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.

Out of Hibernation

While fall is my favorite time of year, spring is probably a close second. This year in particular, I'm really looking forward to the weather changing. The winters here are generally pretty mild; we're lucky to see snow once or twice during the season. (And when I say "see snow," I mean that we'll get a couple of inches at a time, maybe.) The weather this year, though, has been a little worse than normal. It's been colder and wetter than the past several years. We've certainly had a few warmer spells, but for the most part, winter has hung on and made it highly undesirable to be outside for any length of time.

In spite of the fact that I walk outdoors most days, I tend to be a wimp when it comes to walking in the rain. And because this winter has been wetter than usual, that means I haven't been walking as much as I'd like. Sometimes that means I do an exercise video indoors, and other days I just won't walk as far. The result is that my weekly mileage is suffering, and I'm eager to get more miles in. The weather, unfortunately, has not been cooperating lately. We've been having stretches of 3-4 days in a row of rain, and it's been colder rain at that, with temps in the 30s and low 40s. Ick. The upshot is that I've been holed up this winter, not getting out nearly as much as I should. I feel a lot like a bear that's been hibernating, and it's time to wake up from my long winter's nap.

Lately I've been pondering the old saying about March coming in like a lion, and it sure does seem as if that's true this year. Supposedly spring starts on Friday, and I for one can't wait. Now I realize that it's not like Mother Nature is going to flip a switch on March 20 and suddenly the birds will be singing, flowers blooming, and sun shining. (I can still imagine it, though, can't I?) Still, when I see March on the calendar, I know that warmer weather can't be too far behind. This year in particular, I'm hoping that will translate into more and longer walks. I've been struggling to walk over 15 miles a week, and by usual goal is 20. I definitely have some ground to make up. But if the weather gets better, you'd better believe I'll be out enjoying it. So here's hoping that March will be going out like a lamb this year.