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Haven and I having a blast racing in the 2008 Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Since I began running almost five years ago I've participated in 25 races (including 3 adventure races) but surprisingly only three events have been repeats. Twice each I've run the Grand Rapids Marathon and the Irish Jig 5K, and now I can add Bailey's Doggie Dash to the list for the fourth time!
My first ever organized race was the 2005 edition of the Doggie Dash and it's been an annual staple for Haven and I ever since. Why? You'll be hard pressed to find more fun packed into a 5K!
Haven poses as Amanda takes advantage of beautiful photography settings.
Haven has always been a fast runner - after all, she's a dog! They're born to run, even the lazy ones. :) My training over the years has helped me keep up with her and our Doggie Dash results show a favorable trend:
2005 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 24:39 - 10th overall, 1st/1 age group
2006 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 22:42 - 5th overall, 1st/4 age group
2007 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 20:17 - 3rd overall, 2nd/3 age group
(A note about the age groups... Yes, I "won" my age group in 2005 by being the only runner in it! Although technically I'll never truly win my age group as long as Joel Bierling and his dog Anubis are here - they've won the Doggie Dash outright every year since 2004, and Joel is my age. In fact the top three humans in 2007 were all 31 years old!)
The one and only Bailey, the "assistant race director" of Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Could Haven and I continue to improve in 2008? Sadly, no - I am still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury and knew going into the event that I would not be able to run near full speed, but Haven didn't get the memo...
We lined up behind the chalk line with "START" scrawled on the pavement - part of the appeal of this race is how casual and old-school it is - and Haven immediately began screaming in excitement! Just like before last year's race - she knew exactly what was going on and just couldn't wait to get going.
Krista Durham heard Haven (who couldn't?) and walked over to say hi as I tried to buckle the Ruff Wear Roamer leash around my waist. Krista and Ron discovered the Doggie Dash - and indirectly their dog Kasey - last year thanks to my blog! In 2007 Ron won his age group but this year was Krista's turn and she assured me that she was no threat to win an award.
Race director Kevin Sweeney "barks" out final instructions before the start of Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Photo courtesy of Jim Falk, Kent County Parks Foundation. The race is held at Wabasis Park in Kent County, and 100% of the entry fees are donated to the Foundation.
Finally we were off! As you can see in the photo below, even though I was trying to go easy Haven was definitely in afterburner. The pack began to thin out a bit when suddenly a Golden Retriever whizzed past... off leash! I heard a woman behind me calling for her dog but it was having too much fun! I stopped a couple times to try and snag its leash but without luck; however, the dog was soon back in hand.
Haven launches us off to a quick start - who do you think is having more fun?
Heading up the first hill from the boat launch a young Husky mix kept trying to play with Haven, but Haven wasn't here for games - she wanted to catch the lady in front of us! To Haven's chagrin I instead struck up a conversation with Neil, the owner of the playful Isla. This was Neil's 4th or 5th Doggie Dash but the 1st for recently-adopted Isla - in previous years Neil had to borrow his daughter's dog!
Going downhill pulled away from Neil and Isla and Haven settled in behind a woman and her Irish Setter, who was also using a hands-free leash like us. We followed about half a mile, reaching the 1-mile mark where I realized I'd forgotten to start my watch! I started it here and based on my finish time, was able to deduce later that Haven and I posted an 8:16 first mile, faster than I've run in a long time.
Neil Bierling and Isla work their way up a hill.
Once again it was a downhill section that allowed us to pass a runner and Haven and it made the turn onto the wooded trail section of the course. With nobody in sight ahead or behind us, Haven must've realized the sudden privacy - she stopped for some "business"! Fortunately I carried a couple Business Bags in my pocket and cleared the trail of landmines, but then had to carry the live ordnance until we found a trash can! When all was said and done it was almost a one minute delay.
A few dogs and people passed us during the pit stop and I must've subconsciously accelerated a bit - we ran the second mile at a 9:05 pace including the poop delay, but by this point Haven was finally growing tired of giving my pace a free ride. The leash went slack and I was on my own!
Surprisingly I felt pretty good but I didn't let the slow pace fool me into thinking I was fit enough for anything faster. We jogged through the campground where a camping family was watching with their dog. They asked me about race and I ran backwards a few steps as I explained the basics before Haven coaxed me onwards.
Haven and I cresting the final hill and still having fun.
At long last the final uphill was in sight and we did our best to maintain momentum. Along this stretch of road Amanda was lurking on the shoulder to snap some photos with the amazing fall colors in the background. Every year the Doggie Dash has seen great weather - clear, sunny, cool, and leaves every color but green.
Cresting the hill I noticed that Neil and Isla weren't far behind, so Haven and I made sure we didn't get lazy as we chugged towards the finish line. Woo hoo! Yep, it's an old-school event - no chip timing here. A volunteer ripped the perforated tab from my bib number while another wrote down my time on a clipboard. 26:59 was written by my number, probably my slowest 5K ever but also among the most enjoyable!
Juanita Stasik and Lance working hard - well, one of them is working hard. :)
The last mile clocked about 8:45 - not having Haven's help really exposed my slowness! We hung out at the finish to watch some other folks finish, including a couple of my friends from work. Juanita Stasik and her yellow lab Lance were running their second Doggie Dash after discovering the event in 2007.
Bob Fry and Monty make their way to the finish. Monty was glad for the cool, 45-degree weather!
Making his first Doggie Dash appearance was Bob Fry and his Pomeranian mix Monty. Bob is one the guys I run with at work during lunch (when my leg is healthy) and a former Boston Marathoner. Notice that "50" on his shirt - I'll bet that he and I were the only two runners wearing shirts from a 50-mile ultramarathon! Monty probably took as many steps in this 5K as Bob does in a 50K!
Now it was time for the treats - dog biscuits for Haven and Halloween candy for me! Race director Kevin Sweeney sure knows how to dish out a post-race spread! He also knows how to organize a smooth event - low tech, low stress, high class and high fun!
Haven is in full-on begging mode, explaining in dog language why she deserves yet another biscuit!
Once all the runners and walkers had finished it was time for the awards. First up were the door prizes and I finally won! The loot was a hand-made blanket - I've been pining for one of those hand-made dog beds and blankets that are given out each year.
The little wizard, winner of the Bailey's Choice costume award.
Next were the costume winners as chosen by local meteorologist Peter Chan - many great outfits but there was a certain charm about the winner - a little wizard. And finally the running awards... Once again Joel Bierling and Anubis won overall but he had to pass a high school cross country runner on the last hill to earn his victory! If that kid is back next year, Joel and Anubis are in trouble. A girl from the same high school took a close 2nd overall for women, too!
I should mention that trophies are handed out for the people and engraved bowls for the dogs! Three deep in each age group, so there's a lot of hardware going home. Neil and Isla won their age group as did Bob and Monty! However Bob had already headed home, so after the awards I got their trophies and dropped them off with Bob at work. He has two other dogs besides Monty and he thinks they'll be jealous of Monty's engraved bowl.
Not to be outdone by our co-worker, Juanita and Lance went home with some hardware, too! They finished 3rd in her age group, a task made easier by arriving on time. Last year Juanita took a wrong turn while driving to the park and started the race 10 minutes late! Apparently she still had so much fun that she came back for more.
Krista Durham and Kasey try to shrug off their award after promising at the start to not win one. ;)
Remember Krista's promise that Kasey wasn't going to win anything? Wrong - they placed 3rd in their age group! Kasey is 2-for-2 with trophies and now has more than either of his owners. Ron had his own race the next day - the Grand Rapids Marathon as his first 26.2 and he rocked it with a 3:37! Wow.
Finally it was time for my age group and... nothing. Lots of guys in their 30s can run faster than gimpy me, so poor Haven had to endure the shame of no engraved bowl this year. But hey, we won a blanket!
Haven relaxes on our door prize, an evidently comfy hand-made blanket.
Even though it's only a 20-minute drive home, Haven slept the entire way - she was one worn-out pup. We posed for our photo in front of the burning bush in what has become a post-race tradition, then went inside to indulge in more treats. As if Bailey's Doggie Dash wasn't enough of a treat already!
The traditional post-race photo - we'll be back in 2009!
A while ago I wrote about my 2006 goals, but I haven't discussed the goals I made for 2007. There are currently 36 goals on my list, although that's a fluid number since I always reserve the right to edit my goals if situations change - in fact, I just added one tonight! I won't list them all, but here are a select few:
- Plan a race schedule for the entire year
- Run a 5K under 20:08
- Run a marathon under 4:00
- Run at least 250 times
- Track Haven's and Beacon's activities (running, swimming, hiking, etc)
- At work - get into a lead role or other such role that better suits my abilities
- Write six article-type blog entries
So far, so good, but there are plenty of yet-to-be-undertaken goals on my list. 11 more months to go!
Today was another treadmill day. As a general rule I dislike running without going anywhere, but sometimes it can be fun. I did a tempo-ish run today where I started at a 9:00 pace, then a 7:30 pace, then a 7:00 pace, then a 8:00 pace, capped off by sustaining a 6:30 pace during minutes 25 to 32 of a 35 minute run (the last three minutes at 9:00). I have to remind myself, though, that running on a treadmill is about 10% easier than in the real world of the great outdoors.
Speaking of "real world", some of my co-workers apparently aren't in it. Here are some examples of oddity:
One lady came into the fitness center and hopped on the treadmill next to me. She walked for all of THREE minutes before leaving again! Some workout.
A couple years ago I saw a guy run for 15 minutes on the treadmill in his work clothes! Shirt, slacks, loafers and all! If only he was wearing his labcoat, too...
Another guy, when using the treadmill, lets the belt get up to speed before hopping on at a full run! He would run five minutes, then hop off with the belt still whizzing! He would do this over and over. I was surprised he didn't fall on his ass, but I kinda kept hoping he would. :)
The strangest was a guy about my age. One early morning (6am and still dark) I was lifting weights while he rode the reclined exercise bike on level 1 (this particular bike I would ride at level 12 or so; it goes up to 20) for about 15 minutes, hardly breaking a sweat. Suddenly I hear the bike revving up to an insanely high RPM and I look over to see him pedaling as fast as humanly possible - still on level 1 - all while grunting as loudly as those dudes on the World's Strongest Man competition. I thought for sure he was going to spontaneously burst into flames! Then he abruptly stops and heads for the shower. As he walks past me he looks at the falling snow outside and comments: "It's gonna be a frightfully chilly day in the Hundred Acre Wood!" I'm sorry, but when there are two men alone in a fitness center and they speak just once, they should not be referring to Pooh Bear!
I went running with a couple guys during lunch hour and we really loved the "winter" weather! Nice and sunny, 42 degrees with a stiff breeze. I wore shorts and felt very warm by the end of the run. We talked a lot about Gerald Ford (he was buried here in Grand Rapids today; his motorcade drove past my office yesterday), Howard Hughes, and military strategy. By the end of the run I was the only one talking - it was a very easy pace for me but not as much for the other guys. I sprinted the last 1/4 mile to burn up some energy.
The highlight of the run was being spotted by my cousin, Ana! She goes to college here in town and recently started a part-time job at a storage facility that we run past. I'd completely forgotten about that when suddenly I hear someone yelling "Andrew!" way behind me, and I turn to see her waving in the distance. We had a brief shouting conversation before I turned to catch up with the guys.
On Friday I rode my bike to work for the second time. I had done it once before two weeks ago, also on a Friday. If only we lived a bit closer, because I'd certainly commute by bike more often; however, for now I'm planning on riding about once a week every Friday. The shortest route is 14.65 miles, which I followed two weeks ago - it took me one hour. This week I took a slightly longer but less hilly route that added up to 17.15 miles. The reduction in hills must've helped because I arrived at work in 1:05, just five minutes slower than my first trip. For comparison, it takes me about 25 minutes to drive those same routes to work.
Those miles, however, just get me to the main building at work (my company has two buildings about a mile apart). This building has a fitness center, including a locker room and shower stalls so I'm able to wear my bike gear on the ride there, then shower and change into my work clothes. I work in the auxiliary building, which means I then have to ride the one mile down the road, but I take it easy so as to not get all sweaty. On these rides my backpack is fully loaded, including carrying my standard sustenance - breakfast (a half-liter of strawberry Slim Fast) plus lunch (a half-liter of kool-aid, a yogurt, and a double-decker PB&J sandwich).
All told that's a bit less than 1.5 hours if you include the shower stop and riding to the auxiliary building. So far on these days I haven't ridden home. Fridays I like to leave a little early, so instead of biking home Amanda will come to pick me up and we go out for dinner somewhere. This week is was gourmet dining at Wendy's!