Tag: day trip

Running with the Cows 1/2 marathon recap and review

May 17th, 2023

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had no intention of entering Running with the Cows 1/2 marathon. I had no races in May, and I was happy about that. This summer is going to be crazy busy, with the slam and all the races around that. My plan was to take it pretty easy. Well, we all know what Mike Tyson said about plans.

See, what had happened was… Sydney was invited to pace the Rock Island 1/2 marathon. I believe they phrased it like this: “Hey, Sydney! We would LOVE it if you would pace for the Rock Island Trail half! And Rex, too… I guess.”

So I’m pacing a half marathon at the end of July. Also, along with a few races I was planning to do already, I can complete a series! Swag & bling, baby!

I didn’t want to do this particular half (running with the cows) because of last year. I, along with everyone else, was destroyed by the heat and humidity. Also, I was promised an “amazing” finish line buffet. Instead, I got a warm BBQ sandwich. Better than a banana and a slice of cold pizza? Sure. Far from amazing, though.

I don’t feel brave or controversial saying 2022 rwtc sucked.

My expectations for this year were cautiously hopeful. Everything pointed to lessons learned, improvements made. The k.a. buffet was back. The aid stations were equipped with “dunk buckets,” and it was a new course. Solid changes.

Syd and I woke up at our new “usual” time. 5:30 a.m.🙁 I had a surprise, though. I saw Bucyrus, KS was NOT an hour or more away! We had time to stop for a muffin at the Quiktrip!

The parking situation was very easy. The parking volunteers actually split the cars and s.u.v.’s into different areas. Brilliant!

It was already in the 70’s at 7 a.m. I knew I was gonna pop my shirt off. Luckily, the race had a Gaylord full of sunscreen spray bottles! Along with the appropriate amount of Johnnie’s and hand washing stations! The start line area was A+ for sure!

The half started right on time, 7:33. I went out way too hard, but with a pace group. The 1:40 pace group, but still…

I was hanging with the fasties, trying to settle in, when this other racer starts bobbing around behind me. First, he’s behind my left ear. Then my right ear. I can’t take it, so I break out of the group and push ahead a few steps. 2 things here: I pretty quickly realized that “the guy” was my hair (I need a haircut), and #2: one of the pacers hollered out “take it easy, it’s not a 50k!” 🤣

There was really only one way to respond. Shirts off! The warm sun and the breeze from my too fast pace felt really good. The first aid station, I was able to step aside and let the good guys go past. I fell back in pretty close to the group. I was still going kind of fast, but I felt good. I had told Sydney I was going for around a 2 hour finish. That seemed reasonable for the week after a 50 miler.

Too hot for tops!

I walked through the aid stations. I high five my friends at the “out & backs” and maintained a good attitude in spite of the heat and humidity.

I made a mistake and dunked my shirt in a “dunk bucket.” It was nice for a second, having ice cold water on me. I just didn’t consider what I was supposed to do with my shirt. I wore the shirt for a bit, but after a while it wasn’t really cold anymore. It was just…wet.

At about the 10 mile marker, I started running with the 1:50 pacer. I fell off and came back a few times, struggling to find some sort of rhythm or cadence.

There’s a big silo right outside the road to the finish. They hang a Running with the Cows banner on it, and you can see it from a ways off. I felt like, when I pass the silo I should start booking it into the finish. But the finish line is still, like, 2/10 of a mile…uphill (an incline, after 12.9 miles, is, in fact, an uphill). I saw Sydney cheering me in, so I gutted it, sprinting into a finish of 1:50:29!

Finish line silo

Photo “sprint”

Afterward, I just wanted to find a shady spot, lie down, and die. I was cooked!

Running is F-U-N!

Sweat angels!

I got myself together and went inside to eat. This event is famous for the finish line buffet, but I had not been able to experience it until now. It was an impressive spread! Hot dogs, “walking” tacos, sandwiches, 3 or 4 different types of pasta salad, barbecue, a whole table of desserts, the works! I grabbed a couple of things and went to find a shady spot to eat.

The food!

A lot of our friends were there, but Sydney and I had an event that afternoon, so we took off pretty quickly after I ate. Just enough time to grab a few pics.

Jenny from midwest endurance race company, Sydney, and me

Adam & me at the finish. We ran the same race?

Aaron & me, relaxing in the shade.😎

This race was a lot of fun! It was managed really well! I will do this race again, as I’m sure it will only improve.
Top City recap

April 30th, 2023

What a morning! What a race! Oh my God, there is so much to blog about! TLDR: there was a half marathon in Topeka, Kansas. I p.r.’d. A lot of friends were there.

Top City is a 5k/half marathon in Topeka, Kansas. Topeka is about an hour away from Kansas City. Just far away enough to be inconvenient.

Sydney didn’t run this race but volunteered to drive and cheer me on. She’s an angel!

The drive took a bit longer than an hour (we don’t pay tolls!) Parking was a breeze, nose in on the street about a block away from the start line. We grabbed my packet, pinned on my number, and caught up with all our friends.

We saw Jason “the year I got the runs” Silvers, Amanda and Will, and Kris, Adam, Myckael, Andrew, Deliece, and Katie. I also met Sydneys cousins, Warren and Barbara, and their son Nick. Nick was running his second half marathon!

The temperature was perfect for running, which is a little cool for just standing there. I jogged around a bit just to warm up a bit. Some other people warming up got a bit competitive. I knew it would be a good race!

I was torn between lining up with Amanda, who was “taking it easy” after her recent foot/heel injury thing, and Adam, who runs exactly like me but faster. I started with Adam. Fast. Too fast. Way too fast!!! It was awesome! I ran the first 2 miles as fast as I ever have before. I felt so great! I knew it wouldn’t last, but it didn’t hurt or anything.

The route went about 2 miles around downtown Topeka, under the capital building, and into the streets and parks of Topeka. The first few batches of volunteers were young people in dress clothes, like missionaries of some sort. I didn’t ask, because, you know…racing…but it was very cool to see them; the fellas in ties and slacks and the women in long dresses.

Around mile 3? Probably? I noticed one of the “direction arrows” was pointing back towards the start. A very rude reminder that this is an out and back course. All those fun, fast downhills will surely bite me on the way back. Oh, well. I decided to worry about that later.

I had finally settled down into a human pace right around the “Rip On” skate park at Shunga Park. I was fine, I was settled. There were spectators handing out treats. I thought it might be beer, but it was pretzels, gummy bears, and apple sauce. No thanks!

The route took us into a neighborhood with nice, pretty houses. I got to pet a dog! When I ran past in my k.c. running shirt the course monitors and spectators would say “go chiefs!” That was fun. I was complimenting a neighborhood guy on how pretty the area was when I saw Myckael running up to the aid station. I shouted “go Myckael!” And then ran away as fast as I could. I guess beating Myckael was a goal I didn’t know I had until just then. Lol.

Leaving the neighborhood I ran into a bunch of runners coming into the neighborhood. I thought, “these can’t be the 5k runners?” As I stuck out my hand for high fives. It was the back end of ghe half marathon! OMG I went out way, way too fast if I’m 5 miles ahead of the pack!

As predicted, the return was a big more difficult than the way out. There were some things I didn’t notice the first time, though. Like the murals illustrating brown vs. the board of education. Topeka is neat!

The last mile brought us straight up towards and under the state capital building. I turned the last corner and saw the finish line. It was a ways away, up a pretty big hill. The farmers market was busy on the left side of the road. I thought about just ducking in there for a while instead of chugging up a hill.

I looked at my watch and saw I was so close to a p.r.! I had to go for it! I was either going to get it or come close, so I gave it everything I had. Sydney was cheering and shouting, “You’re going to p.r., baby! Get that p.r.!”

I did it! My finish time was 1:37:57. A very respectable time! The age groups were split up in ten year increments. I came in 5th in my group. Adam came in 4th. Everyone did awesome! I’m just going to say here, in my own blog, I came in 22nd overall, 20th male, and I was 5th in my age group? We old men are fast a.f.

There was free beer from Iron Rail brewery and BBQ sandwiches from dickie’s for the racers. I had an Irish red. It was delicious!
DO or DIE 1/2 marathon

April 27th, 2023

Not to be dramatic. If I don’t capitalize, it looks like “door die” half marathon. That’s a totally different race.

DO or DIE!!! Half marathon is a fun little race put on by the Boonville, Missouri family ymca. The race is on the Katy trail from the Boonville trailhead, out 6 and a half miles (approximately) and back.

Sydney had this race on her bucket list because she wanted to race on the Katy trail. I wanted to do this race on account of the awesome logo.

I’m a sucker for a skull and crossbones

Boonville is a little less than 2 hours away on I-70 in the middle of the day, going the speed limit. Sydney and I were up, “ready-to-go,” and on the road by 5 a.m. and I drive like I run…fast, y’all. I drive pretty fast.

90 mph. Eastbound and down!

We arrived and they were still setting up. It was pretty chilly, and we had an hour to kill. Luckily, they opened up the visitor center. What a cool place! They had a model train running through a scale model of the town. They had artifacts and examples of old timey clothes. There was a model of the Lewis and Clark expedition boat. There were plenty of souvenirs. I didn’t bring any money, so I didn’t buy anything. Most of it was geared toward cyclists, anyway.

There was a briefing before the race that I pointedly ignored. I’ve been told they mentioned the outbound was uphill. Ridiculous. Saying “uphill” about the Katy trail is like saying “spicy” about McDonald’s.

Syd and I decided to take it really easy. To not be competitive and just enjoy the scenery. She was going to try to run relaxed and not look at her watch at all.

This section of the Katy trail is cool. There were a lot of cows, some horses. A loud doggy. A big tunnel that didn’t echo very well, and a couple of bridges.

See you ladies at lunch

Not much of an echo.

Very pretty

We even had a truck honk at us while we crossed over I-70.

I-70

The aid stations were great! The first one was a bit further out than we expected, but there was a port-o-john there. The second had fun size snickers. The third had gummy bears. They all had full sized cups and super friendly volunteers!

Sydney and I finished together in 2 hours, 24 minutes for “not last.” We didn’t care. It was gorgeous and fun. The winners got hand made plaques that were awesome, but we didn’t get a picture.

We ate burgers at the second best diner in Boonville, the Northwoods diner. It was fine.

We made it back to k.c. in plenty of time to see Ted Luce and the moneymakers with our friends.