RACE REPORT #2: Roanoke Canal Half Marathon

Submitted by: Eric Ghiloni

Flash forward to mile 10…Where is Margaret?...Oh there she is…not too far ahead…just enough to keep me pushing…but wait, why is this so hard…why do I feel so heavy…why is my back so tight…11 miles last Saturday was so much easier…Candlewood seems so flat now…LOL….Why is my Garmin not synched with the signs…the forces are aligning against me…11 (from last week’s run) + 2.1=13.1…right? Half Marathon Math is not the same…on this day it worked out to 11+7ish=13.1. But, I am getting ahead of myself…let’s start at the beginning…January 12, 2010.

January 12, 2010…I smoked my last Camel Light…to the butt…to my fingers…and it was delicious…but the Dr. had scared the crap out of me the week before and my health was not good, I felt terrible and it was time for a change…2-3 packs a day…Cold-turkey.

Now what? A box of Little Debbie’s and a 12 pack of Mt. Dew A DAY!...That lasted a few months until my health got even worse…and I felt even worse…it was time for a change.

Enter Michael Forrester and some ramblings at church about Galloway…and walk/run…and 5K’s…and…and…and…LOL...BINGO!

It wasn’t long until walking got so boring that I considered OD’ing on Camels/Mt.Dew/Little Debbie’s just to NEVER have to walk again. Alas, I decided to RUN instead…and for that, Michael Forrester, I thank you. Many of you have been subjected to my posts and ramblings about my first mile…first 5K…Longest training runs…and other mile posts along the way…and to you, my RMEC cohorts, I thank you as well.

So, it all comes down to New Years Day 2011. 8.3 miles from Gerry Felton’s house…awesome run…great course…I got to run with Frank Lilley for a few miles and witnessed, first-hand, what I call a “Soul Runner”. He lives running…He is running…in fact there are so many inspirational runners in RMEC…the Forresters…Wingfields…Kevin Boudreau…Eric Pate…Ron…Dennis...Arthur…the Thurman-ator…Steve Cooper…too many to mention…

Then not a single mile in additional January…I used every excuse under the sun…it’s cold…it’s late…it’s early…anything to NOT run.

Panic over Roanoke Canal’s impending ½ Marathon kicked me into a fearful February of training…I jumped online…found a training schedule that thoroughly abused my body, but RENEWED my spirit. I added weight training…the Ghiloni family decided to start eating healthier…and the kids decided to sign-up for a 5K…not the fun run…but the 5K in April…NEW running partners…Sweetheart came and went and Roanoke loomed on the horizon like a dark cloud. 

So…Here we go:

March 5, 2001: 11 mile with Margaret…a truly pleasant run with good friends and it seemed easy and very comfortable…Roanoke Canal is MINE!

March 11, 2011: Home from work. Baked Chicken and Rice..a lot of rice…been drinking so much water this week that….well…drank a LOT of water…set out all my gear…charged the Garmin…went to bed at 10:00…stared at the ceiling until about midnight…alarm set for 4:30.

March 12, 2011: Up at 4:30. Bottle of water. Protein shake with instant coffee in it to “speed up” the morning routine so I can run without “incident”…not time for portajohns…LOL. Hit the road at 6:00am…beautiful morning…gonna be a good race.

We arrived at the Race to find the usual suspects from RMEC…I love the buzz of the pre-race…Brandie was running the 8K and we were both psyched to run. Socialized for a while and then it was TIME!

5…4…3…2…1

Mile 1 was beautiful…the sun through the trees…light fog in the grass…and just about the first marker and flight of geese flew over…I thought, Michael Forrester time the release of the geese, JUST RIGHT…LOL.

Miles 2 and 3 found me fighting a side-stitch and a stiff discomfort. I just bit-down and plowed through until I would hit my “zone” around mile 4. I eased into zone without even realizing that I was rolling along at 10:30ish pace…very comfortable…just noticing the difference between trail and road running….ankles were too “noticeable”.

The next 4-5 miles were just a beautiful run through the woods…the ups and downs were tough on the legs…but I was just enjoying the newness of it all.

Flash forward to mile 10…Where is Margaret?...Oh there she is…not far ahead just enough to keep me pushing…but wait, why is this so hard…why do I feel so heavy…why is my back so tight…11 miles last Saturday was so much easier…Candlewood seems so flat now…LOL….Why is my Garmin not synched with the signs…the forces are aligning against me…11 (from last week’s run) + 2.1=13.1…right? Half Marathon Math is not the same…on this day it worked out to 11+7ish=13.1

Margaret and I walked an entire mile…we had several failed starts at a run. We contemplated stealing a hopped up golf cart and driving it in. 

Then the tide turned in our favor…a nice lady ran past us and said the one thing we needed to hear to get back into the race….PIZZA. The last mile was a mix of running…power walking…stumbling…laughing…giggling…then we saw the parking lot.

I garnered enough strength to actually RUN the last 150-200 yards…Vanity is strong motivator.

I have never been so happy to finish anything in my life. Friends stayed to see me finish…My wife was there to see me do something that we never thought we would try, let alone, complete. And my buddy Margaret…the energizer bunny…finished right behind me…Pride…Accomplishment…RELIEF…FINISHED!

FINISHED…for today…ya know…I hear the Boogie is coming soon…LOL…Bring the pain…Bring the Noise…BOOYAH!