Michigan runners Emily and Ted Sherman are behind runner.com, a site the Birmingham, Mich. couple took over this summer and re-launched “as an inspirational website for all types of runners – from (ultra) marathoners to beginners,” Emily says. I connected with Emily not long after the M22 Challenge (she contacted me about sharing my race recap on runner.com), and I was happy to learn that she and Ted operate their site here in Michigan. They have three kids—two sons ages 11 and 9, and a daughter, 5 ½, and Emily, 45, also is a part-time lawyer working in Detroit. “I am not a competitive runner. I just like to run, at least five days a week, and I don’t typically go very far—2 to 4 miles,” she says. “I am your typical busy working mom who wants to have regular ‘real’ exercise in her life. Hard exercise, not the type you dress up to go to the gym to get. I think there must be many runners out there who are just like me.”
A memorable Mitten State run: My sister came into town from Seattle recently to visit my family and our parents. We decided it would be fun to run from my house to my parent’s house—a distance of five miles. During this run, we had the time to catch up, just us sisters, without the interruption of kids or other family members. It was our own private time. And, at the end, we ended up at our parent’s house and had a chance to visit with them, too. Overall, a sisters’ run was a great idea for carving out uninterrupted time for us sisters to catch up on each other’s lives. And, the five-mile distance, slightly more than I usually run, made me feel great!
Favorite Michigan race The Jingle Bell Run, held each December in Birmingham. Before the race, the runners attach jingle bells to their shoes. Once the race begins, you can hear thousands of jingle bells echoing through the streets. The ringing of the bells on the runners’ shoes and the beautifully decorated streets of Birmingham make this a very festive race. It is a great run for lifting spirits during the grey days of December.
Also, years ago—1995, I think—I attempted to run across the Mackinac Bridge, in a race. During the qualifying race in Mackinaw City the morning before, I received a third place medal in my age group. Winning a medal in running was something that I had never done before (and haven’t done since), and I was thrilled. Unfortunately, the race across the Mackinac Bridge was cancelled on the day of the race—it was too windy and, therefore, too dangerous to run. I would still love to run across that bridge. [Editor’s note: the 5th Annual Fall Colors Bridge Race is set for Oct. 12, 2013. Another run on the Bridge takes place over Memorial Day.]
Awesome Michigan Running Route: My favorite place to run in Michigan is the eight mile trail encircling Mackinac Island. I just wrote an article about this on Runner.com. The views are really beautiful, with the bridge visible for part of the run along with various ferries and freighters out on the lake and in the straits. Also, there is usually a nice, cool breeze coming off the lake, perfect for running.
My Best Distance: I am a 5K runner. Someday, I would like to run more but, for now, I am happy with my 5K runs.
My Running Is: Therapeutic, Frequent, Invigorating
Runner.com: Although Runner.com was established in 1995, my husband and I took over Runner.com in June 2013. We designed Runner.com to inspire runners to keep running, no matter their skill level. We strive to provide runners with inspiration to get moving and keep moving. We also provide runners with the latest news about running gear, other running related websites that may be of interest, as well as give them the opportunity to contribute to our blog through the submission of articles and other posts to our site.
I am most proud of the fact that, within six weeks of our launch, we have over 550 likes on our Facebook page and thousands of visitors to our site. We hope this reach means that we are inspiring people to run! I want to continue to work to make Runner.com the go-to site for running enthusiasts across the country, and I want to highlight the more localized blogs to meet the special interests of our readers. Runner.com is still evolving and growing and welcomes input from runners around the globe.
Why I Run: Running provides me with my “me” time. Because I am busy with my family and my job, running five times a week became something I make an effort to fit in—even though I never have too much time: 30 minutes here, 45 minutes there. My youngest starts kindergarten in the fall, and I am hoping to use my extra time to increase my distance and my speed.I also hope that running is something my whole family can do together in the years to come.
Upcoming Race Schedule: I would like to participate in The Color Run sometime in the next year. The Color Run is an untimed 5K perfect for all levels of runners. Runners wear white to the race and are sprayed with various colors as they run. I think that doing The Color Run would be a great way to engage our kids in running, in a fun, non-competitive way.
