Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

In my corral, waiting to start:

And we're off!:
Jake took this picture from his spot near the finish line:

Unofficial time was 2:08:50. Goal achieved! I'll blog the rest after food, shower, and sleep.

All of the above needs have been met. We went to Blue Mesa for brunch and it was delicious! I sucked it up and took an ice bath once we got home. Here's my story:

I woke up at 5 this morning, downed a bottle of water, took a warm bath, and got dressed. I managed to choke down half a bagel with some peanut butter on it. I felt like I was a contestant on Survivor having to eat a bug. Food is a challenge pre and mid race. Jake and I left home at 6 and picked up my friend Victoria on the way. We got downtown around 6:45 which gave us plenty of time to use porta potties (I got to use the VIP Brooks potties and they were a nice treat) and scope out the corrals. It was cold- maybe 45 degrees. I wore a running skirt and turquoise tank, but kept the jacket on for the start.

I didn't do any warming up. Maybe that's me being new to racing, but I felt like I needed to be in my corral. It didn't bother me, though, since I really don't stretch before I run most of the time. I just start slowly. The 2:15 pace group really did start in corral 8 (still doesn't make sense to me!) so that's where I started. Jake stayed with me until my corral was off and running! The corrals were let go every 2-3 minutes so there wasn't a big lag and the course really never felt crowded.

The first mile went quickly. I ditched the jacket after the first half mile. It was kinda funny because each time we neared a mile marker you would hear a bunch of Garmins beeping. The pace leader would give some cues like "pull with your arms", "knees up", or "head up" when we ascended hills so that was nice. But I ended up inching ahead of them somewhere in mile 3 and never looked back. I watched my pace closely through the race.

I seriously think I run on the hypoxic side because I can never remember where to go/where I've been. I saw family for the first time right around mile 5. Jake, his parents, his sister and her husband, and my niece and nephew were all there. The kids had signs but I don't know what they said. I'll have to find out and get pictures. Jake ran with me for a minute while I traded out the Amphipod for the SPIbelt. I also took my first mini bottle of Ozarka. That hydration plan worked really well. It didn't bother me to carry those little bottles, yet they were easy for me to drink from and I got new ones at perfect intervals. I saw my mom and kids at about mile 6.5. My friend Erin was around mile 7 and my brother and his wife were around mile 9. I missed seeing them. I saw Jake again just after the 15k marker and his parents again somewhere between miles 10 and 11. My mom and the kids didn't make it to the finish line but I saw them after the race. I think my favorite thing to see on the course (aside from family) were the 2 fire trucks that had their aerial ladders extended over the course with an American flag hanging down.

At the sign for mile 9 somebody said, "Just a 5k left" and several people quickly corrected him. Wishful thinking! My left hip really started hurting at about mile 11.5 but there was no way I was going to walk at that point. I never did walk. The end of the course wound through the grounds of the State Fair. I just wanted to see the finish line! I knew at that point that I could make my sub 2:10 goal. I saw Jake and he yelled that I could make my goal. From there I could see the finish! I was so happy to cross in under 2:10!!! My now official time was 2:08:50.

I have a few small blisters on my right foot and my legs are stiff, but not too bad. MUCH better than after my 15k.

Here are my splits and overall stats:
mile 1- 10:08
mile 2- 10:15
mile 3- 9:57
mile 4- 9:43
mile 5- 10:15
mile 6- 10:00
mile 7- 9:46
mile 8- 9:42
mile 9- 9:27
mile 10- 9:28
mile 11- 9:33
mile 12- 9:36
mile 13- 9:24

According to my Garmin I ran 13.21 miles in 2:08:56 with an average pace of 9:46.

4395 overall (out of 10969)
2006 woman (out of 6810)
424 age group (out of 1316)