Michigan Runner Girl

When was the last time you tried something different with your exercise routine, when you decided it was time to shake things up -- and then you went for it? 

Heather and co-host Cassy Stone dive deep into what it means to ask ourselves, "What's next?" as it relates to considering a big goal, whether it's starting to run for the first time, training for a first 5K, getting back into running after a break (due to injury, illness, or otherwise), or testing out a new-to-you sport. Heather and Cassy share their own experiences of breaking out of ruts and setting big goals. They reflect on what these endeavors meant to them at the time -- and how they helped shape their lives, both as runners and as women, wives, mothers, and friends.

Heather talks about why she feels now is the time to go big by signing up for her first IRONMAN 70.3 next summer. Cassy shares how living with a chronic disease impacts her running and everyday life -- and how she's looking forward to seeing where her determination and strength will take her at an upcoming 5K. 

Heather and Cass also laugh their way through a conversation about a shared favorite podcast featuring a well-known film and TV star (and Michigan native). 

If you've ever found yourself thinking it's time to shake things up a little, but maybe you're not sure exactly how that'll look, this episode is for you. You'll be inspired to get moving in the direction your heart is leading you.

Next summer, on Aug. 25, Michigan will get its second IRONMAN 70.3 – behind IRONMAN 70.3 Steelhead in Benton Harbor, set for June 30, 2019 – when Traverse City hosts the triathlon featuring a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run.

Buzz around this new event has been significant, to say the least, with athletes throughout Michigan and beyond eagerly anticipating registration day last month. And when general registration opened on Sept. 25, the race filled up incredibly fast – within a half hour, according to race organizers. Heather is among the 2,500 athletes signed on for this race.

To hear all about this exciting new event coming to northern Michigan, Heather sat down with Frank Lowery, Midwest and Great Plains Regional Director for IRONMAN, and Joel Gaff, IRONMAN 70.3 Traverse City race director.

While exact course details aren’t yet available – Joel and Frank are now working on building out where athletes will swim, bike, and run – they do share that the race will take participants into West Grand Traverse Bay, into Leelanau County, and around Boardman Lake and through downtown Traverse City. They also offer up great insight into what an IRONMAN race is really like, the training that’s involved, the athletes (of all ages and experience) who come out for these events, and many more details. As triathletes themselves (Joel, a Traverse City native and longtime race director, recently finished his 6th full IRONMAN races), Heather’s guests are well versed in triathlon and share their own experiences taking on swim-bike-run events.

Heather will be sharing all of her training in the coming months leading up to IRONMAN 70.3 Traverse City – stay tuned for more here on the podcast and over on the MRG blog.

Thinking about heading to Traverse City this fall or early winter for a race weekend getaway? Coryn Briggs, a northern Michigan runner and cyclist who works for Traverse City Tourism, gives listeners a preview of upcoming events and races taking place in the area over the next few months.

Coryn, who is behind Traverse City Tourism's social media channels — she serves as digital marketing manager for TC Tourism — also shares some lodging specials you may want to take advantage of, whether you're making it a girls' weekend, couples getaway, or family mini-vacation.

Coryn and Heather talk about their own experiences with these northern Michigan races, which include: the Sleeping Bear Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K on Oct. 6 in Empire, Mich.; Traverse City's 10th annual Zombie Run on Oct. 27; the 5th annual Great Beerd Run on Nov. 10 (which takes place during Traverse City Beer Week, Nov. 9-16 - and there's a special MRG discount code); the Up North Turkey Trot on Nov. 22; and the Farmland 5K Run and Free for All Bike on Dec. 1 on the east side of Traverse City.

Coryn also shares her family's trip to the U.P. this summer, for the popular Ore to Shore mountain bike races in Marquette.

Traverse City Tourism has a new site, which provides information on special lodging deals as well as other resources. Heather recently contributed a blog post about great places to see autumn color on a run. You can read it here.

Links:

Farmland 5K: https://www.farmlandtc.com

Great Beerd Run: http://thegreatbeerdrun.com

Zombie Run: http://www.tczombierun.com

Sleeping Bear Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K: https://www.enduranceevolution.com/sleeping-bear-marathon-half-marathon-5k/

Up North TurkeyTrot: http://www.tcturkeytrot.com

At age 62, west Michigan runner and race director Don Kern is going strong—he's running marathons (the East Canyon Marathon in Utah this summer marked #324), completing triathlons, eyeing a 4-mile swim across the Straits of Mackinac next summer, and race directing the event he helped start 15 years ago, the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay set for Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. 

Don talks about his own running and endurance sports journey over the years and how he views his athletic pursuits these days.

He also shares how the GR Marathon got its start in 2004 (a brewery was involved!), how it's grown and evolved over the years (it started with just over 900 runners and now between 4,000-4,500 runners come out each year), and what runners can expect at this year's milestone event (the event is known as a race "designed by runners, for runners"). Race weekend also includes a kids' marathon on Saturday. "It's a very very high energy event. They're running their little hearts out and it's a blast having them out there." 

Don also is race director of the Groundhog Marathon and Half Marathon in Grand Rapids each February and the new Millennium Meadows Marathon that takes place in GR in August. 

A special MRG listener and reader discount code is good for all of these GR races. Use the code rcRunnerGirl to receive 10% off your race entry. 

Listeners will be excited to hear from Maia Turek, our Michigan Department of Natural Resources State Parks guru, as she sits down with Heather to talk about upcoming happenings around the Mitten this fall. (As Maia puts it, “Hoop-la” season is about to get underway, everyone!) Along with sharing fun and interesting spots to explore, and cool events like harvest festivals taking place at our state parks – did you know we have 103 state parks and 138 state forest campgrounds? – Maia and Heather talk about the State Department of Natural Resources’ Centennial celebration in the coming year, Heather’s end-of-summer trip to the Upper Peninsula and Van Riper State Park (did someone say moose-sightings?), AND how all of us can contribute to a joint project between the DNR and MRG that’s going to help us all explore our gorgeous state even more.

As was announced on the blog a couple of weeks ago, Michigan Runner Girl is teaming up with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to create an online guide of the best running routes in Michigan from the runners who know Michigan best…you! 

We all have our favorite Michigan routes – the ones with the perfectly located scenic overlook, or the road with the breeze off the lake, or simply the route with a great mix of scenery and geography to create an exhilarating challenge. 

Share your favorite routes to help visitors “know before they go” so they can be more confident in exploring some of Michigan’s most beautiful places. These spots can be in a Michigan state park or trail, your nearby hometown, or favorite vacation spot. 

Submit as many running routes as you want by Labor Day, Sept. 3, and you will be entered to win either a Michigan Runner Girl hoodie or Michigan state park sweatshirt!

MRG is super excited to be part of this project. This is another way we’re partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — did you also know that MRG participates in the DNR’s These Goods are Good for Michigan program? Michigan Runner Girl is among the businesses partnering with the DNR to raise awareness and financial support for Michigan state parks, trails, and waterways. A portion of the proceeds from these products, including MRG online store items, will be donated back to programs and amenities that benefit natural resources and outdoor recreation in this state.

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The Michigan Runner Girl Show is made possible in part by the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. Traverse City Tourism also helped make this episode possible.

If you enjoy what you’re hearing on the Michigan Runner Girl show, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a few moments to write a review on iTunes. This will help more runners and Michigan lovers like yourself find the podcasts. Thank you!! Also, the quickest way to get the podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes or via Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. 

A special thanks to Mike Moran, Mike Youker and Jonny Tornga of Quarter After Productions in Traverse City, Mich. for producing the show. Check out this studio’s work here.

The summer of 2017 started out well for Ali Lopez, with big plans for triathlons as well as trail running and racing. But this all suddenly changed when she critically injured her left eye in an accident while at her home. 

Ali went from competing in a northern Michigan triathlon to the next day facing downstate surgeries and weeks of recovery. She couldn't be upright (no walking or running) and in fact had to spend significant amounts of time laying face down as her eye healed.

Ali, a wellness chef and health coach, is a longtime contributor to MichiganRunnerGirl.com, writing columns about fueling smart and sharing delicious recipes. She opens up about her experience last summer -- "Mentally, it was tough," she shares -- and what it's now like being on the other side of this injury and getting back into running, triathlon, and cooking. 

"It was hard ... but now when I am running and it's really hot or I'm running and it's really cold, or whatever, I just laugh. Because this is not hard. Yeah, this hard, but this is nothing compared to [what I went through]. I keep telling myself, you get to keep doing this. You couldn't do anything last summer, so everything that I get to do, I am just so grateful for. Even now, I just hope I finish [a race]. I hope I'm not last, but I just hope I can finish. I can be in the water, I can be on my bike, I can be on the trails, I can be running, I can be doing stuff. Because it sucks when you can't."

It’s end of July -- time for a summer check-in! Heather welcomes Joe (her hubby) back to the show to talk about his running and racing over the past couple of months, and new role with MRG (check out his happy smile on the new site here.)

Joe’s racing has included the Bayshore 10K and helping cheer on Heather and Emma as they finished the marathon. They also talk about what they’ve been up to lately with their family (a day trip on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail most recently). We'd love to hear where you're exploring in Michigan this summer -- send MRG a note at [email protected] or [email protected].

Also  …. … Heather and Joe share some exciting things happening with MRG, including the MRG Box.

This episode also includes race news and deals you’ll want to check out as you look to fill your late-summer, fall, and winter race schedules.

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Mentioned during this episode...

Local race happening in July in Glen Arbor, Mich.: 12th Annual Running Bear Run 

Awesome place to eat if you're in Leelanau County and on a day trip near Glen Arbor: Boone Docks

"I think the mile requires a hybrid type of athlete. We’re half sprinter and half distance runner. I think that the mile race itself is just long enough to create a dramatic anticipation for that last lap, and then this explosive finishing kick where really anything can happen. It’s a sort 4-minute story that’s really exciting to watch." ~ 1996 Olympian Paul McMullen, who grew up in Cadillac, Mich. and now lives in Grand Haven

On this latest episode, Paul talks about the allure of the mile, his amazing talent for this distance, both in high school and on the collegiate level -- his best mile time was 3:54 -- and what it was like to become an Olympic athlete. Paul, the father of three children, also shares what eventually propelled him beyond the mile and toward much longer distances, including the ultramarathon. He ran this year’s Boston Marathon and also participated in an especially grueling ultramarathon in Spain. Paul also is candid about how his relationship with running has changed over the course of his athletic career.

Paul, who is running this fall's Holland Haven Marathon, has a passion for encouraging young runners. Through his youth running club Chariots of Firein west Michigan, he is inspiring kids ages 6 - 13 to enjoy running. Through play, these kids have a fun place to discover and develop their gift of running, Paul says.

Paul also talks about how In 1997 he lost parts of two toes when his foot slipped under a lawnmower he was operating. He returned to the sport in December 1998 and was able to run even faster than before the accident. Runner's World referred to him, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as "the world's fastest eight-toed miler."

Paul is an eight-time NCAA All-American who graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1995. At his specialty of 1500 meters, he was the 1996 Olympic Trials 1500-meter champion, 1995 USA Outdoor champ and 1998 USA Indoor mile champ and tenth at the 1995 and 2001 World Championships outdoors. His personal bests are: 1500m-3:33.89 (2001), Mile-3:54.94 (2001) and 800m-1:45.71 (2001).

West Michigan runner and race director Kevin Curley vividly remembers hearing fellow runner Veronica Constantine's journey of living with a chronic health condition. Her story, of continuing to be active despite having Hydrocephalus — which involves excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain— left a lasting impression. And when Kevin learned that Veronica and her family were behind a local race that raises money for Hydrocephalus, he decided to get involved. "Running has been her way of not letting Hydrocephalus run her life," he says. "The race has always been a way to make more people aware of this condition." 

The Brainy Day Trail Run 10K and 5K, now in its 12th year, is set for August 11 in Nunica, Mich. Taking place on privately-owned trails, this event benefits the Brainy Day Fund, a nonprofit organization helping those affected by hydrocephalus. 

Race organizers say the event has drawn a solid number of runners over the years — and they're excited to welcome even more this summer. With its beginner-friendly 5K course and a challenging-and-satisfying 10K course, finisher medals for both distances, cool post-race party featuring Odd Side Ales brew and live music, not to mention unique age-group awards (fresh produce from the farm across the road!), this event is a great one to place on your race calendar this summer. AND: race organizers have generously provided a race discount code — MRG2018 — for listeners and readers. Get signed up here 

According to the Brainy Day Fund's web site, the goal "was to not only help families, but also create research grants for medical professionals looking to end hydrocephalus." For the past two years, the organization has been working to develop programs that it can manage as a small organization and that can also be very helpful to the community.

Thanks to the guidance of the Hydrocephalus Association, the Brainy Day Fun decided to launch two programs in 2018: a scholarship program for graduating high school seniors in Michigan living with hydrocephalus; and a research grant program.

The organization has raised more than $100,000 since the first race in 2007. The goal is to double that by 2025. "We would love the opportunity to help as many children heading off to school as possible, at the same time helping scientists find a more reliable way to manage hydrocephalus and continue to explore how to cure this condition," according to the site.

A third program still in the works is an education platform. The idea is to reach as many medical professionals in Michigan who have patients with hydrocephalus. "We want them to be made aware of the resources we provide as well as that of the Hydrocephalus Association."

The Fourth of July is almost here -- do you have plans for a patriotic race? One of MRG’s favorites: the super family-friendly Stars Stripes & Splatter, a 5K color run at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City. Color stations -- manned by volunteers who spread the cornstarch red, white, and blue love with runners as they pass by -- are located throughout the 3.1-mile course. The run, which is untimed, starts at Jazz Live Field on the resort grounds, and loops back to the start area, with portions of the race running on Lautner Road.

Race Director Kelly Yauk joins Heather on the show to talk about this year’s Stars, Stripes, and Splatter 5K, which is set for this coming weekend, Saturday, June 30. Also joining the conversation: Kelly’s Resort colleagues and fellow runners Jillian Manning, public relations manager, and Courtlyn Reekstin, marketing intern. They talk all about this weekend’s race, including new features (even more treats and goodies during the post-race party) and how the event continues to partner with Habitat for Humanity-Grand Traverse Region.

Kids 12 and under run for free with an adult participant. Children must pre-register for complimentary entry. Cost is $35 through this Friday, June 29, or $40 day of race if spaces remain.

Learn more and get signed up here: http://starsstripesandsplatter.com/

For more Fourth of July-themed and summer races happening all around Michigan, check out the searchable race and event calendar on MichiganRunnerGirl.com here: https://michiganrunnergirl.com/event/