Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day 5K

Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day 5K

Michael & me being interviewed on live TV by Karli Ritter from
WDAF FOX4 in Kansas City, MO after the race

Thursday, November 22, 2012
Kansas City, MO

Official Time: 19:29
Average Pace: 6:17
Finish: Overall 23rd out of 1,873
             40-44 AG 3rd Place out of 77
________________________________
Average HR: 185 bpm
Weight: 183
Calories Burned: 433
________________________________
Elevation Gain: 138 ft
Total Distance Ran: 3.12 miles
Temperature: 60 degrees
Wind: 15 SSE
Humidity: 60%

Like almost everyone else in the blog world, Michael and I ran a 5K on Thanksgiving Day in Kansas City.  This year we decided at the last minute to run the Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day 5K in KC, MO.  Michael had done some research online and found out this race was voted the #1 Thanksgiving Day race in our area and it didn't disappoint.

Medal for 3rd Place 40-44 Age Group
Check it out ... Tukey's throwin' up RAWKFIST!!!

I woke up at about 3am on Thanksgiving, not with a craving for oven-fresh turkey, but rather a splitting headache.  There was a weather front moving through our area and the changes in barometric pressure usually result in me popping a few headache pills - which I obviously don't like to do before a race.

My headache finally went away, but there was still quite a bit of time to kill before the 9am start, so I got online and checked out last year's race results.  Earlier in the week when Michael signed us up, I had planned on running a nice easy pace and not really going full speed.  But she text'd me and told me I should "try" because the age group winners got a cool medal with a turkey on it.  I couldn't have cared less about the medal, but I think she secretly wanted it, so I told her I would try to run it fast and get her one.

I figured for a nice casual holiday 5K, I wouldn't have to go too hard to finish top three in my age group.  And once I found last year's results, they didn't look too intimidating.  Yes, I had just ran a fairly quick 10K about four days before, but I thought I could probably get a medal without killing it. Boy was I wrong!

Easy little lady, you'll get some pumpkin pie soon

Against my better judgement, Michael and I of course, got out World Famous Pre-Race Dance Party on.  I just wasn't feelin' it  today.  But while Michael chose to go for the "Stuff Your Face On Thanksgiving" move, I chose to honor our Native Americans with two fingers representing the feathers in the back of my headband.  Classy ... I know!  I totally understand that the reason many folks checkout these race reports is to see what "the two idiots" are doing before this race, but you have no idea how hard it is to work with someone who was already Jonesing for pumpkin pie at 6am!

The race was only about 15 minutes from our house, just like the race we ran on Saturday at the North Face Endurance Challenge.  Local races are just so awesome.  It takes so much logistically out of the pre-race activities  and really helps you focus on the race since it's in a familiar environment. 

An ugly troll with two cute girls - my wife Michael, and Karli Ritter,
Meteorologist from WDAF TV FOX4 Kansas City

Once we got to the race site at Ward Parkway Shopping Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Michael and I traded in our race shirts we got the day before for a couple of larger sizes, found the port-o-poties, and relaxed in the car for a few minutes.  After that I began my 30 minute warm up before the race.

As I slowly jogged around the perimeter of the shopping center parking lot, I noticed a WDAF TV - FOX4 Kansas City news truck with one of those tall broadcasting antennas that climbed about 100 ft in the air.  Fox4 is pretty much the only local news channel Michael and I watch every day before work.   As I ran a little closer, I saw Karli Ritter, the morning Meteorologist and one of our favorites at he station.  She always talks promotes upcoming races during the broadcast, so I knew she was a runner ... and like a total stalker, I stopped by to meet her and told her that my wife and I watched everyday.  As expected, she was incredibly nice, and really cool!  We also talked briefly about how much we miss Don Harmon, the original morning weather guy, who passed away about a year ago.  I then jogged back over to our car where Michael was still hanging out and told her, "Hey, Karli Ritter's over there!"  After that I continued my warm ups, but Michael then went over and met Karli as well.

Pretty cool Thanksgiving Day 5K shirts with turkey's on the front throwing up a RAWKFIST!!!

I ran about 3 miles before the race and mixed in some light stretching.  I noticed that my legs didn't really feel sore at all, and my flexibility seemed to be good - but everything just kinda felt dead.  I had pushed it pretty hard about four days before at the 10K race, and I hadn't really given my body much  time to recover for a fast 5K, so I wasn't sure how this one was gonna go.  I ended with some light sprints, getting up to speed without much trouble at all before going to line up at the start.

Mile 1
When the gun sounded most of the runners started in pretty much a dead sprint.  The first mile was a gradual 85 foot decline straight down hill.  It was so awesome!  I felt light, fast, and effortless.  But I slowed myself down as I kept an eye the pace, which had increased to about 5:40/mile.  While it felt nice and smooth, I knew I couldn't hold it for the rest of the race when we headed back up hill.   The wind was pretty brisk at about 15 mph out of the South, but it really didn't seem like much of a factor, plus, it would be at our backs on the back half of the race.  I ran the first mile in a very easy, very comfortable 6:03, and felt really strong.

I'm always amused at how fast some people start in 5K's.  It seems like most of the younger crowd always goes out way too fast.  They will always blaze by me during the first half mile or so, but then ... as always ... they peter-out around 1.5 miles.  It's so hard not to spout off something smart aleck as I pass, with them huffing and puffing trying to keep a fraction of the pace the bolted from the gates with.  Tortoise and the hare my friend, tortoise and the hare.

Mile 2
As we hit the turn around point just after the first mile, sure enough, I started picking off runners one by one.  I had ran this portion of the course in the Rock The Parkway Half Marathon earlier this year, and I knew we were in for about a 1.5 mile climb back to where we began the race.  It wasn't a huge incline, about 50 ft or so, but I knew running it at 5K pace would be a little tough.  I intentionally slowed my pace a little, plotting for a strong finish.  Plus, I wasn't really trying to kill it - I just wanted Michael's Turkey Medal - ha.  

Michael getting her results from a Pilgrim on Thanksgiving

Admittedly, over the past few weeks I've been laying out a little.  My diet has been the biggest struggle - I just haven't been watching what I eat that much.  I'm at the point in my running where I can pretty much go out on a full/fat stomach and run a comfortable recovery pace without any G.I. problems - but that's just not the case when busting it in a 5K.  And this became very evident in the middle of the second mile.  My stomach started churning a little as I tried to maintain a 6:15-6:30ish pace back up the hill.  I wasn't dying, or holding anything in - it was just uncomfortable.

As I continued to pass runners, I could tell that most were struggling with the climb.  And as we made our way back near where the race would end, I was one of them who was starting to struggle.  There was a water stop at Mile 2 that I didn't use, but I noticed a 2 Mile Split clock set up on the other side of the street that showed I was at 12:17.  I still had a PR in reach if I ran this last mile under 6:00, and then finished strong.  I ran Mile 2 at 6:15, but I was really starting to feel it.

Mile 3
In every 5K I'd ran until today, I had maintained my pace, or picked up speed each mile - today I was going in the opposite direction.  I had backed off on the second mile a little, hoping to save a little energy for a strong finish, but I knew that as I began the 100 ft of incline on Mile 3, I was likely just gonna be holding on until the end.  My gut was churning.  My legs were wobbly and lifeless.  And I actually did something I'd sworn to myself I wouldn't do - I glanced down at my heart rate ... it was 194!!!  When I'm really pushing it, and I mean pushing it, it's around 188.  BUT IT WAS FRIGGIN' 194!  I kinda freaked me out a little, but I tried to keep pace.

Michael, me, and a turkey before the race

I was still slowly catching and passing a few runners, but was really struggling.  About the middle of Mile 3, a younger high school cross country type of runner blew by me - I mean blew by me!  I was like, "Where the heck did he come from!"  He was so fast that I didn't bother trying to keep up.  But almost immediately after that, a guy about my age began to creep up beside me.  I glanced at him on my right and he was pretty winded just like me.  I let him go by, but kept him about 15 ft in front of me, thinking I'd stay within striking distance.

As we neared the top of the hill, I could see the turn around to go back to the finish line.  It couldn't come quick enough - I was dying!  I remember thinking to myself, "I'm getting too old for this!"  We made the turn and gradually started down a decline - it felt amazing!  But as we headed back South again, the wind really seemed to be a factor.  I used the downhill to catch my breath a little, but  I was pretty spent as we neared the 3 mile mark.  With the uphill and tired legs, my pace slipped a little during Mile 3 to 6:30.

With only a tenth of mile left, I emptied the tank, which I soon found out was pretty near empty already.  I had passed the guy who was my age, but soon found out that he had more kick left than I did, as he passed me during the final 150 meters, which I could never make up.  I glanced over my shoulder and didn't see anyone immediately behind me, and finished with a 19:29 - not a bad run considering my conditioning and the relatively difficult course.

Gorgeous girl with a big-eared dork ready for Thanksgiving dinner

After the race I waited for Michael and we headed over to the results table.  A lady dressed like a Pilgrim, or a witch-hunting Quaker (or maybe one in the same), printed out our results.  Michael had an AMAZING DAY!!! The girl PR'd by 5 seconds ... FREAKING AWESOME!!!  And as she printed mine, I saw that I had finished 23rd overall, and 3rd in my age group.  Michael would get her Turkey Medal!

We're on the air with Jim & Michael!!!
But maybe the coolest thing happened after that.  As we made our way to round up some water and post race snacks, we saw our friend Karli Ritter getting ready to do a live shot from the race on the morning news.  We asked her if when she was done, she'd mind letting us take a picture with her.  She said, "Well I'll trade you a picture for an interview!"  Awesome, we were gonna be on live TV on the news ... just like witnesses to a crime, or a wreck or something ... so freaking cool!

Karli talked in her ear piece to the directors back at the studio while I visited with her husband Chris,  who seemed like a pretty cool guy.  After that, the studio threw it back to her and we were on.  She made small talk with Michael and me before interviewing a bunch of folks next to us who were wearing matching turkey hats and shirts.

Man ... we were stars!  Interviewed on the morning news ... just for running a 5K!  Awesome!  Michael's phone immediately began blowing up with text's ... "What the heck were you doing on the news?"  "I just saw you guys on news!" etc.  It was pretty cool.  A couple of younger kids asked us for autographs on the way to the car, but we snubbed them - ha!  We're way too important for that ... sarcasm!

Psssst ... Poppy just about made his heart explode today in a race!

From there, we went back home and relaxed until our 1pm lunch reservation at Garozzo's Ristorante.  Obviously an Italian restaurant, but they also had all of the traditional Thanksgiving food as well.  I think Michael and I both were expecting to eat in the actual restaurant area, but they had everything set up in the banquet area with a bunch of folding tables.  So it actually felt more like a cafeteria environment - which was a little disappointing.  But the food was great as always.

Later that evening, my son Gage stopped by with our grandson Ryder.  He's the coolest, and he's getting so big!  (Man, I just sounded like every other proud grandparent in the world)  We hung out for a while, but they still had a few more rounds to  make.  Holidays can be so tough on young couples with obligations to visit all of the families that are spread out in different locations.  We didn't get to spend much time with them, but I know they're busy - plus I think we're all having our Thanksgiving on Sunday.

All in all it was good race, and a great day!  After looking at my race pictures, I can tell its time to start hitting the total body workouts again ... a little too much loose skin and lard flying around.  But other than that, everything went well.  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
... be great today!

Halloween Hustle 5K ... My Son's First Race!!!

Gage & me ... yeah, we kinda look alike!

Halloween Hustle 5K
Unity Village
Lees Summit, Missouri
October 29, 2011
Time: 33:06 (course was 3.4 miles)
Place: Gage won Second Place 20-24AG

• My son's first race ever ... awesome time running with him
• Michael dressed in "Running On Empty" costume
• Chilly 35 degree start to beautiful day
• Post-race pancakes
• Awesome finisher medal for 5K
• Gage's son, girlfriend, and her family came to watch
• Mile 3 of the race was my 2,500th of the year

World Famous Pre-race Dance
 Michael as "Running On Empty" , or is she ...
FLAVA-FLAAAAVVVV!!!

Wow .. what a fun morning in Lee's Summit, Missouri!!! We ran the 2011 Halloween Hustle 5K and had a blast.  And besides just having an awesome time, I got to check off two of my Lifetime Running Goals in one morning.  Mile 3 of the race was exactly my 2,500th of the year ... a goal of mine for sometime now.  But most importantly ... I RAN A RACE WITH MY SON!!!  And that's something I thought would never happen.

We woke up early as usual. Got dressed.  Ate a little something. And y'all know what came next ... The World Famous Michael & Jim PRE-RACE DANCE PARTY!!!  "Michael's sexy and she knows it ... wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!"

After that, Gage's son Ryder and his mom met us at the house and we all headed out for Unity Village in Lees Summit, MO.  It was a little chilly - about 35 degrees with an 8mph breeze, so we were bundled up a little for the first time this Fall.  Michael wanted to get there early because she was going to enter in the costume contest, which they ended up having after the race.  She dressed as "Running On Empty" ... which we thought was pretty creative.  But she kinda got a lot of blank stares.  I'm not sure people got it.  I thought she just looked like sexy runner girl!!!  And even though Halloween is TOTALLY NOT MY THING ... there actually were quite a few great costumes.  My favorite was Captain Crunch.

Two knuckleheads at the starting line,
Totally NOT posing like they were talking!

Gage is not a runner.  I think as preparation for this race he ran a total of two miles. But don't get me wrong, he is a really good athlete.  He's played A LOT of baseball, roller hockey, and football back in the day.  But lately with work, a baby, and "grown-up" life things, a lot of the athletics have passed by the wayside.  Plus, he's never really been much into "just running".  But I think after seeing his sister, who is not a natural athlete, do so well this year with running, he wanted to give it a shot.  Also, I think he ran partly for me.  And even though I've tried really hard not to "push" my kids in sports, it really meant a lot that he would do this with me.  Really cool!

The race was sponsored and organized by Bodies Personal Training, a personal training gym in Lee's Summit featuring various physical training disciplines.  They had a really seamless sign-up and packet pick-up at their gym a couple of days before the race.  And the pre-race and post race activities were really GREAT!!!  They had a DJ with music, a bunch of games and a blow-up bouncy house for kids, a pancake breakfast at the finish, a finisher medal, Halloween Costume Contest, some local vendors and a massage table!  Plus, we got a very nice short sleeve technical t-shirt!  Really awesome SWAG and activities for such a small local 5K race.

GO POPS!!! I'll be waiting here with these Cheerios!

There were only a couple of things that could be improved a little.  And to be fair, small races like this one many times simply just don't have the manpower or volunteers for all the little things required for a race ... and they do the best they can.  While all of the peripheral things about the race were GREAT, the race itself was a little long ... my Garmin read 3.4 at the end.  Plus, it was a two loop course for the 5K and four loops for the 10K.  At the half -mile out & back portion of the race, fast, slow, 5 & 10K runners were running into each other.  But those were really the only two thingsr that stuck out as "needing attention".  All-in-all it was a good event!

It was actually not a great day for Gage to be running a 5K.  He was moving into a new house on Saturday and had a lot going on.  But he had already signed up for the race, so he honored his commitment and ran anyway.  I really tried to make him take it easy with the pace. (as much as you can "make" a 21 year-old do anything I suppose)  I just didn't want him to run too fast and be totally dead the rest of the day for his move.  Plus, I honestly wasn't sure he could even run a full 3.1 miles since he hadn't trained at all.  In fact, he told me near the end of the race that he had a bet with a co-worker about being able to run the whole thing without stopping.  I think it was $10.

Michael & me

We started pretty slow ... on purpose.  And as we warmed up a little, he told  me he felt fine, but we didn't speed up.  There was only one little hill in this race, a half-mile 50 footer.  But to someone who never runs, it looked like a mountain.  We had been talking a little throughout the race, but a this point he got really quiet and later told me that he thought about walking at that point.  But he didn't.  He kept running the whole time.  He told me with about a quarter-mile left in the race that he was going to win his bet with his buddy about not stopping.  And at that point he began to run a lot faster.  I know with even a little training, he could have been fairly fast for a 5K.  The kid is a good athlete!  As he crossed the finish line, his time was 33:06.  And he hadn't walked at all!

Gage suckin' a little wind at the finish line

After the race, we met up with my grandson Ryder, who was waiting with Cheerios, collected our medals, and watched for Michael and Gage's girlfriend's brother who ran the 10K.  They both ran good races.  I think Michael even set another PR for 3.1 ... although her official time was not a PR since the course was a little long.  We all then headed over for some post-race pancakes.  As we were standing in the pancake line, the PA announcer who was reading the results said "In the 20-24 Age Group ... Second Place ... Gage Weatherly!"  Everyone kinda looked at each other like "What did he just say???"  And then Gage was like, "I just heard my name ...YESSS!!!"  He got Second Place in his age group at his first race, and even got a Second Place medal.  He was pretty proud!  He was laughing about it saying that the guy at work was gonna owe him a 50-spot for that!  He even called his sister ... who of course was also proud of her big brother!

Unity Village in Lees Summit is about eight miles from my house.  So after the race I ran home to give me an even 11 miles for the day, with a 20 miler scheduled on Sunday.  The last mile of the race had been exactly my 2,500th of the year.  I was pretty excited about that too, since it was one of my long term running goals.  I'll probably hit 3,000 by year's end, but 2,500 is a one year record for me.  And even though it really doesn't mean anything other than I stayed healthy all year, I thought it was pretty cool!

But the biggest and coolest thing I got to check off of my career "To Do" list is running a race with my son.  It was really awesome!  And at the end of the day, it was really more about just hanging out together.  Neither one of us are ever going to set any land speed records.  But over the past few years, he's been a lot busier with his life and we really don't have much time to do stuff like this anymore - so it was simply awesome!  To be honest, I was really surprised that he made it the whole 3.1 miles without walking.  I was really proud of him ... and I know he was proud of himself.  It was a great day ... hopefully we can do it again sometime!
...be great today!

Kansas City Royals 5K Report

3rd Annual Kansas City Royals 5K

Kansas City, Missouri
August 28, 2011
Time: 19:09
Finish: 13th out of 1479
Place: 1st Place ... Male 40-44

• Great day with my kids
• Beautiful day at the Stadium doing what we love
• 3 out 4 of us PR'd
• 3rd Age Group win of 2011
• I'm the fastest 80 year old!!!

All in all it was a great day at "The K" ... Kauffman Stadium, the home of the MIGHTY Kansas City Royals!  I got to combine my three favorite loves in life ... family, running, and FRIGGIN' BASEBALL!!! I ran the 3rd Annual Kansas City Royals 5K, benefiting Royals Charities, with my daughter Madison and her boyfriend, Nate.  My son, Gage also came out the stadium and watched his sister and ol' man run ... which was AWESOME to have him there!  Michael didn't run with us ... she had a previously scheduled 10K at the Northface Endurance Challenge with Dean Karnazes in downtown KC.  She also did a great job and PR'd, which you can read about here ... Slowly Tri-ing!

Great 5K race bag ... 2 T-Shirts, whistle, cup, pasta, 20% coupon to our favorite pizza shoppe, free ticket to Royals Game!

There were four of us running on Sunday in two different races, and I had hoped to write a race wrap-up about how all of us PR'd ... but I can't!  Three of us PR'd, but "someone" kinda let the group down ... that someone was me!  I was the only one who didn't.  Gotta get faster to keep up with these peeps I guess!

Nate, Madison, and me before the race at "The K"

It was a beautiful day, but a little warm for really fast performances.  And as a result, all of the times were a little slower than last year.  It was about 75 degrees with 75% humidity at the beginning of the race.  And about 2 miles into the run, the humidity kicked in and slowed everyone down a little.  I don't remember seeing any of the top runners stop and walk in a 5K before today, but I passed three different guys at the end who had stopped to walk.  Believe me, I wanted to join them a couple of times, but I just slowed my pace a little and kept going.

I had originally planned to run with Michael at the Northface race, but when Madi & Nate decided to run the Royals 5K a few weeks ago ... I changed my plans to run with them.  My thinking was that Madi is going to be getting married and having babies in the next few years.  As her life gets a lot more hectic, I don't know how many opportunities I'll have to run with her.  I really missed running with Michael but she understood, and we all had a great time at our own races.  Plus, I had ran in the two previous Royals 5K's, so I was excited to keep the tradition going, and try to set my 5K PR ... more on that later.

The Kansas City Royals 5K is a smaller race but is gaining in popularity and size every year.  As far as the course goes, its pretty uneventful other than the finish.  The Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs Stadiums are located right next to each other and share the same parking lot.  The race starts out in front of Kauffman Stadium, then circles Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.  After that, it's pretty plain until the finish.  The course basically takes runners around the back of Kauffman Stadium, and then loops the parking lot. But if you're a baseball nut like me, the finish is AWESOME ... because runners finish on the field of Kauffman Stadium!!!  The last tenth of a mile is a loop around the warning track in the Royals outfield, and the finish line is at third base.  I'm like a kid when it comes to actually being on the floor of the stadium ... it's awesome!


Awesome spread after the Royals 5K

The organization of the race is getting better too.  But probably the best thing about the race, other than finishing on the field, is the post-race food.  They have everything!  Hot dogs, nachos, and beer ... and of course the traditional post-race food as well.  This is always the best post-race buffet of any race I run.  Pretty cool!

Madi's Awesome Run!
As far as the running goes ... like I said, everyone set a PR except for this guy!  It was Madi's second 5K ever, and she topped her previous 5K PR by more than 2 minutes at 27:58 ... a 9:02/mile!!!  Gage and I got to watch her from the stands as she circled the outfield and she was FLYING!!! She was passing people right & left with a great final kick to the finish line.   I can't believe how well she is running ... this kid is awesome!  Gage even said, "It's pretty awesome to watch your little sister kick butt like that!"  You're awesome Mad, we love you!

Nate's Big Day!
It was her boyfriend Nate's first 5K ever and he also ran a great race.  The only problem was, his timing chip in his bib didn't register ... (mine didn't either - more on that later.)  He finished a few minutes ahead of Madison, but at this point we don't have any idea on an exact time.  He was a little bummed, which is understandable.  They must have been having trouble with some of the chips, because two out of our three didn't register.  Nate's fairly new to running and ran a great race too!  Plus, he's a pretty cool dude ... "I guess!" I have a "verrrrrrrrry strong suspicion he's gonna be around for a while" ... and we couldn't be happier!

Gage & Madi playing a little catch after the race

Big Talk ... No Results!
Which brings me to my race ... big fat flippin' fail!  I won my age group, which was cool ... but I REALLY wanted to PR, and I didn't!  I had written posts over the past few weeks about how some of my training times had been around 5:30/mile - and I honestly thought I was gonna shatter my 6:03/mile 5K PR pace, but I just didn't have it in me on Sunday.

Basically, it was very confusing.  My legs felt fresh and light.  My energy level was great.  My race plan was solid.  And the whole time I was running, I never felt like I was pushing to hard or anything ... but I just couldn't get my speed down to where it needed to be???  A couple of times I felt like I had really kicked it in and that my time was finally down around a 5:30ish pace ... but when I glanced at my Garmin - it was only 6:00ish???  It was humid, but I've put up much faster times in much "muggier" conditions.  So I dunno???

After the race, we waited around at the awards ceremony.  I was 13th overall so I thought I might have placed in my age group.  But when they announced the winners ... no Jim.  Huh, that was odd ... because I had passed the winner in my age group at about 2.5 so I know I finished before him.  Plus his time was 19:15 ... and I my Garmin read faster than that.  My initial thought was that I had been DQ'd because I wore headphones.

Fastest REALLY OLD GUY on Sunday

After the ceremony, I talked to the official results guy and asked him if I had been DQ'd - he said no, they wouldn't have disqualified me for that.  We went over to the Ultramax timing guys who were awesome.  I told them what had happened and they pulled out a tape of all the finishers and found me crossing at about 19:09. They were very apologetic and said for some reason my chip didn't read?  They actually went and found the medal lady and asked her to give me a first place medal - awesome!  Problem, they had already given away the first place medal that read Male 40-44, and the only first place medal they had left was one that read Male 80 & Over!!!   AWESOME!!!  That was hilarious!!!  So basically, I was the fastest 80 year old on Sunday ... which I'll take!

There is no way not PR'ing could have ruined the day on Sunday.  I was with my two awesome kids and my future son-in-law (more on that later) ... and nothing could have put a damper on that.  Of course, I'm always a little bummed when I try to run my best and don't ... but the day was much more than that!   I was with the people I love and watching them have a great time and do well was a million times more important than an "over-competitive" old man not accomplishing his goal.  They ran great, but more importantly, we were together and it was awesome! It was a beautiful day that we'll never forget!

Look how happy the Royals were about our great day at Kauffman Stadium ... thanks Bret Saberhagen!

... be great today!

Lees Summit Night Flight 5K ... Running After Bedtime

Madi & an ugly old guy

Race Report: Night Flight 5K

June 10, 2011

Lees Summit, Missouri

1st Place 40-44 Age Group

15th out of 602 Overall

20:06 ... 6:29/mile pace

72 degrees/82% humidity

I'm an EARLY morning runner.  So any run after 6AM is getting a little late in the day for me.  And a 5K race that starts at 9PM is ... well frankly ... after my bedtime! (My family and friends say I'm 42 going on 63 ... they're probably right, now get off my lawn!)

Friday night I ran in one of my hometown races, the 30th Annual Lees Summit Night Flight 5K.  It's a fun after dark race that is sponsored by the Parks & Rec Department.  I've ran this race a few times before, but this year I got to run it with my daughter Madison!  (Michael was at a play with her friend Cindy) We actually ran individually ... but hey, it was the same event.  And we both had a great time, with Madi setting a PR!!!  In her first 5K ever, she ran 28:59 for a 9:24/mile pace.  AWESOME!!!

Race shirt with "glow-in-the-dark" logo & glow-sticks

This is typically a small race, with about 600 runners this year.  And since it's ran in June, warm weather and slower times are usually expected.  But I went into this race with a pretty good attitude, just wanting to run well regardless of the time.  Due to the 9PM after dark start time, most of the runners were a little out of their comfort zone to begin with.  Also, it was a nice evening for hanging out, but a little warm to run your best ... about 73 degrees with 82% humidity.  I wasn't SUPER EXCITED about my time of 20:06, about 1:22 off of my PR. But it wasn't bad considering everything.  Ya'll know by now that I'll probably never be satisfied with my time, regardless of where I finish. But I DID end up being one of the fastest "old guys" in the race, winning my age group for the second straight weekend!  Plus, there was only one guy older than me who finished ahead of me.  HOORAY FOR OLD GUYS!!!

I started a little fast trying to keep up with the area Cross Country runners ... too old and too slow for that.  I think the winner was about 15 years old and ran 16:30 or something - a little out of my league.  But I did keep the flashing lights of the police pace car in sight the whole time!  My gut began burning at about 1.5, which was a reminder to this idiot that I need to get back to my ab program and stop eating cheese burgers, fries, and donuts during the week.  I'm not kidding about that.  But as we approached mile 3 I only saw a couple of "30 something" runners in front of me in the last mile and I knew I had enough in the tank to pass them, which I did.

Madison and Nate

The course was not "hilly" at all. There were only three 50ft inclines that were only about .25 miles long. But most of it was completely unlit by street lights.  I've ran this area hundreds of times and I knew there weren't any pot holes, but not being able to see in front of you in a race is a little weird.  You have very distorted depth perception.  Plus, I forgot to start my Garmin until about a half mile into the race, so I wasn't sure exactly where we were other than just knowing the neighborhood.

I NEVER feel like I'm going to throw up during a run ... my problem is fighting back the other end. My biggest fear is being one of those pictures on the internet where there was literally "an explosion."  I would like to think that I would never "allow" that to happen, but hey?  However, I can tell you that last night at the finish line was the closest I've ever come to hurling.  I ran about a 4:45/mile pace the last quarter mile and my heart rate got to 197.  195 is what I use as my max!  And when I crossed the finish, I was seeing stars and actually thought, "Okay, this is the day I throw up from a run!"  But like a champ I held it down!

Madi with the final kick of her 5K PR!!!

Madison's boyfriend, Nate was at the race watching me run ... okay, he was there to see Madi!  And he was kind enough to hold onto my camera, which I got from him immediately after I could breath again. I then rushed over and attempted to take a picture of her crossing the finish line.  The picture I got was horrible!  It was really blurry.  I'm not sure if it was because of the darkness, or the 3 gallons of sweat that I slathered the camera with. But Mad's step-dad took the one at the left and it turned out awesome! Seriously, it's one of the best race photos I've seen!  Great action shot! I joked with him and told that my stupid camera probably cost 3 times what his did, but his took better pictures!  Maybe he's just a better photographer.

I also ran into Lisa from Eat, Pray, Run after the race, but I didn't even think to get a picture (we live in the same town).  I wish Michael could have met her - she's a really cool blogger! I've met Lisa a couple of times now at the gym and at this race and she is always very nice.  According to her time she ran very well also!

Madi and Nate then waited around while I got my medal for 1st in my Age Group.  The medal was pretty ugly, but that's okay.  When Michael saw it, she said, "Wow!  Did they get from a Cracker Jacks box?"  But I really didn't care that much about the medal.  It was just awesome to run the race with Madi.  And honestly, it was pretty awesome to come in first two weekends in a row.  I know when I look back at this period in a few years when I'm a broken down old man, this will probably be the fastest I've ever been.  I still want to improve, but PR's are getting harder and harder to come by.  I think I'm getting pretty close to my ceiling.  But you never know.

1st Place M40-44 ...  2011 Lees Summit Night Flight 5K

After the race when Madi went home, she sent  me this text ...

"I'M SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!! Winning first in your age group two weeks in a row!?  Are you kidding me! You KILLED it.  And I love you!  You were great today! :-)"

That was the best thing about the night.
...be great today!

"I Just Felt Like Runnng" Virtual 5K Report

Today was the big day!  The First Annual "I Just Felt Like Running" Virtual 5K sponsored by Jeff at Detroit Runner.  My daughter Madison and I had a 10 mile run scheduled for today, so I included the 3.1 for Jeff's race while running for her workout.  Here is me before the race, super stoked about being one of the competitors in the inaugural race ...

Here is my Garmin reading ...

It's a little hard to read, but it says 35:53 ... 11:32/mile.  Our race conditions in KC were 25 degrees, with 20mph winds.  Appropriate for a Virtual Race sponsored by a guy from Detroit ... brrrrrr!  Thanks Jeff for doing a great job organizing the race. I'm sure there will several great race reports.

Speaking of race reports, Jason at Life Of An Aspiring Triathlete honored me by reposting my report from the Austin Marathon a couple of weeks ago.  If you haven't it read yet, please visit Jason's site and give it a whirl!  In fact, check out all of the great things on Jason's site.  It's one of my wife's and mine, staple blogs. Filled with great inspirational messages and wonderful recipes.  Thanks again Jason!

Hope everyone had a great time with the Virtual 5K!  Have a great weekend!
... be great today!