The Cowtown - Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Fort Worth, Texas
United States
The Cowtown
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 15m 39s
Overall Rank = /2396
Age Group = Half BIG PERSON
Age Group Rank = 69/132
Pre-race routine:

Waited in the Jamba Juice looking for other BT racers. I must have not had enough coffee since Steve and Marci were IN the Jamba Juice and I missed them. And it's a SMALL place. Then I jogged over to the start line and waited about 4-5 minutes for the gun to go off.
Event warmup:

Miles 1-4 were warm-up
Run
  • 2h 15m 39s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

I started off a little fast but it was mainly due to the nice downhill section outside of downtown. Once I got to the first turn, I was able to take off my throw-down sweatshirt and run with just an underarmour long sleeve base and a running vest with shorts. It was cold going into the wind but nice when going with the wind. I spent the first 4 miles just getting my pace and breathing down and then just focused on being strong and steady. The weather was cold but clear so it was hard not to run faster and I struggled to keep my effort down. After the first 4 miles I was 4-5 minutes ahead of where I wanted to be but feeling really good. The next section had some hills and I went up them without much worry about my heart rate. I really enjoyed the run, even on the brick section of Camp Bowie. Once I got to mile 9ish? I started looking for my family but I was so far ahead of my goal that I must have missed them. I slowed down a bit but then hit the long downhill section of Camp Bowie and couldn't help myself and opened up my stride and just cruised down that long section. I did finally hear someone calling my name about mile 12. My wife and brother were yelling from the car stuck in traffic, so I kept going to the finish. Overall, I felt great the whole time. It sure was nice to have a well supported training run!
Miles Time Total Time Avg HR

Mile 1-4 41:34:25 41:34 161
Mile 5-8 42:30:12 1:24:04 149
Mile 9-12 40:00:58 2:04:05 157
Mile 12-13.1 11:38 2:15:43 161

Total Time 2:15:43 Avg HR 158

What would you do differently?:

Run slower on the uphills.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around looking for Steve, Marci, Aaron, etc and watched the 5k runners drink beer. I had a hard time staying warm after the race since I was still damp from sweat and being downtown where the winds were blowing through the streets. Walked back to the parking garage and sat in my truck.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training plan that said to stay in Zone 2!

Event comments:

This is a small but nice race with plenty of sceanic views and quaint neighborhoods. I like the start and finish in downtown but the layout and organization at the finish line lacked some thought. I gave up standing in line for food cause it took way too long. Also, it was a mess trying to get back to the parking garage since the I couldn't get around the 5k race in progress. However, I would do this race again. It's a great course that I would describe as a miniature version of the Austin AT&T Half Marathon course. The hills are not as steep in Cowtown but some are more gradual.




Last updated: 2008-02-13 12:00 AM
Running
02:15:39 | 13.1 miles | 10m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 69/132
Overall: 0/2396
Performance: Good
Course: Long stretches of flat interspearced with hills.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3