"PRIOR PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE"

The Dallas White Rock Marathon:

Let me start with the stats. There were about 6000 marathoners mixed together with about 13000 1/2 marathoners and marathon relay runners at the starting line. I was bib #3135 and started in corral B1. I don't know what all that means but dispite the cold and rain the marathon was a very well organized event.

My journey to the Dallas White Rock Marathon started for me with a flight into Dallas to be picked up by MarcE and getting to spend some time with Marc and his wonder family on Friday and Saturday morning. Saturday after noon Marc and I moved to the Omni Hotel in Dallas and promptly zipped over to the White Rock Expo. All the while it was raining cats and dogs in some chilly weather outside. It rained all day and all night Saturday! It reminded me of the rains of the Noreaster at the Boston Marathon a couple of years before.

The expo was pretty good as far as expos go with lots of vendors selling running products and hacking one marathon or another. But pretty good none the less but not even as large as the St George Marathon Expo. 

I did get to touch the good luck symbol of the White Rock Marathon which is a "Big White Rock" that was collected from the area where the White Rock marathon is run around White Rock Lake. Pretty neat tradition where the running club touched the rock before every run.

The race started pretty close to right on time, 8:00 am, even though it was raining and it was about 40 degrees. The race organizers handed out TCU purple ponchos and gloves to all runners at the start of the race.....that was pretty nice of these folks...

As the race started it began to rain harder which made most runners put on the poncho and start shuffeling down the road. The rain picked up (again and again) and then the winds started up as you got into the open and started running.

I started my race with the poncho on and found it uncomfortable running with it on, I was either going to get soaked to the bone in the rain or get soaked to the bone in sweat from being trapped inside the poncho. Several times in the beginning of the race I took the poncho on and off until I decided that I'd rather run without it. After a while your body heat would counter act the wet soggy running clothing and keep you fairly warm. It just burns up so much extra energy trying to keep warm.

My race plan this day was to run about a 4 hour marathon. But just after it starting I could that see that the weather was just not going to cooperate with me in making this plan happen. It just sucks to run in soggy shoes and soaked clothing. So I just settled into a very comfortable pace and worked my way to the finish line keeping in mind that I have a couple more marathons to complete after the White Rock and had a great time running in the rain. For the longest time I had the pleasure or running along side or slightly in front of "Spider Man". This guy was dressed from head to toe in a spiderman costume and he was a kids delight on the course. He wore the whole costume, including the head mask, the entire race.

On a day with better weather this coures would be a very fine run and it appears that it could be very fast. It's got a lot of lumpy, bumpy neighborhood running through flowing street gutters with a big section running on a blacktop lane around White Rock Lake which is very gorgeous.

So around mile 21 your leaving the White Rock Lake area and you go up the last of two (one at mile 12 which was so slight I didn't even notice it) hills known as the Dolly Parton Hills. At the mile 21 DP Hill there were a few Dolly Parton impersonators wiggling and giggling for the runners amusement! Pretty funny to see these men dressed up with the attrabutes of Ms. Partons and be sporting full beards and really deep voices? :) :).

So from there the race goes back into the "Burbs" and on into the downtown area of Dallas and back to the Fairpark where it started. It sure was neat to see to finish line, I was wet and cold and really wanted some relief. Marc ran the 1/2 marathon this day and told me at the beginning that he would meet up with me at the end of the race to get some photos and such.

At the finish all runners were directed back into two large fair exhibit halls that were warm and dry. There was plenty of recovery food and drink for all as you collected your race shirt. Pretty neat, you get two shirts at all these Texas marathons...one when you pick up your bib packet and the second, which was a very nice tech shirt, after your race has concluded.

I finished with a 4:17:20. Not my best, not my worst, just a good solid finish for my 10th marathon in the last 10 months........Now I've got 63 days to get my tired old man butt recovered and trained up for my last two marathons in my 12 in 12  -  60th Birthday challenge. Surf City USA Marathon in Huntington Beach California on February 5, 2012 and The Lost Dutchman Marathon at Apache Junction Arizona on February 19, 2012. One last fact for me, I've run 10 marathons this year, so far, and will have participated in 6 different states running them! Yahoo!!!

Pretty neat race, I'd consider doing it again especially if it wasn't raining.

Take care and Be careful out there!