Hockey and Trail Racing in Missouri

As is usually the case when I get to visit Stacie, Tom and the kids I get a chance to get out and explore new trails or go back and run on some favorites. This trip was no exception. The “highlight” was running the Ozark Foothills 25k  it was brutal. I underestimated the challenges of the course and overestimated my preparedness two mistakes I hope to not make again. We had a big rain storm prior to race day so the course was not only technical and steep it was muddy and slick. After my second fall just after mile 5 I pretty much walked the rest of the “race”. I finished in time to get a finishers medal but that’s about it. I was hoping to go watch Chase play Lacrosse after the race but they had to leave before I got home and all I did when I got home and in the house was sit on the top of the stairs before I could work up the motivation to try the stairs and get cleaned up. 

Hockey is usually a large part of my visits to Missouri as well and this year it was even more so because Haley started hockey camp for the first time ever, Chase had a tournament that I got to see all three games and they won the tournament, Tom’s team won the championship and all of us were wrapped up in the Blues journey through the playoffs. From the time I left Grover until the last game of the Stanley Cup finals I watched every game I could or follows it online and Stacie, Tom and I went back and forth on chat. They won the championship for the first time in franchise history and it was fantastic sharing the journey with the O’Connels. 

I did get to see Chase play Lacrosse and I got my IMO’s pizza. 

I had intended to go to New Mexico on my way home the last weekend of the month and do a trail half marathon in Tijeras. I had already signed up and would probably have run it even though I was still feeling the effects of the Ozark Foothills Race. As it turned out the move to Oregon was going faster than planned so I decided to drive straight home earlier and get ready for another new start.