San Antonio Trip Part 3

On Saturday, Kyle finally got to enjoy some hole in the wall texmex, literally his only request for the trip was to eat some really good texmex. I took him on quite the trek and when we walked in at lunch, it was packed, which was a great sign. The food was delicious. Wife points: 1.

After lunch we headed to the Alamodome to watch the Rangers play the Indians. I've only been to a couple of professional baseball games in my life, so it was a lot of fun. While I was bummed that I wasn't in an open stadium to work on my tan, in hindsight it's probably best that I wasn't exposed to excess sun the day before my race.

After the game, we had to hustle to get ready for Kyle's conference dinner and concert, and I had to pick up my race packet. I got ready super fast and hustled over to the hotel for the out of town pick up. I had planned to go to the regular packet pickup earlier in the day to check out the expo, until I realized it was a 25 mile/$30 uber ride (one way!!). Uh... hell no. The packet pick up was incredibly unorganized. I arrived 5 minutes after it opened and I was in a line of 30+ people that didn't move in an extremely hot room. My version of hell. I think they had some issues with their workers showing up, because as I was in line, a few more people showed up, and finally the line started moving. 30 minutes later, after I had sweat through my dress. For real.

We went to Kyle's conference dinner, ate some great food, including some steak, shrimp a giant salad and steamed veggies. This might be a variation off of my new favorite pre-race meal, as I had zero stomach issues on race day! After dinner and the presentation, Big and Rich performed for the bankers. We hung out for a bit, sitting because... race eve.... double fisting waters.... so boring.

We went out on the balcony before we left to try to take a picture overlooking the River Walk, and then the couple we asked to snap a pic of us, literally turned their shoulder to give me the cold shoulder. Selfie it is! Where's the southern hospitality?!

When I got back to the room, I immediately put my compression socks on and observed some legs up the wall. My feet were so swollen and squishy.



Sunday morning was race morning.

And immediately after my ice bath + shower, we headed to Chipotle for lunch. Guacamole dreams right here.

And then it was FINALLY time to catch some sun by the pool. The real reason for the vacation. For me, anyways. We got to soak up vitamin d for about 2 hours before we had to head to the airport to make our trek back north. :(

But not before eating one more time (we ate a lot on this trip, thank goodness I had to run 13.1 miles at the end of the trip. For a hotel bar, this Margherita pizza was to die for. My only regret is that we were going to the airport and I felt lame bringing a to-go box to the airport, so I gave it to our uber driver. I miss that pizza.

DFW Trip Day 3

Monday morning was my last full day in Fort Worth. How did this happen already? I feel like I just got here! I slept in a little bit and Dom got her kiddos off to school, and then we had a coffee date at a super cute cafe.

 

And we wondered around doing some shopping, more window shopping than anything, and I snapped a ton of pictures of interior ideas for our house. I could've dropped some serious $$$$ on fun stuff, including a gorgeous green velvet couch. I mean.... that needs to belong in my living room, right?!?

After striking out at half a dozen lunch spots (turns out every place is closed on Mondays! good to know!) we finally found a great spot. But they served delicious pizzas. And as good as they looked, I had to pass (shocker) and get a beet salad and butternut squash ravioli. Oh mah gawd. So good. Hands down the best meal of the trip! 

Sometimes you have to pull over and take a apple watch self-timed photo in front of some sweet artwork. 

 

I got to go pick up the kids from school with Dom, and their excited faces to see us was almost enough to convince me that maybe I want a kid too. Maybe. Dominique coordinated a sitter for the night, so we went out for some happy hour drinks. And I was the last person on the planet to try a moscow mule. Yum. After I had yet another Texas beer.

I could've sat and stared at this light thing all night long. Oh did I mention that we sat outside for happy hour? Because it was that gorgeous out? Yeah it was.

 

After dinner we made our way down to the Stockyards to take some quick photos.

 

Tuesday morning we were finally able to go to the restaurant we had tried, and failed to go to two previous times on the trip. It was so very worth the wait I can't even tell you.

 

My coffee date is cuter than your coffee date.

 

 

This breakfast, right?!?

And just like that I was heading back home. :(

 

My Next Goal Race

I have been itching to get on a plane going anywhere. A couple of months ago, I had the crazy idea that I should go down to Dallas for the Dallas Marathon, take my dad along with me so he could see the family, and I could have a race weekend, see my fam and spend some much needed time with Dom! I'd priced out flights and was all ready to go, until I realized that the Dallas half registration fee was $130 this late in the game. Uh... what?! That's almost $10 per mile. Pass.

I put the idea out of my mind until I thought of the Cowtown Marathon, knowing that was one that Dominique had done previously, and it fell on the weekend before my nephew's birthday! But then I realized that race was ALSO over $100 for registration. WTF Texas. I guess everything really is bigger in texas, including race fees. Give me my $35 South Dakota half marathons any day I guess!

I accepted defeat on my southern race plans until I was bored one day and started looking through more halfs in the Dallas area. And that's when I found the Too Cold to Hold half the end of January. The flight was really reasonable, and when I approached my dad with the idea, he didn't completely turn me down. Wahoo! And the coolest part is that a good portion of the race is on White Rock Lake which is walking distance from my brother and family. Instant spectators!

Having a race in the middle of winter really helps my running motivation in the cold. Bonus points for a weekend getaway, and time with friends and family!

My fastest half in Dallas (09).

My slowest half in Dallas (12).

Easy Run + Texas Ya'll!

Monday I had to wake up early to get my run in before taking off to Dallas for a work conference.  I was supposed to get in 8 easy miles, but a) it was atrocious weather out b) I didn't want to wake up before 7am (I normally get up at 7:30-7:40 for work, 7 is EARLY! :P) c) I'm really embracing the taper.  I decided 6 would be just dandy.

I put on capris, a long sleeve, and a jacket for the first time in a LONG time (thanks for being nice lately, SoDak weather).  I love running running in the rain.  It's actually my favorite weather to run in, however, I loathe running in the cold while it's raining and the wind is gusting.  When I reached the 3 mile turn around spot the wind smacked me in the face.  It was SO COLD.  (Once I got home, I realized the wind chill was 33 degrees; that explains it.)  I tried to fit my hands into my light jacket's sleeves, but they were beyond numb by the time I got home.  Also my legs felt like they were at least 1200 lbs. a piece.  Clearly the lactic acid was still a-chillin' post 20 miler.  Holy cow.  Oh well, heavy legs equate to the easy pace I *should be* running my easy runs at. :)

I did 6 miles in 58:50 for a pace of 9:49.

After rushing around to get ready and pack it was off to the airport.  I arrived at the airport *as* my flight was boarding (oops!) was the 2nd to last one to board.  Arrived for my connecting flight as my 2nd flight was boarding.  Of course it was in Chi-town so I had to run all over the airport.  Made it, had terrible turbulence and almost barfed on the plane, and finally arrived in Dallas. :)

My brother came and picked me up shortly after I checked into my hotel and brought me back to his place so I could see my little nephew.  Being the adorable 3 year old that he is, he had to show me how he could do EVERYTHING.  And I snapped a gazillion pics in the process. Enjoy.

We're #1 obvs.

My bro and Harrison. H is literally a mini-Keith.

We both smile showing *ALL* of our teeth.  Love it.

Brings new meaning to cheese, huh?

Had to play w/the editing on this one.  He's just so cute. :)

ICE!

Good new kiddos!  I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, although it may seem that way since I haven't blogged since the 13th.  Oooopsies. The night before my half marathon we went to the ICE! show at the Gaylord Texan.  I've never been to an ice show, but it was pretty cool.  Also, I felt pretty B.A. when everyone was shivering inside (the temps are kept in the single digits if I remember correctly) and in my head I was thinking, "I've done long runs in this weather!"  :p

The line for the show took for.ev.er.  Definitely not what you want to be doing the night before you're attempting to PR in a race, but oh well.  I decided to snap some pics of my cutie nephew Harrison.  The decorations were so pretty.  Definitely made me want to invest in some high quality decorations for my place.  Maybe next year!

Harrison and my brother.  They look so much alike it's actually kind of creepy.

When we finally got to the front of the line, they were handing out huge blue parkas to wear.  They were pretty darn stylish.

Harrison really liked the ice sculptures.  He had this face on for the majority of the tour.

Harrison and his mom posing in front of one of the sculptures.

I pretty much wanted to check in to the hotel.  It was the most beautiful winter wonderland.

When we first arrived in the hotel, I spotted this gorgeous tree that I knew I needed to take a picture in front of.  Constructing one of my own is definitely on the list for next year. :p

Yes he's a cutie.  I know.  :)

Race Report: Dallas White Rock Half Marathon

I was super excited to hit up my first legit race expo on Saturday.  I've never done a big race before, so it was pretty cool.  I hit up some sweet free samples and found about 284937459 things I wanted.  Luke's Locker was having a big sale, and I ended up finding some more Nike tempo track shorts to add to my collection.  After I bought them I realized they matched my new-er Nike tank tops.  Look out soccer mom's, I'm going to give you a run for your matchy-matchy money. :)

I had to take a pic at the starting line in front of all the elites.  Look at me, I'm winning!!  Heh heh.  When I went to pick up my bib, the guy tried to tell me they had given it away to someone else.  Um...what?!?!?  I don't want some other fool running under my name.  No way!  Luckily they found it, but I was freaking out a bit.  When I checked out my bib, I was 8400A.  Not sure what the A meant, I consulted the race packet, apparently it didn't stand for AWESOME like I had previously thought, but corresponded with my race corral.  Um...what?  So maybe I WILL be lining up with the elites.  ;)

After an ice sculpture show (pictures and post to come!) and dinner, it was back to the casa for race freak out mode prep.  All week long I've been trying to decide whether it would be best to wear a tank top or sleeves for the race.  I knew it was going to be in the low 40s for the start of the race and mid 50s for the end.  Option A:  Freeze at the start and be perfect at the finish or Option B:  Be comfy at the start, and be HOT at the finish. Luckily after some consultation on twitter, I decided to go with the tank top.  I laid out all of my clothes and gear Saturday night before hitting the hay, and felt super weird snapping a pic in front of the fam who doesn't know I have a blog.

I went to bed at 11, and easily woke up once per hour.  The alarm went off at 5 and I sprung up out of bed and started getting ready.  My bro and I made the trek to Dallas in some heavy fog.  He dropped me off, and I was on my own.  I left my phone with him because I was super afraid that my bag would get lost and I'd be screeeewed.  I really wish I would've had it for those two hours though.

I met a gal who was running her first marathon, and we kept each other calm-ish for the 2 hours before race time.  Finally it was getting close to the time we were supposed to be in our corrals so we headed outside.  It. Was. COLD!  BRRR!!  I was half tempted to ask some random boys to hug me while we waited.  No shame here. :p  The gun went off and the elites were off, and about a minute later I crossed the finish line.  I was super concerned being in the "fast" corral that I would get swept up in the quick pace and crash and burn.  Luckily there was some bobbing and weaving that took place in the first couple of miles that kept me from going out way too fast.  I kept seeing people throwing off their cheap-o gloves and was half tempted a few times to snag a discarded pair.  I was warmed up but my hands were frozey!!

The first few miles went by really fast.  I didn't really check out the scenery but I was concerned about running over those in front of me and cutting people off while trying to pass.  There were a bunch of skyscrapers which was pretty cool, and I was super happy Mr. Garmin didn't lose a signal because of the tall buildings.  By Mile 1, sweat was starting to roll down my temples, so I was content with my tank top final decision.

1. 8:57
2. 8:57
3. 8:37 

I missed the 3rd mile split, so I tried to pick up the pace a bit after that mile, because I was afraid it was similar to miles 1 and 2.  Also, it was about mile 2 that I started to notice that my garmin was showing about .1 miles long.  Oy!  Tangents Jerbear!  Tangents!  It never failed that each time there was a water station I was on the opposite side of the street and would have to shoot over to the other side.  I also had a sideache for the majority of the first 5 miles.  I took a GU about 25 minutes before the race, and I usually don't, so I think that might have been the case.

The next few miles were in a gorgeous area of town.  The houses were huge and historic looking, with beautiful Christmas decorations strung up.  Because of the fog and 100% humidity, the streets were really wet and slick.  My knees were NOT happy about that part.  I thought I left the slippery/slick running back home on the snow covered paths!

4. 8:41
5. 8:44
6. 8:38 

Around the half way point, I tried to start predicting a finish time to see if I'd be close to a PR.  I knew I was pretty far off from my 8:30 pace goal, so I wanted to come up with a new time to shoot for.  Doing math while running makes time flyyyy by for me.

My 10k split was 54:45 for a pace of 8:50.  My 10k Split rank was 1659.  Right around this point the marathoners and half-marathoners split apart on the course and it was so nice to have some breathing room.  It was pretty congested up until that point.  You know....just running with 20,000 of my closest friends til then.  ;)

Around miles 7 and 8 there was a little out and back portion, so it was really cool seeing some of the front runners in the half.  That kept me entertained for almost a full mile.  Once I hit mile 8 I realized I only had 5 miles left, and I felt GREAT.

7. 8:38
8. 8:36
9. 8:39
10. 8:32 

Once I hit mile 10, it was time to kick it in the booty.  I actually yelled out "5k left kiddos!" because I was so excited.  No one else really shared my enthusiasm, but it's truly my favorite part of the race, because I love me a strong 5k.  [Sidenote:  According to the stats on the website, I passed 120 people during the last 3.1 miles.  I'll take it!]  The last few miles was on a bike trail, so there were less spectators, but also less rolling hills.

My mile 10 split was 1:27:54 for a pace of 8:48.  My rank at the 10 mile split was 1586.  The last 3 miles of the race FLEW by.  My last 5k time was 25:17.

Because my garmin was still showing about .1 miles long, I wasn't quite sure where to start my kick.  When I saw the balloons of the finish line, I thought CRAP! definitely should've started sooner.  I kind of looked like a fool with an all out sprint in from the last .1 miles, but oh well.  Hopefully it made for a great finishing pic, right?! :)

11. 8:23
12. 8:13
13. 8:06
.21 1:26 (6:47 pace 5:27 max pace)

Final time 1:53:09 for a 1:30 PR for 13.21 miles.  I ran an 8:34 pace according to the actual distance I ran, but 8:39 for 13.1 miles.  Bummer, because if my calculators are correct, I would've been pretty ding dong close to 8:30 pace for 13.1 if the course was correct/I didn't suck at running tangents.  Oh well, gives me extra motivation for the next one, eh?

Race Stats?  Sure why not?  :)

Field Placement:	1469 / 6654 (22.1%)
Age group:	25 – 29
Group Placement:	99 / 717 (13.8%)
Gender Placement:	420 / 3483 (12.1%)

I guess I shouldn't have felt soooo weird about being in the first corral.  :)

Hopefully the course photogs got some sweet pics, but my official photog crew was back home.  For the record, I missed my fan club.

Luckily I found my bro right at the finish line.  Wow, was I a SWEATY mess.  Holy crap.  Soooo glad I went with the tank top.

This was by far the most fun I've ever had during a race.  I ran almost a perfect race, except for I should've started my kick sooner.  I crossed the finish line with a HUGE smile on my face.  I beat my best time by 1:30, when I didn't even think that was an option a month ago.  The crowd support was awesome.  And I officially love big races.  This race got me SUPER pumped for my full in May.  :D

Favorite sign of the course:  Hurry ___________.  Run like Tiger Woods is chasing you.

Favorite back of a shirt on the course:  I would let Brett Favre knock up my girlfriend.  I caught up to him and we chatted about The Pack for a while.  I almost asked if the shirt was in reference to current or future girlfriends, because I think him and I could work something out.  ;)

Thanks so much for all of your support on my blog and on twitter.  It's great having such a strong support system.  Love you kids!

Half Marathon #6 is in the record books.  Bring on the next race!!