2026 USA Fit Virtual Marathon

The Background

The 2026 USA Fit Marathon was changed to virtual due to a freeze.  The weekend that worked for me to run was after the Galveston Marathon. I did not run a step between Galveston and USA Fit.  

My friends Jamie, Luke, and another friend joined me for the run from Northshore Park to run loops around the lake.

The Race 

We ran the first mile at an 11-minute pace, then 3 miles at a 10-minute pace.  Luke and the other fellow split off, leaving Jamie and me.

We kept an 11-minute pace up through mile 15, then ran a 12-minute pace for mile 16. Then we ran/waked to mile 20.

Luke was waiting to say hi at mile 20!

Jamie completed his 20-mile training run, so we all said goodbye, and I headed off to finish the marathon.  I mainly hiked the last miles with scattered bits of running. The hiking was at 14-minute pace, which I figured was good practice for Jackalope Jam.

I finished in 5:44.

Reflections

I ran the USA Fit Marathon with Jamie in 2023 and Luke in 2025. God blessed me to run it with both of them in 2026! Thanks guys for running with me!

Now I have Jackalope Jam 48 hour coming up, so I need to continue to work on my powerhiking.

2026 Galveston Marathon

The Background

After Bandera, I got busy, and my knees were slightly sore, so I only did scattered 2 or 3 miles runs.  I had planned to run USA Fit Marathon, but it was changed to virtual due to a freeze.  So I would run that after the Galveston Marathon.

I had the TCTELA conference up until Saturday, with the Galveston Marathon on Sunday.  The morning of the race, I felt a bit tired from going nonstop at work. 

The Race

It was cold at the start. There was a lady with a chihuahua in line for packet pickup, and the dog shivered.

I ran the first 4 miles at around 1 10:15 pace. Miles 5-6 were at 10:40 pace.  I must have felt good, because I sped back up again: mile 5 was 10:15 pace, then I did a couple of 10:20 pace miles. Miles 10 through 12 were at 10:30 pace.  

Somewhere along the way, a young fellow pulled up next to me and said, "You've got a good pace. Can I run with you for a while?" I said sure, and learned he was running his first marathon.  He pulled away from me after a few minutes.

I got tired, and slowed to 10:58 pace for mile 13.

On the second loop, I ran 11-minute miles all the way through mile 21.  I was still feeling decent, but my mind was wrong, so I hiked a couple of miles at a 14-minute pace.

After I passed the finish and headed out to Pleasure Pier, I ran again.  I took a short walk break after the final turnaround, then ran again.  

As I approached mile 25, I saw the same young fellow.  He started walking right after he passed the mile marker.  I pulled up to him and said hi, and he started running again.  Looking at my watch, I knew if we walked then last mile we would be over 5 hours.  I said, "Running gets it in under 5 hours," and we ran, finishing in 4:57.

Reflections

The story of the young fellow and I running to the finish made this marathon memorable.

I could have been mentally stronger not to walk a couple of miles. Still, I pushed and made it in under 5 hours.

2026 Bandera 100k

The Background

After Texas Marathon - Kingwood, I only did a bit of stairs during breaks at work and a 1-mile run.  The latter was to test out a new pair of Hokas Terri had given me for Christmas.  My knees were a bit sore after Kingwood, so I figured I needed the cushioning for the rocks of Bandera.

The Friday before the race was a stressful work day, and I was still answering emails on the road.  The good news was Terri and Paloma came with me.  We got dinner at the Old Spanish Trail and stayed at the Flying Ranch.

It was very cold as the race started.

Terri would take Paloma horseback riding as I began the race.  Paloma later said that this was a core memory!

 

The Race

I ran the first couple of sections through Boyles Bump, Cairns Climb, and Sky Island at a medium pace.  While still running, after a few miles I purposefully slowed, trying not to go out too fast.  

Right around the Three Sisters, 11 or so miles in,  I switched to hiking, which I would continue for the rest of the race except for scattered bits of running. Miles 23 to 25 in the field after Chapas were my best bit as far as pace, with a couple of 16-minute miles and a 14-minute mile. I slowed a bit in the rockier last section leading up to Lucky's Peak. I finished the first loop in 8:48.

On loop 2, I felt pretty low the first two sections. I was coughing a lot, tired, and emotionally drained from the work week. Terri was there Boyles, which lifted my spirits.  

Approaching Boyles

Then I saw Paloma and Terri at Equestrian. I sat on an inflatable couch and ate mashed potatoes and bacon, which helped revive me.  I gave Terri logistical information, estimating it would take about 7 hours to cover the last 21 miles.

Rebounding, I moved as well as I could, but most of the miles were above 20 minutes through mile 52 as I made it to Chapas.  As the course got easier, I worked to keep the total time under 20 hours, with several 17-minute miles. The only miles after Chapas that went over 20 minutes were the YaYa aid station and Lucky's Peak. 

I finished in 19:47. I was in the back of the pack, 233rd out of 265 finishers.

Reflections

This Bandera was another slog. I did keep myself in decent shape and avoided a major blowup.  I definitely did not want a DNF with the family there. On the other hand, with the Western States qualifier already earned at Dinosaur Valley, I may have been guilty of not pushing quite as hard as I could.

I am glad I worked to get it in under 20 hours.  At least this was not my slowest Bandera, though my 2025 20:18 finish was at Camp Eagle, a harder course.

Also, I did not let the stress of work derail my race, as I had in 2023.  I remembered that whatever I was worried about in 2023 was not important in the grand scheme of things, and I only regretted the DNF.  This time, I kept my mind focused.

Overall, I was thrilled with another Bandera 100k finish, 3 in a row, 4 in 5 years, and 6 total finishes.

I do think for next Bandera I can be a bit less conservative and go for a faster time.

A few hours later, we had breakfast at the Old Spanish Trail, which is my reward for finishing!

Special thanks to Terri and Paloma for braving the cold weather to be there.  Thanks to God, James, all my family, friends, Chris, Tejas Trails, and the volunteers for the support!

2025 Texas Marathon - Kingwood

The Background

I took three weeks off running after Dinosaur Valley 100k, and started again after the UHD commencement.  I was so excited to get running that I ran through a bad cold.  I also did some Stairmaster at the neighborhood gym in preparation for Bandera.

I did a 11-mile and then a 10-mile run at 10ish-minute pace.  But without a 20-mile training run, I was not in marathon shape to start the season.  As always, Terri and I watched Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve and fireworks from our backyard before getting up early to head to Kingwood.

The Race

The Start

It was a bit cold at the start, but it warmed up quickly to be a beautiful day. I headed out at a 10:30- to 10:40-minute pace and held that for ten miles.  I chatted with a fellow named Alfred who had finished many marathons and was getting into ultras.

Finishing a Loop

Holding sub-11-minute miles through half marathon, I still felt good.  At 14 miles, I put on some music, "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Across 110th Street," "Yellow Ledbetter," and sang along.

At some point after 17 miles, I had to walk a short bit.  But I rebounded and only took short walk breaks, telling myself to keep running to get in a 20-mile training run. As I approached the end of the 3rd loop, Alfred saw me and asked how I was doing.  I said, "Crashing and burning!"

After 20 miles, I made it a goal to walk no more than half a mile then run another half mile, which averaged out to 14-minute miles.  I did that for the rest of the race, finishing in 5:15.

Reflections

I had hoped for a sub-5-hour marathon and running it continuously. To get that, I would have had to train harder.  I probably could have done it, but I also just took a short break after Dinosaur Valley 100k, so maybe it was all for the best long term.  

I am proud I did not just walk 9 miles after crashing.  I fought as hard as I could.

Thanks to God, James, Paloma, all my family, friends, the race organization, and the volunteers for the support. Special thanks to Terri for once again getting up early on New Years Day to be there!