The road to 13.1: This is the end….

This is the end,
Beautiful friend.
This is the end,
My only friend — the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end –
No safety or surprise — the end.
I’ll never look into your eyes again.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit overly dramatic, but this entry includes the last organised run at Borgess Run Camp.  There are a couple of other runs to mention first, though.

Run #49:  5 miles, 48:52, 9:46.3/mile

Thursday’s group run was the last before the Borgess Run for the Health of It.  Running with Sheila and Company is always a good time.  As usual, I was the token guy.  It was a good run; I finished strong, and I was happy with my effort.  After the run, in lieu of hanging out with Sheila and Company, I headed off to the Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail to meet up with Suzann, Mike, and the Gazoom crew on their training run.

Dear Sheila,

Despite the threat of public flogging, I did it anyway.  Whatcha gonna do about it?! *grin*

Sincerely,

Darrell

Suzann decided to start running, and her husband and she decided to do the Gazoom training program.  Mike has very solid pace, and I get the vibe that the 5K thing won’t be a challenge for him.  I think Suzann’s going to do just fine, too, though she’s a newer runner, because she’s very motivated and very athletic.  I had a blast at Gazoom.  First, it was fun to crash someone else’s training program, especially since Bryce was leading the group I was crashing.  Second, I ran into some other people I know, including Pam, with whom I used to work at Old Kent Bank.

After my cooldown with Suzann and Mike, they suggested we go catch a beverage, so we headed off to the Biggby on South Westnedge across from Meijer (as opposed to the Biggby on South Westnedge across from Target).  It was nice to get to know Mike a bit better (we had never met before Tuesday) and to chat with Suzann.  As an extra highlight, before I left, barista extraordinaire Megan told me that she would like to work with/for me, because I make her smile and lighten the mood.

Dear Megan,

That was really sweet; you made my day.  Thanks!  Working with you would be a blast, because you’re a lot of fun!

Sincerely,

Darrell

Oh, wait, I need another letter:

Dear Biggby Bob,

I promise … I’m not trying to pilfer the good ones from your staff!

Sincerely,

Darrell

In retrospect, Friday’s run was probably a poor decision.  On the surface, it seems fairly innocent:

Run #50:  3.11 miles, 32:03, 10:18.9/mile

I headed out to the Bicentennial Trail after work and got in a quick 5K run.  I had a headache all day, so I didn’t feel particularly great.  Despite that, I ran.  The run itself wasn’t so bad; it was the moving Tracy afterward.  Tracy, a friend of mine (through Jen), was moving from one apartment in Three Rivers to another apartment also located in Three Rivers.  Unfortunately, neither of Tracy’s residences is located on the first floor.  As a result, I made lots of trips up and down lots of stairs, often with freight in tow.  I have no regrets for doing so; Tracy needed the help moving, and I am very glad I did so.  My legs, though, didn’t particularly care for the up-and-down-with-weight-in-tow, and explained it to me on Saturday.

Run #51:  6.21 miles, 1:07:20, 10:50.5/mile

I had a nifty case of “dead legs” when I arrived at Borgess Health and Fitness Centre for the last organised run of Borgess Run Camp 2009.  The condition of my legs didn’t really improve at any point.  Nonetheless, I got through my run.  I took it really easy for the first 5.75 miles, and for the last 0.21 mile.  When I tried to finish at a faster pace for my own personal satisfaction, I ended up racing Hetal.  Good times!  For my part, I reached a maximum speed of 11.9 miles per hour during our little quarter-mile jaunt; that translates to a pace of roughly 5:07 per mile.

Dear Hetal,

That was a total blast!

Sincerely,

Darrell

The last day of camp opened with some fun, too.  The powers-that-be handed out awards and recognitions to various campers.  

“Powers-that-be” = Blaine

Perfect attendance was recognised, but so were some other things.  Mary got props for her capable sports medicine advice, and Tracy (not the Tracy who moved on Friday, but a different Tracy) was honoured for her work as a team leader.  I know that Mary’s sports medicine advice is good, as I have experience with it.  I didn’t have such experience with Tracy’s team-leadership skills, though, because her group of gazelles tended to pass me rather quickly.  I did get to run with (well, behind) Tracy once, though, and generally found her to be a lot of fun, so …

Hooray, Tracy!

In what was a rather surprising (to me, at least) announcement, I was also cited for “outstanding accomplishment, team play and an inspiration to the community”.  I had no idea that I had really done any of those things, and … well … wow.  Of course, Blaine didn’t describe it that way during the presentation; he made it way more entertaining than all of that stuff.  There was some reference to my being a Peep, and another reference to my being a “pain in the [euphemism for backside]“; I can’t argue with the former, and I excel at the latter, so … 

Dear Blaine,

Good call.

Sincerely,

Darrell

The run was relaxing and nice.  I enjoyed it, and it felt — and feels — really nice to have gotten through all of the long training runs leading up to the Borgess Run for the Health of It.  On top of that — yes, it gets even better! — Mary had a few of us over for some post-run, fresh-baked cinnamon rolls.  I’m pretty sure they were laced with crack cocaine; otherwise, I was really, really, REALLY enjoying the sugar … way more than I should have … mmmm, sweet goodness!

Dear Mary,

Those were incredible.  Thank you for baking for us and for providing a place for great, fun conversation!

Sincerely,

Darrell

After a quick stop at Gazelle for some supplies, I headed home … and crashed.