A Not So Fun Run In Big-D

Never Again

The Big-D Marathon is one of the most scenic runs I have ever been on. Tree-lined neighborhoods, a lake, and the Deep Ellum entertainment district gave runners something to enjoy for most of the marathon. Further, when they were present, the groups cheering runners on were loud, creative and a great diversion.

All that being said, I will not sign up to do this again. Which is a shame because I would like nothing better than to come back on a better day and conquer the many, many hills and improve my finishing time.

However, the safety factor and a few other things make this particular marathon one that I would rather not do again. Let's start with automobiles. I knew something was terribly wrong when I saw a bus heading right toward me before mile two. And not just a bus, but car after car after car were on the course. At least three times I had to move to the gutter because there was a car directly behind me. I don't care if the course is marked or not, the car will always win out, regardless of the intentions of the driver.

Speaking of course markings, in most places there were cones, but runners were not sure what side of the cones they were supposed to be on. In many cases, it was the side the cars were not on at that particular time. We even asked an officer at one juncture and he didn't know either. The course also crossed major intersections where police were allowing automobiles to go through between packs of runners. Unfortunately, there were too many instances where police had to yell (or whistle) at drivers to stop at the intersection or not turn onto the course. I began approaching each intersection with a certain amount of trepidation the last half of the race.

During our stint along White Rock Lake, we encountered not just automobiles, but many rude bikers. Allow me to say that the rude ones were in the minority. Most of the bikers would offer words of encouragement as they rode by and most approaching from behind would let us know they were there.

The first mile of the course was along a street under construction. WTF?

Finally, starting at about Mile 16 water was touch and go. Sometimes it was cold, other times it was too warm to drink.

Two things I will not complain about are the hills and the weather. This is a hilly course. Who knew there so many hills in Dallas? Certainly not me. The weather was not ideal. Sunny during most of the run with temperatures above 70 at the start and reaching 87 during the race. But like I say, when you sign up for a race, you do not get to choose the weather.

I Feel Great!

Relatively speaking. I just drained the blister between the balls of my feet and my feet, as well as the rest of my body have cooled down. Yes, there is some sun burn, but that is to be expected with a day like Sunday. But, I feel much better the day after than I normally do after a marathon. Even with the heat, the hills and everything else, my day after is just peachy.

In order to run a distance such as a marathon, most people are not elite runners and in all likelihood, they are overcoming something about their bodies that makes marathoning a less than ideal choice of a sport. For me it is my stomach and the fact that my left leg is much longer than my right. I understand that in the great scheme of things, these are relatively minor compared to what others have to go through. The important thing is that I understand my limitations.

Because of stomach problems it is hard to intake food and water during a marathon. My last meal is always dinner and all I can manage before hand is a banana about three hours prior. Carb Boom (my fuel of choice) is no longer an option after mile 20 (sometimes earlier). I cannot run while drinking water and I cannot down an entire cup, even while walking, otherwise my stomach becomes very unhappy. I am aware of this and I know that later in the race I must take longer walk breaks at water stops so I can slowly sip from the cup.

My other problem can be resolved by running on the left side of the road. Most roads slope to the right and left for drainage (some slope only one way). So I just run on the side that slopes down to the left. Easy...

Dallas presented two problems. First, it was dang hot which only increased my stomach problems and second, much of it was run on the right side of the road. Ack! So I took it easy. I did a lot of walking. I think I have more respect for walkers now than ever. If you are out there alone, it is boring as hell.

In essence, I ran a smart race. I did not try to overcome the conditions - heck I did that by finishing in the alloted time. I took what the course and the day gave me and a I ran accordingly. So today, I feel pretty darn good.

How Hot Was It...

One "cool" thing about the Big-D Marathon is that they gave out a special finisher's medal to the top one hundred male and top one hundred female runners who crossed the finish line. Due to the heat, they were still awarding the Top 100 Medals well after four hours.

There is a lot of black top in Dallas. It is hot. My feet were on fire. Put cold water on my feet - get steam...

Listening to: Dream World - Midnight Oil (walk through eden’s garden and then wonder as you go)

Comments

[Keith]

Nice race. Thanks for the great race report. That's very upsetting to hear about the cars on the race route.

I ran a half marathon at white rock lake and I thought it was beautiful too. I remember one group of bikers that were there cheering us on around mile 9 and one guy said 'you guys look great' and then he corrected himself and said, 'well, you look okay.'

Nice job.
Keith.

[Sarah]

Congrats on what sounds like a hot, tough run!