AudreyPodrey.com

I just submitted my registration to the Outer Banks Half Marathon in November.  This is the same race i ran last year, and as of today i am officially doing it again.  The race is 12 weeks away, and i have dusted off my training plan and i even ran twice in the last week.  I’m ready to go!

Along the way, there will be other races, including the American Tobacco Trail 10-miler that i did last year as well.  There are always a bunch of 5K races in the fall, and i imagine i will participate in a few of those as well as a way to get in some weekend runs.

I don’t have much of a time goal.  I guess it would be nice to try and beat last year’s time.  After taking the summer off, i’m not in great running shape, but i plan to stick to my training plan, and i know it will pay off if i do.

Anyway - just wanted to share - i pulled the trigger on the registration.  Woot!

Wednesday evening, i got my hair cut and got some reddish-violet highlights in my hair.  Hurray for new hair!

Thursday at lunch, i went for a run.  As i was changing, i realized i had forgotten my running socks.  Crap.  Well, i couldn’t run without socks, so i just used the ones i was wearing during the day - they were black with pink flowers.  OK, so my feet might stink later, but it was too nice outside to skip the run.  I put my new pink hair up in a ponytail and off i went.

About a mile in, i passed a fellow i know coming the other way.  He said hi and issued a quick warning, “There is a bee’s nest ahead on  your right near the lake.”  Taking his warning to heart, i hugged the left side of the path.

I quickly approached the lake and heard the buzzing of bees.  I increased my pace to get past them, but i caught the attention of a few of them.  A couple of them dive-bombed my hair - I think they thought i was a flower!  One seemed to get stuck in my hair and i smacked myself in the head to get rid of it.  Ouch.  Another couple of bees were buzzing around my flowery socks!  Help!

By this time i’m going up The Big Unending Hill, which i’m usually tempted to walk part of, but not this time.  I’m running too fast and breathing too hard and a bee hits me in the cheek.  I’m not usually terrified of bees, but i was sort of in a panic.  How do you convince bees that you’re not a flower?

At least one bee followed me for about half a mile.  I kept hearing it swoosh by my head, and i was mad, and a little scared, and flailing my arms around like a crazy person, trying to whack him.  I guess half a mile was too far from the nest, because he eventually left me alone and i was able to stop and catch my breath and continue on in peace.

This was my 2nd ever 10K race, the first one being this same race last year.  My unofficial time in that race was 1:04:43 (chip time 1:04:59, but that’s the clock time, and doesn’t account for the time it takes you to actually get from the back of the pack to the starting line).  Last year’s race resulted in a really excellent time (for me), and i wanted to beat it, but i was hesitant to actually say that was my goal.  I haven’t felt too great about my runs lately.

I got up at 7, had a banana and a little water.  I decided not to bring any gadgets, such as my GPS watch.  It doesn’t rest easy on my wrist, and i figured i’d just try to enjoy the race.  It was chilly - in the 40s i would guess.  I wore two shirts (and looong shorts, to avoid the inner-thighs-on-fire issue i had last year).

Got to the site with plenty of time to jog in, get my loot, jog back to the car, jog to the bathroom and then walk around in the sun a bit trying to warm up.  I started near the back of the pack, and probably crossed the start line about 20 seconds after the gun.

Mile 1: I felt fine.  I just went with a pace that was comfortable for me.  The beginning is always a bit of a jostle as people are weaving around you and you’re trying to weave around others and get with a group that’s going your pace.  The second half of this mile is a pretty steep hill - i heard someone say it was a 5% incline.  I just pushed through it.  I was running next to a mom and kid team - he was about 9 and pretty chatty.  We’re in the middle of the hill and he says “i’m tired!”  I just chuckled and thought, “we’ve got a long way to go, kid.”   I somehow missed the mile marker and time-caller.

Mile 2: Saw my buddy Frank (who is on my Leanest Loser exercise team at work) after he turned around but i was still going up, and waved.  After i turned around, there was a water station, but i didn’t want to interrupt my rhythm and passed it by.  Of course we got to run down the big hill now.  Last year i felt great and pushed it on the downhill, but i’ve heard my more experienced running pals talk about how they use the downhills to conserve energy for the tough parts ahead, so i stayed steady.  Gravity pulled me a bit faster, i suppose, but i was just concentrating on regulating my breathing.  At the turnoff around the lake, the 9 year-old caught me - he had sprinted downhill and left his mom in the dust.  He saw the fast people completing their loop across the lake and said “hey, we’re almost done!”  I reminded him we’d have to do it all a second time.  He told me his record was 1:06 and he wanted to beat that.  I told him i did, too.  We heard 20:30 as we passed the mile marker.

Mile 3: The lake doesn’t look that big, but it seems to get bigger as you keep going around it.  Little dude’s mom caught up to him, and he asked her “Mom, are you sure we have to go up that hill again?”  They stopped to walk.  I hit mile 3 at 30:30.

Mile 4: There was a water stop at the starting line, and i stopped briefly to grab a drink and throw water on my face.  Then, onward.  And upward.  I resisted the urge to walk up the big hill, instead pushing through.  One thing i have learned is that you can run slower and while it’s not as much of a recovery as walking, it works well enough.  I was hating the hill, but once past it, i caught my breath and kept on going.  The timer called out 42-something.

Mile 5: Grabbed a quick sip of water after the turnaround, but didn’t slow down at all.  Again did not push it on the downhill.  I looked for the little dude and his mom, but oddly never saw them again.  52:10

Mile 6: Around the lake.  The first half is all in the shade, which was great for cooling off.  The temperature was probably getting into the mid-to-upper 50s by this point in the day.  Everyone was pretty spaced out, and by now i recognized quite a few of the people around me as people who had been near me the whole race.  We started passing a few people who were running out of gas, which certainly helps with the motivation towards the end of a race.  The second half of the lake was all in sun, but i felt strong.  There was a pack of about 4-5 people just behind me, and i don’t know if they were pacing off of me, or if them being behind me pushed me to keep going, but it worked.  At the point we turned back onto the road, i passed a girl i had been trailing the whole race, who had always been just ahead.  The final .2 was long, but i tried my best to find the reserves that i didn’t use on the downhill.  I knew i was going to beat last year’s time.

My official clock time was about 1:04:15, which puts me ab about 1:03:55 from when i crossed the start line, by my guess.  How awesome is that?

This is a really great race - i like knowing what’s coming during the second half.  It’s well-run, and the venue is great - the lake is very pretty.  I would prefer that they had mats at the starting line so we could get an official time from the start line to the finish line.  But i won’t hold that against them - this is a race i’m going to try to run every year.

Last year’s race was cold and rainy and miserable.  This year it was perfect.

I stayed up late the night before, cheering on the Wolfpack, and didn’t get to bed until 12:30.  When i woke up Saturday morning, i didn’t feel too much the worse for wear.  I ate a banana and some water and was on my way downtown.

I knew quite a few others that were running this race, and i kept my eye out for them before the race.  I went through the motions of getting my chip, jogging a little to warm up, hitting the port-a-john, etc.  I only saw two people i knew before it was time to line up for the start.

For some inexplicable reason, i started near the front of the group.  I think i wanted to start fast, but it wasn’t long before my body let me know how dumb that idea was.  Plus, the start is on an uphill.  Not my favorite (is uphill anyone’s favorite?)  I was glad i had warmed up, though, because i felt pretty good.  I was disappointed that there were no volunteers calling out the times at the mile markers, as i neglected to bring my watch with me.  Oh well.

The course was a nice out-and-back course, with lots of long, rolling hills.  I walked for about 10 steps at the water stop, and once more for 15 more steps in the middle of a long uphill in the 2nd half.  I’m not sure where, because i missed the Mile 2 marker.  I am sure i didn’t need to stop either time, but psychologically i was having trouble believing that i could do it.  Plus, i was running a little faster than i normally do.

I saw two disturbing things during the run:
1) a guy in a truck arguing with a police officer about why he couldn’t turn on the road where the runners were running
2) a mother-daughter pair where the daughter was upset and crying and wanted to walk but the mother was being hard on her and telling her to run.

Cool things i saw:
1) a different mother-daughter pair where the mother was being encouraging.
2) a woman with one leg running with a prosthetic
3) a kid who couldn’t have been older than 7, running/walking in short spurts, getting encouragement from people who didn’t know him

As i approached the final stretch, i experienced a wave of happiness because i was closer to the end than i thought.  I was still looking for that second mile marker, and to realize i was near the end was a relief!  I finished strongly, but there was no sprinting - i just didn’t have enough gas.  I finished in under 31 minutes, which is quite a solid finish for me, particularly since i haven’t been running consistently.  Last year my time in this race was over 35 minutes.

I definitely feel that a sub-30 minute 5K is attainable.  This year.  Just the fact that my time started with three-zero is awesome to me.

The next race i have registered for is the Cary Road race 10K.  I guess it’s time to start training for real, if i’m going to be running longer races and participating in the Inside-Out Half Marathon.  I haven’t signed up yet, but i’m starting to feel like it’s a foregone conclusion.

Whenever the results are posted, i’ll post a link.

I usually run alone.

I’m trying to get back into running, though, and lately i have run a few times in a group.  I’m learning why this is good and bad.

When i run alone, i have no accountability to anyone else.  I can run at my own pace.  Stop and walk up hills if i want.  Bring the dog.  And i don’t feel guilty about any of it.

Last week i did a track workout in a group.  Guess what?  I ran faster and longer than i would have on my own.  I spent most of the time trying to keep up with Cindy & Frank.  And then when they did finally leave me in the dust, i spent the rest of the time trying to catch them.  I didn’t give up.  I didn’t just run at my own pace.

Monday night, a bunch of us helped $Bill celebrate his 42nd birthday by running 4.2 miles with him.  What a great run it was!  (Especially the part where he bought us a beer after - thanks Bill!)  But again, i pushed myself.  The pace was a little faster than i would have gone on my own, but i went with it.  There were more hills than i wanted to run up, but i ran up them.

All in all, i like this trend of running with people who will cause me to push myself.  I know i’ll still do runs on my own with the dog, but i’m looking forward to more group runs this running season.

The morning of the race dawned clear and beautiful.  The sun was just rising as we left the house at 6:40 and headed for the start.  I had the luxury of getting dropped off right next to the start by Suzanne, who comes to races and supports Jeff.  That was a super-nice convenience - thanks, Suzanne!

It was around 55 degrees - chilly but not unbearable in my short sleeves.  Jeff and i edged our way up to the 10:00-12:00 “corral” - they started us in waves to keep things a little more sane that having 3500 people all start at once.  (So there was one gun for the elite runners, a second gun for sub-7 minute miles, a third gun for 8-10 min miles, etc.)  This was my first experience with the wave start, and i have to say i really liked it.  Anyway, we went up to our “corral” and i noticed a guy holding a sign that said 2:30.  I asked Jeff if he was a pacer, and he confirmed it and told me there should be a 2:15 pacer as well.  I said i wanted to find that group and try to stay with them, so we did.

I had in my head that i wanted to run this race in 2:20.  Where did i get this number?  Well, i took 1:45, which was my time for the Tobacco Trail 10-miler and simply added 35 minutes, which seemed like a reasonable additional 5K time after already having run 10 miles.  It’s also 12 minutes faster than my first half marathon two years ago.

After seeing the 2:15 pace group, though, i decided i would try to run with them, and if i fell behind near the end, then maybe i would still make 2:20. Due to the awkward start, i got pushed ahead of the pace group, though.  So i figured i’d try to keep up with them whenever they caught me.

Mile 1: 9:51.  Wished Jeff good luck and we took off.  I was cold at first, but overall it was a good start.  It was really nice not to have a bunch of people going too fast, and a bunch of other people walking and having to dart around them.  I was just automatically running with people about my same pace.  I was running a bit faster than is usual for me.

Mile 2: 9:50.  Settled into a good pace.  It was definitely fast for me, but it felt good.  It didn’t feel like i was pushing myself beyond my limits, so i just went with it.  We turned into one of the side neighborhoods and ran briefly along the sound.  A charming spectator pointed to the bridge in the distance, saying “there’s the bridge - go get it!”  It looked SO far away.

Mile 3: 9:48.  I knew i had had two good first miles, so i thought if i had a good third mile i might even beat 30 minutes for a 5K.  Alas, i didn’t quite make it, but almost!

Mile 4: 10:13.  I don’t remember too many specifics about the next few miles.  I had found my groove running mostly sub-10 minute miles.  The sun was VERY shiny, i do remember that.  I also remember thinking at the end of mile 4 that i was one-third finished.  At the time, that made me happy.

Mile 5: 9:58.  I think this mile was through neighborhoods again.  The people were very supportive; it was awesome.  I high-fived several kids.  There were also some cheesy signs with jokes and facts about the Outer Banks on them.

Mile 6: 9:51.  6 miles in less than one hour!  I was totally stoked.  I realize the 2:15 pacers haven’t caught me yet, and i feel a little bit as i imagine Cindy and $Bill do when they do their hare-chasing runs (or whatever it’s called when you try to time it so everyone finishes at the same time), and you don’t want anyone to pass you.  I still feel great.

Mile 7: 9:59.  During this mile it seemed i passed a lot of people.  I overheard one pair talking about how they were at 1:06 and would be happy to finish in 2:12.  My clock said 1:02, so i knew i had caught up to some folks in the corral ahead of me, and i guess i was passing the slower folks in that wave.

Mile 8: 10:15.  It was time to start thinking about the bridge.  I could see the bridge, but couldn’t see the high part of it.

Mile 9: 10:27.  Rounded a corner.  THERE’S the bridge.  It looks imposing.  I can feel the pavement change as we step onto the bridge.  There’s a long flat part before the uphill part ahead.  I see a small sign taped to the railing that says “I’m not that bad, Love, The Bridge.”  It makes me smile.

Mile 10: 10:39.  In truth, the bridge really was not that bad!  While i was running it, i thought how glad i was that i had trained on hills, especially saving the hills for the ends of my runs.  This bridge wasn’t really difficult compared to how i have felt during training runs.  I’m sure the adrenaline helped.  And the ocean breeze, which was awesome.  I made a point to really look around and admire my surroundings at the crest of the bridge.  It really was beautiful all around.

Mile 11: 10:46.  The beginning of this mile was still on the uphill of the bridge, but a good portion of it was downhill.  The bridge took a lot out of me, and i had to really kick myself to take advantage of the downhill.  “Audrey, it’s downhill!  Stop pussyfooting around!”  I just wanted to slow down.  I did take advantage of the downhill, but by the end of this mile, i was getting pissed.  My feet hurt and i wanted it to be over.  I no longer cared about my pace or my time.  I only cared enough to keep myself from stopping and walking.

Mile 12: 11:29.  I really had issues with my breathing and with my head during this mile.  I seemed to be around a lot of people who were loud.  Talking loud, loud earphones, loud breathing, loud feet.  And i was damn tired!  I could not find a rhythm, and it shows in my time for this mile.  But i didn’t walk!  I may have been really slow, but the only thing i cared about was not walking.  The stupid jokes on the side of the road helped.  For example, there was a sign that asked, “What do you call a Fat Chimpanzee?”  You had to run a bit to get to the answer sign, “A Chunky Monkey!”  Some of the jokes were pretty bad, but it was just enough to keep you going.

Mile 13: 10:50.  I finally just pushed everything out of my mind and concentrated on my breathing here.  My feet still hurt, but once i got away from the loud people, i could breathe along with my own steps.  IN-2-3-OUT-2-3.  It helped a lot.  Towards the end of this mile i heard some exuberant people coming up behind me.  Two or three runners were shouting encouragement and calling out the times.  I wondered if this was the 2:15 pace group, but i was too tired to turn around and look.  However, as they gained even more on me, i saw the 2:15 sign out of the corner of my eye.  Yep, it was them.  I told myself “I have stayed in front of them the whole race - i’ll be damned if i let them pass me now!”  It gave me the encouragement i needed to give one final push to the finish.

Final time: 2:14:50.  I would have cried for joy if i had had any moisture or salt left in my body.  I had that “happy-cry” feeling though, as i crossed the finish line in under 2:15.  I was ecstatic.  I beat my goal time by 5 whole minutes.

It was a great race - i was really impressed with the organization of the whole thing, and with the volunteers, who were awesome.  Congratulations to everyone!

It’s Friday afternoon, and the week is finally over.  I’m all packed and ready to go - I’m heading to the beach for the weekend, where i’ll meet some new friends and run a new race.  I kiss the boyfriend and the pupton goodbye and get on the road.

Usually when i’m driving on the highway, especially when the traffic is sparse, i’ll turn on the cruise control.  I think this is fairly common.  My speed is constant, and others’ speeds are fairly constant.  So i pass people, or others pass me.  Completely normal.

I was about 90 minutes into my drive when i noticed some headlights coming up behind me.  This is nothing unusual.  I’m pretty much alone on the road, but this guy’s just going faster than me.  Whatever.  He starts to pass me on the left, but when he pulls even with me he stops passing.  Now he’s right next to me and going the exact same speed.

I glance over and note it’s a red SUV.  I can’t see the driver.  He appears to be alone.  I’m quite sure it’s a “he”, for some reason.

I’m uncomfortable with this.  If we’re going to go the same speed, let’s just play follow the leader, ok?  I’ve done this before, just found someone to follow, and i’ve been the one who has been the leader also.  But driving side-by-side is freaking me out.

The speed limit is 70 and we’re going about 72.  First i decide to slow down a bit and let him pass me.  He slows down, too, and we’re still side-by-side.  So i think, OK, i’ll go faster - i nudge the cruise control up to about 74.  He keeps pace.  I nudge it up to 76.  He still keeps pace.  Then he flashes his brights.  I don’t know what that means.  I nudge it up to 78, and i still can’t pass him.  Now we’re going faster than i want, so i slow way back down to 70.  He flies ahead.

I let him go a little bit, then reset my cruise back to my normal cruising speed of 72.  I see him merge back into the right lane.  OK that’s better.

Before i know it, though, i’m coming up on him; he has slowed down again.  I switch to the left lane to pass him, thinking, OK he must have decided that was too fast.  As i’m passing, again he speeds up to about 75 as i’m passing, so i have to go even faster in order to pass him.  We travel for about a mile where he’s 3/4 car length behind me.  This is RIDICULOUS, and i’m getting pissed off.  I kick it up so i can really leave him behind me, and i do.

He flashes his lights at me again after i’m in front of him.  I still don’t know what this means.  When he comes up behind me yet again, and draws abreast with me, and flashes his lights, i have had it.  I don’t know what to do.  And then he swerved.  Ever so slightly,  but in my direction.  Maybe it was an accident.  But i was completely freaked.  I was convinced there was a crazy red SUV stalker that i hadn’t heard about, and if only i’d turn on my radio i would hear the news.  Except then i think to myself “in the movies, whenever people in cars get ambushed, they are always listening to the radio.”  So i don’t turn the radio on.

I slowed down a lot.  He slowed down a bit with me, but as i was now traveling significantly under the speed limit, he went ahead.  He was only a few hundred yards in front of me when i noticed my exit was coming up.  I made sure he was in front of me a good ways before i took my exit, lest he veer at the last second to follow me.  But it seems we have parted ways.

There is another vehicle behind me at this point.  He sticks to me like glue.  This is more normal - lots of cars are “followers” where they just want someone to follow.  He stays with me through several changes of the speed limit, always adjusting to my speed.  I have to admit, i was keeping my eye on him after the red SUV incident, but he was following at a normal distance most of the time.  And no weird flashing of lights.

Then i saw something weird ahead.  I was coming up quickly on an odd sight and at first i couldn’t tell what it was.  It turns out it was someone on a scooter driving like 30 mph.  The speed limit was 55 and i was going 60, so i quickly halved my pace.  The car behind me did too.  I was “stuck” in between the car behind me and the scooter; i was afraid to pass the scooter, because so often in those situations, the cars behind you will veer around you quickly.  But this car just stayed behind me while we went 30 mph.

Now i started to think that maybe the car behind me was the red SUV after all.  Who wouldn’t go around a car that was only going 30 mph in a 55 mph zone?  Why wasn’t he passing me?  Did a different car pass me before, and the red SUV followed me all this way?  I think i would have noticed, but i started to second guess myself.

When it became clear the car behind me was just going to follow me, i passed the scooter and sped back up, with my tail doing the same.  Within two miles i saw a Bojangles, and thought “ah, i actually am kind of hungry.”  And besides, it should get this guy off my back.  As i am turning in, i swear he starts to follow me, but then changes his mind.  I have no idea if the two police cars in the parking lot have anything to do with it, but am gratified to see them.  It was not the red SUV, at least.

Once inside of Bojangles, i realize this is a poor choice of restaurants since everything they have contains meat, and we are experimenting with a meatless diet.  But i finally find the one thing on their menu that was somewhat vegetarian and order an egg-and-cheese biscuit.  Waiting for my food, i can see the cook making my biscuit.  He isn’t wearing gloves.  I start to wonder if he is sick and if he is going to give me swine flu.  I wonder what county i am in and if they have a high incident of the swine flu here.  I try to rationalize that it is OK; after all, when i worked at McDonald’s 15 years ago i never wore gloves.  I convince myself it’s going to be okay.

I take my biscuit back into the car and get on my way.  No scary SUV’s are following me, for once.  I take a bite of my biscuit and discover that Bojangles food is not nearly as good without the Cajun chicken seasoning.  Then i have a flash of the cook scratching his greasy face with the back of his hand, and decide i’m not really hungry after all.

A few miles later, i stop to get gas.  It is the first gas station i have seen in awhile that is well-lit.  I have passed many poorly lit gas stations (you know, the kind that look like their pumps do not accept credit cards) and have been afraid to stop at them.  But this one looks OK.  I get out the nozzle and notice it is one of the annoying ones that you actually have to hold - it doesn’t click in place.  While i am stuck there holding my nozzle, a middle-aged and perhaps homeless woman comes by asking for money.  Ugh, i hate being in this position.  I just say no, still trapped at the nozzle, when i see a red SUV pull in next to me.  I kind of freak out, but quickly i notice that there is a family in this vehicle.  The dad looks at me funny when he gets out of the car, but that is probably because i was staring at his car oddly when he pulled in.

I go inside and i hear the maybe-homeless woman buying a lottery ticket.  I guess she got someone to give her some money.  I peruse for a few minutes and get a drink and a granola bar (after all, i am still hungry).  As i am headed to the counter to check out, she darts back into the store and cuts in front of me to buy another lottery ticket.  Since i didn’t give her any money, i figure i can at least let her have first place in line.

Nothing too strange happens for the rest of the drive, thankfully.  I arrive at the beach house where i see a car in the driveway.  I can see a 26.2 bumper sticker, so i’m pretty sure i’m in the right place.  I walk up to the front door and knock.  No answer.  I knock again.  Nothing.  I try to peek through the slits of the blinds, and i can barely see inside.  The lights are on, but the place does not seem to be inhabited.  No signs of luggage or any supplies on the tables.

I wonder, are they asleep?  It’s only 9…  and honestly i didn’t think Jeff was the going-to-bed-early type.  Maybe they are in the bedroom and just can’t hear me.  I walk up the steps to the backdoor, in the dark, and i feel completely like a burglar.  I knock again; maybe they will hear me from this side of the house.  No answer.

Am i in the right place?  I think so, but situations like this really make you wonder.  Maybe there’s ANOTHER house with the same number on ANOTHER road of the same name nearby, with ANOTHER car with a marathon bumper sticker on it… Yeah.

I haven’t called Lance to tell him i’m here safe, and since he insisted i do so, that’s the next thing i decide to do.  Maybe i can get him to pull up my email and find Jeff’s phone number for me.  Lance doesn’t answer.  I text him; no answer.  This is strange b/c i know he’s expecting my call.  I completely feel like i am in the twilight zone, and the only thing missing is creepy background music.

Then i remember that even though i was an idiot and didn’t bring Jeff’s phone number with me, thanks to my recent foray into twitter i can tweet at him directly.  Except i’m not sure if i know how to do that, actually.  But, i try to send him a tweet.

I unpack the car and bring all my stuff up next to the door, figuring i’ll hear from someone soon.  I don’t.  It probably hasn’t been that long since i got here, but i’m not sure what i should do.  I stare at my phone and check if i have adequate service.  My phone looks back at me, like “what?”

I load my shit back into the car, just in case this isn’t the right house, and go in search of a bar.  I decide everyone must be at dinner.  And not have their phones on.

I find a nice bar with a chatty bartender a couple of blocks away.  I text Lance again and tell him that i’m fine but still haven’t found anyone.  I work on my crossword puzzle.

At 10 pm the restaurant closes, but no one has called or texted.  The bartender takes pity on me and gives me another drink and says i can stay longer if i want, which was awful nice of her.

Finally at 10:15 Lance calls me.  He was at dinner and had his phone in his coat, so didn’t see my messages.  He’s glad i made it safely.  By this time i’m getting ready to head back to the house and see if the others are back yet.  When i get back to the house, i find it as i left it - no one answering the door.  I’m standing on the porch wondering what i’m supposed to do now when i finally get a tweet from Jeff saying “whoops just got this we’re on our way.”

And with that, i exhaled a little on the inside, because the world had gotten really really weird for a few hours, but was finally returning to normal.

I signed up for this race because it is two weeks before the Outer Banks Half Marathon, and i figured it was a good training distance. For some reason, i was expecting it to be hilly, but i was pleasantly surprised on that front.  The course was an out-and-back course along the Tobacco Trail, which is a growing trail in the area.  The website indicates they are turning unused railways into trails.  The surface was compacted soil - a little easier on the feet. (Though my feet still hurt!)

The race was pretty small compared to other races, only 400 runners.  It ended up being a good size, though, considering the logistics of the thing.  We had to park a few miles away and catch shuttle buses to and from the race site.

It is a beautiful time of year in Raleigh.  The leaves are just starting to change, and everything looks a little bit like it’s on fire.

I got up at 7:15, ate a banana, then grabbed a small cup of coffee and several bottles of water for the 30-minute drive.  Found the parking, no problem.  On the shuttle, i heard a familiar voice - one of my bridge friends was there!  He and his wife are both runners.  I met a few others on the shuttle, and suddenly i felt a bit more comradarie with everyone.  It helps psychologically to know people are there who are rooting for you.

We got dropped off at the race site at 8:15.  First thing was a bathroom stop.  I walked around some, and around 8:35 i peed again.  The women started at 8:50, and i’ll be damned if i didn’t have to pee AGAIN just a few minute in!  I asked the people around me if they knew if there would be port-a-johns along the way.  Someone indicated yes, they should be available at the water stops.

So i spent my first two miles somewhat uncomfortably “holding it in”.  My pace in the first mile was too fast, as i was bunched up with other people and just keeping up.  The second mile the people spaced out, and i see-sawed with the girl who had told me about the port-a-johns, who was doing the 3-1 run-walk thing.  I think my pace was roughly 11 minute miles.  The men started 10 minutes after us, and the first wave of them were passing me before the end of mile 2.  At the water stop, yes, thankfully, two bright blue port-a-johns, and i gratefully took my place in the short line.  Afterwards, i felt MUCH better, grabbed some water, and could concentrate on the run.

As i mentioned, the course was very flat.  With my bladder empty, i suddenly felt really good.  I surprised myself by settling into a pace that varied between 9:30 and 10:30.  There were no real landmarks besides the water stops (and i’m too lazy right now to go download the info from my gps watch), but i just consistently kept the pace.  I remember i passed the 3 mile mark at about 32 minutes - though i did stop my watch for my pee break.  I passed the 3-1 girl who was nice enough to tell me about the port-a-johns and never see-sawed with her again.  I ran mile 6 in 9:59.  I beat my 10K time from the Cary Road Race in the spring (which had big hills).  I really was amazed that i was able to run at this pace and keep it up!

A few thoughts going through my head at this time: 1) maybe next year will be The Year Audrey Gets Faster and i follow Cindy and $Bill’s footsteps (ha) and hire their running coach. 2) A surefire way to feel fast even when you’re not is to take a bathroom break and then pass all the people who would have been behind you. 3) I’m afraid i’m going to really lose steam in the last miles.

Things did start to get harder.  My feet started to hurt after all the pounding.  I started trying to do math in my head, which is always hard for me while running.  It’s akin to when i press Snooze on the alarm clock in the morning - the math i do in that in-between state is always fuzzy.  But i finally figured out that a pace of 10-minute miles would mean a time of 1:40:00 and 11-minute miles would mean a time of 1:51:00.  With my great middle miles, i would surely be in between those if i didn’t stop.

That was all the motivation i needed.  I strove to keep my pace in the low 10s.  I walked for a few steps at each of the final two water stops, to gulp down a few mouthfuls of and then douse myself with refreshing, cold water, but that was it.  Each of those final miles was around 10:40, and i finished, by my watch, right at 1:45:00.

I felt great.  My chip time will be a little slower because of the pee break, but i am ecstatic.  I’m going to try to repeat this at the Outer Banks Half in two weeks, and thus demolish my time of 2:32:00 for my first half-marathon two years ago.

Monday: Bodysculpt strength training class.  An OK workout.

Tuesday: Four mile run on the trails at work.  Absolutely beautiful day for running.  I ran all the hills - all of them, in fact i made no stops whatsoever - and didn’t even have to be bitchy with myself in order to do it.

Wednesday: Step aerobics - this class was hard and fun.  I’m not having a real great week in how i feel, and i was tired and very nearly ditched the class b/c of general lethargic-ness.  Once i got into it, though, i really pushed myself.

Thursday: Rest day.

Friday: Despite feeling crappy, i ran 3+ miles at lunchtime anyway.  Once again, no stopping on any hills.  It’s weird how i don’t even notice the smaller hills anymore.  And on the bigger hills, it’s really all about the breathing.

Saturday: A leisurely 2-mile walk at Pet Day.  I had intentions for a workout at home, too, but…alas.

Sunday: Eight and a half miles around (and around and around) Shelley Lake.   I think it’s okay to do long runs in a mostly flat setting, since the half will be mostly flat.  Another beautiful morning for a run.

Monday: My legs were extremely sore from Sunday’s 6 mile run, but i went to the Bodysculpt class at work anyway, and just took it easy on the legs.

Tuesday: It stopped raining just long enough for me to get in a 5K at lunch.  I found myself getting really bitchy with myself.  “Bitch, this hill is nothing.  You will have to do a worse hill than this after running 12 miles in mere weeks.  You will not walk up this hill.”  What can i say, it worked.  I ran up the damn hills.

Wednesday: Step aerobics was challenging.  My energy level was low.  After work, Lance and i and the pupton went for a nice 3 mile walk around Lake Lynn.

Thursday: Day of rest.  I needed it.

Friday: I did a short running warm-up (1.5 miles?) before heading to BodySculpt class.  Ran into Cindy on the track around the soccer field.  She had a 10-mile race this past weekend.  I hope it went well!

Saturday: I got up and went to Shelley Lake for my long run, but this time i went South towards the mall.  And i ran past the mall before i turned around at the 3.5 mile mark to make it a total of 7 miles.  I have to say, some of those bridges and creekside walkways are pretty creepy, and in my head i was going through the various ways in which i may be accosted.  It actually made me feel better to “prepare” for these situations in my head.  Happily, i made it back without incident.

Sunday: Another 3-mile walk around Lake Lynn.  These walks aren’t strenuous, but i count them as cross-training.