Sealy 5 Alarm 5K Race Report

I am thankful that I get a chance to do a lot of neat things.

My very good friend Bill Dwyer shared something in this week's note to his group of runners.  The quote from Chrisopher McDougall was, "The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other, but to be with each other."

I can't tell you how many races I've done since January 2003, but I enjoy getting out, being around people, putting myself out there, making new friends and further developing the quality friendships that I already have.

I have some goals, but they aren't end-all, be-all goals.  However, I must get ready for them, and because there's a certain level of discipline that I lack, I race often to facilitate training.

Plus, racing is a frequent benchmark of where I stand.

The challenge is to not do too much of it so where it inhibits you from reaching your goal.

I probably shouldn't have run 14 marathons leading up to Rocky Raccoon this past February, but I did and I learned from it.  Come mid-November, my body had taken a beating for the great month of racing I experienced in October.

I ran with Waverly at the Astros Race For The Pennant 5K for the two of us to enjoy a race together. 

As I mentioned, I know that those days - with her planning on going to Liberty University for college - will be fewer and fewer.

The following week, I ran the Heights 5K Fun Run for me.  And, man, was it an eye opener.  32 minutes, 31 seconds.  Yikes!  I hadn't seen that time since my first year of running and racing.

But I've changed my diet some and have increased my workout load, and the results have started to come.

My original plans was to race the 5-Alarm 5K in Sealy Friday night, drive to Austin, get up, drive into Lampasas, run the Toughest 10K in Texas and then drive to Tulsa and do a long duathlon today.

While there were some questions about being able to make it to Tulsa in time to pick my packet up on Saturday evening, those plans were shuttled once I learned that our church's Youth Department was going to lead today's church service to share how Christ worked in their lives at youth camp two weeks before.

I didn't go to Lampasas, instead running 10 Saturday morning with friends from The Woodlands Running Club, but I did keep the 5K in Sealy on the schedule.

The race called for a 10 p.m. start as part of the city's Sealybration.  I arrived well before 8 p.m. - after misgauging the time necessary to drive to Sealy from Spring, but got to see and visit with Greg Zarate, who timed the BMI 5K race for us in Conroe, from Run Houston Timing.

The good news for the 5 Alarm 5K?  They had a bigger turnout than they expected.

The course ran through the streets of Sealy, although they weren't the most-lighted ones - at all.  At some points, the race was just downright unsafe because you couldn't see in the middle of some streets where you were planting your feet!

Nonetheless, I ran pretty well.  (This gave me a race in my 71st Texas city or town.)

I had picked up two new pair of shoes earlier in the day from Fleet Feet Sports in Shenandoah.  One a pair of Cumulus and the other a pair of Nimbus.  I normally run in Asics' Fortitudes, but when I went to first inquire about another two pair Asics had backordered my 12 EEEE until the early fall.

I chose to run in the Cumulus Friday night and they are perhaps the lighest shoe that I've worn after starting out in the Brooks Beast back in 2003.

My "chip" time was 30:11, but some of the elite runners that were there felt like the course was 100 meters long.  If so, that represented 34 seconds based on the my 800s from Wednesday night's track session - or an equivalent 29:37.

And that is almost a three-minute improvement in six weeks. 

I'm happy with my effort lately.

I made a new friend in Sealy's Mary Ann Ramirez, who was the interface between the fire department and the timing company.  She had just finished the Bear Lake double in Idaho and Utah last weekend.  (I had done the Bear Lake Half two years ago - a week after doing a half in Montana.)

I also saw and spoke to Leno Rios and his girlfriend (whose name I didn't catch), Annie Hadow, Stacy Holden, Gordon Christie (who is looking to qualify for The Woodlands Marathon as an elite runner this year as opposed to one of the pacers) and Susan Walters. 

I also talked to a gentleman, who was new to racing, that had been at the 5K in Crosby two Saturdays before, and Dallas' Karol Curran, who travels far and wide to racewalk races of all distance across the Lone Star state.

All good stuff -- and like Bill said, it is why I like to "race".

2012 RRCA Texas State Championship Races

With tomorrow's Baytown Bud Heat Wave less than 24 hours away, I reached out to RRCA South Texas state representative Lee Greb to reconfirm all of this year's RRCA Texas State Championship races.

Including tomorrow's Heat Wave, they are as follows (including those that have already been completed):

Saturday, March 10 -- Bayou City Classic 10K, Houston
Sunday, March 18 -- Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon, Seabrook
Saturday, March 31 -- Bellaire Trolley Run 5K, Bellaire
Saturday, June 9 -- Run In The Sun 8K, San Angelo
Wednesday, July 4 -- Baytown Bud Heat Wave 5-Mile, Baytown
Sunday, November 4 -- Dallas Running Club Half Marathon, Dallas
Saturday, November 17 -- Ultracentric 24-Hour Run, Grapevine

Texas will also play host to two RRCA Southern Region championships, both taking place on Sunday, October 28.

They are the Run For Water 10-Miler in Austin and the Houston Half Marathon.

BARC Pay Your Dues 5K Race Report

Early in the week, I ditched the idea of traveling to San Antonio to participate in the Carrabba's Classic Half Marathon. Not that I couldn't have benefitted from running another warm weather half (well make that scorching), but I just wasn't ready to make the drive. Plus there was some other news in the early part of the week that also squelched those plans.

So an event that I haven't had a chance to do came into clear view: the Bay Area Running Club (BARC) Pay Your Dues 5K at Sylvan Rodriguez Park in Clear Lake City.

BARC is one of three clubs that I have a membership, including the Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA) and The Woodlands Running Club (TWRC). When I started to get involved in the running community, Jay Lee and Veronica Hoge were two of many individuals - and BARC members -- that welcomed me and treated me well.

To show my support, I became a member of the Bay Area Running Club a few years ago.

My original plan was to get up and run two miles with Leeann Rosser and Mary Carter from TWRC, run the two miles back and then get up and drive to Clear Lake City.

However, after an hour on the stationary bike at the gym from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., I didn't get to bed until 2:30 a.m. and then I couldn't get to sleep until around 4 a.m. I dropped those plans, but I still got up at 6:10 a.m., showered, grabbed something to eat and then headed quickly to the south side of the greater Houston area for the second straight Saturday.

The Pay Your Dues 5K was one that you had to predict your time -- and then not wear any type of timing device. The course was a sweet one much like Run The Woodlands 5K -- completely off any road, but also a simple out and back. BARC, with their partnership with the Clear Lake Fitness Club, manned a water stop at about the 1.1-mile mark on the way out. A very, very nice setup.

I had predicted earlier in the week, when I filled in my registration form, a 31:42 time.

I ran the 10K in Texas City at a 10:17 pace the Saturday before; therefore, I thought that I could carve a little bit off of that and went with the prediction that I did.

However, I ran pretty comfortably and posted a 31:19 -- still a long ways off of a could weather 28-minute 5K PR, but I'm starting to run - and race - my way back into some semblance of shape.

The 23-second separation gave me a top 20 finish out of about 40-50 runners and earned me a BARC water bottle.

The one thing that makes BARC such a great club is its people. This is one club without any prima donas from a personality standpoint -- and that, I think, is why I feel like I fit in so well.

When I got there, Alfonso Torres and Jay Lee (On The Run co-owner) were working the registration table. In no time, I saw race director extraordinaire Robby Sabban and Joe Carey, the new HARRA president. And then the hit parade of people included Stephen Milford, Ben Harvie, Robert Lott, Guy Rozas, Vicki Davis and so many more. Even though I don't get the opportunity to attend many club socials, BARC - and Clear Lake Fitness Club for that matter -- really, really treat people how they want to be treated.

This morning was well worth the drive, my time and effort. Hopefully, this year's BARC Pub Crawl will work into my schedule.

Sylvan Beach Duathlon Race Report

I think the one thing that I walked away from today's Sylvan Beach Duathlon is that there is a group of people out there in our sports that could care less about how you do.

They're genuinely glad that you're there.

Other than the people today, I find that I actually enjoy the duathlon - for something different.

That is, well, other than the first mile off the bike on a warm day.

Today there were 17 more finishers than last year (96 to 79), and while I'm not concerned about it, I slipped a little bit from 2:24:16 a year ago to 2:29:38 today.

Almost exactly the same on the bike, but a little slower on the run. Probably up a couple of pounds since the same time last year, but not too much.

The bottom line, though, is that I had fun. Can't beat that, especially since I couldn't quite beat today's heat.

I actually thought last year was hotter, but I was 53:54 in the last five-mile section last year compared to 58:47 today.

Then again, I probably didn't run 95 minutes on Friday and a 10K on Saturday a year ago.

I took a page from Rocky Raccoon earlier this year and took two S-caps before the race and another two as I exited T-2. Therefore, no cramping whatsoever.

Oh, the drafting penalty. Seriously. Me? Riding a Cannondale road bike, with the original pedals and with my running shoes. Drafting?

It was in the first three to four miles of the 30-kilometer bike course. There was a woman in front of me, but I didn't think that I was that close for that long (which is what the official said).

Actually, I had started to make the pass and moved to the left to start going around her and had another rider come up on the side of me and kind of thwart that move. And right as that happened, the official came up on the left and I could see her writing my number down.

Oh well, an extra three sentences for this report!

Two-mile run was 20:30.68 - my 10K pace exactly from yesterday.

T1 and T2 - 1:11:06 and 1:39.13 - a little better than last year. Was deliberate. There was nobody for me to beat.

30-kilometer bike was 1:07:32. It was less belabored than last year and I didn't look at my watch until after we crossed 146 to head back to Sylvan Beach on Fairmont Parkway.

The five miles on the run looked like this: 11:38.36, 11:25.21, 10:59.06, 12:36.50 and 12:06.81. I thought that three might have been short as there were multiple markings for it - and four long, but therein lies that runner mentality.

It was my fourth duathlon ever - and the second year in a row for Sylvan Beach. Love the events that Kevin and Jana Landry put on and, of course, I look forward to finish line announcing their Galveston Mardi Gras Marathon in January 2013 after a year's absence while I attempted the Rocky Raccoon 100 last February.

I used the words "low key" and "no frills" in a Facebook commment, but that would imply less quality.  And that's certainly not the case.

They just put on good races -- for the sake of good racing.  And that's a great thing.

Making Some Progress

While I have professionally enjoyed the challenges of the year-long assignment in California that I'm three weeks away from wrapping up, it - as well as some other issues in my life - have really sapped my motivation to run and workout regularly.

1/ 7/12 - Mississippi Blues Marathon (Jackson, MS) - 5:38:12
1/15/12 - Chevron Houston Marathon (Houston, TX) - 5:42:37

When I finished my seventh Houston Marathon, I was physically broken down. I swore off marathons, but with two weeks until the gun went off in Huntsville State Park I figured that it wouldn't have been wise to waste a $100 entry fee.

2/ 2/12 - Rocky Raccoon 100 (Huntsville, TX) - 52-54 miles; DNF

I made a pretty good effort at #RR100, especially given that I didn't run a step between January 15 and February 2. I could have gotten to 80 and missed the 24-hour cutoff, but that really wouldn't have proven anything. It was best to save it for another day.

4/21/12 - Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz (Olathe, KS) - 5:54:49
4/28/12 - Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon (Louisville, KY) - DNF

I thought that I could just turn it on like I have in the past and put down a back-to-back and get to state no. 27. Well, no. 26 happened, and technically it was better than starting from scratch last summer when I went plus-6 in Kona, but it wasn't really satisfying.

Greenville, South Carolina last October and getting back under 5 hours? THAT was satisfying.

In Louisville, I was emotionally beat down (personal and family), hit the marathon/half marathon split at mile 9 and decide to walk it to mile 12.5 and straight to the car -- and subsequently, the hotel.

5/12/12 - El Chupacabra de Houston 10K (New Caney, TX) - 1:16:58

I needed to make another effort to overcome some personal hurdles and this was a start. I knew that a couple of friends were going to be there so I went just to socialize with them because I knew that they would provide a pick-me-up. It worked a little bit.

The trail wasn't that challenging, but I wasn't there yet. Certainly trail races are going to be a little bit slower, but I didn't expect it to be THAT much.

5/26/12 - Astros Race for the Pennant 5K (Houston, TX) - 38:50.3 (with Waverly)

Waverly and I had signed up for this a couple of weeks before and it was just for the two of us to do something. I had started to come out of this "personal fog" that I had been in, but most importantly I just enjoyed running - and spending time - with my daughter.

5/28/12 - Patriot Half Marathon (Rockwall, TX) - 2:35:23

Heat. Hills. Well, rollers. And a little bit of a long drive on short sleep. I figure that all of those will pay off in some way down the road a little bit. Long way from a cool weather 2:08:45 PR, but it is a benchmark for improvement throughout 2012.

6/ 2/12 - Heights 5K (Houston, TX) - 32:31.7 (10:29/M)

Boy o boy, this was a wakeup call. It has been a long, long time since I've seen a 32-minute 5K, but that was the impetus this past week to start to push a little bit -- and knowing that I was also going to be doing a duathlon on Sunday.

6/ 9/12 - Funfest By The Bay 10K (Texas City, TX) - 1:03:55.6 (10:19/M)

My 10K PR is 58-and low change. Long, long time ago. As you can see, I'm more focused on working on events instead of working on my running as well as I do the former. But it isn't life and death. When I pass away, there isn't going to be anybody that is going to remember how many marathons that I finished or what my times were. Of course, they're going to remember who I was as a person.

Actually, for where I'm at right now (and for running 45 minutes Friday morning in California and another 50 minutes last evening here in town), this was actually pretty good. Notice the 10-second per mile improvement over double the distance. Plus, from the one marked turnaround, I passed four more runners than those who passed me.

So, we'll see where things will go from here. In the meantime, I'm just going to try to have some fun - and as one runner said today, "Work on getting their mojo back".

And, here's the tentative marathon schedule for the fall:

9/1/12 - Marquette (Michigan) Marathon
9/23/12 - Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Marathon
10/7/12 - Towpath (Ohio) Marathon
10/28/12 - Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Marathon
11/17/12 - Mesquite (Nevada) Marathon
12/8/12 - Rehoboth Beach (Delaware) Marathon
1/13/13 - Chevron Houston Marathon

Thanks for reading.

Learning

I've learned a lot recently. 

Some things aren't fun, but you eventually will get through them.

It isn't about choosing sides, but it is finding about who will stand by you when you really need them to.

Not everything happens the way you expect them to, nor do people play according to your rules. 

I was never naive to that train of thought, but I didn't realize how challenging - and for how long - it was to have some of that meted out against me.

Even after you make mistakes and you own up to what is yours, no matter how painful the truth really is, and you have a core set of principles to come back to, it gets easier to sleep at night when you believe you did the right things.

Things may appear one way, but until you sit down and find out the reason why - if complete, honest and open communication truly exists - you'll never know for sure.

And people don't really know the complete story about anything until they ask.

Yes, I'm somebody that wears my emotions on my sleeve.

I've been mocked and ridiculed for that, and that's OK.  It isn't going to change who I am.  I have a heart and I intend to use it. 

And if I can't use it, then it is still OK to exercise it and not be made to feel wrong about it no matter the accusation.

I'm not mad anymore.  Disappointed?  Sure.  Absolutely.  Things that happened didn't have to.

I still believe in giving credit where credit is due.  If you recognize an accomplishment, praise it.  Those individuals earned it and should be noted for it.  I've always operated that way and always will.  It is a core principle of mine - even in the face of legal threats.

I'm glad for the perspective yesterday and the opportunity to learn a few things.  At 2 p.m. Friday, I was still looking at throwing that away.

It was good to continue to do many of the things that I enjoy and am good at.  Even though I don't have to do them.

I've proven that I can play at the highest levels and succeed, as it is all about building, creating, cultivating and maintaining positive, work together relationships - and friendships.

I'll never be the social animals that some people are.  It just isn't me.  And it never will be.

But again, I'd rather have people respect me than to like me.

And yes, there are people that do both!

So, yesterday was a good day.  I intend to build on it, even if I don't venture too far from the proverbial front porch.

Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz Race Report

Since I've decided to almost stop completely all of my promotional activites for our local sports (running and triathlons), I'll go back a little bit and blog for me. Just because it is relaxing, and there's a couple of you that enjoy reading. Those of you who do? Thanks.

I signed up for the Oz Marathon in Olathe, Kansas in late February. The idea was to start a little earlier in my prep for next year's Rocky Raccoon 100. (Yes, another attempt. It is completely a challenging, yet doable task.) And, of course, chase states again.

Today was a marathon finish in my 26th state. I got in under the six-hour barrier at 5:54:52, according to my watch.

If I was forced to not count states that had six hour finishes or greater, I'd have to toss out Hawaii, Idaho and Utah. Two of those three, I was nowhere near ready for. (Utah was at altitude without being able to acclimate.)

And today was about the same; however, that wasn't the original plan. I had signed up for the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Half Marathon, which was held on Sunday, March 25, but just a couple of days before (Tuesday, to be exact), I had a bout with a 162/92 high blood pressure reading. Therefore, I decided not to push the envelope.

Plus, I had just ended a four-week stint of handling media for The Woodlands Marathon, finish line announcing for both the Gusher Marathon and the Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon and race directing the sixth annual BMI 5K in Conroe. Additionally, I was trying to keep my weekly workouts up, but the flying back and forth to California and the long hours while I was at the client site didn't give me enough time to cut a little weight, which helps.

The weather for today's race was almost perfect. The sun was out pretty strong at the end, even though the temperature was 64 degrees.

The first 11.5 miles were on city streets while the remaining almost 14.5 were on a nice paved trail. This course reminded me a lot of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The race started and finished at the world headquarters of Garmin International.

I could tell from the get go, even with the cooler temperatures, that it was going to be a challenging day. But the one thing that I learned in getting ready for Rocky Raccoon was not to let things frustrate me. Do as much as possible as often as possible and then figure out what it takes to make sure that I get in under six hours.

Mile 1 -- 10:23.96
Mile 2 -- 11:40.79
Mile 3 -- 11:03.47
Mile 4 -- 11:40.31
Mile 5 -- 11:42.40
Mile 6 -- 11:02.29
Mile 7 -- 11:46.50
Mile 8 -- 13:11.81
Mile 9 -- 11:42.88
Mile 10 -- 12:06.59
Mile 11 -- 12:25.31
Mile 12 -- 12:00.31

You can see that this is where I did the math of 2:20 plus 14 times 16, which is 3:44, and would be a 6:04 marathon at that point.

However, my plan is - when I enter a marathon that I'm not really ready for - to power walk the first 10 minutes and then beginning running as much as I can to the mile marker and repeat. The sooner I get there, the more I put "time in the bank" against that original number.

Mile 13 -- 14:26.81
Mile 14 -- 13:53.25
Mile 15 -- 15:06.73
Mile 16 -- 14:21.19
Mile 17 -- 14:59.54
Mile 18 -- 14:26.10
Mile 19 -- 15:04.71
Mile 20 -- 14:46.05
Mile 21 -- 13:38.22
Mile 22 -- 16:44.31

These two mile markers above were clearly not set right.

Mile 23 -- 14:44.07
Mile 24 -- 15:59.90
Mile 25 -- 16:23.20
Mile 26 -- 16:15.94
Last .2 -- 3:15.89

Overall -- 5:54:52

Not my worst day. Not my finest either.

Runner's World Bart Yasso was in Olathe today, but he was also at the Little Rock Marathon in 2006. I was running the fourth marathon in five weeks (Mardi Gras, Austin, Surfside and then Little Rock). And he said in a presentation that he did there with his wife Laura in attendance with him that "you can train for a marathon the right way or you can go about like some of the 50 States marathoners do and also have a really good time".

I've trained right for a few marathons and did well. Today was the first time that I think that I had run outside since ... February at Rocky Raccoon. No, I wouldn't recommend it, but it is something that I figured - push come to shove - I could do.

Some notes: I saw and chatted quite a bit on the course with San Antonio's Larry Macon, 14-time 50-state finisher. Nice guy. I told him that I had never asked anybody nor him, but I found out that he doesn't have his own plane. He makes his weekly back-to-back marathons around the USA on commercial flights. Wow! ..... Somewhere on the trail, I saw a guy with a Penn State shirt. I met him with a loud "We Are" and he responded with a "Penn State" ..... Dallas' Libby Jones had a great race with an 11-minute PR, according to her Facebook status. She caught me somewhere around mile 12 or so and then I saw her close to the turnaround, which was just beyond mile 18.  She led an entourage of approximately 20 women from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to Kansas.

Rocky Raccoon Race Report - Part 1

I had started a race report for Rocky Raccoon the Monday after it transpired, but it got lost in the fast pace of my life.

Working out the last day or two, the notion of writing a few words about the day and the total experience began to resurface in my mind.

It is necessary therapy for me to work through some other issues in my world.

And it allows for me combat some of the negativity and self-doubt that has come through some challenging - for me - times.

The world would say that I wasn't a success because I dropped at mile 52.2 fifteen hours into the race, but it really truly was a great day.

Why? Well, my closest friends were involved.

What more could you ask for in a crew besides my lovely daughter, Waverly, and my best friend, Bill Dwyer. If you were going to do something challenging, they're two of the best people to have on your team.

I had two pacers - John Laskowski (for miles 60 to 80) and Michael Young (for miles 80 to 100) -- lined up with the type of temperment that was necessary to push through a feat like that.

Neither would be offended to hear me say that they weren't my initial choices when I first signed up in May or June of last year, but life presents changes for all of us.

I had calls from and communications to a couple of good friends in Rebecca Massie and Kim Hager. The call from the former was a total, but welcomed surprise at about mile 40, if my memory serves me correct, and reaching out to the latter was simply a sign of respect to someone who has respected me as a friend over the years.

After I dropped in the middle of the evening, Mary Carter (her daughter, Faith, had been there earlier in the day), John's step-daughter Jackie Graves and Leeann Rosser and her husband, Jim, were there to support me in friendship. Something I really appreciated and meant a lot to me.

Although the one moment that I hope I'll never ever forget was in the middle of the second lap as I crossed the main park road, near Interstate 45. There, of course, was Bill and Waverly, but more importantly, at that moment, was Jim Braden of The Woodlands.

My friends are my friends for different reasons and some of them, like Kim, have had the chance to do some pretty neat things athletically, let alone in life. Kim, for example, competed in the 2004 United States Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis, Missouri.

What Jim once did is something few people, I'm sure, have ever done.

In 1990, he not only finished the Western States Endurance Run - a 100-mile journey from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California that represents itself to this day as the granddaddy of ultrarunning, but also won his age group at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

He often jokes that he's a "has been who never was", but to have somebody of Jim's stature and credibility make the drive up the Interstate to cheer you on and support you is something I hope that I never forget.

A few days before Rocky, Jim had e-mailed Bill to see if I was still planning on toeing the line. Bill had told him that indeed I was.

Although it almost didn't happen.

Immediately after the Chevron Houston Marathon, my 7th overall, which came a week after finishing the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, Mississippi, I had said, "No more."

The 14 marathons had taken their toll on my body. Too much.

But sometime the following Saturday, the emotional tide had started to change.

Continually Bewildered

I decided early last week to go and cover Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston yesterday. Not because of Lance. But, rather, doing so would keep my options open, so to speak, to cover May's Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas.

I'm glad I did. I did my normal thing: did what I had to to cover the race (i.e. the professionals) to write a story for Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine, but then went back out on the course and cheered on and supported a plethora of friends that I'm fortunate enough to have.

I'm continually amazed - and thankful, of course - at those who consider me a friend.

Why? Well, it is because many are "friends", depending on the definition, I guess, of someone who accused me of stalking and harrassment. It is the farthest thing from the truth, especially when you can count the number of times that I actually spoke to that individual in person over the preceding three years on both hands.

And why would I do anything as stupid as put my livelihood on the line and affect the support of my daughter over somebody who used my goodwill without offering much in return - as far as friendship.

When the accusation was levelled at me, the Monday after Thanksgiving, I naturally sought out the law to see if anything would have met the legal definition in the state of Texas. It didn't. I consulted a friend who has been in law enforcement and is currently a private investigator and he provided some pretty good, solid advice.

One of the things that I researched is that when you believe that someone is stalking you is that you tell all of your friends to stay away from that individual.

So when you have people that you believe to be friends with the accuser continue to reach out and approach you, it makes you wonder, which I'm sure that person intended.

If that's how they get their jollies, so be it.

It is pathetic and sickening, to be quite honest.

I tried repeatedly to distance myself first from that individual many times, after realizing that they couldn't or wouldn't ever meet the standard set forth by my very best friends - or even my simplest friend.

However, they kept making attempts at reaching out, for whatever reason.

Why? Because I was a nice, genuine, honest individual who would help pretty much anybody that I thought needed it. Maybe? Maybe not? Who knows for sure? Only they do. They never shared that with me.

So when I'm out at a race - which I go to less and less because of all of this - where I come in contact with people who I believe to be friends with that individual, I am forced to be guarded in my communications because I have to ask myself, "What do they know, if anything?"

And when they are pretty friendly and open, and I begin to extend trust to those individuals again, I tell myself, "Must be nothing."

Honestly, it's a horrible way to live. All because I was on the receiving end of information, that I didn't seek out, from one person, who basically created havoc in the already strained communications with the person that accused me of stalking.

They offered up information that wasn't necessarily shocking, but some of which questioned that person's actions toward me as being something as less than genuine.

Things first came to a head the day after the Fourth of July.

After a dust-up in mid-June, there were some communications while I took my daughter on vacation to Kona and Honolulu. In between, I had offered a race entry to a Fourth of July race that I did finish line announcing for. The person told me that they would have to check their schedule and get back with me.

They never did. I didn't push the issue, but I was a little burned up on race day that they didn't take the courtesy to at least tell me, "Thanks for offering up the entry, but I ran on Saturday and I need to get in a ride this extended weekend."

After receiving a pretty lame e-mail that afternoon that they just realized that they had forgot to communicate, I learned through the evil world of Facebook that they had decided to go for a ride that morning. No big deal, in a sense. I got it, but it would have been common courtesy to have stated from the beginning that they had no intention of ever really accepting the race entry.

When I boldly challenged them, I got taken to task for how I felt over them having taken me for granted months and months before. Where and how I did so, I assume, got communicated to them from the individual that "offered up information".

Twice in the fall, before the stalking accusation, and twice in late February/early March involving activities surrounding The Woodlands Marathon, I received communications from the person who "offered up information".

It was startling, to me. They knew this stuff. So why even attempt to reach out to me? They had already caused enough strain and stress in my world. Why create more?

So after ignoring them and not responding to texts (their e-mail had already been blocked as well as Facebook), why didn't they just realize that I really have no desire to communicate with them - at all?

Still on Saturday and Sunday in Galveston, they tried on multiple times to initiate contact; however, I know that they could tell that I really didn't want to have anything to do with them. When I arrived on Saturday, that person and another individual were crossing where I a was and there was no way to avoid them.

My question is: Why can't they be like their friend and a former acquaintance of mine and just go away?

Getting Back in The Saddle

Writing has always been a release for me. And it's always surprising on the individuals who enjoy the read.

In the grand scheme of things I'm a nobody, but I'm a nobody that gets to do a lot of neat things and meet a lot of fun, interesting people.

Over the weekend, a good friend of mine made a comment on Facebook about being out of town this weekend (starting spring break vacation), looking to see if there was a race nearby and was going to go before the spouse put the "does everything have to revolve around running?" breaks on it.

I replied that those were some of my best stories. Doing the crazy things that nobody else would ever do.

Seriously, if you aren't going to be in a position to win something, then you might as well have fun.

And if there was nobody around to do something with, I might as well enjoy myself while I was alone.

There are too many stories to remember. I've done half marathons on back-to-back days in two different states enough that it has almost become normal.

Perhaps the craziest multi-day state thing that I ever did was to run a 10K on a Saturday morning in New Jersey. (This was after a meeting in suburban Philadelphia all day Friday.)

After the race was over, I visited my grandparents in central Pennsylvania. Getting there at about 2 p.m. or so.

The next morning, my grandfather made the drive with me to Akron, Ohio where I ran a half marathon.

I mean, "Why not?"

I don't do that too much anymore, but I will when the chance - naturally - presents itself.

Fourteen marathons, though, last year was crazy enough in trying to get ready for Rocky Raccoon. It almost worked. I'll try a different approach for the 2013 race.

And that approach starts in earnest now.

Put 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical. And at the end of a long travel day from Houston to California.

But as Chuck Engle, the Marathon Junkie says, I need to run more!

I Have A Half Marathon In 13 Days? Yikes!

Yikes! I have a half marathon in less than two weeks - the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Half Marathon on Sunday, March 25 - and a marathon in about five weeks or so -- the Oz Marathon in Olathe, Kansas the next-to-last weekend of the month.

Today was the first time that I've actually run since Rocky Raccoon and it wasn't pretty.

Normally, I can knock out an hour on the treadmill. Easy. I lasted 15 minutes. It hurt. I'll figure it out, of course, but it might take adding minutes every day to get back.

It is almost as if I had an injury.

The cardio, of course, is fine. I did 30 miles on the road bike during The Woodlands Marathon, including about 13 of those in somewhat of an interval mode. That, and while hollering, "Lead runner, please move to the right. Thank you!"

So tonight it was a simple 15 minutes on the treadmill, 50 minutes on the elliptical and a solid 30 minutes on the stationary bike before I hop off to California in the morning.

Speaking of marathons, I'd love to do the Delaware Marathon on the second Sunday in May; however, I don't quite think my Mom would appreciate it. I was gone one other time during Mother's Day and that was inadvertent. It was in 2004 and I was working in Youngstown, Ohio, but I stayed over to do the Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis, Indiana. 30,000 runners including a lap on the Speedway.

Hot and fun, but something I try not to be out of town for anymore.

Never know how much longer that we'll have our parents. Therefore, I at least try to keep Mother's Day and Father's Day away from any athletic interferences.

Jeanne-Claire White wins the 3rd annual Gusher Marathon

Lake Charles (La.) St. Catholic graduate Jeanne-Claire White, 23, won the third annual Exygon and Baptist Hospitals Gusher Marathon yesterday in Beaumont, Texas

No, she didn't just win the women's race.

She won the whole thing. Guys and the girls.

Courtesy of marathonguide.com, here is White's career marathon history:

4/26/08 - 3:23:55, Country Music Marathon, 19
1/11/09 - 3:18:20, Disney World Marathon, 19
4/25/09 - 3:37:18, Country Music Marathon, 20
10/25/09 - 3:24:38, Marine Corps Marathon, 20
2/28/10 - 3:21:26, New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon, 21
5/2/10 - 3:13:37, Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, 21
10/30/10 - 2:53:28, Ridge to Bridge Marathon (NC), 21
3/10/12 - 2:59:59, Exygon and Baptist Hospitals Gusher Marathon, 23

No More Mr. Nice Guy

I shared this title with a few friends and I'm sure that they wondered, "Uh oh."

Nearly 20 years or so ago, my Pastor actually told me, in regards to getting more people to get involved in helping run a church softball league, "Jon, you need to almost become arrogant."

Yes, my Pastor said that.

Almost immediately, though, he added, "But I know that you're pretty much not capable of doing that."

That pretty much still holds true today. Especially when it comes in dealing with people.

For some people, it is easy for them to just say, "Flake off (or some other off-color version)," and move on with their life.

Unfortunately, I'm a nice guy, and yes, I've let myself be taken advantage of. And I'm not the first and certainly won't be the last.

At 45, I need to change. There's one or two that will say that I already have and that's their perogative to believe that. So be it. See, the change is easy. Is it really?

Well, not really, but it'll take time. It really is unnatural to me. I know more of what to guard against now than what I did before.

I think if you want a great friendship or relationship you have to invest a lot in it. If you don't, then nothing will ever really come of it.

It is basically the verse in the Bible that says, "To have friends you must show yourself friendly."

I've also always thought the next part of that is: "Don't, then, let it go to your head either."

I helped put together a community event a couple of falls ago for a few friends who had achieved some significant accomplishments athletically. Somebody made the comment to me privately, "Most of the people that are here are because of you."

And my thought was, then and now, "Yeah, so. No big deal."

It is because I had showed myself friendly in the community - and still do. But it wasn't anything that I needed a medal for or had a right to beat my chest over.

Last weekend's marathon kind of level set things for me after some tumultous personal dealings. I was able to get back to doing things that I truly loved to do to get away from the day-to-day work week, which has been pretty stressful lately, but I realized that those activities now come with more physical and emotional limits.

And I need to be more realistic about and cognizant of them.

Charlie Sheen might call this winning. I call it learning.

So does still make me, "Mr. Nice Guy"? That's for you to decide.

2011 Texas Bridge Series Finishers

The Texas Bridge Series consisted of three races -- the Toughest 10K Kemah, the Toughest 10K Galveston and the La Porte By The Bay Half Marathon.

236 runners and walkers completed all three to become inaugural Texas Bridge Series finishers.

-A-
Dora Aguilar-Bloomer, F, League City
Laura Aguilar-Ramirez, F, League City
Melissa Akin, F, League City
Rudy Alvarez, M, Houston
Bud Arnold, M, Humble

-B-
Jack Barfoot, M, La Porte
Jenny Beattie, F, La Porte
Britt Bell, M, Kemah
Susan Bell, F, Kemah
Pam Bennett, F, League City
Joey Berry, M, Missouri City
Wendy Berthiaume, F, Houston
Kirsten Beyer, F, Kemah
Dana Biedrzycki, F, Crosby
Jonathan Blankenheim, M, League City
Robert Botto, M, Baytown
Mark Braddock, M, Seabrook
Gilbert Brillon, M, Spring
Rosalie Brillon, F, Spring
Alison Brown, F, Houston
Buddy Brown, M, Houston
Damian Brum, M, Baytown
Misty Bryan, F, Houston
Amy Brzezinski, F, Houston
Grant Bue, M, Houston
Roland Burciaga, M, Pearland
Christa Burgett, F, Houston
Eliza Burton, F, Houston
Melanie Butler, F, Katy

-C-
Brenda Cantu, F, Spring
Gabriela Cantu, F, Houston
Jesus Cantu, M, Houston
Patricia Carreon, F, Houston
Leonardo Casanova, M
Marisol Chavez, F, Houston
Valerie Christian, F, Humble
Dawn Clements, F, Houston
Eileen Constancio, F
M. Melissa Cooper, F, League City
Stephen Cooper, M, Houston
Migel Cruz, M, Pearland
Gail Culp, F, Houston

-D-
Nasser Dabbas, M, Houston
Lisa Danielson, F, Houston
Shelia Davidson, F, Houston
Ami Davis, F, Baytown
Abigail De Los Reyes, F, Houston
Lori Diaz, F, League City
Trish Dillon, F, Houston
Hoang Do, M, Houston
Steve Dollinger, M, Manvel
Jennifer Duarte, F, Richmond

-E-
Kristin Echerd, F, League City
Lee Echerd, M, League City
Carly Erwin, F, Galveston
Eddie Espinosa, M, Houston
Zully Espinosa, F, Houston
Paul Estrada, M, Houston
Sharona Everett, F, Deer Park

-F-
George Z Felan, M, Houston
Priscilla Fierro, F, Dickinson
John Fife, M, Pasadena
Kelli Fife, F, Pasadena
Yvonne Flores, F, Katy
Bryan Ford, M, Cypress
Rachel Forrest, F, League City
Alison Fowler, F, Houston
Bonnie Frankum, F, Houston

-G-
Betty Garcia, F, Seabrook
John Paul Garcia, M, Friendswood
Penny Garcia, F, Friendswood
Lucia Gentry, F, Dickinson
Hillary Gerhart, F, Katy
Robert Godinez, M, La Porte
Bruce Greer, M, Houston
Laura Greivenkamp, F, Seabrook
Megan Griffiths, F, Sugar Land
Seth Guerin, M, Pearland
Jaime Gutierrez, M, Friendswood

-H-
Lisa Hagler, F, Houston
Floyd Hamilton, M, League City
Laura Hanson, F, League City
Leo Henny, M, Lake Charles, LA
Maria Hernandez, F, Houston
Santos Hernandez, M, Katy
Kellie Hill, F
Rob Hill, M, Houston
Gloria Hinton, F, Dickinson
Sara Holder, F, Houston
Kelly Holland, F, Baytown
Karen Hollen, F, Houston
Bryant Holley, M, Houston
Kim Holt, F, Seabrook
Diana Houston, F, Baytown
Dennis Hudgens, M, Willis
Tom Hutson, M, Houston

-J-
Charlotte Jam, F, Houston
Phillis Jefferson, F, Richmond
Bobby Jennings, M, Magnolia
Mary Jennings, F, League City
Carey Jensen, M, Houston
Jesus Jijon, M, Houston
Pamela Johnson, F, Tomball
Dee Jones, F, Dickinson
Janet Jones, F, Houston
Carol Jordan, F, Dickinson

-K-
Tiffany Kamp, F, Richmond
Kenneth Karam, M, Houston
Mark Kenney, M, Pearland
Stephen Kerlegon, M, League City
John Kirwin, M, Galveston
Mark Knox, M, League City
Lindsay Koller, F, League City
James Koon, M, Pearland
Mike Kovich, M, League City

-L-
Holly Lamb, F, Crosby
Scott Lamon, M, Houston
Sofia Lamon, F, Houston
Kevin Lampley, M, Spring
Dave Lang, M, Galveston
Kevin Lang, M, League City
Mitzi Laughlin, F, Pearland
Tammy Lawrence-May, F, Deer Park
Tony Le Cara, M, Houston
Glyssel Lee, F, Dickinson
Crystal Leutwyler, F, Richmond
Paul Love, M, Spring
Anna Luckenbach, F, Houston

-M-
Lynn Malloy, F, Katy
Janene Martinec, F, Houston
Patricia Martinez, F, Houston
Michael Mateja, M, Houston
Missy Maxwell, F, Friendswood
Deanna McCollough, F, Katy
Fred McCulloch, M, League City
Sandy McKinney, F, Houston
Greg Melching, M
Priscilla Meraz, F, Galveston
Mary Mercado, F, Houston
Ken Merenda, M, Seabrook
Reyna Merritt, F, Houston
Isaias Mesa, M, Houston
Cynthia Meyn, F, Friendswood
Cathy Modaro, F, League City
Andres Monterrubio, M, League City
Mariana Monterrubio, F, League City
Paul Morken, M
Natalie Moya, F, Pearland
Martha Myers, F, Baytown

-N-
John Najera, M, Houston
Ashley Niess, F, Pasadena
Geri Niess, F, Deer Park
Nathan Nieswiadomy, M
Timothy Nolan, M, Houston

-O-
Chase Ocanas, M, League City
Ovidio Ocanas, M, League City
Donovan O'Connor, M, La Porte

-P-
Lynn Palmer, F, Houston
Don Peck, M, Houston
Robin Peck, F, Houston
Anita Pena, F, Houston
Mike Perales, M, League City
Chris Perry, M, Dickinson
Theresa Perry, F, Dickinson
Paul Peters, M, Dickinson
Rachelle Pinard, F, Willis
Diane Pinkston, F, Houston

-R-
Laura Rachita, F, Friendswood
Jerry Rasmussen, M, Houston
Michele Rawson, F, Houston
Keith Reed, M, Houston
Melanie Renault, F, Katy
Esteban Reyes, M, La Marque
Meglyn Rickerl, F, Houston
Debora Riley, F, Houston
Steve Ritter, M, League City
Linda Riviera, F, League City
Christie Roberts, F, Baytown
Lanny Roberts, M, League City
Staci Rogge, F, Humble
Jose Ruiz, M, Houston
Susy Ruiz, F, Houston
Stephanie Russell, F, League City

-S-
Michael Sangl, M, Spring
Pam Sangl, F, Spring
Michael Sapp, M, League City
Eric Schaefer, M, League City
Debbie Schallock, F, Friendswood
Kristie Schmidt, F, Seabrook
Keith Schreiter, M, Houston
Mark Schultze, M, Houston
Sam Scott, M, Friendswood
Stacy Scranton, M, Cypress
Diane Sevilla, F, College Station
Rakesh Shah, M, Webster
Bernice Shaver, F, Houston
Matt Shawhan, M, Galveston
Angela G. Smith, F, Seabrook
Bruce Smith, M, Clute
Lillian Sockwell, F, Baytown
Eric Sonny, M, Webster
Robert Sorge, M, Deer Park
Chris St Jean, M, Seabrook
Cindy Stipe, F, Baytown
Matt Strohmayer, M
Russell Swanson, M, Deer Park

-T-
Brian Talley, M, Seabrook
Michael Terry, M, Houston
Johnny Tobin, M, Baytown
Gracie Trejo, F, Pasadena
Mary Trenolone, F, League City
Alicia Trussell, F, League City

-V-
Albert Valle, M, Sugar Land
Flavia Valle, F, Sugar Land
Marla Vasquez, F, Pearland
Donna Villarreal, F, Sugar Land
Terry Villarreal, M, Sugar Land

-W-
Susan Walden, F, Houston
Brett Walker, M, Baytown
Andre Warren, M, Houston
T. Philip Washington, M, League City
Jennifer Wells, F, Houston
Christopher Westerlund, M, Seabrook
Lisa Whitten, F, Deer Park
Kristi Wiley, F, Houston
Meagan Williams, F, Houston
Philip Wingert, M, Houston
Paul Winton, M, League City
Omer Womack, M, Deer Park
Trevor Woodhouse, M, Alvin
Lee Woods, F, Houston
Trisha Wooten, F, Jamaica Beach
Amy Wright, F, Friendswood

-Y-
Samantha Yarberry, F, Houston
Pam Yenetchi, F, Houston

-Z-
Carlos Zepeda, M, Rosharon

Run For The Ranch Marathon Race Report

Yesterday in Springfield, Missouri, I finished my 38th marathon and one in a 24th different state.

It was also my 13th of 2011 and 12th since late June. All of this, of course, is part of the buildup for February's Rocky Raccoon 100 mile endurance run.

However, I'm more than a little concerned about my ability to finish it. Regardless of the challenges that my job has put in front of me (with its travel to the left coast), I'll give it my best shot and see how things pan out.

I love to express myself.

I have been given some incredible opportunities in life to do some very neat things that may only be neat to me.

I had a chance this weekend to share another incredible trip with my daughter. It isn't that we did anything spectacular, so to speak, but most importantly, we spent some quality time together.

We flew into Kansas City Saturday morning and drove south to Springfield.

Our first visit was so Waverly could see the grounds of Baptist Bible College -- one of the many colleges that she is considering to pursue a career in elementary education.

It is a very small college. There seemed to be more dorm buildings than classroom buildings; however, the school has been turning out Christian leaders for well over fifty years.

After taking in the grounds and all of its surroundings, we ventured to the original Bass Pro Shops in Springfield. I've never been to a Bass Pro Shop and I quickly could see why I wouldn't spend a lot of time there. I figured, though, if I was going to go in one that I might as well make it the biggest and the original one!

We then ventured to the campus of Missouri State University where Sunday's Run For The Ranch Marathon would take place.

There was a panel discussion that was to include Chuck "Marathon Junkie" Engle and 2012 Olympic Trails Marathon qualifier Camille Herron from Oklahoma.

While Engle was a no show, I met Herron - the 2010 White Rock Marathon winner - for the first time after simply being a Facebook friend. Speak about somebody with energy to spare for three people. Wow!

Her story is really incredible - coming back from a double hernia repair and having to start out walking again - and I think that you'll hear a lot more of Herron's name as she plans to try and win a marathon in all 50 states.

Herron has completed seven (7) marathons in the Olympic Trails qualifying period - all under 2:44. Incredible. Only California's Mary Akor has completed as many, but faster.

We also met Shannon Hays from the greater Atlanta area. She is aiming to become just the third runner to finish all 50 states in under four hours. She has 38 states down and 24 in 2011 alone.

After the panel discussion, Waverly and I went and got a bite to eat at the Springfield Pasta Company and called it a night with an early bed time of approximately 9:30 a.m.

What's different about the Run For The Ranch Marathon is that it is a 1 p.m. start time. Really unique.

This allowed us to attend Sunday morning services at High Street Baptist Church.

We got up and had a hearty breakfast at the Doubletree where we were staying and then we went for the 8:30 a.m. "traditional" morning worship service. It was an excellent service by Pastor Eddie Lyons.

Waverly stayed and attended Sunday School class while I went and got online at McDonald's and checked up on a few things. Really proud of her for stepping up and taking that adventure to meet new people.

We went back to the hotel and I got changed before getting ready to run.

I didn't see Herron or Engle, but I talked to Justin Gillette - another MarathonGuide.com-sponsored runner – who is from Indiana. I had talked to him (and Camille the night before) about the prize money being offered up by The Woodlands Marathon.

The race didn’t go as planned. My weight is up in my mid-section and I'm not getting mid-week work done.

I ended up with a time of 5:50:39 after eight, equidistant loops. The loops had a mile 1, 2 and a 3 marker, but I didn’t try to keep up with those splits, but rather just for the loop itself.

They went as follows: 34:47.47, 37:05.66, 38:12.34, 38:33.24, 48:14.57, 50:04.22, 50:24.31 and 53:18.11. So it was 2:28:38.71 on the front half, and 3:22 on the back half. Not real good.

Shouldn’t have done it, but Waverly and I enjoyed Andy’s Frozen Custard after the race.

We got a little bit of sleep and were up and on the road at 12:15 a.m.

We took I-44 over to Joplin and then Highway 71 up to Kansas City. We were at the terminal by 4:15 a.m. for a 6 a.m. departure. Luckily, we both got upgraded to first class on the small regional jet and I pretty much slept the entire way – including my flight from Houston to Bakersfield, California for work.

And a trip like this makes up for some of the crappy stuff that took place in 2011.

Race Reports: From Sioux Falls to Indianapolis

Sunday, September 11
Sioux Falls Marathon (Sioux Falls, SD)
Time: 5:20:42
Grade: C
Weather: Clear skies; Sunny. Cool at the start, but warmed up after about mile 17-18. Course: Relatively easy course. Roads for the first 8-9 miles before reverting to a paved trail system that we followed to the finish with the excpetion of an excursion to the streets to pass through the city's central business district.
From home to SD: At approximately mile 17 in downtown Sioux Falls, somebody hollered, "Jon Walk. Are you Jon Walk?" Nervously, I responded, "Yes", and waved. I had to laugh, thinking, "Gee, somebody knows me everywhere. Scary." It turned out to be Bijou Chacko from Friendswood who found out from John Moyer that I was going to be in Sioux Falls.
Future marathon story: At the start of the race, I had the bright idea that I could separate the rental car key FOB from the key to the ignition and tie it to my shoelace. About 15 minutes before the start at Howard Wood Field, I put the ignition key under the passenger side floor mat, locked the door and smiled that I would have to carry it 26 miles. (I don't trust gear checks with keys.) Inside the stadium, I knelt down and tied it on just above my chip. I figured that I could always see it on my foot as I ran. After talking with Chevron Houston Marathon veteran Charlie Viers of Natchitoches, Louisiana just before the National Anthem and about five minutes until the start, I looked down and ... no key FOB! I was frantic. I searched all over the football field, on the track, went back to the rental car to look on the ground in the glow of the stadium lights ... nothing! The gun goes off. This race I was going to be starting last by necessity. I crossed the line, hit my watch and saw the timer from All Sports Central that I've seen at other events that they've worked. I told him what happened, he tore a number off my bib and promised to relay it to the race director. As I ran I began to strategize what my options were. I said to myself, "I have a 6:30 p.m. flight out of Omaha. I have to be checked out of the hotel by 2 p.m. If I finish at this time, I have this amount of time to find a locksmith." Not fun, but I surprised myself that I maintained my cool. At mile 16 just as we got into downtown Sioux Falls, I asked a police officer if they were going to have anybody back at the Stadium (as this was a point-to-point race), and he said, "No." After I crossed the finish line, I asked for the race director. I shared with him what had transpired and he said that there had been a cell phone, a set of keys and a key FOB turned in. It was mine! Crisis averted!

Sunday, September 25
Quad Cities Marathon (Moline, IL)
Time: 5:17:54
Grade: C
Weather: Overcast skies. Cooler at the start, but later doused in a downpour from mile 15 to 19.5.
Course: Unique in that you passed through all four towns (Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa), and to do so you crossed the Mississippi River twice. The only hilly area of the course was in Bettendorf. Otherwise, it was pretty flat and was 80% roads and 20% trails (along the Mississippi between the two Iowa cities.) About four and a half miles were in and through the Rock Island Arsenal, passing an old confederate cemetery, before hitting a final three mile out and back stretch, which surprisingly wasn't that mentally taxing.
From home to IL: I knew prior to traveling to Iowa that Spring's Nicole Richardson was going to be in attendance. I hadn't met her before so I waited near the start line (she's a 3:05 marathoner) to also watch race day operations while I waited to meet her. I saw Bart Yasso get down from the dignitaries' platform and I spoke with him for a little bit when I noticed Houston's Heidy Lozano. The 48-year-old former masters winner of the Boston Marathon a couple of years ago told me that she had dropped from the marathon to the half, but I had a chance to introduce her to Bart. When I told Bart that Heidy was 48, he said, "No way." I get to do neat things!

Saturday, October 1
New Hampshire Half Marathon (Bristol, NH)
Time: 2:14:05
Grade: A- (Really happy with this effort. 7th best half marathon ever.)
Weather: Near-perfect: Cold with a little bit of a mist of rain at the start.
Course: Semi-hilly, especially the first five miles. All of the race was run along country roads which weren't too heavily travelled. That was just about perfect too. I had seen enough trails in the first half of my marathons of 2011 to suit me for awhile.
From home to NH: On the bus on the way out to the start of the point-to-point race, I saw a female runner in the seat to the right of me tearing up. She had an Ironman 70.3 finisher's visor on so I knew that she wasn't in tears as a result of being nervous. I thought about saying something, but I figured that I should just mind my business. After arriving at the start, there was a semi-long line for two port-a-potties. Two young women were talking about relays and I piped in about the Texas Independence Relay to which the women on the bus (who was from Dallas) talked about the weather variation at that time of year. She was standing in front of me in the port-a-john line when I heard her ask the woman in front of me if there was bus service from the next town south. An odd question I surmised. As we waited for the start (~30 minutes), I struck up a conversation and found out that she flew north to meet a man who was more into her than she was into him. His reaction to her assessment the evening and night before scared her and how he might respond when the race was finished (he was running the marathon) when she was to tell him that she wanted to go home immediately. Honestly, she intimated that she feared for her safety. I was to be driving over to Portland, Maine after the race. I told her that I had time that if she needed a ride to the Manchester, New Hampshire airport that I would be happy to take her. She had her iPhone so I gave her my name and I had already told her that I wrote for Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine. (This was so if she wanted to check on me to confirm that I wasn't as crazy as the man she had met.) Nothing else was said. During the race, I passed her around mile 8, but I was running pretty well so I didn't stop to talk. After crossing the finish and getting some food and fluids, she crossed later - a surprise because her half marathon PR was about 7 minutes faster than mine - and as soon as she saw me she asked if my offer was still good. It turned out that the reason that I passed her, she had called to speak to a friend who had booked her a ticket on a Southwest flight to go home after the race. She got in my car and I drove her to the bed and breakfast that they had stayed where she proceeded to explain the situation to the front desk clerk who allowed her to go get her things and leave. As we drove out of town, we actually passed him on the course. I dropped her off at the airport and then went on to Maine. And, yes, she later that week added me as a friend on Facebook.

Sunday, October 2
Maine Half Marathon (Portland, ME)
Time: 2:21:12
Grade: B- (This one hurt a little bit after a strong effort on a tougher course the day before.)
Weather: Cold and rainy. At times, the rain, especially in the middle part of the race, came in the form of a downpour.
Course: Some rollers on a four-mile, out-and-back section between miles 5 and 8, but otherwise flat. And all on the roads.
From home to ME: Many people were using the New Hampshire and Maine races to do a marathon double for their 50 states quest. For me they were states 35 and 36 in my half marathon 50 states journey. I saw Steve and Paula Boone from Humble at both races and I knew that Houston's Yong Collins and Pearland's Rhonda Emerson (who I saw in Wisconsin) were both there. TWRC's own Susan Rouse, who I didn't see, was adding state #40 with a marathon finish that day.

Sunday, October 9
Gulf Coast Half Marathon (Mandeville, LA)
Time: 2:15:49
Grade: B+ (Wasn't expecting to post my 11th best half time ever after a back-to-back half weekend.)
Weather: A crisp cool in the air at the start with winds coming off Lake Ponchatrain near miles 7 and 8 that kept it cool until the temperatures started to pick up in the last three miles.
Course: Fast and flat. The first 10 miles were on the roads and streets of Mandeville before entering a very straight trail system for the last three miles to the finish.
From home to LA: This was a special trip. Bill Dwyer ran his first half marathon in approximately four years. (I ran the first almost 9 miles in Austin with him that year in 2008, but I would leave the pacing duties to Leeann Rosser, George Roffe and Leeann's best friend, Surona Cousins, for Bill's return to the half marathon distance.) Adrienne Langelier made the drive over with Bill and I where we also met up with Randy Smith and his three children, George and Trudy Regnier, and Rebecca Massie from Alabama, her boyfriend, Keith, and a few of their running friends from Alabama. Second best road trip of the year!

Sunday, October 16
IMT Des Moines Marathon (Des Moines, IA)
Time: 5:04:07
Grade: B+ (Really happy with my 5th best marathon time ever to date.)
Weather: Weather couldn't have been better for this race. Cool the whole way to the finish.
Course: Fairly hilly until we hit a two-mile trail system at approximately mile 17. We passed the mile 12 marker on the track of the home of the Drake Relays. (For fun, I crouched down in a sprinter's stance on the track for the Brightroom photographer. It hurt my neck getting back up. However, I got a round of applause from a half dozen spectators in the stadium's bleachers.)
From home to IA: The closest thing to a hometown in-person encounter was seeing San Antonio's Gary Brimmer at the Expo. Evan Guy introduced me to Gary and one of his runners, Donna Palisca, at the very last Sunmart in Huntsville a few years ago. Gary sells "The Stick" and is at many expos (he's always at Houston if you want to buy the product at the Expo) and he told me that Donna would be shooting for a Trials time at the Philadelphia Marathon towards the end of November.

Saturday, October 29
Spinx Run Fest Marathon (Greenville, SC)
Time: 4:58:30
Grade: A- (Really good race. First time under 5 hours since last November. Lost nearly four minutes in the port-a-john.)
Weather: Cool once again, but just a tad bit windy.
Course: Hilly for the first four miles on city streets until we hit a trail system that we stayed on until approximately mile 10. We left the trail for a seven-mile, clockwise loop that brought us back through the Furman University campus and then back on the trail system near mile 20. The last mile and a half is back on the streets with a finish in the minor league baseball park near home plate.
From home to SC: Through a couple of Facebook photos, I knew that Penn State grad Dane Rauschenberg as well as Steve and Paula Boone were going to be there. I never saw Dane, but I did see Steve before the race as we tried to stay warm inside the ballpark. Stopping by to talk for a little: former Olympian Jeff Galloway.

Saturday, November 5
Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (Indianapolis, IN)
Time: 5:25:41
Grade: C (Had a 4:48 pace through mile 18, but shut it down by mile 19 and settled for a finish.)
Weather: Nothing to complain about. Maybe even a little too cool at the start, but really felt good in the front half. A light to mild wind kept things chilly until the finish. Course: Pretty flat, especially the first half of the course.
From home to IN: No close encounters of the Texas kind, but I did find out later that The Woodlands' John Slate - a member of the Seven Hills Running Club had been there as well.

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Race Report

First of all, Rebecca Massie: This race has your name all over it! Just put it on your calendar now!

Bill Dwyer has told me that I'll learn a lot about myself during the course of a 100-miler. Heck, I'm learning a lot about myself now in trying to get ready for it!

The first thing is: Unless your Dick Beardsley, you can't expect to go out and beat your time marathon after marathon. Especially when you're doing them so close together. My fifth best marathon ever was three weeks ago. The fourth best last Saturday. To think that I might be able to get under 4:58 again, even with cool weather, was a little bit of a reach. If it happened, great. If not, it would turn out to be a long, paid and supported training run.

That's called Plan A to Plan B. And that's what transpired around miles 17 and 18 at today's Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

The original plan was to go out and try to run as steady as possible for as long as I could and see what happened. If I was in striking distance of five hours again, fine. If not, then my plan was to shut it down and save myself a little bit to try and get some revenge in the City of Brotherly Love in two weeks. (That statement seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it?)

While I was sitting in a warm car in a parking garage just a block or two from the starting line, I talked to Bill and told him that my head really wasn't in this one. It wasn't a negative thing. It might have just been because the travel and all was catching up with me. He said to go out and approach it as if I was getting ready to start the fourth loop of the Rocky Raccoon 100 and that I had just done 60 miles and didn't feel like running another step. As I got out on the course, I was appreciative that I had a friend who knew me pretty well and how to motivate me - without being phony and rah-rah. That's something that I truly appreciate.

At about 7:40 a.m. (Indiana is Eastern time), I made my way to the start area. I lined up in the 11-12 minute per mile area and at 8 a.m., we were off. It took almost six minutes for me to get across the line and the fact that we serenpentined through the city for the first six miles, I felt like I didn't get off to a blazing fast start even though my watch was suggesting it a little.

Mile 1 - 10:41.63
Mile 2 - 10:22.94 (21:04.57)
Mile 3 - 10:30.16 (31:34.73)
Mile 4 - 10:19.87 (41:54.60)
Mile 5 - 11:02.22 (52:56.82)
Mile 6 - 10:09.10 (1:03:05.92)

Fortunately, this is one of these races that I don't remember a lot of specific details. Except for Pacer Jim. Oh my goodness. This guy was leading the 4:40 pace group and telling jokes, which were bad. And every once in awhile he'd say, "And we're still on pace!" Narcissism must have been his major in college.1:1 I understand that there's a little rah-rah in leading a pace group, but this guy's next gig was going to be to put on a wig and certain attire and go be a Colts cheerleader.

Mile 7 - 10:43.56 (1:13:49.48)
Mile 8 - 10:46.82 (1:24:36.30)
Mile 9 - 10:48.80 (1:35:25.10)
Mile 10 - 10:57.64 (1:46:22.74)

Around this area, I talked with a young lady who was working on her first marathon. It is always encouraging to see the excitement and passion of others for them to be enjoying something so much.

Mile 11 - 11:17.18 (1:57:39.92)
Mile 12 - 11:09.77 (2:08:49.69)
Mile 13 - 11:16.47 (2:20:06.16)

I remember getting to the halfway point and I could start to feel that I was getting gassed a little. Not from an oxygen debt standpoint, but just my overall body. As I made my way towards the mile 14 marker, I had heard on the medical crew's bicycle radio that somebody on the course had been hit by a car.

Mile 14 - 11:12.95 (2:31:19.11)
Mile 15 - 11:36.00 (2:42:55.11)

Even though I was still on a 4:48 marathon (11-minute per mile) pace, my body was hurting - specifically my midsection - by the time I got to the mile 18 mile marker. It was then that I started to do the math -- 16 times eight equal was 2:08. Add that to the 3:20 and I was happy with that finishing time. I know that sounds like I was giving up, but my goal is to run a 100-miler ... not a PR every time out. And that is where my focus has changed a little bit.

Mile 16 - 12:13.63 (2:55:08.74)
Mile 17 - 12:43.25 (3:07:51.99)
Mile 18 - 12:57.23 (3:20:49.22)

I ran some in mile 19, specifically a downhill even, but you couldn't tell if I had.

Mile 19 - 14:48.35 (3:35:37.57)
Mile 20 - 15:02.72 (3:50:40.29)
Mile 21 - 15:34.44 (4:06:14.73)
Mile 22 - 16:27.15 (4:22:41.88)

In mile 23, it took me the entire mile to eat all of pretzels out of a dixie cup and before and after, I had a bite sized Snickers bar. I figured that I'm going to have to eat real food - and not just gels - in the 100-miler so I might as well start practicing.

Mile 23 - 15:59.23 (4:38:40.11)
Mile 24 - 15:45.49 (4:54:25.60)
Mile 25 - 15:28.47 (5:09:54.07)
Mile 26 - 13:40.09 (5:23:34.16)
Last .2 - 2:08.00 (5:25:42.16)

The one thing that has changed for me in this journey to attempting the Rocky Raccoon 100 in February is that my frame of mind on the course is 200% better than it has ever been and I'm thankful for that.

Even this last week, I was finally able to completely - and hopefully once and for all - set aside something that has dominated my emotions since March 2010.

A year ago, I had made the trip to Panama City Beach, Florida with my good friend John Laskowski to see more than 20 local athletes complete Ironman Florida. I was in pain much of the trip. Early the month before, physical pain in my lower back revealed two protruding discs. Three months later, I would make the realization that it came from stress in the body that caused for the nerve root endings to become inflamed.

Even though I'll always be sad with everything that came about for me to finally be able to set things aside, I'm thankful that in my post-race phone conversation with Bill Dwyer that I came away from today's race with many things that I can take away and learn from -- without a negative thought.

I had had the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on my schedule for quite some time; however, when I found out that I could add another marathon in Greenville, South Carolina the week before, I did so and it may have compromised a better performance.

Now the goal for the next two weeks is to do enough cardio work to maybe drop a couple of pounds, but to get my legs and lower back ready to go for the rematch with the Philadelphia Marathon course. And the two best things from it is that I'll get to travel with Waverly to a race and then go see my grandparents in central Pennsylvania before Thanksgiving.

All in all, I'm still pleased. To go out and finish a third one in four weeks after you have put down your fourth and fifth best performances ever is nice. BUT it is time for a little bit of a break. The remainder of preparation will continue to be challenging.

Cheapest Marathons in Texas as of 11/1/11?

Given each remaining marathon to be held in the state of Texas through April of 2012 and its current price on the race's website, here is a list in low-to-high order:

Marathon - Half - Date - Event (Through Date)
$ 55 - $ 55 - 4/14/12 - Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon, Groveton (until 1/31)
$ 60 - $ 60 - 2/18/12 - OverNite Software Surfside Beach Marathon (unknown)
$ 60 - $ 60 - 12/31/11 - New Year's Eve Marathon, Allen (until 11/30)
$ 60 - $ 60 - 1/ 1/12 - New Year's Day Marathon, Allen (until 11/30)
$ 65 - $ 45 - 12/11/11 - Fiesta Marathon, McAllen (until Expo)

$ 70 - $ 50 - 2/ 5/12 - Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon (until 12/31)
$ 70 - $ 50 - 2/11/12 - Orphan Hope Trail Run Marathon, Huntsville (until 12/31)
$ 70 - $ 60 - 3/10/12 - Exygon and Baptist Hospitals The Gusher Marathon, Beaumont (until 11/30)
$ 75 - $ 75 - 3/18/12 - Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon (until 12/25)
$ 80 - $ 65 - 4/15/12 - Big-D Texas Marathon, Dallas (until 1/15)

$ 85 - $ 65 - 12/11/11 - Double Decker Marathon, Austin (until 12/1)
$ 85 - $ 65 - 2/ 5/12 - Galveston Mardi Gras Marathon (until 12/6)
$ 95 - $ 65 - 2/26/12 - Cowtown Marathon, Fort Worth (until 11/15)
$100 - $ 80 - 11/13/11 - Fort Worth Marathon (Until 11/10)
$100 - $ 85 - 1/29/12 - Waco Professional Firefighters Assoc. Miracle Match Marathon (until 1/21)

$110 - $ 85 - 1/29/12 - USA Fit Marathon, Sugar Land (until 12/14)
$115 - $ 85 - 3/ 3/12 - My Fit Foods The Woodlands Marathon (until 1/31)
$120 - $100 - 11/13/11 - Rock 'N Roll San Antonio Marathon (until 11/6)
$125 - $100 - 12/ 4/11 - metroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon (until 11/25)
$130 - $ 95 - 2/19/12 - Livestrong Austin Marathon (until sellout)

Closed - 11/19/11 - Reliant Stadium Indoor Marathons of America
Sold Out - 12/11/11 - Atkinson Toyota Bryan/College Station Marathon
Sold Out - 1/ 1/12 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood
Sold Out - 1/15/12 - Chevron Houston Marathon

Spinx Run Fest Marathon Splits - Greenville, SC

Not only was today my 34th marathon and 21st in a different state, it was almost seven years to the day of my very first marathon - the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.

The weather was absolutely perfect for today's Spinx Run Fest Marathon and the day was beautiful, especially some of the scenery as the fall leaves are hundred different colors here. (The "on the course" scenery wasn't too bad either.)

The only person that I knew was Humble's Steve Boone. He was running his 493rd marathon so that the Chevron Houston Marathon will be his 500th in January. While we were talking, up walked Jeff Galloway. Sweet! Nice guy. Two weeks ago, Yasso and Ulrich. This week, Galloway.

The first four miles were on Greenville city streets. Part of the third mile, on Washington Street, had a couple of inclines on it that made it a little tougher than the first two.

Mile 1/2 - 20:30.19
Mile 3 - 11:55.83 (32:26.02)
Mile 4 - 10:17.71 (42:43.73)

The next five miles were on a paved asphalt trail system that ever-so-slightly went uphill. That meant that we'd get it back later!

Mile 5 - 10:40.62 (53:24.35)
Mile 6 - 10:49.28 (1:04:13.63)
Mile 7 - 10:41.83 (1:14:55.46)
Mile 8 - 10:49.14 (1:25:44.60)
Mile 9 - 10:41.53 (1:36:26.13)

Mile 10 navigated a road near Furman University and it was a little bit uphill as we left the asphalt trail. It would lead to a 7-mile loop that would drop us back at Furman and take us through the campus and around Furman Lake.

Mile 10 - 11:13.72 (1:47:39.85)
Mile 11 - 11:33.44 (1:59:13.29)
Mile 12 - 10:27.19 (2:09:40.48)
Mile 13 - 12:07.25 (2:21:47.73)
Mile 14 - 11:06.13 (2:32:53.86)

At mile 8 (not 9 where it was located on the course map), there was a porta-potty. However, I would have lost a lot more time because I would have had to wait for one person that was already waiting. I didn't know, though, where the next one was.

But just before the mile 15 marker, the next one appeared. I slowed down in mile 13 above to see if I could investigate going in the Green Valley Country Club.

I took a 3-minute, 43-second penalty. Yikes. Had I not had to take that, I would have been on a 4:48 pace until mile 21. Sad, but at the same time it kind of kept me jazzed through the race.

Mile 15 - 16:19.99 - 12:36.90 (2:49:13.85 - 2:45:30.76)
Mile 16 - 9:56.75 (2:59:10.60 - 2:55:26.51)
Mile 17 - 10:55.94 (3:10:06.54 - 3:06:22.45)
Mile 18 - 11:20.86 (3:21:27.40 - 3:17:43.31)
Mile 19 - 11:34.20 (3:33:01.60 - 3:29:17.51)

The next four miles is where a sub 5-hour time was made by not allowing any of those miles to slip over 12 minutes.

Mile 20 - 11:18.69 (3:44:20.29 - 3:40:36.20)
Mile 21 - 11:22.73 (3:55:43.02 - 3:51:58.93)
Mile 22 - 11:58.14 (4:07:41.16 - 4:03:57.07)
Mile 23 - 11:31.88 (4:19:13.04 - 4:15:28.95)
Mile 24 - 12:21.34 (4:31:34.38 - 4:27:50.29)
Mile 25 - 12:09.72 (4:43:44.10 - 4:40:00.01)

After we came off of the trail and back on to city streets, I had some fear that the 5-hour time might slip away. I fought off the urge to walk more than I did and gutted it out to get my time under 5 hours for only the fourth time ever.

Mile 26 - 12:08.04 (4:55:52.14 - 4;52:08.05)
Last .2 - 2:38.00 (4:58:30.14 - 4:54:46.05)

Very, very pleased with my effort today.

Literally was in tears as I placed a couple of post-race phone calls. If I'm successful with Rocky Raccoon in February, I'll share why. :)

Mid-Week Marathon Ramblings

Saturday, in Greenville, South Carolina, I will embark on my ninth marathon of the year. Not that big of a deal, but certainly a different challenge as I continue to prepare myself for February's Rocky Raccoon 100. Not only have I seen some progress in the physical aspects of my running, but more importantly the mental approach.

I know from talking with Bill Dwyer and others that there are going to be some challenging times in both of these areas in the up to 30 hours that I have to tackle such an arduous challenge. So I figure while I'm making a financial investment to run marathons away from Texas (better weather and races in different states), I'd better work hard on the things that I'll need to complete my goal.

Yet the goal of finishing a 100-miler isn't all-consuming. Honestly, I don't want it to be. I'm sure that there are those who will think that I won't be successful, but I'm wired a little bit differently. My sense of accomplishment comes from a completely different place, I think, then many. Even though the challenges may seem to be far greater, I sense that my satisfaction won't be any greater than writing an excellent story, putting on a race or seeing Waverly succeed in something that she has set out to do.

Basically, I'm optimistically cautious about the event that is just over 100 days away. And at the same time, there's a part of me that's scared. It isn't that I'm afraid of failing. That's very real in a 100-miler. Maybe there's a part of me that's afraid to actually be able to do it. Almost seems a little perverse.

One of the things that Bill and I have already talked about, for example, are pacers after mile 60. Those individuals that I choose to cover some miles with me are certainly going to have to realize that there may be some stretches that will be all about "keep moving" as opposed to actually running. Yet I'm excited to share the experience with some hand-picked individuals who can conform to the approach that I think I'll need to be successful during that stretch. Rah-rah, "you can do this" types need not apply.

For me, it is all about figuring it out by myself or with a little bit of help or collaboration. That is where Bill has been such an asset to me - in addition to having finished two 100-milers himself. He knows what it takes to complete the goal, but he's probably the person who knows my mental makeup better than anyone else. We've also talked about communication methods during the race to ensure that I stay in the right frame of mind to accomplish the goal.

I'm very eager to build the right support crew to assist me in being successful. In that sense, it is very exciting. As this is something that I'm not doing alone. Sure, I have to put one foot in front of the other for 100 miles, but it is a team approach and I'm excited about sharing the experience with others who have earned the chance to be a part.

And even though there's some sharing involved, the oxymoron of it all is that I really don't want to make a big deal about things! Go figure!

Worth The Hurt - San Francisco Marathon Race Report

It is 1:45 a.m. Monday morning and - like Kona last month - I can't sleep.

I purposedly stayed away from any caffeine post-race. Surely those two post-race Jamba Juice banana-strawberry smoothies at the finish line didn't have the equivalent of a Mountain Dew.

Maybe I'm awake with enthusiasm for the effort. Yep, that's it.

I know that 5:18:02 isn't something to write home about for many of my running friends, but given the circumstances of how I run marathons, etc. it is pretty pleasing.

It was my 9th fastest of 28 marathon finishes, and it is right at the dividing line between quality efforts and "a finish".

I'm very fortunate to be able to say that I can go out and run a marathon at any time. Not with any cockiness, mind you, but I love being able to say that. "That" is my biggest athletic achievement, for sure. While an Ironman is something that a lot of people can't get their mind around, many also can't when you tell them that you didn't necessarily train normally. Like I said, that's my fun.

But ... I'm very thankful that I have the financial resources to be able to do this as well as the physical abilities. My life is rich with experiences that many others don't have the opportunity to experience and I never, ever forget that.

I'm really pleased that I managed this race very, very well.

Some of the normal pain was mitigated a little bit by a steady diet of Tylenol pre-race. This is something that I picked up a few years ago from Niki Bellnoski (then Swearingen) of the Seven Hills Running Club.

I had a pre-race banana while walking from my hotel to the start.

I had plenty of pre-race fluids. I was nursing a bottle of Powerade at the start and carried the bottle with me for the first four miles.

Because of the cool temperatures, I wore gloves the entire time, which also served to be able to carry three Gu or Power Bar gels - two chocolate and one strawberry banana. I picked up two on the course. I used four and was left with one. I used them at about every 70 minutes. (Nutrition is something that I'm going to have to pay close attention to at Rocky Raccoon. That and fluid intake are my biggest fears to be honest.)

I stayed on top of my electrolytes. They had some product called UltraLyte Electrolyte. It was actually pretty palatable to the stomach. (I won't comment on what it looked like though!)

And the weather was in my favor the whole race. The sun never came out (although I got some extra burn on my scalp from Saturday.) It was between low 50's and the mid 60's with occasional cool breezes. My kind of weather!

They had an 8-wave starting system. The elites went off at 5:30 a.m. and I was in wave 7, which had a 6:22 a.m. start. My hotel, which was about 7 blocks down Folsom from the start/finish, gave me a 2 p.m. late checkout since I'm a Platinum Premier member with Marriott and it allowed me to not have to leave my room until 5:30 a.m.

The waves were necessary because of the spacing on the Golden Gate Bridge, which, of course, has inclines - but very, very cool to run over. Just as cool as the Verrazano Narrows at the INY New York City Marathon!

I made a conscious decision to start at the front of the wave. Well, somebody helped me make it!

I saw this cute woman who had an uncanny resemblance to someone in our local athletic communities. The similarities were striking. As the waves started to walk up to the start line, where Runner's World's Bart Yasso was holding court as the race's Court Jester, I found out that she was doing her first marathon! Very cool.

Mile 1 - 10:00
Mile 2 - 10:37

I had to remind myself that I wasn't trying to PR at the half marathon. Big mistake at Philadelphia in November was made when I went 2:11 in the front half only to go 2:40 on the back half. Plus, this was supposed to be one of many training runs for Rocky Raccoon in February. These two miles ran us through Fisherman's Wharf and past Ghiradelli Chocolate.

Mile 3 - 11:55

This mile had the first of many hills. The elevation chart shows about a 100-foot climb on the back side of Nob Hill. I told myself, "I'm training for an ultra. Walk the uphill. Run as much of everything else."

Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 11:13

These two miles gave us beautiful views from the shoreline of the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow. Nice. Still feeling really good. Trying to take it easy. Midway through mile 4, I hear "We are ...." from behind and I rattled off "Penn State". It was Dane Rauscheberg. He and Sam Falsenfeld started at the very back and were passing people to raise money for charity. You could contribute $2.62 as part of your registration toward their causes. I did.

I was also keeping my eye on the cutie in the all purple outfit that was at the starting line too. :)

Mile 6 - 12:48

A couple of steep climbs. A little over 100-foot gain from the mile 5 marker to the half way point and then another 100-foot gain to the mile 6 sign, which was about in the middle of the bridge. Wall to wall people on the bridge, but very cool.

Mile 7 - 10:41
Mile 8 - 11:48
Mile 9 - 10:47

All three of these mile markers are on the bridge. You climb to a little over 250 feet of elevation at mile markers 6.5 and 8.5. You actually go off of the bridge and into a pull-out parking lot that looks back over the bay and the city off to the side of the bridge.

At about mile 8.5, I asked if she was "from around here". She said that she was from Ohio. I told her that I had worked in the Youngstown area back in 2006. She was from close to there, as it turned out: Warren, Ohio. She said she was enjoying the marathon so far and that she had to stop and take some pictures. Gee thanks ... that means she would have been kicking my butt otherwise.

Mile 10 - 11:50
Mile 11 - 10:44

Mile 10 was brutal. You dropped about a 100 feet in the first half of the mile and then climbed 150 to get to the mile 10 marker. This put you firmly in the Presidio, where they have a tough 10-mile race there.

Mile 11 wasn't any prettier. It was a crushing 230-foot drop in elevation. I tried to keep from crushing my quads by running down the hill in a zig zag motion. Looks kind of silly, but it keeps from punishing them when you need them later on in the race. (Thank goodness that there won't be any of that silliness at Rocky.)

Mile 12 - 12:14
Mile 13 - 12:15

This put us through what was known as Sea Cliff and into Golden Gate Park. Mile 12 included about a 140-foot climb and then mile 13 had two dips and one climb of about 50 feet each.

Mile 14 - 10:57

The cramping started to occur here and I got concerned that this was going to be another Kona, but much cooler outside (which can have its own negative effect since you're not generating much body heat from walking). I just simply took the time to rub it out as well as walking backwards when I needed to.

Mile 15 - 12:56
Mile 16 - 12:37
Mile 17 - 12:08

Still in the Park, I constantly was fighting off the cramps. At the mile 14 marker, you are at about 75 feet above sea level. At mile 16.5, you get to 300 feet. Seriously, this course was a continuous beast.

I found out that she was celebrating her 40th birthday ("in the last month") by doing a destination marathon instead of one in her home state. And while walking backwards up the hill, I found out her bib number was 10341. It didn't have her name on the bib, but some other odd spelling. Didn't want to make it look obvious that I was looking for it. :)

Mile 18 - 11:48

This is where Barbara Kosinski, who I found out from the results, got a burst of energy and as you could tell, I tried to put the hammer down, so to speak, and keep up. She kind of dropped me like a bad habit. :) No doubt, 17-plus miles of motivation. Thanks Barbara! A very nice woman to talk to!

Mile 19 - 12:48 (3:40:40)
Mile 20 - 12:07 (3:52:47)
Mile 21 - 12:21 (4:05:08)

The 19-mile marker was at the end of the Park and miles 20 and 21 came in the Haight Asbury section (yes, there were some folks who look like they were still stoning from the 70s) and into The Mission part of San Francisco. It also took us from about 250 feet of elevation to just under 50 feet.

I was very pleased to be at mile 20 in 3:52 and change, given the constant course elevation change. I took note that my cardio was in great shape. It was just that everything from my mid-section down were things that I am going to need to focus on - core and leg strength, cramping and foot care.

Mile 22 - 14:24
Mile 23 - 14:48
Mile 24 - 13:07
Mile 25 - 15:45
Mile 26 - 12:42
Last .2 - 2:10

These miles probably cost me a low 5:10 marathon, but again: this was an expensive ($162) training run. And I had done really, really well given my style of preparation.

I walked back to the hotel, got on Facebook a little bit, got a shower, grabbed something at Starbucks before getting my car and making the drive back to Fresno (to swap cars) and then on here to Tulare, California for work. I was sitting in Chili's treating myself by 7 p.m.!

On the drive, I talked to Bill Dwyer and I was just really estatic about the effort. Really looking forward to Bill's input as I make the journey to February. There are many more marathons to run between here and then. Honestly, it is the only way that I'll get ready.

Thanks for reading and sharing in the experience!

Back to the Basics - San Francisco Marathon

When I started to run (never fast, mind you) back in 2003, I kept track of everything - how many races I ran and of what distance, and so on.

I still do, but to a much more limited extent (pretty much just marathons and half marathons). 27 and 70-something. 14 and 34 states, respectively.

And, it is pretty easy to remember that I've done three duathlons too.

When I say "back to the basics", I guess I mean from a pre-race preparation standpoint. I'm in San Francisco, California right now, waiting to start what I hope to be my 28th career marathon finish. (I've started 29 to date, but DNF'd at both the West Texas Crossroads Marathon in Odessa and an edition of the Surfside Beach Marathon. Both at mile 23, by the way.)

My best friend, and coach (when I want to be coached, that is), Bill Dwyer tells all of his runners a couple of things - 1.) Friday night is when you should attempt to get your best night's sleep before a marathon and 2.) the day before your marathon you should be off of your feet as much as possible.

I did those two things this time - as opposed to last month's Kona Marathon where I attended a charity 5K, flew from Houston to Los Angeles to Kona, got four hours of sleep in a hotel bed and the finished the race with a PW (personal worst) and an IV. Yeah, one of those that go in your arm. Nice! :)

And I used to blog all the time.

As I begin my journey to February's Rocky Raccoon 100-miler, I plan on going back to my roots - and doing more races! I have five marathons already scheduled - 2 for September, 2 for December and, of course, Houston in January.

When I schedule out-of-town marathons, it is really based on whether I can fit it into my schedule or not. That is, around my full-time job. The only reason that I am doing the San Francisco Marathon is because I am working in the central California valley during the week. It was easy to say, "I'll stay over the weekend and drive up and run this marathon."

I rarely am ever concerned about the course profile, etc. It is all about the travel logistics. The biggest thing this weekend for me is getting the 2 p.m. late checkout on Sunday.

My wave starts at 6:22 a.m. (The elites go off at 5:30 a.m.) The start is six blocks down Folsom Street. (I'm at the Marriott Courtyard at 2nd and Folsom in the Financial District.) As long as I keep it under six hours (which I dearly hope so with the GREAT weather), I should be fine.

I'll repeat that rationale of thinking in September when I go to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Quad Cities, Illinois (really Moline and Burlington, Iowa) and fly out of Omaha, Nebraska and Chicago, respectively.

So it is almost 9 p.m. Pacific time and I have plenty of water and Powerade here, Tylenol Extra (which I've been taking since yesterday) and food for in the morning. I'm more planned then I've been in a long, long while.

Did I say that the weather was GREAT?!

People are wearing jackets and coats. For me, that is absolutely perfect! I'm debating between wearing my 2010 Chevron Houston Marathon finisher's shirt or my Penn State long sleeve technical shirt. Either way, I'll represent well!

Small world story today. As I was going down the elevator here at the hotel, a woman stepped on it at the 11th floor. Oddly enough, I recognized her! She had on a 2008 Love The Half jacket (which is a program that my friend Paula Robertson of Dallas put on for many years to encourage people to run more half marathons.)

We walked about half way to the Expo when some things that she was telling me confirmed that it was Maggie Mount of Rockwall, Texas, who was chasing half marathons on the half2run.com list and has done the Texas Marathon Triple. I told her that I was the finish line announcer at both Kingwood and Seabrook. And that I knew that her and her husband, Robert, from it! I texted Seabrook race director Robby Sabban and his reply was, "Great stuff!"

Once I got to the Expo, I saw Dane Rauschenberg - a Penn Stater who ran 52 marathons on 52 weekends in 2008. Marshall Ulrich and Bart Yasso were both there signing their books, but I didn't stop to listen either one of them speak. (I think Marshall was yesterday and Bart was today.)

The Expo was nowhere near like anything Houston, Boston or New York City does.

I had lunch at Amici's and had a mini, 7-inch pizza titled, "Philly". I figured I might try to channel the 4:51 from last November. I'd like to get back there, but I have to remember that I can't run a PR marathon time while doing a 100-miler either. The restaraunt was very close to AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play.

I walked around and in the Park a little bit and then went back to the hotel and actually slept some during the afternoon.

Even though I don't train traditionally, I know that I can finish a marathon at any time. And tomorrow, I hope to be no different.

I'm really looking forward to be running more marathons - and enjoying them!