Tag Archives: City of Oaks

Race Season Begins in the City of Oaks

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city_of_oaks_half_04A cold blast of winter arrived yesterday, making the morning temperatures for the City of Oaks marathon a bit brisk. The forecast was for the low to be in the mid 30’s. Luckily, race time starting temperatures were in the low 40’s. And the wind was just a little ca-burrrr in a few spots!

I dedicated this race to my friend Thomas Crowder, who we lost a few weeks ago to cancer. Thanks for the inspiration Thomas.

This was my eighth time running the City of Oaks half marathon and my 23rd half marathon overall. Last year, I finished in 1:43:08, and my time goal was to beat that. I wasn’t feeling that elusive 1:40 half marathon time today. Continue reading →

Bucket List Check Off: Run the City of Oaks

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city_of_oaksFor the seventh year in a row, I’ve run in the City of Oaks half marathon. So adding this race to my fall bucket list was special. Why? Because it was my 20th half marathon—and to run that in Raleigh and cross the finish line at the NC State Belltower was awesome. For anyone new to Raleigh, running in a road race is a great was to enjoy the sites.

The weather was perfect for race day. Runners gathered at the start line, near the NC State Belltower, and headed downtown via Western Blvd. The course took us into Downtown Raleigh with a great view of Red Hat Tower, then through Boylan Heights for one of the best views of the Raleigh skyline. Runners then went through the heart of downtown, up Fayetteville Street, over City Plaza, towards the State Capital. Continue reading →

Running the City of Oaks

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This year will be my fifth time running in the City of Oaks half-marathon. My finish times have ranged from my first ever half-marathon at 1 hour and 54 minutes to last years personal best of 1 hour and 46 minutes.

I’m excited about the new course this year that takes us through Southwest Raleigh and starts and finishes at the NC State Memorial Bell Tower. The course will take us through Continue reading →

Today I’ll Be A Marathoner

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I’ve been running for a only few years now and have 8 half-marathons under my belt. I got the running bug when I came to the Outer Banks four years ago to cheer on Iain Gray in the Outer Banks Marathon. Earlier this year, I committed to running my first marathon. My training has gone well. Today is game day.

One of my co-workers ran the Chicago marathon a few weeks ago. She made a bracelet that had friends and family members names on it for each mile. I’m going to do something similar. Instead of a bracelet, I’ve made a list of friends and family. It’s not in order of importance, but something I’m doing for inspiration.

City of Oaks half marathon

City of Oaks half marathon

Thanks for all the encouragement and support. I’ll run each mile of the marathon inspired by the following people: Continue reading →