Strangest Item in Race Packet?

Bill has an item in this month's Deer Tracks - the official newsletter of The Woodlands Running Club -- that asks "What's the Oldest Race Shirt in your closet?"

You can see my question above, "What's the Strangest Item in your race packet?"

Everyone knows that Sunmart and the 3M Half Marathon in Austin are very well-known for their swag, if you will.

The most odd piece of race bag swag had to have been this February when I made the trip to Texarkana for the Run The Line Half Marathon.

What was in my bag?



I kid you not! Sterno Canned Cooking Fuel!

It wasn't this exact can; however, the words on this picture, "Gel (for) Chafing Fuel" is kind of scary for runners, if you ask me.

Tuesday's Recovery Run/Workout

I should have done a little bit of something on Monday; however, the day -- and me being dead tired from the weekend (sheesh, I wonder why!) -- got away from me.

And with some behind-the-scenes information provided to me by Steven Karpas with the Chevron Houston Marathon on the new ABB Team Challenge when I got home from the office, I almost missed getting in a good hour on the stationery bike before I went to track night at Knox Junior High.

Nonetheless, a got a good hard hour in. (Maybe it should have been easy, but I did want to work up a sweat.)

I realized that I'm still a little banged up from Sunday. Maybe the recovery as you get a bit older is really real. :)

I did a steady mile (11:23 - laps of 2:49, 2:52, 2:51 and 2:51) in lane 2 and then went two slower miles with Juliee Sparks out in lane 6 and 7.

Juliee was celebrating her 32nd birthday yesterday. Mr. Relentless - that's Bill - was waiting for her to make a lap as he got everyone to sing Happy Birthday! to her.

I think Bill said it best that being out in that supportive, work-to-achieve the same goal environment with your friends is better than any money that you can ever spend on therapy.

Partial Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Race Report

I thought of something on the course: "I might not be fast, but I finish and finish often." :)

Marathon No. 18 is in the books. My 11th state and I think this is my fourth best marathon ever behind Austin '06 (4:47:32), Houston '05 (4:55:08) and Little Rock '06 (5:03:02). It is. I just double checked. :)

My time, according to the race website, is 5:08:30 -- and it could have been a little better as I spent about four minutes at mile 20 taking my wind shirt off, trying to get a Larabar opened and having to settle for Gu, tying the shirt around my waist and putting my gloves back on.

And to consider that I drove to Austin yesterday morning, watched a race there and then drove here, slept for about 3 hours, got something to eat (not the healthiest, but it filled me up), slept for about another 4.5 hours and then went to run this morning.

I'm pleased as punch. If certain people still had access to the blog, they'd say, critically, "look at what you could do if you really, really trained" and you know they're actually right - but they wouldn't do it with tact. And that's their character flaw.

However, my goal is to go out and be able to run a 5-hour marathon anytime I want (and that is if I'm keeping up a regular workout schedule, which I kind of have been lately).

Mile 1 -- 10:26.35 (hit my watch before the actual spot ... there was a flag that was before where the clock and the marker on the road)
Mile 2 -- 11:53.48 (so mile 1 was short on my watch and this mile, which included an overpass and a slight incline, was long)
Mile 3 -- 10:28.56 (but I think that there could have been a long and short thing going on)
Mile 4 -- 11:04.48
Mile 5 -- 10:52.86
Mile 6 -- 11:13.34
Mile 7 -- 11:05.58
Mile 8 -- 10:38.35
Mile 9 -- 11:28.31
Mile 10 -- 11:12.04
Mile 11 -- 11:40.09
Mile 12 -- 10:59.91
Mile 13 -- 12:08.39 (took two minutes of walking to get a Larabar in me)
Mile 14 -- 11:34.63 (weird; included an overpass and a stiff headwind going north next to Lake Hefner)
Mile 15 -- 11:53.06
Mile 16 -- 11:18.63
Mile 17 -- 12:05.35
Mile 18 -- 12:18.59 (walked the overpass at the start of mile 17)
Mile 19 -- 12:13.67 (was trying to keep these close because 12-minute miles is a 5:12)
Mile 20 -- 11:27.01
Eqp Adj -- 4:45.99 (see above)
Mile 21 -- 11:02.23 (so was still running well)
Mile 22 -- 11:57.58 (really felt empowered here, but knew 5:06 was about the best I could do)
Mile 23 -- 12:06.85 (still was feeling OK here)
Mile 24 -- 12:26.60 (at this point, I was starting to feel gassed)
Mile 25 -- 14:21.48 (this had an uphill that I walked ... if I had Edwin there like at Surfside '06, I could have shaved a couple of minutes off here)
Mile 26 -- 11:34.00
Last .2 -- 2:16.03

I'm really, really happy about this race (not sure now about the drive home!)

Norman talked about in the article that Roberta MacInnis wrote in the Chronicle about running a few miles to burn off a burger. Well, they had an OK Carl, Jr.'s burger at the finish line -- I figured I earned it today. :)

Many times I thought about trying to keep it between the pace that I was running laps at the track on Tuesday nights and the JSP pace. What's the JSP pace? That was from last Tuesday night and it is the "Juliee Sparks (is) Pregnant" pace. I wish I could document all of the things that I think about during the race. It might be pretty scary and interesting all at the same time.

This course is not flat and today there was a lot of wind so that just adds to my enthusiasm.

Plus that gets me to 20 marathon or longer races on the Seven Hills Running Club Marathon Honor Roll, which will allow for me to tie Ben Harvie in something with another marathon finish.

I lost this the first time, so I hope I restated it right. I just wanted to say thank you for being the best set of friends that anybody can have. I'm so blessed to have the friendships that I have through this sport. Some days it feels like an incredible responsibility; however, you all have been here to help when I've needed it and when I run a race like I did today, many of you go through my mind and I can't wait to share it with all of you. And not to get a "Hooray!", but I hope that if I can do something like this, you can be inspired to do even more and bring others into the sport as well.

Brief Saturday Update

I am in Oklahoma City this evening for tomorrow morning's 8th annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and no, I'm not running the half again this year.

Earlier today, I left Spring at 4 a.m. to witness the USA Track and Field National Masters 10K Championship and to see Norman Langwell, Jr., of Huntsville, run in the Texas Roundup 10K.

I saw Sean Wade, of Houston, and Colleen DeReuck, of Colorado, win their respective national championships. The Tornados' Miguel Lopez, Terlingua's Ino Cantu and the Striders' Sabra Harvey all competed.

Norman received his award from Governor Perry on Friday and beat him on the course on Saturday. Langwell, Jr. covered the tough 10K course in 47:38 while the Governor, who wasn't wearing a chip it seems, did indeed come in behind Norman. Norman's son, Colton, ran the course in 53:38 and was fourth in his age group.

Seven Hills' Garland Spivey, 45, of Huntsville also finished in 1:00:12.

Norman's daughters, Chantel, 15, and Deanna, 13, both ran the 5K and finished in 32:51 and 32:55, respectively, to both finish fourth in their age groups. His wife, Millie, 34, finished in 40:22.

Then I got in the car and drove to Oklahoma City. Yes, I know. Crazy, but we only live once. Got here at about 3 p.m., and was registered shortly thereafter.

I spoke with the Chevron Houston Marathon's Jan Nierling, Dallas White Rock Marathon's Marcus Grunwald and Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon co-founder Thomas Hill III.

So there you have it. We'll now see what tomorrow holds.

I heard Karen Felicidario - from Bill, of course - like Katy a few weeks ago busted a gut (not that she has one, mind you) and nailed a healthy new 5K PR of 26:29 at Run The Woodlands 5K today.

And then reading Karen's report, I see that Holden cracked 24 minutes with a 23:53.

Maybe our TIR team will go sub 31 in March 2009. Right Edwin? ;)

Thursday: Decisions, Decisions

A little bit under the world today; nonetheless I still managed 55 minutes on the stationery bike this evening at Bally's in The Woodlands.

Before I get to the topic above, here's the daily Waverly update:

1. She tried out on Wednesday for her school's Pop Show, which will be held on Friday, May 16th. The choir director has already asked her to sing a solo for that show. It is "Good Morning Baltimore", which I hear is from the movie or musical, "Hairspray". (As you can surmise, I've never seen it.) She's been keeping her selection a secret, and I've not pushed her on it and invaded her space regarding it. However, she told me that she tried out with Taylor Swift's smash debut single, "Tim McGraw".

2. She went to school this morning early for a Student Council meeting. When I dropped her off, I reminded her, "Humble winner; gracious loser". She didn't find out during that pre-school meeting as they were working on posters for Teacher Appreciation Week. Her first class every day is English and it is a block class where they are there for two schedule periods. Every day, announcements are made after the beginning of the second period bell. She said that the second announcement started out as "The Student Council for 2008-2009 will be ..." and then she heard her name, "Waverly Walk, President". She said she didn't hear anybody else's name because her homeroom class was applauding for her.

3. This one I warned her to be careful on - only because of getting too overcommitted. The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) adviser asked her today also if she would consider being the Yearbook Editor next year. She had originally thought that everybody who was given a section was given the title of editor; however, she learned that it was just one person and that there might be a second individual who has a title of co-editor. I advised her to discuss it with the teacher to say that she would, but that she needed to have a backup if Waverly's grades began to suffer or she got burned out.

After I got home from the office and before I went to the gym, I took Waverly out for dinner. We went to Red Robin up Interstate 45 in Shenandoah and the hostess that greeted us saw Waverly's Twin Creeks volleyball shirt and said that she had gone to school there too.

I couldn't tell how old this young woman was (especially when I don't view myself as 41 either) so I asked her where she went to school at. She said that she was a senior this year at Spring High School. I told her that I was an alum - Class of '84. (I didn't ask her if she had ever heard the alternate school fight song that was developed during our junior year.) She went on to explain that her aunt graduated in my class. I recognized the name, but I wasn't able to put the right face to it. I think I can now though.

I then politely embarrassed Waverly and told the young woman, Brittany (this one was MUCH smarter, by the way), about the red headed princess getting elected Student Council President. She told Waverly that those things would help her in other social standings later on in high school if she continued to be involved. It was kind of cool for Waverly to hear this - and a couple of other things (about getting credit courses done ahead of time) - and I (in hindsight) was pretty impressed with how this young woman treated Waverly with respect.

Alright ... now the topic above. I'd really like to go to Austin on Saturday morning to catch the USA 10K Masters Championship - which starts before the Texas Roundup 10K - to watch Sean Wade, Sabra Harvey and Ino Cantu run, but I don't want to drive six hours from Austin to Oklahoma City and potentially miss being able to register for the marathon the following day.

It will all be a "game day" decision as to what I do. The bottom line is that if I go to Austin that I have to get on the road north no later than 10 a.m. -- as it is a 6-hour drive to Oklahoma City straight up Interstate 35. Anybody want to go with me? LOL

Yes, I've been told I was crazy ever since I did my first back-to-back half marathons in 2005.

Wednesday's Widgets

Alright, I couldn't come up with anything snazzy ... so there you have it!

I put in a good, hard 90 minutes on the stationery bike at Bally's in The Woodlands this evening. While there, I got a hold of Mr. Quarles to see about him writing a feature on HARRA member John Hill of Kingwood. Hill has burst on to the running scene lately with a masters win at the Chevron Houston Marathon with a time of 2:40 only to be followed up by a runner-up training run of 2:47 to finish second at the Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon and a 2:42 in Monday's 112th Boston Marathon.

This feature will run in the July/August edition of Footprints, which, of course, appears in Inside Texas Running, and will more than likely include wrap-ups of HARRA members at the Boston Marathon and the Beach To Bay Relay Marathon.

The May/June edition will include the first hand account of HARRA CPR/AED team member Ron Morgan and his work on Dr. Harvey Resnick, who collapsed during the Saturday, April 5 Chevron Bellaire Trolley Run 5K. Ironically, CPR/AED team leader Dr. Bob Hoekman's monthly column, already written in advance, was on the recent changes in CPR protocols.

(I had kept it quiet, but I felt like I needed to let Dr. Bob Hoekman know in case he got a phone call or two. When Roberta MacInnis first reported on the "downed runner" incident in the Houston Chronicle on Thursday, April 10 and then I had received some additional information from Dr. Bob, I took a huge chance and wrote Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner, unsolicited to see if they would pursue a story about the program in that perhaps other running communities may look into their state's Good Samaritan laws about providing the same type of coverage that HARRA has pioneered. I had a favorable e-mail back, but I don't know if anything will come of it.)

May/June almost turned out to be my weakest effort ever in the last two years of putting together Footprints. I had a "filler" piece already layed down on "page 4". (Doug will go into shock that I let this happen!) I just wasn't into it. I knew though that they were going to go press Tuesday night, and I hadn't edited the piece nor was I happy about how it looked on the page. No offense, but it looked like some of the reports in the Austin Runners Club or Dallas Running Club sections -- long narrative pieces.

Sooooo ... I got a page full of News & Notes that covered events from the Blue Bell Run 10K to the Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon to Angie's Half Crazy Half Marathon (or make that 13.5-miler) to Sean Wade's out-of-state successes. A good smattering of happenings from various HARRA members the last month and a half.

I now feel a LOT better about how the May/June edition is going to look.

The big question is: Did I stick around for a third year at Monday night's Board Meeting? Well, it was kind of hard to turn Anna down when she looked down the table with this "Please don't leave" look. :)

Honestly, if there had been somebody interested that I thought would do a good, unbiased job, I may have considered passing the baton. It is really an honor and a great responsibility to make sure that we look good to the rest of the state. One person that doesn't get enough credit is Patrick Leung with RTN/ITR, who handles the layout. (If I had to do that, I'm not sure how good it would look.)

Although I think we have the "best of the best" working on HARRA's behalf, I am a little bit muted - as some individuals took the opportunity to take advantage of that fact early last fall - but I want to see HARRA with a stronger voice in the community.

(One of the things that I'm privately looking into is getting finish line tapes with the HARRA logo that we can go out to area races and give these to them -- and in return ask them to give our members a discount of a $1 or $2 at their race. It is something that once I get done, I'll discuss more with Anna and Jen Brown, who will be our new VP, Road Race Management for the '08-'09 year. Here's my take: How many races have finish line tapes? I know that two years ago at Race For The Cure 5K in downtown Houston -- with many key movers and shakers of the running community working the finish line -- Sean Wade crossed the finish line running through a stretched out piece of gauze bandage.)

We're losing two key members of the HARRA Board the past two years as Erin Foley and Sarah Graybeal will be moving out of their roles as Membership Chair and Webmaster. Both have incredibly helped HARRA transition to a more automated environment as it has related to registration and our web site. They're both incredibly busy -- one with kids and the other with launching space shuttles! :)

Did you know that there is a Spring Running Club and a Conroe Running Club? It is my understanding that the Spring Running Club is made up of some individuals that were part of Champions Fit -- perhaps Barbara can provide us with some more information -- and I heard about the Conroe Running Club, headed by a gentleman named Steve Yates, through an e-mail that I received from Ken Johnson about somebody looking for team members for a Beach To Bay Relay team.

Speaking of the Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville, a number of items:

-- Norman Langwell, Jr. and family will be in Austin on Friday to meet Governor Rick Perry as he accepts his Fit Texan Award in conjunction with Saturday's Texas Roundup 10K. (I'd go over to watch the USA Masters 10K Championship, but I don't know if I can get to Oklahoma City in time to register for Sunday's marathon.)
-- The Woodlands Running Club president Tony Allison was the club's guest speaker at last week's quarterly club meeting. Tony spoke about his recent trip to the Antarctica Marathon where he picked up continent No. 4 - and traveled with Runner's World's John "The Penguin" Bingham.
-- If you've never run the Huntsville Half Marathon before, this should be your year. Why? As part of the 30th annual event, the Huntsville Half Marathon will produce a commerative finisher's medal. I'm already planning on helping to setup - and running it again. (At least I won't be deciding this year 20 minutes before the start of the race to run it.) Well, that is if Marathon 2 Marathon isn't on the same weekend.

Guess what? This year, HARRA's Fall Series event, the United Space Alliance 10-Miler, and Ten For Texas in The Woodlands will NOT be on the same weekend. Regardless, we'll still see - from those runners not doing fall marathons -- the majority of HARRA members doing the Space City 10-Miler and the Fit programs pushing runners to do Ten For Texas as it was being called by one of the last year's sponsors - and not the race organizer, the Community Associations of The Woodlands, as the "official 10-miler of the Fit programs".

There's so much more going on ... so stay tuned!

Four Texas Athletes Do IM Arizona/Boston Marathon Double

(This is what I sent to various media yesterday -- and is what people used to come to this blog for!)

Four Texas athletes completed Ironman Arizona on Sunday, April 13 and the 112th Boston Marathon today on Monday, April 21.

They are as follows, listed by their combined time in the two events:

14:34:20 - Jonathan L. Minor, 30, Temple, 10:56:07, 3:38:13
14:36:23 - Mark Hooton, 31, Lewisville, 11:19:04, 3:17:19
17:43:40 - Rachael Payne, 27, Dallas, 13:33:02, 4:10:38
19:43:33 - Nora Wilson, 51, The Woodlands, 15:06:14, 4:37:19

Minor, a Texas A&M Health Science Center medical student, ran the Boston Marathon with his 37-year-old girlfriend Jill Howard, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She also finished the Ironman Arizona in a time of 14:23:41. Both Minor and Howard were on the winning team, the Road Killers, of the inaugural Texas Independence Relay on March 1-2, 2008.

Wilson crashed her bike at mile 86 of Ironman Arizona in 18 mph winds (with gusts up to 25 mph). After numerous bandages and antiseptic for multiple raspberries and cuts as well as repairs to her bike to be able to complete the ride in low gear, she persevered to finish the marathon and her third career Ironman (includes two finishers at IM Coeur d'Alene.)

I do not know how many athletes from all of the finishers of Ironman Arizona did this double. There were 767 Texas finishers today in Boston.

Tuesday Night Track: Great Company, Running Sucked

Hmmm ... running eight days out of nine (including four races in three days), I wonder if it is taking a little bit of a toll on me -- or was it just the humidity tonight?

I ran 15 laps (3.75 miles), but not all at once! (Jeff Paul asked me how many I was going to do tonight and I told him that my goal was 8 miles, but I just didn't have it in me tonight.)

I also did another 10 laps in lane seven (8 very easy running, 2 walking) with the pregnant Juliee Sparks, one of the vaunted Texian Road Warriors. :)

I tried to keep each lap at around 2:40, running in lane two.

First set -- 2:39.01, 2:41.69, 2:40.44, 2:43.40, 2:45.44
Second set -- 2:40.61, 2:39.60, 2:36.40, 2:41.27
Third set -- 2:41.14, 2:50.63, 2:30.06
(I got slowed down for some reason and knew I had to make it up)
Fourth set -- 2:46.15, 2:51.41, 2:44.57 (in lane 6)

Bill's instructions to Juliee were to make sure that her heart rate didn't get above 140 so he said that way she could run with me.

After we had done the two miles of real slow running, Bill piped up to the remaining Luke's Locker Beat runners and Kim's triathletes that I had done four races in three days. (Bill: It's flattering, but it isn't that big of a deal. They all won't talk to me now because they just received confirmation that I'm "nuts".)

Now Bill and I are very good friends, so I can jab at him pretty good. When Juliee and I were 200 meters away, I told him when we got back around that I was going to get him.

Yes, it was premeditated. :)

When we made it back around, I told him that there used to be a day that he was able to do four races in three days! :) That was a zinger indeed!

There are those of us that are going to keep encouraging Bill to get closer to where he wants to be. Then once he gets there ... we might be all be sorry about getting what we wished for!

In other news, they voted in Student Council this morning for officers for next year. Waverly will find out on Thursday if she was voted Student Council President. If not, she'll still be on Student Council and, then, will be able to pick and choose what things she does on it. Meaning a win-win either way.

The choirs are going to San Antonio on Saturday - very, very early (like 3 a.m.) - for a choir concert and then spend the day at Fiesta Texas. Her Mom is the lead parent of the ten or so parents going with them as chaperones. God Bless her!

Waverly was one of four seventh graders in her school that scored high enough on either the SAT or ACT to be recognized by the Duke Talent ID Program. They will be putting the information on the Spring ISD website soon and she will be recognized at the District's Tuesday, May 13th Board Meeting. There is also a Duke Talent ID state recognition program at Lamar University in Beaumont on Saturday, May 17. (No racing that day!)

And she told me this evening at dinner that her only B the last six weeks - an 89 in Texas History - has been brought up to an "A". She needs a 91 to average an "A" for the entire semester. I simply told her to do the best that she could. :)

Runner's World: Armstrong on Armstrong

If you have about 15 minutes of uninterrupted time, I would recommend you go to Runner's World and watch the four videos titled "Armstrong on Armstrong".

To me, they're really worth watching.

Then, once you do, come back and leave a comment and share with us all your thoughts. (I wonder if you have the same thoughts that I do.)

Long, Hot 3.5 Monday Afternoon Miles

With the price of gas the way it is ... no, not really in this story.

I had to take the rental car back to Enterprise at Planet Ford along Interstate 45. I returned it around 12:45 p.m. (a slow time for them) and while I could have had them drive me back to the house, I decided to make a run of it.

The heat didn't bother me so much, but the humidity was nice and high.

The first mile, which went from Planet Ford along Holzwarth to Louetta, came in 9:57.30. After that, it was all downhill from there from a time perspective.

Three and a half miles in 43:56.81. Ugh! 12:33 per mile, but they were some hot weather miles. I need to safely do more.

Rise and Shine 5K Race Report

My good friends, Joe Carey and Edwin Quarles, are going to wish that they finished this race this afternoon in Dallas with me -- and for different reasons.

As we saw before the start of the TIR, Mr. Carey boldly went were Mr. Quarles didn't and got his picture taken with Mrs. Texas. And, of course, only Mr. Carey is suave and debonaire enough to run with a bunch of beer wenches during the Bayou City Classic 10K.

At the finish line of today's Rise and Shine 5K were two Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in their traditional white outfits and two others in sort of a jazz routine outfit. While I didn't get my picture taken with them, I was close enough to notice what type of outfit it was. They did look kind of uneasy close to that many sweaty people that didn't have pads on though. :)

I'd like to say that the pursuit of the Cowgirls made me run even faster today, but it didn't.

However, as Mr. Dwyer indicated, other than the hot race yesterday afternoon, I ran pretty consistent all weekend - on a variety of courses. (I talked to Bill this afternoon on the drive back from Dallas what I need to do - other than weight - to improve a little bit.)

The official results state a gun time of 31:37.05 and a chip time of 30:53.90; however, they had two electric mats down. It is obvious that it took on the first mat as I started my time on the second mat and had 30:50.49. Therefore, that's official!

The course, which can be queried here at the USATF site, had two good hills on it (up Blackburn and Cedar Springs) that were near Reverchon Park - the start and finish location of the race.

It wasn't as hot as the race Saturday afternoon in Pilot Point therefore I don't think that was too much of a factor. I think I can run these a little bit faster than what I am, but I can't hold it the entire distance and therefore have to really back off at times. Little frustrating.

The mile splits look like this:

Mile 1 -- 9:36.40
Mile 2 -- 10:14.52 (included the uphill on Blackburn)
Mile 3 -- 10:07.67 (included the downhill on Maple)
Last .1 -- 51.90 (didn't include the downhill at all .. good sprint, if measured right)

Overall -- 30:50.49

It really was interesting this weekend to see - in a short period of time - how many races were put together and administered. I'll probably write something for the July issue of Runner Triathlete News about it. (June is going to be on Texas performances at the 112th annual Boston Marathon tomorrow.)

The best T-shirt of the four is the one that I can't wear! It is the Firemen's Fest T-Shirt from Pilot Point. They only had a large and it's a little tight. Waverly is the new recipient of it!

I was utterly surprised how nice the atmosphere was this afternoon in an area that is no more than two miles north of downtown Dallas. When we ran down Turtle Creek Blvd. east before turning right and going south on Blackburn (and up it too!), it didn't seem that there could have been that nice of a green space there. It was actually very refreshing.

Dallas has long been ahead of Houston in building more upscale housing close to its downtown area.

If I see Mike Lucas sometime tomorrow, I should win a prize at Luke's Locker for seeing each of the three Lucas brothers on consecutive days. I saw Andy out in Aledo and today Matt was in charge of the Luke's team helping to put on the event today. (Matt finished 6th overall - wearing headphones. He and Craig Calmes, of The Woodlands, were the first two finishers last year at the Heights Fun Run in June with headphones.)

Speaking of headphones, I saw a lot more of them today than I have at many races recently. I heard one young man (yes, at 41, I can say that now) say that he couldn't run without them.

There were also quite a few baby strollers. In the first half mile, I was behind a woman who tried to make a quick left with a double baby stroller to miss three young boys who were walking. Ugh! And we really only had one lane to work with.

The staging wasn't real good. I tried to move up as far as I could, but still got squeezed by a number of folks.

The bottom line is that the cause was a good one. People were out enjoying a great day at the Park and raising money for a needy charity. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. (I think I got a little bit more sun though!)

I think the plan is to go run the Oklahoma City Marathon next Sunday. Tomorrow is going to be an incredibly busy day for me, which will be capped off by the HARRA Board meeting at 6 p.m. They'll be incredibly surprised to see me there. I think I have to make a decision as to whether or not I want to go another year as editor of Footprints.

And I need to register the second TIR team too!

3rd annual Pilot Point Four-Alarm Chase 5K Race Report

Friday night, I got hill work in during a 5K.

This morning, well, that was mostly flat - and my time was just off what it was for the Resurrection Run 5K a few weeks ago. (But I hadn't run a 5K the day before though.)

This afternoon, in Pilot Point at the 3rd annual Four-Alarm Chase 5K, I got my first good dose of heat for the summer -- and my time reflected it (32:33.92 - and it could have been a couple of seconds less because I didn't get my watch stopped right off the bat and they weren't recording it.) They handed you a sheet of paper with your place on it and yelled out your time to you! :)

Weather Underground reported the temperature at 4:53 p.m. as 84 degrees and it dipped two degrees - to 82 - by 5:53 p.m.

The race, won by Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier Andrew Cook from Flower Mound the past two years, was scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m., but didn't get underway until 5:30 p.m. because they had some organizational issues. I later found out that they had a volunteer issue; however, they had a volunteer at every turn on the course (and there were lots).

The event was all part of the town's Firemen's Fest. They had good country music on the downtown square (June would have appreciated this) with one guy doing a pretty good version of Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes".

Small town races are a different breed. They're fun. You have to approach them with lowered expectations because so few people are doing so many different things. Of course, one of the exceptions would be the Polish Pickle Run 5K in Bremond.

The course looked like this here. It was pretty much flat, even though it says that there a 53-foot difference between the course's highest and lowest point. If it was the case, then that explains the slower miles 2 and 3! :)

The splits looked - ugly - but like this:

Mile 1/2 -- 20:27.75 (I heard a guy call out 9:38. I looked at my watch and saw 9:4x, but I definitely didn't know that it was the mile marker until we had passed it.)
Mile 3 -- 10:57.77
Last .1 -- 1:08.40

Overall -- 32:33.92

We know that I ran better in the morning, but it was still pretty cool too. Oh well, I just need to start doing miles in the heat (especially while I'm home and not on a project.)

When I made a right hand turn on to Jefferson (which left just a left and a right to the finish), I went two blocks before I started to see runners approaching on White St. from my left. I stopped for a couple of seconds to see if I had possibly missed a turn; however, there was an unmarked police car blocking the intersection. (They had arrows on the course, but they were in the middle where you'd never see them. They, of course, have to be in the curves.)

At first, I thought to myself that I might have run a short course -- and then my time would have really, really sucked. But when I got to the finish line, I realized that I probably ran the right distance. (There were many folks who ran a few blocks more.)

I found out after the race that when the lead police car came through with the leader and a guy (who I talked to) that finished second, the young volunteer (teenager probably) left her post that caused many people to go off course. When I got there, I'm sure that the occupant of the unmarked care had had time to go get something to eat!

It just added an interesting element to an interesting day.

I'm in Dallas (near Market Center) as I'll do the Rise and Shine 5K in Reverchon Park at 1:30 p.m. Another run in the heat. Let's see if I can better the time from yesterday.

3rd annual Run, Walk or Crawl 5K Race Report

You're thinking to yourself, "I thought Jon was going to do the Zoo Run Run 10K at the Fort Worth Zoo." I was.

I was there, bright and early at 6 a.m. However, when I (and others) went to register for the timed 10K, they had more people register for it than they had chips for. People were being told that they could register and run it, but they wouldn't get a time for it.

While I enjoyed the 10K last year (which was the first year for it) and it is a tough course, it was the principle of the matter that they could have posted on their web site (before people showed up on Saturday) that they had - in effect - sold out for the race.

They lit a fuse, and after making a comment that I covered the sport, someone with the race said that they would take care of me. But I declined because the person that doesn't have any pull wouldn't have the same opportunity. Even the chip timing guys (from Run Time Racing Services) who I talked to said that they could take care of me (quietly, of course) but I just decided that I would find another event to run this morning - as there were 17 in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

My point is that as soon as the race knew that they had achieved that, they could have posted it on the web site. (This was at 6 a.m. They had another 45 minutes or so before the race started at 7 a.m. to endure that.)

Races should communicate what their limits are if they know that they may be reached.

Granted I was at a disadvantage because I wasn't planning for anything this weekend in particular. I did this all for fun (and then I get a little stress).

So I came back to the hotel (the Spring Hill Suites in Fort Worth) and started to see what else I could get to. The only other 10K in the Metroplex was in McKinney (Stonebridge Ranch) ... too far. I then figured out it was going to have to be another 5K.

There was a 5K that started at 9 a.m. at the University of Texas-Arlington; however, I wanted to do something a little bit more formal than what that was.

I found the aforementioned race in Aledo, which is about 15 miles west of where I am located at, and it benefitted the Aledo Children's AdvoCats, which is a "non-profit organization of women committed to raising charitable funds to help fulfill and aid unmet needs of children and their families in the Aledo area. Established in 2002, the AdvoCats have donated more than $307,000 to the community. 100% of money raised through fundraisers is used towards charitable efforts such as medical expenses, clothing, living expenses, wheelchairs, dental care, school supplies, counseling and more."

When I got there, I realized that I was glad that I went. I also figured that I could do something good still despite being a bit riled up.

I talked to folks with the race a little while when they saw that my check said "Spring, Texas" and they asked me what brought me to their event. So I told them! We talked about a number of things actually and she asked me if the chip timing was the issue (since it was the first year that this race had used it), and I said it really wasn't for me. (The issue - for me - was that they didn't clearly communicate.)

I then saw the folks from Luke's Locker, including Andy Lucas (who makes his home in Aledo with his wife, Jill, and their two kids) and former Springtown HS coach Terry Bradshaw (who has handled the public address announcing duties at Ten For Texas).

They had a kids' 1K that started at 8 a.m. and then the 5K started at 8:30 a.m. It was very clear that this was a community event, much like the Bridgefest 5K in Kingwood as one for their area.

The course was entirely on the grounds of Aledo High School - which is a beautiful campus with a wonderfully new football stadium (they were state champions in 1998) and the Aledo ISD. I had learned that for the first two years of the event the race had been held in town, but traffic issues and concerns facilitated a movement to the high school.

I'm pretty sure that the course was accurately measured and while it was primarily flat, there was a little bit of a rise in the road headed out towards FM 1187.

I figure that if I keep running 5Ks throughout the weekend, I'll eventually get my time under 30 minutes. The damage assessment is as follows:

Difference -- 7.85
Mile 1 -- 9:30.31
Mile 2 -- 10:07.97
Mile 3 -- 10:13.60 (29:51.88)
Last .1 -- 57.71 (30:49.59)

Overall -- 30:49.59

I had passed Andy's wife - running with the baby stroller - after the turnaround past mile 1, but fell behind her right before the mile 2 marker (and couldn't catch her before the finish).

I talked at length with Terry, Andrew from Run-Far, and Andy Lucas with Luke's. (Andy knew Niki Bellnoski and I made mention to him that I had recommended to her to put in for time off for the Texas Independence Relay. Maybe a little name dropping will help our cause now. I had mentioned to Andy that I lived near The Woodlands and was a TWRC and Seven Hills member.)

Andrew from Run-Far had said that they had delivered some chips for the Zoo Run to Run Time (translation: the companies work together and share chips), and that Run Time had told him that they had maxed out for the 10K (and those guys said that they communicated that to the race officials at the Zoo Run.)

It simply boils down to communication. It doesn't mean that I won't ever do the Zoo Run 10K again -- it's a good course, and perhaps on another day I would have handled things differently and still have done it. But if I'm paying $30 (for that race), there's a fair expectation to have my time recorded - even if I keep it on my watch - in exchange for that fee. I could have paid nothing and done two 4.1-mile loops in my neighborhood and timed it myself.

I think there is a transfer in the sport that "hey, we don't mind donating to a good cause if this is how you're going to raise money, but we expect a minimum amount of things in exchange for a little bit of that goodwill." I think it is a fair expectation.

Do I think that there will be published results in this evening's 5K in Pilot Point? No.

Why? It is a small town race.

Therefore, my expectations are completely different. And I had run the Zoo Run Run 10K last year. It was why I put it on the schedule once I could see that I could make it work.

Two down. Two to go.

Rock Solid Run Solid Stampede 5K Race Report

First of at least four races this week is in the record books!

The 2nd annual Trinity Valley School Rock Solid Run Solid Stampede 5K is a pretty good event. They have a 1-mile event that starts at 6:30 p.m. and the 5K follows at 7:00 p.m. (The 5K started a little late - no more than 5 minutes - and really wasn't annoying whatsoever.)

The Trinity Valley School is a member of the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) -- the same league that The Woodlands John Cooper School plays in. (Before I got involved in the running community, I used to cover Texas private and parochial high school athletics from 1994 to 2001.) The school sits on property that gives some incredible views of south Fort Worth (and just north of the community of Benbrook).

The run was a very hilly one. I mapped the course using MapMyRun.com and can be viewed here. The toughest 5K course that I have ever run is the King of Jester 5K in Austin (and I don't believe that it is held anymore.) Nonetheless, this would take a top five in my book.

You get a downhill that drops about 20 feet (758 to 739), but at the half way point for mile 1 you've climbed to 777 feet (according to the map).

You return all the way to 720 feet (above sea level) before you get to the 1.25-mile point, but begin another uphill that takes you back to about 758. You go down and back up twice before hitting the mile 2 marker. After the mile 2 marker, you smooth out a little bit before the turnaround and then you get a gentle downhill until a sharp uphill at the 2.5-mile mark. Then it is back downhill to the lowest point at 717 feet and then the 50 feet climb in two-tenths of a mile - before finishing down the stretch.

MapMyRun.com calls the course 3.16 miles, but I think that it was right on the road at 3.1 miles.

My splits were like this:

Difference -- 10.48
Mile 1 -- 9:23.18
Mile 2 -- 10:08.91
Mile 3 -- 10:33.54
Last .1 -- 56.19 (31:01.42)

I went into oxygen debt a little bit during the race, took a couple of short, quick blows, but otherwise feel like I did pretty good. I know 31 minutes isn't a really good 5K time, but this was a tough course. I would say with the constant up-and-down that it is tougher than the Huntsville Half Marathon 5K course. And I would probably say that my recent fitness would have allowed me to go under 30 minutes on the same Resurrection Run 5K course - still far away from my low 28-minute 5K but I'll get back there.

In the first mile, there were a couple of 4th-to-6th grade boys that wanted to walk repeatedly but I think they kept running because I would consistently pass them (just running steady).

My legs feel pretty good. (Maybe 2 Tylenol before the race is helping with that a little bit.)

One of the post-race treats -- other than the pizza -- were strawberries (lots of them!) Yum! I know that I have four or five of them.

Plus when you grade this race, I drove about four hours to get here too. (Wait. That's normal for me though.)

I'm staying in Fort Worth for the evening and I will run the Zoo Zoo Run 10K in the morning.

Here's what I did at that race last year (and it was very humid):

Mile 1 -- 9:53.63
Mile 2 -- 10:24.45 (20:18.08)
Mile 3 -- 10:08.63 (30:26.71)
Mile 4 -- 10:05.75 (40:32.46)
Mile 5 -- 10:33.52 (51:05.98)
Mile 6 -- 10:11.90 (1:01:18.88)
Last .2 -- 1:58.40

Overall -- 1:03:16.28
Official Chip -- 1:03:14.5

We'll see how it goes. This is just like the Montgomery County Triple, but a little longer on one race (plus I'm throwing in at least an additional one tomorrow).

This Week's Workouts

Monday, 4/14 -- 40 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the stationery bike at Bally's in The Woodlands.
Tuesday, 4/15 -- 6.5 miles of steady running with a goal of trying to run as even paced as possible (at Knox Junior High in The Woodlands.)

Mile 1 -- 2:38.27, 2:41.95, 2:41.71, 2:42.65 (10:44.58; lane 2)
Mile 2 -- 2:42.57, 2:44.84, 2:44.69, 2:42.13 (10:54.23; lane 2)
Mile 3 -- 2:41.04, 2:41.96, 2:41.62, 2:41.75 (10:46.37; lane 2)
Mile 4 -- 2:42.40, 2:42.24, 2:42.99, 2:46.67 (10:54.30; lane 2)
Mile 5 -- 2:47.83, 2:48.29, 2:49.38, 2:49.99 (11:15.19; lane 4)
Mile 6 -- 2:49.08, 2:41.29, 2:46.77, 2:48.88 (11:06.02; lane 4)
Last 1/2 -- 2:29.32, 2:01.59

The times started to slow a little bit, but in reality I was running farther as I had to move to the outside lane as Bill's Woodlands Fit runners and Kim's triathletes were starting to take up lanes 1-2.

Two funny stories. First on the 2:41.29 in mile 6, there was somebody - who is regularly slower than me - starting to pull up to the left of me - in lane 2 - in the last 100 meters. I couldn't let that happen. :) Then, "group 4" started their last 800. I got to the line a little behind them. I was just going to follow them around for the entire half mile, but then I was motivated to see if I could pick them all off in their first of the two 400s. Well, I got all but three of them - and a nice 2:01.59 after 6.25 miles!

Why did I run these laps like this? I really need to try and run as evenly paced as possible during a marathon. As much as I hate running laps, I think I might start to run longer distances on the track to see if I can maintain this type of pacing.

Wednesday, 4/16 -- 55 minutes on the treadmill (4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 each for 10 minutes; 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1 and 6.1 for a minute each to finish it off)

Really thought about ending this at about 40 minutes, but once I got into the next mph range I really began to feel pretty good.

One More Funny Story

I'm relentless, and Bill knows it.

I started running at the track Tuesday night at about 6:15 p.m. -- a little bit, not long, before Bill got there.

As soon as he got close to the track, and when I was finishing up a lap, I said, "C'mon, Bill, you've got time to do a lap or two."

He just laughed.

A little later, Bill was talking to somebody else. Again, it was, "C'mon, Bill, just one lap."

I did it one more time, but he just ignored me. :)

Something Crazy for This Weekend!

Friday night, 4/16 - Trinity Valley Stampede 5K, Benbrook
Saturday morning, 4/17 - Zoo Zoo Run 10K, Fort Worth
Saturday afternoon, 4/17 - Pilot Point Four-Alarm Chase 5K, Pilot Point
Sunday afternoon, 4/18 - Rise & Shine 5K, Dallas

Anybody interested?

There's a slight chance of getting to a 9 a.m. 5K in Arlington on Saturday morning since the Zoo Zoo Run 10K (a good event that I did last year) starts at 7 a.m. Ha!

I've done three on consecutive days before on a Labor Day weekend. I crashed and burned on the third one. I may do these just for the heck of it!

This Past Week of Running

It wasn't exactly sterling; however, it was better than a lot of weeks in the past. A brief recap would show three days of running - and two days of attending running events.

Monday - Rest; still beat up from Saturday and Sunday in KS and MO.
Tuesday - Three slow miles at the track, followed by a brisk 4.1-mile walk in the subdivision after I got home.
Wednesday - Attended the LP Run, hosted by the Terlingua Track Club, at St. Thomas High School
Thursday - 55 minutes on the treadmill at Bally's (4.6).
Friday - Nothing, but attended Waverly's athletic ceremony at Twin Creeks Middle School.
Saturday - Worked the 1st annual Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon.
Sunday - An hour (4.5) and 45 minutes (4.6) on the treadmill at Bally's.

The miles at Knox Junior High in The Woodlands on Tuesday looked like this:

Mile 1 -- 2:30.80, 2:33.46, 2:38.56, 2:38.88 -- 10:21.70
Mile 2 -- 2:40.25, 2:38.88, 2:43.43, 2:42.19 -- 10:44.75
Mile 3 -- 2:42.18, 2:43.57, 2:34.43, 2:39.37 -- 10:39.55

After the first two laps on the 3rd mile, I was a little spent with the humidity and the heat so I walked a lap. I then told Waverly that I was going to run the last two to make sure that I got three running in.

One Sunday afternoon announcement is that I may be embarking on a very ambitious 2008-2009 marathon project that I'd like for all of you to join me on from October to April.

Davy Crockett Bear Chase Race Report

A couple of quick, short updates:

1.) I'm waiting on RD Paul Stone to post the results of Hog's Hunt 50K/25K before officially writing our "Battling Bloggers" updates for last weekend and this weekend. (And I haven't seen the Blue Bell 10K results yet either.)
2.) I really wanted to go out to Phoenix (or Tempe actually) today for Ironman Arizona, but Saturday's sunburn and all of the logistics - at 37,500 frequent flyer miles (instead of 25,000) - just were too much. Go Bill and Dana-Sue! I wish I could have been there to cheer you on for the first one!
3.) I got a note from Dalton Pulsipher that the Houston Marathon Veterans project is coming along nicely. At some time in the future, you'll be able to go to a web site and pull data from all Chevron Houston Marathon finishes. Pretty exciting stuff.

If you weren't at or part of the Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon in Groveton on Saturday, I think you may have missed some historic stuff.

If you're a native of these parts, when you think of marathons: Groveton is NOT the first place that comes to mind. However, you are kind of in the middle of nowhere in as much that you no longer focus on the cares of the world -- and actually focus more on enjoying the experience. (And Saturday's weather certainly didn't hurt things either.)

I signed up for public address announcing duties awhile back for a number of reasons. They include:

1.) I enjoy working an event with Steve and Paula Boone of Humble (They are two of the most nice people that you would ever want to meet. If you've never done four loops in Kingwood on New Year's Day, there isn't a better way to spend the first day of the year -- well, Penn State playing and beating Notre Dame might be better.)

2.) I met Cindy Jones at the Texas Marathon on January 1, 2007 as she was there to approach Steve and Paula about putting on a marathon in Groveton, and I got to know her and get excited about her vision (which even the locals in Groveton didn't think she could pull off.)

3.) I really needed to put a major running event on my public address announcing resume and this was a chance to make sure that I could do what I thought I could. (It's one thing to think that other people can do it better, and another to actually go out and do it.)

Here's my philosophy on public address announcing duties: "The job is to inform event participants and spectators of vital information that they need to be aware of and not be a cheerleader - unless the situation truly calls for it - nor bring attention to oneself."

I believe on Saturday that I accomplished those goals and tasks.

I wanted people to be able to walk away from the event and be excited that they heard their name called when they crossed the finish line -- and we stayed until Cynthia Leon, a 61-year-old women from Mission, Texas did so seven (7) hours after she started at 7 a.m.

I also got the opportunity to interview the two marathon winners -- Coppell's Dave Emerson and San Antonio's Annemarie Walker -- on the track about their wins. (Annemarie hit a home run - besides winning - in praising the marathon volunteers out on the course during our interview.) I hope the people that were there walked away with the thought process of: "Wow! That was cool to see. You never see that at a big marathon!"

And that's the whole charm of a race like the Davy Crockett Bear Chase, it is about what it should be: people.

It is one thing to be Houston and say that you want to create a positive race experience for 18,000 people, and they - for the most part - do a very good job in doing so; however, events like this - at the half marathon and marathon distance - allow you to get a little closer to the human core because there isn't a throng of people to hide in (or just be a number).

Waverly and I left Spring at about 3:45 a.m. on Saturday as I forgot that you could get to Groveton from Trinity, as opposed to Crockett. So we were in Groveton a little bit before 5:30 a.m. I had the chance to explain to Waverly how I used to go cover high school football games in the late 1980s. I was never one to get directions to the stadiums that I needed to get to. Why? Because I figured that it would be pretty clear as to where the stadium lights were.

And on Saturday morning, this was to be the case in Groveton -- the home of the 1984, 1989 and 1990 UIL 2A state football champions.

We both helped Paula get set up and handled a lot of walk-up pre-registrations by getting runners their bib numbers and t-shirts. Like hospital admitting, packet pick-up is the first place where you really get an opportunity to make sure that you leave a good first impression of the race's organization to your customer. And I try to make sure that I genuinely thank the runner for being there.

At about 6:25 a.m., I transitioned to the press box to begin public address announcing duties. Immediately, I felt bad about people that were wanting to sleep in because I could hear my voice echoing across town. Sooner than later though, we had a more portable public address announcing setup for one of the local Radio Shack stores that was down on the track. Still my voice could be heard far enough away that it needed to be heard.

We had greetings from the state representative, the mayor of Groveton, the county judge, the U.S. Forest Service park ranger, race instructions from Paula Boone, an invocation ... but we missed the National Anthem. I was told that they had this covered, but the person didn't show. Paula ran down to see if Waverly would do it, but she declined. (Sometime, this can be a daunting task for a 12-year-old, but I'll keep encouraging Waverly to do so - and try to create opportunities for her.)

The marathoners and half marathoners were off at 7 a.m., but the fun was soon to begin.

We had the 5K runners to get off at 7:30 a.m. and Possum Walk at 8 a.m. The latter was a 1.2-mile Kids run/walk that actually took place on a street called "Possum Walk" in Groveton.

The fun came in that the race didn't have quite the number of volunteers that were needed -- and people were pressed in to duy of doing manual timing. (If I weren't doing P.A. duties, I could have handled this with no problem from my RTW experiences -- and besides, is there anybody that thinks that a race result is more hallowed than me?)

The 5K leaders also turned the wrong way on the course - supposedly going 3.62 miles (according to the second place finisher). I have no idea, but people didn't seem to be too upset as they were enjoying the beautiful day.

At about 8:15 a.m., we had the first finisher in the half marathon and by 8:37 a.m., the first women's finisher came in.

One of the things that I tried to do was to surf the Internet for as much information as I could about different runners. It is amazing what turns up -- and, of course, this is where people give me too much credit for what I do. However, people love to see their name in print and/or mentioned. I know this! And they become more genuinely impressed when you've taken the time to remember something about them - and recall it - because it shows that you took the time to make an investment in them.

I think that this is why God has blessed me with so many friends.

The first person in was Edwin. I noticed the clock was reading "1:44 and change". I was genuinely happy for him. He had gotten the TIR monkey off of his back and he had given me all of this biographical data about him to use before the race. Really inane things like liking Michelob Ultras in a 20 oz. mug(?) and slow dancing in the rain. (I think that falls under the category of TMI.) Nonetheless, I mentioned that he was the former Lufkin Daily News sports editor. He was smiling - and for the sake of an excellent run.

Not too far behind Edwin was The Woodlands Running Club's Stephen Smith. I would say no more than a minute because I almost didn't see him in time to get his name called out.

Finishing in around that time was Paul Brundage of The Woodlands. (His good friend, Randy Miller, of The Woodlands, had walked up and thanked me for the column that I did on Paul in The Courier a couple of months back. That was nice. I was just glad I was in a position to be aware.)

Norman Langwell was next and I'm afraid I put the jinx on him. He came through at about 1:57 and change on the first loop of the course, and I mentioned that he was on target for his first sub 4-hour marathon and that he had run 4:03 the weekend before in the Big-D Marathon. Oops! (Norman, incredibly, posted another 4:03 for his fifth marathon of the season to complete the Texas Marathon Challenge.)

No more than two minutes later was Katy Lampson and no sooner that I said that she was coming through the halfway point at 1:58 and change, she was telling me that "she was done" because of an issue with her hamstring. She'll still get credit for an official half marathon finish - and a nice shiny new PR to boot.

I think it is generally odd to look 11 months ahead for an event, but TIR 2009 is going to be a genuine blast. (Besides it won't be able to get any warmer than what it was this year, right?) I really, really would like to have a third team, but I do not want to compromise the quality of people that we have to do so either.

As the race progressed and people came up to meet to say "Thanks!" for the event and the course, etc., I had to point them in Cindy, Steve and Paula's direction because I had nothing to do with any of them. My job was just to add a touch of class and quality to it, and I think that I was able to do that. (I know that the three of them were pleased, and that's all that matters.)

While one person asked for some music coming into the Stadium (and that is probably a pretty good idea for next year), I just imagine what it would have been to finish an event like that without having your name called out as you finished.

Well, I guess you could say that I kind of remembered from the Saturday before last in Abilene, Kansas. They were broadcasting the race over the radio instead of doing any on-site announcing. I mean I really don't care about those things, but they're a nice touch if they're done right.

We stayed and helped Cindy, Steve and Paula clean up -- and before that I was able to give the Lufkin TV station and ladies from the Groveton and Trinity newspapers vital information that they would need to publicize the event locally. (More of what I do very well!)

I'm really so honored to have a chance to do some of the things that I do. (There's some pressure that goes with that - i.e. of having to feel like you have to live up to those successes constantly -- but when you're able to do something fun, enjoy yourself and do something you do well, it makes for a good day!)

And yes, maybe even the farmer's tan of a sunburn even feels good. :)

Comments About St. Louis Marathon and Half Marathon

(From today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

The one splotch on the day was the finish of the women's half-marathon. Mary Hanvey of Collinsville crossed the line first in 1:18:22 but was disqualified because of timing discrepancies.

"Her chip time did not correlate with the gun time," said Nancy Lieberman, president of Go! St. Louis, "and the course officials did not see her on the course."

The victory went to Kelly Handel, 31, of Austin, Texas, who finished in 1:20:13. Jill Czarnik, 19, of Urbana, Ill., was second in 1:24:36. Judy Dorpinghaus of Washington, Mo., was third in 1:25:13."

The fans and officials were saying 'first girl' as I passed, so I was surprised at first that I hadn't won," Handel said. She said she came to St. Louis because "I heard good things about the course. It's deceptively challenging, but I like a challenge."

Eisenhower Half Marathon Pictures

A look back at the Eisenhower Marathon finish line while waiting for Gannon White to finish.

Former Houstonian Gannon White approaches the line for his third straight Eisenhower Marathon win.

Greeley, Colorado resident Gannon White is all smiles after his 2:39-and change win.

Yes, Waverly, Missouri was captured while going 65 mph (maybe more!) We've actually been to the little town. Only the best, long-time Houston Astros baseball fans will know the significance of Knob Noster, Missouri. (And no peeking either!)

Go! St. Louis Half Marathon Race Report

Thank goodness for a complete regimen of Tylenol Eight Hour (at 1 p.m., 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. this morning). If not, I might have posted a DNS - "Do Not Start".

After driving five hours from Junction City, Kansas to downtown St. Louis and having dinner with John DiMarco and his son, Ryan, from Sugar Land, I tried to jog across the intersection from the Hilton, where they were staying, to the parking garage. And my entire upper left thigh, especially on the inside, and my hamstring were trying to tell me that they had different ideas with me running today.

However, once I got to warming up before the race, everything seemed to be fine.

Yesterday in 44 degrees pre-race temperatures, I went with a long sleeved tech shirt with my 2003 DRC Half windshirt on top. Today, I tried something different.

I promised Jay Hilscher that I would wear my Texas Independence Relay shirt. Yes, it was cool and in the 40s; however, I sensed that it would warm up a little bit. It did, but the winds kept it from getting too warm at all. So, I had my TIR shirt and my 2007 Austin black gloves on. It wasn't too bad, and as I warmed up, I realized that I made the right decision.

I didn't see John or Ryan before the start; however, before the race, I saw somebody with Texas shorts on and while I thought I caught her name, it turns out that I didn't or she didn't finish.

I also met Stephanie Okerson, 24, from Indianapolis, Indiana, who was doing her first marathon. She was hoping to run 4:22. Her backup goal was in the 4:30s.

And no, I didn't see Pasta Party speaker Kristin Armstrong, 36, from Austin. She ran the half marathon and finished a ways ahead of me -- in 1:40:47. (We know that Adrienne can take her.)

Gee, you wanted to find out about my race? Is that why you came?

It wasn't as good as I hoped for; however, it was half marathon No. 49 and my 22nd state. If I were a Hasher, like Anna, it would be cause for a celebratory drink. Instead I did it later with another incriminating beverage -- Mountain Dew.

Clock time was 2:36:05 and the chip time was 2:27:00. My watch time was 2:27:01.

St. Louis, even though it was basically two out-and-back course (one to the south first-back north and then to the west-back east), was more difficult than Abilene, Kansas the day before -- and that had nothing to do with my time.

If you've ever been in the home to Budweiser, you'll know that the Missouri side of the Mississippi is fairly hilly; however, I think that they were advertising their "flat" course. I suppose it is to them. Don't misunderstand me: Huntsville is still one of the more difficult half courses that I've done.

It was an excellent event overall. You crossed the starting line - which as you can see took 9 minutes -- under a huge American flag raised by two ladder trucks from the St. Louis Fire Department. (Maybe Houston could take a cue here.) From there, you had a gentle downhill start before making a right on Broadway and heading south. Target destination? The Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

You made it to mile 3 right by the Brewery before making a one block detour to turn around and then passing mile 6 as you crossed over Interstate 64-40 or Interstate 44 to come back into downtown.

Mile 1 -- 10:27.75
Mile 2 -- 10:31.49 (20:59.24)
Mile 3/4 -- 21:47.62 (42:46.86)
Mile 5 -- 11:02.66 (53:49.52)
Mile 6 -- 10:55.98 (1:04:45.50)
Mile 7 -- 11:14.76 (1:16:00.26)
Mile 8 -- 11:22.08 (1:27:22.28)
Mile 9 -- 11:11.63 (1:38:33.91)
Mile 10 -- 12:28.39 (1:51:02.30)
Mile 11 -- 12:22.42 (2:03:24.72)
Mile 12 -- 12:05.18 (2:15:29.90)
Mile 13 -- 10:27.72 (2:25:57.62)
Last .1 -- 1:03.60 (2:27:01.22)

Mile 10 is where I bonked in a big way. I had a Larabar before I left the hotel, and I was going to take the other one with me -- and I didn't. I paid for it here. I grabbed a Gu before the turnaround that was shortly before the mile 10 marker. It took me to get through mile 11 for it to get into my system because most of mile 12 was uphill (and my time dipped).

The majority of mile 13, as you can tell from the time, was downhill. The last tenth of a mile came back uphill before a short downhill, a quick left and then a right before going into a wide straightaway to the finish.

After getting the obligatory post-race medal, food and beverage, I walked to the car, made a couple of phone calls, switched shirts, put on something a bit warmer, my baseball hat and then walked back over to a spot just after the 26-mile marker.

I wanted to see John finish. (I was going to the Nationals-Cardinals game later; therefore, I had time.)

I saw Ryan as he was in mile 13 (and I was going out). He had a great race. In fact, it was a new PR for him, but he didn't place in the top five. He finished in 1:32:13 and was 12th in his age group.

First, Stephanie came in with a time of 4:46:39. She looked happy despite not hitting her time. I just hope that she was able to run "all the way" liked she wanted to. (This seems to be a recurring theme with certain people I meet. :) Yes, I know that the object is to run and not live up to my last name.)

John was about five or six minutes behind Stephanie and finished with a chip time of 4:53:27. He said that it was the second fastest of the six that he has done in the last six months -- one a month.

Partial Eisenhower Half Marathon Race Report

Great conditions to run in despite what former Houstonian and three-time winner Gannon White, who won the Marathon today in 2:39 and change, called as a "fast course if not for the wind and the rolling hills".

Yes, we had a headwind blowing out of the south in our face (or a good crosswind) all the way to the turnaround point.

The official time will be 2:20:41, but my watch time is 2:20:12.12. I'll take it for state No. 21 in half marathons. I was hoping for around 2:17; however, I know now - for sure - that I have to work on my core as it wasn't so much that I was winded. My lower back didn't have pain, but enough uncomfortable pressure that would make a marathon a real challenge right now. (And I didn't have any Tylenol or Advil in me to dull the pain.)

Difference - 29.16
Mile 1 -- 10:09.21
Mile 2 -- 10:23.56
Mile 3 -- 10:30.48 (incline)
Mile 4 -- 10:28.31 (blew off water station staying with a 'syt')
Mile 5 -- 11:09.42 (got two of them)
Mile 6 -- 10:36.79
6-6.55 -- 6:01.59 (1:09:48 gross)
6.55-7.1 -- 5:38.72
7.1-8 -- 8:36.96
To 8-Half -- 1:13.35 (21:30.62 for two miles)
Mile 9 -- 10:50.91 (water station)
Mile 10 -- 10:41.78
Mile 11 -- 11:28.32 (maybe a little gassed, but a water stop and a slight incline)
Mile 12 -- 11:02.21
Mile 13 -- 10:13.91 (got passed by two women, who I passed at the mile 8 water stop)
Last .1 -- 1:06.60

"Chip" time -- 2:20:12.12 (1:09:19 going out; 1:10:53 coming back)

I kept it steady. Now I have to work on getting stronger. Tomorrow could be a challenging day. I'm a little banged up. We'll see.

It Must Be A Kansas Thing ....

... but I find it odd that in one of the best Marriott Courtyards that I've ever been in that people are flying model airplanes in the hallways at 9 p.m. at night.

(Saturday update: Well, what I thought to be the reason why wasn't. Actually, there was a District Convention of the KS-MO Pilots Club. But it is related to Pilot International, which is an innovative volunteer service organization that does more than just have meetings and provide networking opportunities with friends and associates. The service focus of Pilot International is brain-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, chemical dependency, traumatic brain injuries, developmental, emotional, and mental disabilities.)

(Sarah ... it was in Junction City, Kansas: the home of Fort Riley.)

Pictures from St. Louis

The new Busch Stadium

An exhibit outside of the Stadium to all-time great announcer, Jack Buck.

Stan the Man Musial: the greatest Cardinal ever

Live from Kansas via St. Louis

I'm in Junction City, Kansas this evening as I relax in preparation for tomorrow's Eisenhower Half Marathon in Abilene, Kansas.

I made it to the Expo at the Go St. Louis! Marathon in downtown St. Louis earlier today, picked up my packet and found that John DiMarco and his son, Ryan, from Houston will be running on Sunday there as well. (It really, really appears that they'll have a great turnout.)

I walked around the new Busch Stadium (and bought a ticket for Sunday's afternoon game against the Washington Nationals.) $27 ticket. Ouch!

Kiener Plaza is named in honor of Harry J. Kiener, the donor of the sculpture and fountain. Kiener, who was born in St. Louis on February 27, 1881 was an amateur boxer, wrestler and swimmer, but he is most noted for his position on the U.S. track team at the Olympics held in St. Louis in 1904 during the World's Fair.

I got into Junction City a little after 6 p.m. (and it is about 7:15 p.m. currently) after listening to XM17 - an entire channel with George Strait - all the way from St. Louis. (I did listen a little bit to XM 16 to hear an interview with Trent Willmon about his new CD coming out on Tuesday and a new song called "I'm Done" by Jo Dee Messina - a marathoner herself.)

Temperatures are going to be great tomorrow. Race time will be 38 degrees and feel like 33. My type of weather. The race is actually broadcast on local radio and over the Internet at http://www.ksalink.com/.

Wednesday Night Treadmill / General Musings

An hour on the treadmill at Bally's in The Woodlands this evening at about 8:15 p.m. I upped the pace .3 mph from what I had it on yesterday. Felt pretty good. 2-for-2 in April.

(Magazine of choice this evening? Baseball America. I looked at this week's edition of the Economist at Barnes and Noble before hand; however, it appeared to be a little bit too heavy reading.) Some people chose to run with iPods in their ears. Me? I like to read.

Here's what going on in my world:

1.) Scheduling some time with my coach to go through a weight workout with me on the afternoon of Sunday, April 13. I need to start working on my arms and core.

2.) If any of you talk to somebody and something is mentioned about not having access to this blog, nobody is really being shut out. They just have to ask! :) June said in an e-mail after the Resurrection Run 5K about wishing that I had opened it back to all, and I just can't.

3.) Just saw the April edition of the Striders' Stridelines. John Yoder has taken over and is doing a heck of a job. (Besides, it is hard not to like a guy that goes to run a race in Pennsylvania.)

4.) Fellow FFOS Paige Krekeler - Tornado, big league cat lover, Ironman finisher ('06) - has won a teaching fellowship/scholarship to spend two weeks in Nova Scotia later this month. She was asking me some questions about helping to get the word out to generate some interest in science. When I checked the website of the school district that she works for and the news release they put together, I told her that there was a 5K in Halifax, Nova Scotia the weekend that she was there. Her e-mail today says that she's registered!

4a.) Great quote though: "I don’t expect a good time but I will have yet another shirt from an out of town race." -- Paige Krekeler

5.) I've been added to the distribution to the e-BARCer. (May have to try and make the next BARC meeting on Monday, April 14 as well as the Seven Hills RC meeting on Thursday, April 17.) Very well done.

6.) The Texian Road Warriors are registered again for the Texas Independence Relay. I had actually my registration in before Bill did today; however, for some reason, it didn't like my Visa card (it's paid) and the AMEX attempt wasn't any more successful. Jay Hilscher didn't see it come through on his end. Hmmmm.

7.) I'm working on Footprints for May/June '08 right now.

8.) I need to write my Runner Triathlete News column for May '08.

9.) I'm writing a piece on the Lone Star Triathlon for TWRC's April edition of Deer Tracks, depending on the response I get from people in the club. (Good club meeting on Sunday night. Oops ... I need to write the TWRC club report for Footprints. Glad I'm the editor.)

9a.) I wonder if anybody else will put in for it before the end of April's HARRA Board meeting.
9b.) You think anybody would vote for me? :)

10.) When the Chevron Houston Marathon did a refresh of its website, they had left off the page for the Local Invited Runners program. I e-mailed Director of Race Development Steven Karpas, and he assured me that they weren't discontinuing the program and that the page was just an omission.

11.) Question: Would you ride a charter bus with a group full of runners to an out-of-town 5K or 10K?

12.) I need to post the Montgomery County Triple information for the spring '08 races.

13.) Since our attempt to bring Bill Rodgers to The Woodlands to run in a Masters-only event took a turn for the south, Bill and I are working on something else that is pretty cool. We hope to be able to release some details soon, but it would be an event (not a race) that would take place the Saturday before the '09 Chevron Houston Marathon.

14.) TWRC's long run schedule for April is as follows:

- Sunday, April 6, 6:45 a.m., Starbucks-Pinecroft, 11 miles
- Sunday, April 13, 6:45 a.m., Brooklyn Bagel, 7 and 10 miles
- Sunday, April 20, 6:45 a.m., Starbucks-New Trails, 8.5 and 11.3 miles
- Sunday, April 27, 6:45 a.m., Starbucks-Jamba Juice Market Street, 6 and 10 miles

Contact JoAnn Blakeley at joann_blakeley@sbcglobal.net.

I think that's about it for a Wednesday. Lots going on, no doubt.

Tuesday's Workout

Today was, surprisingly, a pretty good day.

I had to take Waverly to her physical therapy appointment and then to school early for a Student Council meeting (she's thinking about running for President next year as an 8th grader) before getting my day going.

Realizing that I didn't do anything yesterday because of the day's schedule on Monday, I made it to the gym at 3:30 p.m. to put an hour on the treadmill at the Bally's in The Woodlands.

If I had gone into the office (which is in the Galleria towers), I might have gone to the first stage of HARRA's Tour de Bayou cross country series; however, I ended up at Knox Junior High for a track workout. (I had called Bill to double check where it was and I asked him if it was the same place that I did the Yasso 800s that predicted a 4:30-ish marathon before Houston '07. He said that it was. As you can see, I was trying to draw in all of the karma that I could.)

I thought that I could add a little bit more and go a little hard before running a pair of half marathons this weekend. But I just would limit myself from doing too much.

So I set out to do a mile or two as consistent as I possibly could.

Mile 1 -- 2:28.57, 2:30.61, 2:31.89, 2:29.16 - 10:00.23
Mile 2 -- 2:32.23, 2:33.43, 2:31.97, 2:11.79 - 9:49.42

Then I started to add a few more 400s ... and I really don't know where these came from (but there were witnesses):

2:03.44, 1:59.63, 2:00.16

I figured four was a good number to stop on! I haven't done a 1:59 since the first lap of the 2006 LP Run where I had to line up against Luis Armenteros, Sam Rodriguez, Cornelio Garibay and others.

The temperatures for Saturday and Sunday are looking pretty sweet in Abilene, Kansas and St. Louis, Missouri -- both are calling for 61-62/45-47. If I do well this weekend (and I can't tell you what "well" is), I may go to Oklahoma City the last weekend of this month to get state No. 11 in marathons.

It was good to be out at the track with a lot of my friends -- Bill, George Roffe, Greg and Gena Alvarez, John Laskowski, Ron Longtin, Missy Baugh, Donna Ryals, Althea Caldwell, Jeff Paul, Scott (from Bill's TIR team), and others.