The Challenges That Lie Ahead

When we come out here to the Outer Banks, it tends to give us a perspective on the Mainland of our lives, the part of our lives back home, across Currituck Sound and up the mountain to Highlands.  We reflect on what we are doing with this precious time we have, and we give thanks for life, health, strength, and fitness, and especially this wonderful gift of running which we enjoy so much.

I have been running four times since last Sunday's race, the longest distance 4.03 miles on Thursday.  This morning I struggled through 2.61 miles.  Everything hurts!  Some mornings I wonder if I ever will be able to run again, and this morning was one of them.  How did I ever race 13.1 miles only 6 days ago?  But a couple of days off and my body has never failed to respond to the magic medicine of rest, and then it will be ready for more - more miles, more races, more challenges.

So what did I do today, while my legs are still sore?  I signed up for the Richmond Marathon on November 10 - 195 days from now.  Martha signed cup for the Half Marathon.  I ran this marathon several years ago, in 2004, and remember that it was a great race - nice course, nice downhill finish, and I ran one of my fastest times.  But no matter what the result, we can only do our best.

So it's on to Rest, Recovery . . . and  Richmond.

Arggghh!!!

April 22 – Flying Pirate Half Marathon

The weather forecast called for a 100% chance of precipitation at this year’s Flying Pirate, and they did not miss it at all; it rained the entire way.  One Facebook visitor amused your humble blogger by posting on the day before the race, “I am so hoping the rain holds off till later in the day! My costume will be such a mess! :(“  That wasn’t the only thing that was a mess by the end of the morning, as ankle-deep puddles took their toll, especially in the final three miles of sand roads  in Nags Head Woods composed of rain-filled potholes.  My quads took quite a beating, and my rained-out glasses kept me merely trying not to stumble and fall in the final half-mile mulch-path across the sand dunes in the woods.   I soon gave up any idea of bettering my time two years ago of 1:55:36 (and placing third, no less) – it was a simple matter of survival, and I was thankful to cross the finish line in 2:07:28.  No sooner had I staggered over and grabbed some water and a banana than I heard the announcer call out, “Martha Betz,” and sure enough, my better half had been hot on my heels the entire way.  Not only that, we discovered when they scanned our bib numbers that her unofficial time was 2:07:09.  How can this be?  The answer, we realized, was that I started in Corral A and she started in Corral B, which was released a full minute after me at the start.  While I had been busting my quads, she had been gaining on me the last three miles. 

Dusted by my wife – an eventuality I have been expecting for a long time!  I am so proud of her for running such a good race!!!  She also apparently bettered her time from two years ago, and in conditions that were the worst we have experience in any race at the Outer Banks, including the rainy inaugural OBX Marathon in 2006.  On dry, paved roads, this would have been a huge PR for her.  Next year Martha starts in Corral A for sure!

Am I upset about being beaten in a race by my wife?  Not at all - I'm proud of her.  Isn't that what it's all about, really?  To want to see those you love excel, to see them do the best they can. What more reward can a man, or a runner, have in life than that?

Flying Pirate - Arrrrgh!

We are scheduled to run the Flying Pirate in the morning, and there is a 100% change of rain. It is rare for meteorologists to be so precise!  I recall that the last race I ran, posted on this blog, was also a rain event.  I blamed that on the Methodists who ran with me, but now it is beginning to look like I am the culprit and am standing in the need of full-immersion baptism.

That lovely band of green is headed inexorably in our direction, and barring some sudden shift in the upper level atmosphere it will arrive in the form of 1" to 2"of rain during the race, with the full 100% likelihood happening when we should be at the finish line.  It does not sound like we will be sitting out in a big field in the morning sunshine listening to the rock-n-roll band at the end of the race as we did two years ago!

Martha's daily calendar for today had this lovely sentiment:

"The changes in the weather and the seasons do affect us, whether we want to admit it or not.  Notice what  the weather is saying to you today."

I know what it will be saying to us tomorrow:

"Stay home!"

"You don't have enough sense to get out of the rain!"

Or maybe just:   "Arrrrgh!!!!!!!!!!"