What was I thinking? A marathon. . at this point in my fitness comeback? I don't want to admit this, but. . .

When I started putting things on my calendar for June, they started to snowball.  something this day and that day, then this week and that week.  Of course I didn't want to eliminate anything! Only one was a race, too!  
 I got to see U2 (and the Lumineers) in concert at the start of the month.  

Then on two hours of sleep I had my six month check up for my Melanoma (mine was acral lentiginous, not thought to be sun related).  The nurse said my blood pressure was high, and I said, yes of course. I'm running on two hours of sleep and am dehydrated.  

Elevator Alphabet Soup at the hospital.  

I felt special at the hospital when, for whatever reason, my name tag wrist band had a gem stone on it.  I did manage time to smell the flowers (these are the wildflower Spiderswart).  My neighbor, when we moved in, told me they were weeds. I said they were wildflowers, but he was free to pull them on his side of the fence!  Haha.  

I did also manage to get in a walk in the middle of the week.  I did have to beg permission from the old cat.  21 year old felines don't like to move.  Okay, they like to move even less than regular felines. 

I hadn't been on this route in several months and I was happily surprised to see it was repaved and the crown removed from the roadway.  Reminds me of Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream" song.  Or U2's, Where the Streets Have No Name.

Being out in nature is always a good way to recharge.  

Which brings me to the second part of "what was I thinking?". . . a marathon.  I haven't run a marathon since three weeks before my car collision.  That was about eighteen months ago.  I've been walking. I'm actually starting yoga again later this month since the wrist is sort of up to it.
After a long day of convoluted driving, I arrive just before the end of packet pickup.  It's the end of the road for this marathon, so it wasn't like I could wait another year to be in top form. I *had* to do it now!  Small towns love to draw people in with activities, but sometimes it's hard to get people to volunteer for a full day of activities.   

Flat Quirky.  Sunscreen shirt, Waist pack for sunscreen, water, shirt, nutrition, and food. 

Let's do this!   

 End of the Line for the Marathon.  This was it's twenty-second running on the mostly flat course.

This day started out windy, with winds of 20mph and were told they would climb to 30 and possibly 40mph gusts. I could definitely believe it. Thankfully, it was a full southerly wind, and the course stairstepped east and north, so the couple sections of a mile or two west to east were rough.  They got rougher at one point when there was a hog lot right by the road. Pewwwweeeee.  That's the smell of bacon being made though!   It was also hot.  It'd been hot the previous week and we were looking at 70ish at the start and up to 90s by the end.  

So not use to seeing this road in the state. Usually I'm on bicycling road race course where there are the Caution signs. 

The first couple of miles were great and I was chatting with some other walkers, feeling good about being at the back of the pack.  Then they mentioned that some people had asked the race director if they could start early, so even though there were more "back of packers" they weren't actually with us.  It never entered my mind to ask for an early start.  We had a couple slight inclines in the first half.  I say that as someone who has lived in this state, and as someone who currently lives on the river bottom. (I learned after the race that there were some racers who had complained of the hills. I'm not sure what course they were on, but a twenty feet of climbing over a few miles isn't hills!).

I see people!  

This race is well stocked.  Water stops every 2.5 miles with it more frequently at the end.  Volunteers, ambulances, and the sheriff department were out in force going up and down the roads making sure all were okay and well hydrated.   

A sight that drives me nuts.

Not only were there runners littering, but they also did it within approaching sight of the aid station.  Multiple times.  I supppoooose that the stuff could have been there from people not racing this day, but the likelihood of that. . .

I did really well up to mile 15. I was on pace for a 6:30 finish.  Then something happened and I slowed down a bit. I don't know what it was.  I thought I might have been walking a little slower--I was.  Then I was on pace for 7 hours.  I was feeling good. In addition to having packed HUMA and GU to alternate, I had also packed a sunbutter sandwich figuring I'd actually be able to eat real food at some point. I had my flask for water which I refilled at every chance too.

Somewhere around mile 15 I did a squat in the road to stretch, stood up and then pulled on each capri leg fabric just a bit.  WRONG thing to do. . . my left leg capri started coming apart at a seam on the thigh (not a sewn seam, but one of those melted/melded ones). I made sure to put sunscreen on that spot!   I did reapply sunblock three or four times in the duration I was out there. I never did put on my spf/sunshirt. I figured it was too hot to put something like that on against my skin.  I faired pretty well. I was a little pink (hanging my head) along the tank top arm area, I suppose it rubbed off there.

In addition to the people who were suppose to be checking in on us, we also had some random people driving down the road deciding to stop us to chat and ask questions.  Not wanting to be rude but also needing to keep moving. It seemed odd.  I've had this happen in another race as well--one that takes place on a rails to trails course in January.  We have race numbers on--yes, of course we're racing--it's the same course as every year--no we are not nuts--yes, it will take us a while.  Sometimes I wish I gave off the "I'm from NYC" vibes of "leave me alone"!  

Mile 20 my feet were hurting, and not in the "of course they hurt, I've gone twenty miles", but rather in the "uh, I'm getting a blister or four".  By mile 23 I felt like I had a blister on a blister in one spot.  The inside of both heels had blisters, and the inside of the foot below the toes had a blister on each side.  I was definitely walking slower by this point.

Mile 20, 21, and 22 were slower than I'd have liked, but were reasonable.

Miles 23 was my slowest.  How is it possible that I sped up after this mile?   Maybe it's because I had an oasis appear before me?  

My oasis

 Okay, there was actually ice from mile 21 onward at every stop.  By this time on the course, the volunteers at aid stations had been given leave to go home, which is understandable when only a handful of people are left on the course and PROVISIONS are made for them.  (not understandable when they just abandon racers, which I've heard some races do).  Not only ice, but iceees and cold water too!  I may have spent a few minutes here instead of walking right away

Mile 24 and 25 were 3mph miles.  My right hamstring had random twings and pains running up through it which I'd never experienced before. I assumed it may be dehydration,  so I took some salt pills someone had given me. I was able to keep moving.  The ambulance guy came along and asked if we were okay. Yes, but I actually said, "If the race director needs to DNF me, it's okay, but I'll keep going otherwise". I was told "you're fine. keep going. no worries."  That is always a HUGE thought for any racer to consider, and it was a hard sentence for me to say/offer.

The final stretch, sort of.  

 Down this mile, turn the corner, straight ahead.  

Hey, as long as I'm going to be taking a long time, I might as well take this photo!   

Another oasis. . . cold water for us!  

Turn a corner, go straight, turn a corner, and go straight to finish!   

Ice cold water, ice packs, bananas were available for us. I've seriously finished a race in a faster time and had less offered to me at the finish line. These race folks were so kind and welcoming!  

My finish time isn't something I'm proud of, but in ways I should be. I haven't done something like this in eighteen months. I knew I probably shouldn't be doing it on such a hot day, but I was going to do it anyway. I put in a good showing. I have not raced/walked/exercised on such a hot day in seven years. I thought of my second marathon which was in March and had a 90degree day as well.  I thought of one of the Hospital Hill Runs I did in KC, MO on a hot and humid day while The Mike was off racing his bike on the Dirty Kanza adventure.

The ride back to the hotel town was given by a very nice man who shared with us that his son started the race early in the morning with a ruck sack on his back to honor a military friend,  and that his parents are the ones who thought up this event!  It was great to talk to someone from the community and from the race too. Since I'm from a farm background we talked about the local economy, and the turkey and hog farms we saw on the course (a lot more than I'm use to seeing).

My blister on top of a blister
I waited until after the waterpark to pop these

We had checked out of the hotel that morning, but since it was a water park, we had wrist bracelets to get in.  We headed to the hotel water park, showered, sat in the pool for a bit and then we headed out for some food (a cute little local Mexican place), then got on the road to get closer to our destination. 

I still think "What was I thinking".  

One foot in front of another is the best way to keep moving.  

Dedication, perseverance, and a bit of nuttiness help too. 

The first week at home, post-surgery

I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering how things have been!   

As I mentioned before, I started keeping a note pad of when I take my medication, so I'm not taking it too frequently.  Things seem to be going well. About every five to six hours for the pain medication.    

I think Sunday morning is funny. I woke up and decided that half a pain pill would do.
Fifteen minutes later I mentally slapped myself and took the other half.  

Monday I decided I'd had enough and had to do a sponge bath!  First, I knelt on  the floor and washed the hair by tub faucet. This is something I haven't done often since high school.  It's funny that even though I've been in this house for fifteen years, the fact that the faucet is on the opposite side of the tub than the one I grew up with throws me off every time I wash the hair this way.   Next up, it was sitting on the side of the tub while not getting the lymph node incision or the surgery foot wet.  It takes so much longer when one has to be careful about surgery sites!   I was exhausted by the time I was finished and ended up just putting some basic hair cream (Aveda Be Curly) in my hair and using the blow  dryer/diffuser on it quickly.  Curly it would be for the next few days.  I chilled out, took pain pills--and the hour long naps that came with it--and waited for the Mike to get home.  I think the worst part is the pain pills and not being able to focus on anything for too long. I have no idea how people function who become hooked on these things.  

Feeling spiffy with a sponge bath, washed hair and non lounging clothes! 

Hubby got home about 5 tonight and came in the kitchen door, which was a little odd. Then he had me come out to the kitchen. Um, okay--he wants me to walk. OH! FLOWERS.  

Yes, I'll hobble to get my flowers :-) 

Flowers from my fabulous husband. 

Leftovers for dinner: Porkchop, corn and instant mashed potatoes 
A few weeks before the surgery, I made up freezer meals for The Mike, as I was to be gone for about a week, and also for the first week at home.  Some meals were complete (meatloaf frozen with sweet potatoes), and others were just cooked seasoned meat we could pair with something quickly.  The porkchop fell in the second category. I had no problem whipping up some instant mashed potatoes when circumstances prevent one from standing/being in the kitchen for long.  

As for the foot, we have to clean and re-bandage twice a day.  I've been doing this in the morning about 8am and The Mike does it in the evening --so he can see what it looks like as well. We've been cleaning it off with a quick swipe of alcohol (not the drinking kind), and then placing Bacitracin on the stitches/incision line. The next thing we do is open a piece of 2x2 gauze to the rectangle and place that between the pinkie and ring toe.  Then we wrap it with a bit of roll gauze, and put the ace bandage on at night.

Tuesday night I got frustrated with dinner.  I thought we'd have these two entrees, split if we'd like, with some ground beef and veggies.  I bought them a few weeks ago when I was in the grocery store.  

I confess, I didn't even look at the ingredients--those of us with food allergies know this is necessary!  

As I was heating up the Enchilada Pie I saw that it has soy in the ingredient list.  Yes, someone puts soy sauce in the enchilada pie.  Granted, it was GF, but that didn't help with my soy intolerance, so the hubby took one for the team and had it for supper.  I had the fabulous Amy's mac and cheese. 

Wednesday the toe was a little more red at the base, but it wasn't bothering me.  At 1pm I got the call from the doctor's office that the pathology of the skin and lymph nodes removed had come back and it was clean. All my margins were clean!  FABULOUS!   This meant no radiation, no chemotherapy. This would be another thing to note. The punch biopsy --and ultimate bad news of cancer--took two weeks to get the news back, as it was sent to the local lab and then Mayo Clinic for confirmation. The  good news with the skin removal only took four working days to have the results.   

About 3pm my toe had been throbbing a bit, feeling swollen, and then it started going numb--just the surgery toe.  So I did what most people would do and I freaked out a bit.  I called the surgeon's office, and was told he was out of the office for the rest of the afternoon, and of course in surgery on Thursday. I offered to send photos of the toe to the nurse for her to review.  I sent one from Monday and then the one below.  She called back within a few minutes and made an appointment for me to come in on Thursday morning to see one of the surgeon's associates in the office.    

The Mike had an out of town meeting on Thursday and he asked my father in law to come and take me to the doctor appointment. Hubby didn't want me trying to drive myself while still on the pain pills --I offered to abstain from one in the morning. 

Modified house slippers

One of the things we had to figure out was "what shoes would I wear".  Since the appointment was first in the morning, I wasn't going to change out the Ace bandage and I needed to find something that would accommodate.   The Merrill slip in shoes I bought for post-surgery wouldn't work (drat).  My current house slippers wouldn't work, but wait--I have my old house slippers!  The old Keen slippers had been coming apart and the lining had compressed, so I didn't feel bad about modifying them. A quick cut to the front area left the toe bumper in place and the leather bottoms on concrete would be fine (they're not on ice--just in case you walk on your stoop to meet the mailman!)  

With the shoes figured out, we headed to bed. We have switched sides of the bed so that the left foot can be elevated and on the outside of the bed. This, in turn, has completely thrown off the Felix cat who is use to hopping up, curling up on my chest and going to sleep, and cuddling against the head on cold days. The cat didn't know what to do when he hopped on the bed and found The Mike in my spot.  The cat did, eventually, go to sleep on his chest, but he was noisy later throughout the night.

Cuddlebud Felix during the day--napping on the chest

Thursday morning I had another sponge bath--not as exhausting as the first. I even had the energy to straighten my hair!  My fine escort arrived on time and we were off to the doctor!  The nurse took the covering off and then my FIL and I just hung out in the exam room for what seemed like half an hour, but probably wasn't that long.  We had a nice chat about a variety of things.  

Then the doctor came in and introduced himself.  Interestingly, in a good way, the doctor did wait for me to announce who was with me.  He then said he knows not to assume anything, that the person with me could be friend, brother, partner, husband, etc. (So true!)

The doctor said my toe healing is normally and not to be worried by the swelling/redness, that this is just basic healing. (okkkkaaayy).  That it can do this as the patient starts to feel better and starts doing more. I didn't think I was doing a lot more in the last few days. My laundry is by the kitchen (no stairs) and I can stand on my right leg while moving wet towels from the washer to the dryer.  

Orders:  he said to just continue the Bacitracin and gauze cover for the day, and then to see the surgeon tomorrow as already scheduled.  

We headed home, but first made a stop at McDonalds for me to treat my FIL to breakfast and where I enjoyed a sundae. Hey, it's GF and I've been having eggs for the last week for breakfast. My FIL headed home after dropping me off at mine.  I texted Mike about the visit and with my sister who had a mastectomy the day after my toe surgery.  She said my toe suture site looks worse than hers.  HA!  

I took an early afternoon nap, worn out from the days events.  I had set out hamburger to thaw and peeled and sliced the sweet potatoes for dinner.  When the Mike got home I was refreshed and had little time to spend in the kitchen since the prep work was already accomplished. I use Popular Paleo's recipe for the fries

This is healthy, right? 

Thursday would also be the last day I'd take any pain pills. That's a great feeling.  It took a while to differentiate between foot/nerve pain and toe/surgery pain. Once I did I was able to dial in the pain meds as needed for that.  Friday night I was having some toe pain, but had gone over 24 hours without any pain meds and was not going to give in to that!  

Friday arrived and with it a later appointment time, this meant I would change out my bandage first and then had to go through my shoes to see what would work. The Merrills were still out, the old stretched out Born sandals wouldn't work--as the leather strap cut across the toes horizontally.  I tried a few pairs of flip flops before trying my Hospital Hill finish shoes from 2012.  BINGO!  The straps cut back on the foot like true flip flops should.  However, I still don't understand how people walk in these things all the time!  

Perfect shoes for wounded ring toe

I paired these up with my "new" brown Athleta skort--I purchased it last fall, but hadn't worn it yet--and a nice springy orange top. I thought it screamed "refreshing".  With wardrobe out of the way, I had some time to kill before The Mike got home and I was feeling pretty good. I decided to make cupcakes and cake donuts. Okay, not true cake donuts--but rather some of the cake mix in the donut pan.  I always freeze most of the batch after baking; otherwise, they wouldn't last a couple of the days with The Mike' sweet tooth.

Yes, I put a towel under the cooling rack. It makes crumb pickup easy. 

Same scenario as the previous day: the nurse removed the bandage and left us alone for about ten/fifteen minutes. The surgeon came in with a shadow med student, and the nurse.  He said the toe was looking good, the swelling can be expected and the redness seemed to be okay, as there was no streaking from the toe down the foot (which would be really bad).  As a precaution, he ordered an antibiotic--Keflex--and then said to come back in three weeks. He'd like the sutures to remain in for a total of four weeks, since it's the foot and all.  The toe wasn't numb as it was the previous day and the doc didn't have anything to say about that.  

Then we learned something new before leaving--the nurse put gauze between the pinkie and ring toe and then started to wrap it. The surgeon said we need to put gauze between the other toes as well, in order to prevent toe sweat/funk and to provide some cushion and comfort. He was right, it felt much better than just the gauze pad at the suture site we were doing.  When we got home, I ordered some of the plain surgical gauze from amazon.  It would squish more easily in between the toes, and provide for some more air circulation than the gauze pads we were using. 

While waiting for Target to fill the RX, we headed to Culver's for sustenance. The location does now have UDIs GF buns, but I still prefer to just have the burger on its own (with green beans below), and save the carbs/starch/bread for something like pizza.   I was good and did not have any custard.  They forgot to bring The Mike's to the table and upgraded him from a medium to a large. He was not offended by that gesture.

We were going to head to the grocery store after the doc appointment, but I was pretty tired from the days events.  We headed home. I had a nap, The Mike worked from home.
For dinner we had an un-photogenic dinner and a reminder Saturday morning.  We made a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese, paired it with some mixed frozen vegetables. Then The Mike had left over hamburger with his and I had some sardines with mine.  It was tasty.  However, I awoke Saturday morning starving.  It's one of those reminders as to why I don't eat a lot of pasta for a main meal.  It's also a reason I don't "carbo load" with pastas the day before a race.  I prefer a small carb of a baked potato and then grilled salmon or some other light protein.  It works much better for my body. 

Saturday we made a run to the grocery store --oh, how I wish I could actually run, or walk full footed.   On with the snazzy sandals and off to the store. I think this store is rather large, and normally I just stick to the perimeter---as I usually just run in to get things from the healthfood section , meat and fruit/veggies which are all on the perimeter. This day, I had to walk a few of the aisles and it was more walking than I was use to.  I also climbed over the cushions to elevate the foot a few times. After my afternoon nap (man, I am sounding like a baby or 90 year old with all these naps!),  my left groin (lymph node site) was a little tender.  

We whipped up a Greek inspired pizza with the Chebe crust for supper. Red peppers, red onion, diced ham, left over bacon (how did that happen?), kalamata olives and feta cheese were the toppings.  I haven't bought a lot of cheese since January, so we are sticking to the idea of keeping consumption of that low.  To the crust, at the time I added the eggs and oil, I also added 2 tablespoons of milled chia I had soaked in 4 tablespoons of water.  I pulsed this in the Kitchenaid food processor, then added just under the 1/4 cup of water to create the consistency. The chia add nutrients, protein, fiber, omegas, antioxidants, and more.  This link provides amazing nutritional information on this seed that helped nourish the Aztec and Mayans.

Saturday night I felt a knot/ball under the groin incision site.  EEK.  A little worried, I knew I had probably over done it on the walking today, and we decided to see what Sunday brought.  

Sunday the knot/ball was a little smaller and I thought maybe it'd go away during the day if I kept it a fairly calm day.  However, we did need to head to Target to get the Felix cat (hyperthyroid) his wet cat food for extra calories. He's a bit spoiled.  

Smokie is spoiled as well: 

We also finished our weekend marathon of watching Netflix's Daredevil series. It is AWESOME.

Sunday evening dinner was created by Just Bare Chicken, pan cooked with salt & pepper, Three Bridges GF Ravioli, and then sauteed red onion and red pepper with wilted spinach and garlic. The red splash is pasta sauce.  

As I was typing this up, we were watching an episode of "How The States Got Their Shapes"---the Hatfield and McCoy episode.  There's a state line marathon event in June so named Hatfield McCoy Marathon.  It sounds great. I may try to add this to the 2016 schedule.  It's June 13, 2015 this year.  Too bad it's not near the Lynchberg, VA race---Oak Barrel Half--which was April 4, of this year. 

I'd love a medal formed from the barrel of Jack Daniels whiskey.  

To recap: 

The toe is doing well. Still red, but that's okay since there's not streaking on the foot.
Getting ready in the day can be exhausting. 

Finding shoes to work with a wrapped toe is hard.
Having great friends and family to help out is priceless.

Having a freezer with meals or half meals is a great idea. 

Being able to have the energy to walk around feels fabulous. 

Being off pain pills is great. Naps not required unless I exert myself with walking/shopping.  

Health, Clots and listening to your body

Gluten Dude​ raises excellent points in his Facebook post/article yesterday regarding this article's reason for Jerome Kersey's death (former basketball player):  

1. be aware of something being "off" in your body;
2. pay attention, and;
3. keep after doctors if they repeatedly refuse you.

After my ACL surgery about ten years ago, I had to wear thigh high compression stalkings to bed, and for the first two weeks after the surgery for the whole day as well--minus a couple hours to let the legs breathe. Oh, how The Mike misses giving himself a black eye (slight exaggeration), struggling to put the compression stalkings in his hands to tug them on his wife.  They were very tight, much more so than the compression calf sleeves or socks that athletes wear these days.  [hmmm, maybe men should be required to put pantyhose on their wives at least once. . . mom always said to be sure the husband knows how to dress the wife (and vice versa) before it becomes necessary to do so---something she reiterated after her stroke.]

In 2011 I would run my first marathon in October, but before I did that, in June I had my seventh half marathon to run.  I did a lot of driving and ran my first Hospital Hill Run​.

-Four and a half hours in the car.  Stop and get my race packet.
-Drive for two more hours to Emporia for The Mike's Dirty Kanza event.
-Get up early the next morning, drive two more hours to KC, MO.
-Race in the hot, humid air (even more unusual than the normal June humidity of summer). Eat (while sitting in a restaurant--best GF pizza at Minsky's though, with GF cake!).
-Then drive two more hours to Emporia. Where I "relaxed" while waiting for The Mike to finish his race that night.  By relax, I mean freaking out about the really weird storm clouds, the storm warnings for the areas around Emporia, the dark sky, and knowing we're in flipping Kansas where tornadoes are not that unusual!
-Then six hours in the car in the next day driving home.

Later that week I had a pain in the outside of my left calf, about two to three inches above my ankle. I thought maybe I had turned my ankle in heels at work, or done something in the race. Then I had problems even maintaining a 4mph run on the treadmill. I called my doctor's office at this point and was told by the nurse "you're just over training."

I called in a few more weeks and was told the same thing.  I *knew* something wasn't right, but ignored it because the doctor's nurse kept telling me it wasn't serious.

I perfected the run 30 seconds walk a minute run because I couldn't breathe to keep up a running pace.  [This is NOT something you want to perfect if you're in good health]

Then, on a Friday in July (just before the Quad-City Times Bix 7 which​ I had intended to run), I went out on my morning run and had a HUGE 'blast' feeling from the inside to outside of my chest. Freaked me out, came home, called hubby, drove myself to the ER (which you should never do if you're having cardiac issues!!).  The best description was being punched in the chest from the inside out.  This description perplexed the medical personnel. Maybe they'd never had someone explain it like that before.  HUGE tests run. One of the techs asked what my bracelet was. Road Id. I explained and said everyone needs one and all medical personnel should know what it is.  The tech was a runner and said she needed to get one of those. I believe EVERYONE should have a Road ID, even if just to say your name, blood type, emergency contact name & number.

ER doc said that I didn't have a heart attack, but that I had had a small clot that had broken free and blasted through the veins/arteries and that I was darn lucky. Extremely lucky.  Know how lucky?  My mom had a blood clot in her left arm at the beginning of May, just a few months before (after heart surgery) which may have resulted in her massive stroke a scant fifteen days later.  I should have pursued the issue with the doctor--insisted on an appointment--but I didn't want to 'waste' time off from work when I might need it for other things, like more immediate visits to my parents.  

As a result of this "small" blood clot, I always wear my compression sleeves in the car if we're on a long car ride/drive--something over three hours, or take a baby aspirin before the long driving event. No need to tempt the fates any more than necessary.

Which leads me where I am today and having Super Toe looked at more closely because I knew a freckle --with rings like the planet Saturn --was not normal.

Pay attention to your body. Act if something is not right. If doctor's naysay you. Keep after the doctor, rephrase what you're experiencing (maybe it's just they're not understanding your wording), or find a new one who will listen.

June's race--Hospital Hill Run --Kansas City

How I found HHR: 

Hospital Hill Run is an event I discovered three years ago.  The Mike was doing Dirty Kanza for the second time and he told me to get lost and do something else that day--that race for him is to be an "unsupported" event meaning that the rider is in charge of their food, hydration, pit stops, repairs, etc, all on his or her own. The first year The Mike did this event, I knew of the three main towns they were going to be stopping in and went to each one to cheer him on. I did some sight seeing. I attended garage sales and town fundraisers that year and did some shopping in antique stores. . . but the Mike doesn't like knowing in the back of his mind that he *could* bail on a race. See, if I'm not even in the vicinity, then he *knows* he cannot bail and has to continue --It's all good that he told me to find something else to do the second year of Dirty Kanza.  So I searched and found Hospital Hill Run. . . we headed down to KC, MO, picked up the race packet and then headed to Emporia, KS for his race.  Then I got up at 3am and drove back to KC, MO for the race. 2011 I hurried back to Emporia after the race and eating some great gluten free pizza at Minsky's pizza.  Last year I ran the race, did some yoga afterwards, had Minsky's pizza (again!) and slowly made my way back to Emporia where I went to a free movie showing at an old remodeled movie theater (THE GOONIES).

and, that's the story of how I found this race.


2013  was going to be completely different. The Mike is doing Ride the Divide this month, which means he couldn't do Dirty Kanza a short thirteen days before he embarks on a 2000 mile odyssey .  Instead, I was heading to Kansas City by myself. . . but I asked the dad to come down to visit as well, see me race and spend some time together.  He obliged :-D

The Journey

I packed up Thursday and then added some more things on Friday morning and headed to work.  Then I realized I had not packed any Cytomax!  OH NO!  I spent some time finding running shops and bicycling shops and the only one which carried any Cytomax closed at 5pm on Friday (what? big city store closing at 5pm? geesh).  I had no other option but to leave work, bust home, pack some Cytomax and then bust a move to KC,MO.  I had plenty of time to get there for packet pickup (closed at 9pm for that) but I wanted to get to the expo to get some lovely t-shirts too!

The drive down was fairly uneventful. . . except for the car from North Carolina with the driver wearing some sort of headset and looking at a  handheld device seemingly his whole drive.  I finally passed him and floored it when he about when into the median and didn't immediately correct himself on the shoulder. I just wanted away from that driver!

As I didn't have to get up this year at 3am (thank goodness!), I  said I wasn't doing any driving at all and spent the night at one of the race hotels.  

My room's view. .. We would run north on the street to the left in photo
and come back past the hotel on the road at the right and up the first hill "Hospital Hill". 

Dad wanted to have some Kansas City BBQ and took me to a joint on Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ. It apparently is in the old freight house, according to the website. They have a parking lot, so apparently one can drive there, but one can also meander through the skywalk/lift area of the area, into the Union Station and out across a pedestrian bridge spanning the active railroad yard.  There is great ambiance in this place, though I'd have preferred more lighting in the area. Maybe they turn down the lights after 9pm?   Dad has some awesome looking beef tips in BBQ sauce, and I opted for some protein in the form of salmon, baked potato with real butter and cheese, and smoked/grilled veggies. 

Great dinner

RACE DAY

The race day came early. I didn't sleep well the night before due to nerves. Nothing new, it's the reason I always got up at 3am in Emporia when I didn't need to get up until 4!

I had packed intending to clean out the closet a bit.  I finally had a chance to get rid of a "throwaway shirt" as the temps were in the 60s and I wasn't sure if there'd be any wind in the streets or not and I wore it down to the start. However, with so many people in the corral, it quickly became warm and I took the throwaway shirt off and left it on the fencing for the cleanup crew and homless shelters to enjoy. 

That's what happens when Runners World Highlights your race:

My first thought upon getting down the street for corral line up was WOW.  THIS RACE HAS GROWN!  Then again, that's what is expected when one's race is honored to be put in a highlighted section of Runners World!  Last year we filled into a section about half the length of a block. This year they had us in deeper corrals and went around the corner and down the block.   Someone mentioned about 9,000 total participants entered for the 5k, 10k and half marathon combined.  I could only find about 4500 finishers in the half marathon on the results page, but we never know how many we beat who decided to stay home this day!  

After a picture at the start with a gal from high school, we waited for our turn for the corral to start.  The gal next to me started up a conversation that was a good break from just standing around. . . she was retired from the Navy  (thank you very much for your service!) and had moved to MO from some southern state as she had a fabulous accent to this northerner.  It was nice to connect with someone before the race too--especially if you see them later in the race, and you know ya'll signed up well for the same time/corral!  

Course map
The announcer kept saying for certain corrals to go, others to stay. Same thing that happens at the Rock n Roll races I've been in, certain corrals go, then everyone still in the corrals moves forward.  I happened to be at the front of the area that stayed when he told us to and we listened--plenty of others continued to go through when they should have stayed, including the pacers for 2:30 and 2:35.  I didn't even realize this. Someone else pointed it out and then I realized that yup, the next pacer was 2:40 and a ways behind us.    Then I realized my dad was at the start line and then we were off. I was constantly looking at my watch for the first mile out, since we start out slightly downhill and with the energy of the race/crowd, I didn't want to go "all turbo" and go out to quickly.   I felt like I was floating though!  

The cropped picture--got to get rid of the arms  ;-)

Yes, you see GU in the ifitness belt. I use Cytomax for the first part of the race and then depend on GU for the end.  I probably need to just buy the Cytomax singles and then try running with them in the belt to use for mixing up later on long runs and see how that works. 

So there I am running, trying to tone down my race pace at this time as we descend and then slowly ascend up to the Kansas Star newspaper building, we turn on that street and head east then turn and head south on the road that will take us past THE Hospital Hill, a the second (though first long) hill we'll encounter and I realize that I told my dad he could meet  me on the backside of the hotel at a time that would be two miles into the race, but I didn't realize that it's not two miles into the race, that's really only about 1.4miles, so if he showed up there, we probably missed each other.

I always find it funny that at the top of this first hill there is a Catholic Church--just a bit ironic to me in that we generally are praying -in one form or another- the whole time we're racing..  The rest of the southern route seems good, though I recollect that the two years ago in the heat/humidity I saw some guy getting ambulance assistance at this of the street. . . "wow, there are a lot of houses on this pretty street for sale" (road changes from Gillman to Rockhill-- and if there's "hill" in the road's name, it can't be good, right?--and then we went up the never ending hill (in my mind) by the Univ. Missouri Kansas City where you climb up a bit, then it evens for a street, then you climb some more at an angle, turn a corner and climb some more and then you're at the intersection with one last 'hurrah' climb before you turn. . and this is where the little beige doggie last year followed us runners. (Rockhill Road)  He had gotten loose from some house and found people to entertain with his antics.

I knew on the south portion (Meyer Blvd) there was a small bit of a hill and then a nice descent turn, climb into a nice shady neighborhood.  I also knew I was just a minute behind goal pace at this point, so I was feeling good, but also knew I didn't have another GU.  Then there is a course turn and descend into the bottom (Brookside Blvd)  before meeting up at the Country Club Plaza area and climbing J.C.Nicholas Parkway (hill) which is the start of mile 10 on the Course map, a hill that just continues, as it turns into Broadway. This is a long (about a mile and a half) climb up a wide street with very little shade. Since it's later in the race, there's usually full sun at this point too!  Along this stretch is a woman/volunteer/intersection patrol who dresses hilariously every year.
As Broadway hill continues, there is a fabulous aid station that hands out orange slices and some other type of sugar, as well as ICE!  This year the were out of oranges when I got there (drat! I needed sugar!) and I couldn't have the Twizzlers they had, as they contain gluten, so I grabbed some ice, shoved a piece in my bra next to the sternum/heart to cool me down a bit and I ran on to mile marker 12 aid station where they had Gatorade (gag for me, but I know people like the stuff) for necessary sugar/electrolytes.  I ways almost home!  Broadway descends just a short  bit and last year at the "Arts Cafe" (I think that was the name),  Shakespeare was out cheering on racers!  This English major loved seeing him.  Up we go, past a church and then on to the aid station just before the turn at 31st Street.  

After mile 12, you turn a corner, run a flat block (31st ST) and then do the "trinity hill" which is a pretty straight up 1/3 block hill. . . I like it because it's similar to the training hill at home. . . "Just sprint up the hill!"  I kept telling myself, except this year I only made it halfway and then had to walk a bit and then got to the top and took off--I was recovered since I walked ;-)  --and passed a few people who were recovering on the downhill from the uphill.  It's all downhill from here to the finish!  Except, the finish is a bit further than you think.  Curve around the WWI monument, around the corner, then down the street/finish chute to the glory of the finish line and --wait, where's the finish line, it's got to be here somewhere--oh, THERE it is.  It honestly feels like a half mile left when you finally turn into the chute area, but it's probably only .2 or such.  

I finished with a time that was "not too shabby" to quote one of Adam Sandler's lyrics. A time better than 2011, but not as awesome as 2012 (granted, I'd already run a marathon in 2012 by the time HHR came around, so I was in much better shape a year ago than now).  

FINISHED!
In the background you can see the awesome track jacket all participants received this year!

After I finished and got my CHOCOLATE MILK at the finish, had my professional picture taken (which isn't too bad), I got the surprise of the day!  A woman came up to me and said, "you were my pacer" (at the end). She said when I ran, she ran and when I walked, she walked.  How awesome?   I always look at other people and pace myself off them, but never even consider that other people may pace themselves off of me! Thank you runner for that comment. It meant a lot to me.  


Later, at home, The Mike and I put the trio of medals together: 

HHR made it fun leading up to the 40th anniversary of their fine event.

My "index toes" always blister at the top.
This one now has a bit of a blood blister going
at the base of the blister part three days out from the event.   
        

I'd love to say I'm going to do this again next year, but there are also other races out there around the end of May/beginning of June I'd like to see and do, so I can't say for sure I'll be back, but maybe.

I've never had a blister turn purple. . . not sure what this means

Amazing sunset/closure to a fabulous day

Beautiful skies began the closure of a long day.  I also got to see fireworks as I was driving home and pulled over just before my exit ( a few miles from home) to watch the firework finale ! 

Running with the Cows half marathon weekend.

Last year I had learned about a race south of Kansas City called Running with the Cows, from Kelsey at http://thegogirlblog.com/ .  I was excited about this race that is relatively close to me. . . I am a dairy farmer's daughter/granddaughter and black and white Holsteins are my favorite (of course!). Also, I'd be able to knock Kansas off my list of states  for races (I'm just looking to do at least one race--of any distance--in each state).    Looking at race's pics and the write up of Kelsey, I figured this would be a fun event to do and my pal S and her 4 year old can do the 5K. . .there'd be stuffed cows, etc.and it'd be a good road trip for us.   That was the plan three months ago when I signed us up for the event!  

Scenic view at the first rest stop in Missouri on I-35 heading south.  

After meeting up  at a central location, we joined forces, with a new pair of sunglasses for her son (because "'cation isn't 'cation without sunglasses!").  Our first pit stop was a pit stop ;-)   The rest stop on I-35 in Missouri just south of the Iowa border has a gorgeous mural inside depicting the history of this fine state. If you're here when the visitor's center is open, it's fun to go in and gather materials and ask for a postcard from the attendant. Last year when The Mike and I came through here a friend's son was doing a "Flat Stanley" type of event and sending post cards to the child was the object of the game. . . signed by his/her "flatness". There is a small playground outside, as well as a nature trail where one can walk amongst some metal cutout bison.  

Mural inside rest stop

The (fairly) new interstate bridge  in Kansas City, MO. 

S and I missed the packet pickup on Friday night, so we headed out to Bonefish Grill and had a great late meal.  They have a lovely gluten free menu as well and the waiter was well aware of what I could/could not have on the menu.    Saturday morning we got up bright and early for the 7:30am start of the half marathon. . . in order to drive out to the rural church, find parking, and ride a bus up to the church /start line area.  We probably got there earlier than we really needed to; however, with the rain that had come that week and the night before, the organizers had to scramble for alternative parking--which came in the form of having us detour off and around gravel roads and park on varying roads.  We got to ride a school bus to the church/start and S's son loved this!   

We got our race packets and, one of the ladies handing out shirts said, "a men's?" and I said, "Yes, because I have curves and women's shirts aren't always a good fit".  Does anyone else have this problem?  Often times the women's shirts are cut for an Olympic women's figure and not for regular people, with chest, belly and hip curves ;-)   

The Moo Moo car

Since the parking and organization of the race ensures everyone is there early, they provide some food ahead of time, bananas and the like.  There was the person dressed as a Holstein, a person dressed as a Cat/Raccoon, he looked like a cross, and I could only surmise that he must have been a school or sports team mascot.  We spent time walking around and exploring.  I'm not sure why they started this race, but across the street was a farm that looked like it had been a dairy farm at one time, with the white washed building with windows, a few silos and some other structures that just reminded me of the dairy farm. 

Start corral and Smart Pacer signs.

I wasn't sure what to make of this race for my goal.  My goal was really to come in under 2:45 since I have not been running much this spring and had only been back on the plan since the beginning of April.   I ran with the Smart Pacers at the 2:35 time frame and figured I'd play it by ear, but that I'd start out with the pace team so I wouldn't go out "turbo" out there and wind up bonking.  I had not seen an elevation for the race, but from photos of the 2012 race I knew there to be some rolling hills.  For your information:  the race is entirely rolling hills.  We started out the driveway and then turned onto the street.  People kept jackrabbiting up from behind, dodging people and some near misses as they tried to get up with their fast pace groups within the first block of the race. First, I think this is pointless at this stage of the race and second, it's just dangerous.  One of the Smart Pacers was trying to yell at the folks behind to be safe with passing and she went down in a blaze of glory. . .hitting something on the course (okay, a bright orange cone), but she was fine and came up ready to go.   I've often wondered about pacers, who they are, what their normal pace is, etc. The pacers had answered questions and provided some background before the race. . . one of them was a Boston Qualifier which means basically that they are use to running about half again, if not twice as fast, as this group was going to run--no wonder they can offer words of encouragement and run at the same time!

Pavement markings in various colors for the finish line area. 

The couple hills were deeper than the rest and  we knew that we'd have them on the way back as well.  I was feeling quite good until we headed east  and into the rollers.  Rolling hills are harder, I think, than just one or two since your body just keeps taking a beating.  Several more water/aid stations and then we turned north and headed to the turn around point which seemed farther away than it should have been.  More water stops, house owners and visitors with kids and dogs at the street intersections, more back and forth passing, being passed, by the same people (which I think is nice, since you know you're really in the right pace group, and you can start your own competition in the event). The headwind from the north seemed to have come on stronger here. Several of us commented it seemed about 15-20mph and others said that is what was mentioned on the news.  Walking was no shame for me in this race, and I am not afraid to admit that I did plenty of it into the wind.  I'd run up part of a hill and then walk part and repeat. . . anything to keep the mind off the running.  

Alas, I noticed NO Holsteins in the fields--none! Actually, I noticed very few bovines around at all. There were some off in the distance that were black or dark red, huddled under the shade and windbreak of a some trees.   The area might be rural, but being 30 minutes from SW Lenexa, it really is a boom town area for commuters who want the simpler life (a/k/a urban sprawl which is everywhere).  

Cute turn around signs for the 5K and half course. 

The turn around I thought would just be some basic intersection with just a few fire/police--after all, each other intersection had so many on duty, it just seemed like they'd have to run out!  That wasn't the case though.  At the turn around we had the SWAT team mobile unit--the huge RV. COOL!  


Coming back on those hills in this area felt good. .  since the wind was at out backs and we were able to keep moving.  Up near the next turn there were the paramedics, but the regular people/visitors/cheerleaders had moved on. This was probably a good thing, as the wind changed from being a north wind to being a northwest wind and one of the giant "road closed" signs blew over.  Back on the east/west path the rollers were back and being brutal to our bodies.  More aid stations though (plenty on this course!) and the man with an accent who was doing a 1 minute run / 1 minute walk was passing me this go round.  I know people like watches that do the whole beeping thing, but when you hear someone else's watch do it, it's a bit freaky, especially when you're next to the person!  

Plenty of protection at each intersection.
This is the 5K turn around and water station area with the
flag flying  high on the ladder truck. 

After passing this aid station on my return, I knew I had it in me to keep going---just a few deeper hills--- but with the wind at the back anything is possible!   Heading into a valley /intersection, there were some cute cheerleaders out there for some mom/woman. . . 3 and 4 year old cheerleaders on the course breathe energy into all racers I believe!

More run/walk for me and then coming into the final stretch with the white washed former dairy buildings across the road from the finish line, it was coming into completion and the energy was building within again.  I saw S and her son near the turn area and was pumped into moving into the finish area.  My final time was faster than my expected goal and slower than the pace team I started with. . .but I was happy for with it being a training run, rolling hills and a wicked wind.  Surely, Hospital Hill Run 6/1/13 should be a breeze compared to this, right?  ha ha ha ha. That course is wicked and mean but so amazing to complete.  

Finish photo with apron and,
yes, my face is always bright red when I finish running!
(my head said 26.2 but it was only 13.1 this day)

After the race, there were food items inside, shirts for sale and resting, socializing. I was just aiming for the chocolate milk and then S, her son, and I loaded up on a bus to head back to the car.   

S said the 5k was good, there were plenty of walkers as well as runners.  She was hoping for a better time, but with having a small child who wanted out, then in, then out, then in, of the stroller, we think she had a very good time!  

I thought this was a great event, though I did expect to see some calves or a petting zoo. . . not sure why I thought this, but with the name I thought it'd be some fun to throw in on the race!

My sch-wag.   Race shirt, finish medal, goodie sack, race cow bell, and a Running With the Cows shirt for dressing up with in black with my Holstein pattern apron I made.  I had the fabric for some time and decided to make an apron and wear that. . . apparently you get stuff for dressing up quirky like :-D

After shopping in the city, we loaded up and headed to see my dad.  The little guy in the car wanted to ride a tractor, and my father obliged him. . . Sunday after visiting the cemetery for Mother's Day, we headed over to the farm so the lil' guy could see some real cows. Okay, these are just heifers (no breeding yet).   

A visit to the dad on the way home and seeing some real live Holsteins.  

We headed back to the city, did some shopping in that city, then had lunch at PF Chang's.   

PF Chang's only gluten free and soy free option and it is delicious!
Philip's Better Lemon Chicken

Next race:  Hospital Hill Run, Saturday June 1, the 40th running of the event and my third time doing this course!  Looking for the final piece of the puzzle: