Marathon #6-Houston

January 13th, 2008
Houston Marathon


The fall is a great time to train as the weather turns cooler. There are also several local half-marathon races to gauge conditioning. After training intensely all summer, I had no measure of my progress towards Boston qualifying (BQ). Between Jul and September, it’s hard to find a local race longer than a 10k. Additionally, the heat and humidity significantly skew race results compared to a cold weather event.

In October, I traveled to Houston to run the annual Luke’s Locker Half Marathon. It’s a great baseline race since it is run on a section of the Houston Marathon course. Needing a 3:20 to qualify for Boston, I hoped to run slightly better than half that time (around 1:39). On race day the weather was cold and the course familiar. I surprised myself by posting a 1:33 and finishing in the top 5%. Not only was I prepared to run my BQ time, it appeared I could do better. My friend John ran my time through a half-marathon to full marathon time converter, and the results indicated I could run a 3:15 for a full marathon. With three remaining months to train, I began thinking that a 3:10 might be possible for the Houston Marathon in January.

I consulted some fellow runners and their responses were split between two camps. The first advised against increasing my training which could lead to injury. They recommended just maintaining my base and then on race day, just shooting for my BQ time. The risk was that running faster could cause cramping and then failing to make my BQ. Boston should be challenge enough since less than five percent of all marathoners qualify. The other camp suggested the exact opposite. Their theory was that as long as I could hold a 3:10 pace till mile 20, I would have such a large buffer that I could get Boston despite a possible cramp. I decided to train for 3:10 and then make my final decision come race depending on the weather.

Race morning (7:00 a.m.) the temperature was 48 degrees; ideally I would have preferred the high 30s. However, I wasn’t complaining and was grateful to have a North wind for the first time. I queued up 10 feet behind and to the side of the race sponsored 3:10 pace runner. After the national anthem, we were off. After mile one I was 50 yards behind the pacer, not because of speed, but congestion. Over 17,000 runners started the race and it is easy to get boxed-in. I knew the sagacious path was to relax and wait until mile 8 to catch up. That’s where the half marathon runners break off and head for their finish. This significantly thins the course congestion. Instead, I unwisely fought my way upstream to catch the pacer. My 2nd mile split dropped to a 7:00 minute mile as I weaved in and out of other runners. This probably started a lactic acid buildup.

By mile three I was back with the 3:10 pack running elbow to elbow with 40 other runners. Being in the middle, I found it difficult to run a relaxed stride. However, I didn’t expect that it would also hamper my ability to hit the water stops. I have run with other pace groups, and usually a third to half of the runners will significantly slow at the water tables. This would allow me to slide in front of them to get a cup. However, the 3:10 group is a fairly serious bunch and they run through the water stations at full stride, snatching cups from volunteers. I tried to angle two feet across and was almost run over. As a result, I only hit one water stop in the first eight miles.

By mile nine I found myself running shoulder to shoulder with the pace leader. With nobody in front of us, I was able to find my stride and feel comfortable. I then realized that I could solve my water stop problem by taking a position 10-15 feet in front of the pace group. From mile 9 to 13 this worked great. I felt very comfortable. We went through the half-way split in 1:34:30, a half minute ahead of our goal 3:10 goal. At mile 14 the pace leader accelerated to my side and said, “You’re taking the brunt of this head wind; that’s my job. Why don’t you slide in behind me. Everyone else is packed tightly.” He was right. It didn’t dawn on me that while enjoying the freedom of space, I was spending additional effort against the wind. I eased back a foot behind and to the side of the pacer. This did abate the wind some, but again also made my strides uncomfortable as I literally bumped elbows with another runner.

At mile 16 I began feeling fatigue in my quadriceps. By mile 18 they started to burn. At mile 20, I knew 3:10 was out. Having built a seven minute buffer, I knew I could still qualify for Boston. But with six more miles to go, I knew it would be painful, very painful. From mile 1-20, I had averaged 7:13 min/mile. From 20-26 my average dropped to 8:26 min/mile.

I finished in 3:18:24 and placed 303 out of 5,600 finishers. I go to Boston in April!

Overall, I was thrilled to qualify for Boston. I was also happy with my conditioning. I had strung 20 consecutive miles together with no split greater than 7:18. Aerobically, I felt great. However, I was disappointed with my tactical errors. I should have let the 3:10 pace group go and then slowly caught up at the half way point. Fighting the congestion added muscle fatigue. I should have also hit the water stations early on, even if I had 3 second delays. However, it is those tactical errors that motivate me to continue. I think by next year, with good weather, 3:10 is very possible.

David Jones