13.1 Miles

You may ask, and rightfully so, where is the fun in running 13.1 miles in Detroit? When I signed up to run the Detroit Half Marathon, I was looking for some motivation to get active again after taking a hefty break from physical exertion after 10 years of competitive running and Commissioned Officer Training. But, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll tell you why.

Erin and I before the race. It's like COT all over again...5AM wake up.

First of all, the people. There are so many of them! Almost 20,000 people competed and there were supporters along the road almost every step of the way. In the picture below you can see me and Erin amidst the huge crowd before the race. Katie drove down to capture the Kodak moments and after the race I was lucky enough to see some Hillsdale cross country ladies who'd driven in for the occasion as well. Erin Cvengros ran the marathon, exceptionally well, if I may add...she ran in the 3:15 range...big time qualified for Boston...and I'm proud of her, can you tell? So, the people, sorta like Hillsdale (I couldn't resist), made it worth it. 

In the middle of the picture, I'm in green with my back turned and Erin's in white.

Next, you run in two countries. This may not sound exciting, but it was awesome! You cross the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor and after running along the water in Windsor, re-enter the US through the tunnel under the river. Crossing the riving knocks two miles out of the way and really does add to the excitement of the whole experience.

I may or may not have stopped to take pictures along the way...I felt super cool and way hard core doing it.
Not. But now, I'm glad I have the pictures!

Like I said, you run along the river in Windsor, at about 7:30AM and get to watch the sun rise. Check out the view...

Something I wasn't expecting that morning was to feel as good as I did. Sure, the slight incline of an overpass, like the one pictured below, did my quads in, but overall, it went really, really well. The weather was great, I can't imagine doing a long run like that in the heat. I was talking to Erin Cvengros afterwards and I realized that because of my past running experience, I'd been tricked into thinking you had to run a significant amount of mileage, quality mileage, to do something like this. But, all Erin Caverly and I did in preparation were two longer runs, around 8 and 10 miles, and put in about 4 half hour to hour runs a week. Cven also pointed out that it's nice to have the strength that years and years of running supply, which I think also helped. If anything, mentally it definitely helps. Distance runners have a distorted sense of reality, for example, 13 miles doesn't really sound all that long. Which brings me to my next point...

...and I hesitate to admit this, but just to be fair, running a marathon sometime in the future did cross my mind. It would require more training, but after the half and all of the excitement that a big road race adds to running, I think it might be something I'd like to add to my bucket list.

And Erin and I had a kick! 

I also have to make a comment about the tin foil looking blankets. Before yesterday, I doubted them. How could something like that actually keep you warm? But, I stand corrected. They are awesome.

And last, but certainly not least, it wouldn't have been a race without him. Mr. Pencilman. He's everywhere.