Recap from the Big D

Pop Quiz:

Dallas was _________.
a. a nice change from Seattle's weather
b. sunny and warm
c. cold

The correct answer is C. Dallas was cold.

Who would've thought? I packed my bags Friday night based on the forecast that it will be warm and humid, with a chance of rain.

WRONG.

While I was glad to not be running in warm and humid weather, I wasn't *quite* prepared for 40 degree temps. In hindsight, I probably should've packed some old gloves and a long sleeve shirt to wear before the race. And some warm pants would've been nice too.

But despite the weather surprise, it turned out to be a great race and a fun weekend with my cousins Leann, Ryan and his wife, Lindsay.



The course was flat and fast, the scenery was good and the crowds were impressive considering the 'not-so-pleasant-to-be-standing-outside-for-hours' weather. Ryan made an excellent running partner and pushed me at a faster pace than I normally run, but it felt great (up until the last mile).

The most exhilarating part of the race was running through downtown Dallas at Mile 12, the band was playing, the fans were cheering and the announcer shouted "Go Katie! You rock! One more mile!" My legs moved faster, my eyes teared up, and I pumped my fist in glee. But....that last 1.1 mile was the LONGEST ever. I kept trudging on though because I didn't want to slow Ryan down. (we talked after the race and he felt the same way about not wanting to slow me down. talk about good silent motivation!)

And when it was all over, we both walked away with a PR of 1:47:19! (This even despite our back-of-the-pack start and a 10:00 first mile.)


To top it all off, Leann and Lindsay (who ran the full marathon) both qualified for Boston!

I'll have more pictures to post soon, but now I'm just wrapping things up and heading back to Kansas City for a good ol' family Christmas time! Let's just pray the ice doesn't interfere with our fun.