Why We Run The Dallas White Rock Marathon

Friday was a day I really was looking forward to.  It was my second year to participate in the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital White Rock Marathon T-shirt Event.  I would get to sit with other athletes and patient champions, and autograph special t-shirts for the kids that were staying at the hospital.  It’s an event that brings everything into focus, as to what this race is about.  Sure this would be my first full marathon, but all participants for the full, half, and relay were running for these kids, and those who will need this hospital in the future.

Since the hospital’s inception in 1921, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children has treated patients regardless of the family’s ability to pay. The hospital relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations, foundations and corporations to continue its mission.

As a patient I have gone through what these kids have had to endure.  I may be further down the road in my recovery, but knowing what they are dealing with on a daily basis takes me back, and makes me feel very grateful for the battles I have won.  I could not have done it without the doctors at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.

I really enjoyed and appreciated seeing the smiles on the faces of these special kids.  They have gone through so much adversity, and still look as happy as can be.  After all of the hard training, early mornings, long Saturday runs, and overall exhaustion, this event gave me the boost I needed.

I Love Rock’n’Roll (Dallas Half Marathon)

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It only took me a couple of days, after White Rock, to consider running in the 2011 Dallas Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon.   I delayed my registration due to costs, and due to all the other complications that entered my life at … Continue reading

Playing catch up – again

So help me, I think about blogging most every day, but everything seems to leap forward and prevent me from sitting down and focusing on writing something.   I’m still training, and doing very well actually.   I won’t try to post every single map of my training runs over the past weeks, but I will post the latest long run map, because honestly it rocked.

Saturday I set out to do a 7-miler.  On the weekend I do one long run, usually a mile more than the previous weekend’s run.  Last Saturday I did just over 6 miles, so naturally I needed to up it to a 7-miler – capiche?

I set forth on my little running adventure.  The night before I mapped it out, and sent the navigation notes to my iPhone, so I could quickly check them, so as to avoid getting lost.  As the running routes  increase in distance, so does my chance of running in unfamiliar territory.  I can no longer circle the neighborhood, because at this distance it would get boring and dizzy.  This new route had me getting to the Houston street bridge, but not crossing into downtown.

Yeah,  I crossed it; but only 80% of the way.

It was fun to run over the river – well the dried up version of a river that we have here in Dallas.  I had ridden over this bridge MANY MANY times on my bike, but running it was more fun.  I could take the time to see the marshy area below, and the cranes that were flying around.

I got right to the point that it enters the downtown area, and turned back.  I know how I am about getting caught up in the running adventure, and I didn’t want to risk over doing the mileage so much that I re-visit the foot injury that I just finally healed from.

Oh yeah the foot issue – I ran this without the need of taping and wrapping the arch.  How about that?  Ha!

Distance 8.16 mi, Duration 1:39:24, Pace 12:15 min/mile, Speed 4.9 mph.

This week begins week 5 of my training.  I have cut back the mileage a little, so I can give my body a recovery week, but also so I can run the Komen Race for the Cure 5K on Saturday.  I’ve ran 5K upwards of four times a week since March, but I have never ran an actual 5K Event.  I’ve always admired the runners at the Komen 5K, but I have always just walked it.  Each time I participated, I thought to myself, “Next year I’m gonna run this”, but I never did – until NOW.

This is going to be a blast!