BY Brad Slazinski

Staff Reporter

For the second year running, the Brooksie Way took place on October 4^th. I decided to run it again, despite training very little in comparison to last year.

I decided to do the race again because I’ve enjoyed running for a long time and it would be a quick way to get back in shape again even though I ran infrequently in the last few months.

The Brooksie Way is a half-marathon which is 13.1 miles. The course is set in Rochester and Rochester Hills. The day of the race came and I woke up at 6 in the morning. With the race starting in two hours, I dressed, grabbed a bagel, and left my house. It is interesting  how empty the roads can be on an early Sunday morning. I arrived to Oakland University in 10 minutes instead of the usual 15-20 minutes it takes me.

After an hour of waiting, the race started at 8:15. My mindset for the race was to take it easy because of my lack of training. I had run distances over 10 miles recently but had not run them enough.

The first part of the race wasn’t too bad for me. It was enjoyable and I was in a good mood. I did like the fact that the first five miles was downhill.

After the race went through Paint Creek, the worst part  came. From miles six to 10, a good portion of the course is uphill. The downhill parts are scarce and when  there are some, they are very brief. The only thing in my head was finishing the race and getting home. Passing through the 10 mile mark, I did witness something amusing. During the race refreshment stands are situated throughout the course to give runners water or Gatorade. One stand was giving out beer for the heck of it. I laughed at the idea and kept running.

After the worst part of the race, things got much better. Everything else was primarily downhill. I started picking up speed going down Adams. It got easier as the finish line became closer.  As I approached the finish line, I ran faster, to a point that if I went any faster I would trip, and I passed several people in the process, a feeling that I’ve enjoy because you gain confidence as the race goes on. It gives you a belief that you can keep going and finish the race.

Overall, I didn’t do as well as I did last year, but I still managed to finish the race. I plan on running the Brooksie Way next year if they hold it again.