18 and Life

Well, I am now the father of two adults. Josh turned 18 a couple of weeks ago. It makes me feel pretty old to be honest.

Also, the big day arrived to take Josh to UK to move him in. He left early last Saturday and got there well before Donna and I. When he (and we) got there, they had a lot of security to keep you from parking where you shouldn't (parking is a big issue at UK, there isn't a lot of it to go around). We finally got to his dorm and got his stuff in there. We ate lunch at Chili's and then went to our hotel room and rested.

A few weeks ago, I noticed there was a 5k called "Midsummer's Night Run" in downtown Lexington. Josh and I decided to run in it. We picked up our packets that afternoon before we went to the hotel. Later, we picked up a friend of Josh's (she was obviously very bored to want to spend a Saturday night at a 5k). We parked on the fringe of UK (behind Memorial Colesium) and walked to the start line.

It wasn't quite as bad as the MLB 5k, but still (as I found out later) had almost 5000 participants. Again (to my chagrin), there was no statement about lining up based on pace time. We took off and again we were dodging walkers for the first mile. I had moved toward the front this time, so I didn't have to dodge so many.

It was hot and humid. Being downtown, there was little to no airflow. I did great the first couple of miles, then wore down the last mile. When I got to the end, it took a lot of effort to find water (which was bad since it was so hot and humid). I finally found the others (Josh had finished well before me of course) and we started back to the car.

I discovered that the walk back in the dark was much scarier then the walk there in daylight. We were all a bit spooked but we got back. We went to the hotel and Josh back to his dorm.

We picked him up at his dorm the next morning and headed to worship services at the North Lexington church of Christ. Everybody there was nice as usual. Several told him about the various activities they have for the college kids which made us feel much better. We stopped by Wal-Mart for some last minute supplies and got lunch at Canes' Chicken Strips.

We got him back to his dorm and said our goodbyes. Neither of us broke down or anything, but it was still sad. I was able to listen to the Cardinal game on the way (which put Donna to sleep) and we make it home OK.

We were able to use Skype that night after church and do a video call with Josh to be able to see as well as hear him. He looked fine :-)

It's gonna take a while to get over him not being here. We miss him a lot already...

MLB All-Star Game 5k

Several months ago while trolling for Baseball All-Star Game tickets, I noted that MLB was doing something new in their All-Star game festivities. They added a 5k run for charity (cancer research). I talked to Josh and we decided since it was close (St Louis) and it was the first one, we'd give it a shot.

We went up this weekend to run. We stayed at the Hampton by the Arch. We made sure to get their early since there was a free concert nearby (Sheryl Crow and Elvis Costello) and we didn't want to get caught up in the crowd. Josh and walked over the "Sponsor Zone" (over by Busch Stadium) to pick up our race materials. We managed to snag free tacos from the Taco Bell booth. We traipsed all over downtown looking for food. Once again, the Lion's Choice was closed. I went back to the hotel and did a search and finally found a Subway at Lacledes Landing. I brought food back and we ate and rested.

The next day, the weather was good. We ate and headed over about 7. There was a lot more people than I thought there would be. There were 8,000 in the race. It was a colossal jam. They did have chip timing for a more true time. It was actually in a piece of tape you looped around the laces of your shoe. This way, you don't have to remove it and turn it back in when you are done (like other chips). The crowd to start was huge. Lou Brock (Cardinal icon) was the official starter. It took us almost 10 minutes to work our way to the start line. Trying to get a good time was almost impossible. There were way too many who walked that pushed to the front and there just wasn't enough distance in a 5k for the crowd to thin out. I would get going good and than either come upon a group of walkers or one would move right in front of me. We both made it fine though and got a medal and a t-shirt for our efforts. We were able to get cleaned up in plenty of time to make to Collinsville church of Christ for Bible Study and Worship.

This was their first 5k so I'll cut them some slack. However, they really need to stress in the future that walkers stay in the back and stay to the sides (this is normal protocol in most 5ks). They might consider corrals (used in half and full marathons) that split up people by mile times to help with congestion. We still had a lot of fun and got to spend time together and be a part of history...

Fancy Farm Photos

Here are pictures of the Yancy men in the Fancy Farm 5k. These were taken by Jonathan Grooms, Carlisle County CC coach and admin of the fabulous KYTrackXC.com web site.


Josh

Jonathan

and yours truly...

I Survived It....

I made it in about 27:30 (I don't have my official time yet). My goal was 27:54 (9:00 miles).

It was hot. My wife Donna said the heat index was 99 at race time (7:00pm).

I made the mistake of being in the back thinking I'd be slower. I wanted to show good running ettiquette and not slow people down. However, I got hung up behind others for the first half mile. There was a pack of teenage girls I had to get around by running in someone's yard.

I thought I was doing well until Mr. Durfree (the boy's former cross country coach and now Heath coach) passed me while pushing a stroller with his two girls in it. I also managed to pour water in my nose when I snatched my first cup and drank it.

The hill coming back was tough. I managed to keep running though.

Thanks to all the people along the way shouting encouragement. It was very helpful. There were also several kids who encouraged me along the way which I greatly appreciated.

My younger son Josh was waiting with a bottle of water at the end (Jonathan and he had long finished by the time I got there). I had to walk a little bit but I didn't feel nauseous. I talked with Mr. Durfee for a bit and we headed for home...

I'm glad I did it. It was on my list of things to do in my lifetime. I plan on trying another one but I need to work on my stamina for a few weeks.

My first 5k is tonight...

I am going to run in my first 5k tonight (at the home of the World's Largest Picnic). My sons ran last year. They are both excellent cross country runners. I said when they ran this last year that I'd give it a shot this year. So, I am keeping my promise.

The heat index is supposed to be 98! I also hear from several runners the return segment is almost entirely uphill. I hope I survive to post how I did!

I run regulary each day (except on Saturday when my wife and I go for a walk together) so I know I can make it. I don't know how fast though...