RACE REPORT: City of Oaks

Submitted By: Ursula Forrester

Nostalgia: Today I ran the City of Oaks marathon. My 8th marathon. My first one in North Carolina. I'd have to say it's probably the hardest one I've done. That may be because it's the first rebound marathon I've done (second in less than 30 days). It could be the difficulty of the race course. Or it may simply be the fact it's so fresh in my mind. Regardless, I am so pleased with both the outcome and experience. It was a 26.2-mile journey filled with wonderful memories. I lived in Raleigh for 20 years, starting at age 9. In essence, it's my hometown. So, rather than spewing the mile-by-mile pain and suffering, I'm listing my top-15 points of interest during this journey.

1) Pullen Park -- The city park where I worked as a lifeguard for four summers. I've always said that was the best job ever. The outdoor pool is no longer there; nor is the little pond where the paddle boats resided.

2) Boylan Ave -- This street reminded me of The Connells who happened to be included on my IPod playlist.

3) Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral -- The church my mom now attends religiously. One of the priests was out cheering on runners. Cool!

4) Broughton High School -- This was not my school, but I have a lot of friends who went there. It really is a beautiful school. The architecture reminds me of buildings at Virginia Tech.

5) Cameron Village Shopping Center -- Shopping, shopping, eating, shopping. Great spot to visit!

6) NC State Faculty Club -- This was the site of our wedding rehearsal dinner 13 years ago.

7) NCSU vet school -- Sure can smell those cows! These were the first of many cows "spotted" during the race. Of course you could normally smell them before you see them. ;-)

8) Fairgrounds -- Loved the fair as a teenager; however, today the flea market was in full force

9) Shopping Center on corner of Blue Ridge & Duraleigh - It was always fun going to Crowleys Bar & Grill as a young 20-something.

10) Umstead Park - It's sad to admit, but today was the first time I've run there. It was GORGEOUS! The trails were wonderful and the gigantic fall leaves showering us were fantastic.

11) NC Museum of Art - We passed the museum out and back. There's a pedestrian trail nearby that our family explored several years ago. Henry wiped out on a scooter.

12) Chargrill! Passed nearby two of these locations; one of them the original. Love Chargrill! YUM!

13) Mitch's Tavern - The location where I had my FIRST legal drink at the age of 21! I went there after midnight to celebrate and then danced at the FIVE-O club next to it. Anyone remember that club?

14) El Dorado - The restaurant where Michael and I dined the night he proposed. The waiter served me a rose.

15) NC State campus and Hillsborough Street -- Lot's of familiar places where I spent lots of time as a teen and young adult. East Village for example. We did our first college fantasy football draft there back in 1997. But so much has changed. Does anyone remember when Darryl's was still there? And what's up with all the new traffic circles on Hillsborough?

Anyhow, it was nice to have so many nice distractions along the way. My entertainment for this race was truly observation of the city of oaks. Even in the park, I found myself taking time to see what was on my right and left. There were also a few great encounters too.

Sonia Bauer (former co-worker and race volunteer) -- she was kind enough to let me leave my sweaty shirt with her at the Mile 4 water stop!

Eric Seale - he passed me looking mighty strong at Mile 7 running his first Half. Go Eric!

Ralph Willey! - I caught up with a fellow RMEC runner at Mile 11. And we wore the same club shirt and looked like a team. I learned this was his FIRST marathon. How wonderful! We hung together for about two miles before Ralph surged ahead tackling the hills while I took some walking breaks.

So, that's what I did today. I ran hard, pushed when I didn't want to push, but if I needed to walk, I walked. I'm sore, but I'm happy. Crazy EIGHT is in the books.

FINISH TIME: 4:38:02 (my second best time)

Now, it's time for some rest!