[COURSE PREVIEW] Cliff Hanger 8k

2014 Cliff Hanger 8k -- Sunday, November 2nd, 9:00am
A 5k option is also offered, and begins at 8:00am

This event's official webpage can be found HERE.

Another autumn run race means another gorgeous route. One of the prettiest (I believe) is the Cliff Hanger 8k & 5k, a 5-ish-mile (unless you're a 5k-er) trek along Cliff Drive north of downtown Kansas City. Let there be no doubt: this one is worth doing for the scenery alone. However, on this course preview, you won't notice too many on-course (Virtual Run) photos -- most all of the route is...well...Cliff Drive. If you've been there before, you know what I mean. If not, you'll soon see for yourself.

Packet Pick-Up
For this race, packet pick-up IS ALLOWED on race day, although, like most races, organizers encourage packet pick-up beforehand (this opens up the volunteers to focus on more race-day-oriented tasks). Ahead of race day, there is one packet pick-up time, on Saturday (November 1st) from 12:00pm (noon) to 5:00pm at Gary Gribble's Running Sports in the Ward Parkway Mall. Like always, packet pick-up is always busiest at the start and end of the times offered, so plan accordingly if you're expecting a quick-in-quick-out.

Race-Day Parking
Given the location of the race itself, parking is a bit sketchy. Much of the parking is done along the roadways in the surrounding area, although there are two lots that are offered up for participant/spectator parking. The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences is a sponsor of this event, and just so happens to live next door to the start line. On race day, a couple of their lots are the two mentioned previous, right off Highland Avenue. But do note: they are small. So early arrival is recommended.

Course Preview (with Virtual Run)

          Intro
If you are familiar with the 2013 route, I would assume nothing has changed. The event's website never posts the race route maps for either the 5k or 8k, so I'm left relying on my GPS information from last year. However, it's fairly straight-forward: 4k down Cliff Drive, turn around, 4k back. So really, it's only the start/finish line that would presumably change.

          Route Basics/Metrics

The 2013, and presumably, 2014 race route. The only real climb is highlighted on the course profile. However, it should be noted that a lot of these elevation changes could be affected by the surrounding trees (much of the course is covered by trees). (Image credit: Google Earth)

Here are the basics for the 2014 route...

• Distance: 4.99mi
• Route Type: Out-and-Back
• Terrain Type: City, Park Roads (blacktop)
• Start/Finish Location: Cliff Drive @ Lexington Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
• Start Elevation: 895ft
• # Climbs: 1
• Tot. Elevation Gain: 365ft
• Official Map: -not given-

         Climbs
Only one climb on-route here. Here's what that one looks like...

• River Market Finish: 0.27mi (2.84-3.11mi) @ 5.0% average grade (9.0% maximum), +42.6ft (757-798ft), 1/10 rating

         Virtual Run (all image credited to Google Earth Street View)
Cliff Drive is actually The Paseo past Lexington Avenue (just north of Hwy-24/Independence Avenue). At the intersection of The Paseo and Lexington, gates mark the start of Cliff Drive. The Start/Finish line is right beyond these gates.

0.00mi: The start of Cliff Drive. The start/finish line is just beyond the gateway (about where that red line starts).

Not even a quarter-mile in to the race, the road will seemingly split. To the right lay Lookout Point Drive, a gorgeous yet quick drive up the side of the cliff back towards Lexington. For the race, the route will stay left, dropping a bit on to the lower Cliff Drive.

0.25mi: The split in the road, with Cliff Drive on the left, and Scenic Lookout Drive on the right. Stay left. It drops quite a bit here, as well.

After about an additional quarter-mile drop (steep in spots, shallow in others), you land on to Cliff Drive. The lure of Cliff Drive comes due to its scenic overlooks to the right, looking over the river and in to North Kansas City, and its large limestone wall cliffs to the right. This time of year, beautiful fall foliage also covers the route directly overhead. Along with it being a closed course for this event, you couldn't ask for a better run.

0.65mi: The first of many sharp turns on-route. Nothing that'll slow you down, though. You can see one of those limestone cliffs on the right side of the image. Looking left would give you a beautiful view of North KC.

There is one opening that comes about a mile in (or a mile from the finish). Just to the South of Cliff Drive there is a small lake. This opening offers some side-of-the-road parking for the trail that runs around the lake. No, runners don't get to run around the lake.

1.00mi: A brief opening in the landscape for lake parking. The lake (or really, the pond) is ahead and on the right (not visible in this image). Consequently, this is about where mile marker 1 hits.

Beyond the opening, scenery returns to normal.

2.00mi: About where mile marker 2 would be, but it's not really helpful...this is about what every mile looks like on-route.

Really, a 5-mile(-ish) run is the perfect distance for Cliff Drive, as nearing the end of Cliff Drive is about 2.5 miles. At the race route turn-around, the exit gate is clearly visible ahead only 250 meters or so.

2.45mi: About the location of the turn-around for the 8k. You can see Cliff Drive's other gate up ahead.

The, back to business-as-usual for 2.5 miles. If you're aim is competition for this one, you may reach a point where your psyche starts to mess with you, as everything looks the same (no matter how gorgeous it may be). For me, last year, I kept looking for that opening at 1 mile that told me it was 1 mile to go -- and it felt like forever for me to reach it. Eventually, you hit it, followed quickly by the only significant climb on-route, with about a half of a mile to go.

4.70mi: The final meters of the only climb on-route. Though the average grade is "only" 2.7%, the maximum grades come in the second half of the climb, nearing 7- and 8% (like here).

Once you reach the top of the climb, you'll notice the "split" in the road from the beginning of the race -- where Scenic Overlook Drive comes back in to contact with Cliff Drive. At this point, it's only a quarter-mile to go! Nearing the finish, you'll likely notice the finish line banner rather than the Cliff Drive gates. Congrats on your finish!

          Strategy
In my humble opinion, runners versed in the 5k can get away with a 4-mile run -- just barely. It seems to me that right at 5 miles (for an 8k) is when a little extra training is needed if you intend to run competitively. One of my favorite training runs for 5k's is perfect tor training for an 8k: 1 mile warm-up, followed by 3x1-mile intervals at 5k-or-above effort, with a half-mile rest/jog between (So 1mi+1mi+.5mi+1mi+.5mi+1mi = 5mi). That, and of course, it's probably a good idea to test out an all-out 5mi effort. If you've trained for a recent 10k, you should be good to go.

On-route, competitive runners will be nearly flat-out the whole way. With a relatively flat course, the opening down-hill half-mile acts as a nice spring-board in to race-pace. Just watch out for that final climb! With only a quarter-mile to go, if you're battling with others, this is the perfect place to attack -- and attacks will only be successful for the adequately-trained.


Race report to follow.

Keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds
~~__o
  _-/<,_
@/   @

[BLOG UPDATE] HUGE News: This Site is MOVING...

I have outgrown the resources made available through a blog-only webpage. I must move on!

I will continue to update my Blogger page through the rest of the 2014 calendar year (including my Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Coverage). However, as of January 1st, 2015, I will no longer be posting to my tylerdstaples.blogspot.com page.

I am currently transition all of my web content to a new webpage, and I am changing the name -- hopefully for the last time. KC Multisport Life will be called The Kansas City Runner's Resource, and is hosted by Weebly. The site is already available at kcrunnersresource.weebly.com.

As I said, I am currently in transition from this blog to my new site at kcrunnersresource.weebly.com. In my transition, I have decided to migrate over all of my pages and posts. This process is going to take a long time. Many of my first posts have been migrated, but there is still plenty of work to do.

Until my targeted January 1st date, I will post new course previews and race reports both on here (Blogger) as well as on the new KC Runner's Resource page.

In addition to my Blogger going kaput, once my Weebly site goes "live," I will have my own domain at www.kcrunnersresource.com. If you type in kcrunnersresource.weebly.com, it will automatically direct you to the domain.

So here's my the Clifsnotes...

• October 16th: kcrunnersresource.weebly.com goes live,
• Migration of Blogger site pages and posts begins.
• Old posts on Weebly site that are not migrated yet will still link to Blogger post.
• (aka all Weebly links are already active, but some link to Blogger instead)
• New posts continue on both Blogger site and Weebly site.
• October 31st: Blogger posts and pages are finished migrating to new Weebly site.
• New posts continue on both Blogger site and Weebly site.
• December 31st: New posts discontinue on Blogger site.
• Blogger site will remain, but will no longer be updated.
• January 1st: kcrunnersresource.weebly.com becomes kcrunnersresource.com

I think the move will improve website organization, as well as retain a section specifically for blogging (you'll see what I mean when you visit the new page). I also like the look and customization just a touch better.

If you have any questions/concerns/feedback, you know where to reach me.

Keep R/B/S-ing!!!

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @

[RACE REPORT] Kansas City (Half-) Marathon, Pt.II: Expo & Packet Pick-Up

Home > Race Schedules & Reports > 2014 > Kansas City (Half-) Marathon, Pt.II: Expo & Packet Pick-Up

This post is part two in a three-part series on the 2014 Kansas City Half Marathon. Part two covers the event expo, including packet pick-up. Other posts in this series include...

• Part I (Course Preview w. Virtual Run): HERE
• Part III (Race Day): [to be posted week of 10/20]

The event's official site can be found HERE.

Expo & Packet Pick-Up (to be updated afternoon of 10/16)

Packet pick-up is required pre-race (aka NO race-day packet pick-up). Packet pick-up, same as last year, is located at the event expo, at the Sheraton Kansas City at Crown Center, 2323 McGee Street (Exhibit Hall A). The following are the available pick-up times...

• Thursday, October 16th, 3-8pm
• Friday, October 17th, 11am-8pm

From the garage's ground level, these
little green arrows light the way.

For those that have been to the expo for Hospital Hill, this is the same location and Exhibit Hall (but bigger expo!). You can park at the Crown Center lots, but you'll incur the garage's $5 wrath. Though spots are few and far between at the Sheraton's lot, stalking expo goers for a spot is worth the $5 saved (which is $5 earned!). Just be sure to get your parking stamp validated at the expo (more on that in a second).

Once parked, take the elevators or stairs to the ground level. Once there, little green arrows will show the way to the Exhibit Hall. Just follow the green arrows!

Look at these helpful receipt-printing
volunteers!

In the week prior to expo time, event organizers sent out emails with confirmation emails of participants' registration. This email is needed for your actual packet pick-up. If you didn't print it off, fret-not! Just outside the exhibit hall is a row of tables with really awesome volunteers to help ease your confirmation-less woes! Just give them your name, and they'll print off a receipt with your confirmation information.

Now that that jazz is taken care of, get your parking validated! Right at the opening of the exhibit hall, there's a table specifically for validation. Just give them the parking ticket from Sheraton's garage, and a quick stamp will save you your $5. For 2013 athletes, this table is in pretty much the same location as last year.

Now to take care of the last bits of business, grab your packet! These are located at the very back of the exhibit hall. Presumably, this is so you're required to hit the exhibitor tables no matter what, but I like to wait for that table stroll until after my packet is in-hand. Like last year, these are organized by bib number, NOT by last name (hence the required confirmation email).

The relay tables were nearly empty. Half-marathon? Not so much.

If you're a late registerer, you're all the way to the right. Next from right are the kiddy runners, relayers (black signs), then half-marathoners (green signs), and finally full marathoners nearly all the way to the left of the back wall (blue signs). Upon my arrival, nearly right at 3pm on the first expo day, the half-marathon tables were packed. This is always going to be hit-or-miss, but usually the busiest times for packet pick-up are right at the start, right at the end, or during natural breaks in the day (such as around the lunch our, or at rush hour time). Plan accordingly

Now you can hit the actual expo part of the expo! Various vendors showcase at the expo -- about the same as Hospital Hill (this year at HH, I picked up a Fitletic number holder on the cheap). UltraMax Sports, the Running Well Store, and KC Running Company store are just a few of the local vendors. Take your time, and appreciate the work of all the exhibitors that took their time to come on out!

I believe that's about it. You got your packet, your goodies, go home and start carb-ing up!!

Until then, keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @

[RACE REPORT] An unlikely PR: The Mustache Dash 5k

Home > Race Schedules & Reports > 2014 > The Mustache Dash 5k

The event's official site can be found HERE.

The resulting race day goodies.

Local runners may be familiar with this one; perhaps one of the more popular themed races is the Mustache Dash 5k. This year there are five offerings throughout the midwest, including Omaha, St. Louis, Wichita, Tulsa (OK), and Leawood (KS). This one will, of course, be covering the KC-area version, Leawood.

Pre Race
          Course Preview
Link to this route in Google Maps can be found HERE.
For my in-depth course preview write-up, visit the course preview post HERE.

The 2014 route, with Roe climb noted (image courtesy of Google Earth).

          Battling both kinds of cold.
My time spent at the packet pick-up (this year located at KC Running Company's new retail store -- which is awesome, by the way) was short-lived and sans-pictures. This year, three days out, I came under the spell of a nasty sinus infection. By Friday, my race plans were tentative, as any prolonged time spent vertical left my sinuses throbbing and my head spinning. Certainly running in this condition was next to physically impossible. The final days of the week presented with dreary and cold conditions as well -- which wasn't helping.

Jump to Friday morning, 6:30am, and I woke up surprisingly clear. No, I wasn't anywhere near 100%, but I could stand. Therefore, I would run. The only concern at this point: barely-40-degree morning weather might put me back under the...well...weather. And only one week until KC Marathon race day? Yikes.

First, our Nation's anthem. That chick next to me
looked way more serious than I (better mustache, too)
(photo credit: KC Running Company)

I jacket-ed up, and nearly succumbed to tights as well (I didn't). Arriving on-site, I could tell the initial adrenaline of waking on race morning was wearing off. Out in the cold, my sinuses (and lungs) were started to argue with me once more. My head swimming, I barely got in a warm-up run, misplacing the correct start time by about 30 minutes. I got in as many strides as I could before it was time to line up. This wasn't going to be pretty...

Race Day

The start line was still cold, even after a warm-up. Some of that could still have been the infection running through my veins, though. Five minutes from start, I had no idea what to expect out of my legs, and my body. I'd been on nearly four complete days of rest, sick during all, and not a solid mile run in nearly a week (I had planned for a long run the day I came down with the illness).

And, they're off! (photo credit: KC Running Company)

The pre-race time expired, and all were off. Within the first 300m, a natural group of five formed. I didn't quite have the speed, so I held off from attempting to stick. By 500m, the group shed two more runners, with myself remaining in sixth (P6). Seventh and eighth were gaining a touch, but I was able to hold well through the first mile marker.

As my watched beeped one mile, I could feel my lungs start to sting from the cold, and the cold (redundancy intended). I ignored my watch -- I didn't want to see how poorly I was running, although I was happy with retaining a top-10 spot. Surely I couldn't keep it for long, with my lungs starting to argue with me (but, surprisingly, my legs holding firm).

North on Nall, P6 at this point
(photo credit: KC Running Company)

Beyond mile marker 1, the road began to pick up. Ascents adorned the first mile, too, but nothing that registered with my legs. Ascending toward College Boulevard, my legs still held, by my lungs turned from sting to sear. But still, I pushed, following the turnover of my legs as much as possible.

Turning off of College and to Roe, there was another uptick towards the 2-mile marker. I could hear
the steps of P7 and P8 edging up behind me. Oh the uptick, I was able to hold, followed by a long descent. Here, both 7th and 8th passed, pushing me in to P8. My legs were finally fatiguing, and the quad-pounding of the down-slopes proved painful. Then, the only significant climb on-route hit on approach back towards Town Center. With the brief break for my breathing, I was able to give a slight surge.

Turning on to 117th towards Town Center, I looked back towards the corner -- 9th was a ways back, but if I let up too much I could risk my 8th place finish. Up ahead, I was able to match pace with P6 and P7, but not gain any ground. P5 was losing ground to 6th and 7th, but not enough that I could overtake. Approaching mile 3, the name of the game would be maintenance.

The finish, at a PR 20:16, and in a solid 8th.
(photo credit: KC Running Company)

In through the Park Place parking garage, I did a double-check behind me. I had a good 15-second lead over 9th. Final corner and on to the final stretch, I let up a touch. Then, looking towards the finish line, I saw what I had yet to see ever: 19:50. A sub-20 time!???? For me, over the last year, that was the holy grail. With nearly a tenth of a mile to go, there's no way I could cover 10 seconds or less. But suddenly the sub-20 seemed within reach. Ignoring my watch the whole race, I had no idea how close I was. I started to ask: did ignoring my watch help my time? Or would seeing my watch and how close to sub-20 I was given me the extra push to actually grab sub-20? Hard to tell, but one thing was fore sure...I had to surge now -- a PR was no on the line. I kicked -- hard -- and crossed at 20:16.

Sub-6:30 for the first time ever. The long-awaited PR. I had been aiming for this for seven months now. I had ticked sub-6:30 finally. Now the only next stop was sub-20. Then, who knows. Sub-6:00?? The coveted 5:30??? A door I had been knocking at all year finally chose to creak open. All whilst batting the cold and a cold. Who would've thought??

Race Metrics

• Distance: 3.15mi
• Time: 20:16
• Avg. Pace (Max. 1mi Split): 6:26 (6:08)
• HR Avg. (Max.): 176bpm (191bpm)
• Calories: 356kcal
• Elev. Gain: +167ft
• Avg. Cadence (Max.): 178spm (190spm)
• Avg. Vertical Oscillation: 9.8cm
• Avg. Ground Contact Time: 223ms
• Avg. Stride Length: 1.40m
• Garmin Connect Activity Page: HERE

Keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @

[RACE REPORT] I hate mud runs: The Great Pumpkin Run 5k

Home > Race Schedules & Reports > 2014 > Great Pumpkin Run 5k

The event's official site can be found HERE.

Despite the course, the surroundings were beautiful.

This will be an extra-brief race brief, but a necessary one, for those considering this event in the future. But first, let me start out by saying that, yes, I despise mud runs (and obstacle runs, and themed runs -- as they are most often developed by for-profit companies rather than not-for-profit charities -- but besides that I just don't like them). And yes, this wasn't technically supposed to be a mud run. And of course, the event was well-organized in all other aspects other than the course, the coordinators were awesome, and the volunteers were uber-nice. And, without a doubt, I do not regret going to this event, and would even (maybe) attend again in the future.

Okay...now that I got those caveats out in the clear -- this run was quite miserable.

Let's start, first with an early preview of the rough estimate of the race route. Make no mistake: a preview is helpful 99.9% of the time. For this event, it was not. At all.

The race route, though the corn maze (northwestern corner of the route) varied quite a bit.

The route seemingly ran along trails made way by even organizers, utilizing the unused quartiles of a pumpkin farm, as well as the outer perimeters of said farmland, and of course their corn maze. Not a bad use of farmland, I must say. This was going to be awesome. The only if was the corn maze, which didn't have a specific route layout ahead of time, and was just characterized by a basic run across where the maze would be -- no switchbacks or anything.

Next, let's check out the race-week email and athlete guide, warning of the potential of rain, and noting that the course can get muddy if it rains within a couple of days of the race. Noted. No problemo. I'm wearing my trail runners anyways.

Via the athlete guide, A bit of a disclaimer about the possibility of mud on the course.

Finally, let's check out the weekend that came two days out -- it speaks for itself.

Even with the email, nothing could've prepared.

Dually noted. This may get messy. I'll bring a towel and a change of clothes (which I normally do anyways).

In the 24 hours prior to race day, I checked out grassy areas all around, assessing for the possible damage that I might encounter. The grounds, parched as they usually are after a long summer, were draining well. Sure, there were some puddles here and there, and some mud in the occasional ditch. Hell, I even ran off-road the morning of, being sure to check out even the deepest of ditches for what was to come.

Nothing could have prepared. Nothing, I say.

The first quarter mile started as expected, over the same terrain I'd warmed up on no more than 30 minutes before the start line. From time to time, namely in potholes and in shaded areas (like around the bases of trees), I kicked up a bit of mud, but nothing to really stress over -- after all it did rain in the days previous, and I came prepared and expected a bit of messy.

Then came the Southern edge of the farm, completely shaded by overhanging trees, still desperately clinging on to their orange-, yellow-, and red-shaded foliage. Along the edges of the farmlands' plots the ground sat, devoid of all plant life, lower than the farmland itself. The combination of all of this meant three things: significant runoff, no plant roots, and zero chance of evaporation. The result was mud, fresh and several inches deep, some areas with near an inch of still-standing and stagnant water from the rain showers that had ceased well over a day ago.

When it comes to running on mud, you can step only so lightly. You can use your shoes' toes only so much. One misstep and splat. Not a hundred feet in to this muddied section of "trail" and my left shoe disappeared, without warning of a loosening shoestring or otherwise. I hopped on one foot back to the hole in the mud where, presumably, it'd vanished. Luckily, the trim on my trail runners are bright orange, and "luckily," they feature a loop at the heel. I grabbed at the loop and tugged, and it slipped. I hopped back, tugged again with my body weight in aide, and the loop snapped. I fell, full-weighted in to the ground. So much for hopping on one foot. I got up, stepped with exposed feet back to my shoe -- water and mud and muddy water saturating my left sock and pouring in to my right shoe -- and shoveled the ground up around my shoe with both hands. Shoe untied, I slipped it on, my toes pressing against a bolus of mud at tip of its interior. Shoe on, tied back up, I pressed on. Mud is slippery, and though that was the extend of full-body slippage, twice over my shoes came untied in the following meters. Overall, I'd lost just over two minutes.

With a false sense of mercy, the route turned North in to the barren pumpkin fields (I hadn't reached mile marker 1 yet, by the way). The early assumption was that these would be lined with homemade trails; alas, they weren't. We were running through the center of a crop field -- divots, potholes, lumps, bumps, old crops, and all.  Runners were stumbling and tripping a fair bit, otherwise using all their might to stay vertical. Past one mile, we turned back south through the same field, and back in to the mud once more.

Along the Eastern edge of the farms lay the same gutters, but somewhat more exposed to sunlight, which meant only mud and no more standing water. The mud was dense enough at that point to successfully run across, albeit still a dirty job. The same went for the Northern edge of the fields.

Then a turn back south through, this time, currently-used pumpkin fields, with participants running in the ruts between the lines of pumpkins. Still uneven, still dirty. However, somehow, the run seemed faster at this point. My second mile clocked an 8:00/mi, despite a heart rate average well in to the 170's and 180's. I started to think about the massive numbers of muscle groups that had to be active to stay upright, and how much extra energy this run required, despite the 2-minute-per-mile slower speeds.

Nearing the corn maze, I started to count off the number of runners that lay ahead of me -- a tactic I usually employ well before mile marker 1. I counted 9, putting me in 10th. 9th place ("P9") was well ahead, running about the same pace as me. I gave a few hard surges, resulting in zero extra speed. With the uneven terrain and conditions, it seemed smoothness rather than power resulted in speed. For me, that would mean settling for around 8:00/mi paces. P11 was well off in the distance behind me. Looks like 10th place is where it'd be.

Of the many attractions available at the farm.

I entered the final stretches via the corn maze, which was a zig-zag, switchback after switchback, through about what you'd expect for a corn maze, but with the same mud as outside the maze. With the slick terra-soft'a beneath me, there was no such thing as quick switchbacks. The 3-mile alert sounded on my watch as I was exiting the maze. A short run on crushed limestone (finally some dry land!!!), followed by a run on wet and slick grass, and I crossed at just over 25 minutes, in 10th place. Not a result I was used to for a 5k (read: the course was closer to an even 3 miles by the watch).

My first thought as soon as I crossed, unexpectedly, was "that was fun." What!?? That was tortuous. Insane. A legal liability, even! "What a great challenge." And that's why. A solid portion of the non-competitive runners and walkers were already lounging around the finish line, having turned around at "the mud pit" insanity in mile 1. Many were complaining, a few were laughing. With time, more of the complaints turned to smiles, laughs and reminisces of "remember that part when..." Overall, most people seemed to react similarly than I: mid-run, this run was ridiculous. Post-finish, what a blast, muddy shoes and all. What a great story to tell. What a great challenge!

The shoes are actually post-rinse. Yikes.

And with that, all participants would hang around to enjoy the awesome surroundings of the Johnson Family Farm, fresh cider in hand, well-earned finisher's medal around the neck, and proudly-picked pumpkin on display. And that's how I will remember it. Sure, those considering it in the future should heed caution, but most will end up the same: reminiscing of the frantic craziness, odd fun, and bizarre challenge that was the Great Pumpkin Run 5k.

Keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @

P.S. - I cannot stress enough, a huge thank-you to the organizers and volunteers of this run. Even with the crazy of the course, the event was an absolute blast. I really do hope the event continues to grow in popularity.

[COURSE PREVIEW] Monster Dash 5k (with Virtual Run)

Home > Course Previews Database > Monster Dash 5k

The event's official site can be found HERE.

The Monster Dash 5k is population with KC Running Company frequent fliers. Again, this one is one of the more popular themed races is the Mustache Dash 5k. Though the route has changed slightly from 2013, the basics remain the same: a start and finish at River Market in Downtown KC and a descent in to and out of Riverfront Park. This one is a night run, and starts just after dark -- so keep that in mind when running the route.

Course Preview
Link to this route in Google Maps can be found HERE.

The 2014 route, with one climb highlighted.

          Intro
Not too much has changed for 2014, though runners that participated last year will notice the final short-yet-ridiculously-steep climb up the cobblestones on Delaware Street is missing. Instead, only the ascent out of Riverfront Park remains, and the entire route is basically a run from River Market to Riverfront Park and back. The nearly 3 remaining miles in Riverfront Park is flat.

          Route Basics/Metrics
Here are the basics for the new 2014 route...

• Distance: 3.11mi
• Route Type: Out-and-Back
• Terrain Type: City, Park Roads (blacktop, concrete)
• Start/Finish Location: River Market, Kansas City, Missouri
• Start Elevation: 832ft
• # Climbs: 1
• Tot. Elevation Gain: 148ft

         Climbs
As mentioned, only one climb adorns the route: the climb out of Riverfront Park, sitting at about a quarter mile from the finish, and ascends about 42 feet or so at an average of 5%. Here's what that one looks like...

• River Market Finish: 0.27mi (2.84-3.11mi) @ 5.0% average grade (9.0% maximum), +42.6ft (757-798ft), 1/10 rating

         Virtual Run (all images courtesy of Google Earth Street View)

The run starts from the Northern edge of River Market, and runs North-by-Northeast in to Riverfront Park. Though there is a touch of an ascent at the opening of the bridge, the majority of the bridge is a descent in to the park.

Approximation of where the start line would be (though likely closer to the edge
of that red line in the center of the image).

Not even a tenth of a mile in, the road picks up ever-so-slightly on to the bridge that will
ultimately descend in to Riverfront Park.

The real descent begins about a quarter mile in, as runners pass under the Heart of America Bridge (Hwy-9) and turn towards Riverfront Park.

About a quarter-mile (closer to 0.30) in: Heart of America Bridge above, Riverfront Park ahead.

At a half mile, runners will finally be in the park. Most of the run in the park is flat from here. Once in the park, be sure to keep to your right, though volunteers do well to keep you on-course.

At just past a half-mile, runners hit the park. There's a split up ahead -- be sure to stay to the right.

The road eventually becomes divided by a median (so it becomes easier to stay to the right), and continues along the Park's main road, East Front Street. The turnaround on Front comes at about mile 1.15. Careful at the turnaround! There's like to be sand and/or debris that can make a quick switch-back a bit slippery (I fell last year).

Right at the edge of the median is the turnaround. In this image, we are looking back West-bound.

Before reaching the Heart of America Bridge again, runners will turn right on to River Front Road, which will turn them back Eastbound.

Mile 1.6: Heart of America Bridge is up ahead, but first runners will turn at the next right.

At just past the 2-mile marker, another turnaround on River Front Road (this time marked by cones -- River Front Road does not have a median), and runners will be heading back Westbound.

About where the 2-mile marker would be. Turnaround is just ahead (edge of the red line).
The Bond Bridge (I-35) is to the left off in the distance.

The turn right back on to Front Street comes at about 2.5 miles. This time runners can head back under the Heart of America Bridge, and the final run-in to the finish. Remember: the last quarter mile is all uphill. And steep.

2.75mi: Just over a quarter-mile to go, the road picks back up as runners take the Front Street
up and under the Heart of America Bridge, and towards River Market.

Nearing the end of the Front Street/Grand Street Bridge, the ascent crests, giving a flat-ish run-in to the finish.

3.00mi: The view of the finish line, just past the factory line overhang.
This point is also about where the only major climb on-route hits its peak.

          Strategy
This one is an easy one to PR. The start has always been wickedly fast, even on older iterations of the course. The opening descent gives runners fast feet, although some quick cadences will be required to keep the pace high. Take advantage of the flat roads a much as possible while in the park, keeping in-mind the ascent to the finish line. This race is a great race to red-line nearly the entire way, so if shooting for competition, pick out a faster runner and stay nailed to him: the final hill will be the deciding factor more than anything else. Runners fresh off the previous week's Kansas City [Half-] Marathon will particularly be in the advantage (if you recover quickly, that is), as aerobic fitness will still be high - the perfect advantage to have on such an even-keeled route.

Race report to follow.

Keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @

[RACE REPORT] Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Pt.III: Training & Planning

Home > Race Schedules & Reports > 2015 > Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Pt.III: Training & Planning for the Event

This is part three of my six-part series on the 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Part three covers training for the race (or half-marathons in general), as well as planning for the event (including official schedule for race week/end).
Part 1 (Introduction) can be found HERE.
Part 2 (History of the Race & Registration Process) can be found HERE.
Part 4 (Course Preview with Virtual Run) will be posted mid-October to beginning of November.
Part 5 (Travel, Event Expo, & Pre-Race) will be posted on Race Weekend.
Part 6 (Race Day & Post-Race) will be posted after Race Weekend.

The event's official website can be found HERE.

Now that the registration process is all said and done, the real fun begins. Now it's time to plan out the trip, and the training, which will be starting about the time this is posted.

I will only be covering half-marathon training during the training section, so if you're doing any other distances, feel free to skip ahead to the Planning section below. I've already covered half-marathon training in the past, in my post for the Heartland 39.3 half-marathon series, but that was fairly specific to the 3-halves-in-5-weeks racing that I would be doing. This time, I'll cover training specific to just a single half-marathon -- and a relatively flat one at that. For those tackling their first-ever half, be it Walt Disney World or otherwise, this will be a great resource. Though my half-marathon training falls in to the intermediate-to-advanced category, I will be taking a fairly conservative approach to this one -- I want to be able to slow down and enjoy the sights and scenery this time, so my preparation won't need to be as intense. Not to say this won't be a great resource for intermediate runners, too... I will do my best to cover the whole gamut.

After a few notes on training, we'll get in to planning out the event. Specifically, we'll look at all of the resources that are provided to runners by runDisney: information about the Health & Fitness Expo, and how to get there, parking information that is provided, course maps (although, that will be covered more in-detail during my Course Preview post later coming up next), what to pack (as opposed to 'what to wear on race day,' which may change mere hours before start line -- so now's the time to think about it rather than later), etc etc etc.

As far as hotel and travel accommodations go, if you've traveled before, you should know how to plan that out. My only recommendation is to do it earlier than normal -- this will be a busy week for Orlando. I'll cover what I (and my family) did for accommodations during the Travel section, but won't likely cover in-detail how we obtained them (no need).

And with that...

Training for the WDW Half-Marathon
            "Know thy route."
I don't want to give a full-out course preview (here, at least), but in order to adequately train for any targeted race, you need to know at least the basics of the route (particularly elevation changes).

The route and elevation profile. Though the course looks "bumpy," it is far from so. Note the elevation range
on the profile (minimum elevation 85ft, maximum 144) -- any elevation change is very minor.

Knowing the elevation profile helps in two respects: the first is obvious -- just knowing what to expect. The second the the focus of this post: training. Specifically, knowing what type of training will best-prepare you for the route. So, for example, for my hometown heroes conquering the KC Half-Marathon this year, some hill training is vital. The KC Marathon includes several inclines, some long and shallow, and some short and very steep.

The Walt-Disney Half? Not so much. In fact, elevation change is so minimal, Google Earth doesn't quite pick up on it (although I'm sure some of it has to do with limited ability to survey the lands as well). Training Peaks gives some idea...with not even 550ft of total climbing over the entire route, that means about 40 feet of change per mile -- not exactly a mountain expedition (despite the nearby Expedition Everest).

Training the Kansas City area, regardless of where it is, should be perfectly adequate. In fact, given the January race date, even some treadmill work would be fine (although, to note, setting a treadmill to 0.5 on the incline gives a more accurate simulation of a outdoor run on your joints and muscles). That said, the distance (or time) should be the only target.

          Training by Time versus Training by Distance
While we're on the subject, I've read numerous articles talking about the benefits of training by distance rather than time, or time rather than distance. They both seem to warrant their own merits. As far as I've been able to tell in my own training, hitting your distance is great for newbies, as speed doesn't quite fluctuate as much, and the simple fact that you've hit 13 miles already (or nearly so) is a great confidence boost. Training by time, however, gives you a better simulation for your legs on how long you'll actually be on your feet. So, if you're targeting, say, a sub-2-hour half-marathon, during training target that 2-hour mark. If you go over 13 miles, righteous. If you don't hit 13, then obviously additional training is needed (or the natural boost in speed you normally get on race day will take effect). Either way, you've gotten your legs trained to run for 2 continuous hours.

For me, I like the confidence boost that comes with 13 miles. Then, after reaching 13 (usually at 1:50:00 or so), I focus on extending my time out further and further, rather than distance. But at least initially, training by distance has always been my preferred method. It's psychological, for sure!

          Picking a Training Plan
If you prefer to train by your own accord, kudos. But when it comes to endurance events -- knowing all of the possible things that could go wrong in the span of 2 hours (and beyond) -- I prefer to have everything planned out to a T. And step one is laying out a training plan (we'll get to everything else later).

Picking the best training plan is highly dependent upon your current level of fitness, as well as your expertise/past experience running distance events. When I first started running distance, I liked Hal Higdon's plans (link HERE). Through Hal Higdon's massive amounts of time as a trainer (and athlete himself), he has put together five separate plans, dependent upon your level of expertise. There are two Novice plans -- Novice 1 and Novice 2 -- for individuals that can already run at least 3 miles, three to four times a week (Novice 1), or for individuals with similar or slightly better fitness that have run a half-marathon before (Novice 2). The Intermediate Plan is purposed for individuals that run 40-60 minutes (note how the focus changes from distance to time) at least 5 days a week. The Advanced Plan is meant for runners that run up to six times a week of nearing 60 minutes each time, and have advanced skills in performing speedwork -- the focus here in competing for top spots at the targeted half-marathon race. Higdon even has a half-marathon Walker's Plan (even walking 13.1 miles is no small feat, people).

After last year's KC Half (my first), this March's Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half (my 1:48 PR), and this year's Heartland 39.3 Series (three half-marathons in five weeks), I have put my eggs in the Intermediate basket (although, I will say, since the high-speed focus -- including multi-sport -- of this summer, my distance fitness has suffered tremendously). By the time Disney comes around, I will also have competed in this year's KC Half and possibly even the Longview Half in November.

Beyond the Intermediate plan, I also keep up on cycling and swimming fitness, so I've had to incorporate those in to my plan as well. That said, I've had to do a fair bit of revision (which is NOT recommended for newbie marathoners). Most the plans, particularly the Intermediate, are 12-week. The first week in that plan includes this year's KC Half, so that also revises it quite a bit. Also, on days with two recoveries planned, I like to swim at the very least for one of them.

Like I said before, there's a good chance the Longview Half-Marathon will be included right smack-dab in the middle of this plan, so if you're interested to catch up on my progress, check out that race report.

Planning
          Air Travel
I have never done a RunDisney even before, so I came in to this knowing nothing about whether or not accommodations would be difficult. That said, as soon as ticket sales were available for flights to Orlando, I snatched them up through Southwest Airlines. It will be interesting to see the ticket prices climb (if they do).

ALSO, as an added note, if you're searching for airfare, and find yourself frequenting booking sites, BEFORE YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS, clear your Internet browser's cookies and history. Air travel (and hotel) websites like to access your history (via cookies) and see if you've been "in the market" for tickets. If they see you've been frequenting their site, they'll boost prices so they'll be a bit higher by the time you purchase them (the thought is that the traveler will see the small increase in price the next time s/he is on the site -- let's say Travelocity -- and say to themselves "oh my goodness prices are already going up, I should book them now!). Clearing your cookies will bring those prices back down to (near-) baseline.

          Hotel Accommodations & Car Rental
This can get sticky for a destination run. In planning for my early-season Rock 'n' Roll Dallas half-marathon, I noticed hotel rates through the roof downtown (the location of the start line and expo). Further away, by about 40 minutes, in the sleeper town of Arlington, no so much. It was still off-season for the local Six Flags, so hotels near the park were below $100 for suite-style rooms. If you're willing to drive the extra distance, off-site stays are the way to go. In towns with more than one airport (like Dallas), often even rental car companies will drive down prices at the airports with the lower traffic. Luckily, in Arlington, that was the case for the R'n'R Dallas HM. So the price of extra travel was hugely offset by the cheaper car rental and cheaper hotel rates.

For Disney, you have loads of on-site hotel accommodations, however. For an instance, we'd considered (traveling with my family) staying on the grounds to save on car rental and further travel. With enough research, we were able to find an off-site hotel that greatly offset savings. And with two-bedroom-plus-kitchen amenities, which would be perfect for day-before carb-loading (frozen pizza, anyone?).

Whichever you decide, keep in mind the costs as well as the benefits of all available options. A little extra research (and Internet savvy, as it were) will pay off in dividends.

          Packing for a Destination Race
In a day of baggage fees, it's easy to want to pack conservatively. But the added cost of a destination race doesn't end at registration check-out; packing conservatively would be extremely unwise.

During my trip to Dallas in mid- to late-March, the part of the Midwest (or "South" for my Texas friends) that always sees the earliest signs of spring, the expectation was dead-set: we would be running in 50-degree weather at start time, with temperatures nearing 60 by race finish. Worse-case, we would see mid-40's in the morning.

Then come race week, and the damned "Polar Vortex" hits again, sweeping sub-freezing temperatures and snow as far south as Southern Oklahoma -- not far from our Downtown Dallas route. Temperature at the start line? 39 and a strong, chilly breeze. And by the looks of many scantily-clad runners in the start chute (and the extra layers of Mylar Space Blanket snatched up in the finish chute by both runners and spectators), few were expecting such conditions.

However, upon packing, I considered multiple scenarios. The resulting suitcase included four tech running shirts, three cotton t-shirts, thermal arm sleeves, thermal leg sleeves, thermal tights, a tech-fabric and fleece-lined base layer, two long-sleeve tech running shirts, a sweatband, a running skull cap, a neck warmer, running gloves, two wind-proof jackets and one rain slick. Not to mention two pair of running shoes.

I know it's Florida, the Land of Sunshine. But I've been to Florida during a cold snap, much to the conditions witnessed in Dallas -- Floridian chills can be unrelenting. And January? And a likely-still-active Vortex? Better come prepared.

For me, I will likely be sporting the same get-up as Dallas. Overkill? Maybe. But come January 10th and Florida is suffering their first snow in three years (I was there during their last snow), I will be laughing.

Also, bring an extra (empty) bag or backpack if you're like me and hoard free goodies at race expos. :-P

          And about checked baggage...
Another note: all said running gear, albeit somewhat unattractive, can be lived in if Murphy's Law takes hold. So don't leave said gear and $250 worth of running shoes in the oh-so-trusting hands of the TSA and your chosen carrier's baggage handlers -- this should be your carry-on. If you roll all of your clothing, you can pack a lot in a tiny space. Add a few small toiletries (not to exceed 3oz!!!), and you should be golden even if your checked bag gets lost -- for both the race AND for every-day clothes.

          Race Events Planning
As of early October, the following reflects information posted on the RunDisney website about all of the events leading up to and including the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.

runDisney Health & Fitness Expo --
Location: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Times...

• Wednesday, January 7th, 2015; 10:00am - 8:00pm
• Thursday, January 8th, 2015; 9:00am - 7:00pm
• Friday, January 9th, 2015; 9:00am - 7:00pm
• Saturday, January 10th, 2015; 10:00am - 4:00pm

For those that are merely spectating (and to many who are even participating), the Health & Fitness Expo (including packet pick-up) promises to be of the more exciting events of the race week(end). According to reports (aka reports from friends), this is one of the best expos in the country. And the most exciting part (aside from the free goodies, and Disney character meet-and-greets, and etc etc etc)? Specifically, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which takes place every January, acts as runDisney's flagship event -- so if they are any new features, it will be likely to happen here. Including, my favorite: The shoes!

The 2014 New Balance runDisney collection.

New Balance first introduced special-edition runDisney shoes only a couple years ago, and has found enormous success as a result. Though retailing for a shade over $100 (in 2014), the kicks are rare, and result in ebay sales topping out over twice the MSRP. For this Disney Marathon Weekend, early press has gotten a sneak peak at the 2015 editions, although they have yet to be officially released. In the past, it has been just short of the WDW Marathon Weekend that runDisney/New Balance officially press-releases their 2015 runDisney lineup. The first time they're available to the public? The Health & Fitness Expo.

New for 2014 in to the 2015 runDisney calendar year is the New Balance Virtual Queue. Just short of any given runDisney event weekent, a "pre-order" of sorts is available through the Queue to athletes only (sorry spectators). In all reality, though, it's more akin to a reservation. You sign up through the Queue, you arrive at the Health & Fitness Expo with your Queue details, and you're guaranteed shoes while non-reservers (i.e. spectators) are left in wait.

The date for the 2015 WDW Marathon Weekend's shoe queue has yet to be released. If interested, be sure to sign up for email alerts so you know when it is likely to happen: usually the queue fills up within hours of opening (at the time I am writing this, the queue is open for the 2014 Tower of Terror 10-Miler Health & Fitness Expo for the 2014 editions, and it has been open since 6am -- it is just about full). If you plan on taking advantage of this wonderful resource, read the website in-detail well before sign-up. There's a few peccadilloes worth noting.

Other Lead-Up Events to Race Weekend (via runDisney official website) --
Taken straight from the official website, the following are events leading up to the various races offered on race weekend...

     FAMILY REUNION BREAKFAST:
Dates & Times:

• 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2015

• 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. on Friday, January 9, 2015

Includes:

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Breakfast Pricing includes Breakfast Buffet
• Disney character meet & greets
• Opportunities for photos and autographs with Disney Characters

     PASTA IN THE PARK PARTY:
Location: Epcot® Park
Dates & Times:

• 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2015
• 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2015
• 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2015

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Races (up-to-date via runDisney official website) --

     RUNDISNEY KIDS' RACES:
Start/Finish Location: New Balance Track & Field Complex

Dates & Times:

• 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2015

• 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 9, 2015
• 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2015

     MICKEY MILE:
Start/Finish Location: New Balance Track & Field Complex

Dates & Times:

• 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2015

• 12:30 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2015
• 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2015

     WALT DISNEY WORLD® 5K presented by CIGNA®:
Start/Finish Location: Epcot® Park
Date & Time: Thursday, January 8, 2015, 6:15am local time

     WALT DISNEY WORLD® 10K presented by CIGNA®:

Start/Finish Location: Epcot® Park

Date & Time: Friday, January 9, 2015, 5:30am local time

     WALT DISNEY WORLD® HALF-MARATHON presented by CIGNA®:

Start Location: Epcot Center Dr., off Northeast corner of Epcot® parking lot

Finish Location: Epcot® Center, East parking lot

Date & Time: Saturday, January 10, 2015, 5:30am local time

     WALT DISNEY WORLD® MARATHON presented by CIGNA®:

Start Location: Epcot Center Dr., off Northeast corner of Epcot® parking lot

Finish Location: Epcot® Center, East parking lot

Date & Time: Saturday, January 11, 2015, 5:30am local time

Phew! That's all I got for now. Next up, in about a month or month and a half, we'll take a close-ish look at the course, including Virtual Run. Expect that beginning-of or mid-November.

Until then, keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

~~__o

  _-/<,_

@/   @