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Houston Half Marathon

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Location:

San Antonio,TX,

Member Since:

Dec 13, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K PR - 18:01 - Nov '14

10K PR - 38:37 (workout) - Oct '14

Half-marathon - 1:22:43 - Jan '14

Marathon - 2:58:43 in Boston! - Apr '13

50 mile - 7:49:30 (2nd) - Nov '15

Short-Term Running Goals:

- Balance

- Run more trails, volunteer, more social running, run with a team

- Race a lot more.  learn.

Race results / possible schedule:

Apr 2 - Hells Hills 25k trail - 4th

Apr 9 - Toughest 'n Texas 20-mile Trail - 2nd

May 7 - Paleface - Trail Marathon - 3rd

May 29 - American Hero road 25k - 2nd

Jun 25 - Pedernales Falls 30k nighttime Trail - 5th (sick)

Jul 16 - Muleshoe Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 3rd

Jul 23-24 - Fossil Valley 9-hour nighttime Trail - 2nd

Aug 6 - Colorado Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 4th

Aug 27 - Reveille Peak 30k nighttime Trail (entered)

Sep 10 - Franklin Mountains 50k (entered - not all-out effort...I hope)

Sep 17 - Lighthouse Hill 20-mile trail (entered)

Sep 24 - J&J 50 mile trail

Long-Term Running Goals:

Compete in a few more ultras without going off course (again)

Sub-18 in a 5k

One.  Good.  Marathon.

Personal:

I started running at age 30, in late 2009.  I have 2 daughters (10 and 8 yrs old).

  

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony A5 Lifetime Miles: 1054.70
Kinvara 2 - Gray/red Lifetime Miles: 1551.08
Kinvara 3 - Gray/red Lifetime Miles: 1244.23
1160s Lifetime Miles: 888.70
Saucony A5 Red Lifetime Miles: 565.10
Saucony A6 - Yellow Lifetime Miles: 214.00
Saucony A6 - Red/blue Lifetime Miles: 61.50
NB MT101 Trail Lifetime Miles: 302.00
Fastwitch 6 Red #1 Lifetime Miles: 286.50
Fastwitch 6 Red #2 Lifetime Miles: 267.00
Race: Houston Half Marathon (13.109 Miles) 01:24:10, Place overall: 69, Place in age division: 13
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
1.0013.1114.11

42F, N 16-26 mph, raining.  21-second PR today, so minimal complaining.  I fat-fingered the buttons on the garmin a bit in the 1st half so I did some forensic backtracking with the official splits to recreate the actual flow a little better.  Some splits in the first 5 miles are educated guesses based on Garmin + timing mat splits.

Pre race was pretty easily the most miserable I've been at a starting line.  Cold, windy, and sheets of rain coming down.  Of course I didn't bring any throw-away garments, why would I do that?  Anyway, after violently convulsing for 30 minutes or so, we were off.

First 5k - 19:50.  Something like 6:37, 6:16, 6:10, 0:47.  The 6:37 is definitely correct.  Mile 2 is where I fat-fingered the garmin.  The first mile was probably the most brutal of the race, course-wise.  Due north into the wind, and some Houston hills (overpasses/bridges).  After I saw the first mile click in, I had to work hard to keep that positive attitude.  My arms were going numb.

Second 5k - 19:38 Something like 6:22, 6:19, 6:11, 0:46.  After mile 5 I was back on track with Garmin.  Anyway, I caught my breath in this 5k.  In mile 6, we finally turned downwind after a bunch of cross/headwind.  So that's the reason for the 6:11.  Hit the 10k in 39:28, right on pace.

Miles 7-9 - 6:21, 6:22, 6:20.  All tailwind miles.  After running a bit in the low 6:10s, it felt like too much, even going downwind, so I backed off to a more appropriate pace for 7-9.  The turnaround back to the north comes right after mile 9.

Miles 10-13.1 - 6:40, 6:32, 6:32, 6:27, 50s for 0.15 (5:43).  Mile 10 was obviously dead into the wind.  Managed to cross 15k in 59:13, which was still a nice 19:44 for the 3rd 5k (thanks to the tailwind).  I noticed I crossed the mile 10 mark near 1:04-flat though, which I recognized as some pretty decent hemorrhaging.  It meant I needed a sub-20 finish just to break 1:24 which I thought would be impossible.  I was suffering pretty bad too, then noticed my pace in the 6:50s...I was spiralling down hard but then this older guy came whizzing by me and I made it my mission to latch on.  Somehow, I did (probably because I was drafting like a mooch), and he brought my pace down to about 6:40, when we made the turn to the east.  Turns out he was 57 years old, wow.  I was able to pick it up a lot without the headwind, but had lost that spring in my step.  Crossed the 20k at 79:47, meaning a 20:34 for that last 5k.  I knew I still had PR-potential though.  It kept me driving on, and I was able to eke out the PR.

So, final thoughts -- not bad at all.  My A-goal was sub 1:23.  I don't know that even in perfect conditions that I was quite ready for that.  Close, maybe.  B-goal was a PR.  So I checked that box, at least.  I'll have to look and see how the elites did.  I get the feeling it was not an optimal day, with the waterlogged shoes/clothes and wind.  But the temp was great!  I'll call it a good stepping stone, proof of improvement, and move on to Boston training in good spirits.

**update - ok, checked out some times/places, and it appears I did pretty well.  Even most of the elites added 1-3 minutes to their PR's out there, and my overall place was WAY higher than I expected (69th according to prelim results - my time last year would have barely cracked the top 200).  Feeling even better, although my honest assessment is that the conditions added no more than 1 minute.  I run somewhat well in chilly weather and wind.

Saucony A5 - Blue Miles: 14.11
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Jake K on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 10:52:50 from 67.177.11.154

Well done Joe, congrats!!! Way to get it done on a tough weather day. Definitely not optimal conditions. Running a PR today was no easy task. Happy for you!

From flatlander on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 12:17:59 from 198.207.244.102

Very nice, I couldn't believe how cold it was this morning when I walked out there. The driving rain was awful as well. Congratulations for making it both to the start line and the finish line, with a PR no less.

From Tracy on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 12:18:38 from 50.103.236.137

GREAT race! Sounds like you toughed it out and relied on solid training!

From Matt Schreiber on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 12:36:32 from 66.17.102.185

Nice PR Joe! in less than ideal conditions. You ran a great race and look like you'll be in good shape for Boston. Nice race!

From Bam on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 12:38:14 from 89.126.28.24

Well done Joe. I watched the races on my computer. The weather looked savage. Well done on the pr. No doubt, this year, there will be many more pr's for you. Keep at it. Regarding your marathon pr, you're gonna take it to the cleaners.

From seeaprilrun on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 12:59:20 from 68.102.189.33

I'M NOT WORTHY! ok, but seriously, those splits in those conditions are amazing. I can't imagine stringing together sub-20 5k's like that. You have gotten so fast! Congrats on the PR, and in good conditions you are not far at all from that sub 1:23!

From Jon on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 13:00:26 from 107.203.52.135

Congrats on a PR in bad weather.

From joebell1981 on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 13:55:46 from 99.39.133.24

Congrats, Joe! Great job on the PR in crap conditions :)

From derhammer on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 14:40:05 from 66.68.83.195

Congrats on the PR - one of these days the weather will work out in your favor.

From Andrea on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 14:54:34 from 67.177.11.154

Nice race Joe! A PR in tough conditions is a great sign to your fitness. That wind can easily affect your time by a minute or more. You are on the right path for Boston!

From Jake K on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 15:10:46 from 67.177.11.154

Joe - the elites were all definitely off a couple minutes, and w/ the field they brought in, that's significant. I have no doubts that it would have been a 1:22 day for you in better weather conditions. But still, a really nice PR and this should give you a ton of confidence in the recent training you've been doing. You're making great strides in the right direction!

From Jason D on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 15:18:00 from 24.1.80.94

Good work, Joe. You did extremely well in the last, what, month? to prep for this, on a day with far less than ideal conditions. The placing also puts it into perspective.

From JG on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 15:44:48 from 174.49.78.66

Awesome race Joe, you are in a great place with 13 weeks to go!

From SlowJoe on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 16:11:44 from 98.201.152.210

Thanks for the great comments everyone. I appreciate them!

Flat - Danielle wanted to skip it this morning but I guilted her into running it. Now she hates me.

Bam - Thanks - I like the "savage" description but there were admittedly moments where it was kind of nice.

April - thanks -- I think you will be back to running these times in a few months though!

Jake - Although I definitely think you are what you run, conditions aside, I'm definitely considering/eyeing a different GMP pace for training purposes. I'm super-excited about the training ahead.

Jason - I started to think about it, and I bet there were a bunch of no-shows too this year (~4500 finishers when the field was 8000), but definitely encouraging that everyone else sucked. Except the elite women seemed to be unphased....darn them!

From Dan on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 18:53:37 from 24.209.83.20

Heck of a race Joe- Nice work. Boston is going to be a great race for you!

From Neil on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 19:00:03 from 65.129.90.149

Great race Joe! I'm impressed that you could run a PR under those conditions, especially in the "off season."

From Burt on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 20:02:44 from 72.223.80.89

You are tougher than you look. Great job!

From Daniel Brunson on Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 21:06:37 from 68.14.174.169

That was a phenomenal show of force in such crappy conditions Joe! I'm proud to be able to say that I've shared a course with you.

From Tom K on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 06:27:35 from 108.9.33.153

Nice job, Joe. Sorry about the sloppy conditions, but the PR is awesome!

From Rachelle on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 13:03:39 from 159.212.71.200

I think you officially need to change your name to FASTjoe! Congratulations on the race and very good pacing considering the wind and weather conditions. I agree with Jake that 1:22 would definitely be realistic with better conditions.

From allie on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 19:50:51 from 97.117.83.221

congrats, joe. one step closer to that boston goal.

also, violently convulsing for 30 minutes burns 94 calories. FYI.

From ACorn on Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 08:05:43 from 24.2.76.146

Very solid! Sounds like a pretty rough day and you still PR'd. Well done!

From I Just Run on Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 14:12:57 from 67.79.11.242

Way to go Joe. You continue to improve and encourage me as you do! I'm glad all I had to contend with was the cold and wind. I don't think I could have made it through the rain.

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