We did it, you guys!
Yes, I set another PR, but I’ll get to that. First, let me start at the beginning ~
Like a lot of big races, this one had an expo where we have to go to pick up our bibs. So that’s what I did.
A pretend finish line at a real expo.
I saw a lotta friends there, which was good. Tho some of them didn’t notice me at first…
Photobombing like a BOSS!
But I gotta say, the RnRDal expo has gotten really small over the years. There were not a lot of vendors. I wonder what’s going on there???
Anyway, the next morning some friends met up earrrrrrly to carpool down.
The carpool gang. We hang out under bridges and terrorize the city folk.
Since the race route had separate start & end points, we parked near the finish and then had to heel-toe it across town to the start.
The carpool gang roaming the foggy streets of Dallas.
When we got there, we were waaay early. So we did like a buttload of other runners and kept warm (and off our feet) inside the Omni Hotel.
Chilaxing wide shot.
It’s nice of the hotel to let us destroy their restrooms politely sit on their floors like that. Shout out to Omni!
Chilaxing close up.
After a while, it was finally time to race! So we shed extra layers, dropped off our gear bags, then went to the corrals. I was in corral 1 – yippee! The horn sounded, and we were off!
Here we come! Lots of interesting outfits here.
The weather was decent. In the 50’s, and somewhat humid. But the rain had stopped a few hours before the race, and it felt cool.
I will rise above, thanks street artist.
I had a ton of friends not only running this race, but also cheering and volunteering at aid stations. So great to see so many peeps along the course!
Hey, my form looks pretty good here. I’ll take it!
A bonus of having friends along the course is they were able to take some of the pics you see here. Tho sometimes they didn’t see me until I was going past.
I swear I was waving at my friend and not flipping the bird.
Warning ~ Mild Rant Here
The course itself was just ok with me. I do not understand local race directors obsession with having us run through West Dallas. I know they think it’s cool to have us cross some of the bridges over the Trinity River, but it comes at a cost of us passing MANY bail bond shops, car impound lots, etc. Not the best way to show off Dallas.
I boycotted this race last year because they had dropped their charity and were strictly for-profit. That, and I thought the quality had gone downhill year after year. Part of that quality is the on-course entertainment. There was not a lot of crowd support. And for a race that bills itself as “Rock n Roll”, there were hardly any bands along the course. Speaking of which, why is it they always seem to be taking a break when you run past?
And I already mentioned the disappointing expo, but people were also disappointed with the medals. They were very small and kind of uninspired. What gives RnRDAL?
Warning ~ Mild Rant Over
Runnin over a bridge.
Other than that, the course was nice….except for the hills! They threw in a few doozies. Especially towards the end.
Ugh.
I felt pretty good during this race. I never even wanted to stop and walk (well, I might have wanted to on that last hill – but didn’t!), I never drank anything at the aid stations, & I didn’t even eat my Gu. I was never completely uncomfortable during this race. That’s good, because it means I can go faster!
Proof that I ran the race.
I don’t know why I felt so good. Could be that everything just fell into place. However, I did do one thing different that morning…I drank UCAN.
Just a couple of BFF’s.
They are one of Meb’s sponsors. When I met him back in December, they gave us a free sample. I decided to try it before this race. I need to do more experimenting to see if it really works that well for me, or if it was a fluke!
Back to the race ~
It finished outside American Airlines Center, which is where the Mavericks & Stars play. If you’ll recall, I ran a fun 5k at the same spot back in the fall. Here’s the recap.
Flying to the finish.
Finally, I passed by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders who were dancing near the end and finished the race! New PR! WooHoo!
The stats.
This was my first race since turning 40 earlier in the week. I was probably the youngest in my age group. Hahaha, I guess it’s not any easier than the 35-39 age group. I was in the top 6% overall, but only top 13% in my division. Ahh well.
Oh, and one cool feather in my cap is now I can officially say I beat Deena Kastor in a race. She was there pacing the 1:45 group. But officially, it will go down in the record books as me finishing ahead of her. Hahaha!
Anywhoodle, at the finish area I saw a bunch more friends!
Some friends.
And then it was time for the post-race party. I was excited because Eric Hutchinson was the headliner. I actually like some of his music.
The party was ok. They gave us one free Mich Ultra beer. To me, MU is like drinking water. Not much flava. And if you wanted more than one, then you had to shell out $6 a piece. HAHAHAHAHAHA…No thanks!
Our one free beer. Celebrating the many PR’s set this day by the members of the Carpool Gang.
So we left to go get brunch and margaritas at a TexMex joint. But before we did, I got in one last 6 second video of the party.
So there it is, another half marathon in the books. And yay for the PR!!!
How bout you? Ever raced without stopping or drinking/eating anything along the way? Are you scared of the Carpool Gang? Did you race this weekend?
-Scott
Piratebobcat 