by milesflyby

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Race Recap

*My second time running from Dexter to Ann Arbor*

Dexter-Ann Arbor is a race that has been around since 1974 and I finally got around to running it for the first time last year. I enjoyed it enough to consider going back again this year and made it official when I realized the half marathon could be a good way to get a long run done three weeks before Grandma’s Marathon.

Like last year, I skipped the expo the day before the race because driving over an hour out to Ann Arbor and back two days in a row just isn’t practical…time-wise or gas-wise! I don’t love paying an extra fee for race day packet pickup but that’s how some races work and it made more sense for me.

A few days before the race I checked in with my friend Lisa who lives in Ann Arbor. We met up at the race last year and she was doing the 10K this year. I’m glad she shared parking tips with me because I hadn’t been aware of the construction around downtown Ann Arbor where I normally would have parked. I got to town around 6:15 and parked easily in Kerrytown which was a few blocks from the finish. It’s a bonus that the race takes place on a Sunday when parking is free!

Packet pickup was quick and easy and thankfully another friend named Lisa who was also running the 10K spotted me. She had time to kill before her race started at 7:15 and I wasn’t too anxious to line up for the shuttle buses yet. Last year I was on the first shuttle and had at least an hour and a half to kill before the start. No need to be that excessive this year! It was nice to catch up for a little bit before I finally caught a bus around 7:00.

The bus ride only took about 15 minutes but it began to register that I had to run all that way back! I still had over an hour until the 8:30 start but it felt like a good amount of time to balance potential bathroom lines and doing a warm up run. It’s funny that the 10K starts nice and early at 7:15 while half runners wait until 8:30. As the race website explains, an Amtrak train can cross through Dexter as late as 8:20. We definitely wouldn’t want to run into a delay at a train crossing!

Since I had only run the race once I didn’t know what the usual routine was. I knew that we got dropped off in a slightly different spot and the start line had moved from where it had been last year. As we walked past the start I was glad I heard the announcement that the school was open this year. I had expected that last year and it WASN’T open which left me shivering outside during my excessively long wait. It was 44° when I got dropped off this year and it was nice to have the option to sit at a cafeteria table inside as I ate a bar and got my stuff organized.

I’m also glad I did the race last year when we were dropped off in a spot where I could see that there was a track behind the school. Based on the layout this year, the track was over a quarter mile from the start and I’m not sure I would have wandered over that way. The track is a perfect spot for warming up plus there are real bathrooms there. After a little time inside, I headed over there to warm up for 2-3 miles.

*So nice to have access to a track for warming up*

With only eight weeks between Boston and Grandma’s Marathon, I have loosely gone back to the final weeks of my Boston training plan to decide what kind of mileage I should be doing leading up to the next race. I have never run two marathons this close together and it’s a new thing for me to figure out how to balance recovery from one while also getting prepared for the next. I normally would have run 20+ miles the weekend of this race, but I ran 20 each of the prior two weekends and figured 15-16 miles on this day might be a reasonable approach.

By the time I finished the first mile around the track I felt warm in a t-shirt and shorts…and never cooled down after that. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and probably around 60° when the race started. That wasn’t exactly hot, but it was warm enough and just went up from there.

I hit the bathroom at the track when there was no line but did find a line for gear check. That stressed me out a little bit but it moved along fast enough that I still made it to the starting line with 10 minutes to spare.

*I probably waited too long to hit gear check but at least the line only took 5 minutes*

Since I ran a 1:37 half in Toledo in March, I thought a 1:40 half should be totally reasonable and within reach. I ran 1:40 in this race last year so it seemed like a good goal and I lined up by the 1:40 pacer. After the fact, I recognized that Toledo was a totally flat course and maybe 1:40 wasn’t so “easy” after all…

I’ve rarely had much luck following a pacer and that was the case once again. Even though I started right by the 1:40 guy, congestion and craziness at the start separated me from him. His pace sign said that he should be running a 7:38 pace. I managed 7:35 and 7:30 for my first two miles and still couldn’t catch up. I slowed down a little after that so it was a lost cause and I just had to do my own thing as usual.

The course was different in a couple spots this year. Instead of getting a little taste of the main part of downtown Dexter, we bypassed that due to construction. A more significant change was a new loop through a neighborhood around the 5-mile point. After the race plenty of friends rightfully complained about how the hill in that neighborhood was just cruel!

*Crossing paths with runners going in and out of that awful neighborhood loop*

I went into the race thinking about how I like courses with rolling hills. I began to question that thought early into this race. I remembered that there were a couple of bigger climbs and that the race ends on a hill, but I didn’t remember THAT many hills.

I just ran Boston and somehow this felt worse? The funny thing is, the elevation chart doesn’t really reflect how hard it felt. I think my pace chart gives a better idea of how it kept fluctuating.

*I didn’t slow down much at aid stations so most of those dips in my pace probably came during hills!*

At the beginning of a race I’ll often fly along without realizing I’m going so fast because I’m fresh and it feels effortless. On good days I can pick up the pace for the last few miles and finish strong. Not this time. The entire race felt challenging. Other than taking advantage of some quick downhill momentum when I could, it never felt easy. That made it harder to stay on top of the mental game. I questioned if I’d want to run this race again in the future and kept thinking about how brutal it felt. Still, I always try to find a positive twist. I told myself that hills make me stronger and this should be a good workout to prepare me for a hill that comes late in the Grandma’s course. I was still going to get 13 miles done at a pace faster than marathon pace. I told myself that I was hanging with a bunch of strong guys which felt impressive, and we were hauling pretty good. Still…it was a GRIND.

*My heart rate probably shows how hard I was working*

The course mostly runs along Huron River Drive which is lined with trees so at least the course was pretty and I enjoyed that aspect.

*It’s a very pretty course and at least we got some shade*

*Thanks to the race for a shot of me running along Huron River Drive*

There aren’t many good spots for spectators along most of the course so I especially appreciated one aid station that had a Reno 911 theme. They were dressed in the police outfits and had a bunch of fun signs that made me laugh.

When I finally got to Main Street, which is the final stretch of the race, there was a little reprieve with a downhill segment. I tried to push as hard as I could knowing that it wouldn’t last and eventually I’d hit the final climb to the finish. I didn’t feel like I had a strong kick but I managed a 7:15 pace for the last full mile – my fastest of the race. I clenched my teeth the whole way in because it was rough. Instead of running 13.1 miles, I ended up with 13.25 even though I really tried to be conscious of tangents. My pace for the last quarter mile slowed back down to 7:40. At least I saw my Ann Arbor friend Lisa and her husband Jan who were cheering for me!

*Thanks to Jan for catching me in action*

*Another view on Main Street from one of the race’s photographers*

*My splits. I wouldn’t know from looking at these that I had struggled so much. I stayed fairly consistent.*

It took a few minutes to recover before I met up with Lisa and Jan. Lisa’s race had finished a couple hours earlier so I was very grateful that they hung around. It was nice to chat about our races as I had some post-race treats of pretzel bread and pizza.

Then it was time for one of the things that helped motivate me to do this race – the Taste of Ann Arbor afterward! It’s perfect to have an event like that right after a race. The weather was great for it too.

Just like last year, I really enjoyed hanging out with Lisa and Jan as I picked up treats from a variety of Ann Arbor food establishments. This time I ended up with a little cup of mac and cheese, a donut, ice cream, and a piece of chocolate. Because I still had food tickets to use up after that, I got a few more donuts to save for later.

*I had to pose with Wolverines Trooper when I saw him!*

*Wolverines Trooper shows up at all the events around Ann Arbor*

Later in the day I had a few realizations. I felt bad questioning if I’d want to do the race again since I didn’t remember it feeling so brutal last year. I wondered what had been different this time. I realized one factor might be the fact that I had run 13 miles a few days before the race, aiming for marathon pace for half of it. I’d also worked a couple of 15-hour days during the week while also trying to juggle my running and was probably hurting for more sleep. I didn’t exactly set myself up to be fresh for this race. It was a peak week of marathon training with a total of 58 miles. In comparison, I didn’t have any agenda at this time last year and ran 44 miles the week of the race. It probably wasn’t realistic or practical to expect myself to pull off a speedy half marathon so easily and I shouldn’t have been so surprised that it felt hard.

Ultimately, they won’t always feel great and I still ran a solid race. I was only 22 seconds slower than last year. I’ve learned a couple lessons if I end up doing this race again in the future. One, I really should run hill repeats in training to prepare. I had done plenty of hilly runs recently but specific hill repeats could help. Two, I should rest leading up to it if I expect to really push myself. Otherwise, I should take it easier and discipline myself enough to consider it a “training run” rather than a RACE.

Despite some suffering, it really was a good day. I got a tough workout done, got to hang out with friends, enjoyed some yummy treats, and had a good time hanging out in beautiful Ann Arbor.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

06.04.25

by milesflyby

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Recap

The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run has been on my radar for years as a race that I might want to try. I think it usually falls on the same weekend as the Island Lake Triathlon so the timing just never worked out. I was listening to Ann Arbor’s 107.1 the Monday before the race and there was a discussion about the Border-to-Border Trail which runs through both Dexter and Ann Arbor. Although the race doesn’t use the trail, the discussion made me check the date of the race again. When I saw that it would take place on Sunday, June 1, I realized I could make it work because the triathlon would take place the next weekend. I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to register for the half marathon and when I mentioned it on Instagram, I learned that several friends would be there too. One of those friends was Lisa, who I know because we are both Picky Bars AmBADASSadors. She lives in Ann Arbor and let me know that the Taste of Ann Arbor would be taking place the same day. That meant I’d get to refuel with food from area restaurants after the race – perfect! The weather looked like it would be great too and I was suddenly looking forward to a fun race day.

The expo took place the day before the race at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Since it’s at least an hour’s drive for me, I opted to pay $15 for race day packet pickup. I wasn’t thrilled that I had to pay extra but it wasn’t ideal for me to make the drive two days in a row. I left home around 5am on Sunday morning and had no problem parking in a garage a few blocks from the finish line. I was concerned that downtown Ann Arbor could be busy and parking could fill up, then I found that barely anyone was there. It turned out I didn’t need to be THAT early. I collected my shirt and bib at packet pickup and didn’t really have anything else to do, so I figured I’d catch one of the first shuttle buses out to Dexter. Shuttles ran from 6:15-7:15 and there was a long line of buses ready to go. I walked right on a bus with no wait because I was so early.

The bus took us to a middle school in Dexter where the start of the half marathon was staged. It was 6:45 and I wondered how I was going to pass the next hour and 45 minutes! I had read a couple of recaps from other runners about their past experiences and thought we’d get to wait inside the school. It wasn’t open and I wondered if we were just too early. Nope – we never got to go inside. I wore long pants and a jacket but I was still pretty cold because it was only around 40 degrees. I hung out by the school for half an hour before I wandered over to the track. I figured that would be the perfect place for a warm up jog before the race started, plus I could sit on the bleachers to get off my feet. I was happy to discover that indoor bathrooms were available by the track too. Lots of people were walking or jogging around the track. Since my feet were frozen I walked a couple laps before sitting on a bench for a bit. Following my usual routine, I ate a Picky Bar an hour before the start and eventually I ran a mile to warm up. My feet still didn’t thaw completely, but by the time I dropped my warm clothes at the gear check and lined up in the starting corral, I felt fine. Being a little cold before the start of a race was a good sign that the temps would be ideal for running.

I ran close to an 8:00 pace for the Pittsburgh half marathon a month earlier, but I was also coming off a marathon at the time and not racing all-out. I still started around the 8:00 pacer at this race but hoped I’d end up faster. Even with the congested start, I ran the first mile in 7:45. I was pretty shocked when I saw that I ran the second mile in 7:25. I hoped it was thanks to some downhill momentum and that I wouldn’t regret it later! It’s funny how that kind of pace feels tough to run for a quarter mile when I’m training, yet it’s magically easy in a race environment. I was still chilly enough when I started the race to wear gloves for a couple miles. The weather really was perfect for some fast racing.

I was familiar with the downtown Dexter segment of the course thanks to running there a couple times prior to the Holiday Hustle race. We had some good spectators along Main Street then worked our way to Huron River Drive, where we ran the majority of the race. I knew it was supposed to be a rolling course and that there would be some hills. The first real climb wasn’t too bad and I just reminded myself that after doing the hills in Boston I should be fine. The climb that came somewhere around 7-8 miles was a bit more intimidating. Still, the downhills helped balance it out and I can’t even tell the difference by looking at my splits.

We ran past a little segment of the B2B Trail, and much of Huron River Drive was lined with trees. It wasn’t conducive for spectators in many spots but I was fine with that. There were little bursts of energy at the aid stations and I just enjoyed running the course. I felt good rolling along in the 7:40s for most of the race. I passed the 10-mile timing mat in just over 1:16:00 and I would have been pretty happy with that had it just been a 10-mile race.

I felt like I could try to pick it up for the last 5K because I was still going pretty strong. I glanced at my watch now and then throughout the race to see what my average was, but most of the time I wasn’t that aware of my current pace – I just ran by feel. I don’t think I was aware that I dropped my pace to 7:24 for both miles 11 and 12. I think we had some good downhill stretches that helped me with that.

*The course and elevation. There’s a nice spike right at the end!*

When we turned off Huron River Drive to Main Street, I realized where I was. It was right where the exit from M-14 spits you out onto Main Street to head to downtown Ann Arbor. The race finished on Main Street so I decided I could push for that final stretch. However, that final stretch was a mile long! Plus, I knew there was still one last hill to come. I managed to keep flying until I hit that hill, which is cruelly placed JUST before the finish line. Looking at the detailed info from my watch, I can see that my pace slowed down for the last two minutes of the race. Fortunately I had lots of momentum leading up to that point, but there was a definite slow down! It was nice to finish in the downtown area where spectators lined the street and provided some extra energy.

My official time was 1:40:21 and I was very happy with that. It was four minutes faster than my time in Pittsburgh. Although it wasn’t a PR, it was in the neighborhood of my fastest times. I have only gone under 1:40 a few times and one of those times was only by a second!

I really gave it my all and it took a few minutes to wind down after finishing. As I lingered in the area just after the finish line, I saw my Picky Bars friend Lisa. She had run the 5K and was there with her husband Jan. Although we’ve been friends on Instagram for years, it was our first time meeting in person. We had to get a picture together to show some Picky Bars love.

*Lisa and I showing off our medals and Picky Bars AmBADASSador shirts*

I got my warmer clothes at gear check then got a piece of pretzel bread and a slice of pizza. I chatted with Lisa and Jan for a while and Lisa discovered that she had been upgraded from third in her age group to second, so she went to swap her award. I hadn’t even checked my results yet and realized I had also placed second in my age group! I went to collect my plaque and we had to take another photo with our matching awards.

The Taste of Ann Arbor had opened by then so we walked over to check it out. We saw the booth for Ann Arbor’s 107.1 and went to check that out first. I knew that morning guy Scott Vertical would be there and I wanted to say hi. After all, it was his interview about the B2B Trail that made me think to sign up for this race! It was nice to chat with him and check out some of the station’s freebies before lining up to buy tickets for food. There were lots of great options!

*With Scott Vertical from Ann Arbor’s 107.1*

Most of the places had small enough servings to justify stopping at multiple restaurants. They tended to have a few choices at each booth and we walked up and down the street a few times as I tried to figure out which treats to get. A cookie, cinnamon roll, ice cream, and brownies caught my attention. I’m always gravitating toward the carbs and sweets, especially if chocolate is involved! I DID get one healthier option from Samba Bowls.

*Some of the crowd gathered for Taste of Ann Arbor*

I was thankful that Jan was familiar enough with Cinnaholic to take me to the actual store and tempt me with the REALLY good options. I saved my plain cinnamon roll to take home and discovered an amazing s’mores kind at the store that I had to get. It was SO good. Having a food festival at the end of a race was a dream! It was a gorgeous day for it too. It was great getting to hang out with Lisa and Jan for a couple hours as well.

I just love the half marathon distance and had to look back at my list of races to figure out how many I’ve done at this point. This was half #42 if I include the three that I ran virtually thanks to Covid. I’m also only counting standalone races, not ones that were a part of a triathlon. I’m glad I picked the right time to finally try this race when the weather was perfect. I know there have been plenty of years when it’s been warm, humid, or wet. Now that I know how enjoyable it was, I’ll have to see if I can fit in into my schedule in future years. Especially if the Taste of Ann Arbor takes place the same day!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

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Tag Archives: Dexter-Ann Arbor Run

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Race Recap

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Recap