Finished up the White Rock Marathon today with these times.
Official chip time 1:10:27 (not sure of the exact mileage, but close to 5 miles).
Garmin data
Total - 1:10:00
4.88 miles
14:20/mi
Best 9:19/mi
933 cal
Mile 10 - 14:00.32, .99 miles, 14:06/mi, best 10:36/mi
Mile 11 - 13:47.07, .96 miles, 14:20/mi, best 9:19/mi
Mile 12 - 15:30.93, 1.04 miles, 14:51/mi, best 10:48/mi
Mile 13 - 14:39.65, 1.02 miles, 14:21/mi, best 10:56/mi
Mile 14 - 12:01.60, .86 miles, 13:58/mi, best 10:43/mi
OK...finally had enough time to add the narrative to the WR Relay race.
Of all the events I have entered, I would dare to say this was probably the one that was the most stressful from the aspect of it not seeming well organized. I say that in perspective to what my expectations were. I had previously considered the WR Marathon to be the premier racing event in Dallas and therefore thinking it would have every detail and kink worked out. That was not what I saw as I entered the race.
The drop-off point was somewhat easy to be dropped off near, so that was not so stressful. And our team leaders, Paula and Libby, did a great job of projecting what our approximate exchange times would be based on our pace. They also did a great job of putting appropriate runners/walker in the right part of the race. I was fortunate enough to have been put in the 3rd leg of the race, which was along the lake (a little windy) being the flattest section. When I did the Tour de Fleur (the Arboretuem race) I found that WR can have hills or be flat, so I was glad to see that my course part was mostly flat.
As Mark dropped me off, I saw what looked like one of the guys from Kenya I had seen the day before at the Expo. I said to Mark, "there goes the Kenyan" and he said, "just because he is black and running in the race doesn't mean he is a Kenyan". But as I headed towards the exchange point, I heard the announcer say that 2nd place was just passing....therefore, it was first place I had just seen run by. That was a pretty cool experience to see him run by as he is probably one of the top runners in the world. Seeing a great like them run by was an early part to the adrenaline rush.
Thoughts flying through my head when seeing fast runners is how cool it is to be actually a part of the same event they are in. I mean what other sport can athletes (or even wanna-be athletes) compete in the same competition. You don't see John Neighborhood Quarterback playing in the NFL. You only see a certain minimum level of athlete. So to think of participating in a similar event to other "professional athletes" on the same day on the same course, is somewhat exciting, and one of my new favorite things about running...the community.
I saw what looked like a painters lift or a raised stage where an announcer was shouting out numbers as I approached the exchange point. We were estimated to exchange around 9:50a (which I wrote on my arm in permanent ink since I was worried about forgetting...which I did keep doing), and it was only 9:00a. It was rather cold and windy and the projected forcast had seemed to change all week. It had been in the 30s and 40s making training difficult for myself and many of my running friends (I don't do below 40 degrees), but today was projected to be between about 48 to 68 degrees. I am finding that 48 is one of my new favorite temperatures. I don't mind being a little bundled up, and I really like my black tights better than my 35-year-old-just-now-starting-to-run-bare-legs. Black tights are much sleaker and don't show as many bumps. I wore my long sleeved HnH shirt over my short sleeved HnH Relay team shirt thinking I might get hot and need to shed it, but that never happened.
So, arriving around 9:00 a.m. (which was nice to be able to arrive a little later and sleep in more than most races especially considering we had Mark's company party the night before) and then having to wait with what seemed like 400 people, but was 119 teams (so there would have been 119 3rd leg runners there) seemed to last F O R E V E R. Our exchange was coming in a few minutes later than expected also, so I was basically standing there for about an hour, pretty much ready to go at any minute, and on sensory overload with all the happenings going on around me.
The announcer seemed to be doing a great job as he had a lady sitting next to him on the phone and what appeared to be writing down numbers from likely .1 or .2 before the exchange (as I noticed it took about 3-4 minutes by the time they got there) to warn people when there buddy was coming up. The crazy part about that for me was trying to recite and chant 0-0-9-5 in my head. I'd hear 0-0-9-4 and 0-0-6-5 and other similar numbers and doubt and question if it was my number.
Then there was about a 10 foot wide section you were supposed to go to to be a part of the exchange. Otherwise there were steel fences you couldn't get around. So, you had to make sure to listen, hear your number, and get to and through the steel opening when he called your number. And to throw an extra challenge in, several of the supporters/spectators/family members thought that exact 10 feet on this 26.2 mile course would be a great place to just stand.
It took everything in my not to whip out my teacher/leader/control freak voice and say, "Please move to the side as runners are needing to enter in this area." And my mind was skitzin into overload wondering things like "don't they realize that is what that space is for" and "why aren't the race organizers telling them to move" and "maybe I should go to the front or back in case they are in my way" and "don't forget to start the garmin and the watch" and "oh, was that 0-0-9-5?"
And to further overstimulate my observation/judgmental/control freak mind, there was a sad gathering of what the announcer began to refer to as "Lost Sheep"...people who had completed leg 2 and were needing to have their 3rd leg exchange, yet no where to be found. One boy seemed to just walk up as his name was announced for the 15th time, one lady was so busy talking she didn't notice for 6 minutes, my sister's friend Courtney was among the lost sheep and I wanted to go help look for her exchange person, but kept thinking, I need to listen for my number.
And about 9 minutes after our projected start time (later realizing Paula probably didn't even cross the finish line for 8 minutes, so all the times needed to be delayed about 8 minutes), I thought I'm going to get close and look for that hot pink shirt. And as perfectly as anyone could expect, I saw D'Anna come up the aisle (no number announced by the way). I was glad to have met her the day before, because I probably wouldn't have known who to look for. And as rehearsed in my head, I set the Garmin and the watch as I crossed the start line....phewwww, I was exhausted mentally by the time my race even started. I much rather prefer the get to the race and then wait for the gun and go method to this relay mess. I really think often that my mind gets overloaded in these situations and it drains my energy.
So...to the merge. I was merging with Marathon runners...a certain class of people that I wander between admiration and certain judgment they have some type of psychological disorder in thinking about running or walking for 26.2 miles. It is still beyond anything I imagine possible or even think tangible, or honestly even sane.
The half marathoners (who are probably at a much slower pace overall) were on a different course at this point. They split off somewhere I think around mile 7. So the group of people I was with had been running for 10 miles and had 16.2 more to go. There was definitely some energy to be running next to them. In yoga, they talk about feeding off of and actually gaining energy from those around you, and I could feel the energy.
My plan was to listed to the Podrunner Coach to 5K Week 1 podcast (which had a 5 minute warm-up followed by a 60 sec run, 90 second walk and 3 minute cooldown) and then the Week 2 podcast (5 minute warm-up which I skipped and then 90 sec run, 2 min walk). And Paula had listed me as 15.5 min/mile. So, my minimum goal was to get my timing below 15:00/mi, but since I had a pace of 14:47/mi at the Turkey Trot (8 mile) and 14:22/mi at the Gary Burns 5K, I was hoping to have a pace of 14:30/mi at a max.
I was closely following the Garmin to try to stay below 14:30. I tried a few different settings on my Garmin during this race. I used the mode that showed the lap pace so as to see if I was ahead or behind schedule, but also to have a somewhat of a fresh start at each mile. I found that when the 3rd mile (mile 12) was slow, it really helped me to have a fresh start. I also turned off the setting that did the auto-lap and chose to mark the laps manually as they were marked on the course. Otherwise, there seemed to be a contradiction of data.
Throughout the 5 miles, I enjoyed the environment, the people, the community, and the event. Mile 10 was exciting just to be walking/running with the other runners. I was even a tiny bit star struck so to speak. Mile 11 was tough as is my 2nd mile always...so are Tuesdays...the newness and excitedness has worn off, but the miles to come seem insurmountable. The great thing about 5 miles is that by the end of mile 2 you are almost half way and that is a great motivator. Mile 2 is the point at which I am thinking "Why do I do this?" "What is appealing about this?" "I'm never doing this again."
Mile 3 was the top part of the loop around the lake venturing onto Northwest Hwy where there were a handful of people cheering, and it was fun to see the audience. I ran into some runners I knew and they were commenting on how they noticed I was running. Just "being a runner" made me feel better about the event. I enjoyed the community and sense of being a part of something much bigger than me.
Most of Mile 4 my mind is blanking out on as I'm guessing that I was just in a zone thinking about how I was now closer to the end than I was the beginning. I remember more cheerers and I remember parts of the trail were much better than the previous times I had walked this part. I was now getting into a good groove and was in the Week 2 podcast therefore running 1.5 minute parts and doing it easily. And the thought that this portion would count as W2Day2 and therefore only 1 more day of this training. I am completely convinced that my running venture has not been fueled by determination and perserverance, but rather laziness and ego. I don't do more, run more, or work harder because I am some awesome athlete...it is all about doing what is easier and ego. I thought I'd never run, but as the walking became boring and difficult to improve my time, I started to run. If it weren't for laziness and ego, I'd still be walking at 18:00 min/mile paces and not really caring about improving.
Mile 5 (mile 14 on the course) which was closer to .86 of a mile, was by far my best pace, as I think the excitement definitely took over. The exchange actually came up quicker than I expected, and I almost didn't get the timing chip un-safety pinned from my shorts. It was exciting to see Courtney, and the thrill of the event was definitely exciting.Then to call the husband (no longer, Mark...just the husband by name) to come pick me up from the finish point, which I had given him a map, explained clearly where it was, and planned on him being there around 11:00 p.m. or close. The call, "Where are you?" "Abrams and Lakewood, stuck in traffic that is NOT MOVING." He had gotten stuck in the traffic. And so I asked him to call me when he was unstuck. Twenty minutes later, he was still stuck. He finally was able to back up and head north, so north Walnut Hill...and he was pretty ticked about the whole traffic thing...and all I could do was start crying.
So I ventured up to Buckner and some other random street where we used to drive past some random guy's house when we lived in this area who had a sign that said, "Yard Art for sale" and he'd be working in his yard every Saturday wearing short, shorts, so we donned the nickname "Arts Hanging" We assumed his name was Art and well...you can figure where the rest of his name came from. It was back in the pre-married days with my 10 and 13 year old step sons. We had lots of fun memories in this area, but sitting on a corner by myself, tired, and done was the last thing I wanted to do.
Races are very emotional. You spend a lot of time building up to them, hoping they are a certain way, certain goals, some are met, some are not, and at the end...it is very emotional.
I met my goal of getting a pace of 14:20/m (according to my Garmin), and I saw that I CAN do this...often while running/walking, the mantra that goes through my head is, "I can do this...no I AM doing this!!!"
5 miles...is a lot longer than I ever thought I'd enjoy walk/running, but overall I liked the distance. I like the 10K, and I liked the 8 mile, and I like the 5 mile, and the 15K at 9 miles is manageable.
Being a part of a team was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed knowing I had close to 10 friends in this journey (on different places and different phases), but nonetheless with me. And just like every other race I finish...although I say I don't want to do it again, I probably will.
Mile 10 - best 10:36/mi
Mile 11 - best 9:19/mi
Mile 12 - best 10:48/mi
Mile 13 - best 10:56/mi
Mile 14 - best 10:43/mi
And to finish it all, I realized that despite my average paces, I have a decent fast speed.
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