2.28.2010

Cowtown Half Marathon

  • One of these days, perhaps too soon, I won't be able to do it anymore. But for now, it remains one of my favorite days of the year.
  • So did I finish? Yep. Did I walk at all? Nope. What was my time? 1:59:42. My fastest time since starting the half marathon four years ago. Let me brag for a moment.
  • Favorite sign held by a little girl: "You Are All Kenyans In My Eyes."
  • There were a bunch of real cheerleaders at one mile marker.
  • Followed by a group doing the "Thriller" dance in full costume.
  • The weather was absolutely fantastic. You'd think 40 degrees would be miserable but throw in no wind and the sun, and you have a glorious day.
  • I jog with an iPod with about 40 songs on it in the shuffle mode. When I hit the finish line in Dallas last December, the ending song from Slumdog Millionaire was playing. The same thing happened this year. Odd and cool.
  • I get a little emotional during the first half mile and the last half mile. It's just a recognition, as I get older, of the preciousness of life and health.
  • I'm not sure what happened on the Kids 5K, but all of them got off course and and, although crossing the finish line, ran only about 60% of it.
  • I heard Judge Cude's voice about 200 miles yards (oops) from the finish line and he snapped a pic. I haven't seen it yet.
  • Speaking of, his son David finished in 1:19:50 for 17th place overall.
  • Thomas Aaaberg, the attorney who advises our commissioners' court, ran the full marathon in 3:16:50. That's one minute short of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
  • All Decatur finishers here. (And you can search for other towns.)