I ran my first official race of 2012 this past weekend at the Buffalo Run in Parkville, MO. It was a nice trail run and an 8k at that, so basically a PR guarantee in many cases. I’ve run *one* 8k before… back in 2007 in Atchison at the Amelia Earhart Days 8k… and wow… now that I think about it, BJ the DJ was the MC at that event too! Times fly.

Well no race report forthcoming … other than to say it was a great time. One sorta annoying thing is that the “race website” is a placeholder junkspace “www.runkansascity.com” — they’ve gotten even more lax with their web space than I have mine it seems. No matter… the absolute essentials at least were available on the Active.com sign-up page – and the one necessary follow up, the race results were emailed to everyone and are also available on www.mararunning.org. So… as for all that it wasn’t quite adequate, but it was just enough to get by. Interweb logistics aside, the race was very well executed supported just fine, DJed well, and the course, as most trail runs are… was a joy. The big hill that even the sparse communication jested about was fun to go up and an absolute blast to run down. Surefoot Bob made an appearance on those suicidal down hills, as did all colleagues in my heat.

For the sake of completeness I’ve compiled the posted results into overall results and will provide them here. Also a couple pics… enjoy.

5k

8k

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This year the Hospital Hill Run, that race I love to blog about, will be implementing: Seeded Time Corrals!

Beth Salinger, the race director, had this to say in a recent E-Mail/Newsletter:

“We heard you in your post-race surveys regarding the confusion and difficulty entering the start line last year. We will once again have combined start line located on Grand Blvd. just north of Pershing Road, but it will be wider and we will be offering start line corrals. Athletes will be assigned their specific corrals based upon pace. In addition, Hospital Hill Run will have four seeded corrals where you need to prove your skill level in order to be assigned and allowed in. The four seeded corrals will have athletes from all three distances. In addition, there will be a dedicated group of volunteers at the start line assisting athletes in finding their correct corrals and lots of new signs to help direct you. ”

So now the big question is… what will be the qualifiers? I am supposing that they will have one “elite” corral and then the last one try to be somewhat accessible and fairly lenient. Here’s my own guess at the times… you’re welcome to copy it or tweak it or come up with your complete own. Whomever guesses the closest in the comments, by March 31st – or whenever HH releases the times officially… which ever comes first — will recieve a $15 gift certificate code for a RoadID! How’s that for nice free swag?

So here’s what I’m guessing…

Corral A – Sub 1:25 Half / Sub 17:00 5k
Corral B – Sub 1:35 Half / Sub 20:00 5k
Corral C – Sub 1:45 Half / Sub 23:00 5k
Corral D – Sub 2:00 Half / Sub 26:30 5k

I spent no time coming up with these numbers and they are based on nothing other than a random guess.

So… leave a guess in the comments – and how do you feel about HH implementing seeded corrals? I personally think its pretty cool — an attainable (maybe) goal to go for!

Make sure you guess both HALF-MARATHON times AND 5k Times. Everyone in all 3 distances will be seeded, and I’m thinking they will roughly follow the format I’ve guessed with here. Of course there is the 10k but as I’m pretty unfamiliar with competitive times at that distance I’ve left it off. I’ve run countless Half-Marathons and 5ks and have a pretty good handle on what constitutes a good/elite/average time… but the 10k I’ve just run a handful of. Feel free to include it though if you like!

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Well it’s official… I signed up today to run the Heartland 39.3 Series – comprised of:

April 14, 2012 – Rock The Parkway Half-Marathon
April 22, 2012 – Kansas Half-Marathon
May 12, 2012 – Run With The Cows Half-Marathon

I’ve run some forms of the Kansas Half-Marathon before… I actually ran it back when it was the Therapy Works Half-Marathon in 2008 which it was for years and years… I again ran it in 2009, when it became the inaugural and detailed it in a race report. That being the inaugural race I did have a few complaints but it looks to be a well oiled machine these days… I guess I will find out!

The Rock The Parkway I’m surprised to see is now going for its THIRD running! I thought last year was it’s inauguration? Wow, time flies… maybe it was two years ago I was reading about it for the first time. In any case I viewed it as the “Johnny Come Lately” of Kansas City Half-Marathons… pretender to the throne of Hospital Hill and the Kansas City Marathon. I laughed as the 2011 running was on a rainy and cold day from hell. Well since then I’ve had quite a change of heart… I don’t know where that imagined disdain came from but it’s gone now! I am now quite looking forward to it… it will be likely my first race of 2012 unless a local 5k appears without notice!

The Run With The Cows – I know nothing of this race nor did I harbor any ill will or have preconceived notions that it was any sort of… well anyway! I am QUITE looking forward to this one too!

And then, next weekend… May 20th is Leavenworth’s own, Five Trails Half-Marathon… that’s actually where I got my HM PR! I hope to bust it this year at the Rock the Parkway though… I heard it was flat (or imagined it) … is it?

THEN! Yes then right on the heels of all this is June 2 – Hospital Hill 2012!!! Looks like 2012 may be the new year of the Half-Marathon!

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On a blog, I guess you’ll need to write on it… sometimes…

I’ve been running… quite a bit. I didn’t run today, and that’s quite sad, but I’ll try to make up for it with a post perhaps…

Since New Year’s Eve I’ve run nearly every day… and on street, wooded trails, paved trails and treadmills. I was *just* about getting to the point… no actually I did – the point where you just get dressed and go running without really planning or thinking about it. Your legs just take you out the door… and that is great. I love being there. This is a busy time too (and cold, snowed today for the first time… if you could call that a snow)… so getting in all this running is an accomplishment I’m nearly proud of.

I have been running a heck-ton two places: Treadmill & Ken Bernard Park. Yes that’s the local park with a couple soccer fields, veterans memorial, and healthy population of mountain lions. Yeah, you probably won’t want to go there… possibly… they could be there. I suppose that serves as a tease/introduction to my upcoming site (couple pages) dedicated to Ken Bernard Park (stay tuned!). Really, the place is a joy to run. There is a great trail there – the best thing about it being of course that it is a scant mile or two from home. Every single time I run there I seem to find a new branch of the trail.

If you aren’t familiar it is not a well visited park. It’s relatively new and I suppose there isn’t much there, at least not in Winter. Some soccer fields, a playground, some fishing, a nice Veteran’s Memorial and of course the running trail.

Many more details will be forthcoming on the mini-site if I can get it done.

Well other than that I did some trail running down at Big Cedar Lodge. That is always an incredible enjoyment. It’s about the best place to run you could imagine. The 5k trail, which is newly marked as such, is amazing at times. A quiet paved trail that meanders next to a still, fog-covered lake inlet, over a swinging bridge and a natural spring, by cabins galore, through manicured lawns, under waterfalls, stream flooded roads, backwoods trails… that’s just the 5k trail. If you are looking for the “start line” it’s actually over at Devil’s Pool Restaurant out back… but my suggestion – if you just want to run the thing is find the nearest 5k marker and run the whole thing until you arrive back where you started. It’s a great trail. This one is all paved.

The other trails at Big Cedar Lodge are comprised of the Little Cub and Big Bear Trails which are not paved and all wooded. These are wonderful to run on too if you’re into any sort of trail running at all. The scenery is an unbeatable majesty of forested hills and rocks – some of the formations are splendorous… and at the trail’s summit the view is quite nice to say the least. It can be tough if you’re out there getting a workout. Your other option is a nice peaceful hike. There are a number of geocaches on these trails too if that interests you… it does me! I found them all over two days out running and hiking on these trails.

Little Cub & Big Bear Trails:

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Well another year is in the books and as I believe I will safely make it to 2012 without running anymore races I can go ahead and close this one out.

It’s been a heck of a year…! Check out the highlights:

- Ran two marathons in same calendar year for first time
- Improved marathon PR
- First race win overall
- Took my son to two races, and a friend to another (his first ever)
- Placed in the previously elusive Steeplechase 5k for the first time (third time running it)
- Ran 20 mile (longest yet) trail run
- Ran 5th consecutive Hospital Hill

Some of those its hard to believe they happened this year! Such fond memories… especially of the WARMTH and HOT for lack of a better way to say it… yes… I enjoy being HOT out on a run, whereas, you probably guessed, I hate being COLD out on a run! Yes… despite my little snowflakes up there and the suggested pretense that I’m out there braving it in the Kansas cold — I have mostly been running on a treadmill… watching The League, Breaking Bad, and other random Netflix offerings… makes the treadmill bearable in an otherwise unfinished and cluttered basement. Oh I have been out here and there… this winter really hasn’t been that bad thusfar. I went on a trail run the other day at my favorite place to run, Ken Bernard Park. That was December 18th and I believe it was 57 degrees??!!?! That is almost unheard of! …and now I’m hearing its supposed to be 55 on Christmas. Hope that means a mild winter and not a dreadful February.

So next up in the spring I’ll have an extremely busy (non-running) schedule to contend with but I tentatively plan to try to complete the 39.3 circuit to start the year… followed quickly by Five Trails Half-Marathon and ye-olde-Hospital Hill. No plans for a full yet, but KC will always suffice and I have missed it the past THREE years now! Unforgivable!  Gotta try some trail runs too of course… likely planning on the 20 miler again…

2012 looks like it could be quite a year for running!

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Holy crap, I won a race!

Not first in age group, not first by default, not third. FIRST! Sweet huh? It may not have been the most impressive win ever by the numbers, but by golly I’ll take it. It was a race and there was competition… despite what the results may or may not show to you.

I went into the thing hoping to best my last year’s time of 30:10 and just finish under 30 minutes, having run 32 something in 2009. I knew this wouldn’t be extremely easy because the course is fairly tough. Oh there’s nothing that looks too daunting about it after pedestrian inspection — but when you’re trying to maintain a quick pace over the whole thing it can really do a number on you.

So anyway… show up race morning and immediately run into Tad… hah! I knew he couldn’t resist! Are he and I now the only two to run the thing all 3 years? Well probably someone else has… not sure I’ll try to track down the missing 2009 results and see!

Well it’s at least 45 minutes to race time so Tad and I forwent the shuttle and took a leisurely stroll to the race starting area. Tad had already been there once and made mention already that I might win the race — but its a familiar jest — you always wanna joke about who’s going to show up (and more importantly who will not) and thereby allow a win by default! Well down at the staging area there are indeed not many people… a couple milling about here, another couple over the- nevermind those are volunteers… yea not many people here today. I made the again familiar joke though that we could expect a shuttle load to show up at any moment packed with Kenyans High Schoolers with racing flats and trail junkies who eat Haven’s for breakfast.

After a lot of standing around race time drew near… and sure enough here came one last entrant: a guy hops out of the bed of a truck and someone remarks – oh glad you could make it for your 2nd 5k today! Well I was pretty sure I knew where he had run… I had even briefly entertained doing it myself… there was a 5k on Ft. Leavenworth the same morning… their annual Turkey Trot. Same race where I actually got my 5k PR in 2007. I haven’t really run it since because of the Haven’s which is always scheduled on the same day. Given the choice I will choose Haven’s every single time as I’m really starting to love trail running.

Ok… so this guy is on his 2nd 5k of the day… fine. That could work to my advantage as he could be tired from the first 5k… or… that could have just been his warm-up race. He looked minimally like a mild competitor. Looking around otherwise… well it looked well in hand but you never know. Having been at many many 5ks now you just never know who’s going to take you for a ride!

Well the horn was blown and all 22 of us (yes, only 22 runners… you were bound to find out at some point!) started up the hill. This is quite a hill and makes for one hell of a race start as every one typically at local 5ks takes off quite quickly. Needless to say at the top I was winded! Yes winded! Here, with a chance to win the darn thing and I am out of breath and feel like quitting a scant 1:19 into the run!

Well I’m in the lead and running fairly comfortably, if winded… a little unsure if I can hold the pace. Never having lead any race before… it’s a little different being out front… *you’re* dictating the pace *you* could take a wrong turn… oh wait I can do that (take a wrong turn) any time! Well it wasn’t long before I heard an exchange behind me about pacing, what-not, and then – Tad: “that guy there’s going to win the race” – uh oh Tad. That sounds dangerous at this point! Really dangerous! It’s like probably 2:20 into the race now and I’m feeling like it’s seriously time to quit — or at least bow out and hand “the contender” the reins and have a nice leisurely jog in – hoping to get under 30 anyway.

Well somehow I’m maintaining… and the course begins to diversify into rocky accents and descents, some quite steep. These are wonderful! Not only am I going to momentarily forget to think about how much I need to quit while I’m concentrating on going up and down these things… I’m thinking I can probably gain some ground besides… I specialize in these things! Surefoot Bob, that’s me! I might stumble all night and day over strewn toys, dogs and kids but by golly I will RACE you down Stone Mountain! We even get to one that is quite steep with a rope for suppo- no. No time for that… I just raced down the thing a millimeter from total disaster. It’s ok… I think I met the deductible already this year.

Now in the open field section. Still hurting, but still hanging on. Still resisting the urge to look back, but I’ve been hearing someone back there for most of the race I think…. Well the open field ends by taking a sharp right up a steep hill… it is here I think I’ll be able to get a glance of anyone behind me as I’m taking the turn… due to angle, fatigue, dementia… something can’t quite see where the contender is… well I start up the hill and its a killer. A killer. Ok so I walk for a minute here. After walking for a few moments I can hear the volunteer behind me cheering on the next contestant. Saying “he’s slowing, now’s your chance” or something to that effect. My one hope would be that he’d be stopping to walk too. I treated this as wishful thinking though … it would be a tortoise beats the hare moment as I outgunned him to now — he’ll just trot on by at a nice steady pace and I’ll be resounded to second. I walked as long as I dared… when I could feel his breathing down my neck and took off at a slow trot still up the massive hill.

This is also where a wrong turn (or lack thereof really) was taken in 2009, but I wasn’t concerned knowing to be paying attention here. Both my shoelaces have been undone since the open field but I dare not tend to them as that would lose precious time. Finally the hill was crested and its back into the woods, via one of those uphill rocky formations… my specialty remember? I think this is where I really closed it out. Once I beat him on that big hill that was it… I won. I didn’t know this at the time though… I was still running scared. I ran as fast as I could muster sprinting through the woods down the same hill we’d just run up on a street…. and…

…back into the open field. Back to just what I feared – one more uphill so that we could come down on the finish line hill. This hill was just about too much too. I stopped to walk again and I think chanced a look behind me. No one in sight at all… but I was still fearful they’d be making a push. Only about a quarter mile to go. Somehow I trotted it up again after the hill and turned on the jets to the finish line… wasting all my gas knowing I wouldn’t be needing any more reserves. The GPS had me on a 21:00 minute pace part of the hill coming up, and 4:36 pace running down it. How I never stepped on a shoelace I don’t know but I burst across the otherwise calm finish line at full speed never believing for a second I was going to eek out the win until it was done. The three volunteers there were a little surprised to see me I think… I really romped it down that hill running from an imagined contender that was no where in sight. I finished in 26:12 and the second place man came in more than a minute later in 27:25.

So this is how the winner sees it: everyone(!) coming across the finish line! Nice. I even grabbed my camera and snapped some pics. I talked with the second place guy and just about everyone else who came in about the race and Oklahoma St. losing to Iowa St. and whatever else. The 2nd place guy and his friend were from Oklahoma… pretty cool.

Luck was with me in more than one way today and I had no where to be for the next several hours so I waited it out happily in the best of spirits for the awards etc. I was pleasantly surprised to win some actual prizes and not just the presentation medals (with engraved medals coming) — a 1 year subscription to trail runner and a $15 road ID gift card. I was shocked by both… I hadn’t expected anything and this was just icing on the cake… nice!

Stood around for a while longer watching everyone else get their medals and what not… had a group photo and the day was done.

I just have to mention too, one last time how cool it was being number one. I heard a few people pointing in my direction and saying “that guy won” and “he’s pretty fast” etc. That was fun! I mean usually I’m the one looking at the winner and today I got to live the dream. Haha… once in a lifetime

Now really, it’s criminal for a race run, organized, and put on this well to have so few participants – so – now that I *ahem* have my win – I will promote the hell out of this sucker next year. I think it really got a bad rap for that 2009 ordeal with a bunch of people missing the turn… which is pretty unfair. I certainly do not want to see this thing cancelled either! So … I will have 100+ people here next year how’s that for a new goal? There were 70+ in year one, I believe 40+ in year two, and 22 in year three. So how about for 2012 we make it 112? Yes Haven’s is a cool park and even cooler run — so that many people should see it! I’ll get em out there by golly I will… I will attest and swear that you will NOT get lost now, you WILL have a good terrific time, and you may even place as the awards are many and well distributed. I’ll really pump it up next fall =D Here’s to Haven’s!

Well after the race was all said and done and everything over I headed back up the hill again… a leisurely stroll this time enjoying the warm November morning and the silent park around me. I was off in search of a couple of geocaches. As I was walking down a peaceful bit of trail in total seclusion I reflected on races past and ones that were almost won, or anything that fell short for one reason or another. They were all absolved now. Every dog gets his day and today was mine.

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Better late than never… the 3rd annual Haven’s Wooded Trail 5k is tomorrow November 19th and Haven’s Park in Leavenworth.

Here’s the website PDF for it…

and there was an article in the Leavenworth Times about it!

I think it’s a great race and tons of fun… I’ve been doing primarily all trail runs lately (training wise) so I’m really looking forward to this one. I’d like to run a sub 30 minute this time… but each year while I’m running it I’m reminded of just how tough it can be… so we’ll see how it goes!

Hope to see you there.

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Here are some upcoming races I’m running and other races otherwise…

October 29th – 5k Costume Fun Run/Walk and Walk-a-thon
October 29th – Youth Sports & Fitness Halloween Fun Run
November 9th – Al Pursel’s Veterans Cross Country 5k
November 19th – Haven’s Wooded 5k
November 20th – Gobbler Grind Marathon
November 24th – Kansas City’s Thanksgiving Day 5k
December 3rd – Rudolph’s Red Nose Run 7.2 Miler

Ok so what’s up with these races?!? The first two are scarily under publicized, so I’m trying to help them out. Not sure if I will be at either one … but if any I will be at the Lansing Elementary one… with a costume of some sort? Maybe I’ll dress as a 5k runner… haha

Ok so No.3 on the list… the Veteran’s Cross Country. I checked out the course already. It’s two loops of it which was nothing special but is a nice diversion from road 5ks. The last 5k put on by this, uh, conglomerate LVPARKS&REC/Roger Harrison yielded a decidedly sparse field. You could have placed. I mean really, I don’t care who you are… you would have placed FOR SURE. Check it out. So anyway… who will show up for this one? Only time will tell but make sure to register early… no race day registration on this one.

Haven’s Wooded 5k. I love this race. My friend hates it. This is the 3rd year in a row for it. I got lost first year (as did my friend) and I dropped out of the standings finishing in 32:00. I think he still placed though. The next year he earned a DNF while I did manage 4th overall I think? Yeah confirmed… just looked up and linked it in case you want to check out past results. Which was of course good for 1st in age group. That’s the one thing I don’t care for in these races… oh I won’t complain too heavily, but I did manage to place 3rd overall once and there was no third overall… only 1st in age group. I’ll take the former. But I digress. RUN THIS RACE!! It is fun and put on WELL I think. The course can be a little tricky but overall its a great event which seems to be getting better year by year and its a fairly tough course too. Don’t miss this one.

Gobbler Grind. The subject and title of this entire blog once upon a time. Will I run it? Maybe. I would like to run a 3:45 and I think its possible. Not sure on the course or anything. But… this one is on the radar and beeping.

My son and I are already registered for the Thanksgiving day run, which I NOW realize is just a scant 4 days after the Gobbler Grind Marathon. Well, hopefully he’ll take it easy on me and we’ll have a great day

See you at the races!

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I present to you:

Marathon Times to Beat

I next plan to beat Will Ferrell’s time of 3:56:12. After that, I think I’m comfortable with the rest of the list.

I’d love to beat Rod Blago too, but 3:03 is pretty impressive!

and

Pace Calculator

Both basically copy pastes from other sites… but with a few additions and now I can browse them both without leaving my site, and you can too!

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Well today is the first day since Sunday that I can walk 100% normal, so that’s good.

I’m sure the(this) marathon was so hard on me because even though I “trained” for it and felt in decent shape… I really didn’t train any long runs. The longest run I’d done since the full back in June was a scant 9.3 miles in the 15k I ran a few weeks ago. Now that race I felt well trained for. I had run 7 miles many times leading up to it. Perfect training for a 9 miler I think.

Looking back to that June marathon, even though I finished in 4:37 and the course was wayyyy tougher… I didn’t have such a hard time with I think because I’d run the Hospital Hill the week before.

Oh well… I could dissect and pull out past examples ad infinitum… point is, I simply need to do runs over 9 miles when training for 26 IF I don’t want to crash at mile 16 and TOTALLY crash at mile 22.

It hurt so bad during those final miles it was another one of those “why the hell am I here moments?” But there’s all those signs… “Chafe today, brag tomorrow.” “Pain is temporary, pride is forever” — and you know this… it’s true. I’m certainly happy now that I did it, and I’m just waiting for the next one!! That’s why I want to run KC so badly this weekend… but alas I think I shall wait. Not quite rested.

I did go for a run tonight, and it felt pretty good. Back still a little sore and legs too, but at least I’m at 95% mobility and can walk without looking like a, well, someone whose forgotten how to walk or just ran a marathon. It was quite comical at O’Hare spotting all the people limping on Monday.

So… I will probably SLEEP IN this weekend even though no one voted for it. Sad, I know.

But, I think Gobbler is calling my name… yes Gobbler Grind… that’s it. The one I blogged about a few years ago and never did do! Good plan!

I’ve got this thing! And it’s F—— Golden!

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