State Number 28 – Kansas City Marathon,
Kansas City, MO
15 October 2016
I hate running, but I love running, too! Call it the yin and yang of the sport, if you
will. There’s a lot to love – but
there’s also a lot to hate.
I hate the limping.
You know, plantar fasciitis, groin, hamstring, chafing and the occasional
knee and ankle injuries. The only time I
don’t limp is when I run. After pounding
out eight or ten miles before heading off to work, the concomitant muscle
tightness and plantar pain is the underlying cause of my noticeable limp as I
wander about my work place. The use of
handrails seems to be pretty much the norm as I descend down a flight of
stairs.
Co-workers always seem to comment, “You must have run
this morning.”
“I did. How can
you tell?” I ask.
I hate all those training runs. I hate getting up early only to drive fifteen
miles for an hour of hill training, the intervals, running in the heat, rain,
cold, fog, but I have to admit, those cold crisp and frosty mornings are the
best. In inclement weather, it seems
only sensible people are inside comfy and cozy while we runners are crazy.
I hate the sweating during and after a run. I guess my metabolism could be likened to a
coal burning furnace. It doesn’t matter
whether it’s sub-freezing or not, I sweat – and sweat profusely to the point
sweat drips off the bill of my cap like rain off the eaves of a house. My shirts are soaked. Even after a shower, I continue to
sweat. Walking into my office still dripping,
coupled with any limping, isn’t what I call fun.
I hate it when I’m out for a training run when I close
in on a runner ahead of me and they seem to pick up the pace only to stay
one-step ahead. Look, I’m not
racing. If you want to race, sign up for
one and we’ll do it then. Maybe I’ll
cheer you on as I wait at the finish line.
I hate that drivers don’t pay attention to pedestrians. Since all drivers tend to look for on-coming
traffic, I prefer to run with traffic, like cyclists. That way as I approach a driveway or cross
street, the driver has a better chance of seeing me. I’ve been very lucky over the years to have
not been hit by a moving vehicle (I’ve had some close encounters, though). For that, I count my blessings.
I hate the post-marathon blues. As the excitement of completing another
marathon wears off, coming back to reality can come back with a vengeance. To combat that feeling, finding and signing
up for another marathon seems to be just the stimulant and pick-me-up to remedy
such blues.
On the flip side, I love it when I complete a marathon
by training only 25 miles a week with only a 13-mile long run, and feel good
afterwards.
I love the camaraderie of other runners and the support
volunteers and spectators provide at marathons.
Their uplifting spirit and support provide me with much needed energy
when my tank is running low.
I love the feeling of endorphins (endogenous morphine)
passing through my circulatory system and the accompanying runner’s high I
experience after a good run.
I love the delight and exhilaration of victory I feel
after conquering a tough double marathon.
The id, ego and superego all seem to collaborate in
creating this behavior we call marathoning. The id creates the demands and the source of
my want to complete another marathon; the ego adds the needs of reality while the
superego adds morality to the actions I take during a marathon.
We runners are constantly balancing the likes and dislikes,
and the pros and cons of our sport.
Since I really do, deep down, love running, yet I hate it, too. It’s time to lace up my shoes for another
marathon…or two.
We left our humble place of abode just before midnight
on 13 October for our now habituated drive to LAX. Traffic on the normally congested San Diego
Freeway (I-405) was eerily light in the pre-dawn hours which allowed us to
arrive at LAX’s Lot C near record time. During
the next couple of hours, a quick nap in the car gave us the oomph needed to
catch our 0615 Southwest Airlines non-stop 3-hour flight to Kansas City
International Airport (MCI).
Our late morning arrival in the Show Me State welcomed
us with cool overcast skies with periods of drizzle. The size of MCI terminals were smaller than I
had expected and the rather compact size provided a quick exit to the airport’s
ground transportation stops where we caught a shuttle bus to the rental car
facility located a few miles from the terminal.
We joined a small gathering of people waiting for the
bus. Upon the bus’ arrival, it was
already partially crowded with passengers picked up at the preceding stop. As we boarded, the bus quickly filled up to
standing room only. Of course it didn’t
help with the excess baggage passengers were bringing aboard. As the crowded bus pulled forward through the
terminal area, instead of just passing by the upcoming stops like most drivers
do, this driver actually stopped and informed awaiting passengers to watch for
the next bus since hers was full, which I found to be a thoughtful
gesture.
Following the quick in and out of the rental car
facility, it was time for lunch. Metropolitan
Kansas City is home to some Pizza Ranch franchise locations. With that said, we decided to satiate our
appetites with a salad, soup, BBQ and/or a pizza buffet – and most importantly,
the dessert strudel buffet and soft-serve ice cream.
After our fulfilling lunch, we dashed over to
Independence to visit the Harry Truman Library.
Dedicated in 1957, the two story building showcases Truman’s life and his
presidency through artifacts, writings, photos and films. The courtyard area encloses the graves, blanketed
with chrysanthemums, of Truman; his wife, Bess; their daughter, Margaret, and
her husband Clifton. The library,
dedicated under Masonic Rites, was the first of thirteen to be built under the
1955 Presidential Libraries Act.
A replica of the Oval Office is a popular feature of
the library exemplifying how President Truman adorned his presidential office. Several years ago, I had the honor of
visiting the Ronald Reagan Library which also features a replica of the Oval
Office during Reagan’s tenure as president.
Restaging the Oval Office must be a common feature with the presidential
libraries.
After our educational tour of Truman’s library, that
last item on our itinerary was to pay a visit to Kauffman and Arrowhead
Stadiums. Situated on the south side of
I-70 just east of I-435, the two stadiums are home to KC’s Royals and Chiefs,
respectively. Unfortunately, with
baseball being in the off-season and the Chiefs in Oakland fighting it out with
the Raiders during marathon weekend, seeing an NFL game was out of question.
Now, it was on to the marathon’s host hotel in Crown
Center for check in. It was approaching
the afternoon peak traffic time, so traffic on I-70 into downtown was becoming
heavy.
Due to a set of unforeseen challenges, like geospatial
perception and course-plotting indicative with GPS navigation in unfamiliar
territory, let’s just say we ended up at downtown’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. We carted our luggage down through the
parking structure and into the lobby, only to find out we were at the wrong
hotel. The desk clerk kindly gave us a
key card to avoid paying parking charges and said it happens a lot. With some directions, we found the correct
hotel.
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| Recreation of the Oval Office |
Once we settled in at our intended destination at the
Crown Center, it was on to the marathon expo held at the hotel’s exhibit hall
for our packet pick-up. The expo was
organized, but not too large and bib pick-up was fast and easy. Also, since we were accepting the I-35
Challenge, we were presented with a backpack featuring the challenge’s
embroidered logo on the front.
The Kansas City Marathon was the first of the popular
I-35 Challenge. The second marathon took
place approximately three hours north up I-35 in Iowa’s capital city, Des
Moines just twenty five hours later.
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| Replica of the Liberty Bell outside library. Truman stood here in 1964. |
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| Truman's office as it existed on the date of his death in 1972 |
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| In front of Arrowhead Stadium |
General George Patton once said, “Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” While not everyone is up for a challenge, my wife and I did accept the voluntary I-35 Challenge even after completing a tough double marathon weekend in New England just two weeks prior. The challenge usually sells out each year, so we registered well enough in advance to secure our place.
I looked forward to the challenge, even though I read
on the marathon’s websites that the courses are generally hilly in nature, so
my strategy was to go out slow and easy for each marathon. Like the Book of Hebrews declares, I plan to
run the races of my life with courage, with boldness, with strength, and most
of all, with victory.
Since we were a hotel Rewards Club member, we were
treated with a spacious room on the secured 23rd floor with a
panoramic view of the Kansas City skyline and the downtown skyscrapers. The nighttime view with all the lights was
especially striking.
The thought of tackling two more marathons was
approaching our intellectual capacities, but we had no choice. We begrudgingly donned our running attire
early Saturday morning and headed for the start line on Grand Blvd, about one
block from our hotel. As we left the
building, the warm and sultry air suddenly hit me. It was overcast and very humid with a dew
point hovering in the lower 60s. As long
as the sun didn’t show itself from behind the cloud cover, I was going to be fine. But, if the sun came out, I would be in for a
miserable day.
Contrary to the New Hampshire Marathon, my Garmin
watch booted up and obtained satellite coverage within a few minutes. Yay! I
turned it on about twenty minutes before start time just in case. Due to the unpredictability of this watch,
there were no guarantees for Des Moines.
After the singing of the National Anthem as daylight was breaking, the
horn sounded through the thick sticky Kansas City air and a crowd of 6000
runners began their 13.1 or 26.2-mile journey.
On hilly courses, I view the hills analogous to
Newton’s Third Law of Motion, if there’s an up – then there’s a down, and vice
versa. Immediately, the course started
out with a gradual downhill gradient.
The short-lived downhill suddenly turned to an uphill gradient towards
Hospital Hill. Immediately I thought if
this is any indication, I will be in for a tough day.
The marathon organizers assembled a large contingent of
pace teams for both races. I decided that
I would stick with the 2:20 half marathon pace group at the start and would
join the 4:40 group after the half split at Marathon Mile 7. No, I did not see the famous shuttlecock
structures on the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art while running down
Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd by the way. If I
would have known about them, I would have positioned myself in the large crowd
of runners to obtain a visual on the art work.
The temptation to increase my pace overshadowed the
resistance to. I guess I didn’t listen
to my inner voice. My pace increased,
and before I knew it, I was nearing the 4:10 group. I thought, “Oh well, I’ll hang on for as long
as I can and rejoin the 4:40 group if
they approach me.” Now that’s positive
thinking.
Just past Marathon Mile 2, runners were treated with a
view of the National World War I Museum and Memorial as we passed through Penn
Valley Park. Apparently, it is one of
the most popular sites to visit in Kansas City.
Marathon Miles 2 through 10 were relatively flat. I called it the calm before the storm. Beginning at Marathon Mile 10, runners were
treated to the challenge of the first significant hill. The run through the Sunset Hill area
consisted of a sustained gradient of around 3-4 percent. The scenery of the beautiful mansions fronting
broadleaf tree-lined streets through the stately district took my mind off the
grueling trek up Sunset Drive. To
conserve energy, I walked lengthy sections of the hill, and I was still ahead
of the 4:20 pace group. I heard some
runners grumbling about the climb, but were reassured by those who have run
this course that this was the toughest part and a nice downhill awaited runners
into Loose Park. Whether that was the
toughest part is up for debate.
While looping around Loose Park, shortly after
Marathon Mile 12, my wife, running with the 4:20 pace group, caught up with me.
Although beginning to fatigue, I managed
to keep up with the group for a half mile or so. As long as I was ahead of the 4:40 group, I
was happy.
Soon after the pace group charged ahead and left me to
my own volition, my body was demanding some acetaminophen and caffeine to take
the edge off the anticipated discomfort that lied ahead. At the next water station, I went to retrieve
two capsules I had in my belt left over from Maine. While salvaging them, they flipped out of my
wet slippery fingers and onto the pavement ricocheting in different
directions. I didn’t have the desire nor
the motivation to bend over and try to find them on the waterlogged street
contaminated with who knows what. I was committed
to gut out this marathon – pain or no pain.
The dew point didn’t seem to change much over the preceding
two hours, and the clouds were still blocking the sunlight. I was drenched in sweat compelling me to take
in needed liquids and electrolytes at each water station for proper
hydration. I was grateful the sun wasn’t
shining.
The ensuing 7-8 miles were generally pretty flat with
a few minor rolling hills. Considering
my consistent pace, I was still ahead of the 4:40 group and was eyeing a 4:35
finish – until just after Marathon Mile 20.
At that point, an unpleasant substantial hill suddenly
loomed. Over the next couple of miles, I
had to resign myself to walk most of it.
It wasn’t long when the 4:30 group passed by – then the 4:40 group
caught me. That was my opportunity to
join the group consisting of five runners; however, I struggled to keep pace climbing
the hill and finally gave in. My 4:35
and 4:40 finish times quickly flew out the window.
Given my low energy level, and the fact that my troublesome
left adductor muscle was beginning to annoy me, my next goal was to finish in
under five hours. I had to do it! For some reason, the five-hour mark is a
psychological barrier for me. The final
stretch between Marathon Miles 25 and 26 were difficult. I grabbed a wash rag soaked in ice water at
an aid station for a quick cold refreshment break needed to light the fire
inside me to finish this thing. I
squeezed out the cold water over my head and neck and washed my salt-crusted face
and arms. Perfect! Now, let’s go!
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| FINISH at last! |
At approximately the Marathon Mile 25.5 mark, I heard
a woman telling runners they have “one mile to go.” I checked my watch, that statement was
obviously incorrect. I overheard a
runner behind me say in a loud boisterous obnoxious voice, “My watch says I
have a half mile to go. So don’t tell me
I have a mile to go!” Ouch! He needn’t behave that way to someone making
efforts to encourage and support all the runners. My supposition is that after a hard day
running, his patience was wearing a little thin. Understandably, he wanted everyone to know his
desire to finish. Considering the course
ran long, maybe she was right it was almost a mile. I wouldn’t be the one to tell him that though.
I would guess the signature feature of the course
would be the uphill homestretch to the finish.
Yes, the race finished with a dispiriting uphill climb. When I saw the hill approaching, I felt deflated. I had hoped to finish strong, but I had zero
energy to run the last tenth of a mile or so.
I walked most of the gradient; but for the best part, the last 50 yards
were flat so I burned up the remaining fuel in my tank to look good for the
finish line photo.
I finished the KC Marathon in a time of 4:50:10 for an
11:04 per mile pace.
Age
graded score: 48.66%
Age graded time: 4:20:39
Although I didn’t meet my goal of 4:35 or 4:40, I was content
with my time, and mindful of the fact that I had to run another marathon the
next day.
My number one priority was to receive my hard-earned
finisher’s medal. I was impressed with
the size, design, and the actual mass of the medal. I got to have my bling.
I didn’t have a whole lot of time to walk through the
finish line festivities for some beer, pizza or whatever, so I gathered up some
water, chocolate milk, whole wheat bagel (which I kept to consume for Des
Moines), some fruit, and shuffled back to the room for a quick shower before
check-out. The hotel’s customary
check-out time is 1200; however, because of the marathon event, they looked
past that deadline and gave runners an unofficial check-out time of 1400 hours.
I was, to a great extent, in need of a 1000 mg dose of
acetaminophen as a way of taking the edge off the major foot and leg
discomfort. On the eve of race day, my
wife discovered we forgot to pack our pain relievers. I toughed it out and waited until we found a store
on our way to Des Moines. It was
apparent a new pair of running shoes was in my immediate future. That was confirmed in Des Moines.
In my humble opinion, for what it’s worth, I thought
the KC Marathon was the perfect size.
The spectators and support volunteers were fun, helpful and
supportive. The numerous bands, DJs, and
musicians provided plenty of entertainment throughout the course. On a side note, I did run across several dead
(roadkill) rabbits on the KC streets. Hmm,
I wonder if rabbits are commonplace in KC.
With this being my first official visit to Kansas
City, I feel that the course provides runners a beautiful journey through the
city (Sunset Hills, Waldo, Paseo, Ward Parkway, and downtown). As a so-called flatlander whose hill training
is somewhat limited, I welcomed the hills even though one could infer I did not
enjoy them.
Making the left turn off 18th Street onto
Grand Boulevard is analogous to making the famous left turn off Hereford onto
Boylston Street at the Boston Marathon.
With the finish line banner seen in the distance, runners must be cognizant
to pace themselves accordingly. Being so
close to the finish, it is an alluring temptation to push hard, but it’s a long
way. Fortunately, I found that the final
uphill grade forces runners to slow down until the short flat to the finish
line.
I loved the scenic beauty of the course, seeing the
various neighborhoods and regions of Kansas City, finishing and the thrill of
victory that comes with a marathon; but I did not love the anguish, drudgery,
sweat and agony it took to run the course.
Through all the aches, pains, likes and dislikes, and the thrill of
checking off another state, it was a gratifying experience to complete the
first half of the I-35 challenge. Now,
it was off to Des Moines, Iowa for the toughest and hardest-hitting part of the
challenge. Based on what I had read, the
Des Moines Marathon is just as hilly, if not, more…so the Challenge
continues.
“Once
a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of
opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of
increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all
its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.”
– Harry Truman
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