Houston We Have a Problem....

Last weekend Erik and I packed up the pups and headed south for the Houston Half Marathon. This was my 20th half marathon and I was excited about this one because it is a big race and I LOVE the big races. The big races bring so many people, so many stories, so much energy! We left bright and early and enjoyed an uneventful drive to Houston. Upon arrival in Sugar Land, we met up with our hosts for the weekend---Brandi and Wade. Brandi and I were roommates in college and Wade was also running the half marathon. Perfect! They were kind enough to invite the pups, Maggie and Mr. Sir, and we met up at a dog park so that our dogs could get to know their dogs on neutral territory. Mr. Sir, the pup who followed me home from a run nearly 2 years ago, had a great time at the park. Looks like we might be taking him out to a local dog park more in the future.


Mr. Sir is tuckered!

We got lunch and then headed off to the marathon expo--a great event as it combines two of my favorite pastimes: running and shopping. We got our race packets, shirts, and wandered around getting all kinds of free samples and looking at fun running stuff. This is where I found my new favorite shirt, the salesman just happened to catch me and tell me that I "needed" it. He was right! The timing could not have been more perfect after my success in the Too Cold 15K.



We all enjoyed an amazing pasta dinner at a restaurant near Brandi and Wade's house (hello pesto!!) and found ourselves going to bed really early as the alarm clock would be sounding at 4:00 am. I have failed to mention that the weather reports had not been favorable during the day--warm with a chance of rain for race morning. I do not mind running in rain and have even run in rain that eventually turned to snow, but I would rather not deal with it if at all possible. The alarm went off at 4:00 and the news was good and bad: good--not raining, bad--68 degrees and 90% humidity. You know that I had hopes of getting a new personal record (PR) at this race, but the weather report was giving me a real wake-up call. Pair that with the fact that the only shirt I brought was long sleeved....ugh.

Wade was most helpful as we arrived at the Convention Center. He ran this race last year and knew how everything was set up and exactly where to go. It was nice to not have to think about finding our way around unfamiliar surroundings. Brandi dropped us off near the door and we had plenty of time to prepare for the start. We saw several familiar faces and I even saw Ricky, a friend from college, and his wife. They would be finishing their first marathon, how exciting!!

We lined up at the start and before too long we were off and running. The start was extremely crowded, probably the worst that I have ever encountered at a race, and my 1st mile was off of my usual pace by a minute and a half. I really thought that the crowds would thin quickly, but it remained crowded for about 5 miles. I was working hard to keep Erik and Wade in my sights (they were just in front of me) and could feel the heat and humidity smothering me like a blanket! Eventually Wade went on to have a great race and a new PR while Erik and I made a deal to stick this one out together. I can't tell you how hard it was at times, I am not a bit acclimated to such warm temperatures. I have run in everything from 25-50 degrees lately, but nothing near 70 and not anything near that level of humidity. Looking at my mile splits, you can see EXACTLY where I quit looking for that PR and began to look for survival!

The crowd support for the race was amazing, Houston supports its marathon--even in the rain! Sometimes that support is what carried me as I battled my way through the streets of Houston. I got a brief mental boost at mile 8 where we made a U-turn and started to head back for downtown. That boost was short lived and then it started to RAIN....seriously. I felt like Erik was dragging me through the course, and he said that he felt like I was pulling him sometimes. Running as a team sport? It certainly was on this day!

When we hit mile 12 we both picked up the pace as it became clear that a sub 2:00 finish might still be possible. Alas, it was not to be and Erik hit the line at 2:00:59 and I hit it once second behind at 2:01:00 even.
Here are the mile splits:
Mile 1: 10:07 (super crowded start line)
Mile 2: 8:50
Mile 3: 8:39
Mile 4: 8:43
Mile 5: 8:47
Mile 6: 9:20
Mile 7: 9:13
Mile 8: 9:08
Mile 9: 9:33
Mile 10: 9:05
Mile 11: 9:32
Mile 12: 9:24
Mile 13: 8:47 (trying to beat the clock!)
My total time: 2:01:00
Total miles: 13.25
Average Pace: 9:08
I feel very lucky to walk away with 2:01 because there were times I didn't think that would be possible. There is always a lesson and today's is that we have to take what the day gives us and make the best of it. This race was just as much about the mind as it was about the legs, a gut check all the way through. I would love to have another shot at it when the conditions are better, maybe next year?



The Houston Marathon and Half Marathon is a very well organized event. I loved how all of the volunteers made an effort to read my name from my race bib and address me by such. The water and Gator Aide stops were well stocked and organized and the volunteers were friendly. The finish line volunteers were awesome too, they were all very upbeat and supportive and it was great to have a warm reception at the finish after a tough race. My only real complaint is that the start is very congested. The half and full marathon were only broken into 4 start waves--in comparison White Rock had somewhere around 15 waves (I think) so I was able to get a good start and didn't have to try to pass too many people. It also made the water stops very crowded in the first few miles and I was unable to get a drink until around mile 5. The post race food was fabulous--fruit, a bag of snacks, and a hot breakfast with eggs, sausage, potatoes, and a biscuit. The medals were beautiful (one of my top 3) and the finisher shirts were great too--the ladies version even has cute capped sleeves. A special thanks to Brandi and Wade for being such great hosts to us last weekend. We hope that we can return the favor someday soon.

Twenty half marathons later and I feel as if each one of them has taught me a different lesson. I started running because I wanted to "do something hard" and this race was exactly that. I am looking forward to the Cowtown Half at the end of February. Erik is running the full marathon and I will have the opportunity to support him during the first ten miles of the race. Looks like Team Kennemer will be in full effect!