(Photo credit: Dallas AM News)

I did it!  After 11 years and 5 marathons, I finally EARNED a PR.

And, by 14 minutes!

Despite this course being considered, "fast" - the weather made it by far the most difficult I've ever run.  But before I go any further, I want to commend the race directors, sponsors, police officers, volunteers and spectators for putting on an amazing race.  While the weather was out of their control, I can't thank everyone for the encouragement, support and keeping us safe out on the course. I've seen grumblings on their Facebook site and I have to say overall the race was a great experience and Dallas should be very proud of this world-class event.

2011 Dallas White Rock Marathon Finisher's Medal and long-sleeve tech shirt

My mom was amazingly supportive, as always, and I picked her up at 4:30am to head out to Fair Park.  After sitting in traffic last year for almost an hour, I was determined to get there early.  It paid off and we had premium parking. After chatting for a bit, we both fell asleep.  Thank goodness I got a text message at about 7:15am that startled us both awake.  The race started at 8am! I couldn't believe I could have almost missed the start!
 
The weather was a chilly 47 degrees (it's Texas- we don't deal well with the cold), raining and windy. Throughout the morning, it dropped 5 more degrees.  I could see my breath, I was soaked and frozen.  The hood on my poncho was full of water and every time I tugged on it from around my neck, it would pour down my back.

Many of the roads were flooded and the potholes on the course were covered with water, so you didn't realize they were there until you were ankle deep in water. My socks sloshed and even the generous amounts of Aquaphor that I used on my feet couldn't keep my shoes from rubbing off a huge chunk of skin off the back of my ankle, leaving my sock and shoe covered in blood. I didn't realize this until after I was finished, because my feet were so frozen. Bonus!

I had tried to stay as positive about the weather, but by about Mile 18, the rain picked up and it started to play with my mind. I felt pretty alone out there and was ready to be done. The pace group that I was trying to keep in front of, passed me looking strong. All I could think about was having a warm meal, taking a shower and getting into some warm, fuzzy pj's. 

I refused to look at my watch until Mile 25.  The clocks on the course were off because of the rain, so I had no absolutely no idea where I was in regards to time until that moment. I felt like I was on track, but I wasn't sure.  When I finally let myself check my watch and realized that I was going to easily PR, I was ecstatic. I kicked it into high gear and ran the last mile in as fast as I could.

I'm going to be honest, despite the PR, it was a hard race. I don't think anyone could classify a marathon as easy, but I'm pretty nervous about the double marathon coming up. The day after White Rock, I hopped on the treadmill and ran 3.1 miles and then did a recovery swim. My legs felt better than expected, but I'm not quite sure how 23.1 more miles are going to feel. Yikes!

Fun stats from RunPix:
- Of the 4530 who finished, 38% were Women and 62% were Men.
- I was ahead of about 35% of men runners.

- Over the final 6mi, I passed 111 runners and 61passed me

This weekend was a weekend of amazing PR's for a lot of people, including Lesley at RacingItOff, Jason at CookTrainEatRace, and his wife Karen, and a big congrats to my co-worker Christi who ran her first marathon and did amazing!  Way to go everyone!

Thanks again to Team Aquaphor for sponsoring me. I had many thankful people accepting samples to keep them from chafing with their wet clothing!

My mom & me

What an awesome race! The Bold in the Cold 15k is held in Grapevine, TX by the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers.  This was my first time running one of their races and my first time racing a 15k.  I've done pretty much every other distance -- other than an ultra -- so, it was fun to try something different and a 15k fit nicely in my Ironman Texas training schedule.

Marcy & Me Pre-Race

The name for this race didn't do it justice. "Bold" was not my 4 letter word of choice to describe the 34 degree weather at the race start and freezing wind chill. We were all so cold and there were no amount of layers that were going to keep us warm, although it was extremely comfortable once the race got underway.

The race was mostly on a very scenic trail which part of followed the shoreline of Lake Grapevine. It was gorgeous.  There were enough rolling hills to keep the course challenging. 

One of the best parts of the whole morning?  My mom ran the 5k race! It was the first time that both of us had competed at the same race together!  And, with no training... she kicked some major boo-tay! She placed third in her age group!  THIRD!  She got an awesome medal and I couldn't be more proud of her! 

Me, Jason & Allison

The other best part? I was able to meet up with IMTX training partner, Marcy at Team Village Idiots, and fellow bloggers Jason at Life of An Aspiring Triathlete and Allison at Just Tri and Finish!  I also got to meet Scott and Gary from BeginnerTriathlete.com.  Scott ran the 15k, and unfortunately his new IMAZ tattoo was covered up with compression wear- but it totally rocks!  And Gary was out on the course taking pictures.

Marcy's mom ran the 5k as well and placed 2nd in her age group!  Whoo Whoo!  And a big congratulations to Jason for placing 3rd in his age group!  He averaged a 7:21/min mile! En fuego!


Here's my stats on the race: 

Total time:  1:19:18
8:23/min mile pace over 9.3 miles.

5/29 age group

100/302 total runners

Marcy's Mom & My Mom with their 5k Age Group Win Medals!

77 seconds separated me from taking 3rd place.  There were 13 seconds between me and 4th place.  Not that I'm obsessing over the details. I am very happy with my 8:23 pace, it's faster than what I would have even guessed I could do for that distance and shows some serious progress in my running.

I feel like I'm really learning how to "race."  Normally, I'm in my own little world just ticking away the miles.  Today, I hunted down ponytails (in the nicest possible way, of course), but if I could see another girl in front of me, I was going for the pass.  My 10k runs at lunch with the hills paid off big time today.

Overall, I loved this race and enjoyed the course.  I thanked every volunteer that I passed and had a smile the entire time.  

Post-Race Pancakes! Yummm!

Today is also the birthday of my best friend, Chrys!  Happy Birthday B_ _ _ _ _ H!  Love ya!

A very good day!