There is nothing in this world I enjoy more than racing a marathon. So I am thrilled to say that after a year and a half away from the scene I will be back in action in Houston in 9 days!
The race kind of snuck up on me a bit. Since I have signed up for and had to pull out of so many races in the past year I kind of expected something to go wrong. But we are in serious taper time and Wednesday I survived my first shorter faster workout in months with no problems. So things are looking good!
This race is a bit of an experiment and I’m excited to see how it turns out.
I’ve trained a lot less than in the past.
I just got back from a trip to New Zealand and it kind of still feels like yesterday minus 4 hours.
I don’t know where the course goes, who is in the race or what the weather forecast is.
I don’t even have a uniform yet. Thanks to reduced volume and some serious gym work my old spankies are a bit too small (“bun huggers” for those who didn’t attend St. Charles High School). Anyone have a red bikini I can borrow?
I also didn’t do my usual half marathon 4-5 weeks out and I didn’t go to sea level for the last couple of weeks before the race.
Despite all these factors I feel GOOD. I’m certainly not overtrained and I think that can be more than half the battle going into a marathon. I still did my main predictor workouts and they all went really well.
My goal is to give this race my best possible effort, get the feel of the distance again and have a lot of fun in the process. But if ANYTHING pops breaks or tears I’m stopping. I learned that lesson one too many times already.
One of the reasons I picked Houston is because I could recover in time to come back and do at LEAST one more marathon this year and hopefully two. I would like to run one where I really focus on time and try and smash my PR.
I also picked Houston because it holds some great running memories for me. The biggest one was back in 1997(!) when I qualified for the jr. world cross team. That race was one of my best and will probably always be one of the highlights of my career. More recently I lowered my PR in all 3 US Half Marathon Championships I did there. Plus they have a Potbelly’s in walking distance from the hotel. What more can a girl ask for?
Actually…….there is one thing. My final and most important issue and I need your help. Who in Houston knows where I can get a corn dog the day before the race?????
James Coney Island! If you have a car (or don’t mind taking a cab), there is one on S. Shepard, which is only a few miles from downtown.
Thanks for the suggestion Katharine!
And people I was JOKING about the red bikini.
Best to you in Houston. Run with your heart and you will have a great race no matter what. It’s great you are back out there. Thanks for the posts, I always enjoy reading
It’s great that Katherine mentioned James Coney Island. It’s a chain and they’re all over the place. Except for downtown Houston — there’s nothing open in downtown on weekends (it’s kinda freaky!).
Regarding the course. It’s VERY fast, with no real hills or surprises. In my mind, there are only two drawbacks. 1) the half marathoners getting in the way at the start (but that shouldn’t be a problem at your pace). 2) Concrete!!! I’m just not used to it, and the hard surface really got to me (and others) by the end. A few of my very fast friends felt that they would have been better off sacrificing some weight in lieu of some cushioning.
I can’t wait to follow your race! Good luck!!!
Glad to hear you are racing Tera.
Best of luck in Houston!! Sorry I
can’t help with the corn dog!!
Spankies – really!? Well, the best of luck in your race.
My favorite part of this entry was the mention at the end of being right next to a Potbelly’s. Run complete – let’s eat!