5:40:01 in Hot, Humid Texas Marathon in Kingwood
Happy New Year! I'm beat, my feet are killing me, but I have marathon #4 in the books!
It was humid and then hot. 68 degrees when Waverly and I got in the truck this morning with high humidity and 81 degrees when we left Greenbelt Park in Kingwood at about 2:45 p.m.
Lots of people to thank, but HRBer/7 Hills RC Rick Cook and ultramarathoner Dalton Pulsipher hung with me pretty much all of the first three (3) loops when they didn't have to. Thanks guys!
Many thanks to Steve and Paula Boone for putting on this event. It was created for Kingwood resident Rick Worley a number of years back when he needed a marathon to keep a 152-week streak going. (After having a DNS - Did Not Start before the 2005 Texas Marathon, Rick ran his 2nd marathon of the year today and now sits at #299 - as does Boone. Both Boone and Worley will run their 300th marathon at Houston in two weeks.) Steve and Paula, who I originally met at the Lincoln Marathon in Nebraska on May 1st, are super nice people! I'm glad that I know them a little bit instead of simply knowing "of" them.
I'm not sure how Steve and Paula do it to be honest. For $35, there was more food around - like a trail run or an ultra - then you knew what to do with. Every runner - and volunteer - got a nice white long sleeve T-shirt that has the event logo on the front and "Texas Marathon" down one (1) sleeve while each finisher got a medal that is in the same class as the one I got right before Thanksgiving at the Motive Bison Stampede in Austin.
Speaking of the great volunteers, including Bill Dwyer of Team In Training - The Woodlands, George and Kerry Roffe of Team In Training - Kingwood, Houston Strider Mindy Schroeder (I think Bill was relaxing somewhere - smart man!) and the Keller family from Kingwood. Jesse completed the HEB Texas 10K Challenge this year and his wife and son ran the last race in San Marcos - the Country Roads 10K.
And special thanks to my daughter, Waverly, for crewing for me today. She gave me a Gu at the end of each loop, a change of shirts after the second loop and also a kiss after each loop - sort of a tradition for us!
MILE SPLITS (Ugly!)
Mile 1/ 2 -- 21:29.17 (10:45 pace)
Mile 3 -- 11:04.67 (32:33.84 / 10:51)
Mile 4 -- 10:38.70 (43:12.54 / 10:48)
Mile 5 -- 10:48.09 (54:00.63 / 10:48)
Mile 6.55 -- 16:57.29 (1:10:57.92 / 10:50)
Like New York City, I actually started to feel the effects of the early-morning humidity in the first loop. The course is in Greenbelt Park in Kingwood and heads out towards Lake Houston for about 2.2 miles. You then begin half of a semi-circle until you get to a shorter out and back. After coming back, you go to the other side of the semi-circle and then hit the mileage back to the start/finish area. Rick, Dalton and I all came into the area together; however, I spent about 2 minutes after reaching the turnaround in the "home" aid station.
Mile 7 -- 6:05.56 (1:17:03.48 / 11:00)
Mile 8 -- 10:44.56 (1:27:48.04 / 10:58)
Mile 9/10 -- 24:13.56 (1:52:01.60 / 11:12)
Mile 11 -- 11:44.97 (2:03:46.57 / 11:15)
Mile 12 -- 10:57.85 (2:14:44.44 / 11:14)
Mile 13 -- 11:58.59 (2:26:43.03 / 11:17)
Mile .1 -- 1:09.87 (2:27:52.90 / 11:17)
The course is pretty much all concrete unless you are able to run on the sides and get in the dirt path; however, that wasn't always possible. Dalton and I kind of thought 10 was long; however, I think we were just slowing down. The time seems to indicate that. I had told Waverly at the end of the first loop to have my other shirt ready to go at the end of the second loop. After crossing the line, I burned about three (3) minutes at the aid station. With the humidity and the oncoming heat, it was a necessity to hit every water station and get both water and Powerade. I basically had no other choice.
Mile 14/15 -- 25:48.48 (2:53:41.38 / 11:35)
Mile 16 -- 12:50.40 (3:06:31.78 / 11:39)
Mile 17 -- 14:20.26 (3:20:52.04 / 11:49)
Mile 18 -- 14:22.84 (3:35:14.88 / 11:58)
Mile 19 -- 13:10.63 (3:48:25.51 / 12:01)
Mile 19.65 -- 9:45.83 (3:58:11.34 / 12:07)
Dalton and Rick got ahead, which was OK, because I had actually told them both early in the third loop that I may just power walk it the rest of the way. With the heat, I was already spent. In that climate, I can't hammer away at all. (I'm still wondering how I did 1:42 in 10 miles in Pearland just four weeks ago. It wasn't as hot, but it wasn't exactly cold either. Some breeze, but still muggy.)
Also at this time, everything hurt and the humidity was just sucking whatever cardio benefit I had been working on. I was running in a newer pair of Brooks Beast that I got after I felt the same thing during the 30K. However, I surmised the entire time in that all of the miles that I registered in December didn't help - especially the last three weekends (3.1/18.6/5 -- 16/11.6 -- 13.1/17.1). We'll see. I'll have to reevaluate before I do another full, which I am targeting for Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans. I just don't want to have to walk as much as I did during this one.
Mile 20/21 -- 19:04.72 (4:17:16.06 / 12:15)
Mile 22 -- 15:48.03 (4:33:04.09 / 12:25)
Mile 23 -- 16:23.55 (4:49:27.64 / 12:35)
Mile 24 -- 17:03.92 (5:06:31.56 / 12:46)
Mile 25 -- 13:20.36 (5:19:51.92 / 12:48)
Mile 26 -- 17:42.24 (5:37:34.16 / 12:59)
Mile .2 -- 2:26.76 (5:40:00.92 / 12:59)
Not much to say on this section. I tried to keep shuffling, but the need to walk took over. Plus I started to feel a little bit of a groin pull on the right side early in the fourth loop and I thought to myself, "Jon, this isn't anytime to be selfish. You wanted to do this, but you can't get hurt and not be able to run with Waverly in two weeks." I tried every mental trick I knew of in the book, including counting steps. I succeeded a number of times; however, I would get to 1,100 or 1,200 and be forced to walk again. I kept telling myself that a finish was better than a DNF and that this was just a rough day weather-wise.
First loop -- 1:10:57.92
Second loop -- 1:16:54.98
Third loop -- 1:30:18.44
Final loop -- 1:41:49.18
If the weather was nice, I had hoped to slow down and run as close to 1:12 each loop for a 4:48 PR. The weather sucked; however, I was close for the first two loops -- 2:27:52.90 vs. 2:24 (and I wasted about 2 minutes in the first loop at the aid station).
When I first thought about this back in September when I decided to pace Waverly in the half, I was thinking about a 1:08 first loop and then a 10 percent slide each loop. 68:00, 74:48, 81:17, 89:25. That would have been a 5:13:30. So I aimed for that same 10% rule, after the first two loops, but I was on the outside of that equation as well. Just a rough day for me overall.
Sometimes Striders running coach Steve Shepard can be as blunt as can be, but be diplomatic and today's comment via e-mail was an interesting one -- "Marathoning is a crap shoot and you rolled snake eyes this morning."
I had three (3) Gu in me - one at the end of each of the three loops, two (2) E-CAPS (I believe that these are straight salt and/or electrolytes) and water and gatorade at every stop and I still looked like a ghost at the finish -- fresh with salt all over me. However, I didn't cramp up. It is just that my feet hurt incredibly. Almost as if I didn't have any shock absorbers at all.
The one thing that I didn't do well was eat decent the day before. Because of a rift at home, I went to bed at 6:55 p.m. (after coming back from the TCU-Iowa State ev1.net Bowl Game) and slept until 5 a.m. without anything to eat since about halftime at 3:30 p.m. That is called a "lack of fuel" problem. (I had a couple of Nutri-Grain bars and a banana before the start of the race, but I knew I was running hampered before I got started.)
More on the race's people in another entry!
It was humid and then hot. 68 degrees when Waverly and I got in the truck this morning with high humidity and 81 degrees when we left Greenbelt Park in Kingwood at about 2:45 p.m.
Lots of people to thank, but HRBer/7 Hills RC Rick Cook and ultramarathoner Dalton Pulsipher hung with me pretty much all of the first three (3) loops when they didn't have to. Thanks guys!
Many thanks to Steve and Paula Boone for putting on this event. It was created for Kingwood resident Rick Worley a number of years back when he needed a marathon to keep a 152-week streak going. (After having a DNS - Did Not Start before the 2005 Texas Marathon, Rick ran his 2nd marathon of the year today and now sits at #299 - as does Boone. Both Boone and Worley will run their 300th marathon at Houston in two weeks.) Steve and Paula, who I originally met at the Lincoln Marathon in Nebraska on May 1st, are super nice people! I'm glad that I know them a little bit instead of simply knowing "of" them.
I'm not sure how Steve and Paula do it to be honest. For $35, there was more food around - like a trail run or an ultra - then you knew what to do with. Every runner - and volunteer - got a nice white long sleeve T-shirt that has the event logo on the front and "Texas Marathon" down one (1) sleeve while each finisher got a medal that is in the same class as the one I got right before Thanksgiving at the Motive Bison Stampede in Austin.
Speaking of the great volunteers, including Bill Dwyer of Team In Training - The Woodlands, George and Kerry Roffe of Team In Training - Kingwood, Houston Strider Mindy Schroeder (I think Bill was relaxing somewhere - smart man!) and the Keller family from Kingwood. Jesse completed the HEB Texas 10K Challenge this year and his wife and son ran the last race in San Marcos - the Country Roads 10K.
And special thanks to my daughter, Waverly, for crewing for me today. She gave me a Gu at the end of each loop, a change of shirts after the second loop and also a kiss after each loop - sort of a tradition for us!
MILE SPLITS (Ugly!)
Mile 1/ 2 -- 21:29.17 (10:45 pace)
Mile 3 -- 11:04.67 (32:33.84 / 10:51)
Mile 4 -- 10:38.70 (43:12.54 / 10:48)
Mile 5 -- 10:48.09 (54:00.63 / 10:48)
Mile 6.55 -- 16:57.29 (1:10:57.92 / 10:50)
Like New York City, I actually started to feel the effects of the early-morning humidity in the first loop. The course is in Greenbelt Park in Kingwood and heads out towards Lake Houston for about 2.2 miles. You then begin half of a semi-circle until you get to a shorter out and back. After coming back, you go to the other side of the semi-circle and then hit the mileage back to the start/finish area. Rick, Dalton and I all came into the area together; however, I spent about 2 minutes after reaching the turnaround in the "home" aid station.
Mile 7 -- 6:05.56 (1:17:03.48 / 11:00)
Mile 8 -- 10:44.56 (1:27:48.04 / 10:58)
Mile 9/10 -- 24:13.56 (1:52:01.60 / 11:12)
Mile 11 -- 11:44.97 (2:03:46.57 / 11:15)
Mile 12 -- 10:57.85 (2:14:44.44 / 11:14)
Mile 13 -- 11:58.59 (2:26:43.03 / 11:17)
Mile .1 -- 1:09.87 (2:27:52.90 / 11:17)
The course is pretty much all concrete unless you are able to run on the sides and get in the dirt path; however, that wasn't always possible. Dalton and I kind of thought 10 was long; however, I think we were just slowing down. The time seems to indicate that. I had told Waverly at the end of the first loop to have my other shirt ready to go at the end of the second loop. After crossing the line, I burned about three (3) minutes at the aid station. With the humidity and the oncoming heat, it was a necessity to hit every water station and get both water and Powerade. I basically had no other choice.
Mile 14/15 -- 25:48.48 (2:53:41.38 / 11:35)
Mile 16 -- 12:50.40 (3:06:31.78 / 11:39)
Mile 17 -- 14:20.26 (3:20:52.04 / 11:49)
Mile 18 -- 14:22.84 (3:35:14.88 / 11:58)
Mile 19 -- 13:10.63 (3:48:25.51 / 12:01)
Mile 19.65 -- 9:45.83 (3:58:11.34 / 12:07)
Dalton and Rick got ahead, which was OK, because I had actually told them both early in the third loop that I may just power walk it the rest of the way. With the heat, I was already spent. In that climate, I can't hammer away at all. (I'm still wondering how I did 1:42 in 10 miles in Pearland just four weeks ago. It wasn't as hot, but it wasn't exactly cold either. Some breeze, but still muggy.)
Also at this time, everything hurt and the humidity was just sucking whatever cardio benefit I had been working on. I was running in a newer pair of Brooks Beast that I got after I felt the same thing during the 30K. However, I surmised the entire time in that all of the miles that I registered in December didn't help - especially the last three weekends (3.1/18.6/5 -- 16/11.6 -- 13.1/17.1). We'll see. I'll have to reevaluate before I do another full, which I am targeting for Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans. I just don't want to have to walk as much as I did during this one.
Mile 20/21 -- 19:04.72 (4:17:16.06 / 12:15)
Mile 22 -- 15:48.03 (4:33:04.09 / 12:25)
Mile 23 -- 16:23.55 (4:49:27.64 / 12:35)
Mile 24 -- 17:03.92 (5:06:31.56 / 12:46)
Mile 25 -- 13:20.36 (5:19:51.92 / 12:48)
Mile 26 -- 17:42.24 (5:37:34.16 / 12:59)
Mile .2 -- 2:26.76 (5:40:00.92 / 12:59)
Not much to say on this section. I tried to keep shuffling, but the need to walk took over. Plus I started to feel a little bit of a groin pull on the right side early in the fourth loop and I thought to myself, "Jon, this isn't anytime to be selfish. You wanted to do this, but you can't get hurt and not be able to run with Waverly in two weeks." I tried every mental trick I knew of in the book, including counting steps. I succeeded a number of times; however, I would get to 1,100 or 1,200 and be forced to walk again. I kept telling myself that a finish was better than a DNF and that this was just a rough day weather-wise.
First loop -- 1:10:57.92
Second loop -- 1:16:54.98
Third loop -- 1:30:18.44
Final loop -- 1:41:49.18
If the weather was nice, I had hoped to slow down and run as close to 1:12 each loop for a 4:48 PR. The weather sucked; however, I was close for the first two loops -- 2:27:52.90 vs. 2:24 (and I wasted about 2 minutes in the first loop at the aid station).
When I first thought about this back in September when I decided to pace Waverly in the half, I was thinking about a 1:08 first loop and then a 10 percent slide each loop. 68:00, 74:48, 81:17, 89:25. That would have been a 5:13:30. So I aimed for that same 10% rule, after the first two loops, but I was on the outside of that equation as well. Just a rough day for me overall.
Sometimes Striders running coach Steve Shepard can be as blunt as can be, but be diplomatic and today's comment via e-mail was an interesting one -- "Marathoning is a crap shoot and you rolled snake eyes this morning."
I had three (3) Gu in me - one at the end of each of the three loops, two (2) E-CAPS (I believe that these are straight salt and/or electrolytes) and water and gatorade at every stop and I still looked like a ghost at the finish -- fresh with salt all over me. However, I didn't cramp up. It is just that my feet hurt incredibly. Almost as if I didn't have any shock absorbers at all.
The one thing that I didn't do well was eat decent the day before. Because of a rift at home, I went to bed at 6:55 p.m. (after coming back from the TCU-Iowa State ev1.net Bowl Game) and slept until 5 a.m. without anything to eat since about halftime at 3:30 p.m. That is called a "lack of fuel" problem. (I had a couple of Nutri-Grain bars and a banana before the start of the race, but I knew I was running hampered before I got started.)
More on the race's people in another entry!
posted by WalkSports.com | 8:18 PM
11 Comments:
way to go, Jon! sorry i didn't make it out...i didn't get up out of bed (err...crawl) until 3pm today! i guess there is next time!
Congrats! Anyone who did a marathon in that weather gets my admiration!
WTG
great job. weather today sucked.
Congrats on another marathon.
This weather in January is just downright frustrating.
Keith.
Hey -- a marathon is a marathon is a marathon, and you did it. That's awesome in my book.
Thanks to everyone. I still think I was crazy for trying this one. Not sure what remdeeming values I picked up from this, but I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime.
Chuck Engle from Clinton, MS was the winner on the men's side. He ran pretty strong much of the way. Yoder didn't run at all (not sure if that was because he had just done Sunmart 50-Miler).
If the same weather exists in two weeks, there's going to be a ton of disappointed people - not being able to meet their time expectations.
Way to go Jon. I just did a quick 5k in the afternoon and it was plenty hot enough for even that.
Wow, you hung tough. I will use your insights to help me through Houston.
Jon- yes you are crazy, but we all know that already! I can't believe you ran another marathon! You rock!
Lance,
That post was from Tom Detore of Unadilla, Nebraska. He's a 50 Stater and was one of four last year to do Surfside Beach and Austin on back-to-back days.
Jon
hey, I talked to that guy or at least listened to him talk to me and a couple others at Surfside last year.
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