The White Rock Half Marathon: Finding A Little Bit of That White Rock Magic

The White Rock Half Marathon is probably my favorite race of the year. There is nothing like the energy of 22,000 runners as they line up at the starting line and anxiously wait for the race to begin. I have run it three times now and intend to run it every year, it is as much a part of my December traditions as putting up a tree or baking cookies. I swear that there is something magical about the White Rock Half and I was looking for a little bit of that magic on Sunday.

The whole weekend revolved around the marathon and half marathon. I love going to the Marathon Expo on the Saturday before the race, talk about two of my favorite things--shopping and running--in the same place. It is a great time to get ideas for my 2011 racing calendar as many of the half marathons have booths there with information about their upcoming races. There are some really fun things in store for 2011, I can hardly wait! We also had a great pre-race carb meal with Ben, Liza, Vi, and others on Saturday evening. One of my favorite parts of running is the food and we had lots of it! Pasta, bread, pizza, and dessert...it was a good night! I was so excited and nervous for Ben, Liza, and Vi because they would be attempting the full marathon on Sunday. I was really nervous for Ben, who would be trying to qualify for Boston by running a 3:10 or less. It turned out that Ben had an incredible race and ran a full marathon in 3 hours and 9 minutes! Hello, Rockstar! Congrats also go to Liza and Vi for their great marathons.


Running Rocks!

You know the story, Sunday morning came so early and I woke up feeling very nervous and somewhat fearful. My hip has been a bit wonky lately, tightening up as I run and causing me pain. I knew that I could run the distance and have done it with pain before, I just didn't really want to go down that path today. I was also a little apprehensive because the race had moved to Fair Park and I was unsure of how the traffic and parking would be (turned out to not be an issue). I arrived in plenty of time and stayed in the warm car while I got my gear together. It was a chilly morning, I think that the temps were somewhere in the 30s. I knew that I would be shivering as I waited for the race to start.

I felt pretty lucky because I got to start in the third wave of runners (group C) so my wait wasn't too long. The waves went way into the alphabet (at least to M) and I know that the later groups had up to a 45 minute wait. I was on the edge of being emotional while waiting to start the race. I think that it was due to a variety of things--I was worried about my hip, I was excited about being on the verge of completing my big goal for 2010, and this race is just huge and there is so much nervous energy at the start. I almost go impatient while waiting during the fan fare before the race--it was cold and I just wanted to RUN!

We started from Fair Park this year, which was different, but I loved the course. We ran out of Fair Park and into the Arts District. It was a breath taking to turn the corner and run directly towards the very dramatic (and red) Winspear Opera House and the neighboring Meyerson Symphony Center. I perform at both of these with my wind ensemble, the Metropolitan Winds, which is still a complete thrill to me. After leaving the Arts District we ran down the very festive McKinney Avenue and into stately Highland Park. The views were astonishing at times and the crowd support was phenomenal. Best year yet!


Dessert Anyone?

As predicted, my hip started to tighten a bit in the early miles and I became quite concerned. However, I was prepared to run a slower pace (I was prepared for 2 hours or slower) and I walked the entire span of each water station to allow my hip to loosen up a bit. Fortunately the pain seemed to plateau at a very manageable level--sometimes it was noticeable and sometimes I didn't feel it at all. My pace was quite good considering my circumstances and I began to feel optimistic about my finishing time. This was confirmed when I passed the 7 hour mark at 1 hour and 15 seconds (during my PR half I passed 7 miles at exactly 1 hour). My race data shows that I got somewhat faster in the final miles, which is always a goal of mine. I felt strong as I wrapped up the last couple of miles, the return to Fair Park was pretty cool--lots of people cheering. I finished in 1:53:56...just 2 minutes and some change slower than my PR and my 3rd fastest half marathon time yet. A year ago I broke 2 hours for the first time (1:57) and this year I broke 1:55 despite that cranky hip....looks like I found that White Rock magic again.

After the race I wrapped up in my heat sheet, and went in the adjacent building to collect my medal, finishers shirt, and free food. I only wish that my car wasn't so far away...and wait a minute...it is COLD out here! All in all I missed the energy of Victory Plaza, but liked the space and logistics of the new Fair Park setting. The course really showed some of the best and most beautiful parts of Dallas. It was quite a study in contrast as I ran passed a homeless man with a shopping cart on the way out of Fair Park and found myself in front of million(s) dollar Highland Park homes five miles later.


Mission Accomplished

Now that one of my 2010 goals is complete (10 half marathons in 2010--this was number 11 on the year and 18 overall) I am taking a whole week off from any intense running or exercise. Recovery is the hardest part of training for me and I am finding my own challenges in this week of downtime. I am looking forward to getting back at it as I have one more goal to wrap up in the final weeks of this year. Stay tuned!