Austin Freescale Half-Marathon

Just my luck, I got to run my very first half-marathon on one of the coldest days of the year. It hovered below freezing for the entirety of my time on the course. People had frost on their hats.

Having said all that, I must say the run was also probably the most pleasant run I've ever had. The course, billed as the fastest course in the United States, was either flat or downhill most of the way and I'm sure that contributed to the sensation I had of just coasting over the road. After some muscle tightness in my legs and numb toes in the first three miles, the rest of the time I felt really, really good. No problems with energy, no problems with pain, no problems with self-doubt.

I decided in the end to stick with my running partner, and not to run with a personal time goal. I can run for time and ego in another race. We both crossed the finish with a chip times of 3:06. I'm happy with it. I got a pretty medal, I got to cheer for the awesome marathoners at their finish line and I got to eat a fat hamburger, pizza and homemade peach cobbler at the end. It was a solid, satisfying (and cold, did I mention cold?) day and everyone who participated deserves a Texas-sized star: