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SUSAN DAVIS: The camaraderie of training

Age: 36.

Home: Greensboro.

Race history: Fourth half-marathon. Has been running off and on since college, but her first running memory was watching her mother win her age group at a 10K in Nashville, Tenn. Davis got back into running five years ago, taking a year off during her pregnancy with twin daughters. She says she runs now to keep up with two 14-month-olds, to set a good example for them, and “to help me stay sane on those days when Mommy doesn't get a timeout."

“After having twin daughters, I wasn't sure if I could run once around the track, let alone run a 5K. That's how I felt when I originally signed up for the Janes on the Run Women's Running Network back in January. It was the perfect way to get back into running with a step-by-step plan, along with the support of a running coach and other Janes. Fast forward to September, and I've now completed one 5K, one 10K and two half-marathons since then. Oh, and let's not forget over 400 training miles along the way.

“I can't talk about my 16 weeks of training for the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon without talking about my running partners. I used to be a solo runner -- I might have gone out with my husband, but we didn't run at the same pace, so I would set out alone, pull down my running cap, listen to favorite songs on my iPod and just go. Of course, I would extend a breathy ‘hi’ to anyone I passed or at least a wave. I can remember seeing these groups of runners talking, laughing and having a good time. I would roll my eyes -- who talks and runs?

“Well, now I am one of those runners and I can't imagine running without the camaraderie of my friends. My running partners are also working moms with supportive husbands and busy schedules. Emily is a former cheerleader, and Maria is the best sourdough breadmaker that I know. I couldn't have chosen the more perfect two if I had tried. I'm still not sure what I bring to the mix -- maybe it was my Garmin so I could keep up with our pace. We established a routine early on, meeting twice a week at 5:45 a.m., along with other Janes so we could beat the heat and run before our crazy schedules got in the way. Husbands handled breakfast for the kids and we ran our weekly training runs, talking about whatever would come to mind. We would meet again on Saturdays with all the Janes for our long runs and enjoy each other’s company, cheering one another on when we needed motivation, laughing over funny stories, grumbling under our breath up hills and collectively breathing a sigh of relief when we were on the downside.

“At first, 16 weeks of training seemed to be a lifetime, but as the big day approached, the time seemed to have flown. I had never felt this prepared for a race before, and I owe it to maintaining a consistent training schedule due to my running buddies and the Janes. Short runs, long runs, hill workouts, a little trail running, a week of tapering, and I was finally ready for the big day. The day of the half-marathon was nice with a bit of a breeze, and what a great feeling to start the race with my friends. We posed for a few photos, adjusted our gear, and we were off. While we didn't cross the finish line together, we had come together as mothers, as friends and as runners.”

CHRISTIAN CARTER-SEYBOTH: The night before the race

Age: 34.

Home: Greensboro.

Race history: Four 5Ks and one 10K.

“Tick ... tock ... 9:30ish pm. ... Wow – it is time to chill out (literally & figuratively)! OK, feet in traction with slabs of icebergs teetering on top ... big, beautiful Aleve liquid gels washed down with an icy Big Gulp equivalent of Powerade Zero and H2O ... gear bag packed to the gills and quadruple-checked ... chip securely affixed to shoe ... race outfit and gear set out for easy access ... Bestie’s angelic alarm set for 4:30! Oh yeah – bring it!

"Tick ... tock ... 10:00 p.m. … Do you think, the band that sounds like they are playing Madison Square Garden under my bed could use their “inside voices” for the runners in this hotel please ... I am now trying to pace my breathing pattern to the pounding base of what resembles ‘Mustang Sally’ echoing in my head as flashbacks of ‘90s line dancing still scattershoots the subconscious ... ‘Ride, Sally, ride’ ... OK so let me change it up a bit to a funky running lul-a-bye ... run, Janes, run .. al we want to do is run around a ... valley (yeah that will work ).. .run, Janes, run ... I said all we want to do is run and Rally ... Run, Janes, run.

"Hmmm ... is that disposable camera in the gear bag ... oh and those Lysol wipes would come in handy for porta-potty wild and woolly adventures ... (cue sound of a car crash ... HOLD UP ... wait a minute ... pack the SANITIZER HAND GEL ... too bad I don’t have a HAZ-MAT mask (and suit for that matter) to pack ... geez) OK ... maybe I should get up and check that gear bag again...for the fifth time ... Run, Janes, run ... All Charlie wants to do is run around death valley ... Run, Charlie, run ...

"Oops ... ssshhhh ... be quiet ... roomie is sleeping ... gosh, and sleeping good too ... dang ... tick ... tock ...10:30 ... have mercy, thank you, slap me silly, someone please knock me out ... could it be? The band stopped playing ... or did I lose my hearing? ... anywhoo ... prerace running prayers answered ... hot diggity ... sleep is on the horizon ... as Obama says ... YES I CAN (as in...yes, this Jane can now go to sleep) ...

"... tick ...11 something p.m. ... (cue sound of a record scratching) ... Drifting towards unconsciousness ... and...Shazam! “What you talking bout Willis?”... It seems there has been a mixup in the band’s schedule ... do bands work doubles? Am I being PUNK’D right now – where’s that Ashton Kutcher hiding? Has someone told those whipper snappers what time it is? OK ... just continue to breathe in and out ... it is all good ... concentrate ... visualize ... prayers for all the Janes to have a healthy run ... dreams of cute running shoes and matching running skirts prancing in my head ... breathe in ... breath out ... relax ...

"Oh snap! Could it be? Yep, that is the sound of my BFF out like a log and snoring in little spurts. Wow – and I opted NOT to take the PMs ... for pre-race sleep. OK, so I will flip the pillow to a cooler portion and reflect on the 16 weeks of training to reflect on what has been learned ... Week 1 ... wow – we have all come so far! Week 2 ... buckle my shoe ... oops that is not what I am trying to focus on here ... Week 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 … 7 … Yawn ... yep, this is working ... mentally relax shoulders that are now around the crown of my head! ...(cue sound of 10 car alarms) ...

"OK, will someone please help the people that are pressing their panic buttons while looking for their cars ... find their Au-to-mo-biles ... before I twirl into Wonder Woman and help them ... cause it won’t be pretty ... Thank you ... OK ...Back to sleep ... Here I go ... Well, now it is time for a restroom break ... Man, that girl over there ... Homegirl has not moved ... Hello ... She is snoozing a serious sheep storm ... wish that weather was in my unconscious forecast ... bless her heart ... good for her ... note to self – PMs ROCK the night before a race!

"... tock ... 1:31 ... toss ... turn ... flip pillow ... change pillows ... as Winnie the Pooh says ... Think ... think ... think …

"Really? ... Pinch ... pinch ... am I really here...whew, dear Lord, is this happening? ... Is my brain actually wrapped around the fact that our Janes group will run 13.1 miles in a few hours? Wasn’t it just last Thanksgiving when a 5K was crazy challenging and I was thankful for the experience? All the training, Liz emails, hard work, determination, friendly banter, shoe drama, toe nail drama, search for running skirts, Facebook tags, Target tanks, hydration belt vs. hand-held water bottle debates, play lists, to GU or not to GU or when to GU – oh boy that was major questions, crack-o-dawn runs, RICE, Garmin tracking, shot blocks, Herbie hills, beast hills, pre-run nutrition tryouts, fastie group sprints, park loops, hill training, journaling, group warmups in front of everyone, after run coffees, pace runs that make the strongest gal want to call her mama and 911 ... unforgettable comrades, amazing moments and a plurality of valuable things learned – all leading to this one moment - of shear will & determination ... can I be more proud of each and every one of my fellow Janes? No, I cannot. I cherish them all ... and most thankful for the journey ... amen.

"Tick ... 2:25 ... 3:15 ... more car alarms ... OK, someone roll my invisible jet to the hotel entrance while I find my bulletproof cuffs and lasso of truth ... I am on my way ... I can’t help but wonder at this point .... am I living an episode of the Twilight Zone? (cue the Twilight Zone music) ... Have mercy! Wow! My mind is now racing around like a squirrel on skittles! Will it ever stop?! Was that really alleve or sugar pills that jacked me up?

"Tick ... tock ... 4:30 alarm finally beckons me to ARISE & FACE RACE DAY! AS IF! Honeychild, this Jane has been up since what seems like last week – hello – what took that crackberry angelic alarm sooooooooo long to chime? Bring on the JAVA – or just pass me a bag of coffee beans -- I will grind them with my teeth! Bestie & I have fellow Janes to meet and we all have a race to run! Holla to your mama, your daddy, sister and brother – the Janes are ready to kick some asphalt! Let’s get this running party started!

"WOO HOO!"

DEBBIE WOMACK: A new relationship with 'that hill'

Age: 43.

Home: Greensboro.

Race history: First half-marathon. Has completed three 5Ks and one 10K.

“I was drawn to it because the course was described as ‘flat and fast.’ As all of us in the Piedmont are aware, finding anywhere to run locally that’s flat for a significant distance is a challenge. I’ve been running for only one year and have done all of my training and races on a rolling terrain. I really struggle with hill running. In fact, to say that I hate running hills is sugar-coating my true feelings about them. Certainly, I thought, running 13.1 miles in Virginia Beach would be significantly easier than 13.1 miles in Greensboro, N.C.!

“The race course was pancake-flat with the exception of one small hill, a bridge that you cross around mile 2 and again around mile 10. Compared to the hills I’m used to running locally, the bridge was easy at mile 2. For the next 8 miles the ‘flat and fast’ course felt exhausting to me. I concluded two things at that point. First, running a flat course meant that I was using the same leg muscles continually and without rest, something I hadn’t done before. Second, if there’s no inclines, then there are no declines, either. I felt fatigued a lot earlier into the race than I anticipated.

“As I approached the bridge again at mile 10, I couldn’t believe that I felt excited about running up it. It felt really good to use different muscles in my legs. In fact it felt refreshing. And the decline was wonderful. Wait, did I just enjoy running up that hill?

“The rest of the course was pancake flat and the last mile felt like an eternity, but I finished in 2:28:08. So now I think I might have a new relationship with ‘that hill’ in Military Park and I may not curse as much at ‘those hills’ in Country Park. And the hills on the greenway by the Lake Brandt Apartments? I’m going to embrace them. Because while it may not be fun running up them, it sure feels great on the way down!”

TINA HARVELL: A lot of things to overcome

Age: 39.

Home: Summerfield.

Race history: First half-marathon. Began running in July 2008.

"It was amazing to see 17,000 people all trying to achieve the same goal. You never wake up one day and say, 'I think that I will run a half-marathon today.' On Sept. 6, that’s just what all 17,000 of us did. But it wasn’t easy, and sometimes there are a lot of things to overcome.

"The most annoying thing to me about the whole race was the walkers who just would not get out of my way. Now I don't know where they were going to go. All I knew is that I didn't want to have to run around them and use up all my super powers (LOL) to maneuver my way around them. Then there were the bands: Awesome concept, but it would have been a lot better if you could hear them for about 2 miles before you got to them and 2 miles after you got to them.

"Oh, I almost forgot the cheerleaders. No, I don't mean spectators cheering you on. I mean actual cheerleaders from high schools ... ANNOYING. Not to mention the announcer on the loudspeaker telling us to smile. Are you kidding me? You come down here and take my place and see if you feel like smiling, OK? I mean, I saw two people after the race pass out."

ASHLEY OASTER: Miles of thoughts

Age: 40 (married, children ages 9 and 6).

Home: Greensboro.

Race history: Several 5Ks and 10Ks.

“I was really excited the whole week leading up to this event, so much so that I couldn't sleep! Luckily the night before I slept great, even after having a nightmare of oversleeping!

“A summary of my thoughts throughout the race:

“Race start: I waited in Corral 19 with some of my awesome running girls. While I was standing there waiting for the start, I began to get really nervous. Finally it was my turn to cross the start line, so I started my iPod and I was off! My goal was to finish before two hours and 35 minutes.

“Mile 2: Hey I see Mike (my husband), he better get a good photo of me!

“Mile 3: Whoa, 10 more miles?!

“Mile 4: Where is the next water stop?

“Mile 5: Hope I don't have to stop at the portapotty!

“Mile 6: Yikes, seven more to go!

“Mile 7: Sweet, more than half way done!

“Mile 8: Better eat another GU..I think I'm going to be sick!

“Mile 9: All right, only four left.

“Mile 10: OK, I've made it to 10, I can do 3.1 more! I picked up speed, and switched my iPod to play a bunch of power songs in a row. Thank you, Black Eyed Peas! Boom Boom Pow!

“Mile 11: I can do this, just put one foot in front of the other!

“Mile 12: Where the heck is the finish line?

"I got a surge of adrenaline and started sprinting. What a beautiful view running on the Virginia Beach boardwalk, ocean to the right and people cheering on the left! I had the finish line in sight, what a great feeling! I crossed the finish line at 2:33:58. Nice! I got my finishers medal, an ice cold towel and was all smiles! At that moment I just wanted to find all my running girls and celebrate!

"My results: There were a total of 15,792 runners. I came in 10,238th place! 5,053 out of 9,078 women! I was quite happy! I'm ready to sign up for my next half!

JULIE NEWCOMB: Sights along the way to the finish line

Age: 36.

Home: Greensboro.

Race history: Two half-marathons, two 10Ks, one five-miler, eight 5Ks, one two-miler. Started running in April 2008.

“Everyone thinks that a half-marathon is ALL about the running. Well, it is … mostly. But it is also about the interesting sights on the course. When running 13.1 miles with almost 20,000 people, you are bound to see some craziness -- and boy did we ever!

“At the start in the corrals we saw crazy costumes, a teenage boy with a blonde REAL Afro and people doing crazy jumping exercises. There was a woman with no shirt on with her sports bra on inside-out, and a girl wearing wool knee socks in temps that were soon to be reaching 80 degrees. Um, OK!

“After the race began we saw people dressed as Elvis, people not wearing much clothing when they really should have worn more and a woman running in cut-off jean shorts!! YIKES! Talk about chafing! There were 11-year-old kids running with their parents and passing us, someone dressed in a ‘Woody’ from ‘Toy Story’ costume and folks carrying enough water bottles on their fuel belts to fill the Hoover Dam. There were even a few folks who just pulled over to the side of the road to relieve themselves right there in front of everyone and some folks who we saw, um, toss their cookies. ICK!

“Although all of that was funny and cool, the best sight of them all on the course was of the finish line at the end (oh yeah, and the FREE beer tent on the beach!). After 16 weeks of training with the wonderful women in Janes On The Run, the finish was a site for sore eyes!"

Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon Virginia Beach web site.