Race 16 of 40 - Back to the Beach

What can I say about Back to the Beach? This was a bit of milestone for me because Back to the Beach in 2012 was my very first half marathon. It's a trail run, and for a city-ish girl like me, it's a tough, TOUGH course. Given that I was injured going into it last year, I was so happy just to finish. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. To not be a trail runner and to tackle my first half marathon as a trail run... Well, I simply had no idea.

So I decided to come back in 2013...for the 10k. And believe me, the 10k was no joke. Again, I just don't run trails. I love them, but simply don't have the opportunity to run them that often. I ran this 10k with Becky. It was her first trail race, I think? So we both were a little out of our comfort zone. But, I decided that I had no goal finish time, I was just going to get out there and have fun. And it WAS fun. The trails at Stoney Creek Metro Park are gorgeous! And this being my first race of 2013 when it was more in the warm side, it was definitely nice to run on some nice, shaded trails.

I hadn't trained much since the half marathon. I took a full two weeks off after that. So my legs weren't quite ready to run 6.2, especially on trails. So I more or less took it easy. The only little game I played with myself - I was NOT walking up hills. I allowed myself a few little walk breaks here and there, but I was giving it everything I had going up hill.

Once I was done, I sat and watched others cross the finish line for a bit. As I was watching people finish the half, that look of triumph on their faces, and collecting their medals, I did actually have some feelings of regret for not tackling the half again this year. Not to mention the half was the only distance that got medals. Maybe 2014 will be the year I tackle the Back to the Beach half again. We'll see...

Race 17 of 40 - Novi Memorial Day Run 10k

Race 17. Seventeen. I'm almost half done! Right on schedule! For race 17, I chose the Novi Memorial Day Run. This is the first race in a while that I've run by myself. I used to run races by myself all the time. But now that I've met more and more runners, seems like I always know *someone* else.

This was a pretty small race, only about 700 in the 10k. It was a nice route, more hills than I'm used to. Although, with the Kona Run 10-miler coming up,  that's probably a good thing. I hear there's a pretty serious hill in the Kona Run. I don't train on hills very often, so this was a good opportunity to run some hills. Even though people who run hills on a normal basis probably wouldn't consider these "hills". :-)

I have to be honest, I struggled a little with this one. I haven't run a ton since the half marathon. And I ran a long run of 8 miles on Friday night. So my legs were tired. But, I still finished in 1:06, which seems to be my pretty standard 10k time. I really need someone to run a 10k with me and push me to finish in under an hour. I'm SO close - my fastest is 1:04. Shouldn't take *too* much to shave four minutes off my time.

Anyway, as far as the Novi Memorial Day Run, it was nicely organized, cute T-shirt, good post race snacks. This happens before the Novi Memorial Day parade, so I'm sure a lot of people hang out to watch the parade. So it was a nice race, but I I don't know that I see myself running this one again. Nothing wrong with it at all, but nothing terribly special about it either - nothing that will bring me back. There are several other Memorial Day races in the area; I think next year, I'll try another.

So that's it for May races. I have 4 coming up in June, which will give me a 6 month total of 21 races - a little more than halfway!! Crazy to think about!

2013 totals -

17 races
8 5Ks
6 10Ks
1 4-mile
1 8K
1 Half Marathon
Total Race Distance: 84.06 miles

Race 15 of 40 - The Color Run

The Color Run - the absolute definition of a fun run. Advertised as "The Happiest 5k on the Planet" and I have to say that's correct. How it works: you start off the race wearing white. As you run the course, there are various "color stations" where volunteers throw colored powder on everyone. By the end of the race, everyone is covered in rainbow colors.

Again, just a fun run - it's not even timed. And I didn't even wear my Garmin - time made no difference! I ran this with Becky and Heather (Heather's first 5k). My cousins Melissa and Grace too; they actually ran it while Heather, Becky, and I ran/walked. We met up with several others along the way. And missed other people we knew, sadly. It was such a huge event (15,000!!!), connecting with people was tough.

Not much else to say about this one. It's really best to just look at the pictures!

Race 14 of 40 - Honolulu 5k

This one was different - this was a virtual race. There was an actual 5k held in Honolulu on April 28th. However, for those of us not lucky enough to actually *be* in Honolulu,  there was an option to complete this virtually. How it worked: I paid a registration fee (the fee went towards schools, so all good there) then run a 5k anytime on or before April 28. Post your time on the group Facebook, then they mail you a T-shirt and a medal. Perfect!

The only issue with this is it was the very next day after the half marathon. And I was SORE! Sure, I could have used any 5k time; who would know the difference?! But I was determined to get my butt out the door and move for 3.1 miles, no matter how long it took. So I grabbed my dog and my iPod and my Garmin and shuffled out in the rain. I pretty much strolled the first mile, then picked it up for the next two miles, finishing in just under 40 minutes. My normal 5k is right about 30 minutes, so this was slower than normal. But I was definitely glad I got out and jogged a bit. It actually made me feel less sore.

As far as the swag, I haven't received it yet. I got an email that they were mailing everything. It could take a while from Hawaii! I'll post pics as soon as I do!

So...up next...the Color Run in Ypsilanti. Just a fun 5k which will probably be mostly walking. It'll be a nice way to ease back into running since I've been taking a nice, long break since the half.

Race 13 of 40 - Let's Move Festival of Races

Lucky #13!!! My 13th race of 2013 was 13.1 miles, my first half marathon of the year. My training for this was...inconsistent.  Running in Michigan in January/February/March (and this year, even April) can be challenging to say the least. It was bitter, bitter cold and running got derailed a few times. I slipped on some ice in February and twisted my knee; lost about 2 weeks. I had some foot pain after the Martian 10k and lost another couple of weeks.

Regardless, I was determined to run this in less than 2:30 hours. I spent a lot of 2012 nursing a sore quad and "ran" two half marathons in about three hours each. So I was running this in less than 2:30 if it killed me. I followed a training plan on runkeeper.com and I think it was a very effective plan! My training was inconsistent, but that was not a fault of the plan.

The race itself: I ran with my cousin Melissa (who also seemed to have some focus issues before the race) and Ashleigh, who has been rocking in her training and needed a new challenge. So she was a late entry and ran her very first half and kicked butt!!

This race was run in downtown Mt Clemens and was a very nice route. Nice and flat. Mostly on city streets, but also through a Metro Park.

Now, as far as my goal of 2:30, my plan according to runkeeper.com:
Miles 1-3 run in 11:40/mile
Miles 4-11 run in 11:20/mile
Then run the last 2 miles as fast as you can

Sharry's reality: run 11 miles averaging 11:00/mile. Then the wheels will come off; crawl the last 2 miles.

I felt SO fantastic for 11 miles. Then...my foot started to hurt. My legs felt like jello. It was a struggle, to say the least. However, my finishing time was 2:28!! I *just* made it. But I did it! I ran in less than 2:30!!

After we finished, we collected our finishers medals and celebrated with some post race beer and a big, fat lunch! As it turns out, we again completely failed in the photo department. We kept talking about how we needed to take pictures, but we never did. :'(

Race 12 of 40 - Run with the Cops, Not from Them

I've been slacking on my blog!!! I've run three races without blogging. Tonight's gonna be a busy night!

So let's start with a fun little race on Belle Isle, called Run With the Cops, Not From Them. This was a charity race, raising money for the For a Day Foundation, which provides free parties and goes to kids with life-threatening illnesses in Metro-Detroit. So right there, the registration fee is going to a great cause.

The race itself was pretty low frills. Which, honestly, is to be expected from a fundraiser. The money should go to the charity, not medals.

I ran this with a new friend, Marcela. We met on a new Facebook group that I started: the Southeast Michigan Runners. (More on that later) Marcella and I have very similar paces; it was fun!!

As far as the organization of the race, the people in charge did a great job. Several follow-up emails before with last minute details. As well as plenty of reassurance that there were extra safety measures in place - this was the weekend immediately following the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Not that I considered NOT running out of fear after Boston, but still nice to know they were taking extra precautions. There also was a banner at the finish line that we all signed in support of Boston runners. After the race, this banner was sent along to the Boston Athletic Association.

The race route was excellent - all around and through the island. My only complaint - the wind. Especially at the end. If the race organizers could make it less windy on the island, that would be greatly appreciated. ;)

So back to our new Facebook group. It seemed like shortly before and after the Corktown Race, there were a lot of runners posting on the Corktown page about upcoming races, training, etc. Clearly there was a need for a runner's group. So the Southeast Michigan Runners (SEMR) was born. We have a very nice group of people and we're slowing meeting up and getting to know each other. We even have t-shirts and bumper stickers. If you're a runner in the Southeast Michigan area, find us on Facebook. We're a fun group; all are welcome!

Gotta give a photography credit for actual race photos to Marcela's husband, Jorge.