Location: Shelley Lake Park, Raleigh NC
The Course: A two mile paved Greenway which circles the lake. It is fairly flat with one steep little incline just before the 1/4 mile mark and is repeated at the 2 1/4 mark.
Advantages: I know this course very well, it is very runner friendly, and has not traffic to deal with. Also, the lake is already measured and every quarter mile is marked.
Disadvantages: It is summer in the South, muggy as all get out.
Unknown Factor: Friday night's dinner of fajitas quesadillas at a local Mexican restaurant . . . not a wise choice the day before a race, virtual or otherwise.
Pre-Race: Hiroko and I woke up late and got off to a late start. I had hope to get out of the house by 6:30am, but that was a pipe dream. We didn't leave until after 7:30am and by the time we arrives at the park it was nearly 8am. Not good! The cool morning air was quickly burning off and the thick muggy -- "God Hates You Raleigh Air" was beginning to set in. Hiroko agreed to play camera man for me. She didn't feel like running with me, but she did make her way around the lake at her own pace. I did a little stretching and made my way down to the lake from the parking lot. The Greenway is accurately marked off, so I wouldn't have to rely solely on Old Bob to keep track of the distance. I made my way to the start of the course and had planed to have Hiro do an official countdown for me, but I decided against it because there was a group of TNT runners gathering for a training run at the same place. So, I just hit start on Old Bob and was off.
Mile One: most of the time when I run Shelly Lake, I run in the opposite direction to avoid the steep incline at the beginning of the course. It isn't a huge climb, but the grade is pretty steep and leaves you feeling gut shot right at the start. But, today I decided to take it on head first. Mistake! I pushed my way up it rather quickly, and I felt the punch to the gut that I had expected. It took me until the half mile mark to work through the initial shot from that incline. The first half mile was almost entirely devoid of shade, so I was already sweating pretty hard by the half mile mark. After the 3/4 mile mark I was able to settle down a bit and start workout the kinks. I got into the shady section of the park started to enjoy my run. I did the first mile in 8:28.78, which was slower than I had hoped, but considering the humidity and that initial incline I was happy with it.
Mile 2: This is my favorite portion of the park, almost entirely in the shade. It is mostly a gradual incline, but there are no hills at all. You cross two foot bridges: the first is really small and is right around the 1 1/4 mark. I ran into one of the TNT training groups at the bridge, but they didn't slow me down or interfere with my run at all. It was nice to see so many people out running that might not be running without the support. After crossing the bridge, I continued to run fairly well. This portion of the trail brings back lots of memories for me from the first time that I lived in Raleigh. from 1991 to 1995. I used to come to Shelley Lake with my dog, Jon Doe. 
Every time I run through this portion of the trail I think of him. It is one of my favorite place to run in Raleigh for just this reason. The Second mile ends with a long foot bridge that is often full of people feeding ducks and geese, which can be a bit tricky to run because it is a popular spot with kids. Today, it is fairly early and there are few families on the bridges so I am able to cross it with no problems. I did the second mile in 8:36.94.Mile 3: The third mile is a repeat of the second mile. I had hoped to be feeling better at this point than I am. I am regretting the fact that I left my water bottle with Hiroko, who I haven't seen since I started running. I am also wondering what possessed me to run the lake in this direction! Had I gone the other way, I would have only had to climb one hill, that is not nearly as steep as this little beast that I was tackling for the second time this morning. The heat and humidity are beginning to have their way with me, and I can feel myself struggling more than I should be at this pace. At the 2.5 mile mark, I can't wait for the the end of this run. I feel heavy and am regretting those fajitas quesadillas from the night before . . .meh. As I push toward the three mile mark, I can see my pained expression reflected in the looks of the people that I pass, who all seem to look at me as a man on the verge of collapse. Vultures are surely gathering above, there is a dude in a black cloak carrying a scythe on roller blades right behind me, and the wandering unholy spirit of Miss Ney -- The Scariest substitute teacher to ever terrorize a third grade class room (she used to bring her own paddle to school with her . . . Her OWN PADDLE FOD GOD SAKE . . . the woman was just Evil-- and now her evil spirit is just waiting to pull me down into the the netherworld . . . I can feel it! I am fading fast . . .Raleigh, you suck with your cursed humidity and constant forecast of 90 degree heat with a chance of an isolated thunderstorm or scattered showers that never FRICKIN' happens! Double Meh! I am not really sweating at this point, it is more like melting. The only thing that could make this worse would be if I had a Lady Gaga song stuck in my head . . . wait . . . what's that . . . the girl running towards me is singing:
Can't read my,Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(she's got to love nobody)
Can't read my
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(she's got to love nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
It is official, God hates me! . . . . . . . Ok . . . it isn't that bad, but it is starting to suck and I really am feeling the hurt more than I should. I did mile 3 in 8:52.63, but it sure felt longer!
At the three mile mark, I am trying to guess just how many more steps I'll need to take to get to complete this run, but math has never been my strong suite. Miss Ney's evil Spirit laughs and curses my in ability to do long division! I turn the last corner and see Hiro waiting for me. She is taking pictures as I stare at Old Bob, so I can stop right at 3.1 miles and not one inch more. I am crushed. and, so glad to see her. At the 3.1 mile mark, I stop running and hit stop on Old Bob. My time is 26:44 for a 8:37 pace. This is about 30 seconds off of what I have been running. But, I honestly feel like crap. Thankfully Hiro has my water bottle and after a short rest for me to catch my breath, we head back to our car, which is on the other side of the lake. This was not a good run for me. My time was alright, but I struggled much more than I normally would with a 5k. I am pretty sure that I got dehydrated. Later in the day, I got a migraine, went to bed at 8pm, and slept straight through to 6am. I don't think that I realized just how humid it was in the morning. Overall, I had enjoyed my first virtual race, can't wait to read the other reports, and look forward to Freeze Your Thorns OFF! 
My mymy my poker face!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the virtual race! Nice work out there! (the trails looked awesome)