Houston Marathon - RunMarathon

I had a goal time of 3:30 or 8 minute miles. I held that until about mile 17/18. Its hard to point to any one thing that went wrong, it seems more of a series of small things that just didn't turn our quite right. I arrived at the starting line with most but not all of the requirements:
1. Trained: I had put in the miles (minus a week and a half when West was born)
2. Healthy: The knee problem I always have when I ramp the miles up had started to bother me but was contained and didn't effect my race.
3. Rested & Fueled: I had eaten right in the lead up to the race, but wasn't as rested as I would have like to be due to family and company events the 2 nights before the race. Also having an infant son isn't conducive to being well rested. He was kind enough to sleep through the nite the evening before though. That's my boy!

My nutrition plan was to take in some of my concentrated accelerated every 10 minutes except on the half hours where I would take in some water and half a power gel. My thoughts on how that worked out later.

Pre-race I found the 3:30 pacing group and planned to stay with them. I felt ok for the first few miles as I warmed up. However, I knew at about mile 8 that it was going to be a struggle to hit 3:30. The 8 minute miles were not coming easy enough. My heart rate was already in the mid 170's and I needed it to be in the mid 160's to finish strong. I considered reigning it in a little bit there, but I wanted to try to hold on to it. I ended up holding the pace longer then I thought I could.

I crossed the half marathon in 1:44:56. I was starting to cramp a little and feeling a little bloated. I thought I was taking in too many calories and cut back on the accelerade and power gel.

I continued to hold the 8min/mile pace. Even the west park bridge at mile 15 was only an 8:15 mile. 16 & 17 where my last ditch efforts to maintain my goal pace but it was starting to look a little grim. At mile 18 I went into survival mode and just tried to bring it home.

I walked the aid stations in mile 19 because I was feeling light headed and sick to my stomach. I was doing 6/1 run/walk mix from 23 to 25. Seeing the finish in the last mile gave me some strength and I was able to finish without looking like death.

So what went wrong:
1. Weather - it was hotter then I had been training in and I did not compensate for that with more water.
2. Hydration/Nutrition - I think I took in more calories then I needed and not enough water. Next time I may just go with water on the course with gel ever 45 minutes rather then half of one every half hour in addition to the accelerade.
3. Strategy? - I think I could have gone faster if I had given up on 3:30 sooner. But I wanted that time dammit! So not too many regrets there. Would I rather have 3:35 with no chance at 3:30 or 3:43 with a shot at 3:30. I don't know.

I was weighed after the race and I had lost 6 lbs on the course which made me have to talk to the medical staff. Walking around the athletes area I still felt dizzy and light headed. I kept drinking gatorade and water and felt better but for a minute there I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make to out to meet Stac.


I need to hydrate better. I also want to be more rested for the next one. I usually swear I'm never doing another marathon again after every marathon... but after this race I really want to get back out there. I know I can go under 3:30 and maybe below even that. I learned a lot from this round of training.


This is a great race. I will do at least the half ever year.