Coming This Weekend

The ninth annual Gusher Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K and its two companion events will be on Saturday in Beaumont.

And the seventh annual The Woodlands Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K will also be on Saturday.

And I'll be at neither of them.

For the past seven years, I've been in Beaumont.  I ran the half marathon in year two and announced the race the past six.

Last year, both events were on the same day as they are this year.

I was on The Woodlands Marathon race committee for its first four years (2012-2015), but stepped away in 2016 when I didn't know if I would be able to fulfill my duties on race day (as I was working for a hospital that was going to bring live a new EMR on race day weekend).

I ended up jumping in and helping at the last minute when my replacement had some last-minute conflicts -- and assisted the race in handling a crisis involving the SAT being on the same morning with the testing site right along the race route (early in the race).

I was told by Gusher Marathon co-race director Richard James at the conclusion of the 2016 race that they were going to go back to their original date - the first Saturday in March - for 2017.

I informed Richard that I would be there.

Sometime during the summer of 2016, I was asked - via text - if I was interested in announcing The Woodlands Marathon.

My primary reason that I declined is because I gave Richard my word, but my thought was, "Really, you couldn't pick up the phone and ask me?"

I got wind of some other changes that the race was making and I thought that I was being asked because I was cheaper than the two individuals – great announcers – that they were bringing in from Austin.

Cheaper fee, I’m sure, and no hotel costs needed.

Nonetheless, it was hard to be away last year.

My best friend, Bill Dwyer, manages the finish line.

After I had a flat at about mile five on race morning of the 2016 - and after walking my bike back, I just hung out with Bill for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon – encouraging and cheering on runners.

I thought about doing the same, but I've pared my announcing down so that I could go out and race more.

Therefore, even though it isn't a race in a new city or town, I'll be running the FRESH 15K in Tyler on Saturday morning.

It is Brookshire Grocers' fifth straight year to produce the event and each of the last three, their numbers have grown.

They have more than 1,000 finishers in both the 15K and the 5K.

So why not in Beaumont?

I’m not sure that I can answer that well.

Richard kind of gave me an out in November when he asked if I was still coming for their Pleasure Island Bridge Half Marathon.

For that race, I’m a luxury (meaning that it doesn’t need me to run well).

Other than announcing, the thing that I think that I contribute well is that I manage the start line timeline as well as anybody out there.

So I opted out of that and then I struggled for about a month before I told Richard in person that I wasn’t planning on returning for the Gusher.

The biggest thing is that working the Gusher is an almost all-day proposition – two-hour drive over, 30 minutes setup, an hour pre-race work, six hour race time, 30 minutes break down and two-hour drive back.

As I’m getting older, I’m more wiped out the following day.

I can perform and nobody knows any different, but I’ve dropped races because I’m just not having the kind of fun that I’ve had in the past.

Does it mean that I’m afraid of work?  Absolutely not.  Announcing and the prep to do so very well is work – and some more than people realize.

So we’ll see.

Nonetheless, it is nice when I go places, like Fleet Feet at Hughes Landing on Monday afternoon, and when I walk in and they go, “Are you announcing The Woodlands on Saturday?”

To those reading and running either The Woodlands or Gusher tomorrow, run well and have fun.

I’m going to try and do the same where I will be.