Chevron Houston Marathon: Full Race Report

Well, I've had five days to analyze my race. I've thought about what went wrong, where I made mistakes, and what actually went right. It was a tough day for a marathon. The warm, humid weather just magnified the mistakes that you made. Race officials said the medical people had to help more than double the people they did last year.

Race morning started out smoothly. I woke up, ate breakfast, got dressed, and picked up Tanner without incident. We went downtown to the George R. Brown and went inside to meet up with Andrew. We used the port-a-potties, grabbed some water, and went to check my bag. The bag check line was really long so we decided just to go put it back in the car. From the parking garage, we made our way over to the starting line. While we were waiting for the start of the race, it started to mist/drizzle, and I could tell the temperature was kind of warm. My stomach was also feeling a little weird, but I just figured it was nerves.

We found the 3:30:00 pace group a few minutes before the start. This was mistake #1 for the day. With the warm conditions and high humidity, I should have adjusted my goal and fallen back to the 3:40 group. You'll find out later, why that wouldn't have really mattered. Finally, we were off. We hit the first mile at about 8:35. A little slower than our pace, but I figured it would actually be slower with the massive amount of people. We ran the next four miles at a 7:50-7:55 pace, and we were back on schedule by mile 5. I just settled into cruise control with the pace group, and I took in all the sights and people along the course. We passed my parents, sister, and brother-in-law at the corner of Memorial and Studemont. Then, disaster #1 hit. My stomach started feeling pretty rough, and I had to hit the port-a-potties at mile 7.

Now, I was back on the course, and I could actually still see my pace group. However, they were quite a way in front of me. I was feeling better, and I had put so much emphasis on trying to run a 3:30 marathon. This lead to the worst decision I made all day. Of all the things that went wrong, this is the one I created all by myself. I decided to catch my pace group so I ran the next 5-1/2 miles at a 7:25-7:30 pace. I caught the group at Rice Village, only to have my stomach act up again. Stop #2.

After my second stop, I was feeling pretty drained. It was probably a combination of my stomach problems and running harder than I should have. I saw my wife, Sarah, and Jennifer at the village, and I felt energized for a half mile, or so. I hit the half way point in West U at 1:47:49. I was almost 3 minutes behind my goal pace. I decided to reevaluate at this point. I calculated in my head what pace I needed to keep to finish in 3:40, and I continued on. From West U, we hit what felt like the hardest 1/4 mile of the course that day, the Westpark Hill. It's not really a hill. It's actually an overpass, but we live in Houston. We don't naturally have hills on the Texas Gulf Coast. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this is where it quit misting/drizzling and started to rain. Awesome, just what I needed. Not really, I know sarcasm doesn't come through type.

Next, we hit the Galleria. I was feeling incredibly drained at this point. My stomach problems lead to a major nutrition failure, and my stomach was growling. I was starving. I took my first walk break at mile 16. Post Oak Boulevard is where I officially started to unravel. I stepped in a huge puddle that I didn't see so now I had completely soaked feet. In Tanglewood, the 3:40 pace group caught up to me, and I decided to jump in with them. I ran with them for a whole 1/2 mile. Then, the leader ran off to the side, threw his balloons and visor on the ground, and started walking. The group immediately fell apart. This did not help my mental state any, but I continued on.

The two mile stretch from the 18th mile marker to mile 20 was the roughest stretch for me. I felt weak and hungry. I took orange slices from every person handing them out, and I took my extra Hammer Gel I had packed. At mile 20, I felt a little better and decided I was going to run for 10 minutes. Then, I would let myself walk for a minute. My pace was pretty slow (9:30), and I felt good so I decided to make it 20 minutes. I felt better, but not good. I saw Sarah, Jennifer, and my cousin, Christopher, on Memorial at mile 22. I waived to them. I decided to take another walk break on the bridge from Memorial to Allen Parkway. I ate some more orange slices from spectators, and started running again about 100 yards after the bridge. I saw my parents, sister, and brother-in-law again at Allen Parkway and Studemont.

At mile 24, I found myself running beside a guy I met at the 30K in December. He's a much better runner than me, and he finished last year in 3:16 so I realized I wasn't the only one struggling today. We ran the last 2-1/2 miles together, and we picked my friend, Tanner, up with 3/4 mile left to go. It really helped running with other people. We could see the GRB. We passed the sign saying 1/4 mile left, and we picked it up as much as we could. I crossed the line with an official time of 4:00:35, and I never felt so good about missing a goal time by so much. I fought through some demons and finished.

Over the next couple days, I talked to more people, and I began to realize everybody struggled with the weather. Overall, I feel I'm capable of running a faster marathon, but I think I did pretty well considering my stomach problems, nutrition issues, and the weather. I was not happy with my time, at all, but it is a new PR for the marathon. I bested my previous marathon time of 4:07:13 by almost 7 minutes. One good thing for the race is that I think taking electrolytes helped. I didn't catch cramps. I just didn't have any energy to make my legs move.

The next four weeks are dedicated to recovery. Then, I'm going to start working on getting better for next year.

The Countdown has Started

Well, we are a little over 3-1/2 days away from the start of the marathon. I'm feeling pretty excited. It's been one of the few things I've been able to focus on all week. I'm also feeling kind of nervous, but I've decided there isn't anything I can do about it now so I'll just take whatever happens.

I can't believe how far I have come in the past since months. I'll be happy with the journey no matter what happens on Sunday. I've lost 25 pounds since I started training, I've met some new people, and I just feel better when I wake up in the morning. I've managed to stay injury free, except for a freak deal the week of New Year's. Missing the last hard week of training with a foot injury is the only reason I'm feeling any nerves.

I'll spend the next couple of days making sure I get plenty of protein and carbohydrates. I'll also be staying hydrated so I don't have any nutrition issues. Saturday, I'll go get my race packet at the expo and get all my clothes ready. Then, Sunday is race day. I'll be sure to give a race report next week on how everything goes.

Finish Line Sports 30K

The final race of the three race marathon warm-up series was this past Sunday. The Finish Line Sports 30K is hosted every year out in Sugar Land. The 18.6 mile course starts in Sugar Land Town Center, and it is what I would call a modified triple loop course. I call it modified because you run a little over 3 miles before you get to the 4.2 mile loop, and you run approximately 2.5 miles back to Sugar Land Town Center.

Race morning was a started out kind of cool, but it was a great temperature for a longer race. The only problem with the weather was that it was a tad on the windy side. It made for a rough last 4 miles of the race since they were all pretty much into the wind. It really made it tough to make up any time coming down the home stretch.

I can't say that I was dissatisfied with my performance, but I was hoping I would have done a little better. I finished with a time of 2:28:48, and I had an average pace of 7:59 per mile. The good news is my second 15K (7:56/mile) was faster than my first 15K (8:03/mile). I had planned to run right at an 8:00 pace for the first third to half of the race. I planned to pick up the pace for the second half and test myself to see what kind of shape I was in. I wanted my average pace to be closer to 7:50 than to 8:00. If my average pace was a little lower, I would feel more confident in my ability to run a 3:30:00 marathon come January 30. Overall, I think it was a pretty good Sunday morning run.

Sugar Land Turkey Trot 5 Miler

I decided that I needed to run a turkey trot this year on Thanksgiving. There are probably four or five different ones in the Houston area. I chose the Sugar Land Turkey Trot because it started at a decent time, and it fit the mileage I needed for my training plan that day. The race started at 8:30 which is later than most races, but I wouldn't have to get up too early on my day off so I was happy.

The race started off at a fast pace. I ran my first mile at a 7:00 pace. I had planned to start off about 7:15. I could tell about 1/2 mile into the race I was going to struggle a little bit. I had done a pretty tough speed workout on Tuesday so my legs felt kind of dead. My pace continued to slide through out the race. My splits were 7:00, 7:05, 7:07, 7:12, and 7:13 according to my Garmin. There was also an extra .06 miles that took 22 seconds on my Garmin. My official time was 36:00 even. It figured out to a 7:12 pace over the five mile course.

I was fairly satisfied with my time, especially, after I felt how tired my legs were 1/2 mile in. I think it ended up being a great idea to run. I didn't feel bad about eating some extra calories this year at Thanksgiving. I also know that I probably would not have run on my own that day. I would have slept in, and I would have watched the Aggie game in the evening. I might have to make this part of every Thanksgiving.

HMSA Classical 25K

Yesterday (11/14/2010), I ran the Houston Masters Sports Association Classical 25K. 25K is almost dead on 15.5 miles for those of you not familiar with the metric system. It is the second race in the warm-up series for the Chevron Houston Marathon. I'm using the warm-up races to get ready for the marathon. I'm trying out my pace on some longer runs, getting used to running in crowds, figuring out when to take fuel, and learning how to use the water stops. This was the fourth race I have done this fall, and I feel more accustomed to all of this each time. It's way different than running by yourself and just reaching down to your Fuel-Belt for a drink or a shot of gel.

The race was a triple loop course so it's kind of a three chapter report. My plan was to average 8:00 per mile for the race. I chose this to see if my marathon goal of 3:30:00 is realistic. To meet this goal, I would have to average 8:00 over the full 26.2 mile course. I decided to try to run negative splits. Planning my pace to be 8:15 for the first loop, 8:00 for the second, and 7:45 for the final loop for an 8:00 average.

Now, here are the details of what happened. I did a good job of holding back and not going out too fast. I finished the first lap at an average pace of 8:19. It was a little slower than plan, but not too far off. On the second loop, I went a little faster than the plan. I saw a guy I work with about a 1/4 mile ahead of me when I made the half-way turn so I ran to catch up with him. The second loop finished out at 7:51. It was faster than planned, but I made up the time I was behind after the first loop, and I gave myself a small cushion in case I started to run out of gas on the final loop. On the final lap, the wind was blowing so I just tried to focus on staying smooth and keeping my pace up. The final hill was a little bit of a struggle, but when I got to the top, I could see the finish line. It was literally all down-hill from there. I finished the third, and final loop, at a pace of 7:44. I ran my planned time for the final lap, and even added another second per mile for cushion. My official time was 2:02:48.1, and I had an average pace of 7:54 per mile for the race.

I was able to run my goal pace of 8:00 per mile, but I think it might not be realistic for the marathon. I may have to tone it down a bit for the "Big" race. I was pretty dead at the end of the race. I will give it another shot at the Finish Line Sports 30K on December 12 in Sugar Land. The 30K is the final race in the warm-up series. I will just have a couple more long runs after that. Then, I will start my taper for the marathon on January 30.

PARC Monster Dash

On October 30, I ran the Pearland Area Runners Club annual Monster Dash. They do a 5K/10K in Pearland every year the weekend before Halloween. I did the 10K. It was a smaller race, and I finished 7th overall, 2nd in my age group.

I am still learning how to race so I don't know how to pace myself. I averaged about 7:40 for the first 5 miles, and then I averaged 6:40 for the last 1.2. I had way too much left in the tank. Oh well, after the marathon I'll be able to do some of these shorter races. I enjoy being able to compete, and they don't take as much of your day.

Houston Striders Half Marathon and Relay

On October 24, I ran the Houston Striders Half Marathon. It is part of the warm-up series for the Chevron Houston Marathon in January. The warm-up series is a series of three races leading up to the marathon. It consists of the Houston Striders Half Marathon, the Houston Masters Sports Association 25K, and the Finish Line Sports 30K.

Back to the half marathon. First, the weather was too warm for comfort when running a half marathon. I knew I was going to be in trouble when I was covered in sweat after the first mile and a half. The first 9 miles or so went off as planned, maybe even a little better. I decided to try and push the pace with 5 miles left. I ran the last five miles all right around 8:00, and mile 12 was even 7:48. I was hoping to average about 7:30-7:40 for the last five miles, but the heat had drained me. I had nothing left in the tank. I finished with an official time of 1:49:11.

When I finished, I was a little disappointed with my time, but after talking with people over the last week, I feel pretty good about it. Everybody struggled it seems like. Even a couple of the elite runners I've spoken with had a rough time. Hopefully, the weather is cooler for the HMSA 25K on November 14.

United Space Alliance 10 Miler and Update

Last week, I ran the United Space Alliance 10 Miler. It was the first time I had run a race since my last marathon in October 2005. I did not know what pace I could hold because I hadn't even really pushed myself in training. I decided I would run the first half of the race at 9:00/mile pace and pick it up from there if I felt good. Let's just say I felt pretty good at the half-way point so I picked it up a little bit. I averaged 8:59/mile over the first five miles, and I averaged 7:49/mile over the last five miles. I finished with a total time of 1:23:58 for a per mile average of 8:24.

Training is still going pretty well. My second half of the race made me decide that I can push myself a little more. I am going to do a 15 mile this evening. I have a half-marathon next weekend. I'm going to try a little bit quicker pace. I am going to use the races in the warm-up series to help establish my pace for race day at the end of January. These will be a good gauge of my fitness and ability before I run my marathon.