Wow, what a day! My Airbnb was less than two miles away from the race festival on the University of Wisconsin campus, so I opted to just run a casual pace to get there. However, I was not expecting four nice hills along the way. Anyway, once I arrived I was warmed up and I got to connect with the Black Men Run members for a group photo. Several of us were there from six or seven cities. The race kicked off pretty well and then…it started. My second nemesis behind Mother Nature, the hills! And I don’t mean one or two. I was having flashbacks to the Governor’s Cup Marathon in Montana. No one told me that Madison was hilly. Somebody set me up. I didn’t ask for this. Somebody needs to get hurt. On the bright side, it’s great marathon hill training. Somebody kick me for being Mr. Positive. But, that last mile. That hill from hell was dropping bodies like dead flies. Ridiculous! Speaking of Mother Nature (Nemesis #1), she behaved today. The weather was really nice. The racecourse, despite the hills, was very scenic. From running through the arboretum to the amazing lake views, it was truly a pleasant all-around experience. And all before 9am. Imagine that. We’ve been invited to return for next year’s race. So let’s see what the calendar says. And yes, I ran back up those hills to the Airbnb after the race. I know my body hates me, but that’s alright. The love will come back around again.

These pictures are from the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The Thai Pavilion is stunning. Amazingly beautiful. If you’re ever in Madison, you should visit. Plus, its totally FREE entry to the public. The sunset below is from one of Madison’s five lakes. This one is Lake Mendota. I wanted to go out on a kayak, but I ran out of time. Next year if I get to go back and run this race again, I’ll be row, row rowing my boat gently across the lakes..

These sculptures are on exhibit at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. They are Native American in origin by the artist Jeffery Gibson. His collection is titled, ‘Like A Hammer’. All of his collection wasn’t quite this bizarre.

LAKE MENDOTA