I think I’ve been running differently due to my injury. The arch in my right foot hurts. My left ankle where the stitches were feels weird. I can’t feel my fingers touch the skin there unless I push really hard. I’m sore. I’m tired. I cried for the first time ever before a race. More on that later.
Hubby did the race with me this year. He barely got in by the “skin of his teeth.” He was trying to get the military appreciation discount, but his email got mixed up or something. Anyway, they were super nice and let him sign up. It’s a good discount. Since he was so late though, his name wasn’t on the super cute extra shirt I bought, and he paid a discount on the highest price.
The regular race shirt and a cute extra shirt with participants’ names on it.
Packet pick-up was fine. I think it was at the same place as last year. So, no problem there. Hubby went on the second day to sign up in person for his discount. He got a beer wristband they didn’t give me, but it ended up being fine. I talked to the people at the beer stand before the race and sorted it all out. They were cool.
The traffic to get into the parking lot on race day is always bad. We stuck to the outer edges and merged in just fine. I was feeling more than just nerves that morning. I felt really really nauseous as we pulled into the garage. I just kept thinking how happy I would be to get my goal time and run the Lincoln Half Marathon in May just for fun. No worries about my time. The way I love to run. These thoughts lead to the tears flowing. Hubby didn’t realize it for a bit. I just really really want my goal time so I can get redemption at Pike’s Peak in 2025. That is the only race I haven’t finished in my entire life I think and it wasn’t anything to do with me really. It was the weather. I tried to wipe that all out of my head so I could have a good race.
We headed to the starting line. I was a bit cold and a little afraid that it would rain on us, but we got lucky and had a beautiful morning. I lined up with the 2:25 people this time thinking maybe if I didn’t go out so fast, I could make it. I met a really nice gentleman, Scott, who was one of the pacers. I kept up with them for six miles. I really felt good. I felt I could do it. Scott would do a run/walk thing. I was trying to run and just do a slower run. We would pass each other a lot for the first few miles. I did great, but just like Rock The Parkway, I wasn’t feeling it at mile seven. I mean I was done.
I remembered how bad the last week’s 10K went at Gravel Hills. Then I also remembered something I heard on a Rachel Hollis podcast about making one little mistake and then just kind of giving up after that. Like if you eat a small piece of chocolate and get mad at yourself, you then go off and eat a whole pie or something because you think you might as well since you messed up in the first place. I think Rachel compares it to popping a tire on your car. You then go off and pop all the other tires because you can’t go anywhere. Doesn’t make sense does it? You’d have to pay more to get other tires fixed in the end in this metaphor. So, that is what I just kept telling myself. “Don’t pop the other tires. Just finish.”
I finished, but I did it in 2:43:08 according to my Garmin watch. I don’t have official results yet. I was doing the pace for the 2:25 finish, up to mile six and I just couldn’t keep the pace. I kept repeating the saying about the tires in my head when the second 2:25 pacer passed me, when both 2:30 pacers passed me, when both 2:35 pacers passed me, and then when one 2:40 pacer passed me. In the end, I kept feeling down about that whole thing. Then I remember how bad my ankle was and that I should be grateful I can run at all much less three half marathons and get my Heartland swag which was pretty cool this year.
I love how Lady Liberty is dressed as Glenda the Good Witch in this year’s Heartland Medal.
I had one of my Heartland shirts on from a while ago that says I’m a four-time finisher. I had a few people comment on it. I knew I’d done it more than four times. When I got home, I saw my old medal that had stickers for the dates we did previously. They used to just give you the sticker date and then some other swag like a shirt, jacket, etc. After COVID, they started to give you a whole new medal. Looking at how many blanks there were on my old medal and how many new medals I have, I would have completed the old medal. That means I’ve done three half marathons in the Spring for seven years! That made me feel a little better. I’ve still got the Lincoln Half Marathon to get my goal. I really hope I get it. I’m going to try not to stress about it so much. I didn’t like the feeling I had before Garmin Olathe.
verything below is my own opinion. I did not receive compensation for mentioning any products or services
HA! Spoiler Alert! I didn’t, but that is okay. This race was so small if they did give out age group awards, they might as well give everybody an award. Which they did. Sort of. We all got finisher medals. What is the race and why did I go? Well, I’m gonna try to give you the short story.
Hubby usually does The Heartland 39.3 Series with me which includes three half marathons in the Spring. Last year he only did the Liberty Half Marathon because Rock The Parkway was the same weekend as the Flint Hills Gravel Ride. We found out a little late, that he could have done Rock The Parkway with me this year because Flint Hills was the following weekend. Well, actually he still ended up doing a gravel cycling race but not the Flint Hills for that weekend. Last year when he did Flint Hills he saw they had runners doing a race as well. So, this year he talked me into signing up for The White 10Kish race. They had a 6K (The Red) and a 21K (The Blue) as well. I wanted more than a 6K and I didn’t feel like doing three half marathons three weekends in a row (Rock the Parkway, Flint Hills Gravel 21K, and then Garmin Oz). So, the 10K it was.
Now, I’ve been camping and doing hash runs for 20-plus years. Not a problem. I mean hash runs are just for fun. Hash House Harriers’ motto is that they are “a drinking club with a running problem.” There is no timing. No placing. You just run and enjoy the scenery and have lots and lots of beer afterward. I’ve never been camping for a legit race. This will be a new experience.
We had to wait Friday before we could head for Americus, KS which is where this event was held. I was in charge of the kids’ school PTA Fun Run. I was standing out in the sun all day long. I remembered sunscreen on my ears and everywhere, but the back of my hands were still fried. Why? I mean in that time frame you have to go the bathroom a few times, and well, the sunscreen gets washed off. I just don’t usually think about the back of my hands burning. So, I had that going into this little adventure.
We left the house about an hour later than Hubby wanted to. My in-laws came and stayed with the kids. Hubby wanted to go to camp first and put up our tent so we didn’t have to do it in the dark. We decided against that because we still needed to get our race packet and there was a spaghetti dinner. We hit Harry and Lloyds where all this was to take place.
They didn’t have a shirt for me at packet pick-up because I signed up so last minute. They said to check at the finish line. We did a few spin-the-wheel games at some of the tents. When I landed on one where I could get a shirt, I grabbed it. It wasn’t a Flint Hills shirt and it was a little big, but I got a shirt. We had our spaghetti and waited a short bit for more garlic bread. It was a nice dinner to end the day. I didn’t feel like getting a beer. I’m just not in my twenties anymore. LOL.
We had plenty of light when we made it to Basecamp Flint Hills in Allen, KS. Hubby’s buddy owns the property and he was there for the gravel ride as well. It did start to get dark when we were putting down our bedding in the tent. We joined the group at the fire for a little bit. I was exhausted from standing and being out in the sun all day at the Fun Run. I turned in a bit earlier than Hubby.
I haven’t been camping in a tent for a while. I did not get much sleep. I walked “a country mile” to the porta-potty and came back to get dressed. It was really cold last night and it was a bit nippy this morning. I still wore my running skort because I knew the temp was going to get really warm later. Still, I hate being cold. I wore a long-sleeved tech shirt. I figure if I get hot, I’ll just push up the sleeves. It worked out really well. More on that later.
A lot of Hubby’s friends were already gone. My race thankfully started about half an hour after Hubby’s race. If you’ve followed my blog, you know Hubby is a bit of a procrastinator. We got back to Americus and I needed a bathroom again. I walked to the start and waited in line to a bathroom in the park. I told Hubby good luck before I left because I knew he would be lined up for the start of his race before I had a chance to get back. That and the bathroom lines are usually long at races of any kind.
I did see Hubby roll by before I got in the bathroom. I actually got a picture of the tail end of him going through the start. I chit-chatted with some other runners before our start. All distances were to start together or so we thought. The guy running the show had a microphone but he was out in the street with us talking to us like we were his buddies which I thought was awesome. He did ask the 21K people to go in the back. He didn’t want them confused because their course had a bit of a different start. So they would start just a bit later. The 6K and 10K had the same start and then signs would show us the way and he said this year they were not handwritten signs. Ha! He also informed us that 17 people signed up for the 6K and 17 signed up for the 10K. Actually, I think my results said 19, but I don’t remember how many signed up for the 21K.
Hubby is on the green bike with the blue top
Now, the race bib had a cow on it, and driving out to Americus seemed pretty flat and open. I was a little worried this would be like Running With the Cows. I really don’t like a wide-open course where I can see three miles down the road and know how far behind I am. It’s kind of torturous for me. And that’s exactly how it was. I will say the big difference was that this was mostly gravel. Running With the Cows is pavement.
I’m not sure if it was my injury or if I just wasn’t well-rested from Rock The Parkway, but this kicked my butt. I just wasn’t feeling it. I did have a lady behind me most of the race. I saw a lady in front that would walk/run that I was trying to catch. In the end, I passed the one lady in front and the lady behind me ended up passing me. She just had a bit more in her “tank” at the end than I did.
I made a Facebook post joking that I placed 15th overall in my 10K, but Shhh, don’t tell anybody that only 19 registered. I finished in 1:17:31. It makes me worried for Garmin Oz. I really want to get under 2:30 for my half.
The end didn’t have bottled water or chocolate milk. I got a medal and a pint glass. All the distance medals were the same. I went over and got a beer with my token. I really needed water and was looking for the free water that is usually given at a race. They didn’t have any out. The guy at the table with the beer was nice enough to give me a sparkling water. That was so nice and I felt so much better except my face and hands. I could feel the sun in full force. I put sunscreen on my face, but I could still feel my skin baking. I did forget sunscreen for my arms since I was wearing a long-sleeve shirt. I put my sleeves down as sun protection and I was fine. It was so windy I didn’t get too hot with the tech sleeves down.
I made it back over to see about the shirt. I got one and it was much better than the one I took from spinning the wheel the previous night. Honestly, I need another shirt like I need “another hole in the head,” but I guess I was salty since I was expecting one. I saw several cyclists finish. I turned around and there was Hubby. He finished 11th or 12th in his distance which is much more impressive because there were so many more people registered for the cycling events. One of the gentlemen, Aaron, from our camp placed second in the same distance. Earlier I said there were no age group awards, but there were for sure overall awards for men and women of each distance and category. So Aaron got to be on the podium.
Hubby and I grabbed some food from a nearby food truck. We were lucky and got in line first before it got too long. I had to go back and get cash from the car because the cell signal was not great there if you were not on Verizon. We ate and then I drove back to Basecamp on my own while Hubby and Aaron rode the 15 miles back there. I think they kind of wanted to do the longer distance ride, but doing the shorter ride and then just riding back to camp suited them just fine.
I made it back to camp in time to beat the shower rush. There was a “Shower Shack” in the middle of camp that was nice. It had sides for privacy and gas to heat the water. The problem was that the winds had picked up so much that I thought my clothes or towel was going to blow away and the pilot light kept going out. My shower would be warm for a few seconds and then go cold. I would turn it off, turn it back on, and then it would repeat the process. It was okay. I made it out clean and clothed in the end.
Hubby and Aaron made it back okay. We spent most of the afternoon having drinks, chatting, and just hanging out at the picnic tables under the awning. They had something like a windscreen attached to the awning that blocked the wind from part of the picnic tables. Everyone was seated there until the sun caught up with us. I tried to take a nap earlier, but the wind was too much. My tent was swaying all around me. Thankfully, it survived the day without any poles snapping.
The wind died down enough to have a fire that night. Most people had already eaten dinner. There were a few of us that looked like we were mostly snacking. Hubby and I didn’t really bring an actual meal. I realized that usually when we camp, it is with a big organized group like the Hash. We usually have some meals included with our registration price. I hate cooking at home. I just couldn’t think of anything easy to do at camp. I’m not a bad cook, it’s just so exhausting and what comes out of it doesn’t seem worth it. Even if I cook something really good my family always had some critique for me. I think I’m making the kids cook dinner this summer just so they know how it feels.
Beautiful Skyline
I almost stepped on her on my way to my tent
I stayed up only a tad bit later this second night. We saw, what is it called, Sky Force, Starlink, or whatever line up for a bit. The night sky was beautiful. There was even a couple that was just passing through to book a spot to camp. They joined us at the fire for a bit. Hubby’s friend made sure they knew that most people were there for the race and knew each other before they booked. They were cool with it. The picnic tables, fire pit, etc are shared by all staying at the campground.
It was a fun trip. The next day was all about breaking down camp and heading home. I would maybe do this race again. I think since I’m not a fan of the wide-open race route, I would sign up for the shorter distance. Then since I like getting at least 6 miles in every weekend, I would come back to Basecamp and run the trails that are very close by until I got my mileage. That would be my plan if I did it again. If Rock The Parkway and Flint Hills are the same weekend again, I might just choose Flint Hills seeing how Rock The Parkway wants to close everything down so early. Yes, I’m still salty about that.
That’s it. That is all I have to say about the half marathon. . . Okay. It’s not everything. Hallelujah! I did it! I parked in the correct parking lot at the Doubletree to get my race packet. Finally! I know some of y’all are out there saying, “Duh.” This year, I just so happened to park next to my friend, Allison, and joked around about my poor abilities in finding the correct parking lot. I don’t think she found it as funny as I did. She mentioned just following the arrows. I actually watched for the signs earlier and saw a few that were confusing and looked like they wanted you to park in the lot I parked in last year. I even saw a few cars do that. I ignored it and went to the very last parking lot in the back. Of course, there were more signs if you made it past the confusing ones.
Packet pick-up was good though. Kyle from The Back of the Pack Podcast and Allison kindly talked me out of wearing tights or pants the next day and I was so grateful. My outfit ended up being just right for the weather.
I went this one alone again. My friend Amy decided to do the 5K and I wasn’t sure if Jennifer was going or not. I didn’t see them at the start, but I did make it just in time to jump into The Olathe Running Club photo. The lady taking the picture was a little surprised since she didn’t know us. I’m sure she thought I was photobombing until everyone said hello and was happy to see me. After the group picture, a few of us walked up to the big balloon sign and took pictures there as well. I told them they pop the balloons and shut stuff down too early and we might as well get a picture now.
Shutting down early. . . Yes! That is my big complaint hence the title of my post. I actually lined up next to a young lady who said this was her first time running the half marathon. She wanted to know my opinion. I told her I hated the last few miles where you are tired, but try to catch up to a group of runners in front of you so the police can let some traffic through. I also told her how early they close everything. I told her it used to be fine, but that in the last three years or so, they close it right at three hours and do not give their own pacers time to enjoy the post-race since it is a staggered start. She said, “Oh, you mean since COVID.” Wow! Yeah. She’s right. I think that is the time they started shutting everything down before all the pacers finished. I finished at 2:45:14, got my medal and water, and took off immediately for the post-race party, and just about everything was shut down except Martin City Brewery and Kurt’s bars. Props to those two for thinking about those of us who like to run these events, but might not be “elite.”
Anyway, once again, I lined up with the 2:20 pacers. This time I kept up with them for about a mile and a half. I got passed by the 2:25 group before we got to mile four. I was more nervous about this race than the Liberty Half Marathon even though this was the second half I’ve done since my accident. I’ve written about my accident a few times. Long story short, I smashed my left ankle in a door and had to get six stitches. Actually, the arch on my right foot without the injured ankle hurt before the race even started. It started to hurt the day before the race. Maybe it was from favoring my left leg so much. I don’t know, but I think I was really nervous about this race because my PR was at Rock The Parkway in 2016. I did it at 2:20 something. In case you didn’t know, I did a lot of training that year because I did the Goofy Challenge. I have a few more chances to get under a 2:30 half marathon to qualify for another race I want to do, but I don’t know. This is the race with my current PR and I’m afraid the other courses will be harder. This really had me on edge.
When the 2:30 pacers passed me somewhere around mile 10ish, I knew I would be happy just to finish. Finish I did, but a big party after, it was not. I saw Amy. I thought she would be gone. She was there with some other friends. She did do the 5K and she said there was really nothing left for the post-race even when she got back to the finish. Later when I posted something on Facebook, our friend, Jane, said all she got was water and her medal when she made it back to the finish. So, my title is basically saying one more hour. If they would just keep the party going until 11:30 am instead of 10:30 am, I’m sure the people that are around the three-hour group would be much happier. I’m really considering skipping this race next year. That would mean skipping The Heartland 39.3 series, but I just get so miffed coming in and seeing everything just about packed up and gone and there are around 300 other runners still out there running. We will see.
I had to rush back home and get my daughter to rehearsal for her second performance with The Culture House. They did a play called Pure Imagination. It was really cute. I saw the opening night and had to skip the performance for the afternoon after this race because I was doing good getting her to the rehearsal on time. I dropped her off and went back home to change out of my running clothes and get a shower. We did go back with my in-laws and see the last evening performance. My Girl was so happy.
First off, HELL YEAH! I finished the Liberty Half Marathon! At first, I wanted to do better than a 2:30. I even lined up with my running friend, Karen, who was pacing the 2:20 group. I thought she was 2:25, but no. She was 2:20, and I lost her group about a quarter till the first mile. Oh well, at least I finished!
Now that I’ve celebrated some, let’s go back just a bit. I made it to Liberty’s pack pick-up in what they consider to be South KC. HA! It was at the Running Well Store which is about a 15-minute drive North to get there for me. South KC. Pah! I kind of wish I had not remembered the packet pick-up because it would have forced Hubby to get to the race earlier on race day. The race started at 8 AM and it is sometimes hard to get a spot close to the end. We showed up at 7:15 AM and got super lucky since the information said to get there at 6:45 AM for a close spot. Last year we got there way earlier and I think I liked that better. You know, less stressful.
I love the color of this shirt this year
Now if you’ve been reading my blog you know that I had an accident right before the Super Bowl. There is a post here and here. Long story short, my ankle got smashed by a door and I had to get six stitches. The doctors said I could run Liberty, but I wouldn’t be very fast. You can tell from my first paragraph how that went. I even told some people we knew from one of our tailgates for the Chiefs game, that they would probably pass me. I thought that would happen around mile six or so, but I think they passed me before I got to mile three.
Thankfully my ankle didn’t bother me much. My hands were what hurt. My right hand got really swollen at one point. I kept moving my fingers. When we got back and I took my gloves off they were kind of purple. I was fine though once we got in the car on our way home.
My hand got just a little purple
What my ankle looked like after the run
There is not much else to report for Liberty. I’ve run it several times. The course is pretty much the same. It’s funny though Kyle from The Back of the Pack Podcast, mentioned in one of his podcasts that it doesn’t seem to matter how cold it is before the Running With the Cows race, it is always HOT the day of the race. I agree and think the opposite is true for the Liberty Half Marathon. It is always cold.
I was a little disappointed that the frat boys didn’t have beer again. Well, actually I shouldn’t say that. I’ve been told they have beer, but it is usually a warm Bud Light or something like that. They usually will give you one if you ask for it. I’m used to races having little Dixie cups with “shots” of beer out for the runners. You know, for a quick grab and go. Meh, it’s okay though. I still enjoy the frat boys’ enthusiasm at mile 12 when I’m just about beat.
My time was okay. It was 2:50:33.9. That’s actually not far off from last year. I think I did it in 2:48 or something like that last year. Hubby did it in 2:42:44.3. He always likes to brag that he does that with no training when he did something like a 100-mile gravel race the weekend before this race.
I was pretty tired and thankfully not as sore as I thought I would be that day. We didn’t do much the rest of the day. My daughter had rehearsal for her first play with The Culture House. She is really excited. Then the very next weekend, I did Terravox Wine 5K for the first time.
I think this might have been their first 5K to have at Terravox Vineyard. Amy and I drove together. She met me at my house and I drove the rest of the way there. At first, I thought I was going to be hot, but it was actually a bit nippy. They did not have packet pick-up before race day which was fine. We got there, got our stuff, said hello to our friend, Allison, who was helping with the check-in, and went back to the car to put on our bibs and put the extra shirt in our bags. I forgot that I bought socks. They were cute though. I’m glad I did.
I tried to join the team the Kansas City Hashers started for this race, but I couldn’t get the password to work. Hashers are a part of a running club called the Hash House Harriers. Amy is friends with a hasher so I told her we might see some hashers that day. I didn’t see any until later during the race.
After we hung out staying warm in the car, we got out and lined up for the start. They warned us from the get-go that it would not be an exact 5K (3.1 miles). Come to find out it was a zig-zag type course up and down a few aisles of the vineyard and then around it to go back out again. So you did the course twice. They did say if you wanted to only do one loop and end you could. You just had to tell them so they wouldn’t award you any age group awards.
It ended up being a 2.83-mile run. Amy and I hung out together during the whole run. She is still nursing a hurt leg and I have that bad ankle. We finished it in 40:08.8. It was a lot of fun. I did see a hasher I know during the race. Amy and I got our medals, wine “glasses” and a pour of white or blush. I got the blush. It was pretty good. We took a few pictures and then I saw the hasher I knew again. We chit-chatted with him and another hasher I don’t think I had met yet. When they left we went inside the tasting room and hung out with Allison for a bit before we headed back home.
This was a really fun race that I probably wouldn’t mind doing again. Heck, I might grab Hubby and go back sometime for a wine tasting.
Goofy For Twins 