Reflecting on this year’s Bayshore Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K in Traverse City

As I’ve been sharing on the Michigan Runner Girl Facebook page recently, I’ve been taking it pretty easy running-wise following my fourth Bayshore Marathon about two weeks ago. I headed to the trails yesterday for my first post-race run (yep, my legs reminded me that I am still in recovery mode; they were perfectly content to go slooow) and prior to that, I’ve been on my road bike quite a bit, which has felt really good.

As it happens after each big goal race, I’ve been processing and reflecting on the experience. Here’s what I shared hours after the marathon:

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Today I can say I remain proud of my hard-earned finish and of my decision, particularly in the final miles, to embrace the race for what it was—most definitely different from my ideal and disappointing in some ways, yet a gift nonetheless. There was a real moment in the race, probably around miles 16-18, when I realized my “A” goal wasn’t going to happen. And perhaps even my “B” goal was shot as well. And in that moment I instinctively knew, maybe because I’ve been running and racing for awhile now, that I could choose the story of this race. I could decide how I was going to handle this change—and I knew then that I wanted it to be positive. I didn’t want to wallow or beat myself up mentally for not accomplishing what I had thought I would accomplish this day. I was running a freakin’ marathon…26.2 miles! I was going to finish, and no matter the clock time, I would feel great about crossing that line, of pushing myself toward that line, and cheesy as it may sound, just not giving up. Because of course that thought crossed my mind.

I’ve also been thinking about my training leading up to the marathon. I followed the advanced Hansons Marathon Method for the second time, and I believe this plan did help me stay strong both mentally and physically throughout the race. I battled various injuries throughout this training cycle—my right achilles early on, then tightness in both calves and more recently, my left ankle—and I took time off and missed some crucial workouts. Still, I did my best to rest, listen to my body. I found some relief with Active Release Technique, too, thanks to visits with Dan Z. at Zemper Restorative Therapy. In the end, I do feel that this less-than-great training this time around affected my ability to crush my “A” goal. But would I change the experience? No. Each training season, each race, helps us learn more about ourselves. I think this time around I learned that I have more mental strength than I maybe thought possible. I’ll take this to my next race, whether it’s a 5K or a marathon, and that’s only going to help me in my ongoing quest to become the best runner—best person—I can be.

I am excited to share the latest podcast episode with you guys. I decided to record a special Bayshore show, featuring interviews with those involved with this longtime northern Michigan race tradition. More than 5,000 runners finished the Bayshore races and during this special podcast episode, I check in with Daniel Siderman, race director of the Bayshore, as well as Lisa Taylor, a Michigan Runner Girl Show regular who was recently named executive director of the Traverse City Track Club, which oversees Bayshore. {Listen to this episode by clicking on the player at the top of this post}

In the first part of the show, Daniel and Lisa give a behind-the-scenes look at the Bayshore, which marked its 35th anniversary this past Memorial Day weekend. They share how this race got started in the early 80s (it began as only a marathon and 10K; the half marathon was added later), how its evolved and grown in popularity (races typically sell out fast when registration opens in December each year), and the impressive impact, financial and otherwise, it has on Traverse City and the surrounding areas. We also talk about this year’s races and the new things runners experienced in 2017 (free race course photography, for example).

We also talk about two notable runners who took part in Bayshore this year, one of whom was a complete surprise on race day (hint: she’s an Olympic marathon finisher). The other famous runner? David Willey, editor-in-chief of Runner’s World magazine, who was a guest on the MRG Show a couple of weeks ago. (He and I talked all about his ties to Michigan, his 14-year career as editor-in-chief, his plans to step aside from this position later this month, and of course his inspiring “moonshot marathon” quest of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. David did in fact achieve his long-held goal at Bayshore, finishing with a time of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 55 seconds. He needed to finish in under 3 hours and 30 minutes.)

In the second part of the show, I am joined by runner Dave Taylor, who shares his marathon experience at Bayshore—he was aiming to qualify for Boston, and he did just that. Lisa Taylor, who is married to Dave, sticks around for this part of the show and talks about supporting Dave in this goal. Dave just might have a running partner to join him in Boston next April, as their college-age daughter Ellie is hoping to get a BQ at her first marathon this June in Charlevoix, Mich. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to run Bayshore, this episode is sure to answer all of your questions. And if you were there yourself running the marathon, half marathon or 10K, you’ll have fun re-living your Bayshore experience.

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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.