Dexter - Ann Arbor 10K

I road into town w/ Courtney & Don this morning. The race started almost on time, & we had fantastic weather. The run was cool & beautiful along the river & up through the woods. It was certainly nicer than just running the roads though Ypsi. The one downside to the run was that I was passed by a former student. I wasn't pleased as she ran by, said, "Hi Andre!" & kept on cruizin'. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased w/ how with turned out. I averaged 10 minutes & 43 seconds a mile which isn't fantastic, but I'll take it for my 1st ever race. Courtney came in a little later, but she hadn't been training much ahead of time, so I'm sure next year, after she's been training on the bayou for a year, she'll kick my ass. Don ran the 1/2 marathon in less than 2 hours... nice work! Shout-outs also go out to Steve K., Steve B., Stacey, & Rachel who all did well. Over all, it was fun, & I can definitely see myself doing it again. Maybe I can even think about working towards the 1/2 marathon. We'll see.

A thought while running today

There's a little breaking news, but before we get to that, I need to clear something up. While running (I made it 5.7 miles today @ a good pace), I was thinking about the old llama farm on Superior which in turn got me thinking about llamas in general & my interest in them. People often wonder what it is about them that I dig. So here's the thing... in Plymouth there was a llama farm that I always loved & on 1 occasion, Stephanie & I even got a chance to meet them. That alone isn't really enough though. Of course, that isn't enough to make the llama my #1 favorite animal. There's also the Phish song, which is obviously a cool tune (you can hear a a good version from 1992 here), but that isn't really it either. I think my love for these animals is down to their basic personality. They have a sort of have a slacker-chic situation going on. Perhaps you're not aware of this, but I kind of do too. I know there are other, more slackerish animals, but they're too showy. Take the possum (another Phish song); their very name is "possum." Their name is a synonym for being lazy.. that's going to far. They're sort of slacker attention whores. I may be a slacker, & I may be an attention whore, but I'm not an attention whore about my slacking. The llama may be a slacker, but they also know how to party when necessary, that's the other thing I dig about them. They will even get up on their hind legs and sing... that's pretty awesome. They're not like drunks sing Neil Diamond in a bar though... they're subtle about it. So many animals are stinky or obnoxious, or showy... llamas aren't like that @ all, llamas just are.

Oh... & I promised a little new news.... come back tomorrow & I'll lay it on you w/ photos & everything.

Running

Not just running! Something that needs endurance! Something that needs stamina! Like, long-distance running! Cross-country running!I've never been much for competitive long-distance running; when I've run, it's always been in order to get in shape for soccer. Courtney suggested that I register for the Dexter-Ann Arbor 10K though, & I think I might do it. When I was at my peak... 20 years ago... I was running 8 miles a day. Let's just say I' not at my peak any more. A few years ago, I was up to 3 or 4 a day though, & after yesterday's mil and a half, I was feeling pretty good, so we'll see.

I got new shoes, but running pants and an Under-Armor shirt... an imitation, Target brand Under-Armor shirt (made by Champion Sportswear). It was 1/3 of the price, but does the trick. Like an anti-McDLT container, it keeps the hot side cold & the cold side hot. I figured if I spent some cash on running, I'd be motivated to stick w/ it for a while. The main goal, rather than the 10K run, is to be ready for soccer in May. A few miles a day should get me there. The other goal is to look less sausagesque in my fake Under-Armor shirt.