Thoughts on Houston

My second marathon is this Sunday, 13 weeks after my first marathon in PEI. My prediction? Something close to the 3:56:01 of PEI, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was around 4:10-4:15. I would be shocked, and very happy, if I finish better than 3:50.

Why the lack of confidence? I've been lazy with my training the last couple of months. While I have kept the mileage at an acceptable level, I too often found excuses not to do speed work, or to cut the mid-week medium-long runs a little short. It's too easy to blame it on the short/dark days and low temperatures. I'm hoping that for my marathon training cycle next spring/summer, I'll stick closer to the original plan, as I did for the PEI marathon. On a positive slant, I stayed healthy this time, with my feet feeling a-ok, so I had no "lost weeks" of training.

I've never worn an ipod during a race, but for this race I plan on carrying it. However, I'm not taking it for the music or podcasts - though I might listen at times. My main reason for taking my new ipod nano is to capture video during the race. If it turns out to be better than shaking, blurry, useless images, I'll post some of the results.

Other than the marathon, we haven't made any specific plans for our time in Texas. We arrive midday Thursday, and leave Tuesday morning. Around fifteen years ago, I lived in Texas (San Antonio) for about a year and a half, and this will be the first time I have returned since then. Other than enjoying a Shiner Bock beer Thursday night, and probably eating Chicken Fried Steak, brisket and catfish (perhaps all after Sunday!), there are no definitive plans. Lots of rest Saturday, and lots of pain Sunday!

Bib #2752, Red Wave starting at 7 AM. The forecast currently calls for 42°F at the start, partly cloudy.