Make Like a Groundhog

    This morning was the annual Groundhog Race at Hunt Midwest Subtropolis in North KC. It's an office park in underground caves, which nature keeps at a constant 55 degrees—so it's guaranteed to be a good run, regardless of what the weather may be doing outside. (Two years ago was icy & snowy; today was 35 degrees, on its way to 50!)
   I met Lexie off I-35 and Johnson drive early, and we carpooled up to the site, which made the day a lot more fun! In the caves, we met up with a bunch of the Hallmark crew: Tom & Bess, Aaron, Brett & Mary, Danielle, David Eaton, and more! (Which was good, because I never saw any of the other 13 Meetup folks.)

me, Brett & Danielle

An hour before the race, the caves were still fairly empty...

But with a max of 3500 runners, they fill up quickly!

   I ran a not-very-fast-but-still-respectable 28:25 (562nd place), pacing ~9:30/mile. Considering that my last week has been focused on snowboarding rather than running, and that I've generally fallen off the wagon the last few weeks, I'll take it. (But this was 2:30 slower than my time in 2010... ouch! At least I have a goal to strive for...)

And between the 5k & 10k races, TONS of people milling around!

Danielle, Lexie & me, post-race