Heels and Hills Half Marathon: Why Are The Volunteers Wrapped In Blankets?

Mother Nature has been playing some great tricks on all of us runners this year and Sunday was no exception. I had really been looking forward to the Heels and Hills Half Marathon as it is the site of my half marathon PR and it is probably the flattest course that I will race this year. I don't believe in labeling races as "A" races or putting all of my eggs in one basket, but I knew that this might be my last opportunity for a speedy time until after the harsh summer. I had an amazing experience at the race here last May and I was hoping to recapture some of that. I knew that my PR would officially be one year old after this race, and really wanted to break through that plateau. However, I was also realistic and knew that I haven't had a "great" race time since White Rock in December. My "dream" goal was to PR, my "awesome" was anything under 1:55, and my "realistic" goal was anything under 2 hours.

I love this race because I have become friends with the race directors, Libby and Paula. I love the vision and the mission that they have so much that I applied for, and was selected for, the Lucky 13 Run Team. These races have such an inviting and friendly atmosphere that they almost feel like family reunions. I have made many of my running friends through my Heels and Hills connections. I was happy that I had some time to volunteer this year and I went out on Saturday afternoon to help Libby place some of the signs along the course. I really think that this helped me with my race strategy because I was refamiliarized with the course. It was almost like a "home court advantage", I suppose.

I knew that the forecast was calling for rain, but I refused to hear or comprehend anything about the predicted storms. If I don't hear it, it won't happen...right? Erik was my driver as I packed up my gear and headed towards Irving. I was happy to have someone who could drop me off near the start so that I didn't have to stress out about parking or walk very far. Pretty soon I ran into Erin who was there to run the 10K that morning (side note: Erin ended up with a HUGE 10K PR...way to go!). It was 70 degrees at the start, which isn't too bad considering what I have raced in lately.

I lined up near the 1:55 pace group, but had already decided that I was going to run my own race today. If I happened to find myself running near a pace group then it would be a bonus, otherwise no big deal. I started the race at a comfortable paces, working hard on not going out too fast like I did in the September edition of this race. The rain started to fall sometime after the first mile, but it didn't last too long...but with the rain came the strong headwind. Ugh, really....again with the wind? I knew that we would be running into the wind for the 1st seven miles, but then should get a tail wind as we passed the turn around point and headed back to the finish. The wind was so strong that I could see runners in front of me being "blown back" by it. My mile splits were the slowest during the initial winds and I think that my mind was starting to "settle" knowing that if I stayed at a 9:00/mile average pace then I could still come in around 2 hours.

Something switched in my brain and I decided that I would not "settle" on a time just because of some wind. I noticed that I was not feeling hot and I knew that I had to take advantage of this because the hot summer is looming. I can always tell how a half marathon is going by the mile 7 marker. I hit mile 7 in exactly an hour during my PR race last year and I use this as a gauge of my progress. A quick check of the watch showed me that I was at mile 7 in 1:01...just one minute slower than my PR mark. Mile 7 happened to be the turn around at this race and I think that gave me a huge mental boost. I used that strong wind to my advantage during miles 7-11 and recorded some pretty good splits on the way back. Since it was an out and back course I was able to look for and shout hellos to many familiar faces in the crowd. This was a wonderfully fun distractor and a great way to see some of my running friends.

It was on the way back that I started to notice that the spectators and volunteers were wrapped up in blankets and wearing coats. I remembered thinking that they must be nuts because it was 70 degrees...not cold enough for coats and blankets! Little did I know that the temperatures had dropped into the 50s while I was out running. Erik was concerned at the finished and reminded me that I would be getting cold really fast (faster than I realized!). And I must tell you what a trooper Erik was, while those rains were coming down he retreated to a porta potty and passed the time on Facebook. It is a good thing that he had a wind breaker/rain jacket because he really needed it.

Mile 12 took me back into the wind one last time. I was feeling tired, but knew that I was so close and needed to make that final push. I knew that it would not be a PR, but I also knew that my "awesome" goal was still within reach. I found what was left for the final kick and crossed the line in 1:54:55. I am thrilled with that time as I am anytime that I can finish a half marathon in under 1:55. This was one of those races where the miles just seemed to click by quickly (well, after those first few miles into the wind). In 24 half marathons, it looks like this will go down as my 4th or 5th fastest half marathon time. Not my "dream" goal for the day....but I'll take it!

Here are the splits:
Mile 1 8:33
Mile 2 8:41
Mile 3 8:54
Mile 4 8:58
Mile 5 9:01 (serious talk with self)
Mile 6 8:52
Mile 7 8:38
Mile 8 8:33
Mile 9 8:33
Mile 10 8:46 (must have stopped for water)
Mile 11 8:27
Mile 12 8:34
Mile 13 8:47
Last .22 7:21
Total time for 13.22 (by Garmin) 1:54:55
Average pace 8:41
5th place out of 80 in Age Group
72nd out of 699

After snapping a quick picture with Erin, Erik and I got out of there pretty fast because the sky was looking threatening and it was cold. I noticed a sense of urgency around the finish line and found out later that the police and medical staff had pulled runners off the course and made others run a shortened course due to the threat of hail and lightening. I am so glad that I was able to finish my race and get out of there before all that started.


Thank for the pic Erin!

What's next? I'm glad that you asked! I will be running the White Rock Lake Centennial Half on Saturday (that is right, just 6 days after this one!). I am excited because Erik and I do 95% of our long training runs at White Rock Lake so I will have that "home court advantage" on my side again. It also looks like a tutu reunion for the Mad Dames Van 2 of the Texas Independence Relay. Guess like I'd better go now and spurce up that tutu!