Where's Lara?

Like the eponymous character in the Where's Wally? cartoons - north American readers will know him better by the name Waldo - Lara Lapin has been somewhat hidden these last six months.  Despite my signature red running face but unlike Wally's red stripy jumper hiding slyly in a crowd, I have been nowhere to be seen in any Atlanta running crowd.  My running in 2013 has been sketchy to say the least.

Where's Wally? Where's Lara more like

But first, things first, back on 17th March I ran my first half-marathon.  The race was great, I loved all 13.1 miles of it.  I think this was because during the latter part of my training, I discovered two things: 1) I enjoy running longer distances and 2) I actually enjoy hills.  I like the challenge they present throughout the run.  I like the spurt of energy that I get when I see an ascent looming in front of me.

I did not run a fast race but I ran it well within my primary goal of 2 hours 45 minutes and I made it within my last minute personal goal of 2 hours 30 minutes.  I ran it 2 hours 26 minutes of which I am incredibly proud.

Mr Lapin accompanied me, walked me to my starting group and saw me off with a lot of encouragement.  He then spent the next 2 hours 26 minutes hanging out in Centennial Park, having breakfast and talking to other families who were there in support.  And there he was as I turned the corner for the last blast to the finish line, from within the crowd this large English accent shouted my name and told me to run strong to the end.  Which I did smiling all the way.

After hitting that goal I then kind of stopped.  Running that is.  Since March I have not been engaged with running and despite that making me feel very guilty, the guilt was not enough to get me back out training.  While some of my non-running was down to bad - and I mean really bad - hay fever I can  not use that as the excuse for just not feeling the love for running.

The reasons were many and varied and not really worth going into here and by now in July a moot point. On 4th July Mr Lapin and I woke up at 5am to get ourselves ready for our first ever Peachtree Road Race here in Atlanta.

I was in J, Mr Lapin was in D

Peachtree is an Atlanta institution.  A 10K road race that has been held each year since 1970. The first race had only 110 runners, this year it is estimated that over 60,000 runners pounded the 6.2 miles from Buckhead to Piedmont park.  The week leading up to the race was tense with the possibility of it being a wash out.  Heavy rains had been predicted and arrived over the Atlanta area.  With heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  Flash floods were being warned.  The Atlanta Track Club who organise the race, reassured the runners and the press that the race would go ahead (it has never been cancelled) despite the severe weather warnings.  And although it rained throughout Thursday for about two hours during the morning the rain held off and the run went off without the predicted nightmare of flash floods and sheet lightning.

Complete strangers, but I liked their thinking

It was great fun, full of 4th July celebrations and flags everywhere.  We had the party bus drinking and partying for all of us runners - so thoughtful of them!  We had bearded bikers cheering from the pavements.  Children screaming, dogs barking and sound stages dotted along the route.  The course was lovely to run, straight and for Atlanta pretty flat - despite the alarmingly named cardiac hill that was a half mile elevation that ended by the entrance of Piedmont Hospital.  Either I just love hills, or I am just so used to them, but that was one that passed me by with not problem.

At the start line

Despite no training to speak off and a dodgy leg, I ran it in 1 hour 9 minutes which while not as great as my 10K race last December was a lot better than I expected.

The good news that in amongst all this running existential angst I have signed up for another half marathon in October here in Atlanta.  I have also signed up to the training programme with Phidippides Atlanta.  This is just what I need to get myself focused, train properly, gain speed and relaunch my love of running.

I have a goal of 2 hour 10 minutes for this race and with the help of this training group and Ms S who will be joining me I am pretty sure I can hit it.  So I am back running and start training next week.  Thank God for that I say.