Hospital Hill 2018 Race Review

picture courtesy of the HH FB page

This is my second year running Hospital Hill and my first year pacing the race for Smart Edge pacers.  I was excited to pace this year versus racing, so I could actually enjoy the race instead of being worried about a PR.  This course is NO joke with the KC hills, and I new it would be a fun challenge helping others obtain PRs so I immediately said yes to pacing when Eladio asked.

I was also slightly worried about a few things, mainly that I had to be put on steroids to combat poison ivy on my face that was making me feel horrible, AND the fact that I am not the best runner in the world when it comes to heat.  Heat can kick my ass in a very bad way, especially when on radiating heat pavement, and it's hard to worry about others and their dreams and goals when you are trying yourself not to die. 

Packet pick up:  I believe they had two days/nights of packet pick up and I don't think they did day of race packet pick up, but I could be wrong.  I drove down to KC Friday afternoon to get my goods and volunteer at the pacing booth while my partner in crime ran the 5K.  Unfortunately, the 5K was canceled due to heat and air quality, so the volume of runners was pretty low  The expo itself was pretty small, but there were still a few booths with wares, just nothing i had to have, which probably made my pocket book happy for once.  Usually there are several volunteers pointing you where to go, but we didn't see anyone and I had to re route a few aisles to get my packet.  I also forgot you needed your bib number to actually pick up your bib (organized by number, not by your last name), so had to look that up quickly and pray that the WI FI liked me.

I was a little confused at first because I thought it was the decade you were born in not the decade you ran the race in!

The bibs this year were decorated in the art work/style of the decade you ran your first HH in, which was cute, and our bibs had our names on them, which I always love for cheering purposes.  Once I got my bib I got to head over to pick up my duffel bag which is nice to have something other than the typical technical T or T shirt. 

photo courtesy of the HH FB page

While it obviously isn't an Apera bag, it is still seems pretty sturdy and useful, and I know I will get some use out of it.  I still to this day use the back pack I got the first year I ran the race.  I quickly headed over to the pacer booth to pick up my pacer shirt and stick and then hang out to talk to people.  We had a few people interested, but overall the crowds were super thin.  I am hoping it was because of the 5K being canceled, but not sure????  I noticed at the race itself, the numbers of overall runners seemed to be less than the first time I ran as well, but I need to look at the actual numbers to verify this.

when we originally got up and the first storm hit

Race day morning:  I stayed with my friend Lindsey, and she is a Bib Rave Pro, so she got some perks to try out that totally benefited me as well :)  First off, we got to park in a VIP lot that was basically us and 10 other cars, which once we found it (not marked at all) was super easy to get in and out of.  We had a quick walk up to the start, and I was able to hop in a porta potty and get business done and hop right back to my pacer spot. I honestly didn't see any lines for porta potties anywhere at the start or on the course for that matter.  I should back up and say that we started out the early morning with storms, like really bad windy storms that looked like they might delay or even cancel the race.  The wind tore down several limbs and even whole trees all in the neighborhood we were staying in, as well as on the race course.  Shortly after lining up, we were told to head to safety as there was lightening in the area.  The race was delayed first for 15 minutes, and then 15 minutes more thanks to lightening.  I am really glad that they did so, as it was not safe being out in that with no cover.  We started the race at 7:30 am with a light drizzle and MUCH cooler temps than predicted.  There were a few times that the humidity felt like it was a getting a little high, but mostly the clouds kept the sun at bay and cool breeze kept us all from dying a slow death of heat stroke.

My plan was to hang with Lindsey and hopefully several others, walk on the uphills, run the down hills, and TRY to keep an even effort this time and not rush.  I quickly let the other pacer become lead and started trailing in hopes that I would be able to keep slow.  We had a very small group that had lined up with us overall, and starting out, the lead pacer had a few people stuck to him, and I had my little group in the back.  Lindsey has paced for a few years now, and it was SO good to have her there giving me tips  and tricks on how to pace successfully.  She gave me so many little things, like using cone games or any little fartlek type games to get up hills, so you aren't just walking the entire hill.  I honestly feel like I have been winging it, so it was good to hear that I was doing some things right and get advice on other situations.

There were plentiful aid stations with different colored cups for water and Gatorade, which I really appreciated.  I don't do Gatorade during a race, as it would tear up my delicate little tummy, but I did get 1 red cup with Gatorade in it, which I quickly swished and spit.  There was not much crowd support at all, I think thanks to the storms, but the volunteers that were there even when we passed by at almost 3 hours were still dancing and cheering and laughing like we were the first place finishers!  The cops were also super friendly, and I enjoyed thanking them for being out there keeping us safe.  Most of the time the whole road was shut down, but there were a few places where there was traffic, and they kept the runners incredibly protected!

The first year I did this race, I was so consumed with time that I really didn't look around and enjoy the view.  This time I tried to take some pics of the beautiful course.   Most of them turned out blurry and most people from KC probably think I am crazy for saying that KC is gorgeous, but every time I run a race there I find a new place or new scenery that I really enjoy.

As I said were were so BLESSED to have much cooler temperatures for the race.  The first year I did this race it was not only super hot, but it was SO muggy.  This year, other than the sun coming out at the end, I was able to stay cool and collected and didn't have to worry about the heat kicking my butt.  As per my routine for pacing, I carried my Nathan handheld with my two Honey Stinger waffles and Nuun water.  I drank 2-3 sips of just plain water at every aid station to model good hydration practices, and then dumped the rest of the water on my headsweats buff around my neck.  I also dumped a few cups on my head, but honestly, I am not sure I really needed it.  I only really had sweat dripping when we hit the last hill that goes on forever and ever.

It is always nice to have a fast down hill finish, but I ended up finishing even as a trail pacer, a bit under our 2:55. I  am not sure where I went wrong, but I was able to push people out and push them on to the finish which was nice for the old ego.  I walked most of the up hills and through the aid stations and kept my lead pacer in sight, but not too close.  

I am pretty sure he must have finished a few minutes under our pace, which meant I was trailing him a little too fast as well.  We were suppose to have an overall pace of 13:21 and I was at a 13:10.  I am still toying with the idea of a walk run interval for the 2:40 and slower paces, just need to practice on my long runs to see how that works out.  The medals were super cool, and I love the retro feel to all of the items this year since I am a child of the 80s.  We also received a super cold towel that is cute, and tons and tons of food items including bananas, chocolate milk, chips, granola bars, ice cream sandwiches, and fruit snacks.  A bag to carry it all in would have been helpful, but not necessary I guess.  I guess next time I could just take less stuff :)

Post Race:  Thanks to Lindsey being a Bib Rave Pro, we got to hang out in the VIP tent post run.  For an extra fee, anyone can hang out and enjoy free massages, free food, and private porta potties before the race and post race.  While I probably would not pay for this if it was my own dime, it was kind of nice to be pampered post race.  It would also be nice to have a cup of coffee and a private potty pre race as well, but I had to get out and line up since I was a pacer.  Plus, usually post race I pack up and head out and this time we actually got to see the last runners come in and run through the tunnel of love that was made by the volunteers at the finish.  

Overall, while I think the nicer weather and the slower pace probably made me like this race much more this time around, I would have been pretty freaked out to do this one solo due to parking and logistics.  The expo was okay, much smaller than in years past, and the course is hard, but doable.  If you like a challenge and the location of downtown KC, this is the race for you!!!!  Remember it is Kansas in June, so you can have any kind of weather, including 100 plus temperatures and 100 % humidity.  Will I do this race again?  Not sure.  I enjoyed myself so much more this time around, but now that Andrew plays ball in the summer, this race will conflict with his schedule, and I really don't want to miss any of his games if I can help it.  Stay tuned!!!   Thanks Hospital Hill RD, staff, and volunteers for doing so well with some challenging situations and maybe see you next year???