Friday: We left work that afternoon and went to Mineral Wells to spend the night with Jonathan's dad. They had a nice visit, and I went to bed early and got some quality shut-eye. Aren't they a handsome pair?
Saturday: Saturday we left mid-morning to meet Christine and David at their apartment. We pit-stopped at Walgreen's to get some water, Gatorade, and moleskin for my blisters. My feet looked horrible, and I thought I'd try moleskin out. I know you're not supposed to try anything new on race day, but my blisters have been horrible every single race so I didn't feel I had much to lose. We got the 30 second tour of the Stroud's apartment then headed for Dallas to meet her family for lunch. After a yummy lunch, we went to the Expo. It was huge. We picked up our packets, got some free stuff, made a few purchases, then went to the hotel to check in and rest up before dinner. Jonathan took a nap while I did my nerdy work of organizing our gear and sorting through our Expo bags. I just love the planning opportunities these races present!
We had dinner at Macaroni Grill with Christine's family and my sis and her friend, Steph, and went over our plan for the next day.
I was worried about Christine since she hadn't been feeling well and I could tell she was really nervous. This turned out to be a good thing for me because it allowed me to focus all my energy on her and not think about my own race! I didn't sleep hardly at all before the DRC Half, and I was worried I wouldn't rest well this evening either. I slept really soundly until about 4:30am though then slept off and on until it was time to get up. I actually felt pretty rested race day!
Sunday:
Expectations: NONE. While I had initially hoped to run a 2:30, or at least beat my DRC Half time, I knew this was a long shot. First, I had not trained like I should. Second, the weather was slated to be horrible...in the 70's and WINDY (as in 30mph). I threw both the 2:30 and goal of beating my DRC Half time out the window and decided I'd walk the thing if I had to. My objective was to finish and go cheer for Christine so I wasn't even that worried about the whole thing. I was dreading the wind though--no doubt about that!
Race morning: I felt rested, and we got to the race in perfect time. We were worried about the traffic and parking, but we called a cab, and this turned out to be a great plan. I called Christine after we dropped our items at bag check, and immediately got worried because she had just arrived at the race site (she was supposed to be there before us so this meant she was late). Again, a "good thing" for me because I could focus my nervous energy on her (I knew she wouldn't be happy arriving a little late)! She found us and we hustled around until it was time to get in place at the start. We took pics and gave hugs all around, then we all went to our respective starting corrals.
The Race: I found the 2:30 pace group at the first of the C corral. While my bib said I was in the B corral, I lined up with them in C. After the National Anthem, F-16 fly by, and confetti, we were ready to roll...sort of. It took me 8.5 minutes to even get to the starting line because of the crowds! This was not a problem for me though; I was in no hurry!
Miles 1-6: We were slammed by a gust of wind the first turn we took. Wow! "This is is going to be a long 13 miles" was all I was thinking. It strengthened my resolve to throw any time goals out the window. There was a long incline in the first 6 miles, but I was surprised at how doable it seemed. Literally, every mile for the first 6 miles I thought, "I can't believe that's mile 2 (3, 4, and so on). It was awesome! I felt like I was on cruise control. Neither my IT band nor my knee hurt at all. Even my calves and shins felt good!
Miles 7-10: Mile 7 was the first time I started looking for a mile marker. I kept thinking, "where in the world is mile 7??". Miles 8-9 were a long straight and turn around. It felt like I would never get to the turn around. You saw people heading back toward you so you felt like it was just a few yards further, but you never seemed to get there; it was very deceptive! The wind was at our backs and it was a downward incline on the way to the turn around so you knew what you'd be facing when you got to the turn around--not anything to look forward to! I didn't enjoy this part of the course. There was a pretty bad incline up to mile 9, but again, I was amazed that it seemed very doable. I was keeping with the pace team, but it grew more difficult because of my routine of walking 1 minute at every mile. This meant I would fall behind when I walked; I really had to book it to catch up with them after my minute passed. This proved exhausting. Finally, at mile 10, I gave up on them and decided I wouldn't try to catch back up with them after I walked for a minute. I knew the big hills were over so I wasn't worried about finishing alone.
Miles 11-13: These last 3 were a struggle. I extended my walk break to 2 minutes at mile 10, 3 minutes at mile 11, 3 minutes at mile 12, and back to 2 minutes at mile 12. Through mile 10, I was on track for a 2:30 finish, but I really slowed down the last 3 miles. I knew after I lost the pace team, that 2:30 was out of range so I decided sub-2:35 would be my goal. I know I said that time goals were out the window when I started the race, but I just could not get over how good I felt! Even in the horrid conditions! While the last 3.1 were pretty brutal, I stuck to it, and finally, I saw the finish. My sis, Steph, and Jonathan met me at the line. I finished smiling! (and I finished under 2:35--2:34:36!)
Reflections on the Race: I really can't believe how well it went. I certainly didn't set any speed records, but I did set a new PR and really enjoyed myself. My goal for my next one is to really work on those last 3.1. I felt really good for the first 10 and was on pace. Unfortunately, the last 3.1 ate my lunch. Hopefully I can stay more consistent through the full 13.1 next time.
Cheerleading: After post race pics with my sis and Jonathan, Lori and Steph left for home. Jonathan and I hung around and visited with his sis, bro-in-law, and our niece and nephew. (Aren't they cutie pies??)
Then we lined up and waited for Christine to cross the finish line. Initially, I had planned to run around with her sis and parents and cheer for her, but it proved to take quite a bit of time so it didn't work out. Jonathan and I grabbed a spot near the finish and watched for her. While we waited, we kept getting moved to tears! There was a man without legs who finished, and the crowd's response was incredible! We both cried at that awesome sight! Then as some of the parents would near the finish line, their kids would join them to cross the line with them--also moving! Finally, Jonathan yelled, "There's Christine!" I yelled uncontrollably and started crying! I knew how hard she'd worked to finish her first 26.2, and I was so proud watching her near the line!
We all congratulated her post race then went to enjoy copious amounts of calories at Pappasitos!
Congrats to All!
Everyone set a new PR at White Rock despite the awful conditions! Hurray for David, Lori, Jonathan, and Christine for a great race! So glad to have #2 behind me and so very glad to have such fun memories in the memory bank (after all, the race was just something I had to do to have the opportunity to enjoy all the fun---spending the weekend with my sis and friends!).
We had dinner at Macaroni Grill with Christine's family and my sis and her friend, Steph, and went over our plan for the next day.
I was worried about Christine since she hadn't been feeling well and I could tell she was really nervous. This turned out to be a good thing for me because it allowed me to focus all my energy on her and not think about my own race! I didn't sleep hardly at all before the DRC Half, and I was worried I wouldn't rest well this evening either. I slept really soundly until about 4:30am though then slept off and on until it was time to get up. I actually felt pretty rested race day!
Sunday:
Expectations: NONE. While I had initially hoped to run a 2:30, or at least beat my DRC Half time, I knew this was a long shot. First, I had not trained like I should. Second, the weather was slated to be horrible...in the 70's and WINDY (as in 30mph). I threw both the 2:30 and goal of beating my DRC Half time out the window and decided I'd walk the thing if I had to. My objective was to finish and go cheer for Christine so I wasn't even that worried about the whole thing. I was dreading the wind though--no doubt about that!
Race morning: I felt rested, and we got to the race in perfect time. We were worried about the traffic and parking, but we called a cab, and this turned out to be a great plan. I called Christine after we dropped our items at bag check, and immediately got worried because she had just arrived at the race site (she was supposed to be there before us so this meant she was late). Again, a "good thing" for me because I could focus my nervous energy on her (I knew she wouldn't be happy arriving a little late)! She found us and we hustled around until it was time to get in place at the start. We took pics and gave hugs all around, then we all went to our respective starting corrals.
The Race: I found the 2:30 pace group at the first of the C corral. While my bib said I was in the B corral, I lined up with them in C. After the National Anthem, F-16 fly by, and confetti, we were ready to roll...sort of. It took me 8.5 minutes to even get to the starting line because of the crowds! This was not a problem for me though; I was in no hurry!
Miles 1-6: We were slammed by a gust of wind the first turn we took. Wow! "This is is going to be a long 13 miles" was all I was thinking. It strengthened my resolve to throw any time goals out the window. There was a long incline in the first 6 miles, but I was surprised at how doable it seemed. Literally, every mile for the first 6 miles I thought, "I can't believe that's mile 2 (3, 4, and so on). It was awesome! I felt like I was on cruise control. Neither my IT band nor my knee hurt at all. Even my calves and shins felt good!
Miles 7-10: Mile 7 was the first time I started looking for a mile marker. I kept thinking, "where in the world is mile 7??". Miles 8-9 were a long straight and turn around. It felt like I would never get to the turn around. You saw people heading back toward you so you felt like it was just a few yards further, but you never seemed to get there; it was very deceptive! The wind was at our backs and it was a downward incline on the way to the turn around so you knew what you'd be facing when you got to the turn around--not anything to look forward to! I didn't enjoy this part of the course. There was a pretty bad incline up to mile 9, but again, I was amazed that it seemed very doable. I was keeping with the pace team, but it grew more difficult because of my routine of walking 1 minute at every mile. This meant I would fall behind when I walked; I really had to book it to catch up with them after my minute passed. This proved exhausting. Finally, at mile 10, I gave up on them and decided I wouldn't try to catch back up with them after I walked for a minute. I knew the big hills were over so I wasn't worried about finishing alone.
Miles 11-13: These last 3 were a struggle. I extended my walk break to 2 minutes at mile 10, 3 minutes at mile 11, 3 minutes at mile 12, and back to 2 minutes at mile 12. Through mile 10, I was on track for a 2:30 finish, but I really slowed down the last 3 miles. I knew after I lost the pace team, that 2:30 was out of range so I decided sub-2:35 would be my goal. I know I said that time goals were out the window when I started the race, but I just could not get over how good I felt! Even in the horrid conditions! While the last 3.1 were pretty brutal, I stuck to it, and finally, I saw the finish. My sis, Steph, and Jonathan met me at the line. I finished smiling! (and I finished under 2:35--2:34:36!)
Reflections on the Race: I really can't believe how well it went. I certainly didn't set any speed records, but I did set a new PR and really enjoyed myself. My goal for my next one is to really work on those last 3.1. I felt really good for the first 10 and was on pace. Unfortunately, the last 3.1 ate my lunch. Hopefully I can stay more consistent through the full 13.1 next time.
Cheerleading: After post race pics with my sis and Jonathan, Lori and Steph left for home. Jonathan and I hung around and visited with his sis, bro-in-law, and our niece and nephew. (Aren't they cutie pies??)
Then we lined up and waited for Christine to cross the finish line. Initially, I had planned to run around with her sis and parents and cheer for her, but it proved to take quite a bit of time so it didn't work out. Jonathan and I grabbed a spot near the finish and watched for her. While we waited, we kept getting moved to tears! There was a man without legs who finished, and the crowd's response was incredible! We both cried at that awesome sight! Then as some of the parents would near the finish line, their kids would join them to cross the line with them--also moving! Finally, Jonathan yelled, "There's Christine!" I yelled uncontrollably and started crying! I knew how hard she'd worked to finish her first 26.2, and I was so proud watching her near the line!
We all congratulated her post race then went to enjoy copious amounts of calories at Pappasitos!Congrats to All!
Everyone set a new PR at White Rock despite the awful conditions! Hurray for David, Lori, Jonathan, and Christine for a great race! So glad to have #2 behind me and so very glad to have such fun memories in the memory bank (after all, the race was just something I had to do to have the opportunity to enjoy all the fun---spending the weekend with my sis and friends!).
Well I will have to say reading, seeing your pics, and listening to the music on your blog-----I cried. You're so awesome and I am so proud of you sis!!!! I wish I had some insight on the last 3.1 miles to help, but that's when I suffer too. If you find something that works let me know. Good luck at the Houston half. I'm so sad I won't be there for you physically, but you know I will be your biggest cheerleader from afar!!! Love you and keep up the great training----you're unbelievable!!!
ReplyDeletemindi---ok you have inspired me to try a half--great blog!!! What an accomplishment!
ReplyDelete