The Skippo Trail Race 2017

Question- Do you do something you know you can do or push yourself to do more?

What if you come in last?

What if you might fail altogether?

That’s the question I kept asking myself leading up to the Skippo Trail Race. I’d done the 20k two times before and thought “What the heck, it’s just one more loop” and “I want that 30K belt buckle” (which I had no plans on actually using as a belt buckle).

So I clicked the 30K option and was filled with anxiety from then on. The cut off time is 4 and a half hours. I’ve finished the 20K in 2:37 and 2:35. I’d looked at my pace and time I don’t know how often. I kept telling myself that if I really wanted to I could drop down to the 20K and that hey, maybe I’d be forced to stop after the second loop because you have to be there by 2:50.

Ugh.

But I know me and I know the only way I would actually stop after 20K was if someone actually told me to.

So….

Race Morning. Also known as.

The race that almost wasn’t.

The race starts at 9:00 in Ballwin Missouri which is about half an hour away. The strongly recommend you take the shuttle to the start. The last one is at 8:45. For whatever reason, my GPS had me go 3 miles on a dead end road only to have to turn around. If I’d known it was a dead end I wouldn’t have taken it and I certainly wouldn’t have gone all the way to the turnaround point! Maybe it’s my fault for not looking ahead but I was trying to pay attention to the road. I’ve never had this issue before.

I was already anxious and this added stress of being late wasn’t helping AT ALL. I honestly thought about just scrapping the whole thing and going home. And I was this close for bursting into tears.

I drove back the three miles (again) and just decided to try to get on the highway next to the road I had just taken. I had no idea if that was the right road or not. I looked at my phone and my ETA went from 8:56 to 8:50. Still just in time to miss the shuttle.  But at least I was now back on my way! I’d figure out parking somehow.

As I was driving up the road where the shuttle parking lot is I just glanced over and saw a van still there and a girl running towards it! If I hurried, maybe I could make it! I quickly turned left and found a spot to park and ran the to van. I told the driver how happy I was that he was still there! I talked to the other girl and it turns out she had gotten half way to the race and realized she forgot her shoes and had to go back and get them!

She helped calm me down by telling me that they release groups in waves. I knew that but in my panic I’d forgotten (it turned out we were both in the same wave too but she was doing the 20K) and we’d still get there in time. The driver said he’d drop us off right next to the start too so that we didn’t have to walk.

We got there and the announcer was still talking. The first group still hadn’t gone yet. We had plenty of time. So all that panic for noting.

I even had time for pictures…

 

 

Once I was finally on my way I tried to just enjoy the outdoors. It was a really nice day and the leaves and everything was just beautiful. I didn’t take any pictures like I have in the past because I can’t get to my phone as easily. That’s something I need to work on.

I’d either forgotten or the sand on the trail is new, either way it’s not fun or easy to run in sand. After about 2.50 miles come the tunnel and then the stairs. About 200 of them. Straight up. But after those stairs you get the most amazing photo opportunity. One worth actually stopping to get your phone.

Worth it!

The trail is open to the public which adds to the challenge but they often bring dogs so that evens it out 🙂 I saw so many dogs!

I was feeling really good. It was a little warm but still ok. I finished the first loop in 1:20. I passed through the start to continue on to the second loop. More sand, more stairs, more hills, more beautiful view and more dogs!

Then, at about mile 9 or 10 BAM! I got a really good look at the ground. It HURT! The lady in front of me stopped to ask if I was ok.  Turns out she knew my pain because she had taken a tumble going UP one of the hills. There was crusted blood on her leg. My knee and elbow and hip were hurting but I couldn’t stop now! I finished the second look in 1:29.

 

Ouchie.

If you add those two times together you know I’m cutting it close. As I was passing for the second time I checked with an official and he said I was still ok to continue if I wanted to. So on I went. I grabbed a GU from a volunteer and pressed on.

There seemed to be less people out on the trail as I was doing my last loop. And I knew there was at least one person behind me. Going up the stairs this time I tried taking them 2 at a time. Not because I was feeling that great but because I was hoping that would somehow be faster. As I was going up I saw someone having to carry his dog down the stairs. That was kind of funny.

I didn’t fall this time and when I got to the creek I just ran into it and stopped to splash water on my legs.

At one of the aid stations I refilled my water both of which slowed me down but at that point I needed it. With about 2 miles left I saw two guys. I wasn’t sure if they were in the race or not but I made it my mission to find out. Turns out they were. And I finished before them. Somehow. I finished the finial loop in 1:31 for a total of 4:21.

 

AHHHHH! I DID IT! And I didn’t come in last!

I don’t know if I will ever do the 30K again but I am so proud of myself for not quitting! I will be back next year doing the 20K for sure!

Mo’ Cowbell 2017

It’s been more than a week since the Mo’ Cowbell but late is better than never right?

Packet pick up was the day before at St. Charles Community College so I had to go St. Charles twice.  I was hoping there would be something I might want at the Ex Mo’ and it would be worth the drive but there wasn’t. It was actually pretty small.

I had a late lunch of a baked potato and went to bed pretty early. I knew I’d have to get up extra early because the parking situation is not the best at the race. Fortunately I was able to find parking pretty close. Well I thought it was close anyway. Turned out to be about half a mile away. Oh well. Warm up walk! On my way I ate my pumpkin pie Clif Bar. Yummy!

I sat on so train tracks to pin my bib on and spotted these ladies in these awesome socks!

Right before the race they play “Don’t Fear the Reaper”!

Getting excited now! More COWBELL!!

There’s supposed to be a bucket on the side the you can put your cowbell in after you cross the start but it was missing so everyone just tossed theirs by the curb. We were able to pick one back up after the race.

 

The start and a nice shot of the back of someones head…

I had been feeling a little bit of pain in my left hip but was feeling really good until about mile seven but I just pushed through.

I hadn’t done Mo’ Cowbell since 2013 and forgot about the bridges when you go into Newtown. Again, I don’t know why they had bridges like this but they are not fun to run on. Maybe it’s so water can go through and not just sit on concrete?

The elevation for the course is pretty flat. There are a few little hills but nothing bad until you get to Mo’tivation Mile. They had this awesome bubble bus blowing bubbles everywhere!

After that there is a “nice” long downhill before some more flat terrain to the finish!

I have a habit for stopping Garmin before I actually get to the finish so there’s always a little bit difference in time there.

One of my fastest finishing times! I actually need to look back and see what my fastest half marathon is.

 

 

The medal is really neat and for the next four years the medals will fit together. I suspect it’s an attempt to get people to come back but I really enjoyed this race and would like to run it again next year! 🙂

As a side note- this was the first year I used bag check and it worked out really well. I got my bag and put on my compression sleeves and changed my shoes as I had a chocolate milk before heading to my car.

Equinox Night-time Half Marathon

On Saturday was my first official night time half marathon but, because of the not guilty verdict in the Jason Stockley trial I wasn’t sure if it would be canceled. There were some not so peaceful protestors and a lot of other things had already been canceled.

I messaged the race director on Facebook and then, just in case, I went for a 6 mile run.  I was hoping I would have a response by the time I got back.

And I did! Race is still on!

The Equinox Half and 5k was in Westport Plaza which although is only about 30 minutes away I’ve never been.  The race started at 7:30pm and packet pick-up was until 6:45 so after I got there I had plenty of time to go back to my car to bin my bib, attach my timing device and put my swag away. I love swag and there was a lot of it! We got socks, a hat, a pint glass and a bunch of coupons for restaurants.

I was hanging around waiting for the start then things took a turn. For some reason my tummy started really hurting. And I was really thirsty. I had brought my Camelbak but didn’t want to drink all the water before even starting so I went to the finish area to grab a water. I saw others drinking it so didn’t think they would mind.

The half marathon was a two loop course and we got going right at 7:30pm.

There wasn’t a corral start, waves or anything like that so it was kind of crowded in the beginning. Even though it was pretty crowded I heard someone calling my name! I know hardly anyone but I looked over and saw my friend Nicole. She’s a Fleet Feet coach and we talked for a bit. She told me that she had ran 12 miles with her training team in preparation for Mo’ Cowbell on October 1^st. Holy cow!

This race was VERY well organized. There were cones all along the route and water stations at every mile. There were volunteers or police at every turn and there were also signs pointing which direction to go when there was a turn.

I was trying to focus on the run but my tummy and head were just not in it! I was hot and still really thirsty. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t feeling well but this course was also harder then I thought it would be.

Here’s a look at the elevation. It had some pretty good hills. When I saw the turn for the 5k I was really tempted to cut things short. BUT! I didn’t. I just decided to do my best and not focus what finish time I would get. Although I had my own water I had used it all before finishing. I not only walked when I got to an aid station I stopped to drink the water making sure I put the empty cup in the trash and not the grass or street.

I was feeling like crap but when I saw this place I had to take a picture.

There used to be a bakery outlet or whatever close to where I live. Kelly and I would get bread and other baked yummies on the weekends. Then they closed. That was a sad day. Then there was a place within walking distance of when I work. I would sometimes get the pumpkin seed cranberry bread. So good! For whatever reason they closed too! Trader Joe’s used to carry Companions five cheese focaccia bread that’s gone as well. What is the world coming to?!?

Anyway, back to the race. Because it was two loops we had to actually go through the finish area half way through the course. I didn’t mind though because there were a lot of people there cheering. The second loop seemed easier then the first time. Maybe because I already knew what to expect. At one point I heard someone coming up behind me. She eventually passed me and I saw that she was carrying the 2:45 pace sign.

I had no idea really what time I would finish in but when I finally got to the end (again lol) I was SO happy. I happened to see Nicole sitting on the curb near the finish line and called out to her.  I also saw the clock and that it wasn’t at quite at 2:45. That pacer was a little faster then she should have been. I guess it didn’t matter to her because she was alone but I wonder if she had been, maybe others would have been able to keep up?

I was given my medal and headed over to the refreshment table for more water. There was also bananas and small bags of chips. I didn’t hang around long. It was late, I was tired and gross. I just wanted to get home to my shower and bed.

This was probably one of the best organized races I’ve been to. I’m really thankful to the volunteers and the police/fire department for keeping us all safe while we were out. We wouldn’t be able to do this without them!

Really nice glow in the dark medal!

Really nice glow in the dark medal!

 

 

 

Heart of America Marathon 2017 Training

I’ve been training for my 3rd Heart of America Marathon and now it’s 4 days away!

AAAHHHHH!

Training has been going surprisingly well considering how hot it’s been this summer.

My longest long run was 20 miles.

On one hand I like that it’s “only” 20 because I want to save the actual distance for the Big Day but on the other hand I’ve still have 6 miles to do. Do I have 6 miles left in me? I’ve done marathons before so the answer is yes I do but….there’s always the but….

Yes each mile split is in the 11 range but it was hot and I knew I had 20 miles to do so I was really pacing myself. I’m happy with the results.

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Never one to stick to a plan I ditched my schedule in the last week and decided to do 6,5,4,and 3 miles before taking a few rest days before Marathon Day.

Monday I wanted to do a 10k and see what my pace was like. I’m really proud of these splits. It’s one of my best 10k’s. 🙂

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Yesterday I wanted to try to do my best 5 miles. It wasn’t my all-time best but it’s up there. 🙂

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Today I wanted to try to finish 4 miles in less than 40 minutes and I DID IT! Each mile is in the 9 range except for the darn 3^rd mile because I just had to stop and pick up a nickel I saw on the ground. BUT that still gives me a 9:56 pace average so I’ll try not to beat myself up about it too much. 🙂

I haven’t done my 3 miles yet. That will be done tomorrow but looking at this I know I have faster in me. I also know to expect the 11 range during the marathon. I’m ok with that. I always have two goals. 1 is to just finish and the other is to finish in 5 hours or less. After last year I am adding one: DON’T FALL!

Before I really got into the long long runs I bought a Camelback.

It is so much better the the hydration belt because it can hold more water and it’s right there. No reaching for the bottle or any of that. The only draw back is if you want to get anything out of it you pretty much have to take it off. And because it can hold so much more water it is a little on the heavy side but I do like it more then the belt so I do recommend it.

 

After HoA I want to take a break but I have a bunch of other races I want to do.

• The Equinox Half
• Mo’ Cowbell Half
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Half
• Go! Halloween Half
• The Skippo (which I haven’t decided if I want to do the 20 or 30k)
• Hot Chocolate 15K
• Santa’s North Pole Dash (5k)

So that’s a lot and sometimes I feel like maybe too much and I don’t have to do EVERY race but oh well. Theres that but again…..

 

 

Go! St. Louis 2017 Map Reveal

Last time I posted about how Go! St. Louis changed their location and route. They hadn’t put out the map at that point but on February 9^th I got an email showing the new course.  I was excited to see what the changes would be.

Here’s a look at the map for 2016:

and here’s what the map for 2017 looks like:

I’m going to be doing the half so I’ll be following the green route. It is different but not completely. It’s more of a loop then an out and back. I was hoping to avoid boring, long 7th street/Broadway but no. There better be some Clydesdale out! I’m pretty sure they include it because it takes you past the brewery and that’s something St. Louis is known for.

I have been wanting to see what the metal looks like but I would also kind of like to be surprised.  🙂

Update

Where has the time gone?!?

I haven’t written anything since my review of the Hot Chocolate 15k. This thing has been pushed even further then the back burner. The fact of the matter is there hasn’t really been anything worth writing about. I’ve still been consistently running each morning (and factoring in a cross training day once a week). I’ve also been participating in this 30 Day Burpee Challenge on Facebook.

On the schedule for today was 100 and even though it took the better part of the day to find a spare moment, I did all 100. Honestly, I’ll be glad when this month is over although I think I have been getting better at burpees. They seem easier. Easier NOT easy.

Now, to the main reason why I’m here.

A few weeks ago Go! St. Louis posted a sort of scavenger hunt on their Facebook page. They announced that the race start and course were going to be new this year and posted pictures of the new location.

? I have no idea.

I still don’t know.

I think I’ve seen these flags somewhere.

These stairs look kind of familiar.

The main problem with this is they did it on a Monday when most people (I) have to work. So even if I did know where they were I wouldn’t have been able to get there. If you were one of the people who were able to find them they had 30 race entries, VIP packages and some GO! St. Louis Swag to give away.

I’ve already registered but a VIP package or some swag would have been nice! Oh well. I am pretty excited for this new start area. If you (like me) didn’t know where they were it’s the riverfront by the arch. They haven’t put the new course out and I’ve curious to see what that’s going to be like. I’m also hoping for better metals this year.  Every year it seems like I think they could do better. We shall see!

Quivering Quads II 2016

This morning I ran the Quivering Quads II which is a 13.1k. To save you the trouble, a 13.1k is around 8 miles. The race is in Troy Missouri and starts at 9:00am.I don’t know why they have such a late start. They have a wave start and I was to start at 9:22am but because of the restrooms shortage (5 for no less then 550 people….WHAT!?!?) I didn’t start until 10:00am.

I really like trail races because I used to spend a lot of time in the woods when I was younger and it brings that back for me.

The map from Garmin

The Elevation

I really wanted to take some pictures but we were literally right next to the water and if you weren’t paying very close attention you could fall in or trip on something. A root, a rock or something like that. I did the best I could and some are blurry because the lens on my phone was sweaty.

There are a lot of ups and downs and at one point they tied a rope to a tree to help you get down into this dry creek area which looped back around and when you got back to that area, you had to use the rope to climb back out. A volunteer tried offering his hand to help me up but I didn’t trust him so I used the rope. It was all slippery with sweat but I managed!

Right after I took this picture of mile marker 5 I stepped in a one of the only muddy spots during the whole route. Way. To. Go.

I didn’t get a picture of the lake but trust me, it was beautiful.

One of the first things they tell you is not to expect to run at your normal pace. That is no joke. Even though they send you out in waves you will meet up with other people and if you want to pass them it’s not easy.

I wanted to finish in under two hours so I’m happy with my time

At the finish there is a little BBQ with hamburgers, hotdogs, Gus pretzels, Gatorade, Power Bars and Sun Chips.

I got a veggie burger just to see how it was. I didn’t really like it. I’ve wanted to try the garden salsa Sun Chips for a while so I was glad to see them. They are good.

My “woodal”

I had a great time!

Next weekend is The Skippo! That will be four races in the last four weekends. I’m SO ready for a break. Thankfully I don’t have another race until December which will be the Hot Chocolate.

The Great GO! St. Louis Halloween Race 2016

On Sunday I did my third Halloween race. It was at 7:30 so I woke at 5:45. I had breakfast but at this point I don’t remember what. It doesn’t matter really.

I did the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon last weekend and had no problems parking. This time however, Market Street was closed and I had to park further away. Boo number 1.

Once I got to the start area I headed for the restrooms. For some reason there was only one line and it was realllly long. That was a first.

For some reason they had to make a route change and there would be a 15 minute delay. I had some time to look around the area and made a new friend!

As you can see, I dressed as a kitty again.

I’m really curious as to why the changed the route. Anyway, we got started at 7:45 and I was feeling pretty good really.

I really wanted to try to take some pictures because I love all the costumes! One of my favorites was this one I saw at the beginning.

I really enjoyed going along the riverfront and seeing the arch.

This is the Lewis and Clark statue and although it’s hard to see there is also a dog and I wonder who that is. It is a really pretty area and I wanted to take more pictures.

When I saw this sign I came to a complete stop to take a picture.I was really excited to see some zombies! Sadly, I didn’t see a single zombie. Boo number 2.

There was also supposed to be candy along the route and I didn’t get a single piece. Boo number 3.  At first I was upset about that but after giving it some thought I wasn’t. If I had gotten some I would have just saved it for later and 1) I have no place to really put it and 2) I don’t really need it anyway. I was most upset because you should come thru with what you advertise.

I didn’t bring any water and at one point there was a table of water and grabbed a cup only to find that it was EMPTY! What? I had to go back and find a cup that had water in it. That’s never happened at a race before.

There were no GU or anything like that given out (they didn’t advertise that there would be) so it’s good that I brought some with me. I had it around mile 8 water stop.

I did slow down more then I wanted to but I’m still really happy with my finish time especially after just doing a half last weekend. 🙂

Another thing they really talked up was Trick-or-Treat Village. It was more like vendors and some happened to have candy. I felt weird taking any.

My finish line buddy!

Take note…

Even though there were a few disappointments, it’s nothing that will keep me from coming back next year.

Rock ‘n’ Roll 2016

Last Sunday I ran my third Rock ‘n’ Roll race and I broke one of the first rules in running before I even crossed the start line.

After finding a parking spot I walked to the start area chomping on some (pumpkin spice) BelVita breakfast biscuits. I’ve had these before but never before a run and once we got started my tummy felt off for the first few miles.

Oh well. Lesson learned…maybe.

I really like the RnR race because of the bands and the music. I do wish there were a few more bands along the way but It is a nice change from other races. I would have taken some pictures but since this was the same course as last year I decided to focus more on running.

Last year it was around 30 degrees for the race. This year I got an email saying to prepare for “unusually warm weather”. It was around 70 and cloudy when we got started. It looked like it could rain at any second. I felt a few drops but nothing really happened. I don’t mind 70 really but for me, 45/ 50 is about perfect running temp.

Since it was warmer than usual I ended up stopping at more water aid stations then I had planned on. There was one that had these GLUKOS packets that looked just like GU only a little bigger. I grabbed one, opened it and squeezed and this water like stuff gushed all over my hand.

It’s not like GU at all which is nice because I have never really been a fan of the texture of GU I just wish I’d known. Oh well. I like the RnR course but I forgot how many hills there are! I am happy to say that I didn’t stop to walk during the whole thing though! Once of my goals was to stay under 11 miles per minute for each mile.

I got pretty close!

Tummy troubles aside I felt pretty good during this race and I end saw a someone I know along the way. I didn’t know she was doing this race so that was a nice surprise.

One of the things I hate to hear is “You’re almost there!” I know these people mean well but I just want to smack them in the face when I hear that!

Once I knew I actually was close to the finish line I tried to pick up the pace as much as I could. As you can see from above I finished in 2:20 and all things considered I’m pretty happy with that.

At the finish line after receiving my metal they had cool towels ready which was REALLY nice. There was also the usual things you’d find like bananas, chocolate milk, Power Bars and pretzels. There was also bottles of water, Gatorade and plain unflavored Propel water. You need a small wagon to haul around the stuff they offer! I chugged the choco milk and sipped the Gatorade as I walked around to cool down and take in everything.

The only real reason I took this picture was because I wanted the arch in the background and you can’t even see it!

I’m happy with this

Before we got started someone was flying a drone! Can you see it?

Next up- The Great GO! St. Louis Halloween Race

The Dandy Warhols

Last Saturday night Kelly and I were watching Game of Thrones. She was reading the River Front Times and saw the The Dandy Warhols were in town. She’s a bigger fan then I am but I still wanted to go so off we went!

The show started at 8 and I was sure it would be half over by the time we got there since it was already 7:30 but when we got there they hadn’t even started yet. We had time to look at the merch table. Kelly asked if I wanted anything and I saw this banana pendent that I wanted but decided against picking that since it was 70! dollars. I opted for the little banana pin instead. Then I hear Kelly tell the sales lady that she wants the $70 banana! I’m thinking she’s crazy to spend that much on a half inch banana (that doesn’t even come with a chain or anything to wear it around your neck) but whatever, It’s her money.

Later we’re waiting for the show to start and she’s laughing and says I can’t believe I spent $10 on a banana pin….” I joke back “that’s nothing compared to your $70 banana!”. Her eyes get big and her mouth drops open and she says “$70?!?! this thing was 70 dollars!?!?” I don’t know how she missed the zero behind that 7! To make a long story short she exchanged the banana for a hoodie, shirt and some other things.

There are really only two Dandy Warhol songs (Bohemian Like You and Horse Size Pills I know and they are both older but surprisingly they sung them both. They much be pretty popular because when they come on everyone got excited!

My camera isn’t the best but I did try to take some pictures. It was a good show and I’m glad we went.