Ya, it was hot. We spent a few days in St. Louis, MO and then a few in Evansville, IN. In both cities we were greeted by a loving family and extreme summer weather. In St. Louis we had temperatures over 100 and in Evansville we had jungle-like humidity, something that people in Minneapolis complain about but don’t normally experience to this extent. Both of our families were great sports about getting outside and doing things with us while they probably would have been happier hiding out in the air conditioning. We also got out on our own for some good workouts.
In St. Louis, we kicked off Monday with a long run in Forest Park. On Tuesday, I ventured out for a solo bike ride where I came up against the steepest, longest hills I have ever seen on the bike. I couldn’t make it up the first one and fell over when I tried to unclip. On the next two hills, I just accepted defeat and walked up from the bottom. It was still a good ride and I’m glad that I gave it a try. On Wednesday I made it to the gym in the morning and then had the St. Louis Blogger Meet-up that night.
Brian, Beth (Velma) and I met at the Awakening sculpture out in Chesterfield. It was great to get to meet them both in person. It was very hot and humid, so we just ran a few miles and then chatted. It was fun to hear about Brian’s Comrads race, Beth’s Chicago Marathon training and triathlons, and the St. Louis races. Here we are afterwards:
It turns out that we will be running the same Thanksgiving Day race, so we’ll have another chance to catch up then.
On Thursday we headed to Indiana. While the kids went to the pool with Grandma and Grandpa, Mike and I got out for a great bike ride. Corn was the main sight to see on this ride and the heat was more bearable on the bike. On Friday, I got out of the heat and went back to the gym. On Saturday, we had another running highlight with the YMCA 5K. We ran this exact same course when we visited last November, so we were looking forward to seeing if we could beat our previous times.
It was a great morning. The race started at 7:00 so temps were still reasonable. The race was chip timed on a flat course with wide roads, so no excuses. Brady came in 8th overall out of the 1,00o runners and walkers and was first in his age group of 15-19 with PR. I beat my previous time by 12 seconds and finished in 25:31. Although it wasn’t a PR for me, it was my fastest 5K since 2008 so I was very happy. Mike came within a few seconds of his PR so it was a good day for everyone. Here is Brady showing off his hardware:
We wrapped up the trip with Mike’s 25th class reunion on Saturday night and a 13 hour drive home on Sunday. The heat and humidity have followed us home, but it looks like the weather is going to break on Saturday and should be perfect for the YWCA Women’s Tri on Sunday. I won’t be sorry to say good-bye to this weather.
{ 11 comments }
Awesome to win an award! And you are right, is it fall yet?
Nice 5Ks for all! Oh to be young again like Brady…
Beth, awesome race by you and the whole family! Well done. I have spent more than a few summer days in Missouri, and I understand what you are saying – that is a completely different level of heat and humidity!
Here is hoping for some cooler days ahead!
Hi Beth,
Wow, it sounds like all of you did very well heat and all! Your son Brady is sure doing well this summer! I can’t wait to see how he does for this year’s HS Cross Country:) I am sure he is going to rock it!
I love blogger meet ups as you know…very cool that you were able to meet up with Brian and Velma:)
I am so sick of the heat…seriously, I am over it! It has been so terrible to run in this crap! Kay and I went to the Elm Creek Park and ran a few miles yesterday….okay, well, we actually walked part of it:) She did mention how much better it would of been on a bike:) I hope that your marathon training is going well….try to stay cool and take care!
Sounds like a great trip. I’ve never experienced falling over like that on a climb, but have always worried that could happen!
Thanks for the tips on running in Sydney. I will check it out. The bridge walk–am I brave enough? Been watching folks do it and not sure yet!
Falling because of being clipped in on the pedals – been there too many times to remember. Coming in 8th out of 1,000 runners – never happened. Nice job to Brady. Oh, you and Mike too.
Wow, congrats to all of you, but a special congrats to Brady…great job!
Sorry about the bike fall – no fun! Congrats on the great 5k time! Good luck on the Tri!
I like the heat more than the cold! We have been getting some heat this summer, but fall and winter are on the way.
Yay on the 5k for both of you! I love that your kids are involved too.
It was great to meet you. Good luck with the half marathon. Did I read that they have cake at the end? A winning race for sure
Comments on this entry are closed.