Leatherneck Nation

For anyone who happens to be in town either of the next two weekends (like, for the football games, for example) and who likes to run, there's local runs both weekends.

This Saturday is the Fallen Soldiers 5K run/walk on campus: http://www.wiu.edu/vpas/wellness/event.php?id=563
Starts at the Rec Center and ends at Hanson Field, and you actually get a medal for finishing (which you don't often do for smaller 5K runs).

Next Saturday (the 25th) is the YMCA's Haunted Hill 10K/5K Run or Walk and 1 mile fun run: http://macombymca.org/bulletin-board/ne ... -hill-run/
Which starts and ends at the YMCA (North Dudley Street) and does the hill at N. Randolph (one block east of N. Lafayette/US 67) and goes through the Oakwood Cemetery. 5K does the loop once, 10K does it twice.

I'll be doing both, so if you are in town and are participating in either, stop by and say hi.

That might be the icing on the cake for me to come back again. Can't do this weekend but currently getting a good airfare/hotel/car deal when flying in to Bloomington on following weekend. That could be quite a day. Get up at 4am and head over to Macomb for 5k race. Recover in time for 1pm game with Panthers. Head back over to Bloomington just in time for 7pm ISU/MSU game. Go back to hotel and soak in hot tub.

BTW Scott, I think I got my time wrong for the homecoming 5k. That was only my 2nd (un)official 5k and the first one last year out in Phoenix was 37 something with 3 stop and walks on some concrete inclines. This last one went a lot better but I don't think it was 5-6 minutes faster. Do they publish the times anywhere? - not that it really matters too much to me as my only goal was to finish without any lower leg pain and that was definitely accomplished this last time thanks I think to a lot of trail running on uphill stretches. I will pay more attention to time from here on.

Yea, actually they do have the results posted online now: http://wiu.edu/alumni/pdfs/FunRun2014.pdf

I was running with my sister-in-law, who just started running this summer (she and I were running partners) and this was her first race, so I stuck with her at her pace. We ran just under 32 minutes.
For comparison to what I usually run, I did the MDH/Tevar 5K (I was good friends with Dr. Tevar's youngest son in high school) last weekend and ran a 25:45 (http://www.mdh.org/get_involved/tevar_r ... sults.aspx). Won my age class, but that's not saying much, there were only about 30 or so people who actually did the 5k (most walked the 1 or 2 mile...it's really more of a fundraiser than an actual competitive race).

Thanks, ST. Now have something to scribble down on my runner's bib. We were definitely in close proximity at end.