Houston Marathon - RunMarathon


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Houston, Texas
United States
Houston Marathon Committee
55F / 13C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 4h 07m
Overall Rank = 2076/6670
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 265/637
Pre-race routine:

Not mu routine here. Wake up, have a cliff bar & a cup of coffee, then round up the car pool participants. We got downtown,parked on the street and got to the GRB about 6:15. The one "pre-race secret" I have that I'm willing to share is that the BEST place to wait for the start is the third floor of the Hilton next to the GRB. It's about the same distance from the start, but it's indoor plumbing instead of the outhouses, and absolutely NO LINES. At the hilton, the first floor is always jam packed. The second floor has a few people waiting and stretching, but the third floor is almost empty.
Event warmup:

No warmup for me, other than the walk from the car and the fight through the Blue Coral to get to the start line for the red wave.
Run
  • 4h 07m
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

I have mixed feelings about this race, I was hoping to be in the 3:55 - 4:00 range, but it was pretty obvious by the 20 mile mark that wasn't going to happen. Overall, I had a good 2-1/2 hours, and a rough last 1-1/2. I did have a few splits between mile 5 & 10 that were a lot closer to 8 min miles then 9 min miles. I know I felt good at the time, but couldn't wonder how much they contributed to the slow-down at the end.
What would you do differently?:

Watch pace early on.
Post race
Warm down:

Wander through the GRB and collect shirt & mug. Met up with the carpoolers and headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Maybe....not having Newton running shoes.....or running clothes with dimples....or....training?

Event comments:

Good race. Lots of people and lots of volunteers. Post-race food is pretty poor, but isn't it at all big races?




Last updated: 2009-07-20 12:00 AM
Running
04:07:00 | 26.2 miles | 09m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 265/637
Overall: 2076/6670
Performance: Below average
Course: Great course that winds through quite a few of the districts in Houston. The half and the full run together for most of the first nine miles, so it's pretty congested up to that point. A few small hills in the first section and in the last few miles. The middle half is almost pancake flat.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4