Chicago Marathon 10.10.10, or Asia, Jerry, and Adair's Big Adventure

Our perfect viewing spot at the 20.5 mile point.

We can look so fresh because we didn't just run 26.2 miles in 85* heat!!

Some of the team and support crew.

Gwen, Asia and Eduardo

We finally got to meet Sam! This was his 48th marathon this YEAR!

No, Asia didn't run it. But as soon as we saw how many of our team were going, we wanted to go cheer for them. And when we found out that Sam (http://www.operationjack.com/) was going to be there, it was a no-brainer. We had to go.

I started researching a month or so ago, and we tossed around the idea of taking the train, but Jerry had to work Saturday morning, so that was out. After quizzing my company's sales rep in Chicago, I decided that we'd drive over, stay near Midway airport, then take the *L* from Midway to downtown. The bonus was that we'd get to hop off and see part of the race....the 20.5 mile point....and hopefully see some of our guys running. ***Imagine trying to spot 61 familiar faces in a speeding blur of 45,000 people.***

The drive to Chicago was blessedly uneventful.....we stopped at Culver's in Stephensville for dinner, then arrived at the hotel about 7:30. Plenty of time to relax and plan our strategy for Sunday morning. I had maps of *Everything*....from how to get to Midway to the CTA route map to how to get to the Runners Reunite area, where we were all going to meet at the letter *R* for .....runner, or Running Fit, or (wait for it.........) RENNING!!!

We were up at 5am for breakfast at 6, then off to Midway. Part of my planning included preparing for unpredictable weather. I mean, after all, it's October 10....which could mean just about anything weather-wise. And we were going to the *Windy City*. So we took every combination of clothes from shorts and tanks to jeans and sweatshirts...........all team-oriented, of course, with rain jackets thrown in for good measure..........and this was for a 1 night trip. WHEW!!! It turned out to be wonderful spectator weather and not so great runner weather....55* at the start, warming quickly. I started out in jeans and a jacket but soon changed to the shorts I had in my backpack. The jacket was shed not long after.

We were the only ones at the corner of Halstead and Archer. We claimed our spot by the guard rail and draped our 10+ years old Red/Black/White Milan CC jackets over the fence to both save our spots and provide a visual sign for our runners. I had started my race watch at 7:30 sharp, and signed us up for runner tracking. We kept expecting text messages that didn't come until 8:40!!! The first 2 told us that John, Katie's husband and Sam had crossed the start at 8:06 and 8:07!!!! More than 30 minutes after the supposed start of the race!!! We tried to figure out, based on their previous races, when they might pass us. Higher math :>(

Gradually our little corner began to fill. A couple from San Francisco were there to cheer for their daughter. The support crew for a high school team parked behind us and began to wheel generators, coolers, flags, and camp chairs down the street closer to the water stop.

I have to hand it to the event organizers.......they gave us lots of notice that something was about to happen. 15 minutes before the wheelers arrived there was a *15 minute* van that came thru. Then the *10min.* van, then the *5 min* van, then..........there were the first wheelers! We could see them coming down the street under the train overpass. Such amazing athletes!

More down time. Chatting with the neighbors, waiting for the runners to appear.

And then in the distance we could hear sirens and bells and whistles. The flashing lights of police vehicles appeared under the overpass. The *5* minute van passed, but it wasn't 5 minutes until the police cars were there. Then a 20-motorcycle cavalcade passed, then the official pace car with the time of 1:38:38. And there were the elite runners. The first 7 were from Kenya and Ethiopia. They seemed absolutely effortless as they rounded the corner for the final 5.7 miles of their race. They would finish the marathon in just over 2 hours!

We waited for more text messages announcing the progress of our runners. Nothing!

Finally more runners appeared under the bridge. (I say *finally* but that's just because we were waiting...........these guys were crazy fast.)

We began watching in earnest. We were pretty sure John and Sam would be the first 2 from our *watch list* to pass by, but we had no real idea when. We had no common uniform to watch for, and in Sam's case, we had never even met him in person. We had only seen his picture online. With a lot of our team mates, we can spot them by their running style, but with Sam, we didn't even have that.

Yeah, we're going to pick 61 people out of 45, 000............rrrriiiiigggghhttt!!!!

But then.........wow! THERE'S JOHN!!! (cue the screaming.....Way to go John!!! WHOOO HOOO!!) We got a head turn and a wave from John! And a few minutes later..........(me: 'is that Sam? Jerry, that's Sam!) By this time we'd made friends with the neighbors and were cheering for their people too, so the group of us yelled, "GO SAM!!!" Sam was clearly watching for us as he rounded the corner, but he didn't know us either!!!

Whew..........that's exciting!! What's next? More waiting? Scanning faces? OK, bring 'em on!!

All this time we'd tried to behave......to stay behind the baracades.....while others, who had arrived 2 hours after we did, began to fill in the street in front of us. The police did nothing. We and our neighbors yelled, "Get off the street!" All to no avail. When my view of the street became completely blocked I caved in to peer pressure and ran to the street too! We didn't drive all this way to look at a wall of backs!!

I should mention that the temperature had been steadilly rising, and it was only 9am. It felt like a summer morning. I was in heaven, but I knew our runners would be suffering.

We scanned the faces watching for Eduardo and Gwen but never did see them. Erin and Christine arrived wearing their electric blue wigs, waiting to jump in with Gwen but left with Laurie instead. We waited, wanting to see Katie pass before we left for the finish but didn't see her.

The *L* took us within a few blocks of the finish but we were still several blocks from the Runners Reunite area. I really wish I had not been in such a hurry to get there, because Grant Park looked really gorgeous!!. Someday I'll go back. On the way I got a call that some of our runners were suffering and were walking. It was that hot!!

We made our way thru the park, past runners proudly sporting their finishers medals, with bags of ice on their heads, on their necks, under their arms....courtesy of the support crew. NICE!!

Finally, at the letter *R* we found John (3:09:09), Gwen (3:20:16), Mandi (3:29:06), and Ryan. For all their protestations about how hard it was, they all looked fantastic!! We all knew that it would be a while before the walkers arrived, so we talked, took pictures and waited while the sun beat down. Eduardo (3:21:46) arrived, then Jean (4:05:22), and Melissa (4:12:23) and Laurie, with Karen, Zoe, and Christine (Team Melaurie).

I IM'd Sam (3:29:27) to direct him from the Charity Village to the Reunite area.

Mimi arrived, and Zak (4:43:42, first marathon!!) and Ge (4:33:36 PR!!). Katie and Jon arrived and everyone's camera came out. We tried to *will* the helicopters closer to provide some breeze.

And then it was time to leave. We walked Sam back to the Charity Village to meet his host for the weekend and then made our way to the *L* to take us back to Midway Airport. She kept reminding me how *flexible* she was being by waiting until after 12 to eat lunch. But, truth be told, we were ravenous too, and after we found the car, shed some clothes and put on sandals, we made our way to the nearest White Castle for sliders for Jerry and I and chicken rings for Asia.

It was a wonderful weekend. We had a night away, cheered for our team, and met Sam.

In less than 24 hours after we'd left, we were on our way back home. It was so fast that Jerry had jet lag Monday!

(If you're not too tired of reading, go to http://www.operationjack.com/ and read Sam's blog. You will be amazed at what he's accomplished this year...........the year of 48 (so far), 50, after this weekend, and soon to be 61 marathons.

Next report, the Detroit Half-Marathon!!!

CRIM 2010

Post-CRIM party

In August of 1977, Michigan House Speaker, Bobby Crim and his assistant Lois Craig launched the first Bobby Crim Road Race. Little did they know that they were embarking on a journey that would change the City of Flint forever! Yesterday was the 34th running of the CRIM Festival of Races, which probably doesn't bear a whole lot of resemblance to the first race.........except for some of the original runners, who reassemble each year to recreate that first race. Asia and 80 of her teammates were part of the nearly 10,000 runners who braved the Bradley Hills to pound down the bricks on Saginaw Street yesterday for the 10 mile run. It was Asia's 105th race and her 5th time running the CRIM. She finished in 1:20:00, an 8 min. pace, and her 3rd best time for a 10 mile race. She was 42 in her AG out of 517, 227 female, out of 4,338, and 1,365 over all, out of 8,967.

I'll have more pix to post later.............right now my camera battery is complaining of overuse. This one of the 3 of us is courtesy of Zoe!

And here are the results for the rest of the team:

1.03.53 6.23 Doug Goodhue (M6569)
1.06.32 6.39 Craig Frankland (M2529)
1.06.35 6.39 Eduardo Matsuo (M5559)
1.06.44 6.40 Shaun Palmer (M3034)
1.06.49 6.40 Rob Morgan (M4549)
1.09.06 6.54 Bob Trustman (M3539)
1.09.09 6.54 Erin LaRusso (F4044)
1.09.20 6.56 Gwen Frederickson (F3539)
1.09.26 6.56 Jon Cioffi (M4044)
1.09.59 6.59 Aaron Pratt (M5559)
1.10.22 7.02 Mike Tamilia (M4549)
1.11.25 7.08Jessica Shehab (F3034)
1.11.57 7.11 Chris Brandly (M4044)
1.12.12 7.13 Marie Wolfgram (F3034)
1.13.13 7.19 Lee Mamola (M5559)
1.15.03 7.30 Joy Racowski (F2529)
1.15.46 7.34Curt Steenbeke (M4549)
1.15.58 7.35 Duane Culp (M4549)
1.16.12 7.37 Ian Parker (M2024)
1.16.29 7.38 Alex Breuning (M3539)
1.16.37 7.39Katie Sytniak (F3034)
1.16.51 7.41 Ron Smerigan (M3034)
1.17.01 7.42 Michael Mester (M5054)
1.17.18 7.43 John Gossiaux (M5054)
1.18.40 7.52 en Fike (F4044)
1.18.52 7.53 Carmen Green-Lee (F4549)
1.19.10 7.55 Irwan Salim (M3034)
1.19.22 7.56 Zoe Thompson (F3539)
1.20.00 8.00 Asia Renning (F2529)
1.20.29 8.02 Ted Stilber (M4044)
1.20.31 8.02 Axel Demuth (M4549)
1.20.48 8.04 Laurie Hartman (F4044)
1.21.23 8.08 Julie Beall (F2024)
1.21.26 8.08 Rick Neubert (M5054)
1.22.00 8.12 Christine Comer (F3539)
1.25.45 8.34 Karen Phelps (F4044)
1.25.49 8.34 Brad Carlson (M3539)
1.27.44 8.46 Patrick Lauer (M3539)
1.27.50 8.47Suzi Stock (F5054)
1.28.05 8.48 Diane Kast (F2529)
1.28.36 8.51 Robin Linfield (F4044)
1.28.36 8.51Heather Hengesbach (F2529)
1.29.40 8.58 Karin Demuth (F4549)
1.29.51 8.59 Mimi Cox (F5054)
1.31.26 9.08 Doug Bateson (M5054)
1.32.13 9.13 Paul Reason (M5559)
1.33.03 9.18 Becky Zak (F2529)
1.33.09 9.18 Marianne Carter (F2529)
1.33.45 9.22 Toni LeMaster (F4549)
1.33.53 9.23 Kate Huffman (F2529)
1.34.18 9.25 Amy Lawson (F3539)
1.34.27 9.26James Kibbie (M6064)
1.34.29 9.26 Laura Locke (F3539)
1.35.05 9.30 Emily Witt (F2529)
1.35.07 9.30 John Wilkes (M6064)
1.35.13 9.32Liz Wright (F3034)
1.35.15 9.32 Kris Welko (F3539)
1.35.51 9.35 Akane Hodge (M3539)
1.36.49 9.40 Linda Doll (F5054)
1.38.05 9.48 Jane Peters Arnold (F5559)
1.38.15 9.49 Brandon Buyaki (M3539)
1.38.06 9.48 Bob Riesterer (M5054)
1.39.03 9.54 Matt Kowalski (M4044)
1.42.25 10.14 Liz Marshall (F3539)
1.44.10 10.25 Cindy Goodhue (F6064)
1.45.22 10.32 Kellie LaBarr (F3539)
1.45.39 10.33 David Pfiester (M5054)
1.45.42 10.33 Peggy Campbell (F6064)
1.47.38 10.47 Jill Kowalski (F4044)
1.50.02 11.00 Lois Davidson (F4549)
1.52.40 11.16 Maryann Chupa (F5559)
1.54.10 11.25 Ken Gray (M4549)
1.55.00 11.30 Raelene Miller-Hagan (F4044)
1.56.37 11.39 Eron Mitchell (M3539)
1.58.37 11.51 Karen Sanders (F4549)
2.00.14 12.01 Andrea Schultz (F4549)
2.00.23 12.01 Tracy Featherston (F3539)
2.01.13 12.07 Julie Kluka (F2529)
2.03.03 12.18 Nickie Bateson (F4549)
2.17.25 13.44 Kristen Lesondak (F3539)
2.40.42 16.04 Katie Darling (F3034)
2.48.24 16.50 Gene Gaunt (M5054)

#104 "run like mike" Rutka 5K

Lining up at the start

Carmen and Asia after the race.

The winner of Jason's Walk for Cerebral Palsy!

James, Carmen, Jumanne, Jerry and Asia. Carmen, Jumanne, and Asia were all 1st place in their age groups.

Age group awards. The caricatures represent different facets of Michael Rutka's life, and each one has adorned a race t-shirt.

Today was the 10th running of the Rutka 5k, and Asia has run 9 of them, only missing 2003. The "run like mike" Rutka 5k remembers and honors Michael J. Rutka, husband, father, and local runner, who was killed by a passing car on August 6, 1999, while training for the Twin Cities Marathon as a qualifier for Boston. The "run like mike" Rutka 5k continues Michael's practive of giving generously to charity, and raises funds for Cerebral Palsy of Metro Detroit. In addition to the 5k run, there is a 2 mile walk, a 100 yard Kid's dash and a 50 yard Jason's Walk for Cerebral Palsy.

Asia woke up saying she was "thinking positive about getting a PR today." I didn't want to discourage her, but her last PR was a big one....1 min 9 sec., on pavement, early in the day. Today's race started at 9am, it was hot and 94% humidity at the start. Plus it rained yesterday, so the bridges and wood chipped trails would be slippery. AND she ran 10 fast miles on her long run with Katie on Saturday. But who am I to discourage positive thinking???

Feet taped? Check. Race day breakfast? Check. Operation Jack literature for the flyer table: Check. Race watch on and zeroed out? Check. All mom's gear in the race bag? Check. Time to go!

Asia's Coach Gina is the race director, and a number of her team were course marshalls and water station volunteers. Lots of familiar, friendly faces.

Bib pinned, shoes tied by dad, all pre-race rituals completed. Time to head to the start.

We had already met up with Carmen and her husband James and son Jumanne....the family that runs together....and at the start line Asia got in front of them all. But that was ok, because she knows the course, and I knew Jumanne would pass her like he was shot out of a cannon.

Race director's announcements, National Anthem, horn sounds and they are O F F and running across the first wooden bridge.

The course is two loops around Gallup Park and is very spectator friendly. Jerry was already out at the 1 mile and I went back to the mile-and-a-half spot. When Asia passed Jerry the first time she was 5th female. When she got to me she was 4th, and at 1.5 miles her time was 9:22!!!! Next lap around, when she passed Jerry she was 6th female but passed one when Jerry cheered her on. I was waiting near the finish, where I could see her coming from a distance but still see the finish line clock. Jumanne blew past 2 walkers on the right and looked like he was floating. (Some people just make it look so easy!). Asia came around the corner with a nice sprint to the finish, encouraged by her teammates who were working the finish line detail. Her time was 22:28, her second best 5k time ever. She finished 1st in her age group, 6th female, and 20th overall! Not a bad way to start her Sunday.

While we waited for the results to be posted, I had the opportunity to talk about Operation Jack (http://www.operationjack.com/) with some folks who had picked up the flyers. Hopefully some more support will come Sam's way from the Ann Arbor running community.

We watched the Kids dash and then the always inspiring Jason's Walk. There were 3 participants this year, 3 children with Cerebral Palsy in their walkers, making their way around the course to the cheers and applause of all the runners and staff. It is always so emotional, after watching the 5k race and people like Asia and Carmen, Jumanne and James, who make running look so easy, and then to watch these children who struggle just to get the walker to move. Hopefully someday there will be more effective treatments to help them.

It always makes me realize that, for all her challenges, Asia is pretty darned lucky. And so are we.

# 103, The Gallup Gallop

Operation Jack Flyers, strategically left around the park.

Lining up at the start.

First lap around the park, she was 9th female.

3oth Anniversary of Huron River day, commemorative oar given to age group winners.

This is a fun 5k that celebrates Huron River Day in Ann Arbor. Asia has run it 5 or 6 times. The course is a combination of asphalt and wood chip covered trails. There are wooden bridges that can be slippery after a rain or in high humidity. The race starts a little late......9am....so it can be kinda warm out there! The course is twice around the park, so there are several places for Jerry and I to watch and cheer. Asia had a great run, with a time of 23:12. She was 2nd in her age group and 6th female overall. Instead of a medal, this year the age group winners got a small, hand-crafted wooden oar, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Huron River Day. Kinda cool, huh!!!

Firecracker 5k.....#102

Asia found a new gear today......But as usual, I'm going to do things backwards. ***ANNOUNCEMENT*** This is going to be one huge, run-on paragraph, because for some reason I can't enter line spaces tonight. So ya'll put in the paragraphs where you think they belong, because I can't. Maybe I can change font colors to indicate paragraphs........we'll see how that works. Last week was the Solstice Run. It was the first time Asia had run that race, and she did really well........just 10 sec. shy of a PR for a 10 mile run. Lotsa fun, and all that, and hopefully I can write more about that race later, but right now I really want to write about the Firecracker 5k. Yesterday was the 2nd Saturday long run of Running Fit 501's Summer 2010 session. Katie and Asia had planned to run together, even though they are not officially training together this summer. Katie is working on her speed since qualifying for Boston and is training with a faster pace group. Asia struggled some over the winter to keep up with that group, so Coach felt Asia would benefit from running with a different group. (I really hesitate to call it a *slower* group, because they are still danged fast!). Asia's schedule called for her to run 10 miles yesterday....Katie planned to run 14, so she went out for a 4 mile run before practice started.The group was scheduled to start at 7am in order to finish before the heat of the day. I left Asia with Katie and the group and headed out to the first water stop. At each of the first 3 water stops Asia was easily keeping pace with the rest of the group, running between an 8:15 and an 8:30 pace. As usual, Katie had to reel her in on several occasions when Asia would get out in front. At the 4th water stop, Asia was slightly behind, and by the the time they arrived back at the meeting spot, Katie and Jen both said Asia had tired between mile 7 and 8. Still they finished not that far behind the rest of the group. After the run, Asia asked Katie if they were running together at the race on Sunday. Katie replied, "No, I'm racing, and so are you. I'm gonna try to beat you tomorrow." We left practice, ran some errands and went home to get ready for a birthday party yesterday afternoon. This morning I fixed Asia's tried and true race day breakfast of Jimmy Dean's Hot Sausage and scrambled eggs, plus a little canteloupe on the side. She had selected her American Flag shorts for the race, in honor of Independence Day. We arrived in Ann Arbor about 7:30 for an 8:00 AM race start, plenty of time to get her bib and timing chip. While Jerry was supervising as Asia did some warm-up laps I went to get her checked in. (I have been dealing with a badly sprained foot for about two weeks now, so my walk up to the registration table was not at my normal speed. My slower-than-normal pace allowed me to look around more than usual). I found myself seeing so many people that I/we knew and it really made me conscious of just how many people we have come to know through Asia's running career. So many wonderful people...... I claimed her bib #, timing chip and race t-shirt and made my way back through the crowd to where Jerry and Asia were waiting. The lines for the porta-johns was ridiculous, so we made our way to the start. Jerry gave Asia a kiss for luck and headed out for his viewing/cheering spot along the course. Most of Asia's best running buddies were already there, right up front....Katie, Jen, Gwen, Jon, Michael, Aaron, Rick, Carmen, then Gianna arrived and Ted and Claudio, who were not racing today, stopped by to wish everyone well. And then it was National Anthem, *Runners take your mark! Get Set.!* And at the sound of the horn, they were off and running. I waited for Asia to cross the timing mat and set my watch. This was a spectator-friendly course, in that the runners passed by us once before the finish. With Jerry out on the course, that gave us at least 4 opportunities to cheer for Asia and her team before the finish. At races like this Jerry and I stay connected by cell phone to report the results as we see them. I am always at the finish with the watch, and Jerry alerts me who's coming down the course to the finish next. When the group passed by the first time, Asia was well out in front of Asia and Carmen.........but that's happened before, and it almost always changes by the finish. When the first finishers had rounded the last corner and were on their way down Liberty Street, I crossed to the other side to have a better view. Jerry called them out as they passed him, and one by one, they streaked past me to the finish: John, 13, Jumanne (Carmen's son) 43, Aaron, 51, Rick, 52, Jon, 54, Gwen 65, Eric, 80, Gianna, 99.....and then he started yelling for Asia..........she was on the home stretch and the clock read 20 minutes and some seconds! (In order to get a PR in this event, Asia had to run it faster than 22 minutes and 49 seconds.) I could see far enough down Liberty street, and Asia's American Flag shorts were distinctive enough, that I could spot her from quite a distance away. I'm sure the poor folks around me are functionally deaf now from my screaming. Asia crossed the finish line in 21 minutes, 40 seconds! A 1 minute, 9 second PR! Her pace was 6:58, the fastest she has ever run a race! I limped/hobbled to the finish line and met her at the water station just as Katie came running up, eyes big as saucers, "That was like, a minute PR for her, wasn't it? I couldn't catch her! I'd just catch up to her, and I'd say, ' Great job Asia, you're doing awesome' and she'd take off like she was shot from a cannon! She helped ME get a PR today too, just trying to keep up with her!" And one-by-one her teammates came up to congratulate her on a fantastic race. Carmen, Gwen, Jen, Jon, John, Aaron, Rick, Ted, Michael, Claudio, Gianna. Their joy for her, and their pride in her accomplishment was almost overwhelming. Even though she beat Carmen, Katie and Jen, I don't think they could have been any happier if she were their own sister. Katie said, " I wanna race with you in another 5k and get a sub-21:30!" And, of course Asia immediately wanted to know when that race would happen! We all hung around the Running Fit Store, eating giant muffins and Rice Crispie treats waiting for results to be posted and for the Award Ceremony to begin. The award medals were given 5 deep in each age group and the Running Fit 501 team cleaned up! John (Katie's husband) was 1st in his age group, Aaron, 1st, Rick, 3rd, Gwen, 1st, Gianna, 1st, Asia, 3rd, Katie, 5th, Carmen, 1st and Jen, 4th, Linda 4th, and Beth 5th!! (And remember, most of these folks ran at least 10 miles yesterday as part of their regular training runs!) Jerry took pictures of each with their medals. We almost didn't go to this race. We were talking about sleeping in, something we rarely get to do during the summer race season. But so many of Asia's team mates were running it, and encouraging her to run it too.........that I decided to take her if she wanted to go. Well, duh! Of course she wanted to go if the rest of her buds were going to be there. Jerry almost didn't go. He was feeling stressed and over extended and thought the day would start off better if he didn't get up before the crack 'o' dawn and didn't rush out the door at 7am. In the end, he decided that if he stayed home, he still wouldn't get outside til 9am or after.........about the time we'd get home after the race.........so he decided to go. And, as it turned out, it was a race neither of us would have wanted to miss.

Once again I'm doing it backwards

The giant collage poster of 100 race pictures.

Asia and Linda Doll at our table.

Asia and Coach Gina at the Stampede.

It's self-explanatory!

Once again I'm doing it backwards but I'm too tired to care.

Here are some pictures of the giant Rice Crispie treat, the Stampede, and the Expo.

# 100!!!

Jerry and Asia before the start. Notice the Bib # 100!!!

Part of our fabulous team!!

Asia and Jenny, a friend she ran with in high school.

The last shreds of pulled pork! The Buffalo Wild Wings were long gone!!

It was a crazy week! There was something going on every night. Monday was the holiday, Tuesday night was RF501 practice, Wednesday the Fair opened with a parade and rides; Thursday, organizing stuff to take to the Expo. Friday morning I arrived at work to find not 1 but 2 giant Rice Crispie treats, one with 100 in M&Ms and the other with 100 in Hershey Kisses that my friend Mary had made for Asia. Later Friday we had Asia's Person Centered Planning meeting, then the Stampede (the celebration dinner before the Dexter-Ann Arbor (DxA2 from here on) race, then back to Milan for the Fair week fireworks. Whew!!

Saturday was the DxA2 Expo, and Coach Gina was kind enough to arrange a table for us to celebrate Asia's 100th race. We really wanted to use the opportunity of the race to show the abilities of persons with autism. There was a wonderful article in AnnArbor.com on Tuesday that brought a lot of attention to our table. http://www.annarbor.com/news/milan-woman-overcomes/ We used the time at the Expo to talk about Asia's running career as well as raise some $$$ for Operation Jack/Train4Autism. Linda Doll helped me set up the booth and man it until early afternoon. We had a blast!

Last night was exciting! After hearing all day that storms were in the forecast, when none had materialized by bedtime we went to bed without a care in the world! At 2:30 a dear friend called from many miles away to tell us there was a tornado virtually in our backyard! And then the power went out!! Fortunately, we have a whole-house generator, so we were back in the juice and could monitor the storm movement on TV...........well, I did..........Jerry went back to sleep! I guess he figured if we were carried off to OZ he would know it soon enough.

At dawn the power was still off, and one of the things we didn't connect to the generator was the stove.....figuring that we could microwave or use the grill. Well, Asia's preferred and proven *race day breakfast* of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage and scrambled eggs required the grill, so at first light I was in the back yard frying up sausage!

The power was back on by the time we left, but the whole night/morning had thrown my timing and organization off, so we left without Asia's fuel belt and *chocolate water*. Operator error!!

We met up with and took pictures with as many of the team as we could before time to line up at the start. Katie, Gwen, Jen, John, Joy, and the rest of *Team Ted* took Asia with them to get a good place at the start. Asia doesn't pass people well, so the closer we can get her to the front, the better overall race she will have. It was scheduled for an 8:30 Start time, right? NOT! The storm last night had taken a tree down across the course and would cause a 30 minute delay while crews with chainsaws cut it apart and hauled it off the road!

OK, cue the mad dash to the port-a-johns!

At 8:50 we found Asia's starting group again and sent her off with them. Jerry and I made our way to the front timing mat to try to get an accurate start time for her.

National anthem, wheelers off and gone, and ...........*Runners take your mark!.........GO!!!!*

We watched as Asia and her group crossed the start and dashed off to the car to beat them to the 2 mile point.

John, Katie's husband, was the first of our team at the 2 mile. We ticked them off........John, Claudio, Farsad, and more, and then .......whoa!! There was Asia at a better-than-8:30 pace!! Fast forward to mile 5, she had slipped back a bit but was still doing amazing. On to mile 8.5, snapping pictures of the team as they passed, little did I know that somewhere along the line my camera got switched to video mode. So what I thought were snaps of the runners turned out to be a flash of them going by, followed by pavement, shoes, grass, and the inside of my race bag :>( ........sigh.......Hopefully Jerry's turned out better!

From Mile 8.5 we headed for the finish. Parking in A2 is always a challenge, but we found a space in the structure at 4th and Liberty, only a few blocks from the finish line. We arrived too late to see John cross, but Claudio and Eduardo had just finished. I slipped inside the gate and made my way to the finish line on the runners side while Jerry headed up the block to alert me to all of our finishers and to get that last minute sprint out of Asia. One by one they crossed the line, some looking better than others. Jerry met up with our friend Maryann, who had driven down from Pinckney to witness the historic 100th race.....Asia had guilted her for weeks into coming so even the storms of last night couldn't keep her away! We knew from previous runners the time lapse from when Jerry saw them to when I saw them cross the finish line. When Jerry spotted Asia and I added the seconds to when she could cross, I realized that she could have a PR and started cheering for her even tho I couldn't see her yet. Her actual time was 8 seconds over her PR time, but still an incredible race! She finished in 1:47:56...totally on her own. 8:15 pace. It was her best race of the year so far, and a fantastic time. We finished the morning off at the Taste of Ann Arbor, where Asia ate her fill of Buffalo Wild Wings and pulled pork. What a great day! Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes in advance and those who were there today to cheer in person!

#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!

Burns Park 10K 2010

Asia, Inez, Eric, Eric S. Michael and Carmen, at the start.

Coach Gina, finishing the 5k!

Asia rounding the corner at about 1 mile.

Carmen at the finish, and her husband James, who ran the 5k then went out to finish with Carmen.

Down the hill to the finish!

Well, this was Asia's 4th race of the year, and I think it was her best so far. After a very *uncomfortable* (her term) long run last Saturday, I took her to Arbor Wellness for a massage and some serious stretching. Asia's right hip was bothering her, but getting her to admit it, and agree to stop running that day was the hard part. She was ok at 2 miles, slowing down at 5, really behind her group at 7, at which point she finally admitted that she was *uncomfortable* but still wanted to run. At the 10 mile water stop, she was quite far behind the rest of her group, and finally, reluctantly, agreed that she should be done for the day. We ran some errands and then went home so I could schedule some appointments.

Asia doesn't stretch. Her coach and team tried during high school and she would go through the motions, half-heartedly, but not really doing it. Since then, I've tried to duplicate her coach's stretching routine with Asia before races but it was more for me than for her. Coach Gina works on stretching with each group before the long runs on Saturday. Watching Asia do it is almost comical. So it's no surprise when, about this time before a major race, that she has some issues.

This time, as before, the fine folks at Arbor Wellness worked their magic, and after a couple of visits, Asia felt fine. She even did the stretches they showed her at home in the evenings. And when prompted, she did them before the race today. Maybe we're entering a new era............nah!!!

After a brief thunderstorm, and some heavy downpours early this morning, the skies settled themselves into a gloomy overcast, with 63 degree temps and high humidity. Not an ideal race day, but not the worst they've run in. Asia got a spot near the front with Michael, Carmen, Inez and her Eric and Eric Straka, all Running Fit 501 team members and at the sound of the horn, they took off. The concept of negative splits is foreign to Asia. She goes out hard and runs that way until she can't anymore. Her coach has tried, Lord knows she's tried, to get Asia to go out slower and gradually increase her pace but it's like fighting gravity.

Near the 1 mile spot Asia was the 3rd female. Near the 2 mile she was still the 3rd female and still ahead of Carmen but we suspected it couldn't last. At the halfway point she had dropped back and was a little behind Carmen. I was at that corner, urging her to catch Carmen. Asia gets juice from people cheering for her, so strategically placed cheerleaders can change the outcome of her race. By about mile 4 she and Carmen were within an arms length of each other. (Cue Adair to dash across the park to the 5 mile viewing spot.) At 5 miles I shouted, "Asia, you need to push Carmen, she wants a PR today too!" And Asia took off like a bullet, passing Carmen! Carmen said later that when Asia passed her she said, "Are you tired?" When Carmen replied, "Yes, I am!" Asia said, "Good!"

Jerry was on the hill at about the 3 mile spot and I was at the finish. Carmen beat her, but Asia ran a great race, finishing in 48:54 and 2nd in her age group! Carmen was 1st in her age group. Way to go both of you! That was fun to watch. And a big shout out to the folks at Arbor Wellness for getting Asia back up to speed!!!

Oh, and this was Asia's 98th race since finishing high school, and not including Special Olypmics 5k races, which are not recognized by Athlinks.

Next Saturday is Number 99!

Sam Felsenfeld @ Boston 2010

Sam at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, 2010

I can't imagine running even 1 Marathon.........ever. Beyond that, running more than one a year, seeing how my team trains for that, is remarkable.

Having said that, what Sam Felsenfeld is doing is, quite simply, mind boggling. Sam is attempting to run 6o marathons (no typo there folks......that's S I X T Y full marathons, in 2010.

Today he completed his 20th this year.......2 days after completing his 19th, and one week after completing # 17 and #18 in the same weekend.

All marathons are equal.........in distance, that is. They are all 26.2 miles. But there are marathons, and there are MARATHONS, and today's was a MARATHON....the Boston Marathon. The Granddaddy of Marathons. The 114th Boston Marathon. The world's oldest marathon. The Holy Graile of Marathons. You don't just get to go to the website, sign up, pay the entry fee, and run Boston. No. You have to qualify....run a certain pace according to your age....to be able to go. And then you have to register in time, because it has become so popular that the registration closes in record time these days. Tens of thousands of runners strive every year to qualify. Most don't make it. Sam did.....along with 25,000 other amazing runners (some from *my* team.)

Most of the other runners had done their 20 miler, their taper, their carb-loading, and tried to rest the night before Boston. There the similarities end. Sam ran a marathon last Saturday, one last Sunday, and one on the 17th....2 days before Boston. For Sam, there is no taper. Sam runs at least one marathon a weekend, sometimes 2, in honor of his son Jack, who had autism. Sam is trying to raise awareness of autism around the country, and to raise funds thru Operation Jack and Train4Autism, a group which allows athletes to raise funds for the autism-related charity of their choice. Members of Train4Autism have all been touched, in some way, by autism.....a child, the child of a friend, a cousin, aunt, neighbor....who has/had autism. Someone who meant enough to them to want to help make a difference, to help make their lives better.

Sam got up this morning and boarded the bus, just like the other runners. But there again all similarities ended. Sam had already raced in 19 full marathons THIS YEAR before today. 19!!! Plus a couple of 5k and 10k runs ......... just ......well, just because they were there, and so was he. And, in case you're curious, he has a job, and a family that he adores, and misses like oxygen when he's on the marathon trail. But his job has some flexibility built in, and his family totally supports what he is trying to accomplish. His wife, Tiffany, holds down the family fort, and counts the hours until Sam is home again.

I had the privilege of tracking Sam at the Boston Marathon today. With today's modern technology, I could enter his bib # at the Boston Marathon website and get updates at the 5k, 10k, 15k, and so on, through the finish. I was tracking members of *my* own team as well. Sam popped up first, and the race was on. 3 hours and 3 minutes and 48 seconds later Sam crossed the finish line, with his best time of the year, AND qualifying to run Boston again next year!!!

I just don't think I have superlatives adequate to discribe that.

I've never met Sam, tho I hope to one day. But I'm proud to write about him and to support what he's trying to accomplish. Asia will run her 100th race in his honor on June 6th.

Next weekend Sam will be racing in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Nashville on April 24th. If you're around, go cheer him on. If you're running that race, look for the guy in the Operation Jack shirt and give him a shout out. If not, check out his results at http://www.operationjack.com/ . If autism has impacted your life or the life of someone you know and love, and you're so inclined, make a donation.......or simply pass on the site to your friends.

*My Team* by Adair

Ok, a couple of disclaimers here: 1. I am not a runner, never have been, never will be. Anything I know about running I have learned courtesy of Coach Gina and the Running Fit 501 team. 2. I LOVE *my* team! I call them my team because I have the privilege of pouring water for them at the water stops on Tuesday practices and most Saturday long runs, and I get to know them by bits and pieces. I've seen how hard they train, how they care for each other and support each other. I've seen them run on days so cold that their eyelashes freeze; in snow up to their calves; on ice that would challenge the Detroit Redwings Hockey team; in downpours that would be challenging to drive in, much less run through; on days hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement (well, almost, maybe, but you get the idea.) There may be some friendly competition between members, but when the rubber meets the road, they are all there for each other. They cheer for each other, they strategize races, they rally at the finish line for a late finisher. They are, in the best sense of the word, a family...........a family created not by birth but by choice. Sometimes family members move on, and new members join, but it's like an ever-expanding circle....it just keeps getting bigger. When Asia was invited to join the Team 4 years ago, we had no idea where it would end up. Little did we know how warmly and completely she would be embraced by the Team. Little did we know that there would be a place for us too. We are so happy to be a part of that family.

Boston Marathon 2010....part 2

Well, the 114th Boston Marathon is now in the history books, and with it, the names of our Running Fit 501 Team Members who ran it. Between Jerry and I, we were able to track most of the team and text their times to others who weren't close by a computer during race time. The Boston Marathon website only allows you to track 5 runners at a time. Jerry was able to open more than one browser and track 5 in each, but I was limited to 1 browser with 5 runners only
:>(. But it all worked out. So here are the times we have, as of about 4:30 this afternoon, collected courtesy of Coach Gina:

Rob Marshall: 3.12.54
Claudio Salas: 4.04.21
Farsad Fotouhi: 3.20.57
Rob Morgan: 3.13.53 Congrats Rob on a fantastic finish!
Trevor Young: 3.26.58
Marie Wolfgram: 3.24.55 way to go Marie with even splits!! You rocked!
Stephanie Roehm: 3.28.40
Jim O'Brien: 3.34.04 Andrea Walrath: 3.44.54
Joy Racowski: 3.42.44
Doug LeMaster: 3.36.54 way to go Doug! Nice even splits!
Gwen Frederickson: 3.38.39 PR!
Zoe Thompson: 3.44.58
Erin LaRusso: 3.35.42
Sahoko Little: 3.49.04 PR!!
Yana Parfenuk: 4.08.57

Congratulations to you all! You are all rock stars in my book! We are so proud of you and happy that you have achieved this goal and had this amazing experience. We can't wait to hear the stories when you get back to Ann Arbor. Enjoy your evening and the rest of your stay in Boston. We love you all!

(Hopefully there will be some pix to post in a day or so.)

Boston Marathon 2010

The girls show off their matching LIVESTRONG singlets.


Unfortunately not everyone was at the store for *picture night*

Well, here they are.....our Running Fit 501 2010 Boston Marathon team! I'll be tracking them tomorrow and will report final results as soon as they are confirmed. They've trained throughout the long winter months and we're so proud of all of them. They earned their spot at this celebrated race, and we know they will all have an amazing day.

Roehm, Stephanie - 8132

Walrath, Andrea - 8287

Racowski, Joy - 9278

Kohlitz, Shannon - 9587

Wolfgram, Marie - 9970

Thompson, Zoe - 12490

LaRusso, Erin - 13051

Parfenyuk, Yana - 15926

Frederickson, Gwen - 17208

Little, Sahoko - 20494

Salas, Claudio - 4007

Morgan, Rob - 4457

Fotouhi, Farsad - 5498

Marshall, Rob - 6633

Young, Trevor - 8227

O'Brien, Jim - 10555

LeMaster, Doug – 12710

We'll also be tracking Sam Felsenfeld, with bib # 3081. Sam is attempting to run 60 marathons this year to honor his young son Jack, who has autism. Sam ran his 19th marathon this year yesterday, April 17, in Charlottesville, WV, with a time of 3:21. Monday he'll race at Boston. You can read all about it at http://www.operationjack.org/ and see his impressive times in the 1st 19.

Another young man we'll be tracking is Andrew Bryant of Seattle, Washington. Andy ran the Boston Marathon last year with a time of 3:05, and is aiming for a sub-3 this year. Andy, like Asia, has autism and is an accomplished runner.

Have a great run everyone!! We will be the wind at your backs!

2010 Martian Invasion of Races

Coach to Asia before the race, " Asia, I want you to run really hard!" Asia to Coach, "What are we doing Tuesday at practice?"

Asia and Rick, about mile 5

Asia and Rick, cruisin' to the finish line!

Rick, Asia and Michael

John flying to the finish!

Rick, Gabe, Asia, John, Gwen, Ted, and Jen

Plate 1 of the post-race meal!

It was a day made for racing, and that's what our Running Fit 501 runners did! They came out in force and showed those Martians who rules this universe!

5K

0.22.19 7.11 Sahoko Little PR

10K

0.42.48 6.53 Ted Stilber PR by 4 minutes!

0.57.03 9.17 Jane Peters-Arnold

0.57.38 9.18 Joanie Freed PR

0.58.13 9.22 Dave Matteson PR

0.59.52 9.38 James Freed PR

1.02.35 10.04 Rhonda Barnes

1.06.30 10.42 Joanne Smith PR

1.14.43 12.02 Jenn Barry

HALF

1.31.22 6.58 Craig Frankland PR

1.49.32 8.22 Laurie Hartman PR

1.50.04 8.24 Greg Sloan

1.51.12 8.29 Michael Mester

1.51.47 8.32 William Fox PR

1.53.57 8.42 Rick Neubert

1.53.59 8.42 Asia Renning

1.53.59 8.42 Kumiko Berger

1.54.38 8.45 Beth Remke PR

1.56.33 8.54 Cathy Kolpacki PR

1.57.25 8.58 Dianna Banka

2.02.03 9.19 James Kibbie PR

2.02.12 9.20 Harriet Lindsay

2.10.15 9.57 Amy Lawson

2.14.32 10.16 Haewon Uhm

2.17.48 10.31 Beth LaCasse

2.21.39 10.49 Melissa Boyea

2.24.12 11.00 Eileen Latini PR

2.25.14 11.05 Rod Smith

FULL

2.51.31 6.33 John Sytniak 1st AD 4th OA PR by 10 minute

3.11.27 7.18 Eduardo Matsuo 1st AD

3.25.40 7.51 Aaron Pratt
3.25.48 7.51 Jon Cioffi PR by 7minutes!

3.36.14 8.15 Katie Sytniak PR and BQ!!

4.18.43 9.52 Sarah Juster PR

4.22.30 10.01 Emily Garvan PR

4.30.20 10.19 Solomon Rajput PR

Birthday!

It was a long winter, but not a terribly harsh one. Some snow, nothing the team couldn't handle. A few cold Saturday runs, but nothing sub-zero, so they were fine. There were never any frosty eyebrows at the water stops. Still, we're all glad for the warmer days. Many on the team have their destination races coming up.......either the Martian Half or Full Marathon or Boston. Asia decided after the Detroit Marathon last fall that she likes half-marathons better, so she's running the Martian half next Saturday. ***Hmmm, for some reason I can't enter line spaces, so this will likely be a run-on paragraph unless I can come back and edit it.*** Today is Easter and also Asia's 29th birthday. Yesterday we took rice crispie treats (thank you Mary) and brownies to practice. At 3pm we arrived at Mongolian Bar-b-que in Ann Arbor with Anita, Jeff's mom, and met Aaron, John and Katie, Samantha, Carol Vollink, Sandy, Asia's bus driver, and her husband Roger, for a birthday dinner. Asia had a great time with her friends and as always, enjoys any all-you-can-eat buffet! Today she opened more gifts, including Popcorn-opolis popcorn from Meg, Jeff, and Cate! It's been a great day!!