From 5K to 10 Miles: This Runner Asks, “Who’s with me?”

A first-time 5Ker

I’ve heard about the Crim for years, but hadn’t made the trek from my Detroit home base to run in the event. When HAP became the title sponsor last year, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get my shoes laced up and join the fun. I even recruited my husband to go with me to check it out (no, he didn’t run, but I loved and appreciated the moral support). 

The morning of the race we headed up and parked in the auxiliary lot, conveniently located off the freeway. From there, you hop on a shuttle that takes you into downtown. I was originally worried we’d have to sit and wait for the shuttles, but that fear was quickly squashed as there were two buses already there loading up racers and another pulling in to the parking lot.  It was the same when we were heading back to the car too – no waiting at all.

The start line was an impressive sight. Corrals perfectly marked for the 10-mile runners and announcements every few minutes getting the 5K- and 8K-ers ready for their start. My start was one of the smoothest I’ve experienced to date. Just long enough to get some stretches in, but not long enough that you had to wait to start running.

The 5K course was great. It was nice and flat and wound through some cool scenery, too. It wasn’t my 5K personal record, but I did finish under 30 minutes, which is pretty fast for my short legs to run.  Fun bands and entertainment were waiting for me when I finished.

10-mile run, here I come

Last year, while I loved the 5K, I have to admit I was a little envious of those awesome 10-mile medals the finishers were donning. So, for 2017, I committed to running that course this year. I’m even running four miles tonight as part of my training program. On the weekends, you can find me fitting in some hill training with my training partner, my black lab. 

I’m looking forward to seeing the HAP 5K Challengers achieve their goals at the race and high-fiving my teammates manning the water station as I pass by.

HAP members, there’s still time to sign up for the Crim’s 5K, 8K and 10 mile courses. Don’t forget you have a discount to register! Log in to your hap.org account and select “Member Events” in the “My Health and Wellness” tab to get the discount code.