After my twisted knee in November, my running has been slowly ramping up. Last Saturday I ran 10 miles - that was my longest run since last February's Cowtown Marathon. My running has been very lacking. I had signed up for the Houston Half months in advance - and my buddies were going down there to run the full, so I decided to join them. Drove the 260 miles after the Bold in the Cold race was over on Saturday. Stayed at the Hilton Americas. My buddy, John got us a great deal on the room. This where all the elites stay, it is attached to the Conference Center which is the site of the start/finish lines. There were even walkways connecting the two buildings. Very nice - no driving, no shuttles, no drop bags on race morning. Definitely the place to stay if you run Houston. I signed up for the BEEF Team In Preparation team this year. They take applicants each year to represent the Tx Beef industry, in exchange for a free shirt -- and after the first year, partial reimbursements for event entries. There are some qualifications on how many races you need to run in a year, and even are required to volunteer once. I eat beef, especially lean beef, and I run (ran) lots of races, so I had no problem representing them. So, Saturday night there was a BEEF TIP dinner -- free to members. So, that's where we at (John is also a member). A woman spoke at the dinner who just set the women's world record of 17 marathons in 17 days (I'm sure there are women on this blog that could match or better that!!) Woke up Sunday morning around 5:00 for the 7:00AM start. John and Dave were running the full, so I let them have priority on the bathroom, etc.. I didn't even get out of bed until after they left the room at 6:00. I was in no hurry. The weather was not ideal. 45F, 20MPH N wind, with scattered storms. I really thought about staying in bed for this. But, I needed to run for the BEEF Team, and my own confidence. The race started promptly at 7:00AM in the pouring rain. I left the dryness of the Convention Center at 6:58 - and crossed the start line at the rear of the crowds at about 7:25. For the first mile, as the rain pounded my face, I thought about turning around and going back to bed.. but I ran/jogged the whole thing. My heart rate was much higher than normal (for me), as it reflected my poor training (PPPPPPPP). I kept it easy and muddled through. I tried to keep positive - the rain let up at about half way. I kept my poncho on until the last mile, when I picked up the pace from mid 9:00s to what felt to me to be sub 7:00. I did the 13 mile in 7:55. It was my only mile sub 8:00/mi -- and only the 3rd mile of the race under 9:00/mi. I finished in 2:05:??It was a PW.
I felt fine afterwards, and probably could have run faster, but I was looking at the long-term..and only using this race as a time to spend with friends and ramp up toward the Cowtown marathon next month. It gave me confidence that I needed - to show I can still run long distances post-knee twisting. (I really should get a diagnosis..but it's not holding me back. Only making me a bit slower.) I was able to go back to my room after I finished, showered, changed and got my camera before John and Dave finished their full marathons. I'm not listing this under Races because this was only a training run with benefits! :) I'd highly recommend this marathon to anyone who doesn't mind running on Sundays. Very well run, and if you can stay at the Hilton Americana - very convenient and affordable!
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