My Second Half Marathon

This was by far my most fun race yet!  It couldn't have been more perfect than running with a friend that I've known since middle school!  Stephanie just moved outside of Dallas this year so it made perfect sense for us to run The Dallas White Rock Half Marathon together.  We kept the pace with each other pretty well and made the time go by fast by being in conversation the whole time.  It was a blast!

Here's a quick recap (so I can remember in the future more than anything else):

The weather was awful!  It was pouring down rain and we were drenched the entire time.  Our feet were soaking wet from all the puddles and nothing was dry on us.  It was so cold, too.  The temps were in the high 30s, which is freezing in Texas.  I started off with a poncho, over-sized jacket, gloves, ear warmers, and then two layers of shirts.  By the middle of the race, I was warm enough to shed the poncho and jacket and gloves.  Though the conditions were unideal, it didn't put much of a damper on our moods.  We were excited to run.

That morning I slept through my alarm clock (of course), but woke up in the nick of time to throw on my clothes, eat some toast with peanut butter, do my pre-race dump, down a couple glasses of water and head out the door.  Stephanie and I had planned a rendezvous point to meet up in downtown Dallas before heading to the race.

Miles 1-5 went by like a blur.  We talked the entire time and were laughing at funny things we saw.

Mile 6:  I got emotional seeing a quadruple amputee running the race alongside me and everyone else.  It was so inspiring and I thought, If they can do this, I certainly can, too.  I also got a text at this point from a friend who took a picture of her and her daughter holding up a sign, rooting me on, from Austin!  It was so thoughtful and meant so much to me since no one was at the race cheering for me.  I ran with my phone and was able to read other texts I'd received from friends while running.  It was so encouraging!

Miles 7-9 were still on the easy scale.  I was actually really surprised by how manageable, enjoyable, and easy it was at this point.  I decided to kick it into gear and run faster.  I was still feeling really great and had tons of energy.  I put in my ear buds to zone out and listened to music.  I found the 2:10 pacer and kept up with him.  Whenever there were people cheering on the side, I'd hold my hand out to get some high fives from strangers.

Miles 10-12:  I was ready to start seeing mile markers by this point.  More than anything else, it started being a mental battle.  I knew I could do it but really wanted to beat my previous time, so I tapped into my reserve of mental power and busted it out.  At this point, I started focusing on my breathing and elongated my stride.

Miles 12-13:  Ready to get 'er done and still felt strong and optimistic.  Felt like I could keep going a few more miles, but was glad to see the Finish Line.  My final time was 2:16 which was 20 minutes faster than my last half marathon, so I was pleased.  Looking back, I think I could have finished in less than 2:10 if I'd increased my speed earlier.  Good to know for next time, I guess.

Once through the Finish Line, I slowed to a brisk walk to allow my heart rate to come down.  I walked as far as I could until the masses of people started piling up.  I found a spot to stretch until I met up with Stephanie.  After we had caught our breath and had a moment to rest, we both commented how we felt like we could run a few more miles at that point.  Not that we were going to.  :)

We were given heat sheets to keep us warm and were stupid to let those go after we'd warmed up inside because the walk from the pavilion to the car was miserable.  We were so.incredibly.cold. Our lips were blue, were were shaking, and we wanted to fall on the ground and cry in a fetal position.  The race started and ended on the Texas State Fair grounds, so you can imagine how many parking lots they have and how far we had to walk to get back.

All in all, a fantastic race which I would do again in a heartbeat.  I've caught the running bug, ya'll.  Today I am feeling pretty well and not too sore.  Last night I felt like someone had drilled a screw into the middle of both knee caps, but a good night's rest did me good.