The wild grasses had grown to waste height by fall and now blew back and forth as if they were all cooperating creating golden waves upon waves across the field. Christine and I had just finished our Junior League Bowling this Saturday and had some time to kill before her mom was going to pick her up. I had bowled a 140 and was just giddy enough to talk her into walking with me out into the fields. I wanted to show her the gravel pit, but mostly I just wanted to be with her alone.
We plop down into the gravel and slide about 3 feet before stopping; natures bean bag chair. We are talking and throwing rocks into the water filled pit when she takes my hand and my heart skips a beat.
We plop down into the gravel and slide about 3 feet before stopping; natures bean bag chair. We are talking and throwing rocks into the water filled pit when she takes my hand and my heart skips a beat.
The Outer Banks Marathon starts at Kitty Hawk, NC and ends at the Monteo city center. The area is known for the birth of flight by the Wright Brothers. Today this is a very nice strip of land that has fine sandy beaches and great fishing from those beaches.
This race course actually handles 2 races, the full marathon and the half. The morning of the race is fairly cool 49 degrees with an early starting time of 7:20 AM. At the start of the full marathon, we are all queued up based upon our speeds; fewer than 7 minute milers up front, then 7-9 next, 9-11, etc. This day they will set us out in waves, spaced 5 minutes apart. The timing devise we have is new this time. Usually we wear an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) that we tie into our shoe laces; this time we have an ankle bracelet with Velcro fasteners. There are nervous conversations at the starting line about this ankle bracelet and how it will perform for 25,000 steps. I kind of feel like one of those recently released convicts that have to wear those detection devices. Our detectors are read by running over a pad that reads our chips and ensures that cheaters can not cheat easily.
We sing the National Anthem and then say a prayer; part of which addresses the need for strength for the final miles. Then the gun and we were off.
What a beautiful, tree lined start we had. We get great glimpses of blue, sunny skies as we run through residential neighborhoods for this first part of the race.
This first section is very flat and so it is fairly easy to cruise. At mile 7 I run up to a lady in pink and I recognize her; “Did you run the Baltimore Marathon?” “Yes I did!” The guy next to her says, “She runs them all and she is going to PR today!”
The only reason I remember her is that she is shown below in a picture we had caught of her at about the same point in the Baltimore race. And the outfit of pink stands out, especially that Pepto Bismal pink.
I believe she did PR (Personal Record), since we got a picture of her again, at this race, where she was at 2:39 at mile 21 – way ahead of me. Thanks to digital cameras, each picture Kimberly took had a time stamp.
At about mile 7.5 you run past the monument to the Wright Brothers, what a sight and you can almost imagine what it was like, to push start that plane/kite into the wind, getting lift and then soaring. That must have been something!
Next we go off road for awhile as we are sent into the woods to run on wood chipped covered trails. There are hills here and I wonder if they had to be built or how nature would have been able to put hills on such a flat piece of land. These 3-4 miles feel nice under your foot as you go up and down through the woods and finally pop out by the highway for your shot up the way and to the bridge at mile 21.
The emotions you feel through the course of running a marathon really run the gamut. At first you feel giddy and anxious to start, where everyone is talking and joking, then you get into a rhythm as you pass the miles and focus on the next station for fuel. This race had a lot of water stops and only started with Gatorade at 8 miles. Gatorade is like throwing a Dura-flame log onto a fire, it is the fuel that keeps the rest of the fire going that gives a runner the power to keep going for hours. As someone that has done a few of these races, I also know to keep track of things like how fast I am sweating and today it is warm. I think by the time we get out onto the highway – with no shade – it is 70 degrees. Too warm for optimal running, so I take salt tablets to make sure my legs don’t cramp up.
Still, with all of my experience, I say something at mile 14 that even surprised me, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Well, there you go, the emotional change had started. The emotions control more of a race like this than the physical aspect. It becomes an internal battle, the mind is saying “hey my feet are hurting, you are sweating up a storm, the beach is right over there and that place over there sells ‘peel and eat shrimp’ for crying out loud!”
Some how I get control my little devil that wants to piss this race off, and by mile 21 I am talking it up with my fellow runners; “Geese, we only have a 10 K to go!”
“I know, but it is going to be the toughest 6 miles ever.”
Now that’s no way to let the devil win!
I actually end up passing the folks that walk the half marathon. I admire these people, they do not have the body to be a marathoner, yet they are out there plugging along taking up to 4 hours to walk 13.1 miles. Their faces are hard and show tension until you say something like “Keep up the great work, you are looking good!” A smile wipes off all the stress and they know it is sincere, since I am in the race with the devil too.
One hundred yards from the finish, I try to sprint but end up running like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
This race course actually handles 2 races, the full marathon and the half. The morning of the race is fairly cool 49 degrees with an early starting time of 7:20 AM. At the start of the full marathon, we are all queued up based upon our speeds; fewer than 7 minute milers up front, then 7-9 next, 9-11, etc. This day they will set us out in waves, spaced 5 minutes apart. The timing devise we have is new this time. Usually we wear an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) that we tie into our shoe laces; this time we have an ankle bracelet with Velcro fasteners. There are nervous conversations at the starting line about this ankle bracelet and how it will perform for 25,000 steps. I kind of feel like one of those recently released convicts that have to wear those detection devices. Our detectors are read by running over a pad that reads our chips and ensures that cheaters can not cheat easily.
We sing the National Anthem and then say a prayer; part of which addresses the need for strength for the final miles. Then the gun and we were off.
What a beautiful, tree lined start we had. We get great glimpses of blue, sunny skies as we run through residential neighborhoods for this first part of the race.
This first section is very flat and so it is fairly easy to cruise. At mile 7 I run up to a lady in pink and I recognize her; “Did you run the Baltimore Marathon?” “Yes I did!” The guy next to her says, “She runs them all and she is going to PR today!”
The only reason I remember her is that she is shown below in a picture we had caught of her at about the same point in the Baltimore race. And the outfit of pink stands out, especially that Pepto Bismal pink.
I believe she did PR (Personal Record), since we got a picture of her again, at this race, where she was at 2:39 at mile 21 – way ahead of me. Thanks to digital cameras, each picture Kimberly took had a time stamp.
At about mile 7.5 you run past the monument to the Wright Brothers, what a sight and you can almost imagine what it was like, to push start that plane/kite into the wind, getting lift and then soaring. That must have been something!
Next we go off road for awhile as we are sent into the woods to run on wood chipped covered trails. There are hills here and I wonder if they had to be built or how nature would have been able to put hills on such a flat piece of land. These 3-4 miles feel nice under your foot as you go up and down through the woods and finally pop out by the highway for your shot up the way and to the bridge at mile 21.
The emotions you feel through the course of running a marathon really run the gamut. At first you feel giddy and anxious to start, where everyone is talking and joking, then you get into a rhythm as you pass the miles and focus on the next station for fuel. This race had a lot of water stops and only started with Gatorade at 8 miles. Gatorade is like throwing a Dura-flame log onto a fire, it is the fuel that keeps the rest of the fire going that gives a runner the power to keep going for hours. As someone that has done a few of these races, I also know to keep track of things like how fast I am sweating and today it is warm. I think by the time we get out onto the highway – with no shade – it is 70 degrees. Too warm for optimal running, so I take salt tablets to make sure my legs don’t cramp up.
Still, with all of my experience, I say something at mile 14 that even surprised me, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Well, there you go, the emotional change had started. The emotions control more of a race like this than the physical aspect. It becomes an internal battle, the mind is saying “hey my feet are hurting, you are sweating up a storm, the beach is right over there and that place over there sells ‘peel and eat shrimp’ for crying out loud!”
Some how I get control my little devil that wants to piss this race off, and by mile 21 I am talking it up with my fellow runners; “Geese, we only have a 10 K to go!”
“I know, but it is going to be the toughest 6 miles ever.”
Now that’s no way to let the devil win!
I actually end up passing the folks that walk the half marathon. I admire these people, they do not have the body to be a marathoner, yet they are out there plugging along taking up to 4 hours to walk 13.1 miles. Their faces are hard and show tension until you say something like “Keep up the great work, you are looking good!” A smile wipes off all the stress and they know it is sincere, since I am in the race with the devil too.
One hundred yards from the finish, I try to sprint but end up running like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
But I do finish the race and my heart skips a beat.
Back when I was 14 ½ and had held hands for the first time, I knew something was changing. Being in a family 7 made it hard to feel special, like you were the one, but after holding a warm hand that was connected to those eyes, well what can I say? I know I called her on the phone everyday for at least 60 days in a row, which did not make her mother happy or the people that shared their party line.
I find Kimberly and take off my ankle bracelet, talk with a few racers as we are all so happy to have made it to the finish line. Not a cloud in the sky as family’s reunite and we listen to live music and sit on the grass by the marina. Next to us are 2 guys, loners. One, just a kid, probably 21 at most ran the entire race in long, Carhartt pants with his cigarettes and pocket knife in his pockets. “I came with what I have and drove 6 hours to get here.” (He stayed in his car the night prior). The other guy is from England, but working in Virginia and probably 35, a professional working at NATO. For a moment I look at the three of us, so different, but yet this day something in common, for we are marathon runners.
I find Kimberly and take off my ankle bracelet, talk with a few racers as we are all so happy to have made it to the finish line. Not a cloud in the sky as family’s reunite and we listen to live music and sit on the grass by the marina. Next to us are 2 guys, loners. One, just a kid, probably 21 at most ran the entire race in long, Carhartt pants with his cigarettes and pocket knife in his pockets. “I came with what I have and drove 6 hours to get here.” (He stayed in his car the night prior). The other guy is from England, but working in Virginia and probably 35, a professional working at NATO. For a moment I look at the three of us, so different, but yet this day something in common, for we are marathon runners.
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