Since my sister died, I’ve really been ambivalent about running. I have no routine at this point and given the choice, I will choose sleep over running any day for the time being. BUT Racer K and I had signed up for Oak Barrel Half Marathon as our last Tennessee race because it was our first race to run together last year (and my last before we were married). This was one of the first races I’ve run where I wasn’t super excited beforehand. In fact, I considered up until the last minute just going back to sleep and letting K run on his own. I didn’t though.
Oak Barrel Half Marathon is held near the grounds of the Jack Daniels Distillery. This race holds a special place in my heart, as I was a Jack Daniels girl for so much of my early 20s. My friends and I used to polish off bottles like mother’s milk back when young bodies could handle liquor without too much pain the next day and young minds were foolish enough not to know better. Now I do know better but it is still lovely to see where Jack Daniels is made and to see the crystal clear spring water they continue to use to make this sour mash whiskey. The day before the race, we picked up our race packets, purchased a commemorative bottle that was then engraved with the race logo and our names, and enjoyed the grounds for a few moments before retiring to our hotel to relax for the night.
The morning of the race, we headed out to the Start Line not too early and luckily ran into some friends. Always good to see friendly faces at the start of a long race and as we know we are seeing these faces for perhaps the last time, it was extra special. I had already told K that there was no need for us to even attempt to run together. He is far better trained than I at this point and I knew it would be frustrating for both of us to try to stay together for the 13.1 miles. So, we said goodbye when the starting gun sounded and we were off.
Since this is my third half marathon that I’ve run mostly untrained, I knew what to expect. At Chickamauga Half Marathon, I was able to run and shuffle along to 10 miles before needing to walk but that course was flat as could be. The Oak Barrel course is far hillier. I ran the beginning, past the stinkiest cow pasture you can imagine at mile 2.5, until about 4.6 when Whiskey Hill was just around the corner and I had already been going up an incline for about half a mile. So I walked and ran some as I conquered Whiskey Hill for the second time.
It took me a bit to find a rhythm after that but soon I was shuffling along again. The weather was gorgeous: sunny with a cool wind and clear skies. Lynchburg is an amazingly beautiful town, with gentle green rolling hills and plenty of farmland. It has not yet seen the over commercialization by which so much of our country is plagued. My music kept me going when I wanted to start walking… at least until mile 9.5 when my iPod died. Though I had charged it, I think it did not get a full charge. Without music to push me along and with the growing pain in my feet and right leg, I was suddenly walking it in and fully comfortable with simply finishing.
These times when the world is fairly silent, the weather is beautiful, and there is nothing to do but move from point to point make for excellent meditation time, so I enjoyed it for what it was. I ran when I could, walked as I needed, and suddenly, the Finish Line was in sight. I’ve never met a Finish Line I didn’t sprint towards and this time was no exception. I pulled my shoulders back and pushed my feet faster and suddenly, I was done. 2:59:50 was my official time. That is my slowest race to date but at least I did it.
After the race was a bit of a haze; I stumbled to pick up my hat and socks that are part of the race packet and then grabbed some food. The pimiento cheese sandwiches being offered were among the best pimiento cheese I’ve ever had! They tasted so good at that point. I finally found Racer K, who had finished more than an hour earlier, and we set off on our afternoon.
While I may still be in pain 2 days later, I love knowing I can set my mind and body to such a goal and complete it. There isn’t much we can’t do when we set our minds to it and going over long distances makes me think back to the world before cars and before horse buggies… when feet were the primary mode of transportation. It is nice to reconnect with that old tradition of spending hours on one’s feet. Next race is the Colfax Urban 10 Miler and I’m hoping I can prepare myself a bit better for that one.