Rockin' the Parkway {X10}

I'm cheating and making this a race recap + a Top 10.  Here's 10 pics from Rock the Parkway, plus a little race banter.

I hadn't run Rock the Parkway since it's very first year.  Since then it has grown to be one of the most popular races in KC.  It's so exciting to see the running community growing in our area!

1. Intense.

Katy convinced me to sign up before the race sold out back in January.  A race this big selling out that fast is just unheard of.  Again, so cool to see people so excited about running!

2. Hello!

 I went into the race hoping for a PR.  But I was pretty unsure of myself since I really felt like I was in great shape last year when I PR'd at the Indian Creek Half.  I knew I wanted to run with a pace group, but couldn't decide between the 1:45 and the 1:40 group.

3. Hurting.

I ended up opting for the 1:40 group and figured I would hang with them as long as possible and then hopefully finish under my 1:44-ish PR time.

4. Boom.

I was so freaking amazed that I could stick with those speedy runners the whole way.  I honestly just turned up my music and told myself to keep up.  Any time I started to falter I'd just tell myself, "Don't think!  Just run!"  And it worked.

5. Estatic.

 In case you're wondering... the gal in the pic above is massaging my calves.  I totally bought one of those things.  Whoever their marketing person is should get a promotion.  Selling calf massagers by giving calf massages at the end of a race is pure genius.

6. Me, down there in the left.

While I will obviously take all the credit for the super awesome race time, it really was the perfect storm of race day factors.  The weather was perfect. It was super chilly at the start, but once we started running, you couldn't ask for better weather.  The race was really upbeat with great crowd support.  AND, it just happened to be along my normal long-run route.  So when I hit a big hill on Ward I could tell myself, "Of course there's a big hill coming up.  You've run that hill a hundred times.  Buck up and run that f-ing hill."  I'm pretty tough on myself sometimes.

7. Fountain.

And then there's the official race photos.  Why do these always turn out so bad?  Like, the above would be a super awesome photo if I didn't look like I was run-sleeping.  

8. Done.

I stopped the dude in front of me after the race and thanked him for pushing me.  He and I kept trading places throughout the run and every time he passed me I knew I needed to push it.  He high-fived me and said he PR'd too.  Yea PRs!

9. Pain.

I'm not going to lie... I was in quite a bit of pain.  I was pushing it really hard.  I just wish I didn't look like I was pushing so hard.  Can someone please teach me how to take a decent race photo?!?

 

10. Race Love!

Katy also had a major PR!  She beat 2 hours for the first time and looked like a rock star doing it! 

We had a lot of fun refueling after the race with some serious action at Waldo Pizza Buffet.  They should maybe charge extra if you've just finished a distance race of some sort. 

 ***I spent a lot of time thinking and talking about Boston after this race.  According to my newest half time, I should definitely be able to run a qualifying time at my next marathon.  This was literally all I could think or talk about for the 2 days after the race. 

So when I was sitting in my sewing room teaching my little 6th graders to sew hems and our Art teacher busted in with the news of the explosions at the race, I was just devastated... as I know all runners were.  I can't even find words to describe those terrible events mean to people like me who obsess over the Boston Marathon.  It isn't just a race, it's like the holy grail of all marathoners.  It's a sacred thing that was turned into a horrifying tragedy.  I'm so sad for all those who were personally affected.  And I am so grateful for all the calls, texts, and messages I recieved from people who knew how much I would be affected by this.  I was honestly so touched that I was the person you thought of in the midst of these events. 

I don't mean this to sound self-centered because I know that there was so much damage done and that people's lives are completely changed because of it.  But I know that this will only drive me that much harder to make it to Boston.  It's more than just proving something to myself.  I want to be a part of something that significant.