Quick Crim Update

Quick Crim update. Just got official results! I did great! 1:07:53. Placed 6th out of 626 in my age group!! It's a big race! Here's a copy of my training log entry:

Great weather for the race! Mom came out to watch. We stayed at her place the night before and she made Chiptee. YUM! She was nice enough to hold a backpack for us with our warm-ups in them. Thank god for that cuz I would've froze if I had to leave my warm-ups in the car.

The race was great! I felt very good most of the race. The hills slowed me down much more this year than last. Not surprising. I continued feeling strong until about mile 8. That's when fatigue set in. I still managed an amazing last mile of 6:30!! I probably averaged close to 6:50 the rest of the race.

Starting in the seeded corral made a big difference. It wasn't crowded in there at all. There was no separation between us and the elites. There were many more elites this year as it was the 10 Mile Women's National Championship race this year. Strangely enough, I beat a handful of those women! Go me!

Very happy with my performance!

Almost forgot to mention Joan Benoit Samuelson ran today! She came in 2nd in the Master's division with a time of 1:00:34. Still kicking my butt even at her age!

Crim and Other Randomness

Crim tomorrow! Goal: sub 1:10 (for the 10 Mile). Weather looks like it should cooperate. No rain and the high tomorrow is only 70! So at 8am, we should be running in perfect temps!

Heading for the expo soon. I've been counting on this expo to get some good shoe and GU deals. I also could use more socks and a hydration waist pack for long trail runs.

This will be the first race where I've been "seeded". Not exactly sure what that means. Last year I noticed folks with different colored bibs. I wonder if they were seeded. Maybe I'll get to start in a corral behind the elites??

Speaking of elites, my husband's good pal, Luke Humphrey, a Hansons-Brooks elite runner, will be running tomorrow too. Good luck, Luke! Kick some Kenyan/Ethiopian butt! :-) Well, at least be the first American.

I'll need to make a separate post about the Tahqua Trail Run (25K) I did last weekend in the Upper Peninsula. It was amazing. It was tough. It was thrilling. I didn't win shoes, but I was still perfectly pleased with my result (3rd overall). Anyway, more on that later.

Will be having our pre-race dinner with mom tonight. It'll be an Assyrian dish (I'm half Assyrian - can't you tell? haha!! If I said I was Irish, I think I'd get more believers, but then I'd be lying.) The dish is called Chiptee, a tomato-based rice soup. It's a simple dish really, with very few ingredients. Besides the tomatoes and rice, the only other ingredients are paprika (LOTS of paprika), salt, pepper and meat-balls! It is one of those soups/stews where the longer it simmers on the stove-top, the better it is! Let the rice fall to pieces!! Mmmm...

Racing Plans - How's That for Optimism!?

In an attempt to be optimistic about my future in running (injury-free, that is), I signed up for a 25K trail run in the upper peninsula of Michigan today, the Tahqua Trail Run. Now I'm all excited again!!! It is now okay if I can't run my marathon, because this race is in August (PLENTY of time to heal) and it sounds so FUN!! Matt and I love hiking and camping in the U.P. We've been to the Tahquamenon Falls area many times and always love it, even when I bring ticks back into the Jeep with me. haha! (Too bad they don't make Frontline for people.) I've learned to do a tick-check before getting back into my vehicle since my last trip in the U.P. I found a tick on me on two separate excursions that day! Sheesh! I think I was darn lucky they hadn't dug their little suckers into me yet, though being a vet tech, I do know how to remove them. Anyway, the race is part of the Great Lakes Endurance Series which was recognized by Runner's World several months ago as being one of the most environmentally friendly races in the country. Cool!

After another set of paychecks goes through, I'm also going to register for the Crim 10M in downtown Flint and the Brooksie Way Half Marathon in Rochester, Michigan. These are both races we (Matt and I) ran for the first time last year and loved. The Crim is a Flint tradition that really showcases what is good about Flint. (I was actually born in Flint and grew up down the road in Grand Blanc.) Poor Flint has had it hard over the years and the current situation with the Big Three is not making things any better, so events like the Crim mean that much more to those who still hold out hope for the city. Even though the Crim's longest race is a 10-miler, it still draws big name runners each year and the top 10 usually is filled up with Kenyans and Ethiopians!

Last year was the first year for the Brooksie Way. It takes place in the town where both Matt and I work, Rochester, Michigan. Rochester is the polar opposite of Flint. It is a nice, upscale suburban town. The race actually ends on the grounds of Meadow Brook Mansion (where Matt and I got married!) - "... a 110-room, 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style home," with the most beautiful grounds and gardens you can imagine. It is on the campus of Oakland University. The inaugural race drew over 4000 participants! It was amazing to see such support for a new race. Of course, teaming up with the Crim Foundation was genius. That helped tremendously, I'm sure. This is a very hilly race. It was my first half marathon and I picked a doozy! I was thrilled to cross the finish in under 1:45! I hope to blow that time away this year. Oh yeah!

Another race still under consideration is the Volkslaufe in Frankenmuth, Michigan on July 4th. That could be a very fun weekend with fireworks, music and party in town the night before the race. Frankenmuth is a very fun little German town (very touristy, but still fun). The overall and age group winners actually get beer steins! haha!

As far as Fall marathons go, I've started thinking about the Detroit marathon (last choice), the Grand Rapids marathon, one of the Toronto marathons, Milwaukee, Columbus or Indy marathons. Chicago is OUT - waaaaay too expensive. Sheesh!

Guess I should throw my workout report in here. Did 45 minutes on the upright stationary bike today. I tried the Hill pre-programmed workout. It was called "Around the World". Not sure what it was supposed to be simulating! But it was still more interesting than just pedaling away. Matt actually joined me for core and upper body strength training today. Yay!!! We did free weights together so I was able to use the old-fashioned bench press since I had a spotter! It was much more fun today with hubby along!

Hiking the Bald Mountain

I had my gym bag all packed and stowed in the closet at work so I could head straight to the gym when my shift was over. After I clocked out, I stuck my head outside because I heard a rumor that Spring was in the air. Boy was it! Mid-February in Michigan is usually not much warmer than January, but today it hit the upper 50s!! And it was sunny!! Though it killed me not being able to run in it, I did the next best thing. I went hiking on my favorite trails.

It was fabulous! The trails were thick with slush. Thank GOD for Gore-Tex hiking boots! Even the wind felt pleasant instead of frigid for a change. And I have to admit, as much as I love new running gear, I was a hiker first, and I really love putting on my hiking gear! I can't wait to get a new backpack this year! (REI dividends - woo!) The walk made me long for summer camping trips and long hikes on technical trails. I had to make the most of this day, and I'm glad I put cross-training on hold for just this one time.

I was a good girl when I got home and did my core work and upper body strength training. We have a nice complement of dumbbells and a workout bench, so even though I prefer the gym, I can work every muscle group at home. Plus, it let me spend more time with my hubby who is also sidelined with an injury. My injury allows me to cross-train, but he is on doctor's orders to do nothing for at least 2 weeks. Poor man.

We were working on optimism today and made some plans for a few more races this year. We will soon be registering for the Crim 10 Mile in Flint, MI and the Brooksie Way Half Marathon (hilly!) in Rochester, MI. We did them both last year for the first time and loved both races. Since the Crim has a special place in my heart (it is in my hometown and one of the few really good things about poor Flint) and Brooksie is in the town Matt and I both work in, we'll probably end up making these two races we do every year - a new tradition for us. We also might make racing on Mackinac Island and/or the upper peninsula at least once each year a tradition. That way we can tag a camping trip on the front or rear end of the race!