Running In The New Year

I hit the ground running in 2007. Literally. At the stroke of midnight, I was competing in a 5K at the Camp Lejuene Marine Corps' base in Jacksonville, N.C. A few hours later, I did another 5K in Greensboro, N.C. Two races, one day, 10 hours apart. That's how I rang in the New Year.

Ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes' 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days quest last fall inspired me to do something out of the ordinary with my running in 2007. My idea was born when I learned of the Marine Corps' annual Resolution Run at Onslow Beach at Camp Lejeune at midnight on New Year's Eve. When I learned of the midnight run at Camp Lejeune, I had already registered for the 5K Resolution Run in Greensboro. My quirky stunt for 2007 was set. And what better day to do it than New Year's Eve and Day.

It was a beautiful night for a New Year's Eve Run. The Camp Lejeune Resolution Run took place on the shore of Onslow Beach, located on the grounds of the base. Amidst 60-degree temperatures, an ocean breeze and the sounds of waves hitting the shore, nearly 100 fellow runners ran in the New Year as 2006 gave way to 2007. A bright moon shined its light through the clouds, but the runners generated their own light with flourescent glow sticks we carried on the run. The scene looked like a swarm of oversized fireflys going up and down the beach.


I finished the run in 25 minutes flat, placing 14th out of 90 overall and second in my age group. After some refershments and the awards ceremony, I hopped in my car to make the drive back to Raleigh. I arrived home about 4 a.m., slept for about three hours then awoke to make the trek to Greensboro for my second run of the day, which started at 10 a.m at Bur-Mil Park.

Intermittent rain fell prior to the start of the run, but the skies cleared when we toed the line. Despite running 10 hours before, driving two-and-a-half hours home, sleeping three hours, and driving another hour and a half to Greensboro, I finished the second race of the day by eclipsing my previous personal best 5K time by nearly a minute, clocking a time of 23 minutes, 9 seconds. I placed 57th out of 249 overall and ninth out of 36 in my age group.


In my last post of 2006, I wrote that I didn't know how my running efforts in 2007 could top 2006, but things are certainly off to a roaring start. Happy New Year!