{race report} Dallas Hot Chocolate 15K
As I admitted in earlier posts, I really slacked on training for this race. I figured I'd end up walking a lot and just trying to have fun.
The alarm went off at 5:20am and it was 45 degrees outside. Brrrrr! I took a waffle with almond butter to the face and we were headed out to Fair Park.
Traffic and parking (free!) was a breeze, shockingly. We arrived at the race at 6:35am. The 15k didn't go off until 8:10am but the race advised to arrive plenty early because the 5k had a large turnout.
We waited inside one of the Fair Park buildings until they herded us out to load the corrals. I took a chocolate CLIF gel and said good bye to C as we headed to our corrals.
It was still pretty chilly at this point but I knew I'd warm up very quickly once we started moving. The start was easy and well organized, albeit lonely for me. I started the half with my friend Jessie and she stuck with me for about 6 miles! Starting this race alone and not running with ANYONE made the first few miles feel very boring. Also, I think the cold weather made everyone a little quieter. There was very limited chatter. The course also had about 7 spectators. Very different than the Dallas Half.
The mile by mile play by play isn't really relevant here. I stuck to my coach's plan - run a mile, walk 1 min. Seems to work really well for me and my speedy heart rate. I also did not take any gels other than at the start of this race. I just brought a handheld water bottle and filled it with water/gatorade at the aid stations. I think my stomach liked this strategy better.
At the start of the race, I made a mental note that my goal time would be 1:45. I've never run a 15k before and my only other long race was the half in Dec. I like to keep the goals attainable...and small.
I was THRILLED to cross the finish line feeling good and making my goal time (finished in 1:44 - about 11/min miles). I even managed to find a little extra energy and shave 30 sec on my last mile split!
I never made it to the tent with the chocolate fondue and finisher's mugs. It was cold and I was now sweaty which doesn't mix well with chilly wind. I headed straight inside to meet up with C and our friends. I was really glad that my stomach felt great (miserable at the half) and that I didn't feel too drained. All in all, it was a fun race! I managed to get through it and had a good time. Win-win!
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