RNR Las Vegas, Team Challenge, and Marathon #82

Kansas City's Team Challenge went to Vegas and everyone on the team completed their 1/2 marathon and had a great time. The pasta party was great, the food was excellent,and the inspirational speaker did her job by making hundreds of people cry. We hit the sack early for the early morning meet up at 4:45 am. The team posed for some pre race pictures and headed to the start. Congrats to everyone....you raised a lot of money and put in a lot of hard work and training!
While I was at the prerace party, Kim headed off to see The Lion King with our roomie, Amanda.

Pasta Party pix.....









The race started at the Mandalay Bay at 6:15 with temps probably in the low 30's. The start was very well done with a continual fireworks display, caged tigers, and the atmosphere and the lights of the strip. The 1/2 marathon is run entirely on the strip (though some of it is on the extreme ends of Las Vegas Blvd and there is not a lot there) with the full marathon peeling off at about the 10.5 mile mark. The full runs along some streets with some nice mountain views and then comes back into the finish at Mandalay Bay. It was a nice race, except for miles 12-19, due to a bad reaction to Tri-Berry GU! I saw Kim on an out an back late in the race and she was doing well (no Achilles issues) so once I knew she was going to get her 12 marathon goal accomplished, I sped up and finished strong. I waited around and presented her medal as she finished. We then did the same for Karen as she finished. We then cleaned up and met with some of our now Team Challenge alumni to celebrate Kim's birthday, her 12 marathons in 12 months, and some first time 1/2 marathoners.

Bass Pro Shop Marathon

Marathon number 80 is finished...it was in Springfield, Mo, so no new state. This was the same race I did not finish last year after my ankle swelled up and I was not able to put any weight on it....dropped at 18 miles or so. I had to hang around at the finish line and see all those cool bass medals being handed out. So this year, I went back to get my own. I completed it two years ago, but the medal was not all that great...I needed the big bass. The weather for this race has been perfect all 3 years. The course is mostly flat with a few rollers here and there and a lot of miles out on the Ozark Greenway. A nice dry fit shirt and hat are included in the bling also. It is very well done and I would recommend it highly.

Kim finishing the race.

The bass medal.....

I also was able to buy a 55 gallon stainless steel drum while I was in Springfield for the wine cellar....these things are expensive and I was able to find it used and grabbed it while I was in town...

Wine, wine, and more wine....

Wine #1.....Crab apple wine.

We are picking crab apples....about 20-30 lbs of the things. This should make about 6 gallons of crab apple wine. Once we have them all picked and destemmed, they will be crushed and fermented.....everything I have read says that these make a great wine....we shall see.
Wine#2.....Blush

This is a kit wine that is just starting its clearing phase....should be bottling this in about 2 weeks.
Wine#3......Blueberry Shiraz

I bought several kits of wine from one of my runners....this is the first one of the 5 I am making.....just started fermenting it today.

Getting ready to start constructing the wine cellar in the basement....all of these will help start to fill it up!

Detroit International Marathon

This marathon really made national headlines with the 3 deaths in the 1/2 marathon. I hope the negative publicity doesn't hurt this race, because it was a great course. We stayed at the Marriott on the Detroit River at GM headquarters. It was the race hotel and less than a mile from the start and finish. Race morning was a little cool, but close enough to perfect for me. There was very little wind.....this race would be much tougher if the winds were blowing like they were on the day after the race!

The course was outstanding.....the start is downtown and within a few miles you are crossing a bridge into Windsor, Ontario. After 4 or so miles on the north side of the Detroit river, you enter the Detroit-Windsor tunnel at mile 7 and spend the next mile running underneath the river....then back into downtown and the 1/2 marathon finish. Marathoners then get to run out to Belle Island and back. The race is very flat. The hills are at the bridges and tunnels and are not difficult at all. The medals were very heavy and well done. They did run out for some of the later finishers and will have to mail them out to those runners. The expo was a bit unorganized, but was okay. You have to have your passport for this race to get your race number at the expo....so that was a first!
The weekend in pictures......

The view from our room on the 27th floor over the Detroit River and into Canada.


GM headquarters....

Kim and I on the river walk.


At the expo....

The bling!

Our first Team Challenge Training Run.....

It was a perfect morning to kickoff the Las Vegas training. We started at 9 am and it was still very cool outside. Everyone looked like they had a good time and we spent time afterwards getting fitted for shoes at Garry Gribbles. It looks like it will be a small, but close nit team (we had several that were not able tomakethe first training and a few new additions that may be here soon). It was a great start and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone over the next few months....here is the morning in pictures:

Making Progress.....

I built the form for my other concrete counter top last weekend and poured it.....now just have to wait 28 days for it to cure and then blacken it up and epoxy it once we move it in place....
We also started a landscaping project out front....We bought a fountain and some rock to replace the jungle of daisies and peonies. After digging up the bed and pouring a concrete pad for the fountain, we placed the fountain in place and added landscape rock around it. We had to run out to Lawrence to buy more rock since we bought all of it out at the Earl May in JoCo. We still need more!

My cement mixer I bought for this project.....makes life much easier.
Raw curing counter top.....it will look a lot different in a few weeks.

Taming the jungle.....
Operational... My latest gargoyle....Emmit.
....and a gratuitous Molly picture

Team Challenge Vegas 1/2 Marathon Info Meetings....

Come out to an info meeting if you are interested in running the Vegas 1/2 for Team Challenge.....the first one is Wednesday at 7 at the JoCo Public Library in Lenexa at 15345 W 87th Street Pkwy. The second one is Saturday at Saint Luke's South, Conference Room B at 9 a.m......training starts the 29th!

Molly hits 200 miles......

We took Molly for a 1 mile walk this morning that put her at 200 miles of walking for this year.....she was rewarded with some turkey bacon afterwards......

Strawberry White Merlot

Our latest batch of wine is bottled and labeled.....should be ready to drink soon.

A Vegas 1/2 Marathon?????

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is starting a new 1/2 marathon program in KC and they chose the Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon as their team event. The event takes place on 12/6 and training starts on 8/29. You can contact me or Rhonda Sciarra (her contact info is below) with any questions. Here is the release from the CCFA Mid-America office...

Go the distance to fight digestive disorders

Spend a winter weekend and complete a half marathon in the glitzy and ritzy Las Vegas, and help find a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Join the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Team Challenge teams for winter 2009.

You fundraise to find a cure for these devastating digestive disorders that affect more than 1.5 million people. Team Challenge trains you over four to five months to complete a half marathon, pays for your airfare and hotel to these great destinations, and throws two fabulous parties for you. Consider yourself a couch potato? No problem either; most Team Challenge participants have never completed an event like this before.

Challenge yourself to change your live and the lives of others! Learn more at an upcoming information meeting:
7 p.m., Aug. 19
Johnson County Library – Central Resource Library
9875 West 87th Street
Overland Park, KS 66212

9 a.m, Aug. 22
Conference Room B
Saint Luke’s South Hospital
12300 Metcalf Avenue
Overland Park, Kansas 66213

Reserve your spot today - contact Rhonda Sciarra at 314.863.474, rsciarra@ccfa.org or www.ccteamchallenge.org

Project Update....

The rain chain in action.....

I am now working on my concrete countertops....first L-section is poured.


Curing and stained....just awaiting its epoxy coating....

Rock-n-Roll Seattle Marathon

We ran the RNR-Seattle Marathon last weekend and it is easily the best course of all the Rock-n-Roll series marathons. Beautiful course with views of Mt Rainier, bald eagles, and lots of water to look out over. The only negative was the last 3 miles of the race...they had an out and back in an industrial rail area that was kind of a let down from the rest of the course. It was open and hot and made for a rough ending for a lot of people. I realized after we returned home that I had run the race in retired pair of running shoes......my Brooks Beasts that I wear actually still look very good after they are worn out for running purposes and it is hard to tell sometimes from the pairs that are still good....I grabbed the wrong ones to pack. I was wondering why my legs felt pounded out by mile 11.....so I just pushed it on to the finish. I am lucky I didn't end up injured. This was marathon #77 and state #37....starting to get anxious about getting that state and DC total up to 51. We spent some time hiking the next day at Mt Rainier.....here are some pix from the trip....