Lansing resident Kim McKeel raced at The River Run 5K last Sunday, and her son ran with her - sort of. Mom McKeel took son Josh, 10 weeks old, in a Baby Jogger stroller on the 3.1-mile trek. She’s been doing this since he was two weeks old.
“It’s a good motivation,” McKeel said of running 5Ks. “Each week we try and pick a different 5K to run. It’s enough of a distance where you keep a goal week to week. And I just had a baby, so that helps.”
This particular 5K was organized by St. John’s Student Parish, 327 M.A.C. Ave., a Catholic church serving the MSU community.
It was meant as a fund-raiser for the group’s alternative spring break trips. About 75 runners participated.
McKeel said she picked up running about two years ago, after a hiatus. Co-workers and her uncle accompanied her to Sunday’s race, as well.
History senior Alicia Gardner was also at the race. She said she’s been a runner since high school and recently picked up a 5K habit.
“I just started running 5Ks in September, and this is my fourth,” Gardner said. “They’re definitely a motivation. I see a lot of retired people who win, and it encourages me to run faster and more often.”
Patrick Lucas, an American Studies doctoral student and musical director for the parish, trains about four times a week, but usually doesn’t race. The charity aspect of the event led him there this weekend.
“Alternative spring break is a wonderful cause and it’s great to be able to support that in any way we can as a community,” Lucas said.
Training with others
Mason resident James Hicks also ran Sunday and said he runs many 5Ks a year. The competition of the race is his main drive for participating. But for training, Hicks, a runner for 15 years, likes being a member of the Mid-Michigan Track Club.
He said training with the club promotes camaraderie and competition, pushing the motivational factor up along the way.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to run by yourself,” he said. “But if you have a group like that to run with it’s a lot easier to get motivated.
“And at least you have a chance to run with people who are a little bit better than you, so it’s something to shoot for.”
And you don’t have to be a marathoner to join, he said. The club accommodates all levels.
“For many of the type of workouts that we do, it’s kind of matching up with your own level, except when we’re running relay type workouts, those are mixed.
“With both the so-so runners and the good runners.”
The workouts vary from short runs on the track to half marathons on the road.
The cold is coming
The cold winter is well on the way, slush and ice included. This doesn’t exactly make for a wonderful running experience, but the racers had a few tips.
Gardner suggested grabbing friends to run with, or go somewhere with an indoor track, like IM-Sports East or Jenison Field House.
“It’s easier to go running when there are more people to drag you out of bed,” Gardner said. “And we run in Jenison when it’s really cold out.”
McKeel said she likes the cold and just piles on layers of clothes to defeat it.
“I buy some running gear, some of the fleece running pants and a lot of the jackets and shirts that are made for wicking so you don’t get the sweat stuck to you that makes you freeze,” she said.
