Following the December ultramarathon in Arizona that crippled me for nearly a week, I perhaps foolishly returned to slow running in merely three weeks. Whether from a lack of recovery or the new shoes, maybe a combination of the two, most of my runs did not feel as comfortable or smooth. Going for a jog prior to being on my feet for several hours to attend then volunteer at my church on Good Friday, I was hesitant to sign up for the inaugural Only Fools Run Half Marathon in Greensboro, North Carolina, the following morning that I had been contemplating for days, not to mention I was unsure if I should be doing much during Holy Week, but still set my alarm to 5:10 AM in case I would spontaneously. To no one’s surprise looking at my history, waking up feeling refreshed, I immediately turned on my computer and registered online, ate leftover bread from Olive Garden, took a shower, and headed out all within half an hour for a 1.5-hour drive from Raleigh.

I expected to start the run in the lower 40s, but the race became unpleasantly warm and sunny, unlike the forecast up until the night before, toward the latter miles. I have become accustomed to running (and walking) without music, to the point oftentimes wearing earphones irritates me, and decided to do so here when the race website asked participants to have at least one ear unoccupied, which made me more in tune with nature and most importantly focused on asking God to help me practically every mile. Mesmerized by the numerous trees blossoming, I expressed to my Father my amazement at His creation (though I sneezed uncontrollably and my eyes swelled up post-race). Having reviewed the elevation chart of these rolling hills that start primarily down then back up, with nearly the last four miles being mostly uphill, I cautiously watched my pace and made an effort to run slowly earlier on to prevent inadvertently exhausting my legs too soon; I remained vigorous for the first 9.5 miles. Once I arrived at the series of final climbs, I strategically walked fast going up then ran faster once the course flattened out or went back down. Normally, I would not consider a 2:04:34.39 finish a decent performance, but factoring in the layout of the course with 531 feet of elevation gain and so many climbs the final few miles, hotter-than-expected morning, and how worn out I have been in recent runs, I am content with how strong I felt, as my body does not feel any fatigue, minus the loss of appetite. Now to shift my focus back to Easter Sunday!