LocoRuuner runs a 3:14 at 2010 Houston Marathon

It was definitely a joy to run a marathon at such a relaxed pace for a change. I was shooting for at 3:20 marathon time, which results to a 7:38 per mile pace. I was right on target for the first couple of miles. My breathing was very relaxed, my body was not under any stress, my heart rate felt like it was right on. But, after a few miles my pace started increasing and my overall average pace started lowering to the point where it was consistently at 7:22 pace. My body still felt very comfortable and I felt I could handle the pace. 

At the halfway point, I was right on pace for about a 3:10 marathon - which was OK for me. I was feeling great - until ... the ball of my left foot started getting very hot. I could feel the blisters starting to develop and every step I took, it seemed like it got worse. I tried so hard to focus my concentration away from the pain and focus my attention on the spectators. At mile 16, the pain was so bad I started focusing on the pain again and what I could do about it. I tried changing my foot strike pattern to prevent landing on the blister on each stride. This didn't help. Miles were passing by as I thought about what I could do to alleviate the pain. At around mile 21, I started thinking about stopping at the medical tent to get them to pop my blister then I could continue. I had only one concern with this strategy - if I stopped I might cramp up so bad that I might not be able to continue or the blister could be so big that the medical people might not let me continue. I couldn't take the chance of possibly being pulled out of the race.

So, there was only one option: Run with the pain on the bottom of my left foot and see if I could make it to the finish in a decent time. At mile 23, I stopped for maybe 15 seconds after a water station to walk for a bit. I could feel my legs cramping up so I quickly started running to again. The cramping would definitely get worse if I continued walking. I thought about the very few miles I put in for training for this marathon. I averaged 25 miles per week with my longest run of 15 miles being 4 weeks earlier. My legs were definitely not prepared to run any faster than what I was running. I was satisfied with my performance thus far.  I felt that aerobically my body felt great - I was not being stressed by the pace - I felt I could go faster and I had been. I had brought the pace down to a 7:19 pace.

The last few miles of the marathon were extremely painful. The pain primarily was concentrated on the bottom of my left foot. I could feel my right foot starting to develop blisters but the pain on this side was bearable. I could wait to get to the finish line and go straight to the medical tent to get my blisters taken care of. Mile 25 was the worse, I don't think I could have handled anything more that 26.2 this day. The last mile was lined with cheering spectators and the finish line banner was within sight after the last turn - this definitely was a sign of hope. I still managed to bear the pain and pass a few more runners before getting to the finish line. Always finish with a smile and my "trademark" hands up in the air for the finish line photo and then straight to the medical tent.

At the medical tent, my blister was pretty big and had traveled all the way to between my two big toes.  There was no reason to pop it since it had already busted during the last few miles of the marathon. I walked away limping straight to the massage table to get a much needed leg massage.

It was a great day for a marathon. Weather was perfect, the crowds were great, the support was excellent, records were broken (not me). Houston lived up to it's reputation of being one of the best marathons in the nation.

Lessons Learned: (What did I do wrong?)

1. I used a new pair of socks (There I said it! I know, I know - I broke one of the golden rules of marathoning -  nothing new on marathon day.)

2. Not enough longer runs with my running shoes. I did about 3 long runs with these running shoes. 1x 15 miler and 2x 12 milers. Not really long enough to determine if the shoes were right fit for me and prevent the development of blisters. Should have worn my older Asics.

3. 25 mile weekly average - are you kidding me? I definitely need to run more miles to get a better time.

What did I do good?

Think POSITIVE! I remain firmly convinced that the power of the mind and positive thinking is stronger than any long run, speed work, or tempo run that I complete during any training season.

Mind over body

Pete. "The LOCORUNNER"

Welcome to LocoRunner!

We will soon have resources for the runner and triathlete. Event descriptions and reviews for local Houston area races will be just some of the articles you will find in LocoRunner. Our race calendar will be geared towards Houston area events and anything else that LocoRunner feels like including. I visit San Antonio pretty often, so I like to include some of the bigger events in the San Antonio and Austin area.