On the Run: Run Wild for the Zoo 10K 2015

Run Wild always feels to me like the start of Fall racing season.  Although it's not quite Fall officially, it's mid-September and the weather is usually perfect - 50 degrees and sunny.  The course is tree-lined and leaves are just starting to change colors.  It's hard to believe that just the weekend before it was a muggy 80+ degrees for racing!

As I've said before, this is one of my favorites because it's always my anniversary race.  (8 years!)  I love going back to it year after year with lighter shoes and a faster pace.    Besides the nostalgic aspect of it, it's a beautiful course with some of the friendliest volunteers and course marshals I've seen.  

This year the race was extra special for a couple of reasons.  First of all, my 5th grade nephew Luka ran his first 5K.  He and I ran together over the summer to get ready for it.  It was so exciting to see him cross the finish line with Brian.  Yes with Brian!  For the first time Brian ran this race, too!  This is one of those races that I usually go to by myself but because he ran it with Luka, he was there to see me cross the finish line.  

I actually had a lot of people there to see me finish.  Because Luka ran his 5K, his parents and siblings were there.  The event was also a target race for RUNdetroit Flight Club so there were lots of friends at the end.  Most of them had already finished the 5K so they were there to cheer me on.

Definitely the most special part, however, was that I raced with my friend and RUNdetroit teammate Sarah.  Every step of the way.  

I hadn't planned on doing this race with Sarah.  She texted me the day before, saying she was going to sign up and would pace me for it.  Sarah wanted to help me get a PR.  I'm going to be honest here.  I FREAKED.  All these thoughts went through my head: 

• I don't need help.  I just want to run my own race.  
• She's faster than I am!  Why is she slowing down to run with me?!
• I'm not fast enough.  What if I let her down?
• I can't run that fast right now.  It's not in my wheelhouse.
• I can't.  I can't.  I can't.

Thankfully Sarah knows me and knew I was freaking out.  All my crazy texts just rolled off her (at least I hope they did!).  I woke up in the morning with a calm mind and a fresh, positive perspective.  I realized that even though Sarah is faster than I am, pacing me WAS the race she wanted to run.  And the reason I was freaking out is because I was lacking confidence.  I was about to step outside of my comfort zone and that's scary.  It was time to be bold.  But I needed Sarah to help me.

Brian and I got to the race at 7:00 for parking and packet pickup.  There was Sarah.  We hugged and everything was okay.  We had a long time before our race at 9:00!  Plenty of time for multiple port-a-potty stops (which are always clean and have short wait times at this race).  We did a 2-mile warm-up with our friend Leamon and then finally took off our long sleeves and headed over to the start.  

As I said, Sarah and I ran the whole race together.  We chatted (she did more talking than I did) for the first 4.5 miles.  We waved to and thanked all the spectators and volunteers.  It was nice to catch up on life because we haven't seen each other as much lately as in the past.  I'm pretty sure we annoyed the men that we were passing along the way, seeing how easily we were talking and laughing.  But hey, we were having fun!

Around 3.75 miles in, Sarah commented that she really wanted to catch a guy ahead of us.  She could tell he was fading but I didn't think I had it in me to run any faster.  At the 4-mile marker she asked about pace.  I was happily surprised to see and shouted, "That's PR pace!"  It was a nice boost and I realized we'd nearly closed the gap between us and the dude ahead.  We rounded a corner and got closer.  We could hear him breathing.  He was checking his Garmin constantly.  This was it.  Sarah stopped talking, we pushed the pace just a hair, and we chicked him.  

I felt really strong for the rest of that mile but the last mile was harder.  I felt like I was going to puke.  Sarah must have noticed (or maybe I told her) because she started talking again to help keep me going.  At some point she told me that when we got to the finish line she was going to let me go first.  I said no, we needed to finish together.  I couldn't have done it without her.  Whatever happens happens.  So that's what we did.  Photo finish.

We tied.  40:27 for us both.  They gave me first and her second, though I'm not sure how that was decided.  My award was a gift certificate to Massage Envy.  I gave it to Sarah because she deserves it, earned it, and never treats herself to massages.  

Oh, and I got my PR!  I couldn't have done it without Sarah.  It's good to have a friend who believes in you when you don't believe in yourself.  That's what teamwork is all about.

Time

40:27

Pace

6:31/Mile

Fuel

Banana, CLIF Mojo - Peanut Butter Pretzel

And this guy always believes in me.  Thanks, Brian.  

Michigan Runner Magazine

I was clicking through the latest issue of Michigan Runner, an online publication that highlights local runners and races, when I came across this full-page picture of me!  I'm the cover girl for the Photo Gallery.  Pretty exciting!  I'm not sure why I'm running at an angle, though.  I'll chalk it up to another one of those weird Amanda things that I do.  

You can access the online magazine with this link.  There's also another photo on page 13, as well as an article about the race including some quotes from me, on page 23.

On the Run: Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 10K - 2014

Hot damn!  I'm so excited to write this post!  September 14th was a special day for me.  Not only did I get to run my favorite race for the 7th consecutive time AND celebrate my 7-year racing anniversary, but I also WON said favorite race!  How awesome is that?!  

I did NOT expect to win this year!  I had a great race the previous week but I'm still having hamstring pain and am not in top racing form.  I trained hard all week, running 20 miles the day before this race.  My goal was to go out and give it my best shot, definitely beating last year's time of 43:17 but I knew I wouldn't hit a PR.  Top 3 would be nice but I would have to see who showed up that morning.

I arrived at the race early as usual.  I needed to eat my banana, pick up my bib and shirt, do a mile warm-up, and use the port-a-potties before the lines were too long.  The weather was perfect - sunny and low 50's.  (Although looking around at some of the other runners' outfits - hats, gloves, tights - you'd have thought it was winter!)  I debated about the arm warmers but kept them in the end, figuring I could roll them down mid-race if I got too warm.  

My timing was perfect as I lined up at the start with about 5 minutes to go.  I scanned the front of the crowd, which consisted of mostly men and a smattering of women, none of whom looked too serious about the race.  With 30 seconds to go, however, one woman stepped up ahead of me and I knew I had competition.  She had beat me by 48 seconds at Back to the Beach in May, after I took a wrong turn and added on extra distance.  After racing this course 6 times, however, I wasn't about to make any mistakes today!

My strategy for a 10K is to not go too hard out of the gate, knowing I will pick up the pace as I go.  First place was ahead but I was okay with that because I was steadily closing the gap.  By the first mile marker I caught up to and passed her.  I didn't look back but continued to race as if she was right behind me, just in case.  I didn't want to let this one go!  I steadily increased my pace for the first three miles but around mile 4 my legs were starting to feel the long run from the day before.  I kept pushing but with an inconsistent pace for the remainder of the race.  

This is a lovely neighborhood course - shady, tree-lined streets with gorgeous homes.  There are a lot of turns on the course so there's always something new to look at.  Considering it's a smaller race it has a lot of neighborhood support and plenty of volunteers.  The course and the people were nice distractions to keep me going when I wanted to slow down!  Running down the final stretch into the zoo, I was so excited to be finishing first female.  I heard someone shout out, "Girl power!" and that made me laugh.  I felt strong running across the finish line.

After the race I was interviewed on camera by Michigan Runner about my win.  My part isn't until the end but there are a few shots of me running earlier in the video.  I'm not comfortable being interviewed but it turned out ok.  You can view it here.  I even got to brag about RUNdetroit and the women's racing team when asked about my jersey!

I was excited to see my friend and fellow RUNdetroit Flight Club member Megan finish her race and then we did our mile cool-down together.  She's such an amazing person!  I love that I always have friends at races now!

Then I went to the awards ceremony where I received one of the better awards from a race - a 90-minute massage (either deep tissue or sports) from Massage Envy.  Talk about a useful award!  All top finishers and age-group winners also got medals.  I was so excited to run a great race, have fun, and support the zoo all at the same time.  

Best day EVER!!

Distance
 10k  

Time 
42:22

Pace 
6:50/mile

Fuel
banana

Tunes 

Fever/ The Black Keys
Bring Me Your Loves / St. Vincent
Animal / Langhorne Slim & The Law 
Happy / Pharrell Williams
Gotta Get Away / The Black Keys
Violent Shiver / Benjamin Booker
Animal / Pearl Jam
Move Like You Stole It / ZZ Ward
50 Ways to Say Goodbye / Train
Dancing Shoes / Arctic Monkeys
Get in My Way / Robin Thicke
The Walker / Fitz & the Tantrums
Man / Neko Case

On the Run: Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 10K - 2013

Last week I ran by 6th Run Wild 10k, an event that marked 6 years of racing for me.  Looking back at my first Run Wild, it's amazing how far I've come!  I wasn't blogging then but I can tell you since that first race many things about my running have improved - pacing, speed, form, confidence.  I used to only like running.  Now I LOVE it.  It's part of my life.  I love going back to run this race every year.  It is important to me because it's what got me started.  It's what got me hooked on racing.  And I love being able to shave a minute or two off my time from one year to the next.

This year was a little different due to my training plan.  I had run 10 miles the day before so my legs weren't as fresh as they usually are on race day.  The day of the race I needed to run 15 miles so I ran the 5k (unofficially) as a warm-up.  I could tell I was a little tired during the race and even though I pushed myself I couldn't quite give it my all. In the end I didn't take any time off last year's result.  I exactly tied my time from last year.  To the second.  At least I wasn't any slower, right?

I placed 1st in my age group and 3rd woman overall. 

Distance
 10k  

Time 
43:17

Pace 
6:59/mile

Fuel
Vanilla chia pudding

Tunes 

Break the Walls / Fitz & the Tantrums  
The Stars Are Ours / Mayer Hawthorne  
Bitter Rivals / Sleigh Bells  
Blurred Lines / Robin Thicke  
What Makes You Beautiful / One Direction  
Dance Apocolyptic / Janelle Monae  
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) / Fergie (ft. Q-Tip & Goonrock)  
You've Got Time / Regina Spektor  
I Love It / Icona Pop  
Runaway Baby / Bruno Mars  
We Found Love / Rihanna
Supermassive Black Hole / Muse
 Locked Out of Heaven / Bruno Mars

Did I have fun?  Yes.  Yes, I did!  And then I ran another 6 miles.  I had to finish out my 15, after all.  

Next race: Detroit Women's 1/2 Marathon, September 22nd

On the Run: Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 5K & 10K - 2012

Last Sunday I did Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo - one of my favorite races of the year.  Actually now that I do both the 5k and 10k I should say it's two of my favorites!  I love it in part because it was the first race I ever ran so I like to see each year how much faster I get.  (In my 5th year running it my finishing time has dropped by 10 minutes - woot woot!)  I also love that it's fast and flat and not too crowded, which gives me a fighting chance at placing in my age group.  And although I sometimes get flack from other vegetarians and vegans for supporting the zoo, I firmly believe they do good work for the animals and treat them with care and respect.  The proceeds from this race benefit the veterinary hospital at the zoo, which I think is a good cause.  So really, what's not to love about this race?

The weather last weekend was absolutely perfect racing weather - sunshine, blue skies, cool temps, and a gentle breeze.  By my standards, Brian and I were a little late getting to the race so I jumped out on the service drive before he pulled into the parking lot and ran to the starting line.  I got there just in time for the singing of the National Anthem and then we were off.  Initially my goal was to use the 5k as a warm-up for the 10k that was to follow.  However, I had a lot of adrenaline going, started out strong, and before I knew it I was at mile 2.  With only another 1.1 miles to go there was really no point in slowing down.  Plus, the faster I ran the more time I would have between races to switch bibs and stand in line for the port-a-potties (I didn't have time to go before the 5k, remember?).  So I just went for it.  And when I crossed the finish line and saw the race clock I was so happy I ran the way I did.  I raised my arms and gave out a loud, "Wahoo!"  I'd never run so fast in all my life.  I'd gone balls to the wall.  (I actually shouted that to Brian when I finished.  Sorry parents.)  And I still had another 6.2 miles to run.  Oh sh*t.
 

Distance

5k 
 

Time 

21:39

Pace 

6:58/mile

Fuel 

Vanilla Chia Pudding (this recipe, minus the cocoa), banana

Tunes

Runaway Train / Soul Asylum

Take Me Away / Wild Belle

Michael Praytor, Five Years Later / Ben Folds Five

Mama's Room / Under the Influence of Giants

Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin' / Mayer Hawthorne

Felt / Garbage

After such a glorious 5k I was super pumped about the 10k.  I started out way at the front again and from the get-go I was moving at a pretty good clip.  I wasn't really passing anyone yet but people weren't passing me, either.  After only about a mile, however, my mind started telling my legs they were tired.  I started thinking about how fast I'd just run and how far I had to go.  Even though I badly wanted to place in my age group I started to tell myself it was okay if I didn't.  But both races together are only 9 miles and I easily run 7 and 8 miles a couple days a week.  And this is race day!  Get a hold of yourself, I thought!  haha!  Anyway, I knew it was all in my head so I picked a person who was just a little ahead of me to catch up with, keep pace with for a while, and then eventually move on ahead of him or her to the next person.  I find that's the best way to keep pushing myself to run faster and faster in a race.  Keep running down the next target.  Oh, my strategically planned playlist worked great, too!  I got lots of cheers from volunteers along the course - and even some high fives - so that made it fun and was also highly motivating.  I finished strong again with a one second faster per mile pace than the 5k.  I couldn't believe it!  So just when I thought I couldn't run any faster . . . I did!  Woot woot!

Distance

10k 
 

Time 

43:17

Pace 

6:59/mile

Tunes

Teardrop Windows / Benjamin Gibbard

Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) / Foster the People

Strange Times / The Black Keys

In the Clouds / Under the Influence of Giants

I Feel Better / Gotye

You Called Me / Mayer Hawthorne

Runaway Baby / Bruno Mars

Mountain Sound / Of Monsters and Men

Dynamite / Taio Cruz

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor / Arctic Monkeys

Blood for Poppies / Garbage

So Good / B.o.B.

Princess of China / Coldplay & Rihanna

Uprising / Muse

I ended up placing 1st in my age group in the 10k and 2nd in my age group in the 5k - with new PR's to boot!  The medals are identical except that the 1st place is gold on the back and the 2nd place is silver. 

And check it out - I made the Leaderboard for both races! 

Next up: The Brooksie Way 1/2 Marathon - Sunday, September 30th

On the Run: Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 5K & 10K - 2011

Last Sunday was the 4th anniversary of my first race.  It's sort of hard to believe that I've only been running for four years!  In a way it feels like it's been a part of my life for so much longer.  (You can read my story here.)  

My first race was the Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 10K.  I ran the it in 53:01.  I've run it every year since, each year shaving a few minutes off my time. 

This year I decided to try something a little different.  I've never run a 5K.  No offense to any 5Kers out there, but they don't seem worth the trouble to deal all the crowds of people for such a short race.  Anyway, I've never done one but this year I signed up for the 5 AND the 10K.  I figured if I was there anyway I might as well.  The start times are 45 minutes apart, so there's plenty of time to do both with a break in between.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for race day.  Temps were in the 60's and it was sunny and dry.  The course is a fast and flat one through neighborhoods surrounding the zoo.  There were a lot of people out to show support, which always makes a huge difference in my opinion.  It's a seriously fun race to do and (although you may have your own opinion about zoos) the money goes to support the animals so I think it's a good cause.

My plan was to use the 5K as a warm-up - just take it easy, get myself loosened up and moving.  Well...that didn't exactly happen.  We got there late and by the time I got to the start line, the race had officially begun.  At least I heard people saying it had begun but no one was actually moving.  That's when I realized that I was stuck at the back of a huge pack of joggers and walkers and strollers.  Ugh.  The whole first mile was a fight through heavy Christmas-style mall traffic.  I tried every evasive technique in the book.  It wasn't easy - or necessarily safe - but eventually I was able to break free and once I did there was no slowing down.  Plus by that point I realized I only had 2 miles left.  I was practically to the finish line!  I kept up my quick pace and got the end as quick as I could.  Brian was there to see me finish and help me switch bibs before heading out to meet his cousin for breakfast in Royal Oak (that's their yearly tradition).  I killed time between races by walking around, stretching a bit, watching runners finish, and choosing my next playlist.  The time passed pretty quickly.

Distance

5k 
 

Time 

22:53

Pace 

7:22/mile

Fuel 

strawberry soy yogurt with raw oats, banana

Tunes

I Feel It All / Feist

Don't Wanna Talk / Brendan Benson

Know Your Enemy / Green Day

Girl / Beck

1,000,000 / Nine Inch Nails

Lost in the Supermarket / Ben Folds

The Underdog / Spoon

Angels of the Silences/ Counting Crows

The Sound of Settling / Death Cab for Cutie

Miami / Will Smith

Heavy Metal Drummer / Wilco

For the 10K, I made sure to start out right at the front of the pack.  (It was a much smaller race, though, and without the walkers and strollers, I wasn't in danger of being stuck behind anyone too slow anyway.)  As soon as I started out, I thought to myself, "What the hell was I thinking doing both of these races?"  My hamstring hurt.  My hips hurt.  It was going to be a long 6 miles.

But after the first mile I started to loosen up again.  I picked a girl who seemed to be running about at my pace and decided to stick by her.  By mile 2, however, I was passing her.  I picked another girl to run near.  By mile 3 I was passing her.  Around mile 4 I found myself in the middle of a pack of guys.  I felt pretty good there, figuring that if I could run with them I was doing pretty well.  As I passed the 5-mile marker, I slowly moved out of that group, as well.  

As I neared the end of the race, I kept zeroing in on a person in front of me and making it my mission to pass him.  Once I did, I chose my next target.  It felt amazing to pass one person after another.  As I passed the 6-mile marker, I briefly worried that I may not have the energy to give it my all in the final stretch.  I was afraid I would have to slow down at the end.  But wait - slow down and disappoint all these people who were there cheering for me?  (Okay, so although none of them actually knew me, everyone there was so cool and I was so darn proud of myself that I felt like every person WAS cheering for me!)  So slow down?  I think not!  So I picked it up, dug it out, and finished strong.

Just as I crossed the finish line, a runner ahead of me turned around to tell me that he heard me behind him the whole time and I pushed him to run faster.  Then one of the guys I ran with for a bit finished just after me and we congratulated each other on a good race.  I really felt like a runner!

After the race I went over to the post-race party.  The food was really sad and unhealthy - hot dogs, chips, Twinkies, Ho-Hos, and pop.  The only healthy thing was apples.  Not even any bananas!  I didn't care too much about the food once they posted the results, though.  Although it wasn't a PR for me (that was last year - I ran it two seconds/mile slower this year) I came in 2nd in my age group for the 10K and won a medal!  wahoo! 

Armed with 4 apples and my winner's medal, I happily waved good-bye to the otters and jogged out of the zoo. 

My first winner's medal - 2nd place in my age group!

Distance

10k 
 

Time 

46:55

Pace 

7:33/mile

Tunes

Good Day / Tally Hall

Pumped Up Kicks / Foster the People

Telephone / Pomplamoose

Song Away / Hockey

Born This Way / Lady Gaga

Float On / Goldspot

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult

Misery / Maroon 5

Under Cover of Darkness / The Strokes

Shut Up and Drive / Rihanna

Charlie Mix / Otto Vector

100 Miles and Runnin’ / N.W.A.

Our Time Now / Plain White T’s

A Matter of Time / Foo Fighters

That Someone is You / R.E.M.

Bad Romance / Lady Gaga

Kick Drum Heart / The Avett Brothers

Next race: The Big House Big Heart 10K, October 9th (My birthday!)