Running 13.1 Miles in 20 degree weather: My 2023 Lubbock Half Marathon Experience
Oct 29, 2023
Let me set the stage: it’s October 2023, and after months of sweating through every brutal Texas summer training run, the day of the Lubbock Half Marathon finally arrived. What did race day have in store? Not the lingering warmth I’d grown accustomed to, but the first cold front of the season. Temperatures in the 20s. Wind chills that felt like I’d stepped into a freezer. Rain drizzling down to add to the misery.
That morning, as I stood at the starting line in layers I wasn’t even sure would keep me warm, I was still wrapping my head around the fact that just a few days earlier, I was out running in the sun, dodging the heat.
Training in the Texas Heat
When you train for months in the blazing Texas sun, you expect to build up a tolerance. I spent the summer battling 90-100 degree days, just trying to survive long runs. Hydration, sunscreen, fighting the mental wall that comes from running on what feels like the surface of the sun—it was all part of the grind.
But then came race day, and all of that went out the window. The cold slapped me in the face as soon as I stepped outside. I was ready for heat, but I wasn’t ready for this. My lungs burned with the cold air as I adjusted my stride, and I couldn’t feel my hands by mile 2. The first few miles were all about just convincing myself I wasn’t crazy for doing this.
Fighting the Elements
The wind was something else. It felt like it was determined to push me backward, and every gust seemed to sap more energy than it should have. The rain? A constant reminder that being comfortable was a luxury I wouldn’t experience that day. But oddly enough, once I embraced the suck, it got easier. When you’re running through literal freezing conditions, you stop caring about discomfort and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
Each mile marker was both a small victory and a reminder of how much farther I had to go. But the training kicked in, and muscle memory took over. Even though everything around me was screaming, “This isn’t what you prepared for,” I had built up enough mental toughness over the summer to keep pushing forward.
Crossing the Finish Line
After 1 hour and 52 minutes of battling the elements, I crossed the finish line. Numb toes, frozen face, and all, but I’d done it. The time wasn’t my personal best, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t have been prouder. I had pushed through conditions I never imagined running in.
Looking back, this race wasn’t just about the physical challenge of 13.1 miles. It was about adapting when things didn’t go to plan. It was about grit, determination, and not letting something as simple as the worst weather imaginable stop me. If there’s one thing this race taught me, it’s that you can prepare all you want, but sometimes, the biggest challenge isn’t what you trained for—it’s how you handle the unexpected.
