The Crim 10 Mile Race

After having a week off from work, I ran the Crim 10 mile race in Flint on August 28th. I was pretty nervous as my furthest run until then had been 8 miles. I was so busy my last week of work that I didn't get all my runs in and super lazy during my first week off, so I wasn't 100% prepared for this race. Even so, I wanted to push myself to see if I could do it.

I spent the Friday before the race shopping at Birch Run, our biggest outlet mall, getting some new school clothes. After the mall, I checked into the hotel and then headed downtown Flint to check in at the Expo. It was fun to have a whole day to myself.

The next morning since my hotel didn't have breakfast, I headed to the hotel that sponsored the race. I was too cheap to pay what they wanted for the night, so I stayed somewhere much cheaper and just stopped in for breakfast :) I felt like such a rebel! But, I'm sure they'll live without the english muffin and banana I ate.

Once fed, I headed to the start to get ready. They let the Kenyans go first - let me just state that they finished 10 miles in less time than it about the time it takes me to run a 5K. Then they set off about 30 guys that have been running the Crim since it started 34 years ago. Then the really fast people lined up and then they had a military wave of people and finally us regulars.

It was awesome that there were so many people there - over 10,000 - it really kept you motivated and going. Of all the races I've been to, this one had the most fans/spectators along the way, including multiple bands!

The first two miles were through what seemed to be the hood of Flint and then we broke into some hilly areas. I made it easily through the first 6 miles and then it got hillier and seemed never-ending. I admit that I took some walk breaks on the hilly parts, but I ran through the last mile and finished strong.

It was a great race and I felt phenomenal afterward. I was so proud of myself at the end. It was tough, but I'm glad I did it. I then had to dash off to get to Mt. Clemens to go out to lunch for Pat's brother Brian's birthday. It was a fun day!