Dallas White Rock Marathon Race Report

After underachieving in my October marathon, I started looking for a redemption race.  I needed a December marathon not too far from home, so I did a quick internet search and the Dallas White Rock Marathon seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  Average highs of 60º, about a 5 hour drive from home base, and not too hilly.

I arrived the day before the race for the expo.  It was located conveniently by the start/finish line.  There were lots of vendors there, and I spent a leisurely couple hours walking up and down the isles sampling free products.  I was a little surprised not to see any moderately famous running celebs there.  Most races this size will have one or two there as a guest speaker, or on a book tour.

Sony Walkman Giveaway Winners

Before I go into detail about the giveaway winners, I'll just mention real quick like that I ran in the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday.  My next post will cover the race details, until then, just take note I finished in 3:34:39 which is right around a PR.

Now back to the giveaway.  Thanks to everyone who entered and shared their story.

The first Walkman was awarded based on the best music misfortune tragedy combined with the conveyed  need for a new mp3 player.  There were several deserving runners, but when it came time to single one runner out as being the most needy, most desperate, most worthy, Jill from RunWithJill took the cake.  Jill basically dropped her iPod at the gym (fail), and someone took it before she realized it was gone.  Now she's stuck with an oversized FM radio that won't stay on during workouts and slows her down.

The second Walkman is being given away with a random number drawing.  And the winner is:  Char from My Life's a Marathon.

Congrats to the winners:  Jill and Char!  Merry Christmas from 2 Slow 4 Boston.

I Think I've Mastered Running. Other Topics: Giveaway, Dallas Marathon.

I am so glad to have finally mastered the art of running.  Of course, on the surface there isn't much to it; just put one foot in front of the other as fast as you can.  However, some of us distinguish ourselves from the novices. 

So, how do I know/prove that I have mastery over the sport?  Is it winning a race?  Knowing what a fartlek is?  Getting a online degree called a Bachelor Of Running Degree (BORD)?  Could it be from qualifing for the Olympics?  Nope.  None of the above. 

Turns out all I had to do was turn 40, which I did last week.  Now I join this elite group that calls themselves masters.  All of a sudden I know what I'm doing when I toe the line at a race.  To all my fellow master runners out there, you no longer have to look down at me (like my last name is Sandusky).  I am one of you.

My first chance to show off my master prowess is at the Dallas White Rock Marathon this Sunday.  I am pretty excited for this race, in part because I have prepared well (300+ miles in the month of November).  However, the weather report isn't looking too good; chance of showers with a low of 37º, high of 44º.  This will probably be the worst marathon conditions I've ever ran in.  If I hadn't already paid for everything, I'd be tempted to find another marathon.

Last, but not least, I am currently conducting my first blogger giveaway of 2 pairs of Sony's W-Series Walkman MP3 player headphones.  It runs until December 6th, so please feel free to visit the link, read my review, and enter to win if you haven't already done so.

Sony Walkman NWZ-W263 MP3 Player