Cookie Run 5k
03/05/2023
Independence, MO
A race themed for Girl Scout cookies. Yeah, I am in for that one! Thin Mints please! I say that, but if you can believe it, this was my first time doing this race. Other years there seemed to always be a conflict. Not this year though!
This was my last training run before the one year birthday party for the show. Next week is the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 miler and I must be in peak drinking….errrr…..running condition!
We are coming to you today from Waterfall Park in Independence, Missouri. Yup, that one. The course by the BIG Bass Pro Shop. We have been here many times before. There is no mystery to this course. Some races start up the hill by the Mardels, but not this one. We are starting right down in the heart of the valley by the park. No matter where we go from here, we will be going uphill!
The race kicks off and we head out of the park parking lot and head up the hill toward the stores. It’s a bit of an uphill to start with, but quickly enough you hit the turnaround and get a nice downhill to recover with. After that it is a mile/mile and a half of just the little rolling hills of Independence.
The last mile is when life gets really interesting. If the first two miles are gently rolling waves on a clear day at the beach, then the last mile turns into waves during a hurricane! The last mile will definitely test your preparedness for hills. The saving grace though is that you end with a NICE downhill straight to the finish line! Just be careful when you make the right turn into the parking lot. You hit that sand wrong on a downhill turn and you can wipe out something fierce!
I did not do as well on this course as I had expected for myself. No real reason. Some Days you have it and some days you don’t. It is a sad truth of running. The best part of the race was seeing all of our friends out there. There was a great turnout of Back of the Pack Podcast fans and KC Hustle Club members. It is always so wonderful seeing such a great group of badass runners! My poor performance was definitely of my own doing and not the fault of the race. For a nice little 5k with a smaller crowd and no pressure running, this is perfect. At this point we know this course like the back of our hands.
Our next race is just one short week away. The Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 miler. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that this is the one year birthday party for the show, so you had better be at Kelly’s in Westport following the race to celebrate with us!
Have a great week of training. Stay warm and we will see you next week in Westport!