River Road Run 12-Miler Race Report

Ah, redemption in New Braunfels!

No, no, I didn't get baptized in the Guadalupe River. I did, however, run by it and cross over it a half dozen times (and didn't even get my feet wet.)

The River Road Run 12-Miler was a good run for me, especially a week out from the Chevron Houston Marathon, and I certainly hope that it was a full 12 miles.

If it was, I ran at a 10:10/mile pace for a time of 2:02:06.18.

Race Pictures: Early Finish

Yes, the weather was a bit more to my liking than last Sunday as it was 35 degrees at the start of the race, but got to around 55 to 57 degrees shortly after we were done.

For you number buffs, here are the splits:

Mile 1 -- 9:52.06
Mile 2 -- 10:04.15 (19:56.21)
Mile 3 -- 10:09.89 (30:06.10)
Mile 4 -- 10:02.17 (40:08.27)

Mile 5 -- 10:54.92 (51:03.19) ... definitely long
Mile 6 -- 9:01.85 (1:00:05.04) ... definitely short
Mile 7 -- 9:18.86 (1:09:23.90) ... repeat in reverse
Mile 8 -- 10:39.71 (1:20:03.61)

Mile 9 -- 10:07.66 (1:30:11.25)
Mile 10 -- 10:22.49 (1:40:33.74)
Mile 11 -- 10:55.14 (1:51:28.88)
Mile 12 -- 10:37.30 (2:02:06.18)

This is a good "low key" event. I knew about it from Houston's Barry Chambers, who ran it a year ago in 1:35:54.

It is six miles out River Run Road from the Camp Huaco Springs Campground. (As we were running and seeing all of the places where people partied during the summer on the Guadalupe, I realized that this is the only time of the year that the event could be held on those roads! Although ... the sights might just be a little better in the summer time!)

The stretch of road reminded me of the Wheatfield Half Marathon in The Dalles, Oregon that I ran last March and recorded my half marathon PR of 2:09:58.

With less than 30 minutes to go before the race, I finally decided to wipe off last Sunday from the watch (i.e. my splits). It was a good cleansing process to put behind a less-than-desired day from last Sunday.

Positive things

+ Public address system, with a runner in the event signing the national anthem. Nice touch!
+ Good food afterwards (including sausages wrapped in a tortilla.) Good!
+ Registration and packet pickup was simple and straightforward.
+ Water stops at miles 2, 4 and 6 going out and at 8 and 10 coming back.
+ Open road, of which most was asphalt and not concrete.
+ They even had entertainment - and country music! (Young guy who sang pretty well.)

Interesting things

+ There were mile markers on the way out that were extremely visible and could be seen from a ways off. However, on the return, the same markers were used, but they didn't have the numbers 7 through 11 on the back side. They also were on the left hand side of the road returning - and weren't as visible.
+ From the splits, you can see that the mile 5 marker was off. When I got to the mile 6 turnaround and clicked a 9:01 mile, much to my surprise, I said to the woman who was the cone in middle of the road (and who I think is the organizer's wife), "Mile 5 was long and mile 6 was short." I was upset at the time, but laugh about it now as she replied, "We can always move mile 6 out a little farther if you'd like."

I saw the winner, I believe University of Incarnate Word freshman Shayn Weidner, early in mile 5 (for me) as they ran a time of 1:06:27. (There were quite a few Texas State - formerly known as Southwest Texas State University - track and/or cross country athletes running the event today.)

The top female runner, Marissa Toland, who was third female finisher at the 2005 Bandera 50K, won today in 1:34:22.

Best part of the day, though, was when three young ladies of Texas State track and field team, including Sheridan, Wyoming's Tenley Determan, in that same mile, offered up a "Good job! Keep it up!" Nice for a 40-year-old man to get that type of encouragement! (I'm already filling out the entry form for next year!)

While standing in line to pick my packet up, I heard a couple of guys talking about a run from last weekend. The one gentleman answered the other's question as to how he did and he replied, "I finished in 15:14." I looked at the man and thought to myself, "There's no way that he's got a 15 minute and 14 second 5K in him!"

But when he started to talk about mud, I knew that he meant that he finished the 100K at Bandera last week and the 15:14 stood for hours and minutes! The individual, Scott Wood, 43, had finished his 5th consecutive Bandera 100K.

The gentleman in front of me had his timing chip from Houston last Sunday still on his shoe.

I had seen this guy before (and some are reading this going, "That's no news"), but I couldn't figure out where. He had a bright blue France sweater (which is what I really recognized about him.)

He was a very nice gentleman named Don Winkley from Corpus Christi, age 68, and we were talking a little bit about Richmond's Ino Cantu before the race. (I'm a cold weather runner and he loved the conditions at the Marathon last Sunday.)

After we finished, he was talking about being happy about finishing in under two (2) hours. (And while we were talking, I realized that I saw him at Sunmart, running the 50K.)

Sunmart - Winkley 7:03:43, Walk 7:15:54
Chevron Houston Marathon - Winkley 3:54:58, Walk 5:14:59
River Road Run - Winkley under 2 hours, Walk 2:02:06

I guess he doesn't run as well in the cold weather. A very nice guy to talk to!

Also talked to 23-year-old Jennifer Hatch from San Marcos, who finished in 1:48:57. She had been training for a marathon, but started to have some knee problems as one of the Austin training programs ramped up mileage too fast for her. She said that she had completed one marathon while living in Seoul, South Korea and that was the Seoul International Marathon.

Good run, good day and a good drive over and back today!

I have until Wednesday to register online for the 3M Half Marathon in Austin next Sunday. If I do, I'll be volunteering at Run The Woodlands 5K #170 on Saturday.