Borgess Half Marathon 2012

I was very impressed with my first shot at the Borgess Half Marathon in Kalamazoo. There were a lot of people there, possibly more than the Sunburst in South Bend. (I'm not going to take the time to look up the numbers) I had a chip time of 2:03 and some change which landed me right in between my other two half- marathon times. I probably could have shaved another 2 minutes off, had I not needed a pit stop around mile 5. There were lots of volunteers, lots and lots of great fans cheering us along the way, and numerous bands playing along the route. I saw a few people in costumes which was cool, I heard (did not actually witness) that there were some runners who went completely barefoot, at least for the 5k. I really only had a few small complaints, some of the mile markers for the half were non-existent, though in their defense there were pace runners holding flags. I passed the 2:15 guy and never caught up to the 2:00 guy, as pointed out by my chip time. Also as we were lined up in the street waiting for the start, random people in street clothes came walking through, against the crowd. I suppose they were lost. My only real disappointment of the day was that Arcadia Brewing Company had brewed a special beer for the day called The Big Finish (I think) The beer tent didn't open until noon however and to be honest I was feeling a little too dehydrated for beer. Next year I plan on doing the full marathon and I don't plan on missing the beer tent.

Kalamazoo Half

I have a wedding to attend to this evening, then I will be attempting to better my time of 1:54 in the half-marathon on Sunday morning May 6. It won't be easy and to be honest I haven't really looked at the course, but I'm assuming it will be flatter than the "Hilly Half" that I ran back in October. Honestly, I don't even know where to park yet. Honestly there is a greater than 50/50 chance I will be suffering from at least a mild form of hangover. Honestly, I can't wait. I have a feeling there will be a pretty significant turnout and I'm feeling pretty strong despite my less than consistent training. G and I did 15.3 miles last Sunday and took on a wicked hill in the last mile and still finished pretty strong. I got my Jelly Belly Sport Beans ready and it's almost race day. Yep.

May Flowers Bring May Races

Well my training has been a little like the weather, hot when it's not supposed to be and cold when it should be lukewarm. Anyway, it's all good. The training base miles that I kept up with through last summer and fall have paid off. I thought I would be starting nearly from scratch after an inconsistent winter and some time off due to a slight knee injury playing basketball in early March. Over the past few weeks I've gotten back on track and really bumped up the mileage. This Sunday is my first race of the season, picking up right where I left off last year with a half-marathon. I had hoped to be ready for a full marathon by this time, but I still have the rest of the year to try and find a decent full that works into my busy summer schedule. KZoo here we come!

Why? Just Because.

We Here, Or We're Here, Or as in We Here at the...

We here at the EMRS are busy contemplating races for the spring and summer. Work schedules have made things difficult, but more than likely G and I will be running the half marathon in Kalamazoo in May. I (derick) have a multitude of weddings and free beer to attend to this summer. I have decided that I will run my first full Marathon in this predicted year of the Mayan apocalypse. It will not be with G in Traverse City however. It is also looking less and less like it will be the Sunburst. So that leaves open some other options. A trail marathon for my first time? Could be...

Winter, continued....

Just when I think this winter is going to end, it doesn't. My running routine has been less than consistent, and my cultivation of facial hair hit some roadblocks this winter. Fear not for what the rest of the year may hold.

What's Next?

So what’s your favorite winter race? I ran my first winter 5k back in January on a snow covered golf course. It was brutal, passing other runners was next to impossible unless it was attempted on the down hills. Running through the 3 inch snow felt like running on the beach in loose sand, only much colder. At least there wasn’t any concern about being passed by a guy wearing a turkey suit. Yes, there was a danger of rolling your ankle, but I’d have to say it was worth it and I will be attempting it again this year.