Catching up with the Kennedys: Our Trail Half Marathon

The Bakewell sisters ran our annual half marathon this past weekend: the Owls Roost Rumble. We tried something new this year - a trail race! We usually pick our half marathon based on a convenient date in the spring somewhere in Greensboro, High Point, or Winston. When we picked out this one at the end of April, we thought, "No big deal; how different could a trail race be?" Answer: VERY different! From the beginning as we entered the woods, we could tell we were out of our league. All of our training had been on asphalt, and we didn't do a single off-road run. In hindsight, we probably weren't very smart in running this race with so little trail experience, but luckily, we completed the race with no injuries. The trail was very muddy from two days of rain beforehand, which added an extra element of challenge. We also had to cross several slippery bridges and walkways, as well as a single-file path with roots, rocks, and pine needles. One other big difference: no fans to cheer us on. We always count on seeing our crew along the route to boost our spirits, but with this race, we barely saw anyone at all. There were times that we didn't even see other runners. We had to pay attention to blue markers throughout the woods that were tied to trees and branches. A particularly memorable moment was around the 5-mile mark where there was a fork in the trail and a chain across one of the paths. Although it appeared to be blocked off, just on the other side of the chain were the blue markers we had been following. Meg and I, along with a handful of other runners, hopped over the chain and continued on. Megan pulled out her phone to call the race director, who confirmed that we were on the right path. Soon after, we came across one of the few water stations, which was very reassuring. The rest of the race I was so glad to see the blue markers as we made our way through the woods. While it wasn't a PR by any means, we still managed to place in our age group - crazy! We crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with a time of 2:28:41. We were so happy to see our cheerleaders there waiting for us. As Megan has a big birthday coming up (40!), we hope to continue running into the next decade. We are still unsure if we will try a trail race again!

After the race, we went out to lunch and regrouped (aka I showered!), and then we went to the Wake vs. Wofford baseball game. Wake is having an awesome season and is ranked #2 in the country! The game started at 4PM, and it was a perfect day for baseball. We got tickets in the general admission section, which gave the kiddos plenty of room to spread out. They were attentive through the first few innings, but luckily I packed race cars and paper to keep them occupied after that. Wake got a big win: 18-5. Boomer is already planning our next game!

In other news, I wrapped up my practicum at the middle school. My supervising counselor gave me this sweet t-shirt as a parting gift - so thoughtful! I have enjoyed my time at the middle school and have learned so much about this age level. While I am very content at the high school, I am open-minded about the grade level I may work in one day. I will soon begin my summer classes, which will be my final two courses of my graduate program. Then I will have my elementary internship in the fall and my final high school internship in the spring. The end is in sight!