Number 16 - Olathe Marathon in Olathe, KS
Preparation for number 16 was unlike any other race. I had no plan. I have been so busy traveling, working and building the outdoor grill, I did not have time to develop or work a plan. Essentially, there was no preparation. I did run with my Phoenix East Valley Runners club each Saturday, but a race diet did not exist nor did not I get in my full quota of runs.
Well, the day came and went and I am not in Kansas anymore. We left the same day as the marathon. While the day threatened with major thunderstorms, it remained overcast until late morning when the sun finally shined. It was a warm 60 degrees and quite humid with 25-35 mph winds.
We drove to this suburb of Kansas City on Friday after leaving Phoenix on Thursday. Marathon day started at 4:00 am with breakfast at Waffle House. On the way back to the hotel, I was approached by a woman in the parking lot. Her name was not Dorothy, but it was Doris. I had to push her car out of a parking spot to give her car a jump. Fortunately, no injuries.
The race started with the firing of a cannon. I guess tieing into the theme of old stagecoach days since the site is the convergence of the Oregon, Sante Fe and California Trails. It was by far not my best time, but it was acceptable considering the circumstances. I ran in 4:03:05 and finished 9 of 29 in my age group. The course was rolling hills but they all seemed uphill to me, and in the wind. Ughh!!! Of course, I was not that slow. Jan got stopped by a cop for speeding as she was trying to catch up with me on the course. Fortunately, the cop had sympathy for her and let her off the hook.
We returned to the hotel where I showered and packed to leave for St. Louis. Upon putting the Yukon in reverse, we got nothing but a high pitched whine. First gear was not much better. Stuck in a pull-in parking spot, Jan put it in 4 wheel drive and spun out around the yard of the hotel. We were going to stop in St. Louis on the way home to visit Heidi and attend church in Florissant, but we decided to keep going as long as the truck was running. Fortunately, we made it. When we stopped we made sure there was someone we knew in the towns we got gas. We stopped in Columbia in case we had to call on Charlie Martin, we stopped in St. Louis in case we had to call on Tim and Heidi or Steve and Nancy. We stopped in Bloomington, Il in case we had to call on my friends from State Farm, Larry and Dianne. We finally made it around midnight. The truck is in the shop today with an estimate of $1,800 in repairs. Do not buy one of those GM trucks, maybe a Toyota next time.
Next stop is Louisville, KY on April 28, 2007.