Race review: Tyler Azalea 10K

ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
I got across the red bricks and up and down the hills of Tyler and 42:20, 1:33 faster than the same race 2 years ago and 1:10 faster than any other 10K I've run.

DID YOU WIN?
I was hoping to break 42:00, but considering the 70-degree weather and harder-than-I-remembered course, I was more than happy with my time. I took 3rd of 28 in my age group and 22nd of 657 overall.

HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
After a 4:25 a.m. wake-up and extremely sleepy drive to Tyler, I downed an Amp and jogged around the neighborhood. I wasn't drenched in sweat yet but the temperature and humidity were apparent.

I controlled my start much better than my last race, taking the downhills comfortably without zooming down them. By the 2-mile mark I knew my stretch goal of 40:30 wasn't going to happen, but I felt strong. The winds were nowhere near as fierce as predicted.

I reached the halfway point in about 20:40 and thought 41:20 would be a great number for today. But that pretty much went out the window with the half-mile hill starting just before the 4-mile mark, and got further away as we kept ascending more or less all the way to the finish. Sure we started and finished at the same spot so the net gain was zero, but it sure seemed like the uphills did more harm than the downhills did good.

WHAT ELSE?
The advertising is not hyperbole: This is probably the most picturesque course in Texas. Most every house along the course has lovely, huge azalea bushes, all in bloom, and the red brick pavers make the experience feel even more historic. It's almost enough to make you forget that if you blink you'll miss the flat parts.

The aid stations were ideal: water on one side of the street, Powerade on the other side, with signs advising of such beforehand. I enjoyed having one less thing to think about.

Normally I don't care about finish-area music (because it's mostly horrible), but a little bit of background noise would have been nice during the extended wait for the awards ceremony. I milled about for much longer than it took me to run the actual race.

SPLITS?
6:36
6:42
6:35
6:45
7:06
6:56
7:00 pace last .25

OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
This year Mellew upgraded the shirt to a tech shirt, and a nice one at that. Age-group awards were the standard glass plaques:

WHAT'S NEXT?
Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon, tomorrow.

Race preview: Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon

WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Dallas, TX

WHEN?
Sunday, Mar. 27

WHY?
Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon

NO REALLY, WHY?
After volunteering at the race last year I decided to run it this year. A long race in Dallas that's not just another lap around the lake -- brilliant.

WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Some 13,000 of my closest friends, although I believe that figure includes the relay. I also believe the race is pretty close to being sold out.

WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Low 50s warming to upper 50s. Pretty terrific.

HOW DO WE WIN?
It's hard to say what I'd consider a win. I won't be within 10 minutes of an age-group award, and coming the day after an all-out 10K, I can't really think a PR is to be expected either. If I feel OK, I'll set out with the 1:30 pacer and see how long I can hang on. If I'm still with him when I turn onto Haskell, then maybe I can surge and break 1:29:51. If not, I won't be too torn up about it.

Race preview: Tyler Azalea 10K

WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Tyler, TX

WHEN?
Saturday, Mar. 26

WHY?
Tyler Azalea 10K

NO REALLY, WHY?
I have crushed all my PRs over the last couple months except for the 10K. This one fit into the schedule.

WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Last year's race drew about 500 people and I guess we'll be close to that number again. I think the Rock 'n' Roll race in Dallas being 2 weeks later this year -- and the day after this race -- will have some impact, but then again, I'm doing both races so other folks might be as well.

WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Mid- to upper 60s with south winds at 15 mph. Not in any way ideal but it least it should be cloudy.

HOW DO WE WIN?
I should have no trouble bringing down my PR of 43:30; the only question is by how much. The internet says I should be 3 minutes better, but given the conditions I'll hope to split the difference and be happy if I break 42. I ran this race in 2009 in 43:53. I like my chances for an age-group award; only one man in M35-39 has gone under 43 in the last 2 years combined.

Race review: Dash Down Greenville

ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
Even though I left a bunch of time on the course, I lowered my 5K PR by 32 seconds, finishing in 19:23.

DID YOU WIN?
I got the PR I expected, so I did win in that regard. Officially I was 61st of 3808, 12th of 263 in my age group -- higher overall by about a dozen spots but lower in my age group by a couple places than the previous 2 years. M35-39 is no joke.

HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
My tendinitis eased enough to let me get a couple of jogs in this week, but there was nothing remotely close to 5K race pace. I had a good feeling going in that I'd get a PR, but that was just from having a better race plan, not any physical factors.

I started a couple rows back from the starting line and took off like a shot. So many folks were behind me that I worried about getting run over, having been on the other side of that fence before as the one running people over. Toward the end of the opening straightaway I actually felt a little breathless.

As we turned onto Caruth Haven I finally had a little elbow room and settled into my pace. I'd blasted through the first mile in 5:51, a few seconds faster than my 1-mile PR. After climbing the hill on Southwestern and turning onto Skillman, I headed into what was supposed to be an appreciable headwind. It wasn't that bad -- at first.

But somewhere around the halfway point of that mile-long stretch, it suddenly dawned on me that it was starting to warm up in a hurry -- and oh by the way, don't forget that you've got the wind in your face, regardless of how strong it really is. The wind became a crosswind on University, as I started to feel the effects of how little and how slow I'd been running since Cowtown. Is it possible to bonk a 5K?

Fortunately the final turn back onto Greenville came soon enough, and even though a couple more folks zipped past me, I put together enough of a kick to come in right around the time I'd been aiming for. If it's a little cooler next year and I'm a little more appropriately trained, maybe I can have a crack at 19:00.

WHAT ELSE?
With a train station just 2 blocks from the starting line and a bazillion folks gathering for the parade, I won't dare drive to this race. But it stuns me that DART continues to show no interest in running extra trains to handle the early birds. This is one of the biggest events in Dallas every year. If you think you're getting on the Red Line south of Bush Turnpike, forget it.

Once you've made it, you'd better get up front if you plan to run this race like you mean it. For a lot of folks, this is either their first race or the only one they'll do all year, so there's a stunning ignorance of protocol. Walkers, strollers, folks with dogs... it doesn't bother any of them to line up right at the front. There was a dude in front of me who wasn't even wearing a chip!

Some of the problems could be alleviated if the folks running the show would just fork over the few extra bucks to close all lanes of Greenville for a few minutes to get things properly underway. The entire course is too narrow, but at least this much would help.

With all this said, it's still a fantastic event, both for the beneficiary (North Texas Food Bank) and the people-watching. This bit is going to get old really soon (if it hasn't already) but I most enjoyed seeing this one guy's green T-shirt that read simply:

DUH
WINNING

SPLITS?

5:51
6:09
6:42
6:11 pace last .11

OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?

It's a 5K; you get a shirt. Otherwise, the post-race refreshments were pretty standard, and of course there was beer. Thanks to my quick finish I actually beat the line this time, but I passed anyway.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Tyler Azalea 10K, Mar. 26.

Race preview: Dash Down Greenville

WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Dallas, TX

WHEN?
Saturday, Mar. 12

WHY?
Dash Down Greenville

NO REALLY, WHY?
The DDG was my very first race back in 2008. I've run it each year since and plan to keep that streak going until I can't put one foot in front of the other anymore. Aside from the sentimental value of it being my debut race, it's quite the party and it benefits a very important organization, the North Texas Food Bank.

WHO ELSE IS GOING?
More than 3,000 will be timed, possibly a couple thousand more won't, and still thousands more will be lined up on Greenville making a whole lot of noise as they start drinking at 8 a.m.

WHAT'S THE FORECAST?Not perfect but not bad: 57 degrees or so, partly cloudy, south winds around 10 mph but picking up. That should make for a quick start and a quick finish, with the stretch from mile 1.5 to 2.4 into the wind.

HOW DO WE WIN?
I have no shot at an age-group award; I'd need to go well under 19:00 to even get close. So my goal will simply be to take down my 19:55 PR. McMillan says I should be at 19:20; I'd need a 19:14 to break my age-graded PR. I ran a 20:17 on this course last year but I have more of an actual plan this time around.

WHAT'S THE PLAN?
I ran a couple miles Thursday in what is seeming like my first pain-free run since Cowtown. I'll probably repeat this Friday to keep the blood flowing and have a chance to really stretch my calves. Then I'll take the train to the race Saturday. If you're doing this race and have a chance, please please please take the train, especially if you have someone to hold your stuff while you run.

Race review: Cowtown 5K and Ultra

ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
I ran a 23:20 in the 5K without trying. I ran a 4:40:02 in the 50K with a lot of trying.

DID YOU WIN?
I finished my first ultra, but that's about the only victory I can claim. Otherwise I was 29th of 288 in the ultra (5th of 37 in my age group) and 103rd of 3812 in the 5K (9th of 160 in AG).

HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
Saturday's 5K was just a warm-up for the ultra. I'd be running a few miles at home anyway, and entering this "race" allowed me to get a little more familiar with the area, where to park and so on. I went off at a comfortable pace and sped up a little on the downhill back half of the course but otherwise stayed in control. It was an easy run.

Now, as for Sunday, there's more of a story to tell. My plan was to hang with the 3:10 pacer as long as possible, just maybe long enough to get to 26.2 in that time before coasting through the last 4.9, perhaps coming in around 4 hours. This was a ridiculous plan.

It was warm, and humid, and windy, and not for a moment before the race did this deter me. In the corral, I told Greg, the 3:20 pacer, that I'd probably see him in a couple hours as I slid back, but I really wasn't resigned to this. After all, I'd run a half-marathon PR a week earlier in weather that wasn't much better, and a headwind in one direction means a tailwind in the other, right?

The horn went off and I trotted out with a pretty good-sized group of 3:10 hopefuls. The first downhill mile was a little quick, and a couple guys in the group started taking some shots at the pacer's credentials (sorry, I didn't catch his name and the Cowtown site is down right now so I can't look it up). He gave his marathon PR as 2:37. The peanut gallery was silenced.

I was already soaked in sweat but brushed it off. We passed mile 4 and headed up the hill across from Jacksboro Highway. "This is the second toughest hill on the course?" I thought. Piece of cake. We zipped downhill into the Stockyards and I ducked ahead to get a clean shot at the water station. It smelled like horseshit. One of my favorite segments of any race I've done, but hold your breath.

We ticked off a couple more miles, keeping the pace as a tight pack. This proved beneficial as we turned onto Main Street, into the real teeth of the wind for the first time. I ducked in behind some folks to catch a little bit of a break as we headed for the bridge, the part of the course I'd feared the most.

On this day, though, the bridge wasn't the problem. For several days beforehand -- actually I think this probably fired up during the Run the Line race and I didn't notice -- I'd been bothered by pain in my right shin. I figured it was something I just needed to stretch out, and counted on the adrenaline rush of race day to mask.

But no, stretching doesn't do a damn thing for tendinitis, and not long before the Main Street bridge, it started flaring up like a sumbitch. I fell back from the pace group, and in the span of a couple hundred yards the neon sign started to flash indicating that my day was over.

Well, over in the sense that I was not going to reach my goal on this day. And since that goal was out, and I was hurting, I very easily could've turned off on 7th or some other street and marched 2.5 miles or so back to the car. But I told myself after my first marathon, where I crapped out more than 8 miles from the finish, I don't plan on putting a DNF by my name, ever. Unless I actually break a hip or something, I'm finishing the damn race.

Someone ran alongside me downtown and said, "Let's go find that 3:10 pacer." And so I darted off for a bit before slowing again. And so it went for another 20 miles, with the darting eventually becoming jogging, and the slowing becoming walking, and more time spent on the latter than the former. The throng of folks cheering in the Fairmount area around mile 12.5 were good for a boost. The turn north at mile 19 finally let me use the wind that been steadily picking up. The folks blasting "Like a G6" pushed me through the water stop at mile 23 as I dumped a full cup over my head. (Hey, I like that song, I'll admit it.)

The ultra split from the marathon course just past mile 25, and all motivation was lost. The cheering spectators vanished, and the view of the Trinity from along the trail did nothing to distract me from the now-crippling pain in my leg. Every time I stopped to walk, it hurt more to start going again. The only time it felt better was when I realized how incredibly bad my lower back was hurting. Something was going on behind the levee that sounded like cars being crushed, but it smelled so awful that I longed for the manure of the Stockyards.

We rejoined the marathon course for the last mile, and I spotted another ultra runner who I'd been leapfrogging many miles earlier (there were a whole bunch of these guys; I think most of them leaped last). I decided that if nothing else was going to go right, I was going to pass this guy before the finish. (OK, he had a friend or significant other come out to walk him in, so he was defenseless, but still.)

Coming down Harley I heard all kinds of folks cheering for the guy running the ultra. For a few moments, nothing hurt. I remembered why I was doing this: to see if I could. Not to scoreboard anyone, but in a way, kinda yeah. I ran through the finish line like the race had just begun.

WHAT ELSE?
Obviously, I'm disappointed with the ultra finish. I should've had more modest goals. Would my leg have acted up anyway? Most likely, but maybe I could've gone a little longer before the pain set in. I was going to finish my first ultra and qualify for Marathon Maniacs no matter what; I should've been happy with that.

All things considered, the ultra course route is pretty terrific. It hits many parts of the city and mixes main roads, side streets and trails quite well. It's not a course for a PR, but I can respect the thought put into it to show off Fort Worth. On the other hand, many of the streets are in poor shape and provide a tricky running surface. Some streets had actual holes in them. And the out-and-back section that's shoehorned in for the ultra is miserable.

The support for the race was really incredible. The aforementioned Fairmount group was ringing cowbells and cheering at an ear-splitting level -- and that wasn't even a water station, just a crowd of dozens making noise. The water stops were well-manned and large enough to accommodate everyone, and several folks set up folding tables in front of their houses and made their own unofficial aid stations.

The expo was enormous. I bought a singlet and my 50K, 50 mile and 100 stickers for the car, and got a good lead on a medal display (I've outrun my current setup). Getting in and out was painless. I saved the 5 bucks and parked at the UNT Health Sciences Center; the walk was a little longer but plenty reasonable, and I easily made the time up on the way in by skipping the line.

SPLITS?
For the 5K:
7:45
7:15
7:09
7:05 pace last .17

For the 50K:
6:58
7:04
7:09
7:03
7:14
7:07
7:03
7:20
7:23
7:59
8:16
8:32
8:10
8:59
8:44
9:26
8:51
9:20
10:03
10:26
9:16
10:06
10:24
10:09
9:56
10:36
10:27
11:23
11:12
11:18
10:40
8:16 pace last .18

OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
Your mileage may vary, but for running both days I got both a cotton and tech shirt with the exact same design and sponsor logos. Is it too much to ask to make the cotton shirt some other color? The wedge-shaped finisher's medal is the 3rd in a 5-year series that ultimately forms one big circle with a star logo. If you missed the last 2 years, you can buy your way up to speed with a charitable donation. I'm all for charity but the idea of selling finisher's medals disgusts me. Medals are to be earned, not bought.

The finisher's tech shirts are long-sleeved and race-specific, and not white. I also got a small Cowtown Challenge medal for running both days. Folks who ran the 10K on Saturday got a third medal -- I know of no other 10K that gives a medal to all finishers.

Post-race food was satisfactory, with bananas, yogurt, donuts, peanut butter crackers and so on handed out as you walked through one of the livestock sheds. There was yet another long beer line that I didn't have the energy to stand in.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Dash Down Greenville (5K), Dallas, Mar. 12.

Where in crazy Fort Worth am I?

My first marathon, the Route 66 in Tulsa in 2009, was my only race so far that offered runner tracking. Some of my friends got texts at a couple checkpoints, some got them at others, some got them out of order... in other words, it was a mess.

Let's see if things go more smootly at Cowtown on Sunday. You can track me at 10K, 13.1 miles, 30K, 26.2 miles and the ultra finish. If you didn't do what I did -- drop all your data subscriptions to spite T-Mobile until your contract runs out -- I don't think the service costs anything. Depending on my mental state, you might find out that I finished before I do.