(July 4th) L: early in the morning before the run R: Mom almost to the finish line
Just after we both crossed the finish line.
And then on Saturday, I ran a 50K in Kansas City, KS called "PsychoWyco Psummer". It's called "Wyco" because this particular trail run takes place in a county park in Wyandotte County. It's called "Psycho", because well, it's a brutal 31 miles in the Kansas July summer! The course was tough with lots of hills and some mud. I finished in one piece thanks to a bandana filled with ice wrapped around my neck to keep me cool. I learned the meaning of a phrase that I've seen many times before: "It never always gets worse." There was a period where I felt awful and I was discouraged thinking that it meant I would feel that way all the way to the finish line. But it never always gets worse! After arriving at the next aid station, I ate some watermelon and Jello cake and quickly felt my energy come back and felt better most of the second half of the run than I did the first. Oh yeah, and I saw another sign that I found true: "What doesn't kill me sure does make me hungry!"
Before the race:
http://00673d3.netsolhost.com/photoalbum_index.htm/07-05-08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_0704_s_jpg.htm
Coming up a steep hill:
http://00673d3.netsolhost.com/photoalbum_index.htm/07-05-08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_9344_s_jpg.htm
http://00673d3.netsolhost.com/photoalbum_index.htm/07-05-08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_9345_s_jpg.htm
Another random picture:
http://00673d3.netsolhost.com/photoalbum_index.htm/07-05-08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_9491_s_jpg.htm
A good shot of some of the nice views:
http://00673d3.netsolhost.com/photoalbum_index.htm/07-05-08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_9381_s_jpg.htm08Psycho_long/pages/IMG_9381_s_jpg.htm
L: Half way done; R: All the way done with finishers medals!
The guy in white is my running friend, Allen Smelser from McLouth, KS. I "celebrated" the 4th of July with Allen and his family on Friday night by going to sleep at 9 pm with ear plugs to block out ominous sound of what it might be like to live in a war-torn country!
