WSI athlete, Cindy Gippert, got the opportunity recently to help Spring Valley Elementary’s Girls On The Run team with their practice 5K. All the girls finished and can now goal set for their 5K final event on May 21st at Waldo Stadium. She ran with the girls teaching them about interval running. They seemed surprised to know that is the method she used to complete her 1/2 marathon recently. It saved her from injury. It is so empowering to see the girls learn their personal power through physical activity! Girls on the Run is SO MUCH FUN!
Hey, cyclists can be runners too!
Many of our athletes venture into more than just cycling. While some view the sport of running as torture, others find pleasure in hitting the pavement on foot. Both Derrick and Cindy have done just that over the past month.
Derrick has been enjoying the Run Michigan Cheap series, which is a series of running races that highlight some of Michigan’s great running paths and locations. His first event was a half marathon on the Kal-Haven Trail. Coming into the race he was ill-prepared with his longest training run being only 9 miles. The last 4 miles were filled with torture, pain and a push through it attitude. And push through it he did, with a finish time of 1:40. That translates to a 7:38 minutes/mile pace. Unprepared or not, that is a noteworthy time! His goal is to be under 1:30 for the next one.
The second in the series was tacked on to a vacation up nort
h in Traverse City. He felt the need to add at least some healthy aspect to the trip, despite the large amount of wine that had been consumed at wine tastings. He opted for the 10k instead of the half. The course was on the beautiful Leelanau Trail. He took the overall WIN with a finish time of 43:40 (7:01 minutes/mile)! Derrick has enjoyed the race series and recommends it for anyone looking for a fun, cheap way to run Michigan.
Cindy got bit with the running bug last year after training for her f
irst 10k. She decided this year to sign up with a group of area runners and complete Borgess Run Camp, a training program that prepares runners to the Kalamazoo/Borgess Marathon. Every week at during training runs, Cindy was decked out in her WSI gear and became known as the runner that runs in cycling clothes. The Borgess event took place on Sunday, May 3rd and there were over 8,000 runners registered in the 5 different events. With it being one of the first warm days of the year, she was not anticipatin
g a pace much faster than 10:30 minutes/mile. However, she finished the 13.1 miles in 2:08:15 (9:49 minutes/mile): an all time personal best! She placed 24th out of 119 in her age group. The only downside to the new adventure was the fact that this event takes place the same day as the Fort Custer Stampede and she had to miss out for the first time on the mountain biking action.
Cindy is excited to be able to use this new found love for running as a launch pad into a triathlon journey.
Yankee Springs Time Trial
The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful day to race at the Yankee Springs Time Trials! Once again, WSI had a number of riders participating in a variety of events. The Bridges family had a successful day of racing with Kevin setting an under 1 hour PR and both Marie and Scott placed second in their AG. Dwight raced single speed fat tire and placed 8th, claiming Dan stole his 7th place thunder. Dan finished with a time of 54:47 and Dwight was 55 and some change. A little friendly team competition never hurt anyone, right guys? For Dan, the race holds a bit of a sentimental value as well. The Yankee Springs TT was his first real mountain bike race back in 1999. He loved it and hated it all at the same time. The love must have won out though, because he is still at it 16 years later. For others, the race was a humbling experience. Both JJ and Matt were back at after a hiatus. JJ was discouraged by the over 90 minute finish time but knows it takes more hard work and practice to see the pay off. Matt was not expecting anything great after being off the bike for 5 years. He did, however, experience some excitement when he came across a rider laying in the middle of the course with a stitch-worthy gash on his forehead. Of course the riders first response upon encountering Matt was “Is it bad enough that I need to stop riding?” After getting first aid assistance for the other rider, Matt was off again to finish the ride.
For great pictures of this year’s Yankee Spring TT make sure to check out the gallery by Jack Kunnen.
Photo courtesy of Tara Plante
The Lowell 50
The Lowell 50 is a classic gravel road race that covers the countryside of Lowell, Michigan including a unique covered bridge. It offers both a 34 mile and 57 mile option. The event took place on Saturday, April 11th and WSI was well represented by Andy, Paddi, Danny and the Bridges family.
Kevin was the only brave sole to tackle the 57 mile challenge hoping that he would have logged some miles by this point in the race season. Mysteriously throughout the looped course he always seemed to be encountering a head-wind. After he split with the 37 mile course it became flat (still windy) farmland and he partnered up with another rider, who coincidentally was an Ironman as well. His realization of the day: the bike was great, the motor still needs some work!
Paddi, racing single speed, enjoyed her ride alongside Andy. She came in 9th overall for the women although the results grouped her with the men since she was the ONLY FEMALE SINGLE SPEED! Rock on, Paddi! Their biggest excitement of the day was a fat tire blowout right next to them that had them thinking they were being shot at.
Both Katie and Scott placed 4th in their age group. It must run in the family. Whether the ride was windy or not, Katie was going to enjoy it. She had a brand new pink ride from Team Active! Scott is working his way up the ranking in racing this year and is enjoying the learning moments. For this particular race he experienced working with a pack of riders as a team to push each other through.
Danny improved his time from last year by 20 minutes, finishing with a time of 1:46 and taking 7th in his age group. There are some wicked fast riders in that group!
All-in-all it was a beautiful, sunny, WINDY day for a race!
On the Road with Andy and Paddi
On Saturday, April 4th Paddi and Andy traveled to Muenster, Texas to partake in the Red River Riot bike race. It was a rather chilly start but managed to warm into a beautifully sunny day with cool winds coming out of the north. As the day progressed, the winds from the south picked up. Everyone riding had to do the first lap which consisted of 33 miles and included the feared Windmill Hill. In comparison, Windmill Hill would be equal to all Three Sisters (from Barry-Roubaix) combined! This was Paddi’s second time at this race and she successfully made it all the way to the top. Andy rode his single speed for only the second time racing and did splendid! With a super fast first lap, both decided to head back out for the next segment which would include 45 miles with even bigger and more challenging hills! In their two-wheeled travels they encountered a coyote along with some breathtaking scenery. They completed the ride in just over 5 hours. The Texas hospitality was great and the event concluded with some home cooked BBQ pulled oRk that was out of this world delicious!