So I don't think the wind chill made it out of the thirties on race-day Sunday! It was good running weather, but not great for the people who weren't running. (Praise God for Scottish Rite Hospital's heated hospitality tent we were allowed to congregate in!)
The weekend began when we arrived in Dallas around 11:15 on Friday night. We got up the next morning, went to the race expo (where you pick up your bib # and t-shirt), then we went to the Dallas World Aquarium with 2 other families...so cool! Kids loved it. Then we went to lunch, and then to the Scottish Rite Hospital for a tour...that was awesome! That is the most amazing place. After that, we went back to the hotel for naps, then to the pre-race party, where Katie joyfully announced this news: Their original fundraising goal was $13,914.16, based on Psalm 139:14-16; but Reagan (husband) told her that was too lofty, so they changed it to $5,139. As of Thursday, they had gotten to nearly $8,000, and then an anonymous donor called them on Saturday and told them they would match DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR what they had raised so far! So they exceeded their original goal!! GOD IS SO AMAZING! Katie was obviously so overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I couldn't help but cry. We also got to see the story that the White Rock film crew created about their family that aired during the live broadcast on race day; a real tear-jerker! After that we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Lee had gone early to put our name on the list, since we knew the wait would be long for our party of 20. So when the other 19 of us showed up, he said it would be about 15-20 more minutes. Great. So we're waiting, waiting,......an HOUR later, people start leaving because their kids were getting cranky. ANOTHER HALF HOUR goes by, and our party of 20 is down to 10. They finally seat us at 7:45, and it was great, but not great enough to wait over 2 hours.
Mary Kathryn spent the night in our hotel room that night so that Lee & I could just get up and leave on race day and not have to take the girls. About the race/weather...It ended up being about 40 and drizzling when Lee started at 8, and got progressively colder as the day went on. He said he felt great and could have kept going! (He did the first leg which was 6 miles.) Then I started at 9, and right before the gun went off, they announced that the elite marathon runners (who started at 8) were already at MILE 11!!!!!!!!!! So, the gun goes off, and I'm just standing there, packed in among 5,999 other sardines just waiting my turn to get to cross the starting line, acknowledging my first mistake: I didn't get to the starting area soon enough. I was about 200 yards back. So, I didn't actually get to cross the starting line until 2:30 or so after the gun went off. And even then, I was having to WALK (GRRRRR!) because it was still so packed!!! I was SO frustrated!!! So, I went ahead and started my watch, thinking it would start spreading out soon. Wrong! I didn't feel like I had my personal space back until after mile 4!!!!!! So, needless to say, I was forced to run well under my normal pace for the first few miles. I felt great through the first half, so I decided to pick up the pace to make up for lost time (second mistake). I began regretting that around mile 10, and from then on is just a blur. I was so tired and my legs were numb and I felt so dizzy but I had to keep going. I really wanted to stop, and I did, to stretch my left hamstring that has given me trouble for a few weeks, but I never walked....and I finished in an actual time of 2:01:03.
I'm really happy with how I did, and even though I didn't go under 2:00 like I'd hoped, I think I did great considering the weather, the fact that I have a cold & cough c/o Addie, and I got little sleep the previous 2 nights.
Despite being a whirlwind trip, I think overall it was a blast and a huge success. Thank you for all your support and prayers; it means so much!
First Baptist Church does a live nativity scene every year for a few nights leading up to Christmas. This is the first year for us to go as a family, and we really enjoyed it! Everyone is real except the baby Jesus. It lasts for 1 hour, and I have no idea how these people can stand so still for that long!! There was also an area off to the side where you could feed some goats (including some super-cute babies) and a donkey (Annalee's favorite...she loved petting its ears). We met some friends up there, and everyone had a great time.
