#99

This is the one race that Asia doesn't eat *race day* breakfast (Jimmy Dean Hot sausage and scrambled eggs) before. It's the Milan 5k, at the beginning of Discover Milan Day, and there is a pancake breakfast after the race. I make Asia's soy pancakes to take with us and the cooks are kind enough to fry them up for her.

Yesterday couldn't have been much nastier (in my opinion). May 8, 45* temps and winds of 45 mph driving the cold, soaking rain. BUT, Running Fit runners train in everything, so Asia took it in stride.

This was the first race I hadn't pre-registered her for in a while, and it worked in our favor. There were only 2 ahead of us in the late registration line and about 30 in the pre-reg line. We got her number, took a picture of her in her Operation Jack shirt, and went to visit with some old friends we hadn't seen in a long while.

When it was time for the race to start, Coach Porter said he was going to do a false start for the newspaper. He meant for the runners to pose as if taking off, but I took him literally.....a false START, not just pose.....so when the gun sounded, I held Asia back, thinking she would be confused. But wait.........why weren't the other runners coming back to the start? OH NO, that was the real start........take off Asia!! By then the walkers had started (small race) so she had to navigate around them, which is not her strong suit. ...sigh....plus, I didn't start my watch. Operator error x 2!

I went inside the Senior Center for a while to warm up, then went back to the finish line to wait. This isn't a race where we get to see the runners once they leave. I started my watch off of Coach Porter's at 16 minutes and spent some time talking to his oldest daughter Kyle, who ran with Asia in high school. What a treat! She's grown into a wonderful young woman.

At 18 minutes and some change the first runners came thru. Jerry was in town and could see them turn one of the last corners. He said the wind was so bad that the walkers were having trouble just moving forward.

Finally at 25 minutes and some seconds Asia appeared on the bridge. We knew it would be some time before the results were posted, so we headed up to meet Jerry for breakfast.

The results still aren't posted on the website, but Jerry saw Coach Porter later and Asia was 2nd in her age group! Good for her! Number 99 is now history. On to 100, the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon on June 6!