2011 San Antonio Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon

After the whole Union Pacific train incident during last year's race, I had told me wife that I would never race in San Antonio again. Well, exactly one year later and I'm back in San Antonio for the race. The main reason I signed up again this year was because one of my best friends wanted to run it and I agreed to join him. And I'm so happy I did. It was easily the most enjoyable trip to the river city I have ever had. We stayed at the lovely Drury Plaza Hotel in downtown San Antonio. The place was formerly home to the Alamo Bank and was built in 1929, so the building had a ton of impressive art deco character. We loaded up at dinner at Zocca on the Riverwalk, just minutes away from the hotel. Carb loading before a race is always fun. To top that off, we had dessert a fancy place called Biga on the Banks. Everything was superb.

The weather was unseasonably warm, but the race itself was awesome. The course had been modified for the better. It was easily the most scenic route in the four year history of the race. The crowd was great and I was feeling fast. I ended up with a time that I had thought was a PR, but as it turns out I was just two seconds shy. (Coincidentally tying my San Antonio PR set back in 2008!) I was still very happy with the race because I haven't been this fast in years.

Chip Time: 1:49:14

I think what made the trip so successful was the great company. Thanks buddy. And of course, no trip would ever even happen without the superhuman support of my incredible wife. You are my truest inspiration.

2011 BP MS150

Over 150 miles of riding from Houston to Austin. With over 13,000 participants, the MS150 is the biggest two day fundraising cycling event in North America. Pretty awesome, right? This was my very first cycling event and one that I've always wanted to try.

I rode with my brother-in-law's company team who did a great job with support and accommodations. We stayed at a private house in La Grange which was about 4 miles away from the fairgrounds. That allowed us to really just relax after the first day of riding. The ride started off well. The pace was easy and the air was crisp. The only mistake on day 1 we made was riding for extended stretches while skipping most of the breakpoints. After about 40 miles, the hard bike seat really does a number on you. That and my lower back also felt a bit stiff. Keep in mind, I probably would have been used to it had I really trained for the event. I actually never exceeded 25 miles in training. I wasn't really too concerned though because I had a sense that this ride was a pretty laid back affair. That's kind of a half-truth. There are a number of hard charging riders that take it very seriously. For me it was just another challenge I wanted to check off my list. Sure it's a physically taxing event, but it's nothing compared to running a full marathon. Would I do the MS150 again? Hmmm. Probably not unless I had other friends or family wanting to do it for their first time. It's very much a social event and there are some boring stretches. Don't get me wrong, there are also really beautiful stretches too. The section through the state park on day 2 was easily my favorite. Plus going down hill at almost 50 mph on your bike is pretty rad.

The really great thing about this event is the good it does with the funds it raises.
One of the signs on the course really summed it up for me. "Two days of pain is nothing compared to what people with MS have to live with. We're the lucky ones."

2011 Warrior Dash (Conroe)

So the next event on my calendar was the Warrior Dash. It's not a distance race but it was an event I've been wanting to do. It's basically a 5k mud run sprinkled with various obstacles. Hills, mud, barbed wire, cargo nets, a fire pit, and more. It made me feel like a kid again for some reason. The whole thing really is over pretty quickly.

And I know these things aren't really about the time but...

32:06:55

I'm saving that just so I have something to reference in the future.

2011 Texas Independence Relay

This post is about a month and a half overdue. I've finally got a little bit of time on my hands so I'll use it to do some catching up.

This is what the 2011 TIR Team 1 roster looked like:

Runners:
Phi (Team Captain)
Ashley
Bob
Heather
Julio
Long
Luis
Lyndsey
Parker
Quan (Peter)
Shaundae
Tim

Supporters:
Thuy (Team Mom)
Andre
Garo
Jackie
Zhahan

Nearly ever person on the team was a returning TIR veteran. The exception being Luis who was actually supposed to be on the 2009 team. Now the TIR is a unique event for me because it is one that I don't put any emphasis on speed. That being said, I know it's impossible for us runners to not want to improve on previous performances. This was especially the case this year since the team was virtually the same. And man, was everyone fast. At under 30 hours this was easily our fastest year ever and everyone was running strong. I'm talking about course legs run in low 8's and 7's. Simply blazing. It's always great to see everyone do so well. The real magic about the relay is how team-centric the atmosphere is. There's really nothing like it on my running calendar.

2011 Austin Half Marathon - Me vs the Flu

Our entire weekend in Austin was in jeopardy. I was expecting to run in my 4th Austin Half Marathon on Sunday. A sudden bout with the stomach flu put those plans on hold. Friday night, I didn't feel strong enough to walk, much less run. And with the run less than a day and half away, I wasn't sure what state I'd be in.

I went to bed late Thursday night with a stomachache. When I woke up about four hours later to go to the gym I noticed my body feeling particularly weak and achey. I assumed it was just from lack of sleep. This wasn't an uncommon thing for me. Usually, I'd snap right out of it once my body got moving. The feeling continued throughout the morning as I played basketball and worked out. It was only after I got into the office that I started feeling the chills and the aches throughout my body begain feeling amplified. This is when I started getting a little concerned. But I had a tough day of work ahead and major deadlines that Friday and I didn't want to ditch my team. I skipped lunch because I didn't think I could hold anything down. The feeling of nausea was strong. I stuck it out until 4 pm before I decided I needed to cut my losses and get home. The aches had become unbearable and I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay upright. So I got home about 40 minutes later and I felt like a mess. I put down my things and went straight to the couch and curled up under a blanket. I didn't get off that couch until 17 hours later. The pain was all over. It hurt to move, but also hurt to stay still. I couldn't find a comfortable position to even rest. It turns out I had a fever of 101. I tossed and turned for hours. I fell asleep for a few hours at a time. Through this entire ordeal, my loving wife was by my side taking care of me as I struggled to stay lucid. All I had in my system was a banana and a few liters of gatorade, so she insisted I have some congee. I managed to get a few spoonfuls down before I fell asleep again. According to my wife, I had slept for about 12 hours. When I woke up the next morning, I was happy to see that my fever was gone. My body still ached but not nearly as much. I was starting to feel like myself again.

We got into Austin around 3:30 and I was actually feeling my appetite returning. I wondered how this would all play into the next morning's race. This would typically be the time to start carb loading, but I had eaten so little. I hoped a good dinner would be enough.

Long story short, I finished in 1:57:46. A little slower than expected but I was happy I showed up at all. In your face, flu.

2011 Chevron Houston Marathon + Rain = Fun!

This post is well over due.

The race was just six days ago, but my legs wouldn't have been able to tell you that. I was back to full strength by Wednesday so that's always good. Honestly, I was feeling withdrawals from the marathon as soon as I got home on Sunday. I was already craving the next big run, the next big fix. It took me 4 hours 32 minutes and 34 seconds. Not a personal best, but that's not a problem. I loved every second of it. The more of these I do the more that core belief is underscored. You have to love it.

The marathon inevitably hurts at some point for everyone, but you have to make a choice. Do you quit or do you fight on? I know it's cliche, but of all sporting events, marathon running is simply the most perfect metaphor for life. Such as in life, there are always moments in the race that you just feel like quitting. Your mind starts telling you funny things. It tries to reason with you. "It would be so much easier if you just stopped and walked the rest of the way." "You can just blame the weather if you don't finish fast." "Way try so hard? No one else cares." The voice in my head grew louder and louder with each mile. The mind is a funny and powerful thing. When the voice grew from a whisper to a shout in my head I did something I really have never done before. I answered them. Out loud. For the last 4 miles, which always are the toughest, I kept answering "I have the strength. I have the courage. I will not quit." Over and over and over and over. Sure, I got plenty of looks from other runners, but I didn't care. This was for me. I was answering the voice in my head telling me to take the easy way out. And so it went, all the way to the finish line.

The key point isn't that you should care how long it takes for you to finish, but rather how you've run the race. Do you want to be someone who only runs when you think someone else is watching? Or do you want to be able to proudly say you never quit?