Cowtown Half Marathon 2014

2.23.14

The Cowtown is the signature running event in Ft. Worth, and includes several distances, including: kids 5k, adult 5k, adult 10k, half marathon, marathon, and ultra.  The event takes place over 2 days, and attracts more than 30,000 participants.

I'd targeted this event for several months, registering last September, and had been training for this new, longer distance. Over the past several weeks, I'd completed 3 runs of 10ish miles, but not yet 13.  However, I felt confident about my ability to complete the half marathon.  

Now, let's put things in perspective. Last summer, I struggled to complete any runs over 3 miles.  I didn't complete a 5 mile run until last October, a 10k until November, and a 10 mile run until January. My distances have increased fairly rapidly...especially for a "non-runner". 

Typically, I will feel some nervous energy the night prior to a big event, but, I felt good about this event, and felt no anxiety. 

Many other Y staff were participating, including several at the 5k and 10k distances, and a few of us at the longer distances.  

Events of this size start in waves, with starting corrals being assigned by pace.  For cowtown, half, full, and ultra marathoners start together, with the longer distances splitting off at about the 10 mile mark.  

I was assigned to corral 5, but, due to the crowd, ended up in 6.  No big deal.  

My goal was to pace at a 10:15ish pace for the first 10 miles or so, with hopes of picking it up for the last 5k. I had a target finish time of 2:15:00.  

I found good rhythm early, continued to check my garmin, and was on track to run my planned race. 

I consumed a gel every 5k, and hit the water stops only twice.  I noticed early on that I should have made a last minute stop to pee pre-race, but had not.  Most of the portalet stops he long lines, and, with my target time in mind, I didn't stop for a long while.  When I finally did, I suspect I burned 1-2 minutes.  

The course was great, with a couple of really great moments:  running through the stockyards was really cool, and running up the big Main Street hill towards the courthouse.  There were lots of spectators along the way shouting encouragement, holding funny signs, and offering high fives.  The encouragement and energy made for a great run.  

I pushed through some light cramping and fatigue, and continued towards the finish line.  As I was about to turn back into the finish line area, my shoe came untied. I stopped quickly to tie it, as I didn't want to trip, and, I hoped to push hard through the finish line.  Another 30 seconds burned.  

Also, in monitoring my gps, I added about .1 mile to my run due to not taking the shortest path from corner to corner, etc.  

As we turned down the finishing stretch, 2 marathoners sped past us towards their finish line. Those guys are impressive.  

I pushed hard through the finish line, and clocked a time of 2:16:38, just missing my target time.  I now know that I can complete the distance, and will attempt to best my time next race, which I suspect will be the Rock N Roll Half in Dallas.  

I stuck around after the race for awhile, and, spent a little time cheering on the marathoners, as, I'd found great encouragement from those that cheered me on along the way.  

All in all, a great event, and a staple on my racing calendar.  

Pedal to the Metal Du 2014

2.16.14

As mentioned in a previous post, ironhead racing disbanded late last year, as has become "Tri Dallas Events". Many of the events have carried over, and several new events have been added.  Their 1st event of the year was today, the Pedal to the Metal Du.  This was the same course as Bronda's Du, held last November.  I'd competed in Bronda's Du lat year, and was looking forward to trying the course again.  

I'd struggled a little thru the event in November, as I'm simply outmatched by more seasoned athletes on better equipment.  I was hoping to improve on my time today.  

I arrived to a cold, foggy, very windy day.  Not a great forecast for racing.  

Like the last event, this one was small, with only about 120 total participants.  

I had been training more leading up to this event, and, it showed. Had it not been for the windy conditions, I suspect I would have been quite a bit better than the November race.  My 1st run felt good, I improved on the bike, and improved on the 2nd run.  My transitions were quite slow, and I felt quite a bit of stiffness transitioning from the bike to the second run, making the start of the second run challenging.  

All in all, I improved by 3 minutes.  Although, I have a long way to go to be competitive, as I finished last in my age group.  

Hot Chocolate 15k 2014

2.8.14

This event had been on my radar for more than a year, as I'd hoped to complete the 5k last year, but, had a conflict.  

This event was part of my 2014 "to do" list, as it would be a new distance for me, and, I planned on it being a training run for my first 13.1, two weeks from now.  While my training had me complete a few longer runs than 15k recently, I was still excited about the distance in a race setting.   

Many of our friends and colleagues were participating, including Lindsi and Courtney that were doing the 5k, and many Y colleagues that were doing the 15k.  

Total expected attendance at the event was more than 10,000.  There are a series of Hot Chocolate events around the country, and, they do it right.  Running jackets for all participants, well organized events, split times at 5k and 10k, etc.  

The route was going to take us through east dallas. I was excited about seeing my old hood.  

We arrived to a very cold morning, but, were able to stay inside until race time.  Starting corrals were categorized by expected pace.  While, for the most part, this was quite helpful, I did see a number of walkers early on, that should have been in later corrals.  

I got off to a comfortable start, much because of the crowd, and finally settled in to a 10:15ish pace.  Having only completed a distance of this length in a race setting once before, I'm still working to determine the right pace for this distance.  We ran down Swiss avenue, through Lakewood shopping center, down La Vista, over the East Grand bridge, through the C streets, etc.  I saw a few folks that I knew along the way.  At the 10k mark, I picked up the pace.   In retrospect, I could have done this earlier, as I still had some in the tank at the finish.  

The finisher prize was a chocolate themed gift, with hot chocolate etc.  Fun, but, ultimately will get trashed.  

All in all, a great event. We will look forward to doing this one again next year, and, I feel good about cowtown 13.1 in 2 weeks.  

Chocolate Chip 10 mile and 20 mile run February 2014

2.1.14

I stumbled upon this run on Facebook last week.  Fort Worth Running Company coordinated this as a training run for those gearing up for The Cowtown Marathon and Half Marathon.  This was held 3 weeks prior to Cowtown. As I've mentioned before, living close to Trinity Park makes events like this easy.  

I'd only completed a 10 mile run once before, earlier in the week, and walked short portions of it.  I was eager to complete a 10 mile run without stopping, at a quicker pace.  

The weather was supposed to be in the low 60's, but, alas, it was in the 40's. 

There were about 200 people running total, with most of those running the 10 mile option.  

I got off to a comfortable start (better than the fast starts I typically find myself doing), and knew I'd found a pace that I could maintain.  

The course took us on what is typically my bike route, so, I was familiar with the course, but, had never been on it on foot.  I had a few brief conversations with a few runners along the way.  I have come to appreciate the sub-culture that exists with runners and cyclists.  Friendly folks.  

At the turnaround, I noticed that I had a runner running just behind me. We seemed to be pacing about the same, and it proved to be a good thing, as I knew I didn't want to get passed.   

My pace stayed fairly consistent, and I finished in a respectable time (for me). Turns out that the runner that paced with me is connected to FW Tri club, etc.  

All in all, good event, and I'm feeling good about the Hot Chocolate 15k this weekend and The Cowtown in 3 weeks.