For Whom the Dogs Bark

57F, 47%, N 11-21 mph.  Pretty good race, could have been worse under the circumstances, course was a little longer than my last half, so I am putting the non-standard distance I measured solely for comparison purposes.  Met Allie (a.k.a. allie) very briefly after she finished a very good marathon then had to hurry home as Wade and Linda had responsibilities (unlike me).  Linda got a 4-minute PR, Wade missed his PR by a couple of minutes.  Weather not a big factor.

Met Wade and Linda at 5:30 and headed to The Woodlands.  It was 62F at 5:30 but the cold front was moving in and it was already down to 58F by the time the race started at 6:55, possibly colder than that at the end.  Other than Linda’s big PR, and other than meeting allie, the highlight of the morning was standing in the PoP line.  (Don't go anywhere.)  There was a guy about 5 spots ahead of us in line who had the elite look, no body fat, ripped abs, fast shoes, compression socks -- and no shirt.  By this time it was colder, with a stiff breeze, and you could see skin quivering underneath his goose bumps.  Linda commented to me that he must be very fast.  But something seemed off, and I reminded her that Naked Man hadn’t run yet.  There were a couple of women in line between us and him and he was talking to them like old acquaintances.  That notion was dispelled when his turn came and he disappeared into the open slot.  One of the women turned to the other and said, “I think he is a non-door closer”.  Then it was her friend’s turn because she suddenly saw one with a “green open” indicator on the door.  She hurried up and opened it, froze, then started screaming.  Her friend had nailed it.  It made Linda’s morning, she was so relaxed she went out and ran a 4-minute PR.  When she finished, the first thing she said was “I passed Naked Man in mile 5”.  She is now a runner for life.

So this morning I ran pretty even splits:  7:04, 7:01, 6:58 (175), 7:08 (176), 7:12 (176), 7:14 (175), 7:09 (174), 7:15 (174), 7:11 (174), 6:56 (175), 7:06 (178), 7:12 (177), 7:02 (177) and 6:38 (180) for the stub split -- 1:33:50, which is 3 seconds slower than my last one 3 weeks ago.  But the course measured long today, so my actual pace as measured was 3 seconds faster, not much but something, and more importantly it is the second time I have done it so I know it’s real.  Overall 60th place (top 2%) and 1st in age division.  I found myself running with a guy who probably slowed me down to some extent.  He ran in the passing lane and he would eventually slow down to the point I would pass him, which would wake him up and he would pass me within a quarter mile like clockwork.  Kind of like driving on the freeway.  Finally at mile 10 I tired of the game and hammered out a 6:56 which broke him, he finished a minute behind me.  He is the best excuse I have today for running slower than planned.  I set up the weather, my left foot and my sore abs as the bogeymen, but they were all non-factors -- sometimes you have to dig a little deeper but there’s always one out there if you are persistent.

Six weeks to Boston.  I have enough speed for current purposes, but definitely felt an endurance limitation this morning.  At mile 9 I told myself that Boston would be my last marathon, then I changed my mind after mile 10.  I am considering piling on a bunch of long runs, they seem to help the most.  But I have some more travel coming up and then some vacation, not sure how it will all play out.  It has been difficult to manage a consistent training schedule this year, but my wife is opposed to me quitting my job.