Sunday, May 12 was a gorgeous day to kick off another season of racing with Epic Races. It’s my second year of being an Epic ambassador (hit me up for 10% off any race!) and I plan to participate in or volunteer for a majority of Epic’s races this year.

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to run around beautiful Belle Isle on Mother’s Day with a bunch of other awesome women. The race is one of three in Epic’s Goddess Racing Series, which looks to inspire and celebrate women. Men can participate in the celebration too!

This race offered a 200m dash for kids, a 1-mile option, plus a 5K and 10K. Whenever a race is set up with different start times for the 5K and 10K, I often like to go for the extra challenge and double up. In this case, the 5K/10K double was called the “IRun Goddess” challenge and included a special hat for participants.

I’ve been cautious in my return to running following the Boston Marathon and this was my first race in a month. I took 10 days off after the marathon and started back by running a few times a week to make sure I recovered from the Achilles annoyance I had developed before the marathon. It seems to be okay now but I hadn’t done any kind of fast running in well over a month and the 9.3 miles of racing would be the longest I’d gone since Boston. I didn’t know what to expect and hoped the double wouldn’t be too ambitious!

I don’t go to Belle Isle often enough and when I do go, it’s usually for a race. It’s a good excuse for me to get out there and enjoy the pretty scenery. I got there an hour before the start so I could pick up my packet and jog a mile to warm up. I loved looking out over the Detroit River and seeing the Detroit skyline. I ran along a portion of the course and appreciated some of the motivational signs. I often refer to things as my adventures, so one sign made me smile.

We lucked out with a perfect day. With temps around 45-50° to start, I was cool first thing but fine by the time I finished my warm up mile. The start/finish line gave us an especially scenic view with the fountain up ahead.

The kids ran the 200m dash first, then the 5K started at 9:00.

There were a few pacers, including one aiming to run a 7:43 pace. I felt like that was a good place for me to line up. When I’m in peak shape I try to aim for a 7:00 pace. I knew I was in no condition to try that and wondered if I could run somewhere around 7:30.

I ended up lingering near that pacer longer than I wanted to and wasn’t so sure if 7:30 was within reach after all. My first mile was a 7:36 so I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t gaining more ground on her. Very gradually I got ahead and built a little distance.

Belle Isle is nice and flat which definitely helped. I didn’t feel like pushing to the point that I was dying, especially with a 10K still to come. I still pushed enough that it felt hard though and I’m not sure I had much more to give.

I ended up finishing under 24 minutes and was good with that. I was especially surprised to be the second female and overall female masters (40+) winner! I was a couple minutes off my PR but it was still good enough on this day.

It was also nice to see that I sped up as I went. That usually makes a race feel better than going all-out the whole time and barely hanging on.

I received my medal and a flower at the finish line then had about half an hour to go before the start of the 10K. I posed for a picture and went over to the fountain for a bit.

I went to check my results which is when I found out I was the masters winner. I received a backpack for my prize with “some goodies” inside. I was shocked when I opened it and found a mug, a coaster, an Epic Races hat, and a bracelet! Between all of that, post-race food, and free pictures, I’d say my registration fee was definitely worthwhile!

Soon enough it was time for the 10K. We lined up along one side of the corral to make sure remaining 5K finishers had space to come through. Then we were off!

A couple of guys and a couple of speedy women quickly took the lead and I trailed behind. I hoped I could actually hang on and finish among the top people!

I rave about the photographers every time I do one of Epic’s races because they get the best photos. Greg Sadler had the start and finish covered while Jason Paluchniak took photos along the course. I love how he was positioned in a spot to capture the RenCen behind us.

Eventually we made our way to the interior part of the island to add more distance and I was basically running on my own. I knew that a couple of women were just far enough back that it helped motivate me to keep it up.

The road along the north side of the island always provides great scenery. The views along with the flatness of the island keeps me coming back to race there.

A few other people were out walking, running, and riding around the island but it was a pretty quiet morning.

I was able to hang on, and like the 5K, I worked hard but maintained it without crashing.

An added little perk during the last mile of both races was the “Caramel Mile” where some kind volunteers gave us candy. One piece during the 5K, two during the 10K! Even though I was moving quickly, I managed the handoff both times and pocketed the treats for later.

Greg Sadler always gets a good smile out of me at the finish. I usually get a nice hand slap from him as well…as long as I’m not so spent that I miss, which I nearly did at the end of the 5K. I was determined to do better at the end of the 10K!

I wasn’t sure what I’d be capable of for the 10K and had it in my mind that hopefully I could run my goal marathon pace – an 8:00 pace. I didn’t manage to run that during my last marathon at all so I hoped I could at least do it for this 10K! I averaged a 7:51 pace so I was successful.

I was also successful because I finished as the female masters winner again! I know it all depends on who else shows up on any given day. I was 2-3 minutes off my PRs but still felt pretty great about the results!

I didn’t eat anything after the 5K but went right for the food after the 10K. Epic always has plenty of great choices. I bypassed the bananas, salad, and ice cream freezer this time, but enjoyed an egg and cheese wrap, blueberry crepe, and cookie. Mimidae Beverage Company had a tent and provided free zero-proof “MOMosas” which were really good.

It was nice getting to catch up with a few of the other Epic ambassadors throughout the morning. One was racing, one was pacing, and one was volunteering. There were great people all around and many who were inspirational. There were some mother and daughter teams out running and walking together. I saw a post afterward about a woman who is 93 years old and walked the mile. She stays active walking every day at her assisted living facility. I love that!

Even though I’d like to rebuild some speed, I’m glad my body cooperated and I had such a good day. 10.3 total miles for the day leaves me feeling better about having a half marathon to run in a couple weeks. It’s funny how I get in such great shape for a marathon but lose so much fitness afterward as I recover. It will come back though, and in the meantime, I’m glad I can enjoy the racing environment no matter what my pace may be.

– Janet

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