Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day 5k

On Thursday November 27, 2014 I ran the Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day 5k Run. There are actually several Turkey Day runs to choose from in the KC area. I chose this one because I have run it many times before although it's been a few years... But also I chose it because the course is along Ward Parkway. I always loved running along Ward Parkway when I ran cross country and track in high school. I will never run close to my PR 5k time that I ran in high school (20:45) but I still enjoy running and especially when it's along a route that brings up some good memories.

I was pretty slow in this run. My official time was 35 minutes which works out to be about a 11:17 minute mile (62/131 in Age Group and 1448/2688 Overall).  That seems to be my normal pace these days. If I try to pick up the pace I can get in to the high 9s or low 10s but most the time I am in the 11 minute range. I suppose I could improve if I tried to... hill training, interval training, etc... but to be honest I run mostly for my mental health these days. Running is a great anti-depressant! I had fun despite my slow time. And it was great to run in to a fellow runner, Red Cross volunteer and friend - Sherri. She ran a PR in this race! So happy for her! Oh and another reason why I chose this run over the others in the area... Pie! We got a pie for finishing instead of a medal. I thought that was pretty cool! 

All finishers got a 6 inch Tippins pie.

Here are some pics from the run:

Can't have a turkey trot without a turkey!

This was the participant shirt. It's a  long sleeve tech shirt.

The Starting line.......

It was cold and I actually overdressed... I need to invest in some more appropriate cold weather gear!

Friend Sherri crossing the finish line after running a PR!

Me, Sherri, one of her kiddos and her husband after the race getting our pie!

Cliff Hanger 8k

I completed the Cliff Hanger 8k yesterday. I decided to run in it about a week ago. I am pretty certain the only way I am going to be able to convince myself to run through the winter and not get lazy like I do every winter is to run in some of the local races. I have actually wanted to do this one for quite some time. It's been around for 29 years and I remember hearing about it as a local high school runner years ago but I never got around to entering it until this year. The weather forecast almost scared me out of doing it (cold front was moving in) but it turned out to not be a bad day to run. Temps were in the 40s and it was partly cloudy. It was really windy but once the race got going it wasn't too bad. It felt as if we were protected from the wind somewhat because Cliff Drive is along a Cliff (hence the name). There were a few sections where a gust got through but over all not a bad day.

I didn't tell anyone I was doing this run so it was a surprise when I ran in to friend Anna and her friend Sara at the start. We chatted for a bit until the race started and then caught up with each other at the finish to go partake in the pancake breakfast.

Sara, me and Anna before the race start.

After race pancake breakfast.

My goal for the race was to run around 55 minutes if possible and at the very least finish under an hour. Other than a tight hamstring I felt pretty good. I saw the first mile split was 10:40ish and so I tried to maintain that pace since it felt good. To my surprise I managed to keep the pace to the turnaround. I was feeling good and decided to just go with it. As I got close to the finish line I could see the clock and realized I was going to be in under 55 minutes. I was happy with that considering I haven't run much since the Chicago Marathon. I know I am slow but I think if I can run through the winter and not lose my mileage base, I can get my times down in the 10 minute range. That's my goal anyway.... we'll see if I can stay motivated through the winter.

Below are my results and some pics from the race:

My results:
53:37 = 10:43 pace
Overall 241/341; Female 133/216; AG 16/28