Top 14 U.S. Marathon Prices

Marathon Registration Prices Eight Months Out of Top 14 Marathons
According to 2007 marathonguide.com rankings of finishers

1.) New York City Marathon ($11 lottery entry fee plus $155)
2.) Bank of America Chicago Marathon ($110 now for October event)
3.) Honolulu Marathon (Was $125 for a December '07 event)
4.) Marine Corps Marathon (Opens at $80 tomorrow for 10/26 event)
5.) Boston Marathon ($110)
6.) Los Angeles Marathon ($95, didn't reach $125 until Expo)
7.) Rock N Roll San Diego Marathon ($100 now for June 1, 2008)
8.) Disney World Marathon (Went to $125 on March 1 for event on same weekend)
9.) Portland Marathon ($90 for October 5, 2008)
10.) Twin Cities Marathon (Opening soon; Was $85 in May '07 for last fall's event)
11.) P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon ($90 now and through September 15 for event on same weekend)
12.) Grandma's Marathon ($75/$60 for half for June event .. registration almost full)
13.) Philadelphia Marathon (Registration opens April 1 for November event)
14.) Chevron Houston Marathon ($100 on May 16 and $120 on July 1)

So ... Houston will be the fourth most expensive marathon six months out from their race date and tied for sixth with Rock N Roll San Diego at eight months out from their race date.

I'm long over venting, but I am interested in knowing the facts.

Austin-American Statesman Capital 10K Race Report

I'll blog a little bit more later about yesterday's goings on at the Lone Star Triathlon Festival in Galveston where Cassie completed her first spring triathlon.

However, since I won't have enough time to complete Sunday's running trifecta by making it to the Lampson Ranch 5-Miler and 5K in Huntsville (nee the Seven Hills Running Club monthly club race), I'll comment a little bit more about the happenings here in Austin before I have to get checked out of the hotel here.

First thing I noticed is that Houston's Brett Riley finished 9th overall in 34:43. (Well, maybe eighth.) Congratulations!

I'm walking through the parking lots off of Riverside and I see Chris Bittinger, Tommy King, and Brett. They pulled a "Jon Walk", left at 4 a.m. and drove to Austin for today's race.

I haven't done the Capital 10K in four years, and I really didn't come over to run the race to "race", if you will. It was good to do it and help be a little bit ready for next weekend's doule half. I think I found a good pace that I hope to duplicate on Saturday and Sunday.

It was one where I was able to carry on a conversation much of the way, which I never seem to do. So on one hand, the finishing time -- 1:06:00 even "watch time" -- was a reflection of that, but my body isn't as banged up. From a time standpoint, I was off two minutes from where I had hoped to be (I mean I did a 1:10 in the heat of the day out of Schulenburg) and today it was humid before the race, but was cooled off by rains that came just before the start.

I ended up making this a potential TIR recruiting trip. (Can I book this as an expense if it leads to part of a third team?) I ran the race with a friend of mine from Austin, 26-year-old Michele Quinton. She did three halves between late January and early March - geez, you wonder if I'm rubbing off on - or corrupting her - in the wrong way. :)

She's sort of like what Bill told me yesterday after hearing about Cassie's effort: she has a little bit more in the tank than what she gives herself credit for. Michele is considering not so much if she is going to do her first marathon, but really a matter of when. She's thinking San Antonio in November, which would be a little bit more than a year or so after she started running (a theory that Rice men's cross country and track coach Jon Warren subscribes to.)

And at eight months out, she'll be able to train through the heat that may be thrown at her by San Antonio in mid-November.

We took it kind of easy on the uphills, but it was good for me because I usually try to attack them too hard and end up walking a lot of them. So I slowed down a little bit and walked maybe 25 seconds on one and 15 seconds on another.

She told me later that the rest of the way that I probably pushed the pace on them a little bit. Well, I think it had something to do that she didn't want to have to walk any of the race. :)

I didn't catch the mile 5 or mile 6 split so the splits looked like this:

Mile 1 -- 10:12.93
Mile 2 -- 10:58.00
Mile 3 -- 11:20.69 (Brett was almost finished at this point. Well, with the start difference, he was!)
Mile 4 -- 10:13.93 (Half of this mile was uphill too.)
Last 2.2 -- 23:15.19

Overall -- 1:06:00.74

We talked for a bit after the finish until her friend, Brian, came in. He said that he's been having a bad running day for about a month.

Sometimes, you just have to throw the time out the window and enjoy the rest of what the sport throws at you. Today was another case where I continue to be able to expand my universe of friends. The day before, I met Edwin's friend, Jeremy Webb, who finished his first triathlon after getting hit by a car while riding his bike near his hometown of Diboll.

It is a large reason why we'll have a second TIR definitely, and I'm beginning to believe that a third one is completely possible. A 203-mile, rolling running party! :)

I may add a bit more later. Time to get a shower before they throw me out of here!

HARRA Update From El Presidente

(Anna: Nice job at the Crescent City Classic (looking forward to the race report), and ... ahh ... your May/June column is due. -- JW)

Dear Board and Contacts,

Highlights from our meeting :

1. Law Week 8K, this Saturday. Registration and packet-pickup on:

Friday, March 28, 2008 (8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
The Center Serving Persons With Mental Retardation, Inc.
3550 West Dallas / Cullen Residence Hall
(near Shepherd & Allen Parkway - call 713/759-1133 for directions)

Saturday, March 29, 2008 (6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.)
Sam Houston Park

2. Bellaire Trolley Run, April 5 at 8 am. New 5K course, starting and ending in front of Bellaire City Hall

Pick up a Packet from the following locations on the following dates:
April 3, 2008 at Fleet Fleet (2408 A Rice Blvd.) from 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
April 4, 2008 at the Bellaire Recreation Center (5125 Laurel) from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Race Day Pick Up and Registration is from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.
(NO T-SHIRT GUARANTEE ON RACE DAY)

3. For cross country aficionados: The Tour de Bayou is coming soon.

Our 2008 schedule is:
April 1, Stage 1: Spotts Park
April 8, Stage 2: Shepherd Bridge (at Memorial)
April 15, Stage 3: White Oak Bayou (at Thelma)
April 22, Stage 4: Ho Chi Minh (Memorial Park Rugby Field)
April 29, Stage 5: Ho Chi Minh (Memorial Park Rugby Field)

Every stage starts at 6:00 p.m. and as you can see they'll be on every Tuesday in April.
The races are free and open to everyone. We will post results by stage and cumulatively.
Triple karma for volunteers. See you there, Nboka

4. LP Run, April 9th at St Thomas High School

The website is now updated!

5. "HARRA Buys You Lunch", 2008 edition. April 26-June 7.

No actual food involved, but you can receive a $5 discount on your 08-09 membership by registering or renewing on-line, by mail, or in person.

6. HARRA Family Fun Member Appreciation Picnic, April 26 from 3-9 p.m.

Memorial Park S. Picnic Loop East across from the softball fields, near volleyball court #1.
Free to HARRA Members and $5 for guests.
Burgers, drinks and adult beverages will be served. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED.
Games for adults and kids, moonwalk and face painting for HARRA youngsters of all ages.
DJ tunes from "Other Brother" from 3-6, live tunes by Kidd Reece and Mo Live Zydeco form 5-9.

7. Ironfoot Awards Spring 2008

We're preparing to order some awesome Ironfoot singlets for this spring's awards, so be sure to run all the individual Spring Series races! (You may substitute a a volunteer effort for one race).

8. "Power in Motion" a recent substantial increase in numbers - 260 PIMsters!

Goal Race is the Cinco De Mayo 5K on May 3rd.
May 7, on their final 'Where Do We Go From Here" meeting night PIM will have a "Meet the Member Clubs" social on May 7. All clubs are invited, adult beverages will be served.
HARRA is considering starting satellite programs in the suburbs. (This is huge! -- JW)

9. All Nominations for the 08-09 HARRA Board, 3-24-4/21

These must be submitted to Anna Helm before the end of next HARRA Board Meeting on April 21. Yes, we know that is the date of Boston. Please send a non-traveler to represent your club! (Lot of spunk there -- JW)

Beat The Bus Today

I lost to life's bus on Thursday, but won the battle on Friday after I got home from Los Angeles.

After taking the red headed princess to get a quick bite to eat once I got to the house, I got to Bally's in The Woodlands close to 8:30 p.m. The goal was an hour on the elliptical and the rest on the bike. Since at any point that my weight is a function of any speed, I figure - at times, especially when I'm in a rut - any activity is better than none as long as I'm doing it hard.

35:33 on the elliptical before I realized that I started to do too much too soon after eating. So then I added another 55 minutes on the stationery bike.

I wrapped up my project today in Pasadena.

I hate saying "Good bye" to people that I've had a chance to work with, and today was a rough day. I just really don't like it.

I had one biller that came in to my office and really thanked me that I took the time to teach her why she was to do certain things as opposed to simply how.

The bottom line is that it is my job to do that.

But to know somebody really cared enough to say it really meant a lot to me. And I'll remember that for a long time. Those of you who really know me know that I hate taking credit for things maybe even when I have the right to or should. It just isn't my style.

I get my satisfaction when I see the seed that I was allowed to plant sprout up and grow.

Let's hope that my best work is yet to come. :)

On another note: Today's flight from LAX to IAH had a very interesting individual seated in 2E. I was in 5B, and I realized shortly before we took off that it was none other than Earvin Johnson. Yes, Magic Johnson, who played so many incredible years for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He, of course, was coming in to see Michigan State - his alma mater - get pounded by Memphis at Reliant Stadium this evening in the Sweet Sixteen.

What really impressed me was that nobody really bothered him at all for much of the flight. One of the flight attendants knew him, said hello, and gave him a big hug. But later in the flight after he had read USA Today and the Los Angeles Times and slept some, he talked to a couple of the flight attendants and the guy sitting next to him as well as the guys in the row in front of him.

He signed a few things - including the page in my Sports Illustrated from this week where he and Larry Bird are mentioned regarding their epic matchup in the finals of the 1979 NCAA Tournament.

When we came up from the jetway, there was an electric cart waiting for him. But I had to laugh. The driver of the electric cart was holding a sign saying, "Larry Johnson". I thought to myself, "No, Grandma-ma wasn't on the flight, but Magic was." (At the height of Johnson's popularity while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, he went by his initialisim "LJ" and the nickname "Grandma-ma" because of a popular Converse commercial in which he dressed up like an old lady.)

He came down the esclator with the guy that was taking him to his limo (which I thought was interesting that they let him up through security), stepped into the restroom and then when he came out, he took a picture with a couple of people that recognized him. (At that time, I was on the phone with Quarles in Lufkin. Magic's probably never heard of Lufkin.)

In the morning, I'll be in Galveston for the Lone Star Tri Sprint division where Cassie will be going off in wave 11 with the flourescent pink cap and number 884.

Then, I head to Austin for the start of Sunday's running trifecta -- the Cap 10K, the Lampson Ranch 5-Miler and the TWRC Annual Membership Meeting at Jana Jordan's. What a day!

Life Throws Me Under The Bus

Sunday's long run didn't happen and I was wiped out both Monday and Tuesday.

When I get into a rut, it usually takes a trip to Bally's to try and shake it out of me.

So that's where I ended up last night here in Pasadena, California. 50 minutes on the elliptical machine and 45 minutes on the bike. Benefit? I was almost completely drenched after finishing the work on the elliptical machine. Has to be good, right?

For some reason, I chose a Cardio workout. Everything was fine until about 35 minutes or so and I felt like I was rowing up hill ... it was as hard as could be. Harder than any other time that I've spent on one of the machines. I just kept working until I got the time limit done.

Next time, I think I'll double-check what I selected before I get too far in.

Rob Jones' First Trail Race Report

On March 22nd, I completed my first trail race - The Bel Monte 25k (about 15.5 miles) Endurance Run in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

The journey leading up to the race was almost as challenging as the race. Starting in January I built my mileage from 35 miles per week to 70 miles per week, completing many 20+ mile runs including a 27-miler. The purpose of this training was originally geared toward running the USATF 50k (about 31 miles) road championship in New York in early March. However, due a personal conflict I didn’t compete. However my desire to complete a 50k didn’t go away.

Since the number of 50k’s aren’t as plentiful as the local 5k road race scene, my best available option was the Bel Monte 50k trail ultra-marathon three weeks later. I soon informed my wife, Lysa, of my decision which gave her a good 10 minute laugh followed by the inevitable “Are you an idiot”? However, I got the last laugh when I told her that I took the liberty of registering her too!

Unfortunately, a week prior to race day my IT Band flared up on the outside of my knee. After much consternation, I decided running a hilly 31-mile race with an IT Band problem wasn’t a smart choice, especially with the Boston Marathon a month away. Fortunately, Bel Monte also had a 25k option (the same race Lysa I entered in) so I emailed the race director and changed my registration.

Despite all this training, I felt underprepared and uncertain as I lined up at 6:30 a.m. on March 22nd. The Bel Monte 25k is one of the more challenging trail races on the east coast if not the country. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia that has over 3,000’ of vertical climb on mostly technical rocky single track with several water crossings.

As the race started in the dark, about 300 runners darted off funneling into a 5’ wide rocky trail in the first 200 meters. During the early miles, we ran single file navigating the course stepping gingerly over rocks and through streams using flashlights. After 400 feet of climbing we approached our last major water crossing about 4 miles into the race, and began a heart pounding 3.5 mile climb with soaked shoes that ascended another 1,300 feet. For comparison purposes, the last mile of Brian’s Run on Tigue Road climbs 100 feet.

During this climb, another runner and I worked together ascending the rock layered trails. Unlike me, this runner was experienced on trails and must have noticed my poor trail running technique. He shared helpful tips on how to run on rocks and ascend very steep grades. We remained together until we reached the peak. Upon reaching the aid station at the peak, we proceeded back down the hill we just climbed up. At this point my “newbie trail runner” status was a handicap because the technical rocky descent was more challenging than the climb itself.

I watched in awe as my competition flew down the hill and out of sight. Amazingly, experienced trail runners can fly downhill on this terrain. In my case, for the next 5 ankle rolling miles, I cautiously descended 1,700 feet falling once and rolling my ankles several times. During my descent, I ran past Lysa who was climbing her way up. Rather than saying, "Good job" or "Keep it up," I simply muttered “I’m sorry” and looked as sympathetic as I could. I figured that I better start apologizing sooner than later for getting her into this race.

After roughly an hour of downhill running, I reached the final aid station averaging about 12 minutes per mile or roughly 5-6 minutes per mile slower than my typical training pace. I was never so happy to start going uphill.

While the last 3 miles were uneventful and mostly on asphalt road finishing where we started, the challenges of this race far surpassed my expectations. Some people refer to this race as the “Bel-Monster” calling it the most difficult race they have ever run. While I agree on the level of difficulty, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of most running career.

Overall, I finished in 8th place getting manhandled by runners that I can handily beat in a road race of any distance further highlighting the differences between trail vs. road running. Lysa also successfully completed the race and commented how much she enjoyed running the entire trail running atmosphere. Despite the difficulty, she was also pleasantly surprised how much she enjoyed running in the mountains.

We both found that there is something very special about the purity of trail running and connection with like minded individuals. It is something that I look forward to enjoying for many years on my journey from a road runner to a trail ultra-marathoner.

(Rob is a former co-worker of mine with IMA Consulting, Inc., who regularly runs 2:43 to 2:50 marathons. His eighth-place finish came in a time of 2:33:09. The winner finished in 2:06:31. His wife, Lysa, finished in 3:44:15.)

Seven Hills Running Club Monthly Club Run, March 30

Run The Trails 5-Miler and 5K
(Message from the host, Katy Lampson)

I just wanted to make sure everyone had directions out to my place for the run on Sunday. The races start at 2:00 pm, and directions are as follows:

Go 6.2 miles north of Huntsville on I-45. Take exit 123 and a right on Pinedale Rd. Go 1.4 miles to the ranch on the right (222 Pinedale).

If you have any problems, my number is 936-581-0220. I'll have signs starting at I45, so it should be easy to find.

I also wanted to invite everyone to stay and mingle after the run. I was planning on having a little cookout. I'll supply the burgers and all the fixin's - you bring your beverage of choice.

Bring the family out, and let's enjoy the nicer weather!

If you don't mind, let me know if you plan on attending or not. That way I can plan for the food.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

13th annual Resurrection Run 5K Race Report

Since my time wasn't what I hoped it to be this morning, let's pass along the results of the "How Many People Did Jon Know?" contest. The number turned out to be 30.

Here's who they were (and not in order of appearance):

Sam Rodriguez (was 3rd overall)
June Vidrine (new PR)
Steve Schroeder (was 9th overall)
Sarah Graybeal
Shelly Stephenson
Vera Balic (mile 1 water stop)
Veronica Hoge (1st in age group)
Jay Lee (race director)
Joe Carey (course monitor)
Leeanne Voorhees (1st in age group)
Debbie Rudisill (1st overall female)
John Rudisill
Lisa Tilton-McCarthy (1st masters female)
Walt Yarrow
Thomas King (2nd overall male)
Sydney King (1st in age group)
Gerardo Mora (1st masters male)
Carwyn Sharp (2nd in age group)
Roger Redding (mile 2 water stop)
Ben Harvie (1st in age group)
Mary Patterson (3rd in age group)
Bruce and Gloria Mansur
Margaret Montgomery (1st in age group)
Francisco Perez (1st in age group)
Chris Bittinger (2nd in age group)
Yong Collins (1st in age group)
Raymond Cruz (1st in age group)
Matt McCurdy (1st overall male)
Kathi Mahon (2nd in age group)

I've put off the painful stuff, which is the result of my race this morning. I'm calling this a 30:32 (although the gun time is 30:36). (There was 4.97 seconds getting across the line ... that's why.)

The splits looked like this:

Mile 1 -- 9:17.32
Mile 2 -- 10:04.63
Mile 3 -- 10:06.40
Last 0.1 -- 1:03.40
Total -- 30:31.75

I really, really tried to hold back (although I didn't feel like I was working too terribly hard) as I had both June and Sarah in front of me. I knew that June had just recently gone under 30 minutes and Sarah, quite honestly, I couldn't figure out what she was going to be capable of this morning.

I know that she pretty well hit her time goals at the TIR, but she had admitted on her blog that she hadn't been as consistent as she needed to be since.

I barely nipped Sarah at the mile 1 marker and as she commented on her blog earlier, I said to her, "Too fast." I think I told Sam that last year at the same spot. (Vera and Waverly were working the water stop.) I took a cup, took a few steps and took off again.

I could continue to see June in front of me and she really, really ran a nice, steady race. She really didn't even look like she was working that hard from my vantage point.

Sarah came back to get me during mile two, and I thought to myself that I hoped that it wouldn't become a pattern for the rest of the run.

When I'm running on the treadmill, I think I need to run harder (i.e. increased mph), longer because I felt like I was moving faster without as much pain but that I couldn't hold it - and forcing me to walk for a few seconds.

After I passed mile 2 and took more water (why I don't know), I kept trying to move fairly steady. I was doing the math in my head - part of a great line from the recent Gary Allan hit "Watching Airplanes Fly" - and figured if I could hold the combination of the first two miles that I could break 30; however, it wasn't to be.

I was strong running past Joe just before the little U-turn - primarily because I knew he was going to snap a picture - that would lead to right-hand turn that takes you down the finish stretch. But I sucked wind just before going around the U-turn. Ugh!

Again, I can't say it enough about how well Jay Lee does a great job with the races he directs.

No big news coming from Clear Lake this weekend. Debbie Rudisill thanked me for the mention in Inside Texas Running regarding her performances at the Houston and Austin marathons. She registered top 100 finishes -- one she did the full in and another the half. (I, of course, mentioned that she was a Penn State graduate. She can't get over that I could remember that from last year. Actually Mr. Carey was telling me of it before hand.)

There were four (4) race flyers in the packet and I thought that I'd take an opportunity to mention them:

+ Sunday, 4/6 - JZ 5K (Jori Zemel Children's Bone Cancer Foundation) at Clear Lake High School; http://www.jorizemel.org/; $20
+ Saturday, 4/12 - Yuri's Night 5K Fun Run/Walk at Webster's Challenger 7 Memorial Park; http://www.yurisnighthouston.net/
+ Saturday, 5/3 - 10th annual Pamela's Race & Walk 5K/10K in Orchard; $20 until 4/12; $25 after
+ Saturday, 5/10 - 17th annual Summer Kick-Off Fun Run at Clear Creek High School; http://www.jamesglennrun.com/; $18

I need to get in a longer effort tomorrow (on Sunday).

Two Summers Ago: Looked A Lot Better!

This was at the North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon, which went from Sequim to Port Angeles, Washington. Other than the project that I was on, I really, really miss running races in the Pacific Northwest. Cool weather most of the year around. :)

Resurrection Run 5K on Saturday

I really hope to not embarass myself any further.

Two years ago, I ran this course in 29:33 (as Johnny Run). Perhaps it was an out-of-body experience.

Last year, the gun time was 30:25. (I believe that it was Jose's first 5K ever last year as he finished in 34:27) My effort really must have sucked because I didn't even blog about it. I'm hoping things don't get worse. If so, I guess they'll get worse before they get better, right?

I do this race because it's cheap. $15 (not counting the online registration fee). Plus, Jay Lee does a great job putting on races and really aims to take care of the runners. The only thing I absolutely HATE about the course is the wicked "run beyond where you turn in for the home stretch, do a U-turn and come back".

My good friend, Shelley Stephenson, who I haven't seen in quite some time, is going to run the race tomorrow. (Veronica: If you read this, you aren't supposed to say anything to Vera.) She may end up kicking my ass. Who knows?

And I'll have a potential of a challenge to face tomorrow revolving around something that happened two weeks ago that crossed the line of appropriate adult behavior.

I think Waverly and I are going to run over to Tomball Friday evening to see our good friend, Rodney Hayden, at the Main Street Crossing. $12 cover.

Finally, I'm setting the over/under of how many people I know or recognize at the Resurrection Run 5K at 60. (Please understand that I'm not bragging here. For what I do, I have a responsibility to try and know as many people as I possibly can. It makes my reporting and commentary that much more sound the more people that I know and/or know of.) I'll have the red-headed princess keep track (since she can't do any running for a month to try and work out her shin splints issues.) Put your guess in a comment - over 60 or under 60 and guess the number.

HARRA Fall Team Race is Going To Be Close

Our VP, Clubs and Tour De Bayou CEO Roger Boak has sent out the files for all of the individual races and the Striders and the Tornados are neck-and-neck for the Team championship. Wow!

The Striders will win the Club championship, especially on the strength of deep performances in the Open division of the HMSA Classical 25K and the Chevron Houston Marathon.

It will come down to the results from the Cross Country Relay, which the Tornados did very, very well at. The question is: Where all of the Tornados HARRA members at the time of the race? (That's just me talking personally.)

This Week's Schedule - Updated

As I've stated before, I've been running a lot on the treadmill.

I'm hoping to use it to facilitate me running more often, which in turn I hope will help me to start dropping a pound or two here and there. The other thing about running on the treadmill is that I get a chance to read a lot - for enjoyment.

That being said, here's the schedule for this week that I'm going to try and my best to keep.

Monday: 35 minutes - treadmill (3 easy) Missed, but I had an optional pass from my coach when I turned my schedule in for the week.
Tuesday: 90 minutes - treadmill (8~ easy) 100 minutes; didn't want to make it up all in one bite :)
Wednesday: 60 minutes - treadmill (simulate 400s; harder) Skipped. See below.
Thursday: 60 minutes - treadmill (5.5 easy) 32:25, first pass ... and 40 minutes, second pass. :)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5K in Nassau Bay (3.1 hard)
Sunday: 120 minutes - treadmill (10.9 easy)

I've been wimping out on Mondays because of the travel, but I may be on the bench (consulting-speak for "not on a project") soon and then I won't have any excuse.

Let's see how I do.

Tuesday, 3/18: I read Sports Illustrated (with the Brett Favre cover) in 78 minutes and 29 seconds (and this didn't include the ads). Really got into a nice zone in the last 20 minutes that felt as if I could have gone for quite a bit longer. Did 4.4 mph for the first 60 minutes (less 4.3 mph to open up the first 10 minutes) and then followed with 4.5 mph for the last 40. Got started into Trail Runner and had Economist waiting in the wings (to read while running).

Note to myself: I need to budget some time to work some weights into the arms.

Thursday, 3/20: Earlier today, my nose was completely stuffed up and I had a runny nose and the sniffles. Last night (Wednesday), I worked late - have been working regularly from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (with a break for dinner) but laid down at 11 p.m. completely wiped out. I remember waking up just once before 7:30 a.m.

I took two Tylenol Cold tablets in the early afternoon and they helped me to breathe a bit easier. I waited until 11:40 p.m. to start running. I had the incline at 1.0 and started at 4.3 mph for 10 minutes, and then started to bump it .1 mph for each 10 minutes. When I got to 4.6 mph, past 30 minutes, I started to not feel well - and didn't know if I was going to ... hurl or get light-headed. So I decided the wisest thing was to come upstairs and tell you all about it.

Actually Friday, 3/21: I went back down to the treadmill at about 1:35 a.m. Pacific time and got in 40 minutes. I picked up where I left off - at 4.6 mph and did the same thing: upped it .1 mph every 10 minutes. I ended at 4.9 mph. So I ended running at around 2:15 a.m. - or 4:15 a.m. Central time. Plus I needed to read more of The Economist. It gave me one thing - and only one thing - that I could say that I might just be a little bit better at than Ms. Presidente. :)

A Writing Fiend

Yes, I know. The RunHouston Chronicle blog hasn't been updated in a little bit of time. However, I've still been writing quite a bit.

Over the next month, I'm going to try to figure out how to draw traffic to the HARRA website through the News blog that Sarah set up. Only HARRA members will be referenced there, and I think that is the right thing to do. We should recognize those who support HARRA. I had a great story fall into my lap for the April edition of Footprints, but I hesitated using it because the subject wasn't a HARRA member. (That was resolved in short order, and we have a great feature to go along with an excellent piece written by Edwin about HMSA's Sara Collazos, who will be running her first Boston Marathon next month.)

The week before last I wrote about the Texas Independence Relay in my Tuesday column as well as the "race story" of the Park to Park 5-Mile Run, which will appear in April's Footprints - in Inside Texas Running.

Last week, my Courier column was on the passing of Magnolia's Bill Phelan, who succumbed to a 28-year battle with oral cancer, plus I wrote my April "Talking The Talk" column for Runner Triathlete News about Texas now having two overnight, long distance relays and eight tips to making your next relay a successful one.

This week I was hoping to get in touch with The Woodlands Running Club president-elect Tony Allison to talk about his trip to run in the Antarctica Marathon; however, I cranked out just a routine "who, what, where, when and how" column. Then I finally finished up a story for the March edition of "Deer Tracks" on Sharon Griggs, Sarah Broyles and Carrie Davies finishing the Marathons of Texas Challenge.

There's a lot coming down the pike too ...

In the meantime, I would encourage each and every one of you reading this post to consider writing something for your running club newsletter.

Funny Dialogue Between Two Streakers

No, not that kind!

Subject: Don't look back, I'm official now
From: Attanucci, Vincent
To: Ken Johnson
Cc: Walk, Jon
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 9:46 am

Every day I try to catch you, but I still end up one place on the list and 11 days behind...

http://runeveryday.com/

132. Ken Johnson 12/28/02 1,891 days (5 years 65 days) Huntsville, TX, Retired, 66 *
133. Vincent Attanucci 01/08/03 1,880 days (5 years 54 days) The Woodlands, TX, Engineer, 54

Re: Don't look back, I'm official now
From: Ken Johnson
To: Attanucci, Vincent
Cc: Walk, Jon
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 3:08 pm

Vincent:

Hopefully, it will stay that way. Congratulations on getting on the list. Saw the update on the web site the other day and received my USRSA newsletter on Friday.

Just got home from doing the Seabrook Marathon; don't feel like running tomorrow. Maybe I'll skip a day.

Ken

Subject: skip a day
From: Attanucci, Vincent
To: Ken Johnson
Cc: Walk, Jon
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 3:44 pm

Congrats on your race

Yeah I ran a solo 20 miler today, might sleep in and skip it tomorrow as well...

This was too good not to share!
I wish I had the commitment to do that.

Sunday Afternoon Treadmill

Vincent, I didn't get 13.1 in today like I planned; however, I'll take 1:45 on the treadmill at Bally's in The Woodlands. (If I had gotten there a little bit sooner, I probably could have gone a little bit longer.)

I did the first 60 at 4.3 mph and the last 45 at 4.4 mph. The effort of all of my treadmill miles this week weren't too different from the 5.95 miles on Saturday morning which were at a 10:30 pace.

If I count my treadmill miles as 11-minute miles, then I logged approximately 28 miles (oops, actually 29!) for the week from Monday to Sunday.

Wednesday: 90 minutes - treadmill (8.18 miles)
Friday: 60 minutes - treadmill (5.45 miles)
Saturday: 5.95 miles
Sunday: 105 minutes - treadmill (9.54 miles)
Total: 29.12 miles

I'm not sure that I've done 29 miles in a non-race week in a long, long time. The challenge is going to be to continue to build on it without getting hurt. It's 7 p.m. on a Sunday evening and I'll feel pretty good. I told Dave Smart on Saturday morning that somewhere inside of this body there is an 8-minute (maybe high 8's) per mile runner inside screaming to get out.

Next e-mail is to my coach (yeah, I have on, but I never listen to them) to see what I should do for this coming week.

The Half Marathon That Wasn't!

Everything was looking good for tomorrow's Germantown Half Marathon in Tennessee until there was going to be a delay in my flight from Houston to Shreveport.

The flight was originally scheduled to leave at 2:25 p.m. out of Terminal A. A flight, heading to Tyler, had boarded before us, but no real word of what was going on with our flight. Eventually, we were told that we'd be departing at 2:50 p.m. However, as that time approached, it was very evident that we wouldn't begin boarding until after that - and the gate agents (not Continental employees because this was Colgan Air flying as Continental Connection) only knew what they were being told.

I was talking to a guy that was from there and he thought for sure that there were plenty of Shreveport to Memphis flights on Northwest. The flight from Shreveport was due to leave at 4:20 p.m. -- just 50 minutes from the scheduled arrival.

I called Northwest. No surprise. There were no other flights this evening after the one that I was scheduled to be on.

Sooooo ... doing the math, it would mean that we'd get there late, I'd miss the flight and be stranded in Shreveport for the night. Ugh!

What do I do? Call Continental to see if I can cancel the flight - since I was on Reward Travel (and because I'm a Platinum member) anyways. They were able to cancel the flight, and I'll have to wait until Monday to see if the miles got redeposited.

Checking here at 5:40 p.m., it looks as if they left at 3:18 p.m. and arrived at 4:13 p.m., according to the Continental web site. Northwest's website say that they left the gate at 4:35 p.m., but haven't taken off yet.

So maybe I would have made it ... but, I didn't want to lose the miles only to get to Shreveport and couldn't get to Memphis in time for the race on Sunday morning (which started at 7:30 a.m.)
Oh well. Another day.

[Funny story though. When I called Northwest and was telling her what I needed to find out, the young woman asked, "What state is Shreveport in?" I looked at the guy standing next to me and I'm sure that I had this flabbergasted look on me. Can you believe? I wonder if they're offshoring.]

Saturday Morning with The Beat Program

Well, I was out there with the Beat Program that Bill Dwyer and Kim Hager put on for Luke's Locker. I can't say that I stuck to the group that I started out with.

I got there just a couple of minutes late or I would have gone out with a little bit faster group; however, I really needed to keep today's run at about 80%. I think I did that.

It was a great morning to run. George Roffe said that mileage was 5.953 miles and I covered it in 1:02:58 for a 10:34/mile. If I can do that tomorrow, I'll be in 2:17-range for the half marathon in Germantown, Tennessee. But I believe that it is a hilly course. So we'll see.

Regardless, I just want to go and run well.

One of my TIR teammates and an original HRB, Dave Smart, was out working with the bunch. Rich Cooper and Liz Berry from Woodlands Fit lead groups for Bill. Debbie Tripp and Althea Caldwell from The Woodlands Running Club were there, as were two of Bill's TIR teammates -- Scott Mayer and Juliee Sparks.

On the roads, I saw Dan Jordan of Woodlands Fit and Dana-Sue Crews on her bike getting ready for Ironman Arizona.

I had a gentleman that walked up and introduced himself as Jeff Paul and said that he has been reading my blog for a "long time" - as he put it. He went on to say that seeing that if I could do it (i.e. go out and run) ... so could he. I was very humbled and I shared with Waverly on the ride home that you never know who is watching in this world to everything that you do.

Friday Night Treadmill at Bally's

My routine on Friday night - after flying in from LAX is typically: Make it to Bally's, run on the treadmill, come home and shower and then have a daughter-Dad date with Waverly (usually it has been at IHOP).

Any of you that have known me for any length of time know how proud I am of Waverly, and it is a time that I can focus in on helping her currently, talk about what's coming up in her life and share some pearls of wisdom for her future. I'm very glad that God's given me the opportunity to do such a thing. I've shared with her many time that while my parents provided for me and my sister very well and are a large part of the reason why I am how I am today, I never recalled the one-on-one time that she and I share.

Now to the secondary stuff: 60 minutes, nice and easy. I've got to work on building the mileage. I didn't get the job done last night, but I felt refreshed even though I didn't sleep on the plane this afternoon coming home.

I did the first 30 minutes at 4.3 mph and the last 30 minutes at 4.5 mph (while reading all of Runner Triathlete News and getting a good way through the March edition of Inside Texas Running). The very last minute, I ramped it up - for me - to 6.0 mph and it felt pretty good. I thought to myself that there will be a day that I'll be able to run all 60 minutes at that pace.

Montgomery County Triple Earns Recognition

You bet! Well, maybe it was somebody else since it was listed as the Montgomery Country Triple.

Our coveted pine cone award for finishing the fall Montgomery County Triple was recognized with an Honorable Mention in the Awards division of the eighth annual Runner Triathlete News T-shirt/Poster Contest.

It is on pages 22-23 of the March 2008 edition of the magazine, which single copies can be found at most running specialty stores. (Oh, and somebody's "Talking The Talk" column is on pages 14-15 too.)

Thanks to my partners in crime, Bill Dwyer and Rick Cook.

HARRA Board Meeting, March 24

Dear Board and Contacts,

Because of a conflict with Spring Break, the next HARRA Board meeting will be held on Monday, March 24.

Our agenda will include planning for the HARRA Family Fun Day in the Park (April 26), '08-'09 Board nominations, Road Race recaps and brainstorming for the Summer Celebration on June 7.

I look forward to seeing you all on March 24 at 6 p.m. Please email me with any questions or additions.

Thanks,
Anna Helm

(Note: Any HARRA member is welcome to attend the Board meetings that are typically held on the third Monday of every month at Memorial Park, next door to Beck's Prime.)

Adding to the Seven Hills RC Blog Brigade

Joining the fray is Norman Langwell, Jr. and the link to his blog is here.

Norman will be running his third marathon on Sunday at the Seabrook Marathon and two years ago, he was twice the person that he is today. Literally. Click here to see what I mean!

He walked up and introduced himself right after I finished leg 23 in Wallis during the Texas Independence Relay. Actually, I had heard much about him from Ken Johnson and was very honored to meet him.

Germantown Half Marathon Coming Up This Weekend

This half marathon on Sunday, just east of Memphis, Tennessee, will get me to my 21st state (with one Canadian province in addition). It will leave me within striking distance of being able to add my name to the list of the seven (7) "completers" of the half2run.com competition -- "running half the marathon in half the states".

Those seven "completers" are as follows:

48 - Ira Gardner, New York, NY
41 - Eileen Fannon, Atlanta, GA
33 - Amelia Kushneruk, Schererville, IN
33 - Carol Goslin, Kansas City, MO
30 - Patrick Morein, The Woodlands, TX (TWRC member)
26 - Mike Liggett, Raleigh, NC
26 - Douglas Bradley, Dearborn, MI

Three runners are sitting on 24. Two more are on 23, including Georgetown, Texas' Pat Neff.

Two more are at 22, while Rockwall, Texas' Maggie Mount and I are sitting at 21.

Had I known exactly when my project were going to end before I made all of my travel arrangements, I would have squeezed in California. This way, when I did a double the first weekend of April, adding Kansas and Missouri to the ledger, I would have been another completer!

People probably wonder how I can do this. They might even be thinking, "Man, Walk must be loaded." No, of course not. However, the business travel helps pave the way to be able to make these things happen.

Hotel (Residence Inn, Memphis East) -- FREE (Marriott Rewards points)
Race registration fee -- $48.70
Car rental -- $28.68 (33% of which are taxes and fees)
Airport parking at IAH - $12.00 (two days to leave truck at outlying lots)
Airfare -- $42.50 (even though I'm using reward miles - $35 for making reservation within 14 days and $7.50 for taxes and fees)

Sure, it is a little bit of money; however, it isn't necessarily much more than what I spent two weekends ago for the TIR. So when you see me do some of these things, don't think that I'm breaking the bank to do so. :)

Wednesday Night Treadmill

I decided to take a little bit of a walk on the wilder side of life than my TIR teammate, Edwin Quarles, did yesterday after he rated his story of an hour of running as his "most exciting post ever".

I ran 90 minutes on the treadmill tonight. And, of course, commenting on that post of his, Katy has taken over as the TIR team taskmaster as she said that it "should've been two".

We'll see about tomorrow. I was going to go two (2) myself tonight, but the upper parts of the front of my calves started to get a little dull. That's all on the countdown from Pasadena.

TIR 2009 Plans Continue To Unfold

Well, call me crazy, but I just reserved a 15-passenger and a 12-passenger van for March 6-8, 2009. Might as well beat the rush now! :)

If we have just one team with 12 runners, our fee per person - if we're not sponsored - will be $66.66 (or $800 total). A second team will cost us $900 as long as we have that team in place prior to October 31. If we have two teams and 24 runners, we'll divide the total cost of $1,700 and it will be $70.83 per.

I'll be working up a team sponsorship or co-sponsorship package. These packages will be for the entry fees only and will not include changing the first team's name, "The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic." We'll include the company name(s) in all communications, racing shirts for all team members as well as preparing the plastic car decals that cling to the sides of the vans for maximum exposure over the weekend as well as a team picture and plaque to hang in their place of business. I'm guessing $1,200 per team or a co-sponsorship of $600.

I'm thinking that we'll register the second team as soon as we get to 20 runners - that would be about 20 miles per runner, at a maximum - that submit their entry fee. Or as Dave suggested, we can pull the trigger at 18 runners - 8 on one team and 10 on another. Of course, that money would be refunded if we're sponsored.

Katy suggested, "My only thought about having the second team is, we ought to plan the legs where the two teams are even paced. That way we'd all still be together." I most definitely agree.
Is this crazy or what? In a way, not really. It is kind of like the Chevron Houston Marathon. We know when it is going to be on the calendar. We might as well just plan on doing it. Plus with the economy the way it is, do you see us all dropping the change to go together to an out-of-state relay? I look at it this way: at a minimum, this can always be an annual reunion!

The key to all of this though is that we be fluid - and we always keep in mind who alternates - and drivers - may be out there. I'm predicting that they'll be harder to come by. (And I have it on good sources that one of our drivers is itching to run next year, if their work schedule works out.)

Please, please post any ideas in comments that you have. I want to have some structure in place very soon to give to those that couldn't run with us or want to run with us on a second team.

Sunday's Seven Hills/TWRC Challenge 5K

I joked with Anna Helm and Terry Garrett near the start of the Bayou City Classic 10K starting line that I'm often known as a "shit stirrer", which elicited a laugh or two and a wary eye and a wince from Ms. El Presidente.

I think, though, that I've gotten a few cool things started too. (And the fewer that know what they are: the better.)

One of these was the Houston Running Bloggers vs. Seven Hills Running Club 5K Challenge on August 12, 2006. I'm not quite sure what came over me at the time, but it was a lot of fun even though HRB got its butt kicked. But what was the end result? An all-time club high turnout for Seven Hills for any event in its history. I'm proud to have been a part of that.

It has since taken on a life of its own between Seven Hills and The Woodlands Running Club. TWRC won last June at Run The Woodlands 5K and, on Sunday, Seven Hills now has possession of the coveted Saw Trophy. (See Bill's blog for a picture.)

How does it work? The two teams compete against each other and cross country scoring is done among those participants. A factor is supposed to be drawn before the race that is to be multiplied against the difference in the number of participants. The key is: get everybody out that can finish the course!

1. Robert Duncan - 20:40
2. Buck Snyder - 20:51 (TWRC)
3. J. C. Guzman - 21:06
4. Gary Van Kuiken - 22:25 (TWRC)
5. Stephen Smith - 22:31 (TWRC)
6. Sheridan Grant - 22:34
7. Nick Bellnoski - 22:52
8. Niki Bellnoski - 23:09
9. Darren Grant - 23:21
10. Norman Langwell, Jr. - 24:09
11. Henru Guzman - 24:10
12. Josh Holden - 24:11
13. Joe Hernandez - 24:14
14. Michael Deane - 24:19
15. David Wadsworth - 24:53 (TWRC)
16. Phillip Clark - 25:26
17. Chris Kunkel - 25:47
18. Denise Van Kuiken - 25:55 (TWRC)
19. Colten Langwell - 26:25
20. Holden Choi - 26:30
21. Glen Carter - 27:44
22. Tom McHale - 27:51 (TWRC)
23. Mary Kershbaum - 28:47 (TWRC)
24. Ben Johnson - 29:57
25. Jan Parks - 30:30
26. Katy Lampson - 31:33
27. Deanna Langwell - 31:33
28. Ron Davis - 32:54
29. Debbie Tripp - 37:08 (TWRC)
30. Jon Walk - 37:10 (TWRC)
31. True Cousins - 37:40
32. Don Ortloff - 41:05
33. Chantel Langwell - 45:52
34. Millie Langwell - 45:53
35. Mary Ann Davis - 48:32

26 of the finishers were Seven Hills members and the remaining 9 were TWRC members. I was the only one running that held dual memberships. Bill Dwyer also joined Seven Hills while we were there. TWRC would have had two more finishers, but Jim Braden and Waverly were unable to finish.

So the scoring, before any "penalty" participation points, was as follows:

Seven Hills - 1 - 3 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 = 67
TWRC - 2 - 4 - 5 - 15 - 18 - 22 - 23 - 29 - 30 = 146

Seven Hills Running Club members also got their new Tech shirts this weekend from president Niki Bellnoski.

Buck came up to support the effort one day after setting a PR at the Bayou City Classic on Saturday and then riding 67 miles on his bike Sunday morning as part of his training for Ironman Arizona in November.

Waverly, who had been off from track for a couple of weeks with a muscle tear that she suffered during their first track meet, was back to running and actually ran all the way to the top of the second hill without stopping. That represented excellent pacing on her part. Way to go!

But ... she reaggravated that knot on the front of her left leg. Debbie Tripp and I walked her to Bowers Blvd. where she walked down over the hill while the two of us finished the course. Therefore, my time looked like this:

Mile 1 - 12:52.88
Mile 2 - 12:38.71 (25:31.59)
Last 1.1 - 11:38.29 (37:09.88)

The last 1.1 mile represented a 10:34 pace on the rise of Bobby Marks Drive followed by the ever-climbing loop that eventually descends upon the finish line.

An excellent post-race social was held at Margarita's in Huntsville that was attended by David and Janette Wadsworth, Denise and Gary Van Kuiken, Bill Dwyer, Jim Braden, Ken and Marilyn Johnson, Jon Walk, Waverly Walk, Ben Johnson, Nick and Niki Bellnoski, Katy Lampson and Debbie Tripp.

Monday Update from California

The pressing news for Monday is that my project here in Pasadena, California will be over on Friday, March 28. I'm sure that I'll be finding out soon where I'll be headed in the consulting firm that I work for.

The bottom line is that the organziation that I'm doing work for is getting more of their staff involved in decision-making and I've been relegated to working accounts and getting special data projects done. (That's OK, but they can get other people to do it cheaper.) It is what an organization really needs to do; however, there are many things that they also don't have a clear plan to attack to avoid getting into the situation that put me here in the first place.

It has been a good 8-month run and now it's time for a new challenge. Perhaps I'll get a week or two at home before I get assigned someplace else. I hope. It would be nice (although the frequent flyer miles and hotel points are nice too.)

Key TIR Updates from the Official Web Site

Texas Tough Throwdown Winners

We’ve gotten great feedback from the teams that participated in the throwdowns this year. This is a fun way to have some friendly, albeit pointed, competition within the overall race. We anticipate that in a few years this will be a popular aspect of the TIR. The winners of this year’s throwdowns were: The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic, HCSS Heavy Haulers, Rick’s Salty Mixed Nuts, and We’re the Hecarwi! Each of these teams will receive $60 in Papa John’s gift cards to have another pizza party where they can relive their TIR glory days. Perhaps they should invite their excellent (though defeated this time) opponents to the party!

2009 Registration Details

The official opening of registration will be April 21, 2008. The early registration fee (through October 31) will be $900. The regular fee (November 1 – January 31) will be $1,000.

However, returning teams may register early, starting April 1 (no joke). These returning teams will get a $100 refund through April 20 ($800) and may request the same team number (with option to upgrade on April 21 if a lower number has not been taken).

IN ADDITION TO THAT, we will give the Team Captain a Come and Take It flag!

From April 21 onward, returning teams will still get a $50 refund off either the early or regular entry fee, whichever applies.

The race weekend will be the first full weekend in March (March 7-8, 2009), pending a couple of final approvals (95%+ certainty).

Saturday Afternoon Treadmill

Treadmill, Bally's, The Woodlands
90 minutes from about 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. (wanted to go two hours, but didn't)
Was a comfortable run and read two old running magazines

Earlier today was the Bayou City Classic 10K. More on that later.
Seven Hills Running Club vs. The Woodlands Running Club rematch tomorrow afternoon.
Could we see a Ben Harvie vs. Dan Green matchup in the 60-and-over division? (I heard Dan was pretty excited Wednesday night.)

I talked to Ben and Mary today and they're going to be questionable as tomorrow morning is the first race of the Webster Bicycle Duathlon Series in La Marque. They'll both be there and it will be also the second stage in the Ben Harvie vs. Lisa Tilton-McCarthy weekend challenge. (Lisa wasn't and won't be surprised if Ben makes it to Huntsville for the challenge.)

Thursday Night: Treadmill Intervals

10 minute warmup
2 minutes at 5.3, 5.3, 5.3, 5.4, 5.4, 5.4, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 6.0
2 minutes at 4.3, 4.3, 4.3, 4.4, 4.4, 4.4, 4.5, 4,5, 4.5, 4.5
10 minute cooldown

Could have gone harder each two minutes, but I'll build up to it. Otherwise, this felt pretty good. As I kept going, even though I was going faster on the recovery then before, I felt almost like I was walking.

Weekend of April 5-6 and more

I know that there's a groundswell of activity for many folks to congregate at Hog's Hunt in Huntsville State Park on Saturday, April 5.

I think I read that original Texian Road Warriors Kim Hager and Andrew Perry were both running it; Kim the 50K and Andrew the 25K.

I believe that I also saw that Tommy Stunz, and his son, Jakeb, were doing the 25K and that Katy Lampson was as well. [And this breaking news from The Woodlands at 11:17 p.m. on Thursday evening, Karen Felicidario is going for the 50K!]

I may have to be the party pooper. I may take Thomas Hill up on his offer to come run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in late April. The weather will be a crap shoot for a marathon for sure; however, if I decide to do that, I may go chase a double half weekend on April 5 and 6 with the Eisenhower Half Marathon in Abilene, Kansas on Saturday, April 5 and the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in Missouri on Sunday, April 6.

It would get me to 23 states in the Half2Run.com (22 states and 1 province) and then Oklahoma City would make a marathon in my 11th state. But I have to find out if they are going to extend me here past the end of March in Pasadena, California.

In other news ...

+ A good friend of mine from West Chester, Pennsylvania, Rob Jones will be attempting his first 50K trail run on Saturday, March 22 at the Bel Monte Endurance Run in Charlottesville, Virginia. He said his wife, Lysa, is planning on doing the 25k. He said, "It will be her first trail run, and she’s not too excited about the course profile which is brutal." He also indicated that he did a 27-mile training run last weekend and is into his taper.

+ Remember to set your clocks forward an hour Sunday morning. (Can you imagine having to deal with that last weekend?)

+ We get our new Seven Hills Running Club dri-fit shirts on Sunday at the club competition against The Woodlands Running Club.

+ From David Wadsworth, president of The Woodlands Running Club: "I heard there may have been some weather problems in Antarctica (imagine that). I am trying to find out if Tony (Allison) was able to finish the marathon there. I will let you know as soon as I hear something."

+ A shout-out to a new friend of mine - and new reader - from Austin, Michele Quintin, 26, who finished her third half marathon in the last month and a half (3M-2:21:14, AT&T-2:22:05 and this past Saturday's ARA Moe's Half Marathon-2:30:22 in San Marcos).

+ Additionally, a number of Bill's Texian Road Warriors have requested access as well. Maybe some of them will even start their own blogs! :) Welcome to the Comries, Alvarezs, Stiles and Scott Mayer so far.

TIR: And Not Looking My Best

But what do you expect after getting no more than about 8 hours asleep in the preceding 48?!

(Photo courtesy of Russell Meyer via Jim Braden)

TIR Legs 4, 5 and 6

Sort of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, leg 4 was a tad bit long, leg 6 was a tad bit short and leg 5 was just right (or as projected).

It seems that individuals that manned the exchanges at both of the Shiner legs took it upon themselves to move the original planned locations of the tents; however, that accepted thought process is that independently that these tents were moved by separate people about the same distance from the planned location - meaning the distance on leg 5 was probably accurate.

Sarah was the first one to point out that her Garmin picked up the distance of her first leg of the day to be a tad bit short.

TIR Post-Race Pace Projection Analysis

The main page of the spreadsheet predicted - based on the 10K times that I put in - that we'd finish in 31:14:03. However, when you got to the guts of the second page of the spreadsheet, it really turned out to be 31:13:43.

Our final finishing time was 31:42:36, for a 9:20 per mile pace. This also means that we were 28 minutes and 53 seconds over that projection.

After Sarah's leg 30, we were still 2 minutes and 46 seconds ahead of our projected time.

The fastest per mile legs were as follows:

6:51 - Leg 15 - Adrienne Langelier - 4.13 miles
6:55 - Leg 27 - Adrienne Langelier - 6.51 miles
7:30 - Leg 1 - Dave Smart - 4.26 miles
7:30 - Leg 3 - Adrienne Langelier - 8.78 miles
7:47 - Leg 8 - Joe Carey - 2.81 miles
7:55 - Leg 21 - Tommy Stunz - 6.76 miles
8:05 - Leg 11 - Tommy Stunz - 6.36 miles
8:05 - Leg 13 - Dave Smart - 4.21 miles
8:05 - Leg 22 - Joe Carey - 5.01 miles
8:07 - Leg 25 - Dave Smart - 5.00 miles
8:09 - Leg 32 - Tommy Stunz - 6.69 miles
8:16 - Leg 37 - Dave Smart - 4.40 miles
8:26 - Leg 34 - Joe Carey - 5.33 miles
8:27 - Leg 2 - Holden Choi - 4.85 miles
8:36 - Leg 28 - Holden Choi - 3.6 miles

These were the only sub 9-minute legs throughout the day.

We had five (5) legs that were 11-minute per or greater and yes, I took two of them (but not leg 23). Leg 10 was in the heat and Leg 35, I admittedly backed off just a little bit.

Dave led the way by being 14:21 ahead of his cumulative projected time. This just tells me that I errored on his projected per mile pace of 8:48.

Adrienne was 8:38 ahead of hers, but her projected pace of 7:37 per mile was very, very conservative. She ran the Huntsville Half Marathon with a 7:21 per mile pace. I should, therefore, have lowered the projection somewhat.

Joe was a cumulative 8:35 ahead of projection. Again, though, I was being conservative with an 8:48 pace because Joe was coming off of an injury.

Tommy was 8:12 ahead of his, but I went with a 50-minute 10K that projected an 8:28 pace. The 7:55 per mile pace on Leg 21 may be a good indication of what he'll be able to do on Saturday during the Bayou City Classic 10K.

We were ahead of the per leg projections 25 of 40 times.

Just a few kernels of data that I've crunched from the time splits that were recorded.

A TIR Post-Race Poem

If you haven't already, you'll have to spend a little time on the Texas Independence Relay message boards (especially to see a response from Jay and Joy regarding all of the gratitude that people have paid to them).

In some of the threads, especially the one titled, "Best Team Name Thus Far", there are a number of poems. Many of them are from Corpus Christi's Rich Martucci and are quite funny!

Here is one that I'll be adding today:

We came, we ran, we saw and had fun
Man o man, the leg from Flatonia was hot under the sun

I wore my hat and we threw down the Challenge
Boy o boy, was it met as all hanged in the balance

The Road Warriors came and put up a fight
Though certainly unlike the dog from Borden who was sure quick to bite

They kept saying that the Captain's leg was so sweet
And I didn't fully appreciate it till a new friend I did meet

He shared a survivor's story that made me cry
Yet nothing quite like hearing my daughter sing a post-race lullaby

"These Arms" she got to sing with Rodney
That left her Dad just a little bit weak-kneed

The plan, it worked well and turned out quite nifty
As I cheered the Road Warriors' finish hollering, "Fifty. Fifty."

Enjoy!

TIR 2009: Texas Tough Throwdown Part II

The Texas Independence Relay is like your first marathon (well, it was just shy of eight, actually) in that as soon as it is over you said, "There's no way that I'll do this again".

Only to begin asking yourself the next day, "What about next year?"

My proposal is simple: The Road Warriors have two teams and the Bloggers have two teams.
Bill will be able to plug Kim Hager and Andrew Perry back in to the equation - preferably NOT on the same team. And I'd expect Rick Cook to possibly join the fray as well running with Bill although I'd offer up whatever to have Rick run on our team since he was a Blogger first.

The Bloggers would certainly add James David Dykas, Barbara Boone, Jessica Alexander and Christy Gonzales, and Erin Foley if she didn't run on an Al Lawrence team, plus we'd have first dibs on any other Seven Hills Running Club members, which might include Robert Duncan and Norman Langwell.

Thoughts? Did the sun get to my head too much on Sunday?

March 5, 2008 Update: Bill said that there was discussion at the track last night that he would lead a Texian Road Warriors run team and that Kim Hager might lead a Texian Road Warriors tri team.

Which got me thinking. Perhaps Joe Carey could captain a team of Blogger Girls that included Adrienne, Katy, Sarah, Barbara, Jessica, Karen, Cassie, Christy, maybe Erin or El Presidente herself, Anna Helm, and add some BARC women to the mix such as Veronica Hoge, Michelle Meyer, Leeanne Voorhies and possibly Vera Balic. And the driver of one of the vans could be Mrs. Texas since Joe already knows her. :)

I guess the original Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic team would include Edwin, Tommy, his son, Jakeb, Dave, Holden, Keith and then we'd have to do a little recruiting. I vote that we would pickup Norman Langwell, Curtis Barton and Robert Duncan from Seven Hills, if they were interested.

One Of Many Classic TIR Pictures

Andrew Perry, one of Bill's original "Texian Road Warriors" team members, is the low man on the totem pole at Luke's Locker in The Woodlands and had to work at the store this past weekend.

However, it didn't stop the Texian Road Warriors from voicing their desire - in silent protest - to have had Andrew as part of the fray. Honestly, though, "The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic" would have been in a world of hurt if Kim and Andrew were both available.

TIR 2009 Registration Opens April 21st!

Here's the deal: I gave Jay and Joy my word that I was only running this thing this year and that I would help them on race day weekend next year.

However, I will take the responsibility of coordinating and managing two Blogger team entries, developing the team captains and getting everything ready towards Race Day 2009.

There could always be an original "The Battling Bloggers of The Texas Republic" entry and a second, perhaps, "Red Bull Bloggers" entry? :)

And, by the way, I'm not joking about this.

My TIR Legs

Originally, I was slated to run legs 8, 23 and 35 - the same as Texian Road Warriors captain Bill Dwyer. However, to ensure that Joe Carey would be able to run at as close to 100% as possible, participate with us and not reinjure himself, I agreed to take leg 10 and let Joe have leg 8, which was a short 2.81 miles.

Leg 10 (6.23 miles)

As we were driving from the exchange point that started leg 9 to my first running leg in Flatonia at leg 10, I was excited because I thought Karen was gaining on the Road Warriors' Michelle Comrie. And at the same time, I didn't know who I draw to go head-to-head with in leg 10.

We get to Flatonia and I see Jay Hilscher for the first time all morning. (We talked about a number of things, but at the same time the competition between the Road Warriors and the Battling Bloggers was really starting to heat up.) And so was the temperatures.

I had been wearing a long sleeved race shirt (from the Tyler Half) over my tech shirt to keep from getting sunburned even more than I already was. I took it off once we got to Flatonia and then slipped on my hat so that I wouldn't get completely scorched. The plan was to shadow me at mile 3 and mile 5.

Michelle handed off the "baton" to her husband, Stewart, and I knew that I wouldn't make up any time against him; therefore, I hoped that Karen would soon be around the corner. When Karen came in to hand off, we were 6 minutes and 51 seconds in the hole. (This whole time though I also knew that we had about two minutes between us at the start; therefore, we were only down by 4-5 minutes.)

I started my run nice and easy because of the heat (weather.com confirmed that it was 77 degrees when I started my run and 81 when I finished it.)

I'm not sure if it was before or after I passed Brenda's, a good burger joint in Flatonia, I saw Debbie Tripp and Cathy Steele from the "Athletic Girls Next Door" team and I realized: I didn't have my bib on! (They were mentioning something about a DQ and I responded with a comment - not rude to them at all or to anybody - that I wish I wouldn't have said.)

This bothered me for quite some time, and I had plans to self report it to Jay. If it was a DQ, I would have simply asked Jay to allow for us to finish, get our medals and DQ us afterward - if possible. [I would see Jay later at the beginning of leg 18, I shared this all with him and he said that it wasn't a disqualification.]

As I continued, I was passed a few times, and when I got to the mile 3 point and Joe came out with a new water bottle, I walked until I could put on his bib number to make sure I was in compliance.

The plan was for the van to go to mile 5. When I got there, Joe was out of the van again. I took the fresh water and then I could see a female runner off in the distance and it looked like she was walking. Before the van passed me and headed to the exchange, I started to pick up the pace with an aim to get a "road kill". I was getting closer as the exchange was less than .3 of a mile away, but I got passed close and that kind of sucked the spirit right out of me.

I covered the 6.23 miles in 1:10:11, which in the heat was only 3:32 over my projected time (and I probably gave a couple of that back getting the bib number on me).

I was happy because I didn't walk but to get fluids in me, and I didn't cost us that much time.

Leg 23 (4.13 miles)

This was the first of two legs that I would go head-to-head with Bill. We would both start this leg at around 12:30 a.m. in the morning and would soon go rolling into Wallis - where things would be lit up for us as we closed in on the finish line while running along the railroad tracks.

Heading into leg 18, when "Blogger2" became the active van, I quickly learned that we had just under a 2-minute lead as Edwin left the station to chase after the Road Warriors' locomotive, Juliee Sparks.

Blogger2 went to the mile 2 mark where Juliee was stretching the lead to 3:04.51.

We went to the mile 4 spot of the leg and Juliee had covered the distance in 17:05 (8:32 pace) while Edwin did so in 19:43 and the lead went to 5:43.06.

As they both finished up leg 18, the Road Warriors had pushed the margin to 9:15.58. (I want to say that we met Edwin at the 2.5-mile and 4.5-mile marks because the 13:54 between Juliee's next-to-last time marking and the finish would have been a 7:38 pace.)

But our team kept working as a team. Sarah, Karen, Tommy and Joe Carey would cut the Road Warriors' lead to 1:41.19 - a minute and 41 seconds - with just over 17 hours of the race completed.

Now, it was me against Bill.

When I got to the exchange point, it was a very quiet reception. Bill had his game face on and I think I had mine on too. Bill's always trying to see where my weak spot is and I try to convince him that I don't have one. Nothing was said.

I got the baton from Joe, clicked my watch, saw that I had a 1:41 advantage to make up and try to build some time for the team.

As I ran, I tried not to go out too hard, too fast. The adrenaline was certainly pumping. Bill revealed to us during the prologue that the day or two may be a little challenging for him.

I thought to myself, "Bill's a friend" and while I wanted to win, I didn't want to destroy the spirit. Our friendship is too strong to have that happen, I think, but I didn't want to take a chance either.

I saw Bill and as I came up upon him, the only thing appropriate I knew was to use my left hand, pat him on the upper right shoulder and keep running.

I used a Rick Cook trick during the next couple of miles in case Bill got a second or third wind. I was carrying a handheld flashlight that I would use to make sure that oncoming vehicles would see me -- since I didn't happen to get the reflective belt from Joe. Every so often, I would turn it off (now I still had my head lamp on and my blinkie blinking) so that he couldn't quite see where I was at.

Jose met me at mile 2 and made sure I got the reflective belt on.

Then after making the turn to finally go into Wallis, Jose was there again handing me the bib that I forgot for the second time. We wouldn't have made it without his help or Manny's.

I covered the distance in 43:35.79 (for 4.13 miles) - a 10:34 pace and faster than the 44:04 predicted on the spreadsheet.

I have no idea what kind of lead I helped our team get because we were off to the hotel before Bill got to Wallis. We needed sleep.

Leg 35 (5.18 miles)

I knew entering this leg that I would be able to bank a little bit more time so the plan was just to take it slow and steady. I really didn't like this leg much, to be honest.

As I got into the beginning of it, a runner was asking me if I knew where the trail headed on this one part in the first three-tenths of a mile. I told him that I thought if things weren't marked in a "turn right" or "turn left" direction that the assumption was to keep moving forward.

He was a member of the Pirana Brothers team. I knew that they were from Oklahoma City because I had written some introductions that were to be used by the public address announcer.

The runner introduced himself as Thomas Hill. I explained to him about helping Jay and Joy out and the public address writeups. I also said, after digging a bunch of stuff up on the Internet, "I didn't know if you were the race director for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon or not." He responded, "I am." I'm thinking to myself, "Whoa."

This is Thomas' bio --

Thomas Hill is the co-founder of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, co-founder of TRI-OKC (Triathlon Club of Oklahoma City) and co-founder of the Redman Triathlon. Hill has run 14 marathons (including all four Memorial Marathons) and will be running the 2005 Memorial Marathon as well. He is currently training for the Florida Ironman Triathlon in November. Hill received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University. He is vice president of manufacturing for Kimray, Inc. in Oklahoma City. Hill is married and has six children (5 boys and 1 girl), ages 8 months to 10 years.

He had planned on walking the entire leg, but we ran from the easternmost part of Memorial Park to Shepherd, and then much of the remaining trail to the pedestrian bridge over the Bayou and then in on to the exchange.

When we got there, I got a big hug from him. He was very appreciative that I was able to help him and I told him that he helped me as well.

We talked about everything under the sun. I told him that I was in Oklahoma City last spring to run the half marathon and he told me some incredible stories surrounding the marathon and the memories of the 168 survivors of the Oklahoma City tragedy.

During our run, he said, "Anybody that runs part of a race with me can come run my race anytime on me." I was floored. I'll certainly have to consider taking him up on it when I need Oklahoma for a state in my 50 state quest.

He saw Karen make a post in the message board and e-mailed her this:

Sorry to bug you again, but I saw a post of yours on the TIR msg board and noted that you were on the Battling Bloggers team. I ran my last leg (of 8) with a guy from your team, John I think, who is a writer. I was barely moving and was planning on just walking out my leg and he came along and got me running and ran with me the whole way. I would not have made it without his help. Feel free to pass my email on to him.

It is things like this that absolutely floor me.

Because Waverly's watch didn't record the last few number of splits (and I didn't click my watch after getting a big wet, sweaty hug), I don't know how fast - or slow - that I covered the distance.

In a way, I didn't care. I knew that we had the win in the Throwdown and we were all beginning to celebrate the fact that we'd soon find our adventure over.

TIR Battling Bloggers Leg Difficulty Rankings

Edwin commented about how difficult his legs were according to the "Difficulty Ranking" that was placed on each one by the race organizers in the TIR Handbook.

Using the cross country scoring method where the lowest total wins, here is who had the toughest legs:

1. Tommy (18 points - 3, 7 and 8) - 19.81 miles
2. Edwin (18 - 2, 10 and 6) - 20.56 miles
3. Adrienne (45 - 1, 35 and 9) - 19.42 miles
4. Cassie (54 - 33, 16 and 5) - 15.73 miles
5. Jon (56 - 4, 34 and 18) - 15.54 miles
6. Katy (58 - 23, 11 and 24) - 15.27 miles
7. Sarah (60 - 31, 14 and 15) - 15.3 miles
8. Dave (63 - 22, 21 and 20 - tossed out 30) - 17.87 miles
9. Holden (68 - 25, 26 and 17 - tossed out 36) - 18.45 miles
10. Joe (68 - 37, 19 and 12) - 13.15 miles
11. Keith (80 - 28, 39 and 13 - tossed out 40) - 14.91 miles
12. Karen (88 - 32, 27 and 29 - tossed out 38) - 16.13 miles

The winner for the toughest leg of all of the Texas Independence Relay goes to Dana-Sue Crews of The Woodlands as she got bit by a dog on leg 14. See her dog bite here!

I probably should owe Dana-Sue an apology. Why? That is the one leg that we didn't run in the pre-TIR in late October, but with good reason.

The way that the leg was originally designed was for it to go off of Highway 90, on to a dirt road and then eventually back to 90. However, as one of the female runners was running this, I asked Jay, "Will the vans be allowed back here at night?" He said, "No." I then suggested to him a worst-case scenario of a physical attack that it may not be safe for runners to run alone, especially women. [We shadowed our runners a mile or two miles at a time during the night time legs.]