Recently I participated in a race that was a new distance for me. . .10 miles. There aren't many events around here that offer that kind of a distance. I've done 5Ks (3.1 miles) and 10Ks (6.2 miles) and half marathons (13.1 miles), but 10 miles was a new challenge.
It was located nearby and the first one of four such races to be held around the state over upcoming weekends. THE MISSOURI RACE SERIES offers three distances: 5K, 10K and 10 miles. Participants can compete for points and a grand prize trophy by completing at least 3 out of 4 of the 10 mile runs held in the state. (Rules here)
It was Verna's thought that the 10 mile event would be a good "tune up" for the half we are doing the first of May. She's a very experienced runner. . . I am learning so much from her about the sport......so I felt if she thought it was a good thing for us to do, then by golly I was gonna do it!
We've been building up our distances over the last few weekends, with 12 miles being the longest I'd gone prior to this race, so I figured I'd be OK to tackle the 10.
In the photo below we were feeling pretty excited about what was about to take place even though it was coolish with the treat of rain. (L to R: Karen, Verna, me) Due to a packed schedule that day, Karen had just enough time to run the 5K. . .we were thrilled she could make that work out!
I met Brenda through running last summer ( on the right in the photo below). Since then we have met once a week with a small group where we do "speedwork". When our schedules work out, we even get in a longer run on the weekend! She also signed up for this 10 mile run and so did one of her beautiful daughters!!
The Lee's Summit location of the MO RACE SERIES was held near the historic Longview Farm and on the grounds of the Longview Lake area . The preceeding photo and the following two were taken at approximately the half mile mark as we headed up the drive of the historic Longview Mansion, which now serves as a lovely event venue!
In this picture Karen is checking her watch and I am slogging behind her. . .all bundled up in my new neck wrap that I was soooooo glad to have purchased right before this race! It really helped to keep me warm and a bit dryer when the rain did start!
Verna (below) is the one who introduced me to those neck wraps known as BUFF. As I said earlier, if Verna says it's a good thing....then I need to listen!
Here is a photo showing a peek of the mansion we ran in front of on the circular drive....as we started the run and as we finished it! :)
The race description says it's a flat course. The flat parts were around the lake areas, however. . . .
there were A LOT of hilly stretches!!
A LOT OF HILLY STRETCHES!!
And a lot of turn arounds.....well maybe they were more "loop backs" and a couple of "turn arounds".
Brenda and her daughter were looking great along this stretch! I have no idea what mile that was, but I'm thinking it was close to the end.
When I spotted the photographer I wasn't running very well because I was tired and I knew how bad my picture was gonna be..... so I said. . .
"Pleeeeeease take a good picture!" and she tried! haha
Verna's photos are always good !
I wish I had taken pictures along the way. I didn't. Most of these of the course and finish line were taken by the MO RACE SERIES.....a couple were from Brenda. I almost always document a long race with pictures, but the rain started not too long after we began and I was afraid I'd ruin my phone/camera.
I'm so grateful that these pictures were taken for us because they really help to keep the experience alive in my head! While doing a long run like that I tend to blank out and focus on getting through it and not appreciate the moments as much as I should. This was a gorgeous area. . .even in the rain.
Here are the "finish line" photos that I was able to locate.
Karen crossing the finish line in her 5K!! Great picture!!
This is me. . .another bad picture!! :) Evidently I was more concerned about turning off my watch than having a speedy finish!
It was really raining by the time the 10 mile folks were done!
Verna crushed her finish. . .and took her usual good picture!
Our "after" photo!!
What I learned from this race:
>I now know what Verna meant by this being a "tune up" for our half. It put us in a "race environment" that was close to our upcoming half marathon distance , which meant we pushed harder than during normal long training runs.
>I really am glad I bought that BUFF.
>I really don't like the jacket. I spent too much time taking it off and putting it back on as it started and stopped raining. It pretty much just soaked up the rain and didn't repell it as it SAID IT WOULD!!! It's not even a good wind jacket. Eddie Bauer, you failed me on this one. :)
>I won't carry that big old water bottle contraption around my waist during a race like this again. It got too heavy and kept moving around as I ran. It made me look and feel like a pack animal! :)
What I didn't like about this race:
>Because there were three different race distances going on at the same time on the course....and because there were so many loop backs and turn arounds....I felt it was confusing....especially for the longer distance runners. There were great volunteers helping direct us, but it still confused me a time or two and I am sure I wasn't alone in that feeling.
>There were no mile markers. . .I'm assuming it was because of the three events/distances and all of the loop backs and turn arounds.
>Because it's a newer race, and thus not a huge number of participants, they lumped the age divisions into 10 year incriments and not 5 as typical. AND because there were some really awesome (FAST) runners (who were in my olden age group) participating because many are doing the races in all four locations for the points , I did't stand a chance to get a division medal. However, I was still fine with my personal time. I was nearly a FULL HOUR behind the person who came in first place (age 61) with a time of 1 hr 17 min!! She was amazing......but so were the other ladies who all finished ahead me! And remember.....we are in our 60s!!!!
>The results were very hard to find. . .or even find at all because they were printed on paper and the paper was wet. Many divisions were not even printed out.
What I liked about this event:
>There were lots of parking spaces that were located close to the start line.
>While I griped about the hills, I did like the location and the course. It was tough and hard. . .just the things that make for a great challenge. Plus it was gorgeous.
>There were soooo many wonderful water stations and soooo many great volunteers handing out the water and Gatorade.
>There were also many great volunteers helping to direct us along the ( sometimes confusing) course. Most were very encouraging to us as we made our way through the miles.
>The folks who ran the race were very, very nice and welcoming and kind enough to work with shirt sizes! That doesn't always happen at runs.
>They had a great DJ that stuck around, right until the last runner crossed the finish line!
>There was plenty of post run food. . .even at the very end!
>They took lots of photos and they were free to download!
> I should probably have put that "I LOVED THE SHIRT we received with this event" at the top of this list! It feels good on and it fits great. I love the neon color. Every time I wear it someone compliments me about it. . .because this is the saying on the back:
The next photo of my shirt was taken outside in the bright sunlight. The real color is somewhere between the two colors you see here.
THE STONE RABBIT enjoyed reading my post about the race, especially the end where I reflected on what I learned, what I didn't like, and what I liked. Then he asked me if I thought I'd do the run again.
I quickly answered "yes".
I hope you have a great weekend! Pink Saturday participants are ready and waiting for you at Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND!!
Dana
