Second Wind

I continued to feel tired all morning, but around midday I started feeling better, so I ended up joining the North Carolina Roadrunners Club's Thursday Trail Series at Bond Park in Cary. I did this run a couple of weeks ago and got lost a couple of times, so I was the last one in. This time, I ran a shorter distance (2.72 miles) while most of the group ran about 5 miles. Several of us ran the shorter course, so I didn't feel like a loner on a group run this time, and I enjoyed socializing with the other runners as people came back to the starting area. It turns out there were several Galloway runners there tonight, so it was nice to meet some people from other pace groups and talk about various races.

Another thing that made it fun was that I was a winner in the drawing again! (Last time I won a hydration belt, and I thought the group was trying to tell me something, since I was still on the course when I won it.) This time I won a cute wicking t-shirt! It's a little small for me, so I can swap it at the New Balance running store in Raleigh, I'm told. Sweet! :)

Bond Park Run with NC Roadrunners

I decided to join the Thirsty Thursdays July Trail Series of the North Carolina Roadrunners Club for their run at Bond Park last night. It was a 5K run for everyone last night, but it turned out to be a little longer for me!

I started out being able to keep the last person in view, but then they rounded a corner, and on down a bit, I totally missed a turn! By the time I figured out which way to go and did some backtracking, they were long gone. I was relieved to see the white arrows again periodically.

A while later, I saw another arrow that turned, but I didn't know if that was supposed to be the direction we took after the nearby tunnel, or if it meant to turn around. I went through the tunnel and made a left--for a while. Turns out I was supposed to turn around BEFORE the tunnel--and head BACK! Ack!

I did have a map, which wasn't very helpful for my first time running Bond Park. Thankfully, there were others out running and walking as well, so I asked for directions a couple of times to make sure I was heading in the right direction. I did enjoy the park when I wasn't worried about catching up or finding my way back to the boat house. I even spotted a bunny rabbit. :)

Needless to say, I was the very last one of the group to finish, so much so that someone from the group came looking for me. Funny thing is, I actually won one of the door prizes they were offering--a cool looking hydration belt! Figures that my name must've been called and I was STILL out on the course. ;-) (Guess they figured I needed some extra hydration if I was going to be running that long!)

I ended up running/walking 3.74 miles, thanks to the missed turns, in 54 minutes.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to go back next week. If I do, at least I'd know better which way to go! What would you do?