The Grand Rapids Half Marathon is a race that I spontaneously added to my schedule two and a half weeks before the Sunday, October 15 race day. I knew I should be due for some downtime after I finished the Holland Haven Marathon in September yet I still chose to run the Ann Arbor Half Marathon a few weeks later. When my first week back to running after Holland Haven seemed to go smoothly I figured I could manage to add one more race. Maybe after THAT I’d really take a break!

When I did the Grand Rapids Triathlon this summer, I talked to Don Kern, the race director for the Grand Rapids Marathon. I mentioned that his marathon had been my first 10 years ago and he told me they’d be celebrating 20 years this fall. He said that I should come, but I was skeptical because I knew it wouldn’t be a great idea for me to try to run a second fall marathon when I typically only run a couple a year. I started to question if I ought to consider the half though…

Don Kern is very inspirational and also very influential, and I blame (and thank) him for putting the idea in my head. His book, and the adventure continues, is filled with great stories of a self-proclaimed ordinary guy doing extraordinary things. He has run hundreds of marathons and I’d love to reach a level of fitness at some point where I can do that without battling injuries. Don truly is an inspiration to me. I couldn’t resist the idea of marking the tenth anniversary of my first marathon back where I started.

I had run the half and full marathon in Grand Rapids one time each. The half marathon in 2017 was especially memorable because it took place in the pouring rain. What a relief that the rain came the day before the race this year and cleared out by race day!

I drove a couple hours to Grand Rapids the day before the race and resisted buying anything at the expo. Even as I left I kept thinking about how I really wanted a jacket. The Brooks Canopy jacket is my favorite when it’s wet outside. I thought about how often I’ve wished I had another while my two have been sitting in the dirty laundry basket. I decided that I would pick one up after running the race.

I spent some time at a mall then made the same stops I did before the Grand Rapids Triathlon – Noodles & Company for dinner, then treats from Detroit Cookie Company to enjoy after the race. Maybe I snuck one for dessert that night too though.

A number of “velocity-challenged” people started the race an hour early at 7:00 but 8:00 was the official starting time. Arriving at 6:45 was just right for parking and I watched the remaining spots in my lot fill just minutes later. 

I am very appreciative of the great YMCA facility that hosts the expo and opens its doors to the runners before and after the race. It was a chilly morning in the 40s and even with a little bit of a line, I was glad I could wait inside where it was warm to use a real bathroom.

I stayed warm outside by running just under a mile before parting with my warm clothes at the bag drop. Once I got to the starting corral I was able to use the sidewalk to work my way around the crowded street until I found the appropriate place to line up based on my pace. 

One thing I love about this race is the use of celebrity pace teams. Paces are based on the finishing times of celebrities who have run marathons. On this day I hoped that I would run a little faster than an 8:00 pace so I lined up just in front of Gordon Ramsay’s Bleeping Pace Team.

We hit the streets of downtown Grand Rapids and ran through some residential areas and past some businesses for a few miles. I enjoyed running across a bridge about three miles into the run that took us more into the heart of downtown and past places like the DeVos Place convention center. The crowds really lined the street there and made it a fun stretch of the race. 

Spectators that caught my attention included a person with a cat on a leash and a guy with an acoustic guitar who played the “Seven Nation Army” riff from the White Stripes. Both definitely made me smile.

After 2-3 more miles we got to Butterworth Park. It’s out in the open and since it was a cloudy and cool morning, I had no concerns about the sun beating down.

I remembered that the half marathon would break off to the left at some point and turn onto some trails. I spent a mile or two thinking that turn would come sooner than it actually did. There were a few slight hills to climb before that but nothing too taxing or difficult.

The turn finally came somewhere between miles eight and nine and the half runners split from the marathoners. I had remained pretty consistent with a pace in the 7:40s-7:50s the whole time. I was hopeful that I’d be able to run faster than the 8:08 pace I had averaged a couple weeks prior in Ann Arbor so things were going well. The Grand Rapids course is flatter and the weather was cooler, but I still didn’t know what to expect from my fitness level. I haven’t been running anything faster than an 8:00 pace lately and wondered how I had managed to keep it going for that long. Somehow being in a crowd of people made it feel easier.

Once I made it through 10 miles I figured I could give a little more effort for the last 5K. Since I still felt okay at that point I hoped I wasn’t likely to crash by the end. The flat trails provided some nice scenery with the beginnings of some fall colors in spots.

We turned back into Butterworth Park and I was disoriented for a few seconds when I saw people running the opposite direction. I realized where we were and that some people were on their way out. It was a nice distraction watching some of the other runners/walkers.

When I made it back to the streets for the final mile or so I tried to push as much as I could. I heard someone playing “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp which seemed especially appropriate. I realized the person was dressed as the Grim Reaper with a sign that said, “The end is near.” That was a good way to make me smile even as I was really feeling my effort. My left hamstring that has been problematic for the past year tightened up during the last couple miles but I still managed to keep pushing. I thought about how I may as well give it all I had since it might be my last race for a little bit.

The final straightaway was kind of long and I could see the white finishing banner off in the distance. That motivated me enough to drop down close to a 7:00 pace for the last quarter mile or more. I knew I had been averaging somewhere around a 7:47 pace by the later miles, but once I started pushing I didn’t look at my watch. I didn’t play my usual game of trying to calculate what my finishing time might be. When I finally checked my results a few minutes after crossing the finish line, I was pretty excited to see that my time was 1:42:32. I had run 1:46 in Ann Arbor and kind of hoped I’d run a 1:45 or better at this race. I was very happy with 1:42! That was about a minute faster than my 2017 rainy run on the course.

It took a couple minutes to catch my breath then I went over to Don Kern who greets every one of the finishers. He really adds a great personal touch to this race.

A few minutes later I thought about how I wanted to get a selfie with him since he was the whole reason I had shown up for this race. I waited for enough of a break in the finishers so I wouldn’t interrupt him from congratulating others. You can tell from my grin that I was happy that he humored my request.

Then it was time to work my way through the tables of food. This race does it the right way! Chocolate milk, bagels, fruit, fruit chews, string cheese, yogurt, chips, Culver’s frozen custard – anything you could want! THAT’S what I like to see at the end of a big race! They also had a tent with New Holland Beer and hot dogs by that tent. I had so much food that I needed to find a place to set it all down and get situated! 

My next mission was to get to the gear check area as soon as I could. I was sweaty and got cold quickly in the 40-50° temps. Even with my warm clothes I was still shivering. Eating frozen custard at that point probably didn’t help! 

Again, I was thankful for the YMCA. It probably would have been wise to bring stuff to shower there since they allowed it. I noticed that some people took bags into the locker room first thing in the morning so it would be there waiting for them after the race. At least I was able to warm my hands under hot water for several minutes until I got the color back in my fingers and the numbness faded. That’s always a big problem for me when I cool down too much after running. I put my gloves on and felt fine for my walk back to the car so I could head home.

It may have been a questionable choice to run two half marathons within five weeks of running a marathon but fortunately it all worked out. After running a couple of hill repeats during the week leading up to this race, I felt a strain in my quad. I was lucky that taking three days off of running seemed to fix it and I was able to do this race without worrying too much. Still – as much as I’d love to be one of those runners who can do a bunch of marathons a year, I also know that I have to be careful and make sure my body has time to heal. I have raced a lot this year which has been a blast, but I think I should back off for a little bit. At least until it’s time for some turkey trotting!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter/X @reidphotography

After years of thinking that I should really try running the Ann Arbor Marathon, I finally got around to doing the half marathon for my first time last year. I enjoyed it so much that I decided I should make a point of fitting it into my race schedule whenever I can. Even though I knew I would be running the Holland Haven Marathon three weeks before the race, I was hopeful that I’d recover enough to be able to try the half again. If not, I could always consider switching down to the 5K or 10K instead.

I took a week off following my marathon and had a surprisingly smooth return to running. I still didn’t want to push my luck too much and knew I wouldn’t attempt to “race” it, but at least I felt like I should be able to get through the distance. I made the very questionable choice of attending a concert the night before the race where I stood in one spot for several hours then only got a few hours of sleep. Although it didn’t seem like I was doing the right things to set myself up for a great race, somehow everything worked out.

The race took place on Sunday, October 1, and it was a bit rough getting up that morning to leave by 5:45. It was a beautiful morning though and a great day for a race. While I had parked by Michigan Stadium last year, I ended up in the Kerrytown area this year because the start and finish of the race moved into the heart of downtown Ann Arbor. I loved that change! I walked 4-5 blocks to the race area where I got my shirt and bib, made a bathroom stop, then I headed out to warm up.

The sun was just starting to rise and I headed east so I could enjoy the view. I thought I’d run out half a mile and back so I’d just do a mile to warm up. Once I got to the main part of campus I couldn’t help but extend my run. It kind of blows my mind that it’s been over 20 years since I graduated from the University of Michigan, and every time I get back on campus I love it SO much. I ended up covering a couple miles during my warm up. It was around 50 degrees and I truly did warm up enough that it felt perfect for running.

My only real goal for the day was to enjoy the experience. I guessed that I could finish somewhere in the 1:45-1:50 range but I truly didn’t have a time goal. I saw one of the official pacers who would be aiming for an 8:35 pace in the starting corral and lined up a bit behind him. I figured I shouldn’t start much faster than that but ended up running 8:15 for my first mile. Oops. Obviously I felt better than I had expected to!

While we had started the race on the southern side of town last year, starting half a mile north of that provided a whole other level of excitement and scenery. We ran past shops and restaurants at the very beginning, then went by landmark after landmark – the Michigan Theater, the State Theatre, Angell Hall, the art museum, and the law quad. I LOVED it! 

Since my whole plan was to just enjoy the race day atmosphere, I had already planned to take some pictures along the course. My shorts have a pocket where I keep my phone and it was easy to grab it and take some quick shots while on the move. When I saw how pretty the sky looked, the photographer side of me felt giddy. The sea of runners, the scenery, and the early sun behind the clouds made everything look so picturesque. Combining my passions of running and photography provided a really energizing start to the run.

We did a little bit of climbing in the first mile or so. After a couple miles around campus we went out to Geddes Ave. and Huron River Drive for several miles where we had a few downhill stretches that helped me build some good momentum. Despite plans of “running easy,” I suppose that’s how I ended up running 8:02 then 7:54 for miles three and four.

Next we ran a few miles along the scenic Border to Border (B2B) Trail by the Huron River. I went out there to run once during the summer, plus I had run there during the race last year so there was a level of comfort that came with that familiarity. I enjoyed more scenery which included a few little spots of fall colors starting to appear.

We ran past a field where a soccer game was in progress, then out to Fuller Road which took us toward the hospital. I knew that’s where the course would get more difficult! There’s a bit of a climb going up Medical Center Drive, then things level out for a bit heading into Nichols Arboretum. That’s where I started to see some of the people in the 10K race, which had started half an hour after the full and half marathon.

It was nice to change things up and get a little trail running in, but it also meant we had to climb “the Arb hill” – one of the harder parts of the course. It’s really not THAT bad, but I definitely felt it since I’d run 11 miles by that point. After getting past that hill, there’s a little stretch of false hope where it gets easier followed by one last climb toward Observatory Street.

Climbing toward the medical center, then the Arb, then toward Observatory all within a mile or so clearly affected my pace, taking it from 8:10 for the eleventh mile to 8:31 for the twelfth. Things flatten out around campus though and it was easy for me to pick up the pace knowing that the end was near. The last mile followed the same route as the first mile of the race and I saw some of the faster marathon runners who were headed back out for a second loop of the course. It was fun to run through town again and I felt like I was flying pretty easily as I headed up State Street, down Liberty, then just a quick turn to the finish line. My pace dropped to 7:35 for the last mile – my fastest of the day. There was a bit of a downhill finish that definitely helped!

I have done so many Epic Races this year and will always rave about getting to see my favorite photographer Greg Sadler at the finish. I think I was working too hard to give a real big smile, but he still got some nice shots of me and greeted me with a celebratory hand slap as I ran by.

I finished in 1:46:34 which was within my estimated range of 1:45-1:50. I was about six minutes slower than last year but I was also in peak shape about to run a marathon at that point while I was in marathon recovery mode this time. It’s still probably a little faster than I needed to go, but at least I clearly backed off a little?

I enjoyed the usual great Epic post-race treats of a breakfast burrito, pancakes, and a chocolate chip cookie, then followed up with an ice cream sandwich.

I noticed the tent for Probility Physical Therapy had open tables where therapists were working on people. Nothing felt too problematic after this race but my left side is never really “normal” so I signed up. I mentioned my hamstring that has been an issue for the last year and the therapist worked on that along with identifying problem spots around my hip and glute as well. All of my usual issues! I figured it couldn’t hurt to get worked on a little bit before I started to tighten up.

I scanned the QR code on my bib to find my results and saw that someone who did the 10K had the same number as me. Her results showed but mine didn’t. While I was walking around I happened to see Eva Solomon, the wonderful race director, and stopped her to ask who I could talk to about my results. She told me that a number of bibs had been duplicated and it was a known issue they would have to work out. I knew I hadn’t placed in my age group and was in no rush to get the results, and it was all sorted out by the next day. 

After getting a picture by the podium backdrop, I ventured out to enjoy more time around campus and racked up several more miles by walking so much. Whenever I see that there’s a Detroit Cookie Company close by I try to take advantage of it. I got a few cookies and an awesome cinnamon roll. It was a perfect day to wander around and I spent more time thinking about how much I love that school and town.

Having a great experience two years in a row really confirmed how much I enjoy this race. It felt a little risky and ambitious for me to run a half a few weeks after my marathon but I’m glad I still went for it. A little bit of post-race soreness tells me that I should back off a bit to make sure I recover properly, but crazy me has also signed up for the half at the Grand Rapids Marathon meaning I’ll be back at it in just a couple weeks. Maybe after THAT race I’ll rest a bit more!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter @reidphotography