AHH ! The post you have been waiting for, the final mile!! Perhaps with the exceptions of making that final turn onto famed Boyleston St to kick in the Boston Marathon, or also making that final turn in Columbus Circle and into the final stretch of the New York City Marathon, making that final turn onto Saginaw St, in downtown Flint MI. is one of the special moments in all of road racing!! The awesome crowd support, the feel of rejuvenated legs, and best of all that all downhill view, truly makes this a special moment that I hope each of you will treasure as you gut out your finishing kick!
But wait! This is not the end! Check back tomorrow for the FINISH !
Mile 10
You crossed the last blue mile mark line for the race and you can begin to sense the finish. This is where it is critical to at least maintain your steady pace! At least until you hit the White Horse Tavern on your left and at about the 9.5 mile mark. You can’t miss this place, it’s at a traffic light, has a loud boom box and DJ, and off course a statue of a small white horse in front! You will want to move to the left side of the street at this point.
Be sure to smile as you reach the roadway over the Swartz Creek, for there are always several camera people there on the right side of the road, nudge ahead of the next runner so you can have an opportunity to score a great race shot of you J
If you have been holding your pace, this is the spot to slowly but surely begin to step it up a bit, not too much too soon but begin now! Yes there is one more seemingly long slow hill, but tough this one out as it is the last one you will notice!
Court St. meanders a bend onto Fifth St. as you negotiated the tangents in the early miles you must continue to run with your head up and pay careful attention to these final few tangents too for if you do, you will ultimately be rewarded with a faster finish time.
Soon you will see the next traffic light ahead, stay to the left as you hit Grand Traverse and continue to concentrate on your effort, relax and be efficient too! (I know much easier said than done). At this point in the race I literally race from traffic light to the next traffic light, After Grand Traverse is Church St, then the next is Saginaw St!
As you approach Saginaw Street you can hear the bongos booming from the corner of Fifth St and Saginaw in the distance and you are soon at the curb of Saginaw St. It’s important to cut this corner as tight as possible, stay to the left side of the course and focus!
As you make this turn, begin to turn your legs even a bit faster, it may hurt, but it will pay dividends in just seconds!
Pound the pavement hard now! Ahead there is the first iron archway, the old Montgomery Ward store on your left, Churches, and BRICKS !
Run run run! You are on the bricks and running downhill in the middle of Saginaw Street as fast as you can, use every last bit of energy to push your arms and legs and hold nothing back!
Don’t forget to SMILE! With a few hundred feet to go there will be plenty of folks in the middle of the road taking your picture again!
Be sure to listen too! About every 5th -6th runner’s name and where they are from is announced, they just may pick you too!
Finally, be sure to RUN PAST the finish line! You would be surprised how many do not do this and in a race like this is can mean a new PR or even a spot or two in your age group!
Congratulations on finishing the story of how to run the Crim course. But there is more to come, remember to check back tomorrow for my story of how to enjoy the finish too!
Thank you.
Coach Lee