A great month of running

Posted on April 28, 2012 by

Don’t let my infrequent posts fool you: It’s been a great month of running!

Four weeks ago today, Kate and I participated with Mike, my brother-in-law, John, my nephew, and Jeff, our friend, in the first annual Circle the Square 5k in Independence. The March 31 race benefitted Community Services League and was a big fundraising success.

It also was a hit for our family: Mike finished his first 5k (Way to go, Bro!), John won his age group and Kate set a new PR — which she would soon surpass.

Two weeks later, the Beem fivesome ran the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon/5k in Kansas City. It was my second year running the 13.1-miler, for which Tom and Kate joined me while Maggie and Joe ran the 5k.

According to the April 14 race results, Tom was the youngest among 4,800 half marathoners. He finished in 2:36 and was a real hit.

Brett Anthony, one of the NBC Action News weathermen Tom follows devotedly, was on hand for the race and interviewed him afterward. Check out the kudos at http://youtu.be/cPqWY_nP4FQ.

While Tom was nailing the half marathon, Maggie and Joe did themselves proud in the 5k. Maggie finished third in the 1-14 female group, and Joe won the 15-19 male field.

Last weekend, we hit the road again — this time in two different races. Kate, Maggie and Tom ran the Independence Park Trot 5k Run/Walk, and I ran the Garmin Marathon in Olathe.

Kate bested the 5k PR she’d set two weeks earlier with a new record of 29:04. Maggie finished first in the 1-14 girls set, and Tom finished fifth among the 1-14-year-old boys. Way to go, gang!

While Kate, Maggie and Tom were running the 5k and Joe was keeping stats with a buddy at the Chrisman girls’ soccer game, I checked an item off my bucket list. I ran my first marathon.

The Garmin Marathon started at 7 a.m. on April 21 at Garmin International. The flat course snaked through hospitals, malls, historic downtowns and trails in southwest Johnson County.

It was a great experience. I initially hoped to finish my first 26.2-miler in under four hours but added 60 minutes to my mark about a month before the race.

Kate suggested I run with the 4:30 pace group to maintain an easy pace, and I decided to heed her advice. Her counsel was right on point.

I ran with Danny and Lynn, the 4:30 pace group leaders, for the first 20 miles of the marathon. I shifted to a run/walk combination after hitting mile 20 and finished in 4:36, a first marathon mark of which I’m proud and look forward to improving over the years.

I’m already planning my next races and will share them with you in future posts. Tom has vowed to best his 2:36 half marathon PR in this October’s Kansas City Marathon.

What races are you running this spring? Let us know.

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner

Posted in All posts, April 2012 | Leave a comment

Circle the Square in Independence

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

If you’ll be in Kansas City on Saturday, March 31, lace up your running shoes and join me in Independence for the first annual Circle the Square 5k.

The event, which begins at 8 a.m. at Community Services League at 404 N. Noland Road, will wind through the historic Independence Square and surrounding area.

The 5k benefits Community Services League, which serves more than 8,000 individuals and families in need each year in Eastern Jackson County.

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner

Posted in All posts, March 2012 | Leave a comment

T-W-E-N-T-Y

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

I reached a new running milestone yesterday.

I ran 20 miles.

My marathon training plan prescribed the distance as part of the final preparation for my first 26.2 mile race. I’ll run 22 miles the next two Sundays before beginning a gradual taper for the mid-April event.

I hit the 30A Running and Biking Trail at 6:30 a.m. Saturday in Grayton Beach, FL. To be safe, I decided to do four five-mile out-and-back loops, which would keep me no more than 2.5 miles from our place should the distance — or humidity — get the best of me.

I headed west from Grayton Beach for my first circuit. The sun was just creeping over the eastern horizon, and the fog and humidity were thick. My glasses quickly clouded up, and I couldn’t see more than 20 feet.

At my first five-mile turn, I downed 14 jelly beans and six ounces of water before heading east on the 30A Running and Biking Trail for my second loop. The rising sun had burned away the morning fog, and I wished several blocks out that I’d grabbed my sunglasses.

The second circuit went well, too, though the morning humidity was on the rise as I made the 2.5-mile turn and headed back toward the cottage. Once there, I grabbed my sunglasses, downed another 14 jelly beans and six more ounces of water and headed out for my second westward run.

As I hit the 30A Biking and Running Trail at the four-way stop in Grayton Beach for the third time, a new sensation dawned on me. Fatigue.

Not yet, I thought. I’m barely halfway there.

I kept going. And I kept feeling more worn down.

As I approached the two-mile mark of my third loop, an idea flickered in my mind. I’ll turn around at two miles and make my last circuit six miles.

I knew it was a good strategy, because Kate and Tom would be waiting for me at the cottage, ready to join me for the final loop of the morning. They were planning on five miles but could easily do an extra one. I needed their support to keep me going.

I turned around at 2.05 miles and headed back. The thought of them joining me for the last circuit made the third trip back to the cottage easier.

Just as we’d planned, Kate and Tom were waiting for me when I arrived. I downed my last 14 jelly beans, drank about 18 ounces of water and headed back out with them.

We talked and caught up on the morning for the first mile of the run. I’d been on the road more than two hours when they joined me, so we had plenty to talk about.

We made the eastward circuit’s 2.95-mile turn in Seaside, FL, and headed back toward the cottage. I was relieved we were beginning the last three miles of the run, but I knew they’d be the toughest for me.

I was right.

A half mile after the final turn, I had to begin taking short walk breaks every couple of minutes. My water bottle was empty, and my energy was gone.

Being with Kate and Tom, who ran ahead but never out of sight, made the difference. If they hadn’t been with me for the final 5.9 miles of the run, I’m confident I wouldn’t have finished

But because they were, I did. I ran 20 miles.

Thanks, guys.

Next Sunday, I’ll tackle my first 22-mile run. I hope Kate and Tom are available …

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner

Posted in All posts, March 2012 | 2 Comments

I’m still running … yeah, yeah, yeah!

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

GRAYTON BEACH, Fla. — “I’m Still Standing,” the classic Elton John tune, came to mind as I sat down to write this post.

The view of the Gulf of Mexico from the end of Cottage Street in Grayton Beach.

Lest some of you were beginning to wonder, fear not: I’m still running. The problem isn’t finding time to hit the road; it’s stealing a few minutes to write about my running adventures.

I’m posting today from this fun, quirky village along Scenic Highway 30A, a 20-mile stretch in Florida’s Panhandle that connects Destin and Panama City Beach. From west to east, it winds through the small, diverse beach communities of Dune Allen, Santa Rosa, Blue Mountain, WaterColor, Seaside, Seagrove, Seacrest, Rosemary, Inlet and Carillon.

The beach boardwalk at the end of Cottage Street.

And this cool little burg dubbed the place go if you’re looking for an off-the-beaten path, low-key, family friendly beach experience. Which the Beems were.

I was invited to speak to a group of nonprofit leaders Thursday in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Kate and I discovered in mid-December that the trip coincided with our kids’ spring break and decided to stretch my time here into a long family weekend.

Our Grayton Beach cottage and pool.

It’s just what the doctor ordered. There’s not much of a college spring break crowd here, and the beach’s fine, white sand and clear, turquoise water are picturesque.

We found a great place to stay at www.vrbo.com, which I highly recommend to those searching for a home or apartment to rent in an area they’re visiting. We snagged a cool, two-story place right next to the block’s private pool — it’s maintained by and reserved for Cottage Street’s 10 homeowners and their guests — and 50 steps from the beach boardwalk.

The Red Bar, a well-known Grayton Beach eatery.

The small business district is just two blocks away. There we’ve discovered such cool eateries as The Red Bar and Shorty’s and The Zoo Gallery, a funky gift shop.

Oh, yeah — the running here’s great, too. I did eight miles Wednesday heading east from Grayton Beach on the Scenic 30A Bike and Running Trail, which parallels the road its entire distance. Yesterday, Kate and I headed west on the trail for four miles. We hope to run between four and eight miles today, and I’ll log 20 miles on the trail early tomorrow morning.

Looking up Cottage Street toward the Gulf of Mexico.

I’ve missed a few weekday runs in recent weeks but — because I had a good base when I began marathon training – feel on top of my preparation for the long race. What I can’t sacrifice are the long weekend runs: I ran 18 miles last Sunday and will be sure to do 20 tomorrow.

I hope you’re having a good spring and enjoying this great time of year to run. It’s the perfect time to hit the road, so lace up your shoes and go.

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner

Posted in All posts, March 2012 | Leave a comment

The running in Kansas City has never been better

Posted on February 5, 2012 by

It’s hard to believe it’s February 5. I last posted on December 31!

It’s not that I haven’t been running. Quite the contrary.

I’m training for my first 26.2-miler. The Oz Marathon (http://www.olathe.org/sports/marathon/) is on April 21 in Olathe, Kan.

I really like my training plan (http://endurancesports1.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/break-4-marathon-plan.pdf). I also have a new training buddy.

That’s right. Tom, our 9-year-old, is training for his first long race.

Tom and I enjoyed several runs over the holidays with balmy weather in Kansas City.

The Rock the Parkway Half Marathon (http://www.rocktheparkway.com/) is on April 14 in Kansas City. My training plan’s long run the week before the marathon is 12 miles, so Kate and I decided to sign up for the scenic 13.1-miler.

When Tom heard us talking over the holidays about how much we like the course, he asked if he could run the race with us. “Do you think I can do it?”

I’d recently read a “Runner’s World” article by a father whose 9-year-old son ran a half marathon with him. It described the fun they had training for and running the race.

“I think you’ll do great,” I answered. “And I’d love it!”

Joe and Maggie were initially going to join Tom, Kate and me for the 13.1-miler. But their busy teenage lives bested their ambition, and they’ll do the 5k instead.

January was a great training month. With daytime temperatures between 35 and 60, the weather in Kansas City has been perfect for running.

Tom, sitting here with Sally, enjoys the math associated with running.

We’ve plotted an array of courses starting and ending at our house. Tom, who loves to make sense of the world through numbers, has a blast mapping training routes on gmap-pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/) and tracking our distance on the road with my Garmin Forerunner 110.

So far, he’s been able to complete every training run prescribed in his training plan, which we created at “Runner’s World’s” SmartCoach( http://www.rwsmartcoach.com/uof/rwsmartcoach/48622/?cm_mmc=RW_NavLink-_-trainingAR-_-48622-_-179341&keycode=179341). What’s more, we’ve having a blast.

Today’s long run is sure to be enjoyable. We’ll have M.U.’s resounding defeat of K.U. last night to reflect on and Superbowl XLVI to look forward to.

We’ll do the first six miles at a 12:10 pace, and I’ll do another seven on my own. It’ll be fun to do the first six miles together, and increasing my speed over the last seven miles to notch an average pace of 9:58 for the entire run will push me.

I hope your winter running’s going well. Post a reply and let Kansas City Runner’s followers know what you’re up to.

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner

Posted in All posts, February 2012 | 3 Comments