You know it was a great run when you can smile and wave to your fans at the end.

Race: Run to Victory 5-Miler/Half-Marathon, Randleman, NC
Date: December 13, 2009
MadMayo Runner: Iris Sutcliffe (5-Miler)
Finish Time: 56:37 (my watch); 57:38 (gun time)
Morale at Finish Line: Woooot!

Let me first say that this was my best race ever. Also my longest race ever—I just started running in July. I ran my own race, as they say, and didn’t worry about my time or, more important, anyone else’s. People passed me, I passed people, it was all fine. I’ve finally given myself permission to take walk breaks, which has made all the difference in my performance and attitude toward running. Those breaks served me well today. Also, despite temperatures in the high 30s and constant drizzle/rain, I warmed up just fine after the first half mile and proceeded to cruise at a steady 11-and-change-minute mile.

The course started at Randleman Middle School and took us through pleasant, gently rolling countryside out to the Petty family’s amazing Victory Junction Camp. Experienced runners would probably call this a fast course, but there was just enough hill climbing for us beginners to work on saving our stuff. John “the Penguin” Bingham is the race director, so there were plenty of Penguin fans walk/running both the 5-miler and the half-marathon, making for a fun overall atmosphere.

The finish at Victory Junction is totally cool! I ran down through a tunnel and onto a racetrack (the Michael Waltrip Marathon Center). I felt like I was entering the track at Bristol, but in sneakers instead of a stock car. A victory lap took me around to the finish line, where the crowd cheered me by name (we all wore personalized bibs). Kyle Petty greeted me at the finish line with a big ol’ high-five, and a Penguin medal was hung around my neck. How great is that?

And then? Josh, who acted as my valet due to his toe injury, greeted me with dry clothes and said the magic words: “There’s chili!” Inside was a spread of chili (meat and veg), all the fixins, cornbread, donuts, hot and cold bevvies—and a miraculously spacious ladies’ room. I changed, we ate, talked to other trotters, and boarded the warm, comfy bus back to town. (Nice touch: Runners who weren’t lucky enough to have a personal valet could check their gear bags at the start and collect them at the finish, so they didn’t have to freeze post-run.)

Next year, maybe I’ll do the half-marathon with Josh. Ye gods, what have I become?