CRIM 2013

Over a month ago, we all participated in the second annual (to us) CRIM races! We had a total and utter blast this year as well. It is becoming one of my most favorite annual traditions. This year, in stead of arriving from a 12 hour road trip the day before the race, we spent a week relaxing, swimming, eating and just vegging. Then we ran the races.  This year they also had the professional mile on Friday night as opposed to on Saturday.  The professionals were amazing! Elite professionals from all over the country (and other countries) come to run this fast road race. Wow. Seeing their amazing bodies was inspiring for all of us.

The community organizations in Flint also hosted a pasta dinner which was a good idea. But not very well attended. It ended up being a bit of a waste of money but the intention was good.

After the professional mile, the not so professional milers lined up! This was Wyeth's race. Sam ran with him, hand in hand. Seren, Grandma, Grandad and I cheered. He was very excited!

He did his first mile in 12.26. The night was cool and we were all so excited for him!

 

The next morning, Sam woke up and left with Grandma for the BIG event! The ten mile race. People come from ALL over to run in this thing! There were 8,371 runners in the ten mile. He was in the second heat. We were all sound asleep while he made his way over there. He wanted to be rested and in good stretching before the race. We didn't see him off but he was out of there by about 8:00AM.

Meanwhile, back at home, I was nervously getting breakfast into all of us.  I woke up early and actually ate my normal two egg breakfast and had some coffee. Last year, during my race, I was so hungry that I felt awful! This year, I fueled up.  We grabbed our running shoes, did some stretches and were off in time to get our races on.

I was so excited and nervous! We had trained for 8 weeks as a family of four. Most of our runs (the parents' runs) were on our own but we had the kids at the local track. Around and around we would all go. We all followed a different program. My main goal was simply to be FASTER this year. I didn't follow my training as I should. I was faster and stronger than a novice but not an intermediate runner. So I kinda did a hybrid. I pretty much ran 3 miles three times a week for an 8k (five mile) race. Not quite enough cross training or weight lifting. But I ran during both family vacations. A good showing.

Anyway, at 9 am, I was off.

Sam was still running somewhere in Flint. He had to finish his ten miles in at least 1 hour and 30 minutes if he was to meet Seren at the start of HER first 5K! The plan was that she would start the race, even if he wasn't there, and keep on running to the right. Dad would find her. I was nervous about this decision. This isn't a small race and we run THROUGH Flint. But Sam knew he'd be back.

Seren cried a few tears as she stood waiting next to Grandma. But she did it. As she said during her training runs, "Mom. I'm not a quitter. I am really strong." And she is!

Sam finished super strong at 1 hour and 23 minutes- plenty of time to smile for the camera, grab a banana and find his daughter in 7 minutes so that he could run with her! 

I came in next, just a few minutes after they headed off. I was really pleased with my race. This year, there was no humidity and I had really trained. I shaved off 2 minutes off my previous race time. And instead of feeling faint and nauseated, I sprinted in and smiled!  I couldn't see my family as I finished; eyes on the prize. I heard my mother in law's strong voice but I couldn't identify them in the crowd. But I did it!

I was around to see Seren and Sam finish strong! She was ALL business coming through the finishline!

I'm proud of all of us. I'm proud of myself for doing it. As my best friend Andy said 'wow, you guys took this thing seriously'. We really did. But it feels so good! Next year, I hope to run with music on and with a watch! Running is mostly a mental sport. I had no idea of my pace. And since the race course literally has three races on it going at once, the clocks don't help. At one point, I thought I was way behind where I wanted to be and nearly just started to walk. Then I heard a fellow runner, right next to me, tell me the time and I thought to myself 'DAMN! I Got this! Go!" That was all I needed to kick it in.

Oh, running. You are so good to me!

 

Our stats:
Wyeth's first mile: 12.26 age 4

Seren's first 5k: 37.33, age 7. Pace: 11.44. She finished 407 out of 1379 'women'. And placed 784 out of 2107 5k runners!

Mom's time: second 8k: 46.27, age 36. Pace: 9.21. I finished 38 out of 930 women, 124 out of 1325 runners and 5th out of 107 in my age group!

Sam's time: fifth of sixth 10 miles: 1 hour 23 min and 5 seconds, age 39. Pace: 8:19 mile. He was 1083 out of 4025 and 1370 out of 8,371 runners!