Charlotte Thunder Road Half (NC), Dec 13, 2008

A good friend was getting married December 13^th, which just happened to be the same date as the Thunder Road Half Marathon.  Since I was already traveling to the Queen City, why not run a race while there!

Without much trouble, I convinced another friend who would be in town for the wedding to join me.  After an uneventful drive to Charlotte and a delicious dinner at “Noodles and Company,” (those of you who know me know that this was my kind of restaurant) we settled into the hotel Friday night and rested up for the race.

Saturday morning we made it to the race start and the race went on without a hitch.  Never having visited Charlotte before, it was fun to get a tour of the city on foot.  My favorite moment of the race came a mile from the end.  In addition to the half marathon, there was also a full-length race.  Many races share a portion of the course but this one shared the first 12 miles.  I was more than excited to take the turn to the right, with only one mile left instead of 14 (I may have mentioned that to the person next to me running the full).

After the race we rested up then celebrated the marriage of two good friends.  The day could not have been better!

VA Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half (VA), August 31, 2008

I was happy to have finished my first half marathon, and was ready for another. Since I had a Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half t-shirt (they sent it to me when my foot was broken but I hadn’t let myself wear it because I hadn’t run the race), I decided to try it again!

I emailed a group of friends and suggested a weekend at the beach, and maybe a half marathon too. Several friends jumped at the chance for a getaway, and a few even wanted to run (although if you asked them today, a couple would swear I twisted their arm and forced them to do it. Apparently I am known for pressuring people into terrible things like running).

A few months later, 9 of us (6 runners) piled into cars and headed to Virginia Beach. While I knew it was Labor Day weekend, and was prepared for the crowds, I hadn’t realized how many of them would be runners. Our Saturday night search for a restaurant that had not sold out its pasta dinners was a challenge, but we were successful.

Early Sunday morning we piled onto a bus to head to the starting line. Looking back, I remember the race being a flat course (so flat I was excited to run up a slight incline around mile 10). After starting at the convention center, we wound through a variety of scenery, neighborhoods, commercial areas, and military barracks before heading back toward the beach and finishing on the boardwalk.

Thankfully, we had designated a meeting area to gather with the non-runners after the race (with over 16,000 finishers, it was packed). As we waited for everyone in the group to finish, we enjoyed post race goodies on the beach. Once we were gathered back together it was time for the cool down walk down the boardwalk to our hotel. Twelve tired legs made it a slow walk, but spending the rest of the day on the beach was a great way to recover.

Inside Out Sports Half (NC), March 30, 2008

With the help of calcium supplements and chocolate milk at lunch everyday, I was out of my boot by mid-October and running again by December. I still had not run a half marathon, and with a healing foot decided I would try one close to home.

The Inside Out Sports Half Marathon ran roads and trails I was fairly familiar with, so I knew I would be comfortable with the course. The race ran roads through Cary before heading into Umstead State Park where it switched to sand packed trails. It was a low-key event, but I was happy to focus on running and not much else.

When I look back on the races I've run, I often realize the lessons I learned about running (or about myself) during the race. On this run, I learned about rolling hills. The course was an “out and back” course, and about the first four miles were rolling hills (which meant the last four were also rolling hills). Like a little kid, running downhill tempted me to “let go,” let gravity take over, and run as fast as I could. I knew there was a reason not to, and remembered it when I started up the next hill. I quickly learned that controlling myself on the downhill saved my legs for the next uphill.

Along with learning a little about rolling hills, I learned that I could do it. I finished my first half marathon and my foot felt great.