My first race of 2011 kicked off with another "first" - a trail race! And a bona fide trail race it was. The Psycho Wyco 5K Ice Version was the real deal: no paved trails, lots of loose rocks, sudden elevation drops and climbs. And since the Kansas City area got 7" of snow last Monday, we also had snow and ice to contend with. Sweet.
It took me 46 minutes to complete the course. The fastest runner today clocked in at 20:34 - even at a regular paved race, that would be a very solid time. But in this race's context, that's amazing. The majority of us ran it anywhere from 30:00 to 1 hour, to add a bit more perspective.
Personally, I love that I had to walk or even slide down through certain stretches of the 5K. I think it's the first 5K where I didn't cross the finish line huffing and puffing. :-)
Since I didn't bring my camera with me this morning, here's a good roundup of today's race photos, courtesy of Dick Ross. However, they don't come CLOSE to capturing the fun we had out there, romping in the cold and snow. I am definitely signing up for another trail race as soon as I can!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Post-Christmas 2010 Dispatch
The Great Holiday Season of 2010 left me feeling pretty drained, though it was fun. I spent much of it on the road with my hubby and cat, which provided for some interesting moments. If you can put up with a cat who yowls nearly nonstop from New Jersey to Kansas in a cramped sedan, you've earned bonus points in my book, just saying...
I ate and drank a lot while I was on Christmas break. I tried Slovakian moonshine for the first time, and man, did it nip any potential bronchial issues I may have had, right in the bud! And my running went down the drain the two weeks I was in the northeast. I could blame it on the freak Nor'easter that went down late December in much of New York, New Jersey and New England. (As an aside, it was shocking to see my relatives' homes buried under mounds of snow - we are talking 30 inches - and they live in the Jersey Shore, which always gets rain, but never a shitton of the powdery stuff! Meanwhile, western NJ and eastern PA, the areas that usually get frozen over with snow, barely got 5 inches. Strange.). But honestly, that wasn't the case. I just didn't make the time to run and as a result, it didn't happen. On the bright side, however, I feel much better rested and relaxed. All that lack of activity actually brightened my spirits.
But now that I'm back at the homestead, it was also back to (running) work. I hammered out a brisk 1 mile this afternoon, 8:52 split, followed by an easier-going 1.5 miles. Honestly, however, my lungs were on fire and it felt pretty bad. So I have some catching up to do on the cardio front. But it's a terrific start to a new year. Cheers to everyone, and I wish you a splendid New Year.
I ate and drank a lot while I was on Christmas break. I tried Slovakian moonshine for the first time, and man, did it nip any potential bronchial issues I may have had, right in the bud! And my running went down the drain the two weeks I was in the northeast. I could blame it on the freak Nor'easter that went down late December in much of New York, New Jersey and New England. (As an aside, it was shocking to see my relatives' homes buried under mounds of snow - we are talking 30 inches - and they live in the Jersey Shore, which always gets rain, but never a shitton of the powdery stuff! Meanwhile, western NJ and eastern PA, the areas that usually get frozen over with snow, barely got 5 inches. Strange.). But honestly, that wasn't the case. I just didn't make the time to run and as a result, it didn't happen. On the bright side, however, I feel much better rested and relaxed. All that lack of activity actually brightened my spirits.
But now that I'm back at the homestead, it was also back to (running) work. I hammered out a brisk 1 mile this afternoon, 8:52 split, followed by an easier-going 1.5 miles. Honestly, however, my lungs were on fire and it felt pretty bad. So I have some catching up to do on the cardio front. But it's a terrific start to a new year. Cheers to everyone, and I wish you a splendid New Year.