Cowtown Half Marathon Report (Full Report is up) (Read 665 times)

It was cold this morning (that being a relative term of course). I started way too far back, resulting in an 8:28 first mile. My chip time is going to be nearly two minutes faster than gun time. Finished in 1:41:09 according to garmin; crossed finish line in 1:43: xx. I'm back at the hotel, just soaked sore lower legs in hotel pool, now it's time for a shower. I'll post a more detailed report later. Nice call on my finish JK! Here's the full report- I woke up at about 5:15. I went outside to check the weather; the air temperature was not bad but there was a biting wind. Decided to wear the cold gear top. We drove downtown, and I ate a couple of bananas on the way. Layla didn’t want to stand around in the cold, so she dropped me off and went to find some parking. The organizers and volunteers did most things very well. There seemed to be plenty of port a johns, and the police had the road closings under control. I ran a warm up and some strides and joined the pack about 10 minutes before the start. I have a tendency to start too quickly so I decided to start near the middle of the pack thinking that would force me to start a little more slowly. I wanted to run the first mile in 8:10-8:20, with my finishing goal of 1:45. The race started a 7:30 exactly, and I quickly realized that I may have lined up too far back. I could see the leaders taking off, but we were making no progress. When I finally shuffled across the starting mats, two minutes had already elapsed. I didn’t worry about it, I just began running. The first two miles were frustrating. I was having to weave through the masses just to maintain any kind of reasonable pace. I really felt like choking several groups of walkers who would line up 4-5 wide and bog down everything behind them. I finally moved to the outside and was able to begin running at a comfortable pace. I had my garmin screen set to show distance covered and overall time only so I wouldn’t be tempted to constantly check my pace. I just ran by feel, pushing a pace I felt I could maintain for all 13 miles. At the two mile mark, a volunteer was calling out 18:40 as I went by. I had to remind myself that the chip time was all that mattered. I skipped the first two water stations, but did notice that they seemed well stocked with water and Gatorade/ powerade as well as plenty of volunteers. I felt good, and the miles just seemed to click away. My garmin automatically laps at each mile and I noticed a few of them, all at sub 8 minute pace. I was feeling good, and I noticed that a half marathon has a much different feel than a 5k. The pain of a 5k is far more acute than what I was feeling in this race. I took some water at the 6 mile mark, knowing that a ¾ mile hill was approaching. I honestly did not find the hill to be that taxing. It was not steep, but I did notice that it was wearing some people down. I was running a faster pace than the people I was near due to my starting position, so I was passing a bunch of people. After the first two miles, I only remember being passed by two people. I was not passed at all after mile 10. I took a gu at mile 8, and realized that I was working harder to maintain my pace. All day Friday the news on radio and tv was dominated by the death of a Dallas PD motorcycle officer who was leading Sen. Clinton’s motorcade. I had decided that I would run this race in Victor Lozada’s memory, not that my performance would be notable in any way. Thinking of his family, friends, and the personal sacrifice he made galvanized me and I pushed through the fatigue and pain. Garmin Splits- 1- 8:28 2- 8:00 3- 7:47 4- 7:38 5- 7:45 6- 7:44 7- 7:50 8- 7:49 9- 7:33 10- 7:14 11- 7:06 12- 7:37 13- 7:20 13.1- 1:09 At about mile 12 or so we started coming across some 10 k “racers”. These people kinda pissed me off. The 10k started at the same time we did, so they were on pace for a ~ 1:40 plus 10k. Like a 16 min/mile pace. Any chance you people could NOT walk 4-5 wide, making the mid pack half mary people weave to get to the finish line? It sucked until we made the final turn and saw the finish line. It opened up, and we were able to run unimpeded to the finish. I saw the clock it ticked over to 1:43 as I approached. I crossed the line and stopped my garmin. I grabbed a water, got rid of my chip and found my wife. Gun time- 1:43:10 Chip time- 1:41:06 I was excited and proud to finish my first half marathon. I felt awesome! I am so glad my wife was there to see me finish! Final thoughts- I think I like this distance more than the 5k. I’m not sure, I need to take another shot at the shorter distance soon and decide. I may have finished in a better time if starter further up in the pack, OR I might have gone out too fast and crumbled at the finish. I passed a TON of people was only passed a couple of times; but I was aware of the fact that my pace was faster than theirs due to starting position. The Cowtown seems to be a well organized event with great police support; and I can’t complain about the support shown by the residents. It has a few issues, but I would definitely run it again. JK- sorry, no pictures until the bright room photos are ready. Get over it.

Nice call on my finish JK!

Ha! I went looking to see what I said:

Good luck, Len. I have a suspicion you may be pleasantly surprised. Under 1:45. My money's on 1:43.

I knew I was right. I'd have been shocked if you weren't under 1:45, no matter what all those other nay-sayers were telling you. Well done. I've been thinking about you guys all morning, trying to figure out where you were on the course. Any word from the others? I don't remember their estimated times. I'm guessing they're done or in the final miles (it started at 7:30 CST?).

That's an excellent time Len, you must be very happy about it. WTG!

Congratulations, Len. Great time. Did you do that on purpose to make JK look like some race time predictin' guru?!? Well done!

Kinda sucks that he had to stand at the finish line for five minutes waiting for 1:43 to roll around though.

Congrats, Len! Fantastic time! Good call, JK - you nailed it. You shall henceforth be known as Jakestradamus.

Len, way to go! Can't way to read the complete report (with pictures, I hope!) I've been looking forward to your Cowtown reports . . . thanks! Karina

Bonkin dude, you kicked some ass.

Seriously, that is an awesome time! You must be lovin' it. Nice running.

Kinda sucks that he had to stand at the finish line for five minutes waiting for 1:43 to roll around though.

Beats having to run a 6 minute mile to make up time at the end though. I'm so lazy.