2016 Kansas City Marathon...

In my nine years of marathon running, I had never run the Kansas City Marathon.  That seems kind of odd to think about, considering I have run 10 marathons and only one was local back in 2009.  In my defense, I have usually been busy running the Chicago Marathon or doing an Ironman, so that did not leave me any opportunity to run my hometown marathon.  Well, that all changed this year when I finally decided to register and run the KC Marathon.

The race usually takes place on a crisp, Fall morning.  Usually.  Of course the year I decided to run, the forecast was for temperatures in the upper 70's.  Of course.

 I really did not train all that well.  I was distracted with school and settling into orientation on my unit at the hospital, so I did not do all the long runs I should have done.  I was thinking that the usual 40 degree temperatures would help make up for the fact that the longest run I did was 16 miles on the treadmill.  Well, much to my dismay, the temperatures in the 70's with high humidity did nothing for my under-trained self.  Oops.

When you wake up the morning of a marathon that you did not properly train for, you have to call out the big guns:  the Ironman Louisville coffee mug.  I had to remind myself that at one time, I was indeed a bad ass.

You can also imagine how excited I was to learn that the winds were going to be in the upper 20's during the race and the first half of the race would, you guessed it, be into the wind.  Oh goody.

My favorite view during the marathon, overlooking Liberty Memorial

Needless to say, all elements were against me during the race and I have never wanted to call for someone to come pick me up more than I did during this marathon.  It is never a good sign when you are sweating like a pig during the first mile and you have 25 miles to go.  I like to think I learned a valuable lesson during the race:  Never run the KC marathon again.

My summary of the Kansas City marathon is that it was hot, humid, hilly, and windy.  Looking back, it was kind of a fun thing to do on an October Saturday morning.  I guess I like to inflict pain upon myself, obviously.  Did I mention it was my worst marathon ever?

Kansas City Marathon Finish Time:  4:55

I am pretty sure I am mumbling F-bombs under my breath.  On the positive side, I did receive compliments on my pig tails and my entire outfit.  

Post race with my friend Abby and my mama who had her appendix out a few days prior.  

A big thanks to Ken for coming out to watch me run my 11th marathon!