Tyler Rose Marathon Recap.

Hey there! I got my Monday morning started with a strength session + 5 miles in the ‘hood. Just enjoying catching some rays before the busy work day. #nevermissaMonday

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! It was quite warm here…I don’t think Texas has quite caught on to fall weather yet. Highs are back in the 90s yet again! Texas, get with the program. I do see hope at the end of the week, though.

This past weekend I ran the Tyler Rose Marathon down in good ole East Texas! It’s a couple hours outside of the Dallas area. This part of town is known for their beautiful tall trees and breathtaking country views. Goodness…I love the country. I think eventually I want to get a cabin or home out there. Just basking in nature.

Saturday night we drove into town, got my race stuff and settled in. I discovered the cutest restaurant on Yelp where they had tapas and live music. I had some steak and homemade mashed potatoes with red wine. Heaven. Pretty much the perfect pre race hearty meal.

Sunday morning I made my way up to the Tyler Rose Garden for 26.2 festivities. This garden has the largest variety of roses in the U.S. (over 38,000 rose bushes – of at least 500 different varieties!) & is free of charge to come visit. You walk into the lobby and the floral smell just hits you. It is pure heaven.

We lined up to the start and the gun went off! Game time.

So going into this race I kept hearing about how HILLY it was going to be pretty much from everyone that has ever run this race! But going into it I felt prepared to tackle the obstacle especially after running the half 2 weeks ago in Cedar Hill. Mentally I felt on, and physically my body has responded well this go round to training. Thank you, strong legs.

I wanted to finish this race under 4:30 and really just wanted to run by feel. I knew the high was going to be over 90 degrees so I just wanted to hold on to a strong pace for as long as possible before it got hot. The hills were definitely a challenge, but I felt like if you came prepared they were doable. It was still difficult but my legs felt strong. I held on to a good pace throughout and had a few rough patches towards the end when the sun was beating down but overall felt good and happy with my time. I got to chat with a few folks on the course and the volunteers were outstanding. It pretty much exceeded my expectations for a small country race. Very charming city with a challenging, gorgeous course. I also loved the quiet of the Azalea trail and beautiful neighborhoods.

If you’re into tons of spectators this is likely not the race for you…but if you love basking in nature, and prepared to tackle hill after hill with little recovery in between, I’d surely recommend it.

4:11 finish, 4th place in my age group out of 17 girls…and 10th female overall. Heck yes! I’ll take it. This is the fastest marathon I’ve run in a few years… on a NOT EASY course. So a victory in my book. I’m getting that fire back. Woot woot.

& my sweetest mama came to cheer me on. How awesome is she?! Love love.

26.2 number 15 done! Up next…2 half marathons in October and then another 26.2 in November. Bring on Rock n Roll Las Vegas. Strong legs…carry me through.

How was your weekend? Tell me about your upcoming races/training/etc!