Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon: December 2009

Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Newsletter

30 December 2009

GLOBAL WARMING CAUSED BY RUNNERS?

You learned it in junior high school. We breathe in oxygen. We breathe out carbon dioxide. That's where the problem starts.

More and more marathons. More and more runners. We run, and we breathe hard. The harder we breathe, the more CO2 we put into the atmosphere. It's looking like the US will soon have to cut back on marathons, just to keep us from putting all that CO2 into the air.

Or, maybe we should just all plant a tree or two, and keep running.

GOOFY SPONSORS?

Dr. Ed Kornoelje, from Metro Health Sports Medicine, is headed south next week to run Goofy's Challenge. That's a half marathon on Saturday, and a marathon on Sunday at Disney World. What's cool about that? Well, when Metro Health started with us back in 2004 (that's right, they've been with us from the beginning) Ed had never run a marathon. Terence had never run a marathon. They got involved. They joined the marathon staff. And, like the Borg, resistance was futile--they have booth been assimilated. They've both run multiple marathons now. Terence is an Ironman!

You really need to be careful who you're hanging out with. You never know what they'll get you into. Good luck at Disney, Ed!

SPECIAL ON 2010 REGISTRATION ENDS WHEN THE BALL DROPS!

While you're making your New Year's Resolutions, you can still register for the 2010 Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon at the 2009 rates! Maybe if you keep running you'll never get so you look like Dick Clark does lately.

Save a couple bucks and register between now and tomorrow night!

FIFTH THIRD RIVER BANK RUN MENTOR PROGRAM STARTS SATURDAY

Every year, the Grand Rapids Running Club helps train people for the River Bank Run, which is easily the coolest spring race in Michigan. Starting on the first Saturday in January at 8:00, John Ball Zoo, we take people from 2-4 miles all the way to 25K before May. It's a blast, being out there all winter, watching as newer runners set personal distance records nearly every week. Then on race day, we enjoy running the race together. We get together for a party later to celebrate. It's always a great day.

So, if you're not doing anything on Saturday mornings starting in a couple weeks, join us (The lovely Francine is chairing the program again this year!) for a lot of fun on some cold winter mornings.

VIDEO CLIPS of this year's marathon, at http://michiganrunner.tv/2009grandrapids/

PICTURES

The pictures are in!! ASI Photo once again has your pictures ready for you. CLICK HERE

XS SHIRT UPDATE

All of the envelopes with XS shirts have been mailed out. Currently there are on extras left over. I may get a couple dozen more, but that's still uncertain. You'll know as soon as I do.

SOCKS, HATS, EXTRA SHIRTS

Extra Red Shirts are available at the BUYSTUFF link. $20. Socks, $5.00. Hats are $10.00. www.cooladventures.net/buystuff.htm. Still have a bunch of the 2008 shirts too, if you like.

My Favorite Day of the Week for Running By Michael Selman

Ah, Monday morning. While most of the world has strong desires of pulling the bedsheets back over its collective head until the day goes away, I eagerly pop out of bed and embrace the day. Monday, you see, is my favorite day of the week to run. All the hard efforts of the weekend are behind me, and Monday is the day I bask in the weekend's accomplishments, and reward myself with a run just for me. I leave my watch at home, and with it, the concerns of anything but the pure joy of running. Monday is the day to smell the roses, count the stars, hear the birds, and run simply because I can.

But then, there's Tuesday. And Tuesday is possibly my favorite day of the week to run. My legs are fresh from the easy run the day before, and I look forward to running a little bit faster, and capturing each split on my watch. It's too dark to see my times as I pass each landmark, but I try to gauge my pace by how I feel, and play a little game to see how close I can actually come to the actual time once I'm back inside. Some days, I know myself really well, and other days, I'm way off the mark. Tuesday is a day to see how well I know myself, and to learn how well I am doing at that task.

Then, there is Wednesday. This is undoubtedly my favorite day of the week to run. For starters, I sleep about an hour and a half later, because Wednesday is my track workout, and it's the one day a week I run after work. The warm fuzzies of the day actually start the night before, when I adjust my alarm accordingly. The whole day has a different feel to it. It's the only day that the run is ahead of me rather than behind me as I go through my work day, and the anticipation of the run somewhat distracts me.

On Wednesday, I pack a bag so I can change right after work, and bring an insulated jug that I fill with ice and water just before heading to the track. Wednesday, I have a very specific task to do, right down to the second, and the meter. I am acutely aware of my progress every minute of the workout, and adjust accordingly if a little tweaking is needed. Wednesday is a day to be an athlete, and to hopefully see gradual improvement from one week to the next.

But Thursday is, in a funny kind of way, possibly my favorite day of the week for running. The irony is that on Thursdays, I don't run at all. That's the day I give myself the gift of recovery and the hope of longevity. It's a second consecutive day that I sleep later, knowing that I am rewarding my body for pulling me through the accomplishments of the past three days, and giving it a break in preparation for the next three days. It's not that the temptation isn't there to run. It is, but common sense says to rest. Thursday is a day to be smart and logical. Even a runner can do that once a week.

On Friday, I wake up early, and hungry for running again. After starving myself the day before, I am ready to feast. I think that this may very well make Friday my favorite day of the week for running. But Friday is a day of control, and I have to temper the hunger. I know that I have a tough weekend ahead of me, and I need to be sure I go into it well rested and well prepared. Friday is much like Monday in the nature of the run, but very different in its purpose. Thursday runs, in similar fashion to Monday runs, are mindful, watchless runs, but my mind wanders in a different kind of way. It looks to the immediate future, rather than the past. Friday runs wonder what the next Monday retrospections are going to look like. Friday is a day of hope and dreams of future accomplishments.

Saturdays don't require an alarm to get me moving. I am so eager for Saturday to come that I sometimes hardly sleep the night before. Saturday must be my favorite day of the week for running. As George Sheehan expressed it best, Saturday is the lovemaking of running itself. Saturday, I race, and thus give a deeper purpose for all the other days of the running week. Saturday is, at the same time, the most serious work, and the most lighthearted play of the week. Saturday is competition and communion; a day of trying to distance myself from my best friends, in the most literal of ways, hoping to leave them behind me only until the handshake once the race is over. Saturday is a day of challenge and camaraderie. It is a day for being the fastest I can be, and being the best I can be.

Sundays incorporate a change of venue, a change of scenery, and a change of purpose. I love the modifications. They make Sunday my favorite day of the week for running. I usually drive down to the dirt path by the river, and either run with friends, or meet with a group. On Sundays, I almost never run alone. Sunday is not just about running, but it's about visiting in a way that can only be done on a longer slower run. Eight, or ten, 12 or 20 miles go by in a flash, and when it's over, whomever I'm running with always shares my amazement about what we've just accomplished and how easily done it was. That goes for the conversation as well as the run.

So there you have it. The cycle is completed, and then starts anew. Monday rolls around again, and I'm ready for another loop of the course. Just like most every run I do, each week brings me back to where I started, only a bit better off for having done it. And it brings me to a better understanding of the fact that, in actuality, I don't have a favorite day for running. Each day is my favorite in its own unique way.

Hey, the super-secret underground Boot Camp is running every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:00 a.m. So far, it's going well. We even found a great place or two to do hill work out of the weather. Want to try a couple free sessions? Email me with the subject line "Boot Camp"

More info at www.cooladventures.net/bootcamp.htm

2010 Is Upon Us

Or we're upon 2010, I never know which. It's going to be a great year though. While you're thinking of it, grab a copy of "The Bucket List" movie and watch it. It's fun to watch and inspirational. Then sit down and make a list of the things YOU want to do/have/be/experience. Pick something off the list and SIGN UP FOR IT. Your brain will fill in the details after you've committed yourself.

Central Michigan University, my Alma Mater, is in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama next Wednesday. There's a marathon in Jackson, Mississippi on Saturday. There are a couple states in the area where I haven't climbed the high points or collected beer glasses. Hmmm..... Guess what I'm doing the biggest part of next week. Sounds like another installment of Marathons, Mountains and Microbrews.

See you in October at the FINISH LINE!

and the adventure continues....

Don Kern

Race Director, Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon

P.S. If you want to respond to this newsletter, change the subject line so I don't just end up thinking it's a bounce notice or something. Thanks!

In This Issue

My Favorite Day of the Week for Running

Marathon Adventures Boot Camp

Our Sponsors

The Calendar

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