Mackinac Island, MI
September 11, 2010
I can’t remember when I first heard about this race but it’s been bouncing around in the back of my head for a couple of years. The timing isn’t great, since it’s tough to leave me class so early in the year but I decided that this was the year I needed to do it.
I arrived in Detroit on Thursday (after an incredibly long delay in Denver) at nearly 2:00 a.m. Not starting off so great. I finally get to the hotel and my mom and aunt decided to “surprise” me by being in my room. I guess “surprise” was one word for it - I was really looking forward to a good night sleep by myself, but oh well.
We hit the road to the U.P. in the late morning and arrived in the early evening. We headed to my favorite local restaurant - The Driftwood - for dinner. I tried to hit the hay early since I had less than 5 hours of sleep the night before. Sharing a room with two other people who don’t sleep well is not a good idea the night before a race.
So with two nights of little-to-no sleep I was just happy to get out of bed and get going. I started off my day with “the usual” breakfast and walked across the street to catch the 7:30 ferry over to the island.
After I arrived I had about 1/2 mile walk to the resort that was hosting the race - The Mission Point Resort. I grabbed some Starbucks and found my way to the resort to pick up my shirt and bib. At this point I realized I was facing a wardrobe dilemma. I thought it was going to be a bit cooler so I dressed accordingly - but the weather system was delayed in getting here and I realized I would be too hot running in my capris. I had a pair of shorts in my gear bag, however, my gear bag was back on the mainland with my mom who would be coming over later. Rather than be stressed about finding her and my shorts right before the race I decided I’d better buy something from the vendor at the packet pick up. Thank goodness they were there! I was able to get my “usual” Nike shorts for $20 - win-win!
I did a quick warm up and got ready to line up at the start. This race had about 1400 participants - in addition to the 8 mile run they also have an 8 mile walk. With this type of race and the number of participants - I think they should consider doing a wave start. I realized there were a lot of walkers lined up towards the front and decided that I needed to move up even farther to avoid the inevitable traffic jam.
The official “Go!” was shouted and we were off.
My goals for this race were...
Enjoy the scenery!
Stay within an 8:05-8:15 pace in order to finish between 1:04 and 1:08
Enjoy the scenery!
Of course I had my Pixie-Dust dream too of running UNDER 1:04 and run fast enough to be in the Top 5 of my AG. After looking at last year’s race results there was a huge discrepancy between 5th and 6th. I knew if I ran my 8:05 I would land smack dab between last year’s 5th and 6th grade time.
Mile 1 took us right through Main Street on the Island past all of the fudge shops and souvenir stores towards the residential area of the island. The weather couldn’t have been any better - overcast and in the mid-50’s. Perfect for running! As we made the first turn we were presented with a stunning view of the bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac. Seeing the bridge always brings up a lot of emotion for me. A little over 13 years ago I scattered my dad’s ashes on the shores of Lake Michigan near the bridge. So, I made sure I gave him a big smile as I ran past this morning.
Mile 2-7 were pretty uneventful. The back side of the island has a few residential areas but most of it is an untouched wilderness. Seeing the canopy of pines and deciduous trees along the shores of Lake Huron was enough to keep me entertained. THIS is Michigan in my mind!
Mile 8 greeted us with a bit of a headwind going towards the finish but I was feeling so good and so strong that I just wanted to give that mile everything I had.
This race marks the beginning of a “training hiatus” for me. This was making me feel a bit sad and aimless for the past few weeks. I thought coming in to this race that I would be running away from a lot of frustration. These past few weeks have been pretty rough on me mentally and emotionally, however, none of that pain manifested itself in my running today. Today was all about feeling good and being cleansed! While I was running I felt a huge weight lifted from my heart and my mind. I am ready to give my mind and body a break and spent my time today running towards much bigger and much better chapters in my life! That doesn’t mean that I’m putting my running up on the shelf now - just the back burner. I am so glad that I had such a great running experience to usher me in to the next phase of my life!
By the Numbers:
Mile 1 - 7:45
Mile 2 - 7:51
Mile 3 - 8:03
Mile 4 - 7:45
Mile 5 - 8:06
Mile 6 - 7:56
Mile 7 - 8:04
Mile 8 - 7:41
OA: 1:03:10 - 7:54/mile
5th in AG, 145th OA
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