Wounded Warrior 1/2 Marathon Results, Los Colinas, TX

This week leading up to my first real 1/2 marathon (13.1 mile run) was somewhat stressful for me, but only because I was not able to put the time I really wanted into my training.  Once again the sick bug entered our home first through my wife, and eventually into me.  After my swim on Monday, I felt great, but Tuesday was a different story.  I started feel a little bad, so I decided not to do my afternoon bike ride after work.  Later that evening, I started to feel the same pressure in my ears that my wife did just a few short days before me and woke up on Wednesday morning with a sore throat and congestion.  I went to work, but found that I was not able to stand up for long periods of time without my head pounding. 

Fortunately, Coach Lyons, had factored this week to be a taper week for me considering that I was going to be doing the Wounded Warrior 1/2 Marathon in Los Colinas on Sunday, so there was not any building exercises in my plan.  I did start to feel better by Friday with over the counter medicine, so I decided to take my bike to DFW with me, so I could meet up with a friend that I had known for a long time, David Goldmeyer, to get in a bike ride on Saturday. 

David used to work at a hospital with my wife at her first job after her dietetic internship about 9 years ago.  We got to know him and his wife Melody very well, and they have been close friends every since.  They are also fellow BLOGGERS.  Because they live so close to my mother's house, we always try to make an effort to get together with them if we can to just hang and be silly together.
David has completed several MS150 bike events over the years and even some triathlons, so I was excited that we could get together and ride.  It was a great ride just north of Fort Worth filled with rolling hills, perfect streets, and a rare light wind day.  It was just what I needed, because I was able to clear out all of the congestion during the ride, and I was ready to go for Sunday's 1/2 marathon. 

The morning of the event turned out to be very pleasant for this time of year.  Normally the Texas heat keeps the temperature up in the upper 90s even through the night, but it cooled down to the 70s by the time I woke up at 5:00am.  I grabbed a quick bite to eat and headied to Los Colinas which is only about 30 minutes from my mother's residence in the center of the DFW metroplex.

This was just a training run for me, but I soon started to get an overpowering sense of pride as they started talking about the Wounded Warrior program.  Some of you may know that I was in the Navy when I was younger, but I was never in a serious conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan.  We did not see many "Wounded Warriors" during that time unless one of us got a serious paper cut. 
The Wounded Warrior Project was created to honor and empower wounded warriors.  Their vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history by raising awareness and enlisting the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, help injured service members aid and assist each other, and provide unique direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured services members.  This event help raise money specifically for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund: "The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance and quality of life solutions for Marines, Sailors and other military personnel assigned to Marine Forces, injured in post 9-11 combat, training, or with life threatening illnesses, and their families. The fund provides relief for immediate financial needs that arise during hospitalization and recovery as well as perpetuating needs such as home modifications, customized transportation and specialized equipment."

I have always been patriotic, and I know how much sacrifice it takes to serve your country, so I felt that I had to give everything I could during this race plus a little more. 
My goal was to finish the race at a 10:00 minute per mile pace, so my goal time was 2:11:00.  I strategically place myself between the 2:00:00 and the 2:10:00 finish time pace runners, so I could keep my pace and try to avoid being passed by the 2:10 guy unless it was at the very last part of the race. 

The gun sounded, and we all started our run.  Unlike any other event I have been in, I was able to have my iPhone with me, so I stared to listen to music and get cued by my TrainingPeaks app.  Of course I also go the chance to tweet a couple of race updates during my run.  That was actually pretty fun. 

The first half of the race I was under 2:00:00 pace, but I knew that my body would not be able to keep that up, so I dialed it down a little to get my heart rate back to where it should be, and I kept looking over my shoulder to see where the 2:10:00 pace runner was.  He was nowhere in sight.  I could not believe it.  I just hit cruise control, listened to my music, and focused on the finish line.  Mile 8 went by, then mile 9, then mile 10, and still no sight of the 2:10:00 pace runner.  At mile 12, we made a U-turn to head towards the finish line, so I knew this would be my chance to pick up the pace good enough that the pace runner would never get the chance to catch me.  I was excited to see my wife, Shawn, and my mother just yards before the finish line.  As soon as Shawn saw me, his face lit up and he started to smile.  I quickly grabbed him up and crossed the finish line like I have so many times before, but each time feels so good. 

Official Finish time: 2:04:55  9:32 min/mile (PR)

This officially shattered my previous finish time of 2:35:00, so I was really happy with my results.  I am really encouraged by this finish because I am really starting to see the fruits of my hard training and coaching by Coach Dana Lyons.  I can't thank him enough for what he has done to get me where I am today without injury.  I know there will be several more personal records (PR) in the future under his direction. 

Next up on my race schedule is an Olympic Distance event in Waco, TX,  called TriWaco, that I have heard a lot of great things about: 

Waco is the home of the first triathlon ever held in the state of Texas. The Waco Striders hosted the event in May 1980 with 24 men and one woman to compete in the Olympic distance at Lake Waco with the staging area at Speegleville Park.  The event grew to 500 entries with a waiting list each year. The 12^th annual Waco Triathlon was in 1991. That was the last year for the triathlon until the new TriWaco started [3 years ago]. Many triathletes considered the Waco Triathlon the best in Texas. .

I guess we will just have to see if it lives up to the hype.  No matter what, it will be great because it will be just another time that my mother (Shawn's YaYa) will get to spend with us.  If any of you near the Waco area want to join me for this event, I would really love the company.  You can be an official Team Shawn's Ironman teamate for the day, or you can just come out and show support (Cowbell optional, but everyone needs "More Cowbell").