But first! It's now a tradition that if I run this race, I need some holiday music to go with my write up. At least when I run it in an odd-numbered year. So...
I saw three let-ters on the street, on Decker Lane, on Decker Lane.
I saw three let-ters on the street, on Decker Lane in the morning.
And what were all those letters three, on Decker Lane, on Decker Lane?
And what were all those letters three, on Decker Lane in the morning?
Oh, J and F and R they be, on Decker Lane, on Decker Lane.
Oh, J and F and R they be, on Decker Lane in the morning.
On other roads they did repeat, like Blue Bluff road and Lin-dell Lane.
On other roads they did repeat, like Decker Lake in the morning.
And who d'you think did put them there, around the course, around the course?
And who d'you think did put them there, around the course in the morning?
'Twas probably the Rogue Fairy, on all those streets, on all those streets.
'Twas probably the Rogue Fairy, on all those streets in the morning.
Well, now that's out of the way. So... wow. I had a pretty good race this morning. I didn't have any real plans or goals for the race, and I wasn't expecting a miracle. Just went out there to run the race and land where I may.
Earlier in the week, I mentioned to a few people that Decker is the perfect Half Marathon. The reasons are thus:
- The Austin Runner's Club, who have organized the race since just after the dawn of recorded history (also known as 35 years ago), take an almost sadistic pride in the fact that the course is full of hills. Short ones, long ones, steep ones - you name, it, Decker has it. The only place on the course that's flat is the start/finish area. Well.. that's not true. There are a lot of long, flat spots on the course. They're just all at an angle.
- Aside from the hills, when people talk about Decker, they talk about the weather. The weather at Decker is legendary for sucking. The weather almost always... just... sucks ("almost" because it was rather pleasant in 2011). It is either bitterly cold (by Austin standards), or unseasonably warm and muggy (again by Austin standards). Sometimes the wind and/or rain make an appearance.
- Except for the water stop volunteers (who are fantastic by the way.. I am not disparaging these folks), there are only four spectators. You see them each about five or six times, if you happen to be near the runner they are following around the course. So it creates the illusion that there's like 20 people out there, cheering for someone who isn't you.
- It's "in the middle of nowhere". Actually, the course runs around a lake (which you see a small part of, briefly, early in the race) that is located in East Austin. This is where people generally say "There's a lake in East Austin?" Nobody actually knows where Decker Lake or the Travis County Expo Center are. I have a theory that they both just appear briefly out of a wormhole for events like triathlons and the rodeo, then disappear completely at all other times. This makes the place incredibly hard to find. About thirty runners every year get lost on the way there (looking at you Mark...). Some of them are never heard from again.
Exactly! It does sound horrible! And that keeps people away! Decker is the most local "well-known" race in Austin. Every runner in Austin has heard of it, and most have probably run it (once). I don't think many people outside of Austin ever do this race. Pick a year - it doesn't matter which one - and look through the results. Of the 1000 or so people on the list only about five of them will be from anywhere outside the immediate Austin area. Those folks wandered into the other end of the wormhole at the wrong time. Everyone else is either doing the distance challenge, or they simply don't know any better.
Or perhaps they're like me, and they see Decker as the best chance that they have at an age group award in a half Marathon in Austin. :)
I'll skip to the punchline - Hey! I got 3rd place in my age group today! This is actually a first for me. The Chuy's fish may still elude me, but I managed to get some Decker hardware. Well... I couldn't stick around for the awards because there was a Christmas tree that wasn't going to purchase or decorate itself. So I don't have hardware as yet. But it gives me an excuse to go over to Rogue during lunch one day this week.
Ok, well I haven't really written much about the race. There's not a whole lot to say, even though it was a good day. It was a pretty cold morning - our thermometer read 28 when I was heading out the door. But it wasn't windy, and it was dry.
I debated wearing tights for a while, but I figured that since this would be the first time in a couple years I've worn them, they may do more harm than good (read: chafing in unexpected places). I opted for shorts, but had a hat, gloves and long sleeved shirt. If it had been raining however, I would have dressed warmer. As it was, my choices worked out.
There were enough warm bodies at the start to keep me from freezing up, and then once we got going it didn't take long to feel comfortable. By the end, my lips were completely numb and there was frost on my hat, but the rest of me was ok.
Heading out of the expo center after the start, I saw a #JFR tagged on the road. It made me smile. Then again about a half mile later... and again, and again, all the way around the course (hence the inspiration for this year's Decker Song). The yellow one between mile 4 and 5 was particularly nice. Someone had driven through the "R" while it was still wet, and so it was kind of echoing: JFR R R R R R R.
I don't know exactly who put them out there, but it was a nice change for this race. Kind of like actually having some spectators (though I did see G Cas out there, and I think perhaps the most likely JFR culprits were on one corner near mile 4 - I heard rather than saw them).
For anyone who was sitting on pins and needles, I am happy to report that the hills are still out there, right where they were last time. Nothing new to say there.
And as for epic struggles - there weren't really any. After we exited the main gate to the expo center, I was pretty much in the spot (placing) I was going to finish the race in. A few people passed me, and I passed a few people. Around mile 6, I started getting little achy reminders that it's only been a few weeks since Philly, but it never really got out of hand. Perhaps my exposed legs were just too numb to let the hurt out.
In mile 9, a fellow Rogue, who I recognized but did not know by name passed me. Then we played leap frog for the rest of the race. I passed him on the downhills mostly, and he passed me on the uphills. We both sped up considerably over the last mile or so. After going back and forth for a while, he was ahead of me back into the last hill, but I managed to get by him one final time and finish ever so slightly stronger.
I finished in 1:27:23.
And then all the cool stuff happened. I got to stop running and go drink a free beer in the warm building. I found out that I was 27th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Then I went home and figured out that it was a PR too! (by 8 seconds) I really wasn't sure when I was out there. I knew my PR was 1:27 something, but I didn't know the "something" bit. I'll take it.
Splits:
6:24, 6:47, 6:37, 6:37, 6:50, 6:46, 6:39,
6:35, 6:42, 6:43, 6:51, 6:42, 6:20, 0:50