Houston Marathon - RunMarathon


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Houston, Texas
United States
Houston Marathon Committee
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 05m 10s
Overall Rank = 2837/7637
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 408/812
Pre-race routine:

Made the drive and got free parking on the street on the north side of downtown, about 3-blocks from the race start line.
Event warmup:

Visited my "secret" bathroom on the 3-rd floor of the Hilton. Headed out to the start line to hang out for 30-minutes before the gun went off. If you're in the "A" corral, you really need to pay attention to how to get oto the start without having to walk through the other corral.
Run
  • 4h 05m 10s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 22s  min/mile
Comments:

Weather was just slightly warm, but no direct sun which helped. I had a 4:00 goal for this race, but was really thinking I should be able to go 3:50 or better. Ran the first mile easy, then took the pace up to about 8:40 per mile instead of the 9:00 I had planned on. No sure why I made this decision. It felt good for a couple hours, then I started to slow down. Ended up really dragging for the last hour and finished at 4:05. It was pretty obvious I was going to miss my goal by a few minutes, so I really backed off that last 3 or 4 miles.
What would you do differently?:

In hindsight, I blew my goal by making poor (overly aggressive) pace decisions. I should have stayed on pace for 4:00 for the first half, then adjusted if I was still feeling good rather than go out too fast and not sustain. My HM times are around 1:45, so I should be able to beat 4:00 without too much difficulty. Bad on me!
Post race
Warm down:

Collected my hidden glasses from the Hilton and headed home. I did stop for a few minutes to watch some of the other racers climb up and down the stairs to get over the finish shoot going tinto the GRB. Marathon finishers and stairs do not mix well. Quite a few comic moments watching people try and get down, if you don't mind laughing at the discomfort of others.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Poor pacing all the way! Also, I need to be doing more long runs at race pace per the Pfitz plan.

Event comments:

Pretty well organized race. I still get a little ticked off about the entry process and race switching. 2/3 of the participants are in the half rather than the full race, but the policy of allowing people to switch between races limits the number of people who can participate in the full. I don't think the Houston Marathon will every hit the big time with NYC, Chicago and other until they seperate the half and the full. Too bad, because the course and the time of year could really make this a world-class destination type of event.




Last updated: 2011-07-09 12:00 AM
Running
04:05:10 | 26.2 miles | 09m 22s  min/mile
Age Group: 408/812
Overall: 2837/7637
Performance: Below average
Course: Loop course through much of mid-town Houston. Course winds through The Heights, Montrose, Medical Center, Rice University, Galleria, and Memorial Park before taking you back downtown. First 9-miles are shared with the half and get a little crowded but not too bad. Aid stations are well spaced, and staggered over a good distance so crowding is not a problem.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4