Alot of Fun, Some Pain, and a Little Kick

I had a great time in Omer this Saturday night running in the Winter Wolf Run, a 15 mile trail run that takes place at night. I will go through my experience and results in the race, but I wanted to include a little background on the race. The Witchy Wolf Run (run in the summer) and the Winter Wolf Run are run to celebrate a local legend, the Witchy Wolf. As the legend goes, the Witchy Wolf has roamed the fields and wilderness around Omer known as the Omer Plains. This habitat, divided by the Rifle River, contains vast stretches of woods traveled by the wolf himself. The creature is rarely seen and that is the reason for the run. It is the hope of the race organizers that with so many runners out on the course, the Witchy Wolf comes out and a specimen can be captured.

Alright, enough about the legend...on to the race. The weather forecast was excellent, 32 degrees and a slight wind, and the area had not received half the snow they received the year before. Last year, the roads and trails had a foot to two feet of snow and made for a tough night of running. We would not have to contend with snow, but would have to contend with icy roads. After getting the icy report from some of the race officials, I decided to wear the "screw shoes" to have extra traction. The race participants moved to the start line with the race director to go over the final instructions before the 6:30pm start. We started the race with the participants howling and starting down the road. A pack of 20 or so runners took off up ahead and then everyone settled into their paces. We were quickly out of Omer and on icy and snow packed two tracks. This is where I was glad I went for the extra traction.

Somewhere around the second mile, we turned from the two track and into the woods. This is where I had the most fun during the race. We were essentially running on a deer (or wolf in this case) trail. The runners had to bob, weave, and duck around trees and follow the fluorescent markers the organizers placed on the trees. My pace slowed dramatically during this section, but it was a blast to really be running through woods at night. Before I knew it, we were back on the two track and heading toward the exchange point for the 2 person relay teams near the Rifle River bridge. The people waiting at the exchange rate were great and offered encouragement while they were waiting for their teammates. A mile or so after the exchange point, we went past a dead end sign and started down a hill. It turned out that there was a creek crossing at the bottom of the hill where we walked across a plank. I tried to run the uphill, but was losing traction so I decided to walk up the uphill. After that, we hit two track again. This section seemed to last forever and this is where I started to feel some ankle and hip pain. Since it was more of a dull pain, I decided to just keep running but slowed down a little.

I continued the slower pace until we passed a bonfire at the last aid station and the Omer City Limit. I figured we were less than a mile and a half left so I picked the pace back up. We passed a couple people that were waiting to cheer on their friends and they said the finish was right in front of the blinking red light ahead. It looked to be about a quarter mile away and there were 4 people ahead of me, so I said, "Why not go for it?" I kicked it in, ran as fast I could, and passed 3 out of the 4. I finished at 2:09:03 on my Garmin and around that time on the race clock for my first 15 miler, my first night race, and my first trail race.

Back at the Omer Hall, the organizers had chili and chicken noodle soup for the runners which hit the spot after being at the freezing point for 2+ hours. I talked to a lot of great people while we waited for the Awards Ceremony to begin. Some had great experiences, some took wrong turns, and a couple slipped bad on the ice. I talked with a fellow Brooks ID Runner, Farra Karsen, who was there with a large contingent of runners from the Running Fit Ultra Team. As the awards were announced this team was well represented. A funny thing happened when they were announcing the Male 35 to 43 age group. They announced the top 3 and the third runner was the last runner I passed before crossing the finish. I checked the results with the race director after all the awards were handed out and what do you know...I was not listed anywhere. The results did not have any times and the director said that the race timer was having computer problems. He said he had an extra award and would look into seeing if they could find my results. Either way, my time matched the race time and the award was unique. It was a hand painted Witchy Wolf on a piece wood. All in all, a great race that I would recommend and look forward to running again.

Great Race With a Great Cause

What a wonderful day to have a race and also support the local area. I ran the New Year's Resolution Run in Menominee, MI. The race was held at Menominee Catholic High School and organized by their principal, Dan Paul. He holds several races in Delta and Menominee county where the race entry fee is canned goods to be given to the local area. It was great to see the truck being loaded up with cans and other non perishable foods during race registration. Great idea on how to make a difference in the local area.

On to the race. The weather was better than can be expected in mid January; sunny skies with temps in the high 20s - low 30s with low wind. Since I would be running a few races in ice and snow over the next couple months, I added some traction to a pair of my Brooks Adrenalines by screwing in 17 sheet metal screws into each. After driving the course and seeing only 30% of the course with any snow or ice, I decided to leave the "screw shoes" in the car and go with my other shoes. The walkers started about 15 minutes before the 39 runners lined up for our 5k run. There were two runners that looked like the top competitors and my plan was to line up behind these two and run a 6:30 pace for the first mile. When we started, those two along with a couple other runners started out pretty quick. I tried to just keep my pace and ended up passing all of the runners except the two leaders by the first turn which was about a half mile in. At the 1 mile mark (at 6:26, right where I wanted to be), we hit the snowy/icy section and started passing the walkers. I was quite a bit behind the leaders and ahead of 4th place at this point, so it was nice to have walkers to say hi too as I approached and passed them.

I made the turn on the out and back course and felt great. The return route contained a lot of exchanging "great jobs" with the other runners and walkers, thanking the volunteers that were on the course directing us and stopping traffic, and maintaining my pace. I crossed the line for 3rd place overall at 20:33. I was happy because this was a PR and I had slowed a couple times during the slick spots. Now I just need to get under 20 minutes. After congratulating the other runners and walkers at the finish line, I headed into the school for a chili lunch. The chili hit the spot and I talked to a few people about Upper Peninsula races. One of them was the Newberry, MI Cross Country Coach and he had some great suggestions for races to run in the UP. Definitely helpful information as I solidify my MI race schedule.

Later this afternoon, I tested my "screw shoes" on a snowy and icy road. The road was actually the road I lived on during my Junior and Senior year in high school. Kind of nostalgic. The added traction on the shoes worked like a charm and should work great on the Winter Wolf race next week in Omer.

Brrrrr!

What a morning in Reese for a run. 7 degrees with a wind howling out of the north, but there was around 100 runners and walkers that braved the elements. There was even a guy that only had a sleeveless Michigan football jersey and headband on. I thought he must be a 5K runner, because he would be out here for a long time if he is walking the 5K or running the 10K.

Despite the cold, the roads were pretty clear except for running through the Reese High School entrances for the start, the 10K turnaround, and the finish. Once we got started, the crowd thinned pretty quick and we were moving a pretty good pace. I wanted to try and stay under 7 min/mile for the race. After the first mile, I realized that it was just too cold too push the limit and backed off a bit. I have not ran a 10K since really getting back into running and my previous 10K PR was 49:54. I switched goals to try and keep a steady pace and secure a new PR. I kept a steady pace from the second mile to the finish between 7:15-7:20. As I hit the 6 mile mark, I saw the sleeveless Michigan WALKER. I passed him about 20 seconds before I crossed the finish line and talked with him a bit after the race (inside the school). He said it didn't get too cold out there. I was thinking, "Whatever, I was freezing and I was bundled up like an Eskimo."

I finished with a time of 45:04 for a 4:50 10K PR. I ended up 15th out of 44 10K runners and 6th in my age group, but I will take it on a frigid day.

I talked after the race to a local runner that has run the Winter Wolf in Omer which is a 15 mile combination trail and road race. I was debating doing this race in late January. I was 50/50 but due to his description, I am going to add this race to my schedule. I will be running this race after my next race. Next up barring an additional race next weekend, is the New Year's Resolution Run in Menominee, MI on January 16th.

One One Run - Kzoo Down, 82 to Go

I woke up this morning and the Flint area had a light dusting of snow, so I decided to leave for the Kalamazoo area a little erlier than originally planned. It turned out that once I got on the expressway, I had clear sailing and got out to Kalamazoo an hour early. I guess it is better to be early than late. I drove around Kalamazoo a little and then went to Spring Valley Park for the race.

The One One Run , which is in its 27th year, was named the John Daley Memorial after the death of John Daley. The goal of the race is to get the local Kalamazoo community active by running or walking on January 1st. It is difficult to guess, but I would estimate there to be 250-300 people participating. The announcer at the start explained that John was a key contributor in the Kalamazoo running community and was responsible for some of the area's largest races. After that, came a strange event. The announcer asked that we have a moment of silence for all of those that have passed away in the last year. When the crowd quieted down, we could hear the music that was playing softly while he spoke. A Michael Jackson song was playing. I am not sure if it was a coincidence or planned, but it was definitely strange.

On to the race report. The race was actually a fun run that was timed, but we did not have individual chips or D-Tags. Since I am doing a 10K tomorrow in Reece and guessing that everybody would be running it as a fun run, I was going to take this relatively easy. That being said, I still wanted to see how I could do at this new distance. You had the option of running one loop around the park for 2.2 miles or two loops for 4.4 miles. I decided to run the two loops and I am glad I did. To give me a comparison of the other runners, I started a couple rows back at the start and just kept count of the people that were in front of me, who I passed, and who passed me. I stayed between the top 10 to 15 for the first mile. The course was pretty rolling with one significant uphill on the back side of the park. The runners ahead of me were spreading out quite a bit, but I tried to keep the runner ahead of me within sight for someone to chase. It was easy to follow him, because he was wearing a Brooks Nightlife jacket. When we hit the large uphill for the second time, we started passing the walkers who were on their first loop. It was fun to watch the Brooks Nightlife runner duck and dart through the walkers. I like to find those little distractions while I am running.

As I started the last mile of the 4.4 mile course, I heard the runner behind me closing in. The majority of the course was on pavement wide enough for a couple cars, but the last bit was a paved walking path that was half as wide. This made passing the walkers difficult and made it easy for him to catch me. The other guy (high school runner) passed me with about 0.2 miles and I could not keep up with him. I ended up finishing 13th and was pretty happy with my run. I finished with a time of 30:52 at an average of 7:01/mile. Not too bad for not taking it relatively easy.

The high school runner and I talked quick after the race and he said it was fun following me through the walkers and I agreed that it made for a fun experience. I don't think I would like the 2 loop race for a real competitive run. But for a fun run to start the year, it was perfect.

Kalamazoo county is done. Now off to Reese in Tuscola County tomorrow for a 10K. I hope we have similar weather at this race as we had in Kalamazoo today.