Race 23 of 40 - Firecracker 5k

The Firecracker 5k, a fun run in Ann Arbor on the 4th of July.  This was a really nice little 5k. I always love a visit to Ann Arbor. The highlight of this one, however, was not even the race itself. July 4th is Becky's birthday. Her 30th birthday this year. Her aunt and uncle, Sheila and Steve were running this as well. Sheila contacted me beforehand to let me know that, as a surprise for Becky, she was having shirts made up for us. I thought it was so sweet of her to include me in on the fun. I even agreed to get a birthday girl tiara. (I certainly had the easier job, I won't lie)

So we dressed up in matching t-shirts, applied temporary tattoos, and presented the birthday girl with her birthday tiara. We did also meet up with Mike And Christopher, a couple members of Southeast Michigan Runners.

This really was a nice race. It was well organized and the route was fun. We started downtown and ran towards campus. The last mile went through the West Engin arch and across the Diag. I did have to explain to those who didn't already know that the "M" in the Diag is sacred and please tread gently. ;-)

After the race, Sheila and Steve had another surprise - birthday cake!! It was a little cake, but it was delicious! We literally all grabbed forks and just dug in. The heck with cutting the cake!! We dug in so quickly, I didn't get a before picture of the cake. Oops. 

In the end, this was a really fun race. I definitely enjoy going to Ann Arbor. I like the idea of running with Becky on her birthday, and I'd like to make that a tradition. But there are so many 4th of July races, I don't know about running is one again. I think next year, I'd like to try another. I'll just have to drag Becky somewhere else. She won't mind. :-)

Third Quarter DONE!

Third Quarter DONE. 

Total this quarter - 10

Completed for the year - 32

7.4.13 - Firecracker 5k - Ann Arbor

7.13.13 - Run Drugs Out of Town 10k - Fraser

7.20.13 - Escape to Belle Isle 10k - Belle Isle

7.27.13 - Warrior Dash - Mt Morris

8.17.13 - Gladiator Rock n Run - Stoney Creek

8.24.13 - The Crim 10 Miler - Flint

8.31.13 - Run Like the Wind 10k - Westland

9.7.13 - Run Woodstock Half Marathon - Pinckney

9.22.13 - Detroit Women's Half Marathon/5k (5k) - Belle Isle

9.29.13 - Brooksie Way Half Marathon - Rochester Hills

Totals this quarter:

Obstacles: 2

5Ks: 2

10Ks: 3

10 Miler: 1

Half Marathons: 2

Total race mileage: 68.02

For the year:

Obstacles: 2

5Ks: 11

8K: 1

4 Miler: 1

10Ks: 11

10 Milers: 2

Half Marathons: 4

Total race mileage: 190.68

 

Second Quarter - DONE!!

Second quarter - 12 races - 22 total completed - 18 more to go

4.13.13 -  Martian Invasion 10k -  Dearborn

4.20.13 -  Run With the Cops,  Not From Them 10k -  Belle Isle

4.27.13  - Let's Move Festival of Races Half Marathon -  Mt Clemens

4.28.13 - Honolulu Virtual 5k

5.11.13 -  The Color Run 5k - Ypsilanti

5.19.13 - Back to the Beach 10k - Stoney Creek

5.27.13 - Novi Memorial Day 10k - Novi

6.1.13 - Rainbow Run 5k - Ferndale

6.2.13 - DX - A2 10k - Ann Arbor

6.8.13 - Kona Run 10 Miler - Northville

6.16.13 - Plymouth YMCA Father's Day Run 10k - Plymouth

6.22.13 - E.P.I.C. Half Marathon - Pontiac

Totals this quarter:
5Ks - 3
10Ks - 6
10 Mile - 1
13.1 - 2
Total race mileage - 82.7

For the year so far:
5Ks - 9
4 Mile - 1
8Ks - 1
10Ks - 8
10 Mile - 1
13.1 - 2
Total race mileage - 122.66

Total race swag: 1 long sleeved tech shirt, 6 short sleeved tech shirts, 5 t-shirts, 5 medals

Race 22 of 40 - E.P.I.C. Half Marathon

Again, I had planned on running just the 21 races for the second quarter. More than half done; I was good. I also remember saying not too long ago that I didn't feel I was at a place where I could just run a half marathon on a whim. Well...not so fast, my friends.

After the YMCA run, I started reading about the E.P.I.C. Half Marathon. It's a great cause - all proceeds going to help inner city, at risk and special needs kids go to summer camps. I thought about for a bit, then saw that it was half price - $30 for a half marathon is a fantastic price!! And it was just up in Pontiac, so not too far from home. So...I decided, what the heck?! And signed up. As it turned out, Holly is training for the Chicago Marathon and needed to get 13 miles in that weekend. And Marcela is always up for a good run. So I strong-armed...er...encouraged them both to run with me. So we all signed up last minute and went into it with no time goal. We just wanted to finish and have fun. And we did!!

The course started and ended at the Pontiac Silverdome. Which, honestly, is looking a little sad these days. But I'm not ABOUT to get into that on this blog. And the course was SUPER hilly. Easily much more hilly than the Kona Run. (Just look at the elevation chart!) But, again, we didn't have a time goal, so we just kept it slow and easy. We just chatted and had fun. I normally train alone, so running with others is always fun. The hills though...yikes. I need to do more training on hills. 

Now, this was the first year for this race. In fact, this was the first half marathon EVER to be fun in the City of Pontiac! And you just really never know what to expect the first year of a race. But I was not disappointed. They were well organized, had a lot of water stops (one every mile) and they even had medals for finishers. For $30 registration, I wasn't expecting a medal. And the shirt was nice too. I haven't actually received a medal yet - they ran out and are ordering more. But I'll post a picture just as soon as it gets here.

I can't leave out Nicole - a friend from high school who has gotten the 5k bug (I take partial responsibility) and ran the 5k for this race. She's running her first 10k in October! I'm so excited when I see people in the beginning stages of addiction. I'm OK with being referred to as a crack dealer. ;-)

So that's it for the second quarter - 12 races in 3 months - 22 total for 2013. Second quarter summary coming right up.

Next up - a VERY full July! 5k tomorrow - back to Ann Arbor for the Firecracker 5k. Then 10Ks on July 13th & 20th. Then Warrior Dash on July 27th. And training for the Free Press half marathon is starting up as well. My goal time for that is 2:15-2:20. So I have some work to do. :-)