Finish Time: 28:33
Place in Age Group: 15
Place overall: 242
As Joey and I searched for a FREE parking spot, my anxiety was up, the way it always is up before a race. Why? When has the Lord ever let me down? But no. I get amnesia and freak out...not a whole lot but enough. I did fight it as we pulled into our FREE parking spot at LCC parking ramp. I decided to take my bag 'o stuff which consists of my id, water, towel and camera. I took it knowing I might have to run with it.
We walked toward the start line and I prayed. I asked God to warm the air just a little bit more. I knew full well I was going to run in my sleeveless RivRunners shirt even though there was a cold bite in the air. Turning left toward the Lansing Center, T3 came into view. T3 = Todd, Taylor and Terra Thie. We entered the building and one after the other, people came to me: Arlene, Heather, Christine....I smiled. I felt at ease.
The other RivRunners showed up and just as we were lining up for the start, I saw my nemisis, Ruth. I wasn't sure it was her but I had a feeling. Next time, I'm going to chance and say hi. The race started with Taylor and I pacing each other. I almost immediately hit a wall and had to push my way through it. Tough. Taylor was starting to pull away from me but I couldn't let a 14-year-old beat me! Well, at least not her and right then.
We ran past the capital and I thought about what was taking place inside the building. The fate of our state was being decided. We ran back toward the capital and we ran through the capital parking lot. I saw the lights on inside. I saw the parked cars which weren't nearly as nice as I imagined they would be (some of them were REALLY nice). I wondered if they would cut into our paychecks somehow. I wondered if they would cut into teacher's health insurance. I wondered...and I ran.
The race went by fast. It may have been the fastest race I've ever run. Not that I was fast but that the time...it was like I don't remember running the race. I remember the priest on the corner who yelled, alright # 950, you're almost done! I needed all the encouragement I could get. We turned down the Riverfront and I felt relief. I knew I was almost done. The finish line came up quickly and I tried to sprint. I loved the finish. I loved seeing Christine, Arlene, and Megan cheering for us and hearing Playmakers yell my name.
I love running (tee-hee).
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
CRIM 2007 8K--Love it
Finish Time: 50:58
Waving to people, giving high fives, pumping my fist in the air, yelling with delight, thanking all of the supporters….yes, the Crim is my favorite race. But let me start with Friday night.
The Tornado
I left work at 4pm, my normal time on Fridays, and headed west to US-23. Normally, I would be heading to Lansing but I was staying the night with Yi who lives in Grand Blanc. As I neared Kensington, I received a call from Joey.
“Holly, the weather is really, really bad here.”
“Hmmmm….it’s beautiful here,” I replied.
“There’s reported tornados in Eaton County.”
“What?! No way!”
We hung up the phone and I called my sister. “Are you calling about the tornados?” she asked. Actually, I wasn’t.
I turned onto US-23 and called my step-sis, Fawn, who lives in Charlotte (part of Eaton County). There was no answer so I left a joking message about how I hoped she was taking cover from the tornados. We hung up when I got another call from Joey. “We’re going to the basement,” he said. I was floored. I mean, Lansing doesn’t get tornados. I tuned the radio to Channel 6 is Lansing and listened to the coverage. Rob Dale was giving updates on where the tornado was tracking. Cavanaugh….Miller….Cedar Street…Jolly Road…Dunkel…Hagadorn…Meridian Mall…
As I was flipping out and calling my relatives to make sure they were okay, I suddenly realized the ominous cloud which had appeared to my left, just west of me. It hadn’t been there a minute before but it was traveling fast. I called Yi and told her I was almost to her house, just crossing the Shiawassee River and going through Fenton. When I arrived, the tornado sirens were going off. I remembered my little joke to Fawn about hiding from the tornados. I remembered all of the dreams I’ve had about tornados. I was intrigued and made Yi stand outside with me to watch.
The rain picked up so we went inside to watch the news. Another storm had formed and was over downtown Flint. The Crim runners at the pasta dinner were running to take cover. The TV showed weird, white clouds. Yi and I went to the front of the house. The storm had just arrived. Lightening, thunder but mostly rain and wind. I thought about going to the basement and as I was watching out the window and thinking about it, the clouds became white and looked really funny. That was the only time I got scared and told Yi we should go to the basement. We stayed about a minute and went back up.
The storm went by fast. Little did we know the destruction which had occurred in Fenton, near the Shiawassee River. No one was seriously hurt which was a blessing.
Joey and Jenny arrived later than expected and we headed downtown to the Crim Expo. It was held offsite from the Crim this year. I’m so thankful we got our packets settled up that night. We also had a lot of fun getting massages, trying on sunglasses sampling food. We headed back home and Mama Sun had dinner waiting for us. I filled up on her noodles and veggies but because I’m sensitive to my pre-race meal, I made my noodles and marinara also. Meeeegan showed up as we were going to bed and I think my head hit the pillow around 11pm or so.
The CRIM
We woke up at 5 AM, got out of the house after Peter arrived around 7 AM and headed downtown. We found a spot which was right off of the 5K course and walked a mile or so down to the start line.
SO MANY PEOPLE. It was crazy. Almost immediately, a woman approached Yi and told her she liked Yi’s shirt. Yi was wearing the RivRunner shirt with Hebrews 12:1 on the back. The woman, a Christian, said she had come to Flint by herself last night and was at the Crim alone. Last night, she prayed and asked God to help her find some Christians to hang with before the race. There we were. The girls, including our new friend, went into the pavilion to find a potty. Our new friend needed a drink of water. Somehow, inside of the craziness at the pavilion, we were separated. Yi, Jenny, and Megan continued to wait in the long line while I went to find our new friend. She was no where I could see. I did find Tiffany and Brett, though, which really made me happy. I told Tiffany the story about losing the Christian woman and briefly described her to Tiffany.
People started lining up for the 10 mile so I went back to find Yi in the potty line. They had opened the upstairs bathrooms so we all headed up there. That was when I saw Dale and Kurt. I chatted with them and waved at Tiffany as she stood across from me, looking down at the passerbys on the first floor. She suddenly said, “Holly! I see her! Your Christian friend!” I couldn’t believe it. I raced over and looked down at the first floor just as the woman disappeared from view. I raced downstairs to try to find her. Tiffany yelled directions to me from above. Finally, I grabbed the woman’s arm.
“There you are! I’ve been looking for you. What is your name?”
“Marilyn,” she responded.
“Follow me,” I said, “Yi is upstairs in the restroom.”
“I really, really need to find a drink of water,” Marilyn said. “The race is about to start. I need to keep searching for water.”
“I don’t know why, but you need to follow me upstairs,” I said as I just turned around and went back up the escalator. She followed and as soon as we reached the top, I saw a drinking fountain. She got her drink and then we rushed Marilyn and Yi to the start line.
It had started raining as the race started. Jenny and Peter decided to go to the car to get an umbrella. Joey, Megan and I went upstairs to of the pavilion to hang out and so I could use the restroom. We saw Tiffany again so we sat on the floor for awhile and talked. Joey sat down on a table that did not want to be sat on. He came flying toward me as I stupidly tried to catch him. That didn’t work and then I couldn’t quit laughing. He is so accident prone. As we were getting ready to go back downstairs, we saw a guy sit down by the glass wall near the escalator. He was wearing a Save Darfur shirt. I struck up a conversation with him and then noticed his 10 mile bib number.
“Oh no!” I said.
“Oh yes,” he responded. “I missed the race.”
We comforted him and assured him he would be fine running the 8K. Still, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as I thought back to last year. After a brief freak out when Joey left his brand new phone upstairs, we went back downstairs, met up with Jenny and Peter and then headed down to the finish line. We arrived just as the first dude crossed in like 46 minutes or so. We cheered for Grant from Playmakers and then for Eric Stuber. We headed back down to the 8K start line when I had a moment of freaking out.
“I need to go to the tinkle bank,” I announced. I was 15 minutes after 9. We discovered a long line at the upstairs restrooms but waited in it. Megan and I got in and quickly came back out. That was when we briefly saw Tami, took a picture and headed out to the start line.
Ahhhh…the start line. Walking up to it between the gates and on the bricks felt so awesome. Having the tall buildings on either side of us made it all so enormous. We prayed, we sang the national anthem and then we were off!
I had a great start and felt strong as I ran down Kearsly. I waved to the band as I passed by and made my first turn. Immediately, I felt a pain in my toes as if a blister was forming. I kept going, though. It was all so much fun. Pumping my fist in the air, high fiving the spectators, smiling, yelling thank you…I was having the best time.
And then I turned down Bradley Street and saw the hills…the dreaded Bradley hills. Crap.
I took a deep breath and went for it. I blasted through the first two and then yelled….really loud…"whoo-hooo!” The runners around me laughed. The spectators clapped. I was on such a runner’s high.
I saw the Smile FM van (Lansing’s Christian radio station). I yelled out, “God bless you, Smile FM!” The man next to the van chased me down to give me a pen. “No thanks,” I yelled back, “I’m already saved.” He told me to take it anyway so I clipped it to my shirt. Somewhere along the way, I spotted a man who looked...well, I suspected he was homeless. Of course, my own father was once asked if he needed a ride to the mission downtown as he walked home from the store...so I could have been wrong about this guy. I ran over to him and extended my hand. Surprised, he extended his and fived me as I passed by. Too cool.
I saw a little boy sitting on his front steps. I waved to him and became excited yelling “Good job! Keep running!” He was so cute. I passed a woman and saw her bib #. “Ohhhh…you’re a 10 miler,” I said. “You’re almost there!” I tried to encourage her and other runners. The crowds encouraged us the closer we got to the finish line.
Just before I hit the bricks, I saw some 10 milers walking on the sidewalk toward me. “You’re almost done!” the guy yelled. I smiled. “Hey, what are you listening to?” he asked.
“Rehab by Amy Winehouse,” I yelled.
“Great song,” he said as he was probably reading the Bible verse on the back of my running shirt.
As I was rounding the final corner, I saw the wedding taking place in the Playmakers tent. I smiled, hit the bricks, and took off. A light mist formed as I high fived the boy scouts lining the way. I crossed the finish line and felt good about my time. How could I not? I acted like the whole race was for me as I princessed waved to the crowds.
The rest of the crew met up and as it down poured, we decided to head back to Yi's for pizza. Problem was that the 5 mile walk was taking place on the road we needed to use to get out of town. Megan, Jenny, Peter, Joey and I stood at the edge of the parking lot and became the spectators, cheering the walkers on. It was awesome being on the other side of the whole Crim thing.
Finally, we left and made it back to Yi's. I pulled my sock off and saw the root of my pain. Apparently, and yes, this is a little gross, but apparently, my toenails were too long and dug into their neighboring toe's skin causing them to blister and bleed. Sick. Yes, I'm a runner.
I love this race. Next year…the 10 mile!
Waving to people, giving high fives, pumping my fist in the air, yelling with delight, thanking all of the supporters….yes, the Crim is my favorite race. But let me start with Friday night.
The Tornado
I left work at 4pm, my normal time on Fridays, and headed west to US-23. Normally, I would be heading to Lansing but I was staying the night with Yi who lives in Grand Blanc. As I neared Kensington, I received a call from Joey.
“Holly, the weather is really, really bad here.”
“Hmmmm….it’s beautiful here,” I replied.
“There’s reported tornados in Eaton County.”
“What?! No way!”
We hung up the phone and I called my sister. “Are you calling about the tornados?” she asked. Actually, I wasn’t.
I turned onto US-23 and called my step-sis, Fawn, who lives in Charlotte (part of Eaton County). There was no answer so I left a joking message about how I hoped she was taking cover from the tornados. We hung up when I got another call from Joey. “We’re going to the basement,” he said. I was floored. I mean, Lansing doesn’t get tornados. I tuned the radio to Channel 6 is Lansing and listened to the coverage. Rob Dale was giving updates on where the tornado was tracking. Cavanaugh….Miller….Cedar Street…Jolly Road…Dunkel…Hagadorn…Meridian Mall…
As I was flipping out and calling my relatives to make sure they were okay, I suddenly realized the ominous cloud which had appeared to my left, just west of me. It hadn’t been there a minute before but it was traveling fast. I called Yi and told her I was almost to her house, just crossing the Shiawassee River and going through Fenton. When I arrived, the tornado sirens were going off. I remembered my little joke to Fawn about hiding from the tornados. I remembered all of the dreams I’ve had about tornados. I was intrigued and made Yi stand outside with me to watch.
The rain picked up so we went inside to watch the news. Another storm had formed and was over downtown Flint. The Crim runners at the pasta dinner were running to take cover. The TV showed weird, white clouds. Yi and I went to the front of the house. The storm had just arrived. Lightening, thunder but mostly rain and wind. I thought about going to the basement and as I was watching out the window and thinking about it, the clouds became white and looked really funny. That was the only time I got scared and told Yi we should go to the basement. We stayed about a minute and went back up.
The storm went by fast. Little did we know the destruction which had occurred in Fenton, near the Shiawassee River. No one was seriously hurt which was a blessing.
Joey and Jenny arrived later than expected and we headed downtown to the Crim Expo. It was held offsite from the Crim this year. I’m so thankful we got our packets settled up that night. We also had a lot of fun getting massages, trying on sunglasses sampling food. We headed back home and Mama Sun had dinner waiting for us. I filled up on her noodles and veggies but because I’m sensitive to my pre-race meal, I made my noodles and marinara also. Meeeegan showed up as we were going to bed and I think my head hit the pillow around 11pm or so.
The CRIM
We woke up at 5 AM, got out of the house after Peter arrived around 7 AM and headed downtown. We found a spot which was right off of the 5K course and walked a mile or so down to the start line.
SO MANY PEOPLE. It was crazy. Almost immediately, a woman approached Yi and told her she liked Yi’s shirt. Yi was wearing the RivRunner shirt with Hebrews 12:1 on the back. The woman, a Christian, said she had come to Flint by herself last night and was at the Crim alone. Last night, she prayed and asked God to help her find some Christians to hang with before the race. There we were. The girls, including our new friend, went into the pavilion to find a potty. Our new friend needed a drink of water. Somehow, inside of the craziness at the pavilion, we were separated. Yi, Jenny, and Megan continued to wait in the long line while I went to find our new friend. She was no where I could see. I did find Tiffany and Brett, though, which really made me happy. I told Tiffany the story about losing the Christian woman and briefly described her to Tiffany.
People started lining up for the 10 mile so I went back to find Yi in the potty line. They had opened the upstairs bathrooms so we all headed up there. That was when I saw Dale and Kurt. I chatted with them and waved at Tiffany as she stood across from me, looking down at the passerbys on the first floor. She suddenly said, “Holly! I see her! Your Christian friend!” I couldn’t believe it. I raced over and looked down at the first floor just as the woman disappeared from view. I raced downstairs to try to find her. Tiffany yelled directions to me from above. Finally, I grabbed the woman’s arm.
“There you are! I’ve been looking for you. What is your name?”
“Marilyn,” she responded.
“Follow me,” I said, “Yi is upstairs in the restroom.”
“I really, really need to find a drink of water,” Marilyn said. “The race is about to start. I need to keep searching for water.”
“I don’t know why, but you need to follow me upstairs,” I said as I just turned around and went back up the escalator. She followed and as soon as we reached the top, I saw a drinking fountain. She got her drink and then we rushed Marilyn and Yi to the start line.
It had started raining as the race started. Jenny and Peter decided to go to the car to get an umbrella. Joey, Megan and I went upstairs to of the pavilion to hang out and so I could use the restroom. We saw Tiffany again so we sat on the floor for awhile and talked. Joey sat down on a table that did not want to be sat on. He came flying toward me as I stupidly tried to catch him. That didn’t work and then I couldn’t quit laughing. He is so accident prone. As we were getting ready to go back downstairs, we saw a guy sit down by the glass wall near the escalator. He was wearing a Save Darfur shirt. I struck up a conversation with him and then noticed his 10 mile bib number.
“Oh no!” I said.
“Oh yes,” he responded. “I missed the race.”
We comforted him and assured him he would be fine running the 8K. Still, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as I thought back to last year. After a brief freak out when Joey left his brand new phone upstairs, we went back downstairs, met up with Jenny and Peter and then headed down to the finish line. We arrived just as the first dude crossed in like 46 minutes or so. We cheered for Grant from Playmakers and then for Eric Stuber. We headed back down to the 8K start line when I had a moment of freaking out.
“I need to go to the tinkle bank,” I announced. I was 15 minutes after 9. We discovered a long line at the upstairs restrooms but waited in it. Megan and I got in and quickly came back out. That was when we briefly saw Tami, took a picture and headed out to the start line.
Ahhhh…the start line. Walking up to it between the gates and on the bricks felt so awesome. Having the tall buildings on either side of us made it all so enormous. We prayed, we sang the national anthem and then we were off!
I had a great start and felt strong as I ran down Kearsly. I waved to the band as I passed by and made my first turn. Immediately, I felt a pain in my toes as if a blister was forming. I kept going, though. It was all so much fun. Pumping my fist in the air, high fiving the spectators, smiling, yelling thank you…I was having the best time.
And then I turned down Bradley Street and saw the hills…the dreaded Bradley hills. Crap.
I took a deep breath and went for it. I blasted through the first two and then yelled….really loud…"whoo-hooo!” The runners around me laughed. The spectators clapped. I was on such a runner’s high.
I saw the Smile FM van (Lansing’s Christian radio station). I yelled out, “God bless you, Smile FM!” The man next to the van chased me down to give me a pen. “No thanks,” I yelled back, “I’m already saved.” He told me to take it anyway so I clipped it to my shirt. Somewhere along the way, I spotted a man who looked...well, I suspected he was homeless. Of course, my own father was once asked if he needed a ride to the mission downtown as he walked home from the store...so I could have been wrong about this guy. I ran over to him and extended my hand. Surprised, he extended his and fived me as I passed by. Too cool.
I saw a little boy sitting on his front steps. I waved to him and became excited yelling “Good job! Keep running!” He was so cute. I passed a woman and saw her bib #. “Ohhhh…you’re a 10 miler,” I said. “You’re almost there!” I tried to encourage her and other runners. The crowds encouraged us the closer we got to the finish line.
Just before I hit the bricks, I saw some 10 milers walking on the sidewalk toward me. “You’re almost done!” the guy yelled. I smiled. “Hey, what are you listening to?” he asked.
“Rehab by Amy Winehouse,” I yelled.
“Great song,” he said as he was probably reading the Bible verse on the back of my running shirt.
As I was rounding the final corner, I saw the wedding taking place in the Playmakers tent. I smiled, hit the bricks, and took off. A light mist formed as I high fived the boy scouts lining the way. I crossed the finish line and felt good about my time. How could I not? I acted like the whole race was for me as I princessed waved to the crowds.
The rest of the crew met up and as it down poured, we decided to head back to Yi's for pizza. Problem was that the 5 mile walk was taking place on the road we needed to use to get out of town. Megan, Jenny, Peter, Joey and I stood at the edge of the parking lot and became the spectators, cheering the walkers on. It was awesome being on the other side of the whole Crim thing.
Finally, we left and made it back to Yi's. I pulled my sock off and saw the root of my pain. Apparently, and yes, this is a little gross, but apparently, my toenails were too long and dug into their neighboring toe's skin causing them to blister and bleed. Sick. Yes, I'm a runner.
I love this race. Next year…the 10 mile!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Run Thru Hell 4.8 2007
Finish time: 51:25
Pace: 10:43
Place in age group: 39th Place
So, was it hell getting up at 4:15 a.m.? Or was the hell meeting in the Jackson National Life parking lot before the sun came up? Perhaps it was hell when we passed the road to hell (definitely not a highway) and had to turn around. But the hell could have been the long line at the port-a-john's (Mark Tenhove can probably comment on that more). No wait! The hell was waiting a half an hour for the race to start. Ha! That was nothing. The hell was actually the endless hills on a dirt road, having to pee and needing to eat.
Yeah. We all had our personal hells on this race.
And it was a blast...for me at least.
I liked getting up early and seeing my RivRunner friends before the sun came up. I liked getting to the race site an hour and a half early. I liked breaking in one of the first port-a-john's and then seeing the huge line half an hour later. I liked having time to hang out before the race started. I liked the hills because they were challenging and I could coast down the other side. I met people. I prayed for an enemy during mile 1. I walked a little bit. I almost gave up in mile 2. God rallied me in mile 3. I saw a smooshed snake. I ran in the shade. The devil gave me a Fireball jaw breaker. I blessed the people turning to run the 10 mile. A ten-miler passed me as I finished the 4.8. I didn't want to pass out when I finished the race, either.
I ran through Hell, MI. I loved it. And it's awesome to know that I only ran through hell but I don't have to stay there.
Pace: 10:43
Place in age group: 39th Place
So, was it hell getting up at 4:15 a.m.? Or was the hell meeting in the Jackson National Life parking lot before the sun came up? Perhaps it was hell when we passed the road to hell (definitely not a highway) and had to turn around. But the hell could have been the long line at the port-a-john's (Mark Tenhove can probably comment on that more). No wait! The hell was waiting a half an hour for the race to start. Ha! That was nothing. The hell was actually the endless hills on a dirt road, having to pee and needing to eat.
Yeah. We all had our personal hells on this race.
And it was a blast...for me at least.
I liked getting up early and seeing my RivRunner friends before the sun came up. I liked getting to the race site an hour and a half early. I liked breaking in one of the first port-a-john's and then seeing the huge line half an hour later. I liked having time to hang out before the race started. I liked the hills because they were challenging and I could coast down the other side. I met people. I prayed for an enemy during mile 1. I walked a little bit. I almost gave up in mile 2. God rallied me in mile 3. I saw a smooshed snake. I ran in the shade. The devil gave me a Fireball jaw breaker. I blessed the people turning to run the 10 mile. A ten-miler passed me as I finished the 4.8. I didn't want to pass out when I finished the race, either.
I ran through Hell, MI. I loved it. And it's awesome to know that I only ran through hell but I don't have to stay there.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Beer Run 5K 2007
FINISH TIME: 28:08.2
Came in 3rd in my age group.
Came in 3rd in my age group.
THE BEST 5K EVER
It was hot. It was humid. I did not like the course which was partial pavement and partial "try not to twist your ankle on this uneven grass path." I am official in that I don't like running a loop twice. I do like out and backs but if I have to run the course twice and I hated it the first time, I'm going to hate it more the second time. I know they did the best they could with what they had. Those are my complaints but my compliments are plentiful.
First, they started us inside next to the beer tank thingys. How cool is that? It became more awesome when they said, "your first beer is on us." Whoo-hoo! As soon as we started, a cloud moved in front of the sun and stayed there for almost the whole run so even though it was muggy, the sun wasn't beating down on us (way to go, God). It was also fantastic to see other RivRunners at the race and to be asked about RivRunners by strangers. Of course, having my parents there to cheer me on is always a bonus, too. The food afterward was good and free (fish & chips from Chippy's and hot dogs from Merindorf's). I also enjoyed winning a prize when they drew my bib # and yes, I enjoyed winning third place (even though my time was slower than before). I realized, though, this was my favorite 5K when the owner announced that everyone wearing a bib # could go in and get a free 6 pack.
My third place and first place medals from the day.
Yes, folks, we got even more free beer! I picked up a variety so I could try them all. The best part of the whole event, though, was sitting with the RivRunners afterward, drinking our beer, eating our food and chatting. I love this group!
My dad and I (He's wearing the old Run 4 Shelter 5K shirt from the early 90s. So awesome)
Angel House 5K 2007
Finish Time: 27:32.5
I took first in my age group! Whoo-hoo!!!!
I thought they had taken the steep hill out of this course but not so. They put it on at the beginning instead of the end. I took it slow and used my arms. The hill slowed me a bit but I didn't walk it and I didn't walk when I got to the top (oh, and I didn't throw up as I saw one woman doing half way up). It was my goal not to walk it but really, a walker could have passed me I went so slow. It was fun running through Mason. I miss it. I ran by Cherry Street and smiled at Joey's old house. I smiled even more as I remembered the walks we used to take around town. I laughed when I ran through the park because I remembered Jenny and I running through it last year. A dog came running up to us and freaked us out pretty bad. I liked the run and I like overtaking the girl I beat in the last two minutes. I really burned it up when I got on that track. I like tracks.
I took first in my age group! Whoo-hoo!!!!
I thought they had taken the steep hill out of this course but not so. They put it on at the beginning instead of the end. I took it slow and used my arms. The hill slowed me a bit but I didn't walk it and I didn't walk when I got to the top (oh, and I didn't throw up as I saw one woman doing half way up). It was my goal not to walk it but really, a walker could have passed me I went so slow. It was fun running through Mason. I miss it. I ran by Cherry Street and smiled at Joey's old house. I smiled even more as I remembered the walks we used to take around town. I laughed when I ran through the park because I remembered Jenny and I running through it last year. A dog came running up to us and freaked us out pretty bad. I liked the run and I like overtaking the girl I beat in the last two minutes. I really burned it up when I got on that track. I like tracks.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Koman Race for the Cure 5K 2007
Overall:420
Bib: 925
28:05: Final Time
Chiptime: 27:27
Joey had made it from Riverview to cheer me on. I saw him and then saw Todd sitting on the ground. He was yelling at me hard while taking pictures. Joey was holding up 2 fingers signaling how many blocks I had. Apparently, J.T. was there, too but there was so much going on. I turned that last corner and I tried to light it up. Problem was that I was running up a steady, small slope. The finish line looked a hundred years away. I could hear Joey yelling at me and running with me on the sidewalk. J.T. was right there, too. I tried...I really tried to push it but I was out of steam. Just before crossing the finish line, I saw my step-mom yelling for me. I gave her a half hearted wave, all I could muster, and then I crossed the finish line. 28 minutes. But after subtracting the 35 seconds, my actual time was 27:27. My personal best and I blasted my goal by 30 seconds.
After the race, someone handed me some sort of orange drink. I took a huge swig and almost threw up. It had fake sugar in it which makes me just sick. I wandered over to a building, calmed myself down, thanked God for getting me through it, and then found my step-mom. It was an awesome race. As we walked around looking for Joey, Todd, J.T., and Yi, people handed me a flower and then someone else put a medal around my neck. It was an awesome feeling. The best feeling, though, was seeing the survivor's faces...smiling through streaming tears, happy to just be there. Way cool.
Bib: 925
28:05: Final Time
Chiptime: 27:27
J.T., Me, Yi, Thie
I started the race with J.T. thinking I could maybe keep up with him (what a joke). As soon as we crossed the start line, J.T. yelled "35!" and then he vanished into thin air. I knew what "35" meant, though. We crossed the start line when the clock was at 35 seconds. So, I knew whatever the clocks said on the course, I had to subtract 35 seconds from it. I hit my baby wall around 1/2 a mile. Not sure why I do this but my body acts like it is going to shut down about a 1/2 mile into any race or actually into any run of mine. I pretend like it isn't happening and push through it. It lasts about a minute and then, I'm usually a running machine.
The weather was beautiful...and hot...and windy. We ran behind the captial and at one point, we ran past the Michigan Historical Museum. I suddenly remembered being 12 or 13 and working a water station for the Run For Shelter race. It was an awesome memory and propelled me through another 1/4 mile.We went up and down the streets behind the capital and at one point, the wind was so strong, I was running in place. But the song "Stand" by Rascal Flatts was on my MP3 player and the lyrics really pushed me on.
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ‘til you break
Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand
No walky for me. The other thing that kept pushing me on was hearing Todd Thie's voice before I left, "You will break 28 minutes today. Push hard after that 2nd mile." Well, after that 2nd mile, I was dead tired. I would try to step it up a bit but quickly, I moved back to a slower pace. It was around this time I started thinking about the Breast Cancer survivors, the ones who have it now and the ones who didn't survive. I saw the sign "In memory of Barb Farmer" on the back of someone's shirt and it inspired me to keep going.
I rounded the 2nd to last curb. This was where the good-looking police officer was standing. I admit to going out of my way just to high five him but it really encouraged me to step it up again. So did all of the people cheering us on from the sidelines. I knew MY people were on the corner of Capital street, though. Soon enough, I saw them...but there was a surprise there, too.
Joey had made it from Riverview to cheer me on. I saw him and then saw Todd sitting on the ground. He was yelling at me hard while taking pictures. Joey was holding up 2 fingers signaling how many blocks I had. Apparently, J.T. was there, too but there was so much going on. I turned that last corner and I tried to light it up. Problem was that I was running up a steady, small slope. The finish line looked a hundred years away. I could hear Joey yelling at me and running with me on the sidewalk. J.T. was right there, too. I tried...I really tried to push it but I was out of steam. Just before crossing the finish line, I saw my step-mom yelling for me. I gave her a half hearted wave, all I could muster, and then I crossed the finish line. 28 minutes. But after subtracting the 35 seconds, my actual time was 27:27. My personal best and I blasted my goal by 30 seconds.
After the race, someone handed me some sort of orange drink. I took a huge swig and almost threw up. It had fake sugar in it which makes me just sick. I wandered over to a building, calmed myself down, thanked God for getting me through it, and then found my step-mom. It was an awesome race. As we walked around looking for Joey, Todd, J.T., and Yi, people handed me a flower and then someone else put a medal around my neck. It was an awesome feeling. The best feeling, though, was seeing the survivor's faces...smiling through streaming tears, happy to just be there. Way cool.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Food & Fitness 5K 2007
Overall Time: 28:14.3
Place in age group: 10
Pace: 9:06/M
Christine, Cory, Gretchen and I
Do you see me?
RivRunners
Place in age group: 10
Pace: 9:06/M
Christine, Cory, Gretchen and I
Do you see me?
RivRunnersIt was cold and the weather was a little damp but the overall run wasn't too bad. My cousin and his wife ran this event, too which was awesome. A whole bunch of people showed up from Riverview, too. Way cool. The actual course was cool. We ran along the lake at Hawk Island. Then, we did some trail running through the woods. I didn't too bad, though for the first time, I realized how much I like Chip times.
I almost threw up after crossing the finish line because I had to suddenly stop and wait for them to take the tear off on my bib. With Chip times, you can run right through the finish line and slow down at your own pace. All of the RivRunners did an awesome job. I came in 10th out of 41 in my age group. Not bad for the first run of the season! 
Joey and Brenna
Brenna watching her mom and dad run in.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Red Dress Run 2007
Good Idea: Run a race for charity.
Better Idea: Run it in a red dress.
Bad Idea: Sucking down a chocolate martini before finishing the end of the race.
Okay, that's the short of it. The long of it goes something like this...
Joey and I met up with Playmakers runners at Trippers. Our friend Levi had talked us into doing this run but what I didn't understand was that it wasn't so much a run as it was a pub crawl. First stop: MAC's Bar. The snot was frozen to my face. Yes, it was bitter cold. 5 degree wind chill. I couldn't reconcile doing a run and drinking beer at the first establishment so I had water. I wanted to run, too! I didn't like stopping. We spent about 20 minutes at each bar. We received two drink tickets at the start but I didn't use mine. Not even at the second stop, The Green Door. In fact, I took off a little early for Moriarty's. My parents were there waiting for us and I had a few sips of beer. I talked Levi into buying me a chocolate martini at 621. I traded him my two drink tickets for the martini. Problem was that 621 wasn't accepting the drink tickets. Oh well. The chocolate martini was only $5 and it was the best damn chocolate martini EVER (except for the homemade Joey chocolate martinis).
Of course, my stomach told me it wasn't a great idea while running to Tavern on the Square, our last stop. But, we finished and then took off for my mom's hoe down at her church. That was fun stuff, too because I got to square dance. I love to square dance :o)
Joey and Levi
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