On Sunday, I ran a half marathon (plus a little extra). As part of my role as local run lead for the IRONMAN NORTH CAROLINA 70.3 here in Wilmington, Sami and I ran the proposed run course for 2023 We start from the Transition 2 exit and follow the course from downtown Wilmington to Greenfield Lake and back. We take notes on the where the mile markers and the aid stations are located and measure the start to the finish.
Last year, we ran it once and then drove it. I think we scouted it at least three times. We had everything figured out. On the Wednesday before the race, I drove it again with Ironman staff. About a mile from the finish, we came around the corners at the Convention Center and lo and behold - a section of the sidewalk was fenced off. The fence was protecting the world from an eight-foot wide and four-foot deep hole in the sidewalk. There was no way it could be repaired by race day - even if race day was a month away. This meant we had to remeasure the entire course again — multiple times! Including me - hopping on a bike and riding the course with three Garmins on me and one in the official truck behind me.
Hopefully, nothing like that will happen this year. We know of a possible construction project well in advance and already factored in a new route and new location for one of the aid stations. Our run this year was on a cool but humid day and the miles flew by. It’s amazing what a difference having a run buddy makes on long runs. My last long run was a scorcher and I was gassed by the end. As we approached the car, Sami exclaimed: I don’t even feel tired! And I agreed.
My one mistake on the run was not enough fuel. I am using SKRATCH for my liquid hydration and it wasn’t quite enough for the run. Plus, before the turn-around, I felt my stomach growling. However, because we were steady on our run:walk:note intervals, I was able to eat solids (two stroop waffles) and sustain my energy until the end of the run. I was so happy to make it to the car because I still had the cooler in it from the ride the day before! We had icy cold water and grapes for the finish!
