Gazelle Girl race weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. And this year was gearing up to be one of the best. From being a first time team leader with Gazelle to seeing my sister finish another half marathon, I had a lot to look forward to.

Saturday morning started with a walk from Field & Fire with the Gazelle Girl 5k/10k Women’s Run Camp. Instead of walking with the group, I decided to stay behind and enjoy some coffee. The group walked to the Calder Plaza to see where the race would start and finish.

Following the walk, everyone returned to Field & Fire for breakfast. I was gifted a lovely birthday cake macaroon from Kate A. (Thanks Kate!) And, we had to kill some time before heading to the Expotique.

I look forward to the Expotique every year. From the shopping to fitness classes, there is something for everyone. This year there were fewer fitness classes for my girlfriends to try. I believe there was only a shakeout run and yoga class. The venue this year was Clearwater Place on Monroe North of Leonard.

What follows is my honest opinion of the Expotique.

I was extremely disappointed in the Expotique. First, the layout was not spacious enough. It was “butt to gut” going down the side aisle with the booths. It didn’t allow much space to look at the information or goods in the booths. I am sure that some of you are saying that you didn’t have any issues with it. But, from my perspective, the lack of space was very unnerving. And, for people that were experiencing this for the first time, it would probably be overwhelming. On the positive side, my favorite booths returned…Fellow Flowers and Michigan Runner Girl. Gazelle’s store location took up the center portion of the Expotique. I found one saying on a tank that I need to put on something in the future. “I don’t chase my dreams. I run them down.” I did not like the style of the tank which is why I did not purchase it. I ended up buying a t-shirt that said “Run Wild”. There were quite a few nice things, but the sizing was limited in the larger sizes. Honestly, this is typical of most race expos, so I don’t expect much when it comes to anything bigger than a large. There were additional booths in the front, but because of the flow of traffic coming in the front entry, I did not visit any of those booths. Bib pickup was too the right and was well organized. I didn’t have any issues finding my bib number online.

At this point, my sister arrived to pick up her bib. She got her packet and we decided to head out for lunch. We planned to come back in the afternoon to listen to the panel moderated by Shelly Irwin. Feeling full from lunch, we returned with enough time to do another walk around the Expotique. The crowds were a little less, but we still had problems getting down the side aisle with the booths. The panel was located in an upper conference room with a beautiful view over the Expotique.

After the Expotique, we ran some errands and went to Amway Grand Plaza Hotel to spend our pre-race evening. We intended to eat dinner at Flanagan’s, but they were packed. So we went back to the Amway and ate at GP Sports. My meal wasn’t anything amazing, but the dessert was off the charts. If you go, make sure you get the peanut butter pie! We went back to our room to do our flat pictures and get to bed.

The next morning we got ready for the race, checked out of our rooms and put the luggage in the car. It was a cold rainy morning. I’m normally really good about not forgetting anything, but on this day I forgot my running leggings. Good thing I planned to wear my winter pants over my leggings. I had to go with just my winter pants. Run Camp met for a quick photo and the half marathon began.

I walked the 5k with my buddy Emma and Bonnie. And I met up with fellow Fitzness Hottie Jonelle. I loved the new portion of the route that went South of the Van Andel Arena. I don’t know of any other race that goes through this area of town.

After the 5k, I headed backwards down the 10k route to find some fellow Gazelle Girl Run Campers. I was so inspired by all these women completing the 10K!

My plan after that was to walk the half marathon route backwards so I could catch up with my sister. The best part of this plan? Seeing all my amazing running friends completing their half marathons. I was able to offer hugs, high fives and word of encouragement to everyone I passed. It was the most enjoyable part of the race for me.

So, there was a problem with this plan. I was going to stop two miles out from the end of the race and wait for my sister so I could run her in. The weather was atypical for Gazelle Girl. Very cold and damp. And with my Raynaud's it was the perfect conditions to cause several hours of numb fingers. The two mile mark from the race was an open section along Monroe. The cold wind would have been difficult under the best circumstances. I decided to keep walking down Monroe…hoping that I would see her sooner rather than later.

As I walked farther and farther from the finish, I started to wonder if something had gone wrong. Why didn't I see her yet? There was a long gap with no one along the course except a few hardy volunteers. I could only imagine what kind of head space she would be in. Then the one thing I didn't want to happen occurred. My hands and fingers went numb. The pain was very uncomfortable. Normally, I take precautions to make sure this doesn't happen. But, with the unseasonably cold weather, I was not ready for this. What made matters worse was that friends started to text me. And, when you can't feel your fingers…you can't text. I tried using Siri, but it was just windy enough that she couldn't understand me. So, I decided to use the only part of my body that would work…I texted back with my nose! Don't laugh. It seriously worked! Numb fingers and knuckles. Ya gotta use what it available. As my fingers started to burn from the cold, I tried to call my husband to come and pick me up. I knew my sister would understand if I had to wait in his truck. I was at a low spot and I wasn't even in the race! I turned a corner and the next thing I knew, there was this cute girl with purple hair coming down the trail towards me. I was so excited I almost yelled out to her. When she caught up to me, she was in a great mood. Completely opposite of how I was feeling. How could that be? I was 100% sure she would be in a crappy mood from the weather.

This year, the race director decided to enlist sweeps on the course. In most races, sweeps are the one thing that terrifies any back of the packer. But for my sister, they were just enough positive reinforcement to keep her going. As long as she stayed in front of them, she knew she was good!!! I believe they were called the Sparkle Brigade. I need to be part of the Sparkle Brigade next year. (Ahem, Holly…are you reading this?) Having been the DFL person on several occasions, I know what that can do to someone's spirit.

So, my sister and I continued on towards the finish. We gravitated towards three other women that were finishing their races as well. One (and I can't remember her name) had THE BEST personal cheering person. He would show up with a Mickey Mouse shaped sign at almost every 1/2 mile mark. I started to call him "Where's Waldo". She was a huge fan of Disney and was even wearing a Minnie Mouse running skirt. I talked to her a little bit and learned that she completed the Dopey Challenge several times. As this is one of my goal races some day, I asked for any tips. Her #1 tip…get sleep. The early mornings are killer, even if you are a morning person. As we got closer to the finish, it started to snow. And, my sister's calves started to tighten up on her. To help keep her mind on the task at hand, I decided to sing along with the Hamilton soundtrack. My apologies to anyone that was within hearing distance. I cannot sing, but I did my best to distract my sister.

As we got closer to the finish line, I let her know that there was just a little uphill and she could do her run into the shoot. That's her favorite part. And, she saved enough energy to PLOW into the finish line. Dang girl! I am so so so so so proud of her for doing the half in those conditions.

While it wasn't the day I planned on, it was probably one of the best and most inspiring days that I've had in a while. You should add Gazelle Girl to your race list for next year. Maybe you will see me with the Sparkle Brigade!