SCREAMING BANSHEE (Potterville - 2019 - 13.1 Mile)

By -

  Screaming Banshee 2019 Photos

83 Mile Drive



The 2019 Screaming Banshee Half Marathon was awesome but very tough for me.  I debated switching to the 5K or 10K for a week leading up to it.  I hadn’t made up my mind by race day.  I hadn’t made up my mind by start time.  I still considered switching races as I passed the 5K and 10K turn on the course, but I didn’t.  I haven’t run a lot at home in the last two weeks because I’ve been resting a mechanical bull induced muscle strain.  My biggest goal for the 2019 year was not getting better with my times.  I wanted to go an entire year without a major injury.  I am 30 days away from that goal.  I’ve only had a few minor flairs ups this year that I controlled with PT and mileage cutting.  I have a few half marathon traditions.  I try to run eight miles on the Tuesday before and bowl the night before the race.  I didn’t do either before Screaming Banshee.  I ran my longest half time.  I left with my head still high because I did what felt like the impossible, I completed the 13.1 mile course.  My muscles were not as strong as they could be, but they got me to the finish.

I enjoyed being Harley Quinn again for The Screaming Banshee costume contest.  I think I could have had a better shot at winning being the bee I semi-finished for Detroit and wore at Cindy’s Halloween party.  I have reservations about re-using my costumes at multiple races.  Winning costumes received  $20.00!  I loved seeing all the other costumes. The Wizard of Oz was the best!  The blow-up was amazing.  I saw Rusty and Barb from Belding dressed as Ninja Turtles!!  They love to dress up for runs.  So many kids came to Screaming Banshee dressed up.

Luke ran the kids .75 mile around the lake before the half started.  They gave medals to all the kids.  My half marathon course started and finished going through the heart of downtown Potterville.  We ran over the railroad tracks on Hartel road.  The stretch of course on Sunset Drive was really nice with woods surrounding us and an aide station at the end.  The majority of the course was on country roads by farms and homes.  I circled the lake Luke ran around at the end of the course.  I got two huge glasses of apple cider and a purple cupcake after the run.  They had a lot of food to choose from under the pavilion.

Screaming Banshee had awesome shirts and a medal that was a functional bottle opener.  Their race shirts are one of my favorites of all time.  The monsters are so cute on it.  I like the navy color and cool material.  The Screaming Banshee website played the best Halloween music.  I kept going back to it using it as a radio after registering.  We took pictures next to their huge Halloween blow-up décor before leaving.  As we left we saw the Potterville water tower being painted.  It was awesome!  We loved the huge chicken at the corner at East Lansing and Hartel Roads.  

Things I take away from Screaming Banshee are: 1. Jason, the kids and Corky randomly parked along the course screaming, “Go Mom!” At their last stop I gave Jason my Harley sweater not realizing my bib was on it. I sprinted after the van waving frantically. They thought I was waving goodbye.  I was able to find them at a park further along the course and grab my bib so I could have an official finishing time.  2. The Battlecreek runner I met that was doing her first half.  I had Jason ready to dial at mile six. I was going to tell him to pick me up for my first, “Did Not Finish.”  Talking to her for a few minutes gave me strength to get past my weakest point in runs (the dreaded halfway point!) 3. Mile 12!  It hits me like a freight train at every half marathon I do.  I usually end up succumbing to a walk/run combo.  No exception today. At mile twelve I was met with a literal train speeding along beside me and the irony made me laugh.  I may have left empty handed without a costume win or an age group medal, but I left feeling really lucky to have crossed the finish. 13.1 is not for the faint of heart.  I love half marathons for that reason. I love the challenge and mental strength it causes you to form when the distance seems impossible.  

Thank you for the great music, treats and scenic Fall course Screaming Banshee!!


Potterville Page

Location: Alliance Lake Softball Park, 515 Alliance Dr, Potterville, MI 48876, USA

Comments

Post a Comment


Popular posts from this blog

BURTON VETERAN'S DAY RUN (Burton - 2019 - 5K)

By -
Image
   Burton Veteran's Day Run 2019 Photos 72 Mile Drive The 2019 Burton Veteran’s Day Run was nothing short of amazing.  The Burton Race Series is a series I will keep coming back to every year.  There are so many wonderful people involved in the Burton Race Series. Every year they their events get better and better.  The kindness of their staff is simply unmatched.  I always sign up for the series early.  I remember registering for the Veteran’s Run run back in the Spring but for some reason I was not in the system at packet pick-up.  This was a first for me.  I had already completed three of the four series races this year.  I could have walked away with a series medal and gone home.  The wonderful race director came to the rescue.  She acted like she knew me.  She knew we had driven a distance to come up and that I had done the Burton Series before.  She registered me immediately and waived the fee.  I was at a loss for words and gratitude.  It was so nice of her to do that for me
Read more

NEW YEARS EVE FAMILY FUN RUN (Belle Isle - 2019 - 5K)

By -
Image
   New Years Eve Family Fun Run 2019 Photos 30 Mile Drive For the past three years running at the Belle Isle New Year’s Family Fun Run has always been really cold and icy no matter what the days leading up to it are like. The 2019 event was no different. Even though winter has been mild in Southeastern Michigan so far, New Year’s Eve on the island surrounded by two countries was freezing.  The start and finish areas were extremely icy for about 500 feet.  I saw runners lose their footing and thought it was amazing that so many were able to run at full speed.  I had to hop-run around black ice patches.  I love winter running, but I still play it safe every time even if it means running slower.   I love the Belle Isle New Year’s Family Fun Run for so many reasons.  It goes unmatched being the longest race in the state of Michigan.  A few other runs come close, but it holds the title. I was sad when the race director announced her departure as race director.  She is handing over her race
Read more

Run for the Arts (Interlochen - 2022 - 5K)

By -
Image
        Run for the Arts Photos 221.6 Mile Drive Registration:   Run for the Arts had very artistic wording describing a course participants would “traverse” on with live music playing and art to view.   I was given an option for “non-binary” for the first time ever while registering online.   I was curious how non-binary was going to be handled with awards, if a separate age group category would be added etc.   Packet pick-up was in the Fine Arts Building on Center for the Arts grounds very close to the entrance.   There was a drum set and a bunch of music stands in the large room.   There were great bathrooms in the Fine Arts Building.   The volunteers did pose and smile for a picture but three of the five wore masks and unfortunately their smiles couldn’t be seen.     I found Run for the Arts after registering for the Mushroom Glow Run in Mesick the same night of May 7th.   I like to make longer northern Michigan trips worth the drive even more by booking two close run
Read more