Ah Cowtown...So We Meet Again

If you have been following along you will know that Cowtown and I have a bit of a dysfunctional relationship. The first year I ran it was hip pain and in sub-freezing temps with a 25 mph wind, last year there was the amazingly bad traffic situation, and this year it was the heat and humidity. Yep, looks like we brought a little bit of Houston home with us after that last race. I could not believe it when I checked the weather at 4:15 am...66 degrees. I knew that it was going to be a tough day.

Erik and I were both pretty nervous on the way over to Fort Worth. We were both a little bit scarred from the worst race day traffic I have ever experienced. Cowtown had done many things to insure that the race would run more smoothly and this was evident when we were able to exit fairly easily and secure a close parking spot with little wait. Big sigh of relief right there!!

We did all of the usual pre-race mixing and mingling. It is really cool how many friends that I have made through running and how many of them I see at the race. I was wearing my new Lucky 13 Run Team shirt in that classic shade of Heels and Hills pink and I spotted Paula and several other new friends in that same shade of pink. It is going to be so much fun to represent at future races!

Erik was running his 3rd marathon and my job was to pace him through the first 10.5 miles--until the marathon and half marathon courses split from each other. He has a history of starting marathons way too fast and I was thrilled to be able to help him have a strong marathon finish. We moved back to the 3rd corral (we were assigned to the 2nd) and placed ourselves between a couple of pace groups. The start was delayed 10 minutes due to traffic (wonder if they did that last year...I was parking the car at the starting time!). It was nearly 70 degrees with humidity nearing 90% and a strong wind. Ready. Set. GO!

Erik and I both fought the urge to speed up as we ran the first 3 or 4 miles, but we both kept thinking about how much Erik would need that energy in the later stages of his race. We tried to hold a pace that is a minute per mile slower than our half marathon paces. Parts of the course were very pretty and I loved running down Exchange Street in the historic Stockyards. What a great way to showcase the city's sights! We were having a great time, running an easier pace, and talking to other people who were running near us. And then came mile 9....oh that hill! It wasn't anything like that famous hill in the Austin Half, but it was no joke either--especially on a hot and humid day. We both buckled down and plowed up the hill and got it done. It really made me wonder how I survived Austin or Tyler and came out with a decent time. After that hill we made a turn and found ourselves in Sundance Square, another fun and scenic part of the race.

Before we knew it we were at the marathon split. I had such mixed feelings as I watched Erik continue on the marathon route. I was so proud of him for all of his hard work, worried about what would lie ahead of him, sad because our run together was finished, and happy that I had helped him come that far. It was time for me to focus on finishing up half marathon #21. I had plans to rock the final 5K after the races split, but found that I had a hard time picking up the pace as much as I wanted to. I'm not sure what was going on--maybe it was the heat, lack of hydration, or the fact that I had a few more rolling hills ahead of me. It might have been the relief that I wasn't trying to beat any of personal records, but I suspect that it is because my body had settled into a comfortable pace, my mile splits show that I was picking up speed with each mile until the end. I focused on passing people and had a steady run up to the end. I was hoping to get in before 2:10 as we had been behind the 2:10 pace group for most of the race. Mission accomplished: 2:08:33 was my final time. It was a tough day for running and I was so happy to be finished.
Here are our splits:
Mile 1 10:14
Mile 2 10:00
Mile 3 9:36
Mile 4 9:45
Mile 5 9:58
Mile 6 9:43
Mile 7 10:02
Mile 8 9:42
Mile 9 10:04 (not bad with that hill)
Mile 10 9:47
Mile 11 9:16
Mile 12 9:15
Mile 13 8:58
last .2 8:04
Average Pace 9:41

I consumed an entire bottle of water in a quick minute, collected my medal, and set about to find the food and finisher's shirts. I picked up my food in a cattle barn, my shirt in the poultry barn, and the bag check was in the swine barn....gotta love Fort Worth! There were many half marathon finishers hanging out in these common areas and I was happy to see even more friends--Michelle B. and Lucy this time. I took a few minutes to send some texts and to update Facebook and Twitter before going to the car to shed some of my running gear. I was ready to head to the finish line and cheer Erik on.

I dare you to stand at a marathon finish line for very long and NOT be inspired! It is such an experience to see all of the runners come across that line, some of them strong, some of them hobbled, but all of them with a huge sense of accomplishment. This might have been my favorite part of the day. There are so many stories there--I even saw a guy finish his 200th marathon and his wife finish #204 (you go girl!). I was also fortunate to see friends Ben and Liza finish and then Erik himself. I was so happy to see him upright and even managing a smile...always a relief! He had just finished marathon #3, I'm so proud of him! I found my first experience pacing someone to be highly rewarding. I am honored that Erik gave me that opportunity and it was so nice to give back to someone who gives so much to me.


Hungry runners!

We met up with Ben, Liza, Vi, and Kylee and decided to head over to Jake's for some postrace burgers. Lunch was spent discussing the many thoughts and feelings that everyone had as they tackled those tough running conditions.

I am happy to collect the 3rd wedge of my star--a 5 year medal series started by The Cowtown back in 2009. It is great to see that medal finally coming together and I am going to have some great stories to tell. Only 2 wedges remain....what will they be...more half marathons, a full marathon, an ultra marathon? Only time will tell!