2013 Dallas Rock n Roll Half Marathon

I have now completed 10 Half Marathons.  It all started as a "training" race in 1999 as I prepared for my first marathon.  At that time I didn't see the Half as a real race, more of a key part of training for a full. But over the years I have learned that the Half is a fantastic distance.  One that demands preparation, training and a strong race day strategy.  While not a marathon, it is still a distance that requires respect.  But it's also a distance that can be really fun.  And requires a lot less recovery time!

So I set the 2013 Dallas Rock n Roll Half as the date for my 10th Half Marathon.  I really enjoy the organization and energy of RnR events.  Plus I had a friend also planning to run so it sounded fun to target that date together! 

The only problem was I didn't have much motivation to really train.  I think the terrible marathon experience in December had me a little burned out on intense running.  I still managed to slug through a good number of long runs on the Sundays leading up to the race, but beyond that I didn't have the same training focus that I normally have.

As race day approached the spring weather retreated.  As much as I despise distance racing in hot and humid conditions, the idea of running with temps in the low 40s and a wind advisory is terrible.  It was pretty cold and miserable at the start and the first few miles, but I was actually surprised with how much I warmed up (and got really hot) as the race progressed. 

Since I was undertrained, I started out slow.  It's very difficult for me to hold back at the start of a race, but I wanted to be sure I had enough gas to get me to the finish line.  At around 5k, I was feeling pretty good so I held the pace.  At about the half way point I was feeling very strong, like I was holding too much back, so I started to pick up the pace.  That trend continued all the way to the finish line.  I finished in 1:42...a strong post-Jackson PR for me and surprisingly just a little bit over 3 minutes slower than my all-time PR.  Wow!  I'm still very surprised by the results.  And thrilled that I had such an incredible race despite the terrible weather conditions.