The 5K That Stole Our Weekend

This weekend was supposed to be a super special one in Ludington: my niece Morgan was hosting the fishing trip and was to bring along her college roommate Kert (not a dude—a total badass who owns multiple fishing licenses, which automatically makes her cooler than 99% of the population). Tagging along were gonna be their dads: Tim—Ludington veteran and the MVP of boat griddying—and Kert's dad, who I haven’t met yet, but anyone who raises a girl like Kert gets respect.

Enter Mother Nature. She showed up like an uninvited ex-wife with 20–35 MPH SSW winds both days and absolutely blew up our Lake Michigan plans. Like, full whitecap, no-chance-in-hell, cancel-your-dreams kind of weather. So... Plan B: The Ludington Lakestride 5K.

Running? Let’s talk about that for a minute.

I’ve hated running for as long as I can remember. Back in the 80s, I chose baseball because it required the least amount of running. I said no thanks to high school basketball solely because of those evil “suicide” sprint things. Presidential fitness tests? Absolutely traumatizing. I tried running a mile around Morgan Lake eight years ago and gave up after a month of walking more than running. Running is dumb.

Then, somehow, in 2024, I joined Planet Fitness and eventually realized I could just run outside in Ludington instead of playing on a treadmill. Game changer. In June, I ran 1.6 miles to the boat launch without walking – first try. Runner status? Debatable. But the Apple Watch was impressed – it told me!

I learned that a 5K is 3.1 miles (thanks, metric system), and started working up to it. On New Year’s Day 2025, I finished my first official 5K. Didn’t die. Walked a little. I felt oddly accomplished. In May, I ran the off-road 5K, placed in my age group, and still hated every step. But you know what I didn’t hate? The dopamine rush when it was over.

Flash forward to this weekend. The wind had other plans for our fishing mojo, so I laced up the shoes and joined the Ludington Lakestride 5K instead. Huge crowd. Big energy. Sunshine. And once again, my goals were simple: Don’t die. Don’t walk. Break 30 minutes.

This week, I did some actual “training” (aka just running 3.1 miles every morning). Best time during “training”: 29:51.

Race result?

• 29:41 (best time ever and would never have finished if I didn’t have Alison, Riley & Nick yelling at me as the 30 mile south wind was blowing in my face as I approached the finish line – ugh! They’re the best!)

• 3rd in my age group (Michael Phelps starter pack acquired)

• 123rd out of 388 overall

• Still hated every step – don’t even like thinking about it!

• Already wondering when the next race is – not really!

Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Fishing Content: Despite not wetting a single line this weekend, I’m not letting that mojo go to waste. I’m headed down to the boat for a long-overdue deep clean (yes, she needs a spa day), followed by an elite-level lure reorganization session. And if you’ve been on my boat, you already know we’re talking borderline obsessive labeling and sorting—well, prepare yourselves. I’ve been dreaming about this new system for weeks. The bins are ready.

Morgan, Kert, Tim, and Curt’s dad: This weekend wasn’t what we planned, but I swear Lake Michigan is just setting us up for something epic in September or October. The fish will be fatter, the winds calmer, and I promise we won’t be running… unless we’re running to the back of the boat for a triple hook-up.

Final Thought: If you’ve never run a 5K because you think it sucks—you're right, it does. But finishing one is weirdly satisfying. Almost as satisfying as that first salmon peeling line on a quiet Ludington morning – hah, not really…not at all!

Adding an old 2014 fishing picture of Jake posing with a lake trout because I don't like having nothing but stupid running pictures! (Not saying you're stupid Riley!)