2009 City of Oaks Half-Marathon: A Race Report

This could easily be subtitled "How Rain, Wind, and a Few Overeager Police Officers Combined for a New PR." I had walked this race before, 2 years ago. This is a local race for me, so the convenience factor is the major reason why I decided to participate again. I hadn't walked a half since May of 2008, mostly due to a lack of motivation and life circumstances that made scheduling difficult. Life has been full, especially now that I'm taking classes part-time in addition to working full-time, but I have found in the past that the structure of training for a race actually helps me to do a better job of balancing my time. So I took a look at the calendar and decided to go for it. I registered for the Nov. 1 race in June, and started training in July.

One thing I did differently in training this time was to build an additional 2 weeks into the training schedule. This turned out to be a very good thing for a couple of reasons. First, it took the pressure off to know that if I had trouble sticking to the schedule for a week, I could do that week over and not lose any ground. Second, I knew going into training that I was going to have to schedule time at some point prior to the race to have my wisdom teeth out. Even so, I underestimated how that would affect me physically, and having the option of modifying that week of training was a godsend. Overall, training went well. I was able to stick to the schedule for the most part, and my pace seemed good if not great on my long walks.

Still, as race day loomed on the horizon, I didn't have high expectations. I've struggled with my weight this year, and although I've dropped a few pounds since the beginning of the year, I'm still 25 pounds heavier than I was when I set my PR of 3:18:03 for the half at this same race in 2007. Additionally, the course for the City of Oaks is notoriously hilly; I've done races with a huge hill in the middle of the course for a few miles, but this race has lots of moderate ups and downs, then more ups and downs, finishing with a climb at mile 12. My goal for the race was first, to finish; and second, to go as fast as I could. Setting a PR was a stretch goal, but not one I thought I could realistically reach.

By Friday of race weekend, I had a new worry: the weather. The forecast, which only days before had indicated a typically comfortable and sunny fall day, had deteriorated rapidly. The weather forecasters were now saying there would be rain on Saturday, and on Sunday (race day), there was a chance of showers. I headed to the race expo on Saturday morning in the rain and gray skies, still worried about the weather. I should make a confession here: I've walked in all kinds of conditions, but I'm a real wimp when it comes to rain. I'll walk in almost anything, but I hate to walk in the rain. At any rate, I got to the expo and picked up my race bib, along with a new disposable timing band instead of the typical timing chip you tie to your shoe. The volunteers were friendly and helpful, although there were few vendors. The race is small to medium sized, with room for up to 6000 participants, so I didn't expect (or find) lots of things to see and do at the expo. I headed home after taking a detour to check out the parking possibilities for Sunday, and spent the rest of the day obsessively checking the weather forecasts and debating about what to wear. The forecasters were becoming increasingly certain that it would be raining during the race, with temps in the 50s at the start and throughout the morning. Since it was clear I would be getting wet no matter what, I decided to wear a long sleeve tech T, shorts, and a hat. I set duplicate alarms and headed to bed, but as usual on the eve of a race, I found it hard to get to sleep.

The next morning, I got up at about 5am, checked the forecast again (rain, for sure); pinned my race bib to my shirt and attached the timing band to my shoe; grabbed a towel, change of clothes, water, gels, and snacks for after the race; and headed to Raleigh for the race. I hit traffic on the way to the parking lots, and while it was touch and go for a while, I finally nabbed a spot and got to the starting line about 10 minutes before the 7am start. By then, it was drizzling and very windy. After a few minutes of milling around, we heard the announcer and then the starting gun. Off we went!

We immediately started up a hill, and I had to remind myself to slow down and save some energy for later in the race. My pace was a little under 15 minutes/mile, my goal pace. At about mile 3, the skies opened up. Yep, I was going to be wet, all right. I plodded along, occasionally chatting with other walkers and run/walkers at the back of the pack, and wondered idly whether I looked like a participant in a wet T-shirt contest. I tried not to think about the rain and wind (although I did nearly lose my hat in one strong gust). About 4 miles in, while still at a steady 15 MPM pace, I noticed the police cars trailing us. The half-marathon had a 3.5 hour time limit, and I knew I was on pace to finish in under 3:20, so I was a little surprised to see them so close, threatening to sweep us off the course. I tried to ignore them and plowed ahead. At miles 5-6, the police cars were inching closer, and I suddenly noticed that one was directly behind me. Shocked, because I knew that there had earlier been a good 30 or more people between me and the police cars, I muttered under my breath that there was no way anyone was pulling me off the course; not now, not after getting drenched, not after all the training I had put in. That anger clearly motivated me, and I picked up steam. I passed one woman ahead of me, and managed to get close to a group of about 10 people a couple of blocks ahead, figuring that if they were going to sweep me, they would have to take all of us. Finally, as the course made its way toward mile 7, the police cars passed us. Unfortunately, at about that same time, the skies once again opened up, and the driving rain made me question my sanity. I almost always struggle at miles 8-10 of a race or long walk, and this day was no different. Added to that was the absolute misery of the conditions, so I was definitely wondering what on earth I was doing out there. But I decided that I had put way too much into this to quit now, so I continued on.

I do want to point out how great the volunteers were in this race. I can't imagine that this was what they thought they were signing up for: a miserable day standing out in the rain and cold. But they were all cheerful and encouraging, and stayed at their appointed posts until the last of us had gone by. I thanked as many of them as I could for being out there and helping. They all responded with a smile and encouraged me to hang in there.

By mile 11, I was still maintaining a good pace, although I had lost a bit of time with the rain. After some quick calculations, I could tell I was tantalizingly close to beating my previous PR, but I also knew there were some more hills to come. As we rounded the curve toward the 12 mile marker, I saw another big hill ahead. "Well," I thought to myself, "this is it. Make or break time." I powered up the hill, passing a few people and dodging the faster runners who were passing me. A few spectators urged us on, and before long, I could see the finish line in sight. I glanced at my watch and pressed on. A few more steps, and there I was, another half-marathon walked. I hit the stop button on my watch and looked at the time: I had done it! In the most miserable conditions I ever hope to walk in, I had set a new PR of 3:17:23. I thought back to the police cars that had made me so irritated, and laughed to myself. Without them, I probably wouldn't have done it. I collected my finisher's medal, gave a faint smile to the photographer taking my picture, grabbed some water and food, and headed to the car. Six half-marathons done, and who knows how many more to come?

Overall, it was a good experience, especially considering the PR. The conditions were terrible, but that's Mother Nature for you. The race organizers did a good job, and the volunteers were wonderful. The course is pretty, and had it been sunny, it would have been spectacular to be experiencing the sights of Raleigh on a fall day. Will I do this race again? I'm not sure. My main question is generally whether a race is walker-friendly. Is the time limit reasonable for someone walking at a quick and steady pace? Are the water stops maintained until everyone has gone through? Do the volunteers and organizers treat us like we paid the same money as all the runners, or like second class citizens? Based on those criteria, this race is, for the most part, walker-friendly. My only quibble is with the cutoff time and how the police handled those of us near the back of the pack. They were clearly jumping the gun and trying to sweep us off the course too early. Had they pulled me out of the race, I would have been seriously unhappy. As it was, I'm just miffed and wondering whether the race is a good place for me as a walker. I have plenty of time to decide, though, and meanwhile, I'm admiring my finisher's medal and pondering my next race.

Why I Walk in Races

When I tell people (usually non-walkers) that I'm training for a race, I usually get a puzzled look, or sometimes a double-take. "What?" they'll ask. "Why are you doing that? Is it a walk-a-thon? You don't think you're going to win, do you?"

It's a little hard to explain in a short 2 minute conversation. But here are the reasons I do races:

1. The challenge. I did my first race a few years ago to prove to myself that I could walk 13.1 miles all by myself. I'd never done anything that physically demanding before, and even a few years before that, I could only walk a couple of miles at a time. I walk long distances to show myself that I’ve come a long way and that my body is capable of doing amazing things if I push myself.

2. The travel. Participating in races allows me to go to fun places and see cities in a whole new way. I’ve walked through Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World and along the Ohio River in Cincinnati. I’ve even explored parts of the city where I work up close, in a way I’ve never seen before. Choosing a destination for a race is only half the fun; the rest comes with being able to see a place literally at eye level. To experience a city on foot is to have a better understanding of what it’s about.

3. The competition. When I walk in a race, I don’t compete with the other racers. Instead, I compete with myself, trying to go faster than my previous best time. Each race is an opportunity to test myself and improve my fitness and my speed.

4. The discipline. The experience of training for a distance race is an exercise in motivation and determination. Every time I want to roll over and go back to bed instead of going for a training walk, I have to ask myself how much I want it. How badly do I want to finish the race - and finish it well? Sometimes I have to make choices about how I spend my time, and do things like choosing to go home and go to bed early instead of staying out late. Those are the gut-check moments, the times when I choose health and fitness instead of short-term fun. The discipline required by the training schedule is good for me, because it helps to provide a structure for how I spend my time and for my exercise regimen.

So there you have it: the reasons why I walk in races. What are yours?

Another Race

After lots of pondering, I've decided to take the plunge and register for another half-marathon. This will be my 4th half altogether. It's the City of Oaks Half-Marathon in Raleigh, NC, and takes place in early November.

The main reason I've hesitated to do another race is because I've been trying harder to lose weight. In my experience, it's tough to train and concentrate on weight loss. For me, one of the biggest issues is my eating after the long training walks on weekends. I'm absolutely ravenous for the rest of the day after most of them, and I find that I can easily justify eating anything in sight: "Gee, I just walked 10 miles, so I can eat those 5 brownies." Obviously, the math doesn't add up, and calories consumed aren't outweighed by the calories burned. So I have to really watch myself on the weekends, even more than usual.

I decided to go ahead with the race, though, mainly because the discipline that training requires is a good thing for me. It provides structure to my workouts, and provides a goal I can work toward. So I'm going to give it the old college try, and hope for the best. We'll see how it goes.

Walking Through Disney (Race Report)

On Jan. 6, I joined 15,000 of my closest friends to walk the Disney World half-marathon. I arose bright and early to catch the 3:45 bus to Epcot for the 6:30am start time. Why we had to be there so early, I still don't know. The weather was warm for January, with temps in the upper 60s and high humidity to start and around 75 when I finished. We waited in the staging area until about 4:30, then moved into the corrals. This year there was a wave start, and I was in Wave C (the last one). Around 5:30 we started gradually making our way to the start line. Wave A started just after 6am, Wave B was right behind at 6:10, and I crossed the start line just a few minutes after 6:30. I was amazed at the sheer numbers of people. This was my third race, and with about 15,000 participants, was about the same size as one previous race I've done (the Nike Women's half in San Francisco). I don't know if the road was narrower or what, but it seemed a heck of a lot more crowded than SF. Being in the back of the pack, I figured things would thin out, and they did some, but I ended up passing people through the entire race, and frequently had trouble doing so because of the crowds.

We started by Epcot and made our way toward the Magic Kingdom after about 4 miles. The crowds were sparse until we reached MK, and then the spectators were mostly Disney cast members. Around this time, one couple pulled off the course to get married before continuing on with the race as newlyweds. (Probably one of those things that sounded like a good idea at the time.) We walked through Cinderella's castle, and made our way out of the park and headed back toward Epcot. I saw a few participants dressed as their favorite characters, including Captain Jack and the Incredibles. The home stretch of the race took us through Epcot to the finish line, where we were greeted by cheering fans. My final chip time: 3:25:21. Slower than I would have liked, but given the weather conditions, I was okay with it. I was dismayed to discover, however, that at the finish line they had run out of not only water, but finisher's medals! I kept thinking to myself, "Isn't this Disney? The people who move thousands of people through their parks every day?" After standing in line for about 10 minutes to put my name on a mailing list, a box of medals mysteriously appeared, and I finally got one. Many others didn't, however, and I was amazed at the lack of organization.

Overall, it was an okay experience. I was happy with my personal performance in the race, especially considering both the weather conditions and the trouble I had early in my training schedule finding the time to get all my walks in. Would I recommend the Disney World half to another walker? Yes and no. Yes, because I hope they solve the organizational problems for future races. No, because it was way too crowded for me to feel like I could maintain my pace consistently, plus even if I give Disney the benefit of the doubt for having a bad day, I think it's highly problematic to run out of water on a warm, humid day. (I saw several runners and walkers who had to get medical attention both during and after the race.) Will I do another half-marathon? Absolutely. I loved my experience at the Flying Pig in Cincinnati last year, and hope to do that race again (although not this year). And there are several others I'd like to try, too.

What does the future hold for me as far as races? I'm hoping to pull off another half in the fall, preferably somewhere on the East Coast (any suggestions are welcome). Meanwhile, I really want to work on my pace, so it's more intervals and shorter distances for me the next few months. And I'm hoping to enter a few smaller local 5Ks and 10Ks as well, which I think after the masses at Disney will be a welcome relief. I still see walking in races as a good thing, because it's a great way to set goals and keep myself motivated, as well as meet other walkers and runners.


Until next time...

Motivation

I'm currently training to walk a half-marathon (at Walt Disney World on January 6, 2007). This will be my third half, but I'm finding that this time, I'm having a hard time staying motivated to keep up with the training. Maybe it's the weather (although where I live in North Carolina, fall is much better than the humid summers!). Or maybe it's life; too many other responsibilities getting in the way. But whatever the reason, it's often a struggle to get myself out the door and stick to the training schedule. But every time I do, I'm reminded of why I walk: I do this for my health and, ultimately, for a better life. Every step I take is a step away from my old unhealthy life and toward my new healthy one. I started walking for exercise because I was dangerously overweight (and with high cholesterol to boot). I've lost a lot of weight through exercise and diet, and mostly because I walk. Even though I sometimes struggle to get out of bed and start walking, I do it because it matters. I do it because my health matters. So I put one foot in front of the other and walk. Toward a better, healthier future.

Keep on walking!