= = = T U N A R U N 2 0 0 = = =
This is one of a series of posts on the Tuna Run 200 relay. For the whole experience, please check out these links:- Race Preview: Tuna Run 200 (2014)
- Race Report: Tuna Run 200 (2014)
- Race Report: Tuna Run 200 - Leg #4 (2014)
- Race Report: Tuna Run 200 - Leg #16 (2014)
- Race Report: Tuna Run 200 - Leg #28 (2014)
= = = T U N A R U N 2 0 0 = = =
It was hard not to be excited about this one, my first leg in the Tuna Run 200! A 200-mile relay, and I'm about to run about 5 1/2 of those. The weather was terrific: sunny, slight breeze, and not too hot - yet.
Rex had just finished his run of a few miles, and was getting ready to hand off to me. We were at the exchange station in plenty of time, so I had a chance to stretch my legs and get acclimated to standing again (sitting in the van was already making all of us a little stiff, and some of us were nursing minor injuries). We didn't have restrooms, but we all were fine, just coming from the last exchange about 30 minutes earlier. Faith and Skip were fully recovered from legs 1 and 2 respectively, and the team was in good spirits.
The handoff of the slap bracelet was clean, Rex was done and I was off to the races! I knew I needed to pace myself. This was the first of three runs in the next several hours and we all needed to conserve a bit. Stretching, rest, and a more supportive shoe in the Saucony Guide 7 had all helped the plantar fasciitis, and I was feeling pretty good.
In the first tenth of a mile I started breathing really heavily. I wasn't quite prepared for the run, and my training has been hampered a bit while my foot heals. I worked through that pretty quickly, and felt great the rest of the time.
Leading up to the Tuna Run, my mind focused on the beach portion of the "Raleigh to Atlantic Beach" slogan, and I kind of expected a flat run after the first runner or so. That's exactly what you get near the beach, but closer to Raleigh/Garner there are rolling hills. I hit two inclines that really required me to change my run. I remembered the power of the arm swing - it gets you up and down hills, and saves your legs a little.
This leg had seven turns on the route, tied with Leg #7 for most turns. It was a little concerning, but the course was very well marked. The country around was beautiful. Farms, small neighborhoods, and woods were the major features on the route. From the tracks, some horses had come through earlier that day. It was a nice trip down memory lane - I really like eastern North Carolina very much.
I learned the term "roadkill" a few days earlier from a colleague that is running on another team. A roadkill is what you call it when you pass another runner on the course. Although the name wasn't particularly appealing, I thought it would be fun to track. I passed two runners on the course, and near the end a very strong runner blew by me. She was cruising with some large headphones and a quick pace, and finished about 75 yards ahead of me by the time we reached the exchange. So that's plus two and minus one for a net roadkill score of 1 on my first leg.
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| Handoff to Kevin |
=== LEG STATS ===
Race leg: 4 of 36
My leg: 1 of 3
Net Roadkills: 1 (+2, -1)
Start: White Memorial Presbyterian Church
End: Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church
=== RACE DAY ===
Race: Tuna Run 200
Location: Angier, NC
Shoe: Saucony Guide 7
Date: 10/10/2014
Distance: 5.61 miles
Time: 46:31
Pace: 8:17/mile
Overall: N/A
Gender: N/A
Group: N/A
=== LINKS ===
Website: Tuna Run 200
Registration: Active.com
Results: Tuna Run 200
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