Sunday, September 11, 2016

Full Weekend







































The Bug (aka my niece) has a goal of running a 5K every month the rest of the year, maybe her life, anyway some duration. She's also been dying to get a medal. While it's unusual, it's not out of the question for 5K's to hand out finisher medals. As if it were a sign, she found a 5K that not only had a medal, but also happened to have penguins on it, so of course we had to do it.

This race just so happens to be in the one place nobody really wants to go, Detroit. When I think of vacation, the cesspool of Detroit ranks about dead last. Even our car doesn't like D-Town, the last time returning with a broken window and a damaged door after getting broken into. Ugh, the things I do for the women in my life. Well, if you are going to make the commitment, might as well attempt to make the best of it. Let me get my mace ready, and by that I mean stopping taking showers.

Being in the area, might as well check the sport situation in an attempt to make things better. Sure enough, my favorite sports team is playing football. Downhill's favorite baseball team is playing, even though we are in the cesspool, the water is at least only murky. Because we don't go often, CT cleared me to get "good" tickets for the games. With that bonus, thought finding a cheap hotel would be good, until I read the first review complaining about bedbugs. Yeah, what was I thinking? The cesspool, a cheap hotel, bedbugs were probably the least of the worries! Executive decision time, time to upgrade the hotel as a surprise.

The Big House was awesome! It wasn't as if they were playing a good team, but that certainly helped get the seats that we got. 109, 295 people and we were in the second row. Probably, will never get seats like that again. Also helped that an acquaintance threw a tailgate party beforehand to sweeten the deal.

The surprise was staying on top of the cesspool. Forty two floors up, should be much too high for bedbugs, right? After a toast of Kzoo wine, it was off to the Tiger's game. In true Tiger fashion, one pitch, one swing, they were down one nothing. My Dad would be so proud. It didn't get much better the rest of the night with the Tigers stinking up the field. At least, we had a great time in our section. One of the highlights was the kid telling the bullpen pitchers for the other team they stunk. Two minutes later, a home run ball lands in the bullpen (not the Tiger's either) and that same kid asking them for the ball, only to hear the one pitcher actually calling him out "hey, weren't you just the kid who was trash talking us?" There's a lesson there kid.

CT and I should be doing more miles for the race we have coming up next month. It's been a challenge to be motivated, so when I signed us up for the 5K, noticed they also had a 10K and if you did both they also had awards for combined times. Strolling up to the start, just going to assume we look like seasoned runners (as opposed to the guy in a full Captain America costume, with matching car, and entirely way too tight shorts) to get asked by a woman our strategy for doing both races. Part of me wanted to say, "run them as fast as we can", simple as that. She seemed most concerned with the down time between the two races asking if she should keep running between them to stay loose. Seemed like too much over thinking too me, cross the line, rest, line up again, do it again. CT and I did discuss prior that it's probably not best to go all out in the 5K and leave some in the tank to avoid burning out for the 10K.

What sound does a penguin make? Well, do that for the starting sound. First mile, if anything I'm consistent. Every 5K this summer, the first mile has been 6:17. While it should be faster, won't complain much considering there hasn't been much training. By the time mile two clicked, could feel the choice of either fighting to push hard or relax, went with the latter. It pains me to let people pass, but in the final mile a handful went by. Seeing the final results, it was apparent that relaxing did cost a spot to finish third in my age group. Still, that's respectable, but outside getting an award because this race only gave awards two deep.

The thought to keep moving never crossed my mind after finishing. Instead, I went right to the ice bucket the volunteers were handing drinks from and grabbed ice to cool down.  They said there would be a charge for that, which I replied with something like "my wife will be crossing the line soon, she'll play, she always has my money anyway", which they all seemed to enjoy. Sure enough CT crossed with a second place finish for herself.

After relaxing and watching Downhill and Buggy finish, CT and I wandered to the starting line with about ten minutes to spare only to find out they moved the start time back a half hour. Waiting that extra time, my legs did feel heavier. My closing comment to CT was "not sure how this is going to go". Certainly didn't have any higher expectations of doing any better than a training 10K.

Penguin noise start times two. Even though it was later and it did feel like the sun was beating down at the end of the 5K, it actually felt more comfortable to run. Every mile that went by, expected to see the wheels coming off based on the mile times, but they never did. Ran a very consistent and in my opinion, better run than my 5K. Somehow it felt much easier than the 5K.

The results of the weekend, CT got 2nd, 1st, and overall 1st in the combined. Myself, ended up 3rd, 1st, and 2nd overall in the combined, for a total of seven medals between the two of us. Throw in a couple games, a nice hotel and fun the family, it was a very full weekend. Oh, and the Bug got her penguin medal.