My Weekend of Running

Work has been crazy for both me and Brent lately so I was really looking forward to this weekend because there was a lot of run stuff happening.

On a whim, I emailed the volunteer coordinator of the City of Oaks Marathon to see if there was any need for an additional course monitor for the race. I wasn't sure what he would say since this position usually fills up fast (thanks in part to an awesome hoodie that the course monitors receive!). Much to my surprise he wrote back and said he had 1 last spot. I was pretty excited about it. I am running the Outer Banks Half next week, so actually running this race was out of the question for me. I figured why not volunteer and watch the race as well.

So on Saturday I headed out to the expo to pick up my race crew shirt, my sexy reflective vest and flag, and of course the hoodie. (Note: I see now why everyone want to be a course monitor now. This hoodie is fleecy goodness that I have not taken off since yesterday.)

Since I was already in Raleigh I decided to take this opportunity to run somewhere new. I had 10 miles planned as my last long run before next week's race. Raleigh has a pretty decent greenway system so I headed a couple of blocks away from the expo to the House Creek trail.

It was nice to go somewhere new. The trails were very clearly marked so it was easy to navigate. Some nice scenery and perfect Fall weather made this a great run.

At least for the first 5 miles. But on my way back my legs did not want to move and I just wanted to be done. As nice at the first 5 miles was, the last 5 were equal parts crap. I hate how running can be like that sometimes.

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Another issue about this run: My new running skirt. I just bought the Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Capris this week. I wanted something a little special for my race next week. Luckily they arrived in time for me to test them out on a long run before I wore them in the actual race.

The Verdict: Es no bueno.

In the first half mile of my run I had to stop three times to hike the skirt up. There is no adjustable waistband to make the skirt any tighter so they just kept falling down. I mean, I had some serious plumber crack at one point. While I think a smaller size might be too small in the capri area, this skirt just would not stay put around my waist. It was super disappointing because I spent a lot of time looking at skirts with capris, and I just don't have the running budget for another brand. I was thinking of using my crafty sewing skills to put in my own waistband that I can tie, but we'll see. After a while though everything started staying where it was supposed to. I will give them another try this week because I want so much to like them.


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This morning I woke up super early to go back out to Raleigh to volunteer at the marathon. I was stationed at mile 6, which meant that I got to see all of the racers since there was also a 10k and a 13.1 happening as well.

It was COLD and my vest was SEXY

It was a really good time and I had fun cheering on the runners (especially Bang, who was rocking the purple!). I was hoping to be able to finish up at my post then run a bit of the course with Melanie, but Brent called just as I was finishing to tell me he was called into work, so I had to go home earlier  than I had planned. It was still a great morning to watch a race.