Well, lots of challenges during the month of March as expected! The races during the month were:
The Run for PI (3.14)
The Great Black Swamp Festival of Races (25K)
The Wearing of the Green (7K)
Gibsonburg Golden Bear (10K)
The Ann Arbor Half Marathon (13.1)
All of these races were fun, challenging and at times…down right tough! The Run for PI almost finished my hamstring…Thank God for Becky at Massage Works! The Black Swamp was cold, windy and gray. 😦 The Wearing of the green was chilly too but at least the sun came out to visit! Gibsonburg…flat course but wide open to the wind…brrrrr!! Ann Arbor was chilly but had no wind. The start of the race had everyone from the 5K, 10K, 13.1 and 26.2 starting together at the same time!
Me and my sister at the Ann Arbor Half Marathon. Did I mention it was chilly?
A little cramped for my liking during the first mile…lol! The roads in Michigan sucked! Thank goodness the sights were amazing! I enjoyed them all and I’m excited to keep the streak alive! My brother-in-law Pete Schwanke ran his 92nd…yep…I said that right…92nd FULL MARATHON at Ann Arbor! He’s set to break 100 Full marathons this year! He’s returning this year to Boston where I’m sure he’ll do well. He was just cruising along in Ann Arbor and clocked a 3:25 for the 26.2 hop! Always amazed by people who can just crack out miles like that and never look tired. Amazing! Congrats to Pete and here’s to many more marathons in your future!
Today, April 1st is the first “Virtual Race” in my series. A virtual race is one that you at times, pick a distance and a date to complete it by, do your run, save your time on your Garmin and turn into those holding the race. Kind of an honor system. My sister and I will be running the RunJunkEes “Mind Your Manners” race. I’ve chosen to do the 10K distance (6.2 miles). The money paid goes to kidpower. Helping to stop bullying and bring more awareness to the problem. They’ve already sent my completion medal but I refuse to open it up until I’ve finished the run! I’ll post pictures of it and post on my Facebook wall after the run. Perfect day for a run today so I’m very excited about getting out there! I may just have to go past the 6.2 mile mark and do a few extra…just because it’s beautiful!!
I’m looking at running the Run to the Rapids in Grand Rapids, Ohio about mid month and the big one…The Glass City will be at the end of April! I’m not sure that my hamstring will allow me to push for that PR I was hoping for during the Glass city half marathon..but you can bet your bottom dollar, I’ll cross that finish line!! Cross your fingers and send some good vibes…I’d really like to smoke that one and PR! My sister Leanna will be coming into town to run the Glass City and my sister Patti will of course be there too! Patti is turning into a real threat in her age division! Her times are placing her at the top of the group in most races. She doesn’t care so much about the times but I’m proud of her none the less!
A lot of people have asked about Karla. She’s able to get out and run on a more regular basis! yay!! She’s been very good and taking it easy. Her main goal this year is to keep away from the injury bug and run the Smoky Mountain Half Marathon with Patti and I this September. She was so sad when she became injured last year and couldn’t run it. I just know she’ll be good and we’ll get to enjoy the 3 musketeers once again!
I want to take this time to really thank all of you that have believed in me. The wonderful emails and text messages have kept me so fired up! The outpouring of enthusiasm and support for Mobile Meals of Toledo has been humbling. I’ve asked people to give of their money for a charity that I believe so much in and you have! I’m just amazed…Thank you so much! I’ll keep going and I’ll keep talking about the races and Mobile Meals! Visit their website http://mobilemeals.org/ and look through the things they do on a regular basis. If you have extra time, volunteer! If you want to donate to help, you can do so on their website or at runzombierun.net! They even have a spot on their website under donate for run zombie run! Yay!! That way they know you were touched by something that I may have said or done. I receive nothing for any of this (as far as compensation). I do however get the biggest thrill knowing we’re making a difference! That’s really what it’s all about!
Enjoy the sunshine today and I’ll see you on the road!
Zombie
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