That spirit was thick in the air Saturday morning of the race.  You could see, smell, sense and taste it.  The smiles.  The kind words.  The advice.  Encouragement.

I got up at five to properly fuel, hydrate and the other thing we’ve talked so much about.  My sweet supportive wife and two little red heads were rousted early too, without hesitation I might add, to help cheer old dad on.  We took two cars down so the family could get on with the day after the race as we Road Warriors planned a big celebration.  On the way there when describing my feelings about the day to my eldest, tears began to flow, eventually for both of us.  I so rarely turn the faucet on, Caitlin cried too.  All the months of training.  Injuries, milestones (literally), friends, excitement and fears made themselves manifest.  There’s a moment for you.

As we parked the car Sandy, my wife, and Madison, the youngest fire-head, expressed disappointment they missed the mild patriarchal meltdown.  We made our way to check in with Gary and the rest of the NewsRadio WOOD 1300 staff.  Sadly the equipment for me to broadcast while running didn’t come in.  It would have been fun, but probably would have sounded like the world’s longest obscene phone call.  Sandy and the girls went off to meet her two cousins, Tim and Jeb, and a long time friend of ours Bud, who came into town for the event.

In the Amway suite provided for us by the Fifth Third River Bank Run we were all nervous, but familiar.  It so helped to see and talk to all of you before.  After a couple pictures we laced our chips, pinned on our numbers and headed into the throng.  Wow, what an overwhelmingly cool and surreal experience.  Tens of thousands of runners.  Thousands upon thousands of people cheering us all on.  Thanks so much to all of you for coming out.  You  have no idea how thankful we are that you did.  I now get the concept of home court advantage.

I don’t believe I’ve ever felt better going into a long run.  The race started and we settled into an 8:30 pace, what I eventually agreed I wanted to run.  We ran strong.  I was the Garmin pilot chirping out our pace.  We had a ball!  It seemed too good to be true.  And it was.

At the 20k mark Tim and I howled that we only had 5k to go.  I was even the annoying “Woo” guy you hear at sporting events.  Within a mile I was walking at the aid station by the zoo, stunned and disappointed.  Everything suddenly, I mean within a few strides, went to war in my system.  My heart rate spiked.  My legs turned to concrete.  I sent Tim on his way, lost the sound of the crowd and heard only my heart beat.  I guess that’s what they call the wall.

Somehow I got going again.  I felt like I did back in December when this started, you know, going out too fast and just plain bonking, hoping to do better another day.  I can’t believe how far that final two miles seemed to me.  I finally got to the Y and although my body and mind were struggling, I soon turned left on Ottawa and saw the finish line.  I saw Road Warriors Mike, Matt, Terry and Chaz.  I got a glimpse of some crimson locks.  I gutted it out, made it over the line, and staggered into the crowd.

Last year, as I watched my friends cross the line, one of the Road Warriors, Jamie was strangely ticked off at the finish.  What a blessing.  What an amazing accomplishment 25k, and you’re mad?  Jamie, I get it!  I pictured the finish differently for sure.  Thank God Gary Allen grabbed me and headed me back to the finish.  His son, our coach Mike, had finished over a half hour before and he and Lori stuck around.  If not I might still be wondering around downtown!

Now, like Mike I was sick to my stomach and dizzy.  Luckily Bud ran off for an orange peel, a banana and some Gatorade.  After I got a little color back in my face, I rallied.  I’m so sorry I didn’t get to see the rest of the Road Warriors finish but I was in crash-ville.  It happens.

In retrospect I feel so blessed.  I only finished a couple minutes past my goal.  I can’t believe it either because it felt so bad! I’m hoping to shave a little time off next year, but mostly to do it again next year.  I hope to get more races in between now and then too.  This blessing of fitness is not to be taken lightly.

Firstly thanks to God for whom I ran this race.  Thanks family members Tim, Jeb, and Bud for making the trip, here’s to next year! Thank you to Grand Rapids for hosting and cheering on such an amazing event.  Thank you to Greg Meyer for all you do for this event and running in general, my check to Aquinas is in the mail.  Thanks to Fifth Third for your sponsorship and for going beyond that.  Thank you Run Gazelle for your help and friendship.  If you hope to do this run or do it better, join them.  Thank you also to the Road Warrior members and coaches for sharing this ride with me.  What a great group of people.  Last and of course not least thank you to my family for your love, patience, love, support and love.

A culture of encouragement indeed.

Anyway, the result:  The 3-LB Storm Trooper Boot (aka AirCast) returns.  Good thing I kept it, eh?  I indeed have plantar fasciitis, but also a bone chip from a tug-of-war gone bad with the tendon going down from the Achilles to the arch (or so I presume that was what she was saying the location was) AND a nasty heel spur.  NO WONDER IT HURT TO RUN ON SATURDAY!

The good news–the boot will *hopefully* only be on for a month.  I can still bike and swim, presuming it doesn’t hurt.  Granted, right now it hurts here in the boot just sitting, but I have 29 more days to go to rest (ha! can you rest with three kids?) and heal, and hopefully I’ll be good to go for some half-marathon training to prepare for the fall race season. 

If it still hurts a month from now, I’ll have to have a bone scan to make sure there is no stress fracture, so please keep your fingers crossed for me.  Or, rather, your feet.  :)  If determination alone could get me to the finish line faster, maybe someday I’d have a chance of winning. 

Thanks, again, for following along on our journeys this year.  See you on the trails. 

I awoke Saturday at 5:00 a.m. in order to have time to eat a decent breakfast and be able to relax a little bit before meeting the Road Warriors at 7:00. I was very excited and a little nervous as well. So the breakfast didn’t really happen, unless you consider 1 bite of peanut butter toast breakfast. This is an error I make time and time again. I know I need to eat, but I am just not hungry before a race. It is usually OK before shorter distances but always comes back to bite me in a long run. I did force myself to eat a banana upon arriving at our suite, which may have saved me.

The first half of the race was very relaxed for me. I started out with my friend CJ who is a little bit faster than I am. I had anticipated running 1:45:00, and wanted to keep on a 6:45 pace per mile all the way through. As always, the first mile was faster than I planned on. It ended up being 6:30 on the button and the pace felt very good. CJ was looking to run 6:30s all the way through and I made the decision to stick with him for a couple more miles to bank a little time. I did not intend to run them for as long as I did.

I ran 6:30 splits for the first 10 miles or so and felt very good. My breathing was near normal and I even chatted with people as I ran. Even the first couple hills were easy. Then came the lack of breakfast. Right before the 11-mile mark I started to get light headed. I slowed to about a 7:00 pace and it briefly got better. Then I started seeing little blue lines in the pavement that I’m quite sure were not there. I even looked back a couple times to double check, no blue lines. I was bonking. 

Luckily for me I was running up on an aid station. I slowed and took and orange slice and then the fullest cup of Gatorade I could see. I usually run full speed and drink, but I slowed to a walk while I drank this one. I started to feel better and resumed running after about 10 seconds. A half mile later I came upon GU station and made sure I got every drop of that as well. I was still feeling a little strange but was getting better. I took Gatorade at every station after that, and stayed between 6:45 and 7:00 miles.

I love that last little hill as you are about a coming up to the finish. I always surge right there. I passed about 5 people running in a pack that had passed me while I was bonking. I was happy to be done as I came across the finish line flapping my arms like a bird. I had run fast, but could have been faster had I eaten breakfast.

I stood at the finish line and cheered as the Road Warriors and several of my RunGazelle friends came across. Then a weird thing happened after about a half hour, I started getting queasy. My stomach was nauseous and I was getting hot. I also attribute this to a lack of proper fueling before the race, but I have heard similar stories from other people getting woozy after finishing. It could have been the weather I guess, but I don’t think it was too hot. I was so sick that I had to leave the post race party, which sucked because the Road Warriors were there and this was our last time together for a while. Sorry everyone. I went home and laid down for a couple hours and still felt terrible. It wasn’t until about 6:00 p.m. that I started for feel better.     

I would like to publicly thank Kristen Aidif and Brooke Messing for the opportunity to coach this year’s Road Warrior Team. I have had so much fun and will always remember this experience fondly. Thanks to you too Road Warriors for putting forth the effort that you all did in training. You have all improved dramatically since November and I am proud of everyone! I know some of you are not fully satisfied with your times, but bad days happen to us all. There’s always next year right?     

It was six minutes faster than my 2007 time, but a world apart from where I thought I’d be.

I trained hard. Conquered 17 miles in April. Ran the 11.5 miles on that cold and gusty Saturday a couple of weeks ago at a sub 10-minute pace. Attended most of the Tuesday and Thursday RunGazelle  workouts, and put in my long runs on Saturday or Sunday. Every week, I ran those Buttrick “Butt-kick” hills.

But after a strong start – I stayed on the heels of the 10-mile pacer – I began to falter. I started walking through the aid stations. I lost sight of the pace runner. Beginning at about mile 8, I couldn’t run a mile without stopping. My runs got shorter, my walks, longer.

Not only did I have a complete physical breakdown, but my spirit was shot, too. Unlike last year, when I chatted up anyone running near me, I talked to maybe three people. I didn’t acknowledge the cheering throngs.

I’ll make this easier. Read Julie’s post. It was the antithesis of my experience. 

My wife, Pam, thinks maybe I was too focused on trying to hit my goal of 2:42, when instead I should have tried to run a good race and have fun doing it. The fun part was missing this year. I’m truly happy about my nine fellow RWs and two coaches, and their personal accomplishments. The post-race party was fun. I’m looking forward to our dinner. And as I told Pam, if I had to choose between having a faster time or being a Road Warrior, I would choose Road Warrior any day. It was a great experience.

Now that I’ve wallowed in self-pity, I’m done. It’s time to shake it off. I’m gonna rest my sore and swollen heel, set my sights on the the Brian Deimer 5K on June 14, the Reed’s Lake 10K two weeks later, and the Grand Rapids Half-Marathon  this fall.

And, oh yeah, the 2009 River Bank.

My finish time:  3:05:07.  Not what I was hoping for.  Not even close.  I ran my first 7 miles with fellow Road Warrior Julie—and those miles were absolutely BEAUTIFUL—we averaged a 10:20 mile, easy breathing, legs felt great, foot hurting from about 1 mile into it, me ignoring it.  I try to pace myself in races so I can usually go faster my second half–doing negative splits like the pros, so I was excited for a good time on the clock.   

Then I decided to slow down for a moment and take a walk break, telling Julie to go ahead, and that I would try to catch up with her in a few moments.   

DUMB IDEA.  My arch locked up, my heel and Achilles got tight, and I felt like someone shot a bullet through my heel.  I should have known better, as I’ve experienced enhanced pain in my heel on training runs when I’ve stopped at aid stations.  I hadn’t intended to stop or slow down to much on this because of that reason.   

At that point, I had a very difficult time getting my pace back and an even more difficult time trying to even break back into a run.  Mile 8 took me 11 minutes which was still okay with me, since I’d had such a great pace going to that point and thought I could get it back.  But I pretty much walked the majority of my last 6 miles—so out of 15.5 miles, I guess I should be impressed that I still finished in 3:05:07.  I was ticked, though, to say the least, that I had gone over 3 hours, but I simply did not have it in me to get thru the sheer pain.  It was difficult, because everything else about me felt great, and with my first 7 miles I was on pace to finish in about 2:40:00 or less.   

I know I shouldn’t be upset, as I still finished–and I accomplished something most people will not even attempt, but it is that inner-competitive side in me.  Those of you who know me really well know that I am competitive even at a Tupperware party.  Seriously.  I am just disappointed, even though I was able to force myself to run up The Hill around mile 9 (where I could still hear the ending of Toni Basil’s “Mickey”—so I was able to RUN up The Hill with a smile thinking that is the only song they play there!).  At least I knew I still had plenty of time to walk slowly and still get a medal.  I am not a quitter.  I am a Road Warrior! 

Today, I am wearing my old storm-trooper boot (aka AirCast), as I really can’t put any weight down on my left foot.  I am hoping it is not another stress fracture, maybe it is just one giant bursa sac ready to explode and causing me a lot of pain.  Yes, I have called the doctor, but I can’t get in until Wednesday, so two more days of sheer pain.  Hopefully it will be a quick fix and I can be out on the roads again soon.  I have too many fun races I want to do this fall!!!!   

Despite the pain today, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I had such a great experience as a Road Warrior.  I’d like to thank race director Kristen Aidif and her staff, especially Brooke, for treating us like Running Royalty.  I hope I have done the Road Warrior name justice!   

I’d also like to thank Fifth Third Bank, for continuing to sponsor such a great race here in our own community.   

Thanks to Coach Mike and Coach Terry, previous Road Warriors themselves.  It was so nice to get to know them both this year (again, in Mike’s case!) and feed off of their strength and encouragement (and wit!).   I hope we can keep in touch so I can continue to soak up their wisdom.

I’d like to thank the thousands of volunteers I know it takes to put on such a great event.  Aid Station #2, which was staffed by 5/3 Bank employees, was fantastic to me—shouting out my name and keeping me going with a smile (even my husband and kids were at that station—all helping pass out ice!).  Thanks to the cheerleaders from Grandville, East Kentwood, Rockford, and Christian High who came down to give us some rah-rahs—those really do help the runners!  Thanks, too, to the Wyoming Park Pep Band—what a great place to hear some band music, between mile 14 and the finish! 

Thanks to ALL of the aid stations—your words of encouragement were helpful!!!  And thanks to the people lining the streets—that means so much that you took your own time to keep us going—especially well after the winners crossed the lines.   

Thanks to those of you who have come back often to keep up with our journey.  I realize few of you post comments, but it is nice to know you are out there reading.  Nasreen, Lisa, and a few others whom I have seen comment but never got the chance to meet–thanks for supporting us–and know we were supporting you in return!  I hope you had great runs on Saturday, whether it was in the Riverbank or elsewhere in the state!

Thanks to my Mom, who came down to cheer me on and see me cross the finish line.  Sorry I took so long to get there, Mom!   Thanks to my Dad, who watched from Heaven above.  I carried his Air Force dog tag with me the whole way.  I knew he was there at mile two when I saw some runners with “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me” written on the backs of their shirts.  My dad used to quote that to me if I was having a rough day, and I found that passage tucked into his bible after he passed away.   Thanks to my brother and sister, whom I know have kept up with my verbosity here in the blogs.

Thanks to my husband, Rob, and to my three children, for giving me the time to train, the patience through my aches and pains, and the spirit to keep going strong.   

Thanks again to Gazelle Sports and to Brooks.  Gazelle’s supplied us with the outfits we got to sport at the expo fashion show on May 9, and Brooks gave us some awesome running jackets in the beginning of our training. 

And, of course, thanks to my fellow Road Warriors, Sole Sisters and other running friends.   The Road Warriors this year all came into the “team” for different reasons–each one inspiring in its own right.  I am proud of you all for your great accomplishment on May 10! 

I’m excited to keep up training with RunGazelle—what a terrific training resource!  Hopefully I will not have wasted my money by renewing for the remainder of the year only to find out I’ll be in a cast.  I will miss my time with the Road Warriors, and I will miss sharing my experiences with you all, but hopefully I will still keep in touch with the new friends I have made.   

It’s tough mentally to know I was capable of more on Saturday, but I still finished—and to the cheers of my family and my fellow Road Warriors—while in complete agony, but still with a smile on my face.  Would I do it again, even with the same outcome?  You bet.  There is nothing like crossing that finish line.   Perseverance makes us stronger in the end. 

Hope to see you out there next year–whether you are running, walking, or cheering people on!  Happy running!

But, first, I want to thank Brooke and Kristen and anyone else who was involved in choosing me for this program. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I am so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to participate. There were days during training when I didn’t feel worthy, but on race day I found some of the familiar inner strength that compelled me to apply for the program last year, and was proud to be a Road Warrior. Thank you to RunGazelle … you have an awesome running group and I’m looking forward to being a member for the rest of 2008 and beyond.

Thank you to ALL my Road Warriors and to our amazing coaches, Mike and Terry. You all have been wonderful and I’m so glad to have met all of you. I’m so proud that our entire group was healthy enough to run, and happy that everyone finished. Go Road Warriors!!!!

Thanks to ChiRunning Coach Gil. Around mile eight or so, I really applied as many of the focuses that I could, and I believe this really helped me finish strong. I’m looking forward to really developing my ChiRunning form over the course of my running career.

And, of course, thank you to my husband Justin. Thank you for allowing me the time to explore this newfound sport of mine. I’m sure you’re pleasantly surprised that I’ve still stuck with it — especially considering my track record. Thank you for putting up with my complaints of being cold, sore, tired, and for not freaking out too badly when I came home with a $150 double jogging stroller, two pair of $100-plus running shoes, and various other not-so-cheap miscellaneous running items. Thank you for your support and for your belief in my passion for running. You proved you truly believed in me by getting me the Garmin just one day before the Big Event. That shows that you know how much I truly love running and that means the world to me. I love you!

I woke up on race day at 5:45 a.m. got myself ready, then helped Justin get Bodin and Reese ready; he was meeting the rest of my family downtown and was going to leave the house shortly after me. Bag packed, I managed to leave the house on time at 6:30 and arrived in our room (The Governor’s Suite) in the Amway just a little before 7 a.m. After a quick Garmin tutorial from Shelly and Bob, I got it up and running. After turning it on, I looked at the heart rate reading at it said 105 bpm! Holy moly! I must have been nervous; my usual resting heart rate is around 60-70.

Finally, all the Road Warriors arrived. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was starting to get really nervous. Nick, Shelly and I headed down to the starting line around 7:40. I hate being late anywhere (it really stresses me out!), so I was glad to finally leave the room. With Shelly walking around in circles for her pre-race warm-up, I decided I wanted to try and find my family before I started, so I told Nick that I would be getting in line around the 10:00-minute mile pace sign. After unsuccessfully searching the crowd for my family, it was time to get in line.

I ran the 5k here last year, and knew that it was going to be packed, but I was not able to get into the starting line! The crowd of spectators and runners were at least three people deep outside the fence. I finally climbed over it at the 6:30-minute mile pace sign and made my way “upstream”. I realized my mistake right away. Runners (fast runners) were packed shoulder-to-shoulder and facing the opposite direction I was headed, staring at me. I have no idea how many times I said “excuse me, pardon me.” I’m sure I was very annoying to some people, but I needed to get to my pace sign! The 10:00-minute mile pace group was very small. but I still didn’t see Nick, Shelly, the other Road Warriors who were running at that pace, or my family. I started feeling very alone. The gun went off and the crowd started surging forward. I tried stalling even further by allowing runners to pass me while I slowly walked forward. Finally, I saw Nick’s bright yellow shirt and Shelly’s pretty pink bandana. Yay! Shirl and Kristin were there as well. We were ready to begin!

As we moved forward, I was still searching for my family. Just before we started actually running, I heard shouts of “Go Julie!” and turned and saw my family, all smiling hugely and yelling loudly. Now I was ready.

I had never ran a race talking to someone before. Even though I had trained talking with people, I still anticipated running alone at some point with my iPod. As we made our way through mile one, Shelly and I quickly fell back into our usual training run chatter, and I relaxed a little bit. It was just another run on a gorgeous day; only this time we were surrounded by thousands of other people. Mile one flew by, I think because I was totally preoccupied with conversation and people-watching.

As advised by other runners, I took at least two waters at each aid station during the first half of the race. I drank plenty of water the two days prior to the race, but didn’t drink a ton the morning of. I did not want to have to stop and pee during the race. I was a little worried about dehydration, but I ended up being fine. I took a GU at miles six and 10, and took water and Gatorade at every station for the second half of the race.

Rounding the corner onto Wilson Ave. was one of the best parts of the race for me. The crowds there were awesome and I ran through them with a big stupid grin on my face. It was very motivating.

Somewhere in Johnson Park before the halfway point, I lost Shelly. I wantd to wait up for her, but I knew that on race day I was running for myself and needed to try and do the best I could. I put my iPod in and cranked it up a little faster. I ran the second half of the race about five minutes faster than the first. I had been dreading the hills most when I started training, but was almost looking forward to them. I ran these hills during training and knew what to expect, and I felt really strong. I smiled when I first saw the Grand Rapids skyline. I knew I was getting closer.

One of my race day goals was to not walk during the race. I’ve never walked during any race I’ve participated in. I don’t know why this is so important to me. During training, I walked plenty and had no issues with it. Shelly even told me about a guy who trains for marathons (quite successfully, I might add) by alternating walking and running. There were people on the course who were doing that as well, and when they started walking I thought I left them in my dust, but they would catch right back up with me. It was interesting to see. I’m still going to stick with my “no walking during races” for as long as I can, though.

Miles 12 through 15 sorta sucked. We were so close to the finish and the territory was very familiar to me. My legs were burning and I was starting to get winded. I took off my iPod at this point, because I wanted to hear the crowd and conversation. We passed my sister and brother-in-law’s house on Lake Michigan Drive and I really started getting excited — I was so close! The crowd was yelling out encouragement, but I let them get into my head a little too much. Hearing “not much further to go!!” was a relief to hear, but my legs were starting to refuse commands from my brain. It was an effort to literally put one foot in front of the other. Finally, someone said to me “three more left turns and you’re done” and I knew I was going to make it. I rounded the corner and started scanning the left side of the crowd for my family. There was one more subtle hill at the very end, and I’m glad I was preoccupied with finding my family, because it was very hard, both mentally and physically to encounter another hill, however slight it was.

A big cheer erupted on the left side of my street and I saw my family: Justin, Bodin and Reese; my mom and stepdad; my dad; my sister and her husband; and my cousin. I don’t know if I blocked out all other sounds but them, but they were LOUD!! I felt famous.

I spotted the Road Warriors who had already finished standing near the finish line. As I crossed the finish line, I smiled huge and wondered if I was going to cry. Nope, no tears in me. I couldn’t stop smiling.

I had so much energy after the race. I probably really could have ran another mile. It was a weird feeling. I felt powerful, strong, proud. Last night, I was thinking back on the race, and for a moment it all seemed like a dream, like it never really happened. I’m from the Grand Rapids area (Go Jenison Wildcats, class of ‘96!) and have heard about this race my entire life. Never, ever, would I have believe that I would participate in it. My final time was 2:37:31, which I’m really proud of. However, I WILL beat that time next year.

Even though I’m still very sore today and have three stupid blisters on my toes, I’m glad to have made it through fairly unscathed. A lot of people were a lot worse off, and I hope everyone has recovered or recovers swiftly.

I’m signing off for now. I’m sad that this will probably be my last blog. Thanks to all who have followed the Road Warriors through the course of our training.

I still can’t figure out what wasn’t there on Saturday….but for whatever reason my legs weren’t willing to go.  Could have been a stomach bug….could have been the extra steps at the “fashion show”.  Maybe the Bamboo shirt????  It does burn me that my performance doesn’t reflect the  my fitness I thought I brought in from my training……..but there are days when your legs don’t move like they should.  Ultimately I can’t complain too much…..I finished under two hours and I did not ride in an Ambulance……2 of my much larger goals. 

I want to thank Brooke and Kristen for the royal treatment as a warrior.  I could definitely get used to VIP perks.   Thank you fellow road warriors for the experience I look forward to seeing you all at road races in the future.  Thanks rungazelle to reintroducing me to group running and group frostbite.  

Good running until Riverbank ’09……

Matt

On May 10th at approximately 11 AM I crossed the finish line. My first 25k is officially completed. I ran as I had expected until about mile 13 at which time I hit the wall – hard. I’d heard all the horror stories about having cement legs and needing to will every step forward. What I experienced was not as dramatic as that. Those last 2.5 miles were pretty tough but never once did I believe I wouldn’t finish. After crossing the finish line and receiving some congratulatory hugs from my wife and daughters I sat down to remove my timing chip and almost didn’t return to the upright position due to my leg cramps. I did of course stand back up and made my way to the post race party where I had my free barley pop and enjoyed this small victory with many of my friends and family. I have sore and weak legs today and some fairly juicy blisters. But, I also have a finisher’s medal and the pride of completing this goal.

I had put so much effort into training for this 25k after returning to running from my back injury that I had not paused often enough to give thanks. Were it not for God, family and friends I wouldn’t have been strong enough to complete the training or this run. My wife has been especially supportive and patient as I struggled through the training and sometimes pain that resulted from the training. I know it sounds cliché but, she really is my best friend and I am her biggest fan. I can’t imagine having done this without her support encouragement and understanding. Thank You!

Thanks to all those folks who spent time organizing and volunteering for this event. I was impressed so many times with the support of perfect strangers at the aid stations handing out water or GU with an encouraging smile and uplifting “you’re looking good” or “keep it up.” Some of my more memorable experiences were at the crest of the last hill on Butterworth where a young man wearing a Coopersville Cross Country shirt extended his hand and let me know that I was doing good and I had great form (even though I’m sure it was anything but great!) I ran past a young girl of maybe 4 or 5 years old with her parents telling all of us stragglers that we were all winners. There was the lone woman on the Fulton Street Bridge that told a group of us how inspiring we were to her. Those were the things that helped me savor those last few 100 ft to the finish line. Thank you!

I wanted to thank my fellow Road Warriors and coaches Mike and Terry for their inspiring stories and being examples of hard training even through adversity. You are all GREAT and deserve those finishing medals and pride that goes along with them for a job well done. This has been one of the most challenging and positive things I’ve participated in physically since my weight loss. I am truly blessed to have made such great friends. Thank you!

To Kristen, Brooke and all those involved in the 5/3 Riverbank Run: This Road Warriors gig was incredibly motivating and helpful for me. You all gave me a great opportunity and I hope I represented what you were looking for. I wish you all success with future participants and events. Thank you!

I will continue to run and participate in this great event. I’m sure you’ll see me out there enjoying the outdoors running or biking through GR, working out or swimming at the YMCA. I will be looking to improve on my time in the 25K in May of 2009. Until we meet again - Happy running!

It’s May 10th - almost 6AM. I can’t believe the day has arrived. Seems like just yesterday I was barely able to run and now I am running a 25k! Thanks to Coaches Terry and Mike, Run Gazelle, and support from all my Road Warrior teammates I’m going to turn this thing out. This is going to be challenging not to go hot out the first few miles with all the energy from the start of the race. I have all this resolute energy like the combination of a kid on Christmas morning, a high-schooler on graduation day, and the morning of your wedding! Well, here we go. When next I post, I will no longer be a novice at 25k.

I’m so excited, though. I’m heading to Devos hall soon for the expo, and am looking forward to immersing myself within the running community, and maybe snagging a few freebies along the way.

The buzz will be in the air!

GO ROADWARRIORS!! I’ll see all you very soon!