Month: November 2011

This is a milestone of sorts for me.  Five thousand miles.  5,000 miles that I have run or walked since May 2, 2010.  That is a further distance than from where I live in Eastern Kansas, to Paris, France.  Last January I had set a New Years resolution to reach the 5,000 mile mark by December 31.  I am happy that I reached that goal about 8 weeks early on November 9, 2011.  I hope that in a year and a half from now, I will be at 10,000 miles.  That would be 10,000 miles in three short years from when this all began.  Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

Kansas City Missouri…..  Run on October 15, 2011

It was time to quit playing and get serious about a road race. This… was when I jumped into the deep end of the pool… Yes, I ran in my first half marathon.  I began training for this race in July.  I followed a guide I found in Runner’s World magazine, where I run a certain amount of miles each week.  I wasn’t sure how I would perform, as 13.1 miles is a long ways for someone who just began running on a regular basis this year.  And.. I really didn’t know what to expect at this event, especially since there were around 11,000 runners, that is many times more than any race I had run previously.  This race had full marathon runners( 26.2 miles), the half marathon runners like myself(13.1 miles), a 5K(3.1 miles), and a marathon relay, where teams would have relay runners running different legs of the full marathon.  I believe there were around 6,000 runners for the half, with 4,500- 5,200 or so finishing.  I DID finish, around 3,400th place, not great, but not terrible.  That was somewhere near the middle.  My goal I set was to #1 just finish the race, then, if I finish, to #2, finish in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Well, I did finish, with a time of 2 hours 22 minutes and some change.  So, I was pleased with the results.  To be honest, I don’t remember seeing a lot of the Kansas City sites and landmarks that I passed, as I was truly focused on the race.  I only stopped once for a bathroom break.  My bladder was going with, or without me stopping.  So, I figured it was best to listen to it.  That did slow me down a bit, probably 5 minutes off my time, most of it I was waiting for an open porta potty.  This was easily the most exciting race I have run, and the coldest..  At least it was cold at start time.  I didn’t notice the cold temps once we started.  Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the mass crowd of people.  Probably some of both.  I plan many more long races in the future.  Hopefully, in April, I will run the Oz Marathon in Olathe Kansas.  If I consider the half marathon as jumping into the deep in of the pool, I suppose the full marathon would be diving off the high dive.  Happy diving!

Overland Park Kansas…..  Run on August 20, 2011

This race was a return to Corporate Woods in Overland Park Kansas.  The last time I was here was for Jazz In The Woods, which was cancelled due to weather.  So naturally I was a bit apprehensive thinking the same would happen again.  Fortunately, this wasnt the case.

I was also a bit anxious, as this is the first 10K I entered.  I wasnt sure how I would perform, but, it went well thankfully.  I was hoping the 10K would wind out of Corporate Woods unto the bike/jogging trails outside the area, as the Jazz In The Woods was to be ran.  However, they had this set up where you run the 5K twice, a major letdown for me, made the race a little boring.  From what I understand, there are several races run each year at Corporate Woods, and there seems to be a set course set up for a 5K, they just may move the start/finish point around.  I may run this in 2012 however, a nice area, and a good run.

Overland Park Kansas…..  Run on July 23, 2011

This race, got off to an uncomfortable start.  To begin with, I only got 3 hours sleep prior to the event.  Secondly, we are in a heat wave, so even at 7:00 A.M., it seemed like a scorcher running in the early morning sun.  And I love the heat, just not so much running at a fast pace when I don’t have to.  As is usual for me when I begin a race, I am like, “WHY, why am I doing this? I want to go home”.  And I want to run a half marathon? (13.1miles)  But, as I have each race thus far, I carry on.  This race began at Johnson County Community College (JUCO), and ended at The University of Kansas’ Edwards campus.  They call this race the Start 2 Finish, the ideal being; local residents can begin their studies at JUCO,
then finish at Edwards, a novel ideal, if you don’t mind being a Jayhawk.  As the race began, just running out of the JUCO lot, onto Quivira, was almost half a mile.  Then, once we entered the Edwards campus, it was near another half mile to the finish line.
But, the bulk of the race was the approximate 2.1 miles straight down Quivira Road, which connects the two campuses. I say straight, ha, that’s a laugh.  Kansas may be mostly flat in western Kansas, but it certainly didn’t feel that way running down Quivira Road. One would think that when you see the finish line in sight, you would kick it up, put your legs in top gear, but many times for me, as was today, by then, my energy is so zapped, “kicking it up” amounts to a slow craw.  This is an area I need to work on, storing energy for the finish.  I also need to find a way to shorten my run time by 3 minutes or so.  I hope to someday decrease that time even more. I’m not sure when I will run my next sanctioned 5K; maybe I will try a 10K on my next race. And, I am still shooting for a 13.1 in October, we shall see.

Overland Park Kansas…..  Run on July 8, 2011 

This is the most disappointing race I have run in to date.  I believe that logistically,many things were lacking, as several issues could have been handled better.  This race was run in a part of Overland Park KS, through busy streets, residential areas and a small business park.  The charity involved with this race was funding for colon cancer research and awareness, which, is certainly a good thing.  Several racers who had lost a loved one to colon cancer,  wore memorial shirts in their honor.  One of the several disappointing aspects of this race, they didn’t use the “chip timing” system, where  your time is accurately recorded through a computer chip worn on your shoe or bib number.  They used a more antiquated “tag timing” system, where an electronic, hand-held stopwatch is used to record each runners time.  This requires attendants at the finish line to record the finish line crossing of each and every runner.  This may be fine for a small race, where there are few runners, like perhaps the Merriam Turkey Creek Festival, which had only a couple of hundred runners total, but this race had over 600 runners, which is much too crowded, in my “humble” opinion, to use that system.  Especially as I believe du to human error, it may have cost me several seconds on my official time, and a third place finish.  I am unsure if I will run this race again.

Overland Park Kansas…..  June 25, 2011

This race was to be run through Corporate Woods in Overland Park KS, with jazz musicians throughout the trail for the enjoyment of runners.  There was a 5K (which I signed up for) and a 10K, which I believe was going to be run through a bike trail as well as Corporate Woods.  Unfortunately, due to a lighting storm that morning, the race was cancelled. I was disappointed that no refund was offered because of the
weather.  I will probably try again next year, but may wait till race day to register this time in case the weather turns bad again.  Better to spend an extra five
dollars for the race on race day, when you know it will be run, then to lose
entire registration fee by paying in advance and the race get cancelled. I think this time I will run the 10K.

Overland Park Kansas…..  Run on June 18, 2011

This race is possibly the most scenic race that I have run so far.  Beautiful Heritage Park in south Overland Park was the locale, with a wonderful trail and lake, which made the scenery here very charming.  This race is to honor Teri Mathis Zenner who was a social worker who, several years ago, was brutally murdered by one of her clients, and to raise awareness and funds for social workers to learn types of self-defense methods.  I have an ironic association with this case, as I was selected as a potential juror at the murderer’s trial.  I was not chosen, but I was among the jury pool summoned for possible service.  I
did recognize some of the family and friends of Teri at the race from my time spent during the jury selection process.

This was a fairly easy race, no difficult hills to conquer, and was quite pleasant as it weaved in some woodsy area, something I enjoy.  The most enjoyable part was the treat at the end.  Chris Cakes, a popular breakfast caterer here, known for their delicious all-you-can-eat pancakes, with sausage and Tang, was there for a nice meal after the race.  I definitely plan to run this race in 2012.

Kansas City Kansas…  Run on June 11, 2011

Ereks Run was a 5K to raise funds and awareness for the horrible disease, meningitis,
which takes way too many lives way too soon, as it did young Erek, for whom the race is named, and sponsored by his mother.

This race was a bit unusual in that it was primarily run in the parking lot of a large shopping district in Kansas City Kansas, known as The Legends.  The Legends is quite an impressive district that has built up in western Wyndotte County Kansas, just west of Kansas City MO.  What was once mostly farmland, that buffered a crime ridden Kansas City KS, has become, in the last ten years a haven of shopping, tourism and sports.  First, with the arrival of the Kansas Speedway, NASCAR makes its presence known in a big way.  There is also a new stadium for the Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City
(formally the Wizards) and the Kansas City T-Bones, an independent minor league baseball team.  Nearby are two separate water amusement parks, one indoors, the other, outdoors.  This race focused on the area around the shopping district, and just to the outer
edges.  Nothing overly exciting to see, but this was an easy out and back race,
where I posted my best time to date for a 5K, and won a third place medal in my
division.  I look forward to the 2012 race.

Merriam Kansas…….  Ran on May 21, 2011

This was my first 5K since 2008. I had considered running this in the past, but never actually made the leap to it. Since the race layout is close to my home, I walked the course a couple of times before race day, just to get a feel of the course. The logistics of the course were fine. The city of Merriam did a nice job of hosting the event. They had a DJ playing music who kept things exciting before, during and after the race. At this event, and most all subsequent races thus far, they played the National Anthem before the race, quite refreshing. Wouldn’t be wonderful if these races had a Christian prayer before it began? Sadly, I don’t see that happening anytime soon at a public racing event. Unlike other races I have run so far, the DJ announced your name as you were about to cross the finish line. I would describe this race as a nice, small, hometown charm race. A few steep hills were hidden here, kept the heart a pumping. A good chance I will run again in 2012.

Over the last several years, I have taken up walking for the enjoyment of it, and as a stress reliever. I believe to some degree, whether conscious of the matter or not, I have, for most of my life, always enjoyed a nice walk, whether to ease my mind of a stressful situation, or just for the fun of it, probably both.

Almost a year and a half ago, I lost my job of five years.  To say that I miss the  income would be true. To say I miss the stress, politics and pettiness, would be a lie.  Just prior to losing my job, I began, on May 2, 2010, recording my daily walks, both at home, and during my breaks at work. After I lost my job in June of 2010, I greatly increased the miles I  walk each day, and I will very soon cross the 5,000 mile mark. A small amount of those  miles have been on a treadmill or an elliptical machine.  In May of this year, 2011, I began running, in addition to my walking, and have entered several road races. Recently, I successfully finished my first half marathon, 13.1 miles. I plan to use this
blog to record periodic information on runs I am training for, and competed in,
or any other information I find interesting in my walks and runs. I had in the past, in 2006 and 2008, ran in the Kansas City Corporate Challenge 5K races in Shawnee Mission Park in Shawnee Kansas. I hope you find some of what I have to say interesting.