I’d gotten wind of this race somewhere along the way, watching for interesting virtual races. An outfit in Utah, Geek’d Out Running Club, put it on, and they seem to have a lot of these science fiction themed races, this one being Doctor Who themed.. In fact, this race also has a “in person” event this weekend in/near Salt Lake City. I signed up for this, thinking that this weekend was a pretty quiet one for me. However…
This morning, I kinda didn’t wanna get up.
Darla had an outpatient knee procedure yesterday, and I took both yesterday and today off to help her out. I slept just a little bit late yesterday, and when sunrise came this morning, I tried hard to kick it to the curb. However, I’m just a bug compared to the Sun, so it won, and I got up, pulled on my running duds, and went out.
It was hot yet again this morning in Da Lou. This past Sunday, my race started at 48° in the sun. This morning, it was 75°, cloudy, and ohhh so muggy. Not great conditions for this running dude.
However, I drove up to the Greenway, and put my happy face on the morning. And it really ended up being a pretty good trek. I kept it slow, knowing that the heat can debilitate me pretty quickly if I’m not respectful of it. And I put a carrot at the end of my stick…
Starbucks!
I’d gotten a couple of offers from Starbucks, one for a free drink, and another for a free breakfast sammich. Conveniently, my 5K course ends at their door, so that worked really well. I picked up a bacon-egg-cheese croissant and a Frappucino, sat outside, and had a nice little reward for morning well-started!
I’d heard about this race a month or two ago when I was looking for “in person” events near Da Lou. I was kinda saving this weekend for Patriot Day races — and a Cardinals 6K race — but once I got my schedule figured out, this race got in scope for me. And once a Groupon deal came up for the race entry fee, it became an easy decision to get this on my calendar.
I’d done a little research on this race, and I thought you had to chug root beer periodically along the course. As it ends up, that wasn’t the case at all. At the first and second mile, there were tables with little cups of water or root beer, whichever you’d like. I stuck with the root beer, and kinda liked that little boost of sugar during the race.
I’d never run in this park before. The course was paved, mostly shaded, and really flat. And with that flatness, I put a little speed into play during my first kilometer, running the first kilometer. That’s a little unusual for me lately, as I’ve been more focused on intervals. However, with the temperature at the start hovering below 50°, it felt pretty comfortable, and I ran my first sub-nine min/km split in quite a while.
My other splits were pretty good, with the third and fifth kilometer in the sub-ten minute range. I was way pleased with that, and wonder if this is a sign that my winter holds some better splits as I take on some longer distances.
Post race, the race organizers laid out quite a spread… including White Castle’s breakfast sandwiches! Not healthy, I know, but a wonderful finale to a good race.
After yesterday’s late-race debacle, I wasn’t feeling good about this morning’s 9/11 Memorial 5K. This race was to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, though, and I figured I owed it to our heroes to get my lazy butt out of bed, and on the trail. 🙂
After getting dressed and a little breakfast, I pointed the Jeep to the Greenway. It was surprisingly chilly, even with the sun already up. The Jeep’s thermometer read 54°, and at speed on Highway 100, it felt every bit of it!
I stretched out, and got on course. I’d already decided to just walk today. I needed the miles, but I needed to recover too, so it was a planned slow go. With the great temps, the walk went very, very well, and I finished in about the same time I did yesterday, but feeling very much better upon completion. Success!
I did add something to my journey this morning. I’d talked with the folks at Fleet Feet a few weeks ago about my upcoming half marathon in Tulsa — just two months away! We talked about in-race nutrition and fueling. From that conversation, I picked up a handful of Gu packets. I’ve never used any kind of race nutrition before, and I was nervous about some of the things I’d heard about it: not hitting the stomach right, weird textures, and flavors that weren’t exactly great.
Well, I open a root beer flavored Gu about 15 minutes in, and while the consistency was indeed odd — like a really thick honey — the flavor was kinda like a slightly weak root beer barrel candy. I felt no ill effects, and while I can’t point to any specific help it brought, I did finish feeling well.
With all the running this year, I began looking for Patriot Day-themed races. This is an especially meaningful day for me, and I love the thought of doing something in honor of all those lost.
Today, I ran the Frogman Charities’ Patriot Day 5K. Frogman Charities was formed by a former Navy SEAL, and benefits several Navy SEAL charities. Add to that a medal and challenge coin (both shown in the header above), and suddenly I found myself signing up for another race!
I couldn’t have picked better weather for today’s run, which I did at lunch. The beginning was awesome… temps in the 60s, clouds and breeze. Mother Nature only suckered me in though. By the time I hit my turnaround point, I was dealing with some sunlight breaking through the clouds, and a crazy amount of humidity as the morning’s rain began to suck back up into the atmosphere.
My first two kilometers were really amazing, and were some of the fastest times I’ve had in a while. The last three kilometers, and in particular, the last kilometer, were pretty ugly. Too much speed up front, and worsening conditions (for me, anyway!), and that spelled a tough second half of the race.
But done is done, and every mile matters. I can live with that. And I had some time to reflect on the meaning of today. As I wrote a long, long time ago, I think 9/11 was my generation’s Pearl Harbor, and I know I still think back to that day, and the weeks after, and it’s as clear as day to me.
While on our cruise in April, we met a wonderful couple, MaryBeth and Mike, who were deeply involved in suicide prevention causes in the northeast. After hearing their story, I knew I needed to run this race to benefit AFSP. This one’s for y’all…
Hot day again, with temperatures about like they were yesterday, but without my nemesis, Mister Sun. However, his evil compadre, Señor Humidity, made an incredible appearance. I had great intentions of running more and faster than yesterday, and while I did both of those things, I only ended up with an “average” run.
However, it wasn’t all bad. I met Becky and our new puppy, Roxy, at Starbucks for a little coffee, and some time to catch up with an old friend. And lemme tell ya, if you sit outside a Starbucks with a puppy, you will be the center of attention! Doubly so when it’s a big fuzzy Bernese Mountain Dog. Roxy loved it, and so did we.
So another tough-ish race in the books, and more miles in this crazy year of running!
This race was the second of three I’d signed up for from Vacation Races, and commemorates the 100th anniversary of Rocky Mountain National Park.
It’s hot here in Da Lou. Today’s high is 97. Did I mention that it’s hot?
Fortunately, I got out around 7:30 this morning, while it was only 76. Still hotter than I care for, but things weren’t going to get any better today.
There are some mornings when I get up, and it’s just tough to get out and run. This morning, however, I’d read some things on Facebook that just inspired me to get out there and move. Facebook is sometimes the worst of the world, and sometimes the best. As I drank my morning coffee, I read some of the uglier things I’ve read in a while about my chosen sport and more significantly, about the way I approach and execute my running. So yeah, I went out the door in a bit of a snit.
Some days, you run for the health and peace that it brings, and some days, you run to just clear the muck, and today was the latter. I tromped around on the Greenway, and got through my miles, plus a little extra, putting the Facebook-induced ick behind me.
That’s one of the huge benefits I get from running. I kill my stress. I clear my brain. And, I can put things into perspective.
That’s something you just can’t put a price tag on!
A company called Vacation Races puts on some great races in our national parks. They’re largely longer distance races — half and full marathons — and most of ’em have been way far away from here. However, they also do some virtual races, and I’ve signed up for a few of them.
The first of these is the National Park System 99th Birthday 5K. This race celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the National Park System, and is part of a trifecta of virtual races from Vacation Races for me. I’m also running the Rocky Mountain National Park Centenary 5K (next week) and Public Lands Day 5K (in late September). I mean, why wouldn’t you wanna celebrate all these beautiful places?
This morning, I returned to the Wildwood Greenway, site of wonderful and awful runs of late. I struggled to get motivated, but walked straight to my running clothes when I got up, and put them on. Somehow, I knew that donning my “superhero uniform” would help slide me out the door. An English muffin and part of a bad cuppa joe later, I was out the door, and headed to the Greenway.
It was chilly this morning, with the air temperature around 53 degrees. With the doors off the Jeep and the roof down, it made for a very cool short drive to the Greenway. I love that though, and I think that just primed the pump for a good morning.
I stretched, and started on trail. I had some good music in my ears, and felt like I had a pretty good pace going. I’ve striving to get below fifty minutes regularly, which is sub-10mins/km. My first split was a few seconds over ten minutes, and my second was a few seconds under, which put me in a good place. My third kilometer was slow though, at 10:22. There’s a long upward slope at that point, and frankly, I slowed my pace a bit to rest as I went.
And then, it happened.
As I got into my fourth kilometer, I glanced at my watch and noticed that my overall pace was sub-10min/km. I had just powered up a short, steep hill, and it really affected my overall time. Suddenly, I was inspired, and paid attention to the run/walk intervals my watch was driving me to. And the running felt good… really good. My fourth kilometer split was 9:14, which inspired me even more. My fifth kilometer was 9:08, which is screaming fast for me, especially in the last part of the run.
I don’t know what happened, but I wish I could capture it in a bottle, and use it again. It all just clicked for me this morning, and gave me one of the fastest times I’ve ever had on the Greenway. In face, this morning was many minutes faster than most of the runs I’ve had up there since I returned to it.
As the front of my Jeep says, “Happy, happy, happy!”
I found The Galaxy Run a few weeks ago from the Will Run for Bling folks, and given the design of the medal, I couldn’t pass it up!
This morning, I took myself up to the Wildwood Greenway yet again, trying to redeem myself after Thursday’s debacle on the Greenway. Once again, the conditions were kinda tough — 70°, but close to 100% humidity — but I was determined not to let that deter me.
Lately, I’ve been treating these virtual races without the same rigor I’d have for an “in person” event. Several months ago, I learned that treating a virtual race like an in-person race put my brain in the right place, and helped me to do the right things before going out… eating right, dressing appropriately, using my braces, etc.
This morning, I did all the right things, and went in with the attitude that I was just gonna walk today, and put good, solid miles under my feet. And basically, that’s what I did.
I’m still tuning my music for my pace, and probably will keep doing that for a while. I found a few tracks that have a little faster pace than is comfy for me, but others are becoming regular favorites. I really do believe that’s helping me quite a bit with my movement. Heck, “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas floated across my iPod, and I starting singing along. I think there’s a law in support of that behavior!
More and more, it’s obvious to me that the biggest enemy I have in my racing is me. I’m quick to just “settle” for a walking pace, and can be sometimes self-defeating. These are just little mental games that I need to grow past, and more success will squeeze that out of my noggin, I’m sure. Walks like today — tough, but successful — are foundational for putting my brain in the right place as I take on these challenges that three years ago, I would’ve never ever attempted. This kind of mental gymnastics on the positive things I’m doing is every bit as important as any physical stretching I might do before I run.
I’ve just gotta keep that mental finish line in front of me!
St. Louis — like much of the midwest — has a thing about Route 66. The Mother Road ran right through town, and just past where I live out here in the ‘burbs.
And with that has come some historical preservation, and some growth of the road. The Route 66 State Park, for example, memorializes both the route of Route 66, and the town of Times Beach and its ecological disaster. And Manchester Road, where I’ve been running a lot lately, is on the route of the old road.
When I saw this virtual medal come up through Full Medal Runs, I knew I had to get it, and I knew where I’d have to run it — right alongside Route 66! The city of Wildwood has built the multi-use Wildwood Greenway as a connector to other trails in the area, and included a pedestrian bridge over the Manchester Road (old Route 66) to provide access between the north and south trails. This is a paved trail, and while a little hilly, isn’t too awful. Folks walk, run, and cycle on this trail seemingly every day.
When I first started running — three years ago — this trail was my go to place. I knew where the 5K turnaround point was, and there’s no vehicular traffic to deal with. It’s still the site of my PR in the 5K distance back in 2012. (Picture a turtle being chased by a slightly faster turtle to whom he owes money.)
Thursday, at lunch, I decided to put this trail to good use, and earn this medal. I was coming off the color run over the weekend, and a terrific interval run on the Greenway (0:30/1:30 splits), and figured it was a cooler day, and would be a great experience. I was a little over expectant!
I got to the trail, stretched, and got moving. And unfortunately, in the first ten minutes, I knew this wasn’t gonna be good. The sun was much hotter feeling than I was expecting, and my shins were already starting to complain. What I thought was gonna a be a great interval run turned into “just” a walk, with some real slow parts for me.
I don’t know if I started out too fast, didn’t stretch enough, or if the conditions were just that bad for me… regardless of the cause, the going was slow and methodical, with a mantra to “get ‘er done.” And ultimately, I did finish — I haven’t “not” finished yet — and secured another medal (which should arrive next week!) for my medal display, and chocked up more miles for me this year.
I’ve said it before, I’m not much for “novelty races” — mud runs, cave crawls, and the like. It’s not the I mind the events too much, but a lot of them are nationwide touring events with no medals. However, there are a few things that’ll trip my trigger, and pique my interest. One is NASCAR tracks.
When I found out that the Color Run Night was gonna be held on the track at Gateway Motor Speedway, I was in. There was no medal, but it was on the track! And then, I discovered that they also had another race from these folks in September, the Color Run Shine, that would have a medal. Woot! I signed up for both.
Unfortunately, I got an email a couple of days ago that the Shine race in September was gonna be cancelled. No real explanation, just due to “circumstances beyond our control.” There went my medal, but I still had the race on the track, so that was good.
I went out Saturday morning, and started gathering the things I’d need for the race — goggles (to protect my glasses and eyes), a couple of cowbells, and lots of glo-sticks. I wanted to be dressed right for this event!
Drag Strip
I got to the track a couple of hours ahead of the race start, as suggested, and wandered around the facility. This track is both an oval, as well as drag strip. When I was a kid, I liked drag racing, and it was extremely cool to stand at the start line, and look down the track.
As it was really hot — about 90° — I figured I needed hydration and a little food. The concessionaires were dealing, so I scarfed a big ol’ soft pretzel and a bottle of water.
And knowing there was no medal, I went to the “company store” and picked up a keychain. I figured I could get some ribbon, and make a medal out of that little plastic do-dad.
The stage group were whipping the growing crowd into a frenzy, with music, swag flung into the crowd, and group Zumba. It was looking to be a good-sized and energetic group as the sun set, and we got closer to the start time.
Start Line
We started to corral near the start line, and it was evident that this was gonna be fun. Folks had their lights, glo-sticks and glow-in-the-dark stuff revved up, and little by little, we were released in waves onto the course.
Shortly after my wave took off, we turned, and found ourselves on the drag strip. Although it was dark, you could still see the dark rubber from all the burnouts. Walking on that, however, was anything but fast. The rubber laid down by all those tires was tacky, and it felt like you were walking on fly paper. Probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever walked on!
One after another, the throng I was with crossed into color zones where we were doused in colored powder. There was also a zone with bubble machines, and another with black-light messages on the pavement. From the flats of the straightaways to the banks of the turns, the course was great, and loads of fun.
One thing I’ll mention is that the course was short of 5K — my Garmin measured about 4.3km, but with the walk from the parking to the course, and back, I’m counting it as a 5K!
Crossing the finish line, I was handed a bag, filled with the same colored powder that was covering everyone. This was for the after-party. And then, someone put a medal in my hand.
Now, the medal was a “Shine” medal, not a “Night” medal, but that was fine with me. My guess is that the medals for the Shine event on September 19th were already in town, so they were just used for this event. Works for me!
The after-party was a blast. People were everywhere, all covered in every color of the rainbow, and all having a great time. Every ten minutes or so, the announcer would countdown to another “color blast”, which is when those bags of color would be launched among the crowd. It’d look like a massive fog falling from the sky when folks would fling their colored powder in the air. It was really cool, and gave a great medium for the lasers from the stage to shine through.
And finally, they had a fireworks show. And not just bottle rockets — real good fireworks that went on and on.
Post-Race
When I got home, I got a good look at my clothes, and man was I a mess! I had color-covered arms. I had a color-covered belly — I have no idea how that happened! My shoes were orange. I was a mess.
After I got in the house, and figured out how to keep from tracking color all over the place, I hopped in the shower, and began to try to scrub off all the color from me. Frankly, I was surprisingly successful, although there’s still a little color on me. During the shower, though, it looked like someone was wringing out a Smurf — so much dirty blue-ish colored water!!
Yeah, I don’t usually do this kind of race, but I believe this may be a return event for me. It was that fun!
EDIT: Here’s the video from the race. Warning… it’s kinda long!
I’d gotten wind of this race somewhere along the way, watching for interesting virtual races. An outfit in Utah, Geek’d Out Running Club, put it on, and they seem to have a lot of these science fiction themed races, this one being Doctor Who themed.. In fact, this race also has a “in person” event this weekend in/near Salt Lake City. I signed up for this, thinking that this weekend was a pretty quiet one for me. However…
I’d heard about this race a month or two ago when I was looking for “in person” events near Da Lou. I was kinda saving this weekend for Patriot Day races — and a Cardinals 6K race — but once I got my schedule figured out, this race got in scope for me. And once a Groupon deal came up for the race entry fee, it became an easy decision to get this on my calendar.
