Motor City Half-Marathon (formerly U.S.-Only Half-Marathon) became my excuse to return to Detroit…read moreMichigan in the fall. Part of the Detroit Free Press Marathon which I have ran in the past as well as the International Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon. The Motor City Half-Marathon course runs only through Detroit rather than both Detroit and Windsor, Ontario Canada. It is the perfect option if you do not have a passport which is a requirement to have in order to run the Marathon or International Half-Marathon. For the health & fitness expo, we were required to pick up our bib number and t-shirt from Huntington Place, which is the 16th largest convention center in the United States. I never have the interest in staying long because I always just want to tour downtown Detroit sites like Monument to Joe Louis, and Philip A Hart Plaza. And besides, the expo was very congested, and I personally do not do well mingling within congested areas that involve maneuvering around individuals. But moreover, even with that, I did not once stand in any long lines due to how organized everything was. And for that, I thank the volunteers of Detroit Free Press Marathon very much! With the uncertainty of how my legs will perform, I had to dig down going into this run being that I ran the Chicago Marathon the previous weekend. I have been a runner long enough to know that as long as I am mentally strong, there is not anything that can break my spirit. The morning of the event, I had Victory (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes) stuck in my head which I honestly have not listened to in years. It was the perfect hype up song prior to me making my way to the starting line. I had the luxury of sleeping in due to the Motor City Half-Marathon starting at 10:30 AM; three hours after the start of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, and International Half-Marathon, so there was no excuse in getting 7 hours of sleep before the run. The run course, I must say, was relatively flat with only one slight incline on course. The only battle I dealt with mentally was telling myself to keep my pace underneath an 8-minute mile, even while feeling a slight pain in my left ankle and in my left hamstring which went away as I ran along the course. In those times, I eased my run pace and sort of glided because there were still miles ahead. I had to remind myself to be patient and take it mile by mile because I will eventually get to that finish line at some point. I cannot remember any portion of the course that did not have any spectators on it, even with there being a few events attached to the Detroit Free Press Marathon which were identifiable by the color of the bibs. Along the course, each mile was marked, and there were plentiful hydration stations featuring a combination of Gatorade followed by water; both were identifiable by cups given by volunteers. And the volunteers working those hydration stations were cheerful and supportive of all runners. It made my day to hear my runner nickname, "The Gazelle" being cheered at several points along the course by either spectators or volunteers. The cheers gave me a boost in energy as I acknowledged the person in the form of either raising my hands, throwing up the number one or peace sign, or even yelling "Yeah!". Highlights for me along the run course were running downtown Detroit, seeing Comerica Park (Home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) during the earlier portion of the run, and sights of MotorCity Casino Hotel which is such a beauty! Chit Chatting with a run couple around mile 6 took my mind off the run and was yet another thing that kept me on pace. The couple wore matching American flag shorts and off-and-on received cheers of "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" which I totally adored. It is things like that, that make the United States of America such a great place to be born in. As for the swag, the Detroit Free Press t-shirt was gray with the event name written on the left breast and Detroit 13.1 with 24 printed in the image of the Ambassador Bridge. I loved how the bib matched with my orange HOKA Clifton 3 run shoes, and cute donut print ChicknLegs running brand shorts that many could not take their eyes off of, tehehe. The finishers medal featured the Spirit of Detroit monument on it, with the Ambassador Bridge behind it. I am so grateful to add yet another finishers medal to my run medal collection, a collection that goes back to 2007 when I initially started running. With my inactive Garmin 305 GPS watch on my wrist, sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, and donut print run shorts by ChicknLegs on, I took on this half marathon.... and conquered it! Yes, I would surely run the Motor City Half-Marathon again because it is yet another excuse to revisit Detroit. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

This 5K is beautifully organized on a beautiful course! It is safe, there are enough volunteers for…read moreeverything, and a great breakfast buffet and t-shirt are offered. There are kids races, adult fun races and timed races, and a dog walk! They encourage you to bring your whole family and dog for the fun!! I saw this on their website: WHAT: 6th Annual Vision Builders 5K Run / Walk / Kids Race / Dog Walk WHO: Bring the whole family (including your dog) for race participation and food, fun, and activities! WHEN: Morning of September 16th, 2012 WHERE: Hudson Mills Metropark, 8801 North Territorial Road in Dexter, MI WHY: Great fun for a great cause! All proceeds go towards the development of Kutumb Village, a multi-faceted campus providing education, housing, medical care, nutrition and women's empowerment programs-a sustainable community resource for residents of the Nadesar slums in Varanasi, India. MORE INFORMATION AND ONLINE REGISTRATION: http://www.visionbuilders5k.org Registration now open!

Night nation run in Detroit happened last night at ford field. Lots of neon runners sprinting…read moreinside and out of the football field. Interesting experience running from start to the finish line. Dj's and selfie booth in strategic corners of the stadium. The biggest gathering and noise maker was at the finish line with the stage dj'ed by the likes of Chris schambacher. Runners danced to the tune of techno and remix music. The event was a success for a great cause (stand up against cancer). We hope to join this kind of fun-race-ing event next year!

I signed up for this event for the expensive price of $420 for myself and my nieces. A week after…read moreregistering, Tough Mudder changed the date of the event to a different week and refuses to offer a refund. My only option is to transfer the registration to next year, on a date and location that hasn't even been decided yet. The smug customer support manager, Mitchell Kenigsberg, signed off his smug email "See you in the mud!"

I signed myself up and a couple of my friends. I was overcharged due to my son being in the…read moreMarines. With constant back and forth (via email) with one of Tough Mudders associates I was finally told that my discount was being processed and a refund of $75.00 was being issued. I received a email and all with the totals and how much was going to be refunded in my account. I have yet to see the refund hit my account after participating in the event months ago. I continue to email and has yet to get a respond. Very bad business and I am recommending that all of my friends don't participate in this event until they get this right.

Had a blast at the Tough Mudder 5K this weekend. Very well run event and I am looking forward to…read morenext year. I highly recommend taking on this challenge.

Shamrocks and Shenanigans was raising money for a great cause and that's the only reason we decided…read moreto run/walk. The pickup on Saturday afternoon was very quick and organized. We were able to pickup our shirt and bib very quickly. The race on Sunday was a little disappointing. There was a decent size crowd trying to squeeze brought a small starting line. There was nobody with music or telling us the race was starting. The course was up and down hill and repeated itself at the end. There was supposed to be port a pots along the way and there was none. We only saw one water station. You still need to provide water even if it's cold. We were looking forward to the party at the end and that was disappointing too. There was no tent or heaters and everyone stood in line to get into the restaurant. The restaurant would not allow anyone in the front door after the race. We finished and walked to a nearby restaurant for food and drinks. I will look into other runs in the area before signing up for this one again.

A St. Patrick's Day 5k hosted by Running Fit (great running store) and starting and ending at Conor…read moreO'Neill's? What could be more fun? As it turns out, a lot of things. I found the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5k to have a relatively poorly planned course, and would hesitate to run it again. The course is 2 laps of a 1.55 mile loop through downtown Ann Arbor. This means that the faster runners are lapping the slower runners and walkers after the halfway point. And this creates congestion on the course. Ugh. The course also includes a hairpin turnaround on Main Street that adds additional congestion. Finally, even though race organizers stand at the triage point to direct first lappers to continue on and second lappers toward the finish, that last little bit of the course before the finish line gets confusing and jammed. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans t-shirts are in that rare group where they are so ugly and of such poor quality that I'd rather they hadn't bothered. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans would be a fun race to do with a group of friends before spending the afternoon at Conor's with a pint, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a serious running experience. This course probably isn't conducive to setting a PR. On the plus side, your money will go to a good cause (Mott Children's Hospital at U of Michigan).

March For Babies is an inspiring organization that helps more people than you may even realize…read more With that being said, everyone should feel compelled to donate either their time and commitment to walking, showing their support, or donating an extra $5--pocket change. Almost everyone knows someone who has had a premature baby or one that was sick, and maybe even an unexpected loss. March of Dimes donates 77% of every dollar in programs and research to help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. The research helps find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. We've been walking since 1970, and no better time than now to start! Become a walker and raise donations/sponsors, or just donate some spare lunch money! Come join my team, or help me achieve my goal! http://www.marchforbabies.org/kwenskay Kolten was born early and would have been born much earlier had the doctors and nurses not done everything in their power to keep me pregnant. That was truly one of the scariest times-- knowing that I was only 27 weeks pregnant and in labor. Despite their continuous efforts, he still came a month early...but from their knowledge and expertise, he is a healthy little man!! I work in labor and delivery and everyday a baby is born that was kind of handed the short end of the stick- mom's don't get prenatal care, aren't educated on how to care for a child, and some just don't have the interest. March for babies helps educate women out there for the sake of our children, our future.