Sunday, April 02, 2006

Rockin' K Trail Run

A bunch of us Trail Nerds went out to Kanopolis State Park in the middle of Kansas to run the offered 50-miler and marathon distances. This year, I chose the marathon option, because my right knee still isn't healed from a nasty fall 3-weeks ago. It hurt right from the get-go, and continued to plague me for the entire race. I'm not too unhappy for not opting for the 50-miler. After all, I went into this race as just a training run for upcoming 100-milers, and I saved the knee to be able to keep training. (I am getting smarter with age).

This was my 6th time out at this race. We've never camped in the campground near the start/finish area before. It was a real treat to do so this year. A whole gaggle of us Trail Nerds stayed at one campsite, and a few others stayed in area hotels. We were going to stay and camp on Saturday night as well, but severe weather moved in to quench that idea. We had to get out quick, too. The storm, with "tornadic activity," 70-MPH winds, and severe thunder showers chased us all the way to Kansas City. We arrived home shortly before Midnight.

9 comments:

Hey Zeus said...

Maybe you are getting smarter. Save the knee for bigger races to come.

Anonymous said...

how is that knee treating you after the race? are you going to take some time off this week?

i think that picture of the creek crossing looks like fun. after your advice on my questionnaire, i am seeking out creeks to cross. i haven't had any quite like that, though.

feel better soon.

running42k said...

Not only was backing off the distance smart, not riding out a tornado in a tent was even smarter!

Ben, aka BadBen said...

I did see leeches at one crossing, by the way. Only 2 snake sightings, though.

shliknik said...

I thought about you guys camping on Friday night and mentioned to Lucy how perfect the weather was for a night outdoors! Glad you had at least one clear night before the weather moved in.

J

D said...

I'm w/Susan on this one...I'd like to avoid leeches and snakes.....
That certainly looks like a tough race! Hope your knee is behaving.

Ben, aka BadBen said...

The storm that moved in was significant. Until we got to the interstate and started heading east (ahead of the storm), it was raining so hard that I couldn't drive faster than 30 MPH. (I still couldn't see worth a damn). The wind, lightning and water on the road made for an entertaining drive.

At one point, we were passed by and then following a Chevy Suburban with a white flashing light. I realized after a few miles that we were following a "storm chaser" vehicle. Not a good thing, to be going towards the eye of the storm.

We eventually out-ran the storm and rain on I-70 (at 80 MPH). The storm veered around Kansas City and hit other areas and states east of us. Over 19 people were killed in Tennessee alone, with this same big storm system. Definitely not tent weather!

My knee is stiff and has very limited movement. I'll see how it performs on Tuesday night's group trail run.

Olga said...

Ouch, snakes! I'd be out before the marathon ended:)
Nice run! Take care of the knee.

Anonymous said...

whew! crazy! awesome!