Notes
2nd marathon. Very happy with the results considering the less than desirable conditions. VERY humid and 61 at start. Then 2 short downpours along the route to make everything soaking wet. ;-) Also whoever said Dallas was flat, this course came in at over 800 feet.
Had to slow down quite a bit after the 5k mark. Heart was spiking under the humid conditions and uphill grade early on. Perhaps the equipment malfunction with my fuel belt right off the starting line also contributed. Note to self, don't buy a new accessory to hold your phone on your belt before testing the weight under bouncing stress. :)
Nonetheless, I watched my heart rate and was able to settle into a reasonable pace. After the last of the hills around mile 22 I slowly increased my pace and was able to actually post my best mile times the last 2.5 miles. It was great to actually RUN an entire marathon with only hints of cramping when sprinting toward the line!