White Rock Marathon Race Report

Nasty.

That’s what one of my friends that ran the White Rock Half Marathon had to say about the weather this past Sunday.  He was right, and for me, running the full marathon that day, he was doubly right.  While my friend got to finish in 13.1 miles, I endured the weather for another 13.1.  Yet, I wouldn’t trade this run for any other.

We started getting “iffy” weather reports from the news folk about Wednesday–high rain chances on Saturday with some chances of rain Sunday and temps in the 40′s (F).  Then those reports gradually descended into higher rain chances on Sunday and temps heading down in the afternoon.  Things were not looking good, but I was hopeful it would actually be sort of dry.

No such luck on that point.  Saturday, it rained all day long.  The temps did climb some during the day, but started dropping in the evening.  I awoke to 42 deg. and light rain on Sunday at 5AM.  We had three hours to start time and I was hoping it would taper off.  But, that didn’t happen.  The rain varied up and down, but held steady.  At the gun, there was still light rain coming down.

I had added an extra tech-T that I could throw off, with a light jacket and even a trash bag on top of that.  At the start, I felt pretty good.  I chucked the trash bag right at the gun, and that was my first mistake.  We didn’t get two miles in before the skies opened up.  My jacket was overcome and everything got soaked.  However, I had actually run a race in the rain before.  I ran the Bix 7 in July 2010.  With it being cold, things were going to get worse, but at least I knew what to feel when wet.

By the time I was entering the area between downtown and Turtle Creek, the rain was light again and I chucked the second shirt.  I tied the jacket around my waist and checked my pace.  I was doing more than I wanted at 12:00-11:30 mins/mile.  However, I was comfortable and it kept me moving on.  I was just going to hold it and see how things developed.

Except for not being able to see (I wear glasses), things were uneventful for the next several miles.  I was stopping at the aid stations to get a drink and walk, but no more.  My pace was doing find and holding steady.  I really felt bad for all the volunteers, but I am sure glad they were there.  Even with the weather, they all kept smiling and encouraging us on.  The fans on the sidelines were still well in force also.  Things were about to change.

Somewhere about 8 or 9 miles, the marathon splits from the half.  That cut down my neighborhood quite a bit.  There weren’t as many runners around me now.  I kind of expected this and at first, it was good to run more or less by myself.  I had my tunes on and things were going OK.  I was getting colder and wetter however.  My gloves were soaked through, but I knew if I took them off that I would never want them on since they were so wet.  I put my jacket back on as we entered the White Rock Lake area.

With cold north winds, White Rock Lake paths can be chilly…and they were.  White Rock isn’t a big lake, but it can certainly change the weather on it’s own shores.  I could cover my hands with the sleeves of my jacket and that helped.  It must have really been chilly because normally I can’t go a quarter mile in my jacket without taking it off.  Today, I was glad I had it.  My pace was slowing some, but 13:30′s were still good.  About the time we past the halfway marker, a squall came up.

We were pelted with rain that was being wind-blown.  It didn’t feel good at all.  This kept up for about 30 minutes and by then, things were starting to come undone.  I was still going alright, but getting even slower.  As we started down the east side of the lake, I started to walk some.  I knew it would come up, but I was hoping to not use run/walks until after 20 miles.  It was at this point I finally decided my hands would be better off without wet gloves on them and took off the gloves.

I had also managed to avoid stopping for a potty break until this point because they all had long lines.  I just wasn’t going to give up time standing in line.  By now though, with the wet, the cold, and the distance, I wasn’t going to stop for one either.  I didn’t think I would come out again.  So, I did the runner thing…I pissed my pants.  Well, at this point, I wasn’t going to get any wetter and actually, for just a little while, at least it was warm.

Finally, the 20 mile marker and we left the lake area.  The aid station at 20 miles gives out Clif gels and I was ready for them.  I had been told to look out for some hills that everyone called the “Dolly Parton hills”.  I expected them to come up while we were on the lake path, but they are actually just as you leave the lake near the 21 mile mark.  I was getting tired by this time.  They were the only hills I remember that I walked.  I wasn’t going to waste everything and not finish.  I had completed 20 miles in 4:46, 15 minutes faster than I had in training.  If I kept my head and ran smart, I could still finish without a problem.

However, I was in undiscovered country.  Marathon training always runs you to 18 or 20 miles.  You have to run the last miles during the race.  I had never run this far before and each step was a new distance record.  But, you don’t feel that poetic while you are doing it soaking wet and tired.  You just keep going.

It wasn’t too long after we left the hills that the road started to level out.  From mile 23 to the end, it is virtually flat.  Thank God for that.  I started walking more and running less.  I knew now that whatever my time, the finish was in sight.  When we finally turned onto Haskell, we were on our way home.  However, that was the longest mile I have ever done.  After going under the I-30 bridge, I picked it up just a bit and kept it going (barely jogging) into Fair Park and across the finish line.  I was done and DONE.

The gun clock showed after 7 hours, but my garmin put me in at 6:28-ish.  There weren’t many people around, but they still ushered us around and into the building where several volunteers were still waiting to give us our medals and take our pictures.  Those will look wonderful (sarcasm).  I walked the entire length of the pavilion to get my finisher’s shirt.  Then I found a dry spot near a trash can and got out of my wet shirt and jacket and put it on, not so much because I finished, but because it was the only dry thing I had.  Stopping the run made me cool down way too much and I was freezing.

I hobbled my way back to Fair Park Coliseum where we waited that morning.  My sweetie had waited 8 hours or more in the car for me to run.  She is a charm.  I texted her to see if she could drive up to the Coliseum and she did.  I just didn’t have any more left to walk out to the far lot.  It was just too cold and wet.  Later, another friend that ran the same marathon felt she was having PTSD about the cold.  I could understand.  The rest of Sunday and even all day yesterday it felt extremely cold when going outside.  I would tense up remembering the time spent outside on Sunday.

Nasty.  Yes, the weather was nasty.  I don’t guess we get any extra points for that, but the medal and the T-shirt are the same.  Everyone that finished can now call themselves marathoners.  It will take a while to sink in and we won’t all realize what it means for some days.  We are hobbling around still and I have become adept at the “marathoners stair climb” routine.  It is funny, but it is no joke.  I feel pretty thankful because I got home with no other injuries; no blisters, no cuts, no falls, no chafing.

The official times have been posted now–06:28:54 was mine.  98% of the runners finished ahead of me, but that was expected.  I’m just glad to be one of the finishers.  Especially, on a day like Sunday.  I didn’t completely plan it this way, but I am glad I have the week off to recuperate.  No running.  No swimming.  No biking.  At least, not until Saturday morning.  The marathon is finished, but running will still be here for a long time.  I have a half-marathon scheduled in February, and maybe even a race in January (if I feel like it).  For now, I’m not considering any next marathons.  I know the weather was a factor, but it was much tougher than I expected.  I will need to lose some more weight and really improve my half times before I can think of another.  When I started this path, I thought that running for six and a half hours was just crazy, and yes it most certainly was.