Cowtown 13.1 2015

3.1.15

A year ago, this was my 1st 13.1 ever. As a non runner who had never completed more  than 5 miles prior to November of 2013, that was a pretty big deal.  I went on to complete 5 half marathons in 2014, and, today would be my 3rd in 2015.

I have had incredible difficulty committing to my training this year.  While my work schedule and the weather / sunlight have been factors, much of it feels like apathy.  I'm going to have to sort that out.  My races have felt sluggish due to the lack of training, and, in general, I feel somewhat lethargic.

I last exercised 2 weeks ago...let that settle in...not last raced two weeks ago, but, last exercised.  I competed in a duathlon that day and felt decent.

I went into this weekend having no idea what to expect, as my fitness level was a mystery.

To compound this issue, we have had a winter storm this week, closing schools, the Y etc.  As a result, the Cowtown 5k and 10k were cancelled on Saturday.  Late yesterday, the decision was made to cancel the full and ultra marathons, as the icy conditions made them unsafe.  The only event that would be held was the half.

I was unsure what to think about that, as full and ultra runners were offered the option to run the half. However, in looking at the results, there were still fewer runners than last year.  Clearly, lots of folks, including many that I know, skipped the event due to the weather

I laid out my gear last night, and debated several times on what would be best, as the temps would be in the mid 30's with the potential for rain.   I finally settled on running tights, a thermal compression shirt, a dri fit shit, a jacket, running gloves and a beanie cap.  I figured I could lose the gloves and vent the jacket along the way if needed.

My insomnia continues, as I awoke at 3 a.m. and never went back to sleep.

Living close to Will Rogers makes the commute easy.  I parked at farington field and walked down crestline to the venue.  Same as last year.

The corral set up was different this year.  While it helped with the staging, it did make things fairly congested for the first half mile, as, for whatever reason, they cut the starting line down to one lane.  Last year, it was 2.

I got off to a slow start, as the aforementioned congestion and slushy roads through trinity park made it difficult to find and room to run.  Like always, I also felt the need for a restroom stop, and, took it early.

Once I got on to 7th street, I found some space.  However, I already felt a bit out of sorts due to the insomnia, weather, and slow start.  I settled into a 11 min / mile pace.  Slow...

I really do like this course.  It is much hillier than RnR NO etc, but, I like running in areas that I know.   As I mentioned last year, the stockyards and main street hill are cool elements of this event.

Slow and steady on this one, until about mile 11.  I stopped to walk up a small hill, and stopped and walked once more about mile 12.  I'm clearly out of shape.  Early in the race, I realized it was going to be a slow day, but, wanted to be faster than the Texas Half a few weeks ago, as it was a disaster.  As I watched my Garmin, I realized today would be even slower.

I did my best to finish strong, but, posted a 2:27:38.  My slowest half marathon ever, and, a full 11 minutes slower than last year...almost a minute per mile.  yuck.

I'm glad to have this one done.

I keep saying I need to start training...maybe now I will.  I'm toying with a couple of more events this month, including a tri and another half. We'll see.

https://www.strava.com/activities/261638701