A Hill Billy Of A Good Time! Cheryl Completes The Hill Billy Half!

I don't know.. Are there any other puns I could make about being a Hillbilly?   I feel that being a Hillbilly and a Redneck should be separated somehow... But this is not about Labels.... This is about Racing!

And Cheryl did just that today.   Almost nailing a PR for the half.  Well,  "Almost" should leave a little gray area for interpretation.   Her PR is 1:37: 41 and today's  race was 1:39: 30.  ANY half marathon where she scores under 1:40 is a Rare and exceptional race.   She placed 1st in her age group, but just could not win the masters this time.  (That chick was Smokin'!  2 minutes faster!  She was 41 years old.) 

But let's get to the racing. 

First, I want to say that this race was VERY spectator friendly.  I skipped ahead to the 8 mile mark, but I heard there were several spots where folks could catch the runners in the city at several cross roads.  The Start line took place at the High school in Indianola.   Side note:  Today was the high school seniors SAT administration.   Ah! the memories of High school College entrance exams. Such simple times back then... worrying about our "future." as if everything rode on the ACT.   For this reason, we were told to not disturb the area any more than we had to.  No going inside the building...yadda yadda.  

Luckily, they had plenty of Port-a-jons, and Cheryl made sure to check them out before the buses arrived.  Every time a bus would arrive, the port-a-jons would get backed up.  (Another pun?)  Experienced runners know... Get the Bathroom visits out of the way, right away!  (Another pun!)

Cheryl at the Start, ( Note: Cory right behind her)

The start was rather sudden...  "Ready! Set! GO!!" no national anthem. ( see above reason.) No loud announcements.   I barely had time to click the camera on to capture Cheryl as she ran by. 

Mile 8. Gun range!

 

 

 

 

I knew it would take some time to get to the 8 mile mark for Cheryl, so I had plenty of time to set up.  I was the first to arrive at that viewing spot, but soon afterwards, they opened up the Shooting Range and more spectators began to show up.    Oh!  Did I forget to mention that the trail passed right by the shooting range?   Yes, you could hear gunfire in the distance as the runners ran by.   Perhaps that is part of the Hill Billy Charm.   Another side note:  There were Pheasant hunters on the other side of the road at mile 10!  More gun shots! ANOTHER tangential  note:  Today, Governor Reynolds is  out Pheasant hunting in Wahaska County! I guess this is a tradition for her.. Same weekend every year with Pheasants Forever.   Gotta Love Iowa! ( However, Cheryl feels snubbed that she could not attend the Des Moines Marathon this year.  Sent the Lt Governor instead.... Boo!) 

Mile 9

I skipped ahead to mile 9 where the dirt road I was on crossed the trail.   A number of Cars had also assembled there so it was a bit of a challenge getting across.   Luckily, Cheryl was near the front and I did not have to worry too much about finding a gap between runners.  

Mile 10

From there, I could have easily stopped at every mile until the finish.  The Sunset Trail ran parallel to the road all the way to Carlisle.   At mile 10, I stopped and made one final gif as Cheryl ran by.  I told her I would meet her at the finish with only three miles to go.  I could easily watch the runners as I drove down the road, honking at Cheryl as I passed her.  (Was that too chauvinist?)   

At the finish line,  Cheryl came in just under 1:40.   She looked fairly happy and I thought she could have pulled off a new PR had she attempted it for real.   With the Hip issue still flaring up,  She said she was just going to run the thing and try not to break anything along the way.  No super-hero antics here.   But the race course was so flat and "slightly" downhill that she ended pushing herself a little more than normal.  Add in that the weather was Beautiful for running.  54 at the finish line and sunny!  You can't ask for much better conditions. 

Cheryl likes being friends with "Winners."

After some Pie and Biscuits and Gravy, ( another Hillbilly theme.)  we met up with a few fellow runners that we knew from the past.   One of them, was this guy named Cory.   You might recognize him as the guy who comes in just in front of Mike at the last several races we did.  Turns out,  Cory has been to almost all of the races Cheryl has done this year.   From Kewash to Quad Citues.   Even that Pumpkin Dash in Davenport.  I only recognize him because he was consistently in front of Cheryl as I raced ahead to take her picture.   In the end, he was about 3.5 minutes ahead of her at the finish, and he was really working at try get the best time possible.  

So.. This lovely little race will wrap up the Fall calendar of racing events.   Cheryl wanted me to note that she canceled the Marathon this year in the hopes to have a solid season of racing non stop.  No breaks! No hiccups!   "Nose to the Grindstone"... was the expression she used.   So here it is: 

In the Last 10 weeks, she ran 13 races.    (7) half marathons, (1) ten mile, (2) five mile, (3) 5k, (1) one mile.  

The Booty:  3 trophies, $140 bucks in cash, A $50 gift card, An apple pie, A cookie, A mug, A Pint Glass, and finally a $15 dollar coupon off next years race admission. She did not include the watermelon or the Pumpkin because the Watermelon Stampede was in Summer and the Pumpkin from the Pumpkin Dash was technically part of the package. ( Not a trophy.)  

And one Final Note:  Cheryl says it is finally time to retire the Vapor Fly Shoes.  They no longer have the springy sole and the carbon plate is breaking through the rubber.  They have been in action for 2 years and have most likely outlived their best miles.  Time for some new Tech!

So there is the end... For the season.  Sort of.    There WILL be a turkey trot later this month.   I don't know why that will not count, but Cheryl makes up the rules.  I just report them.  Also,  Stockings will be kicking up and that will cause us some issues if we persist on running every weekend.   We are currently up to 14 stockings as I write this.   Thankfully, we will have all of tomorrow to catch things up.   

What is her name again?

Thanks for stopping in and if you have read this far,   thanks for sticking to the end.   I know running stories can be boring.   Even for Future Cheryl and Ethan as we re-read these posts at a later date. But... When I'm confined to a nursing home and can not remember my own face, I will at least be able to read the details and exciting adventures of some guy named The Great Ethan Allen... Who was married to an Awesome Marathon racer: " What's her name."...