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Location: From Bayou Place to Minute Maid Park
Distance: 10K
Watch time: 1:18:17 (bleh)
Avg/Max HR: 184/204 (??)

Not a great race at all. My finish time was 11 minutes slower than last year’s RodeoRun. Bleh. However, it was my first time running an official race in the rain and I have to say, it was kinda fun. I’m feeling a little sick again but hey - it was worth it.

Race Report:

• Pre-Race: Got to Minute Maid, parked, and got into huge line for the shuttle buses that would take us to the starting line. I stood behind this very, very tall guy who kept looking around as if he’d lost someone. Several times, the line would move but he’d block the rest of us from moving forward because he was engrossed in looking for his mystery friends. He looked increasingly disappointed the closer we got to the shuttle buses. Anyways, I got to the starting line, and wandered over to pick up my chip. For some reason, they didn’t include any plastic ties in our chip envelopes. I found a table with plastic ties, but most people had to tie their chips using their shoelaces. I headed over to the bag dropoff (I don’t usually bring extra clothes to races, but because of the weather I didn’t want to get sick again), and ran into Cassie, Steve Bezner, Edwin, Lance and Steve (dunno if Steve has a blog). We chatted for a bit, then headed over to the starting line. Cassie and I squeezed ourselves into the crowd, and waited for the race to start. As we stood there, I saw that same very, very tall guy from the shuttle bus line, still looking around for whoever he’d lost and still looking very sad. Poor guy. Anyways, at 9:40, the gun went off and it took me about 3 minutes to get to the starting mat. There was also a water station right before the starting mat. Huh?
• Mile 1: The energy of the crowds was fun, though the turnout seemed a little low because of the weather. At some point, Bob came by and said hello before dashing off. I was worried about how I’d feel after being sick this week, but things felt OK the first mile.
• Mile 2: I think Mile 2 is when the rain started. Not just sprinkles, but steady rain. Once I realized the rain wasn’t too cold, I started enjoying the rain. Not sure why I enjoyed it so much.
• Mile 3: Mile 3 sucked because of the uphill on the aqueduct. But this is where the elite runners started passing us. The leader was some white guy with brown hair (how’s that for a generic description), followed by Luis(?) in 2nd place. The women’s leader was in 5th or 6th place, and I cheered as she passed by. Eventually, I also saw Lance and Steve B. By the time I crossed the 5K timing mat, I was starting to feel a little woozy.
• Mile 4: I suddenly found myself surrounded by some obnoxiously LOUD KatyFit runners. They had balloons tied to their waists, and were screaming “GO!!! GO!!!” to everyone around us (people gave them funny looks in return). They also kept yelling corny wisecracks to each other, like “Betcha didn’t sign up for this rain, didja??” “Hey, who knew this was really going to be a wet tshirt contest?!!” One woman’s balloon kept flapping around in my face. Ugh.
• Mile 5: By the time I made it back to the aqueduct for the return trip, I wasn’t feeling great. I jogged halfway up the bridge, but had to walk the 2nd half. Ugh. Worst of all, I saw the annoying run/walk woman I had passed at the Park to Park run.
• Mile 6: Other than being cold and achy, the last mile was uneventful. bleh. Crossed the finish line, and headed over to the post-race party. Chatted with Bob for a bit, picked up my jacket, and got some nice goodies.
• Overall, the race was not great. Being sick was one factor, but I also need to get back onto a regular running schedule. I’ve been running much less than I did before the Marathon, and I can really feel the difference in my fitness. Also, I’ve been just cramming in quick runs or workouts just whenever I can, instead of scheduling it in advance, so I don’t feel as much in control of things as I used to.