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.