Finished the Race!!

Well, I achieved two goals yesterday. (1) I finished another Half-Marathon. (2) I did better than I did last year. It was only by one minute, but it was still better! Here’s how the whole thing went…

My good friend Brian showed up on Saturday. We had originally planned to run this race together as we did last year, but a nagging calf injury kept him out of it this time. Even so, he braved the oncoming bad weather just to come out and support me. True friend, that one. Anyway, we drove out to the George R. Brown Convention Center to pick up my race packet. That’s the thing that has my race number, timing chip, last minute race info, all that stuff. I had received an official confirmation card recently that was necessary for me to pick up my packet, and after I grabbed it from the house, we were off to the GRB.

Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in downtown Houston, but normally, my navigational skills are pretty good. I said “normally.” This time, we ended up driving around Rice University and the zoo for awhile before I bought a map and plotted a new course to our destination. My wife is still laughing at me for that one. In spite of this minor foul-up, we found a parking spot and I looked around for the confirmation card…no luck. I checked the glove compartment and around the seats. No card. We got out of the card and started digging around my car (which is not the best organized on the road) and came up with nothing. I was certain that I had brought it, but it was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t enough time to head home and print a new one from my email and come back before registration would close.

I was somewhat peeved at this point, more about the fact that I just knew that I had brought the card, but couldn’t find it at all. Brian suggested that this had certainly happened before, and that they probably had provisions for such in the convention center. So we headed towards the GRB. As we got closer, we saw a patrol officer ticketing cars, so Brian offered to go back and watch the car and move it if necessary so I could get my situation handled.

Sure enough, they had a large sign at one corner of the Expo that said REPLACEMENT CONFIRMATION CARDS. Problem solved. I picked up my packet, met up with Brian (who said our car was fine), and wandered around the booths for awhile. Since it was the end of the two day Expo, there were some really good deals to be had on shoes, running gear, and such, but we just browsed around before heading home. And we didn’t get lost this time.

Wanna hear the funny part? When we got back to the car, and I sat in the driver’s seat and pulled on my seat belt, I happened to glance up…and found that I had stuck the confirmation card into my sun visor. So I wouldn’t lose it. We laughed until our stomachs hurt.

Then began the search for an mp3 player. My fabulous Mom bought me a doozie of one for Christmas, but neither of us knew that my computer system wouldn’t support it without an upgrade (and that’s a whole other story). So, I was searching for a cheap player that had certain features. (1) Cheap. (2) Must hold at least 2.5 hours of songs (3) Cheap. (4) A shuffle feature. And (5) It had to work with my freakin’ computer. I mentioned the plan to my wife, and she’s now inheriting the player as soon as I get my machine fixed so I can use the one Mom gave me. Anyway, back to the story…

We tried Best Buy…Sam’s Club…Wal Mart…and found exactly what I needed at, of all places, Academy. There was some discussion of finding an armband, but I figured that I had an ordinary sweatband at home that would work just fine. (It did.) So we went home for a big pasta dinner, and early to bed…well, almost. I went to bed at around 1am after loading my new mp3 player, making sure that my clothes were laid out, my bag was packed, and that my race stuff was all set to go.

I carefully set the alarm to go off at 5am…or so I thought. It went off at 4am. Ouch. I reset it, dozed for a bit, and then up again and tearing around the house getting ready to go. This time, we drove straight to one of the designated parking garages, walked to the GRB, and I readied myself for the race, with Brian taking some pics and video.

Here’s a tip for all you marathon runners out there…if you use one of the available port-a-potties at the race site, make sure and shut the latch. I surprised some poor guy as he was taking his pre-race wee-wee. We did not catch this part on video. The weather was warmer than last year, but damp, and we were hoping the knock the race out before the really nasty weather came in.

So I stretched out, got all my stuff ready, waved to the camera, and entered the corral that would funnel me out at the starting gate. I walked with the other runners for awhile and realized that my shoes were tied a bit looser than I’d like. I stooped to tie them, and heard the starting cannon BOOM somewhere up ahead of me. Not a very auspicious start to the race. But then, it’s timed by the special chip that was tied into my shoelaces, not by the gun. So I got my shoes fixed up, and then started jogging with the others to the starting line.

SO MANY PEOPLE! This year, both the full marathon and the half- were at full capacity, so there were 15,000 people on the road with me. Wow. And most of them were wearing mp3 players. So there! Many folks run for fun, some to test themselves, some for more special reasons…I saw many shirts that displayed those reasons…loved ones, charities, organizations. It was all way cool. Seeing the vast, bobbing sea of runners as we ran over the Elysian Viaduct is always a moving experience.

The first few miles were fine. Breathing…check. Legs…check. Feet…uh, oh. My left foot was already starting to get that burning feeling that means something’s up. By mile 5, it was starting to get ugly. At that point, I felt like I had to make a choice: do I keep running on this thing, knowing that I’m probably going to blister the hooey out of my foot, or do I quit?

I didn’t quit.

I decided, with the help of the heavy metal blaring in my ears, that I could fix my foot later. But the race was going on right at that moment, and I wouldn’t have another chance at it ‘til next year. So I ignored it and pushed on. Eventually, that pain faded into all the other general noise and feedback that I was receiving, so it wasn’t a big deal.

And the rest of the race went by without incident. The weather turned out to be perfect for running. Even so, I discovered that my legs are not as conditioned as I had hoped, and I had to walk a few times, but I kept moving forward. “Run, walk, stagger, or crawl” is my motto, and I kept it to the first two. The weather was great, the fans were yelling, and I had music to listen to as I made the turn just before mile 9…that’s where the Half-marathoners start to head back to the finish line and the Full-marathoners just keep….on….going. My hat’s off to them…I think I’ll stick with the shorter race.

I continued my run, run, run, walk, run, run, run, walk, pace until somewhere between mile 11 and 12, just as we headed back into the downtown area. I decided at that point that I would not walk again, no matter what. I was going to finish those last 2+ miles at a run. OK, so it was a slow run, but it was still a run, dang it! And so I plodded on.

Folks around me started to pick up speed as we started running between the skyscrapers and we could hear the huge crowd roaring for us in the distance. I did not pick up speed. I do recall my left hamstring saying something like “Dude…what’s up? Um…we’re having an issue here…could you stop for a minute? Please? No? Hmm…well, OK, I’ll just talk to you later, then. Be cool.” I recall being thankful that I’d made my post-race massage appointment over two months ago, and I just kept running.

In talking with my students, I had joked that, if I had the strength at the end of the race, I would do a race-finish-dance that would be worthy of Youtube. Sorry, folks. No disco here. No running man, no MC Hammer, nothing. I simply raised my arms after I crossed the line, and then I did manage to throw a few punches. Amazingly, my darling wife caught me on TV behind the commentators. Cool!

The walk from the finish line to the GRB is a slow one, worthy of any zombie movie of your choice. Some folks are on the verge of passing out, some are exultant, and then there are folks like me who just amble slowly along. Inside, I received my finisher’s medal (destined for my son’s neck), picked up my bag, and stood in line for my finisher’s shirt. I noticed a little girl standing next to me…maybe ten years old. She had also finished the Half-Marathon. And I think she beat me. Wow. Good for her!

Got my shirt, found my friend Brian, and collapsed on the floor where no one would step on me. It took awhile for me to get my shoes off and see the blister…no, that doesn’t do it justice. The THUNDEROUS BLISTER OF DOOM that had actually doubled the size of my pinky toe. I changed into some dry clothes, slowly packed up, and we walked back to the parking garage. OK, Brian walked, I hobbled/limped. Crossing the street was fun, as I had to stop in the middle of it to rest. I heard some folks laughing, but they were hobbling too, so we all just laughed and waved.

From there, we went and had pho at my favorite local restaurant, Pho Mai. That’s at Westgreen and I-10 in Katy, next to Slick Willies. I ate just about double what I usually get, and it was great. After a shower back at the house, we went for the post-race massage.

Amy is my favorite massage therapist. She’s a good friend of ours, and a friend of Jade Mountain. She’s used to me, and knows how to keep me functional. And this time, she absolutely tore me up. I got more of a workout from squirming around on her table as she dug her elbows into my calves and hamstrings than I had during the race! Yeowch!!! But I know the drill, and after surviving that ordeal, I’m feeling much, much better today. The blister of doom is already almost healed, I’m sore, but not dead, and all is right with the world. I’m ready for next year.

Things I learned during this experience:

1. When choosing music for your race, certain songs should be omitted. Honestly.

2. Hindu squats are necessary for next year’s race. I haven’t been training them as hard as I should, and I could tell the difference. Breathing was fine, but the legs gave out.

3. It’s time for a new race outfit. I looked like a dork.

4. It is more fun to run with someone than alone. So I’m looking for someone who could maintain a ten-minute mile pace with me next year.

5. It’s also time for new socks. Blisters suck.

6. I love this race. Absolutely. It is a total blast, the energy is amazing, and it’s a fabulous experience. Next year, I will sponsor at least two other runners to run this race, no matter their pace or experience. More on that later.

7. I already knew this, but my buddy, Brian, is a true friend. He drove all the way down here just to support me. Thanks, man.

So that’s it. My tale of the race. There’s more, of course, but I’ve got to get some lunch for my son, and there are things to do around here on the cold, rainy MLK Day. Have fun, everybody!