San Antonio Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Sorry this race report is so late! I have had a busy week traveling for work, then this weekend was the Kiddo's birthday party, plus DH & I celebrated our 11th anniversary. Never a dull minute, I tell ya!



Friday, November 14

I managed to sneak out of work a bit early, but somehow we didn’t manage to get on the road until after 4 pm. We headed to the in-laws where we spent the night. I went to bed early, because I was up until 1am the night before working on my revised budget for work.


Saturday, November 15 – The Expo
5:00 am.

That’s what time the Munchkin woke up.

He must have noticed that he was in the pack and play rather than his crib, not to mention that he wasn’t in his room. He did not want to go back to sleep and as a result, he also woke up his sister who also refused to go back to sleep. Sigh.

Around noon I headed to San Antonio to meet the Woodlands Fit peeps. I was the 1st to arrive at our hotel, which was an old house that was converted into a condo-ish type of hotel. It was in an older neighborhood with lots of restored, historic homes – very cute with a Spanish-tiled roof and hard-wood floors! Once everyone arrived, we decided to take care of our stomachs first and headed to the tea room around the corner. Yum-my! Of course, the 1st thing on the menu to catch my eye was the "fishbowl" mimosas…if only!

After lunch, we took the 1-mile trek to the Alamodome. The expo was extremely crowded and the lines were long, but it was well organized and the lines moved quickly. Compared to other marathons of this size, I wasn’t all that impressed with the vendors there. However, I did buy some sunglasses which proved to be a very, very good idea. After the expo, we headed back to our hotel to look through our swag. Again, compared to other marathons, not that impressive – gloves (which did come in handy), an utter butter sample, a cold medicine sample, a $10 PF Changs gift card and what appeared to be information about every upcoming race that had a booth at the expo. We decided to head back to the same tea room for some dinner, then headed back to the hotel where we all talked until about 10 pm.



Here we are at the Expo!











Sunday, November 16 – Race Day
Brrrr, it was in the 30’s when we woke up! We decided to head to the shuttle lines no later than 5:30 am, since we had a 1-mile trek to get there. It’s a good thing, because a bus was just leaving and the line was not too long. However, 10 minutes later, the line was all the way down the block! Unlike NYC, where a half-dozen buses are waiting at any given minute to shuttle people to the start, we had to wait for awhile before more buses came. I forgot my Garmin in the hotel, so I had no idea what time we finally headed to the start. We chatted with some fellow runners and even sang "Happy Birthday" to a guy we met who was from Florida. We saw tons of traffic on the interstate, so it was pretty obvious that there were going to be some people who were not going to make it to the start in time.
<- On the warm and toasty bus!














Once we arrived, several of us needed a porta-potty stop. By the time we were done it was time to head to our corrals. We were all in corral 17…there were a total of 30 corrals. Honestly, the entire weekend, I was stressing out about whether I could run the race, get back to the hotel, get back to the family in time to get back to Houston in time to meet up with my friend for dinner before the Madonna concert. We were in our corral about 15 minutes before the race was scheduled to start and people were still arriving and sprinting to their corrals. The race actually began about 15 minutes late, probably to allow those stuck on the shuttle buses in traffic. Once the gun went off, it took exactly 30 minutes for our corral to cross the finish line….I felt sorry for those people in corral 30!



Here we are before the race....do we look cold? And another pic of 30,000 of our closest friends....

















We were off! It seemed to take me forever to loosen up...I think my entire body was tense from
all the shivering I had done while standing around in the cold. Early on, 2 of our 9 folks went on ahead of us. Then, another two. I was in the group of the remaining 4 and somewhere around mile 3 or 4 (I think), we had to head to the porta-potty. Fortunately, there was only one person in line at the 2 porta-potties. We probably lost 5 minutes there, but the relief was soooo worth it. I usually don’t have to make a stop on our long runs, but I think a combination of the cold and waiting for so long to start did me in. The bands were at every mile and sometimes more frequent, which was a nice distraction. Early on, we passed the Alamo and took a quick picture.

















I don't know if it was the weather or just the adrenaline from the race and crowds, but I felt great. It was really hard to remember that this was a training run and to not speed up. Plus, I knew if I sped up too much, I would lose steam at the end. I kept reminding myself to just take it easy. A majority of the route was in downtown and we faced the sun quite a bit - that's where those sunglasses were a Godsend! The mile markers seemed to pass quickly, which was a great feeling. Eventually somewhere around mile 8 or 9, our group of four became two groups of two. Katie and I stuck together for the remained of the race. We passed the mile 10 and 11 markers and knew we were in the home stretch! Finally, we passed the mile 12 marker and began to see the Alamodome. We hear the crowds tell us that the finish is just around the corner...about that time we can see the mile 13 marker - placed very cruelly at the top of a steep ramp near the Alamodome. Yes, someone very evil planned the final stretch of the route! Bastards! :-) Katie and I said we were going to run the rest in, but I was a wuss and stopped running about 1/2 way up the hill and walked. But, once we were up the hill, the finish was in sight and there was no stopping again. We were done!

All in all, I'd say this was my best 1/2 in that I felt great the entire way. It was also my slowest 1/2, but not bad to a training run. I hope I feel 1/2 as great in Houston in January...with a flatter course, I am sure I can better my time quite a bit.

















We made our way through all the crowds to get out medals. We were even interviewed by a TV crew! We grabbed some bagels, bananas, etc and made our way to our friends, where we had a bit of celebratory champagne.

After that, I pretty much speed-walked the mile back to the hotel. I was off to San Marcos to meet the family and then off to see Madonna....more on that later!

I'm in...

Rather than procrastinating (like I usually do), I decided to just do it - I registered for the Aramco 1/2 Marathon in January!



For a split second, my cursor lingered over the Houston Marathon registration button. I love the idea of training for and running the full, but I don't like the idea of trying to balance that training with family, work and school. Without school thrown into the mix, it's a no brainer - marathon, marathon, marathon. But the memories are still vivid of training for Chicago last fall and trying to squeeze in the 15, 18, 21 milers with all that homework, papers, group projects and library time. Not fun! So, I'm sticking to the promise I made to myself last October - no more full marathons until after grad school. But, I will be living vicariously through all my fellow bloggers and look forward to reading all about your marathon training!

I didn't get a workout in yesterday afternoon. After happy hour, I felt quite lethargic....drinking wine does that to me. We had a great time at The Corkscrew. I highly recommend the place! They have a great selection of wines and great customer service. They also have free wine tastings on Thursday from 5:30 - 7:30. My favorite last night was the Adami Prosecco.



It's a fresh, fruity sparkling wine that is perfect for summer. Yummy! Of course, I'm no wine expert. In fact, before last night, I had never even heard of prosecco. I ended up buying a bottle, which I'm sure I could have bought at Spec's much less dinero.

Today, I'm meeting the hubby and kiddo at the park after work. I'm not sure how the foot will hold up, so I'll just take it nice and slow. Tomorrow I start school again. I'm bummed to be missing the Heights 5K and the Houston Striders Picnic, so everyone have some fun for me!!!

2007 Astros Race for the Pennant

At first I wasn't sure how the day would turn out. We got home late last night from the graduation party and I was dumb enough to drink 2 margarita's! (By the way, anything after 10 pm is late for us.) Because we got in late, I had one very grumpy kiddo this morning. So grumpy that I debated about whether or not I should bring her. Luckily, once she woke up a little, she was ready to go. And, I had the nagging foot pain issue, so I wasn't sure how that was going to affect my running. I didn't have many expectations for today, I really just wanted to maintain a 10 minute pace.

The weather was awesome compared to last year! Very humid, but only 74 degrees and little breezy. Very nice for May in Houston! Before the race, we ran into Junction Jack and the kiddo wasn't sure what to think about him. At first, she wanted me to pick her up, but eventually she shook his hand and gave him a high five. We found my sister-in-law and nephews, then Rebecca. So many familiar faces...on the way to the bathrooms, I ran into June and Margo. On the way back from the bathrooms, I ran into a guy I went to high school with...small world! This was his 1st ever 5k, so congrats to him! While waiting to start, I ran into fellow blogger Brenda.

We sang the Anthem and were off. My nephew had spotted a couple of guys from his school, so that was his incentive to take off. I started a little fast,as usual...I checked the Garmin at the 1/2 mile marker and it said 8:56! I knew that was really fast for me, so I slowed it down. When we ran by the stadium again, I saw the kiddo with my sister-in-law. I ran over to give her (the kiddo, not the sister-in-law) a quick kiss. Somehow, I was still going too fast. At mile 1, I skipped the water station and checked the Garmin again - 9:13. By then, I was feeling the foot, but it wasn't too bad.

At mile 2, I thought I hit the lap button again, but apparently missed it. This time, I did stop for water and I did something I swore I wouldn't do ever again during a 5k...I walked! I walked up part of the "hill", drank my water and started running again. I made it to the turnaround and a short while later, I pooped out in almost the exact same spot as last year (somewhere after crossing Dowling). And, I did it again...I walked. It wasn't more than about 30 seconds, but still. I may have walked longer, but a woman was running past and said "C'mon girl, we're almost there". That was all I needed. I started running again and we chatted for a minute about running. She was just getting started with running and asked me if I had run a marathon. Then, we talked for a second or two about getting into a training program. Before I knew it, we were at mile 3 - the 2nd & 3rd miles timed at 18:51. Only one more turn before heading into the stadium to the finish.

30:00

on.the.dot.

Grrr...part of me is proud that I beat my Easter Bun Run time by 15 seconds(which was in near perfect 50 degree conditions with no hills and I beat last year's time in the same race by more than 3 minutes. This is my best 5k time in 5 friggin' years. BUT, part of me is kicking myself for those damn walk breaks. I missed a PR by 10 seconds! Had I dug a bit deeper and not been a pansy, I could have PRed!

Oh well, shoulda coulda woulda...can't change the past. All I can do is remember this at the next 5k and do better. Overall, I am happy that my times are improving, despite my inconsistent training during the school semester...bottom line - I ran better than expected and I had a great time!

The best part of the morning came next! No, I'm not talking about the post-race party, although that was awesome as usual. I'm talking about the kids K! My younger nephew and the kiddo were psyched about running it. We grabbed some grub and headed over to the start. The kiddo was dancing around to the music and having a good time. We ran into Coach Jon and his daughter and hung out with the other kids. However, as more and more kids got there, I think the kiddo got a bit overwhelmed because she wanted me to hold her. The race started and she ran a little while, then just stopped and started crying. Poor thing! She wanted me to carry her, so I did and assured her that everything was A-okay. After awhile she wanted to run again. We pretty much did the run awhile, carry me awhile thing the entire way. Whew, 1K felt more like another 5k with me carrying her part of way! By the end she was doing great! She was so excited to run across the finish line and get her medal! And, she didn't hesitate at all this time when Junction Jack gave her a high five. :-)

Easter Bun Run 5k

This post is a bit late, but better late than never I suppose.

I went to pick up my packet on Friday at Tri on the Run and realized that I left my checkbook at home. Of course, I had no cash on me...I am a debit card girl all the way. So, I walked to a nearby gas station to use the atm. I had the kiddo with me and she started crying, because she really wanted to check out the jog stroller. Kids are funny! When I returned with my money, the folks at packet pick-up told me that they don't have t-shirts with them. Darn, that's the reason I run 5k races...to add more shirts to my collection! No worries, they said they would have them next weekend. By the time we left, the kiddo had completely forgotten about the jog stroller.

Saturday morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn and could hear the wind howling outside. After making a few wrong turns, I made it to the Fonde Recreation Center at approximately 7:25 am. The temp was a perfect 50 degrees, but the wind was still howling. I picked up my chip and headed to the porta-potties. Dang, no tp! As I was getting ready to head back to my car to stay warm, someone came by and said that tp would be there shortly. I hung out in my car until about 6:45 and then headed back to the porta-cans. Sure enough, there was tp! I managed to stretch a little before the announcer announced that the race would be starting in 5 minutes and that we should make our way to the start. As I looked around, I noticed that there aren't many runners. The ones that are there look like pretty serious runners and I begin to worry that I may come in last! That's never a good feeling, but I figure there has to be a walker or two in the crowd, which makes me feel a little better. Before I make it to the start, I see Steve who tells me June is there. It's always good to see familiar faces at a race, so I am happy to see June!

When we started the race and the wind was non-existent. I went into this race not expecting to PR, but just wanting to maintain a 10 minute pace. My goal finish time was 31 minutes. I knew I had startd out a bit too fast (for me), because I felt winded right away and had to tell myself to slow it down a bit. I checked the Garmin, which told me my pace was 8 something. I managed to maintain about a 9:30 pace for the 1st mile and was stoked. I made it to the turnaround and I immediately got hit with a lovely headwind. The headwind subsided a bit, but hit again right as I started to get close to the "hill". The "hill" is not really a hill, but a gentle incline. However, with the wind it felt like more of a hill. The next mile was a bit slower, but since I forgot to hit my lap button I'm not exactly sure of the time. I just knew that I was going faster than my goal pace...and I didn't feel tired at all! The next thing I knew is that I can see the finish and the clock. The clock said 28 something. For a split second, I thought that I just might be able to PR. However, the thought was just for a split second, because I realized that I was too far out to make it. But, I was definitely going to crush my 31 minute goal. My ending time was 30:15! No PR, but overall, I am really pleased. That is my fastest 5K time since before I was pregnant - over 2 years.

My PR occurred in February 2002 right after I completed my 1st 1/2 marathon. It was the Heart of the Park 5k, which I don't even think exists anymore. I just remember it was a perfect weather day - about 40 degrees and no wind. My time was 29:50....a time in which I have not come close to since. In fact, I was beginning to think either 1) the course was short or 2) I was never going to PR again. Running this race in 30:15 gives me some hope that I am capable of PRing. Of course, the weather plays a huge part in this as well. I don't know if I would run as fast if it was 20 degrees warmer. I guess we'll see...the temps will probably be at least 20 degrees warmer in the next race.

Anyway, after chatting with June, Steve and Lisa for a few minutes after the race, I headed home. The post race party and drawings weren't starting until 9 am and it was too cold to hang out. Overall, I really enjoyed the race. I loved that the course was nice and flat (unlike the 5Ks on Allen Parkway) and out and back. Maybe next year I'll be even faster and coming in last won't even cross my mind. :-)

Such a tease

It was too freaking good to be true! I was sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, turned around to look out the window and I see something that I almost didn't recognize - sunshine! And blue skies too! I guess I should have stared a little longer and really savored that moment, because 30 minutes later I looked again and it was gone. The blue skies were once again replaced with those all too familiar grey skies. Damn tease. That's all it was. Grrrrr...

Not much to report today. I managed to squeeze in 3 on the dreadmill last night. Earlier, before picking up the kiddo, I went to WW. I lost a whopping .25 lbs! But hey, considering what I ate at the luncheon in Austin on Wednesday and my occasional snacking on Valentine's Day candy at the office, I'll take any loss I can get. My goal for February is to lose 4 lbs. I think that's a very realistic goal.

This morning, I completed Day 5 of SI6! So far, so good.

In other news, the Wallow is out for me this weekend. The hubby wants to go fishing on Saturday and the only time my Mom is able to watch the kiddo is in the morning. Since I desperately need to finish my Statistics homework, I figure it might be best for me to utilize her babysitting time to head to the library and just do my long run on Sunday. I also know there will be many Saturdays ahead when the hubby will really want to go fishing, but won't be able to because I am in class all day!

Have a great weekend and good luck to everyone running the Wallow tomorrow.