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 first Spooks and Spokes Halloween Ride was fun, and we would say it was a success! Starting out at Grinder’s, there were 17 riders that gathered. We made our way up to The Filling Station, and unfortunately 2 riders had to drop out. One had to go to work and the other was not confident in their bike that they had just purchased. After a brief stop  for some coffee, we made our way down to the Plaza to show off the costumes, and also to make drivers aware of cyclist on the streets. We had a good time waving and shouting “Happy Halloween!” to passers-by, pedestrians and motorists; all joined in on the shouting and honking. It was a great time! We made a stop at O’Dowd’s to enjoy a quick drink and then up to McCoy’s for some lunch. Finally we made our way back to Grinder’s where we enjoyed celebratory drinks and a much-needed Chili bomb pizza.
