Just a runner and triathlete...walking the aid stations on my journey to the finish
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
2013 Fort Worth Cowtown Half Marathon Race Report
Sunday, on my 45th Birthday, I ran my favorite race. Cowtown. It ain't even close. I ran the 10k as my first road race ever back 23 years ago. I loved it then and was hooked. Each time I run it, I say basically the same thing…this is an awesome race. As found in last year’s race report “I’m probably biased, but my adopted hometown nailed it is year! Well done; well done indeed.”
The weather was excellent. 40° to start the race at 7:00 AM and warming to the 60’s by mid-afternoon. A strong SE wind kicked up late in the half, so I’m guessing the full marathon folks ended up a little wind burnt and warm.
No reason to burry the purpose for writing this post…I owned this race. 1:55.14 official time. This is almost 2:30 fast than any previous half marathon (17 in all). It felt like a PR as well. I was pretty gassed at the end and sore afterwards. Actually, I got a little emotional a few times during the race because I had a strong feeling it was a PR type day. I had to fight that starting a the fourth mile because there remained the possibility of a meltdown. Yet, it was perfect. I was doing what I love, feeling great and celebrating 45 years in the books.
Cowtown sent e-mail results from various locations on the course. This was really cool, except I’m not sure what good it is to get an e-mail during the race…yet the data after the fact is very nice. Here is the content from the four e-mails:
5k Split - 28:29
9:10 Pace
Est. Finish Time 2:00.10
10k Split - 55:45
8:58 Pace
Est. Finish Time 1:57.36
11 Mile Split - 1:38.05
8:55 Pace
Est. Finish Time 1:56.54
Half Marathon Finish - 1:55.14
Pace 8:47
As you can see, I ran increasingly faster as my average pace kept dropping. Not a huge drop from 6 to 11 miles, but during those last 2 miles I must have been humping it. Here are the splits from my iPhone using the iSmoothRun App:
1. 9:40
2. 8:54
3. 9.01
4. 8:34
5. 8:56
6. 8:45
7. 8:41
8. 8:57
9. 8:53
10. 8:48
11. 8:31
12. 8:23
13. 8:05
.18 7:45
That, my friend, is moving like a 35 year old again rather than a 45 year old.
My race strategy was to run miles 1-4 in the 9:15 per mile range, drop to 9:00 minute miles in 5-8, survive the hill on mile 9 and then bring it home in the 8:45 pace range or better. I was slotted in coral 2 which was a huge help in getting out of traffic and running comfortably. It was still bumper to bumper for a few miles, but I was able settle in much sooner than at White Rock and San Antonio last fall.
I LOVE the hill doing south into Downtown. It is one of the icons of the race in my opinion. I tend to run hills well so it has always been a great feature for me without inflicting the damage it does to some. Once I caught my breath and got my heart rate back down, I hit the gas and accelerated to the finish.
Anyway, a great race. Expo was pretty quiet, but packet pick-up was super smooth. Tons of finisher’s food. Fruit bagels, bars…soup and ice cream. I'm surprised how much I like it at Will Rogers for the start/finish in lieu of the Stockyards or Downtown. Parking is fantastic and free. I was complaining about my late entry fee of $90, but compared to Dallas it was actually about $25 cheaper because I didn't have to pay for parking at the expo or on race day.
Again, a great race. Can't wait for next year. Maybe I'll do the full marathon. This is where my PR for that distance is as well. Cowtown. I love it.
Run in Peace, Rest in Grace
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