Newsletter 9/3/2009

Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Newsletter Sponsored by Sportwax 4 September 2009 COUNTING DOWN, NOT GIVING UP Summer is almost over, whether you count it by when Labor Day is or by the autumnal equinox, FALL is getting here. The marathon staff meetings are getting more intense. The antici...... .......pation is building. A few people have asked to switch to the half from the full. Here's my thought on that: If you REALLY need to, that's fine. We can do that. However, if you just had a bad long run and you're doubting yourself, you probably don't have a problem. We all doubt ourselves sometimes. Some runs aren't as good as we'd like. It happens. You'll be fine. Just don't do it because you're having second thoughts. (OK, one woman told me she was pregnant and needed to switch to the half. This is a legitimate reason:-) KIDS MARATHON GET YOUR KIDS RUNNING! IF THEY'RE NOT TRAINING YET, IT'S TIME TO START! It's a great time, and a chance for wht whole family to get involved in your favorite hobby. Join us for the third annual Bagel Beanery Grand Rapids Kids Marathon. Sign up at our website--it's free. Download the logbook. Start accumulating 25 miles, then come out and join us on Saturday of race weekend and run the final 1.2 miles on the course! Share your love of running with your kids! See you then! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COURSE NOTES!!! YES! The map is on the website. Now, here's your chance to be famous. I have an elevation spreadsheet, but no really nice little graph with the elevation chart. If you're good with Excel graphs, maybe you'd like to download the spreadsheet, make a couple nice graphs of it (one for the full and one for the half) and send me a .jpg of each of them. We'll post them on the course page along with your name and how really cool you are. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHIRTS, HATS, OTHER STUFF Still have a bunch of hats. They're ten bucks. You want one, click on the link below. Same thing with the old shirts. Help me clear my house out before they deliver the new stuff. BUY LAST YEAR'S HATS & SHIRTS (M,L, & XL only) FOR ONLY $10.00 THIS WEEKEND The lovely Francine and I are headed to the Labor Day 30K in Milford. You ready Doug? I'm about to invite 6000 people to your race. Everyone head out to Milford this weekend. It's a great training run--hills, hills, plus a couple of hills too. If you can handle this in September, you can handle a marathon in October! Labor Day 30K Join me there for some fun! THE WEEKEND AFTER THE MARATHON It's our Post-Race Party. It's the Every Stride 5K & 10K. And it's the Nike Human Race. It's at Candlestone Golf and Resort, the Saturday following the marathon. Get together with your fellow marathon and half-marathon runners, run a much shorter race, enjoy some good food and fellowship, and show off your race shirt and gear. Read the whole press release about it here. Plus, if you wear your marathon stuff--shirt, hat, socks, whatever, and get into a free drawing for one of two free entries to our 2010 marathon! Marathon Minute - On the Radio Citadel Broadcasting has teamed up with the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon. You can hear the Marathon Minute on your friendly Citadel stations! From this week's spot (brought to you by Gazelle Sports): If you were exploring a planet for signs of intelligent life, it would be a sure indication if you found a pair of running shoes. That's right! Finding a pair of running shoes would tell you some very important things about a planet. You would know that they discovered the importance of physical fitness and of good health. It would show that they've discovered the benefits of motion. Their brains have developed to crave the extra oxygen needed for a good run. Their attitudes are happier. And their bodies are stronger. Is this what they mean when they say "Survival of the fittest?" You can turn yourself into a higher life form. Go buy yourself a pair of running shoes. Training! Mental stuff! Go look in the mirror. Smile. Tell yourself how awesome you are. (Probably better if no one else is in the room, but that's your call.) You're one of the few people on the planet capable of running a marathon. Or a half. Really--maybe it seems to you that all your friends do it too, but compare yourself to the rest of the your fellow earthlings. You're awesome! We all are. Now that you've looked yourself in the eye and told yourself that, go out and grab a few more miles. Another Course Preview! Sunday morning at he YMCA (September 6) 6:30 a.m. We'll run out to the 14 mile mark (the short way, about 3.7 miles). Then well join the course and run from 14 almost to 26.2, for a total of around 16 miles. Now, if you want to run farther or sleep in, you could join Dr. Rick and a few others at 8:00 Sunday instead and run somewhere around 20 miles. Fun, eh? BRING WATER BOTTLES & WHATEVER NUTRITION YOU'RE INTERESTED IN INGESTING ALONG THE WAY. 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 Marathon Minute - On the Radio Our Sponsors The Calendar Quick Links Register Now Buy Stuff More About Us Our Sponsors This newsletter sponsored by: Prevents chafing, promotes healing. A must for EVERY athlete! TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Gazelle Sports Training Programs Marathon Adventures Boot Camp And now...a word from our SPONSORS! Metro Health Sports Medicine Gazelle Sports Highland Group Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith Bagel Beanery West Michigan Sports Commission Brooks Sports R.W. Baird Investments Wright Sock Gordon Water Pepsi Bottling of West Michigan Wright Chiropractic My Way Mobile Storage The Schedule September 26th 20 Mile Training Run hosted by Gazelle Sports October 17th 9 - 6 Health & Fitness Expo and Packet Pickup at the David D Hunting YMCA October 17th Bagel Beanery Kids Marathon Final 1.2 miles at 1:00 pm October 18th Sixth Annual Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon, Half Marathon, and Relay October 24th Every Stride 5K/10K, and Metro Health Marathon Post-Race Celebration at Candlestone Golf & Resort LIFETIME RUNNER Enter Once, Run Forever! You can enter the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon for LIFE. For $725, you get to enter the full or the half marathon for as long as we're still in business! You'll get a permanent number, some extra swag, and the adoration of your fellow runners. If you've already registered for this year but would like to upgrade, we can make that work too--just email me and we'll get it figured out. Wright Chiropractic, P.C. 5020 E. Beltline NE, Suite 103 Grand Rapids, MI 49525 (616) 364-4448 Come in and donate $20 to the Susan G Komen Foundation (Race for the Cure) and receive free first-day services at Wright Chiropractic Includes: Consultation Exam X-rays (if needed) Report of Findings Offer Expires: September 30, 2009