Houston Marathon

Oh the pain!!! My 1st marathon finish 4:12:59. Really I was shooting for sub 4 hours, but whats 13 min. really?? I'm not really a runner although the more I do it and the less painful it gets I enjoy it more and more. Could it be the solitude? Could it be the soreness in the legs after a good run? Could it be that I burn more calories running thus justifying a big meal? It could be all the above... The more enjoyable it becomes the more I find myself zoning out while running, and this is a good thing.

Here's my quick race review. I started the race feeling good, it was a bit cold but not miserable. The first 10k went fast (53:24), Chris my training partner helped me along as he is by far a much better runner than yours truly. Now the sun is out, were warm, sweating a little, the trash bags are off, enjoying the scenery. Chris carried me up to the half way point (1:53:49), when he so politely bid me adieu, gave me the obligatory high five, chunked the deuce, and said "I'll be waiting for you at the finish, gangsta!" This is where my ability started to fade, I was able to hang with him a few more miles, but my heart rate was getting a bit high so I backed off. At the 30k I clocked a 2:48:55. My hips and quads were screaming "stop running you fat phuck" so I did a few times, but then I would have the hardest time getting loose again, and I use the term "loose" lightly. Loose at that point was basically anything over a 2' stride. OK blah blah blah mile 20 was the wall, that damn bastard wall... I was enjoying the cheering sections although I had my volume turned up to max as I couldn't stand to hear "almost" from anyone else. The people-watching was however, my saving grace as there were lots of beautiful people on the sidelines. The last 1.5 to 2 miles I was able to pick up the pace and finish strong, 4:12:59.. Good enough for my lazy natured body. As I finished and was getting weighed Chris approached me with a Banana (in a very NON-Gay kinda way) as he had finished only 15 min or so before me and decided to wait on a brotha...

OK enough of that... Did anyone see the Middle Eastern Dance Club or whatever they called themselves??? They were on Woodway right before 610... Holy Crap!!! Being someone well anointed with the Arab culture, I was embarrassed for these people. I'm not typically a rude guy in person or in the blog world, but WTF!!! Honestly, they looked like a band of miscreants in their little belly outfits and those creepy looking guys that were beating the drums should be investigated for child pornography... OK sorry, I don't mean to hate, but I really find it difficult to congratulate. I can appreciate the support, but it would be like me and my redneck buddies starting a club to celebrate Indonesian Cultural Heritage. OK sorry that's my spare change...

Pace Less Hammer More...

Batman: "That's life, Robin, full of ups and downs. It ill befits any of us to become to confident."