Dallas Running Club Half Marathon: Time to Reevaluate!

I do not even know where to begin. Did I have fun this weekend? Yes and no. Did I learn a lot about myself and running this weekend? Definitely.

Starting with the Fun: We went to Dallas with our friends Mindi and Jonathan. Our original plan was to leave work a little early on Friday and drive to Wichita Falls to stay with Mindi's sister Lori on Saturday evening. However, Lori's daughter caught some type of stomach bug and was throwing up. Knowing that we had all trained hard for the race, we decided we better not risk picking up a stomach bug in Wichita Falls. Although Mindi and I could never be called spur-of-the-moment people, we decided to drive all the way to Dallas on Friday evening and get a hotel. We arrived in Dallas after midnight and went straight to bed. Most of the fun of this trip came on Saturday. We had a delicious breakfast at La Madeline, and I had possibly the best vanilla latte in the world. Shopping is always fun, and we got a chance to visit REI and Sephora, as well as several running specialty stores. Needless to say, we got some new stuff, and that is always fun. After a great dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, we went back to the hotel to watch Texas Tech play Texas in football. Anyone who loves football knows that this was a classic game. My only question is why all the Tech fans kept running out on the field before the game was over!

Race Preparation: My left hamstring was cramping all day Saturday, so I was nervous about how I would perform in the race. However, I was distracted about all my preparation. It usually takes me hours to get everything ready for race day. I sat out all my clothes and accessories, pinned my number on my shirt, drank my water and Gatorade, and paced the room, anxious that I forgot some essential item. While I am doing all of this, David is sat in front of the TV drinking a beer and enjoying the football game. This is his version of preparation, and it seems to work well for him.

Race Day Arrives: I woke up around 5:45 a.m. Because the time changed on Sunday morning, I was even more nervous than usual about waking up too early or too late. Therefore, I set the hotel room alarm clock, got a wake-up call, and set the alarm on my cell phone. Needless to say, I didn't need any of these because I was already awake. I had my race-day breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, as well as a small cup of coffee. I was feeling great, even after I turned on the news to hear the weather man saying that it was going to be "unseasonably warm" on Sunday. I had closely monitored my water intake over the last week, and especially on Saturday, and I had a bottle of Gatorade before I went to bed. Strangely, despite all of this, I woke up with dry mouth on Sunday morning. This seemed odd to me, but I had the race-day jitters, so I didn't think about it too much. When we departed the hotel, I felt prepared for the race, both mentally and physically. Remember, my 18-mile mental battle occurred only one week before the race, so was feeling like I could do anything. Getting to the race and checking my bag went smoothly, and the the port-a-potties actually had toilet paper, which is not always the case! It was noticeably warm for November, but it was definitely tolerable, around 60 degrees at the start. After a quick warm-up, I could tell that my hamstring was going to be fine, so I was feeling really good about my chance to break 2 hours.

And They're Off: Although I had completed two half marathons before Sunday's race, those races were small, with probably 100 people or less. This race was full and capped at 4,000. This is much smaller than what I will see at White Rock, but still much larger than anything I have ever been a part of. David and I decided to line up with the 2-hour pace team and see what we could do. Because there are so many participants, every runner wears a chip on his or her shoe. This allows for both a gun time and a chip time, which means that you don't have to push through the crowd to get a good start because your chip does not start timing until you cross the start line. Probably the most shocking part of the race was the fact that people who were walking the course had lined up in the 2 hour pace area. I basically spent the first 12 minutes of the race dodging those who were walking or running very slowly. Not that a 2 hour half marathon is an elite time, but it does require under ten minute mile pace. There was absolutely no benefit in these people lining up so close to the start, and I noticed the frustration on many runner's faces as they wove in and out of these slower participants.

Settling In: As I predicted in last Friday's post, David took off at the beginning of the race. Despite the heat, multiple beers the evening before the race, and complaints of a "hip pointer," he was, as usual, in prime form. I saw him for probably 30 seconds during the first mile, and then I never saw him again until I crossed the finish line. The reason I chose to run this half marathon is because it contains much of the White Rock Marathon course. I have been told that White Rock is a relatively flat course. However, now I know that everything is relative - the course I ran yesterday is not flat. Maybe in a Boston qualifier's mind it is flat, but to a first time marathoner, it is mountainous! Because I had reviewed the course map numerous times in the days leading up to the race, I knew the first few miles would be hilly. However, I had no idea that the entire course would be hilly (at least compared to my courses in Amarillo).

I felt like I was doing everything right, and yet I felt so bad. I took water at all the water stops along the course, walking through each of them so that I could give myself a short break. I drank only water, because I have never trained with Gatorade. The sweetness of Gatorade is great after a run, but it doesn't feel very good in my stomach during a run. In addition, I took a GU at 35-minutes, 1:15, and 1:35. The first two GUs didn't seem to do much for me, but the last one gave me a serious energy boost. At the time I took it, I was in the shade and the heat wasn't effecting me too much. However, the last three miles were in the sun. For approximately the last three miles, I ran faster than I had the entire race, and felt worse than I had the entire race. At one point, I got goose bumps. Yes, in 75-degree, humid weather, I got goose bumps. It was an odd sensation that has only happened to me once before, in a race that was also held on a hot day. I have a tendency to push myself in these races, mainly at the end, because I know that the faster I run, the sooner I will cross the finish line. On several occasions during these last three miles, I felt the urge to walk. Of course, that made me keep running. My pride refuses to let me walk the last three miles of a race.

Finishing the Race: I pushed hard to the finish line and finished in a time of 2:05:29. That's really not bad for a hilly course on a hot day, but I was of course disappointed that I did not beat my best time. David, who had (of course) finished under 2 hours, was at the finish line to meet me. I remember walking through the line to pick up my finisher's medal and grabbing his hand. He immediately noticed that I did not feel well. As we started walking towards the expo area, I started to feel dizzy and David had to help me walk. I finally found an area in the grass, where I sat down and took off my hat, shoes and socks. David poured some water over me, and I sat and cooled off. I have no doubt that I looked like death. I think it was a minor case of heat exhaustion. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I started feeling better and I was able to drink water, Gatorade, and eat a banana.

What I Learned This Weekend:

1. It is time to re-evaluate my marathon time goal. In fact, I realized that I need to be happy just finishing my first marathon. I was hoping for a time of between 4:00 and 4:15, but it looks like 4:30 or over is a more realistic time for me at this point.
2. I need to cut myself some slack. I ran a 2:05:29 in not-so-great conditions. That is definitely not a bad time, especially considering that I was not feeling well during the race. This also means that I need to pay attention to my body. I will continue to walk through the water stops and give myself a break if I need one.
3. I need to enjoy the journey. Yesterday, I ran around a beautiful lake in a beautiful neighborhood. I probably remember 2 of the hundreds of houses I passed during the race. It is my hope that during the marathon I can stop to high-five my family and take it all in. I will never get to experience finishing my first marathon again, and I will set a personal record no matter what my time!

   Click here to see the Dallas Morning News photo slide show of the race.