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Comments: Knowing we were running another marathon the next day, I went into the Gusher Marathon trying to run easy for as long as I could and then I'd start a run/walk. The morning was cool for Texas standards and sunny. I never wear a hat during races, but thought it might help me from getting the post-race migraine I usually get. I was happy I wore it as it kept the glare off my face. I was doing a good job with pacing and things felt pretty easy. My hip started to get achy around mile 7. I popped some Tylenol and it didn't bother me after that. Running through the downtown area was interesting. It was pretty desolate, besides the runners. The buildings didn't appear to be occupied and no one was out besides cops manning each intersection and the volunteers at the aid station. As I was around my mile 11, I saw Brad heading back out on the other side of the highway and he was in 2nd/3rd running with another guy. It was great seeing him doing so well knowing his hip had been giving him issues. I ran through the finish chute and the marathoners kept running for the 2nd loop. Wow. It was so quiet the second loop. It wasn't until then that I really realized how few marathoners there were. I told myself I could turn my iPod on after the halfway point. At mile 15 I started a run/walk interval and stuck to it for the rest of the race. At times I couldn't see anyone ahead or behind me. Strange feeling. Eating and drinking were spot on. It was getting hot, but I felt I did a good job at hydrating and taking salt. Finished with a smile on my face and Brad on the sidelines cheering. What would you do differently?: Nothing. This was a great race for me. It wasn't a PR, but I came into this race with a conservative approach knowing we were running a marathon the following day.  Post race
Warm down: Grabbed some water, got a massage, ate leftover pizza in the car and found shade for the awards ceremony. Brad ended up 3rd overall (would have had 2nd, but he got off course and ran a little extra) and I was 1st in my AG, 4th OA. Then we got back in the car to drive the 4 hours to NOLA. What limited your ability to perform faster: My own choice to run conservatively. Event comments: This is a great, small low key race. I liked the 2 loop course. The aid stations were completely stocked of many different things (typical race food to candy and chips). They had plenty of aid stations. There were things at the finish line area (some food options and vendors which we didn't utilize). The medals and awards were nice and the cost of the race was reasonable. I can't imagine I'll be back to Beaumont, Texas but I would definitely recommend this race. Last updated: 2015-12-22 12:00 AM
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United States
65F / 18C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 38/
Age Group = W 35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/
Brad and I flew into NOLA on Friday morning. We grabbed lunch downtown, checked in for the Rock 'n Roll Marathon and then hit the road to Beaumont, Texas. It was about a 4 hour drive. We grabbed our packets for the Gusher Marathon and then checked into the hotel. We found a great pizza place on Yelp for dinner. We were in bed and asleep before 9.
The hotel had a breakfast which was nice and one less thing to worry about race morning. We arrived at the parking lot with plenty of time. It was actually a pretty chilly morning (I had on shorts, a tank and socks turned into arm warmers). We found bag check, hit the bathrooms inside the stadium and stayed inside to keep warm.
A few minutes before 7:30 am, we made our way to the start area. We saw so many white bibs (indicating the half marathoners) and really few yellow bibs showing the marathoners. No real warm up. Kissed Brad and we wished each other good luck as he moved to the front of the start line.