Maybe I am a cold weather runner.

Being a Texan means not handling cold weather well, and by cold weather, I mean below 60 degrees.  I have turned into a cold weather wimp.  That being said, I ran extremely well in cold weather this weekend.  All the summer training really pays off in the fall.

Saturday was the The Loop 15K out at White Rock Lake – chilly and windy.  I was trying to hold back and I didn’t want any miles under 8:45.  Of the first 5 miles, only one was below 8:45 – the last 4 all were.  I just wanted to be done so I picked it up a bit.  Waiting for official results to be posted.  This 15K was over a full minute faster than the Autumn Equinox.

Sunday was the Tyler Rose half marathon.  It was my third race in the 4 Seasons Challenge.  One more and I get some extra bling.  There were definitely pros and cons to this race. 

Pros: small race size, parking was free and right on sight, good freebies afterwards, ran with Megan, and a PR

Cons: Mile markers were terrible.  They had a full, half, and 5K.  The starts were in different spots.  The course markers were all over the place and you didn’t know what marker was for what race.  We get to ‘Mile 1’ and I look down at my watch and it is 0.50 miles into the run.  That mile 1 was for the marathon, but there was no differentiation in the signs.  Also, I didn’t see any mile markers for the half after mile 10  It was a hilly course and a long drive.

I started the race with Megan, figured I would hang with her as long as I could and then drop back.  We were definitely cruising the first 4 miles and I felt good.  By the time we got to the half way point Megan said that we would break 1:50 if we kept this pace up and even if we slowed down a bit.  I was struggling at this point and thought NO WAY IN HECK could I keep this going.  I had looked at the elevation chart and knew there were hills, but I did not expect this.  Someway, somehow I managed to push through everything and even was the one pushing Megan for several miles.  I definitely worked this entire race.  I kept checking my watch and knew I could break 1:50.  Crossed the line and looked down and was shocked to see 1:48.  I didn’t even realize that it was a PR at first.  It clicked a bit later.  GO ME!!!



In the Rose Garden afterwards