Crim 10 Mile Race Review

Race: Crim 10 Mile
Official Time: 1:33:34, 9:22 pace
Overall Place: 3246 / 9610
Division Place: 138 / 551
Sex Place: 928 / 4946

5 mile split: 45:53
7 mile split: 1:05:07

On Saturday August 27, I ran the Crim 10 mile race in Flint, MI.  I wasn't really feeling into it since I've been having so much foot pain, but I wanted to give it my best shot.  Earlier in my training I set a goal for this race of 1:30.  I knew that would be a stretch for this day, but I was still hoping to PR this race since my running has come a long way since I last ran it 2 years ago (in 1:37:something).  At least I achieved one of those two things!

We woke up early to drive down to Flint, leaving the house by 5:50.  (We left Lucy at home for this race.)  I needed to pick up my bib and I wanted to be parked before they started closing the streets at 7 am (for an 8:00 start).  There was a short line of cars getting of the expressway, but it didn't take us long to get into the UofM lot.  We walked down to the expo area so I could get my bib, and the line there moved very quickly.  I looked around the expo a little, and ended up picking up a few Gus and sports beans for the rest of my training.

We headed back outside (it was a beautiful morning, temps in the 60s).  I used the porta potty, then stretched a little bit.  They had water available, and were playing a good mix of music at the start.  I went to the bathroom again before heading to line up.  Josh went to find a place to cheer me on.

Before the start, ready as I'll ever be

We lined up by some tall buildings, and my Garmin was having an issue locating satellites, so I was walking around trying to get it to register.  It finally did, and just a hair after 8:00 we were off!  Then - crap.  A half mile in and I realize my Garmin is set to bike mode.  Oops.  So I stopped it and switched it to run, but my splits were messed up for this race.  And I had to remember to add 4 minutes to whatever it was showing for my time, but at least I had my pace.

The first few miles weren't bad, a few loops through downtown and some gradual hills.  I felt a little discomfort in my foot, but no real pain, and definitely nothing I couldn't run through.  I was struggling with my pace early, but it really tanked once I hit the hills around mile 5.  I took a Gu, and walked up a steep hill or two.  I couldn't believe I was walking already - it was only mile 5! 

That was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to walking, I took a lot of breaks.  I was walking through every water station, and in between too.  I'm not sure I believe the elevation map they posted online - it looks like the last bit of the course flattens out, but dang, it sure seemed like there were a lot more hills out there.  Just when you think they are over, and people are holding signs saying "its all downhill from here," you turn the corner only to see another climb.

So I chugged along through the back half, and then motored to the finish.  At least the stretch to the finish is all downhill!

Finishing strong.  Josh is a pretty decent race photographer, when he sees me anyway.

All in all, it was an ok race.  My foot hurt quite a bit after I stopped running.  I think I need to do a little more hill work before Brooksie Way so I don't struggle on that course as much, because I think it is even more hilly than this one!  After the race, I collected the standard goodies before finding Josh and heading over to the post-race party.  We stood in a ridiculously long line for our beer and pizza (thanks to whomever gave us their unused bib tickets for Josh) and found a place to sit to take a breather.

Yum, beer.... yeah, not really.  I had a few sips and dumped the rest.  I know......

The Crim has grown a lot in recent years, I think I heard they had over 10,000 runners in the 10 mile race.  That is crazy!  But having said that, I think they need to consider wave starts in the future.  The first two miles were really pretty crowded.  Runners have the whole street, but there are so many turns in the first two miles that everyone bunches up.  This run was really affordable, I think $30-something if you signed up early.  I did a combo entry with the Brooksie Way half and I paid $66 for both.  My only other complaint is that they should just do tech shirts instead of t-shirts.  You can pay extra for one, but I think a 10-mile race is long enough to just do the tech shirts, even if they have to raise registration fees by $5.

Maybe I'll be back next year, maybe not.  We'll just have to wait and see!

Rainy run

It was a rainy afternoon and instead of hitting up the gym, I took to the streets:

It was just a heavy drizzle, and I only had 4 miles easy to get though.  I took Lucy with me for the first mile, and she sure liked splashing though the puddles! 

nine days

It took me nine days to single-handedly devour this 2,000-calorie jar of Nutella.  Who doesn't love the hazelnutty, chocolatey goodness, right off a spoon (or, on 2 instances, on toast)? 

It's a damn good thing I've run over 60 miles since I opened that jar.

Going long

Today was 20-miler day.  (Most) everyone training for a marathon does one - a run of 20 miles or more.  When I trained for the Bayshore Marathon, I actually ran a 20 miler and a 22 miler - no room for that this time around due to injuries.  So after running 19 last week, I pushed this run to 21 miles - making it the 3rd farthest I have ever run.

Yes, I know I look like a huge dork.  But at least I'm a dork that just finished running 20+ miles.

Nothing exciting to mention, except the mountainous blister on the inside of my right big toe that I am nursing...  other than that, I felt pretty darn good!  I did make a few untimed stops along the way, but my average pace was 9:32 min/mile - definitely canNOT complain about that!  I tried to keep my pace 9:30-9:40ish and it felt pretty good.  I still managed a negative split.

In SkinnyRunner style, I snapped a few pictures along the way.  I ran out the the State Park, then down along the Riverwalk before heading home.  It was a beautiful morning for a run - I would definitely take this on race day!

 I really do like the rail trail system we have around here - its really pretty, and there are a lot of shaded areas for when its hot.

Here is a lookout point out at the State Park.  I run along the Saginaw Bay a little ways, and this is a small branch off of that.  I love early morning runs and how serene everything looks.

Here is the view of downtown Bay City from one of the bridges I run over to cross the river.  The Riverwalk (on the west side) is usually pretty active and is part of the overall Rail Trail system (it is all connected).

And here is the part that SUCKS - the ice bath.  I am such a baby about getting in, but I really do think it helps with recovery!

I also reached a new weekly mileage high for this training cycle:  41.81 miles running, 6.45 biking.  Here is how it looked:

S 9/18: 6.45 bike, 35:51, 10.8 mph
M 9/19:  P90X Back & Biceps, 35:00 min
Tu 9/20: 5.19 easy, 48:05, 9:16 pace
W 9/21: 10.52 pace, 1:36:01, 9:08 pace (last 5 miles all under 9:00 pace)
Th 9/22: 5.02 easy, 46:18, 9:13 pace
F 9/23: Rest
S 9/24: 21.08 long, 3:20:54, 9:32 pace

And, its football Saturday!  Here are my picks for the week:

10 pts: Oregon over Arizona

9 pts: Ohio St over Colorado

8 pts: Alabama over Arkansas

7 pts: LSU over West Virginia

6 pts: Notre Dame over Pitt

5 pts: Michigan over San Diego St

4 pts: Georgia Tech over North Carolina

3 pts: Florida State over Clemson

2 pts: Texas A&M over Oklahoma St

1 pt: Arizona State over USC

UPDATE: I had 50 points for the week, which was middle-of-the pack for my group.  I did manage to sneak back into 4th place, and Josh is still holding on at the top by a of couple points.

Let's Go Blue!  You'll find me on the couch the rest of the day, watching some college football.

Its always something...

I had a lot going on today.  It started out with a monitoring appointment at the REs office.  Today is CD13, and I was shocked at the progress so far!  I had a 14 mm follicle on the left, and a 20 mm on the right, with a few smaller non-dominate follicles on each side.  In the previous cycles, I have been a much later ovulator so this was a surprise.  My uterine lining was only 5.5 mm, which is a little low, but thinned lining is a known side effect of Clomid.  The nurse called back this afternoon with the blood work - my LH is a little elevated, so doctor said to trigger tonight! 

Josh gave me the hCG shot tonight after dinner, and it was much less of an ordeal than last time.  I am so confident that this cycle will work for us.  It has to, because the timing really couldn't be worse:  Our estimated due date would be around June 15th, and I am supposed to stand up in my best friends wedding on June 9th.  But I would happily take on this challenge if it means having a baby in 9 months :)
**I do want to point out that I have talked to my best friend on many occasions, and she is fully supportive of the fact that Josh and I do not want to take breaks in this process, and that we will deal with the wedding conflict if and when it is an issue.  She really is my best friend for a reason.

On top of all that, I got in a fabulous 10.5 mile run tonight - I averaged 9:08 pace, but ran the last 5.5 miles all under 9:00/mile.  I felt great.....  except for the HUGE blister on the inside of my right big toe.  I got the blister on my long run on Saturday, and my runs yesterday and today have aggravated it more.  I want to drain it, but Josh keeps telling me not to.  To pop it, or not to pop it, that is the question.  Its always something....

Weirdo.

Or frugal, whatever.  Check out my haul from Target tonight:

2 bottles of 90ct Fish Oil pills - $2.00 each; after raincheck, 2 Target coupons, and 2 manufacturer coupons (reg. $7.49 each)

First Response Ovulation Predictor Kit and Pregnancy Test 3-pack - $8.99 for both; after 2 Target coupons, 2 manufacturer coupons, and buy 1 get 1 free rebate of 12.99, (reg. 29.98 for both)

Clif Shot Blocks - $1.24, on sale from 1.99  -for my run on Saturday since I realized I don't have enough Gu-s in my stash for a 20-miler

1 pair maternity shorts - $3.24; On clearance for $6.24 plus a $3 off any Liz Lange item coupon, (reg 16.99)

Wondering what is going through the cashiers head: vitamins, OPK tests, Pregnancy tests, Pregnancy shorts....  yeah, I know I'm weird.  But it was all such a great deal, its only a coincidence that I bought this stuff in the same shopping trip.

You might see me on What Not to Wear.

But only because I choose function over fashion when it comes to running.  We already know that my new shoes don't match my wardrobe.  But why did I pick bright pink compression socks?  Sure, they look AWESOME, but I own one single bright pink shirt.  And these bright yellow water bottles really compliment this color scheme I had going on:

And check out that MP3 player from 2004.  Still going strong!

Not pictured: my $5 flea market sunglasses, my Garmin, and for some reason, my wedding rings.  I'm still married, I swear.  Oh yeah, and to all those who I passed on the trail this morning:  sorry, I forgot to put on deodorant.  Oops.

All that aside, what a beautiful morning for a run.  Temperatures in the 50s and sunny - a runner's dream (OK, I would also go for 60 and cloudy).  The air had a wonderful bite to it, and the cooler temps drastically improve my performance.  It was by far my best run of the year, and the longest at 19 miles.  I ran a negative split to boot: 1:33:52 / 1:30:51.  The only thing I would have changed: I do wish I had worn shorts instead of capris, but that is it.  This was a great cap to the running week, and now I fully feel like I am back on track for the marathon a month from now..  Here was the week, 38.74 miles total:

M 9/12: P90X - first half of Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Tu 9/13: 5.06 easy, 47:12, 9:20 pace
W 9/14: 9.48 easy, 1:28:21, 9:19 pace
Th 9/15: 5.15 pace, 47:30, 9:13 pace
F 9/16: Rest
S 9/17: 19.05 long, 3:05:22, 9:44 pace

And I can't end this post without sharing my College Football picks for the week:

10 pts: South Carolina over Navy
9 pts: Nebraska over Washington
8 pts: Stanford over Arizona
7 pts: Iowa over Pittsburgh
6 pts: BYU over Utah
5 pts: Oklahoma over Florida State
4 pts: Notre Dame over Michigan State
3 pts: Ohio State over Miami
2 pts: Texas over UCLA
1 pt: Clemson over Auburn

UPDATE: I had 46 points for the week, which isn't great but not bad either.  I dropped 1 spot to 5th overall - but Josh tied for second best week and remains in first.

T minus 1 month

The Detroit Marathon is one month from today.
<squeeeeeeeeeee>

I am really pumped up for this race.  I am so excited to see the sunrise over the Ambassador Bridge, run through the underwater tunnel, race around Belle Isle, and just complete my second marathon!  I hope I can get through my really long runs these next two weekends (19 and 20 miles) to prove to myself that I am in shape to do this. 

I know, I can do this. <breathe>

Pumped-up Kicks

I have that song in my head "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my....."

But it's only fitting because today, I got some new shoes!!!

 Aren't they purty?  The best part - I wore them on my 5-mile run tonight and they felt AWESOME.  I don't own a single piece of yellow workout gear, but I really don't care if my shoes match or not.   I'm digging the black laces.

These are the same shoes I had been using, only in a 'new' color.  It was time to upgrade since my old shoes just broke the 450 mile mark.  I'll keep those on hand for rainy days, then retire them to the "yard shoe" pile. 

These are Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7s - I have been running in Mizunos since the year 2000.  Seriously.  I bought them from Running Warehouse (not an affiliate link) vs. my local running store because they had them on sale and I found a 10% off code at SkinnyRunner.  I also plan to keep my eye out for good prices at the Brooksie Way and Detroit race expos - can't hurt to find a good deal on some running shoes!

We need a king size bed.

Guess who started joining us upstairs at night again?

I really need to start putting more Lucy picutures on this blog!

It's really a fairly long story, but I'll try to make this quick.  Before we got a dog, I SWORE that it would NOT be allowed in our bed.  Never ever on the furniture (and its worth noting that Lucy does not jump up on the couches or chairs).  Then came along Lucy and her adorable puppy eyes.  Things went well for the first couple months, kept her off the bed no problem.  Except last fall, Lucy started going upstairs to take naps during the day, and Josh found her on the bed on many occasions.  And let her sleep there.  (Yes, I blame this all on Josh.  He is such a terrible disciplinarian.)  So this evolved to her sleeping up there with us for the second half of last year.  (I totally caved.)

Until January that is.... something happened, we don't know what.  Lucy has been afraid of the stairs ever since.  She will do 2-4 stairs no problem, but anything bigger and she whines and starts up them over and over but is too afraid.  (We think she is just too afraid to go down them, but because of that she stopped going up them as well.)  We tried everything training method we could find, no luck.  So we let it be.  She slept downstairs on her dog bed, we slept upstairs and enjoyed the full use of our queen-size bed again.

Then, just this week, she has started walking upstairs once it gets dark out and heads to bed - our bed.  Lucy is definitely a little bigger now than she was last year - that queen size bed just isn't big enough for 2 adults and a 100-lb dog who likes to stretch out.  She is lucky I love her so much!
 
The sad part - Lucy has been too afraid to come down the last 3 monrings, so Josh has had to carry her down :/  We are still working on that! (We are open to ideas if anyone has any)

Cycle 11 and the game plan

We had an appointment with our RE this morning to discuss the treatment for this cycle.  The game plan: one more round of 150 mg Clomid, with hCG trigger, and timed intercourse.

It will be our last cycle of ovulation inducing meds.  It is recommended (I wish I knew the formal name of the body that recommends this) that women only take meds like clomiphene for 6 cycles in their lifetime, due to an increased risk of ovarian cancer when used more than that.  We could sign a waiver, but Josh and I agree that is not a risk we are willing to take.  We will pursue other options if it comes to that, including injectables and IVF.

In the meantime we are just keeping our fingers crossed!

Numero Uno

Wahoooo!!!!  I won something!  Well.... sort of.

I mentioned here that I participate in two College Football "Pick 'em" style games during the season.  I post my ESPN picks here every week, for shits and giggles, and I don't mention the Michigan Alumni pick 'em that much.  Over 1,000 people play in that one, and really, having to pick over 20 games each week and a blow out leaves me a lot of room for error.  Not last week...

My first ever PERFECT WEEK!!

Click to enlarge 

Wahoooo!  Since 7 other people also had perfect weeks, they selected the winner of the $50 gift card via a random drawing, and I'm positive it was rigged because I didn't win.  Oh well, these bragging rights will last a while :)

Wine and Victory!

What a weekend!  This will be a long post, but it was an eventful and busy weekend.  I had a lot of fun up north, drank a lot of much-needed wine, "watched" Michigan beat Notre Dame in one hell of a nail-biter while drinking and dancing in a gay bar, watched the Tigers complete their third consecutive series sweep, and got a good long-ish run done.  Whew!

So on Saturday, I carpooled up to Traverse City with some great girls.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat downtown and then headed up to Suttons Bay for a wine tour.  It was such a beautiful weekend and the scenery was gorgeous!

The view from Leelanau Cellars Tasting Room

The wine wasn't bad either.... We went to four wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula: 45 North, Chateau Fontaine, Good Harbor Vineyards, and Leelanau Cellars.  45 North had the best wine, and Leelanau Cellars offered the best tasting experience (as in, all you can taste), but Chateau Fontaine wasn't far behind.  I would not go back to Good Harbor, we didn't have a great experience there, unfortunately.

 Ready to start the wine tour at The Vineyard Inn on Suttons Bay

Gettin' our drink on!

After the wine tour, we chilled on the beach at the Vineyard Inn before heading back to our condo at the Grand Traverse Resort.  While getting ready to go out, I took the opportunity to turn on the Michigan game (though muted) to follow the action in between gift opening and other things.  At one point someone said - "Pizza, Beer, and a Football game - this looks like Neil's [the groom's] bachelor party!".  Ha!  Girls still know how to have fun!  We beautified ourselves and headed downtown to Sidetraxx, which is a gay bar.  You know what they do NOT put on TVs inside of gay bars?  Sports.  So, this girl "watched" the last quarter of the Michigan game on ESPN Gamecast on her cell phone.  It was sufficient (though I caught up on the video replays later), and I am so glad I got to spend the night celebrating Magen!

Me and the Bachelorette!

And besides, if I stayed behind, I never would have had the chance to see this beauty:  a Disco-Chest!

Only in a gay bar... I hope anyway.

We took off pretty early the next day to get home and recuperate.   I spent a good portion of the afternoon on the couch and watched Doug Fister and the Tigers sweep the Twins for their 9th win in a row!  They are on FIRE right now, and it is so exciting to watch them play.  I just hope they can keep this momentum into October and win then too :)

Around 5:00, I got my butt off the couch to go for a run.  I spent the day hydrating fairly well, so I really wanted to get a good 14-miler in.  This would officially put me back on track for the marathon, having only missed 1 long run (an 18-miler) and 2 weeks worth of shorter runs.  I made it!  It wasn't pretty at the end, but that was a great cap to a week of come-back running.  Here is how Week 13 shaped up:

M 9/5: 9.18 bike, 49:27, 11.1mph; 2.55 easy, 22:39, 8:52 pace
Tu 9/6: 4.02 easy, 37:34, 9:21 pace
W 9/7: 5.21 easy, 48:30, 9:18 pace; first half of P90X Shoulders and Arms
Th 9/8: 7.06 easy, 1:05:03, 9:13 pace
F 9/9: Rest
S 9/10: Rest - up north
S 9/11:14.0 long, 2:14:58, 9:39 pace
Week total: 32.84 miles running, 9.18 bike

After all that, I am exhausted!  To cap off the night, I watched a replay of the Michigan-ND game on the Big 10 Network.  It's great, to be, a Michigan Wolverine!!!!!

VICTORY

Under the lights

I am missing the big game tonight.  I'll be in Traverse City for a bachelorette party, which, by-the-way I am very excited to attend.  BUT, I am also bummed that I will miss the first night game EVER in the Big House under the brand new lights, even if I was going to watch it from my living room.  (Josh and I talked abut getting tickets on and off all summer, but they were all ridiculously priced and we never pulled the trigger on them.)  I'll have to do my best to stalk the game on my phone and try to find a replay later this week - its against Notre Dame, and you can usually find replays of the decent games on Big 10 Network.

In the meantime, here are my week 2 picks.  I'll be back tomorrow to update the winners.

10 pts: Wisconsin over Oregon state

9 pts: Alabama over Penn State

8 pts: North Carolina over Rutgers

7 pts: Iowa over Iowa State

6 pts: Texas over BYU

5 pts: USC over Utah

4 pts: Tennessee over Cincinnati

3 pts: Michigan over Notre Dame

2 pts: Georgia over South Carolina

1 pt: Auburn over Mississippi State

UPDATE: Not a bad week! I missed College Game Day so I wasn't changing any picks at the last minute like I usually do.  I earned 46 points, which was second highest for the week and moved me into 4th place. (Also not bad considering I was a little hungover from the beer and wine tasting on Friday night.)  Josh on the other hand had a 47 and moved into first....  It's going to be quite the battle this year.

Also, I need to get my long run in tomorrow sometime, since I am headed up north early today.  So, I will update my running stats with a weekend re-cap tomorrow.

Three strikes, and you are definitely out.

This morning: negative home pregnancy test. Strike one.
This morning right before work: blood draw for beta testing.  Negative. Strike two.
This afternoon at work: started my period. Definitive strike three.

You're out.

So yeah, definitely out this cycle, headed on to Cycle 11.  I need to talk to my RE, since I think we are all on the same page that Clomid isn't working that well for me and we want to try a different protocol next cycle.  I also want to ask him about Metformin and if that is a consideration for me or not.

On a side note, I really LOVE the nurses at my RE's office.  They called in an order to Bay Med for my blood draw, since it's right around the corner from my house so I wouldn't have to drive to Saginaw today.  They called it in "stat" - meaning that I would most definitely have the results today, and that I got bumped to the front of the waiting line.  I am certain this was not a necessary "stat," but it sure was convenient for me!

I am really sad about this cycle, because I really felt like we had been getting somewhere with the timing and knowing for sure that I have ovulated when we think I did.  I also just so desperately want a baby... I think about it every single day.  Talk about workplace distractions, I can't tell you how many times I catch my mind wandering throughout the day.  But the weird thing is, I just don't have a lot of tears this time around and I don't know why.  I'm usually a crier about everything... but this time, I'm just not.  I don't know if I am getting "used to" the disappointment or what, but my response is less end-of-the-world than it used to be.  At least it is for now, just wait until I see another announcement or a little baby.

I suppose there is a Bright Side here.  I do have some fun things planned that will be a great distraction the next few days, and they should be even more fun since I can drink.  Tonight, Josh and I are going to an annual beer and wine tasting event put on by my work.  Its usually a good time, and we get to try 6 beers and 6 wines that are different every year.  Then tomorrow, I'm headed up north to Traverse City for a Bachelorette party.  We are going to start with a wine tour, and now I'm especially looking forward to this wino weekend since I've been abstaining for a few weeks now.  Sometimes you just need a drink, or four!

Boo-yah!

After back-to-back series sweeps of the White Sox and Indians respectively, I am totally comfortable getting ready to cheer my Tigers through October:

That's right, they have a 99.5% chance of making it to the postseason, even higher than Boston (by a tiny bit).  With a 9 game lead in the division, they barely need to play .500 ball to clinch, and that assumes the other teams win out.  Considering the Tigers haven't won their division in over 20 years, this is huge!  When Detroit went to the World Series in 2006 (as the wild card), I was living in Green Bay.  Of course I watched all the games, but it just wasn't the same as being in a town also rooting for that team.

And I can't let this post go without mentioning Justin Verlander again.  22 wins!!!  10 straight winning decisions!  Even when he is "off" JV stills looks pretty good.  While he is a lock for the AL Cy Young in my opinion (though I have seen some decent arguments for CC and even Weaver), I am also on board with JV being considered for MVP.  I fully understand why some people think the MVP should be reserved for a position player who takes the field and helps their team every day.  BUT - the award is designated for the MOST valuable player - and if that player should only happen to play 30-some games, so be it.  I won't go through the stats here, but what JV has done for the Tigers is undeniable.  I do not think he will walk away as the AL MVP this season, but I do expect to see him finish near the top of the voting (lets say top 3-ish).  But if he does win, you certainly won't hear me arguing otherwise.

Everyone needs compression socks

I've been thinking about compression gear for while now, but my recent foot issues really pushed me over the edge.  I saw some socks I liked at the Crim expo, but they were a little cheaper to order online so I did just that.  They came yesterday!

These are CEP running compression socks in pink.  I cut off my head in the picture because I looked like crap this morning.

I know, they are a tad bright, but don't they look AWESOME?  Now I look like a very serious runner who knows what she is doing.  Really though, compression is supposed to help with targeted blood flow to help reduce injuries from occurring and also to help you recover faster.  You can wear these socks before, during, or after running.  Since I'm still resting my foot, I just wear them around the house a lot for now.

There was not a lot of running this week (like none), but I rode my bike a bit to try and keep up some level of cardio.  Here is the week 12 recap, 0 miles run, 32.07 bike:

S 8/28: Rest
M 8/29: P90X: first half of Chest/Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X
Tu 8/30: Rest
W 8/31: 10.98 bike, 58:55, 11.2 mph
Th 9/1: P90X: Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
F 9/2: 4.03 bike to work, 22:17, 10.9 mph
S 9/3:17.06 bike, 1:27:11, 11.7 mph
S 9/4: Rest

Are you ready for some football?

 Its that time of year again.  Sharpened pencils and pointy crayons, fall air and sweatshirt weather, leaves changing colors, cider mills and pumpkin doughnuts, more D-list celebrities making a name for themselves on Dancing with the Stars*, playoff baseball, and college football.

I freaking LOVE college football.  Some of my favorite memories during college were tailgating at 702 S. Division with roommates, neighbors, friends and family.  I will be the first to admit that I forget players names, don't know enough stats, and have trouble following all of the teams and coaches (there are just so many!), but I do alright.  At least, I know enough to call-out Josh when he starts making shit up.

 Me with 5/6 of my 702 roommates before the Penn State game in 2007.  The other 1/6 was too busy living it up in Hawaii - the nerve!

There is nothing like the Big House, formally known as Michigan Stadium.  I went to my first game just days before starting classes my freshman year, and I was instantly hooked.  I only missed one game throughout college, and that was for my cousin's wedding (even when tickets to the Ohio State game were going for $400 my senior year, I held on tight!).  It is awesome to be a part of a crowd of 110,000+ cheering your team to victory - the scoreboard reminded us each week that we were "part of the largest crowd watching football anywhere in America today".  Even though we don't go to games very often anymore, Josh and I spend most Saturdays watching the Michigan game and the other big games of the week on our ridiculously-large-came-from-the-bachelor-pad-high-def-TV.  (I hate to admit it.... but it is a damn good picture.)

 Inside the Big House.  Trust me, its a BIG house.  And yes, I somehow managed to get us front row seats in the alumni section for this game.  I am awesome like that (sometimes).

I play in a College Pick 'Em league on ESPN, and I don't remember exactly how high I've finished, but I'm in the top third every year anyways.  Each week ESPN picks 10 games, and you pick the winners and rank each pick in order of confidence from 1-10.  If you get this pick right (straight up, not against the spread), you get the number of points of your confidence ranking.  If you get the pick wrong, zero points.  I also participate in a Michigan alumni pool where you pick the winners of games involving the Top 25 teams each week, but I never expect to have a chance at actually winning that one since over 1,000 people play it.

I figured I would go ahead and post my picks here each week (after they are "locked" so Josh can't copy me), and then update with the results for the week.  Hey, my life just isn't that exciting and I spend a couple hours on Friday evening / Saturday morning doing my research to put this together, so I might as well share it.

Without further ado, my Week 1 picks:

10 pts: USC over Minnesota

9 pts: South Carolina over East Carolina

8 pts: Auburn over Utah State

7 pts: Michigan over Western Michigan

6 pts: Hawaii over Colorado

5 pts: Boston College over Northwestern

4 pts: Oregon over LSU

3 pts: UCLA over Houston

2 pts: BYU over Ole Miss

1 pt: Boise State over Georgia

UPDATE: I got 43 points, good enough for 6th place (out of 13), so middle of the pack.  But dammit... Josh is in second.... 

*Seriously, Elisabetta Canalis's credentials were described on one website as George Clooney's ex-girlfriend.  Umm, so that's whats makes her famous?  The truth is, I have idea who this chick is or what she has done except for dating GC.