Rock N' Roll Dallas
Finishers: 11,366
March 24, 2012
I flew into Dallas late Friday night and took a cab to the ALoft Dallas downtown. Saturday morning I didn't have a ton to do and Bryan Pope, who lived in Dallas, was not around to hang out so I just sort of wandered the streets alone. I had been in Dallas a few years back for a wedding so I took a trip down memory lane and made my way to the Adolphus Hotel where I sat and ate lunch alone at the Rodeo Bar and Grill downstairs.
I made my way up to the convention center to grab my packet and then made a stop by the Pioneer Plaza to check out the bronze sculpture of the cattle drivers. I didn't know much of what to do and didn't want to be on my feet all day so I spent a good chunk of the afternoon hanging out in the room and watching movies -- and eating popcorn.
March 25, 2012
The best part about this Dallas race was that it started right outside the front door of my hotel. Even though I was anxious to start, I hung out and ate some breakfast before going downstairs to start the race. For March, it was a very warm morning but I had my adrenaline going so I wasn't paying much attention to the heat.
We lined up and I had a stranger take my photo and then we were off. I don't remember a ton about the course, other than there was not much to look at, but I do remember slowly falling apart around Mile 4. I had been so used to training in the bitter cold of New York all winter that my body just totally forgot how to act in warmer weather.
I had cut back to a very slow jog by Mile 5 and was contemplating if I would finish at this rate. By Mile 7 I remember calling my dad while running and telling him I wasn't going to make it. He said, "so you're halfway done and you either stop and walk the 7 miles back or keep going and just finish the last 6 mile". Touche.
So through a mix of running and very slow running (and maybe some walking) I made it to the end of the race -- which was no where near the start of the race. Did not think about this. I decided to follow the crowds and saw everyone was hitching a ride on the train back to the start -- even though none of us paid. I had attempted to call my friend Amy to pick me up but she was in the middle of church. Dangnabbit.
The train however got us close enough to the start that I was able to walk the last bit to the hotel. I had to check out so I took a quick shower and then tried to meet up with Bryan again but plans just didn't match up. It was a hot, uneventful race for the start of 2012 but at least I knew what I was up against for the remaining summer race.
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| OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 6 states down, 44 more to go! #DREAMBIG |
6 states down, 44 more to go!
#DREAMBIG
