Burton Memorial Day 2019 Photos 66 Mile Drive The 2019 Burton Memorial Day Run was my first Burton Memorial Day run. I missed 2018. Unlike 2018, this sealed in my series medal incase I get injured again for the Veteran's Run in November. They gave all of us all ice cream bars after the race! Jason and the  kids got ice cream.  I saw a handful of amazing dogs and the competitive walkers blew me away!  They had a sign-making station and all three kids made me a sign they were holding at the finish line.  Their signs were awesome. The run was very hot and flat with the sun beating down on us. 70 felt like 80 degrees.   I placed in my age group and got an awesome HUGE belt buckle style age group medal in addition to a surprise finisher medal at the finish. The engraved cutting boards for best overall runners were stunning.  I met some amazing men, one who ran with an American Flag, which I always love seeing, and one who does the Burton Series every year.  Awards were given out insi

   Fruitport Old Fashioned Fun Days 5K 2019 Photos 172 Mile Drive There are six cities in the state of Michigan with Smiley water towers and I love that Fruitport is one of them.  It made the 2019 Old Fashioned Days 5K much more awesome!  :)  We got a late start to our super early morning.  With the long drive I got to registration just minutes late. Registration was a good distance from the start of the run.  It got my bib and shirt at a concession stand.  The race start was 300 feet down the track, around the viewing bleachers and through a gate into a neighborhood. I ran to the start line and started late with no chip timing in place. I was out of breath before I began the race.  Of course the one run I miss the start to had no timing mats making me destined to have an inaccurate finish time.  There were cool people in Fruitport in lawn chairs supporting us on the course.  The course was on pavement through neighborhoods.  It had a few hills.  The finish line was on the track.  We r

   Burton Race2Grace 2019 Photos 67 Mile Drive The 2019 Race2Grace was amazing. The food is always over the top at Burton races. They had gluten free pizza and snacks again. The course was the same nice route.  The church the race starts and finishes at is right off the expressway.  They have great parking.  We danced with a blow-up in the parking lot!  The kids got free face painting and prizes before the race.  I got 1st place in my age group!  Lunch and the award ceremony were awesome in the church’s gym.  The announcers were funny and genuine.  They gave out awesome raffle prizes and told us that next year would be a very special ten year mark for them.  We were told there would be extra special things in 2020. The Burton Race Series has so many good people behind the scenes that make their events stand out.  Burton Page

  Dash or Crash 2019 Photos 31 Mile Drive The 2019 Dash or Crash was a last-minute signup.  Luke did the kids course and I did one of the last non-competitive adult waves.  Ryan got scared and changed his mind about doing the course.  Timing worked out perfectly as we were driving back from Race2Grace in Burton that morning. These two runs sealed a 10K split in the books followed by Derek's wedding.  It was a crazy awesome day.  The pictures of me covered in mud were only hours before Derek’s wedding ceremony.  I stopped and hesitated at first, but managed to get over some of my fears climbing a 20-foot tire obstacle and rock climbing wall. The volunteers planted a fake snake on a stick while we were walking across to a bridge waist-deep in a mud pit. The snow guns on the last hill down were the hardest part of Dash or Crash. The intense blasts made it hard to catch my breath. Luke and I both had a blast and will be back next year!  The grilled hamburgers they had after the run wer

   Gaylord Half Marathon 2019 Photos 235 Mile Drive MY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! …turned into a Mother's Day weekend trip.  We got to Gaylord around dinner time and grabbed my registration bag at The Ostego Grand Event Center.  It was a really nice venue.  I didn't know I was getting 10 Kindness Counts Raffle Tickets for running 13.1 miles.  Participants got more tickets the higher mileage their race was.  It was so cool!  I had read that their raffle was huge.   10 tickets were given for the half, six tickets for the 10K and three tickers for the 5K.  We got a $30 voucher to eat at Crave in Gaylord.  Italian was the perfect meal for me the night before such a huge race.  The food and atmosphere at Crave was excellent.  After dinner we drove to Ostego Lake to take pictures.  I saw the team of TRITOFINISH and took a picture with them.  They were busy setting up the course.  The lake was beautiful and so big!  Looking out around the lake made me realize how long 13.1 miles was.  I w

   Heart and Sole 2019 Photos 30 Mile Drive My second 10K was at the 2019 Chelsea Heart and Sole.  I knocked a few seconds off my martian time.  I struggle when 10K courses are two loops of a 5K course.  Constantly seeing new scenery on a course helps me a lot, especially while running longer distances.  The course was hilly and hot with little shade.  They had a nice loop that resembled a “P” where you could see other runners right next to you.  A woman told me I had a nice smile from her driveway.  Her nice comment helped me out a lot.  High schools are great venues for runs.  They have much better restrooms, more than enough parking and are spacious for gathering.  The tech shirt I got was really comfy.  I wish it was another color.  I get white shirts dirty too easily.  I liked stretching outside in the sun listening to their DJ’S music.  We went to the Chelsea Farmer's market after the run and got some amazing salmon and soap.  I got the best almond croissant!!  When I went ba