Commemorating Cowtown in a watercolor

We had ANOTHER snow/ice day Thursday. I'm really tired of this weather, but an extra day stuck at home meant I might as well paint.  

My painting studio is not heated. So my acrylic and oil paints were not in any condition to use.  

So I decided to use one of my canvases and commemorate last weekends race.  

Kylie and Lexi "helped" by offering lots of suggestions and feedback. They let me use their pencils and erasers..

Here is my drawing.  

It's a compilation of Libby running here and the picture that I took of the course the night before the race... with a few artistic changes. :)

I used watercolor pencils and laid down the first layer of color on the canvas.  Watercolor pencils on canvas is weird because the pigment flakes off the canvas as you work.  

I then painted the watercolor on with water and brushes. 

I was planning to go back in with tube watercolors and maybe even a black pen to push details, but I really like the painting as it is. 

So is it finished? 

What do you think?

Cowtown 2015

One of the races Doug and I do together is the Cowtown.  We make a weekend of it and enjoy staying in a hotel for a couple of nights and doing things we want to do without our children.. and we race on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Well... except for this year. We had ice and snow for DAYS! This isn't a big deal if you live in areas that get this junk for entire seasons, but in Texas, we get it for 30 minutes and then it moves on. But this week, it lingered. And then it came back.

Saturday's 5k and 10k races were cancelled. We will complete a virtual race in the next week or so in order to complete our challenge race. But early Saturday afternoon the ice started melting, so we loaded up and fled our house while we had the chance!

We got to Fort Worth and this is what we found outside the expo. DANGEROUS!!!! It was sooo icy! 

picture by Libby

But as you can see, we weren't the only crazy people! These are the lines for packet pickup! This race normally has thirty thousand runners for the weekend of races... with the weather, everyone needed to pick up their race packets in the same 12 hour window. insane.

About 5pm the race directors cancelled the ultra and the full, but decided to keep the 1/2 marathon. Doug and I drove the course.  It was BAD! 

At that point, we decided that there was no way we would be able to run.. It just wouldn't be safe. So we ate a big mexican dinner and chilled. 

BUT.... workers for the city of Fort Worth and the race worked ALL NIGHT and put down 14 tons of sand.. so we decided heck, we are already nuts, lets just race.

from Cowtown's facebook page!

It also helped that my sister Libby and my running friends were going to go ahead and try.  

So at 8am we found ourselves standing out in front of Will Rogers Colosseum in freezing temps and drizzle getting ready to run 13 miles in slush.  And we were excited about it. Normally on Sunday morning, there are about 15 thousand runners.  While it wasn't as packed as normal, there were still a lot of us out there!

Libby and I were in corral 4 and Doug and my BRF's (best running friends) were in corral 5. Cowtown changed up the corral structure and start this year and it was SOOO MUCH BETTER!! In the past it was a free-for-all at the start and you were lucky to not get trampled. This year the start was slower and more methodical and you didn't feel like you were going to get run over before you made it to the start line! It helped that there were fewer people, sure, but it was a significant change for the better.

The course was slushy and at times dangerous.  But there were volunteers or cones at almost all of the super slick areas. I'm calling it an adventure race and Doug has labeled it a Steeplechase as we jumped many a water obstacles!

Prior to the race, Libby and I went in hoping for a time goal.  But Sunday morning, we knew that a PR was not going to happen! Our goal was to finish without falling.. and to have fun. 

The first mile of the course is insanely packed with people. 

from Cowtown Facebook page

And then you turn and go down into the park. oh my! 

You can't even tell that it is Texas here!! 

And here is Doug on the course. So glad Alisa took pictures too!

Along the way I made Libby stop and take pictures! 

And looks like I accidently took one at one point trying to put my phone away... see I'm having fun.. I'm smiling even when the camera isn't on me! :)

Here we are getting ready for the dreaded Mile 9 Hill!  

We ran up almost the entire thing. 

And finally, here we are at mile 12. It was still soo cold! 

FINISHED! We ran it in 2:22. Not a PR by any means, but we had fun and didn't fall! We were sooo cooollllddd at this point!

With my running peep at the end.

And celebrating another completed race with Doug.

And I'll leave you with this picture taken by MarathonFoto. I LOVE it.  

I am buying this (and the entire package of my race pictures for that matter..)

I think this picture sums up who I want to be, and be known for.

I love my life.

I'm not afraid to do hard things.

I embrace challenges.

I don't work hard becuase I think I'm going to "win"

I work hard becuase I find joy in the process.

I have already won.

The Cowtown Marathon Weekend 2014

The Cowtown Marathon Weekend is truly a running highlight of our year! There is just something incredible about the Cowtown Marathon (located in Fort Worth, Texas)

I think even if we were not runners, we would still feel this way. 

The energy and excitement is palpable from the time you pull up at the expo on Friday until you cross the finish line on Sunday morning. But given that Doug and I are both runners, and this is a "local" race, we take full advantage of the entire weekend experience!

 

For those of you who do not know about the Cowtown Marathon, it is the oldest and largest multi-race, multi-day event in Texas. Around 30 THOUSAND total runners compete in the races on Saturday and Sunday. The city doesn't come to a complete halt, but almost! The streets are closed and people stand for miles and miles cheering and offering support to the runners. 

It is truly and incredible event! (wow.. nice unpaid commercial..)

Anyway, on Saturday morning my sister Libby, my friend Crystal and I joined about 8 thousand other runners and ran the 10k. It was jam packed, but fun! Don't you love the pictures from marathonfoto! No, I don't mind pasting the proofs in as I will be purchasing all of the photos! 

As the 10k is finishing up, the Adult 5k starts with another 6 thousand runners or so... Here is Doug with some of my friends from the run club I run with. 

 

All of us ran on Saturday so that we could qualify for the Cowtown Challenge: running both days and getting an extra medal! :)

 

Once the morning races are over, we putter around the rest of the day, using our "fueling" needs to excuse our eating habits! We had lunch at In and Out Burgers. Yummy!! We had never had them before, won't be the last time.

 

Doug and I enjoyed walking around a shopping area and just hanging out. Something we rarely get to do!! For dinner, we went to Chuy's and enjoyed mexican food.

 

Sunday morning brought the half marathon, full marathon and the ultra runners. We ALL started at the same time. I don't know how many runners, but I'm thinking at least 15 THOUSAND runners starting at the SAME TIME. It is craziness.

Here we are in the corrals waiting for the start. Way off in the distance you can see the starting line.

Here are Crystal and I on the course. We were sllloooowww, but we had fun!

 

Here I am at the finish line. Yes, I was pumped to be finished!

My time was way off from what I know I can do, but it reflected my training of late. I finished strong and happy, so in the end, I can't be upset with my sad time. I just have to be honest with my self and my expectations. If I want to run faster, I have to train faster and more consistently. I've been in a post marathon slump for a few months, I feel like I have finally come out of it and am ready to train!

Here I am with Doug after the race. He ran a strong 1/2 marathon for his second 1/2 ever. He is already talking about training for his next one!

And here Crystal and I are. We are absolutely 2 peas in a pod. We have the same mindset and are the same level of crazy and motivated. We scare our husbands. :) Good thing they are friends too!

And finally, a close up of the weekend bling! Love the spur finisher medal! Can't wait to get another oen next year!