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Guest Blog: Ask the Crew Chief
Greetings, friends! Syd here, the HBIC herself. Thought I’d pop in and do a guest post. Rex has been doing so amazing at these hundos, and it’s getting more attention. People who may not know a lot about ultramarathons are asking more questions about this adventure, which is AWESOME. This sport, and its vibe, are incredible, and more people should know about it!
That being said, I’m sure some non runner friends (or non ultrarunner friends) have seen me post about pacers and crew and say “ok cool, but what is this and that exactly? And what do you do about x and y?” So I figured I’d do a little HBIC crew chief FAQ blog.
What’s the main function of the crew?
I break it down to 3 things: 1) Food 2) Hydration 3) Health/Safety. Everything we do for our runner comes down to those 3 categories. All three of these things are crucial to him getting through 100 miles, and one thing going awry can break a race.
- Food: Ultramarathoners burn an insane amount of calories and may lose their appetite, so we try to feed our runner as much real food as they’ll take. Yep, they can have gels, but they’re also encouraged to have sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies, candy, whatever their stomach asks for. We also make them carry snacks for while they’re running.
- Hydration: Each time we see our runner, we refill his hydration bottles for while he’s running, and try to get him to drink while with us. Balancing water and salt intake is important as runners sweat a ton, so we have him do salt tablets or pickles also.
- Health/Safety: We carry a full medical and first aid kit, along with sunscreen, bug spray, wipes, changes of clothes, socks, shoes, headlamps, hats, batteries, everything. Any illness or mishap can happen, and we don’t want it to halt our runner. Kirby even had a charger for Rex’s phone while he ran.
I’ve seen his times; Does he REALLY run for more than 24 hours? He doesn’t sleep?
Racers all have a choice; most races have a 30 hour or greater time limit. If a runner can budget their time and pace and stop to nap, they’re free to do so, and some do. Others prefer to go straight through. At Prairie Spirit, Rex went straight through; at Honey Badger, he took about a 5 minute nap in the front seat of my car at mile 60 something, I think it was.
Does the CREW really stay up all night?
We grab naps, some of us. But I do stay up. The adrenaline, excitement and inspiration of watching him do this is legit! (And off the record, I LOVE sleep so that tells ya just how big that adrenaline is!)
What’s the best crew self care?
I’d say food, drink, and sleep! I try to provide lots of goodies in goodie bags and the car for the crew and pacers, but I’m finding lately that they’re going all out on their own also! Gay Ann had her car stocked with food at Honey Badger.
What are fun surprises for runners?
Whatever makes them smile! This can vary by their personality and the circumstance; with Rex at Honey Badger, Kirby zooming out in her cool car, blasting music and handing him water was a hit. Us positioning Ultrasaurus Rex with liquor bottles at every stop got a laugh every time, from all the runners! Anything that makes them forget that exertion and pain for a few.
What has been something odd you’ve had to replace during a run?
All of Rex’s food 😂
If you know Rex, you know he likes all foods and loves to eat. Long distance running, however, can mess with your digestion because the blood flow goes away from your stomach and toward the leg muscles that are doing all the work.
During Prairie Spirit 100, a race known for its buffet aid stations (and y’all I’m talking quesadillas, bacon, fried Uncrustables, M&Ms, like where’s my chair), Rex’s pacer Ryan came into the aid station at mile 60ish saying “he’s sick of the aid station food and only wants your food.” (Turned out Rex was having stomach issues, I felt AWFUL for him)
As a crew chief, I’m all, ok. It’s 8:30 pm I’m the middle of nowhere, Kansas and all I have are turkey cheese sandwiches, Pringles and Reese’s. To Sonic I go! horn sound
I got one of everything at Sonic and gave him a buffet at the next aid station. He took the tots and the popcorn chicken, so he got some calories at least🙂 It was then that I decided next race, I’d pack more different foods in the car no matter what!
I want to pace, but Rex is so fast! I’ve seen his race times.
Yes, Rex has amazing race times. He is also an ultrarunner.
In ultramarathon, participants rarely run the entire distance, in fact run/walk intervals and power hiking in the latter part of ultras is the norm! That means, as much of a powerhouse as Rex is, you’re not going to see his 5K pace at mile 50 of one of these events (which is the EARLIEST MILE that he can use a pacer!)
The #1 thing that Rex needs in a pacer is YOU. For real. The most important thing is for him to have someone there with him, to keep him moving. It is very lonely out there on the course, on dark trails where the runner knows they have so far to go. Having a pacer friend there to talk to, to keep them moving and to keep their mind off things, is so valuable.
Rex has had pacers that had him run fast to beat the rain, do 30/30 run walk intervals, power walk the whole leg, walk a whole leg, jog a leg, all of it. He’d love to run with YOU! Sign up to pace him!
His next event is the Hawk Hundred on September 9-10. If you’d like to sign up to crew or pace, here is a link to the SignupGenius: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/30e094aa4ad2da2fd0-rexs1
This has been a great journey so far, for all of us! Come join in the fun!
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Honey Badger photo dump
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Make it Count! 5k recap
Spencer C. Duncan Make It Count 5k is a flat, fast, exciting, and emotional race in Gardner, Kansas. The race benefits the Spencer C. Duncan make it count foundation. You can learn all about it at: https://makeitcounttoday.org/
Lately, I have been trying to get selective about my racing. I’m trying to take it easy on my body AND my wallet. The Spencer C Duncan 5k is free to veterans. I (obviously) don’t mind a little bit of a drive for a free race. I managed to talk Sydney into signing up, too!
Before the race, we discussed our strategy. Sydney told me she didn’t mind if I wanted to “fly,” meaning run off without her. I do like to get competitive and race and start off way too fast. It’s fun for me. This time, though, I wanted to run with Syd. I wanted to encourage and relax and just have fun.
Running with Sydney, I was still able to goof around with some running friends. Some of them ran some fun events that I had to miss.
Gay Ann had run the first night of “The Night Train,” a 2 night combo event that sounds special made for me. The Night Train Night 1 was a fixed-time event, and night 2 is a set distance event. Great swag, including a special gift for doing both nights, really tempted me. I was strong enough to resist, but not so strong as to not be jealous. Gay Ann is doing both nights, of course, and still killed it at the Spencer Duncan 5k. She is, truly, savage!
Our good friend (and notorious Argo bandit), Andrew had run “the Night Wolf,” a brand new trail race put on by, or for, the wyco wolf pack. The weather here has been very wet. The trails, according to Andrew, were extremely difficult. There is hardly any swag for this one. I’m not so upset about missing it.
Hearing about these races was bittersweet. I’m sorry to miss out on any race. I’m very happy friends of mine were able to participate. I have to remember: I can’t do everything!
One great feature of the Spencer C Duncan 5k is the “boulevard of heroes.” Volunteers hold up portraits of service members killed in action along the entire course. I think this is a really cool memorial and a very neat feature. It makes Sydney emotional.
The last portrait on the course, about a tenth of a mile before the finish, is Spencer Duncan, the race namesake. I told Sydney, “When we get to that picture we’re going to pull the trigger!” She was sooo tired! She was worn out after a tough Friday workout. She had been pushing it the entire race, but she dug in and really RAN that last bit of the race! Sydney won her age group!
1st in her group! The race is great, but the party at the start/finish is really where it’s at. There’s a Chinook helicopter to tour, a lot of vendors with swag, and my favorite feature this year, Stroud’s cinnamon rolls! I had 3!
There was a d.j. playing hits from the 70’s and 80’s. We were getting down!
Spencer C Duncan make it count 5k was a wonderful experience! I’m glad we got up early and ran it!
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Rock Island trail 1/2 marathon
What a race! I had signed up as pacer for the 2:10 group. Not awfully fast, but not terribly slow. The pace sticks had the pace time, not the finish time. I suppose that’s helpful for runners that want to keep a steady pace. I am the WORST at keeping a steady pace!
10:00 per mile 😄 I started out “just right” but that hardly lasted. Some people will push their pace, trying to bank time for walk breaks at aid stations. I just sort of ran and tried to stay in range. It didn’t seem like anyone was relying on me to be totally accurate.
10:00 per mile The race had an option to start thirty minutes early, which is nice! Early start is good for people that may not be very fast and are afraid of missing a cut-off or people that are sensitive to the weather and are afraid of heat injury, which is a real threat. A (probably) unexpected effect was I got to see friends a little more often than the usual once, maybe twice during an out and back. If I had been just running instead of pacing, I for sure would have started early.
There were so many friends running and volunteering! Sydney was pacing the 2:30 group, and Josh was pacing the 2:15 group. We were all off by some minutes. Cody had started early. After he finished, he stood at the last turn with a horn cheering in the runners!
There were only a couple of runners collapsing at the finish area. It was so hot and humid! After a while in the shade, everyone recovered.
The rock island trail course is rail to trail, crushed gravel, mostly shaded, out and back. Just a mile at the beginning / end is out in the sun. That little stretch sure did seem longer at the end of the race! There’s a cool bridge over the trail where the course photographer set up. The pictures are great!
Already sweaty The volunteers at the aid stations were top notch! The runners were asked before the event to use the provided cups and not fill personal bottles or anything, but there was plenty of water to accommodate everybody. I got ice at one of the aid stations. There was no fireball this time. It’s a good thing, I’m not sure I could have finished!
Phil let me stick my head in his truck to get a little a.c. but I had to get away real quick, or I would have climbed right in there and dq’d less than a mile from the end!
Overall, I felt it was a difficult race done well. I don’t have any criticism for the race directors or kc running company. I haven’t heard anything negative from anybody else, either. Just that it was hot. And humid. We can’t control the weather, yet.
Finish line! Just a few minutes off. 
Sweet medal! -
After
I’m sitting at a sidewalk table in front of a coffee shop/business center. I’m waiting for Sydney so we can have our usual midweek lunch date. I absent mindedly scroll through some photos from last weekend
The Snake The Snake: A 10(ish) mile run around Clinton Lake that I was using as another practice for the Hawk 100. This race utilizes the connector trails between the blue trail and the white trail. I found it very fast and runnable for the first half. At the halfway point, you take a toy snake as evidence you actually made it. Last year, the only snakes they had left were teeny-tiny ones. This year, I got a pretty decent sized one. Either I showed up a lot faster, or they got more large sized snakes. Either way, pretty cool!
Diva dash The Diva dash 5k & 10k is a ladies only event. I volunteered just to stay involved. At first, I was a little miffed about my assignment. I was waaay over in the corner! How would anyone see my pretty tutu? Hand-made, by the way. Once I saw where I actually was, I realized I had a very important position. Where once the route had turned, this time it went on quite a bit further. I had to guide several runners onto the new way. Only one was verbally upset. There were so many fantastic people running that event, and I felt very honored to be a little part of it.
The rest of the weekend was spent crafting and shopping, cooking and eating, relaxing and socializing. The way a weekend ought to be. Maybe, once the slam is over, I’ll be able to sleep past 5 a.m. on a weekend. Meanwhile, I’ll just try to enjoy the moments, and nap when I can.
Phil and I at Diva Dash 
The 2 mile mark. Where I’m standing used to be the turn. Can you see the new turn, way back there? 
Garden fresh string beans with butter and garlic 😋 
Some of the snake crew: Chelsea, Sydney, and Nick 
Beautiful overlook park at Clinton Lake 
Ben was 1st place overall at the snake 🐍 -
HoneyBadger 100
I know I’m missing a few posts. I had a few races. I had some personal and “professional” life things I should have been sharing. I’ll tell you: I was sweating THIS race! You see, I’m pretty spoiled. I’ve hardly had to earn anything in my life. Hard work? Struggle? That’s for suckas.
Well, you just can’t charm a country road. The sun doesn’t care how nice or funny you are. Someone posted a meme: The hill doesn’t care about your feelings!
Lol
We start out in a beautiful lakeside park shelter. It’s a race, so of course we have to be there at 5 a.m. to check in. This race is unique in the fact that it’s 99.69% crew/self supported. There are some ice and water refill stops, but mainly, it’s you, the road, and your crew. So the organizers demand your crew carry 30 lbs of ice, 12 gallons of water. I don’t know the international conversion of that. It’s a lot of ice and water.
They had a “runner’s church” set up, and one of the race officials held a little service. I’m not a person of faith, but I REALLY dogged my training for this one. If I ever needed god on my side, it was now! Haha!
The first part of the race goes through Cheney state park for a couple of miles. It’s a beautiful run around a lake at dawn. Then I hook up with the world’s greatest crew and head out onto the roads of King’s county. The long, long roads.
The plan (lol) was to meet the crew every 4 miles. That was the advice Sydney (HBIC) was given by some veterans of this race. That is a great plan, and I still believe the better distance. We had to change it to 3 miles. My water bottles just couldn’t quite get me to 4. During the hotter parts of the day, they barely got me to 3! (I kept making the crew check for leaks. There are no leaks.)
Things go really well for about 25 miles. I’m keeping a steady pace. Fuelling really well. Everybody is having fun! The only guy on the crew, Jeff, “Heffay,” had to leave. Real work is the worst! He was a champion and tremendous help!
There was one little incident. I kept passing other runners’ crew vehicles and wondering, where’s the WGC? After what must have been (felt like) 15 miles (like, not even a mile), I start to panic. I text Syd asking where they are. She says they’re right there. I don’t see them! If I had been swimming, this moment would be where I drowned. When, like an angel from heaven, our girl Kirby roared up in her charger! Vroom!
She handed me cold water and drove alongside, blasting classic rock and encouragement through her window. I saw the crew ahead, so I tossed her my vest and shirt and told her to go ahead. I picked it up and chugged into them, shirtless, at a sub 8:00 pace!
Then there it was. Just that road. For miles and miles. And miles. And miles. I wrote it that way on purpose. And miles. The description said 32 miles. My garmin said 33 miles. Still going. One road. Straight ahead. For miles. And miles. I asked, “When we get to turn?” This course was supposed to be rectangular. Our girl Erin “p-quad (p4)” let me in on the detail of “it’s at the t intersection. When the road ends, don’t keep going. That’s not the road.” Sage advice, indeed. Erin was hilarious! She was scheduled to pace with me but showed up early to help the crew. She brought a megaphone, some wisdom, some experience (she’s familiar with the area in general, and this race in particular) and just a badass attitude that fits the WGC perfectly.
I stopped using electrolytes after my upset stomach at Prairie Spirit. I was fueling with just water and salt tabs and gel and chews… and fruit snacks and granola bars…and sandwiches and chips and melon. I was starting to get a little concerned because I had not peed yet. I had a pickle and cut the salt tabs for a stop, and that got the flow going.
Food was starting to sound gross. My appetite was gone. That happens, I just need to force food down, but nothing substantial was working. I think it was mainly because of mild dehydration, but I’m no doctor. I just know that when I would eat a corner sandwich, I would gag. We got a bit down when they threw out the bread. And some beef jerky Kirby picked up at the gas station was alright 👍, but granola bars, gels, and chews weren’t happening. This would continue for a while.
I finally got to the turn! It felt amazing! The crew was playing our theme: “I’m sexy and I know it,” and I couldn’t help but dance!
Also, there was another runner that finally caught up with and passed me at that point. Grr! J/k, it’s not that kind of race for me. I’m just trying to 1. Finish 2. Survive.
One thing we were all looking forward to was “the oasis,” a love’s truck stop around mile 45. I was really looking for it, because I’ve had to poo since mile 35!
I don’t like to bring these types of things up, but if you’re out there for 24+ hours, cramming garbage in your face and churning your guts, things will happen. Things that will not be ignored. If you’re lucky, you can handle this business in a little, stinky, hot plastic box. If you’re really lucky, a park shelter with a tiny window. If you’re REALLY, REALLY lucky, an air-conditioned semi-private room with hand washing facilities. But, usually, it’s just…the ground. Sorry. Running is gross. Also, I was unlucky twice on this run, but never in my shorts! (Not to brag.)
After Love’s, it was on to the church! The church was where the 50 milers (53 milers) ended their race, and the hundred milers can start using pacers. There’s a 16-hour cutoff to get to the church, but I was way ahead of pace all day. The church was very cool! It’s a tiny little speck of a town, and all the crews were there, along with some spectators and a dog!
Gay Ann was my first pacer, after crewing all day. After arriving in town late the night before. She’s amazing! And an infuriatingly fast walker! She inspired me to jog some mainly by eliminating the difference between walking and jogging. It was awesome! She kept me moving until David took over around midnight?
Just gotta get this rock outta my shoe David “Bootsy” had signed up as soon as he could to pace me through the very tough overnight hours. I was very excited to run with him. I’m very impressed with David! He ran a full marathon distance at argo. He’s a triathlete and a power lifter. He’s an engineering student and professional. And a great pacer. We walked for quite a bit of the night. The temperature barely dropped, the humidity went up. It was country dark out there. David never complained, and never called me out when I whined and whinged. We managed some shorter intervals sometimes, but mainly, it was: leave the crew, wait for Rex to pee, hike a mile, look for the crew.
In the meantime, the World’s Greatest Crew was lighting up the night! We had Jamie, Sherri, Gay Ann, and, of course, Sydney, all working to make sure all I had to do was move forward through the night. They fought off exhaustion, bugs, and other crews threats on our mascot to keep David and I upright, fuelled, hydrated, and moving. We could spot them from what seemed like forever away, with the lights and the jumping around. It was beautiful!
I was zombie walking. David asked about hallucinations (I think) and I could describe it really well. Because it was happening at that moment. I had to sit. I was a fall risk. Sweet Sydney let me sit in the vehicle with the air on. I managed a three minute cat nap before anxiety got me moving again. I kind of ruined her seat with sweat, but she told me it was endearing. She takes such great care of me! And everyone else! She really is the H.B.I.C. and the brain and heart of this outfit.
About this time, we’re starting to leapfrog other groups. One guy seemed like he was fueling his entire run with beer! Normally, I’m all for that, but I didn’t think my stomach could take it. I did get some calories in the form of a hammer brand recovery drink. That drink, plus the sunrise, really turned me back on!
Bootsy had to get home in time for church, so after driving 2 hours and running all night, he left to drive another couple of hours. Stud!
Gay Ann took over pacing again, and we really capitalized on the morning momentum. She still hiked very, very fast, but now she stopped to take more pictures and I was feeling a bit better.
Erin “P4” came back and took over pacing duties right around the 85th mile (? Mileage gets sketchy around here. My garmin died in the overnight hours. It’s a fine watch, I’m just not fast enough, I guess.)
Erin is an experienced pacer, regularly pacing a half marathon in Wichita. And she’s local. She knows the area really well. And she’s a hasher, so she’s used to seeing grown-ups act like fussy little babies.
I was over this race! I’ve had it with the road, the hills, the corn…I was done.with.it! But Erin pointed at a field and said, “Check out my llama, I left it here while we do this,” and totally changed the mood.
There was, in fact, a Llama. There was so much animal life on this route! Horses (we say a baby horse!) Cows, armadillo, raccoon, skunk, so many snakes! The crew found a baby frog! A lot of the animals were roadkill, sure, but I’m counting them.
After the third meet-up with the crew telling me we’re in the home stretch they decide to give some real numbers: we’re 2 and a half miles from the finish. It’s right there! I asked what time it was and it was a bit after 10 a.m.
In my mind, I was like, “Awesome! We can beat the noon cut off!” The World’s Greatest Crew didn’t remind me the actual cut off time was 6 p.m., because they’re the “world’s greatest” crew, not the “tell you the truth no matter what” crew, and I love them for it! We churn down this road, over this highway, up this road, me complaining the whole time: “oh, gee. Another hill? Let me guess, up? Whaa whaa whaa” all the way to the park. Inside the park, the little jaunt out turned into the world’s longest park road. But it was downhill the entire way, so we kept jogging it. We got to the end and there was everyone cheering and clanging cowbell! I ran down and bopped the finish cone, gave our mascot a big kiss, and went over to get the prettiest buckle/medal I’ve ever gotten. Of course I fell apart. I get very emotional. Sydney was right there for me. She put me in a chair to get myself together.
As I sat there, reflecting on my adventure. The struggles, the challenges, the whole endeavor seeming huge, I got to watch as a stroke survivor that fueled his race with beer finished just some minutes behind me. So perspective is a thing. Lol!
In the end, this was a great race and an awesome time. I couldn’t have done it without the crew and the pacers.
I’m leaving a LOT out of this recap. Some things are just for me. I hope everyone enjoys reading these because I’m really enjoying writing them!
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Nighthawk 10m/20m/50k
Sydney and I ran the Lawrence Trail Hawks night trail run, The Nighthawk. Syd ran the 10 mile, and I ran the 50-kilometer. We had some friends running the 20-mile race. Everyone there was super nice and very cool.
The race itself was neither nice, nor cool. I feel it’s pointless to comment on the weather unless it’s violent storms or tornadoes or something. However, the lack of violent, torrential rainstorms preceding this race made for a hot, sultry night.
I guess the good side of that is the trails were in really good shape. The trails around Clinton Lake are mostly rooty dirt with some rocky spots. As we ran on through the night, they transformed in my mind to the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy.”
The course is a 10 mile-ish route from Overlook Park to Land’s End on the white trail and back to Overlook Park on the blue trail. So the 50k was 3 loops. There was a 10 hour cutoff. I expected to finish in about 8 hours. My actual time was closer to 9 hours, but I’m very happy I finished at all.
There were a lot of dnf’s and runners dropping down to less distance, which is smart. The only reason I didn’t is I have a touch of “imposter syndrome.”
The plan was to run with our friend Adam. That plan didn’t last very long. A wardrobe malfunction with my gaiters forced me to stop. I never would have kept that pace, anyway. He is just too fast! I saw my pacer from Prairie Spirit, Ben. He was on the struggle bus with a bad stomach. Unfortunately, he had to drop out, but he’s very talented. I’m sure he’ll be back.
A couple of our friends did really well in the 20 mile. Nick took 3rd place, and “coach” Ben won! Quite the achievement!
The second loop was the worst! I had stomach problems. I had lighting issues. I couldn’t run for very long before I had to walk up a rocky hill, or down a rocky slope, or through a rooty path. It was very frustrating. When got to Land’s End, they were out of watermelon! The volunteers at this event were great, and they were cutting up more watermelon at the time, but I couldn’t wait. I just grabbed a gross gel, some chews, and a stinger waffle and went on my way.
When I got back to the start, I put on a new waist light I bought just for this event.
Nighthawk has an (earned) reputation for being extremely buggy. I had been advised to use anything but a headlamp. I had knuckle lights, which worked okay, a small clip on light which faded really quick, the fanny pack waist light, and a headlamp as a last resort.
Since cactus roulette I don’t trust carrying just one light. I kept my knuckle lights in my pocket. I was now hands free! I ran out for my 3rd and final loop.
I felt much better on my last loop. The new lighting helped a lot, and I ran much more. I was feeling good (considering), and I was really excited to finish.
I got to Land’s End and thanked them for sticking around for me. I was sure I was the last runner on the course. They told me so many people had dropped! I ate some watermelon and bacon, grabbed more snackies, and burst back out for the last leg.
I thought about calling Sydney at every landmark: I just left lands end…I just crossed the creek…I’m over the dam…I’m across the road…at the bridges now…just running on those weird rocks…past the picnic table…I decided it would be better to just finish.
One of the coolest finishes I’ve ever had! The lights of the finish line were shut off, on account of the bugs. Someone saw me coming, and they turned them on as I approached! I felt like a rock star! The photographer had some camera issues, so I got to do it again!
The finisher swag for the 50k was a handmade wooden medal, an event and distance specific oval sticker, a carabiner mug, and an awesome running jacket.
The Nighthawk 50k was an awesome experience. It was very tough, but also very rewarding.
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Shirts Off Summer 2023!!!
For the love of all that is good in your life, please, please wear sunscreen!
A couple of options. Anything is better than nothing. Now that the PSA is taken care of… Tops off! Let the sun shine in! If anyone has a problem with your body, that is their problem.
Soak it in I say “shirts off summer,” but really, I’ve only had my shirt on here and there all year. The weather has been that mild.
I popped the old shirt off pretty quickly during the Clinton historic half marathon. The heat & humidity really came on during that race! I wasn’t the only one stripping down.
The Clinton 1/2 marathon is a fantastic race. The town of Clinton is a little ways out there. So, once again, Syd and I were up and out the door by 6 a.m. on a Saturday. I guess it’s time I just admit that I prefer waking up early.
The half marathon takes runners through some of the older parts of town, by all the schools (I think) a bit on the Katy trail, on some 2 lane blacktop highway, and it begins and ends in the square.
Half marathon course goes all over town After the race, Sydney and I walked around the square a bit and recounted the past races we ran there before we were together. It was kind of a fun, impromptu date.
The next day was the Father’s Day superhero 5k at the T-Mobile campus. As interesting as the Clinton half was, that is how boring the T-Mobile campus is.
Imagine: a beige and brick rectangle. Now, cut and paste that and arrange them in a circle. I suppose it’s good for productivity. It’s pretty good for races. Getting the distance right and controlling traffic is easy. We had a little problem figuring out which entrance to use. The directions on the event page confused me a bit.
I kept my shirt on for Father’s Day 5k. There were thunderstorms all night, and it was drizzling throughout the race. My intention was to run easy with Syd, and then the two of us were going to pace her father. That was the plan. Pretty soon after the start, we were tailed by a crying baby in a stroller. I had to get away, so away I went.
I was a little heartbroken when I saw it was an out and back course, but at least I got to high-five everyone.
I finished just as Andy, Sydney’s dad, made it to the turnaround. I walked the second half of the race with him and Sydney joined us when we got back around near the finish. We paced him to a new p.r.!
My training is ramping up. With the 2nd big race just weeks away, I’m upping mileage and trying to acclimate to the heat. I’ve been adding gear and shoes to my setup. I’ve been practicing my fueling with rice crispy treats, and oreos. Got to get the tummy in shape!
Fuel -
Easy Weeks in June
The second race in the super slam of Kansas ultrarunning, the Honey Badger 100, is right around the corner. The main feature, as far as I can tell, is the extreme heat. The race is mostly on country roads in east/central Kansas in the middle of summer. There will be (I imagine) no place to hide from the glaring sun. I am afraid. 😅
Whatever. Some things can’t be helped. “Control the controllable.” That’s all there is. I’m doing what I can to acclimate. To get conditioned to the heat. Por ejemplo: the Hospital Hill 1/2 marathon. I did just “okay.” Any half I finish under 2 hours I consider a real good run. I did “tire out” a bit. I got some real encouragement from the pacing crew. I took some walk breaks. Remarkably, I kept my shirt on. 😐
The next day, there was a group run around downtown K.C. MO in support of local running community hero Scott “the bearded runner” Green. I encourage you to check out the link.
The next week was a rare break from racing. I took advantage of the opportunity to work some overtime. That evening, I caught up with Sydney at her best friend’s new boyfriend’s place. His name is Matt, and he’s awesome! A real success and, just, the nicest guy.
Sunday, Syd and I ran 7 miles with kc running company’s newest group, the Sunday shoreline group. A lot of our friends were there, but they were focused on a big trip to Minnesota. So many of our friends ran Grandma’s marathon or half marathon. They all did so great! I am so jealous, but I can’t do everything!
So next steps: acclimate, condition, and train.
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Happy Global Running Day!
Whether you run in a group, in a club, on a team, with a partner, or on your own, it’s your day
Maybe you run a few times a week, or a couple of times a day, or once a week, or every day, or “someday.” This is your day
If you line up at the front, the middle, or the back of the pack or don’t race at all. Today is for you.
Road, trail, or track…$300 supershoes or bare feet… Rock, Rap, EDM, or nothing but your surroundings.
Running deserves to be celebrated.
Happy Global Running Day!
Enjoy this stock photo of running
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W.W.R.H.D. 