Like always, we had plans to go to bed early Friday night in an attempt to get up at the crack of dawn to get in a long bike ride and run before the heat of the day set in. Like always, we failed that attempt and didn’t get up at 6am like we wanted; rather we rolled out of bed around 10:30, and it was already close to 90 degrees. My marathon training called for a 12 mile run that day, and since we had our Rock the Crossroads 5K scheduled that night at 7:30, I decided to run the remaining 9 miles beforehand for a collective 12. Even with the heat soaring around noon, I was able to get in 5 miles outside with Christopher biking alongside me; he took it fairly slow with me in an attempt to conserve some energy and not overexert ourselves. We didn’t want to be too exhausted for our run that evening! We then headed to the gym where he got in a strong arm workout, and I ran the last 4 miles on the treadmill. We had just enough time to get in some food and lie down for about 30 minutes before we had to start getting ready for the race.

Our friend Tom met us at our house, and the three of us headed out for Grinders in  the Crossroads of KC where the race would start and finish. It was extremely hot and humid and well over 90 degrees. There were over 700 people who had signed up, and crowds were milling about as we walked over to the start. The course looped around Grinders and through downtown KC, and there was one killer of a hill to climb! There were a few water stations along the way and thankfully some kind people with hoses and sprinklers to cool off! The heat and humidity were a little overwhelming, but we were able to complete all 3.1 miles in 31 minutes and 25 seconds, making this Christopher’s 2nd official 5K! He’s well under way to becoming prepared for his 6 mile run in September at the Wakarusa Off-Road Challenge, and his determination and desire to take on new challenges never ceases to amaze me.  I am so proud of him, and he continues to inspire me!  Tom finished 5th in his age group with a time of  21:21.  Congratulations, Tom!

After the race we cooled down with LOTS of water and a towel soaking in ice. We were drenched with sweat but still headed over to Grinders with the rest of the crowd to celebrate with a chili bomb pizza and delicious beer! The night ended up gorgeous and somewhat cool, and we spent the rest of the night relaxing and enjoying live music. Our 2nd 5K race together was another success! Check out our video below and the links for photos and race results.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!

M&C

Rock the Crossroads 2011 Race Results

Rock the Crossroads 2011 Photos

The Drumm Run was a success! Gay was able to reach and surpass her fundraising goal, raising in total $2,600 to benefit foster children at Drumm Farm. The morning was extremely chilly with a temperature of 24 degrees (F), not including the cold, wet ground from all of the rain from the previous day. The day was a day for firsts: Christopher’s first 5K and our first outside run with our new Vibrams. Aside from the 300+ participants, we were also joined by a handful of friends running the 5K and 10K. The first mile of the run, we were thinking the shoes were a bad idea; our fingers and toes were frozen and numb. By about the 1.5 mile mark, we started to thaw out a little and ease into the run. The terrain was a mix of trail, gravel, and open field that took place at Unity Village golf course. Christopher did an amazing job in his first organized race, running his farthest distance since high school! This old man can move! It won’t be long until he’s running marathons Or not…

After our group had completed the run, we all met up for brunch at First Watch in Independence. The yogurt parfait and muffin was a perfect post-race meal! The day was off to a great start, and we enjoyed our first organized event of the year at the Drumm Run! We’re excited for our next adventure; stay tuned!

Below are pictures and a video of the race. (Pictures courtesy of Gay Purcell, See KC Run, and yours truly)