Running has long been one of my favorite activities, so you can imagine how excited I was when Jenna told me she wanted to run a 5k.
Along with some friends from work, she signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k, which took place yesterday.
We have been training for the race for the past month or so. She was ready. The only potential variable would be the weather, especially since October and November have been absolutely perfect for running so far. The forecast called for 45 degrees and partly sunny. However, that turned into 38 degrees and cloudy/windy.
I registered for the race too, but only as a pacer and for moral support.
The race ended up going quite well. Jenna had a target time of 35 minutes, without any walk breaks. She finished in 33:45!! She ran each mile quicker than the previous one, which in my opinion is extraordinary for a first race!
Thankfully, she enjoyed it enough that she wants to run another one!
The SLPs of SW Rehab.
Good thing we were "All ready" registered
Pre-race picture
Lauren looking strong
Couldn't be happier, even after 2 miles!
Meg and Lindsey. Lindsey told me she was 'dying' at this point, despite the big smile.
Meg and Lindsey finishing strong
Posing with Frosty after a successful race.
Post-race photo, just as happy as pre-race
Here are a couple of action shots, courtesy of my parents and sister Abby, who came out to support us!
And finally, a live race video. Sorry its a bit shaky, but I had to run backwards in order to capture it.
Several weeks ago, Jenna and I headed down to Indianapolis to visit family, as well as attend the Covered Bridge Festival.
This was my first ever covered bridge festival. Everyone else had been, and were excited to 'show me the ropes'.
We got up at the crack of dawn in order to get there before the crowd. I didn't realize that an event in the middle of seemingly nowhere southwestern Indiana could actually get crowded.
I could not have been more wrong. There were people of all types at this event. I was told that over 2 million people visit over the 10 day festival!
The other thing I found shocking was the number of things that were deep fried. I mean, who really needs their peanut butter and jelly sandwich deep fried?
I realize some people splurge for a day or two and eat all this 'junk food', but judging from the figure and form of many of the people I saw, this type of diet is a lifestyle for them.
We did get to take a short tour of the mill that is still in operation which was fairly informative but the majority of this festival is eating and shopping.
I did manage to survive the event, and live to tell about it. Here's a few pictures from our day...
A little coffee in the morning
The crew
That pot in front of us is filled with 'soup beans'
The covered bridge
Lookin' good in our shades
People watching and drinking more coffee
I chose to forgo the deep fried stuff and eat some ribs
I received the book, Born to Run, for my birthday. I had heard quite a bit about this book recently, so I was very excited to be able to finally read it.
The book is written by a journalist who also happens to be a runner. He is telling the story of the Tarahumara Indians from Mexico, who happen to to be some of the world's best endurance athletes. They run either barefoot or in rubber tread huarache sandals.
In the book he is looking to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara distance running success, as he had been plagued with running injuries for most of his running life.
I won't divulge any more of the story, as I would highly recommended reading the book.
Besides the story that he tells, there is also a lot of information regarding a relatively new movement towards barefoot running.
Now, my first thought about barefoot running, was that this is just a couple of crazy people for which barefoot running has worked for, so they think everyone should do it. As a Physical Therapist, I definitely thought that this was the worst idea ever for runners to have no footwear.
Running is a wonderful way of keeping in shape and staving off the effects of aging, but it also poses a higher potential for injury compared with other forms of exercise.
With each step during a run, you can have up to 10 times your body weight jolting through your legs and spine. It would be crazy to go without some sort of support on your feet to help 'cushion' some of this shock, right?
Well, according to the book that would be true, but only because we all tend to run incorrectly, or at least not as we were born to run.
Heel Strike. Forefoot Strike
If you were to run without shoes on, odds are you will be running more towards your forefoot and toes, rather than over-striding and landing on your heel, and sending a 1700 pound (in my case) shock-wave through your leg and spine.
The picture to the right shows the difference between the detrimental 'heel strike' during running and the more efficient and safe 'forefoot strike'.
The book's theory is that by wearing shoes for cushioning, stability and support, it encourages this heel strike during running, thereby subjecting us to a lot more wear and tear than running should actually be causing.
The shoe, they claim, is like a brace for the foot. When it comes to Physical Therapy, I only uses braces when absolutely necessary because the body adapts to this support and allows the muscles which should be giving the support to relax and not be activated.
Could this be happening in the foot by continually wearing shoes as a 'brace'?
I think it is a feasible possibility.
Now, I am certainly not advocating that everyone go get rid of their shoes and start running barefoot. I don't think that everyone is a candidate for running barefoot, and even if they are, it should be a gradual and slow progression to allow the foot and ankle to adapt and strengthen.
I will not be running barefoot anytime soon, but I am definitely going to work on altering a few things from a technique and bio-mechanical standpoint, in order to reduce injury risk and increase running efficiency.
Who knows, maybe I will be running around wearing these some day!
It has become somewhat of a tradition for the Mejeurs to participate in the Big Hole Scramble at Crestview Golf Course.
It works out nicely for a couple of reasons. One, it's a scramble, so it eliminates the need to play well individually. Secondly, the hole is bigger, so putting is much easier.
This year players included my Dad, brothers Greg, Nick, Danny, my sister Theresa and her husband and my brother in law Aaron, and of course my lovely wife Jenna.
My dad and three brothers made up one foursome and then Jenna and I along with Aaron and Theresa made up the other foursome.
Our team did not have real high expectations, as our experience and frequency on the golf course was a little lacking. We got off to a rough start with a bogey, but then managed to string together a bunch of pars. We finished the first nine holes with two birdies, to make the turn at one-under.
The weather was a bit chilly, so we had a hot dog and some hot chocolate at the turn. Theresa's hot dog was apparently very good, so good in fact that it "warmed her soul". It did help her game too, as she got us off to a great start on the back nine.
We had some ups and downs on the back nine, but Aaron drained a 15 foot putt to birdie the last hole and finish at one-under overall! We had a good team effort as everyone was able to contribute a shot or two.
Theresa and Aaron kept things entertaining with their usual back and forth banter, and tips to one another on how to improve their play.
Jenna did very well, considering it was only her second time playing, her first time playing 18 holes, and doing so in the chilly weather.
My Dad and brothers finished considerably better, at ten-under par. Overall it was another good Big Hole Scramble.
On Saturday, September 25th I raced in the 6th annual Kalamazoo Metro Trek Urban Adventure Race. This was the second year that I have done the race. Last year I raced on a two person team, but this year I raced on a 4-person co-ed team. Racing on a 4-person team was a first for me for me in any adventure race I have done.
We were ready to go. Training was over and our strategy was set. As of 9:00 PM Friday night, the team consisted of Mike Wilson, Gregg Marsh and AJ Dennis. However, AJ got sick with the flu the night before and had to bow out of the race!
This left us scrambling for a female teammate less than 12 hours before the race began!! We started making calls. My wife suggested calling Anne Betts, who is a Pastor at Radiant Church, which we attend. Mike made the call, and talked her into it, with a little help from her husband who agreed to take care of transporting their kids.
Race day forecast was supposed to be perfect, sunny and a high of 62, however, it ended up being a high of about 58, cloudy and windy. It turned out to be pretty nice though, as overheating was not an issue.
The race started at Mayor's Riverfront Park in downtown Kalamazoo. We began with a 1/2 mile warm-up run or so and then got on our bikes and headed out. We picked up 5 check points on the way out to The Adventure Centre and Pretty Lake, where we would be doing a High Ropes course and canoeing, respectively.
The ropes course was pretty sweet and required a fair amount of teamwork to complete. Simply put, we rocked it. Then we got in the canoes and picked up 5 more check points. Off the water and back to the bikes to hit one check point and then get to the bike and foot orienteering sections.
I could not have been more excited about these sections. They were staged in Al Sabo Land Preserve, which has essentially been my outdoor play place for the past 2+ years. Three points on the bike trails and then we headed off to do some orienteering on foot.
We took care of this section with relative ease, picking off the 11 check points in well under 2 hours. With Mike giving us bearings and Gregg, Anne and I following them and scouting, we were working as a well-oiled machine.
On the way back out we had to find two more points on the bike, which we did without a problem. We headed back into town to Mayor's Riverfront park to drop our bikes and head out on foot through the city for a little metro-gaining.
In my opinion, this section was harder than last years, due primarily to length. We covered approximately 7-8 miles to find 10 different spots across downtown Kalamazoo. We had just a little trouble on a point or two, but nothing that required any back-tracking.
We did discover that Mike is not the greatest at pinball, and I may have an aspiring career in the field of pole dancing.
We headed back to the finish line. We crossed the line with all points completed in 8 hours and twelve minutes. We covered approximately 40 miles on the bike, maybe 2-3 in the canoe, and somewhere between 12-14 miles on foot.
We finished 1st in the 4-person co-ed division, and won a pair of Oakley sunglasses!
In other awards, I am giving Randy and Anne Betts the co-MVP award, for literally saving team Goin' Postal.
Overall, our team worked wonderfully together. Each bringing something to the table to help the team. We also had an awesome unofficial support crew/cheering section consisting of the VanDyks, Wilsons, and my wife. It is always a big plus to have friends and family supporting you!
There are many details that I have left out to make this somewhat readable, but any of us would be more than willing to share if you want to know them. We also had a helmet cam for part of the race, and will hopefully have some footage put together soon. I will post that when I can.
In the mean time, here are a few pictures, and a post-race wrap-up video.
Over the past couple of years my family has started a tradition of getting together for Labor Day weekend at a cottage/house somewhere along Lake Michigan. It has gotten more difficult for us all to get together at the same time in recent years, so it has worked out well to hang out together over Labor day weekend.
The past two years we had been spoiled with amazing weather. Sunny, warm, and perfect for spending time onthe beach. This year was a little different. The temperature was much cooler, and it was a little rainy and windy a couple of the days.
Nonetheless, it was still a good time. We spent plenty of time playing games and arguing over the rules and who won( which is the norm for my family), lounging around, eating, playing Poles, sitting on the beach, watching 8-10 foot waves roll in, and catching a beautiful sunset.
I could spend a while describing what we did in detail, but I will just post some pictures instead.
We celebrated my birthday, too. I chose cupcakes in ice cream cones as my dessert. I guess I am still a first grader at heart!
