Lessons Learned From the White Rock Marathon

About 20,000 people donned their shoes and headed out to the fog Sunday morning. I’ve only participated in one half marathon before, and it was in Oklahoma City. So I was excited for yesterday’s run, because it was in my backyard. Check the jump to read about the things I learned in my very, very slow 13.1 miles.

1. If you didn’t feel like waiting in line for one of those four Porta Potties right at the starting line, that’s okay. The trees along Turtle Creek provided the perfect cover to pee freely. Also, a corner along Gold’s Gym on McKinney seemed to work well, too.

2. Motivational sayings, quotes, and banners can bring tears to your eyes when you’re struggling to finish (or just struggling through mile five). A rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” played by a young girl on her trumpet at a street corner even drowned out the AC/DC pumping through the earphones.

3. If at mile seven, you felt the need to cut off the almost two-mile loop and jump ahead to mile nine, go ahead! I saw one lady do it. Thought it wasn’t a bad idea.

4. The most important lesson I learned? You shouldn’t run if you haven’t trained. If you decide to be stupid and run, be prepared to hit a very strong, powerful wall. My wall came at mile 11. Thank goodness I was so close to the finish. Otherwise I would’ve called in one of those golf carts.

5. More elite runners than I can do better analysis than I can. However, I liked the half-marathon course. There were multiple downhill portions and hardly any ugly hills. There was a great turnout of supporters. I liked finishing on Katy Trail because it’s a course I run daily, so it was familiar. The only thing I didn’t like was that I couldn’t see the finish. It’s always good to see the big balloons so you can sprint that last bit. I knew the finish was coming: the density of people, the noise, and my little Forerunner watch told me so. But I didn’t see the finish until coming around a turn. I had a friend stay with me who’s from out of town. He really enjoyed Katy. He talked of making a donation.

6. Overall, it was a great experience. Thanks to everyone who cheered on the runners. And congrats to all the runners!

People gather at the finish line.