The Crim Festival of Races has become a staple in my running schedule and I ran the 10-mile race for my sixth time on Saturday, August 26. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t remember how many times I’ve done it anymore and have to go back to check! I’m still a long way off from reaching the 30-year club, of which there are many members. I think that speaks to the popularity of the race. I continue to return because it’s a challenging course, a well-run race, and I see so many familiar faces.

I had forgotten that the race used to start at 8:00 in the past and appreciated the 7:00 start. Of course that makes it an early morning, but most of the time it’s best to get out as early as possible during the summer to beat the heat. The humidity, on the other hand, is often a factor we just have to cope with and that was the case again this year.

I arrived at 6:00, walked down to packet pickup, made a bathroom stop, then jogged back to the car. By the time I jogged back down to the start I had a gotten a mile in to warm up.

The wheeler/hand cyclists started at 6:45 followed five minutes later by people who have done the race 30 or more years, then the mass start went off at 7:00.

I was happy to see my friend Don in the starting corral and we chatted until we decided it was time to line up in the appropriate spots. I saw a sign for the 7:30 pacer and since I figured I might aim for a 7:45 pace, I stood a little bit behind that group. Within 25 seconds of the start, I made it across the starting line and was off.

During the first mile it’s always a matter of the crowd working out where they should be. Some slower people start too close to the front and people have to weave around them. Some faster people start too far back and go flying around people. Despite some weaving, it wasn’t too congested for me and I managed to run the first mile in 7:52.

Although it’s always fun to aim for a new PR and really push myself, I knew it wouldn’t be ideal with the humidity plus it was more important to be disciplined this year. With a marathon two weeks after Crim, it was not time to go all-out. The Holland Haven Marathon is my big goal at this point and I didn’t want to risk injuring myself. Training has been challenging at times this summer and I haven’t done as much speedwork as I would have liked so I knew I really couldn’t expect to PR anyway. I successfully ran an 8:00 pace for a half marathon a couple weeks before Crim so at least I knew I could do that. My pace was in the 7:20s for Crim last year, so I wondered if a 7:45 pace might be ideal.

I ran what felt like a comfortable and sustainable pace and it happened to fall in the 7:40s for most of the race. Although it felt like I was sort of guessing what might work, I suppose by now I’ve developed a good feel for what I’m capable of so it was a pretty educated guess!

After doing the race so many times it felt pretty routine. However, some of the spectators I’ve come to look forward to weren’t there. Both the woman who jumps on a mini trampoline and the guy who does karaoke at the end of a driveway were missing and I was kind of bummed about that. There were plenty of other enthusiastic people out there, including people offering Jell-O shots and beer, plus the aid stations had great energy.

I knew one of my Instagram running friends Lee would be on the course and he said to look out for a 36 (the number of times he’s done Crim) and “Running Architect” on the back of his shirt. Watching out for him helped keep me occupied as I passed some of the 30-year runners who got a head start. I knew he’d run a pretty good pace so I wouldn’t see him too early though. About halfway through the race I was relieved that I happened to be on the same side of the road and spotted him. I was happy to say hi and wish him good luck. It’s always fun to see friends out along the Crim course.

I saw the sign for Bradley Ave. and there was the harsh reminder that the “Bradley hills” start basically as soon as you turn onto the road. I talked my way through them by telling myself that I have hills like those that I’ve been training on and they weren’t any worse. I only slowed down to a 7:49 pace for that mile so they didn’t beat me up too much.

The nice thing about a 10-mile race is that I get used to running half marathons so it seems easier when the end comes several miles sooner! Although I told myself I wasn’t going to go all-out, my effort still felt challenging enough and the humidity contributed to that. I was just relieved to stay steady and strong throughout the race. Sometimes I try to pick up my pace for the last few miles but this time I held off until the last mile. It was a nice touch seeing Flint police vehicles lit up in blue and lining the street right before we made the final turn. THEN I allowed myself to go all-out for the final stretch and the finish along the brick road.

I dropped my pace from 7:40 for the ninth mile down to 7:21 for the final mile. I really picked it up at the end when my watch said I ran a 6:15 pace for the last 30 seconds. In the final stretch I spotted Dave from RunMichigan.com who was taking photos. Despite pushing with everything I had left, seeing him made me smile a genuine smile – something the other photographers didn’t catch!

After that last push, I was pretty spent for a couple minutes after I crossed the finish line.

My official time of 1:17:21 put me at an average pace of 7:44, so I was right on track with where I wanted to be. It was a ways off from last year’s PR of 1:13:54 and it was my second slowest Crim, but I was totally satisfied with how I ran the race.

I collected some water, chocolate milk, a granola bar, and a Clif Bar before going to the celebration area where I got a slice of pizza as well.

I saw more people I knew and chatted a bit until I started to cool off enough to get a little chilly. I figured it was time to head back to the car for a jacket and just take off for home.

I got a solid workout in with this race and apparently my approach was wise because I wasn’t too spent the next day. That’s when I wanted to run my final 20-miler to prep for my marathon. I ran it at a great pace without any soreness which was a big relief. It gave me hope that despite some struggles with training throughout the summer, things seem to be coming together just in time before the race.

COVID led to a hiatus for several years, but the Team Challenge finally made its return this year. While I had run for GM in the past, this was my first time contributing to the Stellantis team at Crim. 17 teams participated and I did well enough to help my Dodge Chargers team come in second place, so that was a bonus!

I always enjoy the Crim experience and expect to keep making it a yearly thing on my race schedule. Only 24 more years to go until I make that 30-year club! 😆

– Janet

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