The weather was cold and wet, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the high 30s. Jamie, Justin (our brother-in-law), and I woke up at 5:15am, put on all of our clothing - including rain gear strategically purchased at Goodwill, and were out the door and at the park by 7:15am. We dropped off our stuff at the World Vision tent (more on that later), and headed for the starting line.
We joined 25,000 other runners at the beginning of the race and before we knew it the race had started! Justin and I ran our first mile in approximately 11 mins (2 mins off of our target pace), and so we spent the next 12 miles or so getting back on pace. This was somewhat easy to accomplish because both of us had plenty of adrenaline and desire to pass fellow runners. We ran into family members at 1.5 and 8.5 miles who spurred us on to conquer the 26.2 mile jaunt through Dallas.
I must say that the first 11 miles were an absolute BLAST! Justin and I danced around puddles and people as we plunged through the course. We weaved between cars and dodged obstacles as we meandered from water stop to water stop. We laughed, told jokes, gave high-fives to spectators and made sure that everyone new we were going to dominate this race with style and humor.
It was at mile 8.5 that we took off some of our rain gear, which proved to be a terrible mistake come mile 17 or so as we ran around the lake. Though we finished the 13.1 miles in 2:05 - only five minutes behind our target pace, mile 17 became our undoing as the wind tore at our already cold, damp bodies causing cramps - first for Justin, then for me. All rhythm was lost, and we never really regained it. The Dolly Parton Hills came up from miles 20-23, and they were absolutely grueling. Picture yourself standing at the base of Mt. Everest knowing you have to hike up every single step of the way to get to the top in that freezing snow and no oxygen. OK, so it wasn't that bad, but it was close. I wish I could say we coasted to the finish line after this, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Every step for me was an act of discipline - placing one foot in front of the other, pumping my arms, telling my back to quit slouching. At 25.9 miles, Jamie, Jana (her sister and Justin's wife), and Randy (my other Dad) met us and ran with us for a tenth of a mile or so as we neared the finish.
This act meant so much to me. I was ready to walk the rest of the way, but when I saw Jamie cheering me on and then joining me...I could not have asked for anything more. Justin and I said goodbye to our brides and dad, continued the rest of the race, and crossed that finish line at 4:43.05. Yes, we were off of my goal of under four hours, but we finished!
We finished. We got our medals and t-shirts, our hot coffee and pancakes, our sore muscles and fatigued minds, and headed to the car, hot showers, and some Pei Wei dinner.
All being said, it was a full day, and it was worth every moment!
