Concrete Jungle

I had considered doing the Texas Marathon in Kingwood before, but did so with trepidation as it is all concrete all the time. This year, I made the move and much to my dismay, the concrete won. Now that being said, I must point out two important things:

1. Steve and Paula Boone did a fantastic job organizing this event and the race went smoothly.
2. I am in no way disappointed with the way things turned out.

Since your curiosity is raised, let me tell you that I brought it home in 4:33:03. Not a bad time and faster than the 4:45:00 time I thought would be acceptable with the Chevron Houston Marathon a mere twelve days away. The problem lies in that after the third loop, I was easily five minutes ahead of my PR. Unfortunately, the fourth loop took me about 1:15:00. What happened? My knee went south because of all the concrete. I should have put support on it much earlier, so I only have myself to blame. I could barely walk after the race, but that seems only temporary several hours later.

By the way, the hamstring is A-OK. Thanks to a visit to Koala on Monday afternoon. Once again Dr. Denise worked her magic and Maggie did what she does best. They put me in a thigh sleeve and my hamstring did not bother me all day. As for my joints - not so much. I definitely know I have been running through a concrete jungle.

And jungle it is. The green belts up in Kingwood are well shaded and you have to look closely to see any homes as you run. With such a great course, people in Kingwood should be very fit to say the least.

The course is four loops and well shaded. On a day like today, the shade kept it cooler than the 40 degrees (rising into the low 50s) that it was. It was pretty much a very nice day for running.

I met Rick Cook (aka Dirtrunner), who was using this race as a tune up for Rocky Racoon. What an engaging person and I was happy to make his acquaintance. I also met Coach Bill, or should I say "Captain" Bill Dwyer. Bill is a Woodlands Fit Coach and I bet his folks are well prepared come race day.

Jon Walk was also out running because he had nothing better to do. That's Jon...

Felix and Sylvia Lugo were out as well. Felix running, with the flag of course; Sylvia supporting. Speaking of supporting, I have to have the best support on the planet. Jaclyn, my little Boo Bear, was able to see me four times per loop. Lucky for me and good for me as well.

As I mentioned earlier, this was a well organized race. The only negative I can bring to mind is the start. The trails can barely handle three wide, so it takes awhile for people to spread out and it can be tricky if you do not start near the front. Other than that, excellence to say the least. The course was well marked; the water stations well stocked; the volunteers were well...wonderful!

Listening to: Come Out and Play - The Offspring

Comments

[txrunnergirl]

Congrats on a great run! Hope you have a quick recovery from all that concrete.

[rick]

JD, nice to finally meet you. Good luck with the rest of the marathon season,especially Miami.