State #31 North Carolina

Novant Charlotte Marathon, Half, and 5k

November 11, 2017

Charlotte, North Carolina

Bib #4020

Total participates: 3,908

Finished Time: 2:03:15

Overall: 965/2,167; Female: 392/1,170 ; F40-44 46/157 ; Female Masters 100/375

Highlights:

North Carolina completed all my states east of the Mississippi River. This was another huge milestone on my 50 state's journey quest.  There were also some new experiences for me.

Hotels:

This was the first time I stayed in an Airbnb. Instead of having a whole place to myself, I stayed in a room in someone's condo and they (Jason) was still staying and living in the same space. Normally I would have  gotten an hotel but there were some many conferences  going on that weekend that hotel prices were crazy. For $200 for two nights, I stayed in a "luxury uptown condo with Jason"

Because the condo was downtown and everything was walk able I used uber. Of all the uber driver's mine had just moved from southern new Hampshire four months ago. We had a great Boston conversation. Plus he grew up in southern Virginia, we could Hokie it up a bit.

2017 Running Green Book

1. I forgot that people smoke in the south, openly so. From the airport to walking downtown I got tobacco hit.

2. Apparently I brought the New England cold weather with me. The weather was suppose to be in the 50s but no, it was in the low 30s, so not prepared.

3. I finally learned why Charlotte is called the Queen City when I visited the Settler's Cemetery

4. I learned that the West side is the "Black side" of the Queen City. The gentrification, finance, and banking industry was very apparent in the central city.

5. Visited the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture. Such amazing pieces and displays from African-American artist. There were several museums and art sculptures and displays throughout the downtown"uptown" core.

6. Loved! Loved! The Levine Museum of the New South. The Museum focused on the southern change in food, education, labor, industry, history, and culture. The link that was made with the cotton industry to Massachusetts and the textile mills and eventually labor riots of Massachusetts was fabulous.

There was a full exhibit of K(NO)W Justice K(NO0W Peace about the September 2016 police- involved shooting and the unrest that happened afterwards. This exhibit gave a detailed account of events, and the voices and voices of people that were impacted and the structural ramifications of education and housing and community.

While walking through the museum a white women said that when she was younger, she walked into a bathroom that was for "coloreds" but she didn't know because she couldn't read and someone walked her out and took her to the " whites" bathroom.

7. When I arrived Charlotte had just voted in their first African-American female mayor: Vi Lyles

 Friend Support

1. My Wonderful friend, Nicole drove from Fayetteville, North Carolina ( 3 hours away) to come and support me. I haven't seen her since we presented a paper in Charlotte at the Association of Black Sociologist. It was great to hang out with girl and let Jason know I have peoples.

2. We found this dessert wine bar Crave for my pre-race dinner. Crave was also a hookah bar. I had two glasses of wine and more carbs then I should. This place was very racially diverse. We saw groups of black men and women hanging out for their Friday night outting. We pre gamed at a place called Alexander Michael's that Jason had recommended. Ugh. Not good. All white, all packed, and our service  was spotty. We were the only brown faces who were patrons. Going to Crave was totally night and day within a quarter of a mile.

EXPO

1.  As I looked around, I did not see a lot of black and brown folks who were going to run. It could have also been the time of day that I went to the expo. I got a cool run hat with the North Carolina flag on the side and $1 disposable gloves which I did not dispose. There was not a big map or a small map of the running route because everything was online.

RACE  DAY

1. Did I mention it was cold. I did not bring the proper running gear because I thought it was going to be in the 50s.

2. We got lucky and parked in front of the Starting point.

3. We knew we were in the right spot, but no one was around. Found out everyone was either in their cars or at the hotel starbuck's down the street

4. Around 7am light started to come through. Not only was it cold but it was dark and cold.

5. The gloves did  not help. My fingers were numb for 6 miles. I could not feel them at all

6. This was a suburbs within the the city race. Usually there is running in the "black", "minority" or "poor part of town". Not this race. There was huge homes, new construction, spaces yards, and spatial separation of land and houses.

7. The organizers did not do a good job with police, rerouting, or letting people know about the race this morning. As we ran through a main street, the police were telling the runners to stop so traffic could get through.....my cluster of folks ignored them and kept on running. Then the runners were talking about the police real bad.

8. There was a mixture of flat, incline, flat, incline. I kept thinking about to West Virginia and how this was "nothing" but it sure felt like something in the cold.

9.  Around mile 9 two white women started talking to me. Of course I had my ear buds in and I couldn't hear anything they said. I just smile, nodded and kept on running

10. There a nice big dead raccoon in the middle of the road

11. One women had her baby while running then at one point I saw her again without the baby. I assume there was a trade off somewhere. I at least hope there was.

12. After mile 12, I swear mile 13 was no wear in sight. After mile 10, miles 11 and 12 came quick. To get to 13 was torture.  This is where my head game came into play. I know I slowed down because I wasn't sure about my mileage or pace.

13. Since this was a loop and not a run out and back, I couldn't see how many black and brown runners their were. There were two older black women who I saw ahead me. They were fierce

14. Someone yelled " Go Tiffany you got this" and I realized my name was on my bib number.

15. This was the time for my gangster travel. I literally ran 13.1, showered, went to the airport, and flew off. I was in Boston by 5:14pm on the 11th.

This was a great stand-by fly day. All stand-byes were cleared and the airports( Charlotte and ATL) were " quiet" and getting through was with an ease that I miss

16. I did my my 25th high school reunion which was the same as race day. I am not superwoman but I am a runner