2015 Chevron Houston Marathon Recap

This could have been the year. At least that's how I felt all season. I felt good about my training. I had done the miles. I had done the speed work. All that was left was to stay healthy and rested. Even taper week went well. I made sure I got plenty of sleep. I did everything I could do to set myself up for a good race. I know this is starting to sound like I had a miserable race, but it was far from that.

Here's what didn't go so well for me:

- Race Strategy. This was more of a mixed bag than a total negative, but until it totally works I'll have to continue tweaking this. The plan was to hit the first mile split with a 9:30, then speed up until I was within my target range of 8:45-8:55. I was nailing my target splits for the first 15 miles or so, but then I started noticing my splits slipping after that. I would work my way back into range, but the legs started feeling progressively heavier as I went on.

- Leg Cramps. I'm not sure if the salt capsules really helped me this year. I was right on schedule every hour, but I still ended up with cramps at the end. I'm not sure if the salt delayed the cramps or not, but I did feel confident enough to continue running as the threat of the cramps loomed heavy in my muscles. I began to feel the start of the cramps after mile 20. I didn't go into full on muscle lock until after I gassed the last mile and sprinted through the finish line. The research on muscle cramps have been so conflicting of late. I can't attribute all of it to nutrition. Maybe I just need more mileage in my training.

And here's everything that went well for me:

+ Nutrition Reference. This was the first time I made notes on where to expect the fluid stations and when to take my energy gels and salt capsules. I found it extremely useful to take the guess work out of the nutrition mid-race.

+ NO chafing! I managed to discover the perfect amount of Aquaphor to apply on my feet and other "sensitive" areas.

+ NO blisters! I guess this goes with the one above, but my feet really felt great all day. The combination of shoes (Saucony Hurricane) + socks (Balega) + lube (Aquaphor) was perfect.

+ NO injuries! No major issues with my joints. I was very concerned with my hips (mostly my right) which have been bothering me this season.

+ NO quitting! I was very happy with the effort I gave. I kept pushing when my legs were at the verge of cramping. I was determined to push and finish with everything I had and I regret nothing.


Another successful race in the books and with so much more to look forward to.