First Double - Lenawee and Monroe Counties

I attempted my first double race day of my 2010 MI challenge. The two races I targeted were the Frosty Five Trail Run in Adrian and the Lake Erie Muskrat run in Monroe. It looked like the timing would be perfect with the Frosty Five starting at 8:30, the Muskrat at 11:00, and the distance between the races around 55 miles. I just couldn't hang around the race long after crossing the finish line.



The Frosty Five Trail Run was run at Heritage Park just north of Adrian on a snow covered trail route through the woods. During the final race instructions at the starting line, the race director said this was the most snow they have had on the course in years. He followed that with his expectation that most people would probably run a personal worst with all the snow. The first quarter of a mile was run through a snow covered field where we were running 6 to 7 wide and jockeying for position. The runners moved into single file as soon as we hit the woods and that is where the fun began. Not being an experienced trail runner and running a second race in a couple of hours, my plan was to take it easy during this race and just gain some experience on the trails. That is just what I did. The snow was difficult, but the real killer on this course was the uphills, downhills, and running on the side of hills. The side of the hills was where I found the most trouble, slipping and sliding to the point where I went down 3 times. The only other time I went down was was when I ran too fast on a downhill, that had a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill. I did enjoy the experience and appreciated the course a lot. It provided spectators, Kelly and the kids in my case, to cheer on the runners. I got to see them at miles 1, 2 and 3.5. It was mile 3 that I tried to push the pace, but it seemed to work to my disadvantage. The more I pushed, the more I slipped. I backed off and tried to run more under control in miles 4 and 5 with good results. I finished mid pack at 54:02, but was happy with my race performance. I just need more time on the trails, especially snowy trails.



After the race, we jumped in the Aztek and hurried over to Monroe. I got to the registration table 10 minutes before the race, signed up, pinned my bib number on, and dropped my race race shirt off with Kelly. I got to the starting line with 2 minutes to spare just as the race director was describing the course.When he said that some of the course was icy, I thought "not again." Oh well, we moved to line and started at the horn by crossing the bridge. We then circled the lake on a paved path for most of the race. The conditions were thankfully better than described with only a few icy spots to deal with. I did not go out slow, but found myself still getting passed by a group of 5 to 6 runners before the first half mile. I kept that group in sight and started reeling them shortly after mile 1. I was running at a good 7 minute per mile pace and felt great. I passed the last of this group about half way into the race and ran by myself for the remainder of the race. I could see a couple runners ahead of me, but was unsure how man runners were ahead of them. I crossed the finish line at 21:26, which was good for 5th out of 82 runners and 1st in the Male 30-39 Age Group. I was ecstatic about the results because this was my second race of the day and was a little wore down from the trail race. Next stop, Mt Pleasant for a winter half marathon in a couple weeks.

Lessons From the Bumper Run

It is amazing the lessons you will learn or be reminded about while running races. Many times, you will learn lessons about yourself and what is possible when you put your mind to something. But sometimes, you hear about experiences from others drive a lesson home. At the Bumper Run at Stony Creek MetroPark in Shelby Twp, I had the opportunity for both of those at the race and was reminded about another on the way there.

With being under the weather Sunday through Tuesday night and not putting in my usual 30-40 miles per week for last two weeks, I debated even driving down for the Wednesday evening race. But as I shoveled out the 10" of snow we received on Tuesday night, I decided that I was feeling well enough to drive down and at least jog the 6 mile loop course. Kelly and the kids came along to the race for the first time this year and the day turned out to be special for us. I stopped on the way down at Hanson's Running Store to look at the new Brooks shoes and apparel. After looking around a bit, I noticed who was in the store. It was Olympic Marathoner Brian Sell. I talked to him a bit and then grabbed Kelly and the kids from the car to meet an Olympian. How often does that chance come? After talking to Brian about running in China and Stony Creek, we got back on the road. The family talked a bit in the car about how genuine and friendly Brian was and how cool it was for him to meet an Olympian. He is looking forward to talking about it at school tomorrow. Lesson 1 - From beginners to elites, runners as a whole are a friendly and encouraging bunch.

We arrived at Stony Creek and got ready for the twilight race. 24 runners lined up at the start on a cold Michigan night and waited for the Race Director, Don Richmond, to shoot off a cap gun rifle. The cap sound was barely heard and we were off. I settled into 4th a quarter mile in and tried to slow my pace a bit and just settle into a groove. Even though I was running at a nice even pace, I reeled in the 2nd and 3rd place runners and passed them before Mile 1. From there, I did not have any company on the course for quite a while. The 1st place runner had checked out on the field and I quickly put distance on the runners I passed. I felt good through Mile 3 and that is where things started going south. My pace dropped considerably in Miles 4 and 5 and I had a hard time believing that no one passed me yet. A big yet. At Mile 5.5, a runner passed me like I was walking. I tried to keep up with him, but couldn't. I did finish strong, bu not with the same kick as I had at the Winter Wolf. I came across the finish in 3rd place at 42:38 (13 seconds behind 2nd) and was satisfied with the results considering my decreased training mileage. I definitely got motivated to keep my mileage up. Lesson 2 - Training habits always show up in race day results.

The final lesson came during the award ceremony. Race Director, Don Richmond, explained how the race came to be and why the name Bumper Run. Over 15 years ago, Don was running on a back country road and got hit by a car going 45 mph. After recovering, Don said this was a huge wake up call for him and decided to start giving back to the running community. Since then , he has put on the free Bumper Run for 15 years and looks forward to putting it on for years to come. As I heard the story, it reminded me that Kelly recommended getting a Road ID. Lesson 3 - Always keep an eye out for cars and get a Road ID.

All in all a great night. Olympian, lessons, and a podium finish.