I did the full version of the warm-up from RunTex through Barton Hills.  I figured I would just do a few times up Wilke, but I ended up getting roped into like eight up, three back, and another three of the short quick version.  Whew!  Those backwards ones are just as tough as ever, but I really like the feeling of having done a pretty hard workout.

That really went much better than I expected.  I had a really fun time and felt really good running up and down that hill.  I’m kind of tempted to go do it again really soon!

Well, we finally had perfect weather for a marathon here.  It was cool but not cold and plenty clear outside.  I ended up having the most fun I’ve ever had running in a marathon.

I met the group at RunTex before the start.  I did a few warm-up things inside the annex, but I didn’t really go out and do a warm-up run like some people did.  After walking to the start, I found it was quite a way to the gear check area, and I was a little concerned about making it back to the start in time, but that worked itself out.

The start was better than last year.  This time, the fireworks were in front of us, and it was pretty cool to run through that even despite all the smoke.  Last year, they had them behind us so we couldn’t see them.

I fell in with a few other folks for the first few miles, and we had a nice visit.  One recurring theme for me in this one was that the mile markers appeared before I started looking for them.  In the past it was usually the other way around.  It felt good to keep seeing them and thinking wow, I’m already here.

The bands and crowd support were awesome.  I’ve run this race for the last several years, and this is by far the best that’s been.  I saw familiar faces along the sides throughout the day.

I was having only fun until that trip up Exposition ate my lunch again.  That section is really hard, and I just wasn’t the same after that.  I drifted back from the folks I had been running with along there, and I never saw them again.  Before I run this race again I should probably practice that street until it doesn’t even register as hard anymore.

A little after halfway I saw Jay out performing, and he was nice enough to give me a shout-out over the PA.  That was cool.  I started to feel a little tired after turning around at the north tip of the course, but I just started repeating some mantras to myself and got through it all.  Some people from the group passed me at mile 21, so obviously I had slowed down, but I just kept on running as best as I could.

I had a little issue on Red River.  I was going along and all of a sudden my right hamstring just contracted and would not let go.  I had to stop for a minute and wedge my leg against the ground to get it to straighted, and then I was on my way again.

I was happy to see the Humiliators playing at the last corner, and Todd gave me a shout-out over the PA there, too.  That gave me a boost of energy to get to the finish line, and that was that.

I had some snacks and went off looking for my family.  I had a little incident where I was distracted and tripped over a curb.  Normally that wouldn’t be so bad, but in this case my legs decided to cramp up so I could not stand back up.  Thankfully a kind passerby helped me straighten them out, and I made my way over to the massage tent.  After my stay there it was time to eat!

My time was 3:27:21.  That’s a PR for me by several minutes.  Obviously I still have a lot of work to do, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Once I was back here, I fell into the pre-marathon week with everyone else.  Monday was a long warm-up followed by 3 km at race pace and then a cool down.  It felt pretty sticky outside, but when I checked the numbers my heart rate was really, really low.  That’s a good sign.

Today I just took an easy lap around the five-mile loop followed by some core and balance drills.  That felt awesome.  My legs feel better than ever.  It’s easily the best they’ve ever felt a few days before a marathon.  I’ll take it.

Saturday’s long run was rather tough.  My legs were feeling really tired from the race, so the out-and-back section on Exposition really wore me out.   I did some good strength exercises and stretching after it, though, and I was feeling really good on Sunday.  So, I knew Monday’s run would be great.

Monday we had a really nice workout.  It was a 20-minute warm up, and then 2×10min, 3×5min,5×2min, and 5×1min getting faster and having shorter rest periods each time.  With a little cool-down in there I ended up with almost 12 miles, and I felt really strong.

Today I just ran my 7.5-mile route from the house to save some time.  I was a little bit slower than usual, but my legs felt good.  I’m looking forward to running at the track tomorrow.

Anyway, I took Monday off and rested.  I still feel a bit tired from the race even now.  Tuesday I joined the group for an easy five-mile run at Town Lake followed by some form and balance drills.  Those did not feel too great.  Wednesday, I ran around the neighborhood again for about 6.5 or 7 miles.  That was feeling better, but I was really slow.

Today, I returned to the track with the group for some “easy” 1000s.  They were supposed to be easy, and they were in fact much slower than usual, but the pace just felt odd.  It was slower than when I try to run fast, and faster than when I try to run slowly, so it just didn’t feel comfortable.  Or maybe it’s the tired legs again.  Anyway, my times were: 4:21, 4:12, 4:07, 4:06, 3:58, 3:52.  With the extra pre-warm-up warm-up added in, I had close to 10 miles for the day.  I think I’m getting back on track.  I had been slacking on my gym workouts this week, and Gilbert called me on it, so I made a stop at the gym after the run today, too.  I had been doing core all week, though, so at least that’s where it needs to be.

Things started out smoothly enough with a carpool trip from RunTex up to the start at Gateway.  I put in about a mile and a half of warm-up and found my way to the starting area.

I had room to run from the start, and I stuck with my plan pretty well for a few miles.  I wasn’t watching my splits or anything.  I was just running how I felt.  The race route is generally pretty easy, and the cool weather really made for some good running.  When I did look at my splits later, I realized that I went a bit too fast down Spicewood Springs (mile 5) and paid for it later.  I just felt kind of off on the long stretch down Burnet, and that was apparently why.  I picked things back up again in the last few miles and had a nice strong finish.

My time was 1:25:37, which is a healthy PR at this distance, and I just feel a little tired.  I can tell all the work I’ve been doing on my running form is paying off.  I wish I could have maintained the pace I ran in the first half, but I figure with being sick and all I did well enough.  My heart rate was a lot lower than it was at Indy, so perhaps I do still have a little room to run faster when I am feeling 100% as well.

I hung around in the finish area for a while snacking and enjoying the music before strolling back over to RunTex with Jay and Frank.  It was an awesome morning!