Race Recaps

Here are a few of my recent races that I really enjoyed, and stand out in my mind.

2012 Galveston Marathon ~ Galveston, TX ~ 3:56 

This race was definitely a mental test more than anything.  Temps were a chilly 40 degrees, 37 mile an hour winds and rain the whole way. Definitely my craziest racing experience weather wise! I prayed and talked to God the entire time and He got me through. I was excited to place 3rd in my age group! If you want to hear more about my experience check out the recap here.

2011 Marine Corps Marathon ~ Washington, D.C. ~ 3:54 (P.R.)

This was hands down my favorite marathon experience to date. No doubt would I do this one again. Not only did I come home with a shiny new sub 4 P.R., but just being surrounded by the encouragement and support of the Marines was incredible. The race was also very organized. Running in the neighborhoods and seeing all of the historic buildings and monuments was memorable as well. It also just so happens that I have a few friends that live there from college so I totally made a vacation out of the trip. Good times!

You can read more about it here.

2011 Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon ~ New Orleans, LA ~ 4:02

26.2 in the Bayou…great fun! Decided to do this race with one of my running buddies from Luke’s Locker. We both PR’d so we were very happy! I love the city of New Orleans, they have a lot to offer and the race was awesome. Very well organized, excellent flat course, great food afterwards! What more could you ask for in a marathon experience?! I’d love to do this one again!

2010 Chicago Marathon  ~ 4:38

This was my first marathon. I really enjoyed training for it with the Luke’s Locker crew. We all decided to train for it together and go up there and run it together. The weather played a factor in everyone’s finishing times since it was abnormally hot and humid in Chicago for that time of year. Since it was my first marathon I decided that my goal was just to finish the race, and I was very pleased with my time considering all of the factors that were out of my control. I love the city of Chicago and all that it has to offer!

New Years Double Half Marathons ~

Day 1 – 1:45 / PR

Day 2 – 1:53

Such a fun race! I thoroughly enjoyed running this one with my running buddies. It is such a great concept starting and ending the year running a race, and what better way to do it than with a half marathon. The course got a little dull since I had to run it twice (actually 4 times since it’s 2 loops each) but having my friends out there was definitely helpful. Check out the full recap here!

2010 Dallas White Rock Half Marathon ~ 1:46

I was really ready to knock it out of the park for this race after my results in Chicago. I think I was out for revenge It was a chilly TX morning, just perfect for racing. I totally decided I would zone out to my music for this race and it totally worked. My mom came out at mile 7 and that really helped encourage me going into the last part of the race. I also saw a ton of my running buddies from Luke’s there since most of us run it every year! I really enjoyed running this one and was super ecstatic I had set a new half PR.

2011 Dallas Rock N Roll Half Marathon ~ 1:47

This is one of my favorite half marathons to date. It was my second time running this race. I love the bands along the course, the spectators and the course is fairly flat and fast. Although I didn’t PR I was very happy with that time! Saw lots of friends and had great fun there.

2011 Heels and Hills 10K~ 49:51 (PR)

This was a fun race geared mostly towards the ladies (although I did see a few guys out there sporting their pink attire…hey you have to be pretty confident to be a man in pink) The weather that day was a little breezy and rainy but I definitely pushed through, maintaining about an 8 minute mile the whole way. I placed 3rd in my age group out of 60 girls so I guess that is pretty cool. I would love to do this race next year since it is in my neighborhood! They also have a half marathon portion of the race so I will likely do that race next year instead of the 10K.

2011 Central Market 5K ~ 22:38 (PR)

One of my fave 5k races so far! The weather was not as rainy and a little breezy but fairly ideal for racing! It was a great time for me to work on my speedwork! I beat my time from last year by a couple of minutes. Loved the breakfast after and hanging out with my Luke’s Locker friends!