Blog of a Middle Aged Athlete

To say I was lacking confidence during the weeks leading up to the Houston Marathon would be an understatement.  My last marathon in San Antonio was a disaster, and posting a time anywhere close to my Boston Qualifying time of 3:20 seemed years away.  So I did something I’m not exactly proud of - I adjusted my goals downward.  Instead of shooting for a BQ, I would try to simply break 3:30 and set a new PR.  I figured once my confidence was restored, I would worry about Boston.

Unlike the other marathons I have raced, I did not develop a pre-race spreadsheet with mile splits.  In fact, I didn’t even formulate a race strategy at all.  I decided I would just run, and although I would wear my Garmin, I would not be a slave to it.  I would speed up or slow down my pace depending on what my body, not my watch, was telling me.  I also decided I would break the race into three segments, the first 10, the middle 10, and the final 6.2.  The first 10 miles would be a warm up, making sure I didn’t wear myself out too early.  The next 10 miles I would pick up the pace a little, making sure I stayed under the dreaded lactate threshold that wipes out many marathoners.  Finally, I would run the last 6.2 hard, passing Kenyans on the way to the finish.  I know there are many runners that don’t like the negative split strategy I would use, but it has worked for me in the past so I decided I would try it here.

Despite the usual Houston humidity, the weather at the start was very nice, with temps in the low 40s.   I wore 2 short sleeve tech shirts, but I planned on disposing of one during the race.  I was able to line up at the start ahead of the 3:30 pace group, and once the gun sounded we were off.  The start was crowded, but everybody seemed to be moving pretty well, and I didn’t have to dart in and out of runners to get to a comfortable pace.  Even after the half marathoners merged with us at mile 2, I was did not feel hindered by the crowds at all.  The first few miles went by without a hitch, and by mile 5 I had disposed of one of my shirts and was feeling great.

Mile 1: 8:32

Mile 2: 7:51

Mile 3: 7:46

Mile 4: 7:44

Mile 5: 7:46

One thing I noticed early on was how well supported this race was.  Even at the early hour, the streets were lined with people.  I tried to run on the flattest portion of the streets, which is usually the middle, but on occasion I would run over to the side to give some kid a high five.   There would be no long, lonely miles today!  Also, somewhere around mile 10, I had something happen to me I had never experienced before - a priest was spraying runners with holy water.  For a spiritual being like myself, I enjoyed this tremendously and credit the outcome of this race partially to that!

Mile 6: 7:45

Mile 7: 7:43

Mile 8: 7:46

Mile 9: 7:50

Mile 10: 7:43

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t checking my watch at this point.  I did and I was surprised.  I was feeling great, and my pace seemed to be “locked in” between 7:40 and 7:50 per mile with a split at the half of 1:43:14. For marathons, in addition to the caffeinated sports beans I eat just before the start, I take a GU every 4 miles.  However, I think because I was scared at how well this was going, I took my 4th GU (also caffeinated) just after mile 14, and my 5th (not caffeinated) after mile 17.  Fueling was not going to be an issue today!

Mile 11: 7:37

Mile 12: 7:53

Mile 13: 7:44

Mile 14: 7:38

Mile 15: 7:51

Mile 16: 7:38

Mile 17: 7:39

Feeling great, I rounded the corner past mile 18 to head back east into downtown Houston.  The sun was out, and although the temperature was still comfortable, running while facing the sun was definitely warming me up.  I saw my wife and kiddos during the 18th mile, which was perfect timing.  I was just finishing up the second 10 mile stretch, and seeing them helped motivate me for my final 6.2 mile sprint!

Mile 18: 7:51

Mile 19: 7:43

Mile 20: 7:36 (what wall?)

Mile 21: 7:37

Mile 22: 7:41

It was around mile 23 when I looked into the crowd and saw my sister-in-law Catherine.  She had to be in Houston for work on Monday, so she decided she would leave early on Sunday morning to come down and root me on!  She jumped in and ran with me for a little while, although at that point I could not be slowed down!  I looked back after about 5 minutes and she was gone. I want her to know that her presence helped me tremendously, and that I hope to return the favor when she runs her marathon.

The last few miles were definitely a blur.  I was really laboring and breathing hard, but I would not be stopped.  I basically ran as fast as I possibly go, which felt like a sprint, but was really only a few seconds faster than I had run the previous miles.  When I turned onto Rusk for the final 3/4 mile or so, I was elated.  I knew I would finish with my best time ever.  I saw Kim and the girls cheering again on my way to the finish line.  I looked back and didn’t see anybody behind me to push me in, so I picked one of the runners ahead of me and tried to catch him.  I was unable, but definitely closed the gap.

Mile 23: 7:32

Mile 24: 7:35

Mile 25: 7:33

Mile 26: 7:16

Mile .2 + Garmin Bonus: 2.45

Finish Time: 3:23:45

OK, now to shave off those last 3 minutes so I can qualify for BQ.  Next race: Cowtown Marathon at the end of February.  Can it happen there?

The Houston Marathon is coming up this weekend, and I have a few things on my mind. 

• Should I wear my newer and “cushier” NB, which have about 125 miles on them, or my older, but sleeker 2140s which have 275 miles and 2 marathons on them?
• What race strategy should I use?  Last marathon I ran (San Antonio) I came out on BQ pace and died mid-race.  Was it the humidity, or is that pace just too fast for me at this time?
• What is my real goal?  The safe bet, if there are any safe bets in a marathon, is to PR (<3:34 or 8:08/mile pace).  However, when I run the race calculator based on my last half marathon, it says a 3:23 is in the cards (7:45/mile pace).  My current thought is to start at 8:00/mile and attack from there.
• Weather looks great for Houston on Sunday, and the course is relatively flat.  Course support is supposed to be great, so everything is pointing towards a great race.
• When am I going to finalize my mp3 playlist?  I have put the songs together, but now need to organize them to synchronize with my course strategy (this is serious stuff).
• Why is my race bib number the same as my father’s birth year (1946) and is there any cosmic connection to this that will allow me to qualify for Boston at this race?
• Should I bring a 5 hour energy with me?  I have tried half a bottle before a long training run with no ill effects, but with nerves, GUs, etc, who knows how I will react.
• How often should I record my thoughts on my digital recorder?  Did anybody enjoy listening to them?

Maybe I’ll just run and not worry about anything…….Maybe.

I have been meaning to post a quick review of my 2009 running experiences for 10 days now.  Better late than never!

 2009 marked the year I became a runner.  Sure, I had run in the past, but never have I been so committed and disciplined (some may say obsessed).  As usual, I began my seasonal running in late August of 2008, but this time decided to run the Austin Marathon in February of 2009 (thanks Mike D!).  Ten months later, I had completed 5 marathons (PR of 3:34:43 in Groveton, TX), a trail run (ugh!) and a half marathon.  I also ran a 5k with my mother and daughter, both who I hope will continue this wonderful hobby.

According to my online training log (see the Buckeyeoutdoors link on the right), I ran a total of 1,550.2 miles last year burning a sweet 189,555 calories!  These runs came in all shapes and sizes.  I remember running 11 miles on the treadmill at the gym (boring), running 20 miles during the hot summer at 4:45am (and being freaked out by a deer in my path in the pitch dark), discovering that you actually can find places to run in Vegas, and running Yasso 800s with my running group.  I remember the fartleks, the recovery runs, the tempo runs, and my brief bout with heat exhaustion (thanks RunTex for the phone and Gatorade).  I remember runs with friends, family and nobody except God and my mp3 player. 

I remember each and every race.  My “first time” at the Austin Marathon, the hills of San Francisco, the San Antonio humidity, and receiving my first hardware at The Frankenthon.  I remember by gold/black Asics Nimbus 10s, 3 pairs of 2140s, and my spanking new New Balance 1065s.

My running goals for 2010 are simple.  Continue to have fun, make friends, encourage others to run, and race many different distances.  I will continue to strive for a Boston Qualifying time in the marathon, but I will not be discouraged if it does not happen as soon as I might like.

Onward to 2010!