State #32 Olathe, Kansas

April 29th 2017

"Let me get this straight, you come home from Rhode Island and Boston on Wednesday at three in the morning and now you are leaving Friday morning for Kansas?"  I 'm sure this is what my cat is thinking...does she even know how sick I am on the plane coming home with the countless trips to the bathroom carrying my barf bag with me. I manage to keep soup down on Wednesday and mistakenly make homemade burgers on Thursday...what am I thinking! It is too much for a weak stomach and leaves me nauseous. Friday morning my husband says, "Let's just stay home!" Staying home is out of the question. At least my husband can run and I will wait and see how I feel Saturday morning. We usually share the driving, not this time. Unfortunately he drove home from the airport and now he has to drive back, but it is the only way the trip will happen!

He thinks he is safe if he stands behind the witch...

We luck out with an easy drive to LAX and a non-stop flight to Kansas. The airport is actually in Missouri, but only forty minutes to Olathe, Kansas. Upon landing, we go straight to packet pick-up to get our bibs and take a quick picture before making our way to the hotel. We dine at a not so great Mexican place across from the hotel, but the chips and salsa are delicious. I  can't eat much anyway.  After staying at a less than desirable~overpriced dump~or The Holiday Inn in Boston we are thrilled with the nice and quiet Marriott in Shawnee with a heavenly bed for less than a hundred bucks. A good night of sleep and a banana is all it takes to feel surprisingly better.

The hotel is less than ten minutes from the start line, leaving at six a.m. for a 6:45 start.  We are zipping along on the freeway until we are no longer zipping and the cars are at a dead standstill. We still have a ways to go to the off-ramp.  After trying to be patient, we use the left lane and are able to make some progress. The Garmin Marathon has some work to do with the access to the venue. We are able to park and make it to the potty lines as they announce the marathon is delayed.  It is the right move to allow extra time for runners stuck in the freeway congestion and it gives us time to use the bathroom and return to the car~to retrieve my forgotten watch before finding the start line.  

We see a human dragon or ten people in a costume...trying to set a Genius Record.  I ask the guy at the end what if you have to go to the bathroom and he tells me,"You hold it!" Upon further observation, we move up closer to the actual start line.  The dragon passes me in the first few miles, but I am able to pass them at the turnaround point at mile 20 1/2.

It is an enjoyable course even with the hills.  I talk with several people along the way including Claire, a fellow Maniac, who is super nice and another young gal from New Jersey who only has a few states left to finish her fifty states in Honolulu at the end of the year.  I also meet Dan Ruiz who will be running Fargo in May. He encourages me to join him for the pub crawl after the marathon in Fargo, North Dakota. There is a cool medal to be earned, if we make it to all ten pubs...so that is yet to be determined!! I am told by a local that it rains every year and today will be no exception. I tote a clear plastic bag along with me for ten miles. Once it becomes apparent the rain chances are slim to none, I ditch the plastic to spare my fellow runners any further swooshing bag noises. The run is going much better than expected, my body and legs feel better than the slug fest in Boston days earlier.  I work myself into a solid pace and catch up to the 4:00 hour pacer, settling in with the group.  Everything is going smoothly until my stomach screams at me to stop at a porta-potty at mile 12.  My momentum is gone after the stop as a hill challenges the legs.  My chances of catching back up to the group are slim. 

I settle in for a nice run though the second half.  After a series of climbs through a residential section, the course turns onto a trail portion with flying monkeys in the trees. Out and backs are nice allowing for more encouragement between runners as we cross paths.  Wearing my Boston shirt from the week before many people yell,"Go Boston!" The positive reinforcement fuels me to run stronger in the late stages of the marathon.

Another good thing about an out and back course is you know what is coming on the return trip. A nice downhill descent on the outbound becomes a tough climb on the way back, but at least you know what to expect.    

In the final stretch of the race, we run into the wind. The wind really picks up as the day goes on!  Instead of pushing myself it is a coast to the finish as I get passed by a guy wearing sandals.

Finishing with a time of 4:11:59 I make my way to the food trough. With little food in the last few days my appetite returns.  Garmin does a great job with food and entertainment. I scarf down a freshly grilled chicken sandwich and a hot dog along with  margaritas and beer. 

A tented area is available for finishers to stay out of the wind with heat lamps.  It is a nice place to rest and recover and I sit near a lady I chatted with at the start line.  She wanted to finish in under four hours and she is ecstatic that she actually accomplishes her goal with a time of 3:57. Running can be so much fun and can bring people such joy! Usually its freezing once I stop running, but I am able to fuel up and drink several beverages while waiting for my husband. Eventually its back to the car to retrieve jackets and upon returning my husband is eating and relaxing in the tent. He suggests we go back for a printout of our finish times before we go.  

We walk back and when they give me my printout, I can't believe my eyes! It says first place in my age division. ~Keep in mind it's after a few alcoholic beverages, but I actually jump with joy in surprise! My husband walks with me to pick up the age award where again a little scream emanates as they hand me a cute Wizard of Oz themed trophy.  They direct me to stand on the podium for a picture. Wow, and to think I almost skipped the race. Everyday is a great day when we are able to run! Never take it for granted.

The trip back to the hotel is quick. We have a 2 p.m. check-out thanks to our Marriott Rewards membership and take our time showering and resting up before going back to the airport. We grab a drink from McDonald's and charge our phones before returning the car. Flying into the small MCI airport has worked out for several states with reasonable flight and rental car prices.  Once back at the airport its an uneventful flight home and that is a good thing with all the flight dramas we sometimes experience.  I feel good enough to drive home and almost make it the whole way, but just can't keep my eyes open . My husband drives the remaining forty minutes. ~Teamwork~makes the dream work!!

After a weekend and another week of rest, my daughter and I have a fun time running the OC  1/2 marathon together in Southern California!!

We run the 5k on Saturday afternoon and the 1/2 marathon Sunday morning in the pouring rain. My daughter worries all week about the rain and I keep telling her it will be fine. It is pouring buckets and even hails at the beginning of the race. It is fun to run in the rain anyway! At first it seems like a bummer, but then it just makes us shake our heads and laugh.  It adds to our badassness!

The best days are the days spent with my daughter!!  She is my sunshine!