Run

• 3h 12m 46s
• 26.20 miles
• 07m 21s /Mi

Dallas WhiteRock Marathon
(30-45 degrees, wind 10-15mph)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...our trip to Dallas was quite an experience. We drove to Dallas on Saturday and had quite a long day...nothing seemed to go our way (traffic jam, wrong way on a one-way, WAY too much walking at the expo, no lunch, the pimp, etc.)...and by that evening my legs were tired and I was completely beat.
The morning of the race didn't start much better. We left our hotel by 6:30 AM and were immediately greeted by yet another traffic jam on the interstate...30,000 cars were trying to funnel into Fair Park. Our 10 minute journey turned into an hour. We ended up hopping out as close to the stadium as possible as my mom stayed in the traffic to park the car. It was really cold in the morning (maybe 30 degrees with a frigid wind) and Megan and I did what we could to stay warm while waiting for the race to start. (Lesson Learned: Bring old clothes to wear to keep warm and then peel them off as the race goes on). There were thousands lined up, lucky for me I was in corral A and was at the front of the masses...Megan wasn't as lucky.
It was really congested for the first mile or so. I decided to start the race more conservitely than I did at Prairie Fire and run the first mile slightly slower than race pace. I also decided to take advantage of the 3:10 pace group and run with them during the race. Around the 13 mile mark I stopped to take a leak, but then had to speed up quite a bit to catch back up with the group. In hind sight I should have stayed tucked in or behind the group and let them block the wind for me to help conserve energy, but instead I insisted on staying at the front of the group, and ended up fighting the wind quite a bit (especially around the lake). (Lesson Learned: Run Smart). I felt decent for the first 20 miles or so (minus a few high and low points), but around the Dolly Parton Hills (roughly mile 20 or 21) something didn't feel right (more than the regular beat up and dead legs...maybe an imbalance from the lack of sodium?), so I decided to back off the pace of the group, drink Gatorade at the water station (which I usually don't do) and see if things start feeling better. I had some high and low moments during that last 10k. I was happy that I didn't have any disasterous miles like I did at Prairie Fire, and was able to stay close to my goal pace. I feel like I stayed tough and did my best with what I had left. I felt like I ran a strong last mile of the race and was thrilled that I beat my PR during this race. Around mile 20/21 I was certain that I was going to fall apart and maybe run a 3:20 or slower, but things turned out much better. Overall it was a good race for me and I felt like I ran a much smarter race than my previous two marathons. I thought that I did a better job of eating regularly during the race (which may have helped me keep from bonking so hard during the last 10k). I'm inching closer to that 3:10 BQ time, perhaps I'll hit it in marathon #4?

Race Splits: 7:23, 7:07, 7:17, 7:02, 7:10, 7:22, 7:26, 7:09, 7:03, 6:58, 6:57, 7:32 (bathroom break), 7:09, 7:21, 7:07, 7:03, 7:05, 7:15, 7:08, 7:14, 7:27, 7:49, 7:43, 7:31, 7:58, 7:42, 2:44(.2)

Run

• 29m 12s
• 4.04 miles
• 07m 13s /Mi

The weather was awesome during the run this afternoon...I'd gladly take it during the marathon on Sunday. Today after work I felt really tired and came home and layed on the floor for 30 minutes or so trying to muster up enough energy/motivation to head out doors and take advantage of the great weather for a run. During the run I felt like I was dreaming and not really conscience that I was even running. I didn't feel great but the pace felt easy so that's good I guess.

Run

• 24m 21s
• 3.45 miles
• 07m 03s /Mi

It was a little chilly when I headed out for my run this afternoon...the sun that was out earlier was covered up by clouds which made things feel a bit colder. It was much less windy than the last couple of days so that's good I guess. I didn't feel that great during the run today. Taper week always seems to put me in a weird funk. Hopefully things will feel better tomorrow since I'll get a couple of consecutive running days in a row. I'm trying to stay optimistic about a potential PR in the marathon this weekend in Dallas, but right now I'm fighting some negative thoughts and self doubt. I think I'm most excited for the race to be over so I can just go run, enjoy running / working out, and not worry so much about pace and mileage.

Run

• 1h 00m 13s
• 8.00 miles
• 07m 31s /Mi

After missing my run yesterday I needed to get in 8 miles today. Just as I was heading out to run I realized I forgot to charge my Garmin and it was completely dead...so I decided to wait until Megan got home and went to the Y with her. I remembered during my run tonight just how much I dislike running on the treadmill. I was bored 5 minutes into the run and wasn't able to get into until maybe 25 or 30 minutes into the run. Very boring, but am glad I got my miles in for the day. In hindsight I think I would have enjoyed running into the gusty frigid wind instead of running indoors...but I guess there are plenty of those days ahead this Winter. I'm hoping for better weather next Sunday in Dallas!