Thoughts on the Big Dance. DWD Hell '-07 Recap from a volunteer's POV.

WOW.

I got to Half Moon Lake State Park around 10:20AM. The atmophere was awesome, vibrant, crazy. Crazy runners dressed in crazy fashions, with their vehicles all decked out for their teams. You could tell that people LOVE this race.

It is all so clear now what attracts me and thousand like me to this fine sport of endurance events. It is freaking fun. Sure you suffer some pain and injury, but all the while you are keeping up the spirits and just going for something amazing. DWD adds the relay excitement to it, so you have a blast with your team.

I was a 100k relay exchange point volunteer. The ultramarathoners (50k and 50 miler) went on a different course so we never saw them at our exchange point.

This race, you see, is not your typical run. This race is a dance. A dance with dirt, mud, poison ivy, lakes (which you have to run/swim through), rivers (which you have to run/swim through), lots of body encasing muck (maany people lost shoes in the muck) insane trails, and the continual threat of getting lost (which MANY have!), getting hurt (again, quite a few ended up with bum knees and ankles), or just barely getting through it.

I strongly believe that DWD seperates the people who love running for both fun and sport, from the imposters who do it for other reasons. On that course heroes were made, victories we had, failures were seen.

There were two distinct races going on. The first was the Run it to win it race. That was between all of 4 teams. From 12:55PM to 2:30PM we saw 4-6 teams go through our exchange point. Other teams were split into two cars so they could check out their competition and see how everyone else was doing. Not so much by the rules, but they did it anyhow.

The other race ws the we are crazy dirt lovin' people, so we are going to have freakin' FUN out here! race. From 2:30 to 5:35 PM we saw a continual stream of teams, a lot dressed up in costume (which was quite entertaining seeing the people in some interesting get-ups) .

I had a blast out there cheering on the runners and the teams, all while directing traffic and at the same time directing runners both in and out of the exchange. By the time 6:00PM rolled around, my body felt a if I had run the race myelf!

While out there I saw one of my triathlon team members (great job!), as well a fellor Northville Road Runner. I saw many intense runners. I saw many goofy runners, I saw many injured runners, I saw many determined runners, and I saw some of the happiest runners I have ever seen during a race.


To everyone who ran DWD this year - Great Job! I am in it for 2008. All systems are a go!


Today is a long run for me. Between 7-9 miles, so I may head out to Kennsington and do a loop around the lake for a nice 8.


I hope that everyone is having a great weekend! :) And look at all the IMMOO peeps today! Good luck to Bolder, Wil, Stu, and everyone else who is out there kicking some cow butt.

})i({ Runnergirl sayin' have a safe one kids.

On to Dance with the Dirt!

I am on my way to the DWD event right now... I will post pictures and thoughts later.

And to all of you IM peeps out there - good luck at IMMOO!!!!!!

Random Thoughts for Tuesday, DWD Volunteer update, and shoe porn!

Every Tuesday I post the random thoughts I have as they pertain to running, training, nutrition, and whatever else pops into my head. Hence the title, Random Thoughts. I am quite, in case you have not realized, random. But I get the job done!

Continuing on with my trend of random thoughts:

• I really need to start being more serious. Nutrition. Training. Selfconfidence. The whole enchilada. I love running. I like being active. So why is it that I give up so easily? That is a personal growth thing. I need to start with realizing that I may just have the power and talent to do well at this thing I have chosen to do. I am still assuming that I will be last in all of my tris next year. I am going into this knowing that I have a LONG way to go on the swim and biking portions, but who is to say that I will not rock at them both? I mean come on... I have power in these legs. Maybe I will be a biking superstar! I am still thinking that I am going to pull a 3-hour half at Detroit. My goal is 2:40. My goals are pretty reasonable, and I know that I can do it. I have done it before. Many times. I used to be able to pull out a hilly 2:39 at a half with little effort or traianing. Why am I "settling" for slacking? Grr. MAJOR frustration point here. I need to start reaffirming myself. If I set a goal at 2:40 and finish in say 2:45 or 2:50, will anyone laugh at me? Not at all. They would cheer my victory of finishing. Period. So why am I afraid to succeed STILL. At least I have realized tht I have this fear still, and that my goal for the rest of the year is to get the heck over it already. I can succeed at things. I WILL succeed at this.

• Want to know why my runs as of late have sucked? It is not my commitment to the event. It is not my motivation or mental withdrawal. It is in fact my shoes. EVERY pair is shot. I have been trying to get a few meger miles out of my old Asics, but alas - RIP. We all know that I laid to rest my Mizuno Wave Rider 9's a few weeks ago. So for the rest of this week I am stuck with my 5K only NB's (a little to small for long runs, but fine for 4 miles and under) until I got to the store Friday and pick up my shiny new shoes. Shoe porn to follow.

• The Dances With Dirt Hell, MI crew (which I am now a very proud member of!) is the CRAZIEST event group I have ever had the previledge of meeting. I cannot even begin to tell you the fun we are going to have come 9/8. Mouse, who is running it again this year, watch out girlie. Good times await you!

• Sour cream angel food cake rocks. FYI.

• And here is my shoe porn for you all. Plese refrain from drooling directly on the uppers. I prefer dry feet.

I hope tht you all are having a good start to your week. Tomorrow is humpday, so we are that much closer to the weeked. AKA our long runs!

})i({ Runner Girl

Validation!

This is sort of funny. Seeing some of the hillarious search words that other bloggers have had pop up on their sitemeters, I decided to take a look at my own. (I am such a lemming. lol)

While mine does not contain, say, boobs; fat chicks; big butted; etc., it does have a certain porn theme.

Go ahead. Do a search for 'runners porn'. I am the first one on the list baby. W00t!

I feel validated in some random little way.

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Tonight I am heading out to Running Fit to meet up with the rest of the DWD volunteers. I am excited to see what duty I will be on. Since we are meeting up at 6:30PM, I hope that I will be able to catch a quick run either before hand or after the meeting.

I should be able to. After last night's snafu with forgetting my shoes, I need to make sure that my bad has EVERYTHING I could need in it should I choose to go ahead and do it prior to the meeting.

Have a great day everyone!

})i({

RunnerGirl