Race Report: 2016 Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay

2 vans.  12 friends.  38 hours and 6 minutes.  204.3 miles (16.3 were mine).  1 very cool teammate.  This isn't going to be my usual race report.  I experienced something very different with this year's Fred Relay.  

Team Screaming Thunderboxes at the start

I always have the best time on the Fred, if I didn't, I wouldn't have been back for round 3. But this year was different. I came into this knowing I was injured and horribly undertrained. I knew I wouldn't be running like I had the previous 2 years.   

I knew the night leg would be my favorite.  I don't run with a biker and this year I got to run the handoff leg around Lake Cadillac at midnight.  It was beautiful and my best run.  Something about running in the middle of the night and chicking a guy makes for a good time.

That's Mars in the sky!

Ready for bed!

I knew that the 3rd leg would be incredibly hard.  I wouldn't have been able to finish that 8.9 miles without Kaylee biking with me, being my water sherpa, and keeping me mentally strong. 

Very happy to check of that final run!

Van 1 DONE and ready to find beer (for at least 5 of the 6)

This year the Fred wasn't about me. It was about my girl. See that tall one in the picture up there?  She CRUSHED her first relay.  Being able to experience this race with Kaylee and watch her grow as a runner this year has been amazing. From her hating running, to having run a couple 5ks to sticking with a training plan while keeping up with her freshman year of college, to running her first 10k and then her first half and finally her first relay and covering almost 17 miles in a day and a half (faster than her predicted pace!) is what I will always remember from this summer and Fred 2016. Her other 10 teammates taking her under their wings and cheering her on was so fun to watch as well. 

I've always been proud of Kaylee - she makes it easy - but I'll never forget how blessed I am to experience things like this with her, not just as her mom but now also as her teammate.  The fun shirts, swag and bling are just icing on the cake.

Race Recap: #runthefred 2014 Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay

For the second year in a row, I had the privilege of  living in a van for 36 hours and running the beautiful White Pine Trail from Comstock Park to Cadillac and back with 11 of my closest friends (well, only 5 of them were also in the same van as me).  Team Screaming Thunderboxes made their debut this year.

Leena, me, Leon, Andi, Jenn, Susan, Bill, Chris, Glenn, Eric, Mike, Jen

We started bright and early Friday morning - 6:30 am to be exact - which meant I was up at 4 am.  After getting a group photo, we tagged as many other runners as we could with Screaming Guy tattoos.  Those tattoos, the incredible shirt design by Jenn's son Mac, and our awesome sign helped us win a "best dressed" award.  We were going for the social media award - HELLO! We have our own twitter @screamingtboxes - but I guess they couldn't give us both :)

That might be me behind Leon's arm getting a Fred tat :)

I was in Van 2 and was runner number 12, so this meant a lot of sitting, getting out and cheering, more sitting, some trying to rest, and some eating before I ran my first leg at 4:30 pm on Friday.

This is the surface of the sun, not to be confused with Paris, MI.
6.34 miles in 1:06:49 (10:32 pace)

I was worried about my hass acting up, but luckily, it really didn't give me any problems.  My ankle is still cranky but I'm having it worked on again tomorrow.  After Van 2 finished, we headed up to Cadillac to get some rest before we needed to take over again around midnight.  This year, my van was Van 1 so I had the luxury of sleeping and riding in a 9 passenger van.  I highly recommend this over the minivan.

Leg 2 started for me at 5 am.  I had an out and back section and decided to run it alone (ie - no one biked with me).  It was peaceful but long.  At least there were lots of other runners to say hi to on the course.

Safety first!  7.05 miles in 1:18:10 (11:05 pace).

When I finished, we were able to get some breakfast and head back out to cheer for Van 1 on their last legs.  We then camped out in Pierson until it was time for us to take over again.  The final 12 legs of the relay go pretty quickly, with all the distances under about 5 miles.

I was so pumped to be the last runner and bring it home!

The Screaming Thunderboxes had the tag line, We Run Full Throttle, and that's how I wanted to run the last leg.  I didn't quite make my pace goal, but I came pretty damn close and managed to have 4 kills in that last leg! Pretty good for starting at 3:40 in the afternoon and running in full sun.  Last year, I was runner number 1 and I got to cross the starting line.  This year I was going to get to take us across the finish. Closing out the relay was such an awesome experience.

I took off Full Throttle - with numbers in the low 9s for the first 1/2 mile until I reigned it in.
4.3 miles in 44:06 (10:15 pace).

The Screaming Thunderboxes crossed the finish line together after 36 hours and 32 minutes (a 10:47 overall pace).  

I absolutely LOVE this race.  It's funny, this is only one of 2 races I've repeated, and I plan on getting many more of these medals to hang on my wall.

My screaming guy might be a little worse for wear, but I'm feeling good and ready to get back into marathon training.  In fact, I ran already this morning!

Have you ever run a relay?  If not, would you?

Three Things Thursday: Up Schitt Creek

I have a confession to make.  I often write my Training Tuesday posts on Sunday night and schedule them for Tuesday.  Since they reflect the previous Monday through Sunday, I figure, what's the big deal?  

Well, sometimes things happen on Monday that throw everything off.  This Monday was one of those days. I went out for my scheduled 6 mile easy run and 1.5 in I knew something wasn't right with my ass.  (I know, my ass is both a hot mess and hot, so work with me here people.)  Instead of doing the smart thing and turning around to walk home, I kept running.  I finished my 6 miles and now I'm here....

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Wouldn't you know it, I also forgot to bring my paddles.  My ass is seriously fraked up and so is my opposite ankle.  The chiro I saw yesterday thinks they are related.  My ankle has been bugging me literally for over a year but I just deal with it.  It gets locked up and tight but usually a mile into my runs, it's fine.  Monday it wasn't fine and I think I changed my gait enough to deal with it that it made the issue with my hass flair back up.  So now....

I've been resting, rolling, icing, heating and stretching.  I didn't lift Tuesday and I didn't run on Wednesday.  I probably won't lift today either.  You see, I have this little 200 mile relay to start running tomorrow and there's no way in hell I'm letting my team down.  I just hope I can suck it up and complete my 18 miles.

At the very least, I'll be colorful as I tread water down Schitt Creek.  Just pray I don't hear banjos.

Training Tuesday: Detroit Marathon Week 11

Wow - where does the time go?  Here it is already August and I'm about half way through my training for the Detroit Marathon.  I'd say, overall, the training is going well.  The biggest thing I'm noticing is that I seem to be recovering from long runs much quicker this time around.  Maybe it's the intervals or maybe it's just that I'm in better running shape.  Probably doesn't really matter at this point. I was mildly bummed to finish out July about 3 miles short of 100 miles, but since I knew I had a 16 mile training run on August 1st, I resisted going out on July 31st just for the purpose of hitting that number.  Pretty mature of me, don't you think?

Monday 7/28/14 - RUN 2 miles at a 10:17 pace on the indoor track.  LIFTING 80 minutes.

Tuesday 7/29/14 - REST (actually, lots of walking in Chicago)

Wednesday 7/30/14 - RUN 6 miles with 4 at tempo. Averaged a 10:03 pace overall and a 9:48 for the tempo miles.  Not too shabby.

Thursday 7/31/14 - LIFTING 90 minutes.  Went horribly.

Friday 8/1/14 - LONG RUN - since I had plans all weekend, I moved my 16 miler to Friday morning.  I had a very rocky start but finished strong for a negative split and 11:20 overall average pace.  Somehow I even managed a 10 m/m for mile 16.  I'm pretty sure it's the horse to the barn phenomenon.

Saturday 8/2/14 - REST

Sunday 8/3/14 - WALK 5 miles.  I didn't need to head back out of town as early as I expected, so I got in a nice 90 minute walk.

This coming weekend is my 2nd 200 mile relay.  Team Screaming Thunderboxes will be running full throttle up and down the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay.  We have a twitter account and you can follow us here to watch all the craziness unfold!

Motivation Monday: Are you crazy too?

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In about 2 weeks, I'm running my next race - the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay.  I can't wait to run through the day and night with Team Screaming Thunderboxes!

Are you crazy enough to run a relay?

The Fred Relay: a #racereport

Where does one begin to recap one of the best adventures ever? How do you describe the feeling of pride and elation when you realize you and 9 of your running buddies just ran 200 miles in 33 hours and 29 minutes - a 9:53 average pace? Is it possible to convey how I still haven't processed running 17.7 miles in under 24 hours, slightly broken, on poor nutrition and little sleep?

I don't think I really can, but I'll do my best.

Bottom line? Stop Looking At My Caboose 2 kicked some serious ass last weekend! I am so proud to have been included in this group and in crossing that finish line 33 1/2 hours after I started us off as runner number 1 at 6:30 Friday morning.

I'd say we look pretty dang happy!

Stop Looking At My Caboose 2

I should back up a bit though. This adventure actually started several months ago when my friend Jenn suggested I join their relay team. Me? Run a relay? Live in a van for two days? After thinking for about 5 minutes I decided to go for it. We had enough runners interested to make 2 teams so our captains did much of the planning together and we had a few fun meetings to go over the details.

Thursday night, we decorated my van and took part in a little carb loading.

Jen decorating while Mike and Andi play Tetris

Isn't she pretty?

I drove home that night (with my van all pimped out) into one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. I took this as a very positive sign!


At the butt crack of dawn, I met my team at the start and at 6:30 I set off on my first leg - 4.3 miles which I finished in 41:39 (9:41 pace).

That's me in the orange Newtons and black hat.

It was awesome to run with Tim for a bit (he was a part of SLAMC1). The 5 of us who started chatted a bit and then the tall guy in grey who was running the first 3 legs & the girl in yellow took off. I kept the girl in my sights but never caught her. No worries. I got to the end of my leg, smacked Jenn's ass & she was off! We decided ass slaps would be more fun than a baton :)
We were having a great time hanging out and getting to each exchange point. We cheered for everyone. We rang cow bells.  After van 2 took over, Mike, Glenn, Jenn, Andi and I got some breakfast (lunch for me since it was around 11 am) and then headed back out to cheer some more for van 2 and the other teams.

Glenn getting ready for his leg with Jenn in the background.

Mike giving Glenn a good smack.

We made it to the Reed City, where I would take over again, a few hours before my next run. I tried to lay down and rest but I never really slept.  I did some foam rolling and cheered other teams coming in.

About 71 miles down, 129 to go!

At 4:51 pm, it was my turn to run again. There was a big difference between running at 6:30 am and almost 5 pm. SUN and HEAT. This 7.1 mile run (an out and back section) was brutal. I encountered loose dogs and a snake - 2 of my biggest running fears - during this leg.  I also ran out of water 4.8 miles in and did a lot of walking on the way back. The only things keeping me going were texts encouraging me, the breeze that kicked up, a bit of shade, and high 5s from runners heading out on that leg. I finished my 7.1 in 1:12:29 (a 10:16 pace) which blows my mind since I walked so much in the 5th mile! My teammates quickly got me Gatorade & put water bottles on my neck to cool me down and before long I was back to my chipper self. Even though the route was insanely hot, it was also beautiful.


Several legs (or "spurs" for this race since it was railroad themed) of the 200 mile course were 2-track, gravel and grass. Thankfully I didn't have any of those spurs.  I'm not sure how I would've handled running on anything other than pavement.

Glenn, Jenn, Andi and Mike

Night began to fall and we got our safety gear ready. Jenn finished our second stint just before 11 pm by running around Lake Cadillac.  The relay was half way done!

I can only imagine how gorgeous this park and lake must be in the daytime.

We went in search of dinner & beer, then headed back to Reed City where I would take over again sometime before dawn. I started my 3rd spur at 4:44 am after attempting a couple hours sleep in the van. I have to say, this was by far my favorite leg to run. The number of stars in the sky was simple astounding. I wanted to take my lights off and just stare at the sky, but instead I just ran and watched Orion rise over my left shoulder. The first couple miles were SLOW from being cramped up in the van and having already run 11 1/2 miles, but I managed to chase a girl down & I got my first road kill 4 miles into my 3rd run by hitting a 9:35 pace! I could hear water running somewhere too & the run was so peaceful. Just my music, the sounds of the night and a few other runners blinking head and behind me.  I finished my 6.34 mile run in 1:04:49 - a 10:13 pace. I handed off to Jenn again and Glenn got a couple pics for me.

Paris, MI isn't nearly as glamorous as Paris, France, but boy was I happy to be there!

Give this girl a beer!

I was one very happy little runner to get that beer before 6 am! It took me a few hours before I realized I had run 17.7 miles across 3 runs in under 24 hours at a 10:06 average pace!  I'm still trying to

The sun finally came up and Glenn took over, then Andi ran her last leg. Andi slapped Mike on the ass to send him off on his final run and off he was - that dude is crazy fast! After running over 12 miles on his last leg (Mike did 2 back to back), van 2 took over again and SLAMC2 van 1 was DONE!

Mike coming in hot!

We drove down to cheer on van 2 a bit more and then headed back to Comstock Park and the finish line.  We might have celebrated with more beers and a Bloody Mary while we waited for van 2 to finish.  But that's just how we roll.

Getting to run across the finish line with my team was such a thrill. I still can't believe we ran how much we did and managed to come in 7 seconds per mile faster than predicted (that's 23 minutes over the course of the race!).  I even amazes me how close to pace we all stayed!

SLAMC2 and SLAMC1 at the finish!

I can't wait to run this race again next year - or maybe another relay.  I thought I would hate this experience but I really loved it.  Having such a great team and supportive van mates made this adventure truly special.


How about you?  Are you ready to run a relay?  Want to add me to your team?

Motivation Monday: Fred Relay Teaser

I'm still recovering and trying to process what my team mates and I accomplished during the amazing adventure that was the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay. I promise a full recap but here are a few teaser pics. What doesn't kill you really does make you stronger!









I'm blogging over at Shrinkingjeans today also about running a relay. Go visit!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fitness Friday: The Fred 200 Miler!

Team Stop Looking At My Caboose 2 is off and running. (We actually started at 6:30 this morning - so early!) Tune in next week when I'm sure I'll try and recap the experience or follow along on the Fred Facebook page to see how we're doing.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fitness Friday: RELAY!!!!

Next weekend (August 9 and 10) I'm running my first 200 mile relay - the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay! I'm excited and also a bit terrified to see what my body can do over the course of 36 hours or so.  The White Pine Trail used to be a railroad, so the team names and relay terms are all railroad related - so fun :)

My team, Stop Looking At My Caboose 2 (we also have a SLAMC1) has 10 super awesome runners (of course I'm including myself in that description!).  I'm in peanut roaster (van) 1 and I'll be running spurs 1 (4.3 miles), 13 (7.1 miles) and 25 (6.4 miles).  Yep - I get to start us off!!! We begin at the ungodly hour of 6:30 am on Friday, Aug 9 - so if you're awake, cheer us on!

You can follow the relay and my team's progress by "liking" the Fred's FB page.  All the teams will be posting pictures and progress there.  I'm sure I'll tweet a few pictures as I can, too.

Have you ever run a relay?  Any tips you want to share with me?

Happy National Running Day! #runchat #nationalrunningday

Even though many of us celebrate the ability to run everyday, today is officially National Running Day.

This morning I woke up before my alarm and headed out for a 2 mile run, knowing many of my running friends were doing the same thing this morning. Today I ran a mile in honor of each of my kids but I also ran those 2 miles as part of my first official training run for the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail 200 Mile Relay!  In 12 hours, I managed 2 runs for a total of 6 miles - something a year ago I could not have done. This made for a happy Bari this morning.

Coming back from injury hasn't been easy and I'd be lying if I said I never had a run that still hurt in some way.  However, I'm reminded every day how fortunate I am to have the ability to run.  I feel pretty lucky to have connected with so many great friends through running as well.  It's pretty freaking awesome.  

I run...because I can.  How about you?