Conditions were near perfect for the hp Houston Marathon on Sunday Jan 16. The
start temperature was around 40F and it never got much warmer than 55F or so.
There was very little wind, pretty good spectator support and several
enthusiastic Elvis impersonators along the way. Not to forget the belly
dancers between mile 19 and 20! The Houston Marathon course is as flat as a
pancake, the only minor drawback being that most of it is concrete, which takes
a heavy toll on the legs. Even so, I managed to slice a big 15 minutes off my
most recent marathon time and to finally get back to a sub 4 hr time, for the
first time in 12 years. I put in a few more miles during the week (than I did
last year); added some strength workouts (hills and fartlek sessions) as well
as weekly speed sessions at Memorial High School track. A slowish start and a
conservative first half (running with a 4-hr pace group) paid off handsomely as
I had something left in the tank by Mile 18 plus. I might add that in several
previous marathons, I had committed many of the 'cardinal sins' such as
starting WAY too fast, experimenting with new tactics & foods on the day of the
run, not tapering properly, etc. etc. So being able to run a well-paced race
doesn't make me a smart marathon runner, just an experienced one!
I really felt strong over the last 7 miles, pushing the pace to 8:20 and
passing dozens of people in the process. So much more fun to be a passer than
a passee. To be honest, I did not have much left by the end, except a big
grin. I glanced at my heartrate monitor as I crossed the finish line in just
over 3:49 and it was at 175. I think my maximum is 180 so just as well they
had a defribillator or two ready...
Would I recommend the Houston Marathon for anybody else? Well yes and maybe.
Yes for some of the reasons mentioned above. It is also very well organized
and has one of the best Expos of any that I have seen. The air-conditioned
George R. Brown Convention Center is a superb facility where runners can take
shelter from the elements prior to the start and receive ample sustenance -
including a hot breakfast - at the end. The t-shirt designs have lately been
lousy, and the medals so-so, but the finishers beer mugs are worth having. The
'maybe' part of my recommendation has to do with the weather. The last three
years have all been near perfect but sooner or later this marathon will have an
unusually warm start, with the minimum around 60F and the max. well into the
70's. If you can handle that, combined with high humidity, then by all means
make plans for Houston next year. I doubt that you will regret it.
Bert Duplessis
Houston