Post race post

I'm alive! In spite of my best attempts, I conquered the Houston 2009 Half Marathon, although I'm feeling way older than 51 right now. To help pass the time on the trail, I listened to my iPod tunes and started composing my mile-by-mile thoughts/impressions:


Mile 0 - Ok. Start time. Excited/nervous/scared/but not as cold as we had expected. At race time, the temp was 61 degrees with clear skies. Absolutely perfect weather. When are they going to start this thing? What I am I doing here? I am too old to be running with these kids. Hell, I got boots older than some of these people. And what about those "uber marathoners"? Look like they've been running this for decades. Lining up at the start waiting for the gun. I just hope I don't embarrass myself. My wave starts at 0710 and when the gun goes off, it takes a good 5-7 minutes to cross the start line (it was that crowded). And away we go....

Mile 1 - Ok, that was kinda easy. Was very crowded for the start, but pack opened up a little bit. The hard part is trying to find a good pace where you are not getting run over or you are not running over other runners. Some are jackrabbits, some are turtles. I hit a good pace right out of the box. I got some room to breathe/run. Legs are stiff but starting to limber up. So far the shoulder is stiff and hurts, but I think I will be ok.

Mile 2 - Breathe. Get your rhythm. Took me a while to find a good tune to run to. I need to work on my running tunes. High fived Elvis (young & old versions) just before the 2 mile mark. Lots of people show up to cheer on the runners and the more interesting ones show up in character. I thought the Marathon committee was being A/R when they put my name on my bib until I realized that was to have the people on the sideline cheer you on. Every time I heard my name, I kept thinking “do I know him?her”?

Mile 3 - Running through the Heights. It is an older part of town with a lot of smaller houses. Weather is perfect. Not too hot/cold. Legs feel fine. Shoulder is aching but doing ok. So far, I have a decent pace. Been trying to hold a 10:15 pace but starting to slow down slightly.

Mile 4 - Lots of people with dogs along the route. Good lord! One guy has a Saint Bernard that is almost as big as a horse! That beast has to weigh at least 200 lbs and his head is bigger than mine! Funny thought struck me as I passed. There was a toy Chihuahua right next to him that he could have eaten in one bite. Lost a minute on my time due to a pit stop at one of the porta-potties along the course. I know I am supposed to keep hydrated, but musta drank too much prior to start. Ran into an old co-worker for a short while, but we were trying to keep the pace so did not have much time to chat.

Mile 5 - Ok. Who the hell put hills on this course? Hills? This is supposed to be frickin Houston! The only hills we have are speed bumps and overpasses. My left knee is starting to complain slightly. We are heading north of town through various residential areas. Lots of crowds on the curbs cheering us on. I especially like the house full of guys who were saluting/toasting us with Coronas (remember - it is 0900 on Sunday morning).

Mile 6 - Had to slow up a bit. Felt like I was pushing my pace too much. Walked about 100 yards and then started running again. Hooked up with a group of people who were running a 5:00 pace. No, that is not a 5:00 minute mile pace, but they would run 5 minutes and walk 1. I stuck with them a while. I find it easier to find someone whose pace is close to yours and match them.

Mile 7 - Heading back south towards town. With all of this sweating and movement, certain parts of my body started to chafe. Not wanting to rub anything raw (I’ve seen marathoners bleeding), I strategicallly applied some small bandaids in midstride that seem to eliminate the problem. Left knee is complaining more. Right one woke up. Legs are getting tired. Arm still aching but nothing too bad.

Mile 8 - Crossed back under the freeway and heading south. This section was through the commercial/entertainment district of west Houston. Lots of really nice restaurants we’ve been to as well as a few bars. Legs starting to stiffen up a bit. Has to walk some more of the route.

Mile 9 - Turnaround. It is at this point on the course, that we split from the Marathoners and turn back to Houston. Several bands are playing along the course to encourage runners but, with my iPod in place, I have my own sound track. A number of folks are walking now. Knees are getting more vocal now.

Mile 10 - Three more miles. I have about hit the wall. I run for a while, then walk for a while. My left knee has stopped speaking to me, the right one is rubbery and my back is reminding me of my age. We are running against the pack now as we have doubled back and can see the rest of the half-marathoners. Everyone is shouting encouragement to each other.

Mile 11- Heading back into down town. This section is along Allen Parkway which is a beautiful boulevard that runs along the park and the bayou all the way into downtown. Lots of festivals and events are held in Allen Park. It was a spectacular sight to look back on the skyline of downtown Houston in a clear morning sunshine. If I wasn’t tired, I would have enjoyed it more. At one point, the Marathoners rejoin our pack, although from the other side of the boulevard. You had to realize that, by this time on the course, they have covered 24+ miles in the same amount of time we had covered 11. There was one woman just burning up the course and blew past all of us. For a moment, I thought about drafting her the last few miles, but my knees laughed at me.

Mile 12 - Just entering into downtown area. Not as much street traffic/crowds. Flat streets, no hills. I am running out of steam at this point. Only 1.5 miles left. Many of the runners around me are showing signs of determination, but are looking tired.

Mile 13 - Straight shot to the convention center. I kick it up a notch (or as high as I can go) to find a pace that gets me across the finish line. At ½ mile out, I finally drop into a pace that I hold until I cross the finish line. One last sprint across the line and then we lumber to a stop. Lots of people lined up along the finish line cheering on their friends & family. I am tired/sore/sweaty but elated to have made it.

fini - Post race picture. Get a medal. Pick up my runner’s shirt. They have food and treats there for the runners. A full breakfast (although I haven’t eaten powdered eggs since the Army) but lots of fruit and high energy stuff. Sitting is a great, but getting up is a challenge. I timed myself during the run (2:34 to run 13 miles) but was unable to look at my times on line until I got home (long lines). From the website, I held a 11:46 pace over the entire course and was holding a 10:39 pace up to mile 6. Not too shabby seeing how I have not run since my “mishap” 2.5 weeks ago. Already making plans to do it again next year (2010).

What does not kill us, makes us stronger...