I ran the Novant Health Lake Norman 15K this morning on a whim and had a very unexpectedly AMAZING race!

LAKE NORMAN 15K

I have been very casually training for the Charlotte Half Marathon on November 4. I have run 6, 7 and 8 mile long runs and done a lot of 4-5 mile runs. I’ve been averaging three runs a week and have been feeling decent – not my strongest running but overall good.

I ran the Lake Norman 15K back in 2016 when I was an ambassador for the Charlotte Marathon and had a wonderful experience with the race. I knew it was coming up this weekend and kind of kept it in the back of my mind all week as a fun long run/test for the half marathon. I finally decided to pull the trigger on it at 8p on Saturday night. I registered for the race, made a killer playlist and got myself in bed with an alarm set for 6a the next morning.

I was not super prepared for this race but thankfully the morning flowed well. I got up a little after 6a, made a pot of coffee, showered and got dressed. I left the house at 6:50a and made the 30-minute drive to Lake Norman. I typically eat a banana with nut butter or some sort of toast with nut butter and banana before a race like this but I just couldn’t stomach food this morning. I was very worried about how that would serve me through the race but it was just short enough that the lack of fuel wasn’t a determent – and I had zero stomach discomfort. I did eat a baked potato at 9p the night before the race so I think that helped much with the glycogen stores! 🙂

This is a small race so I was able to park within site-distance of the start/finish line. I grabbed my bib and then sat in my car with seat heaters on until we were about 10 minutes out from the race start at 7:45a.

15K RACE OUTFIT

The temperature was upper 40s at the start and lower 50s at the finish. Here’s what I wore to run and it was just perfect! I was comfortable the whole race.

• Under Armour Crossback Sports Bra 
• Calia Scoop Neck Racer Tank
• Under Armour Long Sleeve (similar)
• On Running Sprinter Shorts (so many pockets – including one that holds my phone!)
• 2XU Compression Socks
• Newton Fate Shoes

I can’t tell you the last time I ran in compression socks. It was a spur of the moment decision when I was getting dressed this morning but they will definitely be making their way back into the regular rotation for longer runs. I just love the way they hug and support my feet and calves.

LAKE NORMAN 15K COURSE

We took off right at 7:45a. This race has such a lovely course with lots of lake views. It begins with a loop through Jetton Park before winding through residential neighborhoods.

Mile one took us into Jetton Park.

Before I knew it we were hitting mile 5 and winding through neighborhoods. It was a good feeling to know that I had less miles in front of me than behind me. This course has a great balance of rolling hills but you definitely get more downhill in the first half of the race than the second.

Pretty neighborhoods and lake views.

It couldn’t have been a more beautiful or perfect morning for running.

At mile 7 we were out of the neighborhoods and back on the main road. The final two miles of the Lake Norman 15K are much more uphill than down but I knew that so I was mentally prepared.

I put my head down and pushed through. I couldn’t believe that for the most part, I held my pace through the uphill portion of the course. I found myself at mile 9 ready to cross the finish in just 0.3 miles!

LAKE NORMAN 15K FINISH

DONE! My chip time was 1:18:45 with an average pace of 8:27. 16th female overall and 2nd in my age group. I had zero expectations going into this race so I was over the moon with not only my pace and performance but how good my body felt throughout. I really think the half marathon is going to happen!!!!!!!

15K SPLITS

Here are my splits – nice and steady! Mile 7 was my slowest given the uphills and I’m proud of the push I gave mile 9! Let it be stated for the record that I don’t think my Apple Watch was reading my heart rate correctly. It’s typically more 145-165 when I am running and the 165 is when I’m really pushing pace or incline. It seemed to lock into that 175-185 range and not change. I didn’t feel that effort in my body and could have had a conversation if I needed to. Who knows?

I was pleased that the course and my watch measured exactly the same! Every time I hit a mile marker, my watch ticked over to a new mile and I finished right at 9.3 miles. I feel like so often my watch measures over when I race.

RUN LOVE!

I felt ALL the feels out there this morning. There is just nothing like running for me when it comes to mental/emotional release. I cannot believe how much my life has changed in the seven years since I last ran this race – but I also love my life right now and feel so insanely grateful for my health and my strong body. This is especially true given my hip condition and that I’ve been very apprehensive about longer runs/races in the last few years. What a gift to feel so good for this one.

I am so proud of myself. I tell Finn I’m proud of him all the time but I don’t think we say that enough to ourselves and each other as adults. YAY RUNNING! 🙂 I sincerely hope to be lining up to race the Novant Health Lake Norman 15K again next year!

QUESTIONS 

What’s your favorite race distance? 

Are you registered for any fall races or currently training for anything? 

What’s your favorite kind of course? (Flat, hills, mostly downhill, out and back, loop, etc)