TEXAS HALF

Well, i came away from this half marathon feeling ok about it.  I think i did well, considering i wasn't well the last week and a half.  Last Sunday I couldn't even do my LSD run of 10 plus miles, had to call it quits after 3miles, body just felt some way that day, in other works, NOT GOOD. So, i just ran 2 days since, 3 easy miles both times, and that was it, taper, healing, and coughing, :).

This was the first time i've ever been to White Rock Lake, nice lake, got there early, at right at 6:30am, to pick my race packet up, could see some runners down by the lake running, with their head lamps/lights on, it was still somewhat dark, was wondering if Blanca was among some of them runners, but after reading her post, i know she wasn't there.

Ok, lol, let's talk the half, this was by no means a race with a huge number of runners, i see 737 finished, actually quite small, i'm sure most are down in Houston this weekend.  As for the couse, i would say a few hills early on, here and there up to bout mile 4 or so, then it got flat for the most part, til the very end, ugh, i'll explain that later on.

It was a start and finish at the same location, i felt ok, got a good warmup, race started right bout 8am, was nice and cool for the start, temps around 50 or, but it did heat up, half way through, i was thinking, thank god i'm not running a marathon 2day, or i would've started melting away i'm sure. 

Well, once we all got started, i wanted to keep my pace around 8 minutes, til the 2nd half, first mile was 8:09, too slow, the start was all downhill for a tenth of a mile or so.  Rebounded with a 7:46 2nd miles, and felt ok, was not gonna get pulled into a fast pace, alot of runners were passing me early, i mean alot.  As i said earlier, the first 3 to 4 miles were where most of the hills were, good leg workouts, some of u who live in Dallas and run those hills probable think, those aren't hills, lol. Hey, that's because u run them often, not i.  My pace those early miles were a lil up and down, due to those lil hills, :).  I remember lookking at my Garmin after the 5 mile beep, it read 40:05 to my surprise.  So, i was running the pace i had hope to.

Ok, from then on, the course become flat/fast, i knocked off 6 consecutive sub 8 minute miles, but  i was feeling it, as i said, temps started to rise, and rise quickly.  I wore my hydration belt, with all 3 bottles(6ozs), along with a Gu Gel.  I would take a big sip every 2 miles, never took any water/gatorade from the water stations along the course.  Took my Gu Gel at mile 10(1:19:54), it helped somewhat, clocked a 7:55 the 11th mile, but that was it.  The tank ran dry, normally i try to end my runs/races on a high note with my fastest miles, i just couldn't 2day, maybe those hills/temps caught up to me, or the lack of running from being sick the last week weaken me.  Whatever it was, my last 2 miles were survival miles, 8:05, 8:09, slowest miles since mile 1.  Oh, then ending, lol, ok, I and the rest of the runners, just ran 13 miles, we're all feeling it, and then we have to run uphill the last .1 or so mile, felt like i could've walked faster up that hill if i hadn't just run 13 miles. 

Ok, here's my numbers,  Chip time: 1:45:39, Gun time, 1:45:49
17th out of 51 in my age group.
122nd overall out of 737 runners

Oh, I met another dailymiler 2day, Nancy W. it was good to meet up Nancy, u ran well too(2:18), sorry bout the heat lol, Nancy said, i brought the heat with me, u know, she might be right, seems like the last few LONG races i've run, the weather is unseasonably warm, the race days that is, sandwich inbetween COLD days, as we shall have in the next few days.  Anyways, hope this isn't too wordy, and hope i gave a good prerace,race, and postrace report, :).