2011 USA Fit Marathon

Retrospective Race Report

I started running in January of 2010.  I had a slight background in running, as I had done cross country in 7th grade.  But I had pretty much been physically inactive for 18 years.  When I was a teacher, I was on my feet a lot.  But then I got a job in the central office.  I sat at my desk and had fast food for lunch.  My weight ballooned to 203 pounds.

Deciding to do something, I started running on the treadmill, one song run, one song walk.  Then I read Jim Fixx's Complete Book of Running and started running outside. 

I signed up for 5ks and started chipping away at my time as I dieted and lost weight.

2010 Rise and Shine 5k

2010 Dad's Day 5k

2010 Monster Dash

I won first place in my age group.

Marathon Training

I decided to run a marathon.  I loved the idea of earning a medal for the marathon. I followed Hal Higdon's marathon training plan.

I remember my first longer run was at Austin's Town Lake:

For 2011, Houston Marathon had a lottery, and I did not get in.  So I signed up for the 2011 USA Fit Marathon.

I decided to complete a series of races designed to build up to the Houston Marathon, which would still work for USA Fit.  

The first was the 2010 Space City 10 Miler.  I finished in 1:16, 7:38 place, 171th out of 830 finishers.  This was the first time I thought I might be good at running.

Then I ran the 2010 Houston Half.  I finished in 1:48 I think.  Incidentally, I used this result to bypass the Houston Marathon lottery the next year and get in.

Then I ran the HMSA 25k:

Finally, I ran the Sugarland 30k. I had run a 20-mile training run before that, then one more 20-mile training run after.

2011 USA Fit Marathon

I went out too fast, and crashed. Somewhere in the last few miles, I looked across a field at businesses and wondered if I should ask for a ride back.  Reduced to a walk in the last 3 miles or so, I trudged along as people passed me. But I completed the marathon in 4:57.

At the time, I thought the race was a disaster.  While I paced very poorly, the overall time was decent. Years later, I would celebrate a sub-5-hour marathon.  Regardless, I had finished my first marathon.