Dallas

When to come?: 

Dallas can be absolutely beautiful in the spring with the flowers and moderate temperatures, but gets extremely hot in the summer. Winters are constantly changing - it can be 70 one day and sleeting the next. Fall is usually nice weather, especially in November and December.

What to do if you have a sunny Saturday?: 

Do what everyone does to exercise in Dallas and head to White Rock Lake for running or bicycling. Heck, bring your dog and let him play in the off-leash dog park (fenced in) next to the trail.

Where can I go to get out away from the city, without driving too far?: 

Cedar Hill State Park is not too far from downtown, but you will get a little bit of the Hill Country. For piney woods and some great mountain biking, go a little further out to Tyler State Park.

You can also go to Fort Worth to explore their outdoor activities.

What are some great weekend getaways?: 

Dinosaur Valley State Park and the Granbury region southwest of Dallas is a great area to spend a weekend hiking, mountain biking, or relaxing by the lake.

Running
When is the major marathon?: 
Dallas White Rock is the largest marathon in the city, in early December. The course recently changed for the 2010 version of the race, along with the start and finish venues, so take that into account when you read comments about earlier versions of the race. The Big D marathon in April is well attended, but can be hot. The city will be a lot more green in April, and it looks like the new course might be very similar to the Big D marathon course as well - starting in Fair Park and heading out to White Rock Lake.
Running Races: 

Dallas White Rock Marathon

The Dallas White Rock Marathon is going to have a new course for 2010, so we can't say too much about how the race is going to turn out. The 2010 course will start and end at Fair Park, like the Big D marathon, because the organizers want to continue expanding the race field to take advantage of the growth of Texas marathoning.

There will also be a half marathon and a relay - the organizers are planning for 7,000 in the marathon, 10,000 in the marathon, and 5,000 in the relay.

Date: 
Sun, 2010-12-05
Length: 
26.20miles
Race Types: 
Running race
Half Marathon
Marathon

Dallas Big D Marathon

The Big D Marathon is the smaller marathon of Dallas' two major marathons. It starts in Fair Park, and then heads out to White Rock Lake, down Swiss Avenue, and back to Fair Park.

Date: 
Sun, 2011-04-10
Length: 
26.20miles
Race Types: 
Running race
Half Marathon
Marathon
Where can I get a running event schedule?: 

Run On! has a great running calendar at http://www.runontexas.com/calendar/Calendar.htm

Luke's Locker also has one, but it isn't as complete - http://www.lukeslocker.com/calendar/

Also check out the North Texas Trail Runners web site for off-road racing - http://www.nttr.org/calendar/