Marathon weekend in Dallas has been a favorite of mine for many years. Long before we were runners, Mr K and I were involved with the race as Mr K and his cousin Brock manned (pun intended) the Dolly Parton Hills - a spot on the race course with two small hills right next to each other. It was always a thrill to see the runners come by and I thought that they were just so cool, running all that way. Little did I know...The Dallas Marathon (formerly White Rock Marathon) continued to hold a special place in our running calendar as it was Mr K's first marathon in 2008 and my first marathon in 2011. I have run the half every year since 2008, except for 2011 (when I ran the full) and 2013 when it was cancelled by the great Icepocalypse. The race has changed names once and the course has changed at least four times in those years, but I feel as if the race is finally starting to find a groove. This half course is one of my very favorite - it starts to trend downhill after the halfway mark and it highlights some of the best parts of one of my favorite cities.
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| American Running Greats Dishing Out Advice |
I know that some people are not huge fans of race expos, but I usually enjoy this one. There are many opportunities to cross paths with frunners, great speaker panels, great deals on run gear, and just an overall positive energy. We usually run into Beth and Teal from Life Is a Run and this year was no different. We also happened to stumble up on a speaker panel that included Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, Becky Wade, Deena Kastor, Desi Linden, and Molly Huddle. Seriously, how often do you see that kind of star power represented on a stage? We are talking Olympic medals, Boston Marathon wins, New York City Marathon wins, and too many records to count! I love that the stars of our sport are so open and so approachable. I also love that two of the top runners on that panel are in my age group! Shout out to the 40 year olds! They each gave a tidbit of advice to the audience and I soaked it all up like a sponge. Ryan started out by telling us not to worry about the weather (there was rain in the forecast) and think only about the things that we could control, Meb told us to take one mile at a time and focus on doing what needed to be done for that mile, Deena talked about how she talked to her old and new cells, and Desi gave me the best piece of advice yet. She said that she trains and runs "as if...." explaining how she trained, raced, acted "as if" she was the Boston Marathon champion all the way until the finish line (and then laughing when she finally had to accept that she was not the champ). Great advice for racing and for life.
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| I was on TV! |
Mr K and I both had big goals for the day - his was to get a picture running with Meb whilst wearing his Dolly get-up and mind was to run a solid race. Reasonable, right? Race morning came and it was raining, just as predicted. I wasn't worried as it wasn't especially cold or windy outside like it was during my marathon in 2011. I arrived super early and hung out in my car until time to walk over to the race area. I had one disposable poncho left, courtesy of Marci and it was just what I needed as I waited around for the race to start. I knew that this would be the worst part as I was a chilly standing around in the rain. Thankfully, the rain tapered off just before the start of the race and was not much of an issue again. It didn't matter too much anyway, remember what Ryan said?
I had been running well in training and knew that I had a shot at running a strong race on a really great course. My plan was to run mostly by feel and only get my paces at the mile marks while keeping an eye on my heart rate, I was hoping for a negative split as well as I knew this course was a gradual downhill in the second half. I had also been "encouraged" by Stude (remember him from the closing miles of
DRC Half?) to run the final two miles at a sub-8:00 pace. I didn't know if this was possible, but I knew that he would be checking so I'd better at least try. I love the start line of a big race like this one - so much energy! I focused on getting a solid start and settling into an even pace.
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| Spotted by the Running Paparazzi (Pic: Jesse) |
I kept Meb's words in my mind, thinking only of the mile I was running and what I could do to make that a good mile. My miles were gradually getting faster and my heart rate was staying nice and steady. I knew that
Mama C would be spectating in the Texas Rangers Zone in the West Village as her husband, John, was running the marathon. Sure enough, she was there and I gave a big wave to her and Irene and Dewbs before heading on towards Turtle Creek. This is the beginning of the most beautiful part of the course as Turtle Creek took us to Highland Park and the well-known Beverly Drive. The trees here were vibrant with colors and the stately
mansions homes were decorated for Christmas. I started well behind the 2:00 pace group, but found myself running near them all through this section. Their pacing seemed to match mine and I decided to hang with them for a bit. I knew that I was on pace for sub-2:00 since I started after them, might as well use the boost while I could.
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| Pic: Jesse |
Run as if....these words echoed in my mind and I tried to run this race as if I were running my best, fastest half marathon ever. We crossed over Central Expressway around mile 7 and headed towards my favorite part of the race - Greenville Avenue. The rain didn't stop the spectators from making some noise along this stretch. The FC Dallas Zone was here as well as the Dallas Mavs Zone - so much energy! There is just something cool about high fiving a Mavs Maniaac dancer, those guys just rock. I passed the 2:00 pace group for good at this point and found myself running step-for-step with the 4:00 marathon pace group. The pace felt really good and I stayed with them until the marathon course split away from the half course around mile 10. I was on my own now and I had two "fast" miles looming ahead of me.
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| Great seeing Jesse out there on the course (Pic: Jesse) |
I was surprised to hear someone call my name as they passed me and looked up to see Jesse, the running paparazzi, snapping pictures as he ran by. The final three miles of a half are hard as the mind starts to wander to the finish line. Remember what Meb said....focus on the present. It probably didn't help that this part of town was not the most scenic or inspiring. I listened to the conversations of those around me to provide a diversion. Mile 11 was coming to a close and I knew I was about to have to dig deep. Here goes nothing! I didn't quite make my goal as mile 12 came up at 8:29 - still my fastest mile of the day but not quite where I wanted to be. I couldn't really tell where I was on the exertion level because my heart rate monitor was not functioning properly (seriously, it may have felt like 254 bpm, but I knew that it wasn't). I dug in for the final mile and committed to pushing through the discomfort, for it was only temporary. It was hard and I was counting the meters until the finish line. Run as if, right? Mile 13 came in at 8:01 - close enough - I could see the finish line and then I ran like heck, trying to pass as many people as I could at the very end. My final quarter mile came in at a 6:56 avg pace. Hooo leee geeze.
I took a moment or two
to try not to die collect myself and I headed over to the medals where I heard someone calling my name - it was Nikki! I love it when I can get my race medal from a friend, it was a nice surprise to see her there. Jesse and I posed for a picture and I wandered to the finisher's area where I checked my phone to see my official results. I was beyond pleased with what I saw, I'm not sure that I could have dreamed up a better race for myself.
After I checked my results, I opened Facebook and the first thing I saw was Mr K (dressed as Dolly) running down the road beside Meb. He did it! We both had big goals for the day and we both executed them perfectly. That picture will forever make me smile, the Dollies strike again.
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| Dolly and Meb |
I picked up my checked bag and my free beer and soon enough I heard the sound of helicopters overhead - the marathon winner was close! I was rooting for Logan Sherman, local runner and chiropractor, and I was thrilled when I saw him come across the line. The atmosphere was electric too! It was so awesome to see such a deserving guy's dream come true.
So there you have it, the story of my fastest half marathon since the Oklahoma City Marathon Half in
April 2013. I'm so happy with this race and so proud of myself. I had found myself stuck in a rut, having not run anything faster that 1:58 since January 2014. I really wondered if my fastest days were behind me, but now I know that is not the case. I'm super jazzed about 2016. Run as if....
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