110th World Series 10K

Hello from Kansas City! I am working my 20th World Series, and this morning I put on my new ASICS GEL-Kayano 21s that ASICS sent me to review, and got in a glorious run before all the wildness begins between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals, which you can watch on FOX with Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET. The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County is shared by the Royals and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and it is massive. Which makes it also ideal for training runs for an @marathoner like me.

It is about 1.8 miles around the main perimeter loop, which circles both stadiums. You can stretch it a bit farther if you want to run into some of the adjacent nook parking lots. This is what it looks like from my hotel:



I did the two main perimeter loops and a couple of interior loops just around The K, where the place is buzzing. There are some good hills to run, and it's a great place for hill repeats, too. Pavement is smooth.



I am staying right over the George Brett Bridge at the Holiday Inn, with a great view of the complex. In fact, housekeeping left me note this morning to be sure to leave my far-left window blind closed, and the right two open, with the light on in my room -- so fans in the stadium tonight (and on FOX) can see the side of our hotel with a big "KC" on it!

I finished the 110th World Series 10K in just under 1:10. That included my second mile in which I paused to do some work and forgot to pause my Garmin, so I lost a good 5 or 6 minutes there.

We are making World Series stops in Kansas City for Games 1, 2 and (if necessary) 6 and 7. I fly to San Francisco on Thursday morning and look forward to a run or two there, as Lisa and Rachel will fly there as well to join in on the fun. Last year, I ran the Charles River in Boston the morning of Game 1, so this is another reason running makes life better. It gives you energy when you are working a big event like this, and you get to experience some amazing venues for running.

I felt incredible this morning and my new ASICS are ridiculously cushiony and comfortable. It was my second run in them, following last week's Staten Island Half. I love them. I took this photo in the middle of the road next to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs:



Here are some more pics from today's 10K! Enjoy the Fall Classic!















Also, I had to take a picture of this:



They dedicated a big area to the Chiefs' 1969 team, which beat my beloved Vikings in the 1970 Super Bowl. There are three monuments in this space, and it's kind of tough to take when you grew up with the Purple People Eaters. But I love the passion, and I feel for a city that is really hungry for another championship.