Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:50
Pace: 10:12 min/mi

Comments: This was a warm muggy effort. There's a cold front scheduled to move through in a couple hours that will drop temperatures and bring a ton of wind. Snow is possible. So I figured getting this one in when it was still warm would be best.

Nothing fancy here. The most important note is that none of the aches I was concerned about from the race on Sunday are still hanging around. There is still a little soreness in my quads but that's about it.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 41:05
Pace: 10:15 min/mi

Comments: I was pretty sore the day after the race but it certainly wasn't as awful as I was fearing it might be. By the end of the day I was getting around pretty well. I felt a bit stiff this morning but nothing that really impeded my run.

The one thing I'm really needing to focus on as we enter the last phase of training for these January races is slowing the hell down. I did great with that in the first half of the race. Now I need to do it consistently through training.

Today I started out a bit on the fast side but deliberately focused on keeping it in check the rest of the way. My last mile was about a minute slower than the first (mainly downhill) one. That feels weird but it's what I need to keep doing.

Dallas Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles
Chip Time: 1:59:50
Gun Time: 2:30:38
Pace: 9:09 min/mi

Comments: I signed onto this one mostly as a barometer for my training for the races in January. I have been spotty to negligent in getting out there and getting runs in since Hartford and this was a chance to see how much trouble I am in for when I get to Walt Disney World.

The expectations for the race were, understandably, low. I planned to run this overslow and without any real time or pace goal. Just take what the course gave me and see how my legs felt. And if things went well, maybe put a little mustard on the last few miles.

To start, it was cold. Right above freezing. I did what I could to stay in warm areas until the start and then screwed up by getting cut off from my corral when they actually did start. I tried to loop back around but was told I'd have to get into the last corral instead. Wonderful.

So I ended up running this whole race in a crowd. It was a mess to get started but never really thinned out like I am used to. I guess that's fine. It helped me keep the pace down at the start. But it's not what I am used to.

The first 10K was almost entirely uphill. I just tried to roll along and keep up the cadence while not overdoing it on exertion. It took a good three miles to warm up where it wasn't uncomfortable and at the halfway point I took off the hat and gloves. I took a bathroom break after that which took awhile due to the lines but though it would be no big deal.

Since I was going downhill after that, I started upping the pace a little. Mostly trying to ride the descents somewhat. They had speakers set up along the course at spots and when I hit the long straight shot at Gaston Avenue, Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" came on. Time to crush some fools.

I really opened it up and was just cruising along. It felt good to just run for once. I had to slow down for the turns in the course but on the last couple miles into downtown, I decided to keep the effort up and see how it felt.

I passed one dude and, moments later heading past the final turn, he passed me back. Not today, son. I opened it completely up for the last 200 meters or so and hit the finish line full speed. It was really nice to have that kind of juice at the end of a race for once.