Chris Wristen

All has been quiet on the blog since finishing my first 50K, and there’s been good reason for that.

Work has been crazy-busy for the past few weeks, and a couple of nagging injuries from the race brought training mostly to a halt.

It’s been a good past week, however.  On Thursday, the Kansas Press Association released its Awards of Excellence winners for 2011, and in my final appearance with the newspapers my entries brought home eight awards — including five first-places.

If you are inclined to check out what placed, here are some links.

The Bonner Springs Chieftain (Non-Daily, Division I):

Best online video — First place for “Braves capture district championship”

Sports feature story — First place for “Runners rally to support BSHS senior battling cancer”

Sports story — First place for “Worth the pain: Seaton delays surgery for state”

Sports column writing — Third place for the following entries:

• “Aslin brings swagger back to Bonner Springs football”
• “New Major League Soccer stadium is backyard treasure”
• “After three years of frustration, Braves’ Smith goes out a winner”

Best online video — Third place for “Aslin era begins with a victory”

The Shawnee Dispatch (Non-Daily, Division III):

Best online video — First place for “St. James Academy topples Louisburg”

Sports photo — First place for St. James Academy soccer’s game-winning goal

Sports column writing — Third place for the following entries:

• “Applebee builds family atmosphere at Mill Valley”
• “Local stars give reason for KC kids to dream big”
• “Shawnee is a community of athletes”

More good news followed suit on Saturday, this time in the form of my training.  The right IT band that flared up for the final nine miles of the 50K is back to normal, and my left hamstring is finally working properly again.  Even better, the spring is finally returning to my steps and the heavy legs seem to be disappearing.

Claire and I took advantage of the 60-degree temperatures Saturday to run 12 miles at Shawnee Mission Park, and my legs actually felt good for almost the entire time.  It was my first double-digit mileage day in four weeks.

My hope is that the legs will continue to regain their form because another race looms in four weeks.  The Rockin’ K Trail Marathon — a race I’ve been looking forward to for more than a year — takes place April 7.