I’m thrilled to be a member of the 2010 Road Warrior team and still a little surprised to be a part of this inspiring  group of runners. During the interview, I hit the panel of judges between the eyes with an animated and lengthy monologue that covered everything from the fat rolls I publicly battled against when I wrote a first-person weight-loss series for The Grand Rapids Press in 2007 to the apron I made to wear during last year’s Fifth Third River Bank 10K. (You can read the post I wrote about the apron on my craft blog, if you’re interested.)

The abridged version is that I stayed up until an ungodly hour the night before the race to make an apron that would sufficiently distract me from the fact that I felt like a loser because I switched my registration from the 25K to the 10K the Friday before the race. My millage just wasn’t there.

I woke on race day with puffy eyes and a craft hangover that you wouldn’t believe. At the starting line I was actually fantasizing about how great it would be to curl up on the sidewalk a take a nap. Despite the physical drain of the last-minute sewing project, the apron worked.

I was in no condition to run a serious race, but I was mentally at peace with the fact that switching to the shorter race was the right thing to do. And, the best part was that I got to soak up the glory of passing a few younger dudes while wearing an apron. And even though I was exhausted before the starting gun (or was it a beep?) went off, I ran a decent race, had fun and felt like I was really rocking my crafty “mama” title.

I didn’t win my age group that day, but I’m pretty sure I was the fastest runner to complete the race wearing an apron. And that was enough for me.

I know this apron thing seems ridiculous, but I’ve been wearing aprons as outwear in my daily life for years. (I love taking the image of domestic subservience that aprons conjure to mind and blowing it up completely.) So it made sense for me to combine my love of aprons with my love of running.

I was born with the uncanny gift to creatively turn negatives into positives. When a door closes I immediately start crafting a way to hoist myself through the nearest window. Life’s little disappointments have inspired some of my best ideas. Alas, the birth of the “race apron.”

I brought the “race apron” to my Road Warrior interview. When I finally stopped talking the judges had stunned looks on their faces. They had been kindly laughing at my jokes, so I knew they were still conscious. I took a deep breath and held it. They didn’t ask any questions. (I talked A LOT.)

Later that night I got a call notifying me that I had made the team. Awesome. This means I will be running the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K on May 8, 2010 in a new custom race apron that I will complete way ahead of time. But don’t be fooled by my aprons. I probably run faster than your grandma and I love to go as fast.

My far-fetched dream is to cross the 25K finish line someday in 1 hour 59 minutes. Will I be able to shave more than 11 minutes off my first 25K time to accomplish this goal in 2010? I admit this seems unlikely, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Keep reading my posts to find out what happens next, and please feel free to participate in this adventure by posting your comments below. It’s go time and I want you to be part of my adventure. Let’s do this thing, okay?!

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