It Takes a Team

Slept like a rock after two days of racing ... woke up to get some coffee and found that I had aged at least 50 years overnight ... had to use the handrails to get down the stairs of the hotel and stiffly walk across the parking lot to get a cup of joe! Ouch. Had some coffee and chatted with Scott Schmick (team superstar) and Chris Glowacki for a few minutes. I was wearing my flip flops so my achilles' tendons and calves could stretch out while I walked. Ahh - better - got up the stairs without the handrails (lost 30 years).

Well, it's day three and we all wanted to run as fast as possible. It really didn't matter how sore or tired we were.

Suffice it to say, with proper warm up, hydration and nourishment (and a lot of team support and mental/physical effort), my two legs went great that day. One noteworthy moment was on my last leg of the relay - the 6th race in three days - I was jammin' along on a rolling hilly dirt/sand road, and hit a sandy uphill. I felt like I was running well, but only at a "good" level ... I asked myself ..."self" ... "what would make this a great relay leg?" - the answer was simply to give it my all. Maybe an obvious simple answer, but I believe that's what makes us happy, feel great about ourselves and what inspires others to do the same. It's so easy to go through life and do pretty good ... make today a great day - give it your best!

That's exactly what our whole team did. Steve Miller was our ironcast reliable strong runner - he is also smart and experienced enough not to get lost on even the most complex legs! What a great memory of Steve sprinting up hill on his last leg - passing a younger runner just before the finish. Ken Hoffman was an incredible team captain - he spent weeks on the tactics and strategy - we all had little laminated directions for our legs, knew exactly where and when we had to go (some teams lost several minutes due to teams getting to the exchange areas late). He also has an amazing positive personality - encouraging us all along the way. He ran the first leg of the third day with Jon Killips in memory of his sister Barb Clark (and I'm sure her spirit was with us all).

Jon was amazing - he came off training of about 15 miles a week and did great. Rob Strouse was a newcomer on the team and didn't know what he was getting in to :) He kept a great positive spirit and smile in spite of his pain and was a super team supporter. Tim Becker was the comeback kid - finishing his two legs strong on day three after barely being able to walk after twisting his ankle three times on day two!

And I wish you all could have seen Scott Schmick - he makes running 5:20 miles look easy. The earth trembled and the other teams shook with fear when he arrived on the starting line - amazing job Scottie - thanks for the inspiration and pulling the team to 8th place! Tom Halm was another newcomer - super nice guy for a lawyer ;) 54 years old and still looks like a 20 year old wrestler! He was a wise runner - paced himself well and ran as fast as the kids 20 - 30 years younger than him. Scott Hector is a high school cross country coach and a former great runner - the team was constantly surprised at how Scott ran beyond his physical condition every single time!!

Brad Abendroth is another high school cross country coach, and one of the smoothest, fastest master runners I've ever seen. I'm going to have to chat more with Brad to see what his training secrets are so I can share them with y'all - incredible job Brad!

Chris Glowacki is 54, rides a harley and wears a hippy style headband while he races. Never underestimate a runner based on looks, or he/she will probably pass you. Chris was an incredible contributor to the team. He was our anchor leg runner and finished with a sprint uphill in the sand on the beach! The team had carried two coolers filled with Bud and ice down to the beach to help us all warm down and celebrate ... Chris finished and we all cracked a bud together - solidarity even in the after party! We soaked in the cool waters of Lake Michigan, and Chris regaled us with his story of how a couple of "crack-heads" harrassed him as he raced by ... hopefully they were inspired by Chris to go clean and start running :)

Thanks everyone for a wonderful experience ... and remember ... give it your all.