Thank you for all of the good wishes for my run in Houston this weekend. Marathons are humbling. No matter how well trained I am, I never really know what the day will bring. After NYC and in December, I was running very strong and was hoping to beat my NYC time. In January, I was not feeling quite as confident, but I figured that was just a bad case of “the tapers.”
I got down there on Friday and enjoyed the great Southern hospitality of my friends, Diane and Dave, who now live in Houston. We had a great shake out run in Memorial Park (which also happens to be part of the course). We went to the expo and got our bibs signed by my favorite runner, Meb Keflezighi. I became oddly fixated on the fact that my bib had my entire name and middle initial on it (hello, autofill mistake!) Luckily, Dave had white duct tape!
The morning of was super smooth. Diane and Dave live close and they have done the race for years. We got downtown, parked and hung out in the Convention Center. On the way to bag drop there was one “mishap”- they tried to weigh me! Apparently, the nice folks at Baylor weigh the marathoners before and after to see make sure they are not too dehydrated. I balked. I told them if it was not required, I would rather not! Because – hell no! I was not doing that! I don’t know about you, but I only weigh myself at the doctor’s office or ALONE, naked and first thing in the morning.
We went to the corrals (corral A seemed Texas sized) and I found the 3:30 pacers – my ambitious goal. I chatted up some folks and we got started. At mile 2 the pacer took a pit stop and we followed his friend. He came back by 5K, but disappeared again before 10K. We followed the women again and realized they had picked up the pace. I started running with a nice woman named Erin from Austin who is getting married in March. I enjoyed hearing all about it. We also chuckled at the 17 kilometer mark – I Saw Her Standing There was playing (you know “she was just 17, you know what I mean…”) The course had good support and some fun signs – my favorite was the guy at 25 with the sign that said “the End is Near.”
Just before mile 9, the pacer flew by us and we tried to keep pace. I held on to them until just before the half way point (when the second pacer came by). I kept them in sight until mile 15. I was then “alone.” From mile 15 – 19, I became a bit unglued. My pace slowed and I though the course (which was new this year) was not as “easy” or “fast” as I expected! I tried to focus on the positives. I tried to remember that I was running for my IRun4 buddy, Nolan, and for Meg Menzies, a runner who was tragically killed by a drunk driver last week. In Memorial Park, I came a bit unglued when I realized I was not even at 20. Fortunately, at mile 20, there was a great entertainment area and I pulled myself together.
I had to go to the bathroom from the start and after the water stop at mile 22, I could not help but stop. I took a pitstop which took almost 2 minutes. Damn nature! When I left the porta potty, I felt a lot better. The break helped. Dave, who ran the half in 1:28, ran back and jumped in with me from 23 – 25.25. He was such a comfort, kept me busy and got me some Gatorade and water. Denise grabbed this photo of us.
I gutted out last mile to finish just under 3:40 in 3:39.44 (8:23 pace). This was almost 10 minutes behind my goal, but I felt that it was the best I had on this day. I was not disappointed. I ran a smart race and kept a reasonably positive attitude. I was grateful for the ability to go the distance and participate in honor of Nolan and Meg Menzies. And it was wonderful being out in the sun, despite it getting a bit warm in the last 10K, just to feel the sun on my skin. Yay for Vitamin D!
Overall, the race was very well organized and very convenient and easy for a big race. They gave out 2 T-shirts – a cotton before and tech after and a cool finishers mug and medal. I did not think it was as “fast/easy” as people told me it would be/was for them. But, like all challenges, I would be happy to try it again to see if I can do better next time!
Thanks for all of the support and good wishes and for indulging me in this report!
Being in Texas, the food after the marathon was a bit heavy for my taste – think eggs, biscuits and gravy. I thought about the great goodies after the Title 9K here in Chicago. They had samples of delicious, healthy, i heart keenwah gluten free, all natural quinoa clusters. I had tried these before and wrote to the company to see if they were interested in a review and giveaway. They were nice enough to send me one of each flavor to try and one of each of the original four flavors to giveaway!
As I said, i heart keenwah is a snack that is bite size clusters with quinoa as the main ingredient. Quinoa is a “superfood” and that it is has many nutritious benefits. It is a great tasting, gluten free, quinoa based snack that is ready to eat right out of the bag. I saw that someone described these snacks as “a cross between a peanut brittle and a granola bars.” That is a very good description! The bite-sized pieces are slightly salty and slightly sweet and just delicious. They originally came in 4 flavors: Chocolate Sea Salt, Cranberry Cashew, Almond and Ginger Peanut. Peanut Butter Cacao is now available. This is a superfood duo! Quinoa + Cacao.
As a warning, these are slightly addictive. Luckily each full bag is around 500 calories – so no huge penalty for eating half the bag! Chocolate Sea Salt is (surprise) my favorite, but I imagine Peanut Butter Cacao will give it a run for it’s money. i heart keenwah makes a great snack, quick breakfast on the run or a guilt free dessert.
i heart keenwah is sold in over 1000 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and online via their website and at Finds’ Fave Abe’s Market. Also, I am happy to say, i heart keenwah is made right here in Chicago!!
As I said, the nice folks at i heart keenwah gave me a 4 pack to giveaway to one lucky reader! Use the rafflecopter below to enter. Winner must be 18 years of age or more and live the US. Void where prohibited. The giveaway will close on 1/27 and the winner will be selected and notified on 1/28.
And a few deals for the road…
- Check out killer “special event” sale prices on Sherpani bags and more at Shoe Buy Private Events plus get $10 off your purchase of $50 or more and $15 for referring friends.
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- Check out the winter gear sale at the Clymb for up to 70% off on gear for your favorite sports!
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Get $20 Credit On Your First Order $100+
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- Try awesome snacks from Graze – $6.00 per box delivered every other week. After your first order, you can customize your box and pick your favorite options. With Kim’s coupon code KIMF3L2XP, you will get the 1st and 5th box free.
- Get great cash back deals with Active Junky on your favorite outdoor/sporting goods retailers!
- Rafflecopter is giving away an iPad mini & a $200 Amazon GC. Please make sure you tell them I referred you!
That’s all I have for now! Thank you for all of the support and interest in my run last weekend. It means the world to me!
PS. Don’t forget my blog hop giveaway!