Labor Day 5K

This Monday I ran a 5K on the Tech Trails (mountain biking and cross country skiing trails near campus). I heard about the race at the end of last week and decided it would be a good thing to do. It turned out to be a small race, with only around 20 runners competing. The course was fairly difficult with hilly, narrow trails that made passing difficult. It would be easy to twist an ankle on those trails, and several people fell during the race, though I was not one of them. I was glad I didn't sign up for the mountain biking version of the race, as running those trails was hard enough. I finished well overall, 6th place and 22:10. Not bad at all considering the terrain, and the fact that I haven't been training all that consistently. Overall, a very fun way to spend the morning.

Getting ready for the start.

The starter told us "It will look like the trail ends, it doesn't!" This is what it turned into.

Coming in for the finish.

Dexter to Ann Arbor

(That's me finishing in the yellow.)

Yesterday, I completed my second Dexter to Ann Arbor Half Marathon.  I completed the run about four minutes faster than last year, which was mostly because I knew what to expect this time around.  My training schedule was quite short due to coming home from college a short four weeks before the race.  I would have liked much more time to prepare, as I experienced a few aches and pains during my crash training program that probably could have been avoided given a more gentle schedule.  The race itself seemed to go by quite quickly.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect.  It was a clear, cool day with no strong winds.  Registration this year filled to capacity at 2500 runners, and having so many people all around running is a great motivator.  The course this year went back to ending in downtown Ann Arbor after construction blocked the way last year.  The downtown finish was fun (and less steep), but it does make for more congestion for spectators and runners trying to find their spectators!  I did end up finding everyone I came with quite easily after the race.  My dad and Ashby's mom and sister ran the 5K race, and everyone seemed happy with their times.  I found it interesting that the 5K started about 15 minutes after the half marathon, and ended while we were still running.  Everybody looked pretty tired after the run, and I spent most of the rest of the day laying on the couch too sore to move much and nursing my blisters.  I'm feeling much better this morning after a good night's sleep, and am already hoping that I'll be able to do the run again net year.

Snow Run 2009

Last year I ran in the first annual Lumijuoksu (Finnish for 'snow run').  I had been looking forward to this year's event for quite a while although I only knew the details a few days ago.  Even on a few days' notice I decided to run.  It went quite well, considering my lack of meaningful training since early September.  In fact I came in a little under a minute faster than last year.  I ended up second in my age group (out of 2 I think, there weren't many runners this year) and won a loaf of Finnish bread (above).  I had hoped that our 'warm' spell would continue for the run, but the weekend windchill dropped down to the negative 20's.  The run is part of Heikinpaiva, the annual Finnish-American festival, so there are many other fun events going on such as the wife carry and the boot throw.  Unfortunately, by the time the awards for the run were over we were frozen stiff and headed back home.  Like last year it was a very fun morning.  To anyone who's in the area, I would recommend checking out the festival even if you aren't up for a run or competing in any of the other events.

Ashby all suited up for the cold.

That's me in the black to the left of the bank sign.

Nearing the 'Finnish'.

Home stretch!

Almost Done!

Rounding the corner to the finish line.

The Wife-Carrying Competition.

Summer

Summer has really been flying by.  I finished my summer courses at the University of Toledo a few weeks ago.  I took introductory courses in Psychology and Macroeconomics so that I can stay ahead of things when I get back to Michigan Tech in the fall.  After that, I went on PALM(Pedal Across Lower Michigan) which was, as usual in my experience, a great week except for the two rainy days.  Immediately after returning home from PALM we left for a cousin's wedding in Virginia.  Both the wedding and the trip there and back were very nice.  I'm glad I had the chance to go.  Now that all of that is over, I can relax a little for the rest of the summer, although I always seem to be able to find some project or other that keeps me busy when I'm not spending time with my girlfriend and her family.

Unfortunately, it's looking like I will not be able to make two of my favorite runs this summer.  The Energy Run and the Run Thru Hell both fall during my family's vacation this year.  Maybe I'll find other events.  (Any suggestions?)  On a higher note, I did meet my goal of finishing a half marathon this summer.  I ran the Dexter-Ann Arbor run.  I was very pleased with my time, although I now know that in the future I can improve by starting at a faster pace.

I'm sure that summer will end long before I'm ready, but I've done many things already this summer and hope to do as many more before it ends.

Lumijuoksu

Today was the first annual Lumijuoksu, held in Hancock by the MTU Track & Field team.  Lumijuoksu means "snow run" in Finnish.  Of course, I can't pass up any opportunity for an open 5K run, even in the middle of January.  The run lived up to its name, with snow falling steadily for most of the morning.  Temperatures were in the -3 to 4 degree range, depending on who you ask, and wind chill was as cold as -26 degrees F.  The run was through downtown Hancock and the route passed snowbanks that were taller than I am.  I don't think I stepped on any pavement for the whole race.  Well, it was a snow run.  I made sure to bundle up in many layers and to leave no skin exposed.  As it turns out, I wore the right amount, only mildly overheating near the finish.  After getting my coat and snowpants back on, Ashby and I made our way to the awards ceremony.  It turned out that I won the 14-19 age group.  All in all a very fun and rewarding run.  It was definitely like nothing I have done before.

Muck Run / Safe House

Saturday morning was the annual MTU Cross Country fundraiser. They put on the "Muck Run" up at the Tech Trails. As it is close to halloween, many people dress up in costumes to race. They have awards for the best costume and the muddiest runner. I decided that this would be a fun race to do. I didn't wear a costume, though. I also found a group of people who were running and we formed a team. The weather was on the cold side, but once the race started it was alright. I have seen many creative ways of starting a race, but this is the first race I have ran where they lit a firecracker and threw it on the ground in place of the starting pistol. The course was deceptively easy for the first two miles. The third mile, however, consisted of some pretty brutal hills (at least for a person who is used to flat terrain like I am). At the two mile mark, I was on pace for a time in the 18 minute range, but after the last mile I had racked up a time of 20:22. Everyone had relatively slow times because of the challenging course. Our team ended up running well enough to win the team race. Below are some pictures of the run.

Later that day was another annual event called Safe House. This is when the residence halls are converted into haunted houses and the public is allowed to tour. I helped with the setup and operation of my hall's "gamer's nightmare" theme. It's amazing how much difference can be done to the hall in about two hours. I hear Ashby's hall was very well done. I wish I could have gone through it, but I was busy working on my own hall. All in all it was a very busy and very fun day.

Our winning team.

Everyone getting ready to start.

Me coming to the top of the final hill.

Bridge Run for Rachel

Today, I ran in the second annual Houghton Bridge Run. Each year the proceeds of the event go to help someone new from the Houghton area. This year, proceeds were donated to help Rachel, a local girl with cancer. As far as I know, the event raised roughly $3,000 for Rachel and her family. It was nice to see the community come together to help.

The run went very well as far as I was concerned. We started at the "Chutes and Ladders" park in Houghton and made our way to the bridge. The bridge has two levels and they lowered it from its usual summertime raised position so that we could run across the bottom level which connects to the snowmobile trails, while traffic used the upper level. Once into Hancock, the trail started going uphill. The run continued uphill until the turnaround point and then we followed the same course back downhill.

I finished the 10K (6.2 mile) run in a time of 35:18.80 according to my watch. The results haven't been posted yet when I was writing this. I took 3rd place in the men under 30 class for my race. I was quite pleased with my performance. Hopefully I'll be able to run this event again next year.

At the start line.


Closing in on the finish.


Finishing!


Rachel (in the white cap) and her family.


My 3rd place ribbon.

Run Thru Hell

It seems that the only things I find interesting enough to write about lately are running events! This morning I went with a group of runners to participate in the annual Run Thru Hell. Both 4.8 and 10 mile runs are offered. This was my third time for the event and the second time I ran the 10 miles. I was very pleased with my run. I completed the race in 1:08:01, a definite improvement over last year's 1:14:46. I came in 119th overall and 64th in my age group. The start of the race as usual was a long process, as all of the runners had to cross a timing mat which is about 10 feet wide. With thousands of runners this is not a fast process. Luckily the same timing mats that cause this delay later allow a computer to subtract your start time from your finish time making for a fair race even for those starting last in line. A by-product of this is that you never know when the person running next to you started (unless you saw them cross the mat), so their time may be way ahead of (or behind) you even though you finish right next to them. To me, though, that doesn't really matter, because I'm more interested in improving my previous years' time than being faster than the other runners. All in all I had a great time at the run and I hope everyone else did too.


Me shortly after the drawn out start...


...and just before the finish.


Checking the results.

I-280 Skyway Run

This past Friday, I heard that the new I-280 Skyway bridge in Toledo was having it's opening ceremony on Saturday. Being an interstate, this would be the only day the bridge would ever be open to foot traffic. Upon further research, we learned that as part of the celebrations there would be a four mile run with part of the course crossing the bridge. So we got some of the family together and went to see the newly completed bridge.

After my cousin Alex and I had registered for the race, we took a bus to the "walking side" of the bridge where the bus takes you up the exit ramp and lets you walk about a half-mile across the main span. At the other end, a bus (eventually) took us back to our car which was at the starting point of the run. During this time I actually got to enjoy the bridge and the view, both of which were great. During the race I was too focused on running.

The race began a few minutes after noon. The course took us over the drawbridge that the Skyway was replacing, then up the entrance ramp, over the bridge and back to near the starting point. I was surprised to learn that I had taken 26th place out of about 2000 since I had only been running regularly for about a week after about two weeks of occasional running since Track season. I recieved a very nice medal and a glass keepsake at the finish line. Even without the awards, the run was worth it for the opportunity to have been one of the relatively few people to have ever run on the bridge.


The group: Grandpa, Grandma, Alex and Me. (Mom was taking the picture)


Me shortly after the start.


Running across the drawbridge. (Picture taken from the Skyway.)


Running down the (amazingly long) "chute" towards the finish.


The awards.