Race 8 of 40 - ShamRock n Roll 10k

For my first 10k of this year - the ShamRock N Roll Run in Plymouth, put on by the Kona Running Group. This is the second year for this race; I've run both years. The Kona Group does such a fantastic job.  In addition to the two times I've run the ShamRock N Roll, I ran the Wicked Halloween Run last October. I've had a blast at all three.

Joining me this time were my cousin Melissa, Becky and Ashleigh again, and Nicki, a friend from high school. Due to different paces I only actually ran the race with Nicki. And we took turns pushing each other - ran a great race and had such an amazing time. Also - finishers medals!!!

Not only does the Kona Group have finishers' medals for 10k races, they have something new and fun for 2013 - The Triple Crown! Run the ShamRock N Roll, the Kona Run, and the Wicked Halloween Run and get a special Triple Crown medal! Three races - FOUR MEDALS. I dig finishers' medals, can you tell? ;)

As this was a St Patrick's Day theme, Irish Wonder Woman made another appearance. Thanks to Becky, Irish Wonder Woman had a tu-tu this time!! No more tu-tu envy!! However, we all completely failed in the picture taking department. I can only hope that the official race photos will include a good one of IWW. 

Running in costume does get attention, that's for sure. In fact, I was stopped at the end by a very nice guy named Jeff. He took my picture and asked several questions about my running goals. I may or may not be featured on his blog, http://fitnessat50.net  (maybe THAT'S where I can find my picture). Jeff turned 50 last year and he has a fun blog about his journey as well.

I have races the next two weekends - the Run du Nain Rouge 5k in Detroit on March 24th and the April Fool's 10k in Clarkston on March 30th. That will make 10 for the first quarter. Just gotta do this three more times. As of right now, I feel great physically and more than ready to take on the rest of 2013!

Race 7 of 40 - Corktown 5k

Next up - the always a blast Corktown 5k. This is an annual race which takes place in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit and coincides with the annual Detroit St Patrick's Day Parade.

A bit of a history lesson - Corktown is Detroit's oldest neighborhood, founded mainly by Irish immigrants from the County of Cork. Corktown was also the home of old Tiger Stadium *sadness*

The Corktown race is really more just about dressing up and having fun than pretty much any other race. There is no possibilty of too many pieces of flair for Corktown! I ran with Ashleigh and Becky - we got dressed up in our St Patrick's Day best! Tiaras, beads, scarves, bow ties, you name it! Ashleigh and Becky both wore tu-tu's, I was Irish Wonder Woman. And I gotta say, as cool as Irish Wonder Woman is, I did have a little bit of tu-tu envy. So Wonder Woman and tu-tu girls completed the 5k and were rewarded with finishers' medals at the end. A finishers medal has got to the best swag there is!

Funny story - during the race, a random guy fell in step with me and said, "What do you think, Diana, should we team up?" At first, I just chuckled politely, wondering why the heck this guy was talking to me during a race, then I glanced over and saw he was wearing a Green Lantern shirt. So I yelled, "Wooooo Irish Justice League!!!" Then we fist bumped and he ran off. Turns out Irish Green Lantern is faster than Irish Wonder Woman. Who knew? Just further proof that runners are, for the most part, a very friendly bunch.

Corktown is definitely one of the bigger events; I didn't hear final numbers, but I know they were expecting roughly 10,000 participants!! That's crazy huge!  And with the St Patrick's Day parade following the race, the entire neighborhood becomes just a big party. So we met some friends at Nemo's and celebrated/recovered with a few pints of Guinness. All in all, a fantastic day! The weather was warmer, the sun was out, we ran a great race, got medals, had a blast. Not really much more to ask for!

This was the first of four race weekends in a row. This coming Sunday is the Shamrock n Roll in downtown Plymouth, my first 10k of the year. After that, the Run du Nain Rouge 5k in Detroit on March 24. Then the April Fool's 10k up in Clarkston on March 30. This will then complete my first quarter goal of 10 races. Now I just have to do this three more times! :)

THEN - the weekend after that is Tigers' Opening Day!!! Can't wait for that!!! There will be no races run during Tigers' Opening Weekend!

I have races the following three weekends, ending with the Let's Move Festival of Races, which will be my first half marathon of 2013. I'm REALLY excited (and nervous) about that one!

Race 6 of 40 - Riverview Winterfest Four Mile Race

For my sixth race, I did the Riverview Winterfest Four Mile Race. It was nice! I like the four mile distance!

I added this race last minute when I decided driving to Mt Pleasant for the Ice Cube 10k - five hour drive round trip just to run 6 miles - was a little ridiculous.

This four miler was very no frills, not even a water stop along the route. The race packet didn't include a shirt, it was a knit hat. And the hat was a little ugly. But...hey at least it's something different. The race temperature was FINALLY a little more reasonable (26°!!! Heat wave!!!)

When I first crossed the finish line, I was a little ticked that they only had water, not even a banana. But then I remembered that there was a pancake breakfast included. Since I was by myself, I didn't stick around for the breakfast, but I'm sure it was good.

All in all, this was a fun race. But in reality, one that I did simply because I needed a third race for February. It was a bit of a drive for four miles, a hat, and a cup of water. There was nothing *bad* about it, but I just don't see myself running this one again.

Next up...nothing until Corktown on March 10th. That starts a streak of four weekends in row. The Shamrock N Roll on March 17th will be my first 10k of the year. After that, the Run du Nain Rouge (5k) on March 24th and the April Fool's Run (10k) up in Clarkston (my hometown! <3) on March 30th.

Tonight I also posted my plan for races for the third and fourth quarters. Overall, I'm amazed with how easily this schedule is falling into place. Granted, I still have several registration fees to *pay* for, but I think I have a really nice map for 40 races.

6 down. 34 to go. :)

Even More Tentative Fourth Quarter Schedule

Fourth (and final) Quarter

10.12.2013 - Run Scream Run 5k/10k - Ypsilanti

10.20.2013 - FREEP Half Marathon (My second time - SO much fun)

10.27.2013 - Wicked Halloween Run 10k - medal for this one as well as being the third race of the Kona Running Group's Triple Crown. Which means an additional medal!

11.9.2013 - Ann Arbor Turkey Trot - Iron Turkey

11,17.2013 - Kona Hot Chocolate Run (medal for 10k!!!)

11.28.2013 - Detroit Turkey Trot

Clearly, there is still some planning to be done here. I don't really have December dates yet. But in 2012 I did the Shelby Township Jingle Bell Run as well as the Run for the Dickens in Holly. Running Fit does a Christmas themed race every December as well.

I would really love it if my fortieth race was on New Year's Eve. I think there's a NYE race on Belle Isle every year.
Race 1: New Year's Day 2013
Race 40: New Year's Eve 2013

Tentative Third Quarter Schedule

Even MORE tentative than my second quarter plan:

7.4.2013 - Firecracker 5k - Ann Arbor

7.13,2013 - Bastille Day Race 5k/15k - Fenton

7.20.2013 - Gopher the Gold 5k/10k - Shelby Twp (I ran this in 2011 - it was my first 10k ever)

7.27.2013 - Warrior Dash - my second time - SUCH a blast

8.11.2013 - Stoney Creek Triathlon/Duathlon

8.24.2013 - The Crim (not certain what distance I'll run, ideally the 10-miler)

9.7.2013 - Run Woodstock (probably the 5-miler)

9.21.2013 - Tour de Troit (a bike tour counts as a race, right?! RIGHT?!)

9.29.2013 - Brooksie Way (don't know that I'll be ready for another half - maybe 5k)

There's still some tweaking to be done here. First of all, this is only nine. But this is a pretty good start, me thinks.

Race 5 of 40 - Hamtramck Paczki Run

Race 5 of 2013 was easily my favorite so far this year. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this one! It was SO fun! I ran this with my cousin Melissa and her brother-in-law Ian and we had an absolute blast!

This was the first year for this race and the organizers did an amazing job - it was very well organized and they really did everything they could to showcase the city of Hamtramck. There were several bars and restaurants offering "race bib discounts" and they really encouraged everyone to stay in town and make a day of it.

The course was nice and flat and clear of snow, for the most part.  But hey, it's Michigan in February, there's gonna be some snow! It was cold too. But not nearly as cold as the Super Bowl 5k last weekend. Again, it's Michigan, it's February, it's cold.

The best part was the finish - cross the finish line and boxes and boxes of delicious paczki were waiting. If you're not familiar with paczki, it's a Polish tradition on Fat Tuesday. It's basically a jelly donut, but SO much better. As far as fat and calories, it's in the category of "you don't wanna know". Which is why they're only around just these few days. The concept of the Paczki Run makes sense, really. Burn 400 calories running a 5k, take in 1200 calories eating a paczki. It's really all about the math. ;-)

So after we demolished our paczki, we strolled to the beer tent for a post-race beer. I strongly believe that every race should have post race beer. It's got everything you need for proper recovery. And again, can't say enough about the organization here. They had the parking lot of a strip mall blocked off so there was plenty of space for hanging around. Drinking beer. At 10:30 in the morning. ;-)

Next up is the Riverview Winterfest 4-miler - tomorrow! I don't think I've done races on back-to-back days like this before. But, I've got a half marathon in 11 weeks, so running 3 miles then 4 miles is all a part of training for 13.1!

Race 4 of 40 - Super Bowl 5k

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! This was a cold one!!!! But fun!! I ran this with Becky and Jennifer. Very nice run through Novi. But cold!! Easily the coldest race I've run in a while. And brrrrrrrrr!!! Did I mention it was cold?!? I think it was about two miles in before I could feel my toes!

The best part of this was that we got a pint glass at the finish. And we got a hat rather than a shirt. I like when races give away something different - I like the shirts, but I've got a bunch of them. It's nice to get something out of the ordinary.

Next up - races 5 AND 6 next weekend. The Paczki Run in Hamtramck on Saturday and the Riverview Winterfest 4-mile run on Sunday. Still right on track for forty!