Any weather would have been better than last year, but the weather this year was perfect -- lows in the 40s and a high of 60, with gusts of 10 mph or less. Perfect! It is a lot easier to get out of bed at 5:30 a.m. on race day when the wind is not howling outside your window.
Although my time of 2:09 was far from a personal record, I met my two goals for this race. My first and highest goal was to finish the race without an injury. I have not trained as hard as I would like, and most of my training was on a treadmill, so running hard to set a personal record would have been disastrous, especially in light of the fact that our 9 1/2 hour plane ride to Madrid was scheduled for the following day. My second goal was simple -- finish the race. Regardless of my time, I wanted to finish so that I could get the second of five finisher medals in the Cowtown's medal series. When you get all five medals by running the half marathon, full marathon or ultra marathon at Cowtown in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, they form a star. The 2010 half marathon medal & the first two points of my star:
Cowtown is the first race I have done twice, mainly because it is held in Fort Worth, where we reside. I like supporting the race, but I did not have high expectations in light of my experience in 2009. In 2009, the water stops were understaffed and poorly run, and the finish line area was a mess. I think the race really improved in 2010. The water stops were more frequent and better prepared, and the finish area, at least around the medal disbursement area, was more secure. The food and water area were still chaotic, but that was likely because everything was crammed into a small area. With 21,000 people running, there were a lot of people in one little area in downtown. The finisher shirts, in technical fabric, were a pleasant surprise, and the beer tent did not disappoint. All in all, I think the race was much better run this year.
I did not hang around long after the race. Instead, I went and got a massage and a pedicure. I think that is my new post-race regimen.
Next up . . . Madrid!
Although my time of 2:09 was far from a personal record, I met my two goals for this race. My first and highest goal was to finish the race without an injury. I have not trained as hard as I would like, and most of my training was on a treadmill, so running hard to set a personal record would have been disastrous, especially in light of the fact that our 9 1/2 hour plane ride to Madrid was scheduled for the following day. My second goal was simple -- finish the race. Regardless of my time, I wanted to finish so that I could get the second of five finisher medals in the Cowtown's medal series. When you get all five medals by running the half marathon, full marathon or ultra marathon at Cowtown in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, they form a star. The 2010 half marathon medal & the first two points of my star:
Cowtown is the first race I have done twice, mainly because it is held in Fort Worth, where we reside. I like supporting the race, but I did not have high expectations in light of my experience in 2009. In 2009, the water stops were understaffed and poorly run, and the finish line area was a mess. I think the race really improved in 2010. The water stops were more frequent and better prepared, and the finish area, at least around the medal disbursement area, was more secure. The food and water area were still chaotic, but that was likely because everything was crammed into a small area. With 21,000 people running, there were a lot of people in one little area in downtown. The finisher shirts, in technical fabric, were a pleasant surprise, and the beer tent did not disappoint. All in all, I think the race was much better run this year.
I did not hang around long after the race. Instead, I went and got a massage and a pedicure. I think that is my new post-race regimen.
Next up . . . Madrid!
Yay for you!
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