I ran the 2012 Cowtown half marathon on Sunday and it was probably my most difficult race to date. The 7 am gun time (and over an hour away) made for an early morning wake up call of 4:30. I was tired, but ready to get started running. The temps were in the 40s, with a strong wind coming from whatever direction I was running in uphill! I was well prepared for the cold, and it wasn't nearly as brutal as the Hot Chocolate a few weeks ago.
This race was crowded, actually packed, for the first 2 miles. You couldn't pass anyone and had to jockey for space. The race started with the half, full and ultra marathoners at the same time. There were 5 corrals with close to 10,000 runners--too few corrals in my opinion. The traffic helped me take the first few miles slow; I finished the first mile in 11:30, instead of a too fast 10:30 for me. I also saw two women trip and fall in the crowd. Both went down hard. I hope they were OK to finish the race.
While I probably will not run this race again, it had some of the best spectators of all the races I've completed. There were people throughout most of the race to cheer us on. I saw some funny signs: Run like a Kenyan, Those shorts make your butt look fast, and (my personal fave) Worst Parade Ever! There were several places where traffic was stopped, probably for hours, and instead of hating the racers, some of the drivers opened their doors, got out, and cheered. I also had my own personal cheering squad of my husband and dog!
This race was a miserable one for me. Not because I wasn't prepared, but because I had severe foot pain hit me around mile 2. I'd been feeling a little pain in my right foot, on the top, when we were in San Diego, but it was bearable and stopped as soon as I stopped running. It came back with a vengeance during this race. Several times I contemplated quitting. There was a first aid station just before mile 10 and I was so close to stopping there. But I pushed on and stopped momentarily after mile 11 to attempt to stretch it. This, of course, did me no good. I somehow hobbled to the finish line, finishing with a disappointing 2:25:51. After making a PR on every race so far this year, slipping backwards sucks. Also, I was passed at mile 13 by the 2nd place finisher of the marathon (he ended up winning because the 1st place finisher was disqualified). There is nothing more demoralizing than seeing someone smoke you after they've run 26 miles already! He was awesome, don't get me wrong, but I was laboring through every step while he appeared to be coasting into the finish line!
Me, struggling to the finish line.
The Cowtown was a well organized race, with foil blankets, medals and a runners-only food area. All finishers also got a finisher's tech shirt, which was a nice bonus.
Getting my medal (I'm in the white hat and foil blanket) With my race swag!
Miles logged: 13.1
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