I set a low bar for myself, thinking that I lost a lot of fitness since May with my nearly non-existent summer running and scaled down training. I also remember the hill-induced pained reviews from my friends who ran it last year, so I thought a reasonable goal would be to strike for just a few minutes below my half PR (1:43:54), which was run on a flat course. Luckily, I was able to meet my conservative goal of 1:45 and PR in this race, despite the fact that the hills were indeed tough. These pleasant surprises are so rare in racing, so am I being insecure about my fitness this fall or did I set a goal that was too conservative?
Pre-Race
The day began like a circus show. Dead tired, I walked into my kitchen around 5 am to grab some breakfast. I slammed my knee into the dish washer door and whimpered in pain as my knee started to bleed. Then, looked up at the ceiling to a large, moving black spot: the LARGEST COCKROACH I HAVE EVER SEEN IN NORTH CAROLINA. This mofo was 3 inches body alone and he was FAST. I quickly grabbed my food and left the kitchen. When I returned to put my plates in the sink, he was on the ceiling above the doorway. I watched in horror as he ran into a dangling spiderweb, got stuck, and while trying to free his legs, FLEW OFF THE CEILING AND DIRECTLY TOWARDS ME. He disappeared so I assumed the worst - that he flew onto me and was now trapped in my clothing. With the clock ticking and my needing to leave to drive to Durham, I roused one of my housemates awake and asked her to check me for hidden cockroaches. I couldn't risk being trapped in a car with a cockroach the size of my finger. Shuddering as I remember this now... Luckily, this was not a sign of a terrible race to come.
Onto the Race...
The race was two different segments, as I remember it. The first half (or more like, 9 miles) was nice - we began in downtown, then ran through some residential areas. I saw a young woman sitting on her porch, cheering runners on, and I smiled at what a convenient (or inconvenient if you're trying to leave your house) location to live. I saw families set up water stations, with little girls handing out cups to runners. The weather was brisk to start - a chilling 47 as compared to what we were used to - but after a few miles, it became the perfect enabler for a PR.
I had let the 1:45 pacers get away from me as I warmed up in my first mile and then slowly brought myself up to a conservative and anticipatory pace. I really wasn't sure what was ahead, so I heeded Allie's advice about the hilliest parts coming from mile 9 to the end. I kept a manageable pace, trying to save something for what I thought would be a brutal battle to the finish.
There were many lovely moments: Seeing Allie handing out water with her team of Girls on the Run darlings at Mile 6. She told me she had a special cup jussssttt for me and I wasn't mentally sharp enough to give her a joking wink or even smile back, but I appreciated her presence. I ran into Craig and his daughter around Mile 7 or 8... A different daughter had just given birth one week prior. To commemorate their fancy new titles, Craig wore a t-shirt with "I'm a new grandpa" screen printed on the back while his daughter sported a complimentary, "I'm a new aunt." It was adorable. I trotted along past them, trying to increase my speed and soon came upon the pacers who were volunteers from Empower Fitness. I thanked them for their service and stayed with them briefly before feeling confident enough to continue along. We ran along Duke campus and I came upon a woman wearing a cape who received several compliments from runners and spectators alike and I joked that perhaps that would be my next running outfit. She got so much love for her quirky accessory! I later found out that this runner is a friend of Susan's and one of her Ragnar buddies.
I'm probably going into detail overkill, but I loved each and every one of these moments. When I was first began distance running in 2005, I never developed such a community. I joined the Boston Nike running group and other local groups, yet I remained true to my lone wolf nature. But through Fleet Feet and Oiselle, something connected and no race has ever been run completely alone. Local races are always filled with familiar faces and much love. As cheesy as this is, my heart warmed a little bit with each familiar face I saw that day.
Ok, no more digressions, continuing with race: when the Mile 10 marker came into view, it was resting peacefully atop a "benign" hill. But as I ran towards the sign, I could feel my legs churning in intense effort and my life force drain out, as well as one layer of determination. When I got to the top of that short but intense hill, I remember shaking my head in bewilderment - that really took it out of me! As I continued through the course and several more rolling hills, I just told myself to survive. Usually I treat the last 5k as a race to the death, but I knew it wasn't going to go this way. I needed to just hold on. There would be no powerful finishing kick; the only strategy was energy management. And so that's what happened. No risk taking, just basic survival. Somewhere - Mile 11 or 12 - I saw Emily from our spring FF group, volunteering at the race. Seeing her gave me a short burst of adrenaline that was suppressed by the hills again. When we finally went up the last hill towards the finish line, I remember seeing it 200-300 meters off in the distance and trying to summon some speed monster inside of me. Nope. I gritted my teeth, my eyes started watering, and my legs were burning... but the intensity of the pain must have been a disconnect from the reality that I was running slow. Pain face below:
And... here is the guy next to me. Looking like he is having the time of his life. Good for him, but damn him.
After, I awkwardly imitated Allie's public changing prowess, sat on the sidelines, and cheered other friends finishing. I saw Randy and Paula, a Oiselle flockmate, and Sara. I would later catch up with Risa, Craig and Tanya, Randy, and spend a relaxed rest of the sunny day food trucking and talking. Fun. :)
Post-Race Reflection
Would I run this race again? It was tough... I don't know that I would. Despite my PR and it being a confidence booster for the bigger one ahead (Philly!), it was definitely a struggle. Now I know my friends' angry finishing faces were justified. Apparently they had cut down on the hills this year - I can only imagine through their painfaces how brutal last year must have been.
Elevation profile:
It's unfortunate, because everything else about this race was excellent. Registration was reasonable - I paid less than $60 during a local deal promotion. The packet pick up was efficient. The race shirts were cute although cotton (grumble grumble). The aid stations were placed every 2-3 miles and they offered gels towards the end. There were many food trucks around - many notably good ones. Even the other factors beyond race organizer control - weather and spectators - were wonderful. Just, those hills...
Time: 1:43:00
Average: 7:51 min/mile
Entire Field: 262/2,286, 11.5th percentile
Gender: 56/1,309, 4.3rd percentile
Division: 14/232, 6th percentile
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