I Run This Town (Part 8: Week 22)
The Final Chapter
Week 22: November 25-December 4, 2017 (slightly longer than a week)
I typically check the weather before I head out on a run. I like to be prepared and have the right clothing to keep me warm and dry. Today, the weatherman played a cruel joke on me. There was no rain on the radar. Fifteen minutes into my run, I saw a very dark sky to the west. I wasn’t too far from my car, so I sought cover there until it passed. Heavy rain and hail started. I laughed when I saw the radar on my phone, the only bad weather in the city was where I was currently.
On my next run, I kept seeing random clothing items scattered next to the curb. First I saw two winter hats, then a sock, a few blocks later I saw a pair of socks and a shirt. I was afraid eventually I’d run into a naked person, but thankfully that never happened.
On my way home I stopped to run streets that were not yet on the map. I had run past these areas months back and noted that new subdivisions were being built but the roads weren’t poured yet. Since I’m nearing the end of the project, I needed to check these streets off.
I used a pink highlighter on my map when my dogs came with me. They ran quite a bit of the city with me. I’d guess they ran at least 25% of it. Kirby came with me today. She loves to pick up sticks and run with them. She doesn’t care if it is a three inch stick or a three foot stick. A few times she’s grabbed small tree limbs and dragged them with us a few feet.
I spoke with the mayor tonight, he accidentally called me while he was getting his haircut. We will finish the project on Monday and he’s bringing a camera crew.
This week I had a phone interview with a local paper. The article was printed on the front page, which I shared with the other headline about Santa accepting Christmas wish lists and where to deliver them. I’m beyond flattered. I’m sure my mom will put the article on her fridge and it will be there for years. The paper also gave information on how to find this blog. I’m sure I’ll gain tens of fans from it.
I was thinking I’d be finishing the project in the snow, but all I’ve seen lately is rain. The light mist turned to a downpour as I ran today. I found eleven cents, a nativity scene that substituted a gazebo for a manger and a street sign with my name on it.
On the way home I stopped to run another new subdivision that was not yet on the map. The street doesn’t have a sign up yet. There were no houses built yet, but it was cool to see it all progressing over the past few months. There was a house up on blocks here that had recently been moved to make room for this new subdivision. Some construction guys sat in their trucks watching me run down their practically deserted area in a downpour.
It’s hard to believe that the final day is here. My friend Dani decorated my car with streamers, paper flowers and window paint. Mayor Bryan Barnett brought a film crew with him. My friends Geneva and Lori came out to run in the last four miles with us. The mayor interviewed me on camera before we started my last run on this journey.
My last few streets to run are dirt, but don’t let that fool you. This area has some of the largest homes in the city. Lucky for me, the mayor knows all the details.
We passed a house and the mayor told us that it was one of the largest homes in the city. It was massive. The taxes alone for that house in 2017 were $132,539. It has been used in several films, The mayor told me that the previous owner of this house was the person that brought the UPC Code into mainstream use.
A half mile north of here (but not in my city) you can see Eminem’s former home. It’s 17,500 square foot. He bought it for almost $5,000,000, and sold it last month for nearly $2,000,000. I drove by it a few weeks back, but you can’t see much through the front gates. The new owners were leaving when I drove past and I think it freaked them out that I was looking at their house. But if you bought the house previously owned by Eminem, you have to be expecting people to drive by and look now and again.
The final run is hilly, but since we know the film crew is out we run up all the hills. One of the dead end streets we ran down was probably the prettiest street in the city. It is loaded with tall pine trees on both sides and it makes you feel like you are in a forest. At the end of the street the mayor showed me a house where the previous owner used to have a pet lion. These little bits of information he is sharing makes me wish he was with me the entire time I ran this town.
We turn into another dead end street and it is a gated subdivision. The gate is open. I said to the mayor, “Thankfully the gate was open, or you’d have to go get your keys to the city so we could get in.” Our four mile run lasted around forty minutes but it felt like it went by way faster than that. We had fun getting to know each other and sharing laughs. There is something about running with someone, sort of a bonding experience. I’m glad he joined me for the last leg of my journey.
We ran the dirt road through the historic district. It was the last mile and it was the fastest for the today. I like to say when I see the finish line, “I can smell the hay in the barn.” Kind of ironic since we were ending at Van Hoosen Farm.
At the finish, my coworkers Melanie and Anne-Marie strung crepe paper across my path so I could break it as if I was the winner of a race. My best friend Ronda (who is a puppy raiser for Leader Dog For the Blind) came with her new puppy, Pawnee. The one and only Slow Joe Burns brought donuts and cider from a local cider mill. It was so wonderful to have these people there to share in my joy at the finish line. Thanks to you all for making my finish so special.
I used my blue highlighter to color in the streets we ran today and now I’m finished. Twenty-two weeks and nearly 500 miles of running.
Weekly stats: 28.65 miles
Total miles since start: 493.2 miles
Square miles completed: 32.91
Square miles left: Zero!
The video produced by the mayor’s camera crew can be see on youtube.com. You can view it by clocking on the link below:
(I also posted it on the blog, it is the post just before this one. It is called, “Sandy Stiner Runs This Town.” It was published on December 4, 2017. )
Since the video has been released, I’ve heard from a lot of people that are going to do their own “I Run This Town” project. Nothing feels better than inspiring others.
Now that we are at the end I’d like to take a minute to thank a few people that made this possible. First, Heather Croy, who ran every street in Royal Oak a few years back and gave me the idea. Secondly, my husband who should have thought I was crazy to do this. Instead he dropped me off and followed me in high traffic areas, ran or biked with me in areas he didn’t want me to run alone, and supported me in every possible way. Third, by border collies. Kirby and Zuzu, my best buddies on this journey. Zuzu even saved me from being attacked by two dogs.
Special thanks to the companies that I am an ambassador for: Skirt Sports, Feetures! Socks, ChafeX and AfterShokz Headphones. You all kept me fashionable, safe and comfortable during this endeavor. Also thanks to my friends at Clint Verran Physical Therapy for getting me back to running so I could do this! (Amazing last year at this time I couldn’t stand without a walker. And last but certainly not least, Bryan Barnett. The mayor of my town, the guy who at first thought when he saw that I called this “I Run This Town,” that I was planning to run against him for mayor.
