Free State Trail Marathon

In the six weeks leading up to the Free State Trail Marathon by Clinton Lake in Lawrence I managed to sprain an ankle on three successive trail runs. Two (both the right ankle) were within five yards of each other on two different occasions out at Wyco. The third (left) was done on a training run out at Clinton Lake itself and was the worst of the three, putting me on crutches for a couple of days and preventing me from running for ten. When I did get back to it, I stuck to roads, not wanting to risk another twist before race day.

So it had been three weeks since I'd run on any kind of trail and the injuries had also prevented any long runs over about 15 miles since Run Toto Run in February. My overall mileage had been pretty decent though (40-50 per week), so I wasn't as worried about being undertrained so much as I was about another nasty sprain which had me quite anxious by the time the race arrived. The Clinton Lake trails, while nowhere near as hilly as Wyco, are just as technical, possibly more so in some sections, and require a great deal of concentration. My goal was to finish, pure and simple, and to do so without confining myself to crutches once again. Maybe that wasn't a lofty goal, but it seemed plenty challenging enough.

Both my ankles taped up, Jill and I arrived at the starting area at about 7:20pm and milled around for about 40 minutes while other marathoners and half-marathoners gathered. The 100k and 40 mile runners had left an hour earlier. I had toyed with the idea of up-sizing to the 40 miler at one point, but the ankle turns put paid to that, and at that moment, even the marathon seemed quite an optimistic goal. Some of the usual crowd, including Ben, Dick Ross, Sophia, Puccini and assorted nerds were there. The weather was great; cool with a slight breeze but warm enough for t-shirt and shorts.

At 8, the gun went off and me and my fellow marathoners set off on about a half-mile stretch of road before we turned right into a field. The first 5 miles or so weren't in the woods on the single track, rather were cross-country type trails, mostly grass covered. I really felt good and thoroughly enjoyed this section. It thinned out the line of runners, basically eliminating traffic concerns right away, not to mention it was probably the best smelling run I'd ever done, with the sweet Spring scent wafting over everything.

Finallly we returned back near the start line, ran down a small hill and entered the woods for the first time. The first few miles of single track I had not run on before, and, while not the most technical portion, I was immediately on high alert for ankle gremlins. I trod very carefully during the rockiest and rootiest bits and kept my stride length short and careful everywhere.

For the most part, I was on my own to the extent that I couldn't see anyone in front or behind me at all, but occasionally I would catch up with someone or they'd catch up with me. One particularly chatty Michelob Ultra rep was running in front of me and seemed half the time to be talking to himself, no other runners being immediately visible. I passed him after a couple of miles and he jovially informed me of the beer that would be waiting for me at the end.

The aid stations were perhaps more spaced apart than at Wyco, and several were unmanned and just contained water, so it was quite an insulating experience, but other than the slight anxiety regarding my ankles which never entirely left me, I was relaxed and feeling strong. Almost without realizing it, I'd been running for almost 2 hours when I hit the shoreline trail. This is an extremely rocky mile or so of trail right on the banks of the lake. It's almost impossible to go full out here, even on a perfect day, but I was particularly careful on this occasion because of the multiple opportunities for sprainage. It made it rather rhythm-ruining, so I was quite glad when it finally ended and found myself at a big aid station in a clearing that was probably pretty close to the half way point.

I'd had a gel already, but I stopped for a few seconds, drained a little cup of coke and ate a packet of Gu Chomps which gave me a bit of a lift. I headed back into the woods for a relatively flat stretch of trail that I was pretty familiar with from my training runs. I Godzilla-posed for a picture a couple of miles later, then soon after found myself on a steep uphill section of road. A quick dip back into the single-track, then around an aid station, where I was told I had 9.5 miles to go, and I was heading down the same asphalt hill and back into the woods for the final time.

'Final time' meaning I still had 9 more miles of single track trail of course. A fairly technical stretch, fatigue was by now playing its full part. I felt I was keeping a good rhythm, but apparently either I had slowed down quite a bit or those behind me had perked right up because I was caught by maybe five or six people during the next few miles and didn't catch anyone myself. My ego was unaffected, however. I was too concerned with not blowing it by face planting so close to the end to care.

I was checking my watch and felt I was probably on about 4hrs 20 pace, but when I reached the same aid station as I'd passed at 13 miles and they told me I had 3 miles left, I realized I was further from the finish than I realized and had no shot at that. My feet were hurting by now; I knew I had at least two blisters (turned out to be three), which I figured were probably partly caused by me not having run a trail in 3 weeks. These last three miles seemed to last forever, but finally, I made it to the same hill I'd entered on some three and a half hours earlier and climbed it, turned a corner and there, like a soothing warm bath, waited the finish line, Bad Ben, Dick Ross and of course Jill. My final finishing time was 4:47:00. 42nd out of 88. A solid middle-of-the-pack finish, which I was more than happy with given the joints-that-shall-not-be-named that had cursed my previous few runs.

I was absolutely spent, but really pleased. As tough as the last few miles were - and believe me, there were times when I was asking myself why the f**k I'd chosen this sport for a hobby in recent years - it was all worth it. The trails were in terrific shape - very little mud - the weather was perfect, and I had another marathon under my belt. Most happily of all, the crutches weren't needed. This also undoubtedly goes into the books as by far the best smelling race I've ever done.

Wonderful work as always performed by the Nerds at the aid stations and the finish line areas, Bad Ben, Sophia, Dick Ross, Puccini the wonder dog made this another great, low-key and friendly event. While right now I am in awe of those that did the 100k and 40-miler, I have to admit, that pewter belt buckle you get for the 100 would look pretty good on me, so who knows, maybe next year I'll really go psycho. Then again....

Run Toto Run 50k - 2011

It's been about 10 days since the big dump of snow, and about five since a smaller dump, so you might say I was somewhat concerned when I lined up for my first 50k, and second Run Toto Run experience. Would it be, as they say, "runnable", or would it be 50 kilometers of running through sugar? I did a loop of sugar running just last weekend and knew that if it were anything like that today, I'd be doing more swearing than running.

Fortunately, I'm not that fast, and those that were did a fine job of clearing a bobsled path before me, so in fact, the trail ended up being really rather excellent, although as time went on and the sun did what the sun does, it got a bit slushy and muddy in places. I pulled my groin playing the idiotic sport that is kickball a few months ago, and I was just waiting for something like that to happen again, but happily, the area made it out relatively unscathed.

Hmm. I sound like quite the pessimist there. Alright, enough of my yapping, on with the race report.

Arrived at 7:30 or so and headed to the starting area. It was pretty crisp. In the 20s, and my plan to wear shorts seemed a bit misguided, so I kept on my longies, pinned the number to my fleece, slapped on the Trail Nerds beanie and at 8am, I lined up somewhere near the back and a horn sounded the off.

You have to cross a field to get to the trail, and, while it had been cut up, the path wasn't smooth, so it was a tricky little opening. Added to that, 250 or so other 50k and 20 milers were jockeying for position with screwed shoes so progress for the first couple of miles was fairly slow. Fortunately, I didn't fall prey to any testosteronic need to blast through the sugar to pass anyone and contented myself with hanging back, knowing that I had a long way to go and a slow start probably couldn't hurt me in the long run.

The early miles passed uneventfully enough, with the line of runners gradually thinning out. The most notable moment was when a runner behind me announced that he was getting a bucket of Chick-Fil-A chicken later that night as a reward for completing the race. His friend (and I) felt that 1 mile into a 31.1 mile race was quite early to be making poultry plans contingent on finishing successfully, but each to their own.

I had resolved to make sure I got plenty to eat this time as I bonked like no-one has ever bonked at about mile 13 last year, but unfortunately, awesome me forgot to wear my belt that had all my gels in, so I contented myself with a couple of handfuls of my running crack, jelly bears, at the aid stations and made sure I kept drinking like an addict, knowing that eventually, Jill would show up with the necessary vittles.

By about mile 5, I was feeling pretty good, ate a salt tablet, and made my way slowly up the road section and back to the trail. My time, despite the slowish start, was about where I wanted it to be. I was on pace for about a 2:10 first loop. The "broken leg" hill after re-entering the trail was a bit treacherous, but I found that a good tactic was to engage in complete denial about it and ran my way down it pretty fast.

The rest of the loop, up to the final mile, which contains the notorious "Three Hills" section was pretty uneventful. The Hills (I capitalize "Hills" not because I'm making a veiled reference to the stupid reality show, but because their might and power deserves such an honor) were, as always tough, especially Hill#1, or as I call it, "The Bitch", but I realized I was feeling pretty dang good and made it through with only one minor swear (I think it was "bugger" for those that are interested).

One thing I thought was absolutely awesome this year was that there were mileage signs on the second half of the loop telling you how many miles there were till the end of the loop. These were posted every half mile and they were outstanding motivation for me. Definitely hope this idea is retained in the future.

OK. Pealed through the finish line - this year right at the end of the trail - another good idea - and Ben was there. He said something about a Union Jack and clueless me didn't realize until after the entire race was done that he'd posted a big British flag right by the finish line just for me. I suppose if I had looked up and seen it, I might have wiped out on the trail, so I can't be too hard on myself. Eyes on the trail always, you know... My time was 2:07, so I'd made up a little on the second half. I stripped off my long pants (my fleece came off about 2 miles later), filled my bottle and I in-a-while-crocodiled the finish line.

Loop 2. Infinitely better than last year. Unlike 2010, when I was ready to lay down in the star position, pray to Scott Jurek and call it a day at the Wyco Triangle, this year I was not only holding my own but actually catching people in front of me. I put this down partly to better training, but also better nutrition and hydration. Experience really tells when doing long trail runs; I'm finding this more and more. On top of everything else, the trail was even better now because of the 400 or so 10 milers that had, since my last loop, smoothed it out some more.

It wasn't until about mile 18, when I saw Jill - who was even more a trooper this year than last, meeting me at many of the trail openings to give me gels from my forgotten belt, salt tablets and force me to pose for photographs - , that I started feeling pretty tired. I suppose we all get to that point eventually during a long race, but it's a mental issue as much as a physical one, and it's certainly possible that the psychological idea of running another loop was a bigger hurdle than the physical one.

Oh well, enough of my complaining, I got up the Hills, and after a brief scare when I almost pulled a calf muscle going up a small incline, ran through the finish line for the second time and once again Ben was there to tell me I was looking good. In truth, I did feel quite strong, but still, that voice was telling me that I still had one more loop before I could call myself a trail Man. Until then, I was still a trail Boy, albeit one with a bald head and a penchant for gourmet beer. My time was about 4:15, some 25 minutes quicker than my time over the same distance in 2010. I was keeping a pretty even pace, but suspected that was going to be a tough thing to achieve three times in a row.

Things had really thinned out as I trudged towards the trail for loop 3. By this time, I was separated by a good distance from those in front and those behind and it was a good two miles before I saw anyone. When I did, it was now people passing me and not the other way around. This (he said in overly dramatic fashion) was the dark time.

The Wyco Triangle came upon me for the third time and I stopped for aid for a little longer than at the other stations to gather myself. It's not that the triangle is hard per se, it's that it seems like you're running to stand still. You emerge just ahead of where you went in, basically advancing about 10 feet in 12 or 13 minutes. The aid station position is cleverly positioned, perhaps partly to make sure people don't "cut" the triangle, and by this time, I could see where that would be really damn tempting.

In the triangle, I caught up with Randy from Wichita and my mental and physical fatigue made me think I could really benefit from some company at this time in the race, so I tagged along with him for the next few miles. If there was a moment where I at least saw a wall if not outright hit it, it was then. Having someone to chat with and keep me occupied was a Godsend.

I mentioned to him my observation about the trail being like a bobsled track, and he returned with something I thought was an even better description. He said it was like skiing every discipline... cross country, slalom, downhill and moguls, complete with epic falls and the occasional injury. Perfect.

Jill kept appearing when I needed sustenance, though I have to say I was getting a bit tired of the all-gel, banana and jelly bear diet by this stage. On the other hand, I didn't want to upset my stomach by introducing something else at this point, and besides, nothing else sounded good. I did start drinking coke at the aid stations though, which was a surprisingly tremendous pick-me-up. The sports drink was rather diluted (perhaps from ice) by this stage, so it was really good on the old taste buds.

At broken leg hill, I decided I had bounced back enough to go on ahead, so I passed Randy and another guy just in front and set off on my own for the last 4.5 miles. I observed to myself that at this point, every step I was taking would mark the new furthest distance I had ever run. You'd think that was an encouragement, but, you know, eyes on the trail lad, eyes on the trail. Concentrate.

Checking my watch, I knew that it would at this point take a major meltdown for me not to finish in under 7 hours, which was a goal I actually thought might have been a bit optimistic, so I was pretty pleased with myself. I passed a couple of other people, including some 20 milers, at around this time, and finally reached Jill for the last time with about 3 miles remaining. I think this was the first time I started thinking about how I'd feel when this was all over. Relieved probably, but also elated, and, yes, maybe slightly boastful. But, still, eyes on the trail.

1 mile to go and the Hills looked at me with all the evil of a Real Housewife of Atlanta. The first, as always was the real son-of-a-mountain, and I could feel myself veering close to "E" on the gas tank. I just had water in my bottle at this point, and probably should have had one more little bite to eat at the previous aid station than just an orange segment (they were all out of jelly bears). Still, I knew the end was near, inched up the other two hills, and summoned the energy to hurtle down the final little stretch through the finish line in 6 hours 42 minutes dead. I was really pleased with the time and with Ben's observation at the end that I'd looked strong throughout, something Jill also echoed, comparing it to my disheveled look from a year ago when she had been "really worried" about me.

Needless to say, a few minutes later, I was walking like Herman Munster and EVERYTHING started to ache. Here's the list... Headache. Face sunburned. Shoulders sore from carrying the waterbottle. Chest, back and hips sore. Hams tight from the uphills. Quads burning from the downhills. Calves shot. Ankles twisted. Big toe bruised. Knees seem to be the only thing that escaped relatively unscathed, but I'm betting they'll be tons of fun tomorrow...

However, I look at these not as ailments but battle scars. This was my first 50k and it wasn't an entry-level one. I got through it and I was proud of myself. There, I said it.

As always, a first class event was run by Ben, Sophia and all the Nerds that contributed time and energy. Big ups for the mileage signs and the new finish line. Dick Ross was his usual jovial picture taking self. Jill was awesome as she always is, and thanks also to Randy from Wichita who, perhaps without knowing it at the time, helped me through my toughest, and most pretentiously introspective miles.

One final "magnifique" to Ben (again) for finding what had to be the biggest Union Jack in the Midwest. Rule Britannia!

Gobbler Grind

In November 2008 I lined up for the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon. At the time it was my first race of that distance and my longest run ever. Since then of course, I've covered that distance many times in training and have completed five races of that distance or longer, including the full marathon at the same event in 2009.

November 21 2010 saw me line up for the third straight year, this time, as in 2008, for the Half. This year, Jill and my two daughters were in attendance also, to run the 5k (a separate race at the same event, effectively covering the first 5k of my run).

Here was the problem with this year. First of all, I was, I felt, undertrained. I've seemed to develop a knack of twisting my ankle over the last few weeks and this has slowed me down both in speed and volume. On top of that, I've been eating like I'm doing a universal junk food audit, and yesterday topped it off when we celebrated Thanksgiving early and I anti-carbo loaded with turkey, potatoes and the usual trimmings. More like preparation for a bigger pair of pants than a Half Marathon.

Still, I love this race. After the first 5k around a corporate complex, paved trails weave in and out of wooded areas and under and over bridges until two or three more miles of road and then a return on the same trails to the finish line. I wouldn't say the course is overly challenging, but it's not slam dunk piss easy either. There's no major hills except for a long steady incline on the road section in the middle, but it's rare that you encounter a truly long flat area. Plenty of little bumps. Added to that, while this year was by far the warmest of the three "Grinds" I've done, it was also far and away the windiest.

My youngest was going to walk-run the race with Jill, who's been fighting allergies and flu and wasn't up to a full run. My oldest daughter's a cross-countryer so she started with me (and soon pulled away - she would later finish 4th in her age group, and probably could have finished higher but she thought she'd missed a turn and double backed to me, costing herself probably 30-45 seconds at least in the process).

Really, almost immediately, I knew this was going to be a tough race. My goal going in was 1:45, much slower than my PR, but all I felt capable of. I knew even that was going to be pretty difficult, but I muscled around the first 5k in about 8:10 pace, not too far off. I kept expecting things to start to ease up, but my lack of energy, somewhat bloatedness for the ill-advised turkeyfest the day before, and the incessant wind meant it never really did. The incline on the road mid-section I found far more challenging in years past too. True, I was actually running faster than I did the last couple of years, but I'd run faster in training over 10-11 mile distances, so it was rather frustrating to know that I didn't quite "have it" on this day.

Still, the miles did tick slowly but surely by and as always I was encouraged when I returned to the trails with about a 5k still to run. Somehow, I passed people still on their way out, some 5 miles behind. It made me think back to my first marathon in Arizona when I had to walk almost half of the distance. Seemed to last forever then, and it was nowhere near as windy. Poor them I guess, but they seemed happy enough, so who am I to speculate.

My legs were out of steam and I was absolutely ready for the race to be over, and thankfully, finally it was. I managed to keep going the whole way and even put in a little kick at the end - though was once more blown away by a fellow competitor in the home straight, a rather deflating pattern.

My final time was 1:46:59, about 2 minutes outside my goal, but I was relatively satisfied. A perusal of the finish times revealed times were slower in general than the last couple of years, probably because of the wind. I should have prepared better, but all in all, it was still a respectable time and I held my pace of 8:10 the whole way so it was nice to power through and stay consistent. I have to say it was also great to run with Jill and the kids even if I only really saw them at the beginning and end. The kids were proud of themselves, and with medals and tech shirts given out to all participants, even the 5kers, everyone was a winner. My guess is I'll be back for Grind #4 in 2011.

Fall Fell Trail Race

I'd been looking forward to this run for a while. Haven't actually run an honest-to-goodness trail race since February's Run Toto Run, and indeed I was off the trails entirely for a while in the Summer after spraining my ankle. I've been back on them the last few weeks, mixing up trail and pavement and slowly easing back up to 25-30 miles/week. Still, although I did run an enjoyable Wyco loop recently, almost all of my trail-ing has been at Shawnee Mission Park, which has some fine trails, but ones that were becoming very familiar. As the Fall Fell Trail Race was at Kill Creek Park in Olathe, this seemed an ideal way to try out a new spot. At the bargain price of $8, it was much cheaper than the KC Marathon the day before too. Count me in.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, while running in SMP, I managed to twist both ankles several times. Nothing hugely serious, but enough to stretch out the tendons and make me just a little nervous coming into this one.

Kill Creek Park is quite a way out there, very quiet, very low key, rather like the event. There are two major trails. One, called Hank, Bad Ben told us is named after Dr. Henry Jekyll, the other, Eddy, after Mr. Eddie Hyde. It wouldn't take a Dr, or even a lowly Mr, to figure out which was the apparently more challenging then. Overall the race is about 7 miles, so a good way to start the day without blowing every gasket for the next three weeks.

I paid up, got my number (99) and people-watched for about 45 minutes with my support crew (Jill) until the race began at 9.

The weather was sunny and warming as we started, and I bolted out way too fast and headed down a little road into "Hank" in probably around 9th or 10th place (there were a little over 70 runners total). The frustrating thing is that I think my fitness level probably would have been enough to keep me there, but my confidence on the trails was a little shot after the ankle twists and soon, people were passing me.

The funny thing was, I would reflect later that even though Eddy was no question the more technical of the two trails, I actually had a harder time with Hank, perhaps because although generally smoother it occasionally would surprise you with a small root or rock, sometimes hidden under some fallen leaves, that would be just enough to turn what was already a weak-ish left ankle. I counted at least four times that I gave it a significant twist. One in particular caused me to yelp like a surprised dog.

Still, I managed to keep going and soon I was on another little stretch of road and then down towards a stream and photo op. Jill and the "official" photographer were stationed here with a few spectators, and it was great fun galoshing through about four or five inches of water for a few steps. Also did a good job of cleaning off my rather muddy Brooks Cascadias, so practical as well as refreshing.

While Hank was fairly flat to downhill with occasional rocky and rooty patches, Eddy was very rocky, requiring a bit more skill and concentration. Maybe it was this focus, or maybe I was warmed up, but as I said, I actually didn't have too many ankle problems during this section and I'd settled into a comfortable pace. Running largely on my own for long stretches by now, I thought I was probably still in the top 20 or 25 or so and as I bent around a little lollipop and doubled back I started passing some of the runners still heading out. This was a relief because I realized I probably was still going the right way. Mind starts playing tricks when you're out in the boonies on your own sometimes.

Before long, I was back over the stream and really splashed through it this time (see pic for my hero shot). Confidence in my ankle was better by now, and I returned to Hank with a better rhythm and although passed by one more guy who literally seemed to appear from nowhere, I had enough left for a decent finish.

My final time was 1:01:06. Good for 21st place. Would have been a nice cherry on top to break an hour, but all in all, I was pleased with how I ran and most of all glad to have found a new trail I can add to my rotation. As always, the race was impeccably put together by Ben and his peeps, and the donut at the end was very welcome. Hopefully I can keep my ankle in joint long enough to run further and - well, probably not faster - in February.

Run For The Polar Bears

For the third time, on September 18, Jill and I lined up, with Jill's pal Kim and her husband Adam, for the Kansas City Zoo Run, this year in aid of the Polar Bears, the poster children for environmental activists and cute but deadly food chain toppers in the Arctic.

Conditions at the zoo were anything but arctic of course. The brutal summer may have lost some of its sting, but it was humid and still warm as we lined up on Swope Parkway and readied ourselves for the off. Hoping for a better performance than my previous two runs here, we lined up closer to the front of the pack. The race gets bigger every year but some of the running lanes are very narrow in this twisty turny event. I didn't want to get held up in traffic.

My goal was a relatively modest one. 30:00. (4 mile race, this would be a 7:30 pace). Some 4+ minutes slower than I ran the Trolley Run in April, but my fitness level isn't as high as then due to a busy summer (got married, went to Europe, put on weight) and the sometimes dangerously hot conditions keeping me from running as much as I was in the winter.

After one of the better National Anthem renditions I'd heard at one of these things - an a capella group - the gun went off and we shot down past the entrance and into the zoo. I was out of breath almost immediately and wondered what in the hell was going on. I think in the past, I'd started so far back, the runners around me were much slower than I was, but this time, lining up near the front, they were all as fast or faster and I found myself surprised by that to a certain extent. There seemed like a lot of people in front of me, which made me wonder if I was really running that fast, or if I just wasn't as quick as I was back in the Spring.

After a quick out and back, we reached the first mile marker and a glance at the watch showed a 6:44 first mile. Much quicker than I'd gone in several months, so I felt better mentally, if not physically. Adam was just a little behind me at that point, which surprised me a little as he'd not really done any training, but I decided not to worry about it and moved on into "Africa".

Much of this section was on gravelly trails and wooden bridges, comprising a loop around the outdoor African exhibits. Usually I don't really notice the animals, but I did see one fairly curious looking hippo wondering what was going on just outside his enclosure. I felt pretty comfortable at this point, but knew that on the way out of the loop, I'd be running uphill over a bridge, something that kicked my ass last year, so some of what I was doing was preparing mentally for it.

It worked, apparently. For whatever reason, it wasn't nearly as daunting or challenging as it had been last year when it sort of snuck up on me. However, my recollection that this was the last real challenge was less accurate as the mile and a half remaining through "Australia" seemed to be a constant maze of uphills, downhills, sharp turns and narrow pathways. Fun course, no doubt, but hard work in the warm wet air.

I turned one final corner and into the home straight I went. I had enough left for a kick and passed a couple of people, feeling pretty good about myself until a 12 or 13 year old boy shot past me like I was standing still. Apparently he had mailed in the first 3.9 miles because he certainly had a lot more left than I did. Still, I crossed the line in 29:03, after adjustments, ahead of my goal, at 7:16 pace, not too bad for the course, conditions and my level of fitness.

Adam was a few minutes behind and finished in 32 minutes and change, not bad for someone who probably hasn't run in months. If he trained, he'd leave me in the dust.

Jill and Kim finished in just over 49 minutes, and after a donut and a drink, we all headed over to the brand new Polar Bear exhibit, which featured the brand new MVP of the KC Zoo, Nikita, the 500 pound Polar Bear "baby". Rarely do animals do what you want them to at a zoo. Most of them prefer to just laze around occasionally looking at you. This guy was the exception. Belly flopping and backstroking his way around the pool, he was an absolute star. Hopefully he doesn't pork out and get lazy as he grows older, but right now, the millions of dollars it took to bring him there appear to have been well spent.

Later, I checked the results, and I finished 66th out of about 1,500 or so. 6th in my age group. Not too bad, though I think if I was in Spring form, I could have been close to the top 20, and maybe the top 3 in my age group. Oh well, I'll take it. It's still one of my favorite runs and marks the third year in a row I've gone faster. Moving on...

Trail Gremlins

I'd been looking forward to a nice long trail run at Wyco for a week or two but heavy rains last week and the race at the weekend delayed my trip until now. Although I knew it probably wouldn't be 'perfect' trail conditions (I'm starting to wonder if that unlikely situation is as elusive as Sasquatch), I was tired of waiting, so filled up my new $19 Wal-Mart special backpack water hydration device (you can just say 'bladder' -ed) and headed out.

The trail was actually quite runnable, but there were still some very stodgy mud pits. It was also quite different from the last time I'd done it because of all the foliage and Spring growth. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have too long to enjoy it. About 2 miles in, my right leg got caught in the mud, my ankle turned and I heard/felt some clicks and I knew my day on the trails was destined to end early.

I was kind of in the middle of nowhere, so had little option but to limp on for a while and even started back up with a slow, careful jog. As it started to feel better, I even thought about continuing around the loop, but after another 2 miles, the jog was becoming more of a skip, common sense finally prevailed and I headed for the comfort of asphalt and a slow, somewhat painful walk back to my car.

My guess is it's sprained. It's pretty bruised and swollen this morning, and there's considerable pain when I move it certain ways, but I can more or less walk on it, and I've done the "classic" tests for broken ankles, and I don't think it's that.

So, a forced absence from running, my first since Arizonagate. Hopefully it will be a week to ten days; no more. Frustrating as that will be, I will take the occasional minor acute injury over a chronic complaint like shin splints or plantar fasc any day. Plus, with no races coming up and, as mentioned, a house to paint, hopefully it will be no (lasting) harm, no foul.

Trolley Run

Jill's bridal shower was this weekend, so the kids were here for a couple of days. This meant a 9 hour drive to pick them up from Kourteney's track meet on Friday afternoon/evening and also a 9 hour dropoff on Sunday. This was after a business trip earlier in the week, so I was already running on only partial power, and finally, sandwiched between the two drive-a-thons was the 22nd Annual Trolley Run. Yeah, it was always going to be a pretty long weekend.

The Trolley Run has a kind of special significance to me, though I had never actually run it before this past weekend. It holds the distinction of being the first organized race I watched, as I think I might have mentioned in an earlier post. Jill ran it two years ago, and I found myself fascinated with the spectacle of it, and thus my running "career" was reborn. Last year, I was still injured from Arizona at this time, so was once again a spectator but this year I was healthy and ready to try to set another PR. Jill meanwhile was set to run her third straight, though first without her running partner Kim.

The course is a point-to-point starting in the Waldo neighborhood of KC and ending on the famed Country Club Plaza. Plotting an old trolley bus route, it's flat to downhill and probably the fastest 4 mile course in the country. It is home to the national 4 mile record and attracts top tier talent and 10,000+ other runners and walkers each year.

We dropped the kids off at the Plaza near the finish line, then took a race bus to the start area. It was a nice day for running, but not particularly pleasant for standing around. There was a healthy breeze in the air and a few spots of rain. I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under my short sleeved shirt, a last-minute decision, but we found ourselves wandering from place to place in an effort to keep warm.

The race is so big, they segmented everyone into corrals based on projected finish time. I was in the red corral (sub-30 minutes), blue was next, then green (Jill's corral), yellow, orange and white. One of the biggest problems with larger races - the KC Marathon is a good example - is that the fun runners and walkers tend to have no idea on race etiquette and are perfectly content to line up way too close to the front, then block the entire street while they chat with their six friends or call someone on their cell phone, with no regard paid to runners trying to get around them. For the most part, corralling stops this from happening, so it works out well.

A lone wheelchair racer went first, then a couple of minutes later, the red runners were told to get ready. Jill lined up on the other side of the fence until the start then I told her I'd see her at the finish and the gun went off.

It was kind of new to be running with a bunch of other runners at approximately the same speed as me right at the start. Usually there's such a mixture of paces that it's several miles before you end up with people of the same pace. I started fast, picking as my target a woman with broad shoulders that I remembered passing in the last mile of the Rock the Parkway.

The first mile went by quickly - in retrospect too quickly. I was surprised to see the first mile marker and a check of my watch showed I'd powered through in 6:10. I felt good, but had a feeling I was going to pay for it later. The only two inclines I can remember were next, in quick succession and I knew from having run part of the route before that after I'd crested the second, I wouldn't see another for the rest of the run, a comforting thought as I was already breathing pretty heavily. I also felt rather warm. The long-sleeved shirt had been a godsend at the start, but I could easily have done without it on the run.

We ran through the trendy Brookside neighborhood across 63rd street with it's red and blue striped awnings and down a residential portion of Brookside Blvd that I'm pretty familiar with. I passed the two mile marker and checked my watch. 12:33. Second mile in 6:23, but with the two small hills, I felt I was probably keeping a reasonably even pace over the flat parts. However, my fast start was certainly catching up with me already and another 2 miles felt like a pretty long way to go.

I finally passed broad-shouldered-girl near this section and didn't see her again, so maybe she too started a little too briskly. An older guy was holding his hamstring on the side of the road at this point also, probably not the last casualty of the day.

It seemed to take forever for the 3 mile marker to arrive. My breathing was becoming very labored and my legs heavy. My fast start was biting back hard and I was afraid of a big slowdown over the final mile. I checked my watch. 19:00. Somehow I had run the last mile in 6:27, only 4 seconds slower than the previous one, but it continued the trend of running slower with each successive mile.

People that had paced themselves better started passing me at this point. Possibly they'd sped up, and/or I'd slowed down. I didn't know and I didn't care. I just wanted to see the finish line. I heard the sound of cheering and figured I wasn't far away, but then I realized it was just a small group of cheerleaders and I found myself slightly annoyed at them for fooling me into thinking I was closer to being done than I was.

It had been pretty breezy the whole race, but the trees had for the most part sheltered us from the worst of it. This all stopped when we headed out onto a bridge crossing that would take us to the final turn into the finish line chute. Completely exposed, the wind pounded us full on here and for a couple of minutes it felt like running into an invisible wall.

At last, we were across and I turned into the final hundred meters or so to the finish line. I had very little left for a big finish but when I saw the clock at 25:40, 41, 42, I did manage a final mini-burst to get across in under 26:00. After adjusting to chip times, the final time was 25:49 (avg 6:27/mi pace). My last mile was by far my slowest. 6:49. Still, better than I could ever have imagined even a few weeks ago, but probably a combination of the windy conditions and going out too fast took away the potential for something even faster.

Overall then, a good race, a new PR on an albeit lightning fast course, and I even had my kids cheering me on at the finish line (though I only saw one of them and only one of them saw me). I finished 148th out of 7,500+ timed participants, and 23rd out of 515 in my age group, so a respectable spot. It was a good time, though I have to admit that despite being glad I'd finally run the race that "started it all", it wasn't really my favorite. Nothing bad about it, per se, but maybe I'm just starting to get snobbish about enjoying the smaller, more intimate events. This one was so huge, it was some 30 minutes later before Jill crossed, her corral having started a good 10 minutes or so after mine. Her time was 41 minutes and change, 10:30/mile, not quite as fast as last year, but her best effort of 2010.

I would like to have had a bit longer to relax after the run, but the 9 hour drive beckoned and now, just a day later, it already seems like it happened a long time ago.

After two shorter distance races, I'm looking forward to a few weeks off from racing and getting back to running slower for longer. The next event I'm eyeing is the Psycho Wyco Summer Run Toto Run in July. If training goes well, I'm going to try for the 50k. (WHAT? -Ed.) In the mean time, I have the small business of a house to paint and a wedding to plan for so if you'll excuse me.....