Houston Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Mi. 1: 12:01

Mi. 2: 12:10

Mi. 3: 11:35 -- had the perfect start to the race based on my goal pace...mi. 3 was a little faster than anticipated, but i was feeling good

Mi. 4: 11:34

Mi. 5: 11:27

Mi. 6: 11:18 -- still right on track next 3 mi...maybe could have picked up a little more, but I think it helped conserve for the end

Mi. 7: 11:24 (boo!)

Mi. 8: 11:06

Mi. 9: 11:09 -- aside from a little shaky mile 7, getting into a great groove here...this is where I probably felt the strongest in the race (8&9)

Mi. 10: 10:47 -- Kristen had to stop and put her patella strap back on, so I slowed a bit, but still kept a great rhythm

Mi. 11: 10:40 -- Right shoelace came untied...resolved it quickly

Mi. 12: 10:35 -- 10-12 got tough...but seeing the paces, it makes sense. knew I was going to nail my goal, tried to stay under 11:00 to be safe

Mi. 13: 9:42 -- WOW!!! no wonder I was hurting like a mo-fo! thank goodness for Kristen to keep me focused. she said "see the girl in pink, let's catch her."...did that for about 4 runners. I told her I didn't have much left and to go without me, but she wouldn't...we were still pushing, and had a great finish.

0.32 : 9:41 -- add in the weaving through traffic on the course, and I covered 13.32... so my "unofficial" overall pace was 11:10.

I think I executed my plan perfectly. I hit my goal with room to spare. Maybe could have done a longer longest run than 10 mi., but that's nit-picky. I was very well prepared, and the pain in the last mile or so was because I was really red-lining, not because I was ill prepared. Will have to call this my best run performace to date.

Finisher medal then into the GRB to get the morning bag. On the way to meet-and-greet, snagged a chocolate milk, apple, and a banana. Ate half the apple then devoured the banana and milk.

Found the family and friends then went and had the warm breakfast. Eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and a biscuit. Was good...and the soreness and stiffness started to settle in.

Went back to the hotel to clean up...which felt amazing. Then headed for a celebratory margarita and fajitas. It was defeinitely worth the wait to have this splurge.


The weather -- about 10 degrees warmer than my ideal race temperature. Also, lots of humidity. The rain-slicked streets didn't bother me too much, and with the temp. as warm as it was, the constant light drizzle was actually appreciated.

Also, need to get back down to my racing weight. I'm on track for that by the HIM, so no big worries. Just have to be more diligent with the diet in the offseasons.


Great first standalone running race for me. Excellent organization from packet pickup to post-race events. Hoping to continue to be a lottery winner in the future...although I'm not a fan of the lottery system.