PsychoWyco Run Toto Run 10-Miler

A few weeks ago, I decided to do the Run Toto Run 10 Mile/20 Mile/50K race that the Kansas City Trail Nerds organize each year in Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, KS. Frankly, I've been finding it quite hard to stay motivated in my running. Especially on the weekends. Now that I don't have a marathon to train for (I have a half to prep for that's in May, but that's another entirely different story...), I'm just "whatever" when it comes to long runs. So I signed up for the 10 miler since it would keep me accountable. And besides, trail running is fun! It's all about the experience, the camaraderie, and accepting the fact that you'll inevitably fall at some point. But you just gotta "go with the flow."

All the (slightly) nutty folks gearing up for the race:


Weather conditions were incredibly gorgeous on this Saturday morning. Temps started in the 20F range, and quickly warmed up to around 40F. Hardly any wind chill was present, either. That presented a mixed bag, however, because while it was easy to warm up, the sun started melting the snow. Kansas and most of the midwest got quite a bit of snowfall in the last few weeks, and it hasn't gone away yet. So while the snow was packed down, it quickly turned into a skating rink under these conditions.

We're shuffling off to Buffalo...


Around the 3 mile mark, I found fellow runners I could keep easy pace with. Most of us were in the "let's walk this" category, mostly because the paths were slippery, and at some points, were either steep vertical climbs or downhills (and I mean REALLY steep - there was rope tied to a tree somewhere in the last half of the 10 miler). There were parts where I actually hoofed it, and quickly, though.

I don't want to sound callous, but I like passing people in races. Even on a "fun run" like this where time wasn't the goal, I feel good when I do this. And I did this a few times at this race. But there were lots of folks who passed me as well, so it all evens out.


Are we in Narnia? Photo courtesy of Dick Ross, SeeKCRun.



Strangely enough, I found this to be one of the easiest races I've done yet. I don't know if it's because I've become more comfortable with snow running, or because it's liberating NOT to run for a PR or a certain goal time. And I'm not going to minimize the challenges that this race posed. They were significant enough that one of the runners I was with slipped pretty hard, (I helped her get up, and while she may be black and blue later, she was able to run it OK the rest of the way). We had to tread very carefully at certain segments, too. But at the same time, it was so pleasurable to walk in the snow, and take comfort in knowing that crossing the finish line was going to feel like a million bucks.



As for my time, I clocked in at 2:46. In typical fashion, I forgot to turn on my Garmin at the race's start, so I'd covered nearly a mile before I'd realized the goof. Oh well. But I crossed the finish feeling like I'd barely done anything, LOL. Seriously, it's good to end a race not feeling all banged-up and tweaked. And as a matter of fact, I had enough of an appetite to enjoy hot coffee, Nutella sandwiches, lentil and chicken soup, and pretzels. I don't know about you guys, but after a race, I'm all about the salty snacks!

This was my first and last Run Toto Run race, since I won't be staying in Kansas. Who knows, though, maybe one day I'll be nuts enough to do its 50K some time. It was a well-planned and executed trail race, and if you're a Midwesterner endurance-weenie who wants a fun, challenging and friendly running experience, I totally recommend this. I loved every moment of it, even when I was slipping downhill.

Trial by Ice

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!

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.

The Joys of Winter Running

I did 6.75 miles yesterday in the cold, and I will admit, the masochist in me rather enjoyed it. The temps were in the 20's, but with wind chill it was more like teens-ish... And since I lived in the south for the last 2 years, it was rather a shock to the system. :O However, I quickly acclimated to it, which is easy to do when it's not windy. And bundled up with a furry hat. The miles at first went by slowly, but then accelerated at a speedy clip. The scenery was great, and I saw fellow nutzos out there (including one runner who was wearing shorts!). Sometimes I just get into a really good zone on my jogs, and roll with it; yesterday was a fabulous illustration of that occurrence. I'm one of those folks who are successful at achieving Zen through running, and not yoga. Some of you will know what I'm talking about reading this!

Anyways, yesterday's workout had some speedy segments thrown in for good measure, but it was overall a pretty conservative effort. I can't believe how racing can impact you even a week afterward. I'm still feeling a wee bit tired, and my legs aren't quite fresh yet. Granted, I did a freakin' marathon, so I know it's exhausting business, but it's still a little jarring to feel the way I do right now.

Hope I'll be able to squeeze in some good runs while I'm in the northeast during the holidays. It'll be a great stress reliever, not to mention penance for eating all those cookies, and drinking all those hot chocolates with Baileys.

A 2-Hr (or less) Half, Here I Come!!!

Let me preface this post with a mini-ramble of how training for Marathon #2 (Palm Beach Marathon 2010) went. Basically, most of it sucked. I felt tired a lot, got sick around key workout times, and essentially felt stale about the whole affair. I'd get occasional flashes of potential and awesomeness on certain runs (e.g., running an 8:35 split on the last mile of a 20 mile training run - how the fuck did THAT come about?), but that was all. Not a lot of meaty substance, but plenty of malaise to go around.

So while I felt adequately prepped going into Palm Beach, I knew that it would be very unlikely I'd reach my goal time of 4:30. I just didn't have the strength and endurance to hack it. But I still set a new PR by 9 minutes. That was extremely comforting for me. However, it also confirmed that I need to rejigger the way I approach training, not to mention that busting out of my comfort zone has to happen in order for me to meet my new ambitions.

Goal #1: I want to run a half-marathon in 2-flat or under
Goal #2: I want to run a full in 4:20 or under
Goal #3: I want to lose 5 lbs. (which will help me reach the first two goals, so actually, this should be the first thing on my plate, but weight loss is never a fun thing)

How will I attain these? I'm still fishing around for a good training program to follow, but I have a few things up my sleeve that will help me on this running journey of mine. I've been reading, and re-reading, Matt Fitzgerald's Run, and will continue to pay close attention to my body's messages, a point that he hammers home in his latest offering. On a more specific level, I also need to up the amount of weekly mileage. I peaked at 40 miles/week for this recent marathon training cycle, and that wasn't sufficient enough in my opinion. So instead of running for 40-50 minutes 3 days/week like I usually do, I'll extend my runs to 1 hour or more twice a week. THAT was really the culprit that led to my OK-but-not-that-great performance on December 5th; I paid too much attention to the LSD runs, but not enough to my tempo and recovery ones.

As for losing weight, the obvious answer is to eat less and move around a lot more. But that's easier said than done. ;) However, if I buckle down and set my mind to it, I'll do it. But as I said earlier, weight loss just isn't fun thinking or discussing.

Back from the Dead

Ok, not quite, but I haven't posted anything in here since October, and now we are waiting for Christmas, not to mention the close of 2010. Yikes!

Since October, I have done the following:

-Ran the Waddell & Reed Half Marathon in Kansas City with a 2:10:38 time
-Did the Palm Beach Marathon on Dec. 5th, and PR'd. Chip time was 4:42:07

Lots of things have been going on with me, so it's been pretty tumultuous for the last two months. I don't want to elaborate on it now, but when I'm ready, maybe I'll talk about it here. But I've always had the hardest time expressing personal life-related matters, and I feel protective of my loved ones.... The latter part especially explains my reluctance in "sharing" my current stressors - I just feel a bit weird and hesitant in disclosing things that are mostly affecting my family.

I also have a few running-related goals I want to (and WILL) achieve next year... Will discuss them at length in my next post!

I Just Love It When a Plan Comes Together

I rocked a half marathon this past Saturday. Ok, "rock" may be too strong a word, but when you're congested and in the throes of a wicked cold, anytime you exceed expectations, you can't help but feel a little good.

Yesterday morning, I did the inaugural Ft. Leavenworth CAC Half Marathon. I wasn't sure how I'd feel during the race, so I decided to just roll with it, and run according to feeling. If I had to be a slowpoke, I was down with that. If I was up to being brisk in pace, I'd go along with that, too. I wound up doing a mix of the two, and managed to pass three folks along the route! All in all, I crossed the finish line in 2:12.

Per (my) orders, I went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival afterward to recover from that experience. A little beer and turkey legs are fabulous antidotes to a good outdoor run. ;-)