Third half marathon in the books!

    This morning was the inaugural Longview half marathon. I registered for it long ago, primarily because... their logo design is so nice and I wanted the shirt and the medal. Umm... yeah... that might just be an artist thing. Anyhoo, it is fortunate that I am a cold-weather-running-lover, because it was in the mid-20s and dropping during the race, with icy gusts of wind periodically, and pretty flurries at the end. 

   But, what a nice sunrise. *Almost* makes it worth getting out of a nice, warm, cozy bed at 5:45 am. Blecch!

   I wore my fleece headband, silk neck gaiter, neon pink long-sleeved shirt, tights, and knee-high compression socks. And I am noting this so that next time I run in these temps, I will add gloves and a light jacket, because I was not quite warm enough. Most of the run I was fine, but I had a lot of trouble warming up afterwards. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are Rafael and I in the starting chute. Rafael's company sent him to KC from Rochester, NY for the week to work, and he extended his stay to Sunday so that he could run this with me. My favorite Spaniard!

   And here we are afterwards, all smiles since we both achieved PRs! I beat my goal pace of 2 hours by almost a full minute, and Rafael killed it with a time of 1:41! Here we are in our sexy mylar blankets and the pace sign we blew past, with our medals, by the finish line. YAYYY!

   The course was a lot of doubling back, which is not my preference; I like loops, so I don't have to repeat any ground. But, the doubling up means you can look for people you know, and I picked out Jen K and Delia B! It Jen was right with me the whole race, and Delia and Rafael were in perfect position for me to cheer her on... him ahead of me, her behind.

   I downloaded this pace chart to give me an idea of what I wanted to try for. But as I learned at packet pickup last night, I didn't need to keep track.

   KC Running Company arranged for pacers. I had never used a pacer before and didn't know how it worked. But I grabbed the 2 hour wristband and figured it was worth a try. I have to admit that I wondered if I could do it, since my current PR was 2:03, and I haven't been able to train hard, with a nasty bout of tendinitis affecting my arches and calves. Dr. Green gave me the okay to run, and has been administering laser treatments to stimulate cell growth, in addition to recommending two Aleve 2x/day and Biofreeze. He also had a great quote that stuck with me: "Those who don't train hard enough won't make it to the finish line. And those who train too hard won't make it to the start line." So I took all that very seriously, have only been running when I felt like it, and threw in a new pair of compression socks at packet pickup. And I think it all helped.

   I met our pacers, Herschel and Ashley, in the chute. Both were friendly, and both had personal PRs in the low 1:30s and lots of marathon (and even some Ironman) experience, so I knew I was in good hands. "Smart Pacing" meant that the pace is adjusted every mile based on the road conditions (incline/decline) and allows for walking through the aid stations every 2 miles to hydrate. Herschel explained that Ashley would run in the front of our pack, and would aim to finish the race about 30 seconds before the 2 hour mark. Herschel would run in the back, and aim to finish 10 seconds before 2 hours. So, as long as you were ahead of Herschel, you were guaranteed to finish at the goal time. 

   What this meant is that you met your 2-hour group right at the start, and ran with them the whole way—like your own, personal posse! A pack within the race. And there was also a race within the race, King of the Mountain:

   This was a mile-long uphill stretch that started at mile 2. There were timing mats at the base and the top, and special plaques were awarded to the top 15 men and women who ran it the fastest, regardless of their finish time. But, since charging this hill would pretty much blow our energy for the remaining 10.1 miles, our group took it easy. At least, we did until mile 10. I still had enough gas left in the tank to get more aggressive, so I took on that half-mile hill and kept pushing as we curved back downhill to 11. For mile 12, I ran ahead of Ashley, and for the remaining 1.1, I kicked it up to 8:35. My final time was 1:59:03.4, 409th place out of 1523 runners, and 33rd for my age group.

   It's funny how time seems to move in slow-motion after a big race. After lunch I came home to clean up, post a few photos, and do laundry. (And of course watch the premiere of Northpole!) My hips are a little sore as always, I'm a little sleepy, and my tummy isn't too happy, presumably from the Shot Blox (energy chews). But other than that, I'm all smiles!

Cinco de Mayo 5-Que... Ole!

   Started off my Sunday right: a festive run to commemorate Cinco de Mayo with Allyson, Scott, & Tracy! We met at the Ave Maria church on southwest boulevard...

Estamos preparados para la fiesta! Ole!

Four races down...

   ... And clearly, they have affected my brain. ;)

   Aki & Taylor representing the four races I've done in two weeks: warrior dash, trolley run, corporate challenge 5K, and Cinco de Mayo 5-que. 

What all Warriors are wearing for Derby Day/Cinco de Mayo: the Viking sombrero!

More cuteness:

THIS... IS... SPARTA!!!

Nice day for a 5K!

   This morning was perfect for the annual Kansas City corporate challenge 5K. It was so crowded at Burns and McDonald that I had trouble finding all of our teammates, but I found Robin and Henry, shown here, as well as Lisa T, Paul M, and my dive buddy who works at Cerner, Kyle.

   It's always a huge challenge for me to do a race without music. I really need it to keep me pumped and pushing hard. But this year the men and women ran together in the 5K, and I have to admit I love passing boys. Gonna have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat this chick! ;)

   I finished in 26:28; not a super fast time, but it is the superfastest *I* have run in a long time! WIN!!! 31st out of 167 in my age group.

   Turns out that warrior dash and trolley run last weekend were a great warm-up, and I posted another time faster than my training pace. If feels good to finally be getting back into competitive shape again. Just in time for the heat of the summer, when I have to stop running outside again. LOL

   After the race, I bumped into a woman named Jocelyn who works at Sprint. She and her husband are friends with Amie B. I really enjoyed talking with her and we connected on LinkedIn… Always curious to see where these random relationships will lead. It's one of my favorite parts of corporate challenge: getting to meet athletes from other companies.

   And now to start this weekend's work: trimming the yard, cleaning the house, finishing the Dog n Jog and Art Unleashed logos, and preparing for Taka's visit tomorrow!!!

Trolley Run: more photos

   These were posted on the Sportphoto website. Crossing the finish line, put your hands in the air!!!

Richard looks wayyy more serious than me. And Richard looks tired:

Me in a Richard sammich:

Nice day for a race!

   The severe thunderstorms, hail, & tornadoes held off this morning after all, and we were able to do the 26th annual Trolley Run. I'm glad, because it's one of the biggest runs in Kansas City, with at least 9000 runners registered as of Friday evening. It's a benefit for a children's charity. 

   The 4 mile course is flat to downhill most of the way, so it's a notoriously fast and popular race. But even that does not diminish my pride in finally sustaining a pace under nine minute miles. I averaged 8:41 per mile (34:43), for my fastest race since before my snowboarding accident in March 2013. For some reason I've really struggled to get my speed back up, but running sandwiched between Rich and Richard seemed to have done the trick. My calves and quads might be hating them later, but I love them right now. :)

   I picked up Madeline and Wayne at her house, and we drove close to the start line together. There we met up with Rich, Richard, and Chris and Haley Shields. Britten had dropped Rich off, and met us on the Plaza after we crossed the finish line. It was great to have the whole gang together on such a beautiful morning.

   This race is an out and back, rather then a loop, so it helps to have someone park on the Plaza. Problem is, we almost had too many people for one car… Almost! Somehow we fit three in the front seat and three in the back, and we all got back to the start line safely. Britten was our getaway driver! Good times!!!!!

Warriors ready!!!

   Let's start at the end this time… This is me, muddy, wet, and a little chilly, but happy:

   This is the medal, the free beer, and the T-shirt. (Yes, the medal doubles as a bottle opener!)

   This is the pile of shoes that racers donated to a good cause:

   These are my friends, who are clearly as crazy as me:

   Ease are the obstacles… this one is Goliath:

   This is the big, muddy lake we swam across:

   And that was the awesome day we had at the Circle S buffalo ranch in Lawrence, Kansas.

Drawing time: Nickname

   I was telling my friend Gerald about my race results (beating my first 10k time by 23 sec/mile), and he said it sounded like I was in beastmode. I love the moniker so much that I couldn't help but draw it. 

   Not a very flattering drawing of myself, but I do get that pent-up, aggressive, competitive flurry of feeling as I'm waiting for a race to begin.

   My favorite part of a race is in a crowded chute with thousands of people, the gun goes off, and everyone jockeys for position. I love using my size to my advantage and darting in and out of the crowd.

Thank you, Gerald, for inspiring me!

Groundhog Run

   Over the river and to the caves! Second 10k race in the books. Running in caves is fun...  The Groundhog Race tends to be one of my favorites because it's so unique. I had only done the 5K before, and today I did it twice! I basically tied my PR for a 10K distance in a race (my first 6 miles of the half marathon was about the same), so I feel good and I'm happy with the results: 55:40 chip time, 8:57/mile.

   I also beat my Plaza 10k time by a whopping 23 seconds per mile… Wow! How far I've come since September! After two consecutive years of injuries (ankle surgery and fractured arm), I'm finally getting my mojo back. :)

Proof that I am (at least slightly) taller than a groundhog

   Superduper glad that Rich was alongside me to keep me running hard (my muscles are still tight and sore from the cold swimming pool yesterday). It seemed when I started to get tired, Rich was getting his second wind, and vice versa. He's a great partner.

   New since the last time I ran this race: shuttle buses from Ameristar Casino, gear check, and finishers medals. Wonder what will be in store for next year?

Goliath!

   New Warrior Dash obstacle, entitled Goliath, looks amazing! Hope Goliath is ready for my fellow warriors and I to kick its @**!!!

Poetic Run

   I had a great run tonight, and though I had techno beats turned up to drown out the sound of the wind and the traffic, my mind had great clarity. The last few days have been up... Then down. And something about the combination of that, my motivation to get out and run on the eve of our first real snow, mulling over a personal story of struggle & triumph shared by an artist I barely know (Chris B), and the Kanye West concert last night (hugely awe-inspiring... Another take on the same theme), seemed to work for me tonight.

   I wrote this in my head over the hourlong run and scribbled it down as soon as I got home, words flowing from my mind almost faster than I could write--and certainly faster than I can run! But I caught them all. I don't consider myself much of a poet, but it's a good challenge when the mood strikes.

   True story.

                         * * * * * *

Step outside
Pitch black, headlamp on stun
Nostrils freeze, eyes tear from bitter cold, but ready to run
First step is hardest, but it's behind me now
Surging into the wind—force into resistance
Fists clenched, teeth clenched, forehead drenched
Up and over highway bridges
Cars speeding below on predictable paths
They'll get there faster
     But I can go anywhere
                         * * * * * *
Making the game harder
Jumping electrical boxes, fire hydrants, rocks, anything in my way
Leaping onto concrete walls four inches wide--

High ground on left, long drop on right
Faster faster faster
Lean toward safety, then risk
Striking balance somewhere in between
Feeling unstoppable
Face arms hands numb head numb heart numb
From frigid air—NO—from life
And NO—not numb—tingling—feeling EVERYTHING
     Alive and exhilarated
                         * * * * * *
Headlamp fails, darkness wins?
I tumble end-over-end-over-bike-in-yard
Concealed in leaves, lying in wait
The cowardly rely on surprise, keeping secrets
     Jumping out of the black and biting hard
Forward momentum crashing to a halt
While the beat—life—goes on
My power spills before me
Knee slams frozen ground, arm pulls hard against socket
Searing pain
"It'll heal even stronger than before," Doc said of my broken arm
     And so it did. I did. I will.
                         * * * * * *
Did I run too far, too fast? Did I trust my feet too much?
Did my heart run faster than my legs could carry me?
Regret is a wasteland, and besides
Bones and hearts were made to heal
The past can be rewritten if you choose to believe
     Fate favors the bold who power through
                         * * * * * *
Halfway home, one way to get there
     I lift myself up
Wincing until cold masks the pain
Not cold—conviction
A ride would be easy, quick, comfortable
But challenge rewards the heartstrong
    Who choose to rise above
                         * * * * * *
Bumps in the road give strength and stamina
Tonight I could have run all night, fast and far and free, forever
     I wished I could
     And in my mind, I did
     Never looking back