RunRaleigh Half Marathon

Year of Firsts: run a sub-2 hour race in Raleigh, CHECK!

Before I get into a race recap, let me start by saying that I am terrifically happy that I both a) ran with James and b) started and stopped by Garmin as I was going through the chutes. I say this because:

Do you see what I see? My chip and clock time registered as the same. Since I'm not crazy and was not toeing the actual start line, this can't possibly be right. James and I ran the whole thing together and crossed almost simultaneously, so my chip time should be -/+ 1-3 seconds of his. So, since I was actually diligent enough with my own GPS timing system:

I officially claim 1:59:57.

The course the folks at Capital RunWalk selected for this inaugural race was absolutely phenomenal. Raleigh is hilly and, as I've experience previously, the route the directors select can maximize or minimize the pain that they can inflict upon racers. Luckily for us, the latter was served up today.

As you can see, it trended downhill on the front and uphill on the back, but on the whole, it was a series of small hills (up, then down), which was a lovely trick on the body. We also got to run along Walnut Creek Trail of the Capital Area Greenway. (A place I will definitely visit again!)

I went out too fast and paid for it later; but having James run with me was definitely a huge help, especially during those last few miles. My original goal was to a) run the whole thing without stopping (something I had not been able to do at either Raleigh Rocks or City of Oaks) and b) run a 2:05 (decreasing my previous Raleigh race times by 5 minutes). Going into the final 5K at under 1:30, I turned to James and said, "Unless I totally bonk, I've got another sub-2 in the bag." He wisely said, "You mean, as long as there are no unforeseen monster hills?"

The entire race I had been fairly conservative with the uphills - shortening my strides, pumping my arms, and focusing on not stopping - but pretty aggressive with the downhills, and as the race went on, I knew my quads were going to be trashed at the end. Nevertheless, I kept tackling the hills one at a time. But there, at the start of the last mile, was the doozy. In a mere quarter of a mile, we gained nearly 100 feet of elevation. When I realized that I could walk faster than I could run, James and I slowed up and used the opportunity to stretch out our legs.

Coming into the straightaway - blessedly, downhill! - I had just about a minute left. I used gravity to my advantage and just let 'er rip!

1:59:57. I'll take it.

Awesome course, awesome day.

Good Friday

Last Friday was my second day off of work since 2012 commenced. It turned out to be a very full and strange day.

The temperature plummeted down to 40° Thursday night, so I woke to a cold house and grey skies. Friday morning, I made some coffee and sat in from of the computer and looked at Facebook. The Chicago Half-Marathon page had posted this status:

If you want to start running, you should...

I realize now that the way I read it that morning was most certainly not the way it was intended. But it was like a thunderbolt out of the sky that I took to mean literally: Get off your ass and go run, you mope.

So I finished my coffee and laced up for possibly my fastest eight miles to date; the fading azaleas standing in stark contrast to the gloomy skies. Chilled to the bone back at home, I sipped on some water and, on a whim, texted a friend I hadn't seen in a long time, then got in the shower without waiting for a response. The water set to just under scalding, I scrubbed myself raw in the shower and thawed out. The friend replied and we made plans to do supper.

I groomed myself and the house and was picking up my purse to run some errands when another text came in. This one told of the rapid decline of a pet, and the need to put her down. Having never been through this before, the action was instinctual. I texted I would be there, and I went.

I've never been present for the death of any mammal - canine, feline, or human. I was there out of equal parts innocent curiosity and an overwhelming need to support, to love.

It was fast and peaceful.

Afterwards, we went to my friend's home to bury her. The weather had warmed considerably, the clouds had parted, and the sun had come out. In the woods behind my friend's home, four women and myself set to the task of digging the hole and laying the pet to rest. We threw back a shot of tequila in her honor (she was a sassy ole gal of a dog) and parted ways.

That night, I ate supper with James and my friend and we talked and drank and ate. I looked around my home and I thought about the strangely beautiful world we live in.

Lesson from a Cactus

First we had a strange winter. A wonderful winter for running, but a strange one nonetheless and a stressful one at work.

Now we're having a strange spring. Or are we? I can't tell. Every spring that I've experienced in North Carolina has been different. Maybe this one is normal. I don't know.

The short of it is, the weather has been doing strange things to me. I feel like I'm riding a giant pendulum: so happy, feeling great, so productive, the world is coming alive; so lazy, so unfocused, so directionless, so uninspired.

I'm the queen of making lists that never get done. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to write since my last post, but nothing comes.

The other day I came into the study to try to write about the race last weekend. (It should have been easy! The race went well! I placed third in my age group!) I sat down, then got up and went to pet whichever kitty was sitting amongst the cacti in the window. While idling stroking its head, I saw it.

This particular cactus has been with James for a very long time. Ten years, I think?

This spring is the first time it's flowered.

May I strive to be more like this cactus.