Dallas White Rock Marathon
What can I say...I didn't get it done again and I don't even have a good handle on what happened. All I know is that I finished and had some fun along the way. The experience took me back to my first marathon. It is weird because I am not bummed or really disappointed. I just think my 3:24 in Chicago last year was a peak performance for me and I should look up on that race as a really good accomplishment. There aren't many runners as big as I am that have run a marathon that fast.
As for the race the weather was cloudy and cold with a pretty good wind. I wore a singlet and shorts which was good at the start, but the temps dropped throughout the day and I was a bit cold at the end. I had a good race plan based on the layout of the course. I started out on track but got thrown off when I had to stop to pee during mile 4. I told myself not to get the time back all at once and to stick to my plan. I enjoyed the nice neighborhoods we ran through and the support of the folks out cheering us. With the potty stop during mile 4, I was still on my race plan track through 10 miles. Once I got to the lake I hit the strong north wind and began to lose time. I was losing about 5-10 seconds per mile with my splits ranging from 7:45 - 7:54 during miles 11-17. I was supposed to be laying down 7:38s in this section, but the wind really kicked my ass around the lake. I ran an 8:00, 8:15 and a 9:00 through the climb out of the lake area and went down hill from there. My closing splits ranged from 8:59 to 11:23. I held off walking until mile 25 and I actually felt worse when I walked. My legs felt like jello and I felt dizzy. I started shuffling along to the finish and picked it up a bit in the finishing chute to finish with some pride.
I had fun along the way talking to some people and giving high fives to many of the kids along the route. I thought the course was really good and sets up well for Gazelles. I plan to go back next year to get my 3:30, 2010 qualifying time. There were a couple of logistical issues at the finish, but overall it was a good marathon. It is definitely better than the Austin marathon and a lot cheaper than flying to Chicago.
I want to thank Carla, Emma and Caroline, and all my friends for their love and support this long fall season. I am looking forward to some down time and then hitting the shorter distances hard this spring.
I decided to drive home with Jay instead of dealing with the airports so we hit a pizza place and killed off a large pizza. We had a good time driving back and it was good to unwind on the road with a good friend.
Stats - 26.2 miles/3:42:18/8:29 pace
AHR - 148
Finish - 793 out of 4018
Gender place - 661 out of 2563
Mens 40-44 - 119 out of 442
As for the race the weather was cloudy and cold with a pretty good wind. I wore a singlet and shorts which was good at the start, but the temps dropped throughout the day and I was a bit cold at the end. I had a good race plan based on the layout of the course. I started out on track but got thrown off when I had to stop to pee during mile 4. I told myself not to get the time back all at once and to stick to my plan. I enjoyed the nice neighborhoods we ran through and the support of the folks out cheering us. With the potty stop during mile 4, I was still on my race plan track through 10 miles. Once I got to the lake I hit the strong north wind and began to lose time. I was losing about 5-10 seconds per mile with my splits ranging from 7:45 - 7:54 during miles 11-17. I was supposed to be laying down 7:38s in this section, but the wind really kicked my ass around the lake. I ran an 8:00, 8:15 and a 9:00 through the climb out of the lake area and went down hill from there. My closing splits ranged from 8:59 to 11:23. I held off walking until mile 25 and I actually felt worse when I walked. My legs felt like jello and I felt dizzy. I started shuffling along to the finish and picked it up a bit in the finishing chute to finish with some pride.
I had fun along the way talking to some people and giving high fives to many of the kids along the route. I thought the course was really good and sets up well for Gazelles. I plan to go back next year to get my 3:30, 2010 qualifying time. There were a couple of logistical issues at the finish, but overall it was a good marathon. It is definitely better than the Austin marathon and a lot cheaper than flying to Chicago.
I want to thank Carla, Emma and Caroline, and all my friends for their love and support this long fall season. I am looking forward to some down time and then hitting the shorter distances hard this spring.
I decided to drive home with Jay instead of dealing with the airports so we hit a pizza place and killed off a large pizza. We had a good time driving back and it was good to unwind on the road with a good friend.
Stats - 26.2 miles/3:42:18/8:29 pace
AHR - 148
Finish - 793 out of 4018
Gender place - 661 out of 2563
Mens 40-44 - 119 out of 442
posted by Paco at 4:59 PM
2 Comments:
I have been following your blog through all of this season's training. Sorry this one didn't work out like you wanted. It seems like you have a great attitude about it and are looking forward to experiencing running without the pressure of time for a while.
Best of luck to you when you do go for it again! You certainly have put forth the effort to run well!
It was fun having a partner for the drive home, Frank. It's always good to unwind after a race with a friend. Otherwise, we'd sit and overanalyze our whole running life while we travelled in silence. Thanks again!
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