... Today was my first day of training for the Madison Mini Marathon.

Shared by Mini runner Kira Lech.


The alarm went off this morning and I looked over. 4:30 am. Snoozing wasn’t an option. As I tried to cover my head with the sheet, the morning sun filtered though, causing just enough irritation to make me concede. It was time to get up. Today was my first day of training for the Madison Mini Marathon.

It was only three days prior when I’d had the self realization that I had gotten LAZY. As a once 3-day-a-week runner, I’d now deteriorated into someone that would occasionally go for a walk…or maybe just think about it from the comfort of my couch. While I’ve never been what I consider to be an “athlete,” I had in fact completed two marathons and two half marathons the previous year. Although they were all at a very slow pace, I had dedicated myself to the training it takes to turn an average couch potato into a runner. So what happened? Laziness.

How to tackle the incessant lackadaisical behavior? Register for the Madison Mini Marathon of course. But oh the obstacles. Couch to half marathon?…No problem. Upcoming vacations to deal with?…Big deal. Only 8 weeks to train…Bring it on!

With the whininess of a 5-year old child, I got out of bed and dressed myself for the battle that was before me…my first training run. The sun was up, the temperatures were cool, and my clothes and gear were all laid out from the night before as to prevent the it’s-too-much-work-to-find-all-my-stuff excuse. Dressed to go, I was out the door.

I walked to one of my nearby running paths, brain chatter filling my head: “Is this going to be hard?”, “Just how out of shape have I become?”, and the worst one of all… “If this run goes really badly, how do I recover emotionally?”

With one foot in front of the other, I began to jog, and then it hit me… I didn’t even realize how much I miss this! Between the smell of the morning air, the sound of my feet hitting the ground, and the sight of the cute little animals scampering back and forth occasionally across the path in front of me, I felt like I was home.

Thank you Madison Mini Marathon for bringing my love of running back to life. I’m looking forward to concluding my summer training in your beautiful city on August 20th, and enjoying the beautiful scenery with thousands of people that share my passion. I can’t imaging a better place to celebrate what I hope will be a very successful day.
 -Kira Lech
Round Lake, IL

You wanted it, You got it!!

Announcing Team Registration!

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for team registration and a $5 discount on the Half-Marathon.  Also up for grabs are prizes in three categories including:  Fastest Team Time, Best Team Name and Largest Team.  Team entries must be submitted in paper application form and submitted all together.  

Get your friends, family and co-workers together and take on the challenge!  

NBC 15 and Leigh Mills Are Ready For The Challenge. Are You?

Want a sneak peak at the medals?

The Mini is hard at work with just 66 days to go until race day!  The 2011 medal is currently being designed and let me tell you, it is awesome!  Same great medal you've come to expect from the Mini, but each year is unique and definitely one of a kind. Sorry, it's still top secret. But you'll be happy to know something special will be waiting for you August 20th when you cross the finish line!

P.S.  Did you know 5K runners get their own medals this year!