Saturday, February 24, 2007

Random Notes

it's amazing how much fun you can have once you decide that you aren't going to PR, so you may as well settle back, enjoy the day, and just savor the adventure. There were a lot of hills on the course today, mixed with some wicked winds (but not as bad as forecast, thankfully), and a nice mix of sun and overcast. Temps were about mid-60s, and I was fore-sighted enough to ditch the long-sleeved tech shirt at the car so I didn't have to jack with it the whole morning. A short-sleeved tee and my brand new crop tights I picked up at the (lame) expo yesterday were perfect (BTW, LOVE the new crop tights -- they make me look just like the girl in the catalogue -NOT).

Anyhoo, except for the wind, and the hills, and the freakin' brick roadway at miles 9-10, it was a
lovely course and a lovely day for a half. I knew by about mile 6 (10:40/mile or so) that this was not a PR day -- my half-PR being set on this exact course three years ago, when I clocked a vicious 2:09 and change -- so I adjusted the attitude and just had fun. I chatted with folks (just to be sure none were like Nytro, I made sure they didn't mind being chatted up before proceeding), thanked the officers and race volunteers profusely, and made sure to high-five all the little kids cheering on the side of the course. I stopped entirely for about two minutes at the half/marathon split, cheering on the full course runners as they turned toward another part of Fort Worth and we headed back to downtown. The course marshall was concerned because i was just standing there waiting for the next marathoner, and he wanted to be sure I knew which way to go. I told him I knew where I wasn't going, and that was toward the full course!

The last two miles were dreadful, mostly because by then we'd spent a few miles pounding downhill on bricks, and then were hit with a few more gradual uphills. There was one point turning toward the finish where the wind was in this vortex created by the buildings downtown, and you could hardly make forward progress. It was pretty laughable, and had I been on track for any kind of record, would have made me very angry, but since I was just out there for the mileage and the bling, I just pretended to be a mime anyhoo. I crossed in 2:22 and change gun time, but I know I was about two minutes behind when I hit the timing mats at the start. They should have chip time posted online sometime today.

All in all, it was a fun run, if not a bit challenging, and oh, yeah, I got the bling, with a great ol' big Longhorn on the front. Rock me!

1 comment:

Ellie Hamilton said...

WhoooHOOOOOOO, SkateMom! Nice half marathon, shows the difference between a good time and "having" a good time. I'm glad you had a good time (and your time wasn't that shabby either, actually.) Nice, challenging, fun half, with nice bling!!!