Ramping Up and Running the Riverbank

Phil and I have been preparing to run the 5/3 Riverbank Run for months, and this past weekend was the big event!  Most of our training was in the Florida heat, but we were able to go for one run in Michigan before the race.  I can't think of the last time that we ran in long sleeve shirts.

 Friday, May 11th, was the race expo...and it was a family affair.

Clare enjoyed being with her cousins...

 ...but her true highlight was probably the cotton candy (and sucker)

 Phil's brothers also ran on Saturday:

Keith (far left) ran the 10K and Brian (far right) ran the 25K.

 Clare was one of our cheerleaders on race day.

 Team Hillham or Durllary bright and early on race day.

 My mom, who has been chasing races for years, is the best cheerleader a runner could ever ask for...and her little prodige made it even better.  :)

 Pre-Race = Lots of Smiles

 The first minute of this video shows Phil, then Brian, then my Dad, and then me.

 Dad, feeling a little less perky than at the one mile mark, got a boost of energy upon seeing his #1 fan.  His look perfectly reflects how we all felt at the 14-mile mark.  Whew...

 In the end, however, we were all smiles again.  Running 15.5 miles is an accomplishment in and of itself, but we all felt good about our race.

 Phil's first Riverbank was a success, and he made his goal of getting into the elite 2-hour Club.  I was so proud of him!!!  This was my fifth Riverbank, and I beat my fastet time by eight minutes, thus making one of my goals.  My Dad, having completed his tenth Riverbank, was happy to finish feeling strong and healthy.  After years of being in the 2-hour Club, he is now just running for the health of it. 

For record keeping sake:

Phil - 1:55:37 (7:28 per mile)

Corrie - 2:03:33 (7:58 per mile)

Dad - 2:16:40 (8:46 per mile)

For my Dad's sake, I want to note that his personal best in the Riverbank was a 1:46.  That's incredibly FAST (approximately 7-minute miles), 
and he is still my running inspiration!