Vacation Food!

I think I'm finally caught up on sleep--and just relaxing--from the whirlwind vacation to the Rocky Mountains (Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, USA; and  Alberta, Canada.)

. 

As we were prepping for vakay I thought, 'this was going to be an interesting car trip.' It is the first time, in several years we had not packed a cooler. I even bought one of those flat rectangular ones that doesn't take up much room, but we decided we wouldn't have room for keeping it even, level and such. The pocketbook was going to take a hit and we were hoping that my tummy would find plenty of things that it liked! We did pack our Tanka bars, low key mix (sunflower seeds, pepita seeds and coconut flakes), as well as ProBars for The Mike and other things of the like.   

Yoga at Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park, USA 

Our first stop for food was lunchtime at a burger place. . . I know that often times traveling and stopping at chains is a "take your chances" type of  event, especially when the chain cannot vary from their pre-packaged meals.  We'd never heard of the American Burger Bar and were pleasantly surprised.  It apparently is a small local chain. It was a bit of a backtrack for us north of the Twin Cities, but we knew we wouldn't have any other options for quite some time (Until Fargo, which was another five hours or so).  

Fabulous food. . . The American Burger Bar menu did have GF buns, but the manager said they were out of them at the moment due to price increase in the product (really, are we Celiacs surprised by that honest revelation? GF breads ARE expensive!)   

Mike got a Chicken BLT with sweet potato fries and fire engine hot chili. His review was that the BLT and fries were great, the chili was WAY to spicy, even after he doctored it with crackers and cheese.  The spices  were burning my eyes across the table!

I ordered the a basic Burger with cheddar cheese and some blue cheese crumbles. (I know there's so much controversy on the blue cheese, whether it's GF or not, but I love it and I'm going to splurge on it here and there).  The burger was way fabulous and topped off with a great baked potato served with REAL butter (not that margarine/soy filled stuff some wait staff think is butter).  

It was a beautiful day for a drive and off we were to experience . . . the amazing road construction in MN. . . where they give you NO warning whatsoever that something will be happening a mile or four down the road (unlike my state, that warns people there is road construction ahead, so, you know, you can be prepared for stopped traffic around that next curve in the road when you're already going seventy miles an hour).  


We grabbed some gas station food (chips, milk and cheese sticks) in West Fargo (which is a BOOMING town thanks to the oil drilling/fracking in the western part of the state) and moved on down the road.  

We decided to get gas and stop in "Beach, ND" since I wanted to see what a town with this name is about.  The woman at the gas station recommended we head on west across the border to Wibaux, MT   (pronounced: wee-bow) for the bar which has really good food.  Okay, we're game. We head over to Wibaux (and pass two of the three state troopers on this trip we will see--one in ND and one across the border in MT). 

Fabulous food in Wibaux.

 The bar looks a little interesting, but the brewery looks like a better place.  (Beaver Creek Brewery)  What? You're surprised I'd go for the brewery? It was getting a little late and, after discovering they served food, we were set up with a table near the 'stage'.  The place was a converted old theater. The table tops were chalkboard, and we could draw to our hearts' content.  The menu was small, about ten lines total. The entree was sold out, and that was okay. I ordered the appetizer cheese and meat tray, while Mike ordered a pizza.  The accented waitress (we heard her say she was  a New Zealander) said the meat tray was 'really large, more than enough for two people'.  We said that was fine, The Mike would share in what I didn't/couldn't eat, or we'd take it with us for the morning. We just stressed, 'No bread or crackers' and the presentation was divine.  It was really more than enough to fill me up. The Mike got my UDI's bread from the car, so I did have a slice of bread with the cheese, meat and dried fruit.  This cutting board presentation was about two feet long by a one foot wide. 

Wibaux, MT

You never know what you'll find in small town America. . . even a large bike and trike!   To think, we'd have passed by this town on I-94 if we hadn't been given a tip by the gas station worker!

Our next destination was *clear*across*the*state*of*Montana. . . Seriously, we never thought how large Montana is, just that "yes, it's big". . . really though, when you're traveling, you need to say, "wow, this state is twice the width of mine and it's going to take us a while to cross". Except, you know, how many of us actually do that kind of thinking?  It was only 8 or so when we passed a main town after dining and I said, "I'm fine to drive".  Then I took the southern highway, instead of the northern one, and we wound up needing a place to stay when I was really tired at 1am.  Thankfully, the town of Jordan was there to save the day :-)   Small mom/pop type hotel that has been there probably a century, if not longer.  As we pulled into town, I spied the tell tale pickup trucks parked perpendicular to the building and was looking for a hotel (or, I suppose, it could have been a saloon).  A quaint place to stay, not for everyone though, as it was rustic, but had the necessities and MORE.  Two bedrooms, small kitchenette area, bathroom and very nice pine dresser. It was all decorated with rope--rope lining the wainscotting, rope around the mirror in the bathroom, coiled rope on a star above the bed, etc.  A little higher priced than we were guessing, but lower than a city motel would have cost when all we needed was a bed!  

We broke our fast with some of the left over cheese and dried fruit and then headed on down the road.  Being in Montana was beautiful. It is gorgeous countryside and we were able to witness an honest cattle drive down the highway with at least eight cowboys on horseback and more in trucks.  

Our first hint at what was to come was 

a) the manure spread /dropped across the roadway;

b) the lone cow walking down the highway. . . between the white line on the right and the shoulder, she was just walking down the roadway in the shoulder area--a strange sight to see; and 

c)  as we rounded a corner, saw a truck and trailer pulled over and then saw up ahead the many black Angus all over the roadway.  

Then we went to a large/county seat town where we were made to feel like giant blobs. --This town shall remain unnamed, unless you're going to be driving through Montana and need to know which place to avoid.-- Having grown up in a small town, I can say I have never witnessed what we experienced.  We asked for a breakfast recommendation from a local (gas station guy) and a local who was in there highly recommended a local place, said they were quite friendly too, and said they used REAL butter! Score! (so we thought). His directions were a bit off--very convoluted when all he had to say was 'go on down the street a block and a half'.  We walked into the place and literally EVERYONE (guests and staff) turned to stare at us.  We were seated and I offended the waitress by stating I was gluten free and then asking if they used real butter as I had been told.  Nope, they use 'butter spread'. ugh.  

For me, the worst was the waitress coming to the table with the plates and pretty much dumping/setting the plates on the table and then turning around and walking away. She was joking and laughing with the other tables and then just does this to us with not even an "enjoy". We were a bit perplexed to her behavior and then had the dilemma as to how to tip.   Firstly, this place was recommended to us by a local, and we didn't want her to think travelers just stiffed them, but geesh, the service we received was that she owed US tip money! 

It seemed to just be this particular place or us. The gas station guy was nice. We then went to the grocery store(Albertson's) and walked around to work the legs out a bit and browse to see what was available there. The grocery store people were nice and friendly,  as well.     

  

LARGE container of 'syrup' at the grocery store.
When you can only make it to town before a blizzard, you want the economy size! 

Never heard of before brands (gluten) food

Gluten bread aimed toward the active. . .
 whether you're a runner or a mountain biker, there's a Montana bread for you! 

The very nice, and surprisingly large, gluten free section. 

We broke up the last half of the state with a stop in Great Falls (and yes, there really ARE falls there) and then moseyed on up to the eastern part of Glacier National Park.

A view of the GREAT Falls from across the wide river. 

We enjoyed sights as time allowed, and then headed to Essex, MT for the Izaak Walton Inn where we would stay for the next few days. We never actually got to the town of Essex, since the lodge is just off the main highway, so I cannot say what accommodations are in town for Celiacs.  However, the Inn is prepared for gluten free guests. Most of the menu is actually GF.  

Part of the menu (I had an omelet one morning with real crispy bacon)

We weren't around the Inn for lunch time, but they have a nice menu. I think the sandwiches could be made on lettuce leaf wraps and be gf that way. 

We dined on the terrace each evening we were at the Inn. Great views of the trees, hummingbirds coming to feed at the flowers and sugar pots, as well as the fun of seeing trains pass by.  

Our first night at the Inn: 

I have been missing a good Cordon Bleu entree and took up the chance to have this. (I really wanted to have it the next night too, but branched out!).  Basically two grilled chicken breasts with ham and cheese in the middle, topped off with a sauce. 

Inside of the chicken cordon bleu. YUM!

The Mike's  dinner of GF pasta with bison meatballs. . . the bread isn't Gluten Free though.
Celiacs MUST ask for the bread to be left off! 

Mike said this was really good and appetizing. He had the foresight to ask if the bread was GF (it LOOKED like UDI's but was gluten bread) before sharing the dish with me. 

Since we weren't driving. . . .
Huckleberry Wheat (beer for The Mike)
Huckleberry Rain for myself  (huckleberry syrup with vodka) 

Taco Trio appetizer. Three different kinds of meats.
One of the trio, surprisingly, wasn't GF, so The Mike made sure to take that one. 

The Mike's entree of Chicken with Huckleberry BBQ.
and my dinner:  Salmon with rice and veggies.
(This was good, but almost wished I had the chicken cordon bleu again!) 

I'll admit it, I didn't realize there really was a huckleberry. . . I thought it was just the name of a cartoon dog! (Insert your laughter here. . . or google "huckleberry hound") 

We headed up to the west side of the US's Glacier National Park one day and then packed up one morning with our next destination being Banff, Canada.  

new species of Canada park animal?
Forest fire remnants from 2003 

We  had lunch at the Cimaroon Cafe in Columbia Falls, MT which was a very cozy place.  I found it off of the Trip Advisor  and AAA which both had great reviews  for the place. Coincidentally, it was also pretty much diagonal from the gas station where we fueled!  Large omelets with fruit on the side.

We had snacks in the car which got us from there through to Banff where we arrived in the late afternoon (alone, it is a five hour drive before doing sightseeing).  Once we checked in at the Y, we got a recommendation for a pizza place.  It was nice, but something either there, or at the confectionary shop, didn't agree with the two of us later that night.  

Wednesday we went to lunch at the Banff Brew Pub. 

Seriously great food --and gluten free buns for just a bit more $.  

Banff Brew Pub.

Look at this burger perfection. . the bun is just the right size, not too big, not too small, evenly covers all the burger. YUM!  

We went to dinner with one of the guys from our state and his girlfriend and picked Eddie's Burger Bar based on a review of another guy at the Y.  Good burgers with lots of choices. They had build your own with a giant menu of options, plus about twenty options to choose from of already built ones, as well as vegan, vegetarian, and "gluten free beef" whatever the heck that is.  This gluten free bun was a bit denser and definitely larger than the burger. I ended up eating my burger with silverware and having a bit of bread on the side. Great side salads served as well.   

Eddie's Burger Bar GF burger

Thursday I drove to Calgary to pick up my sister and her son who flew in to see The Mike off and then to drive back to the Twin Cities with me.   We had discussed ahead of time doing lunch and just went with the flow, but we probably should have rediscussed it that day---it was a long one for her and the lil guy.  We had found a place in downtown Calgary in the weeks before and went there for lunch.  We completely forgot that lunch in a different country would be a two hour affair. . . attention span for the lil man had been met and passed.  Even asking for the food to be dished up in 'to go boxes' it still took another twenty minutes to get out of there. Dining in the car was just fine!   The bacon burger was FABULOUS though. My sister had a mushroom burger and she said it was fabulous as well. Lil man had some mac and cheese which filled him up nicely for a nap in the car back to Banff.  **on a side note, it was shocking to see the pictures a week later of flooding in downtown Calgary since we had just been there and couldn't believe the level of water standing in the streets on which we had just driven. 

Banff Falls
*featured in the Marilyn Monroe movie of "River of No Return" 

Banff Falls view just down the river a bit

Thursday night the bikers had a meeting at the Elk & Oarsman --which, incidentally, had been recommended by someone on the Facebook Gluten Free Guidebook!   Neat atmosphere, a little dark, but that might have been since it was evening and not lunch time.  We had a spot on the other side of the room/divider from the Divide riders, and it wasn't noisy, even with all those cycling folks over there. 

Spinach artichoke dip with gluten free bread at the Elk & Oarsman. 

I honestly don't remember what else we ate for dinner here, and I neglected to write anything in the journal. . . hmm, I probably had more important things on my mind  such as, "my husband is leaving tomorrow on his adventure! AGH".  I know the lil man got his spaghetti with just butter and parmesan cheese. I know we ended up something, but don't recall what it was.  The Mike came and dined with us as well. Totally not remembering.  

Friday  June 14 will have to be another write up--

the day the cyclists left for the Tour Divide 2013 adventure.  

After driving through the state of Montana at night with little traffic and only saw three deer from Shelby, MT to the ND border!, we finally arrived at our destination at like 2am. No biggie,right?  Sooo tired. 

We were up the next day for our North Dakota 5k.  Does it count if the time is twice as long as normal since you have a young child with you in the event?  We asked if it was okay if the lil man rode his scooter and the young woman said, "sure, we even have a wheelchair in this."  I said, "Those wheelchair folks are FAST"  because I was thinking the hand crank wheel chairs---not actual wheelchairs that people use every day!  The young woman gave me a weird look and at the start of the race, sister said, "I think that's the wheelchair she was talking about".  Sure enough, joy stick controlled wheelchair. I felt a bit like a heel for my earlier comment. 

Since we knew we'd basically be walking the event with a bit of an occasional open stride, we went ahead and had breakfast first.  I tried to pay, but my credit card was declined due to a gas station in Montana telling Visa to block my card.  Thank goodness the bank was open on Saturday and I was able to get that rectified before further travel occurred!  

After the event, which did some walking, shopping and then took in the lunch buffet after the event--tickets were included in our meal.  

There was plenty we could eat on the buffet which was gluten free--maybe not all that fancy or exciting--and it got us on down the road to the next place.

We dined at 5Guys in the next town--my first foray into this establishment I've heard so much about--and am a convert. I only wish we had a 5Guys locally!

Sunday, we had intended to do a 5K in Minnesota, but the time zones and travel got to us and we decided to sleep in on Sunday instead.  

I headed off to Washington DC for Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day and my sister and her lil man headed back home to their state.

A whirlwind week with good food, great company, and no non-celiac food!

A successful vacation without a cooler!      

Lake MacDonald, Glacier National Park, USA 

I'm sure people are wondering why I'm pointing out that there are falls in a town with Falls in the name. . . I live in a town that has falls in the name and does not have any falls. I've asked people who have lived here all their lives and they don't know of any falls. . . or any history of any falls.

Food review-Steak Fajita bowl

I ran into Target and while browsing the frozen food section for the Perdue Chicken Strips I had purchased there, I discovered two shelves of these items in the frozen food.  .  . with a nice sign that said GLUTEN FREE.  Not having anything figured out for lunch, I decided to go ahead and get one and see what it's about. ..I chose the steak.   love of evol (as it says on the receipt). I don't know which it is. 

Though, as you can see, there are plenty of  options that are gluten free, even burritos (maybe next time I'll get one of these).  The steak bowl only had 'milk' listed as an allergen, not gluten and not soy, so I grabbed it. 

I was so ecstatic at finding a healthy lunchtime buy that was gluten and soy free, that I didn't even look at the nutrition facts in the store (OOPS). 

20 grams of fat.  EEK.  31%.  I figure that cheese stick I had for breakfast was probably not helpful today in terms of fat grams. 

EEK! 

The microwave directions said to slice the plastic one inch, then nuke it for 4 minutes. Okay, Okay, it just said 'microwave' not 'nuke'.

The last couple minutes were hard while it was cooking, as the fragrance started filling the kitchen!   

After microwaving.  

I wished I had guacamole to go with; I didn't, but I did have an avocado (yeah!)  

Good flavor, though a bit of the clean oil taste from olive oil.  They probably put more in to ensure it won't stick to the biodegradable bowl.   I'm not too keen on a large quantity of beans, I generally don't eat them, or only put 1/2 can of them in chili, etc and let The Mike add more if he wants.  (Why don't canneries sell 'individual' sizes of beans?) 

So, great flavor, enough steak to be a happy quantity. Could, in my opinion, use more rice. It is flavored with cilantro.  The rice and beans were mixed together and then the steak, red and green peppers were on top. There was a small amount of cheese in there--you could see it before it was microwaved.  

Amount of beans left over, and some of the olive oil left in the bowl

Would I buy this again?  Yes. 

Good value?  Yes.  Regularly $3.99, I got it for $3.

I might even buy some for the freezer for 'go to' meals  like those horrible weeks when you have so much going on, you just don't have time to prep/cook meals. 

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: