Monday, February 24, 2014

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.  






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