Dallas White Rock Marathon - RunMarathon


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Dallas, Texas
United States
MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 55m 29s
Overall Rank = 4448/4866
Age Group = 45/49
Age Group Rank = 918/971
Pre-race routine:

3am wake up, fast food breakfast and drive to Plano to catch the train to Dallas. This was a good choice since I was traveling alone and wouldn't have any support leaving Dallas in post marathon condition. I had forgotten that DART makes change with Susan B Anthony Dollars-so I ended with a pile of coins that very few people would recognize where I live. I wore warm up pants and a jacket over my running clothes to be stashed at bag check in preparation for the cold front later.
Event warmup:

I haven't really figured out how to warm up for a marathon. Th DCC is a good choice for this race, they seem to have gotten all the details right. The convention center is spacious, modern and clean, easily accessible to the DART system and a short few blocks walk to the main street start. Much nicer than Fair Park. The starting corrals on main street were also very spacious compared to Fair Park and lined on both sides with portable toilets so everyone was comfortable during the pre race hyperbole. More interesting venue for looking around and waiting in the down town area. ate a cliff bar 40 minutes out from the start as it had been almost two hours since breakfast at this point. (if I ever do this again I am going to stay in Dallas or even Plano Sat night)
Run
  • 5h 55m 29s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 13m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

At mile 13 I was still on goal pace but struggling, around mile 14 I found a $20 bill on the road and felt better, by mile 19 I knew I was crumbling but managed to look good and be nice through the Hooters Rest Stop-until for the first time ever I realized I had daughters the same age as those girls then I felt old and slow. Very late in the run I was having trouble running at all, and started to have real pain in my left arm and shoulder, chest-pectorals area-I ended up immobilizing my left arm by holding my wrist with my right. I would run a bit then walk, by mile 21 I had given up and accepted a 6 hour marathon, at mile 23 even the elderly Asian lady with back spasms had left me behind and I was staring down a 3 mile run that I should be able to "jog" in 27 minutes but knew I wasn't. Anyway somewhere along the last 6 random strangers start asking me if I am ok, instead of the usual "your doing great!" even police officers directing traffic start looking at me funny and that got in my head a little-I never had pain in my arm/shoulder like that except on my aero bars for a very long time, then it was even over both shoulders. The last mile or so it subsided a little. I took fluids at every aid station except one that was too crowded, took oranges and ate 3 cliff bars that I carried but I think now I needed more salt-pretzels or salt tablets, it was pretzels that fixed me up at Redman but I had forgotten that stuff
What would you do differently?:

I don't know. I had two very good training months in Oct/Nov but two not so good one in Aug/Sep. My head was not in the game during late Aug/Sep. I thought I had laid a really good mileage base, 1400 miles this year so far, much better and faster than last year yet I was 48 minutes slower than last year a a full hour off my goal pace. I had a couple of 50 mile weeks in Nov and 2 decent 20 mile runs at a 4hr pace, several 16 and 18 milers too. I heard others complaining about their races, one lady in the elevator who coaches marathons and did her 14th one said this was one of her worse. The "pre cold front humidity" was a bigger impact than I thought.
Post race
Warm down:

First thing is to get inside, the cold front was arriving, 4 hours too late, as I finished but long after I was capable of taking advantage of it and running. I got my clothes grabbed some pretzels and chocolate milk and sat on the floor. As soon as the pretzels were consumed-two bags, the ache in my neck, arms, jaw and chest, subsided-the chocolate milk did something nice too-not sure what and I marveled at the runners drinking free beer and chocolate milk. then I begin my search for the train-a bit cruel as I was sort of disoriented and wondered end to end on three floors of that convention center before I ended up one a train home. I noted so many runners at train stations huddled in their space blankets against the cold and was glad I brought something to wear. Listened to other runners stories on the way back, found my truck, my parking ticket for parking in some sort of VIP space which i will ignore and headed for Little Caesars in Denison to try out my Susan B Anthony's-as expected the cashier was suspicious of them but another customer got excited and bought them from me and home I went. I got plenty of sleep but missed the "snow"

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Whatever the hell happens to me at mile 19? And that bizarre pain in my arm. I guess now I appreciate what other people are saying about salt tablets, I always assumed these were cold weather people who can't handle the heat, but my sweat rate was through the roof. 8 weeks of solid-marathon focused training isn't enough-even with an Iron dist tri to build on, 16 would be better with a few more 55 mile weeks.

Event comments:

They did a good job with this race this year. The venue, course, starting line all great job. They do a good job engaging the neighborhoods too-plenty of fan support and cheering. It was probably great spectating weather if not good running weather. High Points: Easy DART access, random $20 bill on the ground, Hooters girls, even if they are too young to behave that way, well organized.




Last updated: 2012-01-05 12:00 AM
Running
05:55:29 | 26.2 miles | 13m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 918/971
Overall: 4448/4866
Performance: Bad
My Garmin was tracking miles and pace appropriately but when I uploaded it, only the last 15 miles went? Also I was getting some wild HR readings after west Dallas near the Scottish Rite Hosp-over 200 bpm, at one point 271! I have never had a 270hr and haven't been able to go over 200 since my 30's, even later in the run I was averaging over 164 which is my LT. I felt ok, conversational pace but sweating like crazy in the 98% humidity. By mile 5 I was soaked and dripping sweat. My 1 minute walks ea 1 mile worked out late in the run, the first 6 miles were so crowded it was hard to pull up into a walk without being run down.
Course: A wondering tour of Dallas from Main, past the school book depository, the Old Red Court House, into West Dallas-great fan support in W Dallas (The hood) a part of town that struggles with it's identity, back across the ugly new bridge Dallas brags about-something resembling a middle school science project pf PVC and clothes hangers-around the Scottish Rite Hospital area, uptown, Turtle Creek, Armstrong Ave and her gazillion dollar homes, then the more party like atmosphere of Greenville ave eventually White Rock lake then roughly the same as years past but back into down town somehow-was not really processing well here I just wanted to be done-Swiss Ave I recall and a but of the Turkey Trot route. The hills that get mentioned the most-the so called "Dolly Parton Hills" are simply two steep back to back rollers that really aren't all that but come late enough to make an impact-the big dirty secret is that getting those behind you really is the beginning-it is all uphill to mile 21 as you leave White Rock lake-a long gentle false flat that really can zap you.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4