I ran the 10 km Madison Shamrock Shuffle. I really appreciated the option for early packet pick up at the Orpheum in Madison, it was super fast for me to grab my packet and conveniently located downtown. The "expo" was more than I expected for a local 10 km, our Fleet Feet had official merchandise for the shuffle from Nike, all of which looked like super nice quality (although I didn't end up purchasing anything). The t-shirt is a standard cotton unisex long sleeve, which I'll use for PJs, but the design is fun and you could also opt to not receive it and have $5 lower registration for the race.

Day of the race was pretty easy to navigate. My friend and I got there about ~40 min early, easily parked in the ramp closest to the race. We stopped at the Orpheum to get warm and also use the bathroom, but the line was insane, so we meandered down State Street to find the port-a-potties. There were only 8 for ~5000 runners that I could see - so I hope in the future they'd scale that up. I was able to get into one before the race start, but I waited about 15 min in line.

They did their best to arrange the start corral by pace - and I think people were pretty honest about putting themselves where they should be, which I really appreciated. It sucks having to dodge walkers etc who decide they need to be at the front. The start corrals had really fun music and a very enthusiastic announcer, which made waiting for the start great.

The race itself was nice and challenging enough to keep it interesting. It's a sort of out and back along the lakeshore path on UW-Madison campus. You go up the famed observatory hill within the first mile (and subsequently back up it in the last mile) and then go along the lakeshore path, which was beautiful. It's relatively flat except for the Observatory Dr. section, too. They had two water stops along the 10km, which worked out pretty well. Just water at those, but that's really all I wanted/needed.

There was some congestion in the first part of the race while people were still evening out, but overall I didn't have any issues with crowdedness as I did in other years. The only tough part was when the 5k-ers crossed back into the 10 km course - by the time I was going back and the courses intersected, it was a lot of the slower/walking 5kers, who was frustrating to navigate around. However, there was enough space, and mostly I was just tired at that point.

The finish was really easy - they had water and bananas which is perfect for me. I didn't end up going to the post-race party at State Street Brats, but that was an option for those who wanted it.

Overall, it's a great start to the season and I really enjoyed myself. It benefits the Boys and Girl's Club of Dane County, which makes me feel even better. I'll definitely do this again (and have done it/registered for the past three years!) There's enough crowd support to be nice and so many people dress up that the people watching is fun, too.

I ran the relay as a part of one of the *SIX* Oiselle teams! I had an absolute blast. The relay is a unique event in that while the "scenery" doesn't change, you're constantly getting cheers from your team and cheering on your team members and so it gives you some of the best community experiences that I've had!

The course is super easy (it's a ~440m track anyway...) but man, it is mentally really tough to run super super fast and then wait for your turn again. It's a great way to challenge yourself (especially if, like me, training hadn't gone anywhere during the winter) and also reconnect with good running friends. The soundtrack was also great - you can't wear headphones during the race, but the directors have a pretty sweet playlist that really gets you going (especially in the later laps)

The food was top notch, I will not forget the delicious cookies any time soon! It's also great since you can grab your own snacks and have them next to the track. I'd definitely recommend the relay to anyone!

The Seawheeze Half was probably one of the best, most well-organized races I have ever run!

The expo was fabulous, super easy to get your packet and then shopping at the exclusive lululemon store was also really fun and easy (I went later in the day and maybe didn't have the same product selection as others, but avoided any insanity!) Around the convention center, there were other super fun activities. I didn't end up making it to any of the yoga the day before the half, but I wish I had!

The morning of the race was great - we convened outside of the convention center, which was perfect since we could go inside to be warm until it was closer to the start. Gear drop was also really easy and I was really grateful for that. I don't know that I've ever had it be more smooth!

I participated in a group warm up by a super energetic lady who got everybody moving! Once that was over, I meandered over to the start line along with a bunch of other runners. I was glad there was a big group of people going as it was slightly confusing to find and get to the start. Once I was there though, it was great!

The first mile or so was nice and easy (and downhill) which was a great confidence booster for the rest of the race. It definitely got hilly with some of the bridges you go over in the middle, but overall, the race was definitely not bad elevation-wise.

Probably my favorite parts of the run were going through Stanley Park near the end - it was awesome to run so close to the water, especially when I was starting to be pretty tired. Telling myself just to get around the next bend and then the next really helped. I also REALLY enjoyed the different cheer stations. I've never been to a race where they've had SO many - my favorites were drag queens that cheered at you while you were running up a particularly short, steep and nasty hill. It was the BEST encouragement! Also, while we were running through Stanley park there were ladies dressed up as mermaids on paddle boards! The cheers REALLY helped and the environment overall was SO positive, it was infectious.

The finish was really easy to get through and I was easily able to reunite with my family :) I didn't end up making it to yoga at the Sunset Festival, but I did go for the band and had a blast. The Sunset Festival was SO fun. I just missed the cut off for going on their trapeze, but I'm hoping next year I'll get myself amped up enough to give it a go!

Overall, I can't recommend the race more - the environment was just amazing, it is incredibly well run and the perks (free lulu shorts, awesome bag, kickass carrot medal, post-race party, training app etc) make it worthwhile. I will be back in 2016!

Grandma's Marathon is a wonderful race, well-deserving of its near universal praise

I picked up my packet the evening before the race, the expo was really well attended and easy to get around, but tricky to actually get into from the building as the 5km race happened to be going on the same time I was trying to get my bib. I didn't end up buying anything extra from the expo, but that was fine - they did have fuel etc available if you needed it, but I'm really picky and bring my own.

Day of the race was really well organized. I was able to walk from my hotel in Duluth to busses that took me to the start line with no hassle at all. The bus was actually really nice as it was filled with the buzz of all the nervous runners. I ended up chatting with some people, which definitely helped calm me down!

At the start, the one thing I'd complain about is that there was not enough shelter when it started totally downpouring that morning, so everyone was huddled underneath the first aid areas. I'm hoping it'll be changed in future years, but the rain really made life difficult. There were AMPLE port-a-potties though, which is always key for me.

They had everyone get into the start corrals about 15 min prior to the race, which wasn't ideal since it was raining, but under normal weather conditions would be totally fine. I luckily had remembered to bring a trash bag, so I was hanging out under that until the race began.

I started off with the 3:35 pace group, but, unfortunately, the pace leader went out super fast (~7:40s when ~8:10s were the goal). But, that's going to be an issue at any race - just be aware in the first few miles and try not to get discouraged if the group passes you!

The course itself was slightly rolling hills, but I loved being able to look out at the lake the whole time. I hit some personal rough spots during the race, but was happily able to pull through to the finish. The course is totally gorgeous and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone looking to do a fast marathon. The hills are sneakier than you expect though!

All of the aid stations were well-placed, and the later ones had sponges with cold water which was a LIFESAVER. The aid people were crazy nice and I never had issues getting drinks or fuel.

The finish was also pretty easy to navigate, for such an insanely large race you'd think it'd be tough to locate your person! Happily, they have an alphabetized meeting area so my significant other was able to find me with little to no trouble. I will cherish my finisher's shirt (and medal) for a long time since this race was one of the worst for me mentally! Despite my bad luck at the race, I would definitely recommend it to any marathoner out there!