A Cold 6.6 mile run in Bay City

This past weekend I went to visit my parents in Bay City. Sandi was having her annual garage sale and I sold a bunch of my junk and made $84. The whole sale did really well considering April 17 was a COLD day with even some snowflakes falling! I was actually sore from standing all day in the cold.

I knew I had to get a long run in, a 7 mile, the longest distance that my 10k training plan calls for. Saturday was just too cold and heard that the weather was going to be a bit warmer on Sunday, so saved the run until Sunday.

I decided to run from my parents house to Sandi's house, about 5.4 miles, but I thought I would run more once I got to her house around her neighborhood to get the 7 miles in. Well, I didn't have to do that because I got a little confused on my route, so ended up running more by the time I got to Sandi's house, all in all it was 6.6 miles, I thought I went 7, but until I mapped it out later, it was 6.6, oh well.

My route:



My time was 73 minutes, but that included stops at the Riverwalk area (map here) to take some pics from my camera phone.



I run with a race belt that includes a small pint of water, phone and iPod in the belt. Here are some pics I took of the Riverwalk area in Bay City. My camera phone sucks, (well, my camera is from the 2006, so I need an upgrade). I felt good during and after the run, I will be so excited when I don't have to wear 2 pairs or pants, 2 long sleeve shirts and a fleece, the extra clothes bogs me down and makes me feel heavy. But 60s this week, so hopefully shorts on my runs this week!

I have also inlcuded a picture of a bar, the Rathskellar, that my mom and dad first met in 1974. She was on the pole, ha, just kidding.

Fireworks in Bay City ,MI

The Bay City Fireworks Festival is one of the greatest fireworks shows/festivals in Michigan. People come from all over Michigan to see the show. The festival runs from July 3rd, 2008 to July 5th, 2008 with fireworks every night and entertainment every day. We went on Saturday July 5th and watched the 45 minute show. The spectacle is enhanced by it's proximity to the Saginaw River, providing great viewing locations all around the park's area, along the river banks and from boats on the river. This year they started charging $1 for each person that wants to sit near the riverwalk. We decided to do that and got a great view (despite one tree). Here are some pictures I took with my Digital Canon Rebel XT. I shot with an 18-55mm lens on a tripod in manual mode at f11 and varied shutter speeds of 3-4 seconds, and sometimes 5 seconds. Later I used my Sigma 10-22mm wide angle lens, as you can see the river and audience in some of the shots (some of the pictures look like a war is going on). Click on a picture for a larger version. Enjoy!