fourteen percent of participants. I’m okay with that.
The Finish Line
A Bowhunter’s Day is Never Done
After a very tasty brat wrapped in a pita I headed home for a quick nap before a trip to Cabela’s with outdoors pardner Seth for some much-needed arrows and to get a glimpse of the new catalog items discussed in Exciting New Products From the Cabela’s Catalog. Mrs. dustyvarmint and I celebrated my first long-distance run with a steak dinner and then I met Seth again at 8:30 pm and headed out bowfishing until 2:15 am. See the results of that outing in Anatomy Of A Bowfishing Rig. A long, satisfying day indeed.
The Medal Shot
Thanks
Mrs. dustyvarmint supported my crazy running schedule and efforts and took pictures during the run. THANKS to her. Also thanks to Bowcast and UpNorthJournal whose podcasts kept my feeble mind occupied.
happy hunting & running, dv
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Coming up on Mostly Archery
- Bowfishing – Preparing the Boat
- Gear Review – Magnet Gun Caddy
