Splish, splash, I was running a half

This past weekend marked a milestone.
I ran a race in my 10th state, and I returned to running endurance races with the completion of the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, Tenn.
This race will go down in the books as also one of the most miserable races I've ever run. It rained from start to finish, and when it wasn't raining hard, it was raining harder.
Even though I was honest in my assessment of how long it would take me to complete the half marathon -- 3 hours -- I was still placed in nearly the last corral, so I started the race a full hour after the elite runners.
Normally, I would not mind, but I was getting soaked.
I got up to Nashville on Thursday evening. My co-worker Dixie and I drove up together. She was running the half as well.
We parted ways along the highway. I met up with some of my running friends, including my running buddy Jessica, and continued on to downtown Nashville. Dixie was staying with friends in Franklin, Tenn.
I stayed right along Honky Tonk Row, right across from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Some lovely sculpture at the Frist

We had dinner Thursday night at Southern Steak and Oyster, and wouldn't you know, look what I found there. You know I had to buy the Mizzou hot sauce.

Tiger hot sauce

Friday I picked up my race number and spent a couple of hours at the runner's expo, then had lunch at Demo's. I had the lasagna and some of the best chicken and rice soup.

Later that night, the friends I stayed with in the hotel room, Donna and Beverly, went back and picked up some soup and baked potatoes for each of us for Friday night -- a perfect pre-race dinner.

Saturday morning broke rainy. Thankfully, Jessica had called to say she bought a rain poncho for me to run in, and even though I had a lawn bag to run in, I swapped out into the rain poncho.

Meeting up with Jessica at the start

 Here I am before I swapped out into the blue rain poncho. I donated the garbage bag poncho to the guy standing next to me. I told him it was dry on the inside and he was happy to have it.
Before the start of the race, organizers had the runners take a moment to remember the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, and then we sang a loud-throated version of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." It was quite moving.

Rocking the blue rain poncho

Ready to start

 It seemed to take forever for me to get to the starting line, and when I finally finished I saw that my start time was 7:58 am, almost a full hour after the start of the race. Being in the last corrals suck.
I wish I would say I really enjoyed this race, but the weather just made it miserable.
We ran down Broadway, past my hotel, and toward Honky Tonk Row, before we turned off. We ran by the Country Music Hall of Fame and the new convention center that is being built. I know we ran through Belmont University's campus, which was pretty -- what I could see of it. And we ran through some nice neighborhoods, too.
At one point, I ran by a tent that had Mizzou emblazoned on it. I wish I had taken a picture of that and lots more, but it was raining so hard I didn't want to get my phone wet, so hardly took any photos.
I had created a new playlist for this half marathon race. "Sweet Caroline" made the list, as did some Jimmy Buffett, and many country songs I like, such as those from the Zac Brown Band. My "final" song -- the one I knew I wanted to hear crossing the finish line -- was Rascal Flatt's song "Stand."
"'Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of. You might bend, till you break, 'cause it's all you can take. On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off, then you stand."
My goal for this race was to finish, and to finish in about 3 hours. Lo and behold, I completed in 2:56:02. When I got to mile 10 I knew I was right on target to finish in my goal time.
Funny enough, I saw three dimes and two pennies on the race course, but didn't pick up a single one. There were too many runners around me, and I was focused on finishing as soon as I could to get out of the wet.
I've never finished a race where my finger tips looked like prunes from being in the rain for so long. I don't even want to know what my toes looked like.
Here it is three days after the race and my running shoes are just now getting dry.
So here I am at the finish.

Holding my finisher's medal

Jessica and me at the finish

My new hardware

 I am so glad I ran this race. It wasn't the perfect of conditions, but it was a return to long distances for me. I didn't realize how much I missed distance racing until I was out there on the course. I felt pretty good the whole way. I knew I was going to finish, and other than my right knee feeling a little tender under the knee cap, I haven't felt too bad.
Turns out, I was a little bit country and I rocked and rolled the half marathon.

Keep Running

It has been a tough week as a runner and as a human being.
The bombing at the Boston Marathon hurt me deeply. How many times have I crossed a finish line, feeling euphoric, just so happy to have completed a tough race? To have that euphoria taken away, and to see those beautiful faces of those killed -- simply there to cheer on someone like me -- was heart breaking.
Tonight, on the news, the final suspect is in custody.
As an old police reporter, I honestly thought he was dead. I watched the body language of the police on TV and thought, "They are too calm. He's dead."
But, the suspect is alive and in custody. Let justice be served.
And so, I get ready for another 5K tomorrow.
Because runners, like many other athletes, believe in the spirit of sport, and won't be cowed by terror.
We will keep running. Keep running

Sweet home, Alabama

Today I picked up the ninth state I've run a race in, in sweet home, Alabama.
The race was the Beulah Bobcat Run at Beulah High School in Valley, Ala. I found the race online, and since it was just about a two hours drive from Atlanta, and the race started at 11 am EDT, I knew I could get there in time for the race without having to leave the house at 4 am!
Except, I miscalculated the time difference. I left the house at 9 am and realized while on the road I was going to get there about the time the race was starting! Not an auspicious start to a race.
Despite that, I made the exit for the race with 20 minutes to spare -- and spent the next 20 minutes trying to find the high school! Ugh! My Yahoo! Maps directions were not good at all.
I am so glad I now have the iPhone 4S. Good ol' Siri directed me to the high school when I simply said "Take me to Beulah High School." God love technology, I finally saw this sign:

Beulah High School

However, it is very unsettling to pull up to a race and see everyone at the start. I quickly parked and jogged over.
This turned out to be a low-key race. No race bib, and the course was not marked, just the race director giving some brief directions of where to go -- which of course I missed because I was late. So I had to make sure I kept a visual on a couple of the runners so I could see where they were turning.
We started out on a dirt road to the right of the high school.

Along the Bobcat 5K

So I've officially got some red Alabama clay on my new shoes.
The only thing I didn't like about the race was traffic was not stopped for the race. I'm so used to having police stopping traffic and blocking roads. This race took place without all of that, and a few cars certainly came barreling down the road right next to us runners.
On the final mile, I finally saw the sign I should have seen if I had better directions.

This way to the Bobcat 5K

 When I crossed the finish line, I got a time card to fill out. I was the 33rd runner to cross the finish, but I think there were just six folks behind me.
When I turned in my card I found out they give out awards three deep in age groups. I was shocked! I came in second in my age group. Now, I am quite certain there were just two of us in my age group. I talked to the woman who bested me, but here I am with my plaque!

Second in my age group

Not only did I come home with a plaque, I came home with two dimes and two pennies from the race. I actually thought one of the coins was a third dime, but when I got home I discovered it is just a flattened penny.
I also found a little token that reads "Super Patient Award." I thought it was a quarter, but later realized it was a token.
On tonight's walk with my neighbor, I found another nickel and penny. I'm rolling in found money today!
All in all, I have a great story to tell of this 5K, and I have a new race T-shirt featuring the Beulah Bobcats. I will wear it proudly.

Knocking out the miles

Last weekend spring weather finally seemed to arrive in Atlanta, and it made knocking out the miles for Saturday's Knock Out Cancer 5K and Sunday's training run very pleasant.
I ran the Knock Out Cancer 5K with my friend Erin.

Me and Erin

The race was in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta. The course was pretty hilly, and I had a lot of trouble because my low back had been really hurting since the day before the race. Despite that, I managed a smile as I came in to the finish line.

Nearing the finish

Following the race, I went to Big Peach Running Co., one of my favorite local running stores, and bought some energy gels for the next day's 9-mile training run and some BioFreeze. That stuff works!
I am happy to report I managed twice around Stone Mountain Sunday with my friend Jessica and my back felt fine. I am so relieved. All I thought was I just paid $120 to run the Country Music Half Marathon at the end of the month and how am I going to run it with the back pain?
Sunday's run was really beautiful. The weather was just perfect.

Stone Mountain lake

Jessica and I both had a good run and I feel much better about the half marathon coming up.

But one thing I noticed when I got home from a run two weeks ago was the heel on both running shoes had worn off. So, I bought a new pair of shoes, too!

My new Nike Air Pegasus 29

I was glad to get those 9 miles in on the new shoes. They feel great! And I'm ready to knock out a 5K and a 10 mile training run this weekend.