After a blistering schedule of 7 half marathons in 2015, we decided to slow things down a bit for 2016.    Our Missouri trip was planned a respectable 10 weeks after the Georgia race, plenty of time to recover, train and ramp up for a great run.    We have learned to expect the unexpected, however, and did not let continued injury and sickness dull our enthusiasm as we boarded our flights for our next running adventure.

We selected our race for Missouri using our usual criteria;   unique, small-town experience, outside city limits with beautiful views and at least a reasonable chance for decent weather.    The Bridge and Dam Half Marathon and 10K met all of this criteria with one major caveat;   the nearest major airport was 150 miles away which meant a grueling day of air and car travel.   After some deliberation, we decided to give it a try as this was the race we really wanted to do in Missouri.   Besides, if we could make this work, it would open up a lot of really cool races we had crossed off our list as “too hard to get to”.   The Bridge and Dam Half Marathon, hosted and managed by the “Fellowship of Christian Athletes” was only in its second running.   The route followed a reservoir known as the  “Missouri Dragon” for the serpent-like shape it cuts through the land in central Missouri.   Runners are taken back and forth across a pair of bridges which span the Lake of the Ozarks, a massive reservoir created by the damming of the Osage River back in the 1930s.     We were intrigued.

Thursday started early for everyone, particularly for Kathy and Melodie who both had 4:30 am wakeup calls in order to make the first leg of their flights.   Melodie and I met at Sky Harbor at 9:00 am and flew to St. Louis, MO together where we met Kathy.    We rented our “chariot” for the weekend, a humble Corolla which turned out to be more pumpkin than chariot.    We headed out around 2:00 pm, with the first item on our agenda finding a place to eat and a good cup of coffee.  We stopped at a little deli just outside St. Louis and ordered lunch.   Kathy asked the waitress if they served coffee.   She looked at us a little puzzled and said, “Yes, I can make you some coffee”.    After waiting what seemed a rather long time, she came out with our sandwiches, and some very light-looking coffee, telling us they were all out of cream.   We told her we would use milk, but apparently they didn’t have any milk either.   She ended up bringing us a small carton of soy milk, which would have been acceptable if the coffee had been drinkable.   It was ghastly – lukewarm and flavorless.    We complained gently to the waitress, and she told us, “I’m sorry, but people don’t usually order coffee for lunch around here.   Everyone drinks tea.   I think this is the first coffee I’ve made since I’ve worked here”.   We didn’t even dare ask how long that had been.  She offered to make us another pot, but by then, we decided it was much safer to stick with water, and try our luck with coffee some other place.

We pulled into Lake Ozark, MO around 5:00 pm.   Kathy had researched local accommodations for us months in advance and reserved us a room in the best spot in the Ozarks.

Unfortunately, when we arrived, they had no record of our reservation.  Apparently there had been a disconnect between Expedia and the Lodge reservation system.  The manager very graciously reassured us he would find us a room, even though there was “no room at the inn”.   Crisis averted, we finally headed upstairs to our room.

The Lodge was aging, like some of us, but very unique and worthy of a little historical mention.  Harold Koplar, the founder of the Lodge of Four Seasons, had a vision to create an unequaled experience in a remote area that would bring enjoyment to people of all ages.   He brought in a Japanese landscape artist, Buffy Murai, who designed all of the lodge scenery.   This waterfall runs right through the middle of the lodge and can be viewed as you climb the stairs.

Relaxing in our rooms after a long travel day, we drank in the beautiful sunset before heading out to find the hot tub, a necessary component of any running trip.

As beautiful as the lodge was, it did not have some of the basic amenities, such as breakfast on site.    So Friday morning found us touring the little town of Lake Ozark, pop 1, 586, in search of some decent breakfast and the long-awaited cup of coffee.    We hit the jackpot at a little spot called “Blueberries Bistro”, which offered everything our hearts and palates could ask for.

After breakfast, we took some time to walk around the Lodge and absorb the flavor of our eclectic venue.    One of our favorite things of the entire weekend was the beautiful, flowering purple flowers we saw everywhere.   Although it was still clearly winter in Missouri, these purple flowers were heralding spring.   We learned later this tree is called Eastern Redbud and is an early spring bloomer that grows prolifically in the mid-west.

The Lodge of the Four Seasons prides itself on a tradition of exclusive, irreproducible décor from places like Madrid, Guadalajara, Japan, with a little country-western thrown in for variety.

Having done so many of these running trips, we have fallen into a bit of a routine, which I am sure is obvious to any of you reading these blogs.   Top of the list is always finding good places to eat, making sure we walk at least 3 miles pre-race day, and getting the flavor of the local culture.   This trip was no different.   We walked to a little pizza place mid-afternoon, and enjoyed our late lunch and a view of the water.   This entire town exists around this winding reservoir called Lake of the Ozarks.   At this time of year, the town was still sleepy, but by May, the locals told us it would be bursting at the seams with visitors seeking every type of water sport imaginable.

It was a trip for early wakeup calls.    The Saturday race was scheduled to begin at 7:30 am which meant getting up at 5:00 am to eat, dress, and get to the race start in time to park and walk across Bagnell Dam to get to the start line.    Along with 173 half marathoners, and 90 10Kers, we showed up at 7:00 am, accompanied by a biting, cutting wind and a temperature of 34 degrees.     These pictures tell the story, which includes a delay of 20 minutes at the start line waiting for a few stragglers to join us.  We were freezing!

There will be those who wonder why we do this.   Sometimes as we stand shivering in the early morning air, we wonder too.  But as soon as the buzzer goes off and we head down the road, we remember.

The wind never really let up, and there were many, many hills, but it was a great run.    We ran across Lake of the Ozarks twice, and the views were spectacular.

One of the nicest thing about every race is that it ends.    All three of us did well, despite our varying challenges, and we celebrated together with the small handful of people who hung around and braved the wind.    The wind was blowing so hard it blew the finish line timer down, it was just that kind of day.

These pictures are some of my favorite.  They demonstrate the heart and soul of running because you love it, and each other, and little hindrances like a howling wind can do nothing but muss hair that is always a mess anyway.   And these sisters of mine, they are the absolute best.

As always, we celebrate each run by splurging on a really nice meal.   We chose Baxter Lake Grille and enjoyed a spectacular meal with exquisite views.

Late that evening, we decided we needed to eat again, another very predictable situation, and ended up choosing a local pub based on the fact that it seemed to attract the biggest crowds.   Diametrically different than our lunch experience, it was still enjoyable.   I was even able to ignore the flying peanut shells and embrace the experience.   Kathy and I may look drunk, but we were not.   Melodie was the only one smart enough to order alcohol that tasted good.    Don’t ever order wine at a pub.   Not a good idea.

And so another race weekend comes to a close.   Four days go by so fast, and though there is much that is the same about these running trips, there is always something that is different and memorable.     We get up early, one more time, and head back to the St. Louis airport.   We are old enough that we don’t take things for granted anymore;   neither the chance to be together, nor the ability to keep running.

Next stop, Indianapolis and the SHE Power Race!