On Saturday morning, all three of us ran the OBX 8k. When done with the marathon, it's called the Blackbeard Challenge. I didn't pr, but that wasn't our goal that day. We didn't want to overdo it with a big race the next day. It was primarily a trail race. Some areas were a bit too soft, but it was a better surface for our knees. Donna led the way and Tony and I finished not long after. Donna's husband, Ricky, ran the 5k and was 1st in his age group. That afternoon, I rested and also ventured out for a few things. One of them was Jockey's Ridge, which I hadn't been to before. On Saturday night, Oakmont Runners for Bo had its annual spaghetti dinner. Craig put together a video of ORuBo over the years and it was a lot of fun to watch.
I got up dark and early at 4:30 on Sunday morning. After loading the car, I met Tony and Leslie to drop my car in Manteo. Then we left for Kitty Hawk to go to the start. I was excited to find real bathrooms at the place where we got out. They were out by the school's ballfields (it was port-a-john's at the starting line, but any bathroom is welcome). We met up with a few others at the start, including Deyna. This was her 1st marathon. We stretched, ate gummy bears and geared up to start. I dressed in layers and then left a bag with the UPS guys. They provide ''gear service'' for the race.
Donna, Tony and I ran until mile 5 and took a walk break. The same was true until mile 10. Somewhere between then and 13, I walked a bit. Once, I'd slightly turned my foot, but no serious problems. We made it to the 13 marker within the amount of time we'd hoped. We got separated somewhere in there but met back up. Part of the first half was in the woods. It was challenging at times, but was good for my knees. They didn't hurt too much, but it was welcome anyway. Somewhere around 14, we were getting farther apart. When I knew there wasn't a way to catch up, I decided to take it a little easier, with a slower pace and more walk breaks. I tried not to make the breaks too often, but running some, walking a minute or so (more like or so....). The miles went by pretty quickly, surprisingly. Every fluid station was a welcome sight (as long as you don't swallow water down your windpipe). I was very excited to make it to the road leading to the bridge. It's not a super short road and the peak is a beast, but I knew that it was the beginning of the end. I made it over the peak. I didn't ''kill it,'' as we say, but I sure injured it ;). As I kept running towards Manteo, a friend came to help me run it in. God bless his little heart. That made all the difference. The route into downtown didn't seem nearly as long. Before I knew it, we had reached mile 26. I only had .2 left to go. Right before the final turn, he let me go and I headed for the finish. It was great to see familiar faces on the way. Crossing the finish was the greatest feeling and that's why I run crazy long distances. My final time was 5:14:53 and I was excited to have set a new PR (personal record).
This race did involve a mental struggle (more than it was physically), but running is a mental sport. Shortly after finishing, my doubts of running next year's full started vanishing. A tiny part of me wonders about doing it again, but the rest of me wants to do it. Training and running the race are hard work and time consuming, but are so worth it. I love the feeling of accomplishment, particularly crossing the finish line. I want to thank everyone for the kind words and hugs. My Oakmont buddies and other Greenville friends have been so wonderful. Enjoy the pictures! I will soon add some of the super cool race swag. :)
Post-marathon photo...yes, we are smiling and those are real smiles
Group picture after our annual supper
Post-8k photo
8k+ Marathon Swag
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